#woah guys it seems we hit the mark. better get on writing

[yael-art-den]

God I love Karim now. World's worst sacrificial lamb. He finally gets the chance to get all the love he ever wanted, the approval and acceptance of his family and Order only if he becomes a martyr, and then... he isn't able to do it. He wants it so bad, to be finally free of all expectations AND get unconditional love for once, but when push comes to shove he isn't capable of accepting it. He doesn't want to die but he cannot keep living like this. ZERO likes and I'll start writing his backstory here in choppy english just to share it.

[dailytatsu]

Heya! Can I request an Aether/Lumine & reader?

So reader is basically an immortal half-elf who've lived for centuries and a well refined fighter. Well at the beginning even tho they volunteered to tag along on traveler's journey to find their sibling, reader is rather obnoxious and a lazy-dork who only help when actually needed. But as the journey continues, they began to act like traveler's bodyguard after witnessing (archon quest spoiler!) traveler almost getting killed by the Shogun? And maybe random shenanigans happen between them (ft.Paimon). I don't mind if you do either Aether or Lumine if you feel pressured 🙏

Hi! This kind are my favorites! Tysm for requesting! (๑>◡<๑)

I did this with Aether since he is my favorite is who I chose, and I feel more comfortable writing with guys than with girls.

I know they have some different personalities but I can help but see Lumine as the all mighty abyss princess.

Hope you enjoy!

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Aether & Half-elf! Reader

GN! Reader

Inazuma Archon Quest Spoilers!

Request are open; sorry for any mistakes!

Genshin Impact Masterlist

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Aether always thought that immortality brought with it wisdom, beings who live for much longer than an ordinary human tend to gain an understanding of life and changes in the world after years of appreciating the passing of the ages.

But when he met you he couldn't help but feel that all his beliefs were based on fiction and old rumors from other worlds. You were anything but wise, not even his first choice to be the voice of reason.

Even Paimon takes her role as his guide seriously.

But what was so wrong about you that get him on his nerves all the time? And most important, why does is he still dealing with you?

To be fair, maybe he was waiting a little too much from you. After all, he always forget that you still have half of a human’s nature.

“Mmh? What are you doing?” You asked Aether the first time he removed your hair from your ears to see if they were pointy. They were, and Paimon yelled kind of a objection when she realize she had to pay for losing their bet.

Not a human, not a elf, but a hybrid between them.

The first encounter was really something he would never forget. Rumors about treasures and requests from the guild made them follow some clues to find a cave that was marked as lost, impossible to enter and explore.

But “impossible” is a word that doesn’t exist their vocabulary. Yet is common that regretting comes along when you’re that bold and risky.

At the very end of that strange cave there wasn’t a treasure waiting, not even a new clue to keep going with the mystery. Instead, was a humanoid silhouette, they seemed to be meditating, not showing a single interest in their voices neither getting nervous because of Aether and Paimon taking some steps forward to have a better look.

But they were breathing, and both could see the pupils moving slightly under their eyelids. Eyebrows twitching now and then, like they were having a nightmare, one of which they couldn’t wake up.

Paimon encouraged him to get even closer to shake that person's shoulder, while she was hiding behind some rocks, obviously.

Aether summoned his sword and then he approached slowly until touching them with his fingertips, waiting for some kind of jumpscare.

The stranger raised their arm, carefully but also in a robotic way. Their fingers were tense, as much that it was painful just looking at them. Like a quiet call, like a order that couldn’t be heard, from the pile of rocks where Paimon was hiding something emerge, breaking through the stone and letting a rusty polearm to be seen.

Their fingers closed around the weapon, bringing them back to reality.

“Master and weapon, reunited again, rise so the world can meet their end!”

Or at least that's what he would have preferred to find. A servant guarding a lost relic, a soulless body moving by a curse, perhaps even a fate that death could not prevent.

But instead it was something really underwhelming, something that broke the mystical and strange atmosphere. That person opened their eyes, annoyed by the light of the torches and disoriented by the situation.

With their body in pain and numb at the same time, how long have they slept in that position?

The first thing they did after waking up was sneezing.

‘So much dust…’

Never accepting missions for exploring legendary caves ever again. Nope. Negative. He refuse to.

What if they find another (Y/N)? Thanks, but no. One is more than enough.

“So what you mean is that your parents' families exiled you and locked you up in the cave for being an ‘abomination’ to both species?” Paimon confirmed once the three of you were back in the surface again. Her hands moving side to side to explain -in a very expressive way- everything you told them.

“It seems that we found the remains of an ancient race that used to exist in Teyvat.” Aether said, still surprised by the way you roamed to feel the wood of the trees and the grass under your bare feet. Kind of heartbreaking.

“Like the boar we found with Xiangling!”

He wasn’t sure if it was okay to compare both encounters but he could see her point.

“… ‘Wait for us’, they told me, ‘think about your existence and find the answer to why your conception is not the atrocity that everyone says you are. May their words not reach you, because we have long ears to hear the words of the gods and not the ones of those who defile earth’… ” You pronounced after decades of not needing to use the language you were taught, with one hand on your chin and eyes closed to concentrate. All you had left was the few memories you preserved inside your mind and heart.

“With ‘they’ you mean your parents?”

You nodded.

“And what happened next?… ” Asked back the tiny companion of the blond guy that rescued you.

“I got bored and I fell asleep.” You admitted, carefree about it, shrugging your shoulders and sighing.

A total waste of your youth.

“Eh!? Then you didn’t thought about those things? That sounded important!” Paimon seemed disappointed for your answer, while Aether held his forehead, without having a clue of how he was supposed to react.

That was the day you joined their party! New team member, (Y/N) strikes in!

Or something like that,,

“H-Hey! We could use a hand over here!… woah!” The little white girl scold you but from your high sit on the top of a big rock only a exaggerated yawning can be heard. Paimon crossed her arms to almost immediately duck down to dodge a fire bullet from the Fatui. Aether didn’t say anything, he was concentrated fighting.

“Oh, yeah… You’re doing great. Go, Aether, go…”

“Was that supposed to be a cheering?!”

“Hey, calm down” You said “He doesn’t need my help. Just take a look, he’s an adventurer. If I meddle it will be really boring for him.”

“Hmp! Now Paimon believes that you were lying when you said that you were a well refined fighter!” She was floating around you, ignoring the battle of his blond friend. Like a pesky bee, the only thing you did was avoiding her furious gaze. “Don’t ignore Paimon! How can you not hear with those ears!? That’s it! Paimon will give you a ugly nickname!”

“What about ‘extinct deaf elf-der’?”

“Yeah, that’s a good one!” She agreed immediately, then she shook her head, pointing at you like a guilty criminal. “Wait, Paimon doesn’t need your suggestions!”

When the last Fatui was defeated Aether turned back to face both of you, sighing because of the new arguing between you two. His sword disappeared and some steps were took to get closer.

Your eyes met each other, a slight smile in your face after looking him safe and sound. So confident but so unaware of the remain danger hiding. Your expression became a surprised one, then your gaze sharped like a killer sight.

You left Paimon on top of the rock when you jumped down, summoning your own weapon you ran straight to where Aether was. The traveler panicked just a fraction of second before loosing sight of you.

Next thing they know was that a you were behind him, facing at the nothing with a defensive pose, just a second of silence before a impact could be heard. Some dirt and dust was lift as the pair of Fatui Pyro Agents became visible again. They stayed there, defeated in one hit.

“Like I said. It would be pretty boring if I meddle...” Aether and Paimon were shocked, none of them felt their presence, not even the heat of the pyro delusion. Your weapon disappeared in the air, and your hands rested on your waist. “Dear Seven, that was intense.” Looking at your friends you sighed, with the laziness on your body language. “It was my turn to cook dinner, right? What a pain having to eat again… ”

Acting that relaxed after that really made them went Ô_Ô and Ö

A silent speech, where devotion and gratitude are the best topics of conversation. The message that is heard even if there’s no words in between. Just a exchange of gazes. Little signs of affection that are shown when it’s necessary.

Your family was gone. No clues about their whereabouts could’ve found in that cave of where you came. Not even the skeletons of a couple holding their hands and petrified in a sobbing position. Not even ashes.

When you have been thinking about the most unimportant things in the universe for so long you can deal with the lost faster than anyone else. Getting the idea of no remain evidence of your parents and feeling that it wasn’t that heartbreaking.

Maybe because you gained a new family almost immediately.

Still you could empathize with Aether, he still had his precious memories with his sister, still remember her face and her voice. And most important was that he knew that she was still roaming Teyvat, waiting for him.

Even if they leave behind Paimon and you at the end of the trip.

Or even if they just leave you behind.

‘I’m okay with that.’

You thought, stroking Paimon’s hair when her head found a comfortable place to rest in your lap. You thought, moving your shoulder so Aether wouldn’t have neck pain. Both sleeping peacefully and you staying awake night by night.

You’ve slept enough, for so long besides.

Somehow the flames of the campfire are warmer now that you have someone to look how the fire dance in the night.

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“I see, so you were serious when you told me that your companion was a mystical extinct creature, weren’t you?” Albedo’s hand went up to hold his chin, analyzing you from distance.

“They are half of it, actually.” Aether answered back, notice how Sucrose was asking you permission to check your features. The sparkle in her eyes made you accept her petition after feeling with the back against the wall.

“Your ears are like mine! Look, look!” Klee pulled your shirt, then she pointed at the side of her head.

“… Still the shape of both are quite different, the length too.”

Years of isolation really are hitting hard right now. You felt overwhelmed and somehow shy when Sucrose hold your face to have a better look.

You follow the traveler to everywhere, no matter the place, you were there. Like a shadow, sometimes just a spectator, other times like an actual active team member.

“Who would’ve tell that our Honorary Knight also has his own knight watching his back.” Kaeya’s voice has that joke but charming tone, as always.

Day after day, it’s the same, everyone talking you through Aether. Like some kind of translator.

“More like a human shield.” Your hand landed on top of Aether’s head, not agreeing with his explanation.

Bonk.

“I guess everything’s better than being Emergency Food.”

“Hey!”

“Haha! You three are quite a team, aren’t you?”

Of course you were. Mondstadt, Liyue, you name it. You could assure that every place in this two nations have at least one story about the team.

You knew that the most brave and magnificent outlander in Teyvat didn’t need a guardian, he can defend himself (somehow even if he’s still using that dull blade).

Bodyguarding also sounds like such a hassle…

You only provide a last resource help when was needed, sometimes also helping with some puzzles and mysteries.

The long eared people was known to be wise and smart people that searched for the full comprehension of the world. Also such a nerds and fans of knowledge. So, even if you considered yourself dumb, in your blood was the instinct of looking for the truth, and sometimes that impulse could be really annoying.

You were always near enough to reach him. Pulling his scarf from behind to move him away from danger. Countering after he gets hit.

Always in a place where you could reach him.

You just needed to extend your arm and you would catch Aether. It was always like this. Always with you jumping in the middle of the crossfire to shield them if it was necessary.

It’s always like this.

Until the day you three set a foot in Inazuma’s land. And a bad feeling of a imminent catastrophe made your shiver.

A new nation, a new problem to solve. But a war? Boldness and stupidity sometimes looks like the same thing, but no matter how many times you repeat this to Aether, he would still ran into problems.

And you would follow him, until your debt is paid, until his travel is done.

It used to be like this.

But then you failed him after being unable to move because of the fear that paralyzed your body. The day Aether faced Shogun Raiden in the ceremony. The day you heard the broken voice of a god inside the Shogun you also fell apart. It was painful, cruel, a void of anger and sadness.

Jumping into danger, without you behind.

You tried to ran between the goddess and your savior, you tried to get closer to at least be useful one last time as the shield you promised to be.

You tried.

But, for the first time, your hand didn’t reach him.

The void of despair and darkness that could be heard inside the Shogun devoured him.

The tears of panic and fear in Paimon’s eyes. The way the Shogun lifted her sword to end his life. The way you were paralyzed because of her presence, forced to be part of the crowd and presence his execution.

That day your facade of laziness faded away, the real feeling of being a knight burnt along your proud. It was so annoying, it was so unnecessary, but still you couldn’t ignore it.

“Are you… are you sure that you’re okay? We don’t have to find the Sangonomiya resistance today. If you need to rest then-” Your hands were shaking when you placed them in Aether’s shoulders, holding yourself for tearing up.

“We have to keep going. I’ll be fine.”

“Besides, if we stay near Inazuma this night they could find us! Paimon won’t be able to sleep like that!” Your mouth opened to counter their arguments, but not a single word dared to go against Aether’s plans.

They could see it in your face. The worry, the remains of shock and fear, the guilty.

“Don’t try to look strong then. If you get tired, tell us. I can carry you in my back.” Even if you were offering help your voice was serious, so cold but so hurt at the same time that nor Aether or Paimon knew what to said to bring the old you back.

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“… Aren’t you coming?” You could hear how the door was slid to let him saw you. The lighted spots on Aether’s clothes were purple, just as the lighting that almost end him. Your lips made a concerned and stressed grimace.

The young traveler took a seat next to you, outside the structure, sitting on the wooden steps and looking at the starry sky. The wind was cold but still the soldiers of the resistance were talking normally and the slight feeling of discommodity because of the excessive presence of other people was climbing up your back.

“(Y/N), there’s no need of guard us every night. You also need to sleep.”

“I'm not tired, I think I've gotten enough sleep, at least not to need it until the next century.”

Aether’s expressions went into a sarcastic one, asking if you were serious with just his gaze.

“That’s not how it works.” He said, trying to change the mood. “And if it does, then why are you always snoozing during the day in every chance you get?”

You had the answer to that, but you weren’t sure about telling him.

“Because everything supposed to be boring. Nothing really changed a lot and… looking at the familiar places was depressing.” So easy, so simple, but still enjoying the company, still enjoying the sound of theirs laughs and their own shenanigans. “… Lately, I’ve been thinking that I should not had left the cave. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that you two helped me to be back at the surface, and I really want to help you on your journey, but if you still run into the chaos by own decision I think I could not follow you any longer before being a burden in your adventures.”

Overprotection, an unbreakable shield, frequently avoiding fights, always being pulled back to not be part of the battle. Enemies of the braveness of the traveler.

Worry, panic, an overreaction due to fear of loosing everything again.

‘let me do it’, ‘I got it’, ‘wait here’, ‘don’t get close’.

These day could be described like that.

“So, before I do something worse as an excuse of defend you, please let me find a cave to await. You do what’s is needed and… call me back, or leave me there, anything you think it’s better… ”

You could be pronouncing the words from the very bottom of your heart, but still your face was the same seriousness as the accident almost happened.

And even with that you felt his gloved hand removing the hair that was covering your right ear, revealing how it slightly leaned down, showing sadness unwittingly.

“Hey, cut it out… I’m serious about this… ”

“It doesn’t matter if you think that it’s the best option, you’re still sad about leaving.”

“… That’s cheating.” Removing his hand away from your hair you tried to act indifferent.

“You know the reason why we invited you to came along?”

‘You felt sorry for me.’

“I can’t totally tell the exact reason, but it wasn’t for you to pay us some kind of debt because of saving you.” He crossed his arms, looking at the stars, wondering if his sisters was doing the same. “We don’t need a guardian, we need our friend back. And I know you care about Paimon and me, but still you must enjoy the journey. It’s not fair that you are always aware of every potential danger while we mess around lately.”

An eternal silence, your response is late to appear but somehow Aether can tell that you already have something on your mind.

“Then apologize.”

“… Why?”

“For believing that playing as the hero and jumping to face the Shogun was something you had to do.”

“… but-”

Neither Aether nor you slept that night, the blonde had to listen for hours to all the things that you ever wanted to complain about since you arrived in Inazuma.

You made your position on joining the army of the rebellion very clear, you had no intention of fighting to seek "justice" or "peace". Because after all, that fight did not correspond to you, but if he asked you to, you would protect some soldiers or help to guard the barracks, if he asked you to, you wouldn’t complain about it (at least not that much).

Both had enough of each other’s attitude, but it was okay. Because that was what all of you chose in first place.

[sideofmango]

Okay, I know I already sent you another request, but this one...I just had to drop this one on ya. Can I request Bakugo, Hawks, Shinsou, and Dabi’s reaction to seeing their black s/o getting hit on in the most cringiest, fetishizing way while they’re standing next to them? Since the s/o is dating them, they know the things that should and shouldn’t be said to a black person, but the weirdo goes to them and says things along the lines of:

“Do you taste as chocolatey as you look?”

“Lemme conquer you in the bedroom”

“Twerk on me like Megan Thee Stallion”

And “Our kids are going to be great athletes”

Like the she is just stunned into mortified silence since she couldn’t process the audacity for someone to say something so disgusting. She’ll let her man’s handle it cuz the last thing she needs is to be charged with homicide.

(Trust me, writing those lines hurt me but not as much as it hurt when I was told these things 🤢)

“Why Don’t You Just Do Us All a Favor and Shut Up?”

You don’t understand how many times a trashy guy has said something like this to me thinking I would find it cute or attractive. So gross! As a society we need to do better and stop sexualizing and fetishizing black women and girls.

also the gif has nothing to do with this, I just thought it was cute.

Anyways...starts below the cut!

Warnings: swearing, fetishization of black women and girls, sleazy trashy guys, protective boyfriends, sexual implications

“Katsu, can we get ramen at that new place that just opened up the street?” (y/n) questioned, her (eye color) eyes wide with anticipation.

“Ok.” The usually explosive blonde agreed, snaking his larger hand into her slightly smaller one. (y/n) had finished training earlier and since it was a light day, Bakugou had suggested they walk around the downtown area. “It’s over this way, right?” (y/n) nodded simply, looking around at the different shops they passed on their way to the new ramen restaurant.

Ever since Katsuki had begun dating the black girl, he had calmed down significantly, though only around her...with everyone else he was just as explosive as he always was. The black girl was fiercely protective over her friends and especially Katsuki, though he didn’t really need it; probably a part of her tiger quirk, though it came off as more endearing than annoying.

“What are you gonna order?” She wondered, making small conversation as they waited to cross the street.

“What I always order.” He answered simply.

“The spiciest thing on the menu.” (y/n) and Katsuki said at the same time, (y/n) rolling her eyes with a smile.

“You won’t have any taste buds left if you burn them all off.” She teased as Katsuki rolled his crimson eyes at her, holding her close to him as they continued to wait.

A whistle caught the couple’s attention, Bakugou’s eyes narrowing as they fell on two boys standing at a shop located behind where they were standing. The two boys looked the same age if not a little older than (y/n) and Katsuki, the taller one had lime green hair and matching lime colored eyes. His pale face had a smirk plastered on it. The slightly shorter of the two had pink hair the color of bubble gum, lavender eyes focusing on the black girl, a smirk on his face also.

Despite (y/n) usually being confident, there was something highly uncomfortable about the way they were eyeing her that made her uneasy.

“Hey Riku, you think she’d go for someone like me? You know I have a thing for exotics.” (y/n) turned around, deciding to ignore them, they weren’t worth the time. She gripped Bakugou’s hand, turning him around, trying to think of something to say to distract them both from the annoying boys.

The ash blonde sent her a bewildered look, confused as to why she wasn’t going to say something to them. “They aren’t worth it. They’re extras, right?” She joked, flashing a half smile at her boyfriend.

Bakugou tched, but decided not to say anything since (y/n) didn’t seem to want him to.

“You know why exotics are the best?” The lime green haired boy questioned, loud enough to make sure Bakugou and (y/n) had heard it.

“Why Riku?” The bubble gum haired boy said, a creepy glint in his eyes.

“Because of that fat ass.” He snickered. “You think she’d let me get a taste of that chocolate?”

(Jesus Christ, I cringed writing that. 🤢)

Bakugou’s head whipped around to glare at the two boys, (y/n) turning around to look at them, holding herself back, but too shocked by what she had heard to catch Bakugou before he did something that would attract the attention of police.

“You two fucking clowns better shut the fuck up before you get a taste of my foot shoved so far up your asses it’ll be coming out of your fat fucking mouths.” Bakugou growled, punching them each in the face, making sure to heat up his hand so that it would definitely leave a mark.

(y/n) looked around to see a few people watching, as she let Bakugou beat up the boys before she finally decided it was enough. She placed a hand on his shoulder, as he looked up, the feral look in his crimson orbs dissipating to a gentle one.

“I just wanna go. Can we please, before the police get here?” She questioned as he punched them and kicked them a few more times before standing up and nodding.

“You won’t be fucking needing these either.” Bakugou said, going through their wallets, taking the money out before snapping the cards in half and tossing them on the street next to the boys who remained on the ground. “Let’s go.” He held out his hand, as she grabbed it and they walked across the street. “I hate these fucking extras.” He grumbled as they got to the ramen restaurant. Bakugou Katsuki had every intention of using the money he had just taken to pay for everything, it was the least they could do.

The woman was on her way to her apartment, getting off early from her patrol because not only was it a Friday, but the day after was her 23rd birthday and her pro-hero boyfriend seemed to have planned something, despite her telling him he didn’t have to.

Her phone rang, taking (y/n) out of her thoughts as she slid the answer button seeing her boyfriend’s picture pop up. “Hey Kei.” She answered happily, stopping at the corner, waiting to cross the street.

“Hey, Kid.” Came his response, causing the black woman to smile. “You got off early right? You wanna get (your favorite food/ drink)?”

“Really?!” (y/n) grew excited, her voice raising an octave as a laugh bubbled from her full lips. The couple was usually very busy and that meant they didn’t have a lot of time to just go to restaurants and walk around the downtown area, but since they had managed to get the afternoon and weekend off, Hawks was going to take full advantage of it.

“Yeah.” He laughed back. “I’ll meet you there?”

“Ok! Love you.” She told him.

“Love you too, Kid.” He said back before hanging up. (y/n) crossed the street, walking towards their favorite restaurant, her hero costume folded in the black backpack she wore on her back. She too was a pro-hero, though she wasn’t as popular as her boyfriend, she had recently gone pro in Japan, already a famous pro in her native country. She slid her phone into one of the pockets of her black jeans, her simple white t-shirt half tucked into her pants.

She increased her stride, her smile widening as she saw the crimson wings of her boyfriend up ahead. He turned around his own smile growing as she got closer. “How was patrol?” She asked him as he hugged her, the pair pulling away and intertwining hands.

“It was fine...kinda boring.” Hawks answered as they walked inside the establishment.

“Woah.” The cashier said softly, after ringing up your orders. Hawks paid, even though she protested though he responded by saying it was her birthday weekend and she wasn’t allowed to pay. The cashier, who seemed a little older than the two of the pros, named Ukyo, handed her her drink practically ignoring Hawks.

Keigo frowned, growing slightly annoyed, though he wouldn’t really peg himself as the jealous type, Ukyo just made everything very uncomfortable and Hawks was growing irritated that (y/n) was uneasy. It was the protective nature in him, which he would admit could get a little intense at times.

“Um, thanks.” (y/n) replied with a slightly awkward laugh before looking at Hawks to say she was ready to go. They had planned to walk through the park nearby. As they were stepping away, Ukyo called out.

“Hey wait, pretty girl!” He called out, catching the dark skinned woman off guard. “You forgot something.” She turned, raising an eyebrow before going back towards where Ukyo stood behind the counter. He held out a napkin to her, his messy chicken scratch handwriting on the piece of paper. “It’s my number. You should call me sometime, I’d love to get to know you more.”

“I already have a great boyfriend.” (y/n) replied, giving him a smile as he still pushed the napkin to her, managing to stuff it into her bag. At this, Hawks stepped closer, still remaining silent, wanting to let her handle it because he didn’t want to come off as overbearing or suffocating. “Really, I’m not interested. I love my boyfriend.”

“Who? Him? But our kids would be so cute! They’d be great athletes, you know?” He smiled widely at her, grabbing onto her wrist to stop her from leaving. Hawks had heard enough, at (y/n)’s silence and the way her eyes seemed to bore into his own, he dislodged some feathers, sending them at the cashier, stopping them a few centimeters away from him.

“Let her go, before you make me really mad.” Hawks said, glaring at the male, sharpening the feathers into blade-like devices, his golden eyes shining with anger.

“Chill out, Man! She’s hot! She was practically asking for it!” Ukyo put his hands up, Hawks’ eyes narrowing as a growl almost sounded from deep in his chest.

“You’re lucky my girlfriend’s here.” Hawks chuckled darkly, as (y/n) placed her hand in his own. “I would’ve cut your disrespectful racist ass.” Hawks walked away with (y/n), sending the feathers at the wall behind the cashier, just narrowly missing him.

Hawks smirked as he stepped outside, hearing the high pitched scream that came out of Ukyo at the feathers going near him, fearing he was about to be sent to the hospital. Hawks glared at him through the shop window, his wings flapping behind him as if he was about to send more feathers causing Ukyo to scream again, though this time a wet spot began to grow in his khaki colored pants.

Hawks’ eyes lit up as a loud laugh fell from his mouth causing (y/n) to laugh lightly. “Fucking bitch.” Hawks muttered as they walked towards the park. “I should’ve sent the feathers into him.”

“No, you did enough Kei.” (y/n) giggled, Hawks growing happy that he had gotten her to laugh after that rude cashier incident.

Every week after that Hawks would purposely walk past the shop, launching a feather through the window and into the wall, an adult sized diaper held to the wall by the sharp crimson feather, a note usually attached saying:

‘just thought you might need to start wearing these.

I hate you,

Hawks.

Ps: Show this to anyone, tell anyone about this, or do something like that to another person again and I’ll send the next feather so far up your ass, you’ll need surgery to remove it. xoxo’

(i decided to insert another character, like Mineta but 100x worse and not jokingly either. His name is Shintani Narisuke.)

(y/n) was sitting in the common room where everyone from the general studies class usually hung out during their down time. Although, surprisingly it was empty except for the purple haired Shinsou and his lavender haired girlfriend, (y/n). It honestly was just a coincidence that the pair both had purple hair, though the girls from their class thought it was the cutest. (y/n) placed her head on one of Shinsou’s shoulders as they watched a random movie on his laptop, pushing her goddess braids so that she could be more comfortable.

The common room was empty only because one of (y/n)’s friends and classmates had told everyone that they couldn’t go into the common room because Shinsou and (y/n) were on a date. Everyone obeyed her...she was kind of scary when she was determined about something.

“How can he just get away with that?” (y/n) questioned, placing some popcorn into her mouth, pausing to place some in Shinsou mouth as they continued to stare at the screen. The pair alternated, the next time Shinsou threw some into his mouth and then fed some to (y/n).

“I hate that guy...he reminds me of that annoying little grape kid in 1-A.” Shinsou mumbled, causing her to laugh.

“Mineta?”

“We don’t speak his name.” Shinsou joked as the pair broke out into laughs again.

“Hey (your nickname)!” The pair turned, Shinsou pausing the movie, to see Shintari Narisuke enter the room. (y/n) raised an eyebrow at the use of her nickname, that ONLY Shinsou used for her.

“It’s (your full name).” She corrected him.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” The average height boy pouted, sitting down next to her, causing Shinsou to sit up more, a frown on his face.

“What do you want, Shintari? We’re busy here.” Shinsou chimed in, slightly annoyed as he rolled his tired purple eyes.

“Not that busy.” The aqua blue haired boy responded, flashing a fake smile at Shinsou. His eyes narrowed as the frown on his face deepened.

“What do you want?” Shinsou repeated.

“Hey (y/n)...” Shintari dragged out, looking at the black girl with big eyes.

“Yes?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you kind of look like Megan Thee Stallion?”

“No…” The girl answered, confused as to where this was going. To her they looked nothing alike, though she was one of her favorite female rappers. “We don’t even look alike.”

“Your ass does though.” He answered smugly. “You think you could split on me like she does?” (y/n)’s eyes widened as she tried to process what he had just said. She was at a loss for words, completely surprised that he would go that far.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Shinsou grew angry, standing up and getting in the blue haired fool’s face. He had noticed that she was still slightly shocked, which is why he decided to handle it, because normally she was the one that would jump to put someone who needed it in their place.

“She heard me. Right, (your nickname)?” He said teasingly, his eyes not even looking at Shinsou. The usually disinterested male grew increasingly more angry, at being ignored and at the boy for using his nickname for his girlfriend.

“Do you think you could answer something for me?” Shinsou questioned catching the boy’s attention as Shinsou’s grip on his shirt tightened.

“Yeah, what do you want, Villain?” Shintari asked, falling for the trap. Shinsou’s purple eyes glowed softly as he activated his quirk.

“Shut the fuck up and…” Shinsou paused, really wanting to tell the kid to go take a long walk off of a short pier, but he knew he would probably be in trouble if he did that, so he took a deep breath. “Lock yourself in your room for the rest of the week and don’t come out.” Shinsou ultimately decided, letting the boy go with a smug smirk watching him walk down the hall.

The purple haired male turned, his focus going to his girlfriend who had a sick look on her face. “You okay, kitty?” He asked softly, sitting beside her. She simply wrapped her arms around him, listening to his steady heartbeat.

“I hate that asshole.” She mumbled.

“I do too.” Shinsou agreed. “I’m sorry he said something like that to you. That was fucking gross.”

“Thanks for handling it.” She half smiled at him. “I think I would’ve killed him...then he really would’ve called me a villain.”

“Who gives a fuck, let’s finish the movie.” Shinsou laughed lightly, causing her to laugh too. “Besides, he already calls me a villain.”

(For this one (y/n) works in a bakery)

The black girl came from the back of the shop, a tray of fresh cookies in her hands, the sweet smell filling the store. She opened the glass cabinet, carefully transferring the cookies inside before going to return the tray to the back of the bakery.

Customers sat throughout the store, reading books from the bookshelves in the corner, drinking their coffees and teas while working, or simply just enjoying the warm atmosphere with their friends. (y/n) came back to the front, taking her place behind the register after washing her hands.

She looked up from where she had been adjusting a machine to the door, the sound of the ringing bell meaning someone new had entered. “Hi Baby.” The deep gravely voice said. She could hear the smile in his voice as she looked up, her own smile growing as she immediately recognized the voice.

“Hi Staples.” She teasingly replied. “What are you doing over here? I thought you were busy today.”

“I needed more.” He replied, holding up the bag at his side with the black hair dye inside.

“You want my help when I get off?” She clarified as he nodded, his blue eyes looking over her appearance. “What? You don’t like my uniform?” A soft smile on her face as she wiped down the counter.

“No, you look good.” His signature smirk appearing on his burned face. (y/n)’s heart fluttered slightly, the fiery boy never failed to make her heart skip a beat even after two years of dating.

“I get off in 50 minutes. You wanna hang around? I just made a fresh batch of cookies.”

“The ones I like?” His eyes seemed to sparkle like a kid in a candy store. Dabi loved to act big and bad, and that side of him was definitely...hot, but you loved to see the goofy childish side of him as well.

“Yeah, your favorite.” She replied, a large smile on her face as he nodded quickly, the dark hood of the sweatshirt pulled up on his head. “Alright. Here. I’ll be done soon.” She handed him a few cookies, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he slinked off to the seat he usually took in the corner of the shop when he waited for you.

(y/n) watched as he stood, picking up a book he had already started last time he came, sitting back down and flipping to the page he had left off on. Dabi...Touya wasn’t a bad guy, no matter what anyone told her, otherwise.

She was pulled out of her thoughts at the chime of the bell, a blonde man walking into the store. He must’ve been a traveler because he looked lost, especially with the way he had pulled up directions onto his phone. (y/n) gave him a friendly smile, “Hi, what can I get you?”

“I’ll take a...hot chocolate.” He said weirdly, giving her a smirk as his light eyes trailed up and down her body, at least the part that wasn’t hidden behind a counter. She nodded uneasily.

“Anything else?” Her mood had dropped, already tired of the male customer.

“How about your number?”

“No, sorry. I’m working and I-” He cut the girl off as she handed him his drink, ringing it up after she had made it.

“Come on, if it’s because I’m white...I’m hung like a black guy, if you know what I mean.” He said to the girl, Dabi’s eyes narrowing as he practically glared a hole through the blonde man.

“E-excuse me?” (y/n) repeated, blinking as she ran her hands over her apron, stepping back from him. She wasn’t even sure that had just happened, nothing that bad had ever happened at work before, just the occasional Wow, so pretty or Your hair is so fluffy, like a cloud from a few children when she wore it in an afro, that made her smile though, the kids were cute and everyone was generally respectful.

“If that’s why you won’t give me your number, you don’t have to worry about that.” He repeated.

“Yeah, I’m gonna need you to shut the fuck up.” Dabi chimed in, catching his girlfriend completely off guard. She hadn’t even noticed he had come up behind him or moved from his seat.

“What’s your problem man? I don’t think this involves you at all.” The blonde guy shot him a glare before turning back to the black girl behind the counter and stepping closer. Dabi’s blue eyes seemed to hold small flames in them as his anger grew. A dark chuckle left his lips as he harshly brought his hand down onto the blonde shoulder, heating it up until the man’s jacket was practically smoking.

“That’s my girlfriend, man.” Dabi told the man mockingly, his voice low and his eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t mind you calling her pretty, because she’s gorgeous but if you disrespect her, then you’re gonna deal with me.”

“Ew you fucking creep. I’ll call the police.” He threatened after turning and seeing Dabi’s face. Dabi tilted his head to the side slightly, a slow smile growing on his face, though it seemed more eerie than anything.

“I’ll give you something to call them about.” Dabi threatened. “Now, why don’t you leave and if I see you around here again, I’ll burn your ass so bad you’ll be virtually unrecognizable.”

“Fuck all of you. This place is shit anyway and the bitch behind the counter looks like a fucking monkey.” The guy announced going to walk out of the bakery.

“Not acceptable. Apologize.” Dabi demanded, his hand going around the blonde’s neck as he heated his hand up, making sure it would leave a burn.

“Sorry.” The guy cried out, Dabi rolling his eyes before shoving him towards the door, a scoff leaving his lips as the guy tripped on the way out.

“You know you’re gorgeous right?” Dabi questioned as (y/n)’s best friend and coworker told her to go home after that incident. Dabi grabbed (y/n)’s hand, waving back at her coworker before the couple walked towards their apartment, (y/n) excited to dye Dabi’s hair.

Tags:

[seaofghouls]

DSMP FALLS! <1>

Ah! Summer break! A time for leisure, recreation, and taking her easy.

..Unless you're me.

A pair of triplets crash through a billboard with a go-kart. "AAAAAHHH!" Being followed by a monster of unimaginable horror. "It's getting closer!" One of the triplets cried. My name is Y/N. The boy to the right of me about to puke is my triplet brother, Tubbo, while the boy to my left screaming profanities is my other triplet brother, Tommy. You may be wondering what we're doing in this situation. "Look out!" Tubbo cried. "Agh!" Y/N screamed. "This monster is such a bitch!" Tommy cried. "Tommy!" Tubbo frowned. Rest assured, there's a perfectly logical explanation!

... Let's rewind. It all began when our parents decided we could use some fresh air. They shipped us up to Gravity Falls, Oregon, to stay with our great uncle in the woods. "This attic is amazing! Just look at all of my splinters!" Tubbo cried. "..And there's a fucking goat on my bed." Tommy sighed.

Tubbo walked up to the goat.

"Hey, new friend! Yes, you can keep chewing on my shirt!" Tubbo giggled. Y/N giggled as well. Tubbo and Tommy seemed to look on the bright side of things. I, however, was having a bit of a harder time getting used to our new surroundings. "Boo!" "Aagh!" Y/N jumped up from their spot from under a tree. An old man took off a mask and started laughing. And then there was our great uncle Schlatt. That guy. Our uncle had transformed his house into a tourist trap called the Mystery Shack. The real mystery is why anyone came. And guess who had to work there? Y/N sighed, sweeping the floor. Tubbo reached out to touch something in this gift shop before Schlatt slapped his hand away.

"No touching the merchandise!" He said. Tommy snickered and touched it anyway out of spite. It seemed like it was going to be the same routine all summer, until one fateful day.

