#want to stop making music or whatever. she's got room to improve ! she might drop a single or an album i really like some day who knows

[grodyego]

ok i just listened to chappell roan for the first time to see what all the hype was about. and no offense to her at all or anybody who likes her music. but. people are claiming that she's "the first lesbian to actually make good music" over that ? that's what got people dressing up as her and forgetting how to act in public ? well ok

[nothoughtsonlynat]

Resurrect Me (N.R.)

Warnings: swearing; death; Hell/the Underworld; cliff jumping lol

Word Count≈ 3.1k (yikes lol my bad)

Hecate一 the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. Known to be an intricate mosaic of good and evil, destruction and beauty. Capable of granting wishes, summoning the dead, resurrections, teleportation, warping realities on unfathomable scales, mind control, energy manipulation, and any sorcery or magic known to the Gods. Second only to Zeus himself.

I am the human embodiment of Hecate. I am not Hecate; she merely resides in the depths of my soul and provides me guidance. We do not communicate through words; she speaks through dreams and gut feelings, and sometimes even through signs in the outside world. I have not mastered the powers she’s granted me, nor have I reached my full potential. In addition to the Goddess’ powers, I hold the basic Olympian powers, such as superhuman speed and stamina. I have no recollection of how I merged with Hecate or the life I lived before this point, and she has provided me with no answers, but I do not question her motives. 

Agent Phil Coulson came across me in my temple in Turkey. Apparently, he had discovered strange energy readings coming from the temple. When he arrived, I used the power of energy manipulation to blow the concrete off of me, and that is the first thing I remember一 emerging from underneath Hecate’s temple.

I joined the Avengers during the Battle of New York. Agent Coulson had recommended me to Fury when he was piecing together the Avengers Initiative. In the three years between my awakening and the invasion, I practiced my sorcery mercilessly and studied Hecate deep in the Greek countryside. I’ve stuck with the Avengers throughout the years, fighting every battle alongside them. Through the ups and downs, I’ve fallen head over heels for Natasha Romanoff. One would assume that with so much power, I’d be confident and have any mortal begging at my feet. That couldn’t be any more inaccurate, however. As I’ve said, I am not Hecate; I am simply the human embodiment of the goddess. And as a human, I turn into a blushing, stuttering mess whenever the levelheaded assassin is near. Consequently, there have been many years of pining, but I’ve yet to muster up the courage to ask the woman on a date.

In our most recent war, we’ve gone up against a mad titan一 Thanos. We lost terribly. Half of all living things inhabiting the universe were snapped away. I can’t help but ponder whether things would’ve gone differently if I had better mastered my powers. I potentially hold all the capabilities of the goddess of magic; aside from Zeus, I hold more power than any being to ever exist. I’ve practiced my sorcery every day for the past five years on the off chance that we ever get a rematch一 a chance to bring everyone back. I’ve improved significantly, but Hecate has been oddly quiet for the past few years. It’s driving me crazy. I know she’s still there, but she hardly provides an ounce of guidance.

And so, that is where I find myself now一 practicing sorcery in the room specifically designed to isolate me when I use dark magic. Everyone who has access to the training section of the compound knows that they should never enter this room. It is far too dangerous for regular mortals. As I warp the room’s reality, a dark mist envelops me. When it clears, the room has changed into a 50s ballroom. I look down to see an elegant maroon ball gown covering my body, and I scan the empty area. I hear a pair of heels clicking toward me, and I spin around, already panicking. In order for someone to be here with me, they would have to be an inhabitant of the location’s true reality. My eyes land upon the woman I’ve grown to love, dressed up for the event. She is wearing an extravagant light blue ball gown, and her hair is carefully done up. 

“Natasha? What are you doing here?”

“Why I came to dance with you, of course.” She steps closer and drapes her arms around my neck, swaying to the nonexistent music. Stay calm. Don’t panic. There’s no way I’m making her do this. I’m not even doing anything! Of course I’m the one making her do this, who else would it be?! Breathe in. Breathe out. My powers don’t control me. I control them. Just breathe. I can do this. I know how to do this.

As I focus on the magic coursing through my veins, a black mist envelops us, and the room returns to its original form一 a basic training room with black padded walls. I immediately take a large step back from Natasha.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Natasha?! You know you can’t come in here! I could’ve seriously hurt you!”

“I...I’m sorry. I thought you’d just be moving shit with your mind. I didn’t realize you could do...that, whatever that was.”

“That was reality manipulation. I didn’t know you were here and I don’t have full control of it, so you got caught up in it. Are you okay? Do you remember it?”

“Yeah, I remember it clear as day. I was still me and I was still in control, it was just...different, I guess.”

“Well, I literally warped your reality, so even if you felt in control, you might not have been.”

“You stopped it, though. I remember when that seemed impossible. You’re getting better.”

“Thanks, I guess.” I awkwardly scratch the back of my neck. “What did you come in here for in the first place?”

“This is gonna sound crazy, but Scott Lang is here. We might have a way to bring everybody back.”

“Wait, what? Holy shit. It’s happening. Okay, come on then!” I eagerly walk past her, grabbing her hand as I pass her, and we leave my training room. I realize that I’m still holding her hand as we make it to the meeting room, and I immediately drop it, clearing my throat. If I wasn’t so familiar with the sensation, then I would swear that my ears and cheeks are on fire.

<//>

We all step onto the platform in matching white and red time-travel suits. “We’re really doing this?”

“Hell yeah, we’re doing this,” Clint answers.

“Alright, then. We bring everybody back,” I say with determination. “Whatever it takes,” Steve adds.

“See you in a minute,” Natasha adds with a smirk. Before I can appreciate how beautiful she looks with the glimmer of hope in her eyes, we’re flying through a flurry of colors. Nebula, Natasha, Rhodey, Clint, and I land on Morag. We all say our respective goodbyes before Nat, Clint, and I get on a jet to head to Vormir.

<//>

“A soul for a soul.”

“What? That’s insane. Look, no offense, Mr. Bloody Tampon, but why should we just trust what you’re saying? Because you know their fathers’ names?”

“I didn’t.” I looked into Natasha’s eyes as she spoke and I instantly wish that I could replace the dull sadness with the bright hope that had filled them before.

“He doesn’t know my father’s name. If he’s some mystical being, then why can’t he tell me that?” I turned to face him as I asked the question.

“I’m afraid you are a mystery. I am meant to know everything about any being who seeks the stone, but I know nothing of your identity.”

“Hm. Seems like a load of bullshit to me,” I deadpanned.

“We need to do this. We need to bring everyone back. I’ve spent the past five years trying to reverse the snap, and now I finally know how to fix it. Let me do it.” As Natasha spoke, she grabbed both of my hands in hers.

“And I’ve spent every day for the past five years training to do this. I wasn’t just practicing sorcery and talking to dead people for fun, Nat. All I wanted was to do better一 to fix this. If anyone is jumping off that cliff, it’s gonna be me.”

“No. Absolutely not. Neither of you is dying for that stone. I’ve done horrible things these past few years. I’ve killed...so many people. It should be me,” Clint says, and Natasha and I turn to face him, but one of her hands remains in mine.

“No way in hell, Clint. And not you either, Nat. Both of you guys have families. You’re not sacrificing yourselves. I won’t let you. And you can’t stop me even if you try.” Nat gives me a questioning look as I mention her family and I speak in her head ‘I know about them, Nat. And they need you. She needs her big sister.’

“What are you saying?” I can hear the anxiety lacing Nat’s words, and it causes a pit to form in my stomach.

“I think you know what I’m saying, Natty.” 

“Then you don’t leave me much of a choice.” She shoots a Widow’s Bite toward me, but I stop it using energy manipulation without even having to lift a finger.

“You can’t beat me, Nat. Please, don’t fight me on this.”

“I call bullshit.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Clint running toward the edge while we’re distracted, and I teleport in front of him, throwing him backward. I use mind control to force him to stay down. I sense Natasha running toward the edge behind me, and I teleport in front of her. I use energy manipulation to keep her in place, and I grab onto her biceps.

“I’m really sorry, Nat. I hate that I’m doing this to you, but I can’t let you throw yourself off a cliff for some stupid stone. Your life is worth so much more than that. You’re an amazing person, and your ledger was cleared of its red so long ago. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”

“This is sounding an awful lot like a goodbye.”

“You can be sarcastic all you want, but I’m not walking out of this one, Natty.”

“Don’t do this. The team needs you.”

“No, they don’t, Nat, and we both know it. They need you.”

“And what if I need you?!”

“Well if that’s the case, you’ll figure it out, just like you always do. Don’t let something like this hold you back. Goodbye, Natasha Romanoff.” I kiss her cheek before turning around. I start walking towards the edge, but it quickly turns into a sprinting pace as I hear Nat screaming for me to stop. Just before I reach the edge, I lift the mind control from Clint and I release Nat, just in case it doesn’t automatically lift when I die. I push myself off the cliff, turning mid-jump so I’m not facing the ground. As I’m falling through the air, I see Clint holding Nat in his arms as her screams fill my ears. I hit the ground and everything goes black.

<//>

“Hello, y/n. It’s good to see you again.” I sat up and一 what the hell is that smell? “Ah, yes. That would be burning flesh. Welcome to Hell, darling.”

“Uh...what? Who are you?”

“Yes, I suppose I should explain, hm? I am Hecate, Goddess of一”

“Yeah, I know what you’re the goddess of. How did I get here?”

“I thought you were smarter than this. You died, obviously.”

“And went to Hell? Damn.”

“Oh, relax. Hell isn’t what the mortals think it is. This is the Underworld. All of the dead reside here. The bad people get punished, the good people don’t. Simple as that. We don’t have a lot of time, so I need to explain. I am cursed; I cannot leave the Underworld. However, my human embodiment can, and that is where you come into play. You hold all my power, and I can see you’ve been practicing, but you’ve never lived up to your full potential.”

“Hey! Rude!”

“Don’t interrupt. I didn’t allow you to live up to your full potential, not until we met, anyway.”

“And I had to die in order for that to happen?”

“Yes. I’m giving you all of my power, but I can still stop you if I ever need to. I know you don’t want to risk hurting the people you love, especially the redhead, but you need to trust yourself. Trust your powers. Have a little faith. You are a goddess, remember. Don’t let people forget it. That purple thumb is nothing compared to you, even with his colorful rocks. Your family needs you now. You must help them.”

“That’s it? Why do they need help? How will I know what to do?”

“I will always be there to help you, Y/N. You can handle this. This is nothing. You are part of me, just as I am part of you. You are my daughter, after all. I should know your capabilities better than anyone.”

“Wait, daughter?!”

“Oh, did I forget to mention that part? Oh well, it doesn’t matter right now, anyway. You need to go.”

“Go where?”

“Home, darling.” 

The earth above us cracks open and I can hear faint sounds of fighting on the surface. I look at Hecate as she nods. Before I even realize I’m doing it, black mist surrounds my body and lifts me through the crack. I step out of the mist onto the ground and a staff appears in my right hand. I tap it once on the ground and my white suit is replaced by an all-black leather outfit that’s definitely made for a goddess. I smirk and make eye contact with the titan across the battlefield. His sickly creatures race toward me as they notice the new threat on the field. I summon an army of ghouls from the cracks in the earth. As the aliens and the undead clash, I teleport in front of Thanos.

“And who might you be, dear?” He acts confident, but I can sense his fear.

“I am Y/N, daughter of Hecate.” He tilts his head in a questioning manner. “Oh, did someone not study mythology? Hm, then let’s be blunt, shall we? I’m a goddess, ass-chin.” I throw my staff at his throat, but he catches it. He moves to swing his large sword at me, but I capture his arm in black mist. When he tries to move the other arm, I restrain that one, as well. “Well, that surely can’t be all you’ve got, hm? Pity, I thought it’d be more exciting than that.” If I were to look in a mirror at that moment, I would’ve noticed my ghostly pale skin, black eyes, and the raw power spreading through my veins like a black road-map.

“It’s not over yet, my dear child.” Before I can question the meaning of his words, an alien tosses him the gauntlet. It slides on his exposed hand, but I hold it open with dark magic. I look around and notice that the army of the undead is nowhere to be seen. My teammates are pinned down, even with the help of those who were snapped. There is a feeling in my gut and a voice in my head that tells me what I must do. I pull the gauntlet off his hand with black mist and slide my hand inside. I feel the power surging into my body. “What are you doing? That power will kill you!” Thanos sounds truly desperate.

“That’s cute. Truly, it is, but you can’t kill someone who’s already dead.” I close my hand and snap my fingers. His army fades to dust and he slumps to the ground before floating away with them. I drop the gauntlet to the ground and look around. Natasha runs toward me and throws her arms around my neck in a firm hug.

“Wha一what happened to you? How are you here? I thought you died!”

I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder before saying, “I did die. I am dead.”

She pulls away and looks at me from head to toe. “Well that explains why you’re so damn pale, but now I have so many more questions.”

“I am Hecate’s daughter, so I am technically a goddess, like her. I’m not sure if I was technically resurrected or not, but I can probably一”

She cut me off with a gentle yet passionate kiss. She pulls away and searches my eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” she admits.

“Me too,” I breathe out.

“Yeah, I picked up on that. You’re not very discrete.” I laughed and a smirk spread across her face. “As sexy as this whole ‘powerful goddess’ thing is, am I going to get the old you back? You know, the one who blushes whenever I look at her? The one who’s, like, alive?”

I smile at her and glance down at her lips as a thick black mist appears behind me. I step backward into it as her face morphs into a look of confusion. She disappears from sight as a wall of black fills my vision, and a surge of power spreads throughout my body. I fall to my knees and the black cloud disappears. Natasha rushes over and kneels in front of me. “Are you okay? What the hell was that?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I’m alive again.” I lift my head and meet her eyes.

“Your skin isn’t crazy pale anymore, and your eyes are their normal color again.”

“Sweet.”

“Cool.”

We both crack up and I lean my forehead against hers as our laughter fades.

Tony interrupts our moment of peace. “This is all good and dandy, but does someone wanna explain what the hell just happened?”

I raise my head and look at my teammates一 my family. “I kicked the purple thumb’s ass. That’s what happened.” I can feel a warm presence in my heart, and I know that my mother is with me.

“Yes, yes, I noticed. I also noticed a bunch of demons. Care to explain that one?”

“They weren’t demons...they were just...the souls...of dead people. I can summon the dead. You knew that.”

“Uh, I definitely didn’t know that.” I laugh and shake my head at the eccentric man. 

I stand up, pulling Natasha with me, and bring her into another embrace. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Natty,” I whisper in her ear before pressing a delicate kiss to her temple.

A/N: I literally had this completely finished and edited over a month ago and I hadn’t posted it yet soooooo... idk here it is

[dragon-kazansky]

Dangerous | Helmut Zemo

AU! Race car driver Zemo 😎

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Masterlist]

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 3

The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, a call was made up to your room. It wasn't until you put the phone down that you realised you didn't have a way to contact Zemo. It was good he knew where you were staying. You would have to make sure to get his number later.

It felt strange to think about that. If he had your number, wouldn't that be like taking the next step? Were you getting carried away with this? Probably.

You couldn't ignore the fact you liked Zemo.

You never expected to develop a crush on a racing driver. It seemed like he liked you too, but you didn't want to get too carried away. This might very end up being a one time thing.

You make your way down to the lobby. Zemo is waiting for you. He looked so extra, but so stylish. A fur collared jacket, driving gloves, sunglasses on his head.

He turned when he heard you approach. His face lit up with a smile as you got closer to him.

"Good morning."

"Morning. You're looking smart today," you look him up and down, not so subtly checking him out. So much for trying to feel in that crush.

"Thought I would make an impression on you."

"You already did."

Zemo smiles at that. There was a proud feeling in knowing he had you hooked. Perhaps this would lead somewhere, but he would see. He didn't want to rush things and ruin any chances he may have with you.

He wouldn't do that.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Zemo leads you outside where another fabulous car is parked. You look at it, top to bottom. He can tell by your expression you're impressed.

"Just how many cars do you have?"

"Many. I could show you my collection if you like," he says, walking over to the car and opening the door for you.

You chuckle and climb in.

Zemo takes his sun glasses and puts them on as he gets into the drivers seat. He grins at you as he sets off.

You roll the window down and let the wind mess up your hair, wanting to feel that free feeling you got that first time. Even just sitting next to Zemo brought about all kinds of exciting feelings.

Zemo turned on the radio as he drove through the streets. There was a little drive to get to the garage his race car had been taken to. This gave him some time to bask in your company again.

He could get used to having you around all the time. In fact, he would love that.

Zemo considered himself more of a solo racer. Tony Stark always had fans hanging about, 'dates' in his stand watching him race. Zemo only ever had his pit crew waiting for him at the end of a race.

It was beautiful out. Even more so when you excited the town and got onto more open roads. You had no idea where he was taking you exactly, but you couldn't complain. if he got to see sights like this every day, that was amazing.

You glanced at him. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, in time to the music playing on the radio. He looked so relaxed and in his element.

Feeling your gaze on him, he turned to you with a grin.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. You just... look so at home."

He laughs, the sound joyous and wonderful. It makes your heart skip a beat.

"I live in the drivers seat."

You laugh with him.

"What do you say we speed this up? Just like last time," he peers at you over his shades.

"Alright. Thrill me."

You didn't need to say any more. He pushed his foot down on the pedal and you laughed as the car sped up. With such ease, the car glided down the road. Not another soul in sight as the scenery became a blur, just like that first day.

No rules. No restrictions. No Stark.

Just two people enjoying each others company on the open road. What more could a man ask for?

In the distance, you spot a building. That had to be where he was taking you.

"Where is this?"

"It's an old air strip. Hasn't been used in decades. I come here to drive often. I asked my team to bring the car here so we can take a look at it, thought you may also appreciate the area."

You smile.

"It's stunning. There's nothing else around for miles."

Knowing these roads like the back of his hand, he speeds up further, gliding along the rear of the way with ease. Your laughter just fuels him to go faster.

You reach the air strip in no time. He slows down on the approach and pulls up right outside the hanger. He gets out first and opens your door for you. You chuckle as you take his hand and climb out.

Even with your hair all wind struck, you look stunning to him. He won't tell you that though.

You both head inside.

There it is. His race car. He exterior looks pretty good, just scuffed from where Stark's car collided with it, but nothing too serious. The crew were busy working away on it as you both approached.

"Who's this?" A voice asks from your right.

"This is Y/N, my new friend," Zemo says, introducing you. "Y/N, this is Sam. He is very good with cars."

"Nice to meet you." You shake his hand.

"Likewise."

"What's the damage?" Zemo walks over to his car.

"The engine gave out. That's all."

"That's all? It cost me a win," Zemo narrows his gaze at Sam.

"It could have been a lot worse. We'll have it fixed in no time."

"Good. I need to win the next one, and the other two to beat Stark. He cannot win them all." Zemo stands upright after looking over his vehicle.

"Trust us, we're on it."

Zemo doesn't give him any more of a response and returns to your side.

"Want to look around a little?"

"Yes please."

He places an arm around your shoulder and guides you out of the hanger. You're blushing from his touch. It almost felt like you were made to fit against him like this.

You both go to stand near the car.

"How come you have such a big rivalry with Tony Stark?" You ask, gazing up at him.

"He doesn't like the idea that I'm better than him."

"Humble."

"Honest. Stark is an engineer and a genius. He can build a car from scratch. I know the ins and outs of cars. I know how to make them better, how to improve them. My cars are better than his, and he is threatened by it."

"Sounds petty."

Zemo shrugs. He is not ashamed to admit he is better than Stark. His whole vendetta is to prove it. He just doesn't have many chances left to do so.

"Aren't you worried?"

"No," he looks you in the eye, "I'm certain."

"Does nothing scare you?"

"Not yet."

There is no expression on his face. You have no idea what's going on inside that head of his. You knew he knew what he was doing. This was his job, his passion. That didn't mean the risks didn't apply to him.

For some reason, Stark's words came to mind. "He's dangerous." Not just on the track, he had said.

Was he?

Who was this man standing before you? His personal information was almost non existent online. Other than his racing background, there was nothing about him. You didn't even know where he was from. His accent suggested not from around here.

Did you dare ask?

No. You didn't want to. No matter how curious you were...

"Would you like me to drive you along the strip?" He asked, nodding across the field where you could see the straight road.

"Yes. Don't go easy on me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he grins.

You both get into the car and he wastes no time in driving over to the strip. This car doesn't even remotely come close to his racing car, but he'd be damned if he didn't leave you thrilled after this.

He lines up perfectly. You hold on tight and smile at him.

Wheels screeching, whole body jerking, and nothing but the wind blowing through the window. With all his skill and precision, the car speeds up in handled ease. This man knows what he's doing.

You trust him with your life.

You wanted to thank your friend for bringing you to the races that day. If she hadn't, what would you be doing now? Working? Sitting at home? Studying?

Nothing nearly as amazing as this.

Zemo brought life into your world, and you didn't want it to end.

At the end of the runway, he turns the car with ease, though the power causes you to lean toward him as he turns the vehicle around. He almost reaches out for your hand, but focuses his attention on his driving. Back up you go.

He glances at you from the corner of his eye.

Could it be that there was one thing he wanted more than winning against Stark?

No, he didn't think so.

The car comes to a screeching halt at the end of the runway. Heaven knows how his tyres are doing.

You grin at him once the car stops.

"I'll never get tired of that."

He chuckles.

"That pleases me to hear."

Your phone rings. You apologise as you pick it up and answer it, disappointed it was ruining your fun.

"Hello?"

"Y/N? Hey, how was the race yesterday?" It was your friend.

"Oh, uh. It was good." You lied. It hadn't ended as you had hoped.

"Great. What time does your train get in tomorrow? I have something super exciting to share with you."

"About 2 o'clock I think."

"I'll be there to pick you up. Oh my gosh, you will not believe what's happened. I can barely contain myself. I'll speak to you soon."

She hangs up.

You stare at your phone, confused. She sounded super excited, whatever that was about.

"Problem?"

"Uh, no. Just my friend calling. She's going to pick me up from the train station tomorrow."

"I see. It's a shame you do not live locally. I would get to see you every day," he smiles.

You're blushing again.

"You'd get board of me really quickly," you say, tucking your phone away again.

"I doubt that."

"With your lifestyle? Definitely."

"I may live an exciting life, but you are a rare treasure any man would be lucky enough to have in his life."

"Are you flirting with me?" You ask, eyeing him suspiciously.

"That depends, is it working?"

You laugh.

"It might be."

"Then yes," he says, grinning like a fool.

You both sit there and laugh.

"Allow me to drop you off back at the hotel."

"I'd like that."

Much slower, he drives back to the hanger to alert the team he is leaving. They wave as you both leave.

The ride back is a lot more gentle, more casual. The radio is turned on, but the volume is low. Zemo is just basking in your presence.

He can't admit that he will miss you once you're gone.

The ride is over much sooner than he would have liked. Once again, you both sit there together.

You pull out your phone.

"Can I have your number?" You ask, biting the bullet.

He grins smugly.

"Already making a move?"

"Shush. Can I?"

He nods, taking your phone and putting his number into your contacts. You smile as you take it back, pretending his gloved fingers didn't brush against yours.

"I expect to hear from you," he says.

"I promise."

You go to get out, but he stops you by grabbing your arm lightly. You look at him, a little confused.

"Remember what I said."

"About what?" You ask.

"Come to the races, and I'll take you in a date."

You bite your lip.

"I haven't forgotten."

"Good."

He stays there until you've gone inside, out of sight. His phone suddenly feels heavy in his pocket, waiting for a text or call.

He was in deep, he just didn't know it yet.

He thinks of you as he drives off.

@ajeff855 @moonstuffsteve @sky-writes-stuff @lieutenantn @lostghostgirl94 @friday18eo @yaskna @my-blood-is-maple-syrup @gingerwriter97 @lunamooney2406 @wilder-fangirl @nectav @whovianayesha @thesuitkovian @cathrin2405 @deathtothepatriarchy @belle82devart @dxrksxul06 @killeromanoff @alex-the-nb @latenightartist-author @hb8301 @goddessofmischief03 @xxidontwikeitxx @themeanestlittlewitch

[becausethathappens]

Will you please write a super angsty fic where Link is freaking out because he thinks the wedding vows he has written aren't good enough and Rhett helps him go over them and make corrections and says they're perfect but also, just says the vows he would say for Link if it was them like it should've been because he's heartbroken and Link can tell but their hands are tied and they don't know what to do so they soldier on without saying a word, but wordlessly communicating lifelong love and misery and everything, maybe comfort as well?

i'm really really sad and i can't shake it off and i really want some good angst and hurt/comfort and i really love you, maura, you're awesome

I don't do unhappy endings, anon. I'm confident you don't either. In fiction or otherwise. So, pardon this if it’s not what you expected.

Please enjoy? This was done a little hastily to share it with you (and I should be writing other things per usual) but I've had a rough week and I want to hopefully make someone smile. (I have way angstier stuff in the drafts and I will be sure to get those out eventually, too.) You’ll feel better soon.  🤞  Thank you! 💞

-———————-

now or forever

4k - Rhett writes Link vows.

If you were my boy, Blue

I’d bathe you in honeys (sp?)

I’d sing write you a love song

I’d shoot you a star**

If you were my boy, Blue

There ain’t nothing in this life I wouldn’t give

From my heart, to my toes, to my fingers, my nose (**)

Whatever it takes just to watch you live 

continue to ‘ ’ grow with you like a vine ‘round a rose 

If you were my boy, Bue

I wouldn’t want you all for myself

There’s no star bright enough to match your lightin’

In sickness, blue, so certainly while we have health

Hand in hand, no longer fightin’

What’s destiny (**)

You and & me

If you were my boy, Blue

I'd marry you

&

Thank God for Rhett. Giving him, delivering him, blessing him with Rhett.

Link is in the middle of a spiral (what he’ll later recognize as a panic attack) when Rhett arrives, the eve of his wedding. Bailing him out of this with pen, paper, and a smile.

Link has always been good at improv.

Though Rhett tended to find the words to start. These were his own vows and Link has been putting time to sit and start them off for weeks. Now that he has to, he’s dumbfounded, despite being deeply in love.

Amidst all the planning and chaos, writing his vows was such a given that Link left it as priority sixty-seven on a list of many more.

Unfortunately, even as busy as they’ve been, that list was shredded with the “who gifted what” tracking sheet (both literally, accidentally, and figuratively) back around the bridal shower and it’s been anarchy ever since.

So he thanks God for Rhett, who’s here, to stop another needless disaster from happening.

That same generous God, however, watches him plagued with thoughts of utter devotion at Rhett’s willingness to drop everything on a weeknight and rush over to help Link find his words.

His lyrics, really, is what Link has in mind. Since they used to write songs together and this felt much the same. He’s been floundering all night and now that Rhett’s here, he knows he’ll at least get what he needs done. Even if it’s not all he wants, right now.

That same God seeks judgment on his every decision or flinch against His will, for any reason, to spite him.

For this reason.

He wants to smush Rhett’s face and kiss him. Deeply. He doesn’t.

Even if there were sometime in the past that he could get away with a platonic smooch, now he can’t. He simply could not prevent that from escalating.

So, he merely tightens his grip on the wrinkled scrap paper in his hand and scrunches his eyes.

“Why can’t it be you up there…” Link bemoans, loudly, in his frustration.

Rhett’s eyes widen, in horror, and Link slams his other hand at his mouth, rolling his eyes. “Not like - I mean - why can’t you go say my lines for me. You’re so much better at this kinda thing.”

“Let me read what you’ve got,” Rhett says.

After some review, Rhett sighs, not unkindly and sits down next to Link. “Let’s just talk through what you’re trying to say because, yeah, this reads like liturgy.”

“Ain’t is supposed to? It’s in a chapel!”

“What do you like about her?” Rhett asks, ignoring his nitpicking. “Christy?” Rhett stares at him, waiting, too upset for Link to chastise but clearly wanting to.

“She’s patient,” Link says, reminded by the similar. Rhett folds over the book to an open page and clicks the pen in his hand, writing that down. “A-And she’s kind. Like considerate, ‘specially with babies and little animals. Sh-She does this thing where she immediately drops to their eye-level to make sure they don’t feel unheard or seen. Probably ‘cause she’s always been so tall…”

Rhett’s still writing.

“Then when I’m sick, she forces me to rest. You know I hate that,” Link says, voice rising a little, at the memory. “But you know I need that. You won’t be the last to make me stop and smell the roses or take a break, once in a while.”

“Her hair, write, her hair - the way it looks in the sunshine. Like warm caramel with flecks of gold. She’s a vision, an angel. Especially when she’s wearing all white, like,” Link says, pausing to point to Rhett’s undershirt and pale grey sweats. “Makes blondes look ethereal-like, always has.”

“Oh, and her voice. Sometimes, the way her accent catches, well, you know she don’t like to sing like us, never has, but when she says certain things, asks a question the right way - it’s music. The way it harmonizes with my answer, reminds me of singing, reminds me of us.”

Rhett keeps writing, quiet, and focused.

After a short time, Link can’t stop and wants to crane over to see what he’s come up with. Rhett hands it over after crossing a final “t” somewhere on the page.

“Those’re good, Link, but I think you need to keep closer to what I wrote, leave out the stuff about me.”

“Stuff about you?” Link asks, having spoken in a stream-of-conscious style, Link forgets most of what he even said

Rhett looks away, shakes his head.

Distracted by the desire to read the rest, Link abandons the lingering questions he has about Rhett’s suggestion and response.

“These are great, man, thanks,” Links says, pushing a soft hand into Rhett’s side.

His eyes scan to the bottom where Rhett’s added a few lines about the journey, the marriage, all the ceremonial aspects of the day for him to close with, but then something more.

Something about him.

Rhett catches him catch it and looks further away. “I know Christy pretty well, too, y’know. Y’all are just alike, in that way. She might need some back-up vows, to have and hold.”

Link reads them.

“You know, just in case.”

Link looks up and tries to laugh.

He doesn’t laugh.

He goes back to reading them.

Rhett shifts uncomfortably, touches the back of his neck, and shuts his eyes.

“Rhett, these ’re…”

“I know, bo, you can forget ‘em,” Rhett excuses, still not meeting Link’s gaze. “You want me to… I can rewrite the others on a different - I can turn the page and write ‘em there so you can just…”

“Hey, hey,” Link interrupts him, mad at Rhett putting down his best friend, and eager to explain his actual thoughts. “Rhett, these are perfect. These are… I’m sad I can’t say anything as nice in return to you.”

Rhett finally looks up to acknowledge that and their gaze heats and lingers.

“Not that I…” Link stutters to clarify. “Y-You’d have to be a - if that’s something that was gonna - you know - if that was gonna work…”

His mind does it’s usual jump to a visual for the worst case scenario depicting the implication he stumbled across. Him out eight grand on the wedding. Not to mention a wife, a family, a future, a faith -

a friend -

Link gulps, pushing that back away, pushing them both forward, in his estimation.

It’s too much to bear to think about for another second. When he glances at Rhett, he can’t get a read on his face what he thinks about it, and that’s scary enough for him to want to abandon the concept altogether.

“Christy’s gonna love them.”

It’s enough, saying his fiancée's name, to ground him again. Enough to make it okay for him to grab Rhett’s palm and squeeze it in thanks, between them.

Rhett’s made his choice to give up on film school.

Link’s made his choice to give up on whatever schoolboy obsession he has with monopolizing all of Rhett’s days and nights. 

He’ll stick to the days or every other weekend, however they can still fit time together, is fine by him. This ceremony, tomorrow, feels as much about his graduation from friend to husband, and all that that entails.

They’re adults.

They both know there’s a lot of sacrifices to be made and this feels like the first time he’s really acknowledging how hard they’re going to be to make. He hopes they’ll still see each other.

He hopes their kids will get along.

He has a lot of hopes.

All of them involve Rhett.

There’s a lot he should write down for when Rhett finds his own bride to wed.

Link notices, suddenly, that Rhett is crying. The same part of him that's nearly broken the headwind of these conflicting emotions turns back to comfort him.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Link soothes, realizing he’s also still holding Rhett’s hand.

“‘M sorry,” Rhett intones, the words bubble up and out of him simultaneously, sounding like water draining in a filled sink. “And the night before your wedding, good Heavens.”

“Hey, I’ve been crying all week,” Link says, waving a hand at the stress that planning a wedding has kept put on him. “Nothing I haven’t seen in the mirror.”

Rhett laughs, rubbing a thumb over his own thigh in a way that brushes upwards against the place Link’s clasping his hand. Link nearly pulls his hand back, thinking Rhett’s trying to get him to sense his want for space, but when he meets his eye it’s clear he’d like nothing less.

“I think I’m just -” Rhett starts to say, trailing off. The light from the lamp on the far coffee table is the only thing on in the room. Link drops his gaze a few inches to try and see more of Rhett’s downturned eyes as he hems and haws. He squeezes their hands together, again, this time clasping it more firmly, still pressing Rhett’s large palm down from above. “I think I’m just a li’l jealous, is all.”

