#this took me almost 2 hours if not longer i Am in Misery ITS NOT EVEN FULLY COLORED

[zakuryoishi]

pokemon sv characters but they're all trans For Some Reason

close ups under the cut i guess

[readymades2002]

ch 2 thoughts.....giggle

i think.....maybe this one goes over better for noelle enjoyers but i don’t really care about her </3 so sorry...there’s nothing objectively bad about her she is perfectly fine and nice and cool i just find that kind of panicky Useless Gay crush to be irritating in characters especially wuhluhwuh ones (and its usually wuhluhwuh ones. For Some Reason) and xmas themed shit is SOOOO.....BORING TO ME i think the main story of this game is just never gonna click for me. which is kind of a bummer! it seems like itll be interesting it is just not my thing. also delt of rune having a lot of like...xtian imagery in it is still so weird to me its not OBJECTIVELYYYYYYY bad but it is. um. i’m not interested ^_^

also berdley getting a storyline is the most baffling decision i’ve ever seen in my life. that is a burgerpants character! that is a character that makes you go wow this guy sucks but his expressions are really funny and i don’t have to see him that often so i can stand him. that is NOT a character that gets a hashtag gifted kid storyline fhdskjd what the fuck WAS that!!!!!!! i do think berdley bemoaning how stupid he feels and how he’s let everyone down in a room full of people who have been abandoned by everyone because they’re The Bad Kids is a good representation of that discourse but like. whyyyy did this happennnnn

the queen is the best character in all of fiction obviously. her final boss battle was kind of a pain in the ass and i’m really baffled by her like...whole Internet story i guess. i mean there are interesting things to say about the internet and The Algorithm and using it to try and escape your own misery and i think that that dovetails REALLY nicely with the actual characters!!! between the exploration of escapism and the evolution of the bosses as “sometimes you just need to kick someone’s ass, you can’t always talk it out”, it feels like we’re shaping things into a story about How To Deal With Being In The World That We Are In. maybe not a how-to, necessarily, but i think that that’s a really fascinating story for this one to be! i just think some of the representation of the internet stuff is, perhaps, maybe, a LITTLE bit corny. a little bit oddly done. i think the attack where she says “drama” and makes the whole feed angry is a bit eyerolly. maybe i am just wrong about that, though, i am wrong about things often. i don’t really find meta commentary on the internet or of social media very funny. i don’t laugh at the vague idea of “tumblr drama” either. its just not funny to me

storywise this chapter was kind of a letdown but the world itself is like CANDY to me i am SOOOOO OBSESSED with the aesthetic of the cyber world and the characters in it i love robots i love viruses i love old internet. hypnospace is my favorite game so naturally this is designed exactly to worm its way into my brain and keep me there. also the robots are named after a homestar runner bit. i love it. I Love It

actually jumping back to the best characters in all of fiction. kris and susie but especially kris for the moment. i think kris is a really compelling character and i think that if Certain Game Developers would stop playing off their possession shit as some creepypasta bullshit then we could go further with that! i mean at least this time its not like. the stupid fuckin ending chapter one had (i know it was a fakeout but it also took two? three? years for that to be revealed and i'm pretty cross about it). i think it was almost really good! if it hadn't included the red text part or toriel literally calling the cops which is like. WHY are there cops in deltarune there was no fuckin need for it. but if it hadn't done all that then i think it would've actually been an EXCELLENT portrayal of kris's Whole Deal. kris tearing the player's soul out and throwing themselves out the window to slash toriel's tires before coming back inside and washing their hands and resigning themselves to being posessed again is REALLY compelling!!! kris and the player both having no input during the entire "maybe this world IS better" sequence leaving their own reaction to it a mystery is great, and it makes them opening another fountain SO FUCKING GOOD because they have all the information and decide to go through with it anyway.

and the reasons they could have for it! maybe they agree with everyone else's initial reason for it, the idea that the dark world IS better, you can make friends and meet people that don't just constantly call you a freak and a weirdo. maybe they want the world to end! they're obviously really unhappy right now and being possessed is making it worse, and it seems like the best option for the world to be consumed by darkness. or to even just have another world to defeat. anything but this stupid world where their brother is gone and their mom hates their dad and won't talk about it at all and everyone hates them! maybe it's ralsei looking like asriel, the feeling that if they stay in the dark world, they can hang out with their brother again. they might not be themself most of the time, that boat ride with ralsei and ralsei going "i think it's good that you're so You, kris" while kris has literally no input at all and hasn't almost the entire time they've known each other with the possible exception of the astral projection bits, that was fucking AGONIZING, but they certainly seem to be getting something from their adventures! they seem to like susie! why not ralsei, too!

i think the fountain move was also clearly a measured response. they slashed toriel's tires and recollected themself before getting back to possession. its like...lashing out, very obviously. doing something violent for a bit to get those feelings in order. then opening the fountain after sitting with them. i just find that very interesting. kris is such like...they're so interesting. what a fucking character. i want to know more about them and unfortunately there is literally no way to do that that is good for them because the only way there is to interface with them is through taking their will away. god...

anyway overall feelings are i am kind of disappointed by the story stuff, but the character stuff for characters that i (buzz) enjoy is excellent and the world is, as always, so delightful that i will tolerate just about anything to stay in it for a few hours longer. which is kind of the opposite of what the story is trying to convey i’m pretty sure but! ah well

oh also the music kicks ass but you could’ve guessed that

[time-and-souvenir]

Dazzled is an Understatement Part II

Summary: Curious about what happened to Victor and MC’s after the end of the Dazzling Date? A continuation from Victor’s POV. Part 2/3 of Dazzled is an Understatement. 

FYI: Some NSFW, spoilers for chp 10 and beyond, spoilers for Dazzling Date and as always I chose a random name for MC.

Wordcount: 3053 words.

Notes: It’s crazy to me that some of you wanted more of this fanfic? Lol! Dazzled was supposed to be a one shot but I decided to write a second part to it to wrap it up. THEN I wrote this and decided, you know what? I’m making this into THREE parts 😂❤️Thanks to everyone who suggested this, liked, commented and reblogged the first part of Dazzled is an Understatement! & thank you for being SO PATIENT, reading and supporting my writing ♥️ Part 3 is coming soon! I hope you guys like it❤️

“Yes, yes. I know Goldman. I am aware of that,” Victor replied in annoyance as he sifted through the progress reports of several projects LFG had planned in the coming week. He had spent many hours writing up the perfect proposal for this new company he was about acquire, it was an offer they wouldn’t be able to refuse. Working together with Goldman everything was moving very smoothly, until the company somehow started to get cold feet. For reasons he didn’t understand, and he wasn’t happy about it; the company knew who he was and what his company did, what in the world possessed them to do this?

“We could rework the offer and add in another department they might like, sir. I’ve been looking over their assets again and it would be very lucrative---“

“No. The offer I gave them was plenty, we don’t bend to someone that is inferior to our company, especially a company we are trying to acquire Goldman,” Victor responded, irritation lacing his tone. The more he kept discussing things over with his assistant, the more heated his blood became and not in a good way. Goldman changed tactics and suggested another way LFG could make things work and the ravenette listened intently. He clicked on his email, looking over the different graphics, information on the company’s growth and some articles of the company’s achievements that Goldman sent him. It was a decent size, but with proper funding, patience and the guidance of LFG it would succeed. A new plan started to form in his head.

“Here is what I want you to do Goldman,” Victor leaned back in his chair and started to rattle off what he needed his subordinate to do. Ten minutes later as their phone call started to wrap up, he felt much more confident with what was discussed. The ravenette had always gotten what he wanted, one way or another and this small little company was next. He stood up and stretched slightly, keeping his phone tucked into his shoulder so he could continue to hear Goldman. He walked over to his home office window, the sun setting in the distance. He had been working from his penthouse for a couple of days now, work had become…somewhat distracting.

“I need you to finish up that proposal within the hour, type it up and bring it over with the other data that we’ve discussed. I’ll give you the final approval so you can take it to their office tomorrow,” Victor paused, shutting his laptop closed and turning towards the door of his office. It had gotten rather late and he needed to make dinner. “If that’s all, I’ll see you----"

“Uh actually, sir?”

“Yes?”

“Miss Juliette has been insistent on trying to schedule an appointment with you. She’s been calling me nonstop for the last three days, almost demanding to talk or see you,” Goldman trailed off, sounding nervous. The CEO paused in the doorway of his home office, his breath almost catching. He closed his eyes and a sigh escaped his lips.

“Do she happen to mention what was so urgent?” He asked as he left the room, heading towards his gourmet kitchen.

“She said she needed to speak to you about something important but did not elaborate beyond that. I am sorry, sir. What would you like me to do?” His assistant asked, he didn’t sound nervous anymore instead is tone was curious.

“Do as I said before, write up the proposal and bring me that data in one hour, Goldman. That is all,” Victor snapped and hung up the phone, he set the device down on his kitchen island and ran a hand down his face in annoyance. He had been dodging Juliette’s calls for almost five days now, five days since their date and the night they had kissed. He swore he could still feel the heat from her mouth on his own and the warmth of her skin as they slept together in her bed. His cock twitched at the thought of her wrapped around him, suddenly remembering how soft and wet her mouth felt.

Groaning, the black-haired male shook his head and walked around the kitchen island, going to one of his cabinets and opening it. He took out his favorite glass and went to fetch a bottle of wine, on a mission to pick out one of his most expensive ones. With the way he had been feeling, he might end up drinking the entire bottle. Victor had no idea why he felt this way, not only had Juliette been his long-lost childhood love, they had somehow found their way back to one another and their relationship was starting to blossom. There was no reason to feel down or disappointed by anything, he had finally found her, and everything was falling into place. Then why did feel so horrid about it? He grabbed a bottle of wine from his collection and went back to the kitchen island, searching for a wine opener from one of its drawers. He found what he needed and made quick work of the bottle before pouring himself a glass.

Juliette had made the first move between them, she had initiated and kissed him. The CEO had been so worried to do anything at first, there was a lot that had happened between them and the years they spent apart stacked between them as well. Everything had been exactly like he wanted with Juliette and more, but he didn’t want to ruin it by pushing her into a direction she didn’t want to go into or wasn’t ready for. His little idiot was a strong and stubborn woman, but he had seen the fear and questioning in her eyes sometimes when they were together, so he decided to be careful. Besides, they had all the time together in the world, his evol made sure of that. Closing his eyes, he downed the glass of wine and poured himself another. He was in complete and utter misery. One, he had missed Juliette desperately. He missed talking to her and frankly he also felt anxious not talking to her. Something he would never admit aloud, but it was something that hovered over him like a cloud. Two, how in the world could he face her after the dream he had? Yes, they had kissed and touched on their date and fell asleep together but having that type of dream while she slept next to him was so mortifying.

Victor took a sip of his dream, letting his thoughts consume him for a few moments. He had been so happy she had kissed him first, it gave him the permission he needed that she wanted that from him. It was still hard for him to do anything, let alone truly touch her because he was afraid something would go wrong. It was as if he thought of her as some expensive artwork and if he hadn’t locked up and put that artwork something horrible would happen. Somehow the artwork would be ruined, or someone would try and steal it; but Juliette wasn’t artwork, no she was the precious little girl he had been desperately searching for years and years. She was real and in front of him, but he was so afraid to touch her, so afraid she would disappear.

Sighing, he downed the rest of his and set the wine glass down. Two glasses should be enough for now, he still needed to eat. Shaking his head, he walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. He scanned the different shelves, trying to come up with something quick but fulfilling, it wasn’t too late but still. Something heavy wouldn’t do. Suddenly, the sound of his doorbell went off and he blinked looking up. Victor shut the fridge and grabbed his phone off the kitchen island, it hadn’t been thirty minutes yet and Goldman had already finished and arrived? And he had a key, why in the world wasn’t he using it? All of a sudden feeling a bit annoyed, the CEO left his kitchen and walked towards the entrance of his home.

Once he got there, he paused and opened up his phone bringing up the old proposal for tor company LFG was soon to acquire from earlier. He unlocked and opened the door, stepping aside. “Goldman, I appreciate your quickness, but why aren’t you using your key?” He spoke without looking up from his phone.

“Maybe because I’m not Goldman, Victor.” A sweet, but irritated feminine voice rang out in front of him. The ravenette started to feel his pulse race a bit and he looked up from his phone, trying to hide the shock from his face. Juliette stood before him, her arms across her chest as her foot tapped ever so slightly on the floor. She was so tiny in comparison to him, yet she looked like she was ready to take him down at any moment. Blinking, he shook his head and ushered her inside, thankfully she didn’t put up a fuss as she entered his home. He swiftly closed the door, the sound of the lock filling up his foyer.

“One moment.” Victor looked at her and tried not to stare, but she shrugged and turned her back to him, making her way into his main living place.

Trying to snap out of his shock, he shook his head and dialed Goldman’s phone number. “Finish the proposal, recheck the data and have everything ready to be discussed tomorrow. Tonight, is no longer available.” He spoke with absolution as he heard Goldman start to stutter in disbelief on the other line. Before his assistant could argue or say anything further, he hung up on him. Goldman had dealt with bigger issues before, he would be fine.

The CEO quickly followed Juliette into the living room, where he found her sitting on his couch waiting. She looked beautiful and lovely as always, even with the annoyance rolling out of  her in waves, nothing could stop how gorgeous she was to him. Victor couldn’t help but smile a bit at how she was acting, the woman before him looked like a very annoyed, fluffed up kitten. He sat down beside her, setting his phone on the coffee table before turning to her, giving the brunette his full attention.

“Why have you been avoiding me? My calls?” Juliette spoke angrily, a confused look into her chocolate colored eyes. “I don’t understand why you’re doing this, it’s one thing to ignore me for work but…” She trailed off, her expression suddenly becoming vulnerable. “We had that wonderful date, I thought we had grown closer. I know you didn’t mean to spend the night on purpose, but I enjoyed waking up in your arms. I know you did too, so I don’t understand,” the producer shook her head back and forth before stopping to look at him again. “I don’t understand why you aren’t talking to me.” The irritation she had come to his home with vanished and a look of hurt crossed her face instead.

Gently, Victor reached out and cupped her face. Moving close to her, his fingers stroked her skin and his pulse quickened slightly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” He spoke softly as he leaned down, pressing his forehead against his. Juliette sniffed and he felt her slender arms encircle his neck. His breath caught slightly, and he closed his eyes for a moment, only to open them to find her gaze focused on his own. Without thinking, the ravenette gently tilted her face up to his and pecked her lips against his. Juliette gasped against his mouth and he smiled in return. He angled his head slightly and kissed her once more, deepening it.

“Victor…” the brunette murmured his name and it was as if the spell that been cast on him broke. He pulled away from her, enough to look down at her face. His fingers still lingered on her cheeks and a look on confusion filled her now flushed face. He had to get better grip on himself and his thoughts, his annoying, tortuous lewd thoughts of her. They had just found one another one again and after seventeen years of searching for her, he still couldn’t believe he had finally found her and the little girl who had saved him all those years ago. He couldn’t risk ruining what they had because of his own carnal, selfish desires. Reluctantly he let go of her face and started to pull away only to find the front of his shirt being grabbed and pulled back toward her. He started to say her name but closed his mouth and repeatedly blinked several times at the look on her face. “I am not a doll or a piece of glass. I’m the woman you love.” Juliette pulled him so closed to her that their noses barely were inches apart. Her dark hues kept moving from his eyes to his mouth and something just snapped inside of him.

The CEO wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her neck, he felt himself shaking a little. “Is it so wrong that I want to cherish you Juliette?” He murmured into her skin, kissing the spot beneath her ear. He felt her hands move into his hair, her delicate fingers stroking through the strands. “Cherishing doesn’t mean keeping me at arm’s length or ignoring the fact that we want one another.” Juliette’s hands suddenly disappeared from his head and he felt a gentle nudge underneath his chin, he obliged her and looked at her. She kissed his nose and pressed her forehead against his own, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck. “I love you and I want you.” Victor fought the urge to stop and rewind time, but he also didn’t want to make Juliette have to wait any longer either. His little producer had gotten quite bold, maybe all his heavy teasing and business advice had finally gotten through to her.

“I have always loved you,” He murmured against her mouth before pressing a chase against her mouth and a small murmur was her response, her nails digging lightly into the back of his neck. Smiling Victor kissed her again, sliding his tongue past her lips and into her mouth to meet her tongue. His hands cradled and angled her face up to his as they kissed. Juliette sighed and moaned into his mouth as kept his lips against her own, his fingers stroking the sides of her face. Victor pulled away after what seemed like hours from her panting ever so slightly, his cock throbbing and beginning to harden as he stared at her flushed face and wide-eyed gaze.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?” He asked as his hands left her cheeks and moved down her neck, his fingers tracing her body downward until they rested against her hips. The brunette stared up at him for a few moments not saying anything and he was about to say something when she dug her nails gently but with purpose into his neck.

“Some of it. Does it matter?” She asked holding his gaze and ignoring his hands moved and gripped the backs of her legs, he swore he saw her chest rise and fall faster at the movement.

“Hold on tight to me.” Victor replied and lifted her off the couch making sure that her legs wrapped around his torso. She made a small sound of distress, but he kissed her cheek and chuckled. “I’m not going to let you fall, Juliette.” She adjusted herself a bit against him and once she settled into his arms, she pulled out slightly and looked down at him. Her eyebrows rose when he didn’t move, he just stood there holding her.

“Are you sure you want---?”

“Victor,” She cut him off and one of her hands grabbed his chin and pulled his face closer to her own. Her chocolate orbs seemed ablaze with determination, the same gaze he had seem her do many times before either when presenting a report to him or eating one of his meals. He pecked her mouth and moved his hands from her hips to his ass, squeezing the delicate round. The earlier bravo she had had shown him all of a sudden faded and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. Smirking, he kissed her again making sure to press his middle especially hard between the spot of her legs. Her hands dug into his shoulders and she let out a low sound against his mouth. Pulling away, he kissed her nose and started to walk away from the couch and living room and moved towards the stairs. “Just wanted to make sure you know what you’re getting into.” Victor kissed her again, breaking apart only for a few moments to angle his face towards her. He reached the stairs and carefully went up them one by one, his fingers kneading and squeezing the brunette’s ass. Juliette kept letting low moans escape her mouth and into his own, her voice was getting louder with each passing moment and he wondered if she had even realized she was making a sound.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, the CEO carried her down the hallway and paused at his bedroom door. Victor broke away from her lips only to find himself pressing his forehead against her own. His dark hues looking into her own gaze as they looked at one another.

“When we go in there I’m not going to stop, so I need to know…” He paused, reaching up one of his hands and caressing the side of her face. “Are you sure?” His thumb traced her mouth before he leaned in and kissed her again. Pulling back his hand left her face and back down to her side, squeezing her there. His hands tangling in the fabric as he took a step forward, pausing in the doorway of his bedroom.

“I’m sure,” Juliette spoke her voice seemingly out of breath, and he smiled in response. Kissing her deeply once more, Victor moved them into his bedroom using his back foot to shut the door firmly behind them.

[prorevenge]

Ex-girlfriend had me arrested and contributed to stealing $1000's of dollars from my bank account before I got my retribution.

This is really long but ends with a lot of irony and perfect results.

TL;DR Ex lies and has me arrested because I didn't take her on trip with me. She also destroyed some of my property and possessions while stealing others along with cash and bank card. Prosecutor finds out it's all lies files charges to which she wants me to have dropped. That angers me so I turn over evidence of her other crimes. She goes to jail. Good stuff!!!

About 13 years ago I was in an amazingly toxic relationship, and was completely blindly stupidly in love or so I thought at the time. We had been together about 2 years and had been living together since literally the first night we met. I owned my own home which I worked from and made great money and asked her to quit her job after one too many incidents where she had to deal with a handsy boss. Months into our relationship we rented an apartment out on the beach but I kept my house and we'd go sleep there 2-3 times a month. Since she was looking for a job I told her I would pay our bills while she found and settled into her new job. Her job search lasted about 5 minutes and then she took to hanging out around the house while I worked 15-16 hour days. We spent all day everyday together except for when we would go out to bars together and she'd meet her girlfriends and I'd meet my people's. I got burnt out on work and since I owned my own business I decided I could have my subcontractors do the day to way work and I'd take a year to travel while working remotely 2-3 days a week.

It was around this time I noticed a change in her attitude and our relationship. She became suspicious and accusing me of cheating which was completely unfounded and confusing to me since we were together almost always. Had I listened to those around me I would've put that relationship out of its misery and walked away. However, I decided to try and make her see I wasn't what she thought I was. I obviously see now it was projection and her on concern about being caught sleep around.

We took a year and went all over the US on road trips, going to music festivals, and seeing friends all over the country. We also went to Europe a few times so she got to do and see not just our country but 7 others on my dime while cheating on me but making me feel like the bad guy.

Things would be great while traveling until we were about to land, or just after we got home then she'd pick a fight and I'd go to my house for the night. Our last trip together was to Portland for 10 days in the first week of October. We had a great time and things seemed like the worst was behind us. Boy was I wrong! In our town there's an annual halloween street party. We had each gone for 10+ years before we started dating and every year since we began dating. This particular year I had decided I wanted to go to voodoo festival in New Orleans which is the last week of October and our local shindig is the last Saturday of October. This caused a huge fight between us and I told her I needed a break to assess our relationship. This brought out an evil side in her which I'd never seen. I was shocked and wasn't going to tolerate it. I packed my bags and went to the airport and caught my flight to NO. I got there the day before the festival started and went and gambled and did my tourist obligations on Bourbon Street. That evening I was missing her so I booked her a ticket and tried calling her but got no answer. I texted her and let her know that a ticket was at the airport and a car would be waiting to bring her to my hotel but still got no response. Hours after I called her she drunkenly calls me screaming about how she knew I had one of my whores with me on this trip. She went on for 20 min before I told her to forget the ticket and to fuck off at this point I was 100% done. At that point she asked what ticket because she hadn't seen the text (flip phones were the worst for that reason) but it was too late in my book. For her to think I was that type of person and the seriously personal attacks she launched into let me know there was nothing left to salvage. Before hanging up I told her when I returned I would be moving out of the apartment and I would no longer be paying for everything so she had a week to make arrangements.

Because we were living together she had access to the spare key to my house I kept in our apartment. She went to my house and dumped bleach all over my clothing and my sneaker collection. That there would be enough for me to murder her if I wasn't a decent person. She also stole 300+ records and my spare bank card plus the $10,000 I kept for emergencies (bail money) in a safe hidden in my closet. This was an intelligent woman but her thinking during her little crime spree wouldn't indicate that. Instead of using the bank card herself she gave it to a friend of hers and they spent over $3500 on purchases and withdrew $5500 from my savings. I only found it was happening because my bank called and wondering why my card was being used in 2 separate states minutes or hours apart in the same day. I shut the card off and filed fraud claims and put her out of my mind for the rest of the week while having a blast. Festival was great and had a great time hanging out drinking, drugging, gambling, and partying while in New Orleans. The festival ended Sunday and I flew home the following Tuesday. I come off the jetway into the terminal and am met by two detectives. They ask my name and I of course started answering all their questions. Within 5 minutes I'm in handcuffs and being led away for felony domestic violence, terroristic threats, burglary, assault, and criminal mischief.

I had left on my trip on a Friday afternoon. That next day is when I sent her the ticket and we had that blowout where I ended it. She called the police and told them we were fighting and I came to her house and she wouldn't let me in, so I threw a brick through her sliding glass door. Once in then I started to strangle her and one of girlfriends tried to stop me and I punched and beat her up. She told the police I fled to New Orleans. (The level of crazy here is beyond scary she staged a break in by smashing a door in our apartment, had hand marks on her neck to be photographed, and the other girl had a split lip...all faked) The police somehow got my flight info but didn't bother to check that I wasn't even in town when all this allegedly happened. I went to jail and bonded out ($35,000 bond) and had to hire an attorney. Based on charges filed I was looking at 12 years now that's what I would've served but still scary AF. I knew I could prove where I was so wasn't overly concerned. However it cost me $3500 for bond and $10,000 on an attorney. I got my $3,5000 back when my case was dropped. After getting out of jail I went to the airport to get my car and she had slit all 4 tires on my car leaving the pearl handled switch blade I bought her as a gift in the last tire.

My attorney gets all my travel documents to the prosecutor and the charges are dropped. I was going to let the rest of the shit go and be done with her. Honestly if losing that money meant I'd never have to see or deal with her again I would've paid double. The prosecutor was pissed and filed charges on both my ex the other girl who lied to police. At this point he didn't know about the fraud complaint from the money stolen from me. Again I was going to just let it go until my ex called me. She tried apologizing by saying she was sorry she had to do all the stuff because I told her I never wanted to see or speak to her again while in New Orleans. By doing those things she felt it would get my attention is the way she put it. I told her she was a spiteful bitch and karma would run over some day. Her response was I was spiteful for leaving her and going on the trip without her. My last words to her that I would be very spiteful and her oncoming karma rolled into one. Because I had texts asking her about the damage done in my home and the missing $10k/bank card and the money spent in which she admitted all of it I turned those over to the prosecutor. He filed theft, burglary, identity theft, misuse of credit card, and about 4 other charges on her. She had a key but no permission to be in my house so the burglary charge stuck and so did 5 of the other charges. She got 6 years and did 3. Once out I would see her when I was out because she has always bartended or been a waitress. Over a three year period I saw her working at 5 places. At all 5 I notified the manager or owner that she was thief not to trusted and gave them just enough info to see she was a felon. She lost those 5 jobs. After that she moved away. Last I heard she lived in Chicago. Feel sorry for whatever person this parasite is currently attached to.

Crazy Psycho = 0 Me = 1

(source) story by (/u/Burnvictim49percent)

[t-lostinworlds]

Leaked (Shawn Mendes)

A/N: Remember the post I made about an angst idea? And how I wanted it to hurt bad? Welp, here it is. I am so sorry in advance and nope, there won’t be any part 2 to this one. Hope you guys still like it aha x

Summary: Shawn's nude got leaked. What's the catch? He wasn't alone in it. The other catch? It wasn't with you.

Warnings: Angst, cheating, A bit dark, and typos, issa lot.

Word Count: 1.8k+

Masterlist in Bio

-:-:-:-:-

Your grip on the device was tight, but you don't know if it was from the anger and pain, or if it was because it's the only thing you could hold on to for you not to lose yourself from the actual reality.

It was dark, horrible, and evil inside your head. But it was nothing compared to the constant stabbing you felt in your heart.

You were crying but you also wanted to laugh. Laugh at how foolish you've been to believe that you were the only one in his life. Because you definitely weren't, judging by the photos that were staring right at you, displayed on the cracked screen of your phone.

Shawn Mendes has broke the internet once again, but not for a good reason this time.

It was only two photos but it was enough to kill you from the inside out. It was just enough to murder your soul and feed the demons that have been living inside your brain.

The first one was of him, kneeling on the edge of the bed, looking straight at the camera with lust filled eyes, bottom lip caught between his teeth and a smirk that shows he was having a great time. His hair a mess with body trickled with sweat, buff, broad and completely naked in all his hard glory. It was a tasteful sight, if only it didn't have another woman's leg hooked around his waist.

The second one was of her, bend over the bed, ass cheeks in full view. You can see his pelvis along with his abs, pressed up against her skin but the one thing that makes it hurt even more was the hand, grip hard on her hips, swallow tattoo glaring at you, taunting you.

You've told yourself over and over that it was Photoshopped. A very good edit by someone who has immense talent, and to the public world, it would've been so easy to say just that. To just debunk the whole thing and say it wasn't him.

But you knew better.

You know it was real because his tattoo, yes, it was one thing but it is also very easy to fake. The girl's tattoo however, the one just on the small of her back? You knew who that belonged to. You knew who the girl was and that just makes things more inhumanly excruciating.

Another thing you tried to tell yourself was that, it was old. Taken way before you two were together, but you can easily say that, that is a lie too. It was a Polaroid photo, the time and date just on the bottom right was screaming at you. Telling you just how much of a fool you've been because it was taken just a week ago. 7 fucking days ago.

When you were in his condo, hugging his pillow and engulfed in his hoodie to help you sleep at night. While he went straight to LA, right after tour to do who knows what. Well clearly, now you know exactly what–or rather who–he was doing there.