"Alright, look alive folks! I need someone to go hang up these signs in the spooky part of the forest." Schlatt said. "Not it!" The triplets said at the same time. "Also not it." Ranboo said. "Nobody asked you, Ranboo." Schlatt said. "I know and I'm comfortable with that." Ranboo smiled. "Niki! I need you to put up these signs!" Schaltt said. "I would.. but I can't.. reach." She trailed off. "I'd fire all of you if I could." Schlatt sighed. "Okay, let's make it eeny, meeny, miny, you." Schlatt pointed at Y/N. "Yes!" Tommy and Tubbo exclaimed. "Awe what? Gruncle Schlatt, whenever I'm in those woods I feel like I'm being watched." Y/N said. "Oh, this again." He rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, something weird is going on! Just today, my mosquito bites spelled out beware!" Y/N said, showing schlatt their arm. "...That says bewarb." Schlatt said. "Look kid, the whole monsters in the forest thing is just a local legend. Drummed up by guys like me to sell merch to guys like that." Schlatt pointed at a guy distracted by a schlatt bobblehead. "So quit being so paranoid!" Schlatt said. ... "Ugh, Gruncle Schlatt. nobody ever believes what I say." Y/N groaned as they hammer signs in the forest. They hammer another tree but stop when they hear metal. "huh?" They hit it the hammer again in curiosity. Finding a secret door with a machine inside, they mess with the buttons for a bit before something opens up behind them. "What the.." Reaching into the hole, they find a dusty old journal. They brush it off and start reading. "Woah.. trust no one, huh?" Y/N mumbled. "Hello!" Tubbo exclaimed. "What are you reading, some nerd book?" Tommy asked. "Uh-uh, it's nothing!" Y/N exclaimed. "Uh-UH IT'S NOTHING!" Tommy mocked. "What, are you seriously not gonna show us?" Tubbo asked. "..Let's go somewhere more private," Y/N said. ... "It's amazing! Gruncle Schlatt said I was being paranoid, but apparently, Gravity Falls has this secret dark side!" Y/N exclaimed. "WOAH!" Tubbo exclaimed. "SHUT UP!" Tommy pushed Y/N with a grin on his face. "Get this! After a certain point, the pages just stop! Like the guy who was writing it mysteriously disappeared!" Y/N exclaimed.

The doorbell rang. "Who's that?" Y/N asked. "Welp, time to spill the beans! This guy's got a platonic date!" Tubbo grinned. "Platonic??" "Date??" Schlatt walked in as Tubbo came back in with someone. "Hey family, I want you to meet my new platonic boyfriend!" Tubbo exclaimed. "Sup." He said. "Hey." Y/N and Tommy said. "How's it hanging?" Schlatt finger gunned. "We met at the cemetery. He's really deep." Tubbo smiled. "..What's your name?" Y/N asked. "Normal.. Man!" He groaned out. "He means Norman." Tubbo giggled. "..Are you bleeding, Norman?" Tommy asked. "..It's jam." Norman said. Y/N stared at him in suspicion before Tubbo dragged Norman away. There was something with Norman that wasn't right. I decided to consult the journal. Y/N read the journal out loud. "Known for their pale skin and bad attitudes.. these creatures are often mistaken for.. TEENAGERS?!" Y/N exclaimed. "Beware Gravity Falls' nefarious ZOMBIES?!" Y/N gasped. "Zombies??" Tommy gasped. He was sitting there with Y/N. "Tommy, outside!" Y/N exclaimed. "Oh, no! Tubbo!" They both yelled. Norman lurched towards Tubbo, grabbed him, and put a flower crown on him. "Daisies?? You scallywag!" Tubbo gushed. "Is our brother dating a zombie or are we just going nuts?" Tommy muttered. "It's a dillema to be sure." Charlie said. "Agh!" Y/N jumped. "I couldn't help but overhear you guys talking to yourselves in this empty room." Charlie explained. "Charlie, you've seen Tubbo's platonic date, right? He's got to be zombie!" Y/N said. "Hm.. how many brains did you see the guy eat?" Charlie asked. "Zero.." Y/N sighed. "Look, dudes, I believe you. I'm seeing strange thing in this town all the time. Like, the mailman, I'm pretty sure that guy's a werewolf. But! You gotta have proof, or else people will think you're a major cukoo clock." Charlie said. "As always, big C, you're right." Tommy said. "My wisdom is both a wisdom and a curse." Charlie said. "Charlie! The toilets are clogged again!" Schlatt called out. "I am needed elsewhere." Charlie took off. Y/N and Tommy decided to work together to get some evidence. Throughout their studies, Norman certainly had strange behavior, but not enough to convict him of anything supernatural. "I'll talk to Tubbo, don't worry, sib!" Tommy said. "Alright." Y/N nodded. ... Tommy walked into the triplets' shared room. "Tubbo, we've got to talk about Norman." Tommy said. "I know! Isn't he great?? Look at this smooch mark he gave me!" Tubbo turned his head to show a large red area on his face. "Egh!" Tommy cried. "Hah! Gullible. It was just an accident with the leafblower. That was fun." Tubbo laughed. "No, listen, Tubbo! I'm trying to tell you that Norman is not what he seems! The journal that Y/N found!" Tommy insisted. "You think he might be a vampire?? That would be awesome!" Tubbo gasped. "Guess again, big T! A zombie he is!" Tommy said. "A zombie?? Not funny, Tommy!" Tubbo frowned. "I'm not joking! Y/N can agree, it all adds up! The bleeding, the limp, he never blinks! Have you noticed that??" Tommy exclaimed. "Maybe he's blinking when you're blinking." Tubbo suggested. "HE'S GOING TO EAT YOUR BRAINS, BIG T!" Tommy shook Tubbo. "Tommy! Listen to me. Norman and I are going on a date tonight and I'm going to be adorable! He's going to be dreamy! And I'm not going to let you and Y/N ruin it with another one of your crazy conspirices!" Tubbo kicked Tommy out. "Ah man.. what am I gonna do??" Tommy slumped against the door. Someone sat down next to him. "How'd it go, bro-bro?" Y/N asked. "He's refusing to listen.. He kicked me out." Tommy sighed. Y/N frowned. "Not surprising. Hopefully he'll come to that realization in his own." ... The two out of three triplets were sitting on the couch, looking over the footage. "I guess we don't have any actual evidence, huh?" Y/N sighed. "Yeah.. I guess we can be kinda paranoid sometimes-" Tommy stopped. In the footage clip, Norman's hand fell off and he put it back on. "WAIT WHAT?!" Tommy and Y/N exclaimed. They leaped off

the

couch in a hurry. "WE WERE RIGHT! HOLY SHIT!" Tommy exclaimed. Racing outside, the two tried to find their uncle. "GRUNCLE SCHLATT! GRUNCLE SCHLATT!" Y/N called out. Schlatt wasn't paying attention.

"Wait! Niki has the cart!" Tommy suggested. "Good eye, Tommy!" Y/N grinned. "Niki! Niki! We need the cart to save our brother from a zombie!" They ran up to her. "Try not to hit any pedestrains." She winked, giving them the keys. "Alright, Tommy! Let's go save our sister!" Y/N grinned. They backed up before Charlie stopped them. "Dudes! This is for the zombies." He handed them a shovel. "Thanks." Y/N grinned, "This is in case you see a pinata." He handed them a bat. "..Thanks?" Tommy said. "Better safe than sorry!" He called out. Tommy and Y/N sped off to find their brother. They heard screams and drove to the direction of the sound. "LET'S GO!" Y/N exclaimed. "Get his arm there, Steve!" Tubbo was struggling against several gnomes. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" Tommy exclaimed. "Tommy! Y/N! Norman turned out to be a bunch of gnomes! And they're total assholes!" Tubbo cried.

"Gnomes..? We were way off." Tommy mumbled. Y/N flipped open the journal. "Damn.. no weaknesses." They sighed. "Hey! Hey! Let go of my brother!" Y/N demanded. "This is all one big misunderstanding. Your brothers not in any danger! He's just marrying all one thousand of us and becoming our king for all of eternity!" The lead gnome explained. "Give him back right now, or else, prick!" Tommy demanded. "You think you can stop us, child? You have no idea what we're capable of!" The gnome went on a tangent before Tommy scooped him up with the shovel and tossed him to the side. Y/N used that chance to free Tubbo, dragging him back to the kart with Tommy. "GO GO GO!" Tubbo exclaimed. "I wouldn't worry about it. See their little fucking legs? Those pricks are tiny." Tommy smirked. Tommy stopped when they heard the noises of a creature. A giant gnome creature, to be exact. "Damn." Tubbo said. "MOVE! GO GO GO!" Y/N screeched. The giant creature chased them through the forest. Gnomes launched onto the kart. "Agh!" Tubbo exclaimed. "GET OFF MY FACE!" Y/N cried. "I got you, sib!" Tubbo punched the gnome, while also accidentally punching Y/N several times before the gnome let go, revealing new bruises on Y/N's face. "..Thanks bro.." They winced. "Look out!" Tubbo cried. They crashed into the back of the Mystery Shack. They were officially cornered. The triplets hugged each other in terror. "W-where's Gruncle Schlatt??" Y/N asked. "It's the end of the line, kids! Tubbo, marry us before we do something crazy!" The lead gnome ordered. "There's gotta be a fucking way out of this.." Tommy muttered. "I gotta do it." Tubbo decided. "What?!" The other two triplets exclaimed. "Tubbo, are you crazy?!" Y/N asked. "Trust me." Tubbo said. "..What??" Tommy gasped. "Trust me, just this once, guys." Tubbo said. The two hesitated and then nodded. "Alright, Jeff. I'll marry you." Tubbo stepped forward. "Hot dog!" The lead gnome climbed down to Tubbo. "You may now kiss the groom." Tubbo said after the lead gnome put a ring on his finger. "Well, I don't if I do!" The lead gnome grinned, puckering up. Tubbo took that chance to hit him with the leafblower that was left outside. "Agh!" The gnome screamed. "That's for lying to me! That's the breaking my heart! And that's for messing with my siblings!" Tubbo shot the gnome off into the forest and the rest of the gnomes scattered away. As the triplets walked back into the Mystery Shack, Tubbo stopped them. "Hey, Y/N, Tommy, I'm sorry. You two were really just trying to look out for me." Tubbo sighed. "Oh, don't be like that! You saved our asses back there!" Tommy smiled. "I guess I'm just sad that Norman turned out to be a bunch of gnomes." Tubbo sighed. "Hey, look on the bright side! Maybe the next one will be a vampire." Y/N giggled. "You're just saying that." Tubbo giggled, punching their shoulder. "..Awkward triplet hug?" Y/N suggested. "Awkward triplet hug." Tommy and Tubbo said together, the three of them in a hug. ... "Yeesh, you three get hit by a bus or something? Hahah!" Schlatt laughed. The triplets ignored him. "Hey, um,, I accidentally overstocked some items, why don't you three take something?" Schlatt said. "What's the catch?" Y/N raised an eyebrow. "The catch is do it before I change my mind, now go!" Schlatt said. The triplets grinned at each other. Tubbo picked out a grappling hook, Tommy picked out a music disc, and Y/N picked out a a hat with a bat symbol on it. ... This journal told me that there was no one you could trust. But when you go up against an army of gnomes with side by side with two people, you realize they probably got their back. "Tubbo, can you get the light?" Y/N asked. "You got it, sib!" Tubbo shot the grappling hook at the light. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Tommy rolled his eyes. Tubbo and Y/N giggled. Our uncle told us there was nothing strange about this town, but who knows what other secrets are waiting to be unlocked? -------

[nishiisenpai]

you shouldn’t mess with me - sugawara koushi x reader

REQUEST: “Ahhh you are such a good writer!!! Could I request a lil thing where reader is a manager and sugawara’s gf and at a game someone purposely hits you with a ball and the whole team is just in full murder mode headed by Suga :) lots of flufffffff and ofc Noya and Tanaka being their protective selves - @lollypop-lam “

A/N: AHHHHHH thank you so much for reading my writing! i hope i didn’t disappoint you with this one. my inspo for this was from an audio i found on tiktok and i hope you liked it!

A/N: i just remembered- the audio was starred in, “The Addams Family” movie. and i apologize to this semi cliche story- 

-

WARNING: Fluff and Crack (just cause)

WHO: Sugawara Koushi x Karasuno Manager! Female Reader

-

“Y/N-san!” Tanaka and Noya came running to the bus where you were standing waving at them with a small smile.

“Hey guys-”

“TANAKA, NISHINOYA! DO NOT TOUCH MY GIRLFRIEND!” Suga, your boyfriend, had ran yelling at them and they both stopped facing opposite directions whistling.

“What do you mean bro?” Tanaka said.

“Yeah, we weren’t gonna do anything.” Nishinoya mentioned and your boyfriend smacked them both on the back of their heads. i like ya cut g

“It’s okay, baby, they just wanted to say hi and reserve a seat on the bus first.” you turned to the pair and winked at them while smirking and turning your attention back to Suga.

“Y/N-san... Is... So... Cool...” they both gushed and you giggled before talking again and facing them.

“Alright, you boys should go sit down. Find a seat you like and claim it, cause I know some people really want the window seat recently.” 

“YES MA’AM!” as Tanaka and Nishinoya rushed inside the bus for a seat.

“What would I do without you here to contain them.” Suga sighed and you chuckled.

“I am a manager after all. I gotta contain them. That means you too.” As you winked at your boyfriend sending him a flying kiss and entering the bus to find a seat in the back.

“God I love her.” Suga blushed and Daichi laughed with Asahi.

“We get it bro, you’re whipped for her.”

“S-Shut Up!” Suga said bluffing. Asahi and Daichi both laughed.

Suga had entered the bus and saw you sitting in the back with your earbuds in probably listening to music though you were staring outside of the window seat even though the bus didn’t move.

“Hey baby,” Suga said sitting next to you. You took out your earbuds and turned to his direction.

“Hey,” you said. Suga had put his head on your shoulder, while also closing his eyes. “You should get some sleep. You studied all night and need to rest.”

“How did you know that?” Suga took his head off your shoulder and you shook your head in disapproval clasping his hands.

“Your hands look a little rough and I can see the pen markings from last night. As well you look a little less stress than you did from this morning.” You said dropping his hands and putting your hands at the side of his face instead to give him a small kiss on his forehead.

“You can tell?” he asked shocked.

“Babe, I called you last night and you didn’t pick up and I assumed that you were studying because you completely ignore all calls coming your way.” you chuckled bringing his head to the crook of your neck.

“S-Sorry.” 

“It’s fine... Now you should get some rest. You’re going against Aoba Johsai.”

“It’s not like I’ll play-” you looked down at him and pinched his cheek.

“Ow, what was that for?” he said rubbing his cheek.

“First of all, where is this attitude coming from? Second of all, since when did my Koushi ever put on this display and third of all, why are you giving up so easily?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for putting some sense into me.” He said giving you a hug.

“Okay, now it’s nap time for you.” 

“But-”

“Sleep.” you started running your fingers through his hair. Suga relaxed to your touch and snuggled in closer to you. Soon enough he had dozed to dreamland and you shortly joined him too.

-

“Look who it is...” a player on Aoba Johsai said smirked seeing the team arrive. 

“Seems like they have a new manager?” Iwaizumi said shrugging.

The rest of the team had walked inside and you stayed behind because you had to unload the bus with the boy’s drink carrier.

“Ah ha ha! Let’s see how this goes.” the player smirked seeing you.

“I don’t think you should-” Iwa had said but it was too late as they were walking over to you.

“Hey pretty lady, do you need help with that?” he said behind you and you smiled before shaking your head.

“It’s alright. I got this.” As you took the water carrier out and carried it.

“Woah, woah, woah. Don’t you recognize me? It’s me, darling.”

“Nope never heard of you and I don’t need your help... I should be heading to the gym right now, see ya later!” as you dashed to the gym with the big water carrier in your hands.

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHA, she just DENIED your ass!” Iwa had laughed

“I’ll get her, just you watch!” He stammered, “Come on, let’s go.” 

Both boys had returned back inside the school to go to their gym to prepare the match. 

-

It was Aoba Johsai’s ball and that player from earlier was up to serve. You sat at far end of the bench observing the whole game play while writing and taking notes of how the boys were doing. 

Suddenly the feeling of a volleyball being smashed at the side of your head was all you could feel. Your body had fallen off the bench and onto the ground where you laid. The sound of the gym being ever so silent and the volleyball bouncing on the ground to a stop was all that could be heard from the stands.

No one moved or said anything after the sound of the whistle indicating the serve was out.

“OH MY GOD, Y/N ARE YOU OKAY???” Yachi and Kiyoko came running to your end of the bench. You held your head in your hands and suddenly the pain started to throb and grow. Takeda-sensei had called for a timeout and everyone was rushing off the court to surround you.

“Ah shit.” you managed to say while closing your eyes. Suga had taken a moment to realize you were down, till he ran full speed over to you.

“Babe? Y/N? Are you okay?” as he held your head in his hands.

“Y-yeah, I think so, just stop asking questions.” you instructed, trying to find some silence and peace to ease the pain. You latched onto Suga before being put up on the bench again.

“Yachi, can you bring Y/N to the nurse’s office. Everyone else, get over here. I need to have a chat with you all.”

“Yes sir.” Yachi had said helping you get up and heading out of the gym. 

“First things first. Sugawara, Tanaka and Nishinoya. You will NOT and I repeat will NOT be injuring them at any rate. It was by mistake and he landed it out.” As Takeda-sensei had mentioned before staring at the rest of the boy’s faces.

“Actually, that goes for each and every single one of you, boys. You WILL NOT be HURTING that boy in ANY way.” Takeda-sensei had instructed and all their faces went dull.

“That is correct, you boys will NOT be hurting any of them, but you can take your anger out on the ball. I will go check on her and you all better NOT hurt anyone today.” Coach Ukai mentioned.

“Yes sir.” As the whole team said in a scary tone. The feeling and vibe in the gym felt different. People in the stands could feel the tension and anger radiating off of Karasuno. Let’s say things ended well on a positive note :)

-

“Baby!” Sugawara came rushing out of the gym to see you walking back with an ice pack next to your head.

“H-Hey...” You said giving him a small smile. Tanaka and Nishinoya ran to see how their queen was doing by pushing Sugawara out of the way.

“Are you okay, Y/N-san?” They both talked and asked you and you winced feeling the ringing in your head because of their loud voices.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, sorry I missed your guy’s ending.” you apologized giving them a sad smile.

“Oh don’t worry about it, we won in the end.” Tanaka and Nishinoya smirked. You gave them a concerning look but shook off the confused face.

“Congratulations for the win. Good job on playing well out there. Tanaka, I liked your spikes and Noya I liked your dives for the ball.” you said complimenting them and they stood there flustered.

“I-It was nothing.” they boasted and you giggled before heading to Sugawara.

“You didn’t hurt him did you?” You asked latching onto Suga.

“No...” he grumbled.

“Good job out there.” You gave him a small kiss on the cheek as you headed out of the school with the rest of the team and Suga’s arm around your shoulder.

“Hey pretty lady, how’s your head feeling?” the boy from earlier asked smirking, stopping you in your tracks.

“She’s doing fine, thank you for asking.” Suga talked for you.

“Is she really? I made sure to aim right at her.” At this point Tanaka and Nishinoya were running towards your direction including the team turning around to face him. You had placed a hand in the air stopping the duo mid-air.

“Look, I understand that you were petty and angered by the fact I turned you down earlier in the parking lot, but you didn’t have to be that petty to hit the ball right at me. Next time if I were you, I’d rather have you focus on the court than on the girl who turned you down for someone better.” you smirked raising an eyebrow. “Let’s go, Koushi. You too, guys.”

You had tugged your boyfriend to walk past the boy and soon followed the rest of the team smirking at him. Featuring Tanaka, Nishinoya and Hinata sending him some faces and Daichi dragging their asses back to the bus.

-

“That was really cool, Y/N-senpai!” Hinata turned around in his seat and you laughed placing on a smile.

“Was it really? I didn’t mean to sound like that.” You rubbed the back of your head.

“Mannnnn, Suga-san, I am jealous of you. Your girlfriend is so cool AND so beautiful.” Nishinoya said sending you a wink.

“Aww thank you, Noya.” you gave him a cheeky smile.

“Alright, that’s enough. I need my girlfriend back.” Suga wined putting his arms around your figure.

“Jealous, much?”

“Yes, very much.” He kissed your lips and you smiled into the kiss, giving him one back.

“Kiss me one more time?” he looked up at you with his puppy eyes. 

“Anything for you, sugar~” Giving him another kiss before snuggling into each other while on the way back to Karasuno and letting your head rest.

-

[carnationcreation]

Hi! Can I please get an imagine where the reader is Bombay’s daughter and he’s never been around because of his job and that he left the readers mum years ago. But he comes back to coach her team, not knowing she plays and they argue, he pleads to get to know her etc.☺️😄basically the absentee!father x reader who wishes for a father but doesn’t know how to forgive him

TITLE: Forgiveness [Can you imagine?] (Bombay x daughter!reader)

✌🏻Masterlist Taglist, Requests, and Works in progress!

Prompt/summary:  Bombay tries to reconnect with the daughter he walked out on 8 years ago. 

Word Count: 2,519

Authors note: You said argue? Alright here’s some angst. It feels so good to be writing for The Mighty Ducks again, this is one of my favorite movies so I’m so happy I got a request for it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every summer I used to get the same letter from my dad. It actually wasn’t even a letter. It was child support.

Every fall we used to stop by the diner in town to get milkshakes to celebrate the anniversary of him leaving us. It wasn’t that he was a terrible dad, she just knew she could do better for the both of us if he wasn’t around. After 8 years she still got the same order every time we went to the diner, and every year Mrs. Conway was still there taking our order.

Her son Charlie was always there too. Both of us played on the same hockey team and every winter we would drag our gear down to the pond to practice with our team.

That entire routine changed after one day.

“Goldburg you’re the goalie, the puck is supposed to hit you,” Charlie sighed as he skated towards us.

“Does that sound stupid to anyone else?” the goalie groaned.

I rolled my eyes at him before lining up another shot. 

After a few more shots Charlie tapped my shoulder, he looked in wonder as a car drove out onto the ice. We all wandered over and a man in a finely pressed suit stepped out. 

“Wait, that can’t be him-” I mumbled.

“We ain’t buying nothing man, I’m feeling generous today so I’ll let your sorry vanilla bootie outta here before we use your eyeballs as hockey pucks!” Jesse said.

“Thanks bro,” the man rolled his eyes before going to reach in to his jacket, “but I’m not going home ‘til I take care of business.”

The group slowly backed up. When the man pulled out a piece of paper and not a gun we all sighed in relief.

“District five pee-wee hockey team, I’m Gordon Bombay. Your new coach.”

The team laughed as I locked eyes with Charlie. He saw the absolute panic in my eyes. 

“Got the roster right here. Averman, Dave. Bombay, (Y/n). Conway, Charlie. ”

His face scrunched up as he got to mine. Confusion or being uncomfortable. Either way I couldn’t tell. Luckily no one seemed to notice the fact that I had the same last name as the coach.

“Here’s the long and the short of it. I hate hockey and I don’t like kids. I’m sure this will be a real bonding experience.  Maybe one day, one of you will even write a book about it in jail.”

Charlie nudged my shoulder, looking at me with a questioning look. I sighed, “He used to love hockey, but he really seems to hate kids. My mom said she heard that he got a DWI last week.”

Bombay ordered us to scrimmage. We all dove for the puck. Players tripped and fell over each other as we desperately tried to play. I finally got the puck and started to make a move towards the goal when Jesse (accidentally or not) hooked my ankle with his stick as he fell. Connie skated over quickly to help me up before taking off over to Bombay.

I rubbed my sore elbows as Charlie and I skated back over to the car that was still parked on the ice. Bombay brushed the team off by saying we need to scrimmage more and got back into the car.

“What a jerk,” Peter said. 

Eventually the team came to the amazing conclusion we should hijack the car. On Peters mark, we all jumped on the car, shook it, and climbed inside.

“We want a ride! We want a ride!” Connie began to chant as we all joined in.

“Take em for a spin, anything!” Bombay said, we all cheered as they started driving.

The fun didn’t last for long. Charlie’s mom soon appeared on the ice and made us all get out.

She furiously shouted, “Are you out of your mind? What were you thinking putting that car on the ice? My son was in that car!”

“Lady lady relax,” Bombay said, “The ice is not gonna crack.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she said. Charlie and I slowly got out of the car and skated to the side to take off our skates.

Bombay sighed, “Gordon Bombay, the new hockey coach.”

Oh lord he was in for it now.

“Oh you’re the dead beat that married (Y/m/n). They send you down here to coach the team and you endanger their lives. You endangered your daughter's life!”

I hid my face with my hand as Bombay looked back at me. Oh god he knows now. 

Charlie’s mom eventually pulled us away and drove us home. I knew I’d be hearing about this from my mom later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By order of the state of Minnesota Bombay was at the game the next day. I’d made it my mission to avoid my “dad”. Charlie did a good job of keeping him away, asking him questions or distracting him. I knew I’d have to talk to him eventually but until then I was content with pretending I wasn’t his daughter. 

The game was a joke. We didn’t score any goals. Didn’t get a chance to defend ourselves as the Hawks beat us into the ground. 9-0. I left the game with bruises on my face and arms. My helmet was barely covering my face and my hockey pads were my dad’s old ones from the 80’s. One of the few things I stole from his house when we left. Charlie was extremely frustrated at the missed shot he had towards the end of the second period.

As the team sat arguing I was putting my gear up. 

“I thought we came here to play hockey. Do you guys think losing is funny?” Bombay yelled.

“It’s not like you coach us or anything. At least we tried,” Jesse said.

Bombay’s face went red with rage, “That was the sloppiest playing I’ve ever seen. Why the hell won’t you just listen to me?!”

I stood up, shouldering my bag, “Why the hell should we?”

The team followed me out of the box. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next game was a disaster. Bombay encouraged us to lie, cheat, and foul our way through the game. Bombay was furious when Charlie wouldn’t do his little act when he was cornered. The bruises on my face still hadn’t healed properly. 

The locker room was filled with groans as everyone agreed the game was pathetic.

“Charlie! When I tell you to do something, you do it! Got it?”

“You can’t make me cheat,” Charlie said walking out of the locker room.

Jessie and Terry’s dad stormed into the locker room, “LEt’s go boys. This is what I gave up my overtime pay for? To watch my kids take falls? You’re a pathetic excuse for a coach, and an even more pathetic father if you can let your daughter get beaten up like that.”

The team’s heads turned to me as he pointed in my direction. I let my head fall as I stormed out behind Jessie and Terry. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really thought I could keep avoiding him. I didn’t think he would come and try to find me. 

The next day at practice was a shock for everyone. We all got new uniforms, gear, and sticks. Everyone was pumped up during practice and we even got two new players.

“What changed?” I asked Charlie.

He shrugged, “I don’t know. He came and apologized last night.”

My blood boiled. He can apologize to another kid but not his own daughter who he practically abandoned. I warmed up to him as practice went on but in the back of my mind there was still that thought lingering. 

“(Y/n), you’re riding home with me,” Bombay told me as I packed up my stuff.

I looked at him confused, “But-”

“Your mom said it was okay.”

I silently followed him out to the car, the driver had rolled up the middle window so we could have some privacy.

“So…” he said, I stayed quiet still looking out the window, “Your mom told me you never quit hockey. Even after I…”

“Left?”

He sighed, “Yeah I guess it was like that wasn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Look (Y/n), if I had known how much it had affected you I never would’ve stepped out that door. Your mom and I… we just weren’t good together.”

I scoffed, “No, your drinking side just didn’t line up with the fact mom wanted a decent husband.”

He went to speak again but quickly closed his mouth.

“I’ll just imagine me forgiving you. Maybe one day I can actually do it with meaning,” I sighed and went to pick my bag up as the driver pulled up to the curb. 

“(Y/n),” he said grabbing my arm, “I already talked to Charlie about this. I’m so sorry for the way I acted. I never should have asked you guys to cheat. And I definitely shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you guys. I’d do anything to try and get you to forgive me.”

“I’m just confused as to why your star player got an apology before your daughter did. I’ve been waiting for that for 8 years. If you truly wanted that from me you should’ve tried a long time ago.”

I slammed the car door as I got out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few days I spent at Charlie’s house when my mom wasn’t home, hoping Bombay wouldn’t come track me down again. 

“(Y/n)?” Charlie said, “Someone left a package for you.”

I looked up from the comic books that were sprawled across Charlie’s bed in confusion as he sat the brown paper package down. My name was written across it in black sharpie.

Charlie shook his head, “Well, are you gonna open it?”

“I think I already know who it’s from.”

“(Y/n), he really wants to make it up to you. Just open it.”

I sighed and slowly ripped the paper, inside was a jersey. My favorite hockey team’s jersey.

“Woah,” I said.

Charlie scoffed, “Your dad sent you that? How’d he know your favorite team?”

“Cause it’s his favorite too. Charlie this is his vintage jersey.”

“Well,” he said, “Maybe you can start imagining that forgiveness part.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The Ducks? We’re the ducks? What brain dead jerk came up with that name,” Peter scoffed. 

“As a matter of fact,” Bombay said pulling a jersey out of the box, “I did. But I didn’t have a choice, we’re being sponsored. You’d rather be district 5? Some stupid number?”

“They don’t even have teeth,” Peter said.

“Neither do hockey players,” he said, we all giggled, “Have you ever seen a flock of ducks flying in perfect formation? It’s beautiful. Pretty awesome how they all stick together. The other animals are afraid, cause they know if they mess with one duck then they’ll get the whole flock.”

Bombay walked around the locker room giving his little speech. He smiled when he got to me, his eyes flicking down to see I was wearing the old jersey he had left for me. 

He whipped off his coat to reveal his Ducks jersey underneath as we all laughed, “I’m proud to be a duck, and I’d be proud to fly with any one of you.”

Charlie and I smiled at each other.

“So how about it? Who’s a duck?”

Silence followed as everyone looked around the room to see who would go first.

“I’ll be a duck,” our new player Fulton Reed said.

I smiled and placed my hockey stick on the bench, “I’ll join the flock.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said following suit, “me too.”

Soon enough the whole team joined in. Grabbing jerseys and cheering.

“We are the ducks!” Bombay shouted, “The Mighty Ducks!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few games were amazing. Our winning streak started to pick up and soon enough we were getting ready to face off against Cardinals. 

Charlie and I were named the dynamic duo. Our ability to make plays and take shots off of each other improved everyday. But that put a target on our back. 

It was the third quarter, we had to make one shot to pull us out of a tie and win. The crowd was going crazy as Charlie and I sped up the ice. Our team following behind us for backup. 

It was a stupid idea. 

Charlie went to take a shot as I saw a goon defender moving in for the body check. So I threw myself in between Charlie and the goon. My head snapped back against the glass as I heard the buzzer go off signaling a goal.

The team cheered. Charlie frantically raced over to me.

“(Y/n)?”

I could barely hear him, the ringing in my ears was so loud, “Where’s my dad?”

Charlie looked confused before shouting over to Bombay.

“(Y/n)? Can you hear me?” he said.

“Dad?” I started to cry as the pain caught up to me.

“Get her helmet off Charlie,” he said, I felt Charlie gently take it off and the coolness of the ice against the back of my head, “(Y/n) the paramedics are gonna get you off the ice okay?”

I felt myself being picked up off the ice and lifted onto a stretcher, the crowd clapped as I was rolled off the ice.

The ride to the hospital was short, Charlie’s mom called my mom's work to tell her what happened and she rushed over as Casey rode to the hospital with me.

“Where’s my dad?”

“He had to finish up the game, he’s gonna meet us there afterwards.”

Everything happened really fast when we got there, I wasn’t allowed to sleep even though I was super tired. 

“Look who’s here” Casey said. I turned to see Bombay and Charlie walking in.

“Woah,” I yelped as Charlie ran over to give me a hug.

“Are you crazy? You won’t be able to play at the next game!” 

I laughed, “At least we get a next game. It was worth it.”

He rolled his eyes and ruffled my hair. Bombay sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed. Casey and Charlie walked outside.

“Do you remember what happened after you took that hit?”

I paused trying to think back to earlier, “Um… not really.”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it in front of the team. You called me dad.”

I turned my head to look down at the sheets, “Oh…”

“I don’t have a problem with it,” he laughed, “But the team is definitely going to have questions for you tomorrow.”

I smiled. 

“Alright, grab your stuff. The doctor said you can go, you just can’t practice or play in a game for a week.”

My eyes widened, “A week?!”

“Yes,” he said, “And I better not hear any complaints. I’ll make you run extra. Your moms waiting on us.”

“Where?”

“At the diner, she said something about milkshakes.”

I smiled, “We always get milkshakes after games.”

“Well, it’s on me tonight.”

I jumped up and gave him a hug before running out to grab Charlie. I think I can imagine that forgiveness thing now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @thebookwormlife @talksoprettyjjx  @coolreallyfuzzystudentuniverse  @igotabadfeelingabouteverything @larrystylinson-sus @lovesanimals @aunicornmademedoit @thexhotmess @ssprayberrythings @registerednursejackie @julieandthephantomsblogduh @fangirling-allday @solophantomsmultis @drxgxnslxyer @schnapp-my-neck​

[antigenius]

Submission

Pairing: Slight Yandere!Deku x Tipsy!Reader

Warnings: Slight smut towards the end, strippers, cursing, handcuffs

A/N: So I haven’t made any good smut in a while (I’ve never published my smut before) and this idea decided to pop in my head so enjoy ig :”) I’ll write the full pp into vv in the next part soon!! Pt 1 || Pt 2 

(This smut is inspired by this picture by Bobafiish on picuki! Go check them out on Twitter and Insta!!)

You were a whore. Period. No point in saying some bullshit that you were a ‘good girl’ or that you ‘went to church every Sunday’. You just had high standards. Everyone you had met so far was either a twink, or a switch leaning to bottom. If they were a top, they were just mediocre. They’d get themselves off and nothing more. You’d be left alone, cold and empty, literally. It was becoming so hard to find someone to replace him.

You could just feel his teeth trailing across your neck, hovering over your pulse just before biting hard, leaving a purplish-blue bruise to form. His plush lips would graze over the mark, placing a feathery kiss before moving up to your lips, stealing your breath. His cold hands would ghost your torso gently, feeling your soft skin before pulling your hips down to meet his. You’d feel his clothed dick beneath your soaked panties, but he’d just let you sit there, waiting ‘til you begged.

Izuku ‘Deku’ Midoriya.

Gods was he something else.

You crossed your legs on the barstool, quickly taking a sip of your cocktail. You were getting more heated the more you thought about it. You had to get your mind off of him somehow. He was no good. He was creepy. You had found a book where he wrote about where you went each morning, how your toilet routines were like, your relationships with all of your friends, everything. You had also found a page that was sticky, filled with scribbles and drawings of you nude in bed. It was downright disgusting to think he watched you while you slept. You once even found a photo of him jacking off to you drooling.

You let the drink in your glass swirl twice before taking another sip. You were here to find someone new, and exciting. Someone who could show you a good time. Well, you’d hope so, being at a male strip club.

No one seemed to catch your interest just yet, they were all just candy for the eyes, but not a man you’d crave. Not to mention, their cocks were too big. You might like a big bitch, but even you didn’t want a guy with a nine-incher. Too much work, especially if they wanted to try pulling out.

You were beginning to get desperate though. It’d been at least a year since you had a proper fuck. You down the rest of your cocktail, sniffling a little bit. Any fuck would feel good if you were drunk, right?

You place your glass back down onto the bar counter, placing it beside the four other glasses.

“Get me another.”

The bartender nods slowly, looking at you funnily before screwing his eyebrows together.

“(Y/n)?”

You snap your head towards the familiar voice, immediately regretting the decision. Your head spins just a little as you try to focus on the person in front of you.

“It’s you, isn’t it? I haven’t seen you since, well…”

He gave a shy, sweet smile, but you knew better than to fall for it. You turn away from him.

“What happened to the other bartender?” You ask, nonchalant.

“I took over a while ago.” He peers at you from the side, green curly hair falling into his face. “You look… Different. Did you do something to yourself?”

You stood up from the chair, ignoring the fact that your sense of balance was screwed. “Shut up. I don’t wanna talk to you.”

Your brain tells your body to take a step forward, but you only stumble, causing the male to catch you by the arm.

“Hey! Be careful! You clearly had too much to drink!”

You face him, his forest eyes were still as dark as ever, luring you in like an incubus searching for his new prey. His arms were still laden with scars, prettily decorating his muscles as he steadied you to the counter. You let your eyes wander. He must’ve been one of the strippers that were dancing, looking at his costume. It was a police cosplay of some kind, the shirt fully unbuttoned to let his freckled abs show. A handcuff was on his wrist whilst his skinny jeans pressed hard against a certain area. He seems to notice your gaze, a red blush flourishing upon his cheeks.

“It’s… Costume week. Boss said I’d look good as a policeman.”

His voice was soft, a little husky even, or maybe it was just your head making it sound like that. The bass of the music made your heart vibrate even harder, and all you could do was stare.

You begged your body to be rational. You begged and PLEADED your drunken state to at least think twice about the words that would come out of its mouth. Seems like you were deaf, because your next words tumbled out of you before you could stop yourself.

“Fuck me.”

He blinks, but you could see the sliver of a smirk twitch on his plump lips. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play games with me Deku. I’m giving you a fucking rope right now, so fuck me.”

The smirk grows, spreading across his face as he chucks the dish rag to a random stripper.