It’s the quietest admission he’s heard from Rhett since he told him he failed their chemistry mid-term in eleventh grade.

Link is also so lost at the innocence of the admission that he can only think of follow-up questions. “Of me?”

Rhett looks at him for a long, long minute and finally, when Link’s gaze remains confused for the whole length of the pause, he shakes his head, no.

Then he waits. 

He waits for Link to realize what he means.

But he’s still waiting when Link, oblivious, moves onward trying to comfort Rhett, instead of understanding him fully.

The tension in the room is palpable as Link talks, but only to Rhett, it seems. Only Rhett pictures air bags being deployed in a car safety video as metal hits cinder block. Only Rhett moves his hand, though it’s all it takes to dislodge them from each other completely.

“I know you’re gonna make an amazing husband some day.” Link is saying.

Rhett’s hand aches where cool air now surrounds it.

“I know your wife is gonna get to hear you say such wonderful things about her.”

Rhett wipes his hand of the misunderstanding on the cotton of his pants.

“I know she’s gonna say the same kind of things about you, when it’s your turn up there.”

Rhett mourns the idea that this would ever be requited.

“I know she’s gonna love you, just as much as I do, so she’ll have plenty to say.”

Rhett looks away, wiping the last of his tears from his eyes. 

 “I’ll make sure she has plenty of ideas where to start.”

Rhett pats Link’s leg, in camaraderie, and nods.

And that’s it. They shoot the shit, they make a plan to meet up at a donut place for the groomsmen’s breakfast to thank them for their help, before the ceremony, and they’ll talk things through if Link’s feeling jittery still. Then Rhett’s gone.

It’s not until the next day at eleven on the dot (everyone has an agenda to follow and every moment is accounted for) that Link understands Rhett’s pain.

His mother straightens his tie and flattens the edges of his suit. “You’ll wanna know I heard Christy looks like an angel in her dress, from the girls upstairs.”

“Those actual angels you been talkin’ to, Sue?” Rhett jokes, where he’s twisting his cummerbund around every so often, bored.

“Very funny, honey,” Sue ribs back. “From the cousins, Beth and Hailee Sue. Remember they’re friends with the hairstylist you got to do the curls for Christy’s hair, today? She was over last night getting Christy ready for bed with how to wash and dry it a special kind of way. They were there, too.”

Link starts to tune her out, since there’s a lot on his mind, but then she says more.

“She says the hairstylist was talking about how jealous she was of Christy, all night, getting to marry you,” Sue relays.

“Oh, mama, please,” Link dismisses. The compliments he’s been getting have felt faker than the toupee on his uncle Bruce. That girl has never even met him. “I’m the only person here people should be jealous of, who would be jealous of Christy,” he says, trailing off, muttering his reasoning as he did. “Marrying a trainwreck like me.”

Link looks up in the mirror where some of his friends continue to mingle in various states of undress. Rhett is already dressed, however, and staring straight at Link like he’s been caught with a hand in a cookie jar.

Link’s about to ask what’s wrong when he remembers his words. Then looks again over the planes of Rhett’s face.

Last night’s words slam back into his mind and Link’s mouth drops open.

The church organ belts out an opening flurry of notes before Canon in D begins playing loudly through the sound system built into the rafters above them. Link looks up to see one of the church staff at the door instructing them to join the bridal party to line-up.

Link’s mom dashes off to where she’s paired with her nephew, Link’s favorite cousin, to be escorted down the aisle.

Rhett sees Link’s face rushing through a wash of emotions from a distance, he nods to the staffer in silent understanding that he’ll handle it, and then they’re alone.

He walks up to Link and takes his hand. He squeezes it.

“Hey, you gotta go. We gotta go. It’s showtime,” Rhett insists.

Link looks around like a bomb went off, since in some ways it did, and he doesn’t know what to do.

Rhett seems to pick up on that. He squeezes Link’s hand again.

“I’ll get over it, Link, it’s okay,” Rhett whispers, on the verge of desperation.

That confirmation is enough to fully shatter Link.

Only for a moment. 

The music continues and Rhett keeps his hand hold.

They are adults. They are in love. They have to marry. 

None of these things can be helped.

“I’m gonna be so jealous of Her, too,” Link whispers back. He squeezes Rhett’s hand one last time, as they part.

They leave.

They walk straight.

They part again.

Until later.

They move houses and cities and states.

They move mountains, inside and out.

They move together.

Much later.

They join again.

They run crooked.

They return.

To one another.

Link has spent years worrying a ring that means too much to too few people.

In the beginning, when he cries himself to sleep at what he thinks has been the mistake of a lifetime, it’s His talisman. It reminds him of the expectations upon this life he’s made.

As the years pass, however, the adherence to the bogeymen of their childhood’s rules wears thin. It starts to strictly represent love and patience.

Sacrifice.

It begins to feel like a burden. A representation of what’s been lost, not what’s been found.

He contemplates taking it off, but believes that to be a betrayal of all that it stands for to the people he stands for. 

Then, one day, (surely mid-spin) he hears Rhett tell a story about wanting to change his ring.

He watches the silver twirl as Rhett explains.

He believes he was rushed into a certain type of marriage and a certain type of life by a certain type of person.

It’s a life that he’s grown to love but the ring represents a union forced by custom and not one that’s grown through devotion. 

His ring reminds him of that too often to be good for him.

Link twists his again at the admission.

So, Rhett��s thinking about replacing the ring.

Link returns home that night in a stupor. He’s sure he said one too many things to Rhett to emphasize how wild it felt to hear him talk about changing rings.

Any memories of that day, their wedding, bring up a rush of emotions that he’s never been good at sorting through.

Today’s admission makes him feel the same spur to make use of idle, betrothed hands he feels when he cleans the fridge.

He wants to clean the slate.

He finds an old DVD copy of their wedding ceremony that he paid to have converted from miniDV some years ago. Now he struggles to find a place to watch that DVD. How quickly time has flown by.

Eventually, he ends up in his son’s room - no one’s home for the remainder of the night but he and Christy - now, he’s sitting on a bean bag, squinting at the game console’s controller trying to get the joysticks to move to “play” on screen.

The ceremony bursts to life and, like it was yesterday, Link’s nerves fizzle awake.

About halfway through the video, Christy finds him like that and sits down next to him in a thwump absorbed mostly by the stuffing of the chair.

They watch themselves smile happily at each other and Christy takes his hand.

“Should I be happy or scared to find you alone watching this on a Saturday night?” she asks, wryly, squeezing his palm.

Link doesn’t know what to say. He’s caught up in Rhett’s bygone script being spoken on screen. Words about Christy and about Link that were not their own, declared loudly in front of the congregation.

“I don’t know,” Link admits, shrugging. He doesn’t. He squeezes her hand back.

“You wanna tell me what’s eating you?”

Link hesitates, but relents. He wants that clean slate, after all. “Rhett’s getting his wedding ring replaced.”

“Replaced?” Christy asks, balking.

“Replaced, yeah,” Link responds, sure he didn’t misspeak.

“With what?” she asks.

“Oh, some new one. Fancy thing, very cool, made of trees or something. Honestly he wears the other one, the slick black one more than his wedding band half the time. He says it feels like the old one? It’s the kind of ring you get in a bauble at a vending machine crank. So, he wants a new one.”

“Jeesh,” Christy says, making a face at the screen. The camera catches Rhett stealing glances at the couple, then at the crowd, beaming at all with unbridled pride.

“Wouldn’t you be mad if I did that?” Link inquires, still baffled at the idea.

“Well, no, but don’t you love your ring? Heirloom and all that,” she says.

Link cringes. “Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I do.”

“So?”

“So, I still kind of want to and I’m not sure what that means.”

They watch the screen together.

“Do you wanna stay married?” she asks, in a small voice.

“Yes,” he breathes out.

There’s a long pause.

“To me?” she asks, her voice even smaller.

“Yes,” he breathes in.

She squeezes his hand, her confidence built back up. She begs him to join her.

“And him?” Christy whispers.

They both look the screen, the lens centered on the two of them, but their gaze is mutually torn to where Rhett stands wiping a tear from his eye at Christy reciting the last of the vows that he wrote her. Wrote him. Wrote them both.

She squeezes his hand again.

“Yes,” he breathes out.

She leans her head on his shoulder.

“You should probably get another ring, then,” she jests. “We shouldn’t have to share everything.”

The slate is clean.

There’s a lot he wants to say to Rhett about it, but just as before, he’s relied on Rhett to give him the right words to say. So, instead of words, he starts wearing Rhett’s ring.

Then, a new one, when he realizes he can match him separate from the other, all told. Have something of Rhett’s, all to himself.

In his unspoken push towards something more, their hands now match along with their steps, as they walk forward.

On the last week in July, they get ice cream at the fifth place that month to mistake them for husbands, but the first one he hears Link crow an affirmative in response.

Rhett waits for him while he triple-tips the cashier (for the guess) and pays for their cones.

“Bad joke,” Rhett says, softly, but firm.

“Who’s kidding?” Link parries back, a smirk dancing it’s way across his lips.

Rhett watches him with a wistful look of disbelief.

“Link, we’re married,” Rhett warns him.

Link shrugs. “I know. I’m just waiting for you to figure that out and minding my ice cream here, all right?”

He’s got a mouthful of vanilla bean and extra cookie crumble, the next second, so his vow ends there.

Later, at home, Rhett startles Jessie awake when he fully realizes Link’s words.

He shakes her awake. He shakes them both awake.

“I’m in love with Link,” he says, like it’s a confession.

She kisses him because so is she. So are most people.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

Rhett repeats himself.

So does she.

They stare at each other under the cover of silk and moonlight.

“We’re married,” Rhett whispers, touching his hand to hers. Their rings clink, new and shiny.

“Yeah, and so are we,” she whispers back.

They fall asleep smiling.

The next day, Rhett sneaks up behind Link while he’s working and causes him to spill his cup of coffee. He gets the stink eye for only a minute because it’s the same length of time he can stand Link’s grumpy mug before he has to swoop down and kiss him on the lips.

“You figured it out,” Link says, grinning.

“I did,” Rhett chirps as he kisses Link more.

They take a car to their house. It’s filled with their love and the history of it; before, during, and after.

“What’s this?” Link asks, dazed in their post-sex glow, naked and alive.

He spots an old chord book of theirs from last time they wrote music.

“Oh,” Rhett says, bashful. “I came looking for you here this morning, hoping you slept over again, but, uh,” Rhett stalls, looks away and tries to take the songbook from Link’s hand. Link pulls it far enough he can’t reach. “You were already at the job.”

“And?” Link asks, using his spry, sinewy body as an advantage to slink away from the bed out of Rhett’s grip. He still has the book in hand.

“Those are your vows,” Rhett explains.

Link looks down and squints, confused. These aren’t the vows that Christy read at their wedding. He’s seen that video only a few months back and is sure of it.

“Our vows,” Rhett whispers, explaining further, at Link’s puzzled look.

“It’s a love song,” Link notes, marveling at the gesture. What it means to a young version of himself that once felt like they had surely cut out and mourned the possibility of this - all of this - ever happening. To have that thought coexist with the image of a nude, hulking tree trunk of a husband laid before him smiling up adoringly felt panoptic.

“So are you.”

Link begins to cry.

“Play it for me.”

Rhett wipes his cheek.

“Get my guitar.”

They sing twice more that night, always in harmony (not always in lyric), then spend the rest of their lives together doing much the same.

[lifeofkaze]

When Stars Ignite - Chapter 13

HPHM Rockstar AU

A/N:

General Warning: This whole fic has a general warning of being NSFW / 18+. We will give specific warnings for every chapter in itself, but several adult themes will be more or less present in every chapter, may it be explicitly or in mention. These include sexual topics, drug abuse, (ab)use of alcohol, smoking and a whole lot of cursing.

Specific Warning: Language, allusion to NSFW content

~~~

Find the masterpost here, the previous chapter here and the next one here. The songs featured before every chapter can be found on this pretty badass playlist here.

~~~

This work is a collaboration with @the-al-chemist

Taglist: @slytherindisaster @night-rhea @carewyncromwell

Drop of a hat she's as willing as Playful as a pussy cat Then momentarily out of action Temporarily out of gas To absolutely drive you wild, wild She's out to get you

~ Queen - Killer Queen ~

After Lizzie had left on that day back in August, Orion hadn’t been sure whether her words would follow action and there would actually be a next time, nor had he been entirely sure he wanted there to be one.

Not because the night he had spent with Lizzie hadn’t been fantastic, or either of them was feeling uncomfortable with it; but she had been his close friend and colleague for so many years now and Orion valued her presence in his life deeply. Changing a pattern that worked smoothly seldomly proved to be a good idea.

He had been glad nothing seemed to have changed between them when they saw each other next; Lizzie had acted just the same as always, focused on their music, laughing with him during breaks, maybe a little flirtatious, but then again, that was just her way.

Orion’s resolve to consider the fling with her done and dusted lasted about a week. He had walked her home from the dinner they’d had with the rest of the band; when they’d reached her flat in Chelsea, she’d waited in the door to the house, looking back at him over her shoulder with an amused expression.

“What now? Are you coming or not?”

He had to admit, the second time round, this time with their senses all together, the sex had been even better than the first time. His concerns about what it might do to their friendship were melting away with every kiss Lizzie left on his body, setting his skin aflame and shutting off his mind with that deliciously wicked smile of hers.

When they’d found themselves in his flat for a third time, he felt the need to stop her wandering hands while he still could.

“Wait a minute, we should really talk about what we’re doing here.”

Lizzie looked up at him incredulously, her fingers hooking on the seam of his trousers, her fingernails grazing his sensitive skin. “What, right now?”

Orion tried to ignore his urgent wish for her to continue where she’d left off and sat up. “Yes, right now.”

“Fine,” she answered briefly and removed her hands from his body, but not without running her hand over him one last time, sending a shiver down his spine. He couldn’t deny how much his body yearned for her but he pushed the heat inside his chest aside and forced his thoughts to focus on what was on his mind.

“If we want this to continue we need to talk about where it’s going,” he managed to say a lot calmer than he felt as he watched Lizzie slowly taking in his undressed body, a salacious smirk on her lips.

“I can perfectly tell you where this is going right now,” she chuckled but Orion didn’t let himself get distracted.

“I’m serious, Liz. As fun as this is, we’re actively breaking the rules here. We are part of a greater thing; the whole unity that is Equinox is more important than every one of us on our own. I don’t want to do anything that could harm the band.”

With a sigh, Lizzie sat up straighter, her expression serious. “Neither of us would ever do anything to put the band at risk. This here is not a relationship, Orion; we can stop this any time.”

She shuffled closer to him on the bed and put a hand on his arm. Her smile was now nothing but warm and reassuring. “Don’t worry, this is just fun, no strings attached.”

He wasn’t entirely convinced, however. “Things like this end in disaster more often than not.“

“If it makes you feel better, let’s make a deal,” Lizzie suggested. “We’ll do this as long as it’s fun and we both want it. In the case that things change for either one of us, we’ll just stop and go back to how things were before. How does that sound?”

Orion sighed deeply. “Do you really think it will work just like that?”

“Just like that,” she smiled, her hand wandering from his arm onto his chest, giving him a slight push so he fell over on his back.

“You’re thinking too much,” she purred as her lips trailed down his chest and over his stomach, coming to rest where hands had let off earlier. “Let me help you relax.”

And just like that, what had begun as a simple drunk one-night stand had developed into something that wasn’t just a friendship, but was far from a relationship either.

Even when their tour had started, they hadn’t stopped meeting in the dead of the night, the risk of being discovered adding an additional thrill, which Orion would have never guessed he’d find himself enjoying. Working off the adrenaline a successful show set off in their bodies soon became his favourite way of winding down. It wasn’t long before he’d actually started showing signs of impatience - something that used to be completely foreign to him - when Lizzie took her time before leaving the backstage area, joking around with Skye or Charlie, deliberately teasing him.

The curves of her body became as familiar to Orion as the neck of his guitar, and he knew exactly how to play both to coax the sweetest sounds from them. Lizzie began to learn every story behind his many tattoos, her fingers tracing the delicate lines as he told her all about them.

The harmony that had existed between them from the get go solidified, unexpected but not unsurprising; it felt like a natural extension to their friendship, raising their connection and understanding to a higher level.

Now, almost ten months since their first night together, he couldn’t even remember what it had been like before.

Orion was violently broken out of his musings by Skye snapping her fingers in front of his eyes.

“Earth calling Orion, you still with us, mate?”

She eyed him critically as his eyes snapped back into focus. “What’ve you been daydreaming about?”

He slowly pulled her hand away from his face. “I have been reminded of something and indulged in the call of the past for a moment,” he answered serenely.

“The way you’re looking it must have been a good memory,” Lizzie said innocently. Her eyes were sparkling as if she knew exactly what he had been thinking about.

He inclined his head, hoping his face wouldn’t give him away. “A favourite.”

Skye shrugged. “Whatever, let’s get those damn pictures taken and get outta here, I’m hungry. You’d better focus on the job.” She stopped, looking thoroughly bewildered. “Can’t believe I need to say this to you of all people.”

Still shaking her head, she grabbed Lizzie by the arm and pulled her towards the set that had been prepared on the far side of the room. The photographer was already instructing Merula on where to stand, Everett looking on from the sidelines.

It took them ages to get all of the pictures Rita’s magazine wanted done. After all of them had their portraits taken, they continued with group shots in various combinations.

When it was the girls’ turn, Orion joined Everett on the sides. The mood between the two guitarists had improved a little since Everett felt he got the recognition he deserved, but still, the atmosphere lacked the carefree camaraderie of the past. Orion struggled to find something to talk about with him these days, not wanting to provoke any of Everett’s bad moods.

As it turned out, their frontman had no desire to talk to him anyway. He was watching Skye, Lizzie and Merula pose in front of the camera intently. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest, a small grin forming on his face.

“You can say what you want, but our girls are quite a sight to see, aren’t they?”

Orion didn’t answer, only raising his eyebrows slightly. Everett took his silence as a sign to go on. “I mean, look at them.” His grin widened, taking on a wolfish touch. “Look at Lizzie, for fuck’s sake. Shame she’s always running ‘round all plain and simple, what a waste.”

Orion had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. “Beauty comes from the inside, from embracing our nature as it is and carrying it to the outside. Lizzie is in tune with herself and that is showing. The way she prefers to keep it simple doesn’t dim her light, it enhances it.”

“I certainly wouldn’t say no to her glammed up like that, is all I’m saying,” Everett snorted.

Orion wasn’t surprised by Everett’s take on things, but he was astounded at how much his words were grating on him. Everett had been a flirt for as long as Orion could remember, but he had never objectified women the way he did these days. Ever since they had started their way to the top, the pressure they were constantly feeling had steadily increased. Everett was treating the girls admiring him just the same as he did anything else taking his mind off things; as a meaningless, replaceable means to an end.

He didn’t like hearing Everett talk about anyone like that, but especially not Lizzie.

However, Orion couldn’t deny that he had a point. As per usual, Andre had worked his magic on her for the shoot, creating a maximum effect with simple but well chosen measures. Lizzie’s light brown hair fell around her face in a heap of messy curls, her dark makeup accentuating her blue eyes.

The shiny leather leggings she was wearing were clinging tightly to her legs that were elongated by a pair of black heeled boots. A loose black shirt with the familiar logo of the Rolling Stones gave her the effortlessly nonchalant vibe that was so inherently her. She had tied it in a knot at the sides to shorten it, showing just the tiniest bit of her belly.

Yes, as much as he hated to admit it, Everett was right; Lizzie was a sight to see. Their eyes met briefly as Merula and Lizzie switched positions. Orion could see the smirk starting to form on her lips, like it always did when she caught him watching her.

She quickly regained control over her expression, flipping her hair out of her face and concentrating again. But her attention kept wandering back to him, a mischievous glitter in her eyes that Orion knew all too well.

When it was time for pictures of the whole group, he and Everett joined the girls in front of the camera again. To get a more compact looking picture of them all together, the photographer wanted him and Everett to sit on one of the sofas they had used for the interview, the girls grouped behind them, all trying their best to look as casual as possible.

Orion was sitting directly in front of Lizzie; he almost jumped when he suddenly felt her hand on his back, hidden from the others by her body that was very close to his. Her fingers tiptoed higher up until they found the exposed skin of his neck. Her nails were grazing his skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind at the unexpected sensation. Orion could feel the intense energy radiating off her and had to fight the urge to turn around and catch a glimpse of her expression.

Looking at her camera, the photographer, a beautiful young woman in a blue headscarf, frowned and shook her head. “This doesn’t look right yet. I’m missing the energy, the spirit of your connection.

She contemplated for a moment before her fine features lit up. “I know; Merula, could you sit between the guys? The other girls, one on each arm of the sofa, please.”

They changed as she had asked them to, Skye perching on the back of the sofa next to Everett and Lizzie now sitting closer to Orion than before. But still, their photographer wasn’t satisfied.

“Lizzie, could you lean in a little?”

“Sure,” Lizzie smiled innocently, leaning closer to Orion until their bodies were almost touching. He could smell her perfume and the sharp scent of hairspray. When he felt her hand on his back yet again, conveniently out of sight of the camera, he shifted his position a little, ever so slightly leaning into her touch.

Encouraged by him playing along, the corners of her mouth twitched, masked by a little tilt of her head for the camera. Her hand traveled down his spine to the base of his shirt where she lost no time to slip it underneath the seam, her cool fingers brushing across the bare skin of his back.

Orion exhaled slowly, trying not to laugh at the light sensation of her fingertips. Lizzie knew that he was ticklish in that particular spot. She was trying to play him, testing his control over himself, just as she had done after their first show in London.

He couldn’t believe the risk she was taking; touching him like that in a dark nightclub under a table was one thing, but during a photoshoot, with all eyes on them? He’d never thought she would be so bold.

Her ridiculous recklessness was intriguing, however; just like everything about Lizzie it was playing with fire and the reward of being close to a blazing flame never came without danger.

A movement at the edge of his vision drew Orion’s attention away from her touch. His eyes flicked over to the other side of the sofa and he thought he could see Skye looking over to them. His heart suddenly racing, Orion leaned against the back of the sofa, effectively forcing Lizzie to withdraw her hand.

He glanced over to Skye again, but she was looking straight at the camera, her moody rockstar expression edged onto her face. She paid him or Lizzie no mind whatsoever, and for a moment Orion wondered whether that frown on her face had been nothing but a trick of his mind.

[basicjetsetter]

Part V

♡ Pairing: Peter Parker x Black!FemaleReader

▹ Warnings: Fluffy scenes, anxious moments, cliff-hanger

▹ Words: 3.3k

▹ A/N: We are reaching the eye of the storm. Happy reading!

“ ‘Kay, so there’s no way they’re gonna win this game without him turning into the Wolf, right?”

“Finish watching it, Peter.”

Peter musingly shakes his head, mouthful of his fourth slice of pizza. “There’s no way.”

You level a patient smirk at him and point to the television, wordlessly telling him to see for himself.

The screen’s brightness fills your otherwise dark living room, casting shadows along the angles of Peter’s concentrated face. His body is sloped forward, and if he didn’t possess the body control of an enhanced being, he’d fall face-first into your carpet.

Tonight’s movie selection was your choice, and you didn’t want to disappoint. So when Peter said he’d never seen Teen Wolf, you were over the moon. Usually, you’d watch every single second of the classic film, but with Peter sitting cross-legged next to you, his hip pressed against yours as your crossed leg rests on top of his, you spent the entire time covertly peeking at his fascinated expressions.

Well into the third month of your friendship, Peter’s presence in your apartment remains to be an odd sight in a good way. Out of your ordinary. His first time in your apartment came on a day you both chose to escape the sun’s sweltering heat with A/C and ice cream, and like your first conversation in Hal’s, he never made it weird.

It was effortless. Every moment with Peter was like breathing.

If anyone else suggested Friday-night movie nights, you’d have spared no time shutting them down. But your yes to Peter harbored no resistance.

“No way!” An excited smile spreads across Peter’s face as Scott steps to the baseline to take the game-winning free throw shots. “Is he seriously gonna make these?”

You seal your lips, choosing not to spoil the moment, but Peter doesn’t see. His eyes never stray from the screen, and his lips slightly part from the nail-biting suspense. As the last shot falls through the hoop, Peter’s whole jaw drops.

When the end credits roll, he slowly claps. “That was awesome. Like I’ve got some serious chills. How am I going to top that?”

“Eh, you probably won’t,” you reply with a boastful grin. Hidden joy thrums through your body from his excitement. “Might as well call a wrap on movie nights.”

Peter playfully nudges you with his elbow, then checks his watch. “Ah, man, it’s late. I needed to be on patrol half an hour ago.” He’s up in a flash, slipping his shoes on and chewing up the rest of his pizza.

“Do you have to go?” A hint of sadness tinges your words. 

“Yeah, the city would be a mess without me,” he jokes, but you weren’t remiss of his undertone sincerity. “Oh! That reminds me. Some bad guys are out on a robbing spree lately, tailing people at night, so if you work late, can you ask Chris to walk you home? Y’know, just in case I’m not there.”

He does this every time he’s over. Each week, there’s a new thing or group to be leery of, and each time he asks, you immediately nod to erase the gut-sinking concern in his brown eyes.

You rise from the couch and follow Peter to the door. He turns just as he’s about to twist the handle, stalls for a second, then envelopes you into a small, reluctant hug, leaving his arms lax just in case you wanted to pull away. 

Hugging is new, something you’ve only done about five times. The first was an unplanned disaster featuring a hard shove, repeated apologies, and a long, awkward moment of silence. 

You didn’t mean to push him away. It was one of those moments where, even though the urge to reciprocate was there, you couldn’t allow yourself to find comfort in such an innocent gesture. You weren’t ready. He respected that.

You knew your rash reaction bruised Peter more than he let on, but he learned to ease his way into your comfort zone with small touches. An intentional brush of his hand against yours, scooching closer to you on the couch, hi-fives with minimally laced fingers.

It took a while for the second hug-attempt, but you were cautiously prepared when it happened.

This time around, you return the gesture, winding your arms around his middle and setting your chin on his shoulder, resisting the urge to nuzzle your nose against his warm neck. His closeness frazzles you, even more so when he diminishes the gap between you, holding you tighter to his chest before releasing you and clearing his throat.

“Be safe,” you warn softly.

He puffs out his chest. “I have nothing to fear except fear itself.”

“That confident, huh?”

“Comes with the job. You get knocked down enough times, you get pretty confident once you realize you can always get back up.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. And yet you still have a fear of heights.”

“Never said I wasn’t afraid of falling. Just that it gets easier getting back up. ‘Sides, most of those petty offenders scare easy. All I gotta do is say I can plant eggs in ‘em.” He shudders at the idea himself.

“Please, Peter,” you implore, a smile sullying your stern frown.

Peter’s grin, always so wholesome and calming, blankets over your nerves. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well, I think Spider-Man needs someone to worry about him, sometimes. Even if he can get back up. Just… let caution work alongside confidence.”

He heeds your words with a more allayed smile, curtly nodding. “Vigilance. I can do that.”

You’re tempted to wrap him back into your arms to protect him from whatever dangers lie outside of your apartment. Instead, you exchange simple goodnights and shut the door once he reaches the stairwell.

The room and your shirt preserve his crisp evergreen scent long after he’s gone. It lingers as you crawl into bed. An aromatic reminder of his caress and warm skin.

As far as friendships go, you’ve never had one quite like this. The line you drew in the sand moves. Accommodates. Shrinks. Whether he’s aware of it or not, the time you spend cracking jokes with Peter at Hal’s, listening to his adventurous feats, becoming comfortable with his physical proximity, seeing his smile and the way his eyes light up when you smile at something funny or interesting he’s said, you fall just an inch.

He's growing on you. His presence. His laughter. His beaconing smile. His tentative touch. His uncanny ability to endear himself to your foreclosed heart.

It was easier to deny the connection when you didn’t know Peter. But now that you do, every moment you’re with him intensifies what you’ve painstakingly tried to avoid.

You’re falling in love with your Soulmate.

✦ ✧✦ ✧

Once again, it’s the Saturday brunch rush, and once again, Hal’s is up to its neck in bloodthirsty customers. All the booths are packed, as well as the stools. Some of the parties compact a seat meant for two with four people, and the aisle clogs with those who just came to grab a cup of coffee and conversation.

Chris is in his element, swinging from one booth to the next like a controlled tornado collecting orders, while you and Wendy are the unfortunate bunch who have to clean up desecrated tables and feed the greedy.

“If someone asks me what the specials are one more time, I’m going to rip my hair out,” Wendy grouses behind the counter as she puts away five menus.

You grumble back the same sentiments. Menus exist for a reason. And most of these people aren’t new to Hal’s, so the fact that they always have to ask grinds your gears.

11:30 a.m. is your saving grace. If you can hold on until Peter gets here, you’ll be fine.

Chris stops by the bar, pocketing what appears to be a twenty-dollar bill. “Lighten up, ladies. At least you’re off tomorrow.”

Wendy, in her 5’3’’ stature, looks feral. “I want to be off now.”

A rowdy group of high-schoolers sitting in the farthest booth is holding a contest to see who could drink a milkshake the fastest, and the two unlucky contestants shriek like banshees from self-inflicted brain-freeze. All three of you wince.

“We don’t get paid enough for this.”

Hal shouts from the back. “Order up! And stop slackin’ off out there!”

Wendy’s eye twitches as she marches to the back to pick up the orders. You’d have acted the same way if you didn’t have something to look forward to.

“They’re not going to tip me. I just know it,” Chris says to you, despondently looking over at the teens’ table again.

“They’ll come around. No one can resist this moneymaker.” You lightly bump him on the chin to indicate his smile. Heck, his whole chiseled face is a moneymaker, but that exuberant smile sells it all.

Over the last three months, just like your friendship with Peter, your friendship with Chris has improved. Even with Wendy. You aren’t at each other’s throats nearly as much as you used to be. Last week, she complimented your hairstyle, though it was immediately followed up with a snide comment: progress, either way.

Chris laughs. “And here I thought my friendly personality racked up all the tips.”

“It’s a bonus.”

He chuckles again, then blows out a hesitant breath. “So, Y/N…”

“So, Chris…”

“There’s, um, there’s gonna be another music festival in Cunningham Park tonight, and I was wondering if, y’know, you and Peter might want to come and hang?”

You and Peter… As if you were a pair. An item. A couple. To unsuspecting eyes, you knew you and Peter seemed to be just really good friends. Not even Hal questioned why you spent half an hour talking to him every weekday. If he had an inkling of who Peter actually was to you, he’d have confronted you by now.

Chris, on the other hand, kept a sharp eye on you when Peter was around. As meticulous as you were about keeping up pretenses in public, sometimes you’d slip. Your smile would be a tad too bright when Peter walked through the door and took his usual seat. You’d giggle at his jokes too loud. You’d stare into his eyes too long. Signs too blatant for Chris to miss.

You’re just waiting for him to put the last piece in the puzzle.

“I’d… I’d have to ask Peter.” You take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “But, yeah, I’ll go.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Sure. Sounds like it’ll be fun. What time is it?”

Chris lays a hand on your forehead. “Temp seems fine. Pupils aren’t dilated. How many fingers am I holding up?”

You swat his hand down with a laugh. “Shut up.”

“Look, I know you probably don’t want me saying this out loud, but I’m glad you met Peter. We all are.”

“Why?” Evidently, you’re not that great at hiding your feelings as you thought.

Chris leans against the bar top, keeping an eye on the door just in case customers walked in. “Well, for starters, you literally just agreed to hang out with me for the first time since you started working here, which was—what—two years ago. And… you… I don’t know. You’re more open, y’know? Smiling and such.”

“I smiled before,” you say, a little defensive.

“Not like you do now. Before, it was all—,” Chris screws his mouth up. It’s strange. Alienated and wire-tight. The corners of his lips don’t fully come up, and it barely reaches his eyes. You instantly recognize it—the smile you hid behind.

Did you really smile like that? How is it that you never noticed how off-putting it was? If a server ever smiled at you like that, you’d assume they wished you disappeared off the face of the earth. Is that the smile people saw? More importantly, when did you stop putting it on?

“Two more strawberry milkshakes over here!” shouted one of the brain-freeze victims.

Chris hops to it. Always the perfect server. On his way to make the shakes, he says, “7 p.m.”

“I’ll be there.”

You weren’t going to confirm for Peter until he was there to answer for himself, but he doesn’t show. 11:30 a.m. and the rest of your shift flies by without a sight of him, which is strange, but not uncommon. Homework might have him tied up. September is a pretty busy month for schoolwork, and mid-terms are approaching, so he might be buried in assignments.

Worry doesn’t settle in until you’re getting ready for the music festival at 6:30 p.m., and Peter still hasn’t sent so much as a voicemail.

Evening summer sunlight filters in through your open window, the active sounds of Queens’ busy streets and subway station not allowing your room to fall quiet. Nights like this are perfect for outdoor festivals because it’s warm enough to sit in the grass and not bring a jacket.

Rather than enjoy the idea of getting out for the first time in years, your mind remains hooked on Peter.