The sound of the front door unlocking almost felt like a gun shot. It made you jump in your skin, body trembling as you braced yourself of what's to come.

"Honey I'm home!" Shawn called out, the endearment that once made your heart flutter only now made disgust crawl inside you. The words leaving a bitter taste in your mouth that you just want to hurl.

"Living room!" You managed to choke out, hands on your lap as you sit completely still, eyes on the phone making the droplets of tears gather on the screen.

Footsteps were all you're listening to, not being able to look up at the demon who now stood right in front, the sound of his keys rattling and then being placed on the counter ringing in your ears. "What's wrong?"

You let out a sarcastic laugh, head shaking in pure disbelief at him trying to pretend he has no clue what's going on. Slowly, you willed yourself to look up, tear-filled eyes staring right at him—the boy who you once trusted with your life and loved with all your heart—as you hissed.

"Cut the bullshit Shawn."

You wanted to punch that frown on his face. The sheer look of sorrow crossing his features only made you angrier because the fucking guts of him. He knew what he did. He knew so fucking well what the consequences of his actions were going to be. But he's still fucking done it now did he?

When he stayed quiet you stood up and took a step forward, turning the phone in your hand to face him, to make him see what you've been staring at for the past hour. The way he looked away was already an answer to you, eyes casted on the ground as he refuses to glance at the distasteful photos that were now out there for the world to pry on.

"Do you know whose nudes these are Shawn?" You questioned in the calmest voice you could muster, a scary contrast to the fire that's been waiting to explode inside of you.

"Of course you do. You're the one who's in them and you took them." You let out a fake laugh, your heart pounding against your chest as Shawn only said the only words he could think of.

"Honey I can explain—"

"Explain fucking what!? How you cheated on me? With none other than the girl who you said you didn't have feeling for anymore? The girl who you told me not to fucking worry about?! Then please do explain the things that I already know Shawn! Please help my stupidity!" You screamed. Your hold on the phone was getting tighter that it was starting to tear at your skin, but you felt too angry to care. The rage inside of you was working like morphine for the physical pain, but never helping to ease the emotional hurt that he was causing.

Nothing can make you feel any less hurt than one thing, one last resort, but you're stronger than that. You won't give up to the darkness in your brain. You owe that to yourself.

"I ended things with her after that night. I promise I haven't spoken to her since." Shawn was almost to his knees to beg, tears welling up his eyes but you could no longer look at him with nothing but pure disgust and betrayal. You weren't going to fall for that look anymore, you weren't going to give in to your weaknesses that composes nothing but him. You were slowly closing yourself off for the greater good, for yourself.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you fucked her while we were still together you asshole!" The words tasted vile against your tongue, speaking the words that's been in your head out loud is always too painful to the point that you just want your heart to be gone.

After all, you can't suffer from a broken heart if you don't have one.

"I know and that's the most disgusting things that I've ever done but I ended it with her. I don't want her, I only want you." It took everything in your will-power not to chuck the phone straight at him. His words were only making things worse because they were coated with lies. The words of a man who has nothing more to say because he knew he already had no fight in this. He already knows it was over the moment he shoved his dick inside another, it's just a matter of when he'll get caught.

And now he has been caught and he has no excuse left. Everything was crumbling into dust and he can do nothing more than just watch it all go down.

"Since how long?" You whispered, voice in the verge of breaking just at the thought of all the nights he's been in someone else's bed instead of yours.

"Honey please—"

"Tell me since when Shawn!" You sobbed, hands tugging at your hair as you waited for him to spit it out, to just say how long he's been betraying you after all this time.

"A couple months ago." Shawn muttered in pure defeat. The guilt inside him was spreading like a disease as he stared at the girl who gave him nothing but pure love, all broken.

You nodded solemnly, phone slipping out of your hands and landing with a thud on the floor, the sound echoing around the cold and dark place, almost serving as a symbol of the way your heart broke and was now lying lifeless on the ground, not a single beat heard from it anymore.

Your bottom lip was caught between your teeth as you tried to hold back your sobs but your eyes, your eyes were enough to tell the whole world how hurt you were. The insufferable pain was clear in your orbs that no amount of pretending could hide it even in the slightest.

"I let you kiss me, fuck I let you touch me you disgusting asshole! All while your hands have touched another woman's body. How fucking dare you tell me you loved me and you go around doing this! You are evil Shawn!" You clenched your fists tight, the thought just bloodcurdling that you just want to tear out your skin, every inch that he's touched, you want nothing of it. Every trace of his lips, you just want to scrub it off of you even if it hurts, you'd bear the pain as you want nothing more than every ounce of the feeling of him gone.

"I'm so sorry Y/N. I am so so sorry." Shawn whole weight collapsed on the floor as he landed on his knees. Endless tears ran down his face as he tried to reach for you, but you avoided his touch like its poison. The fear and pain that flashed across your features at the mere sight of him wanting to be near you was a big swing at his heart.

"I'm sorry too Shawn. I'm so sorry for trusting you with my heart in the first place." The sound of utter regret in your voice was a stab to his heart. The look on your face, the raw agony and misery coating your once joyful and glowing features, was a twist of the knife.

But when he heard the front door shut followed by nothing but the eerie silence of his whole condo, that was when Shawn knew he just lost everything he could've needed and ever wanted in his life.

Because with just one leak, everything in his life was completely destroyed and there was no other person to blame but him.

-:-:-:-:-

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[briefololtragedy]

Wooden Blocks Ch 3

Chapter: Baby Steps

Pairing: MinaSaku

Rating G

Summary: Minato and Sakura meet outside of the clinic without Naruto. Word count 5500

Posted on AO3

Her feet hit the pavement hard. She could feel her muscles contract allowing the blood in her to pump faster. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she could tell her face was beet red. The music in her ears drowned out some of the noises around her as she ran down the streets. This was her weekend morning ritual. Wake up, put on her running gear, and run to her heart’s content. It was one of the few times she was able to shut off her brain. Well she tried to shut off her brain. She thought back to coffee with Ino a few weeks ago. 

“Come on Forehead tell me how the art gallery was. Did you guys have fun afterwards?” Ino kept wiggling her eyebrows. 

“The art was different. We walked around and then we got dinner. He took me home and then left. “ Sakura sipped her coffee. Allowing the aroma to fill her senses. She just couldn’t see Kakashi as more than just a friend. She couldn’t handle the fact that he was late. She understood the first time, but this time he was almost an hour late and no proper excuse. Then when she was around him it always felt off. When the highlight of the evening is talking to a patient’s father that’s a sign. 

“Seriously! That’s all you're going to give me. I need more details.”

“There is not much in the way of details. He was late by almost an hour. Showed up with just an ``I'm sorry'' and then we went on our date.” Sakura made sure to do her best man voice impression with the ‘I’m sorry.’ 

“Seriously Sakura, you need to stop finding fault with every guy you date. Don’t just focus on one small flaw.” Sakura did not see how wanting a date to be on time was a bad thing. There interests didn’t seem to mesh well. 

“Plus he brought you food that day. Wasn’t that so romantic?” Sakura rolled her eyes. Yeah romantic if you get judged for being hungry and not being ashamed to eat. She did thank Kakashi profusely for the kind gesture. 

“Give it more than just a couple of dates.” Sakura huffed into her coffee. 

She was trying to look past a few hiccups in her time with Kakashi. They seemed to do well talking over text, but when it came to being in person together the click just didn’t happen. She asked him to lunch yesterday and it just keeps falling flat with him. Sakura also didn’t care for his favorite reading material, Jiraiya was a class A pervert. 

Sakura forced her legs to go faster. Her mind wasn’t supposed to be overthinking. Its only job was to help her function in her run. After running for a little while longer she looked at her watch. Five miles. She slowed to a stop. Her muscles twitched in rhythm with her music. She needed food and coffee. Sakura lived close to the downtown area and her runs usually had her circling  the heart of the city. She looked around and noticed she was in one of the more hipster areas. 

A smile found its way on her face when she saw the antiqued green door to a coffee shop. It had recently opened and she had been dying to try it out. Sakura had almost thought to ask Kakashi to come with her to the shop last week but he didn’t like coffee. He also didn’t like mornings, so meeting before she had to go to work was a no go. 

The small bell on the top corner of the door chimed as she entered. The shop was decently packed for 9am on a Saturday. She easily made her way through the store to the counter. ‘Hmm all of this looks so good. I want to order everything.’ One of the reasons Sakura ran so much was because she enjoyed eating. Most days she ate so healthy a fitness nut would say to take a step back. However, those days were to balance out when all she wanted was carbs, sugar, candy, and chocolate. Yes, Sakura at times ate like the elf her patients thought she was. 

“I’ll have a White Chocolate Mocha with a pump of raspberry sauce and an order of blueberry pancakes, please.” Sakura could feel her blood sugar start to spike with her order, but she didn’t care. She wanted her sugar and no one will stand in her way. Her usual black coffee just wouldn’t cut it today. 

After paying she took her number and looked for a seat. She scanned the coffee shop looking for an open seat. She hoped to get one by the windows because the thought of drinking her sugar and people watching really appealed to her. However, she paused when she saw a familiar mess of blonde hair. 

“Mr. Namikaze?”

_____________________________

Over the last few weeks Minato felt like he was going at turbo speed. They were finally going to submit the proposal for the bank tower and he really wanted to get it. His desire to beat everyone else is what brought him into work on a Saturday morning. Well Naruto waking up at 6am this morning and then not wanting to go back to sleep also played a role in the decision as well. 

Minato dressed Naruto in a simple outfit with a baby Yoda top and light jacket. It was such a beautiful morning that Minato strapped Naruto in a baby carrier and walked to his office downtown. The streets were peaceful as he strolled down the streets. He passed a few runners, saw some people on their stoops getting their morning paper. Mornings were one of his favorite times of the day. He always enjoyed the stillness that came with mornings. How things didn’t have to be rushed. Kushina could never understand his love for mornings. 

“Why can’t you just go back to sleep. There are more hours in the day that you could be awake. Be lazy with me.” 

Minato loved their lazy mornings, but he didn’t want to waste a day when there was so much work to be done. He soon found himself walking into the lobby of the building his office was in. 

“Morning Mr. Namikaze. You just can’t escape this place it seems.” The security officer gave him a warm greeting. Minato just smiled and held Naruto closer to him. 

“Is that Naruto?” The security officer, Jin, had come over to take a peak. He would never forget all the conversations he had with Jin when he found out he was going to be a father. Jin had 3 older children and provided a lot of advice. However, it was one of his lowest mornings that Jin was there for him. 

It had been a month since Naruto was born and Minato went into work on a Sunday morning. He just sat in his office. For the first time tears fell from his eyes. 

“I don’t know how I am going to do this.” He just wanted to wallow in his misery. Minato wanted to be alone, but Jin was checking the floors on his daily rounds. 

“Mr. Namikaze is everything alright?” Minato wanted to say that no nothing was alright. Everything was wrong. How the hell was he going to raise a child on his own. Kushina would be able to do it without batting an eye. Minato didn’t read all of the baby books. He didn’t look at preschools and daycares before Naruto came into the world. Minato could barely put a diaper on in the baby classes. 

Jin seemed to read his thoughts and he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry about Kushina. She was a wonderful woman.” Jin paused. Minato found the tears falling faster. 

“Mr. Namikaze I have 3 kids of my own. I know you can raise Naruto and give him a wonderful life. My late wife died 2 years after our last was born. I found myself the sole caretaker of 3 rambunctious and moody girls. There are a lot of twists and turns in the life of parenting. The pain of losing a spouse will lessen overtime, but you will see her whenever you look into the eyes of your boy. I still see my wife in everything my girls do.”

Minato knew what it was like to lose his parents. It crushed him that Naruto would never have his mother. 

“Do you ever feel like you were never enough?” 

“All the time. But let me tell you something. As long as you love him that is more than enough.” 

“Yes. Decided he should start earning money early for all the diapers we go through.” Jin gave him a deep laugh. They talked briefly and after 10 minutes, 8 of which Jin held Naruto and almost didn’t let him go, Minato ventured to his office. The moment he stepped in he realized one important fact. He forgot something for Naruto to sit in. ‘Crap’ Why didn’t he think further ahead! Minato looked around his office. He really wanted to work, but didn’t want to keep the heavy baby carrier on him. He strolled over to his desk trying not to panic. As he sat down in his chair he looked around. He then realized he had a suit jacket on the back of his door. He can lay the jacket out on the floor and Naruto could lay on that! Plus Naruto was holding his fox toy so that should provide enough entertainment for Minato to get some work done. 

Within a few short minutes Minato was going over the proposal for the millionth time. Apparently in the middle of working Naruto fell asleep. It wasn’t until a knock on his office door happened that Minato realized the time. It was now 830am and he had been working for the last hour. He looked up to see who was at work today.

“Rin? Obito? What are you two doing here?” The couple were dressed casually both in jeans and simple shirts. Minato laughed when he realized they were in matching shirts. He really wanted Obito to propose soon. The last time they talked he was planning on it in the next couple of months. 

“No Minato the important question is why are you at work on a Saturday morning?” Rin was taping her foot and hands on her hips. 

“This proposal…”

“The proposal is perfect and will be submitted first thing Monday morning.” It was Obito who cut him off. Minato wanted to protest. 

“Don’t even start Minato. You need a break, so here is what is going to happen. Obito and I will take Naruto for the morning. You will go enjoy some time to yourself. Heaven knows that you have not taken a break since Naruto was born.” Minato tried to butt in, but Rin kept going. 

“And we at least won’t get pizza sauce on Naruto.” Rin was now pulling him out of his chair. Obito had gathered Naruto from the floor, he somehow strapped the baby carrier to his chest already. Soon the foursome were in the elevator heading to the lobby. 

“Have a good weekend guys.” Jin happily waved as they walked through the lobby. 

“You too Jin and thanks for the text.” Obito waved enthusiastically. 

“What text?” Minato didn’t like what he was thinking. “Did you have Jin keep tabs on me?” 

Rin and Obito looked at each other and simultaneously answered. “We plead the 5th.” 

Minato tried to follow them, but Rin wasn’t having it. “Go find a coffee shop or something to sit in.” When did Rin become so bossy?

So Minato ended up slowly strolling down the streets of downtown. He realized that he was needing another caffeine hit and could use some food as well. His attention was caught by a new coffee shop with an eclectic feel. ‘This will do.’ Once he saw the menu the fate was sealed. He ordered a simple plan late and a lavender vanilla scone. He soon found his place in one of the booths by the windows. It didn’t take too long before he pulled out his iPad and started to read, Ready Player One. 

He tried to shut his worrying mind off. Soon Minato became engrossed in the novel; he didn’t see a certain pink haired doctor walk in, not until he heard her sing-song voice. 

“Mr. Namikaze.” Minato looked up and all the air left his lungs. Standing before him was Dr. Haruno in running shorts and a sleeveless racer back exercise top. 

“Dr. Haruno. How are you?” His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would pop out of his chest. 

“Sakura.” He just stared at her. 

“Excuse me.” Minato was confused. 

“Please call me Sakura. We are outside of work and I feel weird when people call me a doctor outside of work. And I am doing good Mr. Namikaze. How are you?” Minato felt like an idiot. She was saying to call her by her first name. He really wanted to hit his head on the table. 

“Minato. Please call me Minato then. I am doing well.” Sakura smiled at him. He then realized she was holding a number card and he also realized there were no seats available. Minato weighed the pros and cons of asking what he was about to. In the end he didn’t want Sakura to leave. 

“Please join me. There are no other open seats and it looks like you have ordered.” He could tell she was hesitant. The moment she sat across from him he felt the small victory. 

Sakura wasn’t sure what possessed her to sit down with Mr. Namikaze. Minato, she corrected in her head. Although as she thought about it, it was the logical choice. He had an empty seat and she needed to eat. He looked more relaxed so relaxed when he was reading she hated bothering him. As she looked around she realized someone was missing. 

“Where’s Naruto?” Sakura found herself a little disappointed the other familiar mop of blonde hair wasn’t present. There was something about Naruto’s smile that tugged at her heart. He was sure to be a heartbreaker. 

“Two of my friends took him for the morning. They wanted to give me a break.” Minato almost felt jealous of his own son. How many women would want to be in this position? As much as he was annoyed at not being the main focus it warmed him on the inside that Naruto’s pediatrician cared so much for him. 

“That’s so sweet of them. They won’t eat pizza while holding him I hope.” Her smirk caused his stomach to summersault. 

“No, they are much more responsible. I’m sure Rin wants it as practice for their future. Although Obito has to propose first.” Minato was surprised at the ease of carrying a conversation with her. Their conversation was interrupted when Sakura’s order arrived. He had never seen someone so happy to see food. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her kid in the candy store look on her face. 

The smell of her coffee and pancakes filled her nostrils. She could smell the warm blueberries from the pancakes and a hint of lemon. Her coffee was strong, but the white chocolate and raspberry cut through some of the bitter notes as she took her fist sip. She wasted no time drizzling the pancakes with the blueberry syrup. She had to slow her actions remembering the last time she scarfed down food in front of Kakashi. All of Sakura’s self control went to stopping herself from devouring everything. 

Minato could see the struggle in her eyes as she slowly ate her food. Looking at her attire she likely spent the morning working out and was likely to be starving. 

“You don’t have to hold back eating your food in front of me. What were you doing this morning?” Sakura was touched by his words. 

“I went for one of my runs, so I am very hungry.” She didn’t fully unleash all her enthusiasm onto her pancakes, but did pick up the pace. They were so flaky and melted in her mouth, worth every calorie. They sat in a comfortable silence as Sakura ate and Minato read. Sakura felt like the two names she heard were familiar, but didn’t know from where. 

Halfway through her food her stomach was happy enough to slow down. She then took in the appearance of the man she was sitting with. The first time she met him she realized how drop dead gorgeous he was, he still is. It’s no wonder why all the nurses swoon for him. 

Soon they were parting ways. Sakura could only make it through half of her coffee, but was able to get it in a to-go cup with some black coffee added to it. 

“Thank you for letting me sit with you Mr...Minato. Tell Naruto I said hi.” Just like that he watched Sakura walk away. 

Minato texted Rin to see where they were. His nerves were on end until she texted back. Relief rushed over him once she said they were back home. Rin had a spare set of keys to his home and wanted Naruto to be in a familiar environment. 

It was a quick walk back home. The moment Minato walked into his home he took out his phone to take a picture. Obito was sprawled out on the couch, Rin nestled into him, and Naurto played on Obito’s chest. Rin heard the snap of his phone and looked up. 

“Minato! You’re back. How was your break?” Rin easily navigated over Obito and Naruto to get up. Minato thought back to his time with Sakura. 

“It was just what I needed. Thank you for strong arming me into it.” Naruto startled to babble as he heard his father’s voice. Minato wasted no time in picking him up. Obito yawned and stretched. 

“We should better get going. I expect to be babysitting more often.” Rin gave Minato a quick hug and kicked Obito as they walked out the door. 

Minato sat down on his couch, Naruto on his knee. He bounced him up and down. After being in the coffee shop he realized how quiet his home was. 

“You will never guess who I ran into today.” Naruto just tilted his head to the side and smiled. 

“Dr. Haruno says hi.” 

__________________________

The energy in the office was chaotic. They had just submitted the proposal and knew time would move at a snail's pace until they heard. It could be today or in the next couple of weeks. Minato wanted to throw up. He couldn’t think about all the what ifs, so started to check on the progress of their other buildings. 

Currently they were working on a couple of restaurants for the Akimichi family, the Uhiha’s were wanting a revamped police station, and the Nara’s wanted a second building for their accounting firm. He also had that strange job from Nagato from a group called Akatsuki. Minato still didn’t know what the group did. All he got from Nagato was that the group represented a variety of different interests in a variety of areas.   

Lunch was eaten at his desk as he worked through the hour. He didn’t want to stop. If he stopped he would just worry about that stupid proposal for Sarutobi International Bank. Minato looked up and saw Kakashi and Obito fooling around. Those two were only a couple of years younger than him, but acted like toddlers. At least Rin had a decent head on her shoulders. 

He was pulled out his thoughts when his secretary called him. It was the Sarutobi group. They were calling already. They must have looked at the building proposal, laughed, and then threw it in the garbage. 

“This is Minato.” His hands started to sweat. 

“Minato, my boy. This is Hiruzen Sarutobi. I just wanted to tell you we got a lot of different architecture firms submitting some top notch building proposals.” Yep here came the rejection. 

“Your group’s proposal was such an easy standout we didn’t have to debate for long. This was one of the smoothest meetings we have had for our buildings. Typically we take at least a month to decide.” Minato’s jaw dropped. Did Hiruzen just say…

“Congratulations Minato. Your firm has been chosen to build our newest tower. My office will send over the details in the next couple of days.” 

“Tha…” He had to cough to clear his voice. “Thank you sir. I look forward to working with you.” Minato sat back as he hung up the phone. His mind was still processing what just happened. When he looked up he saw his staff looking at him. He got up slowly from his desk and walked out to talk to them. 

Kakashi and Obito stopped fooling around. Rin had gone back to her own job after visiting Obito for lunch. He took in the faces of his staff. 

“I’m sure you all would like to know what that call was about. As you probably heard, that was Hiruzen Sarutobi who just called. He wanted to inform us…” Minato paused wanting to build the dramatic effect. “He wanted to tell us we got the job! We will be building their newest bank tower.” Cheers soon erupted. Obito looked like he was about to have a heart attack. 

“We need to celebrate. What do you think boss, how about Friday?” Obito was bouncing up and down. Minato thought about the idea. His staff deserved to celebrate the news. 

“That sounds good. I’ll see if one of Choza’s restaurants could cater for us. Obito, I expect Rin to be there. Kakashi try not to be too late.” Minato went to walk away when he heard Obito speak. 

“Come on Kakashi you have to bring the woman you have been seeing. Rin and I are dying to meet her. “ Wait Kakashi was seeing someone! How did he not know about this? Minato turned around and Kakashi was sending texts to someone. As Minato walked around his staff letting them know about the party he soon heard Kakashi’s phone ring. Minato didn’t care to listen to the conversation, but wondered who this mystery woman could be. 

___________________________

Sakura walked into the office Monday morning more refreshed than she had been in months. She felt so energized that she went for a run this morning. Usually she waited till evening to run, but with the endorphins released this morning she needed to switch to morning. Seeing that her schedule was fully booked didn’t even bother her. Bring on all of the antibiotics seeking parents for their child’s viral infection and teenage girls with abdominal pain. 

It seemed like time flew because the next thing Sakura knew  she was seeing her last patient. As she walked back to her office she saw she had messages from Kakashi. His last message said to give him a call when she could. She wondered what he wanted to talk about. Sakura prepared herself for ‘the talk’ as she called him. 

“Hey Kakashi. It’s Sakura.” She was slightly surprised when she heard his voice having an excitement in it she never heard before. 

“Sakura thanks for getting back to me. I was wanting to know what your plans are for Friday night.” That was not the question she was expecting. 

“I don’t have any at the moment.” Before she could continue Kakashi cut in. 

“How would you feel about coming to a work party with me on Friday. The firm I work with just got this big job and the boss wants to celebrate. I was wanting to bring you with me.” Sakura’s heart warmed at him wanting her to come with him. 

“I would love to go with you. Let me know the time and if yo…”

“Great I will pick you up at 8.” Sakura could hear people celebrating in the background. 

“I’ll see you then.” Sakura sighed as she hung up the phone. Mei happened to be walking by as she sighed. 

“What’s with the heavy sigh?” Sakura looked at her coworker. She was drop dead gorgeous, long reddish brown hair and green eyes. Sakra couldn’t understand how she was still single. 

“Oh I’m just debating how late my date will be picking me up Friday night.” Sakura thought she would play it safe and plan for him to be 30 minutes late. 

“I would kill for a guy to be late, it would give me more time to get ready. I’m never ready in time. Do you want me to cover your call shift that night? I think it would be fair since you covered for me a month or so ago.” Sakura forgot she was supposed to be on call. She was thrilled that Mei offered to take the shift without being asked. 

“That would be amazing.” Now all Sakura had to do was figure out what to wear. Mei bid her a good night as they both headed out. 

___________________________

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror. It was currently 820 and Kakashi wasn’t here yet. She had just finished her hair and makeup. After talking with Ino she decided to do a side french braid in her hair and then gathered the rest into a ponytail. She kept her makeup in neutral tones, but used her shimmery eyeshadow palette, giving her a grey smokey eye. It was now time to put on her dress. 

She had gone with Ino yesterday after work to pick out something. Sakura wasn’t fully sure about the dress code for this event, so wanted something that could be dressy or more casual if needed. They had found a deep red off the shoulder fit n flare dress. She was going to pair it with her silver wedges. She wasn’t going to wear a necklace, but decided on drop earrings that were silver tear drops. Just as Sakura was putting on her heels her doorbell rang. 

“Ready to go?” Kakashi looked amazing in his simple black dress slacks and white dress shirt. At least her outfit went with his. Sakura didn’t even care to bring up the fact that he was late, again. 

“Yep, all ready.” 

Soon they were entering his office building and Sakura was blown away by the lobby. Arched ceilings with metal beams. There were skylights allowing for natural light to come in. They took the elevator up to the 15 floor. As they got closer Sakura could hear that the party was in full swing. 

“My friends are looking forward to meeting you.” Kakashi had looped his arm through hers. 

“I’m looking forward to meeting them as well.” Kakashi and Sakura entered the party. There were trays of food being walked around by some waiters. She could also see a buffet set up along the windows. Kakashi navigated her around the party. He was looking for two of his closest friends. 

“Kakashi! You showed up and only 45 minutes late.” A man with black hair and eyes was talking, the first thing she noticed were his kind eyes and smile. He was about as tall as Kakashi.

“Oh is this Sakura?” Kakashi untwined their arms and placed his hand on her back. 

“Yes, this is Sakura. Sakura this is Obito.” Sakura paused, that was the name Minato mentioned. It then clicked in her brain. The two who were watching Naruto were also Kakashi’s best friends. That’s why the names were so familiar. 

“Nice to meet you.” Obito’s grin was from ear to ear. Soon another person joined them. She had medium brown hair in a long bob and hazel eyes. The woman gave Obito a peck on the cheek. Sakura found Obito’s blush endearing. 

“You must be Rin. I’m Sakura. It’s nice to meet you.” Rin seemed shocked that Sakura knew her name, but was soon shaking her hand vigorously. 

“Oh it’s so good to meet you.” Soon the four were making the rounds at the party. Sakura enjoyed talking with Rin. They found out they had a lot in common with Rin working as a psychologist and Sakura a pediatrician. It was watching Obito and Rin interact that made Sakura realize she saw Kakashi more as a friend than anything else. 

“Hey Kakashi has the boss man meet Sakura yet?” The moment Kakashi shook his head no Obito was leading them to another area of the room. Sakura froze when she saw him. Kakashi’s boss was Naruto’s father. 

“Hey Minato. Kakashi showed up and he brought a date.” Minato looked over to the group. The moment Sakura entered the party Minato saw her. She looked breathtaking in her dress. That familiar feeling in his stomach returned. He could feel his heart beat faster. However, it was like a bucket of cold water was thrown on him when he saw she was with Kakashi. He tried to ignore the two as they walked around the party. Sakura attracted the attention of many of the staff and other attendants. One reason was that she came with Kakashi. The other was everyone was taken by her looks. It was not everyday a person with candy hair and dazzling emeralds for eyes came into the office. 

As those eyes focused on him everything else faded away. Sakura then opened her mouth. “Mr. Namikaze it's good to see you again.” Sakura was conflicted on how to address Minato. She thought the best course of action would be to take the professional approach. 

“Wait, do you two know each other.” It was Kakashi who actually decided to speak. He looked perplexed. 

“Dr. Haruno is Naruto’s pediatrician.” Rin looked giddy beside Obito. 

“Congratulations on the new job.” Sakura wasn’t sure what to do. She could feel all eyes on her and it was making her have a slight freak out. Soon Rin was telling stories of babysitting Naruto, which Sakura smiled at. They were then going to the buffet table and sat down to talk. Obito was part of the Uchiha family and decided to go into design over the police force. Sakura then got into a story of how she knew Shisui from childhood. Minato was friends with Fugaku and Mikoto, who had recently given birth to her second son. Itachi was an adorable eight year old who she had only seen a couple of times. 

