#which like how OP said isn’t a problem when it isn’t shoved in your face

[ashleyfromdiscord]

Once you realize that they’ve been reusing the same plot points since S1, the show kinda feels redundant. The only thing they’ve managed to do SINCE season 1 was introduce more characters (who are never talked about or important after their intro season!) and shove Beast boy down your throat(He’s been in every season, if they can move on from other characters then why not him?)

Feeling very violent rn so here's a very controversial opinion:

Everything after season one of Young Justice sucked.

Look, I know I'm obsessed with the show but that doesn't mean it's good, it means that I'm too deep into it at this point to get out. There are good moments within the other seasons but in general? They were not good.

I'm sorry. I understand that they wanted to be creative and have a neat narrative and deep lore and all that. And they do! The narrative and lore is extremely deep.

But the plot? The characters??

Season one was an actual functional show that balanced character development, plot and dialogue with world building, lore and messaging.

The other seasons do not do that.

Season two bounced back and forth between like 16 characters. We got some development for some characters but even that was minimal compared to the character development in S1. And this isn't me complaining that the og group wasn't in S2 enough. That's not my issue. I would've loved to focus on a new group and I think that Jaime, Bart, Ed and Gar would've been super cool to focus on. I loved what character development they did have and I craved more.

But the problem? The problem is when you have 16 fucking characters that you are trying to develop and shove into a coherent plot and have actual meaningful scenes. There just wasn't enough focus on S2. Imo, S2 was meh because the characters got left by the wayside. The plot, dialogue, world building, lore and messaging was fine, there just seemed to be a lack of heart/warmth in the show because of the characters. It's hard to get invested.

Then holy shit. S3 introduced more characters. And the plot got more contrived and 'big picture' to the point that it started to abstract. It felt like nothing mattered. There were no stakes, you were just watching things happen. There was 50 fucking things happening an episode and 80% of it was lore/world building. It felt like I was studying for a fictional history exam.

I'm pretty sure the main character in S3 was earth 16. Just the entire universe. Because goddamn. We checked in on almost every living being and EVERYTHING was a plot point. Most of it wasn't even relevant to anything happening in the season. Man it was.... it was bad.

And at that point it just wasn't enjoyable at all to watch. I probably should've stopped watching but at that point the sunk cost fallacy had already kicked in. I knew it could be good. Maybe it could be good again. And people were constantly praising it as cinematic genius so I was like 'okay well maybe I'm missing the point? Maybe you aren't supposed to enjoy shows? Maybe this is fine?'

But season four broke me.

The creators heard that people were frustrated by the lack of character focus and the episodes following 72 characters and the episodes switching between 50 different subplots every episode and their solution? Their solution was to take allllllll the different unconnected plots and, instead of evenly spreading them throughout the season, jam them all into 'arcs'. So you had a bunch of mini seasons consisting of 3-5 episodes dedicated to a cast of ~5-8 characters (some of them new). And each of these episodes had unconnected a plots, b plots and c plots.

THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION

Holy shit that is not a solution.

Not to mention the overarching plot of the season, in which we had no fucking clue what was happening until the final episodes where everything became a speedrun to wrap everything up. We literally had no idea what the main plot was until it was ending.

Good god it was bad. It's bad writing!

I know people liked it and good for them. You should like what you like and you don't have to justify it. But for me it was insanity. I'm sorry I actually don't want a season long subplot where Beast Boy is depressed and sleeps all day. I would be cool with it if it had anything to do with the larger story but, surprisingly, spending five minutes watching Beast Boy sleep every episode didn't make for compelling storytelling.

I'm still not over how we didn't even know who the main villain was until the end of the season. And then all of a sudden he does a villain monologue to tell everyone his evil plan and his motives. Super cool actually. I love it when I have no idea what the stakes are for the majority of a show. It's incredibly good storytelling when you leave the audience in the dark about a major player in the plot for all of the plot. And then doing an info dump evil monologue in the final episodes to rush through the explanation??? Fucking fantastic and not a sign of terrible pacing at all.

I'm just so frustrated. The show isn't about being a show anymore. The show is an entire cinematic universe shoved into 20 something episodes. It's desperate to tell every single story at once, audience, pacing and good writing be damned.

I'm so tired of the constant praising of Greg. His whole 'i don't write endings because life doesn't have endings' and 'i don't write cliffhangers, I just leave things open ended' thing is pretentious bullshit. I'm tired of pretending it's not. A good story has an ending. Stories are not life! Some of the best shows I've ever watched had planned endings. And oh my god. The cliffhanger thing... that's just semantics my guy. Greg you write cliffhangers. You can insist they aren't but I'm going to call a spade a spade.

It's also.... I'm fine with explaining things, in fact I love it because it's an excuse to talk about the stuff I love, and I have a fairly decent knowledge of comic book lore. So, I could not only understand what was happening in the show but I was also super enthusiastic about explaining it to people. But hey Greg? Hey buddy? If 90% of your audience doesn't know what the fuck is going on and needs to be familiar with super specific obscure comic characters from the 70's then you might have a problem.

I think I realized halfway through s4 that the most enjoyment I got from an episode was when an obscure comic character would cameo in it. But then I realized that a) they generally weren't explained at all and b) 50% of the time they weren't just hanging out in the background and they were vital to the plot. So to understand who the fuck they were and what the fuck was happening you had to be familiar with... well all of DC comics actually.

Anyway this rant is getting long and unhinged and I don't think there's a point so I'm going to cut myself off even though I have so much more to say on the topic. I think my general point is just that I didn't enjoy watching the later seasons and it's chill if you did and we should all respect each other's opinions ✌️

[nowoyas]

This is Home (NSFW)

A/N: Title references the song This is Home by Cavetown, which you can’t tell me isn’t an entire trans mood. Give it a listen, y’all. It’s one of my faves <3

This fic is part of @birds-have-teeth​‘s Izumonth collab to celebrate Izuku’s birth month. For the lineup, head over here!

(izuku with binder edit and overall banner both made by me)

Summary: When your boyfriend starts distancing himself not long into your relationship, you decide to confront him and remind him just how loved he is. (trans!Izuku x reader)

Notes: Izuku is a pre-op, pre-T trans man for this fic. Reader is implied to be a cis girl. I am trans. In this fic, I am writing Izuku experiencing something I have and do struggle with and I swear to god if anyone clowns in my inbox because I wrote this I will literally fling them out the window, killing them instantly. Not on this one, assholes.

Warnings: smut, oral (reader giving), gender dysphoria, smut smut smut, I cried but you might not

Word count: 5555 (sexy)

Izuku has been avoiding you.

It's not obvious, not at first. Your honestly wonderful boyfriend is more than happy to text you good morning and good night as always, even on the nights where he goes to sleep at 4AM, and it's not as though the amount of cute emoji following the texts has changed. He still eats breakfast with you after his (very early) morning run, still eats lunch with you and your combined friend group, still eats dinner with you whenever he doesn't forget to eat. (You're working on getting him to remember to eat at all the right times.) 

But one-on-one study sessions get cancelled. He now trains seemingly whenever you can't, even though you used to train together all the time. It's all the small things, like how he used to kiss you suddenly all the time whenever it was just the two of you, but now, you're hardly ever alone together often enough even if he still did. And maybe you're imagining it, but the usual sleep and wake texts are less enthusiastic than before. 

You want to believe that maybe the two of you are just progressing from the honeymoon stage of your relationship, but this doesn't feel like progress. 

This feels like distance. 

This feels like he’s afraid to be alone with you.

You don't want to pry, but something's up with him, and you've got an inkling of exactly what. One thing's for certain, though—you're not letting him go another day thinking he can't talk to you about it. Knowing him, no matter what the issue is, he's convinced himself it would bother you for him to ask for reassurance or something to that effect.

And so, perhaps a bit shamelessly, you corner him.

Well, not physically. You're not that mean.

But when you knock on his door when you know he's there alone and he answers, you don't give him a chance to brush you off. You shove your way right into his room and take a seat on the edge of his bed.

"Talk," you demand, crossing your arms as he flusters and shuts the door behind him.

"[n-name], is something wrong—"

"Talk," you repeat, leveling a glare at him. "You've been acting weird around me lately. If it's something you're not comfortable talking about, that's okay, but if I've done something to make you avoid me, I want to talk about it and figure out how to fix it."

Izuku flinches, taking an awkward seat on his bed. (The other end of his bed. You try not to let show just how much that stings.)

"Y-you haven't done anything wrong," he forces out evenly, not looking at you. "I swear."

You shift closer to him, placing a hand over his own. "Izuku, look at me."

Green eyes meet yours. There's guilt there, and an underlying fear with a source you can only guess at.

"I love you, babe. I want to help you. You don't have to let me, but I really—fuck—" You sniff, pulling back to wipe at your eyes before you let any tears fall. "—shit, sorry. I just... I'm worried about you, and I don't want to lose you, y'know?"

He panics, crossing the distance between you within moments to pull you into a tight hug. His hand winds into your hair, the other settling in the small of your back and rubbing soothingly as he shushes you. "No, oh my god, angel, I-I never meant to make you think you did anything wrong. Really, it's not you, it's me!"

Your blood turns to ice in an instant at his words. "T-that's the kind of shit people say when they're explaining why they're breaking up with you, Izuku."

"N-no! That's not—That's not what this is. I love you too, I love you so much, I just... I'm scared, okay?" he admits, face pressed into your neck.

"Scared?"

He nods, hugging you just a smidge tighter. "Yeah. Scared."

"Of what, handsome?" You finally relax into his hold, snuggling into his shoulder with a sigh as you try to rein in the tears.

"It's probably stupid, and it doesn't really matter that much."

"Izuku babe."

"Yes?"

"Did it make you feel something?"

He hesitates before nodding slowly.

"Then it's not stupid, and it matters to me."

Izuku shudders in your arms, mumbling something you don't quite catch.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

He shifts, repeating himself just loud enough to be heard. "I wanna go further with you but I hate my body and don't want to take my clothes off to do it," he says, speaking so quickly you almost miss it a second time.

You freeze, a light blush on your cheeks. It's true that you've not gone that far with Izuku—he always seemed content just to kiss and cuddle and exchange sweet words behind closed doors, and god, you were happy just to have him in any capacity. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—there's bigger problems at hand than "your cute boyfriend wants to fuck you". 

"Oh, Izu," you breathe. "You know you don't have to push yourself, baby. It's okay if you're uncomfortable with—"

"B-but I shouldn't be!" he insists, wriggling away to look into your eyes with a pained look. "I don't wanna be uncomfortable. Not with you. I just... don't know how to... how to not be, and I didn't want things to escalate if I got alone with you because then I'd probably panic and push you away and then you'd probably feel hurt a-and it'd be my fault so I was avoiding you so I couldn’t hurt you before I was ready and then–"

"Izuku," you say firmly. "Don't push yourself for my sake. I'd feel awful knowing you did something like that for me. It's okay if we just kiss. It's okay if we never kiss. What's not okay is you forcing yourself into a dysphoric breakdown because you wanted to please me. If we fuck, I want it to be something we both enjoy, and I can't enjoy it if it's upsetting you or making you uncomfortable."

He tears up, yanking you back into a hug. "I'm s-sorry, [name]."

You laugh, tangling your hands in his curls and gently working knots out with your fingers. "You don't need to apologize, baby. I love you. And you know..."

"Mm?"

You smirk, looping a curl around one finger. Perhaps deliberately, your voice drops into a seductive, teasing voice. "If your biggest problem is either of us seeing your body, there's a few solutions. No one said you had to take your clothes off when we fuck, handsome."

He squeaks, and you swear you can feel his face heating up in your shoulder when he whines. He doesn't protest, so you continue, a grin spreading across your face.

"If you don't want me seeing you, you can always blindfold me," you offer, "or we could turn the lights off, or if you don't want to have to see yourself, I could blindfold you..."

"[N-name]!" Izuku yelps, burying his face into your chest to hide. "Stoooop, oh my god–"

Laughter bubbles from your throat. "Sorry, sorry. But those were honest suggestions. If you really wanna mess around with me a bit, I'm happy to let you set the pace. We kiss as much as you want, however heavy you want... Hell, I might even be into it if you order me around a little. Who knows?"

"O-order you?" You don't have to see him to know how red his face is—you can almost feel it through your top, the rush of embarrassment displayed on his freckled cheeks.

"Mhmm. I won't do anything you aren’t explicitly okay with. And the moment you want to stop, you tell me as much, and we can stop. But you know, I'm in love with you no matter what, and that includes your wonderfully strong body and your cute, handsome face. You light up any room you enter and make me want to work hard for my future. It’s not about your body. The fact that you're hot is a bonus, not the selling point."

He sniffles gently. You carefully go back to working through his hair. "But again, no matter how you want this to go, I'm okay with it. Your comfort first, baby."

He pulls out of the hug, worrying his lip between his teeth as he watches you. "If you're really okay with it, then... i-is it okay if I just kiss you, and we feel it out from there?"

You smile softly. "Go ahead, handsome."

Despite all the kisses you've shared before, every new kiss between you is charged with affection. Izuku can't help it if he melts into every kiss you share—your lips are so soft and you smell so nice and he loves you so much! Before he knows it, he's smoothing a palm against the back of your neck and deepening the kiss, moving his lips hesitantly against your own. He parts just enough to murmur against your lips: "I love you" and "tell me if you want me to stop" and "you can touch my arms if you want". (He knows you do. You only confirm it when your fingertips immediately drag along his upper arms, appreciating the muscles there.)

Before he knows it, he's swiping his tongue against your bottom lip tentatively and pulling you into his lap. You've been more than charitable—your hands remain carefully on his arms, your tongue in your own mouth even as he explores yours. You really won't go a step further than he asks for, and his heart swells at the confirmation. When he breaks the kiss, both of you are breathing heavy, a fact which draws extra attention to the fact that he's still wearing his chest binder.

"I-I want to kiss your neck. I-it's okay if you touch me, j-just please not my chest o-or my... Um, you know."

You mock-salute, a comically serious look on your face that clashes with your flushed cheeks. "Yes, sir! No chest, no ass, no between-thighs!"

The smile that pulls at his lips is utterly love-drunk as he leans back in, first pressing a soft kiss to the corner of your lips and trailing tiny pecks along your jawline. When he reaches your neck, he hesitates, and you wait to slide your arms over his shoulders. "Hun?" you say gently. "Still good?"

Green eyes flick up to yours, intense but wavering. "Y-yeah. I can do this."

Without any other warning, he places a hot, open-mouthed kiss directly onto your pulse, drawing a gasp from you when his teeth graze you just enough for you to feel it. Your hands slide down his back to find purchase as he continues, switching between peppering light kisses to your neck and honestly, doing pretty much anything that won't leave a mark.

Meantime, it's all you can do to gasp and whimper as he finds all your soft spots and goes on the full attack, and his hands roam your sides, climbing up until you're sure he's going to grope you–

And then he flinches and pulls back, just slightly. There's a quiet hiss through his teeth at the movement.

You'd love to whine at the loss, and normally, you probably would. But this is Izuku, and if you're going to let him set the pace, you're damn well going to let him set the pace.

You remove your hands from him completely, watching him with concerned eyes. "Everything alright?"

His heart twists at how gentle and concerned you are. One moment, you're huffing and looking at him with nothing but lust as he kisses your neck, the next, your brow's furrowed as you search him for any signs of fear or panic. 

He really doesn't deserve you.

"Do you want to stop?" you ask, voice soft in the way he's seen you use to talk to frightened animals.

He shakes his head, flattening a palm against his chest. "Sorry, sorry. M-my chest is just hurting a little."

"How long have you been binding today?" you ask without missing a beat.

A hand comes up to rub the back of his neck. "I, uh, I took it off during Hero Basic earlier..."

"And had it on all day before?" you ask, hands on your hips. "And all day since then?"

He nods sheepishly, refusing to meet your eyes. 

"Izuku..." You sigh. "I said I wanted you to be comfortable, but I also want you to be safe. Please take your binder off? I can look away while you do, I just don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I..." Izuku sighs, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "A-actually, could you, um..."

"I can leave the room if it'd make you feel better," you offer.

"N-no! That's not what I meant." He wraps his arms around your waist, refusing to let you leave. "I-I, um, wanted to try..." His face is beet red, and in a panic, he buries his face in your chest to hide his embarrassment. "C-can you help me out of it?" he finally squeaks out.

"Oh, Izu. Of course I can help you." You gently maneuver his face away from your chest, carefully reaching up to work at his tie. "Let me know the second you want me to stop, okay?"

He nods, squeezing his eyes shut. "Okay."

"Would it help if I kissed you while I get your top off?"

After a long moment, he nods, hiding his blushing face in his hands. His hands stay there until you gently pull them away with a soft giggle. "I can't kiss you if you're hiding your perfect face, handsome."

He gives you a wobbly smile, and you pull him towards you with a gentle tug at his tie. You're careful not to push too far as you kiss him—soft, open-mouthed kisses that have him whining as you try furiously to get this damn knot untied. How'd he even manage to get it like this? 

Nevertheless, eventually you do manage to get the knot undone and start working carefully on the buttons of his school shirt. Once you're halfway down, you pull back to murmur a soft "are we still okay?" against his lips.

He responds by crashing his lips back onto yours, a hand roaming up your side until this time, he does actually begin to palm one of your breasts over your shirt. Soon, the other hand joins him in just feeling you, and you can't help but sigh against Izuku's lips.

When you reach the lower buttons, you're careful to not let your hands get too far down as you carefully un-tuck his shirt from his pants. You have to force him to stop massaging your breasts long enough to slide his shirt off his shoulders, stopping to roll your eyes in amusement when you find him wearing an undershirt above the binder. You carefully slide the tank top off, leaving him in just his pants and the colorful All Might-themed chest binder you'd sewn for him shortly after he came out to you. Fingers reach for the zipper tab on the front, but don't close around it just yet. Not when Izuku's breathing quickens the way it does, not when his eyes widen in panic.

"Do you want me to step out while you get out of this and put something else on?"

He squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head in silence. "Please just... Wait a minute." You nod, hand slowly retreating as Izuku calms himself. 

"C-can we, um, l-level the playing field a little?" he asks when his breathing is a bit steadier.

You blink in surprise. "In what way, 'Zuku?"

He drapes both arms over his face as he answers in a truthfully adorable squeak. "L-like, um, s-so I'm not the only one t-topless..."

Your smile is fond as you pat his cheek and lean in. "Can I give you a show?" you whisper.

He shivers, nodding almost too excitedly, and you pull away with a little giggle. "Stay right here." You scamper to the door, making doubly sure it's locked, and turn back with a sparkle in your eye. With his full attention on you, you cross back to him and tease at the edge of your shirt. You're slow in your movements, teasing, and his eyes are glued to you, jaw slack as you give him a mini strip-tease. 

Man, it's hard to have low self-esteem with a boyfriend like yours. He drinks in the sight of you like it's the first sight of water he's had in months, adoration and awe and lust and all things positive written plain as day in his expression. When your shirt's properly discarded, you give Izuku a little wink and press a gentle, sweet kiss to his lips. "How are we feeling?"

"Good! G-great! T-this is—yeah. Yeah." His face is flushed, pupils blown. His eyes keep darting between meeting yours and somewhere lower

You quirk a smirk at him, trying not to laugh. "So am I good to unzip you, baby?"

His hands come up to cover his face, green peeking out from between his fingers as he nods. "I-I-I think I'm good."

"You sure? I don't want you to push yourself if you're not comf—"

His hand snatches your wrist, forcing the palm of your hand flat against the center of his chest. You can feel his heart racing beneath your fingertips. "I-if it's you, I can do this. Please."

"Stop me if it gets to be too much, okay?" you hum, carefully pinching the zipper tab and pulling it down slowly. His hand doesn't leave your wrist, but he lets you, exhaling softly when you unzip his binder all the way and free his chest from its confines after a long day.

Izuku panics. Not in the way he feared—he doesn't shove you away, doesn't run, doesn't freeze. But he panics all the same, dragging you into a hot, open-mouthed kiss before you can look at him, before he can see your disgust, before you can make fun of him or change your mind or or or or—

Gentle hands slide the binder off his shoulders with an appreciative hum. You're gentle as you straddle his waist, hands tangling in his hair, and when you go to pull back, he chases your lips. You giggle, trying to pull away to speak, but Izuku's too scared to let you—he almost whines as he continues pressing his lips against yours. 

"Everything good, sweetheart?" you ask as best you can amidst his onslaught.

"No—" slips out from his lips. "—I need you to keep kissing me."

"Hm, I can do that. But tell me if something's wrong, okay?" You punctuate your question with a kiss to his nose. He responds by meeting your lips once more.

He pauses, tugging you into a hug moments after breaking the kiss. "I'm a little scared right now," he admits. "You wouldn't... Hate me for how I look, right?" Tears brim in his eyes and wet his voice as he whispers.

"Never in a million years, Izuku. You're always going to be my handsome, strong boyfriend, until you decide you don't want me around anymore. I love you for who you are, not who you want to be, and I'll tell you as many times as it takes."

His arms shake around you. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too," you whisper, slowly pulling back as he releases you. "Is it okay if I kiss you, baby?"

"We were already kissing," he says, trying not to laugh.

You press a slow, sensual kiss to his neck. "I know," you breathe out in open, hot breaths, delighting in the way he shivers. "I meant... escalating."

"O-oh." His face is red, as if it could ever stop being red, and you break into a grin when he nods sheepishly. "I-if you want..."

"I very much want." You nod quickly, dragging your nails along his upper arms and around to his shoulders. Goosebumps follow in your wake. "If you'll let me, I'd like to show you all the parts I love about you. But first?"

"M-mm?"

"Say 'yellow' if you need me to pause or 'red' if you want us to stop entirely, alright? The moment you want me to stop. If you aren't sure, 'yellow'. Please? I don't want to cross any boundaries with you."

"Safewords. Okay, I-I think I can do that. Yellow to pause or slow down, red to stop." He nods slowly, a determined pout on his face. You grin and shoot him an adoring gaze before returning to his neck, one hand finding his to intertwine your fingers. His hand trembles in your grasp, but when you squeeze his hand to reassure him, he's quick to squeeze back. "Green to keep going?"

You nod.

"Okay. I'm okay."

You're slow and careful as you begin to kiss down his body, trailing along his jaw and each shoulder. The pads of your fingers massage along the lines where the seams of his binder had been digging into his skin, eliciting shivers beneath your fingertips. Intermittently, he squeezes the hand you've kept intertwined with his, letting out shaky gasps when you drag your tongue back up to his neck.

"You're doing so well," you purr. It's hard to keep your free hand in one place–you drag it back up to indulge in the fluffy curls atop his head only a moment before lightly dragging your nails down his spine.

Next, you trail your lips back down to his chest, pausing to toy briefly with his chest as he lets out a cascade of moans. "[N-name]..."

"Mm?" Your eyes meet his innocently as you lathe your tongue over his nipple, your heart skipping at the lusty, adoring look on his face. You release him from your mouth with a small pop!, tilting your head. "Still good?"

"No, come back," he whines, tugging at your hand.

A giggle escapes you. "Well, since you asked so nicely..."

He shudders as you dive back in, switching to take his other nipple into your mouth. With your closest hand still occupied in holding his, you aren't able to play with the side you'd previously been kissing at, but Izuku doesn't seem to mind as he practically pushes his chest into your face with another gasp.

Soon, all too soon, you continue in your journey to kiss every inch of Izuku's body, palming at his chest and placing one soft kiss against a freckle situated just above his heart. You giggle when you feel his pulse jump beneath your lips before moving on, pressing kisses in a line down the center of his chest until you've found soft skin.

Your free hand finds his belt, toying with the buckle as you get off his lap and rest on the floor in front of him. "Color?"

He eyes you warily, running his thumb across your hand in a way that feels more like he's soothing himself than you. He doesn't answer.

"Izuku, I need to know if this is okay. If you don't answer, I'll stop."

"Y-yellow," he admits meekly. "I-I think it's easier if I don't think about it, but I just... I want this to happen but every second I'm reminded of all the ways this could end in you leaving me, a-and..."

You immediately move your hand away at his admission. "Thank you for telling me. You’re overthinking it, hun. I’m not gonna leave you. Can I help you at all?"

"Distract me?" He pouts at you, leaning down for a kiss. He's even so bold as to slip his tongue into your mouth as you fumble with his belt buckle one-handed, his hand smoothing over your shoulder and down your bare back until you finally manage to get his belt unbuckled and his pants unbuttoned. Once he's unzipped, you smooth your hand over the small of his back, sitting up on your knees to press into the kiss.

Getting him out of his pants with one hand is a challenge, but you make it work, leaving him to toe off his socks and sit there in a loose pair of boxers, looking nervous and innocent and adorable but mostly just scared.

Now that you've got him mostly undressed, you can finally move back to your mission of making him feel utterly loved and working away that fear of his, littering his stomach and sides with tiny pecks and nibbles that have him giggling as he tries (and fails) to squirm away from your onslaught.

"Great job so far," you mumble, nuzzling your nose into his side playfully. "You're really brave, 'Zuku."

He gasps for air between his laughter, scarcely gaining enough time to breathe before you finally relent enough to let him catch his breath. "I love you," he pants out when he finally gets a chance to look down at you. "Thank you."

"I love you more~" you practically sing, punctuating your sentence by blowing a puff of air at his stomach. He squirms, trying not to laugh any more than he already has. You reach up, gently caressing his cheek, and he presses into your touch. "Color?"

Izuku gnaws at his lip. His face is flushed, cheeks flaming red as he pants. After a long moment that you can only imagine is filled with thoughts too fast for anyone else to understand if only they could hear, he speaks. "Green."

A single soft kiss as your hand slips beneath his boxers, giving his ass a teasing squeeze before sliding them off his legs. His tongue slips in your mouth and roams freely as your hand caresses his inner thigh, until all that's left for you to do other than tease him relentlessly is go for broke. You break free from the kiss, watching his face with a smile as you drag a single finger up his slit, finding his clit with ease once you dip between the folds.

No anxiety rears its head now. His jaw goes slack, eyes squeezed tight with pleasure as you slowly rub his slit, a red flush crawling from his cheeks and down his neck as he tries not to moan too loudly. "[n-name]~"

"Hm?" you purr, pausing your finger as it circles his dripping heat teasingly. "Do you need to stop, green bean?"

"N-no!" His eyes snap open, shooting you a pleading, desperate look. "P-please, green, I need more—"

You drop to sit on your knees in front of him, gently spreading his legs to sit between them. "If you're sure, baby. Thank you for asking nicely."

The only sound that escapes him when you finally, finally lean forward and dart your tongue between his folds is a drawn-out moan. Instantly, his free hand finds your head, tangling through your hair and pulling you close. You welcome the momentum, slipping your tongue inside him and using your thumb to rub small circles against his clit. He moans and writhes against your mouth, hips bucking so uncontrollably you're half-tempted to wrap your free arm around his waist and hold him down as you work him up. (If he didn't still have his fingers entwined with yours, you probably would.)

When it gets too much and you're running out of air, you pull back, panting and gazing down at him in appreciation as he whines. "[naaaaame], I was so—"

"Shh," you coo, replacing your tongue with two deft fingers. "I just need a sec to breathe. You're doing so well, Izuku."

His walls pulse around your fingers at your words, green eyes shining with tears that almost make you stop completely if not for the fact that he's still trying to fuck himself on your fingers. You curl them experimentally, brushing against a spongy spot inside him that has him keening and thrashing against you. You re-position clumsily, dragging him into a kiss to muffle his noises as you continue to assault his g-spot. It’d be bad if someone heard the two of you, after all.

It's not long after that that you manage to push him over the edge, his pleasured moans spilling into your mouth as his walls flutter around you. A scarred hand squeezes around yours tightly as he manages to babble your name. You pump your fingers into his dripping cunt just a little bit longer, giving him something to ride out his orgasm on until his moaning turns into whimpers and his hips still. You smile softly when, upon trying to pull away to sit in a less awkward position, he pulls you back to kiss you again

You slowly remove your fingers from him, taking the small window he gives you to sit beside him on the bed and kiss the scar on his hand. His shoulders shudder as you pull him into your lap and a tight hug. "You did so well, Izuku," you coo into his ear.

He sniffles and would have launched himself at you if not for the fact that he was already as close as he could get—his arms lock you into place, snuggling into you tightly as he sobs.

"Is everything okay, Izu? What’s got you upset, green bean?" You carefully wipe your fingers on the sheets before beginning to card your fingers through his hair.

"I-I don't—I don't know! I'm sorry, I—"

"Shh, it's okay. You're okay, Izu. You did so well." You begin to pepper his temples in light kisses. 

"I-I always thought that—that I'd never get any of this. That if I ever—ever found someone like you and loved them and they actually loved me, that they'd never... 'cus I'm... f-for a lot of reasons, they wouldn't ever want to do anything like this with me," he babbles, finding every word more difficult to force out than the last. "They'd... they'd get to this point and then they'd realize that this isn't... that I'm not what they want. What they ever wanted. But... this is real. It is, isn't it?"

"It's real, Izuku."

He breaks at that. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I love you."

You patiently run your fingers through his hair, working through any knots you find and trying not to let yourself cry with him. "It's okay, baby. I love you too."

"I'm sorry," he repeats. Hot tears begin to drop onto your shoulder as he tries to bring himself even closer. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, honey," you insist. "Really."

"I-I never thought I'd be..." He trails off, lets out another sob.

Your heart wrenches, and you smooth your hand over his back. "Loved?"

His silence speaks volumes.

"Oh gosh, Izu." You want to hold him close, to kiss him until he forgets every self-deprecating thought he's ever had. But you're already holding him, already as close as you can get, and genuinely, if you see his face right now, it won't be long before you're also bursting into tears. So you stay there, rubbing circles into his back as you search for the words—any words—to help him understand just how you feel. "You know I love you, right? I said it earlier, and I'll say it as many times as you need me to."

"I love you too," he mumbles, his tears finally beginning to subside. You wriggle your way from him, just enough to press soft kisses to his face.

"I mean it. More than anything, I love you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for being honest with me, and thank you for confiding in me." With every "thank you" and "I love you", you pause to press another kiss to his face. The wrenching in your chest finally subsides when, after the fourth tiny kiss, he lets out a giggle. "Thank you for existing, baby. I'm so fucking glad I met you, and even if we'd never done this, even if we'd never gotten together, I'd still be glad I met you. You're loved, Izuku, and I'll remind you every day, every hour, if you need me to. As often as it takes for you to never question it again."

"Thank you. Sorry."

You laugh, pressing a kiss to his nose. "Stop apologizing. We here at [name], Inc. are of the official opinion that Mister Izuku Midoriya has never done anything wrong, ever, and will not be accepting constructive criticism at this time."

Finally, a proper laugh bubbles from his throat, and he finds it in himself to smile at you—complete, adoring, loving. He even lets himself believe it as the two of you lay down cuddled up to each other. 

As long as he's by your side, he thinks he can continue to believe it. 

He's complete. Adored. Loved.

[luffles424]

Kairos

☼ Pairing: Seokjin x reader

☼ Genre: A/B/O dynamics, college au, omega!reader, Alpha!CEO!Seokjin, s2l, fluff, smut, minor angst (they’re idiots)

☼ Count: 25.6K

☼ Warnings: teasing, marking (+ a little blood), unprotected sex (stay safe kids!), knotting, creampie, multiple orgasms, impreg kink, minor dom/sub undertones, oral (f receiving), fingering, pillow humping, dirty talk, praise kink, heat sex, seokjin is a soft alpha

☼ Summary: kairos καιρός (greek, n.) - the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement

When your financial aid falls through for your last year of school, you fear you’ll have to drop out and postpone your degree. Until Taehyung gives you a suggestion to make a lot of money, quick. His idea can’t possibly end well, can it?

☼ a/n: So, guess who’s not dead? Sorry it took so long to get something new out, life’s been... busy. I’ve got other stuff currently in the works and I hopefully won’t take quite so long to put something else out again. Anyway let me know what you think! My ask box is always open ~ 💙💙💙💙

You stared at the letter from your school, reading it for the fifth time and hoping that maybe, just maybe, the words had rearranged, said something different. Anything else. Changed to say something other than there was a problem with your financial aid. That it fell through and that your tuition, the full semester tuition, would be due in just two weeks when classes started. You felt your throat closing up as tears blurred your vision, panic at what you were supposed to do now clawing at your throat and stealing your voice. Distantly, you heard a door down the hall open. 

Seconds later, arms were wrapped around you, the letter falling from your limp hands to lie on the ground innocently, like that piece of paper didn’t just effectively ruin your life. You’re guided to sit on the couch, where you promptly buried your face in their chest, breathing in the comforting scent of vanilla and alpha. A choked sob leaves you and your hands reach up to clutch at their shirt, desperate for some kind of grounding. A hand rubs soothingly at your back as they murmur soft words to you, words that you can’t make out of the rushing noise in your ears, as they wait for you to calm down. Minutes passed and you take a deep shuddering breath, feeling marginally better despite the fact that you felt like your world was crumbling.

“Think you can talk about it now, babe?” 

You sit up a little, scrubbing your hands over your face before looking up at Lisa’s concerned face. You give a small shrug before looking down at your lap. She rubbed your back again. 

“I can call Jimin over if it’s an omega thing and you don’t want to talk to me about it. I know I don’t always get everything and you know I won’t be offended if you need him instead of me.” She offers, tugging her phone from her pocket.

You shake your head. “It’s not. I-” You paused, swallowing back a fresh wave of tears, trying to ignore the panic that threatens to swallow you. “My financial aid fell through... I- I have to have the whole semester paid in two weeks.” You pause to take a deep breath. “Even the payment plan installments are too big for me to afford.” You look at her with watery eyes. “I can’t finish my last year.”

“Oh, honey.” She frowns, voice sounding as wreck as if this were happening to her and not you and fully wraps her arms around you. “We’ll figure something out, I promise. You’re going to graduate with all of us if it’s the last thing we all do.”

You hiccuped a laugh at her proclamation. “You make it sound like you all are going to war for me.”

You feel her shoulders lift in a shrug. “You know we all would.” She murmurs, pressing a soothing kiss to your temple.

The two of you sit on the couch in silence for a while, Lisa’s alpha presence doing wonders in helping to keep you calm and grounded while you try to think of anything you could possibly do to get the money for school. But you come up horribly empty for anything you could do that would suddenly get you that much money. And as the time crawls by, you feel more and more despondent. 

Your pondering, Lisa called it sulking but you maintain that you were spending the time trying to think and solve this, is interrupted by a knock at your door and you shoot Lisa a look, knowing full well that you should’ve known that she was up to something. She had been far too quiet since she’d gotten you to stop crying. She gives you a wink in response and rises to go open it. Seconds later, you’re enveloped in another hug as your house appears to be invaded by the rest of your friends. You chuckle as Jimin rubs his cheek against yours before he’s sitting and pulling you close with an arm around your waist. He maintains a hand on you even as he turns away to direct someone you can’t see from your position. Your other friends trail in, all leaving comforting touches and the comforting blend of their scents on you before migrating elsewhere.

You see Taehyung and Jennie carrying bags into the kitchen after they pass you, Tae ruffling your hair and Jennie swiping a hand across the back of your neck. Jisoo squeezes your shoulder, not breaking conversation with Lisa as they follow the other two to the kitchen. You turn to Jimin, eyebrow raised.

“Did I forget about plans or something?” You question, given the events earlier, you wouldn’t put it past you to have forgotten plans. It certainly didn’t help that you all collectively invaded each other’s apartments on almost a daily basis.

Jimin shakes his head, giving you a little squeeze and you can tell by the way his eyes flit around your face that his instincts are telling him to comfort, so you reach up and grab his hand, twining your fingers together. “Lisa told us what’s going on. We came to cheer you up.” He grins.

You look from him to the bags that you can just make out on the counter, they look suspiciously full of bottles, and back again. “And you’re going to do that, how?” You ask skeptically.

Jimin winks. “Drinking.”

Hours later finds you splayed out on the floor, pleasantly drunk and your mind is blissfully free of any money worries for the moment. Jungkook and Rose had showed up not too long after the others, promptly joining the festivities as Jimin had enthusiastically poured a few shots down each of their throats. He claimed it was in the name of them catching up to everyone else. You suspect he just wanted someone else to take shots with, since everyone already present had switched to mixed drinks after the first couple of shots much to his disappointment, because you catch him sneaking a shot or two for himself. 

Taehyung flops a hand out, hitting the part of you he can reach which ends up being your shin. You giggle, squirming a little so you can look at him. 

He beams at you as he pushes himself up onto an elbow. He pauses for a moment, blinking a few times like he’s trying to focus on something, which you suspect isn’t far off because the world is probably spinning from how quick he sat up. “I know how you can pay your tuition!”

Jimin shoves him and Taehyung collapses back to the floor with a huff, breaking into drunken giggles for a moment as Jimin hisses out, “I already told you that’s a stupid idea.”

Taehyung sticks his tongue out at him once he’s got his giggles under control, though the grin stays firmly in place. “Let her decide that.” He tilts his head so he can look at you again. “It’s the best idea ever. Trust me.” He pauses for dramatic effect, the room quiet as they wait to hear his grand idea and you can hear Jimin mumble something about Taehyung having a death wish. “You can auction off your first time having a heat partner. Any alpha would kill to be your first knot.” He gestures.

Your cheeks instantly flush. That was quite possibly the last thing you had ever expected to have come out of his mouth as an idea. And you’ve known him for a while and he’s had some weird and creative solutions to things before. “Taehyung! I can’t do that!” You instantly protest.

He pouts, gestures growing more animated as he talks. “Why not? It’s literally the perfect plan. You get paid and you get laid. Win win! You said yourself that your heat’s were starting to get worse and you were thinking about taking a partner this next one. Why not make some alpha shell out the big bucks for the honor of giving you your first knot. Alpha’s love that sort of shit.” He looks over to the couch and Jimin’s comment of death wish is starting to make a lot of sense. “Right, Lisa?”

You turn to look at the girl in question too, stifling a laugh at the thoroughly unimpressed look she’s giving Taehyung. “Yeah, Tae. All us alpha’s love exactly that.” She squints at him like she’s contemplating whether it’s worth it to actually get up and you see the fight leave her as she instead chooses to take another long sip of her drink.

He grins, clearly missing the sarcasm and continues like Lisa proved his entire explanation to be true. “Come on. Just think about it. You get to have some awesome sex and you get to finish school.”

“She’s not a prostitute, Taehyung.” Jennie cuts in gently. 

“What?” His face scrunches in confusion, like he’s not talking about you selling yourself for money too. “I’m not saying that. Also there’s nothing wrong with sex work. Y/N would just be using what she’s got to her advantage!”

You wave your hand to stop Jennie’s retort, knowing that if you don’t stop this then the claws will come out. You understand her point and you know, as does Taehyung if he weren’t so drunk, that Jennie’s words just aren’t coming out the way she intends them to and you know both are too drunk to understand what the other is saying right now. “Jennie it’s fine. I didn’t think that’s quite what he meant. And Tae, I’m not going to sell myself just so I can finish school.”

Taehyung pouts, arms dropping dejectedly to the floor with a muffled thump. “I’m just saying, it’s an option. You should be open to all options.”

Taehyung lets it drop after that and Jungkook brings out Mario Kart to distract from the suddenly tense atmosphere. You mouth a ‘thank you’ to him and he gives you a sleepy smile. He helps get the game set up before he’s shifting over to you and laying with his head on your thigh. You thread your fingers through his hair, watching as everyone around you suddenly becomes much more animated as their competitiveness is magnified by their drunkenness and you bask in the warmth and love from your friends.

You wake up the next morning with a slight headache and your throat so dry it feels like you swallowed sand. You groan and bury yourself back into your covers, hoping that maybe if you don’t move that you’ll magically feel better. Someone shifts next to you and you instinctively shift closer to the warmth, humming contentedly when Jimin’s bright citrusy scent washes over you beneath the covers. Jimin’s arm wraps around you immediately as you snuggle into his chest, eyes slipping closed again as you think back to your friends suggestions from the night before, knowing you’re going to have to decide on one of them, or maybe all of them since you need so much money. Taehyung’s idea is the first thing that comes to mind and while you try to ignore it in favor of thinking of other ideas, it keeps coming back. You know it’s a bad idea, you know your friends would never fully approve, you’re still slightly unsure how to feel about the idea of doing something like selling sex to a stranger and the possible problems that might arise from that. Instead you purse your lips, shifting even closer to Jimin. 

“Jimin?” You whisper, hoping it’s loud enough to wake him up. He hums in response, rubbing his face into your pillow, but otherwise makes no indication that he’s awake. You giggle at how adorable it is. “Jimin.”

His eye cracks open, squinting at you. “What?” His voice is raspy and his arm tightens around you. 

Your arms come up, hands fidgeting nervously with his shirt as your eyes slip down because you don’t think you can ask this and look him in the eye. “Do you think I could really make enough money selling off the opportunity for someone to be my first knot?”

You feel Jimin tense beneath your hands and you refuse to look up. You don’t know what you’ll see, but you know you wouldn’t be able to handle whatever look it is, you’re in a much to precariously emotional place right now. 

“Y/N, please don’t tell me you’re actually considering Taehyung’s harebrained scheme to make money, are you?”

You swallow. You don’t want to admit that his idea seems like the best way to make the most money quickly. That you think it might be your only chance to pay for school. That a little part of you maybe likes the idea of a bunch of alpha’s fighting for you with their money. 

Jimin tilts your chin up gently, forcing you to look at him. He studies your face for a moment before he sighs. “You’ve already decided.”

Your cheeks flush but you shoot him an indignant look. “I have not! I wanted your opinion. You’re the only other omega I know well. Tae’s just a beta, he doesn’t really fully understand a heat, no matter how much he helps you out.”

Jimin hugs you close, stroking your hair and you feel yourself deflate a little. “I think that, whatever you decide is the right choice and I will be behind you 100%. I think the concept is dumb, but the idea of alpha’s fighting for you is actually pretty amusing.” He pauses before continuing, pressing his grin to your forehead. “Okay, no I’ve changed my mind. Please do this. I want to see those dumb brutes throw their money at you for something as silly as being your first heat partner when you were thinking about giving it to some alpha on campus for free.” He pulls back and his grin is full of mischief. “Take em for all they’re worth.”

