#wow you can only put 30 tags

[wandascosmic]

standing by (6)

wanda maximoff x fem!reader

part six of 'you belong with me' series

summary: basically a wanda series inspired by jim and pam from the office

word count: 4292

tags: best friends to lovers, very very special and cute friendship, reader pining after wanda, oblivious wanda it's almost laughable, believed to be unrequited love, toxic vision (unsurprisingly), honestly might be my favorite part i've written so far, also maybe perhaps some jealous wanda >: ), and the pranks are back!!

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7

“Tony,” Wanda knocks on Tony’s office door. “There’s a girl outside who wants to sell handbags.” 

“Kick her out,” Tony responds, barely looking up from his magazine. “No vendors in the office.” 

“Okay, but I told her you’d talk to her at least–” 

“No, Wanda. I’m busy,” Tony cuts her off, putting his feet up on his desk. “Just tell her to go away.” 

Wanda nods, starting to head out the door. 

Once Wanda exits the room, curiosity gets the better of Tony, and he decides to try and see what the person looks like through the window. His mouth parts once he sees that she’s actually rather beautiful. 

“Why didn’t she tell me she was hot,” Tony mutters as he gets up to go and talk to the vendor girl. 

***

You watch in suspicion as Tony smooths his hair back, accompanied by the noticeable bright grin on his face. You follow his gaze all the way to the new girl who came in a few minutes ago, and your mouth forms an ‘o’ shape in realization. 

“Hi, there,” Tony says, making the purse girl turn around and face him. “I’m Tony.” He holds out his hand for her to shake. 

“Valkyrie,” she introduces herself back with a smile. 

“Wow, look at you,” Tony guffaws, clearly checking her out. “You’re, uh, you’re like the new and improved Wanda.” 

Your eyes widen in shock as you and Wanda make eye contact with each other. 

“Um, thank you?” Valkyrie questions. 

“You’re welcome.” Tony grins. “So listen, I usually don’t allow solicitors in the office, but for you, I think we’ll make an exception.” 

Tony was awful at flirting, you quickly realized. 

“Well, thank you very much.” Valkyrie nods politely. 

“Don’t worry about it. But hey, maybe you can make it up to me later with dinner and a movie maybe?” he suggests with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

You snort at his forwardness. 

“Uh–” 

“Anyways, think about it.” He pats her on the shoulder. “So, Valkyrie, you can use the conference room for the day.” He points in the direction of the aforementioned room. “And, I’ll check up on you in an hour or so to make sure you’re settling in. Sound good?” 

“Yes, that would be great, thank you,” Valkyrie responds. 

“Alright, let’s get you settled in then.” He grins, leading her in the right direction. 

Once they’re both out of sight, you go up to talk to Wanda. 

“Ten bucks he ignores all his work for the day to go and flirt with her,” you bet the receptionist, popping a candy from the dish on her desk into your mouth and leaning onto your elbows. 

“Ten bucks he moves the HR staff who are supposed to have a meeting in there into the hallway,” she responds with a smile. 

“Oh, you’re so on, Maximoff.” 

***

“So, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” Tony tells Valkyrie, helping her put her bags in place. 

“Well, I guess a cup of coffee would be nice,” Valkyrie answers back politely. 

“Oh! I knew it! I knew I should’ve spotted another addict.” Tony laughs. 

Valkyrie’s brows furrow in confusion. “I’m sorry?” 

“You know, those Dunkin’ Donuts coffee addicts? Man, gotta love it,” he sighs. 

“Regular coffee is fine, honestly,” Valkyrie assures, feeling awkward.

No, no, it’s not,” Tony shakes his head. “Damn it, too bad we don’t have the good stuff here.” 

“No, really, it is,” Valkyrie says. 

“Are you sure?” Tony asks. “‘Cause, you know I could go out to get some for you it’s only like a 30-minute drive–” 

“Really, it’s alright,” Valkyrie cuts off with a small laugh.

“Alright, great!” Tony says, about to head out the door. “I’ll just head on over to the coffee machine in the kitchen, then. Hey, do you want high test or unleaded?” 

“Um, high test?”  

“All right!” Tony says with a grin as he leaves her alone. 

Valkyrie sighs in relief once Tony’s gone. 

***

“So, are you jealous ‘cause there’s another girl around?” Thor asks Wanda as he staples his documents together behind her. 

“No, not really,” Wanda responds absentmindedly, typing on her computer. 

“Are you sure?” ‘Cause she’s prettier than you,” Thor replies with a shrug. 

Wanda pauses. “That’s a very rude thing to say, Thor,” she says slowly. 

You almost laugh at the idea that anyone could ever come near Wanda’s beauty. 

Thor purses his lips and nods, leaving Wanda alone. 

You figure that now is a good time to give Wanda the banana bread you had gotten her this morning after Thor’s comment. Grabbing the dessert from your bag, you walk up to her desk with a small smile on your face.  

“So, what did Thor want?” you ask, knowing the answer already since Thor was anything but soft-spoken. Plus, your desk was only a couple of feet away from hers. 

Wanda scoffs. “Apparently I should be jealous of the purse girl because she spices up the office more than I do.” 

“And are you jealous?” 

“What? No! Of course not.” 

You laugh. “Yeah right, Maximoff. I can see the crinkle you get when you’re upset about something.” 

“I do not have a crinkle.” Wanda leans back and crosses her arms with a pout. 

Your eyes soften at how cute she looks. 

“Fine,” you back down. “But anyways, if you are upset, I did get you something.”

Wanda’s head perks up in curiosity. “What did you get me?” 

You place the white paper bag on her desk. “I may have stopped by that cafe you like this morning and gotten you your favorite dessert.” 

Wanda sits up slightly, peeking into the bag. Once she sees the delectable banana bread she loves so much, a wide smile breaks out on her face. 

“Thank you,” she says softly. 

“Anytime,” you respond, giving her a small wink as you turn around to walk back to your desk. “And by the way.” You stop to look back at her. “No one could ever match how beautiful you are.” You give her a comforting smile before heading back. 

Wanda bites her lip slightly as she watches you get back to work. 

***

“Hey, I’ve got an idea.” Tony knocks on the conference room door to get Valkyrie’s attention. 

“What’s that?” Valkyrie asks, reorganizing the purses slightly on the table. 

“Why don’t I introduce you around? You know, you can kind of get your foot in the door, meet potential clients, stuff like that? Come on.” Tony grabs Valkyrie’s hand as he starts to lead her out of the room. 

“Um, I would love to, but I really shouldn’t leave my purses alone-” 

“Oh! No problem, we can get Peter to watch them. Peter!” Tony calls for the intern. 

“Yes, Mr. Stark?” Peter calls back from the kitchen. 

“Will you watch the purses in the conference room please?” Tony says. 

“Oh, yeah, yeah, of course, no problem!” Peter replies, already sprinting out of the kitchen to go watch the purses. 

“Good kid,” Tony says to Valkyrie who nods in response. “You know, you should sell a lot here.” He says as he leads her through the various areas of the office. “This branch actually made over a million dollars last year.” 

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Valkyrie answers, waving at the people the two of them pass by. 

“Yeah, I know,” Tony brags. “Not that we’re all millionaires though, you know. I’m probably the closest so.” He chuckles.  

“Oh, cool,” Valkyrie replies, feeling slightly uncomfortable. 

“Yup, that’s what we do here at Shield Industries. Oh, here’s Bruce!” Tony introduces a brown-haired man who’s on a call in the break room. “What’s up, Bruce?” Tony punches Bruce’s arm playfully. 

“Tony, I’m on a phone call,” Bruce replies, putting the phone to his shoulder. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, man,” Tony responds, leading Valkyrie to another section of the office. 

***

“So, Y/N, what do you think of the purse girl?” Vision asks you, chewing a bit of his pizza. 

Wanda had invited you to eat lunch with her and Vision, and while you would rather do anything other than have a meal with the girl you were in love with and her fiance, you couldn’t say no to her no matter how hard you tried. 

“Cute, sure, yeah,” you responded, taking a bite of your sandwich. You had told Wanda about your sexuality two years after you had met her, and you assume that the word got out to Vision somehow. 

Little did you know it was because Tony overheard your confession in the break room and despite his lackluster demeanor 90% of the time, he was awful at keeping secrets. 

“Why don’t you get on that?” Vision suggests. 

“Mm, she’s not really my type,” you say, shaking your head and taking a sip of your water. 

“What, you’re not gay anymore?” 

“Vision!” Wanda slaps his arm in shock. “Sorry, Y/N,” she apologizes to you on his behalf. 

“It’s fine, Wanda,” you assure. “I don’t think so, no,” you respond to Vision’s question. 

“Well, what is your type then?” Thor asks from behind you, who had come in to grab his lunch from the fridge. 

You ponder for a moment. “Uh, moms…primarily. Soccer moms, single moms, NASCAR moms. Any type of mom, really.” 

“That’s disgusting,” Vision scoffs. 

“Stay away from my mom,” Thor says as he starts to leave the kitchen.

“Too late, Thor,” you respond, taking another sip of your water. 

Suddenly, you all hear the clack of heels approach, and the three of you turn your head to see Valkyrie walk past you all. 

Vision’s mouth parts slightly as he watches her exit the room. “Man, I would be all over that if I wasn’t dating Wanda,” he tells you, pointing at the doorway where Valkyrie just left. 

Wanda’s stomach drops. 

“Vision,” she states angrily, making him glance down at her. “We’re not dating, we’re engaged.” 

“Engaged, yeah,” he replies nonchalantly with a shrug. 

Wanda scoffs as she drops her fork into her food and storms out of the kitchen, slamming the door shut with a thud. 

Vision rolls his eyes as he takes another bite of his pizza. 

***

“She’d be perfect for you,” you tell Sam, the two of you observing Valkyrie through the conference room window. Truthfully, you didn’t believe an ounce of what you were feeding him. Wanda was still upset after what Vision had said earlier, so you were setting up a prank against Sam in hopes of making her feel better. 

“Mm, she’s been talking to Tony a lot,” Sam says bitterly as he crosses his arms together. 

“So what?” you say as you face him. “You’re assistant regional manager.” 

“Assistant to the regional manager,” Sam corrects you with a frown. 

“Well, you know what, Sam? Sometimes, you’ve just got to go for it. And by the way, Tony’s just your work boss, ok? He is not your relationship boss.” 

“That’s true,” Sam nods. 

“Plus, you have so much more in common with this girl than Tony does. You’re both, um, salesmen,” you point out. “I mean that’s something to talk about right there.” 

“True,” Sam’s eyes widen in realization. “Plus, I could talk to her about the origins of my last name!”

“It’s all gold,” you say, emphasizing your point with a wave of your hand. “But here’s the thing.” You beckon Sam closer with a finger. “Even if it goes horribly wrong, you just keep talking to her, alright? If you hit a stall, you have a perfect fallback.” 

“What’s that?” he asks. 

“You buy a purse,” you instruct. 

“I don’t want a purse, purses are for girls,” Sam says, recoiling slightly. 

“Sam, that’s not necessarily true.” You shake your head. 

Sam scoffs. 

“Do you read GQ?” you ask. 

“No,” he mutters, looking away. 

“That’s fine, I do. They’re like mini briefcases, alright? Lots of guys have ‘em.” 

“Really?” he asks incredulously. “Like those?” He points to the purses through the window. 

“Yes!” you confirm. 

“I don’t know..” 

“Listen,” you get his attention. “You are spending way too much time talking to me when you could be talking to her.” You point to Valkyrie over your shoulder. 

“Okay, fine,” Sam agrees, starting to stand up. “I’m just gonna use the bathroom then-” 

“No, you don’t need the bathroom, alright?” you cut him off, standing up as well. “You’ve got this, Sam. Go for it.” You shove him gently in the direction of the conference room. 

You watch him go in until he can no longer see you, and you smile as you run in the direction of Wanda’s desk. 