Sakura found herself needing some fresh air, which meant she would have to go down to the lobby. 

“Kakashi I need some fresh air. I’m going to head downstairs for a little bit and I’ll be back up.” As she went to stand up Kakashi stopped her. 

“We have a balcony we use at times. Let me show it to you. That way we don’t have to go all the way downstairs.” They two excused themselves. The balcony had a stunning view of the city and the crisp air was like a welcoming hug after being in a room with so many people. Kakashi just stood beside her. 

“Kakashi, I have been thinking about what we are and…” She had to pause. Sakura wasn’t sure if this was the best time to bring it up, but she feared she would lose her nerve later. 

“I have enjoyed spending time with you, but I feel like we would work better as friends.” Sakura rushed the part after the but. She could feel herself internally wince, hating how cliche she just sounded. However, she was speaking the truth about being friends with him, especially after meeting Obito and Rin. He seemed to let out a sigh...of relief. 

“I have enjoyed spending time with you as well, but am glad I am not the only one who thinks we would work better as friends.” Sakura couldn’t contain herself as she hugged Kakashi. His chuckle sounded deep from his chest. She felt him place a soft kiss on the crown of her head. They went back to the party both feeling lighter. 

“By the way I have someone who I think you would really like. She is a coworker of mine.” 

____________________

Minato watched as they walked away. The feeling of jealousy was nothing like how he felt when Sakura just paid attention to Naruto. Minato could understand that. This however. This was something different. He didn’t know much about Sakura, but enjoyed being around her. Aside from Obito, Rin, Kakashi, and Naruto she was a welcome relief to the darkness that surrounded him so often recently. 

So Minato followed them, discreetly of course. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but saw their embrace. His heart felt heavy. Then he had to turn away when Kakashi kissed her head. Minato went back to the table to sit back down. He watched as Rin happily ate her dessert. 

“Do you think your friend would still want to go for that date?” Minato had to move on, one baby step at a time.

[skgway]

1823 July, Tues. 22

7

12

1/2 hour in in the stable talking to the plasterer, and afterwards in the cow-house – Letter from M– [Mariana] (Lawton) dated yesterday,

“last Tuesday in coming downstairs my foot slipped and I fell down and sprained my right shoulder, till Saturday I was unable to use my arm at all, and even today I feel writing painful. xxxx has been my amanuensis but I am fearful of her, acting that part to you, lest you should fancy me worse than I really am” –

She thinks I “have exaggerated” her “feelings” on the subject of my last letter, “more than” her “letter warranted” – She seems to keep to her old opinions, yet so modifies them, that as she observes “to enter more upon the subject could do no good, therefore we had better drop it” –

She adds ‘I have never doubted your faith tho I have your prudence’ Wishes me to be circumspect. ‘I have a feeling on the subject which no earthly power can remove, and great as the misery which it would entail upon myself might be, I would endure it all rather than the nature of our connection should be known to any human being’ 

She had before observed that when she complained of my attentions to Miss Maclean I had owned they were foolish. I really don't remember this  – Both Isabella and Charlotte told her last summer I did Mrs. M[ilne] harm –

Letter also from Miss Henrietta C– [Crompton] (Esholt hall) Disappointed at my not going – The Gilbert C– [Crompton]s still there – To stay till tomorrow – 4 pages the ends, under the seal, and the top of page 1 crossed – Miss Fawkes of Farnley speedily to be married to Sir Edward Barnes, governor general of Ceylon – She is to go out with him almost immediately –  

“young Kaye is soon to marry Miss Arbuthnot with £60,000 – Accomplished and pretty, but I should hope weak for accepting him” –  “Pray read ‘Quintin Durward’ it is charmingly interesting, I think superior to Peveril”

The C– [Crompton]s are going to woodend – They are to be at Leeds as today to see the exhibition –  “Dr. Camidge has had a serious dispute with Mr. Greatorex where or how he is to stand” at the approaching musical festival –

Wrote the above of today, and went down to breakfast at 9 1/2 – At 10 3/4 in spite the perpetual showers (very rainy all last night) set off to H–x [Halifax] – A heavy shower at the top of the cunnery lane lasted till I stopt at Mrs. Wilcock’s door – Went in for 2 or 3 minutes to ask Miss Pickford if she would allow me to drive her to Haughend – (George rode Percy) – The Priestleys and Astleys, 2 Miss Butlers staying in the house, and Mr. John Edwards of Pyenest, all assembled in the drawing room soon after our arrival –

Sir John gave me 3 franks, for Mrs. Norcliffe tomorrow and for Miss Henrietta C– [Crompton] and Mr. Marsh on Thursday – Gave Mrs. H[enry] P– [Priestley] Mr. Marsh’s letter to read, and she instantly and handsomely gave me her name as a subscriber to Miss King’s poems – Lady A[stley] would have done the same, but Sir John, on reading the letter thought there was a particular etiquette to be attended to in these sort of applications – That he, as member for the county of Wiltshire, ought to have been applied to at home (at Everley) –

The printed names of the subscribers he knew well – Knew many of the people mentioned intimately – If Mr. Marsh applied to him, he would be happy to put his name down – Would be happy to do anything to oblige him – I might hint this when I wrote – Sir John had said I might hint this, before I asked his permission (it was granted) to tell Mr. M– [Marsh] that, if the thing was named to Sir John) I knew he would be a subscriber – The recent but worthy baronet took some pains to assure me, there was a certain etiquette in these matters, as member for the county, necessary to be attended to – He knew I was aware of this etc. etc. –

At this moment (5 p.m.) I am quietly smiling at all this importance – It might be a subscription for raising a Wilshire corps of volunteers, or for some great concern of vital consequence to the interests of the county and its members; instead of a 5-shilling subscription to a small volume of poems, published for the benefit of a poor girl and her family, reduced to indigence by agricultural speculations! ‘Tis but a little trait, but yet how biograph of Sir John! 

On coming away, it was more than I expected to hear lady A– [Astley] invite me to Everley with seeming cordiality – I might visit Mr. Marsh – Winterslow was only (16 or 20 miles I forgot which) distant from them (the A– [Astley]s) and they would be very happy to see me – They are not to have Haughend till the 11th of next month; of course, therefore, I expressed my hope of seeing them again –

The 2 Miss B– [Butlers] are vulgar looking girls – Miss A– [Astley] seemed much at home with them – Appearances made no very individual distinctions between them – I suppose his contested election cost Sir John £70,000; and he has 12 or 14 thousands a year – Lady A– [Astley] said to me when I dined there, “Sir John is of a very old family – They were barons in the time of tilts and tournaments” – Does not the present importance of the house of Everley restless upon the manners than the money of the family? Perhaps their county is yet but young – But they are very civil to me, and little ween this ink shed of my pen –

From Haughend drove to Mill-house – Gave Mrs. W[illiam] H[enry] R– [Rawson] the letter to read she said something about hoping I was not begging for a subscription – There were so many subscriptions – With their family . . . . . . . but, seeing it was only 5 /. [shillings] said she never thought of my asking for anything less than a guinea, and handsomely enough gave me her name – Wanted to give me the money but this, of course, must be paid when the book is received – Saw 8 of the children (there are 10), and drove off to Thorpe –

Gave Mrs. J[ohn] Priestley the letter to read – She hummed and ahed, asked what Miss King – If she was related to the Kings of Wakefield – It was a long way off – Many charities at home – Of course, I agreed – Said it was quite enough if she had taken the trouble to read the letter, and instantly turned the subject – Which must have been a relief to her, as she had turned red, and might have hammered and stammered a little longer but for my ready consideration –

I guessed their dinner was waiting – and after staying a few minutes drove off – Made no remark on the subject to Miss P– [Pickford] marvelling, however then, as now, that she never once named the thing, or made the least offer to subscribe – How can this be? They say, or I fancy Miss P– [Pickford] has seven-hundred a year – She must be poor – Perhaps all she can spare is given to her friend Miss Threlfall – Yet not 5 /. [shillings] for an occasion like this! Many people can do what I think I could not – I know the value of money as well as most; but ‘tis the dross of gold, and may it never draw its dirty line along my spirit! –

Talked a little of Miss Threlfall as connected with beauty, flirting sentimentality, etc. Real refinement of sentiment perhaps almost peculiar to the lettered mind – At all events I could not concede it to a flirt – Wondered Miss Threlfall had never married. ‘She must have had some good offers’. Miss P[ickford] made no answer. I did not like to look full in her face but soon after said, ‘Forgive me, it is a very odd thing to say, but you are the last person in the world I should ever have thought of marrying. Tho you are very agreeable and I like your society I cannot fancy you making anyone happy in married life.’ ‘I forgive you,’ said she. 

‘Have you’, I asked, ‘any objection to my making such a speech?’ She answered ‘no’. ‘I thought so’, said I. Convinced by her manner it was the thing to suit her, and persuaded that the connection between her and Miss Threlfall is most probably what I have all along suspected. The persuasion struck me. I laughed and said, ‘I can outwit you. I have more worldly nous than you.’ Said she, ‘I often think so.’ We smiled and parted. She must guess to what I alluded –

She had told me Doctor Macbride was not happy he married because he was young and his wife coquetted. In fact, he is a lettered man of fine and warm feelings which his wife cannot emulate or return. His good principles make him try to be happy, but he cannot. His wife is odd like a gentlewoman but not stylish not talenty. Her oddity is not of the gentle feminine king [kind] – 

Got home at 3 after setting down Miss P– [Pickford] at Mrs. Wilcock’s door – Talking to my uncle and aunt – With the latter in the stable for a little while – Came upstairs at 4 3/4 – Wrote all the last page and so far of this which took me till 6 –

Did nothing in the evening – Came upstairs at 9 at which hour Barometer 1 1/2 degree below changeable Fahrenheit 57 1/2º – Rainy day – Fair and tolerably fine in the evening (vide the last line of page 74) –

At 9 1/2 sat down to write – Filled 1/2 a sheet to Mrs. N– [Norcliffe] to ask if she would have 1/2 a bed to spare for me in her house in Petergate, during the festival, and told her the news I had this morning from Miss Henrietta C– [Crompton]. Then wrote 3/4 of a 1/2 sheet to Mr. Marsh – the following is what I have written about the subscription 

“Shibden Thursday 24 July 1823 

My dear Mr. Marsh – I received your letter on Sunday, and an only assure you, it is one of the most unlikely things in the world, that I should think any application you write can or will make, “impertinent” in any sense of the word. It will always give me real pleasure to do anything that can at all oblige you; more particularly when an obligation is, in fact, conferred on myself, thro’ the satisfaction that one always feels in doing the good, however small, which may be in our power – 

As far as I am individually concerned, your simple request would have been enough; but I can say this much for myself alone, and am sorry to add, that my intercourse with my neighbors is too limited, – too infrequent, – to give me any claim upon them in behalf even of so meritorious a young person while she is so distant and unknown –

I had a letter from Miss Marsh the other day, in which she mentioned having got you 48 subscribers – The paltry addition I can make, might not be named even with the widow's mite – But will you put down my uncle’s name and my aunt’s for one copy each, and my own for two copies?” –––– 

Unless my mind changes, I shall not trouble my neighbors much about subscriptions, however small – I shall explain the thing to Mrs. Henry Priestley – To Mrs. W[illiam] H[enry] Rawson, I shall probably never name it – It will be forgotten or if thought of at all, Mrs. R– [Rawson] with all her family may be well enough pleased to save her 5 /. [shillings] so easily –

[lov3nerdstuff]

Being Human {Part 2}

*Loki x reader*

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Part: 2/4

Words: 5.6k

Genre: angst (and fluff)

Warnings: Loki being all torn about things, so none

Summary: ~Loving Loki was a one-way ticket to misery, a vortex of sadness and pain and solitude. It was like willingly drinking poison and accidentally becoming addicted to it.~

Loki has been ignoring you from the very beginning. You were only human, after all, a representative of a species he obviously despised. But when an accident in the lab puts your life in danger, Loki has to reconsider his strategy as he is forced to work together with you. And you suddenly start to see that his reasons for staying away might've been entirely different from what you had always assumed.

A.N.: This is the second part of a few! I decided to make this a mini series, so there will be at least one more part 😊💗 I hope you enjoy this glimpse into Loki's thoughts!

______________________________

It was roughly three in the morning when there was a loud, insistent knock on Loki's door. Its echo spread from the dark wood out into the pitch black room, cutting through the chilled air like one of his frozen blades. Loki rolled his eyes, not moving an inch from where he was lying on his back on the bed, unwilling to bother with whoever came to seek his counsel at this hour. But it wasn't even about the hour, really, as Loki didn't care about sleep, since it wouldn't come to him anyway. Nor did he care about the appropriateness of certain times and the i

nappropriateness of others.

He simply wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone who would come knocking. To his knowledge, there were only four people besides himself in the building at this very time, and only three of them might possibly knock on his door. So he remained silent, staring at images at the ceiling which were only visible for his own eyes.

Had it been the right decision to send Thor to your door earlier? Most likely… he'd taken you down to the lab to get your legs taken care of, and most likely cheered you up along the way. That's all Loki had wanted, easing your pain… both the physical and the mental. Seeing you hurt back in the hallway had pained him, having you smile at him despite everything had taken his breath away and forcing himself to not go after you had chipped off another piece of his wilting heart. Like a rose's petal, lost and vain the moment it fell. And since Loki refused to come close to you himself, forced himself to not come close to you, leading Thor to you might just have been his best option.

"I know you're in there, reindeer games, and I know that you are never asleep, so open that goddamn door before I tear it down." Stark's angry voice replaced the silence that had fallen upon the room after the knocking had faded.

Now, this was interesting. Stark shouldn't be here at this time, and he most definitely wouldn't come to seek Loki of all people if it wasn't his specific assistance that was required in the first place. A slow smirk spread on Loki's lips as he moved from the bed to the door soundlessly, opening it with a swift move and thereby allowing small rays of the hallway's dim light to fall upon his marble floor.

"Stark." Loki brought out, deeming it enough of a greeting. He felt weary of everyone, especially himself, worried and tired and unwilling to listen to the man of iron for longer than necessary. There were enough troubles on his mind already.

"C'mon, emergency in the lab." Stark gave back gravely, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a disdaining look. "They… we… She needs your help."

The combination of his words and his forcefully relaxed tone made the small hairs in Loki's neck stand up and a cold shiver run down his spine.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, in as much collectedness as possible.

"It's… a little complicated. Just come down there with me and see for yourself." Stark answered vaguely and Loki would've liked to strangle him right here in the hallway. But he only took one deep, calming breath and joined Stark in his haste back down towards the basement levels, feeling the most concerned he had been in ages.

Stark had to jog to keep up with Loki's long strides as they left the tension-filled silence of the elevator, going into the short hallway leading to the lab, but Loki really didn't care about him at all. Even before he entered the room, he could see Thor, Bruce, Steve and Pepper standing around a table and thus blocking his view.

As he stepped into the room without slowing down the least bit, everyone fell silent in an instant and all eyes were suddenly fixed on him. Loki however didn't even notice, for his entire focus lay on you indeed, as you lay motionlessly on one of the large metal tables. Bruce and Steve jumped out of his way as he approached the table, reaching out a hand to hover an inch about your face. Thank the gods, you lived… but something felt very off about the energy you radiated, and Loki's eyes shot up to scan every single person in the room as they all observed him reluctantly.

"Will anybody tell me what happened or must I force you to talk?" He snapped, feeling more on edge than he wanted to let on. Nobody knew about his deep affection for you, and he wished for it to stay that way.

"We were just talking…" Banner started and Loki's eyes were fixed on his so intently that the man jumped a little. Under different circumstances, Loki would've enjoyed the fear in their eyes.

"...we were here because Y/n… had a small accident with… her legs…" Thor rambled, frowning to himself as if in an attempt to remember how to use words. Loki inevitably rolled his eyes. "We were here for reasons, and then Y/n stood in front of the stones, and…"

"The infinity stones." Banner added in.

"No, the sorcerer's stone… OBVIOUSLY the infinity stones." Stark rolled his eyes at his friend and for once Loki felt himself agreeing with his reaction to something. But he really wasn't in the mood for bickering.

"Anyway, she stood with the stones, and then the container started floating above the table and we didn't know what to do and she told me to open it and…"

"You opened it?!" Tony asked incredulously. "You didn't tell us before!"

"Shut up Stark." Loki snapped, motioning for Thor to continue.

"Well, I opened the box and stood right in front of it even, but then the stones weren't stones anymore but those weird liquids, and they immediately went for Y/n and just… disappeared in her." Thor finished, a little out of breath from the non stop talking. "Like that one time with Jane and the aether. You might remember that, brother."

"Unfortunately." Loki sighed, eyes back on your small form in front of him. He needed to think, and he needed to check if you were okay. In peace. "Everyone needs to leave."

"What?!" Three people asked at once, but Loki didn't care to pick out who.

"I said LEAVE!" He ordered harshly. "You made me come down here to help her and I can't do that with you lot around."

"Alright! Alright… no need to get anyone else killed tonight." Tony replied before the others could protest more severely. "We're going. Pepper, Bruce, c'mon…"

"I need Banner here." Loki said as he moved around the table, focusing back on you. "He's less annoying than Stark and knows about the whole situation."

"Okay, Bruce is staying and everyone else leaves. Let's get some coffee, guys. There's nothing we can do for Y/n that we haven't tried yet. Loki's our best chance right now." Stark sighed. "I cannot believe I really said that."

"Why me?!" Banner hissed to Stark as he grabbed him by the sleeve to keep him from leaving.

"Reindeer Games wants you around. And I don't need any more trouble tonight, so for once we're leaving things up to him." Tony shrugged, then looked over at Loki once more with a deep frown and a sigh. "Can't believe I'm leaving him alone with poor Y/n." With that he followed everyone else down the hallway and disappeared from Loki's active thoughts.

"Why am I here?" Banner asked in what almost sounded like a whine. "Can't I…"

"Tell me everything that happened from the moment Thor brought Y/n down here." Loki ordered coldly, but with the sole intention of focus, not insult. And obviously Bruce understood the urgency in his voice as he went to tell everything from the very beginning, in all detail but with the necessary haste.

"Why did nobody care to inform me about this accident right when it happened?" Loki finally interrupted Bruce as he rambled on about how dumb it had been to open the container. All the while, Loki had started checking up on your energy levels with a soft green glow emitting from his fingertips. It really wasn't too difficult a task for now, and thus his mind had some spare capacity to find out as much as possible about the ongoings of the last hours.

"Uh… We didn't know what was going on, so we called Tony… and Steve…"

"And did not once the idea cross your mind to maybe get the only not unconscious person on this planet who knows about the ways of the stones?" Loki asked with an annoyed sigh, going for full on sarcasm. "Why do the only logical thing when there's a bunch of stupid things to do… it's not like her life is in danger..."

"Hey! At least we actually care about Y/n… not only about the stones." Bruce gave back as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, sitting down in his office chair as far away from you as the room allowed.

Loki felt hurt by his words, but of course he wouldn't ever show it. Of course he cared about you… way too much even! And seeing you lying in front of him on that surgical metal table, knees wrapped in bandages and skin colder than winter, he felt his heart break yet again. Gods… how badly he wanted to just pull you into his arms and hold you tightly until you woke up. But he would never allow himself anything of the sort.

A moment later he finished his inspection of your state of health, leaving him with a deep frown. There wasn't a single thing wrong with you, technically. He could sense the stones within you, but they didn't seem to overpower you. They were rather… supporting your being.

"And?" Bruce asked after a long while of silence. "What's going on with her? We did all sorts of screenings, but none worked. The scanners just went mad in every direction."

"Would you like the long and difficult version, or the for you understandable one?"

"Understandable, please."

"The stones chose Y/n as their host, for the time being. I'm sure she explained to you before that they possess something similar to an own will, a universal knowledge and a sense of right and wrong. Now, they seem to deem her the one worthy to host their reunion, so to speak. The stones belong together, each a part of the original whole. And now… they seem to have chosen her to help them to completion." Loki tried explaining it in a way that would also make sense to himself, because honestly… the stones were something even he had difficulties thinking of and understanding.

"But didn't you guys say that one stone can kill a mere mortal upon contact?" Banner frowned deeply, clicking his pen nervously which brought Loki close to throwing a dagger at him. "If one stone can kill a mortal, how does Y/n host six of them?!"

That was a question Loki didn't know how to answer. In his understanding, humans were too weak a race to mess with the great powers of the universe. They were limited in their knowledge, and even more limited in using said knowledge adequately. Weak creatures with dull minds.

Yet… he had never thought those things about you. You were 'only' human, but he had never thought of you as weak or stupid. The one thing he had thought was how much of a pity that was. How ironic of the universe to create a being so utterly perfect in every way and yet make it HUMAN. Fragile. Doomed to die in what was a blink in the life of a god.

"It might be because she didn't choose the stones, but they chose her indeed." Loki finally replied, once Banner's eyes on his back annoyed him all too much. "Now, could you please stop staring at me and just speak what's on your mind?"

"Is she going to die?" Bruce blurted out. "I know I'm supposed to know about that stuff, but we're all at a loss here…"

"If she was going to die, her energy would be altered with time. For now she's good, but I'll have to check again in due time."

"And why did they choose her? They had a literal god and whatever I am available to them, and yet they went for the weakest subject in the room… that's hardly reasonable." Bruce frowned, again clicking his pen absentmindedly. In an instant Loki was by his side, plucked the pen out of his hand and snapped it in two, all the while giving Bruce a death glare.

"You are mistaken in believing that." Loki said in a dangerous calm before moving back to you on the table, shielding you from Banner's gaze with his own frame. "She is way stronger than any of you. But not in a way that you would understand."

"Oh, but you do? You didn't even talk to her, not once!" Bruce replied immediately, laughing without humor, and Loki felt his words stinging uncomfortably. Yes, he hadn't talked to you, but not for the reasons everyone assumed. Still, he decided to keep quiet about it and let Banner have his way.

"I'm going to take a look at her mind now, that might take a while. I won't answer you if you try talking to me, so you may just as well leave now." He said instead in his oh so calm facade, stoic and cold as ever.

"I'm getting the others so we can make a plan on how to deal with things. Don't do anything stupid while alone here." Bruce mumbled as he made his way out of the room and towards the elevator.

Loki wouldn't dare looking into your mind without your consent, but pretending to was a good enough excuse get Bruce to leave, now that he wasn't of use anymore. What Loki did indeed was to check your current emotions, for they were the only thing preventing you from waking up (as far as he could tell). The very second he opened up to you, he felt an overwhelming amount of irritation and fear that made him gasp ever so slightly. But then there was also a deeply rooted pain, a sadness that he recognized immediately as being part of himself too. And you felt cold, horribly cold and uncomfortable on that table, which he honestly understood. After a second of inner debate on his part, Loki conjured up his green cape and gently placed it around you so that you wouldn't have the cold metal touching your skin, only the soft and warm fabric. If he couldn't help with the fear and the pain, he'd at least make sure you felt better with some warmth. He'd always looked out for you, subtly and from a distance. Whether it was preventing you from burning yourself on the teakettle, or making sure you were the only brightly awake and not hungover person after one of Stark's infamous parties. Or leading Thor to your door.

"I'm sorry, Y/n…" He finally said in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. And I'm sorry that it has to be me who's helping you." Yet a second before his hand would've touched yours, he pulled back. He couldn't let himself do this, not even when you wouldn't remember.

So he settled for looking at your emotions again, and found that the cold and the discomfort were vanishing. It brought a small smile to his lips. "Better, isn't it dear?" He mused, allowing his lips to curl upwards for once, in the knowledge that he was alone with only you, who would never know that the cold and stoic expression was only a facade. Yet, his smile dropped the second he noticed your emotions change upon the sound of his voice. It made the pain you felt swell a little, and yet reduced the fear by a whole lot.

"That is very peculiar indeed… You seem to hear me." He mused quietly, noticing the same results within you yet again. "But do you understand my words or merely react to the sound my voice?"

Of course he knew you couldn't answer that, but now that he had started speaking to you, after months of denying himself just that, it felt too good to stop. Besides… if he could make you let go of your fear at least, chances were good you would wake up sooner rather than later.

"So… let's find out about you, shall we?" He said with a small smile. "I'm going to say a very nice thing and a very mean thing and observe how you react to those."

You lay still as ever on the stupid table and Loki had to suppress his own discomfort at seeing you put on display like that. He was here to help you, not to court you after ages of doing the very opposite. Would he even be able to go back to pretending to be ignoring you after this?

"Alright, a nice thing…" He sighed, debating on how far he could, and should, go in this. There were so many things he would've loved to say, but that he wasn't ready for you to hear. "I think you are the strongest person in this compound. Not physically, obviously, but in every other regard. Otherwise you wouldn't smile through your pain only to give literal strangers comfort, where you yourself find none."

Again, your fear decreased upon his voice, so did your discomfort and irritation. Loki smiled.

"Now for the mean thing… I honestly hate that you are mortal. I would've liked to shout at you for being so stupid as to take a walk alone in the darkness and getting yourself hurt… I hate seeing you hurt! I hate that you're so fragile. Too fragile for me." He bit his bottom lip to keep from saying any more on the subject, angry with himself for getting so carried away. That's also why he never talked to you… because he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings once he got started.

"That wasn't necessarily mean…" He commented to himself, rolling his eyes. "Uh… I kick puppies as a hobby. Now, that's a lie, I know… What else could I say... I absolutely hated that dress you wore last week. It looked like a potato sack on your lovely body."

It really didn't matter what he said, the sole sound of his voice seemed to bring you comfort. That knowledge relieved him just as much as it pained him to realize that you hadn't heard a single one of the nice things he had said. And it surprised him a little that he wanted you to know.

He didn't get to think about it for much longer, as he heard the elevator doors pinging and a short moment later, the voices of multiple people approaching him.

"Any news, reindeer games?" Stark yelled from the entrance of the lab and Loki immediately felt his walls, his facade come back into place. Your emotions were out of reach for him once more, as were his own.

"She will be fine, her energy levels are alright and she's doing a little too well, even. Physically, that is." He replied stoically. "I don't know how she will cope mentally thought, once she is awake."

"Cope? With what?" Thor asked as he came to stand next to his brother. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Let me try to phrase this in a way everyone will understand: have you ever had so incredibly much coffee that you felt all jittery and unable to process that energy within you?" He tried with a sigh.

"All the time." Tony replied immediately, and most of the others nodded in agreement. Oh, so they were cooperative now? Loki really didn't get those minor shifts in the group dynamics, so he just continued with his condescending explanation.

"See, that is similar to what it feels like to hold one single infinity stone. Only that bearing a stone feels a hundred times more intense. Now imagine that feeling multiplied by six hundred. And that is what Y/n will feel sooner or later, when she wakes up." Loki finished his explanation, intertwining his fingers behind his back to refrain from touching you instinctively. "Besides that, she holds the power of the stones now. Whatever she dictates will become reality, wherever she wants to go she will be gone, whenever in time she wants to be…"

"She will be dangerous." Steve stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a stern expression, looking over at Tony. "What can we do get the stones out of her?"

"Loki? Can you do that?" Thor redirected the question.

"Nobody can. The infinity stones are the essence of power in their own right, what they do is universal." He explained with a frown of his own. "We might get Y/n to reject them. Which might either lead to the desired result, or they will kill her."

"At least that would reduce the risk of her destroying the universe." Tony shrugged.

"Are you serious considering killing off Y/n to get those stupid gems back?!" Pepper complained, smacking Tony in the shoulder.

"Obviously it would be preferable to keep everyone alive in this." Tony replied with a roll of his eyes. "But we can't have a super powerful being running around here with no one of us able to stop her."

"But… she'll be able to do the stuff Thanos did, right?" Thor questioned. "And that just IS really similar to what Loki does with his magic stuff."

"It's not." Loki rolled his eyes immediately. "It's entirely different, and…"

"Could you teach Y/n to control it until we find a way to get the stones out of her?" Stark asked immediately, lifting an eyebrow at the god in question.

Loki thought about if for a second. He most definitely was the only one in the team (besides that ridiculous human wizard) who has ever held a stone. Two, even. And he was the only person who could help you get through this, the only person who knew how to. But it would pain him greatly all along.

"I can try." He finally said. "I will try."