You snort at that. “I don’t think anyone will pay that much for it. Hopefully it’s just enough to help with school.”

And so that’s how you find yourself sat at your laptop, Jimin practically glued to your side as you work to create a website for this. Jimin tries to be helpful, but you both are lacking in the skill department for building something quite like this. After a half hour of struggling, Jimin smacks your arm. 

You rub the spot as you glare at him. “Um, ow? What was that for?”

“We’re so dumb.” He rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out. “Why are we not calling Rose to come help with this? You know, since she’s a computer science major and this is literally what she’s good at.”

You blink at him, a little dumbfounded. You really should have thought of that in the first place before deciding you were fully capable to build a website this complicated. You pause though, fear of her judgement when she finds out what the site is for creeping up. Jimin must see the hesitation on your face because his expression softens and he sets his phone on the coffee table.

“We don’t have to. I’m sure with enough time… and googling, we can figure it out. But you know Rose loves you and wouldn’t judge you. Besides, I’m fairly certain that out of all of us, and after Taehyung, she’d be the most likely to start up a job as a camgirl. Easy money and it’s fun and you get men groveling at your feet? Sign her up.” He laughs.

You chew your lip thoughtfully, Jimin makes a good point and so you nod your assent. He beams, retrieving his phone and tapping away at the screen. Rose shows up 20 minutes later, glancing from Jimin to you then back to give him a thoroughly unimpressed look.

“You said this was an emergency?”

He nods, ushering her to the couch where your laptop resides on the table. “It is an emergency. We desperatly need your help getting money from dumb alphas.” He grins.

She raises an eyebrow before turning to you. “Can you please make sense?”

You laugh, fidgeting as you explain what you want to do and that you don’t know how to do that, but you were hoping that she does and would be willing to help. She looks pensive for a moment and the longer she remains silent, the more you begin to worry that this was the wrong thing to do. But before your thoughts can get too far, she’s reaching out to pluck your laptop off the table, settling it into her lap as she begins to pepper you and Jimin with questions about how you want the sight to look and function. You and Jimin sit on either side of her, watching with wide eyes as your website begins to take shape under her dexterous fingers. 

Four hours later, Rose sets your laptop back onto the coffee table after shifting some of the takeout boxes out of the way. She gestures to the screen grandly.

“You tuition ticket, my lady.” She grins then glances at her watch. “Oh, I gotta go, I had plans with Jisoo tonight.” She gives you a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I love you and everything will work out. But text me if you need any help with the website.” She instructs as she rises and leaves. 

Your nerves start to creep in as you stare at the screen, wondering if this will even work or if you’re just giving yourself false hope, this could all blow up in your face or you could get no one to bid. And suddenly this all seems like a really bad idea, the fear of rejection suddenly much worse. Jimin seems to sense your thoughts and wraps his arms around your middle, chin resting on your shoulder. 

“You got this babe. It looks perfect.”

“Are you sure? Should I change the wording? Or maybe add different pictures?” You fidget and Jimin grabs your hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. 

“Nope. It looks great. The pictures are great, not surprising since they’re ones that Tae took.” He takes your hand, moving the mouse to the button that makes the website live. He holds your finger above the button. “Ready?”

You squeeze your eyes closed and nod and Jimin presses your finger to the button. You release a breath, peeking an eye open to see that nothing’s changed on the page. You frown and Jimin laughs.

“You gotta give it some time. It just went live. Don’t worry. The bids’ll start rolling in soon.” He pulls away slightly, closing your laptop. “Now, let’s go get changed cause I require coffee and you need to get away from your computer otherwise you’ll stare obsessively at it and call it a failure before it’s even had a chance to get started.”

You’re awoken the next day by a loud crash from the living room. You groan and push yourself up, debating if it’s really worth it. You decide it’s probably best to go and check it out in the event that it’s something bad, so you shuffle out of your room and down the hall to see what’s going on. You were expecting something broken, maybe the ceiling caved in or a pipe burst, what you don’t expect is to see a fuming Lisa being held back by Jimin and Taehyung cowering behind the couch. He perks up when he catches sight of you before quickly cowering again when Lisa lets out a growl and you wince because it sets your own instincts on edge and it’s not even being directed at you. You can’t imagine how it’s making Taehyung feel with him getting the full force of it and you want to go comfort him as he lets out a low whine. Before you can even speak, let alone move, Lisa speaks. 

“I can’t believe you put such a stupid idea in her head! That is so incredibly dangerous! Do you know what kind of danger you’ve put her in! What the fuck is wrong with you!” She snarls, seeming to have not noticed that you’ve entered the room with how angry she is. 

Jimin rubs her arms soothingly, trying his best to calm the raging alpha. “Lisa, calm down please. Taehyung didn’t force her to do anything.”

Her furious gaze snaps to Jimin and he immediately shrinks at the look. You clear your throat and Lisa looks up, seemingly surprised to see you. Her body goes lax and Jimin tentatively releases her, hands hovering for a moment to test if she’s going to do anything before he’s hurrying around the couch to comfort Taehyung. 

You cross your arms as you stare her down, everything in you telling you to do the opposite, that you want to stop her anger, not make it worse. “Jimin’s right. Taehyung didn’t force me to do anything. And do you really think I wouldn’t check out whoever wins before letting them near me when I’m most vulnerable? I thought you trusted my judgement more than that.” You approach Lisa, taking Jimin’s place and rubbing her arms. “You know I would make a plan. You know I wouldn’t let just anyone get me alone. Don’t blame Taehyung for what I chose to do.” You pause, frowning because you realize you hadn’t even told Lisa about the auction yet. “Wait, how’d you even know I went through with it?”

Her gaze shifts behind you and you follow it to see Taehyung giving you a sheepish grin. “I may have forgotten that Lisa was going to be home this morning and came over to tell you about your bids.” When you raise an eyebrow, he runs a hand through his hair. “I may have yelled the highest bid when I opened the door. And Lisa may have been in the kitchen and heard. And that’s not really something that can be easily explained any other way, so she pretty much knew instantly what I was talking about.”

You bury your face in your hands, embarrassment licking at your face. Leave it to that idiot to tell Lisa in the most inopportune time and way possible. You’d had a whole plan on how to break the news to her gently and in a way that wouldn’t involve Taehyung’s possible murder, you really didn’t want to become an accomplice to that. When you look back up at Taehyung though, he’s grinning at you.

“Your highest bid is $13,000, by the way.”

Your jaw drops and you stare at him before your turning away to go grab your laptop. There’s no way what Taeyhung said was true, this has to be some sort of joke. Pulling up the site, you’re stunned to see that Taehyung’s right. Your current highest bid is sitting at just over 13K. You chew your lip, you can’t believe Taehyung’s dumb idea is actually working. You’d had some doubts, but even when you imagined this working, you never thought it’d work to this extent. Hope bubbles in you as you let out a slightly hysterical laugh as you think about how you might actually get to finish school. 

“You’ve got to hear this.” Seokjin looks up from the files on his desk as Hoseok pushes into his office, followed closely by Namjoon and Yoongi. He’d be irritated if he hadn’t been distracted anyway, something about this day just feeling off, so their intrusion makes for a welcome break. Hoseok flops onto the couch, reading over something on his tablet as the other two take a seat in the adjacent chairs. 

Seokjin waits for Hoseok to elaborate and when he doesn’t he rolls his eyes. “Are you going to tell me or do I need to read your mind?”

Hoseok glares at him before he looks pointedly at the other seat in the little seating area in the office. Seokjin rolls his eyes again before pushing himself up and going to join the others. Once he’s settled, Hoseok finally speaks. 

“So there’s this omega that’s selling her virginity to the highest bidder.” He states, flipping his tablet around to show the article to the others and scrolling to show a picture of the omega in question. 

Yoongi snorts. “She’s pretty, but that’s such a stupid thing to do. Virginity isn’t even real.”

Hoseok shrugs. “Maybe so. But apparently some people think it is. Because her current highest bidder is willing to pay $95,000 to fuck her during her heat.”

All three of them raise their eyebrows in surprise as Hoseok gives the number. 

“No way. You’re making shit up.” Namjoon laughs and Seokjin has to agree, this sounds way too crazy to be a real thing.

Hoseok shakes his head, quickly switching tabs to the omega’s webpage where the current highest bidder is displayed, along with some photos and a little blurb about her and what she’s doing. Seokjin grabs the tablet, reading over the page. 

Hello! My name is Y/N! I’m about to be a senior in college. Well I hopefully will be once I have the money, which is where this page, and one lucky helpful alpha, comes in. I’m an omega and I’ve never taken a heat partner or a knot before. So I’ve decided to auction off the opportunity to be my first in order to help me pay for my last year of school! Even if you can’t or don’t want to bid, thank you just for checking out the page :)

“I’ll give her, she’s brave.” And cute, Seokjin thinks as he hands the tablet back to Hoseok.

Yoongi rolls his eyes with a snort. “Alpha’s are stupid.”

The others all laugh. “Yoongi, you’re an alpha.” Namjoon points out.

Yoongi throws his hands up. “Exactly! I’m dumb as fuck! So is Seokjin. And Hoseok. Namjoon is only half dumb, his genius helps balance out his alpha dumbness. Alpha’s are a stupid breed and I honestly don’t know how we manage to not only survive but somehow be considered the top dogs.”

“I take offense to calling me dumb. If it weren’t for me then you assholes wouldn’t have jobs.” Seokjin glares half heartedly at Yoongi. 

“If it weren’t for your dad, then you wouldn’t have a job either dickhead.” Hoseok snarks.

Namjoon claps to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, enough talk about statuses. We do have actual business to discuss.” He pulls out a few sheets of paper and a notebook out of his bag, spreading them out on the coffee table.

A few days later, Seokjin is waiting in line to order a coffee. This entire week has been weirdly off and Seokjin is about at his wits end with life, most recently his usual, and favorite coffee shop is closed for the foreseeable future due to some piping issues that they’re taking the opportunity to use to renovate. So he’d had to find a new one on the way to work, which is why he stands here now, surrounded by college students because he forgot that his route to work went by one of the nearby universities. 

He debates leaving and just going to the Starbucks in the lobby of his building when a girl at the other end of the counter catches his attention. He observes her for a moment, eyes dragging along her frame, trying to place why she looks so familiar. Then it hits him and he quickly looks away, cheeks heating up. Because that’s Y/N, the omega who’s selling off her virginity to the highest bidder. Hoseok has been keeping them all up to date on how it was going, his last update yesterday before he left Seokjin’s place where they’d all been hanging out. Your virginity was currently going for $166,000. 

Seokjin sneaks another peek at you as you wait for your order, tapping away at your phone screen and headphones firmly in place to block out the chatter around you. He decides that those photos don’t do you justice, you’re far more gorgeous in person and Seokjin has to force himself to turn away or else get caught being a creeper and staring. A drink is slid in front of you and Seokjin catches your smile to the barista before your turning and heading out the door. You breeze past him and your scent invades his senses, it’s warm and spicy, it reminds him of his grandma’s baking at Christmas and he could just sink into it’s comfort. He has to fight the urge to follow after you and scent you. 

He flushes darker as he jerks back to the line, wondering just where that urge had come from, he’s never had that type of visceral reaction to catching a whiff of anyone. It’s so out of the blue for him that it leaves him reeling a little bit. He tries to shake himself out of it, mechanically ordering his drink and moving to the end of the counter where he can still catch bits of it. When he gets his coffee, he leaves quickly, taking a deep breath of fresh air once he gets outside, trying to rid himself of your lingering scent. 

He gets to the office and work quickly distracts him from all thoughts of wanting to bury himself in your intoxicating smell and any interest he may have gained in you. That is until lunch time comes and Hoseok strolls in with his “omega update” as he’s come to call it. Seokjin is quick to correct him today that you have a name and he tries not to think about why he suddenly felt the need to point that out. 

Hoseok blinks at him in surprise. “Okay, here’s the update on Y/N. With just a couple hours left, the highest bid sits at $343,000.” Hoseok turns and leaves abruptly, apparently not in the mood to deal with Seokjin and muttering something about him being a moody alpha today and not wanting to stick around.

Seokjin would normally snap back at a snide comment about him being moody but all he can focus on is you and whoever is the highest bidder, suddenly all he can think about is someone spending your heat with you, someone that’s not him. Before he even realizes what he’s doing, he’s pulled up your website and is staring at the bid button. It taunts him, whispers to him that the unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach would go away if he just hit it. He swallows and shakes his head, he’s being ridiculous. He’s about to close the tab back out when the highest bid goes up and Seokjin’s skin crawls at the thought of whatever alpha just bid touching you. 

Then before he can overthink it, he’s hitting the bid button himself, quickly adding his information and what his bid is. A little banner congratulates him on becoming the highest bidder and Seokjin sits there feeling smug and satisfied. He nods to himself, pride and happiness oozing from him as he stands to go get lunch, deciding that he’ll apologize to Hoseok and treat him to his favorite as apology for getting snappy with him.

Seokjin has a full schedule of meetings after lunch and being in his element like this, he forgets that the auction ends soon. He only remembers when he’s sat at his desk going through his meeting notes and happens to catch his computer screen out of the corner of his eye, still open to your page. Thoughts of you flit through his mind again and he takes a moment to look over the page. Strictly out of curiosity he tells himself, he’s just curious at all. He freezes, realizing that there’s only 10 minutes left of the auction and he’s no longer the highest bidder. He apparently hasn’t been for a while because the bids have grown by almost $100,000 since he left. 

He panics and watches as another bid comes in and the timer continues to slowly tick down. His thoughts jumbled and his instincts screaming at him to do something, anything to get rid of the possibility of another alpha touching you. He sits frozen for another few seconds before he’s jerking into action and doing the only thing he can think of that makes sense, bidding high enough that no one else can outbid him. He frantically types his bid in, watching the timer until it’s close enough to the end before hitting the button. 

The congratulations banner pops up again and then a few seconds later another banner pops up announcing that the auction is closed and announces that Seokjin’s bid is the winner. Seokjin feels immensely proud of himself for winning, relief washing through him at the knowledge that no other alpha was going to touch you. That is, until the reality of how much money he just bid finally hits him. He stares at his screen, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he just spent $750,000 on an omega and he can’t think of a single rational reason as to why the fuck he did that. He feels slightly panicked, but at the same time relieved.

His phone rings some time later, knocking him out of his black staring at his screen and the mocking little ‘congratulations’ banner and he blindly reaches out to answer it.

“Hello Mr. Kim! This is Jaehee from your finance advising office. We wanted to verify if this was indeed you trying to send this money since it’s a very large amount.”

Seokjin shakes his head to clear the daze he’s been in. “What’s the amount?”

“$750,000, sir.”

“And what’s the name of the account holder it’s going to?”

There’s the sound of typing for a moment before she responds. “It appears to be going to a Ms. Y/L/N Y/N. Is this an authorized transfer, sir?”

Seokjin swallows. He could say no, there must have been a mistake somewhere, could fix his impulsive decision so easily. His eyes flick back to the screen and he sees the little blurb you’d written explaining why you were even doing this, your smiling face next to it. “Yes, it’s authorized. Send it.”

“Right away sir. Have a good afternoon.” 

With that she hangs up and Seokjin sets the phone back down, still stunned that he’d really done this. He could’ve stopped this, but for some reason it made him feel worse, thoughts of your disappointment when the money didn’t come. He kind of wants to slap himself, Yoongi was right, alpha’s are fucking stupid. Seokjin is contemplating how he can avoid this getting out to the others, because if Hoseok finds out he not only bid but that he won, and that he won with such a high bid, he’ll never hear the end of it. His computer pings with a new email and he idly checks who sent it when your last name catches his attention and he’s trying to open the email as quickly as possible. 

Good afternoon Mr. Kim! This is Y/N. Congratulations on winning the auction and thank you for the very generous bid! I was writing to see when you wanted to meet before my heat to work out the details of how that’ll be spent. My heat is in about a month, but classes start next week so my schedule is going to be a little hectic. I’ve attached my schedule and highlighted some of the best times for me to meet up. Our first meeting will also be supervised by my roommate, who’s also an alpha. She’s very protective and there was no way to talk her out of coming with to verify that you’re not a threat (I’m honestly really sorry she would’ve followed me even if I’d said no so this was the easier way). Anyway, I hope to hear back from you soon! I can’t thank you enough for this.

♥ Y/N

Seokjin can’t help the goofy grin that spreads across his face as he rereads your email. You sound so adorable and he’s already scanning over your schedule to see when he can talk to you in person. He feels skeptical about another alpha coming to the meeting, especially one that is protective of you, but he decides it’s worth it to see you again. It can’t be all that bad.

You’re positive that you’re seeing the computer wrong. There’s no way that number is correct. You rub your eyes as an extra measure, still trying to wrap your head around the number sitting on screen. You refresh your bank page, but the amount now sitting in your account reflects the highest bid. And you’re floored that some alpha seriously just paid you $750,000 to spend your heat with you. You’re honestly surprised that not only Taehyung’s plan work actually worked, but that it worked in such an over the top away.

You hear the others in the living room and you know they’re waiting to find out what the highest bid was. You’d made them swear not to check the website after that first day and so far they’ve all listened to you. But you’re sure that if you take much longer to go out there and tell them the results that they’ll just go check themselves. 

You switch tabs to the bidders information, getting his email and typing up a quick message, try to sound calm and collected and not like you’re literally 2 seconds away from crying from pure joy, and sending it off to him. You double check that you have his name right, because you know your friends will ask when you tell them the amount. With that, you gather your laptop and make your way out to the living room. Taehyung, Jimin, Lisa, and Rose are sitting around talking, stopping the second you enter and you shift awkwardly.

“Okay, so that’s not creepy. Why are you guys making this weird?” You whine. 

Rose snorts. “You just sold off your heat and you wouldn’t let us stay updated on the amount. We want to know. Spill.”

You make a face before stepping up to the coffee table. You set your laptop down, making sure your bank account page is up, then you flip it around so they all can see the screen, which they quickly crowd around to get a look at. There’s a chorus of gasps and then Taehyung is launching himself over the table to tackle you into a hug.

“Holy shit! I told you! Look at you! You’re the rich friend now! You can treat us to dinner!”

You snort and shove his face away from you. “Did you suggest this just so you could get free food out of it?”

Taehyung looks offended. “No! I wanted you to get enough so you can finish the degree you’ve been working so hard for. I didn’t anticipate that amount.”

“So who’s the lucky alpha?” Jimin pipes up, still staring at the screen with wondrous eyes. 

“Um, his name is Kim Seokjin?”

Rose stares at you with wide eyes. “Kim Seokjin?” She repeats and when you nod, she tugs your laptop to her and types something in before turning the screen back towards you. “This Kim Seokjin?”

You blink at the search she’s showing you. The man is gorgeous and if it’s the same Kim Seokjin as the one who bid then you can’t say you’d mind spending your heat with him, he’s certainly a far cry from the creepy old man you had been picturing as being your fate. Jimin is quick to join the two of you on the floor as you all stare at the man on the screen. Taehyung must agree with you because he lets out a whistle as he looks through the photos on screen. 

You shrug. “I’m not sure. I mean, the bidding didn’t get a picture. It was just a name and email and the banking info.” You glance over some of the text on the page. “But I think the company they mention is what his email address used. He must work pretty high up to afford that high of a bid.”

“Um, he owns the company.” Jimin adds, pointing to a line you’d skipped over when reading. He reads and then points to something else. “Aaaaaand his dad apparently owns a whole bunch more. Holy shit, you got yourself a rich rich boy.”

You glance over to Lisa sitting with her arms crossed. When she notices you looking at her, she speaks. “That just means I’m definitely coming with. Those rich CEO boys are always so entitled. He’s got another thing coming.”

You laugh. “Yes, Lisa. I know. I already emailed him and informed him that my very protective alpha roommate would be attending our meeting and that the point was not negotiable.”

She nods her approval then her face softens. “I’m glad you get to finish school now.” Then she smirks. “Taehyung is right though. You’re definitely treating us to dinner. I’ll go call the others.”

She stands, walking away as you protest being made to pay for dinner as the others laugh, you protests falling on deaf ears. 

That night you’re crawling into bed when your phone pings and you grab it from your night stand to see who’s messaging you. A little smile pulls at your lips when you see that Seokjin has responded already. Eager, you muse with a giggle. You settle back against the mattress, opening the email to see what he’s said. 

Hello Y/N. How about we meet tomorrow for lunch? I know a great little cafe we can go to. My treat of course. And I can pay for your friend as well. I’m completely okay with her coming along, I understand the risks you’re going through to do something like this and as an alpha myself, I get where her worry is coming from, so she’s more than welcome to come along. If tomorrow doesn’t work just let me know when you’d like to meet. I look forward to our meeting. And please, just Seokjin is fine. 

You bite your lip, a little thrilled that he seems even more eager to meet you already. You really hope Rose was right about which Kim Seokjin this was. You type out a quick response letting him know that tomorrow works fine and to let you know where the cafe is. Then you text Lisa to let her know that you’ll be meeting Seokjin tomorrow and that he’s even offered to pay for her lunch as well. 

With that, you snuggle under your covers. You lay there, thoughts drifting to how tomorrow might go and you let yourself drift off thinking about plush lips and broad shoulders. 

Lisa’s sat on your bed as you fuss with your outfit, rolling her eyes when she gets fed up with you smoothing out your shirt for the 20th time in 5 minutes. “We’re going to be late at this rate.”

You shoot her a glare before nervously checking your phone for the time, worried that you’ve been too preoccupied to keep to the scheduled time you needed to leave, breathing a little sigh of relief when you see you still have plenty of time. You make a face at Lisa for making you worry and go back to making sure your outfit looked okay. You still are unsure if this isn’t nice enough, the lowcut sweater and jeans are by no means fancy but it’s one of your nicer outfits. You’d looked up the restaurant that Seokjin had sent you and it seemed to be just a casual place, so you assumed this would be fine. You wonder if Seokjin is going to be wearing a suit since he’s coming from work and you decide that maybe you should change so you look more put together.

You move back to your closet, looking through the options. “I want to look nice. What’s wrong with that?”

Lisa smirks a little, standing and walking over to halt your nervous sifting through your closet. “Does this have anything to do with the fact that you might be meeting a certain Mr. Kim Seokjin of BigHit?”

You flush and swat at her hands, turning back to your clothes with the intention of finding something to change into. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I would want to look nice for any alpha who won.” You pout. 

Lisa hums, looking thoroughly unconvinced which makes you pout more. She once again takes your hands, this time using the grip to pull you back in front of the mirror. She leaves you there for a moment to grab a necklace off your dresser before she back behind you to help put it on, not so subtly scenting you as she does so. She gives your shoulders a squeeze when she finished, meeting your gaze in the mirror.

“You look amazing, babe. You’re gonna knock him dead.” She winks. 

You frown, looking over yourself in the mirror. The necklace Lisa chose sits nicely just above your cleavage, naturally drawing anyone’s eyes down and you’d usually sing her praises for helping you tease a guy, except you know she’s still on edge about this, even with her support and joking. Finally you nod, knowing that no matter her reservations, Lisa wouldn’t let you go looking anything less that stunning and you gather up your bag and phone. 

You grin at Lisa. “Let’s go.”

You enter the cafe, glancing nervously around. You realize you hadn’t made a way for you to identify him from the crowd in the event that it wasn’t the Seokjin you thought, hoped, it was. You chew your lip, suddenly feeling even more nervous before you notice a figure nearby stand and turn to you with a bright smile. Your first thought is that he is breathtaking and this must be some kind of bet that he lost cause there’s no feasible reason for this gorgeous alpha to pay such a crazy amount of money just to sleep with you. Then he’s stepping toward you and Lisa and the overwhelming scent of him washes over you and you fight down the whine that threatens to spill. He smells of woodsmoke and comfort and a part of you wants to burrow into it and never leave. It reminds you of campfires with your friends, talking late into the night under the stars and the feeling of home that it reminds you of. 

“Ah, Y/N!” He greets, smile widening as he holds his hand out to you and you meekly take it, still reeling from the effects of his scent, eyes widening in surprise when instead of shaking your hand, he raises it to his lips to brush a soft kiss to your knuckles. “Kim Seokjin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He turns to Lisa, who you note also looks a little blindsided and you tuck that information away to tease her about later. “And you must be the alpha roommate and friend, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well…”

He trails off, waiting expectantly for one of you to fill in her name. Lisa recovers first, crossing her arms and letting a little of the alpha power roll off her. “Lisa.” 

Seokjin nods his head in a little bow. “Lisa. Pleasure.” He gestures to the table he’d stood from. “I have a table for us. I figured we could eat and get to know each other a little bit first before we get to the…” He flounders for a second, brows creasing. “Other business.”

He leads you both to the table, pulling the chair next to his out for you but before you can sit, Lisa is sliding into it, shooting Seokjin a look as he quickly school’s the surprise from his face. You’d yell at her for being rude, but save it until the two of you can be alone. Seokjin though, just gives her a smile then moves to the other chair to pull it out for you. You wait a second, half expecting Lisa to switch chairs just to keep you from sitting down and talking to Seokjin and have to fight back the laugh at her switching chairs constantly just to keep Seokjin on his feet and working for this. When she seems content with just being a physical barrier between the two of you, you sit, smiling your thanks to Seokjin as he slides back into his seat. 

The table is silent for a few minutes from a mix of nerves and you all looking over the menu. Well, you and Lisa are looking over the menu, when you sneak a peek at Seokjin, you find him already looking at you, menu untouched in front of him. You flush, eyes darting back to the menu, trying to focus on finding something that you think you could eat with the butterflies currently sitting in your stomach. 

The waiter comes by soon after and you all order. Silence hangs over the table after the waiter leaves, no one knowing what to talk about. You’re busy sorting through your own thoughts for something suitable to say when Lisa speaks up.

“What are your intentions with Y/N?” 

You gasp, smacking her arm. “Lisa! You can’t just ask that!”

She gives you a flat look and you feel a bit like a child being chastised. “Why not? He paid that much for something. Why beat around the bush?” She turns back to Seokjin, eyebrow arched as she waits for him to respond. 

Seokjin takes the question in stride, looking very unruffled and even like he expected it, which given your warning, perhaps he was expecting this. He clears his throat, shifting in his chair before addressing you both. “Well, there’s obviously what the original deal was.” Lisa tenses up, about to respond when Seokjin holds a hand up so he can continue. “But, while I feel like the concept of virginity is… well we’ll just say not very great. I don’t think your first experience should be with a stranger during your heat. So I’m willing to change the deal.”

You glance at Lisa and she looks surprised and you cover your mouth to smother a giggle. Seokjin notices and shoots you a questioning look. Lisa looks back at you and you can hear the unasked question in her eyes. You chew your lip, deciding that Seokjin seems like he might take the truth the best. At least you hope he will, maybe he’ll even still be willing afterward. 

You straighten your back. “So… In all honesty…” You glance down at your hands, taking a deep breath before continuing. “The media reported everything wrong, they got a little carried away, you know how embellished stuff can get when it starts getting passed around like that. My site only said that I’ve never had a heat partner or taken a knot. Everyone just assumed I was a virgin. I’m not, I’ve had sex outside of my heats.”

Lisa’s hand reaches over and she gives your arm a reassuring squeeze, knowing how nervous you were to reveal that. As the seconds tick past, your anxiety kicks up even more and you finally glance up to gauge Seokjin’s reaction to the news. His face is blank, staring at a spot just over your shoulder. The longer he stays silent the more the atmosphere feels like it’s suffocating you. You’re just about to tell Seokjin that you’ll give him his money back because this wasn’t what he was expecting to get but Seokjin’s sudden snort keeps your mouth shut. His hand covers his mouth and you watch as he starts full out laughing. You look to Lisa for help, but she looks just as perplexed by this response as you. 

His laughter finally dies down and he wipes the tears from his eyes as he tries to catch his breath. You clear your throat and Seokjin looks up at you, giving you a smile. “That’s actually incredibly hilarious. I love it. My god, you played the system like a fiddle.”

You open your mouth to say something, but you don’t even have the faintest idea what you should say. 

“My earlier point still stands. We don’t have to go through with this. And you can keep the money.”

“You’d let her keep that much money for nothing in exchange?” Lisa sounds about as incredulous as you feel. Why on earth would he let you keep nearly a million dollars without even getting what he paid for. You suddenly feel self-conscious, wondering if you weren’t living up to whatever expectionations he’d had and he doesn’t want to sleep with you now.

Seokjin shrugs, but doesn’t offer any explanation that particularly helps to calm your spiraling thoughts. “Well, I’d hope we could at least continue talking. But for the laughs alone, you deserve to keep the money. I want you to finish your degree.”

Your food’s arrival interrupts further conversation and you take the small repreve in conversation to mull over your options. You never expected Seokjin to let you keep the money while not spending your heat with you. You assumed he’d want something more for how much he paid. Something more than apparently just friendship. You notice Lisa has finished her food quicker than usual and that she’s now standing. You frown in confusion, about to ask what she’s doing when she addresses you both. 

“I believe I’ve seen enough.” Dread settles in your stomach before she turns to you with a small smile. “He seems like an okay guy. I trust him.” She turns to Seokjin, delivering one final glare along with a threat. “Don’t fuck this up, I will not hesitate to kill you if you hurt her in any way.”

And with that she’s turning and leaving the restaurant. You watch her go, you hadn’t expected her to even approve of Seokjin, let alone leave and give you time to talk to him alone. You face Seokjin again and he’s glowing as he smiles at you.

“I have to say, that was a little unexpected. Not that she doesn’t seem like a lovely person, but I can’t deny that it’s a very big relief to be able to talk to you without fear that she’s about to rip my dick off.”

You giggle. “I don’t think she’d have gone that far. Especially considering I currently have a vested interest in that particular body part.” You wink at him, delighting in the flush that colors his cheeks. “And I’ve been thinking. I’m okay with spending my heat with you, if you want. I’ll leave the decision to you since you seem to be more unsure.” You purse your lips, looking off in thought, hoping you come off as much more collected that how your mind feels. “If not, I’ll probably just find an alpha from school. I know a couple that have expressed interest in the past.”

The growl from the other side of the table surprises you and you blink at Seokjin with wide eyes just in time to see his eyes flash red. Your breath catches and you stop yourself just before you can tilt your head to expose your neck to him. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath and you wonder what caused that kind of reaction. 

When his eyes open again, he looks much calmer. “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ll help you with your heat. You said it’s in a few weeks?”

A thrill runs down your spin when he agrees and you have to school your face to not appear as eager as you feel. You give a little nod. “Yeah. I can send you the exact date it should be.”

Seokjin thinks for a moment before pulling his phone from his pocket and sliding it across the table to you, a new contact screen shining up at you. “Here, give me your number. It’ll be easier to get a hold of me.” He pauses before adding. “In case your heat comes early.”

You nod shyly, inputting your information and sending yourself a text so you have his number too. You slide his phone back across to him and he gives a pleased rumble as he slides it back into his pocket. The two of you talk a little while longer before Seokjin seems to realize how long you’ve been here and apologizes, letting you know that he has a meeting he has to get too. He walks you to your car, looking unsure for a moment.

“Can I give you a hug?” He asks with uncertainty. 

You laugh and open your arms and Seokjin immediately envelopes you in a tight embrace. You don’t miss the way that his cheek drags across your hair and you stifle the laugh at his very unsubtle scenting. You can’t help yourself when you bury your face in his chest, deciding that if he can do it then so can you, feeling a little bit of pride when you finally step back and see the slightly dazed look in his eyes. 

You spend the rest of the night trying to dodge your friends’ teasing after they catch the whiff of Seokjin on you. Teasing you even more when you reveal that you’ll be spending your heat with him. You ignore them, spending most of the night staring at his contact number in your phone and feeling the anticipation building in your gut. You wonder if you’re allowed to text him now or if he only gave you his number in the event that your heat started early, which you give him is a lot more forethought about this than you had. You want to talk more with him, the conversation you’d had with him after Lisa left had been fun and you were eager to continue. Something about him put you at ease, despite never having met him before.

Your worries about texting him turn out not to matter because you wake up the next day to see that he’s texted you and you have to fight down the excited squeal that would definitely wake Lisa, and maybe the neighborhood. This leads to more teasing from your friends because you and Seokjin text a lot in the following days. The two of you text about everything, learning more about each other. You find out that Seokjin has a penchant for making dad jokes and you’re glad you have your phone to hide behind so Seokjin can’t see how hard you laugh every time he makes one. You know he’d be far too pleased with himself if he saw how much you enjoyed them and you find it much more fun to tell him the jokes are bad to see him keep trying to get you to react positively. He also takes the opportunity to ask you a lot of questions regarding your heats, everything from favorite snacks, fruits, drinks, what materials felt best, scents you liked, nothing seemed to be off limits to his questioning. 

When you question why he’s so curious, he sheepishly tells you that he goes into caretaker mode when he has an omega. So he’s been prepping his apartment, after it was decided that his place was better to spend your heat at because it meant that Lisa didn’t have to find somewhere else to stay for a week, stocking up on things you like and things that he knows help. You’re stomach twists, trying not to think about him helping other omegas the way he’s going to help you. You try to push the thoughts away, the jealousy burning your throat when you think about him with someone else. And so you irrationally decided it’s best to ask him how many times he’s done this to have such a system down. 

He doesn’t respond right away and you worry that you’ve crossed some sort of boundary that you didn’t know about. You end up stress cleaning the whole apartment until he finally responds. Telling you that he’s sorry, his friend was having a crisis. He assures you that his system isn’t just his, him and his friends have complied all their experiences together in an attempt to make heats less hard on omegas in their care. Which leads to him telling you about the crisis that had taken his attention. His friend, Yoongi, had tagged along to a dance class their other friend Hoseok was guest teaching at and now Yoongi is having a crisis over an omega that was in the class. 

You offer to give Yoongi some advice since you’re an omega but Seokjin declines, stating that it’s way funnier to watch the normally cool, collected Min Yoongi turn into a puddle of pining alpha over an omega that ignored him. 

It turns out that Seokjin had good forethought in giving you his number for emergencies, because two days before your heat is suppose to start, you wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat. Your mind feels hazy and you have no idea what it is that woke you up, first thinking that maybe Lisa had just gotten home, but the silence in your apartment says that’s not true. A shudder wracks your frame and you realize with a small sense of dread that your heat’s come early. 

For a moment, you think about how you haven’t prepared anything for your heat before it hits you that you didn’t prep anything because you have someone else who did that for you. And once the thought of Seokjin is in your head, he’s all you can focus on. Your blankets scratch at your skin and you kick them off as a fresh wave of slick drips from you. 

You pull yourself together just enough to roll to the side to grab your phone off the nightstand, dialing Seokjin’s number with shaky fingers. The call goes to voicemail and you groan, free hand cupping your mound in an attempt to alleviate some of your rising discomfort. You redial and a few rings later he answers. His snappy ‘what’ sends a shiver through you, wanting to roll over and submit to quell the alpha seeping into his tone. 

You whine and Seokjin’s tone changes immediately. “Y/N? What’s wrong?”

You squirm, thighs rubbing together as you try to string together enough sounds to speak. “Heat…”

Seokjin curses. “It came early?” You whine an affirmative. “Shit, okay. Well, you’re obviously in no state to get here so I’ll be over soon okay? I’ll make it all better, little omega.” He coos, voice calm despite how panicky he is feeling. 

You whine and Seokjin hushes you, promising he’ll be there soon, that he just has to grab a few things and he’ll be right over.

Seokjin hangs up the phone, cutting off another whine from you that has his heart constricting as he scrambles out of bed. He stuffs his phone into the pocket of his sweats and takes a second to breath and to try to get his panic to subside so he can think clearly. He has to relax because he has you waiting for him, he’s your only relief and he can’t bare the thought of letting you down. And he knows that he needs to be the calm one, that you’re in no state to be the rational one. He takes another deep breath before moving into action, making a mental list of everything he needs to do before he leaves.

He grabs the first tshirt he finds, pulling a duffle from his closet and stuffing a few changes of comfortable clothes into it along with his wallet and charger. He’s about to leave the room to move onto the things in the kitchen when the pile of linens in the corner catch his eye. He pauses before deciding that taking extra sheets along would probably be smart and along with those he grabs the blanket from his bed, knowing that the scent of him buried in the fibers will be soothing to you, ignoring the thought that it’s the scent of him that will calm you and not just the scent of alpha that’s covering the blanket.

He sets that bag on the kitchen table as he begins digging through the cabinets for the things he’d purchased for you. It takes him a few minutes and when all the snacks and quick meals he’d bought for you are laid out on the counter, he realizes he may have actually bought way more than you could possibly ever eat over the course of your heat. He shakes his head, trying to reason that he was just trying to be prepared and make your first heat with a partner a good experience, pushing aside any other thoughts that try to make themselves known. Instead, he busies himself with packing up as much of the food as he can into the two reusable totes he has hanging near the fridge. 

Those bags join the other one on the table and Seokjin takes a moment to quickly run through his list, trying not to mourn the loss of all the preping he did that’s now going to waste. Deciding he has everything that he might need while there and that if there’s anything else that he absolutely needs can just be ordered for delivery, he gathers up the bags and his keys and quickly makes his way to the elevator to get to the garage. 

Bags safely stowed away in the trunk, he pulls his phone out to shoot a quick email to Yoongi, Hoseok, and Namjoon to let them know that he’s taking his leave early before tucking his phone back into his pocket and getting into the car.

You whine again as Seokjin hangs up. You know he lives across town, you know how long it’ll probably take him to get here even if it’s late and there’s likely to be little traffic. His hanging up has left you in the suffocating silence of your apartment. You debate whether you can try to sleep again until he gets here when you realize that your door is locked and that if you do manage to sleep at all that he’ll have no way to get in. And you can’t guarantee that you’ll be lucid enough later to navigate the house to unlock the door. 

With that thought in mind, you push yourself out of bed, wobbling for a second on unsteady legs before you regain your balance. You shuffle out of your room, grateful that Lisa isn’t home right now because just the lingering scent of her makes walking away from her bedroom difficult. And you’re fairly positive that in your current state, you would���ve just climbed into her bed with her were she here and the thought makes you huff in annoyance, hating the fact that your heat pushes your instincts so far to the surface that you’d climb into bed with your best friend without her consent. 

You manage to make it to the door and get the door unlocked with no problems and you pause to press your forehead to the cool wood, allowing yourself a moment to use the coolness to keep your mind still partially yours. You turn your head, staring longingly at the couch and wanting nothing more than to just collapse on it and wait, but you know Lisa would probably kill you if you spent any part of your heat on the couch. She’ll probably grouse that you got your “heat stink” all over the apartment, knowing that you’re going to spend the day after airing the place out and lighting some candles to make it bearable for her to come back. At least the weather is nice enough to leave the windows open to do so.

With a last burst of effort, you push yourself off the door and make your way back to your room. You stare distastefully at your bed, knowing that the normally comfortable and soft fabric is going to feel irritating against your skin. You sigh, flopping onto your belly, squirming around until you deem yourself as comfortable as you’re going to get. You get a few blissful minutes where you just lay there in silence, almost peaceful enough that you feel yourself starting to drift off to sleep. 

That is until another wave of heat shudders through you. You groan, pressing your thighs together in hopes of getting some relief. When none comes you blindly reach for one of your pillows, propping yourself up slightly and stuffing the pillow between your thighs. You grind against it, moaning at the friction against your sensitive clit. You mindlessly rut against the pillow, slowly growing frustrated when all it does is keep you on edge. 

You lose track of the time, only becoming aware of just how much time has passed when you hear a curse behind you followed quickly be the overwhelming scent of Seokjin and alpha. A fresh gush of slick drips out of you and you don’t even think before pushing your ass further up into the air to present to him, the only thing filling your mind being him. You preen at the sharp inhale you hear from Seokjin, pride that your alpha is reacting so well to you but when you don’t hear him make any move closer you whine.

“Alpha…” You coo, wiggling your butt enticingly. 

Excitement courses through you when you hear him finally step closer, quickly followed by disappointment when instead of stepping behind you and touching you like you want, he walks around the side of the bed to take a seat. You bury your face in your sheets, ignoring the way they scratch at you in favor of using them to muffle your whimpers. Something clicks onto your nightstand and then Seokjin is reaching out tentatively, hand curling around your forearm. 

“Y/N? Where’s Lisa?”

You lean closer to him, shifting enough to bury your face in his thigh to hide the way your face scrunches up at his mention of your friend. “Out with Jisoo.”

Seokjin threads his fingers through your hair, scratching lightly at your scalp. “Did you tell her your heat started?” You shake your head, practically purring at the attention he’s giving you. You feel Seokjin move and you grab his arm before he can withdraw the hand on your head. He chuckles. “Don’t worry, princess. I’m not going anywhere. Can you sit up for me though?”

You shake your head and Seokjin chuckles, free hand landing on your shoulder and gently nudging you. “Princess, I need you to sit up. I know you didn’t take any birth control since this was a surprise so I need you to take it now, but you need to sit up first.”

You grumble but relent to his nudges, sitting back on your knees, moaning when the shift has your core dragging across your pillow. Seokjin’s gaze drops to the pillow, tongue darting out to wet his lips. His hand drops from your shoulder to touch the damp spot you’ve created and he growls. Your hips twitch at the sound, wanting nothing more than to shift forward the few inches separating your soaked core from his hand. He seems to read your thoughts, hands quickly pulling away and then he’s turning slightly to grab something off your nightstand. 

Turning back, he holds the pill in his hand up to your mouth. “Open, princess.” 

You obey, tongue sticking out slightly as he sets the pill onto your tongue and you let the tip drag ever so lightly across the pad of his finger as he withdraws it. His eyes darken but rather than do anything about the lust you see swirling there, he simply holds out a glass of water to you. You frown, taking it from him and taking a sip to swallow your pill. When you try to hand it back, he pushes it back towards you.

“Drink it all first. I need to call Lisa.” He says, reaching for your phone.