“Okay, shh, stop.” You run around Wanda’s desk, gently pulling the phone away from her ear and hanging up the call she’s on. Wanda looks up at you curiously. “Stop whatever you’re doing ‘cause this is gonna be good,” you say as you stand behind Wanda’s chair and swivel it around so she has a clear view of the conference room. 

“What did you do?” Wanda asks suspiciously, a smile starting to appear on her face. 

“You’ll see,” you whisper. 

Once you see Sam start to talk, you begin your imitation. “Hi, my name is Sam Wilson and I would like to buy a purse from you,” you mock in a high-pitched voice. “Good Lord, look at these purses! This is something special.” Wanda giggles. “Oh my God, is this Salvatore Daccini Pa….sta,” you say as you see Sam pick up a random purse. 

“Oh, definitely, definitely step in and out of it like that,” Wanda imitates Valkyrie as you both see Sam step in and out of the purse’s strap. 

“Yes, well I want to stress test it,” you continue your impression. “You know, in case anything happens.” 

Wanda smiles widely as she looks at you. 

“Oh!” you both remark, the two of you struggling to hold in your laughter as you see Sam smack the purse against the table. 

“That was really- this is necessary to do to really give it a good workout,” you say in your high-pitched voice. “This is the– ooh. This is the prettiest one of them all,” you mimic as you see Sam pick up another purse. “I’m gonna be the prettiest girl in the ball. Oh, how much?” you break as you finally start to laugh. 

“Oh, god, it’s sad, it’s so sad,” Wanda remarks with a shake of her head. 

“Yeah,” you say through your laughter. “Oh, here he comes,” you inform her as you see Sam slowly start to walk out of the conference room. 

He turns to give you a thumbs up and you give him one in response as well as mouthe some encouraging words. Sam smirks confidently as he struts back to his desk, the strap of his brand-new hung nicely over his shoulder. 

“He did pick a good one,” you tell Wanda with a smile as you look over to observe Sam’s new handbag. 

“You’re horrible,” Wanda giggles as she looks up at you. 

***

“So, how was that coffee from earlier?” Tony asks Valkyrie as he enters the conference room once more. 

“It was good,” she responds with a small smile. 

“Ah, I knew it,” Tony smirks. “I make the best coffee. Hey, can I show you something?” 

Valkyrie nods. 

“Great, I know you are gonna like this.” He starts to lead her towards his office. “Picked it up today for 1000 big ones.” 

He opens the door for her to enter. 

Valkyrie’s eyes widen as she sees the huge coffee machine set on Tony’s desk. “Um, Tony, you spent 1000 dollars on a new coffee machine just today?” 

“Yep,” he brags with a large grin. “They call it a Digital Barista. It’s the absolute best of the best of the espresso maker variety.” 

Valkyrie laughs awkwardly. “Wow, is that for the office?” 

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking.” Tony points a finger at her. “You’re not prying this out of my hands,” he jokes. “But hey, give it a shot and maybe I’ll give it to you.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” Valkyrie answers with a shake of her head. Suddenly, she feels her phone buzz with a new message. Opening it, her brows furrow as she sees the content of the message that was sent. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Tony asks, seeing her expression. 

Valkyrie looks up. “Oh, nothing, just, my ride bailed on me,” she says. 

“Oh, god! I’m so sorry,” Tony says rather passionately. “That sucks. Um, where you going? Nearby? Because I could give you a ride, you know?” 

“No, no, that’s ok, I don’t wanna inconvenience you and I can just take a Taxi–” 

“No, no, no, it’s not an inconvenience at all!” Tony cuts Valkyrie off. “I mean, I’m out of here at 5:00 sharp, and plus, I am the boss,” he says with his hand at the side of his mouth as if he were telling a secret. “I can go even earlier! Like, whatever, out of here…slaves.” He laughs. 

“Well, I guess that would be ok,” Valkyrie accepts unsurely. 

“Really?” Tony grins. “Well, awesome! 5:00 sharp, I will give you and your purses a ride home, sound good?” 

“Yeah, sounds great,” Valkyrie says as she leaves Tony’s office, grimacing slightly on her way out. 

***

“So did we get any mail?” Tony asks Wanda who sits across from him at his desk. 

“Yeah, I gave it to you,” she responds with a nod of her head. 

“Right, just checking. Just double checking,” Tony says. 

“So can I–” Wanda points to the door over her shoulder. 

“Oh, yeah,” Tony responds, letting her go. “Oh, wait, Wanda, one more thing,” he says as Wanda starts to get up out of her chair. 

Wanda pauses to hear his question. 

“How do girls your age feel about futons?” 

***

“A futon?” you ask Wanda who laughs as she leans against your desk. “Oh my god, he’s a grown man.” 

“That’s what he said,” she says, trying to stifle her laughter.

“That’s sad. That’s so sad,” you say, shaking your head and Wanda giggles. “Or it’s innovative. You know, the futon is a bed and couch all rolled into one.” You twirl your index fingers around each other to imitate a rolling motion. 

Unfortunately, your moment with the receptionist is soon interrupted as you look up to see Vision on his way to talk to Wanda. You sit up sharply, starting to type on your computer as you get back to work. 

“What’s up?” he greets her with his hands in his jacket pockets. 

“Hi,” she replies, keeping her eyes on the ground. 

“Are you still mad at me?” he asks wearily. 

“Vision…” she sighs. 

“Come on,” he says as he starts to tickle her abdomen. 

You bite the inside of your cheek.  

Wanda turns her upper body away slightly. “Cut it out,” she says. 

“Come on, are you mad at me?” he continues, starting to make Wanda jerk in various directions. 

“Stop it,” she responds, but giving in slightly as her voice becomes less stern. 

“Are you still mad at me?” he says in a loving voice. 

“Cut it out,” she replies, though a smile is beginning to appear on her face. 

“Are you mad at me now?” he teases, grinning as she starts to laugh fully. 

“Stop!” she says through her laughs. 

“Huh? Come on,” he continues, tickling her harder and making her giggle even more. “Come on, Wands,” he prompts playfully as she keeps laughing uncontrollably. 

“Stop, I can’t breathe!” Wanda musters out, still jerking around. 

You sigh as you get up from your chair, deciding it’s probably best to leave the couple alone. 

“I was just kidding! You know I didn’t mean it,” you hear him say with a smile. 

You put your hands in your pockets as Wanda continues to laugh with her fiance. 

***

You tap your foot anxiously on the floor, bored out of your mind since Wanda went out with Vision on her break. Swiveling around in your chair, you pause as you see Valkyrie on her own in the conference room. 

Maybe you should go and talk to her? 

You bite your lip slightly, deciding maybe it was time for you to make a new friend in the office. 

But no one could ever beat Wanda. 

Against your better judgement, you decide it might be fun to go and talk to her. Taking a deep breath, you stand up from your chair and head in her direction. 

You knock on the door, making Valkyrie look up at you. 

“Hi,” you say, entering the room with a smile. 

“Hi,” Valkyrie responds, matching your tone. 

“I’m Y/N, by the way,” you hold out your hand for her to shake. 

“I’m Valkyrie,” she nods, shaking your outstretched hand. 

“Hi, Valkyrie, nice to meet you,” you say in a friendly manner. 

“Yeah, you too. You sit out there don’t you?” Valkyrie points to your desk through the window. 

“Yes, I do. That’s what I’m best known for,” you joke slightly, making her let out a small laugh. “Alright, let’s talk about purses then.” You drum your fingers on the table in front of you. 

“Okay, um..” She starts to point at the purses on the table. 

“Oh, wait, Valkyrie, but you know what?” you interrupt, causing her to look up at you. “Don’t try to sell me one. Okay, seriously? ‘Cause I’m just here to learn,” you say earnestly before a small smirk breaks out on your face.

“Okay,” Valkyrie nods with a laugh. 

“So, I know about most of these, but..” 

***

“What’s up?” you ask Wanda who leans against your desk. 

“I’m bored,” Wanda responds, giving you a grin. 

“Thank you for choosing me,” you reply amusingly as she laughs. 

“No, I’m kidding,” Wanda says. “So, have you got any plans this weekend?” 

“Uh, well, I think I’m gonna see Valkyrie,” you respond, shrugging your shoulders. 

Wanda’s smile falters slightly. 

“Really?” she asks. 

“Yeah,” you confirm. 

“What are you guys gonna do?” 

“Oh, man, I don’t know,” you sigh. “Uh, dinner, drinks, movie, matching tattoos…” you say the last one with a cheeky smile. 

Wanda chuckles at your joke. 

“Well, that’s great,” she nods, unsure of what the uncomfortable feeling in her chest might be. 

“Yeah, big stuff,” you agree, swiveling around slightly in your chair and pausing for a moment. “What are you up to this weekend?” 

“Oh, um,” Wanda ponders a bit. “I think we’re gonna help Vis’ cousin move.” 

“Okay,” you nod. 

“‘Cause Vis has a truck,” she finishes. 

“That’s cool, that’s really cool, Wanda,” you tell her. 

“Uh-huh. Yes,” Wanda says, suddenly feeling very awkward. 

“But I’ll see you Monday, though, right?” you ask, drumming your fingers at your side. 

“Yeah, uh, you know what? I think I’m gonna head back now,” Wanda says as she stands up, pointing to her desk over her shoulder. 

“Oh, okay. No problem,” you respond with a small smile. 

Wanda nods, turning around and heading back to her workplace. 

Sitting back down, she sighs as she tries to decipher what the uneasy feeling within her might be. 

***

 “Good night, Y/N,” Tony says as he walks next to you and Valkyrie in the parking lot. 

“Good night Tony,” you reply, tossing your car keys up and down. 

“Where you headed?” he asks you. 

“I don’t know, probably grab a drink, I think,” you answer, pointing towards you and Valkyrie. 

“With us?” Tony inquires, stopping in his place as his brows furrow in confusion. 

“Oh shoot, I, um, I probably should have told you. But I don’t need a ride now ‘cause Y/N can take me home after,” Valkyrie tells Tony with an apologetic look.  

“Oh, okay, great,” Tony replies, but you can tell that he feels a bit dejected. 

“Yeah, um, I’m sorry, Tony,” you apologize. 

“No, no worries.” He shakes his head. “Hope you have fun, you two,” he says trying to hide his disappointment. 

Tony starts to turn away, and you frown as you watch his dejected posture. 

“Have a good night, Tony!” you call out, checking to make sure he’s ok. 

“Yeah, you too!” he calls back, though you hear a hint of frustration in his voice.  

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Valkyrie asks at your side. 

“Yeah, I hope so. If he’s still sad by Monday, I’ll bake him some cupcakes or something,” you respond, grabbing her bags and nodding your head in the direction of your car. 

You start to lead the two of you to your vehicle. “Wow, a baker, huh?” Valkyrie inquires with a smile as she follows your step. 

“Well, I got a lot of free time on my hands,” you respond, opening up your trunk and placing her bags in after moving a couple of your things. 

You don’t notice Vision’s car pull up behind you with Wanda in the passenger seat, immediately sitting up straight as she watches you curiously through the window. 

“All right, I’m gonna warn you. Don’t freak out, okay?” you say to the girl next to you as you shut the trunk. 

“Why?” Valkyrie inquires with a tilt of her head. 

“Well, this is a really nice car,” you say as you walk backward, leading Valkyrie toward the passenger side of your sedan. “In case you haven’t noticed, this is a Corolla, okay?” 

“It’s a very nice car,” Valkyrie compliments with a small laugh. 

Wanda’s sure she wants to slap Valkyrie across the face. 

“So you’re not gonna freak out?” you ask, opening the door for Valkyrie to enter. 

Valkyrie shakes her head with a smile as she sits down in your red vehicle. 