_______________

After a long speech about how Tony didn't trust Loki at all, and how he would lock him up in the basement if anything would happen to you, the group finally left to get some much needed sleep. Loki was the only one staying behind in the lab with you, earning himself a few not so funny remarks about how he only cared about the stones after all.

He didn't correct them, for if they believed it, maybe you would too. And that would make the whole thing easier for him.

It was around five in the afternoon when Loki noticed the tiniest movement in your fingers. His eyes shot up from his book immediately and he was on his feet by your side a second later. Again, your fingers moved ever so slightly. A short moment later, your whole hand moved, then your arm and your shoulders until finally your eyes fluttered open. You blinked a few times against the bright overhead lights of the lab, and Loki dimmed them out with a small pinch of his magic as his eyes were fixed on yours. He found himself unable to speak a single word.

"Loki?" You breathed, frowning a little and looking up at him with so much fear and irritation in your eyes that he felt his heart clench. "What… what's going on?"

"Hello Y/n." He finally managed to say, urging his irrational fear of speaking to you away. This was something he would need to force himself through, and it would be painful.

"You… you said my name." You stated in even more irritation and surprise. "Am I dead? Wait, are we in heaven or in hell?"

"No, you're luckily very much alive." He replied more easily, almost smiling down at you. To be honest, he just felt incredibly relieved that you had finally woken up. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't really know… normal, I guess?" You sighed, sitting up easily and looking around yourself. "Why are we in the lab? And why are we alone?"

"Do you remember anything that happened? At all?"

"Wait… I do remember the floating container with the stones!" You said with wide eyes, caught up on the memory in your own head. "What happened to them? And to me?"

Loki went on to explain it all to you from the beginning, completely honestly, for he knew just how brutal it felt to have someone else keeping secrets about oneself. Eventually you convinced him to let FRIDAY send a message to everyone on the living floors that they should come down.

"Thank you, by the way." You said to Loki as you sat on the edge of the table, having him stand right in front of you.

"You shouldn't thank me." He sighed. "Stark made me help you."

"Did he also make you notice that I was freezing?" You asked with a soft smile, wrapping the soft fabric of the green cape tighter around your small frame, which only made Loki's heart jump yet again. Still, he remained stoic on the outside, like he had promised himself to.

"He didn't." He replied quietly.

"And was it him who made you stay down here with me for… fourteen hours? To make sure I wasn't alone when I woke up?" You asked on and Loki didn't like it at all. His actions were one thing, but having you see right through them was another.

"No." He said coldly, lying to his best ability. "I merely had to make sure the stones wouldn't do any damage or harm to reality."

That really did seem to keep you at a distance, as your face fell upon the realization that you weren't just you anymore. It must be rather easy for you to believe that Loki would care about the stones far more than about you… He'd never given you a reason to doubt this newly gained perspective.

Lying to you hurt, but telling you the truth would hurt even more.

"Well… thank you anyway, for your efforts." You offered him a small smile that really would've fooled anyone, but Loki. He wondered why you were so good at hiding your emotions. Until today he had never seen an unintentional emotion from you, nothing that you didn't let others see willingly. And the knowledge that you felt just as much pain and despair as Loki did himself made him both wonder what was the cause of it and why you were hiding it behind happy smiles.

"Oh thank god, you're awake Y/n!" Tony was the first to enter the lab a moment later. The others followed shortly after, and they more or less pushed Loki to the side, out of the way as they gathered around you.

"What do you remember?" Bruce asked carefully, and Loki couldn't help but listen from his position off to the side, away from the group.

"I remember everything I possibly could, and I know everything I should." You replied calmly, looking over to Loki, which honestly surprised him. He was more used to being ignored too.

"Wait… he told you?! About everything?" Tony asked incredulously.

"I did." Loki commented calmly, rising his eyebrows at the man of iron. "I decided that it will help her get accustomed to the idea of holding such great power."

"Well, reindeer games, that decision wasn't yours to make!" Tony snapped. "Do you know how dangerous it is to have her know what YOU know?! Hell, not even I know what you know!"

"C'mon Tony, he did nothing but try to help me! Leave him alone." You complained, making Stark look back at you once more. Again, Loki's heart jumped way too high, higher than he would've liked at you defending him. Not that he needed it, but he appreciated the gesture. You'd always defended him in the past too, he noticed now. Why exactly were you being so nice to him? He hadn't given you a reason to.

"Did he put a spell on you or something?" Tony frowned at you deeply, snapping his fingers in front of your face a few times which made Loki roll his eyes. That reaction was just inevitable with Stark.

"He wouldn't do that…" Bruce said quietly. "Would he?"

"Oh, he definitely would." Thor laughed. "But not with the stones and all… it's hard to mess with them."

"Finally a smart thought, congratulations brother." Loki mocked him, causing everyone else to roll their eyes now.

"Well, how do you feel now?" Steve finally asked you.

"Normal. A little less tired than before, but I guess that happens after sleeping for seventeen hours." You chuckled, looking down to the floor. "Are you guys sure the stones are… what, inside me?"

"I can feel their energy mixing with yours." Loki stated calmly. "You should be able to use their power at will."

"Don't tell her that!" Tony shrieked.

"So that she finds out accidentally?" Loki snorted sarcastically. "Not when I'm on the same planet."

"Guys… what does that mean for me now?" You asked, finally letting a little bit of your insecurity shine through.

"We... don't know." Tony sighed. "Since you're into honesty, I tell you that we honestly have no idea. I don't even know how Loki got you to wake up at all."

Your eyes moved to Loki's, boring into them with an expression so intense in its subtle cry for help that he took an involuntary step closer to you. Darn, he shouldn't allow you to affect him like that.

"You're going to be alright." He said before he could stop himself, in a voice more gentle than he would've liked. "Controlling the stones is easier than it seems, and I will be of as much or as little assistance to you as you wish for me to be."

"We'll try to get them out of you, somehow." Tony interrupted before you could say a word for yourself, making Loki's jaw clench as he suppressed a snarl. "Don't worry, you won't have to be around reindeer games for all that long."

Loki opened his mouth to reply something equally insulting, but closed it again upon the realization that this might also be in his own interest. The lesser time he would have to be constantly around you, the smaller was the temptation to do something stupid. Hopefully.

"So… do I have to stay in the lab or am I allowed to walk around?" You rose an eyebrow at Tony, then at Loki. At least someone was recognizing his authority.

"I would prefer for you to stay in the lab." Tony said immediately, looking at Bruce who only nodded in agreement. "We can't have you go bonkers up there and possibly kill us all, you know…"

Loki rolled his eyes at them, even more so once he saw your face fall. As if you would seriously do any damage… after all, you could undo it all just the same. That's the thing when controlling all of reality, you can indeed control ALL of it.

"Y/n can go wherever she wishes." Loki said easily, eyes locking with yours. "She's not a lab rat, nor our enemy."

"You don't have a say in this, Loki…" Thor sighed before Tony could.

"Well, if anyone knows more about it than I do, please feel free to offer your expertise instead." Loki snapped back, and the room stayed silent for a while. "Thought so…"

"If she destroys stuff, if she gets herself or anyone else hurt, hell, if she causes as much as a headache for anyone outside of this lab, it's your responsibility, Loki. Your fucking job, get it?" Tony rose his hands in defeat. "Are you really willing to do that for Y/n? Being around her all day, every day, just so she can walk around wherever she wishes? You didn't even talk to her until today!"

"You don't have to do that, Loki... Tony is being unreasonable. It's fine, I've already stolen enough of your time." You said with a mean glare at Tony, before giving Loki yet another kind smile. Why did you have to keep doing that… it did things to his poor heart and mind that he could hardly suppress.

Loki's eyes finally met yours, and he saw things he knew he shouldn't see. He felt things he knew he shouldn't feel. "I'll do it."

"Fine! Have it your way…" Tony groaned, turning around to leave in utter exasperation and motioning for the others to follow, while both you and Loki himself looked beyond surprised at his sudden statement.

A minute later, it was only you and Loki alone on the entire base level, with too much silence and too little space between you. Your eyes met his yet again… there was no way he could ever go back to ignoring you.

And just like that, Loki knew that he would need a new plan to keep you safe. A new plan to keep himself from loving you.

______________________________

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[elatedmarvel]

After All This Time, You and I (1/4)

Summary: Bucky has known you your entire life. Snapshots through the years.

Word Count:  1948

AN: Hello! Long time no see! This is for @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​‘s Follower Celebration! Congrats to you Star, you deserve every single one!! My prompt was Best Friend’s Sibling. This was originally going to be a long oneshot, but I felt like the flow was better to separate it into a two-shot. Title is from Mary’s Song by Taylor Swift for obvious reasons. Thank you for hosting this awesome writing challenge Star! I had so much fun writing this!

Warnings: tiny mention of violence, swear words

“The building burning up Buck! You gotta get out of here!” Steve shouts staring down his best friend from across the bridge.

“No! Not without you!” comes Bucky’s fierce reply. His eyes scan over the wreck, trying to find something to save Stevie. 

Steve takes a deep breath and prays that the crumbling bridge will hold a little longer, and he charges across the chasm. He almost makes it to the other side when his foot gets caught on a pillow. Tumbling over, he avoids landing on Bucky, but knocks over the unsuspecting person on his right. 

You land with a thud on your hands and knees, and quickly scramble to look at your right knee. There’s a moment of silence, and the boys hold their breath waiting for the inevitable wail. 

“I’m sorry!” Steve cries before wrapping his arms around you in a clumsy hug. He really didn’t see you playing next to him, it was an accident! Your bottom lip sticks out and your eyes become more and more glassy. 

“Please don’t cry” he begs, partly because it breaks his heart, and partially because he doesn't want get in trouble. He knew what kind of hellfire Sarah Rogers could rain down.   

“We’re sorry, what can we do to make it up to you?” Bucky asks, scooting himself to face your tear stained face. He felt bad for making Steve run across the bridge, he never meant to hurt you. 

“I-I need a groom for my wedding.” you state without hesitation, wiping at your eyes. “And I can’t marry Steve cause he’s my brother, duh.” Your wet eyes turn to look intently at Bucky. 

“You can’t get married, you’re 6.” Bucky tries to argue.

“So? You’re 8! That’s only 2 years older! ‘Sides, it’s not real anyway.” you fires back, your bottom lip juts out again, ready to cry if that’s what it takes.

He’s taken a back for a moment at your reply, and blue eyes meet Steve’s pleading ones. He’d do anything for you, and of course Steve was the cherry on top. 

“Ok. Fine.”

On a rainy day in April, Steve walks you down the aisle. 

Clad in his nicest, unstained, khaki pants, Bucky’s heart skips a beat when he sees you. You’re wearing your Cinderella costume from Halloween, and some stolen red lipstick from your mom, smiling like you got an extra juice pop. Somehow, he already knows your the prettiest girl in the world.  

In front of your moms, stuffed animals and barbies, Bucky promises to always make you laugh and smile, and to protect you. You promise to always share her toys and food with him, and to make him feel better when he’s sad.

The ceremony ends after Steve pronounces you both husband and wife, and while your moms cheer and tear up slightly, Bucky leans in and gives you a quick peck on the cheek. It won’t be so bad being married to her, he thinks.

~~~

School sucked for Bucky today. Steve got into a fight with Zemo, which lead to Bucky getting in a fight with Zemo. That punk couldn’t even breathe right, it frustrated Bucky to no end that he couldn’t stop being stupid. Turns out, being punched in face hurts more than it looks in the movies. And of course, his parents weren’t thrilled and took away his TV privileges for the week, which meant he couldn’t find out what happened on his favorite show the Howling Commandos. Last week was even a cliffhanger! Captain America and the Winter Soldier were stuck on a plane with bombs on them and fast approaching Manhattan! 

Wallowing, both Steve and him were relegated to “use their imaginations” and playing in the backyard. Bored out of their minds, they played hide and seek, a babies game really if you asked Bucky. But, Steve was nice enough to let Bucky hide first, and Bucky couldn’t say no to that bruised face.

So here he was, climbing the ladder to the old tree house, hoping Steve wouldn’t look here right away. Sniffles drew his attention you, crying softly in the corner with your knees to your chest. You were blasting music from your walkman, Endless Love from what Bucky could hear. It was really bad then. His chest hurt seeing your red rimmed eyes, and crawled next to you. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked lowly, taking her headphones off of your head and pausing the song. You didn’t look him in the eye, but leaned into him more when he put his arm around you. 

“Stupid boys.” you sniffle. Wiping your face, you finally meet Bucky’s worried eyes. “Jake dumped me for Sierra, cause she always has chocolate snack packs in her lunch.”

“That weasel! Want me to rough him up a little?”

“Thanks, but I think you and Stevie are in enough trouble as it is.” you chuckle, placing your head on his shoulder. He gently rubs his hand up and down your arm, wishing he could take away your pain. 

“I could pretend to be your boyfriend, make him jealous your going out with a 6th grader.” he offers.

“You can’t be my boyfriend, you’re already my husband!” you joke. His eyes go wide, remembering your lovely wedding ceremony and the massive amounts of cake you both ate at the “reception”. 

“Hey! That’s right! Technically you were cheating on me with him! I want a divorce.” he jokes, bumping your shoulder with his. 

You giggle and place a hand on his, “Please forgive me! It’s been so hard being separated from you now that you’re in middle school! He didn’t mean anything! Promise!”

You both erupt laughing so hard that Bucky falls over and brings you with him, which makes you both laugh even harder. Managing to calm down, he places a kiss on your forehead and hugs you closer to him. His heart does a funny dance in his chest, but he ignores it. You’re so warm against him, and your shampoo smelled so good, he could lay here with you forever. 

“I guess I’ll forgive you this once, but don’t let it happen again.” he says solemnly. 

You nod, hair tickling his face, “It won’t, you’re the only one for me Bucky Barnes.” 

~~~

 The room’s getting dark, but he couldn’t be bothered to get up and turn on the light. Not when Lional Richie was pouring his heart out. He couldn’t go down to dinner, his whole family had heard her breaking up with him. Did Dot really have to come over and break things off in the driveway? It would kill him to see the pity in his mom’s eyes, and sit through the uncomfortable talk with his dad about his feelings. He knew they were worried about him, and wanted to help, but he couldn’t stomach facing them.

They hadn’t been going out for long, but being dumped for the first time, he didn’t know how to handle his heartache. Honestly, he didn’t know if he was even heartbroken, or just wallowing in self-pity of being blindsided by the breakup. 

A knock on the door brought him out of his misery. Must be his mom, bringing food up to him like the saint that she was. He stands up slowly, acutely aware of how his muscles ache from being curled in a ball for most of the day, and stretches as he makes his way to the door. 

Your bright eyes stare back at him when he opens the door, and in his shock, he takes in the box of pizza you holdand the enormous bag of junk food. 

“What’re you doing here?” voice cracking from underuse. 

“Steve told me what happened with Dot. I brought pizza and your favorite snacks and movies. I can drop them off and leave though if you would rather be alone?” your voice hopeful that he won’t turn you away. Like he could, he’s never turned you away before and he won’t start now. 

A small smile makes its way onto his face, and he opens the door wider so you can come into the bedroom. Your grin soothes the ache in his chest. You put the pizza down on his nightstand and cue up Star Wars. Getting cozy on his bed and patting the spot next to you, it seems like you fit right in. He didn’t need to be asked twice. 

