#um bye i need to go sleep this nightmare away

[carlos-tk]

i just can’t..

god this cannot be happening again

[br0-k3n-sch00lb01]

@n3hmof1sh :3 hhheres the rest of what i have so fffar

The fic is gonna switch between hero and basils povs btw (itz gona all the way thru after neutral ending btw)

Basil dialed Hero’s college number on the phone. Polly was asleep. It was late.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Clk!

“Henry Desoto speaking, how can I help you?” Hero’s voice came through the receiver.

“...Hi… Hero, I-It’s Basil…” Basil mumbled.

“Oh! Basil. What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve been crying.”

“U-Um… I just… sorry, I’m okay. Did I w-wake you?”

“...No, I was just reading. Why are you up so late?”

“C-Couldn’t sleep. Nightmare.”

“Ah. Do you want to talk about it? It can help.”

“No.” Basil’s voice was firm. He didn’t need Hero knowing about… that.

“...If you’re sure…” Hero said, skeptical. “Anyhow, why’d you call?”

“I j-just needed someone to talk to. Kel wouldn’t answer… h-he’s probably fast asleep, haha…”

“Okay then. Are you feeling okay? Have you been eating well, getting enough sleep?”

“...y-yeah. Polly cooks for me, so I d-don’t have to worry about m-making things…”

“That’s good. Hey, we should both be getting to bed, but remember you can call whenever, okay? You’re 15 now- so I doubt you want to talk to an old hoot like me- but just keep that in mind, okay?”

Basil nodded, then remembered Hero couldn’t see him. “O-Okay.”

“Have a good night, Basil. Sleep well!!”

Basil hummed, and held the phone to his ear even after the beep.

He slowly set it down, his eyes welling up.

God, he was pathetic, wasn’t he?

“Pour l'amour de Dieu…” He muttered. He stepped away from the phone, the pale moonlight feeling like it was shining a spotlight on him.

He turned away from the window. 

And then, he turned back, and turned on the answering machine, going to the only voicemail he had.

Basil clicked play.

“...Hi, Basil!! It’s Mari. I hope you’re feeling okay after yesterday. Kel really tripped you bad, huh? Sunny was glaring at him the rest of the afternoon. If looks could kill, Kel would be toast. Sunny wanted to know if you were feeling up to hanging out today… be sure to call me back, or stop by our house. Bye bye~!!”

Beep.

Basil took a deep breath.

He remembered that rainy day in July, when Kel had accidentally tripped him and he’d scraped his knee on the wet concrete. 

Mari always worried about him. Hero always helped him.

Kel was a good friend. 

Aubrey was sweet and outgoing.

And Sunny…

Sunny, Sunny, my best friend. How could you leave me? You broke your promise. I forgive you. It must have been Something, blaming everything on you again. 

How I miss you. 

Basil backed away from the phone again and walked out of his room, avoiding the creaky floorboards. He slipped on his shoes at the front door and gently unlocked it, stepping out into the cool night.

He would make this quick.

He walked, this route being muscle memory at this point. He stopped in front of a light brown door, glancing at the nameplate- Suzuki.

He raised his hand and knocked.

He wasn’t expecting an answer, of course. Why should he?

But- the door creaked, slowly, and through the crack Basil could see tired brown eyes gazing back at him.

He couldn’t breathe.

“S-Sunny.” He gasped.

And Sunny closed the door, in fear.

Basil stood there, still frozen, his chest aching like someone was squeezing his heart in an iron band.

And he fell to his knees and sobbed, his forehead falling against the cool wood of the door.

Sunny, please come back. Please don’t hate me. I can’t bear to see that. Tu es ma vie, mon destin, alors s'il te plaît, reviens.

He sat there until he couldn’t cry anymore. When he got up, he didn’t take a look back.

As he walked down the street, he ran a hand through his hair and thought, Don’t worry, Sunny. I’ll save you again. Something behind you… I’ll get rid of it, once and for all. You won’t have to be scared anymore.

***

Hero was in his dorm room. Basil had seemed… off, in that call. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what was wrong. 

Did it have something to do with… Mari? 

That still hurt him to think about, even though it had been at least 3 years since it had happened. But Basil had seemed alright shortly after it, so what was the issue…? Did reality finally sink in? Or was it something entirely different?

He was getting a headache. 

Hero sighed, running a hand through his hair. Maybe he should have stayed back in town, to make sure everyone was alright… he had just felt like he needed an escape from Faraway, at least for a little while, since every time he passed by Sunny’s house he felt like someone was clawing his heart out of his chest. 

Wait. Sunny.

Maybe that was Basil’s issue. As far as Hero knew, Sunny still hadn’t come out of his house. He remembered, a few years ago, his conversation with Basil not long after the incident…

“What about Sunny? Have you tried knocking on his door?” Hero asked.

Basil had started crying almost immediately.

“Basil? Hey, don’t cry… what’s wrong?” Hero asked.

Basil looked up. “O-Oh, um, haha, sorry… S-Sunny won’t answer the door… his mom says that I s-should try again in a few days…” He said quietly, reaching up to wipe the tears away.

Hero sighed. Basil must really miss him. They had been best friends, after all… maybe Hero would try to talk to Basil about it next time he saw him.

He glanced at his calendar. He’d be visiting Faraway again in two weeks. On February 21st.

What have I gotten myself into? Basil’s probably a wreck. 

His birthday is right before I get there. Hopefully Kel remembers.

[sleepy-grav3]

Burnout - Uramichi x Kikaku

A/N: I love my brain... love it so.. so much...

Summary: Kikaku, after pulling a much too stressful all nighter after all nighter, ended up collapsing and landing his face right on Uramichi's lovely man boobs! Kikaku then decides to just go along with it, soon having Uramichi show another side of him, a side he thankfully couldn't go up against.

Tw: Swears, fluff, sorta kidnapping?

A/N: Not really much romance but uh... it hints at it a bit?

“Uramichi! Hey!” Derekida exclaimed as he jogged over.

Uramichi’s eyes lost all life in them.

“Damn it.”

“So I was wondering if you-”

“Ura… Urami.. Mnmnmmmgh…”

The 2 turned to the walking corpse that was heading over to Uramichi, mumbling something incoherent. The zombie swayed and Uramichi stepped forward but stopped when the said zombie aggressively regained his balance.

The zombie swayed once more anyway, making Uramichi take another step, but the zombie did the exact same thing as before.

Yet another sway and Derekida sweatdropped as Uramichi just continued to walk before freezing up at the wide-eyed expression of clear exhaustion the zombie had.

“Ura… michi…”

“Y-yes?”

Before he could say more, Kikaku fell forward, his face landing right on Uramichi’s pecs. Kikaku groaned, staying still and not bothering to move as he closed his eyes and seemed to doze off.

“Kikaku? A-are you ok? Kikaku?”

“WELL!”

Uramichi flinched from the sudden shout of the director, forgetting that he was even there for a moment.

“I was about to say if you can go and help the merchandise crew out! I guess he really came to you, I just knew you were the right person, Uramichi-chan!”

“Chan??”

“Bye now!”

Uramichi looked down at Kikaku. It looked like he was barely able to stand… In fact, Kikaku is actually taller than him by 3 cm, so he shouldn’t be able to rest his head on his chest unless he was… falling…

Uramichi quickly caught Kikaku, but that was a trap as Kikaku jumped into his arms, and clung to him like some koala. Uramichi grunted, lips thinning at the sudden weight.

“Kikaku…?”

“Carry me to the room. I don’t think I can walk anymore… so fucking tired…”

“Right…”

Poor Uramichi…….

Anyway!

As Uramichi carried this zombified koala, he noticed that the man took it as a time to take a quick nap. Kikaku unconsciously snuggled up at the crook of URamichi’s neck, soft breaths tickling Uramichi a bit.

A door to his heart creaked open just a bit.

-

“Kikaku, we’re here.”

“Nngh… Ok…”

Kikaku didn’t move for a moment, but then sighed and pulled away from the warmth Uramichi provided.

“Right so… I need you to draw something… And.. ugh.. Sorry… I can’t really focus at the moment..”

“It’s fine.. Is the deadline for tomorrow again?”

“Yyyep! And I need you to draw something with the macarons. Bonjour Man was a hit but I have no idea how to make that stupid face or the bird or whatever to be incorporated in this. We have Kumao. We have Usao. We don’t have you. Just… just come up with something. Whatever you do will be great…”

“Kikaku…”

A door to his heart creaked open a bit more.

“Do you like saying my name or something? Should I get the tape?”

Uramichi guided Kikaku to a seat and went to get some paper and grab a pen since nobody had pencils around anymore. He sat back down willingly (what a shocker!) and started to draw his literal nightmare from a while back. Kotori-san inside the macaron.

Odd enough, people seem to adore his night terrors, so might as well go for it-

-

“I finished… the drawing..”

Uramichi looked over, seeing Kikaku with his head in his arms, asleep.

“Kikaku, I finished the drawing. Please wake up.”

“Hm? Right… kay..”

Kikaku struggled to finish up whatever he had to do, and Uramichi decided to actually stay in his spot.

“So uh… after this do you… After this, are you going to head home and um.. sleep?”

Kikaku paused for a moment before cranking his head slowly to stare at Uramichi. The gymnast shivered under the former’s gaze.

“Sleep? What sleep? I’m going to bang this out early so I can have a day off while still being paid. So go on. Run away.”

Uramichi jumped, pursing his lips and getting up hesitantly. Kikaku simply looked back at his computer, typing and clicking. Uramichi took a few slow steps, heart beating rapidly as he expected to hear the sound of duct tape behind him. Instead, he just heard more clicking. He stopped by the door for a moment, hand already turning the knob enough to push it to open. He was free to leave and yet…

“How much work do you have left?” Uramichi asked, not turning to look at his coworker.

“An hour worth of agony.” Kikaku mindlessly answered, though not as aggressively as he usually spoke.

“Does the work save automatically?”

“With how often the boss forgets to save anything he comes across, I have to.”

Uramichi let go of the knob and spun around, speeding over and grabbing Kikaku’s wrists. He pulled the latter’s hands away from the keyboard with his left hand, the other hand going to the mouse and logging out.

“What the hell are you doing?! I just had-”

Kikaku froze, looking up at Uramichi’s face to see a blank stare. The one he often saw when Usahara angered him. Shockingly, he never actually saw it being used towards him before. If anything, it was the other way around. Being the target of the stare made him shiver. It was out of place. Disturbing.

He pursed his lips, letting the strength in his arms decrease and not bothering to fight back as Uramichi turned off the computer and stacked some of his stuff. Seeing that he wasn’t fighting back anymore, Uramichi let go and placed the stuff into a bag Kikaku had under the table.

Putting the strap over his head to make it cross over his chest, he turned to Kikaku and picked him up, holding him the exact way he had before.

“Woah-! Hey! What the actual fuck are you thinking?! I ain’t some kid-”

Uramichi’s free hand pressed Kikaku’s head onto his shoulder, making the tired man’s breath hitch.

“It’s late, you should sleep.”

“I don’t need to-”

“Sleep.”

That blank stare made Kikaku freeze up again. He stopped resisting once more as he closed his eyes, feeling Uramichi walk out of the room.

It was weird to see this side of the gym rat. Uramichi was usually more on the timid side around him, almost like a puppy whenever he wasn’t. Sometimes he wished Uramichi wouldn’t act like he’s walking on eggshells around him.

He was doing that now. Kikaku got his wish. And as much as some people would regret asking for this… he couldn’t help but feel his stomach fill with butterflies and his cheeks warm. He buried his face in the crook of Uramichi’s neck, which made the latter flinch and shiver. He could feel Kikaku’s lips forming a smile before he started to chuckle.

“But even when he speaks his mind, he’s still jumpy.”

Kikaku let out a long exhale before his breaths evened out at a slow pace. Uramichi shivered once more with the breaths that hit his neck, but ignored it as he walked the pathway to his apartment.

“I think this is the calmest I’ve seen him.” He looked at Kikaku for a moment, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. “It would be nice to see this more often.”

-

Uramichi laid Kikaku on his bed, quickly removing all of the Kotori dolls nearby that Kikaku had forcefully sent. Kikaku had woken up a bit, seeing Uramichi above him as he reached for yet another one of those nightmarish birds. His hand shot up, grabbing onto Uramichi’s shirt and pulling him down beside him, too close but… somehow, not to their discomfort.

It wasn’t that Kikaku wasn’t able to control himself, it was more like he passed delusional at this point. It was comfortably warm when Uramichi was carrying him compared to the currently cold bed. He knew that Uramichi was going to take out one of his futons soon. He knew he had some when he had overheard Usahara talking about the sleepover he had with Uramichi once with Kumatani, who had said that he went against his will.

He was perfectly able to prevent this situation from happening. The situation of them lying side by side on a twin sized bed. Well, sort of. It if wasn’t for Uramichi’s reflexes that made him hold himself up, he would’ve landed on Kikaku.

“Ignore the stupid birds. I’m tired.”

“T-that’s fine, but I need to-”

It was clear that his stern attitude was gone now. It seems reality had got to him on the walk to the apartment. Something about that left a bad taste in Kikaku’s mouth.

“I wish he stood his ground with me more. Do I really have to do everything?”

Kikaku shuffled to the side a bit, yanking Uramichi’s arm so that he hit the mattress. From there, Kikaku shuffled a bit closer until his forehead rested against Uramichi’s pecs. It was tempting to move even closer, as his pecs were magnificent.

“I should pretend to trip sometime.”

Uramichi attempted to get away, but Kikaku quickly intertwined their legs and put an arm around him before staring at Uramichi intensely with wide eyes.

“You said I should sleep. So let me sleep.”

Uramichi flinched before letting out a sigh in defeat, curling forward a bit.

“S-sweet dreams…”

“... you too..”

....................................

A/N: Well... that was fun. I finished another one, yay. It's not that romantic, it never really is. I'll make something that actually screams romance at one point though, I swear. When? No clue. But it'll happen one day. My brain will make sure it does each time I look back and the idea will eventually haunt my dreams like Kotori does to Uramichi.

[borathae]

Chapter 26

OMG TAE BABY BAY I AAAH STOOP KOOK JUNGKOOK SOTP

TAE NO U DONT DESERVE IT PLEASE U NEED TO BE AWAY FROM JOON THATS ALL U ARE BBETTER WITHOUT JIMIN(controlled) AND NAMJOON

HOLY FUCK YOONGI DADDY oh he stopped him with mind control? “never in my cursed life did I want to use this power again damn

OK NOW SAVE JIMIN MY BABY PLEASE I HATED HIM ALL THESE CHAPTERS ONLY TO LIKE HIM FOR 1 PARAGRAPH AND MF JUST DIES NAH UH WTF GET UR ASS UP NO U DONT GET TO DIE ON ME LIKE THAT

3000 YEARS??? BRO WTF wait dude is from the bc?? damn wtf omg i have so many stupid questions to ask him xd i will prepare a list and you can make yoongi answer

“You are one of them. The Creators, runs back to that old chapter hold on i just saw rippers have flesh dissolving acids in their gland that would make sense why kook's saliva burned her skin wait a sorcerer cursed some people and they are the creators?

STOP TALKING WHERE IS JAMAL NO NOT ASJH SHUT UP HE DIDNT

whats going on i cant handle shit wtf man this is hard why are my emotions actually emotioning on a book you are too good wow

wow he just casually broke his spine like a fucking twig my spine just shivered thank fucking you yoongi

Some are empty, but in some chained up corpses look back at you. um what the actual fuck? “Their eyes just moved!” you screech, stumbling back. “That’s because they are alive”, Yoongi answers dryly. WTF WTF ABORT MISSION WHAT THE FUCK GOES ON YALL THE POWER CHRIST COMPELS YOU ALLAHU AKBAR *calls all hindu gods and idk other gods damn i look like the girl hobi mentioned 😃

sibi are u ok my love? like is everything alright at home? do u get enough sleep? what are you eating? any nightmares?

yoongi wtf why are they being dehydrated like grapes? cant u idk do something else to them idk wtf

wow 7 people oof quite a lot, why cant he idk try more rehab-ish for them looks horrific, their actions are inhuman but it feels horrific knowing they will never get better and be able to leave

DAMN BABY I FUCKING LOVE YOU YOU ARE SO HOT MUAH dude could have just said he gave them chances cuz sorry it doesnt look cute enough to guess they got chances

“That was literally so badass what you just did. Girl I think I just got a boner, that was so hot”, Hoseok says. FR I GOT A LADY BONER

I’m a goddamn gluttonous Ripper I do this to redeem myself”, you mock his voice, PLS LAMO ISTG HE MUST HAVE HEARD IT AND DECIDED TO IGNORE IT HAHA

“Whatever, stop making sense and let us be angry”, you say. FR Hoseok lifts his hands, “I’m already quiet.” HAHA

“Don’t play knight in shining armour where you shouldn’t”, a dark voice cuts through the room. AAAAH WTF BYE HOBI IS RIGHT HE GIVES ME HEE JEE BIES

Hoseok and Seokjin hide behind you, wow every man for himself

WTF KOOK STILL CANT MOVE? YOONGI WHAT ARE U DOING LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLE

“Princess wait”, he tries to grab for you, FUCK OFF

“Then at least I died trying.” queen for real

i get them cuz why would you want someone like him out in the streets and kill more emma/oc/victims

but they need to go after namjoon, after all if he is out, there will be more "jimin" and "taehyung"

TAE NO U DONT DESERVE IT PLEASE U NEED TO BE AWAY FROM JOON THATS ALL U ARE BBETTER WITHOUT JIMIN(controlled) AND NAMJOON

😭😭😭😭

HOLY FUCK YOONGI DADDY oh he stopped him with mind control? “never in my cursed life did I want to use this power again damn

lmaoaoo I love how you still find time to thirst jfadsj valid

OK NOW SAVE JIMIN MY BABY PLEASE I HATED HIM ALL THESE CHAPTERS ONLY TO LIKE HIM FOR 1 PARAGRAPH AND MF JUST DIES NAH UH WTF GET UR ASS UP NO U DONT GET TO DIE ON ME LIKE THAT

bestie...i might have news for you....

3000 YEARS??? BRO WTF wait dude is from the bc?? damn wtf omg i have so many stupid questions to ask him xd i will prepare a list and you can make yoongi answer

YES please do that <3 he'd pretend to hate it but would definitely take a lot of time to answer them <3

“You are one of them. The Creators, runs back to that old chapter hold on i just saw rippers have flesh dissolving acids in their gland that would make sense why kook's saliva burned her skin wait a sorcerer cursed some people and they are the creators?

I love watching people connect all the dots 😌

whats going on i cant handle shit wtf man this is hard why are my emotions actually emotioning on a book you are too good wow

*laughs in author*

wow he just casually broke his spine like a fucking twig my spine just shivered thank fucking you yoongi

like he is actually so scary if he wants to *sucks his dick*

*calls all hindu gods and idk other gods damn i look like the girl hobi mentioned 😃

lmaoaoao the fear is so valid fjasdjjf

sibi are u ok my love? like is everything alright at home? do u get enough sleep? what are you eating? any nightmares?

