#which is why the back kinda looks whack in the fit. i promise it fits me actually really good :)

[bismuthburnsblue]

this is a wip

things never fit Bunty the way they fit me

but:

heres Ginny's vest!! ah im so happy with how its coming out!!!! i dont think theres anything i need to change from the mock up, which is nice :) i should be able to trim off all the excess ive left & finish the seams, with oneeeeee exception;

when i came to look at the yoke piece this morning (the top piece on the back) i noticed its a little bit off grain. i had to cut it on the opposite grain already for width reasons and i. cannot stop seeing it. i think i just barely have enough denim to recut it if i really squeeze, so should i? do you guys think its noticable?

also the embroidery. dont look too close at it, its still a wip, buuut. i think im gonna eek it 5mm further down, i dont like how close to the top it is so much.

but!!!!!! adjustments aside! wow im really happy with how this is coming out :D

[j0kers-light]

What about joker being gone for some time but instead of going off with someone else how about Y/n ruining her apartment and crying so J’s goons report something about it and he comes home as quick as possible and sees Y/n in a panic basically Separation anxiety Y/N

His Lighthouse: Two Weeks (LedgerJoker x f!reader)

Two Weeks - Oneshot

KEEP IN MIND THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER UPDATE!

Hey hi anon!! 🖤✨

Guess which entry won the poll I ran a while back? The people wanted more separation anxiety!reader so Chaos shall deliver! We cannot forget that Joker has Y/n's apartment rigged with hidden cameras so I changed a little of the request to fit in that important detail. After that, there wasn't much to go (i.e. the ending angst, fluff) so I improvised! Teehee. Anyhoo! I hope you enjoy anon!

Edit: This request teetered on the edge of being canon to His Lighthouse as I worked on this draft so in the end; I decided I will list this as canon on the oneshot masterlist because some elements are possible. I hinted it enough in earlier works so eh 🤷🏾‍♀️

Edit two: Why was it so flipping hard to title this!??!??! I was kinda inspired by Lykke Li so yeah.... I couldn't resist the lyrics fit SO WELL!! Plus I might change the cover pic too its not giving what its supposed to gave but its almost 1am as I final edit/post

Taglist:

@blackreaderatrisk @twinkledinkle @clemdango04 @l3ejm @tears-of-amber @what-an-angel @darthjokerisyourfather @thatsnoteii @dollster @cheetahspy @kaidennnnn @urdariingdoll @motivation-idontknowher @ins0mniac-whack @spaghettificationandpretzels @reneisance @alittlesmartcookie @ninacutebee16 @carydorse

Let me know if you wish to be added to the official His Lighthouse taglist! 🖤✨

Two weeks, three days, one hour and nine minutes and counting. That’s how long Joker had been gone and with each ticking moment, you spiraled more and more out of control.

You tried to not let it get to you. Joker promised he would be back– he always came back… but it was taking him far too long.

GCN broadcasted every single shenanigan that Joker caused in Gotham City while he was gone. J was a busy man so at first, you cut him some slack. Joker could evade the cops and Bats with no issue so why wasn’t he back yet? You could understand him laying low for a day or two; however, this long was a cause for concern.

Did Joker not love you anymore? Was there someone else– someone better looking that caught his eye? You wouldn’t be surprised if so.

Joker was quite the catch underneath this ghastly makeup and dark aura and you weren’t necessarily an ideal trophy girlfriend with your thick curves and darker complexion. Joker made it his mission to stop you from putting yourself down (which was quite often) but the mirror didn’t lie. If you went by looks, you didn’t belong with Joker yet he swore up and down that you were perfect for him.

He kissed your insecurities away but they always resurfaced during his absence.

As the days turned into weeks, the doubts you tucked away was your only company and they were louder than ever.

What if you pushed Joker away?

You were clingy and carried so much baggage. The last thing Joker needed in a partner was a traumatized, insecure, anxiety fueled crybaby. He said he didn’t mind; those faults made you unique. He was never a good liar.

J helped you battle your trauma and the anxiety that you developed from it, but he hated when you cried. And you did so often. You couldn’t be more grateful that Joker was patient and kind (at least to you) however there was only so much a guy could handle before he got fed up.

What if you pushed Joker past that breaking point? He wouldn’t give you a warning either; Joker was the kind of guy that would just up and leave and Lord knows you were tired of people in your life leaving.

You’ve been hurt too many times than you could count.

Most people would have learnt from their shortcomings and become bitter– you did the exact opposite.

You were still naive and kept your heart open for anyone to come along and break. You still clung to the fairytale of a charming man who would sweep in and break the cycle of bad relationships in your life and love you unconditionally. Yet reality always smacked you in the face when each person left you with a broken heart.

In the end, they all left but not Joker.

He had so many opportunities to leave but he accepted your flaws and fed into your fairytale. Maybe Joker was the one! Maybe he would latch on and never leave..

For a time, you believed that he wouldn’t– until now.

You sat up every night hoping that Joker would barge back into your apartment with an apology spewing from his scarred lips. You believed in the saying, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and you daydreamed about the sex that would ensue upon his return.

You jumped every time you thought you heard keys in the door– but alas, your mind was playing tricks on you. Your reunion was delayed more and more until you had to face reality.

Joker never came back.

There was no warning, no signs to the end— just complete and utter silence. You weren’t quite sure when your mind accepted defeat, but one minute you were ‘fine’ and the next, you simply snapped.

Things were rather quiet in the main hideout’s control room to the point of the shift being complete and utter boredom.

It wasn’t worth the trouble of watching the various viewpoints scattered around Gotham City, however, the series of monitors dubbed, Grant Row, were. Today they were ominously black and yearning for attention.

There was a rumor about these monitors being super top secret with only Joker and his top three allowed access— but it was just that. A rumor. No one dared to poke around further after gossip of the last two goons who did circled around the hideout.

Joker killed them both for snooping on the Grant Row camera feed and apparently he made someone watch it all unfold.

Never look at the GR feed. It was a word to the wise to whomever was assigned control room duty and today Will was that unlucky fellow.

He was fairly new within the organization and knew to keep his mouth shut to not provoke Joker’s ire. So far his actions paid off and he rose ranks to be trusted well enough with control room duty.

All Will had to do was watch the feed for any possible sabotage, any cop and/or rivalry activity in the assigned sector, and call it in if need be. It was a simple gig, that is, if anyone warned him about the other monitors becoming an issue.

They were powered off for the most part and Will didn’t spare them a glance until a robotic message chimed throughout the room, startling him senseless.

“High motion detected. Action advised.”

He didn’t even know the gang had advanced security systems like this! Other than the verbal alert, it unfortunately didn’t specify which sector or exact camera it was referring to. It left Will scrambling to manually filter through the feeds but nothing that matched the system’s call out came up.

Trying to find the source of the alert was a real head scratcher but no further callouts were heard so Will quickly forgot about it. If it wasn’t caught in the control room someone out doing physical patrols would find it.

Things were calm once again until fifteen minutes later, another alert came through the room’s speakers.

“Warning. High motion detected. Action required.”

This time a black box titled, ‘GR Hall’, popped up on the main system’s screen and failed to minimize no matter what input was entered.

Will wasn’t sure what it meant and neither Neo or Mac briefed him on this type of alert before deeming him fit for duty. He was beyond confused why the box wouldn’t go away and it only got worse the more frantic keyboards strikes he made.

In an instant all the other monitors faded to black and the mysterious feed took top priority. Its message flashed periodically with a command box, awaiting a passcode. Will was gonna make one up when it suddenly disappeared with a new verbal message sending a chill of dread down his spine.

“Warning. High motion detected. Threat level: Severe. Sending Admin alert.”

Will watched in horror as every monitor in the room proceeded to shut down. Only one screen remained on with a yellow triangle blinking ominously. All it had was a text box that read, “Admin login required.”

Somehow Will failed the easiest job in the gang. He was a dead man.

Joker was sitting in on a meeting with a few of his men when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He didn’t pay it any mind since his focus was squarely on getting to the bottom of this turf war mess. Two weeks in and it was still keeping him from coming back home to you.

J wanted to track this wannabe gang leader down and flay him like a fish for wasting time better spent with you.

There wasn’t a day that went by that Joker didn’t think about you. His sweet Light with her bright smile and problematic separation anxiety. You were a ticking time bomb and Joker didn’t want to stick around and wait for you to blow. He never been away this long and he didn’t know how far your limitations could be tested– if it hadn’t already snapped.

It was already two weeks going on three without contact with you.

He could only imagine the state of your nails as you bit them in distress. Another perfectly good set ruined, he surmised. Joker couldn’t return home until this situation was resolved and his urgency to get the issue handled was felt throughout the gang. Joker was going through withdrawals without his Light around and he was barely keeping it under wraps.

Only his top three could tell the noticeable signs, but they were there. Joker was slipping. He didn’t want to imagine how you were fairing in all of this.

This next mission would hopefully nip the turf war in the bud; at least that was what Joker was hoping for. As the days went by he was craving you more and more and he knew the feeling was mutual.

If all else failed, he would just blow their dumb gang sky high and come running back to you. Anything it took to get to you faster, he’d do it, but you taught J to be more patient.

The meeting was halfway in when Joker received another message, only this time it made all conversation in the room cease with a verbal callout.

“Warning. High motion detected. Action required.”

Since when did their main security system have a voice feature? There was a curious atmosphere in the meeting room. Everyone knew well to hold their breath as Joker checked his phone.

It was a minor distraction and although Joker kept his face devoid of emotions, his eyes gave him away. Something was wrong.

Right as he was entering a passcode to access your live security feed, another message rang out.

“Warning. High motion detected. Threat level: Severe. Sanctuary door open.”

Joker swore the Earth stopped spinning after he heard that. The facts were simple.

You never left your bedroom door open. Ever. It was your sanctuary for a reason, to keep people out, (him included) so the fact that the last motion detected in your apartment left your safe haven’s door open– instantly sounded off red alerts in Joker’s mind.

At that moment, he had only one priority. Screw the turf war. Screw Batman foiling his plans along the way. His Light was in danger. Frost locked eyes with his Boss and in seconds, they were on the move.

The plan was to enter your apartment with a soft approach.

Quiet but with extreme caution just in case there were any hostiles still in the area and they would only engage with deadly force if it were deemed a threat towards you.

Joker did not want you to witness any death in your home so he and Frost would go in stealth mode. Joker chose to lead since he knew your apartment like the back of his hand and would not require any lights to clear the area. Frost would follow behind.

It was a great plan, one that quickly dissolved when they assessed the situation more closely.

Coming off the elevator, everything appeared calm– the front door was still locked and nothing was disturbed.

There were no signs of forced entry but as soon as Joker stepped inside, the state of your home proved otherwise. Your once pristine high rise was in shambles. It seemed like a fight occurred in the living room for the colorful furniture, your beloved bookshelves, and a few of your potted plants were overturned. It was a mess no matter where you looked.

It would explain the high motion alerts that were detected so many times but seeing the damage of your home in person was shocking.

You took great pride in a clean environment and that was presumably from a minor case of OCD, (an effect of your PTSD) that made it impossible for any dust or decorative trinket to be awry in your penthouse.

You simply couldn’t stand a dirty environment.

Joker stepped over a broken floor lamp that pointed to the trail of destruction. It proceeded into the kitchen with shattered glass on the floor, overturned bar stools, and broken kitchen equipment– towards the grand hall.

Frost was checking the pantry area for hostiles when he spotted blood on the floor.

He signaled to Joker, who panicked at the amount, but followed the crimson drops down the hall. More signs of a struggle were found in the hallway like decorative tables being knocked over and your precious art pieces barely hanging on the wall. Joker was already thinking the worst the further he ventured.

Whoever did this was filled with rage and extremely dangerous. He might have to use deadly force afterall.

The grand hall was long with multiple rooms to check so Joker and Frost split up to cover more ground.

But before they could do so, they both heard something crash on the floor in the near silent apartment. Joker followed the sound straight to your open bedroom door. They both hesitated in front of it.

Only darkness lay ahead, uncharted territory for any man.

Under normal circumstances they would never dare to enter but what if you were in danger inside?

There was a trail of blood that led to your door. That couldn’t be ignored. There was no time to question the consequences, all Joker could do was act.

He ordered Frost to check the rest of the penthouse as he barged into your private sanctuary, but he skidded to a halt at the sight before him.

Joker had never stepped foot in here, however this was far what he expected.

There was no light therein save for the decorative constellation lights found on the high ceiling and their ethereal glow shined down on the black void that was your bedroom.

Joker eyed the colossal bed, with its black sheets to the equally dark furniture, and the door that led to what he suspected was another outdoor balcony. Thankfully that door was closed and an overturned chair blocked it anyhow.

To the far left of the room, an alcove was carved as an entryway to your closet and from there Joker could see something being violently thrown out.

He hoped it was by the person invading your home yet he was surprised to hear your voice in a state of distress.

Anything you could get your hands on was immediately broken. You sounded like a toddler having a temper tantrum and Joker wouldn't have reacted if your exerted pants didn’t turn into hysterical sobs.

He wasn’t concerned until you screamed and threw a stiletto heel into a mirror and picked up a large chunk of the broken glass.

His heart sank at your evident intentions. That finally had him jumping into action.

You slipped into a panic attack when Joker tackled you onto the floor and began wrestling the shard of glass out of your hand. You kicked and screamed but he managed to subdue you enough to talk some sense into you.

“Bunny! Hey! Stop that!” He held you still when you tried biting him to get away.

J was mindful not to squeeze you too hard since he could see cuts on your hands and arms, mostly likely from breaking everything in your frantic state. It would also account for the droplets of blood that led to you.

He was unsure what was the catalyst but he knew the bomb of your separation anxiety had gone off.

Joker had experienced minor cases of it from time to time. You would beg him to stay home for the night or, (if possible) for him to take you with him on lax meetings at the hideout. You couldn’t stand extended periods of time without Joker around and this was the reason why.

Joker didn’t expect you to go off the rails like this. You were beside yourself with grief.

Were you responsible for the destruction of your apartment? Your bloody hands and feet were a definitive: yes.

Joker didn’t want to imagine how you must’ve felt these past weeks alone. You had the mindset that he abandoned you and he had no one to blame but himself.

He caused this.

He jumped in shock when you broke free of his restrictive hold and launched yourself into his arms.

“Don’t leave me! You can’t leave.. I don’t want–” You suddenly looked up and saw Joker for the first time. He watched you glance around the room and quickly back towards him.

Your brain was processing that someone was in your sanctuary and that’s when he knew he screwed up.

“You’re in my…. why are you..”

“I know Bunny, I know but I was worried about ya! I got security alerts and I saw blood… Don’T scare me like that!” Joker embraced you tighter.

You hesitated but clung to him mostly acting on autopilot. The words he heard you utter next made him tense up and fear the worst.

“You’re… you’re not real. J-Joker left. He left me. They always leave. Why do they always leave? What did I do? What did I do to make them leave?!”

You began hyperventilating until Joker talked you out of it.

“Stop that! I would never leave ya doll. I’m here, I'm right here.” You shook your head and tried to squirm away until Joker stopped you by shaking you gently. “Y/n, my Light.. Look. At. Me!”

He grabbed your hands so you could trace his scars with your fingers. Slowly but surely the rough texture of his scars underneath familiar white face paint helped you find clarity. You stopped crying and blinked away your tears to see Joker’s pleading eyes staring down at you.

“I’m right here, Y/n.” Joker cracked a smile. “Is my pretty girl with me?”

You broke out into another sob but this time Joker didn’t mind. You managed to say yes. You were with him. He pushed your head into his chest and began rocking you back and forth in his arms– right there on the floor.

“I won’t leave ya doll, I promise. You poor thing.. I’m here now shhh. Stop cryin, seriously, Bunny. I’m. RighT. Hereeeee.”

You heeded his advice (or was it demands?) and cried yourself to sleep in Joker’s arms. He sighed in relief before lifting you up and out of your closet.

This dark room of yours was foreign to him and it felt like he was intruding on some kind of holy ground so Joker left and entered his own room straight down the hall.

Inside Frost was seated on the leather couch.

He eyed Joker carrying you in and he raised an eyebrow at the delicate nature his boss used to tuck you into bed. You fussed a bit when J pulled away but you were quickly pacified with him nudging your giant stuffed bunny rabbit into your arms.

It was a temporary fix but it would buy Joker enough time to debrief Frost and secure your apartment before you freaked out again.

In the end, you needed Joker to feel safe.

“You’re gettin’ soft Boss.” Frost mentioned.

Joker’s glare didn’t hold any of its normal hostility– he was too busy devoting all of his attention on you. Plus Frost was an old friend. Joker knew he meant well by the statement. Once you were in a deep sleep, Joker turned to speak to his right hand man.

“She.. did this, because I was gone for too long. That can’T happen again. She can’t go through this again. Handle the uhh, ‘turf war’ without me. I’m needed here.”

It went without saying that Joker was handing over control to his second in command.

Frost could run things without Joker so it wouldn’t be an issue. The brute was actually worried about you so he didn’t mind being in charge indefinitely until you were better. Not like he’d let anyone know that.

Frost stood up with a sigh, “I’ll get with Mac to replace all the s__t she broke. Consider the rest handled, Boss.”

Nothing else was said between the two and after a minute or two, Joker heard your front door slam close announcing Frost’s departure.

And with it came the privacy to be as soft as you needed him to be.

Joker didn’t waste any time shedding his suit and rushing to the bathroom to remove his clown makeup. He wanted to be bare of his identity when he held you in arms.

You didn’t need The Joker but rather J, the man you undoubtedly came to love and he craved the warmth and infinite love only his found Light could provide.

Joker stated you couldn’t go this long apart but in reality, it was him who couldn't survive another second without you in his life. Tonight was just the tip of the iceberg in what could happen should you and Joker ever part.

It wouldn’t happen again and Joker would do everything in his power to prevent it. 

[nctinthehouse]

deja vu

based on “deja vu” by Olivia Rodrigo

reader x ex!Jaehyun

genre: angst, fluff, ex lovers au? idk

wc: 3.1k

AN: I wrote this a while ago but I wasn’t planning on releasing or even write it in the first place however, I just fell in love with the lyrics and song when it came out and I could not pass on writing about it. I guess this is my interpretation of the song? Way too many thoughts at night time lol. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it 💕

Do you get deja vu when she's with you?

Running is something you’ve always enjoyed. It’s relaxing, good for your health and helps you clear your mind. Even as a kid, you were always seen running around and giggling. It made you happy.

You’re currently out on a late evening run along the river. This particular area is your favorite place to go to, whether it's for a run, out for a walk or even on the way to work. You like to come here when you need a break from something. The river, the ambience; it made you calm. It’s a special place and means a lot to you. There’s even a cute small store a few minutes away that you discovered when you started coming to this area more often. It’s like a secret place, not a lot of people seem to know about it. Owned by a local lady, she’s so lovely and kind. Her face always lights up whenever you stop by. There’s a lot of memories around here.

It was a really nice day today; clear skies with a few clouds. The sun is starting to set, changing the colors of the sky and clouds with hints of pinks and blues. It kinda reminds you of cotton candy ice cream.

Hmm, you kinda want ice cream now.

You’ve been running for a while now so you decided to jog to the local convenience store and get some ice cream.

As you’re approaching the store, you immediately slow down before stopping completely. You spot someone coming out of the store.

It’s Jaehyun.

His arms around another girl.

You and Jaehyun make brief eye contact with each other. You realise that they’re now walking towards your direction. Snapping out of your thoughts, you lower your head a bit and start walking towards the store trying to avoid having any sort of contact with them. Luckily, you and Jaehyun just walked past each other without acknowledging each other.

But as they were walking towards your direction and walking past, you hear his girlfriend ask him

“Jae, that store is so cute! How did you find it?”

“Oh I was just in this area one day and stumbled upon it. Came here a lot ever since then”

“Well this will definitely be our place from now on, we should come here more often”

That was our place

I found it first

You think to yourself

Stopping again, you turn your head around and spot them smiling and laughing before walking in the store and greeted by the lovely lady there who gave you a huge smile and wave; also waving back at her.

As you’re looking around the store, you think back to the time when you first brought Jaehyun to this area...

“how am i just finding out about this place??” Jaehyun says as you both are currently walking hand in hand along the river

“well now you know” you chuckle

You tell Jaehyun about how you discovered this area as well as the store up ahead when you took a detour on your way back home from class. One of your classes got cancelled which meant you were finished for the day, much earlier than usual. You didn't have anything planned for the rest of the day so you decided to take a different route back to your house.

It wasn't a very busy place which you grew to love. It was perfect for someone who needed a quieter place to think and relax, away from the crowded pavements and honking cars; a place where you could de-stress

“oh Jae, here's the store, come on!”

You quickly pull Jaehyun towards the store excitedly

As you guys go into the store, you spot the lovely owner. You let out a huge grin and wave as you go up to the counter where she is

“oh, Y/N!! so nice to see you again!”

“oh! and who’s this fine young gentleman?” the lady raises her eyebrows

“this is Jaehyun, my boyfriend” chuckling and gesturing your hand towards him

The lady puts her hands on her chest and looks at you guys adoringly

“oh you guys are such a cute couple! Y/N you want an ice cream?”

“yes please!” nodding your head

“Jae you have got to try the ice cream here! the strawberry flavor is a bonus”

“why am i not surprised that it's strawberry flavored” Jaehyun chuckles

After browsing around, you go up to the counter where you’re once again greeted by the lovely lady

“hi sweetie! the usual today?”

You nod your head and chuckle “yeah, thanks”

Looking down at the counter, you look like you’re miles away. The lady notices and frowns a bit

“sweetie, you alright?”

You look up and give her a small smile

“yeah, i’m alright”

As you see your ice cream is ready, you take your card out of your pocket getting ready to pay. However, the lady gently pushes your hand away

“it’s on the house”

You look at her with wide eyes

“oh, no i-”

“i insist” giving you a smile and holding onto your hand

“thank you. i promise to pay you back next time!”

The lady waves her hand around

“oh sweetie don't worry about it! just think of it as a thank you for always dropping by my store”

“thank you again” letting out a small laugh

“take care of yourself ok? i’ll see you around”

“i will” giving the lady a smile and a wave bye before going out of the store

❀❀❀

As you take a seat at a nearby picnic bench and start eating your ice cream, you see that Jaehyun and his girlfriend are still around. Your eyes can't help but wander towards them hanging around by a car. His car. The same car Jaehyun would drive you around in especially during night time. You see them playing around and her feeding him ice cream. You start to notice small things about her such as the clothes she's wearing; she kinda reminds you of herself. Looks like she’s wearing that jacket too. Just like I did.

Is it jealousy?

Maybe...

But more like pity.

So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?

She thinks its special, but it's all reused

❀❀❀

Moments later, you see them get into the car and drive away. All these thoughts suddenly start clouding your mind and you can't help but wonder

How fast did he move on?

Did he even move on in the first place?

You’re not just trying to replace me, right?

I wonder, how many more things we did together, you do with her too?

You began to reminisce on some of the things you and Jaehyun did when you were still together…

Do you get deja vu when she's with you?

Remember when we used to go on road trips to Malibu?

Music, ice cream and Jaehyun.

Those were the 3 things you loved and needed the most whenever you went on road trips. Heck you could probably throw out the music and ice cream and just have Jaehyun as company only.

Those road trips were often unplanned. Sometimes you and Jaehyun would go without thinking about where you guys would specifically go or what you guys would do there.

There was a particular time which was the most special. It was the first road trip you and Jaehyun went on after you guys made it official. Actually, it was also the first date you guys went on as a couple.

You remember back in high school when Jaehyun would tell you about the times he and his family would go on road trips to Malibu during school breaks for some family bonding time. You hadn’t been to Malibu before so you were very excited when Jaehyun decided on taking you on a road trip there, especially as a first date since you guys had not been on one yet.

Jaehyun drove up to your house and honked his car, letting you know that he’s arrived to pick you up. You run downstairs and look through the curtains and see Jaehyun getting out of the car. You quickly grab your stuff and head out of your house.

You jog up to him, both of you embracing each other in a tight hug. As you let go, you spot the jacket he currently has on

“wow i love your jacket! is it new?”

“oh this? nah, i bought this a while ago from some vintage store”

“can i try it on? i love vintage stuff” your face lighting up

Jaehyun smirks a little as he takes off your jacket with you taking yours off too. He hands you his jacket and holds onto yours as you put his one on.

You let out a gasp

“thanks, this is mine now” you grin at Jaehyun widely before jumping into the passenger seat of his car

Jaehyun looks blankly at you briefly

“baby what am i gonna wear then?”