It’s not like him not to leave a text if he’s caught up in other things. He’d make sure to tell you where he is, how far away. Since the beginning of this friendship, starting with his little notes, Peter’s constant communication wasn’t something you expected. But now that you do, this behavior just doesn’t match what you’re used to.

You pace the floor of your small bedroom, back and forth, wall to wall, abusively chewing your lower lip and turning your phone around in your hand, working up the nerve to call him, summoning up the will to voice your concern if he did answer.

When you do call, you get his voicemail. Trying again, you end up with the same result. Okay. He’s not picking up his phone.

Fear foregrounds your frustration. It bleeds into your words as you leave your fifth message. One after the other, they morph from mild concern to despairing panic. As the sun dips lower and lower on the horizon and the orange sunlight dwindles, so does your desire to go out.

Because… maybe you shouldn’t go. Maybe you should search for Peter. Finding any trace of him at all would be a stretch, and Chris might be upset about you ditching your plans the next time you see him, but you can’t possibly go out knowing something may be horribly wrong with Peter.

No. No, you won’t cancel plans like that. Peter is fine. Of course, he’s fine. He’s Spider-Man. His duties as a hero come first, no matter what. And he wouldn’t want you to stress so much about him.

Wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he is okay. He’s alive. You feel it.

Somehow, you break the trance of your pacing and convince yourself to grab a cab ride to the park. When you arrive, the festival appears to be at a content standstill. It’s not as crowded as you assumed it would be for a Saturday night. Many of the attendants, ranging from all ages, are sitting on the grass, soaking up the fading rays of the sun while the bands finish up prepping. You’re greeted by the distinctive smell of hotdog vendors intermingled with ripening leaves.

There is nothing truly scenic about Cunningham Park, aside from the interspersed trees and trails. You’d been here a handful of times when you were younger, hanging out with friends during summer break, and one thing you loved about the park back then is how the sun shone through the leaves, casting an ethereal glow on nature.

You’re more appreciative of its beauty without the sun’s effect.

It wasn’t that hard finding Chris. All you had to do was look for the person most likely garnering friends from other groups. He’s on a blanket, seated in the center of the crowd and chatting with a group of three people.

When you’re close enough to be spotted, Chris’s face mouth out into a wide smile.

“You came!” Then his eyes roamed around. “Where’s Peter?”

You try for a carefree grin but let it fall when the effort became too much. “He couldn’t make it. School stuff.”

“Oh, well, that’s fine.” His smile drops fractionally, less joyful and more sympathetic. “I’m really glad you made it. Hey, guys. This is Y/N, my friend from work.”

You wave a little and hope for a genuine smile to grace your lips as they all scoot to make room for you on the blanket.

Chris introduces them all. He points to a buff, curly-haired guy named Dez, who you wouldn’t have guessed would be the type of guy to enjoy small park festivals. He looks like the kind of person who regularly crowd-surfs at huge concerts and somehow always winds up with a VIP pass. The next person is a slender girl named Asha, who has thick black hair knotted into a messy soccer bun and a glowing smile. 

The last person Chris introduces you to is his Soulmate. You knew just by the way he said his name. Resounding. Reverent. Borderline fanatic. His name is Quint, and unlike the others, he wraps you up in a surprising hug. What’s even more surprising is you hugging back.

“Nice to finally meet you.” His voice is richly robust, exactly how you would expect someone with his Adonis-like face to sound. Two gorgeous, outgoing Soulmates just seems unfair.

“Nice to meet you, too.” You can’t help looking from Quint’s face to Chris’s, then back again, and wondering if this is what people see when they see you and Peter—a perfect match. “Chris has told me a lot about you. All great things.”

“He better,” Quint says, jokingly gazing at Chris as a blush flared across Chris’s cheeks. “And he’s told me a lot about you and Peter.”

There it goes again: people pairing you two. It’s hard not to notice how natural that sounds, as though you two were meant to be spoken about as an inseparable whole.

You brush off your startled expression as best you can and ask, “Good things, right?”

He nods, then shares a smile with Chris. “I would’ve liked to meet him.” You roughly translate that to mean, ‘I would’ve liked to meet you both.’ The blush on Chris’s face deepens into an embarrassingly bright shade of red when he catches your eye.

A plucked, low-pitched guitar string echoes out to the crowd and effectively commences the start of the music festival. You must’ve missed the band's introduction because they got right into their music, playing a melancholic pop song that sounded pretty good. You were more interested in the guitar riffs and melodic piano notes than the lyrics, but they’re no doubt about love.

Halfway into their set, your stomach growls, and you remember that you didn’t have anything to eat since you got off work. The whole thing with Peter staved off your hunger. He’s still in the front of your mind, but you’re doing your best to enjoy the night with Chris and his friends.

Standing up, you tell Chris, “I’m gonna get a hotdog.”

He tilts his chin up in acknowledgment, then goes back to swaying his head to the music.

You got up just in time to beat the line. There are only two vendors in the park, and they’d be slammed once the music hits its intermission. The one you’re at resides near the outskirts of the crowd, closest to where you left the group, and two people are in front of you.

You wish Peter were here.

Your hand touches the outline of your phone in your back pocket while you wrestle with the idea of calling him again. Maybe he’ll pick up this time.

You’re just about to unlock your phone when you hear someone calling your name—a girl.

The voice gets closer and more breathless, like they’re running at you full speed ahead and couldn’t reach you fast enough. You turn to the sound just as the body slams into you, yanking you out of line and clutching you to their frame.

“Where the hell have you been?!”

You pull away and stare straight into her face, not trusting your own eyes. “Manda?"

...

Taglist: @alexandria-euphoria​

[jj-bxby]

Where Do We Go? |Chapter Three| JJ Maybank x Reader

Chapter One | Chapter Two

Chapter Summary - After the events of the party and the night before, Y/N has to continue on with her boat day with the Pogues, as well as some extra time with JJ.

gif cred @toesure

Word Count - 4.2k

A/N - thank y’all for being patient for the worlds slowest upload lol. I hope you like this chapter and lemme know if you wanna be added to the taglist! 

Waking up to feel the warmth of JJ below me was not how I had expected my first morning on this island to go, if I’m being honest. But I do have to admit, it’s much nicer waking up next to a cute boy than it is waking up alone. As the events of the night replayed in my head, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit embarrassed. After he saw me be so brave on the beach while I told off Rafe, I felt small thinking of how I woke up sobbing in his arms. To be held together by a boy I hardly knew made me feel so pathetic. I hate feeling weak, and I hate showing it even more. But the way JJ held me against him, the way he spoke to me and calmed me as I was without my usual armor, that just made me feel so secure. And even though I was vulnerable when we kissed, I didn’t regret a second of it. Kissing him with my walls down meant so much more than if I were still guarding myself against the slightest potential of being hurt. And I think JJ knew that feeling.

The position we were in was intimate; half of my body was resting on him as his arms were wrapped around me, and my head nuzzled into his neck as his chin rested on top of my hair. I could hear his heartbeat in my ear and feel as his steady breath fanned over my hair. I lifted my head up a little to see JJ with his eyes still closed and his lips parted as he slept, his golden hair a mess. His usual smirk was gone, and his lashes looked long as they nearly brushed his cheek. Seriously, what is it with men having such gorgeous eyelashes? Seeing him in such a peaceful state was a stark contrast to the boy I met yesterday; the JJ who was strong and flirty and confident, if not a slight bit egocentric.

As I was in the middle of studying his face, JJ’s heavy eyelids slid open and he raised one of his hands to pass over his face as he grunted. “Morning, Y/N,” he said as he dropped his hand, grinning at me. 

“Good morning,” I whispered back, shifting my gaze away from his face. 

“Y/N?” I hummed in response and looked him in the eye again. “Do you want to talk about what happened last night?” JJ asked as his eyes searched mine.

I groaned and tucked my face back into his neck, feeling his chest shake as he laughed at my exasperation. He gently stroked my hair as he spoke. “That’s okay, how about we get breakfast first, yeah?”

I looked up at him and smiled as I nodded. “Okay, but I don’t really have any food here, yet.”

“M’kay, we’ll just head to The Wreck,” JJ said, and I raised my eyebrow at him. “The Wreck is the restaurant that Kiara’s family owns. She works there too, but I don’t think she’s got a shift today.” 

“Well, it sounds pretty good to me. Especially the part about me not having to get groceries or clean up after cooking.” I sit up in the bed after peeling myself away from JJ. “Are you gonna invite the pogues?”

He looked at me and shook his head, looking down to play with the rings that adorned his fingers. “Nah, I think I’d like to just be with you this morning. Besides, we’ll see them later today when we go boating.”

I nodded silently before hopping off of the bed and walked over to my dresser, rifling through the drawers to find an outfit for the day. Even though half of my clothes were still in my suitcases, I was able to find a tank and jean shorts for the morning along with a swimsuit for the afternoon. I held my clothes for the day in my hands and turned around to see JJ peering at me from his position on the bed. “Don’t you need some clothes?” I asked him. “I mean, you slept in your stuff from last night’s party.”

JJ grinned at me, finding my concern for him oddly cute. “I’ve got some in my backpack. Y’know, the one I bring everywhere with me?” 

“Ah, ready to sleepover at a girl’s house any time, huh?” I joked. I saw his smile falter for a second, and my brows knit together. 

“I, uh, actually don’t do this often, even though it might seem like it.” JJ ran a hand through his hair tiredly. “I just don’t stay at my house more than I need to.I’m usually at John B’s, but I keep some clothes on me in case I stay at Kie or Pope’s place.”

I nodded somberly, knowing the feeling all too well. It was usually my car that I was in as darkness fell — not a home. I let JJ know I would be a minute as I ducked into the bathroom to change while he did the same in my room. Once we were both dressed and I’d washed my face to wake up, I dug through a suitcase to find my makeup for the day. Eventually, I ended up pulling out a compact mirror, brow gel, eyeliner, mascara, and concealer to get ready for the day as I sat on my bed to start my quick routine. Once I finished the liner flick on one of my eyes, I looked up from my mirror to see JJ staring at me in awe.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I honestly don’t know how you just did that so perfectly.”

I giggled at the boy’s confusion as I finished up my other eye, him clapping as I capped my liner. I shook my head and opened up the mascara, swiping it along my lashes so they stood out. I could see JJ frowning out of the corner of my eye as I continued on.

“Okay, that one looks like you’re touching your eye with the brush and I don’t like it so much,” JJ said with a grimace. 

“Want me to put it on you?” I asked as I wiggled my eyebrows, smiling as he shook his head rapidly. He picked up the tiny sponge I had sitting next to me and started playing with it in his hands.

“What’s this thing for? It looks like a mix between a marshmallow and a kitchen sponge.”

“It’s for putting concealer under my eyes, it makes me look like I actually slept some. I need that after last night.” I looked up at him questioningly. “Haven’t you ever seen one of your girlfriends do their makeup or something?”

He shrugged his shoulders and tossed the sponge to me. “Haven’t had an actual girlfriend for a while, honestly. Even when I did, I never really sat with them to do things like this. I like it though. Even if makeup isn’t my thing, I like how you look when you do it. You make cute faces as you put the stuff on.”

“I do not make faces!” I said defensively, furrowing my brows.

“Yeah you do, especially with the mashra.”

“I’m sorry, the what? The mashara?” I said with a laugh.

“You know, the eyelash paint! The mashara thing,” JJ insisted as he picked up the pink tube.

“JJ, that’s mascara, not whatever the hell you called it.”

“Mashra, mascara, whatever. My point still stands, you make a cute face while you put it on and I like it.” I smiled and shook my head as he mimicked the face I had made earlier. “I just wanna watch you do this every day now.”

“Well, I’m actually pretty much done today, J. I just gotta finish doing my brows, then we can go grab breakfast. I think I can hear your stomach grumbling.” 

“Did you just call me ‘J’?” I looked up from my mirror to see a grin plastered on the blonde boy’s face. 

“Um, I guess I did, sorry about that.”

“No, I like it, actually. Not a lot of people call me that.” 

“Well not a lot of people call me ‘Pretty Girl’, so I guess we’re even,” I said to him with a wink.

Once JJ stopped distracting me and let me finish my makeup, we were finally able to head out to The Wreck. The drive was filled with JJ’s music and muffled chatter, him telling me more about the island and his friends; about how Kie and Sarah were originally Kooks, but the Pogues took them in, how Sarah and John B were dating, that he wasn’t sure what was going on with Kiara and Pope just yet, and about how they’d all spend days on the water whenever they could. He was smiling as he spoke fondly of his friends, telling me all of the things they would do during the summer, and the pranks they would play on the Kooks. I loved the way his voice would change as the topics did, how his face would scrunch up when he laughed or spoke of something that confused him, and of course, his smirk as he told me of the time he and Pope sunk a Kook’s boat. 

Eventually, we rolled to a stop once JJ had directed me to the parking lot, and we stepped out of the car, JJ coming around to take my hand to walk me into the restaurant. I hesitated for a second before grabbing hold of him, keeping pace with his long strides to enter the doors. He led us to the back of the restaurant, it was an open-air patio with the perfect view of the sea. We took our seats quickly, browsing over our menus as silence settled between us. The passing quiet was nice, not the kind that put you on edge — It was rather the opposite, actually. It was the kind of comfortable silence you’d find with someone you had known for years on end, the kind that was a conversation of its own. When I set down my menu, I looked up to see JJ staring back down at his own, his brows furrowed slightly and his lips moving slightly as his eyes drifted down the page. A grin spread across my face at the sight of the boy in front of me in such a relaxed state. 

“Hey are you guys ready to order?” The waiter asked us, making JJ’s head snap up at the sound. 

“Yeah, I’ll just do the scrambled eggs with a glass of orange juice, please.”

“And I’ll have the pancakes today, Mister Carrera.”

“Boy, you know you gotta pay for this today. Kiara isn’t here to talk me into giving you food today,” the man chuckled. JJ smiled and nodded, saying he’s got the check covered. Once he had walked away, I looked back to JJ. 

“You might want to improve upon those staring skills if you don’t want me to see you next time,” he joked. My cheeks heated up at his words, even though I had nothing to be embarrassed for. 

“Hey, who says I didn’t want you to see me. Besides, it’s hard not to stare sometimes.” I shrugged at him, stacking the small cups of creamer on top of each other, and JJ handed me a couple more. Once I finished my nearly-one-foot-tall tower, I put my hands up. “Ta-da!” 

JJ just laughed at my childish excitement, now stacking the cups into a pyramid shape. “So…”

“So?”

He let out a heavy breath before meeting my eyes. “Look, Y/N, I’m not one who really pushes to talk about feelings and shit like that, but I just gotta ask if you’re okay after last night. I know you were freaked out, and I’m glad I was there for you, but do you know what happened?” 

I could feel his eyes searching my face as I shuffled the sugar packets I held in my hands. I shrugged, not taking my eyes away from my hands. “I just have nightmares, is all. It happens.” I set down the packets to glance at JJ’s blue eyes. “Look, I know I’m a bit of a freakshow, okay? Waking up screaming and crying, and kissing you afterwards. Shit, I haven’t even known you for forty-eight hours yet, JJ. It’s not how I wanted my first impression to go, but I can’t really take it back. I’m okay, I just... have a lot of baggage to sort through.” I was focused on tapping my fingers together in an attempt to keep calm myself as I spoke, doing my best at keeping my voice steady. JJ nodded respectfully to me, placing his hand over my own to make me look at his eyes again. 

“I know what you mean, Y/N. I don’t expect you to pour your life story out to me just yet, I don’t think I’m there yet either, honestly. But, I hope you know that I’m someone you can come to, and in time I hope you’ll realize that you have someone by your side now. I’ll be here to help you sort out anything you want, I promise.”

“You promise, huh?” 

JJ hummed in response. “Of course. I also promise to take you on an actual date eventually, once you’re settled in.” I smiled at his words, blood rushing to my cheeks yet again. “If you want to, of course.” 

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. “Of course I’d like to go on a date together, JJ. One that doesn’t involve any crying sounds nice.” JJ and I laughed as Mister Carrera brought out our breakfast, us parting our hands to make room for the plates. As I sipped on my orange juice, JJ stole a bite of my eggs.

“Look, you better give me a pancake for that. Stealing my food lands you on thin ice, buddy,” I said with narrowed eyes. 

“Hey, one bite of egg is nowhere near equivalent to an entire pancake!” He argued. “I’ll give you a full pancake if you give me a couple more bites of egg”

“Hmph, fine. Just because your pancakes look yummy.” I slid some forkfuls of eggs onto JJ’s plate, him offering me a pancake for our trade. 

“You know I only made that deal cause you’re so damn cute, right? I don’t make food trades often,” he smirked.

“Shush and eat your eggs.”

•

“So, Y/N, you ready for your first day out on the Pogue?” John B asked me as I watched Pope untie the boat from the dock. The sea was blue and salty, without much wind to create many waves. It was the perfect summer day, or as close to it as you could get.

“Yep, I am! I haven’t been out on the water in about a year, actually. I’ve missed it.” 

“Did you live near the sea back on the Mainland?” Kie asked me while we sat on the floor of the boat. She was sectioning part of my hair out to braid as she spoke.

“No, not exactly. We lived near lakes, but not near the coast. It’s much different out here to the lakes, it feels a lot more serene to me,” I answered. “It feels a lot closer to the earth out here than I ever felt back home, really.” 

John B started up the boat, the roar of the engine startling at first, then calm once it settled. JJ sat on one of the seats next to Pope, facing me and Kiara, and Sarah sitting with John B. “So has your gig at that dance studio started up yet, then?” He asked me.

“Not quite yet, they’re giving me about a week to settle in before I start teaching, actually. Which should be a good thing, ‘cause I have plenty of crap I need to unpack yet.” I groaned at the thought of all of the boxes piled in my new home, just waiting to be put away. “Shit, I’m gonna have to put together shelves too.”

“You want some help with that?” Pope asked me, looking around at the other pogues. 

“No, you guys don’t have to help me with this stuff, it’ll just take a few days and then I’ll be done!” 

JJ shook his head at me. “Why do it on your own in a few days, when you could get it all finished in one day with our help?” 

Sarah clapped her hands together excitedly. “So it's settled! We’ll help you set up your house,” she proclaimed. 

“Perfect! We’ll get it done in no time, Y/N,” JB grinned. I looked to JJ with glaring eyes, him shooting me a wink while he sipped on a Coke. 

Kie finished up my braid as I tried to protest the help, the sound of the motor drowning me out. JJ gestured for me to take one of the seats on the bench behind me, Kie stepping up to sit alongside me. I stared off the side of the boat, mesmerised by the water’s movement. The sea water rippled around the boat as it was maneuvered from out of the dock with ease, the Pogue speeding up quickly, and cutting through the water to leave waves in its wake. I jumped slightly when we hit a wave, the boat jutting upwards suddenly and seawater misting over us all. I laughed as the water hit my face, enjoying the cool droplets against my skin. I rested back in my seat as we continued to glide through the water, John B eventually guiding the boat to a stop. JJ hopped out of his seat to toss the anchor while JB cut the engine, and Kie walked over to open up the cooler, passing out drinks to everyone. It was a mixture of beers and sodas between us all, JJ and I being the ones to opt for the sweet, fizzy drinks for the time being. 

JJ took the now vacant seat beside me and pulled out a vape from his pocket to take a hit from, and I watched as the vapor swirled out of his mouth and into the air. “Have you ever been surfing, Y/N?” JJ asked once he finished his breath.

I shook my head, “Nope. I used to go canoeing and kayaking, though it was a while back. I guess those aren’t all that similar though. Why?” 

Pope smiled at me. “Because the best surfer in the Outer Banks is sitting right next to you, of course.”

I swung my head to look at JJ, tilting my head. “Oh really now?”

He smirked at me, nodding. “Damn right, I am.”

“Great, Pope, you boosted his ego again,” John B said, 

“Hey, I can’t help being great, you know.” 

“Oh? And did you tell Y/N how you like to surf hurricanes too?” Sarah asked him.

“We all do that, though!” JJ continued on, “They make great waves, you just gotta be careful is all.” He looked to see me staring at him with wide eyes. “What? It's just like storm chasing.”

“Okay, but people who go storm chasing actually do it to, like, record data and shit like that,” I pointed out. JJ just shrugged at me.

“I was gonna offer to show you how to surf, but if you just wanna be sassy you could do that instead.” 

I frowned at him. “Damn, so surfing and sassiness are mutually exclusive? I dunno if I can do it, then.”

“Hm, I guess I can excuse it for the first lesson,” he laughed. “You’re lucky you’re pretty, ya know.”

“Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that, JJ, but I think you’ve just got a thing for me,” I said, flipping my hair dramatically. Kie nodded at me, both of us bursting out into laughter while JJ sighed, exasperated. 

“Well once we get your house put together, maybe we can go surfing, ‘kay?” I nodded smiling wildly. 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hot as fuck,” Sarah said before pulling off her shorts and top. “I’m ready to get in the water.” The rest of us followed suit, sliding out of our over clothes, and getting splashed when John B jumped off into the water. I saw JJ’s toned body out of the corner of my eye as I slid off my shirt hesitantly, revealing my bikini top underneath. I saw that nearly everyone had jumped into the water as I tossed my shirt onto the pile of clothes in the corner of the boat before removing my shorts to throw aside as well.

Once I stood back up, I felt strong arms sweep under my knees and lock behind my back to pick me up from behind. I twisted to look behind me, seeing JJ’s smirk emblazoned across his face and a wild look in his blue eyes. “You had better not throw me, JJ,” I said, uneasy.

“Hold on tight, Pretty Girl,” JJ whispered in my ear, taking a few running steps to jump off the boat with me in his arms. Both of us sank under the water once we were in, having to let go of each other to swim back up to the surface. As I resurfaced, I could hear the other Pogues cheering and laughing at JJ’s antics, while he shook out his hair and swam a couple of feet over to me. 

“You all good?” He asked, smiling. I nodded, telling him I was okay, and he grabbed my hand under the water, wading us over to the rest of the group.

“You’re officially initiated!” John B shouted. “One of us! One of us!” The Pogues joined in on the chant, all of us laughing as the repetitions died out. I looked around at my new friends, grinning as I realized I had the start of a new family around me. 

“Alright, Y/N, since you’re a pogue now, I think we all want to get to know you a bit better, yeah?” Pope asked, looking around at everyone, stopping back at me. 

“Hey, hit me with the questions.”

Sarah raised her hand jokingly, “Me first! What’s one thing you couldn’t go without? Aside from a phone, of course.”

“Ooh, I think that would probably be this little rock I keep in my bag, pretty sure it's amethyst. My mom gave it to me when I was little.” 

“Oh my god, you like crystals?” Kiara squealed. “I love crystals. Oh my god, we need to keep her, guys.” I laughed at Kie’s excitement as she continued on with a new question. “What’s something that makes you angry?”

“Okay so this sounds weird, but I hate the sound of people chewing. Like, it just enrages me, and I don’t know why. Aside from that, not a whole lot really makes me angry. So long as someone isn't a dick, I’m pretty okay with most things.”

Pope went next. “What would you say is your favorite book?”

I groaned, “Do I really have to pick only one? How about a top three?”

“You’re just winning more and more points with me today, Y/N,” Pope laughed. “Sure, top three.”

I thought about it for a second before coming to a final decision, “Alright, I think it has to be the Percy Jackson books, the originals, not the second series, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.”

“Damn, very good choices,” he said with a nod. 

“You’re both nerds,” JJ snorted. “Alright, what’s your favorite food, Pretty Girl?” 

“Okay, are we talking best food of all time? Favorite breakfast food? Favorite dessert? C’mon, you gotta give me some guidelines here.”

He grinned at me, “Aye, there we go! Best meal and best dessert.”

“My favorite meal has to be these barbecued meatballs that my aunt used to make, and for a dessert I’d say double chocolate cake. Screw vanilla.” JJ agreed, laughing as I went on about my hate for vanilla cake. “Look, you can make vanilla into chocolate, you can’t make chocolate into vanilla. Therefore, chocolate cakes and chocolate frosting are superior!”

I looked to John B who volunteered, “Alright, guess I’m last up! If you had a warning label on you, what do you think it would say?”

“Well the one I told JJ last night was that I’m a walking box of daddy issues, does that count?” My friends laughed, JJ’s eyes catching mine as I giggled and smiling at me. 

“I guess it does!” John B cackled. “Well, I think we got a good idea of you now, Y/N. Welcome to the Pogue life.”

After a while of getting-to-know-you chatter between the group. We decided to head back onto the boat for some lunch. Once we had all climbed the ladder up to the boat, I took the empty seat next to JJ, wrapping myself in a towel as Kiara pulled out sandwiches for all of us. 

“Freshly made sandwiches, for all y’all. Courtesy of The Wreck,” she said teasingly. She handed JJ and I both sub sandwiches and a bowl filled with grapes to share. We had small conversations between our bites of food, laughing and sipping drinks as we soaked up the sun. It really was the perfect day to be out on the water, and being out with good company made it even better for us all. 

tags & mootuals ~ @hmspxgue @drewswannabegirl @jiaraendgame @midnightmagicmusingsmain @ponyboys-sunsets @xlittlemissydjx @danicarosaline @pink-meringues @jjsbxtch @jjsmaybcnk @maybanksbaby @starksweasleymain @softstarkey @shawnssongs @starlightstarkey @ptersparkers @futuretaxcheat @aesthetic-lyss @anonymous0writer @outrbanks @obx-direction-sos @joshy-obx @midnightmagicmusings

[prettyyyboyluke]

Captain

hard volleyball coach!luke 

~ 

this was going to be one of the biggest games of our entire season. we had to win at least three games in regionals in order to make it to the championships. and luke was being way tougher than he needs to be. he always made a jab at me any chance he got, if i missed a dig, if my serve didn’t go over the net or into the net, anything that i did wrong, he made sure to let me know. it was making me so mad to the point where i would mess up everything i did. it didn’t help that there was this awkward tension between us. ever since he decided to make me captain, it was like a constant battle between us to see who the girls would listen to more. i also had to stay with him for a few days since my whole apartment building had to be renovated for some reason, and that wasn’t helping one bit.

“alright girls, wrap it up! practice is over!” luke shouted over the music. everyone stopped and began to take down the nets and shag the balls. once everything was done, we huddled in a circle so i could tell them about this weekend. “okay, we have to win at three games if we wanna make it to the championships. i’m not worried about our bracket, it’s just the last game we play is against red rocks, and you know they like to play dirty. we just need to be on our toes and ready for whatever they plan, alright?” they all agreed and began to leave the gym one by one.

i walked over to luke, he was looking over the stats and our formations. he looked down at me before speaking, “you need to get your serves under control if you want to beat red rocks, they can’t keep going out.” i rolled my eyes before responding, “it didn’t help that you kept yelling at me while i was mid-air. if you even paid attention, you’d know that only two of my serves went out.” “and how many went into the net?” luke asks, raising a brow. i didn’t respond. “that’s what i thought, now let’s go.”

we walked to his car and got in without saying another word to each other. “i’ve been thinking, since you can’t seem to wrap your head around that your serving needs improvement, that tomorrow morning i’m waking you up and we’re going to practice.” he finally speaks. i turn and look at him, “you’re kidding right? my serving needs improvement? have you seen reagan’s? she needs help! not me!” i argue. “don’t talk back to me.” luke turns and gives me a harsh glare. “no! it’s not fair to me that you call me out on this bullshit! i wasn’t doing anything wrong, my form is perfectly fine.” i argued back.

i crossed my arms and turned to look out the window. he couldn’t be serious. the amount of unnecessary training he makes me do just because i had one bad practice is not fair. if luke actually paid attention to his team, he would know that some of the other girls need his help way more than i do. “i’m not training in the morning. i have plans and i’m not cancelling them just because you think they’re bad serves.” i tell him. i could tell he was ready to explode with the way i was talking. luke was not one to take disrespectful tone, and if you talked back, you were doing the worst drills you could think of.

luke takes a deep breath and finally looks over at me, “i expect more out of you. i made you captain for a reason, but if you can’t handle it, maybe you don’t deserve it.” my mouth drops and my brows raise. “i can definitely handle it! what i can’t handle is you having a pissy attitude with me for no fucking reason!” i screamed back at him. luke’s knuckles turn white from gripping the wheel so hard, and he quickly pulls over into a dark and empty parking lot. “get in the back.” he demands. “what? no, you’re just in a shitty mood because your poor ego got damaged.” i say, crossing my arms again. “did i fucking stutter? get in the back before i make you.” he bellows.

i unbuckle my seat belt and climb over the console to the back seat. luke unbuckles his seat belt and the door on his side opens as he slides in before closing it. he moves both of the front seats up for he has more room to move. luke take’s two of the seat belts that are hanging from the ceiling and grabs my wrists before wrapping the belts around them. “i’m sick of this fucking attitude you’ve gotten recently. you’ve been nothing but disrespectful to me this past week, i might just have to bench you for the first game.” he grunts through his teeth. “you can’t do that!” i practically spit back at him.

luke raises a brow at me, “i can do whatever i fucking please, little girl. i make the rules, i run the team, do you understand me?” one of his hands grabs my throat, squeezing the sides of it lightly. i nod my head at his statement. “you better fucking answer me, with that attitude, you don’t want to piss me off even more.” “i-i understand!” i answered quickly. he takes my answer as an opportunity to start rubbing my heat with his free hand, “address me properly, and i’ll consider letting you cum.” “i understand, sir.”

luke has a satisfied smile on his face. his lips are threatening to run themselves up my neck, his breath is hot on my ear lobe when i hear him speak, “you know, you act so tough in front of everyone else, but when you’re under my touch, you’re nothing but a whiney little brat.” i buck my hips up to meet his hand once they make their way inside my spandex. he traces the band of my panties, avoiding specific areas that he knows will make me beg. “please, sir, take them off,” i whisper.

luke hums in response, “and why should i do that? go on and tell me, angel, wanna hear you beg for it.” i push my hips against his hand again, moving as much as i could for him to just brush his fingers against me. “i want them inside, please!” “don’t think you deserve it, angel, you really don’t. but, fuck, it’s so wet. why is it so wet?” he growls into my ear. “b-because of you, sir.” i stammer, arching into him. both of luke’s hands loop themselves onto the band of my spandex and slide them down my leg, leaving me exposed and ready for his use.

he takes his middle and ring finger and taps it against my lips. i gladly take them in my mouth, sucking and swirling them while maintaining eye contact. he takes them out and starts to rub generous circles on my clit. he finally slides his fingers straight into my heat, not wasting a second before he starts pumping it in and out, reaching further and further inside with each thrust. he finally hits that spot, and i let out a small little whimper, and you could practically hear his smirk on his face.

i close my eyes and let my head lean on one of my arms that are above my head. luke stops for a moment, “uh-uh, watch.” is all he says before carrying on. my eyes open and i look down to see the erotic scene happening. luke’s fingers are gliding so smoothly inside and out of me, you could practically see how soaked they were. he continues to hit the spot that makes me want to close everything around him. “please, sir, please, i’m so close,” i whisper.

luke doesn’t answer, he just carries on, adding his thumb into the mixture of things. my back arches into the air, my heat clenching down around luke’s fingers making it harder for him to move them. “right there! right there, sir. fuck, please, please, am i allowed to cum?” i whine, rolling my hips into the rhythm of his fingers. “no.” he simply answers, and then takes his fingers out. my hips buck up into the air, trying to chase that high i was feeling.

luke delivers a harsh slap on top of clit causing my legs to close. “like i said, i’d consider it. now open them back up, i’m not done with you.” luke carries on this process four more times. my cheeks are stained with tears and are crimson red. my wrists are burning from tugging them against the buckles. his fingers are constantly driving so hard and so fast into me, i could feel a bubble in my stomach that was going to burst within the next few seconds.

my legs begin to shake around his hand, hoping he can see how desperate i am for my release. i could feel that bubble start to burst, but just as it’s about to, luke removes his fingers from me, again. luke licks his fingers clean before getting back into the drivers seat and carry on driving, leaving me in the back, restrained and unable to finish myself off. “you’re fucking kidding me,” i grunt. i’m met with a harsh glare in the rear view mirror.

“every single noise that comes past those lips, i’ll be coming up with more punishments, don’t push me.”

[redhawtriot]

Baby Boom (Bakugou x Reader)

Tip Jar ☕- Not expected but always appreciated💞

I am posting at not my normal time at ALL, but I really wanted to get this chapter out so I can work on my favorite chapter so far lol (month five is boutta be LIT) if the tags aren’t working i’ll fix them tomorrow they are acting weird rn. 

Thx, for the patience. Love y'all

extra chapter warning: sexual harassment, nsfw..ish

HnM 💕

Month 1, Month 2, Month 4

--MONTH 3--

It was a Friday night about two months ago when Katsuki Bakugou had found himself on the second floor of Club 52—or “the booty room”—as it’s so brusquely known.