You pout, confused by his refusal to cave into what you both want, and more importantly, what he paid a lot of money for. He lifts it encouragingly towards your mouth and you reluctantly take a few more sips. Seemingly pleased, he nods and turns his attention to your phone, tapping at the screen a few times before bringing it up to his ear. 

It rings a few times before a giggling Lisa finally answers. “Y/N! Hey, I thought you’d be asleep by now!”

“Hi, Lisa.” Seokjin stares pointedly at the glass in your hands when he sees you’ve stopped drinking. You make a face at him but drink more of it.

“Seokjin? Why do you have Y/N’s phone? Is she okay? Is something wrong?” Lisa sounds increasingly worried as she asks questions.

“Lisa, calm down. She’s fine.” He glances at the pillow still firmly between your thighs and swallows. “Well as fine as she can be. Look, her heat started early. And it started while she was asleep so I can’t get her back to my place.”

Lisa swears under her breath. “I don’t know if I can find a place for that long. Shit, and I don’t have any spare clothes.”

You drain the last of the water and nudge the glass back towards Seokjin, beginning to grow frustrated with his dismissal of you. He takes it with a wide grin, placing it back onto the nightstand then let’s his hand rub your thigh in silent praise. You hum happily at the soothing contact. 

“Don’t worry, Lisa. You can stay at my place. The deskman knows what you look like so he’ll let you up. The door code is 92324. Some of my spare credit cards are in the top drawer of my desk in my office and you can take one and go buy some clothes so you have something to wear.” Seokjin’s thumb rubs absent circles on the skin of your thigh while rattling off instructions to Lisa.

You squirm closer, finally having enough of Seokjin ignoring you for other things and you decide to do something about it. You reach out, placing your hands on his knees. His gaze flicks to your face then drops to where your hands are slowly creeping up his thighs. His eyes narrow at you.

“What? You can’t be serious, that’s far too much.” Lisa protests. 

You fiddle with the hem of Seokjin’s shirt, smirking when his focus is more on you now and you let your hands slowly drift over to the bulge in his sweats. You see his jaw clench and grin victoriously, knowing that you’re winning.

“It’s fine, Lisa. This was unexpected for all of us.” You rub more at the bulge and Seokjin swiftly gathers both your wrists in one hand and pins them to the pillow. “Look, I need to go. I gave you an option. You’re free to take it or leave it. We’ll let you know when it’s over.” He grits out, abruptly hanging up and tossing your phone with a loud clatter back onto the nightstand. His eyes are dark when he focuses back on you and he yanks you closer by the grip he still has on your wrists. “You are just an impatient little omega, aren’t you princess?”

You whimper, hips pressing against the pillow as you feel your mind go hazy. “Alpha…” You whine.

Seokjin smirks, watching the way your hips twitch against the pillow. His free hand settles on your hip and he starts to guide you in grinding against the pillow. “You’ve made quite the mess of your pillow, princess.” He muses. “But I think we can make it dirtier.”

Your whole body feels like it’s on fire at his words and you’re nodding helplessly at his words, eager for him to finally touch you. 

“I’m going to let your hands go, but you can only touch my thighs, got it?” He waits for your acknowledgment before continuing. “Good girl. I’d hate to have to punish you for disobeying.”

You flush at his praise. He releases your wrists, his other hand joins the first on your hips to better guide your grinding. You moan at the drag of your soaking panties against your clit. Your hands immediately find Seokjin’s thighs, fisting the fabric of his sweats to keep your hands from wandering like you so badly want them too, you want to feel more than just the shifting muscles of his thighs beneath your palms. 

“Alpha… Seokjin, please…” You move faster with Seokjin’s direction. 

Seokjin hums. “What, princess? What do you need?” He coos, giving your hips a squeeze.

You whine, trying to move faster to chase your high, but Seokjin’s grip keeps you going at the pace he wants you to go. “Wanna cum… Please… Let me…” Your head drops back as you pant. “Seokjin…”

“What a good girl you are, asking your alpha’s permission first. I didn’t even have to tell you.” You nod eagerly and Seokjin smiles. “You have been very good considering how long you had to wait.” His hands slip under your shirt and the contact with your skin makes you gasp. “You can cum, princess. But you can only use your pillow to get off.”

His hands slide up to your waist, relinquishing control of your pace back to you. You quickly pick up your pace once he lets you, moaning as you rock faster against your pillow. Seokjin’s hands slide further up, thumbs brushing the bottoms of your breasts. A few more rocks of your hips, the friction of your dampened panties against your clit, combined with Seokjin’s fingers digging into your skin has you, finally, tipping over the edge you’ve been on since you woke up. 

You shudder, gasping Seokjin’s name as your orgasm wracks your frame. You continue to give a few weak grinds as you ride it out until your body relaxes and you would collapse if not for Seokjin’s hands on your ribs holding you up. He chuckles at your sudden bonelessness, carefully shifting you to lay you down then tossing the soaked pillow from the bed. He turns back to you, smiling fondly as he strokes your cheek. 

“Feeling a little better?”

You sigh contentedly, mind feeling less hazy. “Very.” You lay there for a moment, eyes closed and enjoying the small reprieve you’ve gotten. Then you look up at him in alarm. “But wait, what about you?”

Seokjin laughs again, grabbing your hand when you reach out to touch his still very prominent erection. “Don’t worry about me. Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

You pout. “Who said I was worried for you in that scenario?”

Seokjin stretches out beside you, manhandling you around until he can pull you tightly back against him, dick settled firmly against your ass. “Since your sleep was interrupted, I’d highly suggest you get some sleep now while you still can princess. I’ll be here to take care of you when you wake up.” He pauses to give a hard grind against your ass. “And by then, the pill while have kicked in and I can fuck you like you want. Nice and hard, little omega, and fill you up nice and full like you need.”

You whine, slapping playfully at the arm he has wrapped around your waist. “You just said to get some sleep. You’re just going to get me all riled up again.”

Seokjin’s nose drags across your shoulder to your neck as he inhales deeply. “Sorry. You just smell so divine, princess.” His tongue touches your neck and you feel your arousal spark again. “I bet you taste even better than you smell.”

You groan, pushing your as back teasingly. “Seokjin, either let me sleep or fuck me.”

He blows out a frustrated breath. “I can’t fuck you yet. It hasn’t been long enough and it’s not safe.”

You give him a smug smirk over your shoulder. “Then let me sleep.”

He smothers a laugh in your shoulder before he’s standing and grabbing a blanket off the floor and covering you. You’re enveloped in the scent of him and the silk caresses your skin as the fabric settles against you. 

You look over the blanket then up to him. “This isn’t mine.”

“Very perceptive of you. It’s mine and it’s silk. The scent will help you sleep and the silk is because I know cotton gets itchy against your skin while your in heat. I’d change your sheets but you seem comfortable so that’ll have to do for now.” He picks up the glass from the nightstand. “Now get some sleep. I got here in a hurry and so your kitchen is a bit of a mess so I need to go prep that so that it’s easier for me to get to things I need.”

He runs a hand through your hair comfortingly once more before he’s turning and leaving the room. You listen to him move around for a few moments before your exhaustion creeps back in and you find yourself drifting off to sleep surrounded by Seokjin’s scent.

You wake up sometime later, you have no idea how long your body allowed you to rest but it seems intent on making up for the downtime if the fire currently in your veins is anything to go by. Your panties stick to you uncomfortably and you move to try to remove them but a firm weight is settled around your waist. Once you notice the weight, you realize that Seokjin came back at some point and got back into bed with you. You gasp, body burning impossibly hotter and you immediately push your ass back against him, filled with the need to feel him inside you. 

The arm around you tightens as a growl rumbles in his chest, vibrating against your back. You squirm at the sound, you’re fairly certain your eyes probably also flashed golden and you’re a little glad that they’re currently squeezed shut so that he couldn’t see, despite the fact that you’re also facing away. Some bratty part of you that’s struggling to remain doesn’t want him to know just how much he’s already affecting you, but logic is quickly failing you because if it was still functioning, you’d realize that he doesn’t need to see your eyes to know how you’re being affected. Slick drips from you and the tshirt you’re wearing suddenly feels stifling. As you try to fight the shirt off, your flipped onto your back and Seokjin is hovering above you, a sleepy smirk stretching his lips. 

“My, my. Someone’s being naughty, hm? You can’t even properly wake your alpha up? You’ll just grind against him while he sleeps?” 

He pins your arms when you try to reach out for him and you whine. He takes both wrists in one hand, leaving his other hand free to slip under your shirt. You gasp, pushing your body up into his touch and he chuckles, nudging your legs apart with his knee so he can settle between them. 

“Are you going to tell me what you want? Or do I need to punish you?” His voice is tinged with his alpha tone as his hand slides up and cups your breast. 

You blink a few times, trying to clear enough of the haze to respond. You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat. “Please, alpha…”

Seokjin chuckles and the sound makes you shiver. “Mmm, close, princess. Do you wanna try again?” You whine again, hips bucking up to try to get some friction and Seokjin tsks you. “Ah ah. None of that, omega.”

Your core clenches at the reprimand and you bite your lip on another whine. You take a deep breath, regretting it almost instantly when your met with the overwhelming scent of Seokjin’s own arousal. “Alpha, fuck me. Please, please, I need you, need your knot, please.”

Seokjin gives a pleased hum, squeezing your breast once before his hand is sliding down your body and cupping your pussy through your panties. “Much better, princess. Good girl.”

You warm at the praise, hips pressing your pussy further into his hand. He doesn’t pull away this time though, instead he tugs your panties to the side and slips two fingers inside. Your back bows and you instantly clench around him. 

“Please, please more, alpha, Seokjin. Please.” You roll your hips, fucking yourself on his fingers.

He slips another finger in and you moan. He pumps them faster, thrusting in counterpoint to the rolling of your hips. “I think I quite like seeing you so desperate to come, princess. First on your pillow, then on my fingers. Maybe I’ll give you my tongue next. Gotta make sure you’re nice and relaxed for my knot. How does that sound, princess? Want me to eat you out next? I bet you taste even better than you smell. And you smell absolutely intoxicating.”

He hooks his fingers and you gasp when their probing presses against your g-spot. You wriggle your wrists, wanting to touch him. “Seokjin, lemme touch you too, please.” You whine.

He chuckles, but releases your wrists and you bury your hands in his hair, yanking him in for a kiss. He makes a noise of surprise against your mouth, not expecting the touch you wanted to have been a kiss, before he’s kissing you back enthusiastically. His tongue runs along the seam of your lips and you happily open up for him. You groan at the taste of him, hips working faster as Seokjin rubs your clit with his thumb in time with the thrusts of his finger. 

You turn away from the kiss with a gasp and Seokjin uses the opportunity to trail his lips along your jaw and down your neck where he leaves a few nips, though you want far more than just nips on your throat. 

“Come on, princess. Cum for me.” He growls against your neck and it makes heat pool in your belly. 

Seokjin licks a stripe up your neck before biting and sucking a mark onto your neck and that finally pushes you over the edge and you cum with a cry, pussy clenching tightly around Seokjin’s fingers as he continues pumping. 

When the last of the shudders stop, he gingerly removes his fingers, bringing the glistening digits up to his mouth. His eyes darken at how wet they are before he pops them into his mouth and a sound somewhere between a moan and a growl rumbles in his chest. 

“Fuck, I was right. You taste divine.” He refocuses on you and his hands rub at your thighs. “Are you feeling okay, though? Do you need anything?”

You blink at his shift in demeanor, from domineering alpha to caretaker, thoughts now a little clearer thanks to the orgasm and you giggle. “I’d be better if I had your dick already.” You wink.

Seokjin’s eyes flash and he ducks down to kiss you senseless before sitting back with a smug smirk when you just stare at him speechless. His hands grasp the bottom of your shirt, pushing it slowly up your body and you lift your arms to help him tug it off. 

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” He murmurs, seemingly distracted by the newly exposed skin. 

He presses a gentle kiss to your lips, then he’s moving further down to dust kisses across your collarbone. A soft sigh leaves you as his plush lips leave a burning path down to your breasts. A hand comes up to palm one while his mouth envelopes your nipple. Fire floods your veins as your heat hits you fully again. You push your hips up but Seokjin is a step ahead and is pinning your hips to the bed before you can so much as raise them more than an inch. 

He lifts his head just enough to speak, breath blowing across your spit slick nipple. “Relax, princess. Your alpha will take care of you, don’t worry.” He soothes, thumbs stroking the skin of your hips. 

You chew your lip, body protesting the thought of waiting for what it needs. You give him a small nod and he coos praises against your skin as slowly works his way down your body until he’s settled between your legs, faced with your soaked panties. You’re torn between hiding from his gaze and shoving your pussy into his face but Seokjin saves you from having to choose by digging his fingers into your thighs and holding them open. 

He nips at your thigh, soothing the sting with his tongue and then he’s giving the same treatment to the other leg. When he’s satisfied with the blooming marks on your skin, he licks at your pussy through your panties, lips wrapping around your clit through the fabric and sucking. 

You swear, burying your hands in his hair and he chuckles. “You’ve absolutely ruined your panties, princess.”

You whine in embarrassment, tugging lightly at his hair. “Don’t tease.”

He chuckles, pressing his tongue teasingly against your clit. “But you look so pretty all flustered and desperate, princess.” He gives another lick. “And I like hearing you beg.”

“Seokjin, please. Please stop teasing. I want your mouth on me. Please, I’ll do anything.”

Seokjin glances up at you, eyebrow raised. “Anything, huh? That’s a dangerous promise, princess.” He glances back down at your panties and licks his lips. “But, you’re in luck. I’m feeling particularly generous right now.”

With that he tugs your panties down and tosses them off the bed. He groans at the sight of your bared pussy and you spread your legs further apart in a bid to entice him to give you what you want. His thumbs brush along your pussy lips before he’s grabbing handfuls of your thighs and pressing his tongue firmly against your clit. 

You chant out yes’s as his tongue traces around your clit, occasionally dipping down to your entrance before returning his attention to your clit. His fingers dig into your skin and you know there will be bruises in the shape of his fingers there later and you revel in that knowledge. Little growls and groans leave him as his mouth works against your pussy and the vibrations send pleasure shooting through you. 

Your hands tighten in his hair when he slips two fingers into you while his plush lips wrap around your clit. He sucks and you cry out, pleasure building so fast after your recent orgasm. 

“Come on princess, I can feel you clenching around my fingers already. Be a good omega and cum for me.” Seokjin murmurs against you before he’s back to sucking on your clit. 

You whimper and he crooks his fingers just right to rub at your sweet spot. He pumps his fingers faster then grazes your clit with his teeth and your orgasm rushes through you. You cry out his name as your release gushes around his fingers. His fingers slow as your moans quiet down until he withdraws them completely, letting his tongue take their place to clean up the mess you’ve made. 

You expect to feel some relief, but Seokjin’s tongue continuing to work has heat spreading through your limbs again and you suddenly don’t feel sated in the least. You feel frantic with need and you know the only thing that’ll make you feel better and so you give his hair a tug as you whine. “Seokjin… want your cock, please.”

He sits up, face shining, as his tongue darts out to lick his lips. He wipes the rest of your release from his face with the back of his hand. His hair is disheveled from your tugging and his lips are swollen and red. He looks unfairly debauched for the fact that he’s still fully dressed and you’ve come multiple times already. When he makes no moves to give you what you want, you decide to just take it. 

Before he can comprehend what’s happening, you’ve pushed him onto his back and planted yourself firmly in his lap. You groan when your pussy drags across the fabric still separating you from his cock. Seokjin halts you from moving further, fingers digging into your hips in warning. 

“Princess.” He growls out and your instincts have you going nearly boneless, baring your neck to him with the overwhelming need to submit. 

You’re flipped onto your back, smothered for a moment in Seokjin’s bulk and scent and you’re positive you could die happy under him. He rears back, nearly tearing his shirt in his haste to get it off of him and your eyes trace along the breadth of his shoulders to his thick neck and down to his chest. His skin is smooth and the muscles that ripple beneath as he moves to shuck his sweats off has you clenching. 

Then your eyes are drawn lower as Seokjin finally gets his sweats off and your mouth floods at the sight of his cock, hard and shiny with precum and so thick that you’re torn between wanting him to shove it down your throat or stuff your pussy so full that you can’t think. Seokjin catches your stare, chuckling as he reaches down to give himself a few pumps, thumb swiping across the plump, red head. 

“See something you like, princess?” He teases.

You tear your gaze from his cock to meet his eyes, nodding dumbly because you’ve been robbed of all words. He smiles, body blanketing you once again as he leans down to capture your lips, cock brushing your pussy as he holds himself above you. You whine, hips tilting to get more of his cock pressed against you. Seokjin groans, hips grinding lazily against your pussy, lips trailing to nip at your neck. 

“Alpha, please…” You pant, reaching up to dig your fingers into the meat of his shoulders. 

He nods against your neck, one hand leaving the bed to reach between the two of you and he positions himself at your entrance, pausing with the head pressed to your hole and pulls back to meet your eyes. “Are you sure?” He swallows and blinks a few times to clear some of the daze. “Once I start-” 

You cut him off, shifting just enough for him to slip an inch into you. You both moan and the stretch of just the head has your desperation rising, the overwhelming need to be mounted clawing at your insides. Seokjin must feel the same because he pauses for only a second longer before he’s slamming fully into you. You gasp, nails digging into his back as he immediately pulls back out just to thrust back in. He buries his face in your neck, breath puffing warm against your skin as he pants harshly with his rough pace. 

“Fuck you’re so wet, princess. You’re such a good girl, a good little omega.” 

You whine as the praises continue to flow from him and he grabs your hips to hitch them higher, manhandling you around into the position that he wants you in. The shift has him hitting you deeper, rubbing your walls in all the right ways and you’re already so close to coming again. Tears gather at the corner of yours eyes and you roll your hips as best you can with his thrusts to get some friction on your clit. 

Nails prick your skin and you gasp, staring slightly wide eyed as Seokjin pulls away from your neck with a devilish smirk. “Now now, princess. I’ve given you so much already, let your alpha has his turn.” He slows his pace and you pout but his smirk just grows. “Besides, I’d much rather you come on my knot.”

His next thrust has your pussy stretching further as his knot begins to form. Your breath hitches as the growing girth stretches your more. 

“Yes, yes, yes, please let me have your knot, please, please.” You beg, body feeling aflame at the promise of what you want most. 

“Yeah?” Seokjin growls, licking up your neck to nip your earlobe. “You want my knot that bad, baby? Want me to knot you and fill you nice and full of my come? Keep you all plugged up so you get pregnant? Fuck… You’d look so amazing all swollen and round with my pups.”

You nod along, words only fueling your desire more. He slams his hips against you one last time before his knot finally grows too large and he settles for grinding as the first pulses of his release fills you. 

“That’s it, baby. Fuck… You’re such a good girl. Taking my knot and cum so so well. Shit, gonna get you all nice and full of pups.” You moan and Seokjin slips one hand down to rub at your clit. “Such a good omega, so good for my pups.” He murmurs and a few circles of his thumb coupled with his knot and cum filling you so delightfully full has you clenching around him as your mouth drops open in a silent scream as you cum. Seokjin groans, lips finding yours for an uncoordinated kiss as you both ride out your orgasms together. 

Your brain finally feel clearer and you enjoy the quiet mingling sounds of both of your breathing. You bask in the blissful feeling of being full and after what feels like hours, but is nothing more than a few minutes, Seokjin is sliding an arm beneath your back, keeping you close as he carefully maneuvers you both so that he’s now on his back and you can curl up on his chest while you wait for his knot to go down. You hum in contentment when his fingers thread through your hair, massaging your scalp. 

“Sleep.” He murmurs, chest vibrating against your cheek and you rub your face against his chest in a sleepy nod, following his advice and your own body’s sudden exhaustion. 

You wake up later, alone in bed, stretching and the delightful soreness has a small smile gracing your lips before you realize that the cause of that soreness is nowhere to be seen. You finally sit up, belatedly realizing that that sticky mess you were expecting is definitely not there. And now that you’re more awake and looking around, you notice that you’re sleeping on different sheets, ones that are definitely not yours. 

You’re about to climb out of bed when you hear footsteps padding down the hall towards your room and a moment later, Seokjin, now back in his boxers, is nudging open the door, carrying a plate of something you can’t quite make out and a glass of water that upon seeing makes you realize how dry your throat feels. You make grabby hands for it immediately and Seokjin blinks in surprise for a second at seeing you awake before he’s chuckling and coming closer, handing you the water once he’s close enough. 

You start guzzling the water, the coolness soothing the roughness you were feeling in your throat. Seokjin tuts, pointedly looking at the glass and how quickly you’re consuming it and you sheepishly slow your swallows. He gently pulls the glass away before you can finish and you pout. He chuckles, setting it and the plate on the nightstand before taking a seat on the bed with his back against the headboard. He gathers you up, situating you in his lap until he’s happy with how you’re sat. 

He grabs the plate and you notice it’s full of fruits and cheeses, all of them your favorites, much to your delight. Your stomach grumbles and Seokjin reaches for one of the slices, holding it to your lips for you to take. You hum happily as the flavor of the fruit mixes perfectly with a taste that you can’t put a name to, just that it’s all Seokjin. 

After a few minutes of silent feeding, Seokjin gives you your water back to finish. You hand the glass back once you’re done, cuddling back into his chest with the intent to nap a little more. 

He nudges you when your eyes start to slip closed, holding another piece of fruit up for you to take. “Eat a little more first, princess. It’s only the first day, who knows when you’ll have another long lull. Best to fill up now. At least so I don’t have to fight you as much later.”

You duck your head in embarrassment, opening your mouth obediently when he presses the fruit to your lips. You try not to think about the fight he’s gonna have to put up with when your heat really kicks in and you don’t want to do anything but sit on his dick. You’re glad the worst of your heat is always fuzzy and you hopefully won’t have to remember the worst of it. 

He feeds you a few more bites before he deems you full enough, then he’s rearranging you both so you’re laying down and he pulls your back flush against his front. His lips press gently to your shoulder. “Sleep now.”

And you don’t have to be told twice before your eyes are drifting shut. 

When you wake up again, you blearily notice that at some point you both have shifted positions. Seokjin’s now on his back and you’re curled into his side, one leg thrown over his and your dripping core pressed to his thigh, soaking his boxers. You grind your hips forward, moaning at the drag of the fabric against your sensitive pussy. 

Seokjin mutters something, shifting slightly, but remains asleep as you rut against him. You bury your face in his chest, taking a deep inhale of his scent before lazily mouthing across his collarbone to his neck. The fire in your belly intensifies and you scramble to climb fully on top of Seokjin, pushing his boxers down just enough to get to his cock and you’re delighted to find that he’s already hard. You wrap a hand around it, giving him a few strokes before positioning it and fully sheathing it within you. 

Seokjin starts awake with a gasp, hands finding your waist immediately even though he doesn’t seem to fully realize what’s happening yet. His eyes fall to you, more precisely where you’re already bouncing on his cock, not even seeming to mind that he’s not fully awake. His grip on you tightens in an effort to pause your riding but you just switch to grinding when he restricts your movements. 

He chuckles. “Fuck, couldn’t even wake me up, princess? Such a needy little omega that you’re just going to take what you need, hm? Not even gonna wake your alpha up to help you?”

You whine, continuing to rock against him. His words fuel your movements, but the meaning to them is lost in the haze. Seokjin chuckles when you ignore him and the sudden loss of his hands has you faltering. You glance at him finally, finding him laying there with his arms tucked under his head, looking the perfect picture of relaxation. When he sees your attention on him, he glances pointedly back to where you’re joined.

“Oh, please. Don’t let me interrupt. Feel free to continue what you were doing. I was just getting comfortable.”

Your protest is on the tip of your tongue, you want to whine about how you want his hands on you but his cock twitches where its buried in you and you lift yourself up just to drop back down on him, head thrown back as you begin to ride him in earnest. Seokjin, to his credit, seems to struggle with his self imposed promise of just sitting back and letting you work if the way his biceps flex is anything to go by. But he stays still, much to your frustration as you continue. 

You quickly grow frustrated though, slamming your hips down one last time before you dig your fingers into his chest and whine. “Alpha, please…”

He grins up at you. “What is it, princess? I thought you didn’t need me.”

You whine again, grinding against him, but shaking your head. “No, no. Need you. Please, Seokjin.”

He chuckles, but to your delight he moves his arms from behind his head and his hands rest warm and heavy against your thighs. “What do you need, princess?” When you don’t respond right away, he gives your thighs a small squeeze. “Tell me what you need. I can’t help my omega if she doesn’t tell me what she needs.”

You shudder, trying to find the words to speak what you need through the fog blanketing your mind. “Knot… Need your knot, please. Please, want it, Seokjin.”

“Yeah? You need it, princess?” He coos.

You nod enthusiastically, gasping when he shifts his legs to get leverage so that he can thrust up into you, his hands on your waist holding you in place. “Yes, yes yes, please, please please. Alpha…”

You feel his knot starting to grow, catching your rim with every thrust and the feeling makes your toes curl. Seokjin’s fingers tighten and he gets a handful more thrusts in before his knot is too large to pull out. You groan and his hands shift to your hips to guide them in grinding on his knot as he did before with your pillow, praises flowing from his lips. When you finally start grinding without his guidance, his lets his hands slide up your body, palming your breasts and rolling your nipples between his fingers. 

“Cum for me baby. Cum on my knot, show me how badly you want my cum and pups.” He growls, pinching your nipples harder. 

A few swivels of your hips has you moaning his name as you cum, pussying squeezing him tight as he pumps you full.

You get flashes of moments over the next few days. You know at one point, Seokjin has to resort to feeding you while you’re knotted because you refuse to not be filled. And even then he still struggles to get you to actually eat the food rather than just sucking on his fingers. Another time you corner him in the kitchen while he’s getting you water. Pawing at his cock and whining when he snatches up both your wrists in one of his hands. Which means your next most logical thought is to drop to your knees and mouth at his cock instead. You get your mouth around him, gag reflex diminished thanks to your heat and you suck on his cock until he starts to shallowing thrust into your mouth. Then his hand tightens around your wrists and you’re being yanked to your feet and bent over the kitchen table. He fucks you hard and fast, hand coming down to quick swats on your ass as he talks about how you’re being awfully naughty. You cry when he knots you that time, Seokjin shushing you, cooing at you and telling you that if you drink your water then he’ll forgive you and you’ll be his good girl again. You’ve never drank a glass of water quicker. 

He tries to get you to shower but your legs don’t want to cooperate for that, and a little part of you wants to be bratty again, so he sighs and draws a bath. Which you make him join you in and results in something soft, that if you were in a different state of mind would probably make your heart ache with how sweet and caring and gentle he was being. Although it ends with water sloshed all over the floor and were you not in heat, you’d feel really bad for the messes he’s been cleaning up. 

Your heat is blessedly shorter than usual with the addition of a partner. Rather than spending a whole week being miserable and horny, it finishes after just 4 and a half days and you wake up feeling far more refreshed than you usually do after your heats. You notice the bed is empty beside you and that your room has been tidied up. Your gut churns with disappointment, tempted to bury your face into the pillow Seokjin had been using just to get another whiff of his scent, but soft singing coming from the kitchen draws your attention.

You slip out of bed, taking a moment to stretch your sore limbs. You foot catches something as you go to step away and you stoop down to examine it. The tshirt is wholly unfamiliar to you and when you hold it up to your nose, humming in content when you realize it’s Seokjin’s and he must have missed it when he was cleaning. You debate for a moment on returning it to him but something in you protests the thought and you tug it on instead and you decide that you’re just going to chalk the feeling up to residual hormones from your heat. You stand and make your way to the kitchen, leaning in the doorway and watching quietly as Seokjin cooks, still singing softly to himself. 

A few minutes pass like this before he speaks. “You just gonna keep creeping in the doorway or come in for breakfast?” He glances back at you to wink before turning back to the pan in front of him. 

You chuckle, moving to the cabinets to gather what you need to set the table. “Maybe I wanted to enjoy the show.” You say as you take a seat at your kitchen table, propping up your chin on your hand to return to watching him.

Seokjin turns, sliding a few pieces of french toast onto a platter that from the glimpse you get is already piled high with it. He brings the plate to the table before going back to the fridge and grabbing a big bowl of fresh cut fruit and a bottle of juice. You look from the literal pile of food to Seokjin with wide eyes. 

“Did I miss something? Are you feeding an army?”

He chuckles, grabbing a few slices of french toast and a couple spoonfuls of fruit, plucking a piece of melon from his plate to eat before finally answering. “No. But this is your first real meal in a few days. Once you start eating you’ll realize just how hungry you are.” 

You pout and want to argue, but the smell of the food is too enticing and so instead you grab some food and start eating, choosing to very pointedly ignore the fact that after the first bite you feel like you could probably eat all the food on the table plus find something to snack on in the fridge. You both eat in silence and you can’t quite tell if it’s a comfortable one or an awkward one. On the one hand, Seokjin’s presence is calming and you feel more relaxed than you have in a long time. But at the same time, you want to speak, but you have to idea what you can talk about with the guy who paid a crazy amount of money to sleep with you during your heat and whose cock you were literally begging for just a few hours ago. And you realize that you don’t even know if he wants to talk about anything. For all you know, this is just lingering alpha protectiveness and once breakfast is over, he’ll gather his things and leave. 

“Not good?” His voice drags you from your musing and you’re quick to shake your head, stuffing another bite into your mouth. 

“No, no. It’s amazing. Just still a little sleepy, I guess.” You half lie.

He watches you for a moment with pursed lips before giving a small nod and going back to his own food. You eat a little faster, deciding that once your finished and clean everything up that you’ll test the waters and see if he maybe wants to stay a little longer and watch a movie. It’s innocuous enough, you can always play it off as just a precaution to make sure your heat is really over. That it has nothing to do with the fact that you really don’t want him to leave. 

With your food finished, you gather up the dishes to take to the sink, beginning to clean up and Seokjin comes over to join, taking the dish towel to begin drying the dishes as you clean and then putting them away. The two of you work in silence, finishing the dishes in no time.

When you finish, Seokjin hands you the towel so you can dry your hands and you both stand in silence, this time it’s definitely awkward. You’re just working up the courage to ask if he’d like to stay, maybe watch a movie or something when he beats you in speaking.

“Well… I guess I should probably get going. I’m sure Lisa would like her own place back.” He rubs at the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes as he speaks and you try really hard not to read into the fact that he won’t look at you now. 

You frown, quickly hiding your disappointment when he glances at you. You give a small nod. “Right, sure of course. I’m sure you’ve got work and stuff too. Company won’t run itself, huh?” You weakly joke.

He chuckles, nodding as he makes his way to the door where you notice his bags are sitting, already packed. You feel a twinge in your chest as you watch him pick them up and slide his shoes on. He turns and hesitates for a second before giving a small smile.

“I hope I gave you a good experience for your first partnered heat.” You give a little nod and his smile grows. He gives a little wave. “It’s been a pleasure, Y/n.”

With that, he’s out the door and you let your smile drop. You sigh, feeling oddly empty with him out of the apartment now. Shaking the thoughts from your head, you move to the windows to open them to start airing the apartment out for Lisa’s return, lighting a couple of candles around the room as well. You enter your bedroom, expecting to have a mess to clean up but Seokjin seems to have thought of everything already, your room clean and tidy and the windows already cracked. You sit on your bed, wondering if it’s always this way after heats, if the sudden loneliness is usual of arrangements like this or if maybe it’s just cause it’s your first time having an alpha during heat. Maybe the attachment you felt is normal and so the way you feel abandoned is too and will pass in a day. At least that’s what you try to reason to yourself as you think about how maybe you should have insisted that Seokjin stay just a little longer. 

You take a deep breath, Seokjin’s scent drifting off the shirt you’re still wearing and it has a weirdly soothing effect on you, calms your thoughts even as they swirl with doubt. You crawl up the bed, tugging the pillow he used over and bury your face in it. Letting his scent lull you to sleep because you know once Lisa gets home that all of your friends are going to flock over to question how it went. 

The week crawls by slowly, classes don’t help either since it’s still early in the semester and so the work load hasn’t particularly picked up yet. You find yourself having an increasingly difficult time sleeping, the only thing that you’ve found that helps is cuddling the pillow that is slowly losing Seokjin’s scent. And you really try not to think about any implications from that. In the last two days you’ve also gotten a headache that refuses to leave no matter what you take and has begun to get worse with time. 

Which is making the attempt to power through movie night incredibly difficult. Even with the lights off, the flashes from the screen cause searing pain and of course it had to be Jungkook’s turn to choose and he of course choose a Marvel movie, full of flashing and loud noises. And since everyone’s seen it already, everyone has made it time to talk and joke around. 

A particularly loud explosion has you squeezing your eyes shut and clenching your teeth. You’re so caught up in willing the pain to stop that you fail to notice the whimper that escapes you or the fact that the room goes dead silent after. A few moments pass before you realize there’s no sound and you squint an eye open to notice that everyone is staring at you with concern, the movie paused in the background. 

Jimin is closest and slides closer instantly, gently setting his hands on you, checking for anything that could’ve caused the noise of distress. Lisa slides closer too from her position on the floor, wrapping her hand around your ankle and you feel a little of the tension and pain bleed away.

Jimin frowns when his preliminary check turns up nothing obvious to have caused a problem. “What’s wrong?” He whispers, seeming to at least gauge that sound is hurting you.

You weakly wave him away. “Just a headache. I’m fine.”

“Again?” Jisoo chimes in from the other end of the couch and Jimin’s frown deepens, as he glances from Jisoo back to you. 

“How long have you had a headache? Do you need something?”

You give a small shake of your head. “It won’t work, it’s fine. It’s just been a couple days. It’s probably just stress. I’ll be fine.” You want him to stop, you don’t want him to probe further, to try to get to the root of the problem. You hope he leaves it at that, believes it’s just stress.

Jimin purses his lips, watching you for a moment before he’s gently tilting your head to get a better look at your face. “You haven’t been sleeping. And you’re losing color.”

You pout at him. “You make it sound like I look like shit.” You attempt to joke, anything to distract him.

Jimin ignores your comment. “How long have you felt like this? Are there any other symptoms that you’re not telling us?”

You squirm uncomfortably under the scrutiny and look down at your lap as you mutter the answers to his questions because you know if you don’t answer then he’ll just keep pressing. “Since last week. It was just hard to sleep at first. Then I was just exhausted all the time like I’d been awake for a long time while doing a lot of hard work. The headaches started a couple days ago.”

Jimin mulls that over. “Before or after your heat?”

You flush, you wish everyone wasn’t around right now. You want to go seek comfort in Seokjin’s shirt and pillow. “After.”

“After Seokjin left?” He clarifies.

He prods you when you don’t respond right away, something uncomfortable churns in your gut at the direction this is going. “Yes. After he left.”

Jimin is ominously quiet and when you glance up, you see him sharing a worried look with Lisa, who shifts closer to rest her cheek on your thigh as Jimin takes hold of your head. “It sounds like you’ve got bond sickness.”

A hysterical laugh bubbles out of you, your mind violently rejecting that idea. “That’s not possible. I don’t have anyone to be bonded with.”

Lisa gives you a reassuring squeeze. “Bond sickness happens when you spend your heat or rut with your mate but don’t complete the bond.”

“If Seokjin was my mate, I think I’d know. And he would too. He wouldn’t have left afterwards.” You hate how pitiful you sound. “This was just some fun for him. It’s not bond sickness.” You try to reason, glancing around the room at your friends who all have varying degrees of pity on their face and you wish even more that he hadn’t done this in front of everyone. Everything feels like it’s too much. You turn back to Jimin, feeling tears beginning to well in your eyes. “It can’t be bond sickness.” It comes out soft, almost in audible. Your hand tightens around Jimin’s. “It can’t be… b-because if it is… Then- then that means I’m not Seokjin’s mate but he’s mine.”

As soon as the words leave your mouth, Lisa’s up off the floor and pulling you into a hug as the tears finally spill over. The rest of your friends move too, crowding around to lend you what comfort they can. 

Seokjin’s glaring at his computer screen, again because that’s all he feels like he can do to the stupid device lately. It refuses to function the way he wants it to. Most of his work has been picked up by others since he’s been back and he drums in fingers against his desk in irritation at the fact that people seem to think he can’t take care of his own company. Agitatedly, he clicks out of his calendar, that sits empty and he knows that it’s wrong but he can’t figure out why it won’t update to say he has something to do today. A soft knock pulls him from his thoughts and he looks up to see Namjoon slip in. He sniffs and turns back to the screen.

“What.” He says shortly.

“I wanted to see how you’re doing.” Namjoon says placidly, completely unphased by Seokjin’s mood and takes a seat across from Seokjin.

Seokjin snorts. “I’m just fine, Namjoon.”

Namjoon raises his eyebrows at his tone as if to emphasize how not true that statement is. Seokjin chooses to ignore him, opening his email to at least appear that he has some work to do, even though his inbox sits woefully empty. “You can’t even look at me. And you never call me Namjoon. Seokjin, I love you man, but what’s going on? You know you can talk to me, talk to any of us.”

Seokjin mulls that over for a minute. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and scrubbing his hands over his face, he feels tired, just so tired. He has no idea what the hell is going on with him. When he pulls them away, Namjoon notices too just have tired he looks. “I don’t know, Joon.” He says, so quietly that Namjoon almost misses it. “I don’t know and that terrifies me.”

“Okay, that’s fine. We’ll talk it out and we’ll get this figured out. We’re here for you, Jin.” Seokjin crosses his arms and sits back, waiting for Namjoon to start. “Well, you’ve become increasingly aggressive and irritable since you’ve been back. You snapped at Hobi in a way that hasn’t happened since college and you were both trying to date the same person and your alpha’s both got a little too possessive. You can’t seem to focus on anything and you’ve obviously not been getting much sleep.” He pauses thoughtfully. “Is there anything else we haven’t seen that’s been happening?”

Seokjin rubs idly at his chest before looking down at where his hand sits. He taps it once. “My chest aches. Like… something’s hooked through it and tugging. It just… it aches.” He finishes lamely.

Namjoon nods and mulls everything over for a few moments. “I don’t know if this would be something you want to hear, but it sounds like you’ve got bond sickness.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes, feeling irritation prickle his skin. They all joke with each other, but he didn’t think Namjoon would ever be one for such a cruel joke. “Yeah, Joon, that’s what it is. It’s been 2 weeks. It’s not bond sickness. Good joke, man.”

Namjoon looks unimpressed with his response, stares Seokjin dead in the eyes as he snaps at him. “Kim Seokjin, there is no way you are actually this dense of an alpha.” Seokjin’s eyes widen at Namjoon’s tone. “You’ve been this way since you got back from spending her heat with her. Not only that, but you spent an inordinate amount of money just to make sure no one else could touch her. Which, you’ve also mentioned, you only did after catching her scent at a coffee shop you both happened to be at. You’re a smart man Jin. Put it the fuck together.” Seokjin opens his mouth to respond, anger mounting at Namjoon’s accusations, but Namjoon stands and effectively cuts him off, placing his hands on the edge of the desk and leaning into Seokjin’s face. “Because just think about this, if you’ve been feeling the bond sickness, then do you know who else is? Y/n. And while alphas get irritable and angry with bond sickness, do you know how it turns out for omegas? They get sick.” He pauses before continuing, tone soft and serious. “Then they get really sick.”

Namjoon straightens and turns, pausing at the door. “Fix your shit, Seokjin. Don’t bother coming back to work until you do.” 

“Lisa, please go to class.” You whine, trying to shoo her fretting hands away from you. Ever since the revelation of what was wrong, she’s been practically suffocating you with attention, you think that she thinks if she just gives you enough alpha attention that it’ll help you get better. You don’t have the heart to tell her that that’s not really how bond sickness works. Plus, when she’s not being completely overbearing, the extra companionship from her is nice. 

She frowns, taking in your huddled form on the couch. “You’ve been getting worse. I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“I’ll be fine. Jungkook said he’d be over soon. You’re going to be late.”

Lisa adjusts your blanket one last time, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Fine. But you message if you need anything at all, got it.”

“Yes, mother.” 

She makes a face at you and you give a weak laugh, knowing how much she hates when you say things like that. Her face softens a little as you shudder and adjust your blanket around you. 

“You’re gonna be late. Go. I’ll be fine.” You pout, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes, trying to get her to go. At least one person in this apartment should be regularly attending classes. You are grateful that Jimin went to the health office to talk to them about what’s happening and managed to get you excused for a little while from having to attend classes. On top of that, after emailing your professors, Taehyung’s been stopping by their offices to pick up or deliver some of the work you manage to get finished.

She huffs. “Alright, alright. Fine. But if Jungkook is even a minute late, you tell me and I will be right back.”

You roll your eyes. “I actually feel sorry for whoever your mate is.”

Lisa pauses in gathering her things to glare at you and you grin back. Lisa’s mate is going to be the most spoiled being on the planet. Lisa slings her bag over her shoulder, coming back over to you to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“I love you. I’ll be back later. Try not to traumatize poor Jungkookie.”

You wave her away, finally turning your attention back to the TV now that Lisa is done with her fretting. You hunker further into your blanket as Lisa finally leaves. You doze off for a while, the tv show you put on doing little to keep your interest when you feel so terrible. And without Lisa here, you don’t have to keep the front up that you feel better than you actually do. You know the sickness will fade and you’ll eventually be fine, if a little dead inside, but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to keep your friends from worrying more about you than they already are. You just wish that you could get to that point. You hate that your friends have to care for you like this, it makes you feel too fragile, like how omega’s use to be viewed. Poor pitiful things that weren’t allowed to do much more than have an alpha’s pups and care for them.

You’re roused from your daze by the door opening and closing and Jungkook’s warm, earthy scent washes over you. You hum in content and he rounds the couch with a grin as he lifts a bag up for you to see. 

“I brought soup.” 

You chuckle. “Thank you Kookie. Lisa made me eat before she left though, so you can put it in the kitchen for now and we can eat it later.”

He nods, taking it and your nearly empty glass from the table to the kitchen. He returns a few moments later with your cup, now refilled, and places it back on the coffee table. He plops down onto the couch next to you, slipping his arms around you to pull you closer to cuddle. You hum in contentment at his warmth, feeling the worst of your fog lift from the closeness.