Vision starts to drive away, and Wanda continues to watch the two of you until you disappear from her sight. 

part 7

[weeeeeekly]

quarter life crisis – ot5 tomorrow x together x afab!reader

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

blurb !!! Reincarnation can bring soulmates together despite their time apart. Being a huge fan of TOMORROW X TOGETHER helped you get through the struggles of entering early adulthood. You would thank them personally if you ever could but when you possibly get the chance it’s more than what you could ever hope for.

info !!! txt are still idols, reincarnation au, soulmates au, polyamory, throuple²… they’ll all eventually date each other, mc has mental health struggles, universe assigned lactose intolerance, team no kids, glasses wearer, lives in the middle of fuck nowhere but still a city (just go with it), pet names used are “our love” & princess, & not edited.

wc: 1.8k

WARNINGS !!! NSFW, MDNI, 18+, extremely self-indulgent, soft yandere!txt, mentions of mental health & self-harm (nothing graphic) for entire series

author’s note !!! This is fiction!!! this is made up!!! I do not condone breaking in, stalking, and other ulterior motives to get close to someone you are romantically interested in.

why are there not more ot5!txt x fem/afab or gender-neutral reader… mandatory note that i do not think txt act like this in real life. I also cannot come up with a blurb for the life of me, so please peep the info tags.

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CHAPTER TWO

The rest of the night consisted of tossing and turning due to the news. Not only were your legs restless but so was your mind. As it approaches the early hours of 3 AM, you truly do think you’re losing it as you swear you hear Huening Kai’s laugh through the walls. The laughing stops once you put your ear against the shared wall, you huff as you step down from the chair. The sound of the front door opening startles you to fall off the chair.

“What are you doing up?”

You look up from the floor to your roommate looking concerned at you.

“Thought I heard something, but it’s just my mind playing tricks on me.”

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After finally getting 2 hours of sleep, which was basically a nap, you thought a quick workout would help wake yourself up. It had been a while since you worked out before work but since you had a restless night hopefully walking on the treadmill will fix something.

You wish your roommate a good night as they go to bed to work the night shift again. As you’re locking the door, the neighbor’s door opens, and you’re greeted by the sight of Taehyun. Not just any Taehyun but just-woke-up-with-fluffy-hair-and-no-makeup Taehyun.

Oh, you were in trouble.

He waved at you as you will yourself to not embarrass yourself. You flash him a polite smile as you turn to walk towards the elevator when you hear him call out “wait up”. You pause as you turn around to see him walk up to you.

“Are you going to the gym too?”

You nod as you stare at his beautiful face. You’re surprised you haven’t started crying or shaking out of nervousness/excitedness, but you were running on 2 hours of sleep, half of an iced matcha latte, and pure adrenaline.

“Yeah, are going to box?”

Taehyun raises an eyebrow at you, so you immediately scramble for an explanation, “The gym here has expensive boxing equipment…”

“Oh, really?”

Taehyun smiles at you with his beautiful Taehyun smile and sparkly eyes that you feel your calm demeanor slipping away, “Oh wow would you look at the time! I got to go to work!”

“You have work at,” Taehyun checks his watch. “5:30 AM?”

“Yeah? I mean yeah. So, I’ll just–” You flash a quick smile and immediately turn around to head to the stairwell.

Taehyun stands where you left him wondering why you were in a hurry to get away from him, but the realization hits him as he rushes back to the shared apartment. He flings the door open to his members falling backwards from leaning against the door to eavesdrop.

“Hyung, the door is made of great wood!”

“You’re right!”

“Our love is a MOA.”

Yeonjun and Beomgyu shoot up from the floor as they talk over each other to ask questions to Taehyun about their soulmate. Soobin stays on the floor as a loopy smile graces his features as he comes up with baking ideas. Kai paces back and forth while on his phone, looking up date ideas nearby.

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

“I saw the news.”

Your head whips around to see your boss looking at you sadly with a box of cookies. You shake your head as she approaches you to give you a hug. You freeze as you accept the hug as you stare in shock at the rest of coworkers standing behind her with a sign that says, “Sending Our Condolences”.

“What is happening?”

Your coworker that is closest in age to you speaks up, “Your favorite group.”

“This is really sweet and confusing, but they’re not like One Direction, they’ll be back.”

Everyone just sends you an even sadder look than your boss did as they pile the pity gifts into your arms. You stand silent after they head back to their offices to start the day. Your mind can’t move on from the thought that what if TXT doesn’t come back.

The thought looms over your head of what you would do if TXT aren’t coming back. If this is them silently disbanding. The thought spirals you so much that your heart feels like it’s going to burst out of your chest and tears are threatening to stream down your face. Before finding some solace in the farthest restroom from your desk, you quickly place the pity pile of gifts on your desk.

You have a legitimate reason to not be working on another massive spreadsheet and stare at a bunch of numbers at this very second. You are having a mental breakdown of sorts.

You keep your head lowered as you walk past offices down the hallways to get to your favorite secluded bathroom, nothing special to the average person but to you the pale-yellow walls with knock off van Gogh paintings meant everything to you. This was the last restroom in the building to not yet be demolished and renovated into an ugly, modern look, destroying any remnants of the past.

The version of yourself in the mirror is a sad one as red-rimmed eyes stare back behind your tear-stained glasses.

Fuck.

And suddenly, you feel like you’re 18 again. Back to winter break of senior year, extremely depressed due to the way school was going. Your grades were barely passing and having to keep studying to get any scholarships for college. Pushing all your friends away, crying in the bathroom, praying to any higher power in the universe to not let anyone walk by to hear or see your current state. Clutching your shirt with shaky hands as every negative thought is screaming inside your head.

The only difference is that you can’t go home and lock yourself in the bathroom in the early hours of the night to self-harm.

There’s only so much you can do to calm yourself down inside the tiny bathroom with two stalls, including the accessible stall, and sink counter. Pacing back and forth while counting your steps isn’t slowing your breathing and every time you look in the mirror you cry harder.

The guys sit around the new table and matching chairs they bought earlier after you left for work. Taehyun looks up from eating the bento box they ordered. Soobin tilts his head at his member’s weird reaction until they all sense it.

“Something’s… wrong and I think it’s our love.”

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

The rest of your shift passed painstakingly slowly from your sluggish movements. It also didn’t help that your vision was blurred by the constant presence of tears threatening to fall.

The second the clock hit 4 PM, you shut the desktop off and slung your bag over your shoulder to rush out the building. You don’t remember driving home as your body went on autopilot, but next thing you know you’re in the elevator on the way up to your apartment.

The sad walk to your apartment door would have been like any other if it weren’t for your neighbor’s door opening and five heads poking out to jumpscare you.

You let out a shriek as the metal water bottle in your dominant hand is ready to be a makeshift weapon as Beomgyu and Taehyun let out matching shrieks.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

The harsh whisper leaves your mouth as you bend down to pick up your belongings that ended up on the floor from the startle. Soobin beats you to it as he hands you your bag and obnoxious keychain of your favorite childhood character that holds your keys. You thank him as his ears turn red from making physical contact with you.

You’re unlocking your door as the other four watch you with their undivided attention and the feeling makes you pause, “Wait…”

You slowly turn your head to look at them – Yeonjun smirking at you while trying to act cool by leaning against the doorframe, Soobin hiding behind the doorframe while covering his ears, Beomgyu smiling so hard that you’re afraid he might crack a tooth, Taehyun staring at you with his beautiful boba eyes like you offered the universe to him, and Kai giggling at your comically confused expression.

“We never introduced ourselves, but we’re your new neighbors! I’m Daniel, by the way.”

“Daniel” extends out a shaky hand towards you. You accept the handshake and make sure to firmly shake his hand while making direct eye contact which causes Yeonjun to lose his cool and keep sending out looks of “help” to Beomgyu.

Beomgyu takes the hint and steps in, “I’m Ben.”

“Hi Ben. What’s that short for? Benjamin, Benward, Bennet, Bennet with 2 t’s and 2 e’s, Benedict?”

You continue listing names that could possibly use the nickname while keeping Yeonjun’s hand in a death grip as Beomgyu grows increasingly uncomfortable. You turn your attention to Taehyun who just mumbles “Terry” and Kai is busy trying to coax Soobin back inside the apartment.

“Drop the act. I don’t know what’s going on, so you all are going to explain to me why you’re here.”

Finally dropping Yeonjun’s hand, he lets out a sigh of relief as the rest of TXT go back inside the neighboring apartment as you follow behind them. Kai holds the door open for you as you mumble a “thank you” and hear him close it behind you. You follow the guys and take your shoes off to wear an extra pair of indoor slippers that are conveniently in your size.

You cross your arms as your eyes narrow, “Okay, spill.”

Yeonjun and Taehyun, the members with the most confidence in their English, jump at the chance to explain the story their protocol team came up with about how they’re here to film content for In the Soop: Together. Your eyes switch every few seconds from one to the other as they speak over each other, virtually making the story unintelligible.

A single hand raise from you quiets them both as you speak, “Let me make sure I’m getting this right. TXT as in Tomorrow By Together are in my random ass city in my random ass state that no one famous ever comes to – not even for concerts – but one of the biggest musical acts from South Korea is here?”

Kai’s head tilts, “You know Tubatu?”

Your eyes widen as you suddenly turn your head to stare at the fire alarm on the ceiling, “I never said that.”

“MOA!”

Yeonjun opens his arms wide for a hug as you’re frantically shaking your head to pretend that you don’t know that your favorite group in the world is right in front of you, talking to you, and seemingly excited to see you.

Like they knew you.

Which would be crazy and fueling your delusions, so you chalk it up to their amazing fan service that you only dreamt about after seeing and reading on social media.

Turning back to the group of guys – they’re literally just guys (but your favorite group of guys) – you muster up all the courage inside your body. “Can we be friends? Can we start over like it’s our first-time meeting and just be friends?”

They all nod their head as you smile.

masterlist | previous | next

author's note !!! get well soon, beomgyu! weverse notice he got a bad ankle injury :(

[emilykaldwen]

*pinches the bridge of my nose*

Okay kids, sit down. I think things in the fandom space needs a little clarification.

Fan Artists and Fan Fiction writers are frustrated and upset about how the reblog rate has plummeted over the years as the rest of the internet moved to a 'hit the heart to help the algorithm'. Tumblr doesn't work that way. Likes don't do anything for a post, it just locks it in your personal scrapbook.

You Do Not Have to Reblog things YOU do not want to

When people say 'reblog the post' they mean reblog instead of ONLY hitting the like button. Tumblr relies on reblogs to put things on your dash. If you're liking something, then it hits your interests, and you should be reblogging it.

HOWEVER YOU ARE NEVER OBLIGATED TO REBLOG ALL THE THINGS.

Most people, including myself, will reblog from friends because we're friends! I support your foray into a fandom space I have no understanding of, but odds are if you are into it, then some of my other mutuals may be into it so I'll reblog. But I'm not out here reblogging every post I see from people I don't know in fandom spaces I'm not familiar with. It's my blog. I curate what I'd like. Some people have a dozen sideblogs for every fandom niche interest. Some of us just have the one blog and you strap in for whatever fandom chaos we go on. If you tag me in something, I occasionally miss it because I get the notification on my phone but don't have the free moment to do it and forget. Or maybe I add it into my queue.

When you are creating something you need to be mindful of your audience.

I'm in my mid 30s. I do not play in the Disney space (I know Disney Descendents is popular? That came out waaaaay after my time I don't know what it is), I don't know what that girl with the ghost band thing is that was going around a few years ago. I have fellow adult friends who do not engage with fan creation that involves minors. Additionally, I've seen people create OCs for shows like Criminal Minds. Hey! more power to you, I've never watched the show, and I know there's fic out there (I had someone tell me about a what I think was a Harry Potter/Criminal Minds crossover??? wow), but it's not going to get the same kind of traction as say, a Teen Wolf fan work.

I'm not saying don't create for your niche interests! CREATE! BE FREE AND MERRY! but understand that those creations just won't get the same kind of traction because it's a niche interest.

We create for ourselves, we share to find other people who enjoy our hobbies.