I am very fine actually 😃😃😃

yoongi wtf why are they being dehydrated like grapes? cant u idk do something else to them idk wtf

there will be answers to your question very soon 👀

DAMN BABY I FUCKING LOVE YOU YOU ARE SO HOT MUAH dude could have just said he gave them chances cuz sorry it doesnt look cute enough to guess they got chances

lmaoao babygirl changed her mind real fast (me)

“That was literally so badass what you just did. Girl I think I just got a boner, that was so hot”, Hoseok says. FR I GOT A LADY BONER

hahha love that for you and Hobi

I’m a goddamn gluttonous Ripper I do this to redeem myself”, you mock his voice, PLS LAMO ISTG HE MUST HAVE HEARD IT AND DECIDED TO IGNORE IT HAHA

oh 100%

“Don’t play knight in shining armour where you shouldn’t”, a dark voice cuts through the room. AAAAH WTF BYE HOBI IS RIGHT HE GIVES ME HEE JEE BIES

he is so scary *eats his ass*

Hoseok and Seokjin hide behind you, wow every man for himself

I HATE THEM 😭😭😭

WTF KOOK STILL CANT MOVE? YOONGI WHAT ARE U DOING LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLE

LIKE SERIOUSLY LEAVE POOKIE ALONE 😡

“Princess wait”, he tries to grab for you, FUCK OFF

LIKE bro it's too late for that

but they need to go after namjoon, after all if he is out, there will be more "jimin" and "taehyung"

yes 100%

[venomvalley]

𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡; (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞)

pairing: leon kennedy x gn!reader

summary: "He’s been hurt enough. You can’t leave things like this. Can’t feed into your bitterness and heartbreak. He deserves to know."

words: 2.6k

warnings: angst (at first hehe)

notes: y'all it's dinner time come on!!!! we got a feast tonight!!! next chapter will just be an epilogue of sorts (let me be honest i'm gonna write smut that's why)

» part one // part two // part four

𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @msghostface @applesdontlikebananas @scarletrosesposts @hanakotateyama @yournan69 @skepticalleo @imnotbasil @maehemthemisfit @xnerdiebirdiex @warm-milk-with-honey-blog @sadest-bookshelf @buckys-milk @strawberrykaeya0 @kiss4kazu @gremlin-ghuleh @vi-ravlyk @some-pina-colada @secretsthathauntus @burningcoffeetimetravel

Before you lay a precedent of insurmountable proportions. A previous mistake, now a sought out routine.

You tell yourself every single time that when he calls, you won't pick up the phone. That when he knocks late into the night, you won’t answer the door. That when he slides beneath the sheets of your bed, it won't happen again. 

But it happens again. Again and again and again and as much as you wish this to stop, he’s become your new routine.

The visits grow more frequent. He calls to let you know he’s safe, then asks if you’re free a few days later. You make dinner together. You wash dishes together. You watch movies together. You sleep in your bed together.

(You had asked him, after the first time, what his somebody else might think. He had told you it didn’t matter.)

If anything, your mood worsens. Whatever sanity you have left is little more than shredded string. He’s bad for you—a conclusion not borne of resentment or toxicity, but one of expectation and excitement and moontide. And you’re one slip-up away from burning one big, miles-long bridge.

It’ll happen soon if you don’t stop this. You’re sure of it. 

He sleeps to the right of you, nearest the window, just like the first time.

He steals the covers. He mumbles in his sleep. He succumbs to nightmares.

And he faces you now, shadows cast harsh over the curve of a cheek, the bridge of his nose.

The sun will rise soon, and he’ll wake shortly after. Then he’ll ask how you slept, if you slept at all, and you’ll lie to him. 

Truly, what’s one more in the grand scheme of things? More forgiving than the feelings you possess. The feelings that he’s no doubt caught on to.

Which begs the question that keeps you awake tonight: if he knows, why does he say nothing? You’ve proven yourself desperate on your worst days. Blatant on your best.

This is enough for him. There’s someone else. You’re just friends. Let it go.

You don’t sleep. The sun rises, and light passes through the curtains, and Leon wakes like normal. You pretend. You’re good at that these days.

He wakes you—he thinks he does—and tells you that he’s leaving. That he’ll call you soon.

When your phone rings a few weeks later, you fight the urge to answer. The answering machine catches it.

One new message. 

He’s done nothing wrong. The fault lies with you and your selfishness and the cloying fear of rejection and loss and heartache that you would rather run from than face.

He’s done nothing wrong. 

You press play. 

“Hey. It’s Leon. I just wanted you to know that I’m okay, and I’m flying back home in a few days. Um…” he falls silent for a long moment. “I would really like to see you. Need to get some things off my chest… I should probably start paying you for this shit, shouldn’t I? Just call me back and we can get a salary figured out. Okay. Bye.”

The answering machine beeps, and you’re left alone inside the lonely maw of your living room.

A message with his signature, his script, his brand of humor. But that wasn’t your Leon. A husk, maybe. A Leon playing pretend. Speaking words he thinks you want to hear, with a voice as empty and void-like as the cavern surrounded by your ribs.

Immediately, you call him back.

He answers on the second ring, and sighs when you greet him.

“What’s going on?” you ask, lowering to the floor in front of the kitchen counter.

Your voice runs thick with concern, and you make no adjustments to hide it. Couldn’t if you tried.

“I was worried when you didn’t pick up. You never go out this late.”

“Leon. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Just needed to hear your voice, I guess.”

He won’t tell you now, and that’s okay. Not the kind of conversation to conduct over the phone anyway.

He’s alive and safe and he’s been thinking of you and that’s all you need to know. 

“I got your message. Sorry I couldn’t get to the phone in time.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sure you’re tired.”

“I am, but knowing you’re okay is a lot better than sleeping.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“It’s the truth, though. Who else is gonna steal my covers at night?”

“Millions of other people a lot better than me.”

“Please don’t talk like that. He’s my friend, ya know.”

On the other side of the line, Leon breathes out a laugh. “I’m happy to hear that.”

You pretend that your heart doesn’t shatter. 

He’s your friend, and that's enough for him. Get over it.

“Well, I should go. Let you sleep. I’ll see you in a few days, right?”

“Right. Take care of yourself, Leon.”

“Always.”

His phone clicks, and the line goes dead. 

You have to tell him when he comes to you next.

He’s been hurt enough. You can’t leave things like this. Can’t feed into your bitterness and heartbreak. 

He deserves to know. 

At seven thirty, on the second Saturday of the month, Leon knocks at your door, and you almost fall over at the sight of him.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he says, arms held out before him. An attempt to assuage your panic.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

He lowers his gaze as you shut the door and step over to him. Furrows his brow when your fingers ghost the edge of a deep bruise beneath his eye, the still-swollen skin. 

“I’m fine.”

Peeking from the collar of his shirt, another bruise. A set of stitches along his forearm. A busted lip. More bruises, big and small, twilight blue and sickly green.

You cough out a sob, and the urge to embrace him leaves you clinging to each of his arms, just above the elbow where injury doesn’t mar his skin. 

Can’t do this anymore. Can’t see him like this. Can’t share his pain. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You aren’t sure if he can understand you through the tears and hiccups, but your heart has effectively shattered inside your chest and your entire being bursts with pain.

A supernova, a landslide, a porcelain plate thrown to the floor.

“I’m okay.” He pulls you to his chest, presses a large hand to the curve of your spine. “Hey, I’m here.”

“I hate seeing you like this. It kills me. It’s killing me.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t.”

You step away from him. Away from his touch, his comfort, his warmth. 

Not now. Not like this. Not like this. 

Your chest heaves, you still hiccup like a pitiful child, and you seek refuge on the couch. Curl in on yourself to stop the shattering that you’ve always known was inevitable. 

“One day, you won’t come back. And the thought of—“ you dry your face with the blanket bunched between the cushions, “of never seeing you again—I can’t—“

His feet step into your vision, and the coffee table creaks as his weight settles upon it.

He took off his shoes.

“Look at me. Please.” You lift your head, and your chest jerks with each inhale. His eyes, so beautiful and expressive, wrung dry of their starshine. “I’m here now. That has to mean something.”

“But why me? Why here?”

“Where else would I be?”

“You have somebody. You should be there, with them.”

He falls silent, stares at you for a long moment. Dissecting, shredding seams, and you fear what he may find.

“I don’t anymore. We’re done.”

“Why?”

He smiles. A pitiful thing, a half-grimace, and your upset settles at the sight. 

“It’s… a long story.”

“Well,” you motion to the cushion beside you, “if you wanna talk, I’ll listen.”

Everything you do for him, borne from some deep, disastrous need to stay at his side. To prove your worth. To be whatever he needs no matter how badly it hurts.

But he isn’t yours. You have no claim to his heart.

You have to stop.

“That’s okay. It’s in the past now.” He joins you on the couch anyway. “How about a movie? That has to cheer you up.”

“I thought that was my job.”

“No, it still is. We can talk about your salary later.”

You laugh. And you remember why you do this. Why you let your heart break each time he leaves, each time he misses your call, each time he comes to you as the porcelain plate thrown to the floor. Each time you glue the jagged edges back together.

You love him. And that love rends you.

“If I’m being honest, you look like shit. I really think you should try to sleep.”

“Damn. That bad, huh?”

You rise to your feet and tug the blanket free, then toss the ball of fabric into his lap. “Hopefully my lucky couch will heal you right up.”

“You’re gonna make me sleep on the couch tonight? What is this, marriage?”

Boundaries, morelike. The driving of a wedge. Needing space, lest your own emotions suffocate you. 

“Yeah, actually. I forged your signature on the papers last week.”

“Not how that works.”

“You act like I’d know.”

He stretches out atop the cushions, adjusts your favorite pillow beneath his head, winces when the blanket snags at his stitches. 

You fetch him another, made from smooth cotton. You shut out the lights. You close the curtains. You tuck him in per his own request, like the last time he slept here.

“Sweet dreams, Leon.”

You skitter off to your bedroom.

By the time you finish your nightly ritual—self-care, a shower, curling up beneath the covers, tossing and turning, thinking yourself to death—your bedside clock reads two twenty-three a.m. and the moon glares at you through half-drawn curtains.

Leon stirs in the other room, footsteps pittering across the floor. Growing closer. 

You left the door open to listen for him. The nightmares. A call of your name. And a few moments later, the floor of the threshold creaks, and a shadow passes over the bed where you lay. 

“I’m awake,” you say, rolling onto your back to stare a hole through the ceiling. Easier for the drywall to be the cause of your problems. “You don’t have to be quiet.”

“Do you ever sleep?” he asks, takes a step into the room, stands there with all the surety of a first swim, a fifty foot dive, a rush into flame. 

“A few hours a night. Maybe.”

“It’s been hard for me, too.”

When he makes no move to join you, you lift the edge of the comforter on his side of the bed in silent invitation.

His side. 

Listen to yourself.

“Did the couch help?”

The mattress dips beneath his weight, and he rolls over to face you. You do the same. Closer than before, almost nose to nose, and neither of you move. A subconscious craving for company, companionship.

“No. To tell you the truth, I fucking hate that thing.”

Your mouth drops open, and while the shock of his confession rips through you, he grins.

“You slept there for months. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Please. Like you don’t keep any secrets?”

Your mouth shuts with a click of teeth, and you pray he doesn’t notice the viscerality of your reaction. “That’s not what I asked.”

He stares, eyes lidded, skin pallid with exhaustion. You wish to reach for him, to cuddle him against your chest, to cage himself inside your ribs. He’d be safe there.

“I wanted to stay with you.”

“With me? Why?”

“Maybe I just like being near you. At least I know you care.”

“I do care.”

Your chest chokes itself, squeezes around your lungs. Your heart jumps into your throat. The tips of your fingers begin to numb.

It’s time. Your body prepares you for it. For the rejection. 

It’s time.

“I care too much,” spoken in whispers, a quiet that you hope he can’t hear. “I’m so lonely when you aren’t here. I can’t sleep, and when I do, I dream about you. I’ve seen you die a hundred different ways.” You close your eyes and pretend. Pretend that you can’t feel his warmth, or his gaze, or his presence at all. You speak to the void, to an empty room, to a no-show audience. “I think the life I’m living now is worse than death.”

“You don’t have to live like this. You know that, right?”

A steady warmth encases the chill of your fingers, places your hand against his chest. 

“Then I’d have to let you go. And I’m sorry, but I can’t—I just—“ You open your eyes and bite back tears, and something akin to death curdles in the back of your throat. You owe him this much, after months of hiding the truth away. “I love you, Leon, but you aren’t mine and it’s not right.”

The room chills over in its state of silence. Suffering and long-lasting, a purgatory that leaves you breathless, but he never releases you. Never breaks eye contact. 

Instead, he lifts your hand to his lips and presses a kiss to a knuckle. Sighs heavy against your skin. 

“I’ve never met anybody so oblivious in my entire life. And I’ve met a lot of people.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re in the same exact boat, and our boat’s had a hole in it for a long time. And we’ve been drowning for no reason.”

You hate that he makes you laugh. Now, when the ground threatens to break open beneath you, and you can barely process the words coming from his mouth.

But we’re in the same exact boat. 

You told him you love him, and he agrees. The same boat. He’s right there with you.

He loves you, too. He’s been suffering, too.

The puzzle hasn’t been solved. Not in the traditional sense. More like he’s cut them to size and sanded down the edges. Forced the others to shape.

“Let me guess: we both have life jackets on in the scenario.”

“No. Like we both knew how to repair the boat, and if we would’ve talked to each other about it, we could be in Japan right now.”

“With our fixed boat?”

“With our fixed boat.”

The pieces fit but they don’t. Not exact.

“So what you’re saying is…”

“I love you. That’s what I’m saying.”

You heave out a long, frustrated sigh. You brush the hair from his face. Like you’ve been wishing for months. Like you can now.

“Here I was, preparing my own funeral in the event that I die of heartbreak.”

“You really had no idea?”

“Well,” you rise onto an elbow to hover over him, and he turns onto his back. Moonlight crests the bruise on his cheek, pales the color, blurs the edge, and you stroke a tender thumb just beneath it. “When you tell me that you’re already taken for, I’m right to assume that you aren’t falling for someone else.”

He breathes out a laugh through his nose, curls a hand about your wrist. “Yeah, that’s… you’re right. But it wasn’t like that. I mean, I was saving myself for somebody I hadn’t seen in years.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

He wets his lips and trails his gaze over the pattern of your ceiling, and you steal the chance to memorize his features. The same face you had seen dozens of times before now, still so beautiful.

You suppose you can look as long as you want. An indulgence that you’ll have to get used to.

“Guilt, maybe. I was young when we met, and we went through hell together. I thought we had something, but I was wrong.”

“You deserved better. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He turns to look at you, eyes reverent, lips stretched into a soft smile. “How much do I owe you this time?”

“You are ridiculous.”

“It’s all part of my charm.”

“And I hate that you’re so right about that.”

[unknownunidentified101]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐒

NOTE : I’m back from a long break, hope you are well and eating/drinking well!

FEATURES : Zhongli, Xiao, Childe, Diluc, Thoma, Kazuha

WARNING : none

knowing his ancient it’s clear that he has many knowledge to share with you when you are stuck on something

knowing his ancient it’s clear that he has many knowledge to share with you when you are stuck on something

“Zhongliiiii” you whin as you enter his room

“ yes my love?” Zhongli puts down the cup to see you 

“ I need…help with paperwork” you frowned showing him the book and files you held 

Zhongli chuckles at your words, “ come here”

You smiled and walked to him and sat next to him 

Zhongli looks quietly as you set your work

“ this is what I need help on” you showed him 

Zhongli observes and smiles, “ okay let me teach you”

— moments later 

“ You see you have to do this” Zhongli pointed at your documents and circled some key points 

You pout in frustration as you gaze at his eyes while writing down on the  paper with your paint brush 

Zhongli doesn’t do anything but observe and smile, “ dear?” He softly continues as he notices your movements have become more aggressive 

You look at him and back at the paper, cheeks gazed with heat due to his choice of words 

“ haha…[y/n] you know we can start this tomorrow it’s best you get rest my dearest” Zhongli said closing the folder and pulling you to his chest after realising the time 

“ let’s stay like this…please” Zhongli breathes softly while patting your head 

You say nothing in return mostly because you savoured the moment 

It was rare to have sweet and tender moments like this with him due to your work 

“ mhmm” you mumbled closing your eyes in his embrace 

You felt safe in his arms 

Zhongli is the type of guy to most likely cherish your hands meaning he would love kissing them 

Zhongli holds your hand as you read your commissions

“ there’s not much today” you happily say to Zhongli 

“ mhmm.” Zhongli nods as he puts your hand to his lips 

“ Zhongli…?” You realise after he kisses your hands 

“ yes..?” He says as he continues to kiss your knuckles trailing to your finger tips 

“ um..nothing” you say shyly as you look away 

The man smiles and pulls you closer and kisses you 

“ let’s hang out today…would you like that?” Zhongli says in between kisses

“ sure” you say giving in his charms 

Zhongli smiles and pats your head, “ let’s not waste time” Zhongli stand ups and leaves the room

“ wait am I paying again!?!” You shout as Zhongli quickly disappears 

XIAO

Xiao throughout centuries have never had any sleep, he was afraid of closing his eyes and imagining his worse nightmares, his afraid of his reliving it but with you he always gets a nice rest

“ okay bye Xiao please eat the tofu I gave you” you smiled as you awkwardly stood in front of him 

“ where are you going?” Xiao asked quietly 

“ I’m going back home obviously” you chuckled nervously 

Xiao stares at the ground, not commenting so you take that as your que to leave 

“ um anyway I must go so bye” you cough out and wave goodbye before leaving

That was your plan until you felt a hand on your wrist 

“ wait…can you stay for a…bit?” Xiao mustered the courage to say

You stand there dumbfounded and flustered at his words, “what-?”

“ you know what forget it” Xiao let go of your hand embarrassed 

“ wait no Xiao..I’ll stay!” You persisted as you cupped his hands 

“ really?”

“ of course!!!”