“What’re we watching?” He murmurs.

You lift a shoulder in half a shrug. “Dunno. Lisa put it on. I’ve been too sleepy to really pay attention. You can put something else on if you want.”

Jungkook shifts, reaching for the remote and starts idly flipping through the channels to find something to watch and you feel your eyes getting heavy again as you listen to his heart beat. Jungkook’s perusing is interrupted by the frantic pounding from someone at your door. He frowns, glancing from the direction of the door to you. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” When you shake your head, Jungkook adjusts you so he can get up. “I’ll be right back then.”

As he makes his way to the door, the knocking starts again and you frown, wondering who could be so insistent. Your friends are all at work or in class, with the exception of Jungkook who’s on babysitting duty. And you and Lisa rarely get unannounced visitors. It’s silent for a moment when Jungkook opens the door and it makes you worry enough to push yourself to your knees to glance over the back of the couch. 

You’re about to call out to Jungkook, ask him what’s going on when Seokjin frantically rounds the corner and you feel like all your breath has been knocked out of you. Seokjin freezes when he sees you, his mouth dropping open, you don’t know if it’s from shock at how you look or if he also feels like all the air in the room has been sucked out. You vaguely register a door closing somewhere, you assume Jungkook must be leaving, but your focus is so taken by Seokjin that the building could fall around you and you wouldn’t notice. 

You take a shuddering breath in and you’re overwhelmed with the scent of Seokjin, potent and real and the lingering scent left on his shirt is nothing compared to the richness of it as it fills the room. You choke on a sob and Seokjin is suddenly moving, crossing the distance between the two of you and enveloping you in a nearly crushing hug, but you can’t find it inside yourself to care how tightly he squeezes. You bury your face in his chest as tears leak from your eyes, feeling lighter and happier than you have in nearly 3 weeks. You hear Seokjin murmuring into your hair where his face is pressed against, but your body is buzzing too much for you to hear what the words are, only able to focus on how comforting the words feel on your frayed mind.

You don’t know how long the two of you stay like that, but eventually Seokjin pulls away. When you make a distressed sound, he strokes your cheek to sooth you.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I just need to see your face.” With that, he finally sits fully on the couch, pulling you into his lap. His hands come up to cup your cheeks, holding you in place as his gaze flits across your face for a few moments, like he’s trying to memorize everything. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, princess.” He coos, pulling your face closer to pepper it with kisses. 

You squeeze you eyes shut, willing yourself to stop crying, but your nerves have been so fried lately that you’re completely convinced that you’ll never stop crying. Seokjin continues to murmur to you, though the words themselves have lost all meaning and you just let the cadance and sound of his voice work as the balm your soul has needed these past few weeks. He pulls you back in and you bury your face back into neck to take in his scent, a small part of you fearful that you may never get to again. 

Eventually, he adjusts your position, drawing your attention to the fact that when you look up, he’s saying your name with an incredibly fond smile.

“What?” You croak.

He chuckles and presses a kiss, two kisses to your cheek before responding. “I’ve been saying your name for a few minutes. You back with me, love?”

Your whole body heats at pet name. “You have?” You question, you can’t tell if he’s teasing or being serious. 

He gives a little nod. “It’s okay. You seemed like you were enjoying yourself so I’m not too upset.” 

The teasing tilt of his lips speaks of so much fondness, you can’t help it when you lean forward to steal a kiss of your own from him. “What were you saying my name for?” You murmur, reluctant to pull back from the kiss. 

“I like saying it. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.” He grins.

You nudge him playfully, cheeks heating from a mixture of embarrassment and pleased happiness. “Stop that. That’s gross. What did you want?”

He tightens his arms around you briefly. “We should talk. There’s… kind of a lot that we need to go over huh?”

You sober slightly, but the thought of not touching Seokjin makes you feel physically ill again. You shift, keeping your legs throw over his and both hands wrapped in his. By the look on Seokjin’s face, this seems to be the furthest he’s willing to let you get from himself, not that you’d let yourself get much further from him anyway. 

“We should.” You agree, nerves on edge. You assume, hope, that since he’s here, that he won’t let go of you, that this is meant to be a good talk. That it’ll end the way you want, that you both hopefully want. 

“So… We’re mates.” He begins, stops, seems unsure of what else to go on, but your heart soars at him calling you mates. He seems a little uncomfortable and you find it incredibly endearing that a big powerful alpha and CEO can’t seem to get his feelings out to his mate. You decide to let him suffer a little longer with his stuttering before granting him mercy and taking over the conversation.

“We are. If you want to be. I… certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it.” You give him a shy smile.

Seokjin seems a little blindsided, but he quickly gets past it and his face lights up in a brilliant smile. “Of course. I can’t think of a more perfect girlfriend than you.”

You raise an eyebrow and you can’t help teasing him a little. “Girlfriend, huh?” Seokjin sputters, trying to come up with something but you laugh, putting a hand over his mouth. “I’m teasing. But I’m not going to be your girlfriend unless you ask me properly.”

He pulls you close again, lips barely brushing yours. “Will you,” He pauses, kisses you. “Be my girlfriend?” He finishes, lips still against yours.

You let out a giddy giggle. “Yes, of course, you silly alpha. My silly alpha.”

His thumbs run over your cheeks. “I’m sorry I let you get so sick. I should’ve realized. I shouldn’t have left. I’m so sorry.”

You shush him, putting your hands over his. “Hey, no. It’s just as much my fault as yours. Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known. They were such strange circumstances. It’s okay. I don’t blame you Seokjin.”

He gives you a small grateful smile, like it’s something that’s been truly weighing on him before he seems to realize something and groans, head thumping back against the couch. You’re about to ask what’s wrong when he speaks. “Oh no, this means I just paid nearly a million dollars for a girlfriend. The guys are never going to let this go.” 

You smother your laughter, tapping his nose to get his attention. “Well actually, you paid that much for your mate.” You give a mischievous wink to him. “But I’m sure you can convince her to share all that wealth with you again. Minus whatever she needs for school.”

His eyes darken. “Oh? Do you think she’d be that generous to give some back?”

You nod, tapping your chin thoughtfully. “Of course, if she has you now then she doesn’t really need that much money.”

Seokjin hums and it sends a shiver down your spine. He leans closer and you feel like you’re prey, you feel exhilarated. “And just what do you think I could do to convince her to do something like that, hm?” He purrs in your ear, finishing with a nip to your earlobe. 

You shudder, biting back a moan. “Oh, I’m sure a smart man like you will think of something.” You laugh as you push yourself off his lap and make a dash for your room.

He lets out a noise of surprise before you hear the sound of pursuit and just as you reach your bedroom door, you’re scooped up by him and turned so he can pin your back to the wall. He grabs your thighs to force your legs around his waist and you delight in the press of his cock against you, even with all the layers separating it from where you want him most. You moan, head thumping back against the wall.

“Now now, princess. It’s not very nice to run away from your alpha now is it?” He chastises, breath warm against your neck.

You swallow, squirming to get a little friction and relief, but he pressed his hips more firmly against you, halting your movement. You whine, low and needy. Seokjin nips your neck.

“I believe I asked you something princess. It’s not nice to run away is it?” You shake your head and he nips you again. “Use your words like a good girl.”

“No, it’s not nice, alpha.” 

He licks up your neck, nips your jaw, presses a quick kiss to your lips. “Good girl.”

You try to squirm again, whining. “Alpha, please. Need you. Missed you, Seokjin.” He rubs your sides comfortingly. “It’s okay princess, I’ll take care of you. Always.”

He pulls his hips away just enough to slip his hands into your shorts, fingers finding your dripping slit. He groans, lips finding yours as he slips two fingers into you. He pumps them a few times before you quickly grow restless, turning away just enough to speak.

“Not enough. Need your cock, please.”

He chuckles at your neediness and how much it mirrors his own and aquiesses easily enough to your request because he doesn’t think he could prolong this that much anyway. He pulls his fingers free, undoes his pants just enough to pull his dick out and then tugs your shorts and underwear to the side just enough to slip in. He slides in to the hilt and pauses there, panting. 

“God you really were made for me.” He groans. “Fuck, I’m never letting you go again.”

You nod happily. “Yes, yes. Please move.”

He complies, starting a fast pace that leaves you feeling like this is your first time all over again with how overwhelming it is. You’re already remarkably close to cumming despite the fact that not much has been done and you have an inkling on what exactly will tip you over. You let your head drop to the side.

“Jinnie. Seokjin,” You wait till you have his attention. “Alpha claim me.”

His eyes flash and there’s no hesitation as he dips his head down to pepper your neck with kisses. A moment later, you feel teeth and then the wetness of blood as he pierces skin. You gasp, back bowing as everything becomes more intense and the feeling of Seokjin’s tongue as he cleans the blood from your claiming mark is the last little push you need to push you over the edge. 

You shudder, moaning his name and fingers gripping his shirt tight enough that you feel it rip. Seokjin slows his thrusting to let you ride out your orgasm and once he senses that your not too sensitive, he resumes his fast pace, chancing his own high. You feel exhausted but the unmarked skin of his neck is like a magnet and you gather what strength you’ve got left to sink your teeth into his skin to leave your own claiming mark. 

Seokjin growls at this, getting a couple last rough thrusts before he cums, shuddering under your hands as you lick the blood from his neck and a moment later you feel his knot. Your head drops back against the wall and you groan weakly, hips rocking slightly as you stare dazedly at the way your mark stands out against Seokjin’s skin, feeling whole and content. His head rests against your shoulder, breath puffing against your collarbone as he struggles to catch his breath.

Your blissful bubble is burst a few minutes later when you hear the front door open. “Y/n!” Lisa calls and she sounds distracted, Jungkook must not have informed her that Seokjin came by. Your mind is lagging too much to connect that this is about to be bad if you don’t respond. “I know you told me to go to class and I did… Well one class. But I was worried, and nothing against Jungkook, but I’d just feel better if I were the one watching-” She cuts off abruptly as you hear something drop to the ground. “Jesus fucking Christ!” You glance over, body flushing in embarrassment at not even having been able to make it to your room. Lisa has her hands over her eyes and body turned away, backpack lying on the ground at her feet. “Really! You couldn’t have like, I don’t know, fucking warned me? Jesus, gross. I think I’m scarred for life now.” There’s a heavy pause before Lisa snatches her phone out of her pocket and storms off. “I’m going to fucking kill Jungkook. The little fucker could’ve texted me. He’s so dead.”

Seokjin’s shoulders shake beneath your hands and you look back to him to see him struggling to hold back laughter. You bite your lip, his laughter making you want to laugh. You poke him. “Shh, Lisa will kill you.” You whisper, little snickers escaping as you.

He looks up at you, eyes sparkling with joy. You can’t resist the urge to lean down and peck him on the lips. He grins before he adjusts his grip on you and moves you both carefully to your room.

“We’ll text you when we’re decent and it’s safe to come back Lis!” You call as Seokjin giggles.

“Pass! Think I’m just going to move out! It’s not safe here anymore!” You hear her call back a second before you hear the front door slam. 

You and Seokjin both finally dissolve into laughter as he closes the bedroom door. He sits gently on the edge of your bed and gives you an apologetic smile when you squirm slightly in his lap.

“Sorry about knotting you. I… I couldn’t really stop it after you bit me.”

You run your hands through his hair affectionately. “It’s more than ok, babe.”

His eyes flutter closed, leaning into your touch as he hums. “Careful princess, or it’ll happen again.”

You grin, grip tightening slightly. “I certainly hope it happens a whole lot more, boyfriend.” You tease. 

~8 Months Later~

You shrug the black robe on over your dress, adjusting it so it lays properly. The dress is new and you’re excited for Seokjin to see it, you refused to let him come with you to get, instead choosing to make the shopping trip a girls day with Lisa and the others. You stare at yourself in the mirror for a moment before there’s a knock and then Lisa’s opening the door, her own robe on. She grins as she lifts her cap. 

“You ready?”

You grin back, excited that the year is over and even more excited for what’s to come. You grab your own cap off the dresser and follow her out to put your shoes on. 

“Is Seokjin meeting us beforehand?” She questions, straightening up.

“No, he said that he’d meet us after the ceremony. He knows how hectic it is beforehand and said that we could have the time to just ourselves.”

She nods and you leave, joining your fellow students headed to graduation. 

“Y/n!” You turn just as Jimin’s arms wrap around your middle and he lifts and twirls you with glee. “We did it! We’re college grads!” He crows with delight. 

You giggle and slap at his shoulder. “I’m aware! Put me down! I’m unsteady enough in these shoes!”

His spinning slows to a stop but you remain held aloft. You squirm, glancing down to see the faux pout on his face, ruined by the smile he clearly can’t keep away. You raise an eyebrow after catching movement behind him. 

“I’d put me down if I were you.” You smirk.

“What’re you gonna do about it?” He taunts.

You tap your chin thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging. “I won’t do anything.” A flash of confusion colors his expression but before he can pose any sort of question, you continue. “But Taehyung certainly can.”

As soon as the name leaves your lips, Jimin’s expression falls, eyes widening in panic. He doesn’t get so much as a word out before fingers dig into his sides and he lets out a startled yelp, finally dropping you. And you’re positive you’d have fallen on your ass if Lisa hadn’t also been with Taehyung and is there to steady you when you were finally freed. You shoot her a grateful smile as you watch Taehyung’s merciless tickling of Jimin, the two rolling on the ground.

“Well at least they don’t need the robes anymore.” Jennie snarks, also joining the two of you in watching. 

The rest of your friends slowly join in watching the two wrestle, finally being able to part from family so that you all could be together on such a momentous day. A few moments later, you feel a tug in your chest and you whip your head around, scanning the crowd a second before Seokjin appears with a grin and call of your name. You see Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok trailing along with him. You abandon the conversation with your friends in favor of meeting him halfway,  flinging your arms around his neck as you beam.

He gives you a quick peck. “I’m so proud of you.” He murmurs, one arm snaking around your waist. 

When the other doesn’t join it, you frown and pull away slightly, following his arm to where it remains tucked behind his back. You pout. “This seems like an inadequate proud greeting.”

He chuckles, pulling his arm out from behind him and presenting the flowers he was hiding to you in a flourish. “That’s because I had a surprise.”

Taking them, you hold them close to smell, marveling at their beauty before giving Seokjin a kiss of your own. “Thank you.”

“You two are gross. Can you not in public?” Yoongi grouses from beside you, but you know it holds no heat.

“That doesn’t sound like a good way to be introduced to my friends, mister.” You snark back, sharing a conspiratory look with Seokjin.

“I can’t believe it’s taken so long for you to introduce all of us.” Hoseok chimes in as you begin to make your way back to rejoin your friends.

“We were busy, had to finish college and you guys have a business. And schedules just never really worked out. Plus Hoseok, you actually already know Jimin.”

Hoseok perks up at that. “The dance student Jimin, right? He’s your friend? Wow, small world.”

“Hey guys!” You announce, waiting to have your friends attention. “These are Seokjin’s friends, Hoseok, Namjoon and Yoongi. Guys these are all my friends.”

Everyone starts talking over each other then to introduce themselves and share stories and you grin, nudging Seokjin. When he looks at you, you nod your head towards where Yoongi stands frozen. Frozen, and staring at Jimin. 

Jimin appears to be completely oblivious to the alpha currently staring him down, instead, he’s busy regaling the others of a story from one of Hoseok’s dance classes. Seokjin goes to say something but you hold up a hand to halt him. He gives you a questioning look but you wave him off. You move around the group till you reach Jimin, now finished with his story and you lean in to whisper in his ear, pointedly looking towards Yoongi when Jimin gives you a wide eyed look. He sheepishly follows your glance, quickly looking away when his eyes meet Yoongi’s intense stare, cheeks quickly heating. 

You give him a kiss on the cheek and a wink as you move back to Seokjin, who wraps an arm around you.

“You didn’t talk for long, are you sure that’ll be enough?” He questions. 

You observe Jimin for a moment, who’s talking to Taehyung but you see his eyes darting to Yoongi every so often. You grin. “I did just enough. Give it a second.” You give Seokjin a wry look. “Are you doubting me?”

He kisses your forehead. “Doubt you, love? Never.”

A moment later, your prediction proves right as you see Jimin say something to Tae before he’s shyly making his way over to Yoongi. You want to laugh because you’ve never seen Jimin be genuinely shy around an alpha a day in your life. Maybe you should get a picture so you can tease him later, payback for all the teasing you got over Seokjin.

You turn to Seokjin. “See? Told you.”

He hums, other arm coming up to join the first. “I do. I should never doubt you.”

You smile fondly as the two start talking, it’s stilted and awkward but you know they’ll get going on their own soon enough. You and Seokjin had taken a little while to realize that the omega that Yoongi was hung up on was Jimin. It wasn’t until Hoseok had guest taught again and Yoongi went with, with the excuse that he wanted Hoseok to use one of his songs for the dance and he wanted to see what the dancers came up with, and Yoongi mentioned the omega who ignored him again was there. He was vague on details, but Hoseok had gushed happily about one of the students in the class and how amazing they were. You’d asked their name and he’d told you Jimin.

When you’d asked Jimin about the class, he’d revealed that besides him, the only other omegas in that class were women. When you’d told Seokjin that Yoongi was pining over your friend, you got genuinely worried that he hurt himself with hard he was laughing. You asked about setting them up or setting up a group meeting to let them meet in a place where Jimin isn’t in dance mode, but Seokjin said no. When you pressed he said that letting Yoongi pine a little would let you both see if he was serious or if he was just infatuated because Jimin ignored him once.

You think they’re also mates and that the only reason they haven’t realized yet is that they’ve only met in the dance studios, a place that’s overwhelming in the mix of scents that it’s nigh impossible to pick out individual ones. So you’d agreed to wait until graduation to introduce them, which meant that all of your friends had to wait to meet the others otherwise it would have never been fair to Jimin. You’re a little glad you did because the way Jimin is glowing while talking to Yoongi tells you that they’re gonna be fine.

You look up at Seokjin. “Now, as much as I love my friends. I’d much rather we go celebrate alone before they invade your apartment to party.” You grin.

“That doesn’t seem like a very nice thing to do.” 

You quirk an eyebrow. “Oh?” You fiddle with the zipper on your robe. “So you don’t wanna see the dress I bought alone first?” You tsk in mock disappointment. “And here I thought you’d want to. You were so sad that I wouldn’t show you.”

He swallows, gaze dipping to stare at your fingers and what you might be hiding beneath the robe. “I…”

You tug it down just enough for him to get a good eyeful of your cleavage. “It’s blue you know.” You smile sweetly. “I figured since it’s your favorite color…” You give a small shrug as you trail off, starting to turn back to your friends. 

You feel Seokjin’s growl against your chest and grin in victory seconds before he’s hauling you away from your friends. 

[george-mackay-macfine]

Let's play a game. Prt 4.

A/N: Sorry it took so long, I had uni but how are you all liking the story and the characters?

Tag list; @neocil @cjand10 @queen-bunnyears @rebelflower19

If you want to join the tag list let me know.

"Let me in, Edwards." Hastings continued to bang on the door.

"No," I called back at him. "I don't want to spend another night in your bed. Never. Ever." Back braced against the wood.

"Don't lie. You'll make the baby Jesus cry."

"Shut up, Hastings." I turned, fingers digging into the wood grain as I stood on my tippy-toes watching him. There he was out in the hallway, one arm resting on the other side of the door, his teeth showing as he laughed all too easily at his own dumb joke. "I'm not opening the door, so you may as well leave." He rolled his eyes, looking at the peephole. "I'm serious." He stood there for a minute, contemplating the options I'd given him.

"Fine." He pushed away from the door. "Have it your way." and then he was gone, disappearing down the hallway.

"Alone again, finally." I pushed myself away and walked back into my kitchen, where my frozen meal sat on the cutting board. I'd been reading the directions before Hastings had so rudely interrupted me. "Heat on high for ten minutes… ten minutes." I picked the box up and looked at it. "You're supposed to be easy and quick!" I cried at it as if it had the ability to apologise for the disgusting amount of time I was going to have to wait for it to heat up.

"I am sorry about this." I heard Hastings voice from the hallway. "Forgot my key again." Jude Hastings says what now?

"It's not a problem, Jude. I'm just happy you and Darcy finally got over your issues." The voice of my too sweet, too kind, too naive landlady Patricia Gregson cooed at Hastings. "And what you have planned for the night, It's the least I can do after the effort you've gone through." Was the last she said before the door swung open.

"Honey, I'm home." My own personal demon smirked, stepping into my house. My domain. He was not allowed in my house. "What are you doing there? I told you I was taking you to my apartment for a special dinner." He walked in like he owned the place.

"Hi Darcy, sweetheart." Patricia waved from the hallway. "I was just telling Jude here how happy I am for the two of you." She smiled happily. "If my Colin was around to see you two now." She shook her head, her eyes glazing over to another time. She pulled herself back, shaking her head, looking at both Jude and I. "He'd be so happy to see this. We always knew you'd wind up together."

Oh, Patricia. If only you knew.

"Yeah." I nodded my head, unable to break her heart. "It's a shock to us all." I walked over to where he stood and slung an arm around his waist. "Thanks for letting him in." I smiled through gritted teeth. "I must have been in the bathroom when he was knocking."

"You've been peeing a lot lately." Hastings looked down at me. "When was your last period? You don't think-"

"I better be off, lots to do." Patricia reached in and grabbed the door handle, quickly pulling it shut behind her. When I'm sure she was gone, I pushed Hastings away from me, shoving him hard.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"What?"

"What?" I mimicked his stupid voice. "You just insinuated to my landlady that I am with child, you absolute dickhead."

"Sorry." He snorted.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, sorry." He turned away and started to look through my house. "You packed your bag yet?"

"You know I haven't." I sighed.

"Well, go pack one." He put his hands on his hips, his shirt lifting as he moved to reveal the slither of flesh that I have a distinct memory of running my tongue across last night.

"Look, Hastings… Tonight really isn't a good night." I ran a hand through my hair. "I have to be at work early tomorrow, and it's just… I don't know how ready I'll be to teach a group of kids if I don't wake up in my own bed, and I'm still tense from a sleepless night lying beside you." I admitted. "I know what the whole game is, but I don't know if I can play tonight-"

"Darcy." He stopped me mid-speech. "Don't worry about the game. Your job's more important." He pointed through to where my bedroom was visible. "Besides, your bed looks comfortable, so I don't mind. I'll sleep here." He shrugged, walking into the small kitchen. "We'll order some food because that looks like unappealing crap… watch a movie, and then I'll woo you to death." I watched him. For the first time in a long time, I watched Jude Hastings rifle through the assortment of take away menu's I had hanging on the fridge. His body looked abnormally large in the small kitchen. "Aha." He cheered when he found a menu he liked. "Chinese." For the first time in a long time, all I could think was maybe this wouldn't be the worst night ever.

"What are you doing."

"Ordering us Chinese." He waved the menu. "Still a fan of chow mien?"

"You remember?"

"You ate it every Friday for a year." He winked. "And I have a good memory."

"I see your good at self-encouragement."

"It's not the only thing I'm good at." He smirked, holding his phone to his ear. "I'm also good at rescuing a damsel in distress from a microwave meal."

"I'm not going to sleep with you again, Hastings." I walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine, grabbing the nearby glasses. "So this whole thing, the hot guy coming to order Chinese food with his dreamy bedroom eyes… It won't work."

"You think I have dreamy bedroom eyes?" He gave a lopsided grin. "Hi yes," He spoke into the phone. "Can I order a delivery please." I tuned him out as I poured the two glasses of white wine and sat down at the small island bench. I wasn't even sure if he drank wine, but it was open, and I wasn't one to waste alcohol. "It'll be about fifteen-twenty minutes."

"Okay." I passed the second glass of wine to him, taking a large sip of my own.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Only if it's a good one I don't want anything subpar." He moved, sitting beside me on the second chair. His glass of wine clanking against the bench as he moved. He leaned in, his free hand brushing hair behind my ear, teasingly slow.

"If you think I was giving you bedroom eyes before." He chuckled lowly, head dipping so our eyes were level, the very tip of his nose bushing mine. "Then you won't believe what it's like when I really give you bedroom eyes."

"You think you're so smooth, don't you."

Part of me really wanted to see those bedroom eyes, the other part of me knew that I may not have the will to not sleep with him again if I did.

"I don't, actually." He pulled away slightly. "But I'm trying to win your heart, and your beautiful, so I'm going to tell you."

"Are you drunk?"

"No." I leant an elbow on the counter, laying my head in my hand looking up at him. "And tomorrow morning, I'm still going to be sober, and you." He shook his head, looking up to the ceiling. "You… You are still going to be beautiful." Am I imagining this, or is THE Jude Hastings giving me a compliment.

"Woe." I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. A big smile, one that felt like it was the first genuine smile I'd had in years. "You really are a smooth, smooth man Hastings."

"Why do you never call me Jude?"

"Why do you hardly call me Darcy."

"Because you call me Hastings all the time."

"I only call you Hastings because—"I stumbled. "I don't know I've just always called you Hastings." I sat up, pulling one of my knees up into my chest. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll call you Jude."

"I think my heart would stop if you ever did that,"

"How do you think the town is taking the news of our epic romance?"

"Well, I checked the obituaries this morning, so far we haven't shocked anyone to death yet."

"So you're saying we've failed." I laughed. "A day of pretending to be a couple and no one has rolled over and died?" I gasped.

"Maybe that means that we need to step it up, huh?"

"Flattering, but I am not interested."

"Honeybird," Another new nickname? Calm down Edwards. "You looked me in the eye a little too long to not be interested in me."

"You're really trying this aren't you." I waved a finger between us.

"Trying what?"

"To get me to fall in love with you." A smile pulled on his lips, not his usual asshole smirk, but a genuine smile, the one that to make butterflies launch themselves all around my stomach.

"It'd be an honour to have the Darcy Alice Edwards fall in love with me, so I'm going to give it my all."

"As it would be an honour to break your heart, Jude Alexander Hastings."

"So you do know how to say my name." He sat back, arms crossing over his chest as he looked me feigning shock. "I'm also going to need you to tell Sato that Fredrick isn't my real middle name."

"No." I began to pick at the hem of my nightgown, thankful he'd given me a Segway comment from the conversation that was getting all too serious too fast. "I don't think I can do that,"

"What is the obsession."

"With?"

"Telling people I have that heinous name as any part of me?"

"I like the idea of all these girls being so enraptured by Jude Hastings, picturing themselves as Mrs Jude Hastings, then having that dream crash and burn around them when they think that your middle name is Fredrick… I mean the name isn't exactly a turn-on." I shrugged. Hastings watched me for a moment, studying me as if this was the first time he, a male, had ever come in contact with me, a female.

"You really are evil." His hand stretched out, his fingers tapping against my temple gently. "This brain in here, it was made for terrible, terrible things,"

"Not terrible things." I denied. "Just terrible things when you're involved."

I needed him to stop touching me, because the slight rub of his fingers over my skin made flashbacks from last night pop up all over my brain, which caused my heart rate to increase, which caused me to want to see if he was as good as he was last night sober, which was a horrible thought to have indeed when you're dealing with a childhood enemy.

"More wine." I stood and walked back to the fridge, ignoring the half-open bottle on the table. I needed space from him.

"There's wine here." I kept my back to him, walking to the small sink and standing in front of it. I needed my space. I hated Jude Hastings, with a passion… But something inside of me wanted to let him in, let him change my mind about him, or at least let a part of him in… "Darcy." His voice was suddenly behind me, his hands on my hips, the edge of my shirt lifting as he held on.

Stop it Darcy. Stop thinking with your metaphorical dick.

His right hand left my hip and went to the hair that covered my neck, pushing it out of the way. My hands gripped onto the bench tighter, as I told myself over and over not to turn around, not to face him because if I did then that was it. We'd end up in my bed, our incoming food forgotten. But then his lips touched my neck and my knees went weak as my head lolled backwards resting on his shoulder, and I wasn't sure I was in the mood for Chinese anymore. I turned around, looking up at Hastings.

"Do you want to know what I think when I think about you, Darcy?" He whispered, his hands pushing the hair behind my ear as I numbly nodded. "I see the little girl who wore a sunflower sundress and ran around my parents' backyard like a kid on a sugar high." I knew the exact dress he was talking about. "The little girl who I got Christmas photos with every year up until we were thirteen… That was when you started to hate me." He was right. "You will always be the little girl I had a crush on when I was eight."

"You… You had a crush on me?" A smile that made my heart race spread across his lips.

"Only the biggest one, you were the cutest girl I'd ever seen."

Don't fall for it Darcy, this is all part of his big old plan to make you fall in love with his stupid squishable face.

"Dinner will be here in a minute. I'm going to wash up." I sidestepped around him and made my way to my small bathroom. "Get together, Darcy." I muttered, leaning against the door as soon as I'd shut it, disconnecting myself from the girl who was just fawning all over Hastings. "Fuck," I walked over the sink and took a look at myself. My cheeks were flushed and my hair was slightly puffed from where Hastings had moved it aside to kiss my neck.

Involving parents and colleagues was a level of dirty. Inflicting emotional bullshit from the past was a whole new level of dirty. Clearly, Hastings had no problem playing that card.

If he really thinks he can get me on the sentimental crap just because I'm a woman, then I'm going to use the greatest weakness of a man against him.

"Hastings, you are going down." My hands gripped onto the edge of the sink as I formulated my plan. Thankfully years of watching Hastings be a man whore in front of me I knew exactly what to do to get his blood pumping.

"Darcy," His fingers tapped against the door, "Dinner is here."

"You start." I walked over pulling the door open wide. "I'm just going to change." I walked past him and into my bedroom, shutting the sliding doors that cut it off from the rest of the apartment, making sure I left a sizeable gap for any peering eyes - trust me, there were going to be peeping eyes. "Where are you," I muttered, looking at the pile of clothes I'd discarded before I'd begun cooking today. I needed Hastings shirt. "Bingo." I spotted the white material underneath my jeans. Stripping from the dress I made sure the straps of my bra - I'd paid a lot for it once upon a time, I needed it to come through for me - could be seen, or at least enough for Hastings to see through the thin fabric of his shirt. Pulling it over my body, I fastened the buttons before pulling a pair of white socks over my feet. I could feel his eyes on me as I stood back up, fixing my hair and pulling the shirt down.

Play innocent, Darcy.

"Smells good." I called out as I turned. There he was, standing at the kitchen bench filled with Chinese take out watching me. His eyes looked drastically darker and I don't think it was just because of the distance between us. I pushed the doors open trying to control the smile that wanted to break out on my face as I walked over to the bench. "Yum." I picked up the container of chow mien. "You not eating?"

"What I want isn't exactly on the menu."

"Oh?" I picked up the menu and waved it. "They're usually pretty good. You could have asked them to make it." I lifted myself up onto a clean spot on the bench, crossing my legs underneath each other. "I'm sure it could have been on the menu."

"Darcy," His eyes were travelling all over my body. "This isn't fair."

"What I'm going to eat all this Chinese, and you don't get any?"

"Yeah." He picked up a nearby carton and shoved a pair of chopsticks inside. "Something like that."

"I can't wait for bed." I lifted one of my arms above my head and stretched, cool air hitting the newly exposed skin. "I'm so beat."

"Fucking Christ." He mumbled, shaking his head.

Darcy - One.

Man-whore demon - nill.

"Language." I quipped, picking a noodle from the carton and popping it into my mouth. "Mhhhmm." I moaned excessively at the taste. Turn it up, why don't you, Darcy.

Good luck not busting a nut tonight, Hastings.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

3 Simple Rules for Dating a Centenarian - ch. 3

Fandom: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Pairing: Sam Wilson/Bucky Barnes Rating: T Chapters: 3/3

Read chapters one and two on Tumblr.

Chapter three summary: Sam and Bucky take a breather from Sharon’s party in High Town.

Sam walks back into the room from before. The one that could be a high-end boutique, or the lobby of a shady but untouchable law firm, or the backdrop for a photoshoot featuring an Avenger who wanted their surroundings to exude enviable elegance and expensiveness without at all detracting from their presence. Not to name names, or speak disdainfully of the dead.

Shrugging off the brown leather jacket Sharon leant him, Sam tosses it at the couch. Yeah, technically it’s on a collision course with the back of Bucky’s head, but since Bucky dodges without turning to look, he figures he can claim poor aim. Which Sam would normally never do, especially to Bucky, but he has downed a few drinks tonight. Sharon wanted them to blend in at the party; Sam couldn’t see an easier way to blend than by doing his bit to deplete the contents of the event’s bar. He sure as hell wasn’t going to stand there pumping his arm to the beat like that motherfucker Zemo. Sam doesn’t know exactly what to blame for the Baron’s excruciating dance moves, he’s just glad he got away. Being near enough to Zemo for people to assume they were acquainted? Come on. That’s just insult on top of injury.

Bucky’s head swivels to follow him once Sam tracks into his line of sight.

“Where’s Zemo?” is the first thing he says.

Sam avoids his gaze until he’s good and comfortable on the couch at his side. It’s closer than he meant to be, since the damn thing has a curve to it, but the chairs don’t look comfortable. Unless, he supposes, you’re a percher, like Sharon. Sam doesn’t perch.

To cover for the fact that he picked his seat without thorough reconnaissance and is, with his inhibitions a little lower than usual, both far too nervous and not nearly nervous enough, Sam spreads his knees to take up even more of the couch, draping his arms along the back. Finally, he glances at Bucky.

“Sharon’s doing her shift as babysitter,” Sam says.

“Hasn’t she done enough?”

“You wanna go back down there and spell her, be my guest.”

“Nah,” Bucky says, “I think I’m good.”

Bucky’s jacket is gone too, Sam notes, moving his own from where it landed to the chair opposite. Briefly, he lets himself be curious. Why does Sharon have a wardrobe of men’s clothes in enough sizes and styles to reasonably clad himself, Bucky, and Zemo for the evening? Are these things expensive? Are they valuable, like the Monet he saw on the way in? Maybe the clothes on his back belonged to some celebrity and are set to be sold off to the highest bidder. If that weren’t a selling point before, it could be now—everything itemized and tagged as having been worn by Sam Wilson, the Falcon, the Man Who Wouldn’t Be Captain America.

In the short silence, Sam feels himself beginning to frown, but he’s just the right side of buzzed to prevent those thoughts from dragging him down. He’s a cheerful drunk. Always has been. A hugger, a giggler, a piggyback ride-giver in his younger years.

“Do you think she’s doing alright?” Bucky asks, forever ready to be morose. “Sharon?” Sam wants to stick his finger in the indentation between Bucky’s eyebrows and wiggle it until the seriousness drops from his face. He wants to smooth his thumb over Bucky’s chin, wipe out the memory of Zemo’s touch when he offered Bucky to Selby like a thing instead of a human being. “I know she took your deal, a favour for a favour, but I’ve been trying to work out what my debt to her is. My notebook—”

“There’s no math for it, Buck,” Sam says. Though his tone is lazy, his words are certain. “Who owes what to who. We just have to make it right.” Mildly annoyed that he’s been drawn back into a heavy conversation, he sighs and slings his foot up to rest his ankle on his opposite knee. The movement bumps Bucky’s thigh momentarily. “Think I might owe Sharon a little less now that she made me wear a turtleneck to that party.”

Bucky snorts a laugh. Sam turns his head and gives him the finger, though he’s also smiling.

“I’m laughing at what you said,” Bucky claims, “not the shirt. You coulda picked something else.”

“It’s black and doesn’t have a pattern. After that Smiling Tiger getup, I felt like being inconspicuous, ok?”

“Ok. You don’t need my approval.”

“You’re damn right I don’t,” Sam agrees, still grinning.

“Suits you,” Bucky half-mumbles.

Sam huffs from his nose, all his laughter in that puff of air as he faces forward again, then tips his head back to check out Sharon’s high ceiling. With nothing but night through the tall windows and the room under-illuminated by the two lamps either left on by their host or switched on by Bucky, the ceiling’s dark grey instead of white. Shadowy. Unlike the menacing shadows that seemed to stretch after them on the streets of Low Town, sending an unpleasant tickle up the back of Sam’s neck, these are soft. It’s a surprisingly peaceful end to the day, considering what the past 24 hours have encompassed. Suddenly, Sam feels as though he’s been awake a long, long time. Doesn’t mean he’s ready to sleep yet.

“So,” he says, “downstairs. Why’d you leave? Most date-like thing we’ve done yet and I tear my eyes away from the trainwreck of Zemo’s dancing to find you gone.”

“The noise, the crowd, Zemo,” Bucky emphasizes, “like you said.”

“You brought him.”

“I know, I just…” Bucky slumps forward and hangs his head, hands clasped between his knees. He turns pained eyes on Sam and Sam moves his hand from the back of the couch to Bucky’s shoulder. From there to his upper back. From a grounding pressure to a gentle rub. Just a couple times, but he doesn’t pull away, perennially touchy when less than sober. “I don’t want him to control me.”

“He doesn’t,” Sam says firmly. “You were yourself at Selby’s.”

“His version of me. I don’t like the reminder. I don’t want to find out if I’d do it again, in that crowd of people, attack someone just because he told me to.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. I’m trusting you not to.”

“Is that smart?” Bucky asks, expression raw. Sam can feel the heat of his back through his shirt.

“It’s not totally smart. Can’t be, with you involved.”

Bucky rolls his eyes and smiles and Sam wants to cheer.

“I don’t know about that date,” Bucky says lightly, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leans back into the couch once more. It was a t-shirt under that jacket of his and Sam’s gaze slides to his arms, trying to look without looking. Only because the Vibranium one isn’t on display a lot. That’s all.

“Oh, here we go.”

Sam’s amazed at how his complaint sounds in this room, in this light, on this couch. Like the ceiling, it’s soft.

“It was too loud.”

“The last thing you called a date was a fight on the top of a truck speeding down a highway. Wasn’t exactly quiet.”

“Well,” Bucky tries again, “there were too many people.”

“Again, extra people weren’t a problem last time. Half a dozen Flag-Smashers, as I recall.”

“That was fun and all—”

“Which part?” Sam asks, smiling. “The part where you got hurled into a windshield by the woman you’d assumed was a hostage? Yeah, that part was fun for me too.”

“Can it.”

Bucky accompanies the words with a look that Sam could pick out a mile away as fake-grumpy. It cracks him up and he lifts his hand from Bucky’s back to shove his arm as he laughs.

“You called tonight a date,” Bucky says suddenly.

“No, I said… I said…” Sam squints at nothing as he retrieves his words in his mind. “Date-like.”

“Zemo got in my head and I got in yours.”

Instead of saying this miserably, Bucky looks quietly smug at his joke. Sam needs to set him straight; of course he didn’t think tonight was a date. With a massive bounty on their heads at the other end of Madripoor? With Zemo the third wheel always only an arm’s length away? And the current circumstances are beside the point because, fundamentally, Sam doesn’t know whether or not Bucky’s been joking from the start. Intentionally wrong-footing him, messing with him, like they’ve been doing as long as they’ve known each other.

“You’ve definitely done something,” Sam volunteers.

It’s his fourth drink talking, or maybe the fucking pickled snake organ he forced himself to swallow earlier. His jaw clenches fleetingly at the memory. Sarah’s gonna laugh her ass off when he tells her. Should be enough to balance out whatever ire she’ll be sending his way for that dumb shit he said about laundering money. Although she’ll get that he only said it to avoid getting shot (he won’t tell her how narrow that success was), she still won’t be thrilled that he made himself out to be a criminal. It’s the furthest thing from the kind of people the Wilsons are. He could always point a finger at how Bucky behaved—dropping everyone who ran at him with icily efficient twists and kicks—but he knows how Sarah would look at him, what she’d be thinking. That he and Bucky aren’t held to the same standard, externally or internally. That he talks about Bucky too often, so often that if he let his sister in on this stupid running joke they have about their ops being dates, she’d take it all wrong, think this was something serious and inevitable.

Sam swallows and laces his fingers together in his lap so he won’t reach out for Bucky again.

“I know I should’ve let you in on the plan to spring Zemo from prison,” Bucky says. Oh, he thinks Sam’s words were a subtle criticism, not an admission. That’s… good.

“But?”

“No excuses,” Bucky promises, stretching his neck from side to side. “I shoulda told you. Once I explained it, you would’ve seen that I was right and agreed with me.”

Sam gives the side of Bucky’s head a hard stare until he catches the smirk hiking his lips up on one side.

“Wow,” Sam says dryly, “that was almost you taking responsibility.”

“I take responsibility all the time.”

“The notebook, right?”

“Yeah. Can’t believe Zemo put his fuckin’ hands on something so private, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I get that it’s private,” Sam assures him, “but you can tell me shit. If you want.”

Bucky’s folded arms loosen and he shoots Sam a sideways glance that scans all over his face, measuring, cataloguing, computing with that cyborg brain Sam teases him about. Sam blinks back. He means it, and he meant it before when he said he’s trusting Bucky.

“Feels a little one-sided,” Bucky says.

“That’s because you won’t come home with me to meet Sarah and the boys. You already got your invitation into my personal life, you just haven’t used it.”

“We’ve been a little busy, Sam.”

Sam sighs loudly and pushes his sleeves up his arms against the warmth of the room.

“You can make time. Once we’re not on Zemo’s schedule.”

“He was supposed to be on ours,” Bucky mutters. “I don’t know how that happened.”

“It happened because you’re an idiot who didn’t tell me the plan.”

“It’s my fault we keep getting shot at.”

Sam ignores that, the happy looseness surging up inside him battling the gravity of Bucky’s self-pity.

“It’s your fault if you didn’t like the date,” he counters. “You got Zemo out of Germany, Zemo brought us to Madripoor. Low Town, Selby, Sharon—all that happened as a consequence. You didn’t like tonight’s date? That’s on you.”

“Date-like,” Bucky corrects with a sly smile. “The noise and the fighting last time were fine—”

“Were they?!”

“—I just thought the next date should be different.”

Sam laughs softly because this isn’t the first time Bucky’s made this sound like more than a joke, but it is the first time he’s done this at night. And without Sam’s sister and nephews in the next room, or the potential for anybody to drive past them on a country road that runs alongside untidy fields, but when they’re truly alone.

