#tomorrow i’ll probably get to the more comprehensible and serious asks

[simcardiac-arrested]

me after a whole day of drawing silly goofy stuff

[meowsuguru]

toji fushiguro x reader - mechanic au

toji fushiguro x fem reader // mechanic!toji // nsfw

a/n: first fic!! pls enjoy!! any requests my inbox is open :) i need to write more…

——————————————————————————

“what is this, a ‘64?” toji whistles as you nod and hold out your keys to him, your red chevy impala barely having made it to the auto shop. he wipes his hands clean with a rag, and grabs your keys.

“let’s see what’s up with this beaut.”

he turns the ignition and lets it sing, and it runs smoothly for a minute. until it goes dead. no lights, no engine, nothing.

“this has been happening about every two miles or so,” you groan, putting your head in your hands. you were hopeless. given this beautiful car by your father, and you had no idea what you were getting yourself into.

“ah, could be the firewall connectors. easy fix, i’ll just have to order the wires. we don’t have that kinda stuff for your beauty in here.” toji relays, lazily leaning up against the side of your car and tossing the keys back to you.

you fumble when you catch them, frowning.

“how long will it take? i don’t exactly have another car i can drive.”

“easy, doll. i can get them by tomorrow. you’ll just have to leave your baby here overnight and i’ll get done first thing tomorrow,” toji says.

“alright, well, how am i supposed to get home?” you say, annoyed.

“i don’t know, doll. call an uber? taxi? you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.” he gives you a crooked smile, pushing off your car and walking toward you.

an uber. duh. you kick yourself, making this man’s day more difficult just because you’re stressed about your car. you look up at him as he approaches, suddenly noticing the difference in your statures. he looks you up and down, assessing you, and you feel scrutinized under his gaze. you choose to ignore the feeling in your gut as he looks at you, his scarred mouth pulled taught.

“say, doll face.” toji remarks, putting his chin in his hand, and you flush, beyond your comprehension, at the nickname. “i could always give you a ride back to wherever after. wouldn’t be a problem for a pretty girl like yourself.” he says casually, but a hint of a smirk plays on his lips.

you fight the feeling that comes with him calling you a pretty girl and consider him for a moment, knowing this will probably be a bad idea. you sigh, looking up at him.

“why the hell not. but i know where you work if you try anything, mister.” you point at him, expression serious.

toji puts his hands up, backing up slightly as he chuckles. he moves past you, walking back toward the shop.

“hang out in the shop with me. you want a beer?” he asks, turning his head over his shoulder.

you give this a second of consideration before giving in, nodding. he leads you back to the shop, opening a mini fridge full of beer.

“weird shop you’re running.” you say, choosing the one you want.

toji takes it from you with a shrug, popping the cap off with the bottle opener he keeps on a carabiner on his belt loop. of course.

you eye him as he moves throughout the shop, telling you to make yourself comfortable as you sip on your beer and watch him work. your eyes are drawn to his biceps, which are unreal you might add, as he stands below a car on the auto lift and works on something. you watch, mesmerized for a moment, and he looks over, tilting his head over his shoulder, and catches your eye.

and you would be an idiot to ignore the fluttering in your stomach this time. you put the bottle to your lips and chug, ripping your eyes away. you don’t drink much, so you’re a feeling a little hazy from drinking your beer so fast and you start to feel the buzz in your cheeks.

“you good, doll face?” he asks, arms raised as he pauses his work to catch your attention. your eyes rake over his form, thick neck, nice traps, working shirt with an embroidered name tag unbuttoned, with a grease-stained wife beater underneath.

“yeah.” you say after you realize you’ve been staring. “i’m good.”

he looks at you with an unreadable expression and goes back to his work.

-

after a few hours, you find yourself making decent conversation with toji. your banter is present, entertaining you as you watch him work and offer him useless suggestions here and there. he always laughs, the sound filling the shop.

it’s 5 o’clock now and he’s closing up, and you’re waiting in the office. you sit down, fiddling with your hands, and eventually he comes back in.

“ready, doll face?” toji asks, twirling his keys around his finger, his jacket draped over his shoulder.

you nod, standing up and smoothing your skirt.

he eyes you, but turns away to bring you out back to where he’s parked.

“i hope you don’t mind, doll face. i brought my bike today.”

your mouth falls open, looking at the beautiful bike before you. sleek, black and silver, classic and loud as all hell when he cranks it, patting the seat behind him.

“you can wear my helmet. gotta keep that pretty head safe,” he teases, ruffling your hair. you take the helmet, clipping it in place and swing your leg over the seat, hesitantly wrapping your arms around toji’s firm middle.

“you wanna go home? or you wanna go out?” toji asks casually, voice clear and deep over the sound of his bike.

you look up at him and he turns his head back over his shoulder, scarred lip quirking up.

something in you needs to be spontaneous, so you agree.

“let’s go out.”

-

you end up at a little dive bar: pool, booze, bar fights, the works. you walk in with toji in front of you, not offering to hold the door open, rude, you think. you follow him in and he sits down at the bar, making some conversation with the bartender. he orders a drink and looks at you, and you order yourself your drink as well.

“i’m a feminist, doll face. we’re goin’ dutch tonight.” he laughs, throwing some cash down on the bar.

you frown, opening your mouth to retort, but he stops you.

“just messin’ with you, princess.” his lips quirk up, taking a sip of his beer.

the two of you spend the evening drinking and arguing over various things, from your car to your lack of sports knowledge to gambling.

“gambling is a stupid addiction,” you slur, a blush on your cheeks.

“it’s not stupid.”

the two of you stare at each other for a moment in silence. you both laugh, and you find his gaze after a moment, the sounds of the busy dive bar fading into the back of your mind. he smirks, reaching up to cup your chin with his hand. he tilts your head side to side, like he’s examining you.

“say, doll face. wanna get out of here?” toji asks, studying your face with his piercing gaze.

“yeah,” you exhale, and you both stand up. he grabs his jacket, and ushers you out of the bar with his hand on the small of your back.

-

the walk to toji’s apartment is short and quiet, and by the time you get in there he’s got you pinned against the door, kissing down your neck. you thread your fingers into his hair, gasping as he bares his teeth and bites down at the junction of your neck and shoulder.

“been wanting to do this all day, doll.” he says, moving his lips back up toward your ear.

“you’ve been driving me crazy, sitting in my shop in that little skirt. i should’ve given in hours ago,” he groans, clutching at your hips.

you whine, bringing his mouth up to meet yours in a bruising kiss, your mouth opening to his tongue immediately. he wastes no time, pushing his tongue into your mouth with fervor, swallowing your gasps.

you clutch at his hair, pushing against him, attempting to back yourself up off the door. the heat pooling in between your legs wants more and you’re not going to settle for kissing.

“impatient, are we?” he says with a lazy grin, lifting you up easily and bringing you to his room.

you land back on the bed with a soft thud, your hair fanning out around you as toji hovers over you.

“such a pretty girl,” he says, voice dipping low.

he runs his hand up your thigh, slipping under your skirt and playing with the hem of your underwear. he teases, pulling it down slowly, as his eyes trail down your body, drinking you in.

“stop being a tease.” you say, reaching for his wrist.

“ah, but where’s the fun in that? it’s fun to get you all riled up.”

you furrow your brow, trying to wriggle out of your underwear but he stops you, dipping his head between your thighs.

“so feisty.” he says as he mouths over your clothed heat.

“if you’re gonna… do that don’t make me wait.” you say, gasping as his tongue traces circles over your underwear.

“fine, fine. i’ll indulge you, doll face.”

he slips your panties to the side and licks a strip up your folds, making you clutch at his hair instantly. you wrap your legs around his head, and he pries them apart, barring over your waist with his forearm. your cunt is dripping now, with his tongue making circular motions over your clit, steadily, and he’s drinking you up like a man athirst.

you fight against his barring arm and buck your hips to meet his tongue, riding it as you feel yourself growing nearer to your climax, and you bite your lip.

ever perceptive, toji speaks: “let me hear those pretty sounds, doll”, as he comes up for air. diving back in, you give into him, letting go of your abused bottom lip and cursing god, letting toji’s name leave your lips. he smirks, his face shining with your slick, and you moan outright at the sight.

“so good with that mouth, toji,” you say, panting as you ride his face. he removes his arm from your middle and feels his own arousal stirring as you use his tongue, groaning.

your orgasm surprises you, ripping through you as you clutch at toji’s hair, stuttering your hips on his tongue as you ride out your high.

“fuck toji,” you curse, “keep going.”

he obliges, slipping a thick finger into your dripping cunt as he keeps his mouth on you, your head spinning with overstimulation at the sensation. he works you quickly toward your second orgasm, licking and sucking at your swollen clit hungrily. he slips a second finger in, pumping into you steadily.

“gotta get you ready, doll.”

his words light a fire in you and you’re coming, again, more intense than the first as you clench around his fingers. he pulls them out of you, and reaches up, prodding his fingers at your lips. you open your mouth, sucking them clean and tasting yourself as he covers his mouth with his hand, eyes darkening as he watches you.

“fuck, pretty girl. you’re a sexy little thing.”

you moan softly around his fingers, and he sits you up, pulling your shirt over your head and finally, finally pulling off your underwear. he pointedly leaves the skirt in place, pushing it up to expose your dripping cunt.

“think you can take me?” he teases, freeing his cock from his pants and shedding his shirt, leaving him half naked and settled between your legs.

“i know i can.” you say, determined as he slips his cock between your folds, getting himself wet.

he prods at your entrance and you inhale sharply, feeling his tip push into you slowly. he groans as you envelop him, your walls squeezing tight.

“fuck, this pussy was made for me,” he says, bottoming out, buried deep in your cunt.

he sets an easy pace at first, testing your limits to see how you respond to his length and girth, and you’re whining, begging him for more.

“filthy girl. i knew you’d like it rough,” he says as he picks up the pace, fucking you like he means it.

he continues burying himself deep inside you and pulling out, slamming back into you with a brutality that sends you reeling. you’re feeling the coil tighten deep in your gut, and you’re gasping, his hand flying between your thighs to thumb your throbbing clit.

“gonna come…” you pant, tipping your head back into the pillow and clawing down his back.

“c’mon pretty girl. give it to me.” he says, grunting.

youre sent over the edge at that, orgasm tearing through you for a third time that night. you clench around his cock, and he grips your hip tightly, dipping down to put his head in the crook of your neck. he shudders, biting your neck, as he continues to fuck you, albeit erratically.

“fuck, gonna make me come, where do you want it pretty girl?” he groans, breath coming out in ragged huffs.

“don’t care, don’t care,” you cry, cock drunk and fucked stupid.

he groans as he fucks you, biting your shoulder as his hips stutter, hot ropes of his come painting your walls. you gasp, head full of cotton as he stills inside of you, moaning in your ear.

he pulls out, rolling over and flopping onto the bed next to you.

“you need a ride back to the shop tomorrow?” he asks after a beat, allowing you to catch your breath.

“yeah… will my car be ready?” you ask hazily, looking at him as you turn your head.

“shit…” he curses, running a hand over his face.

“i forgot to order the parts. guess you’ll be stuck with me until then, doll.” he gives you a crooked smile and your mouth falls open in shock.

so much for a one-night stand.

[2-cute-4-school]

𝚗𝚌𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚜

requested by anonie:  hi if you’re taking requests could you do an NCT Dream reaction to you crying while studying for exams because you’re stressed? thank you !

Mark Lee

my boi understands the STRESS

he debuted like 6 times and he has more comebacks and schedules than he can count bby is so overworked sometimes  °(ಗдಗ。)

i think you’re probably each other’s safe places

whenever mark catches sight of you he just buries himself in your arms and all his stress and worries melt away as he breathes in your familiar scent (.づ◡﹏◡)づ.

your hugs? his best medicine

so when he finds you trying to muffle your cries in your hands, hunched over open textbooks, a mess of pens and littered papers around you

his heart breaks just a lil (*>_<*)

why didn’t you come to him?? or at least call him??? don’t you trust him?? is he part of the reason of your tears???? what if-

“mark?” ༶ඬ༝ඬ༶

but as your meek voice calls for him he decides that questions can wait

you are his one and only priority

he dashes to your side and engulfs you in his arms─=≡Σ(づ￣ ³￣)づ

“it’s okay baby, you’ll be fine, i’m here, i’m with you”

you just hide your face in his chest and allow yourself to break into sobs that wrench mark’s poor lil heart while mark caresses your back and head

“just let it all out baby, i’m right here, i’ll always be here”(๑´•д • `๑)

he keeps murmuring comforting words as you slowly run out of tears

once you calm down enough to explain the reason of your breakdown to him, he just presses a kiss to your forehead ლ(´﹏`ლ)

“how about you take a rest for tonight and we’ll talk tomorrow and i’ll find a way to help you through this, hm? does that sound good?”

you make him promise he’ll stay with you for this night he has no objections (ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡

he ends up playing his guitar for you with your head on his lap asfdsfksf until you fall asleep and then spoons you after tucking you in

his softness for you doesn’t prevent him from having a serious discussion with you to make sure you know you can always come to him for anything and then ends up helping you study might end up asking for help as well _(T-T*)

Huang Renjun

this boi seems really chill while at home

so i’d say that he mostly minds his business if you’re busy with school work like he’s probably in a corner painting or sumthin’ the lil artsy fairy that he is (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ*

he does check up on you from time to time to make sure that you’re... you know... alive and breathing?? lol fun times huh

but still, silent comfort IS your love language ∩(︶▽︶)∩

so he kinda assumes that you ALREADY know he’s there for you at any time anywhere in any way you may ever need him

so when he hears a muffled sob from behind the door you’re studying in?

his heart BREAKS ꒰๑˃͈꒳˂͈๑꒱ﾉ*ﾞ̥

but he also doesn’t want to stress you out even more or scare you so he slowly enters the room to find you hunched over your desk

he hesitates for a moment as his chest just clenches in hurt while he watches your shoulders shake with muffled whimpers ˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)

so he walks up to you and lays a gentle hand on your shoulder

he waited for a moment to make sure that you’re comfortable with his presence in such vulnerable moments

and the he just ENGULFS you in a firm embrace and you FINALLY get the chance to ground yourself as you let out all of the pent up frustration in the arms of the person you trust the most (๑◕︵◕๑)

he just pats your head and you bury your face in his chest and you just ✨melt✨ into each other

i don’t think he’d say much tbh (´°ω°`)

there’s a silent mutual understanding that all you need right now is someone- him to lean on when you’re too tired to hold yourself upright

as you start calming down he presses a kiss to your head before speaking softly but firmly

“you’re taking a break, come on let’s eat and then we can have a lazy evening for once” ε-(‘ﾍ´○)┓

“but-”

“oh we can finally try out the fluffy blanket we bought together last week”

he AIN’T TAKING NO FOR ANSWER!!! (￣ω￣)

you spend the evening wrapped up in each other under your blanket with a forgotten movie playing in the background while renjun hums a lullaby’s tune in your ear

Lee Jeno

he has a sixth sense for you

you can’t get away WITH ANYTHING ¯\_༼ᴼل͜ᴼ༽_/¯

you stub a toe: aw frick-

jeno, thousands of km away in the middle of rolling his hips into another dimension during practice: something’s wrong ಠ_ಠ

so i think he might notice even before you that you’re kinda breaching your limit

but ba(r)bie isn’t sure how to approach you without offending you since you’re kinda irritable because of the stress ofc he doesn’t blame you

so if he fails to stop you before your breakdown he’s gonna blame himself for sure tho so make sure to reassure him once you’re stable he’s gonna keep a VERY watchful eye over you ( ◉  〜 ◉ ) 

he’s 100% READY to be there for you!!!!!

he has fluffy blankets, your favourite sweets and snacks, your preferred take out place on speed dial in case you’re hungry AND your comfort show prepared  (•̀o•́)ง

what he isn’t prepared tho?

his OWN heart cracking at the sight of your pain and exhaustion (ಗдಗ) 

he LITERALLY CAN’T stop the small whine building up in his chest as he strides over to your side for support

so when you wrap yourself around him like a lil koala, trembling in his hold and muttering through tears that it’s just too much-

his ULTIMATE protectiveness kicks in FULL MODE (ಢ⊱ಢ ｡)

he just scoops you up and burrito wraps you into the gigantic mound of blankets already prepared for you while pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead i promised i’d make it his trademark so here ;)

he *dashes* to bring over all of the snacks AND is already on the phone if you decided you wanted something to eat

basically bf jeno didn’t come to play ║ * ರ Ĺ̯ ರ * ║

spends the rest of the night literally PAMPERING you in anything you need

and most importantly... LOTS OF KITHES AND CUDDLES!!!!( *¯ ³¯*)♡

his baby deserves a chill and lovely night and he’s gonna provide exactly that and the absolute best for you :<

also jeno will gather all of his remaining braincells to help you the next of the day he really seems a smart kid in my opinion

Lee Donghyuck

hyuck is a LOVELY person don’t get me wrong (๑♡⌓♡๑)

but he’s also a tease so he might unintentionally push you to your limits with a few remarks

poor babe really didn’t realize you were going through it

so just imagine his panic once you just burst into tears after what should have been a harmless teasing from him (╬⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾ Д ⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾)

“ba-babe? what happened, did i go too far?? i’m so sorry my love, i just-”

he keeps on rambling and you just cry even harder cuz come on hyuck is just such a thoughtful boyfriend

“i’m really sorry y/n, please don’t cry, i’ll do ANYTHING-” ٩(´Д` ;)۶

you try to explain to him that he’s not at fault for your breakdown

obviously it’s not really comprehensible but it’s enough for hyuck to understand once he hears the words ‘stress’ and ‘exhausted’

he simply embraces you as tight as he can and reassures you that humans have their own limits (っ⇀⑃↼)っ

and that taking a break doesn’t invalidate your hard work and dedication

he understands how overworking can affect a person so he knows how to handle the situation

he proposes taking a hot bath once you’ve calmed down and he adds extra bubbles and a really nice smelling body wash (╯✧∇✧)╯

and after that- YOU’RE ON BED REST!! no excuses

if you protest? you wouldn’t dare

stops you with kisses all over your face before fully shutting you up with a soft but firm kiss on your lips o┤*｀3´*├o

you spend the entire rest of the day restrained in his hugs

you really scared him so he became a lil lot clingy 

need to go to the bathroom? he INSISTS to piggyback you there since ‘you need all the rest you can possibly get’ (∪｡∪)｡｡｡

but i reckon you can’t complain since you have the chance to spend some quality time with your also busy boyfriend

my boy will also go to the ends of the world in order to help you the next day to study whether that means burning his own brain or gathering half of nct and his manager to get everything done in time (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و

Na Jaemin

it’s literally NO SURPRISE when i say that he’s PROTECTIVEx1000000 of his loved ones (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

so why would you even bother to hide anything from him??

it’s LITERALLY no use

he’s a very very doting person and he keeps tabs on you no matter what, sometimes even uncounciously

and if he’s not there physically? NO PROBLEM!!

texts and calls between he two of you are a very common occurence bubs just wants to make sure you’re well and happy (˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

so unless you’re a top class at acting, good luck in trying to play off your stress and tiredness

but let’s say that due to busy schedules and different timetables it somehow gets past him

babe will be so heartbroken (๑´•д • `๑)

his worry topples over as he freezes in your doorway for a moment at the sight of your defeated form and tear-stained papers

BUT he does a good job in keeping his composure because he can’t risk letting his emotions get the best of him when you need him ( •̀ω•́ )

so he just trudges up to you and SMOTHERS you in the tightest hug possible, tucking your head in his shoulder so you could cry freely hidden away from the rest of the world

he coos a few words here and there, encouragements, compliments, reassurement that ‘you’re more than enough, you just need to take a moment to relax and breathe’ ✧˖°ˈ·*ε-(๑˃́ε˂̀๑ )

otherwise, he’ll leave the talk for the next day when you’re rested both physically AND mentally 

after you calm down he helps you put away all your school work you wouldn’t dare oppose him on this for the rest of the day

we all know what’s coming up i’m sorry

COMFORT FOOD!!!! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

he seats you on a kitchen stool while he cooks whatever you need at the moment, anything his baby wants

honestly he just adapts to whatever you need atm

cuddles in silence? works for him!! wanna ramble? there to listen!! want netflix and chill??? absolutely!!!!

Zhong Chenle

sooo from what i’ve gathered he’s not exactly emotional???

but also have you seen this absolute cutie when jisung was crying at the dream show?? babe was trying so hard to comfort his bff but he also seemed uh.. a bit awkward a bit? in a cute way tho!! (๑⁍᷄౪⁍᷅๑)

but i do think he’ll falter once he catches sight of your state!!!!

so many mental debates too!! (๑′°︿°๑)

‘they’re hunched over, did they fall asleep? wait shaking?? is it cold in here????... fuck no was that a sob?? do i... do i go over to comfort them? but how like do i hug or do i talk or..? what if they break up with me??? shit what have i done recently?? i washed the dishes, i cleaned the dog poop, i took out the trash.. it can’t be this’

my boy is going through THE CRISIS OF HIS LIFE (≖ლ≖๑ )

so he reluctantly walks up to you determined to help

but when he reaches you? *brain fart*

ends up patting your head and rubbing your back, but his touch manages to ground you without overwhelming you even further (っ⇀⑃↼)っ

if you end up pulling him into a hug tho, he won’t hesitate to hold you

while comforting you he finally notices your open notebooks filled with messy writing

he feels weirdly relieved that you’re not breaking up with him and neither is it something *tragic*  •(◐﹏◐)•

he’ll let you cry it out before he asks if you’d like some help with your school work he asked fans to send their maths homework so he must be a nerd enough to be able to help you too

but you’re probably too drained（×ω×）  to do anything so you two just settle for a cuddle session under a mountain of blankets

and daegal therapy!!!!!Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ who probably loves you more than chenle and he ends up whining jokingly about it

chenle will probably focus on lifting up your mood with jokes and stories and he’d do anything to cheer you up

he might try to spoil you too 

and he’s not letting you refuse the ton of food he orders since ‘you deserve to fill up your batteries’ ~~旦_(-ω-｀｡)

i’m sorry for your tummies after the ammount of sweets you shared

Park Jisung

ah nct’s certified crybaby(lovingly)

might just start crying with you because if you cry he cries too 

i honestly see him a bit panicky in a delicate situation like this once where he has to deal with *emotions* (｡´>д<)っ彡☆

so he watches from a safe distance at first

literally jisung.exe has shut down

but then poor kid starts feeling guilty about just watching you suffer without helping and comforting you but he’s kinda scared that he’s only gonna make it worse (●’Д’●)

‘come on park jisung think!!! what would-... what WOULD JAEMIN DO!!’

*cue lighbulb going off above his head*

cue calling jaemin and getting scolded for being on the phone with him instead of being by your side but still giving his precious baby advice

jisung probably comes up with a speech before approaching you he’s nervous okay? ┌༼ σ ‸ σ ༽┐

he lays a hand on your head, gently caressing you and just as he takes a breath to start his speech, you just look up to him with THE kicked puppy eyes ༼ つ ◕ ‸ ◕ ༽つ and jisung is A GONER꒰ლ✘ㅿ✘ლ꒱ 

he MELTS into a puddle of uwus and just leans into you, opting for silent comfort and that’s how he found out that cuddles>>>>>>words

he kinda babbles a little while holding you words are hard ya know

he kinda rambles after you calm down too so now you have to calm him down you’re both messes but you’re cute so

so what is the most efficient way to shut him up? peck his lips!!!!

and as he melts into your hold he remembers that ‘wait!! i’m the one supposed to comfort them!!!!’ (•̀o•́)ง

so he throws his nerves out the window for a moment and just cups his entire world your face in his hands and pecks your all over your face

you end up watching some compilations with kitties or something on both your phones untill your batteries die so then you switch to another device gen z behaviour 

he also probably gets a call from jaemin too and you figure out that your puss of a boyfriend had to call his friend in order to help you

so you give him that look <(｀^´)>

let’s say he’s taking you out for brunch the next day AND helping you with your school work 

[mypoisonedvine]

Love, Theoretically | Sebastian Stan x reader (Chapter 5)

(chapter 1) (chapter 2) (chapter 3) (chapter 4)

series summary: having lost your husband, sister, and best friend all to the same extramarital affair, you ran away to a secluded villa in the Hungarian countryside to write and get a little time away from the life you’d left behind.  you were only looking for peace and perhaps some inspiration for your novel, but instead you found an unlikely connection with the immigrant repairman– even though the two of you don’t speak the same language.

word count: nearly 2.5k

warnings: vague description of a wet dream, some sensual implied stuff (??), 

moodboard and inspiration credit to @evnscvll​

In all your life, you’d never had a wet dream.  Not even in high school when so many of your peers were coping with puberty and budding sexuality in similar ways— not even when you’d wanted to have one about David Kapoor, the cutest guy in senior year who didn’t even know you existed but that you were somehow convinced was going to fall madly in love with you one day.  

It never did work out for you two, but you’d finally managed to have a wet dream.  This one, though, was about Sebastian.

In your dream he had cornered you in the kitchen, kissing you deeply before tossing you onto the table and— well, the rest doesn’t bear repeating.  It was all very ‘discount bin romance novel’ wasn’t it?  The exotic, rugged farm boy roughly taking the formerly-prudish businesswoman in the middle of the house, too deep in the throes of passion to care if someone walking by saw them.