“Kacchan, take my shift. I’ve got somebody.”

Before said stripper could begin to shout at him, he leaves some cash on the table, courteously paying your tab before sweeping you into his arms.

“Let’s take this to the VIP room, hm?”

He flashes you a grin, a grin that sends electricity crackling down your spine. With a jangle of some keys, he opens the room, the scent of musky cologne filling your nostrils. A plush red sofa sat at the wall whilst the room lights were dimmed for effects. Opened condom packets littered the floor. He gently sets you down to stand, locking the door behind him. He unclicks the handcuff that dangled on his wrist, grabbing yours and cuffing them together. His tongue pokes out cheekily from behind his teeth, glinting from the piercing.

“What a cute criminal I’ve caught…”

With a chuckle, he places a hand underneath your chin, lifting your jaw up. You instinctively back away, only to hit the wall behind you. He comes closer, you could smell the acrid tones of honey and sweet perfume, it made you feel lightheaded. He captures you, ensnares you with his lips alone. It was sweet at first, a mellow teenage kiss before his tongue slips in, turning it all a bit more passionate. A dull pulse hits your lower abdomen, making you rub your thighs together to try and ease it. He pulls away, laughing.

“Wow… Just from that huh?”

His giggles were light, like he could never do wrong in the world. He pushes his hands in-between your thighs, rubbing against your clothed clit. You stubbornly bite your lip, holding back a small gasp. He raises an eyebrow at this, a cool palm pressing on the small of your back.

“Oh.” He frowns. “You’re not gonna confess?”

You glare at him. “Confess what?”

He leans in, nose tickling your ear. “That you missed me this whole time?”

You grit your teeth as he continued. “Face it, I’m the best you ever had right? I’m the only one who KNOWS you.”

You hold your urge to spit in his face. “You’re disgusting, you know that right?”

He puckers his lips together, bottom lip jutting out into a pout. “That hurts (Y/n), I know you love me.”

You tch. “Bullshit.”

He lets his shirt fall to the floor, arms and pecs in full glory. You look at him expectantly. He looks back, tilting his head.

“You want help?”

His tone was pissing you off.

“Oh I dunno, do I?” You retort, jangling your cuffs. Midoriya raises his hands in surrender.

“Woah calm down. I’ve got you.”

He rips your little black dress in half, making you almost lunge at him in fury.

“What the fuck Midoriya?! That’s my fucking clothes!”

“Clothes schmodes, I’ll get you a new one.”

You were about to snap back at him, but you were shushed by his lips pressing onto yours. He goes lower, soon reaching your cunt. Pulling your panties to the floor, he pushes his tongue into your folds, the metal piercing feeling you just right. You try to go and grab his head, but your wrists push against the cuffs. You felt a vibration flow through you; he was snickering.

“You’re not trying all too hard, are you sure you didn’t miss me?”

“Piss off, Deku.”

He presses his tongue flat against your puffy nerves. A shaky breath leaves your lips, try as you might.

“There we go…”

He laps at you almost like a dog, relishing how you’d clench your fists. He could practically hear you internally abusing his name like a mantra, but he wanted to hear it properly out of your pretty glossed lips. He removes himself from your pussy momentarily, roughly pushing you onto the couch. White stains covered the velvety surface, along with some sort of slimy drool, something along the line. You half-gagged at the sight.

“Yeah, we never clean this thing. Always gets dirty.” He hums. “Hope you don’t mind.”

With that, he goes back to work, lips connecting with your lower ones. His tongue strokes against your slit, the piercing cold compared to the rest of the muscle. His hands snake up your hips, fingers teasing the undersides of your breasts. You hiss.

“I have the ability to kick you Midoriya, I will not hesitate.”

He looks up at you from his position. “And I can stop right now, if I so wanted to. Go ahead.”

You hated this. Your blood boiled, only making the dull pulse grow stronger within you. He sneered.

“Thought so.”

He picks your soaked panties from the floor, shoving it into your mouth. “Now stay quiet, you talk too much.”

The damp fabric was cold in your mouth, leaving you to spit it out in disgust. Midoriya notices this, forcing it back with a click of tongue.

“Even when you’re cuffed you’re resisting.” A sigh leaves his lips. “I guess it’s time for the punishment, hm?”

He sucks your clit harshly, then releases it, blowing cool breath onto your heat. You squirm at the feeling, biting down on the undergarment in your mouth. Without warning, he thrusts his fingers into you, the squelching noise loud and clear even with the blasting music.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

[pepsi-writes]

chapter 3: the tears of the gang smp are the best candy

"Make sure it won’t happen again.” The boss crossed their arms, maintaining an intimidating posture.

The narrators bobbed their heads, immediately turning around and dashing out of the office. They were lucky to have gotten off the hook so easily after letting that omega robot bastar - nevermind. That’s unimportant.

Hello again, bitc-readers!

I hope you’re glad to see us, which you obviously aren’t, but please say you are 🥺😩

Now. Why focus the story on the narrators, when you’re just here for everybody else’s dumb-assery?

Sleepy took the dog-ear-headband thing off, throwing it in some random direction of the room, as they strolled right through the seventh doorway they’ve made it through after they had escaped from the other cursed room.

Addict followed them closely, though they seemed a bit timid. “Well,” Sleepy broke the awkward silence, “That was annoying.”

Addict glanced down at them. “Ok, but was the bashing really necessary?”

He shrugged. They reached the end of the long hallway (there was a long hallway???), and carelessly opened the door.

It opened to what seemed to be a waiting room, but he couldn’t place his finger on it oh who the fuck am i kidding it’s a waiting room.

“Took you long enough,” Rose mumbled, lounging on one of the chairs. He had searched endlessly for an exit, eventually giving up out of exhaustion.

They both ignored the comment, sitting down in random places in the room. Better to not acknowledge it at all then to make a fuss!

“So, is there, like,” Squid the bird person said, “any exit to this place?”

The room went quiet, so fey took it as a cold, hard, no.

“Hey, Squid,” Addict said, to break the silence, “you, uh, look different!”

Fey laughed in response. “Yeah, I know. The writer finally found out what my design is!” Squid the intellectual alpha was not shocked that the narrators didn’t know of feir design.

Besides, what was their rank in the a/b/o system-

Uhhhh, let’s move on so shush!

Addict let out a chuckle in response, mumbling something about it being cool under their breath.

There was nothing to, kinda talk about, really. Nothing at all. Zero. Nada.

Anyways, they had all been paid to dress themselves in dumb-ass dog costumes and play out an entire script for an episode, skit, whatever the fuck I want to call it.

However, when they actually tried to do the thing, these two bitches- uh - weird things, that called themselves the “narrators” (yeah, that’s us 😎), were keeping the entire performance under check and under control.

The whole thing made no sense whatsoever, but they went along with it anyway, because cash is worth more than their sanity. It would mean that the group would get paid handsomely, so, why not?

But, when they were actually finally fucking finished, they weren’t let out of the room. How fun.

Instead, more people were let into the room, like Sunny the dead racist moth, and Rose the dense mf.

And, they were given an entirely new script, given no time to rehearse or whatever, and told that they’ll be all paid double.

Now? They were in a creepily nostalgic waiting room, with seemingly no exits other than the way they came.

Sunny crossed her arms. “Do we really have to wait in a room with a,” - she glared distastefully at Quartz - “piglin?”

Quartz’s eyes widened at the snarky comment. “I am not a fucking piglin, you short-ass little shit.”

“Well then,” Sunny replied, smiling like the racist bastard she was. “Are you some sort of blaze?”

Quartz simply ignored her useless blabbering. They had no time for her anyway.

Suddenly, the door to the waiting room opened, with a loud slam!

“Hello!” Narrator said, stepping in with an eerie yet pleasant air around them. “Hope you’re all glad to be seeing us again!”

“Oh, great,” Squid snarled, wrinkling up their nose. “We’re going to have to do this dumb dog thing again.”

Yep yep!! Now come on, isn’t this all super fun? 😩👉 👈

“No! This is all fucking terrible, actually,” Rose yelled from the back. He suddenly shut up, with the narrators’ magic writing powers ah fuck let’s get on with it.

Glad to see you’re all excited for Episode 3 of the fun yes times ^﹏^

A door appeared across from where this narrator had entered.

They walked over and opened it.

Now, follow me :)

Everyone followed, because getting threatened by your best friend and crush in order to get a jab at the other person whom you love, is way too boring to actually watch.

Anyways, the narrator led them to another place, shoved everyone in it, shut the door, and locked it. Why? Because yes <3 Anyways they walked over to a room with a big ass window, into the room where they could now safely control the gsmp people bitches, without risk of dumbass robots hitting me and destroying the careers that they both had worked years to get to lmao.

“I hate it here,” Quartz groaned, any spark of happiness or peace seemingly draining from their eyes.

Sleepy whipped their head to the side, a snarky frown on their face. “Well, what fun thing are you making us do now?” A question mark appeared on their screen; obviously it was there to pester the narrators.

The narrator suddenly paused. They didn’t know what to do now. The other narrator didn’t know what was going to happen too (spoiler alert they both know they’re just being bitches lmao)

Irrelevant, nevertheless we have someone new for everyone to have your fun with :D

The narrator pressed a button on the control panel that appeared because fuck logic, and a door appeared on the ceiling, seemingly out of thin… wall.

Guess what it dropped? Uh, fuck it, you’ve all read the original already, it’s our favorite little goat, Scar!!!!!!!!

The door suddenly disappeared, slamming shut as its edges dissipated. Rose, who had climbed on top of Addict to try and reach it, cursed in frustration. Addict, who had absolutely no mercy towards him, wiggled so that he fell out of their grip. Rose cursed again, standing up and massaging his terribly injured arm. “Anyways…” he grumbled, “Welcome to hell.”

Addict sprinted to him, helping them up. “Hey…” they said to Scar.

“Yeah,” he coughed, brushing out his shirt, “I just kinda fell.”

he looked around the colorful room “Uh… where am I-“ Scar was suddenly quieted with the narrators’ awesome powers lmao.

Hey, stop questioning this now anyways put on these!

I pressed another button. The ceiling opened up again, and a dog-ear-headband clambered to Scar’s feet. A look of confusion passed their face, but he didn’t question it.

Now, they get to officially be a part of the a/b/o fic!

“...What?”

Woah. Both of the narrators, ending on a cliffhanger?

Wowsers😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

Haha that was fun right guys :)

[anotherhargrovebitch]

learning for myself : b.h

billy can’t take his eyes off of a girl who is taken by an older guy. but when he notices small details, he really cannot take his eyes off of you. (3.1k)

(also for @salemlysi​ - hope you like it and thanks for reading!)

* stranger things writing *

this is the third and final installment on my mini series. thank you for the support on this and i hope the ending does it justice. :)

stronger and older / growing wiser / learning for myself 

It had been over a week since the Halloween party, and Billy was still sporting a close to healed cut lip and darkening bruise across his cheekbone. Who’d of thought Danny could have such a good punch? Clearly, you knew otherwise.

School had continued, but you were nowhere to be seen or heard of. Billy did keep an eye out for you, just to make sure you were alright, yet no one had seen you. 

“Where’s Danny’s girl been anyway?” Carol questions, moving to sit on Tommy’s lap as they sat outside in the Autumn breeze. 

Billy’s ears perk up as he continues to smoke his cigarette, trying to seem unphased by the conversation as he struggles to ignore the flips of his stomach. “Yeah, haven’t seen her since her douchebag boyfriend punched me.” Billy huffs and Carol gives him a sweet smile, knowing there’s always more than meets the eye with Billy. 

Tommy shrugs his shoulders. “Heard she’s been to see him at college. Took some time out.” He mutters and winks to Carol who simply rolls her eyes in response. 

“So she’s out of town, with him?” Billy questions, hearing his tone become more aggressive. 

Gripping Carol’s hips, Tommy nods. “She went back with him after the party. I mean, that’s what I overheard her friends sayin’ in Bio yesterday.” Tommy comments and watches as Billy rises to his feet and walks straight to his car. 

Watching him walk away, Tommy huffs. “Wow, what’s his deal today?” Jackson speaks up, and Carol shoots him a cold look. 

“Better to not ask Jackson, unless you want a black eye.” Carol jokes, glancing back to Tommy who nervously smiles, never detecting if his girlfriend is merely joking or being serious. 

Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Billy pulls up to the school gates as Max climbs in. “You wanna go to the skate park, Max?” Billy asks her calmly as she dumps her bags in between her legs.

Pausing, Max turns to look at Billy with a confused expression. “What?” She raises an eyebrow, wondering if someone has abducted Billy and replaced him in the course of a few hours.

He flashes a small smile, making Max shift in her seat. “Wanna go skating? I mean, I doubt Susan will mind and she’ll thank me for it.” Billy reasons without disclosing his true intentions of going.

Max shrugs her shoulders as she puts her seatbelt on. “Y/n isn’t there this week, she said she’d be back Monday so I don’t have anyone to talk to.” Max states and Billy drives off, heavy on the gas back home without saying a single word.

Parking outside the house, Max opens the car door but pauses as she holds her bag. “You know, you can’t save her, Billy.” Max mutters as Billy looks over at her with cold eyes. “She won’t listen to anyone, everyone has tried to make it stop but it’s no use.” Max explains, having listened to hours over the course of the last few weeks at the skate park of phone calls and random people turning up and pleading with you. 

“I’ll find a way, Max.” Billy mutters under his breath as Max walks off back into the house whilst Billy remains seated in his car, unsure what to do with himself. 

*

His friends have noticed that he isn’t the same Billy he normally is. Billy hasn’t lashed out at anyone in days, he’s kept quiet and studied. For the first time since he started Hawkins High, his attendance has never been better. 

Regardless of the cause, the teachers couldn’t be happier about the sudden change in attitude. 

When Monday morning rolled around, Billy ensured he was at school on time. His first lesson of the day was Chemistry and knew you’d be there. All he wanted to do was see you, catch your eye and smile. He wanted to make sure that you were alright, that you weren’t laced with injuries this time. 

“Woah, Hargrove, where you goin’?” Tommy chuckles as Billy walks past all of his friends, not even giving them a second glance as he continues into the school building. 

Billy cannot stop his leg from shaking as he hovers by his locker, still waiting to see you walk by to your locker, arm in arm with your friends. But when the bell rings and you’ve still not passed, he feels the pit in his stomach only increase.

Keeping his head down, he walks into Chemistry and takes his usual spot at the back of the class. He doesn’t acknowledge the person already in on the opposite bench. 

“Oh my god, Y/n, hey!” One of your friends walk in and Billy immediately looks straight ahead expecting to see you in front of him, but as his eyes wander he spots that you’re the person on the opposite bench at the back of the class. 

You tug on your friend to take the spot beside you, blocking you from Billy’s view. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” You tell your friend as she makes hushed comments. “I hit my head on his dorm room door, shit happens.” You laugh it off and keep your head down, hair covering your face as the class begins.

Throughout the entire lesson, all Billy can focus on is you being back. He wants to take a look at you, wishing he could hold you close. 

As the bell rings, everyone files out including you. Billy keeps his distance as he watches you walk into the library and follows you through. 

Standing in the entrance, he watches as a few people give him weird glances, secretly wondering if he’s lost.  

Ignoring the stares, Billy looks around to see you hunched up in the far corner of the library and walks straight toward you. 

You remain in your own world, leaning your head in your hand as you write notes from the book in front of you. “Hey,” Billy clears his throat, watching as you tense in your seat but you keep your head down.

“Hi, Billy.” You mutter back, unaware of how Billy is nervously fiddling with his fingers, something Hargrove never does. 

Moving around to sit opposite you, Billy licks his lips. “Listen, I just wanted to talk to you quickly, about the party,” He speaks quietly, leaning in closer as your hair covers your face. 

“We don’t have to talk about the party, Billy. I’m sorry that Danny was such a dick that night, but he didn’t mean it.” You explain, not taking your eyes from your textbooks as Billy scoffs.

“Can you just look at me, Y/n?” His question leaves his lips in a harsher tone than he anticipated as he watches you flinch. 

Sighing to yourself, you lift your head up and see the bruise on his cheekbone turning purple, the edges a shade of yellow you’ve memorised on how to cover. 

But the state of himself is the least of Billy’s concerns as he sees your left eye is entirely bruised. Your eyes are tired and your lips are cracked. Despite the Winter coming, the school is well heated and everyone around you is in t-shirts, but you’re in full layers, hiding any exposed skin Billy could comment on. 

Stretching his hand out, Billy holds his palm open and watches as you hesitantly reach out. “Are you okay, Y/n?” Billy looks you in the eyes, seeing your lips parting but no words follow. 

You shake your head. “I, I’m trying.” You close your eyes, forcing back the tears that are constantly threatening to fall with each passing minute. “Danny was so lovely, and he just turned. We, we had this wonderful week and when I told him I had to come home, he flipped.” You quietly explain as you use your free hand to pull on your sleeve. 

Billy’s eyes widen as he grips your hand tighter, seeing a series of bruises and scratch marks covering your forearm. “I’m going to kill him.” He mutters seriously, locking his blue eyes with yours.

“Please, Billy,” You whisper. “do not do anything. I, I’m not some damsel in distress I can, can handle it.” You ramble, swallowing back the lump growing in your throat as you pull your sleeve back down. 

Quietly, Billy scoffs. “Oh yeah sweetheart, and how’s that going for you?” He retorts back, louder than he intended. 

Before he can say anything else, he feels your hand slip out of his as you pack up your books. “Fuck you, Billy.” You spit at him as you wipe your eyes and walk to the staircase to the quieter section of the library, wanting to just be alone with your thoughts.

For the rest of the day, you avoided Billy as best as you could. You knew he meant well, and that he could help you with your situation, but you were too scared to act on it. What if Danny somehow turned it back on you, made it your fault that this has all happened?

As the end of the day came, you went straight to the skate park to have some fresh air. You watched as a few of the kids approached you, none of them commenting on the black eye which was a relief. That was until Max turned up and immediately she wrapped her arms around you and you closed your eyes, unaware of Billy still in his car watching. 

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but Billy could help.” Max speaks up as she pulls herself away from you. “He might be a dick, but he has a heart somewhere in there and he has a sweet spot for you.” She chuckles at the thought and watches as a smile ghosts your lips.

You pat her shoulder, walking her further toward the others. “I appreciate it Max, I just don’t know how to do this.” You tell her, glancing back to see Billy sitting on the hood of his car.

“If you guys all just get ready, I’ll be back in a few minutes alright?” You explain to them all as you jog over to Billy, watching as he slides off of the hood and stands before you. “You want to help me?” You immediately question, not focusing on how close you’re stood in front of him or the small smirk on his lips. Billy holds his arms up.

“If you’d let me, Princess.” He replies and you nod. “And I know you’re not a damsel in distress, you’re pretty capable of handling things yourself.” He leans in closer, whispering the sentence into your ear as he pulls away, his eyes glancing to your lips.

“Danny is visiting this weekend, if I invite him over can you please be there? I, I’m scared he might do something.” You look down, playing with the cuffs of your hoodie.

Gently, Billy rests his fingers beneath your chin, his fingers spreading out to cross your cheek as he strokes it softly. “Just tell me a time angel, I’ll be there.” He whispers to you as you smile and nod.

You lift your hand up, resting it on his as you lean into the gentle embrace, something you’ve silently been longing for. “Thank you, Billy.” You mutter to him before you once again slip out of his embrace and walk back over to start the session with the kids, and Max can’t help but notice the smile on your face is genuine this time.

*

Pacing around your bedroom, you knew your parents were out and now would be the only chance you could have. Danny would never act poorly in front of your parents, he would never lay a finger on you if they were in the house. Now was your only chance to say everything, be loud and upset without anyone interfering. 

“How you doing?” Billy speaks up as he remains perched on the edge of your bed, still looking around at the posters and photographs that lace your walls. 

You shake your head as you bite at your nails, deep in thought. “Can I seriously do this?” You question with a short laugh. “I mean, he’s going to kill me. He will actually kill me for doing this.” 

Rising to his feet, Billy walks over and takes your hands in his, forcing you to focus on him. “I won’t ever let that happen, Princess.” He tells you with no hint of sarcasm underlying his tone. “If he tries to hurt you, I’m right here.” 

The doorbell rings and your eyes widen in fear. “If I call, you’ll come?” You whisper and Billy nods. 

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath as you turn around and walk out of your bedroom, doing your best to put on your best smile as you reach the front door.

“Baby, I missed you.” Danny chuckles, bringing you into his arms as he kisses you softly. As he releases you from his embrace, he tuts. “Baby, I told you to cover that with makeup, why don’t you do as I say, huh?” He motions to the bruise around your eye as you lower your gaze. 

“I’m home alone, Danny, no one will notice.” You weakly reply as you glance upstairs before walking into the living room. 

The way Danny talks to you, how he belittles you in a mere sentence boils Billy’s blood. He stands in the doorway, waiting for his signal as he resists the urge to run down and do something already. 

“So how’ve you been, missing me?” Danny chuckles as he takes a seat on the sofa, expecting you to sit beside him. Yet to his surprise, you remain on your feet. “Come on, baby.” He pats the spot next to him with a smile, but you stay planted where you are. “What’s going on, Y/n?” His tone suddenly turns from light-hearted to serious. 

You open your mouth to speak, but the sound of your heartbeat is drowning everything out. “Danny, I, I can’t be with you anymore.” You manage to get the words out as your eyes fixate on the small coffee stain on the carpet beneath your feet.

“Oh, and why’s that, baby?” Danny laughs loudly, a sound that churns your stomach. “I treat you so well, you’re my Queen.” He rises to his feet, nearing you as you back away to the window. “Why wouldn’t you want me? No one else will want you, Y/n.” He spits in your face, the hurtful words you’ve heard all before.

Shaking your head, he grips your face in his hand. “Stop it, Danny.” You plead, but his grip only tightens. 

“No one will want you, Y/n. Not after I’m done with you.” Your eyes widen as you see his fist nearing you, but before you can signal for Billy you watch as he charges toward the pair of you, tackling Danny to the ground.

Leaning against the window, you pant heavily as you watch Billy straddling Danny, punching him repeatedly. “Never talk to her like that!” Billy yells as you watch blood lines Danny’s nose. “You will never find anyone like her you piece of shit.” Billy states as he rises to his feet, kicking Danny in the groin before forcing him to his feet, gripping his shirt in his fist. “You ever think about coming near her, or talking to her again I will kill you.” 

Danny spits blood and scoffs. “She’s a whore anyway. Do what you want.” Danny comments as he looks over at you, seeing a broken girl before him. “I knew you were a whore since Halloween. I hope you’re happy.” He looks you up and down one last time as you cross your arms over your chest. 

Billy drags Danny out of your house, throwing him down the steps. “Don’t call her a whore, you girl beater.” Billy mutters into his face. “I don’t forget a face, Danny. So don’t ever try any shit with Y/n again.” 

Walking back into the house, Billy slams the door shut as he sighs heavily before turning into the living room to find you curled up in the corner, tears lining your cheeks.

Crouching down in front of you, Billy hushes. “Hey, you’re okay,” He speaks quietly as you nod. 

“He’s not coming back, is he?” You whimper and Billy nods. “I, I’m better than that? I, will I find someone better than h,him?” You cry and Billy moves to sit beside you, bringing you into his arms as you sob into his chest. 

“You deserve someone who will treat you with respect, Y/n. Someone who will take you to the movies and get you all the snacks you desire. Who’ll walk with you in pride as opposed to hiding you away. You will find someone who notices all the little things and will never let you go.” Billy rambles as he daydreams, unaware of you looking up at him with a small smile on your lips.

“Thank you, Billy.” You speak up as you shuffle to sit upright and lean in, kissing his cheek. 

The small action takes Billy by surprise. For someone who was a womaniser, he was used to affection in greater forms, but the simplicity of you kissing his stubbled cheek was one he would never tire of. 

“Do you want me to stay for a while? I, I don’t have anywhere to be.” He suggests and you nod immediately. 

“Can we go to bed for a bit? I’m so tired.” You whisper and Billy helps you to your feet, but you pause as you notice the redness of his knuckles. “Let me help you clean those up first.” You say and ignore his protests. 

Taking his hand in yours, you guide him into your bathroom as he takes a seat on the closed toilet whilst you clean him up the best you could. He noticed how delicate you were with him, the caution you take as you clean the wounds. 

“There,” You say with a small smile. “it’s an improvement at least.” You chuckle and Billy can’t help but laugh too.

“Well thank you, Princess.” He replies as he helps you to your feet, looking down at your lips before leaning in and kissing you softly. 

You taste of salty tears whilst he tastes of tobacco and mint. A combination that shouldn’t work, but weirdly is irresistible. 

Billy wraps his arms around you as he lifts you up, taking you into your room before you lie on your bed in each other's arms. “You won’t let me go, will you Billy?” You question as you move his curls from his eyes, seeing his lips curl into a smile.

“Never, Princess.” 

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

True Religion (Favored Ones, Part 23.)

Series description: Many things were surely fucked up in the year 2038, but no-one ever told anyone how all of it went down. What happened before a group of people left for Seattle to handle personal matters? Why did one girl refuse to leave all of it be? And why there were so many dead in the end?

Quote for the chapter:  “So I've become the bringer of death. A lover of life. The one who guards from the dark of the night.” - Shawn James

Part summary: As Dina repaired the old radio you and Ellie had found, Tommy and Nora’s whereabouts started to get clearer with every conversation she heard. But you didn’t know what can all of that cost you. 

A/N: I think you’ll kill me boys, but, honestly, I do not care at this moment anymore. This is intense shit and you knew what you were signing tf up for. 

Warnings: Gore, blood, murder, infected, guns, shooting, angst.

Word count: 5.8 K

Tagging:   @nemodoren @xxgoldenhour @missdictatorme​​ @peakymarvels​​ @davnwillcome​ @pickleriiick​ @jodiereedus22​ @gladiosamicitias​ @tamkashi​ @eternallyvenus​ @avengerssstuff​ @fangirl-inthe-us​ @avery-miller​ @mikah-writes​ @mad-hatter-98​ @sadiaafrin99​ @flavorishy

Series master list: H E R E

Joel Miller’s playlist for the bonfire occasions: H E R E

Youtube playlists: JACKSON DAYS | SEATTLE DAYS

Seattle, day two - midday:

You've woken up with an uncomfortable ache in your head. Dina's things were carried away somewhere, so you were laying alone in the room with the door closed. Joel was there as far as you could say - you could hear a song being played on the guitar being played. It could be Ellie, sure, but she was never into Johnny Cash to play some of his songs. Slowly, you sat up and looked around. It took you another while to gather at least enough strength to get on your feet. Maybe Joel was right - you most probably had some slight concussion or stuff like that, because the whole theatre was spinning around you from side to side, making you sick from your stomach. Even walking up to Joel was enough problem on its own.

"Goodmorning." - Your raspy voice mumbled to Joel as you slowly sat down into one of the plushy seats next to him, disturbing his small guitar concert. With that, Joel gave you a small smile. - "You snored a lot." - He stated, making you shake your head.

"You're snoring all the time and I'm not whining about it. Stop being such a pussy." - You teased the man back, having him chuckling at you. This was the girl he knew and fell in love with - the one who was bitching him down daily, poking fun of him daily.

"I take it as a sign that you feel better now, huh?" - The man hugged his guitar, trying not to stare at you too much because you were the prettiest lady he had ever seen. Your eyes were playfully shining as you couldn't take your gaze off the man. But slowly, you nodded with a grin on your face.

"Where's Dina? Is the baby too much these days, huh? And Ellie? Did they leave us here because I was snoring too much?" - It was meant to come around as a joke, but it didn't quite hit off that vibe. You were worried about the girls since you couldn't see them around. Joel shook his head with a smile of a boy, looking at you.

"Ellie has gone after Tommy because the other girl had repaired the radio and made some connection here and there, so we now have a pretty good idea about what's WLFs doing at the moment. But she's feeling better now, I made sure of that." - The man put the guitar down - and as he did, you put your feet there right away. He sighed but started to smooth your shins, leaning his back into the seat as well.

"What are you doing here, then? You wouldn't let her go alone." - You sighed, leaning in and catching his palm to play around with his fingers. He knew that you knew him - you knew he wouldn't let her go alone, but, maybe it was the time to start putting more of his trust to her.

"Someone had to keep an eye out for you, baby. And for Dina." - Joel smiled sheepishly, making you grin even more. Against all the painful grunts coming out of you, you sat up and climbed on top of him - which was certainly an unexpected turn to start with. Maybe you meant what you've told him the previous night. Maybe, even though all of his sins, there was still a small way of hope.

"You were just staring at my boobs when I was out. Let's be real here." - A smile appeared on your lips once again as you put his hands on your hips. - "I dunno what you're talking about, miss. Must be in your head." - The man teased you back, sliding his palm on your butt, palming it to bring you even closer to him. Gently, you felt first kisses on your neck as you hugged him tightly, having this lazy smile on you as you embraced him.

"I mean, you shouldn't think of yourself that low, Joel, you could've just asked me. I would show them to you anytime you'd like me to." - Jesus, you were in one particular mood that night, weren't you? But to be honest, he was glad for every second of the endearing light-hearted moment.

"Go on." - The man leaned his back into the seat, still keeping your ass in his hands as a grin spread all over his face. - "I'm askin' you. Rite now." - And with grace, you did exactly what you implied on doing, slipping the t-shirt on the floor. And of course, it all ended up in a pretty heated up make out session. Just as you were about to undo his buckle, someone had opened the door.

Shocked, you shot your look at Dina, having a horrified expression on your face. And what should Joel say? He was already getting hard to take you right there on the very seat. Holy fuck. - "I'm-I'm sorry, guys! I was just checking if everything's alright. I'll fuck off now!" - Dina yelled at you with her cheeks heated up, already leaving the room. Well, it didn't mean much since the mood was ruined beyond recovery in your opinion.

"I'll go check on her, okay?" - You mumbled and Joel nodded without hesitation. Swiftly, you made your way through the building as you tried to smoothen out your clothes and try to look as if you weren't horny beyond socially acceptable. It must've been the nerves the whole situation which made your body overly seeking out some good old fucking. Yet to your bad luck, you hadn't got exactly the circumstances, time, or a space to do this stuff at. Soon, you were knocking on the radio room where Dina was residing.

When you entered the room, she was just puking into a metal bucket as you poked your head in. To be honest, it was still a better sight than seeing your girlfriend's dad figure touching your best friend in a rather inappropriate way, no matter he's her man. So this wasn't anything that would make you turn on your heels to leave - you just tiptoed in and sat on the other side of the map, waiting for Dina to gather herself back together.

"You're not looking exactly spectacular, babe." - You whispered when she straightened again and got her hair off of her face drenched in a cold sweat. Swiftly, she put her hair into a ponytail, smiling back at you. - "You're not at your best either, pal." - Then, Dina coughed to the top of her palm, jumping at the radio coming to life. And you did so as well. Last you remembered, the radio was out of order. The girl stretched out for a marker, writing something down on the map as she grinned at the sight of you staring at the old piece of technology.

"Loosened connections and antenna. No wonder you and Ellie didn't figure that out since neither of you is exactly an electrician miracle." - The girl explained shortly. - "And what you're looking at... Are the WLF zones here in Seattle. I mean, when you look at it, it's pretty impressive." - "They're singlehandedly ruling over Metropole with limitless potential. Woah." - You finished for her, looking at Dina. The girl nodded, but something told you that this isn't everything she had to say.

"Not necessarily. I heard that Joel told you that WLF is having a full-blown war here with someone. He told me that he heard some people talking about some assassination." - The girl explained quickly and you nodded to let her know that you're listening. - "They call these people Scars. I don't know who they are, what are they doing here or what's their deal... But I heard a whole patrol getting murdered like ten minutes ago. That was why I was looking for Joel."

"Do they know we're here, or what's the deal?" - You mumbled with horror in your face. While the theatre was your biggest source of safety in Seattle, you could get surrounded fairly easily. Dina shook her head to calm you down, whether that would help or not.

"But we have information about this girl right here." - Dina picked up a polaroid from the ground, giving it to you to look at. To be honest, you didn't remember the girl's face in the slightest. Sure, she could be here... Oh. Wait. She, this woman, was the one who told Abby to end all of this already. Nora. Her name was Nora. - "Ellie is in Hillcrest right now, looking for Tommy, and Joel wants to take off to search for Nora. She should be... Here, I guess." - Dina pointed her marker at a hospital building marked down as 'Zone 2'. It was quite a stretch from where you were at the moment, but it wasn't the furthest either.  

"She was assigned there just an hour ago and her group is gathering medical supplies there." - Your friend looked down on her palms leaning into the table as she sighed loudly. - "I don't know what's happening here, but it seems as if something nasty is about to go down any minute here in Seattle. From what I understood about all of there operations WLF is running, it's supposed to be some sort of gathering process because they are planning on launching some huge attack. Where? I don't know. But sooner we get this over with, the sooner we'll be able to go home." - Dina finished and caught her belly.

"Can we meet Ellie somewhere halfway? We can search the perimeter, clear the area up, and then meet up with Ellie." - An idea left your lips which had Dina watching you with her mouth slightly opened up. Clearing up the area. You were talking about killing people without a doubt, which Dina could read one thing from. That was the adrenaline rush Dina talked about. The acceptance of the things being as they were. It was the survivor slowly waking up inside of you.

"I mean..." - The girl sighed again, fetching the map you were having all of your directions written on since day one. - "You'll be going to the Lakehill hospital, which is right here." - As she spoke, she circled the spot with her marker, watching the big map she had on the wall. - "The nearest spot you can meet on is this park over here, you see it?" - Dina asked, pointing at a small orange circle on your map and dark-colored spot on the big map. - "You might be prepared to spend the night there because I don't know when Ellie's planning on coming back from Hillcrest." - With that, Dina marked the park on your map as, giving it back to you.

"Are you sure you'll make it if we leave now?" - You asked, smoothing your friend's shoulder. At that, Dina snickered and shook her head. - "I've survived a lot worse shit than a bit of stomach sickness, trust me. In the worst case, I'll barricade myself in here with some snack and I'll wait for your arrival, your majesty. What about you?" - Dina knitted her eyebrows and waited for your response.

To your surprise, you knew exactly what Dina was asking about. Will you handle murdering another tens of people, groups of survivors? But, for real, had you any other option there? No. This was the only way around it. These people shoot on sight without mercy. Why should you be worried about killing them if you were the one making it in the end?

It was good to know that you weren't as sensitive around the topic as you were before. Sure, it wasn't exactly feeling the best knowing you've ended the lives of people which was more or less violence coming in vain yet... This was the only way you could go from the point you were at. Also, you needed more ammo, food, and other supplies because most of it was stolen by the people looting your horses while you were out - and you couldn't gather everything from Sadie's saddlebacks. Some fresh clothes would help a ton as well, but you couldn't complain about what you had.

The last thing with which you reasons the WLFs members with was that... Each of them was a friend of Abby's. What better message could you send other than killing each of them, making the woman realize that someone's after her, thirsting for seeing her in pain - in the same pain she had caused you. So, to summarize it all, you didn't tell Dina a single word. You just nodded, assuring her.

Quickly, you ran down to find Joel already packing his backpack. As it seemed, he wanted to take off on his own and unnoticed, which didn't exactly play out as he thought it will. Instead of confronting him off the bat, you tiptoed to the doorframe, leaning into it with your shoulder. - "Sneaking somewhere, Miller?" - You asked and narrowed your lips to a line. - "It seems so for sure."

The man let his backpack fall to the ground again, turning his head at you. He was worried. About what, you didn't know, but understandably, in this situation, he didn't need to have a specific reason to be worried. - "Dina already turned you in, so, no lies here. We're taking off immediately. Ellie will catch up with us later." - You told him just when he opened up his lips to speak. Without further explanations, you packed your stuff as well, looking at the hollow magazine of your gun. Now you knew you can hit the target sometimes - the other side of the fact consisted of your inability to shoot properly. At least, you had your knife, bow, and arrows - which could prove quite useful if you'd need to attack some patrol from the shadows.

"Are you sure," - "Sure up my ass, Joel. I have nothing to be sure of because this fight is my fight. I was the one for this cycle was started for and so, I will be the one to end it. By any means necessary." - You answered just when Joel was about to start his typical 'I just want you to be safe' pouting show. With that, the man shut up, nodding at your decision.

Just ten minutes later, you were hugging Dina as you and Joel were leaving. It wasn't raining anymore, but the air was sultry and humid just like the clouds were sending a clear sign - it could start raining any minute again. Rather than standing there without a clue of what to do there, you moved forward to make your way through the mostly abandoned city. The closer you got to the downtown again, the crazier it was looking around you. There was tall skyscrapers with beaten out windows, ravaged cars and stores, deep pits and cracks in the asphalt full of water and surely, it could be seen how quickly nature overtook the whole city.