But he sure as hell didn’t fucking belong here-- Surrounded by drunken idiots when he had to stay alert and keep his mind sharp-- groped on by inebriated/drugged up women who he would simply growl at in return-- drenched in the germy sweat of the fucking extras around him when he could be at home in his clean bed thinking about how to improve himself tomorrow.

Honestly. How in the flying fuck did he let those three walking hairstyles talk him into coming to this shit show?

The driving beat of the music dancing within his chest was his only saving grace, its constant booming throwing him into a state of familiar comfort as he watched the colorful lights burst around him. He had to admit… they were nice…

No!

Fuck that! He still didn’t belong here, dammit! His roommates, Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest, had all three nagged, and nagged, and nagged him to come here the entire week.

At their begging, Bakugou quite frankly wished that he had lost even more of his hearing than he already had from his quirk. Maybe he could find one of his old drumsticks and jam it into his head—or up those idiots’ asses, “Ahh! I’LL GO! JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!” It was the only way to keep him from losing his job as a hero and committing a triple homicide. 

So yeah, that’s how he ended up in the booty room—and he wasn’t gonna gratify those damn idiots for even a second by enjoying just an ounce of the hellscape.  

“You’re not drinking, huh?”

A sudden inquiry snapped the man out of his thoughts, and he found himself whipping his head around to face the feminine voice that had cut through the loud room. As soon as his eyes encountered yours, Bakugou felt his jaw drop slightly at the sight.

But then he quickly noticed the way that your eyes flickered down to his mouth, and the mocking way that your lips began curving up into a smirk at his display. He wanted to kiss knock that smug look clean off your pretty face. He immediately clenched his jaw back shut and hardened his traitor of an expression so that no more slip-ups could be had.

The two of you sized each other up for a moment before you slickly glanced over your shoulder with a nod, “So I am guessing those belong to you, then?” you motioned toward Mayonnaise, Ketchup and Mustard—all three of Bakugou’s roommate idiots making a theatrical, display in the middle of the dance floor.

Kirishima—who had long taken his shirt off by this point-- noticed Bakugou’s disapproving gaze and attempted a wave back, only to lean into a drunken stumble.

Bakugou clicked his tongue, snapping his regard from the (flat out embarrassing) show “I’m not anyone’s damn babysitter. They’re grown men. They can fucking handle themselves!”

“Good… I’d like to have you to myself for a while,” you turned to the bar-tending counter and beckoned for two drinks.

Bakugou eyed how the man behind the counter ingested you. He was a lion looking for his prey’s weakness and you didn’t even seem to notice—or care. He glared at the man, subconsciously taking a step toward you to speak as the bartender handed you your drink, “For what?” Bakugou asked you flatly. He didn’t even know why the hell he was entertaining this.

You simply shrugged, throwing your eyes up as innocently as you could with the contrarily wicked smirk that befell your face, “To… talk.”

“Yeah right. You’ve got some freak look in your eye. You want something else.”

“Well, hell yeah! Have you seen yourself?” you laughed and Bakugou couldn’t tell whether the stutter in his chest was from your utter bluntness, or from the melody of your happiness, “Anyway, I wont waste your time—or mine. Come find me if you want to…” you trailed off as you handed him the second drink in your hands. You had to bite your lip from smiling too hard, “…Talk. Ba-Bye~.”

As soon as you were the short ear distance away and faded into the dense crowd, the bartender gave a low whistle, “She was fucking fit as hell. God, the things I would do to her!” Bakugou felt his face twitch suddenly as the man continued his rant, “She’d never be able to walk that pretty little walk ever again. Yo, let’s hope she’ll still be here by the time I get off!” he chuckled but Bakugou didn’t see any thing fucking funny about what the bastard said. He might live in what is effectively a hero’s version of a frat house, but still, he never understood “locker room talk.”

Bakugou angrily downed the entire drink in his tight grip in one long pull before slamming it back onto the counter forcefully. His red eyes burned holes through the bartender’s fearful ones—the cup breaking apart under his palm, “She won’t be. Keep your dirty eyes off her, you bastard,” Bakugou didn’t even allow the man an opportunity to rebuttal as he stormed away, his fiery glare set intently on one thing only—or one person only…

That night Bakugou watched intently as the ceiling above him teetered and danced for a moment—sinking into the deep feeling of numbness that his intoxicated mind had succumbed to after about his fourth drink. He wasn’t exactly used to this feeling—this caving in on himself and sense of absolute relaxation as he melted into his bed.

Sinking.

              ...Sinking.

Wait, was his bed really sinking? His eyebrows furrowed into a state of confusion before he heard a sigh coming from next to him. Things finally clicked into place in his slowed mind.

Oh yeah. That’s right…

He would never get used to having someone else in his bed, probably.

Bakugou turned to where you were imprinting yourself down onto his mattress. You laughed at his stern expression, extending your arm to caress the side of his face, “God, your face is s’ intense like that. It gives me chills,” your thumb danced across the permanent furrow of his eyebrow. There had to be a magnet underneath his skin somewhere right about there that kept the brows in a constant state of attraction.

He snapped his face away from you as the magnet’s strength intensified and twisted his expression even deeper into anger, “Heh?” Goddamn, you were a fucking difficult girl to read for as blunt as you were.

You march up to him in the club like you own the damn place and send him heart eyes and flirtatious body signals, just to stone cold walk away like he never even existed? You proclaim that you want to fuck him, yet made him dance with you for almost an hour before you lead him out?? You let him fuck you in thirty different directions, just to call him out for looking “intense?!!” His friends (if you could fucking call them that) always said that he had an ugly mug, the jealous bastards, but why would a girl he slept with--

“You’re jus’ beautiful is all,” you faintly slurred, instantly hushing any of his thoughts and softening his expression, “People tell me all the time ‘You’re a pretty girl! You should smile more, but why th’ hell should I go around smilin’ for people who don’ deserve it? If they don’ like my resting state, then—”

“Then they can fuck themselves.”

“Yeah,” you looked up at him with a lazy smile. To a sober mind there was no doubt that your expression was an obviously drunken happiness, but to Bakugou’s in that moment—he couldn’t help but think that maybe there was something deeper behind that smile. You giggled, “They can fuck themselves,” you agreed more heartedly-- leaning into Bakugou and rolling him onto his back before snaking your way on top of him. You planted a trail of wet kisses up his neck and finished by making a small bite on his jaw “And maybe you can fuck me,”

Your warm breath on his sensitive neckline made him shiver underneath his skin, but he prayed that you couldn’t feel it. He scoffed to cover the pathetic display, “Again?”

You laughed before planting even more smiling kisses all over him—pressing your body even further into his with each one, “and again. and again. and again…”

“Pervert.” Bakugou tried to grab you by your hips to keep you from grinding into him even further—or at least that was what he intended to do; however, instead he ended up using them to guide your rhythm in rubbing against him.

You laughed again as you sat up on top of him and pressed your hands to his chest—your hips far from slowing down or stopping, “Maybe so, but can y’ really blame me? I have this guy in bed with me who isn’t even tryin’ to make me smile, but I have been fucking cheesin’ it up all night with ‘em.”

Bakugou didn’t even try to fight the growing smile on his face. It really was damn corny and pathetic--whatever this was between the two of you. But it felt so… so fucking right to him.

Still, he was going to tease you-- otherwise he wouldn't be him, “Well, I have this girl in bed with me who won’t stop smiling and it’s really fucking starting to creep me the hell out,” he suddenly flipped you onto the bed and mounted himself on top of you before placing his own assault of kisses on your body. His face only reemerging to take in your stupid, corny, beautiful smile for a long second. 

You were absolutely stunning in every respect of the word.

Yet--

Two months later, the same face that now stood in front of him on the platform of the train station was far from smiling—honestly neither was he. He was pissed the hell off. You didn’t even recognize him until just now?? Was he really so fucking immemorable?

You backed away from the man who had just saved you from falling to the tracks. You took him in one final time as the two of you sized each other up, “I don’t even know what to start…”

Bakugou’s face contorted in such anger that it could have been mistaken for disgust, “How about you start by giving me some fucking answers!” he screamed, causing your heart to drop and your stomach to lurch. The two organs effectively were trying to switch places.

Oh fuck. He knew?

“T-to what…?” You trailed off, but you had a feeling what he was going to say next. He was gonna chew you out about the damn parasite growing in your uterus, but you had no idea how he could have known about that! He shouldn't know that!

Deku didn’t tell... He didn’t! ...Did he?? Your heart raced and assaulted your rib-cage with an armada of thrums.

“Why did you sneak out that morning, huh!?” as soon as the words flew out of his mouth, you paused—your mind not quite able to comprehend his grievance, “I was just some sex toy for you? That it??” When he finished yelling and glared at you with expectancy burning within his red irises, you found yourself tilting your head a bit in astonishment and confusion.

Your heart had dropped, but you couldn't tell if it was from relief or repugnance. 

That? That was the question he needed answers to?

In the grand scheme of the fuckery on hand, his damaged ego was literally not your problem. You crossed your arms as you stretched your neck toward him, “Because it was supposed to be a club hump and dump! So yeah! We were just sex toys! That was kinda the whole fucking point!” Note the fucking emphasis on ‘supposed to be’! Ugh!

A tinge of underlying hurt quickly flashed across the blond’s stern face. You gave a short, sharp sigh in exasperation as you laid your forehead in one of your palms, “Look, I am not exactly here to cater to your wounded pride. Sorry that you caught feelings for me, but I wasn’t exactly obligated to fix you breakfast that day,” the tired, emotional remarks flew out much faster than you could filter them, but you still felt a twinge of remorse as soon as they hit the air.

The man in front of your face look completely stunned as if you just slapped him across the cheek with your words. It actually seemed pretty unnatural on his expression—like a rare, endangered species-- something not many have seen. Soon enough, however, as the dust of your words fell his expression settled back into a more natural state of fury, “You’re fucking right,” he grunted before turning to exit up the stairs of the subway, “I’m not obligated to listen to this horseshit either.”

Oh fuck. What have you done?

You knew that you had laid it on pretty thick, but the emotions you felt were just so damn overwhelming, “Kacchan… I…!” Why couldn’t you have said something different? Nicer maybe?

Whether you liked it or not, your lives were now tied together and this was not a good first impression—or uh-- second impression technically-- whatever! “I promise you’re gonna want to hear the end of this.” you called to his retreating form.

Bakugou’s face shriveled even further, stretching its extent of maximum disgust. Hearing that name come out of your mouth left his stomach feeling ill, “I promise you, I don’t give a fuck”

You slapped your arms at your side as you finally halted in your attempt to get him to stop walking away. Fuck it. You were about to completely call his bluff because you definitely weren’t about to chase him. You were much too tired and emotional for this shit! You just wanted to get home and sleep these random-ass, foreign emotions away, “I’m pregnant.” you simply exclaimed.

Bakugou froze.

In that moment, it was as if the entire world around him had iced over as he replayed your words in his head over and over again. He couldn't have heard you right, “What?” 

The man felt every fiber of his being stiffen. So much so that he couldn’t even bring himself to turn around and face you. In your silence was his answer loud and clear, “How… how the fuck do I know it’s mine?” he murmured, still unable to turn towards you—he didn’t want you to see the raw emotion that his face probably held in that moment.  

You barely even heard him, but the weight of his words was heavy enough to slam down on your ears and cause a burning reaction from you “What?!”

Your shriek finally prompted him to whip himself around, and you almost wish that he didn’t. The mangled mess of feelings transcribed on his face left his cheeks flushed a furious shade of red as he shouted at you,  “You like one-night stands so much—how do you know it’s mine?” With a horrified expression, you glanced around you for a moment to the other people in the subway, who immediately adverted their gazes.

“Hell, You’ve been hanging around that bastard, Deku. How do I know it’s not his?” You looked back to Bakugou with a choked ‘Wow!’ that could be interpreted as “Are you fucking kidding me right fucking now??” These strangers were getting one hell of a show, too.

You stormed up to him to keep him from shouting your all of your dirty laundry into the air, “Deku and I aren’t—” You stopped yourself. Would any fucking thing you said to this man make a difference? He didn’t know you from fucking Adam-- or from fucking Adam. You groaned in annoyance, “Look! I know that it’s yours because you're the only idiot I have slept with in months! An idiot who doesn’t know how to use a goddamn condom apparently!” you half whispered to him as your spectators began eyeing you again. You flipped them off as Bakugou continued,

“I’m the idiot?! Well if you could ACTUALLY FUCKING REMEMBER that night then you would know that we did use condoms the first three times! They ran out and you told me to keep going,” He screamed—by this point you’d given up hope of containing your melodrama as he continued loudly, “What idiot says that unless they are on birth control or something?!”

You throw your face in your hands with a shriek of a sigh before looking back up to his furious face “Here’s the deal,” you decided to completely ignore his comment, becoming tired of this theatrical display of emotions spewing from him,  “I can’t spontaneously conjure up some proof that this-- this thing is yours but I assure you it fucking is. But hey!! If you don’t want to stick around, I am not the type of person to make you. I can deal with this myself,” his face fell a bit as you swiftly turned yourself around to make your exit, but you didn’t make it far before you felt a heavy hand grab you by the wrist.

“Let’s say it is mine...,” Bakugou offered flatly, “You don’t think I can handle it” his daring tone left your mind whirling. This wast a fucking wrestling match or even one of his villain attacks! He continued, “You’re dumber than you look if you think I’m gonna let my kid grow up without me. Give me your fucking number,” He easily snatched your phone from your front pocket with a slight protest coming from you, but ultimately, you really were tired as hell and just wanted this day to be over with al-fucking-ready. You sighed as he put his number in your phone—your mind briefly wandering why you didn’t put a password on the damn thing.

In a short instant, he shoved your device back to you and promptly turned on a heel. Only acknowledging you once more to tell you to “Stay off of the fucking train tracks,” before he stiffly marched away. Good riddance. 

You couldn’t even blame the spectators anymore. This was a mess. This was a downright, melodramatic, teen drama on CW disaster. This was… this was your life now.

Fuck…

“Oooh... no smiles today, huh?”

About a week later you found yourself walking up the stairs to a modern mansion with stupid windows for walls. A true sign of pretentiousness and obvious lack of shame. This house was a display for all to see... kinda like your argument with that Bakugou last week. 

You shook this thought out of your mind and put your ‘work cap’ back on. You were on your way to get some test shots in for the week with your new hair cut that the agency had forced on you recently.

Instead of throwing her a “What’s there to smile for?” like you wanted to, you threw her a “This better?” and forced a small smile at the girl, Dina, who had traveled along with you to get her test shots done today as well. Usually for these kinds of things, you would be alone as you traveled to the photographer’s house, but it was always nice to have someone come with you so you weren’t complaining—well-- not about her company at least.

There truly was nothing to smile for recently. You were pregnant with a raging, quirkcist asshole’s child, said asshole won’t answer any of your damn texts or calls that aren’t directly related to the prenatal appointment that you two have later today, Deku hasn’t been able to hang out with you as much because of his work, and as trivial as this may seem, you looked in the mirror today to saw a completely different person.

You were quite used to your agency drastically changing your hair, but that, along side the obvious rounding of your face and the speckles of hormone induced facial topography growing on your skin, led you to a slight identity crisis. The girl in the reflection was a sloppy second to who you used to be and you hated it-- you hated sharing this body.

“Trouble in paradise with Deku, Y/N?” her tone had a hint of worry in it as she rung on the doorbell to the modern house. You could only give her a slight shrug as the bell sung out,

“I’m fine. Really.” you lied. 

“Hello, hello!” The photographer’s voice loudly blared out before the door could even fully open to reveal him. He gave you a shocked glance, “What a pretty lady—pretty ladies!” he corrected as he stepped aside and invited you in with the swing of his arm. You rolled your eyes as he turned his back to walk through the house. He looked like the textbook definition of a douchebag. 

Fuck not judging a book by it’s cover. If it walks like a duck. Talks like a duck. Then it’s probably a misogynistic asshole who only got into photography to get away with his sick urge to take photos of unfamiliar women.

“Okay ladies, I just want to preface by saying that you can feel comfortable around me, alright? I think of all my models as a family,” Dina stiffened into a board as he came over and rested his hand on her hip. She forced her lips into a fine line that could resemble a smile as he firmly patted her, “This shouldn’t take too long-- only about five to six hours, ‘kay?”

Your face scrunched up, but you just wanted to get this day over with so you could go to that stupid appointment and wouldn’t have to deal with “Cockugou” for another few weeks. Throughout the next few hours, the photographer actually wasn’t too bad. He was for sure creepy, but you noticed that he wasn’t so bold with you as he had been with Dina earlier. Of course there were little off hand comments like, “You are doing sexy.” instead of “you are doing great.” And he would refer to both you and Dina as “baby” is a husky, drawn out tone—like he was moaning, but besides that he was actually being pretty calm.

Until he wasn’t.

“Okay! Now take your tops and bra off,” both you and Dina paused as the camera flashed once more. As the two of you threw each other a wary glance the photographer spoke up again, “Trust me, I have a vision. You’re gonna love it!”

“I- I just don’t feel comfortable with that,” Dinah spoke up feebly. She looked to you for support, so you nodded before she returned her gaze to him, “Do you think… maybe we could do something else?”

The photographer sighed and threw his nose into pinched fingers as if you all had offended him, “Look honey, you’re not that photogenic. I am having to bust my ass off not to capture that cellulite on the back of your thighs, so when I tell you to do something, it’s for a reason.”

You glanced over to Dina with a horrified expression. You noticed that her hands were clenched at her sides and shook ever so slightly after she subconsciously rubbed the back of her thighs-- you also noticed a prominent thigh gap in between the two tiny appendages. You shot your stern glare back over to the photographer.

He sighed again—this time even harder than before, “Take five!” he frustratedly pulled out a box of cigarettes and stormed over to his patio outside—the glass door slamming shut behind him.

You walked over to Dinah and hesitantly found your hands drifting toward her. You were never really good at cheering people up. Hell, you had to rely on alcohol to cheer you up for the vast majority of you adult (and a little bit of your pre-adult) life. Still, you took her shaking hands in your own. “Hey. Don’t listen to that asshole. If you’re not comfortable...”

“I have done nude shots before, but this just feels… wrong. Doesn’t it?” she refused to look you in the eyes as hers glazed over in a thick sheet of shame. She was right. Nude shots were nothing new at all. In fact, some of your best shots had been done in the nude—they had the potential to be true art, but this? This was wrong.

She shook her head,“But I just… I don’t want to be unprofessional.”

“We can walk out right now. I’ll call Ainu and tell her what’s up I am sure she’ll understand,” as soon as you began walking to gather up some of your belongings, her voice spoke up once more—this time much colder than before,

“Maybe for you. Y/N, you could get away with murder at our agency-- you know that, right? You’re the one who bought Ainu her ticket to the top-- her golden child,” she sneered. You threw your eyes toward her own—not quite comprehending if this was the same person still talking to you.

It was, but this Dina had tears growing in her eyes, “Not everyone can half-ass everything and not care…” her voice shook. The two of you just stared at each other as wild emotions filled your expressions and overflowed into the room to drown you.

The patio door clicking open snapped you out of your trance and Dina furiously began wiping her eyes clean as the photographer reemerged, “Alright pretty ladies! Who’s ready to get back into things?”

You sighed.

With a quick roll of your eyes you angrily threw your top off—not even giving the girl with you a second glance as she did the same and the two of you settled yourself into position. The atmosphere was certainly much heavier than it had been before, but the photographer obviously couldn’t read the room,

“Y/N might I say, that your tits looks wonderful! Have you gotten a job recently? I mean- they look huge!”

Okay. 

That. Was. It. You couldn’t fucking hold it back anymore, “Talk about my tits again and I’ll stab you in the neck with your own goddamn tripod,” you kept posing as if you totally hadn’t just threatened someone’s life, but the photographer fell away from his camera, shock painted on his expression. Slacking on the job. Huh, who’s the unprofessional one now?

“…S-sweetheart I—”

“Don’t you fucking ‘sweetheart’ me!” you screamed, storming up to point a finger in his face. This surge of random emotion overwhelmed you. You had never felt this before—like you were gonna explode if you didn’t unleash it. And unleash it, you did, “The fuck is your problem?! You get some kick outta being a perverted asshole, asshole?!”

Dinah tried to come pull you back by the shoulders, “Y/N, maybe you should just calm dow—”

“No! Fuck this bastard!!” you smack her hands away as the photographer gets up and crossed his arms,

“This is so unprofessional. You women always jump to conclusions. Why cant you ever just take the compliment?”

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST TAKE MY FOOT UP YOUR--”

And that’s how you ended up getting sent home two hours early. You had attempted to call Deku to rant about the harsh encounter, but he was at work. You supposed that saving lives a a little bit more important than “The Dramatic Tale of a Quirkless Model” or whatever fucking CW show your life had become. Your mind briefly fleeted to calling Bakugou, but he certainly wouldn’t answer anyway. No. Fuck that.

So you decided to text Deku and cry into your pillow instead,

You:

[2:49pm]

I mean he was just such a fucking dick!

I should have actually stuck my foot up his ass but he for sure would have liked it🙄

Seriously. I don’t mind nude photos

But there is a difference between art/photography and porn

Deku:

Right!!

Well I’m glad you stood up for yourself!

You:

No! Don’t tell me tht!😫

Deku:

I am upset tha you stood up for yourself…?

You:

UGHHH

I just wish tht I had just walked out

But the other girl wouldn’t leave and I couldn’t leaver her their

There*

God

Ainu is gonna 💀me for this

Deku:

How can I help you?

I’ll find what I can on the photographer?

You:

Talk Kacchan into not going to our clinical visit.👉👈

You knew that Deku really wanted to go, and honestly you would really prefer if he did. Regardless, Deku stood up for his childhood bully like the saint he was,

Deku:

Y/N! He’s the father. he deserves to go, don’t you think?

Also!

Don’t forget Baby Notes vol 1! I wrote some questions for you to ask!

You stifled a small laugh as you eyed that stupid goddamn notebook he left on your nightstand one of the few days he stopped by your home.

You:

Grr

I can’t handle Cockugou’s moodiness right now

And I-- Oop!

Speak of the devil. He’s here.

Talk later k?💕kith!

You snatched the notebook from your nightstand and marched to your front entrance. The knocking at your door was downright disrespectful—constantly switching between pounding knocks on your door and vigorous successions of the doorbell ringing.

“Fucking. Calm. Down!” you screamed out the door before answering, revealing Bakugou’s stern gaze,

“What the hell took you so long?” he huffed, causing your face to scrunch up into an expression that mirrored his own. 

“I had to walk to the damn door, you know! I’m quirkless? No teleportation quirk here!” He only clicked his tongue at your response. You noticed the way his eyes drifted down to the notebook in your hands before they narrowed into even tighter slits.

“Let’s just fucking go, already,” he took your wrist and led you out of the house before shutting your door. You could really just knock him the hell out. Okay, maybe you couldn't, but your weak ass might just be able to get one good hit in! He deserved it, not replying to any of your attempts to reach out to him past talking about the appointment,

“Why didn’t you answer my texts all week?”

“I was busy.” he simply said, not even bothering to look you in the eye. This was the last time he spoke up for a long while. In fact, you didn't even hear his voice again until later when the two of you sat in the small, shoebox of a room in the clinic with the prenatal physician,

“This is your first appointment, right?” the doctor, was extremely old looking and your mind phased into a grim question of ‘how the hell can someone so close to death know jack about birth?’

You tried your best to push these dark thoughts out of your head as you gave him a slight answer, “Yeah…” you laid back on the crinkly paper covered recliner and lift your shirt a bit for the examination. You looked down at the small, hardly noticeable bump in your lower abdomen and internally cringed. 

“This is the father?” you knew that it didn't really matter, and that he was probably just trying to make you comfortable and spark up some small talk, but you rally didn't wanna hear it out loud. 

You couldn't bring yourself to answer, but Bakugou loudly spoke up, filling the absence of your voice, “Why the hell else would I be here, old man?” he scoffed and twisted his face away from everyone. 

You raised an eyebrow at his rudeness, but from the vast stories that Deku had told you about him, you shouldn't have been surprised. But still, it was like seeing a mythical creature in real life-- a grumpy troll under a bridge, if you will. 

The doctor gave a loud laugh at Bakugou’s remark, causing both you and him to snap your surprised gazed to the elderly man, “You’d be surprised at the shit I have seen, son. Someone brought their neighbor for the entire 39 weeks once-- the husband came in only once or twice, I think.”

You couldn't help but to laugh at this. Your doctor’s voice had a much more youthful demeanor than he had originally led on, “Oh, they were definitely fucking behind the husbands back,” you smirked.

“So Mama Bakugou,” 

And just like that your smile was completely wiped off of your face, “This is your first child right?” the doctor asked. You felt Bakugou throw you a fleeting expectant look. You assumed that it was probably because he hadn't even thought to ask you this question. The two of you really didn't know each other. Matter of a fact, this doctor, with your list of medical history in his hand, probably knew a lot more than the father of this ‘it’ inside of you. 

“L/N actually,” you corrected, “and yes, it is.” with that, Bakugou’s glare drifted back off into unconcerned and uncaring territory as he found a sudden interest in the glass container of gloves on the counter. 

“Well you look about 10 weeks along. They’ll be about the size of a strawberry right now-- almost done with your first trimester.” he trailed off as he began coating your stomach with some sticky jelly substance. 

“What??” you could have sworn that you had only met Bakugou about two months ago right? So does that mean...

“The date of conception would have actually been a little closer to about 7 or 8 weeks ago. We just count by the first day of your last period. No need to get worried about the neighbor, I don’t think, Papa Bakugou,” he winked to the blond, who only gave a scoff in return. You let out a slight sigh of relief. 

The recipe for the rest of this appointment as the doctor searched your organs for your uterus in the ultrasound included him making small talk and Bakugou ignoring it with you giving slight answers here and there,

However, finally, something really caught both of your’s attention, “I think that you guys should take time today to find your primary care physician,”

“Why not you, idiot?” Bakugou spoke up and it shocked you. You were surprised he cared about this out of everything. 

“I am thinking that I should send you to someone with a specialty in a multiple pregnancy birth.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you and Bakugou shared a brief, terrified glance at one another, “What...?” Bakugou spat.

“You see these two circles? It looks like you’ve got two buns in the oven! Congrats on the twins!,” 

T...wins...?

The world bean fading into a blur for you as he continued, “Now You are a little past getting the neural tube check, but we can get you started in on some genetic testing and counseling’s. Every thing is looking alright, but we just want to…”

The world around you moved in a blurry, choppy chain of images as your mind tried its best to comprehend the knowledge it had been given. So... not only were you carrying one parasite... but two?

You couldn't bring yourself to listen the rest of the appointment, and you had a feeling that Bakugou wasn't picking up on much else after the shocking news either. 

If you thought that commute to the hospital was quiet, the walk back to your apartment was even more so.

Taglist:  @steggy4ever​ @library-trash​ @watevermelon​ @glimmadora-ble​ @persephones24​ @dragonempress123​ @your-pri-ncess @broken-from-fandoms​ @hot-pocket01​ @tsukineho @bakugousbabydoll​ @bubbzibubbles @ikebukuro-ghoul​ @thehoneycookiecrumbs​ @katsukis-sad-angel​ @dulcetailurophile​ @yukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii @kanasakura @lonekitsune @pastel-prynce​ @mynameispurple​ @cutest-celestial-princess​ @minfani​ @aurorahoneybuns​ @galacticrosee @orokayagi​ @centerhabit​ @animefan7420 @katsukisposts   @bakugou-is-my-daddy​

[kangaroo-writes-trash]

Day Five - “I’ve Got Red In My Ledger”

He wanders the wet, cobbled streets of Aerothain under the veil of night, ducking from alleyways to empty streets aimlessly. There’s a tightness in his chest and difficulty in his breath, his gait slow and limping. It’s the flu, he reasons, nothing serious. His body’s hot and mind wayward, sweat masked by the soft rainfall. He knows this town well, yet he finds himself unfamiliar with the dead-ends that constantly confront him - a left, a right, two minutes of walking, and then... this isn’t right. Why am I on the ground? There’s an inn, but not the one he’s interested in. It’s... an expensive one, going by the music oozing from the walls and the well-dressed woman that sneaks out to light up a smoke. Her features are sharp, yet painfully average all in the same stroke. Pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a yellow dress he can appreciate the make of. From his sat position on the opposite side of the street, his already small frame even smaller, the pair trade an awkward glance - he likes her smile, and the bizarre makeup that doesn’t seem fazed by the wet. Eyeliner... eyeshadow? He always forgets the difference, but whatever it is, it’s rainbow, and he loves it. She ducks back inside quicker than he would have liked. It’s slow and pained, his attempts at standing, but by the time he’s halfway across the street, there’s the realisation that he can’t go in there. He’s too... dirty, for starters. They’d think him homeless, desperate for warmth that they won’t give. He makes his peace with it quickly; she wasn’t really his type, anyways. He blinks. Back in another alleyway, the ground covered in his own bloody vomit.  He finds himself elsewhere. Standing in front of a one-storey building, its wood dark and quiet, and no memory to clarify why he’s now here. There’s a sign above the door, but the words, they’re blurred and incomprehensible. Why would you make a sign like that? His body moves without his input, leaving him frankly appreciative that he can just... relax behind the eyes. No more thinking for a while - he’s tired of thinking. The room beyond the door consists of a stained bar, with a spindly man leaning atop it whilst eyeing their single customer. Two dirty sets of tables and chairs hide away in the corner, the mud dragged in from his bare feet is probably an improvement for the floorboards. The smell... oh my God, the smell. There’s a sharp pain behind his eyes and the bursting of a vessel; he doesn’t notice the stream of blood that gushes from his nose. They barely get themselves to a stool, watching through his soaked hair the other man’s mouth move silently. Oh. “What?” Their brow furrows. “I asked if you’re going to drop dead in my bar.” He can’t help but think their voice is whiny. “No,” followed by a few seconds of ignoring their gaze. “...Right, uh. I ain’t got food this late, but plenty of drink - if you’ve got plenty of coin?” He thinks his fever just might be easing, that’s a relief. It takes the barman repeating their question once more before he finds the energy to dig through his pockets. Between a bout of coughing, he places two wet coins in their extended palm, far too out of it to notice their confused glance at the unexpected gold. Over an hour passes tamely, the pair already halfway through their third bottle. The alcohol has helped, just a little. It’s disgusting, but still. The barman talks and he pretends to listen, pretends to care about his stupid worries. Isn’t it meant to be the other way around? From their troubles with women, their parents, their dead brother, he really couldn’t care. Until a topic crystallises and he finds himself paying half-attention.  “I just like change, you know?” I don’t. “Like, I know it’s bad. But still.” A burning builds in his chest, different from the fever. “Pity about the mansion, though!” The mansion? You feel bad for the damn mansion? “Besides, what did they ever do for us?” Shut up. “Was bound to happen, really.” His grip threatens to crush the glass. “Besides...” His pupils dilate. “...They probably deserved it.” Diarmuid’s grip finds the man’s blabbering jaw, painfully leveraging their head to the side so that he can sink his teeth into their unappealing, dirty skin. Their screams make his ears bleed. Shut up, shut up, shut up. He slams their head violently down onto the bar, certain that their skull cracked from the impact. His other hand rakes away at their fear-stricken face as he rips apart the pathetic man’s neck. Their blood flows, and he drinks it desperately. The more he tastes, the better he feels, and the clearer his mind becomes - he knows he needs to stop. He doesn’t want to, though.

[tteokggukk]

let’s fall in love for the night → kth

✳ pairing: taehyung x reader

✳ genre: college au, fluff, slow burn

✳ warnings: none! just pure fluff

✳ words: 9.4k

✳ a/n: hello! this was inspired by finneas’ song let’s fall in love for the night, which just really made me think of taehyung while listening. this is my first oneshot and also the first time i’ll be posting my writing so i’d really appreciate some feedback so i know how i can improve! thank you and i hope you enjoy!

S T O R Y  P L A Y L I S T:

1. Let’s Fall in Love for the Night // FINNEAS

2. I Fall in Love Too Easily // Chet Baker

3. Realize //  Colbie Caillat

4. Ain’t Together // King Princess

5. Lay Me Down // Sam Smith

6. Dreams // Fleetwood Mac

"It'll be fun, you know."

Kate says in an imploring tone at her hundredth attempt at trying to get you to join a party your other friends had planned. "It'll just be with people we know, and maybe a couple others but— you know how Justin is. Come on, please?" She looks at you with begging eyes while clutching onto different pieces of clothing she planned on trying out.

You were lying in your bed contemplating whether or not you should click on one more episode of (your favorite show) or give in and get out of your comfortable pajamas. Your best friend knew you didn't want to choose the latter, but you knew better that she never took no for an answer.

"I don't see what's more fun than being in bed right now," you groaned as you shut your laptop and stood up, walking over in front of the mirror as if staring at it would help you decide what to do. It’s been a while since you’ve last been to a party. Crowds and loud music were only fun to a certain extent, one that doesn't last very long, and you were pretty sure Kate was going to end up leaving you later in the night until she needed someone to hold her hair up while she puked in a bathroom stall. 