You didn’t find it all that sexy by the time you woke up; moreso just humorous.  That’s preposterous, you thought to yourself, nobody’s ever gonna love me like that.

It was something your husband had said to you once.  You couldn’t even remember what the context was anymore, but clearly it had had an impact on you to be repeating it internally now.  Just last week, Mrs. Alberti had gotten on your case for speaking poorly of yourself.  Clearly, the things you said about yourself to others were nothing against what you said about yourself to yourself.

Your papers had only taken a day to dry, but the ink was pretty severely smudged.  Knowing your publisher wouldn’t accept them in a manuscript, you resolved to retyping the most damaged ones— a good mindless task to do while you pondered your next steps plot-wise.  You’d seen Sebastian less for the past week, and it was no accident; you’d been avoiding him because you were trying to nip this in the bud before it got any worse.  Your divorce isn’t final yet, you need to heal.  This is fantasy, not reality.  You barely know each other.  Your divorce isn’t final.  Your divorce.  Isn’t.  Final.

That was the mantra you found yourself repeating as you retyped the waterlogged sheets; so much for the plot-pondering plan, eh?

You heard someone coming up the stairs, and you knew it was him because the steps were coming too quickly to be Mrs. Alberti.  “Come in,” you instructed before he’d even knocked.  

“Bună ziua,” he greeted as he opened the door, leaning inside.  “Am pregătit cina, ai vrea să mănânci?”

“Hm?” you asked as you turned around in your chair, adjusting your reading glasses.  However, his question became more obvious through context when you saw he had oven mitts and an apron on, and was holding a wooden spoon.  “Oh, um, I’ll be down for dinner in a minute.  Soon.”  You held up a few fingers, hoping he would successfully interpret them into minutes.

“Arăți bine în ochelarii aceia,” he motioned, pointing towards you.

“I’m sorry… what?” you asked, not sure at all what he could be talking about.

“Ochelari. Sunt drăguți,” he re-emphasized, but it was useless as you gave him another confused look.  He sighed, straightening up a bit as he began a new method: “Îmi plac,” he said, pointing to himself and then giving a thumbs up, “ochelarii tăi,” he pointed to you, and then made circles with his fingers and brought them up to his eyes.  

You laughed a little, but you were pretty sure you got what he meant.  “You like my glasses?” you clarified, reaching up to wiggle them on your face a bit.

“Da,” he grinned.  “Pari inteligent.”

“Thank you,” you nodded, and he nodded back as he shut the door and his footsteps faded back into the kitchen.

Once a few more pages had been redone, you gave your hair a quick combing before heading down for dinner with Sebastian.  It smelled a little strange by the time you went downstairs, but when you swung open the door to the kitchen, you were instantly hit with a wave of acidic air, forcing you to wince and cough.  Even that didn’t help much, and you forced your eyes shut as they stung.

“Jesus Christ,” you yelped, “the fuck are you cooking?  Tear gas?!”

“Oțetul te irită?” he asked, not sounding as concerned as you would’ve hoped considering your obvious pain.  It was like you could taste it in the air, and it wasn’t until you managed to open your burning eyes again that you realized what it was: vinegar, in a huge jug right next to the pot he was boiling it in.

“You’re boiling vinegar?” you realized incredulously.  “God, Europeans are fucking weird.”

He just looked back at you with bewildered bemusement.

“In America,” you tried to explain, “we don’t eat vinegar.  We clean our floors with it.”  You pointed to the jug and made a motion meant to indicate scrubbing a surface, and he laughed a little.

“Americanii sunt prea sensibili,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand, turning back to the stove to stir his pot of disinfectant which he apparently planned to serve you as a meal.  “Am avut ciorbă de oțet de când eram copil.”

You’d typically considered yourself an adventurous eater— even with vinegar-pickled things, like kim chi which you’d learned to acquire a taste for— but this one put you to the test.  Considering the smell alone had singed your sinuses, you were nervous what would become of your innocent tastebuds.  But after he served the soup (a dark orange color, so apparently it wasn’t just the boiled vinegar) into a bowl for you and another for himself, you found the taste of it oddly pleasant when you sipped it gently from your hesitant little spoon.

“Vezi, nu e așa de rău,” he smiled gently as he watched you fail to recoil in disgust from the flavor.

“Just like ma used to make, huh?” you chuckled as he ate the soup with incredible speed, even going as far as to lift the bowl to his lips and drink the last few sips that way.

Eating dinner in silence with him was unexpectedly comfortable.  “You wanna know something funny?” you found yourself mumbling aloud.  “I enjoy talking to you more than anyone I ever did back home, and you can’t even understand me.”

His smile softened as he stared back at you, apparently sensing the change in your tone as you spoke.

“See, right there, that’s it: you’re listening to me.  You know it’s useless, you know you won’t be able to tell what I’m talking about, but you’re listening anyways.  Over two billion English speakers on the planet and none of them have listened to me like you do.”

Then you heard yourself, and it was so heart-breaking that you had no choice but to laugh.  It was just a chuckle at first, but then you couldn’t stop it, even when you realized how confused Sebastian would be.  Everything is funnier when you know you shouldn’t laugh, and soon you could barely breathe as tears warmed your eyes from the force of it.

“I’m sorry,” you tried to spit out between your fits of laughter, but it was barely comprehensible anyways.  Sebastian began to laugh with you, if hesitantly and with a hint of confusion.

“De ce râdem?” he asked gently.

“I’m sorry,” you repeated, calming down a bit, “I’m sorry I just… I was just imagining what my husband would say, if he knew I was here…” you trailed off as you laughed again, starting over.  “If he knew I was here, falling for someone I’ve never even spoken with.”  You shook your head, resting your face in your hands as you chuckled lightly.  “Oh, he’d hate this.  He’d tell me I was out of my mind.”

With a slow sigh, your laughter subsided as you wiped the wetness from your eyes.  

“He’d be right, but… I don’t really care,” you decided.  “He’s not here.  If he wanted to find me, he would.  And maybe it’s because he’d hate this that I’m having so much goddamn fun doing it.”

When you looked at Sebastian again, his face was serious, yet anything but stern.  Suddenly, you weren’t thinking about your husband anymore.  Of course you logically understood how odd this all was, how impossible it was for you to be slowly finding yourself in love with someone like him, but it felt right, and true, and real.  It made no sense, and yet it made perfect sense in every way that mattered.  

“I’ll help you clean,” you offered as you stood up, realizing you’d gotten lost in your train of thought and probably stared at him for a bit too long.  He stood up with you, helping you gather the used dishes and letting you wash them in the sink while he put the remaining soup in the refrigerator as leftovers for another time.  “I’ll cook for you tomorrow,” you promised, “something real bland, like the English cook.”

“Sper că nu intenționați să gătiți pentru mine cândva, nu suport mâncarea occidentală,” he mumbled as he continued to wipe down the countertop with a damp towel.

With the kitchen clean, you knew you should get back to writing your book, but you were compelled instead to read somebody else’s— so, as you slipped onto the couch with one of a few of your favorites that you’d brought with you, Sebastian summoned the same copy of Dracula you’d seen him reading a few times and took the loveseat.  Not much else happened after that, save for you shivering from a draft and him tossing a throw blanket on you.  

“Ce carte citești?” he asked you eventually, breaking the silence.  When you looked up, he was pointing at your book.  “Book?”

“Right,” you laughed, “I taught you that.  My book, uh, it’s good.”  You closed it, leaving your finger inside to mark your place as you showed him the front cover.  “On the Road?  Ever heard of it?”

He just cocked his head to the side.

“Jack Kerouac?” you continued.  “It’s about going on a long journey in search of… freedom.”

“Acesta este cel despre zombi?” he asked.

“Sure,” you nodded, wishing more than ever that you could know what he was saying.  He smiled and got back to his own reading.  Indulging yourself for a moment, you watched his face as it fell into a neutral expression while he read, his eyes trailing along the page as he continued to read.  You didn’t realize it, but when you returned to reading your own book, he got his chance to look at you.

A long day of writing meant you had more than earned an evening to relax by the fire; late summer became early fall, and early fall turned into the need for a fireplace so much faster than you’d anticipated.  The days were temperate, sure, but as the sun began to sink lower, so did the warmth.  You started your evening with a hot shower, though you didn’t let yourself get too greedy with the limited supply of hot water, knowing Sebastian relied on the same supply for his own baths.  When you finished, you dressed yourself in a fluffy lavender robe, feeling especially pampered when you put on a little moisturizer before heading downstairs to cozy up with the fire.  You were already getting chilly, the heat from the shower fading as your wet hair and bare feet cooled you quickly.  Therefore, it was more of a scurry to the fireplace, which you hadn’t expected Sebastian to be tending or you wouldn’t have come down in a robe.  He’d seen you in less (namely, his shirt and nothing else, which was horrifically embarrassing) but something about this felt more intimate, like all your defenses had been washed away in the shower, too.  Didn’t help that he was shirtless, again.  Wasn’t he cold in this weather?!  Must be all that muscle keeping him warm.

“Bună seara,” he greeted.

“Good evening,” you returned.  Stepping closer, you rubbed your hands together as you felt the hot air radiate towards you.  “It’s nice,” you sighed contentedly.

He smiled back at you, moving the logs slightly with the iron poker.  Sparks jumped and fell off as he shifted them, joining the ashes below— you’d always thought fire was so beautiful, even if it was dangerous, and you took in a long breath through your nose to smell the tinge of smokiness in the air.

“Te încălzești?” he asked quietly as he set the poker aside and stood beside you.  You wrapped your arms around yourself, rubbing through the fabric of the robe to try to warm up a little faster.  Seeing you shiver, he reached out and rubbed your arms for you, which made you tense up slightly before relaxing and breathing out.  “Mai bine?”

You nodded a little, your gaze drifting slightly.  

“Warm?” he asked, making your eyes jump back up to his.  You swallowed dryly as he looked back at you.

“Warm,” you repeated, “yeah.  Good job… when’d you learn that?”

He didn’t answer, watching your hands as they reached out for his arms, finally making delicate contact with his tanned skin before drifting up to his biceps, his shoulders, and finally his chest.  He put his own hands on top of yours and held them there, looking back at you as your heart started to beat rapidly and with no signs of slowing down.  “Warm,” he repeated, only slightly above a whisper.

“Oh yeah,” you agreed hoarsely, “very, very warm…”

He smiled a little; it wasn’t mischievous, it wasn’t conniving or predatory or malicious.  It was subtle but gentle in a way you had absolutely no plan to save yourself from, no protection, no armor, no neutral territory.  There was only heat, so strong that your toes weren’t cold anymore and you didn’t even remember that your hair was still damp.  Not only did you let his heat consume you, but you didn’t even think to stop it, to swallow your desire down, to run away and say goodnight and hide in bed from the icky scary feelings.  No, you looked right back at him and let those eyes pierce right through you, that cold blue changed entirely with the warm firelight reflecting in them.  

“Do you want to come to my room?” you asked slowly.  The words were useless, but a glance back to the stairs that led to your door and back at him asked the same question with much more efficacy.  

He nodded, and you stepped backwards as he followed you: across the house, up the stairs, and to your room.  You opened the door.  He shut it behind you. 

[doodledrawsthings]

(In response to the latest round of angst in the oth!AU, specifically the round involving Snatcher punching the mirror because he’s so terrified of being weak. Because my knee-jerk reaction to angst to write fix-it stuff.)

  “I don’t think he’d hate you, you know.”

“What?”

“The Prince – old you,” Hat Kid clarifies, kicking her legs where she’s sitting on the diving board to the pillow pool, “I don’t think he’d hate you. Probably not be thrilled about your unlife choices, but I don’t think he’d hate you. And I don’t think you hate him as much as you think you do.”

“Oh?” that was enough to get Snatcher to push himself upright, a jolt of pain reminding him that he really should be more careful with his injured hand, “And how exactly did you come to that conclusion, kiddo?”

“‘cause I just don’t. And ‘cause you’re still more like him than you think.”

And those are fighting words-! “Excuse you, I am nothing like that- that- weak, pitiful excuse for a-!”

“Sure you are,” she counters, as casually unafraid of him as ever, the annoying little twerp, “‘cause if you weren’t anything like him, then you’d be blaming Vanessa instead of him for everything that went wrong. Like, yeah, he made some bad choices, but he’s not the one who made her do all those awful things to him. And I mean, like, look at you! He was like, what, twelve when all this happened? Poor kid!”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who is still actually a kid!”

“Details,” she waves a dismissive hand at him, “And anyway, you learned from it – you got to know me plenty before you finally broke down and agreed to be more than just my contractually-obligated BFF! Which means you forgave me for kicking your noodly butt! So…” she pauses and frowns. “I’m not sure where I was going with that, I distracted myself. The point is, at the very least maybe it’s time to stop blaming yourself for what happened. You did your best.”

“And look where that got me!” he snaps back as the room starts to vibrate for some reason, “You’ve been to the mansion, you know what happened, and I couldn’t stop it then, and I couldn’t do anything but keep her away as a ghost, and now I-” he stops, because he can’t say it, it’s one thing to know how helpless and pathetic he is, but to say it- admit it- he can’t-

Hat Kid frowns at him, then hops off the diving board to do a perfect dive into the pillows, surfacing near him to take his hand. “Snatcher? Snatcher, you’re shaking, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” she cuts herself off with an expression of dawning comprehension. “Hey, Snatcher!”

“What?” he growls, not nearly as menacingly as he should be able to since he’s in this pathetic human body again.

“Wanna learn how to fight?”

Well… that’s not what he was expecting. “What?!”

“Fight!” she repeats excitedly, bouncing a little in the pillows, “I got my umbrella in Mafia Town, and we found one for Bow, too, so I bet we could get one that’s big enough for you, and then I’ll show you how to use it right! And then if something bad happens, you can defend yourself, and we could ask Moonjumper to make you some badges, and- Snatcher? Do you not want to, you don’t have to, I just thought…?”

Abruptly he realizes that her look of concern is probably connected to the burning-yet-wet sensation in his eyes and, oh, yes, tears, again, goody. …they don’t feel as- as ugly or helpless as they have before though. The thought of running around waving an umbrella should be ridiculous, only… she’s right, she had beaten him, at his full power, and she’d used her umbrella to help her do it. And, yes, naturally she’s an alien and it probably won’t work quite the same for him as it does for her, but…

He likes the idea of not being helpless. And if he’d had something, anything to defend himself from the guards with back then, maybe, just maybe…

“Nah, kid, that sounds… good. Might as well give it a try, not like I have anything better to do.”

“Great!” she beams, then drags him down to flop in the pillows with her, “Okay, first lesson of fighting – getting a good night’s sleep! You can’t fight right if you’re too sleepy, trust me on this one.”

“Uh-huh,” he gives her a bemused look and gets a surprisingly serious one in return.

“No, really, trust me on this one, and also don’t ask Bow about it, ‘cause she’ll tell you a bunch of stuff that absolutely isn’t true and also sounds really bad out of context-”

He snorts, then listens with amusement as she takes this as a sign to keep justifying herself and also complain that it’s not her fault her arms aren’t long enough yet to-

Somewhere between her complaints and making plans for tomorrow, he drifts to sleep.

  (And that’s how Snatcher gets a ghost-patterned umbrella and some self-defense lessons. Also, Hat Kid’s a kid – she’s trying, bless her, but she’s not 100% on how to handle PTSD yet, especially a case like Snatcher’s.)

[leejungchans]

— coming clean.

word count: 2k

warning(s): mentions of anxiety, swearing

set in early january 2021 after the events of our first snow

notes: all the conversations and text messages here are in korean!!

summary: juliet goes to hongjoong for advice after making her relationship with dino official.

juliet’s masterlist | ask game

Juliet forces herself to take several deep breaths at the familiar door leading to Hongjoong’s studio. She’s been hanging outside in the hallway for the past ten minutes ever since she finished practising for their upcoming comeback, not being able to bring herself to knock as she knew exactly why she was still here at this hour.

Come on, Baek Minyoung. It’s just Hongjoong, he won’t be mad. You have to do this. He’ll help you.

She brings her fist up only to falter at the last second. If anyone passed by now, they’d definitely question why she’s standing ominously still with her fist suspended in the air.

To say that Juliet is dreading the imminent conversation would be a gross understatement. She even doubted if it was a good idea coming to Hongjoong first instead of telling all eight members at once. She hates keeping secrets from them, who know her as well as, if not more than, her family, and could definitely tell if she was hiding something.

But the thought of having this conversation with everyone felt so daunting, and she had hoped that if she spoke with the leader first she could ease herself into telling the others.

It isn’t that she’s afraid of them—no, that isn’t it at all. All nine of them value honesty and communication above everything else, and they’ve each came clean to one another about many things many times prior to today. So she wasn’t scared of them, but their reaction and very likely, their disappointment.

She doesn’t feel mentally prepared enough, it’s like giving a class presentation when you know nothing about the material, or jumping out a plane without checking if you have a parachute on. The anxiety is building within her, causing her chest to constrict and her breathing to become harsher and laboured. Her nails dug into her palm as her fist clenched more and more with every second.

Chan knew she was doing this tonight because she texted him earlier with the promise that she’d call him as soon as it was over, and he in turn assured her that he would be there waiting for her call no matter the hour. She tried to imagine his voice telling her to take deep breaths while forcing herself to uncurl her fist.

Is it possible to feel your heartbeat in your ear? Because that’s fucking happening.

She doesn’t how long she’s been at this when her hand, as though moving on its own accord, raps at the frosted glass. Upon realising what she had done, Juliet quickly lowers her arm so it rests at her side, heart now beating even more rapidly because holy shit what have I done I wasn’t ready yet why did I knock whatthefuckwhatthefuck—

“Come in!”

Good fucking job, Juliet.

Releasing a heavy sigh, the girl cracks open the door and sticks her head in, meeting the concerned gaze of Hongjoong who rakes a tired hand through his hair, the exhaustion that seems to settle permanently in his features when he’s working is unmistakable.

It always pains her to see him like this. Juliet thinks he works too hard—not that working hard is a bad thing necessarily, but it’s no secret that Hongjoong can sometimes give too much to the point where he neglects himself.

Of course, she’s not the first person who’s said something about it to him, because she’s definitely overheard Seonghwa lightly scolding the leader for not taking care of himself more. And she knows Hongjoong is trying, so she tries not to bring it up as much to avoid placing more burden on his shoulders.

The irony of this sentiment is not lost on Juliet, because she is very well aware that what she is about to confess to him is most certainly going to be another cause of worry. She hates it—knowing that she’s the reason why someone is upset or stressed. But she also knows that telling him is the right (and inevitable) thing to do.

“Minyoung-ah, you’re still here? It’s—” Hongjoong spins around in his chair to glance at his phone screen—“it’s almost one. I thought you went home already,” he says disapprovingly. “You should be sleeping by now.”

Juliet bites down on her tongue to prevent herself from making a “well, you’re still working too” comment, and instead hands him the cup of takeaway coffee she’s been holding onto all this time with a sheepish smile. “I got you coffee?”

He sighs but takes the cup nonetheless while she makes herself comfortable on the spare office chair. “I thought you hated bringing me coffee.”

“Only because it would make you stay up even later and I don’t want to keep enabling your bad sleeping habits.”

“Yet you still do it. Bribing me, perhaps? What is it this time?”

She rolls her eyes playfully. “You say that like I’m the problem child in the family,” she pouts before sobering up. “I don’t know if you’d call it a bribe, but...um...I came here for advice because I thought you’d be the best person to go to.”

Hongjoong knows that look on her face better than anyone else, instantly recognising that whatever she has on her mind is serious.

“Okay, one sec,” he says, turning around to click a few buttons on his software before facing her once more. “What’s wrong? I’m all ears.”

“Will you be mad?”

Hongjoong sighs again, hand reaching out to give the maknae’s a few gentle pats on the head. “You know I could never be mad at you.”

Juliet holds out her pinky finger. “Promise?” she asks, prompting a snort from him.

“What are we, twelve?” he says teasingly, though he humours her anyways and interlaces his pinky with hers.

“Only on a scale of one to ten.”

This makes Hongjoong cackle, and he can’t help but admire how she manages to stay witty despite being clearly nervous about something. “Fine, you win. But seriously, is everything okay?”

Here goes nothing.

“Uh...well...you know how Chan and I went out last week?”

“I recall it, yes. What about it?”

“I—he—um...” That fear and nervous she was feeling earlier returns with full force. She might’ve had a chance to run away when she was still in the hallway, but she doubts that she can bolt out of the studio to avoid having this conversation.

Hongjoong places a hand on hers which are starting to shake. “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” he says softly, “I can’t guarantee that I’ll react the way you want me to, but I’ll always hear you out.”

A tiny sniffle. “That’s not very reassuring.”

He chuckles. “Maybe not, but just take some deep breaths, okay? We’re here to support each other, this is a safe space to talk about anything.”

It takes a minute or so for Juliet to compose herself before she decides that it’s pointless to beat around the bush. “He...he asked me to be his girlfriend.”

Hongjoong nods. If her confession shocked him, he’s doing a good job not showing it. “And what did you say?”

“I said yes.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Juliet echoes in disbelief, “that’s all you have to say?”

The rapper shrugs. “I mean, I think we all know you two were going to get together officially sooner or later, so I can’t say I’m surprised or anything.”

“Are you disappointed?” she asks lightly, trying not to give away how nervous she is and how devastated she’d be if he was. “Mad?”

“No,” the response comes immediately. “If anything, I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me. You’re an adult, you can make decisions for yourself, and I think it goes without saying that we all trust you with such a decision, and that you’ve thought about it comprehensively before coming to it. Also, you’re allowed to have a personal life, no one has the right to hold it against you.”

Juliet’s eyebrows knit so closely together that they almost form a single line. “But...I promised you guys back then that I’d be careful and wait.”

“Hasn’t it almost been a full year since you met?” Hongjoong asks rhetorically. “I think you two waited long enough.”

A tear escapes her eye. “I just don’t want to get you guys in trouble because of something wrong I did,” she says quietly.

The leader wordlessly grabs a tissue from his desk to dab away the tears that flow down her cheeks. “It’s not wrong to want to have a relationship, Minyoung-ah,” he says, still wiping away the droplets. “I know it can seem otherwise in this industry, but it’s true. If something happens, we’ll deal with it then and we’ll get through it, like we have with anything else.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Nine makes one team, right?”

Juliet cracks a small smile, which Hongjoong returns with one of his own. “Right.”

“Have you told the others yet?”

“No,” she admits, “I thought I might get too overwhelmed breaking the news to all eight of you at the same time, but I’ll tell them tomorrow morning because I think some of them will probably already be asleep by the time I get home.”

Hongjoong nods. “Okay, good. What about the company?”

She stays quiet for a few seconds, weighing her options for what seems like the hundredth time that week. “I think I’ll tell them,” she finally says. “I’d rather them find out about us from me than from a tabloid.”

“I agree,” he concurs, “it shows that you trust them enough to let them know and that you’re not hiding something from them.” Hongjoong pauses, as though debating on whether to say what he’s thinking of. “Are you worried that they might say no?”

“Of course, but...if that happens...I’ll just see what I can do.”

“If they tell you to break it off, the eight of us will cover for you,” Hongjoong suggests cheekily.

Juliet giggles. “I’ll hold you to that, because I like Chan too much to break it off like that.”

The leader makes a face. “Okay, gross, you did not have to say that. A simple ‘thanks!’ would’ve sufficed, you know.”

“Don’t make me throw this snotty ball of tissue at you.”

Hongjoong snorts before his features soften. “Feel better?” he asks gently as he watches the girl dab away any remaining moisture from her waterline.

“Much,” Juliet smiles gratefully, feeling as though a significant weight has been lifted off her chest. “Thanks for talking this out with me.”

He ruffles her hair, prompting her to swat his hands away. “It’ll be okay, you’ll see. You two have my blessing.”

“Sure, like I need it,” Juliet says sarcastically, though she can’t help the blush that spreads across her cheeks.

“Yah! I practically raised you with Seonghwa!”

“Okay, okay,” Juliet concedes, wrapping her arms around Hongjoong’s neck to hug him. “Thanks again,” she whispers.

The boy pats her on the head. “Hurry up and go home.”

“Don’t work too late, understand?”

Hongjoong playfully salutes her. “Yes, ma’am. I’m almost done anyways.”

“Nice try, but I’ll spare you the lecture this time.”

“Thank you, O Mighty One, you are as merciful as you are beautiful.”

Juliet cackles at the exasperation dripping from Hongjoong’s tone before giving him a final hug and leaving the studio with a quiet click! of the door shutting.

For a few minutes, she stays there to watch him through the door, and though his figure is blurry and unclear from the frosted glass, it’s not hard to spot that he’s already resuming his work, back hunched over the desk and head occasionally darting up to look at the computer screen. She can only hope that he’ll keep his promise and get some rest soon.

As Juliet walks to the car park where her manager is waiting, Hongjoong’s heartfelt words echo over and over in her head. Feeling much lighter from relief, gratitude and hope, she pulls out her phone to send two messages.