"What did you mean by saying that you've started all of it? You weren't the one who started at all." - Joel suddenly spoke into the silence, having this question on his mind for quite some time at that moment. First, you spared him a quick over-the-shoulder glance while making your way through a corroded building before you gathered some normal-sounding answer.

"Tommy went MIA because of me in the first place. Ellie is obsessed with the image of having all those people dead because of what they did to us and her choice made Dina wanting the same. You left by my side because I couldn't sleep at night. This was started by me in so many ways, Joel." - You sighed back, opening another door to the third floor. This time successfully. And as far as you could say, you could safely cross a big mass of water from this floor on some kind of a wooden structure.

"Nothin' of what you've listed ain't your damn fault." - The man huffed out while you both scanned the area for possible supplies. This place seemed to be already cleared out and infected-less, so you didn't worry about keeping your voices down too much. - "But you can't deny it all just a big fucking cycle repeating again and again. And to be honest," - You stopped to look at him with a tired expression. - "I'm just tired of that."

Joel knew exactly what you meant, so he only nodded and didn't ask further questions. It was a cycle in a way - a cycle of violence and revenge of some sort, repeating just like life itself. There will be always someone seeking revenge on other people, just like there will be people who will be trying to escape it. And putting an end to all of it? That seemed like a reasonable and mature choice. Which could bring consequences?

It wasn't too long after that when Joel caught the sleeve of your jacket, pulling you to the ground. His palm pointed your head in the direction of a dying fireplace in the middle of the room which had each window beaten out, so the air was coming in. Someone didn't leave the place recently, oh no - they were on the same floor with you. Which was terrifying, because these people didn't make a single sound the whole time. Neither of you kept your voice down, you searched through the room rather carelessly. And these people were watching you from afar, most likely, waiting for you to walk into their trap.

"We need to move now." - You instructed Joel. The man wanted to resist, but you held his palm in yours. - "We can't win in this situation. They have us outnumbered and they knew where we last were. We need to make a run for that bridge." - You motioned your head forward, reminding Joel for what you've been there. And just when Joel was about to answer, a high and long whistle sounded through the room, accompanied by at least ten other whistles.

Without a lot of thinking through, you tugged on Joel's jacket as you got on your legs and ran through the room, hearing the first arrows fly by you in the next second. By a miracle, neither you nor Joel got shot, but it was just inches between you and tips of it. The office building you were crossing through was a labyrinth and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't find any logical solution to it. To make it even worse, any of the people firing at you couldn't be seen - they were hiding in the shadows, communicating by some system based on different whistle sounds. Which terrified you. The whistles were dissolving in the number of rooms you were making your way through, so you couldn't find at least one of the persons based solely on the sound of it.

Both you and Joel hid behind a thrown over bending machine - the wooden bridge was just across a long, well-lit hall. Something was telling you that there's going to be most of them. But there was no other option. You couldn't hold positions at the moment and even if there was a long time since the last arrow flew in your direction, you were somehow sure that these people knew exactly where you were.

"Listen." - Joel turned your face at him, holding it in his palms. - "Now, you have to run. Don't look around, don't look behind, just run straight forward, 'kay? I'll be rite behind you." - The man kissed you briefly, tugging you our of your hiding spot in the direction of the bridge. His palms pushed you in front of him to put your tired body into motion. Abd it helped - even if you were out of breath, you needed to keep in motion so Joel would stay right behind you. The bridge was nearer and nearer, just like the ducking whistling. The people seemed to go over the top with it, panicking because you were almost there.

It was just when you ran to the end of the bridge when you realized something's off. It wasn't finished. It didn't lead anywhere. There was this huge mass of water under you, thanks to the rain, and a broken-down wall, where you could jump to. It was now or never situation, so you backed a few steps back, hoping Joel will see what you were after; not realizing that it would be there with you, he'd be already telling you what to do. Yet your mind didn't make that connection as you tried to hype yourself up before the jump. But just as you sprinted towards the edge, you cried out when spasm tensed your muscles up on the leg which was fucked up by Abby, making you fall down before you even made an attempt to jump.

You screamed for your dear life - you were just falling down to the water from the height of the fourth floor of one of the skyscrapers. Your palms were stretching out as you desperately tried to catch any ledge, but it was pointless. Nothing could help you now. And so you, you fell into the water with a loud splash. For a second, your body fell into a deep shock. The water was ice-cold, making your tensed and heated up muscles hurt as you regained the control over your muscles. You've fallen, but at least you crossed at least three savage-looking-like barricades you and Joel were making your way around. Something told you not to surface just yet - you swam in the water to another collapsed building on the other side of the street, climbing out in the basement.

There was no way around it - you had to cough loudly to get the water out of your lungs as you gasped for all the air you could get. First, you started to check yourself. Were you hurt? Did some arrow hit you? Did you hit a bone or broken anything? And there was a long, relieved sigh when you realized you're still doing good. But that was when it hit you at full speed. You stood up and looked around through the collapsed wall to the mass of water, upon the bridge. But you couldn't see or hear literally anyone. Where the fuck was Joel?

The panic attack took over you almost immediately. Where the fuck was he? Why didn't he jump after you? You were all alone now while the whistling people were after you. Right at the moment. The paranoia and fear made their way into your system rather quickly as you jumped at every small sound around you. He had to figure out another way out, right? He was safe for sure. He was just fine and you couldnt stay on one spot for too long. They knew you fell right into the water. It won't take them too long before finding you. Without too much thought put into it, you moved forward to take at least some stand on the situation. The only thing leading your steps were your instincts.

Now, you were on your own. Joel sure as hell was fine, you hoped so, and he knew where you were supposed to meet Ellie. He sure will appear on the meeting point, so there was no point in waiting for him. Somehow, you made your way into the first floor and except torches lighting up the place, it was pitch black. But the less your eyes saw, the more your ears heard. There was someone right in front of you, so you slowly took the knife out, listening to the pace and loudness of their footsteps, realizing where they were. And once you did, oh boy, they had it coming.

It was a woman in a brown coat, you guessed, facing away from you. She was struggling a lot, but not as much once you stabbed her abdomen before stabbing her neck open. With shaky hands, you let the hand slip to the ground, watching her face. The scars leading up from the corners of her mouth up to her earlobes was what caught your attention immediately. These were the Scars Dina told you about. These were the people who killed a patrol of WLFs in a gruesome way. No matter how stressing was that, there was no way for you to slow down for at least a bit. So you moved around in the sheer light, mostly helping yourself with listening to your surroundings, carefully touching it with your palms so you'd know where's solid wall and where's something else.

One man walked just a foot from you with his bow ready, looking for you. They knew about you, they surely did. It was impossible not to hear the warning whistles of their friends. Okay, okay, you had to get your facts straight. So, there were the Scars for sure. And they communicated by whistling. Which was amazing in a way - fucking every pinch of hope you had in many others. With a shaky breath, you closed your eyes and waited until the man crossed the few rooms you crouched through. Just when you moved forward again and saw a door opened enough for you to squeeze through, you heard another sharp whistle cutting the silence. The man found his dead friend.

As you climbed out of the building, you tried to memorize this sign at least. It surely meant that they were warning others about a dead body they had found. Quickly, you put the knife back in, thinking about where to go next. The adrenaline was really pushing you over your limits as you climbed on a trunk of an old picked up, over to the front side and jumping off, sliding on a muddy hill. When you ran for another three blocks, you finally stopped to catch some breath, leaning your back to one of the concrete buildings.

Joel wasn't there. Joel was MIA. He could be even dead. And while you knew and realized all the possibilities that could meet him on his way out of the office building, your brain didn't seem to sort them out. It still didn't seem to click inside there. Also, you didn't have any ammo or arrows, since all of them fell out of the quiver once you took the deep dive into the mass of water. And as it seemed, the hunters were now after you - you could be anyone in their eyes. They didn't care much if you were a civilian, a WLF, or a trespasser. They wanted you dead now as well. Great. The whole situation was fucking up more and more while you just watched it going downhill.

At least the map was partially intact, so you were still able to orientate around the city - or pinpoint where you were. As before, there wasn't any time for you to stop just like that. You were more or less a hunted prey at the moment, so you had to move quickly before having an arrow shot up to your ass. The paranoia didn't leave you for the slightest moment - you now knew the Scars were capable of being extremely quiet when they had to be and as a reaction for that, your ears responded to every small sound they caught. The light was starting to fade away, but because you were too afraid of using your flashlight, it was only adding up to the tension of the situation because soon, everything seemed like a person moving around.

Yet by a miracle, you made it to the edge of the park. There, you were finally calm enough to find a small place to reside for a moment, eat and drink a bit, rest up before Ellie makes her way to you. As soon as you bumped into an opened canalization shaft, you took it as a sign. This was your place to hide despite the smell and rats. You made a fire to warm yourself up without being terrified of it catching some attention since you were in an abandoned underground area, ate a can of baked beans, and drank almost all the water you had while trying to dry your jacket. It was really no surprise you drifted off right on the spot.

The kid had some cool music taste, which made you like her a lot more. She caught your eyes here and there when she was hoarding the food in her pockets, quickly pacing out of the dining room soon after each time she has done it. The girl was underweight-slim, always disappearing as if she was only an illusion hanging on the backside of your head. But there was something about her which made you smile.

Maybe she was just scared of all of you, which could be pretty reasonable when you acknowledged what happened to her. Or at least the things you've heard about the girl. Sure, most of them were pure works of fiction, but some of the stories made you scared of her too. So you decided to be the first one to break the silence, coming up to her house and befriending the scared-to-death kid. And you heard some pretty dope music from the inside when you did so. You couldn't believe how nervous you felt when you were about to knock on the door, just when she opened them up.

"Joel, what are you," - The girl grinned at you before she realized you aren't that Joel of hers. - "Oh." - She whispered and looked back at you the same way you were looking at her. For a moment, you both stood there uncomfortably, looking down on each other. She was the first one to speak.

"Hey, whatcha doing out here?" - Her voice muttered quietly and you watched as the played around with the tip of her back shoe, watching it. Her forearm was wrapped up in a piece of white cloth, her red hair was put to a messy ponytail and dear lord, she seemed to be weirded out.

"Heard the cool the music, so I came to ask who you're listening to." - You explained with a nervous giggle at the end, pointing at her radio in the corner. A white CD was put in there, rotating as the song progressed. The girl nodded with insecurity in her face, but she still stepped aside to invite you in, fetching you the CD cover. Foster the People was what the cover said. - "It's called Pumped Up Kicks. They're dope." - She nodded nervously when you read the song names on the back of it, but suddenly, she pointed her finger at you. You arched your eyebrows while slowly looking at her.

"Wanna hear a joke?" - She wondered. She'd swear that you could hear her heart beating with nerves at that point. Pumped up Kicks slowly faded into another of their songs, which you maybe liked even more. Slowly, you nodded at the proposal, still standing there since you didn't know what else you should do. - "Okay." - She chuckled and nodded, blushing slightly at those actions. - "What's golf's club favorite music genre?"

This question made you furrow with a growing smile as you shook your head unknowingly, watching the girl as she leaned her ass into the edge of her table. - "Swing."

There was an awkward silence as you tried to understand the joke - and suddenly, you started to laugh out loud so much, you had tears in your eyes. - "Dude, that's so bad!" - You whispered between the laughter, seeing the girl smiling right back at you. - "Name's Y/N, nice to meet you finally." - You offered the girl your hand, watching her approaching you with an unbelieving smile on her face. Did you want to talk to her sooner? You and your group of friends sure as hell caught her eyes before and to be honest, she was desperate to join you. All of you seemed cool and fun, around her age, but... She didn't know how to approach any of you. In her eyes, you were maybe too cool for someone weird as she was. But you came to her with an offer of friendship on your own, which was kinda dream-like for her. - "I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you too."

Ever since that day, you learned how to recognize the girl's voice and touch anywhere. So you realized it's her who's waking you up from your unplanned nap. The fire had already died out and Ellie was stinky, covered in mud, wet dust, the sewers water, and blood. Which didn't stop you from hugging her tightly, breathing out to her neck. Slowly, everything that happened had popped in your head again, making you terrified once again. - "Oh, God." - You muttered to the crook her neck, tugging her even closer.

"Focus on me. Where's Joel? Why you're alone?" - Ellie asked with worries in her eyes, palming your jaws gently. Disoriented, you looked around and tried to catch at least a slight gasp on reality before realizing what happened. - "We bumped into the Scars on our way here. We were running to the bridge, trying to get away when my fucked up leg tensed up and stopped me, so I fell into the water under. I didn't see him since then."

The nape of Ellie's neck got sticky from cold sweat as she realized what you were telling her. You and Joel separated, and you didn't know where the fuck he could be. He could be possibly dead, kidnapped, or something like that. It happened hours ago so there was no meaning in searching for the man. Which made her feeling sick from her stomach. At the same time, Ellie did know that with all the chaos she just managed to start by entering the sewers, anyone could've heard her. At the moment, there wasn't time to grief over his loss. You could do that later. - "Listen to me. It's only you and me now and we will make it outta here no matter what. We're coming for Nora, okay? It's you and me not. We're the last ones who remained on the battlefield." - She mumbled as she helped you into your jacket, packing all your stuff up. Trying to understand the meaning of her words, you nodded and sighed, pointing to the exit.

"The park's just above us. It's probably the quickest route straight to the hospital." - You instructed her and both got out of the building, seeing the dying daylight. And the coverage over the park didn't make your sight conditions better in any possible way. The only thing you could hope for was that the fucking park was empty.

Yet as soon as you heard a sharp whistle, you pushed Ellie to the ground, taking in a deep breath. You were in some knee-deep shit at the moment.

[adventuresinwonderlust]

Title: Big Brother- “The New Kid” Part 2

Pairing: Yoongi x OC aka Tessa Ft. Tae (Brother) Ft. Jin (Bros BFF)

Warnings: abusive language, slight bullying, fluff, angst, lots of cursing, slow burn/ build-up

Rating: 18 and over

“TESSAAAAAAA!!!!” I jump up at the sound of Tae yelling for me from downstairs. I leap out of bed and rush down to meet his call. “What’s going on?” I ask between breaths. “Check this out.” He waves me over, calmly now, from the kitchen window. I take my place beside him and peer out the window to see Yoongi in the backyard at Mrs. Mark’s place mowing the lawn. “Don’t be a creeper Tae. Is that what you hollered for? You scared me!” I punch his arm. “She hired help,” Tae looks over at me like a hurt kid, “Why? I was helping just fine. Maybe I did something wrong.” I roll my eyes. “Oh god Tae. He’s her exchange student. I saw her yesterday. He just moved here; he’s going to be staying here. She doesn’t need your help anymore.” I open the fridge and find nothing to eat. “We need to do a store run.” I say to the back of Tae’s head as he stares out the window again. “Hello,” I call out to him, “Earth to Tae!” He turns to me looking puzzled. “So, like, he’s gonna live with her? That’s weird no?” “Why is that weird? She’s doing something good for someone in need.” I cross my arms and stare at Tae who looks as if he is solving a math equation. “So, he’s some poor kid looking for a handout?” “No, you’re just some poor kid looking for a handout. He’s is an educated mind in need of a helping hand.” Tae scoffs. “We should go say hi.” He suggests. “I introduced myself yesterday. Let’s focus on eating. We need to do a store run.” “You’re right sorry.” “Cool, so let’s make a list and get some stuff done.” I pull out a piece of paper and a pen. I look up and see that Tae has left. “Shit, Tae!” I call out.

I head out the front and towards the back of the house. Tae is leaning on Mrs. Mark’s fence waving to catch Yoongi’s attention. I see Yoongi appear at the fence stone face and sweaty with a black cap on backwards. He dries his face with his sleeve. I catch up and jump in front of Tae. “Hey Yoongi!” He nods at bright wave. Tae shoves me over. “I’m Tae, Tessa’s brother, she was telling me that you just moved here and will be living with Kelly. So, what’s your deal man?” I shoot Tae a ‘What the fuck’ look. Yoongi looks at me and then Tae, not a wink of emotion on his face. I chuckle nervously. I look back at Tae whose eyes shift from me to Yoongi. “Well? What are you a mute?” Tae looks at me. Yoongi licks his lips looking rather annoyed. “Mute? No. I just have hard time understanding your dumb down slang. I have no…uh…. Deal as you say.” He gives a small smile and I can’t help but laugh at his sarcasms. Tae’s face shift and I straightened up. He reminds me of my father when he’s mad. “Well Mandu, I’d be sure to not have a deal. I’m not exactly the type of guy you wanna fuck around with, get me?” Yoongi scoffs. “Mandu? That’s good. I have never heard this one. So…. original.” He looks from Tae to me and walks back over to the mower, starting it up again and moving back across the yard. I punch Tae in the side. “What the fuck Tae? You’re such an asshole!” I say walking back towards my house. Tae follows behind me. “Oh, I’m the asshole. That kid is a fucking asshole, he seems like he can handle himself just fine. You saw how he egged me on.” “Leave him alone Tae, I’m warning you.” I shoot him a mom look. “Now get ready, we are doing a store run!” I shout heading up the stairs.

Tae and I drive over to the supermarket in our moms old Rav4. Dad fixed her up and gave it to Tae as a gift. “Why do you think Mrs. Mark’s didn’t tell me about this Yoongi kid?” Tae asks suddenly as we park. “Who gives a fuck Tae? She has other things to worry about. At least it gives you more time to focus on football and getting that scholarship. That is what’s important right now.” He doesn’t say anything as we walk into the market. We walk around and fill our cart with the essentials for survival. “Tessa, Tae, hi!” Mrs. Mark’s appears and waves us over. Tae seems to straighten up. “Hey! How are you?” I ask. “We met Yoongi this morning.” Tae blurts out. “Oh, yes! I spoke with Tessa about Yoongi, and I have been meaning to talk with you as well Tae.” Just as she goes to explain further Yoongi appears with an arm full of things and loads them in the cart. “Oh! It’s my new friend, Yoongi!” Tae says brightly reaching his hand up for Yoongi to high five. Yoongi chuckles suspiciously but obliges. “Tae my friend. They have Mandu here. In the frozen section, I hear you are big fan.” Yoongi says with a smirk. Tae chuckles and looks over to Mrs. Mark’s. “Maybe I should come by during the week and clear the gutters. We can chat and what not.” Tae says to her. “Uh. Well, Yoongi has been a huge help already so, uh, maybe we can grab lunch and I can say thank you for helping me so much this summer.” Tae nods.

I can’t help but feel the tension rise up in Tae, twin senses. Just as I go to interject in their conversation, I can’t help but feel watchful eyes on me. I turn to see Yoongi staring in his famous pose, right hand holding his left arm. I make my way closer to him. “I’m sorry about what Tae said earlier. He can be a jerk sometimes. He means nothing by it though.” I whisper. He nods and looks me up and down. “So, Tessa, what’s your deal?” He teases. I can’t help but appear taken aback by his use of Tae’s line from earlier. Suddenly he bursts out laughing. I can’t help but join in, it’s the most emotion I’ve ever seen on his face. “We should hang out tomorrow. I can show you around town.” I blurt out. He composes himself and looks over at Tae. “Big brother won’t like that.” He points towards Tae. “I’m older actually, by two minutes, and fuck Tae. He’s not the boss of me.” He looks at me again stone faced. “Twins,” He nods, “I don’t know. I will text you.” “Fair enough.” I say. “Tae,” I interrupt his and Mrs. Mark’s conversation, “Let’s get home.” He nods clearly annoyed and we all go our separate ways. We drive back in silence.

After putting away groceries, I hit my laptop and start writing. I am off to a great start when I hear the faint sound of music from my window. I walk over to the other side of my room and sit at my vanity. I lean down into the window sill to try and see into Yoongi’s window. I can hear the music better and immediately know it’s coming from his piano. “You hear Picasso over there?” I hear Tae from my bedroom door. I lift my head slowly and shake my head. “You’re an idiot Tae. Good thing you don’t need a brain for football.” I respond. “What? You don’t seriously like that kid Tess? He’s a weirdo.” He says, plopping down on my bed. “Why,” I shrug, “He is just getting acclimated to a new everything, you on the other hand, are a fool who has no clue that Picasso was an artist not a pianist.” My phone vibrates. ‘Ok stalker. Tomorrow.’ The unsaved number says. I look over to Yoongi’s window to catch him waving at me and then walking away. “I need the Rav4 for tomorrow.” I blurt out. “Uh. Uh. I’m meeting Jin tomorrow.” He shakes his head. “Ok, so tell him to pick you up in the morning.” I argue. “What do you need it for?” He inquires. “Do I ask why you need the car Tae?” “It’s my fucking car!” He shouts. I scoff. Suddenly an idea pops into my head. “Mrs. Mark’s asked if I could take Yoongi out tomorrow. I feel bad but I guess I’ll have to tell her no.” I sigh. Tae’s expression changes. “Really? Sheesh. Alright Tess. Maybe she needs a break from that kid already.” “Maybe,” I reply, “So, you’ll lend it to me? Have Jin come get you?” “Yes, Tess. You can borrow my car but just a few hours.” “Yay!” I exclaim and hug him. “Gross. Pay me back by making dinner, how about that?” He shoves me away.

The following morning, I am up and ready early, trying to sneak pass my drunk father, who once again is passed out on the couch. I head into the kitchen and grab a couple bottles of water. I make my way to the door. “Where you headed girl?” My father grumbles, sitting up and rubbing his head. “I’m going out with friends.” I say. There’s a knock on the door and my heart drops. “I have to go.” I say to him. He doesn’t object and I run to the door. I slide out and see Yoongi standing on the porch. “I didn’t know you were coming over here. I would’ve come to get you.” I tell him. “It’s not proper for the lady to pick up the man.” He says. I laugh nervously. “Well, let’s just go.” I whisper and hurry over to Tae’s car. “Why do you whisper?” Yoongi asks, looking around. “No reason.” I jump into the driver seat and he into the passenger seat. “So, where are we going?” He asks. I nervously move the gear shift and hit the gas and we careen towards the house. “Woah, woah! STOP!” Yoongi yells as I quickly hit the brakes. “Sorry.” I say and move the shift into reverse. “Do you know how to drive? Is this your first time?” He questions. He is in full panic mode, still bracing himself in his seat. “Like riding a bike.” I smile as we speed off. Yoongi eases now but side-eyes me the whole time. “So, tell me about yourself? You must miss your mom and dad?” I poke, curious as to his personal life. “I call my mom one time every week. To check in.” He replies. He opens his window slightly and the rush of wind blows his hair around.

“Only once a week. That isn’t a lot. She must be worried. New country, different language. New people.” I’m really prying. “No. She is a busy woman. I am getting older. She wants me to get a good education.” He states plainly. “How about you? Tell me about you. Most popular girl.” He quickly shifts the focus. “Well, I grew up here. It’s me, Tae and my dad. My mom passed away a year ago. It has been hard, but we get by. My dad owns the car shop in town. Tae is going for a football scholarship this year. He’s good, like really good. The school is whatever. Like most I’m sure. I think you’re gonna fit in just great honestly. It’ll be nice to get some fresh meat in this boring old town.” Yoongi doesn’t say anything. I continue. “I figure we can grab breakfast and walk around town. There are a bunch of cool spots to see and a shopping complex.” I look over to him and get nothing. “Earth to Yoongi. What’s going on in that big brain of yours?” I ask. “I am not so interesting,” He says, “Not much to tell. Not like you. So much insight.” “Look, if this is going to work, I am going to need a little more than clipped responses from you. I want to be friends. So, just be yourself. Tell me something no one knows.” I implore. “I like pancakes.” He says and I begin to worry that this may have been a terrible idea.

I grab a parking spot outside of Taylor’s Diner, a local spot in town that a lot of the school kids frequent. We grab a booth by the window and are given menus by Gladys, who’s been a waitress here since I was little girl. “Hiya Tessa. Who’s your friend?” She smiles at Yoongi, who gives her a small tight smile. “I’m Yoongi. Nice to meet you.” He says and I am shocked that he even responded. “Well, welcome Yoongi. It’s great to meet you. Any idea of what you’d like to eat or drink?” He looks down and then back at Gladys. “Iced coffee please and pancakes.” He closes his menu and hands it to her. “Perfect, and for you Tessa?” She looks at me. “Uh. I’ll have the same.” She nods, takes my menu, and heads off. “Wow, I think it’s the most you’ve spoken ever.” I say sarcastically. “It’s not polite to be rude to elders.” He says to me and looks out the window beside him. He swallows hard and begins to pull nervously at his ear. “What’s wrong?” I ask. “Big brother.” He replies. I look up and Tae and Jin enter the Diner. “Well, well, well. Tessa! You get more gorgeous every day I see you.” Jin says sliding into the booth beside me. Tae slides in next to Yoongi. “Jin meet Mandu, our next-door neighbor.” Tae laughs. He goes for a high five but Yoongi just ignores him this time. “Why don’t you knuckle heads get lost?” I spit at Tae. “I had to check in on my girl.” Jin says, putting his arm around me. I shove him away. “Not even in your dreams.” “Hey Mandu, I better not find out your messing with my girl. Got it!” Yoongi doesn’t say anything. He just stares at Jin as if he could kill him with just his gaze. “Fuck off Jin! Tae!” I look at my brother. “Alright, alright. Let’s get out of here. You two have fun. Don’t fuck up my car Tess.” They get up and Jin points two fingers at his eyes and then one at Yoongi.

Yoongi whispers something. “What?” I ask him. “I said they are assholes.” I feel my face flush. This is not turning out well. “I’m sorry.” I say. “Why you are always sorry?” Yoongi utters. I am taken back by his comment. “Here you go.” Gladys says dropping our food and coffee off. I take a deep breath to keep from crying. “My brother isn’t….” I go to respond. “Yeah, he is,” Yoongi cuts me off, “Maybe you don’t know your brother the way you think you do.” He shoves his plate away from him and stares out of the window again. “I can’t eat unless you do. It’s rude.” I quip, trying to turn this breakfast around. “I guess you will starve.” He says to the window. “I am really trying Yoongi but you’re not making it easy.” “Oh no, imagine a world not made easy for the most popular girl. Such a tragedy.” He looks at me with red eyes and I can see he’s hurt. “We can just leave then if you want.” “No, someone made this for us so let’s eat. Celebrate friendship,” He cuts and shoves a huge piece of pancake in his mouth, “I love pancakes.” He says sarcastically with a hard swallow.

After paying the check and leaving the restaurant, I point over to the end of the road. “The shopping complex is that way.” I say. “We should get back.” Yoongi says, pointing to the car. “Uh. Ok.” We head to the car instead. This time I successfully get on the road without trouble. “I hope that we can do this again. I know today was rough but I would like to get to know you better.” I say to Yoongi. He just nods. “Thank you for breakfast. I owe you.” I pull into Mrs. Mark’s driveway and let Yoongi out. “See ya.” I say. He hops out and slams the door, walking into Mrs. Mark’s house. I pull out of her driveway and into my own. Once up in my room, I get on my laptop and facetime my friend Alice. “Hey girl! How’s your summer?” She exclaims when she answers. “Good. Getting a lot of writing in. Can you believe this is our last year?” “Oh my god! I can’t wait!” She says brushing her hair out of her face. “How’s Italy?” I ask. “Gorgeous girl. I met a man.” She giggles. “A man?” “His name is Arnand. He’s tall, dark, handsome, ugh, everything you read about in the books. He wants me to move here next summer and live with him.” I bust out laughing. “That sounds insane. How old is Mr. Everything?” I inquire. “38 but that’s not really old.” “Oh my god Alice! He is way too old for you! What will your mother say? She’s gonna freak out!” “No way! She will give me shit for a week and then ask how much he makes in a year, which is a lot by the way. He’s some hedge fund guy. Besides, I don’t have talent. I need a sugar daddy. I’m not smart like you or athletic like Tae and Jin. I have nothing lined up for after high school. This face is my money maker.” She circles her face with a finger. “Still its creepy and you can do anything you want. You just gotta focus on one thing.” I try to assure her. “Ha-ha. Yeah right Tess! Why have one thing when you can have them all?” She twirls around with her phone making me dizzy. Alice has always had her head in the clouds. “So, how’s the shit town?” She asks me. “Uh, same ole. Mrs. Mark’s got a foreign exchange student from Korea to move in with her. He starts this year at the school. She asked me to befriend him and show him around.” “Is he cute?” She asks and I immediately blush.  “I don’t know?” I reply. “Yeah, he’s cute. So, what’s the problem? Is it Jin?” “What no? Jin and I are over, and you know that. He’s just, I don’t know, weird. He hardly talks and when he does, he’s sarcastic and dry. I don’t know. He’s hard to read.” “I see, so Tess has met her match and she uncomfortable.” My eyes pop open at her accusation. “Oh Tessa, my baby, my bestie, my love. Just get over yourself. You miss out on so much because you’re so stuffy.” I scoff. “I am not stuffy.” “Oh yes you are! You think because you’re smart and beautiful, people should just fawn over you. That works for some like Kim Seokjin, but you are going to meet people with actual brain cells that are going to force you to do some of the work.” “Whatever.” “This is constructive criticism Tess. Don’t get all offended.” “I have to go.” I blurt out. “Okay, well don’t tell anyone about Arnand and give that foreign boy your number! Love you Tess.” I smile and disconnect the call.

I pull my phone out after thinking about what Alice has said. ‘You are a puzzle, but I am going to solve you.’ I think for a second too long and start to delete it. ‘Don’t forget, you owe me!’ Before I think too much, I send it. I look towards Yoongi’s window from my desk. My phone vibrates. ‘Stalker.’ I start laughing. I finally save the number in my phone. Maybe Alice is right. I am used to getting my way. Jin made things way too easy. Maybe what I need is a challenge. Welp Min Yoongi, challenge accepted.

[n8thegr8]

My Avengers Academy Chapter 3: Parasites

“Peter, honey, you’re not eating your ice cream.”

Peter looked at the delicious treat that was laid out in front of him. He glanced at his Auntie May, who had a face scorned with concern and sorrow.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Auntie.” Peter then slowly started to pick at his treat. It was a gloomy summer day. It was overcast and the man on the tv said it was going to rain that day. He was in an ice cream parlor. It had a certain classic feel to it. Sitting across the booth was his auntie and uncle, which both looked so sad. Peter had his head hung low, but it was up enough for him to bring the spoon to his mouth.

“Hey, kiddo, why don’t we watch Aladdin when we get back home, huh?” Uncle Ben said in an attempt to liven up the mood.

Peter began to play with his treat. “No, it’s okay.” His spoon kept moving the ice cream in circles. An endless loop until he decided to put a stop to it. He’d just been to the doctor. It was his yearly check-up. It was supposed to be a good day. His fifth birthday was only two days ago, and that was a good day. Today was supposed to be a good day. However, something ruined it. Droplets of salty tears started to form in Peter’s eyes. Why was he like this? Was he cursed? Why did it seem like the universe was out to get him? Did he do something wrong? His vision began to blur from the heavy flow of tears and his nose clogged up with mucus.

“Auntie May? Uncle Ben?” he choked. He slowly lifted his head, he couldn’t bear the shame he felt within him. He tried to look them in the eyes but he couldn’t, he just couldn’t. “Why am I quirkless?” he sobbed. “Why am I quirk-“

“-less?” Peter felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through his body and he quickly sat up from his lying position. He found himself in an unfamiliar location. Everything was sterile and white. The bed he was lying in felt rough, but still gave some sense of comfort. His head was throbbing in pain. He put his hand on his forehead. “Am... am I dead?” he muttered.

“If you were, then I’ve been doing a crappy job.”

The voice startled Peter out of his daze. He looked to his left to see a woman he’d never seen before. She was dressed in a white long coat, glasses, and a little badge that read: “Claire Temple, Doctor”. She was writing on her clipboard. “Mornin’ sleepyhead.”

“Umm…”

The doctor looked up from her clipboard. “What?”

“Wh-who are you?” Peter blinked.

“Claire Temple, resident Doctor at the Avengers Academy Hospital Ward,” she stated matter-of-factly.

What, I’m in the hospital?!

“You went into a syncopal episode, fell and hit your head on the ground, no bleeding though, so that’s great. We took a blood test and everything seems norm-“

“Woah woah woah, back up.” Peter waved his hands. “I fainted?!”

The doctor cocked an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you know what syncope means,” she commented, “But yes, you fainted. Specifically from a spider bite.” She gestured to Peter’s right hand. 

Peter gasped as he looked at the back of his right hand. There were two small teeth marks and a giant bump. He almost fainted again.

“I… I’m not…”

“No, miraculously there wasn’t any poison delivered. Your blood came back perfectly normal.”

Oh, thank God… Peter sighed and hung his head. His memory was still covered in a deep dark fog. He held his head and shook it. “Doctor Temple-“

“Just call me Claire.”

Peter was taken aback by this statement. Isn’t the stereotype that doctors want to be called ‘doctor’?

“... Claire. What happened when I was unconscious?”

Claire’s gaze returned to her clipboard. “Your friend screamed for help and got the attention of Dr. Banner. He picked you up and rushed you up here.”

Peter jumped up onto his knees, a sudden burst of energy rushed through him. “I was held by the Hulk?!”

Claire backed up a bit, surprised by the sudden outburst. She readjusted her glasses and gave a light laugh. “You’re quite the hero fanboy aren’t you?”

As it is guaranteed that the sun will rise in the east, Peter’s face turned crimson with embarrassment. “I uh, wanna be one.” He scratched the back of his head.

“So do a lot of kids, but since you're quirkless, it adds more desperation, doesn’t it?”

Peter was taken by surprise by this. She read him so easily. Did she have a quirk? Was her quirk about knowing what a person is like just by looking at them? “That’s so cool! Can I write this down? That’s such a neat concept for a quirk. You could know exactly what’s wrong with a patient and act accordingly! I need to write this do-“

“Oh, by the way, your uncle’s on the way to pick you up.”

Claire’s words were a giant hammer to Peter’s wall of muttering. 

“Also, I don’t have a quirk,” she added.

Peter started to sweat bullets. His heart started to pound like a jackhammer, and his body started to shake faster than Pietro when he tried to convince him that he could phase through solid objects. “Uncle Ben’s coming here?! B-but he’s supposed to be at work!” he sputtered. “J-just let me go home! He doesn’t have to pick me up…”

Claire sighed and rubbed her temples. “Yes, yes he does. Under federal law, a minor, you, cannot be discharged from the hospital, here,” she said as she circled her arm around the room while pointing. “Unless a parent or guardian, your uncle, signs a legally binding paper that states that you have been discharged from said hospital.”

Peter shook his head in desperation. “No no no no you don’t understand. Uncle Ben works a nine-to-five job, it’s really strict over there and even though Uncle Ben’s a veteran, they barely let anybody just drop their shifts even for family and and and-”

Suddenly Peter heard a vibration coming from a corner of the room, where the cabinet for patient belongings was stored. He then got out of his bed. His legs wobbled beneath him. It had been a while since he walked.

“Oh, you can walk, that’s good,” Claire added while writing on her clipboard.

Peter opened up the cabinet and saw all of his clothes folded neatly, and his phone and glasses laid on top of the pile. He snatched them both and turned the phone on immediately.

“I can see your ass, by the way, hospital gowns do a crappy job of covering stuff.”

Peter let out a small, “Yipe!” and covered his full moon. “Y-you coulda told me that earlier!”

“Yeah, I could’ve.”

Peter grunted. So that’s why it felt airy in here. Peter walked back to his cot; this is when Peter finally noticed the heavy bags under Claire’s eyes. She must not get a lot of sleep. He hopped into his cot, making sure that he stayed modest as he did, and turned on his screen. He saw a variety of messages:

Wanda Maximoff :P (2:35 PM, 32 messages): Please please message me, I really hope you’re alright.

Pietro Maximoff (2:36 PM): Sis is kind of a stalker amirite?? Message us when you wake up big guy, worried for ya.

Uncle Ben (2:40 PM): Hey son, I’m 5 minutes away, okay? Stay tight, I love you.

After Peter read the message from his Uncle, he wanted to scream out to the heavens. Uncle Ben needed to work; make money so that he can support the family. This can’t happen, it just can’t. He felt breath on his shoulder. He turned his head to his right to see that Claire’s chin was resting on his shoulder, sneaking looks at his phone. He then jerked his phone away and sat on it. “Hey, no peeking!”

Claire pushed herself from the cot and the rolling chair carried her a bit of a way away from the cot. “Your girlfriend’s pretty clingy, you should watch your back.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he snapped. “She’s just my friend.”

A sly grin climbed itself onto Claire’s features. “Uh-huh, sure.”

