#this note even ends by cutting off midsentence to go 'this is stupid'

[corviiids]

if i can think of a reasonable chatfic premise for lawlight ill do it

[monoclesnapple]

Streamer!Chuuya

Bungo Stray Dogs Chuuya Nakahara X Gender Neutral Reader Beginning Note: The stream clips are taken from RussainBadger on YouTube, he's really entertaining. Hint of Rockstar!Chuuya. Word Count: 1096 (Fluff/Little crack)

Of course, he’s very popular by the time he’s 22. All those streams about the new and trending topics eventually led to his popularity. Also the fact that he’s a rockstar, so that helped.

But back when he was 15, he didn’t have that reputation of a singer, and he started his streaming first before moving to a new occupation, but still maintaining the previous one.

He had very few viewers, and he was kinda cringe. But at least you were there! 

(Background information now) You had befriended him in your freshman year of high school along with a guy named Dazai. The three of you had a lot of fun, the two guys always being chaotic and yelling at each other while you tried to calm them down.

Although you kinda got in trouble often, you still continued being stupid. You’ll grow out of it! (Debatable)

Chuuya had at some point expressed his goals of being a streamer or singer, so you and Dazai encouraged him to start with the former, so he did.

Initially, he did gameplays with commentary, but those games were first person shooters or anything online that included fighting in a team against another. Simply put, he raged a lot.

And now in the present, he still does, but it’s gotten a little more expressive since he doesn’t have anyone to scold him about what he’s saying aside from you.

He has a variety of content on his page now, like gameplays (still), just talking, random challenges, IRL streaming, etc. The different forms of entertainment really helps with maintaining his popularity.

Sometimes during streams, he would tell his viewers that he’s gonna do something for a minute until he returns. That minute is used to check on you.

“Are you hungry? We can order take out”, “You alright?”, “We can cuddle and watch a movie after I’m done”, all that is concluded with a kiss on your face.

You do like to mess with him sometimes. Sitting under his desk while he’s gaming and watching him (Just don’t screw his playthrough, he won’t talk to you for a while), going in his chat and sending a message (That shows up highlighted/on screen) about some chore he still has to do, and the like.

Anything harmless because you care about him and he appreciates that.

One time, you were making dinner and he suddenly started screaming loudly. You ensured the kitchen wouldn’t burn before knocking lightly on his door and asking if he was okay.

In response, he comes to the door and opens it a little. “Shit, sorry. Don’t worry, everything’s fine. I’ll make it up to you later,” and he takes your hand, placing a gentle kiss on it, then going back to his chair.

When he uploaded some clips of his stream to his channel on YouTube or the equivalent of the site, you saw that the reason for his scream was because he was arguing with a friend? And the microphone couldn’t capture the high volume so the yell came out quieter than it really was and the mic just cut off.

Another time, he was talking with his friends about something that had happened, and Dazai (who was playing with him, of course) just muted Chuuya’s mic midsentence. After that he went offline, ended the stream, and went to your shared bedroom to cuddle with you, pout on his face. He recounted what happened and you chuckled lightly, embracing him.

Eventually, his old streams from when he was in high school were found (He deleted the clips after saving them on a drive because they were precious memories) and uploaded.

The video included the time where he was playing a multiplayer game (Just Call of Duty, really) and there was an after death mic that allowed the dead player to say something for a second to their killer before respawning. The things he said included, “You’re so mean!”, “Hahah, pendejo!” (asshole in Spanish), “I don’t even wanna play anymore” (In a whiny voice. He said that to you and Dazai, but the mic was on.)

He barked at someone in the game results screen

At the discovery of his old streams, Chuuya panicked before laughing at them. Sure, they were embarrassing, but the comments loved it. He decided to upload the rest of his saved ones so everyone can enjoy them.

Akutagawa, his friend, sometimes play with Chuuya’s group, and when the former plays and does well, Chuuya just yells out “That’s my boy! THAT’S MY BOY! GAHDAM-” and he’s cut off. He’s a huge supporter for Aku and will cheer him on whenever he plays.

After his streams, Chuuya goes to spend time with you. It’s always wholesome and you both would never trade it for anything in the world. You scratch at his scalp while he buries his face in your chest, complaining about Dazai bullying him, or how he was getting dominated by the other players. He always has fun things to tell to you.

What you always love is that while on stream, he seems tough, loud, and in general very entertaining. But when he’s alone with you, no cameras or anything, he’s so soft and cute. Just your cute little boyfriend.

Although he can catch you off guard with his loudness, he always apologizes and makes you forget it. Despite the two of you sharing the fact that you’re both in a relationship, there’s still people prying into his life, wanting to know more. Chuuya did say that it may be uncomfortable, but you still have a large support system consisting of his fans.

A couple of his streams include you. Mainly the IRL ones, but you sometimes join him in his games. The viewers love seeing you two together and always request for more of you.

Sometimes, he practices with his guitar on stream, playing any requests from viewers, and you’re off to the side and out of the camera’s view. If there’s ever a romantic song, he dedicates it to you. A lot of love songs are asked for.

Going back to streams with Aku, he once had a coughing fit while on mic, and someone rigged it to have a voice effect. His coughs were so screwed up, it just sounded like a weird echo into the abyss.

Overall, he’s very fun to be with. You’re blessed to be the one he trusts to show his soft side to. Anyone who’s able to be his friend at least is lucky to have that title (at least in the present time).

End Note: Here are the clips used

(Edit, here's the Aku inspired one)

[the-midnight-feline]

¤¸¸.•´¯`•¸¸.•..>> So this piece is actually part of the Piliin mo ang Pilipinas Collab event hosted by @lumpiang-toge, you guys should seriously check this out since the works posted there are such good reads ❤️️<<..•.¸¸•´¯`•.¸¸¤

this is the first time i've joined a collab, (ngl i thought i was waaay in over my head lol) i'd like to thank a friend of mine, Dylan, (won't tag his blog just cause, loves you for reading it !) thanks so much for the encouraging words ❤️ and of course Mama Rae (@hq-girl-next-door) for the advice on the banner**❤️

**For the banner I did, I took the image from pinterest, if you guys know who the artist is, please let me know so I could properly give credit to them :)

Tags/TW: Mutual pinning-ish, friends to lovers, fluff to angst, Cheating, swearing (I think theres one or two in there)

(A/N: Please don't get too confused /-\, the italic parts is you recollecting the past, it comes and goes (。♡‿♡。))

WC: 3.8k ;-; didn't know it get that long

Pairings: Tendou Satori x fem!Reader

Summary: It all started with a simple crush, you wouldn't have guessed that it'll be more than that, It was a dream come true to loved and be loved by the person you loved, but not all dreams end good, some end as a nightmare.

“You like the Guess Monster, like THE Guess Monster?!?!” your friends shouted in unison, looking at them frantically as you’re in the gym watching the guys warm up for a practice match and the way they shouted had the sounds of balls hitting the floor just below where your group sat, you willed yourself to look at the who were the people below you guys trying repress the blush you feel creeping on your cheeks, swallowing that lump on your throat as you peaked just a little over the ledge and saw his red hair. Internally cussing out your so-called friends, you tired to act like you calm and collected as he was looking up at the bleachers, maybe trying to guess which one in your group, who was also looking over at whoever heard them, liked him, shaking his head, chuckling toward Ushijima and Semi who was already making their way to the court to get this warm up started.

A single tear began rolling down your cheek as you remembered how it all began, your friends’ sudden outburst in the gym gave you the opportunity to talk to the guy you’ve been crushing on when you first saw him in the opening ceremony just something about him drew you to him and you were adamant on getting to, at the least, know him. Sitting on the floor of your shared bedroom, opening the memory box you and your husband made a few months after you started dating.

Semi knew your friend, he actually liked her and from that outburst of theirs at the gym, he 89immediately thought of a way to hit two birds with one stone. “hey, y/f/n, I heard you guys at the bleachers, sooo” scratching he neck out of shyness “which of your friends like our Tendou? Maybe we could setup a date or something?" He really liked your friend and would honestly do anything to get her on a date, she pointed to you, the quiet in of the group, usually the source of rationality and guidance, the one that acts like the mediator of the group. You really always kept to yourself, didn’t really want to attract attention towards yourself. Semi was skeptical at first, you the quiet, shy girl of the class liked that loud ass friend of his? Maybe y/f/n was pulling his leg, she can’t be serious.

A bitter laugh escapes your lips as the memory of your first date comes crashing on you as see the pressed flower from the little hole in the wall café near the school, Semi was the one that found that café and planned every detail of the date.

As you and your friend were walking towards the café Semi told her about, you were itching to just keep hitting your friends back “why the hell did you fucking agree to this?!!” you hissed at your friend, you were practically shooting daggers at her for saying yes on your behalf and you didn’t even know what she agreed to but she told you to get dolled up, silly you, thinking that it’ll be just a girls day out, but peering over her shoulder as your guys walk out of the dorm, you see her texting Semi, thinking maybe it was him asking for notes since they were in the same class. She led you to this small café and you guys sat at a corner booth, making you sit inside by the wall, you really thought nothing of it, until you saw that distinctive red hair bounding towards your booth. Your palms got a tad sweaty, nerves getting the best of you, a million thoughts racing in your mind that you didn’t notice that the Tendou Satori was there taking the seat opposite of you in the booth, the ever infectious smile directed towards you and you alone. Seeing as you and Satori were basically having a silent conversation with just your smiles, Semi and your friend made a discreet exit and left you two be. Little did you know, he often saw you around, he knows you like shounen jump as much as he does since he sees you go to the store he usually goes to, he knows what snacks you liked since he usually goes out at the middle of the night to get some snacks of his own at the convenience store around the corner. He sees you in the library with your nose buried in some book when he follows Semi there just to annoy him. Tendou didn’t tell anybody about the girl he liked from afar, he knew he’d scare you off, no one wanted to date a Monster, or that’s what he thought.

Looking back, that impromptu date was what started the relationship with Satori, a soft sob escapes your lips as tears gently fall on the first picture you have together, he suddenly rang you up and asked you to go to the mall with him. In the picture, he had his arm wrapped around your shoulder while you were hugging his waist tightly, seemingly scared that being with him was a dream you don’t want to wake up from.

Getting out of the shower, you hear your phone ring from under your pillow, confused as to who might that be since it was an unknown number calling you, curious you answered it. “hey y/n! I know it’s kinda out of the blue but, you wanna go to the mall with me?” shock was evident in your body, it was Tendou! Your thoughts was scrambling, you know you didn’t get a chance to give him your number before you guys parted ways on your first meeting since Coach Washijo made Ushijima contact both guys for a weekend practice. You knew the coach was a hot head and would make anymore run 50 laps if they were late and that was a few weeks ago, a worried Tendou called out to you again “uh…y/n? If you have other plans I totally under-“ blinking back to the present “I’d love to go! Lemme get ready and I’ll meet you down” you cut him off midsentence hearing a small chuckle at the other line “don’t make me wait too long ok?” he said in a teasing tone which made you giggle on the line “yes, yes Satori, I’ll hang up so I could get ready ok? See you!” it took every ounce of self-control to not shriek the whole conversation, once he hung up you were practically jumping on your bed out of pure joy, but then you remembered that he’ll be waiting, you quickly snapped out of it and looked through your dresser for a decent outfit for going out with Tendou, you quickly settled with a simple get up of a long sleeved shirt and pants with some sneakers on, you excitedly exited your room, to meet up with Tendou, hoping you haven’t made him wait too long, turning the last corner you see him outside your dorm, almost wearing the same thing as you, even the color of your shoes match, biting your lip to stop a stupid smile from taking over you walk up behind him, gently poking his side, his sudden jump made you giggle as he took in all of you, a smile makes its way on his lips and eyes as he himself lets out a chuckle. “y/n? Are you copying me?” shaking your head, letting a small laugh out “Satori, please you’re the one copying me here” he just shook his out of amusement when he saw the glint of teasing in your eyes before he offended his arm to you like a gentleman would, the small action made you faint blush.

You two spent the day just walking around the mall, just browsing from store to store, having just a blast at all the random comments he makes, the last stop you guys make was the arcade, you guys played all sorts of games, air hockey, tried your luck at a pachinko machine and Tendou even tried the basketball game, which he surprisingly good at that he won a lot of tickets getting you a small rubiks cube, but near the back of the arcade something caught your eye, a purikura, Tendou saw where your eyes went and with a small smile he took your hand and walked towards the machine, and ushered you in the booth, he felt at comfortable around you, he would’ve never guessed that you were a crack head like, random outbursts of ideas and thoughts spouted from you made him laugh as you spent time together. He quickly wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to him, a flash went off, that was the first shot, with the blush creeping on your cheeks you hid your face under your hair and hugged him another flash went off, that was the second shot, he tipped you head up, making you look at him, his infectious smile directed at you as another flash went off, and the last shot was of him kissing your forehead. You were left speechless after that whole scenario, seemingly in a dazed as he guided you out and grab the prints of the photos. That’s how you guys ended the date, he held your hand in his all the way back to the dorms, placing a chaste kiss on your cheek as you parted ways.

Rummaging further through the memory box, you see all the mementos you both kept from your dates, a few fallen leaves, a couple of pretty rocks, stickers, napkins, flowers, pictures, the cork from the bottle of champagne you drank at your wedding. More tears fell from your eyes as you dug through all the stuff in the box, who knew you both collected a lot of things in just a couple of years. What made you sob so hard was the acceptance letters you both got when you were selected as the few students for the incoming year.

A few months before graduation, you both got accepted into a culinary school in Tokyo, you were ecstatic as this means you and Tendou could get a place together since your parents already gave you two a small amount to get a place near the school so you two could still practice and create new dishes together, it was really no surprise to your friends or the whole volleyball team that you two would get into culinary school, you’ve always had a thing for cooking, you’d often come their practices with some bento boxes for all of the guys so they don’t have to go out and spend for food, on the weekends, the kitchen was his domain he’d let you watch him bake and oftentimes let you help him out. It’s often that the whole group get together during the weekends, you cooking for them while Tendou makes that dessert. For some reason, they got jealous of how your relationship started, it was as if all the pieces just fell into place at the right time, you two together just seemed right like you two were always suppose to be with each other. There’s always been a carefree air around him, it calmed you down so much that it helped you be more open or that’s how you saw it. You were the opposite of him always worrying, always, over thinking, being overly critical of your actions and how you overwhelmed with everything so you turned to anything that’ll help you divert your mind but once he was in your life it just got easier. He voice would immediately calm the voices spewing negative thoughts I had your head.

Looking around your room, you see pictures of you together, your graduation picture, the picture of you guys on the front of the school, the picture of your guys graduating culinary school, a photo of you two at the restaurant where you two both apprenticed and next to that was the candid shot of his proposal there, a mix of joy and hurt shoot through you as you the memory come rushing back to you.

The way he sheepishly confessed that he asked the manager if he could do his proposal there and invite your family and friends for that surprise. “Hey y/n, come with me, a customer just complained about the sauce you made being too salty, I’m not taking blame for that!” an angry chef came shouting at you, shocked and anxiousness dunning through you, you timidly follow behind him, thinking how you could screw up a simple sauce like that, your thoughts were everywhere, but once you stepped outside the kitchen you noted that the dining area was dimmer then usual, but maybe that’s because you’re used to the bright lights of the kitchen, you hear a soft melody playing, it’s one of your favourite songs ‘I Choose' you’ve always related that song to your relationship. On the far wall you see photos of you together, looking around you see familiar faces, his and your parents, your friends, the Shiratorizawa boys were there even the coach came!

The euphoria you felt from having everyone who had been part of your relationship through the ups and downs just had you in tears, your head was fuzzy with the mix of a dozen emotions swirling in you, through a blur of tears you see him kneeling in front of you, he let out a huff of breath to calm his nerves before asking you the question “y/n, my love, my baby, my better half, my paradise. You’ve stuck by my side through my highs and lows, loved me unconditionally, took care of me whenever I got sick, urged me to follow my dreams, guided me into being a better guy, especially with my chocolate making you supported my dreams like no other can, you, you made my world complete, you made me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time, you gave me your heart to cherish and protect. You made my life whole” the words flowed out of his mouth so freely, every word making more tears come out of you, every word so heartfelt, with shakey hands we presented you a pear cut yellow emerald ring “My Paradise, would you do me the honor of being my paradise for eternity?” no words could express how happy you were nodding your head, trying to stop happy tears from falling a hushed ‘yes’ slips past you lips as he stands to slip the ring on your left hand, pulling you in for a tight hug, whispering endless I love you’s and thank you in your ears as the people around you cheered for the newly engaged couple.

Biting back another sob, you feel fresh tears streaming down your cheeks as your eyes land on your wedding photo above the bed, he loved you enough to marry you, he was yours and you were his, you can’t help but stare at the framed photo, he had that infectious smile of his that made you fall from him the day you saw him. He has you up in his arms as your arms were wrapped around his neck, pecking a sweet kiss on his cheek. You asked him many times if he’d like to blowup another photo from your wedding, he simply shook his head and wrapped you up in his arms “you’re perfect in any picture of us, but in that one you look like the most perfect human being in existence and I’m just lucky to have you in my life” you basked in his love and affection on those simple words pulling him closer and burying you face on his chest, inhaling his sweet scent “I’m lucky to have you Tori, lucky to be called your wife” placing a chaste kiss on his chest as you look up to him with love-struck eyes. This was it you guys moved countries after your wedding to France since Tendou was offered a job at a famous pâtisserie there, all you wanted was your husband happy, wherever you guys may be.

You never really cared where you two were, as long as you were together, you could get lessons on the French cuisine as Tendou works, that was the plan before you guys flew out. You worked hard to learn the basics, you’d often have Tendou taste test all your creations and you’ll you the same for him since he likes to experiment with different flavor combinations, things were great the first few months of moving cross countries, you enrolled in a cooking classes there to build up your repertoire and after a few weeks of learning a few new techniques you've decided to look around for places you could work at just to keep your body busy again. You've decorated the apartment the way you liked it and how you think Tendou would like it, just adding different odds and ends giving it a familiar vibe. This place was your starting ground.

When you got a job at the nearby bistro, Tendou didn’t really mind it, since he’d often come home a bit later then usual saying something along the lines of making things in the experiment lab with the other chocolatiers at the shop to have something new for the upcoming season, in turn you thought nothing of it since you do work nights after getting a gig in a restaurant in town as well, it also means you could still have time to make his dinner and keep it warm for when he gets home. You two actually got into an argument when you got that gig since Tendou was adamant about keeping you in the apartment after the morning shift at the bistro so you don’t work yourself too hard, he wanted to start thinking about getting a kitten to keep you company when he’s out working but you argued back that you didn’t wanna feel like mooching off of him even though he said it was fine, he loved coming home to a warm meal that you made with love and gets more time to spend with you, but he did cave in after a few bats of your eyelashes.

It was perfect, you both were doing what you were passionate about, you two scheduled your offs near each other’s so one could take care of each other after a long day. But there was this weird feeling creeping in you but you simply don’t know why it was there, you and Tendou always kept communication open since you two do work different shifts and that itself puts a strain in the relationship but you two made it work. You loved him. So you would really sacrifice anything for him, he had have a rough childhood, he was bullied cause he looked different, acted different, but he wasn’t like that for you, he never was, even though he had a wicked sense for things which really surprised you, you can’t even hide a gift from him cause he knew what you’d get him or more likely sense what you’ll give him.