“you don’t need to though, it's not even that cold right now” you say as you place your arms on the edge of the car windows

“but what if it gets a bit chilly later on?”

“just wear mines” pointing to your jacket that he’s currently holding

“this? you think this would fit me?”

“what? you won’t know unless you try it on” shrugging your shoulders

Jaehyun reluctantly puts on your jacket. He struggles a bit with the sleeves but he manages to get it on. You start laughing as you see how small your jacket looks on him

“kinda suits you though” you laugh

“shut up” Jaehyun says jokingly as he whacks your arms

You fake a loud gasp as you place both of your hands on your chest, not breaking eye contact with him as he gets into the driver's seat

“Y/N you know i’m only joking” Jaehyun chuckles as you glare at him with a unimpressed face

You look away from him and roll your eyes

“baby come ooonnnn i’m sorry i was only jo-”

“just drive” you say with a monotone voice

Jaehyun looks at you for a moment, noticing you biting your lips. He realised sometime ago that it’s something that you usually do to stop yourself from smiling or break out into laughter.

He takes your hand in his and gives it several kisses. Seeing you breaking out a small smile, he smiles to himself before starting the car and driving.

❀❀❀

When you finally got there, Jaehyun happily took you to some of his favorite places he loved to visit.  Hours went by quickly and you guys were hungry so Jaehyun decided to take you to a park and have a picnic. It was nice out too so why not.

You guys bought some food from a nearby cafe and set up a picnic spot that had a lovely view of the ocean. There was also a hiking trail in the area and you guys decided on doing that after some lunch.

After lunch, Jaehyun went and got both of you ice cream from an ice cream truck that was parked nearby

“you know what?” you say as you scoop out a another bite of the ice cream

“what?”

“i think i’m gonna make it a goal to try as many different strawberry ice creams i can whenever i visit a new place”

“sounds good baby”

As you look out towards the ocean, Jaehyun takes the opportunity to give you a small kiss on the side of your lips which surprises you. You jump a bit and stare at him with wide eyes

“sorry, you just had a bit of ice cream there” Jaehyun smirks

“oh”

You’re quiet for a few seconds before saying

“is it all gone…?”

Jaehyun leans in closer and closer; he rubs his nose against yours lightly

“almost” he whispers against your lips before locking in with yours

Your first kiss. Oh how sweet it was.

Do you get deja vu?

♡♡♡

Remember when you used to come over to my house?

If you weren't hanging out at Jaehyun’s, he’s usually at yours.

You and Jaehyun would stay over at each other's house every weekend. You guys often had days where you just didn't want to do anything special. Just chilling at home such as eating, sleeping and enjoying each other's company. When Jaehyun is over at yours, one of the things you guys like to do is to sit on the couch and binge watch your favorite TV shows. Today is one of those days.

You guys are currently sitting next to each other, crossed legged on the couch at your house; a bowl of popcorn on your lap while the channel you’re currently watching is doing reruns of one of your favorite shows, Glee. This wasn't exactly one of Jaehyun’s favorite shows. He didn't hate it but he wasn't a huge fan of it like you were. He doesn't mind watching it over and over with you as long as he’s spending time with you.

Grabbing some popcorn pieces, you look at Jaehyun

“Jae open up”

Jaehyun looks confused but opens his mouth anyway

You throw a couple of popcorn pieces, trying to aim it in his mouth but failing; the popcorn always hitting his face. You try a few more times before Jaehyun lets out a complaint

“babe come on!! your aiming skills are awful”

“hey it’s not my fault your mouth ain’t big enough”

Letting out a shocked laugh, Jaehyun grabs some popcorn and throws it at you. You guys end up having a mini popcorn fight before stopping as you realise you got popcorn on the couch and the floor. You guys weren't bothered to do a lot of cleaning today.

A while later, your face lights up as one of your favorite songs on Glee has come on. You grab Jaehyun’s arm and start moving it around, you were too excited.

Moments later, you grab the remote and get up from the couch. You pretend the remote is your mic and you start singing along to the song, belting out some words slightly out of tune

“WORKIN’ HARD TO GET MY FILL”

“EVERYBODY WANTS A THRILL”

Suddenly, you point the remote down towards Jaehyun, wanting him to sing the next bit. He hesitates for a second but joins in anyway, with you singing along

“PAYIN’ ANYTHING TO ROLL THE DICE”

“JUST ONE MORE TIME”

Jaehyun thinks you look ridiculous but looks at you in admiration; a huge smile on his face.

Still singing out of tune slightly, Jaehyun sits and watches you as you're dancing around. He shakes his head and throws his head back laughing. He wipes some of his tears away from laughing so much.

“DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’”

“HOLD ON TO THAT FEELING”

You whip your head towards him, slightly taken aback as Jaehyun suddenly gets up and takes the remote from you and starts belting out the lyrics

“STREET LIGHT PEOPLE”

You let out a laugh as you both dance around singing the rest of the song out of tune but somehow in harmony.

Do you get deja vu?

♡♡♡

Remember the first time you told me you loved me?

Being a music major, you spent a lot of time in a music room, especially in front of a piano. Growing up, you’ve always wanted to be a pianist. You remember the time when you were a kid and saw someone sitting in front of a piano playing a song at a train station. You looked at them with wide eyes and was so mesmerized by the upbeat melody. Letting go of your mum’s hand, you ran up to them and watched them play. You found out from the nice stranger that they were playing a song called “Uptown Girl’ by Billy Joel. It was at that moment you realized what you wanted to be when you grew up.

Ever since then, that tune has stuck with you. When you first got your very own piano, you spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to play it as well as listening to the song many times. Whenever you played it, it brought back all those memories. It meant a lot to you.

You were finished with lectures earlier than expected so you decided to head to the music room to work on a few things.

Whilst sat in front of the piano wanting to work on an upcoming assessment, your mind drifted elsewhere and you started playing Uptown Girl.

You were so focused on playing that you didn't hear Jaehyun coming into the room

“whatcha playing babe?”

You slightly jump at his voice before turning around

“what you doing here? i thought you were in class”

Jaehyun took off his backpack and sat next to you as you scooted to the side a bit to make space for him before he set his bag down beside the piano bench

“class got cancelled so i’m free the rest of the day woooo”

You chuckle at his response and nod

“soo… whatcha you playing babe?”

You told Jaehyun the story about how you came across the song and how your love for music came about when you were a kid.

You and Jaehyun met during high school and eventually bonded over music and grew closer throughout the years. Now here you both are, attending the same university as music majors.

“can you teach me?”

“i can try”

You played the song a few times so Jaehyun could listen to it and get the vibe of it before teaching him the basics then the harder bits.

“i think that's enough learning for now”

“okay” you giggle

Jaehyun asked if you could play him the whole song and you happily obliged. While you were playing, Jaehyun looked at you and was fascinated. You had a huge smile on your face and thought you were the most precious person ever. He wanted to love and protect you by all means.

You were about to go onto the next part when suddenly you hear

“i love you”

As soon as you hear those words, your hands come to a halt. You stare at your hands for a moment before looking at Jaehyun in shock, mouth slightly ajar

“i love you, Y/N”

Do you get deja vu?

A different girl now, but there's nothing new

Shaking your thoughts away, you roll your eyes and scoff before getting up and throwing the now empty ice cream cup away. You decided to head home and enjoy the rest of your evening by watching reruns of Glee with some more strawberry ice cream.

I know you get deja vu.

AN: Thanks for reading until the end! My longest fic I’ve written so far and I’m pretty happy with it. As always I’m happy to get any feedback on it and I really hope you enjoyed reading this. I’m currently working on another fic that’s based on a song I’ve been loving lately so I hope to get that one up sometime! Take care everyone 💜

masterlist

[detectivesofty]

staking your claim | j.h.

Summary: Natalie has problems with Nina and you’re helping out, like the good future sister (in-law??) you are

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Doctor!Reader / Natalie Manning x Will Halstead / Nina Shore x Will Halstead

Song I listened to while writing: Bust Your Windows by Glee (cuz it’s a fucking bop)

Author’s Note: I literally wrote this in one sitting bc I got inspired lmao. This is very heavily centered around Natalie and Reader’s friendship, because I feel like Nat needs someone in her corner. This takes place in Season 2, Ep. 19 of Chicago Med and I know Jay and Reader’s relationship doesn’t make sense canon-wise, but this is a fanfic after all, so let’s just pretend that Jay and Reader have been in a commited relationship with each other for a while. Happy reading!

Warnings: mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 1,9k

“Hey Y/N,” Nina greeted you and you barely glanced up to greet her back, your focus entirely on your notes. Nina then turned to Natalie, who was standing right next to you.

“Hey Natalie. Can I ask you a favor?”

Natalie, held a finger up. “Uhm, one second,” she said, turning back to April. “Hey April, can you try and track down Connor for me?”

“Alright.”

“Thank you!” Natalie turned back to Nina, the stress written all over her face. “Sorry. What’s up?”

“I was going to give this to Will, but he’s busy. Can I leave it with you?”

That suddenly got your attention. Why would Nina ever ask Natalie for a favor regarding Will?

Natalie paused as well. “Sure,” she then replied, reaching a hand out for the jersey.

“He’s going to watch the game with his brother tonight. I slept in it last night and when he left this morning I was still in bed,” Nina added with a laugh and you furrowed your brows, while you kept your head down. 

“I’d leave it in his locker but I wanted to make sure he gets it.”

You rolled your eyes, but put on a smile when Nina looked at you. She wasn’t the best actress and you could see right through her act, even if Natalie didn’t.

Natalie seemed a bit lost as she held the jersey, glancing at you briefly. “... Okay?”

“Thanks. You’re the best. Bye Y/N, see you later!” Nina called over to you before leaving the ED. 

You forced a smile and waved at her, before turning to Natalie. She was still staring at the jersey in her hands and you nudged her gently. 

“Hey you okay?” 

Natalie nodded quickly, putting the jersey away. “Yeah, I am fine… But Nina was acting weird, right?”

Chuckling, you shrugged with your shoulders. You didn’t really like Nina with Will, if you were honest. She seemed nice enough, but you never clicked with her, despite her constant efforts to spend time with you. In your eyes, Natalie was the perfect one for Will. Especially because you knew of Will’s feelings for Natalie, you know, before the thing with Nina started. 

“Duh. She’s trying to mark her territory, it was so obvious.”

“What?” 

“I am pretty sure that she sees you as a threat, Nat. And the other day-”

“Doctor Manning, Doctor Y/L/N! Incoming, vehicular accident, two girls and their mother!”

Natalie gave you a look, which meant she was in no way done with this conversation. But for the meantime, you took care of the two hurt girls. Unfortunately, the day didn’t progress as you had expected it to go. The hospital’s server got hacked and you had to resort to old-fashioned blackboards, without knowing patients’ medical history. 

At the end of the day, you were completely exhausted and just wanted to fall in bed. You threw your jacket on and grabbed your purse, when Natalie came into the lounge. 

“Hey Y/N, are you going home?” 

You gave her a tired smile and nodded. “Yeah, I am beat.”

“I wanted to talk about the thing you mentioned this morning…?”

Frowning, you thought back to earlier until you finally remembered. “Oh yeah, uhm. Do you maybe want to come over? Jay’s watching the game at a bar with Will so I’ll be alone tonight.”

“Yeah, sure. That sounds nice. I’ll just swing by Helen real quick to check on Owen, and then I’ll come over, yeah?”

Nodding, you gave her a thumbs up, rubbing her shoulder. “See you later, Nat.” With that, you left the ED and drove home to an empty apartment. The moment you stepped into your home, you let out a loud sigh at the sight of Jay’s shoes being all over the place. Moving in together was Jay’s idea. Your jobs ate up a lot of your time and when Jay was on a hard case, you often had gone days without seeing each other. Living together had a lot of pros, but that was before you knew Jay loved leaving his shoes where he took them off, which could be basically anywhere in the apartment. 

But you loved that man, so you’d put them away for now and kick his ass later. 

Dropping off your purse on its designated place, you headed to the shower straight away. After a refreshing shower, you ordered pizza for you and Natalie, when a text from Jay came in.

Jay: hey babe, you home yet?

You: yeah, just got out of the shower

Jay: Without me?😜

You: First of all, ew You: second of all, you’re too old to be using emojis

Jay: 😭

You: nat’s coming over now and I just ordered some pizza

Jay: okay, have fun, love you Jay: save me some slices!

You: Love you too. And no!

At that moment, the doorbell rang and you put the phone away to open the door, expecting either Natalie or the delivery guy. But instead, it was Natalie, the delivery girl. 

“I bumped into the delivery boy on my way up and paid him,” Natalie said and you beamed at her, ushering her in. 

“You didn’t have to do that. Come in!”

You grabbed a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, then situated yourself on the couch with Natalie. The two of you devoured a couple of slices before Natalie spoke up. 

“So. About what you said this morning… Why would Nina see me as a threat? I don’t see Will that way.”

Pouring yourself another glass of wine, you gave Natalie a look. “Really? I see the way you look at him, Nat. The two of you have always been dancing around each other. Nina has eyes, she can see that.”

Natalie opened her mouth, frowning, before she closed it again. 

“I never did anything while they were dating, I swear,” she insisted and you gave her a smile. 

“I know, Natalie. No one thinks that, I promise.”

“It’s just…” She sighed. “At first, I didn’t want to rush into a relationship, because I haven’t worked through my grief yet. And then Will wanted to move on, which I totally understood. And with Jeff, I thought he was the right one, considering his history with my Jeff. But then he turned out to be the complete opposite. And now… Will’s with Nina and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“At this point, I think you should just let their relationship run its course. I know it sounds kind of mean to say that, but I don’t think that they’re a good fit. You and Will are. You challenge each other, but also make each other better. I can see how you look at him when you think no one is watching; Will looks at you the same way, Nat.”

You could see the hope glimmer in her eyes and while you didn’t want your friend to get hurt, since Will and Nina are in fact still dating and even living together, you knew how right you were. You spent endless hours talking to Will about Natalie and you knew that feelings like that didn’t disappear overnight. 

“I just don’t want Nina to think I am trying to step on her toes and ruin their relationship, you know,” Natalie added. “The way she acted today kind of intimidated me.”

“Yeah I totally get that. She was acting a bit crazy,” you laughed and Natalie grinned at you, nudging you with her shoulder. 

“Enough about me and my problems. How are things with Jay?”

“Oh, things are good.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur while you and Natalie talked about everything and everyone. Nights like these were much too rare and you enjoyed spending time with your friends outside of work. It was nearing one am when you heard keys jangling at the front door, you and Natalie instinctively turning to the door. 

As the door opened, Jay stilled in the doorway, like a deer caught in headlights. 

“Hey Jay.” 

“Hey babe.”

Jay waved, slightly abashed as he took his shoes off. “Hey guys, thought you were already in bed,” he mumbled, walking over to the couch to press a kiss on your head and high five Natalie. “I am just going to go to the bathroom real quick,” Jay told you and disappeared into the bathroom. 

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Natalie said, yawning loudly. “Don’t want to be too tired for work tomorrow.” 

You walked her to the door and leaned against the doorway while she collected her things.

“Thanks for today, Y/N. I really needed that.”

Smiling, you pulled her in a tight hug. “Anytime, Nat. That’s what friends are for. Get home safely, okay?” 

“I will. Say bye to Jay for me,” Natalie answered and you nodded, waving before you closed the door. With a yawn, you locked it and trudged over to the coffee table to clean it up, throwing the pizza cartons in the trash and putting the wine glasses in the dishwasher. You looked up when Jay came out of the bathroom, looking around. 

“Nat already left?”

You nodded and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Yeah. It’s late and we have work tomorrow. You okay?”

“Mhm,” Jay nodded, leaning in to kiss you. The kiss was short and sweet, which made you smile against his lips. You pulled away after a while, observing him. His cheeks were flushed and it was obvious he’s had a few beers. 

“What did you guys talk about?”

You snorted out a laugh. “Uh, about Will.”

“What about Will?” Jay raised a confused eyebrow. 

“You know. Will and Nat. Nina came up to her today, trying to stake her claim. Waving around Will’s jersey like it was a prize. It was ridiculous.”

Jay laughed, shaking his head. “She did? Nina’s crazy.”

Shrugging with your shoulders, you pursed your lips. “I kinda get her. I mean, if anyone would even think about getting with my man, I’d whack them.”

“Yeah?” Jay asked, smirking at you in amusement. “You’d be willing to go to prison for me?”

“As if you’d let me go to prison,” you snorted and he chuckled, leaning his forehead against yours. 

“Yeah you’re right. Can’t let anyone hurt my girl.” 

You felt warmth spreading in your chest, just like it did everytime Jay called you his girl, even after all this time. 

“You wanna go to bed?” Jay asked softly and you nodded, looking up at him. 

“Carry me?”

He groaned out, but complied anyway, hooking his arms under your thighs to hoist you up, carrying you into the bedroom. The two of you quickly got changed and slipped under the sheets, cuddling up. 

“You know,” Jay murmured, nosing along your neck. “I think you’re right about Will and Natalie. He’s still got that look in his eyes when he talks about her.”

“Yeah? I thought so. He should stop leading Nina on, then. It’s not really fair.”

“Tell him. He listens to you more.”

You rolled your eyes and swatted Jay’s hands away, reaching for your phone to text Will.

You: Get your head in the game, Will. If you still have feelings for Natalie, you should end things with Nina. It’s not fair for either of them. 

Unsurprisingly, ellipses popped up a minute later.

Will is typing…

Will: You’re right. Thanks.

[axemetaphor]

im definitely not ripping off my friend by making a list of au ideas i have no siree //gonna slap this under a readmore cause i. well i say a lot. all of the time. i tried so hard to format this Good but tumblr fucked me up i am so sorry

so first-off i know i already have one WIP AU (Auckland) on ao3 so i wont talk about That one cause like. spoilers. i actualyl have it like 80% created so its likely gonna truly get finished for once and i dont wanna ruin shit

the other one ive posted about is something me and ben (catgirlrepublic) have worked on together its not at all close to done or anything but it's. a fun little crossover. Between jdate and my fuckinuhm. Original characters story “Untitled Villains Project”. the sketches of the comic version ive started is actually my pinned post 👉👈 its like the first chunk of the story, i think half of part 1? yea.

Tldr john fucking Somehow is able t oget into contact with a certain curious scientist from another reality who’d just love to study the Soy Sauce, most certainly not for her own nefarious purposes

John and Dave meet up with the scientist, her name is Boss, and her lab assistant, Toxic, and after a bit of a preliminary Vibe Check where john determines her trustworthy (which Dave doesnt agree with,) the two agree to be taken to the world UVP is set in. from there they stay in Boss’s lab (big old fucking abandoned military lab). John and Toxic are fast friends due to mutual love-of-chaos. John n Dave get to fuckin, camp out on an air mattress.

The day after they arrive, the two get split up, not exactly intentionally; big plot points of UVP are liek. Fueled by Boss sending Toxic to go fetch her “research materials,” which are usually important artifacts

Fuckin side note i guess i have to explain my dumb bullshit: Boss’s, uh, field of expertise so to speak is actually fckin, basically the scientific study of magic and superpowers n shit like that. This shit’s all real in that world. Toxic’s got fuckin superpowers, so do 4 other main characters, whatever. It’s got a bit to do with spirituality, iss Boss’s hypothesis. So she has Toxic fetch important artifacts that might have “energies” to them. The thing is actually way more fuckin complictated than that, this is just Boss’s initial hypothesis.

Motherfucking anyways. So Boss gives Toxic a job to do, and John get excited about how Cool that sounds, and ends up going with Toxic, leaving Boss and Dave alone. Neither is thrilled about this. But Dave and Boss get to have a bit of conversation (while Toxic and John are off bonding and having a good time) and come to a… mutual grudging understanding of some kind. They still dont like each other though lmao

Theres gonna be deeper shit going on but we havent sorted it out yet/tbh havent like Written For It in a while but i still like thinking about it a lot lol

Also pretty sure our endgame is john and dave steal toxic and bring them back with em lmao boss is kind of not nice and toxic would most certainly be better off in Undisclosed. Actually theyd fucking love it. Theyd become a local cryptid im sure. Undisclosed’s mothman is a teleporting spike baby.

I have. Another crossover AU that i might. Post something about for halloween? Maybe? If i have it finished?

Crosses over into, you guessed it, another one of my original-character projects. God, am i vain or something?

I promise this is just because i think blue and dave should get to team up to beat up some monsters

Quick briefing on my fuckinuh. Original character story, this one doesnt have a name (yet? Idk lol my work never actually goes anywhere sso who gives a shit). It centers around two grim reapers, Red (26, bi woman) and Blue (22, aroace agender asshole). In this reality or whatever, grim reapers function kind of like low-level office workers. They get told who’s going to die + when by some middle-management types, and upper management only involve themselves when punishment needs to be doled out. These Higher-Ups can be seen as analogous to Korrok; they’re decidedly not human, never were, and fucking terrifyingly powerful. Additionally, grim reapers are sort of .. designed to be “background noise” people. In reality theyre supernatural beings and, uh, look Real Fuckin Weird (the whole deal has a neon aesthetic im terrible at drawing uwu) but most humans just perceive them like extras in a movie. A body’s there but the camera’s not focused on it.

To the narrative: the shit starts when Red n Blue get relocated to Undisclosed. Relocation is something that just happens every now and then to reapers; they usually work in teams, but they get split up into different cities to avoid any strong bonds forming (a counter-union strategy from the Higher-Ups).

Red, Blue, John and Dave end up running into each other for the first time in a McDonalds where John n Dave are getting some 4am “hey, we just survived another horrific monster fight” celebration burgers. John and Dave are the only two people who can see how… strange Red and Blue are. Nobody else notices.

John unintentionally pisses Blue off, leading to Blue whacking him upside the head with a dildo bat. They all four get kicked out of McDonald’s. Dave and Red both are less than thrilled

Blue and John end up resolving their differences, somehow. Red and Dave briefly bond over their dumbass best friends being, well, dumbasses. They all part ways amicably.

somehow-or-other (idk yet) they end up running into each other a few more times, and eventually john invites them over to his place, and the four (plus Amy now!) get to know each other a little better

while there, Blue gets a text about some guy who's gonna die and John offers to drive them to where that's gonna go down. they take him up on the offer and get to have a bit of one-on-one conversation

after that ordeal though Blue has had Enough of people and bails, leaving John to head home alone

theres a sort of mirror-development going on with the five of em. Red, John, and Amy would all like everyone to get along, though theyre a bit tentative about it (John moreso than the other two, actually, jsut cause. well Red n Blue could still be Sauce Monsters). Dave and Blue on the other hand do Not like people enough for this shit, and Dave's not unconvinced theyre Sauce Monsters. he will not trust them until proven he should

the story's kinda nebulous but i got an idea for some Shit going down that involves both Sauce Monsters and also the Higher-Ups to have some fuckin absolute chaos go down.

Oops! All Trans

Everybody is transgender. Everyone

Ive actually workshopped this one both with ben (catgirlrepublic) and ghost (ghost-wannabe) lmao its a fun lil concept ive had from the get-go cause i mean. What’s an internet tran gonna do other than hit all their favourite media with the Everyone’s Trans beam

Dave transitioned post-high school and faked his death for it. People go missing in Undisclosed all the damned time, after all. He moved to the next city over, transitioned fully, then came back as a completely new man. Yes i know this doesnt exactly fit with the “everyone knows David from high school” thing alright, hush.

Anytime anyone brings up John’s old best friend (pre-transition Dave) John throws an entire fit like an overdramatic grieving widow. Full-on sobbing “why would you bring her up?! I miss her so much—” to the point that people just stop bringing up because Jesus Christ That Sure Is Uncomfortable KJHGFDS.

This is a scheme he and Dave came up with prior to Dave leaving, though Dave hadnt exactly anticipated John putting on this much of a performance about it— but it’s stopped Dave from ever having tto hear his deadname again, so hey.

Amy transitioned sometime in middle school/early high school. Her family was super supportive and loved her a ton and most people just know her as Amy. she was super shy her whole life really so. Yeah. people just dont think to bring it up lmao also i Feel Like big jim would absolutely wallop anyone who gave her trouble of any kind

John’s nonbinary (genderfluid specifically) and not exactly Interested in transitioning ? like hes fine with how he is. mostly.

he came out to Dave in high school but hes not out to anyone else exactly. Maybe his bandmates. Probably any other trans person in Undisclosed knows, too, cause theyre safe to tell lmao. Johns mostly a “he/him out of convenience” kinda nb who’s cool with any pronouns but does prefer they/them most. Dave and Amy use they/them when the trio are alone

Also this is a totally self-indulgent caveat that i think would be great, Dave’s actually agender but because he's transmasc and transitioned when he thought there were really only two options, and being Boy at least felt less weird than being Girl, he just kind of assumed he was a dude. It’s only through a lot of (like fucking years and years hes probably in his 30s/40s when he puts 2 and 2 together on this one) talks about gender with John that he realizes he actually feels like No Gender. Masc aesthetic with none gender.