TO: channie 🦖💕

[01:23] hongjoongie-oppa says he gives us his blessing ㅋㅋㅋ ❤️

TO: Nine Makes One Team

[01:24] minus hongjoong-oppa because i just talked with him, can the rest of us have a quick family meeting tomorrow morning please? there’s something i need to tell you guys...

a/n: hongjoong bestest bestest bestest boy ;-; hehe let me know what you think of this update!! we stan people who actively, honestly and healthily communicate with each other!! communication really is so important in any relationship and that’s something i had to learn the hard way.

i’m also debating on whether i should write one of the others’ reactions when juliet tells them but i also think it’d be pretty similar to this one (ie. they’d all be really supportive of their relationship even if they were slightly worried for them), so i don’t want to repeat any content but let me know if you want to see that or anything else (eg. more dino/juliet or ateez/juliet moments)!! 💕

please do consider leaving feedback whether it’s a reblog, a reply or an ask, it would mean the absolute world to me 🥺 thank you for reading and i hope you’re having a good day 💕 remember you can always chat with me through my asks and i’m here for you!!

[kindahoping4forever]

I Love You, Ain’t That The Worst Thing You Ever Heard? // Ashton Irwin

This started out loosely based on a dream I had (🤡) and spun into something a lot more complex and interesting. I’ve been working on this on and off for months (bless @cal-puddies​ who I’m sure is glad she won’t have to hear about this anymore lol); it was actually one of the first things I tried writing on my own (I just couldn’t get this concept out of my head) and as my writing evolved, I had to keep going back to retool and make sure the story did too. Hopefully you’ll think it was worth the effort!

Warnings: FWB-but possibly more-!Ash, slight jealousy/angst but it’s mostly internal, dummies who don’t realize that they’re in love, an absurd amount of smut but it’s justified because there’s an emotional narrative to it (really), moments of Dom!Ash, oral/manual stimulation of a female, overstimulation, spanking, cumplay, (and yet also) protected sex, no for real there is so much smut you guys I think that’s a comprehensive list of warnings but I’m not sure  

Word Count: 5858

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“If you’re not ready in 15 minutes, I’m going without you,” Ashton declares.

“Cool but it’s my friends we’re having dinner with, so that might be controversial,” you point out, nudging his elbows off your vanity so you can open the drawer in front of where he’s sitting.

“Oh, they like me better than you, it won’t be a problem,” he teases, handing you the beauty blender you were looking for.

You snatch it from his hand. “Dude, you literally weren’t even invited, you just asked if I was busy and said ‘oh that could be fun’ when I told you what I had planned.”

“I feel like my presence was assumed when they asked you,” he shrugs.

You toss the sponge at him and he laughs as you shoo him out of the room so you can finish putting yourself together.

You and Ashton have been together for a few months, although neither of you have ever tried to discuss what “together” actually means. Your relationship seemed to be an endless string of implications. When you met, it was implied you liked each other. When you made out at a party a few weeks later, it was implied it was as friends. When you started sleeping together, it was implied it was casual. In your mind, you were something more than “friends with benefits” but still something less than a full-on relationship.

He puts a record on and has just crossed into the kitchen to help himself to a bottled water from your fridge when he notices a vase of flowers on the counter that he definitely didn’t send you.

“Fancy flowers,” he comments. “Who sent them?” He asks, despite immediately checking the card and seeing the message “Thanks for last weekend, let’s do it again sometime ;)” alongside what seems to be a masculine name.

You’re rooting around in your closet, trying to find the top you had planned on wearing while your mind is focused on your mental checklist of everything you still have left to do before you leave; it takes a good 15 seconds for it to register that Ash has even said anything and another 10 before you distractedly call out “a friend” in response.

Ashton sits on your couch and while his hands are turning the pages of some random magazine he found on your coffee table, his eyes are fixed on the bouquet he can still see sitting on the kitchen counter. You’ve never discussed exclusivity, he would have no right to be jealous. But he can’t deny the panic that ran through his body when he saw that card and he can’t keep his mind from racing now.

He thinks he’d almost feel better if he’d found evidence you were fucking someone else; he hates the thought of someone else touching you but he’s also confident that they couldn’t possibly make you feel the way he does in bed. He’s not worried about the sex. But flowers? That implies romance, implies thoughtfulness and intimacy, which are things he wouldn’t blame you for seeking elsewhere. He knows he hasn’t been offering that to you in the ways he could, in the ways you probably deserve.

He tortures himself with these thoughts a bit longer and then props himself in the doorway of your bedroom to check on your progress.

“Oh you’re still here? You were so quiet out there I figured you made good on your threat and you were already at the restaurant ordering apps without me,” you tease, pulling on your boots.

Ash gives a half-hearted chuckle in response. “You look nice,” he compliments you quietly.

You flash him a pleasant but puzzled smile; something’s off with him, you don’t think he’s ever said you look “nice” as long as you’ve known him and he never passes up a chance to banter with you.

He makes small talk but you notice the way his fingers are fiddling with the label of his water bottle and how his eyes hesitate to look for yours. By the time you’re ready, he’s nonchalantly mentioned the flowers three times and asked you to a party next weekend, when he usually never plans that far in advance.

You pause gathering your things as you realize what’s happening. He's fucking jealous, you amusedly think to yourself. Part of you wants to tease him about it but there’s an underlying sense of nervousness to it that’s almost sweet. How could something as innocuous as a vase of flowers shake this man’s seemingly endless confidence?

"I wasn't trying to be vague before," you tell him. “I helped someone move last weekend; only a couple people showed up to help, it was pretty intense. That’s what the flowers are for.”

“Let’s do it again sometime, winky face?” He raises his eyebrows, casually drinking from his water bottle to show how unbothered he is.

You make a face. “I should’ve figured you’d read the card,” you tease. “I joked that the move was so brutal I’d sooner buy him the apartment than help again when the lease is up.” To punctuate your story, you walk over, peck him on the lips and affectionately straighten his shirt collar. “I don't know what you're thinking but I can tell you you’re probably overthinking it.”

Ash tightens his jaw and runs his tongue over his lips as he listens to you. "Didn't even know you liked flowers," he shrugs as you smile softly at him.

When he doesn’t immediately follow you out of the bedroom, you know his wheels must still be turning. You get your keys out of the dish and text your friends that you’re leaving now. He finally appears and just as you’re about to tell him you really need to get going, he grabs you and gives you the most over the top, absurdly intense kiss of your life. One hand twisted in your hair, one hand pressing you against him, tongue claiming your mouth as his. He's clearly trying to prove a point - what and to who, you’re not quite sure - but he certainly proves it.

He pulls away, fire in his eyes and casually says, “You lock up, I’ll get the car started?” as if nothing happened.

You stand there, stunned for a moment, quickly attempt to repair your smudged lipstick and lock the door to meet him outside.

The car ride is mostly silent, save for the radio. Ashton plants his hand on your thigh the second you get in the car and it doesn’t budge the entire time. When you grab drinks with your friends at the bar, his hand never leaves your back. During dinner, his arm snakes around your waist the second you slide in the booth next to him. To the outsider this would seem possessive and you're guessing it partly is but you think you’re pretty good at reading Ash at this point and to you, it feels more complex than that.

He’s still his engaging and charming self, chatting endlessly with everyone about everything but you can tell he’s in his head and you’re not entirely sure why. You recall how unnerved he seemed back at your apartment. You think about the number of times he’s leaned in to whisper a joke or comment in your ear tonight. You feel the gentle way his fingers brush over your hip while you wait for the check and you start connecting the dots.

It may have started with jealousy but this goes deeper than some basic macho territorial bullshit. You’re fascinated as you consider this development. He never seemed to feel angry or betrayed at the thought of someone else holding your attention; he just seemed troubled. Sad. And now it feels like he’s constantly reassuring himself of your presence, like as long as he keeps touching you, keeps engaging you, you’re undeniably there with him.

Your head swims as you consider the implications of this. You never doubted you both cared for each other but is it more serious than that to him? To you? You focus on him talking with your friends and you don’t realize you’re staring until you feel his eyes on you. He looks at you with amused expectancy; you just shake your head and smile fondly.

Your friends say their goodbyes and you start down the street back to the car park. Ash reaches for your hand and it kind of breaks your heart so when you stop to wait for the crosswalk, you place his arm around you and snuggle into him. He looks at you quizzically, as if he's surprised by your affection. He truly has no idea how transparent he is sometimes, you think to yourself as you mumble something about being chilly.

As you make your way down the block, he starts chattering away about the night’s events and with each comment you burrow further into his embrace, appreciating the cool night air and the sound of his voice.

By time you’ve reached the parking structure, you’ve got your arms wrapped around him, inside his jacket. He sways with you as you wait for the elevator, “Am I dropping you back home?”

Your answer comes out muffled as you’ve decided to take this opportunity to bury your face in his chest. “Your place.”

He kisses the top of your head and clarifies, “Thought you had work tomorrow?”

As the elevator doors open, you say, “But your place is closer now” with a glimmer in your eye and you pull him, first into the elevator and then into you. You give him a kiss reminiscent of his over the top, absurdly intense one from earlier but yours has no underlying point to prove. You’ve decided you need him, only him and you want to be sure he knows that.

The car ride is once again silent but this time there is a different tension in the air. His hand finds its way onto your thigh again, though this time it’s definitely a few inches higher. You can’t help but study him, as breathtaking as ever, lit only by the glow of evening LA traffic. You’re now almost as lost in your thoughts as you know he was earlier. He was so perturbed by those goddamn flowers, why? If you had found a gift from someone you didn’t know at his place, would you be feeling the same way? You’re pretty sure you would.

He catches your gaze at a stop light or two but he doesn’t say anything, just gives your thigh a reassuring squeeze and turns back to the road. As soon as he shuts the engine off, you’re practically lunging across the car to get your lips back on his again. He indulges you for a minute and then breezily laughs, “let’s get you inside then” as he pries you off of him.

Once inside, it’s a dizzying clash of teeth, tongues, lips and limbs as you stumble up the stairs into the bedroom. You’re not sure exactly when it happened but suddenly he’s in his underwear and has you naked and spread in front of him.

He runs his fingers through your folds as he looks at you with a predatory glint in his eyes, asking, “Wet already, huh? This all for me?”

That’s apparently the extent of his teasing mood as he dives right in and starts eating you out before you even think to answer. You gasp and immediately tangle your fingers in his hair as he ruthlessly attacks your clit, first swirling it with the tip of his tongue and then sucking it in between his lips. The way he alternates broad strokes of his wide tongue with deliberate rapid fire flicks has you whimpering faster than you thought possible.

“Been wanting to taste you all evening, beautiful, thought we’d never get away,” he murmurs as he teasingly presses light kisses into your thighs.

“Ash…” you start, still attempting to catch your breath. “What is going on with you tonight…”

He chuckles and replies, “Says the woman who practically jumped me in the parking lot after dinner?” He pushes himself up your body to kiss you deeply, both of you groaning as you taste yourself on his tongue.

He pulls away just enough to continue, “Says the woman who could barely wait for me to put the car in park before she pounced again?”  He kisses you even harder, distracting you enough that you don’t notice his hands have begun to wander until you feel two fingers slowly dragging against your pussy.

You break the kiss with a moan and Ashton seamlessly moves his mouth to your neck, giving several teasing bites and nips before he raises his head to look directly at you and say, “Says the woman who I suspect has been dripping for me since the kiss I gave her before we left for dinner?”

He pushes his fingers into you with ease and expertly starts working them. “Maybe even before? Has my girl been wanting me this badly all night?”

You feel your skin flush as you hear the words “my girl” come out of his mouth; this is new. That’s as far as your thought process gets because then he’s curling his fingers and all you can focus on is the way your walls are beginning to twitch and tighten around them, “Ash… please…” is the best response you can manage.

His hand that’s not buried inside you traces down your throat and over your breasts. “Please what, baby? Think you know you’re gonna have to do better than that,” he teases.

“... Want to cum… PLEASE…” you breathlessly pant out, rocking your hips against his fingers which have slowed to an agonizingly slow pace, keeping you just on the edge of orgasm.

“Oh don’t worry, pretty girl, you’ll cum alright,” he teases with his bottom lip fixed in a mock pout. “Gotta make it up to you, I obviously should’ve filled you the second I walked through your door tonight,” he speeds his fingers back up and adds his thumb into the mix, rubbing it against your clit, causing your legs to shake.

You grip his arm that’s working you over, digging your nails into his bicep as your entire body tenses and you pulse around his fingers. “That’s my girl, that was a good one, wasn’t it?” he coos as he pumps his fingers into you a few more times for good measure.

You can only breathe heavily in response; your mind and body are both reeling. There it is again: my girl. That kiss by your door, his hands on you all evening, now my girl. You’re not sure if it’s intentional or if his subconscious is giving him away, but he’s claiming you. You’re much more comfortable with that idea than you thought you’d be.

The second it seems like you’ve started to catch your breath, Ashton withdraws his fingers from your body and sucks them clean, exaggeratedly groaning his approval. You reach out for him, hoping for a kiss but before you even realize what’s happening, he’s back between your legs lapping away at your center again. “ASH, what the FUCK,” you cry out, legs involuntarily closing around him.

Unfazed, he easily spreads your legs back how he wants them and looks up at you, face obscenely wet and glistening from his task. “You tasted so good on my fingers, I wanted more straight from the source,” he shrugs and immediately returns to his mission.

You involuntarily let out a tiny moan at his remark before tugging on his hair to get his attention. “Too much” is all you manage to get out before he licks at your clit in just the right way to make you jolt and let out a guttural groan.

He pulls back and snickers against your thigh. “That’s what I thought, do I know my girl or do I know my girl? Know when you're ready for another one before you even do, know how to leave you speechless with just a couple flicks of my tongue,” he sneers, rapidly fluttering over your clit in demonstration. “Know this pussy even better than you do, bet you’ve never had anyone else who can say that, have you?”  

You grab onto his shoulder and moan as soon as you hear that magic phrase, my girl, again. Ash’s dirty talk has always been a huge turn on for you but tonight the language is as telling as it is arousing: you are his. You decide that you like it, you want that and you like that he wants that.

You sigh deeply, disappointed but not surprised, when he pulls away just as you feel your climax begin to build. He kisses up your stomach until he reaches your tits, spreading sloppy kisses over one while he squeezes the other, rolling over the nipple with his thumb. You’re not quite sure why tenderness is your instinctual response but you go with it, softly running one hand through his hair and stroking his face with the other.

He looks up at you and his eyes are as breathtaking as always, glowing with both a familiar fire and also a softness you’ve only seen on occasion. You can’t help but smile as you tell him, “You’re unbelievable.”

“Is that a complaint or a compliment, my dear?” He asks with a smirk as he turns his attention to your other breast, repeating his actions.

“Not sure… both maybe…” you reply, in a dreamy haze of fondness, amusement and desire.

“I’ll take it,” he mutters against your skin. Satisfied with his work on your chest, you see him start to move back down between your legs.

“Ashhhh… no, need more,” you object, attempting to pull him back up to you.

“That’s what I’m tryna to give you here, baby,” he chuckles, allowing you to pull him up to your lips.

You frantically kiss him and grabble between your bodies until your hand finds his erection still confined in his boxers and you give it a squeeze. “GOD, Ash, honestly I just want your cock more than anything right now,” you hate how pitiful you sound but you also hope it’s enough that he’ll give you what you want.

Instead he looks you directly in the eye, grins and taunts, “But when don’t you want my cock more than anything?”

He impishly pecks your nose and confidently states, “First you cum on my tongue. THEN you can cum on my cock.” And with that, he’s suddenly peppering quick kisses all the way back down your body, musing almost to himself, “No one else can make you feel this way, can they, darlin’? Know how to get you off like this? Gets you this needy?”

Ashton dives back in with a renewed sense of purpose and has you cumming within moments; you swear at a certain point you can feel him grin against your sensitive core, clearly reveling in the nonsensical murmurs you don’t even realize you’re letting out until you hear them yourself.

“Good girl, sound so pretty when you cum for me, taste even better,” he praises, pressing a final kiss to the inside of each of your thighs before he’s on his feet, finally stripping off his underwear and retrieving a condom from the bedside table.

You’re tired from his teasing but the anticipation of finally having him inside you fuels your decision to snatch the package from him and begin tugging at his cock as soon as he’s within arms reach. You roll the condom on him as he tucks your matted hair behind your ear and says, “Been so good tonight, baby, you decide how you want it.”

You purse your lips in amusement because while his offer appears generous, based on the tone of the evening and the charged mood you're both in, there's no way he doesn't already know you're about to choose his preferred position.

You reach up and kiss him lustfully one more time before you dramatically turn over and raise yourself up on all fours, looking over your shoulder at him with an expectant look. He raises an eyebrow at you and you playfully roll your eyes at him, "Are you going to pretend like you're surprised or are you gonna fuck me?"

He grips your ass cheeks, kneading them in each hand, fondly clicking his tongue, "Cum twice already and still so impatient.”

You expect him to tease you; he always does and after the evening you’ve had, you assume you’re in for another tortuous display of dominance so it takes you by surprise when he’s suddenly sliding in to you. You hear his breathing become noticeably more pronounced as he buries himself and his fingers lightly trace down your spine, his actions pausing for just a beat longer than you'd like.

Without even giving it a second thought, you start eagerly moving against him. "Need me that badly you can't even wait one second for me to catch my breath?" He taunts in a voice that's both amused and aroused. He wraps his hand in your hair and yanks hard. "So desperate for me to wreck you, gotta fuck yourself on my cock?" He punctuates his question with a swift smack to your ass.

You attempt to scoff at his teasing but a simple, strained “FUCK” leaves your lips instead as you steadily rock yourself back against him. He doesn’t seem to mind your initiative, responding to your movements with approving groans and keeping his large hands occupied by covering your ass, first with sharp slaps followed by firm yet tender rubbing to soothe your reddening skin.

You hear yourself chanting “More. Please. More.” in a staccato rhythm matching the way you’re throwing your body back on him. He complies with your request, hand coming down on your backside multiple times in rapid succession and you cry out in satisfaction. You love the sting but you think you love the fact that you’ll be wearing his marks for days even more.

A particularly strong blow has your arms giving out, dropping your upper body down to the bed with a moan. He takes this as you handing over the reins and quickly moves his hands from your ass to your hips, grip digging into your skin as he takes over and starts pounding into you.  

“Goddamn you wrap around me so good, it’s like you were made to take my cock weren’t you, beautiful?” His praise has both your mind and body humming; it’s been a long evening and although you’ve already had two orgasms, you find yourself overwhelmed by the undeniable need to cum with him inside you.

He pushes down on the small of your back to pop your ass and fuck you at a better angle but the way his fingers firmly but gently fall on your skin reminds you of how he touched you earlier in the evening. In the restaurant. On the street. In the car. Always wanting to feel you, always confirming your presence, always reassuring the both of you that your rightful place was with him.

An unexpected wave of affection washes over you and suddenly you’re needing him in a much different way. You manage to feebly say, “Ash? Babe?” as you muster the strength to raise yourself back on one arm while you fling the other behind you, blindly searching for him.

You almost never call him pet names so it immediately jumps out at him; he notices the shifted tone in your voice and halts his actions. You turn your head to meet his gaze as he pants, “You alright? What’s happening?”

Your hand finally finds his resting on your hip and you give it a squeeze, “Changed my mind. Need more of you on me.”

The confusion and concern that were clouding his features softens into something familiar yet somehow undefinable as he gingerly pulls out and leans forward to give you the softest kiss you’ve received all evening. “Well, let’s do that then.”

You spin around to face him and sit back on your knees, pulling him into another soft, slow kiss, brushing his hair off his forehead. He basks in your tender attention for a moment before he’s guiding you back down onto the bed, situating himself to fully lay on top of you, between your legs, careful not to break your kiss until you’re ready.

He slips back inside you and before he even gets the chance to ask, a breathy “Yessss” is all the confirmation he needs to know that this is what you were craving. You wrap your legs around him and run your hands across his broad back, “Just wanted to feel more,” you explain.

Your eyes are closed, relishing the feel of his weight on you and the stretch of him inside you, so you don’t notice the way he silently studies you for a moment before he lifts himself up and starts thrusting into you again.

For all the filth that’s come out of your mouths this evening, this round finds you both unusually quiet, letting your joined symphony of moans, groans, “yeah”s and “fuck”s say everything that needs to be expressed.

You feel him reach for your hand and move it to rest above you on the pillow, interlacing his fingers with yours; you respond with a squeeze and then one up him by turning your head to nip at the moon tattoo closest to you, simply because you can. He’s left his signature up and down your body tonight, it’s only fair you get to leave a small token of your appreciation on his.  

He hisses at the feel of your teeth lightly grazing his skin. “Come on, darlin’, play nice.”

“Since when do we do that?” You breathlessly reply and then bask in the glow of the grin you receive in response.

Still smiling, Ash shakes his head. “If you’re able to make smartass remarks like that, clearly I’m not doing my job here.”

He takes one of your legs from around his waist and lifts your thigh back towards your chest; your mouth opens to moan but nothing happens as he pulls almost entirely out and then fucks into you so much slower and deeper than before. He chuckles, “That’s more like it.”

You consider rolling your eyes at his teasing or panting out another sassy quip at him but the way he’s moving in you feels so otherworldly you honestly don’t care about anything else. You grab on to his forearm and dig your nails in.

“Feeling good, beautiful?” He reaches between you and mercilessly rubs your clit. “Who’s making you feel this good?”

The sound emanating from your throat might be his name but mainly sounds like a series of whimpers.

He rubs harder and thrusts deeper. “Didn’t hear you, speak up. Whose cock makes you feel like this?” You continue crying out nonsensically as you feel yourself on the verge of your third orgasm.

You need him close so you pull him down to you for a kiss. He sloppily licks into your mouth, panting against your lips. He’s almost as gone as you are. You bite at his bottom lip and say, with a bit more desperation than you anticipated, “Gonna cum for you, Ash.” He nods understandingly and pecks your lips once more.

His lips move to your neck as his thrusts speed up again; he’s determined now and you’re moaning in earnest. You feel that familiar burning in your core and your eyes instinctively flutter shut, savoring the fall into bliss.

"Uh-uh, eyes open, baby. Want you to look at me. Need to be sure you know whose cock it is you're cumming on,” Ashton commands.

You force yourself to focus on him as you start to unravel, your entire body on fire, tensing deliciously; your mind is screaming his name but only indecipherable whines fall from your lips. Ashton is relentless as he fucks you through it, his thrusts never slow; no matter how impossibly tight your pussy squeezes around his cock, he never stops driving into you even rougher and deeper than before.

His eyes remain locked on yours, making the entire experience feel unbelievably more intimate. You swear you can feel every pent up emotion from the evening - the jealousy, the worry, the possessiveness, the passion, the… love? - in his gaze and you’ve never had a more intense orgasm, physically or emotionally.

As you come down from your high, you hear him praising you, “Yes, baby... love making you cum… you always give so much… always such a good girl for me.” His words alone would've earned a reaction from you but he sounds as wrecked as you feel, causing you to emit a deep and breathy moan at this realization. He’s panting so heavily you know his release won’t be far behind.

You feel like you're mad with desire at this point; you're beyond satisfied and you know you couldn't possibly cum again but you still feel like you're wanting something, you still need more of him. Feeling emboldened by watching Ash lose control and the euphoria still pulsing through your body, you find yourself digging your nails into his arms and muttering, “Want your cum, Ash.”

He lets out a grunt as his hips slam into yours. “Oh, you’re definitely about to get it,” he smirks.

You sigh partly out of exasperation and partly out of arousal for what you’re about to request. “No, Ash, I want it,” you pant. “Want you to cum on me, make me yours.”

His hips slow as he processes your words. “Fuck” is all he can manage to growl under his breath in response. He pulls out and you whimper at both the absence of him and the anticipation of what’s going to happen.

Ashton peels off the condom and you can’t take your eyes off him as he wraps his long fingers around his cock and begins to stroke himself. It only takes a few tugs before he’s gasping and murmuring your name and you have to moan along with him when you feel his warm cum spurting onto your stomach and chest. He maintains a firm grip as the rhythm of his hand varies, making sure he squeezes out every last drop for you.

He hangs his head in exhaustion for a beat and then takes in the sight of you: fucked out, chest heaving, painted in his release. You catch him staring and offer him a tired yet mischievous smile; he seems to pick up on your wavelength and smirks as he runs a finger through the substance on your breasts and brings it up to your lips for you to suck off.

“Jesus, baby,” he groans, shaking his head almost as if he can’t believe his eyes. “Don’t move.” He affectionately rubs your thigh a few times before he moves off the bed and ducks into the bathroom, returning seconds later with a wet washcloth.

He climbs back next to you on the bed and presses a passionate kiss to your lips before he starts gently cleaning you up; it’s quiet for a few moments and the intimacy is not lost on either of you. You reach up and brush his wild hair from his eyes. “Hey,” you start, fondly.

He smiles much softer than he has all night. “Hey yourself,” he giggles.

You pause and feel a bit of leftover boldness coursing through you, so you comment, “You seem like you’ve got something on your mind.”

Ash bites his lip and exhales deeply, clearly considering how to answer. He looks down, avoiding your eyes, and fusses over a mark on your hip that’s sure to form into a gnarly bruise by morning. “Sorry if I got a little crazy tonight, I know I‘m usually better at checking in with you,” he muses.