You don’t tell him that you swapped shifts with someone so you technically have a day off so you decided to drop by the pâtisserie where Tendou worked with some home made Pan Bagnat since it was nearing lunch, as you were close to the shop you saw his figure near the window placing new confections on display, but something made you stop, another person, a female chocolatier, was hugging him from behind and not in a friendly way, there was familiarity to it, it looked as if she’s been hugging him for so long, like she’s always hugged him, you didn’t notice that you’ve dropped the basket you were holding on the sidewalk, the glass bottle shattering on impact, the sangria spilling on the pavement, the sandwich you made, making a mess, the fruits you packed rolling in every direction. People around gasped at the scene, some tried to help in picking up the fruits that escaped, your mind in thought again, maybe you just interpreted it wrongly they’re just so so close, like a brother and sister kinda way, since they both work in the shop, you simply jumped to conclusions too fast, those thought completely vanished as the next sight you saw.

She kissed him. SHE KISSED HIM!! Your mind played that in your head like it was a song played on a loop. That was what made your heart break, that was the tipping point, he didn’t push her away, it was the opposite, he pulled her closer, the way he held her mirrored how he would hold you when he came home from work, people around you were asking you things trying to snap you out of your trance but you paid no mind to them, your legs moving on their own.

It was as if you were on autopilot, you got home, your mind racing with so many thoughts, how long had that been going on? Is she why he’d come home later than usual, is she the reason he had woken up earlier to get to work everyday? Did he spend his days off with her when you suddenly get shifts? Walking into your apartment, you didn’t know what to think, how to feel, how to make sense of things more questions come into your mind. Does he bring her here? Did they do anything sexual in the place you called home? What places were safe? Did she please him better than I did? You walked into your bedroom where the memory box laid in the middle of bed. It was your first wedding anniversary, did he really forget? Your anniversary was engraved on your wedding rings with your initials on it.

A scream of agony escaped your lips as everywhere you looked at it was all you and him the very place you thought was the safest of all was not. It's tainted with infidelity, your heart broke even more as you took the box from the bed with shaking hands contemplating on whether to open the box or not, he loved you with every part of him didn’t he? You were enough weren’t you? You made sure he was satisfied right? You gave him all the love you could and even more right? Didn’t he promise you that he’d protect your heart? You're still his paradise right? He loves you right?

Maybe opening the box, and finding something that you both placed in there would make him rethink his choices right? With broken sobs and uneven breathing, your fingers shaking as you pulled the pretty red ribbon that held the lid shut, looking at all the things that you both collected that reminded you both that you loved each other you broke even more. Every one of them held the promise of love, of fidelity, of trust. But now, a part of you is doubting every word that passed his lips, every kiss that landed on your skin made you feel dirty, every I love you's he uttered seems like a lie. You didn’t want to feel that way, you love him with every part of your being, you’re THE Mrs. Satori Tendou, no one else but you had that title, just you, it was only you right? You were his paradise for eternity right? Right?

★──────────★───────────────★─────────★

I hope you guys liked this, I actually really liked working on this one(played my brokenhearts plays it nonstop for it) , but I do have another one coming so...yeah!

Song inspiration :Anong Nangyari Sa Ating Dalawa by Aiza Seguerra

Song used in the proposal I Choose by Alessia Cara

[thewatermelloncat]

The Show Can’t Go On

Summary: With strict parents Rosé is subject to going to theatre rehearsal while sick. Denali thinks it’s a stupid idea and takes matters into her own hands.

Author’s Note: I originally didn’t plan on posting this because I sometimes feel like I write too many sickfics but some lovely people on AO3 encouraged me to write more.

Warnings: None

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Being in the room feels uncomfortable. But Denali knows that no one there is as uncomfortable as Rosé. Which makes sense because it’s uncomfortable because of her.

Not that it’s her fault. The poor girl had taken the day off of school, struck down with a bad cold, only for her parents to bring her in after hours for theatre rehearsal.

There is no doubt that she should still be in bed, where she had texted Denali that she had wanted to stay as she was driven over. But her parents being very influential in the theatre community would have their daughter show up to every rehearsal, regardless of it only being a final read-through of the script – especially seeing that their daughter holds the lead role.

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School rules state that any student on campus should wear their uniform but their teacher hadn’t disciplined her when she’d come in a little late bundled up in hoodie with a jacket thrown over.

Rosé had mumbled a hoarse apology as she made a beeline for a desk at the back of the room. Denali had been a little hurt by her not wanting to sit in the desk she’d saved next to her, but she understood why she’d want to sit alone.

“How are you feeling, Rosé?” Ms Visage had asked her. Rosé’s parents having called to let her know the situation.

“I’ll make it through” she had tried to smile convincingly but it hadn’t worked.

Ms Visage nodded but looked even less convinced than Rosé. Though she said no more on the subject. Rosé’s parents being promenient benefactors of the school’s theatre program, she didn’t find it in her best interest to speak out against their wishes.

From across the room Denali had flicked her what she had hoped to have been a welcoming smile since she hadn’t seen her all day, but it ended up being a tight-lipped smile of sympathy.

Rosé had tried to smile back at her as she pulled out a chair, it was no more convincing than her first. Her eyes sad and tired.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After Ms Visage had outlined the plan for the afternoon and answered questions, they got straight into it, flipping open the pages of their script.

The majority of the cast had memorised most of their script by now and just had them as a backstop in case they forgot. It was light hearted with people laughing when someone messed up their lines before they were encouraged to try again.

Though no one struggles as much with their lines as Rosé.

The girl who could recite a paragraph back to you after only reading it once wasn’t in the room that day. Denali could tell how out of sorts she was, reading most lines from the script despite having recited them to Denali flawlessly without prompt a couple of lunchtimes prior.

Her voice wasn’t so great either. Cracking and at times barely above a whisper before she cleared it behind a fist before continuing through her lines. Though the cast could understand her well enough if they read along the script as a guide while she said them.

“… that’s nothing to sneeze at” –

“Hmpt’chh!”

A cast member’s line is interrupted as Rosé stifles a sneeze between her thumb and forefinger.

“I’m so sorry” she smiles sheepishly as she sniffles against the back of her hand and the room laughs at the irony.

As the laughing continues, Rosé is passed a box of tissues handed over through the cast from Ms Visage’s desk. She nods appreciatively to the last person who handed them to her before taking a few and blowing her nose softly.

“We all right to continue?” Ms Visage calls out when the room is settled. Mostly directed at Rosé who nods.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Really, she wasn’t all right to continue.

From there it only got harder for her to deliver her lines effectively. Sneezing and congested breaths beginning to interrupt her almost constantly. Denali could tell she was getting frustrated as she was forced to stop her lines midsentence to regain her composure.

“Now that’s a deal that seems worth taking” – Rosé pauses to sniff into the back of her hand. “But I guess… but I guess” she repeats the line before her breath hitches and she turns into her elbow, “hih’chh!”

She sniffs as she turns back to the page, immediately starting to read again. “I’ll leave that up to you” she barely gets the line out before she turns away to sneeze again. “Heh’mph,…” she stays shielded behind an elbow, waiting, before she convulses forward again, “hih’tchh!”

“Do you need a minute, Rosé?” Ms Visage interrupts the read-through, concern in both voice and expression.

Rosé nods quickly before pushing herself out of her chair, muttering out a quiet “thank you” as she swiftly exits the room.

Denali’s stomach twists uncomfortably as the door closes behind her and it’s a few seconds before Ms Visage gets the cast back on track.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three minutes and Denali’s final line for a while goes by and Rosé still hasn’t come back. Worry starts to sink deeper into Denali’s stomach as she fidgets her fingers while staring at the clock. After watching the second hand tick past another minute her eyes move over to meet Ms Visage’s and she is fixed with a particular look.

Denali nods as she knows it’s her go-ahead to follow after Rosé. Without a word she gets up from her desk and makes her way out the door to the bathroom down the hall where she knows Rosé will be.

“Rosé?” she calls out when she steps into the tiled room.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be out this long. I’ll be back in a minute” Rosé explains quickly, looking away from where she had been staring at her reflection in the mirror.

“Rosie” Denali’s sympathetic tone invalidates Rosé’s sentence as she shakes her head at her.

“Denali” Rosé reflects, turning toward her friend with a helpless expression.

“You’re so sick, Rosie” Denali points out although it’s obvious.

Part of Denali had expected Rosé to shake her head and deny it like her parents had taught her to do. So, it shocks her a little as Rosé shakes her head for an entirely different reason.

“I don’t want to do this” Rosé bites at her lip.

“You shouldn’t have to do this” Denali steps forward as tears well in Rosé’s eyes. She’d seldom seen her friend cry and knows that it’s the illness and exhaustion getting to her.

Rosé sniffles as she steps into Denali’s embrace. “I feel really horrible” she admits quietly next to Denali’s ear.

“I know” Denali runs a hand up and down her back to comfort her. “I know.”

Rosé sniffles again as a tear splashes onto Denali’s shoulder.

“Do you think your parents would pick you up if you called them?” Denali asks then pulls away when she feels Rosé shake her head.

“They have some networking thing over drinks that they’re going to” Rosé explains to Denali’s expression of confusion. “They’re going to pick me up on the way back.”

“Do you have a key?” Denali asks.

Rosé nods, brushing the remaining tears from her eyes.

“I’m going to take you home.”

“Denali, we need to stay and” – Rosé is quickly cut off.

“Rosé, you” Denali makes a point of announcing, “need to be in bed.”

Rosé opens her mouth to argue but instead of her introductory breath turning into words, she turns to sneeze heavily into an elbow. “Hih’ishchew!” it bends her double and sets her immediately coughing into her sleeve.

Denali fails to bite back a quiet moan of sympathy. “That just proves my point.”

Rosé says nothing but sniffles as she walks over to the paper towel dispenser and pulls one out to blow her nose. With it thrown in the bin, she leans both her hands on the counter top, closing her eyes and breathing exhaustedly.

“Come on, we’ll go tell Ms Visage” Denali steps up beside her, taking her by the arms.

Rosé sniffles again, not raising her eyes from the floor, and this time listens to Denali and lets her lead her along.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They step back into a near empty classroom, the rest of the cast let out for a brief intermission. When the door shuts behind them Ms Visage looks up from her desk and Rosé opens her mouth to speak but coughs behind her wrist instead.

“I’m going to take her home” Denali says before Rosé can try to speak again.

Ms Visage nods acceptingly and eyes Rosé worriedly.

“I’m sorry” Rosé rasps before sniffling, pushing both her hands into her pockets.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You did well for even trying to come here today” Ms Visage dismisses. “I’ll call your parents and let them know that I sent you home.”

“Thank you” Rosé says appreciatively, knowing that her parents wouldn’t accept her going home for any other reason.

“Go get your things” Ms Visage sends her off.

Rosé nods with a thick swallow before she makes her way to pick up her script and clear the tissues off her desk. Meanwhile Ms Visage talks with Denali about what she needs to go over in the second half of the script, while Denali grabs her own things.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” Denali nods a goodbye, shouldering her bag.

“I’ll see you then” Ms Visage agrees as the two students make their way to the door. “Oh, and Rosé?” she calls out, making them both stop in their tracks. “I’ll give you an extension for the drama assessment next week. Make sure you get some rest.”

Rosé can’t think of any words to say but she smiles appreciatively with a nod before she and Denali step out the door.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“All set?” Denali turns toward Rosé in the passenger seat as she sticks the key in the ignition.

Rosé nods as she clicks her seatbelt in.

“Hold on, look at me” Denali instructs, noticing a growing flush on Rosé’s cheeks.

She does and Denali reaches out to place the backs of her fingers against her forehead. Making a sound of pity at the heat of her skin, “you have a fever.”

Rosé purses her lips in tight smile as she looks away again.

“Are you cold?”

“Little bit, yeah” Rosé says faintly as if she is just realising the fact.

Denali nods and adjusts the heating at the control panel. “I’ll have you home soon.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Here we are” Denali announces as she pulls up against the curb beside Rosé’s driveway.

Rosé inhales deeply, taking her head away from leaning against the window as Denali slows to a stop and activates the handbrake with finality.

“Home sweet home, yeah?” Denali tries to get a smile out of Rosé and it only just manages to work.

Rosé nods tiredly as she unbuckles her seatbelt and slides out of the car, pulling her keys out of her pocket. With a shaky grip it takes a few goes to insert them into the keyhole and by the time she’s done it, Denali has caught up with her from locking the car.

“How long until your parents get back?” Denali asks.

Rosé stops in the doorway, pulling out her phone to check the time. “Maybe an hour?” her last word is choked out in a cough before she covers some more into an elbow.

“Inside” Denali prompts, whether or not Rosé hears her or not. Taking her by the shoulders and guiding her through the entryway into the kitchen.

By the time they reach the bench, Rosé has regained her breath and moves off to fill a glass of water at the sink.

“Are you crashing in your room or on the couch?” Denali asks as Rosé tentatively sips the contents of the glass.

Mid-swallow, Rosé doesn’t verbalise an answer but she nods her head in the direction of the stairs, signalling to her room. As Rosé puts her glass down, her phone buzzes from the bench and she picks it up.

Habitually Denali’s eyes travel towards the sound but she only gets to read Mum before the good angle of the screen is gone. Then her eyes move to study Rosé, her expression dropping further, before she clicks the lock screen and it goes black as she puts the phone down.

“Denali?” Rosé asks hesitantly and Denali already thinks she knows where this is going. “Can you stay with me… just until they get back?”

“They not happy?” Denali doesn’t even have to guess.

Rosé shakes her head in confirmation, averting her eyes away from her.

Denali purses her lips sadly. Rosé’s parents were a strange kind of strict, lovely people but a bit hard on their daughter when they shouldn’t be. Over time they’d found that they were less so when Rosé had friends over, so Denali’s answer is a no brainer.

“Of course,” she accepts and Rosé smiles appreciatively. “Let’s get you to bed.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She didn’t think they’d be angry, just disappointed, and she isn’t in the mood for a lecture. That is what Rosé had told Denali as she got her settled into bed and tucked beneath the covers. After that it hadn’t been long until she had drifted off to a fitful sleep, waking herself up coughing every now and again. While Denali had settled next to her atop the covers, reading a book that she had found lying at the end of the bed.

True to Rosé’s estimate it was around an hour before the sound of a car pulls into the driveway. At the covers moving beneath her, Denali looks down at Rosé beside her, eyes now open as she shifts nervously.

“It’ll be alright, Rosie” Denali assures her softly. “I’m right here.”

The words of reassurance seem to work as Rosé hums quietly and her eyelids slowly fall closed again. Though they don’t stay closed for long.

A minute later after the sound of footsteps stop climbing the stairs, the door pushes open and more light floods into the dimly lit room.

“Rosé?”

At the sound of her mother’s voice, Rosé opens her eyes and shifts her head to look at her standing in the doorway.

“I know you were worried about your voice not holding out, but you could have stayed to observe” and there is the tone of disappointment Rosé had been expecting.

Before Rosé can even think of a reply, coughs bubble up in her chest and she raises a fist out from her blankets to shield them behind. At her friend sounding so miserable, Denali places a hand comfortingly on her shoulder, tracing small circles with her thumb.

“Oh Denali, didn’t know you were coming over” Denali’s sudden movement is met with a tone of surprise.

“Hi, I’m not staying. Just until you got home” she says brightly before speeling off a partial truth, not taking her hand away from Rosé. “She really isn’t doing well so I wanted to make sure someone stayed with her. I’m surprised it took Ms Visage so long before she sent her home.”

At Denali’s words Rosé’s mother seems to reassess. “Why didn’t you tell us how bad you were feeling?”

“I did” the amount of bite in Rosé’s tone just breaches over subtle.

Her mother cocks a brow at the tone but moves onto address Denali quickly. “Did you want to stay for dinner? It’s a bit late but we’ve brought some back.”

“No, it’s okay” Denali dismisses, shuffling off the bed. “My mums got some waiting for me at home.”

“If you’re sure?”

“I am, but thank you” Denali smiles as she picks up her keys from Rosé’s draws.

“Nali, stay” Rosé begs weakly.

“I don’t want to be a hassle” Denali says hesitantly, but still places her keys back on the draws.

“We wouldn’t offer if we didn’t mean it” Rosé’s mother says and Denali smiles but bites back a laugh, knowing that Rosé would have been about to say the exact same thing.

“Text your mum and I’ll bring something up” the decision is finalised before Denali can speak and Rosé’s mother leaves back down the stairs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Before Denali knows it, she’s holding a bowl of noodles, sitting cross-legged on the bed, making small talk with Rosé’s mum as she sits at the edge of the mattress. Waiting for the thermometer to beep so Rosé can finally get her dinner which she hadn’t been allowed until her temperature had been taken.

At the shrill tune the thermometer is taken from Rosé’s mouth before she can move and her mother announces “38.2°C.”

“It’s not bad” Rosé notes quietly.

“It’s still a fever, Rosé” her mother warns seriously. Raising a hand to her forehead before Rosé bats it away. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone” she relents before she stands and leaves the room.

“You wanna watch a movie?” Rosé asks Denali, not really in the mood for making conversation.

“Yeah” Denali says, reaching down to pick Rosé’s laptop off the floor beside the bed. “What one?”

“I don’t know, you choose.”

Denali nods as she types in Rosé’s password which she had told her awhile ago and she somehow still remembers. “This one?” she asks, hovering the mouse over a movie that she thinks they’ll both like.

Next to her Rosé nods and Denali presses play.

While the movie plays on the screen Denali has no problem quickly polishing off the rest of her dinner while Rosé slowly chips away at hers. When she’s done, she places her bowl on top of Denali’s on the bedside cabinet before leaning tiredly against Denali’s shoulder. Feeling her friend’s arm wrap around her.

“Sometimes I wonder if people in movies have brains?” Denali mentions after a character makes an obviously bad decision.

“Hmm” Rosé hums as she shifts to pull away from Denali, who won’t let her. “Denali, I’m gonna sneeze” Rosé warns and Denali finally lets her go.

“Hih’akshew, ik’shew... ik’sheww” Rosé directs into a handful of tissues she just had time to pull out from the box beside her. She sniffles congestedly before blowing her nose. “I’m sorry, this is so disgusting.”

“You’re sick, Rosie” Denali says, wrapping her arm back around her. “You can cough and sneeze as many times as you like.”

“Except I don’t like any of it” Rosé sniffles before they settle back into silence.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Should we switch it off, Rosie?” Denali suggests, noticing Rose’s eyes fighting to stay open.

Rosé would have protested because the movie is nearly over but she knows she isn’t going to hold out much longer, so she nods instead.

Wordlessly, Denali stops the film and closes the laptop lid. Then helps Rosé pull the blankets over her shoulder as she settles down before hoping off the bed and grabbing her keys from the draws.

“Thanks for dropping me home, Nali” Rosé mumbles half into her pillow as Denali makes for the door.

“You know it’s not a problem” Denali stops walking for a second. A sympathetic smile appearing on her face as Rosé’s eyes slip closed. “Sleep well my Rosie.”

[id-rather-be-an-outsider]

Take Your Time

Bertholdt Hoover x nb!reader

word count: 2360

summary: the warriors are in uni together. reader gets the news their older sister’s cancer is back, bertie boi tries to be a grounding presence for them. did I say it’s a modern/college au? it’s a modern/college au. fluff, angst???

a/n: yessirrr it’s another fic I wrote to cope w not having a good support system irl, we love moving away from toxic home environments :))) also there will be a part 2 to this for a happy ending. if there are any pronoun inconsistencies LET ME KNOW!!! I would like to fix that, reader uses they/them uwu

tw: cancer mention, pre-mourning, poverty??? if that’s triggering for u

masterlist

Professor Erwin begins taking attendance, and I can’t help but feel like something is off. Missing. Annie nudges me and whispers, “Have you seen y/n?” I shake my head, no.

Reiner mentions, “Last I saw them, they got a phone call and looked like they’d seen a ghost when they answered it.”

Annie’s face drops. “It might’ve been something about their sister.”

“Something?” Reiner asks. “Or cancer again?”

Annie quickly elbows him in the gut. “Don’t talk about it like that. You know what they told us last time.”