I Just Think It’d Be Neat Is All Okay

Also Amy came out to Dave about being trans early on in them seeing each other and his response was to get very nervous before blurting out “me too” and then just being too embarrassed to talk about it for the rest of the day. Hes got a lot of hangups on talking about it actually it takes years for him to get comfortable in that

by contrast when Amy comes out to John about it his response is to yell “EYYY ME TOO” and give her a big ol hug lmao

I think itd be neatt if Amy ran a like. Transfem help/advice blog on tumblr. Kind of helped-with by John who can give her transfem nb insight for certain asks. I also just think that would be neat.

Cowboy AU - i put this one last cause its got drawings to it actually. Theyll be at the bottom

Basically just. Hey you ever watched a western. I think they look neat

This is another one me n ben have come up with lol

The soy sauce and all that shit still exist, im not sure where korrok fits in yet but ill figure it out

Theres no real like solid narrative yet ? but heres the barebones of everybody’s arcs.

John

Johns an absolute troublemaker, Of Course. Hes wanted in several towns for absolutely stupid shit. Hes a loner who shows up, causes chaos, gets drunk, does some drugs, runs away if people get too mad at him

He definitely had the same kind of deal with the soy sauce as in canon— he was at some kind of party, somebody offered it, he took it cause why the fuck wouldnt he, now he can see monsters and shit

Hes kind of a mooch also. Like. dont let him stay in your barn man he’ll never fucking leave and drink all your booze.

He runs into Dave when they happen to just, cross paths in the same town. the bullshit John stirs up ends up involving Dave in a way that makes it seem like it's his fault too, and they both get run out of town

after that he just tags along after Dave. hes decided this guy's Cool he wants to stick around. Dave is pissed at first, but not enough to shoot him or anything, and eventually, John grows on him

Dave

Dave also is a loner but unlike John hes simply so fucking awkward and bad with people. He doesnt feel like he belongs anywhere so he just travels

He’s the stereotypical Lone Ranger tbh. He wanders from town to town, solving their problems, though hed deny its out of any moral obligation (it kinda is, a little bit, tbh. He does like feeling useful). He shows up, fixes things, leaves. He's kind of a legend but most people think he's hiding something dark. other people jsut know him as that guy who farted real loud in the middle of the saloon and promptly skipped town out of sheer embarrassment. you know how it goes with Dave

He ends up involved with the Soy Sauce when a snake (not Actually a snake,) bites him. The snake’s more like the wig-monsters, really. Anyway, it injects him with the soy sauce, he fucking trips balls in the middle of the desert, he can see monsters now

He runs into John and shit goes tits-up, as said, but they become traveling buddies after that. he'd never say so, but he's glad for the company, actually. it's nice. hes not used to companionship but he feels a strange kind of easiness hanging out with John....

not sure how the Monster Dave concept will like fit in to this reality but like. trust me i want it in here. I'll Figure It Out.

Amy

Amy’s been living in a town John and Dave end up passing through and she is very curious about these two new Handsome Strangers who claim to fight monsters and just kinda. Persistently tags along til they let her join for real

Her family’s all dead, unfortunately, just like in canon, and she’s been living alone for a few years before meeting John n Dave. she had nothing left in that town to stay for, she'd been fantasizing about escaping on wild adventures for a long time and this felt a little like a dream come true. (Dave still gives her a spiel about how Difficult it is, but really, her fantasies were pretty grounded-in-reality already. i jsut think thats how she is, yknow?)

Shes the first person to react to the whole “we see monsters” shit with a kind of “oh, okay. neat” kind of response lmao

John and Dave fix whatever the fuck is up with her town (maybe that’s where the Korrok shit can fit, who knows) and Amy ends up being integral to that. After, she insists they take her with them because “they need her now” and Dave just cant really say no. John too is very much "the more the merrier!" and hes actually glad to have another person along he loves people lmao

At the start she has long hair but after she joins them she chops it short with a knife for convenience

also she still is an amputee. justt. idk. it was a wagon/stagecoach accident rather than a car accident lmao. just to clarify since i hadnt mentioned it, i wouldnt rob her of her ghost hand or yknow. all of the significance to her character that Missing A Hand has. although also now im going to have to research what was used as painkillers way-back-when, but im betting shes still got, like, her pain pills, they probably had those, maybe i wouldnt have to try too hard there. old timey medicine could be WACK though,

Shitload

Yeah hes in tthis shit mostly cause i liked designing his cowboy self lmao

Hes a kid (like 16, 17, technically i think in those days that was more Young Man than Kid but whatever. Hes Young i mean.) who got possessed by the Worms out in the desert and, by his family’s perception, just went missing!

Hes also a wanderer, but he ended up at the same town john and dave met in, at that same time, and starts following them after, already aware of who/what they are.

He keeps his face covered 24/7. actually he covers a Majority of his self for reasons. kinda want him to be a slightly more horrifying Worm Entity rather than human idk,

I kinda dont have much for this boy yet sorry Shitload

images !

with some editing notes for me cause im doing a very specific aesthetic with this lmao. i might change some lil details/colours though ...... idk

im also kinda 🤔 about shitload's colour palette. i want things assoicated w the sauce to be black'n'red predominantly but i think his palette might mirror dave's too closely. also im working on a korrok design i jsut am too busy to draw it now

[here4theheartbreak]

Not Breakable (2seok)

AO3 Link Here!

✩ Relationships: Jung Hoseok x Kim Seokjin (2Seok) ✩ Genre(s): Smut

✩ Rating: Explicit ✩ Tags: smut, pwp, hybrids, dirty talk, consensual somnophilia, undernegotiated kink, deer hybrid hoseok, hyena hybrid seokjin, copulatory ties, rough sex, bottom Hoseok, top Seokjin ✩ Summary: Hoseok knows that Jin's struggling intimately. But he worries his only option for helping involves Jin not quite being awake for it.

✩ Word Count: ~3k ✩ A/N: Fulfills the square ‘Hoseok’ for @btsholidaybingo​ and the September Mini Project for @thebtswritersclub​ - Prompt: Hybrids

When the two first started dating, no one thought they’d make it. They were just too different. Jin was too over the top, frightening birds from trees with his loud laughter and rambunctious attitude. Hoseok was too silent, skittish and afraid of his own shadow. He walked softly while Jin stormed into a room raring to go. The whitetail and the hyena, predator and prey – no way they’d work out. For a while, their friends were making bets as to how soon they’d break up. But the weeks turned into months, and the month turned into a year, and Hoseok’s belongings ended up in Jin’s house.

But even after all this time, two years and counting, the two were a perfect fit. With one tiny issue. Not really so tiny, if Hoseok was being honest. Their sex life. Hoseok wasn’t unsatisfied by any means. Jin was amazing in bed. But there was always the reality that they simply weren’t compatible hanging over their heads. Jin’s biggest fear was that he’d hurt Hoseok one night during sex. Due to his hyena side, he had the misfortune of having a copulation lock when he came, his tip swelling to the point that pulling free would potentially cause his partner pain. No problem for others that are used to partners with these sorts of ties, but a potential issue for his slender, gentle lover – at least in Jin’s mind.

More than once, Hoseok had scolded him for it; he wasn’t a child, he was nearly as large as Jin size wise, and it was ridiculous stereotypes and generalizations that made Jin see him as incapable of taking the swelling without problem. But of all the things to fight about, it just wasn’t worth it. They still had a great sex life even without Jin finishing inside of him, and it was a nonissue in the rest of their lives. That was, until it suddenly became a far bigger issue than it had before.

Hoseok was awoken one evening to a gentle rocking of their bed. He glared into the dark, letting his eyes adjust. Jin was huffing softly next to him, his whines drawn out and desperate in his sleep. He could feel a steady rutting against his hip. Hoseok looked over, blinking a few times. Jin was on his side, his hips twitching rhythmically. He was humping his leg. Hoseok sat up, moving away from Jin and staring at him in surprise. Jin had never been so desperate since they’d lived together. And it wasn’t like they were neglecting that aspect of their lives; they’d had sex two nights ago. Hoseok reached out, stroking Jin’s soft cheek. He reached up, gently rubbing over the coarse fur of his ears, twitching in his sleep.

“Jin-hyung. Jin, baby,” Hoseok called.

Jin reached out, grabbing his hip and dragging him forcefully back toward him. Hoseok gasped, the movement sending sparks of arousal through his body. Jin was never so rough with him. He felt Jin’s hot breath on his cheek, and his eyes fluttered shut.

This wasn’t right, Jin wasn’t even conscious. He grabbed Jin’s shoulder and shook him hard. “Seokjin!”

Jin yelped sharply, his eyes snapping open. He met Hoseok’s gaze immediately, not needing the moment to adjust.

“What?”

“You’re humping me,” Hoseok said, laughing a little. “Wh—” Jin looked down. “Oh Jesus, I’m sorry.” He backed up quickly, rolling onto his back.

“It’s okay,” Hoseok said, rolling over. He searched Jin’s face in the low light as his hand wandered down Jin’s chest. The dark horizonal stripe of soft, barely there fur over his nose, the twitching of his round, almost lion-esque spotted ears, his inquisitive dark eyes. “It was kinda sexy.”

“Yeah?” Jin asked softly.

Hoseok nodded. He cupped Jin’s crotch. “Do you want something? Were you having a good dream?”

Jin’s eyes fluttered shut and he nodded. “Of you.”

“What was I doing, Jin-hyung?” Hoseok slid his hand into Jin’s shorts, finding his cock and giving it a gentle stroke.

“I was fucking you.”

“Fucking me?” Hoseok teased. “Hard?”

Jin nodded, his eyes squeezing tightly when Hoseok’s grip tightened.

“Do you wanna fuck me right now?”

“I’m already close, it wouldn’t be good for you,” Jin gritted out.

“It would if you didn’t pull out, I’m sure,” Hoseok began. Jin went tense under him, and Hoseok sighed. “I know. You have to.”

“I just don’t want to hurt you,” Jin explained. He pushed Hoseok’s hand away from his crotch and leaned forward, kissing his nose. “You know I love you.”

“I know.” Hoseok twitched his nose, smiling a little. Jin reached up, stroking the sensitive skin surrounding Hoseok’s antlers. “Get some sleep, little deer.”

“What about you?”

“It’ll soften, I’m okay. I’ll try not to hump you like a horny teenager again.”

“I really don’t mind,” Hoseok pressed.

Jin nodded. “I know. Just get some sleep.”

Hoseok sighed and rolled onto his side, letting Jin cuddle up against his back. With their bodies slotted so well, Hoseok could feel Jin, still half hard, against his ass. He felt guilty, not helping him come when he so desperately needed it, but he’d never push himself on Jin like that. It was just a wet dream, nothing to worry about, he figured.

Until it happened again. And again. For a week solid, even on nights the two had made love, Hoseok was awoken to Jin’s hips rocking a sensual rhythm against his side, butt, thigh, or hip. The first few times he woke Jin, feeling guilty, but after a while he just let him finish himself in his boxers, which would usually rouse Jin anyway.

One Saturday morning after yet another nocturnal humping session, Hoseok knew they had to talk about it.

“I don’t think you’re being pleased in bed, Jin-hyung.”

Jin choked on his mouthful of eggs, eyes bulging. He laughed, a sharp, startling noise. “What?”

“Almost every night this week… You’ve humped me in your sleep. Is it me? It’s okay if it is. I know I’m not…” Hoseok shrugged.

“What? No, God, no, Hobi. You’re my world. You are perfectly pleasing in every way.”

“Then why?”

Jin shrugged. He rose, turning to the sink.

“I love you, Jin-hyung.” Jin’s rough paintbrush of a tail gave a halfhearted wag, giving away his worries even without him saying it. Hoseok rose, wrapping his arms around Jin’s middle.

“I love you,” He said more firmly, chuckling when Jin’s tail whacked the inside of his leg a little harder. “Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what’s causing it. I feel bad that it’s waking you up though.” His ears flattened, distressed. “I don’t like annoying you.”

“You never annoy me, Jin-hyung. Do you want me to start helping you out?”

“What do you mean?”

Hoseok shrugged, kissing over Jin’s shoulder. “It’s kinda sexy, if I’m being honest. I wish I knew what was causing it, but as long as it’s not me… I could help you resolve it.”

“You want to jerk me off in my sleep?”

“That or you know… I know you like other things I do.”

Jin shivered, and Hoseok chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“You’d do that?”

“Mhm. As long as I have your permission.”

“Granted,” Jin turned, grabbing Hoseok’s ear and scratching it playfully. “You are such a tease.”

“I learned it from you. Now, we promised Jimin we’d go visit him today. Get dressed.”

Jin laughed hard, almost a cackle that used to startle Hoseok nearly out of his skin. Now he loved it.

Jin nuzzled his soft, oversized ears, making Hoseok sigh contentedly. He stepped back, letting Jin head to the bedroom.

It was only two nights later when it happened again. Hoseok was rocked awake by Jin’s humping. He sighed softly, gazing at his face for a few minutes before nodding to himself. He shifted and rolled so he was facing Jin. Slow and steady, he nudged Jin’s boxers down low enough to grasp his cock.

Jin’s cock throbbed in his palm. Hoseok wet his lips, ears twitching forward for any sound from his sleeping lover. Silence, save for a soft, sleepy snore that sounded more like a growl than anything. He slid down, pushing the boxers down further. Jin’s cock was an angry purple, precome dribbling freely from the slit. Hoseok whined, feeling terrible for his lover’s predicament. He’d help this time. He was going to make it better. He lowered his head, wrapping his lips around the tip.

Jin reacted even in his sleep, his hips twitching and his tail giving a happy thump on the mattress. Hoseok chuckled, swiping over Jin’s tip to catch the precome. He always dripped so much; Hoseok wondered if he’d ever be able to slide in just with precome as lube. Maybe they’d try it one day. But for now...

Hoseok bobbed his head along Jin’s cock, nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply. He slid a hand back, tugging his own tail. He whined; God he wished Jin would be rough like that sometimes. He lifted his head off Jin’s cock, spitting in his hand and returning it.

He circled two fingers around his puckered hole as he worked Jin’s cock with his mouth.

It was a fucking travesty; any man with a hyena mate should never have an ass this tight. He wanted to be well and thoroughly fucked open. He just needed to show Jin. He wasn’t some weak little fawn. In the two days between Jin’s permission and now, Hoseok had done his research. Though coming was fine and satisfactory for people in Jin’s situation it was often not enough. Fake toys, things to give that tightness and that pleasure would work, but Hoseok wasn’t about to let his boyfriend use a piece of plastic when he was right there.

Hoseok drove his fingers in, working his ass open quick and steady. He was still trying to listen for sounds of Jin waking, but so far heard nothing but those adorable, sleepy moans.

The reality of what he was doing hit him then, and his stomach twisted as a spike of arousal shot through him. All these months, teasing and aching to feel Jin’s climax, Jin’s anxiety and suffering, so afraid to hurt him. It was all going to end.

Hoseok’s ass clamped around the three fingers buried inside himself, and he knew he was ready. Slow and steady he moved back up, adding more lube to his hole and a bit to Jin’s cock. He laid next to him, pulling Jin’s arm around his waist once more, ass pressed against Jin’s hard, warm cock.

It only took a few minutes for the humping to begin. Hoseok smiled, feeling Jin’s fingers tightening around his middle. He reached back, twisting his hips and spreading his ass. He gasped when Jin’s cock bumped his hole, a little disappointed when it didn’t slide home. He twisted his hips back, eager to help his lover.

Two more desperate pumps then — There it went. Hoseok gasped when Jin’s cock tip slid into his ass. He settled down and back, letting his boyfriend’s nocturnal needs guide the way. Jin was still fast asleep, huffing against the back of Hoseok’s neck. His thrusts were already becoming a little quicker, tip swelling just a little thanks to the blowjob Hoseok had given. He wanted to guarantee Jin would come inside.

Hoseok’s cock throbbed as Jin rubbed his prostate, but he kept his hands away, reaching back to lightly stroke Jin’s hip instead. He whined and moaned, begging Jin under his breath, more, deeper, harder.

Jin tensed a little, his teeth scraping Hoseok’s shoulder as he snarled. He was so close, here’s where he always pulled out when he was awake. Hoseok’s grip tightened just a little on his hip, and he began to fuck himself back on Jin’s cock, his ass giving in to take his full length. The tip was swollen enough that the stretch against Hoseok’s tip when he pulled back was uncomfortable. Just a little more—

“Hobi—“ Jin’s voice was gruff with sleep and arousal.

“Jin-hyung,” Hoseok whined. “Fuck me, please.”

He looked back, meeting Jin’s half-awake gaze. “Come in me.”

The words seemed to snap all sleepiness from Jin’s mind. He immediately jerked back, hissing when his tip snagged on Hoseok’s rim. “I gotta—“

Hoseok slammed back down, twisting his upper body back to kiss Jin. “You gotta come. I know your body needs this. It’s okay.”

Jin whined, his short nails biting into Hoseok’s hips. His ears flatted out, tail thumping weakly. “Hurt you—“ he gasped, fighting with his body.

“It won’t,” Hoseok whispered. “I’m not some breakable fawn, Jin-hyung. Use me, take me how I deserve. I wanna feel like your mate, please.”

Jin grimaced, hesitation still clear on his face. Hoseok closed his eyes and moaned loudly, his voice shifting almost into a bleat.

Jin cried out sharply, driving in deeper. Hoseok repeated the cry, reaching back and holding himself open.

Jin growled low in his throat, his resistance weakening.

“Please—“ Hoseok begged, pressing his whole body against Jin as he twitched his ass back onto his cock. Jin’s growl sharpened into a snarl.

He shoved Hoseok onto his belly, following the motion to roll atop him without pulling out. He grabbed Hoseok’s stub tail, tugging it playfully as he fucked into him.

Hoseok shouted into the pillow, bucking back against him. Jin leaned forward. He grabbed Hoseok’s antlers, using them to yank Hoseok up until he was on his knees, his back against Jin’s sweat slicked chest. He fucked into him hard and fast, his tip engorged enough now that each outward thrust tugged Hoseok’s rim hard.

“Hobi—“ Jin croaked, his voice gruff once more with lust. He was so close, Hoseok could smell it.

“Jin-hyung,” Hoseok whispered back.

“Tell me you want it. Please, I— Lemme hear you.”

Hoseok smirked. “I want it,” he whispered. “I’ve waited so long— I want you to come in me, please— Nobody’s ever—“ he gasped as Jin’s cock caught against. “Want you to be the only one... Only one to fill me— Please—“

“Only?” Jin huffed. “Fuck— Hobi—“ he dropped his hands from Hoseok’s antlers and wrapped them around his waist. He fucked into him with abandon, his thrusts bruisingly hard.

Hoseok moaned through it, his entire body shuddering. Jin snarled his name and Hoseok felt it. The hot fluid spilling deep inside him. Jin’s tip was swollen, caught deep in the ridges of Hoseok’s channel. Hoseok shuddered.

Jin’s cock throbbed against his prostate. He stroked himself twice; that and the steady twitching finally sending him over his own edge. He gasped Jin’s named as his cock spilled, come dribbling down his shaft and over his hand. Jin grunted, fingers squeezing when Hoseok clamped down on his cock.

Hoseok fell forward, barely able to hold himself up as his orgasm faded. Jin was still locked deep in him, still throbbing. Jin guided them down onto the bed, side by side.

As Jin’s body relaxed, he slipped free, leaving Hoseok loose and leaking.

“I hurt you…” Jin lamented.

“Not even a little. It felt amazing, Jin-hyung.”

“You never told me that,” Jin whispered, his face buried in Hoseok’s back. “That nobody’s ever come in you.”

“I didn’t want you to feel bad about not doing it. But I’m fine, Jin-hyung, don’t you see? All that time you were anxious… We could have been like this. Please don’t stop yourself from taking that pleasure anymore.”

“I got so rough with you.”

“Because it’s your nature.”

“You’re so soft, so gentle,” Jin worried, burying his nose in Hoseok’s soft hair. He reached down, stroking his fingers over Hoseok’s tail, hot and damp between their bodies. “I pulled your tail…”

“And I loved it, Jin-hyung, please. I would have told you if I didn’t like it, wouldn’t I have? Have I ever hidden anything from you before?”

“I suppose you haven’t,” Jin conceded.

“And I wouldn’t this time. I could do without the snarling, I swear you’ve never gotten so loud during sex, but if it shows you’re really loving it… I’ll accept it. Maybe just not in my ear.”

Jin cackled, and Hoseok winced, laughing himself. “Yeah, like that.”

“Sorry… You’re really not hurt?”

“Not even a little. I’m sorry I forced myself on you like that, I just—” He shrugged. “I needed to prove a point and you weren’t giving me a chance.”

“I get. I’m glad you did. I’ll listen to you more, I promise. You’re right. You aren’t some breakable fawn, you’re a grown man and you’ve put me in my place more than once. You deserve to be listened to like the equal you are in this house.”

Hoseok smiled softly. He shifted carefully, rolling to face Jin. “Thank you for that. It means a lot to hear.”

Jin leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Hoseok’s mouth.

“By the way, you using my antlers as handles?” Hoseok mumbled.

“Yeah?” Jin pulled back.

“You should do it more.”

“That was really fun,” Jin admitted, smirking. He stroked over the length of one, brushing his fingers through Hoseok’s hair when he reached the base. “They finally have a use besides making you pretty and scratching up our walls.”

Hoseok pouted, punching Jin playfully in the chest.

“Hey, don’t be mean. These are my pride and joy.”

“I said they make you look beautiful!” Jin argued, rubbing where Hoseok smacked. Hoseok laughed, nuzzling against him.

“You’d better think so.” He stifled a yawn against Jin’s shoulder. Jin hugged him close.

“Go to sleep.”

“You too. Don’t run off on me now.”

“Never. You’ve got me for life,” Jin promised, kissing Hoseok’s forehead. The two settled under the covers, and Hoseok smiled a little.

For as long as the two had struggled with that one thing – the fact that it was finally resolved felt amazing. He drifted to sleep easily, comforted by the steady heartbeat of his lover.

[a-solitary-marshmallow]

Do No Harm, Take No Shit; Chapter 2

Oh sweet mother of god, he had to see her. His princess. His Lady. The girl with a devilish smile, frightening intelligence and the biggest heart he’d ever seen in one person. The girl who brought him surprise croissants on bad days and made the lucky charm that lived in his breast pocket, resting above his heart.

He had to see her. He had to tell her he was sorry and beg her forgiveness for being so useless. For not seeing her before.

“Do what you have to do.” Plagg sighed from his desk.

“Plagg, claws out!”

He didn’t care that he was in track pants and an old shirt, or that wet hair dribbled down the nape of his neck. As soon as Adrien’s mask manifested he leapt from the window and into the chilling night air.

In only a few minutes Chat Noir reached the hospital. Room number, room number. Alya had mentioned it over the phone when she’d visited Marinette in the afternoon. Adrien hadn’t been allowed to go.

He landed on the windowsill with shaking breaths. Chat Noir tried to peer inside but all he could see was a dark room, equipment and a nondescript hospital bed, all in shades of night-vision green. There was someone in the bed but he couldn’t see who it was under the blanket.

She was sleeping. Even in this was her room, Chat Noir had come during the night. Of course she was sleeping! It was dark and she must be tired. Chat Noir couldn’t wake her up for a stupid visit. He hadn’t even thought about what to say.

He turned to leave, kicking himself, and then he heard a click.

Chat Noir looked around slowly to where Marinette sat up in bed staring at him, a lamp illuminating the room. Chat Noir felt his cheeks flush and he pointed to the window.

Marinette nodded. He eased it open and landed lightly on the sterile floor.

“Chat Noir.” Her voice was so achingly familiar. Why had he never seen it before? He tried to study her face but all he could see were bruises, dressing, and the heavy pink cast on her arm. Her lower lip was swollen. “To what do I owe this visit?”

Chat Noir’s eyes burned, and Marinette looked concerned.

“Chat?”

Chat Noir walked over to her and knelt shakily to kiss her non-broken hand. It was small and cold, terrifyingly so. How had he never noticed how small she was before? Ladybug had always seemed big – her confidence made up for any lack in stature, but now she seemed very little in a big hospital bed.