But then again, winter break was only days from now and you'd be going off to travel with your cousins to places in Europe. It was a break you needed—a break from college and stress. All you could look forward to was the comfort of being around people you were free to be yourself around. Though this meant you wouldn't have any time to hang out with Kate and you certainly didn't want to leave without spending time with her, especially since you never come with her to parties anymore.

"Yet there you are getting ready anyway," You could hear her smile in victory as she spoke, making you roll your eyes. 

"Just this once," you glance back at her before entering the bathroom to shower, silently regretting your decision.

Forty-five minutes later, you were done getting ready and Kate was waiting for you by the door frame of your shared dorm room. The only good thing about going out to party was that you always rocked the clothes you wore, and tonight you couldn't help but feel yourself in your tight black dress and combat boots. You took your keys from your drawer and you both headed out. You got in the driver's seat while Kate rode shotgun.

It was six in the evening, the sky faded into a deep blue mixed with purple and the stars were close to lighting up. The view nearly tempted you to drop the whole party and just go on a drive, until you remembered you were with Kate who was more than happy that you finally went with her after her endless invitations.

"I'm glad you listened to me for once," she says, head nodding to the sound of her music.

"I don't know if I should be happy or scared that I did," you chuckled, though you already knew your answer.

"Y/n, parties aren't so bad. You gotta learn to loosen up," Kate shakes your shoulder, "Plus, you need this. You haven't gone out much and had fun since Lance."

"I think I'm already a loosened up person, thank you very much," You glanced at her with a sarcastic smile, "And Lance? Lance who?"

Kate laughs at this, and from the corner of your eye you could see her shaking her head before looking out the window.

"You're over him, then?" She asks.

"It's been like, six months, Kate. At this point I'm just a loser if I haven't gotten over him," you laughed to yourself knowing full well how convincing you sound, you almost believed it.

Lance, that idiot cheater, you thought. You were over him, but that didn't mean there wasn't a slight pang in your chest at the mention of his name and at the thought of what he did. It wasn't him you were bothered with; it was the experience of being cheated on. It made you question your own worth, and sometimes even your existence.

But that was months ago, and right now there was really no time to get hung up over a guy. You've practically given up on whatever chances of love you thought you'd ever find when you broke up with him, you decided it was time to give some more time for yourself.

"I'm proud of you. Who knows, maybe tonight you'll meet your next prince!" Kate giggled a little menacingly, it almost scared you.

"Maybe."

You doubted it.

When you got to the house, it was exactly how you imagined it. Loud and trashed. You could already feel the bass from the blaring music being played and you weren't even out of your car yet. It made you feel slightly anxious, already sensing something stirring up in your stomach, your heart racing and your palms sweating. 

Kate looks at you as if waiting for some kind of confirmation, probably sensing you didn't really feel okay. "You good?" 

You didn't want Kate to feel guilty, nor did you want to kill the mood, so you decided to do what was best which meant having to go inside and get the night over with.

"Yeah, let's go."

When you both got out of the car, the noise only got louder and you could hear the sound of teenagers laughing. Before you could enter the place, you recognized a guy walking towards the two of you with a smile, first giving Kate a side hug before moving to you to give you one as well. It was Nick from your chemistry class and one of your friends. He gave you a surprised look and a smile before turning back to Kate. 

"This is the first time in a while you brought y/n with you!" He says enthusiastically, "It's great you finally came!" 

"It took me a lot of convincing," Kate says.

"I'm not gonna be here over the break, so I figured why not," You nod as you spoke. Nick was a good guy, he was smart and friendly, he pretty much knew everyone around the whole campus. 

"It's good you could make it, Min-Jun's been wailing thinking you'd never come," Nick laughed. You gave Kate a look at the mention of Min-Jun's name, her eyes turning slightly wide. You could tell she knew something, but this wasn't the time and place to confront her. Nick places his arm around and you before telling you both to come inside and try the drinks.

It stuck in your head, though, the fact that you felt like Kate and the others had this all planned.

The house was huge and close to being crowded, but there was just enough space to walk in. You recognized most of the people from your batch and some of them looked as shocked as Nick to see you, though just as happy as they offered a wave while some even called your name.

"Where are the others?" Kate asked, referring to both your group of friends.

"They're over at the back, follow me." Nick leads you both to the backyard, revealing a huge pool surrounded by your friends along with some guys who also went to the same class as you but never had the chance to talk to. You made eye contact with one of them, specifically the tall, familiar guy who had black—maybe even dark brown hair, sharp eyes, wearing a black, rose printed dress shirt and black pants. He had the same classes as you but you couldn't recall a time you've ever had a proper conversation with him, the most you could remember was when he needed to borrow a pen or whenever he’d give it back. The eye contact might have been a little too long, so you quickly averted your attention to the others.

I didn’t know the Kim Taehyung went to parties with my friends.

Taehyung and his friends had a reputation for being popular with everyone. Unlike his friends who were more sociable and outgoing, Taehyung was much more reserved. He didn’t go out much either, nor did he date often, but his serious exterior gave off a mysterious aura that most girls (and even some guys) couldn’t resist.

Everyone else was visibly surprised to see you, and it’s safe to say it was a pleasant surprise as they all greeted you warmly, easing the anxiety you had previously felt. All that was gone by now and is replaced by the feeling of comfort around the people you knew.

Min-Jun caught your eye and even with the dim lighting you could tell he turned into a deep shade of red. 

"Y/n! I can't believe you actually made it," Jen, one of your close friends, gave you a side hug.

"This is the first time I've seen you come to a party in years," Justin, the owner of the house and another one of your close friends, gives you a high five.

"Yeah, well, thank Kate," you grinned.

"Min-Jun, why are you suddenly so quiet?" Lucas teases, who also happens to be the guy Kate has a crush on.

"Shut up," Min-Jun bumps Lucas on the shoulder making Lucas laugh before he made his way to you, "Hey, y/n."

"Hey," you greeted awkwardly, forcing a smile. Honestly Min-Jun was a close friend of yours until he started creeping you out. He'd get jealous over Lance when you were still together and always indirectly told you how much you "deserved better" while you dated someone else. He was right, but you found that it felt too invasive and caused you to see him in a different light ever since, and not in a good way. It still didn't stop him from trying to make a move on you. 

"Y/n, by the way, these guys are our friends," Justin points towards Taehyung and his friends as the three of them came forward to introduce themselves. "This is Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung, though you might already know them," Justin motions at them, each of them waving and saying "hi", "We have the same classes."

"Hey." You waved back.

"You look great," Jimin grins at you. He was cute, and you couldn't help but smile back.

"He's a massive flirt, so don't fall for that," Jungkook teases, and everyone laughs. Jimin shakes his head but laughs along while their friend, Taehyung, was just sipping on some coke.

"How come we never really see you around Justin's parties?" Jimin asks.

"I haven't really gone out to party in months," You told Jimin.

"What happened to your boyfriend? Was it Landon? Lee?" Taehyung asks, holding the can of coke in his hand. 

Just as you were about to open your mouth, Min-Jun decided to race with you and answered, "Lance. They broke up like half a year ago, right?" He quickly spoke. Annoyed, you glared at him subtly, hoping he'd get the message.

"Right," was all you could say.

Taehyung just raised a brow and sipped on his coke again while he nodded his head. You were slightly disappointed at what impression you gave off to Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook— the girl who stopped partying solely because she broke up with her boyfriend, but right now what bothered you most was the way Min-Jun stood right next to you, beer in his hand, looking at you as if he had the right to speak for you. You didn't want to cause a scene, but man did this irk you.

"We should head back inside before we run out of drinks," Justin announces and everyone follows. 

Before you got in the house, you could swear you saw Taehyung glancing your way. Or it might've been your imagination, so you decide not to think much of it.

In the kitchen, you waited for Kate as you stood next to the punch bowl while you watched as she flirted with Lucas. You took a glass of punch, leaning on the counter while looking around the place. Min-Jun wasn't in sight, what a relief, you thought, but you also saw Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin surrounded by quite the number of girls. Jimin seemed to be quite flirty, Jungkook only nodding his head while someone spoke to him, and Taehyung sat on the couch’s arm rest, just scrolling away on his phone.

Kate finally noticed you and walked over. 

"Why didn't you tell me Min-Jun was gonna be here?" You asked, arms folded.

"Cause I knew you weren't gonna come if I did," She whined, "I'm sorry. The others wanted you to come too, you know."

"You know how uncomfortable I am around him, Kate."

"Look, I'm really sorry, okay?" Kate held both your arms, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

From behind Kate, you could see Taehyung making his way over your area. He looked at you, causing your brows to raise so you looked back at Kate.

"Fine," you sighed.

"Yay! Thank you, y/n," Kate pulled you in for a hug. Taehyung was looking at you both before proceeding to fill his red cup with punch. Kate must've noticed him as well because she began to pull away from your short hug.

"Justin says we should all go to his room to play a game. The others are already there. You should come," she takes your hand and then looks at Taehyung, "Taehyung, you should come too!" Taehyung nods at this while gulping down the drink.

The three of you headed upstairs to the second floor. There were people playing games on different consoles while taking shots, people making out— it was like a whole 'nother party. Kate walked ahead into Justin's room while you lagged behind with Taehyung in front of you.

Taehyung looked at you as you scanned the area, "Weird how people get used to these things," he comments, making you look.

"My sentiments, exactly."

"Y/n, what are you doing?" The sound of the familiar, irritating voice pierces through your ears. Even through the loud music, his voice manages to be the most annoying sound.

Min-Jun's head pokes out from Justin's door frame. He looks at you then at Taehyung before stepping out to walk in front of you. Taehyung watches Min-Jun with eyes slightly squinted as if he's onto him.

"You're hanging out with him?" He asks.

You couldn't make a scene. This guy's never seen you angry, and you weren't going to risk for people to see that either.

"I was just heading inside," you smiled politely and walked past Min-Jun to head in Justin's room, Taehyung following behind you.

Everyone was sat in a circle and there was a bottle placed in the middle. You knew where this was a going and you weren't sure if this was a good idea. From what you could tell, everyone in the room was way more buzzed than you. Could you really handle this game without being drunk?

You sat on the empty space next to Jen, but Min-Jun found his way next to you. Taehyung sat opposite from you where he started talking to Jimin and Jungkook.

"Great, everyone's here. You know how the game works, spin the bottle and whoever it lands on has to go in the closet with the next person," Lucas explains.

"Seven minutes might not be enough though," Min-Jun whispered in your ear and smirked, making you very uneasy. You wished you could switch spots with someone else, but at least sitting next to Min-Jun could lower your chances of being paired with him.

Yet you weren't the only one who felt like strangling the boy next to you. Taehyung felt it too.

Several spins and unnerving whispers from Min-Jun later, the bottle finally landed on you. Your eyes went wide as everyone began chanting your name. Your luck has gone so well for the whole of the game, you thought for sure it would end without the bottle landing on you— but it did, and Min-Jun took this opportunity to quickly spin the bottle, thinking it would land on him and that he'd be the guy to enter the closet with you.

But it didn't land on him.

It landed on Taehyung.

You could feel the anger radiating off of Min-Jun as he tried to keep his cool. Taehyung gave you a look that seemed as if he was asking for your consent. All you wanted was to get as far away from Min-Jun as possible, so you stood up.

"Y/n's down for it!" They shouted. Even Taehyung's own friends started applauding.

Taehyung stared at you as you walked into the closet, him following behind but not missing the chance to send a mocking smirk at Min-Jun. The door closed behind the two of you and there was nothing inside except the closet lights, a bunch of coats, and just enough room for two.

"Seven minutes, you guys!" Justin slurred behind the door.

Silence.

"I really wanna get out of here," you sighed to yourself and ran your hand through your hair as you leaned on the walls of the closet.

"You wanna call it quits? I could talk to Justin," Taehyung asks, his hand already on the knob.

"No! No," You chuckled, slightly feeling bad, "Sorry, I meant this whole party."

Taehyung smiles shyly, "Oh, sorry."

He had a different aura now than he did earlier.

"Same though," He spoke quietly, "I was dragged here by my friends, as always."

You let out a breathy laugh, "I was forced to come here as well." You looked around the closet, realizing the whole purpose of getting in here was to have a seven-minute make-out session. Taehyung probably heard you gulp nervously, so he looked at you with a fond smile, "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, don't worry."

What a relief.

Taehyung leans on the wall opposite you so he's facing you. "Maybe it's not my place to say, but your friend, Min-Jun, was it?" He starts, making your left brow raise, "Seems like he's been trying to impress you all night."

You snicker, "He makes me uncomfortable."

"You're good at hiding it, but I could tell," He gives you a sympathetic smile, "Sorry you have to put up with that."

You had to admit he was already extremely attractive from afar, but he's deadly up close. His skin looked so smooth and his eyes were so captivating. You noticed he had both a monolid and a double eyelid, then you shifted to his nose and noticed a little mole. His eye had it too, and so did his mouth. 

It was like God put a whole constellation in him. It fascinated you.

You must've been staring at him for a long time, because he suddenly snapped his fingers in front of you. It took you by surprise and maybe it was cause of your facial expression, but this made Taehyung laugh. 

And his laugh made you laugh.

"You're so annoying," you chuckled.

"Am I? Can I compete for most annoying with Min-Jun?"

"You know, something tells me you'd win," you say sarcastically, earning you a smile from Taehyung.

You were both silent for a moment until he started talking again.

"I know this seems too sudden, but do you wanna get out of this place?" He asks.

"Like, the closet?" You look at him, confused.

"No, out of this party. I know we don't know each other well but I really wanna go out and have more fun," He scratches the back of his head, "And something tells me it'll be exciting with you."

You felt the heat building up on your cheeks at his words. Maybe it was the punch talking, but for some reason you suddenly felt a little more confident. Whatever it was, you just had to blame the punch for the words that were about to slip from your mouth within the next few seconds.

"Do you wanna go on a date with me?" You blurted, "Just for tonight, though, then we forget it all in the morning."

You couldn't believe what you just did right now.

Taehyung only smiled, his eyes turning into crescents before saying the words, "I'd love to."

Seven minutes were almost up, but you and Taehyung rushed out of there as fast as you could. For a brief moment you could hear the others shouting 'Hey! It isn't over yet!'. Then you saw Min-Jun standing up in shock while Taehyung ran to the door, his friends Jungkook and Jimin shouting 'What's going on?' as you tossed your car keys to your best friend Kate, screaming 'I'm sorry!' before finally running to Taehyung, who was waiting by the door frame.

You took one last glance at everyone knowing full well you had a lot of explaining to do tomorrow, but you had to start running because Min-Jun, Kate, and Justin were suddenly following the two of you. 

Taehyung took your hand as you both ran down the stairs, trying to squeeze your way out of the crowd. When you were near the door, you heard Min-Jun scream your name though you never bothered to look back. Taehyung held your hand tightly until you were both in front of his car. You quickly got in and rode shotgun and he immediately stepped on the gas, leaving no time for the others to catch up.

The feeling of your heart pounding in your chest and the rush of adrenaline caused by the chase was the most fun you've had in months, and it was all thanks to the guy who you barely even talk to in all your classes. You looked over at Taehyung who had on a wide, toothy smile, panting as he drove.

"That was crazy!" He shouted.

"That was actually fun!" You breathed out, "I can't believe we really did that."

"I know! The way you threw your keys at Kate! That was funny," he laughed and so did you.

You never expected the guy who looked so intimidating to be so spontaneous.

"So wait, where are we heading now?" You asked.

"Anywhere, we'll make the most out of this night," Taehyung grins, "I'm taking you on an adventure before this offer expires in the morning."

"I can't wait," You grin back.

You looked out the window. The sky had already turned black with stars scattered all around it, it was beautiful. You had been so occupied with the party you hadn't noticed it was already 10:45 in the evening, so there weren't much cars on the road. Taehyung drove fast but it didn't scare you, in fact it only excited you more.

"You wanna roll the windows down?" He asked.

"Can I?" You looked at him.

"By all means." He gave you a quick smile before turning his attention back on the road. You smiled and rolled the window down, feeling the wind run through your hair. The way the streetlights illuminated his face made you see him clearly, and though you'd never admit this to yourself you knew he made you flustered.

Taehyung drove for another ten minutes before pulling over at a nearby park. No one was around but it was an open park so you were both free to wander. You both got off the car and Taehyung ran to the slide, a big smile plastered on your face as you watched him. You sat on the swing adjacent to the slide and watched as he went for a second round before walking and sitting on the swing next to you.

"I'm sorry for asking about your ex," he spoke.

You hadn't even thought of it and it didn't bother you, but you found it heartwarming for him to apologize over such a small thing. "Oh don't worry, it didn't bother me. I don’t mind when people ask me questions about him. Thanks, though."

"What are your plans over the break?" You asked, changing the topic.

"Not much. I might go to my family, help them out with the farm," he looked up at the sky.

"You have a farm?" 

"Yeah, a strawberry farm," he grinned at you.

"That's so cool, you should bring me some."

"Yeah, I should," He chuckled, "What about you? Any plans?" 

"I'm not sure yet," You started kicking the sand on the ground. You lied only because you didn't really want people knowing you were going out of town for a few weeks, and it wasn’t important anyway you thought. You looked over at Taehyung, who was already looking at you.

“Well, I know we only promised this one night but if you ever get bored just know that you can call me.”

You smiled at him, which you found you’ve done quite often tonight, “Maybe I will.”

He started scrolling through his phone and you wondered if he was getting bored. Just as you were about to ask him what else he wanted to do, he stands up and puts his phone down while a song begins to play.

You recognize the song as one of your favorites, Chet Baker’s I Fall in Love Too Easily.

Taehyung was now standing in front of you, offering his hand. You stare at it first before asking, “What?”

“You asked me out on a date, so we’re dating.”

Before you could open your mouth to your defense, he beats you to it.

“For a night, yes, I know. Come on,” he says, his hands inviting yours to hold his. You tried to keep a serious look but you fail as a smile cracks on your face. You take his hand as you stood, then he takes both your hands and places them on his shoulders so he could place his on your waist and he begins to sway you both to the music.

“Didn’t know you had nice taste in music,” You muttered.

“Thank you. If you like it then yours must be wonderful too,” he grins.

It was just the two of you swaying in the night with nothing but the sound of your feet on the sand, the music playing, and the cars that would occasionally pass by. The moon and the stars along with the warm streetlights around the park gave just enough light for you to see him standing inches away from you. You realized the kind of person you’ve been missing out on after all these months. Why haven’t you had the chance to talk to him?

“If you don’t mind me asking, why’d you break up with Lance?” Taehyung asks after a minute of silence.

You look at him, not expecting him to be interested. Or maybe he just wanted to make conversation. You decide not to read into it too much.

“He cheated on me, to make things short,” You nod and his eyes go wide, “But I mean, we only dated for like—five months?”

“However long or short your relationship is doesn’t give him an excuse to cheat,” Taehyung stopped dancing now, his arms were crossed but you kept your hands on his shoulders. Cute, you thought, chuckling.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing, you’re right. I wish he thought the same as you,” You smiled, “Come on, the song’s not over,” you place his arms back on your waist, earning a small smile from him.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that though,” he apologized.

“You sure do apologize a lot for things that aren’t your fault,” You told him, “But it’s fine. I got over him pretty fast, it’s just the experience of being cheated on that really stayed and bothered me.”

“Like a trauma?” He asked.

“Kind of, I guess.”

“Lance is dumber than I thought. I can’t believe he’d let go of someone like you,” He scoffed while you smiled to yourself. The song ends after a few seconds and Taehyung lets go, bowing in front of you. You copy him, making you both laugh, but the sound of your stomach growling makes him laugh even harder. Taehyung takes your hand again and leads you to the car.

“Let’s go get something to eat.”

Taehyung drove you to this small restaurant that he claims sells the best jajangmyeon which you had to try. You couldn’t object, you were hungry and you didn’t have time to play the guessing game when it came to restaurants. Plus, he just looked so happy talking about it, you didn’t want to burst his bubble.

“Wait here,” Taehyung told you before he got off the car. Maybe he was going to check the place first, or talk to the owner and ask if they were still open. You were surprised when you saw him walk to your side of the car and realized he wanted to open the door for you. His hand was extended out to you, waiting for yours to hold his.

“Thanks,” You told him, taking his hand.

“Don’t mention it.”

When you both walked into the restaurant, you almost felt bad because the staff was already packing up and cleaning, the smell of food already faint. But when the staff members saw Taehyung, they all lit up and so did he, greeting each one of them with a wave.

“Auntie, Taehyung’s here!” One of the staff members shouted.

Just then, a short, plump woman who looked like she was in her forties walked out of the kitchen and walked up to Taehyung. She had short, curly hair, and the crinkles in her eyes were evident with the way she smiled.

“Taehyung, it’s so nice to see you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you here with your friends,” She spoke.

“Ah, yeah. We’ve all been busy with college, but I really missed your food,” Taehyung grinned.

“Well come on, sit down!” she motions for us to sit and offers us a table, “I’ll make you your usual.”

“Ah! For two please,” Taehyung puts two fingers up as he sits down before looking back at you.

One of the staff members began talking to Taehyung in a foreign language while placing down tissues and chopsticks on the table. Taehyung, whose face turned into a deep shade of red, nervously began talking in the same foreign language while picking up his chopsticks to rub them together. The staff member said something back to him, sending Taehyung what you could only assume was a teasing smile. This caused Taehyung to laugh anxiously before replying to the staff.

You looked at him in confusion, but also amazement. You found it so cool the way he was so friendly with the staff and how they were nice to him as well, it was even cooler when you heard him speak in Korean for the first time. You were mesmerized.

“That was so cool,” You spoke, sounding as if you’d been holding your breath the entire time.

“What is?” He asks, dumbfounded.

“Just now. The staff here knows you and you speak Korean? That’s amazing, your voice sounds so nice in Korean.”

His eyes widened, “Wait—you knew it was in Korean… did you understand what we were talking about just now?” Taehyung felt as if his heart was beginning to palpitate. It was an innocent conversation about how the staff member found you pretty and thought you were his girlfriend, and how Taehyung agreed that you were gorgeous indeed, however you two weren’t together.

“No, I just recognized the language. Plus, there’s a small Korean flag outside this restaurant. One would notice,” You spoke blankly, “Why? What was it about?”

“Oh,” was all he could say before coming up with an excuse, “He just told me that it’s late and we shouldn’t overeat or we’ll get nightmares.” That was a fast excuse, I deserve an award for that, he thought.

You may not have known him enough, but it was easy to tell he was lying by the way he wasn’t looking at you properly. Maybe it was a personal thing, so you decided not to push his buttons and pry. Soon enough, your food came and both your mouths were watering. It smelled delicious, and you couldn’t wait to dig in. Taehyung let you taste it first to see if you’d like it, and you did.

“Do you come here often?” You asked him.

Taehyung took a sip of water, “Yeah, I used to. I think the last time I went here was two months ago, with Jungkook and Jin, our older friend.”

“You’ve seen Jungkook and Jimin, right?” He asked to which you nodded. “We’d come here with four of our other friends, they’re all seniors in college now.”

“It’s nice that you have lots of friends.”

“Yeah, they’re great. You should meet them sometime, I have a feeling they’ll like you,” he says, giving you a grin you were starting to feel accustomed to. You smiled at the thought of him wanting you to meet his friends.

When you were both done eating, you took your wallet out and asked Taehyung how much the food was so you could split. No matter how hard you insisted to pay for your food, he was more persistent in paying for everything, so he did. Taehyung thanked the lady who owned the restaurant and so did you before you both walked back into the car.

“Are you up for some karaoke?” Taehyung asks.

“Yeah, of course! Let’s go,” You beamed.

The twenty-minute car ride was spent with you and Taehyung not-so-seriously singing to a bunch of songs from the 2000s as well as original soundtracks from cartoons you both watched as children. You’d laugh every now and then whenever Taehyung would try to copy the female voices and Taehyung would poke fun at you for trying to imitate voices with lower ranges.

Taehyung was enraptured with how you were able to hang out with him like he was an old friend of yours. You were fun to be around, and he wanted to take every opportunity he could to make this feeling of elation you caused to last because he knew things would probably change in the morning. Prior to your party-turned-date-night, he already had a hunch he’d have a great time with you. What he didn’t expect that as the hours passed, you were turning out to be so much more.

“We’re here!” Taehyung exclaimed after he finished parking, “Wait inside.” He got off the car and you laughed to yourself knowing he was going to open the door again for you. This time you took his hand before he could give you his. He looked surprised at first but not even half a second later that was replaced by a wide, boxy smile you found endearing.

As you walked in, you noticed how well-lit and alive the whole place was at night. You barely come to Karaoke Bars, the last time you went was in high school when you and a couple of your friends tried sneaking drinks but failed because you were minors. It wasn’t the most exciting experience, at least this time around you didn’t need to sneak around anything.

“For two, please.” You heard Taehyung tell the person behind the counter.

“Would you like any food and drinks?” The lady asks.

“Want anything?” Taehyung asks, looking back at you.

“Any is fine,” You told him, but really you’ve been eyeing the spicy wings on their menu. Taehyung looks at what you were staring at and quietly laughs to himself.

“We’ll take the spicy chicken platter and 2 bottles of fruity soju, please.”

This was the absolute bare minimum, yet your heart couldn’t resist leaping after hearing Taehyung order the wings you had your eyes on. Had he noticed? If he did, he was only making you fall deep without you even realizing.

You both entered the room. It was square, and it looked slightly smaller than a studio apartment. Two songbooks were placed on a table in the middle of the room and there was a long couch that faced the television. For some reason, the magenta lighting made it feel like it was an intimate space.

Taehyung plopped himself onto the couch and took one songbook. You followed him and sat down, careful to leave a distance of at least one foot between the two of you. 

"Here, you should sing," he hands you the songbook.

"I think I'm gonna wait for the soju first before I can sing, thanks," you placed the songbook on his lap, and as if on cue, a lady knocks in and walks into the room holding a tray of spicy chicken on a plate and two bottles of soju with two shot glasses.

Taehyung thanked the lady while you stared at nothingness, silently cursing this unlucky timing. He laughs while reaching over for the bottle of soju, opening one and pouring you both a shot.

"You said you needed one before you could sing, so here you go," he hands you a shot glass and you glare at him, taking the glass from his hand and downing it in one go. He raises his brow in amazement, letting out a breathy laugh before downing his shot.

"Give me that," you held your hand out for the songbook. You scanned the pages, looking for a specific song. You were the kind of person who wanted to relate to what you were saying, the kind who wished people could read between the lines and realize there was a meaning to whatever song you chose.

So you picked Realize by Colbie Caillat.

You looked at Taehyung hesitantly before standing up. Would he notice? Maybe he'll think it was just one of your favorites. Maybe he won't even think about it. Either way, there was no turning back now as you've already entered the numbers.

"I just want you to know, I am by no means a singer," you warned.

"In our date, there's no room for judgement," he grinned, visibly awaiting your performance as he watched you while he rests his head on his hand.

The lyrics popped up on screen and you began to sing.

Take time to realize

That your warmth is

Crashing down on me

Taehyung leaned forward from his seat the moment he heard your voice. You lied, he thought, you were most definitely a singer. His heart began to race for the nth time tonight, but this was different. You've got him wrapped around your finger, and he knew. Your voice was the final thing that trapped him into the pit of feelings he's been falling deeper and deeper into throughout the night. It didn't help that he was the type of person to really analyze every line from a song, wondering if there was some hidden message behind your song of choice.

He couldn’t help but wish that song was meant for him.

If you just realize what I just realized

Then we'd be perfect for each other and we'd never find another

He was captivated by you. When Taehyung realized he'd been thinking of you and just you, he had to snap out of it by downing a shot.

By the time the song ended, you felt your knees go weak and your hands were trembling. You took a shot of soju hoping it would calm your nerves and placed the microphone on the table. "I can't believe I just sang." I can't believe I just sang a song like that.

"I can't believe you lied to me," Taehyung tried to play it cool, "You have a beautiful voice."

Singing wasn't something you could easily do in front of people. As much as possible, you wanted to keep that hobby to yourself. You never really had the confidence to let people listen to you, but hearing those words from Taehyung felt like an affirmation. You were touched.

"Thanks," you gave him a soft smile, "That actually means a lot."

"You have to sing one more," he begged.

You raised a brow, "Are you serious?" Taehyung nods at this. You wanted to protest but his eyes made it impossible. How could you say no to him?

"Fine, but you're singing after me." 

Before you sang for the second time, you made sure to drink another shot to get rid of your nerves. The next song you chose was Ain't Together by King Princess and you were hoping Taehyung would read the lyrics on screen and realize they were for him and not for the sake of singing.

When you were done, you found Taehyung staring at you. His eyes followed you even when you were already sitting down, you had to snap your fingers in front of him to get him back on earth. When you did, he suddenly dropped his head down the way participants would wake up after being hypnotized. 

"Are you okay?" You asked.

He looked back up, only to reveal a smiling face before he reached for the bottle of soju and poured himself a shot, running his hand through his hair. Thoughts of you were devouring him. The alcohol was supposed to help, but it was only stopping him from suppressing his emotions.

"Never better," he told you.

I must be going crazy, he thought to himself.

"I've done two songs, Taehyung. It's your turn now," you handed him the songbook, your fingers accidentally touching. Taehyung took the songbook from you, his heart nervously pounding when he felt your index finger.

You watched his hands as he flipped through the pages, looking at every ring wrapped around on his fingers. Your eyed then trailed to look at his ears and noticed he was wearing several earrings as well. He always did, you figured, but they were way more noticeable now. 

"What's your favorite song?" Taehyung asked, leaning on you a bit. Your faces were suddenly inches apart; you didn't notice how close you were getting as you were inspecting his accessories. Taehyung's eyes grew wide, so you quickly leaned back.

"Uhm, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac," you tried saying nonchalantly trying to ignore the warmth on your cheeks because of that brief moment.

"Oh, sorry, I don't know that. Any faves from Sam Smith?"

You laughed, "Lay Me Down, definitely."

"Perfect," he began typing the numbers and the song appeared on screen, "I actually know this song."

"Are you gonna serenade me?" You teased.

He stood up from his seat and held the mic in his hand. Funny how the microphone seemed to belong in his grasp. If he weren't majoring in (your major), he would probably do well as a performer.

"I intend to," He smirks, "I'm gonna make you fall in love with me with my voice, darling."

Those words sent your heart jumping and you had to restrain yourself from touching your cheeks to cool them. Thank goodness Taehyung's eyes were now fixated on the screen waiting for the lyrics to come out, or else he would've seen you fanning yourself with your hand trying to cool down.

 Yes, I do, I believe

That one day I will be, where I was

Right there, right next to you

 Your mouth dropped at Taehyung’s deep and velvety voice. You always knew his voice was deep—it was evident in the way he talked, you just didn’t expect he’d turn out to be an impressive singer.

And it's hard, the days just seem so dark

The moon, and the stars, are nothing without you

 Your touch, your skin, where do I begin? Taehyung turned to face you as he sang, making you flustered. He might’ve been joking about making you fall in love with his voice, but right now you were certain that you no longer took it as a joke—you could easily fall for him right then and there. Maybe you already have. It was even harder to resist with the way he had his eyes set on you, only emphasizing how it was just the two of you in the room. His soulful voice made you feel something—an inexplicable leaping feeling in your chest.

Soon the song ended and Taehyung placed the microphone back on the table before sitting back down, the distance between you two measuring at only half a ruler. Maybe it was the alcohol kicking in, but you could swear you were within an ace of losing the filter from your mouth. All you needed was one more shot.

So you took one.

"You didn't tell me you were such a great singer," You spoke while you rested your elbow on the couch.

Taehyung laughed at this, though his laugh sounded deeper than it did earlier, "I told you I'd make you fall for me with my voice,” he says as he reaches for his shot glass.

"Is this how you get girls, then?" You teased, placing your glass back on the table. Cause it’s working on me.

He laughed again, shaking his head, "No."

"Then how?" The question comes out in a more serious manner than you had originally intended.

“Why?” He places his glass back on the table before looking straight at you, his warm eyes turning to an even darker, more alluring shade of brown. "Do you want me to show you?" He asks looking straight at you, head tilting coyly and his voice treacherously deeper than it normally sounds.

A small bead of sweat began to form on your forehead. Show you what, exactly? Though you were curious about his ways of picking up women, you weren't exactly sure if you were ready to find even more reasons to like him. For a split second you caught his eyes traveling down to your lips before making eye contact with you again. Perhaps your mind was playing tricks on you, or maybe it was the soju, but you almost felt him leaning into you.

Time was moving painstakingly slow, but before you could decide whether or not you wanted to find out what was going to happen next, you anxiously clear your throat and decide to shift the topic to the spicy chicken platter that you both have barely touched.

"I-is the spicy chicken here good? We haven’t even touched it and it’s probably getting cold."

Taehyung was only teasing and though he’d never admit it out loud, he noticed the way a blush formed at your cheeks and how flustered you were at his question. It has to mean something, he thought. He never imagined he’d ever relish in the fact that he had the capacity to affect you in that way.