His tone shifts. “O-Oh. Right.”

I rise from my seat. “I’m gonna go check on them. Can I copy notes later? I’ll be back soon, hopefully.” Annie and Reiner nod, content to take studious notes. I know I’ll owe them favors.

As soon as I’m out the door, I run all the way to y/n’s dorm. It’s across campus, and I have all my stuff with me, so five minutes later I’m sweating and out of breath as I reach their dorm. I can already hear their sobs. My heart drops.

I knock on their door as lightly as I can, cringing at the thought of interrupting them during such a private moment.

“I’ll be right there!” I hear them call as they weakly try to quiet themself down. As they open the door, they stare at their feet and say, “Hey Hange, sorry I’m being so loud, I know that’s-“ A gasp strangles its way out of their throat midsentence- “Probably why you’re knocking, I just got some bad news, but I’ll try to tone it down a couple notches.”

I’m not quite sure how to respond to their apology, so I stand there awkwardly until they look up at me. Their eyes have never looked so dark, and I’ve never seen their face look so sorrowful in the entire time I’ve known them. They stand there for a moment in realization, then launch into me with a hug that knocks me back a step and start sobbing again.

I return their embrace, and walk them backwards into the dorm they share with Annie, closing it behind us. They start to sink to their knees, but I pull them up. “Stay with me, y/n.” I guide them to the couch and they slump, beside themself, only held up by my arms around them. I push their hair back behind their ears, unable to say anything as their cries echo through the room, splotches of salty tears staining my pant legs and shirt. Their crying cuts off, turning into a coughing fit for a minute.

“It’s back.” They finally whisper, voice hoarse, neck muscles straining. “And it’s in her heart. We-“ They let out another breathy sob. “We can’t afford to buy her a heart. Even if we sold all of our things, it wouldn’t add up to a heart.” Their crying starts again, and another one of their gasps breaks off into a cough. Suddenly, their cough stops, and they cover their face, hopping up and running to the bathroom. I follow them, and watch with gritted teeth as they lose their entire breakfast in the toilet. They keep crying, using toilet paper to wipe the puke from their mouth, blowing their nose with another strip. I see blood and puke on the second strip and almost hurl myself, but I steel myself and keep it together. Coming undone right now will only make it worse.

“Y-you got vomit in your hair. Let me help.” I offer my hand and pull y/n up to their feet, flushing the toilet for them and maneuvering them around to the bathtub. They kneel, and I turn on the faucet, instructing them to tip their head over. I run the warm water over their head with a cup sitting on the side of the bathtub and pretend not to hear their whimpers. They either don’t realize the roaring water in their ears isn’t actually drowning them out, or they don’t care. Perhaps both.

Once the mess is gone, I turn the water off and grab a nearby towel, helping them wrap their hair in it. They sit on the bathtub edge, looking absolutely miserable and empty of all happiness, so I head to their bedroom and rummage through their drawers until I find the softest pair of pajamas they own and a pair of plush fuzzy socks. I bring them back to them, and they shut the door to change.

In the meantime, I text Annie to tell the profs I’m gonna be absent today, and y/n will likely be absent the entire week due to a family emergency, I order their favorite pizza, and find their favorite movie on Disney+. I peel back the covers of their bed and change into my own pajamas (they’re nice enough to let everybody in the group keep a pair in the extra dresser drawer in the event of an unexpected sleepover) and head back to the bathroom, tapping lightly.

Y/n opens the door, fully changed, so I help them remove the towel and comb through their hair as gently as I can, not wanting to yank on their scalp. I try to apply their serums and creams like I remember, but they step in after I almost do the wrong order. I just grab the towel and their dirty clothes and toss them in the hamper.

A knock at the door tells me the pizza’s here, so while they handle their curly mane, I find their favorite plates and serve us up slices. Chicken-bacon-spinach alfredo, just how they like it.

When they finally exit the bathroom, they eye the smaller serving almost like it’s poison, and whisper in a tone barely audible: “I don’t think I can eat right now.”

“That’s okay. I’ll come grab it if you get hungry later.” I say, sticking their plate in the microwave and putting the box in the oven to lock in their heat. I lead them into the bedroom and plop down on the bed, inviting them to sit between my legs. When they’re settled in, I pull the covers up and grab their stuffed animals for them when they can’t reach them.

The movie starts and eventually I find myself holding y/n and their head tucked into my chest. If I’m being honest, I’ve watched this movie with them a million times, so I don’t need to see it to know what’s going on. Good thing, too, because I can’t keep my eyes off their face even though it pains me to look at them. How can someone so beautiful know so much pain?

And their sister. They have two. I’ve seen them before, in pictures. Even when they’re mad at them, the way they talk about them, you can just tell how much y/n loves them. They’ve always been protective over them both, especially so their younger sister, but since their older sister’s first run-in with cancer, y/n almost talked about her like she was fragile, to be handled with care.

I can’t imagine what their sister’s feeling right now. Anguish, for sure. I’m sure losing your own life is worse than mourning. At least when you’re the one alive, you can remember them.

“Thank you,” Y/n says, voice barely above a murmur, “For helping me. I... I think I’m going to need a lot of help to get through this.”

I say, “It’s no problem, really. That’s what friends are for. I’m here for you, and so is everyone else.”

They wince. “Everyone else already knows?”

I shrug. “Well, maybe not everyone. But me, Annie and Reiner connected the dots when you didn’t show up to class.” They nod in understanding. “I don’t think they’ll tell anyone, though. Not unless you want them to.”

They suggest, “I think I should be the one to break the news. I’m probably gonna take time to visit, spend as much time with her as possible.”

I rub their back supportively. “We can visit you while you’re away. Or, if you’d rather, we can wait here for you to come back. When you’re ready, of course.”

“One of the two.” They murmur. They look up at me, eyes glassy. “I’m really glad you’re here, Bertholdt. You’ll never know how much it means to me.” We share a look, communicating what words don’t want to, and suddenly I feel myself leaning in, and I see their eyes fluttering closed, I feel their breath lightly fanning my face, then my lips as I get closer, until-

“Y/n!” Annie’s voice rings out as the front door all but slams open. We both sigh quietly, scooting away from each other. “Y/n, I’m so sorry, I came as fast as I could after class got out, where are you?” She pushes the bedroom door open, dropping her bag, then looks over and sees us, but not the tender moment we nearly shared. She runs over, sinking to her knees and pulling y/n into her signature crusher hug. “Y/n, I love you so much, you have to know that, and I’m here for you. Roommate or not, I’m here for you. You’re my best friend, don’t forget that.”

Y/n quickly finds themself and returns the hug with only half as much power, weakly saying, “Thanks, Annie. I love you too. Today’s been... tough.”

“It’ll be tough for awhile. The important thing right now is figuring out what you need and doing that.” Annie reassured them. “Also, if you’re worried that Reiner���s going to barge in here and say something stupid-but-well-intentioned, he’s not.” She pauses, looking y/n in the eye. “He’s waiting outside to do that.”

A knowing smile passes between them, and y/n actually huffs, the happiest noise they’ve made all day.

“Well.” Y/n says, “I can’t keep him waiting out there forever, now can I?” And pushes themself up off the bed. I follow, hoping against hope Reiner manages not to say anything insensitive. When they pull the door open, lo and behold, Reiner is indeed waiting outside awkwardly. He dips his head in greeting to me and pulls y/n into the gentlest hug I’ve ever seen him give.

“I’m so sorry, y/n. I don’t know what else to say to make you feel better, but I’m here if you need me.” He says, and his eyes reflect the sincerity of his tone.

Y/n sniffs again. “That’s all you need to say.”

Annie interrupts, “I hate to be a downer, but there’s a pizza box in the oven and me and y/n had a movie night planned. Unless you’re not up for it anymore?” She turns her gaze to y/n questioningly.

“No, yea, a plan is a plan. I could never skip our movie nights!” They respond, cracking another small smile.

Annie returns the smile, then fixes Reiner and I with her signature cool stare. “Get out. Roommate night is commencing.”

Reiner mutters, “Don’t have to tell me twice.” And slips out the door, while I linger. Annie looks at me and arches her brow.

“I’d like to get a word or two in with y/n.” I input. She sighs, walking into the bedroom to afford us some privacy. She does mother y/n a lot, I think.

Y/n looks up at me expectantly. I start, “Y/n, I- I want to- I really like you. But I don’t want to push you into anything you’re not ready for.”

They nod, frowning a bit. “I figured you’d say that. But you’re right. Realistically, it just doesn’t make sense for us to jump into anything when I’m probably about to leave. But?” They perk up again, hope in their eyes.

“Eventually, yes,” I say, nerves making my stomach flutter a bit. “I’ll be waiting for you. But I only want to explore that when it’s the right time. I want you to *take* your time.”

They grab my hand. “And I will. I will take my time. Just- don’t forget about me.”

I laugh, the smile impossible to wipe from my face. “I can’t ever forget about you when you’re always on my mind.”

“You guys disgust me!” Annie calls from the other room. “Hurry up! The movie’s starting!”

Y/n laughs. “You better go, you know how serious Annie is about our movie nights.”

I give their hand a squeeze and say, “Try to have fun, okay? And eat some of that pizza. It was expensive, as far as pizza goes. Don’t neglect yourself.”

They walk me to the door as they say, “I’ll try. Don’t let Reiner get into any trouble. I’m pretty sure Annie’s not the only one eavesdropping on us right now.”

Annie calls again, “It’s impossible to not hear you guys! Learn to whisper!”

“You’re no fun!” I retort, a bit louder for Annie. “And I shall do. When can I see you again?” I ask y/n.

They smile. “Whenever you want. I’m gonna need the company now, anyway. Goodbye, Bertholdt.”

“Goodbye, y/n.” The door clicks into place after they shut it behind me. I’m feeling such a mix of emotions right now. Longing? Sadness? Sympathy? Happiness? It’s all so jumbled up. There could’ve been much better timing for me to admit that. Much better timing for everything, though I suppose just because there’s a better time for something doesn’t mean it won’t happen when it wants to.

There’s a slight bounce to my step as I meet Reiner who’s already halfway down the hall after he got all his juicy details. I’m not sure where everything is going to go from here, but I know my next step is going to be taking life as it comes, and doing what I can to be supportive of y/n. I smile to myself, ignoring Reiner rolling his eyes and saying something about me being lovestruck. As terrible as today’s news was, it wasn’t all bad. At least the person I’ve crushed on forever feels the same way. The hope I feel in my heart sparks something in me.

“Reiner... we have to help them.” I say, determination running through my veins.

“How?” He asks.

“We have to help them get their sister a heart.”

[embyrinitalics]

Calamiversary: Flashbacks

Under the cut are a few unused flashbacks/dream sequences. I was actually really attached to some of these, and for a while I considered making an entire fic based on these two, but with Calamitous taking as long as it has my ambitions for that have fizzled out.

Anyways, I’m posting them in the order they appear in the google doc, but these are so old I can’t remember what was supposed to go where. 😂 Some of the scenes end midsentence, or have editing notes in them still, or don’t make sense because the surrounding scene never happened. Don’t think too hard about it. 😬

There’s about 3k words here, so. Hit that “keep reading” tag with caution!

Enjoy!

  Nightshade

He caught her looking, his expression amused and affronted at once.

“What are you documenting so studiously?”

“Nightshade,” she informed him coolly, and then angled the interface on him more obviously. “And something else, beautiful and strange.”

He loosed a breath, something caught between a laugh and a sigh, and tossed the stones back into the underbrush. “Are you playing with my feelings, Majesty?”

“Certainly not,” she breathed, admiring him in the viewscreen for another self-indulgent half-second before turning it on back on the flora. “I have a compendium to complete. I hardly have time for games.”

“Don’t tease me,” he murmured, folding his arms. “It isn’t easy being in love with a queen and a goddess.”

Her mouth twisted gently, swiping through the interface again and tapping more useless details into the entry. She muttered, “I’m not a goddess.”

He joined her in the grass, rocking back onto his elbow and tipping the interface back with one finger so she would meet his eyes, glimmering softly with the beginnings of a wry smile. “Who said I was talking about you?”

She smiled in earnest, letting the interface drop, forgotten, into her lap. “I wasn’t aware you were well acquainted with any other queens.”

He scoffed dismissively. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“I’m sure,” she allowed, reaching to pick grass out of his hair and smoothing the wind-tousled bangs it had tangled in afterwards. She was grateful for the levity—grateful to him, for supporting her even when it meant denying himself.

So grateful...

And she still hadn’t untangled her fingers from his hair, from the soft edge of his hairline and his temple, the smooth line of his brow. He had gone quiet, eyes half closing and diverting, while he let her. He watched her palm for another second, two, and then closed a hand, gently, but firmly, over her wrist.

She swallowed, her hand hanging idly between them and the spell broken. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not stopping you for my sake,” he frowned. “It’s agony not having you, but I’m stupid enough to take what I can get.”

She sighed. “I can have you reassigned. No one would question it—”

“No, we’ve been over this,” he growled, running a hand tersely through his hair. “As long as I wield the Sword, my place is with you. And I can handle it.” Then he hesitated, expression shuttering, and he amended, “Unless you’ve changed your mind, and no longer wish it.”

Her hands were in the grass, eyes fixed on them, and her heart was throbbing in her throat. She couldn’t quite swallow it down.

She whispered, “No.”

  A Meeting

“Link,” she breathed, startled, their eyes meeting for a charged half-second.

He bent his head curiously in a rigid sort of bow, as though he was leaning away from the discomfort of their meeting.

“My lady.”

She waited, paralyzed, for him to move, or speak, or even look her in the eye again. But then, the ball was in her court.

It was always in her court.

But she was unprepared, and unarmored, and teetering dangerously at the precipice of a vulnerability she could not afford. And so, exercising her royal privilege as unmagnanimously as she likely ever had, she fled.

He caught her elbow as she made to pass him, sending a warm jolt up her arm. A rebuke danced wildly on the tip of her tongue, and she might even have used it had there been another soul anywhere within earshot of them. But the hallway was abandoned, and they were alone. His eyes were still fixed on the place she had been, the practiced stoicism in them, the practiced numbness in them, simmering with the frustration that he was harboring beneath.

“I won’t have this conversation with you now,” she reprimanded him quietly. “Not here.”

His gaze slid back to hers, burning, threatening to buckle with impatience or something far more desperate, and she wanted to flinch away from its intensity and luxuriate in it at once.

“When, Zelda?”

She took a meaningful step away, freeing her arm, and coolly arched a slender brow even as her heart sputtered at the cavalier way he used her given name in public.

“When we’re somewhere less conspicuous.”

She expected him to submit, tucking his tail begrudgingly between his legs and allowing himself to be put off yet again, but his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t scold me like I’m some child,” he scoffed.

  The Wilds

The carriage jostled down the path, headed for the milky spires that had been bobbing in and out of view for the last few hours. Her visit to the new reservoir in Lanayru had been successful, and pleasant enough as these sorts of things went, but there had also been a lot of pomp and formality surrounding the whole affair that left her craving some solitude and a good night’s rest in her own bed.

Both of which would happily get her out from under the stormy gaze of her Knight Protector.

Shielded by the walls of her carriage, she let herself grimace and sink a little lower in her seat. They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk in several days, what, with all the preparation for the journey and the constant company of the delegation. And she may have been avoiding him. Just a little.

And he seemed to have begun to notice, if the way his gaze burned into her any time she was careless enough to graze it was any indication.

The carriage jostled again violently as they rode over another pothole. And this time, the whole thing lurched to a stop beneath her as the axle snapped. She sighed, readying a gentle smile as the footman swung the door open.

“Hit a spot of trouble?”

“I’m afraid so, my lady,” he grumbled, offering her his hand.

“Please tell me you can fix it,” she said, brow puckered, letting him help her out and onto the road and trying very hard not to groan. She was not looking forward to walking the rest of the way.

“I doubt it very much, ma’am. But we’re nearly there. You could continue on horseback.”

She willed herself expressionless. The only horses saddled for riding were those of her escorts, which meant—

“I’ll take her.”

She didn’t need to guess who had spoken, or turn to picture the smug look on his face. She plastered an insincere smile over her mouth as his horse’s hooves beat an easy amble behind her for the footman’s sake—it wouldn’t do for him to see her furious or crestfallen or abjectly miserable over something as routine as a ride back to the castle from the man who was largely responsible for such things.

“Very well,” she said demurely, unable to conjure a decent excuse, and turned.

And there he was, perched atop his chestnut mare with an expression arguably more schooled than her own. She took his hand, hiding the warm jolt that ran up her arm, and let him lift her over the pommel, bidding the rest of the entourage farewell as he urged his horse forward and over the ridge.

When they had cleared the crest of the hill and taken the bend for a fair distance, he slowed them to a walk, letting the reins go slack and dipping his head to inhale the warm safflina in her hair.

“Link,” she mumbled, shrugging him off half-heartedly, but he wasn’t so easily deterred.

“We’re in the middle of the Wilds. No one is going to see. Just let me have this.”

Maybe it was the reasonableness of his argument, or maybe it was the note of heartache in his voice, so imperceptible only she would have ever noticed, but either way she let herself be coerced. They rode in silence a while, and she finally relaxed when he didn’t press her for more than that, letting herself lean a little into his chest. His hands rested idly on her waist, fingers curled loosely in the reins.

He said, “I missed you.”

She could feel his eyes looking cautiously for hers, but she pretended not to notice.

“You were with me every day.”

“No. I stared at the back of your head every day. That hardly qualifies.”

“I was busy.”

“You were avoiding me.”

She met his eyes then, ready to object, and quickly remembered why she had made every attempt not to. They looked right through her, melting her defenses and reducing her will to jelly. She sighed.

“I was avoiding you,” she agreed, settling against his chest again resignedly.

“I didn’t blame you,” he murmured, warm breath and lips moving softly against the lobe of her perfectly tapered ear, and her heart throbbed treacherously. “I knew why. It was just frustrating, not being able to talk to you about it."

Her eyes fell shut, stinging with remorse. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Don’t do that. It was as much mine as it was yours.”

“I don’t regret it,” he said, quiet adamance coloring his voice, “not for a moment. Even if it means consequences for me.”

In spite of herself she smiled, warmed to the bone by his sweet assurance. “Even if you’re stripped of rank? Even if you’re whipped?”

���They can’t whip the memory of you out of me,” and then he leaned closer, his warm breath feathering her ear again, “Zelda.”

Not Princess, or My Lady, or Highness, or the plethora of other titles he was obligated to use in the presence of others. Merely Zelda. Because out in the Wilds of Hyrule they were alone, and a stolen kiss didn’t seem such a terrible secret. Even if it was forbidden. Even if she had made it abundantly clear to him that it could never happen again, no matter how sweet and perfect and wonderful it had been.

She sank back into him, letting the steady beat of their gait and of his heart lull her into a rare peace.

  Realization

When I woke there was moss against my cheek, the cool dew of early morning clinging to my lips and eyelashes. The vision from the night before danced in breaths and lights as I blinked myself lucid, like the ghosts of a dozen sunset fireflies. I wanted to chase them, down, down into a dream, into an illusion, and wrap myself in it like a blanket. And then, like a wish fulfilled, soft lips alighted on mine, encouraging me awake.

“Good morning,” he murmured, pulling me closer by the hand splayed over the small of my back, and that didn’t strike me as odd in the slightest.

I snagged fingers in the collar of his shirt and buried my face in his neck, breathing him in as I grudgingly left the dream behind, as I spiraled towards his warmth. He smelled like the forest, and nights spent in the wilds, and it was so good it made my eyes tremble shut.

“It can’t be morning,” I whispered, sighing, and he pulled me into his lap, humming in agreement, and pressed his lips to my pulse point.