Eventually Uncle Ben arrived at the hospital ward and Peter was discharged, free to go home. Uncle Ben and Peter had to book it to the car since he put only enough money in the parking meter for twenty minutes. Once in the car, Peter stood silent. A mix of emotions swirled within him like a ravaging hurricane. He was sad, frustrated, angry, and depressed all at once. He didn’t want to talk to Uncle Ben. Peter basically demanded him to drop him off at the subway station so he could get back to work as soon as possible.

Uncle Ben took a look at his nephew. Peter sat on an angle where his whole body was facing away from him. His head was tilted and rested on the window. It despaired him so much to see Peter in such a bad mood. He thought back to when Peter was born. He was so excited for his brother, Richard, and his sister-in-law, Mary. They’d been trying for years to have a child, and when Peter was born, he saw this spark in their eyes. He knew Peter was something special, a boy that could lighten up any room he’s in just by talking about what he loves. Uncle Ben kept his eyes on the road, but he couldn’t help but attempt to get Peter in a better mood.

“Hey, Pete, when I get home tonight, why don’t we watch It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World? I’ll have May make us some chocolate shakes and you can invite Pietro and Wanda over. We can make a whole thing out of it!”

Peter sighed. “No, it’s okay.”

Uncle Ben eyed Peter. He knew something was up. “Son, are you okay? What’s bothering you? Is it the camera? May and I can get you a new one.”

Peter always hated it when he called him “son”. It meant that he was worried about him, and he was trying to connect with him. Even though Uncle Ben couldn’t possibly understand what Peter was feeling. However, he knew he couldn’t hide things from him for long. He always finds out one way or another.

“N-no! Don’t get me a new one, please. It’s just that I… I didn’t want to pull you away from work. The hospital should’ve let me go home,” Peter said in a low sad voice.

“Peter,” Uncle Ben sighed, “You know that I’d do anything for you, right?”

Peter bumped his head against the window. “I told you to stop that,” Uncle Ben scolded.

“Sorry,” Peter mumbled, “I just… I just don’t like taking you away from your responsibilities, I guess.”

“Responsibilities? Peter... my responsibility is you. Providing for you. Raising you. Teaching you. Taking care of you.”

Peter shook his head. “But I pulled you away from work. Don’t you have a responsibility there too? One that’s a lot more important than me...” Peter trailed off. 

Uncle Ben suddenly pulled over to an open space on the side of the road and put the car in park. He drew in a hefty sigh and turned to look at Peter.

“Peter, look at me,” Uncle Ben said. Peter turned his head to see Uncle Ben looking at him dead in the eye. He knew what this meant. He was going to get a speech. 

“Peter, you are my greatest responsibility okay? When May and I took you in, I knew what that meant. I knew that I had to be the best parent, guardian, whatever there is for you. I had to be. I had to do it for Richard and Mary, but most importantly I had to do it for you. Yeah, I have to go to work and yes, doing well at work, going to work, etc. is my responsibility. But you are my greatest responsibility. Making sure that you grow up into a fine young man. Picking you up from crazy situations like these. Protecting you. Also, supporting whatever you want to be. You still wanna be a hero?”

“Yeah...” Peter blushed in embarrassment.

Uncle Ben let out a small chuckle. “That’s a big responsibility to take on, Peter, but I know you can pull it off. You’re a smart kid. With enough gusto, you can do anything. Now, don’t say you’re not important ever again, okay? You’re already my hero, alright?” 

“O-okay Uncle Ben,” Peter stammered, “I love you.”

Uncle Ben smiled and patted Peter on the shoulder. “I love you too. Now let’s get you to the train station okay?”

Uncle Ben then put the car into drive and looked over to his blind spot to see if any cars were coming. Peter went back and laid his head on the window. He could hear the mumblings of his Uncle as there were no decent spots to pull out into the street. He laughed silently at the nonsensical words that were spoken from his Uncle’s mouth. 

“Jeez, finally,” stated Uncle Ben.

Peter then felt the car start to move. Then out of nowhere, a horrible migraine hit Peter like a truck. Time slowed down as he felt this excruciatingly weird tingly feeling running through his head and his body. He felt extreme paranoia and a sense of immediate danger. 

Look out.

“Uncle Ben!”

“What’s wrong?!” Uncle Ben exclaimed, whipping his head around to face Peter.

Without warning, a speeding pick-up truck came rushing past the car, honking its horn as it passed.

“Woah!” exclaimed Uncle Ben, turning his head back towards the road. “I... I didn’t even see him,” Uncle Ben muttered, “Saved us another doctor’s visit. Good eye, kid.” He gave a hearty laugh.

Peter let out a nervous chuckle, “Y-yeah, r-right...” Peter was sitting stiff as a board at this point. That’s the thing though; Peter never saw the truck coming. He just felt this overwhelming feeling of danger and decided to act on it. What the hell was that? was his thought as Uncle Ben finally pulled onto the street and started to drive again. 

The rest of the car ride was blanketed in a kind silence. The talk had been made, love had been reaffirmed, but Peter was struggling inside yet again. If something seemed off, he couldn’t just let it go. Uncle Ben had this trait too. “The Parker Paranoia” he called it. That migraine wasn’t normal. It felt like I was having an aura. 

Uncle Ben dropped Peter off at the train station. When he boarded his train, he pulled out his phone. He wanted to research the phenomena that he had just experienced. Quickly he realized that he never texted Pietro and Wanda and that there were 30 new messages from her. 

“Oh, shit.”

Peter was bummed to find out that his regular stop, the Queens Station, was closed due to the earlier Villain attack by the Sandman. 

Pretty basic name, if I gotta be honest. 

So he had to get off one stop early and huff it the rest on foot.

It took fourteen minutes of apologizing to Wanda, but eventually, he got through to her. Nobody found out about the fight between Flash and Pietro. Peter internally groaned since he could already imagine the amount of bragging from Pietro about how he was totally going to win that fight. Peter shot a text to Wanda saying that he’d gotten off of the train and that he’d see her when he’d get home. As Peter was walking down the sidewalk, he spotted a beautiful lone flower in the middle of a desecrated lot. Police tape withheld entrance to the lot, thick sheets of glass covered the perimeter, and there were two signs: one had the radiation symbol, and the other read “Area Quarantined by Damage Control.” 

This is where the Radioactive Man was arrested last week, he thought.

Villain attacks have become a common occurrence in society ever since the Quirk Boom in the 1960s. It wouldn’t be too unusual for an entire block to be destroyed. There were government programs and agencies such as Damage Control that helped get common people and communities back onto their feet.

Peter reached into his backpack to grab his camera, only to remember the fate of his most sentimental possession. He hung his head in sadness once again and he continued on his way. He didn’t even want to take a picture with his phone. He just didn’t want to do anything at the moment. He was tired, his head ached, his legs felt wobbly, and he just wanted to go home.

As Peter continued walking, his mind flashbacked to that horrible day. The day he found out he was quirkless. He recalled the doctor’s harsh words to him, the tightness in his chest, the pain in his throat from crying so much; he recalled everything. Today was the anniversary. He wanted to wipe away the horrible memory by making new ones at Avengers Academy. However, as his luck would have it, today might just have been the worst day of his life. 

He came across a small tunnel. He stopped and sighed. He lost all of the pictures he took today; the SD card either was smashed or was lost. Why? Why me? Peter has asked this question many times but has never gotten an answer. He just felt like he was the unluckiest boy alive. Tears started to well up in his eyes as they usually did. Peter was always taught that crying was a healthy thing, but other times Aunt May felt like it was a mistake to tell him that. Peter cried so much that Pietro sometimes joked that crying was Peter’s secret quirk. Usually, when he’d say that, he’d trip and fall on his face courtesy of Wanda’s Hex. 

His chest started to tighten as the intense emotion of sadness filled him like water pouring into a cup. His vision blurred with tears. Then, he put his back against the wall of the entrance to the tunnel, knelt, hugged his knees to his chest, hid his face, and cried. I’m so useless. Memories of Flash’s name-calling ran through his mind. Every day he suffered. Whether it was Flash, life, or even himself, Peter’s days were filled with sadness and depression. Sure, there were days where his family and friends would cheer him up, but that could only do so much, and it was all because of his body. His blood. His DNA. It was all because of him. Because of himself, he could never be who he wanted to be. He could never become a hero. He couldn’t fly, he couldn’t punch through walls, shoot lightning from his fingertips, nothing. All he could do was what everyone else could already do, and that made him feel absolutely horrible.

His breath became irregular and he started to hit himself on the head. “I’m so stupid.” He hit the wall behind him, and pain stung his balled-up fist. “Nothing ever goes right.” He pulled his hair. “I’m a damn failure.” He started to scratch his wrists. “Nobody loves me.” He flung his head and bumped the wall behind him. “I want to die!” he screamed. His head then started to throb with pain, and he kept muttering, “I’m so worthless,” over and over again. He cried harder and small sobs and whines escaped his mouth. Even though nobody was around, he didn’t want his pain to be noticeable. Nobody should know that he’s hurting, not his family, not his friends, not his teachers, not his therapist, not God, not anybody. His head started to hurt more and more. His arm hair stood straight up. 

Why can’t I be normal? Why can’t I have a quirk? Why was I born wrong? Why am I curs-

“Excuse me.”

Peter jolted back to his feet when he heard the voice coming deeper from the tunnel. Peter’s eyesight was still blurry from the crying, but he could see the vague figure of a man standing a few meters from him.

“O-oh,” Peter stammered, “I’m sorry about that.” Peter’s head started to hurt even more now, and his legs started to wobble beneath him. What the hell?

“No, child, it’s okay.” The stranger's voice sounded odd to Peter as if it was a corrupted sound file on a computer. “I was just trying to find my way home. Do you know where I am?”

Peter kept wiping his eyes. “Yeah, actually, you’re in Queens.” A chill ran up and down Peter’s spine. 

What’s happening? 

The stranger let out a small laugh. “Good, good, and what time is it?”

Peter looked down at his phone. “It’s 3:23 PM, sir.” A small voice yelled in Peter’s head. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN.

“How excellent!” the stranger exclaimed, “Everyone’s still at work now, yes?” 

Peter still couldn’t see the stranger. His eyes were no longer blurry, but he was still shrouded in the darkness of the tunnel. A foul stench caught the attention of Peter’s nose. “Jeez!” He then held his nose. “Um, yeah they still should be.” 

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN, the voice kept screaming. His eyes widened as he remembered this feeling. This feeling of paranoia. Of imminent danger. The feeling that he was going to die. Peter took a step back and lengthened the distance between him and the stranger. “Well, sir, I hope you find your way home. Have a good day.” 

He turned around and started to walk. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN DANGER DANGER DANGER DANGER. His leg was snagged by something mid-step and Peter fell to the ground. “What the..?” He looked to his leg and his heart jumped into his throat when he saw it being held by a red tendril. “Oh no.” Peter’s gaze followed the tendril back to the tunnel, and, more horrifyingly, back to the stranger.

The stranger began to speak once more. “Oh, don’t go! We haven’t even learned each other’s names yet!” The voice transformed into something much more demonic with each passing word.

Peter felt himself slowly starting to slide across the old tough concrete ground towards the stranger. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RU-

“I’ll start!” The stranger’s face became much clearer, however, one would be mistaken if you could even call it a face. It had no eyes, but it had giant white angular white splotches where eyes should be. It did have a mouth. It looked familiar to Peter, and that made him realize who currently had him in its grasp. It was jagged, and the teeth were long and black. It was a symbiote’s mouth. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN.

“My name is Carnage, and we’re going to be best friends!” The creature cackled a hellish laugh. Peter grasped at the ground around him to try to get away, but it was in vain. More tendrils came from Carnage, wrapped around his throat, arms, and remaining leg, and pulled him into the darkness of the tunnel.

Peter’s screams for help were cut off from another tendril wrapping itself around Peter’s mouth. Carnage put its long finger up to its mouth and gave a chilling hush. “We can’t have you ruining our playdate, human. You gotta help me, best friend.” Peter was brought closer to the monster and his entire body violently shook. Everything in his body told him to run, to get out of there, but he couldn’t break free. “You see, I’m playing Cops and Robbers with another friend! I’m the robber and I need to hide. Best friend, I need to hide in your body.”

No no no no no no no, this can’t be happening.

“I’m also…” Carnage’s tongue escaped its mouth and traced Peter’s face. Its saliva felt hot and slightly stung Peter’s skin. Peter tried to let out a scream, a cry for help, anything, but he couldn't. “Extremely hungry. My friend started to play with me in the middle of my dinner,” the red demon cackled, “And you, best friend, are the perfect replacement for my dinner.” 

A giant tendril shot out of Carnage’s body, forced its way into Peter’s mouth, and slithered its way into his body. Peter’s whole body was on fire, he was in so much pain, and his head wouldn’t stop hurting. 

Am I dying? Is this it?

“Thank you, best friend. You’re a real hero.”

Peter’s life flashed before his eyes, his first memory, his birthdays, meeting Flash and Wanda, watching movies with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, the day he found out he was quirkless, the day that Flash beat him up for the first time, his Aunt and Uncle hugging him and crying because of something he said, every memory started to get sadder and sadder. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t want to die. Not like this. I need to be a hero. Peter looked at his hero notebook which laid upon the ground. It was opened at Iron Man’s page. 

Someone! Please! Save me!

Peter’s vision started to fade. There was no light to go to; there was only the encroaching darkness that consumed everything. During what he thought were his final moments, he heard a loud clanging noise to his right. He heard someone say, “Man, I’m sure glad this suit has filters.” 

He heard another voice screech in terror and say, “No! Not you! Let me have my din-!” Peter felt intense vibrations surround him, and then everything went dark.

Peter’s eyes shot wide open. He looked at his surroundings and realized he was no longer in the tunnel, but he was at the park. He saw Flash standing over a boy he didn’t know, and he was on the ground clutching his stomach. Peter noticed how the boy was in pain and rushed to his side. Peter turned to Flash. He noticed that he had a distinct smile on his face.

Peter called out to him. “Flash, what happened to him?”

Flash only chuckled to himself and shook his head. The boy groaned in pain, and Peter’s attention went back to him.

“Flash, you have to get an adult,” Peter said, “He’s really hurt.” Peter looked at the boy. His skin was pale as a sheet, but his hair was a fiery red. His clothes were expensive-looking, a green vest, a white shirt, and dark pants. His face was bruised and beaten. “It’s okay, we’re gonna get help and-“

“Why are you helping him, Wall-Crawler?”

Peter snapped his head back to Flash, an annoyed look was painted on his face. 

“Look at him. He’s weak.”

Peter’s eyes widened. Why was Flash acting like this? Peter’s gaze was drawn to Flash’s knuckles; they were red. Peter swallowed the lump in his throat. “Flash… did you hurt him?”

Flash only grimaced.

“Flash, answer me. Did you hu-“

“-rt? Hey kid, wake up! You good?”

Peter felt something cold cup his cheek. It felt metallic.

DANGER!

Then, he felt that same cold metallic object smack him across the face.

“Oh shut up, Friday, the Hulk woke me up with an Earth-shattering roar. This kid can handle a love tap to the face.”

F...Friday? Peter could only see darkness since his eyes were still closed. He could hear a voice, but it sounded robotic and static. However, it sounded familiar. He knew that name: Friday. His mind was still clouded by a thick fog. 

“I can’t just leave him here. Just because I purged the Symbiote from him doesn’t mean he’s okay. He’s just a kid.”

I definitely know that voice. Wait… is that-?! Peter interrupted his thought by opening his eyes. However, the light from the afternoon sun blinded him as he threw his hands up to cover his eyes.

“Oh, good, he’s awake.”

Peter heard the sound of heavy footsteps that came from his left. Along with the footsteps, sounds of mechanical whirring and clanging came with it. Peter put down his shielding hands, and his eyes readjusted to the light. On his left stood a man, clad in red and yellow armor. Various blue lights lined the crevices, and a glowing blue triangle adorned the man’s chest. A mask covered the man’s face; the eyes glowed the same blue light as in the crevices and the triangle. Peter’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief. He was in the presence of the most popular hero in the world.

The man clad in red and yellow armor knelt to meet Peter eye to eye. “Hey, you okay, kid?”

Peter’s entire body went numb. His mouth quivered in excitement. The earth stood still, time stopped, and all he could hear was the flow of his blood in his veins. He started spouting incoherent nonsense. “I-I-I-I-“ he stammered. 

The man tilted his helmet in a curious disposition. “You what, kid?”

“Iron Man?!” Peter screamed while pointing at him.

Iron Man then dashed towards Peter and covered his mouth. “Pipe down, kid! Do you know how hard it is to escape rabid fans?!”

Peter's whole body shook as he realized that the real Iron Man was telling him to shut his trap. This is so amazing! Peter slowly nodded his head, and Iron Man then released his grip on his mouth.

This turned out to be a bad idea, however, Peter didn’t start screaming again. Instead, he started to mutter.

“So do you actually have a quirk or not it’s been a debate for years and years and you’ve been really shady when you have to talk about it and that’s fine ‘cuz it’s your own personal life and all but I really really would like to know ‘cuz I have this notebook here see and let me open up to your page and oh wow you actually signed it oh my God oh my God this is amazing I’ll treasure this forever it’ll be hung up in the living room oh wow oh wow you’re so amazing and...“

“Woah, this kid has nothing better to do, does he?” Iron Man mumbled under his breath. Peter’s onslaught of words was getting on Iron Man’s and Friday’s nerves, and Friday didn’t even have nerves to get on. Iron Man needed to stop this before Peter passed out. “Alright, alright, calm down,” he said while waving his hands. “Are you feeling okay? No voices? No sudden urge to consume human flesh?”

Peter flinched when Iron Man suddenly interrupted his airstrike of word vomit. Then, he shook his head. Iron Man then let his arms hang and sighed in relief. “Awesome,” he said as he turned his back on Peter. “Don’t worry about Carnage. He’s secure and sedated in a special compartment in the suit.,” he said lightly tapping his gauntlet on his left hand. Iron Man then turned his head slightly in Peter’s direction. Peter could only see a bit of the mask, specifically the glowing eye and a bit of the face. “You know your way home, kid?” 

Peter only made a small sound in response. 

“Beautiful.”

Peter was at an impasse. There he was, standing behind the most popular hero of all time, and he was told to be quiet. He couldn’t even make a sound anymore. All he could do was look onward. He reached out his hand when Iron Man turned his back. He was leaving him that quick? A signature, a few basic questions, and that was it? No questions about himself? Nothing? Peter didn’t even care that he almost died only minutes ago. He just felt so heavy, as if a rock was tied together by steel and was stuffed in his heart. Was this a hero's life? Was this Iron Man’s true self? Was he wrong about everything?

“Alright, kid.” The distinct sound of exhaust and flames started to emanate from Iron Man. “Go home, okay? Your parents are probably worried sick about ‘ya. Oh, and if you do start feeling particularly cannibal-ly, call the Avengers hotline. We’ll deal with it immediately.” The sound of engines began to intensify and Iron Man was shot into the sky by the rockets built in his boots and palms.

Tony Stark sighed as he began his flight; he didn’t have much time left. He just had to get Carnage to the Raft, charge up there, and get home. He was really taking this one a little too close to the chest by being out so long. Carnage was a crafty bastard and a quick one as well. No wonder why he’d been on the run for more than thirty years. 

“Boss, something’s on your back,” his in-suit AI, Friday, said with the enthusiasm of a secretary on the last thirty minutes of her shift.

This made him panic a bit inside. Was it a villain attack? Now? How did his sensors not pick up this object until it was already on his back?

“Putting up live-feed from the ‘Hulk’s-Hand-in-the-Cookie-Jar’ camera,” Friday stated. 

The live feed showed up on the mask’s UI, and Tony could not believe what he was seeing. It’s that kid! How the hell?! 

“Friday! Get him off my back!” he shouted.

There was a long pause of silence, and even though the suit blocked off all sounds from the outside world, he could faintly hear the screaming of the kid that was clung to his back.

“Are you an idiot, boss? Look where we’re flying over right now.”

Tony’s visor then switched to standby mode, a mode which was used when no action was happening. He then saw that he was high above the streets of Manhattan and realized why dropping a child from this height would be very bad for his public image.

Tony sighed and he looked back at the kid who was still hanging on. He was slightly disturbed by the g-forces at work doing a number on the poor boy’s face and told him specifically to keep his head down. Once he saw the boy follow his order, he held the kid’s head with his left hand and gave it a little pressure to hold it in place. This was a precaution in case the kid was stupid enough to raise his head and let his neck be at the mercy of the laws of physics.

“Boss, power level is currently at 3%. You have to hurry,” Friday stated urgently, “We have to get this kid to safety soon.”

Easier said than done, Tony thought. He couldn’t just drop the kid off at street level. It would take too much power to get back at a respectable altitude and fly the rest of the way. He had to drop him off at a building, but a smaller one though. Suddenly, Tony felt extremely weak. His body started to become extremely stiff, and his breathing started to slow and become labored. 

Shit.

“You know, you didn’t have to do that to him, Flash.”

Flash shot a disapproving glare at his friend, Kenny Kong. He was a bit on the plus side which made him ideal for the school’s football team. He did well enough in school to qualify for sports, but he wasn’t exceptionally bright. He was also born quirkless, which made life a bit difficult for him socially, but he was well respected among his peers for going toe-to-toe with other quirked students in football. He was not a mean person by any means; he didn’t go out of his way to torment or bully people who he deemed below him. However, maybe he didn’t get on anyone’s bad side because he thought he couldn’t stand up to them. Usually, after school Flash and Kenny would go downtown and find a nice alley that they could bunker down in and drink some booze in secret. 

“You could’ve gotten suspended,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall behind him.

Flash exhaled from his nose in annoyance. He took a swift swig of his 40, and his face scrunched up as he felt the alcohol burn his throat and the pungent taste assault his taste buds. He let out a breath of relief and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. That was a lot stronger than I thought. He tossed the bottle to Kenny, who in turn caught it and took a swig himself. “But I didn’t, right? So nothing bad happened.”

“Bro, he fainted…”

“So?”

“He coulda got hurt!”

Flash scoffed at him. “Nah, that round-faced bitch caught him before he hit the ground. And he was just overreacting anyway. It’s just a camera.”

“Uh, no she didn’t! He hit his head!” Kenny exclaimed. 

Flash shrugged in indifference. 

“Come on du-“

“Listen, Ken, the Wall-Crawler’s in over his head.” Flash walked up to Kenny and snagged the bottle from him. “Imagine that Parker is this bottle, okay? What would happen if I chucked it at the wall there?” Flash asked as he pointed behind him.

“It would break…?” Kenny answered, not sure where Flash was going with this metaphor.

“Yup, it would break into a million little pieces and the alcohol inside would spill out. The bottle is gone and it failed its task to hold the booze. It can’t even be recycled.”

“I don’t see how that…”

“But, if I, let’s say…” Suddenly, Flash’s arm became covered with the symbiote, and Flash’s hand grew claws at the end of his fingers. He then took the bottle with his hand and cracked the top of it off. All that was left on the top was the craggy pattern of broken glass. “Did that. Yeah, the top’s broken off, but look, the alcohol is still there. It can also be recycled into something else.”

“That was $30 man!” Kenny shouted, “Do you know how expensive it is to get booze as a minor?!”

Flash put his finger to his mouth. “Irrelevant, and pipe down will ‘ya?! I’m not lookin’ to get an underage drinking mark on my record. I’m aiming for the big shots, y’here?” Flash then sighed. “Look if that idiot somehow gets into a hero school, he’s going to get slaughtered. By a teacher, classmate, or even a villain if he ever gets that far. And apparently, I’m the only one man enough to put him in his place and teach him a lesson.” Flash shook his head and slumped against the wall. “It’s how I learned.”

Flash heard a “‘Tch” come from Kenny. “You got a problem, Kong?”

“Yeah, maybe I do.”

Flash stood up; a blood vessel started to make itself visible on his forehead. “Well, please then, tell me a better idea. If ‘ya have one.”

Kenny stood up too, matching Flash’s deadly gaze with his own. “How about this: leave him alone. It’s his life. If he’s quirkless and wants to be a hero, then let him. You’re not obligated to stop his dream, no matter how unattainable it is. He ain’t your responsibility, and maybe your method of literally crushing his dreams isn’t really all that good.”

“What do you know?” Flash spat. “Isn’t it a hero’s job supposed to be stopping deaths from happening?”

“Yeah, but they don’t usually send their saved civilians home with bruises they caused. You’re making excuses.” Kenny crossed his arms. The two stared down each other; the menace of anger filled the air. More of Flash’s symbiote crawled down his other arm. Kenny noticed this, grunted, and shook his head. “Whatever, man. I’m going home. I expect $30 on my desk tomorrow.”

Flash rolled his eyes. “And where the hell would I find $30?”

Kenny shrugged. “I dunno. Hold Parker upside down and shake the money out of him.”

“Jesus Christ, Ken, I-“

Suddenly, Flash noticed that Kenny’s eyes were wide. His mouth was ajar ever so slightly and his bottom lip was quivering. Normally Flash would just write this behavior off as Kenny being Kenny, but there was something about his eyes. They were dilated, and they weren’t looking at Flash. They were looking above him.

He could feel it. The atmosphere changed radically. Instead of the stench of anger, the smell of fear permeated everywhere. Flash didn’t like this feeling. Not one bit. Something was behind him, and he did not want to turn around. His hands started to shake. He swallowed a lump down his throat. They both needed to get out of there. They both were in serious trouble.

“Ken,” Flash whispered, “Run.” 

Red clouded Flash’s vision and a psychotic laugh pierced Flash’s ears.

Peter had spent the last forty-five seconds coughing his lungs out. A common occurrence because he had never been able to burp his entire life, and he usually resorted to coughing up all of the gas in his stomach due to his horrible hiccups. However, this time it was because he was flying around at speeds that a human was never designed to be traveling at. That was so stupid.

“Kid, that was literally the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen someone do, and I work with Deadpool.”

Peter sighed as he looked back at Iron Man. Again, his back was turned to him. He wasted time. He had this question. This question haunted him for ten whole years. Why didn’t he ask this question earlier when he was ranting? Peter finally got back up on his two feet. 

“Keep banging on the door until someone lets you down. After that, go straigh-“

“Wait a second!”

“No!” Iron Man’s voice became stern, like a master scolding their dog. “I’m extremely busy, and I don’t have time for fanboys an-“

“Can somebody become a hero, even if they don’t have a quirk?!” Peter bellowed. He did it. He tossed the line into the pond.

Iron Man turned his head slightly in Peter’s direction. “Kid, I…”

Peter kept his eyes closed. He couldn’t bear to see the expression on Iron Man’s face. Even though he had a mask on, he knew if he looked he would feel an intense wave of disapproval. He just knew it. When he realized that Iron Man didn’t continue speaking, he stepped back in. “I wasn’t born with a quirk, but I always wanted to be a hero. I’ve been picked on so much because of that. I can’t run really fast or move things with my mind, but, I don’t know. I just really want to save people. I just think … that’s the coolest thing in the world. I want to be able to save the world with brimming confidence. Like you do. I don’t want a reward. I don’t care about money and fame. I just want to be there when someone falls to catch them right in the nick of time or rush in when some criminals rob a bank. I just want to help.” Peter opened his eyes and lifted his head to his hero. “You know what I mean?”

But who Peter saw standing in Iron Man’s place wasn’t him. Who stood in his place was an incredibly anorexic man, with greying hair on his head and on his beard, wearing a graphic t-shirt of two cartoon electrons telling a smart chemistry joke, and baggy green-ish pants. Peter screamed in terror.

“Wh-what?! Who are you?! What happened to Iron Man?! You look like Tony Stark but…! Wait! You’re an imposter! A fake! Some sort of off-brand Life Model Decoy?!” he babbled while pointing at the man.

The man hung his head and gave a deep, depressed, and frustrated sigh. “I am Iron Man, and ‘off-brand Life Model Decoy’? That’s pretty rude to say to someone, kid.”

“No way,” Peter gasped. He couldn’t put his finger on why he knew, but hearing him talk assured him that the unusual-looking man in front of him was indeed Tony Stark: The Invincible Iron Man. “You haven’t shown your face in years. People were wondering if-“

“If I was dead?” Tony sat down and put his back against the short ledge behind him. “No, not yet… Well, technically yes.”

Peter couldn’t process this. Tony Stark wasn’t huge or anything, but he was a six-foot-tall man who exhumed confidence by just standing in the room. Always dressed nice, cleaned up well, and still considered attractive at an age where most models would be let go. The man sitting in front of him was pale, frail, his hair was thin, and his eyes looked sullen and tired. This was a man who looked like he gave up on life a long time ago, not the man who saved the world in a high-tech suit.

“Well, if you’ve seen me like this, I guess I’ll just tell you.” Tony grasped the bottom of his shirt and lifted. Peter flinched when he saw virtually a skeleton with skin wrapped around it. He didn’t even have a belly to speak of. It was sucked in so far into his body. How did he even walk to put the suit on today? What caught Peter’s eye, though, was the arc reactor nestled in his chest. Everyone knew the story of Tony Stark and his invention. However, Peter noticed that the veins around the chest piece itself were glowing multiple colors. A group of colors that seemed oddly familiar to him, but he didn’t know why. “Five years ago, there was a battle, and I did a Hail Mary play to end it. I died. My heart stopped, but I was still conscious. I’m basically running on fumes right now.” Tony then knocked on his chest piece, the famous Arc Reactor. “Because of my quirk, the energy that I absorbed during the battle is what is keeping me alive. If I use it, I die. I charge the arc reactor on my off time, storing new energy so I don’t have to use this special energy that’s inside of me. It‘s built to run on a 1% charge for a day, but when I use the suit, it drains fast.”

Peter’s mind flipped through its imaginary pages to find the event that he was talking about. “Was it the fight against the U-Foes? They really messed you and Cap up…”

“Those D-Lister lowlifes?” Tony said dismissively. “No, it wasn’t them. This battle had very little coverage. I made sure of it.”

The thought of Tony Stark manipulating news coverage on a fight disturbed Peter, but that was a discussion for another day.

“The Invincible Iron Man should always remain, well, invincible. If word got out there that I’m functionally dead, people would lose hope. Sometimes I feel that I’m the only thing that’s holding this world from destruction. I don’t know if that's my ego talking or if it’s true. That’s why I wear the armor, kid. So people won’t see that I’m terrified. That I’m human, just like the rest. Some people say I’m a symbol of peace. A man who rejected his war profiteering ways and decided to fight for the greater good of humanity. In reality, I’m just a scared and jaded old man who shouldn’t even be alive.”

Tony got up and walked towards a door that led to the stairs of the building that they were on. “Oh, and to answer your question.”

Peter’s ears perked up. His chest tightened with anticipation.

“I don’t think a person without a quirk can be a hero, and before you say anything, Cap doesn’t count. You have to be willing to lay yourself down on the barbed wire so your partner can crawl on top of you. Except the barbed wire is laced with poison and you don’t have a healing factor. Also, the field that you’re in is over two-hundred degrees Fahrenheit and you don’t have a heat-resistance quirk. You’d just be killed. I’m sorry.”

Peter’s head hung low, and his eyes darkened with sadness. “Ah, I see,” he whispered.

Tony opened the door and sighed as he could practically feel Peter’s sadness. “Listen, if you wanna be able to help you should be a first responder. It’s a fine profession. New Yorkers love their Firefighters and Paramedics. You’d be doing a good thing. Also, I don’t think I need to tell you this, but don’t post what I said to you online, okay?”

Tony glanced back at Peter. He noticed the small tears running down his face, going down his neck, and seeping into the collar of his shirt. He hated being the bad guy. “But, I can tell that you won’t. You look like a good kid.” After he said this, he walked through the doorway and closed it. Peter could faintly hear Tony ask Friday something about where she put Carnage’s canister, but he honestly didn’t care. He was now alone on a rooftop. Heartbroken.

Before Peter had time to sulk and cry about his situation, he heard a loud explosion. Then, he peered over the edge and saw people running out from an intersection. A villain attack?! Peter ran to the door and grabbed the handle. It’s not far. I should-

The memories of Tony Stark’s words flew through his mind like a wasp circling its victim. Peter’s grip on the handle loosened, and his shoulders hung. “Never mind,” he whispered to himself. He opened the door and slowly walked down the stairs. Right now, he just wanted to go home.

Peter hit the streets and made his trek towards the station. What was he gonna tell Aunt May? If he told her, would he ever be allowed outside the house again? Would they have to start driving him to school so they can make sure he’s safe? What was he gonna tell Wanda and Pietro? “Hey, by the way, on the way home I was attacked by the most infamous and deadly serial killer of the modern era. What game do you guys wanna play?” He could tell that whatever measures Aunt May and Uncle Ben would take to protect Peter; Pietro and Wanda’s measures would be one-hundred times more severe. They’d probably request a class transfer so they could make sure he’s safe, or at least Wanda would. As much as he’d like that, the last thing that he wanted was to burden and worry them. 

Peter made a right at the intersection and was taken out of his trance when he picked up the faint and distinct smell of burning gas. He looked up to see a group of people huddled around an entrance to an alley, as he got closer. He realized where he was. He was at the location of the explosion he heard earlier. Even though he had his hopes and dreams crushed by the most popular hero in the world, there was something in Peter’s instincts that drew him to danger. He sighed. If he was already here, he might as well get the most of it. He pushed his way through the crowd, and he saw that Multiple Man was still on patrol today as he, once again, formed a barrier between the civilians and the action. Peter felt an intense heat as fire engulfed parts of the alley. Past the barrier of men were a couple of heroes that Peter recognized: The Thing and Mr. Fantastic. The last two-thirds of the Future Foundation. By the looks of things, they were having trouble. Peter’s gaze went past them to see the villain. 

A horrible, stomach-churning feeling ravaged Peter’s body like a hurricane. He saw a monstrous indescribable form of red, but it was very familiar to him. It was Carnage, and he was in the process of eating another person. He could faintly overhear the two heroes debating on how to beat the villain. There were sounds of worry in their voices. Were they losing? Were they not prepared? 

This is my fault. Peter remembered that Iron Man said something about storing Carnage in his gauntlet. He specifically remembered him pointing to his left arm. The same arm that he used to hold Peter’s head down when they were flying. How did it fall out? Was it loose? Was it because his power was low? This is my fault and someone is going to die because of me. He covered his mouth in terror. Peter overheard some commotion in the crowd, there was talk about Iron Man. There was talk about how Iron Man was chasing Carnage earlier. People were also asking where Iron Man was. 

This is my fault this is all my fault. Peter saw a glimpse of the victim that Carnage currently had in its grasp. It was a horrifying sight. Carnage’s mouth was wide open, and razor-sharp teeth were everywhere. Its victim was inside its mouth as if it were slowly eating the victim. It was straight out of a horror movie. Peter felt like he was going to throw up. He knew how horrifying it is to be in the grasp of Carnage. He knew exactly what the victim was thinking. He suddenly heard a scream. It was a scream for help. Peter looked up, and his heart stopped.

What he saw in the mouth of Carnage, was the desperate and scared face of Eugene “Flash” Thompson. Half of it was human, and the other half was covered in his symbiote. He was holding out his arm as if he was reaching out for help.

Peter gasped.

Save him.

Peter then found himself eight feet in the air, because he just jumped over Multiple Man’s barricade. Shoes touched down on the concrete earth, and he ran. He ran faster than he ever did.

“You?!” he heard the red demon screech. He saw Flash mutter something but he didn’t hear. 

He swore he could hear the cries of the two heroes that were currently behind him, begging him to stop, but he didn’t listen. He just kept running. His legs kept moving on their own. His head tingled, and his body shivered.

Danger.

He saw Carnage whip a tendril at him, but he knew it was coming. He moved out of the way ever so slightly to the left, and the tendril completely whiffed him. 

Danger.

He heard the blood-curdling scream from the monster as it threw another tendril at him. He swiftly dodged to the right and came out unscathed as the tendril hit the ground.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

Yet another blood-curdling scream filled the air as multiple tendrils shot themselves towards Peter. Peter dove over all of them, rolled when he hit the floor to keep his momentum going, and kept running. 

Peter wasn’t even thinking at this point. He couldn’t even feel anything either. He couldn’t feel the heat of the flames around him or the pain from the scraps on his knees. Someone was in danger and he had to do something. 

He was close to Carnage now. Carnage cried another scream. As he was closing the gap between himself and the symbiote, instinct suddenly took Peter over. He held his arm up high and aimed his palm at Carnage’s eyes. His middle finger and ring finger curled into his palm, and something unexpected happened. A string of fluid shot out from Peter’s wrist and hit Carnage square in the white blotches that it called eyes. Carnage thrashed about as it couldn’t see. The strange fluid seemingly solidified and wrapped around Carnage’s face. Carnage’s grip on Flash loosened as he slid ever so slightly out of the gullet of the demon. Finally, Peter got close, took hold of Flash’s arm, and began to pull.