“My Lady, I – I’m so sorry. I should have been there.” Tears blurred his vision so he kept his gaze on the bed sheets. “I should have done more. I’m sorry, Marinette.”

Even now, her name tasted sweet on his lips. Marinette’s breath hitched – then she sighed and squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t your fault, Kitty.” He didn’t look up to see the smile he could hear in her voice. “But how’d you figure me out?”

Chat Noir wiped his eyes with his other palm. “You – you kept asking for Tikki.”

“Oh.” Marinette said dumbly. “Huh. How about that?”

“Can I…” Chat faltered. “Can I stay for a bit? I don’t want to go yet.”

“Of course.” Marinette scooched over, giving him room to crawl up next to her. He laid his cheek on the warm pillow and Marinette smiled at him, bruised and beautiful.

Some time passed, and then Chat Noir said, “So now that I know the identity of our resident Ladybug, am I permitted to know the name of the boy who has captured her heart?” Marinette flushed adorably. The words tasted bitter, but Chat Noir forced a crooked smile. “A certain blue-haired musician, perhaps?”

Marinette blinked. “What, Luka?” And that wasn’t going quite to script, leaving him even more confused than before. He was sure Marinette and Luka were a thing – they had a double date together at the ice rink!

“But…” He said dumbly. Marinette shook her head firmly.

“No, I don’t love Luka. We’re friends. Not that it’s any of your business, silly cat.” She whacked him lightly on the shoulder and Chat Noir snickered.

“So, what’s the lucky boy like?” He teased. Marinette groaned and hid her face in her one useable hand. “Oh come on Milady, I won’t tell anyone. Cat’s honour.” He crossed his heart for good measure. She paused for a moment.

“He’s… kind. And so sweet. He isn’t very good with people but he tries so hard, anyone can see. Naive,” She chuckled, “but so adorable.”

Chat Noir bit down a sting of jealousy. “He sounds like a great guy.”

“He is!” Marinette gushed. And even though it hurt him, he could watch her talk about this boy for hours. Her eyes sparkled and she glowed with happiness. “At first I didn’t like him, I thought he was just another rude rich kid, but we talked and I just… fell for him. And he’s so gentle, Chat. There’s this girl in our class who keeps hanging off him and it obviously makes him uncomfortable, but he doesn’t want to hurt her by telling her off, which is kind of upsetting because Adrien deserved to have his boundaries respected but it’s not my place to tell her to back off.”

She continued, but Cat Noir only heard static. Adrien. Like, his name, Adrien. Did Marinette know another Adrien who attended their class? Because if not then she could only be talking about...

“Chat, you can’t tell anyone about this.” Marinette continued seriously. “Ugh, when Adrien’s around my heart absolutely melts, I can barely get through a conversation, let alone confess. As much as Alya tries to get me to.”

“Adrien?” Chat wheezed. “Like, Adrien Agreste? From the perfume ad?”

Marinette peered at him suspiciously. “Why the face? Do you like him too? That’s understandable, because he is adorable, but-”

Chat Noir burst out laughing.

Once it started it didn’t stop and he sat up, loud peals of laughter exploding through him. Of course. Of course it was like this. He cackled until his stomach and cheeks ached, and then he dissolved into a fit of giggles at the sight of Marinette’s face.

“If you’re quite done?” Marinette said dryly. Evidently he wasn’t because that got him started all over again.

When Chat finally got a hold of himself, Marinette was frowning at him. He ran a hand through his hair.

“Oh Mari, you won’t believe how stupid I’ve been. This is priceless.”

“What?” Marinette demanded. Chat Noir giggled into his hands and managed, “Claws in.”

Marinette let out a strangled yelp as his costume dissolved in a flash of light.

“OhmygodChatwhy – ADRIEN?”

Adrien grinned sheepishly at her. Marinette fumbled for words with a very panicked expression on her white face.

“You’re – you were – OH SHIT I REJECTED YOU!”

Adrien cackled again. “You see?”

Marinette clapped her hands over her mouth – then she too started giggling. “Oh my god, we’re both idiots. But – but Aspik!” She pointed at his face accusingly. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, I was flattered that you chose me – civilian me, I mean. And anyway, what about Multimouse? I swear I saw Ladybug and Multimouse standing side-by-side.”

Now Marinette flushed. “I, um, used Trixx’s power for that bit. I couldn’t have you figuring out my identity, and – stop laughing!” She grabbed her pillow to pummel him one-handedly.

Adrien wheezed through cackles, “You could have just said something like I did-”

“I WAS BEING CAUTIOUS!”

“Ugh, get a room.” Plagg groaned from behind Adrien. The pesky kwarmi had been sitting there the whole time, hadn’t he? Adrien’s face burned.

Marinette ceased her ruthless attack to bury her face in her hands and mumble, “Hi Plagg.”

“Howdy.” The kwarmi replied dryly. “Finally. Do you know how annoying it was to watch you two dance around each other?”

A bright red blur zipped from under the bed to bump against Plagg affectionately. Tikki herself. Adrien waved to her and she beamed back, but it only lasted a second before shifting to something serious.

“While this is sweet, I think we have bigger things to talk aboit right now – mainly Lila.”

Damn, Tikki’s voice was squeaker than he remembered. “Lila?” Adrien echoed, noticing as Marinette flinched. “What about her? Oh, you’re Ladybug, so her claiming to be your best friend is kinda messed up. Especially since everyone knows I’m–”

He broke off as Marinette lifted a hand for quiet, biting her lip.

“Did I miss something?” Adrien looked between kwarmi and wielder. Marinette’s eyebrows were pulled tight and she looked uncertain, an expression he didn’t often see on his Lady’s face.

Marinette took a breath and Adrien waited for her to talk. She did, slowly. “I don’t remember most of what happened today. But… Tikki does, and she says that Lila tripped me. And it isn’t the first time she’s done something like this.” She mumbled almost to herself. Adrien’s ears roared.

“She what?” He snarled. Marinette looked away. “She. Tripped you? What the fuck is wrong with her? Wait wait wait, what do you mean this isn’t the first time?”

Marinette flushed, her eyes locked on the bed sheets. Adrien took her hands.

“Marinette, please, talk to me.”

“She… threatened me.” Marinette mumbled, making Adrien’s blood burn. “Told me she’d take you, and all my friends. And she spills coffee on me and when I get upset she makes it seem like I’m in the wrong. And she keeps shaming me for asking to be paid for commissions, and she ruined my art project and got me expelled and she trips me when we’re alone and once she threw a book at my head and,” Marinette looked up with tears in her eyes, “And she’s taking Alya away from me. She’s making everyone think I’m a liar.” Marinette’s voice cracked, as did Adrien’s heart.

“She threatened you?” Adrien whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Marinette hiccupped. “I-I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me-”

Oh, no, no this wouldn’t stand. Adrien pulled Marinette to his chest and buried his face in her hair as she shook. “I’m so sorry, Marinette, that you’ve had to do this alone. I’m sorry I made you think I wouldn’t take your side. I’m so sorry I told you to ignore her and left you to deal with her all by yourself, and I promise, I will always have your back, I will always believe you. Please don’t feel like you have to keep things from me.”

Marinette sniffled and wrapped her arms around him, which seemed like a good start on the road for forgiveness. Oh fuck, he had messed up so badly. Marinette could have died. He owed her so many chocolates and flowers and get well soon cards, and as for Lila…

“That girl is going to pay.” Adrien growled into Marinette’s hair. She pulled back enough to meet his gaze, and there was something steely in her tear-filled eyes.

“Way ahead of you, kitty. I have a plan.”

“You know I’m all in.” Adrien kissed her forehead, making her squeak in alarm. “Whatever you need.”

“…though it may take a while.” Marinette admitted. “I’ll need to be out of my cast so no one gets suspicious.”

“In the meantime, we can prepare. And – if my lady permits it – I might be given a second chance?”

“Second chance?” Marinette echoed. Adrien winced. She was so sweet, she didn’t even know what he was talking about. She’d probably already forgiven him. He didn’t deserve her – none of their classmates did, either.

“For being a terrible partner.” He explained. Marinette’s eyes widened.

“Chat Augustus Cornelius Noir, you take that back right this second.”

He blinked at the ferocity of her tone. “But-”

“No buts. You didn’t know about Lila, how could you have done anything about it?”

“But I let it happen right under my-” Marinette’s glare made Adrien choke to a halt. They stared at each other for a moment before she poked him.

“Enough with the self-deprecation. It’s been disallowed. None of this was your fault. Okay?”

“Okay.” Adrien echoed.

“Good.” Marinette said severely. Oh, he loved her.

“Will-” Adrien blurted out. “I mean – um – would you – can I get you lunch some time?”

Marinette’s eyes widened comically, her cheeks flushing. “Er. Yes. I’d really lo – like that. To get lunch.”

“O-Okay.” Adrien stammered. Wow, real eloquent. He could hear Plagg snickering at him.

There was a shuffling through the wall, and they tensed. What would happen if a nurse walked in and found a strange boy in Marinette’s room? From the look in Marinette’s eye she seemed to be having the same thought.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.” Adrien whispered. Marinette nodded. “Claws out.”

Chat Noir leaned down to kiss Marinette’s hand before ducking through the window and into the Paris night sky, feeling lighter than he had in years.

[ayankun]

WandaVision episode 6

FIRST OFF

Whenever I go back to pause things for clues, and find exactly what I’m looking for, I don’t feel justified, I feel that much more insane:

It’s really hard to make out, but I had an alright look at it on my folks’ QLED, and it’s definitely a flying saucer doing an alien abduction on what looks to be a person inside an old CRT TV (with some kind of robot head/boombox on top???)  There are secret aliens in this show, you guys, the facts don’t lie.

HmmmMMMM I wonder if Agnes is as innocent as she looks:

Also, I didn’t see that she was wearing the brooch in this ep, and I was majorly disappointed in that.

Two things here:

No, that’s not a twins joke.

Another Moonmen Confirmed

I know green is his color or whatever, but that hat is literally 10 years ahead of its time

Also, I took the playing-DDR-at-home scenario at face value, and only on the first rewatch did I realize it was a very pointed turn-of-the-century reference.  I am an Old.

There’s a good, subtle Rule of Threes in this ep.  The Setup:

The Sokovian Halloween flashback works on so many levels.  It’s so funny:

The fact that they went trick-or-treating at all

The “speaking Sokovian”

The treat being a fish

They have to share the fish

The concept that this event gave them an infectious disease

“You probably suppressed a lot of the trauma” -- it’s a good sitcom joke but.  the trauma is the joke.  The joke IS THE TRAUMA!!!

Elizabeth Olson is a dream with all her wonderful faces she has this ep.

Vision’s unsettling passive-aggression-sitcom-cooperation whiplash is WOW, consider me unsettled!!!!!!  “Be. Good.”  UGH.

(Just noticed one here, but there are a number of continuity errors in this episode, enough to be distracting later on, and is this a deliberate choice?  Please let it be deliberate.  I didn’t watch a whole lot of Malcolm in the Middle, is it known for its continuity errors?

)

“It’s their first Halloween.” LOLOLOL they are TEN YEARS OLD and this is their FIRST halloween I LOVE IT

DOUBLE RED HERRING CONFIRRRRRRRRMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agent Jimmy Woo accidentally identifying himself as the sassy best friend added 20 years to my life.

Found.  FOUND.  Not “created,” “manifested,” “willed into being using my insane witch powers.”  Third Party Confirmed.

I like that it’s the 90s and we can swear on TV now.  “Hell” “kick-ass” “damn it” “fu---dge”

I think the most biting part of Vision finding the whacked out folks is that the soundtrack just kind of ... ignores that anything’s wrong.  Yeah, it’s kinda-spooky Halloween music, but it’s still 100% in-world kinda-spooky-sitcom-Halloween-episode music. 

OKAY LET’S TALK ABOUT THE AD:

As a 90s child, let me tell you, this is a blisteringly accurate representation of children’s marketing from the period.  The shark is wearing sunglasses AND he has a surfboard!!!  And he’s selling you yogurt of all things!!!!!  This is the supreme distillation of what being a child in the 90s was like.

How disappointed I am that they went with crab instead of lobster.

Heard it through the grapevine that this is a representative of Wanda’s imprisonment on the Raft.  That happened in Civil War, right?  So the next ad is The Snap?  We’re running out of iconic decades, too. so, hold on, new thought.

90s: Civil War

00s: Infinity War

10s?????: Endgame???? or?????????

??: Whatever happened between Endgame and WandaVision, given that the ads are stepping forward through Wanda’s IRL life events!!

I don’t want to know how many episodes are planned/announced, but I don’t know what to expect from the format after they run out of decades from which to draw.  Maybe there are only one or possibly two “sitcom” episodes left.  Maybe after that it just breaks down and they can pick and choose from the worlds/styles we’ve already established.  That’d be p neat.  A very unique kind of chaos.

god she’s so cute

Okay, somebody explain to me Pietro.  I honestly walked away from last week thinking he was just some townsperson chump, but then I was reminded that this is the Quicksilver actor from all those X-Mans movies I never watched, soooo people are saying Multiverse Confirmed?  But, if this is X-Mans’ Pietro, then why did he die the same as MCU Pietro?  Or is he literally MCU!Pietro’s corpse, given that he looked all dead same as when she saw Vision’s corpse?  If MCU!Pietro, then why different face???

????????????????

Also I found him highly suspicious, what with all the questions he was asking.  But the only sort of person who would truly want to know the answers to those questions would be someone who already had them ... so I think he was just asking on behalf of the audience, and the delivery was all wonked out.

Rule of Threes - The Reference:

Ok, real talk, whenever computers/networks/data/encryption/servers/mainframes et al come up in mainstream media, I just look away.  I don’t need the kind of psychic damage that comes with such egregious mishandling of the topic.

That being said, does Hayward having eyes through the barrier mean that he could possibly be involved in getting it set up?  Because look.  If Hayward-after-Hayward’s-Villianous-Ends is one antagonizing force, then is there really room for the Third Party (Confirmed) antagonizing force that’s lurking in the negative space silhouette of the Inciting Incident?  With Wanda as the Red Herring antagonizing force, that’s just.  There’s just too many villains, alright?  We gotta start merging these plotlines.

(then again, when I just said “eyes” I realize probably understanding the true nature of his new secret “CATARACT” project will clear a lot of things up.  I’ll wait for enlightenment)

Agnes’ license plate in this episode is 0A1-B2C, which I think is a reference to the way reality is getting pared down to bare bones at the edge of town.  Note that this is not the same license plate number as seen last ep.

ALSO, I drove home behind a NJ plate just an hour ago, and was staring at it for a long time, trying to fit it into the puzzle before A) realizing that this was Real Life and not part of the show and B) WTF is a NJ plate doing in front of me in California.  In any case, I can confirm that NJ plates do not appear to have this number-letter repeating format.

So let’s talk Agnes.

Demonstrated knowledge of the situation in ways others haven’t (”There’s the star of the show” “kids, you can’t control ‘em”)

Shows up when needed most (explained as being Wanda’s doing, but is it)

When Wanda was having her babies, though, who was trustworthy enough to be summoned?  Was it Agnes?

Wanted to babysit REAL BAD

Was in the opening credits framed possessively with the twins

Doesn’t appear to have an IRL identity according to Jimmy’s crime board

Keeps talking about her husband but we’ve never seen him.  Highly unlikely that he’s real

Was the one to find Sparky “dead” - internet thinks she was lying to Wanda about how or possibly if he was dead (I’m trying not to read the theories, so idk exactly what the angle is there)

In an episode where everyone is wearing their original comic outfits, Agnes is dressed as (and laughs like!) a witch

She name-drops Wanda as the one controlling everyone; Norm (or the guy playing Norm) only said “she” and “her” -- meaning Agnes?

Naughty

So we’re 99% sure Agnes is Agatha Harkness, right?  I never read no comics, so I’m taking the internet’s word for it, but from what I can tell, I think we must be right.  If that’s the case, then I’m thinking it’s not impossible for her to be pulling some strings around here (giving Wanda a justification for her “that wasn’t me” doorbell ring, for example, and pulling a double red herring on the fact that she shows up whenever the narrative Wanda her nefarious scheme calls for it).

To devil’s advocate myself, though, we also have Monica’s word that it was Wanda in her mind, lessening the impact of Agnes falsely confirming what Norm only implied.  Also she’d have to be acting for Vision’s sake (and ours) and, if so, then what did Vision’s brain-touch really do, and how did she know he’d find her there, and what did she intend as the result of that interaction etc etc.

If Wanda’s (or Wanda + Third Party Confirmed (Agnes??)’s) powers aren’t enough to sustain the simulation of life on the edges of town, how much worse is it going to be now that there is even more area to try to control???

I don’t know if this is strictly an intended read, but the idea of Halloween as a fun, scares-for-entertainment’s sake type holiday, the rounding off the edges of concepts like “skeletons and ghosts are what people are after they die, let’s decorate the town with them and have a good time” kind of is a haunting parallel to the nature of Wanda (et al) covering up the horrible truth of the situation with this happy-go-lucky sitcom glamour.

How much does one hate seeing Vision giving his life for the greater good (the greater good) for the second time?  In other news, I think I’m seeing some specifically Mind Stone type energy-colors coming off of him, and very little Wanda type energy-colors.  Third Party Confirmed.

Also, I was thinking from last week that perhaps Hayward’s Villainous Ends included capturing the reanimated Vision to be one of those Sentient Weapons his organization is all about, but I Do Not Think his reaction to seeing that sought-after prize disintegrate in front of his eyes really matches up with that theory.  Again, will be patiently waiting for Jimmy to check his email to see what CATARACT is all about!

Rule of Threes - The Payoff:

Also, anyone ID the movie playing in the background?

Ok, final thought.  I watched this about four times today, and on the big-ass TV at my parents’ house finally paused and got up close to see what that white shape is in the reflection.  Thought it might be a skull, but, it’s worse.

These caps do not contain enough data to verify my claim, but I PROMISE YOU it’s a TV

A square old thing with a round screen and antenna on top. 

I SWEAR to you, when I looked into the TV, into Wanda’s eyes, only to see the reflection of a TV, of her looking at me looking at her I had a visceral fear reaction.  Like.  LEGIT nauseous skin crawl.

(All the other episodes have ended with our POV as the fourth wall, from the general (or exact!!!) position their household TV is known to be.)

This is my favorite show Of All Time.

[deckof-dragons]

Firstly I absolutely love your writing. It's really detailed and creative! Secondly I have a suggestion, but you don't have to do it if you rather not too. What if one of Hat Kid's family members show up to take her back after Snatcher adopted her? I think her family wouldn't have been the best if a child about 7-9(I headcannon her around that age) is going around in space alone with time pieces.

Thank you for the request! This is a direct prequel to one of my other drabbles: Haunted. If you have read that then you know how this fic ends and if not I suggest reading that fic after this one because this ends in an angsty place that is resolved in Haunted. It does require a spoilerly warning though: Hat Kid dies in this fic and becomes a ghost. It’s pretty graphic, far more so than in Ghost Kid, so just a head’s up on that. I apologize if you had something much lighter in mind when sending in this request but it just fit so I went with it because I wanted to. I also kinda recommend reading Guilt before this one if you want a bit more context on the situation because this is also a sequel to that fic. (I have a whole timeline thing going on with these drabbles, multiple in fact, this one is the biggest and the one that have the most connections between some of the fics.)

Visitors

Hunting for traitors normally fell to someone else but this one was personal. This traitor was the Headmaster’s own granddaughter, left to him when his failure of a son had died. It was a shame she’d turned out even worse than him despite her initial promise; she’d risen through the school’s ranks, reaching the final test in record time – only one other student even came close to comparing. But then she’d failed the test and upon learning that had turned traitor and ran away.

It had taken the Headmaster’s men far too long to finally locate her. She was on a tiny out of the way planet with no access to space travel. It was the perfect place to hide; if it wasn’t for the beacon hidden on her ship, revealing its location to a scout ship entering the system, she probably never would’ve been found.

Now was the Headmaster really about to descend upon the planet to capture his granddaughter and bring her home to be executed as a traitor? If his wife were still alive, she’d insist on it. She wasn’t though so he might take pity and spare the child because of the promise she’d shown before but only if she came back with him without much of a fight.

“Sir,” the man he’d sent to scout the situation on the planet said upon stepping into the command room to report. “Apparently the child has been adopted by a powerful being known as the Snatcher. As you ordered, I did not get close enough to be seen by her and thus I could not determine much about this Snatcher person. Only that he is very powerful and lives in a haunted forest, presumably the same forest the stolen ship is parked in. What are you orders?”

“We wait until the child is alone in the ship, beam to it and deal with her however best we can and then leave.” They were on a mission hunting a child and thus they hadn’t brought much fire or man power. They still might be able to deal with the Snatcher though, depending on just how powerful he was, but it was best not to risk it if they didn’t have to. They were here solely for the kid after all, they could send someone back for the ship later after she’d been secured or dealt with if needed.

***

Hat Kid checked her mailbox upon returning to her ship. It was empty, meaning Snatcher’s newest contractor hadn’t yet been given the mail delivery task – normally she or a Subconite did it but whenever a contractor was around Snatcher made them do it instead. It should come tomorrow though which was exciting because this time around she’d added a whole human ribcage to the bone mailing game. The Subconite she’d sent it to better appreciate it because she’d worked hard to find it.

She skipped merrily up the ramp and into the ship, using the door in the window. Rumbi rolled over as if to greet her but really it just wanted to vacuum up the little bit of dirt she’d tracked in from outside. She smiled and gave it a little pet anyway because it had been her only companion for a long time before finding this planet.

Now off to the kitchen she went in the search for food. She was at the base of the ladder when she heard the distinctive sound of someone beaming in behind her. No one on this planet but her should be able to do that unless they’d stolen her phone. There was also no ‘Intruder Alert’ over the intercoms, meaning the ship’s sensors recognized whoever it was.

As she snapped around, she pulled out her umbrella. Despite her suspicions her heart still sunk at the sight of the Headmaster and five of his men standing in the middle of the room. How had they found her? And why had the Headmaster himself come? Wasn’t he too important to hunt down a traitor, especially a child? She wasn’t that dangerous, was she?

“I recommended putting down your weapon,” the Headmaster said with that same air of superiority he always used that she hated so much. “It won’t do you any good. Come with us peacefully and I might be willing to forgive you traitorous actions.”

If given this option a couple years ago, shortly after she’d first run away, she probably would’ve taken it. She’d never wanted to become a traitor or run away from what had been her home for all her life. But she’d since found a home here and honestly, she liked it more than her old home. People actually liked and cared for her here, she had a family now – a very odd one sure but who cares? – and friends. She didn’t want to leave them.

“No, I don’t think I will,” she said, putting on her own haughty attitude to counteract his. “I’m not going anywhere with you so how about you just leave and never come back?”

She frowned at her, making his already ugly wrinkled face uglier. “Well, we gave you a chance. I guess we’ll just have to take you by force.” He gestured and his lackies all started reaching to pull something out of their cloaks.

Hat Kid didn’t wait to see what it was before switching to the time stop hat. Activating it, she dashed at them and whacked the Headmaster’s shin hard enough that he should lose his balance. She didn’t wait to find out for sure though as she continued past them and back outside through the door.

Time resumed its normal flow as she reached the bottom of the ramp. She kept running. They undoubtedly had better weapons than her so she didn’t stand a chance against them by herself. But Snatcher should be here soon so…

A loud bang filled the air. Suddenly she was falling to the forest floor with a pain worse than any she’d ever felt before piercing through her body. She tried to push herself back up but for some reason all the strength was gone from her limbs. Oh gosh it hurt so much. How was it even possible to be in this much pain and still be conscious? Well… that at least wouldn’t last for long, darkness was already taking her.

***

There were suddenly more living things in the forest. They’d just appeared there, much like how Hat Kid did when porting back to her ship. It was even about the same spot as her ship. Snatcher would go investigate after he was done dealing with this contractor.

It was a Mafia goon, the most common type of person to wonder into the forest due to their lack of intelligence. But they were good for manual labor projects like unclogging the damn well for the umpteenth time, and repairing parts of the swamp walkway, it was getting too dilapidated lately. And running mail too of course just because it was there and needed to be done so why not?

“There, that ought to do for now,” he said with a grin as he snapped his figures, magicking the freshly signed contract away.

The Mafia goon said something in response but Snatcher suddenly wasn’t paying attention because over by her ship, Hat Kid was using one her hats. He was familiar enough with their magic energy signatures by now to know it was the time stop hat. Not one she used often and typically only when in combat or dodging it.