The wind rippled across the plains, across the wilds, tangling in my hair and twisting it sideways, and neither of us paid any mind. It was too rare that we found ourselves like this, lost in each other and lingering in that quiet stretch of peace between sleep and waking to the world.

“I need to get you back,” he said, but even as he did wrapped his arms around my waist in silent, subconscious objection. “You’ll be missed.”

“Then let me be missed.”

His lips on my neck angled higher, gently coaxing me down, and just as they obligingly found that delicate spot behind my ear, he whispered apologetically, “We can’t.”

I resisted the urge to scowl, resting my forehead on his. He was right, of course. But that didn’t mean I had to like it. My eyes eased open in time to watch the sunrise over his shoulder.

Another dawn. I knew there couldn’t be many left before the Calamity finally stirred from its long slumber, restless, feverish, hungry and ready to devour the world…

And then I realized how little of this made any sense—how incredibly blue his eyes were, how the voice I had been using wasn’t even mine—and the jarring disconnect between who I was and where I was broke the illusion apart.

  The Blade of Evil’s Bane

She opened her eyes as she felt a weight being lifted off her back.

And then she watched as Revali drove the Master Sword through Link’s middle to the hilt. (chapter break, then she freaks out, catches him, and his eyes start to roll back)

“Don’t you die on me,” she shouted through furious tears, pressing her fingers to his forehead. “Don’t you die!”

And then light filled her from the inside out as she bridged their minds, glaring across the world like a sun rising from within.

He sat across from her at her writing desk, still blurry from the haze of her tears, but she could hear the sardonic smile on his voice.

“Is that an order, Princess?”

She wanted to berate him, wanted to scream and fight tooth and nail against his apathy, but she couldn’t find her voice—not without loosing everything else that was threatening to spill out. She stood and crossed the room to nowhere, trying to shield herself from his ridicule. He sighed, following slowly.

He turned her around gingerly and took her face in his hands, studying her carefully while he thumbed her tears away.

“Why do you cry over me?” he murmured. “By rights I should have been dead thousands of years ago—even if I had defeated Ganon. This era will go on without me. I’m nothing.”

She took a sharp, stinging breath, and whispered, “Not to me.”

His lip quirked up in spite of himself, a familiar, roguish half-smile alighting on his face that made her heart stammer. “Never cry over your soldiers, Princess,” he scolded her gently. “They’re only too happy to die to protect you.”

“Don’t give up,” she warbled, a fresh rush of tears spilling out of her eyes, down her cheeks, over his thumbs still cupping her face. “Please don’t. Not like this.”

“Hyrule will go on. So will you.”

“I heard what you said to Urbosa,” she accused him, reaching for something, anything, that would make him hold on for just a moment longer. “You were wrong. I’m not confused. Not anymore.”

That gave him pause. His eyes searched her, gradually shedding the armor that they had always worn, piece by heavy piece, revealing the tired, consuming sadness beneath.

“Don’t cry over me, Princess,” he murmured, drifting closer. The bridge of his nose brushed softly against hers as he angled her face higher, poised to lance through her walls even as his own crumbled. “It pains me more than you know.”

He took her lips in his own, deepening the kiss obediently when she parted for him, and a sound lifted out of her. She wanted to lose herself in him, dive headlong into sating oblivion and never surface. But she found the will to pull away.

“Then don’t do this,” she urged, breathless, against his mouth.

He lingered, warm breath ghosting heavy on her lips. His voice was quiet, husky, desire tempered by regret. “Overcoming the Blade of Evil’s Bane is not so easily done.”

“I can save you,” she whispered, stepping closer, stripping away the needless space between them. “Never doubt that.”

“I have never doubted you,” he said, so tenderly her heart squeezed. “I’ve always known you were capable of so much more than you ever dreamed. But this—”

“I won’t let you go. I’ll order you back from the grave if I have to.”

He sighed at that, a defeated, hollow sound, and her lips parted gently in surprise. “I’m just so tired.”

And then he gasped, like a drowning man drawing breath after so many minutes, and the dream bled out into light.

She blinked away sunbursts and the blindness that followed, stumbling haphazardly back to reality. Link was in her arms; the hole through his stomach was gone.

 Ruins

The sunlight dimmed into night, luminous stone embedded in the sculptures lighting the darkness like softened stars. The ruins grew into an atrium, looming over the gathered order of monks and their commander. Her knight stood as far away as he dared, near the entrance, should there be a disturbance. It was nearly as far away as he had had the will to station himself in weeks.

“The final sensor towers have been erected, and Naboris is nearly ready to be deployed,” a monk was saying, the tattoos under his eyes catching starlight as he spoke. “Her pilot is in the final phases of training.”

The proclamation didn’t garner the reaction anyone was hoping for; the Queen merely nodded, lips pursed. Another monk shifted, as though weighing the wisdom of disturbing the silence that had settled uncomfortably over the assembly, before he decided to be bold.

“I had an idea for another Beast. Nothing so large or so complicated as the others. Something for Hylia’s Chosen—”

“No,” the Queen murmured. “There isn’t time.”

His teeth met with a click. He sent a sidelong glance to her knight, standing with his back against one of the pillars flanking the entrance, but he shook his head in subtle warning, and that put pain to it. He seemed less and less inclined to voice dissent recently, and everyone suspected they knew why.

“Then we’ll redouble our efforts with the Divine Beasts we have,” he offered instead, wearing a reassuring smile. “We won’t fail you, Your Highness.”

She nodded again, smiling tightly. They were dismissed, and her knight drifted closer, moving towards her as the others filed away. She was still sitting on the ground; he offered her his hand, and she met his eyes. She took it, lifting to her feet, and didn’t let go, squeezing softly.

She whispered, eyes depthless in their uncertainty, “But will we fail them?”

[tavi-hayes]

background fic ~ the court trial

((so here is a little fic (which had been written long before the practice challenge prompt was posted, oops. but now that Tavi mentioned her dad’s jail situation to Arin, I think it’s time to provide some background info about the cause of a lot of her problems). it’s written in her dad’s pov (caspar hayes) also please excuse me if i don’t use the correct words and phrases, i literally know nothing about court trials so google helped me. also it’s short but like has everything of importance in it! enjoy, if you decide to read it!))

[4th of April, 2084]

“The witness is excused,” judge Laurenson says as mister McClan leaves the stand. “The prosecution may call the next witness.”

“The People call mister Hayes.”

I stand up and walk over to the microphone. Everyone’s eyes are on me, which is not a foreign feeling for me. Though this is nothing like performing in front of a packed jazz club, where everyone has come to enjoy your music. Besides I don’t have my buddy Jimmie next to me right now. No, he is sitting there next to the judge, surrounded by 2 policemen.

“Please raise your right hand. Do you promise that the testimony you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

As I turn my focus to the judge sitting there with his expensive-looking wig and perfectly ironed black robes, Jimmie shoots me a small but hopeful smile. My story will clear up this whole mess. We’ll be able to go home and forget this ever happened.

I raise my right hand, “I do.”

“Please state your first and last name.”

“Caspar Hayes.”

“Now please sir, tell us what happened in the late afternoon on March the 27th.”

“Jimmie and I were rehearsing in The Orange Note. You see we were booked for a performance there later that evening and we had to adjust the mics, the lights and the speakers. This is very important, the audience...”

“Very interesting mister Hayes, but there are plenty of other details we’re more interested in,” the loud voice of the prosecutor cuts me off midsentence. “At what time did you arrive?”

“Well, I never check the time down to the minute but we usually arrive between 4 and 5 PM.”

The prosecutor sighs, “can you be any more specific?”

I try to recall that day. We had taken the bus to downtown Winnipeg. On the weekends that specific bus is only scheduled every hour. When I left the house Viola was just watching the news, which always begins exactly at 4PM. The bus ride takes about 30 minutes, which means we arrived at the jazz venue at … “4.35 PM, that’s when we arrived at The Orange Note.”

“And when you arrived you went straight to the stage, or did you run into someone on the way?”

“We were welcomed by the owner, mister McClan, but we went directly to the stage yes. We didn’t see anyone else on our way.” I look over to Jimmie and see him nodding at me, indicating that I’m correct. My memory never fails me.

“Please continue mister Hayes,” the prosecutor sits down again.

“Uhm, so we went to the stage and we did the sound checks for that evening. We rehearsed a couple of songs and …”

The prosecutor interrupts me again, “did you see anyone else in the jazz venue while you were there?”

“No, like I said we only saw mister…”

“And in your time being there did you and mister split up at some point?”

I shake my head, “not that I know of.”

“So you and mister Davis were together the whole time you were there? None of you used the bathroom, or went for a smoke?”

“Well,” I wring my hands together, realizing what the prosecutor is trying to do, “yes, Jimmie went to use the bathroom.”

“And when was this?”

“Uhm around 6 PM I think, we were just about to get some dinner.”

“And you didn’t go with him?” the prosecutor pushes on.

“No I mean, do you follow your friends to the bathroom?”

“And how long was mister Davis away?”

“I didn’t time it…”

“Please, could you estimate his time in the bathroom?”

“Uhm, I – uh,” I look over at Jimmie again.

The prosecutor doesn’t wait for my answer, “and when mister Davis returned, did you notice something different about him?”

“I uh, he – we had to be quick, our performance was starting at 7 PM. And the audience…”

“So he said you had to leave the venue quickly?”

“Yes, but the time,” I start, “the show, we didn’t have long.”

The prosecutor nods his head towards the judge, a sly smile on his face. “That’s all, your Honour.”

I look around dumb-founded as the prosecutor sits down.

Judge Laurenson begins, “the defendant, mister Davis, is accused of selling weapons in The Orange Note.” He picks up his hammer, “by the power vested in me by the Illéan Law Federation, I hereby declare the defendant guilty.” The hammer drops. Pang.

The policemen pull Jimmie to a stand and handcuff him. “Jimmie…” I call to him.

Jimmie raises his head, there’s terror in his eyes. “Caspar,” his voice breaks, “I would never...”

This is nothing like Jimmie, I’ve known the guy since we were children. He is the kindest man on the planet. He would never get himself in this situation.

Truth is we belong to one of the lower Castes, the Fives, but we make enough money with our performances in The Orange Note to make a living. Jimmie wouldn’t have any reason to sell weapons. And how on earth did he get a hold on weapons in the first place?

This must be a set-up.

The policemen are leading Jimmie out of the courtroom. I want to run over to him and stop those men from taking him anywhere, but my daughter has made her way to my side. She pulls my arm, “dad, don’t do anything stupid. Justice always prevails in the end,” she smiles a little, “we’ll get back at these ignorant people.”

With my daughter next to me, I join my beautiful family. My wife, Viola, takes my hand.

As we walk towards the door, a voice calls to us. More specifically, to me. “Mister Hayes, there is one more thing before you go.”

I turn around and notice judge Laurenson, his hammer in his right hand. New policemen have entered the courtroom.

These policemen look different than the ones that took Jimmie. These policemen are wearing helmets with see-through screens in front of their faces. They are fully equipped for a battle.

They remind me of those posh-looking palace guards.

My eye catches on a subtle shimmer: handcuffs.

Viola has seen it too, she squeezes my hand.

“Mister Hayes, someone has reached out to us,” the judge’s voice carries through the courtroom, “with a very serious charge.”

I turn away from the judge and face my wife and children, they look as confused as I feel.

What is going on now?

The judge continues, “and the evidence we found, pft, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

Viola has turned white, just like a fresh new piece of sheet music.

“Because of the strong evidence and the seriousness of the crimes, you are no longer entitled to the right of a fair court trial.”

I go absolutely still. They can’t have anything against me. They can’t.

“You are an extreme danger for our society.”

Because I didn’t do anything.

“I hereby declare you, mister Hayes, guilty of an armed robbery and the murder of former mayor Wilfred Wallis. I charge you with a 45-year sentence which will be served in Silverbay Maximum Security Prison.” And the hammer drops. Pang.

The policemen charge forward within the blink of an eye.

My wife is ripped away from me. Her scream pierces my very soul.

Before I can do so much as blink, the policemen have handcuffed me. I can do nothing but walk with them as they push me towards the doorts. Out of the courtroom and away from my family.

“No! DAD!”

Octavia’s scream gives me the strength I need to rip my left side free from the policemen. I turn around and see my family standing there.

My oldest, Daniel, kneeling on the floor with his arms around my youngest ones, Aria and Arlan.

Viola is screaming and crying.

And Octavia, being hold back by a policeman. She’s trashing, she’s crying but the guy won’t budge.

The only thing I see is my family. Being left behind.

I don’t see one of the policemen grab something.

I don’t see the taser.

Bzzz.

***

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Wretched And Devine-- Aziraphale x Reader

Request; “Can I get a aziraphale x human reader? They're madly in love but aziraphale refrains himself cuz being an angel etc. but he's in pain but turns out she's one of the heavenly beings god put among humanity but she just doesn't know and really dramatic & romantic confessing scene maybe?”(@imaginesyes​) 

Warnings; reader is an Earth Angel, I recommend skimming the article just to get a general idea of what it is

Word Count; 3.2k (buckle up, folks! it’s gonna be a hell of a ride)

Notes; my last Aziraphale fic got flagged, hopefully this one will stay up 🤷🏻‍♀️

You had a relatively normal childhood. You were born to an average working-class family. Your parents called you their 'miracle baby' because just when they thought they were unable to have children, you came about.

You graduated from school with good grades and went on to search for a decent job. But as you began to experience the world on your own, you realized that you weren't quite as normal as one would assume. Things seemed to move around your small flat on their own accord. The movements were never a hassle. In fact, they were always beneficial. Yet you could never remember physically moving the stuff yourself. You brushed it off, joking that either a ghost lived with you, or you had superpowers. Either way, you didn't mind.

Your flat was situated in the middle of Soho, and you often found yourself wandering the city during your free time. One of your favorite places to visit was the park. Sometimes you would go to sit, read, and relax; other times, you would bring some bread with you to feed the ducks. Among the crowd of regular visitors, there was one particular face that you looked forward to spotting. His spiffy choice of clothing and light, curly locks never failed to draw your attention. There was something about him that you found endearing and slightly... nostalgic. You couldn't quite place your finger on it, but you made it your mission to get to know him.

It started small,  commenting on how you liked his bow tie then introducing yourself. After a while, the two of you were able to have a steady conversation with one another. He eventually invited you to his bookshop for tea. The two of you just seemed to hit it off, and, soon enough, you were popping into the bookshop on your way home from work nearly every day.

The more time you spent with Aziraphale, the more you felt yourself falling. You thought he felt the same way, but he started to grow distant. He would disappear for days on end or give excuses as to why he couldn't make it to dinner. It was all odd. You couldn't figure out why his demeanor had suddenly changed, and it was tearing your heart to shreds. He was slowly pushing you out of his life, and you wanted... no, you needed to find out why.

Crowley lounged across the sofa and warily watched Aziraphale pace back and forth across the small room. He was muttering under his breath and occasionally chewing on his thumbnail. The demon rolled his eyes. "I just don't see what the big deal is." A cynical chuckle left Aziraphale's throat.

"Oh, I'm quite sure you do." Crowley scoffed and sat up.

"Okay, so, you're in love." As soon as the 'L' word had left Crowley's lips, Aziraphale froze, staring at the demon with wide eyes. "Don't try to deny it. It's painfully obvious. But despite that, you're pushing them away. Why?" The angel grimaced for a moment. He looked as if he would discorporate at any given moment.

"Because... because they're..." Aziraphale huffed, unsure of the right words to say. Crowley nodded.

"Right. They're human, and Heaven won't be too fond of that." Aziraphale quickly shook his head. A pained expression flooded his features.

"No, it's not even that." Crowley looked confused and watched the angel expectantly. He continued to pace for a moment before stopping with his back turned toward the demon. "Earth angel. You know the one I'm talking about," Aziraphale explained bitterly. Crowley leaned back into the sofa, face darkening.

"Do they know? Have they remembered anything?" Aziraphale sank into his chair and shook his head. He could feel Crowley's gaze burning into the side of his head. "Are you going to tell them?" The angel opened his mouth before quickly closing it again. A suffocating silence filled the room. Aziraphale sighed and finally met Crowley's gaze.

"No. They can't know." His voice cracked midsentence. The angel avoided Crowley's gaze once more, not wanting any pity from the demon.

You tried to phone Aziraphale several times throughout the evening, but there was no answer. You paced through your flat like a caged animal. Running a hand through your hair, you decided that you couldn't take it anymore. You grabbed a coat and made sure to lock the door on your way out.

The sky was dark. It was late, and dark clouds were gathering overhead. Most people were either home with the family or in a pub with a glass in their hand. As you stood on the sidewalk, staring at the bookshop's sign, you wondered if Aziraphale truly did care for you, or if you had just read the signs all wrong. Either way, you were set on giving him a piece of your mind.

You first tried to open the door. Of course, it was locked. Peering inside, you knew he was in there somewhere. There was a light on in the back, and a shadow would flicker by every now and again. You raised a fist and rasped on the door. You held your breath, hoping that he would answer.

You had stood there, knocking on the door for God knows how long. The sky was growing angrier by the minute, with thunder rumbling overhead and the beginnings of a storm hitting the pavement. You huffed. Enough was enough. You opened your hand flat and pressed it against the door. Closing your eyes, you focused all your willpower on the door and its lock. Your nose wrinkled in frustration. The door swung open with a force you didn't know lurked inside you. As you stepped into the shop, thunder roared through the air. You couldn't help the smirk that formed across your face. You apparently had a knack for badass entrances.

Crowley and Aziraphale both leaped to their feet when they heard the door crash open. When they rushed into the shop, they didn't expect to see you standing there with silvery glowing eyes. Neither of them knew how to react when you waved your hand, causing the door to close behind yourself. "We need to talk." Aziraphale swallowed hard and cast a worried glance at Crowley. He returned his gaze to you, nodding.

"Yes, I suppose we do."

You stood in the back room with your arms crossed. Aziraphale filed in and closed the door. His back was turned to you. "How long have you known?" You scoffed.

"Known what? That I have superpowers? Since I moved out of my parents' place. I've been getting better at controlling them lately." You stopped and shook your head. "But that's not what we need to talk about." Aziraphale turned on his heel, giving you a shocked look.

"I most certainly think it is! You obviously don't know what you're capable of. You could—"

"I could what? Hurt somebody? I think I can handle myself," you snapped, eyes glowing even brighter. Aziraphale's jaw tightened until he noticed the tears that were beginning to spill down your cheeks. His throat tightened. It hurt him more than words can describe to see you this upset.

"I think it's probably best that you go home." You shook your head.

"Damn it, Azi. Would you just please quit shutting me out and talk to me?" you pleaded.

"I— er— I don't know what you mean."

"Stop with the bullshit. You've been avoiding me. It's like you just cut me out of your life, and I—" your voice cracked. You sniffed, wiping your nose on the edge of your sleeve. "I can't keep going like this. I love you, Aziraphale. And you might think it's stupid, but I thought you might have loved me too." The angel's shoulders sank. Before he could even process what he was doing, Aziraphale rushed over to you, sweeping you into an embrace. You clung to him as tears flowed freely.

"I love you too," his voice was as faint as a whisper, but you heard it. A weight had been lifted off his chest. It felt good to finally say it, after all these years. "But it won't work." He pulled away from you, taking a few steps back. Hurt and confusion filled your being. As he scanned your features, he noticed how red your nose and cheeks were, and how your eyes were beginning to return to normal. Aziraphale shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. "This. Us. It just... won't work. We can't be together. We shouldn't even be interacting for all they care." The words rushed out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"What do you mean?" You eyed him expectantly. Aziraphale bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he had slipped up in mentioning anything. He panicked for a brief moment, but as he stared into your teary eyes, he knew what needed to be done. Aziraphale sucked in a breath and moved closer to you. He carefully placed two fingers on your temples.