You sit up and squeeze his shoulder. You feel the urge to reassure him but you can tell he’s on the verge of opening up and you don’t want to derail him. You’re trying to find the courage to prompt him further when he surprises you by admitting, “It just really fuckin’ got to me when I thought... “ he trails off, looking away again. “I got weirded out about those flowers and I shouldn’t have. And I’m sorry.” He tosses the washcloth onto the nightstand in exasperation.

You give him a faint smile. “Ash, I told you ---”

“I know and I believe you but I just started thinking... and then I couldn’t stop,” he confesses quietly. He stands up and pulls on a pair of shorts before busying himself by starting to tidy the bed.

You excuse yourself to the bathroom. You figure he could use some time to process whatever it is he’s still trying to work out so you wash your face, brush your teeth and slip on a t-shirt of his you find discarded on the counter.

You venture back into the bedroom and find him tossing the pillows back onto the bed after having changed the sheets. He still looks lost inside his thoughts and you yearn to ease his mind. You walk over and hug him from behind, burying your face into his back; he gives your arms an affectionate squeeze.

“I know we don’t really talk about this kind of thing but I feel like you should know I haven’t seen anybody else since we started talking,” you offer, your confession muffled with your face still pressed against his skin. “It hasn’t even been a conscious thing, I just… haven’t been interested, I guess.”

Ashton pulls you to his side and kisses the top of your head. “Thank you for telling me that,” he murmurs, rubbing your back.

You quickly come around and kneel on the bed in front of him so that you’re at his eye level and you wrap your arms around his neck. “And I liked everything that happened tonight; you know I would have told you otherwise,” you assert. He nods in acknowledgement so you continue, “I like hearing you tell me I’m your girl, I like when you make me feel like I’m yours... ”

You feel tempted to look away, to fidget with the necklace he’s wearing but you resist. You look straight into his hazel eyes, full of warmth and attentiveness, and state, “You know, I could be yours, if that’s something you decide you want.”

Ash only lets your words hang in the air for a split second before he wraps his arms around you tightly and kisses you slowly; it’s intense and passionate but not in the same over the top, cocky way that he kissed you back at your apartment. This kiss is also trying to prove something but it’s a message meant only for you and he’s taking his time to make his point clear.

When your mouths finally separate, you take a deep breath and steady yourself on his arms. You open your eyes at him and grin. “Was that your way of asking?”

—-

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[1dsource]

Ziam writers in this fandom need a lot of love, just like our larry writers, so here is our first Ziam fic rec! The theme of this fic rec is Friends to Lovers!

Please show these authors some extra love and leave a kudos, and even a comment if you have the time. It’s important we also give the newer, unknown authors a chance so they keep having motivation to write more amazing stories for us all to read <3

Fools, and Worthless Liars. by aliceninetyfive I 115K I Haunted hotel, winter

Louis and Liam decide to go work a winter season in a snow resort in the Alps during their gap year. They get placed in Austria, where they meet a bunch of familiar faces including Zayn, Harry, Niall and various others you're bound to recognise doing the same thing!

Featuring our old favourites angst, pining, self discovery, ot5, and a side helping of a haunted hotel & gorgeous alpine scenery.

Compartment 451 by ziamhaze I 88K I Harry Potter universe

Zayn’s a muggleborn wizard whose parents leave him to fend for himself once he’s made aware of his magical abilities. The Payne’s are an open minded wizarding family, who take him in and provide the boy with a loving home before he and their overly excited son Liam, go off to Hogwarts for the first time. Liam introduces Zayn to the wonderful world of magic, while Zayn teaches the pureblood about a way of life he’s never known. Somewhere between laser tag tutorials and petting Hebridean Black dragons, Zayn falls for the newly appointed Head Boy, but his three other nonconforming friends aren’t about to let the Ravenclaw go through his last year of school without letting Liam in on his feelings once and for all.

Money Moves by mmaree I 74K I Fake Relationship I Boss/Employee

“I’ll cut straight to the chase,” Liam announces. He leans forward, and Zayn is met with steely eyes and steepled fingers. “I’m willing to offer you fifty grand if you’ll enter into a small…partnership with me. This would be in addition to your salary at Payne Innovations, of course. Think of it as a bonus.”

Zayn narrows his eyes. “What kind of partnership?”

“A fake engagement.”

“Oh,” Zayn says, relieved it’s nothing illegal. “Wait—what?”

“A fake engagement,” his boss repeats slowly, as if he’s convinced Zayn’s comprehension skills are significantly lacking. “For six months. Maybe less if I can pull it off sooner but don’t worry—you’ll be paid the full sum regardless of how long it takes.”

Zayn’s suspicious, and he doesn’t even know why. There’s nothing to be suspicious of because, clearly, Liam’s lost the plot. Zayn’s having a conversation with a complete nutter. There’s no other reasonable explanation.

He clears his throat, searches Liam’s eyes for a sign he's taking the piss. “How long what takes?”

A smile plays at Liam’s lips. “For me to be hired as the CTO at Titan Technologies.”

Half A Heart by ginger_with_a_black_cat I 68K I Friends with Benefits

Zayn is an English student who doesn't want to fall in love because his biggest fear is to get hurt again. Liam is a resident bad boy and everyone's wet dream on the outside, but in the inside he's a secret even to himself. Harry's Liam's best friend with a secret of his own. Louis likes to party hard, get drunk and get everyone in trouble but everybody loves him nonetheless. And then, there's Niall, who's the youngest of them all, but still has the most brains and keeps them all in order all while being in love with an impossible girl.

Or where Zayn gets hit in the head by his own actions, Liam finds himself falling for an idiot, Harry gets dragged out of the closet by the love of his life, Louis wants Harry and only Harry and Niall just wants all of them to get their shit together, so he can get his own life back.

and you take me the way i am by orphan_account I 54K I Fake Relationship

It’s incredibly relaxing, even in this small space, the way they’ve always been. Such a distraction that he doesn’t think, not for once, about agreeing to lie to his family and Zayn pretending to be his date and how easy all of this might be.

(Liam needs a date to a wedding. His family loves to match him up with blind dates. He doesn't want that. He needs a date... and, well, why not Zayn. Pretending to be boyfriends for a weekend isn't the worst idea he supposes. Liam is horribly wrong.)

some moments are rare by orphan_account I 46K I Uni au

The city blinks awake outside but Zayn falls asleep with his nose pressed to Liam’s coffee-stain of a birthmark.

(or, alternatively: Zayn is spending a summer studying aboard; thirty days across Europe, with his best mate by his side. It's always been like this ― Zayn and Liam. And he's always been a bit daft about love, or the fact that Liam's always been in love with him. It's all a bit of a mess, actually.)

Just As Fast, Twice As Dangerous by lightswoodmagic I 45K I Superpowers

When he realised it was only him and Liam in the hallway, he felt safe enough to drop his shield. Oh. Lovely. Liam was emanating affection and fondness, his primary emotions filled with warmth and love. Zayn let himself bask in it, how it would feel to be loved by Liam. He knew Liam loved him, but he wasn’t in love with him; Zayn had felt that emotion too many times to count, and this just wasn’t it. He dug slightly deeper, could feel that Liam was excited and nervous, and when he hit a wall Liam had built himself, he dropped back. He wasn’t supposed to know everything.

Or, Zayn's a normal student by day, and a superhero by night. When a mysterious man seems to target him at the same time a natural disaster strikes, Zayn has to figure out a way to save the day, protect his heart, and convince the boys he's not a vigilante all at the same time.

down the vista of years by ohthathurt I 30K I Time Travel

Zayn whispered, “So where do we go from here?”

Liam shrugged, seemingly lost in thought. Then he smiled down at his boyfriend, “Forward?”

Zayn smiled serenely, eyes twinkling like gold in the sun seeping through the open windows.

He nodded, “Forward.”

Just the two of us and a cute little cup of cyanide by orphan_account I 17K I Accidental Marriage

“I definitely need something alcoholic if I’m going to watch my two best mates divorce,” Niall says, yanking a top over his head.

“We’re not actually married,” Liam says, with slightly more force than intended. “It was an accident. Obviously I wouldn’t ever get married to Zayn if I was sober, that’s fucking ridiculous.”

The bathroom door opens suddenly and Zayn stands there in nothing but a towel, bottom lip trapped between his teeth. Liam opens his mouth to say something but Zayn holds up his hand, shaking his head. “You don’t need to be a dick about it, Liam. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned my first marriage going either.”

Or an I-accidentally-married-my-best-mate-in-Vegas fic, where Liam's completely oblivious, Zayn's completely in love, Harry's had enough, Louis plays mediator and Niall just wants his best friends to be with each other.

i'm watching you run from the sidelines by thebeehive I 17K I 

“One week,” Zayn cajoled. “C’mon Leeyum. After one week if you hate it that much, you can go. But just stay one week.”

“In Pennsylvania. On your farm. In the middle of nowhere.”

Liam looked at his phone, but it held no answers. Zayn couldn’t be serious. Liam hadn’t stopped traveling the world after the band went on hiatus. He never stopped. Dubai one week, London the next, and then L.A. It didn’t really matter where, as long as he kept moving. But he missed Zayn, missed his former band mate. His former friend. He hadn’t seen him in person in years. And it couldn’t be that bad, on a farm, could it?

Liam sighed. “Fine. A week. But your wifi better be fucking spectacular, mate.”

{Or, Zayn invites Liam to his farm for a week to help him relax. Things don’t go as planned.}

fooled around and fell in love by tachycardia I 15K I Fake Relationship

“I have a proposal - a proposition,” Liam corrects quickly. “For you.”

Liam and Zayn pretend to be engaged.

a river flows so surely to the sea by kettering I 14K I Uni au

It’s August, not a cloud in the sky, and two boys who’ve been smitten with each other for going on a decade are tying the knot.

get a little bit nervous by louistomlinsons I 14K I 

Liam goes to say something, probably something dumb, but he chokes on his spit, coughing loudly. The man in front of him is one of the prettiest people he’s ever seen in his life; he’s got thick eyelashes that fan out and frame his dark eyes and tanned unblemished skin. Liam forgets all of his previous thoughts.

“You okay, mate?” he asks, concern filtering into his voice.

“Yeah, yeah,” Liam says, still choking and coughing. “Sorry.”

“We all reacted the same way we saw Zayn for the first time,” Niall says from next to him, laughter evident in his tone. “He’s a god, isn’t he?”

or, ziam farmer's market au where liam, louis, and niall work at the produce stand, harry and zayn work at the bakery stand, and nobody's straight

Tell me tomorrow (I'll wait by the window for you) by orphan_account I 13K

“You’re, like, beautiful,” Liam says, and it’s said so earnestly and with such conviction that Zayn can hardly believe that they don’t know each other in real life. “God, I’m cacking it now.”

“Don’t,” Zayn says shyly. “We’re both people, it… it will be what it will.”

“Can’t wait,” Liam says softly. “I’m nervous, yeah, but I really can’t fucking wait.”

“Me neither,” Zayn grins. “Less than seventeen hours to go now, babe.”

Or a Gavin and Stacey AU where Zayn pines, Liam's nervous, Louis's loud, Harry's a little odd and Niall just loves an omelette.

This Is Somethin' Real by lightswoodmagic I 5K I 

Zayn had felt it before, felt the hope and the possibility of something brewing, but where he usually pushed it down, he let it consume him now, let it take over everything until he was swinging his feet and grinning when Niall finally walked through the door.

“Lads!”

“Nialler!” Louis shouted, wrapping him up in a hug.

“How is everyo – woah, why are you so happy?” he asked Zayn, cackling when Zayn kicked out at him.

“He’s going to tell Payno he’s in love with him tonight, that’s why,” Louis explained, and Zayn saw Harry’s nose scrunch as he smiled.

Again, if you read, please remember to leave kudos and/or a comment so we keep motivating our lovely, talented writers and make them feel valued

[jacks-wylan]

Part 1 | Part 2.

The bed dips under the weight of Jaskier's body, as he lays down under the covers next to him. Geralt doesn't look at him, he has his eyes closed and the back turned to him, but he clearly hears him sighing dramatically – and maybe a bit bitterly, as is his scent that now reaches his nose. He doesn't smell aroused anymore, the sweet, mouth watering feminine scent doesn't permeate Jaskier's skin anymore. Geralt would think that he's happy about that, but... he's not.

“Are you mad at me, Geralt?”

Geralt doesn't respond, keeping the back at him obstinately. Jaskier's voice is soft, barely a whisper. It's slightly different from the voice he had when he was a boy, but not too much: it lacks of the lightly ruff background, especially – as now – when he tried to talk with a low tone.

Jaskier hums at the stretched silence. Not that's new, it happens a lot with Geralt after all. “I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do anything. Really. I was just...” he trails off, and for the first time, Geralt hears Jaskier at loss of words.

“Messing with me?” he prompts him, with no particular inclination in his voice. He's really not so mad, not at Jaskier at least. He's annoyed at himself, and at his weakness.

Well, considering that Jaskier is his weakness, maybe he is a bit mad at him.

“No, no.” he hears Jaskier shuffling under the covers of the bed, but he doesn't get closer. Geralt can feel the warmth of his body, but it almost feels ephemeral. He feels no contacts in his skin, and he almost feels cold. “No, I just... I couldn't help it, I couldn't stop a totally normal reaction of my body. I hoped that... well, nevermind. It's unimportant.”

Geralt frowns. He's pretty sure that Jaskier wanted to say something else to him, something important. It's just a feeling, of course, but even that evening, when they ate in the common room of the tavern, Jaskier hidden under his coat and Geralt with a scowl twisting his lips, he had the same sensation. Jaskier's silence was surely a hint, but also, under the hood, Geralt could clearly see his face blank, deep in contemplation of whatever he was looking into the porridge he was eating. Once or twice, Jaskier opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it with a click, looked around at the oblivious patrons around them, and kept eating in silence.

And Geralt doesn't want that Jaskier refrains from talking to him, just because Geralt is too weak. So, he turns with his back against the uncomfortable mattress, and cocks his head so he can look at him right in his blue, shiny eyes, brightening by the embers from the fireplace. “What?” he asks, hoping that Jaskier would just open up to him.

Not that he deserves that, but...

“It's really nothing.” Jaskier's lips are pressed against each others in a light pout, his long lids fanning around the cut of his eyes. Fuck, he wants so much to kiss him, right here, right now. He doesn't even have to look beyond his chin, he doesn't fucking care of the slender line of his neck, of the soft tightness of his chemise around his chest. All he needs it's there, in front of his eyes, with Jaskier looking at him with his usual pleading – pleading of what – stare and pouting lips. But still, he does nothing. “I just thought that, maybe, perhaps, things would have been different, now. With this body, with my more... feminine curves. I guessed I could have been more of your... preference, let's say that. But clearly, I was wrong: the problem, all along, wasn't my body. Was... the problem is just me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he grunts, not understanding.

Jaskier looks at him right in his eyes, then his lids flutter and, finally, he lowers his gaze. He inhales, deeply, and raises a hand to start caressing his cheek, resting it slightly above his cheekbone. His thumb, ever so soft, draws circles under his eyes. “Forget it. I was just blabbing, as always. Aren't you tired? You definitely must be tired, I didn't give you a break these couple of days. You have to go on a contract tomorrow, have you? You should sleep. I don't want you to have any other kind of distraction that isn't me.”

“You distract me a lot.”

Jaskier smiles, his eyes twinkle of his typical mischief. But still, he seems a bit off. “I'm the bane of your existence, Geralt.”

Geralt tries, he really does, to reciprocate his smile. There's still something churning his stomach, still something he might take into consideration but he's not. Something important, something that Jaskier – with his frivolous words and ambiguous sentences – was trying to say to him. “You are.” he just murmurs, and Jaskier chuckles softly, his hand falling off his cheek. Geralt immediately misses the warmth of his touch, but he still doesn't say anything.

“I'll come with you tomorrow.” Jaskier says, blinking. He's starting to feel sleepy, by now Geralt can put a meaning in every grimace of his face. Or maybe, most of them; particularly of his needs. Not so much his emotions: if he cannot understand them by his scent, he mostly feels lost at sea. As he feels right now, after all.

“You shouldn't. It's safer here.”

“Is it? Well, I guess it is. Here there is no monsters trying to rip my ribcage open, that's for sure. I can take care of myself in your absence, at least for half a day. Maybe I can perform! I can still wear your coat on and hid my face, or part of it at least, and present myself as a new bard. I kind of miss performing in front of a willingly crowd.”

“No.”

Jaskier blinks, “What?”

“No, you'll stay here, hidden away.”

Jaskier raises his eyebrows, opening his mouth wide in a dramatic disbelief. “Not even my mother could kept me caged in my own room for more than half an hour, Geralt, and even though I love you, you dumbass, you make no difference.”

Geralt tries to not react at his casual confession. It's not the first time, nor probably the last, and Geralt already knows that Jaskier loves him, as Jaskier obviously knows that Geralt feels the same – even though he never said it out loud like him, it should be so obvious that is almost written on his face. Right? – but Geralt... feels so unworthy. He isn't worth of a thing as pure and as beautiful as Jaskier's love. So, things will always be platonic, no matter how much Geralt wants to kiss his pout away.

“I can stop whatever people might do to you. What if they recognize you and put you at a stake? What if they don't recognize you, but they see you like... like this, see you so... so...” beautiful, he wants to say, but he was beautiful even as a boy, and Geralt didn't have the same worry as he's feeling now. It's just that now, now the world is darker for him, men themselves are worse than monsters – and Geralt can't let that darkness stain the perfect, sunny light around him. “Hm. I, I can't do anything to take you out of trouble, if I'm not there.”

Jaskier cradles his face between the palms of his hands, and with the most serious expression he can muster with the soft lines of his face, he exclaims: “You are as sweet as a cinnamon roll.” Geralt rolls his eyes, and Jaskier chuckles, without stopping touching him. “But I can take care of myself. It must not be so obvious, but I'm very strong! The hard life on the road helped me to gain some muscles, especially my legs'.” Yes. Geralt knows that. He saw his legs, briefly, during his bath, and they are thick, muscled. Not as a witcher, but definitely strong enough. They are perfect. “I can kick whoever would dare saying that my songs are shits, right in their balls. I had balls, I know the pain they would feel in beyond comprehension.”

“Hm.” Geralt smiles, and tries not to think about Jaskier being kicked in his balls when he was a boy. “Still. Kicks could not being enough.”

Jaskier closes his eyes, briefly, and inhales dramatically. “Alas, the things I do for you. Alright, alright, I won't perform, I won't dance, I won't sing, I won't catch their attentions. I take this as a favour you owe me, I hope you are aware.”

As long as Jaskier is safe, it's fine. “Hm, yes.”

“Good. So, I will stay all alone here, in this room that doesn't even have a lock, waiting for my witcher to come back from his hunts. Maybe... oh, did you see the waiter this evening, during dinner? Do you think that he would accept to come up here, to... help me pass the time, tomorrow? I don't like to be alone, and he is cute. Maybe a bit young, he seems to be in his mid–twenty, but I'm not gonna be too picky.”

“What.” Geralt feels his blood boil, “We... we just said that you don't have to catch unwanted attention!” he growls. His nostrils flare, and he's probably baring his teeth. Jaskier doesn't seem perturbed by the scene, on the contrary: Geralt feels like he's fallen right into a trap.

“Well, it's not unwanted. I can handle very well a single boy's attention, Geralt.” Jaskier smiles, innocently. This little shit, he'll be the death of him. “And there's that little, tiny problem of my virginity, remember? Before we find a mage, I have to take care of it!”

Geralt tightens his lips, and looks at Jaskier – who looks back so candidly that Geralt almost feels bad at being so fucking irate at him. Almost – and... and...

And surrenders.

“Fine, fine, you little shit!” he growls, while Jaskier's eyes twinkle victoriously, “You'll come with me tomorrow!”

Geralt falls asleep with Jaskier's hoorays in his ears, and a voice that resembles so much like Vesemir's that keeps telling him that he's so, so, so fucked.

[ayatosmlktea]

Well I fucked up and deleted the first part of the ask...basically the request was an Erwin x reader. She finds out she’s pregnant but doesn’t tell him and Levi or Hange ends up finding out about it. On a mission she gets into an accident and...

A/N: You asked for one but why not both?

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖

“Y/N! You in here”? Hange calls out, not bothering to knock as she invites herself into Y/N’s office. The brunette frowns upon finding the room empty. She’d been trying to find her all morning needing help finalizing an experiment that she planned to use on the expedition tomorrow.

Walking over to desk Hange sorts through the papers strewn messily everywhere, Y/N had taken Hange’s notes the last time they had been planning the experiment and she needed them in order to go over the final details. In her search for the notes a few papers had flown off the desk, bending down to pick them up one paper in particular catches Hange’s attention. Brown eyes widen with shock she quickly places the paper under a pile of others, not sure of what to do with the information. The sudden sound of loud knocking makes her jump back.

“Y/N it’s Levi.” Hange’s eyes widen rushing to the door she grabs Levi by the arm and drags him inside.

“What the hell four-eyes?” Levi asks trying to pull his arm out of her iron clad grip.

“Thank god you’re here, you need to see this” Dragging him over to Y/N’s desk she shuffles through the papers again.

“Are you sure you’re supposed to be showing me this?” He questions, nose wrinkling at the disorder Y/N kept her things in. Finding what she was looking for Hange shoves the paper in front of his face. Levi’s expression remained unimpressed, his eyes darting over to hers.

“It’s her physical. Big deal, she’s perfectly healthy.” Rolling her eyes she points to the bottom of the page waiting for the light to go off in his brain.

“Shit…do you think he knows?” They exchanged glances of unease. Levi was almost certain that if Erwin knew Y/N was pregnant he would have taken her off the expedition tomorrow, meaning that they were probably the only ones who knew her secret for the time being. Once again shoving her physical under several papers they make a silent pact not to say anything until Y/N confronted Erwin or one of them first.

At dinner her body language gave nothing away, Levi and Hange were watching her closely looking for any indication that Erwin was treating her differently. However, the day ended and they found themselves ready to leave the walls with Y/N among them. Levi wasn’t sure whether to give her credit for being able to act like she hadn’t received life changing news or knock her out himself and leave her behind.

Y/N was forcing herself to smile at her husband. She felt guilty for hiding her pregnancy from him but knew that if he found of he wouldn’t have let her come on the expedition. Hange had been working hard on the mechanics for capturing the female titan and she would be damned if he didn’t let her see their plan come to fruition. Y/N also knew that Erwin needed as much man power as he could get. This was probably one of their biggest missions in a while and would ultimately lead them to uncovering secrets of the titans. Y/N finds herself getting lost in thought, her guilt eating away at her conscience as she remembers their last conversation that morning.

“You better come back alive, I won’t accept any other outcome.” His eyes fixed on her and full of love. It was no secret that Y/N had the commander wrapped around her finger.

“I’ll always come back to you” She replied softly, her fingers ghosting over his cheeks. Erwin leans down to give her a chaste yet warm kiss.

“You should go see if Hange needs your help before we leave” Planting a firm kiss on her forehead he taps her butt playfully, nudging her out of the door.

Erwin’s concerned gaze brings her back to reality, shaking her head she gives him a reassuring smile. Unaware to both of them Hange and Levi were watching their exchange closely. Y/N was a capable soldier, she’d survived every expedition thus far, there was no reason to doubt her skills. That was what they’d both told themselves, until skills alone weren’t enough when it came to surviving the disaster that was the female titan. Levi’s entire squad had been annihilated and if that wasn’t enough they couldn’t find Y/N. They’d all been split up after the female titan had attracted other titans once being captured.

On the battlefield Erwin treated his wife as he would any other soldier so he just had to hope that she was safe and capable of taking care of her squad.

His stomach churns in terror as the only two remaining members of her squad were frantically trying to carry her body back to the wagons. A large gash bleeding freely on her abdomen staining her clothes dark red. Her head was lulled back, barely clinging onto consciousness.

“What happened?” He barked, his blood turning to ice as he takes her out of their arms. Her skin was pale, almost grey in colour, beads of sweat falling from her forehead.

“It was an accident sir, it happened so fast. She went to take out a titan and out wires got caught and I couldn’t draw back my blades in time”

The young boy started panicking, on the brink of hyperventilating. His eyes focused on Y/N’s semi conscious form.

Too many things were going on at once, too many things needed to be prioritized and Erwin was overwhelmed with having to choose between his soldiers or her.

“What are you standing around like idiots for? If you don’t stop the bleeding now she’s going to lose the baby!” Hange cries, stunned at Erwin’s lack of response at Y/N bleeding out in his arms.

“Baby? What baby?” Azure eyes widen frantically, Y/N visibly grimaces squeezing her eyes shut to avoid looking at the mixture of emotions swimming in his eyes.

“She’s fucking pregnant!” Something snaps inside of Erwin, his body going on autopilot as he hands her off to the medics. His mind goes blank the only clear thought he has is getting her back to the safety of the walls and hoping that it won’t be too late to save their baby.

Time drags on agonizingly slow, questions are racing through his mind. He hates having to leave her side but his duties as commander outweigh his duty to her. Erwin can only pray to invisible gods that they all make it back in one piece.

Y/N is immediately rushed to the infirmary her condition taking priority over everyone else. He didn’t know whether to be furious at her for keeping this from him or excited at the prospect of being a dad. Erwin paces back and forth beside her bed unable to sit still and wait for her to wake up. The doctor had told him that her condition was severe, having lost almost thirty percent of her blood but that she would eventually wake up. He was almost too scared to ask about the condition of their child unsure of whether he wanted to know the outcome.