He uncontrollably grinned to himself as he watched you take a bite from a chicken wing.

A few more songs and chicken wings later, you and Taehyung decided to get out of the Karaoke Bar and drive to a nearby beach to stroll around. You appreciated how consistent he was with opening the car door for you, even when you tried to argue that you could open it for yourself.

"It's a date, y/n. Even if it was storming, I wouldn't let my date open the car door for herself."

The way he reminded you each time that you were both on a date made you regret telling him it was something you could both forget in the morning.

It was cold and the breeze made it even colder. Thankfully, Taehyung had an extra jacket in his car to lend knowing your black dress wouldn’t be enough to keep you warm. As you walked you would breathe into your hands and rub them together to keep them warm. Taehyung noticed this, worrying your enjoyment would be compromised because of the temperature.

"Do you wanna go someplace warmer?" He asked.

"No, I like it here," you smiled.

He looked at you with much concern on his face, you had to convince him you were fine, really. Because you insisted so much that you were alright, he took your hand instead, placing it in his coat pocket. At this point your heart was leaping out of your chest, you found yourself questioning how he could make the absolute bare minimum feel like such a grand gesture.

"Your hands feel like ice,” He told you

“Say it,” You joked, referencing a film.

“You’re a—a vampire,” Taehyung played along, making the two of you laugh.

The whole night with Taehyung really got you thinking. It’s not like you were the type to easily fall for guys, but for some reason Taehyung was different. Nothing felt forced, and you could tell he was just being his genuine self around you. Though he’d call you his date, there was a certain comfort you felt around him, as if he’d been your friend for years—a sense of familiarity you’ve never felt towards anyone else.

“I see people doing this a lot in movies whenever the girl gets cold, but it never really occurred to me until now that it only helps one of your hands,” he comments, making you giggle.

“It’s a sweet gesture, s’all that matters,” you reassured him, making him smile to himself.

The two of you walked along the shore while Taehyung would tell you stories about his childhood and his friends, then he’d tell you jokes that made you laugh really hard, your stomach would ache. In turn you’d also talk about your childhood and how you wanted to be a singer when you were younger but eventually realized you wanted other things. Later on when you both got tired of walking, you decided to lie down on the sand. Talks of childhood memories transitioned to opening up to each other about your own individual worries about the future and random thoughts.

It was so easy to talk to him. It was true when he said there was no room for judgement on your date, and you absolutely loved how you could just be yourself, because now you were really wishing you two had been closer sooner.

“You know, you’ve always seemed a bit intimidating to me,” You spoke.

“I get that a lot,” He sighs, “But so are you.”

“I get that a lot too,” You smile followed by a small laugh, "I just never imagined I'd have this much fun with someone who I can only remember borrows pens from me."

Taehyung laughs, slightly embarrassed, "You have the best pens in class, you know that?"

"You're the only one who actually gives them back, thank you for that."

There was silence for a moment while you two stared up at the sky, the stars were almost fading.

“I wish we got closer sooner," you said quietly.

“Yeah, me too. I guess we just never knew how to properly approach each other,” He takes your hand and begins playing with your fingers, “But better late than never, right?”

“Right,” You smiled.

You wished this night would never end, but you could already feel your eyes drooping as a yawn involuntarily escaped your mouth. You hoped that Taehyung wouldn’t hear, afraid that he’d think it was time to bring you home, but he did and no matter how hard you tried to protest that you weren’t tired yet, he wouldn’t buy it. He laughed as you tried to hold back another yawn before finally helping you up.

“I’ll carry you, get on my back,” He offers, not taking no for an answer.

For the duration of the drive, you struggled to keep your eyes open. Taehyung found it adorable whenever you’d tell him to turn back and find some other place to hang out in, but it was already 4:30 in the morning and most shops and restaurants were closed. “You can sleep, y/n. I’ll still be here when you wake up,” He chuckles. He tried singing you to sleep, but his voice just served another reason why shouldn’t doze off so you could hear it.

The sky was already turning into a lighter shade of blue and the stars were long gone, why couldn’t time move slower?

The car ride was tranquil, just you and Taehyung sharing what a fun experience you both had and how you’ve both never had this much fun with anyone else. Something in you wished he would do something more, though you weren’t exactly sure what. The scenario from the Karaoke room floods back, making you feel slightly embarrassed from what you pictured would have happened. Forty-five minutes later, you finally reached your dorm building. Taehyung, staying as consistent as ever, opens the door for you one last time and walks with you ‘til you reach the outside of your dorm. You were slightly less sleepy now but couldn’t help but feel downhearted that your date had come to an end.

You stared at your room’s door, mentally groaning at all the packing you had to do for your trip along with Kate, who apparently had 86 missed calls and over 200 unread messages in your phone, would probably nag you while you were at it. You didn't really want to go in.

“So,” Taehyung starts, “Date’s over.”

You forced a small laugh to try and disguise the small disappointment you felt because it was over, “Yeah, guess it is.”

Taehyung digs his hands into his pockets, “I had a great time with you.”

“Yeah,” You nodded followed by a sigh, “Taehyung, thank you, really. I haven’t been my best self lately and this date with you was the most fun I’ve had in months. I hope you know this means a lot to me.”

Taehyung had no idea what to say. There were too many thoughts going on in his head and they were all about you and how much he appreciated this spontaneous date you just had, but he didn’t know how to piece them together to tell you how much it all meant to him as well.

A wave of confidence unexpectedly washes over you, "Don't take this the wrong way, but this is just a thank you for being the best date I've had in years." Taehyung watched as you moved closer to him. Your faces only centimeters apart now, you'd think you were the only one whose heart was beating faster than a person racing in a marathon. You stared at each other for only a second before you pulled him in for a hug. He was shocked, but he couldn't help but smile from ear to ear as he wrapped his arms around you. You wished that was enough for a goodbye, but deep down you knew it wasn't.

When you were about to turn your back and open your door, Taehyung took your hand and pulled you back so you were both facing each other.

"This has been overdue since we left that karaoke room," he spoke as he pulled you closer. He stared at your lips before glancing at your eyes to search for any sign of discomfort, but you wanted this just as much as he did you almost asked him to just kiss you already.

And so he finally did. And oh my god, he was a phenomenal kisser. You could both feel each other smiling through the soft kiss, but it wasn't long before you two had to pull away.

"I'll call you. You can keep the jacket," he smiles before letting go of your hand, "See you soon."

"Drive safe."

After he left, you quietly entered your room. You couldn't believe that actually happened. Of course everything just prodded more questions in your head, did he like you? Were you two going to keep this up or will you both really just forget the whole thing when the sun comes up? Immediately you began to regret telling him to forget it all in the morning.

You carefully got in your bed, trying not to wake Kate who was sleeping soundly on the other side of the room. The light from the sun slowly made its way into your dorm, your eyes closing while your thoughts drifted off to the image of your kiss with Taehyung, repeatedly playing in your head before falling asleep.

The date felt like a dream. Maybe Kate was right about finding your prince tonight, only he was much better than that.

It was Kim Taehyung, and you couldn't wait to see him again.

a/n: hello!! if you finished the story, feel free to leave comments so i know how what stuff to improve on!! i’ll be posting stories for fun (just as a “creative outlet”) but i’d also love to receive some feedback. if you liked it, please look forward to my next uploads! 

also follow me on twitter for updates: tteokgukk ! thank you!

[the-winter-smoulder]

What The Hell...

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Series Word Count: 1,337

Warnings: Language! Mentions of Death, Panic Attack, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Angsty Goodness

Seriously... What the HELL?!

Since the defeat of Thanos, nothing has really been the same, especially not for Sam and Bucky.

Read Chapter 7 Here

Chapter 8: What The Hell Are You Eating?

Sam called everyone into the conference room. He took a deep breath and put on his “Captain” voice.

“So, we’ve all met Y/n here, and we all know why she came here. She’s part of the team now. She’s an Avenger just like the rest of us. All we need to do now is see what skills she has. So, Y/n, once you’re up to it, I’d like to have you train with Bucky so we know your strengths, and where you might need to improve a little. Does that sound okay?”

“Uh, Sam? Maybe me working with her... I mean... no offense... but do you think that’s the best idea?” Bucky asked, keenly aware that he sounded like a total jackass.

“Bucky,” Y/n started, “It’s okay. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but honestly, you’re the best candidate. You’re the only other super soldier, and it would be terribly bad form for me to kick the boss’ ass on my first day.”

Clint snorted, Wanda giggled, and Bucky’s jaw dropped.

“Maybe I can help with weapons,” Clint said, still laughing, “Bucky can focus on the hand-to-hand stuff, I can work with you on weapons, Wanda can...”

“I can help you work through your feelings and relax after everything you’ve been through,” she smiled, squeezing Y/n’s shoulder.

“That would be amazing, thank you.”

“So that’s our plan,” Sam said, definitively. “We’ll work together, as a team... as a Family.”

Y/n smiled at the notion. She looked around the room at her new family.

“Awesome. Thank you all so much,” she said, “Now, can we please get some damn food? I’m freaking starving!”  

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“Ugh!” y/n yelled, looking at Sam, “what the hell are you eating?!”

“Pineapple and olives – sweet and salty!”

“That is absofuckinlutely the most disgusting thing I have ever heard,” Y/n said, scrunching her nose and leaning away from him.

“See, I told you that’s not normal!” Bucky laughed, pointing at Sam.

“Yeah, yeah... but it’s so good! C’mon! Give it a taste!”

“I can’t - allergic to pineapple, and olives are the devil,” Y/n stated, “I’ll try anything once, but not if I know it’ll surely kill me.”

“How can you be allergic to pineapple?” Clint asked, “Aren’t you a super soldier?”

“Well, technically, no. I mean, I have the speed, strength, stealth and hearing, but I'm sure it’s more like getting a watered-down version of the serum. I highly doubt I’m as strong as Bucky is, but I still maintain that I could kick Sam’s ass without breaking a sweat.”

“Keep it up, Y/n... I’ll be watching you two fight. I’ll have my countermeasures ready.”

Bucky leaned over to grab another breadstick and whispered to her, “Pretty sure you’d still kick his ass.”

Y/n blushed, taking a bite of her lasagna to try to mask the flush of her cheeks. He was so close, and it made her heart skip a beat.

“So, y/n, tell us more about yourself. What kind of movies do you like? What kind of music do you listen to?” Wanda asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“Well, I really like stupid comedies, but I also love a good scare. I'll watch pretty much anything – sci-fi, horror, animated. As for music... that’s eclectic too. I'm definitely more of a rock chick, but I also love EDM, and the old dance hall music from the 40’s and 50’s. I love Ella Fitzgerald.”

“That you got from Steve, didn’t you?” Bucky asked.

“Definitely. He used to dance with me to ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ all the time... it was kind of our song. And I got him to listen to some newer bands. As long as it sounded like a love song, he’d give it a decent chance. He liked U2 and Coldplay.”

“Really?” Clint asked.

Everyone was looking at Y/n now.

“Yeah! I tried getting him to listen to Rammstein once, but that was a no-go. He absolutely did not like that one bit. But Ozzy Osbourne he could deal with in small doses.”

“What was he like?” Sam blurted out, eyes widening at his own question, quickly wishing he could take it back.

“Well, he was... kind. Gentle. Encouraging. He was probably the best father and grandfather anyone could ask for. He helped me hone my skills, probably out of guilt for passing it along to me, but also because he wanted me to be able to stand up for myself and for others who couldn’t do the same. He was... amazing.

“Grandma was the one who taught me to shoot though. And she taught me how to get whatever I wanted from my dad. She wanted him wrapped around my finger... and he was,” Y/n laughed, “It was her little experiment, I guess.”

“Y/n... do you... want another beer?” Bruce asked.

“Ha! No, thanks Bruce. I’m good. Actually, I think I'm going to head to bed. I'm full and it’s been a long day.”

“Do you remember the way?” Bucky asked, helping Y/n to her feet.

“Um, maybe?”

Bucky smiled, “I’ll walk you back... I'm getting tired too.”

“Thanks. Goodnight, everyone! Gotta get some rest so I can show off my super skills tomorrow.”

Bucky gently laid a hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the hallway. Quickly realizing what an intimate gesture that was, he moved his hand down to his side so he wouldn’t make Y/n feel uncomfortable.

A few turns down a few hallways later, and they were standing in front of Y/n’s door. She turned toward Bucky with a sleepy grin.

“Thanks for walking me back. I had a lot of fun tonight. I feel a little more at home here.”

“I’m glad, Y/n. Please, let me know if you need anything. I’m just a room away. And, I’ll pick you up in the morning so we can go to the training room together,” Bucky said with a smile, “8 am, since it’s your first day.”

“Awesome! But if I wake up earlier, I’ll find you, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan. Good night, Y/n.”

“Good night, Bucky.”

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Bucky’s eyes snapped open. That’s when he heard the muffled screams coming from beyond the wall.

Bolting upright and ripping the blankets off of him, he ran into the hall and burst into Y/n’s room. Seeing her writhing on the bed, screaming Jimmy’s name had him shaken, but he quickly grabbed Y/n and pulled her into his bare chest, gripping her tightly with his left arm and stroking her hair with his right hand.

“Shh, Y/n... it’s okay. It’s Bucky... I’ve got you, sweetheart. Shh... it’s okay.”

“Bucky?” she whimpered.

“Yeah, doll, it’s me. It’s okay, you’re safe.”

Y/n was sobbing into his chest, “Oh, God... Bucky... I... can’t...”

Bucky, cupping her cheeks and wiping her tears with his thumbs, stares deeply into her eyes, “Hey... hey... just breathe. In through your nose... out through your mouth. Just look at me and breathe... like this.”

Bucky demonstrated, breathing in through his nose, and slowly out through his lips. Y/n follows suit. They breathe together for a few minutes until Y/n stops shaking.

“See? There ya go... feeling better?”

Y/n sighs and closes her eyes, “Yes. Thank you.”

Bucky pulls her in for a soft hug.

“I’m so sorry I woke you, Bucky.”

“Don’t worry about that. Don’t ever worry about that, Y/n,” Bucky pulls away to look into her eyes, “Do you need anything? Water?”

“No, I'm okay. But... um... can you... would...” having a hard time saying what she wants to say, runs her fingers through her hair.

“Anything you need, Y/n... just tell me.”

“Would you... stay? Hold me? Just until I fall...”

“Of course. I will stay. I will hold you,” Bucky smiles, gently stroking her cheek.

Y/n slides over, pulling the covers back for Bucky as he lies down next to her, his strong arms pulling her in as his little spoon. He closed his eyes and breathes in her orchid scented hair.

“Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Chapter 9

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[madamewriterofwrongs]

I see a lot of Buck and May fics, but how about Buck and Henry? And Eddie and Maddie never got enough love. Or Eddie and Athena. Heck, even Eddie and Chimney. I'm starting to ramble so I'm just gonna go. 😘

Never stop talking about all the friendships on the show. 

This involved neither May nor Harry (I may write one later), but it does involve a bunch of FireFam goodness so I hope you enjoy <3

“Do you ever feel like we’re spending our lives babysitting a bunch of rowdy teenagers?”

Bobby looked up from his place at the kitchen sink when his wife walked in to the dining room, face firmly in her phone.

“Every day.” Curiosity got the better of him, so he made his way to Athena’s side, drying his hands as he leaned over her shoulder. “The kids having too much of a good time?”

She snorted, tilting the screen for her husband to see. “Do you know what this text says?”

Eiddjr and i aren fettj t martine brjnt shors

Bobby barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the text from Karen. The kids were definitely having too much fun. It was almost time to call it quits.

“It looks Norse.” He shrugged. “Maybe they ended up at a Viking bar?”

He was very used to Athena’s confused, judgemental looks, but he never felt any better when they were aimed in his direction.

“What the hell is a Viking bar?”

He had no answer (and apparently his impression of a stereotypical Viking helmet made with embarrassed hands, wasn’t enough of an explanation) but he was saved by his own phone chiming with a new text.

Buck’s text message was at least a page long; but at least it was coherent.

“It’s definitely time to pick up the kids.” He had never seen so many ‘you are’ statements at once. Apparently, someone was feeling the love tonight. Not that it was much of a surprise; they all deserved a night off – it was the whole reason Bobby and Athena were still awake at 2am when they would much rather be in bed. Their gift to Buck and Eddie was to let them be wild and irresponsible for one night, and they would pick them up when it was time to come home and sleep it off (he’d foolishly offered to make breakfast in the morning as well, which earned him a slap on the shoulder from Athena who did not enjoy the idea of hosting a sleepover with six drunk adults).

Eddie had taken a little convincing when it came to their plan, sure that he could control himself and wouldn’t go over the top the way his fiancé would.

Photo evidence throughout the evening suggested otherwise – but those wouldn’t be discovered until the next morning.

At the moment, Eddie was sandwiched between Maddie and Karen, each matching him shot for shot, enjoying the anonymity and privacy of the bar too loud to be overheard and too crowded to care.

“I’m serious, Eddie,” Karen leaned in to his shoulder. “you and I would make beautiful babies together. If I didn’t love my wife so much – and I was sexually attracted to you at all – I would absolutely have your babies.”

Eddie, for his part, accepted her attempt at a hug with a whimper and a smile. “Karen, that’s so sweet. Hen is so luck to have you, you know that?”

“I know, right?” She only shouted so she could be heard over the music (which none of them would admit not knowing the words to).

“No, I’m serious.” Eddie batted away invisible hands. “You are so smart, and you’re incredibly patient – not to mention drop dead gorgeous. And you’re honest, and funny as hell.” He fell into her side. “You’re great.”

Karen stared down at where he rested on her shoulder, either forgetting what she was going to say, or thinking so slowly, it took her that long to come to a conclusion.

“I hope Buck tops you so hard tonight.”

Maddie slammed her glass on the table, having jumped ahead of them in the shot game while they were in their own round of complimentary chicken.

“I specifically avoided my brother’s party so I wouldn’t have to hear about his sexual escapades.”

Eddie rolled his head to look at his future sister-in-law.

“Maddie, I so appreciate you coming with me tonight. I like spending time with you; we should talk more. You’re so brave and”

“Blah, blah, blah.” Maddie rolled her eyes, already reaching for another shot of whatever they’d ordered a dozen of when they told the bartender to surprise them. “You are so talkative when you’re drunk. It’s like alcohol switches off the part of your brain that tells you when to shut up. Which is a slight improvement over the rest of the time when it’s like pulling teeth to get you to say three words to me.”

His pout seemed to melt off his face as she went on her tirade, but he finally found the words. “You make me nervous; but in a good way. I love your brother so much, and he cares a lot about what you think.” Words were becoming a challenge but he soldiered on – ha! “I think Buck would be sad if you didn’t like me and I don’t want him to be sad. So I worry about you liking me.”

Maddie sighed heavily, passing him his own shot glass for them to toast. “You make it so hard to be annoyed with you, you know that?”

“Hey, why are you trying to steal my imaginary boyfriend?” Karen shot up from her micro-nap, reaching for her own glass.

“Don’t worry, Karen” Eddie hugged her to his side. “We’ll always have Joxer’s.”

“If I didn’t have 100% confidence in your love for my brother, I’d be worried about how much the two of you are flirting.”

His eyes were wide when he turned to Maddie. “You’re 100% confident? But I thought you said I was annoying?”

“You are very annoying” she assured him. “But one of the most annoying things about you is how openly you love Buck.”

“It is disgustingly cute.” Karen nodded in agreement (though, nodded was a generous description for the slow head bob as she drifted in and out of consciousness).

“You’ve always just wanted what was best for him and tried to make him happy. I can tell you he’s never been happier than he is with you. You’re really good for my brother, Eddie.”

Later, he might blame the tears on the alcohol, but tonight, he pulled Maddie into a hug, kissed her hair, and told her again how much he loved her.

“Lame!” Chimney declared, holding up his own glass of something he should have stopped drinking hours ago. “That’s too tame, Hen, dare him to take his shirt off while he does it.”

Hen’s laughter was swallowed by the bustling crowd of old alcoholics and broke college students.

“I sometimes think you just see me as a piece of meat, Chim.” Buck’s quiet contemplation had been the source of much mocking all evening and now was no different, earning disapproving groans and snide remarks that had ceased being subtle four shots ago.

“We all know he has the hots for Eddie” Hen snorted.

That seemed to satisfy Buck’s pout (or the mention of his fiancé never failed to put a smile on his face). “I don’t blame you; Eddie is very hot.” He paused long enough to point a shaky finger in his friend’s direction. “But you are not allowed to cheat on my sister. She’d be really sad if you broke her heart and I don’t want to see her sad anymore.”

Chimney stared at his brother-in-law until he found the energy to move his mouth, as much sincerity as he could muster pouring all over the table. “I love your sister. I want to spend my whole life making her happy.”

“Shots!” Hen loudly declared, passing out new glasses for the trio from the tray they’d ordered, vowing it would be the last round – a lie that no one (not even the bartenders) believed.

“Shots!” Chimney failed to sit up from his slumped position at the edge of the booth but he managed to retrieve his drink and clink glasses with his friends, which was enough for the moment.

Hen held them in suspense with their tequila in the air. “One more shot, and you have to strip on the bar. That’s the deal.”

Buck rolled his eyes. “I’m not stripping on the bar again.”

Both paramedics nearly spit out their drinks but Hen was the first to regain her senses.

“You’ve done it before?”

“No!” His response came too late – and if any of them remembered this night, he might be worried about repercussions.

“You have.” Chimney point a lazy hand in his general direction, fading faster than the others.

“Why are you on her side now?” Buck would be very offended at both Chimneys, if he could look either of them in the eyes.

“I’m on the winning side.” He loudly declared, dropping his shot glass a little too forcefully onto the table, shattering their eardrums.

“If you’re not going to at least jump on the table then I’m going home.” Hen was already stumbling out of the booth when Buck grabbed her arm.

“Fine, fine,” he conceded, pushing their copious glassware to the edges of the table. “For you.”

Five minutes later, the trio caught themselves against the side of the building, Chimney holding an icepack to Buck’s forehead, and Hen apologizing to the bouncer for the seventh time as the door slammed behind them.

“My phone is dead so we can’t call Bobby.” Buck tucked his phone into his back pocket – nearly falling over when he went back to retrieve the phone that never made it into his pants.

“I could call Bobby.” Chimney did his best to keep his friend upright, but coordination was not his friend tonight.

“Or we could walk!” Hen declared, already setting off towards the sidewalk. What choice did they have but to follow behind, decidedly not calling Bobby to come get them from the other side of town.

While Chimney held the ice pack, Buck was free to sling his arms around his friends and pull them close.

“I am so lucky to know you guys, you know that?” The force of his embrace sent them stumbling over the synthetic grass, but they caught themselves in time. “See, you protect me.”

Hen, clearly the sensible one of the group, pulled them forward. “Come on, I bet we could run and keep our arms locked like this.”

Eddie’s trio weren’t fairing much better, having respectfully paid their bar tab after a woman tried to hit on Eddie, and Karen nearly threw an empty glass at her head. Maddie had wisely called Athena (although, the vulgar language she used would be the source of a lecture at the breakfast table), but that didn’t stop them from wandering down the street and away from the place they’d promised to stay.

They were definitely too far from their meeting spot when Eddie spotted a group of familiar faces across the four-lane road.

“Buck?!” he called, pulling more attention than strictly necessary. As long as it got the one man he was after, it would be worth it.

“Eddie?” Bingo! Both parties stood parallel to each other, mirroring their swaying movement. “What are you doing over there?”

“We’re waiting for Athena.”

“Cool. We didn’t call Bobby so we’re walking home.”

Eddie furrowed his brow. “Home is that way.” He gestured in a direction that would eventually get them back to their home (if they circled the globe a few times).

“Oh.” Buck frowned, taking him at his word. “We’ll stop then.”

“What happened to your forehead?” Maddie’s shout startled him for her sheer proximity – not because he forgot she was there because he only had eyes for his fiancé. She had a good point though. Why was Chimney holding an ice pack to Buck’s head?

“He wrestled a bear” Hen declared.

“No, I didn’t.” Buck shot his friend an annoyed glare. The thought of shots made Eddie queasy in the night air, but he listened to the trio across the street.

“I told you to, but you said we couldn’t find one this late at night.”

“There’s one at the zoo.” Karen shouted unhelpfully.

“We should go to the zoo.” Hen latched on to his wife’s idea much too quickly.

“You’re all idiots.” Maddie rolled her eyes, stumbling as she did so; thank god she at least thought to wear flats for her evening out. “Come over here and wait for Athena with us.”

Chimney had to be pulled back by Buck’s lightning-dull reflexes when he stepped out onto the road at his wife’s command.

“Use the crosswalk dummy” she scolded, earning an indignant look from her brother.

“Don’t be mean to Chim; he loves you so much.”

“Yeah,” Chimney parroted. “I love you so much.”

Eddie watched the exchange wistfully. He’d always liked Maddie and Chimney’s relationship. They took care of each other and respected one another and laughed together and talked together. He could only hope that one day he’d find something that good.

Oh wait, he had.

“I’m going to marry you, Evan Buckley!” Eddie shouted to the world, his eyes landing on the only face that mattered. “You’re going to be mine forever.”

“I love you, Eddie Diaz” Buck called back. “I’m gonna marry you so hard.”

“Oh my god.” Six fuzzy heads turned to face a very put out – though secretly bemused – Athena Grant, arms crossed over her chest from her position against the light post. “It’s like herding cats with you all.”

“’Thena!” Hen called from across the street. “We didn’t call Bobby.”

“I noticed. He’s here anyways.” The police sergeant clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I’m not shouting at you three all night, get over here.” When they didn’t move right away, she added with a glare “now!”

While one drunken trio made their way to the crosswalk to join their friends, Athena turned her attention to the drunken trio in front of her.

“And you three, were supposed to stay by the bar. Instead, I have to walk six blocks to find you, while Bobby is trying to find those three stooges at their meeting location twenty blocks away.” She continued her lecture even as she pulled out her phone to call her husband. “The six of you are going to send us both into early retirement.”

“Bobby, your kids are here with mine, you know the bar? Great.” She’d barely swiped the call button when she found herself engulfed by Eddie’s hug.

“Thank you for coming to get us, Athena. You always take such good care of us.” She hesitated for a moment before sighing and giving in to his sloppy embrace.

“I’ll remind you you said that in the morning.” They were all going to wake up miserable. Why had she let her husband agree to let them take the spare bedrooms? If she conveniently forgot now, they’d never know.

She’d drive them back to her house anyways.

“I’ll always remember” he promised, eyes wide and sincere. “For as long as I Buck!” Athena recoiled when Eddie shouted in her ear, immediately detaching himself so he could fling his arms around his fiancé, letting the ice pack drop to the ground. “You came!”

Buck held Eddie tightly to his chest, squeezing as hard as they both could. “I’ll always come for you” he declared with the same sincerity Eddie had worn before. She hoped they remembered being this unbearably sappy. It wouldn’t be any fun to tease them if they had no idea what she was talking about.

As the three couples reunited, Athena stood off to the side, watching them cuddle and exchange light kisses. Karen and Hen’s touches were soft and quiet, Maddie and Chimney exchanged flirtatious words for only them, and Eddie was gently swiping his thumb over the inevitable bruise on Buck’s forehead. Each seemed to temper the other, adding a calm to the evening that had been chaos until now. They were happy – all of them – that seemed a hard thing to earn in their line of work. But they’d found it, somehow.

Her friends may be an absolute headache sometimes, but she loved them dearly.

Until Chimney vomited into the nearest trashcan, setting off an impossibly disgusting chain reaction amongst the group.

Maybe tonight, she’d love them from afar.

[formerprincess]

A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 60

Chapters: 60/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Nolan (Teen Wolf) Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence, Smut, Mates, Liam and Theo are mates, Top Theo Raeken, Bottom Theo Raeken, Top Liam, Bottom Liam Dunbar Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack

Liam meets with Luka again and learns a bit more about the other werewolf pack. The friendship is blossoming.

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"Thank you for dropping me off." Liam climbed out of the passenger seat of Savannah's car and closed the passenger door behind him. "Don't forget to text me!" The blonde yelled through the open window before she reversed her car. Liam waved at her and watched her drive away before he finally made his way to the front door of his house. Luka, Savannah, Maddie, and he had sat together in the bar and talked for a while until they all had to disperse in different directions. Maddie and Luka had matters to attend to in regards to business and coven, Savannah had plans with her friends later on but offered to drop Liam off. He had gladly accepted her offer since it saved him from riding the bus during summer. Would Theo or someone else had come to get Liam? Absolutely but his Betas were not his chauffeurs.

Liam unlocked the door now and stepped into the house. He heard the tv running, the bass of Mike's music coming from downstairs. As always, it filled Liam with the undeniable feeling of home and happiness. Here he belonged. He hung his keys up and walked further into the house. Theo and Mason lounged on the opposite ends of the couch; Theo with a book in his hand and Mason with his notebook. Corey sat in front of the couch table and solved a puzzle. Tim sat in one of the chairs and watched tv. "Hey, you're back." Mason checked his watch. "Way later than I expected you to be. So it was good?" The others stopped what they were doing and turned to Liam. Tim even muted the series he had been watching. "Mixed, I would say." Liam kissed Theo and then sat next to his mate. Theo licked his lips. "Have you've been drinking lemon shots?" "I'm concerned how you got that from just one kiss", Liam remarked. Then he decided to answer Mason's question. "First of, those Alphas really think they're something else. Something I'm not. I don't have enough millions in my bank account to ever have them accept me." "That bad? I'm sorry." Corey grimaced. His parents were like that as well and he despised them for it. "Most of them, yeah. But I met three people who are very cool. First of, Mase, were cheetahs and vampire are a thing." Mason squeaked and pushed his notebook out of the way. "Tell me everything!" "The hotel had such old Hollywood glam style. Not my chic but whatever. First I met Savannah. She's the cheetah. Alpha of a very small pack here in Seattle. Outgoing, very direct, and honest. She talked to me before I even entered the meeting room. Was her first time too. We kind of stuck together. Then we met Meadow, the vampire. She has been to meetings before but she does not like the Alphas. She has a human best friend and told me he also has some notes about the supernatural community. I invited the two of them here cause I thought you and him could maybe check your notes, combine them so to speak. He surely will have things you don't have and vice versa, Mason and Corey." "Great idea." Corey helped Mason with the Bestiary and he would also profit from meeting Asher. If Asher wanted to follow the invitation. Maddie had said it would not be a problem but Liam would wait for clarification from Asher himself. "You said you met three people. Who's the third?" Theo asked. "Luka. He's the only other cool werewolf I met. Also older than us but his pack is from around. They're more modern and open-minded. Like ours is." "Sounds good. All in all, it seemed as if the meeting wasn't for nothing." Mason smiled. "And vampires. Wait! How was she there? Can she walk in the sun? Did the other Alphas wrangle her into the hotel? Is she traveling in a coffin? Did she try to drink your blood? What was she like??" "Jesus, Mason." Corey shook his head. But Liam gladly answered every question his Emissary had. "I'll stay in contact with them", he finally ended and his mate, as well as Consultant and Emissary, voiced their agreement. "Liam?" Tim said shyly. "Didn't you put up a rule of not having strangers come to the house? When you said you invited the vampire and her friend here, are you not breaking your own rule?"

Shit. Oh shit.

Liam had completely forgotten about that rule. Yes, he had told his Betas not to bring strangers into their new home. And here he was breaking his very own rule. Great, Dunbar! "No...I mean...yeah, I did....But...." Tim got up to leave the room. "I mean, you're the Alpha and therefore it's your decision. You can do whatever you want. I just remembered the rule." He gave an insecure shrug and then left the room in the direction of his room. Liam huffed. "You forgot you had put the rule in place, right?" Theo guessed. "Yep." Liam closed his eyes for a moment and scolded himself mentally. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! "I mean, you are the Alpha. We can still follow the rules but what you do is up to you", Corey suggested softly. Liam's eyes snapped open. "No!" He said sharply. "We're not running a pack like that! If rules are in place, we all have to follow them. Including me. Especially me." "Then you have to decide what to do with that situation. You could always meet with Meadow and her friend somewhere else", Mason suggested. "No. The rule made sense back then but not it's not feasible anymore. And I will tell Tim that."