—

“ come here” you patted the side next to you on the bed 

Xiao looks at you, hesitant at first but slowly cuddles into you 

You smiled, “ I’m not going anywhere” you say before dozing off

Xiao, for the first time at those words, closed his eyes and for the first time he slept a peaceful night 

He wondered how long it had been, what curse you put upon him…was this love? he thought 

Xiao never speaks his thoughts, you just have to guess if he wants attention or not which is what he always want 

Xiao stares at you intently as you two sit underneath a tree

The sunset was so pretty which illuminated on your skin 

Xiao stares and adores your features till he suddenly remembers how you talked to a guy selling fruits before 

He looks away from you pouting angrily

You notice the strange behaviour and stare at him, “ hey Xiao is something wrong? you have been acting like this the whole day” you say annoyed at his actions

Xiao crosses his arms, ignoring you 

You stare him thinking of what to do when you finally realise what you did 

Staring at him cheekily, you jump on him suddenly and Xiao is taken by surprise 

“ what are you doing!?!?” He says as you hug him tightly peppering him with kisses 

“ isn’t this what you wanted? You seemed to want attention from me lately…” you trail of 

Xiao stares at you and rolls his eyes, happy inside to finally get your attention 

You smiled as you bury your head in his chest, Xiao on the other hand softly pats your back while doing so

 CHILDE  

Childe when you are together always makes it seem clear and sometimes talks nonstop how he is so lucky to have you

As you cook for Childe, he stumbles into the kitchen seeing you and smiles 

“ wow who’s this beautiful person standing in my kitchen?” Childe smugly shouts to no one

You chuckled at his remark as he leans on the counter 

“ hey beautiful want to go out?” Childe looks at you in admireation 

“ we are together already” you simply replied 

“ oh really? I’m together with  a hottie! Today is my lucky day!” Childe pulls you closer to him and kisses you 

“ hey ! Stop that before I stab you!” You say as he tickles you 

“ aww baby you wouldn’t want to stab your boyfriend would you?” Childe pouts with puppy dog eyes 

You stare in disgust hiding that you thought he was cute 

“ try me” 

Childe is the type of man to fantasise about having a family or spending time with you, he just knows you are the one for him and will do anything to keep you together with him 

You sit on a hill with Childe admiring the city below bustling with citizens 

“ look at that family there” Childe points 

You stare confused but stare at the family 

“ they seem so happy don’t they..?” Childe softly says 

“ they do..” you replied 

“ can we do that?” Childe askes 

“ do what?” You reply confused at what he was saying 

“ can we make a family? a big one?” Childe stares at you, his eyes sparkling with excitement 

You sat there thinking of what to reply 

“ okay maybe not a big family, just you and me living far from the fighting, just you and me together” Childe rephrased his sentences 

There was silence and you chuckled as Childe looks at the floor frowning 

You cupped his hands after realising what he asked 

“ let’s do it, a family with 2 or more kids and let’s live near your family so we can visit them and play snowball fights or teach our kids to find the biggest fish of them all!” You said making plans for the future

Childe stared at you, the way you were full of excitement as he was 

He couldn’t help but smile and instantly hugged you 

“ Ajax…?” You say after the sudden embrace 

“ I promise after all this fighting.. I will marry you… that’s a promise my love” Childe said 

At those words you couldn’t help but feel a little emotional, maybe because of the air or the weather, it just made you feel like crying 

“ don’t break that promise” you smugly reply 

You and Childe break from the embrace and smiled widely 

“ you know I never break promises” 

DILUC

Diluc when you visit the bar is very cautious of you, he is careful to look after you 

Diluc sighs as he takes an order from a customer 

He keeps trying to glance at you but the customer won’t stop bugging him 

After serving the customer he glances at you to see a man harassing you 

The way he persited to touch you and wouldn’t go when you told him to 

Diluc wasted no time seeing them and fixes his gloves while walking out of his service and right to your table 

“ do we have a problem here” he tries to calmly say as he talks to the guy next to you 

“ not at all, me and my…partner were just deciding on something” the guy snickered 

Diluc stares in disgust, not only did he make a lie, he also tried to claim you when you and Diluc were obviously together 

Diluc death stared the guy as he smiled

Usually Diluc wouldn’t do any type of violence but when it came to you it was out of the question

Then everything happened so quick, the guys head was soon smashed against the table 

“ let’s go” Diluc stared at you 

You couldn’t read his expression but you knew he was beyond mad 

After exiting the bar, Diluc told someone to take over from there and he guided you outside 

“ are you okay? Are you hurt?” Diluc looked over you 

“ I’m fine really!” You say trying to look convincing 

Diluc looks at you, his face softening at your eyes 

And without warning he kisses you 

You didn’t protest and kissed him back

“ let’s go home” Diluc says after some time 

You glance at his hands and realise they look bruised and bloody 

“ Diluc! Your hands! Let me bandage them up okay!?” You say after guiltily looking at his hands 

“ thank you” Diluc sighed 

And so you did go home and bandaged his hands, you had to do that on many occasions due to his jobs but either way you liked it, it’s like you had  a sense of duty to him 

THOMA  

His so sweet that he always needs your consent to make sure you are okay with something 

Thoma stared at you lovingly as you knit next to him 

“ [y/n]…” Thoma softly trailed 

“ yes??” You put down the knitting utensils to look at him 

“ is it really okay…” Thoma softly mumbled 

“ okay to do what?” You move closer to him 

“ is it okay if I fall for you harder?” Thoma said 

You blush at his words, you were taken back 

“ what do you mean?? Of course you can like me…” you looked away from his gaze

Thoma laughs, “ that’s a relief” 

You stare at him as he stops laughing, “ I love you [y/n]” he smiled as he cups your hands 

“ hah..why are you showing me affection all of a sudden…” you softly said still taken back 

“ oh I’m sorry!! Did I not give you enough affection I’m sorry honey! I can-“

“ no no no no! That’s not what I meant- I was just shocked is all” you said as you cup Thomas face 

“ I also love you” you finish

Thoma smiles and hugs you 

Thoma always loves talking to you and talks about his passions which you really admire 

“ I was cleaning today and I almost got stuck in a spider web!!!” Thoma laughed as he told you about his day 

“ really! Are you okay?” You asked 

Thoma smiled, “ of course! Now that I’m with you, you always make my day you know?” Thoma said holding your hand 

“ that’s a bit cheesy” you said smiling 

“ it’s true tho! And did you know you smell amazing! what do you use?” Thoma moved closer to you 

“ really? It’s just my natural scent all though I did go in a field of flowers” you replied 

“ well it’s your natural scent and the way you always look amazing and smell alluring” Thoma complimented

“ really?” You said not realising it to which Thoma nodded 

“ yeah! And also what do you want to eat, my treat! Or I could cook at home for you” Thoma questioned 

You smiled, “anything really I’m not fuzzy” you replied 

“ okay I’ll cook at home and cook your favourite dish, till then what do you want to do? Feed the dogs, go for a stroll or go shopping?” Thoma asked more questions 

You chuckled and snuggled close to him 

“ I’ll do anything when it’s with you”

KAZUHA  

[ for those with short hair, sorry! ] Kazuha at times, likes tucking your hair to the side and even ties your hair sometimes which is why he always wears a spare hair tie 

You were fixated on your paperwork while Kazuha stares softly 

You were turning pages enjoying the silence until you felt something tuck behind your ear

You turn your head and see Kazuha smiling 

“ sorry the hair seemed to be annoying you” Kazuha smiled widely 

You stare at him dumbfounded and realised you had been trying to sweep your hair out of your face 

“ right I will tie my hair up” you said looking around for a hair tie but to no avail 

“ where did I put it…” you said standing up and looking around 

You then suddenly feel a hand grab your wrist 

“ sweetie here” Kazuha says as he spins you around and ties your hair 

“ you had a spare hair tie?” You say as Kazuha slowly combs your hair 

“ I always do just in case” Kazuha hummed 

You smiled at his small gesture, something so little was so much to you 

“ thank you”

He knows what he is doing. 100% but always trying to act innocent 

You focus as you cut the food preparing for dinner with Kazuha 

It was the plan until you felt a presence behind you 

“ hello love” Kazuha sighs as he wraps his arms around you from behind

“ hello” you try pay no attention to him 

Kazuha sighs breathing in your ear slowly 

You bite your lip as he does this, he obviously knows that your ears are sensitive

“ Kazuha you know I have to focus on cooking right?” you chuckled continuing to cut your food 

“ mmm I don’t see a problem? I’m not doing anything rash am I?” Kazuha plays innocent 

“ right” you sighed giving in to him

It stayed like this until he started blowing softly on your ear

“ Kazuha! Um can you stop please” you said backing away flustered from his actions 

“ what? Is something wrong?” He pouted 

“ well…well..yes! You know what you are doing to me!” You whined 

Kazuha stands there thinking for a moment before smiling 

“ mm oh yeah! Your ears are sensitive correct? Silly me I didn’t know darling…please continue to cook I’ll be outside” Kazuha said 

You huff as he passes you 

“ you owe me cuddles” you hissed at him which he nodded 

“ of course”

[idy-ll-ique]

Things I Like About You.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, fluff, fluff

Warnings: mentions of nightmares

Requested: nope

Summary: Bucky makes a list of 18 things that he likes about Y/N, starting with her voice.

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! idk how this idea came to me but I decided to proceed with it anyway lmao. enjoy!

---

The first thing he liked about her was her voice. Just smooth, soft, a little raspy but it made his heart flutter as he walked to the communal area with Steve, his best friend. As they neared the room her voice became louder, turned more melodic. Singing, she was singing a song. A wave of pleasure washed over him when he heard her but he concealed it easily.

The second thing he liked about her was her face. When he and Steve walked into the communal area her back was to them, and she was still singing. For a minute they just listened as Y/N hit all the notes correctly; only then did Steve cut her off by clearing his throat. She whirled around and his breath caught in his lungs.

She had the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen on anyone. They were simply perfect and when they narrowed as she smiled widely, he was done for. Her nose was perfect, her pretty lips were perfect, her teeth were perfect, her hair was perfect and literally everything else about her was just perfect. "Hi Steve, Mr Barnes!" She greeted them enthusiastically.

That was the third thing he liked about her, her personality. She was not too loud, not too quiet, not too brazen, not too prude… simply marvellous. "Hey, Y/N! You can call him Bucky, you know." She glanced at him and his eyes went wide on their own accord as he nodded, agreeing with Steve. Then she gave him another smile.

Oh boy, I'm in trouble. "Fine, Bucky. It's very nice to meet you." She held her hand out and that was the fourth thing he liked about her; the feel of her skin. Just like her voice, her skin was smooth and buttery, so soft that for a moment, he almost didn't want to blemish her beautiful skin by touching her. But he still gingerly took her hand, shaking it.

He did not trust his voice; he knew that if he tried to speak, he'd just squeak out some nonsense. Where is my 40s charm?! Just when you need it… He gave her a polite nod as they shook hands and Steve sighed on his right. "Sorry, it takes him a while to, you know, speak in front of the others…" Y/N waved him off easily.

"I understand, Steve. Let him take his time, no rush." She gave him another smile and this time, he found himself smiling back. "Your smile is wonderful," she told him, which caused his smile to widen involuntarily. "So is yours," he rasped and there it was: the fifth thing he liked about her. Her blush. She went red and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Thank you, Bucky." He had never liked his name more. "Well, now that you two have been introduced, I guess I can go. Think you can take it from here, Buck?" He nodded but the truth was that no, no he couldn't take it. Alone with her? What if he did something embarrassing and drove her off? "Shall we sit?"

She gestured to the couches and he nodded, both of them sitting next to each other. The sixth thing he liked about her, her posture. Back straight, ankles crossed, hands folded neatly on her lap, she looked like a Royal. There were no words spoken in the first five minutes but Y/N didn't get up, she knew it always took him some time. She'd be there for him.

"You sing wonderfully," he blurted out and she turned to look at him with the smile he was quickly getting obsessed with. I'm gonna have to make her smile more often. "Oh, thank you so much!" He gave her a smile of his own and looked down at his lap. "How are you doing today?" He looked back up. "I'm doing well, you?" She nodded and giggled.

"Sorry, didn't know what else to ask." The seventh thing he liked about her, her giggle. Her laugh, in general. "It's okay, darling," he grinned lazily and watched as she blushed again at the nickname. Maybe he won't embarrass himself after all. "So, are you new on the team?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"I'm not on the team, actually. I'm just good friends with the Avengers, I don't fight. I own a bakery down the street," she told him and he hummed. "A bakery? Sounds just as sweet as you," he flirted easily and watched how she went red again. "You're too flattering," she mumbled and he shook his head. "You deserve it."

"I was actually wondering when I'd get to meet you, but Steve told me I'd have to wait before you were ready," she blurted out, suddenly nervous. He cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry." She placed a hand on his shoulder and his head snapped towards her, making her drop her hand. But he gently took it and returned it to his shoulder, giving her a shy smile.

"Hey, no, don't apologize. I have a PhD in Psychology, you know, I know you needed time. I was willing to wait longer," she told him and he felt his heart flutter. Mama, I found my wife. "You have a PhD and yet you opened a bakery?" She flushed deeper. "I just like baking. I have had my bakery before I even started my first year at the university."

"That's wonderful. So, uh, the Avengers, they visit often?"

"Yes, oh my God! After every damn mission. Steve and Sam were there the last time, yesterday, when they came back. Finished two dozen of my muffins, had to bake more in the middle of the night to restock." The eighth thing he liked about her, the way she complained, how her nose scrunched and she pulled a face.

He couldn't help but laugh. "They do have a sweet tooth," he pointed out and there it was; the ninth thing he liked about her— her pout. "Still! I lost a lot of sleep," she huffed. "I'd like to visit your bakery too, doll. Have an address?" She immediately reached into the pocket of her jeans, pulling out a slightly crumpled business card.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry!" she hissed, noticing the state her card was in but he didn't care in the least. I'm going to keep this paper with me till the end of my life. "It's not a problem at all, doll." Then he examined the card, smirking at the name of the bakery. "The Sweet Spot, huh? Wonder where yours is," he spoke effortlessly, eyes still on the card.

He heard a choking noise and turned to see Y/N laughing behind her hands, barely able to contain herself. "Aren't you just smooth, Barnes," she replied evenly and all he wanted to do at the moment was haul her over his shoulder, take her to his bedroom and never leave. "I was known to be quite charming in the 40s," he winked and she giggled more.

"I would've loved to see that." Soon, she checked her watch and clicked her tongue, standing up. "My bakery opens in 15 minutes, I have to go. It was nice to meet you, Bucky." She simply stood there, fidgeting and that worried him. "Doll?" Her eyes met his. "Sorry, um, I was thinking… should I hug him or shake his hand? Probably should've—"

Without another word he pulled her in his arms and the tenth thing he liked about her? Her hugs. She easily slid her arms around his torso, pressed her face into his chest— being shorter than him— and squeezed. His vibranium hand cradled her head and the flesh one went around her shoulder, returning the squeeze.

The hug was longer than necessary, not that either of them complained. When she pulled away, both of them exchanged huge smiles. He felt lighter and happier than he had in years, even though he was attending therapy now. "Bye, Bucky! See you later!" Oh see you later alright, he visited the bakery just an hour later.

---

A sharp knock on the door to her apartment startled her. She checked the time; it was 2 am. Dread filled her entire body as she slowly made her way to the living room, peeking out of the peephole. The dread washed away entirely as she opened the door and swiftly pulled the man inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Bucky?"

"I needed you," he spoke hoarsely. Y/N noticed the dark circles under his eyes, his bloodshot eyes, his tousled hair and his dirty clothes. He had been gone on a mission for the past 5 months; they met 7 months ago. 5 months? Who has a mission that long? The Avengers, that's who. Bucky and Y/N had bonded quite well in the small amount of time.

There were many more things he realized he liked about her; her dancing, her cooking, her apartment, the smell of her laundry detergent, her caring nature, her jokes, her— "Bucky? Bubba, did you hear me?" He blinked a few times and offered her a sheepish smile, shaking his head. "I said, take a bath. I'll leave you some clothes outside."

He agreed instantly and went to her bathroom, hopping in for a quick wash. He cleaned himself with her body wash; it smelled like lavender that calmed him. He had missed her a lot. On the way back home all he could think about was her. He wanted— no, he needed to hold her as he slept to ensure he didn't wake up screaming.

After the shower as he put on the clothes she left for him, he realized something. Walking into the only bedroom in the apartment he saw her looking up from her phone. "Yes, Buck?" He hadn't permitted Sam to call him that, even though he had known the man longer than he had Y/N. "Are these Steve's clothes?"

She went pink and stammered. Bucky's brows furrowed. "Are you dating Steve?" he blurted out and her eyes went wide. "No, I've never dated Steve. It's just that… one time he was on a mission and he needed some place to hide and live for a few days. He lived with me. He left his bag behind and I kept the clothes, for situations like these."

He could tell she was telling the truth. The seventeenth thing he liked about her was her honesty. "Oh, okay." Suddenly a smirk came over her face, which made him nervous. "Were you jealous, Barnes?" It was his turn to blush and he went 10 shades darker than she had. "I— I mean, I— I wasn't, I— I was—" he stammered and she laughed.

"I was kidding! Get in the bed, we're going to sleep." He felt nervous again. "I, um, actually had a… favour, if it's not much, uh, if you don't agree I'll take the couch I promise, but I—" She shushed him. "Spit it out." He exhaled. "Can I… maybe… snuggle with you? While we sleep? Please?" He sounded so soft that all Y/N wanted to do was tell him how much she liked him and cuddle him to death.

"Of course! If it makes you feel better, sure, we can do that. Get in." He took off his t-shirt, hurriedly explaining that he couldn't sleep in them but she brushed him off. He got into the bed next to her and tentatively held his hand out, grinning to himself when she snuggled into his side with a soft sigh.

"You're so warm. It's perfect," she breathed out. Bucky never wanted to let go. "Goodnight, doll," he whispered and pressed a soft kiss to her head as both of them drifted off to dreamland. Bucky dreamt of her. The seventeen things he liked about her as of yet, with many more to come. Like maybe the way she tasted.

The way she would feel under him, around him… He gulped and rid himself of the thoughts; he didn't want a boner right now. You've known this woman for 7 months! Calm down, horny. That night, he slept like a baby, his firm hold on Y/N never wavering. Somewhere during the night her face had pushed itself in the crook of his neck, not that he cared.

One of his hands had landed on her butt while the other cradled her head again. Not that she cared. The next morning, Y/N was the first one up. She tried to get up from the bed but Bucky whined, actually whined underneath her. "Don't go." She giggled and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "I need to use the bathroom."

Blinking a bit at the unexpected kiss (not that it wasn't welcome), it took him a few minutes to process her words. He let her go then, falling back asleep. He was tired; if he could, he wouldn't wake up for another 2 weeks. Y/N smiled softly when she came out of the bathroom, he looked so peaceful. Let him stay a while longer. She went to make herself some breakfast.

15 minutes into the process Bucky showed up, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

He buried his face in the side of her neck, leaving tiny kisses. "I thought you'd like to sleep longer," Y/N offered, one hand squeezing his arm. "It wasn't the same without you." She giggled as he pulled away, giving him another kiss on the cheek. "You sure know how to flatter women," she snorted and he grinned.

"Not just any woman, you in particular," he winked, sitting down at the dining table as Y/N brought over 2 plates of pancakes. "Consider me impressed, James," she teased back. "When does the bakery close?" he questioned as they both ate. "5 pm, why?" "I'm taking you out on a date," he said confidently.

"What time?"

"6:30?"

"Cool."