In the week she had been unconscious Erwin had found himself staring at the results of her physical more than once. The silence was unbearable for his restless mind. He needed answers, what could have possibly prevented her from telling him something like this. He was convinced he was losing his mind, staying by her bedside long into the early hours of the morning asking her why she hadn’t told him.

The day she had woken up he’d almost cried tears of relief. Her memory was hazy. She couldn’t remember anything that had happened after her collision.

“I know this is very sudden but we needed to do some tests on you while you were unconscious to make sure the baby was safe.” Her doctor is solemn, too serious for whatever was coming next to be good news. Noting the way she pales he reaches over to affectionately stroke the back of her hand.

“And?” Y/N’s voice is strained but she can already tell that it’s too late.

“I’ve very sorry but there was too much blood loss” Her bottom lip begins to tremble, angry hot tears of grief escaping the corner of her eyes.

“It’s all my fault” she sobs helplessly. Her knuckles turning white from gripping the sheets. Erwin gently holds her face against his chest. Any hope he had let live inside his heart quickly dissipated. He felt guilty for holding a small ounce of resentment for her in his heart.

“It’s not your fault Y/N. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He asks quietly, his hand rubs her back soothingly while the other combs through her hair keeping her close to him.

“I don’t know, I was scared!” Her words are barely comprehensible the force of her sobs mushing them all together as she hiccups.

“I knew you wouldn’t let me go but I wanted to be useful” closing his eyes he takes a deep breath. She was right, he would never have let her leave had he known from the beginning. But he also understood her desire to want to keep fighting.

“I’m so sorry” Erwin couldn’t find it in himself to stay mad at her knowing that she would never have wanted this to happen. Crawling into bed with her he holds her against his chest, his own bitter tears silently sliding down his cheeks at the loss of something he had never really gotten to enjoy to begin with.

Masterlist

[fire-the-headcanons]

Follow the Beacon Summer—What Happened

[Link to Masterpost]

The school slowly broke down into organized insanity as exams approached. Students worked through meals or fell asleep in the library as teachers gave more and more coursework for review. Teachers encouraged team leaders to make sure their comrades were ready.

Raven was being exactly as cooperative as usual.

"No." She almost growled, pulling the blanket over her head. "It's a stupid assignment. We already learned that."

"Which is why it's called review," Summer argued. "Come on. Our team could be top of our year! Just look over your notes again—"

"Go to sleep."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's only eight."

"Sun's down."

A badly-suppressed noise wafted past her ear, and she turned to scowl at Tai and Qrow. "What are you two snickering at?"

"Oh, nothing." Tai buried his face in his textbook. "What's a Goliath?"

Qrow didn't bother to look up. "Elephant Grimm."

"Oh, charming." He flipped to the index with a scowl. "Come on, Summer, let's just head to the library without her."

She scowled at the simmering lump of blankets. "Nope. We're going to study right here ." The quilt growled, a low rumble with enough snarl to make her hair stand on end. Raven could make a Beowolf jealous, in the right mood.

"Any chance they're smaller than the real thing?"

"Um… no."

"...Common in midwestern Sanus. Why haven't I heard of them?"

"Because they're smart enough to stay away from Vale," Qrow said, holding up his own textbook. A photograph took up most of the page, and the Grimm took up most of the photograph. The unlucky Huntress that had taken the picture had nearly been standing underneath it, and the edges were blurred like they'd been running. As always, the tender spots were identified with thin red arrows. The Goliath had one. Right under its chin, past the trunk. And the tusks. He set the book in his lap, continuing. "They're not very common in Anima, but if you ever see one in the wild, run in the opposite direction."

"No kidding," she muttered, leaning forward to look again. "That thing could flatten a bullhead."

"Size just makes them a bigger target. The real problem is they're one of the weird ones."

A shiver ran down Summer's back at the dark in his tone. "Weird—"

"—ones?" Tai squeaked.

"They can trumpet like regular elephants, except that when you hear it you're struck with paralyzing terror. Big cities use androids to fight 'em, and smaller towns pay the big cities to take care of it if one shows up. If they can afford it."

"...Have you ever seen one?" Summer asked.

A shadow fell over his face. "Once."

Tai swallowed. "...What happened?"

Qrow didn't meet either of their eyes. "People died." With the aura of someone trying to change the subject, he continued on with forced nonchalance. "Its trumpet won't affect you if you're drunk enough, but it makes it kind of hard to fight. …Don't put that on the test."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Summer said, tracing an X over her heart as she copied it down in her notes. Raven pulled her blanket down just enough to give him a scathing glare before disappearing again.

He glanced down at his notes, searching for another way to change the subject. "Uh, the collapse of Vacuo's government, was, um…"

"Well, if you ask some people the Dust companies were behind the whole thing," Tai said, still flipping through pages of tracks to be identified. "But Lionheart's probably looking for something more along the lines of 'Vacuo's people trusted Shade more than their council and it fell apart.'"

Qrow frowned at his notes. "What actually happened?"

"Depends who you ask."

"…But what actually happened?" he asked again, transferring his stare to Tai.

Tai just shrugged.

Qrow sighed, dumping the book back on his desk before getting up to rifle through his closet. "I've been going for hours, I'm gonna take a break. …Raven, where's the shampoo?"

"I used the last of it this morning. Sorry."

"Guess we're going into Vale tomorrow."

Summer leaned back on the hind legs of her chair, biting back a smile as she swiped her shampoo out of the closet. "Here, you can use mine tonight." The cap opened with a soft click and she sniffed at it. "If it's not too flowery."

He took it and gave it a shake. "Are you sure? You're almost out too."

"Yeah, how about I give you some Lien and you can pick mine up for me to pay me back? Tai and I still have to study for our history midterm too, we were going to do the reviews this weekend."

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks."

"Ehh, let's take a break too." He tossed his notes onto the bed and stood up, stretching. "Maybe the dragon will fall asleep while we're gone if we go on a walk."

"Takes one to know one, Xiao Long ."

"Goodnight, Raven," he said in an exaggerated whisper, gesturing for Summer to go through the door before him. Qrow pulled away, headed for the men's room, and Tai turned in the opposite direction.

"Wait, you're serious?" Summer asked as he started toward the stairs. "It's freezing out there."

"Use a little aura," he said, the humor gone from his voice. "We need to talk."

"...W-what…"

Tai shook his head, gesturing for her to follow, and as they stepped into the dark a shiver ran down her back that had nothing to do with the weather. A few flurries caught the light of a lamppost. First snow of the year, in the middle of exams. It figured.

"Qrow asked me not to talk about this," Tai muttered, and Summer snapped back to the moment. He rubbed his eyes. "I just…"

"What?"

"I walked in on him changing the other day…"

"Awkward. ...More awkward since you're telling me about it."

Tai shook his head, still not making eye contact. "That's not it. S… someone cut him."

Summer gritted her teeth. "He's hiding another injury? How low is his aura this ti—"

"No—not injuries. Scars. ...I've never seen anything like it," he mumbled, nausea stealing over his face. "Not in the first aid textbooks. None of the lines were parallel, they couldn't have been made by teeth or claws."

Summer's stomach turned over.

"I can't be sure but they looked recent."

"How recent?" she demanded, surprising herself with her voice's high pitch.

"I don't know. I asked him about it but he won't talk to me. All he said was that Raven didn't do it, but she couldn't know that I knew." His hands tightened on a book Summer hadn't noticed him holding as he held it up to glare at the cover. "...I've been reading about human trafficking."

"You don't think—"

"I don't know." Tai's hand dropped back to his side. "All I know for sure is, wherever they came from, they can't go back."

She nodded, wishing her stomach would untie itself or at least stop moving.

"Just… try to stay close to him, y'know? He's… he's terrified of me. He swears the skirt thing didn't bother him, but I can't think of any other reason for it—"

The knot in her gut tightened painfully. "Oh, fuck."

* * *

"Hey, Summer? Is your hair that color because of your soap?" Qrow asked, holding up the empty shampoo bottle. "City dwellers." He scraped a lock of hair between his nails and completely failed to remove the color. Slightly lighter than hers, now, but a similar deep red. "How the hell can anyone make soap complicated?"

"I put hydrogen peroxide in as a prank," Summer said, forcing a smile and fighting to keep her voice steady.

Comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh!"

"I'll get you some Lien for black dye so you can put it back to normal tomorrow."

"I dunno, I kinda like it," he said, examining his reflection in the mirror on the inside of his closet door. "…And I can spend the next few months telling everyone you're my twin."

"You can have him," Raven said instantly.

Qrow grabbed his pillow and casually tossed it on her face, ignoring the half-hearted squawk of protest. "Whatever. Let's get back to work."

Who could hurt him? He was kind to everyone—even Dan , for gods' sakes, with how unpleasant he'd been.

" ...Hey, this stuff isn't going to stain my pillow, is it?"

"It removes color from your hair, actually."

"Weird."

[A bit rushed, but it exists.]

Next Chapter: Qrow—Kill Me Yourself

[sorceress-coffee]

Gnome your Enemy, Courting Hazards

AO3 Link (available on 7/31/2020) This is pretty much Ep 4 pt 1& 2 with revisions.

River’s P.O.V.

I watched as Draal stood, growling lowly at Jim. “5 days,” he snarled, “we will fight in the forge.” He turned, huffing through his nose blowing out a cloud of steam. He walked out, head held high, nodding to me as he passed. I tilt my head in recognition, debating on following Draal to ask what had happened. As I stepped to follow after him, I was suddenly lifted from the ground and into a group hug with Toby and Jim, Arrrgh had already caught them.

Blinky clapped two of his four hands, grinning up at us, “Excellent, Master Jim! We should start your trying right away if you are to defeat Draal!”

Arrrgh laughed deeply as he walked out of the bar before setting Jim, Toby, and I down again.

Toby punched Jim’s arm, grinning “This is gonna be awesome! Right River? Oh! Hey River, when did you get here?” he asked.

“I walked in during your confrontation. What made you snap?” I asked Jim, frowning.

Jim was scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, “Well, I got in a fight with Steve, and-”

I raised my hand to cut him off, “No, why did you challenge Draal?”

“He was talking shit about his and Jim’s sparring yesterday!” Toby almost yelled, glaring at the memory.

Blinky clasped my shoulder as he guided us to the forge, “Come now masters, we have much training to do!” He took notice of the metal rod in my hand. “River? What do you have there?”

I lift the rod, looking over it confused for a moment, “Oh,” I held it out and tightened my grip slightly, as I did the rod began to glow blue and the lance I had forged with Vendel sprung to life, the veining in the staff giving off a faint sapphire glow. “Vendel and I found a way to channel my magic, he told me to find Jim to practice, but I think I’ll pass for today, he needs to learn troll fighting, not how hard I can bash his skull in.” I teased, lightly whacking Jim on the top of his head with the non-bladed end of the lance.

Jim laughs, smacking the lance away from him. “Those were the drawings you were working on Friday night, right? It looks amazing River!

“No way! I thought your magic was gonna be your cool superhero thing, now you have a weapon too?” Toby asked, pouting slightly.

I shrugged, “Think of it more as a sharp wand.”

Blinky held his hands out, “May I?” He asks. I smile and place the lance in his hands. He tested the weight, swinging it slightly before looking over the sapphire veining closely. “Incredible Lady River! You made the gems for this?”

I nod, reaching into my black satchel and grabbing the extra gem I took, not the one that looks like Draal’s crystalline back. I handed it to Blinky, taking my lance back. “You should see the one in the center of the Heartstone. I went a little overboard.”

Blinky inspects the gem closely before handing it back. “I will once Jim’s training is finished for the day, thank you Lady River.”

I nod noticing Toby’s eyes are locked on the crystal now in my hand, I chuckle before handing it to him. “I thought you could add this to your collection.”

Toby grins taking the crystal, he starts jumping, listing off various gems, trying to place what it could be. Arrrgh taps the stone, smiling “Not normal gem. Magic.” He explains, letting Toby know he won’t be to categorize it.

Jim shakes his head at his best friend’s excitement, “He’s not going to stop talking about this for a while,” he smiles to me before patting my shoulder. “Why don’t you head home River, you’ve been here for two days straight.”

Smiling, I nod, letting the lance collapse again. “I’ll be heading out soon. Is it daylight?”

Blinky shakes his head, “Sunset, actually. You’ll want to hurry home before Bular is out running around.”

Nodding, I hug Jim and ruffle Toby’s hair. “I’ll see you later tonight! Bye Blinky! Bye Arrrgh!” I took off running towards the exit for Trollmarket, keeping my eye out for a certain blue Troll. I frown slightly when I don’t see him, shrugging it off. Draal had a fight he probably wasn’t too worried about preparing for, but still, he was probably getting ready.

I climbed up the crystal steps to the canal exit of Trollmarket, playing with the lance as I walked, twisting it around my hand and back, slowly at first, trying to get the motions down. As I went to flip the lance over my hand it hit part of the stone wall and bounced back, hitting me in the head. “Ow…” I quickly grab the side of my head, trying to dull the throbbing. A sudden burst of laughter caught my attention. I looked up to see Draal, bent over laughing, at the canal exit.

I huffed at him, giving him a mock glare, “Oh, come on! I’ve barely had it an hour! Did you think I’d be doing backflips by now?” I asked, pouting a bit, still rubbing my head.

He straightens up, slowly getting control of his laughter, “You were just doing well, and then you were bested by a wall.” Snickering, “That’s two walls that have it out for you.” He remarked, referring to my destroying a wall in the forge during his and Jim’s spar.

“And here I thought you were supposed to save me when the walls decided to attack.” I snarked back.

He smirked before opening the exit, walking through. “I remember saying not to launch yourself off of walls when I can’t be there to help you, not that I’d protect you if they attacked.”

I followed him through the exit, walking beside him as we head in the direction of my house, laughing. “Well, I kept up part of my deal!”

“Still bested by the wall.” He smirked down at me.

Rolling my eyes, I collapse the lance, slowing my pace. “Well, I don’t have any training yet, of course, the wall is going to win! That’s like me trying to pick a fight with you!”

Draal slows to match my pace, snorting at the thought. “You’re too smart to try that. Even for a fleshbag.” He tilts his head in thought. “You will be training with the troll hunter?”

I shook my head, “Nah, Blinky’s gonna have all four hands full trying to keep Jim in line, I doubt he’d be able to handle us both. Besides, he has to train for whatever fight you agreed to earlier. Fighting me won’t help with that.”

At the mention of the fight, Draal stops short, watching me. “You don’t seem worried.”

“You’re sparring with Jim again, I’m more worried about falling off another wall.” I joke, frowning when I look back to Draal, a serious expression etched on his face.

“This isn’t just a spar River.” He began slowly, “Honor was questioned. I will answer the call.” He began, “This is a fight to the death.”

I could feel the color drain from my face, going cold at Draal’s words. “Death…” He nods, watching my reaction closely. “He doesn’t know that!” I yelled, throwing my hand in the direction of the canal. “He probably thinks this is just another sparring session!”

Draal huffed, “If his teacher has any sense, he will explain the mistake he made.”

“Mistake?! Draal, one of you could die!” I started to panic, scared for both of them. “Please Draal, I understand there are things Jim and I both don’t know yet of your culture, but please reconsider this fight. If either of you…” I trailed off, hands shaking. I did the only thing I could think of to calm down, I rushed forward, hugging Draal tight, hiding my face. “Please, just… consider it. I don’t know if asking this is acceptable for Trolls, but losing my family or my friend…”

Draal had gone stiff when I rushed him, moving into a defensive stance. When he realized I was hugging him, he didn’t know what to do. After a moment of silence, he finally reached up to pat my head, “If asked by anyone else, I would take insult, however, I will consider it. Though if he continues to insult, I will not hold back.” He stated.

I nod my head, still hiding against his chest. “Thank you Draal,” I slowly pull back when the shaking in my arms subsides. “Sorry for rushing you…”

He merely pats my head again, continuing our way to my house. “You need a trainer for that weapon, and I need to train, though I doubt it will be much of a fight to train for. I will train you how to wield your weapon properly, starting tomorrow. You’ve been locked in a forge with the old goat for two days straight. Get some rest.” He paused at the back door of the house, nodding to himself.

I yawned, nodding to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good night Draal.” I smile and pat his forearm before heading in.

“Goodnight River,” He called, leaving for Trollmarket.

I quickly grab a granola bar, eating as I head up to my room. Kicking my shoes off before crawling under the covers, sitting up long enough to grab the gem I made that resembled Draal’s back and setting it on my nightstand then passing out for the night.

The next morning, I woke up early to do my chores, sweeping downstairs and dusting before Jim wakes up. Once I was done, I rushed upstairs to get ready for the day, changing into black baggy cargo pants, combat boots, and a dark purple long sleeve. Grabbing my backpack and satchel, I filtered through everything I needed for school and training. Grabbing my collapsed lance, I walked out of my room as Jim’s alarm went off.

Jim was dragging his feet as he was walked out, mumbling in Spanish. Grabbing his book bag off the banister he headed straight into the garage. It looks like we were leaving right away. I quickly stuffed the lance in my backpack and took off after Jim.

Toby was already out front with taco truck bags. “I grabbed breakfast and lunch!” He grinned, handing me a breakfast burrito and diablo maximus for later.

Jim yawned, taking his bag, “Thanks Tobes, next time they’re on me.” We ate as we walked to school, having decided to nix the bikes since Toby’s was crushed by Bular, and he was too nervous to ride with Jim or me.

“Thank you, Toby!” I grin taking a bite. “Ironic choice since Jim woke up speaking Spanish.”

Toby laughed, “Yeah, we have that comprehension test this week. Speaking of, any tips, teacher’s aide?” he looked up to me hopefully.

I shook my head, “Sorry Toby it’s a comprehension test, you’re speaking the entire time, no scantrons.”

Jim groaned, rubbing his eyes, “Besides, the last time we asked River for help, she would only communicate with us in Spanish for a week Tobes.”

Toby shuddered, “Remind me never to ask for language help again, I had a killer migraine trying to figure out how to ask for toast!”

I laughed as we walked into the school, “I’ll see you two later, try not to cause trouble.” I headed off to my art class.

During Senor Uhl’s class, I had to listen as Mary stumbled over both her Spanish and English. I cringed, between Senor Uhl’s chalk screeching on the blackboard, and Mary’s terrible story about playing two guys.

“Little did anyone know; Maria was juggling two hombres. Manolo was muy guapo, but Joaquin had muchos musculos.” As Mary spoke, I glanced around the room, glaring as I saw Steve harassing Jim. “And poor Maria had a pedoso heart.” I flinched hearing Mary, Senor Uhl’s chalk snapped once she said ‘pedoso.’

He quickly turned around, arms held behind his back, “What kind of heart did Maria have, Miss Wang?” He questioned Mary, walking around his desk.

“Um, a heavy heart. ‘Pe-Do-So.’ Or is it-” Mary was beginning to panic.

“I would hope Maria wouldn’t have a pedoso heart, because that would mean ‘gassy’” He interrupted Mary, lecturing her. “Did Maria have a gassy heart, Miss Wang?”

Mary was embarrassed and almost on the verge of tears, “Of course not Senor Uhl!”

“You were trying to say ‘pesado.’ ‘A heavy heart.’” He stated, “And it is with a heavy heart, Miss Wang, to tell you, that you have not shown the slightest comprehension of basic Spanish.” He grabbed the tissue box, holding it out towards her. “If you can’t even finish the exam, I have no choice but to fail you.”

Mary’s face fell, she grabbed a tissue quickly as she began to cry over her failing grade. I sighed, writing down the grade next to her name on a spreadsheet Senor Uhl gave me to keep a record as he focused on listening to them.

As the bell rung everyone got up to leave, I waited for all the students to exit.

“Mr. Lake, I look forward to your presentation tomorrow.” Senor Uhl commented to Jim as he passed by to leave, stretching.

“Yeah,” Jim chuckled nervously, quickly moving to the door, “I’m ready…”

I shook my head, handing the sheet to Senor Uhl before heading out. I found Jim and Toby by the lockers, Jim looking upset. “What happened? You look like you just failed instead of Mary.”

Toby shook his head, “He just got guilt-tripped by Claire for missing rehearsal yesterday.”

“She thinks I’m a jerk!” Jim threw his hands up as we started the walk to the canal.

“Two days in and you’re already skipping.” I shook my head. “How was training last night?”

Toby sighed, “Before or after the gnome stole the amulet?”

“I’m sorry, what stole the amulet?” I asked Toby, not sure if I had heard correctly.

Jim groaned, “That’s right, we need one of the gems you made, Blinky said it would help with getting the gnome.”

I nodded, “There’s a few stored in the Heartstone chambers by Vendel’s study, Blinky can grab whichever one he needs.” I pulled out a horngazel that Vendel had given me. Opening the entrance and walking through.

Jim frowned slightly, “You’re not going to hang out with us? I thought Vendel was giving you a break to train with the lance?” he asked, following me in with Toby.

I smile and nodded, heading down the stone steps, “He is, but you need to train for your fight with Draal, someone offered to teach me how to properly wield the lance.” I state, leaving out the part that I was training with Draal, not sure how happy Jim would be about it.

Toby looked at me confused, “Can’t be Vendel, I don’t think he’s that spry.”

I snickered shaking my head, waving them off as the met with Blinky and Arrrgh, “I’ll see you later, good luck with the gnome!” I called, running off to find Draal.

I scoured Trollmarket for almost an hour, asking other Trolls if they had seen Draal, most of which just snorted at me and kept on with whatever they were doing before. I sighed, walking through a part of the market dedicated to different types of Troll cuisine, wondering if Draal had to leave for something important.

As I made my way through the stalls, I was suddenly hit by something large and wall-like from behind. My feet were swept off the floor as whatever ran into me decided to lift me. I quickly grabbed my lance, angling it so the staff would ram into whatever had grabbed me as I activated it. As calculated, once I activated the lance, the staff quickly shot back and I was launched out of the grip, landing on my feet about 8 feet forward. Swinging the lance into a defensive position as I turned, ready to face whatever attacked me, I was met with laughter.

Draal had been my surprise attacker. Though he was laughing, I didn’t sense that he was mocking me. “What the hell Draal? What if I had stabbed you instead?” I asked, pissed at being caught off guard.

Draal clasped his hands, his laughter had died out, but he was grinning. “You weren’t aiming for anything vital, so it wouldn’t have done much harm. I’m impressed at your quick reflexes though. Good to know you’ve got some fight in you too.”

I groaned, realizing why I wasn’t able to find him. Why the other Trolls were looking at me like I was crazy when I had asked for Draal. “You were following me the entire time.”

Draal nods, placing a hand on my back to guide me as we walked. “Since you entered Trollmarket with the Trollhunter and the other fleshbag.”

“Toby,” I remarked, noticing how depending on who Draal was referring to, ‘fleshbag’ either sounded endearing, usually towards me or annoyed, Toby and Jim.

Draal snorted, “Right, To-bee.” He drawled out on purpose, smirking down at me. “We’ll be training in the caverns since you haven’t told the Trollhunter I was training you; I figured the forge wouldn’t be available.” He stated a slight irritation in his tone.

I sighed, “Sorry, he knows we get along, but with the outburst in the bar, and your fight coming up, I don’t know how he’d react.”

Draal hummed, leading me into the caverns, large dark caves illuminated by the glowing gems embedded in the walls. “You are worried he will disapprove.”

I snort a laugh, “Hell no, I just don’t want to psych him out before the fight.”

Draal smirked at my answer, seeming to be in a better mood. We stopped in a large cave, a little smaller than the forge. It was well lit compared to some of the other caves we had traversed through. Draal motioned for me to face him, pulling out a training staff. “Mimic my movements.” He started by holding the staff in both hands parallel to the ground at arm’s length. As I took the position and copied his stance, he swung the staff down to the side, then pulled it up over his head, standing on one foot.

I mimicked Draal for a few hours, the movements became fluid, more stances were varied. Soon he was instructing me on lunging techniques and blocking. Around midnight we were sparring fluidly. As Draal curled into his ‘boulder stance’ as I began to call it, he set off to ram into me. I quickly dug the end of the lance into the ground as Draal was a few feet away, closing in fast, and I vaulted myself over him, swinging the lance around to whack his side with the blunt end, landing behind him.

Draal landed on his feet and grabbed his side where I had hit, he cheered turning to me, “Well done River! Similar to your evasion of my surprise attack earlier.” He nodded to himself, going over the maneuver again.

I dropped to sit on the floor, chest heaving, covered in sweat. “Thanks, Draal. You’re a good trainer, I’m surprised how far I’ve gotten.”

Draal smirked sitting next to me, “You need a break. We’ve been training since the sun was up.” I grin, flopping back on the ground, looking up at him. “Thank Daya! I’m exhausted!” My stomach growled and I groaned.