She was probably fine. She was more than capable of taking care of herself but…

“I have something I need to attend to,” he said, looking back at the Mafia goon. “Talk to my minions about directions to the swamp and where materials for the walkway are.”

He didn’t wait for a response before teleporting over. As always, he placed himself a distance away from whatever was happening and hidden so he could get a read on the exact situation before jumping in. And he didn’t want to interfere if he wasn’t needed.

Hat Kid was running away from her ship as a man wearing a uniform of some sort poked himself out the front door of the ship with something in his hand pointed at her. There was a loud bang and suddenly Hat Kid stumbled and fell onto her front. She put a hand under herself as if to try to push herself back but didn’t. In fact, after that she didn’t move at all. She went limp, as her blood pooled beneath her, soaking into the ground. Her life faded fast, far quicker than Snatcher could even try to do anything about.

She was dead. He’d just watched her die. How… how as that even possible? She couldn’t die, she was… she was Hat Kid, seemingly nothing could kill her, not even Snatcher himself had been able to do it. And… she was his, he didn’t let things that belonged to him die or be destroyed, ever. So… there was no way it was real because it just couldn’t be.

“You shot her,” an angry voice cut into his shock. A group of men were exiting the ship. The one speaking was an old man and clearly the leader of the group. “I told you we were taking her alive you fools.”

“Sorry sir, I acted on instinct.”

“And we were going to execute her anyway so it doesn’t…”

With a snarl, Snatcher summoned a burst of power under their feet. It pushed them back away from Hat Kid’s body as it hit, making them scream in pain and surprise. He immediately summoned another and another and another as he got closer. Taken completely by surprise, they didn’t stand a chance and all of them were dead after the third blast. He didn’t even bother snatching their souls as they departed. Instead he kept summoning blast after blast after blast until he had a little crater filled with magic fire born purely from the energy of his magic. But even that wasn’t enough, he was going to…

The sound of a child gasping in shocked fear came from behind him. He snapped around to see the horrid sight of Hat Kid’s lifeless body again but that wasn’t all. A small ghost hovered a few feet above it: Hat Kid. Her form even still had the hat and cloak. She was staring at her body, hands pressed to either side of her face in utter horror. The silence held for a couple seconds before she let out a sob of despair.

Snatcher jerked back into motion, swooping in front of her both so she could see him and so she could no longer see her corpse. “Hey kiddo,” he said with a pathetic attempt at a smile. “It’s okay… or uh well it’s not okay but…” He really didn’t know how to handle tears or what to do to console someone who’d just died. It was an awful experience and he’d certainly hadn’t had anyone nearby when he’d died willing to offer to comfort so he didn’t have anything to even try to imitate. So he was at a complete loss. But… “You’re a ghost, that’s… not good but… it means you’re still here so…”

“Dad.” She hugged him, wrapping her arms as far around his neck as she could and burying her face in his mane as she continued crying.

He sighed, giving up on cheering her up as he lifted a hand to pat her back. Being a ghost meant she was still here and for that he was grateful… was that selfish though? Didn’t matter because they were here now, he couldn’t change anything.

He teleported to his private reading hollow, bringing her with him. He settled in the chair with another sigh. He didn’t know what to do or say so he’d just let her cry on him and hope this was enough to console her at least a little bit.

For this drabble event.

[looselucy]

The Forgotten Feeling

July 1st I stood with my arms folded, pretending to be unimpressed just to see the look on my dads face, like my approval was the very last thing he was waiting on before he put an offer in on a place that was really perfect for him, scared of my disapproval. “You hate it, don’t you?” He winced. I couldn’t keep up the act any longer, a giant smile teeming with mischief finally cracking across my face. “I love it.” I admitted. “You cheeky fucker.” He whacked my arm lightly. “You had me worried then!”

“You’re so easy to wind up.” I sniggered. “Genuinely, it’s lovely. I love it. Get a bloody move on before someone else snaps it up.” We were less than an hour out of Rosebury, which was perfect as far as I was concerned. My main worry was that he would have been hours away, but our trip to the viewing that morning had felt like nothing whatsoever. My car hadn’t even struggled, which was a miracle given the state of it, but proof of just how close he would be. The town he’d chosen was a little bigger than Rosebury, with a bit more going on, somewhere where he could really build a new life and find ways to pass the time, find new habits, new friends, new passions. I was excited for him. “Are you sure?” He seemed hesitant. “Of course I’m sure. You really don’t have to worry about me, dad, I promise. I want this for you.” It was understandable why he was convinced I’d want him to stick around, because I’d been encouraging him to move back to Rosebury for some time before he actually did. But that was before I actually saw him there, recognized what living in that village did to him. It wasn’t healthy. I wanted him to leave, which wouldn’t have even made sense to me a year earlier, but times had changed. “Come on, let’s get it done. Gotta head back soon anyway.” I took a deep breath in. “I’ve got a date.” “Is that tonight?” He seemed so happy for me, so sweet as we headed down the stairs towards the front door. “Mhm.” “And how’re you feeling about it?” “Okay, I think, yeah.” I nodded. “Sort of excited. Kinda nervous.” “Good. I think it’s good to be nervous.” “Yeah, I think so too. And I dunno what he has planned for me, which is cute. He wants to take me out of Rosebury, but other than that I’m clueless.” I was heading into the evening with an open mind, feeling positive, strangely calm even with my nerves. In all honesty, it was nice to have something to distract me from my time with Julia, which was something I’d had a hard time moving on from. Even though being around her and talking with her had been curiously constructive, even nice in some ways, it had also been incredibly draining and upsetting. She’d stayed in my shop with me for some time, until we both felt we were in a fit enough state to face the rest of the day. We’d spoke about Harry a little more, the two of us fretting over his general welfare, asking questions that neither of us had the answer to. The main thing I had established was that she wanted to see him again, maybe even more than he wanted to see her. She asked me about Jack, too. If I knew him. I hadn’t known what to say, how I could answer her. Thankfully, she seemed much more aware of what was going on in Jack’s life than she was Harry’s, even telling me it hadn’t been too long since she last saw him. She told me how one time when he was arrested, he managed to reach her, asked her for a place to stay, promised he’d changed, that he wanted to be better. He’d all but emptied her bank account only a few days later, taking what little she had for himself and disappearing. She told me it had happened the previous April, and I knew in my heart that Jack had headed straight from his mother to Harry, robbing from the two of them in a matter of days. I didn’t say it but I knew it. Harry had never really told me about what Jack had said to him when he’d broken into his house that night, all I knew was that he’d gotten into his head and planted so much doubt and misery there that Harry had retreated, cowered backwards into a state where he daren’t find his mother, daren’t speak. Jack had known exactly what to say to ensure that his little brother experienced both mental and physical pain. He made sure to leave a trail of damage behind simply because he knew had the power to do so; for no other reason than because he could. Maybe he’d said he’d been with their mother, lied to Harry and said she wanted nothing to do with him. Maybe it was something else. I knew I’d never get the answers I desired, but knowing Julia and Jack had been together so soon before Jack found Harry, it got me thinking. Jack wasn’t like Harry. He had no desire to change, no good in his heart that told him what was right and what was wrong. He didn’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness, and nor was he asking for it, even when he said he was. And though I knew Julia had wanted to find Harry, I imagined that being in touch with Jack and seeing how he hadn’t changed, how he’d worsened, would make her question whether or not seeking Harry was the right thing. It would only be natural for her to feel that way. I’d spoken so highly of her youngest that I hoped all qualms and hesitations had been erased. Before she left, we had exchanged numbers, hoping to one day relay good news when it came to Harry, his wellbeing, his whereabouts, but I didn’t feel confident that we’d ever get back in touch with each other unless she was to visit my store again one day. I was trying not to think about it. “Let me go talk to the estate agent, see what my next move should be.” My dad said as we headed outdoors. The money he’d managed to save when hoping to keep Rita in that home for another year meant he had more than enough money for a good mortgage on the house he was interested in, which was one less thing to worry about. I waited on the sidelines as they spoke things through, looking up and down the busy street, cars zipping by every few seconds, and it was already so different to Rosebury simply because of the general atmosphere. I was positive it was going to be good for him there. Really good. My dad approached me a few minutes later, a big smile on his face. “M’gunna follow him in the car, go to the estate agents. Do you have time to come with? I’m not sure how long it’ll be.” “Um, I should probably head off, really. Prep myself for this date.” “Mentally or physically?” He laughed. “Um… Probably more mental, to be honest.” He leaned inwards, gave me a quick hug and a kiss right on the top of my head, his sweet sendoff. “Thanks for coming.” “Anytime.” “And don’t feel any pressure, alright?” He said, taking a few cautious steps backwards. “If it’s not right, it’s not right, and that’s okay.” “Meaning?” “Meaning…” He took a few seconds, thought carefully about his words. “If your heart isn’t in it, there might be a good reason for that. It takes a long time for a heart to heal, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. And if it doesn’t feel right… well, it’s best to be honest. With yourself and with him.” “I… I think you might be overthinking it, dad.” I tried. “Good. I hope so. I’m just saying.” He was still smiling like he had the whole thing figured out. “See you soon.” We bid our farewells and then he was gone, leaving me stood questioning whether or not he was onto something, whether I’d been thinking that moving on within myself must involve moving on with someone new. My dad wasn’t the only one who was overthinking.

“This place is really fancy.” I whispered, snuggling down into my seat once our waitress had taken our orders. “Yeah, I think it’s maybe too fancy. I might have made a mistake. It’s definitely a level of fancy that we, as people, are not at.” It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable, not really, maybe just unfamiliar. We were in a town I didn’t know, in a restaurant I’d never been to with prices so extortionate I wondered if there might be little pieces of gold sprinkled onto the top of our food. Familiar suited me, always had. I’d grown up in the same place, barely left, been surrounded by the same people, had the same job since I was nineteen. I guess that was one of the reasons I felt okay about being there with Lincoln; that lovely familiarity which I’d always enjoyed so much. Even at our strangest, our least conversant, I still felt bizarrely at ease around him; safe, almost. Before our meal, he’d taken me to a little place where they had beer-pong tables set up, having a quick couple of matches and knocking some drinks back to ready us for the evening. “I think the beer-pong was more on our level.” I confessed. “I’d suggest we just go back but I’m starving.” He wheezed. “I asked for a recommendation from a lad I work with, one of the other coaches. He said it’s unreal here, and to be honest, he’s not even fancy.” I giggled jauntily, looking down like I was afraid to hold eye contact for too long, wishing I still had a menu to peruse because at least that had given me a good excuse. We hadn’t kissed since our time by the lake over a week prior, and even then it was brief, a way of testing the waters we were treading. “Well, uh… thanks for inviting me.” “Thanks for coming.” He said diffidently. “I’ve been… nervous.” “Yeah?” “You don’t give much away.” His smile was timorous, sheepish. “I literally… I can’t read you.” He seemed almost intimidated, in a way. It was endearing. “Well, what do you wanna know?” “Everything. I wanna know everything.” I already felt as though Lin knew all there was to know, but deep down I knew that wasn’t the case. There are some things it seems your soul saves, making sure you only share with certain people in certain moments, our absolute truths. He’d been in my life very closely for a long time, but there was still so much left to learn. There were sections of my soul he had never seen, and from the look in his eyes then I could see that he wanted nothing more than to experience that epiphany. So we just started talking. We talked and talked without even pausing for breath. When our meals came, they seemed to be pushed aside to make way for the conversations we were having, laughing, sharing, opening up to each other. Our conversations were idle, thoughtful, needless, necessary. We covered so much ground that we wound up sitting there for hours, as contented and calm around one another as we always had been. The only problem I found was that I practically forgot we were on a date. I didn’t feel worried, or apprehensive, or giddy. I was simply sitting with Lin and it was nothing. No matter how much we talked, how much we learnt, how much I enjoyed myself, I knew he wasn’t seeing parts of me saved for a special few, and I wasn’t seeing those parts of him. Everything was so ordinary, standard. I didn’t feel that pull, that excitement, that spark. That familiarity I loved so much was working against us. It wasn’t that I was expecting some grand moment, not on our first date, but I wanted something that I realised I wasn’t getting. It happened in our moments silence, when the bill was handed over to us, the staff practically on the verge of kicking us out since we were the last ones in there; that’s when it happened. I felt like seeing Harry’s mum had thrown me off the steady course I had been walking for the past few months. He was back to being at the forefront of my mind and it made things so fucking difficult. There never seemed to be any closure. When he left after my mother’s funeral, I thought that was it. I knew he was leaving and I knew I wouldn’t see him again, and that should have been enough but it wasn’t and I was only just beginning to realise that. There were too many factors, too many questions left unanswered. Even the way he was before he left, the way we’d kissed, the things he’d said, the way I could literally feel that he didn’t want to leave, his reluctance heavy upon my chest. I wanted to close the door on us so badly, to shut him out, cease my uncertainties, but it was harder than I thought it would be. “Alf?” I heard Lin talk, but didn’t move. “Alfie?” “Hm?” I shot my head up. “You alright? You kinda… disappeared there, for a second.” “Sorry. I’m fine. Sorry.” “What’s wrong?” It was time to be honest, even if I didn’t fully know what being honest would entail. He deserved as much. So did I. “Do you know how you feel about me?” I asked. “What?” “Do you… have a good grasp on how you feel about me? About all of this?” “I… Yeah, I think I do. Why? Do you… Do you not?” He already seemed crushed, not wanting to hear my answer at the same time as needing to know how I’d been feeling. “Uh… I dunno. It’s like I’m waiting for this moment of clarity, but it’s not happening.” I admitted gloomily. “I still feel… really unsure of what I want and how I feel and it’s pissing me off.” Though he grinned, there was a sadness in his eyes that he couldn’t quite hide, clearing his throat and looking down to the table before he answered me. “Well, y’know… we’ve been friends for a long time. I think it’d be weird if it did just… switch like that. Maybe it’ll take some time.” “Is that how you feel?” “Uh…” He was awkward, shifting in his seat, messing with his hair. “I’ve… Personally, I’ve thought about this for a while, so it’s different for me. I think I was pretty set on it, to be honest.” “So… How do you feel? What’s going on in your head?” “I’m having a good time. I’m enjoying your company, and like… I think you’re amazing. I love spending time with you. If we could do this every night, that’s me happy.” I smiled, weirdly feeling a similar way. We’d had such a lovely evening, I really didn’t have a bad word to say about it, even now we’d seen the bill. But that didn’t mean romance to me. “Do you worry that… we don’t have a spark?” I asked guardedly. “I think if there was no spark at all, we wouldn’t be here, right?” He seemed to be asking rather than telling me. “M’starting to doubt myself a bit though. If you don’t wanna be here-” “I do, that’s the thing! I do wanna be here, and I’ve had the best night tonight. This is the happiest I’ve been for… fucking months, but… I dunno. I think I’m waiting on that rushed feeling.” “But you’re not getting it.” He couldn’t look at me, voice low, dejected. It pained me to answer him, but I thought about my fathers’ words earlier, about honesty, and even though it wasn’t the easiest option, I knew it was the best. “No.” I wanted to cry. “M’sorry. I wish I was, but…” “Okay.” He took a deep breath in, sucked it right into his chest to the point where his posture changed completely, sitting upright and rolling his shoulders. “M’kinda worried that… something’s holding you back. Like maybe you’re too lost in your head with it. I mean… it’s fine, if you’re not feeling it, I get it. But I just… I don’t want that to be because you’re holding yourself back, y’know? I get that there’s bound to be reservations, we’ve been friends for so fucking long, I get it. But I think we’ve really gotta let it happen naturally and not… think about it too much. Or maybe I’m just… fucking forcing it, I dunno. I just wanted this to work so much and-” “No, I get it. I do. You might be right, y’know. I’ve… definitely overthought a few things. Shit, this whole thing is such a head fuck.” I groaned. “And I wanna try and I wanna put the effort in and see how it goes, but I also don’t wanna feel like I’m dragging this out and giving you false hope if I’m not set on it and I just… I’m so fucking annoyed with myself.” My frustration cultivated from the knowledge that what he said could have been completely true. I’d thought about it so much and linked it to different things and questioned every inch of it to the point where I was bound to be doubting myself, doubting what was happening. There may have been a good reason behind it, but it also might have just been complete nonsense that was bred simply from my whirring mind being unable to rest. There had been a time when I’d overthought things with Harry, calling an end to it before it had even began, and to look back that seemed so strange to me. Maybe this was a similar thing. The only difference was that even when I’d tried to put a stop to things with Harry, after our first time together and in the early hours of New Year’s Day, something always brought me back to him, this benevolent energy pulling us together, some higher force willing our souls to intertwine. That was lacking with Lin. I sat in silence, wishing away the migraine my thoughts were causing. “Can I kiss you again?” He asked tenderly. “I really wanna fucking kiss you.” “Lin, why the hell do you wanna kiss me after all the shit I’ve just said?” “Because I do.” He shrugged, like it was nothing. “We can find our spark. We’ve just gotta… let it happen. We’ve gotta allow it to happen. I mean, I feel it. But I get it, if you’ve got a guard up. It makes sense, after everything that happened with Sam, but… Yeah. I dunno.” I nodded. Strangely enough, I didn’t blame Sam for how guarded I was. I suppose I hadn’t really thought of myself as guarded at all until he said that. I hadn’t thought that might be one of the many reasons why I was unsure. The demise of me and Harry was the reason for my hesitancy. The pain he’d caused was more substantial and rooted than anything I’d known before, a sign of just how deeply I had loved him. “So can I kiss you?” He asked, the happiness returning to his eyes, which sparked a happiness in me. My nod was small and rapid, shy as he stood himself up to lean across the table, leaving me to do little of the work as I leant forward just slightly so he could reach me, placing his hands in my hair, right against the back of my head, ushering me that bit closer so he could place his lips upon mine, the two of us still smiling a little at first, and then we eased into it, Lin knocking over a wine glass as we lost ourselves. It was nice not completely over-analyse that moment, and instead simply enjoy it.

July 2nd “Morning!” I greeted Louis with a giant smile as I let myself into the shop, feeling good, feeling fresh. “Hey!” He seemed shocked by my presence. “Thought you were gunna rock up late today?” “Ah, yeah well me and Lin didn’t get as drunk as I imagined we might.” I’d told Louis not to expect me until the afternoon, predicting that Lincoln and I would be having one too many drinks in order to get through our date contentedly, but that hadn’t been the case at all. I figured I might as well turn up to work a few hours earlier than anticipated. “How was it?” Louis asked, stood a little rigidly in the middle of the shop floor as I edged around him to get behind the counter, ready myself for the day. “Uh… it was fine.” I sighed but smiled. “It was really nice, I don’t have a bad word to say about any of it, especially him.” “But?” He raised his brows. “I’m not thinking about the but right now.” I held my hand up as though literally blocking his words. “All I’m thinking about is the fact I had a nice night. I need to do less thinking.” “Okay.” He sniggered, turning on his spot so he was facing me. “Uh, so a weird thing happened this morning.” It was immediately obvious to me that he was too distracted by whatever had gone on to grill me on my date with Lin. I figured that was why he seemed tense, strange. “What’s up?” “Uh, not much. Just a bit of a mix up with a delivery. Sort of. The thing is… Shit. C’mon, I’ll just show you.” He cleared his throat and began leading me towards the back room, where we kept the kettle, a few bottles of wine we usually used for tasting, and every other bit of rubbish and half used item we didn’t know what else to do with. It was messy but charming in there. “I didn’t even know we had a delivery due today.” I mumbled as I followed him. “That’s the thing, we didn’t! I just kinda predicted it was a delivery for the shop,” He was rambling. “But it was actually a delivery for you. So, I’m sorry, I opened it. I’m really sorry, I genuinely didn’t have a clue, I thought it was a new sign for over the door and-” “Louis, I don’t care! It’s fine!” I chuckled. “Just… Don’t freak out, okay?” He cringed with his fingers grasped around the handle, leaving me only a second to panic over his words before he swung the door open and revealed what had gotten him into such a state. “What… the fuck.” I whispered. I felt sick. My head was spinning and my stomach churning, blinking as though what I’d seen might disappear, like I’d imagined it. Because propped up against the desk on the floor right in front of me, was an infamous piece of work, one I never thought I’d see with my own eyes. It was Harry’s painting. His Blood Sun. Dizzily, I approached it, waiting until I was just a few inches away before I practically fell down to my knees, reaching and stroking my fingers across the paint, looking up and down and over every inch of in an attempt to make sense of what I was seeing, an attempt to appreciate the splendour beneath my trace. Fuck, it was beautiful. It was so fucking beautiful I thought I was going to cry. It was so much bigger than I had ever imagined it to be, standing taller than me even when I was on my feet and wider than my arms could reach. The paint protruded victoriously from the canvas, some parts sharp, others smooth. The colours were remarkably stimulating, so bright that they were emerging from the canvas, budding outwards to meet me, as though they had a complete life of their own and I was their goddess, their colours a quiet prayer that whispered from between the linen and blessed my ears. It felt like an honour to become so well acquainted with its true exquisiteness; to actually touch a masterpiece. It was striking, astounding, alluring, substantial and profound, utterly dazzling in its beauty. I abruptly fully understood why this certain painting had received the reaction it had, because it was wholly overwhelming and entirely consuming. I kept one hand on the canvas, the other covering my mouth, spellbound. “Uh, so I don’t know about you,” Louis mumbled from behind me. “But I am freaking the fuck out about this.” “There’s no way this is the real thing.” I whipped my head around to him. “There’s just no way.” “Alfie, who the fuck are you kidding? Of course it’s the real thing.” He scalded as I turned back to face the piece. “And seriously, I googled it just before you got here, and the last offer he got was dangerously close to a million and he turned it down.” “What the fuck? What the fuck?” “That was only a few weeks ago. He knew he was gunna send it to you. He must have. Do you realise how much fucking money is sitting right in front of you?” “This shouldn’t be here. This should be in a fucking… museum, I don’t know! What the fuck was he thinking?” I was genuinely in a state of shock. I couldn’t think of a reason why he’d send me that painting, because the only thing I could think at that time was how I’d told him I didn’t want paintings that derived from his pain; I didn’t want paintings with blood, and this painting had more blood than any of his others. Three years of literal blood, sweat and tears had been put into the painting before me. I didn’t know what I was supposed to think, how I was supposed to feel. “Was there an address on it?” I turned back to Louis. “No.” “But… But if it’s international, there has to be!” I cried, talking more to myself. “That means he’s in the country, right? That means he’s home!” “I dunno. I dunno how that stuff works. God knows where he is.” I got back to my feet, inspected the top of the painting closely, unable to stop myself from touching the piece. Despite the sinister reasons he was a physical part of that painting, I still felt this overwhelming sense of him, his body and soul, aware that it was the closest I’d been to him in some time. “Why would he send me this?” I whispered. “There’s a note.” Louis’ voice was deadpan, cautious. “What?” “He attached a note for you.” “Wh-what does it say?” He took a step back, reaching to the counter to pick up a small slip of thick paper that he must have placed there earlier, nervous to pass it over to me but knowing he had to. Before I’d even looked at the words he’d written I was crying. I knew in that exact moment that even though I wanted to, I wasn’t ready to move on. My heart was still aching, still lost within this space he had created, a place where it still somehow felt safe in spite of everything. I’d had given him my heart the day I told him I loved him and never claimed it back. Shaking, I took the note from Louis’ hand, biting ruthlessly at my bottom lip, vision blurry but unable to block the few words he had handwritten carefully for me to see. Thank you for helping me heal. Yours, Harry. That was it. No more, no less. And suddenly it made sense, why he’d passed the painting onto me. He had struggled inordinately when it came to selling that painting; it harboured so much meaning for him and yet so much agony. It was almost his way of grounding himself, tying himself to a certain feeling, a negativity, a pain. His heartbreak had been homed in that painting, making his feelings towards it so intricate he’d never quite known what to do. I had truly thought that the day he felt he could finally sell that painting would be a day of growth, a time in which he could finally move forward, finally start to come to terms with his father’s death, and it seemed that day had finally arrived. He had reached the point I had been longing for him to reach, and it was evident that he felt I was largely to thank for that. That was why he’d gifted it to me. I held the note to my chest, tears rolling peacefully down my cheeks. And even though being without him was still tearing me apart, I finally knew he was finding his happiness. I finally knew that the suffering he had endured for years was waning, tumultuous clouds bearing brash bolts of light making way for serene skies. It was the first time I’d felt truly at ease since he’d left. It was as though that painting didn’t merely bring peace to him, but also to me. I’d forgotten that feeling, but it ruptured within me then, as bright and compelling as the paint upon the canvas he had given me. And somehow, that was enough.