"This might hurt a bit."

//

"The Almighty has big plans for this universe, which is why we need all the help we can get. Everything has to be designed perfectly. Each of you will be assigned a task for creation," Michael announced. Various angels were sorted off and given a job. You eyed the crowd, excitedly waiting for your task. You noticed an angel with red hair and golden eyes approaching you.

"Raphael," you greeted politely. He flashed you a grin.

"Your assignment is to help me piece together the cosmos. The Almighty's already planned the major bits, but we can get creative after that." Your eyes lit up as your smile widened. Raphael laughed at your reaction. "I'm excited too. This is definitely one of the more fun assignments if you ask me. Ready?" You gave him a firm nod.

"Let's go."

The Universe was just beginning to come together. It was a hatchling... a newborn... a baby... and things were already falling apart. Lucifer and his band of merry angels were, as most liked to put it, revolting. And because of that, they were getting thrown out of Heaven. You could rationalize that. It was logical. Rebel and you get the boot. But then you heard about Raphael. It was a mistake. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and asked the wrong questions. He shouldn't have been thrown out with the rest of them. He wasn't /evil/.

The rest of the archangels had gathered all of Heaven's angels. They recounted their version of the events. Your brows furrowed as your fists tightened. They made it out like he was a part of it all. Raphael, the angel of healing and your closest companion, was now the enemy. As they continued their spiel, you noticed a bright light being emitted from the front of the large room. It was sweeping over the crowd, and you realized what was happening. They were changing history, altering memories. Nothing would be the same after that. So you tried to slip out as quietly as you could, but a curly-haired angel stopped you. His dark eyes bore into yours. "Where are you going?" his tone was hushed, not wanting to cause a scene. You wracked your mind for an excuse.

"I was given an urgent task." He raised a brow at you. It was clear he didn't believe a word you said.

"And what exactly are you doing?"

"You shouldn't interfere with the Almighty's plan. It's ineffable." You glanced towards the front of the room. The light would be approaching your section at any moment. The angel's eyes widened, and he quickly stepped aside.

"Of course! My apologies..." he trailed off. You gave him your name, and he smiled at you. "Aziraphale," he introduced himself. You started to leave but stopped to put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's important that you speak to no one of this." He nodded solemnly. With that, you left. You disappeared for just a blip of a moment. It wasn't long enough for anyone except for Aziraphale to notice. By the time you had returned, the light was gone. The archangels were finishing their speeches. You managed to slip back in without suspicion. It wasn't long after that everyone was dismissed.

A handful of angels were put in Eden, and you were one of them. You were surprised to see Aziraphale again and even more so when he remembered you. The principality always kept you on your toes. He wasn't like most angels, and you quite enjoyed his company.

The two of you were standing guard on the East wall, watching the first storm roll in. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a snake slithering towards the two of you. You were vaguely aware of who it was. A demon, obviously. But it was the very one that tempted Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. You watched it carefully as it began to transform. Aziraphale pretended he didn't see it happening. He was always more strict on following Heaven's every whim. You were curious to see what the demon looked like, as you hadn't actually encountered one. As soon as you saw the fiery red hair, your heart dropped. It was Raphael, but slightly different. He had the same hair, and his eyes were still golden, but they resembled those of a serpent's. He made a comment about a balloon, but you weren't paying attention to anything he said. All you could think about was how justice failed your friend. As soon as Raphael laid eyes on you, his face fell. You quickly looked away, not wanting him to see the angry tears that were building in your eyes. "I've got to go. Important stuff. Sorry, Azi." The angel gave you a worried look but nodded nonetheless. You glanced towards Raphael and gave him a sad smile. His brows furrowed, and you nodded, just to let him know that you still remembered. With a flap of your wings, you took off towards Heaven.

You stormed down the long, empty corridor. Once you found the door you were searching for, you froze. There was only half a moment's hesitation before you pushed the heavy door open. There was a single desk in the vast room. An old man was sitting behind it, with dozens of scrolls littering the desk. Three archangels stood around him. Even though you had never met him before, you knew it was the one and only Metatron. They all snapped their attention to you. "Knocking is a common courtesy, (Y/N). I suggest you do it more often," Gabriel growled.

"Yes, we are discussing a matter of great importance. You will have to wait," Metatron huffed. You shook your head.

"I can't. I've already waited long enough." You knew you had their attention. You sucked in a deep breath and silently prayed that you wouldn't fall for any of the things you were about to say. Then you just laid it on them. You ranted about how Raphael didn't deserve to fall, how justice had been skewed, and how they were supposed to be the good guys. When you finished, an uncomfortable tension filled the air. Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose.

"How do you remember that?"

"I left the meeting." That's when all Hell broke loose. It was almost like a screaming match, who can say the meanest thing the loudest? You folded your wings around yourself. Half of you regretted even coming here and just wanted to disappear to the stars again. The other half told you that it was the right thing to do. You clung to the hope of Raphael returning and stood firm.

"Enough!" Metatron's voice boomed. Silence fell over everyone. He stood and grabbed a scroll off the desk. His eyes scanned the document as he unrolled it. Metatron handed it over to Gabriel. "We cannot have any more outliers, but condemning another angel so soon would cause chaos. Perhaps this will be a happy medium," he muttered. Michael and Uriel leaned closer to catch a glimpse of the scroll. They all nodded in approval. "Then it has been settled." Metatron slammed his hand down on the desk, then everything went black.

It happened over, and over, and over again for centuries. New life. New pain. New suffering. Grow old. Die. Round and round you go. No end in sight. You didn't remember every single detail of your lives, but you would catch glimpses of memories. Most would consider it deja vu. You called it a curse. The longer you stayed on Earth, the more you forgot about your past. You forgot about the curly-headed angel. You forgot about the angel-turned-demon with golden eyes. And, for a while, they forgot about you too. With an ever-changing existence, it was hard to keep track of you. Who could blame them?

//

Your knees buckled. Aziraphale caught you and helped you over to the sofa. A broken sob shook your shoulders. You reached over your shoulder and ran a hand over your back, where your wings used to be. When Aziraphale placed a gentle hand on the small of your back, you bolted upright with wide eyes. "Did you see them? The memories?" Panic settled into your core. What if he saw them? What would Heaven do to him? You couldn't let anything bad happen to him.

"No, I only pulled them for you to see." You sighed and relaxed again. He seemed hesitant to touch you again, so you leaned into his side. Aziraphale wrapped an arm around you. A few stray tears slid down your cheeks. He carefully wiped them away with his thumb.

"Thank you," you whispered, "for showing me who I am." He nodded. The two of you sat like that for several minutes. You were almost too afraid to move. You didn't want to ruin the serenity of the moment. You felt Aziraphale take in a deep breath.

"Maybe..." He paused, trying to figure out what to say. "Maybe we could figure out a way for this to work." You sat up to get a better look at him. A soft smile graced his lips, and his eyes were full of pure adoration. It was clear that he meant it when he said he loved you. You could practically feel it radiating from him at this moment. You leaned closer to him until you could feel your breath mingling with his. Aziraphale closed the gap between the two of you, pressing his lips to yours. It was sweet and gentle, everything you'd imagine it would be and more. After a moment, he pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against yours.

"Forbidden lovers," you hummed, gazing into his eyes. "Like Romeo and Juliet. But hopefully without all the death." Aziraphale pulled away from you and laughed.

"Well, yes, I should hope so." He gazed at you with a bright and loving smile. You took his hand into your own, tracing shapes in his palm.

Neither of you knew what tomorrow would bring, but the least you could do was enjoy the moment... together.

~*~*~

Tag List;

@kawaiiusagichansan

@fatbottomedboi

[simplyyeol]

the strings | i

※ genre: fluff, angst, soulmate! au

※ pairing: byun baekhyun x reader

※ word count: 3.366

※ author’s note: hello! i’m finally back, and this time i’m coming out with a series, i really hope you enjoy. this was a monster to write and i feel like it's not the best but i really wanted to put it out to see if anyone likes it. anyways all feedback is welcome, thank you and i hope you guys like it :))

The biting wind nipped at your exposed skin as you unconsciously tugged your sleeves lower and looked out into the world spread out beneath you. You burrowed even more to yourself as you let one of your legs dangle off the concrete-cold ledge that you were sitting on. The outfit that you had carelessly thrown on this morning with the thought that it wasn’t too cold out yet, was quickly rebutted when you felt the shivers repeatedly make its way up your spine. Damn your stupid self for not looking outside to see if there was a chance of rainy weather.

You looked towards the heavens and squinted your eyes, feeling the sun’s presence even if it was blocked by the numerous cumulonimbus clouds that oozed a dark presence without even doing anything. You saw a spark in the distance and realized that there might be a thunderstorm coming to your quaint little town sometime soon.

You inhaled the fresh air that you were able to intake from the not-too-high-but-still-pretty-high altitude you were sitting at. It was a no-brainer that this was probably the only place that you would think of when someone would question the best place in town.

You were sure that others would pick the sparkling emerald green waters of the lake a few miles back, or the rural village located on the edge of the forest that just felt so warm and loving from how all the elderly townsfolk lived in that area. There was also the annual fair that families would crowd the entrance when it would open every September that only involved activities that would make sure you had the time of your life with the people you loved.

The people you loved. Did you have any people that you loved anymore? Was there anyone who would stick by you in the times you needed another the most. Oh right, there’s one person. He brought a smile to your face even now when he’s thousands of miles away from you.

Your best friend, the only person who’d stayed with you over the years and probably the only person you could trust with your deepest and darkest secrets that would horrify anyone who found out. To you, the one person who brings out the hidden side of you, Jung Yunho. He was different, just like you.

He could see the strings, he could touch them, and he could even tie two together, but there was one thing that he couldn’t do, he couldn’t cut them. He didn’t get Scissors on his birthday like all the other people like you, but instead, he got a red string tied from his pinky to his significant other that he has yet to find.

He keeps you updated every single day with a call in the night. Sometimes he would forget after an exhausting day when he just wanted to collapse on his bed and take a rest that would last a lifetime, but more often then not, he would remember as your nagging right before he had departed struck clear in his head whenever he thought of you.

You heard a soft buzzing noise emit from your phone and you quickly pulled it out of your pocket, hoping that it was a special someone that would lighten up your mood.

A soft smile spread on your face when you read the contact name showing brightly on the screen with a picture of a distant memory that would stay with you forever. His hands reaching over to your hair to mess up the hard work you had put that morning, and you trying your very best to get away from his hands that were really way too long for his own good.

You hastily swiped right when you realized a few rings went by and placed the phone on your ear.

“Y/N,” a whiny Yunho had picked up. “Why’d you take so long to answer?” A chuckle slipped past your parted lips at his childish attitude before you answered.

“I answered like a second late, stop being an idiot, Yunho.”

“Me? An idiot?” His words feigned hurt as you rolled your eyes at Yunho just being Yunho. He always knew how to turn your frown upside-down, you’d argue to say it’s one of the things that he’s best at.

“You know it.” Your cackle of a laugh resonated throughout the empty rooftop as you heard a solid crash from the other end of the phone.

“Yunho? Did you drop your phone again?”

“Shush, you heard nothing.”

“Yeah, okay, whateve—” Your words were cut off as you looked behind you to see two heads emerging from the only entrance to the roof. Your pause midsentence had notified Yunho that something probably happened. 

“Y/N, is someone distracting you from our long-distance relationship?” His light-hearted jest brought your attention back to the call you were currently in.

“What relationship, you avocado. Never in a million years would I agree to be your girlfriend.” You heard an exaggerated gasp on the end of the other line and looked to see a few more people following in pursuit seeing from all the raucous they were causing.

“Then, no way! Are you cheating on me?” You could see his stupid smile that would probably be plastered on his face right now.

“Sorry to break it to you like this, but yeah, I am.” Your sardonic tone showcased the hint of a tease laced in your words. The both of you knew that it was a joke from how long you’ve spent each other’s life with the other but to anyone else, it would probably look like a newlywed couple’s fight. The thought of you and Yunho ever getting married made you gag.

You looked back towards the high-pitched squeals and shrieks coming from the few girls standing in the corner and noticed that it was the quote-on-quote populars. Jeez, what would those twats be doing here of all places? You hear Yunho start to ramble about how his day flew by, nothing out of the ordinary. His search for his significant other not ending up successful, his boss blowing a fuse in front of all the employees, and him spilling coffee all over his brand new suit, yeah, nothing out of the ordinary. 

When you heard the only entrance to the roof being shut with too much force than necessary, your attention wholly going to the situation at hand and away from Yunho, you decided to finish your call later with him, getting intrigued at what was about to go down.

“Hey, Yunho?” You heard a ‘yeah’ in response from him before you continued. “I’m gonna call you later, alright?” Before he could respond you cut the call before shoving your phone into your pocket and stepping over the many crates hiding you from everyone’s view to get a closer look at the beef that was about to happen a few yards away from you. You knew he’d probably badmouth you for cutting the call later, but you really did want to know what was happening. It didn’t make any sense to continue a call when your attention was directed to somewhere else.

“Taeyeon, look, I said no hard feelings, you don’t have to bring your little crew to back you up right now, I just wanted to talk about our relationship-”

You glanced at the person whose voice that belonged to and realized that it was Byun Baekhyun. Your eyes went as wide as saucers when you saw the person across from him, Taeyeon, rake her hand through her hair with a crazy glint in her eye overtake the innocence you usually see if you’re lucky enough to spot her in the crowds of students in the hallways.

“No hard feelings? No hard feelings, Baekhyun!?” You winced as you heard her spit his name with so much venom laced into those few syllables.

“You can’t just break up with me in front of all those people and expect me not to have any hard feelings.” She mockingly let out a high pitched laugh as she took slow steps towards Baekhyun with her minions following right behind, effectively cornering him. He was right against the wall where a small misstep could send him tumbling down the edge of the building.

You realized this at the same time as another fact. He was outnumbered. One to six wasn’t really fair game and you didn’t really like watching unfair games, they were no fun. Taeyeon had her back to you but you had a clear picture of what she wanted to do to Baekhyun right now.

You debated on whether or not you should jump out and save the day but crossed it off the list when you remembered that you could barely take on one person, no doubt six of them would probably make you pass out. The only other thing that you could think of was to call someone, but who would you call, your mom? You almost blew your cover when you imagined the thought of your mother bursting through those doors with a spatula in hand.

You thought you were off the hook when you didn’t see any of those wretched girls turn back to hear the laugh that you had barely concealed. You looked back to the crowd of people close to death and locked eyes with Baekhyun

Damn, he had noticed you.

His eyes widened when he realized that there was a present person that could save him and you quickly shook your head no and signaled for him to wait a minute while you quickly thought of a plan that you could physically execute.

Jeez, why was thinking so hard?

When you saw the witch and the witchees trailing behind her take a step forward you burst out of your hiding spot. It was time to do your good deed for the day.

“Hey! You ugly pomegranates!” Well, that got their attention.

Their heads whipped towards you and quickly took your phone out and waved it in the air for all them to see.

“You probably don’t want me to post that video of you guys ganging up on a person now, would you?” You copied her sneer that you had witnessed earlier before looking back to all their gaped faces.

Bingo.

“Now let that kid go, nice and slow, or-” You demonstrated what you would do by pointing to your phone. “Well, you’d know what’d happen next.” You sent a smile her way to egg her on even further before raising an eyebrow in wait to see what she would do.

Taeyeon and her gang decided to call a squad meeting as they huddled together in the corner. Well, it’s not like you had anything to do today, so you’d give them a few minutes.

You made eye contact with Baekhyun, who was looking at you funny. Now, what could that look mean? You noticed that the crew were still talking off to the side and motioned for Baekhyun to leave while he still could to make your getaway easier as well. You mouthed ‘hurry’ so he could go before they noticed and felt relieved when he nodded and crept to the door a few steps away. Thankfully, it didn’t make much noise as he escaped and you decided that you should probably follow in his footsteps. You quickly pulled yourself together readying yourself for the sprint of a lifetime.

“Oh my god is that SHINee?!” Your fangirl scream pierced through the murmurs drifting around and you quickly pointed over to the other building before dashing forward and shoving all them with as much strength as you could, taking their backs turned towards you as an advantage. Before you could revel in the satisfaction of the minions falling over like bowling pins you darted off with a herd of Barbie dolls screaming for help in agony right behind you.

※  ※  ※

You could hear them right behind you, the clanking of their heels on the tiled floor echoing throughout the barely populated hallways making your getaway even harder than it already was. You looked ahead of you for any classrooms that you could potentially hide in but came to nothing as the hallway seemed to go on longer and longer with no doors in sight, the only thing being a set of stairs that would make it obvious as to where you were going. Plus, there would probably be a dead end, making your capture much easier for them.

You took a sneak back to see the gang of uglies screaming right behind you for bloodshed and you could see that they were quickly advancing. Damn, why couldn’t your mother have birthed you with long legs or at least gave you more milk when you were still in the growing age? Your short legs an unathletic ness really did bring problems in times like these.

You could feel your end coming near when you felt a sharp tug to your right making you trip and fall into something. You heard the clicking of a lock behind you and the light from outside turn into dark. You groaned on impact but quickly shut up when you heard something shushing you from underneath you. Wait, not something, someone.

You felt your face heat up and unconsciously burrowed your face into the person beneath you when you realized what you’re doing. Your head quickly shot up and made eye contact with the only other person in the room who had saved you from your doom.

Out of all the seven billion people on Earth it just had to be Baekhyun, didn’t it?

He brought his index finger to his lips signaling for you to be as quiet as possible hearing the stomps from the people who were running after you a few seconds ago. That was a really close call.

“Where did that bitch go?!” You winced when you heard Taeyeon referencing to you and prayed to the gods that she wouldn’t come to wherever you were right now, or else, you’d be toast for sure.

You squeezed your eyes shut and unconsciously held your breath, afraid to make even the smallest of sounds. You knew that this really wasn’t a life or death situation, but Taeyeon wouldn’t stop bothering you until you gave her the video that you said-you-took-but-never-actually-took, and if she found out you didn’t have it she’d probably throw you across the courtyard in front of the whole school. And you didn’t really fancy that happening to you.

You released the breath that you were holding when you heard their footsteps fade away and immediately, the things that had just happened replayed through your head like a film on roll. And then you came to the present and remembered where you were, and who you were with, no, on.

You were sure that you jumped off of him at least five feet but then looked around and noticed that you were actually in a cramped janitor’s closet. So, it probably wasn’t five feet. You heard shuffling and looked back to see Baekhyun rising to his full height, which was, uh, way taller than you. You saw him awkwardly scratch the back of his head and cleared his throat reminding you that you could go out now without the threat of Barbies having it out for you.

You quickly turned around and opened the door, ducking your head to go out from the small height of the door before quickly standing up after getting out and hitting your head on the ceiling letting out a pained groan in response and bringing your palm to rub it in order to alleviate the pain. Maybe, you should pay attention to your surroundings.

You heard Baekhyun clambering out behind you and turned towards him to speak your thoughts and get this awkward meeting over with.

“Uh—”

“Thank—”

You both stopped midsentence seeing that the other wanted to speak.

You motioned that he could talk first and then he did the same to you and you were sure that it would go nonstop if you continued so you decided to finish your sentence first.

“Sorry, about like, tackling you to the floor in there, I must’ve been heavy.” You let out a nervous chuckle before continuing. “And, uh, thanks for saving my ass.” You sent a smile to show your gratitude and received a breathy laugh in response.

“You’re not heavy, don’t worry about it. And I should be thanking you. If you weren’t there when you were I’d be dead by now.” He casually slipped one of his hands into his pockets before sending you a smile that had your heart beating a mile a minute.

Wait, why was it doing that? Uh, no way, are you falling for some guy who has a soulmate, you aren’t that type of person. Speaking of soulmates you looked toward his hand to see his string, something you unconsciously did over the years since you had gotten your sight and took a doubletake upon seeing it.