Draal barked a laugh, “Looks like you’ll need to move or your stomach will keep screaming.” He poked my stomach as it growled again. I yelped whacking his hand away quickly causing Draal to frown, “You can’t be injured, you never sustained a blow to that side of your torso.” I huffed, hugging over my stomach before he could decide to prod and look for injuries, “I’m not hurt, that just tickled.” “Tickled? What is tickled?” Draal asked a look of utter confusion etched over his face. I tilt my head to face him, trying to explain what tickling is, “Well, being ticklish means that when you’re touched certain ways, it sets off nerves and you get this feeling under your skin, your skin jumps, but in a really weird way it's not a bad feeling. People’s reactions vary though. Some people laugh uncontrollably, others kick and punch, trying to get away from the tickling.”

Draal’s face was etched in morbid curiosity as he looked from his fingers to my stomach again. “Why do fleshbags have such weaknesses?” He begins to poke at my leg when he doesn’t get a reaction, he poked my arm. When I fail to react again, he starts poking at my sides that weren’t covered by my arms.

I screech, laughing. Quickly trying to wiggle away from Draal as he continued to poke my sides. Squirming, tears flowing down my cheeks, and gasping for air, I grapple his arm with my arms and legs, hanging off of it like a sloth. “STOP!”

Draal laughs at my tactic, lifting his arm so I’m dangling in the air. “How is this helping you?” He asked.

“Well you stopped, didn’t you?” I stuck my tongue out at him indignantly.

“Careful, you don’t want to lose that.” He smirked as I squeaked, quickly pulling my tongue back.

“Are you threatening to rip or cut my tongue out?” I asked in mock disdain.

He hums in thought, tilting his head slightly, “Possibly…” He suddenly shakes the arm I’m hanging from with a smirk.

I yelp at the sudden movement and let go, landing on his lap, glaring up at him. “How dare you, sir! I was hanging on that!” I gesture to his arm dramatically.

Draal shook his head and stood as my stomach growled again, picking me up off his lap so I was sitting in the crook of his arm. “Let’s get you some food.” He began to head out of the caverns.

Holding my collapsed lance close, I squirm in his hold, not used to being carried. “Um, Draal, I can walk.”

He glanced down but made no move to set me down. “You trained well past your limit today. I doubt you’d be able to walk far,” he reasoned. We quickly made it back into Trollmarket, stopping at a stall with food that was safe for humans to eat. Draal handed the food to me, walking through the market. “Eat this, it might taste like rocks.”

I took the food and began eating quickly, tilting my head at the taste, “not rocks, but nothing I’ve tasted before.” I spoke up. I pulled my phone out to check the time, groaning. “I have to get home, it’s 3 am, and I have school tomorrow… well, today.”

Draal nods and heads out of Trollmarket to the canal. “Why do you attend this school, surely you are learning well under Vendel.”

I laughed shaking my head, knowing human school was a weird concept for trolls in general. “If I had a choice in the matter, I would love to run off to Trollmarket and focus on magic studies, but as I grew up human, well, we are forced to attend learning institutions until we graduate high school, and if we don’t, we can get into trouble.”

“Bushigal!” He sneered, “Fleshbags and their idiotic rules.”

I shrugged, “Yup, and with mom being a doctor, well, she’s all about getting an education. I don’t think she’d be okay with me dropping to study magic any time soon.”

Draal hummed, “It is best she remains unaware, the fewer humans know, the better.” Climbing over the fence and into the backyard, Draal finally sets me down. “You said you could leave after high school, what are you in now?”

“I’m in my senior, or last, year of high school, I’ll graduate in June.” I paused, thinking about what Vendel has explained to me so far. “I’ve been thinking, Vendel said I would begin to age like a troll, does that mean I wouldn’t be able to stay around humans for long?” I asked Draal.

He hummed, thinking for a moment, “It depends on how long it takes for the fleshbags to notice you aren’t changing as fast. Worried? It's not like you won’t have anywhere to go.” He stated as if it were obvious to me.

I looked up at him confused, “Where am I supposed to go? I can’t exactly afford to move around to different cities or states.”

Draal rolled his eyes at my question, “Trollmarket. You’re a sorceress, not a human, you’d be welcomed and respected in Trollmarket. Why do you think the Trolls leave you alone yet go out of their way to mess with the other fleshbags?”

“Because Toby can be loud and invasive and Jim is the first human Trollhunter,” I state with a blank look.

Draal shook his head, “You are more Troll-like than you are human. You were recognized and taken in by the leader of Trollmarket, you study the arcane under him. The most fearsome warrior in Trollmarket took you under his wing to train you in weaponry,” he smirked, boasting, “and you’ve forged your weapon in the short amount of time you have been coming to Trollmarket. I’m surprised you haven’t moved in yet.”

I laughed at his boasting, grinning up at him, “Thanks Draal, maybe once I finish school, I’ll take you up on that.” I paused, yawning. “I’ll see you tomorrow for training my most fearsome warrior.” I tease hugging him, lifting my head slightly under his chin before heading inside, “Goodnight, Draal.”

If I had stayed a moment longer, I would have noticed that Draal had gone stone still at the gesture, once I had shut the door behind me, his jaw dropped, staring at the door, a hand rose under his chin where my head had been. Draal had to remind himself that I still didn’t know much about Troll culture and that I most likely had no idea what I had just done.

I was happily dreaming of moving to Trollmarket when loud banging on my bedroom door woke me up. “It’s too early!” I yelled, throwing my pillow at the door.

Toby burst in, seeing me in bed his jaw dropped. “River! It’s time to leave! Also, Jim has a problem! Pack your laptop,” he yelled quickly, slamming my door shut.

I glared at the door before checking my phone for the time. “Shit, it is late!” I jump out of bed getting dressed as fast as I can, grabbing my laptop before running out after Toby. “What’s the problem? Where is Jim?”

Toby and I were running to school. “He’s at my house, Blinky shrunk him so he could catch a gnome and he hasn’t gotten bigger!”

I groaned, “I’m guessing the laptop is so he doesn’t fail his Spanish presentation?” I asked as we barely made it onto the campus as the final bell rang.

“Yup! See you in Senor Uhl’s class!” Toby yelled, rushing off to his first period. This was going to be weird.

Once we finally got to Senor Uhl’s class, I spoke to him before the bell. “Senor Uhl, I’m sorry this is a bit different, but Jim’s home sick. Is it alright if he gives his comprehension exam by video chat?” I asked, hoping Toby’s plan would work out.

Senor Uhl tapped his desk thinking. “I don’t see why not. At least he’s responsible enough to keep up with schoolwork while ill.” He nodded, allowing me to set up the laptop.

I logged in and waved to Jim, snickering as I recognized the background as the dollhouse in Toby’s room. “Ready Jim?” I asked.

Jim gave me a thumbs up. “Ready to go! Hola! Sorry, I couldn’t be en escuela, Senor Uhl, but I’m sick en casa. Which is fitting, since I’m doing mi comprehension presentacion on Ponce de Leon, who muerto-ed from a great illness.”

“Hey!” Steve yelled glaring at Jim on the screen. “’Muerto-ed’ is not a word!”

I rolled my eyes at Steve, sitting at my desk in the back with the grading sheet.

“Nope.” Senor Uhl began, “I’m curious to see where this is going. Continue Mr. Lake.” He waved Steve’s objection off.

Jim grinned when he was given the go-ahead, and I smirked at Steve, Jim continued his presentation until a vacuum cut him off, I dropped my head to my desk. Why was Nana cleaning now? “the feunte de la juventud, the Fountain of Youth.” Jim continued, scrambling closer to the screen.

“What is that horrible noise?” Senor Uhl asked.

“Uh, constuccion.” Jim quickly explained. “Uh, remodeling. A minor intrusion. Un minute, Senor Uhl.” Jim's face planted against the screen.

“Mr. Lake?” Senor Uhl was confused, “Mr. Lake are you still there? We don’t have all day.”

“No, no… No need to fight at home.” Jim spoke up, turning back to the screen. “Ponce de Leon joined Columbus in the New… New- What in the world?!” Jim yelled, looking past the screen again.

The next thing I know, Jim is fighting with a gnome, running on and off-screen as he continues his presentation. After a few minutes, he sat on the toy couch, out of breath. “But in the end, they were taken care of. And that is it for my presentacion. I hope this wasn’t too much trouble, Senor Uhl. Hasta luego.”

Eli jumped up from his seat, applauding “Spectacular!”

Senor Uhl shook his head at Eli’s outburst, turning back to the laptop. “Very, very informative, Mr. Lake. C-plus.” He said. Jim groaned as his body began to misshapen. “Fine. B-minus.” Senor Uhl stated quickly, looking worriedly at the screen and Jim seized up.

“Jim! Jim, what’s wrong?” Eli asked, taking his seat again.

I rushed out of my seat, closing the laptop quickly. “Sorry about that construction must have messed with the wifi!” The bell rang and I ran out to find Toby, grabbing him as soon as I pass by and dragging him off campus, all the way home. “Jim’s freaking out! He started changing shape after his presentation!” I yelled as we ran into Toby’s house and up the stairs.

Toby slammed his bedroom door open revealing a full-size Jim sitting in front of the dollhouse. “Jim!” Toby yelled, “You’re big again!”

Jim chuckled patting over his ribs, “I think my spleen switched sides, but everything’s better now.” He joked.

Toby hugged him, “I’m sorry I failed you, Jim. I should have done it when I had the chance.”

I looked between the two confused. “What are you talking about?”

Jim pulled back and moved away from the dollhouse, introducing us to the gnome that was attacking him on screen. Toby quickly dubbing him Gnome Chompsky when Jim says we can keep him.

“Chompsky. I like it.” Jim grinned. I nodded in agreement, snickering when Chompsky tried the movie theater, yawning arm move on the doll.

Jim laughed closing the dollhouse. “Pretty good for a first mission. Two crises averted. It’s not like you get to rehearse these things.” Jim’s face fell as he took a sharp breath. “Oh, no! Rehearsal! I gotta go!” Jim took off running out of Toby’s house.

I sighed before getting up, “I have to go too, I’ve got training in Trollmarket. See you late Tobes!” I wave heading out, running to the canal. Excited to continue training with Draal. As I walk into the canal entrance I run straight into a blue troll, though he wasn’t the blue troll I was expecting. “Blinky? Are you leaving? The sun is still up.” I asked confused.

“Ah, Lady River! Good to see you, I’m waiting on Master Jim, he should be arriving soon, your school let out a while ago.” Blinky explained, frowning as the portal closed behind me with no Jim in sight.

“Sorry Blinky, he ran off to rehearsal, school activities sometimes last longer than a normal day,” I said, making my way to the steps.

Blinky sighed, disappointed that Jim wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. “That’s a shame, he has so much training, especially considering his match with Draal.” Blinky shuddered. “Maybe it’s for the best, that Troll has been in a strange mood since last night,” Blinky noted, walking down with me to Trollmarket.

I frowned, worried for Draal, “Strange mood? Is he sick? Can trolls get sick?” I asked, going over our training to see if Draal could’ve gotten hurt. “Did Bular attack?”

Blinky shook his head quickly, waving his hands, “No, nothing like that. Yes, trolls can get sick. I don’t think he ran into Bular after his night out, but he seems to be distracted, and Draal is never distracted.”

I snort a laugh, “Oh yes, the ‘most fearsome warrior in Trollmarket,’ couldn’t possibly be distracted.”

Blinky pauses, tilting his head at my choice of words, “Have you been spending time with Draal?”

I stiffen at the question, unsure of Blinky’s tone, “Well yeah, I mean, we’ve been hanging out since… wow, the first night we came to Trollmarket. Vendel had him take me home since Bular was still running around and it kind of became routine if I don’t leave with Jim and Toby. He offered to train me with the lance so there’s that too…” I trail off watching Blinky’s face.

His jaw drops when I mention training. “DRAAL offered to TRAIN YOU?” Blinky asked in disbelief, an annoyed growl from behind catching our attention.

“I did.” Draal was standing behind us, glaring at Blinky as if he was challenging him.

I grinned walking up to him, “Ready to go?”

Blinky’s mouth was still open, looking between Draal and me, trying to get more than ‘you’ and ‘him’ out in a sentence. Draal nods as his glare morphed into a smirk, “Maybe we should train in the forge since the Trollhunter is busy, that way his teacher can get a sense of what he’s up against in his next fight.”

I look up at Draal confused, then I turn to Blinky and shrug. “That’s fine with me, uh…” I waved my hand in front of Blinky’s face.

Blinky snapped his mouth close glaring up at Draal. “Let’s go then, I’m sure we will all learn a lot.” He huffed, turning to get Arrrgh, heading to the forge.

I kept my pace slow, Draal matching my step. I was still worried about what Blinky had said. “Hey, Draal? Are you doing okay?” I asked, looking up to him as we walked.

Draal tilted his head towards me, confused, “Of course, why do you ask?”

I shrug a bit, glancing to Blinky and Arrrgh ahead of us, “Blinky said you’ve been distracting since you came back from taking me home, I was wondering if something happened?”

Draal stiffened, “On my way back? No, I… didn’t think I was distracted.”

I nod, watching his reaction, “Did,” I paused, selecting my words carefully, “Did I do something?” Draal winced at my question. Frowning I turned to face him, “I did.”

Draal sighed, waiting for Blinky and Arrrgh to walk through the forge entrance before explaining, “Culturally it isn’t… bad.” He began, tilting his head in thought, “You wouldn’t have known about it either. Do not worry about it.”

“What did I do? I doubt you’d be distracted if I had accidentally done something small like insulting your cooking.” I said, trying to go over everything I did or said last night. “Was it the hug? No, you’ve let me hug you before… was it the teasing? Calling you ‘my most fearsome warrior?’”

Draal shook his head, sighing “It was the gesture during your hug,” He pats my head, “a troll nuzzles their head under another’s chin when courting.”

I froze under his hand, face turning dark red, “Courting… that’s more serious than dating.” I groaned hiding my face in my hands, “No wonder you were upset! I’m so sorry Draal, that was probably insulting.”

Draal was confused by my reaction, “You believe I would take insult to court you?” He frowns pulling his hand from my head.

I look up at him, face still red, “well, no but… I’m not exactly a Troll.” I tried to explain.

“Then you take insult to a Troll courting you?” He asked, brow knit as his confusion deepened.

“Not at all! Well, depending on the troll.” I muttered, tilting my head in thought. “Though I don’t personally know a lot of Trolls. I’m closest to you and Vendel, so I don’t see a Troll trying to court me anytime soon.”

Draal nodded, continuing into the forge, contemplating my answer.

“There you two are! I thought you were supposed to be training?” Blinky huffed, all four arms crossed over his chest, still irritated by Draal’s quip about teaching Jim. Arrrgh just pats his head, trying to calm him down.

Dropping my bag, I grabbed my lance. “Seriously Blinky?” I shook my head before taking my stance, ready for any surprise Draal might have up his sleeves if he had sleeves.

Draal smirked, taking his stance. We slowly circled the perimeter of the forge, watching each other for the slightest move to attack. Draal lost his patience first, roaring and taking his boulder stance he took off after me, quicker than when we were training last night. I stayed planted until the last second before springing out of the way just enough not to get hit. Swinging the lance around, I dug my foot into the ground as it made contact with Draal. Growling, my hands began to glow as I channeled magic through the staff, forcing the swing to continue and I was able to knock Draal back, causing him to uncurl and land on his back.

He sat up, looking at me bewildered for a moment before smirking and jumping to his feet. I took a defensive stance as he held his hands up, walking up to me calmly, “Hands,” he stated, holding one of his out, palm up.

I was confused until I realized that this was the first time I channeled magic into my hands without blasting something to pieces. I looked at my still wrapped hands, the magic hadn’t burned the bandages this time. I place one of my hands in Draal’s palm. He unwrapped it, looking over it for injury before nodding and unwrapping my other hand. “If you use your magic properly, you won’t injure yourself. Keep practicing channeling into the lance as we spar. Don’t overdo it though. Vendel will have my head if you get injured.”

I laughed and nodded, stretching my palms. I smirked, hooking his horn with the blade, and surging magic through it, enough to enable me to flip Draal over onto his back again. I grinned leaning over his shocked face. “That’s for your surprise attack yesterday.”

He barked a laugh before raising a hand quickly and jabbing my side with his finger, “Careful River, I still know your weakness.” He grinned up at me as I yelped before glaring at him.

“That’s just rude!” I growled out hugging my sides and quickly stepping out of reach.

Draal and I continued to taunt and tease each other as our sparring continued. Movements quickened and each blow increased in strength as we were both tossed around the forge, not hard enough to do anything more than bruising.

Blinky and Arrrgh watched on in shock. “Draal strange,” Arrrgh noted to Blinky, cheering whenever I was able to successfully channel my magic into an attack.

“Indeed, it almost seems as if… no, that can’t be right. Draal can’t stand ‘fleshbags’ he’d never…” Blinky remarked, his thought trailing off.

“Not human,” Arrrgh replied. “River more like us.”

“I know, it’s just hard to keep in mind considering she’s related by blood to Master Jim and he doesn’t have an ounce of magic without the Amulet of Daylight.” Blinky shakes his head, laughing when I launch Draal into a wall. “Well, if this how females are taught to ‘flirt’ in the human world, I pray for Master Jim’s life when a human female tries to court him.” He states, wincing as Draal catches the blade of my lance and throws me.

Landing next to Blinky, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I groaned closing my eyes trying to catch my breath. I could hear running when I didn’t make a move to get up right away.

“River!” Draal was next to me when I opened my eyes again, seeing his worried expression I give him a tired thumbs up. Draal let out a sigh of relief, letting me take my time.

Blinky and Arrrgh glanced at each other with knowing faces before huddling with Draal over me. “River tired.” Arrrgh smiled, seeing that I was fine.

“Perhaps it is time for a break?” Blinky suggested.

I began to wave him off then paused, “Jim will be here soon,” I groaned, slowly sitting up with Draal’s help.

Draal huffed seeing the bruises forming over my arms, blisters covering my palms. “And it looks like I’ll be taking you to Vendel after all.”

I smiled up at him and pat his cheek. “I’m sure you’ll keep your head. These are standard fleshy training injuries.” I said, shaking my bruised arms out, wincing at the movement. “Maybe a little more than standard.” I sighed.

Blinky cleared his throat, nodding to Draal and I. “Yes well, you go get healed up, Lady River. Arrrgh and I will be setting up for Master Jim’s training now. I’ve learned quite a lot from your performance and it will do good being incorporated in the Trollhunter’s training.”

Draal slid an arm around me so I was sitting on his forearm, similar to how he carried me last night. I smiled and waved to Blinky and Arrrgh as he walked out of the forge and straight to Vendel’s study. “Vendel.” He greets when we see the old goat.

Vendel looked up from his scroll, dropping it when he sees us. “What in Merlin’s name happened?” He rushed over to me, seeing my arms were almost completely bruised over.

“Training, I can keep up just fine in strength, but I still get injured pretty easily,” I told him, surprised that his worry was showing.

“Set her on the table and step out Draal, I need to examine the extent of the injuries.” Vendel directed, turning to file through different scrolls he had stored.

Draal sat me on the table, nudging my shoulder, he frowned at how beat up I had gotten. “I got carried away with your training, I forget you're not made of stone.” He apologized.

Smiling up at him I shook my head. “So, the training got intense, at least we know I can keep up with a troll during a fight!”

He smiled at my logic and nodded, “Try to behave,” he remarked before stepping out.

Vendel unfurled a scroll next to me, he quickly checked for more injuries before nodding to the scroll, “Alright, I want you to read this out loud and focus on the bruising of your arms.” He explained.

I looked over the parchment carefully, reciting the Trollish words slowly, repeating them as I looked at my arms, trying to focus. I felt a strange warmth extend from my chest down along my arms, then it spread through my torso and legs. I continued to repeat the incantation, realizing this was a spell, my eyes glazed over, glowing a faint blue as my palms did the same, the bruises began to shrink until they had faded completely.

Vendel watched, smiling as the glow faded from my eyes. “Hm, looks like the healing incantation worked.” He examined my arms again, nodding to himself. “Though, maybe we should work on some armor that will allow you to train to your limits without having to heal yourself after every session.”

I grinned up at him asking “I’m getting an upgrade?”

He chuckled, “You’ll be forging an ‘upgrade,’ take your time thinking it over though, it needs to be functional. Now, why don’t you go see Draal, I can hear him pacing.” Vendel shooed me out of his study with a small smile.

I smiled seeing that Draal was in fact, pacing outside of Vendel’s study. Leaning against the wall, I watched him for a minute before snickering. “Worried?” I asked him.

Draal stumbled at my question, head snapping towards the sound of my voice. Letting out a snort he looked over my arms, tilting his head noticing the bruises were gone. “Vendel healed you?” He asked, prodding at my arms.

“Nope!” I stated, letting him continue, “He taught me a healing incantation.” I explained at his confused glance.

Smirking, he ruffled the top of my head. “Something tells me at this rate, you’ll be using that spell often.”

I whacked his hand from my head, returning his smirk, “Careful Draal, or I might have to use it on you.” I teased, walking past him. He laughed falling in step with me, heading out of Trollmarket and into the canal. “How about we get something to eat, my treat?” I asked him.

He glanced at me as we walked further into town, staying hidden. “Where could we get food?”

I grinned up at him, heading to the park, “The taco truck of course!” I replied, happy that he wasn’t rejecting the offer. I paused in an alley, spotting the truck. “I’ll be right back.” I quickly ran to the truck, ordering a box of tacos. I could feel Draal’s stare on my back during the exchange. Once I had the box in hand, I took off back to the alley, grinning. “Let’s find somewhere to eat.”

Draal smirked picking me up. “I know somewhere fleshbags typically ignore.” He stated, climbing to the roof and heading over several buildings until we reached a warehouse with a large billboard on the roof. Draal settled us behind the billboard, facing the woods. “How’s this?” He asked, surveying the area for a moment, relaxing slightly when there was no sign of Bular.

I smiled jumping out of his hold and sitting on the ledge, patting next to me for him to sit. Once Draal was settled I took two tacos from the box then handed the box with six remaining tacos over to him. “Ever tried tacos?” I asked, taking a bite of one.

Draal sniffed the box, observing how I ate one before picking a taco from the box and tossing it in his mouth. “No,” he answered, humming in approval, “these are good!”

I smiled, glad he liked them. “That’s good if you ever want them, let me know and I can bring them, or we can eat out!” I grin finishing off my first taco.

Draal nods, happily eating the rest of the tacos along with the box.

Finishing off my food, I leaned back against the billboard, looking over the woods. “Today was a lot of fun, bruises and all.”

Draal let out a deep chuckle, “You fight like a Troll, Blinkous and Arrrgh looked terrified when you were able to throw me.”

I laughed at the memory, “You were shocked too!” I defended, “Aren’t you supposed to know what I’m capable of as my trainer?” I teased.

Draal snorted, “I haven’t trained a sorceress for combat before, so it seems we’ll continue running into surprises.” He tilted his head, thinking.

I smile content with the quiet, enjoying Draal’s company.

“River?” He spoke up after a few minutes. I hummed in acknowledgment for him to continue. “Why do you think a troll wouldn’t try courting you ‘anytime soon?’” He asked, referring to our earlier conversation.

“Well,” I began, sitting up a bit, “I feel if one tried, they’d be very intimidated by you and Vendel. After all, I’m training under both of you, and after today I can tell you’re both pretty protective.” I smiled up at him.

He hummed at my answer, thinking for a moment. “It sounds as if you don’t think my asking you is an option then.”

My smile turned to confusion, thinking he was teasing me. I held my breath slightly, waiting for a smirk or chuckle, but neither came. “Well, you’re not ‘not’ an option.” I tried to explain, realizing he was being serious.

“That doesn’t make sense.” He frowned, confused by my wording.

I shook my head, trying to collect my thoughts. “It’s just, I assumed your reaction to my ‘mistake’ last night was negative, and the way you explained it felt like it was unwelcomed.” I shrugged slightly.

Draal arched a brow at my response, “I knew you didn’t know what you were doing. You didn’t know the significance… but it was not unwelcome.”

My face began to overheat, and I knew I was turning red. “Then you’re open to courting me?” I asked, trying to calm the redness in my face.

Draal leaned down to be level with my face, studying the color change before leaning forward and nuzzling his nose under my jaw, pulling back, smirking slightly as my face turned a deep scarlet. “Does that answer your question?” He asked, and I could only nod, eyes wide. “I will wait for an answer, after all, the fight may change things.” He stated, frowning when mentioning the fight and the tension that may arise due to it.

“Okay… um, could you explain why you court that way?” I asked, trying to distract him.

“It’s how we scent. Your scent will mix with mine and it will let other trolls know you’re being courted, the same would happen to my scent. That’s why I was distracted today; your scent wouldn’t leave.” He explained.

“So, if I walked into Trollmarket now I might be met with Trolls flinging themselves out of my path in fear of enraging you?” I asked teasing.

Draal growled, all teasing gone from his voice, “If you accept, they had better. Though exceptions are made for family and family-like relations.”

I blink, stunned at the tone. “So scenting is marking, and you don’t like sharing.”

“Culturally, if a troll is trying to get close to you while you’re courting another, they are competing to court you.” He explained, irritated at the thought.

I laughed patting his forearm, “Trust me Draal, you would have nothing to worry about.”

Draal smirked down at my response, “Let’s get you home, you have to attend the fleshbag study dungeon tomorrow.” He stood, lifting me to sit on his forearm as he climbed down from the billboard.

Leaning back against his chest, I kept asking questions about courting as he headed to my house. “So, if my answer is yes, do I have to do something specific?”