“How so?” Sam asks, heart pumping like the bass in the basement, where the party’s carrying on without the two of them.

Bucky loosens his arms even more, until his forearms rest on his thighs, until—when he rocks to the side, repositioning to face Sam—he can rest one on the back of the couch where Sam’s used to be. His hand hangs down and his fingers skim Sam’s shoulder.

“More private,” Bucky confesses.

“I didn’t know that’s what you wanted,” Sam says with an easy laugh because Bucky’s face is still a little too stern, but that could be self-consciousness. “Tell me how to get more than four stars, man.”

“And you’ll do it?”

“Depends. Try me,” he blurts.

He watches Bucky’s face pinch in then relax, going especially slack at the mouth, which gets closer when Bucky angles into his space. Sam’s fingers release and his back straightens as he shifts to square his body to Bucky’s. They’ve done something like this before, locked into stubborn, confrontational posture when Bucky makes Sam’s life difficult by refusing to go along with what he says, but not this. Not this exactly.

Sam doesn’t stiffen or jerk away, so Bucky keeps coming.

“Are you…?” Bucky asks, eyelashes fluttering as his lids raise and lower, looking from Sam’s eyes to his lips. “Is this…?”

Always talking.

Tilting his head and closing his eyes, Sam stamps his mouth to Bucky’s. He goes to break away after a few stunned seconds, but then Bucky’s hand lands on the back of his neck—warm; not the metal one—to hold them together. Sam meets Bucky’s seeking tongue with his own and feels scruff against his face as their mouths test and react to each other. Reflexively, Sam grips the front of Bucky’s tight, black t-shirt. The kiss is quick and feverish and, when Bucky’s fingers untense on his neck, Sam rests his face against Bucky’s.

He wouldn’t say he’s scared to move, but he’s wary. He can’t tell if they’ve fucked up their whole dynamic or taken it, at last, to a level it was always going to reach. Raising a hand to pat the side of his head and check that his goggles are in place, Sam stops, remembering he won’t feel the strap because he’s not in the air. It’s been a while since he felt lightheaded on the ground.

He clears his throat and draws back. Bucky starts to remove his hand from Sam’s neck, but Sam reaches up to keep it there. He juts his chin out challengingly as he holds Bucky’s eyes, thinking, for a second, of their joint session with Dr. Raynor.

“What’s the verdict?” Sam demands.

Bucky stares back solemnly.

“Four and a half.”

“I’m leaving you here in Madripoor,” Sam declares, pointing a finger down at Bucky’s abruptly and broadly grinning face as he pushes up from the couch.

He strides over to Sharon’s crystal decanters, laughing to himself and looking for water. There isn’t any, but she does have an insulated canister of dissolving ice cubes. Sam scoops a few into a tumbler and turns back to look silently at Bucky. He cups the base of the glass in his hot palm. Slowly, the ice starts to melt.

[hadtochangemyurlquick]

can u write more leachel please

no but i can fuck ur bitch

Leah’s first public reading was not packed. Of course, the seven of them all filed into front row seats and of course her parents, grandparents, Ian, and most of her teachers were scattered throughout the audience. Even Emily, her friend from middle school who she hadn’t really talked to since she went to private school, showed up. It was a sweet gesture but beyond the people who knew Leah personally, only around fifty or so were actual fans. It was fine and Leah did an amazing talk and afterwards Rachel slapped her hand against her thigh, wishing she could actually clap.

Leah’s tenth public reading was standing room only.

The National book festival was held once a year in DC and while there were two panels Leah was put on, they also asked her to do her own talk because she had a new book coming out. It’d been called by the New York Times book review “the most anticipated book of the year!” And Rachel had only been allowed to read the first draft of the first chapter, which was slightly killing her. But her girlfriend had a process, even if that process was to solely talk to Nora about it. Nora and sometimes Toni.

When Leah walked onto the slightly raised platform the entire room erupted into applause. It was a standing ovation and Leah looked beautiful and also incredibly embarrassed. Her eyes found Rachel’s immediately and they were so fucking intense, Rachel just wanted her to keep looking at her forever. Forever and a half.

“Wow,” Leah began when she reached her microphone. “I haven’t even said anything yet.” There was laughter, more cheers, gradually people sat down. “Thank you all for coming, I know there’s some pretty amazing panels going on right now. There’s still time to go to Roxanne Gay’s talk, it’s a few rooms down.”

More laughter, more cheers, a “We love you Leah Rilke!”

Rachel shook her head, smiling. Leah could pretend all she wanted, but Rachel saw what was happening. The entire world was slowly coming to life under her touch. The English language was being shaped to fit Leah Rilke.

Every think piece, ever op-ed, every review, mentioned the words Leah Rilke somewhere in there. Every teenage girl was talking about her like they’d talk about the Bible. TV studios and movie execs sat in rooms and discussed about how they could capture her writing style. Publishing houses wanted to find their very own Leah Rilke. Tattoo artists were adding to their pre drawn collections symbols from her books.

It was happening slowly, a little at a time, but time happened all at once. And history textbooks were being printed in Texas for the year 2032 that had an entire chapter about Leah Rilke.

The world was changing, and for the next half-century it’d be one where Leah Rilke was alive. And after, it’d be one where everyone was looking for the next Leah Rilke, however futile.

Leah didn’t see it, but Rachel could. And Nora. They talked about it sometimes, when a Dolly Parton song came on or Tolkien happened to come up in conversation.

“I’m not really afraid of public speaking,” Leah continued. “But can you all look somewhere else for a minute? I just need a break, I feel like you all are staring.”

There was more laughter and Rachel felt her phone buzz. Her eyebrow furrowed and she ignored it, instead focusing on the woman wearing her engagement ring.

It’d taken her a minute to propose, insecurities thriving with Leah off giving talks or going to conventions like this one. In a big empty house it wasn’t hard to feel less than, especially with one hand.

It’d been Dot who talked sense into her. Dot surprisingly sensible when she herself had eloped with Fatin, annulled it, and eloped again.

“Okay,” Dot said. “Maybe she’s too good for you. So what? She doesn’t know that.”

“Exactly,” Rachel said. “That’s my fucking point. She’s gonna find someone better and realize that I’m just… me.”

“Yeah,” Dot nodded.

Rachel glared at her. “You aren’t making me feel better.”

“I’m not Fatin, or Shelby, or Martha.”

“I know that,” Rachel said.

“It sounds like you wanna marry her,” Dot said. “So fuckin’ marry her. Then she won’t be able to fuck off with someone else.”

“But I want her to be happy,” Rachel said.

“So fuckin’ make her happy,” Dot said. “I don’t get what the fuckin’ problem is.”

So she proposed. Leah said yes immediately, not even a moment of hesitation, and they were planning a small wedding with a rabbi they both knew and a Huppa but not a Ketubah. Some sort of halfway for the both of them.

Rachel’s phone buzzed again and she turned it off, slipping it in her backpack to focus on Leah.

“This is probably the hardest book I’ve ever written. Not because its deeply personal or anything, just because I had to do so much research for it,” Leah said. “I even had to dedicate it to my sister in law because she spent hours with me looking at flight patterns and chess strategies. Do you guys know how many different kind of tulips there are? I can’t say I don’t understand the dutch a little better now.”

Nora squeezed her wrist and she looked over at her. Shelby caught her eye from beside Nora and passed her a phone, the notes app open.

Jeffs here.

Rachel frowned. Jeff Greene? The book review guy? Or maybe Jeffery Wilson, the Sony guy. Didn’t they have a neighbor named Jeff who liked to complain about their noise level to the police?

“Jeff?” She mouthed back.

Shelby was stone faced when she nodded and something sunk in Rachel’s gut.

Fuck. Jeff.

Leah was still talking but Rachel couldn’t hear her.

Where?

Shelby took the phone back.

The back.

Rachel clenched her jaw and Nora squeezed her wrist again, eyes wide.

Has Leah seen him?

Shelby shook her head and Rachel let out a breath of relief.

She got to her feet, and cast a quick smile back at Leah who’s brow furrowed at her. She kept talking though, stumbling a little on her speech. Behind her, Fatin, Martha, and Shelby followed.

Jeff wasn’t hard to spot. He was the washed-up has been, with the fraying hair and dark circles under his eyes.

“You need to leave,” Rachel spat.

“I’m just here to apologize,” Jeff said. “I don’t even—”

“You’re leaving,” Shelby cut off. “Now. Or I’ll call security.”

“Take this outside,” Someone hissed and Fatin dragged him out, shoving him roughly through the open door. Several more people waiting outside slipped inside, entirely grateful.

“Listen, I know I fucked up, I want to apologize,” Jeff said.

“She was a child,” Fatin said. “You’re a fucking predator.”

Jeff paled.

“Wait,” Martha said. “Are you here to apologize for dumping her, or for raping her?”

“I didn’t—”

Maybe it was Shelby that threw the first punch, or maybe Rachel. Maybe they both came at him at once. But Martha didn’t hold Rachel back like she normally would’ve, and Fatin snapped at some people to put their phones away.

Leah said it was ironic later, that Fatin was telling people to put their phones away, while Martha urged on a fight.

But it wasn’t a fight, it was a beat down.

Shelby had taken Toni to enough kickboxing lessons over the years to know how to throw a punch, and Rachel had been picturing this moment with Jeff for too long.

No one intervened once Martha pushed a couple people away explaining he was a pedophile who prayed on teenage girls. One person said, “Isn’t that Jeff Galanis?”

And Martha said: “Yes.”

Jeff Galanis hasn’t published a book in five years at that point, he wouldn’t publish one again. Leah wasn’t happy Rachel broke her only hand, and Toni started going to kickboxing lessons alone.

“It was stupid,” Leah told her, when she met her outside after they’d all been thrown out. “I don’t give a shit about him anymore. I just wanted you there.”

“I know,” Rachel said. “But it wasn’t stupid to me. I wanted you to know you wouldn’t have to see him again.”

“Rach,” Leah sighed. “You remember how when we were driving here a Smith’s song came on?” Rachel nodded. “I realized then I literally couldn’t remember his last name.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Leah said. “We’re getting married in a few months, my new book is coming out, your starting your new job. We’ll probably be aunts as soon as Toni and Shelby finish those foster parent classes. Jeff is like—probably the least important person in the universe right now.”

“Sorry I missed the talk,” Rachel said.

Leah kissed her, soft and easy like they’d never once been.

“It’s okay,” she promised. “There’ll be others.”

There were.

[yespolkadotkitty]

First off, I LOVE you to bits. Second, I LOVE being in the Dave York pit with you guys. Thirdly, a random Dave request if possible. Dave is finishing a job and ends up saving a young woman who was in the process of being attacked by a mugger. He escorts her home and mayyyyybe she shows him some appreciation for saving her life 😍

I LOVE THAT YOU ARE IN THE PIT

Safe With Me

This amazing gif made by @beccaplaying - THANKYOU!

Warnings: violence, smut, unbeta’d writing.

3am.

York balls up the blood-stained t-shirt he’s yanked off, pushes off the thin latex gloves. A random dumpster in an alleyway catches his eye, and he glances around. It’s a good few feet from any of the streetlamps. Perfect.

He tosses the clothes; pulls a new t-shirt out of his go-bag, shrugs it on. The night is balmy and now he looks like any other tourist after a night propping up one bar or another - plain t-shirt and jeans, big backpack. 

He’s learned how to dissemble his MK12 silently, and wraps it in spare clothes to bulk out the backpack. He ruffles a hand through his hand, pulls a souvenir bottle of whiskey from his pocket, douses himself in it. Now he smells like he’d been propping up a bar, too.

The streetlamps shine pale halos on to the pavement as he walks, his mind carefully blank. He never thinks about his kills afterwards. What’s the point?

It crosses his mind that he didn’t get injured this time, so he won’t need her. Florence.

Their relationship - is it a relationship? - confounds and humbles him.

York doesn’t kid himself that she probably wouldn’t look twice at him on the subway; or at a speed dating night. Theirs is a connection born out of necessity, but even so, he’s reached for her more than once after a nightmare jerked him upright in bed; jacked off to the memory of her soft skin when he’s alone in the shower.

So when he hears her voice, he’s almost convinced that he’s dreaming it.

“Stop. Stop!”

York rounds the corner on silent feet - years of training have taught him to move without being seen or heard.

And there she is. Florence, but not as he knows her. She wears a light sweater; a messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Two guys cage her in - both taller, way broader than her. One looks like he’s holding a shiv. York would’ve snorted in disgust if it didn’t put him in danger of being given away.

He assesses the scene for a moment.

“Please,” Florence is saying. “Please. You can take anything I have.”

Over my dead body, York thinks. Florence has saved him, and now the universe has seen fit for him to receive a chance to return the favour.

He reaches into the waistband of his jeans, palms his little Beretta. Aims; shoots the side of the dumpster to the left of Bozo #1.

The asshat yelps; and from this angle it looks as if he pisses himself. York smiles without humour. He settles in behind the postbox, watches, waits. 

“What the fuck was that?” Bozo #2 yells, and grabs Florence by the throat. 

She gasps.

And that’s enough.

York shoves the Beretta back into his waistband and rounds the postbox. Bozo #1 never sees him coming and with a flick of York’s wrist, the man is out for the count, dropping like a stone to the tarmac. He’ll have a hell of a headache come tomorrow.

Bozo #2 sees his buddy fall and yanks Florence against him, the pathetic little shiv half a foot from her neck.

“Who’s there?” he demands.

Florence stays perfectly still. She knows, York thinks. The doc has been working with black ops soldiers for three years; she’d recognise one anywhere.

There are no streetlights in this alley, so the darkness works to York’s advantage. He presses himself against the wall, regulates his breathing. He could fire another warning shot, but this wannabe gangster’s hand is shaking so bad that a jerk of his arm might harm Florence.

And hurting Florence is a hard line that York will never, ever cross.

He slides a hand slowly into his jean pocket, feels for the little knife; it’s there. He palms it, breathes in and out, slow and steady, and aims. He can see just peachy in the dark thanks to all that murder training.

York hurls the knife. It slams into the meat of Bozo #2’s thigh. No artery has been hit, but he’ll probably have a scar.

Bozo #2 yelps as his leg collapses under him and he crumples to the dry, dirty concrete. The shiv drops to the ground too, clattering.

Florence surges forward and without thinking York grabs for her, wraps his arms around her. She’s fine. She’s fine.

“It’s me,” he murmurs when she jerks in panic, and when she turns her face up to look at him, he’s struck by her beauty, her eyes flashing in the nearby gleam from the blinking lights of an ATM.

“David.”

God, he loves it when she calls him that. No one else does. It’s like their secret language.

Uncaring about what happens to Bozos #1 or #2, he takes her hand, leads her away. “What were you doing out here, so late?”

Florence gives him the side eye. “Patching up under-the-table guys isn’t my only job.”

“Right.”

“I was leaving the hospital. Pulled a double shift.” Her fingers clench in his. He should let her hand go, but he doesn’t.

“And you didn’t think to drive?” he wishes he could bite the very father-like comment back.

“I like walking at night.”

He gets it. People like them thrive in the darkness. It’s how they justify what they do. Florence, not so much, but York, yes. He belongs in the dark, doesn’t deserve to see the light after the lives he’s taken.

“I’ll walk you home,” he says into the balmy night air.

She doesn’t disagree. She doesn’t ask where he’s been; she probably knows.

Five minutes later, they reach her building, a modest mid-century brownstone with what York supposes is good-enough security. Perhaps he’ll come by one night and replace the camera with a better one.

Florence digs her key from her pocket. “So, this is me.”

York shakes his head. “Uh- uh. I’ll come in, clear your place.”

He can’t see, for sure, but it seems like she rolls her eyes just a little, but she doesn’t argue.

They take the steps together.

“I’m not sure you knowing where I live is part of the arrangement McCall made,” she says, a bit breathlessly.

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

“I know it is, David.” She thumbs through the keys and selects the one for Number 12, offers it to him.

He slides it into the lock soundlessly, pockets the little curve of metal and then plucks the beretta from the small of his back, holding it ahead of him.

Florence is silent behind.

When he’s cleared her small apartment, she closes the door, looks up into his eyes. “Thankyou. For what you did.”

Her gratitude makes him uncomfortable. “No problem. Those jerks gave me an opportunity to clear the red in my ledger.”

Florence’s gaze goes soft. “David-” She lifts her hand to his cheek. Her lips part, slightly.

And then he’s on her like a starving man being given a taste of food after too, too long. He shoves his backpack off his shoulder as Florence’s arms wind around his neck, and he licks into her mouth, desperate. Wanting to show without words how fucking delirious with happiness he is that she’s here, alive. He tucks his hands under her ass, lifts her up, backs them into the door, as she winds her legs around his hips.

His name falls from her lips like a supplication to whatever God is listening as he starts to ravage her neck, using his tongue and teeth to pull moans and sighs from her. Her hands tunnel into his hair and he thinks I need her more than I need air, and he bucks his hips into the sweet softness of her, and even though they’re both clothed, he feels the tingle of an orgasm start at the base of his spine.

“David…”

He looks up.

“You smell like whiskey.”

“Decoy,” he mutters. 

“Shower,” she says with a raised brow.

He grunts a response; doesn’t bother putting her down, but carries her through the apartment. The bathroom door is open which makes it easier. He begrudges it but he sets Florence down gently, as if she’ll break if he treats her like anything save fine china, and then she blows that image away by falling on him, tearing at his clothes, yanking his t-shirt over his head. He fumbles at her clothing, feeling like a man who has won the lottery and is cursed all at the same time. He has been inside this woman, but not like this. Not skin to skin, not like they’re about to be, with the hot water rushing over their bodies.

Florence shoves his jeans down and then kneels, unlacing his combat boots. He steps out of them, meets her gaze, sees the fire dancing in his eyes.

Naked, he pulls her into the shower as she turns the water on hot. The spray slicks their bodies, and Florence mouths at the hollow of his throat, her tongue laving his skin.

York explores the curves and valleys of her eagerly with his hands; he knows they’re gun-calloused, rough in places, but her cat-like mewls tell him she likes it. When one of her small hands slides down to cup him intimately, he feels himself jerk in her grasp, and she purrs.

Who knew Dr Nightingale could be so naughty? Fuck, it’s hot, she is hot, and he’s going to lose it like an untried boy if he isn’t careful.

Florence kisses her fingertips down the scar on his chest; the one she stitched just before the first, and only time, they made love, when she rode him carefully, so slowly he thought he’d die from the tension in his balls.

“David.” She then kisses the scar, and his knees go weak for a moment. New wetness streaks down his chest - different texture to the shower, and he realises with horror that she’s crying.

He cups her face, looks into her eyes. 

“Don’t cry. Sweetheart, don’t cry.”

“You mustn’t put yourself in danger for me,” she hiccups out, pressing her face into his neck. “What happens when the music stops?”

York swallows hard. I don’t know how many songs I have left. That’s what he’d said to her, that first time. Maybe he wishes he could take the words back.

“I would put myself in danger for you every second,” he rasps into her ear. “For you - anything. Everything.”

She is silent for a moment that stretches; the only sound the rushing water. Then, “Please. Please.”

And he kneels down, bracing his hands on her hips and makes love to her with his mouth, for how long, he doesn’t know. Time ceases to matter. He drinks in the taste of her, licking and sucking, learning just where to use his teeth to make her fist her hands in his hair, sob his name brokenly. When he stands up, holding her to him, her legs shake, and she kisses him fiercely, desperately, breaking apart only to fill her hands with strawberry soap. When she wraps her palms around him, stroking, taking her time to learn every move that makes him gasp, every twist of her fist that has him gulping him, she wrings an orgasm so powerful from him that he swears he blacks out, just for a second.

They dry each other off gently, silently, and when Florence leads him to her bed, he should say no. He should go home. He should get as far away from her as possible. She isn’t a killer, shouldn’t be tarnished by the blood on his hands. So much blood.

But he lets her wrap herself around him, and he holds her tightly, so tightly he might leave marks, but her hair smells of strawberries, and she might be the only pure thing he has left in this world.

He holds her all night long.

Another AMAZING gif by @beccaplaying !

Tagging people who I think will like this: @songsformonkeys @buckstaposition @alldatalost @abuttoncalledsmalls @knittingqueen13 @dornish-queen @agirllovespasta @winters-buck @heatherbel @holographic-carmen @the-green-kid @pajamasecrets @lannister-slings-and-arrows @engineeredfiction @restingnurseface @mrschiltoncat @lackofhonor @emmy-dandiliom918 @opheliaelysia @poenariuniverse

[myheroacademiashorts]

Heartbreak - Part 1

Prompt: After overhearing your boyfriend admit that he’s cheated on you with another, you try to move on as best as you can; with the help of one of your closest friends, who is also the guy crushing on you without your knowledge.

Pairing: ShinsoxReader, with BakugouxReader (ex-boyfriend, RIP)

Rating: (Attempted?) Angst and Slight Fluff

Words: 3,569 (lololol 69)

Part two? Hahahahaha yeah whatever......... Unless?.....

------------------------------------------

Some days, you’d wish for the sky to fall. Usually you’d want that to happen when small occurrences took place; rain instead of sun, tripped and scraped your knee, forgot about a homework assignment the day it was due. Small problems. Nothing deadly serious.

You never expected to actually want to die. Or at least feel like you did.

“Hey, (Y/N), isn’t that your boyfriend over there?” One of your co-workers nudged your shoulder as you placed an order ticket into the kitchen, snapping it into place on a turntable wire rack. You swiveled your head to the pointed direction, eyes wide and a warm smile growing on your face. You hadn’t told Bakugou you were working today, instead lying and telling him you were going shopping with your mom, because you didn’t want him to notice the extra hours you were putting in… Especially with his birthday right around the corner, and you know that he’s been eyeing a new gaming system. The exact system you planned to buy for him at the end of this week.

He had that familiar scowl on his face as he slumped down into a chair, the face of his companion hidden by one of the many plants placed around the restaurant you worked in. The table was right by a tall window, light streaming in and hitting your lover’s handsome face perfectly. A warm feeling settled in your stomach, and with a cheesy grin you moved towards him, as if pulled by a string. Then, he spoke just as you were about to swing behind a wall to surprise him.

“I can’t keep lying to (Y/N). It’s fucking killing me.” You froze, hand over your mouth as if you were afraid that your breathing would give away your position. You pressed  your back flush against the wall ad continued to listen. “Fuck, I didn’t want this to happen! How the hell do I even tell her?”

“It’s better to tell her straight-forward instead of keeping it a secret. You shouldn’t even have kept it as long as you have. Either way, she’s going to be pretty upset.” You’d recognize Kirishima’s voice anywhere, even when it wasn’t full of his cheerfulness and bubbly nature as usual. Instead, it sounded sad.

“Duh, you idiot! Of course she’s gonna be fucking upset. I didn’t do something small, like forgetting to get her flowers or accidentally blowing up her homework. How the fuck do you tell someone you cheated on them with one of their friends?”

You nearly choked on air in shock. A gentle hand grabbed your arm, and in a panic you wretched away, glancing up to meet a familiar pair of violet eyes. “Shinso.” You breathed your friend’s name out in relief, glad it was him instead of another co-worker of yours. The pair of you had been friends since the Sports Festival your first year, despite your differences; while Shinso was normally very quiet, you were the extrovert of your class, always aiming to talk to everyone you stumbled upon and almost always being able to get along with them. It was probably the one reason that you were able to even come remotely close to Bakugou, let alone close enough to date him. You bit down on your lower lip to stall it from quivering.

“I heard everything. Are you okay?” He placed his hand on yours once more, and this time you didn’t push him away. Slowly, you nodded, and looked up to meet his face with a glassy gaze and fragile smile. With both hands, you rubbed furiously at your eyes, cursing the tears away and looking at Shinso, determination replacing your sadness. As well as a shit-load of anger. A lot. “I’m okay! Hey, is that for table 23? Let me take it for you.” You chirped out in false happiness, spotting one of your fellow employees exiting the kitchen with a tray. You’d recognize Bakugou’s order anywhere; extra-spicy curry, so red that it looked like fresh lava. Your co-worker beamed at you as she handed you the tray in thanks, not noticing the deadly look you shot at the waiting table.

“Let me take that for yo-”

“Really, Shinso, it’s my pleasure. Just watch me.”

You plastered on a smile as you made your way to the table, Bakugou grumbling as he looked out of the window while Kirishima stared at the table’s surface with remorse. You caught the tail end of their conversation as you approached. “For the record, Mina was the one who kept coming on to me, so it wasn’t my fault when she kneeled down and-” You practically slammed the plate down in front of Bakugou, cutting him off. Both boys snapped to attention, two pairs of crimson eyes widening at you. “Oh, what a surprise! What are you two doing here? Bakugou, didn’t you tell me you were oh-so-busy training today?” Your voice was sickly sweet, deadly to any diabetic and sugary enough to give cavities.

“(Y/N)? I thought you were with your old hag today?” There was an underlying fear in his voice, which was strange to hear from Bakugou. Although not entirely unpleasant, especially since you knew you were the reason for this emotion.

“No~ope, that was a lie! So, you and Mina, huh? Tell me, was it worth it? How was she on her knees, hm?” You grinned at him, yet there was malice in your (E/C) eyes and poison on your tongue as you spoke. For once, Bakugou was at a loss for words. “Y-you heard?” Kirishima piped up nervously, twiddling his thumbs in his lap as he stared at you. You turned to him. “Oh, yes. Every word!” The happy facade was starting to wear you thin, but you continued to play the part. “Great idea for you two to come gossip at the one restaurant where your girlfriend works, and not at the other dozen down the street. A couple of Einsteins, right here.” You laughed dryly.

“Babe, let me explai-”

You glowered at him darkly, the smile dropping from your lips. “Oh, my mistake. I meant ex-girlfriend. Because you and I? Done, over, no relationship between us. Capiche?” You ran a finger over your throat, as if to bring the words to life. “I don’t want to ever speak to you again, understood? From this day forward, you’re dead to me. I’ll pack whatever belongings I have of yours tonight, and someone will drop them off to you tomorrow.” You spun on your heel, taking a few steps away from the silenced table, before turning back to them. “Thank you once again for stopping at (R/N) Restaurant. A waitress will bring you some to-go plates. Now fuck off.”

You turned away from them once more, hearing Bakugou growl in frustration as he shoved his chair back to reach out for you… Shinso stepped in his path, roughly grabbing the hot-headed boy’s wrist with his usual cool expression still on his face. “I believe that it would be best for you to leave now.” Shinso said. His voice sounded deadly, and at this point multiple other customers had turned their heads to the commotion. Even the manager, a sweet old lady who hated unnecessary drama, had been watching the interaction from the beginning and also stepped forward beside Shinsou, mimicking the same response as him.

Bakugou’s burning gaze met with yours - full of anger, sadness, guilt - before Kirishima finally grabbed his shoulder and steered him to the exit, apologizing the entire time. They even left cash on the table beside their steaming plates of food. As soon as the pair had exited the building, everyone’s shoulders seemed to slump in relief.

You manager hobbled to you, concern etching her features. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” She asked, and you replied with a weak smile. A few other coworkers held the same expression, all-too-familiar with Bakugou’s fiery temperament. As well as the fact that they also heard he cheated on you, after many months of being in a relationship. You hated the weight of their gazes, of their pity.

“I’m fine! If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go borrow the restroom for a moment.” You kept your composure with a smile as you twisted past worried gazes, quietly entering the bathroom. Silence followed you, a few whispers that you couldn’t make out trailing as well. It wasn’t until the bathroom door shut behind you that you took a deep breath, eyes darting to make sure that the two stalls were empty, before sagging to the tile floor with a bubbling sob. You were hurt; of course you were. Your heart felt as if it was breaking to pieces, shattered and unfixable. He was not only your first boyfriend, but also your first love. You loved that temperamental teenager, even if you shouldn’t have. You had planned to tell him so on his birthday, and the thought made another painful cry erupt from your lungs.

God, you felt like shit.

You clung to your knees, chest heaving as you let the tears stream down your face. You couldn’t seem to calm yourself down, which was even worse. Panic began to claw at your throat, and you tighten your hold on yourself, willing for someone to help you. To help ease the pain, if possible.

A knock rang out from the bathroom door, and instinctively you sucked in a breath, ceasing your muffled sobs. “(Y/N)?” You recognized Shinso’s voice, always so even in almost every situation. When you didn’t respond after a moment, he opened the door. Almost immediately he spotted you, huddled in the middle of the room, your usually bright (E/C) gaze filled with a cornucopia of emotions; sadness, frustration, conflict, anger. So much anger, and you had no idea what to do with it. The two of you stared at each other silently, before Shinso finally shut the door behind him to instead sink down to you. You tried to plaster on a smile once more, as if to wear the mask of the girl you usually were; happy, bubbly, always there to lift one’s spirits. The action made Shinso frown. “C’mere. Don’t hold it all in.” He opened his arms to you, and without hesitation you vaulted yourself into his chest, tears resuming as you sobbed once more. You clung to his shirt as if your life depends on it, hands balling into fists and no doubt wrinkling his black button-down. Not that he cared. At that moment, the only thing he cared about was you. He wrapped his arms around your shaking shoulders, nose buried in your hair and holding you close. “Fuck that guy. You deserve better, way better than any scum like him. You’re the whole ocean when he’s only a pebble on the shore.” For a moment, Shinso felt cheesy for saying anything. Much of his intelligence on romanticism was from soap operas and rom-com movies (not that he’d ever admit to watching either, mind you), yet he didn’t know how accurate the scenes were to real life. However, when a small laugh bubbled form you, he knew he must’ve done something right.

You lifted your head to look at him, eyes sparkling and a small, genuine smile finally overtaking your lips. There was still evidence of your sadness lingering, yet much less than before. “Shinso…” You hesitated on his name, and he felt his heart jump up for a moment after it passed your lips. “... Was that a quote from Love By The Sea?” His cheeks burned, and you laughed when you realized you were correct. Shinso didn’t even care one bit that you were technically laughing at him; instead, he stared at you in wonder, indigo eyes wide in awe as he took in your tear-streaked cheeks, blinding smile, absolutely everything. And he had the urge to lean down and press his lips to yours… But he knew that wouldn’t be the smartest action. Especially since you just broke up with your boyfriend, oh… five minutes ago, maybe? Ten? Probably less, or maybe even more. He honestly couldn’t keep track of time with you beside him, and he wondered if that was a good thing or not.

“I didn’t peg you for the romantic type.” You continued, leaning back into Shinso’s chest as your sniffles began to fade. He continued to sit in silence, instead rubbing one hand on your back while the other caressed the back of your neck, playing with a few strands of the baby hairs that resided. It was calm between you two, the only sound being the music that played overhead through a small speaker. Finally, Shinso broke the silence. “Okay now?” He asked, looking down at you. At least you weren’t crying anymore. After he asked the question, he felt you stiffen in his arms as you contemplate your emotions. Were you really okay? No. But were you better than before? Much. “For now. Thank you, Shinso. It’s kinda embarrassing that you had to see me so dramatic.” You laughed dully at your own remark. You both leaned back to look at each other, Shinso’s attention jumping all around your face, and the hand that had been by your neck came up to wipe away a stray tear. He was incredibly warm, and it was then that you noticed how close you were to one another. You laughed awkwardly once more, untangling yourself from him and making a move to stand. Shinsou was as quick as lightning, getting up first before offering you a hand. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He wrapped his hand behind his own neck at this point, a habit that he usually reverted to whenever he felt embarrassed or shy. Another smile graced his lips. “If you ever need anyone, I’m here for you. Don’t forget that.”

You heart warmed at his words, your cheeks following in pursuit. “Jeez, my hero.” You teased, knocking his shoulder lightly with your hand and you looked at yourself in the mirror. Your cheeks had a stained trail left behind, ruining what little make-up you had put on before work. Make-up meant for Bakugou, who you were planning to meet up with after. A dark look crossed your face as you thought of the heartbreaker once more, and felt another wave of sadness coming up. Shinso noticed as well, and grabbed ahold of your attention once more by making eye contact with you through the mirror. “Stay here for a second.” He muttered, disappearing out of the door. Less than a minute passed by before he returned, carrying your backpack and his own. “Manager said we could take the rest of the day off and to not worry about it. Let’s go.”

Slightly in a daze, you followed Shinso out of the bathroom and into the main area, noting a messily scrawled OUT OF ORDER sign on the women’s door; no doubt the purple-haired boy’s handwriting. Shinso shot a small wave to your manager, who demanded you to feel better or she’d “really put some spice in that meat head’s curry next time he came in.” The thought made you giggle.

You followed Shinso in dead silence for a bit, who still held on to your backpack as he walked forward with intent. “So… Where are we going?” His only reply was a quick grin behind his shoulder at you, before grabbing your hand and pulling you into a convenience store. You didn’t even notice that Shinso had grabbed a basket until he began to pile things into it - chips, candy, plastic-wrapped pastries - all while still clinging to your hand. He turned to you. “Any requests?” He asked, as if commenting on the weather. You were quiet, pushing the purple-haired boy to squeeze your hand. “It’s on me today. Whatever you want.” Your chest bloomed at his words, and with a goofy grin you dragged him to the frozen aisle, grabbing pints and random bars of ice cream.

It was deliciously comfortable with Shinso beside you, and it didn’t bother you one minute as the two of you continued to hold hands, swinging them playfully as you made your way back to the dorms. You even forgot all about your stupid ex, up until you were standing in front of Alliance’s entrance. Weakly, Shinso attempted to pull his hand away from yours, not wanting to surface bad rumors, but you didn’t let him. You tighten your grip on his hand, enjoying the warmth and confidence that it emitted for you. For a quick moment, he flinched, not used to having such physical contact, before quickly relaxing to your touch. He then remembered how you two were walking earlier hand-in-hand, and he had to fight back a rising blush, especially when he realized just how much he liked the interaction. You looked over at him with a smile. “My room okay?” You asked, earning your friend’s silent nod in return before yanking open the door and tugging him along with you.

The common room of the dorms was mostly empty, with only a familiar tuff of green hair peeking up from behind the couch cushions; and where Izuku went, Ochaco followed close behind. When you entered the building, his head immediately snapped to attention, green eyes darting to you. From his side, a second pair of eyes emerged, and you recognized your friend’s large brown eyes and pink cheeks. “Good afternoon, you two.” You sung out, leading Shinso into the kitchen and to the fridge, where you began to place the ice cream to cease it from melting any further.

“Hi (Y/N), Shinso.” His voice was weak, and Ochaco perked up when she noticed the purple-haired boy beside you. “What are you two up to today?” Her voice was soft yet excited, earning an impish grin from you. 

“Oh, you know. Just hanging out, planning to watch some TV and pig out on carb-filled snacks. And you two?”

“Pretty much the same.”

Shinso kept quiet during the conversation, his calm eyes drifting between you and the couple perched on the couch. You still clung to his hand, noting the clamminess that had arose. From his hand or yours, you couldn’t tell, yet Shinso enjoyed the warmth that came from it, no matter how much he knew he wasn’t supposed to. Izuku’s eyes flitted to your joined hands, hesitation crossing his features as he debated his next words carefully. “So… I heard what happened. With Bakugou. And in case you were wondering, he isn’t here.”

You tried to keep your face as neutral as possible, batting away the annoyed frown that threatened to overtake your features. “Yeah. Unfortunate about how everything went down, but nothing I can do about it now, right? You know what they say; there’s no rest for the wicked.” Izuku nodded at your response, while his girlfriend regarded you with pity-filled eyes. “You’re way too good for him anyways, (Y/N)! What a scumbag.” She muttered, and although Shinso had told you something similar before earlier, her words made you smile. “Thanks, Ochaco. You’re right. Maybe tomorrow night, we can have a sleepover or something? Maybe invite the other girls too?” She nodded her head enthusiastically, and continued to shout you words of encouragement as you made your way up the stairs.

Shinso had never been in your room before, despite the countless times you had been in his to study and hang out. He couldn’t imagine your room; would it be bright and colorful? Dark and moody? Or more plain than his imagination can come up with? He wasn’t able to contemplate it any more as you shoved open your bedroom door, closing it softly behind him.

It was definitely not what he had in mind, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, he automatically fell in love with your bedroom. It was a mix of everything that reminded him of you, from your rock posters to your flowery bed sheets to the multitude of novels that were shoved on your overloaded bookshelf. As soon as you entered the room, you dropped Shinso’s hand, much to his disappointment, and instead went to light a candle that sat on your desk. A flood of cinnamon and apple filled the room after the wick was finally lit, and with a sigh you sagged down onto your floor, patting the spot beside you as you faced the television. “Oh, come now. I don’t bite unless you ask me to.” You flashed Shinso a teasing grin, and with a light chuckle he slid down beside you, one knee pulled up and the other left to stretch out. He set the two bags of goodies in front of you two and began to unpack them as you flipped through the channels. 

“Anything you’d like to watch?”

“Whatever you’d like is fine by me.” 

You hummed in approval, landing on an anime show that you’ve never heard of before as you relax your shoulders and nabbed the closest candy bar. Thank god that Shinso was beside you, and for a while you once again forgot about the hot-headed hedgehog you’d have to deal with later; instead, focusing on the welcoming company of a certain violet-eyed boy, his arm pressed against your own and your head resting on his lean shoulder like it belonged there.

Part 2 can be found [here]!

[parcai]

https://thechangeling.tumblr.com/post/647039095374233600/ok-so-a-conversation-littlx-songbxrd-and-i-were sorry for the confusion!! I am stupid and didn't think of linking the post.

ur not stupid dw about it!!

overall i think it was a good post, but i’m not really sure i agree w op very much at all. i’ll go in order of their post:

it does kind of make sense that they still encourage female shadowhunters to train, even if they don’t want them in power. shadowhunters die very young and there aren’t that many of them when you consider how many demons there are. they simply need more fighters. i don’t think it’s partial sexism--rather it’s just knowing they need more numbers to win

skipping accidental microaggressions point since op said they’ll discuss it again later

i don’t think it’s exactly fair to use jessamine of all people as someone who agrees with general shadowhunter opinions. she doesn’t even want to train, so if she says smth racist about jem, then yeah, that’s just a jessamine thing. and i think jem and will talking about being chinese and welsh has to do more w their cultural bonds. will correlates his welsh heritage to his sister and the family he loves so much but had to leave behind. of course he considers his welsh-ness (? lol) important. same for jem--it’s his tie to his dead parents. it’s more about preserving people’s memories. if u always remember someone and carry them w you everywhere, then they’ll never truly be dead, that sort of thing.

jesse and gabriel (actually i don’t remember jesse. is this jesse blackthorn op’s referring to? i only know the general plot of tlh, but i haven’t read it) gabriel is a lightwood. when we first meet them, we’re biased toward herondales and carstairs as we’ve fallen in love w will and jem. will doesn’t like lightwoods. gabriel saying something horrible in the beginning just makes literary sense. plus lightwoods have a long history of being against change. like jessamine, they don’t really represent the common shadowhunter opinions.

for the cordelia thing, see my point #1. the sword is just bc she’s a shadowhunter. plus i’ve never read tlh, so i’m just going to brush past tlh-related stuff if you don’t mind <3

i do agree w this idea that cc perpetuates the idea that good people never commit microaggressions. which is, as op said, extremely harmful. but this isn’t always a thing. jace commits many many microaggressions lol. maybe tlh and tid do this, but tmi didn’t hold back (probably bc tmi was written in 2007, so people weren’t as put off by putting that sort of thing in your books).

i’m not sure if this was in the show or in the books, but i kind of recall magnus saying something about he only wanted to get married if they could get married in gold like shadowhunters. i’m 80% it was in the books. this is proof that the issue w alec and magnus marrying wasn’t just a downworlder problem, but also a homophobia issue.

STRONGLY disagree. misogyny is HUGE in tmi. it’s not as in your face as you might think at first, but it’s there. isabelle is constantly slut shamed, maryse is always shoved into roles she doesn’t want to be in so she can preserve a good front for the lightwood family (like trying her best to not divorce her cheating husband? hello?) obviously jia won’t be subject to blatant misogyny anymore--because it’s all swept under the rug! it still happens, but it’s very passive aggressive.

if sexism died out and women had children with random men, this wouldn’t be considered carrying on the family name. shadowhunters are very traditional, which is explained many many times. they expect marriage first. those children would be considered illegitimate and would never be treated as real shadowhunters. also i’m not really sure what’s op’s "homophobia can't exist without sexism" comment had to do w their point there, but i think they were just frustrated.

maryse not teaching izzy to cook to avoid her being shoved into gender roles doesn’t mean she can’t be homophobic lol. enough said

for the valentine/clary point, see my point #1 again ig. it’s a cultural thing. also just because cassie doesn’t touch on the racism doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. it’s not like she blatantly says it doesn’t exist at all. she’s a white woman. considering its existence doesn’t come intuitively to her.

tda is told from the perspective of people who are close friends w the blackthorns. if there’s homophobia and other stuff, the narrators would never actively participate in it. cassie just chose not to have an outside character engage w them about it.

mark grew up afraid for his life dude. he grew up in the wild hunt, where faeries heavily enforce gender roles. ofc he’s going to think a girl and a boy being friends is weird. plus it probably doesn’t help that emma and julian get it on at some point lmao. idk what cc was on w dane larksoear but sometimes authors just assign negative traits to villains. that’s not to say that’s a good thing, but it is what it is.

being faeries doesn’t...erase gender. i literally do not know what else to say. faeries aren’t just all nonbinary or something. if op’s saying this because they’re downworlders, then why doesn’t this apply to all the other downworlders? and like, being bisexual doesn’t erase sexism or gender roles either. no sexual orientation does. that’s kind of common sense imo. plus trying to strip the downworlders of gender is somewhat dehumanizing in my opinion, since it’s not like they’re actively identifying as being nonbinary. it’s like trying to turn people into a group of “its.” this is especially harmful when you consider how many downworlders are poc, and just plain erasing cassie’s choice to give them human traits and personalities (as she could’ve just chosen to make them beasts without human emotions when originally making the shadow world, but actively chose not to).

overall, i like that op’s giving it lots of thought bc this was definitely a new take i’ve never seen before, and i like hearing new opinions, but i think op could benefit from considering that not everything is a dichotomy.

thanks for the ask!! i hope these answers are to ur satisfaction <3

[anime-grimmy]

Little Witch Academia and missed opportunities

Sooo, since I seem to go on a tangent every few months, have another one.