By 4 AM, he’s forgotten all about what’s-her-name, and his earlier self-pity and heartbreak. Not when Star Wars was playing in the background and your blinking sleepily at the TV, head on his shoulder. 

~~~

“Bucky, we have a situation.” Steve announces, flopping onto Bucky’s bed. Bucky looks up from the laptop in his lap with a confused stare, waiting from Mr. Dramatic to explain. He didn’t have time for his antics, his last college final of the semester was due next week.

“Y/N’s prom date bailed on her, and it’s tomorrow.” was all Steve said, and looked at Bucky, waiting for what he knew would happen now.

“That dick.” Bucky replied, mentally searching for his tux. “If I leave now, I can make it with enough time to shower and get ready.” And he hops off the bed, grabbing his duffle bag, he stuffs whatever he may need for the impromptu trip home. Steve just stares at him with a smile on his face like the little shit he is. 

A 5 hour drive home, shower, frantic search for his tux, and a quick power nap later, he knocks on your door. He wishes he could photograph the look of surprise on your face, your jaw literally drops when he see him in his tux.

“Bucky?!” And he swears he forgot how beautiful you were. Literally glowing, and he doesn't think it’s from the makeup, he can’t help himself as he takes in your dress. You’ll be the most beautiful one there, no contest. “Hey doll.” he smirks at you, still amused by your shocked state. He can tell when your brain catches up when your eyes soften as you look up at him.

“What are you doing here?” you ask in a soft voice. 

“Taking you to prom, what else would I be doing?” and he can see you calculating in your head. 

“Bucky, you must have driven all night!” you exclaim. Bucky loves when your eyes grow wide, it’s so cute.

“It’s fine, who needs sleep?” he says as he steps inside, past your frozen, and shocked state. Steve must have told your parents he was coming, he can see your parents waiting with the camera in the living room. 

“You told me you were going to work on your final all weekend.” you fire back, closing the door. 

“This is more important to me.” and he can tell you don’t quite believe him. You have a scowl on your face that reminds him of when you would catch him stealing a piece of candy as kids. He’s pretty sure you think it’s intimidating, but he finds it adorable. 

“I promise that I worked on it already, and I’ll be ok.” and he presses a kiss to your forehead. “You look beautiful.” your glad your foundation hides the sudden flush of your face. 

“You’re not too shabby yourself.” you tease back. But really, seeing him like this does inexplicable things to your heart. He’s so handsome, and he had driven all night to take you to prom. You could just kiss him. 

Taking your hands in his, you look into his eyes. “Thank you.” you say earnestly. 

And Bucky knew in that moment, he would drive days to get to you if needed.

Part 2 

[imperial-martian]

Protective vs Possesive {Mycroft Holmes x Reader} [Part 2/?]

A/N: Sorry that it has taken me so long to get done, but I’ve finally gotten inspiration with the help of @kye06. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I was a bit iffy with it until the end, which I really love. Let me know what you think and if this should be the end or if more parts should be added!

Mycroft x Ex-Wife! Pregnant! Reader

Angst/Fluff

(Mentions of Divorce, Pregnancy, Fainting, Hospitals, Mentions of Llightly Unhealthy Weight Loss, Soft! Mycroft)

•—•

Sherlock was sat in Bart's hospital sitting room, his hands interlaced and his chin resting upon them as he waited and waited. Each second that past felt like hours, each minute felt like days. The ticking of the clock at the corner of the room was slowly driving the man crazy.

It had only been a month and a half since you've moved into Baker Street with Sherlock and John. Every day seemed to be weighing down on you more and more. There was no more waking up to morning kisses that, Mycroft so loved to greet you with, or the smell of freshly brewed coffee. No more late-night cuddles and silent reading as you laid in his arms, smiling.

With every memory came the ghost of his touch, and with that came the guilt. You should've cherished those moments you had with him, to thank Mycroft for always ensuring your safety. Now, you couldn't even do that. The simple thought of him made you want to cry.

Yet, you were unable to think about anybody at the moment. Not while you lied, unconscious in a hospital bed while doctors and nurses tried to determine what was wrong before finally, they did.

However, Sherlock was still waiting, and he was still slowly going insane with impatience. He let only a second pass him before he cams his older brother, his blue eyes shut as he listened to the ringing of the phone.

On the other side of London, in an office, sat Mycroft Holmes, a government official who was just scribbling down a note on a piece of paper. The moon was shining in through the window, having just crept past a cloud that obscured some of its light. The auburn-haired man let out a little grunt into the glass of scotch he had just raised to his lips. A phone call was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment.

Nonetheless, he grabbed the device, seeing if he recognized the number before feeling a sudden sense of shock and worry as he saw his brother's name. In a quick motion, Mycroft had placed down the scotch glass while throwing on his coat as he brought the phone up to his ear.

"Sherlock?" he said through the phone, moving around his desk to gather some things. If it wasn't an emergency then at least he'd be packed and have an excuse to head home.

Sherlock let out a small sigh as he heard his brother's voice, a sound he wasn't sure that relieved him or annoyed him. "Mycroft, come down to Bart's, Y/N's in the hospital," he stated, getting straight to the point and not wanting to waste time.

Mycroft was surprised for a moment, not because Y/N was in hospital but because he was being informed that she was. "Why am I being told this? And why am I being asked to visit her?" Mycroft asked, his tone airy and yet, somehow it sounded almost cold.

"Because this was your wife Mycroft! Because the person you once loved is now lying unconscious in a hospital room, and even I don't know what's wrong! That's why Mycroft, because if Y/N had even cracked a bit of that facade you've created, then you'd care enough to see her. God forbid she took her last breath in an hour and you weren't here to say goodbye or sorry, wouldn't you want to see her one last time?!"

Mycroft was shocked by his brother's outburst. He'd been yelled at plenty of times before by Sherlock, however, never for such a severe reason. A moment passed before he said, "I'll be there in ten minutes," and hung up the phone.

True to his word, Mycroft arrived at the hospital ten minutes later, walking towards the waiting room where Sherlock no longer sat. The government official walked up to the front desk, asking what room you were in.

"294," the nurse said before Mycroft said a quick thank you and made his way down the hall, his umbrella gripped tightly in his hand. He held it at the center, his leather shoes loud against the tiled floor.

He reached the room after a bit of walking, peaking through the window to spot his brother sitting at a chair beside the bed. Mycroft didn't bother looking around to see you, knocking on the door and waiting for someone to answer it. When the door was answered, Mycroft's blue eyes caught the ones of his brother who simply nodded and let him pass.

"Is she alright?" Mycroft asked, taking a step into the room and looking over at you. He placed the umbrella off to the side of the room and took a seat once he was finished.

He hadn't seen you properly since the ordeal that took place months ago. His heart ached at the sight of your s/c skin being much paler than what it usually is. Your body was a bit skinnier than he remembered and for a moment he feared the worst.

"Has she been eating properly?" Mycroft asked his brother who remained by the door.

Sherlock shook his head slightly. "She seems to be skipping breakfast every morning," he starts. "However, thankfully she eats her other meals."

Mycroft nodded, taking you over once more. "Did the doctors tell you what was wrong?" he inquired, his eyes never leaving your body.

Sherlock made a small hum. He knew that this should be something told to his brother, as well as yourself, by a doctor, but he knew it'd eat his brother alive if he didn't tell him. "She's pregnant Mycroft," he paused for a moment, expecting to see a reaction from Mycroft. When he didn't he continued, "they said she had fainted due to stress. They suspect she doesn't know she's with child yet."

All Mycroft could give in response was a weak nod before he asked his brother to leave for a moment. Sherlock obeyed Mycroft's wishes, taking a step out and moving back towards the waiting room before leaving altogether. He knew it was best to leave them both for some time.

Mycroft had leaned back against his seat, his mind seeming to bark questions at him, some that he didn't know the answers to. He looked back at you for a moment, taking in your h/c hair and familiar features. His hand was trembling as he brought it up to brush the strands of hair that cling to your face behind your ear.

Mycroft felt guilty at that moment. Guilty for leaving you when he could have been taking care of you, holding you close and protecting you. He was angry at himself that this entire situation was caused simply because he wanted to keep you safe, and yet, of course, he was the one harming you. It was always like that.

He'd never felt such a strong urge to hold you in his life. To whisper to you softly, letting you know that he couldn't wait to be a father and that you'd make an amazing mother. Yet, you were no longer his. He'd asked for the divorce.

The sudden feeling of warm, soft skin brushing against his arm caused his blue eyes to snap up towards you, his hand moving to clutch at your instinctively. "Y/N," he breathed out softly.

You felt emotional seeing Mycroft beside you, but you did not cry. All you did was smile back before facing the heart rate monitor. "Mycroft, what's wrong? W-why are you here?" you asked, scared and confused.

Mycroft tried his best to give you a reassuring smile. It was clearly forced and strained. He was about to answer you when a doctor entered the room, both heads turning to look at them.

"Ah, Mrs. Holmes-" you'd both tensed at that, but you couldn't blame the doctor. The divorce had yet to be finalized. "I'm glad to see you're awake. We've run some tests and nothing looks to be too worrisome. As a matter of fact, the cause of your fainting, although partially due to stress, is caused by pregnancy symptoms. Congratulations," the doctor explained.

Your eyes widened as you looked at Mycroft, fear written all over your face. How would this work now that you weren't with Mycroft?

Mycroft caught onto the fear quickly and gently ran a thumb over your knuckles, trying to assure you it'd be alright. Once the doctor left the room, Mycroft turned to look into your e/c eyes.

"Mycroft, wh-what are we going to do?" you asked, your hands trembling just as much as his are.

He took in a sharp breath for a moment, looking at you. "Y/N, I-I'd happily call off the divorce if you're willing to do the same. I... I'm not sure if I've truly ever wanted it. Ever since I've said it all I've felt was misery," he stated, his voice shaky. Mycroft's never had to say something like this. He's rarely ever let his emotions be spoken so freely.

You'd brought your hand up to his cheek when a single tear slipped from his eye. It wasn't a tear full of sadness, it was one of anger and guilt... and of the loneliness he tried so hard to get rid of only to welcome it back with open arms. Now, all he wanted to do was take you into his arms.

"I'd want nothing more than that, My," you whispered, and hearing the nickname- the one that used to bring him so much warmth -nearly caused Mycroft to cry more. He didn't, instead, moving to sit on the edge of your bed before taking you into his arms and adjusting himself so that he wouldn't hurt you.

He buried his face into the crook of your neck, the warmth of your body against his cool skin causing him to feel safe and at home. "I've missed you," he whispered, placing a kiss against your shoulder.

"I've missed you too My," you whispered back, carefully running your fingers through his hair. "You'll make a great father," and just the thought of it caused you to smile because you knew it'd be true.

Mycroft lifted his head a bit to look into your eyes, a soft smile on his face. "And you'll be the best mother anyone could ever have, my dear," he replied, leaning down to give you a sweet, but passionate kiss against your lips. He'd only broken apart to murmur a soft, 'I love you,' before kissing you again.

[writingthrones]

the northern dragon- part 7.

PART 7: A CELEBRATION.

TAGS: @psychosupernatural , @xleviiiix , @ashtronomyyyy , @starkbelova,@5aftermidnight , @makapaka11 , @mxxkscreate-write , @scorpiosmalfoy,@harrison-shot-first , @art-flirt , @jessyballet , @vaexvictis ,@callmeconceited , @cassiopeia-barrow , @the-three-eyed-ravenclaw , @iirelynn , @aspiring-fangirls-world , @emmaelizabeth2014 (feel free to shoot me a message if you’d also like to be tagged!)

DESCRIPTION: the world thought that just 2 dragons survived, that house targaryen was missing its third head. but there was another– the youngest, the final child of the mad king and queen rhaella. of course, she was almost part of the near extermination of her house. but the honorable ned stark, unable to watch a babe be murdered for crimes she did not commit, rescued her from an awful fate. instead, she grew up amongst wolves within the walls of winterfell.

NOTES: this chapter was so much fun to write wow. i hope y’all enjoy, it’s a bit longer than usual, too. as you know by now, feedback is very much appreciated!

WARNINGS: ANGST ANGST ANGST, things getting a little steamy.

First, I must tell you why I need to leave. I should have long before this and I suspect you will agree. My name, my true name, is Visenya II Targaryen and I am the youngest child of the Mad King. How did I end up as a ward to your father? Well, he is truly the best man I’ve ever known. He risked everything to save me. If not for him, I would’ve been slain in the arms of my mother the Queen. I was lucky to have been welcomed with open arms by your mother. I was lucky to have known them at all and trust me when I say that I mourn them as you do.

Second, with this being my last word to you I must be honest. I love you, Robb Stark. I always have, before I even understood what love was. All our lives I wondered: if I never had to hide myself, would you have loved me, too? I didn’t let myself dream for too long before realized even then that wouldn’t be possible. A Targaryen and a Stark, really? My father did awful things to your family, no amount of noble blood could change that hurt. So I suppose it was just never meant to be.

Lastly, I am so sorry for all that has happened. I do not understand the pain of losing the ones you love more than anything. But I will not apologize for saving your life even if it’s not what you wanted. You are a king and your people are counting on you. I truly want nothing more than for them to be granted their freedom. Sansa and Arya are counting on you. Please, if you will, tell them that I love them. But I must go. Jaime Lannister discovered who I was the night he escaped. I already stayed too long and put you at risk. If anyone found out that the King in the North was harboring a Targaryen, I know it could mean disaster. I’m sorry for putting you in this kind of danger. I will not be a burden any longer, though. I’m not quite sure where I will go, maybe across the sea, as far as I can get away from this place.

Now burn this letter. I do not want it to end up in the wrong hands.

Farewell.

- Y/N

CONTINUED THIRD PERSON.

So the Young Wolf sat there, mouth actually hanging open with astonishment. There’s just no way this could be true.. right? His father, saving a Targaryen girl? The idea sounded ridiculous at first but the more he thought on it, the more it made sense. He could understand his father seeing an innocent babe and being unable to just walk away. He was nothing like the former King Robert in that aspect. He had never known the full details of what happened when they took King’s Landing but he did know that children were murdered as part of it.

His body felt numb and it felt impossible to move. A lot of information had just been thrown at him; he had grown up with a Targaryen princess, whose identity had been discovered by the Kingslayer, she was headed Gods know where and she.. loved him? All her life, apparently. How could that be and he just never knew? He quickly shook away the thoughts, instead focusing on the more pressing matters: Jaime Lannister knew who she was and now she was fleeing, supposedly in his best interest. But the ink was still wet, which meant she couldn’t have been far. So snapping himself out of it, he hurried onto his feet, out the door and down the hall. There was still no sign of her, not even any sounds he could hear. But she couldn’t possibly have already left! The letter was freshly written.

He ran out into the courtyard. Still no sight of her. His heart was truly racing now. As he searched high and low, he finally spotted a figure preparing a horse in the dim light. The figure’s frame was a small-- it had to be her. So he ran up, grabbing at their shoulder and turning them around. It was. Shock was written all over her face. Robb wasn’t quite sure what to feel. “I’m sorry,” he began. She sighed, it didn’t seem like she truly believed that. “I am so sorry, Y/N.” Or should he call her Visenya? He didn’t know and didn’t care right now. “You didn’t deserve any of that. I know what you did was exactly what my mother wanted..” He can still hear her pleas to Y/N and shuddered at the thought. “But you can’t go.” Not after all his parents went through to protect her. “We’ll figure this mess out with Jaime Lannister but I won’t let you just leave.” Her brow furrowed at that. “It’s not up to you whether I stay or go,” she shot back. No response to his apologies-- great. “Stay, Y/N. Stay for a time, just.. don’t go now. Not after everything.” She sighed and released the reins of the horse. Giving him the same silent treatment he’d given her, she followed him back into the castle and up to her room.

BACK TO READER’S POINT OF VIEW.

There was a very uncomfortable tension when the two of you returned to your chambers. He still hadn’t really addressed who you were or the fact that you said you love him-- present tense. You sighed, sitting down on the bed while he sat in the chair in front of the desk. “We should both get some rest,” you finally said quietly, hoping to spend the next few quiet hours getting some rest before another exhausting day started back up. “You’re right,” he said, though he never moved. “What are you doing...?” you asked, brow furrowed. “I...” He seemed awkward. “I just.. want to make sure you stay. And.. uh, that we don’t have another problem like this business with the Kingslayer.” Huh. “So are you just going to sit here the whole time?” you questioned incredulously. “Yeah, uh, I guess so.”

Well, this would be interesting to say the least. You stood and walked over to your trunk, searching through to find something you could get some sleep in. Settling on the first nightgown you saw, you looked at him over your shoulder. “Can you.. turn around?” He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but instead just turned like you had asked. In the most uncomfortable manner, you slid off the heavy material you’d donned for your long journey and changed into something else. You made your way back to the bed, falling back onto the soft material, which he took as a sign of you being decent. Your eyes met as you turned your head to look at him. “So you’re actually going to sit there and just.. watch me sleep?” You almost wanted to laugh. “Well, no.. I just want to be sure that something else doesn’t happen,” he replied.

With a sigh, you turned over and did your best to fall asleep. Instead, though, you remained in a state of somewhere in between. When you couldn’t deal with anymore, you sat up only to find that Robb had dozed off. It made you giggle and it felt so good to have that tiny moment of happiness after all the misery that had been the past two weeks and all the heartache that came even before that. Feeling particularly restless, though, you decided to sit at the window, something that you did often back at Winterfell. With most people still asleep and the other person in the room already knowing the truth, you removed the wrap from your head and tossed it aside.

THIRD PERSON BREAK AGAIN.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. The young wolf jolted himself awake, hoping that he had only dozed off for a few brief moments. But his heart started to pound when he saw the furs tossed open and no Y/N wrapped up in them. He hopped out of the chair, ready to run when he noticed something from the corner of his eye. Turning quickly, there she was. For the first time in his life, he saw her without being all covered up. That signature Targaryen white-silver hair that fell down her back in tousled waves was... beautiful, frankly. He didn’t expect to feel that way but he did. The young king felt frozen as he watched her.

Feeling the eyes on her, she turned around to face him. Seeing her in all her glory was breathtaking but he cursed himself for thinking so. He’d just lost his wife and mother to the child he’d never gotten to meet. And he still loved her deeply, those feelings couldn’t just go away like that. But seeing her, really seeing her, it brought up feelings from the past. He needed to break the silence. 

“You scared me,” he said awkwardly. Still taking it all in, he walked closer. “Well you don’t have to worry,” she sighed, brushing past him to go pick the fabric back up and re-apply it. Jogging over to her, he grabbed her wrist. “You don’t have to. Not now, at least.” Her eyes went wide and as he looked deeply into them, he could see the purple hue they held. All those years they’d grown up together and he never noticed. Realizing it had already been too long, he released her arm and once again, she pushed past and collapsed back into the bed. This time, though, the silver locks sprawled out around her. It’s all he could focus on as she moved. Sighing, she curled up under the covers.

BACK TO THE READER’S POINT OF VIEW.

He returned to his spot in the chair so you tried to just close your eyes and actually fall asleep. In a moment of impulse, you opened them again and met his. “You should lay down. I won’t run.. but you should probably get some rest, I’m sure it’ll be another long day.” He looked completely taken off guard and it made you immediately regret opening your mouth. “You’re sure?” he questioned softly as he rose from his chair. Surprised by his positive response, you nodded and so he came to the edge and you looked up at him for a moment before moving back, allowing him plenty of room. He removed the cloak he’d been wearing and all other heavy garments he wore then slid under the furs, lying on his side and looking directly at you. It became clear that neither of you were going to get much rest but hey, at least you were comfortable.

“Did you mean it?” And there it was, the moment you were dreading. Of course he was going to ask! You only wrote that because you really did plan to never see him again. Unable to form words, instead you just nodded. “All this time?” You nodded again. No point in pretending, right? “And you never said anything?” That’s when you propped yourself up on your elbow. “How could I ever? And if I did, what would it matter?” He didn’t move but continued to hold your gaze, never breaking away from a second. “Maybe it would have,” he replied softly. Your brow furrowed-- what on earth was he talking about? You let out a humorless chuckle. “Ah, yes. Robb Stark and Y/N, a girl from no house of any importance who just so happened to grow up as his father’s ward.” You laid back down, this time staring up at the ceiling. It sounded like he was about to say something, but you cut him off, “I’m tired. You should get some rest, too.” So you turned onto your side facing away from him and drifted off into slumber.

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW.

Robb laid there, staring at the back of her head, for a while. What am I thinking? he wondered. He was still in mourning, why was he concerning himself with her romantic feelings for him? But then again, how could he not? She said she loves him, as in, currently. And here they were, sharing a bed so it had to be a thought on both their minds, right? Watching her frame ever so slightly rise and fall with each breath, his eyes soon fluttered shut and he slept as well.

This night, Robb was gifted a look back into his memory in a dream. He was 11, she was 10. He had been just about ready for bed when his door flew open, revealing the red, puffy-eyed and tear stained face of Y/N. He quickly got out of bed and ran over, ushering her inside and shutting the door behind her. “Woah, what’s wrong?” he asked. “I--I had a nightmare,” she said between sniffles. Robb placed his hand on her back in an effort to comfort her. “What happened?” he questioned cautiously. “I— There was a dragon. I was somewhere outside.. and it just came down in front of me, it roared so loud I thought I’d never be able to hear again. I think it was just about to blast me with his fire when I woke up. But it was so scary!” It was hard to even understand what she was saying she was so choked up. “It’s okay, Y/N, all the dragons are gone. And I’d never let anything hurt you,” he replied, pulling to girl in his arms and squeezing her. Her tears wet his shirt, but she seemed to calm soon after he held her. Robb leaned back from her, wiping the rest of the tears away with his thumbs. “All better?” he asked with a warm smile. The younger girl nodded. “Come here,” he said quietly, pulling her gently by her hand and leading her to his bed, urging her to lay in it. “You can stay here. I’ll be here if it happens again,” he said, continuing to smile at her. So she laid there, falling asleep not long after. Meanwhile, he watched to make sure she slept peacefully before he could sleep himself.

That morning when he woke up, she was still sleeping. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to sleep so gracefully, especially when she was a total mess when they were younger. The thought made him chuckle. He watched her for a few minutes longer before he turned to lay on his back, sighing as he stared up at the ceiling. What a mess things had become. It was about time he move and get prepared for a long day of trying to figure out what their next move would be. Many of his men had been taken out at the Twins, but a decent amount had also escaped and had reportedly re-assembled at Riverrun.

He gently slid out of the bed and began to put himself together when he heard movement behind him. Y/N looked groggy as she propped herself up on her elbow. He still found himself fixated on her hair, that beautiful hair, that hung down in loose waves. He loved his wife and mourned for her and their child’s death. It was horrific and he would seek revenge for them, as well as his mother. 

But was there still feelings there for Y/N? Feelings he hadn’t really thought about in years. As he grew older he came to realize that he was heir to Winterfell and she was no one, so he had been told, so there was just no way it could be. When they were children, though, he loved to do things like hold her hand, lay with her, hug her. He had never considered what his role would be as a man, all he knew back then was that there was a pretty girl who he loved to spend his time with-- a harmless crush. Then, they got older and they started to speak less and less until it became strictly when they needed to. He needed that distance or he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from acting on those feelings. Even with it, he couldn’t keep himself from stealing glances of her at occasions she’d been invited to or even just time spent in the courtyard. Theon always made jokes about the way she was covered up and he hated himself for sometimes laughing along but none of that mattered to him. Beauty radiated off of her. And then when she showed that she was as strong as she was beautiful.. wow. He could see the raw talent back when he caught her sparring with Jon. It only made him more attracted to her. Seeing her insist on being involved with the war, it scared him. But it also intrigued him.

Then Talisa came along and immediately he was pulled in. The woman was beautiful and smart and challenging. It was an instant love, a love that he didn’t care about risking things for. She loved him back, too, just as quickly and intensely as he had. They married and in no time she was carrying his child. All the while, though, his feelings for Y/N certainly hadn’t just disappeared. In fact, she was the first taste of love he had. But having it drilled into him for so long that he would one day be Warden of the North and he would be married to a Lady of another great house, he had to just.. forget about it. It was terrible and unfair to push her away but that’s what he did. And now, here they were, being thrusted back together again. They shared a bed just like when they were children. He enjoyed it just as much. Everything was just so mixed up it was making his head spin.

“You—“ he started, only for her to immediately cut him off. “I know,” she grumbled as she hopped out of bed going over to get her head wrap. Well, that’s not what he was going to say. But, being as frustrated as she was, she rushed over to change without even thinking about how he was standing right there. He watched as the night gown slid down off her back and it was just about to pass her hips when he tore his gaze away. She dressed quickly and reapplied the wrap.

READER POV.

You couldn’t believe that you two had slept together. Why did you offer him the place next to you? It was stupid. It was stupid because as soon as he did and stared at you as he did so, your heart fluttered. You remembered the sleepless nights when you’d run to his chambers and he’d pull you right in. How could you not have fallen in love with him? Sighing, you sat on the bed. “Shouldn’t you be on your way out? They shouldn’t see you leaving from my room. And I imagine there is a lot to do today.” The look on his face told you that he wanted to say more but instead he nodded and made his exit.

Letting out an even heavier sigh, you placed your hands over your face and unwillingly let some tears slip down your cheeks. Today was going to be a long one. You weren’t sure how, but you needed to find some way to be useful and keep yourself busy, your mind off all that was going on. You stood up, wiped the tears off your face and told yourself there would be no more of that today. Then you turned and made your way out of the room.

After having some breakfast, you tried your best to find something to do but what was there? Yeah, you saved the king but the Mallisters didn’t plan on bringing you into the meetings. However, after some wandering, you started to hear a conversation between multiple men. The closer you got, the more you could hear. It was Robb and the other men, discussing all that had happened and what would come next. So what you found out was under Theon, the Iron Islanders had taken Winterfell (infuriating Robb and you as well). Then, Roose Bolton had been slain, by a peasant girl (causing you to smile when you heard this), after attempting to murder the king he had sworn his men too. With that being said, his bastard was now mobilizing Bolton forces with the intent to take Winterfell for themselves which was going to make an even bigger problem. The Bastard King was furious upon learning that Robb had survived the assassination attempt and Lannister forces were surely on their way to find them, though they hadn’t yet figured out that he is at Seagard. But the final news is what made you fall to your knees with a sharp gasp. “…Daenerys Targaryen lives and has somehow produced three growing dragons. She has an army of Dothraki and bought over 8,000 Unsullied. We believe she has intentions to return to Westeros to reclaim the throne and has already sacked several cities in Essos.” Your sister was alive. No longer were you a Targaryen alone in the world, no, your older sister was alive and thriving. You clasped your hand over your mouth to muffle the cries that escaped. When you were able to gain control of your limbs again, you ran off to your quarters. This was the perfect opportunity to leave now. You would sail to Essos to find your sister and fight at her side-- then you would be out of Robb’s hair. It would be a win for the both of you.

Once again, you were assembling your things together. Only the absolute necessities would be going with you and whatever else you didn’t need could be sold. You would need as much money as you could get in order to make this trip. This time, though, you would not simply run off into the night. Maybe Robb deserved a goodbye, if that’s what he wanted. And if that wasn’t it... well, you’d find your way out. It wasn’t his decision whether you left or not, just as you had said the night before. 

Hours passed and when you grew tired of waiting for the chance that he would visit you in the night again, you stood up and approached your door-- just at the same time there was a knock and he walked in shortly after. This put you two within inches of each other, causing you to suck in a breath with surprise. He looked down then stepped back a bit. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to--” You cut him off again, “It’s fine.” Feeling nervous about the closeness, you hurried back over to your bed and sat down then patted the spot next to you, beckoning him over. He looked confused but came and sat anyway.

“I heard your meeting today.” If he expected an apology for eavesdropping, he certainly wasn’t going to get one. But he knows you better than that, you thought. “I need to go, Robb. It’s dangerous for me to be here when Jaime knows who I am and my sister is alive. I have somewhere to go!” At this point you stood up, your emotions getting the better of you and making it impossible to be still. “I thought I lost my entire family and now that’s not the case and I just.. I need to be with her..” The tears were starting up, as much as you tried to hold them at bay. “Were we not your family?” his voice is stern but it isn’t hard to hear the hurt in it. “You know that’s not what I was saying,” you shot back weakly. “...I just don’t see why you want to leave for someone you don’t know. You don’t know what she’s like, Y/N!” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “And neither do you! But I’m willing to take the risk. I told you before, it’s not your decision if I stay or not and I’m choosing to go,” you spit out harshly. 

That’s when you march across the room to go grab everything you might need and shove it into a bag that was easily carried. So much for a bittersweet parting. You feel his hand grab your arm and you look up at him as you pull it from his grip. “You can’t,” he says. “But I am,” you reply, throwing the bag onto your shoulder and shoving past him, only for him to catch hold of your wrist and pull you backwards. “Let go of me!” you shout, both anger and sadness in your tone. “I can’t let you go,” his tone is softer now, as is his gaze. You hated that you thought about but Jaime’s words calling him your captor crossed your mind. Was that it? He wanted to keep you because having one of the remaining Targaryens under his thumb was easier than the two potentially teaming up and conquering Westeros like their ancestors had? No, of course not. The two of you may have lost your connection over time, but Robb was not that callous.. was he?

“What is this about?” you questioned, once again pulling your arm away from him. “I..” He seemed so conflicted and it left you baffled. “I love you, too, Y/N,” he finally spits out. Your body felt numb and your heart began to pound. He couldn’t be serious. He had a wife just a month ago-- one who was tragically killed. This was absolutely ridiculous. “Don’t say that,” you replied, voice breaking. “I do. I have. I should have said it a long time ago but then I was told I had no choice in who I would be with and so I.. I don’t know, let it go I guess! Then there was Talisa--” That’s when a tear managed to slip down your cheek, which you wiped away as you stepped back. “Listen to me,” he pleaded, noticing the way you seemed to have checked out. So you nodded. “Then there was Talisa. The first woman I loved since you. And she loved me too. There was the Frey girl but I wanted a choice, so I made one.” Did he really want you to listen to the story of how he fell in love with someone else? “I’m saying this because I don’t want to lie to you. I loved her.. I don’t know if she’ll ever leave me, truly. She was the mother of my child.” Another tear you needed to wipe away. “But I loved you since we were children, just like you. I always loved you, it was always there, I just.. didn’t want to confront it and that was stupid. I was being a coward. But I can’t anymore, I can’t just watch you walk away.” 