Which brings me to my second point:

NO ONE IS KNOCKING ON YOUR BEDROOM DOOR TO MAKE FRIENDS

Making friends is hard! I totally get it. But a sure fire way to turn people off way fast is to start a conversation with me but make it abundantly clear you care about nothing that I say/offer and are just waiting for your turn to talk so you can tell me about YOUR things and expect ME to ask questions. Conversation is a two way street. It's a back and forth. It is not me sitting there like a parent patiently listening to my child tell me about the cool toy adventure they're doing. I'm not your parent. I'm not your captive audience. I'm another person, and if you want friends - MEANINGFUL friends - then you need to make an effort to engage with people.

And it's hard. It's hard because so many people out there are very navel-gazey, and people get so caught up in the excitement of their own creations that they forget to ask other people about theirs. And... you're gonna have to be okay with that. You're gonna have to be okay with it feeling like pulling teeth, and know that hey! you're never gonna be buddy buddies with everyone. You just keep being you, you just keep showing the kind of person you are, and eventually it'll happen.

It's taken me over a decade to form meaningful mature friendships online. I've had friends over the years, ofc, but it's only now, when I can approach something with clear expectations and not thinking everyone is off having fun without me in some little clique, that I've been able to connect with people more honestly. And taking a five year break from tumblr helped a lot with that. I bought a house, I got a new job, I did other meaningful things with my life that wasn't on the internet.

The internet isn't actually a popularity place. You do not have to be popular to exist. I have been on tumblr since the inception pretty much. I have 200 followers and I only interact with 10 of them, maybe 15. And I'll tell you that outta those 200, 90% of them are blogs that haven't updated in years. A follower count does not promise reblogs, does not promise friends. It's literally impossible to be best buddies with 2000 people, to have a meaningful connection with every. single. one.

anyway I'm tired. I'm too old for this shit. Go touch some grass, go get off tumblr and play a new video game, join a book club, read more books, do things that aren't perpetually refreshing your dash and thinking everyone is off having fun without you because I promise you it's not fucking true. You need to have a life offline. You need a hobby that doesn't involve the computer. Seriously. Go touch grass.

[bwabys-scenarios]

Fixer Upper

Part 31

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

pt 30

pt 32

A/N: Please remember that until further notice ALL of these chapters are FLASHBACKS that take place BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF FIXER UPPER! Just clarifying again because I’m tired of having to explain it 😭😭

warnings: lots of death, animal death, Kurapika gets drunk again lol, Reader’s suicidal thoughts/urges brought up

taglist: @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @lemonslut @sweetstraberrybear @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc @itszenava @fiightforlovee @mimi-sanisanidiot @monainanuttshell @wow-im-gay @whorermoviestar @lightshowerrr @mama-m1na @nenggie @wicked-binch @jamayah @themanicwriter01

If you’d like to be ADDED to the taglist, please comment a red heart ❤️, make sure you’re able to be tagged/mentioned, and have your age in your bio(IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE TAGLIST, YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK TO BE ADDED AGAIN!!)

(Name) stood in her apartment after reaching York New city, packing more essentials now that she was more prepared for the trip she was going to be taking.

They were headed to NGL, a country where people lived alongside nature. Apparently that’s where Kite assumed the chimera ant queen claw came from.

As she was about to leave, her phone began to rang.

“… Melody?” she answered as she walked out of the door. Melody sounded frantic on the other end, blubbering.

“It’s Kurapika, he got himself drunk again and won’t stop crying! I’m trying to coax him out of the bar, but he won’t listen to me.”

(Name) paused, standing outside of her apartment, her key hovering over the lock. “… he what?”

“He’s incredibly drunk, and won’t stop crying. I don’t know what to do, I’m afraid he’ll make himself sick.”

(Name) paused, rubbing her temple. ‘What has gotten into him? Why is he acting like this when he’s always been so calm and collected?’

“I’m about to leave for another country. Leorio should be the second closest person to your location, I’ll text him.”

Melody sighed in relief over the phone, and (Name) could vaguely hear Kurapika slurring his words and the sound of objects being thrown around.

“Thank you, (Name). I know talking about him upsets you, I don’t mean to burden you-“

“No, it’s not a burden at all. He… he may have done and said some bad things, but I still love him with all my heart.”

She sighed softly, calling Leorio shortly after. He picked up almost immediately. “(Name), how are you doing? I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit you, I’ve been-“

“Leorio…”

He paused, immediately going silent at the sound of her voice. “… what happened?”

(Name) locked her apartment, looking at the address Melody sent her. “It’s Kurapika. Apparently he’s drunk and won’t listen to reason. I can’t go for various reasons, but do you think you c-“

“No.”

She blinked, taking a moment to think before responding. “… no? What do you mean?”

“(Name), do you seriously expect me to help him after everything he put you through? For gods sake, you nearly killed yourself!”

The air grew thick and tense, and she could hear Leorio sigh over the phone. “I… I shouldn’t have said that. But my point still stands. How can you even think about helping him after that? The things he said to you… I care about you, (Name), but you need to think of yourself for once. I know you love him, but… there’s only so much you can do for someone that’s stuck in the past.”

She teared up, trembling. (Name) knew Leorio was right, she really did, but she couldn’t just leave Kurapika to potentially hurt himself or others. It wasn’t right. “Please…”

Leorio felt his heart leap into his throat when he heard how desperate she sounded. He knew just from the sound of her voice that she was crying. He slapped a hand over his forehead, cursing himself mentally for snapping at her. She was still in a very sensitive stage of healing, it wasn’t the right time to be saying these things to her.

“For me, Leorio… I couldn’t live with myself if I knew he got hurt…” she pleaded. He could picture the tears falling down her chubby cheeks, and her hands trembling as they held onto her phone.

He groaned, rubbing his temple. “Alright, alright… but I won’t be nice about it.”

She sniffled, and he was relieved when he heard a little laugh escape her lips. “Haha… thank you, Leorio. Be safe, love you.”

“You be safe, got me worried to death over here. I’ll come running if you need me, don’t hesitate to call my phone if you run into trouble on your mission.” Leorio said, his eyes softening as he looked at her contact photo.

“And… I love you too.”

She smiled, her finger hovering over the end call button. “Goodbye, Leorio.”

“Bye, sunshine.”

Leorio glanced at the address (Name) texted him before signing heavily. ‘He never thinks about how his actions will affect others, does he? There’s no way I’ll be nice to him about this.’

He put on his coat and made his way to his car, placing his cup of coffee in the cup holder. Leorio wasn’t going to let this slide.

Not at all.

———————

(Name) met up with the others at the airport, spotting Gon and Killua sitting together. As soon as they noticed her, the two boys perked up, Gon waving his hand with a big smile on his face. “(Name), you’re back!”

She put on the best smile she could. (Name) had tried her hardest to wipe away any evidence that she had been crying on her way to the airport, but Killua still raised an eyebrow when she got closer.

Gon was the one to point it out, though. “(Name)… are you alright? You look like you’ve been crying.”

A sigh left her lips before she could stop herself, the (h/c) haired woman waving her hand dismissively. “I’m fine, where’s Kite?”

She nearly jumped when Kite walked into view, almost as if he was summoned. Killua and Gon turned to face him as he began to speak.

“It may be a bit late to ask, but are you sure you want to come?”

“Of course!” Gon answered immediately, wearing his usual smile.

“You’re my nen teacher, I don’t have much of a choice.” (Name) said, folding her arms.

“You weren’t kidding about the “late” part.” Killua replied with a smirk.

Kite glanced at them before looking ahead. “We have no idea what the situation is like inside NGL. There may very well be a swarm of giant Chimera Ants already, hunting humans down. If that turns out to be the case, my priority will be saving them, so I may not be able to help any of you. You must be able to protect yourselves. If you want to come, that’s the requirement.”

With the last line, Killua spared (Name) a glance, his expression changing only enough for his closest friend to notice. “Okay, got it.” Gon agreed to Kite’s requirements, gently squeezing Killua’s hand. It was his way of saying that they would be okay, that (Name) would be okay.

“We’ll be fine.” Killua said, relaxing slightly with Gon’s comforting touch. Again he snuck a glance at (Name) who was looking intently a kite. Killua didn’t think she was weak, but he knew she wasn’t on their level of strength at all. Although he worried, he was confident that either him or Gon would be able to protect her if push came to shove.

This thought made the young assassin pause. ‘When did I come to care for her so much?’

He thought back to the Hunter Exam, remembering when she stepped in front of the woman who planned on killing him and got hurt in the process, or when she covered him and Gon in her cardigan to keep them warm during the Third Phase. She even let the boys stay at her apartment when they came for the York New auction, feeding and housing them for free. It wasn’t often that people showed Killua genuine kindness.

Unfortunately, Killua was used to working with a guve and take sort of relationship. ‘If I keep her safe during this, it’ll more than pay back for all the nice things she’s done. Then I won’t be in her debt.’ Killua thought to himself, trying to shake off the feeling of dread he had about her coming with them. Caring for too many people was a recipe for disaster, especially going into a dangerous situation like this one. The more you worried about others, the more likely you are to get yourself killed.

“Don’t worry boys, I’ll keep you safe.”

Killua felt his stomach sink at (Name)’s words. A soft, but firm hand was placed on both of their shoulders as she spoke. “I won’t let anything happen to you, not on my life.”

His chest hurt, it felt like he was having trouble breathing. Why was this woman that was obviously so much weaker than them so determined to keep them safe, when it was them who should be protecting her? Why did she put herself in harms way when she didn’t have to, when it didn’t benefit her? Killua didn’t understand, he couldn’t understand.

But… it made him feel strangely… happy. Someone in this world was determined to keep him safe, to keep him happy and warm and fed. No one had ever given him that type of security before. Sure Gon was his friend who he loved and cherished, but he couldn’t give Killua the type of love (Name) did.

The love a mother had for her son.

‘Mom…’

Killua looked at her a little differently, staying silent as Kite spoke up once more.

“And if I’m the one who’s in danger, you should escape without me.” Kite finished, looking between the three of them. “Got it?”

None of them answered, his words leaving them uneasy.

As they flew over York New city, the sun began to set before they knew it. (Name), Gon, and Killua watched as the sun set outside of the airship.

“What did you just decide?”

“Remember what Kite said before we left? That we should escape without him if he’s in danger.”

“Yeah, I don’t think it was a choice.”

“Yeah. That’s why none of us answered, but I’ve been thinking. Is it possible for Kite, who earned Ging’s respect, to be in that much danger?”

(Name) frowned, leaning against the wall. That was a question only a child would ask. Of course, regardless of skill, one could always be in danger given the right circumstance. There was always a bigger fish, someone was alway stronger than you.

“You said that Ging had a reason for bringing Kite and me together…” Gon said, glancing to Killua.

“Yeah.”

“You’re probably right. I don’t know the reason, but I can’t give up halfway, no matter what’s going on. Otherwise I’ll disappoint Ging. Of course, I could never forgive myself, either. So I won’t run away. Thats I’ve decided.”

Killua sighed. “Man, you had this totally serious expression, so I was expecting something big. But it’s just business as usual.”

“Huh? I thought about this a lot. I even ran a bunch of mental simulations…”

(Name) tried not to laugh imagining Gon trying his best to think of possible situations that may happen in the near future.

“Think all you’ll want, but you’ll still be Gon. If someone said you should abandon them, you’d never do it.” Killua replied, unable to keep himself from smiling:

“Mmm… you make it sound like I wasted my time considering it. Then what about you?”

“I’m a spontaneous guy, so I’d think about it when the time comes.”

“You mean you might run away?”

Killua paused for just a moment, his eyes moving from (Name) then back to Gon. He exhaled, shrugging his shoulders.

“Depends. I can’t say until it actually happens.”

“Say for instance…”

“I can’t tell you what is do in a hypothetical situation. I don’t decide until it’s time.”