The young Alpha got up from the couch and marched downstairs to his Beta's room. He knocked, waited a few moments, then opened the door. Liam peeked into the room. "Hey. Have a minute?" Tim had sat on his desk and now spun around in his chair, a mixture of shock and surprise written on his face. But then he caught himself and nodded. Liam walked in and closed the door behind him. "You can sit on the bed if you want." Tim pointed at said furniture piece and Liam sat down on the edge. He rubbed his palms over his thighs. "You're right. I set this rule and I completely and utterly forgot about it. Had you not said anything, it would have left my mind forever. I am sorry about that." "It's okay. As I said, you're the Alpha. You make the rules, you sure can break the rules." Tim tried his best to give off the impression it was really okay. But Liam was stubborn. "It's not okay", he stated calmly. "When I set the rule, it seemed reasonable to me and came from a place of being worried about everyone and our home. I wanted to be absolutely sure nothing could get to us. That was weeks ago. I should have kept it in mind and change it again after Ever cast the spell and we were more secure. I didn't. I fucked up and I am sorry about that." Tim opened his mouth to protest but Liam was faster: "I am grateful for you guys calling me out. Tim, you're my friend, my family, my Beta. You and the others absolutely should call me out when I do something wrong. I'm not perfect and I will make these mistakes. But only with this echo from you, I can improve and become a better leader. I'm not mad at you and you don't have to be afraid to speak up. This rule was okay back then but now is not anymore. Therefore I cut it. Gone! Just like that! thank you for bringing this up. I mean it. But what will never happen is that I set rules for you and then don't follow them myself. This is not the type of leader I wanna be. Okay?" Tim gnawed on his lip. "I would not care so much but this is the first house I am not judged and ridiculed in. I can be myself and I want to protect it as much as I can", he confessed. "So do I, Timmy", Liam promised him. "I would never let anyone in here I might consider not fully trustworthy." Tim considered. "So you trust Meadow and her friend?" "I do, yeah." Liam nodded. "Do you consider them good allies for the pack?" The twenty-year-old had to laugh. "My brain's not wired like that." Liam played with his hands. "Theo is good at that, Mason too. But I don't think strategically. On the lacrosse field, yeah, that's my jam, but not when it comes to people. I meet a person and I either like or dislike them. Maybe I trust too easy and maybe I will make a fool out of myself but then I have to take responsibility for it. I can't, I don't want to meet someone and be like Your name is what? Oh, you will be a splendid ally to my pack. This is not me and I will probably never get there. Hence why I keep Theo around", he joked at the end. Tim chuckled but then sighed. "I know what you mean. I'm not like that either. It would feel...I don't know...like..." They both thought about it. "Like using someone", they both finally said at the same time and this time they both laugh. "Mike is good at it too. To easily find out how people can be useful to him upon meeting them." "Maybe it's a survival tactic", Liam put out a theory. "How can you help me in my current situation to get a better stand and survive. Would explain why Theo is so good at it. He and Mike both needed to survive in a world that didn't want them." Tim raised his shoulders. "My survival tactic is not being seen or heard. Not draw any attention." "Well, I hope you don't feel like that anymore in the house or around the pack in general." Liam sounded like a father, he realized that himself. But wasn't an Alpha supposed to be a father sometimes? Tim shook his head. "Not always. But it's hard to unlearn what I learned for nineteen years. You know, you guys are great! You make me feel welcome! Don't think anybody else, please!"

He moved his hands around and knocked over a small can filled with brushes of all kinds. They clattered to the floor. Liam knelt and helped him pick them up again. "Didn't know you were painting, Timmy. Those are many brushes." His Beta turned a concerning shade of red and stuttered. "I...No...Not...Irgs. I don't paint! Pictures! I don't paint pictures!" "Then what do you paint?" Liam had never seen Tim being creative with brushes in any shape or form. From how his friend acted, one would think he was doing forbidden things with those brushes. "You don't have to tell me, of course. I'm just curious." You could basically see Tim's thought process on his face. Denial, fear, nervousness, fear again, shame. Finally, he pointed to the other side of the room. There was a large board with something tiny on it. Curiosity got the better of Liam and he stepped closer. Tiny little figurines were placed all over the board, along with trees, and various other little things. There was even a tiny truck looking amazingly similar to Theo's truck. And there was a car looking like Liam's. Wait a second. "Are those figurines of the pack?" Tim rushed next to Liam. "I can stop with that if you think it's weird. It's just, I like making those little scenes and take inspiration from real life." He gently pushed a tiny figurine in a blue jersey. A tiny Liam in lacrosse gear, Liam realized. "You've got to be kidding me! This is awesome! Can I touch it?" Liam was in awe. Tim blushed furiously but then gently placed lacrosse Liam on Liam's palm. The young Alpha turned the figurine to inspect it from all sides. For such a small thing, the details were incredibly detailed. "I make the figurines from a special clay and then I paint them. I hope you don't think it's weird. I am sorry if you do. I'm not a creep, I promise!" Tim almost stumbled over his words in his haste to get them out. "You make them? This is incredible, Tim! Why did you never show us this? That's not creepy or weird, this is fucking amazing! You're crazy talented." Liam could not stop praising the guy. And Tim beamed under the praise. Once he realized Liam did not find anything weird about that and actually loved it, he preened. "Does anybody in the pack know you're doing this?" "Mike knows." Tim smiled shyly. "But I made him swear he wouldn't tell a soul. Made him swear on something important to him." "Uh uh. What did he swear on?" Now Tim blushed again. "Our friendship." "Aw." Those two were cute and deserved each other. Mike because he needed a calm anchor in his life, Tim because he needed someone to speak up when he couldn't himself. "But seriously, Timmy, those are cool. I'm not going to say anything but if you ever want to share with the rest, I can already assure you, they will be as amazed as I was. It's a really cool hobby. I imagine it takes a lot of time?" "Oh, it does. But I like to modulate all the figurines and then paint them. It's calm work and I can think while doing it." Tim began chatting about his hobby. Now that Liam knew it seemed like a dam had burst and he could share it with the Alpha. Liam willingly listened.

****** "I'm glad you could clear the air with Tim." Theo pulled the covers back and crawled in bed. Liam was already under the covers and had scrolled through his phone but now put the device away to concentrate on the talk with his mate. "I'm glad too. It is important to me to get those kinds of replies so I can reflect on myself. I'm not doing everything right. But I'm working on it." "You're doing a lot of things already right. The things you're not doing right, well they partly make you Liam. Not perfect but human and very loveable." "How were you ever the chimera of death?" Liam teased and Theo smacked him with his pillow. Liam laughed. "I am trying here to compliment you and you do not appreciate it? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Theo wailed. Liam laughed louder. "Naw, you will survive that one, big boy. You know I love you." To prove it, he pressed his mate down on the mattress and kissed him passionately. Theo laughed into the kiss but returned it soon enough. "I know you love me", he mumbled after they parted. "And I love you, Lee." Liam was proud to hear that and he smirked. His phone chimed and he let go of Theo to grab it. "It's from Luka. He's asking if I want to meet up sometime next week. Cool." Liam already typed an answer. "You really like the three, right?" Theo mused. Liam looked up from his phone screen. Theo was watching him with questioning eyes but there was no sign of jealousy as he had shown with Scott in the beginning. He sighed. "I do. It's strange. They're all older than me and yet they never acted like they had to explain the world to me. Never a patronizing word, never telling me I'm still so young. I was just Liam and from the get-go, I was part of this little gang. I didn't have to prove myself to them. Because it felt like I had already proved myself prior to meeting them and they didn't even care. It was nice. I wasn't...." "You weren't the fourteen-year-old?" Theo asked amusedly and yet with compassion. "Yeah", Liam confirmed. "I wasn't even Liam the twenty-year-old. I was just...Liam." He fell silent for a few beats. "Doesn't mean I will leave you guys behind. You're my family." "Nobody's thinking that!" Theo furrowed his brows. "If we did, we would be bad friends and family members. We all are individuals outside of this pack and we all will make friendships without the pack being involved. If not, we would be one lousy pack. What we are is, happy you found people appreciating you and liking you for who you are." He reached out and pushed Liam's chin up so the couple looked at each other. "Liam, you have so many things going on for you. Your age shouldn't be one of the first things to notice." It was still strange to hear those things with such sincerity and Liam swallowed dryly. "What's the first thing?" He asked softly. Theo smiled lovingly. "Your good heart. And your eyes. Not because of their color - even though it's a beautiful color - but because they shine with such honesty and happiness." They stared at each other, Liam lost for words. He found his voice only after moments passed. "Were you always that poetic?" "You bring out the best in me", the ex-chimera replied and then kissed Liam deeply.

****** "Not to be pessimistic or something but would it not have been better to plant the flowers after the heatwave?" Liam stood in the open front door and watched Brett watering their plants. Nope", the tall werewolf replied and carried on with his task. "Because?" "Because I wanted to do it now", Brett simply answered. He gave Liam a cheeky grin. "That's reason enough." "Why would I ever doubt that?" Liam remarked teasingly. "Careful before I water you. You could use some growing", Brett teased back. The next moment, he was distracted by the red convertible oldtimer rolling into their driveway. The car was highly polished, not one speck of dirt to be seen, and it was sparkling in the sun. "Holy crap, that is awesome." Brett didn't even realize he was watering the ground instead of the plants, too busy staring at the car. It stopped in front of the entrance and Luka in the driver seat smirked. "Hi." "Hi." Liam laughed. "Nice car." "It's the pack car when one of us wants to go for a nice ride. Holden, a pack member, resto moded it but he lends it to everyone. Thought it's a nice day, why not take it?" He took off his sunglasses and seemed quite proud of his Beta's skills. Liam had no interest in cars but it was a pretty one and why not? He had no objections to driving around in this. Mike and Theo came out of the house. "Dude, that car is sick!" Mike jumped down the stairs and rounded it. Luka preened. "I'll forward it to Holden." Theo was also circling the car, as amazed by it as Mike and Brett were. Liam could only shake his head. Who knew those guys were such car freaks? "Luka, that one over there is Brett and that guy there is Mike. And that is Theo." "Nice to meet you." Theo was the only one to actually shake Luka's hand, the other two simply waved and then continued to fawn over the car. "Nice to meet you too", Luka replied. "You're Liam's boyfriend, right?" "I am", Theo proudly confirmed. "Bring him back in one piece." "I swear on my life", Luka promised in a playful serious tone. Liam grunted. "I can hear you guys! Theo, maybe I won't bring Luka back in one piece. How about that?" "As long as you bring the car back in one piece!" Mike cut in and made them all laugh. "Okay, now that some of my Betas embarrassed me in front of you, I'll get my sunglasses and we can go", Liam called out to the older Alpha and ran into the house and upstairs.

It took him a little while to find his sunglasses (he really needed to try and be tidier) but when he found them under some papers, Liam let out a triumphant cry and ran back downstairs. His Betas were involved in a conversation with Luka (surprisingly not about cars) which Liam now interrupted. "I'm ready." "Great. Hop in." Liam opened the passenger door and marveled at how smooth this was going. He somehow expected the door to get stuck because of age. But this car looked and felt like a brand new one. "See you guys later. Don't burn the house down", he joked. "Yes, dad!" All three Betas chimed in unison. Theo smirked and came to the passenger side to give Liam a quick kiss. "Have fun", he mumbled and Liam nodded. "Bye, guys. See you next time!" Luka called out before he started the car and soon they rolled down the driveway.

"You're one of the few people in this car to use the seatbelt immediately", he informed Liam when he turned into the street. The young Alpha looked down. "I do this in every car. My mother drilled this into me from a young age. I could not drive in a car without buckling up." "My mom was like that too. She always said just because were werewolves didn't mean we had to challenge fate. And she got mad if she saw one of us without a seatbelt on. Not just her own kids but basically everyone. There is a story where she refused to drive another Alpha's wife to the airport because the lady refused to put hers on. It's said they sat in the car for forty minutes until my dad went looking for them." Liam started laughing. "That's dedication. It's that the temper you were talking about?" Now Luka laughed. "My mom was stubborn. I'm too. And my sister is as well. Fun times during puberty, I can tell you. Good thing my dad was good at finding middle ground." "Your parents seemed like an amazing couple. Their personalities really matched with each other, from what I already heard." He wanted to know more about his new friend. And Liam wanted to share things about himself as well. He believed Savannah was right, this could become great friendships. "They were the perfect match even though their personalities were as different as they can be. But they balanced each other out. They were incredible Alphas for our pack." "You say Alphas. Were both real Alphas? Or just an Alpha couple?" Luka stopped at a crosswalk and let some pedestrians pass. "Technically, if you base it on red eyes and stamina, my father was the Alpha. My mother was a Beta but no one would have dared to treat her like one. Or like she was just dad's wife and mate. The way she cared for her pack, the way she made decisions, the way she spoke, she was an Alpha. There is so much more to an Alpha than red eyes. It's all about behavior and the relationship to the pack members." "I don't base it on the red eyes. Theo, he's also a Beta, but we call him Second Alpha. He takes over if I can't. We're the Alpha couple. Why should the color of somebody's eyes define their role?" Luka agreed with Liam's point of view. "There are some packs without an Alpha with red eyes. One Beta is in charge and guides them." "I didn't know that, that's awesome. But wouldn't that be an Alpha by conquest in the long run?" "Depends on how serious the pack takes it. Not all packs are focused on Alpha and Betas, some are more lenient. There are so many kinds of packs. Not just different species but different versions. There are also many Alpha Omegas around." "Alphas without a pack? So wolves with the Alpha spark." "Yeah." "Huh." Liam had never considered that. To him, Omegas had always been those wolves. With normal wolf powers. What were normal wolf powers? Betas? Liam guessed so. He never bothered to really make a distinction or think about what exactly Omegas were. "I kind of don't know a lot about the supernatural. I know how to fight and about several evil beings but all those connections between weres, species, what other magical beings are there, rituals, I know nothing about." Luka didn't take it badly. "At what age were you bitten?" "Fourteen." "You're twenty now. Which means I'm twelve years older than you. Trust and believe me when I tell you I didn't know that much more when I was your age. Plus I have the unfair advantage of being born in a werewolf family." He smiled impishly. Liam grinned. Yet he still insisted on his opinion. "I still think the first few years as a werewolf did not prepare me for that."

Thus he found himself telling Luka everything, from how Scott bit him to the hyenas. It was somewhat therapeutic to talk about all this with another wolf without knowing him beforehand. He didn't need to find periphrases for things, could tell it how it happened and didn't need to sugarcoat the events. He also could be as open as possible without having to worry about insulting some old friends. It had been the same with Byron.

He talked until they parked in the parking lot of the restaurant they had picked to grab something to eat. Liam didn't know the place but according to Luka it had delicious food and you could sit outside under trees so it would not be too hot. "See? That's the reason why teenagers shouldn't become Alphas", Luka said matter of factly and killed the engine. "I don't mean this condescendingly but it is what it is. Maybe if Scott had been a born werewolf it would have been different but I understand why this was all complicated. And why you didn't learn about the supernatural community. You had enough other problems to take care of." "I just wished I could have learned more. Maybe being an Alpha would be easier then", Liam mumbled. "Nah." Luka denied. "Becoming an Alpha does not mean you suddenly get access to this knowledge. It's not like a hatch opens and it's flowing into your brain. You have to make mistakes to find your footing as an Alpha." He unbuckled his seatbelt. "I was prepared to become an Alpha after my father's death for years. It could have become anybody in the pack but since I'm the oldest it was kind of expected for me to take over afterward. But it's not possible to really prepare someone for the weight we shoulder as Alphas. For the magnitude of responsibility settling in. It's something we just feel. And every Alpha has to find their own way to cope with that." Liam frowned. "How do I know I'm doing the right thing then?" Luka gave him a brotherly nudge. "I'd say you're on a good way already. When the first Alpha came to town, your Betas followed you into a potentially deadly fight. They were willing to die by your side. That's a type of loyalty you cannot buy or blackmail. It's loyalty coming from the soul and the heart. And it's only happening because an Alpha made the right decision for those Betas. You're young, Liam, one of the youngest Alphas I've ever met but you marched into the Alpha meeting without a care in the world. Do you think any of those Alphas would have done that at the age of twenty? From my point of view, you're doing absolutely great. Don't focus so much on being perfect and rather follow your heart and gut and you're set. You will be fine." It felt good to hear that. Byron told him that often enough but now a second experienced werewolf told Liam the same thing. He felt flattered. Those men saw him as equal, not just as a teenager. Saw eye-to-eye with him and respected him the same way he respected them. Enough to give Liam a soaring feeling in his chest. "Thanks." He clapped Luka's shoulder. "No come on, I'm hungry."

They exited the car and walked to the restaurant entrance. The hostess greeted them with a friendly smile and an even friendlier one when she got the first good glance at Luka. Liam was friends with Brett so this was not new to him. He was flabbergasted still. "How do you do that?" He had to inquire once they sat outside on their table and the hostess left to get menus for them. "Do what?" Luka acted innocently but his grin and the sparkle in his eyes betrayed him. The hostess came back and made a show to slowly put the menus on the table. She didn't pay Liam any mind and that was fine, he was mated, instead just gave Luka a coy smile. "Don't hesitate to ask me in case you need anything." "Will do. Thank you", he repaid her with a charming smile of his own and she left in a slow, seductive motion. On top of the menus, she left a little note with digits behind. "You barely talked to her and still got her number. Brett managed to pull this off as well. How? Not that I will ever need to try since I have Theo but how the fuck do you pull that off?" Liam could not find any satisfying explanation. Luka had gazed back at the hostess but now his head snapped back. "Luck, I guess. And charm, maybe." "Maybe, uh uh." Liam snickered. Luka had a certain boyish charm about him and that made him attractive. Not taking life too seriously, giving everything an easier vibe. Liam also understood the hostess because the deep green t-shirt Luka was wearing brought out his eyes nicely and accentuated his fit body perfectly. "I like sex. What can I say? Everywhere. No matter what country I am." Luka was not embarrassed to share this. "Have you always been like this?" "Frankly? Yeah. I always liked to flirt and when I was old enough to actually become sexually active, I saw no harm in there. I don't play. That's how my parents raised me. My mother always said: Go and have fun with whoever you want to have fun. But don't break hearts if you don't have to. Be upfront. If it's just sex, say it. Saves you and other people heartbreak. I always followed that. Yes, I had relationships but most of the time I have been single and had one-night-stands. Or several night stands. Whatever. The minute I'm interested in someone or in a relationship, I'm faithful. I can't stand cheaters." "That's the right answer. Sex is nice, with the right person even better, but I don't like players. Nice to hear someone having values."

Liam took a look inside the menu. Right on cue, a waiter appeared. "Hello gentlemen, I'm your server for today. Would you care for a drink?" The Alphas looked at each other. "Just water is fine for me", Liam decided. It was hot, despite the trees providing shade, and he would become thirsty, he knew himself. "Water is good", Luka decided himself and the waiter went to fetch their drinks. "You said no matter what country you are in. Are you traveling a lot?" Liam had picked up on that. "For work yeah." "What are you doing for a living?" "I deal in car parts for either oldtimer or pimped-out cars. Like the convertible. Holden is the mechanic, we work together. He screws the cars together, I contract the clients and the manufacturers. We have business all over the world since some of the parts are very rare. So I traveled a lot. For periods of time, I wasn't home for months. I never had my own apartment because it made no sense to pay for something I used. Tried it once and after weeks my landlord called and said he just wanted to check if I was still alive since I never came around. So I moved out again and if I stayed home, I stayed with the Alphas." "And that was okay? For you to be gone so long?" "My parents ket an open door policy. If something important came up, they called us home but aside from that, we were free to leave as long as we wanted. We knew we could always return to the pack house. No matter how late, even in the middle of the night, we were always welcome. We all made use of that rule over the years."

The waiter brought their drinks and took their order. When he left the two alone again, Liam raised his glass. "Good idea to meet up again", he praised. "Well, Savannah said it right, it's the beginning of wonderful friendships. So of course." Luka smiled and they clinked their glasses together. Liam took a sip. Perfect, cool water, he never drank anything better. He put his glass down again and savored the sip. "Uhm, I never got the chance to ask. How many Betas do you have? We're only talking about me." "I don't mind. You're good at telling a story and explaining things. Somebody ever told you that?" Luka had put his glass down as well. Liam made an incredulous face. "No. What would they? I'm kind of dumb." It had slipped out faster than Liam could have stopped it. Luka's frown was almost instantly. "What asshole told you that?" "No one. Life experience, if you will. I'm not the brightest." "You don't have to be a genius but you really don't appear dumb, Liam. Don't believe it when people tell you that. They're just haters." It had the same vibe as a worried older brother giving a stern talking to his younger sibling and Liam chuckled. He was a big brother but not a little brother and yeah he called Scott his brother sometimes but that was different. Maybe because Scott was only two years older than Liam himself. They came from the same walk of life, small town, maybe that was also a factor? Liam could not really put his finger on it but it hit differently with Luka. "Okay", he said to end this topic. "I will remember this talk." "Good", Luka looked stern but then he smiled. "To get back to the question, seven Betas. A few less than you have." He leaned back in his chair. "There is my younger sister Delaney. Younger by three years. An absolute firecracker. If she gets angry, if you piss her off, she will cuss at you and rant for hours if you let her. Especially in the background of a phone conversation. Very entertaining, if I'm being honest." Luka laughed. But the love for his sister was evident in his words. "Then there is Simon. He is...was dad's best friend. They've been to school and college together and he acted like some sort of advisor for the pack. Helped with international deals and connections. He's my godfather and like a second dad. I'm happy I still have him after I lost dad. It doesn't bear contemplating if he would have been also gone..." Luka trailed off. Liam managed a compassionate smile. "I am sorry for your loss. Losing somebody we love is never easy." He touched his collar bone where the Lion King tattoo was hidden under his shirt. Luka appreciated the sentiment. He continued his list on a lighter note. "With Simon came Holden, his son. Holden's just a few months younger than I am, we grew up together." "Holden's mom is not part of the pack?" "No. She never wanted to get married or have kids. Yet she married Simon and got pregnant with Holden. Weeks after his birth she handed Simon the infant and announced: I don't want to be a wife or a mother. Here's the child, I'll leave your life for good. He does not have to search for me, I want nothing to do with any of you. My lawyer will send you the documents where I signed my rights away and the divorce papers. Got her suitcase and left. From that moment on, mom and dad gave a hand to Simon. Holt and I basically grew up like brothers. He annoys Delaney the same way I do." Liam giggled. "Are younger siblings not something fun? I have a younger brother. He's ten but living at the lake." "Aw, they're so cute at that age. And then they start stating their own opinions and become brats." It was obvious Luka didn't mean a thing he said about his sister. They both began to laugh. "Holden's a great guy but he can be a hothead. Impulsive and very brash. Those are not his finest moments and we have to hold him back. But he's fiercely protective of the pack. Would do anything for us. Another one of my Betas is Sandro. Alessandro. My second in command. We met during freshmen orientation in college and clicked almost instantly. Have been inseparable ever since. When I brought him home the first time, mom looked at dad and said: Look, it's Luka in another body. Our parents often joked how they could each take the wrong son home and nobody would notice cause we're so similar. It's eerie. "

Their food came out and they interrupted their talk to thank the waiter and dig in before Luka resumed talking. "Sandro was human when we met but after a while, he noticed my family was hiding something. He confronted me and after consulting with my Alphas I came clean to him. Thank god cause when he was twenty-five, he go involved with a lone Alpha and said Alpha got a bit too excited in bed. Right before a full moon. Sandro showed up at our doorstep, bloodied and already on the verge of transforming. Dad took one look at him and dragged him to the basement where we keep a cage for those things.  I stayed with him the whole night and after that, it was more or less clear he would become part of the pack. Sandro helped me a lot after my parents' death. He took charge when I couldn't do it and held the pack together. That's why he became my second in command, just like Theo is for you." Luka drank from his water. "We have two other women in the pack. Bryn and Lynn. Laugh if you want, their rhyming names are a running joke in our pack. Bryn I know for almost her whole life. How fit are you in werewolf genetics?" Liam snorted. "That a thing? I'd give it a solid zero." "To keep it simple: The werewolf gene is dominant most of the time. Werewolf parents will have werewolf children. Even if only one parent is a wolf, the child likely will be one as well. The chances are even higher by born wolves rather than bitten ones. But if you have several generations of werewolves mixing with humans there is a slight possibility to have a human child even as werewolf parents. In Bryn's family case it was the opposite. There had been some wolves here and there, some of them had been in contact with my father's pack, but for generations, there were only humans. Until Bryn was born. Boom. Human parents with a werewolf baby." "You're kidding me!" Liam was amazed at how crazy nature could get. "Absolutely not. But her family knew about werewolves and so they knew the name of my father's pack. They grabbed their daughter and moved closer to us, showed up at our door, and kindly asked my parents to help them. To make having yet another child running around somewhat plausible, we started calling Bryn Delany's and my second cousin. We kept this til this day and mostly refer to her as our cousin. Lynn, on the other hand, was bitten after a night of clubbing and then left to die. Mom found her somewhere in the ditch and brought her home. We were not sure she would survive but that girl is tough as nails. Don't underestimate her." "She reminds me of Sadie. One should never underestimate Sadie as well. She will kick your ass and probably gnaw on your bones without ruining her makeup." "Somehow that description also fits Maddie and Savannah", Luka realized. Liam had to agree with that. "Anyway, you said you had seven Betas. One's missing." "The latest addition to the pack before my parents died. Will. He's Sandro's cousin, full-blood-related this time. They have been close while growing up and he visited one time. This family is good at picking up things and he got curious. We never got to explain to him everything cause a hostile pack attacked and he was wounded badly. Dad turned him in an attempt to save his life. It worked and Will moved to live with us. Funny enough, he and Holden clicked almost as instantly as Sandro and I did. They just balance each other a bit better. Hopefully. One's a hothead, the other is too cocky for his own good sometimes. I think the day these two linked, Simon's world kinda ended. He had several gray hairs more after that day. Lynn once kept a tally which one had to get bailed out of jail more often..." Luka tilted his head. "Huh, wondered what happened to that. I think I was the third place..." Liam smirked and Luka gave him an innocent smile. "I mean, we are all law-abiding citizens and never do anything wrong. We stick together and love each other, as a family should." "So do we. My pack and I. They're my family and I don't want to miss anyone of them." "Tell you what, Liam, why don't you and you pack visit us? We could have a BBQ party. Next Friday, is that good?" "That's a great idea. I'll check with the pack and text you."

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When I started this story, I imagined how many chapters this might will have and thought sixty was a good number. Now we are at chapter 60 and this story is far from over. I can't believe that. It's absolutely amazing and I want to thank every single one of my readers for the support. You all are amazing! Thank you!!!

In regards to this chapter, I like the friendship between Luka and Liam. They both are on the same wavelength and get each other. And it was fun working out Luka's Betas. In the next chapter, both packs will fully meet each other. I am excited.

[whitleyschn33]

RWBY Volume 8 Episode One: Quick Thoughts

Or not so quick, seeing how long it took me to write this and how much I ended up having to say. Spoilers (duh) under the cut, as this thing got insanely long.

So we open with a maid scrubbing a floor, a shot that lasted long enough I was starting to wonder where it was going before we cut to Cinder. So, Cinder backstory - interesting way to open the volume, but I’m not sure if it’s a good way. At the very least, I would have cut it a couple seconds, or have it flash between Cinder’s face and the flashback. Same information, but given in a quicker manner that lets us know exactly what we’re seeing instead of wonder who this random maid is for 10 seconds.

Whale aircraft carrier. The design is interesting, if looking a bit too clean for my taste. I would’ve liked to see the bones and muscles of the Grimm incorporated into the design a bit more, the surfaces less smooth and more textured, but it looks good.

Facial acting on Neo is good - I appreciate being able to see what’s running through her head, even if it also makes me wonder why Salem isn’t picking up on the obvious tells.

Emerald and Mercury are back and with new outfits; I can hear the diehard EmMerc fans screaming from here. Would’ve liked a better look at the whole outfits (I don’t think there’s even one close up of their entire bodies), but I like Mercury’s! Emerald’s model feels off to me for some reason, like it’s wider or more padded (?) than before, but it’s not a big deal and is probably just a result of her wearing a jacket now.

Oh, yeah, Hazel got one too, don’t care.

Why does the whale have a screen? A connection to one of those seer orb Grimm?

Cinder is still not interesting to me, but I am curious - can one woman hold multiple maiden powers? What happens if one woman holds them all? If they can hold multiple powers, what happens when they die? Do they both/all go to the same person, or would they split?

I like the Faunus that gives Oscar the soup. His design is pretty cute to me (I think he’s a mole Faunus?), and I feel like he’s based on something, but I’m not sure what. Getting a Narnia vibe for some reason, which I’m always on board for.

How did Ruby know where Oscar ended up? Did he call? 

Weiss’s braid looks much better! I’m still not a huge fan of it, but this model is an enormous improvement - it actually looks like hair instead of rope, it’s slicker, and doesn’t look as heavy. Nice job, animators. Blake’s looks better, too, more fluffy, but it’s not as drastic a change to me.

Nice to see the Happy Huntresses actually doing something to help Mantle, and having Joanna(? that’s her name, right?) take charge and be helping Ruby get Oscar back in exchange for their aid is nice. It feels realistic for a situation like this.

And more secret keeping, but in this case, dropping the Oz bombshell would actually probably be a bad idea. There’s enough going on, bringing up Oz being back can wait until tensions aren’t as high.

Why would Ironwood stop evacuation? That makes no sense for his character, and there’s no reason to stop them. Until he gets Penny back, Atlas isn’t going anywhere. Might as well keep evacuating until you can find here, get as many people to safety as possible before getting away. I’d assume the Doylist answer for this is that Mantle still needs to be a factor in any decisions made after this and it can’t be that if we can get everyone evacuated, but that doesn’t make the Watsonian explanation make more sense.

Actually a good plan, getting everyone into the crater if it is in fact warm (why, I wonder? Thermal vents? Heat coming off of Atlas?) solves the cold problem (that people should’ve probably already died from) and having to defend one smaller location is strategically a good option. Corralling people would also make any eventual evac to Atlas easier. There is the small problem of, you know, Atlas literally crushing anyone in the crater if the staff is used on anything else, and Salem is known to be after that Staff, sooooooo -

Okay, maybe a nitpick, but I thought Pierto’s specialty was prosthetics and robotics. Doesn’t seem like something that necessarily overlaps with what’s needed to convert Amity into a satellite. I guess maybe the engine/whatever is going to propel it into the air could be similar to Penny’s boosters/whatever lets her fly, but it doesn’t seem like something that he would be involved in raising Amity. Whatever - I know we need a scientist person to tell these things to RWBY+Co and Pierto is the most likely candidate to be in a position to do that.

It seems like, from Ruby’s dialogue, she both wants to warn the other kingdoms and ask for their help. This has been trampled to death, so I won’t rant, but - there is no one that’s going to be able to help. Argus is hours away, will take time to assemble, and isn’t a very large force to begin with. Mistral is still weakened from V5 and has next to no huntsman, and is even farther than Argus. No idea what’s going on with Vale, but they’re probably still nursing their wounds from the Fall. Vacuo is the only kingdom likely to be able to muster up a force, but they’re on the other side of the map and will take hours, if not days, to get together an army - and that’s if they decide they want to help at all. The other objective was warning the Kingdoms about Salem. Ignoring that Salem is immortal and can just throw as many Grimm as she pleases until the defenses fall, ignoring that the other Kingdoms might not even believe Ruby, what’s to say they won’t go “F*ck Atlas, they’re on their own” and recall every available Huntsman and Huntress to shore up their own defenses? Or what if the other kingdoms just fall into anarchy? Learning an immortal witch with an endless supply of Grimm will come knocking on your doorstep soon tends to cause chaos. Or is Ruby going to leave the whole immortal part out again? I just can’t see what this will accomplish.

Holy shit, it’s actually happening. Dissent from WBY, and it’s coming from Yang of all people - I love it. I wish Yang had gotten to finish her sentence, say something along the lines of “Maybe if we’d told the truth immediately things wouldn’t have gone this way” since that would fit with her “hate secrets” thing she had going on in V5/6, but the fact that Yang is actually questioning Ruby’s leadership and choices - yes yes yes, more of that please, less of the hive mind. I wish it’d come a little earlier, but at this point I’ll take what I can get.

I’m slightly confused at the sides that Ren and Nora are taking here. I like that we’re splitting them up here (we never get to see them separated, and after last volume, I am more than on board with letting Ren get some breathing room), but Ren going with Yang, Jaune, and Oscar to help evacuate Mantle while Nora goes on the “bigger picture” team to get Amity up and running seems weird considering where they were last volume. Nora was always screaming about how the big picture stuff was hurting Mantle, while Ren was pushing to keep training, keep working, support Ironwood and try and work at the big picture problem, so it would seem like they should be on opposite sides. I’m not saying it makes no sense - I can absolutely see Ren feeling protective of towns under attack from Grimm with no Huntsmen in their corner - but it feels like a bit of a 180 from their last positions. 

Did Oscar just call Jaune “John”?

Yeah, if nothing else, don’t let Penny get anywhere near Salem or her cronies. Salem can absolutely not be allowed to get her hands on the Staff, especially with the whole “get everyone to the crater” plan. Squish.

Yang and Blake splitting up, maybe we can actually get some conversations on what the hell is up with them that we should have gotten in V6/V7 instead of petty showing off and Nora projecting.

“But what about Mantle?” “Oh, I’m helping Mantle.” with the same thing you spent all last volume complaining about. Uh-huh, that’s not annoying.

Weiss has an idea on how to get up to Atlas - Winter’s ship, maybe? That one she came in on in V3 was her personal ship, wasn’t it?