[yallreddieforthis]

Impossible Things Ch. 3

Fandom: IT Chapter Two, IT 2017

Pairing: Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak

Rating: T so far but will eventually be E

Here’s a little tiny chapter! The next one will be longer I promise!

The Skype session ends with more back and forth than a no, you hang up first teenage phone call, during which Richie makes gagging noises until it’s just the three of them. Richie, Bill and Eddie. Like how it was at the beginning of that summer, except there’s a giant metaphorical chasm where Stanley should be. Eddie’s not sure he’s ever missed him more.

“You’re sure it’s okay if I crash here?” Bill asks Richie finally.

“Yeah, of course. Any time, man.”

Eddie is the first one to notice an issue with this arrangement. 

“Not that I don’t want you here, Bill,” says Eddie, “because I do, very much, but where am I going to sleep? This is—was my apartment.”

Richie freezes for just a second before grinning. “Fine, fine Eds, no need to beg. You can bunk with me.”

“Oh, thank you,” says Eddie, rolling his eyes. “Your generosity? Overwhelming. Clearly you planned this out really well.”

Richie just grins and walks backward toward the hallway. Eddie bids Bill goodnight with another long hug.

Richie beckons Eddie toward the hallway and he follows him into the bedroom. He’s got a queen sized bed, which is fine, but only two pillows. Eddie points this out.

“So? There’s two of us. One pillow each.” He shrugs.

“Are you some kind of animal?” Eddie asks. “What do you do when you have people over? How do you only have two pillows? I bet you snore too.”

“If it’s so fucking important to you, just take ‘em both and I’ll grab a couch cushion or something,” says Richie.

Richie ends up with a balled-up throw for a pillow, which he doesn’t seem too concerned with. Eddie digs through his suitcase and finds pajamas. Just a plain white shirt and some soft striped pants. The clothes, while he didn’t pick them, are mostly things he probably would’ve picked. They feel like they belong to him when he puts them on.

He laughs when he opens the toiletry bag because absolutely nothing is like his usual stuff except the toothbrush, which is the exact same make and model as his old one. He even has a waterpik. Regardless of the dimension, Eddie is still apparently all about oral hygiene. 

Once they get in bed… Eddie doesn’t know exactly what shifted between them since the couch, but the atmosphere is entirely different. Sleepy, thick, full of something he can’t quite put his finger on. It’s like being on a first date, almost. Except this is Richie, they know each other, maybe better than anyone, and it’s not a date. They lay on their sides under the covers, facing each other. Closer than Eddie thought he would have dared.

“So Eds,” says Richie, his voice low. “You like guys, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” says Eddie. “Big time.”

Richie waggles his eyebrows. “If you like ‘em so much, why dontcha marry ‘em?”

Eddie reaches out and socks him lightly on the shoulder. “Bitch, I might,” he says, “if I met the right type of guy.”

“What’s the right type? What gets the old inhaler pumping, huh?”

Eddie answers him immediately. “Idiots. Just like...the most stupid guys. Guys who can’t keep their fuckin’ mouths shut. The kind of guys my mom would’ve hated.”

Richie’s laughter is quiet and genuine. 

Eddie continues as though this were a serious question that he’s given a lot of thought to. “And glasses--I like my guys blind, so like they won’t notice if I’ve gained a few new gray hairs since I last saw them.”

Richie snorts.

“Seriously though?” says Eddie, after a moment of just looking at Richie, taking in the fact that they’re lying in bed together and they’re safe and they’re here. “I don’t even know what my type is. I feel like… I dunno, I feel like I’ve just kinda been like, waiting.”

“Whatcha waiting for?” Richie asks, eyes bright but also heavy lidded. Sleepy, but hypnotized by the something going on between them. Even though Eddie hadn’t thought about Richie in almost three decades before this past weekend, it feels as though he’s been pining for him his whole life.

“I don’t know, asshole,” says Eddie, summoning all his bravery, “maybe waiting for you to finally fucking kiss me?”

Richie’s eyes widen and he leans in so fast Eddie doesn’t have time to take a breath, but the moment their lips touch… Oh God. They’ve done this before.

It comes back in such a rush. Eddie gasps into Richie’s mouth and holds him tighter instinctively. Like he used to. 

Well, not all the time or anything. It actually only happened once, right before Eddie moved. They were in his room, which was empty except for the two of them, and his mom was hollering at him from the car to hurry up Eddie-bear, the moving van has already left. And Eddie had been talking very fast about maybe visiting during Christmas break and next summer. He’d felt like if he stopped talking for even a second he’d start crying and never stop. The look in Richie’s eyes was something he’d never seen before, desperate and wild. Like he might just grab Eddie’s hand and pull him into the woods to hide, just so that they wouldn’t be separated. He didn’t do anything like that though, he just stood there and went oh yeah, for sure, of course you’ll visit. 

Then Eddie had run out of words to say, and they were almost out of time. Any minute his mom would start honking. And because he couldn’t think of anything else to do, he’d grabbed Richie by his stupid palm tree shirt and kissed him as hard as he could.

It was probably a bad kiss, looking back on it now. Definitely a first for both of them. Eddie couldn’t tell if the tears on his cheeks had belonged to him or Richie, or maybe both of them. Richie had kissed him back, had mumbled please. Please what? Please kiss me more? Please don’t move? Please don’t forget me?

Eddie had forgotten the kiss by the time they crossed over the state line. He wouldn’t have even recognized Richie by the following week.

And the agony of that memory melts away now, as he fits his lips against Richie’s and pulls him tighter. However they got here, whatever fucked up and impossible things happened to put them here… God, there’s absolutely nowhere he would rather be.

Richie pulls back for a second, one hand resting on Eddie’s cheek, right under his stitches. “Wait,” he says. “We did this before.” His face is so close Eddie can feel his breath on his lips.

“Yeah,” Eddie breathes. “Yeah, yeah we did. Just once.”

“Fuck,” Richie replies. “We were so stupid.”

“Yeah,” Eddie laughs.

“We should’ve just fucking run away,” says Richie.

“Where?”

“Anywhere. Here.” Eddie doesn’t point out any of the obvious problems that come along with running away with some guy you’re in love with at like fourteen. Richie kisses Eddie’s nose. His forehead. His cheek. His chin. He kisses him softly on the lips once more.

“Here’s pretty good,” Eddie admits, nose to nose with Richie. “Although your sheets fucking suck man, what’s the thread count on these?”

Richie yanks one of Eddie’s pillows out from under his head and whacks him with it. “I was trying to be romantic, you little shit,” he says.

“On your Target Dorm Essentials sheets?” Eddie giggles.

“Target, pfft,” says Richie, “these are the finest sheets Ross Dress For Less can provide.”

“You have a goddamn comedy tour,” Eddie tells him. “Why are you buying your linens at fucking Ross?! If I’m going to actually sleep here for like, more than one night, we have to get better sheets.”

Richie snorts and lets his head fall back onto his wadded up blanket.

“And more pillows, Jesus Christ, Richie.”

“Oh my god,” Richie laughs. “I forgot how fuckin’ fussy you are.”

“Fussy?!”

“Yeah,” says Richie. “Like you’re as bad as my grandma. What’ll you want next? A bed skirt?”

“What the fuck did linens ever do to hurt you,” says Eddie, giggling and pulling the comforter up under his chin because there is no top sheet. Just a comforter that smells like Richie hasn’t washed it since college—which would normally be such a turn-off—and Eddie thinks it’s a testament to the way he feels about Richie that he’d rather sleep in this shitty frat boy bed than any other bed in the world.

[thegonnagle]

Happy happy birthday to my fellow fangirl, EdWin squad companion and amazing friend @winryofresembool !!🤗🎉 A super long time ago you gave out this sort of prompt to write something based on the topic of Ed‘s leather pants, and I do keep my promises^^ (And if you’re wondering why it turns serious and angsty about halfway through I DON‘T KNOW EITHER)

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day and a year filled with lots of chocolate (both the cake kind and the EdWin kind xD❤️❤️) 

It was the stupid pants.

More precisely, it was Granny finally forcing the boys to clean out the suitcases that had been sitting in the corner of their room for weeks.

But really, it was stupid, infuriating Edward Elric, who never in his life seemed to throw anything away. Because why in the world would he still have a pair of leather pants at the bottom of his suitcase, when to the best of her knowledge, he hadn’t worn those since they’d split up that day in Briggs?

And maybe she should have known better than saying out loud how small they seemed now, but noone besides that idiot could have somehow twisted that into her calling him short. Which apparently he now had to somehow disprove by putting on clothes that were never ever going to fit-

„Brother, it’s really not necessary“ Al sighed next to her on the bed.

She’d been helping him look through the clothes he’d brought from Central, sorting out the ones he‘d already grown out of. Al had lamented the loss of the first shirts he‘d picked out for himself in more than five years, but honestly, she was glad she’d never seen him in those. It was still scary to look at him sometimes, as if he’d be blown away in the slightest breeze like a dandelion seed-

„I‘ll show you! Just you wait-“ Ed finished pulling up the stupid pants with a grunt, and admittedly, they came up quite short on the ankles.

They were also very tight higher up.

Ed didn’t seem to care though, or was willing to ignore it for the time being as he turned around with a grand flourish. The effect was slightly ruined by his struggle to stay upright.

Winry snorted, and she could hear Al shake his head with a long-suffering sigh, muttering something like „Oh, Brother“.

„What are y‘all laughing for? Shut up, I‘m taller than you-“

He kept wriggling around, apparently trying and failing to pull up the zipper with-

Her tongue caught behind her palate.

It wasn’t like- she’d seen Ed in underwear countless times, hell she’d seen him naked after his surgeries, and it wasn’t something she’d ever given a second thought too-

She knew she loved him of course, had even admitted it out loud to Granny, but there was still something profoundly embarrassing about realizing that your childhood friend had a nice ass. Like really, really nice.

Winry could feel her cheeks grow hot, and bit the inside of her lip, hard.

She forced herself to look away, focusing instead on evading the foot he kept waving around in front of their faces, presumably to show off that he had indeed outgrown the stupid leather pants.

It was a beautiful foot, if she did say so herself, with the new suspension system she’d installed three weeks ago shining through at the heel, smelling slightly of Brautmeier‘s Best Machine Oil, now that the idiot finally remembered to properly take c-

Was that?- Was that actually?

„Edward Elric, why the hell is there a huge dent on your dorsal plate?! What did you do?“

He stopped whatever height-related rant he‘d been yabbering until now, and gulped slightly. Then he narrowed his eyes at her.

„Well if anything it’s your Granny’s fault, that old hag has been a total slavedriver and wouldn’t shut up about the roof leaking in the workshop-“

„Ed you absolute moron, we all told you to take it easy with your arm, and you keep insisting on doing everything on your own-“

She forced herself to take a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fists.

„Well what happened? Did your hand spasm again and you dropped the hammer?“

His eyes widened for a second before turning dark.

„So what if I dropped the hammer? My leg works fine. And you know what? My arm is fine too, I punched the literal incarnation of God in the face with this arm, so I think I can handle a fucking roof-“

She could vaguely hear Al struggling to get off the bed (at what point had she stood up?), telling her and Ed to please calm down, but the blood rushing in her ears seemed to drown out every other sound and if she could just make that bloody idiot see reason for one second-

„Well you obviously can’t handle a fucking roof, not if you’re damaging your automail while y-“

„See this is why I don’t tell you things, you’re always freaking out about the tiniest things! You’re-“

He stopped himself when he saw her blinking away tears, which only made her more angry.

„You’re such an idiot“, she shouted, and cursed her voice for sounding so screechy. She whirled around, and left the door rattling in its hinges on her way out.

Al could sort through the rest of his shirts himself. Hopefully.

Or maybe that stupid brother of his could do something useful for once, that didn’t result in him ruining her automail, and hurting himself, and-

She gripped the wrench in her pocket tightly, and imagined herself giving Ed a good, hard whack on the head.

She turned to the workshop, in need of a distraction, and started with the first thing on this week‘s list, which was measuring and recutting parts for an arm they‘d upgrade in four days.

It was a good arm, an interesting project because she could combine the lighter alloy she worked with at Garfield‘s with her earlier designs-

It was still not quite enough to get her mind to stop thinking about stupid, nerve-racking Edward Elric.

For all of his patience with Al‘s slow recovery, he remained just as reckless and prickly with his own as he had been at eleven.

Maybe it was frustration after they’d beaten all those impossible odds, or maybe he just didn’t want Al to see that the arm he‘d sacrificed himself for wasn’t working perfectly; whatever the reason, Ed‘s arm was a taboo topic and it annoyed her to no end.

The metal grinder was whirring loudly in her ears, and so she didn’t notice the knocking until it was accompanied by a particularly loud clang of metal against metal and Ed‘s irritated voice calling „C‘mon Winry don’t be a bitch, I‘m trying to apologize here.“

She shut the machine off and set her goggles aside.

„Sorry, I didn‘t hear you. Come in.“

The door opened and closed while she began to clear her work table.

She could see him shift his weight from one foot to the other out of the corner of her eye.

„I‘m sorry for yelling at you. I didn’t mean that- what I said. I‘m sorry.“

„It’s okay. I guess I overreacted a bit.“

„Would you- would you consider fixing my leg? I mean, it still works and all, but it ain‘t that pretty I guess-“

Winry gestured to the chair next to her. „Sit down, take off your pants, you know the- wait“.

She threw the screwdriver into the closest drawer (even if that one was for measuring instruments, technically-well nevermind) and hated, hated how her breath hitched in her throat.

„Why in the world are you still wearing those damn pants?“

His face turned red and he looked away. „I- couldn’t get them off“, he mumbled, waving vaguely with his right hand for emphasis. Oh.

„And Al refused to help me! He said it was my own stupid fault, and that I should go beg for your mercy or whatever-“

„Of course I‘ll help you! Just uhh- can you hold up your boxers if I pull?“

„Umm- yeah sure.“ His cheeks were flaming when she knelt down in front of him, his eyes fixated on the anatomy posters on the wall.

„Okay, so I‘ll just-“

„Uhuh.“

„Right.“ She could feel her ears growing hot, and bit her lip. Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself, you‘ve helped your patients with this a thousand times. The fact that this is Ed should make it easier, if anything.

By the times she‘d managed to peel the pants off down to knee height, her lip was bleeding, and Ed‘s forehead was covered in sweat. Also he seemed to be mumbling something incoherent.

„Look, the hardest part is done. I think it’s easiest for the rest if you sit down, Ed. Ed?“

„-lium, Calcium, Scandium-“

„ED!“ She added a slight punch to his side for good measure, and he blinked at her.

„Uhh yeah.“ They hobbled over to the chair together, her supporting his shoulder.

„Why did you put them on anyway? I mean-“ Ed sat down with a grunt,and she rolled her eyes.

„I mean, you know that you‘ve grown since last year. You knew that these pants wouldn’t fit you. So why-“ she finally managed to pull the last piece over his feet, and threw the damn thing on his lap.

„Why did you do it?“

He leant back on the chair, crossing his arms behind his head and avoiding her eyes.

„I guess I had to prove to myself that I really can’t be the Fullmetal alchemist anymore“, he answered finally, his mouth pulled into a crooked smile.

„Because your pants are now too short?“ She raised her eyebrows.

„Well, I always made them myself, so it actually- ugh I don’t know, damnit Winry, they were a part of it too, my pants, my jacket, my boots, my coat- never got that one back from Mrs. Bradley now that I think about it-

I know it’s kinda pathetic, but I guess I had to really see it again-“

„It’s not pathetic“, she replied, careful to keep her voice neutral, and hopefully keep her face from pulling into any weird grimaces.

„Well I obviously can’t wear them anymore, so maybe I should give them to some kid in the village, someone who can appreciate my edgy-“

„ I don’t know, or you could keep them for your kids someday.“

Damnit, why had she said that? Her head was spinning as if she’d just gotten off of Rush Valleys most terrible rollercoaster, and Ed‘s face was rapidly approaching tomato colour.

„Win-ry“, he choked, and this clearly was a discussion for later, way, way into the future-

„Forget I said that! What I meant to say-“ was there something she’d meant to say? Well, she had better think of something fast-

„Don’t call yourself pathetic. Please. You gave up something really important to you, even if we got Al back. If I had to give up automail- I guess I would feel very lost for a while.“

„But I‘m not lost! After all those years I‘m finally back home, right, this is everything we wanted, and I‘m happy, I am, it’s just-“

He was breathing hard, fingers clenched around his knees so tight the knuckles shone white.

Their eyes met, for a second, and then he looked away again, lips pressed into a thin line.

„I guess I never imagined myself becoming this useless“.

„Ed you’re not-“

„I know, I know. And I‘d do it all again, obviously, because in exchange I got Al, and my friends, and y-“

His ears turned red again. He raised up his right arm, clenching and unclenching his hand, and she caught herself waiting for the familiar click-click-click of her first automail.

„It’s just, I started alchemy when I was five. First it was just fun, and then Mom liked it, and then I thought I had to get her back, and then I had to get Al‘s body-

Point is, I‘m not good at anything else. I don’t know anything besides alchemy, I can’t even figure out how to fix a stupid roof-“

„Will you shut up about the damn roof? I‘ll fix it tomorrow, if it bothers you that much-“

„More like it bothers Granny that much“, she heard him mutter-

„-and about the alchemy thing, I guess you just have to decide what you want to do with your life now. Not your mom, not what you have to do.“

She touched his jaw lightly, crouching down to meet his eyes.

„Just because you can’t do physical transmutations anymore doesn’t mean you stop being an alchemy freak though.“

His eyebrow twitched. Then the corner of his mouth.

„That’s rich coming from you. Damn gearhead.“

„Speaking of“, she lifted herself back up, „I still have to fix that foot of yours. You’re a walking disgrace to Rockbell automail right now.“

He snorted, probably about to spout some smartass remark, but she sent him a withering glare.

He wisely decided to shut up.

„Thank you, Win“, he mumbled amidst the clanking of her hammer.

„Seriously. I owe you one.“

You could wear those pants again. Get Al to adjust the size-

Out loud, she said: „Don’t worry about it. We’re all home now. That’s what counts. We have time to figure things out, right?“

[vanaera]

Petals in Envelopes

25. Things you said in writing

Synopsis | Misunderstandings happen when Jungkook expresses himself aloud so instead, he opts for writing, the medium that you know best, even if he has to hide under a different identity. (Or this is where you start to receive love letters from The Little Prince).

Genre | Tooth-aching flufffff I'm not even joking, oh and an attempt to humor because I’m suffering and I wanna laugh

Wordcount | 3,333 (I did not intend this but WOW)

Read more of football!jk drabbles in The Prince and His Rose

           If Jungkook would compare his locker to yours, there is always one single thing that sticks out like a sore thumb and it has always been there since kinder – the obnoxious, cheesy, overrated, sickening love letters.

           When you were in kinder, you always asked yourself how does your bestfriend always receives letters any time of the day when he’s always been nothing but an annoying “buttface.” Jungkook would watch you pout at the emptiness of your locker just to have the chance to poke your side and tell you to stop frowning because your ugliness will only drive more boys away. Of course you’re not one to be challenged so you chased him away with a shoe in your hand that almost whacked him out when you threw it his way. To sum up that fateful event, Jungkook realized the locker topic is not one to be brought up ever again. Anyway, that day didn’t stop you from mulling the thought over and over again. The frequency of the arrival of pink letters only increased as you two grew up to the point that Jungkook’s locker in high school is always expected to burst with the annoying pinkness every Valentine’s Day. Even when you reached college, the letters still came, though it wasn’t as intense as the previous years, but nevertheless, they are still there.

           You’re not jealous–okay when you were a chaotic five year old, of course you are–because it’s nice that your bestfriend gets some admiration here and there that unfortunately just makes his ego, that is already larger than his head, only grow. What only frustrates you is–why the hell does everyone seem to admire him and not you?! You’re much attractive than your dumbface of a bestfriend!

           “It’s because the Jeon Effect is irresistable!” Jungkook declares which only earned him a playful slap on the shoulder. He decides he’ll forgive you for that as consequence for always messing up your hair when you meet.

           In his defense, Jungkook admits that he’s really irresistible. What great ego he has, right? But anyway, most of the reason why there are zero letters in your locker centers around him and him only and yep, you’re not supposed to know that because you’re gonna beat him up when you finally learned the truth.

           You see, Jeon Jungkook always has a problem when it comes to you.

          You always had this effect that makes people gravitate around you and as his bestfriend, he doesn’t want to feel left out. It’s selfish he knows but what can you do when you’re five and another guy or girl kept hogging your attention to tell them stories, leaving him less time with you than the usual? Shouldn’t he be given more attention and more exposure to your storytelling as privilege of being your bestfriend? The answer is “yes, he should be” and he kept that mentality through high school and now, in college. He always drives off the boys that just so much attempt to slip in the damned pink envelope in the crevice of your locker and he keeps you away from those who are adamant to have you for themselves. He knows it sounds kinda paranoid but for him, it’s his form of his expression of affection, and well protection as evidenced by the Lee Taeyong Incident that will not be brought up now. Some other day will do, okay, just not now. He wants to indulge in the fluffiness of his stupidity for today.

           Anyway, Jungkook’s expression of affection, as introduced above, is quite peculiar. Soft sentiments are a luxury Jungkook can't easily afford for everybody, except for his family, close friends, and yeah, especially you. In a sidenote, that practically sounds like everyone but Jungkook swears it isn’t. Going back, Jungkook’s expressions of endearment for his family and friends ranges from bear hugs, bro hugs, fist bumps, and sometimes playful whacking of necks but when it comes to you, he doesn’t know why the hell he seems to be a new person. For Jungkook doesn’t spew intended mean comments at anyone but everytime he opens his mouth in front of you, Jungkook's supposed-to-be compliments turns to insults or…unusual nonsense he cannot even understand. And most of these instances involve his admiration for the little things in you.

           Your usual petty arguments most of the time revolves around his fondness for your (a bit) small, terribly cute height. He loves how your height contrasts against his in an endearing way that makes him look–actually he is someone you can (literally and figuratively) look up to and depend on. He loves how your head falls against his shoulders when you sit side by side in a perfect puzzle fit that makes him feel he's the only piece out there that can complement you. He just loves you and your height, okay.

           And all he could muster to say almost everyday was, "Your short legs are cute."

           The smile on your face when you met him falls into a frown. "Great way to say 'Good morning, Y/N', Jeon. I already know my legs are short, you don't have to inform me again and again."

           "But- But I said they're cute!" Jungkook tries to explain but you already walked far from him and towards your first class.

           "It's a compensation for your remark!"

           After agonizing over the fact he hadn’t received his morning hug from his bestfriend, he has to endure seeing you ignore him for a half a day for unknowingly ruining your morning, which to be honest, always starts out unfortunate. Anyway, after a class and two, you happily bounced to him and demanded him to treat you as an apology. It's always your go-to tactic when he upset you since you're in kinder – the feet apart, hands on your waist pose, a.k.a. the power stance, and the "you have to treat me as your 'sorry'" is all too familiar. He’s never run so fast in his life just to buy you that carbonara in Mark’s that you always crave. And oh, he also buys you a rose from the nearby flower shop. The color of his face competes the redness of the pimple that erupted like a volcano on the corner of his hairline, which he sure as hell covered with his fringe to keep it away from your sight that may or may not weaken the Jeon Effect, when he gave the flower to you. It wasn’t the first time he gave you a flower but the effect of the first time still remains. The songs in his chest goes on and on through day and night and they only increased in tempo when he finds out the next day that you already pressed the petals of the flower in your notebook, the one filled with your poems and proses, so as to keep the rose permanent.

           “So as to remind you that would be the last time you will insult my legs!” you huff.

           Well, Jungkook can’t promise he would actually stop. He loves your height too much.

           Aside from your height, another thing Jungkook finds very, very weakening to his heart is your utter clumsiness. Your entrance in rooms or anywhere when he meets you is punctuated with you tripping on your own foot, or a tornado of papers falling from your clutches, and if not papers, then books or the tray from the cafeteria which is very much more alarming. No wonder everytime he sees you, he feels his heart shaking - from anticipation or worry, he doesn't know. He just muddles it up together as fondness for you, his small, chaotic bean. And he wants to be the reason why you will blush or why your heart will skip a beat but the circumstances just has to topple over the proportion.

           One day when it's your turn to bring the tray containing your foods to your table, Jungkook speaks out his mind. "I don't know why I always have to watch for my heart when I'm with you."

           You face him, brows almost bunched together. "Why? Am I bad enough to cause you heart attacks now?"