After they finished eating, they cleaned up for the day and left her apartment. Bucky offered to drop her to her bakery and she readily agreed, both of them walking down the street hand-in-hand. "I've been wanting to ask you out ever since we met," he confessed and she turned to him. "So have I," she chuckled and he looked at her, another grin forming on his face.

Soon, they reached the bakery and stood outside, simply staring at each other. "So, uh, I guess I'll—" The rest of the sentence caught in her throat as Bucky leaned forward and kissed her deeply. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. Y/N kissed back, smiling when he pulled away. "Can't wait for 6:30," she whispered.

"Neither can I."

And as he walked back towards the Compound, he thought about her, the eighteenth thing he liked about her (her kisses) and the many more things he was sure he was going to like about her in the upcoming months.

---

A/N: Leave a like if you enjoyed, thanks for reading!

[pxppet]

Begin Teeth. Chp. 2

Prodrome. (Part 1)

Prodrome: a medical term for early signs or symptoms of an illness or health problem that appear before the major signs or symptoms start

CW: accidental homophobia, major distress, brief ableism, grief, major character death, anger/argument, flashback & panic, nightmares, sudden intensity & a lot of angst

‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿‿

Jackie is distressed. All of them can tell.

His hood is up, headphones on, and his skin is covered from skin-on-skin touch with light runner's gloves and some black socks. Everything about him closed off. Jackie is good with his sensory issues usually, and for Jameson it's something he's never seen outside of criminal-intended magicians. Propped up on the kitchen counter, Jameson observes, paranoid.

"Do you think it's the nightmares?"

Jameson startles and looks beside him, finding Chase, in what he thinks is a baseball cap. He points at himself in confusion. Chase laughs quietly.

"Yes you, dork."

"I don't know." Jameson feels tense. "Why is J-B having nightmares?"

"U-uh." Chase straightens his chest. "I-I don't- know, Jamie."

Jameson can hear his anxiety pick up very obviously. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing man, but a-als- also I need to go to work. M-maybe…" Chase's heart drums, he doesn't know what's okay to say. "May… be. Ask him, you should ask him." Not the right thing, shit! "I need to h-head out, but u-um. Just. Take care Jameson. Bye!"

Chase hurries away on guilty feet, and tries to not break down outside before work.

Jameson walks over to Jackie, curled on the sofa. Jackie looks at him, looking thoroughly miserable. "What's up J-B? What happened?"

-- It's the night before.

Jackie wakes from that same dream, but cut off just as Jack becomes Anti- He shoots up, panting and sweating. His phone is going off. At first he's annoyed, but then his chest twists as he realises it's the Nyan Cat tune- Marvin's ringtone.

"Marvin wh-!"

"Jackie, stop, stop."

Jackie does stop, because Marvin sounds like they're crying.

"Jackie, I can't come home. I can't look at that boy. I can't he's too miserable, it took me so, so long to get over Anti- Anti leaving us like that! Only-! Only to find out Jack fucking made someone in a coma and- and Anti just- took him and tortured him. For three years! Jackie I can't look at him I-… I'm not coming home. I'm staying with either Jace, or Marla from Ulula."

"Marv… what? I can't… I need… I need you to be with me. I can't do it alone, I'm-"

"Jackie, grow up!" Marvin suddenly snarls, sobs, voice popping in the microphone. "We're not newborn and I'm not your baby in a cat mask! I'm not a fucking sidekick and I don't owe you being beside you 24-fucking-7!"

"Don't be a dick to me just because you miss Jack! Stop it! Marvin please. I need y-!"

The phone disconnects. Jackie lets it drop to the floor. Slowly curls his legs to his chest and hides his face.

"No one wants you." It lives in his head. "Grow up," it now addendums. Jackie does not sleep the rest of the night.

--

"I'm okay Jamie," Jackie lies. "Just got in a small fight with Marvin."

"Who?"

Jackie balks. "Holy shit. We forgot to tell you about Marvin?!"

"Who?!" Jameson questions again.

"Um. My- Er. Jack's second born. They haven't been around. At they're boyfriends for- for probably a while."

"Jack can make girls?"

Jackie blinks and does a double take. "Um, no. Marvin isn't a girl."

"But M has a boyfriend."

"Yeah..? Jameson they're gay and nonbinary."

Jameson just stares across to him, lips parted and eyebrows drawn in confusion. But, after a moment, something changes in his eyes.

Back in town, a nurse startles at Jack's arm twitching.

"O-K," Jameson spells. "O-K." Something in his head is placing itself, becoming true, but he doesn't know the words.

There's a pause, silence, Jackie chewing the edge of his hood.

He stands suddenly, gloved hands grasping themselves. "Jameson. I need you to… see something. Can you handle a walk?"

--

Jameson, it turns out, cannot. He trips to the ground after about 5 minutes walking. Jackie picks him up from the dirt of the deer-path below, leading into the forest. He gives him a silent look that Jameson has learned means "Are you okay?" Jameson gives him a nod and smile that means "I'm okay." He's been nonverbally communicating with Jackie a lot since he's been at their house.

Jackie lifts Jameson up bridal-style. "We're almost there, I'm sorry. I can take you the rest." Jameson nods and settles against Jackie's chest as he walks. Jackie is always warm. He feels safe.

Jameson notices a orange glow and signs "Cheat," with a smile. Jackie smiles back, but it's… twisted. Sad. Not like him. Jameson lets his own fall away as he registers something.

The static is coming closer, and it has been this whole time.

Blood cools. No, not Jackie first. Anti can't take Jackie first.

"Jackie, put down. I can walk now."

"Oh, y'sure? Okay." Jackie sets him down.

Jameson sprints full force.

Jackie shouts after him, but Jameson doesn't listen, he has to get to master first so he can go home - so Anti won't take any of those bright and gentle souls to the dirt. He's lost Jackie, following the direction it's loudest, sprinting faster than his recovering body should. Master. Brother. Coming home. Goodbye to his friends, Anti is all there is. He stumbles into a clearing covered in yellow flowers. Anti is here, hidden. Jameson puts two fingers in his lips and whistles loudly, desperately, Anti needs to find him first so J-B can go be happy. Jameson rushes the edges, glances behind and up in trees for all he can see. Not the edge, fuck, fuck, did Anti learn invisibility spells just to get him? Anti? Master? Safe? He charges, literally blind, into the bedded flowers-

He trips over an upright stick, falling to his knees. His breaths heave so hard his chest aches. He can't see anything, the full wave of panic hitting him hard. The static has stopped, and he silently cries, on his knees in the fucking dirt.

Jackie shouts for him and, also panting, comes to stand beside him and freezes.

"I'm sorry, I-! Are you okay?!"

"The static!" Jameson sobs.

"Sta… static? Jamie what static?" Jackie squats beside him, gloved hand hovering above his back.

Jameson punches the dirt. "Anti's static is gone! I followed it but he left me!"

Jackie cringes. "Jameson… That's why we came here. To see… Anti. To see Anti."

Jameson's tearful face turns to him violently fast, neck popping. He sits up, looking at the flower beds, not wild but laid neatly. The stick. Not just a stick. A headstone. Jameson can't see, but Anti's name is on it, carved carefully by Jackie.

Jameson's face furrows up, emotion, no emotion. Nothing. Jackie calls him. Nothing. His limbs fall limp, his lips parted and face upward to the bright, bright sun…

And, completely stiffened in place, he has the first catatonic episode of his life.

[mariposasources]

Aquamarine Sentence Starter

Feel free to change them to fit to your liking, but do not claim as your own! Following is under a read more due to it being particular long.

❝ Fine, the least you can do is read me the latest on boy-bagging technology. ❞

❝ Did you order a sand…witch? ❞

❝ Don’t worry. He won’t fall for yuck. He’s way too smart for that. ❞

❝ We’ll put them up again after it clears. ❞

❝ He knows what you did last summer. ❞

❝ Your boxes won’t pack themselves. Don’t put this off until the movers come. ❞

❝ Don’t play me like that. I haven’t seen you in days. ❞

❝ And maybe I could get more than one syllable this time? ❞

❝ How about…we go back to fewer syllables? ❞

❝ Oh, my God! The vending machine’s possessed. ❞

❝ And I broke your iPod. ❞

❝ If I have nightmares tonight, I’m blaming you. ❞

❝ O gods of hurricanes, makers of thunder and lightning…. ❞

❝ Hello, little freaky blue crab. ❞

❝ Are the pool lights still on? ❞

❝ There’s a shark in the pool! ❞

❝ Half the ocean washed up in there last night. ❞

❝ Did you feel them around you? Were they flexed? ❞

❝ Oh, God, they must’ve been flexed. ❞

❝ You were, like, this close to mouth-to-mouth. ❞

❝ I don’t want to catch it. I want to feed it. ❞ 

❝ It could’ve been blue seaweed or kelp. ❞

❝ I’m guessing…it was a mermaid. ❞

❝ I can see we have to take this slowly. Mer…maid. ❞

❝ Can you pick things up with them? ❞

❝ I can kick with them if you don’t let go! ❞

❝ How…how did you do that? ❞

❝ Your dad made those waves? ❞

❝ I swam away from home three days before I’m supposed to get married off to this merman who’s about as deep as a tidal pool. ❞

❝ You scared the salt out of me. ❞

❝ I thought you were that man with that awful sucking machine. ❞

❝ No. My bathing suit is like boy repellent. ❞

❝ It’s your bathing suit or her birthday suit. ❞

❝ I don’t understand how you can sleep on these when they’re so jumpy. ❞

❝ Technically, we can only have legs when the sun’s out. ❞

❝ So this is your first time ashore? ❞

❝ Oh! Crabs! They found me. ❞

❝ With a shell? ❞

❝ Did you know you can hear the ocean through these? ❞

❝ Well, it works both ways. The ocean can hear you, too. ❞

❝ Could you give me a minute? ❞

❝ Well, that’s your plan, not mine. ❞

❝ I don’t want to marry some spoiled, rich, squid! ❞

❝ Well, you can make all the storms you want, but I’m not coming back. ❞

❝ Three days, I’ll prove it to you. ❞

❝ Well, if I’m wrong, then I will honor your plans. ❞

❝ And I’ll call you every night, okay? ❞

❝ So calm down! ❞

❝ We don’t have it where I’m from, and if I can’t find it in three days, I’m sunk. ❞

❝ My dad says it’s just a myth. ❞

❝ We marry who our parents pick. ❞

❝ And my dad thinks that I have bubbles in my brain because I believe in love. ❞

❝ Or else I’ll be swimming down the aisle with that…that blowfish. ❞

❝ Uh..no, but I think you’re hot. ❞

❝ I need some salt. ❞

❝ He said I was hot, but how would he know? ❞

❝ All the girls are after him. Even a few boys. ❞

❝ You know, if you help a mermaid you get a wish. ❞

❝ I thought that was genies. ❞

❝ You…you believe in genies? ❞

❝ She’s been working to clean up the water in the bay here. ❞

❝ Well, tell her thanks for me because it tastes about ten times better than a few years ago. ❞

❝ He doesn’t like this harsh light. ❞

❝ Can you make boobs come out of hiding? ❞

❝ We begin where every girl starts with her first crush. We call him.

❝ Nothing. We just call and hang up. ❞

❝ Who ordered broom service? ❞

❝ No, no, no. Just a royal bitch. ❞

❝ Mm! For a crayon. ❞

❝ But your parents know you better than I do. ❞

❝ Yep, definitely dim-sighted. ❞

❝ There’s something very fishy about that girl. ❞

❝ I was such a clam. I couldn’t think. ❞

❝ Look at my finger scales. ❞

❝ But I don’t know what mood this is. ❞

❝ Wow, you’re good! Bye. ❞

❝ Oh, my God, he gave her a nickname. ❞

❝ Yes. Following you around is fun. ❞

❝ Um, I just love eating cotton candy. ❞

❝ Hey, what are those? Water bikes? ❞

❝ What, you’ve never been on a paddle boat before? ❞

❝ If he doesn’t get his way it’s always a huge disaster. ❞

❝ You know, you’re not like most girls around here. ❞

❝ Yeah, I know. We times it pretty well, didn’t we? ❞

❝ We’re heading back out to sea! ❞

❝ She’s gonna pop a tail! ❞

❝ I need some water to spend the night in. ❞ 

❝ No! No ocean my father would just manipulate the currents ad pull me back home. ❞

❝ Holy mackerel! ❞

❝ So was it ’ Are you going? ’ or ’ Will you go with me? ’ ❞

❝ I wish I could hide out here with you. ❞

❝ I’ll see you tomorrow, fish butt! ❞

❝ I never realized how big this room was without all my stuff in it. ❞ 

❝ I-It’s her last hope. ❞ 

❝ Why go through life unnoticed? ❞

❝ This store is for old people! ❞

❝ So, uh quick review? ❞

❝ Wait. I don’t have earrings! ❞

❝ Hm. Pretty. And…pointy? ❞

❝ What am I supposed to do with this? Like, stick through my skin? ❞

❝ Ugh! You’re so primitive. ❞

❝ You’ll love these. They’re my favorite aquatic accessory. ❞ 

❝ I need you to swim out there and find me a couple of starfish about…mmm, this big. ❞

❝ Live starfish? That’s what you wear for earrings? ❞

❝ No. I mean, they literally give me compliments. In my ear. They talk to me. ❞

❝ Starfish are notorious suck-ups. They love to give compliments. ❞

❝ But it’s nice when you need a little boost. ❞

❝ Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you a ride. ❞

❝ Don’t you just love, love? ❞

❝ It’s just…you’re so sure of yourself. ❞

❝ I don’t think they would’ve wanted you to be afraid of life. I think they would’ve wanted you to be friends with it. ❞

❝ Smart, yes, like tuna! ❞

❝ I’ve got some advice. You need to seperate fantasy from realty. ❞

❝ I’ve got some advice for you two. Put on a dry shirt. ❞

❝ I can’t believe I was so stupid! ❞

❝ He obviously doesn’t like me at all! ❞

❝ Bull Shark! ❞

❝ Forget it. I’m going home. ❞ 

❝ Why not? I’m never going to see him again. ❞

❝ And you know what? He doesn’t care. ❞

❝ I’m just going to go home. This was all for nothing. ❞

❝ It was not for nothing. It was for love. ❞

❝ You know what I think of love? ❞

❝ Love stinks. No wonder we don’t have it back home. ❞

❝ It’s the closest thing we have to magic. ❞

❝ What’s happening to me? I’m leaking! ❞

❝ I’m leaking saltwater. I’m falling apart. ❞

❝ I guess you wouldn’t have them, living underwater. ❞

❝ Next you’re going to tell me water shoots out of your nose when your happy. ❞

❝ Jeez, relax. What’s the big drama? ❞

❝ Take a joke? What’s a matter with you? She’s scared. ❞

❝ She was trying to get attention. Hello! ❞

❝ I found two new men to love. Their names are Ben & Jerry. ❞

❝ That…that barnacle! ❞

❝ Guess who’s got a date to the Last Splash. Me! ❞

❝ Come on people! You can win a date with me! ❞

❝ Oh, I think I feel seasick. But in a good way. ❞

❝ Just be yourself. Minus the tail. ❞

❝ So what do you say we grab something to eat? ❞

❝ Yes. I’m good at that. ❞

❝ Um…is that good? ❞

❝ Yes. It’s very calming. ❞

❝ So, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? ❞

❝ Well, I’ve been to lots of places. ❞

❝ But I’ve learned it’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with. ❞

❝ You always so sure of everything? ❞

❝ Well, some of us are only human. ❞

❝ Oh, I love this song. You want to dance? ❞

❝ You ever spend any time in the water? ❞

❝ Back off! Don’t make a bigger fool of yourself than you already have.  ❞ 

❝ I think I like dancing with you better than anything I’ve ever done on feet. ❞ 

❝ Uh-oh. I have to go. ❞

❝ I want to spend more time with you. What can I say to make you stay? ❞ 

❝ You can tell me how that makes you feel. ❞

❝ She lives in a water tower. Freak city. ❞

❝ Um, could you put away the negativity, sort of like you put away all those corn dogs at the street fair? ❞

❝ If anyone comes…honk. ❞

❝ Is someone there? ❞

❝ She’s a… She’s a… ❞

❝ Has grilling burgers fried your brain, or do you grill burgers all day because you have no brain? ❞

❝ She’s a mermaid. She has, she has scales and everything. She has a big, fat tail.❞

❝ That’s why she lives in the water tower. ❞

❝ There’s no mermaid. ❞

❝ Why are you looking at me like that when there’s a mermaid in the water tower, you guys? ❞

❝ Do you have any idea how far I had to walk?! ❞

❝ I think she’s trapped up there. ❞

❝ Will you take care of Moby for me? ❞

❝ Maybe we should think about the wish. ❞

❝ We asked for a miracle, and we got it. ❞

❝ Like what? Like a new best friend? ❞

❝ A new person to tell everything to? ❞

❝ You mean me, don’t you? ❞

❝ I mean I’m not your mom. ❞

❝ You act like I need you all the time when…the truth is you’re so mad at the world that nobody but me even wants to talk to you. ❞ 

❝ How do you figure that I’m your only friend? ❞

❝ I just did what any good citizen would have done. ❞

❝ She’s probably still hiding under the water. ❞

❝ You know why? Because she’s a mermaid. ❞

❝ You’re a long way from home, aren’t you? ❞

❝ You know, when you help a mermaid, you get a wish. ❞

❝ I,um…thought about you all night. ❞

❝ The last couple of days have been…amazing. ❞

❝ Do you love me? ❞

❝ I mean…we’ve had one date. ❞

❝ But…you don’t love me. ❞

❝ Hey…are you crying? ❞

❝ Yes. Apparently it’s something I do. ❞

❝ Just stay calm! Don’t fight the current. I’ll be right there! ❞

❝ He still chooses her over me? She’s a fish! ❞

❝ We can’t just let her go. ❞

❝ I can’t believe you two. It’s not safe out here. The storm’s too strong. ❞

❝ He can’t just take you away. ❞

❝ Yes, he can. That was our deal. ❞

❝ Take our wish…and you can stay here. ❞

❝ Yeah, take it. And you can call off your wedding. ❞

❝ My father was right. I couldn’t prove love exists. ❞

❝ What more could you do for me? ❞

❝ You jumped in the water to save me. ❞

❝ Why would you do that for me? ❞

❝ I didn’t know you leak when you’re happy, too. ❞

❝ I guess you get a wish after all. Any requests? ❞

❝ I have a family out there that needs me. ❞

❝ I belong in the ocean…most of the time. ❞

❝ I’d circle the world for you two. ❞

❝ Someone’s got to go back and return all those wedding gifts. ❞

❝ You can always call me on my shell. ❞

❝ Starfish may be big suck-ups…but they never lie. ❞

❝ Keep in touch, fish-butt. ❞

❝ It’s good to have friends with fins. ❞

❝ Um, they didn’t exactly cover this in lifeguard training. ❞

❝ S-surprised definitely and confused about a couple of things. ❞

❝ Like…for one, the fact that you have a tail. ❞

❝ Are you…planning to surface any time soon? ❞

❝ I’m not sure how to ask a mermaid out, but I’d like to see you again. If that’s allowed or even possible. ❞

❝ Well, I have to swim back for a bit… ❞

❝ Would you mind waiting a little while? ❞

[marauderundercover]

This Side of Normal: Ch. 12

AO3

Prev

Turns out, she didn’t have to call Jason. He’d apparently seen news about the attack and was panicked since he knew that’s where she was supposed to be. 