I recently watched the series Little Witch Academia. Now, I did see the original OVA and movie, but that was a few years back, so except for the concept and rough understanding of the characters I went into this show kinda blind. Also, knowing that the series started its own story and changed up a few things got me really interested.

I watched the series and you know what, it was real fun. Great animation and quirky characters, as expected of Trigger. What I didn’t expect was that I got really interested in the story as well. From what I knew about LWA (so, it’s memes) I thought it was mostly an episodic anime, which it was in its first half, but they still carried on the aspects of those single episodes.

However.

The biggest problems I have with the show lie with its characters and the missed opportunities. I do like (most) of the characters, but sometimes it felt like Trigger originally had more planned with them or they just outright shanked them. That is why I’m gonna ramble for a while, go over each character (I care about) and talk about what I like about them but was just not explored enough. Do remember, however, that I still really enjoyed the show and I am considering rewatching it again right away, but these were just some points that got on my nerves while watching.

Well, strap in I guess

(Spoiler warning btw)

Akko

Let’s start with the protagonist, shall we? I’m probably going to mention her a lot with the other characters as well, but first I want to look at her by herself.

Akko is Trigger’s typical high energy character with just a bit of sass. What I like about her is that she is loud, obnoxious, selfish and annoying and the other characters think that too. I normally really don’t enjoy these kinds of characters, even more so when I binge a series, because they get so exhausting. What I like in LWA is that even Akko’s close friends often tell her to calm down or straight up to just shut up. Akko’s character is even more enjoyable because of her great VA (actually the reason I finally picked up the anime). Her animations and reactions are super enjoyable too and tbh, even if she is annoying, she is also the funniest part of the whole show.

But, I’m here to rant, so on to the things that bothered me. Like I said, she is annoying. I can kind of see that it’s not that big of a deal on a weekly basis, maybe then it’s even uplifting. But when you sit through episode after episode it gets exhausting.

What bothers me too is that Akko barely changes. I know not to expect that much subtle character progression from Trigger, since they go from 0 to 100 fast, but it’s even stated in the show. Like the whole thing with patience. Akko was never the patient type but the episode it became the focus, they turned it up to eleven. She became unbearably twitchy and whiny, which was basically your indicator that this was going to be focused on. But after the whole lesson of the ep, in the next one Ursula even says ‘didn’t you just learn to be patient?’. I don’t wish for Akko to take big steps after she gets a lesson, but just show subtle moments where the lesson takes effect. I think it only really bothers me so much because after the ep Akko seems even more impatient.

Another thing is her selfishness / self-righteousness. Diana and Andrew even tell that to her face, that she just shoves her believes in other’s faces without considering how they feel and what their situation is. But she never, even once, doesn’t do it. I get it, it’s her character trait, being the dangerous combo of head-strong and stubborn. But it never, not even once, brings consequences. I thought it would finally happen with the whole Diana situation, because Andrew even points out Akko’s faults, but it all ends well anyways and Akko doesn’t learn at all from this.

I know this is a Trigger protagonist but at some point it just got so frustrating. It’s even sadder when you see what they did with Ryuko in Kill la Kill. Yeah, she’s still her abrasive self in the end, but she does have a more gentle and open side to her too after the show. Akko kind of stays the complete same after the whole show, only that she can do magic better and finally fly (which was honestly a cute ending, ngl). The worst parts, however, were her sad moments towards the end. And I’m not talking about her reaction to learning about Chariot, that was totally ok (though I do have some things to complaint about, but on to that later), but the thing before when she climbed that never-ending tree. Her outburst and her frustration came kind of out of nowhere, at least continuing on from the last episode. Her reasons for being so frustrated and angry make perfect sense, but the build-up is just missing, even in the episode itself. It would have been enough to make Akko look desperately at her Chariot poster a few times or just look really desperate in general after being told ‘no’ by Ursula. But she just looks her usual pouty self when that happens, so her outburst and mistrust in Ursula are very surprising. I do like that that ep is right before the Chariot (betrayal) reveal, because they just made up and got closer, but the episode itself felt so out of left field, it really bothered me.

 Sucy and Lotte

Before you say anything, I’m only lumping them together because what bothers me is not their characters by themselves, they’re great and very enjoyable, but how Trigger fucking dropped them halfway through the show.

Sucy and Lotte seem very similar to their OVA and movie selves, though Sucy seems just a tad bit less evil and Lotte not that much of a typical nerd. In general, I really liked those two and their friendship with Akko.

That said.

I find it terrible how little focus they get in the second half of the show. I mean, it’s great they are those kind of friends that don’t necessarily have to hang around the MC all the time, like in the Diana-centric episode where they go ‘We know you want to go after her, so here, have your stuff and go. We’re going to support you but not take part in it’. Things like that are great! But Akko, Sucy and Lotte are supposed to be best friends,  the main trio, Sucy and Lotte are supposed to be Akko’s mayor pillars of support. And this is beautifully shown in the earlier episodes, but later in the show it just feels like those two lose significance. What pissed me off the most is that in the second OP you see them grasping each other’s arms, a reference to the tapestry about the 7 lights. But in the end, Akko unlocks the staff and the big magic source by herself. I wished they’d gone more for a ‘Luna Lana’ equivalent. That’s just another thing! I watched the OVA and movie yesterday and their friendship is so much better in those! You see them laugh and fight and stick together, it’s so nice. You don’t get a cool moment like ‘Luna Lana’ in the series and I think they really should have. And no, the missile chase doesn’t count, that involved all girls.

Ultimately, I just think it’s sad that those 3 are supposed to represent this close friendship but the later show doesn’t show it at all. I wished other character-centric episodes, like with Constanze or Diana for example, would have happened sooner so that later episodes could push Akko, Sucy and Lotte’s friendship a bit more.

Speaking of Diana, oh boy, here we go.

 Diana and Andrew

Yes, I’m lumping them together because both could have had so much more.

First, Diana. I was actually surprised about her character, because from the little I remember about the OVA and movie, I thought her to be more of a bitch. And I was right. In the first two instalments she is a snobbish, stuck-up, rude bitch, so a Tsundere, but fun in her own rights. Her dynamic with Akko is truly amusing. In the series, however, she is still a bit stuck up, but more just a determined, stern and smart rich girl. She does chastise Akko and is shown as a know-it-all, but she respects others way more and mostly just talks because she knows she’s right. Though, I wish she would have turned out to be something right between the two.

Diana is supposed to be Akko’s rival, so why isn’t she? She’s supposed to be the Viral to Kamina/Simon, the Satsuki to Ryuko, but she just isn’t. Before her little arc, she’s kind of that ‘big goal’, the ‘perfect witch’, so the familiar obstacle that is the rival. Diana even gains some respect for Akko but also gets disappointed in her shortly after (tbh, same). But all this progression is kind of one-sided, because Akko’s perception of Diana barely changes. They don’t really have a dynamic going on in the first half, more so their own development. Heck, in the second OP it’s shown that they’re supposed to mirror Chariot and Croix but they honestly don’t. Because Chariot and Croix were two friends that were striving for the same goal but due to how differently they tried to reach it, they grew apart. Diana is striving for the same power that Chariot and Croix did and Akko, well, she doesn’t, she just goes along because she wants to meet Chariot. Which is fine, but it feels like this ‘rivalry’ is being forced onto them. Maybe that’s also intentional, but it feels weird. Diana even once says ‘I never considered us rivals’, which is understandable, but to me it was more of a surprise that Akko saw her as one. To me, it always felt like, even if Diana didn’t realize it, she viewed Akko as her own goal to reach. Akko on the other hand just gets really miffed with Diana, and yeah, she strives to be as good with magic as her, but there’s no real rivalry, not even an implied one.

Then the whole thing with both being Chariot fans and Diana getting Akko out of her slump. I already said it once, but I still think it should have been Lotte and Sucy who ultimately got her to perk up again (I’ll describe how I think this whole thing should have gone. Again, this is only cos I was unsatisfied with the resolution, the original is fine in itself though). What bothers me so much about this is that it feels like they shoe-horned this whole thing in because that’s how it was in the original. I get what they want to do, get a parallel between Akko and Diana, even more so because they both lost their magic to Chariot, and since they’re closer now than at the beginning Diana manages to reach her. But in the end, it feels forced. Both girls had one adventure together and Diana was just starting to open up to Akko, where the hell did all that understanding come from. It’s even harder to believe because it’s shown that Diana is good at relaying facts and choosing the most logical course of action, she’s not known to just openly share her feelings, more so to someone she just learned to consider a friend. And it also feels kind of lazy that a pep talk from a fellow fan and victim would just push Akko out of her slump. Instead of somehow cramming that fact in and making Diana have lost her power too, they could have gone along the route of ‘so what if she stole your magic, you’re too stubborn to let that stop you!’

Like I said, I’ll go into detail about this scene later, but first.

Andrew.

Oh. My sweet boy, they did you so dirty.

I’m going to say it right now, I love Andrew’s introduction episode, it’s probably one of my favourites. And I also like his addition to the series in general, because whereas Diana is Akko’s feud in personality and ability, Andrew is supposed to be her opposite in ideologies. But he isn’t just a male Diana who doesn’t like magic, though at first they make you think that.

I love his introduction ep so much, because they don’t just introduce an obstacle for Akko, but once again show that the show can play with your expectations. Andrew is first shown as this typical snobby, stuck up rich kid, which he is, but even when faced with someone he disagrees with, he shows a level of respect. Then further in the episode, you see that he is in fact a calm, helpful when a bit teasing individual. It also shows that he actually has fun when in danger, which is a nice change to normally one-note characters. But what I love most about this is, that he is not just this ‘snobby non-believer turned enthusiast through one outing’ cliché. Andrew gets to have a bit of an adventure with Akko and get to see amazing magic at that, but he stays pessimistic. He doesn’t just change his world view in a second, because that’s not what he was raised to do.

Having established all that, every time he shows up, he kind of matters less and less. The whole party episode was fun and all, but with Akko still being stuck in her narcissistic world view, the effect of the ep is small. Because what it really is about, is to show on one hand that Andrew is very subordinate to his father and that his perception of magic isn’t necessarily his own opinion, so there is a possibility to change his mind. On the other hand, it’s to show Akko that some people make decisions not based on their own volition and sometimes their opinion can’t just be changed like that.

But in the end Akko doesn’t learn her lesson and even if they do play a bit with changing Andrew’s mind, there really isn’t much to it. When I heard that originally it was planned for Akko and Andrew to be together at the end, but they scrapped that idea, it made so much sense why Andrew felt so out of place in the last few episode. Because he was. Honestly, it really shows now how they weren’t so sure what to do with him at the end, because he was not supposed to be the one to make that big of an impact, neither on Akko nor on the plot as a whole. He does say something very significant to Akko though, to be her own witch and not try to be Chariot, but that gets kind of brushed under the rug, because again, he isn’t supposed to be the one to make an impact anymore. Same thing with his ‘I believe’. It’s just there to be there, because even if he opened up more to magic and Akko herself, I don’t think he would have been snapped out of his ideology that he got punched into him since he was young and just abandon his father’s decision he had just started to doubt.

I think all of this would have flown better if the whole Diana arc would have been earlier in the series. There would have been more time for Diana and Akko to find a common footing and become believable friends, Andrew would have more reason to be mesmerized by witches and magic, because he didn’t just get to see determination from Akko but from Diana as well (and you kinda have that ‘go against your family’ stuff too) and then, in the later part of the series, there would have been more time for the main trio to develop a bit more.

But even if that hadn’t happened, I just want to get to changing up the scenes after Chariot’s reveal, because I think if they had handled all that a bit better, then the original ending would have felt even more sincere.

 Cheering up depressed Akko

Like I said, I find Trigger’s solution to this small arc lazy. Because you start up with Andrew and Akko meeting up to give her hat back, Andrew says stuff that not only gets Akko thinking but himself as well. Then you got the reveal, everybody searching and Diana being the only person needed to cheer her up. I know it can be argued that, only after Lotte comes in crying with the others in tow, Akko cheers up, but I think most of it can be chalked up to Diana, which is such plot convenience. Again, the things that bother me are the whole ‘Chariot fan and victim’ thing and how Lotte, Sucy, Andrew and the others are not really significant in this moment. The biggest thing that bothers me is that they start this mini arc with Andrew telling Akko to be herself and reach her goal with her own strengths in mind, not because she is chasing someone else. But then with Diana, it’s basically a ‘I could do it, so you can do it too’. I know they’re trying to build a parallel between those two and show how Diana opens up to Akko, but I think that just misses the point of what they had sat up.

Before I get to describing my idea, again, you can totally disagree with me, heck, you don’t have to like what I come up with at all. But just know that this is supposed to be a rant and I purposefully highlight the things that bothered me. I still love the show and only rant about it because I know Trigger could have made this already fun show even better.

Anyways, here is how I’d handled this arc:

The start of the arc is still the same. Akko and Andrew meet up, he tells her to believe in her own strength, Akko gets distracted and runs off, Andrew gets thoughtful. You have the whole reveal with Chariot, Akko vanishes and Diana and the others go search for her.

Now, what I want this arc to accomplish is, that Akko learns to believe in her own strengths but also to show how her friends have her back. Because that’s what the whole ending is about, right? Showing how Akko changed people, how they believe in themselves and even more so, believe in her. So, I want all of her friends to play a part in cheering her up, but make Sucy and Lotte the biggest influence of them all.

I’d start the changes from where Diana is nearly at Akko’s location. This time however, she finds Andrew close by. After the whole Parliament meeting stuff, him and his father are still in town and he went out at night, wandering around, deep in thought. He somehow managed to make himself think about his own situation with all that he had told Akko.

Diana, knowing that Andrew had met up with Akko, approaches him and asks if he had seen Akko. Since he is confused and worried after hearing she’s gone, Diana explains the situation and Andrew decides to help them search.

He is also the one that finds Akko first, right on that bench, covered in snow. (this part is a bit inspired by a post I read). He runs over to her, shocked at how cold and unresponsive she is. He gives her his jacket and he brushes the snow from he hair. He sits quietly next to her, worried glances and all. He thinks about what Diana told him and mulls over an answer. In the end, he basically repeats to her what he told her earlier that day and maybe something along the lines ‘and honestly, I wouldn’t believe you don’t have magic, because to me you are truly bewitching’, just so that you have nod back to the party, only now it comes from the heart and not because of a potion. That gets her to perk up and Andrew just gives her a reassuring smile.

Then Diana comes in, finally finding the two. Diana takes Akko to the café, Andrew staying behind. (here Akko could keep his jacket, so that in the end you have the parallel of him bringing her the hat and her returning the jacket). The café scene is kind of similar to the original, but I’d change the reason for Diana’s loss of magic. Instead of her losing her magic abilities all of a sudden, maybe she could have had a tough time manifesting them from the start. But Diana shares with Akko that she was inspired by Chariot too and that kept her going, believing in herself and her magic and finally succeeding. She tells Akko the whole thing with how she got envious of her, but at the same time that, just like Chariot, Akko had kind of become an inspiration as well. Now you don’t have the ‘I could, so you can too.’ but more Diana cementing that Akko has powers of her own and is already influencing people.

Then in come Amanda, Jasminka and Constanze. Amanda goes straight to shaking Akko and ruffling her hair, shouting something about ‘who am I gonna cause trouble with if you go’. Jasminka offers Akko her candies and Constanze shoves plans in her face, trying to show her that she needs her assistant. It’s just small things, but it would allude to the three of them caring about Akko and in Amanda’s and Constanze’s cases, that she had made an impact on them, tying in previous episodes.

Lastly come in Lotte and Sucy. Lotte is still crying and asking her if she was leaving. But they would kind of go into more detail, like a small recap of all that happened and how important she was. They would also talk about how Akko has grown so much already and so what if Chariot had taken her magic, she still inspired Akko and Akko therefore grew into her own witch that now inspires people.

After that, Akko finally snaps out of it totally, maybe grinning full force before sobbing and burying herself in Lotte and Sucy’s arms.

I think in general with a recap of the show so far and showing Akko’s journey, it would be a good set-up for the end. You got Akko back on her feet, her faith rebuilt but also her believe in herself strengthened. You got the bond between the characters established which makes the chase after the missile more impactful and you actually got more reason for Andrew to cement his own believes more. (maybe have him walk in the café too, just so he sees how many people Akko has inspired but also how much people can believe in magic)

 But like I said many times already, this is just my take on what could have been handled better a bit. I still really love the show and its characters. I don’t necessarily want a whole new season, since they did wrap up many things already, but I’d love a movie or some OVAs to explore some characters more in depth.

 Speaking of which, I’m just going to drop this here at the end, because I do want to talk about it but not that in depth. The thing about Ursula/Chariot and Croix. I kind of enjoyed the OVA-Ursula more, because she was kind of spunky and you could tell that she believed in her own strength. Series-Ursula is a freaking Jedi, but she is just so meek and nervous, and that even as Chariot, which I didn’t really like. Croix is an interesting character and I love me my evil scientists, but she turned generic antagonist at the end. As expected, tbh. The only thing about Croix I want to highlight is that I believed so hard that she and Andrew were somehow linked or related. Because when you binge the series, Croix shows up shortly after Andrew’s introduction. And in a series with so many unique eyes, they have the fucking same. I just thought that Trigger was hinting at something, because not only do they have a very similar shape and the exact same string green colour, the first few episodes with them heavily focus the camera on their eyes. Especially with Croix! It felt like the anime told me ‘look, look close at those eyes, seem familiar, right?’. I waited so long for something to happen but it never did, what a shame. Though, maybe they did have something planned but just like the initial ending, they scrapped that idea but left the designs untouched.

 Anyways, I’ve been ranting for over 4000 words now, I think that should be enough for one little analysis. If you have your own thoughts, feel free to share them with me!

[myaekingheart]

132. Stakeout Paradise

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3 index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

Arai watched with curious amusement as Rei paced the back of the briefing room. There was a certain level of focus on her face, a deep-seated concentration. She looked as if she was desperately trying to solve a math problem, or as if she was constipated. Arai wasn’t sure which was the case but either way, she was intrigued.

Without breaking her gaze, the blonde leaned over the table toward her comrades. “Alright, how much you wanna bet she’s going to lose it in five minutes?” she whispered, a sly smile touching her lips.

“Are you really going to gamble on our captain’s sanity?” Hitsuji asked. He glanced to Rei and frowned. Nothing about this felt right.

Kikkake abruptly slapped a ten dollar bill on the table. “Make it two minutes” he said.

The head of the ANBU, Meishu, cleared his throat as he shuffled his paperwork at the podium. “I guess that just about covers it” he concluded gruffly. He shot Arai a fierce, momentary glare as if to warn her about the dangers of interrupting his briefings. Arai merely smirked back at him, unaffected.

Meishu was a raspy and apathetic man. It was obvious that he had seen some shit. Scars dappled his body and dark circles bloomed under his eyes. His hair was stringy and graying, but his body remained muscular and agile. No one knew how long he had been in the black ops for and no one dared to ask. As he shoved his papers into a bent manila folder and approached the door, he grumbled and then pointed across the room to shout, “Oh, and Natsuki! Fuck off with that pacing shit. You’re giving me a migraine.”

Rei immediately froze, eyes wide and unblinking, and her face turned bright red. Arai stifled a laugh. “There’s an outcome we didn’t plan for” she whispered to the others. Yugao grimaced and whacked both her and Kikkake on the backs of their heads. As much as she enjoyed seeing their little team finally getting along, she wished their camaraderie did not have to be at Rei’s expense.

As the rest of the ANBU filed out of the briefing room, Yugao rose to her feet and patted Rei lightly on the back. “It’s showtime” she whispered with a soft, reassuring smile. Rei nodded, huffing, as she mentally prepared herself for what was to come. This mission could make or break her reputation in the black ops. They could not afford to fail.

“Alright, this is who we’re looking for” Rei said, slapping a stack of case files in front of them. The pages outlined all of the intel thus far gathered about a rogue shinobi by the name of Shuncho. He was a tall, sleepy looking man with drooping eyes and greasy brown hair.

Sukui immediately cringed. “Well, he certainly has no sense of style whatsoever” he complained.

Arai smirked. “Yeah, because that’s why we’re out to arrest him. Crimes against fashion” she jested.

“No, actually he’s accused of murder” Yugao corrected.

“Well, if you have to commit a crime, you might as well look good” Sukui remarked. “The cameras we take mug shots with certainly don’t do anyone any favors.”

Kikkake rolled his eyes. “No one gives a damn what you look like when you’re in jail.”

“Whoa, hey, wait a sec, that’s not entirely true” Arai countered. “They care if you look like a little bitch. Then you get beat to a pulp every day by the bigger guys.”

“And how would you know?” Kikkake asked. “Have you been to jail? Because I don’t think the black ops take kindly to reformed criminals.”

“I heard Meishu-sensei will have your guts just for trying to break protocol, let alone anything worse” Sukui interjected with an airy laugh.

Arai rolled her eyes, paying no mind to Sukui’s comment. “I don’t have to go to jail to know how it works, smartass” she argued to Kikkake. “It’s common knowledge.”

Sukui pursed his lips. “But how do you know it’s the same for women’s prisons as it is for men’s? Not to sound sexist, of course, but there has to be a difference” he countered.

Hitsuji chewed his lower lip. “I’ve heard women’s prisons are actually more dangerous than—”

“Guys, focus!” Rei interjected, slamming her fist heavily on the table. The whole group silenced, staring back at her with wide eyes full of mild embarrassment. They had all noticed it—the recent surge of fury in her eyes. It was undeniable, growing ever clearer with each passing day. Her newfound angst sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. She was harsh, stern, tense. Her tolerance for their shenanigans had waned to absolute zero.

Yugao rose to Rei’s side and fed the group a reassuring smile. “This is a very serious assignment, so I expect all of you to bring your best. Is that understood?” she asked. Her delivery was far more encouraging, much to her subordinates’ relief. Yugao glanced to Rei, to her tired eyes and her clenched jaw. She hoped, perhaps selfishly, that she would not remain this uptight throughout the entire mission. Bad moods made for long, rough nights and now was not the time to be unpleasant.

Konoha had gained intel of their target heading toward an outpost on the edge of town, someplace trashy and rife with tourists. It was the type of place known for gambling and attractive women—the exact opposite of Rei’s comfort zone. Other anonymous tips recalled seeing him around a rundown inn in the center of town, hood up and back hunched like he was clearly hiding something.

The venture to the outpost was torturous enough on its own. Arai and Kikkake argued constantly about heaven only knew what, Hitsuji was constantly sneezing and coughing from the “heightened pollen count,” and Sukui decided that their trip was far too boring and required an acapella concert. Clad in plainclothes disguises, they looked like the most ridiculous ragtag group of civilians to ever exist. Rei could only hope that they’d blend in well enough with the equally ridiculous types of people that the outpost tended to attract. Or at the very least, they’d be mistaken for traveling musicians. At least Sukui could play that part well. His voice, though refined, was beginning to give Rei a migraine. She sucked in a sharp breath and swallowed back her own unease.

Try as she might, however, Rei's sanity grew progressively more unstable as they journeyed further. Yugao's concern mounted as Rei paled and insisted they stop for the fifth rest of the morning. Her constant breaks were starting to irk the others, growing impatient with their drawn-out trip.

"We should've already gotten there by now" Kikkake grumbled under his breath.

Arai crinkled her nose. "Yeah, isn't this kind of a time sensitive thing? What if he gets wind that we're coming for him and books it before we can even show up?"

"Th-that's not a very comforting thought" Hitsuji stammered, picking at his lower lip.

Sukui sighed and replied, "Well, I for one am enjoying this relaxing little stroll."

"Yeah, no shit" Arai muttered under her breath.

"You just want to take advantage of forcing us to listen to you sing" Kikkake added.

"Excuse you!" Sukui shouted. "Sorry for thinking our trip would be better with a little music!"

"If you can even call it that" Kikkake snarked. Sukui gasped, offended, before lunging at his comrade. Arai immediately swooped in and grabbed him by the back of the shirt, tugging him back hard as he swatted at the bald man and complained that Kikkake wouldn't know good music if it boxed his ears in.

Amid the chaos of their escalating argument, Rei snuck away to a nearby tree to catch her breath. When leaning her forehead against the trunk was not enough, she slid down to the gnarled, exposed roots and tucked her head between her knees. Her face was hot and numb and her stomach churned. She sucked in a deep, sharp breath and willed her body to cooperate.

“Hey, are you sure you’re alright?” Yugao asked, kneeling down in front of Rei. “You look terrible.”

Rei swatted at the air dismissively, pursed her lips. “I’ll be fine” she lied. “I think I just got food poisoning from my mom’s cooking last week, it’s really not a big deal.” Yugao paused, furrowing her brows as she counted the days on her fingers—did food poisoning usually last this long? She wasn’t sure. She had, admittedly, been rather lucky in avoiding digestive ailments over the years. Her lack of expertise was of no help to her now, though.

Even the mere thought of her mother’s cooking made Rei gag into the crook of her elbow. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and dug her nails into her palm, her breathing growing evermore labored and desperate. Yugao pursed her lips and an overwhelming anxiety began to fill her stomach. This was not going to end well, she was sure of it.

By the time they reached the outpost, Rei’s head was beginning to throb. Her clammy hands tightly gripped the straps of her backpack and she could feel the world begin to sway as if she was on high seas. The sun had just started to set, welcoming in the dark, vivid nights when Komaeda Outpost truly came alive.

The inn was actually far nicer than Rei had expected. The mucus-colored linoleum had been polished nicely and the spackled walls were adorned with abstract paintings. Large potted ficuses stood guard at the creaky double doors. The night auditor, a greasy young man with a crack addict’s fidget, awaited them at the counter.

Rei was not necessarily the type of person to actively find disgust in unsuspecting people, but there was something about this man specifically that made her stomach churn. She immediately froze by the doorway, clapping her hand over her mouth. The others paused and glanced back at her suspiciously. “Yugao?” Rei croaked. “Do you mind?” She handed Yugao a folded piece of paper from her pocket and swatted her hand toward the counter. Yugao cocked a brow but slowly turned to oblige. Again, this was not going to end well.

Yugao smiled politely as she approached the counter. “I believe we have a reservation?” she greeted, discretely sliding the rogue-nin’s wanted poster across the counter. The auditor wiped his nose with the back of an unclean hand as he glanced down at the paper. It took him a moment to recognize the face but once he did, he immediately knew that these were the guests that he had been waiting for.

“The hokage sent a message earlier!” he whispered enthusiastically, winking in a rather obvious fashion. He then spun around to the display of keys hanging on the wall and plucked one from the rack. “Your room will be number 402 up the flight of stairs and around the corner” he explained.

As Yugao hesitantly reached for the key, however, Arai stalked forward with an expression of sheer disgust and disbelief. “Whoa, wait a second: are you telling me we only get one room? For the six of us?!” The thought of having to sleep with everyone was completely unacceptable. Rei and Yugao she could accept. After all, they were all women. They saw each other naked in the locker rooms every day. They were of no concern to her. It was the men that she struggled to accept. Hitsuji was a wimp, insignificant, so she didn’t expect much issue from him but Kikkake and Sukui? The thought of it made her nauseous. She’d hate to think of Sukui clinging to her in the night or Kikkake’s morning breath. A shiver ran down her spine. Unacceptable.

The night auditor’s eyes widened and his face went pale. “W-well your supervisors only paid enough f-for one room!” he excused.

Kikkake scoffed, patting Arai on the shoulder condescendingly. “You should be lucky they paid for our room at all” he said. Arai glared up at him and swatted his hand away.

“We’ll be fine!” Rei shouted angrily from across the lobby. She had since doubled over, hands on her knees and hair falling in her face. Sweat beaded on her brow and her breathing had grown significantly heavier. “Just don’t fucking argue about it, it’s not imp—“ she continued, but suddenly all of the color drained from her face. Her composure had finally broken. Whipping around, she leaned over behind the potted plant and violently vomited onto the lobby floor. The night auditor’s face went from shock-white to sick-green.

Yugao winced in both concern and embarrassment. “We’ll, uh…we’ll pay for any additional cleaning charges for that" she said to the auditor. He nodded weakly, clearly disturbed by such a vulgar display. Hitsuji seemed to share in the sentiment, his heart rising into his throat as he instinctively grabbed Kikkake’s strong arm for support. Frowning, the bald man shoved him off in distaste.

Meanwhile, Arai chuckled under her breath and invited herself behind the counter. She kicked down the door to the janitor's office, rummaged around, and then resurfaced with a pathetic little mop.“Here you go, good sir” she grinned, shoving it into Kikkake’s hand.

“What the fuck?” Kikkake grimaced. “Why is it my job?! I don’t fucking work here!”

Arai looked back at him as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. When it became clear to her, however, that it was not, a sickening grin spread across her lips. “Sorry, I thought you were Mr. Clean” she sassed.

Kikkake shot her a fierce glare, throwing the mop across the room violently and complaining under his breath about how this was absolutely ridiculous and that at this point he might as well just buy a fucking wig. Frustrated, he snatched the key from Yugao’s hand and made his way for the stairs.

The night auditor sucked in a sharp, uneasy breath as they departed. Perhaps his expectations had been shattered—after all, the thought of elite ninja should garner images of badassery. Instead, he was stuck with a bunch of dysfunctional misfits. He should’ve known better.

Pressing a button on the phone, the night auditor brought the receiver up to his mouth. “We’re gonna need a janitor in the lobby ASAP. We’ve got another puker.”

Yugao cocked a brow as she made her way toward Rei. “Does this happen often…?” she asked cautiously, wrapping an arm around her captain to provide support.

The night auditor sighed. “Every other day.” And it’s no less disgusting every time it happens, he thought to himself. If he knew he would see vomit this often in this career, he never would’ve pursued it.

Yugao fed him an apologetic smile. She pitied him, really. His job had to be far from easy, especially in a town such as this. Despite the danger of her own career, she was certainly not above acknowledging the challenge of other people’s jobs, as well.

Yugao helped Rei to her feet and something in her chest tugged. Rei looked so pathetic, so flushed and weak. “I think you ought to get some rest” Yugao whispered.

As much as Rei wanted to protest, deep down she knew her lieutenant was right. She fed a sheepish smile to the night auditor as they passed, croaking out a pained, “I’m so sorry” as they disappeared up the stairs. She knew it didn’t mean anything, but she felt obligated to say it anyway. A courtesy, if nothing else.

Their room was, as expected, kind of a dump. The sheets were stiff and almost crunchy, the carpet looked like ground beef, and there was overall the faintest hint of cigarette smoke despite this very clearly being a non-smoking room. But it had a perfect view of the hotel’s west wing where the rogue-ninja was rumored to be staying. Between the two areas was a large courtyard with dying grass and complimentary hot springs. Yugao didn’t even want to consider what kind of germs were floating around in that water.

As they all settled in, Rei slumped down on the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands. Arai glanced to her curiously, cocking a brow. “You really don’t look so good, boss” she commented. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

Raking her fingers through her bangs, Rei nodded but her affirmation wasn’t all that convincing. “I’ll be fine. Like I said, it’s just food poisoning. I’m sure I’ll be good as new by the time we’re back home” she replied.

Hitsuji twiddled his fingers anxiously, his voice rising an octave. “B-But by the time you get home, the mission will be over already!” he exclaimed. “A-are you going to get sick again? Are you going to be sick th-the entire mission?!”

Arai tilted her head back to view Hitsuji from upside-down, furrowing her brows. “And what’s got you so fucked up?” she asked.

“I-I just don’t have a very strong stomach…” Hitsuji replied sheepishly.

Sukui settled into the wobbly chair at the room’s complimentary desk, propping his legs up on the desktop. “Isn’t your sister a nurse? Shouldn’t you have a better tolerance for these sorts of things?”

Hitsuji shook his head rapidly. “She’s got the stomach, I’ve got the brains” he explained. “I could never handle stuff like this.”

Sukui pouted in thought for a moment. “It is pretty disgusting” he confessed. Turning to Arai, he then asked, “How can you stand to handle it?”

Shrugging, Arai leaned back on the bed casually. “What can I say? I’ve got a sister who’s a lightweight” she replied. “I’ve seen my fair share of puke.”

Hitsuji shivered and shook his head. “C-can we please stop talking about this?” he begged.

Rei reached across the bed and rested a gentle hand on Hitsuji’s shivering shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Promise” she assured him. He nodded with wide-eyed panic, glancing to her hand as if she could transmit her illness through touch and had just risked infecting him. The moment Rei recognized this, she inched away and shot him a small, apologetic smile.

Kikkake cocked a brow with crossed arms, not entirely convinced by his captain's words. “And how long have you had food poisoning for, exactly?” he asked.

Rei shot him a fierce glare, a threat for him to not go there. She was so sick and tired of people asking her that same exact question. What did it matter? She was sick, and she had been sick, and all that meant was that she was nearing the end. Disgruntled, she snapped, “I don’t fucking know. Maybe a little over a week or something?”

“That doesn’t sound right” Arai snarked. “As far as I know, most cases of food poisoning clear up in, like, a few days. Right?”

Yugao raised her hands in surrender. “Don’t look at me, I wouldn’t know” she replied.

Hitsuji’s fingers twitched. His body needed a release, a distraction, since his mind by now was too far-gone. “A-are you sure it’s food poisoning?” he stammered out. “I-It could be a parasitic infection, like Cyclospora. Or something internal! Have you had any pain? Fatigue? D-Diarrhea?”

“Ew, gross!” Arai shouted, lopping her shoe at Hitsuji’s head. Maybe he did belong on her hit list after all. “I thought you said you had a weak stomach!”

“I-I do!” Hitsuji countered.

“Then why are you asking nasty shit like that?!” Arai asked.

Kikkake smirked, smacking Arai on the back of the head in response. “I thought you said you had a strong stomach” he jested back. Arai frowned up at him and slapped his hand away, muttering at him to get away from her.

Hitsuji pursed his lips. “The health and wellness of every team member is important. Besides, it’s good to know whether what Captain Rei has is contagious or not.”

“I knew we should’ve gotten separate rooms” Arai grumbled.

Sukui shook his head. “Do you really think we have to ask such ridiculously invasive questions?” he asked.

Tenting his fingers, Hitsuji dropped his gaze to the floor and replied, “Well, yes, sometimes asking unpleasant questions is necessary.”

Rolling his eyes, Sukui leaned back in his chair so that the front legs rose up off the ground. “This whole thing is unpleasant” he pouted.

“Oh, big words coming from the guy who decided our road trip needed a soundtrack!” Arai fired back, laughing incredulously. “You know, you’re not as good a singer as you think you are!”

“Guys…” Rei whined, desperate. Their voices were too loud, the room was too bright, and yet again her stomach began to churn. No one seemed to hear her.

Offended, Sukui gasped in exaggerated, but unfortunately genuine, offense. Kikkake, however, burst out laughing and slapped Arai amicably on the back. “Now there’s one thing we can finally agree on!”

Sukui pouted and tilted his chin away from them like an arrogant little child. “I’ll have you know, I was the runner-up for the school talent show back in the academy. At least back then people appreciated talent!”

“Were the judges tone-deaf?” Kikkake asked.

Arai erupted in hysterical laughter. “You were a kid!” she shouted. “People always lie to little kids that they’re the best so they don’t bitch and moan. They probably just thought you were too pathetic to be honest with.”

“That’s not true!” Sukui shouted, his voice rising in pitch.

His shrill remark rang through Rei’s head, unbearable. “Oh god…” she groaned, clapping a hand over her mouth. Hitsuji’s back went ramrod straight at the sight, squeezing his eyes shut tight and clapping his hands over his ears. The tension was becoming too much.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Yugao launched a kunai for the wall, whizzing right past Hitsuji and Arai’s heads. “Guys” she interjected, voice firm but not loud. The whole room fell silent. “Now is not the time. Have we all forgotten we have a job to do here?” She motioned toward the large window in their room, to the west wing across the way. Sighing, she brushed her hair back and continued. “Listen, I know that we all think Rei being sick is an inconvenience”—here, Rei whimpered in offense— “And should she have stayed home? Probably. But it’s too late to turn back now so we all just have to make the best of a bad situation, okay?” She strode toward the bed then, resting a soothing hand on Rei’s shoulder, a show of support to the others. She locked eyes with the four of them and pursed her lips. “I’m sure everything is going to be fine. No one is going to get sick or contract some deadly disease. Rei just needs to rest up and part of that means no more arguing. Do I make myself clear?”

The others remained silent as they stewed in Yugao’s words. For only a lieutenant, she certainly had a commanding presence. If they didn’t know any better, they would’ve even mistaken her for their captain. Rei’s current state was, unfortunately, not boding well for her leadership skills. The moment the thought crossed all of their minds, however, they unanimously felt guilty about it. It wasn’t her fault that she was sick. And really, pursuing the mission regardless spoke volumes for her dedication to her career, didn’t it? It may not have been the smartest choice, but her determination was admirable enough.

Placing her hands on her hips then, Yugao surveyed the group and asked, “Alright, who wants to take night watch?”

The sun had already set and the chatter of tourists echoed through the halls, eager for a night on the town. They all knew full well what kind of environment was awaiting them in the coming hours. The more chaos the enemy had to camouflage himself within, the more dangerous he became.

Hitsuji’s hand immediately shot up in response. There was an eagerness on his face that no one had actually expected of him. “Please let me do it!” he said. “I want to do it. I need to do it!”

Kikkake narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “And what if something happens? You’re too weak to take down the bad guy on your own” he argued.

“Mm, yeah, that’s true” Arai replied. “If he gets to us, he’ll kill Hitsuji in a split second.”

Hitsuji sighed, muttering under his breath, “Thanks for having so much faith in me.”

“What about you, pretty boy?” Kikkake asked. He wadded up a piece of paper from the notepad by the phone and tossed it at Sukui’s head. “Why don’t you make yourself useful for once?”

“As if!” Sukui exclaimed. “I need my beauty sleep. You don’t become this attractive by pulling all-nighters, you know.”

“God, you’re so conceited” Arai complained under her breath.

Kikkake shot her a glare. “Then what about you? Why don’t you do it?”

Arai matched his fury in her stare. “Why don’t you?”

“I never said I wouldn’t!” Kikkake shot back.

“Guys, come on!” Yugao called. “If Hitsuji wants to do it, then I say let’s give him a chance. Teamwork is important and we have to trust in our comrades' abilities or else we’ll never succeed as a squad.”

A soft smile fought it’s way through Hitsuji’s panic as he climbed over the beds and settled down in front of the window. His hands moved dexterously as he began assembling the little telescope from their arsenal of supplies. He paid no mind to the instructions. “I won’t fail you guys, I promise” he said softly as he worked.

“I hope not” Arai muttered.

Once she was finished organizing their weapons on the floor, Yugao stepped lightly across the room and rested a hand on Rei’s back. She had hardly moved over the past fifteen minutes, leaning forward with her face buried in her hands. “Rei? I really think you need to get some rest. Come on” she said softly. Rei gave a minute nod and allowed Yugao to help her shift back onto the bed, curling up on her side. Yugao pushed the trash can dutifully beside her just in case.

The others watched in subtle intrigue—it was kind of refreshing to see that not only was Yugao a formidable leader but she also possessed a very tender, maternal side to her, as well. It was comforting to know that she would look after them should anything happen in the field. I bet she'd make a great medic-nin, Arai thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Sukui readjusted in his desk chair and plucked a room service pamphlet from the document holder. A sly smile touched his lips as he idly flipped through the extensive menu. “Well, while we’re here, who’s hungry?” he asked. “I think I’m going to order some room service! I’ve heard that that’s about the only thing this hotel is good for: their food.”

Arai shook her head, sprawled out like a starfish on the bed. “I don’t even know how you can eat at a time like this” she groaned.

“Don’t worry” Kikkake replied. “Sooner or later we’ll get hungry again.”

“God, I don’t even want to know how much the food here costs” Arai replied. “I’d probably go broke. Good thing I brought snacks, at least.” Here, she rolled over onto her stomach and dug around in her backpack, fishing out a pack of peanut butter crackers…that had since crumbled into nothingness. She frowned, disappointed, before tossing them over Rei’s hunched body and into the trash can. “Well, there goes that idea.” Frustrated, Rei grabbed one of the decorative throw pillows and launched it squarely at Arai’s head, but missed and hit the ceiling light instead. One of the three bulbs cracked and shattered across the floor. Again, Rei groaned.

Yugao sighed and rubbed her forehead, muttering, “If the food doesn’t eat up all of our money, I’m sure the custodial fees will.”

By midnight, the group’s energy had significantly dwindled. Rei had passed out, her hair sticking to her dewy face. Meanwhile, Yugao sat cross-legged on the floor indexing their weaponry and polishing their kunai. It was always important to keep track of your supplies just in case. The last thing they needed was to return to Konoha only to discover a shuriken was missing. In contrast, Kikkake had idly waded halfway through the complimentary copy of Our Lady Kaguya tucked into the nightstand drawer, and Arai had zoned out tossing a wad of paper—the same one launched earlier at Sukui’s head—up and down toward the ceiling. Sukui snuck out hours ago and was nowhere to be found.

“You think we ought to go look for him or something?” Arai asked. “Maybe the enemy found him and killed him. The least we could do is retrieve the body.”

“And have a dead guy in our hotel room?” Kikkake asked boredly. He licked his fingertips, turned the page. “I’d rather not.”

Yugao looked up from her work and grimaced. “She has a point. If something happens to him, Rei and I are responsible. Losing a comrade in the line of duty doesn’t reflect very well on us” she replied. Let alone the emotional toll. She’d hate to think of the chaos that would ensue should another comrade die on Rei’s watch. Not that she was watching anything other than the inside of her eyelids, but Yugao did not fault her for that. She just wanted Rei to be okay.

From his post, Hitsuji gave the smallest shake of his head. “I think he’ll be fine” he said. “Sukui’s not stupid. He’s stronger than he looks, too. And besides, I haven’t seen anything questionable the entire time I’ve been sitting here.” If anything, he was sure Sukui disappeared among the party animals to both gain intel and flirt with the local women. If there was ever a member of their group who could effortlessly blend in here, it would be Sukui. Hitsuji had faith.