“Usually the courting gesture is returned.” He explained, nuzzling his nose under my jaw again. “Just like that.”

“Okay, and just so I don’t do something stupid or insulting, is there a way to deny the courting?” I asked worriedly. If I found a way to court Draal on accident, I could very well find a way to tell him to fuck off on accident too.

He winced slightly, “You can say it outright, or deny the gesture by pushing me away.”

I nod, then frown, “What if it tickles and I whack you as a reaction?” I asked, knowing it was a real possibility.

He laughed poking my side for good measure as he responded. “I will keep that in mind if you do hit me. If it happens though, I assume you’ll be screeching too much to let me know right away.”

I puffed my cheeks out, crossing my arms over my chest, “says the one who kept tickling me till I couldn’t breathe!”

He grinned, setting me down as we reached the back door of my house, “You can’t blame me, I didn’t know it could get that severe,” he teased, glancing over the house before scenting me again. “Goodnight River.”

I smiled up at him, face becoming less red the more he scents. “Good night Draal.” I lay my hand over his cheek, wanting to return the gesture, but waiting as he had asked. “Get home safe!” I called after him as he left.

Running inside, I covered my face, trying to calm the raging blush. I took a deep breath before heading up to bed, smiling like an idiot as I fell asleep.

[lisinfleur]

Mishaps - Chapter 04: Closer

Author's notes: I fought like hell with this chapter. It was supposed to shorten the story, but well, who said I am the writer here? hahaha My stories are temperamental and have their own lives and well... Mishaps decided it will be longer. Period.

Warnings: SMUT. And ANGST.

Words: 3815

The hunting cabin of his family, at first sight, looked like a whole new world brought straight from a zombie apocalypse movie: the place was built in the middle of the woods, hidden from civilization and away from the road. To reach the cabin, you guys had to leave the road down through a dirt road for almost half of an hour until Ubbe had to go out of the car to open a small gate. Then, another half of an hour in a private trail that ended in a medium cottage entirely built of treated trunks - which made the house almost invisible in the middle of the trees where it was located.

However, the rustic impression was nothing but a design: inside, the whole place was lustful and well-furnished with furs and a decoration utterly turned to the hunting and fishing contests they must have done there in between the family members. "Pretty much a place for men to reunite, drink beer, laugh, and dispute whose cock is bigger while too drunken to measure it properly," you thought, and this thought brought a small smile to your face.

Maybe Ragnar wasn't a father like yours, after all...

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hvitserk said, attracted by the smile on your lips. "My father made it for us. A place for us to rest during some holidays or free time. We used to come together in the hunting season and dispute who would bring the bigger hare or deer," he said, nostalgic.

Causing Ubbe to giggle from the door while coming in with the bags he took from the car.

"Yeah. Those contests were incredible, but in the end, Faðir always would bring the bigger one," he commented.

"Or Björn," Hvitserk remembered.

"They were the older ones and more experienced. I wish we could do a contest like that now that the dispute would be fair enough... I would kick Björn's ass with my new shooting skills!" Ubbe affirmed.

Their light conversation making you forget for a moment the situation you were into. They weren't your boyfriend and brother in law chatting about a family event or missing their father...

They were your hijacker and his brother who hours ago had a gun pointed to your head, ready to kill you with a single shot... And you knew that.

But you just wanted to forget. Just as you wanted to forget who you were. Where you came from.

"He's getting old. I doubt he could face a bear as he did that season do you remember, Ubbe??"

You wanted to sit there in that soft couch, your bare feet rubbing the fur of a bear rug - probably the bear they were talking so lightly about how their older brother had killed with nothing but a knife - and listen to that conversation with a smile in your face, getting impressed about your elder brother in law's skills just to get your boyfriend jealous of you...

You wanted to be there just for a moment with Hvitserk and not because the two of you had to hide so no one would discover you were a prisoner and he was a drug dealer trying to flee from the law.

But you couldn't.

Just as you couldn't tell your best friend your true name the true story of your life even knowing she was trusting you with her bigger secrets.

Just as you couldn't really sound nostalgic when telling any stupid story from the past Christmas with your friends.

You couldn't just erase your true life, get rid of your true memories and wake up someday really being Marie Ann Watson, to live without that sensation your whole life was a lie.

"Annie?"

Hvitserk's voice sounded calling your attention and you noticed the room was silent.

You were so absorbed in your own thoughts and doubts that you didn't even notice when Ubbe left the two of you alone in the cabin or when the conversation between the brothers had finished.

"Sorry... I was...”

"Lost," Hvitserk smiled caressing your face softly. "You must be tired, love. It was a long day and it has been being a long time for you, I know this. You should take a bath and then we could sleep a little. Ya know, like my father used to say when we were here: if you want some pizza here, you'll have to hunt the pepperoni. So, a little bit of sleep will be good for me to hunt something for us tomorrow."

You giggled at his little joke and it seemed to make him happy. Hvitserk liked to see your smiles more than anything. He was becoming really good at getting them. His fingers slid through your cheek, softly caressing your chin.

"This way is better," Hvitserk said, smiling softly at you. "I like when I can make you smile."

"I like when you make me smile," you answered, curving your lips a little more at him.

He came closer, nuzzling his nose against yours before softly pecking your lips.

"We'll find a way to solve this shit. And I... I'll find a way out. Ubbe and I want to stop. To live a normal life, away from this shit. We'll find a way out of this and then... Then it will be just you and me."

Promises you really wanted to see happening in your lives. Your arms softly embraced Hvitserk's neck and he covered your mouth with his lips, enjoying a long and loving kiss.

More and more you were fallen for that man and, at the same time, the more you were in love, the more guilty you felt.

The truth in your throat, like a knot...

The fear of losing what you were becoming to each other was eating you inside, not only by the feelings you had for Hvitserk but also by the fear of becoming something disposable to men like him and his brothers...

The problem with the time was also bothering you: there was already more than a month you were with him. The longer you were missing, the harder would be explaining your little disappearance to the police officers and it could really get Hvitserk some troubles.

Or worse...

It could cause them to change you once again. To move your location and change your identity one more time, forcing you to leave everything behind and start from zero once again.

Everything.

Including him.

"What's bothering you, babe?" Hvitserk asked against your lips, feeling something wasn't right with you today.

"How long will we stay like this?" you asked, looking at him "Hidden, I mean..."

He sighed.

"Officer Aethelwulf has been a pain in our asses for a while. He wants desperately to show some service and he has been trying to fuck up with us since my father was alive. For some reason, your missing person report went to his hands and now he's probably trying to make the right connections to relate us to your disappearance so he can bust one of us or the whole family."

You knew why...

Officer Aethelwulf was the one responsible for your file. Of course, your missing person report would end up in his hands.

"He's kinda finding ways to press us for information so we just have to keep you here until he decides to visit my apartment. Then Ubbe will call me and I'll go there to let the jerk come in and see my apartment. Ubbe will come to pick you up while this and I'll bring the officer here, so he can see we have nothing to hide. He won't find the relation and I believe it will be problem solved for now."

Then they just had to find a way to release you, for you wouldn't be locked forever, right?

"You... Don't intend to release me?" you asked, kinda innocently.

But he pulled away from you this time, sighing deeply, frustratedly.

"We gonna think about this later, ok?" he said, trying to look at you but not to be so serious or heavy, "My brothers still don't trust you and the more I like you, Annie, I can't risk my whole family releasing you this way... I will. But not now. Not yet."

Despite you were anguished, you could understand him. There was something in you that could instigate their mistrust. Your stories never sounded real and you were always a terrible liar. It was comprehensible people like his brothers wouldn't trust you at all.

You nodded, starting to walk towards the bathroom when he held you by your wrist, sighing again.

"Look... I'm sorry about this, Annie. I really want to solve these things for you and I'll find a way. I promise you." he said, caressing your hand with his thumb.

You nodded at him, resigned.

"I know. I trust you, Hvitserk," you said, unintentionally hitting his heart with your words and your smile.

You left to the bathroom but Hvitserk sat on the couch, rubbing his face, maybe as anguished as you could be.

He wanted to trust you. He wanted to release you and to let you go back to your life, to live it right the way he was planning before.

But if you were pretending...

If you were lying to him...

His whole family would be lost and he would be the only one to blame.

Hvitserk knew he couldn't risk his whole family that way, even knowing he was really in love with you already.

There was still something about you... Something deep that he knew was hidden. Something that justified that shadow in the bottom of your eyes. Something that was making him afraid of trusting completely on you.

However, it wasn't enough to prevent his heart from falling deeply in love with you and it was also killing him slowly.

Hvitserk got up, hearing the sound of the bathtub coming from the hallway. You were bathing, as he said. He walked at the small bar at the corner of the room and poured some drink to warm himself up.

A cup or two and he sat, trying to clear his mind from the flood of thoughts about that situation, pouring some more of the old mead his father used to like in his cup.

After the fourth or fifth dose, he was feeling lighter and the sound of the bathtub wasn't coming from the hallway anymore.

He walked towards the room and stopped at the door. The sight of your body catching his eyes while you were slowly sliding the soft towel through your skin, taking out the remaining drops of water from your bath. Fresh and clean, and shivered with the cold breeze of the night that was already falling on the woods.

Hvitserk swallowed dry. He knew he shouldn't be watching you in such an intimate moment, but yet, he kept himself silent, observing while you seemed to be caressing your skin with the towel, unaware of his presence at the door.

He could feel the warmth of the drinks spreading all over his body, mixing with the heat your sight was causing in his core, making his throat dry once again, but not for another drink.

While turning yourself to dry your hair, your eyes caught his figure at the door, but somehow you didn't feel scared.

Instead, the way he was looking at you caused shivers to go down your spine.

He wanted you.

You could see it in his eyes, staring you like a wolf would stare a hare.

And god... He was a tease for you since the beginning. It wasn't the first time you would lay down with a man, but there was a long time since your first experience.

And you wanted it...

You wanted it so bad...

You couldn't really explain why you turned yourself to him, looking into his eyes. You couldn't say if it was the heat in your body, the way his eyes were arousing you, or if it was only the immense need you had into you to have him without a single thought in your mind about your past, your present or the future of the two of you.

For some reason you chose to ignore, you opened the towel in your body, slowly letting it fall through your skin, showing your entire nakedness to his hungry eyes almost as an invitation mutely accepted by the glow of desire that filled his blues.

He came forward and you felt his warm hands touching your waist, shivering your skin with the contrast of temperatures in between his fingers and your fresh skin. You softly opened your mouth, sighing, and Hvitserk twitched his lips, clearly aroused by your sound, reflecting it in the way his hands became firmer on your hips, pulling you closer to his body.

You went without resistance, accepting his touches, sliding your hands through his collar, taking out the jacket he was wearing and throwing it to the ground, already searching the edge of his shirt to pull it up, invading his clothes with your fresh hands, retributing the shivers by touching his warm skin with your cold fingers.

He lost control.

Hvitserk's mouth covered yours in a lustful kiss and you felt his body starting to push you back towards the bed, stopping the kiss only to let the shirt pass through his head just to find the same destiny of his jacket and his shoes after it.

His clothes being left like a trail on the ground.

You fell sitting at the bed when your body reached the edge, breaking the kiss, but not the heat in between the two of you. Your hands went straight to his trousers, unbuttoning it and opening the zipper, causing the first moans and sighs of pleasure in his voice to start echoing through the room when your lips reached his lower belly in kisses as your hands were pulling down his pants and underwear.

You weren't really allowing your brain to think about how big he was or how barefaced you should be looking like, touching him shamelessly the way you were doing. All you wanted was exactly the sounds you got from his mouth in a hoarse voice when your fingers wrapped around his hot hardness, stroking his length while feeling his hand softly caressing your head, mutely asking for what was to come.

Hvitserk couldn't hold his moan of satisfaction when you slid your moistened lips around him, sucking his whole length into your mouth, causing him to bend, tamed by the pleasure.

"Shit... Oh, fucking shit! So soft!" he mumbled, barely being able to control his panting breath while you were sucking his cock so lustfully.

You never thought you could be so lascivious, but he was teasing your desire in a way no one has ever done before. You wanted him with all of you and his taste was making you even hotter than this pulsating desire making you wet.

"Fuck!" he cursed again, causing a strange feeling of satisfaction in your core when you felt his hips bucking, thrusting into your mouth erratically as if he was fighting to not to fuck your lips the way his body was begging him to.

You didn't know how to explain, but the taste of his precum and his efforts to hold himself back were making you want even more to feel him exploding and so, you fought alongside his body, causing him to moan louder when you embraced his hips, bouncing your head against his crotch, giving him the exact sensation he was trying to fight against, bringing him too close to the edge.

Hvitserk's fingers gripped your hair and he growled when you felt his shaft twitching against your tongue.

You felt his try to pull his hips away from you, but you just embraced him tighter, causing him to lose completely the control of his body and his pleasure to erupt into your lips, filling your mouth with his seed while his sounds of satisfaction were filling the room.

You were proud. Something in you was proud of the taste you just had. A man like him, a handsome one, would surely have lots of women. But how many of them had ever taken his self-control the way you did?

In his eyes, surprised on yours, you could see the answer was clear: none. No other has ever had Hvitserk so aroused, so ready. He could barely feel his erection retreating. Instead, the sight of your tongue rolling through your lips to take every single drop of his pleasure got him almost completely hard once again.

He couldn't explain what kind of goddess he found on you, but if he was sure he was in love with you before, now, Hvitserk was sure he was completely lost.

You were his damnation. his doom. And he couldn't help himself from wanting more.

Hvitserk towered his body upon yours, and you crawled back in bed, allowing him to come over the mattress, covering your body with his. His hungry mouth caught yours again and you embraced his body, kissing him back, noticing how he completely ignored the taste of his pleasure in your tongue, kissing you hungrily while one of his hands unashamedly landed in the middle of your legs, sinking his fingers into your entrance and starting to tease your clit with his thumb.

You moaned against the kiss and he hissed, aroused, cursing in a low voice against your lips that just caused you to feel even hotter.

"Shit, girl, you're so fucking wet... So damn tight!"

His words making you wetter under his fingers and his caresses causing your moans to substitute his, filling the room with your voice. Hvitserk smiled almost devilishly, increasing the pace of his thumb and curling his fingers to hit your sweet spots into your pussy, clearly playing with your pleasure as you had played with his before.

"You have a soft and silky mouth but I can't wait to taste these sweet juices of yours..." he said, licking his lips and smiling bigger as you turned your eyes darkened over his. "Open these pretty legs of yours, babe. Let me be a good boy and retribute your sweet surprise".

You didn't argue. Instead, Hvitserk felt your legs opening under him, more, like a new invitation that caused him to smile bigger.

"Such a good girl!" he praised, lowering himself in the middle of your legs, never breaking the contact of your eyes until his lips embraced your pulsating core in an intimate kiss that filled the whole room with your voice.

"Shit!" It was your time to curse and he smiled, licking his lips wet from your juices to mumble against your inner labia, causing the vibration to send shivers up your spine while he was speaking.

"So sweet!"

You felt his arms wrapping your hips from under your thighs and he laid his mouth on you, leaving you no choice but enjoy the feeling of his tongue exploring your intimacy entirely. You couldn't flee, for his embrace wasn't allowing you more than moving your hips to slide your clit in his tongue from time to time.

Not that it was really necessary: Hvitserk's skills were really way better than your imagination allowed you to estimate and you couldn't feel a single inch of your pussy he wasn't licking or sucking someway.

It didn't take too long for him to have you arching your body against the bed, gripping his hair strongly, ruining his man bun and making a mess of him when you came into his mouth, felling the pleasure spreading all over your body while he was thirstily licking you clean.

However, instead of calming his desire, your orgasm just set him on fire and, without giving you time to recover, Hvitserk crawled his way upon your body, easing his hardness into your still throbbing walls, moaning with pure bliss by feeling himself involved in your heat.

"Oh, god! Hvitserk!" you moaned, embracing his torso, lost in the pleasure, sinking your nails down his back when he suddenly started thrusting into your oversensitive channel, almost punishing you by the amount of pleasure you put him through. "Hvitserk! Babe!"

You tried to call him, but Hvitserk just kept thrusting, wildly, sliding your body up in the bed and hitting the wooden headboard full strength against the wall. The repetitive sound of his rhythm was mixing with your moans and his gasps of effort.

You could feel how tense his arms were when you relaxed under him, embracing his neck, kissing his skin as if your kisses and soft caresses were a reward for all the pleasure he was making you feel.

Slowly, your caresses reduced his pace. And he started going deeper into your body, getting longer moans and a tighter embrace from your hands around his body. One of them you slid into his hair, loosen it from the bun, watching as it opened like a curtain beside your face. You slid your fingers through the strands, caressing his nape, feeling as he rolled his hips in a different movement just to make you moan a little louder for his pleasure.

Hvitserk was filling you so well! His size seemed to be perfect for yours, your walls tightening embracing his shaft causing his efforts to become harder and harder as the pleasure was mining his strength.

In a few minutes, your skins were glued on sweat. His mouth against yours, panting, mixing your breath with his when you lovingly bit his lower lip before kissing him passionately.

Hvitserk couldn't deny anymore. He couldn't say it wasn't to be. The two of you were perfect together and when he felt your body clenching around him one more time, he wrapped his arms around your torso, embracing you tight into his arms and against his chest, thrusting a little bit faster just to release his seed into your walls, making you feel even warmer than your own juices made you.

With his panting breath, Hvitserk mumbled in your ear something that would be the perfect sentence to be heard after such deep and intimate intercourse.

"I love you," he confessed, nuzzling his face on yours, slowly recovering his breath control, and lightly kissing your skin and the crook of your neck "I love you, Annie. I love you..."

Annie...

You felt your eyes fill with a thin line of tears you didn't let pour. And you embraced Hvitserk tighter, feeling his body nestling into your embrace.

"I love you too..." you mumbled, swallowing dry as he softly rested his head against your chest.

Your heart heavy into your chest.

You loved him.

He loved Annie.

 But Marie Ann Watson wasn't who you really were...

And sooner or later it would be the end of you.

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[storylocke]

CR Crossover Follow-up

C.C.:

I don’t quite remember how it happened. My mind was gone. I felt myself falling- free floating- I don’t know how to describe it, but what I do know was that I had a power beyond my comprehension flowing through me! I envisioned, which within that dark space of my mind, I could see the worlds within in my hands and I drew them together. I could SEE Xena, my Xena, there within reach as I held out my hand to pull her across the Void. And I believe… [he shakes his head a moment as it was really the only thing left to make sense] I believe in my attempts to pull her out of that hellscape, I instead brought everything else in too. [he starts laughing, a slightly broke and hollow laugh as he looks up at the ceiling before turning to the other two] They tried to tell me you were gone. Not that you were dead, but that those fully taken by the Glitches cannot leave that other world. It would take a miracle. … A miracle…

Xena:

…. That’s not true. [shifts uncomfortably] What about Abe? We… We tried to follow the same path as he did because that’s what was needed to beat The Game. So I could come home.

C.C.:

Except there is no game. And I found out through some of my research that he never did get to escape, even after doing all that They told him to do. It wasn’t until the barrier between the two worlds had corroded through fighting between gods and the spreading of Glitches, and the utter chaos that he and several others were able to cross through. He was freed at the expense that, to my understanding, another boy took his place in that world. [takes deep breath] What we were trying to do might have worked before you were so corrupted by those fiends, but people like you and Fifer, cannot exist properly on this side without becoming a demon yourself. So… so I brought the world to you, I guess.

Xena:

That doesn’t mean you should be ashamed about it. You didn’t know what would happen-

C.C.:

It doesn’t matter, I knew what I was doing.

Xena:

But you were manipulated-

C.C.:

So what?

Xena:

They brainwashed you-

C.C.:

So what?

Xena:

You just said so yourself you had no control as you were doing it.

C.C.:

So what? [shifts in his seat so he can stare her down directly] My reasons and my actions at the time doesn’t matter, just the fact that I did it. Johto and Kanto are now under an eternal winter, Kalos is wrecked beyond recognition. Hoenn now exists in two places at once with the barren wasteland version of our World having been taken over by theives and Glitches and becoming a literal shadow of itself. Time itself may even be in ruins as we’ve had reports of villains not seen since antiquity have sudden appeared in our present! And nothing you can say, nothing we can do, can change the fact that this is all. my. fault.

Hannah:

[arms crossed as she sits back in the chair, taking all this in] Sounds like there may have still been another way. You do realize that we need to share all this with the others since so far we’ve been trying to find out if there’s some Great Evil that caused this mess, and why, and if we can beat, and so forth. If it turns out it’s just you then-

C.C.:

[coldly cuts her off] There IS a Great Evil behind this, and it is THEM.

Hannah:

[Ugh, here we go again] The Voices are not evil, Cesar. They just do things for the sake of doing things, I don’t think they have any real good or bad intensions, they just exist. What happened to you really sucks, and the aftermath of it all sucks especially, but I don’t think they meant for any of this to happen any more than you did.

C.C.:

It’s easy enough for you to say, a fraction of your own power comes from Them but you were able to use it for good. Perhaps They liked you, or perhaps Their actions in Flora was merely setting the stage for later things to come. But you ask Xena, ask Fifer, ask Venus, just how badly their lives have been changed because of these so-called whims of fate you speak of.

Hannah:

…. [trying to come up with a counter, but doesn’t have one. Goes for the snark] What about Y?

Xena:

Never ask Y, he’s a good kid, but I think he enjoys all this just a little too much.

C.C.:

We don’t really know enough about him to know what he was like before we met. And that’s what bothers me. There are plenty of other forces out there right now ready to take advantage of the situation, but I am telling you, it’s only going to get worse. I still need to do more research, to find out what could happened for the seemingly benevolent Voices we heard of in our youth to suddenly appear again and bring pain and corruption to all those touched by Them. Someone is going to get hurt, if it hasn’t happened already. Perhaps I’m not even the only one to face the fate of being given a great power only to have it turn into such devastation. [Thoughtful as he slides off the bed to go up to Hannah] Didn’t you say that Flora has some ancient hidden library with information on the past?

Hannah:

That’s typically what libraries do. Stories and history and other boring stuff. Why?

C.C.:

I need you to take me there. I know you don’t like it, but there could be some valuable information there that could help us. I need to learn more about the Voices so next time I can be sure to be in full control.

Xena:

[Slightly alarmed] Next time?

C.C.:

Now that I have told you both, I am more than certain that my ability to channel that power was no mere fluke. I need to reclaim Their power so I can set the worlds right, but in order to do that I need to learn to bend reality to my will.

Hannah:

No. [crosses arms again as she glares him down] No, Cesar, you don’t. Trust me, you don’t want the power or the responsibility, especially seeing how badly broken you are from causing all this in the first place. [Now he’s glaring at her, but she keeps her stance to show she’s not intimidated by him] Yeah, I said it. You said so yourself you broke when it happened, and frankly I’d say you’re pretty broken still. Once that power left you, you’ve been released, okay? There’s plenty of others out there who’ve already tried the world manipulation route and it ended badly for them, don’t think you’ll be any different just because it happened before. Now I’m not saying we shouldn’t look into this. You’re right that we need you to look into this, because hell knows I can’t keep up that kind of focus and memorization; but I do know that the world has a way of fixing itself when it gets fucked up like this. We’ll do what we can. As a team. And right now the best thing you can do for the world is using your personal power to make sure this kind of shit never happens to anyone else.

C.C.:

[He’s listening to her, rather intently, but it’s also clear that the gears in his mind have already started racing] So you’ll take me there?

Hannah:

[Throws hands up in the air, but drops them as she can only shrug] Yeah, I can get you in there.

Xena:

We should probably tell the others what’s going on before you two leave though…

Hannah:

Well duh. We’re not just gonna leave in the middle of the night for another region without telling anyone.

C.C.:

Alright, but I need you both to listen. What I shared with you is very serious and a deep secret I’ve been keeping. What we’ve said here does not leave the room. You cannot tell any of the others.

Hannah:

What?

Xena:

Why?

C.C.:

I know finding out the cause behind the world collision is very important, but I don’t want my past and my actions to become a point of tension within our group. If they knew that I was the one behind all this, I’m not so sure they’d be so willing to help me get stronger if I’m now considered a threat. You two know my intention. Will you help me?

Both:

[Soft, somewhat reluctantly] Yes…

C.C.:

Thank you. [deep breath, that was a lot to get out, but it’s such a relief to know they took it better than he thought.] Alright, Hannah? Would you mind going to tell the others about our plans for Flora? I’d like a moment alone with Xena.

Hannah:

Really? Just gonna drop something this heavy on me and ask me to leave?

Xena:

Hannah…

Hannah:

Nah, nah, I get it. You two are family, got a lot of personal stuff to go over, it’s cool. I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow. [turns back as she nears the door, flashing a weak grin as she tries to lighten the mood] Though if you waaant, we’ve got a party in the girls’ room, Xena.