“Hey, why is your—” You pointed to his left hand using your own left hand and let out a mild scream at what you saw.

“Aah?” He cocked his head questioning your scream and your now frozen posture as your hand hung limply in the air. His eyes widened when he saw what was hanging from it and he almost screamed himself.

You dropped to your knees, and your thoughts scrambled, suddenly feeling like the world was about to go out from underneath you. Your gaze tightened on his string your eyes following to where it ended with a million things running through your head after realizing what happened.

Everything outside your bubble was blurry but you could hear Baekhyun’s knees drop down next to you his own thoughts probably similar to yours. His slender fingers bent to pick the single red string on the floor. He looked at it with something akin to disgust laced in his eyes, a complete 180 from his previous behavior.

“This couldn’t possibly be—” His question hung in the air, neither of you wanting to confirm the answer.

Your previous state of shock quickly morphed into one of awe. The universe had decided to give you a soulmate because you were sure that when you tumbled off your bed this morning there was certainly not a red string tied to it.

You looked at it with a mixture of feelings before seeing Baekhyun tug his hand that had the string tied to it away from you. In response, you tumbled forward putting even less of a distance between the two of you.

Both of your eyes locked once again and you almost cried at how he was looking at you. He looked at you like one would look at a criminal. And you now realized that the universe had wanted you to look at him with the exact opposite, and yet here we are.

“You see this too, don’t you?” His tone was much colder than before we came to notice any of this. You gave a small nod in answer not being able to look into his eyes anymore, knowing that your presence wasn’t wanted.

“But why can I see it. I’m not like—”

“I know why.” Your voice was barely above a whisper and yet you were sure he would’ve been able to hear it a mile away.

You held up your hand, your pinky sticking up in the air, putting a tight smile on your face as you showed it to him like it was a piece of artwork on display. To you it was, but for him, it wasn’t.

His eyes looked at you with a glint that screamed crazy as he now saw you as a whole different person. Someone who had now changed his life for the better or for the worst.

And seeing from the way he looked at you, he thought it was the worst. But I mean, you wouldn’t complain if you were in his feet. He was after all now bonded to a Seer.

He was bonded to you.

[mayeolorie-writes]

Nothing is Guaranteed II - Baekhyun

GIF not mine

Part One 

[Note: swearing in this chapter. Just wanted to warn you]

Recommended song: Love me now

“Where have you been?” Baekhyun asked, outraged. It was nearing 2 a.m. He had to work in the morning, so it did surprise you to find him sitting on the couch. “The salon.” You replied with a shrug. Two seconds later you were trapped in between the door and you husband. A yelp left your lips as you pressed yourself against the wall. “Baek!” His crazy panicked eyes boring into yours. Each hand was on one side of your head, making you his prisoner. “Don’t ever leave like that again, Y/N. We both have a lot at stake here and I can’t have you out at all hours of the night. People talk, you got that?” You nodded, nervously. You had a dowry more expensive than the Al Marjan island. “I’m sorry. I just needed to leave. I feel trapped in these walls. It’s making me crazy.” A sigh left his lips as he dropped his arms. “What do you want to do to make the world better?” The question caught you off-guard. “I want to be a nurse for children.” He backed away. You let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding. “That,” a grin spread across his face. “Is an idea I can get behind. Tomorrow we will look at schools, if you want this.” Your face matched his. “I never wanted anything more.” He ran his hand over your hair repeatedly, messing it up. “Go to sleep Y/N.” You followed him down the hallway before you reached your room. “I like your hair,” was the last thing you heard before you went to sleep.

When you woke up, energy surged through your body. This was the beginning of your own forever. You practically jumped out of bed and started your day. The sunlight pouring through the windows was brighter than it had been in a while. “Today is the day, Bori. I’m finally going to nursing school!” The cat looked impatient as she meowed for the thousandth time that morning, begging to be fed. Nothing could ruin your mood. Within an hour the entire apartment was clean, and you had dinner planned out, so the rest of your day consisted of looking up schools in the area. When Baekhyun made it home Bori was curled up on your side as you had the application page of your first three choices pulled up. “Are we doing this now?” You nodded excitedly, patting the space beside you. He opted for the open space beside Bori. “Which one do you want to go to the most?” Bringing up the page you felt nervous. It was a little pricey, but it wasn’t your fault that it was the closest one to home. Besides your husband was loaded. “It’s the closest and it’s the highest rated out of the three I have up.” He smiled at your dedication. “Pick whichever one you want, Y/N. I’m behind you in this.” You didn’t know what changed his mind but you’re glad that he did.

Weeks later you were sitting in your first class, nervous as hell. Things between Baekhyun and you were starting to look up. You guys even might be friends. It was a good first week, you even made a couple of friends. In your math class a girl looked at you and asked for help, she was completely lost. “I’m Irene by the way.” She introduced herself and the rest was history. Soon you were best friends. Since she was younger than you by a couple of years, she often came to you for help about boys and life in general. She introduced you to her group of friends, Joy, Wendy, Yeri, and Seulgi. They accepted you with ease. A big test was coming up that you wanted needed to study for. After studying Irene invited you to go out with her and the girls, but you declined, but that didn’t stop her from walking with you to Baekhyun’s car.  

Irene let out the biggest gasp and stopped midsentence as her eyes bugged out of her head. “I know where I know your husband!” You frowned and stopped far enough away where Baekhyun couldn’t hear your conversation. “My great aunt is married to this guy who is one of the tycoons in the country and three or four years ago she had an affair with the rival businessmen’s son.” Your blood ran cold. “So, my great uncle gave her an ultimatum either stop seeing her lover or he was going to send out a hit on him. She convinced him that Baekhyun and her weren’t sleeping together because he was married to someone stupid enough. . . “ She stopped, cutting off her own words. “Sorry, Y/N.” Your world was turned upside down. Baekhyun needed protection, a security blanket, for him to keep sleeping around with some older woman. “I didn’t know, honestly. I’m so sorry.” You shrugged. How were you supposed to know anything about Baekhyun? The two of you played together as kids and that was the extent of it until about a month before you got married. Did your family know? They couldn’t have. Your father wasn’t the best business man, but he was well off and was the primary provider for his services. This is why Baekhyun freaked out the night you changed your hair. If he couldn’t control you, and make it look like you were happily married then he would die. Were they still sleeping together now? “What’s your great aunt’s name?” “She goes by Kat.” Figures a cougar would go by Kat. “I actually have to go now, Irene. Baek and I have dinner with our parents tonight. Thanks for studying with me.” You sent her a smile but when you walked away she grabbed your hand. “Again, I’m sorry. I wish I would’ve thought about what was going to come out of my stupid mouth before I spilled the beans.” You shrugged. “There’s a lot about Baekhyun I don’t know about.” You revealed a small amount of your marital problems before walking away. This time she let you go.

“Was that Irene?” You nodded getting into Baekhyun’s car. “You’ve met her before, Baekhyun. Twice.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t tell.” Honestly, you wanted to yell at him. Sleeping with a married woman? Obviously, you took sleeping with someone seriously. That was a line he wasn’t supposed to cross. Hell, no one was supposed to cross that line. He launched into a story about his office friend, Jongjin or something, ate someone else’s snack. You couldn’t pay attention to his story, you couldn’t care less about that. Images of him with a married older woman went right through you. You were short with Baekhyun, saying things like okay, and that’s cool. You could think of a billion things you would rather do than have this dinner with your parents. They expected both of you to be happy and of all things in love. Ugh. Recently they have been not so subtly hinting about the possibility of having grandkids. He stopped you before you were about to walk into the restaurant. “Why are you so short with me?” You shrugged. This was going to be a big fight and you would rather not have it in the middle of the sidewalk. “I’m not feeling well. Give me your stupid hand to hold.” He rolled his eyes but held out his hand.  At this point, even the way you had to hold Baek’s hand made you want to vomit.

The moms were cooing as you both walked in. “We made such a wonderful choice bringing them together.” You heard your mother whisper. “Y/N, Baekhyun! It’s been too long since I’ve seen my kids. Have you both been busy at home?” Her innuendo didn’t go past you. “Actually mom, Y/N is becoming a nurse and she’s been in school.” Your mother gave you a look, remembering the break down you had moths ago, and smiled. The fathers were stationed on the ends of the table while the moms sat on one side, letting Baekhyun and you share a side to yourselves. Oh, joy. “How’s school going honey?” “It’s really fun. I’m learning a lot, and this is a short program, so I will have my degree within two years.” “I’m proud of you honey.” Your dad finally spoke. “What do you think about your working woman, Baek?” His own father asked. You almost felt his eyes rolling. “It’s cute, for now, until she gets bored with it.” Mr. Byun laughed at the jab as you elbowed Baekhyun.

It was a long night. Constant jabs and backhanded compliments made you catty when you finally reached the inside of your apartment. “What the fuck was that?” You exclaimed, raising your hands in dismay. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.” Your glare matched his. “You know exactly what I’m referring to. I thought that we were friends and th-“ Your words were swallowed by his lips. He brought his hand to your neck, keeping your lips against his. Pushing him back, your anger went from a 7 to a 10. “What. The. Fuck. Do you think your doing?” You asked, your chest heaving, “just because we’re married, and things have been better between us doesn’t mean a damn thing. I still don’t know shit about you and you don’t know shit about me.” Anger coursed through you as you stomped to your room. The audacity. Who the fuck did he think he was? Kissing you? Did he lose his mind?

[akaiaowl-tales]

Reality in Motion Ch3 (Mileven - Modern College AU)

Chapter 3: Something just like this

Monday 4th, December 2017

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The pencil was repeatedly hitting the table. It was rather annoying.

“Could you stop that?” a girl asked dryly.

Trying to focus on the book she was currently reading, El was completely oblivious to the girl’s question and continued tapping the pencil on the wooden library table. She’d already reread that paragraph several times, and yet she couldn’t seem to come up with a coherent sentence to summarize it.

It was very difficult to concentrate on books and notes when her thoughts kept stubbornly wandering off from academics and reminding her of something she still was too embarrassed to allow herself to think about. She felt her cheeks starting to warm and, for what felt like the thousandth time that day, chastised herself for her own stupidity. She needed to stop thinking about Mike Wheeler.

“Ohmygod, are you freaking deaf?” the girl tapped her shoulder.

Startled by the sudden touch that wrenched her away from her restless mind, El almost jumped off from her chair and barely managed to stifle a shriek. El looked at the annoyed redhead girl with huge, clueless brown eyes.

The girl’s angry face fell, probably feeling guilty because of her aggressiveness.

“Just stop the noise, ok? The table is not a drum set,” the girl said with an almost guilty tone of voice, looking away quickly.

--….--…--…---

El had finally finished the chapter summary notes. Feeling quite accomplished and hungry after spending most of her afternoon studying, she stretched her cramped limbs and gathered her stuff.

The girl who had startled her was still there, sitting next to her and frowning, nose-deep in a bulky book. El wondered whether she should apologize or something. Truth was, most of the times, she felt completely clueless about how to act in certain social situations and this was no exception.

Just as she stood up to leave, the girl looked up at her.

“Hey, I’m so sorry about how rude I was earlier, but you and your drumming skills were annoying the heck outta me and I’m having trouble as it is with the stupid reading material”, she said, speaking really quickly.

“Anyway, I would hate to finish my first semester here making an enemy,” she continued, grimacing wryly at that.

“I get it. I also have trouble concentrating,” El answered cautiously, feeling very nervous. She tried to avoid looking at the girl’s piercing blue eyes.

“So, are you leaving already? To have dinner?” she asked, while saving her books in her maroon backpack.

Just when El opened her mouth to reply, the girl stood up too.

“Mind if I tag along,” somehow she managed to avoid phrasing it as a question.

This is going to be so awkward.

Having no other option after that, Eleven nodded and followed the feisty girl down the silent hall.

They both got out from the library together and walked towards the cafeteria. The girl – who introduced herself as Max Mayfield – immediately started complaining about her Government and Politics class (“I hate watching the news! I get bored listening to candidate speeches! WHY did I even chose this class to waste my extra credits in? ... I guess it’ll remain one of life’s biggest mysteries”).

Apparently, the redhead girl was kinesthetically intelligent – which explained her mechanical engineering major –, and that made the whole situation a lot more unexplainable and bizarre. Max was obviously one of those very fun, active, and talkative persons. It didn’t cease to amuse her how the redhead could quickly jump from one topic of conversation to another tirelessly. Much to her surprise, El found herself laughing along with her witty remarks and actually finding her really likable.

She was quite entertained by Max’s sarcastic humor and loud personality. Also, the redhead seemed unfazed by Eleven’s shyness and overall quietness, which was unexpected and really nice.

Listening to someone else’s problems helped her take her mind off what had happened that weekend and stopped her from paying attention to the cruel voice of her insecurities. As opposed to what she had been first expecting, El found the whole situation made her feel rather perky and comfortable.

“By the way, I’ve seen you before?” Max asked.

“I don’t thi-”

She interrupted her midsentence, and it suddenly dawned on El that Max was a big fan of rhetoric questions.

“Of course! You were that girl at Steve’s party!”

“That girl?” El asked, unsure about whether she should be offended or not.

“Yeah, the one with the rad dance moves.”

She blushed and couldn’t help smiling at that, remembering her sore feet and legs the morning after the party. Tentatively, she finally allowed herself to think about what she had been avoiding for almost three days now.

It really was an awesome night…

“Do you know Lucas Sinclair?” Max suddenly asked. “Wait. Why are you blushing? Do you like Lucas?”

El snapped back to reality.

“Wh-What? Will’s friend Lucas? Lucas the tall, serious guy?”

Max only stared at her with her mouth slightly agape.

“I don’t like him, I barely know him!” El answered a bit too fast, it really was the most stupid question in the world.

Max, however, still sported a suspicious expression.

If she only knew.

“Why? Do you like him, Max?”

Now it was Max’s turn to blush.

“Oh, shut up,” she said looking away, “I haven’t finally made a friend I actually find interesting so that we sit here gossiping about boys like it’s fucking high school”.

El couldn’t agree more.

--….--…--…---

Thursday 7th, December 2017

*3 missed calls from MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORLD*

9:03 am WHY DON’T U PICK UP THE PHONE??????????????

*1 missed call from MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORLD*

11:47 am U WORRY ME

*2 missed calls from MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORLD*

She knew she couldn’t avoid him anymore.

Even though she had been successful until then – having Max as a friend had come in quite handy –, Will and her had class together on Thursday afternoons. History 102 was the class Will took as an elective just to be with her. The only way to avoid her best friend was skipping class. And El Ives never cut class. It had been hard enough getting into college with a scholarship to feel careless enough to do something like that.

Worst thing was, she wasn’t even sure why she felt so mortified about the possibility of Will saying or asking something about the party. It wasn’t like she was hiding something. Nothing major had really happened. Had it?

An innocent kiss goodbye on the cheek means nothing.

But there was nothing innocent about the weird way she felt when she remembered the feel of his big, warm palm steadying her. The cute way his dark wavy hair fell on his face, almost covering his eyes. The funny tilt of his head when he was listening to something that interested him.

Cut it out El. You’re making this a much bigger deal than it is like you always do. Heck! THERE IS NOT EVEN A “DEAL” TO TALK ABOUT.

It hurt her to listen to the ruthless voice in her head, but, as much as she hated to admit it, El knew it was probably right.

It had happened countless times before. Well, actually two. Two times in which El found herself feeling funny and giddy and hopeful about someone, only to be disappointed. It always ended that way. She was destined to be alone and it was probably for the best.

It’s probably because of all that rom-com trash you watch all the time.

She felt so guilty. Guilty about her stupid feelings, about her stupid thoughts, about her stupid hope, about her stupid attitude, about her stupid irrational fear for something that wasn’t even happening.

Worst of all, she knew her internal crisis was really no reason to be such a shitty friend to Will. He was the one who had always, always been there for her and now she was hiding things from him?

She was such a mess.

“Ellie? You ok?” Max asked with concern, looking at her expectantly.

This was the first time she ever called her ‘Ellie’.

Max had been so relieved to find a girl she actually found likable – most of the students in her classes were boys and she had gotten tired of only having male friends – and El was just as happy to have someone as nice, understanding, and extroverted as Max being her friend – also, apparently, she’d needed Max in her life to “coach her on stupid girly things that are totally dumbass but, sadly, necessary to survive in this society”.

Noticing Max’s concern, El was successfully distracted away from her restless thoughts and looked up from her phone to face her new friend’s scrutinizing gaze. She was all too aware of the guilt written all over her face.

“Yeah, it’s just Will”, she replied to Max’s question (for once without being interrupted!), biting her lip.

Max looked thoughtful. Despite their short friendship, the girls spent most of their free time together and knew a lot about each other so far. Max had even introduced Eleven to some of her closest friends. Of course, later, when El had mentioned her high school best friend and his friends, Max was very excited to meet them too (Eleven suspected it had something to do with her friend’s vehemently denied fondness of Lucas Sinclair). Therefore, El had to confess to Max that she was actively avoiding Will.

“Alright”, she said crossing her arms, “I think it’s finally time for you to spill the beans about why you are avoiding him.”

El looked away, trying to focus on anything other than Max’s stern face. She knew her friend only intended for the best, but she was way too embarrassed to tell her about her childish crush on Mike Wheeler.

“I think it’s not healthy, El”, Max continued, “The poor guy is probably worried sick”.

“I know! Ok?! This whole situation is affecting me so much too”, El finally confessed, letting all of her anxiety pour into her words.

Her hand trembling as she adjusted her shoulder-length wavy hair behind her ear.

“I’m so freaking worried I’ll lose my best friend over a stupid crush of all things. And everything, because I cannot stop thinking about what will happen the next time Will asks me to hang out with them”, El finally gushed out, completely unable to stop herself from revealing the reason behind her distress.

“WHOAH”, Max’s shocked blue eyes were wide as saucers, “HOLD. THE HELL. ON.”

El tried to mentally prepare herself for the upcoming inevitable onslaught of questions.

“So you do like Lucas?”

W H A T.

El let out a giggle and then started full on laughing unstoppably at her friend’s confused expression. She couldn’t breathe.

What the hell?

Her stomach was contracting painfully at her effort to stop laughing.

“No”, she finally admitted after her laugh subsided enough for her to talk.

“I have a crush on Mike Wheeler”.

--….--…--…---

“Hey! What’s going on with you?” asked Will, plopping down on the chair beside her, “I almost thought you were dead”.

Too nervous to stay still, she’d come super early to the History class she had with Will.

She had spent almost all lunch time telling Max about what happened at the party. However, contrary to what Eleven had expected, Max had insisted that it seemed obvious to her that Mike Wheeler was as interested as El was.

She also stressed that she thought El’s crush on him was not stupid. Nonetheless, El could not help feeling scared of the gush of hope she felt at her friend’s encouraging words. Hope was never good.

Plus, the possibility of something actually happening made everything a little bit harder. It made El’s mind wander off into cheesy fantasies she never had allowed herself to have before. It made the fluttering in her stomach a whole lot worse. It made her feel nervous and jittery and girly. And it scared her because it was new.

It made Eleven feel a lot unlike her usually phlegmatic self.

She turned to look at her best friend and couldn’t help the guilty blush from spreading on her cheeks.

“I made a friend – well actually she made me her friend…” said El, smiling at the memory of her new lively friend, “and, well, I’ve been spending a lot of time with her”.                                                

Will seemed shocked at that and then smiled.

“I’m happy for you, El, but why were you ignoring my texts and calls for days?” he asked, looking hurt.

He knew she would never, ever, replace him.

“El, you can tell me anything at all, you know that”, he said, “did anything at all happen at that party? Are you mad at me for dragging you there and then leaving you all alone? I’m so sorry!” he babbled, looking almost on the verge of tears.