“How are you holding up?” Yugao asked him, a sympathetic smile touching her face. Hitsuji had been sitting there for nearly five hours straight now. “If you want to switch out, just say so. I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind the change of pace.”

Hitsuji, however, protested. “I’ll be just fine, don’t you worry about me” he reassured and though he did not turn around, it was clear that he was smiling. “One time, I had a panic attack so bad that I stayed awake for 36 hours straight, no problem. This should be a breeze for me.”

“Are you still panicking?” Arai asked in disbelief. Hitsuji made a mild noise to indicate that, somehow, yes, he was.

“Well, if and when you pass out, I’m not carrying you to bed” Kikkake snarked.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. The whole group went stiff. Rei groaned and creaked her eyes open, curious. She reached for the kunai in her back pouch just to be safe. An anxious electricity filled the air.

“I’m sure it’s nothing” Yugao whispered in reassurance. She rose to her feet, grabbing a kunai of her own as she approached the door. “It’s probably just Sukui. I doubt the enemy would figure out what room we’re in.”

“Unless he got it from the night auditor” Arai whispered.

Kikkake shook his head. “I don’t think he’d be that stupid.”

“Unless he’s in on it, too!” Hitsuji replied.

“Or maybe…” Arai started, hunching her back and curling her fingers in a creepy stance. “They killed the night auditor!” She peppered in her best spooky, evil villain laugh for extra pizzazz. Hitsuji’s back went ramrod straight. Rei reached behind her to slap Arai hard on the thigh.

“Don’t say that, that’s not funny” the redhead grumbled.

“Look who’s awake!” Arai jested, poking Rei in the side. Rei swatted her hand away, grumbling under her breath.

Yugao shot them all a sharp glare and rose a finger to her lips, shushing them. Her opposite hand hovered over the doorknob. She stood on tiptoes to peer through the peephole. Relief washed over her as she recognized who was on the other side and opened the door.

“Did you miss me?” Sukui asked, sliding into the room. A wide grin spread across his face and his cheeks were flushed. Kikkake wondered if he had been drinking.

“Where the hell have you been?” Yugao asked, taking hold of his shirt. “You had us all worried sick.”

Sukui swatted at the air dismissively as he wiggled out of Yugao’s grasp and plopped back down in his desk chair. “Oh, I was checking out the kitchen!” he replied. “It might not be the fanciest place to cook, but damn do they mean it when they say this place has great food!”

Yugao shook her head as she bolt-locked the door. “I’m just glad you’re not dead.”

“So, what have I missed?” Sukui asked, making himself comfortable.

The five of them replied in unison, “Absolutely nothing.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing I went to go make my own fun then!” Sukui grinned.

Grimacing, Arai launched her wad of paper at his head then and sneered, “I hope you didn’t go poking around where you’re not supposed to, you little creep.”

“Yeah, we don’t need you out blowing our cover” Kikkake agreed.

Sukui rolled his eyes. “Have a little more faith in me!” he plead. “I think you’ll all find that my poking around will do us quite a bit of good.”

Yugao froze, eyeing him. “I don’t like the sound of that.” What had he gotten into? What damage had he done? She knew she never should’ve let him wander on his own.

Sukui, however, seemed completely unaffected and unconcerned. “Just hang on. You’ll see” he mused, a playful smile toying on his lips. Yugao swallowed back her fear and tried to remain calm. She glanced to Rei, rolling sleepily over onto her side and burying her face in her pillow. For a moment, Yugao hated her.

Another uneventful hour passed. Yugao’s worry only mounted further. Hitsuji hadn’t reported any movement in the west wing whatsoever and at first, she accepted the quiet. She was almost relieved, even. Regardless of her experience in the field, she always felt a sense of anxiety whenever she was confronted with the enemy. She was too aware of the dangers, of the possibilities, of her own mortality. It was like stage-fright before a big recital—even if you were well-rehearsed, there were still so many things that could go wrong in the moment. But unlike a recital, in this case lives were at stake.

The longer they went without a hint of action, however, the more Yugao began to fear that they had, in fact, been misled. After all, the enemy was not stupid. If he caught even slightest murmur that he was being watched, he could bail in an instant and Team Ku would never know. Yugao hated to think of how long they would last before they realize that this was all for nothing, that they had been duped. For a moment, she even caught herself praying for something in an effort to relieve her own anxiety. Anything to assure her that they were not wasting their time.

And then, as in direct response to her prayers, there was a knock at the door. Yugao’s heart skipped a beat, her breath hitching in her throat. Sukui immediately leapt to his feet and raced to the door. He was a little too confident for Yugao’s comfort. “Be careful!” she called after him. He wasn’t even armed, or at least not that she could see.

Sukui swung the door open excitedly to greet the rather tired-looking man hunched on the other side. In front of him was a heavy, undecorated metal cart. “Your room service, Mr. Yukio” he droned, wheeling the cart inside. It clattered and clanked as it went, cluttered with food. Yugao’s eyes widened.

Rei furrowed her brows, disrupted by the noise, before rubbing her eyes and slowly sitting upright. “What the hell is all of this about?” she yawned.

Sukui grinned proudly as he tucked a few dollars into the man’s pocket as a tip before sending him on his way. “Well, I figured since we’re all working so hard and need to keep up our strength, I’d order everyone dinner!” he explained. “I got all of your favorites.”

And truly, somehow he had gotten all of them their favorites. Tsukimi udon for Yugao, broiled saury for Kikkake, vegetable stir fry for Hitsuji—who evidently was a vegetarian—and tonkotsu ramen for Arai. Sashimi for himself and for Rei, a platter of gyoza alongside a bowl of miso soup. Sukui distributed everyone’s food one by one, face beaming with satisfaction and delight. Perhaps he wasn’t as self-centered as he seemed, after all.

He served Rei last, being very careful with the hot bowl of soup. “Now I don’t know if miso is necessarily your favorite” he started, “but I thought maybe it might help your stomach.” He set the bowl down on the nightstand with a napkin and a little spoon. The steam wafted up into Rei’s face, the scent of the warm, salty broth hitting her nose, and she was instantly overwhelmed with a welcome sense of calm. “My mother always used to feed me miso soup when I had to stay home sick from school, and I know it always made me feel better so I hope it does the same for you, too” he added.

Rei was, quite frankly, awestruck. She thanked him softly, exercising great care in cradling the bowl in her lap. With each tiny sip of broth, her entire body was further drenched in a tranquil warmth. She shivered, but out of delight rather than cold. Her stomach finally began to unclench.

“How did you even know what we all liked, anyway?” Arai asked, slurping her noodles.

Sukui merely shrugged. “I pay attention” he replied bluntly.

As grateful as Yugao was for such a kind act, there was one point of contention that she could not seem to shake. “Did you pay for all of this out of pocket?” she asked. She could only imagine how expensive this all was. Where did he get that kind of money?

Shaking his head, Sukui replied, “I just put it on our room’s tab.”

Yugao’s face immediately went stark white. “Y-You did what?!” she exclaimed.

Sukui popped a piece of sushi in his mouth, unbothered. “I don’t see what the big deal is” he replied. “It’s not like the room is in any of our names to begin with. We’re not paying to stay here.”

Yugao sucked in a sharp breath, prayed for peace. “That’s not the point” she replied. “Someone has to pay for this.” And it’s likely Lady Tsunade, she thought to herself. She already knew the hokage was deep in her own debt. Surely this was not going to help. Besides, Konoha’s good civilian tax dollars were not meant for luxurious meals to the ANBU. Now Yugao was the one getting a migraine.

Arai paused before spitting her noodles back into her bowl. “Should we not be eating this then? Should we send this back?” she asked.

“No!” Sukui demanded abruptly, pointing at her. “No, you put those noodles back in your mouth right now!”

Arai blinked in shock—she had never seen Sukui so assertive before. Without breaking eye contact with him, she slowly lifted the noodles back up to her mouth and slurped them down at an obnoxious volume. For what it was worth, Sukui had been right about the food being incredible. Even if she had to, she didn’t particularly want to give her ramen back to begin with. Not that they would want it back anyway. It had already been in her mouth, they had no way of repurposing it.

Defeated, Sukui dropped into his chair and rested his chin in his hands. “I just wanted to do something nice for everyone” he sighed. “I wanted to show how much I appreciate you guys.”

“We know” Yugao replied, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I just need to make sure that we’re doing things right.”

Suddenly, Rei interjected herself into the conversation. “Fuck it” she said. “Like he said, we’re not paying for it. It’s not our problem. Let’s just…try to enjoy this while we can, alright?”

And while they were all still relatively uneasy about the subject, Rei had a point. They had a big mission ahead of them, they had been working long and tiresome hours. It was exhausting being on guard all the time and certainly they were all feeling the strain. But that was no excuse for slacking on self-care. Heaven forbid if anything happened, starvation and sleep-deprivation did not make for triumph in battle. Clearly, Sukui knew this. He was only trying to keep everyone’s morale in check. He had no obligation to go to such lengths to provide for them, but he did. The least they could do was accept his generosity and enjoy the good food.

They ate in silence, at first slow and cautious. As they fell into comfortable acceptance of the meal, however, their hesitancy transformed to ravenous and messy. By the time they had finished, a sleepy haze swept over the lot of them. Arai fell back onto the bed and patted her stomach, full and satisfied. Kikkake smirked and gathered everyone’s dirty dishes. He veered away from Rei, her bowl still half-full, and then slipped into the bathroom to rinse everything in the sink.

While Rei did not scarf down her meal like the others, simply nursing her soup had soothed her and seemed to ease the tension out of her bones. It was perhaps the only thing she could really keep down for the past five days and for that, she was grateful. She hadn’t realized just how weak she had become until now. She chewed her lower lip, squeezed her hand around her wrist. The tip of her thumb overlapped with the nail of her middle finger. She swallowed back a lump rising in her throat, prayed for her stomach to remain calm.

On her way back from the bathroom, Rei rested a gentle hand on Hitsuji’s shoulder and gazed out at the view. It was truly breathtaking: flickering technicolor lights lined the streets, the bubbling of the hot springs echoed from below, and in the distance the craggy mountains faded into the night sky. She lifted the glass in her opposite hand to her lips, the water from the tap tasting metallic and rotten. “You should get some rest” Rei whispered. “I’ll stand guard.”

Hitsuji shook his head in protest. “Like I said, I’ll be fine” he smiled up at her.

“But you’ve been at this for almost seven hours now” Rei argued. “You need to take a break.” If nothing else, she felt obligated to take over in an effort to feel productive. All she had done this entire mission was puke and sleep. It wasn’t fair to pass the work off to all of her subordinates. After all, she was their captain. She wasn’t doing a very good job of leading them this time around—a fact that left a rancid taste in her mouth.

Hitsuji reached out and halted Rei’s hand from adjusting his telescope. His grip was tighter than she had expected. “Captain Rei, please” he murmured, voice level and sure. “I need you to let me do this. I’ll be fine. Besides, you still need your rest, too.” His voice cracked slightly on this last sentence, a hint that he was still paranoid about Rei’s sickness. Perhaps his tolerance for vomit really was nonexistent. So long as she kept sleeping, and so long as he kept his focus squarely on something else, he would have no problems. He knew it was selfish, but he was willing to sacrifice his own energy stores for the protection of both his comrades and his own sense of sanity.

Not wanting to argue, Rei gave a single nod before trudging back toward the bed. Arai had since sprawled out across the lower half, passed out and drooling on the duvet. Rei maneuvered around her and curled up on the right edge, closing her eyes. She felt the mattress shift yet again as Yugao settled in beside her. The light flicked off.

“Hey, Rei?” Yugao whispered after a long stretch of silence. “Can I ask you something?”

Rei rolled over, though she knew she wouldn’t be able to see Yugao in the dark. It just felt right to face her anyway. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Are you sure you have food poisoning?” she asked. The question was unexpected, to say the least.

Rei blinked, dumbfounded, as she tried to process the question. She opened and closed her mouth for a solid minute, attempting to formulate a response. “W-why do you ask?” she finally stammered out.

Yugao rolled onto her side, head propped up on her arm. “I’m worried about you, Rei” she confessed. “Food poisoning doesn’t last this long. You’ve been down for the count all night. I don’t think I’ve been doing a very good job of holding down the fort without you. I need your help. I can’t do this by myself but…I also don’t want to push you past your limits.”

“Yugao…” Rei murmured. She instinctively reached out to take her lieutenant’s hand in hers. “I promise, I’m perfectly fine. And…I’m sorry. I know I need to be there for you—for all of you, really. This is as much of an inconvenience for me as it for all of you. Believe me, I don’t want to be fucking sick like this. But I’m already feeling tons better. I’m going to be fine.”

Yugao gave a single nod, rolled over onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling, chewed her lower lip. She should’ve taken comfort in Rei’s words but…she was still unresolved. “And Rei?” she asked. Rei made a small noise to ensure that she was listening. “If something was genuinely wrong, you would tell me, right?”

Rei blinked. “O-of course” she admitted. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know” Yugao replied. She knew something was going on. She knew that Rei had been acting differently—saw it in the way she avoided meals, in the way her temper flared so much easier now. Perhaps it was just the stress. Taking on the role of a captain was a lot of added responsibility. It had only been a month. Surely Rei was still struggling to adjust. Especially after what she had been aiming for beforehand. Yugao instinctively rested a hand atop her own stomach, wondered if thoughts of parenthood still circulated through Rei’s mind. “Just promise me one thing” Yugao finally whispered.

“What is it?” Rei asked.

Yugao sucked in a sharp breath, closed her eyes. A promise. “Don’t keep me in the dark.”

By morning, everyone had rearranged into one catastrophic dog pile. Arai’s foot in Kikkake’s face, Sukui’s arm draped across Arai’s eyes. And all the while, Hitsuji still sat guard by the window. His eyes were droopy and bloodshot, his mouth dry, and his hands began to shake. Fatigue weighed his body down, slumping his shoulders and hunching his back, but regardless he did not falter.

Kikkake swatted Arai’s foot away as he groaned awake, rolling the tension out of his neck and stretching his arms out in front of him. Somehow, he was the first to wake up. The moment he noticed Hitsuji, he trudged toward the window and slapped a hand amicably on his back. “Man, come on, you’ve got to go to sleep” he croaked. Shed of his hardened exterior so early in the morning, there was something almost heartwarming about Kikkake now. He was more palatable, kinder.

Meanwhile, Sukui sighed in his sleep and muttered something about a pretty woman, rolling over and hugging Arai close. Arai furrowed her brows and shifted in her sleep, her mind immediately waking up to a question of what, exactly, was pressed against her thigh. As she blinked her eyes open, it became all too clear to her.

“Get off me, you little freak!” she shouted, shoving Sukui away from her. Sukui scrambled awake, his blonde hair sticking up in all different directions. Arai aimed a pillow for his crotch and shouted, “Go get a cold shower, you fucking pervert!”

Sukui blinked and then looked down to find an unfortunate case of morning wood. His cheeks burned bright red as he hid behind the pillow and apologized profusely.

“God, it’s so early for fighting” Rei groaned, pressing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. “Can you guys please tone it down?”

“I’m with Rei” Kikkake groaned. He dragged his tired body to the mini fridge in the corner, started a pot of coffee. The coffee maker hissed, gurgled, and then inconsistently spat lumpy liquid into the glass urn.

Yugao rolled over onto her side, furrowing her brows toward Hitsuji. How he managed to stay awake this long was beyond her. She was grateful for his dedication, of course, but not at the expense of his own health.

“Hitsuji, you really ought to get some sleep” she said, slowly sitting upright. Rei nodded as she reached for the glass of water on her nightstand.

“You’ve been up all night” Rei added. “Sooner or later, you’re going to start seeing things. Come on, get some rest.”

Hitsuji, however, shook his head. “I can’t” he protested. “Not now.”

“And why not?” Arai asked sourly. She hated to admit that even she was desperate to see him sleep.

“Because” Hitsuji began, narrowing his eyes, “The enemy is looking right at me.”

Kikkake choked on his coffee, gasping for breath. “I’m sorry, what?” he asked.

Hitsuji gave a single nod. “He’s right there, across the courtyard. Third floor, fifth window from the corner” he explained, staying innately still.

“You sure you’re not just seeing things?” Arai snarked, restraining an incredulous little laugh. After an uneventful night, she would’ve more readily believed he was hallucinating than anything else. If the enemy was really going to make waves, he would’ve done so already. The entire mission was a sham.

Arai stretched her arms out in front of her, releasing the tension from her body. As she reached up to the sky, however, the window shattered and a kunai came whizzing past her ear to stick in the wall. The entire room went still and silent.

Hitsuji sucked his teeth. “Yeah, I’m sure.”  

Rei gasped and ducked, narrowly avoiding a stab to the eye. The kunai just barely grazed her fluffy ponytail, a few strands of fiery hair falling onto her pillow. The blade stuck in the wall with a metallic thud, a paper bomb dangling from the handle. Fuck.

In one swift motion, Rei knocked back a large gulp of water, puffing her cheeks out as she held it in her mouth. Meanwhile, she crumpled the paper bomb tight in her opposite hand.

“Rei, hurry up!” Kikkake shouted. He had since dropped his coffee and grabbed one of the many weapons off the floor.

Rei grimaced at him, making a frustrated whine, as she worked. She focused on the tag in her hands, on separating the chakra from the paper like removing dye from a scrap of fabric. Once she had separated as much as she could manage, she let the enemy's chakra seep into her palm, willed it to siphon faster and faster up through her own network. She leapt across the room as she infused the chakra with the water in her own mouth, the strength of it burning like mouthwash. Rei leaned over the windowsill then, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shot the water across the courtyard in a projectile attack. The enemy shouted in shock, pummeled with the exact level of power he had intended to hit them with.

The scream had, understandably, attracted a fair amount of attention. The bathroom door bust open at the sound and in raced Sukui, covered in soap and water with a towel around his waist and a shower cap on his head. “I heard screaming! What’s going on?!”

Yugao and Kikkake immediately raced out the door, fully prepared to apprehend their suspect. Rei's attack had immobilized him enough to grant them extra time. As Arai followed behind them, she shoved a set of clothes against Sukui’s chest and demanded, “Get dressed, idiot. It’s go-time!”

It took Sukui only a few seconds to understand what was happening but once he had, he quickly mopped the suds off his body and scrambled to step into his clothes. He wasn’t a very fast dresser, however, nor was his balance very great, so he ended up falling over and faceplanting straight into the nasty carpet instead. Now I’m going to need another shower, he complained in the back of his mind. He didn’t even want to know what kinds of vermin were burrowing deep within that carpet.

“W-what do you need me to do?!” Hitsuji asked as Rei raced out the door.

Glancing back at him over her shoulder, she responded simply, “Stay here.”

It was a reasonable enough request. He wasn’t particularly in the best state to fight right now and besides, they couldn’t leave the room unsupervised with their weapons and other belongings scattered everywhere. Hitsuji was good at keeping watch anyway. Involved in the battle, he would only get in the way.

The arrest went as smooth as any arrest can go. The man fought back, and hard, but a couple rides on the lightning (courtesy of Arai) and a genjutsu to further subdue him seemed to make him manageable enough. If only his resistance had not caused the eventual destruction of the entire west wing of the hotel.

Rei coughed into the crook of her elbow and leaned against a broken pillar as she surveyed the damage. “Fuck…we’re really gonna rack up the custodial fees, aren’t we?”

“Well, think of it this way, boss” Arai grinned, slapping a hand on Rei’s shoulder. “Puking in the lobby is far from the worst thing we’ve done here.” Rei glared at her in periphery, swatting her hand away. One did not negate the other—rather, they only made each that much worse.

The night auditor, sleep-deprived and likely nearing the end of his shift, came racing onto the scene then with the hotel's manager in tow. “What have you done?!” the auditor shrieked, gripping at his hair and trying to comprehend the immense volume of damage.

Kikkake smirked. “We got the enemy” he said, nodding his head toward the rogue ninja now unconscious and slung over his broad shoulder.

“Th-th-that’s not the point!” the auditor argued. “You’ve destroyed the hotel! We’re ruined!”

Yugao pursed her lips. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, this guy was the only occupant in any of the rooms so it’s not like anyone lost their lives today” she said.

Arai snorted in amusement. “Hey, listen, if half of your hotel was empty, I think you were already ruined.”

Neither the night auditor nor the hotel manager found this funny. Grimacing, the manager shook his head in disdain. “Well, you all better be fucking loaded because this is going to cost you all a fortune” he grumbled.

A delighted smile touched Sukui’s lips, apparently viewing this as a challenge. Sliding forward, he lightly grazed the manager’s arm and batted his eyelashes. “We may not have tons of money, but I’m sure we can work out alternative methods to repay you” he cooed.

The manager was a rather burly man with thinning hair and a stubbled face. His belly protruded out over his waistband and he seemed to wear a permanent scowl. He eyed Sukui suspiciously, the young ANBU’s charms clearly having no effect on him.

Sensing the rising tension, Sukui backed away dutifully and muttered under his breath, “He must be straight.”

Arai rolled her eyes and whispered back, “Good eye, Sherlock.”

Sighing, Yugao stepped forward and projected her best business voice. “I promise, we’ll have all the damages paid in full by our supervisors in a timely manner” she assured. “In the meantime, is there anything we can do to help?”

The manager huffed gruffly and shook his head. “The best thing you can do now is get the fuck off my property.”

Yugao blinked, taken aback by the bluntness of his reply. “Duly noted” she murmured. Then, turning to her team, she made a motion with her hand and shouted, “Alright, time to go.”

The others nodded in agreement, bowing their heads as they scurried past the manager and night auditor in embarrassment. Really, the six of them were just trying to do their jobs. If only their jobs did not cause so much damage. Rei trailed behind them, dragging her feet. Her face had since grown pale and her hands unsteady and clammy.

“You alright?” Yugao asked her, waiting by her side.

Rei nodded weakly. “Y-Yeah, I’ll be fine” she replied. “Just took a lot out of me.”

“Maybe you’re not as better as you think you are” Yugao said softly. Her attempts at comedy were overthrown by the concern deeply laced in her voice. Rei hated to admit that she might have been right.

Together, the six of them trudged back to their hotel room, gathered their things, and went on their way.

The journey back to the village seemed far quicker and more tolerable than the journey there. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of the moment, or the promise of sleeping in their own beds, that fueled them further. Or maybe it was just the anxiety of having to face Lady Tsunade--a desperation to get the confrontation over with.

After sending the criminal off to the Intelligence Division for questioning, Team Ku slipped into the hokage's office to submit their mission reports.

“Well? How did it go?” Tsunade asked. Though there was no explicit malice in her voice, Rei shuddered with the fear that she knew something. Perhaps the manager had called her on their way back and outlined the disaster they had caused. Either way, she had a bad feeling about this. Her gut twisted.

“We did the job we set out to do” Yugao replied, hoping to present some level of positivity to the situation.

Tsunade smiled. “And you did a fine job, at that” she replied. “You’re all turning out to be a splendid group of shinobi. You’re really progessing wonderfully, which must be attributed to the strong leadership of your captain.” Here, she eyed Rei with a proud gaze. Rei smiled weakly, arms wrapped around her unsettled stomach. If anything, this mission only proved how weak her leadership truly was. After all, she had barely been conscious the entire time. The guilt was overwhelming.

Shizune, standing dutifully at the hokage’s side, cleared her throat then and whispered, “Uh, Lady Tsunade, there is one thing that should be addressed."

“Hmm? What is it, Shizune?” Tsunade asked. Whatever it was, she didn’t think she wanted to know. She didn’t want to put a damper on her good mood.

Anxious, Shizune slid the bill face-down across Tsunade’s desk. The entire team simultaneously shuddered. This was it: the ultimate end.

Tsunade skimmed over the bill, her expression initially uninterested but quickly transforming into utter shock and disbelief. “What is the meaning of this?!” she shouted, slamming the receipt down on the table. “How the hell did you all manage to spend a million dollars?!”

The six of them peered forward cautiously in disbelief. There, plain as day, sat six figures with a note that read “for fine food and campus destruction.”

“A million dollars?!” Kikkake shouted, automatically turning to Sukui.

Sukui blushed and laughed nervously, swatting at the air as he replied, “Well, it wasn’t entirely my fault.”

Hitsuji nodded, pointing at the receipt. “Only about 25% of that is the food. Everything else was the destruction.”

All the color drained from Rei’s face as she leaned on the arm rest of the office couch for support. “I think I’m going to be sick” she murmured.

She knew that it was going to be bad. That much was obvious. But a million dollars? The figure far exceeded her expectations, and not in a good way.

Without missing a beat, Arai bounced forward and presently snatched the bill right off of Tsunade’s desk. Displeased, Tsunade narrowed her eyes. “And what do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

Arai grinned at her, unadulterated and proud, as she replied, “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to take care of everything.” Truly, there was no way Arai could afford this but she did not allow any time for protest. Receipt in hand, she skipped happily--suspiciously--out of the office. Rei and Yugao exchanged concerned glances. Again, there was no way this was going to end well.

Gloomy clouds hung low overhead as the heavy double doors of Root’s headquarters screeched open. A hawk cawed in the distance. Danzo Shimura looked to the sky. With an arm extended, he summoned the messenger hawk to land upon him and carefully took the note strapped to his leg. He hadn’t been expecting mail but the thought of a promising new opportunity invigorated him. He unraveled the note quickly and as he skimmed the page, his face fell. Staring back at him was the receipt to a trashy hotel, the total of which reached a million dollars “for fine food and campus destruction.”

Danzo, baby, Here’s a little gift from me to you! Make sure you pay it in full, k? Love, a secret not-very-admirer <3

Grumbling under his breath, he ripped the receipt in half and stomped it into the ground before hobbling back inside.

[sustraiii]

TEAM ZRCN ARC 3 - CHAPTER 14

Back with out heroes for this chapter, as Team ZRCN begins some extra training with the Mob Ops.

NEELA

“Um, what’s that doing here?” Xanthos asked as they stepped into the room. “I thought we were supposed to be training, not watching an educational video.”

Neela could see he was referring to the hastily prepared projector and screen that had been put up in the training room, a stark contrast to the sleek designs elsewhere in the base. As the two of them came closer to inspect the object and try and discern what it was doing there, Cherry walked in behind them.

“Alright, kids - class is in session,” She said with a smirk. “Take your seats.”

Still confused at the purpose of the projector, Neela and Xanthos hesitated for a moment, before finally sitting down in the two chairs that had been dragged in from the comms room. They waited in silence, waiting for Cherry to do or say something, but it was soon apparent she wasn’t fully prepared judging by how much she continued to mess around with the projector.

Beside her, Xanthos raised a hand.

“Yes, Mr Ravindra?” Cherry asked, looking up when she saw him waving his hand to get her attention.

“I thought we were supposed to be training today? You know throwing punches and - “

“I’m the teacher today, Mr Ravindra, so I’ll decide how we’ll do the training,” She cut him off, trying her best to retain a serious expression, which ultimately gave way to an amused grin. “Don’t worry you’ll get to hit things in due time.”

Not long after she said that Cherry appeared to get the projector working, and turned it on ready for the “lesson” she had prepared.

“So, as you two know, Wren decided that whilst you and your team are here with us, it’d be beneficial from you to get some additional training from us. Especially since your schooling has been interrupted with all this business with the Rossi’s,” Cherry explained. “What you don’t know is that we - we being myself and my fellow Mob Ops - have taken it upon ourselves to assign one of you to each of us for a more personal training experience.

“Now, I’ve prepared some slides to go over with you today that should help address some problem areas for each of you. Neela, let’s start with you.”

Neela blinked in surprise when Cherry pointed at her, before clicking the projector on. The first slide appeared on the screen and Neela recognised it as a still from the first robot attack in Mantle. It was the moment when she and Cordovan had combined their semblances to temporarily disable one of the robots. 

“That right there is a wonderful bit of teamwork,” Cherry commended. “The execution was practically flawless, but there wasn’t much room for error here, was there? Had the robot altered its course your attack would have failed and due to your semblances both requiring a degree of focus, it could have left you vulnerable had the robot decided to lash out again.”

Cherry paused to let this sink in before pressing on. “At any rate, it was not as problematic as the move you tried to pull off here.” She flicked to another slide, this time showing the moment where she had attempted to spear the robot that had been coming for Zelde.

“Was I wrong to do that?” Neela asked, perhaps a little more defensive than she intended to be. “I was trying to save Zelde.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Cherry assured her, offering a small smile as she did. “In fact had it been any of my team, I would have likely done the same. Your problems lie in the fact that you were too emotional when you attacked.”

Neela frowned but said nothing. Had she been too emotional when she attacked? She didn’t think she had been, she had just wanted to protect Zelde. But perhaps she had been a bit too hasty to rush in and defend her. Had she given time to pause she might have been able to have defeated the robot with her following attack or be better prepared to counter its twisting motion that had felled Zelde and nearly taken out Xanthos too.

“So what do you propose I do? Not care for my teammates?”

“Of course not!” Cherry responded, raising her hands in defence. “Caring too little is just as bad as caring too much. It’s about finding a balance, Neela. Remember when you’re part of a team you’re not the only one counting on you out there.”

Neela nodded solemnly. She still didn’t believe herself to be that emotional, but she would not argue against Cherry’s teachings. Neela had seen how the older huntress had handled herself against the Karkadan and Krypterons, both by herself and with the rest of the Mob Ops, and was certain she had more than enough experience to back up her words of advice.

“I can’t wait to see what slides you have for me,” Xanthos quipped.

“Well actually, Mr Ravindra, I think a more physical example would benefit you.”

“What do you - ACK!”

Before Xanthos could even finish his sentence, a pair of arms wrapped around his midriff, and with a small grunt in effort, his assailant lifted him out of his chair and proceeded to fling Xanthos backwards like a rag doll. Neela might have found the move to impressive had she not been concerned for her partner’s safety. Rising from her seat, Neela whipped around to face Xanthos’s attacker, finding Elio stood behind them with his hands on his hips and his head thrown back in laughter.

“Is he supposed to be here?” Neela turned to ask Cherry. But it was apparent she was not to get an answer from her newly appointed mentor, for no sooner had she turned around, Cherry aimed a punch at her head, and Neela barely managed to move out of the way in time. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“Woo! Trial by fire!” Elio whooped.

Slowly rising back to his feet, Xanthos looked over questioningly at Cherry. “So am I not getting a slideshow?”

“No, sorry,” Cherry said, flashing him an apologetic grin. “That was only for Neela.”

“Darn. Now I feel left out.”

“Hey, enough with the chit chat, you’re cutting into my lesson,” Elio said, glaring at Cherry playfully who stuck out her tongue at him in return. Elio smirked before turning back to Xanthos and Neela. “Okay kids, we’re going to see how you handle a more physical exercise. You two are gonna team up against me and Cherry.”

Prompted by her name being said, Cherry came over to stand with her teammate and stood confidently waiting for the next move.

“Give us your best shot.” Elio encouraged.

Neela and Xanthos hesitated, sharing a look between each other. After Cherry’s little lesson, and Elio’s sudden attack on Xanthos, neither of them seemed in a hurry to engage their teachers. It was Xanthos who moved first, pointing out he had a tendency to fight without his weapon more than Neela did, so he should have in theory been able to handle himself well.

Xanthos came forward and aimed a punch in Elio's direction, which the older man merely deflected with his arm. Not to be deterred, Xanthos tried again, only to be met with the same resistance before Elio shoved him back. Nearly every strike Xanthos aimed at his opponent was either parried or dodged skillfully, though there were a few times when his more sudden movements forced Elio to back off and come at him from a different angle.

Sensing an opportunity, Neela hoped to jump into the fight, and use the fact that Elio was otherwise distracted by her partner to get the upper hand against him. A quick jab to his back caught him off guard long enough for Xanthos to roll out of the way. But now Elio's attention was on her.

One advantage Neela had over Xanthos was that she was faster, and it was that which she used to her advantage. If only for a minute, until Elio began to counter her too. And with how precise his movements were, Neela got the impression that his ability to parry their attacks was more down to his semblance as opposed to simply years of practice. Any remaining advantage she had further slipped away when Xanthos - rather than focusing on Cherry who had been inching closer - decided to join her in engaging Elio again. Any other person might have struggled against two opponents, but Elio handled it with ease, knocking Xanthos back with a sudden jolt of his body, before using the momentum to pick Neela up and throw her into Cherry's path.

Grunting in annoyance at being thrown, Neela didn't have a chance to get up by herself, before Cherry was upon her, forcing her up with a light tug.

"On your feet student, the lesson isn't over yet!"

"You know I don't remember the professors training us like this. Usually they tell us in advance before they try and kick our asses," Xanthos quipped from behind them.

"Well you're not at school right now, are you?" Elio pointed out.

"Besides do you think your enemies will go easy on you?" Cherry chimed in, before throwing a punch into Neela's right shoulder. 

"Always be aware of your surroundings and what your enemies are doing," Elio advised. "You never know when they might strike!" There was a yell of alarm from Xanthos when Elio suddenly lunged at him, forcing Xanthos into a grapple. Neela glared at the two of them and considered running to help, before Cherry dragged her back. Neela huffed in annoyance as she struggled to keep up with the flurry of hits Cherry unleashed on her. It was too late when she realised that every hit she was unable to parry from Cherry was hitting her harder and harder. When the last punch came, such was the strength behind it, that it genuinely winded her for a moment, and left her too weak to defend herself when Cherry lifted her up onto her shoulders and threw her directly at Xanthos.

The two of them collided with a smack, and Xanthos stumbled to the floor, with Neela splayed out on top of him. 

"Well, I think that's a wrap today," Elio said, clapping his hands together. He came closer and extended a hand for Neela to take. Understandably, after his previous ambush she was wary to accept him "Don't worry you're safe now."

Despite his assurances, she still hesitated a moment before finally accepting his hand and being heaved onto her feet. Elio then proceeded to do the same for Xanthos.

"You two did pretty good today," Elio commended. "It's good to know that you can handle yourself, even without the use of your weapons."

"You call that 'handling ourselves'?" Neela laughed. "You two ran circles around us - especially you."

"My semblance helps," Elio admitted, rubbing the back of his head absently. "It allows me to identify how someone thinks - or in Ravi's case, doesn't really think - in combat."

"Well, I'll try not to take that as an insult," Xanthos grinned.

"It's not an insult, bud," Elio assured him, giving him a light pat on the back before his expression shifted to a more serious one. "But you should heed my words in the future. You're not a bad fighter, if it's any consolation, but you lack control. When your attacks consistently fail, I noted that you lash out quickly in response, neglecting to take note of what your opponent is doing at the same time. Such as when you tried to tackle me at the same time Neela was."

"And mine boosts my strength when people around me are more emotional," Cherry explained, coming over to join the trio. "Which is why you're looking and sounding like you've ran a half marathon as opposed to a simple training exercise." She added whilst looking at Neela. "It's also why I encouraged you to keep your emotions in check earlier."

"That'd explain it," Neela said, rubbing her side to ease the pain beginning to settle there.

"I'd say our lesson is done for today," Cherry said. From out of her breast pocket she fished out a credit card, and handed it towards Xanthos. "Elio and I have some paperwork to catch up with, but why don't you two go out and treat yourself to something nice. Consider it something of a peace offering too for, you know, not telling you we were going to kick your asses."

"How generous," Xanthos said, before snatching up the card from Cherry's hand. Cherry and Elio said farewell after that, leaving the two of them alone for a moment. Neela waited until they were out of the room before sighing.

"That was rough," She commented, stretching out her arm.

"Yeah," Xanthos agreed with a nod. "I think I'll be feeling one of Elio's punches for a good few weeks, even though it didn't break my aura. And having you flung into me was certainly an experience."

"It wasn't something I was planning," Neela laughed. When her laughter subsided, she rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Come on you, let's go get ourselves something to eat whilst we're still able to walk properly."

Giving a nod in agreement, Xanthos put his own arm around Neela's waist, before the two of them headed out together, tired from their training but keen to learn more in the coming days.

[rusty-guitar-strings]

Sleep Schedule

or This Fic Switches from Fluff to Angst so Fast it Gave Me Whiplash and I’m the One Who Wrote It (Not Sponsored by Starbucks)

Summary: Someone can’t sleep. Two someones, actually, and neither of them want to do anything about it. They do want the other person to sleep though. How could this possibly be solved?

or

Logan has work to do. Remy has no work to do, but is staying up anyway, for some reason Logan can’t comprehend. Remy is hiding something. Logan intends to find out what.

Rating: G or T

Pairings: Losleep/Sleep Schedule (goin’ full RWBY on these ship names)

Word Count: 2,025

Warnings: cursing, playful arguing, two very slight sexual innuendos, use of an undesired name (not deadnaming but similar), crying, one mention of religion

Note: This was written on request/suggestion from @blinksinbewilderment. My first kind-of sort-of request. I do take them!! Anyway enjoy. Also I love Remy. (If you can find the nod to blink I crammed in there, you win a hat)

All-nighters were better when they weren’t ‘all-alone-nighters’ as Remy liked to call them. Luckily, Logan wasn’t currently dealing with loneliness. No, it was quite the opposite.

“Oi, Squid-nerd, check it.” Logan’s very important financing for props of an upcoming video was suddenly blocked by the Sleep aspect’s phone, which contained a meme of some sort. He squinted wearily and adjusted his glasses, leaning in to get a closer look. It appeared to be Winnie the Pooh (what was a ‘pooh’ anyway?) effectively mimicking Logan’s current expression. The top mentioned something about someone’s mom looking at memes, and it was all he could do not to sputter.

“That is not nearly as amusing as you seem to find it, Remigius, and it doesn’t- it’s not even accurate, I can’t- I’m not your mother, that’s impossible- stop laughing-“

Remy was rolling on the floor now, knees to his chest, absolutely weeping with laughter. He got far too giggly when he was sleep deprived, in addition to the sass, and it was as frustrating as it was endearing. “I can’t believe that worked! Girl, you are too much!” He shrieked and wiped his face, chest seizing with giggles.

“How do you expect anyone else to be asleep with all this pandemonium?” Logan couldn’t quite hide all the fondness from his voice. “Aren’t you supposed to be monitoring Thomas’ dream activity, anyhow?”

“Boring business,” the diva wheezed, waving Logan off dismissively. “Same old stuff, weird self-inserts he won’t even remember when he wakes up.”

“Remigi-“

“Remy.”

“Yes, fine, Remy. Your job is important, you should be taking every aspect of it seriously.” Logan lifted an eyebrow at him, managing to pull a serious enough expression for how late at night it was.

The figment in question was sitting up in the blink of an eye, grinning smugly. His shades obscured his eyes for the moment, but Logan knew they were gleaming with mischief.

“Ha. You said ‘Spec.’”

“Really? That’s what you went with?”

“The best jokes are unanticipated and take time to understand,” he stated matter-of-factly, in an infuriatingly accurate impression of Logic himself.

“You shut your mouth, sir.” Logan shoved a hand in Remy’s face in a feeble attempt to get him to stop.

Instead, he took Logan’s hand and, making eye contact over his shades for a split second, pressed a gentle kiss to the back of the side’s knuckles. “Like this?” He purred, lips curling into his usual smirk.

“That’s acceptable, yes.” Logan, determined not to be deterred from his signature stoic state, took back possession of his hand and patted Remy twice on the head before returning to his laptop. He bit the inside of his lip to avoid smiling at Remy’s obvious deflation. He continued his budgeting uninterrupted for a few blissful moments.

“Hey L, I have a proper- poorpro- a propsit-“

“Proposition?”

“Yes, a that. I have one of those for you.” Remy stared up at him through his shades, now kneeling next to Logan’s swivel chair. His arms were folded on one arm rest and he had his chin on them, successfully equating him to the puppies that Roman summoned so often.

“All right, Remig- Remy, what is it?”

“Get your ass in bed and go the fuck to sleep.”

“Profanity does not make one more appealing.” Logan didn’t stop typing. “And you should also be sleeping.”

“I don’t need sleep, honey, I am Sleep.” Remy stuck his tongue out teasingly.

“Falsehoods are not a good look on you, sweetie,” Logan deadpanned. Remy fell backward with a gasp.

“Who are you and what have you done with my Logan?” He demanded. At the end of his accusatory point, the side in question tried not to preen at the (admittedly over-dramatic) reaction to his outburst.

“I am still present.”

“Good. Go to sleep.”

“Why?” Logan waited patiently for his desired statement.

“Because you need it.”

That wasn’t quite it, so he tried again. “And why is that?” He asked evenly, adding Roman’s desperately important party poppers to the budget and scrawling a sticky note reminder to warn Virgil of the prince’s plans. The last thing they needed in a lighthearted video was an attack from him. Or on him. Logan added another sticky note directing future Logan to further explore Virgil’s role as anxiety, if he was the cause or effect, or if he could be both. He almost missed what Remy said, which would have been a disaster.

“Because sleep is important, Dumbo!”

“Ah ha!” Logan whirled in his chair triumphantly, the tip of his pen pointing directly at the figment’s nose. “So we are in agreement, then.”

Remy blinked in bewilderment. “What?”

“We both agree that you-“

“Stoppin’ ya right there, babes.” He waved a hand and conjured green tea in a Starbucks cup (not sponsored), a peculiar ability of his that Logan had yet to discover the reasoning behind. “I didn’t say nothin’ like that.”

“Why are you using double negatives? That is a disgusting misuse of the English language.” Logan, a certified nerd, gave Remy the dreaded Stare of Disappointment™️. Everyone in the Mindscape trembled in their figurative boots. But they were also asleep, so… figurative dream boots. Unless they weren’t wearing boots. They trembled in their figurative dream boots-or-other-footwear. Logan almost missed what Remy was saying for the third consecutive time.

“English is already disgusting, she doesn’t need my help.” He waved a hand. “End scene. Go to bed.”

“Roman appears to be rubbing off on you.” The creative side was the one to originate the habit of saying ‘end scene’ when he wanted to drop a conversation, and lately had begun to use it more and more seriously.