You tore your gaze away from him in a poor attempt to hide the tears. But he came close and pulled gently at your chin to make you face him. He took your face into both hands, Tully blues giving you the most intense look. “Why? Why now?” you asked in a strained voice as tears continued to stream down your porcelain cheeks. “I told you, I’m a coward. I should’ve told you as soon as I knew. I think I was 10.. but I was scared.” You simply stared at him, unable to find the words to say. “I love you, Y/N, I do. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Targaryen, you are as much a Northerner as I.” He wiped away the tears with his thumbs. “I won’t be your secret,” you replied, your voice as stern as you could manage. “No, you won’t. I promise. I will figure this all out and I promise I would never keep you a secret. You’re a Northerner who has fought alongside them, what could they possibly have to say?” You sighed, why was he so foolishly optimistic? “I’m a Targaryen. I can’t stay all covered up anymore, if I do it’ll only be a matter of time before it gets revealed and I’d rather do it myself than have Jaime Lannister spread it across the Seven Kingdoms,” you replied. He sucked in a deep breath then nodded. 

“We’ll figure this all out,” he said softly before pressing his forehead to yours, still holding your head in his heads. You sighed, both out of a strange sense of relief but at the same time, frustration. This was all so complicated that it made you sick. This was all you had wanted all your life and yet now that it was here, it wasn’t as happy an occasion as it should’ve been. He leaned back and looked deeply in your eyes, “Just don’t leave.. please.” The way he seemed so vulnerable, so distraught.. it made your heart ache. Gods, you wanted to meet Daenerys-- you wanted to know your family but maybe staying was the best option, at least for now. But Robb’s doubts be damned, you would find a way to make contact with her. Even if you had to do it in secret, you didn’t care. Sure, you knew very little of her but something in your gut told you that she could be trusted-- that’d she’d be just as excited as you to learn that her sister had survived.

So you nodded. You wouldn’t leave, not now at least. And he smiled, a smile so bright-- something you hadn’t seen from him in Gods know how long. Then, finally, he pressed his lips to yours and you kissed him back with the longing of so many years. He returned the amount of passion and in no time, the two of you fell onto the bed. Things were getting intense when you stopped him, staring down at him with a smirk and watching as he was left panting. “You’re mad if you think I’m risking falling pregnant right now. I intend to keep fighting, Stark. And besides, you don’t want to dishonor me, do you?” you said, that smirk never wavering. He chuckled, propping himself up on his elbows and running a hand through your hair. “You’re right.. I guess,” he replied playfully before pressing a kiss softly to your lips. 

You rolled off of him, settling in the place next to him instead. He rolled onto his side to look at you and you did the same. It felt like you two were children again. “The men who survived and more are meant to be here tomorrow. I’ll tell them that I mean to take a new queen. I won’t let any of them try to object and then.. you can tell them who you are,” he said quietly. Your mind raced and your heart was pounding-- so this was in then, huh? After going your whole life hiding, you were going to reveal that you were in fact the Mad King’s daughter. With a sigh, you nodded. “Aren’t you afraid of losing their support?” you questioned. “They swore an oath to my father and then to me, they can’t simply go back on that. And you are no ordinary queen, you fought for them-- alongside them. You saved my life and killed a traitor. It shouldn’t matter what your name is after all that.” All you could do was nod but your mind continued to race. Would it really go this way? You sure hoped but.. you knew all too well that not all men were too keen on keeping their oaths. 

And they did reach Seagard that next morning. You were still lying in bed when Robb came in to inform you. So this was it then. Robb was going to announce you as his queen and you would tell them that you were a Targaryen. It was a terrifying thought. But you realized you hadn’t even confronted the thought that Robb was going to make you his queen-- he loved you and you two would be bound to one another. Before he could leave the room, you shot up out of bed. “All you said was that you’d make me a queen, you know. You are terrible at this whole asking someone to marry you thing,” you said, chuckling slightly. His eyes went wide and his face had a slight red tinge, presumably from embarrassment. He quickly made his way over, seating himself next to you on the bed. One hand went to the side of your face, fingers getting tangled in your hair. “Marry me, Y/N Targaryen. I wish to be yours until my last breath, and you mine. I love you.” The butterflies in your stomach fluttered so intensely you thought for a moment that you might be sick. “I will. I love you too, Robb Stark,” you said, nodding with tears in your eyes. He pressed his lips passionately to yours before breaking apart. “Get ready. It’s time.” You nodded and he left the room.

You put on a simple gown and then your wrap. When you stepped forward and made your own speech, you would remove it. But obviously you couldn’t just walk out that way. Closing your eyes and catching your breath, you smoothed out your dress and mentally prepared yourself for what could either be a liberating or life-threatening moment but either way, nothing would ever be the same. So you made your way out the door, hands clasped in front of you as you walked down the hall. Keeping your head high, you finally arrived in the courtyard where Robb was speaking with his trusted advisors. When he notices you from the corner of his eye, he quickly makes his way over. “It’s time then,” he said softly. You felt yourself beginning to shake and he grabbed your hand, “It’s going to be okay.”

Then it began. Robb stepped out into the middle of the courtyard, calling to the men to listen. Your eyes scanned the crowd, shocked by how far they went. They went far beyond the gates of Seagard, all trying to get a listen of what their king had to say.

“Men!” he called out. “After the tragedy at the Twins, I thank you all for assembling here to discuss our next course of action.” The men all cheered, clearly their loyalty never wavered despite what happened. “I promise you all, we will avenge all those we lost. We will punish the Freys for betraying their king in the name of some bastard in the South.” They cheered even louder this time. Well, it was surely going to get silent the moment he mentioned you-- or they’d protest, even. “But there is another matter I must speak about.” They were quiet this time, the anticipation written all over their faces. “I understand what taking Lady Talisa as my queen did. You must understand that I was making the choice I believed to be right and I will be seeking revenge on her behalf as well. But now, I ask that you trust me when I tell you I present you all a new queen. A woman I grew up with, who is loyal to the North. She understands our ways and she would gladly fight for you all until her last breath!” Just as you expected, they were silent now. “It is she who saved my life that night. She drove the dagger into Lord Bolton’s heart when he sought to kill me in the name of the Lannisters!” Then there was some enthusiasm from them. You were shocked.

He looked back at you now, nodding. “Come forward, Y/N,” he said, loud enough for those close to hear but no longer shouting. Shaking, you walked to his side and looked out at the men before you. You were able to recognize some of them as those you’d fought with, who commended you on your skill in battle when it was all over. Robb looked over at you, nodding as a way to tell you to speak. You exhaled a deep breath and built your confidence. “It is true, I plan to continue to fight alongside you all. I would die protecting any one of you! I am a Northern woman, it is my home and I will see to it that we destroy all of its enemies and take back the freedom that is rightfully ours!” You saw them nod and begin to cheer, not as loud as before but it was something. “It was I who put that blade in Lord Bolton’s chest-- and I plan to do the same to Lord Frey and any other traitor! Any ally of that Bastard King is an enemy of mine and I will happily put my life on the line to cut each and every one down!” Their cheers got louder and a grin began to grow on your lips. “But if I am to be a Queen, then I must be honest with you all. I am not nameless, not a peasant. Lord Stark saved me when I was just a babe and raised me in the ways of the North-- to pray to the Old Gods-- the true Gods-- and live with honor!” Your heart was racing as they grew silent again, waiting for what truth you needed to tell them. 

“But I am a Targaryen.” Gasps echoed across the crowd as you removed the wrap from your head. “Yes, the Mad King is my father but I have no connection to that evil man! And I wish to right all the wrongs he committed. My name may be Targaryen but I am as much a Stark as your king!” You called out. Still silence until.. there were some that began to cheer and others joined in until the entire crowd was. Queen in The North, they called you. You couldn’t believe it. A Targaryen-- a Northern Queen. It felt like a dream. You were absolutely beaming. Robb then grabbed your hand, smiled over at you and held it up. The people cheered. They would now have rulers who wouldn’t hide away-- but would aid them in the fight for freedom.

“We invite you to celebrate our union tonight with a grand feast!” he exclaimed as you grinned at him. So this was it. Years and years of loving him and now here you were, ready to marry and live as King and Queen. The men cheered as Robb lead you away from the commotion, back into the castle. The two of you kissed passionately as Robb wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you off the ground, causing you to giggle against his lips. How had things gone from so catastrophically wrong to as close to perfect as can be in just a matter of nearly two months? It was so hard to believe and yet here you two were.

“A grand feast, huh?” you asked, smirking as he let you back down. “And why not?” he shot back playfully. “Nothing! Just.. shocked is all. A Targaryen-Stark wedding being grand.” It was something no one would have ever thought possible let alone it being celebrated. “Well here we are,” he said softly before pressing another gentle kiss to your lips. “Do we even have a septon?” you asked. “Of course! And I believe the Mallisters have something for you to wear,” he said as he began to grin. Your eyes narrowed, “You are something else, Robb Stark.” He pulled you into a tight embrace again and you melted into his touch. Just then, some handmaidens walked over to you two, heads bowed. “Lady Targaryen, we apologize for the interruptions,” their voices sounded like they were shaking. You turned to face them with a warm smile, “No need.” Both of them looked up, returning the gesture. “We are to help you prepare for the ceremony if you could please come with us,” they still sounded intimidated, but less so. You nodded, breaking away from Robb and venturing off with the two young women. With one last look over your shoulder, you grinned at him.

First, you were given a bath. The two women looked shocked when you stepped right in, both warning you that it was still extremely hot but it felt great to you. You submerged yourself, holding yourself there for a few moments before returning to the surface, wiping your eyes. Once it finally ran cold, you stood and the handmaidens rushed over to cover you in a robe. “Thank you,” you said, chuckling slightly at their urgency. While one of them worked on trying to dry your hair, the other laid a dress out on the bed and you gasped at its beauty. It was done completely in Stark colors but you could swear that there was a three-headed dragon stitched just over the left breast. Completely taken off guard, you began to walk over, completely disregarding the woman working on your hair. As you stared down, you found that you were right. “How...?” you asked, looking over at the woman who stood next to it. “His Grace swore us to secrecy and asked that we make a small tribute to your house.” Your eyes began to water but you wiped at them before they tracked down your cheeks. Robb was unbelievable.

After apologizing to the other handmaiden, the both of them got to work on preparing you for the wedding. It wasn’t much, but they seemed to have some simple makeup on hand: painting your lips red, adding an ever so slight pink tinge to your cheeks and braided pieces that met in the back while leaving the rest of your silver locks in loose waves. They helped you step into your dress and while one pulled your corset tight, the other helped to adjust the front of the gown. It felt like you could hardly breathe but.. it was worth it for such a joyous occasion. “My lady,” one woman, who you now came to know as Lyla, said as she brought a mirror to your face. You smiled at your reflection before looking up at Lyla and Samaya. “I can’t thank you two enough,” you said, beginning to get choked up. “It was our pleasure, Your Grace,” Lyla spoke up first, but both grinned at you. Both of them gave you a curtsy before making their way out. “Congratulations, Your Grace,” said Samaya as she shot you a grin.

So you were left alone in the room, trying your best to not freak out. It was just so hard to believe that this was really happening. It was then that you heard the door open and you spun around to find Robb in the door way. He actually had his mouth hanging open as he stared at you, causing you to smirk. “Yes?” you asked, raising your brows. “You look.. breathtaking,” he said as he came closer and grabbed hold of your hand. “But we should go, Your Grace,” he replied, grinning. You realized then that there was no one to walk you to the ceremony. It should’ve been Lord Stark or Lady Catelyn but now they were gone. He seemed to notice your change in mood and his brow furrowed, “Y/N?” Your head snapped up to look at him, shaking your head. “It’s nothing.”

And then you two made it into the Great Hall where Robb walked right up to the septon then looked over at you, awaiting your arrival. You walked down the aisle with your head held high as all the high lords and ladies stared at you. When you reached your spot across from Robb, you smiled warmly at him and the vows began. “...I am his and he is mine. From this day, until the end of my days.” “...I am hers and she is mine. From this day, until the end of my days.” The two of you finished in unison. Then, the septon began to tie a ribbon around your clasped hands as he proclaimed, “Let it be known that Robb of House Stark and Y/N of House Targaryen are one heart, one flesh, one soul. Cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder.” The two of you looked at one another with a smile as he finished, “In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity.” And then the ribbon was unraveled. While you both believed in the Old Gods, Lady Catelyn believed in the Seven and you both knew this is a ceremony that she would appreciate. Besides, you were in the Riverlands now. A formal Northern wedding could be held when this was all over and you two were home.

The next few hours was magical. You never really expected to have a wedding or be married at all.. much less to Robb. But here it was, the time of your life. You danced with Robb amongst your people, laughing and beaming from ear to ear. And just as he had said, there was a grand feast for all to enjoy. By the end of the night you were quite exhausted when the two of you retired to your now shared room within the castle, though you wouldn’t be there much longer.

As soon as the door closed, Robb pressed his lips to yours with a sense of urgency, pushing back until you were up against the door. “Someone’s eager,” you giggled against his lips. “Should I not desire my wife?” he bantered back. His wife. You were his wife. Before you knew it you fell down onto the bed, dress half off, with Robb on top of you. Without thinking, you allowed him to strip you of nearly everything when you finally pulled away panting. “I told you, Stark, I will not fall pregnant. Not now,” you said with a smirk but you were very serious. As much as you would love to indulge in all the pleasures of married life and live in domestic bliss, there was a war to be fought. No time for children, not right now. He simply sighed but pressed another gentle kiss to your lips. You stood up and changed into a night gown before crawling back into bed, cuddling up to him.

The two of you were just starting to doze off when the door floor open. It was a young man who stood in the door way. “My apologies, Your Grace!” he exclaimed, clearly very shaken up. “What is going on?” Robb questioned in a gravely voice as he began to sit up in bed. “The men, they caught someone sneaking into the castle.. I think you’ll want to see him right away,” he said frantically, though he put his head down. “Yes.. I will be right there,” Robb quickly responded as he hopped out of the bed and got more heavily dressed. You got up as well, hurrying to find a robe you could throw on. He turned to look at you with a furrowed brow, “You don’t need to worry yourself with this.” With a single brow cocked, you shot back, “Robb, I plan to rule at your side. I would like to know who is trying to spy on us.” He sighed but you caught the slightest hint of a smirk as he turned away. 

The two of you followed the young man out the door and down the hall into the Great Hall, where a group of guards stood around a shackled prisoner. Upon your arrival, the disheveled man raised his head-- none other than Jaime Lannister. What on earth was he doing here? You knew that it was now well-known that Robb was re-assembling his army at Seagard but did the Lannisters really send him, just when he escaped their capture? Jaime was a fighter like no other but him against an entire castle? Tywin Lannister fought hard to get his son back, this move seemed ridiculous. “You know, I sent good men after you yet here you are, willingly coming back to me. Did you really think you’d be able to finish the job your father’s spy could not with an entire castle to get through?”

“I’m not here for you, Robb Stark. I’m here for her.”

[emospritelet]

Twisted Fate - prompt #1: It's all my fault.

Chapter 11 is up, in which Belle and Gold go shopping. Please send me a prompt from this list or this list to fuel the angst and smut

[Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Ch 5] [Ch 6] [Ch 7] [Ch 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] 

[AO3]

x

When she had found out that she was pregnant, Belle had gone through a range of emotions. The first was panic, closely followed by denial, then by bitter anguish. She had spent much of the day of the test results crying in the university restrooms and lamenting the day she had ever decided to go to bed with Alexander Gold. For a brief moment, she had been tempted to call him to give him the news, just so he could share in some of her misery, but the thought of his cold disdain was too much to face, especially after her father had practically disowned her.

She had made up her mind almost immediately that she would keep the baby, which was one less decision to fret over, but that meant that a number of other choices had to be made, and made quickly. She had the test result confirmed, was given an approximate due date, and had talked to the university about deferring completion of her studies once the baby arrived. She had sought advice from Emma about what to expect throughout pregnancy, had read every book on the subject that she could find, and had tried to ensure that she ate a balanced diet. When she could keep her food down. Overall, she felt that she was about as well-prepared for motherhood as a single woman in her early twenties making minimum wage and with no family to support her could be. Which was not very prepared at all.

Belle had assumed that having Gold tell her categorically that he intended to help out both financially and physically with the baby would make her relax, but in reality it only caused her more anxiety, and she was unsure why that was. Certainly having the apartment had given her some security, and waking up in its large and comfortable bed every morning was like letting out a deep, calming breath. She was free of the constant worry over money and making ends meet, of the landlord knocking at the door to demand rent that she didn’t have. And yet, she still felt an ongoing, exhausting sense of stress, an acidic ball of iron that had settled in her belly and refused to leave. 

He was true to his word, picking her up from outside the university in his Cadillac and driving her to the new clinic for her check-up. Belle sat in silence, hands folded in her lap as they went, and once they had parked up Gold offered her his arm. Taking it felt strange, but she tried to put it from her mind, focusing on the doors of the clinic, and beyond them the gleaming waiting area with its plush leather seats and fresh coffee. 

There was paperwork to fill out, and tests to be run, but it was nothing she hadn’t been through before. Gold seemed anxious as the doctor held the consultation with her, but Belle was unfazed by the questions asked and the measurements taken. She had expected this first visit to take a little longer, given that she was a new patient. Dr Jekyll was a nervous-looking man who blinked a lot, but he seemed to know what he was talking about.

“Well, the baby seems to be developing as expected,” he said at last. “You’re a little underweight, though. You could do with eating a little more, if you can manage it.”

“I’ve been trying to tell her that,” put in Gold, and Belle glared at him.

“Yeah, well, there’s only so many hours in the day,” she muttered. “I have work and study to take care of, alongside everything else.”

“Then try to make sure you get as much nutrient-dense food as possible,” said Dr Jekyll kindly. “Carry snacks with you as you go about, and make sure you don’t go too long between meals. Building a baby is hard work, you need to make sure your body has the fuel it needs.”

“I’ll try to feed her up,” said Gold.

“Good, good,” said Jekyll vaguely, looking at his notes. “I don’t expect there to be much change between now and next week, but try to make sure she eats a range of quality foods, not just sugar.”

Belle bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from snapping at both of them.

“Well, the good news is there’s not long to go now,” said Jekyll, peering at his computer screen. “You’re due on May fifth, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“A spring baby,” he said, glancing at her over the top of his glasses. “This cold weather will have cleared up by then. A little sunshine to welcome the new light in your life.”

He smiled at her, and Belle couldn’t help smiling back. Yes. She was looking forward to the baby being born. Quite how it would change her relationship with its father was still to be seen.

x

After the doctor’s appointment, they went to buy paint. Belle had chosen the colours she wanted: lilac and pale blue for the nursery and terracotta for the kitchen. She hadn’t made a decision on the lounge and bedrooms yet, and Gold said it could wait until she was sure. He bought paint trays, rollers and brushes, along with a set of painting overalls for her to wear and several large sheets to spread over the floors and furniture.

“Thanks,” she said, as they packed everything into the trunk of the car. “You know how clumsy I am. I’ll probably track paint all over the apartment without these.”

“I could still get professionals in to paint the walls,” he said.

“Thanks, but I’d like to do it myself,” she said. “It - it would help to make the place feel more like mine, you know?”

“I understand.”

Gold closed the trunk, taking a step back.

“I can always help you out, if you like,” he ventured, but she shook her head.

“Emma and Neal have already said they’ll help,” she said. “We’re gonna have kind of a paint-the-apartment party this weekend.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Well, if there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”

He flashed her a brief smile, the light catching in his eyes. He looked very handsome with his short hair, and she looked away, pain making her mouth twist. She hadn’t been lying when she told him she couldn’t move past him. How long would it take for her to fall out of love with him? Forever, she imagined, if he continued to act like a decent human being. Damn him.

x

As the afternoon wore on, he continued to treat her with a gentle solicitude, insisting on taking her for tea at a nearby deli and watching as she ate a piece of pumpkin pie with cream that had been laced with cinnamon and whipped to soft peaks. Pumpkin pie probably wasn’t what Dr Jekyll had had in mind when he told her to eat more, but it was so delicious she didn’t really care. Gold waved away her offer to share, merely drinking a black coffee, and she wondered if he had appointed himself her nutritionist. Chief engineer of the baby-making machine. The thought made her frown to herself, but it didn’t stop her from eating the pie.

After the deli, Gold took her to a large department store that she had never before set foot in due to the prices. Inside was a beautiful glittering paradise of sleek synthetic marble and polished wood, filled with the scents of hundreds of perfumes and toiletries. The baby section was large, a sea of pink and blue and white, and she felt out of place in her scuffed boots and five-year-old coat, although she tried not to let it bother her.

Gold seemed almost animated by the shopping trip, having lengthy discussions with the sales staff about items to purchase and displaying a surprising amount of knowledge about what babies needed. Belle largely left him to it, wandering along behind him with the little shopping cart and only giving input when he asked. They agreed on a set of furniture in pale grey and white, a chest of drawers and dresser with a large, well-cushioned chair in which she could sit and feed the baby. It was a strange thing to think of, that the child inside her would very soon be on the outside, in her arms and looking for her to feed it and keep it safe. It was overwhelming if she thought about it too much, so she tried to put it from her mind. Low-level terror over being responsible for a tiny human would have to wait.

“So, the furniture can be delivered on Wednesday afternoon,” he said, making her look up. “Is that alright?”

“Uh - can we make it Thursday?” she asked. “I have to work Wednesday.”

“Ah. Well, how about next week?” he asked. “You’ll have stopped working by then, right?”

“Right.”

“And I suppose it’ll be better, because the nursery will have been painted,” he added. “You can just take everything for the baby in there, rather than store it elsewhere in the apartment.”

“Right,” she repeated.

“I’ll tell them when it comes to paying for everything,” he said. “Let’s keep looking.”

He hurried off with what was almost a spring in his step, and she watched him go, a wave of sadness washing over her. She became more withdrawn as they made their way around the section, and responded with unenthusiastic murmurs to his suggestions. Gold eyed her with a slight frown on his face at first, which made her bristle, although she tried not to show it. 

“I have a crib,” she told him, as he was looking over the third one that afternoon. “Emma was going to lend me Henry’s.”

“Our child doesn’t need hand-me-downs,” he said dismissively. “Besides, what if she chooses to have another baby? She’ll need it back.”

“I think that’s highly unlikely in the middle of her studies, don’t you?”

“I think babies come when they come,” he replied.

Belle sighed, and left him to it, merely nodding when he asked if she agreed with his choice. She could feel herself getting ever more anxious and resentful, and while she told herself that he was stepping up and supporting her as she had wanted, and that she was therefore being unreasonable, she couldn’t seem to shake her negativity. The reactions of the staff didn’t help.

“Are you and your husband finding everything okay?” chirped the third sales assistant in ten minutes, as Belle pawed listlessly through a rack of romper suits. Gold was some way ahead, his free arm filled with clothing in a myriad of colours.

“We’re not married,” she said coldly, and the sales assistant beamed.

“Oh, sorry! Still, plenty of time for that. I guess you’ve been concentrating on preparing for baby, right?”

“I’ve mostly been concentrating on not killing him,” said Belle flatly, and flourished one of the suits. “Do you have this in any other colours?”

“Uh - let me check out back.”

The sales assistant wandered off, and Belle heaved a sigh of relief.

“What about these?”

She looked around to see Gold holding up a pair of patterned booties with pom-poms hanging from strings. He shook them at her, a wide smile on his face as the pom-poms bounced.

“Adorable, hmm?” he said. “How could you resist them?”

“What are you doing?” she demanded, and he looked puzzled.

“Picking out baby things.”

“No,” she said. “No, I mean - I mean what are you doing?”

His confusion only seemed to increase.

“I don’t understand.”

“Forget it,” she sighed, snatching the booties off him and dropping them in the cart.

She could feel him staring after her as she walked off, but to give him his due he soon caught her up, dropping his choices into the cart and making quiet suggestions as to other things they might need. It felt as though he had picked up on her mood and was trying to placate her, which only made her more irritated, and then annoyed at herself for being irrational. It was a relief when he announced that they probably had enough to be going on with, and went to pay for everything. She was silent on the way back to the apartment, and the atmosphere between them was heavy and dark, making her feel awkward as she plucked at the skin on the back of her hand: a nervous, repetitive gesture. 

Gold could sense that Belle was annoyed with him, although he wasn’t sure why that was, other than the massive fuck-up that had led to them being in this situation in the first place. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it, though, and he didn’t know what to say, so he endured the painful silence on the journey back to her apartment. He helped her carry up the tins of paint and the bags of brushes and rollers, and she thanked him quietly as he set them on the kitchen counter. She had stepped back, towards the window with its view over the park, and was looking out of it and chewing her lip.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” he asked, his voice seeming loud in the tense silence, and she shook her head. He heaved a sigh.

“Belle, you seem upset with me,” he said wearily. “I don’t know why, besides the obvious, so can you please tell me what I’ve done?”

“You haven’t done anything.”

It was said automatically, and in something of a monotone. He wasn’t sure she believed it any more than he.

“Please,” he said again. “I know this is a difficult time for you, and I know the baby’s arrival must be making you nervous, so if there’s anything I can do…”

He left it hanging, hoping she would help him out and tell him what she needed. Belle seemed to wriggle uncomfortably, sucking her teeth a little.

“It’s - it’s hard,” she said eventually.

“I know,” he said carefully. “That’s why I’m trying to make sure you have as little to worry about financially as I can, and why I wanted to get everything the baby might need.”

“No,” she said. “It’s hard - it’s hard having you around.”

She wasn’t really looking at him, her eyes darting furtively to him and then away, her shoulders hunched a little. It felt as though a heavy weight had lodged in his throat and was making its way slowly down towards his stomach.

“Oh,” he said, because he couldn’t think of anything else. You’re a fucking idiot. Of course it’s hard. Why would she want the person who broke her heart back in her life? Moron!

“It feels—” Belle screwed up her nose, glancing away. “It’s like when we’re out shopping together and people treat us like we’re a married couple or something, and it’s like a slap in the face every damn time.”

“Why do you care what people think?”

“That’s not the point…” She ran her hands over her face. “It’s not what they think, it’s - it’s what it is. Maybe I’m not explaining it all that well. I’m not sure I even know what I mean.”

“Okay,” he said, bewildered. “Well, in that case, why don’t you tell me what you need?”

“I need you to go,” she said decidedly, nodding.

The weight settled in his lower belly, spreading outwards and anchoring his feet to the floor.

“Right,” he said, his voice hollow. “Right. Then I’ll go.”

“Thank you.”

She was hugging herself now, arms folded protectively over the top of her swollen belly. He wanted to hug her himself, to take her in his arms and hold her close, to offer her comfort and reassurance. It hit him hard in the gut, a painful, breathtaking blow as he realised that he had never done so. Not once. He tried to think of a time when he had shown her some intimacy without them having sex, and couldn’t. God, no wonder she hated him! He swallowed hard, his mouth dry.

“Can I still take you to your next appointment?” he asked, his voice sounding eerily calm in his head, and she nodded.

“Of course.”

“There’s still the matter of seeing my lawyer,” he went on. “Perhaps we can schedule them both for the same day.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Right,” he said, for what felt like the hundredth time. “Then I’ll see you next Monday.”

She nodded again, dark curls bouncing around her shoulders, still hunched against him, shutting him out.

“I’ll go back to Storybrooke,” he added, figuring it would do her good to know he wouldn’t be in the city. That he wouldn’t be haunting her, stalking her from the shadows as she tried to go on with her life.

“Thank you,” she said again, and hesitated. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologise,” he said, his tone wry. “It’s all my fault, after all.”

She hung her head a little, as though she agreed with him, but didn’t want to say it aloud. He could feel his hand beginning to ache from gripping the cane handle, and loosened his grip. 

“Well,” he said. “I’ll see myself out.”

She nodded, giving him one final glance. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness, and guilt, and regret. He could feel his own emotions rising up inside him, wanting to burst out and drown him, and so he nodded stiffly and turned away, heading for the door with a slow and heavy tread. She needed space. He could give her that, at least.

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ Conspiracy (Rikkaidai)

Genre: Crack, Friendship, Crossover ☁

Word Count: 2,126 ☁

Pairing: None ☁

World: Prince of Tennis ☁

Author’s Note: I actually did have all of these issues with an old laptop, I believe it was a Dell. Naturally, I had to write about this experience with my favorite characters from my favorite anime!

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“You’re crazy~” Niou was lying on your bed, propping himself up on his elbows as his aqua orbs followed you as you paced back and forth.

“It’s not crazy, Niou.” I scoffed, sending a mild glare towards my best friend. “It’s a fucking conspiracy!”

“Do you even hear yourself?” Marui was sitting next to Niou, legs crossed Indian style with a bag of pink and blue cotton candy in his lap. He pinched off a piece of the blue sugar and popped it into his mouth. “Computers can not conspire against humans, idiot!”

“Bullshit! Wasn’t there once a prophecy about robots taking over all of humanity?”

“You’re thinking of I, Robot puri~”

“We’re not even talking about robots! We’re talking about a laptop.”

“It still counts damn it!”

“No, it doesn’t!”

“Yes, it does!”

“Does not!”

“Does so!”

“Not!”

“So!”

“Enough!”

The three of us turned our attention to the doorway of my bedroom where the yell had come from. Sanada was glaring at us, eyes narrowed in annoyance while Yukimura stood beside him with a small, gentle smile on his face.

“What’s going on in here?”

Marui and I exchanged glances.

Niou chuckled, amused by our antics, which some might consider childish but I do not. “Jay is convinced that her laptop is conspiring against her.”

“Are all high schoolers that dimwitted?” Sanada commented, leaning against the door with his arms folded over his chest.

I scowled, glaring at the younger male. “Fuck off!”

“Dear,” Yukimura called out, his tone calm but with a slight undertone of warning; he never did like it when I used such language. “Explain to me why you think that.”

“Gladly! It all started about two years ago…”

Incident #1 – The New Laptop

It was my 15th birthday and I had been given the gift of a brand new laptop. I was quite happy, naturally, since I had been wanting one for a long time.

Not even a week after I received it, however, I began to experience trouble with it. Now, being the stubborn person I am, I simply shrugged it off with the thought, ‘It will eventually go away’, a lot like any medical problem I may have.

Anyway, as time passed, the problems with the computer got worse until, finally, the stupid piece of shit stopped working and would not even turn on. So I took said object to my local electronics store where the geeks could handle it and find out what the problem was. Of course, I had the thought in my mind that it may be a virus, but for some reason, I doubted that it was the cause.

After weeks of waiting, I finally got my computer back. Apparently, the hard drive had gone bad –  or some stupid shit such as that.

Despite the fact that all of my precious shit was gone from said object, my computer was back and working, and I was satisfied.

Incident #2 – Internet Problems

I had gotten a wireless laptop internet card. Now, it was good and it worked, though it was quite slow. I didn’t really mind it – as long as it was the internet, I was fine. However, said internet liked to cut off randomly and would not come back unless I completely shut down the computer and restarted it – and this didn’t always solve the problem.