“Parker?! What are you doing?!” he frantically yelled.

Peter kept pulling and pulling. “I don’t know! I couldn’t stop my legs! I don’t know what’s happening!”

“Why are you here?! Get out of here!”

“Flash I…!” Peter’s face contorted into a determined grimace as tears ran down his face. “I'm not gonna stand there and watch you die!”

Flash’s eyes widened and his symbiote crawled to the edges of his face. The only human thing about Flash was his face at this point; his whole body was covered in the black symbiote. Flash bared his teeth, his eyes became pinpoint with rage, and he screamed. 

“Get the hell ‘offa me!” 

The symbiote within Flash came to life. Its own tendrils battled Carnage’s as it formed itself from Flash with a chilling figure. It looked similar to Carnage. It had white splotches where its eyes should be and it had sharp white teeth. It almost looked like it was grinning. It was black as the midnight sky, but the fires illuminated it with a subtle tinge of blue.

“Kill him! Venom!” Flash bellowed. 

Venom let out a guttural roar that shook the earth beneath them. It then bit into Carnage’s upper face with its sharp monstrous teeth as Carnage screamed in pain. 

“No! No! No!” Carnage yelled. Two large mouths flew out of Carnage’s blob-like biomass and bit hard into Venom’s neck. Venom screamed in agony. As did Flash who recoiled his free arm. Which escaped Peter’s grip, and held his neck in pain. Venom screeched in pain and fell to the side, not moving.

“This is not how playdates are supposed to go! I’m supposed to win! Always!” Carnage ripped off the solid-like fluid of his face and let out yet another roar. 

Danger!

Peter felt danger coming from his left but it was too late, tendril struck him in the stomach and wrapped itself around his torso. Peter yelled in pain. It felt like someone took a bat to his abdomen. He tried moving his arms as he struggled to get out of Carnage’s deadly grasp. He needed to get out! He needed to save Flash!

“This play date is over!” Carnage screamed. “Now go to Hell!” An extra mouth formed from Carnage’s red mass and shot itself towards Peter at a blistering speed. 

Peter’s head tingled and throbbed with pain but he could do nothing. He was trapped. He closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable. 

The roars of engines suddenly filled the air and Peter opened his eyes to see Iron Man blocking the mouth with his arm!

“Iron Man?!” Peter yelled.

Iron Man looked directly at Peter. “I really am a piece of work, huh? Apparently, I wasn’t practicing what I preached!”

“No! Not you, again!”

“Hold on, kids!” Peter felt Iron Man grab his arm and he felt him pull. Peter was no longer in the grasp of Carnage, and he saw that Iron Man had Flash in his other hand. 

He did it! 

Peter saw the light in crevices of the armor glowing multiple colors. The same colors he saw earlier that were surrounding the chest piece. 

“You know, Carnage, technically you aren’t human. You’re just a quirk!” Multi-colored light began shining from the chest piece. “Which means that I don’t have to hold back on you!”

“No!” Carnage screamed in terror. 

Iron Man dropped Peter and Flash behind him as the multi-colored energy whirled within him. He crossed his arms in an “X” formation across his chest. The colors started to flash with more intensity. Iron Man kneeled and aimed upwards with his torso. “Oh yes! Your reign of terror is over!”

“I will not be defeated! I am Carnage! I am the most powerful being on the pla-“

”Yeah?! So what?! I’m Iron Man!” he bellowed. “Take this! Unibeam!”

A giant beam of multi-colored energy exploded out of Iron Man’s chest piece and enveloped itself around Carnage. It let out one last scream as its molecules were ripped asunder, and being vaporized into nothingness. The beam went past the nearby buildings and headed straight right into the stratosphere as it left the Earth.

Peter blinked and saw that Iron Man stopped the Unibeam. It didn’t look like he was moving. Peter started to worry until Iron Man’s hand curled into a thumbs-up. He then stood on his two feet, turned to the crowd, and gave them a thumbs-up as well. The sound of a cheering crowd filled Peter’s ears, and for the first time since this morning, Peter had a genuine smile on his face.

The events of the next hour were a blur to Peter. After Carnage was vaporized by Iron Man, Peter and Flash were pulled aside by on-scene medics to be evaluated. However, during this Peter got scolded heavily by the Thing for being so reckless. Peter felt a bit intimidated by him, but deep down in his heart, he knew he did the right thing. After being let go by medical services, Peter made his trek home once again. He tried to talk to Iron Man but he was hounded by the media. 

As Peter got on the train once again, he opened up his phone once again to see that, once again, he had more messages than he can count. Everyone texted him. Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Pietro, Wanda, and even Mr. and Mrs. Maximoff, and they couldn’t even speak English too well. The texts from them touched Peter’s heart. He knew that he was loved, but it was nice to be reminded of that. He texted them all that he’s fine and he’s on the way home. However, he noticed that none of them read it. He shrugged and put his phone back in his pocket.

As the light of the setting sun filled the train car, Peter started to have questions about what he just saw. How did Iron Man do that? He had no energy left. He used the energy that was keeping him alive to pull that stunt off. Why didn’t he die? Did he not use all of it? Peter sighed and shook his head. He was so tired. He had a really long day.

Peter finally got to the Queens stop. Now it’s fixed? He touched ground and began his walk home. The sun was setting on the horizon with a beautiful orange glow and the sky danced with beautiful evening colors. The leaves were just starting to change. Peter didn’t notice it this morning, but now he realized how truly beautiful the season of Autumn can be. He turned on his street, and he saw blue and red lights in front of his house. Great. They probably think I’m missing. He turned back to the street that he was on beforehand so he wouldn’t be seen by anyone. He had to mentally prepare himself before he walked into the mess that was his front yard. 

Danger. 

“Parker!” a familiar voice barked.

Peter jumped, he knew something was coming, but he still jumped. He turned around to see Flash standing behind him. He looked furious. Peter flinched inwardly, but only for a second. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

“What do you want, Flash?” he asked with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He was taught by his consular to take his time when he needed to stand up for himself. To take a deep breath and visualize what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. 

“I want to tell you something,” Flash’s eyes narrowed, “I didn’t ask you to save me. I didn’t need your help. I could’ve gotten out of it.” His face was red, and his speech was slurred. “I don’t need your pity! I don’t need anything from you! Not from some quirkless, weak, worthless nobody!” He turned around and began walking in the opposite direction. He stomped angrily as he went. “Don’t cross me, Wall-Crawler!”

Peter tilted his head in confusion as he saw Flash walk away. He winced when he saw him kick an innocent trash can in spite. 

I guess that’s his way of saying thank you?

A rush of concern for Flash washed over Peter. A rare occurrence. Flash stank of booze and looked pretty drunk. For a person with a symbiote to get drunk meant that they had to drink a lot of alcohol to balance out the host and the symbiote. Peter cupped his hands to his mouth.

“Flash!” he called out, “Do you know how to get home?!”

Flash turned around, his face even redder than before. “Of course I do, dumbass!” He pointed further down the road. “Go down three blocks and turn right!” He swiped the air with the hand he was pointing with and pivoted back into the direction he was walking in. “Just get outta my sight!” he yelled.

Peter gave a minuscule smile, sighed, and shook his head. I’m too nice to him… he did destroy my camera, today, though. That smile went directly in a frown. Great. Peter turned back around. He had to prepare himself again. 

Dick. He just had to ruin my focus. 

He took a deep breath, formulated his plan, figured out what he was going to say, and visualized how everything was going to go down. He decided he was ready and almost took his first step before he was interrupted again.

“Hey, kid!” A familiar voice shouted from above Peter. Peter looked up and saw Iron Man flying towards him.

An expression of shock found itself on Peter’s face.

“Iron Ma-?!” Before Peter could finish his shriek, Iron Man firmly planted his palm onto Peter’s mouth. Peter could practically taste the metal of the iron. Which was kind of disgusting.

“Are you going to do that every time?” he asked.

Peter shook his head and Iron Man let go of his mouth. Like last time, Peter had questions. 

“So how did you escape the media they always hound you whenever you do hero work and also speaking of hero work how the hell did you do that and not die you explicitly told me that if you use that energy that’s keeping you alive which I have some theories about by the way you would literally die because your heart isn’t beating and also explain to me how that makes sense because I’m losing my Goddam-“

Suddenly the armor ran out of power again and revealed the zombie-like Tony Stark to which Peter promptly screamed in terror. Once Peter calmed down. Tony sighed and began to speak.

“I’ll answer all that in a bit, but right now, I gotta tell you two things, one’s a statement and one’s a question.”

Peter nodded cautiously. 

“Okay, so, question first.” Tony sharply inhaled. “Why did you lie to me?”

Peter was utterly taken aback. “Wh-what?!”

“Your quirk! You told me you didn’t have a quirk!” he exclaimed.

“I don’t have one! What are you saying?!”

“Kid, I saw it. You jumped ten feet in the air over a human barricade. Ran faster than any kid your age can. Dodged every single attack thrown at you, with style, if I might add. And you shot that stringy stuff out of your wrist!”

Peter was grasping for an explanation. Any explanation. There’s no way he had a quirk. No way. This was all some sort of misunderstanding. 

“Listen, uh, Mister Stark, what I said to you was true. I don’t have a quirk! You can check my medical record, I’m quirkless.” He looked towards the ground, feeling dejected. “All of that earlier must have been a misunderstand-“

Danger.

“-ing.” Peter’s eyes widened. What just happened? Peter looked up and saw that his hand was holding a pen, and from the look of it, the pen was thrown at his head. Peter looked at Tony with disbelief. Tony had a smug look on his face. 

No way. 

“Oh my God. I have a quirk,” Peter muttered with a little chuckle of utter disbelief. 

“Now that we’ve proven that theory. Statement second. Thank you, kid. I mean that. If you didn’t figure it out by now, I was in the crowd. I showed up and felt utterly helpless. I couldn’t do anything. No. It’s that I wouldn’t do anything. I was too scared. Too scared to die.” His face darkened with regret as he said this. Then, he looked up at Peter and smiled. “But, then I saw you. This kid. This stupid, arrogant kid. Whose dreams were just crushed by his idol. Who was told by the most popular hero in the world that he could not be a hero. This kid ran in there with no hope. This kid that thought he had no quirk; ran in as if he had a plan to save the day. Let me guess. Your legs started to move on their own, didn’t they?”

Peter nodded frantically.

Tony chuckled. “Figured as much. It’s a phenomenon. Heroes claim that it happens all the time. When they run headfirst into danger and they don’t stop. They don’t think about their own wellbeing. They only think about saving people. That’s what happened to you. Kid. What I’m about to say is something that I say very rarely. I was wrong. Dead wrong.”

The wind blew through the dying leaves of the Autumn trees. The setting sun looked like it illuminated Tony from behind him. He was both in shadow and light. The Arc Reactor in his chest burned brightly through his clothes. Peter then noticed how beautiful the evening sky was. Vibrant shades of pink, yellow, blue, and orange danced in the atmosphere. Time stopped and nothing mattered at that moment except the words that Peter thought he was going to hear. Breathing became harder for him as his chest started to become extremely heavy. His eyes stung as they began to water, and thus his vision became blurry.

“I’d be saying this even if you didn’t have a quirk. Because even though you apparently have one now, you still believed that you were quirkless when you ran in.”

Don’t say it, Peter thought. Don’t you dare say it. I’ve cried so much today. So much! I don’t think I have enough in me to cry again! Peter clutched his chest and he fell to his knees as tears rolled down his face. His body began to shiver as anticipation took him over. Memories from the past flew through his mind like a bird flying into a house and exiting through an open window. Memories of the day he was told he was quirkless. Memories of him, Uncle Ben, and Aunt May all excitedly watching the latest villain attack on the news. Memories of the day when he tried to save a boy from Flash. Memories of the day when he met Wanda and Pietro. Memories of the day where they all promised to attend Avengers Academy and become heroes together. Memories of every beating from Flash, of every hug from Aunt May and Uncle Ben, of every time somebody told him that he couldn’t be a hero, and of every time either Wanda, Pietro, Uncle Ben, or Aunt May told him that he most certainly could become a hero and a damn good one at that.

“Kid, you can become a hero,” Tony Stark stated with a genuine and sincere tone.

The floodgates opened. Peter Parker officially broke. His question was finally answered. He had a quirk. He could start his dream. He could finally start his journey to becoming an Avenger.

“Hey, so, uh, I’m gonna need that pen back.”

Me (11:00 PM): hey u up?

Harry Osborn (11:01 PM): DUDE HELL YEAH IM UP I JUST SAW YOU ON THE NEWS

Me (11:05 PM): YEAH I KNOW THAT WAS WILD

Harry Osborn (11:06 PM): So do you like have a quirk now????

Me (11:10 PM): Yeah I think?? I didn’t have the chance to play around with it cuz of all the police that were at my house. And May and Wanda scolded me for hours

Harry Osborn (11:11 PM): Wanda’s probably training so she can whip you into submission when she ties the knot with you ;D

Me (11:16 PM): >:-[ shut up!

Harry Osborn (11:17 PM): I can hear it now, the screams of agony as she literally ping pongs you across the room over and over again for working too much as a hero >:)

Me (11:24 PM): You enjoy this don’t you?

Harry Osborn (11:24 PM): You love it you know you do

Me (11:30 PM): No. I don’t. Anyway, you free to have a video call soon? I was at Avengers Tower, and they mentioned that your dad’s company is doing quirk research with Stark Industries.

Harry Osborn (11:31 PM): oh you found out about that? Lol yeah it’s a thing that dads investing in to like you know Cure me lol but yeah dude! I’m free this Friday or Saturday

Me (11:33 PM): Saturday please lol Wanda has Pietro and I tied down to go see some movie that day

Harry Osborn (11:34 PM): Pietro gonna sit between you two lovebirds? ;)

Me (11:45 PM): oh shut up. We’re just friends!! Just friends, I don’t know why people think that there’s something more!

Harry Osborn (11:46 PM): lolll! just busting your balls bud

Me (11:55 PM): well stop! They hurt! lol but anyway, believe it or not I’m still going to school tomorrow lol so I gotta get to sleep. Night dude!

Harry Osborn (11:56 PM): Good night man!! Welcome to the “wonderful” world of quirks! Good thing your’s doesn’t kill you like mine does. 

Me (12:00 AM): Oh shush lol we’ll find a cure for you! I promise! Good night :)

To be continued...

[jimlingss]

Chess of Ice

Read the Sequel

Read the Final Instalment 

➜ Words: 13.5k

➜ Genres: Fluff, Sports!AU

➜ Summary: Jeon Jungkook is a rising star, aka. hockey captain of a team heading for the Olympics. The last thing he expects is to begin a whole ‘nother sport, holding a broomstick in his hand, sweeping the ice and throwing dumb stones towards a target. As if that wasn’t bad enough, his love life is about to turn into a game of chess as well....and you’re his opponent.

➜ Warnings: Swearing.

➜ Notes: I’ve always wanted to write a sports!au, so here we go!

The cheers from the stands keep him going.   The roars pierce through his muffled hearing, the audience going wild as he glides past. He can’t feel anything, not his fingers or the tip of his nose. Sweat drips from his skin, dousing his jersey as he pushes his left foot back zigzagging faster and faster without friction. He keeps his knees bent, alternating his strides and slipping right through his opponents. The adrenaline pulsates through his veins and he keeps steady. It feels like he’s floating.   Jungkook lives for this.   His breath halts. The puck comes into sight, skimming right in front of him like the stars aligning. The corner of his mouth tugs, and he swings back his hand, gripping the stick tightly...and before his opponents can even blink, Jungkook shoots.   The crowd goes absolutely berserk, immediately standing from their spots, howling into the arena.   And from the movement, shoving his body forward for the shot, Jungkook collides and falls.   His teammates are cheering, roaring out as they launch on each other in bear hugs. There are applauses and screams coming from all directions and Jungkook rolls on his back, vision blinded by the sparkling fluorescent lights, and he giggles in pure, unadulterated joy.   This is the place where he was born and raised.   This is the place where he thrives.   Jeon Jungkook lives and breathes to be on the ice.   But as one of his teammates drags his lifeless body upwards to embrace the boy who brought them victory, his left ankle thumps...thumps...thumps...and yet, he can’t seem to care.   //   “Well, you should care.” Doctor Shin rolls forward on her office chair. “You tore a ligament.”   His teammates are just outside this room, making a huge ruckus in the hospital hallway. Jungkook is buzzing with excitement, unable to wait for the celebration. Coach already promised to pay for drinks and all the guys already made a vow to get shit-faced—   “Ow!” He winces when the doctor presses on a certain spot and she mumbles before putting his swollen ankle down while throwing in an apology and moving to take a look at the x-ray again. It’s the size of a baseball now, looking like a nasty boil hanging off of his leg, still being iced to prevent it from getting as large as a football.   “How long is it going to take to heal, doc?” Coach Kang plops down in the chair next to the upright hospital bed. “We gotta start training for the next championships soon. At this rate, we might make it to the Olympics any day now. There’s no time to waste.”   “Already?” Jungkook chides, pretending to roll his eyes. “Shouldn’t we at least take a break?”   His coach laughs heartily. “There are no breaks for winners.”   But the doctor is not amused. She rolls her chair until she faces him again. “You sprained it yesterday, didn’t you, Jungkook?”   “Uhhhh…….”   “It’s been hurting for a while, hasn’t it?” She hits bullseye with a simple question and his coach turns to him in surprise. Jungkook grits his teeth, not wanting to admit that he had actually sprained his ankle yesterday on a last practice run and purposely didn’t say anything. He endured the pain to play the game. He couldn’t afford to be taken off last minute for a stupid injury. Everyone counted on him. “It’s a miracle you made it so long. The adrenaline rush must’ve done wonders if you weren’t screaming every step you took.”   “How long is it going to take to heal?” Jungkook repeats in a quieter volume, looking up past his still damp bangs. Suddenly, his palms feel sweaty and he’s more nervous than he was a few hours ago.   “Well, you tore a ligament. You completely tore it. It’s ruptured,” Doctor Shin sighs. It’s much more serious than he thought it was. “It’s severe. And my guess….it’ll take around twelve weeks to heal.”   “Twelve weeks?!” Jungkook sits up straighter, nearly launching off the bed and when his ankle shifts, he holds back a shout, flinching hard instead. “I can’t go that long!”   His coach puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. “You’ll be up before you know it, Kook.”   “You’ll need rehabilitation,” the doctor continues, “but by the looks of it, you have a more than high probability of being able to walk again.”   “Wait….what?” He blinks, wholly confused. “Walk?”   The doctor looks at him, an emotion of sympathy he does not want. Every word that is carefully spoken, hesitant, “Jungkook. You won’t be able to—”   White noise.   All he hears is white noise.   And just like that, the career that never even began is broken in shambles.   //   The door slides open, room deathly silent. His teammates came to visit for the past two weeks, trying to cheer up the somber mood with their boisterous laughter but like anyone else who had a life outside the white walls, they slowly but surely stopped coming. Now only his parents and older brother dropped by every other day; a sign of their presence by the flowers on the stand withering in the vase.   The sunlight pouring in from the glass window is blinding and Jungkook keeps staring at it even when it burns his eye sockets. It’s better than glancing down to see his ankle still wrapped up like a Christmas gift. He feels sick every time he even steals a glimpse of it.   His coach stands at the end of the bed, watching the star player who fell from his place. He can feel the waves of disappointment come off of the older man and he holds himself back from crying, the underneath of his eyes already reddened and swollen from sobbing so much.   “Jungkook.”   “I don’t want to talk about it.”   “I know, sport.” He takes a seat on the edge of the mattress and there’s an extended moment of peaceful silence. The dust particles drift in the air in sunlight beams, the clock handles moving without a tick-tock-tick-tock rhythm.   “You’re good, Jungkook.” For a man who used to scream from the stands, command every player with strict rules, he sounds too soft and gentle. Jungkook doesn’t like it. “You’re really good at everything you do. You have exceptional abilities in whatever you try. You’re a fast learner. I’ve been your coach for the past seven years, so trust me when I say that.”   He continues and Jungkook turns his head away, trying to ignore the older. But the two of them know he’s still listening, hanging on to every word and syllable like it’s his life jacket. “This isn't the end. There are a lot more things you can do.”   “Then tell me…..” His voice is broken. “What should I do?”   He is desperately pleading.   Jungkook is lost.   “Don’t let the public forget your name.” His coach’s eyes are blazing, but instead of the thirst to win, it’s full of hope of a limitless future. “Don’t lose your sponsors. You’re still the star. Everyone loves you. They still go wild when someone says your name.”   “And how am I supposed to not let them forget me?”   The older man softly smiles. “There are a lot more sports out there, Jungkook.”

Music plays in the background, not booming but loud enough to fill the small arena. The cold air wafts in the atmosphere, icy breeze deepening his cheeks to rosy hue. The ice rink has a smooth surface, yet to be marred by blades lacing patterns made by skates. But here, the glossy layer might never be embroidered with designs.

  It’s unfamiliar to him. There are lines drawn on the ice, marking every lane and at the end, there are targets. He stays seated, quietly observing and observing….   “Harder! Harder!” A girl with a black bob haircut is shrieking at another person. “Harder, you motherfucker! Is that all you can do?! Harder!”   Yeah…   Jungkook will never get used to this.   “Hurry hard,” she continues. “Yup. Woah! Woah! WOAH!”   The stone finally stops sliding on the ice. It stops right outside the last ring of the target and the person at the end of the rink goes pale. The girl throws up her arms, groaning and yelling, “are you fucking deaf?! Did you not hear what I said?! You screwed it up, you stupid fuck!”   “Yoonji!” The female coach spins around in absolute horror. “Language! What did we talk about?”   The short girl with all too much sass scoffs openly. “I’m sorry I play with idiots!”   “Don’t make me bench you,” the coach is unyielding, stubborn as well and she speaks her threat in a menacing, lower tone.   The girl with the bob-cut narrows her eyes. “You wouldn’t…”   The coach crosses her arms. “Apologize!”   This is stupid as fuck.   Jungkook doesn’t know what he’s doing here, wasting away his time, his talents and gifts. All the members are so hardcore over such a dumb sport, screaming and yelling at each other. A sport that requires no brain cell use. A sport meant for janitors. It’s boring. It’s absurd.   “Alright team, gather up! We have a few new recruits that are joining our team this season.” The male coach claps his hands together and the others put away their equipment, slowly making their way over. Jungkook is at the ledge, starting a second too long at the ice that’s a few inches away. But he’s soon distracted by the handful of girls in the back who are murmuring and giggling to each other, taking one too many glances at him.   “Everyone give a warm welcome to the new rookies of our Curling Team!” There’s a warm applause and he continues, “I am Coach Kim Namjoon, but you can just call me Namjoon and my vice here is…”   “I’m Adora.” The female coach smiles, brown ponytail swinging when she turns to each new recruit. “I run the women’s curling team while Namjoon runs the men’s. But we often work together so there’s no real distinction.”   One by one, the new individuals introduce themselves. Alongside Jungkook is a mom whose kids have gone off to college, an older gentleman who’s soon to retire and another woman who’s in her mid-thirties, a professional who’s looking for another hobby. Jungkook notices he’s one of the younger individuals on the team. As he scans the group, someone catches his eye—   “And this is Jeon Jungkook.” A hand slaps his back suddenly and he flinches, startled. “I know what you’re thinking and yes, we finally poached the best hockey player for our team!”   He awkwardly smiles. “Hello.”   Namjoon has a dimple pressing into each side of his cheek, and he nods, fluffy blonde strands bobbing up and down with the movement. “He’s been playing for a few months now and has quite a knack for it. Everyone give him a warm welcome.”   There are more applauses and as the introduction is complete, females and males alike begin to bombard the poor boy. “Are you really the Jeon Jungkook?!” The crowd gathers, soft smiles and eager eyes, unable to believe that he’s gracing them with his mere presence. His introverted nature makes him take a step back and he laughs in a tense manner.   “You were the captain of the hockey team, right?! You were number ninety-seven, right?!”   His neck knocks downwards in a single nod. “Y-yeah…”   “Oh my god.” Their eyes are sparkling in admiration and he’s taken back, a bit overwhelmed with their energy. “Can I get your autograph?” — “Can you sign my hockey jersey?” — “Ooh, me too!” — “Can I please take a selfie with me?” — “Is it alright if I take a picture of you? — “You should add me on instagram!”   He’s swamped by his own fans, trying his best to fulfill each of their wishes and show his own appreciation for their kindness. But by the time the coaches peel people off of him and tell them to get lost, he’s finally able to catch his breath.   The two coaches give the four new recruits a few run downs, reviewing the basics to make sure everyone’s on the same playing field and know what’s going on. It’s not hard to grasp and with time, understanding only deepens. Compared to hockey, Jungkook almost finds the change in difficulty insulting to his intelligence. Yet, before he leaves the arena for the day, he decides to check out the locker room. After all, this is what he’ll be doing for the next little while.   He might as well become acquainted with the place.   But before he can even make it to the men’s locker room, his arm is pulled and in the blink of an eye, he’s being roughly shoved against the wall….   By the same girl who was screaming earlier.   “Uhhh…”   “I know who you are, Jeon Jungkook.” The girl grips his white tee tight in her fists, permanently wrinkling the fabric. Her black bob and bangs brushes against his skin from how close she’s standing and he visibly gulps. She hisses at him, “And I know what you think.”   His rounded doe eyes stare back like a deer in headlights. “Who are you?”   She ignores him. The girl is much shorter than he is, probably around four feet eleven inches but she’s fearsome. Her pointed glare is beyond intimidating and his knees quake, feeling an instinct to bow down. Jungkook wets himself a little. “You think this game is fucking dumb. You think this is some kind of joke, sitting on your high horse and looking down on us. I know your type. You’re just an arrogant, cocky asshole. I know when I see it. But if you sabotage any of us….I swear to god, I will rip your head straight off your neck. You better watch—”   “Yoonji.” The girl is interrupted by a soft, sweet voice. It’s a vivid contrast to the venom that was just being spat on him and his ears perk at the melodic timbre. Both necks whip over to another head that’s peering from the corner of the entryway. You blink twice, never once sparing a single glance towards Jungkook. “Are we going to eat?”   “Yeah, just give me a second.” Yoonji looks back at Jungkook, grip firming up after loosening. “I’m almost done here—”   “But I’m hungry. Can we go now?”   “Fine.” She releases Jungkook, shooting a last glare at him that makes his spine turn to jelly in the worst ways. He’s still stunned but when he turns to look at his saviour, you’re gone.

The next following weeks come and go without as many difficulties.   Jungkook adjusts well, getting lessons from the coach and watching the games on the sidelines when he’s not brushing up on his own mediocre skills. He learns more of the details of the sport, studying special techniques that he didn’t catch when he was trying to learn on his own with videos online and borrowed library books.   His teammates simmer down too, less excited to see him but still pleasant and warm. Everyone’s friendly and welcoming, except for Yoonji who still shoots him a suspicious look once in a while. But aside from that, Jungkook and the three other new recruits become a part of the team quite easily, integrating with the others like there are no differences between years of age or experience.   Jungkook has almost learnt everyone’s names at this point. He’s exchanged conversations with most, except for you...who seems timid and quiet, and always brushing past him when he approaches.   “Yoonji. Y/N. Taehyung,” Adora calls out at the end of the practice session, pacing back and forth while she reads the names off of her clipboard. “And Jungkook. Could the four of you come here for a quick moment?”   Slowly, the four of you gather along with Namjoon. Yoonji puts away her brush, Taehyung stopping from his practice of throwing stones down the center of the target, also known as the button. You bid goodbye to one of your teammates and Jungkook comes off from the bench. He’s still unfamiliar with his curling shoes, one of the soles called the slider and the other, gripper. It’s the only way no one’s falling over on the slippery ice. It’s different from skating, that’s one thing for sure.   But at this point, Jungkook’s just happy to be on the ice, even by unconventional means.   “First off, I want to congratulate the four of you.” Adora smiles at each of you, towards Yoonji’s raised brow, Taehyung’s bewilderment and both you and Jungkook’s blank expressions. “Namjoon and I have discussed this for a few weeks now and the four of you have been chosen because of your stellar performances.”   “What is it for?” Yoonji cuts to the chase, deciding not to comment that Taehyung throws like he has two left hands, how she’s been swearing up a storm and not exactly demonstrating good sportsmanship, and how Jungkook is literally the worst player she’s ever seen.   “You’ll be representing us in an upcoming competition,” Namjoon announces officially. “The four of you will be our first co-ed team!”   “What?!” There’s an uproar between Yoonji and Taehyung while you remain silent and Jungkook wholly confused. “I thought mixed doubles was only two people?” — “Since when did we ever do co-ed?” — “But I’ve been training with the women’s team?!” — “Why us?!”   “Shut it, shut it.” Adora waves her left hand and her right is preoccupied with pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to not get a headache from the two loud kids in front of her. “Listen, we got four new recruits. Two females and two males. That makes our team twelve people total and since one team is four people….that leaves four people extra, so Namjoon and I decided we would just form a new team. Now we can compete in both men’s, women’s, and mixed.”   As she speaks, she seems to agree with the idea more and more, even nodding along. Namjoon stands straight with his hands behind his back, proud of coming up with such an ingenious suggestion. But the rest of you aren’t as amused.   “I can’t believe this.” Yoonji scoffs, turning to you as if waiting for you to agree how ridiculous this all is. “I thought those newbies would just be subs or something. But they’re actually here to steal our spot?”   “No one’s stealing anything,” Taehyung chides, throwing an arm around the short girl until she literally hurls his appendage off of herself, nearly tugging the arm out of its socket. “Chill!”   “No,” she spits. “Fuck you.”   “Yoonji.” Adora warns her, appearing unimpressed with her attitude and hostility.   “Okay, fine, I get it. I’m pulled off the women’s team that I’ve been playing with for the past, I don’t know, three years. For what? Mixed. That’s cool. It’s different. It’s a nice change.” The girl in the blue jacket with the team’s logo hitches her thumb towards Jungkook. “But why him? That’s one thing I don’t fucking get.”   “Uhhh….” Jungkook blinks, not knowing how to defend himself and not even sure if he wants to.   Taehyung grins, his signature boxy smile spreading into his cheeks. He’s wearing sweatpants and an oversized long-sleeve shirt, oddly not affected by the frigid air. On the outside, he could pass as a farmer from the countryside. “Why not Jungkook?”   The brunette boy is a friendly acquaintance of Jungkook, who’s a bit too friendly. Taehyung’s been rather touchy towards him more so than the others, constantly grabbing him for a hug or throwing an arm around his shoulders. If someone looked at them, they’d think Taehyung and Jungkook were best friends that shared the same cradle together.   “Because he literally started less than a month ago.” She crosses her arms. “I think there are other people who are far more deserving of the position than him. People with more experience. People who have been with us longer. Like....Minsik.” She glances at the elder who’s slumped on the bench and slowly drinking from his water bottle, probably taking his afternoon pills as well. “We’re trying to win, right? Well, he’s been curling for like...thirty years...I think he would better suit the team.”   “No.” Namjoon clears his throat. “We’ve decided on you four.”   Yoonji narrows her eyes, still unconvinced, and she takes a good look at your team. After considering for one minute, she realizes there’s one main similarity between all of you — you’re on the younger side. “Is it because Minsik is old? What...you think he’s going to die before he can get onto the curling sheet?”   “Well, let’s be honest.” Taehyung banters with her, “He’ll probably shatter a hip if he goes too hard.”   Adora sighs, headache getting worse by the second. “We picked you four for a number of reasons. Aside from assessing your different skills and weaknesses and trying to balance that, aside from looking at your...bold personalities...aside from all this...yes, we did consider your age. Good observation, Yoonji.”   She glares at the older woman, not liking her sarcasm and then Namjoon decides to step in, clarifying the situation to avoid misunderstandings. “We intend this team to go long term. If this team does well, then we want you guys to represent us in mixed doubles or co-ed games for the next few years. Adora and I want you to become good enough with enough experience that you can become mentors for future mixed double teams. So yes...it would be helpful if you don’t die or go senile on us.”   “Oh my god. Why don’t you just plan the next ten years of my life without telling me?!”   “It’s technically already planned,” Taehyung quips mischievously. “You’ll have twenty cats by the end of 2038 and by 2060, if we’re not all dead by global warming, you’ll probably build an army of cats and teach them how to curl—”   “Shut the fuck up, you annoying piece of shit.” Yoonji rolls her eyes. “You’re not even funny or clever—”   “Enough!” Adora limit in hearing the children bicker back and forth is reached. She takes a look at Yoonji, Taehyung, Jungkook before settling on you. “You four will work together. The competition is in four months. No but’s.”   The coach stomps off before stopping meters away. She swiftly turns on her toes, comes sprinting back and then grabbing Namjoon and dragging him with her. When both coaches are out of earshot distance, Taehyung makes some snarky comment that you don’t pay much attention to, but Yoonji stomps her foot directly on his. The sassy girl shoots yet another glare towards an unsuspecting Jungkook and then she takes your hand.   “Let’s go.”   She walks off with you and calms down with every step she takes and increasing the distance with the stupid boys. You haven’t said much of a word and she sighs, knowing how you didn’t put up a single fight. “Are you really okay with this?”   You shrug, taking a glance back to the two males who seem lost in the tiny space. “It’ll be fun, I guess.”   //   To say it was tense is an understatement.   The atmosphere was not only awkward but full of hostility, mostly coming from the short girl who could not stop glaring at him. It baffles him. Jungkook’s not sure how this team is supposed to function when Yoonji didn’t want to cooperate, when you stayed completely silent like a mime, and Taehyung had his head literally in the clouds. Even standing next to each other was suffocating, he can’t imagine what playing a game would feel like.   “We should assign roles,” Yoonji begins, trying to get a move on and keep things somewhat professional. As much as she hated this, the prospect of winning was much more important. “Taehyung, you’ll be second.”   “Why should I?” He decides to purposely give her a hard time, a twinkle of playfulness glimmering in his deep brown irises.   “You’re a strong sweeper,” she says without wasting a second breath.   Taehyung wiggles his brows up and down. “So you’ve been watching me? For how long?”   Yoonji ignores him and Jungkook decides to take a step forward. After all, if he’s going to be a part of this team, then he wants to make sure his voice is heard. “Who’s going to be skip?”   He assumes it’s Yoonji since she’s already taken on the role of leader, designating roles to everyone and her personality is rather dominating. But against Jungkook’s expectations, she answers differently and without a note of doubt in her voice. “Obviously, Y/N.”   You? The quiet one of all people is in charge of strategizing. You — as the team captain?   “It’s fine if I’m not,” you mutter softly but Yoonji doesn’t even debate it.   “The problem is, I don’t know what the fuck you should do. You have the least experience out of all of us,” Yoonji addresses Jungkook and groans. “What can you even do?”   “Um...I can throw...and sweep...I think I’m better at throwing.”   “Yeah, I’ll be the judge of that.”   Adora approaches with a clipboard in hand. Today, she’s wearing the team’s official blue zip up track jacket. Her hair’s still in a ponytail, as if permanently gathered to be at the crown of her head but at least her dark circles look better. “What’s going on?”   “We’re designating roles,” Taehyung chirps cheerfully. “I’m second.”   “Who’s even supposed to be our coach?” Yoonji asks and raises a brow. “Or are we our own democracy?”   “More like a dictatorship…” The tall brunette mumbles, hands digging into his grey sweatpants pockets, and she glares at him.   Adora looks at her clipboard and hums. “Namjoon and I are both coaches for this team. Believe it or not, we have enough time and attention to manage two teams at the same time.” She inhales a breath and looks up. “With that being said, I will be designating roles now. Jungkook will take the role of third.”   All at once, there’s a reaction. Taehyung’s thick eyebrows shoot upwards comically. Yoonji is already scoffing and even you tilt your head ever so slightly. Third, also called vice or mate, it requires him to throw draw shots and to...strategize with the skip. It’s an important role.   “What the f—”   “If you didn’t know, in mixed, one male must sweep with one female. Two males can’t be sweeping or throwing, vice versa.”   “Okay.” Yoonji nods. “Then Taehyung should be lead and I’ll be third—”   “No.” The coach won’t have any of it. She’s already made up her mind. “Taehyung’s good at sweeping. You’re good at throwing and sweeping.”   “Oh. My. God.” The bob-cut girl has her head knocked back, whining like a petulant child and rather than being intimidated or wanting to piss his pants, Jungkook’s slightly amused and annoyed. “This is going to be a disaster.”   “Yoonji. If you keep complaining, I’m going to make you do running drills. Don’t test me.”   “.....”   Finally, there’s silence.   //   After one or two more arguments and details being sorted, the four of them are dismissed for the day before extensive training will begin. “You know what?” The shorter girl speaks up as the four of you are walking towards the locker rooms. “I finally get it.”   Taehyung smiles. “What?”   “The only reason, he’s on the team—” Yoonji narrows her eyes on Jungkook. “—is because he brings in publicity. It’s a media stunt.”   “That's a good conspiracy theory. Tell me when you figure out the rest of your theory. Maybe the government's involved.” Taehyung laughs and she ignores him, stopping to directly address the boy she’s prosecuting.   “There are a lot more people who better qualify for your position, so you better not fuck shit up.”   “Oooh,” Taehyung makes an obnoxious sound, making the atmosphere less hostile. You blink, unfazed, before dragging Yoonji away without saying a single word.   The two boys enter the locker room, the other males already finished changing and they’ve left since their practice session ended sooner. Taehyung opens up his tiny locker, changing back into casual clothes despite his athletic wear already looking like regular attire, or pajamas. It’s amusing and even if Taehyung is a bit overbearing, Jungkook��s taken quite a liking to him.   “Don’t let her bother you,” Tae speaks up, stripping his pants in one sweep brazenly and instead of changing into his regular pants, he rips off his shirt, nearly fully nude but thankfully with his underwear still intact. “Yoonji’s always like that but she’s warming up to you...kind of.”   Jungkook makes a noncommittal sound from the back of his throat. While Yoonji’s frightening, he’s starting to become immune to her antics. When someone threatens you every other day, at some point it becomes white noise. He’s not really bothered that much anymore, deciding to roll it off his shoulder.   But there is something that’s bothering Jungkook. Or rather than bothered, he’s curious.   “Hey, Taehyung, can I ask you a question?”   “Of course, Kookie.” His eyes light up with enthusiasm and he turns to Jungkook, giving him his full attention while the other doesn’t mind the bizarre nickname.   “I’m just curious but...why is Y/N the skip?” He doesn’t mean to offend anyone or question your skills but— “She doesn’t seem like the type to strategize...or yell...or be the leader.”   “Right?” Taehyung quirks his head to the side, agreeing with Jungkook. “But believe it or not, Y/N takes it more seriously than Yoonji. And that’s saying something.” He shivers and Jungkook’s not sure if it’s because his skin is exposed to the cold air. “If you think Yoonji is scary, you should meet her older brother, Yoongi. I almost pissed myself.”   Jungkook quickly exchanges his shirt before Taehyung can comment how ripped he is and how he’s got a hot-bod and the brunette seems distracted anyways. “But yeah, Y/N is the most intense person on the team. Not only that, but she’s one of the people who’s been playing for the longest. I think she’s been playing since elementary or something. So she has a lot of experience.”   “Oh.”   Jungkook finds himself stopping and listening.   “Also, she’s three time winner of the WJCC. World Junior Curling Championships. And she’s part of the Kilsyth Curling Club which is pretty crazy. And oh yeah, she was skip of the women’s team too.”   Jungkook turns away. It’s odd.   His curiosity still isn’t satisfied.   //   “Hey, Y/N?” Jungkook struggles to keep up, practically jogging at this point. You walk at an incredible speed and he’s already out of breath. Your bag is held by your side while his is slung over his shoulder, the extra weight making your strides even more amazing.   Jungkook runs a hand through his long black strands, keeping them from pricking his eyes, and you slow down for a second when you notice him. “Hi.”   “Ummm….you’re not with Yoonji?”   You keep your eyes trained forward, never once looking at him directly. “Family stuff. Went home first.”   “Oh.” He walks alongside you, matching your steps. “I was thinking of going home too, but you...uh...wanna grab a bite to eat?”   Your voice is quiet, timid, and he barely catches what you’re saying. “I already have food at home.”   “...oh...okay.” He tries his best not to let the rejection deter him, but it’s difficult when he’s already a stuttering mess. “I..uh...just never really talked to you before and since we’re on the same team…”   This is absolutely excruciating. You don’t respond to him and only awkward silence lingers. Jungkook’s already out of his comfort zone by approaching you and being the first to strike a conversation. If he ever survives this, he’s going to crawl back into the cave he came from and never come out again. “I thought we could get to know each other better.”   You answer — “sure.”   Maybe you were an introvert like him. Maybe you were even more shy than he was, to the point where it’s painfully timid. Maybe it’s not his fault. But somehow, Jungkook doubts this. If you managed to befriend Yoonji, then there’s no way you’re an easy pushover. And Taehyung said you were the most intense one on the team.   But even if you were shy, at the very least, you should look at him.   “I heard you’re a three time championship of the junior competition. That’s really impressive.” He swallows hard when you say nothing. “And you’re part of the K...Kil…”   “Kilsyth Curling Club,” you finally say something more than one word and Jungkook is way too excited, eyes lighting up and taking a step closer. It’s an improvement.   “Yeah. Isn’t that one of the oldest clubs around?”   You hum, not uttering another word. Jungkook is defeated.   Taehyung is overly friendly to him, Yoonji is hostile, but you...you are just apathetic. And it’s all too unsettling to him. There’s nothing he can do to drive this conversation forward when it was dead in the first place. The tension was killing him inside.   “Do you hate me?”   God. Jungkook groans, wondering why such a childish question spilled from his mouth. He feels an urge to slam his forehead into his hand, hard enough that it’ll hopefully break his face and he’ll be put out of his misery once and for all.   “No.”   “Then….” He releases a heavy sigh, unable to understand the reason for your brutal cold shoulder. “Do you want to know why?”   You finally look at him and all Jungkook manages is a grimace. Everyone’s asked him why. Why he joined the curling team. Why he dropped hockey. What exactly happened. His high school acquaintances that he hadn’t spoken to in years had even contacted him to ask. Relatives. Journalists. Opposing members. Strangers. Their own curiosity causing them to pry into his life.   Taehyung’s asked, even the coaches have. Yet, each and every time, he’s simply brushed them off. Jungkook provided some excuse, that he wanted to try something new, that he was getting bored of the same game…..and he said them over and over again even if it was all lies.   “Do you want to know why I quit hockey?”   “No.” You break away from his gaze. “I don’t really care.”   Jungkook frowns, wholly confused at your nonchalance. “Then—”   “I know you don’t care about curling,” you tell him bluntly and without the bite that Yoonji often brings to her words. The way you speak is calm and composed, mellow even. You have a blank expression, casual like you’re commenting on the nice weather. It’s as if you don’t give a damn about his existence. You don’t care if he’s a famous hockey player or a team member with less than a month of experience. You don’t care if he’s just another boy off the street trying to chat.   You are fearsomely indifferent to him.   And while Jungkook is blinking, reeling from your interesting apathy, you continue, “But I hope you gain enough respect for the sport so you won’t drag us down.”   His lips part, not sure what he would even say when he’s stunned speechless. But you beat him to the punch, taking a look across the street and glancing at him quickly. “I have to catch the bus. See you tomorrow.”   He should be put-off by your personality, right? Any normal boy would find your aloofness boring and they’d back off. You haven’t spoken much to him, you’ve expressed disinterest in him completely — you don’t give a fuck if he were to join the circus tomorrow.   He doesn’t even think you’re putting on a coy act or playing ‘hard to get’, if that’s even a thing anymore. And he’s never been into that type in the first place. It’s not that you’re unobtainable and that makes Jungkook interested. Simply, you just seem more preoccupied with the colour of the sky, if there’s gum on the ground, when the bus will turn the corner and come down the street.   And somehow...that makes you so attractive.   “Oh…yeah...see you tomorrow.”   You’ve run off before he’s even finished bidding you goodbye.