“Don’t lie to me, Marinette, I saw it on the damn news.” Jason scolds, and she sighs.

“Okay, so, maybe I was caught up in a Scarecrow attack. But it’s not like it was anything I’ve never seen before. Except, you were there too. Practically dead. That was-” Her voice breaks. “That was rough. But um, enough about me. Have you talked to Adrien?” She asks. She’d talked to him a little, but he’d wanted to go to bed almost immediately after getting to the hotel. He hadn’t even had dinner. 

“Of course I have, but he’s not the one who punched a damn Rogue in the face. What the fuck were you thinking?” He scolds her and she scowls, glaring into the distance. 

“I was thinking that Adrien was lying in a puddle of his own blood and Gabriel was fucking taunting me and I didn’t get to punch the son of a bitch the first time around so I might as well do it this time.” She snaps, she’s not weak. She was one of Paris’ heroes for god’s sake. Jason <i>knows<i> this, so why does he always try to treat her like a damn child? Jason sighs. 

“I know, I know, I just-” He pauses and she huffs. “You scared the hell outta me, Pix. There’s no Miraculous Cure here, ya know? Things are permanent.” He says and she sighs. She knows things are permanent here. And she’s also perfectly aware that the Miraculous Cure doesn’t always fix everything. Adrien’s arm was a good example of that. 

“You’re getting soft in your old age.” She says, in lieu of an apology for snapping earlier. He chuckles, and she feels herself relax. 

“Sure kid.” He says, and she can only imagine that he’s rolling his eyes at her. There’s a comfortable silence for a couple minutes before she yawns. 

“I think I’m gonna head to bed, Jay. I’m assuming you’re planning on crashing our group tomorrow?” She says, knowing the chances of him staying away after today’s attack were slim. 

“Hell yeah I am. See ya in the morning, Pix.” He says, she says a quick bye and hangs up the phone before dropping her head into her hands. The day had been intense and she was not looking forward to the inevitable nightmares that would haunt her sleep. 

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Tikki asks after a few minutes. Marinette picks her head up and pushes her hair out of her face. 

“Yeah, I just- I need to go for a run, I think.” She says. Tikki purses her lips, but nods.

“Your suit might look different. You’ve changed a lot since you last used the Miraculous.” Tikki warns. Marinette nods. The last time she’d transformed with the Ladybug Miraculous had been a year ago. Sure, she’d patrolled with other Miraculous since then, but she hadn’t turned into Ladybug. Only briefly for Gabriel’s trial. 

“Tikki, spots on.” She says, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid the bright glow that the transformation brings. Once she feels it settle, she goes over to look in the mirror, surprised at how different she looks. The parts of her suit that were red were a much darker red, which would make it much easier to blend into the night. There was also a lot less of the red; instead she now had knee high black boots, black from her fingertips to her elbows, and the back of her costume was completely black, with a hood to top it off. It was much darker than what she was used to, but she liked it. It showed how much she had changed since she first became a hero. Taking in a deep breath, she swings out of the window and into the Gotham night. 

---

“Reported sightings of a masked individual near the business district. Individual is an unknown, proceed with caution.” Babs calls out over the comms.

“I’m close, I’ll check it out.” Jason sighs, changing direction. He narrows his eyes at the individual. They looked familiar, but also-

“Shit!” The person cries as their yoyo misses the next building and they tumble onto the roof roughly. Yoyo. Of course. Jason groans at this piece of luck and rushes over to make sure she’s okay, switching his comms off as he does.

“You okay, kid?” He asks, extending a hand to help her up. 

“Oh, uh, yeah, yeah I’m fine. Merde, that was embarrassing.” She swears, using his hand as an anchor to stand instead of letting him help her up. Not that he expected anything less from her. 

“Now, ya wanna tell me what you’re doing running around Gotham?” He asks, crossing his arms. 

“Well, today was kind of a shit day. And according to my brother I don’t have healthy coping mechanisms. Guess I wanted to prove him right, ‘cause here I am.” She huffs, throwing her hands up. Jason snorts and shakes his head. 

“I’m gonna have to agree with your brother, Pixie Pop. Becoming a masked vigilante that runs around at night isn’t a great way to cope with negative feelings.” Jason says, frowning as she freezes. “Are you-”

“You asshole! Are you kidding me? You get all pissed off seeing me running around on the rooftops because it’s ‘irresponsible’ but you’re one of the freaking Bats?” She exclaims and Jason sighs. He pulls his helmet off, leaving him in just a domino mask. 

“What gave it away?” He asks and she snorts, nudging his shoulder roughly. 

“The nickname. You’re the only one who calls me that.” She says and he groans. 

“Cursed by the nickname!” He says dramatically, rolling his eyes as his comm beeps. He opens the channel again, wincing slightly at the sound of everyone calling for him at once. “Would you all chill the fuck out? I’m fine. The masked individual is a friendly, no I will not elaborate.” 

“So you didn’t come after me because of the spots?” She asks, quirking an eyebrow. 

“No, you managed to grab the notice of the entire Bat clan. Not sure what you expected, swinging around Gotham in a mask.” He teases and she huffs. 

“Don’t start with me, Hood. I’ve had a stressful day.” She says, and he frowns at the reminder. 

“Are you actually okay after that?” He asks gently. She purses her lips. 

“Not at all.” She admits, smiling bitterly. “But I have to be okay, because I can’t afford not to be. I can’t break on this stupid trip, I refuse. I just don’t feel like dealing with the dumbass nightmares that are definitely waiting for me the second I go to sleep.” Jason’s heart clenches and he moves forward, wrapping her in a hug. He hugs her for half a second before she starts sobbing. It’s heartbreaking. The last time he heard her cry like this was right after they’d defeated Hawkmoth. When Adrien had just lost his arm and the kids’ world had looked like it was crumbling around them. 

“I got you, Pix.” He says softly, letting her know he’s there. And that he’s not leaving. He was going to take his position as big brother more seriously. Because while Adrien seemed to be healing, he was afraid Marinette was stuck in the same place she was in a year ago.

Next

Tag list:  @toodaloo-kangaroo @laurcad123 @kittenmywaythrulife @lost-in-the-world-of-maribat @queenz-z @daminette-56  @stainedglassm @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @how-to-fuction-properly

[anonsservice]

Wake Up!

|Prompt: Nightmare Comfort | request fill | Jade West x Reader | gender neutral!Reader| Jade, and Reader go to a sleepover at Tori's house prompted by Cat, and You have a nightmare. Jade comforts you. | fluff and a tiny little bit angst | 

    You had been getting night terrors since you were little. Anything would set them off back then. A stranger on the passing sidewalk who looked at you for a moment too long, the ladybug who had one too many spots, really, everything could have sent you down one nightmare after another. It got better in your teen years, but they still happened, still jolted you awake in a cold sweat, crying nine times out of ten. This is why you were reluctant to accept this slumber invitation. You really almost said no, but Jade had convinced you to go. After all, who would say no to an honest 'please' coming from the normally stone-cold gank.

    Jade would have said no as well and just spent the night with you instead, but Cat was tearing up and going on a long-winded speech about how senior year was almost over and how college would separate you all. All of which led up to this moment. You were packing your small overnight bag. Clothes, deodorant, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc., etc. Jade would pick you up and the two of you would face this horrid night together. You did in fact like spending time with Cat and Tori, but your nerves got to you and all you could think about was 'what if I have a stupid nightmare? Like a child! Wake up crying and ruin it for everybody.'

    This is what caused you to stare at your shoes the whole ride over, only looking up when forcefully brought back to earth by Jade.

"What were you thinking about?"

"It's nothing, Jade. We should go in now, better get it over with-"

"Y/N were not leaving this car unti-" She was cut off by Cat bounding over from the front door of the Vega's house and over to your passenger side door.

"Hiii!" Cat yelled while twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"I tried to stop her!" Tori yelled while following after her, panting.

    Jade rolled her eyes and pointed her finger at you.

"We're talking about this later, Y/N. Now let's go, I got your bag."

    Jade, You, Cat, and Tori all walked in together. Jade holding both of your bags. (whipped? more likely than you think.)

    Cat was the first to jump onto one of the couches, sitting on the right couch, Tori followed her and sat next to her. You and Jade took up the left couch, you laying your head on her shoulder. And every time Cat or Tori sent an 'aww' look your way she snarled.

    "So! we should start off with hmmm- oh oh I know! Truth or dare!" That was Cat, and she was buzzing with excitement. You could practically see the happiness seeping from her tone.

    "What are we? Ten? No, Cat."  Jade hated truth or dare, or well most times she did. It was only fun when it was in her favor of looking for gossip or stirring up drama.

    You, however, were open to the game. Having played it growing up to pass time you didn't mind the small request from the red-headed girl.

    "Cmon' Jadey! Please-" Cat tried to speak but Jade cut her off.

    "No!" The one word Jade said multiple times a day. It seemed to be her only reaction to things.

    You didn't want to see Cat sad or hear for that matter. Cat would start to cry and then all hell would happen, so you took things into your own hands.

    "Jade, don't be rude! It's a sleepover! Just play the game, please. For me?" You sat up to look her in the eyes right as you said please. Crossing your eyebrows a touch and only slightly pouting your lips. A look you've perfected to get the girl sitting in front of you into a puddle.

    Jade grumbled a 'fine' and the four of you played for an hour. One of the 'truths' being asked by Tori to Jade was "Is it true your whipped for Y/N?". It took you and Cat lots of tiring effort to pull Jade off Tori.

--------

It was two hours since the game. You four were now watching a movie and poking fun at the cliches, well you guys were until Jade reminded you all that every single one of you guys fit into one or another cliche. After a movie or two, you guys ate dinner and just talked until the time came for sleep. Tori slept in her bed, Cat, You, and Jade played a human game of Tetris and managed to fit on the floor

    You tried to sleep, you did, but you just couldn't. So once you thought that everybody was asleep you grabbed your phone and scrolled endlessly through Twitter. An hour later and your eyes were getting more and more sensitive to the light, your arms slowly let go of your phone, and you fell asleep.  

You woke up in school, you heard nothing but your ragged breath. Everything around you was blurred, and from what you could see there were thick layers of fog. You could make out the familiar bright student decorated lockers that lead you to find out you were in the school. You stepped forward but all you saw was the fog. You walked the familiar way to your favorite acting teacher's room. You walked forward through the classroom door until you almost tripped over something on the floor. You knelt down to get a closer look, but you wished you hadn't. You had thought you just tripped over a chair or miss placed item, but what you tripped on was far worse. It was jade. A bloody Jade. A dead Jade. Your heart stopped, and you stopped. All you could do was stare. You wanted to scream, to run, to hug her, to help her. But all you could do was stare. Eventually, it stopped. You leaned forward and grabbed onto Jade's shoulders.

"Jade?!" Your voice echoed as if in a cave.

"Jade!" You shook her and screamed and cried.

"What happened? Jade? Fuck! No no no!"

    Her lips, looking both pale and blue but also a blood-red moved slightly, saying something.

Tears freely flowed down your face as you leaned in.

"Jade? What is it? Jade!"

No response.

You held her body close and cried, just cried. Although you heard a voice that only got louder.

"Wake up."

"Y/N."

"Wake up!"

You felt as if there was an earthquake and shut your eyes.

But once you opened them all you saw was black and blue hair that you knew to be Jade's. The same Jade that was just dead in your hands. Your arms flew around the familiar body and you held her close while your body shook in tears.

"cmon, Y/N. Up." She gripped your torse and helped you up from your makeshift sleeping bag on the floor to the living room.

You two sat on the couch, you were still crying, silently this time. And Jade was holding you. Long arms wrapped firmly around you, rubbing the small of your back. You weren't sure how long had passed since you woke from the horrible dream. but finally, your tears had dried and you pulled away from Jade.  

"Wanna talk about it?"

You didn't. Not one bit. But you knew she would be ever so worried if you didn't. So you pulled it together and nodded.

"It was um a dream- well no- a nightmare."

    Jade merely nodded along with every few words you said.

"I get really bad um nightmares, ever since I was little, that why I was in a bad mood when we arrived. Scared of doing what I just did."

"So what was this nightmare about?"

"You."

"oh?"

"I was uh in school, there was a fog, and uh I went to Mr.Sakowitz's room. You were there on the floor-" You started to tear up again. The image of your girlfriend on the floor flooding your mind once more.

"It's okay, Y/N."

"You were there on the floor... bloody, blue, and dead. And I wanted to scream I wanted to do something but I couldn't. All I could do was cry silently and stare. It was horrible Jade! Horrible!"

At this point, you were full-on crying again.

"Here how about this, you go wait in my car, I'll grab our things, and we can go to my house. Okay?"

"But I don't wanna impose- Cat was so happy for this."

"If you don't want to stay you don't have to, if they say anything about it I'll cut em up with my scissors. Okay? Now go," Jade fished through her purse that was thrown on the couch from earlier and handed them to you.

You took them and walked as quickly as you could to Jade's car that was parked out front.

After Jade climbed into the car and drove you back to her place, she made you tea, got out chips and other snacks, and took you down into what she likes to call her 'demon lair'.

You slowly sipped the hot tea while you pushed your body as far into Jade as it would go. You watched a silent film and slowly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Jade took your tea cup and put it on her side table, tucked you in, and held you close to her.

---------

    The next morning you woke up to Jade staring at you. "You watching me sleep, spooky lady?"

She shook her head at you and pressed a kiss into your cheek. "Morning,"

You tried to kiss her on the lips but she pulled back. "Morning breath, Y/N!"

Your own face scrunched up and you sat up.

"Sorry," With that you went up the stairs and into the bathroom to brush your teeth.

Jade took the time to call Cat, who she assumed would be up by now.

"Hi, Jadey!"

"Don't call me that, Cat"

"Sowwy!"

"Don't baby talk me either Cat!"

"Anyways. I was calling to say I was sor- sorr- I can't do it- I just- we left early because Y/N's mom needed her and I drove her home. I just didn't come back because it was my chance to escape."

"Okee Dokie! Is Y/N's mom okay?"

"Yeah just, bye."

Jade hung up and turned round to see you smiling at the foot of your bed.

You and Jade ended up meeting back up with Tori and Cat for a day out.

A/N: Woah! me updating- at a semi-decent time? Who knew that was possible, I didn't. I also completely forgot the men in this show existed for a hot second and forgot to write them in. Oops? I only went through this once so- do with that as you will. That is all from me! 

-tooth >:)

[ilovethewayyoulovemelikethat]

Free

Type: One Shot about JJ (Outer Banks) Rating: Rated R for Abuse TRIGGER WARNING: DOMESTIC ABUSE  Word Count: 2500+ Pairing: JJ & Leah Enjoy!

"This isn't the kind of love that I want" tears ran down her face. "you aren't who you were before," she said as she grabbed her bag. "You aren't leaving," he said as he grabbed her, pulling her back. "Let me go!" she said as she tried to pull away from him. "I said you aren't leaving!" He said as he pushed her against the wall. Banging her head against the wall, she dropped her bag. "Please stop," she said as she placed her hand on the back of her head. "Then realize you aren't leaving!" he said. "I'm not, I'm sorry," she said. "Good girl," he said as he let her go.

He left the room and she made sure she wasn't bleeding. She needed to come up with a different plan. A way that she could leave without him finding out. She sat on the bed as placed her head down in her hands. The tears were too much and they slipped from her eyes onto her cheeks.  She waited until he was asleep on the couch, passed out from drinking too much. She grabbed her bag and left, running to her neighbor's house. Her neighbor called a taxi for her and got her a bus ticket. It was time for Leah to leave town and never return. Leah made it to the bus station and got onto the bus. The bus was supposed to take her to Florida but she decided to get off at the first stop. It was North Carolina and this would become her new home.

"Hello Miss, how may I help you," the clerk asked. "I was hoping that you had a room for a few days," she said. "I believe that we do," he said as he looked at the computer. "Yea room 134," he said. "I'll take it" she nodded and paid for the room in cash.

He gave her the room key and she went up to her room. Placing her bag at the door and she laid on the bed staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes as the tears built up in her eyes, she was finally free. She didn't want anyone to know where she was at so she didn't even call her mom. She ended up falling asleep but was woken up a few hours later at the sound of her stomach growling. She changed her clothes and made her way downstairs to the lobby. She walked around the small town until she found food. She ate at the little cafe and then went to the store to get some things. She went back to her room and changed her look, cutting her hair and dying it. She didn't want him to come looking for her.

"Fresh start" she took a deep breath in as she looked at herself in the mirror. "New town, No one knows me," she said to herself.

She cleaned up the mess and laid back down in the bed. Opening her laptop looking for things to do in the small town. She was also looking for houses to rent or buy. Even though she was just 19 she needed to be on her own two feet. Well, now more than ever since she left her husband. She fell asleep with the tv running and she woke up in the morning with the sun beaming through her window. She got up and got ready for the day, with whatever new adventures came her way. She left the hotel and was just walking around town. She stopped by a flower shop just to smell the flowers, they were so beautiful. As she walked away she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," She said. "It's ok," he said as he looked at her. "I should watch where I'm going," she said. "It's ok really" he nodded. "Are you new in town?" he questioned. "Yea something like that," she said. "I'm JJ," he said as he handed her a rose. "I'm Leah," she said as she grabbed the rose. "If you need a tour guide I'm free," he said. "Really?" she asked. "Yea I am" he smiled. "Right this way," he said as he led her to his truck. "Can we just um walk?" she asked. "Sure we can," he nodded. "It's just easier to drive," he said. "I'm sorry, we can take the truck," she said. "No need to be sorry, if you want to walk we can," JJ said. "It's ok," she said as she got into the truck.

He also got into the truck and started to drive around town. Showing her all the cool spots and where to get food. He pulled into John B's place where he knew everyone would be. He got out of the truck and went over to her side, opening the door for her. Holding his hand out if she needed help. She grabbed his hand and got out of the truck. She followed him to the back where everyone was hanging out.

"Hey JJ," Pope said. "Whoa, who is that?" John B asked. "This is Leah," JJ said. "Wow she's hot," John B said. "Watch it," Sarah said as she nudged John B. "Nice to meet you, Im Kiara," Kiara said. "Nice to meet you guys," Leah said. "I'm going to take her out on the boat," JJ said. "Nice," Pope said. "Have fun," John B said.

JJ led Leah down to the dock and got into the boat. Helping her get onto the boat before untying it. She sat down as he took off from the dock. Going out further enough so they could be alone but close enough if she felt the need to getaway. He sat down next to her and they started to talk.