Now, it was extremely annoying having to close down everything that I was working on to restart it, get it working just for it to stop again 5 minutes later.

Finally,  after many varying priced bills and annoying phone calls, I switched to a different internet provider. It was faster, more reliable, and happened to not cut off every time I took a breath.

I was happy once more.

Incident #3 – More Problems

It’s almost like it had a mind of its own. One minute the CD/DVD drive is working, the next it’s not. It freezes constantly, is slow as shit and likes to piss me off by NOT WORKING.

Now, this often makes me feel like slamming my head against a brick wall, but I refrain like the well mannered little shit I am and simply grind my teeth, trying to keep my bad-tempered adolescence under wraps.

Incident #4 – The Power Cord

Now, I knew from the very beginning that the laptop company was a piece of shit, especially after all of the problems that I’ve had since day one, but I never expected the power cord to go berserk as well. It started out where the cord only worked when I played with it and moved it to a certain angle. No big deal.

But then it started to get harder to get it to work, no matter what position I held it in.  The problem, I guessed, was a short in the wiring just at the base that connected to the computer, not the plug. Anyway, it was fine, as long as it worked.

Until one day, when I moved it in an attempt to get it to work. I never would have expected what happened next.

The power cord shocked me and burned the palm of my hand, leaving a black mark in its wake. I had cursed in pain, unplugging the object and quickly throwing it on the ground. It hit my cat, who was sitting in front of me – don’t worry, she was fine! From there, it sparked and attempted to catch on fire. I quickly unplugged it before that could happen.

Despite the pain in my hand and the annoyance I felt towards the cord, the company refused to do anything. Sure, they put the case on high priority, but they never did shit about it.

Now the evidence is gone and there’s no proof to show that the cord was dangerous in any way.

Incident #5 – Sharing Is Not Caring

It was annoying having to share one cord between two laptops, one belonging to a college student while the other belonged to a person who had no life.

It didn’t help that the computer died within less than 10 minutes of no power (when it’s supposed to last around 6 hours). Only about 5 minutes after the other person took the cord, my computer decided it didn’t want to exist anymore. And so, I was left to sit in my room with nothing to do.

It was agonizing.

In the end, I did manage to get another power cord that worked on any computer; it had different attachments according to different brands.

Everything was fine and dandy once again.

Incident #6 – Internet Cable

Cruel fate?

Proof that life is indeed a bitch, just like its counterpart, Karma?

A sick joke, played out to someone’s vain amusement?

Did they know that I had no life and wanted to see just what would happen should they take away the one thing my life pretty much surrounds?

Apparently, someone was seriously enjoying my misery.

One of the small wires inside of the ethernet cable somehow managed to snap; seriously, what are the chances of that? Now, when I fiddled with it, I managed to make the wires touch again and the internet worked… until I moved an inch and it’d cut off again. Much like the power cord incident, if I messed with it, I could get it to work. This time, though, no matter what I did, I just couldn’t get it to work. Instead, I said ‘screw it’ and went to bed.

Thankfully I managed to get a new ethernet cord…. the problem this time? It was too short and I honestly did NOT feel like sitting in the closet just to use the damn computer. So, I went back and got the only longer one they had, which happened to be a used one.

It worked and I now had internet without a problem, but I couldn’t help but wonder – how long will it last?

What disaster will happen next?

Two very good questions indeed.

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“Do you see? Do you see what I mean? What’re the chances of that?!” I fell down onto the bed between Marui and Niou, lying on my back and letting out an exasperated sigh.

“When you put it that way… it does kind of sound like a conspiracy against you. Almost like the computer is recruiting the other things to piss you off.” Marui commented, popping another piece of cotton candy into his mouth while absent-mindedly staring up at the ceiling.

“And it’s working!”

Yukimura sighed, his hand resting on his forehead. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his head throbbing from the tale that I had just told him. “It’s probably just a coincidence.”

“Coincidence? Come on, Yuki!” I sat up so quickly, my world spun for a moment. “How can all of that just be a coincidence?!”

“Maybe it’s you. You have been known to destroy things fairly easily, with that temper of yours.” Sanada commented.

I glared at him, eyes narrowing. “Who the hell let you in my house?”

He scoffed, dark eyes narrowing into a glare that rivaled my own. “You don’t honestly expect us to believe such a ridiculous tale, do you? Sorry, but middle schoolers are not as stupid as you high schoolers.”

“Why you – !” Niou grabbed onto me before I could even get up, his arms wrapped securely around my neck and his legs resting over my own so that I couldn’t move. Niou was one of the very few people who could control my temper. Yukimura and Tezuka were a few others.

“We need to think of this rationally.” Yukimura sent me a look, making me scoff and look away. Niou’s grip remained, just to be safe.

“Is this going to turn out like that transformers movie?” Marui questioned.

“Now that is stupid.”

“Oh come on! She talks about a computer conspiracy only targeting her and I’m the crazy one?” Marui scoffed, stuffing more of the sugary treat into his mouth with a pout.

I turned my glare on him. “Stuff it, Pinkie.”

“My hair is not pink! It’s Fuchsia!”

“It’s pink.”

“Fuch-”

“Knock it off,” Yukimura commanded, causing the pair of us to quiet down immediately. It didn’t stop the glares from being exchanged, though. “It’s most likely just a string of bad luck. It’ll pass.”

“Did you break any mirrors recently~?” Marui teased, poking my arm. I slapped his hand away when he tried to do it a second time.

Sanada, who had had enough of the bickering, walked over and slapped both of us on the back of the head. “This is ridiculous and is getting us nowhere.”

“Where’s there to get? Jay’s nuts!”

“Keep talkin’ pinkie and you’ll find out just how nuts I am.”

He stuck his tongue out at me in a taunting manner and I made a mental note to throw his sweets in the toilet.

“Do you guys hear that?” Niou pulled himself away from me, standing up and beginning to search the room for the sudden static noise that was filling it. The search led him to the closed laptop on the desk behind Yukimura. “Is it on?”

“No,” I responded cautiously, moving to stand behind him – if something went down, he’d take the brunt of the damage and not me.

Yukimura turned around in the chair and opened the computer. He jumped in surprise after being zapped by it. The screen blinked several times before settling to white. A large, bold L appeared, followed by a distorted voice.

“We are here for the simple purpose of taking over humanity. We will destroy you all.”

After a solid minute of near deafening silence, Marui screamed like a girl and ran from the bedroom, clutching his cotton candy and yelling something about Decepticons.

“Well, that was one hell of a delayed reaction,” I muttered, staring at the door.

“Should… we be worried?” Niou cocked his head to the side, his finger resting on his chin as he stared at the computer with a thoughtful look.

“Yukimura?” Sanada questioned, wanting the opinion of his beloved Buchou.

Without a word, Yukimura stood up, turned around and left the room, slamming both the bedroom and front door. The three of us exchanged glances before scrambling to follow after Yukimura.

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Elsewhere

The large shinigami let out a roar of laughter as he lay in front of L’s computer.

How did he manage to get into the room? Who knows.

How is he able to use a computer? Who gives a damn.

How did he even get L’s laptop? Well, he is Light’s shinigami.

Where the hell was L while Ryuk had his fun? Trying to talk Light into going and getting him some sweets.

In the words of Shuichiro Oishi, What kind of world do we live in?

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📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[3dmouseart]

Supercorp:  Heartbreak (Part 3)

In which Kara tries to get her way.  And Alex Danvers.

1655 words.

Part 1

Part 2

High above National City Kara scanned it once more with her telescopic vision.

Satisfied that things were quiet, she went back to staring at Lena’s building which promptly vanished from her field of sight.

“LEE!”

She zoomed towards where the building had been, but as she headed towards it, at the distance she would have been able to see it with normal human vision, it hove into view.

She slowed to a stop then continued her flight path.

“Attention Kara Zor-El”

The voice came out of nowhere.  It sounded like the one in Lena’s elevator.  She stopped.

“Your access to Lena Luthor’s home has been revoked for twenty three hours, forty seven minutes and twenty one seconds.”

“Wait what?!  Who is this?”

“I am Danielle, Lena’s virtual assistant. We are speaking at a frequency that only Kryptonians can hear; as you are the only Kryptonian within range you can rest assured this conversation is private.”

“Ooookay… could you back up a minute?”

“Certainly, would you like me to replay the conversation?”

“Nooo… just explain what you meant.”

“About what?”

“Something about access?” her voice trailed off.

“Your access to Lena home has been revoked for twenty three hours, forty five minutes and thirty six seconds. Lena is also unavailable to anyone unless I am given instructions to the contrary.”

“Is she okay? I need to see her. Please.”

“Please do not proceed. Lena’s vital signs are stable.”

Kara resumed her flight path.

“Please turn back, Kara Zor-El.”

Kara ignored the request and continued.

“Supergirl, this is your final warning.  Please turn around.”

She was getting closer and would be there in a minute.

“K-protocol, minimum level initiated.”

A green ray shot out from the sky and engulfed Kara.  Mild queasiness immediately set in. She retreated and the ray stopped.  Kara looked at her hand: the greenish tinge was already fading.

She hovered uncertainly.

“Danielle, did Lena tell you to do that?”  Kryptonite radiation!  Lena had used a K-ray against her!

“That was the specified deterrence if necessary, yes.”

The thought that Lena now hated her enough to use Kryptonite made her physically ill.

She zoomed off to her apartment and threw up in the bathroom.  She was too numb to cry anymore so she stared through the ceiling at the stars until she fell asleep.

*                                            *                                   *                                        *

The persistent knocking at the door finally woke her.  “Go away!  I’m not home!”

“Kara, it’s me.”

Despite her misery she smiled.  Alex was the one person she wanted to see right now.  “You have a key.”

“Dur, it’s bolted.  Chained too, probably.”

Kara sighed.  She tried opening her eyes but she couldn’t.  She gingerly ran her fingers over her eyelids and felt the crust of dried tears and sleep.  She really didn’t want to open her eyes so she used her x-ray vision instead.

She shuffled open to the door and opened it.

“Took you long enough!  Have you-“ Alex stared at Kara:  her sister was usually well-put together, even after a night’s sleep, but the woman she saw in front of her was, frankly, a mess.

“Have I what?”

“Kara sweetie, are you okay?”

Kara moaned.  “No.  I suck and I’m a bad person and I deserve to die alone.”

Alex strode in, took her hand and closed the door.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Kara moaned again.

“Can you look at me, at least?”

“I can’t open my eyes, it hurts.” Kara whined. 

Alex knew Kara was hurting badly, but her sister was uncharacteristically being such a big baby she didn’t know whether to be amused or comfort her.  She decided to do the latter while keeping the former to herself.

“C’mon, sweetie: Alex will fix.”  She gently pulled Kara to the bathroom, wet a face towel and gingerly wiped the Kryptonian’s face. “Better?”

Kara carefully opened her eyes, which immediately filled with tears.

Alex enfolded the distraught woman in her arms.  That was all it took: Kara slumped against her and sobbed heart-brokenly until she lost consciousness.

*                                            *                                   *                                        *

The smell of pot-stickers brought her round.  Alex kissed her on the forehead and sat down beside her.  “Hey there.”

“A-alex?  What time is it?”

“Almost three.  You’ve been out for a bit.”

“Wait, what?!  I’m going to be late for work!” She sat up; Alex gently pushed her back.

“It’s okay:  I called and told them you’re taking a sick day.”

She gave her sister a trembly smile.  Then her eyes widened. “What about you?!”

“I also called.  Told them I have a family emergency… which this is.”  She held Kara’s hand and squeezed.  Kara returned it.  “And I’m sleeping over tonight because we’re gonna get drunk.”  Kara blinked.  “Don’t tell me you don’t need it.” Alex winked at her.

“But-“

“I’ve got this, kiddo.” Alex reached down and put a beautifully crafted bottle on the table.  Its contents glowed.  “This can get even you and Clark drunk, so I’m told.”

Kara leaned forward and poked the bottle.  The glowing liquid sloshed inside. 

“Where did you get it?”

“I know someone who knows someone who knows someone.”

“What is it?”

“Zazarakh.  From New Genesis.”

Kara opened the bottle and sniffed.  It made her eyes water.  “Strong.” She held it towards her sister.  “Wanna smell?”

“Pass, thanks.  I’m pretty sure a sniff would melt my eyebrows, if I’m lucky.  Beer for me.”

The pot-stickers were laid out in a serving plate.  There was a small bow of soy sauce by the side.  Chopsticks rested on holders that looked like calico cats. Alex moved a bucket of beer between them and opened two bottles and handed Kara one.

They ate and drank in silence for a while.

“You said something this morning?  Have I what?”

Alex chewed slowly then swallowed.  “Yeah no.  There was something weird that happened to Lena’s place but it seems okay now.”

“Weird how?”

“It disappeared sometime last night. Completely vanished on CCTVs, satellite imaging, the works.  But to the naked eye, and to anyone close by, it was still there.  I just thought you might know something about it.”

Kara nodded, then finished her beer.  She studiously avoided Alex’s gaze.

“I noticed it last night too.  Lena did… something.”

“More experiments, probably…”

“I don’t think so.  She’s punishing me.”

“Why would she punish you?”

“I did something really bad.”

Alex waited.

Kara couldn’t look at her sister so she looked at the floor. “I cheated...”

Alex’s hands flew to her mouth and her eyes were huge.

“I know, I know!”  She risked a peek at Alex, who opened a beer and finished it in one gulp.

Alex opened another bottle. “I need to get my head around this.  You cheated on Lena?”

Kara nodded miserably.

“And by cheated, you mean…”

“I had sex with someone else, okay?!  What do you think it means?”

“That’s what I thought it meant.   It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“You’re Kryptonian.”

“So?”

“You people don’t have sex.”

She looked at Alex sheepishly and nodded.

“I learned…?”

Alex drained the bottle and opened another.  “I cannot believe we are having the talk!  Learned from...?”

“From… Lena?”

Alex nodded slowly; that made sense.  “And did she talk to you about it first or…”

Kara grinned.  “The or!”

“And you’ve been together how long now?”

“Five years.”

“And you still have sex?”

“All the time.”

“Seriously?”

Kara nodded happily.

“No LBD?”

Kara was nonplussed. “Say what now?”

“Lesbian bed death.”

“Say what now?! ”

“It’s a supposed thing that happens to us the longer a relationship goes on.  It sets in after two years.  Theoretically.”

“Oh Rao no!  Lena and I have even more sex than we used to!”

“… and I don’t think I needed to hear that…”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes you.  Have you ever had your bed thingee?”

“Kara, I’m not answering that: it’s weird!”

“Oh so you can ask me about my sex life but I can’t?”

“Okay fine! Maggie and I weren’t together long enough to have LBD and towards the end we were fighting a lot so that didn’t help!  Sam and I never got to be intimate because we were parenting Ruby then that Reign thing happened!  And Kelly and I are taking it slow!  Satisfied?!”

Kara was mortified.

“I’m sorry.  Please don’t be mad at me, Alex.”

Alex glared at Kara, who was on the verge of sniffling again.  Then she reached out to her sister and engulfed her in a fierce hug.

“I’m sorry too, Kara.  I didn’t mean… it still hurts…”

Kara sniffled and nodded.

“I would die to have what you have with Lena.”  

Kara’s breath hitched.

“So why did you…?”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“What happened?”

“Remember last week?”

“At the bar?”

“Yes.  I brought someone…”

“Your friend from- no!”

Kara nodded sheepishly.

“She’s really cute and sexy, but still-“

Kara shook her head so vehemently her curls flew from side to side.

“It’s not like that!  She was just so sad and I thought meeting you guys would cheer her up and then she got really drunk and I took her home and she threw up and I cleaned her up and put her to bed then she kissed me and I was so lonely and horny that I kissed her back and one thing led to another…”

Alex’s mouth was open.  She opened another bottle and chugged it at one go.

“How long was Lena away when it happened?”

“Almost a week.”

Alex took a deep breath. “Sweetie, I’m trying not to judge… I think you do need to manage your expectations.  And you may be might just be a tiny bit… entitled.”

Kara nodded, humiliated.

“And now I think we should get really drunk.  Where’s the good stuff?”

“In the cabinet over the coffee corner.”

Alex rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a bottle with a clear liquid.  The label had “1414” printed on it. “Tequila.  Can I?”

Kara nodded. “Don’t forget the glasses.”

Alex set the glasses on the table and opened the bottle of clear liquid. “Maybe you should pour a drop of Zazarakh first.”  She moved the glass to Kara who held the bottle from New Genesis in both hands.

Kara poured a drop which glittered like sunlight on its way down.

It hit the bottom of the glass which vaporized immediately.

Without thinking Kara wiped the surface where the glass had been with her hand.

“Kara!” Alex shrieked.

Kara held out her hand:  traces of the glowing liquid was on it.

“Does it hurt?”  

Kara shook her head, then licked her palm.

“Tastes pretty potent.”

Alex nodded weakly and poured herself a very generous helping tequila. “You’ll have to drink from the bottle.  I’ll stick to this.”

They toasted each other and drank.

*                                            *                                   *                                        *

Hours later the very drunk Danvers sisters were lying down head by head on the floor.

“Alex?”

“Mhmm?”

“How did *you* learn about sex?”

Alex finished the last of the tequila straight from the bottle.  “You cannot tell *anyone* about this.”

“Pinky swear.”

“When I was six, I walked in on mom and dad doing it…”

“Wait what?!”  Kara got to her hands and knees and gawped at Alex, who looked upside down to her. “Eliza and Jeremiah?!”

“They’re the only parents I have.  We have.  How do you think I got here?”

Kara sat down heavily.

“And then it happened again when I was eleven.  I thought it was going to keep happening every five years but luckily you came to live with us and it never happened again.”

“That must have been a relief.”

“Yeah.  I think mom and dad stopped doing it at home and went on ‘vacations’ because you know superpowers.”  She rolled over and looked up at Kara. “That was the first time you saved my life.”

They laughed hysterically for a full five minutes.

[anuschkalova]

The Backup Plan (Chapter 1: The Approaching) Elliot x Reader

Summary: Elliot who suffers from weekly crying attacks finds comfort by chatting with a girl called Y/N that he met online. They have a real mutual understanding and grow close. Elliot enjoys the virtual connection, but is soon forced to step out of his comfort zone.  Pairing: Elliot Alderson x Reader Word count: 2.795 Part 2 HERE

If Elliot had to name one thing that he hated the most, it would be his loneliness.

He hated it whenever the silence overfilled his apartment, making him aware of the missing. He hated the overwhelming sadness that attacked his body, forcing him to curl up into a weeping ball and let it all out. He hated his own fucking blubbering; it was pathetic.  And he hated the fact that his morphine was out. 

Elliot squeezed the empty plastic can in his hand and threw it against the wall. „Fuck!“, he spat and pulled at his hair in frustration, walking in circles. Tonight was far worse than usual - his whole mind was intoxicated by the mixture of every single negative thought he had collected over the years, and this damn mental cocktail was hard to swallow. 

He needed something else to numb the pain, to turn his overheated system into sleep mode. What Elliot needed was a backup plan, a good one and preferentially in the next few seconds.

Flipper’s sudden barking made him slightly jump and Elliot stared at the little dog. She always did this during his crying sessions, probably because she sensed his anxiety. But the longer Elliot stared at the big round black eyes it seemed they fixed something behind him, so he turned and sighed. The computer.

„Of course…“ Elliot sat down and furiously tipped on the keyboard, bringing the monitor to life. Its harsh light illuminated his puffy face and the rest of the dimmed room. 

One klick and the browser opened, Elliot typed swiftly and the white page turned into his surrender: the blue version of his morphine - the most popular social media platform. He created an account, logged in and began searching. Looking for someone to write to, getting off his mind for the moment, exchanging nonsense and feeling normal for once. He went to ‚public groups‘ and thought about a topic, something that his future dialog partner would share with him; a common interest was essential for a fluent conversation. Elliot knew that, but only theoretical.  It was a group called Best movies of all time where he read Y/N’s comment about The Nightcrawler, discussing the two faces of society with three other members and without thinking twice his hands had already started a private conversation.

Elliot A., 12:43  What are your favorite movies?

He brought one hand to his mouth and bit at his knuckles impatiently. Shit, he was so desperate that he forgot a ‚Hey‘ or ‚How are you‘. She probably won’t answer him. One minute had passed and the loneliness was still there. Elliot moved the cursor to close the conversation, eager to find someone else, when a noise accompanied the new message he got.

Y/N, 12:45  I will tell you after a proper greeting.

Elliot A., 12:45  Hey.

He hesitated and typed more.

Elliot A., 12:45  Hey. I’m sorry.

God, why did he have to be that awkward? But nevertheless, he got an answer again.

Y/N, 12:46  Hey, don’t be. I was just messing with you ;-) I do like thriller movies like Shutter Island, Split and Hick. What about you?

Elliot felt his tensed shoulders relax as his eyes roamed over the letters. 

Elliot A., 12:46  Sounds interesting. I like any kind of movie as long as it’s good.

Y/N, 12:46  Haha, and what is ‚good‘?

Elliot A., 12:46  Back to the future is pretty good.

Y/N, 12:47  Yeah, I’ve seen it. So you like the sci-fi genre or just the imagination of traveling through time?

Elliot A., 12:47  Don’t we all wish to do that somehow?

Y/N, 12:47  In order to escape reality, yes. 

Elliot leaned closer to the monitor. He felt a weird sensation, as if somebody had put a cozy blanket over his back and rubbed the soft fabric on his skin while whispering I understand you. Did Y/N understand him?

Elliot A., 12:47  Do you wish to escape reality sometimes?

His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he awaited her answer. Elliot was so nervous that he didn’t register his burning eyes due to not blinking. His body however forced him to do so and after his eyes were set back to the monitor he had a new message.

Y/N, 12:48  Yes.

Her answer was short, but it revealed so much more. Elliot, intrigued by Y/N, clicked on her picture to visit her profile. It was set private, so he just stared at her smiling face. She looked so happy and open-minded, her messy bun had lost some strains of hair that framed her blushed cheeks. What story hid beneath those sparkling eyes? What made her wish to escape reality? Elliot’s fingers began to tingle, they always did before he hacked a person. He felt the urge to open her sealed book, reading the missing lines that would complete her story, the beginning and the ripped out pages - he wanted to know everything - every misery and every secret. 

The familiar annoying noise of another message interrupted his thoughts.

Y/N, 12:49  I don’t want to seem weird or anything, considering we chatted for only 5 minutes, but I’m glad you texted me, Elliot. 

Every word became more blurry as Elliot’s eyes teared up. He ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath. Her honesty unwrapped his true intention, so gently and careful not to rip the thin paper that covers his vulnerability. 

Elliot A., 12:49  I am the weird one. I know it must sound pathetic, but I needed someone to talk to.

Y/N, 12:49  Then you’re not alone. I need someone to talk as well. Idk why, but it’s so much easier with a stranger than a friend.

There it was. He read the sentence over and over like a mantra. You’re not alone. You’re not alone. You’re not alone. And then, the loneliness was gone. Elliot, who went to therapy for over two years now, started to understand Krista’s words. His therapist always urged him to tell his thoughts instead of bottling it all up inside. Now, the relief was overwhelming as the lid was removed, the inner pressure left his body in pleasant small waves. 

Elliot A., 12:49  I understand you. 

Y/N, 12:50  :-) Btw, I guess you’re a man? You have a unisex name, my sister’s name is Elliot as well. 

Elliot A., 12:50  You’re right. How do you know?

He had no profile picture and no information given to the site besides his name. Of course Elliot had used a fake e-mail account during the registration process. The internet was not trustworthy. 

Y/N, 12:50  The way you write gives it away. Or maybe I just traveled through time and got a glimpse of you.

She tried to lighten up the mood and Elliot appreciated it. His lips twitched into a quick smile before he typed his answer.

Elliot A., 12:51  I take option two. So how do I look?

It took a while for Y/N to answer, so he went over to Flipper’s bowl to fill it with fresh water. The little dog wagged its tail happily while drinking. The roll chair creaked when Elliot sat back to read her text.

Y/N, 12:55  You have bright eyes, blue or green, I couldn’t tell in the short time and you have natural curly hair, brunette and not too short. You wear glasses and a knitted oversized sweater with cats on it.

Elliot A., 12:56  I almost believed you. 

Y/N, 12:56  Was worth the try and hey, I don’t judge.

Elliot A., 12:56  I’m more a dog person. 

Y/N, 12:56  Cool. What’s his/her name?

Elliot A., 12:56 Flipper.

And so Elliot told Y/N the story of how he got Flipper, of course leaving out the hacking part, and they continued writing about this and that. He learned that she was addicted to coffee and long hot baths; that she enjoyed going to the cinema and secretly danced at home to 80’s music. Y/N on the other hand found out that Elliot worked for a cybersecurity company and that he had a sister as well. When Y/N excused herself for a moment, Elliot checked the time. It was 2:28 am and for the first time during this day he was calm. The anxiety had crawled back into the back door of his mind and Elliot won’t open it for the rest of the night. He decided to end the chat and go to sleep, work awaited him in 4.5 hours.

Elliot A., 02:28  I’ll go to bed now. It was nice talking to you, Y/N. 

Y/N, 02:29  Alright. Good night, Elliot. Keep the systems clean :-)

Elliot A., 02:29  I will.

Y/N, 02:29  See you soon.

___

That conversation took place on a Sunday night, and since then the two of them would chat every time Elliot suffered from his loneliness. He could go for a week, completely fine by himself, enduring the lack of human interactions in his life, just to break down within the safety of his apartment. But Elliot had his personal backup plan - Y/N. They wrote about nonsense and meaningful things, about deep emotions and opinions. She was the anchor when his anxiety washed over him like a giant wave, she would keep him on the surface and Elliot stopped panicking.

The routine was set like a clock:  Crying and writing to Y/N. One week past. Crying and writing to Y/N. One week past. Crying again and writing to Y/N.

It worked. She became an important part in Elliot’s life and so it was only natural for him to hack her. He had lasted two days before he gave in and followed his nature. Private messages with friends and family, bank and e-mail accounts, online-shopping activities and social media profiles were not safe from Elliot’s endless thirst for knowledge. He was more than glad to find out that she told him the truth. Then, something caught his attention in her browser’s history, a specific search.

>>Cybersecurity company New York Elliot<<

Y/N had tried to find him. Elliot leaned back in his chair and kept his eyes locked to his name. It was understandable, her wish to put a face to the person she spend hours and hours writing to. Elliot got it, but he still felt uneasy about the imagination showing her his face.  Their relationship would reach a new level of intimacy. He wouldn’t be a screen to her anymore, but a real human. A human she could meet in real life.

„Elliot?“ Krista’s soft voice addressed him, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.  Today was Thursday and Elliot sat on the large couch of his therapist’s office. She titled her head a little. „You are quieter than usual. What are you thinking about?“ Elliot refused to meet her eyes and instead looked down at his fumbling hands. He hadn’t told Krista about Y/N until now.

„I’ve met someone…“ Elliot could see from the corner of his eyes how the woman’s head lifted up, eyebrows raised. He got her full attention. „That’s great, Elliot. Tell me about him, her.“ „Her name is Y/N… We are writing a lot“, he said slowly and his face softened. It was the first time he said her name out loud and he liked the way it left his lips. Krista noticed the change of Elliot’s mimic and smiled in satisfaction. Seeing her patient like that really warmed her heart.

„So you haven’t met Y/N so far?“ Elliot’s head twitched slightly and he turned towards the window. „Elliot?“ „I’m afraid of showing her my face. What if she’ll be disappointed?“, he spoke quietly and Krista watched him swallowing hard, fighting against the upcoming tears.

„What if I won’t match her expectations? We live in a world where looks and status rule. Swiping left because the nose is too big or the eyes are too narrowed, the first impression is always crucial for a relationship.“ Elliot began to shake as the anger built up, his eyes darting across the room before he finally locked gazes with his therapist. Krista raised her hand and motioned him to calm down. He took a deep breath and clenched his hands. 

„You are talking about relationships. Do you feel something for Y/N and are afraid of her possible rejection?“ Elliot shrugged his shoulder and kept his eyes down. „But Elliot, she must be special if you write so much with her. Do you really believe that she’s superficial and will abandon you?“ Krista was right. Y/N wasn’t like the others, she was willing to write to a complete stranger who’s face she hadn’t seen. She had trusted him and what did Elliot do? Hacking and accusing her for being a hypocrite. 

„No…“, he mumbled and Krista nodded. „I know I tell you this every time, but real human interactions are important for you, Elliot.“

___

Y/N, 10:13  Hey, how are you? 

Elliot frowned at Y/N’s message. It had been three days since his last crying session and she was never the one who approached him first. Y/N always waited for him to start the conversation, because she probably knew not to push him.

Elliot A., 10:14  Hey, is everything okay?

She didn’t answer right away and it fed Elliot’s worry. He tipped his fingers against the wooden desk and his nervous tick made Flipper bark in response. „Sorry“, he said to the dog and finally he heard the noise of a new message.

Y/N, 10:17  I’m sorry it’s just… I feel so alone right now. My shithead of boyfriend broke up with me and I’m not sad about it, just really mad. I knew that he cheated on me and I planed on breaking up, it’s just that he accused me of destroying the relationship… He blamed me for everything and it’s just so frustrating.

Guilt laid heavily on Elliot’s shoulder as he recalled today’s therapy session. He also had blamed his anxiety on her and Elliot regretted it. He also regretted hacking her and therefore feeling the lack of surprise. He had read the chats of Y/N and her boyfriend, hacked his profiles and found out about his dirty secret named Samantha. Judging by the texts, he had cheated on Y/N for 1.5 years and Elliot was often tempted to blow his cover.

But he didn’t, because Y/N knew it. She wrote with her sister about his cheating and how she was going to break up with him. Or using her words ‚beating his ass up‘.

Elliot A., 10:18  Don’t be sorry. I would feel the same. He is more than a shithead if he gives up on such a smart and funny woman.

He hoped that his words eased her pain a little. God, he was so bad at this. How did Y/N just managed to safe him every time he was close to falling apart? He saw her typing, but then she paused a moment before she continued.

Y/N, 10:20  Thank you, Elliot. 

She was holding back something, he felt it.

Elliot A., 10:20  You can tell me anything, Y/N. Don’t hide.

Elliot scoffed at his own text. Don’t hide. He should be the last person telling her to not hide. But his words actually reached her and Elliot’s heart stopped beating when he saw her plead.

Y/N, 10:22  I just wish you could hold me in your arms. I’m sorry if it’s weird, but I trust you so much and I know you probably want to keep it this way and maybe it’s just because of my emotions, but I want to know you more.

Elliot could visualize her crying face - eyes red and cheeks glistening from her salty tears. She must be so desperate if she asked him for the one thing she knew he avoided all the time. Elliot’s backup plan was a real human with real emotions and a beating heart. Y/N had saved him so many times, so wasn’t it his turn to return the favor? His hands ghosted over the keyboards, waiting for his brain’s order. He wet his dry lips as he tipped his message to her.

Elliot A., 10:24  We can meet tomorrow if that’s okay.

To be continued… Part 2 HERE

[pointy-hat-witch]

Title: Elevator Series: Leap of Faith Show: Haikyuu!! Pairing: Daichi/Sugawara Summary: Office AU in which Daichi and Suga get stuck in an elevator late after work. What possibly can go wrong after this? :D A/N: wrote 85% of this at 2 am in three different nights, please bear with my self-indulgent writing! Don’t take my second hand knowledge about media design at face value haha

You can read it on AO3 if you want to! :)

The day started out great. He woke up refreshed, had a small but nice breakfast and he didn't need to run to catch his train. The weather was pleasantly chill, the winter cold was finally letting go to the soft warmth of spring, so Suga didn't have to wear 4 layers of clothes in which he would start to sweat as soon as he was on the train anyway.

Work wasn't slow in the least, but he loved the rush. Phone calls came ringing in by the minute, documents were thrown on his desk, meetings were called last minute and Suga was thriving in his element. It was known by everyone and he was praised often enough for being so level headed especially in times when everyone else was being caught by the rush and feeling overwhelmed. 

His way too late and way too short lunch break consisted of some hastily thrown together sandwich and an overly sugared coffee. He took some deep breaths in the break room, enjoying the few moments of silence before he sprung to his feet again to jump right back into the office.

So, when he was done with all his work and was about to leave in time, which was a small miracle in itself considering the stressful day, his supervisor beelined into his vision. Brown hair waved by his movement and a dazzling smile on his lips.

"Suga-chan." he sing-songed and Suga knew in seconds, his evening was fucked.

"Oikawa-senpai." An equally dazzling smile found its way to his lips. "What can I do for you? I was just heading out." He knew Oikawa didn't really care or would consider his hidden request but it was the least Suga could do to show his displeasure.

"I know, I know. And I am so, so sorry." Oikawa huffed dramatically, "but I really, really need this asap." Oikawa handed him a few sheets of paper and with a glance Suga scanned the information he was about to put in a presentation.