The air ship carried the group heads for the Mitene Union, still unaware of the cruel fate that lies in wait for them…

————————

Seeking the giant Chimera Any, Kite’s group has arr he’s in the Mitene Union. Now, they travel from the Republic of Rokario to the neighboring GGL Autonomous Region. “NGL, huh? They believe living naturally is always better. They may be weird for living there, but you guys are weird for coming to visit, too. No idea what’s going on, but I’ve already driven in about ten similar groups today alone.”

“Ten groups?!” Gon exclaimed, turning to look at the man driving them.

“Yeah.”

“Then it sounds like we’re among the last to arrive.” Kite said, gazing out the window.

The all exited the van, (Name) groaning as she stretched lightly. “Ugh, my legs fell asleep. K-Kite!”

She held onto his arm, her legs shaking like a newborn giraffe as she tried to regain her balance.

“I told you to not sit on your leg, but you wouldn’t listen.” Killua teased, poking her leg. She yelped and nearly fell over, but was kept steady by a firm hand on her lower back.

“Those two huge trees serve as the checkpoint and embassy,” the driver said, pointing to the large trees ahead of them.

“Those may be the biggest trees I’ve ever seen in my life. Hmm…” (Name) walked towards them. “These probably hold so much history. Do you think they were around before the people living in this country?”

“Probably long before.” Kite answered, smiling softly as she waddled on ahead with Killua and Gon flanking her in case she stumbled. “Stay alert. The ants are a concern, but the NGL is more than a nature loving organization.”

“Got it.”

Two men met them at one of the trees, smiling in a vaguely friendly way. “What brings you here?”

“We’re on a hunt. A quarantined organism may have invaded this country.”

“If you are pro Hunters, then we cannot deny you entry. Follow me.”

They walked inside, where men were typing away on computers. “You’re using computers to and machines.” Killua said, staying near (Name)’s side.

“This place isn’t within NGL’s borders. This area is used for foreign relations and information exchange.”

“Are there any facilities similar to this within the country?”

“No, not a single one. No machines of any kind are allowed inside NGL. Naturally, visitors are also not allowed to bring any inside. Which means you’ll need to remove all metallic, petroleum, glass, or other such goods on your person.”

“D-Does that included my glasses?”

“Yes. If your clothes, belts, shoes, or underwear contain any plastic, chemicals, or metal you must remove.”

(Name)’s face heated up, and she took a step back. Both Killua and Gon didn’t seem very pleased, but stayed quiet.

“You’re kidding. You’re telling us to strip naked?” Spin said, popping her bubblegum.

“Don’t worry. There is natural clothing for sale upstairs.”

“Also, if there are any bolts inside your body, dental implants, gold, silver. Or silicone enhancements that cannot be removed, you will not be allowed to enter.”

(Name) accompanied the others upstairs, looking around the racks for suitable clothing. She was disappointed to see very sparse options in the plus size section. ‘Well, at least there’s something.’

She walked out, wearing a tanktop and baggy sweatpants. It wasn’t super flattering, but the clothes were strangely comfortable.

“Miss, you can keep your cardigan. It’s made with wool and died with beetroot juice.”

Killua and Gon watched as she happily donned her signature cardigan. “Ah, that’s fortunate. I really didn’t want to leave it behind.”

She walked down the stairs, joining the others. Kite watched as she smiled softly, gently patting her cardigan. “Only six of us are left?”

He glanced out the window. “I want you to stand by in the closest town. We’ll return here within two weeks and contact you.”

“Got it.”

The group was taken across to the other tree. “The checkpoint is over there. There will be a physical exam and interview as well as metal, x-ray, and ultrasound scanning.”

Kite sighed, surveying the area. “The security is rather strict.”

“Some people have smuggled in guns by hiding the parts inside their bodies. It’s common for people to hide cameras or cellphones in their rectums. Some people even trained animals to bring them laptops once they are inside.”

After thoroughly checking them, the woman gave them a friendly smile. “All of you are clean.”

(Name) sighed, looking as they stored away her medication, even her inhaler. Killua and Gon glanced at each other then to her.

“(Name), are you sure you should come without your inhaler? Leorio said it was very important that you keep it on you at all times…” Gon said, tilting his head.

She shrugged, buttoning her cardigan up slightly. “Meh, I’ll probably be fine… I just have to take it easy.”

“This isn’t exactly the place where you’ll be able to take it easy, dummy.” Killua replied, lightly smacking her head.

“Owie…”

She held her head and followed them as they were guided towards the entrance to the NGL.

“Thank you for your patience. Please pass through,”

The walked out, (Name) nearly being blinded by the bright light.

“Welcome to the NGL!”

The looked out across the landscape, being somewhat unimpressed. “Okay, let’s begin the hunt.”

———————

(Name) held on tightly to Kite’s waist, her face buried into his back. “I didn’t know you were scared of horses, (Name),” Killua teased from the back of another horse.

“I’m n-not afraid of horses, I just don’t like riding them!”

“They’re gentle creatures, you don’t have to be afraid.”

“Gon, I said I’m not afraid of horses! I’m afraid of riding on the back of a galloping creature with little to no way to stay secure!”

Kite glanced back at her, his hand gently taking hers. “I won’t let you fall, so don’t worry.”

She paused, her cheeks beating up ever so slightly as she buried her face further into his back. “Thanks… that might make up for you forgetting to teach me.”

He snickered. “I still intend to teach you, when we have the time.”

“Uh huh.”

Killua’s watched the interaction, his eyebrows furrowing. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, he felt strangely protective over her, and he wasn’t as sure about Kite as Gon was.

They took a short break, Killua pulling (Name) over to sit with him and Gon while they looked over a map. “Woah, slow down. You’re pulling me too hard.”

“Sorry.”

He didn’t sound very sorry. She huffed, kneeling beside the two as they went over the map. As they spoke, she rummaged through her bag to hand out some water and snacks.

“They’re still following us, aren’t they?” Gon said, making (Name) look up. Killua nodded.

“Yeah… they claim to be here in case we encounter unknown tribes and require interpreters or intermediaries, but they’re obviously here to watch us.”

“Well, I never expected the people here to be of any help. My gut tells me that it’s here.” (Name) jumped slightly when Kite walked over.

“You really think so? The air does seem… off.”

Kite nodded, walking back towards their horse. “Yeah, let’s get going. We’re burning daylight.”

They continued on horseback, (Name) finding a bit of courage to look around. The area was desert like, so quiet a bit of dust was kicked up by the horses. She squinted her eyes, spotting a small dot of yellow approaching them.

‘Is that… no, it can’t be…’

“Kite, we have to stop!”

Kite brought the horse to a stop, the others following suit. As they looked to her for an explanation, one of the bees landed on her finger, a piece of paper stuck to it.

“This… this is one of Ponzu’s bees.”

Kite took the paper, reading over it before handing it to Gon and Killua.

The note read: “Help!! Chimera ant nest! Rocky Area, notify Hunter Association!!” along with a small drawing of said rocky area.

“It’ll be dangerous… but could you accompany me?” Kite asked looking to the three.

“Of course!” Gon said immediately, the bee landing on his finger.

“We’re pros…” Killua agreed, glancing (Name)’s way. He was hoping she would turn back, but when he noticed the expression on her face, he knew there was no way she would be leaving.

“Yeah… I’m going. I want to know if Ponzu is okay.”

Killua helped (Name) off of the horse, holding onto her hand. “Are you sure? Like Kite said, it’s going to be dangerous.”

He was hoping he could persuade her, but knew he couldn’t. When she wanted to do something, she would do it. “I’m sure. Thank you for worrying though, Killua.”

Killua felt his face go red as she ruffled his hair. Although he usually wouldn’t let people get away with treating him like a child… he didn’t mind if it was her. It wasn’t done to demean him or put down his accomplishments, it was purely because she cared about him, and he was beginning to realize that.

“Miss Interpreter… sorry, but we’re in a hurry.” Kite said to the woman that had been following them.

“Yes. The horses can move a bit faster.”

“They won’t be fast enough. I want you two to return to the border, find the others, and get word to the Association. These creatures are dangerous.” Kite said to the others.

“Got it.”

“Be careful, Kite.”

(Name) began to stretch with Killua and Gon, lacing up her shoes again and tying them extra tight. She wasn’t sure how long she could run for, but she knew she could keep up with them for a good bit.

“If you can’t keep up, I’ll leave you behind.” Kite warned, getting off the horse. Killua huffed.

“Right back at you.”

“All ready to go!” Gon said, smiling.

(Name) stood beside them, feeling a bit nervous. She looked between the other three, holding the straps of her backpack tight.

“Let’s go.”

She ran beside them, keeping up pretty well. As they raised through the desert area, Killua and Gon both kept an eye on her to make sure she was still following behind. They didn’t doubt her skill, but did worry over her due to her asthma. Not only were they running quite a bit, but they were kicking up a lot of dust as they did.

She was relieved when they came upon a forested area, the group stopping a bit ahead of her. Thinking it was for a break, she took out her canteen and took a swig, only to spit out her water almost immediately.

On the ground in front of them was a puddle of blood, along with torn bits of clothing… clothing that (Name) recognized. “No…”

Gon grimaced beside her, his hand reaching out to squeeze hers. It was a bit too tight, but she didn’t say anything, she was in shock.

Killua bent over. “This… is a bullet casing.”

(Name) turned to see him holding up just that, the bucket casing glinting in the light that shined between the canopy above. “Nothing mechanical is allowed here, right?”

“So the underground rulers of NGL were manufacturing guns in addition to drugs.”

“But, judging by this…”

“It wasn’t done by a human. Most likely, it was a Chimera Ant. If the Chimera Ants are using guns… I hate to consider the possibility, but it’s possible that NGL’s underground rulers have already been fed to the queen…”

(Name) was still in shock, dropping to her knees to tenderly pick up Ponzu’s hat. Her fingers traced the fabric, brushing away the dirt.

“What will happen if Chimera Ants are both with their genes? NGL and Chimera Ants… the worst combination imaginable. This could create an unprecedented biohazard.”

Killua watched her from a distance, feeling some strange heartache when he noticed tears falling down her cheeks.

“Do you think she’s… alive?”

Her voice cracked at the work alive, as if it was hard for her to imagine a world where Ponzu wasn’t alive. Killua and Gon shared a glance, preparing to speak but Kite beat them to it.

“It’s unlikely.”

It was like time stopped, the air around her growing too heavy to breathe in. She stared at the hat in her grasp, her hands trembling. “No… no she can’t be dead, there… there has to be-“

“(Name).”

Kite placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “We can’t sit here and speculate. If we don’t keep moving, the death count will keep rising, and your friend’s death would have been in vain. If seeing death is something you can’t handle, you should turn back while you still can.”

It was a bit harsh, but he wasn’t wrong. The road ahead of the would be full of death and destruction, and if she chose to walk that road she would have to be strong enough to keep moving, despite her losses.

She wiped her tears and stood up, pocketing Ponzu’s hat. “Sorry, I’m ready.”

Kite nodded, and they all began their journey again, this time in complete silence.

————————

In a town a few hours away from York New, Leorio drove down one of the winding roads as he glanced at the address on his phone. It was nearly midnight, and he had an important exam he’d have to take in the morning.

“You’re doing this for her, Leorio,” he mumbled to himself as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

(Name) never asked him to do things for her, no, she only asked for favors when it came to helping others. Sometimes he wished she would put herself first and let him be there for her more, but he knew that it would take some time for her to open up more.

Leorio stopped the car and peeked out his window, surveying the bar the address had led him to.

“Where is he? Melody told (Name) he would be-“

He stopped, his eyes landing on a slumped figure sitting on the sidewalk. Leorio knew exactly who it was, even though their face was covered by their long blonde hair.

“Kurapika.”

Leorio stood in front of the blonde, waiting as he slowly lifted his head. “Leorio? Why… are you here..?”

The man crossed his arms, staring down at Kurapika with the look of a disappointed father. “Come on, you can’t just sit on the sidewalk drunk. Where’s Melody?”

The blonde blinked slowly, his eyes half lidded as he looked up at Leorio. “Had to go watch Neon…”

Leorio’s lips formed into a tight line. “I’m assuming she took your shift to save your ass?”