"May I ask how old you are?" he asked. "I'm 19" she looked at him. "And you just moved here?" He looked at her. "Yes I did," she nodded. "May I ask why?" he asked. "I don't want to talk about it" she looked out towards the water. "Ok that's ok no pressure" he nodded. "It's nice out here," she said. "Yea peaceful" he placed his hand on her hand.

They continued to talk about random things and also personal things. They watched the sunset and he grabbed a blanket, draping it over her shoulders. She moved closer to him and wrapped the blanket around him as well. Resting her head against his shoulder as they watched the sunset. He placed his arm around her waist and held her close. Once the sun was down they laid back on the boat and looked up at the stars.

"I haven't done this in a while," she said. "You haven't?" He looked at her. "Yea I haven't," she said. "When you move to the city the lights block the stars," she said. "True," he said.   "I'm sure you brought all your hookups here," she said. "Wait what?" he asked. "Isn't this your hot spot where you bring all your hooks up" she sat up. "On the boat away from your friends," she said. "It's not like that and No I don't," he said as he sat up as well. "I'm sorry," she said as she hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm not like that and I just love watching the sunset on the boat," he said. "It's peaceful and nice out here," she said. "We should get back to the shore," he said as he started the boat.

She stayed quiet as they pulled back to the deck. He got off the boat and helped her off as well. John B and Pope had a fire going. Kiara brought back marshmallows and chocolate as JJ and Leah made their way back to the house.

"Just in time," Kiara said. "S'mores" JJ smiled as he walked up to Kiara. "Come on Leah," John B said. "I don't like S'mores," she said. "Still good company," John B said. "Sure," she said as she sat down in front of the fire.

She kept the blanket wrapped around her as she watched them burn the marshmallows. JJ fixed her one and handed it to her for her to try. He sat next to Leah as she took a bite, she gently smiled at him.

"You got chocolate on your face," JJ said with a slight chuckle. "Where?" She asked. "Right" he placed his thumb against her cheek. She looked at him as their eyes met. "There," he said. "Thank you," she said. "Get it JJ," John B said. "No problem, '' he said as if John B didn't say anything.

She took the S'more JJ had given her and held it up to his lips. He smiled and took a bite. She watched him as he got up to get more marshmallows. He came back and sat down next to her, placing the marshmallow on the stick. Placing it in the fire as she moved closer to him, wrapping the blanket around him again.  He slipped his hand around her waist as he watched the marshmallow.  He made another S'more, blew on it slightly before feeding it to her.  She took a few bites before laying her head down on his shoulder. JJ continued with the S'mores and joking around with his friends. As the night continued on Leah was getting tired but didn't want to say anything. She started drifting off to sleep on JJ's shoulder. He felt her weight shift and realized she was falling asleep. He picked her up and took her inside, laying her down on the bed. Placing a blanket around her as he went back outside. The fire was on its last leg and everyone was cleaning up. JJ helped before making his way inside, laying on the couch next to the bed. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable so he stayed his distance. He fell asleep as well as everyone else. Leah woke up around 5 am from a nightmare, sitting on the bed trying to catch her breath.

'Hey" JJ said as he started to wake up. "Are you ok?" he asked as he got onto the bed. He placed his hand on hers but she jumped back, moving away from him. "Hey, it's ok," he said softly.

"Please don't hurt me," she said. "I would never," He said. "Please," she said as her tears fell from her eyes. "It's me, JJ," he said. "It was just a nightmare," he said as he moved closer, wrapping his arm around her. "You're safe," he whispered.

She cried against his chest as he held her close. Placing his hand on her head as she cried. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Once she calmed down she wiped her eyes and sat up. He kept his arm around her just to make sure she was ok.

"Are you ok?" he asked. "Yea, sorry didn't mean to wake you up," she said. "It's fine," he said. "I should probably go," she said. "Stay," he whispered. "I really should go," she said. "I'll take you but only if you want to," he said. "Yea" She nodded.

They left John B's place and he took her back to the hotel. He walked her up to her room and leaned against the wall as she opened the door. Leah took a deep breath in and opened the door, turning to face JJ. She did enjoy spending time with her but she was sure he wouldn't want to see her again.

"Thanks for yesterday," she said. "No problem," he smiled gently. "Bye," she said. "When will I see you again?" he asked. "Never, '' she replied. "Why?" he asked as he moved closer to her. "Look you are nice but I'm a mess," she said. "Your point is?" He asked. "I'm not ready for whatever you think this is," she said. "Plus I'm sure after last night you don't want to see me again," she said. "Well you are wrong I do want to see you again" he grabbed her hand. "And we are just hanging out," he said. "Really?" she looked up at him. "Yea really" he placed his hand on her cheek. "You are sweet and different in a good way," he smiled. "I enjoyed last night," he said. "I did too," she said. "Good so let's keep doing it," he said. "Ok' she nodded. "Why don't I come by later and we can hang out some more," he said. "I should give you my number," she said. "Sure," he said as he handed her his phone. "There you go," she said as she looked at him. "Alright I'll see you later," he said as he turned to leave.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. Grabbing the back of his neck leaning up kissing him. He smiled against her lips and kissed her back, placing his hands on her hips. She pulled away slightly and looked at him to see what his response was. He smiled and pulled her closer, placing his lips back against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled away slowly.

"See you later," he smiled. "See you" she smiled as he kissed her once more before leaving.

She went inside her hotel room and there was her husband sitting on the bed. She quickly closed the door behind her. He started yelling and JJ could hear. JJ rushed back to the room banging on the door as he could hear them fighting. John grabbed Leah's arm pushing her against the wall.

"Oh, why did you think you could get free?" John said. "Please don't hurt me," Leah said. "LEAH!! OPEN THE DOOR" JJ yelled from outside. "Oh you have a guest," John said. "Please don't," Leah said. "You don't make the rules around here," John said as he grabbed Leah's neck. "Please," She said. "You think you can spend one night with this clown and you're free from your life?" John said. "You knew I'd find you," he said. "He's just a friend," she struggled. "Please I can't breathe," she said.

JJ finally got through the door and knocked John off Leah. She fell to the ground as she started going in and out. She could see JJ and John fighting. She heard a gunshot go off but then she closed her eyes. She would wake up but everything was fuzzy, she heard an ambulance.

"He's dead," someone said. "Who?" Leah said before passing out again.

She didn't know anything until waking up in the hospital. She was out of it because of the drugs they gave her. Her memory was fuzzy and really couldn't remember much from that night. She didn't know who got shot or who was dead. Maybe she shouldn't have left town because no matter where she went she wouldn't be free. She hated herself for bringing JJ into this and the thought of him being dead brought tears to her eyes. They just met but clearly, she felt safe with him, she felt free with him. Could that have been their first and last kiss? Was JJ dead? She closed her eyes as she tried to remember what happened.

[winterscaptain]

fear itself.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader

a/n: part two of the 100 arc! this installment covers the events of faceless, nameless. i am living for the feedback! please keep it coming. i can’t wait to hear what you think as we go through this (very emotionally wrought) section.

an ajf fic arc that happily stands on its own! one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven

words: 4.5k warnings: canon-typical violence, language, hospital setting

summary: four hours of sleep and aaron’s missing. what else could go wrong?

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | requests closed!

4:02am “Just got home, so I’m calling like you asked. Shoot me a text when you get back to the apartment, if you aren’t already asleep. Call me when you’re up and we can work on that Nebraska consult, maybe in the early afternoon? Goodnight. Sleep well.”

8:13am “Hey, it’s me. I know I’m not supposed to be worried about you, but we were called in a half hour ago and you’re still not here...so...give me a call when you get this. Bye.”

8:48am “Hey, it’s me, checking in again. You’re probably still asleep, but I’ve never known you to sleep more than seven hours...so if I don’t hear from you by eleven I’ll drag you out of bed myself.”

9:51am “We’re headed to the crime scene. Garcia’s sent you the address. I know JJ’s been calling you too, so just...I dunno? Call us back? Bye.”

10:20am “If you’re getting these and ignoring me, I hope you know you’re taking years off my life right now.”

11:08am “Um...Call me back. I’m starting to worry. Well...not starting. I’ve been worried. But I’m getting...really worried.” 

11:37am “Aaron please call me and let me know you’re alright. You’re scaring me.”

+++

Needless to say, it’s been a weird day. Why you expected anything else after that wretched Canada case and four hours of sleep, you have no idea. 

You had a horrible dream last night, on top of everything else. The image of Aaron broken and bleeding beside you hadn’t left your mind since it first appeared in Foyet’s kitchen. You tried to shake it off every time, but it was persistent. 

We’ll worry about that later. 

You check the time again, trying to ignore the weird feeling in your gut. 

Where is he? 

Your phone rings and your heart leaps. Guilt (and a little bit of embarrassment) pricks at you when you’re disappointed to see Emily’s name on your phone. You answer. 

“You have to get down here.” Her voice isn’t frantic, per se, but the urgency is undeniable. 

“What’s going on?” 

She takes a breath. “I just got off the phone with Garcia - I have crime scene techs and SWAT on the way to Hotch’s apartment, and I need you here.” 

All the blood in your body seems to rush into your head, and you lean heavily on the nearest object - the dining room table. “What?”

“I - I don’t know. All his stuff is here and there's -” She stutters for a second. “There’s blood on the carpet, broken glass, and a bullet hole in the wall by the kitchen. No Hotch.” 

An eerie kind of calm washes over you, and you straighten, making eye contact with Derek. “Okay. Let me just -”

Derek gets a call, but keeps his eyes on you. “What’s goin’ on, Baby Girl?...What do you mean ‘Emily just called SWAT to Hotch’s apartment’ what -“

You break his gaze as he nods at you and turns to the rest of the team. “Emily, I’ll be right there. Don’t go anywhere.” 

+++

You make it to the hospital with Emily. You flash your credentials and it gets you exactly where you want to go. 

When you see him, your breath catches. He looks awful - drawn and small and wrapped in what seems like miles of gauze. Emily grabs your arm, but you’re not sure if it's for her benefit or yours. 

This is, after all, your worst nightmare come to life. A little chill crawls up your spine. This whole thing has you feeling six different kinds of scared. 

The nurse lets you into his room, telling you he’ll be out for another hour, at least. “He needs the rest.”

Emily leaves you to retrieve coffee. You take the opportunity to sit beside him and slide your hand under his, careful not to disturb the IV. Your hand shakes - whether from anxiety, fear, fury, or all of the above, you’re not sure. 

“If you die, Aaron Hotchner, I’ll kill you.”

You hear a little laugh from the doorway and you pull your hand from him. Emily shakes her head, two cups of coffee in her hands. “You’re fine. I'm not going to tattle.”

You squint. “Tattle?”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re so clueless it’s almost cute, but he’s worse.” She throws her head toward Hotch with a fond smile, handing you your cup of coffee.

+++

The rest of the team arrives in a flurry a little while later, and the nurse has to warn them off as Aaron starts to wake. 

They quiet down, surrounding his bedside. You haven’t moved, making it your mission to keep your eyes on him at all times. 

His eyes flutter before closing again. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital,” you say, keeping your voice quiet and steady despite the tightness in your chest. 

“How did I get here?”

Derek gets that one. “Foyet drove you.” 

Aaron takes a breath. It’s shaky, and you imagine he’s in a lot of pain. Emily leans forward, looking for his eyes. “Can you remember what happened?”

He tells you, slowly, about how Foyet broke into the apartment, waited until he was home with his guard down, fired a shot, and then...He trails off. A heavy breath leaves him. “What did he take?”

You have an answer. “There was a page missing from your day planner, the Bs from the address section.” 

He closes his eyes and his breath grows faster, his heart rate increasing. After a moment, he collects himself and asks Emily, “What did he leave?”

“I don’t know.” 

“He also leaves something with his victims.”

Emily shakes her head. “I looked through your entire apartment. Nothing felt out of place.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“Right here.” You reach over, grabbing the bag and removing his bloody shirt with only the barest moment of hesitation. He reaches for the envelope of his personal effects and you press it into his hand, saving him the effort. 

Tears prick at your eyes as you watch his hands shake, opening his wallet. He’s eerily quiet, and you catch a glimpse of a photo, tucked into the fold. 

Haley and Jack. There’s blood on it. You recognize it from the desk in his home office space. 

No. 

Aaron’s come to the same conclusion, falling back on the pillows with a look you can only describe as defeated. It scares you. You swallow, pushing your tears back. 

That’s the last thing he needs right now. 

“Haley’s maiden name is Brooks. I always listed her in the Bs in my personal information in case it fell into the wrong hands.” Your hand, like JJ’s, has fallen over your mouth. 

Oh. 

Of course. 

Of course, he keeps her under Brooks. All he wants to do is keep her safe. 

You hope, one day, that someone will love you that much, will want to protect you with the same ferocity, will think of you before anything else. 

You could only be so lucky. 

He swallows and continues. “He knows where they live.”

Derek makes assignments. You’re to stay right where you are, while the rest focus on locating Haley and Jack. 

When it’s just the two of you, he closes his eyes again. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if -”

“They’ll find her. They’ll find Jack. They’ll be safe.”

You have to believe it, too. They’re too important to you, to central to your life, now 

He shakes his head, his eyes cracking open. “Why didn’t I just take the deal?” Clearing his throat, he continues, his voice a little stronger, but still rough. “He told me I should have. I never thought -” He cuts himself off.

You hand him a cup of water, and he takes it gratefully. Idly, you note he hasn’t looked you in the eye yet. 

“Do you want an answer to your question?”

He doesn’t answer you, looking across the room. 

You lean into his eye line. “You didn’t take the deal because you have the most integrity of anyone I’ve ever known. Anything he does is on him. It’s not on you.” 

“But,” his voice breaks and the smallest of tears falls out of his eye. It tracks down his temple until you gently wipe it away with your thumb. “But I could have stopped all of this.” 

“No,” you whisper. Your hand lingers on the side of his face. “No. He’ll be this way wherever he goes. The only way you change that is by catching him, Hotch.” 

He finally looks at you, his brown eyes exhausted, hurting, and bloodshot. You card your fingers through the hair at his temple, putting the oxygen cannula back over his ear. Soon, he closes his eyes again, his vitals evening out as he falls asleep. 

“We’ll get him, Aaron.”

A few tense minutes later, your phone buzzes in your pocket. When you see the caller ID, a shot of adrenaline zings around your body. “Haley?”

Your name is a sigh of relief in her mouth. “SWAT scared the hell out of me and I just - I don’t know.”

“Oh, Haley I’m so sorry. I should have gone over there with the team but -“ Derek knew my stress wouldn’t be useful. 

“No, no. It’s fine. They’re getting Jack from a friend’s house, but they told me what’s going on. I’ll see you when I get to the hospital. I just -“ She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “I just freaked out.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

Your heart pulls. “I love you, too.” 

She hangs up, and you stuff your phone back in your pocket. 

Aaron wakes again when you pull a case file from your bag, but you’re not sure it’s your doing.

Shit. 

He looks around a little frantically for a moment, still disoriented. You rise and cross the room, finding one of his hands. 

“Hotch, it’s okay. You’re still in the hospital.” 

“Haley?”

You nod. “They got her. She’s safe and she’s on her way with Jack.” 

He finally relaxes, sinking back down into the pillows. “Thank you.”

You nod and resume your place on the other side of the room, patting the back of his hand as you let him go. He’s quiet, if not a little fidgety. You look at him for a minute. He takes a talking breath. 

“After the first one, it kind of goes blank.” His breath is still a little unsteady, and you take your chair next to his bed again. “There were nine, apparently.” 

Your breath catches. It’s not new information, but it’s still raw, sharp-edged. 

Awful.

He swallows. “He taunted me.” His eyes beg you to understand, to keep him from flying off the rails. 

“He’s a bastard, Aaron.”

He levels you with a withering stare. No shit. 

“I know you know that, but it’s worth repeating.”

“I don’t want -“

You interrupt him, knowing exactly where he’s going. “You’re not going to become a victim. You aren’t a victim.”

“I don’t want Haley to -“ 

You press a hand to his arm, mindful of his bandages. “One day at a time. They’re safe today.”

His lip quivers and his voice leaves him in a whisper. “That’s not good enough.”

+++

Eventually, Haley arrives looking a little worse for wear. 

Her haircut’s really cute. 

The thought almost makes you laugh. 

Of all the things to notice...

You startle a little as you remember where you are and rise, ready to give them space. She waves you off, giving you permission to stay. 

“How do you feel?” She asks. 

Aaron sits up a little more, not without effort, and says, “I’m gonna be okay.” 

That’s not what she asked, stupid. 

He continues. “Did they explain to you what’s happening?”

She nods. “They said the marshal's service is taking us straight from here and putting us into protective custody.” Her eyes meet yours, and you dip your chin. She’s right. 

Aaron apologizes to Haley for the first of what you imagine will be many times. 

Her lower lip disappears between her teeth. “Do you know where they’re gonna take us?”

“No,” you answer. “We don’t. And that’s the point.” 

“I can’t know where you’re going,” Aaron adds. “If you have any contact with anyone, he can track you.”

That shocks her a little, and you can see she’s getting upset. “Jack has school. He has friends. I have a job now. I have -” She cuts herself off. 

“I know.” He levels a steady, solemn gaze upon her. “And I’m sorry. We will catch him and you’ll come back.”

She looks at you again. “Are you sure we’re in danger?” 

You nod, almost imperceptibly, and Hotch answers. “Yes.” 

“And what about you? Are you gonna be safe?”

There it is. 

She does love him. 

You knew that, of course. Seeing them together during visits at home or out to dinner or otherwise in the presence of that other, that was never in question.

Your heart tugs. 

Twenty-five years... 

“He wants to see me suffer. Knowing that my son is out there and that I can’t see him is better than killing me.”

Haley wets her lips and swallows. 

That’s her tell. 

You figure she’ll burst into tears pretty soon. It was only a matter of time, and you don’t blame her in the least. You’ve had tears threatening you all afternoon, and this wasn’t even happening to you. 

“Jack wants to see you.”

Aaron’s jaw gets a little tight. “I want to see him, too. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

You hear what he can’t say, too. I don’t want to scare him. I don’t want him to see me like this. 

“Look,” she says, exasperated. “I know you’re trying to protect him, but you both need this. Please.”

He nods, resigned. “Okay.”

Haley looks over and offers you a shaky smile, trying to break the tension. “He also asked me if you’d be here. He’ll be thrilled.” 

That almost does you in. “So will I,” you tell her, meaning every syllable. 

With another brisk nod and wipe of her face, she leaves the room to retrieve Jack. Aaron sits up a little straighter and you help him. He tries to suppress his wince, but fails. 

“Do you need another round?” 

He shakes his head. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just let me know.” You settle back into the corner, the case file in your lap. 

Haley and Jack return, and she brings him to Aaron’s side, lifting him up onto the bed. 

Aaron meets his eyes and tells him that he’s okay, giving him a little preparing for what’s about to happen. “But, what do I tell you whenever I go away?”