Ironwood calls Penny. From the music, it sounds like they were aiming for foreboding and manipulative, but Ironwood just sounds tired, the poor man. Love how Ruby doesn’t even try for a comeback for Ironwood’s argument, really convincing.

Dead Clover, and I hope that he stays that way, because if he’s brought back to life, so much of V6′s themes of life and death and the natural cycle is just going to be spit on (again). Clover is dead, and there should be no way around that save interference from a literal god. Any attempt at bringing him back needs some kind of drawback - some prevision of life, a body that moves but his soul isn’t there, something, please RT, don’t double back on your “Death is permanent” thing again.

And Ironwood did lose his arm completely. It’s an awesome looking prosthetic, but the fact that it’s black when the rest of his prosthetics are silver, combined with the comments made by the CRWBY about Ironwood’s humanity, make me very afraid they’re going to go for some sort of bullshit parallel to Cinder’s black Grimm arm. I do like the orchestral version of Hero playing here, though.

I like Winter’s new hair style - similar enough to her previous one, but looser. Not exactly happy about what that might symbolize, but it looks really good. It looks like she might have nerve damage, though, which would mean she might be off the battlefield until she can get her hands (hah) on some sort of brace to help her move her hands (which might be hinted at in the OP~)

I do really like Ironwood and Winter’s relationship, please don’t f*ck it up, CRWBY.

Is the only thing CRWBY knows how to do to make Ironwood seem like the bad guy shoot people for no goddamn reason? Ironwood was surrounded by loyal soldiers after declaring martial law, there was no reason for him to not just order Slate detained (that one was Slate, right? Not that it matters). The man’s annoying and probably in cahoots with Jacques, but shooting him is out of character, excessive, and makes no sense when he could just be arrested. “It shows he’s slipping -” No. It’s lazy writing meant for shock value and to give characters a reason to go “Oh, he’s going evil now, I better question my loyalty to him” (based on the look Winter and Harriet share) rather than any actual flaw in his plans maybe because CRBY realized that Ironwood’s plans are rational and the best one on the table right now, so they can’t use that to turn people against him. F*ck that.

Salem sends a bloodhound or whatever after Oscar, we already saw this bit in the trailers. No comment.

TLDR: Once again, RWBY sets up a lot of stuff that I find interesting and want to see more of. However, their treatment of Ironwood doesn’t make me optimistic for them to treat him right, and RWBY has a track record of setting up good concepts/plots/characters/arcs and then failing to execute them well or at all. We’ll have to see if V8 actually lives up to the promise or falls flat due to the issues that plagued V6 and V7 .

Going to make a whole new list for the OP because dear Lord, this thing is dense.

This song is definitely more in line with RWBY’s usual sound than Trust Love, and I’m all for that. The beat is a little hinky to me - it’s going to take a few re-listens to get used to it - and once again I wish the lyrics were clearer, but I know people that weren’t as happy with V7′s sound will be happy with this return to form.

Establishing shots of Mantle going to hell, nice use of red and contrast, but I wish there was a bit more use of shadow to really sell the red coming from fires and emergency lights.

Ruby standing alone, turning to find the others standing at the ready to fight, but away from her and with their backs turned. Any chance of more dissent? Will we actually get some growth from Ruby, in regards to her leadership in particular? We can only hope.

The four girls, on a blackish/blue background with floating warm lights, with images of their V1 selves in their clothes/hair/weapons. I really love the animation in the portion, the girls look so good. It also makes me wish we’d get some sort of flashback to V1-3, because I want more of their Beacon designs in the new animation style. The fact that this background/setting shows up again later in the trailer makes me wonder if it might be what the interior of the Atlas vault looks like. No basis for that, just a random thought. Couple minor nitpicks, focused on Yang. The fact that she’s the only one not in a more dynamic pose (and this is Yang of all people) seems odd, and the way her hair flows looks weird to me based on the angles and whatnot. Putting her in a different pose like a charge would fix this, letting her hair flow more naturally and giving them the space they need to to add in her past self. Otherwise, gorgeous. 

Ironwood with Atlas inside him, slowly being overtaken by the red as he looks up. No real comment other than beautiful.

Clover dropping his pin, with the AceOps and Qrow in the leaves, before transitioning to Qrow taking Robyn’s hand in prison. It looks like Harriet will be taking over as team leader. I don’t have a lot to say here - Marrow’s the only AceOp I’m interested in, and Qrow and Clover’s relationship has never been compelling for me. Robyn, similarly, is not a character I like, so a Qrow/Robyn team-up jailbreak isn’t something that I’m interested in unless Watts is involved. Already teamed up with one villain, Qrow, why stop there?

Oscar in pain holding his head, while Grimm eyes surround him and then Salem with wyvern wings comes out and looms over him preparing to grab him. I like the visual of Salem as the Wyvern at Beacon, but her face looks almost doofy in this shot. I think it’s the lack of expression mixed with the eyes. If she had a more menacing expression, I think this would work a lot better.

The falling weapons of the girls, Crescent Rose with Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud with Ember Celica. Cue the shippers.

Jaune with his sword in front of his face, pulling it down to be at the ready, with Nora and Ren in the far background, their backs turned on each other but looking sad at their positions. I know Jaune’s thing is probably generic, but it gives me Mulan vibes, which is funny considering. Hey, hint that Martial Arcs will become canon now that Renora is on the rocks? fingers crossed More of Ren and Nora’s rough patch, and I really hope that that gets some focus. Their kiss last volume left a bad taste in my mouth with how it went down, and getting into these two as separate characters and their relationship. Ren not requiting Nora’s romantic feelings towards him would be a really interesting place to go with these characters that everyone’s pegged together since episode 4 (in no small part due to their lack of interaction with anyone else, but I’ll get to that). 

Winter and Weiss walking towards each other on the Schnee symbol, passing each other by with Winter getting her new hairstyle and a brace of some sort. She’s actually wearing this brace in the hospital, but on the other arm, while now it’s on the arm she couldn’t bend her fingers with. Interesting, and it looks all looks really good!

The Schnee snowflake falls between Whitley and Willow, before shattering onto a chessboard. YESSSS, Whitley’s in the intro again! That’s more than I could’ve hoped, and I really really hope that him looking contemplatively like that means something - that’s he’s figuring things out, coming up with a plan, something! Still no new design though T-T CRWBY, what do I have to do to get my boy some new clothes?

From the chessboard, Salem rises up, turning the other black pieces into Grimm to attack the white where Ironwood stands. His pieces turn to dust, the board blowing away entirely. Nice callback to V1. Ironwood stands alone - no allies, and no space to move forward. He’s a king with nowhere to move - check or checkmate. 

Smug Watts hacking while leaning against a mirror, rotates to show Pierto doing the same, his reflection looking over its shoulder at him, then a pan to Penny to show the same thing before the mirror breaks. I’m not sure what this might symbolize. Inability to trust yourself, maybe?

A snowflake flies through the air and lands in Ren’s palm. It turns into a flower petal, (or scraps his hand, I can’t quite tell) then Yang, Jaune, and Oscar join him, Ren smiling to Jaune. Another flower petal flies by to transition to Nora, who reaches out but can’t catch it, looking dismayed until RWBP comes in to join her. I assume the symbolism is straight-forward - the snowflake turns to a petal when caught by Ren (lotus guy), then flies to Nora who can’t catch it. Really living for the Ren focus in the op~

Pans to a shot of the whole group in the middle of everything - Atlas and Mantle overrun with Grimm on one side, Salem’s whale and Grimm army on the other, and Amity in the middle, which Penny flies up to hover below. Penny is going to be vital to launching Amity, and probably for reasons other than the terminal.

Then Ruby and Yang looking at each other with a smile and nod before the girls jump into fighting some Grimm. Interesting bit when the volume opens with the sisters starting to have disagreements.

The entire thing freezes, Cinder strolling cockily past the crew to walk in front of a bored/disgruntled Neo and Emerald who starts to wave but looks dejected when Cinder ignores her. Not much to say here - I don’t really like the freeze frame for some reason, no idea why. This also doesn’t give us any new info on the dynamics between these three characters.

Cinder grabs her Grimm arm in pain as fire flares up behind her, transitioning into Merc, Tyrian, Hazel, and Salem with the lamp in her eyes, transitioning to the lamp and staff twirling around each other, both emitting smoke like they’re being used as they come together. I wonder if this means that the last question and the Staff are going to be used, and maybe together? Once again, though - Atlas falling, people in the crater die.

Smoke clears up to reveal Ruby, looking up to Atlas first in invasion mode, then peaceful. Turn to a shot of the group standing looking to the left, Yang and Ruby looking like they’re posed but the others just kind of standing there. It’s a weird shot, and I’m not sure what to make of it, honestly.

The ice breaks beneath Ruby’s feet, sending RWBY falling into a void, their bodies trailing those lights that we saw before. Ruby opens her eyes to see the brightest light, the Staff. She reaches out to it, but Grimm paws and hands drag her down. V6 callback?

The word Happy? flashes only to be crossed out, a sketchy Grimm roaring, then the words Ever then Never as it’s crossed out, with a sketchy Penny lifting her head and her eyes then face going red, then the words After Again being crossed out. I’m not really of the words - I think it’s going for a Happily Ever After Happy? Never Again thing, but there’s no Happily that I can see, and it just kind of comes across as a bit emo to me. I like the sketches of the Grimm and Penny - I think it might be a Wyvern Grimm or something like that, and the red spreading from Penny’s eyes to her entire outline is interesting. I wonder if it’s connected to the Maiden powers and how she’ll use them.

Sketches of RWBY’s weapon fall into the snow, Crescent Rose falling with the tip stuck in the snow, then a flash and a pull out to Crescent Rose in the snow in full animation, framed by the broken moon as rose petals fly by with the “Created by Monty Oum” credit appears. I really like this as a reference to the Red trailer, and compared to the very cluttered ending shot of V7, this is a nice change of pace.

I like this OP. It’s definitely above V7′s for me, with a good song and some beautiful animation in it’s visuals. If I had to criticize it, I would say that it feels very long and cluttered. My breakdown of the opening feels as long as everything I mentioned in the actual episode. I realize one was going almost shot by shot, while the other summarized, but the point still stands that this things feels longer than it needs to be (I’d have to check time stamps to see if it is actually significantly longer).

A more promising start, all in all, than I’d hoped for. Things irritate me for sure, Ironwood’s treatment, Ruby’s plan, all that stuff, but I know I would have those bones to pick going in. The shake-up of the usual teams and the promise of inter-group conflict is enough to get me to want more, and I look forward to seeing how my favorite characters will be utilized. 

What are your thoughts on the episode? Reblog and comment down below, and we’ll start a convo.

Until next time~

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating:  G

Summary:  It comes down to Viperion and a kazoo to save an akumatized XY. Hopefully Bob Roth will be the only one who gets hurt.  A Luka/XY fic

Word Count:  4154

Notes:  Written for @janaikam through the @mlbforblm charity drive!  The donations go directly to Color of Change, an organization for racial justice.  I highly recommend checking them out and reblogging/donating the mlbforblm posts if you’re able!  I have two fic request slots left as of 7/10/2020, and many other talented writers and artists are offering incentives as well!

XXX

“Lyre, I am Hawk—”

“Liar?”  XY scoffed.  His vision had gone all pinky-purple, which was weird.  Wasn’t anger supposed to be red?  Maybe all the tears in his eyes were blurring the color.  “I didn’t lie.  It was Dad who lied and said it was my idea to steal music again.  It wasn’t even my idea the first time!  He knows I never have any ideas!”

Hawksloth sighed in XY’s mind.  Weird.  XY didn’t know that telepathy could include sounds like that.  

“I meant lyre as in the instrument.”

“But it’s a pun on liar.  And that’s Viperion’s weapon, anyway.  It’s probably copyrighted or something.  Which I would know, because I don’t steal music anymore.”  

Luka had offered to collab with him.  And Dad had liked Kitty Section’s music before, so why did he throw such a fit when Luka and XY made something together now?  Dad had told him to go back to his algorithm-generated music, but that didn’t have half the sexy vibes of his new tracks.

“Fine,” Hawkbroth growled.  “Your name can be—”

“Ooh, ooh, let me pick!  I’ve got the perfect one!”

“Somehow I doubt that…”

“Synthpathetic!”

Hawkmoth’s voice went silent.  Was XY’s akuma name so amazing it had intimidated the supervillain?

“You know, because your stupid butterfly flew into my synth?”  He pressed down on the keys, which had gone all purple-black and bubbly, like toxic ooze. Ooh, that might make a good idea for a song…

“I’m beginning to regret this already,” Hawkmoth muttered.

“Hey, no take backs! At least not until I deck my dad.”  This day had already mega sucked, but he was gonna get something good out of it.

“And then you will bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses.”

“Sure, sure, whatever. Think you’ll need a bit more jewelry than that to make up for your ugly wrestler costume though.” XY has never seen Hawkgoth in person, but the animation in the Larybug movie made him look stupid. Did Hawkflop’s teeth really look like that?  They’d given him nightmares.

“Ugly—! No, let’s just get this over with, and then I can drop this facade.” Hawkroth seemed to be talking to himself, but XY could still hear him. Awkward. “Synthpathetic! I give you the power to expose your enemies as the liars they are. In return I ask for—”

“Yeah, yeah, some tacky jewelry. You sure you don’t want Viperion’s bracelet? That thing’s way cooler and has a better power than, I dunno, making polka dot desk lamps.”

Somehow XY had the image of Hawkfrost’s eye twitching.

“I will show you tacky.”

Then the purple-black swallowed XY up, leaving only Synthpathetic in his place.

XXX

“Synthpathetic.  Hawkmoth must really hate you, huh,” Luka deadpanned while watching the Ladyblog stream on his phone. The screen showed a villain in a short gray coat and tall hair and… Luka pulled his eyes away from those tight golden shorts.  He refocused his attention on the keyboard that seemed to be growing out of the akuma’s forearm.  Wires connected the keyboard to a metal cuff over his bicep.  Was one of those objects where the akuma was hiding?  Or maybe it was in the sharp pink sunglasses.  Heck, it even could’ve been in the hot pink XY-themed boots.

Even if it weren’t for those gaudy pumps, Luka would’ve known it was XY.  No one else could pull off such a ridiculous outfit.

And of course, there was als the fact that Bob Roth had just gone on live television and “announced” that XY’s latest music was stolen.

Luka’s chest felt hollow.  He should’ve been there for XY.  It was Luka who’d told him to stand up to his dad, that XY should be able to express himself through whatever music he wanted.  Clearly, that had backfired.

“Yo, Bob Roth!  Does this sound stolen to you?”  Synthpathetic stared into the camera as he pressed a chord with his left hand, and music burst from the instrument attached to his arm.  The camera shook, and Alya’s hair whipped across the screen as she was blown across the street.

“Okay, so we have confirmation of this akuma’s target,” she announced, breathing heavily.  The camera refocused; she must have stood up.  “That’s weird, I’m feeling kind of—”

Suddenly her voice cut off.  And then she burst out singing.

“Rena Rouge is my hero name, I said it out loud!  Nino is my boyfriend and I love his Soundcloud!” 

That didn’t sound right.  Not that it wasn’t true—but why would Alya say that on her Ladyblog livestream, much less sing it?  Unless—

“Oh no,” Alya whispered.  The camera flipped around to show her face.  “I wish I could say that was a lie, but I’m committed to bringing you only the truth.  It seems like Synthpathetic’s power makes you sing something important to you.  Maybe even something secret.  Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t yet on the scene—”

Luka clicked off the screen and jumped on his bike.  He just hoped he’d be able to make it downtown in time.

XXX

“Ladybug!”  Luka shouted, leaping off his bike.  It kept going and crashed into the side of the hotel.  He winced.  Hopefully Ladybug’s miracle cure would take care of that.  Not that the state of his bike was important compared to saving XY.

“Luka?”  She gasped before handspringing away from one of Synthpathetic’s musical blasts.  “What are you doing here?  I already told Alya to clear the area!”

Luka had biked past the Ladyblogger to quickly for her to stop him.  No one else had gotten past though, not that they’d want to.  He’d briefly noticed Bob Roth cowering against the side of a building, Nino standing guard over him.

In the street Synthpathetic had already ravaged, it was just him and Ladybug, and Chat Noir and the villain.  Chat was currently distracting him by waving his baton in a ¾ time signature.

“Not cool, man!  That doesn’t match my 4/4 beats at all!”  Sythnpathetic pouted, but Luka couldn’t focus on him yet.

“I need the snake miraculous,” he told Ladybug.

She yanked him around the corner of the hotel as a wave of music notes nearly struck them.

“If he hits you, you’ll be forced to give up your identity, just like Rena Rouge,” he continued quickly.  “You and Chat Noir can’t risk that.”

He didn’t bring up the other reason why he was here.  He wasn’t sure he could’ve put it into words, anyway.  He just… he needed to be here.

If only he could’ve Second Chanced and stopped himself from giving XY that stupid advice in the first place.

“I know.  That’s why I just got back from asking the Guardian for this.”  She pulled the bracelet out of her yo-yo.  “I was planning on giving it to Nino as soon as he took care of Bob Roth, but since you’re here—”

“Great.”  He slipped on the bracelet.  His kwami barely had the chance to materialize before he shouted, “Sass, scales slither!”

Ladybug gasped as the bright turquoise light washed over him.  He barely heard it over the sound of Synthpathetic’s beats.  Was Chat Noir doing okay?  Luka hadn’t heard him sing yet, at least.

“Did anyone see that?”  Ladybug’s brow furrowed beneath her mask.  “I think we’re hidden enough behind this corner, but if anyone saw you transform, you won’t be able to be a hero again.”

That hardly mattered.  Ladybug could always find someone else to wield the snake miraculous.  She’d planned to give it to Nino, anyway.  No, what mattered right now was making sure XY didn’t reveal the real heroes’ identities.

And making sure that XY would be okay when all this was over.

“Do you have your Lucky Charm yet?”  He asked.

She spun her yo-yo in the air, and a polka-dotted kazoo fell into her hands.  What she was going to do with that, Luka had no idea.  But that was why he was Viperion and not Ladybug.  His job was just to stay out of the way and buy the real heroes some time.

“Second Chance,” he whispered, tugging at the snake bracelet’s tongue.  

Five minutes.  Hopefully they wouldn’t need it.

XXX

They needed it.

Hawkmoth must have given XY extra agility on top of his magical music.  Synthpathetic backflipped through the air as he blasted out chord after chord, even some arpeggios and scale for good measure.  The melodies reminded Luka of the time they’d spent writing songs together in Luka’s room, humming back and forth.  XY would make up senseless lyrics that made them both laugh.  Luka would improv a harmony, while XY put each note in careful place.

They made a good team.  It was too bad they were fighting on opposite sides now.

Each time a wave of translucent music hit Ladybug or Chat Noir, Luka was forced to reset before they began to sing. He couldn’t risk learning the heroes’ identities, even if they would never know he knew.

Through it all, Ladybug never seemed to find a use for her kazoo.  She tried playing it, but Synthpathetic couldn’t hear over his own music.  She tried throwing it, but it just got stuck in Synthpathetic’s tall mass of hair.  She even strung it on her yo-yo, which made Chat Noir laugh and get hit with a musical blast.

She’ll come up with something.  She’s Ladybug.

“Why don’t you guys attack Bob Roth instead of me?  I’m way more sympathetic!”  XY whined for the eleventh time.  Sometimes Luka found XY’s nasally voice endearing, but right now it just made him grimace.

“I’m still surprised he knows what that word means,” Luka muttered before scooping up his lyre and scrambling to his feet.  The most recent blast of notes hadn’t hit him directly, but it had taken out of a corner of the hotel and knocked him back.  Dust made it hard to tell if Ladybug or Chat Noir had been hit.  But he’d already reset so many times; he didn’t want to waste any more chances than he had to, especially since every time he had to explain to Ladybug what tactics they’d already tried.

Every time, she insisted that he stay hidden.  He’d be too much of a target for the villain if he was in the open, she said.  And besides, what else could he do?  His weapon was a lyre.  Even a guitar would’ve been easier to attack villains with.

Not that he really wanted to attack XY.  Synthpathetic.  They weren’t the same—he had to remember that.  This blue-skinned villain wasn’t his friend.  Luka had come to help Ladybug knowing that he would have to fight him, so why did the thought of it turn his stomach?

“Don’t worry, XY.  We’ll save you… somehow.”

XXX

“We need a new strategy,” Ladybug said after Luka (for the twelfth time) explained what went wrong.  “The time we defeated Desperada, you used your lyre to distract her.  XY was a musician too, right?  Maybe that will work again.”

Luka swallowed.  “So you want him to know I’m here?”

“We don’t have anything to lose.  He’ll forget once you Second Chance if this doesn’t work.  Do you think you can do it?”

“I… yeah.  I can.”  He tried to sound more confident than he felt.

“Perfect.  Chat and I will hide on two of the hotel balconies, where we can drop on him when he’s not expecting it.  Here.”  She pressed the kazoo into his hand.  “I have a feeling this is supposed to be for you.”

“Um… alright.”  He pulled off one of his lyre’s strings, then used it to string the kazoo around his neck.  

She didn’t give him any more instructions other than “Good luck, Viperion.”  

With that, she swung towards Chat Noir and scooped him up in her arms.  The faint sound of their banter drifted in between Synthpathetic’s blasts.  Then they were gone, disappearing over the railing of a high balcony.

“What the—hey!  Why are you running?  You finally realize how scary I am?”  Synthpathetic shouted up from the street.  

“In that shade of pink and those shorts?  Terrifying,” Luka deadpanned while stepping out from behind the corner.

Synthpathetic’s pointed shades slipped off his nose as he gaped.  Beneath, his blue eyes were practically bulging out of his head.

Guess that’s not the akumatized object, Luka mused as the glasses cracked on the pavement.

“Viperion!”  Synthpathetic ran forward, clapping his hands together like he’d just won tickets to a concert.  “You’re like, my favorite superhero!  Can you sign my forehead?”

Luka’s jaw went slack.  This wasn’t part of his plan.  He was just supposed to distract Synthpathetic while Ladybug and Chat Noir dropped on the villain from above.  

“You know it’ll just wear off once we beat you, right?”

XY—Synthpathetic—pouted.  Geez, it was hard to remember this wasn’t his friend when his eyes looked like that.  “You’re just saying that because you don’t want to do it, aren’t you?  Of course you wouldn’t like me.  I’m still just a villain, even if I’m a sympathetic one.”

He crossed his arms, accidentally pressing a few keys on the synth plugged into his arm.  A soft minor chord blurred the air around his feet.

“Hey, I never said that,” Luka replied, but Synthpathetic just frowned.

“Did you know I always wanted to fight on your side?”

Luka blinked.  “No, I can’t say I did.”

“Yeah.  I never thought I’d meet you like this.”  He chuckled sadly before wincing and digging a finger in his ear.  “Hawksloth is yelling at me again.  He wants me to take your bracelet.  I think it looks better on you than me, though.”

Warmth coursed through Luka at the compliment, even if it shouldn’t have meant anything coming from someone wearing such eye-stabbing colors.  

“You’re still in there, aren’t you?  XY.”

“You—you know his name?”  His eyes sparkled.  “I mean—of course you do, he’s famous.  But no, I’m not him.  I just want to beat up his dad.”

You and me both, he wanted to say.  But siding with an akuma probably wasn’t the best strategy.

Distraction.  That was his only job.  Where were Ladybug and Chat Noir?  He scanned the side of the hotel, but didn’t see either of them.  Better keep Synthpathetic talking, then.

“What did he do to you—I mean, to XY?”

Synthpathetic groaned.  “Man, he was not cash money at all.  He hated XY and Kitty Section’s collab cause it was like, too awesome and gay or something, I don’t even know.  So anyway, he told everyone XY just stole the songs when he wrote them himself and—ngh!” 

Synthpathetic clutched his head.  “Hawkbroth—shut up!  I’m trying to talk to my idol here!”

Luka’s heart felt fuzzy in spite of himself.  He should take a note from Hawkmoth and start fighting too.  There was no telling how long Chat and Ladybug were going to take, and his miraculous only showed two minutes left.

Suddenly Synthpathetic straightened.  “Sorry, bro.  I hope this doesn't hurt.”

Luka twisted his bracelet right before the keyboard bashed into his head.

XXX

“Viperion!  You’re like, my favorite superhero!  Can you sign my forehead?” 

Luka couldn't help laughing.  Even hearing it for the second time, XY was just too cute.

Not XY.  Don’t get distracted this time.

“Sure.  I’ll just need to know where your akuma is in return.”

“Deal!  The dumb butterfly flew into—” He cried out and clutched his head again.  Guess Hawkmoth wouldn’t let Luka win that easy.

“You’re mean,” Synthpathetic said, but Luka wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or Hawkmoth.

Either way, Luka had to act on his distraction.  He lunged forward, crashing his lyre against the keyboard.  The resulting blast of music blew them both towards opposite sides of the street.

Luka gritted his teeth against the song building in his lungs, and he twisted his bracelet. 

XXX

“Viperion!  You’re like, my favorite superhero!  Can you sign my forehead? Wha—hey!” 

This time, Luka ran in swinging.  A lyre wasn’t as useful a weapon as a baton or yo-yo, but it could still hurt if it connected right.

Unfortunately, Luka didn’t know how to make it connect right.  He again wished he could replace his weapon with a guitar.  But as it was, Synthpathetic parried easily and leapt back.

“I wanted to fight with you, not against you!”

“Hawkmoth didn’t give you much of a choice, did he?”

Luka ran in again.  It was a stupid strategy for him—Chat Noir was the only one who could carelessly run into danger and get away with it.

But by now, he was mad.  XY was his friend.  Luka had never seen him get more upset than when Luka had eaten the last slice of pizza.  Bob Roth’s betrayal must have cut deep.  

Really, Luka would rather be fighting that sleazebag than this akuma, but XY wouldn’t come back until Synthpathetic was gone.

So he punched, and kicked, and ignored Synthpathetic’s pleas to leave him alone.

“Give him a left hook! No, a right elbow! Come on kid, who taught you how to fight, some little Tinkerbell?”

Luka glanced over his shoulder, where Bob Roth had shoved past Nino and Alya.

“Sorry, I tried to stop him!” Nino said.

“LIAR!” Synthpathetic shouted, sprinting at full speed towards the older man. 

Nino and Alya dove out of the way just in time for Synthpathetic’s fist to connect with Bob Roth’s jaw.  Luka winced appreciatively at the crack. 

“That was for insulting Viperion’s fighting.” 

Then Synthpathetic kicked Bob in the crotch. 

“And that was for calling XY a thief.”

Bob dropped to the ground with a high-pitched whine.

“You’re not going to play your music on him?” Alya asked. Her phone was out and filming again despite being a mere meter from the akuma. It wasn’t surprising that Ladybug had picked her to be Rena Rouge; she certainly had the guts for it.

“Nah.” Synthpathetic picked at something between his teeth, and the keyboard attached to his arm knocked against his chin.  “Wouldn’t do any good. He’d make up some kinda lie later, like he did to Lu before.”

Synthpathetic had a point there.  More importantly, though, he was still distracted enough for Luka to slice his lyre through the wires connecting the keyboard to his arm.

“Ow!”  Synthpathetic cried out as sparks flew from the wires.  Unfortunately though, no black butterfly flew out with it.  “Look, I really didn’t even want to fight you.  Hawkcrotch doesn’t care about your bracelet that much.  Plus, you’ve got a cute face.  Wouldn’t want to bruise it or anything.”

Luka blushed at that, but shook it off.  He didn’t have much time.  The responsible thing to do would be to Second Chance now, but the selfish part of him didn’t want to undo Bob Roth’s humiliation.

Plus, he finally caught sight of Chat Noir perched on the roof.

“You don’t have to hurt me, you know.”  Luka spread his arms wide.  “You could always just play your music.  If you like me so much, you’d want to know my deep, dark secrets, wouldn’t you?”

Synthpathetic’s grin showed all of his perfect white teeth.  “Great idea!  You’re hot and smart!”

Luka’s bracelet began to beep, but he didn’t flinch.  Ladybug, you better be ready…

Synthpathetic’s fingers flashed across the keys.  The chorus from Mr. Brightside boomed like a shot from a canon.  It took Luka in the chest, but he dug his heels into the concrete and remained standing as he skidded back.

The song built in his chest.  Chat Noir jumped from the roof.

Right before Luka was forced to sing, he shoved the kazoo in his mouth.

“What?  No fair!”  Synthpathetic whined as a rhythmic buzzing was the only sound from Luka.

The only sound out loud, anyway.  In his heart, Luka felt the words that Synthpathetic couldn’t hear.

“Cataclysm!”  Chat Noir shouted.  Synthpathetic barely had time to look up before the hero’s outstretched hand pressed down on the keyboard.

Everything happened at once.  Ladybug’s yo-yo caught Chat Noir by the ankle, stopping him from splatting into the pavement.  The synth disintegrated around XY’s arm, and violet light bubbled around him.  Ladybug lowered Chat to the ground before snapping up the dark butterfly.  Then, finally, she swung herself down the street.

She landed between Luka and XY and held out her hand.  Luka stared at it blankly for a moment before spitting out the kazoo and handing it over.

She grimaced as Chat Noir’s cheeks puffed with laughter.

“Ah, er, thanks… uh, Miraculous Ladybug!”

Pink light exploded in the sky.  Buildings repaired themselves; chunks of rubble disappeared.  Bob Roth was still lying on the ground, but Chat Noir hefted him up and deposited him on the hotel’s front steps.

That taken care of, Luka crouched down beside XY, who was rubbing his head.

“Ngh, what…?  Viperion!”  XY’s whole face lit up like Christmas.  “You’re like, my favorite superhero!  Can you sign my forehead?” 

Luka laughed.  “Of course, XY.  Do you have a pen on you?”

“You know my name!”  He beamed at Ladybug and Chat Noir, who was jogging back already.  He probably didn’t want to be around Bob any longer than he had to.  “Did you hear that?  My favorite superhero knows my name!”

“Seems like he’s got you taken care of then.”  Chat Noir winked at XY.  “What do you say, my Lady?  Should we leave them to it?”

“Don’t forget about your timer,” Ladybug told Luka.  “And meet me around the corner when you’re done.”

“Right.”  He nodded.  One minute left.  He could handle that, even if he wished he had more time.

Particularly now that he knew what truth had been buried so deep in his heart, only the akuma’s magic could release it.

XY giggled as Luka accepted his pink sharpie and signed Viperion in curling script across his forehead.  He left a second signature on his purple headband for good measure.

“I’m never washing my face again,” XY swooned.

“You know, clean faces get more kisses,” Luka replied seriously.

XY’s eyes widened.  “You—wait, would you actually—?”  

Luka smiled and pressed a kiss to XY’s cheek.

“Please don’t forget to wash that, too.”  

Then he saluted and dashed towards where Ladybug had disappeared.  As he ran, the synth-driven song still beat in his heart:

My real name’s Luka, that’s not new.  But did you know I’ve got a crush on you?

XXX

XY replayed the Ladyblog footage of Synthpathetic punching his dad.  Each crack was like music to his ears.  Maybe he could remix that into a new track.  

“I wonder if Ladybug’s magic dust fixed that.”

Luka snorted, strumming his guitar from where he sat on his bed.  It was a relaxing tune, one XY hadn’t heard before.  “I hope not.  He deserved it after he lied about you.”

XY smiled.  It was nice to have a friend on his side, for once.  Luka had been there to pick him up and take him back to the Liberty after Viperion had left.  Dad had tried to stop them from leaving together, but there wasn’t much he could do when XY sat on Luka’s bike handlebars, stuck his tongue out, and let Luka pedal them away.  It wasn’t quite as romantic as being carried by Viperion would’ve been, but it was a close second.

Luka’s quiet music faltered, his hands fumbling on the strings.  “Hey, XY…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I gave you that advice.  To stand up to you dad, I mean.  I should’ve known he’d just end up hurting you.”

XY shrugged.  “Honestly, man?  I’d do it all again.  I got to punch him and I got a kiss from Viperion.”  He touched his cheek, sighing dreamily.  That kiss had been after he was brought back to normal, so he could still remember it perfectly.

Of course, having replayed it seventy-eight times on the Ladyblog helped, too.

“I’m glad you’re happy, but… what are you going to do now?  Aren’t you worried about your career?”

“Nah.”  XY leaned his head back against the side of Luka’s bed and closed his eyes.  “I’ve made enough money to break off from Dad, even if I have to get a slummy apartment.  But I bet Viperion’s gonna fly me off into the sunset before I have to worry about that.”

Luka laughed.  “Viperion doesn’t fly, you know—”

“He would for me.”

“—and he doesn’t always have his miraculous.  Maybe he wants to come rescue you, but he can’t.”

XY frowned.  With the power of Second Chance, he doubted there was anything Viperion couldn’t do.

“Doesn’t matter,” XY decided.  “I’ll wait for him.  I know I’ll see him again.”

Luka’s melody picked up again, bringing another smile to XY’s face.  Could Viperion play the guitar that well?  XY daydreamed that he could.

Luka’s whisper blended with the music.

“I know you will, too.”