There are a lot of intense sports out there.   Sports that require lifetimes of training to perfect. He’s seen it all, been in it. He’s witnessed severe diets, portions of food smaller than the size of his palm. Jungkook’s personally been on strict weight control monitoring. He’s witnessed people work out for ten hours a day. He’s exercised as much as a bodybuilder. He���s seen people on the rink for nineteen hours a day. People who live and breathe the sport, not knowing anything else in life, so entirely absorbed that everything else fades into the background.   After all, Jungkook himself doesn’t know anything else other than the ice.   And yet, curling proves to be something he doesn’t know. It’s both intense and not.   While he isn’t being monitored for his weight or what junk he puts into his mouth, while his every move isn’t being watched by his coaches, the practice isn’t trivial or easy. For one, it requires a lot more strategy than he’s used to.   “You know the types of shots, right?”   You don’t talk to Jungkook much, except when it’s about curling. He almost gets whiplash to how different you are, from being completely silent to commanding the members on the sheet.   “Guard, draws, and takeout.”   “Good. So this is the fifth end. What you want to do is a draw shot. So, try to reach the house.”   Jungkook looks off to where you’re pointing, imagining a direct line to where the stone needs to go. “But shouldn’t I try to hit that rock right there? I think I can bump it to the house.”   “No.” You shake your head. “You might bump that other rock and accidentally do a takeout. It’s too risky. Plus, you have to set up my shots too.”   “Alright.” Jungkook gets into position, squatting down and limbs moving a bit stiffly, still trying to get used to it all. He puts his sliding foot in front of the hack foot, not having a lot of pressure on his left ankle. He keeps his hips and shoulders square and steady, inhaling a breath before throwing the stone. His arm gives it an extra push and he releases it cleanly.   The stone curls on the sheet, bending slightly towards the target, known as the house.   You lower yourself, right beside him. Immediately, Jungkook’s breathing halts. It occurs to him how close you are. Your hair nearly skims the skin of his cheek and your scent tickles his nose in a pleasant way. He swallows hard before turning his head slightly to meet your eyes—   “YUP! Right up!” You scream at the two individuals holding the brooms, startling Jungkook from your ear-bleeding volume and the entire arena turns to stare. “Hurry hard! Hard! Hard! HARD!”   The stone begins to curl less and less and it goes for longer as Yoonij and Taehyung continue working hard, using their muscle power into the handle of the curling brush. “Sweep, motherfucker!” Yoonji shouts to the person across from her.   “I am sweeping!” Taehyung shrieks in exasperation.   “Sweep harder!”   “It hurts my arms!”   “I don’t care, harder!” The girl grunts. “That all you got, Kim?”   “Fuck.” He’s breathing heavily, chest heaving up and down and sweat dripping off his skin from the constant movement.   “WOAH!” You shout and they stop sweeping at once, slowly watching as the stone slows and makes it close to the button. Once it’s stopped completely, they turn and you nod before looking over to Jungkook. “Not bad. You might want to give it more of a push when you release it, but aside from that, not shabby for the first one. You still have the sixth end and then it’s my turn.”   “Okay.” Throughout the rest of the game, Jungkook is given more advice and learns strategies that only someone experienced would know. It’s a bit overwhelming since there’s more to it than he would expect. He’s used to using his body more than his brain, but he doesn’t mind the change at all.   By the end of it, he’s gotten a good grasp and the four of you gather up again.   “That was good but still not enough,” Yoonji sighs, turning to look at the final placement of all the stones.   “I think we did pretty well for our first practice. We’ll probably win at this rate,” Taehyung voices his own opinion but the short bob-cut girl hits the back of his head which causes him to wince.   “We’re not trying to be just good, dumbass. The goal isn’t to win the championships. We have to make it to the Olympics.” There seems to be mutual agreement over the statement.   Before Jungkook can turn to you and talk, you’ve all returned to your positions, doing it all over again.   //   An entire month passes of more practice and extensive training. Adora often conducts the exercises and curling drills, even showing stretches that will help strengthen core muscles. On the other hand, Namjoon watches the actual practice games and gives tips on the strategy as well as everyone’s techniques. Aside from that, the four of you also go against the women’s and men’s teams in friendly rounds to practice. Usually you all win.   Jungkook receives a set of blue uniforms — a track jacket, a sweater, a shirt and some pants, all imprinted with the logo — and it makes him officially part of the team.   “You know…” Taehyung is fooling around with the broom and he puts it in between his legs. “If I wasn’t curling, I’d probably be part of muggle quidditch.”   The guy begins running around on the sheet, pretending to fly and Jungkook grins while watching him. When Taehyung lifts up his gripper shoe and begins to slip around with his slider shoe like a figure skater, he eventually loses traction and collides to the ground. Luckily enough, he doesn’t sustain any injuries but the end of the broom hits on his...goods and he cries out.   “Holy shit!” Taehyung grabs his crotch, wailing out as tears accumulate in his eyes. “My future kids!”   Jungkook kneels over in laughter, having to look away to calm down. “You better not break that broom or else I’m sure Yoonji would rip your balls off anyhow.”   Taehyung rolls all over the ice, still trying to recover. “You’re all so cruel. What’s more important, my pickle or the equipment?”   “The equipment,” Jungkook barks out another stream of laughter and Taehyung stops rolling, instead settling on his back and staring at the ceiling and the bright lights.   “I need a drink or two.”   “You don’t even like alcohol.”   “Yeah. It’s bitter.”   “You spat out the shot I gave you.” Jungkook crosses his arms, the corners of his lips tugging upwards as he reminds the brunette of the memory. “You spat it all over my lap.”   Taehyung gives a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that. You looked like you pissed yourself after. I totally ruined your chances with that cute waitress.”   “Nah, she wasn’t that into me anyways and you were a terrible wingman.” His hockey teammates have slowly cut contact with him, having no reasons to continue communicating and even when it was painful, Jungkook never expected to make a new best friend here.   “Hey, Tae, can I ask you something?”   The guy shifts to lay on his side, propping up his elbow and resting his head in his hand, flashing a sexy pose. “Depends. If you’re going to ask for a threesome, me, you and Yoonji, we have to ask if Yoonji’s down and that might take a bit of….convincing.”   Jungkook hums. “I can kind of understand why Yoonji always sucker punches you now.”   “Wow, rude.” He puts a hand over his chest. “I don’t deserve her harsh punishments, even if it’s kind of hot. It still hurts, y’know.”   The younger scoffs and sits down, the chills running through his bones. His hand skims along the smooth ice, welcoming the frigid temperature that seems to cool down the rest of his body. He doesn’t look at his friend, too transfixed over the ice. “It’s about Y/N.”   “What about her?” Tae wiggles his brows up and down. “You interested?”   “No, it’s not like that. I’m just curious. Is she always like that?”   “Always like what?”   He chooses the first few words that come to mind. “Calm. Collected. Apathetic.”   Taehyung makes a noncommittal noise from the back of his throat and frowns, considering the question seriously before he shakes his head. “No, not really. I actually don’t think Y/N is apathetic at all.”   “Really?” Jungkook is surprised. “Because she doesn’t give a shit about me. I mean, she doesn’t even talk to me if it doesn’t have to do with curling. And when I try to talk, she answers me with one word.”   “Wow.” There’s a twinkle of amusement sparkling in the boy’s irises. “Does she hate you or something?”   “She said she doesn't.” When Taehyung gives him a look of ‘how can you be so sure’, Jungkook adds on, “I asked.”   “Y/N’s a bit timid, I guess.” He folds his arms behind his head, resting. “She’s actually pretty clingy and affectionate and talkative when she gets into it. Reminds me of my younger sister. Yoonji’s so close to her because Y/N practically latched onto her. Plus, Y/N awakens a protective instinct in a lot of people. But she can be annoying. Don’t tell her I said that.”   Taehyung laughs, his words holding no malice and spoken all in good fun, as if he was talking about his own sibling, slightly endeared if anything. “Maybe it’s better if you keep a distance, then you don’t have to suffer from her rants.”   Jungkook is absolutely shocked.   He hangs onto every syllable that his friend speaks and it’s almost like he’s talking about a completely different person. He looks away, fingernails skimming on the ice as he unknowingly pouts. “Maybe she really does hate me.”   “Probably not. Y/N’s not the type. She’d only hate you if you hated curling or something.” Taehyung giggles and gets up to his feet, stretching out his arms. “But that’s probably not it. She’ll warm up to you eventually. Give it some time. But anyways, you wanna go grab some fast food? I’m starving.”   Unfortunately, Jungkook doesn’t hear his friend. He’s too preoccupied, or rather, being driven insane. The more and more he hears about you, the more curious he becomes.

The pressure is on.   With only so much time left, it was really hitting you like a ton of bricks. You have to do well. Especially since you carried such a big role on your shoulders. You are the captain, the leader of the team. The last two shots are yours and if you don’t do well, you’ll let the rest of them down.   These thoughts echo in the recesses of your mind and you get down into position. The arena is quiet, lights only shining on the ice, the smooth surface shimmering, and you hold your breath. With one swift motion, you throw the stone towards the house at the end of the sheet, trying to reach the center. It travels close, but not close enough.   And you throw another one. And another one. And another one.   You keep throwing until all ten are gone and then you walk to the end, collecting them again and starting the entire process over. You can’t feel anything, not your fingers or the tip of your nose. Sweat drips from your skin, all you see is the stone and the house. All you want is to win.   Everything else fades into the background.   “You should drink something.” Your concentration is shattered when something cold presses against your cheek. When you look up, blinking past the bright fluorescent lights to the shadow looming over you, you find Jungkook holding a water bottle.   “Thanks.” You’re breathless and you sit down properly, letting your legs rest as you twist the cap of the bottle open, downing half of the liquid and quenching your thirst.   Jungkook sits too, but he maintains a good distance to not make you feel uncomfortable. “I..uh..came to practice too and I saw you. How long have you been here for?”   You lightly shrug. “Time?”   He’s learnt to read your own worded answers and glances at his phone. “Eight.”   “Oh.” It’s later than you expected. “Twelve hours.”   “You were here since eight am?!” Jungkook’s doe eyes are double in size, his mouth hanging open. You don’t pay any attention to him, stretching your arms and wincing a little. “That’s...impressive. Have you eaten anything yet?” You shake your head and he clears his throat. “Do you want to go grab something together? I mean...I haven’t had dinner yet either and only if you want to. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfor—”   “Sure.”   Jungkook’s surprised you actually agreed and he doesn’t want to admit how happy it makes him.   The both of you end up walking down two blocks to the twenty-four hour convenience store. At this time of night, there’s no one except for you and him, some college student, and a bored high schooler cashier. The sound of the fridges whirl in the back and your apathy is replaced with interest as you lean forward, studying the rows and rows of food carefully. Jungkook shifts to stand beside you, considering the products as well.   “What are you getting?”   “Ramen.” A ghost of a smile appears on your face for a split of a second and you grab two of them. Before heading to the counter, you pick up candy and snacks like you’re trick-or-treating and you turn to Jungkook with another idea. “You want drinks?”   Holding cup noodles of his own, his eyes light up. “Sure.”   The pair of you gather outside to eat. You’re waiting for your noodles to cook in the boiling water, the cup sitting on the square plastic table while you’re settled in the white plastic chair.   The street is quiet; the only noise is the muted buzz of the lamppost above you, casting a yellow glow down and bleeding together with the warm light coming from inside the store. After a moment, Jungkook comes out after pouring water into his own cup noodle but he has something else in hand.   You jump when something cold presses on your left shoulder. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he mumbles when you take the ice pack, looking at it, and he settles into the seat across from you. “Your left shoulder hurts, right?”   The coldness soothes the aching muscle and you lose tension in your body. “Thanks.”   You’re surprised that he noticed. You didn’t even realize yourself, having accidentally overexerted your body during practice.   Jungkook sits back and opens a bag of honey chips, throwing a few in his mouth, the snack crunching as he chews. There’s a moment of silence before he breaks it. “We work in a team.” You meet his eyes and he smiles gently. “It’s okay if you rely on us.”   “I know,” you murmur. “I just don’t want to let anyone down.”   “You won’t. If we win, we win together. If we lose, we lose together. That’s why I like team sports the best.” Jungkook grins and a small sigh of contentment leaves the seams of his lips. “You’re never alone.”   You stare at him. Jungkook takes another handful of chips before setting it down, continuing to mumble as he chews in his cheek, “Anyways, you should keep an eye on that shoulder. Tell me if it worsens. If it doesn’t get better by tomorrow, we can go down to the clinic.”   “Thank you.”   “No problem.” Jungkook mixes his noodles, looking to see if it’s ready yet. He sets it down, letting it cook for another few minutes as he cracks open the bottle and takes a small sip.   “I forced myself to play through an injury once.” He stares down at the label, rotating the bottle in his hand and letting the liquid slosh around inside. “I thought the entire team was counting on me. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone and I had worked so hard to be there that day. I didn’t want to give it up. But if I didn’t play that day…..”   It’s not difficult to put two and two together.   “You wouldn’t be here right now.”   Jungkook raises his head and locks his gaze with yours. Your stare is powerful, like you’re really looking at him, maybe even straight through his skin, and he becomes nervous. Still, he prefers this over you purposely avoiding eye contact.   “Yeah...maybe not..” Suddenly his appetite is lost but he shakes off the feeling, taking the noodles and forcing himself to eat it. He shrugs. “I’m just happy I can be on the ice.”   You mix your own noodles, stirring before blowing on them thoughtfully. There’s some awkward silence before you take the leap, deciding to reveal a secret of yours in exchange for his. “....I was supposed to be a figure skater.”   You’re not sure where it’s coming from but you’re in a reminiscent mood and the memory comes stumbling to the forefront of your mind. Jungkook looks up and you continue, “I wasn’t good at making friends. So when I was in elementary, my mom signed me up for a sport so I could get to know people.”   There’s a slight smile on your face and you open the bottle, taking a sip. The alcohol burns pleasantly down your throat and you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. “She was supposed to sign me up for figure skating, but she signed the wrong form and I joined curling instead.”   Jungkook can’t help but laugh, especially when you’re sighing and pouting. It’s tragically funny. He’s baffled considering how curling and figure skating are two very different things and you were now in this sport all because of an accident. He wonders if he would’ve met you if the circumstances were different — if he had continued with hockey and you were a figure skater. Maybe you would’ve run into each other at the Olympics or some other competition.   “What happened after that?”   “I went out on the ice for the first few weeks and nine-year old me thought we were doing exercises before they gave us skates. You know...so we can get used to the ice. But eventually when they never gave me skates and handed me a broomstick instead, I knew something was wrong.”   He’s chewing a mouthful in his cheek, reminiscent to a squirrel and he’s unable to repress his grin. “And you never switched to skating?”   “No.” The corners of your lips are meekly upturned. “I found out I really like curling. The coaches were nice, I made friends, it kind of felt like a family. So, I stuck with it and here I am.”   Jungkook hums, agreeing with you. His hockey team felt more like a frat house, which he didn’t mind. But there was something different about the curling team that was so much warmer. The atmosphere was vastly different, almost like everyone actually cared for one another.   “Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if my mom signed me up for something else and not curling,” you say after swallowing some noodles down and taking a sip of the drink. It can be pretty fun thinking about the endless possibilities. “I could’ve done anything...like become a clown.”   “I think you’d be better as a mime,” he snickers and you narrow your eyes.   “I would not.”   “Yeah, you would,” he lightheartedly teases. “If I passed by, I’d make sure to spare you a few coins.”   “Psh.” All you manage is a scoff and Jungkook laughs, having rendered you completely speechless.

“Can you believe we’re here?” Taehyung whispers in absolute amazement, mesmerized by the building in front of him. All four of you have your heads knocked back, staring up at the arena that seems to tower in the sky. It’s massive and looking at the top makes your necks hurt.   This isn’t like the small arena where your team practices at. It isn’t those small community centers or a tiny indoor area or a puny stadium, but a legitimate, massive arena.   “Well considering we were just on a five hour bus...yeah…” Yoonji hums, her butt cheeks still aching from sitting on the stiff seats and being knocked around every other minute from the bumpy road. “I can believe that.”   Namjoon and Adora stand behind you and the former man presses a hand to Jungkook’s shoulder and the other to Taehyung’s who are both standing on different ends of the group. “Alright kids, don’t get too comfortable. I know our opponents are nice as all hell and they invited us to have dinner with them, but the championship is still in two days. We gotta get that blood pumping.”   “When are the others coming?” Yoonji asks, already wanting to get a move on.   The coaches got special permission to try out the sheet. Every place was a bit different and it was best to get a good feel for the arena before the actual competition starts. An advantage to the team being split into men’s, women’s, and mixed, was that you could all compete in friendly rounds together and not have to go out of your way to invite an opposing team to play.   This would be the last practice round before resting fully tomorrow for the actual games.   “They’re still getting settled in at the hostel.” Adora checks her watch. “They should be here in less than twenty minutes.”   “You know what’s my favourite part of this job? The paperwork.” Namjoon sighs in exhaustion, running a hand over his face and probably clogging his pores as he does so. “We have to figure some stuff out. So, go inside first and stay there. And don’t cause any trouble.”   At the word ‘trouble’, Yoonji feels something on the side of her face, a strong force, and when she turns her head, she glares at her coach. “Why are you staring at me?”   “No reason.” There’s a tight-lipped smile that comes from Adora.   No amount of staring or glaring can help. The four you are lost causes, troublemakers from the start.   But things go well when you enter. It’s nice and all you manage to do is marvel at the architecture, the high ceilings and white pillars that hold the infrastructure. If the entrance is this lovely, you can’t imagine what the rest looks like. For one, you know there are multiple rinks in here, not just sheets for curling, but also for skating, hockey, and all other kinds of ice games.   As you wait — Taehyung bothering Yoonji for his own amusement while you and Jungkook make small talk — the peace is disrupted by loud, boisterous noise coming from a cluster of hockey members exiting from a door.   They’re dressed in red jerseys, hair wet with sweat, brand name duffle bags slung on their shoulders. Before you look away and mind your own business, one of them nudges the other.   “Hey….isn’t that Jungkook?”   Not being discreet at all, they point right to where you are. Beside you, Jungkook seems to stiffen, eyes downcasted. He recognizes the group as a team he used to compete with.   “Jeon Jungkook?” The taller one snorts. “Nah, can't be. What are they anyways?”   “Oh, isn’t there something going on this weekend?” Someone else butts into the conversation.   “What?”   “Can’t remember.”   “It’s curling, dumbass.” Another calls out from the back of the group with a bark of a laugh.   But the shorter one frowns in confusion. “What’s curling?”   “It’s the cleaning sport. They mop. The sweeping thing.” The taller one literally facepalms when the other guy is still blank. “You know...the one where they’re always screaming.”   “Oh. That.” He’s not that enlightened by the revelation. “How is that even a sport?”   “Beats me. Doesn’t need any skills or talent. Bet my two year old nephew could play it.”   “Guys, guys, you’re so uncultured.” The other guy laughs. “It’s the sport for women. They’re competing with their scrubbing skills, duh.”   Another one of the members chortles. “More like a sport for janitors.”   The entire team tunes into the conversation, laughing and openly insulting you four as if you’re not even standing right there. “Janitors got bored and wanted to make a sport for themselves.”   But if there’s one person who won’t allow themselves to be made a mockery, it’s Min Yoonji.   The girl stands up to her feet in one fluid motion, her voice loud and dripping of venom. “Hey! If you got something to say then say it to our fucking faces, you pathetic cowards.”   The taller one puts his palms up. “Woah there, the cat bites.” The entire group laughs boisterously, acting like high school assholes that never grew up. “You should save that passion for your little game, sweetheart.”   “You must be really good at cleaning,” another pipes up with a dumb joke that they think is so funny. “How much to hire?”   A muscle twitches in her cheek. Her jaw clenches hard enough for her teeth to shatter and she balls up her fist, nails sinking into her skin while she takes a step forward, ready to throw punches and scratch faces. But Taehyung’s own hand is faster, moving up to grip at her shoulder to stop the girl from making any mistake. “Yoonji...”   “Don’t touch me,” she hisses out and shakes him off.   Jungkook’s been over the rules tens of times before, especially when Namjoon’s lecture on the ins and outs of championships was an hour long and Yoonji, herself, reminded him not to fuck shit up for the rest of them.   If there’s violence, the entire team can be disqualified from participating.   Everything you worked so hard for will go down the drain.   “Stop it.”   You stand on your feet before Jungkook can step up. And like always, you are calm and collected, seemingly unaffected by the other’s outrageous and disgusting comments.   “Hey,” some guy whispers from the group while you’re trying to compose Yoonji, but Jungkook notices and catches wind of what he says. “That girl’s kind of cute. How much do you wanna bet I can bend her over tonight on my kitchen counter.”   The other snickers, “Be careful, she might start cleaning it.”   Had anyone aside from Jungkook heard it, there would be blood shedding on the floor and scalps ripped off of heads. Yoonji is already physically shaking, angry to the brink of tears and it’s less because of what they said and more to do with the fact that she can’t do anything about it. People like them will always step on what you love most.   “Awww, looks like the little maid is all talk. Got no strength in those arms of yours, honey?” Someone aggravates Yoonji on purpose, too entertained with how you and Taehyung are trying to placate her and force her to walk away. What they don’t know is that they’re not just poking a bear with a stick, but an entire team of rabid, fucking bees.   Bees are always scarier than bears.   Yoonji spins on her heel to face them, this time a vein in her forehead bursting in her skin. “Shut the fuck up, you piece of literal dog shit. Your mom should’ve swallowed you when she had the chance or was it your dad that had a weak pull out game? Stop talking before you overexert your last brain cell.”   “What the fu—”   Jungkook snorts, and he slides himself to stand in front of you. “If you guys have so much time as to stand around and insult us, then maybe your time is better spent practicing.”   A few brows raise and others nudge each other. There’s a murmur over the group of eleven, some comments made from disbelief and others in hilarity. “Oh my god.”— “No fucking way.” — “It is him.” — “It’s Jungkook.”   He cocks his head to one side. “If this is what you’re doing all season, it’s no wonder you lose every game you play.”   “Wha—”   “What was it again?” Jungkook pretends to think before he leans forward like he’s unsure of himself. “Didn’t we win seven to zero last season? I think you broke a record, huh? I guess that’s the only record you’ll ever be breaking.”   Taehyung giggles hysterically, stomach aching as it squeezes and he has to physically wipe his eyes from tears of happiness. “No way, seven to zero?! Oh my god!”   Jungkook laughs too, turning to his best friend. “No one ever loses that badly. It’s actually kind of impressive how bad they can be. But it was honestly really sad to play against. I felt bad.”   They’re embarrassed and humiliated, a handful of them turning away and others clicking their tongue and muttering ‘whatever, man’, unable to refute the truths that come from him. But the taller guy can’t handle it. “Jeon, you better watch that mouth of yours!”   “Or what? You’re going to score into my net?”   Taehyung is brought into another fit of laughter. The corner of Yoonji’s lip draws upwards, arms crossed and taunting them while the guy is left red-faced, ashamed at the memory. His jaw ticks and he shouts, “Jeon!”   “If there’s any cleaning to do, then it’s your team that needs it.” Jungkook smirks, channeling his inner arrogance, playing the role of the frat house fuckboy, a facade he had perfected when he was part of the hockey team. “Also, you shouldn’t be so disrespectful to janitors considering your dad is one, Joshua.”   They’re left completely baffled.   //   The four of you are walking off, to god knows where but that’s not the point. There’s a surge of satisfaction and confidence that boils in everyone’s veins and it feels badass to walk together like this, as if telling the rest of the world that you guys can’t be fucked with.   “Ugh, I should’ve just punched them.” Yoonji throws her fist in the air, alternating both arms, and Jungkook can hear how the wind whistles with her swiftness. She should’ve tried boxing instead or the MMA. Jungkook’s certain she’d do well in those areas.   “Or we could’ve waited until it was night and then jump them in a back alley,” Taehyung jokes around even though it looks like Yoonji’s legitimately considering it. “But honestly, Jungkook burned them so hard. Did you see the looks on their faces?” He’s still laughing. “Like I thought they were gonna piss themselves from Yoonji’s savage insult but after Jungkook, goddamn, they looked like they were gonna cry.”   “Yeah. Not too bad, Kook.” Yoonji smirks in satisfaction, giving him her seal of approval. “You’re a pretty good asshole when you want to be. Not bad at all.”   “Uh, thanks?”   “But I’m still pissed.”   “Just ignore them.” Out of the four, you’re the most apathetic to the whole experience. Sure, you can’t find words to describe how cruel they were and had you been alone, you probably would’ve filed an official complaint, but it was all so childish. Ultimately, you’d rather not waste your energy on such useless things. “Don’t let them have that power over you. At the end of the day, what they think and do has no effect on us.”   Yoonji leans on you, throwing her arm over your shoulder. “You’re such an angel.”   “No. I just think winning is more important.”   “Touché. Let’s win this.”