The few students in the class were starting to stare at them.

She sort of panicked. Why was she such a terrible friend? Will had been worried about her, probably thinking the worst and here she was, avoiding him for such a stupid reason. She hated herself.

“Will no, I’m NOT mad at you… everything at the party was great”, El said truthfully and Will seemed confused.

“It was the best night of my life, I will forever remember it as my ultimate college experience, I am forever indebted to you for it”, she continued, trying to make her best friend laugh at her weak-ass attempt at replicating Max’s sarcastic humor.

Will’s smile was more of a grimace.

“Are you sure about that?”

“You know I would tell you if something was wrong”, El said, “Friends don’t lie”.

Everything seemed back to normal after that. They caught up with everything that had been going on those last few days. Will told El about his terrible hangover after the party and how “stupid Mike got us derailed for some reason and we finally got to the dorm at, like, 6 am” (El discreetly blushed at that, trying to hide a smile). El told Will about meeting Max and how, interestingly enough, she seemed to know Lucas (though she skipped the part in which she suspected about Max’s secret crush).

“Oh, so SHE was the cute redhead he was talking to all night?” Will said, realization dawning in on him, “I remember her! Her name seemed so familiar… BECAUSE SHE’S IN OUR APPLIED PHYSICS CLASS!”

Will looked as happy as the day Joyce got him all the vintage X-Men figurines for his birthday.

This was such big gossip material.

“I can’t believe it! And now you’re her friend!? We gotta get those two together! We gotta hang out sometime, we have to-”

El was giggling at Will’s enthusiasm, but they had to cut their conversation short because the professor arrived at that very moment.

At the second hour of the class, El was suddenly distracted by her phone vibrating in her bag. She carefully took it out and saw a text from Will.

5:14 pm Still not off the hook! u owe me an explanation about why u were acting so weird.

El sighed, she had been hoping that Will would forget about that tiny detail. She typed a short answer, wondering what in the world she would tell her best friend.

5:14 pm OK.

5:15 pm After class

--….--…--…---

The class ended faster than El expected. She actually found the topic they were currently going over quite interesting, which pushed all other thoughts away from her mind. Including thoughts about how to evade Will’s questions.

I’ll just go for the truth… if he asks, sure it’s embarrassing but I cannot lie to my best friend.

The thing that worried her the most though was Will’s reaction to the news. Would he play matchmaker (like he was currently planning to do with Max and Lucas)? Would he tell her something she would not want to hear (like maybe that she was getting her hopes up for nothing)? Would he be mad and hurt because she had kept it all from him? Would he be weirded out?

Will and El were among the last students to leave the class.

“So… What’s up? Please don’t tell me that I did something while I was drunk and embarrassed you or something”, Will said, looking horrified at the prospect.

Eleven had never seen Will drunk. At high school they had been the quiet losers that never went to parties, but she knew he had gone to a few ragers at college with his new friends. She wondered what kind of drunk her nice, quiet best friend was.

“No, I uh… actually don’t remember seeing you after you left me dancing”, she said.

“You’re too much of a pro to keep up with”, he joked.

“Hey! Max and I bonded over my amazing dance moves!”

He laughed at that.

“I like her already”, Will added.

El knew she had to say something, tell her best friend everything.

She didn’t know where to start.                              

“I was just worried about what you would think about me aft-”, she began apologetically before Will interrupted her.

“El, I would never judge you for being a drunk dancer, you know that”, he said sympathetically, completely missing the point.

“Plus, I’ve done things way more embarrassing than dancing”, he continued.

Will went ahead and told her about something that happened at the party.

“…and the last thing I remember is being found by Mike and then dragging myself into the car”, he told her, “and you were asleep on the copilot’s seat”.

El tried not to look too guilty.

“Yeah, I guess I was pretty tired after dancing my feet off”, she said.

“Who knew you secretly take cardio dancing lessons”, Will chuckled.

She punched his arm softly.

“So, how did you finally get to the car?” Will wondered.              

“Well, I found Mike outside while trying to get some air and we just talked a bit”, she said, hesitating to expand on her answer.

Will’s curiosity, however, seemed placated without her having to elaborate on the great time she had.

El couldn’t hide her relief at getting off the hook so easily.

It wasn’t like she had actively lied to Will, or hid anything from him. She’d just gone along with the conversation… which happened to skip through the very embarrassing topic she wasn’t yet willing to discuss with her best friend.

“Yeah, he said the same”.

El was dying to ask if Mike had said something else about it, or about her.

They walked around campus in silence for a while. Both deep in thought.

“Is it OK if all of us hang on Saturday?” Will asked, taking out his phone.

“Uh… I guess, I know Max is free and we were going to hang out together anyway”.

El was secretly hoping to see Mike again.

Which was childish and stupid. But, hey, Max had said her crush was okay and her opinion counted. Didn’t it? She was supposed to know much more about life and guys and relationships than she did.

“Cool, tell her we’re having lunch together”

--….--…--…---

Saturday 9th, December 2017

Lucas’ facial expression was priceless.

Will, Mike and Dustin shared a knowing look when they saw El and Max coming out of their dorm building. The four guys were sitting on a bench not too far from it.

Ever since Will had told them about their Saturday plans, they’d tried for about two days to stop themselves from bullying Lucas too much about his evident and quite cute crush on Max. However, they all knew this outing was mostly for his benefit (and because Will wanted to prove his matchmaking skills) and their resolve finally broke that morning, resulting in at least two hours of merciless teasing.

Which had resulted in reducing the usually grounded and confident Lucas into a blabbering, nervous mess.

He must really like her, Mike thought with a smile.

“Just try not to make your ‘Lucas aka Chocolate Daddy’ impression until, at least, the fifth date and you’ll probably do fine”, Mike teased loudly, trying to emulate his friend’s ridiculous voice (and failing miserably).

Dustin broke out in a laughing fit and Will smiled widely at the comment. Truth was, Mike had been feeling nervous himself about going out with the two girls and had tried to hide his anxiousness by being especially annoying to Lucas.

The girls finally reached them. They all greeted each other a little awkwardly and tried discussing what to get for lunch. Mike, however, was otherwise preoccupied (definitely not watching a certain brunette girl) and couldn’t help noticing that El blushed whenever their eyes met. It was cute.

His reaction to her was probably the same one, he realized bashfully.

From his conversations with Will so far, he had gathered that, like himself, she had also dodged Will’s questions and had not been completely honest about what happened last Saturday. He wondered why the both of them were so reluctant to admit to their friends what had happened the night of the party. It wasn’t as if something huge or terribly life changing had happened. Right?

He needed to talk to her about it, but was worried about making everything an even bigger deal. When it wasn’t. It clearly wasn’t.

After a while, everyone finally agreed to go to Taco Bell.

“Mike, didn’t you offer to drive?” Dustin asked innocently.

He hadn’t offered, but knew this was probably planned. This, especially considering that the only ones in their group with a car of their own were Lucas and himself. And there was no way in hell the guys were letting Lucas drive when they could force him to interact with his crush instead. Right in front of their prying eyes.

“I did, didn’t I?” Mike answered thoughtfully, “and we all know how serious I am about keeping my promises.”

Lucas threw a murderous look in his direction, knowing all too well what his friends were up to. Mike pretended not to notice.

Will and Dustin made sure that Lucas sat right next to Max in the back seat of the car, sandwiched between them and their giddy glances. Since there was almost no room, Max was almost sitting on Lucas’ lap, which made the whole situation even more awkward and all the more entertaining for Will and Dustin.

By that moment, Lucas was a permanent stuttering wreck and Max’s cheeks had gradually blushed to the point her face was now almost the same shade of red her hair was.

Needless to say, the guys’ antics were pretty evident by then.

“Next time we all go out, I’m driving too,” Lucas said grumpily.

El nervously got into the front seat, trying not to think about just how different this situation was from the one last week. She sat and looked at Mike, who was starting the car. She smiled as an unruly strand of wavy black hair fell onto his face, and suddenly found herself avoiding the sudden impulse to bush it away from his eyes.

Since they were effectively cut out from whatever was happening at the back seat, Mike and El began a casual chat, telling each other about their classes and majors. It turned out that El was a psychology major and Mike a physics major, which probably should mean their interests were very different. However, on that short ride they found out they had quite a few common interests besides their weird love for breakfast – like their preference for indie music, the fact that both of them were night owls, their mutual fondness for film-watching, and an (unhealthy) obsession with all things Harry Potter related.

It was no surprise to either of them to realize that they liked each other’s company the more time they spent together.

--….--…--…---

Lunch had been memorable.

The guys finally got to meet boisterous Max and immediately liked her loud personality and sarcastic humor. The atmosphere had relaxed a lot by that point and even quiet El felt comfortable enough to actively intervene in the conversation – which was currently focusing on a passionate discussion about whether the Harry Potter movies were good enough and lived up to the books.

“Of course the movies can’t even be compared to the books but they are still good!” Will exclaimed in frustration.

“I mean, as much as I love Emma Watson, I will never get over the frustration of the ‘HARRY DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE’ scene,” Dustin interjected stubbornly.

“THANK YOU FOR THAT, THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY,” El said loudly, suppressing the impulse to hug the stocky guy.

“That was SO out of character,” Lucas agreed.

“Oh, just shut up about this already. Everyone knows the problem with Harry Potter was totally the cast”, Max chimed in, “I never read the books, but it was obvious that those actors were getting too old for their roles anyway.”

The guys and El all turned to her with matching outraged expressions.

“I swear I didn’t know about this side of her when I befriended her,” Eleven said.

“What? It’s only the truth,” Max said shrugging.

“I need to forget you just said that”, Lucas said horrified, looking at Max as if she had just grown another head.

“Guys, what about going to the movies?” asked Will, desperately trying to salvage the situation.

They agreed and ended up getting tickets for an afternoon show.

Halfway through the comedy movie they had ended up watching, Mike (who had totally NOT been watching El from the corner of his eye) saw Eleven get up from her seat and leave. His heart almost jumped from his chest. This was it. The opportunity he had been looking for all afternoon.

“I’m gonna get more popcorn,” Mike said distractedly to Dustin, who was sitting next to him, as he got up.

His friend only managed a dismissive movement with his hand before exploding with laughter over something that had happened on the screen.

Mike almost tripped in his eagerness to get out of the place. He stood at the door of the room, waiting for El. He hoped he didn’t come off as a stalker.

Finally, she appeared at the end of the hall, just getting out of the bathroom. Almost as if she could sense his gaze, she lifted her head. She seemed surprised to see him.

“Mike? What are you doing here?”

READ MORE AT: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12840366/chapters/29318523

[spiderfriendly]

Spiderman One Shot: I’m Always Here For You.

Prompt: You’re struggling to study for a major test when Peter surprises you with a visit.

You stare down at the booklet lying in front of you, the pages neatly spread apart over your bedroom desk. Pens, pencils, scrunched up pieces of paper and textbooks litter the now not so empty spaces of your room. You take in a breath and realise the air is quite stale, how long has it been since you started?

You get up from your desk chair, still eyeing the booklet as you make your way over to the window, and then slide the window upwards to let in some fresh air. You feel like a mess. A total, crying, blubbering mess. Your eyes are still red from the almost breakdown you had earlier, and every time you make eye contact with your homework you feel it bubbling up inside you again; a sense of helplessness.

You stretch for a moment before sighing and plodding yourself back into the squeaky desk chair. You spin around, tempted to just turn on your laptop instead and watch Netflix… but you know you have to try again otherwise you’ll just panic in the middle of the test – that’s the absolute last thing you want to happen.

You slide closer to the desk and open up a textbook while looking through the topic that you’re stuck on. You don’t understand why you just don’t get it, everyone else in your class seems to be doing okay with it. And you’re not usually one to struggle with something for this long, usually you figure it out before any real damage can be done. But it’s the last night before the test and you haven’t gotten anywhere all weekend.

Your phone buzzes, and while you usually have it on silent, you notice the lit up screen tells you that you’ve received a message from Peter, one of your close friends from school.

Parker: You at home?

You look away from the text and get back into reading the chapter you started, it’s probably somewhat rude of you to ignore a text from Peter but you’re pretty sure he would understand. Especially since he does the same thing most of the time.

Parker: Hello?

You look at your mobile once again and frown, honestly, he should know better. You pick up the phone, turn it on silent, and then shove it deep into one of your desk drawers. You shake your head as you try to find your place when a sudden voice from behind you makes you jump.

“Don’t put me in a drawer!”

You spin around and find Peter staring back at you, his Spiderman mask clutched in his hand, his mobile phone in the other, and his brown eyes looking at you with utter shock.

You widen your eyes, “Peter?” You slide along the floor in your roller chair towards the window sill where he sits. You grab onto his hand before pulling him into your room as you slide back towards your desk, “You should probably change before coming to my window. People might start asking me questions about Spiderman, and I don’t want to have to deal with that.”

He blushes and you let go of his hand, “Sorry… I was just caught up in texting you that I forgot I was even in my suit.”

You cross your arms over your chest, “So, why are you here?”

Peter places his mask down beside a mountain of textbooks and collapses onto your bed, you fight the urge to blush at his sudden comfort in your own bedroom. He’s been here before… but only briefly. You mostly hang out at his house because your apartment is rather small, and living on your own means you rarely have enough food to feed more than one person.

He sighs, “Y/N, you’ve been… hiding away in here all weekend. I was wondering if you were even alive.”

You laugh, “Of course I’m alive…” You bite your lip at the total mess of your room and nervously start tidying up as best as you can. You bend down to the floor to pick up your dirty laundry before heaving them over into a wash basket. “I’ve just been cramming for this stupid test.”

Peter tilts his head, “Oh…” he frowns, hopping off your bed and then falls into your desk chair. He pulls himself up to the desk and flitters through your notes and the study guide, “Surely this hasn’t taken up all of your time?” He turns to you, pure innocence reflecting back, but what he says is like a stab to your heart. Peter sometimes just doesn’t get that not everyone can do tests and homework like he can… you look away, embarrassed.

He tries to find your eyes but you avoid looking at him, and then you continue cleaning up your room as you find that you have nothing to say back to him. It’s stuck in your throat, and admitting you need help with studying is almost too painful to say, especially to someone like Peter. He seems to have it all together most of the time, and somehow manages to be Spiderman on the side… it seems impossible, but he makes it work.

“Y/N?” He gets up from your chair, and suddenly his hand is on your arm, “I’ve seen you studying this stuff before, you’ve been doing fine with it…”

You shake your head, your back still turned and your eyes on the floor. “Not this time Peter… I just…” You sigh and shrug him off before pushing past him towards your desk again, straightening up the piles of books and other homework you have waiting.

“You just?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m pretty sure it does, especially when whatever it is forces you to miss out on our weekly pancake date.”

Suddenly you turn around to face him, your eyes wide again and your heart filled with guilt. “I missed our pancake hang out?” You scan his eyes for confirmation, and you find it; you look to your watch and realise that its way past 2pm when you usually go together.

Peter smiles sadly, “Yeah… I mean, it’s okay, I probably would have forgotten too if I had a test coming up.”

Your shoulders droop, “That’s not true Peter, you would never miss any of our plans.” You smack the palm of your hand to your forehead, “I’m such an idiot!”

He takes a step towards you, “Clearly you’ve just had something else going on, so why not just tell me? Maybe I can help you.”

You hide your face with your hands, and mumble, “You’re offering to help me even though I flaked on you?”

He slowly but surely pulls your hands away from your embarrassed self, “Y/N, you’re my friend, and I’m pretty sure there have been countless of times where I’ve had to go and suit up when we’re hanging out.”

“Yeah but you’re Spiderman, you’ve got an actual reason. I’m just…”

He tilts his head again, and the adoring puppy eye look he gives you pulls at your heartstrings, “You’re just?”

You sigh out of frustration, “I’m just stupid.”

He raises his eyebrows and brushes the hair from his eyes, “You are not stupid!”

You throw your hands up in the air as the anger, at yourself, comes undone, “But like you said, usually I’m fine with this stuff; I just can’t get this topic! The information goes into my head but it just doesn’t process! I have no idea what I’m reading half the time, and the questions don’t even make sense, how am I going to sit tomorrow’s test? It starts at like 8:45 in the morning! I’ll have no time to study before—

“Y/N!” He abruptly cuts you off midsentence, probably because you’re doing that thing again where your anxiety takes over your talking and you can’t help but ramble on about everything that’s stressing you out. “Calm. Down.”

You take in a long breath and then let it out again as you follow Peter’s words, “Okay. I’m calm.”

He comes closer to you in a matter of seconds, and soon you find yourself being pushed out of your bedroom into your kitchen. Peter drops your incredible pile of textbooks and pens and papers onto the table in the centre of the room. You lean against the table as you watch him stumble around in the kitchen.

“Peter?”

He looks up at you with his arms cradling a bunch of ingredients you forgot you had, you must have gone to the store recently. Sometimes when you get stressed like this, you forget to eat, or the stress takes away your hunger. His hold tightens around them and he blinks his brown eyes, “Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

He stares down at himself for a moment and then looks back up to you, “Well, firstly, you need a change in environment. So getting out of your room was the first step.”

You raise an eyebrow, “And the next step?”

He puts the ingredients down on the kitchen bench in front of him and smiles grandly at you, “Make some pancakes!” He stares down at his hands, like he’s noticing his Spiderman suit for the very first time, and frowns, “But uh—I should probably change first.”

You set to your study while you wait for Peter to change, you place the books and questions out neatly hoping that somehow you’ll manage to overcome this problem before tonight ends. Your room opens and Peter walks out wearing a hoodie and jeans, his before messy brown hair neatly pushed back into more of a Peter Parker style.

He comes up beside you and you get a whiff of his shampoo, or deodorant, and he leans in closer over your shoulder to inspect what you have to do and what you’re currently doing wrong. “I see…” he mumbles to himself quietly, and you watch as the wheels in his mind spin and his eyes skim over the information in front of you. You sometimes forget how smart he can be, and when you’re reminded you’re also reminded of how very proud you are of him.

When he notices you staring at him he smiles softly and chuckles, you turn away as you blush; feeling the heat of red spread across the tops of your cheeks. “I see where you’re stuck, and I can see why. It is quite tricky.”

You scrunch up your face, “You better not be saying that to just make me feel better…”

His hand rests on your back as he looks down at you, “I promise I’m not.” You suddenly realise how much you love the way Peter randomly touches you occasionally, and your heart flutters. He bends down closer to the table and sketches out a step-by-step guide for you to read, he pushes the pad of paper towards you when he’s finished, “Try and use this, and if it doesn’t help you let me know and I’ll try something else.”

You touch the notepad gently and read his scribbles, and you hear him wander off behind the kitchen counter again. You turn to face him, “You’re really going to make pancakes?”

He pauses with a carton of milk in his hands, “Of course, we always have pancakes on Sunday, I won’t let our tradition be missed because of study!”

You smile at this, and continue to watch him for a little bit when his back is turned towards the frying pan. The sizzling of oil and the smell of newly frying pancakes almost makes your mouth water, and you suddenly realise how hungry you actually are. You watch as he attempts to flip a pancake in the pan, and when it flips over half of the pancake hangs over the edge, almost slipping out of the pan. You cry out in warning and Peter turns to you with surprise written all over his face, and when your eyes meet you both laugh hysterically.

“You almost lost the whole pancake, Peter!”

He pushes it back into the pan with a great big cheesy smile on his face, “Almost!” He puts the pan back over the flame, “By the way, I think you’re supposed to be studying, not judging how I flip my pancakes.”

You poke your tongue out at him as he turns around again, and you’re both back into a fit of laughter.

By the time Peter finishes frying up a great big stack of pancakes, and after many crucial attempts and helpful comments from Peter, you manage to finally grasp this whole concept and realise what you’ve been doing wrong and how to do it better.