           Yeah, heart attacks from your cuteness. "No but you will because you're gonna trip on yourself-" and you do. Luckily, Jungkook has his hand on your arm and the other on your tray before anything spills or gets wasted on the grimy floor. The momentum has your back pressed close to his chest, too close for his heart. Your natural scent fills his senses and Jungkook thinks he may die too early for his age. You were supposed to feel the overwhelming cardiovascular palpitations from this very cliché romantic move in movies, not him-Oh my fucking god, she will hear my fucking heartbeat-

           "Thanks, Kook,” you said as Jungkook helps you regain your balance, hands on your shoulders to keep you steady.

           Jungkook breathes out, "You're welcome" and composes himself. The beating of his heart has still not stabilized so he immediately does his go-to mechanism: be the cool dude. Jungkook wills himself to try the eyecandy move and smirks. "I hate to say I told you so but I will still do so. You should just leave the tray business to me."

           You glanced at him, placing your tray on the table. His effort – The Smirk™ unnoticed. "But I don't want to look like I can't do this simple stuff without you.

           Jungkook decides to rest his case. The Jeon Effect is not working so he’ll go back to his usual self. Settling on his seat, he tells you, "I know you can. I just insist because I want to. Otherwise I would just leave it to you - like our pair project that I'm too lazy to do."

           Your forehead furrows in worry. "Hey, you're not going do that are you? Don't you-"

           Jungkook laughs. Of course he can't let you do a two-people-project on your own like the past people who did just because "you're a writer, you can do this stuff easily." Anyway, he just shrugs, a smug smirk on his face that irritates the hell out of you. "I'll think about it."

           "HEY!"

           Ah, you're just too cute for his poor heart.

           And there's a whole lot of things that he loves about you, like your fascination for fashion, how your eyes sparkle - really sparkle when you talk about writing, how you hold up yourself to everyone and be intimidating like the badass that you are. Honestly, you possess million things he adores to every bit and Jungkook thinks he has to spend a lifetime to tell everything about you that he loves and learned to love.

           Going back to his main dilemma: So far, everything is good - pining for you, impressing you, earning attractive points when he attempts to be "eyecandy" again, except for one (excluding the unforeseen obstacles like Kim Jongin sneaking behind his back to get to you because that is a separate problem Jungkook will have to deal with in another day). Yes, he's courting you, but he can't make you feel like he's actually doing so because, quoted from his friends, "his mouth always has to fail him." And this could be illustrated in numerous instances.

            Your have such a nice smile. "You have nice teeth.”

           You give him an incredulous look. "Thanks?”

            You styled your hair so pretty today, I wanna touch it. "Nice hair! Lemme touch," Jungkook pats the curls you did and you swat his hands in annoyance.

           "Jungkook, stop messing my hair!"

            You really look good today, ethereally good everyday. "Wow! You look nice today!"

           "Just today?"

           Jungkook scrunches his nose. Why are you asking? You do look good today. "Yeah."

           You only scowled at him. "I hate you."

             "Why can't you just say nice words to her that will make her heart go doki doki?" Taehyung asked one Friday during their practice.

           "I've said nice words!" Jungkook pants in between intakes of air, still breathless from their play. "And okay, I'll appreciate your attempt for kawaii eventhough you're being far from cute."

           "Hey!" Taehyung claps his back and Jungkook snorts. "As I was saying," Taehyung hands Jungkook a water bottle, "You've always been romantic. You're even clingy to us!"

           "I am not! I-"

           "Then what do you call that day when you thought Namjoon was going to accept the overseas scholarship, and you bawled your eyes out like your parents are putting you up for adoption."

           "That's -"

           "Or that day when Yoongi went out to get lamb skewers alone and you practically hogged him when he went back to our hangout place and you're like,” Taehyung makes crying poses, “'never leave me alone again, hyung.'”

           Jungkook runs his hand over his face. "Oh my god, that was only one time!"

           "Anyway, that's not the point," Taehyung looks at him, serious now. "You always fuss when Y/N is not by your side, act like the drama queen that you are, or tell us countless of times how 'Y/N is so amazing,' 'Y/N is so hot'-"

           "I'm not like that!"

           "Same context, though, Jeon," Taehyung giggles before finally drinking his water. After wiping his lips, he continues on. "Why be affectionate behind her back and act like a dumb, annoying jerk when she's in front of you?"

           Jungkook freezes. "I act like- like a jerk in front of her?"

           "A dumb jerk," Taehyung emphasizes, "You're not rude okay. You just say dumb things that make you look like a jerk."

           "I don't get you."

           "Don't worry, I also don't get myself." Jungkook scrunches his face at this and Taehyung breaks into a fit of giggles. "Jokes aside, you're being a jerk because you make mindless comments that make her feel bad or confused."

           Jungkook looks down, biting his lip. It's true though. His attempts of romance only make you frustrated or bewildered. Not once has he made you blush. Not once has the Jeon Effect been actually effective on you. You only laugh at his silliness but it's not something he can regard as his special effect on you when you easily just laugh...at everything. You already break out into snickers just by the sight of his face.

           Jungkook sighs and shakes his head. "Honestly, I don't know what to do, hyung. You said that I should try to compliment her smile and I did. I noticed the details she put on her hair and I said them aloud. I complimented how she looks that day and I really worked on the courage to say it. But everything always has to go down the drain. I can't voice them out the way I want them to be and I feel bad I'm making her feel like this."

           "Of course she'll react that way. It's not everyday that someone repeatedly informs you your legs are short or that your teeth is nice." Jungkook's glare makes Taehyung chuckle and finally think of something sensible to say. "For the record, I'll give you full points for determination and effort.” Taehyung pauses, enjoying the sight of a very lost Jungkook. And then a light bulb suddenly goes off in his mind and Taehyung’s smile widen. “If you can't voice out your feelings, have you ever thought of an alternate medium? Do you really need to say them aloud?”

           That's when a similar light bulb goes off in Jungkook's head. "Oh man holy shit, hyung."

           Taehyung smirks and drinks from his bottle, his other hand reaching for a fist bump to which Jungkook reciprocated, smiling. "How come I've never thought of that?"

           “It’s because you’re dumb.”

           “I hate you. Okay, I’m not gonna hit you as a sign of gratitude for the one sensible idea you have ever given to me.”

             Jungkook has thought of a perfect plan and approximately just two days later ("That fast?" "Yes, hyung, that fast. It's the Jeon Effect."), he sees his plan come into reality the moment you open your locker.

           "Eh, what is this?" you grab the lone pink envelope laying flat on top of your books. You don't remember having any stationary that matched the pink paper and the small golden? (It’s yellow with glitters so it’s golden according to Jungkook) crown drawn on the bottom left. How did it end up here? Quickly, you turned around and flashed the strange object to your bestfriend."Jungkook, look what I found."

             Jungkook's eyes widen, his lips splitting into a grin. "Oh my god,Y/N, you got a love letter! For the first time in forever!"

             "Love letter?" You frown.

             "Of course, Y/N! It's pink and it's in your locker, of course it's a love letter!" You look at him funny before deciding that yeah, maybe, this is a love letter. Jungkook received tons of them in high school, and actually until now, and given with his experience, maybe he's right. But you still won't know until you see it. Excitement bubbling in your chest, you set down your bag on the floor and hurriedly took off the heart-shaped pink tape that secured the flap of the envelope.

      "Wow, finally someone started to get attracted to you! It's about time you start considering not to become an eternal maiden, Y/N!" You could hear Jungkook tease you behind your back but your mind was too focused on opening this hell of an envelope. The moment you finally opened it, a small piece of a vintage-looking stationary paper is folded inside and your hand carefully pulled it out. You spread it open, your eyes drinking in every detail like a map that would lead you to a hidden treasure. The margins of the paper contain seemingly hand-drawn planets and one single rose, but apart from the wonderful illustrations your eyes cannot tear itself away from the handwritten letters penned as if to make it an entire art itself.

 " Dear princess,

I know you may be wondering who I am but for the mean time, let me just be the prince who loves you from afar. Sorry this might have come too sudden, but please let me admire you from a distance until the day I finally have courage to reveal myself. This is in no way how princes write letters so to compensate for my lacking skills, I will try to be more romantic:

The roses will be in a losing battle trying to rival your beauty and comparing you to an ephemeral entity seems pointless when I could spend the rest of my days dreaming about an eternity with you. Nevertheless, I just wish for you to know how wonderfully beautiful you are in every possible way.

 This may be cringey but I hope I made your day a little bit better.

 Your admirer from a faraway land,

The Little Prince."

            "So, what did it say?" Jungkook asks, grinning at the way you seem to not hear a word he's saying, too focused on the love letter, too focused on his words. The sight of your blooming grin makes the birds in his chest flutter. He's finally done it right! The Jeon Effect is working -though not directly – it’s fucking working and that's all enough to appease his poor love-sick heart.

           The glow you suddenly had makes Jungkook weak in the knees and when you finally tore your eyes away from the letter, Jungkook knows he's done for.

           "Oh man holy shit! Jungkook I finally have an admirer!"

           Jungkook smiles, leaning on your locker to watch you do a little twirl and giggle, letter clutched by small hands, pressed close to your chest.

           I'll always be your admirer and it will only be about time until I have the courage to finally say it right.

 Y/N, you're pretty. "Y/N, you look hot."

"What the fuck, Jungkook?"

"Sorry, I–my brain is malfunctioning."

"O...kay?"

"Damn it, why can't I say it right?"

"What do you mean?"

"U-uh- nothing."

"...Are you sure you're okay?"

I actually don't know. "Yes!"

 A/N | Hi anon, I hope you enjoy this! I was already writing this when your request came and the coincidence is amazing!

On a sidenote, I’m editing through the fics I made for the requests so be prepared for the onslaught of my replies and keep sending me requests for Things you said and Songs to Read Playlist!

And also, talk to me, hons! Hit me up with a message! That would be greatly appreciated! :D I hope you have a great day/night and thank you for all the love you have showered me :*)

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[presumenothing]

more urban less legend

the nagano fictober continues – or, 007 + 026: exhausted/stretch, except that it’s only tangentially related to certain meanings of those words but hey, listen, no fic is perfect,

Yui powerwalks to the last vacant table in the cafeteria and only stops herself from flopping down bonelessly through sheer power of will.

She'd forgotten how exhausting the police academy could be; it's only thanks to the fact that she's kept physically active over the past year that she hasn't completely keeled over yet, even if most of that activity took the form of cleaning out the stables and upkeeping the Torada family grounds. Still more than a little short of actually being on active duty, obviously, but at least she'd managed to scrape rather more than a pass on the shuttle run, and the time away hadn't blunted her firearms or kendo abilities any, either.

And to think that she still had to come back tomorrow for the written tests, Yui sighs into the glass of green tea. At least the Nagano academy had decent enough food, on the grander scale of things.

(She's more than a little curious – and possibly a little afraid – to find out how Kan-chan had managed to get his requalification, considering… well, a lot of things. In a sense his reinstatement had probably been easier than hers, seeing as she'd completely quit the force while he'd just been declared MIA, but on the other hand –

Yui just really really hopes that he didn't tackle any of the examiners onto the ground to demonstrate his capabilities or anything. Especially now that she's personally witnessed that Kan-chan can do whack-a-criminal just as well even with only half his field of vision intact, crutch and all. She'd heard that both his driving and firearms permits had been suspended until further notice, but Yui makes a mental note to double-check that, even if it means having to sit through an unusually annoyed rant about either one.

Like he'd ever been the one to drive them around even when he'd had a license, jeez.)

Yui's interrupted from her thoughts by a hesitant voice, and she looks up to see an academy trainee gesturing uncertainly at the seat across from hers. "Is this taken?"

"Not at all, please go ahead," Yui answers with what she hopes is a reassuring smile.

"Ah, thank you! I'm Tachibana from first year, by the way," the trainee adds as she sets her tray down with a relieved expression.

Had she ever looked this young even when she'd been new here? Yui doesn't think so, but then again all three of them had chosen to finish undergrad first before the academy, while she's pretty certain this Tachibana-san is probably no more than a full year out of high school at best.

Though in retrospect that probably explains the slight nervous edge still in her voice – between the age difference and Yui not wearing the standard uniform, Tachibana has probably just assumed that Yui's here to conduct lessons rather than take them.

Or possibly that's just the effect of finally meeting another woman on campus? From what she's seen today, the ratio has improved since she was in training, but admittedly that's not saying much – back in her year there were so few female trainees that she'd ended up rooming with three of the senior-year students in the dorm just to make up the numbers.

But anyway. "I'm Yui," she says, then stalls out briefly over how to continue. The chief basically assured her that they were expediting her reinstatement as much as possible (he hadn't said why – probably Kan-chan had thrown some fit over not working with anyone else, she supposes) but until then she still isn't a member of the department yet. And it's all a bit too involved for lunch talk, either way.

"My situation's a little complicated," she finally settles on. "I had to take a break a while ago, so I'm just back for my qualification tests, you know?"

Tachibana-san leans forward in obvious interest, her previous trepidation apparently forgotten. "Oh, really? Which department are you aiming for, if you don't mind me asking?"

At least Yui has no trouble answering this one. "Headquarters, first division. What about you?"

"Mountain or air rescue, but I heard the selection's really strict," comes the slightly-distracted answer. "You said Division 1? Isn't that the one with those two really intimidating inspectors?"

Yui blinks in surprise. "You know them?" she blurts, before belatedly recalling both Takeda-keibu's existence (since she doesn't think that anyone would ever call Saegusa-san intimidating) and the fact that Morofushi-keibu's still over at Arano.

"Know of them, more accurately – I heard that they're really bitter rivals?" Tachibana says, eliminating Yui's sudden doubt. "Apparently they both came as guest lecturers once, a couple years back, and bickered so hard that someone laughed, then ended up making that person cry by the end of it."

…apparently, the academy grapevine has both exaggerated events (somewhat) and forgotten to include her sitting in the last row of the auditorium and glaring daggers at said inspectors. Which is just as well, she figures.

"Ah, well, I'm sure they're not that bad once you get to know them," Yui answers vaguely, because she can't very well state it as fact, and besides Kan-chan really only ever makes people cry by accident. Mostly. Though admittedly Morofushi-keibu can be another matter entirely.

Tachibana gives an unconvinced hmm before continuing. "Maybe. Anyway, I also heard that there's an even scarier person there who isn't even an inspector yet!"

…Yui's genuinely confused this time. "Really? Who's that?"

"I don't know for sure, there's a whole bunch of stories out there," Tachibana says, her eyes glinting – Yui's starting to feel like she's unwittingly run into the nerve centre of the academy's rumour mill. "But all of them agree that this detective is the only one who can keep those inspectors in check, y'know?"

Yui narrowly avoids choking on her tea, though thankfully Tachibana's too involved in her tale to notice.

"So she's gotta be real terrifying, don't you think?" she continues, then frowns. "I did hear her name once – what was it again? Ueda? Uemura?"

"Eh?" Yui croaks, although it's really more like EEHHHHHHHH!?!?? inside her head.

"Oh, that's right!" Tachibana exclaims at the same time. "I remember now, it's Uehar– um, are you alright, Yui-san?"

"…just a little surprised, that's all, don't worry about it." Yui clears her throat, and tries her level best not to look like herself. "Are there really those kinds of rumours out there?"

Tachibana nods, though Yui has the sinking feeling that the expression on her face suggests that's the least of it more than anything else, before it shifts again into something less certain. "It's kinda odd, though – there's been none of those stories lately? Some people are speculating that maybe one of them got tired of the competition and transferred to Tokyo MPD, even, but…"

That sobers Yui's mood as quickly as anything ever could. She wonders, for a moment, what her expression must look like right now. "What do you think, then?" she finally asks.

"I don't know," Tachibana admits, biting her lip. "Maybe something happened? I mean, my sister and I used to argue like that all the time, too, but I'd never have moved away just to be rid of her or anything."

"You're probably right," Yui hedges, then finally takes pity on the slight crease between Tachibana's eyebrows. "How about this – I have to leave soon, but why don't we exchange numbers? That way you can tell me if you hear anything."

"Sure! Ah, just look at me, I've wasted your time talking about all this nonsense… and when I was supposed to be revising for that forensics quiz later, too," Tachibana says sheepishly, pulling out her handphone before pausing. "But wouldn't you be the one who'd hear something first? I mean, if you do make it to Division 1."

"Ahaha," Yui not-quite-laughs as they swap phones, and she keys in her contact under Torada Yui – which it legally still is, until the registry paperwork goes through, but she whispers a silent apology to Yushiro-san anyway. "Well, the HQ is quite a big place, you know? Plus I want to hear all about the rescue squad if you do get selected – good luck with that, by the way!"

"You too!" says Tachibana-san as she stands and returns Yui's phone with a little bow. "Remember to update me as well!"

"Of course," Yui promises as Tachibana leaves, and finishes off the last of her drink before standing up too.

Quiz revision, huh… she probably ought to get on that, too, but first – Yui flips her phone open and sends a quick text to Morofushi-keibu letting him know that she's done with the physicals before hitting the speed dial.

"Kan-chan," she begins far too cheerfully when it connects, "you won't believe what I just heard – and no, you can't stop me calling you that until I've been reinstated, so don't even try – "

.

.

.

................i don’t understand i just wanted to make a couple terrible jokes at yui’s expense how did that devolve into almost 1.5k words??????????? what even

a n y w a y uh for what was supposed to be a mostly crackfic a disproportionate amount of research happened because i fell down the rabbithole of nagano pd’s recruitment site so i’m only making about half of this up, but the key takeaway of it all is that kendo yui!! factually has a 50% chance!! of being canon!! thank you for coming to my ted talk

[collecting-stories]

Magnolia VII | Modern!Hvitserk

Hvitserk and the reader spend the day together. General fluff and smut ensue. 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

You took a peek down the hall when you hear the creak of floorboards in the bedroom. Hvitserk appeared in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. You felt your face heart up when you realized he was completely naked. 

"You're meant to be asleep, I said I would make you breakfast in bed." You called, gaining his attention.  

He smiled at you, eyes roaming over your own lack of clothing, though at least you'd put on a bralette and underwear. It was how you usually dressed around the house though you'd briefly considered covering at least some part of your stomach and thighs when you'd first gotten up this morning. In the end you'd decided against it. You felt less embarrassed then you thought you would; more comfortable actually. 

Hvitserk came down the hall and kissed your cheek, smacking your ass at the same time, "morning hot stuff." 

"Morning." You tugged at one of Hvitserk's braids (he'd let you french braid his hair afterall and now he had two, slightly mussed, braids) and when he looked over you kissed him.  

The kiss was meant to be a sweet morning hello before you got back to making him the breakfast you'd promised but instead Hvitserk caught you between the corner of the counter and himself, hands on your hips as he kissed first your mouth and then down your neck and collar, planting sweet suckling kisses over the tops of your breasts. You nudged at his sides when the kisses turned ticklish. He ran the tip of his nose along your collar, eliciting a squeal from the sensation.  

"H, breakfast!"  

He pulled his face away to look at you and smiled, "then sex?" 

"Is this all you're gonna think about now? Food and sex?" You teased, squeezing passed him to check on the waffle you had in the waffle iron. 

"You're making me breakfast in your underwear," Hvitserk replied, helping himself to a pack of bacon in your refrigerator, "and you want me to think about what exactly?" He grabbed a frying pan out of the oven and stuck it on the stovetop.  

You watched him for a minute, oddly enamored with the way Hvitserk just seemed to fit so well into your routine. He grabbed the cooking spray from its place beside the waffle maker. "How about how your dick is gonna get burnt if you don't put something on." You teased. 

"That defeats the purpose." He replied. 

"Of what?" 

"Seducing you." He shook his hips a little and you couldn't help laughing at how ridiculous he looked.  

"You can seduce me after breakfast."  

"Fine." Hvitserk pouted but grabbed the apron off the hook on the wall.  

When you walked passed him to refill your coffee you took the opportunity to smack him on the ass, laughing when he spun around and hit you back.  

"Ew! You were cooking with that." You exclaimed, rubbing at your ass to make sure there was no grease from the bacon. He'd whacked you with the spatula.  

"That's what you get." He laughed, swatting at you again and missing.  

"You go back to cooking your bacon and leave me and my waffles alone." You announced, moving the waffle maker so that you were facing him and could see if he tried to sneak attack you.  

"I don't want your waffles if you're gonna be mean to me." He replied, pouting.  

"You hit me with a spatula!" 

"You hit me first!"  

"No, you smacked me when you first came out of my bedroom." You replied. 

Hvitserk smiled, "I couldn't resist, have you seen your ass?" 

After breakfast, and Hvitserk walking Nesbitt so that you could clean up in peace, both of you resumed doing nothing together and lying on the couch. You had been sprawled out, blanket tucked around you, when they had gotten back. Which was how you ended up like you were now, wrapped in your blanket with Hvitserk laying half on top of you and half wedged between you and the couch. Nesbitt was laying over both of your legs.  

"We should get Nesbitt a friend." Hvitserk mused. He was placing tiny kisses on your shoulder as he spoke. 

"Why, exactly, should we do that?" You asked. You didn't want to sound stupid but whenever he referred to your house as home or suggested things you and he could do together it gave you butterflies in your stomach.  

"Cause then Nesbitt won't be lonely when I lock him in our room." He replied, climbing off of you. Hvitserk grabbed a bag of dog treats and headed down the hall, enticing the dog to follow him. 

"H, I'm not having sex on the couch!" You called, understanding his intention. Even still you kicked off the blanket and ran your hands through your hair to make it look more presentable. 

"The kitchen counter?" He called.  

"No!"  

"You hesitated!"  

"Not the kitchen counter!" You replied, trying not to laugh. 

"The island?" 

"No!"  

"Well Nesbitt has already claimed the bed babe, so you'll have to pick somewhere else." He replied, walking back down the hall. Hvitserk tossed the remaining dog treats on the table and pulled off his underwear. He'd stripped the rest of his clothes off when he'd come back from walking Nesbitt. 

"That wasn't a very impressive strip tease." You laughed, sitting cross-legged on the couch watching him. 

"You're mean in the morning." Hvitserk whined. Without any further warning he threw himself on top of you, causing you to fall sideways to accommodate the new weight on you.  

"Oh my god, warn a girl when you're going to pile drive her into the couch." You swatted at his hip as he adjusted his weight on you. 

Hvitserk buried his head in your neck once more, seemingly his favorite place this morning, and kissed a trail up to your ear. In what was his best impression of a porn star he whispered, "I'm about to pile-drive you into the couch." 

You both fell into a fit of laughter at his mock seriousness and you moved your hands from his shoulders to his face, urging him to look at you. When he did you kissed him, pushing your upper body against his as you tried to get as close to him as possible. He was just as eager, pushing back against you until you felt like you were sinking into the couch and all you could feel was his mouth against yours. When you pulled away for air the two of you laid there in silence for a moment. You felt like you wanted to tell him you loved him but that felt too premature. Hvitserk smiled like he knew something you didn't before leaning in and kissing you again.  

His upper body was propped on his arm but his other hand was quick to find your skin, moving to run his fingers over the thin cotton of your bralette. He found the edge of it and slipped his hand between the fabric and your skin, easily finding your nipple. Not to be unfair he moved his mouth down to your other breast, kissing along stretchmarks that disappeared into your bralette. You laughed when he couldn't nudge the fabric out of the way with his nose.  

"Did you want help?" 

"How do you get your tits out of this?"  

"I pull it over my head." You replied. 

In one swift movement he sat up and yanked your bra up over your breasts. You lifted your head up a little and he pulled the bra the rest of the way off, tossing it somewhere in the room. He sat back so that he could see you properly, a euphoric sort of grin on his face.  

"See, they're lovely." He'd seen them last night but only briefly and it'd been much darker in your bedroom.  

"They kinda, fall to the sides, and they aren't very perky." You tried to push your arms into your sides to push them up but it didn’t do much. Except make Hvitserk smile. 

"Mmm, don't care." He got back into his previous position, hand on one breast and mouth on the other. "They’re squishy and soft." He replied between kisses to your skin.  

You thought of something to say in return, something mildly clever but just as you opened your mouth Hvitserk's mouth closed around your nipple and his tongue pressed flat against it, licking, as his fingers teased at the other one. 

"Holy shit." Was all you managed. His hips pushed further against yours as he played with your breasts and you were aware of how hard he already was. The last time you'd had sex, or even seen a dick, was probably somewhere around graduation and right before college. So it wasn’t that you were inexperienced it was just that it'd been a while and you’d never had the best experience.  