“That you love me.” 

You hide your face, looking out the window as tears finally fall from your eyes. Haley’s eyes are on you and you know it. You wipe at your face and take a quiet breath before turning back, pretending to pay attention to the case in your lap. 

In your periphery, you can see Aaron looking over Jack’s face as if to memorize it, as if he doesn’t already know every plane, every curve, every angle of his son’s face. “More than anything in the world.” 

They exchange a few more words before he brings him close and kisses his forehead. You glance up, and they look so alike in their profiles it almost makes you smile. Haley’s crying, too, and she meets your eyes. 

Something passes between you, but you don’t have a name for it. 

You don’t need one. 

Haley takes a breath and tucks her hair behind her ears. She redirects Jack’s attention to you, and his eyes light up. She helps him scramble off the bed and he books it around the bed to you. 

You close the case file and open your arms to him. “Hi, bud.” It’s hard not to scare him with the feverish way you hold him close, your fingers wound in his hair. 

There’s a failed attempt to avoid thinking about the uncertainty of the future, when you’ll see him again. 

If ever.

Stop. 

The pair of you lean back for a minute, and you brush his hair away from his forehead. 

“Are you going away, too?” He asks. 

You shake your head. “I’m gonna stay here with your dad.” 

“Are you going to keep my dad safe? I’m going to keep Mom safe.”

It’s Aaron who looks away this time. 

“Of course, my love.” You offer him something you hope looks like a smile. “We always keep each other safe. We’re a team, like you and your momma. I’m so proud of you.” You check in with Haley, who’s looking away, the back of her hand swiping at her cheek. When she turns back to you, you tilt your head a little. 

Want a minute? 

She nods. 

You stand, Jack still tucked against your chest. “I think,” you say, as he sits back in your arms, “Miss Emily and Miss JJ are back and might have something fun for you over there.” You tip your head toward the waiting room. “Wanna go see?”

He nods, leaning back into you and playing with your collar. You pat Aaron’s knee and squeeze Haley’s shoulder with your free hand as you pass. 

Aaron watches you go, your low murmuring comforts to Jack lost in the ambient hospital noise. When you find JJ and look back, giving him a small (if not a little watery) smile, he looks over at Haley, guilt closing up his throat. 

“I’m so sorry, Haley. I promise, when this is all over, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” 

She gives him a half-smile and sits on the edge of his bed. She reaches for him, and he takes both of her hands in his. There’s silence for a moment as they sit together. She studies him. 

While it doesn’t bother him (she has been looking at him for nearly twenty-five years, after all), he does feel more exposed under her gaze than he’s used to. 

“You should do something about that, one of these days,” she says, looking over her shoulder. You’re still visible in the window, talking to JJ while Jack is still glued to you. His little arms are tight around your neck, his head tucked under your chin.

Aaron’s brow furrows, but the EKG picks up the increase in his heart rate, much to his embarrassment. “What are you talking about?”

Haley laughs, a light, watery, delicate thing, and turns back to him. It almost brings a smile to his face. “Do you think I don’t know what you look like when you’re head over heels, Aaron Hotchner? After eighteen years of marriage and twenty-five years knowing you? Give me a break.”

His jaw grows tight, but he holds her gaze. 

“You used to look at me like that, you know.” A little smile plays at her lips and she looks down, almost shy. “Still do, sometimes.” 

“I love you, Haley.” 

She squeezes his hand. “I know you do.” A sigh leaves her and she looks over her shoulder again, just catching a glimpse of you and JJ out in the hall with Jack as you go scavenging for something sweet. There’s a little smile at the corner of her mouth when she turns back to him. “You are so loved, Aaron.” 

“I don't…” He huffs, frustrated. “I don’t feel -”

“I’m not saying you have to do anything, but it might do you some good to just…” She sighs, throwing a hand up in a kind of searching gesture. “I don’t know, be honest with yourself. Think for a minute.” 

His teeth worry the inside of his lower lip as he thinks about it. He does care about you. But love? 

He thinks of the way his chest feels too small whenever you laugh, the way he always goes above and beyond to make sure you’re safe in the field, how he looks for you when you’re out of the room, how he looks for you when you’re in the room. 

The way you are with Jack brings him to his knees every time. The sound of his son’s laughter under your tickling fingers never fails to bring a smile to his face. 

You’ve helped him heal what seemed like an insurmountable chasm between him and Haley, and though it’s not perfect, it’s better than it would ever be without you. 

You always take a second to straighten his tie and ensure his suit jacket lays flat across his shoulders before leaving the plane, just like he always takes time to count the rounds in your magazines or tuck your tag back into your shirt collar. 

He always feels so warm under your fond and attentive touch. With a little bit of alarm, he hopes you feel the same under his. Safe. Cared-for. 

Loved. 

Oh. 

Oh no.

He knows the realization is clear on his face when Haley laughs again, surprising them both. She swipes at her eyes again, clearing any remaining tears. “You know, I can’t say I’m surprised you didn’t know, but it’s still funny, even with all this.” She shakes her head. “You haven’t changed much, have you?”

His face breaks out into a little smile as he looks back at her. “Oh, quit.” 

“I’ll never quit giving you hell, as long as we live.” Haley reaches out, pushing gently against his shoulder. He takes the shove like a champ, even through the ache in his chest and abdomen, thankful she’s not treating him like he’s made of glass. 

“Don’t I know it.” 

They look at each other for a minute before Aaron sobers, the mirth evaporating between them. He already misses her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for all of this. I’m hoping it’ll be...temporary.” 

“I do have a life, Aaron. And Jack…” She sighs and her eyes fill with tears again. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I wish there was another way to keep you safe, but -” He cuts himself off, knowing there’s nothing he can say. 

She swallows again. She already misses him. “How am I supposed to keep him safe when there’s nobody I know to help me?”

He sighs, but speaks with conviction. “Haley, you’re strong. You lived with me in this job and you’ve practically raised Jack all by yourself. You’re a great mother.” 

Haley’s actively crying now, trying to stem the tears with her fingers. It’s not working. After a moment, she collects herself. “Can you catch this man?”

“I will catch this man.”

+++

When she leaves Aaron’s room, you bring Jack to her. You take a moment to lightly fuss over them both. 

Her blue eyes find yours. “Take care of him, please?”

You nod. “I will.” 

“He needs you.” 

She says it with a simple kind of conviction that makes your chest pull. You put a hand on her shoulder, trying to communicate everything you can’t say into your touch. “He needs you more.” 

“No, he doesn’t.” Her lips twist in an odd sort of smile and she wraps you in a hug and kisses your cheek. “I’ll see you soon.” 

You hold her tight, Jack trapped (and whining a little) between you. “See you soon, Hales.” You pull back, looking deeply into her eyes. “We’ll get him.” 

The U.S. Marshals arrive, and you have to let go of each other. You press a kiss to Jack’s forehead and tell him you love him one more time, and wait until they’re in the car and out of sight before you break down. 

You don’t know where he came from, but Derek wraps around you, catching you before your knees hit the ground. You don't know what you’re crying about, really. 

It could be the overwhelming task of catching Foyet.

It could be Hotch in the room down the hall with nine stab wounds to his chest and abdomen. 

It could be the indefinite absence of your dear friend and her son - a boy you love more than anyone except maybe -

Nope. Don’t go there. Not now. 

Sobs wrack your chest, and your head hurts and your throat is sore by the time your body lets you breathe. 

Derek’s there the whole time, rubbing your back and keeping your face hidden in the crook of his neck and shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, kiddo. It’ll be okay. He’s okay. We’re gonna catch this son of a bitch.” 

“It’s just so much, Derek.” 

He sighs. “I know. I know.”

+++

“Did you hear what happened this morning?”

You’re woken by Dave’s voice, coming from the doorway. Cramped and crunched into the corner of an uncomfortable chair, you stretch and what feels like every joint in your body cracks. 

“No.”

When did Aaron wake up? 

You look over at him and he glances at you before returning to Dave, who’s leaning on the door frame. 

“We had a situation. Unsub had already killed two people. Said he was gonna keep killing unless a man used his son as bait.”

“What happened?”

Good question. 

Belatedly, you realize you’ve neglected your case duties all day in favor of holding vigil over Aaron’s bedside. The weirdest part about it? The rest of the team let you. 

Why? 

“We kept the boy safe. Worked the profile. It was a happy ending.” 

That’s good, at least. One fucking happy ending today. 

It’s like Dave’s reading your mind as he asks Aaron, “Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

“Yes.” Aaron’s gaze is impassive, but there are universes behind his eyes. 

“No other group in the world could have pulled off what yours did in a matter of hours.” Dave checks in with you, and the corner of your mouth lifts. 

Sorry. 

He shakes his head just a little. No sweat, kid. You did your job.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Dave, but -”

Dave cuts him off. “We’ll get Foyet.”

“I promised Haley I would get him. But the truth is, if he stops killing we have no way of tracking him. He stopped killing for ten years just for the pleasure of watching Shaunessy’s life fall apart.” 

He’s crying again, and your heart breaks. You’re surprised Dave can’t hear it crack all the way across the room. 

“What’s Jack going to remember about me in ten years?”

No. 

“Hotch, look at me.” You rise from your chair and sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb his position. He turns his head just so, his brown eyes locking onto yours. “We’ll get him. We will get him.”

We have to. 

+++

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[mostly-marvel-musings]

Clingy

Request: I love Thor so much PLEASE for the fall prompts maybe some soft Thor and reader cuddling under a blanket watching scary movies with the rest of the Avengers? Maybe some classic avengers banter and Thor just being weirdly cuddly and clingy.

Fall Prompts Masterlist

Pairing: Thor Odinson x Reader

Warnings: Fluff.

Word count: 1176

…

“No…No please!”

Thanos was towering over the love of your life, Stormbreaker lodged deep in Thor’s chest as you watched him bleed to death before your eyes. His face covered in bruises and cuts, eyes showing nothing but loss and acceptance of his fate, he was gazing at you in fear, seeming unsure as to how long he had before his eyes closed and you vanished from his sight.

Your hands and legs seemed frozen as you couldn’t move them, nothing to do except watch Thor’s life slipping away by the minute, death’s arms slowly encircling his frail weakened body.

Writhing under the sheets as sweat broke on your forehead, your distressed groans reached Thor’s ears effectively waking him up from a deep sleep. The soft sheets were tangled between your legs and your sleep shirt had ridden up to your midriff as you thrashed about fighting an unseen enemy, face contorted in pain.

Thor sat up, worried and gently tapped your shoulder to bring you back to consciousness but cautious not to startle you.

“(Y/N), my love wake up, please.” He whispered, rubbing your arm up and down now as you weren’t waking up.

Your eyes flew wide open as you screamed, chest heaving as you sat up frantically looking around your surroundings. Positively shaking, you struggled to get your breathing back to normal as Thor’s concerned face came into your line of vision, his hands lightly gripping your shoulders, thumbs rubbing the skin there.

“It’s okay, it wasn’t real, it was just a dream.” He offered, gauging your reaction, trying to be of help.

“You um—you were, he had you—” unable to form a sentence, your shaky voice made him anxious as he slid closer by your side.

“Hush now my love, I’m right here.”

Thor opened his arms for you and wrapped you in a hug, whispering comforting words in your ear, occasionally kissing your hair. Your fists crumpled the front of his shirt and a strangled sob escaped, now sure he was really here and that it was just a terrible dream, the worst one you had in months.

He didn’t ask any further questions as drew soothing patterns on your back, still holding you tight against his chest as your breathing evened out and sleep took over yet again.

…

“Okay we’ll see you then, bye!”

Your fingers weaved through Thor’s hair, his head in your lap, as you spoke to Wanda on the phone about a movie night at the compound with the team. You smiled down at the God, mindlessly playing with his earlobe as you informed him about dinner plans with your Avenger friends.

He had been extra loving and caring ever since you told him about your nightmare that had scared him as much as it did you. After that night, he didn’t seem to want to let you out of his sight which you found very endearing.

Putting your favorite earrings on, you straightened out your outfit for the night and turned to find Thor staring at you, leaning against the doorway of your bedroom, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“What?”

“Nothing, you look so beautiful.”

Even after years of being together, his compliments never failed to make you blush. You looked down shuffling your feet, cheeks warm under his affectionate gaze.

You were sure if he kept gazing at you, you wouldn’t make to dinner so you snapped him out of it and hurried him out of the house.

…

After a delicious dinner and a few glasses of wine, everyone settled on the couches in the common room to watch The Shining – a collective favorite amongst the team, excluding Steve who didn’t seem too keen at first but joined everybody regardless.

Bucky and Sam argued over something silly before Nat broke them up. Wanda sat on the floor covered in a blanket, surfing through the selection of movies.

Thor pulled you to his side on one of the sectionals as you draped a soft blanket over the two of you. Tony asked Friday to dim the lights and the movie began, you settled in placing your arm over Thor’s soft tummy.

Halfway through the movie as Jack Torrance slowly descended into madness, you felt Thor’s burning gaze on your face, his breathing had been so even you were sure he was asleep. When he didn’t look away, you sighed and remarked,

“Thor, you’re staring.”

“I’m gazing.”

“It’s creepy.”

“Some would say it’s romantic.” He whispered, placing a kiss to your temple making you giggle.

You pulled the blanket away and sat up, heading for the kitchen to grab some water. Thor followed you in the room, grabbing your pinkie finger in his hand.

As you opened the fridge, you felt strong arms reach around your waist and pull you back against his chest. Scraggly beard tickled your neck while his soft lips littered the side of your face with a million kisses, turning your insides to mush.

“You’re very clingy today.” You murmured, eyes closed, tilting your neck to offer more skin for him to caress.

“Is that bad?”

“Not at all.”

You turned in his arms, grabbing his face and pulling him in for a reassuring kiss, which he willingly returned. Running his hands all over your body as if you’d melt away if he didn’t hold onto you.

The kiss left you intoxicated, the need to be alone with your God of Thunder never felt so strong. As you broke apart to catch your breath, he held your hands close to his chest, head bowed down.

“What is it Thor?” tilting his face up, you made him look at you as you prodded gently.

“I’m afraid he’ll come back making you disappear again, like you did before…” he couldn’t finish the sentence as his eyes opened and what stared back was a look that broke your heart.

The amount of pain, dread and affection in those mismatched yet beautiful eyes tugged at your heartstrings, made you stand on your tippy toes to give him a peck on his forehead.

The events after the snap had changed everyone’s lives, Thor had been affected the most though. Losing everyone he ever cared about, his family, his friends, the love of his life. He blamed himself for all that happened, wallowing and staying away from all that reminded him of the dark past.

“I think we’ve had more than our share of terrible days but they’re gone now. Thanos is dead, he’s gone. For good. I’m not going anywhere, you said so yourself they’re just silly dreams right?” you asked softly as he nodded his head, making you smile.

“You’re right, it’s just that—”

“Hush now, my love. Everything’s fine. I’m right here.” You repeated his comforting words to you.

“I love you so much.” He whispered, kissing you again.

“I love you more.”

You grabbed his hands once more and tugged him out of the kitchen.

“Now come on let’s go back, you don’t want to miss the bloody elevator scene.”

…

[maybe-your-left]

hiii boo 💜 can we get something angsty with boyfriend kylo? maybe something with cheating?

theme for this oneshot 🦋

you want angst with Ky???

———

I’m off work early.

“Oh fuck yes,” you cried out, tightening your hold on a set of strong shoulders. Moaning obscenely as they fucked you, legs wrapping around pistoning hips. A wet mouth enveloped your earlobe, shushing you to quiet down. You shook him off, wailing again as his cock pressed right there inside you.

Grabbing dinner, what do you want?

“Jesus, babe,” he chuckled in your ear, “Has it been this long since he fucked you like this?”

You landed a harsh smack to his shoulder, “Don’t talk about him.”

Answer your phone.

A harsh thrust, lips colliding together. You moaned into his lips, wanting to erase everything he touched. The years wasted hoping for something you wouldn’t have, you believed everything was going to be okay.

Getting pizza, since you won’t fucking answer.

“Fuck,” he huffed in your ear, letting you bury your face in his neck. You could feel how well he fit inside you, claiming you like you weren’t belonging to someone else. Walls clenching as he pushed you towards your climax, milking his cock as he twitched inside you.

Where are you?

You pulled back, staring slack-jawed at his tense face. Cheeks red from fucking you ruthlessly, both of you looking in the eyes of the other. You placed a soft kiss on his lips as you both came, humming at the warm feeling in your center.

Hello?

He looked at you longingly, eyes hooded as he watched you come down. You hated it after, having his stare at you like that. Like you were worth something, like you mattered, when you know you haven’t for a long time.

“I love you,” he mumbled.

You let out a chuckle, kind of a cross between a laugh and sob, pushing him off you so you could roll out of bed. Grabbing your phone to scroll through your messages, “Only 6 this time,” you whispered to yourself.

Standing quickly, you didn’t want him to touch you after. It just crossed a line you could cross, not with him. It felt worse than sleeping together. You popped into the bathroom, quickly cleaning yourself up. Even though it was useless, the two of you hadn’t had sex in months. He wouldn’t know if you had some other dudes cum inside you. Just like how you know he uses mouthwash before he comes home, so you can’t taste the other woman’s cunt on his breath.

You could feel him watching you, laying back in his ruined bed as you dressed yourself. Brushing your hair and teeth, trying to look presentable, not that he would ask where you were when you stumbled home. You didn’t ask him.

“Why are you going back?”

You laughed again, tugging on your shoes from a chair in the corner. Not looking up as you answered, “It’s my house.”

He padded across the floor to stand before you, crouching down so you were forced to stare into his face. A gentle hand lifted your chin, “You don’t have to go, you can stay here with me?”

“No, Vic,” you sighed, “I can’t do that.”

Vicrul’s face scrunched with displeasure. Moving to slump down on the bed as you gathered your bag. His icy eyes watching your every move. You let out a long sigh when you finished, looking around the room to see if you missed something.

“He doesn’t love you,” Vicrul mumbled, “You know that, right? He’s never loved you, not like I’ve loved you.”

“Bye, Vic.”

-----

The door was locked, forcing you to shamefully search for your keys. No doubt alerting him of your presence. You slipped your shoes off in the dim entryway, the living room lights off. Nothing in there disturbed, in probably weeks. You would probably need to dust in there again.

Same story in the dining room, a cabinet full of fine china behind the tables. Untouched since the day they were gifted to you, no one wanted to come over anymore.

You moved to the staircase, about to make your way up to the guest room, well your room now.

“Where were you?”

A light flicked on in the kitchen, illuminating him.

Seated at the breakfast table, arms crossed and brow furrowed with fake worry. His phone sitting facedown on the surface, “(Y/N),” he asked again, “Where were you?”

You shrugged, letting your hood fall off your head, “Just out Kylo.”

A hum, he turned away from you for a moment. Pretending to focus on something in your backyard, “Out where? Your location was turned off when I went to check.”

You rolled your eyes, “Just out, it’s not against the law to be out of the house.”