Kurapika didn’t answer, instead hiccuping before sipping on a bottle of water that had been left beside him. Leorio knew it had to be Melody who left it behind for him, to help Kurapika sober up a bit. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”

The blonde didn’t protest, stumbling to his feet and nearly falling on his face before Leorio caught him. “Fuck, Kurapika, you’re wasted. What the hell has gotten into you?”

He didn’t answer, the smell of alcohol on Kurapika’s breath making Leorio grimace. Even through his anger, Leorio could sense something was wrong, that the person he had considered his friend needed help. “Whatever, come on.”

Leorio placed him in the passenger seat of his car, grabbing (Name)’s cardigan from the backseat and tossing it to Kurapika. It was cold, and Leorio’s car didn’t have heating, so that would keep him warm.

He just wasn’t expecting the reaction Kurapika would have to the soft clothing.

Kurapika’s eyes went wide, tears falling down his cheeks as he buried his face into the fabric, sobbing into her cardigan. “(Name)… oh, (Name)…”

This act made Leorio pause, his brows knitting together. He knew Kurapika had pushed her away for her own good, but he had still been unnecessarily cruel to the only person that had given him unconditional love since his clan was massacred. In Leorio’s eyes, he didn’t have the right to be sobbing into her cardigan and whimpering her name. Kurapika didn’t deserve to mourn her as if she was dead when she was still alive.

But Leorio still helped him to his hotel room, still held back his hair when he threw up, and still brushed Kurapika’s teeth for him so he wouldn’t have the taste of vomit in his mouth when he woke up. Leorio was a doctor, he couldn’t just leave him without something, so he tucked Kurapika in and set a glass of water and some pain relief medicine on the nightstand. It was all he could do, he had to leave so he could try and get some sleep before his exam in the morning.

As he left, he remembered that Kurapika still had (Name)’s cardigan. Leorio was about to take it back, but he watched as Kurapika snuggled into the fabric, the scent helping to calm down his racing heart. Leorio was far too kind, muttering under his breath as he closed Kurapika’s hotel door behind him. “I’ll just ask Melody to wash it and send it back tomorrow…”

Kurapika wouldn’t remember any of this encounter when he woke up, but he would be pleasantly surprised to be wearing (Name)’s cardigan in the morning.

Neither Leorio or (Name) would get that cardigan back, unfortunately.

————————

“It’s safe to assume that the Chimera Ants have assumed control of NGL’s interior. The question is if we can reach their nest before the Queen births the King.”

(Name) was having a bit of trouble keeping up, her chest was heavy with grief and regrets. Could she have saved Ponzu if she had come with her and Pokkle instead?

“Hindsight is always 20/20. Thinking of what could have been will change nothing,” Kite stated, as if he could read (Name)’s thoughts. The woman frowned deeply.

“I know… but… if I had just-“

Kite cut her off by holding up his hand. “But you didn’t. You’re here now, let’s focus on trying to honor your friend by saving as many lives as we can.”

She didn’t answer, simply allowing Gon to squeeze her hand gently. (Name) didn’t have the words or energy to properly respond to Kite. Her absence in her friend’s time of need weighed heavily on her chest, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever forgive herself.

“There’s still hope, (Name),” Gon said softly as they continued towards a small village. “You said Pokkle was with her, right? Maybe he’s still alive.”

She tried her best to smile. “You’re right, there is still hope. Sorry if I scared you, Gon.”

She knew better than most that Gon didn’t like seeing his friends lose hope. It was something that made the boy a bit anxious, and he’d often do as much as he could to make the other feel better. (Name) tried to keep her aura neutral as calm, to make sure he didn’t feel the need to comfort her too much. Gon was just a child after all, a child she wanted to protect. She couldn’t let her feelings of grief potentially put him in harm’s way.

That’s why, even as they walked through the abandoned village, she remained silent, a cold anger washing over her at the sight of torn and bloody children’s clothes and beloved dollies left behind in the dirt. No child would willingly leave their previous toy behind, and the clothes being the only thing telling them humans had been there was very similar to the state they’d found Ponzu in. Or well, what was left of her.

“No one’s here.” Gon said softly as his fingers traced the splintered wood of a destroyed door. Whatever had been there before them had the strength to tear down homes like shredding paper. “Hey… something smells. Coming from over there.”

The group followed a trail of blood, Killua instinctively sticking very close to (Name). It’s like his body could sense that she wasn’t as well equipped as them to handle the threat they would soon face, and he would need to have her at arms length in case something came at them.

They found several horses impaled on tree limbs, the sound of flies buzzing around they corpses and the smell of death becoming more pronounced the closer they got. (Name) covered her nose, gagging at the pungent odor hanging around the area.

“It’s like a morning sacrifice.” Gon said, making Killua and (Name) tilt their heads.

“A ritual practices by birds called bull-headed shrikes. They impale their prey on sharp objects such as branches.” Kite explained to the two, before they all turned their heads.

“HEY!”

Killua threw his arm in front of (Name), fueled by pure instinct. She yelped slightly, he hadn’t had time to hold back, so the blow to her belly stung quite a bit. She didn’t complain though, the sight of the creature appearing before them made her pain dull in comparison to the overwhelming fear she felt.

It was tall, possibly taller than Kite with a human-like appearance. The thing that set it apart was the strange legs and wing like limbs, along with rabbit ears, nose, and whiskers. The thing about it that scared her the most was the fact that it had been able to conceal its presence from them.

“What!?”

“Wh-what is that thing?”

(Name) pushed away the urge to pull Killua and Gon behind her, knowing that one wrong move could have that thing attack them within seconds. Her eyes didn’t leave the creature, not for a second. She had never felt so afraid, not even standing before the Phantom Troupe. At least they had been human, but she had no idea what this was, and the unknown was more frightening than anything else.

They were all on high alert, watching as it raised a hand to point at them. “Trash. Those are mine!”

It seemed to be angry that they were near its prey, the horses. That thing must have been what impale the poor things.

It launched towards them, so fast that (Name) could barely follow it with her eyes. Kite was its target, and when he easily dodged it, it came after them. It hit her, Gon, and Killua out of the way, the blow causing them to fly backwards several feet. (Name) nearly puked, and even Gon whined from the pain.

That sound made (Name) tense up, her aura spreading out to cover the two as she got into a fighting position. She didn’t have as much experience as Killua and Gon, but she would fight regardless.

The creature seemed focused on Kite, as he was the biggest threat, but he didn’t give the creature the time of day, instead disappearing from sight before reappearing behind the three. “Gon, Killua, (Name). You three must deal with him yourselves. This is a chimera ant soldier, we will encounter many more like him. I won’t be able to help you during combat. If you can’t defeat it, you’ll have to leave. You’ll just be in my way.”

The two boys nodded, their auras spiking as (Name) bit her lip. She knew Kite was right, he usually was, but she feared what may happen to them.

“Weren’t you listening, Kite?” Gon asked, his gaze focusing on the chimera ant.

“We’re also pros!” Killua added as they began to advance towards their opponent.

“Don’t treat us like kids!”

(Name) jumped slightly, holding a hand over her heart. She wanted to listen, but in her heart there would always be children to her. But she knew that babying them wouldn’t accomplish anything, so instead she stood by their sides, ready to fight with them.

(Name) attacked with them, barely dodging a hit that would have knocked her head clean off her shoulders. She used her nen to protect her body from another blow before reinforcing her fists and focusing all of her nen into her fist to punch him in the face.

The creature was dazed just long enough for Killua and to land a lightning based attack on him, paralyzing it so Gon could get a hit in with his own nen attack.

It was launched into the air, and before the could continue, it was scooped up by another Chimera Ant. It growled and roared, struggling. “Bastards! I’m gonna eat you! I will! Remember this!”

“Our attacks…” Gon whispered, his eyes still on the Chimera Ant.

“They didn’t work.” Killua finished, giving (Name) a look over before frowning.

Kite approached them, his aura calm. “That guy’s smart. He let his soldier do the fighting, so he could learn our abilities. Are you coming?”

They all turned to look at him, eyes wide.

“There’s no need to feel down. Your attacks weren’t that bad. You just need experience now. If you wish to become stronger, this is a perfect opportunity. But if you aren’t prepared, you won’t be able to endure the ordeal. Whether we win or lose, hell lied ahead of us.”

They glanced at each other, and (Name) knew that she couldn’t leave. Not when things like that chimera ant existed.

“We’re coming.”

“Yeah.”

————————

As the sun began to set, they came across the corpses of several NGL workers that ran the hidden drug factory. Although they weren’t good people, (Name) still said a quick prayer, hoping they would find peace after being slaughtered like animals.

“This is ugly… the stench alone would guide us to the corpses.” Kite said, looking over the devastation caused by the chimera ants.

“Look at this. So this is the hidden side of the NGL.”

Killua held up a gun, frowning. (Name) took it from his hands and set it back down, then took out her handkerchief and swiped it over his palms.

“I suppose so.”

They looked up when they heard Gon call them from the hill. “Killua, Kite, (Name)…”

The silence of the Drug factory overtaken by the Chimera Ants further intensified the chill in the air. There was no doubt that every human that had once worked there was now dead, the smell confirmed it.

(Name) sighed softly as they set up camp for the night nearby. It was far enough away that they could actually rest for a bit in shifts. As Gon and Killua slept, Kite turned to (Name).

“You did well during the fight, but I did notice you only used your basic nen practices. Is there a reason for that?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s because I don’t really know all that much about nen. I’ve got the basics down, but when it comes to anything more advanced, I’m not that knowledgeable.”

Kite winced, scratching the back of his head. “Ah, I have a feeling I’m to blame for that.”

(Name) smiled, glancing back at the two boys sleeping before giving Kite her attention again. “Mmm, I didn’t want to say it, but yeah.”

They both shared a laugh before Kite leaned back and sighed. “Alright, I guess this is a good opportunity to teach you some things, but let’s start you off by retaking the water divination test.”

She watched as Kite prepared the test, her fingers tapping nervously against her leg. “Relax, you took it once before, didn’t you?”

“Yeah… but I was alone. I… I was pretty sure the volume of water increased.”

Kite hummed in thought. “Well, with another person here to inspect the results, maybe I can pick up on something you didn’t.”

“Yeah…”

She held her hands over the cup, gently emitting her aura. Again, it seemed like the volume of water in the cup raised, but Kite seemed to notice something she didn’t. “Ah, so that’s what it is… I had a feeling you weren’t an enhancer, and I was right.”

(Name) tilted her had as he lifted the leaf in the cup, and was surprised to see roots stretching down to the bottom of the cup. “The reason the volume of water rose was because you were making this leaf sprout roots. You’re a specialist for sure, possibly with some kind of time ability…”

“B-but I thought… my ability was to heal…”

Kite shook his head, placing the leaf in her hand. “Keep using your ability and don’t stop until I say so.”

She nodded and continued, her eye widening as the roots continued to grow, and then shrivel up in her hand before turning to dust. “You have the ability to speed up time. It can be used to heal, but it can also be used to hurt.”

Kite tried to hide his concerned expression. This was quite the ability for an inexperienced nen user to have. As her teacher, he would have to report this to Chairman Netero for safety reasons, but as her friend… he was impressed.

“(Name)!” Gon whisper yelled, crouching next to her. Before telling her what he wanted to, he let out a yawn and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “It’s… your turn to sleep.”

“Ah, okay.”

She got up, but Kite caught her arm. “(Name), don’t forget what we learned tonight. I want you to try using your ability in your next battle.”

“Yeah… I will.”

She laid down in the sleeping back Kite brought, getting some much needed rest, feeling a lot more confident in herself, now that she knew what she was capable of.

————————

Kite, Gon, Killua, and (Name) had advanced deep within NGL, in search of the Chimera Ant nest, and have arrived at a cliff with peculiar openings.

“This is the Chimera Ant nest?” Gon asked, looking upon the former weapon factory.