Xena:

[Grin] I’ll be over in a minute then.

~~~~~

Continuation from my comic for the Crossover Contest

It's not part of the entry, but I did say I had an entire AU forming even before the contest came up and this just hit me this morning.

Taking place after all of the Season 5 runs, the idea of all of the Hosts getting together to figure out what is going on with these crazy place given we've been doing a lot of mods this season and into S6. Which is what this is hinting at is R. Colosseum, XG, and worst of all THE haven't happened yet, but the potential for extreme Voice shenanigans is at large. Burning Red in my timeline happened BEFORE Dual Red and Blue so while Kay isn't part of the group, I'm not sure if or when or how he'd show up either since he's potentially a time traveler and maaay have disappeared after BR events. But who knows. I'm not sure how many parts I'll actually write out for this thing if I decide to keep going, but there is at least one other scene I'd like to do.

[onepumpofsyrup]

ON THREE, QUIETLY II Cha Hakyeon II Part 3

On Three, Quietly // Cha Hakyeon // Part 3

VIXX: N

Pairing : N x Reader

Genre : Fluff, Angst, Humor, Romance

Words :  3,000+

Summary : Trouble comes and goes for every idol. At times its best to combat it with a well minded publicist. VIXX though, hate their new publicists. She’s bossy, nosey, and seems to care more about her paycheck than them. Her only goal is to prove them wrong. Their goal is for Hakyeon to seduce her into leaving.

(A/N)This story is another huge ass thank you to all of my followers.

Part 3

It was the blaring sound of your phone ringing that woke you. A specific tone only saved to Minhee and Woon’s work phones. 

“Mmph,” You weren’t awake enough to form coherent words. Your vision came in a thin bleary line as you struggled to hold your eyes open. 

“I know, you hate it when we wake you. But there’s been a problem,” Woon’s voice was course, as if he’d been shouting. 

Another moan was your response. Your mind worked slowly to comprehend, rather fathom, the fact that you were even awake at that moment. 

Time.

What time is it.

Someone better be dead.

It better be Hakyeon.

That asshole.

That asshole with his stupid good looks.

And lovely voice.

And perfect flirty attitude.

“Wonshik is being accused of assaulting the fan that is alleging him to be the father of her unborn child.” Minhee’s voice was now screeching in your ear. 

“Guys, one person talking on a phone. You can’t go back in forth. Brain don’t work like that.” Your words were slurred, comprehension slowly coming to you.

“Wake up and listen to us!! There has been a major scandal break on Instagram as well as it taking over fancafes. Wonshik has been accused of assault,” Woon continued the conversation again, forcing you to work harder to catch up with the dialogue.

“What did I just say,” you whined, tears pricking at your eyes. 

Childlike was the only way to describe yourself after waking without enough sleep. The frustration of being newly awake combined with two people yelling at you about something you could barely understand made you wish for the release of breaking into tears. Silly, and a ridiculous reaction, but the boys had been overworking you to a point that you were sorely needing an early nights rest. And from what you clock was showing, you’d only been asleep 2 hours.  

Each boy had taken it upon himself to call you every night with ridiculous requests.

***

"Can I order a lobster on amazon and introduce it to the fans as my love child with a crab?" Hongbin had asked at 5 in the morning on Monday.

"You can eat a lobster for lunch." That response hadn't appeased him. 

"I'm thinking about tattooing my entire leg in one go. I also want to get one of those sexy medallion tattoos that girls get under their ya know, womanly assets." Ken had asked at 2 am on Tuesday.

"If you can't say the words for it you can't have the tattoo." Had been your only reply before hanging up. 

"What do you think of me and Taekwoon buying out an animal shelter and just freaking filling it with doves that we train to attack animal abusers." Hyuk had asked, glee filling his voice at 7 in the morning on Wednesday. 

"I love it. But it's not practical. Would look horrible in the news. Find another way to help animals." Your response had fueled the fire for the rest of them to repeatedly ask you about new and ridiculous ways to get media attention. All asked at times you should be sleeping. All phone calls lasting over an hour. 

****

Another whine left your throat as your doorbell rang. “I don’t want to deal with this right now. I want to sleep. Why are you so mean to me.

“Was that her doorbell?” Woon asked to Minhee over the phone.

“Hakyeon must have finally got there.” Your eyes began to shut again as the two talked between themselves. 

“He better wake her ass up. I hate dealing with her when she’s sleep deprived.” 

Woon can be so mean.

If he'd just let me sleep he wouldn't have to deal with me.

“Can hear you," you groaned into the phone, wanting them to be aware that you were displeased with the direction of the conversation. 

Minhee's voice took on a soft approach, “Shh, you’ll make her cry. You know she cries when she hasn’t had enough sleep. They've disturbed her sleep every night this week. She's running on only a few hours.”

The doorbell rang again. Incessantly this time. As if someone was repeatedly attacking it with their finger for the pure delight of annoying whoever was within the home. 

Minhee sighed, “Sweetie let Hakyeon in. He’s going to bring you over to us.” 

If your eyes had been opened they'd have rolled. In no way, were you going anywhere. Tomorrow was your day off, and you were determined to sleep through it. “In pajamas. Not going anywhere.” 

Woon's tone continued to show his annoyance. “Oh no...she’s getting grumpy. I hate dealing her when she's like this. Do we really need her?” 

Yeah, do you really need me?

“Should I send one of the PA’s for coffee?” Minhee directed at Woon, holding the conversation just between the two of them again. 

You heard shuffling over the line, as if Woon was going through his pockets. “That’s probably a good idea. You can give them my card. Just make sure that they get it here before Hakyeon gets her here.” 

The sound of your bedroom door opening had you easing your head out from under your covers. "Noooo...not you. Go away. I'm sleeping." You hissed at a blurry Hakyeon. 

“Your back door was unlocked. Do you not realize how unsafe that is sweetheart? Anyone could have gotten in." His tone was disapproving but the half smile on his face softened it well enough not to piss you off. 

A hand went up to rub at your eyes while the other continued to hold the phone to your ear. "Gate. Gated house. How did you get past my gate?"

He shrugged and leaned back against the door frame. "Minhee gave me the code. It's Wook. 9665. Why is it that?"

"My favorite person to work with. He's a good boy." A small smile found its way to your lips. Ji Chang Wook would always be your favorite to work with. You were counting down the days until his enlistment was up. You'd even readied a calendar.

Woon's tone took on a sickeningly sarcastic intonation. "God, I wish I was recording this. You sound like such a kid. Ahh, it's so cute. You know I love you right? I love you so much. So cute. So precious. Give Hakyeon the phone."

You wiggled back onto your side, allowing the covers to encompass you again as you flung your hand out into the air with the phone held in it. You shook it a little, a silent signal for Hakyeon to take it. Which, he thankfully understood. 

He moved to sit on the edge of your bed, phone held to his ear as his rested on what he assumed was your calf. 

"She's not getting out of bed....Well what am I supposed to do?....Are you giving me permission to just yank her out of bed?....I get it she's tired....This isn't my fault that she's tired....How much sleep has she gotten?....Are you serious?....." His attention turned to you. "(Y/N) have you really only slept 3 hours every night for the last month?" 

Your eyes rolled and you pulled the covers up to warm you more. "Not going anywhere. You deal with it. Since you think you don't need me ever. Too good for you assholes anyway."

His gripped on your calf tightened, his appearance taking on something a little darker. Without a word he stood up, taking the comforter with him. 

You whined, trying to take it back but he walked over to your closet with it in his arms. 

"You charge so much money for your work, how the hell don't you have a robe?" His words were muttered as he shuffled through the closet. 

"I pay my people really really well." Your perfect business behavior had fled you.

The sleep deprivation had released you from all knowledge of appropriate and professional behavior. "It's hanging in the bathroom. Why do you want my robe? Wanna buy one for yourself?" You snickered at the thought of Hakyeon wearing a short silky baby blue robe. 

He didn't reply as he grabbed the robe and tossed it at you. before walking over and beginning to lift you from the bed. 

"Nooooo," you mewled, pushing against him with your hands. "Please, Hakyeon. Don't make me go. Let's just sleep. Don't you like sleep? We can both sleep right now. My bed is so big. We'd be so comfy....Oh my god you’re so warm." With this realization your arms found their way around his midriff, pulling yourself into his warmth. "So warm. I might love you," You sighed, eyes closing as you cuddled your face into him. "See, so nice. Let's sleep." 

"Woon. She's got like tentacles for arms." He hissed into the phone. "I don't know what to do. She's latched on to me and I think she fell back asleep....Won't she scream if I do that?...I have your permission huh?...Alright. I'm doing it. We'll see you in a bit." He turned his attention to you, allowing himself to lay down next to you, you cuddling into him more closely.

"See...so nice." You voice was growing softer, as sleep took you more. 

Your stomach jumped uncomfortably as Hakyeon rolled the two of you together on to the floor. "Okay! You're out of bed! We can go now!" He pressed a kiss to your temple before pulling himself to a standing position, grabbed your robe and tossed it at you. "Let's get out of here sweetheart! Put it on!" 

You looked up at him, lip jutted out, quivering the slightest bit. 

"No, you can't pull that look on me. Woon warned me that you get like this. And Just so you know, it was not what I expected from my icy publicist." He knelt before you and began wrapping the robe around you. "Lets go. The sooner we deal with this the sooner I'll take you back to bed." 

Your eyes half lidded themselves in a glare. "You better. Or I'm going to quit." 

*** 

You slept the entire trip from your home back to the Jellyfish Entertainment building. Perfectly cocooned in a blanket that you'd fought Hakyeon tooth and nail to bring. 

"I need it." 

"It's cold."

"You didn't let me put on real clothes."

Of course I'm not letting her put on real clothes.

She looks adorable in those pj's.

He'd expected you to wear only silk or satin, something expensive and ridiculous. But instead you wore what must have been an old t-shirt and pajama shorts that couldn't have cost more than a few dollars. The only expensive thing on you was the robe, and that looked as if it was hardly worn.

Hakyeon guided the car into a spot on the side of the street in front of the building. Woon practically ran from in side the lobby to the car, opening the door and pulling you out into his arms. 

Something about it ticked at Hakyeon's protective instincts. Maybe it was the way you easily went into his arms or the slight blush that was in your cheeks. 

Stop.

Don't make it weird.

You have a job.

Make her love you.

Ditch her.

And hope she quits.

Catching feelings isn't part of the plan.

"What do you want us to do?" Woon asked carrying you into the building while Hakyeon trailed behind. 

"I don't freaking know. What would I normally ask you to do?" You grumbled, finally coherent enough to be displeased with the current situation. In most cases this was not something that had to be fixed in the middle of the night. Nothing could be done until morning. Why you were woken and brought in was completely opaque to you.   

"Stay silent on media and ask the girl to come in for a meeting." Hakyeon answered for Woon, winning him a smile that warmed his chest. 

"See, he knows what to do." You crowed. "Now," Your attention turned back to Woon as he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for VIXX's floor. "Why aren't we doing that?"

Woon's gaze landed with a glare on Hakyeon. "Because the leader thought it was a big enough issue that it needed to be solved now.

The fire in your stair frightened Hakyeon into stepping away. You kicked your legs slightly, a signal for Woon to let you down. "While I love being carried like the princess that I am. I really need to not present myself as a baby in front of the other members." 

Woon slowly let you down, Hakyeon’s gaze straying to your bare legs. 

Do not catch feelings. 

Do not catch feelings.

Do not catch feelings.

She's a dick.

You wrapped the robe tighter around you. Hoping in some way the tiny bit of material would keep you warm. "You're supposed to be my good one." You cursed with an accusatory finger pointing into his chest.

Hakyeon's body deflated just a bit. With Woon's overly large form standing behind you, you seemed far more intimidating than you actually were. 

"I am your good one. But, Wonshik is really upset," He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry you're not sleeping well, but I'd hoped you could help him. I was hoping you'd maybe have something encouraging to say to ease his mind." 

Your back straightened. Every bit of tiredness finally gone from your gaze. Despite the pajamas your expression once again gave yourself off to be VIXX"s very capable publicist. "Upset? Upset in what way." 

The elevator doors opened to reveal a distressed looking Wonshik with Minhee patting his arm in a comforting manner.

You stepped out and took the coffee from her outstretched hand before bringing your other arm around his waist and leading him over to a couch. 

Hakyeon was left stunned at how quickly you went into your professional persona. Not a question was asked why he was waiting at the elevator door. Not a word of anger was said. You simply got to work. 

"Everyone, out." You snapped glaring at the other boys as well as your small night team. 

Woon set to work ushuring everyone out of the room. 

You settled down on the couch next to Wonshik once the room was empty. "I know you're trying to keep your privacy by not telling anyone who this girl is, or why she's doing this. But I need you to be completely honest with me. It will stay between us. The media won't know. The chairman won't know. Only you and I. I just need to know so I know how best to protect you. Do you understand?" Your tone was soft, nonjudgmental. The professionalism loosening to create a more maternal atmosphere. 

His eyes were red rimmed, either from exhaustion, or tears. He slightly shivered and you noticed that Woon had tossed your travel blanket onto the couch. You pulled it across the both of your laps,your eyes widening slightly when he leaned closer into you.

He tried to shrug your concerns off. "She's just a friend from school."

You took his hand in your own, rubbing some warmth back into his chilled digits. You didn't call him a liar, you simply waited for him to talk. 

His head fell forward and he sighed. "She's...my best friend from school. And she is pregnant. But it's not mine! She asked for help and I offered to give her money. I offered to talk to the dad. But he's not interested."

"Why is she saying it's you?" 

"Because her parents want to know who the dad is. And it was easy to say my name. She asked me to marry her. So her parents won't disown her. I told her I couldn't. That it was crazy. She says she's in too deep and she has no choice. She told her parents that I'm the father and they encouraged her to sell the story. That it would shame me into doing the right thing. But I'm not the father." You nodded, ignoring the tears that sprung to his eyes, not wanting to embarrass him. “I went to see her tonight and we got into a fight. Her mother started screaming at me and my friend was holding me back. And then her dad just swung and I tried to block it and I hit hurt. I never would have intentionally hurt her. Ever.”

You took a breath, "This is a complicated situation. Normally I would suggest either paying her off, or allowing my team to research the truth and give that to the media. But you say she's your friend," He nodded, "So we're not going to do that. My suggestion is we find the dad. That and getting a paternity test as soon as we can. We don’t need to shame her in the media back but  we do need to show the parents that you’re not responsible. As for the father, we get him to step up, and we keep all of this between us and her parents. The media doesn't need to know anything. The story will die down on it's own. As long as she doesn't continue to fuel the fire. In the meantime, you're going to have to work hard. I'm thinking maybe a few public appearances on on some variety shows. Anything to get the attention off of this. I'll have my team work on finding the dad and make this right. You shouldn't be shamed into taking responsibility for something you're no responsible for." 

He bit his lip slightly, seemingly more relaxed. "This has been hard, hasn't it?" He nodded again. "I'm sorry that this happened. I'm sorry you've had to bear this alone. It's not fair. You haven't done anything wrong. You know that right?" And again, another nod. You blew out a breath of frustration and hugged him to you. "I'm sorry." His shoulders shook, allowing you to assume that he was crying and trying to hide it. "You must be so stressed." 

Your hands rubbed across his back, soothing him. A hum vibrated in your throat, a soft tune that your mother sang when you were a child.

***

The next morning Hakyeon sat around his breakfast table with the other members. "So she's just going to fix it?"

"That's what she said." Wonshik answered. "She wasn't mad. And she just apologized and said I was working hard and that she was proud of me."

"You must have misheard her." Hyuk complained. "She's chaotic." 

Taekwoon ran a hand over his eyes. Tired of the constant complaints. "Oh my god...guys...she's a normal freaking person."

"She's incredible. Did you see her in her jammies bossing everyone around." Hongbin gushed.  

Hyuk rolled his eyes and muttered, "Maybe she can stay."

[brattykeith]

What Happened to Your Face?! (Klance)

My piece for the exchange I did with @kymmo-draws ! I hope you like it~!

Prompt:  They would like teen klance (13-17): Teen klance making fun of each other during puberty (voice cracking, acne, etc) then meeting again after like 5 years to see that "oH he's hot".

“Lance, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning,” Hunk announced miserably as his best friend chatted away wildly into his ear. He snuggled under his blanket, his cell phone practically vibrating against his pillow with the force of Lance’s voice.

“Hunk, time is just a concept! Like aliens! Or Keith Kogane’s pride when he realizes that Lance McClain has become the number one bachelor at the Garrison!”

“Number one?” Hunk repeated with a yawn.

“Hell yeah! I can’t wait to see that pizza-faced nerd’s expression once he realizes that he’s been defeated in all manners of seduction and popularity!!”

“I don’t even think Keith was all that popular? His older brother Shiro was, Keith was just super smart, right?” Hunk noted, snuggling deeper into his bed.

“Hunk! You’re ruining it!”

“I mean, he never even dated anyone back then, right?”

“HUNK!”

“Fine, fine,” Hunk yawned again, turning to nuzzle his pillow. “How’d you even know he was back in town?”

“As you know, I am a being of many connections and-“

“Pidge heard from her brother Matt who’s friends with Shiro, right?”

“Hunk!”

“Yeah, yeah,”

“Anyways, Matt and Shiro are going to go to the Arus Diner tomorrow for lunch and they’re dragging Pidge and Keith out as well, we need to be there!”

“For some pizza?” Hunk asked hopefully to his pillow.

“No! Well, I mean, yeah, but after I metaphorically walk all over Keith’s face with how attractive I’ve become.” Lance reasoned.

“Sounds good.” Hunk answered with a yawn of finality. “Don’t forget to put your facemask on for the night.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, see you, buddy!”

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Keith stared intently at his phone, doing his best to mimic Pidge in ignoring their brothers’ pathetic attempts at flirting.

Matt and Shiro were a trainwreck, but that flaming train was decorated with heart-shaped confetti and good intentions. If your idea of flirting was complimenting someone on their choice of pizza toppings then you needed serious help. Keith and Pidge caught each other’s eye, sending a glance at their idiot brothers as the pair chatted happily about constellations. God, what a bunch of nerds.

Pidge and Keith had a running bet about who’d manage to propose first.

The loser had to wear a dress for the wedding.

Keith managed to sneak another piece of pizza out from between the bubble of love and affection that was Shiro and Matt’s conversation, doing his best to inhale the slice before any more residual affection could infect it.

It wasn’t that Keith didn’t like the idea of love, rather he’d just never been in love. In high school, he’d been smart but not attractive. His grades had gotten him clearance to go on a diplomatic mission with Shiro to another flight program in Asia. It’d been nothing more than a student exchange, but as a result, Keith had learned a lot and made a few friends, like Regris. Regris had given Keith the full Korean skincare routine do-over, at least until Keith had shown zero comprehension of anything concerning makeup. By the time Keith was set to leave he’d narrowed it down to three steps and Keith’s acne had mysteriously disappeared. It also helped that in Asia sword fighting was a perfectly acceptable way to get fit and healthy, he’d gotten a few pounds of muscle to boot. Allura had called it a ‘glow up’ when he got back.

The loud shatter of glassware had all of them jumping, worst of all Shiro who both Matt and Keith placed a placating hand on. Keith sent a glare over to whoever was responsible, blinking when he realized that it was some tall, cute guy that was currently staring back at him. Keith blinked, a small blush dusting his cheeks, at least until Pidge barked out an annoyed ‘Lance!’

Lance?

Lance?

Lance?

Keith was staring back now, flashbacks to the kid with acne and baby fat galore. There was no way. First off, this guy was taller than Keith. Back in high school Keith had managed two inches on Lance and had used both to his advantage in every fight that Shiro hadn’t personally broken up. Second off, this guy’s skin looked nice, like Regris had also shipped him a bottle of Korean skincare magic. Third off, he was fit, and it showed in the line of his jaw and the curve of muscle in along his forearms. Keith felt his cheeks grow redder after noticing that particular bit.

What. The. Fuck.

“Keith?” Lance choked out, sounding like he was the last person he expected to meet here. And suddenly Keith found himself checking himself over and mentally wincing over the fact that he was only wearing a black t-shirt and yoga pants. He combed his fingers through his hair and managed a surly glare in response.

“Oh, hey, Keith!” Hunk greeted, walking up behind Lance with a mouthful (and plateful) of pizza. “How was Asia? Is their program any better than ours?” He asked conversationally, seemingly unaware that his best friend since preschool was having an aneurysm right next to him.

“It was fine,” Keith managed lowly. Shiro had recovered from his small bout of anxiety and looked prepared to dive between Keith and Lance the second one of them threw a fist at the other. Keith decided that it was far too dangerous to attempt eye contact with Lance and instead turned his attention to the glass of soda Lance had shattered across the floor. “Uh, are you going to get that? Or leave it for the waitstaff like an asshole?” Keith cringed after the words left his mouth, even though high school him would have high fived him for it.

Keith didn’t high five anyone, not even Shiro.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

No. Nonononononononono. Lance’s spirit had projected to a plane of existence where he was free to scream about how fucking cruel the world was. It was cruel. Miserable. And, worst of all, it knew Lance’s type.

Lance hadn’t been the only one to change, and in hindsight, he’d know that was a possibility, but at the same time, this was just cruel.

Keith Kogane was gorgeous.

Lance was dying.

Keith was currently watching Lance through thick lashes, lips turned into the cutest pout in this side of town. His hairstyle was questionable, but it somehow suited him, framing pale skin perfectly. His acne was gone, and maybe that’s why Lance was just now noticing that Keith’s eyes were in the spectrum of blue and violet and utterly gorgeous. Not to mention his voice-cracking had left him with a low, raspy voice that did things to Lance’s spine whenever he spoke.

Lance had recently come to terms with his bisexuality, but Keith Kogane was going to make him full on gay.

Hunk would never let him live it down.

Speaking of Hunk, his best friend nudged him hard in the side, forcing Lance to return to his body.

“W-what…?” He croaked, continuing to stare at Keith.

“Oh boy,” Hunk, who had lived through all of Lance’s previous crushes, muttered under his breath.

Keith seemed to not even want to meet his eyes, turning his attention to the glass at Lance’s feet.

“The glass you dropped?”

Lance had dropped a glass? Lance glanced to the floor to see that he had, in fact, dropped a glass of soda.

“Oh!” Lance looked around, finding a waitress that was side-eyeing him thoroughly. “Hey, I’m sorry. Can I get a broom or something? I’ll clean it up.” He offered. The waitress huffed out a breath before walking to the backroom. Lance snuck another glance at Keith, only to notice that Keith was eyeing him back.

This wasn’t what he’d planned at all. He planned to thoroughly ruin Keith Kogane’s life, only now Keith Kogane was ruining his.

With his face.

“So,” Shiro began, looking to play peacekeeper, “how has it been on this hemisphere? Iverson still making freshmen cry?”

“Of course,” Hunk answered when Lance seemed marginally more invested in his staring contest with Keith. “Just the other day he made this poor kid run out of the classroom in tears.”

“Classic Iverson,” Shiro noted.

“What happened to your acne?” Lance blurted out. The table descended into silence as everyone’s attention drifted to Keith.

“What happened to yours?” Keith fired back.

“I outgrew it, obviously.”

“Same. Obviously.”

Lance bristled at the same time Keith stood up and Shiro was on his feet a moment later, a literal wall between the two of them.

“Easy! Hey! Easy you two!” He ordered firmly. “Let’s not start a fight and get kicked out, alright?” He directed this mainly at Keith who sent him a look right back.

“Shiro’s right, Lance,” Hunk muttered under his breath. “This is the only place in town where the cook knows how to probably toast the cheese on their pizza for that nice crunchy char. Do not ruin this for me.”

“I can’t help it that his face looks like that!”

“Like what?” Keith snapped.

“Like it somehow figured out how to become hot?!” Lance fired back. Keith opened his mouth to retort, only for Lance’s words to actually catch up to him.

“W-what?” Keith managed, eyes wide.

“What?” Lance repeated back at him. Keith’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“You just said-”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lance cut him off in a panic, looking as if he was prepared to turn tail and run.

“Oh my god,” Hunk muttered under his breath, turning away completely.

Keith glared at him for a long moment, looking as if he didn’t know what to say in response to that.

“Sir!”

Lance jumped, looking to his left to see the waitress from before frowning at him in disapproval. Lance was pretty sure he broke a world record for ‘fastest glass disposal in presence of sudden new crush and various friends’ because under a minute later he was shooting Keith a flustered glare as he grabbed Hunk’s arm and dragged (read: Hunk walked him over) to a booth on the opposite side of the restaurant.

“Okay,” Lance whispered, shooting furious glances over at the booth Keith was still occupying. “Change of plans.”

“Mm?” Hunk hummed, munching at his pizza.

“Only, I have absolutely no idea how to change the plans.” Lance hissed. ‘How did he do that thing with his face?!”

“What thing?” Hunk asked between chews.

“The gorgeous thing!” Lance hissed, crowing in anger when Hunk burst into laughter. “Hunk! Keep it down!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Hunk giggled. “Have you considered asking him out?” He suggested amiably.

“Me? Go on a date with Keith Kogane?!” Lance cried loud enough to turn a few heads. “I can’t do on a date with him, we were rivals for years, Hunk! Remember that one time he was walking down the hallway and I clotheslined him and-”

“Lance,” Hunk said, eyeing his pizza critically before he took a bite. He met Lance’s gaze evenly while he chewed. “What are you going to do if someone else from school sees how much he’s changed and asks him out?” He asked casually.

Lance slammed his hands on the table, scrambling to his feet and all but running over to Keith’s table. Hunk watched him go for a long moment, vaguely wondering if he’d be able to get some sleep tonight.