“You could’ve been hurt, and I wouldn’t have known where you were.”

You scoffed, slowly walking over to the table. He turned his head back, dark eyes glaring at you as you moved. Almost growling the closer you came. You set your back on the floor, matching his menacing stare.

“If we are asking questions like that, where have you been going every other day?”

Kylo recoiled slightly, opening his mouth to respond but you stopped him, “Hm? Do you think I don’t know? Cause I know you aren’t going to the gym with your friends like you say you are. But you always seem to come home very sweaty, so wanna answer that, or are we done here?”

He said nothing, readjusting his arms instead.

“Yeah,” you teased, spinning on your feet, “That’s what I thought big guy.”

-----

You showered.

It was easy, being blind to his infidelities. There were so many of them it was hard to keep track of them after a few weeks. Just shrugging when your friends showed you pictures, girls sending you screenshots of text messages, Tinder profiles, dick pics. It was just easier to know that he was just out there being shitty, no attachments or anything.

He would always come home to you, even if he slept downstairs.

Not that you wanted him near you, you could barely stomach it when he tried to touch you. The quick kiss when he came home was more than you could handle, and it made you sick. Why he thought it was okay to do that to you, you never tried to initiate things when you started sleeping with Vicrul.

But that was because it wasn’t just a one-time thing.

It felt wrong to allow Kylo in after Vicrul expressed his desire for you.

Laying in bed you tried to relax, rolling on your back in the center. Cocooning yourself in the warm blankets you pulled from downstairs, surrounded by plush pillows. You turned on some soft music, perfect to drift off to sleep to. Anything to help you escape the nightmare that slept downstairs.

But fate had other plans.

Your door flew open.

An angry Kylo storming in, dressed in his pajamas. Fists clenched at his side as he loomed over the edge of the bed. You rolled your eyes, closed your eyes to drift off to sleep once more. But Kylo yanked on your blankets, revealing your absence of clothes.

You screeched at him, covering yourself as best you could as he threw the blankets on the floor in a huff.

“What the fuck dude!”

“You have to stop sleeping with him.”

You furrowed your brow, sinking back into your divet in the mattress. Kylo didn’t look at your body, eyes trained on your face. One of them twitching like it does when he’s very angry, you cleared your throat, “Excuse me?”

“You will end whatever is going on with Vicrul.”

“Um,” you feigned innocence, “Come again?”

He groaned, running his fingers through his hair as he looked away, “I know that I haven’t been great but you can’t be sleeping with him-”

“You don’t get-”

“I’m fucking talking now,” he snarled at you, climbing on the bed on his knees. Kylo grasped your wrists in his palms, pinning them beside your head, “You got to talk downstairs and now it’s my turn, you will end your relationship with Vicrul. Right now.”

“I don’t fucking think so buster.”

He huffed in your face, eye twitching again, “I know I haven’t been the best lately, but I haven’t been letting someone else tell me they love me. Or returning it for that matter.”

You snorted, wiggling your arms to try and break free, “Whatever-you’ve been sleeping around with hundreds of girls. Telling them how pretty they are, how good you would be to them, how you would cherish them every day if you had the chance. And now you come in here, accusing me of shit, when you don’t have any evidence that I’ve done something when I have pages of dirt on you!”

Kylo leaned off you, glaring down at you as you spat out more, “I’m not stopping anything, Vicrul at least cares about me! Unlike you-you cheating fuck! You’ve been fucking other girls left and right and you dare to come at me like I’m the monster! How dare you Kylo!”

Silence.

“At least I know what it feels like to have someone love me. Because you, Kylo, do not love me.”

You pushed him hard on the chest, his footsteps staggering as he stood from your bed. Not once looking at you, just staring at the ground as he took deep breaths. You gathered the blankets from the floor, plopping down in a huff so you could resituate yourself.

A soft sniffle earned your attention, almost shocked when you saw Kylo staring at you. His bottom lip quivering slightly, nose red from holding in a sob, eyes lined with tears unshed. He took in a staggered breath, “Do you love him?”

“Wha-”

“Do you love him?”

You looked away, pinching the edge of the blanket between your fingertips. Trying to ignore the soft tears being shed before you, or the sound of him moving to the side of your bed. Weight settling to your left as he sat down, “I have always loved you.”

You stayed quiet, rolling away from him so he faced your back.

“I don’t love any of those girls, I don’t want any of those girls. I don’t want to see them every morning, having to share a bathroom with them. Eating cereal together, fighting over the TV together, or buying a fucking car and house or all the shit that I’ve done with you. I would rather sleep alone with you up here the rest of my life than have to have a real conversation with one of those bimbos I fucked.”

A warm hand touched your waist, a touch you hadn’t welcomed in a long time. Causing you to let out a choked sob, burying your face into your pillow to drown out his words. He gave you a sharp squeeze, taking a deep breath, “Do you still love me?”

You shrugged, rolling now on your stomach to try and smother yourself. Kylo’s hand followed you, draping his strong arm across your back. “I have to know, please,” he whispered into your hair.

“I can’t love you, not when you’re sleeping with all of them.”

“Okay.”

You sobbed again, allowing Kylo to collect you in his arms. Crying into your hair, rocking both your bodies in your blankets. He apologized between his own tears, holding you tighter as you cried back. Cursing and accusing him of everything you thought about hurling at him the past few months. Clawing against his skin, trying to mark him with the emptiness you felt every time he left you.

It felt like days had passed since you and Kylo cried together. Apologizing, and accusing, and apologizing again until the early hours of the morning. Feeling a little less broken, but still wounded as he held you against his chest. Both of your eyes puffy with tears, voices strained as you whispered I love you’s to each other for the first time in months. Rubbing chest to chest, skin on skin, lips on lips, the passion and fear flowing through you both like you were one.

You both promised to move on.

To forgive.

But never forget.

———

color me in tears anon.

TAGGING: @finn-ray-nal-beads​​ @onlykyloscenes s​​ @candycanes19​​ @historyandfandoms50​​ @caelum-phyriina-vermillon​​ @ghoulian13​​ @mrs-kylo-ren​​ @millenialcatlady​​ @mrs-zimmerman @relationshipwithmybed​ @dancingmicrobes​​ @wayward-rose​​ @contesa-lui-alucard​​ @daydreamsofren​​ @insufferablelust​​ @ohdamnadamm​​ @mariesackler​​ @caillea​ @safarigirlsp​ @jalexunderthestars s​​ @shesakillerkween​​ @glassythoughts​ @zimmermansbrat​ @not-the-teen-witch​ @jynzandtonic @roanniom

[harrysweasleys]

Don’t Hide From Me

Synopsis: Slytherin!Reader suffers from major anxiety but doesn’t tell her boyfriend George Weasley. One day, the Weasley siblings find her confiding in Draco and George wants answers.

Warnings: anxiety, angst, language

Word Count: 2,703

A/N: If any of you deal with anxiety or anything else, I always have my inbox open if you need to talk. xxx 

The Great Hall during breakfast was usually non-stop chitter chatter to the point where you could barely hear the person next to you if they spoke to you at a regular volume. Today was not that case. Umbridge sat proudly at the front of the room, a wicked grin on her face as she overlooked the grumpy students, loving the power she held over the room even if there was nothing for her to do.

The Slytherin house was her favourite, so your friends didn’t have much to say about her and her evil-ness, but you couldn’t stand her. She knew damn well what she was doing at Hogwarts and she was loving it.

Every morning you’d come down and right as you’d enter the Great Hall, you’d be forced to read another one of her new rules she had Filch nail up overnight. They had gotten ridiculous, including rules such as ‘girls and boys must stay 8 inches away from each other’ and even ‘no Weasley products to be used in school.’

Although you didn’t see your boyfriend George too often during the school day, the evenings where you got to see him before curfew were filled with him complaining about every single aspect of the pink witch. You complained about her a lot too, you weren’t going to lie, but it was more involving the fact that that woman had instilled stress in you that you didn’t even think was possible.

You had trouble sleeping at night, and on the occasion where you did fall asleep, you had nightmares about her banishing you from the grounds or torturing you the way other students had told you she's done. You were anxious out of your mind about every little thing. You had started to lose patience with the people around you, and found yourself feeling drained nearly every second of the day. Umbridge really had a tight grip on your mental health.

“You seem lost in thought,” Pansy’s nasally voice brought you back to reality.

You snapped your head in her direction, shrugging, “I’m just thinking about OWLs, I guess.”

Pansy nodded, “Who cares? They’re stupid exams anyways. Just go with the flow and stop overthinking.”

You nodded along, not really caring about her opinion on anything school related anyways. She barely ever showed up to class so listening to her academic advice was at the bottom of your to-do list. You knew the OWLs were a huge deal and there was no way you wouldn’t ‘overthink’ because you would be damned if you didn’t work your ass off to pass those exams.

“I’m going to go to the Common Room, I’m drained.” You waved bye to your friends and started making your way out of the hall, being interrupted along the way by a tall ginger boy.

“Y/N! Hey, wait, I have an idea to run by you.” George gave you a wicked grin, almost making you do the same. His smile was contagious, no one could deny it.

“What is it, Georgie?” You smiled, letting him lead you out of the Great Hall where he knew no one could hear him even if they wanted to. He wasn’t exactly a quiet talker.

You walked further down the corridor, way out of sight from the Great Hall, and sat on a bench, turning to face the twin.

“What do you think about making sugar that takes your voice away? That way we can slip it into Umbridge’s tea before class starts and she’d have no voice for the whole lesson.” He gave you jazz hands as he finished explaining his idea, his eyebrows high up on his forehead.

“Oh, um, do you really think that’s a good idea?” You leaned back, slouching your shoulders slightly, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the idea of pranking her, it’s just I don’t want her to realize it’s a prank and then make this whole situation worse than it should be.”

George sat back, almost disappointed that you weren’t on board, “Really? I thought you’d be all for getting back at her for the Black Quill thing.” He finished talking, running his fingers over the faint scar on his left hand from when Umbridge punished you all after finding out about Dumbledore’s Army.

“Look, if you want to prank her go ahead,” you sighed, feeling defeated, also running your fingers over the back of your left hand, “Just don’t involve me.”

George furrowed his eyebrows, “Wait, what? You always want to be involved.”

You adjusted your robe, feeling uncomfortable, “I… I’m just drained, George. Sorry.”

He shook his head, standing up, “Alright, fine. That’s fine.” And without another word, he took off down the corridor, leaving you sulking on the bench by yourself.

You internally groaned, hating that you upset him, but also not feeling up to running after him and explaining why you’ve been so off lately. You sat there for another few minutes, guilt seeping into your chest on top of everything else you’ve been feeling.

You eventually got up, went to get your books in your room, and head off to potions class. You sat at the back, hoping no one would sit next to you so you could avoid any sort of conversation or social interaction, and opened your book, ready to attempt to take notes despite the fact that you couldn’t focus on anything for more than two seconds before your mind wandered outside of the class.

The class went by excruciatingly slow.

Snape must have been in a worse mood than usual, glaring at the class as if you guys had caused every problem in his life, and assigning homework like you had no other classes to focus on.

You went to the great hall for dinner that night feeling a million times worse than you had that morning. You tried sitting away from your friends, not feeling up to talking to them, and munched on the tiny portion of food on your plate. You let your eyes wander over to the Gryffindor table, your heart clenching in your chest as you noticed George looking over at you, his expression unreadable.

You wanted to mouth ‘I’m sorry’ over to him, but before you could, he turned to his left and started laughing at a joke Ron had made. You felt your face drop. You had upset him more than you thought. He usually couldn’t keep his eyes off of you at dinner time.

You made your way back to the common room that night with a slight drop in your step, overthinking the current situation with George. What if he broke up with you because he thought you were over him? Or bored with him? George oozed confidence where you lacked it, and maybe he’d realize that and move onto someone who aimed for the same level of fun as him.

When you two first started dating, you did everything together. Pranks, jokes, you even helped him develop candy ideas with Fred. All of that seemed so far away now that everything at school had changed and fun seemed to be non-existent.

You turned a corner, immediately realizing you were in the completely wrong area of the school. To be honest, you had no idea where you were. You looked around, not even sure where you had come from, and leaned against a wall in complete defeat. You slow fell down to the ground, feeling the hot tears pricking at your eyes and making your throat itch.

Great.

What if Filch found you and brought you to Umbridge?

You brought your knees to your chest, the tears already flowing down your cheeks as you leaned your head down, crying silently in the middle of a random corridor.

“What’s your problem?” A voice grabbed your attention, and you brought the sleeve of your robe up to your eyes, wiping away the pathetic tears.

Draco Malfoy stood there, arms crossed and a confused expression on his face, “Y/N? Why are you sitting here crying?”

“I was lost,” you mumbled quietly, cursing yourself for showing your emotions in front of someone who was bound to make fun of you for it.

“That’s it? You’re just crying because you’re lost?” He asked, eyebrows raising in amusement.

You rolled your eyes, “No, it’s more than just that…”

He seemed to debate something in his head, but brushed it aside and slowly walked over to you and sat down, “Um… do you, like, I don’t know, feel like venting or whatever?”

“Really? You want to listen to my problems?” You asked, a dry chuckle accompanying it.

“Why not? What else have I got to do? Besides, I’m not on duty anymore since we found the secret club you had with your friends.” He leaned his head back against the wall, a proud smirk on his lips as he thought back to how he barged in to the Room of Requirements and dragged you out by your hair alongside people you had grown really fond of.

“You told me I was an embarrassment to Slytherin, Malfoy.” You reminded him, watching him roll his eyes.

“Whatever, do you want to vent or not?” He asked, turning to face you with an emotionless glare.

“Fine. I’m stressed.”

“And?”

“And what?”

He waved his hands, “What else? You’re not just stressed. Everyone’s stressed, we don’t all cry about it.”

“Fine, you really want to know?” You took a deep breath, “I’m stressed about failing my OWLs, I’m stressed about Umbridge kicking me out, I’m stressed about the millions of homework assignments we have to do, I’m worried about my family with this whole ‘dark lord rising again’ situation, I’m worried about George, his entire family hates me and I think he’s starting to as well. I haven’t slept properly in two months, I don’t eat, I want to avoid talking to people as much as possible. I also get really bad headaches sometimes, but maybe it’s because I’ve got a thousand things going on in my mind.”

Draco’s eyes were wide as you started crying again, “That’s impossible. People can’t feel that many things at once.”

“Just because you don’t feel at all doesn’t mean other people can’t, you idiot.”

He chuckled at your comment, “I’m not good at advice, but I think for starters, you need to eat and sleep. And then, talk to the Weasel and sort out your drama there.”

You nodded, wiping your tears once more, “Yeah, I know. It’s just hard. I can’t focus on doing anything.”

Before he could answer you, a crowd of voices came around the corner and your eyes widened when you noticed the ginger bunch looking down at you two.

“Y/N?” Ginny asked, arms crossed, “Should have known we’d find you with Malfoy eventually.”

Ron scoffed, agreeing with his sister. You looked behind them and noticed Fred scowling at you.

“What? No, we were just talking. Where’s George?” You asked, standing up quickly to face them.

“Please, as if we’d let you near our brother. I know you’re a Slytherin but I thought you’d be more loyal than that.” Ron glared at you.

“What? I am loyal, what are you talking about?” You felt your face go pale, worried they’d run back and tell George something that wasn’t true.

“You and Malfoy. It’s blatantly obvious.” Ginny mumbled, pointing behind you to the platinum headed boy who was now standing behind you.

“Let me just cut you off there,” Draco spoke up, “If you guys are thinking what I think you’re thinking, don’t. As if I’d be interested in her.”

You wanted to be insulted, but you knew if you reacted they’d think you have feelings for him, so you nodded, “Why the hell would I run off with Malfoy? You think I can stand looking at his face for more than five minutes a day? I was lost and crying and he somehow found me… Don’t know why he was down here, but anyways, he listened to me vent. That’s it.”

Ginny scoffed, pushing her brothers the other direction and out of sight. You wanted to call after them but you knew not to piss them off, you didn’t want to sink your reputation even deeper in the Weasley family.

“So… that was harsh,” Draco whistled lowly, “Why do you hate my face?”

“Sod off, Malfoy,” you rolled your eyes, “Lead me back to the common room, I want to go to bed.”

He complied, and the two of you walked back in silence. You felt defeated, heart broken, and you knew damn well George would hear all about how you were sitting next to Draco Malfoy in a dark corridor.

You sulked up to your room and crashed down on your bed, not even bothering to change your clothes as you thought of all the ways you could talk to George and clear things up. You had a feeling he probably wouldn’t talk to you, but right now, that was your top priority.

The next morning, you stormed down to the great hall, determination in your step, and bee-lined straight towards the ginger haired section of the Gryffindor table. You could hear Ron groan upon seeing you, but you ignored it, facing the twins.

“George, we need to talk.”

He looked at you with squinted eyes, “You sure your boyfriend would allow that?” He pointed his head behind you. You turned to face where he was looking, eyes falling on Malfoy who was deep in conversation with Goyle.

“We need to talk.” You repeated, placing your hands on your hips.

George stood up slowly, much to the distaste of his siblings, and followed you out of the hall. You turned right and found yourselves in along the courtyard - thank God.

“Now, I’m only going to say this once, I am not cheating with Malfoy, or whatever the hell it is you were told last night,” you spoke up, cutting him off with your hand before he could say anything, “Malfoy found me crying and he tried to comfort me, I guess the one decent bone he has in his body acted up or something, I don’t know, but anyways, he sat there and listened while I vented to him about everything that’s going on.”

“And what is going on?” George pressed, crossing his arms.

You sighed, “I haven’t told you but I think I have anxiety issues.”

“Wait, for real?” He asked, his face softening slightly.

“Yeah,” you nodded slowly, “It’s everything going on with Umbridge and the exams, there’s so much school work, no one’s doing anything about the Dark Lord being back, I’m worried about my family, I can’t focus in class. I can’t sleep, I don’t eat, I’m always tired because I overthink every tiny situation and I feel like I’m failing at everything.”

You stopped rambling, catching your breath and gaging George’s expression. His face softened and he dropped his arms, “Oh Y/N, why didn’t you tell me?”

Shrugging, you looked down to your feet, “You just seem so… I don’t know. You’re always having fun, I didn’t want to burden you with all of my baggage, I guess. Your siblings keep saying you could do better than me and I feel like they’re right.”

George pulled you into a hug, rubbing your hair softly with his hand as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, “No, no, there’s no one better than you. I’m so, so sorry I overreacted and acted like a complete tosspot,” he pulled away and gave you a comforting smile, “Please, never be afraid to open up to me about anything. I want to help, I want to be here for you. Don’t hide from me.”

You smiled into his chest, “I know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have known you’d want to help me.”

“Of course I do, you’re my girl,” he mumbled against your skin, sending warm vibrations down your spine as you revelled in the feeling of his hug.

“Now, you wanted to prank Umbridge?” You pulled away and grinned at him, a twinkle in your eye.

“Oh, yes.”