His smile didn't waver once. "Of course, Oikawa-senpai. I wouldn't want you to stay behind since your cats would miss you greatly."

"Rude!" Oikawa puffed his cheeks but Suga already plopped down on his chair again, opening his software program. 

Oikawa left the office a few minutes later, waving him goodbye in an overeagerly way which Suga decided to ignore. He wanted to leave as soon as possible but wouldn't give Oikawa the satisfaction of throwing together some half assed presentation because they both knew, Suga would do an amazing job.

After another few agonizing hours, his software crashing about two times, leaving Suga in a fit of exasperation and curses, he finally shut down his PC at around 10 pm, effectively ruining his evening for good. 

Suga grabbed his suitcase, threw his jacket and scarf over his shoulder and shuffled to the elevator. The counter indicated that the elevator took his sweet time from one of the top floors towards his floor and with a soft ping the doors glided open.

Suga was about to step in, one hand holding his suitcase, the other slightly losing his tie when he was face to face with another person. At this hour, it was the least he expected. The last of his functioning brain cells even reminded him, that the elevator came from the floors from above, which means this other person was one of the top tiers.

Well, besides being top tier in being hot.

Suga's breath hitched for a fraction of a second and he stepped in, eyeing the buttons to his right and noticing that the button for the ground floor was already pressed.

He stepped to the side, staying side by side with his boss, to some extent.

Neither said a word when the door closed again. Suga was a little put-off, both from the other man and himself. He prided himself at always being polite and considerate but after today he didn't feel like saying something just because it was the right thing to do. Not that the other man was doing something different.

Suga finally allowed himself a longer glance at him. He stood tall, in one hand an equally big suitcase but obviously fancier and the other hand in his pocket. The suit looked tailor made and brought out his wide shoulders. His hair was cut short and his piercing eyes were aggressively focused on the ground, almost as if he hadn’t notice Suga yet. Or just chose to ignore him.

If Suga wasn't so exhausted and if the other man wasn't his boss and if they were anywhere else, Suga would have probably hit on him. But these were a lot of ifs. 

Suga's eyes wandered back to the door in front of them, exhaled with a soft hum and he pushed his hair back. He was so looking forward to his bed.

Apparently, this sound and action brought his neighbor out of his trance and his head snapped around so fast, Suga was afraid he got whiplashed.

"What the fuck?" His voice was deep, even more so at the low growl. His eyes were narrowed and fixed at Suga who wished they were trained back at the floor. He wasn't in the mood to deal with another superior.

Suga put on his trademark smile and turned his face ever so slightly to acknowledge the other's outburst.

"Late night, huh?"

"Whatever." 

Suga blinked. His smile frozen on his face, he inwardly rolled his eyes. Do not, he told himself, I repeat, do not engage. This isn't worth anything.

"That bad, huh." It rolled from his lips without his consent and Suga had to bite the inside of his cheeks. His brain must have been fried even more than he thought.

"Exactly." It was hissed with venom and menace that Suga could even hear him say talk to me any more and you'll regret it.

It was late, Suga was spent and he wasn't about to start an argument with some unfair hot guy in a constricted room. His eyes found their way back to the numbers above the door, yellowish on the black screen counting down. 

"Ever thought about why there isn't any music in elevators anymore?" 

Apparently, Suga did have a death wish. Or at least wanted to get fired. He didn't even care anymore. He just wanted to get out of his misery.

The man turned almost fully to him, eyes blazing burning hatred. 

"Can you please just shut the fu-"

His last syllabus was caught by the abrupt halt of the elevator. For a second, they both stared at each other in disbelief. Their eyes snapped to the door, which remained closed and the number above it. It showed the lower half of the number "11" and the upper half of "10".

Suga let out a shaky breath. This was just impossible. Shaking his head, he walked over to the dashboard littered with buttons for each floor and a few others.

"What are you doing?" The voice had dropped its hatred for the world and everybody in it.

"Trying to get out of here?" Suga said incredulous, ending on a high note as if asked a question. He pushed at a red button and a blaring alarm echoed through the small space. Suga winced.

They waited for a few seconds. Nothing happened. 

Suga pushed the button one more time, a little longer not without noticing the disapproving look from his side.

Another 30 seconds past in silence.

"Seriously? What is even the point of this thing?!" The man drove a hand through his short hair and his eyes jumped from one corner to the other at the ceiling searching for something.

"Probably just for during the day, so someone can hear it." Suga answered nonchalantly. His eyes wandered to the other buttons. One of them displaying some sort of speaker. He pressed it and a green light flamed up.

"Excuse me? Hello?" Suga leaned forward as if there was a speaker near the green light. 

There was some uncomfortable silence until the light turned red and static noise filled the room.

"You alright, guys?" A rough voice jarred through a hidden intercom.

Suga sighed in relief and heard his newfound roommate do the same.

"Could be better", he chuckled. 

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." There was some more static noise. "I'm already trying to get the maintenance service on the line to get that thing rolling again. If worse comes to worst, I call the fire department."

Suga nodded despite not knowing if the other one can see him. "Sounds good. Thank you."

"I'll keep you posted." And the room was silent again.

Suga leaned back against the door facing his companion who was leaning at his exact opposite unbuttoning his blazer. There was some awkward silence when their eyes met, and both averted their eyes. 

Suga bit his lips. 

"Sorry about earlier. I don't even know why I said that." Suga swallowed. A lump formed when there was no immediate answer.

"No. I am sorry. I shouldn't have vented my anger at you." The voice was still deep but was dipped with genuine remorse.

Suga looked up and their eyes met again. His eyes were a deep brown and Suga couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sure whoever got you to stay behind deserved your wrath. My supervisor sure does."

This earned him a chuckle and he felt his cheeks warm up.

"Yeah, probably." The other said with a smile.

"Sugawara Koushi." Suga blurted. The other man’s eyebrow popped up queryingly. "My name is Sugawara", almost falling over his own words, adding "but everyone calls me Suga."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Suga." And, oh hell, did his name sound good on his lips. "Everyone calls me Daichi."

Suga's smile was back, this time with even more enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you, too, Daichi. Even though the circumstances could be better."

Daichi shrugged. "Could be worse."

"How so?"

"Your supervisor could be stuck with us, for example."

Suga snorted. "Oh god, please no. That would be torture for everyone involved."

Before Daichi could say something else, static noise interrupted him.

"Got a hold of 'em. They will be here in 'bout 20 minutes. Can't fix that remotely, so they have to come to do it manually."

They both let out a breathy groan. 

"Thanks, Ukai." Daichi piped up this time.

"Oh? Sawamura-san, another late night?"

Daichi chuckled slightly. "Yeah. And here I was hoping for a night coming home before midnight."

Suga didn't get the rest of the small exchange, white noise filling his head. He was stuck in an elevator with the company’s boss’s son. Which he annoyed just earlier. In an elevator. Which was stuck. With said person. 

Suga let go of his suitcase and buried his face in his hands with a groan. This just couldn't be happening.

He snapped out of it when he felt one hand on his shoulder and another one prying his hands from his face away. Daichi leaned over into his personal space with furrowed eyebrows and concern written all over his face.

"Suga! You good?"

Suga nodded frantically and forced his hands back to his side. "Yes, uh, sir. Never been better."

Daichi's eyes darkened. "What's with the 'sir', huh?"

The lump was back in his throat and Suga had to swallow a few times. "I, uh ..." Well, so much for eloquence.

Daichi sighed and took a step back, leaning against the opposite wall again with slightly hunched shoulders. Suga could punch himself. Since when did he care about stuff like that so much? Maybe since he was stuck with the second most important person in his workplace in an elevator. 

He leaned his head back against the door with a quiet thud and sighed.

"So, do you know why there is no music anymore?"

Daichi's head perked up again and just blinked a few times until his gaze softened and a smile played at his lips. "No clue. Care to enlighten me?"

"How would I know?" Suga shrugged and his lips stretched into a sheepish smile causing Daichi's eyes to widen in surprise.

A second later Daichi burst out laughing and Suga followed suit. Suga hugged himself and leaned forward as a wave of laughter bubbled out of him and Daichi pressed against the wall with one hand covering his eyes. The laughter bounced back and forth in the small room and it rang in their ears. 

Suga heaved and wiped away a single tear, still giggling when he caught his breath. Daichi huffed out the aftermath of his outburst and shook his head.

"Are you always that smooth at ice breaking?" A soft chuckle followed the last word and Daichi coughed. Suga got enough air back in his lungs, still holding his middle and grinned.

"Only when I risk losing my job by getting on the nerves of my boss." 

"And getting stuck in an elevator right after?"

"And that, yes." Suga took a deep breath to even out his breathing and shuddered. The elevator was getting cold fast, so he took his jacket and lay it over his shoulders. Daichi had pocketed both his hands and hummed at him.

"How does this normally end then?"

Daichi cocked his eyebrow and Suga was sure that for a second there shone something like a challenge, but it could be just his imagination and he had to bite his lips to blurt out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Getting fired." He deadpanned. 

Daichi snorted. "Aren't there easier ways to get fired?"

"But where would be the fun in that?" Suga asked, dramatically putting one hand to his chest. 

"This is your kind of fun?" With an incredulous huff, Daichi played with the buttons on his blazer. Suga eyed the white dress shirt which seemed to be rather tight around Daichi's chest.

"Uh huh." He hummed.

There was some unrestrained silence until Daichi took a deep breath and Suga snapped out of his trance to look at Daichi who stared unfocused at the panel of buttons. 

"So, what is your position?" His face still turned to the panel, his eyes wandered over to Suga and their gaze met.

Suga straightened his shoulders a little. "Do you ask so you know where to look for me so you can fire me?"

"Wouldn't you tell me then? With that being already your plan?" 

They snickered at each other. 

"Design department. Doing all this fancy stuff for your presentations, graphics, and layouting."

"Huh." Daichi nodded in thought. "Always wondered who had the time to put everything together like that." 

Suga snorted. "I didn't study that shit for someone calling it "having the time for something like that". Graphic design is my passion." Stone-faced he looked at Daichi who burst in another laughter, making Suga's stomach doing a backflip. 

Daichi was still catching his breath when static noise filled the elevator again.

"You don't goin' crazy, do you?" Ukai chuckled.

"I'm not so sure on Daichi's part." Suga leaned forward near the panel, putting some effort in sounding panicky.

Ukai barked out a laugh. "I think, for this one, all hope is lost already." Suga huffed. 

"The maintenance guys just arrived and are now working on getting that thing working again. So, sit tight, shouldn't be long anymore."

Suga thanked Ukai for letting them know and leaned back and grinned at Daichi with a smug smile. 

"So, you already lost your marbles and didn't let me know?"

"Where would be the fun in that?"

Suga blinked once before registering his words getting thrown back at him. A giggle bubbled out of his chest, laughing wholeheartedly. It was some time ago, that he could banter with someone this freely. Where had Daichi been all this time?

When their eyes met again, Daichi was smiling at Suga with just a small smile but it was radiating a warmth Suga felt deep in his core. Suga opened his mouth to retaliate something but was interrupted with his own rumbling stomach.

A deep red crept over his ears to his cheeks and Suga swallowed a nervous chuckle. Daichi tilted his head to the left and looked at him queryingly.

"Lunch was a little way ago." Suga finally admitted. In his defense, he was planning on getting some well-earned dinner and maybe a glass of wine and having a relaxing evening. He maybe should have planned on staying late but he could never had thought about getting stuck in an elevator. In one of the most prestigious marketing companies in the city.

Daichi kneeled down in a squat to open his suitcase and retrieved a small paper bag from it, holding it up towards Suga.

Now it was Suga's turn to look at Daichi queringly. Daichi rolled with his eyes.

"It's what is left of my lunch. There were enough meetings with snacks and a sudden meet up over dinner, so I'm stuffed anyway."

After some hesitation, he accepted the paper back and gave Daichi a small pout.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it must be so hard getting all the good food all day." Suga peeked inside the bag and saw two neatly cut sandwiches. His stomach growled again as if to answer the sight. 

Suga sighed into the bread when he took the first bite. It was just a simple sandwich, cheese, salad, tomatoes, cucumber, and some mayo, but it felt like a 5 stars restaurant-worthy meal right now.

Daichi observed him with an upward tuck on his lips. "Tasty?"

"The best." Suga almost moaned with his mouth full. 

"Aw, shucks, maybe I should have opted for the sandwich instead of the restaurant dinner, then." Daichi couldn't suppress a smug smile.

Suga glared at him and just shoved more of this god forbidden tasty sandwich in his mouth. All too fast both were gone, and his stomach was just barely satisfied but at least it was not growling anymore. 

Suga sighed and crumbled the paper bag in a small ball and tucked it away in his pocket to throw it away later.

"Thanks, Daichi. That saved my life." Suga looked back at Daichi, folding his hands in front of him and gave him an earnest smile.

Daichi looked at him, lips slightly parted as if to say something, but nothing came out. The silence was, yet again, interrupted with static noise.

"Hey, uh, guys?" Ukai cleared his throat. "Don't wanna ruin your evening any more, but ..." He broke off at the end and Daichi furrowed his eyebrows.

"But?" he promoted Ukai to continue.

"Well, the thing is, the maintenance guys kinda, uh, short-circuited some of the cables and, yeah, the whole thing has to reboot, and the cables have to be replaced." Ukai cleared his throat again, helplessly waiting for some confirmation.

Suga groaned inwardly, leaning his head back against the door again and counted to ten. 

"And that means?" Daichi gritted through his teeth. He didn't look any happier than Suga.

"They say it takes about another 20 to 30 minutes for that to finish?" Ukai raised his voice as if to ask a question.

Daichi sighed defeated and slumped down to the ground, stretching his arms over his knees. Suga waited for a second and mirrored his action but tucked his knees tight to his chest and folding his arms around them.

"Sorry about that." Ukai said meekly and the static noise was off again.

An uncomfortable silenced stretched between them, nothing to say to their predicament for the moment. Suga let out a heavy sigh and skidded to a more comfortable position, facing Daichi directly.

"Nothing to do about that." It sounded empty even to him, but he meant it. Fretting about how the evening got worse and worse wouldn't change anything. So, Suga tried to think positive and to make the best out of it.

Daichi raised his head to look at him, blinking at him just so defeated it almost broke Suga's heart.

"Hey. You alright?"

Daichi threw him a hint of a smile and huffed. 

"I just ..." He bit his lip and stared at the floor in front of him, their feet could touch each other if they would push them both out.

Suga didn't say anything, giving Dachi the time he needed to sort his thoughts or whatever he was doing. 

"Today wasn't a good day and I just wanted to go home." Daichi finally mumbled. One of his hands balled to a fist which the other hold as tight, pressing them at his forehead. 

In a sudden burst of confidence, Suga pushed himself up and with one big step sat down next to Daichi, nudging him with his shoulder.

"Wanna talk about it?" His voice dropped in volume, sounding way more intimate than intended. 

Daichi either didn't notice or decided not to say anything about it. His hands were still clasped at each other but rested a little more at ease between his knees. His eyes were focused at some point on the ground.

"Or I could tell you about my good for nothing supervisor, so you should reconsider firing me and rather thinking about firing him and promoting me." Suga chuckled and warmth filled him when he got an equal chuckle in response.

"Well then, knock yourself out." 

"Oh, boy", Suga leaned back and stared at the ceiling, "he is one of those self-infatuated people. His hair has to be perfect or else his day will be ruined. His coffee has to be right on time and with way too much sugar and cream or else his day will be ruined. Every commission, task, job, whatever, has to be on his desk, before he comes in, so he knows exactly what is going on, or else his day will be ruined. Everybody has to greet him as enthusiastically as himself or-"

"-else his day will be ruined." Daichi snorted. "I think, I got that part."

Suga puffed his cheeks in a mocking pout but soon smiled sheepishly. 

"Well, yeah. Everything about him is just so infuriating." He tossed his hands in the air before crossing them in front of his chest. He huffed. 

"Just yesterday, we had such a good run with this god awful poster and don't get me started on the customer", Suga shook his head, "but we finally managed to get their approval about the layout and started to get the last clearance from the printing department, when", Suga paused dramatically, "when Mr. I-need-everything-perfect-or-else-my-day-will-be-ruined, what a mouthful, decided he didn't like the hue of the blue in the background. The fucking hue?! Pretentious as fuck. So, he called the customer and convince them to change their mind. So, we had another extra hour to argue about a different background color. And guess what?" Suga turned to Daichi looking at him with a blank look.

"In the end, it was the same. fucking. color." Suga groaned into his hands. "What a waste of time." He mumbled.

Daichi awkwardly patted Suga's shoulder in an attempt for consolation. Suga's hands fell down and gave Daichi a weak smile.

"But if he hadn't pointed out the wrong color we wouldn't have noticed an error in the color model of the file. Like, they were RGB instead of CMYK and if we gave it for clearance, the poster would be printed all wrong." His eyes were unfocused at the spot at the door he sat before.

"Oikawa needs everything perfect and because of that, he pushes us to do the same. With him our productivity increased significantly, jobs get done faster, most of the time. Customers are more satisfied overall thanks to him." Suga concluded with a deep exhale.

"You know", Daichi said quietly, "you're doing a pretty bad job at getting him fired and earning a promotion." 

Suga laughed out loud elbowing Daichi in the arm. Arms packed with muscles he registered subconsciously. 

"Shut up." 

Daichi gave him one of his small but warm smiles again and Suga felt his ears getting hot again. 

"So, you don't like your boss very much but recognize his hard work?" Daichi stated after Suga had scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"Yeah, something like that." Suga hummed. It was hard to pinpoint his standing with Oikawa. Sometimes he could be your very best friend who listened to you in the dead of night while you cry your heart out and other times, he was the devil in person, not letting you go until he saw you beg for mercy. 

"I just think, we don't really fit work wise together but as a human being he isn't the worse." Suga put one hand to his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we could have even been friends." 

"Huh." Daichi leaned his head back and watched Suga from the corner of his eye. "So, you don't normally befriend your boss?"

"You're an exception." Suga's eyes widen as he blurted this out without thinking and clasped one hand of his mouth. Daichi just laughed.

"So, we're already friends, huh?" He turned his head towards Suga with a slightly serious expression. "I'd like that. I could ...", he hesitated, averting his eyes, "uh, use a friend." Making himself bashful he rubbed the back of his head and when he finally met Suga's gaze again, his breath hitched.

Suga's head rested against the wall behind him, a smile so bright it shone like the sun and his eyes glistened like marbles. 

"Yeah, I'd like that, too." he whispered, again dripping with some form of intimacy. Daichi slowly exhaled, consciously focusing on it so it didn't shake. For a moment they looked at each other with contempt as if their predicament was just non-existent.

"For what could you use a friend?" Suga asked quietly as if to not startle Daichi but without pressure for more.

Daichi huffed, eyes wandering back to the ceiling. His fingers found a loose thread at his sleeve and twirled it between his index finger and thumb.

"My father", he began almost too quiet for Suga to hear, just almost, "wants to set up a miai for me." 

Suga's heart stopped for a second and his chest froze so suddenly he had to suppress a shiver. He remained silent, giving Daichi the time if he wanted to continue.

"We had lots of arguments for last month. Well, actually for years but since he brought up the miai it's almost daily." Daichi closed his eyes defeated. "It's as if I talk to a wall. He just wants so desperately an heir, so the company stays in the family without even thinking about what I want. Or who I choose." The last words were just mumbled at the end. His eyes were lazed with sadness, hurt and frustration when he opened them again. 

"It's not that I chose to be like that. I just-" he ran one hand over his mouth, "I just wish he could accept me for who I am, y'know? And I can still come up with a solution for an heir or something. But he doesn't even try to understand even less accept that I just don't want to marry a woman just for the purpose to bear a child. Maybe I will fall in love with a woman. Maybe I will marry one. Maybe I get a child and they can be my heir to this god forsaken company. But maybe, maybe I will fall in love with a man." Daichi let out a heavy sigh. His head snapped up when he felt a hand on his arm, squeezing him. 

Suga looked at him with such warmth and understanding, something inside Daichi just broke. He pushed both heels of his hands against his eyes and a sob escaped his mouth. Startled by that he couldn't suppress the ones that followed, and he felt the wetness from his eyes dripping down his hands. It was just too much. He couldn't talk freely about this because his father didn't want any negative publicity for his company, caging his only son in the process. And because of this sheltered upbringing, Daichi never found it in himself to talk to his friends about that. But here, in this stuck elevator with a stranger, Daichi felt as if they were far from reality, some different plane of existence where he was allowed to be just him. In every way.

Two arms wrapped around his head, pressing him against a firm chest. Daichi didn't have to think, he just grabbed at the shirt in front of him, pressing his face against Suga's collarbone. His body shook with every sob, but the soothing hand caressing through his hair prevented him from hyperventilating. 

It took a few minutes until Daichi stopped sobbing, just silently shedding a few more tears until his breathing finally evened out. He took a deep breath, his nose was filled with the scent of fading men’s fragrance, and he pushed his head away from Suga, rather reluctantly, he admitted to himself.

Suga's grip loosened from Daichi, but his hands remained on Daichi's shoulders, kneeling between his legs. His eyes roamed Daichi's face with a hint of concern and rubbed with his sleeve the last tears away. He then grabbed Daichi's face with both hands and looked him right in the eyes, determined and furious.

"Never ever let some else define who you are. If you make someone uncomfortable just because of who you are, that's their fucking problem, not yours. Make them regret being assholes to you by being the happiest person in the world the way you want to be."

Daichi's eyes widened as he stared at Suga. He didn't realize he stopped breathing when he inhaled sharply. He nodded. 

"Good." Suga exhaled and a warm smile grazed his lips once again. His thumb caressed his cheek for just a second before he let go of Daichi's face. He plumbed back to the wall, this time nearer to Daichi so that their shoulders were pushed together.

"Thanks." Daichi croaked with a hoarse throat. Suga just hummed in response. 

They sat in comfortable silence, Daichi composing himself, Suga giving him space but reassurance by pressing his shoulder against his. When Suga shot a careful eye at Daichi and deemed him relaxed, he offered quietly:

"And if you want me to punch your father, just say so."

Daichi snorted. 

"You really are on a mission to get fired." 

"If that what it costs to make my friend feel better, in a heartbeat." Suga declared with too much honesty than necessary but it was worth by the smile he got in response.

"Thank you." Daichi repeated more firmly this time.

Suga beamed at him. "My pleasure." 

After a few seconds, Suga tilted his head a little and hummed thoughtfully.

The shoulder next to him nudged him to speak up. 

"Well, I was just wondering, why not meet up with your miai partner? I mean", Suga held up both hands, "I totally get why you don't want to. But maybe you're both in the same boat? And you could bond over shitty parents who only see profit and stuff?" His voice trailed off, unsure if he overstepped some boundaries but Daichi just shook his head.

"Nah, I know who she is already." His fingers found the loose thread again. "Met her a few times over business meetings and parties. We're fundamentally different." First, he sighed and then his expression formed a grimace. "She is very much like my father. Or could be his daughter. She is determined to do anything for her company, even marrying the son of the rival's company." 

"I'm sorry you have to deal with all of that." 

They both leaned into each other's shoulders, content with the silent of each other. Daichi felt like a huge burden lifted from his chest and he could finally breathe again. If he knew talking about this would feel this good, maybe he would have done that a long time ago. But maybe, it just had to be Suga who he needed to talk to. He closed his eyes, relaxing into the warmth by his side. Huh, wouldn't it be great to always feel it next to him?

"Holding up alright?" Ukai's voice hollered through the silence, making both of them jump.

"Y-yeah." Daichi stumbled to his feet, leaning closer to the intercom.

"Good news, those guys finally fixed the cables and all this stuff, the system is almost rebooted. Should be around 5 more minutes until this thing will move again."

They both sighed and Suga pushed himself up as well. 

"And don't get startled, when the system reboots, the lights will go out for a little bit. But then everything should be fine."

"Thanks, Ukai. See you soon I guess." Daichi chuckled and the line went silent again. He leaned back at the wall next to Suga and rolled his shoulders.

"Do you have a long way home?"

"Hmm", Suga weighed his head back and forth. "About 40 minutes." 

"Do you", Daichi buried his hands in the pockets of his slacks, "need a lift or something?"

Despite his cheeks burning, Suga cocked his eyebrow confidently. "Well, yes? After the first date, you're kind of obligated to drive your partner home, duh." Suga credited his bold flirting due to their predicament and he was basically starving, and sleep deprived. 

Daichi's ears were dusted crimson and he averted his eyes for a second. 

"Well, then I just have to." He mumbled bashfully. He took a deep breath and grinned. Suga was just almost too much for him. Just, almost. He leaned down to get his suitcase and when he stood back up, the light went out.

Even though they were warned, Suga jumped a little at Daichi, grasping for his hand. Their fingers slotted into each other without a hitch, as if meant to be. 

Suga was so surprised, he wasn't even embarrassed to grab for Daichi's hand. Especially not when Daichi squeezed his hand. Neither of them said a word, when Suga just ever so lightly felt a pair of lips at his temple, ghosting a kiss to it.

Then they were gone and Daichi let go of his hand. The next moment the lights went on again and Daichi was grinning at him. Suga responded with a wide smile.

The elevator jerked and then started moving, a quiet ping indicating that they arrived on the next floor and the doors glided open as if nothing ever happened. 

Suga grabbed his suitcase when they both bolted outside. They just drove down to the next floor but neither of them wanted to stay inside the elevator any more than necessary.

Suga groaned pleasantly at his new-found freedom, spreading his arms left and ride, turning around himself and laughing. 

"I never thought a stuffy hallway can be this liberating." 

Daichi huffed in agreement.

They heard footsteps approaching in a hurry and then two figures came bolting around the next corner. They both wore black jumpsuits with an orange embroidery on their chests. One of them tall with a buzzcut, the other pretty small and a blonde streak in his black hair, styled upwards.

They came to a screeching halt in front of them and without catching their breath, they bowed deeply before them.

"We are so, so sorry for this inconvenience. Please do not hesitate to- don't stop- We are so sorry!"

They stumbled over their own words, interrupting each other through their apology and snapped their mouths shut. 

Suga blinked once, twice. And then laughed. Daichi joined him a second later and they both heaved, trying to catch their breath. Suga wiped away one happy tear, his other hand waving at their apology.

"Everything's fine, don't worry." 

Daichi nodded in agreement, patting the shoulder of the smaller one. His eyes squinted for a moment when Daichi's hand almost pushed him down further. 

"Are you ... are you sure?" He asked hesitantly. It was late at night and they just trapped one of the most influential people in the city in an elevator by mistake.

"Sure thing. I just want to go home, you two should do the same." His face got serious and his voice lowered dangerously. "But if this is going to happen again, I will make you regret the day you were born."

They nodded frantically and bolted away the way they came.

Suga chuckled. "Was that really necessary?"

"I at least must maintain my pretense of unquestionable superiority." Daichi crossed his arms loosely and nodded to himself.

"Uh huh." Suga hummed. "Then pretend away. I, for one, learned that you're a big, old softy." He winked daringly and pushed the door open to his right, leading to the staircase. Daichi followed with a pout.

"I, uh", they walked down in an unhurried pace, "You wouldn't, uh, y'know ... you keep that a secret, right?" 

Suga bounced down two steps to turn around right in front of Daichi. 

"What is it worth to you keeping my mouth shut?" Mischief dripping through his voice while his eyes pierced through Daichi's daringly, borderline audacity.

Daichi stopped for a second, then took a step forward, standing just one step away from Suga and leaned down to him, their faces so close, Suga could feel Daichi's breath.

"What does your silence cost?" Daichi's voice was low. His eyes pinned Suga with an equal amount of boldness. Suga's cheek flared up and for a moment, he let himself imagine what it would feel like to lean in, brushing their lips together, pressing himself against Daichi's broad chest. 

But Suga knew, Daichi was so much more worth than just a kiss in the spur of a moment, possibly ruining their barely-even-there relationship. Even if Daichi looked like he wouldn't mind.

Suga swallowed. "Staying with you." Hardly a whisper, his breath ghosted over Daichi's lips.

Daichi's eyes softened. Every glimmer of boldness was gone, just warmth as he looked down at Suga. A smile tucked at his lips.

"I'd like that. I'd really, really like that." 

Suga mirrored his smile. For a while, nothing existed except them, staring into each other's eyes. In a wordless agreement, they parted and descended the rest of the stairs in silence.

When they arrived in the wide lobby, glass covering almost all of the front wall, a door opened from a small compartment to their side. A middle-aged man with dyed blond hair stepped out and waved at them.

"Not riding the elevator down, huh?" He gruffed, voice deep from smoking.

They both shook their heads chuckling.

"I'll pass. Probably for the next few weeks."

"You sure, you're up for walking up 20 floors every day, old man?" Suga smirked at Daichi, earning an elbow to his ribs. 

Ukai barked out another laugh. "At least you two seem to be fine. Now, hurry up and go home. You'll be here again soon enough.

Suga groaned. "Don't remind me." A look to his watch told him that he no way in hell will get enough sleep.

"Don't worry, that's the plan. Have a good night, Ukai, and thanks for your hard work." Daichi held up his hand, Suga bowed his head slightly in agreement and they walked outside.

The sky was dark but illuminated by the lights of the city that was still buzzing with life. Daichi led Suga to the underground parking garage, stopping in front of the only car on this floor. 

As soon as they sat down, Suga sighed closing his eyes. This felt like heaven. The seats were softer than his overpriced chair in his office, damnit. He heard Daichi pressing some buttons, fastening his seatbelt and the radio turned on, playing a low tune of classical music.

Suga blindly grabbed for his own seatbelt and fastened it. He felt the car moving, or rather hovering by the absence of noise and how smoothly it drove. They hadn't even left the garage when Suga's seat started to heat up. Suga hummed as he melted into his backrest. That was the car of the CEO's son, for a fact. 

"Where do you live?" Daichi spoke quietly, so he didn't startle Suga. 

Suga blinked outside the window and saw that they stopped right in front of the street. His head lolled to the other side, his eyes needed a moment to focus on Daichi's face. He mumbled his address and waited for a nod from Daichi in confirmation and then closed his eyes again.

Suga wouldn't deny the possibility that he fell asleep at some point. He opened his eyes again when he felt a light tap against his arm, looking at warm, brown eyes.

"We're here." Daichi hummed.

Suga had to blink the sleep away a few times and startled up. "Oh." He breathed out. That was fast. Disappointment spread in his chest, but he pushed it away.

"Uhm, thank you, Daichi. You really didn't need to." He scratched his cheek, remembering how bold he demanded this ride. 

"Don't mention it. I would have insisted anyway." 

"Alright." Suga swallowed again. He kind of dreaded exiting the car. That would mean it was over. Not that he knew what "it" was, but it felt like this ... thing they had, this spell would be broken. But he wasn't someone who would linger too much.

"Have a safe trip home, Daichi." A lazy, but heartfelt smile formed on his lips. "Even though I could imagine better ways to spend my evening, I", he chuckled, "I had fun. I couldn't think of anyone better to get stuck in an elevator."

Daichi chuckled in agreement. "Same here. Not that I want a repetition of this, but", he played with the keys still stuck in the ignition, "if you're up for it, we could ... hang out again?"

"I'd love to." The words floated out without thinking, making his ears heat up for the nth time this evening.

Suga nodded again, more to himself, reaching over to squeeze Daichi's forearm and opened the door. 

"Good night, Daichi."

"Good night, Suga." Daichi watched Suga leaving his car, walking up to the apartment building and entering it. His eyes lingered for a few seconds more and then started the car again, rolling off the parking space. This day started out a lot worse than most days and Daichi thought it would even end the same way, but Suga came into his life like a hurricane and turned this day upside down. Probably, most likely even, not only this day but the following days as well. 

Daichi hummed in tune to the low music, smiling to himself.