“Peter!” You shout, standing up from your seat in a burst of energy, “I’ve got it! I’ve really got it!”

He places the plate down on the table and jumps up excitedly alongside you, “I knew you’d get it!”

You practically pounce onto Peter and wrap your arms around him, “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I wouldn’t have understood it without you!”

He squeezes you tightly, and then you both pull back from each other as the smell of pancakes becomes too hard to handle. You and Peter swoop into the stack of pancakes, and while you eat you talk about Peter’s most recent Spiderman adventures, and soon the whole stack is eaten and your bellies are full.

Once you’ve finished going through your study guide, and are confident about tomorrow’s test, you retire to the couch along with Peter and look for a movie or two to watch together. He huddles up close to you, your arms touching, and as the movie plays you end up practically cuddling. The rhythmic sound and movement of his breathing comforts you, and his arms around you warm you up.

“Peter?”

He looks down at you, “Yeah?”

“Thanks for today, you know, coming over to see if I was okay. And helping me… and making pancakes.”

“That’s alright, you know I’m always around to help, right? I know I’m much busier these days… but I will always have time for you.”

“I know. Thank you.”

He squeezes you for a moment, “Now, how good were those pancakes?” You both laugh together and then he says, “I’ll promise to better my pancake flipping skills for next time, even though I think they’re pretty fantastic anyway.”

You shake your head, “You may be a web-slinging, crime fighting superhero but your pancake flipping skills definitely need a lot of work.”

“Noted,” and then the laughter breaks out again.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one shot! Requests are always welcome, so if you’d like to send any through feel free to anytime! Thank you for reading :)

[ayehatethis]

Narry Fluff

I was having a bad day and all I wanted was some Narry cuddles and so I wrote this.

After what has quite possibly been the worst few days of my adult life, all I want to do is go home, grab a bottle of Jameson, and lay in my bed for a month. It started with my fiancé leaving me, and then everything else that could go wrong, did. Things started adding up to my frustration and by the third day, I was late on bills, I had gotten laid off and my mother had called me and asked me to finalize details on hotel reservations for the wedding. I told her to call my former fiancé and ask him, and then hung up.  

When I walked into my flat the first day I came home, my roommates hadn’t gotten home yet, so I grabbed some junk food from the pantry and left them a note saying I was sick, and to just let me rest. I’ve been living with two of my best guy friends until my wedding, and while they are pretty supportive, sometimes they are completely oblivious. They both had demanding jobs and in their defense, we didn’t see much of each other during the week anyway. I knew they’d leave me alone for at least that day.

I closed my door and walked to the closet, leaving my shoes and work clothes, changing into leggings and one of my roommate’s old band shirts. I’m not sure how it got into my laundry, but it ended up here one day and I’ve yet to return it. It was too comfortable to give back, and I wasn’t sure who it actually belonged to anyway. After grabbing the green bottle out of my purse, I open the cap, swigging back the brown liquid. There’s a slight burn going down, and I set the bottle down on the side of my bed and crawl beneath my soft pink comforter. Switching the TV on, I look for something stupid to watch to fall asleep to, settling on reruns of Will & Grace. Suddenly my door swings open to reveal a very happy Irishman.

‘Hey, darlin’, are ya coming with us to-‘ he stops midsentence when he sees me curled up in bed, ‘what are ya doing?’ he moves across the room and sits down on the side of my bed. I totally forgot we were supposed to go out tonight to celebrate a project they finished. Obviously he hadn’t seen my note.

‘I don’t feel like it, Niall. Go without me please.’ I grab the bottle and take another drink.

‘Everything alright? Where’s Mike? Wasn’t he supposed to meet us here?’ he asks poking me in the side.

‘We broke up Sunday night.’

‘Oh, Y/n why didn’t ya say anything to us sooner? Do you want us to stay home instead? We can go out another night.’ He asks, his voice dripping with pity and…is that happiness? He starts moving closer to me when he sees tears forming in my eyes.

‘I just want to be alone, just go please.’ I say through warm tears pouring down my face and roll over facing away from him. I grab the bottle and take another drink, letting it burn my throat on the way down. He knows enough to leave me alone when I’m in this kind of mood.

‘If you say so. Call if ya need us’ Niall says, standing up and walking out of the room.

The next morning, Niall comes back to my room, asking if I need anything before leaving for work. I tell him to go, I’ll be fine. He leaves a cup of tea and a bagel on the nightstand and opens my windows before he walks out.

Throughout the day I pick at the bagel, but I don’t finish anything substantial, and I finish the bottle of whiskey. I fall asleep at some point, because when I wake up, the tea and bagel are gone, replaced by a fresh bottle of water and a sandwich. One of my roommates has snuck a new bottle of Jameson under my covers and I smile, knowing exactly which one it was. My windows have been closed and there’s some towels for me, I guess hoping I’ll take a shower. The next few days are similar to this, and I forget they don’t know that I’m without a job, otherwise they’d probably stop hounding me to get out of bed already.

Sunday afternoon comes and I’m remarkably still a bit drunk, despite one of my roommates trying to keep the Jameson from me, but my younger roommate Harry has been sneaking it into my tea, and I love that Harry knows how much I hate tea, but Niall doesn’t inspect the trays harry brings me, or under the covers where he’s been leaving the bottles for me.

They both barge into the room, waking me up. I haven’t eaten yet today, and the towels from three days ago are still sitting on my desk where they left them. ‘Love, its time you got out of bed and showered. We know you’re upset but you’ve got to move on.’

I groan and pull the covers over my head, burying myself further into the bed. ‘If you don’t get up, Harry and I are gonna drag you in there with all your clothes on.’ Niall states, his voice firm.

‘I’m not ready.’ I whimper at them, but before I can do anything else, they’ve torn the blanket from me and strong arms are around my body lifting me out of the bed. I start to kick and scream to get away from Harry, but he keeps a firm grip on me and drags me into my bathroom. Niall turns the shower on before stripping down to his boxers and takes me from Harry. He follows suit and then climbs in, joining us. One of them let’s go for just enough time for me to get out of their grasp, and I run out of the shower and back into my bedroom. The shower stops, and two angry and wet men follow me.

‘What do you think you’re doing? I’m sorry that I am not ready. I am sorry that you feel like you need to take care of me, but I am hurting. More than you can imagine. I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. We had a life planned, a wedding planned, and now… I’m back at square one. He left me for another woman. Three months before our wedding. I have a dress, venues, everything to cancel. Nowhere to live, but your guest room. I have to call everyone and relive it over and over again and then I have to call all the guests and cancel. THEN, to top it all off, I’m out thousands of dollars in reservation fees and things we’ve already booked or bought and I can’t get money back for. I go back to work the next day and I’ve got 87 people telling me I’m doing everything wrong and how terrible I am and that my work is shit this week, and guess what, yeah it is, because I feel like shit. And if that wasn’t enough, they fired me. So please, I am so sorry that you guys have to be stuck with me, but if you truly care about me, please just let me handle this MY WAY.’

When I finish yelling at them, they both look like scorned little boys and try to reach out to me, ‘No, don’t say anything. Don’t…just leave me alone.’ I crawl back to my bed, my clothes and hair soaking wet and climb in, covering myself with the comforter again, and I begin to cry louder and harder than I have yet.

I hear them gather their clothes and then leave my room with their tales between their legs, mumbling ‘I’m sorrys’, and then shutting the door. I hated having to yell at them, but they are pushing me too far too fast, and even though I am grateful for them taking care of me, they need to let me heal on my own terms. I finally let myself release all of my stress, anger, and pain as I start to fully sob into my pillow.

I reach for the last bottle of whiskey that Harry left for me, and find that it’s empty. I angrily throw it at the wall, and before I know it, fresh tears have formed at my eyes and they come barreling back into my room. Both have them have put clean and dry shirts and boxers on.

‘Y/N are you alright? Are you hurt? What’s wrong?’ Harry almost screams at me. They both come over and check my arms and legs for cuts.

‘I’m fine, I was just angry because it’s all gone and I’m tired of being awake and feeling everything.’

‘Babe, I think you need to stop drinking, Harry needs to stop enabling you,’ he says giving harry a dirty glare, ‘and deal with your feelings sober. Alcohol isn’t going to make anything go away.’ Niall finishes, putting his arm around my shoulder and lighting stroking my arm.

‘We’re here for you if you want to talk, or just scream at us, or whatever. Just no more throwing glass.’ Harry states kissing the top of my head as he stands up from the bed and leaves the room to get a broom and dust pan to clean up the mess.

‘He’s right, we care about you. Please let us help you.’ His eyes are pleading with me to let him in, and the pity is gone from his voice. I know he just wants to help, but I honestly don’t know what I want right now, or what I need from him.

I move to the center of the bed making room for them on either side of me.

‘I don’t wanna talk. If you wanna help, just sit here. I’m not sure what I need right now. I just… barely want to exist.

I lean back onto his shoulder, his arm wrapped around me rubbing circles on my arm and whispering things I can barely understand into my hair. Before I know it, I fall fast asleep.

I wake up sometime in the middle of the night and I’m trapped between my knights. I’m not sure when they both decided to sleep here. Harry’s hard muscular body is facing away from me and I’m curled up into his tanned and firm back, my hand lightly resting on his fern tattoo. Niall’s soft frame is curled up behind me, his face buried in my hair, and the three of us are a tangled mess of limbs. I can hear them both breathing slow and softly, Niall’s falling on my neck as he sleeps. The contrast of their two bodies, and comfort the two of them bring me lulls me back to sleep.

When I wake up in the morning, Harry isn’t next to me and I’m holding his pillow instead. I roll over to face Niall who’s starting to stir with my movements. I move towards him and he protectively wraps his arms around me, thus burying my face in his neck, breathing him in. My hands lightly play with the hair on his chest and he softly places a kiss on the top of my head, and I sigh in contentment.

‘Sorry I got warm last night and had to take my shirt off, I hope that’s ok.’ He mumbles on the top of my head.

‘It’s okay’ I reply before nuzzling back to my spot. His skin is warm and soft, and accented by a scattering of hair lining his body. I can still smell traces of his cologne on his skin, while Niall is running his hands up and down my arms to warm me up. The blanket being kicked off sometime during the night. He’s always been the best to cuddle on cold days, always there to protect me from the cold, the storms, and the bad guys of the world. He’s the best friend a girl could have.

The bed dips again, announcing the return of Harry. ‘Had to use the loo, and I come back and you’ve replaced me’ he jokes before climbing in and cuddling up behind me. I can feel his breath on my neck, before his head finds its home on the back of my neck, in my hair. His hands snake their way around my waist and his legs curl into mine.

‘You feeling any better today, love?’ he asks from behind me.

‘Yeah, you guys are the best friends I could ask for. Thank you for taking care of me.’

‘We’ll be here as long as you need us’ Niall states.

‘Niall, I cancelled all our meetings today, but we have to be back tomorrow. Also, I called your bridesmaids and they’re going to get together tonight and call as many people as they can for you. They don’t want you to have to worry about any of it. We’re going to let you have this week to stay in bed, but next week we’re going to update your resume and you’re going to start looking for jobs.’

‘Thanks, H.’ I reply, reaching back and softly running my fingers through his hair.

Niall nods in agreement and we all return to our sleepy state, just taking comfort in each other’s presence. As mad as I was at them, it makes me feel so loved that they did all of this for me. They’ve been bending over backwards to help me, and they didn’t deserve my anger. I make a mental note to cook them dinner or something to thank them when this is all over.

Around 20 minutes later, my stomach starts to grumble, and Harry takes that as his cue to go make breakfast. ‘Any requests?’ he asks, releasing his hold on me and walking towards the doorway to the room.

‘FRENCH TOAST’

‘BACON’

We both shout at the same time. Harry laughs, shaking his head and leaves the room to start his task.

Niall and I sit in silence for a while. My head resting on his stomach. My fingers are tracing patterns through his chest hair and the moles he has.

‘Hey, can I ask you something?’ he questions me out of the blue.

I look up to his eyes, and I can tell his a bit nervous. ‘What’s up?’

‘Don’t be mad at me, but why do you keep dating such assholes?’

I look back down to where my fingers have suddenly stopped. ‘I’m not sure, I guess I’m just not good at picking boyfriends. Or I turn them into jerks. I thought this one really cared about me.’ I sit up and swing my legs off the side of the bed. I steady my hands on the edge of the bed, my whole frame leaning forward, facing the window.

He moves and sits next to me, softly bumping my shoulder with his own. ‘Hey…I didn’t mean to upset you, I just want to see you with someone who’ll treat you right. You’re one of my best friends and I hate to see you hurting like this over some guy who doesn’t deserve you.’

‘Well, if you know of any good guys who would be interested in this hot mess,’ I state waving my hands around myself, ‘don’t hesitate to introduce me.’ I state sarcastically.

He stands up and walks to the door. He opens it before walking out. He turns around in the hallway, walks back inside and closes it again, turning back to me.

I’m confused as hell when he walks back and sits next to me again.

‘Hi, my name is Niall.’ he smiles at me, holding out his hand.

‘Wait, what are you doing?’ I ask confused.

‘I’m introducing you to a good guy who is interested in this hot mess’ he emphasizes his words by waving his hands around me mimicking my movements from moments before.

I smile at him and let out a sigh as I lay my head on his shoulder. This boy will do anything to make his friends smile. His arm wrapping around me, he kisses the top of my head. I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not, but when he leans down lifting my chin with his finger so I’m looking him in the eyes, my question is answered. His eyes are serious but soft, a straight smile on his face. His finger never leaves my chin, rather adding a few more fingers to caress the side of my face. He leans closer to me, asking ‘So, will you give me a chance?’

I boop his nose and then kiss it. ‘Just give me a little time. I don’t want you to just be a rebound. I want to give us a decent chance.’

He releases his hold on me and stands up, running out the door and to the kitchen. He says something to Harry, to which Harry yells, “FINALLY!’ at me and the boy running back towards me. He collapses on my bed, leaning on his forearms, facing me and I giggle at how silly he is, and how he’ll do anything to make me smile.

‘I’ve already been waiting for a while, I’ll be here when you’re ready. I start to lean back on the bed when he stands up, hoisting me over his shoulders carrying me out of the room to our shared kitchen.

‘Niall, I thought we talked about this! Let me go!’ I kick at him, and punch what I can reach.

‘It’s just breakfast then you can go back to sulking. You haven’t eaten in days, I’m not giving in this easy.’

I suppose he’s right, I decide as I sit at the table and begin eating the French toast harry has prepared for us.

Before I know it, the two of them are back to being their usual goofy selves.

Between Harry’s jokes and Niall being an overall goofball with his infectious laugh, I’m laughing at the two men in front of me.

Niall turns to me and smiles, seeing me smile for the first time in days, ‘I love the sound of your laugh, darlin’.

How didn’t I see how perfect he was sooner? My knight in white cotton tees.

[safitheartist]

Part 3 of my Argit 10 series.

Again, this fic is dedicated to my lovely @kariachi also special shout out to @ofdreamsanddoodles

This time: Gwen and Ben investigate when their visitor disappeared.

Argit cracked his eye open, listening to the even breathing in the room. They were asleep, which was good. He looked around, he seemed to be in some kind of transportation device, there was a bed infront of him and one above him and he could hear faint snoring from the driver’s seat. Argit noticed with delight that he wasn’t chained up. He got up and tock a look at the person lying in the bed infront of his.

The child seemed to be fast asleep, Argit felt reliefed, this is his chance. He looked around, spoting his orange parker neatly folded on a bank and table unit. He was glad that they left his pants on. He reached for the cloth and paused, noticing for the first time the strange device attached to his wirst. He exmained the green thing, was that what is mother was after? It didn’t look that special, just like some really fancy watch.

Argit was about to take a closer look when he suddenly heared a noice behind him. One of the smaller humans sat up in the upper bunk. Argit dived under the table, making sure to stay as still as possible. “Gwen.” The little one said. “Gwen let go, I’m not your plush animal. Come on, I have to pee.”

“Wha- Ew!” The other one exclaims as the one who disturbed their sleep scrambled down to a little room, illuminated with artificial light, followed by the sound of a streaming liquid, it didn’t take a genius to know what was going on. Argit felt somewhat puzzled though, this seemed to be a transportation device of sorts but it seemed like they were also living in it. Did he end up with nomads? Maybe he should stick with them then. If they wanted him dead he would already be and staying on the run would probably be the best decision.

But could he trust them?

“Ben!” Came the voice from above, “Can you look for Mister Mittens while you are down there?” The voice asked. The other human gave a annoyed grunt, “I don’t wanna look for your stupid doll.” Ben complained. “Please! You know I can’t sleep without her.”

“Her?”

“I was 3! What did I know about gender back then? And the name grew on me.”

“Urg, fine. But I demand you rename that thing. At least choose something co-” Ben cut off midsentence and Argit knew exactly why. “Ben?” The voice from above called out, “Give me the flashlight.”

“What?”

“Give me the flashlight and stay up there.”

- Ben stared at the empty bed, a uneasy feeling settleing in his stomach. Gwen gave him the flashlight, not asking any questions thankfully. “Stay up there.” He repeated and he could feel Gwen’s nervousness almost as much as his own. “What’s going on?” She asked, but he ignored her, “If I start screaming break the window and get out of here.” He told her instead. He was thinking about waking Ken up but decided against it, if he faced it alone everyone else would have a bigger chance of escaping.

He closed the bathroom door carefully and turned on the flashlight, it flickered, just his luck the batteries were almost empty. He would have to make do, the bathroom lights would turn off automatically if somebody wasn’t moving inside.

Ben stalked around Ken’s fold up bed, slowly making his way through the rust bucket. There was no one to be seen at first glance, but Ben couldn’t help the feeling that there was something here. He checked the doors non the less, they were still locked from inside.

“Ben, what’s going on?” Gwen asked from above.

He ignored her as he checked the windows, no signs of anybody existing from them. His Grandfather was asleep in the driver’s seat, the car keys that would be able to unlock the doors was still there. He moved on, turning as he suddenly came face to face with-

“Gwen!” He hissed at the girl who was now standing right behind him. “I told you to stay put.” Gwen gave him a look. “Of course I wouldn’t do that! Doofus.” Ben glared at her, “Hey, I’m the one who knows karate. If anybody should search for the alien it’s me.” Well she had a point. “Okay fine. We will look for him together.” The checked the cabinets first, nothing. Just some weird dried ingredients they didn’t even want to know the content off. The cupboard was next, again nothing, just some plates. The closet. Nothing but their grandpas old clothes. “Is that a disco suit? And….what’s this latex thing?”

“I don’t think we really want answers to this.” He replied, he made note of a old leather jacket, maybe his Grandfather would let him do something with it later. “Should we just go back to sleep? I don’t think he’s dangerous.” Ben had to agree, he was pretty sure he would have attacked them by now if that was the case.

But Ben couldn’t shake the feeling that this was still the right thing to do right now. He wouldn’t tell Gwen that, his family already thought he was a nut job, he didn’t need to add on it. “If you want to go- crap.” The flashlight went out and Ben let out a chain of courses as he started to attempt shaking it back to live. “Give me that thing.” Gwen said as she took the flashlight from him.

What happened next was Ben’s first clue that he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t quiet normal in their family.

- Argit jerked up as the place was illuminated in a bright flash of light, he hit his head on the table and scrambled out of his hiding place, disorriented as his vision still was binded. He ran to the front not really thinking, acting on pure survival instinct.

He broke through the front window, his quils protecting him from the shards. He could hear yelling behind him, futhering his panic even more. His head was spining, and he felt like vomiting mid air. He felt his back making contact with the cold muddy ground, his world was still spining and everything felt like it was far, far away.

He didn’t even notice when the watch like device activated.