“Bitch, what did I say?” He pointed sternly at the bed, sitting with his legs crossed in the floor like toddler.

Logan tilted his chin upward defiantly. “Only if you sleep with me.” He was promptly hit in the face with a pillow.

“Ew! Nasty! No ma’am! Not in my good Christian household!” A multitude of other objects were thrown at him, luckily light and mostly harmless.

“Remigius, please- Remy! Let me rephrase, I did not intend to imply that we would, ah-“ he cleared his throat. “-have intercourse. If I am going to sleep, I want you to as well. Nothing more.” Logan adjusted his glasses awkwardly.

“Oh. Well, in that case, you’ve got a deal.” Remy looked around at the mess he’d made. “This looks like a problem for future me. I’m gonna get changed, see ya in a bit, boo.” He stood, winking. “Unless you want to join me.”

“No. I can change quite well on my own, thank you.” In a split second, Logan was wearing a science pun t-shirt (courtesy of Patton) and constellation pajama pants, and was idly removing his glasses to place them on his nightstand. He smirked to himself as Remy disappeared into the closet, complaining under his breath about how unfair his powers were and the fact that he had to change by hand.

About ten minutes later, Remy was in a tank top and shorts and his sunglasses still, lying next to Logan in bed and scrolling through his phone idly while the other attempted to sleep.

“Remy,” Logan whispered after a moment, harsh and sudden enough to make the figment jump and drop his phone. “Go to sleep.”

“Not until you do, wise guy.” He immediately regained a cool composure and reached for his device carefully.

“Are you always this hard-headed?” Logan sat up.

“Darling, have you met me?” Remy quirked an infuriatingly perfect eyebrow.

“Remigius-“

“Don’t call me that!” Sleep looked as stunned as Logan felt at his own outburst, then stiffened up and focused on his screen again instead. “Please.”

“Apologies. I wasn’t aware your proper name was a… sensitive… subject.” Logan rubbed one eye, staring downward. The other didn’t look up.

“It isn’t. I just don’t like how similar it is to… his.” He tapped his phone once with odd finality. “End scene.”

“I’m sorry, Remy, truly. I just believe that things should be called what they are, but I shouldn’t have applied that to-“

“End scene, Logan,” he persisted. “Please.” His voice broke a little, startling Logic, which was a rarity.

“Of course.” He fell silent and turned back to the blankets, rewinding the events in his mind and wondering what he’d done. It was unusual to see Sleep silent, still, and just… not causing general mischief. Where was the giggly figment he’d seen less than an hour ago? “Will you at least try and rest?”

“No rest for the wicked.” Remy smirked, typing something to someone, but it lacked the usual fire. “I meant what I said earlier. After you.”

“Remy…”

“It’s no biggie, Issac No-Fun. Go ahead and nod off, I’ll be here.”

“Rem-“

“I can hold down the fort, you know. My incredible humility prevents me from sharing my immense capability.”

“Remy. Look at me?”

“‘Course, I’d never complain about getting to- woah!” He jumped slightly when Logan took a light hold of his jaw, not daring to pull away.

“You mean that literally, don’t you?” Logan swallowed, all of his late nights or totally sleepless ones crashing back with a wave of a guilt to accompany them. “You are incapable of sleeping until everyone in the mind palace is no longer awake.”

Remy shrugged and opened his mouth, as if preparing a snarky comeback. Instead, what came out was, “It’s my job.”

Logan pushed Remy’s sunglasses up into his hair carefully, revealing dark, watery eyes shadowed by sleepless nights too numerous to count. “I’m sorry,” he breathed, “that you feel the need to use caffeine to stay awake.”

“I’m so goddamn tired, Logan,” the poorly named figment whispered, head falling forward to rest against Logan’s chest. “I can’t even take naps, it’s so fucking miserable…”

Logic softened, lifting his arms after a moment to wrap them around Remy. One hand cradled the back of his head as his body trembled against Logan’s and he let out a single, shuddering sob. “I know. We are- I am going to set a more steady sleep schedule. For all of us, including you. Would that be alright?”

Sleep nodded slightly against him, sitting up enough to try and rub his face. Logan lifted a tissue. “May I?” At another nod, he wiped Remy’s eyes, then handed it to him. “Blow. I will return with some water.” He pulled away slowly, then left the room after pausing to glance back.

Upon his return, Logan found Remy still sitting up smirking a little at something on his phone. He tried not to focus on how nice the figment’s eyes looked now that he could actually see them. He offered him the glass of water instead, then slid onto the bed next to him. “Drink at least half,” he advised.

Remy nodded, downed the water according to his orders, then wiped his mouth on the back of his arm. “Thanks, L.”

“No need. Lie back.”

“Dominant, are we?”

“Remy, lie back before I push you.”

“Okay, okay, I’m doing it. No need to get your tie in a twist.” He shifted to lay on his side, eyes still a bit teary. Logan reached out a hand to wipe them away gently. The tears. Remy’s eyes remained stationary. He tugged Remy’s shades from his hair and placed them on the nightstand next to his own glasses.

“Good. Relax, I am going to sleep so that you can. Please take advantage of it.” 

“I will.”

“Good.” Logan closed his eyes, lying down as well. He scooted a bit closer to Remy to wrap an arm over him from behind, no matter how it made his skin burn with heat. No one else was around to see.

“Night, babe,” Remy whispered, and that was the last thing Logan heard until morning.

The next day, the two would share knowing glances while going about their daily tasks. Logan would present his sleep schedule, Remy would deny everything that happened the previous night, and then eventually he would confess the nature of his powers. He would receive shock and some concern, and everyone would abide to Logan’s plan. And everything would be fine.

Everything would be fine.

[those-wings]

They’ll Never Take us Alive - PT. 8 - Star Spangled Man With A Plan

Synopsis: Being the sister of Captain America was easy enough when you were children. Follow him and Bucky around, try to keep him out of trouble, bug him, etc. As you grew up Bucky became so much more than just your older brother’s best friend.

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (eventually), torture elements later on, and some heavier themes that i will put disclaimers on when the time comes. so please 18+ and read with caution.

A/N: Hey guess what, I actually finished a chapter. 

Chapter 8: Star Spangled Man With a Plan

Masterlist

Steve stepped out from behind the curtain, dressed in a skin tight red, white, and blue suit. Strapped to his arm was a shield that had all his lines taped to the back of it. He scowled at me when he noticed the way I was trying to stifle my giggles. 

“Don’t  start,” he warned, pulling his helmet on over his head. The helmet made the costume even worse. 

“Sorry, you just look ridiculous.” Steve rolled his eyes, trying his best to ignore me. 

Steve was among a cast of about fifteen girls, which, knowing him, made him very uncomfortable. The girls wore matching dresses made to compliment Steve’s ridiculous suit. Needless to say theirs looked much less ridiculous, and had the added bonus of showing so much leg you could get lost among them all.  

I watched them get into position, Steve looking more than uncomfortable with all the girls standing around him. I couldn’t imagine he had ever been surrounded by so many women in his life. 

Steve’s appointed assistant, Harold, stepped up beside me. He was a man that was harder to get along with than his appearance projected. He was always dressed well in a suit and tie, his hair always sat flat on his head. Normally he was polite, sometimes a little curt, but always polite. The minute Steve was out of earshot, everything changed. 

“He’s awful, isn’t he?” I rolled my eyes. “I mean I’ve seen him run through this, at least a dozen times, and he never seems to get any better.” 

“Did you forget that Steve is my brother?” I looked over to him, finding a cocky smirk on his face. Something about it was very off putting. 

“How on Earth could I forget that Steve has a gorgeous sister?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling like it needed to be even more covered than it already was. With a scoff I turned my attention back to the stage, where Steve was fumbling through his lines. 

I thought I had made it clear that I wasn’t a fan of him when I brushed his compliment off, but apparently not. He put his hand on the small of my back, a feeling that made my skin crawl. His eyes were dark as he spoke in a low voice. 

“There’s an empty broom closet over there.” My jaw fell open, maybe in disbelief, maybe in disgust, but for sure all anger. 

“No.” 

“Come on, doll.” 

Doll. 

DOLL. 

He had the nerve to call me doll? 

I shot a glare his way, and by the was he chuckled as he removed his hand it didn’t seem to do much. Even with the added bonus of my teeth grinding together, a disgusting angry habit of mine. 

Bucky was the only one who I would ever let call me doll. That was his pet name for me, and it was not to be used by anyone else.

It was a word that to anyone else, would have no meaning. A word that he couldn’t possibly have any inkling of an idea of how much power was behind it. Regardless of his ignorance, it was not a word he was permitted to say. 

“Do not call me doll.” he let out a snort as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“Boys don’t like girls who talk back.” I balled my hands into fists. Every single word that fell from his lips made me happy that Bucky had so many sisters. His mother would smack him if she heard him speak like that to anyone. 

“You realize,” I began, trying to sound calmer than I was. “Steve is the star of this ridiculous show. It would be a real shame if the star of this show had a complaint about his assistant. I can’t imagine you would have a job after that.” 

I didn’t have problems with him again. 

Every night another show. It started, and ended in New York, of course. I made sure I remained useful, knowing that Harold would have me out as soon as he could. I was not going to be sent back home to be alone in a house that was much too big for one person. If that meant running around making sure the girls had everything they needed then so be it. 

I made sure to catch the show every night, never missing a chance to make fun of my brother’s costume. I’d seen the show so many times I could probably sing the song myself. 

As Steve finished off his last show, I collapsed into the nearby couch. I was so happy to be home, though I wasn’t really sure what we were going to do now. What I did know was that I was going to sleep in my own bed tonight. 

The clanging of Steve’s helmet falling to the ground pulled me from my thoughts. 

“You want to go to Tom’s Diner for breakfast?” he asked, taking a seat next to me. 

“Do you even have to ask?” He gave me a smile, which I happily returned. 

Getting to spend all this time with my brother was awesome. I got to joke around with him a lot, which annoyed the hell out of Harold. It was like when we were kids. It took my mind off the anxiety I carried almost every minute of the day. I forgot about Bucky fighting, about how scared I was. Thank god they decided to use Steve as a show girl instead of the soldier he was built to be. 

The curtain hiding the girls’ dressing room was pushed aside, Harold coming out from behind it with a smirk. 

“I just got news from the Mayor,” He announced. 

The last time he had “good news” was when the entire second half of the tour was added. 

“I was excited to have a break, but I guess that’s not happening,” Steve spoke with a sigh. 

“You know what this means?” Steve cocked a questioning eyebrow at me. In the loudest voice I could manage without screaming I started singing. “Who’s strong and brave, here to save the American way?!” 

Steve continued with a grin, just as loud. “Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank, but there's still a way all of us can fight!” Some of the girls, primarily the ones that had taken to goofing around with Steve and I, glanced over at us, suppressing their giggles. 

“Who vows to-” 

“Okay! We get it!” One of my hobbies recently included annoying the hell out of Harold. I was great at it, able to do it without effort. It was an artform. “We’re extending the tour into parts of Europe. A few bases, and some safer areas of the allies.” 

“So much from getting a break,” Steve sighed, his grin long gone from his face. 

“We leave for Italy in two days. From there, England.” My head perked up at the news. When Bucky and I had breakfast he said he was being shipped out to Italy after training. It was hard to believe that morning was only months ago, and not decades. 

“How long will we be gone?” I asked, meeting the eyes of Steve’s ever annoying assistant. I could have done his job ten times better. 

“You,” he said, malice dripping from his voice. “Are not going.” 

“Why not?!” Steve looked between the two of us, eyebrows raised. Despite Steve always picking a fight with someone, he was always very adamant that I not be. However he was smart enough to not get in the middle, as I was stronger than him for most of our lives. He hadn’t quite taken to his new strength and size yet. 

“The mayor is only paying for two tickets. We don’t need an extra person hanging around!” I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to look at Steve, who had a knowing smirk on his face. 

“Well, I guess you’ll be staying here then? While I go to Europe. Don’t need an extra person hanging around.” 

“No-”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” I narrowed my eyes at him, letting him know that this was mine, and I was not giving this up. I wasn’t going to be left behind here again. With a smile on my face, I turned to look at my brother. “Bucky told me that he was being sent to Italy after he was done in training. Maybe we’ll get to go to the one he’s at.” 

While I would give anything to be able to see Bucky, the idea of it being with Steve was still nerve racking. I hadn’t mentioned the fact that we were dating to my brother. Between rehearsals, shows, and photo ops he was under a lot of stress. I decided it was probably in everyone's best interest if I didn’t stress him out more. 

“Yeah he did. I’m sure he’d be excited to see you.” 

I’m sure he would be.

[lovemesomerafael]

Cinderella of Chicago              Chapter 2:  The Search

Chapter 1

Brian sat in the living room of the apartment he shared with Joe Cruz and Sylvie Brett, showing Sylvie the Tabiti headpiece.  They told her the story.  Brian had searched the ChicagoCon Exhibit Hall for the rest of the afternoon, and when he’d met Joe at their pre-arranged rendezvous, Joe had helped him look, too. But no luck.  It was as though the girl Brian had met had disappeared into thin air.  

Sylvie thought it was romantic.  She wasn’t worried; she thought that it would be a simple matter of returning to the Con the next day, and hanging out at the booth where Anthony Lang was scheduled to be taking pictures with fans.  She had been there the day before, she’d be there the next day.  Right?  Brian and Cruz thought it sounded like a good possibility.  

Brian lay in bed that night, thinking back over the day.  Meg had definitely been pretty.  And funny.  He had been impressed with her handling of the emergency with the pregnant woman, too.  They’d seemed to have a lot in common, and he’d enjoyed the time they’d spent together waiting for Anthony Lang.  He liked her. He wanted to see her again.  He was going back to ChicagoCon the next day, and he was going to find her.

*********************

Meg spent the next day remembering ChicagoCon.  She looked through the things she’d bought and started reading one of the books she’d gotten at a booth where the author herself was selling them.  But mostly she thought about Brian.  He had been so good looking, and such a great guy.  She’d really liked that he was a little uncertain, a little awkward, because so was she.  But when it had mattered, he’d handled the situation with the pregnant woman beautifully.  She had really liked him, and she couldn’t imagine what he must think of her.  Worse, she had no way of finding him to let him know what had happened.  

She’d been separated from him, and pushed toward the side of the Exhibition Hall, and had a very difficult time getting back to the location where the woman had collapsed.  She wanted to find Brian, and she needed to get her Tabiti headpiece, but when she’d finally made her way to where she thought her headpiece should be, it wasn’t there.  She pushed her way through the crowd to the booth where Anthony Lang was having pictures taken.  She knew Brian would be there.  

Except that there had been a sign saying the photo op had been cancelled, and Brian was nowhere to be found.  

 *************************

Meg didn’t appear at ChicagoCon on that Sunday.  As disappointed as he’d been the previous day, Brian was far more upset now. He had no way of finding Meg; he didn’t even know her last name.  All he knew was that she was a nurse.  

He thought about putting an ad in the Sun Times, or maybe on Craigslist: We were at ChicagoCon; you were the pretty Tabiti I was hitting on, I was the devilishly handsome Sumendi with the real, working wings. Come try on the headpiece you left behind.  If it fits, let’s get married.  

“C’mon, Otis, it’s OK.  Maybe you’ll run into her somewhere,” Sylvie tried.  He was really bumming.  She tried to ignore the thought in the back of her mind that, if Joe hadn’t also seen this paragon, Sylvie might not even believe she existed.  Sometimes it was a little difficult living with such a hopeless romantic.  

“Yeah, maybe.  I’m going to bed.  We got shift tomorrow.”  

Poor Otis.  “OK,” Sylvie called after him as he headed up the stairs.  “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Cruz grinned a little sadly.  “Poor guy. She was cute.  But he’s never gonna see her again.  Chicago’s just too big.  And who’s to say she’s even from here?  She could be from anywhere – from Minneapolis to Indianapolis.  It’s a big Con.  People come from all over.”

“Well, for heaven’s sake, don’t tell him that right now.”

 ****************

“So you met this guy, and then he just disappeared?”  April Sexton was fascinated.  This could only happen to Meg.  

“Yeah, but…  Well, no. It was kind of me who disappeared, I think.  I got shoved away by the crowd, and when I got back to where he’d been, he was gone. And so was my headpiece.”  

“Ooh, so it’s a clue.  You can tell the police to search for your stolen headpiece.”

Meg scowled at her.  “Don’t you have a life to save or something?”

“OK, sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you.  It’s kind of romantic.  Weird, and dweeby, and a little bit sad, but romantic.”

Meg gave April the finger behind her scrub jacket so no patients would see.  “You are not helping.”  

“Look, I have an idea.  You’re never gonna find this Brian again.  But how about if we get some people together and go to Molly’s after shift? Maybe you’ll meet someone there.”

Meg thought that sounded like a great idea.

*********************

“Hey, Earth to Otis!”  Herrmann shouted, smacking Brian on the back of the head.  

“Oh, wha-  Sorry.”

“I could use a little help with these hoses, Space Cowboy.”

“Yeah, yeah.  Sorry.”

Brian refocused and continued rolling up the hoses they’d been inspecting for damage. Behind him, sitting at the Squad table, Cruz was having a phone conversation with his girlfriend, Chloe. Brian liked Chloe.  He liked that Joe had a girlfriend.  But it was really hard sometimes to be the third wheel. And somehow today, having met a girl he felt really good about and would, in all likelihood, never see again, it was especially hard hearing Cruz talking ridiculous, gooey crap with Chloe.  Brian wanted to talk ridiculous, gooey crap to someone.

He was glad to hear the alarm go off.  He wanted to think about work.  

 ************

Meg had to tell the story another three times at work, and she was tired of it. So when April tried to get her to tell the story to Ethan Choi, she’d begged off.  

“You tell him.  You’ve heard it enough times.”

Maggie Lockwood tried to get her to look on the bright side.  “So, you never see this guy again.  Big deal.  You know he exists, which is proof that guys like that do exist.  So now you just have to find another one.  Only, next time, maybe you should get his phone number right away.  Just in case.”

“Here’s the part I don’t get.  You know this guy’s deepest thoughts on some superhero character who doesn’t exist, but you didn’t think to get the number of his firehouse.”  This from Will Halstead, who really wasn’t in much of a position to be judging anyone on their romantic choices.  

“Leave her alone, Will.  Nerds are… different.”  Maggie and Will shared a laugh that Meg didn’t appreciate.  

“Screw both of you,” Meg said.  “The next round’s on you.  And the next time either one of you has even the slightest hiccup in your love lives, I’m so mocking the shit out of you.”

“That’ll be a nice change,” Will smirked, getting up to get another round of drinks.  

Maggie put a hand on Meg’s shoulder.  “Hey, all kidding aside.  Are you OK?”

“I’m fine,” Meg answered, smiling more bravely than she felt.  “I met the guy once.  I talked him for a grand total of like an hour in my entire lifetime. Pretty sure I’m not going to be joining a convent over this.  But thanks. It’s just hard, you know?  You meet a guy who seems like…  Let’s just forget it.  Let’s talk about something else.”  

 ******************

“I have an idea,” Stella Kidd said across the dinner table at the firehouse. “I have this friend…”

Brian groaned.  “No more blind dates.  No.  I refuse.”

“No, she’s beautiful!  You’ll love her.  Her name’s Gloria and she…”

Kelly Severide broke in.  “Run, Otis. I’ve met Gloria.  Most insecure woman in the world.  She’ll – Ow!”

Kidd had smacked him in the arm, and the sound alone told everyone around the table that it would probably leave a mark.  

“No blind dates.  New subject.” Brian was relieved to see that the conversation moved on.

 The evening was quiet at Firehouse 51.  Somewhere between the time the early sleepers and the night owls went to bed, Herrmann came over to where Brian was reading a computer gaming magazine.  He held his phone in front of the magazine so that Brian could see a picture of a pretty woman about his age.  Brian looked up curiously.

“Cindy’s friend from Zumba.  I’ve met her. She’s normal.  Divorced, no kids, and this picture was actually taken within the last year.  If you want, I can invite you both over for dinner.  Or we could go out.  No pressure.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I’m sick and tired of your long face and your ‘poor me’ attitude.  The sooner you get a girlfriend, the sooner I can stop hearin’ about it.  Whaddaya say?”

Brian sighed.  “Fine. Set it up.”

“Good man.”  

 ****************

Ethan Choi took the barstool just vacated by Maggie as she went to play darts with Will.  

“Hey, Meg, I, um… I’m no good at this stuff, but I do happen to know a guy, if you’re interested in meeting him.  He’s a Navy buddy.  He’s cool. And a totally nice guy.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

Ethan laughed.  “Nothing! He has a job, isn’t fresh off a long-term relationship, not a convicted felon, has a-“

“Wait, not a convicted felon?  Meaning what? He was acquitted?  He wasn’t caught?  What are you telling me here?”

“Look, if you want, I’ll introduce you.  That’s the best I can do.  He’s a good guy.  Really.”

“He doesn’t play the harmonica, does he?”

“I don’t know.  Is that a dealbreaker?”

“Absolutely.”

“OK. Tell you what.  I’ll ask him.  If he doesn’t play the harmonica,” Ethan gave Meg a sideways scowl that was only half mocking, “I’ll invite him out for a drink after shift.  I’ll have him meet me at the hospital.  And if you like him, you can join us.  If not, you don’t come with us and no one’s the wiser.”

“Huh.”  Meg pursed her lips and nodded.  “You’re actually kinda OK at this.”

“High praise.”

“Let me meet him first.  If he’s all right, then you’ll get high praise.  For now, you just don’t suck.”

Ethan shook his head.  “The right guy might not actually be your problem,” he muttered as he returned to his seat next to April.  Meg laughed.

 **************

Dinner with the Herrmanns the following week took place at a restaurant that had pretentions to fine dining, but was pretty much a jumped-up family restaurant.  It was exactly the kind of place Brian would expect Herrmann and Cindy to go for a romantic dinner.  True to Herrmann’s word, Cindy’s friend Theresa looked just like her picture.  She was perky and a little bit of a smart aleck, which Brian liked.  She smelled great, like lavender and some kind of expensive soap, and she had a seemingly endless supply of funny stories about her job working for the State of Illinois. It was a pretty impressive job, too; she was highly placed in some state agency or another, with a great deal of responsibility.  It sounded like she and Brian were fairly well aligned in terms of policy and politics.  

The dinner was long and there was plenty of good wine.  Laughter came easily and frequently.  By the time it was over, Cindy was mentally planning Brian and Theresa’s wedding.  They looked kind of cute together; Theresa’s blonde bob and light blue eyes were a good counterpoint to Brian’s dark hair and eyes, and they were a good height for each other.  Cindy kept kicking Christopher under the table and giving him significant looks.  He just smiled indulgently.  He’d seen this before.  He’d wait for the verdict from Otis.  Still, things looked promising.

Theresa thought Brian was about the cutest thing she’d ever seen.  Of course, that ridiculous sweater would have to go, and he needed… something done about that weird facial hair.  But there was a lot of good raw material to work with there, and he was such a good listener!  She liked that he laughed at her jokes, and she appreciated many of the things he said that let her know where he stood on things that were important to her.

And Brian felt absolutely, positively no chemistry.  

He walked her to her car.  In an awkward exchange he had no clue how to avoid, he put her number into his phone, and she did the same with his.  He didn’t know whether she expected him to kiss her or hug her or whatever, but he did neither. All he really wanted to do was a massive facepalm.  He didn’t do that, either.

When she’d driven away, Herrmann and Cindy attacked.  

“So? Pretty great, huh?  You gonna see her again?  Did you make a date?”  Cindy enthused.

“Well, not exactly-“

“You got her number, though, right?”  Herrmann asked.

“Yeah, yeah.  I got it.”

“And you’re gonna call her, right?”  Cindy prodded, actually physically poking him in the side.

“Yeah.  I guess. Yeah.”

“You do that, Otis.  After this, I don’t wanna hear any more gripin’ about your love life, OK?”

“Sure.  Thanks, Herrmann.”  

Brian waited until he was in his car before he heaved a deep, deep sigh.

 **********

Ethan Choi’s friend was hot.  There was no other word for him.  He had longish blond hair that moved as he did, and eyes of an indescribable color of blue. The color of blue inside a glacier, maybe, or perhaps the color of the sky seen from an airplane above the clouds. Meg had expected him to be in good shape; he was (or had been until recently) in the Navy, after all.  He didn’t disappoint in that area, either.  

So she cheerfully followed the group to Molly’s to get to know him.  When he started nuzzling on the neck of her fellow ER nurse Monique an hour later, Meg shook her head, swallowed the rest of her beer and left just before they did.  

As she walked out the front door of Molly’s, Brian walked in the back door to begin his shift behind the bar.

 *****************

Will Halstead came around the corner, nearly colliding with Meg as she hustled to her car accident patient’s room carrying a chest tube tray.  Deftly avoiding the crash, Meg muttered something rude but kept going.  Her patient was in a bad way, and she needed to get back to Baghdad so Ethan could place the chest tube.  

Will continued into the treatment room, tablet in hand, to let Brian know his lab results.  “You’re gonna need some FFP, and you’re gonna need to see your hematologist as soon as we can get you in.  But it doesn’t look like you’re bleeding anywhere crucial, it’s just a lot of bruising this time.”

Brian looked at the large, dark bruise on his right shoulder.  “You sure?  ‘Cause this looks bad.  And I don’t even know what I did.”

“C’mon, Otis, you know how ITP works.  It could’ve been just a little tap on your shoulder, but when your blood’s not clotting right, this is what you get.  That’s what the FFP is for.  We’ll get that in and get you set up with your hematologist, get your meds adjusted, and you’ll be fine.  You’ve done really well with your diagnosis.  Don’t lose heart.”

Brian sighed.  “All right. Fine.  It’s just… scary.”

“I know.  But you’re OK.  I’ll have Monique get you that FFP.”

 Unfortunately, the patient who had been in the car accident didn’t make it. The team had worked for hours, and tried everything possible, as evidenced by the chaos of far-flung debris Meg and Maggie were cleaning up.  They tried to make the trauma room as normal and placid as possible for the family, who would be coming in to say their goodbyes to the patient once she was ready for them to see her.  When they had the room as good as it was going to get, Meg went to the desk to chart on the patient while Maggie went to the waiting room to escort the grieving family to their loved one.

Monique walked over to the desk, searching around the computer where Meg was working. “What are you looking for?”  

“Some paperwork for Zvonecek, my ITP patient?  You seen it?”  Monique asked.

“No. Sorry.”

“Otis was here?”  Maggie asked, arriving at that moment.

“Yeah.  Left about half an hour ago.  He’s fine. Just some bruising, needed some FFP. But I can’t find that paperwork.” Monique continued her search, moving along to the other side of the desk.

 *******************

A week later, Sylvie Brett and Emily Foster brought a kid to the ER with smoke inhalation.  The kid was doing poorly, but the fire was out and they wanted to stick around and see how the little boy did.  While they waited for his latest blood gas results, they had a cup of coffee with Meg and April, just catching up.  

“How’s everybody at 51?”  April asked.

“Oh, you know.  The same. Herrmann’s freaking out about a health department inspection at Molly’s, and Otis has a broken heart,” Sylvie answered, smiling affectionately.  

“Oh, no!  Who broke Otis’s heart this time?”  April laughed.

“Some girl he barely met.”

“Hey, Meg had that same thing happen to her.  We should get these two together.”  

Meg held up her hands.  “No way. I’m entirely done with blind dates, and I’ve heard too many Otis stories.  Leave me out of it.  Poor shmuck sounds like a trainwreck.”  

“No, he’s cute, though.  He’s my roommate, I can vouch for him.”

“Then you date him.  I’m going to check on Tyler’s O2 sat.”  Meg went into the little boy’s room before she could get roped into another humiliating experience like she’d had with her friend’s cousin Harold or Ethan’s Navy friend.

The little boy, Tyler, eventually stabilized and was admitted, so Brett and Foster left to return to the firehouse.  It had been a while since they’d all had a chance to talk, though, so they decided to meet at Molly’s the following Friday, the next time they’d all be off shift.  

 *****************

Molly’s was packed.  It was a Friday night, for one thing, and it also happened to be payday for City of Chicago employees, so everyone was in a good mood.  Besides which, the first snowflakes of the season had just begun to fall outside.

Brian was hustling down in the storage room, trying to make sense of a delivery that had come in late that afternoon and keep up with the continual calls for re-stocking that kept coming from up in the bar.  He hauled a case of bottled IPA up the stairs, then turned to set it heavily down on the floor behind the bar.  As he did, he thought he caught a glimpse of a familiar dark copper hair color.  He did a quick double-take, but whoever it had been had melted into the standing-room-only crowd.  Besides, by this time, he was pretty sure he’d imagined the girl he’d met at ChicagoCon, Tabiti headdress or not.  He knelt down and began loading the bottles of ale into the cooler.  

Meg blinked, then turned slowly around.  She thought she saw…  No.  When she looked behind the bar, the only people tending it were Herrmann and Stella, and another bartender she didn’t know.  Good grief.  Now I’m hallucinating.  This might be a good night to just curl up with a book.

Meg returned to her table with a fresh round of drinks.  Sylvie was gushing about her new boyfriend, Kyle, a CFD chaplain, of all things.  She really liked him, and it appeared he liked her just as much.  Foster was excited about some girl she’d met at a training the week before, who was supposedly going to show up at Molly’s tonight.  Things seemed to be heating up for Ethan and April again, and even Will was apparently interested in an FBI agent who had been involved in the case in which he’d been kidnapped on the day he was supposed to marry Natalie Manning.  Meg felt lonely, even in a pressing crowd of people, most of whom she knew.  

Brian noticed Kelly and Stella making goo goo eyes at each other over the bar, not an uncommon occurrence these days, but not something he was really in a mood to appreciate when he was as busy as he was, and when he was feeling kind of left out.  Everyone seemed to be in love.  The Chief was sitting a couple of stools down from Severide, flirting with his wife, who was sitting next to Matt Casey and the reporter he was seeing since they’d been investigating those trailer fires together.  Even Capp, at the far end of the bar, was having a very cozy discussion with a guy who seemed to be very interested, given their body language.  Definitely time to get back downstairs and get some more of that delivery sorted.

When Emily Foster’s new crush showed up, Meg decided it was time to go.  She was really not feeling this night.  The girl, Amanda, was adorable, and seemed to be quite into Emily.  Not only that, but she was great.  Everyone liked her.  Yeah, it was definitely time for Meg to call it a night.  She couldn’t even be happy for her friends.  

“Hey, guys, I’m gonna head out,” Meg announced as she finished her beer.

“What, so soon?”  Sylvie asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I’m exhausted.  Long week. I’ve got a hot date with my pillow. Sorry.”

Meg pulled on her peacoat as everyone said their goodbyes, shouting over the din of the masses crammed into Molly’s.  She tried to smile, which actually wasn’t as hard as it could have been, because she was pretty relieved to be getting out of there.  

The stack of boxes of dry goods wasn’t going to make it through the gauntlet behind the bar to the storage closet on the other side.  Not with the extra buckets of ice and boxes of bottled beer back there, to say nothing of the bartenders running around trying to serve the capacity crowd.  Brian decided he needed to wheel his hand truck out the back door and around to the front.  He’d still have to make it past a lot of people, but it was a short distance, and he didn’t think they’d mind moving out of his way.  Everyone was having a pretty good time.  Everyone but him, that was.  

He pulled the hand truck up the stairs and out onto the sidewalk at the side of the bar, then headed to the corner of the building.

Meg waved at those who caught her eye, dipping her shoulder and turning to the side to slip through the partying throng to the door.  Gratefully, she pulled it open and stepped out into the much cooler air outside, where fat snowflakes were lazily swirling down through the night air and just beginning to whiten the sidewalks.  She stood for a second, taking a deep breath of the fresh air and admiring the prettiness of the snowflakes in the light of the streetlamp.

Hearing a noise to her right, she turned to see a hand truck emerge around the corner of the building.  Behind it, also looking up at the snow, was Brian.  Brian from ChicagoCon.  

Meg sucked in her breath in surprise, catching his attention.  Brian stopped in his tracks, the look on his face mirroring the shock on her own.

“Brian?”  Meg asked, her brows drawn together as if she couldn’t quite make sense of what she was seeing.

“It’s you,” he said, rather obviously.  And then he smiled.

That smile was all it took to let Meg know that this was, in fact, the man she’d met at ChicagoCon and come to believe she’d never see again.  Laughter bubbled up from a sudden sense of the impossibility of this happening, and the joy that it actually was.

“I thought I imagined you.  I looked for you everywhere,” she said breathlessly.

“Me, too.  I even went back the next day.  I…  I have your helmet.  Headpiece.  Whatever.” His smile was dazzling, and Meg found his sudden gawky insecurity as charming as anything he’d done so far.  

“Yeah, I…  Who are you?  What are you doing here?”  

Brian laughed adorably.  “I work here. I’m one of the owners.”

“But I know all the owners.  Except one, and his name is Otis.”

Now Brian really laughed, and ran a hand through his thick, black hair.  “That’s me.  I’m Otis.  I mean, they call me that.  It’s not my name or anything.”

”You’re Otis?  That’s you?  But I’ve been hearing about you forever.  How come we never met?”

“I don’t know.  Do you come here a lot?”

“Are you kidding?  I work in the ER at Med.  I’m here all the time with the crew.”

Brian shook his head.  “This is incredible.  We know, like, all the same people.  How have we never met before this?”

“Well… we have.”  Meg smiled happily and Brian set the hand truck up on its base, leaning on the handle.

“I guess that’s right,” he said.  “And now here we are.  So, listen… would you want to come in?  Have a drink with me?”

“No.”

His face fell.  “Oh, I… sorry…”

“I’m not moving from this spot until you put your phone number in my phone.  And your name.  Your whole name.  And an address.  Just in case.  Do you have an emergency contact?  Put them in, too.”

There came that blinding smile again.  He pulled his phone out of his back pocket as she pulled hers from her jacket.

“It’s Zvonecek.  Brian Zvonecek.”  

“Oh, boy.  Here, put it in my phone.  I’ll have to work on pronouncing that.”

“What’s yours?”

“Armstrong.”

“That one, I think I can handle.”

They traded phones and put their contact information in.  

“Za-von-eh-check, huh?  What’s that, Polish?”

“Russian.”  Brian said something in Russian and Meg felt a definite weakness in her knees.

“I have no idea what you just said, but whatever it was, it was… wow.”

“Well, if you liked that, I got a whole lot more to say to you.  How about that drink?”

“Lead the way.  Otis.”

“You call me Otis, I call you Margaret.”

“Yikes.  You play hardball.”

“Just letting you know the rules.”

[tonotbelionized]

Volume 7, Episode 3: Ace Operatives

I’ve now resigned to my fate of pushing out reviews a week after the actual episode came out. Still, at least other fans will have watched it before reading, so let’s just jump right in!

It seems that the episodes are gradually declining for me this volume. I didn’t expect the third episode to be as good as the third episode of Volume 6, as that was my favourite out of the entire series. The bar was too high, so I didn’t hold out too much hope to avoid being disappointed, and it seems that I made the right choice.

Onto the positives first, the biggest thing that I liked in this episode was the whole arc surrounding Ozpin and Ruby lying to Ironwood. The girls are moving away from the hive mind they all had in the previous volume, with different sides and views being taken. Yang and Oscar are not all that happy with Ruby lying, while Weiss and Blake acknowledge that they couldn’t trust Ironwood with how far mentally he’s fallen.

Like I said in my previous review, Ruby isn’t really in the right or the wrong for this. It’s certainly hypocritical given that they were quick to demonize Ozpin for lying yet deciding that lying and withholding information is actually a good choice to make, but you can understand why she thought she had to do it. 

Yang is really interesting in this scene. I’m not angry with her, she’s my favourite character, so I’m more intrigued why she was the one to pipe up about Ruby lying. Yang is one who has a secret too, Raven being the Spring Maiden. It’s a serious secret to keep given that Raven is essential to Salem’s plan, and with Cinder still kicking around and knowing Raven’s secret, I’m sure it’ll come up eventually.

Even if the information can’t be used right then and there, it’s not really Yang’s secret to keep, and she can’t get angry at others for lying when she’s lying by omission. Eventually, the group will have to learn that Raven’s the Spring Maiden and that Yang knew, but I’m not mad because this is an interesting flaw for Yang to have.

And Oscar’s question was amazing. Isn’t that exactly what Ozpin did to us?

By Ruby’s reaction, she seems to know that she’s doing what Ozpin did, what the group shouted and derided him for, and this is the perfect thing for Ruby to grow. She can’t be naive anymore, she has to realise that being the leader means that she will have to make choices that aren’t always what’s right, and that she will make mistakes. 

Moving on from that, I can safely say that CRWBY has bumped the Ace Ops in my list of favourite characters. I especially love Marrow, he reminds me more of Louis from The Walking Dead Game, and his and Harriet’s relationship is funny and cute. The fact that the Ace Ops clearly outrank the protagonists very much drives home that, no matter what they did to get there, they still have a long way to go before they can match the older Huntsmen, and Salem’s group. 

A bit of world building in this episode is nice. The implied connection between the mine explosion and the explosion that killed Ilia’s parents make it feel connected, and that Ilia isn’t just thrown into the void now that she’s no longer useful. 

Also, I will admit that some of the outfits don’t look so bad in motion, compared to still images. The first one would be Jaune’s hair. I don’t know what happened, but the person responsible picked the most unflattering angle for him when they first showed the models, but now that he’s moving around and showing it in different angles.

The same could be said for Weiss’ braid. In some angles, it looks fine, but then when you see it when she’s looking straight ahead or showing more of the right side of her face, you can see just how awkward and clumsy it looks. It’s too far from her head, it’s rendered poorly, and I still don’t like it. Overall, they are still my least favourite outfits in the series and CRWBY really dropped the ball on them. 

The final positive I can say is that Tyrian continues to be my favourite villain in the volume. I missed him and was happy when he was in Volume 6, so now that he’s given more screen time and room to move without the surplus of villains bogging the pacing down, he continues to be up there in character and writing.

Onto the negatives, and there were plenty that lowered the overall quality of the episode for me.

On top of her design being my least favourite of the group, Blake’s change being the only one to be acknowledges is... ugh. I actually think that Yang’s flustered attempts to compliment her was cute, but I don’t like that Blake’s change was the only one to be acknowledged, and that Yang was the only one who noticed. Weiss and Ruby changed their hair too, they’ve all changed their looks, it’s stilted and awkwardly done when it could’ve been a nice scene between the girls.

While I enjoyed the dust mine exposition, there were a few things that annoyed me.

Firstly was Weiss blaming herself for what the Schnee Dust Company, and therefore her father, did. This becomes a problem when we’ve had a whole song and dance in Volume 4 about how Weiss isn’t responsible for her father’s crimes, that she isn’t a bad person just because she was born a Schnee, but now she feels complacent in the company’s subjugation of the Faunus when she was just an abused child with no real power?

And Blake just doesn’t say anything. She puts her hand on Weiss’ shoulder and comforts her, but she doesn’t actually say that Weiss isn’t responsible for what the SDC is doing. 

On top of that, the two Faunus that were actively affected by the discrimination and the SDC in Atlas are not there. 

Ilia lost her parents in that dust mine explosion, becoming an orphan, and had to hide who she was in a deeply racist society, even more so than Beacon. Her friends weren’t like Blake’s friends, they actively badmouthed the Faunus, calling them racist slurs that Ilia had to join in on or risk being outed. This is her home, her experience, and she’s not there. She’s instead shoved out of the show because there was no room for her, even when CRWBY continued to add one off characters that ultimately take up space.

Adam was branded. He was enslaved by the SDC from when he was a child, likely has no parents of his own, and it ultimately cost him his sanity. This Volume could've had a villain who was personally connected to the SDC and the Faunus racism, but instead he was killed off just after showing that he was horribly subjugated, and now we’re floating around with no real villain to tie this all together.

All we have is Blake. A Faunus who isn’t from Atlas, who lived on an island surrounded by her own kind, in a mansion, has two loving parents, and has never come into contact with the SDC until she fought them in the White Fang, meaning that she never met them when she was in a position of vulnerability. Her abuse at Adam’s hands had nothing to do with her Faunus heritage, her friends are all understanding, even after Weiss’ racist gremlin tendencies in Volume 1 which she grew out of, and now she’s the only Faunus that’s in Atlas and connected to this arc.

CRWBY really wrote themselves into a corner with this, and it’s telling that Miles and Kerry wrote this one given this wildly out of character moment.

Moving on, the scene with Qrow and Clover was alright. Up until the talk about his Semblance. 

It’s so awkwardly worded and clunky, and it’s strange that Qrow would tell Clover straight away when it took him seventeen years to tell Ruby and Yang. People try to say that it’s because he was on a mission and Clover needed to know, but that’s still wierd given that it paints Qrow as someone who would rather keep his Semblance a secret from his niece, who’s put herself on this dangerous mission because he told her that Cinder was from Haven and that’s where he’s going next, and stay away from her even when she was in danger.

Ruby nearly died when she was attacked by Tyrian, Qrow barely reached her in time, but if he was honest and stayed with her throughout the journey to look out for her, and tell her his secrets like he expects Ozpin to do, then he would’ve been there from the moment Tyrian attacked. 

But he tells Clover immediately. Sure.

On the topic of Clover, I have to say this. I don’t like him. He’s really boring and I find myself caring for the rest of the Ace Ops way more than him. His weapon is dumb, his personality is just meh, but the positive is that his design is pretty cool. He has the Ace Ops uniform to tie him to his team, but with his own twist. I like all the good luck charms on his person, even if it does scream in your face that he’s meant to be lucky.

I’m sure no one was surprised when he said his Semblance was Good Luck. It’s as obvious as Qrow “Bad Luck Charm” Branwen and Leonardo “He’s the Cowardly Fucking Lion” Lionheart.

So that’s it for the episode. It’s certainly my least favourite of the Volume so far, given that it’s full of really annoying scenes that pull down the good, the fight with the Giest was over pretty quickly given how menacing they made it look in the trailer, and character moments that made me roll my eyes to the back of my skull.

Still better than “So That’s How It Is”, though.

Episode Rating: 6 / 10