At this point though it was hard to concentrate on anything else besides Hvitserk and the fact that the only piece of clothing left between you was your underwear. Which really needed to come off. He shifted again, leaning more weight back on his knees as he moved from your breasts to your stomach. Your hands were still at his shoulders. You ran your fingers along his skin until you got to the base of his neck. Closing your hands around his braids you gave a tug, urging him to come back up to you. He nipped at the underside of your stomach, the bit of fat that hung over your underwear, and then kissed the spot he'd playfully bitten.  

"Stop interrupting me." He whined, pinching your hips before sitting up to look down at you.  

You said nothing in response but you shifted yourself up to sit, grabbing him by his braids again and kissing him. You pushed him back so that he was leaning against the arm of the couch and his hands went to your waist. Despite being on the bottom Hvitserk was still very much in control of the situation as he kissed you, his tongue slipping into your mouth. With one hand bracing yourself on the edge of the couch the other travelled south. Your fingers find Hvitserk's dick but you don't do anything at first. You brush through rather untamed hair and tease him by lightly tracing along the length of his dick. He pushes up into your hand and bites your bottom lip in response.  

You kiss him and then pull away, almost stumbling off the couch, "hold on."' 

"Are you kidding me?" Hvitserk groans and throws his head back on the arm of the chair. 

"I gotta," you paused as you shimmy your underwear over your hip and almost catch your foot stepping out of them. "I gotta get a condom."  

"I only had the one." 

You pause, looking at him with wide eyes.  

"I have more upstairs!" Hvitserk promises, jumping off the couch and grabbing your hand.  

Of all the things you've done to embarrass yourself in private, running up the stairs of your building completely naked tops the list. No one lives on his floor except him but still you feel mortified as he drags you up to his apartment. The door swings open and he kicks it shut behind you.  

You don't pay any attention to the décor or layout as he leads you to the bedroom and pushes you back onto the bed. Instead you focus on Hvitserk, the way he crawls over you, kissing you again. His teasing is less like exploration and more like appreciation as he delves two fingers into you with little warning, your slickness from spending the morning staring at him naked coating his fingers and making it easy for him. His fingers trace all over you, rubbing light circles over your clit that make your hips stutter in anticipation. While he does he kisses your neck and shoulder, traveling down to the plentiful skin of your breasts and stomach. You know what he wants because this isn't the first time he's eaten you out. He likes it more than you thought men were meant to, and usually you like it too but you haven't stopped thinking about his dick since last night.  

"H," you reached for him, nails scrapping gently over his shoulders to get his attention. He looks up at you, kisses your stomach, and rests his chin on your rib cage. "I need you." 

"I'm right here," he reassures, kissing your stomach again. He doesn't stop there, moving his mouth down to meet his fingers. His tongue peeks out from between his lips and he gives a lick to your clit, smiling when you squirm. 

"Stop teasing." You whine, hands reaching for him. 

Hvitserk crawls back up, kissing your neck up to your jaw, running his nose along your cheek. "I'm sorry baby, I couldn't resist." He apologizes. He climbs off you and you watch him disappear into the bathroom for a minute before coming back in, condom wrapper in hand.  

You want to do it like in all those smutty books Martha reads, where they tear the wrapper with their teeth and somehow put the condom on with their mouth but that all seems out of your league right now so you just watch while Hvitserk puts it on himself.  

When he's on the bed again you reach for him, grabbing hold of his shoulders as he positions himself. You're wet enough that Hvitserk enters you with one quick thrust and you push against him, trying to get as close as possible as you moan. It's so loud you almost don't recognize your own voice. You're too used to years of living alone and trying to be quiet when you masturbate so you don't alert a neighbor. The first time he moves feels like heaven. He's slow to start, finding a rhythm with you as he holds himself on one elbow. His other hand moves down over your stomach and his fingers find your clit, teasing you.  

He kisses your throat and collar as he thrusts into you and your hands hold him in place, fingers scratching his back at the sensation. When he gets faster you let go of him in favor of gripping the sheets beneath you. His fingers press into you as he rubs your clit in rough circles. "Fuck you feel amazing." He praised, kissing your lips again.  

You felt a familiar warmth settling in your stomach, "Oh god." You repeated the phrase at least ten more times as you grab at anything you can reach for, one hand gripping the sheets and one grabbing at his shoulders, pulling him as close to you as possible. "Oh god I'm gonna..."  

Hvitserk speaks at the same time as you, mouth pressed to your shoulder and words muffled by your skin. Still you can make out a "that's it," as he stills inside you. It's only for a second before he moves again, pressing down on your clit as he brings you over the edge. You toss your head back at the feeling, fingers gripping the sheets and he lays kisses on your neck as he encourages the orgasm that racks through you.  

He doesn't move off of you right away. Propped on one arm he uses his other hand to brush strands of hair off your forehead. You think again, maybe because you feel so utterly high in the afterglow, that you want to tell him you love him but you say nothing instead. Embarrassed that you feel so strongly after just a short time of dating. He smiles at you, looking equally euphoric, and gives you a short kiss on the lips.  

Even as he gets up you stay exactly where you are, sprawled on his bed and looking around his bedroom. It's then, despite the absolute calm of the afternoon and how good he looks coming back from the bathroom still stark naked, that you throw your hands up to cover your face in mild embarrassment.  

"We ran through the hall naked!" You groaned.  

"You said no sex on the couch." Hvitserk replied, kneeling back on the bed. You had your eyes closed and your hands over your face so you jumped in surprise when a damp washcloth touched a rather sensitive area. "What was I supposed to do?" 

You reached for his hands, trying to push them away, "oh my god." Your hips jerked at the sensation and Hvitserk smiled.  

When he finished cleaning you off Hvitserk climbed in bed with you, pulling covers up around the two of you and snuggling into your side. He laid his head on your chest and closed his eyes, already settling into to a comfortable sleep.  

"H," you nudged him gently. You'd never met anyone who could fall asleep as quickly as he did and you knew if you didn't wake him now it'd be hours. "H." 

"MMhmm?" He mumbled.  

"Nesbitt's still locked in my room." You said, running your fingers over his mussed up braids. "We should let him out." 

"Okay." He nodded but he made no move to get off the bed. It wasn't two minutes later that he'd begun to let out soft snores, already falling into sleep.  

You wriggled out from under him, careful not to disturb him, and searched for something to pull on. A sweatshirt of his and a pair of his underwear worked well enough and you snuck out of his apartment, knowing he'd come looking for you when he woke up. You headed back down to your own flat, thankful that you'd left the door unlocked. Nesbitt was scratching at the bedroom door, waiting impatiently to be let out. You opened the door and he ran to the kitchen, immediately going for his food bowls. You sat down beside Nesbitt as he ate, brushing through his fur.  

"What am I gonna do Nesbitt? I think I'm in love." You whispered.  

I thank you for reading that sub-par smut I just attempted to write. 

taglist: @oddsnendsfanfics @thinkingsofamadwoman @breathlesssouls @kawennote09 @niamandthings @imagoodassninja @pebblesz892 @vikingsmania @dina-m16 

[demyrie]

Hanakotoba (Camelias are for Longing)

Summary: Three (two) mischievous teachers have some questions about a certain Symbol of Peace and his old arch-nemesis, the reformed "Nature’s Revenge” villain Mandrake. So how did this turn into a discussion about the secret language of flowers?

Tags: oneshot, OTeach3 goodness, flustered Toshinori, mention of sex, implications that there are MHA in-world hero fanzines with dirty content because there fucking are, vague one-sided All Might/OC reference, light Erasermight because I have no self-control, random flowershop AU nod

Notes: I love the superhero genre really I do, including steamy archenemy chemistry. This came out of ... so many things, but mostly a need to embarrass Toshinori and have the OTeach3 fangirl/fanboy out. Enjoy.

Yagi Toshinori was finally, finally getting into the swing of teaching. He no longer became lost in UA's labyrinthine hallways and had committed to a briefcase for his materials, which 13 had courteously alphabetized with charming space-themed dividers. He even took his lunch break every day and the relentlessness of education – most of all the sense there was always something to be catching up on or looking over to better his students' experiences – left him so little time to truly worry or think about his old life that it almost seemed as if he had left the hyper-vigilance and cutthroat instincts of All Might in the past.

That is, until he entered the staffroom one afternoon and a very particular threesome of heroes instantly fell silent and turned to face him and the fine hair on his arms rose in definite warning.

Supremely startled, Toshinori gave Kayama, Yamada and Aizawa a halting smile before ducking his head and heading in, their joint gaze drilling into his back all the while. The terrible three let him get as far as the counter and the electric kettle: As soon as he had filled the kettle for tea and turned it on, there was a stifled rustle and somebody ostentatiously cleared their throat.

“Heyyyy, so, Yagi-san! My man!”

Yamada-san, of course. The frontman for their less savory ideas.

“How can I help you, Yamada-san?” he asked unsurely, still not quite willing to turn around, and so busied himself with righting the tea box. The kettle creaked to life far too slowly. Escape was not an option.

“Psh, I told you to call me Mic!” came the rejoinder, brash and indulgent. With a creak of leather that implied he was leaning back or settling in, 'Mic' continued, tone almost wheedling. “I mean, you've been with us long enough, you're part of the UA family! In fact, All Might, big guy, I feel like we're really close now. Aren't we? I feel like we are.”

“Stop,” Aizawa's deep voice cut in, almost making Toshinori jump. Something was strange about the command, but was Aizawa really that opposed to him fitting in?

“I'm, ah … maybe?” Toshinori mumbled as he turned around, unable to delay it any longer in the name of politeness. Even as he knew it was coming, the sight of the three of them arranged around the staffroom table and watching him unblinkingly made him tense down to his toes and feel like he was stepping into a network of boobytraps. Human boobytraps. Confirming his fears, Mic tilted his head, grinning.

“Soooo can I ask you something?”

“Don't do it,” Aizawa said loudly, unmoving behind his battered UA laptop. Mic ignored him, instead knocking his green glasses down his nose with roguish panache.

“Be honest with me, big guy. Did you and Mandrake ever get it on?”

“Did Mandrake and I – pardon me?” Toshinori gasped, mouth falling open. If he had been holding a mug, he would have dropped it.

They erupted into peals of laughter – or Kayama and Mic did, shoving and slapping at each other, while Aizawa shook his head and glared determinedly at his laptop screen, resuming his typing with clear annoyance.

“That means no,” Mic snorted when he found the breath, a hand to his face.

“Or only once, in a fit of long-buried passion only freed by battle!” Midnight screamed, holding a finger underneath her nose as if to abort a nosebleed and stamping her heels underneath the table in glee.

“You guys,” Aizawa sighed so deeply he threatened to deflate on the spot, leaving the older hero looking between them all open-mouthed with a pounding heart. He was missing something – he had to be – and couldn't put the pieces together. Was this new slang, or a joke? What connection could be made between one of his first arch-nemeses and sex?

“What? I'm afraid I don't understand. This was in order … to … defeat him?” Toshinori eked out, a hand to his (apparently weak) heart.

At that, Mic started laughing so hard Aizawa had to Erase him briefly or risk losing the entirety of the faculty lounge mug collection, the lift of his tangled hair as lackluster as the glare Eraserhead was fixing him with.

“Oooh! Is that how you did it, during that showdown in the thunderstorm?” Midnight cooed, giving a saucy wink. She wiggled in her chair. “We always wondered. The broadcast went dark, after all.”

“No!” Toshinori yelped as the heat rose in his neck, threatening to choke him even more than these preposterous theories. He shook his head, bangs wagging frantically. “No, please, why are we talking about Mandrake like this? He's reformed, you know, and a very valuable member of the League!”

“Yeah, which means you saw his potential even then, right?” Mic wheezed, patting his throat with a glance at his best friend, like a promise not to go supersonic again. Then he sighed, pillowing his cheek on his fist. “Dude, even I gotta admit, when you guys were enemies? Before you were frenemies? You had this vibe. All the staring. All the sweaty battles and the weird, possessive pride he took in being your rival and the way you kept swearing to bring him to justice with your own two hands.”

Toshinori waited for something further to clarify the string of technically objective statements, heinously lost. Mic shrugged.

“Like, you were clearly banging.”

“But we weren't,” Toshinori protested, little more than a rasp.

“What Mic is saying is that there was tension there. And it was kinda horny,” Kayama said evenly with a pass of her tongue over her lips, blue eyes gleaming. Aghast and frozen, Toshinori looked to Aizawa, who he could count on to be objective if nothing else. To his despair, the Erasing hero shrugged.

“Above average levels of horny,” he mumbled, continuing to type.

“I mean, that was pretty much the whole Golden Age arch nemesis vibe if I'm gonna be honest,” Midnight said with a throaty sigh, leaning back. “Like, soooooo much could have been solved if you'd just dropped trow.”

“She has some X-rated fanzines from academy if you want a step by step,” Mic snickered, earning himself a fond and entirely proud whack on the shoulder from the pervert in question.

“I ...” Toshinori said into his hand, singularly mortified. “O-oh my.”

“Please ignore my sex-obsessed idiots,” Aizawa said just loudly enough to be heard over his friends demented snickering. “They haven't been outside today and it's clearly warping their minds.”

“I haven't been outside in weeks,” Mic boasted, turning a gleaming insane grin toward Toshinori. “It's finals!”

“You can breathe, Yagi-san, you know we're just teasing you,” Midnight assured him after a moment, clearly trying to put him at ease. “We all know things were still a little rough back then and everyone had their little tensions and melodramas. We just thought, since we had the source right here, we could put a silly rumor to rest and –”

But Toshinori had a hand over his eyes and was frozen against the counter, towering body as stiff as a board. Midnight tilted her head.

“Um, Yagi-san?”

“I'm just … thinking ...” he began hoarsely. He dropped the concealing hand and took a deep breath and realized, self-consciously clutching his arm, that the entire table was looking up at him with wide eyes. Even Aizawa, and that was saying something.

“After Mandrake reformed and we had our first meeting as the League, at Tokyo hall, he … well, he sent me a gift. Personally.”

“And?” Midnight gasped, a hand to her chest. Mic grabbed her elbow, leaning in and nodding vigorously.

“And he asked me to see him as more than an ally,” he finished very quietly. There was a beat where the staffroom was profoundly silent, the only sound the labored hissing of the electric kettle.

“Did heeeeee ask you to see him as a brother? Maybe?” Mic offered somewhat hopelessly, wincing.

“No,” Toshinori mumbled, feeling his neck warm horribly again. “Just more than.”

“And you thought that was him being honorable and polite,” Aizawa said flatly, clearly extremely disappointed in him.

“It was both honorable and polite, what else was I supposed to think?” Toshinori protested, long fingers tangling desperately with his tie. “Our history as rivals was all the news outlets were talking about at the time and I-I didn't have any context!”

“Well, what was the gift?” Mic asked. “That should have given you some context, huh?”

“It was …” Toshinori paused, and excruciatingly so. Seeing the three of them lean forward, eyes widening even further, Toshinori ducked into his hand again. “A very tasteful flower arrangement.”

It was a curious thing, to hear three people gasp in unison and with such a sense of outrage.

“I had just moved in to a new agency, so I thought ...” he began reedily, knowing how idiotic it sounded even as it left his mouth.

“What kind of flowers?”

Now it was everyone's turn to stare and blink at Midnight, who frowned at him and flipped her silky hair over her shoulder.

“A former villain with a Quirk that controls and creates plant life, who once made Tokyo tower into an absolutely gorgeous trellis during one of his attempts to take over the city, and you didn't think to look for hanakotoba?”

“I thought they were very nice,” was all Toshinori could offer, to the raucous groaning of the assembled heroes and, apparently, the sole retainers of common sense. It was clear that none of them were going to let him walk out of the staff room without entirely embarrassing himself – even Aizawa was committed at this point, possibly through spite alone – so Toshinori grimaced and thought back.

“It was … mostly white and red and yellow. Very densely petaled white flowers, so, camelia I think? Also bigger ones, with thick white splayed petals, possibly gardenias. There were red carnations, forget-me-nots ... daffodils. Oh, and one giant sunflower.”

He listed them off with a frown, plundering the very shallow depths of his horticultural know-how and the distant memory that had previously been a blip on his radar in terms of potential love confessions. Luckily, they were all relatively common flowers even if the arrangement itself was bursting with professional skill. It had been beautiful, he realized with a surge of regret, and thoughtful and Mandrake had been very odd about delivering it. Personally. With minimal eye-contact or explanation. He cleared his throat.

“That's it. The wrapping was blue, too, so I thought it very kind that he'd, er, matched my color scheme.”

For a moment, Midnight just looked up at him. And looked. And looked. And then slowly, delicately put a hand to her head and sighed.

“So. Starting with the least suspicious of the bunch, daffodils mean deep respect. So that's nice.”

The predatory look on her face indicated that 'nice' was a horrendous understatement for what was to follow. She ticked them off on her perfectly manicured fingers with a widening cheshire grin.

“Carnations could be fascination or love depending on the color, but if they were red, that's no question. Gardenias mean secret love. Forget-me-nots are for true love. Sunflowers are for passionate love and radiance. And camelias mean –”

“Longing,” Aizawa finished sourly, glaring up at the older hero as if personally affronted.

“Dude?” Mic whispered, staring at his best friend like he was dreaming. Aizawa, caught, snorted and forcibly returned to his work.

“You know my parents are florists,” he muttered, looking a little angry that the buried knowledge had escaped him in front of his friends. Mic cackled obnoxiously then seemed to catch up on all of the righteous indignation that he should have been feeling, abruptly cutting himself off and whirling to look at Toshinori with an open mouth.

“It was a love confession! Mandrake went out on a limb for you, Yagi-san! A rickety, be-flowered tree limb of secret love!” he exclaimed, deeply offended and deeply loud. He covered his mouth just for effect. “I bet you didn't even text him back, you cad.”

“Actually, we didn't have texting at the time, so ...” Toshinori shook his head and refocused on the unfortunate conversation and the even less fortunate truth. He sighed heavily, brow furrowed. “Oh my. I genuinely thought it was a peace offering of sorts. Considering.”

“The only peace he was offering was a piece of ass,” Aizawa snorted, apparently unable to keep himself out of the conversation. Midnight barked out a laugh and Toshinori coughed so sharply that bright red blood streaked his lips, hastily bending and yanking a worn handkerchief out of his pocket.

“Aizawa-kun, please!” he croaked through the cloth, mortified. Aizawa shrugged and Mic sat his chin on his hands again, pouting.

“Dude, you missed out. I bet he really loved you.”

“Oh shut up Mic, don't say such irresponsible things,” Midnight scolded him, smacking the back of his head.

Mic whined back and they devolved into familiar bickering over the best way to confess love or what obligations came with what kinds of confessions, including what kinds of confessions they had made in their youth and what they had really expected from it. Despite his friends wheedling, Aizawa's contributions were limited to refusing to indulge them on any further knowledge on the language of flowers and ordering them to get back to work and do something useful for once. The usual.

Somehow finding himself passed over as the center of attention, Toshinori quietly filled his mug with hot water, picked a teabag and made a hasty exit while they were distracted, frowning all the while.

“They feel bad for bringing it up.”

Toshinori looked up from where he sat on his customary lunch bench, blinking at the combination of direct sunlight and the unexpected shadow of Aizawa Shouta hanging over him.

He had just come outside for a little bit of fresh air and Aizawa's approaches were unrivaled in stealth, leaving him little room to react. Stunned, Toshinori didn't respond, or he didn't respond quickly enough, so his fellow instructor continued, regarding him with little patience over the crest of his coiled capture weapon.

“Mic and Nemuri. They feel bad for bringing up you and Mandrake.” When Toshinori still couldn't find anything to say, Aizawa sighed heavily, crossing his arms and glaring into the distance where the children milled around on the green, in the sun. “Because it's obvious that you're taking it hard and you're distracted. Upset.”

As little as he spoke, Aizawa was nothing if not observant: Toshinori was certainly distracted and he was certainly upset and he had no idea how to deal with either.

Tangling with such a delayed and important realization had consumed him over the past few days and showed no sign of slowing, especially when he thought about what the next step should be. He was lost in thoughts and regrets, trying without success to triangulate his and Mandrake's rocky relationship over the years and the battles: what it was, and what his now-comrade hoped it could have been. He felt paralyzed, mentally stuck in his doorway on that day and endlessly replaying how jaunty and utterly dismissive he must have seemed in taking the bouquet. The confession.

How could he have done such a thing? How could he not have known? It was all too much, but was it too late?

So, in keeping with his preceding uselessness, Toshinori just cleared his throat and tapped his long fingers together, looking askance. He hoped that Aizawa would give in to their general lack of accord and bad track record and consider his professional duty done with this short inquiry. Be on his way, and leave him to his guilt.

Then, of all things, Aizawa sighed again and took a seat next to him on the bench with peak reluctance, making the hair go up on the older heroes neck.

What, exactly, was happening? Did Kayama and Yamada send him to scold him back into shape again? It was too strange and too unprecedented and suddenly he hardly remembered how to breathe normally.

“How long ago was it?” the homeroom teacher asked, lacing his hands between his knees and staring out at the sun-soaked grass. Once again, as if the man had bound him in his carbon fiber reins, there was clearly no escape. Toshinori swallowed audibly, nudging his own knees closer together to make room.

“Eight … maybe nine years ago.” Toshinori sighed heavily and shook his head. “He did put himself out on a limb, and after we'd been through so much ... It must have taken a lot of courage. Regardless of how long it's been, I have an apology to make.”

“And what would you be apologizing for?” Aizawa asked. “For not knowing what he meant, or for not feeling the same way?”

Toshinori looked over at him, startled, and Aizawa boldly met his gaze, silent and expectant. It was probably the most words they had exchanged in their entire relationship and Toshinori was caught between the urge not to mess up and the urge to just run away, out from under this exacting man's eyes. And the question itself?

There was so much history between the two of them, it was hard to parse. There was the basic shame of not knowing what he meant, not understanding the gesture or the weight of it, true … but also the pervasive regret that he had personally let Mandrake down. Someone who had very strong feelings for him, and yet those feelings were unreturned. Mandrake was a good hero and a better man and Toshinori felt blindly guilty that he had disappointed him in such a personal and heartless way, so what was there to do but apologize?

“Both, I suppose,” he admitted, frowning down at his shoes.

At that, Aizawa shook his head impatiently.

“That's the problem with you. You'll take any excuse to feel guilty,” he snorted, the sheer derision in his tone making the older hero want to shrink into his oversized jacket. “It's no shame you weren't interested in him, but a decade later you're acting like it was a poor personal choice you made out of spite.”

It was all Toshinori could do to stare at him, skin chilling nonsensically. Aizawa continued, relentless.

“It's a useless apology, one that doesn't deserve the breath it would take to say it. The world isn't in your hands anymore, All Might, and sometimes misunderstandings happen. Especially when there are flowers involved, which is a poor substitute for actual communication,” he finished grimly, like he had a lifetime of flower drama stories locked away in his childhood. Then he shrugged, absently scratching at his unshaven chin.

“That's life and you have to let it go and move forward. Otherwise you'll drown in what you didn't do and be of no use to anyone, yourself included.”

Toshinori didn't know what to say to that, at first, as shock and offense and denial warred in him. Then it came to him, because it was really rather simple.

“Ah. Thank you, Aizawa-kun,” he said hesitantly. Smiled. “He's a good man and a good friend, but maybe it's a little too far along for these kinds of regrets. You ... I think you might be right.”

It wasn't exactly a revelation, after all. He could very well be a sentimental old fool prone to self-castigation for things he had no control over. Maybe.

Next to him, Aizawa snorted and quickly stood, their strange truce apparently over in an instant. Had his friends really sent him, or was this something he had chosen to do on his own? Toshinori really knew nothing about him. He watched in dual discomfort and curiosity as the younger hero paused to instill a few eyedrops and shake out his tangled mane, grimacing.

“Just stop brooding,” Aizawa said when he'd finished, replacing his eyedrops in his utility belt and shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned to go. He glanced over his shoulder. “You're winding my idiots up and it doesn't fit your type.”

“Ah, am I encroaching on your edgy Underground style?” Toshinori called after him, chuckling, but Aizawa was already gone around the corner, leaving the Symbol of Peace sitting on a warm bench with nothing but the distant chatter of students and the breeze for company. Despite the scraped feeling of being scolded in such a way, he felt lighter already. Simpler.

Perhaps, instead of an apology, he would send Mandrake a flower arrangement. A very … platonic flower arrangement, full of respect and appreciation. Focus on what he could offer, instead of what he couldn't. He felt a faint heat in his face and hid a smile from no one in particular.

Maybe he would ask Aizawa for help in putting it together.