“No, they don’t make their nests in holes. They use mud and feces to build them.” Kite replied, making the three wince in disgust. “Let’s go. You’ll understand once we’re inside.”

The lights along the tunnel flickered as they travelled through it. (Name) wrapped her cardigan tightly around herself, feeling the slight cool breeze blow past them as they ventured in further.

“There’s no telling when or from where they will attack. Be on your guard.” Kite warned.

“Yeah, got it. That other chimera ant completely concealed his presence.”

Killua’s reminder made (Name) shudder. It was frightening, thinking of beings they had considered animals being able to conceal themselves completely.

“Is this place…”

They entered a room with various numbered large vials stood, some shattered. Body parts were scattered on the floor, presumably belonging to the now fed NGL workers.

“Yes, it is NGL’s hidden side.” Kite confirmed.

“A drug factory.”

“Exactly. This factory produces the ingestible drug D2 which is spreading throughout the mainland. There are probably bila trees nearby, which produce its main ingredient. Ironic given their claims as preservationists.” Kite said with a scoff.

“They’re making more than drugs. Look.” Killua opened a box containing various guns. “It’s the same as the others.”

“I assume that only the NGL leaders know the truth of this place. The other members joined because they honestly loved nature. “

“So this facility is the center of NGL’s underground. If it’s empty…

Then Chimera Ants have wiped out the NGL underground. And a bunch of amateurs with guns won’t suffice to deal with them.” Kite finished Killua’s thought.

(Name) tuned them out for a moment as she inspected the guns, but was quickly stirred from her thoughts when Kite spoke.

“Shh, a few are around.”

She was immediately on guard, her body tensing as she stood among Killua and Gon. “They’re slowly approaching through the middle tunnel. There are more in the right and left tunnels.” Kite warned.

“En… how far can you search?” Killua asked as the approached the room.

“Everything within a 45 meter radius.”

“45 meters!?” Gon exclaimed, glancing around the room.

“Depending on physical and mental condition, I can increase that by a few meters. Here they come!”

(Name) prepared herself for the fight ahead, ready to test out her abilities for the first time.

[sycamorelibrary754]

Guardian Angel

Chapter 8: Chocolate Coins

Summary: Things are looking up now. You are finally heading back to work at The Candy Bar, and you have taken a big step forward in your relationship with Wanda by meeting Billy and Tommy. Can anything bring you down today?

Warnings: None?

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: I’m so excited! We’re headed for some angst and suspense in the coming chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter! 

Guardian Angel Masterlist

“Are you sure you're ready?” Wanda asked cautiously. 

The redhead had dropped Billy and Tommy off at school and then came over to the compound to help you get ready for your first day back to work at The Candy Bar. 

“Sweetheart, we've talked about this. Helen and Bruce have cleared me: no more walking boot, no more sling. I completed the required month of physical therapy, and I feel good. I’m ready for this,” pulling an outfit out of your closet.

“Ugh…you’re right, you’re right,” flopping down onto the bed and covering her face with her hands.

You crawled onto the bed and lay beside her, still in your pajamas.

“Hey,” moving her hands away from her face. “I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like I’m fighting fires or anything. I’m bagging candy and scooping ice cream all day.”

The redhead turned sideways to face you on the bed. “Just promise me you’ll listen to your body. Sit down if you need a break; if there’s something high on a shelf, let Harper get it.” 

You cut off her rambling with a gentle peck on the lips. 

“What was that for?” Wanda asked.

“It was the only way to get you to stop,” giggling at the redhead. 

After a hearty bowl of frosted flakes and a steaming cup of coffee, Wanda drove you to work. You hadn't figured out what to do about a new mode of transportation yet, as your car was totaled in the accident. Honestly, it was the last thing on your mind at this point. All you could do was take your recovery one step at a time, and the next step was to go back to work.

^*~*^

Walking into The Candy Bar after almost three months filled you with excitement and nostalgia. The familiar aroma of sweets filled your senses, and you couldn't help but tear up at the sight. You had kept in touch with Harper, your best friend and business partner, over Zoom and FaceTime, but you had promised yourself that you would return to the store only when you could walk back into it on your own. 

“Harper?” you called out.

“Surprise!” Harper shouted.

The lights flipped onto reveal your best friend holding one of your mini ice cream cakes in front of a banner behind the counter that read, Welcome Back, Y/N!

“Aww, this is so sweet, Harper,” walking over to hug her. “You didn’t need to do this.”

“Oh, Please! I don't want to hear another word. This is a triumphant return; of course, we will celebrate,” she said.

“Thank you so much. This means a lot to me.” You were so engrossed in hugging your best friend you almost forgot about the redhead standing beside you. “Oh, Wanda! Where are my manners?! Harper, this is Wanda Maximoff.” 

“Hi, wow. Harper Bailey,” shaking Wanda’s hand vigorously. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for, you know, the world,” still shaking her hand.

“You’re welcome,” Wanda giggled and looked over at you. 

“Okay, that’s enough, Harper,” you said, separating their hands. 

“Right! Um, I’ll go turn the closed sign to open,” she offered.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Wanda said, taking in the space. 

You put on your Candy Bar apron and adjusted your name tag. It felt so lovely to be back in your work attire. You glanced at your watch. 

“Sweetheart, don’t you have a meeting with the team at 10:30?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. They won’t start without me,” she said, dismissing your question.

“Wanda, it's okay. Truly, you don’t need to hang around here all day. I’ll call you on my lunch break. Go, have a good day, and I’ll see you tonight,” you said.

Wanda sighed and walked toward you. “Okay,” placing her hands on your cheeks, “but if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call me,” ending her speech with a kiss.

“I won’t. Bye, sweetheart,” you replied.

“Bye,” she said.

You watched the redhead leave. Just as you did the first time she walked into your shop. The feeling of Deja vu was mutual, as Wanda glanced back at you with one final wave as she walked out the door.

“Man, do you two got it bad,” Harper said as she joined you at your side.

“Shut up,” blushing at the thought. “I’ve waited three months to say this, Harper. Let’s go to work.”

*^~^*

Steve's voice jolted Wanda out of her daydream, and she quickly refocused her attention on him. "What do you think about running point from the compound on this upcoming mission?" he asked her. "It'll let you get your feet wet before you're out in the field again."

Wanda considered the proposal for a moment before nodding. "Sure, I'm up for it. Whatever you need."

"Great," Steve said, looking pleased. "I'll make sure to give you all the necessary details as soon as we have more information on movement from the targets."

Maria stood up from her seat at that moment, signaling the end of their meeting. "Thanks, everyone. Let's reconvene in two days to finalize the plan.”

As Wanda approached the door, Bucky stepped before her, blocking her path. 

"May I help you?" she inquired, puzzled.

"Okay, Wanda. What's going on?" Bucky asked, concerned.

Wanda tried to play it cool. "What do you mean?"

"You've never zoned out in the middle of a meeting before. What's on your mind?” The super soldier asked.

"Nothing," she replied, trying to dismiss the subject.

"You're a terrible liar, you know that," Bucky remarked, seeing right through her.

Wanda knew that Bucky had a knack for cutting through the bullshit. "Is it Billy and Tommy?"

"No, no, the boys are fine," she quickly dismissed the idea.

"Is it this mission?” He suggested. “I can understand why you might be hesitant. It's been a long time since you've been out there."

"It's not the mission," she replied, turning around and walking back to the conference table.

Bucky followed her. "Then what is it?"

"It's y/n's first day back at the Candy Bar, and I'm just worried about her, that's all," Wanda confessed, exhaling deeply.

Bucky smirked. "You realize our job is vastly more dangerous than hers, right?"

"Yes, it's just... This is a big step in her recovery, and the shop means so much to her. I want it to go well."

"She'll be fine," Bucky reassured her, wrapping his arms around her. "She'll be home before you know it. Plus, it's movie night. You know how Y/N loves a good movie."

Wanda relaxed into Bucky's embrace. The super soldier had become a trusted friend, especially since her return to the team.

"Ooh, shoot," Wanda said, glancing at the clock. "I have to go pick up the boys at school, and if I don't leave now, I'll be late."

Bucky nodded. "Thanks for listening, Buck. I'll see you later."

"Okay, see you later," watching her rush out the door. Despite his attempts to reassure her, he could sense that Wanda was still concerned.

*^~^*

“Thanks, and please come again," you said as you handed the customer her bag of candy and homemade chocolate chip cookie. "Phew," you added, wiping your brow with the back of your forearm.

“Are you okay?" Harper asked

"Yes, I'm fine. I just forgot what the afternoon rush was like,” you lamented.

"Why don't you take your lunch break now?” Harper offered. “I can handle things for a bit."

"No, that's not necessary. I can do it,” you insisted.

“I know you can,” Harper touched your shoulder, "I just don't want your girlfriend on my case for not making sure you're taking it easy."

You laughed and replied, "Okay, I'll take a break. But not because of my girlfriend, because I know my limits.”

“Of course you do,” Harper smiled.

You step out of the shop onto the quiet side street, craving fresh air. After munching on the delicious peanut butter sandwich and apple slices that Nat had lovingly packed for you, you take out your phone and dial Wanda's number. 

As soon as she picks up, you feel a wave of warmth washing over you. "Hey, sweetheart! I've been thinking about you all day. How's everything going down there?"

You smile to yourself, feeling grateful for having someone who cares about you so deeply. "It's going well," you reply, strolling back and forth. "I didn't realize how much I missed the shop until today. I'm on my lunch break right now. What are you up to?"

Wanda chuckles, and you can hear the sound of her kids playing in the background. "Just picked up the boys from school. They're supposed to be doing their homework, but I'm pretty sure they're playing rock, paper, scissors."

You laugh, feeling like you can picture the scene perfectly. "Why do I feel like I would be right there playing with them?" 

"Because you totally would," Wanda agrees, and you can't help but grin.

"I miss you," you confess, feeling a little pang in your chest. 

"I miss you too," Wanda says softly. "I can't wait to see you in four hours and eighteen minutes."

You chuckle, happy to hear she's also keeping track of time. "You watching the clock too?"

"Maybe..." Wanda giggles, and you feel your heart swelling with love for this remarkable woman. 

Suddenly, you hear a commotion from inside the shop. Harper is calling you urgently. "Hang on a second, Wanda," you say, quickly moving the phone from your ear. 

"What is it?" you ask Harper, feeling your heart racing.

"There's a strange man in the shop," Harper whispers, looking at you with concern. 

You feel a chill run down your spine. "I gotta go, honey," you tell Wanda. "Harper needs me. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay, bye, y/n," Wanda says, her voice filled with concern at the abrupt departure.

"Bye," you say, ending the call and rushing back inside the shop to face whatever danger might be lurking there.

As you scanned the shop, you noticed a man standing near the candy with his back to you. He wore a black leather jacket, gloves, and a black baseball cap. You felt a little uneasy and were just about to call Wanda back to ask for help when he turned toward you. Your breath caught in your throat momentarily, but you immediately recognized the familiar face and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, for God’s sake! It’s okay, Harper,” you called out. “I know him. Bucky, what are you doing here?”

“Oh hey, y/n! Is this your shop? I didn’t realize...”

“Buck, what’s going on? Did Wanda send you down here? I was just on the phone with her. She sounded fine,” weaving through the rows of candy.

“Dear God, no,” Bucky said. “She has no idea I’m here. But you should’ve seen her during the team meeting this morning, y/n. So distracted with worry over you going back to work. I wanted to ease her mind a bit.”

“That’s very sweet, Bucky,” you said, patting him on the back. “As you can see, I’m fine.”

He nodded in agreement and wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

“You know, for an Avenger, I was expecting a more covert disguise,” you said with a smirk as you wiggled the bill of his hat. “Isn’t Tony in charge of ensuring you guys are badass in style?”

“I would rather take a bite out of brick than wear a superhero costume,” he chuckled.

You looked over your shoulder to see your best friend watching you with a look of confusion on her face.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Harper. You scared the crap out of her.”