If there’s one thing Jungkook might never get used to is celebrating before the competition.   But here you all were, the entire curling team of twelve people and two coaches surrounding a giant table in a fried chicken restaurant, having drinks and eating away like it’s a wedding celebration.   Taehyung told him that this was one of the few traditions your team had and Jungkook had to admit, it was more than nice. Before any games, the hockey players would play up their performance through arrogance and mask any inch of nervousness. Jungkook would always have to hide his shaking hands deep within his pockets.   But he didn’t need to put on any tough act here and strangely enough, he didn’t even feel any rush of anxiety. Jungkook feels calm, assured, especially when Namjoon was toasting that no matter what happens, everyone’s already happy to have made it this far.   “I really like curling,” Jungkook comments thoughtfully after sipping on some beer. It’s kind of gross and bitter, but he thinks in the future, he’ll become nostalgic drinking it again.   Yoonji raises a brow and Taehyung giggles, a bit tipsy. But tonight, he can drink to his heart’s content since tomorrow will be dedicated to recovering from hangovers. “Really? That’s great, Kookie!”   “Yes, because we oh-so need Jeon Jungkook to like curling when the match is in two days.” Yoonji rolls her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her tone and she bites into her chicken drumstick like a wild animal before pointing the bone at him. “Why did you even join us if you didn’t like it in the first place?”   He laughs, feeling light and happy from the alcohol. “That’s not it. I’m just saying that I really appreciate it now...the sport, the team, the atmosphere of it all.”   “We’re known for our good sportsmanship!” Taehyung chirps while fist pumping the air. “It’s the Spirit of Curling!”   “Oh my god.” Yoonji groans. “I hate this shit so bad.”   “But that’s the fun of it, Yoonji!” The brunette pouts, jutting out his bottom lip and fluttering his lashes. “When our opponent does well, we congratulate them. When we do well, they congratulate us. Isn’t that so nice? We never cheer for mistakes, there’s never negative comments, the winners even buy the losers drinks, we can even end a match if we think we’re gonna lose and that’s okay! Isn’t that so, so, so, so, so, so nice?!”   “Yeah, yeah, yeah…” She grumbles, moving onto a fried chicken wing and double fisting with another drum.   In the meanwhile, Taehyung has tears accumulated in his eyes, becoming overly sentimental over the game. “Do you think I can marry curling?”   “At this rate, the only thing you’ll be able to marry is your anime girl body pillow.”   Taehyung puts a hand over his chest, gasping dramatically at his teammate. “You know about Hariki?”   Jungkook laughs and then he hears something else, something soft and sweet, a tinkling sound and his ears perk. When he looks over, he realizes that it’s you who’s laughing at something else. But your cheeks are puffed out, eyes slightly crinkled and a noise he’s never heard before leaves your throat. You’re obviously drunk, giggling with the others, and Jungkook can’t find it in himself to look away.   Yoonji removes herself from Taehyung’s conversation, rolling her eyes and completely done with him. She looks across from her to the boy who’s suddenly become quiet and when she follows Jungkook’s line of sight, it lands straight on you. Her brow raises and within one blink of a second, she understands exactly what’s going on.   “Looks like our little Kookie has a little crush.” She’s leaning forward with a sinister expression, whispering lowly so no one else can hear, at least not when Taehyung’s bothering someone else and his obnoxious later echoes throughout the room.   On the simple word ‘crush’, it has Jungkook turning back, nearly breaking his neck from the whiplash. His doe eyes double, cheeks deepening in its pink hue and the glow isn’t from the alcohol. “W-what?”   Yoonji smirks and she grabs the nearest bottle by the neck, pouring him a shot, thankfully something other than beer. But still, he watches her warily and she pours her own drink, holding it before motioning for him to do the same. She clinks the glass together and the two of them down it in one go. A satisfied sound escapes from her mouth when it burns her throat pleasantly.   “That’s for our alliance. I want to shank you less these days.”   “Thanks?”   “You’re welcome.” Her smirk expands eerily and he’s reminded why he wanted to piss his pants when he first met her. She is one scary, scary, petrifying lady. “But you’re treading on some dangerous territory, Jeon.” Yoonji steals a discreet glance at you before staring him right in the eyeball. “Make a wrong move and I’ll rip off your ballsack.”   “Uhhh….yes, ma’am.”   “Good.” Another smile appears as if she didn’t just threaten him and the bob-cut girl leans back, increasing her volume, joining back into the regular conversation. “Who poured a drink for Y/N?! You know she’s a lightweight!”   “It’s fine!” You wave your hand, giggling before latching onto one of the older ladies beside you, hugging her arm to your chest. She doesn’t seem to mind, if anything she’s endeared and reminded of her own kids that grew up too fast. “I’m fine….”   “Jackson—”   “I didn’t.” The older man holds up his palms, laughing in good nature next to his fiancée. “I can’t believe I’m being wrongly accused!”   The drinks and chicken-eating continues into the night. After tomorrow, the games will begin and Jungkook can sincerely say he’s excited for it. There’s no pressure on him, no heavy weight laid upon his shoulders, no cold sweats dripping off his skin. He’s not completely relaxed but he’s looking forward to it, ready to try his hand at the sport and try to win.   The breeze is cool outside, carding through his hair and making his skin even more flushed. Jungkook digs his hands into his black coat pockets, looking out at the mosaic of city lights. It’s a strange emotion that overcomes him. He thought he lost everything after the injury, lost his friends, his career, the reason he even lived. But here he was, having started over again, and even more content and happy than he thought he could ever be.   “Oh my gosh! Look who it is! It’s my favourite person on the whole planet!” The front door is barely held open by Yoonji’s foot as she carries your deadweight, but the moment your eyes lay on Jungkook, you’re giggling and running over to him. He lets out an ‘oof’ when you suddenly embrace him, engulfing his larger frame with your smaller arms, surprisingly affectionate.   Yoonji sighs, not even trying to peel you off. “Jungkook, can you watch her for a second? I don’t know where Taehyung went and the last thing we need is for him to wander into the women’s washroom again.”   “Again?”   “Again.” She exhales in exhaustion. “God, these people are lightweights and drink like they aren’t. Watch her, I’ll be right back. No funny business!”   A lot of the team members had returned to the hostels early since their regular bedtime was eight, something Jungkook can’t wrap his mind around. It was only ten right now and he can remember being out past midnight. But a lot of the members were older and couldn’t last as long on a night out which was completely understandable.   A few others were in the washroom and the two coaches were paying, splitting the bill and treating the team. So, it was only you and Jungkook waiting outside the restaurant.   “You’re so cute, Jungkook.” You’re still hanging onto him, your back arching when you look up at him, smiling sheepishly and searching his face. He swallows hard, looking straight ahead.   “I...think you’re cuter.”   “Awwwww….” You release him a bit, batting at his arm. “That’s so sweet. See? You’re so nice and kind and soft….”   “Soft?” He raises his brows while laughing and you nod enthusiastically. If there’s one word he would never use to describe himself it would be that word. All the other girls he knows would call him hot or muscular or manly or sexy….not that he was tooting his own horn...he’s just never heard someone call him soft before.   And as if to reaffirm your belief, you move your palms up, squishing his cheeks together with a squeaky giggle. His lips press together and he flinches, finally looking at you. “See? Squishy! You look like a fish.”   “Do I?” His words are muffled and his face is beginning to hurt from smiling so much.   For a mere millisecond, his eyes flicker down to your lips that look so captivating, from the dip of your cupid’s bow to the upturned corners, every line and inch.   “Yeah..but I hate fishes. I had one when I was ten. It was a yellow goldfish and my best friend and I had it in a glass bow and I brought it around with me everywhere. Once, I remember running and the fish fell out of the bowl and I screamed, but dad put it back in. But then I had to flush it down the toilet when it died.” You finally release his rounded cheeks, suddenly sad but still continuing on your rant, “are you ever scared that the dead fishes will appear in your toilet bowl? Like what if it doesn’t flush all the way down? Imagine all the flushed fishes of the world appearing in your toilet when you’re trying to pee.”   “I never really thought about it before,” he says honestly, eyes twinkling in amusement as he watches you. Your skin is glowing underneath the lamp posts’ light and he can genuinely admit you look stunning, even when you’re drunk out of your mind.   “Do you wanna sleep with me, Kook?”   He chokes. The black-haired boy goes pale as he hacks on his saliva unattractively, the air in his lungs ripped in away in utter shock. “w-..what?!”   “You look like you’d be nice to cuddle with.” Your arms return around his abdomen, hugging him. “Like a stuffed bunny. I had a rabbit when I was a kid...but I had to flush it down the toilet too.” Jungkook’s next overwhelming emotion is horror and you laugh. “Kidding!”   Part of him wants to just throw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, tired of all your shenanigans and how you’re playing his feelings like a fiddle. But being oblivious to his turmoil, you continue with slurred words, “mom never let me have a bunny...or a horse...or a dog…”   He can understand why you never got any pets if you couldn’t even keep a fish alive.   Jungkook looks down at you and visible gulps. Your tongue runs on the seams of your lips, barely poking out to wet them and Jungkook feels an urge to pull you in by your waist and kiss you silent. He wants to press his mouth on yours and taste what kind of chapstick you use, see if they’re as soft as they look.   And yet, he doesn’t.   He doesn’t kiss you because he’s a damn coward. He’s a fool. He doesn’t kiss you because he would want you to remember it. And maybe….maybe if you win the competition in two days, he’ll muster up the courage to.   “I used to watch you play games, y’know.” You break his train of thought, snapping him out of his trance and his eyes flicker to meet yours again. You’re trying to whisper again, “I’m a fan.”   Apparently you like to spill secrets when you’re wasted.   “You are?”   “Yeah. You’re good at everything you do. The best! The golden player!” You flash a thumbs up, still giggling, and Jungkook is so happy, he could combust into flames right now and be lowered into his grave with a stupid grin. “I like you a lot, Kook.”   “Thanks.” His cheeks hurt from smiling so wide and the next thing he says, he means it wholeheartedly, “I like you too.”   “You know what would be really funny?” You’re already laughing, giddy and crumbling your fingers into small fists, trembling with excitement. Jungkook grins, too curious for his own good.   “What?”   You cup your hand over your mouth like you're about to exchange yet another secret, but you’re still laughing like crazy and your voice is loud — “Let’s run away from Yoonji.”   “Wait. What?!” His eyes double. “No, that’s a terrible, terrible idea.”   Before Jungkook can do anything, you’ve suddenly grabbed onto his hand, dashing off. He stumbles forward, right behind you, nearly tripping and falling flat on his face. Jungkook can barely catch a breath and you’re cackling euphorically, running off into the night and dragging him with you.

The cheers from the stands keep him going.   The cold air wafts in the atmosphere, icy breeze deepening his cheeks to rosy hue. The ice rink has a smooth surface, never to be marred by lines embroidered by skates. He steps out on the sheet, ice beneath his feet and the accumulated crowd on the stands cheer, holding the country’s flag up high. The four of you look onward.   Jungkook stands beside you, Yoonji on your side and Taehyung on his other side. Each of you brace yourselves before exchanging looks. “Ready?”   You smile, feeling at ease. “Let’s do this.”

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Greaser Serpents | Part 1

A/N: Currently, I am infatuated with Sweet Pea from Riverdale and I have no clue why since he wasn’t in season 3 that much (also season 3 sucked, just saying), but I can’t seem to get this Serpent out of my head, so I decided, why not start writing imagines and one shots and fanfics about him? So, since I would LOVE to see Riverdale do Grease, I decided to write a mini-series myself. Where OC Luna Simmons, a clean-cut, dutiful Northsider is cast in the school musical as Sandy and the loyal, Northside-hating Serpent is cast as Danny. Somewhere between all the hate between the two, suddenly grows a little love too. 

Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC

Words: 2150

Warnings: none? 

Situated: somewhere during season 2, instead of Carrie: the musical. 

“I’m directing Grease for this year’s musical,” announces Kevin when they’re all sat in the lounge together before classes start. They all look up at him, a small smile playing on each of their lips. Between all the chaos of the black hood and the red circle and everything with Hiram Lodge, the gang could use some good news. Something to focus on outside of the drama.  “I so love you for that,” Luna says with a wide smile plastered on her face. Luna Simmons isn’t new to the gang. She’s lived in Riverdale from the day she was born, next door to the Coopers on Elm Street. She’s been through everything with these kids: Jason Blossom’s murder last year, Veronica joining the gang, the drugs going around, the Sugarman, the Black Hood. And now, when Southside High School has been closed down and Jughead is back at Riverdale High, so are some other troublemakers. To say she can’t stand most of the Serpents is the understatement of the year. Toni Topaz is the only one she can stand. The pinkhaired lady greets her in the hallways, and they sit together in English class. But for some reason, she really cannot stand Sweet Pea nor Fangs. They seem too aggressive for her liking. They always need to solve every problem with violence, and it’s just not Luna’s forte. Musicals, however, and especially Grease, is her forte.  “When are auditions?” Betty asks her best friend.  “No auditions needed, just tell me who you want to play, and I’ll think about it,” Kevin replies, knowing how talented all of his friends are. “The Serpents are doing sets and decor, Toni is doing choreography,” he explains further, sending a shiver down Luna’s spine just thinking about working with the Serpents.  “Per Weatherbee’s orders, I assume?” Veronica retorts. A chuckle erupts from Luna’s body. Kevin nods his head while scrunching up his nose.  “Oh yeah,” he replies. Luna already thinks about what she’s going to do when she’s playing either Marty or Frenchy. Because, let’s face it, she won’t get the role of Sandy. That one has Betty Cooper written all over it. But Luna would be grateful to play an iconic character like Marty or Frenchy. 

“Patty Simcox? Who the hell is Patty Simcox?” Cheryl screams when she sees the character line-up for the musical Kevin had posted on Monday morning. Luna, who just happened to pass by when Cheryl cried out, decides to take a look, just to see whether she got the role of Marty or Frenchy. But, when her eyes fall upon the top of the page where her name is written behind SANDY. Her eyes widen before they glance down to DANNY. Upon seeing the name of Sweet Pea, her stomach churns and her face heats up to the point of nearly exploding. She rips the paper off the board and storms into the lounge where she finds Kevin, Betty and Jughead on the sofas.  “I THOUGHT THE SERPENTS ONLY HELPED WITH SETS?!” she screams at the director, pushing the paper into his chest aggressively. “You know I can’t stand them, Kev, and you still paired me up with fucking Sweet Pea of all people!” she paces the room in a petty rage, instead of being happy she got a leading role.  “Listen, Lunes, I lacked a couple of actors and let’s be honest, Sweet Pea would be a perfect Danny,” Kevin reasons with her, staying calm.  “Kevin is right, Luna,” Betty agrees with him and Luna stops in her tracks to look at the girl-next-door. “Sweet Pea would be one hell of a Danny.” Just at that moment, Sweet Pea and Fangs enter the lounge too, stopping upon hearing the Serpent’s name. Luna makes eye contact with him, suddenly seeing him as Danny. Fuck, he would be a great Danny.  “Wait, what?” the boy asks, tilting his head a little.  “I casted you as Danny for the musical,” Kevin tells him and stands up to hand him the paper, “But since our Sandy over there ripped off the paper in a rage, no one really knows,” he points at Luna, glaring at her for a second.  “I’m not playing in a fucking musical,” Sweet Pea snarls, pushing the paper back into the director’s arms. “I said I would work on sets, not actually play in your stupid play.” the boy growls and walks over to the vending machine for a snack.  “It’s either this or being suspended, Sweet Pea,” Jughead warns him from his spot on the couch next to his girlfriend.  “Fine,” Sweet Pea growls, “But I’m not rehearsing any shit with her,” it sounds bitter coming from his mouth as he sends a glare towards Luna.  “The feeling’s mutual, dickhead,” Luna snarls before grabbing her bag and leaving the lounge, leaving her friends behind, still enraged. “I can’t believe that prick,” she mutters as she passes Toni in the hallway who just happened to pick up on that. She enters the lounge, finding the others, still a little agitated about what had just happened.  “Did a bomb explode here, or what did I miss?” she asks them with a chuckle.  “Sweet Pea landed the role of Danny Zuko,” Fangs explains with a proud smile and a proud pat on his best friend’s back, only to get a glare in return.  “I thought Serpents were only doing sets?” Toni asks, grabbing the character sheet from Kevin to see if she landed a role too.  “I lacked some actors, okay? I had no other choice,” Kevin answers, getting annoyed by everyone’s reactions to him enrolling some Serpents too.  “I’m playing Frenchy?” Toni asks, her eyes sparkling, “Dude, she’s iconic! Thank you!” that was the first grateful response he’s had since he posted the cast list.  “Did you give me a role too?” Fangs asks, grabbing the sheet from Toni.  “You’re Sonny,” Kevin replies with a little smile.  “Because I’m tiny?” Fangs asks, raising an eyebrow. Kevin opens his mouth, wanting to say something, but Fangs beat him to it, “I’m kidding, bro. Thanks!” he gives Kevin a toothy smile before handing him back the sheet.  “When’s the first rehearsal?” Betty asks.  “Tomorrow after school. I hope to see you all at the auditorium at four,” he says when the bell rings, signaling class will start soon. All of them scatter to their classes after bidding brief goodbyes. Some more genuine than the other. This is going to be interesting. 

“Okay, Summer Nights from the top!” Kevin says from his spot in the audience with his script in front of him. Neither Sweet Pea nor Luna are happy to be there, but at least they’re doing what Kevin asks of them.  “So, what you do this summer, Sandy?” Toni asks as her character while the instrumental begins to play already.  “Oh, I spent most of it at the beach. I met a boy there,” Luna says her line without gagging at the thought of that boy being Sweet Pea.  “You hauled all your cookies to the beach for some guy?” Veronica asks as Rizzo. The attitude and the sass match Veronica’s actual, real-life quirks.  “Aw, he was sort of special,” Luna replies with a little smile, acting like she actually likes the guy she’s talking about. In her mind, she was scoffing at herself. Sweet Pea? Special? No way. He was just some plain, aggressive boy that thinks he could intimidate girls with his tough looks.  “Please,” Veronica hauls Luna from her thoughts, “There ain’t no such thing.” “Oh, you haven’t met this boy. It was really romantic,” she turns to Toni who had come to sit next to her, hitting her marks Kevin had given her perfectly.  “Woah, woah,” Sweet Pea then goes as Danny when it’s his turn on the other side of the stage, “You guys really want to hear all the horny details,” Luna rolls her eyes at him absentmindedly, earning a giggle from Toni and a glare from Kevin. The boys surrounding Sweet Pea all cheer. Luna nearly vomits as she hears them speak, until the Serpent begins to sing his part. That’s when she internally melts. His voice sounds like Elvis Presley’s voice. Rough and sultry, causing her toes to tingle.  “Summer lovin’, had me a blast,”  “Summer lovin’, happened so fast,” Luna sings in time, shaking herself out of her gross thoughts. His voice might charm her, but him as a person certainly doesn’t.  “Met a girl, crazy for me,” “Met a boy, cute as can be,” she gets up from her chair now. Her knees nearly giving away as the two harmonize at the next part.  “Summer days drifting away to uh all the summer nights,” they sound so good together. Kevin is proud of himself for casting those to as main characters.  “Tell me more, tell me more,” the girls sing together while doing the choreography Toni had taught them in earlier rehearsals.  “Like does he have a car?” Betty sings as Marty, her voice sounding better than ever. Maybe Betty would be a better Marty than Luna ever could be. Maybe she should be happy with the role she got. And to be fair, even doing this number all week long is actually fun. Seeing it come all together, becoming better and better every day they rehearsed. It’s something Luna could’ve only ever dreamed about. Hell, she dreamed about being Sandy all her life since she first saw the old movie classic with Betty when they were younger.  The music slows down as the cast is nearing the end of the song, Luna hops off the table she was sitting on and Sweet Pea gets off the stands he and the boys were dancing on.  “It turned colder, that’s where it ends,” Luna sings softly, her voice sending shivers down Kevin’s spine as he smiles up at her, proud of his friend.  “So, I told her, we’d still be friends,”  “Then we made our true love vows.” “Wonder what she’s doing now,” Sweet Pea sings, looking out into the distance.  “Summer dreams, ripped at the seams, but ... oh... Those summer...” both sing together, harmonizing perfectly and then even hitting the high note perfectly. “Niiiiiiiights”. Luna wraps her arms around herself, panting a little after using most of her breath intake for that one note. Kevin’s applause rips her out of her thoughts, and she glances over at Sweet Pea, who’s already looking at her with a soft smile on his face.  “That was amazing, you guys! Chills, literal chills!” Kevin says from his spot. “Let’s take that from the top one more time!” and they did. They rehearse that exact scene for a couple more hours until Kevin finally calls it a day. The entire cast is exhausted from all the dancing, but they’re quite chuffed with themselves as it sounds better each and every time. “Hey,” a voice makes Luna snap out of her thoughts as she’s packing up her stuff. She looks up to find Sweet Pea standing in front of her. In place of that intimidating glare he always put on, he now has a sweet, tender smile on his face and his eyes look a little lighter for once. A little less dark. “Just wanted to tell you that you did a really great job,” he compliments, stunning her a little. She didn’t expect that. Not from him anyways. Not at all. Luna Simmons is at a loss for words all at once. Only from one simple glance and one simple compliment. “T-Thanks,” she stutters, “Uhm, you too, Sweet Pea,” she fires back with a little, confused smile. The boy in front of her chuckles, his eyes glancing at the hardwood floor beneath their feet for a split second before looking up to her again. “Maybe we should uhm, you know, rehearse together sometime,” he suggests, pointing his script at her in an awkward and weird way. At least she’s not the only one feeling awkward about this entire interaction. She looks at him for a moment; did he really just ask her that? “Uhm, yeah, sure,” she replies, her eyebrows tugging together for a moment in confusion. “See you around, Zuko,” she bids her goodbyes with a little smirk at the nickname. Sweet Pea laughs lightly, causing Luna’s stomach to flutter for some bizarre reason. She turns around to walk away from the boy and finally head home. She’s ready for a hot bath and a good chick-flick. Maybe she should watch Grease tonight. “See you around, Sandy,” Sweet Pea calls behind her. Yep, she should definitely watch Grease tonight. She casts one last glance to her co-cast member before exiting the auditorium, excited for the next rehearsal with him. And maybe, just maybe, she should take him up on the offer to rehearse together. The boy doesn’t seem that bad after all.

[justinsdaysinthedark]

Post # 6 - It is what it is

I'd be lying if I said I haven't spent the past half an hour with tears flowing from my eyes staring at a blank screen wondering how I'm going to get everything I've got floating in my head out. I suppose listening to Coldplay live in Argentina probably wasn't the best choice of music to set the mood. I'll work on that one in the future...

Where do I start? It's been a question I'm often asking myself at the start of these blog posts and it's certainly not the easiest one. What do you guys know? There's been so much happen since my last post on Thursday night.

Friday July 26th: I saw my doctors around lunchtime who came in quite concerned. Whilst they were confident my lymphoma was one called DLBCL (Diffuse Large B- Cell Lymphoma), some tests had come back with suspect results that it could be a more aggressive and harsh type of lymphoma called Burkitt's lymphoma and if confirmed, chemo was starting that night with no time to waste. There was also one marked in the middle (a cross of the two) called Burkitt's Like Lymphoma which is treated similarly to DLBCL. Whatever it was, I couldn't change it. I just wanted answers and if treatment needed to start, let's get it underway!

Adam, my incredible haematology doctor sent off another test of my gall bladder to finally get the confirmation I was after. It was urgent. He had to know. It was reassuring of Adam to state "Justin, we need to know what this is. Preliminary results are due back later this afternoon and that will hopefully rule out Burkitt's. if it is Burkitt's, we'll start chemo tonight and I'll be with you every step of the way - even if I have to stay back a few hours."

I know doctors earn a fair coin on a lazy day, but how many give you that much confidence that you and your health is important to them? I'm going to have it a guess and say not many but alas, I am so incredibly lucky with the team of doctors I have.

4:00pm and Adam strolls in the door heading straight for my room. My heart drops, similarly to what it had when Michael dropped the news I had lymphoma. "Good news. Preliminary results are back and we're confident it's not Burkitt's. You can't rule out anything in life, so there still is a small chance it could be. We're happy to wait for the final results on Monday, figure out a treatment plan from there and start Chemotherapy next week. Spend Saturday and Sunday on day leave and I'll see you next week."

This was news to my ears. In a time of what has been negative or no news, I could spend the weekend with family relatively freely and forget everything was happening for a few hours each day. My Uncle Bob and Aunty Denise were down from Tasmania to see me, as was my Aunty AJ and cousins from Bairnsdale so it all felt like it fit into place.

Friday night saw me considerably more relaxed with this news...that was until Collingwood started and it was the demolition it was. Slightly humorous side note, the nurse came in around 9pm for my nightly observations. Naturally, my heart rate was up a bit more than normal watching the football (118BPM - normally between 70-85BPM). This caused the nurse to call in the team of doctors who wanted to put me on an ECG machine for the night and monitor my heart. I assured them it was because Collingwood were on and if they gave me an hour, I'd be okay. It took some convincing, but it finally worked. Back they came an hour later and it had gone down - crisis averted.

Saturday afternoon and evening was wonderful. I went down to dads for dinner and was fortunate enough to spend some much needed time with family over a beautiful dinner and good laugh.

Sunday was much the same. I went home, mum did a fair chunk of washing for me as I spent it being me. Seeing Courtney, napping in my own bed and even headed over to Fountain Gate and got some much needed new clothes and other miscellaneous items - something that seems so simple but is such a luxury when you've spent the past 15 days in hospital.

Monday July 29th: They say the more you think positively, the more positive news you shall receive....or it goes something like that right? I woke up this morning the most upbeat and best I'd felt in weeks. I felt fine. I felt no pain, almost like I'd woken up from a shitty hotel! In all honesty, I felt like I'm abusing the system however I keep being quickly reminded how much I need to be here. Did I wake up so positive because I lived my old life for 16 hours over the weekend? Is it because I was hoping to hear a reasonably positive outcome with this lymphoma test? Probably a mix of both if I'm honest. But whatever it was, I was hopeful.

Adam came around at roughly 10:00am. Didn't really have much for me in terms of news but more of an outline of the day. If they hear the results of the test they were waiting on, they'd write me up a treatment plan ASAP and get chemo started this afternoon. At worst, I'd be starting it tomorrow (Tuesday). They just needed that definitive answer of what type of lymphoma I have - an answer I'd love more than anybody.

Either way, we agreed i'd need a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) line in which basically is a long-term cannula. It runs from the inside of my arm right up and around and stops basically just outside my heart. This is for easy access for the chemotherapy and even an easy exit for blood tests - something that's proven incredibly difficult to take from me over the past few days. Additionally, these lines can last up to six months verses the three days you get from a cannula. There were too many positives to say no to!

This wasn't scheduled for any time in particular, so 1:00pm came around and I was about to be taken to get the PICC line in.

Just as I was about to leave, Adam came in with a few words I'm all too familiar with. "Well, the pathology tests we were waiting on have come back inconclusive..."

Woah. Wait. What? How do tests of my gall bladder that was removed six days ago come back inconclusive? How does one of the main sources not have enough 'data' to tell them what sort of lymphoma I have? I was just stunned.

Adam continued "As a result, we can see some signs of Burkitt's lymphoma and that's what we're going to treat you for. You're young. You should be able to handle it and it's better to over treat you than under treat and be stuck where we are at the moment. It's an intense 16-day chemo treatment that will totally wipe out your red and white blood cells as well as your platelets. We foresee you being in here for another 3-5 weeks, depending on how well your body goes getting these levels back up to normal post this first treatment..."

I honestly say this but that's all I remember from this conversation. I was hoping I'd be heading home this week but looks like that definitely won't be happening. Today marks day 40 of the past 55 days in hospital (day 15 of this stint) and if I go off the longest suggested time expected, I have another 35 days to go. That honestly crushed me.

I got taken down to get my PICC line in - quite an easy process. Very similar to putting in a larger cannula, just a whole lot longer and uses local anaesthetic as well as being guided by an ultrasound and X-ray. I'm lucky enough to have two ports, which will hopefully speed up some of my medication and how much they can pump in. Does it feel weird? The only weird part was feeling it slide down past and near my heart - but that's okay now!

By the time I return, dad made his was in to try and help process the news. We get Adam in to once again explain the process. In layman's terms, I'll be starting an intense and high-dose 16-day chemotherapy program kicking off tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Most of the time across the next 16 days, I'll be hooked up via IV drip getting whatever medication is required. I think I saw I have rest days on days 7 & 8 which I suppose will give me two days to look forward to. At the end of the day, it's something I'm not certain on and will be a day by day process and constant learning about what's going into my body to help fight with me.

I do have one request for you all. With my body not producing red or white blood cells or platelets over the next few weeks, I do request if you are planning to visit however are sick to stay away those extra few days. With my immune system going to be at the lowest it's been, I don't particularly want to pick up something I don't need. Additionally, as much as I'd love flowers, they're also banned due to the infection risk of the spores mixing with the chemotherapy and causing some dangerous damage from the inside.

At the end of the day, if you're not sure please message me and check as I'm not entirely sure myself about everything. I'm constantly learning as I'm going.

How am I feeling? I'm nervous. I'm nervous at the unknown. How will this affect me? How bad am I going to feel? Will I lose my hair? What will my energy levels be like? In advance, I do apologise if over the next few weeks I'm not myself. Truth be told, that's because I probably won't be.

In a way, i'm finally excited to start my treatment first thing tomorrow morning (after yet ANOTHER lumbar puncture). I was so envious of both people next to me getting their first rounds of chemo today. I know mine will be intense but I just can't wait.

I've learnt so much about cancer and chemotherapy over the past four days and I know there's so much more to learn. Today I learnt I'll be incredibly highly cytotoxic, which basically means all needles and anything used on me need to go in a separate bin just for me. Additionally, I'll have to get used to the good old double flush after the toilet to ensure all waste is disposed of. Mouth ulcers are a big issue with most chemo patients as well. I'll have to start brushing my teeth after every meal and taking a special mouthwash 3x daily to assist with keeping these under control. There's plenty of other little things, but they're two I least expected.

Everything really hit me last night....not like it did tonight though. I just had twenty minutes to reflect and it just became a sudden realisation. What I'm going through is real. It's not a 'joke' anymore. It's not something they're looking at as a potential cause. It is the cause. I have a legitimate medical issue and it's finally time to fight lymphoma. All well and good to be talking the talk like I have been - it's now time to walk the walk. This sits well with me. If I give somebody my word, I do whatever I can to get it achieved. Unfortunately for the lymphoma throughout my body I've given it my word and it's time to fight it. Round one begins tomorrow morning.

I leave tonight feeling a whole lot better than I did when I started tonight's post. I didn't learn from my words earlier as Coldplay live from Argentina is still playing however I'm in a much more comfortable mind space.

My best friend of a lazy 20 years, Dylan visited tonight with his partner, Jacqui. One phrase popped up more than most and they made me aware it was a common phrase coming out of my mouth.

"It is what it is."

I can't control what's happened to me as "it is what it is." What I can control from here though is how I fight lymphoma. Thanks for the visit tonight guys, I appreciated the two hours spent here in what's been an incredibly tough afternoon.

Much love.

Juzz xx

[gold-from-straw]

Frozen Heart - ch2

Tony makes an appearance! I’m going to tag anyone who liked/reblogged last time, if you’d rather I stopped, please lmk! And if you’d like me to tag you in the next chapter, please leave a <3 or a reblog!

And if you’d prefer to read on AO3 from the beginning, here you go!

Tony threw a handful of dried blueberries in his mouth and spun around on his chair, trying not to stave off the impending depression for just a little longer. Finishing a project was fantastic. Best feeling in the world. For like, five minutes? And then the boredom set in, and when the boredom set in, the depression was only a heartbeat behind. If Tony wasn’t actively doing something, he was not a happy bunny.

Then again, when he was actively doing something, he got super anxious, because he hadn’t finished yet, and it didn’t count as an achievement unless he’d finished it. Fucking goblin brain.

“JARVIS, bring up the list of unfinished projects, would you?”

“Of course Sir,” said JARVIS briskly, a file opening on the holo-viewer. “There’s a set of body armour you started for SHIELD.”

“Eh, archive that. In fact, archive anything I started for those bastards, they lost their TV privileges when they injected me with chemicals without my consent and tasered a man with a heart condition.”

“Thank you, Sir.” JARVIS made several files disappear with an obnoxious trashing noise. Tony smirked. JARVIS pulled up another file. “There’s also a prosthesis for--”

Tony was already shaking his head. “Nah, I replaced it with something better, remember? That neural transmitter implant which connects to a prosthesis so the kid doesn’t have to get used to a new one every time they grow out of a leg? Archive that as well.”

There were only three projects left. Tony felt a hollow fear start up under his arc reactor and rubbed his solar plexus, biting his lip. How had he let it get this bad? Was he losing his creativity? Was he going to have to… god forbid, be idle?

Something bleeped and Tony jumped, springing to the readout in the corner of the room. Behind him, JARVIS closed the holo-viewer and brought up a map in response to Tony’s touch. “What’s going on here? Solar flares?”

“NASA hasn’t got any solar flares of this significance predicted for the next four weeks, sir.”

Tony frowned at the map, replaying the readings of the last five minutes, but his heart was jumping with glee. The endorphins played a refrain of something new something new on his pulse and he grinned as he localised the readings to the New Mexico desert, not far from a little town called Puente Antigo. “Hey, JARV? Ready the mark XII, would you? I think we need a little break from the city.”

As the repulsors whined to slow his descent, Tony turned his head in all directions, gathering as much data as he could. It was obvious where the anomaly had been centred; a vast circle spread across the dirt, a little bit streaked to the south, as if a meteor had crashed at a steep angle. But the crater itself was like nothing he’d ever seen, a complex runic pattern burned into the ground and then overlayed with… “JARVIS, are those frost patterns?”

“Yes, Sir, the frost appears to have originated from the centre of the crater.” JARVIS marked the point on the heads-up display. “Perhaps you should talk to the people to the left of the crater, judging by the equipment they’re getting out of their van they seem to be conducting some sort of research on the crater.”

Tony’s eyebrows raised. “I’m always ready to talk science to new people,” he said, wheeling low and banking hard. “Except anti-vaxxers, if I wanted to be burned as a witch I’d have invented time travel by now.”

He landed gently and flipped his faceplate up. One of the women already had her phone out to video him, quietly muttering “holy shit, holy shit, it’s Tony freaking Stark,” under her breath. The other woman was tugging at her hair and having a nerdgasm at the patterns branded into the earth, and Tony knew immediately he was going to get along great with these girls. The older guy, maybe not. He looked at Tony as if he was a direct threat to the safety and wellbeing of all of them, which, while probably true, he didn’t need to be quite so obvious about it. Rude.

“Room for a little one?” Tony asked with his favourite media smile.

“Holy shit holy shit it’s Tony freaking Stark!”

“Yeah, hi,” he said, stepping out of the suit and waving at the girl in the glasses.

The other girl looked up at last, big brown eyes wide, as if she’d genuinely missed the noise of his approach. “Huh? Where did you come from?”

He jerked his thumb behind himself at the suit. “New York.”

She stared. “Holy shit, Tony Stark.”

“Yeah. Hope you don’t mind me butting in.”

She looked slightly pained. “Uh. Yeah, sure.”

“I mean, you’re on lead, of course,” he added quickly and watched her face light up again. “First come, first served.”

“Oh my God, really? I mean, you’re not gonna just… call seniority?” she said.

“I can’t call seniority, I don’t know you,” he shrugged.

“Oh, Dr Jane Foster, astrophysicist. This is Dr Erik Selvig, also astrophysics, and my assistant Darcy Lewis.”

“‘Sup,” said Darcy, apparently over her star-struck moment.

“Tony Stark,” he said again, pointing to himself. “No Doctor, so you definitely take seniority. What are we looking at?”

She turned back to the crater, her focus sharpening instantly. “I’ve been working on the spontaneous formation of Einstein-Rosen bridges for the last three years of my life - to the detriment of my entire career. The readings we picked up from here were literally off the chart, the frequencies alone were exactly the same as those the Fermi picks up from distant pulsars! But then we got here fifteen minutes ago, and it got weird.”

Tony followed her over to a rickety machine and looked at the readout over her shoulder. The screen flickered and she smacked it, hard. Tony winced and put his twitchy fingers behind his back. Not my machine, not my machine, no touchy!

Jane made a triumphant noise and pointed to the values as she scrolled up. “My array system here is picking up trace gamma radiation congruent with the kind of energy output of an atomic bomb, but it seems to have been entirely concentrated in this one small area, with no ill effects beyond the scorching of the soil here. And these symbols!” She turned, her hair flaring out and hitting herself in the face. “I mean, I’m loath to call them symbols, because that implies some sort of meaning, and obviously we have to be careful not to anthropomorphise, but it’s hard to deny, they look a hell of a lot like writing, don’t they?”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and there was the actual alien, too?”

Tony turned towards her. “There was an alien?”

“Supposed alien,” Erik said, helping Jane with another machine that looked like it’d fall apart in a stiff breeze. These guys needed some engineering lessons, that was for sure. “I’d wager he was one of those crop circle guys, just… diversifying or something.”

“He was blue, Erik,” Darcy insisted. “And he had horns!”

“Amazing what they can do with prosthetics and makeup these days,” Erik shrugged.

“Yeah, but Erik,” Darcy whined. “He froze the ground!”

Erik shook his head, but the machine slipped and Jane yelped, and his attention shifted off them. “He froze the ground?” Tony asked, turning towards Darcy.

“Yeah, dude, like he was in the middle of the crater, having some sort of a panic attack or something. Jane ran towards him asking if he’d seen what caused the anomaly, because she’s a total dumbass and didn’t, like, notice he was blue or something? I dunno. Anyway, he looked at her like she was some sort of dangerous creature, held his hand out and frosted up half the crater, and then disappeared.” She shrugged. “I got a photo, but it’s really blurry, I won’t even bother putting it on Facebook.”

“Do you mind sending it to me anyway?” he asked. “I can see if JARVIS can clear it up a bit.”

“Yeah, let’s do that CSI bullshit,” she said, holding out her phone to him.

He came around beside her instead of taking it, putting his shades on and activating JARVIS in the lenses. “Oh, yeah, that’s a shitty photo.”

“I know, right?” she said cheerfully.

The snap was shaky and grainy, like she’d pressed the button before she’d got the phone in place. JARVIS reduced the noise and adjusted for motion, and slowly a clearer version began to resolve itself in Tony’s display. “Woah,” he muttered.

“What? What?”

“JARVIS, bluetooth it to her.”

“Holy shit, I’m gonna need your image software,” she yelped as the photo appeared on her screen.

The man - or whatever he was - had his hands thrown out in front of him. He was crouched over, like he’d just picked himself up off the ground, or like he’d been startled, and silvery threads poured from his blue fingers. His face was mostly hidden, but Tony could make out a snarl.

“He was just standing up when we arrived,” Darcy said, zooming into the cleaned-up photo. “Jane started yelling at him, saying he should get out of there, he was messing up the data, and he turned around - that’s when we saw he was all blue, with those horns. He freaked out, iced the place up and disappeared. Pooff! Just like that.”

Tony frowned down at the phone, and then looked out at the markings on the desert floor. “JARVIS, can you send the footage we got from the air off to Dr Foster here? And maybe shift the markings to account for the trajectory, if we get rid of the parallax error we might be able to get some information from the markings.”

“Do you think he’s really an alien?” Darcy asked, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Damn, that would be so fucking funny, you know, go work for a serious scientist and end up caught up in some conspiracy theory.”

“Could be,” Tony hedged. “I mean, just because we haven’t seen any evidence of aliens yet doesn’t mean they don’t exist. But it’s a long shot, so yeah. We should probably wait until we have more information.”

“Boring,” she said, scrunching her nose up and poking at the screen again. “I’m calling aliens.”

A cold wind blew across both of them suddenly, and Tony shivered. “What the hell?” Tony murmured. “JARVIS, is there a storm forecast?”

“All meteorological data up until the last hour have shown between an eighty to ninety percent chance of clear skies, no disrupted weather at all. However approximately fifteen minutes ago a low pressure area appeared localised to Mount Nahokos, eight miles north of here.”

Tony frowned as the satellite imagery appeared on his sunglasses display. “Is that snow?”

“Yes, Sir. The meteorological anomaly appears to be growing, causing exponentially increasing snowfall. The intensity appears to be decreasing in the inverse square law with the distance from the epicentre.”

“You had me at inverse square law,” Tony said. “Hey, Doctors, I’m gonna go find out what’s causing snow in a New Mexico summer, I’ve sent you my phone number, come play science with me, yeah?”

Jane stood up and tucked some hair behind her ear as he stepped into the suit. “Wait, are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” he said, tapping his arc reactor. “And I know a bit about those bitches. I’ll send a jet for you, we’ll have fun.”

The face plate closed on him and he sighed, closing his eyes. “Too clingy?” he asked.

“They should be honoured, Sir.”

“Yeah,” he said, straightening up a little. “Yeah, damn straight. Or something. OK, let’s go find the abominable snowman.”

***

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