“Oh, no. That’s okay. I should be getting back to work,” Bucky said, pointing towards the door.

“I thought this was work?” You asked

“More like freelancing,” he replied .

“Hmm, I see… You want some ice cream?” you asked, gesturing towards the ice cream display.

Bucky peered over your shoulder at the menu on the wall. “Do you have Pistachio?”

“I think I can scare up some Pistachio,” you giggled.

*^~^*

After a long day at work, Wanda showed up to pick you up and drove you back to the compound. Despite your insistence that you could call for a ride, she was determined to take you home. As you got into her car, you expressed gratitude and apologized for the inconvenience.

"Where are Billy and Tommy?" you asked. 

Wanda smiled and replied, "They're at the compound playing with Morgan. If you're up for it, I'd love to introduce you to them tonight. I know you've had a long day back, and it's a school night, so we won't stay long," she reassured you, "but I would love for them to meet the woman who's making me so happy."

As you listened to Wanda speak, you felt a lump form in your throat and had to look away for a moment to compose yourself. You had longed for the day when Wanda would feel comfortable enough to introduce you to her sons, but you didn't want to push things too fast. You knew that they had already gone through so much pain and heartache in Westview after losing their father, and you didn't want to disrupt the new life that Wanda had worked so hard to build for them as a family of three. Despite your desires, you respected Wanda's boundaries and tried to be patient, hoping that one day, she would feel ready to take that step with you.

“Nothing would make me happier, Wanda,” you said.

*^~^*

As you stepped out of the elevator and into the common area, you were greeted by the comforting aroma of food cooking. You spotted Maria and Natasha moving about the kitchen, preparing dinner. The sound of sizzling and chopping filled the air, making your stomach growl with hunger. 

Maria noticed your arrival and greeted you, "Hey, y/n! How was your first day back at work?"

You placed your messenger bag on the counter and took a seat on the island, feeling the tiredness from the day setting in. "It was terrific," you replied, "I'm tired, but it's the good kind of tired. A successful day at the Candy Bar," you said.

Just then, Yelena walked into the kitchen with a bottle of Vodka and a shot glass. "Ah, perfect timing! The candy maker is home," she exclaimed.

Yelena explained that it was a team tradition to mark the occasion of someone recovering from an injury and returning to the field with a celebratory shot. Natasha quickly dismissed her sister's intention, saying that you didn't have to do it if you didn't want to.

But you liked the sound of it and picked up the glass, gesturing to Wanda. "To life," you said with a wink before downing the shot in one go.

Impressed, Yelena complimented you, "Congratulations, y/n. We're glad to have you here," patting you on the back as Wanda kissed you.

As you were chatting with Wanda, suddenly, you heard a commotion down the hall, and the next thing you knew, Morgan, Billy, and Tommy came running through the room.

“Careful!” Nat shouted as Tommy super-sped around the sofa.

“These must be the guests of honor,” you whispered to the redhead next to you. She just chuckled at your statement.

“Boys, could you come here for a moment?” Wanda asked. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

The two sons stopped at their mom’s voice and approached you.

“Boys, I’d like you to meet y/n. Y/N, this is Billy and Tommy,” Wanda gestured to each of her sons.

“Hi, I’ve heard so much about both of you from your mom. It’s nice to meet you!” You said, shaking both of their hands.

“Hi,” they both said, a bit shyly.

“Remember the special candy bags you two got for birthdays?” Wanda said. “It was from y/n’s shop, The Candy Bar.”

“Wow, you own a candy shop? That’s so cool! So you get to eat candy all day?” Billy asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

“I did for the first couple of weeks after I opened the shop,” you explained, “but I always had a nasty stomachache.”

“Did you bring any candy with you?” Tommy asked, looking at you with puppy dog eyes.

“Tommy,” Wanda scolded.

“No, that’s alright. Hmmm,” you rubbed your hands together. “I think I might have something,” you said, reaching behind Tommy’s ear and pulling out a chocolate gold coin.

“Woah, cool!” Tommy exclaimed.

“I think you may have one back here as well,” you smirked, reaching behind Billy’s ear and pulling out another coin. “Oh, look at that, I was right!”

“Awesome!” Billy said.

“What do you say, boys?” Wanda reminded them.

“Thank you, Y/N!”

“Yeah, thank you, Y/N!”

“You're welcome, guys.”

“Can we go back to playing now, Mom?” Billy asked.

“You may,” Wanda smiled.

“Oh, and Morgan, come here for a second,” kneeling to the little Stark’s level. “Ah, there we go!” Reaching behind the girl’s ear and pulling out another gold coin.

“Thank you, Y/N!” Morgan gasped with joy.

“You’re welcome, honey,” you said, wrapping her in a hug.

All three kids ran off happily back toward Morgan’s room.

“That was a surprise,” Wanda said. “Since when are you a magician?”

“You don’t know everything about me yet,” you smirked, repeating the exact words she said on your first date. “It’s part of the magic that is me.”

“Ah, I see,” Wanda said, wrapping her arms lovingly around your neck. “Well, I can’t wait to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve.”

“I’m just getting started,” you winked, feeling a rush of affection for the redhead.

*^~^*

The day had been long and tiring, and you were looking forward to movie night with the rest of the team. After saying goodnight to Wanda and the boys, you joined the others in the living room, where they were bickering over which movie to watch. Kate and Clint couldn't agree on the genre, but eventually, they settled on an action movie that you weren't particularly interested in. You found a comfortable spot on the end of the sofa and snuggled up in your favorite fluffy blanket.

Tony was sitting next to you, reading the newspaper, one of the many things that intrigued you about him. The entire compound was futuristic and filled with state-of-the-art technology, but Tony still enjoyed the simplicity and controversy of the printed word.

As you watched the movie, a name on the newspaper's front page caught your eye. You asked Tony if you could see the paper, and he handed it to you. The headline read,

"Onyx Petroleum Company seeks permission to drill on remnant Sokovian soil. Y/F/N Y/L/N, Y/M/N Y/L/N to meet with Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Your heart sank as you read those words. No matter how far you ran, your parents always found a way to return to your life in the most unexpected and disastrous ways. You tossed the paper aside, feeling troubled and uneasy.

"Excuse me, everyone," you said, standing up. "It's been a long day, and I'm pretty tired. I think I'll call it a night. Goodnight, all."

You walked towards your room, feeling the weight of the news on your shoulders. Tony was the only one who noticed the troubled look on your face. He picked up the newspaper and read the headline. His heart sank, and his blood boiled. Without saying a word, he got up and followed you to your room, determined to help however he could.

[jeankluv]

Snow on the beach || Trafalgar Law x fem!reader

Words: 3.2K

Warnings: Doffy, swearing

Note: chapter 8 already, wow I’m so happy that people keep supporting this silly fic of mine. Thank you. And enjoy ❤️

If you want to be add to the tag list let me know on comments 🫶

Previous chapeter || Materialist || Next chapter

Chapter VIII: Three Brothers

Law looked at the three boys in front of him with tired eyes. He was supposed to leave 30 minutes ago but the most chaotic siblings of the whole town appeared at the last minute.

“Ah!” The youngest cried, making a pout.

“Don't be a cry baby Luffy!” The freckles one said.

“Sorry! But Ace, Torao it’s not being nice!” Luffy reproached.

“That’s what happens when you decide to get the sled when there was no snow, you wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be angry because I would have been in my house half an hour ago.”

“We are really sorry Dr. Trafalgar.” The blonde one spoke this time.

“Yeah sorry and please don’t mention any of this to Corazon.” Ace said.

“Why?”

“Because then he will tell Sengoku and Sengoku will tell our grandpa and… we don’t want to face him, he is terrifying.” Ace explained.

Law nodded. “I won’t tell anyone.” The three boys sighed in relief. “But you better not show up here at this hour ever again.”

“Don’t worry Dr. Trafalgar, it won’t happen.” Sabo said.

“Okay now, you can leave.”

“Thank you Torao!” Luffy smiled. “And by the way, can you tell y/n hi from me? I couldn’t visit her this weekend.” Law nodded and the boy left the room with a big smile.

Law stretched out in his seat and put away all his things, he was running late, surely you would have been home for a while by now. He left his office, waving goodbye to the few people that were left, he got in his car and started going back home.

He felt frustrated, he really wanted to take you home that night, and give you a small gift he bought earlier that day for you. It was a stupid gift and you probably could wait but he really wanted to see you and enjoy your company, even if it was for a few minutes. You made him feel like a completely different person and at first, when you tried to enter his life with that big smile and big dove eyes he hated it, he couldn’t understand why Corazon liked you so much. He thought you were just one of those city girls that wanted to experience living in an isolated town, take pictures of it, post them in social media and leave after three days, but you turned out to be different.

He exhaled in frustration, he had arrived home without realizing it. He turned off the engine and headed towards your house, you were probably still awake and he really wanted to see you. Law knocked on the door three times, but got no response, your lights were completely off and nothing could be heard inside the house. Maybe you were still in the restaurant? Something inside him told him that he should go to the restaurant quickly. He walked down the stairs to your porch and he got into the car, starting it quickly. That feeling in his chest area was there and it was making him nervous.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

You were still hugging yourself and keeping yourself away from that man. You looked both sides trying to see if you could spot a familiar face but the streets were empty and the bus was running late.

“Sir.” You spoke. “I don’t the person you are looking for, now I would prefer for you…”

“Oh c’mon sweet y/n…” He smiled. You trembled, you had not told him your name at any time. “I know you know him. Don’t play games with me.”

“I’m not playing games with you sir.” You tried to breathe but you felt like you were running out of it.

“It’s okay sweetheart, I won’t hurt you or anything.” The nickname made you want to throw up.

“But… will you hurt Law?”

“Hmn… only if he doesn’t do what I told him.”

“You’re absolutely disgusting, once the police find out about…” You spotted talking when he put his hand on your mouth.

“I told you I was not going to hurt you but sweetheart if you disrespect me or even turn me to the police, I won’t hesitate. Besides, I know you have a little sister, don’t you?” You swallowed under his hand, feeling how your eyes were getting teary. How did he know? You only mentioned having a sister to Nami and Law and you knew that none of them would ever tell this man. “So now you get it sweetheart?” You nodded and he let your mouth free, with that you spent a few steps away from him and tried to calm yourself.

“Oi y/n!” You heard a voice, a voice you were familiar with and a voice you were glad to hear.

You turned around to see the happiest boy in the world running in your direction, followed by two boys you didn't know about. You let out all the air that had been building up in your lungs for minutes, and smiled.

“Y/n!” He hugged you when he reached you. “What are you doing here? The restaurant was closed already.”

“I was waiting for the bus to go home.”

“Oh!” He nodded. “I see…” You glanced to your side, to see if the boss was still there, and yeah he was, not moving an inch, you hoped that with the presence of Luffy and his two friends, he would leave. “Do you know my brothers y/n?”

You tilted your head. “Brothers? I didn’t know you had.”

“Yep.” He smiled. “This is Ace.” He pointed at the black haired boy with freckles. “And this one is Sabo.” He pointed at the blonde one. “Guys this is y/n!”

“Nice to meet you y/n, we have heard a lot from you.” Sabo spoke.

“Oh for real?” You were surprised.

“Yeah Luffy talks a lot. You probably already noticed that.” Ace spoke this time and you smiled. Ace then put his eyes on the boss and he nudged Sabo a little so he would look at him too.

“Excuse me sir.” Sabo spoke and walked a few steps closer to the boss. “Are you looking for someone or something here?”

“Was he bothering you y/n?” Ace whispered to you.

You wanted to nod but you were afraid that man could hurt them, if you said anything.

“Y/n you can trust us, don’t worry.” It was Luffy this time.

“It’s okay guys. I was just waiting for my bus and this man appeared here. But nothing to worry about.” You lied, with a fake smile on your face.

“If the lady feels uncomfortable, I will leave.” The boss spoke. “Have a good night, hopefully we can meet in another circumstance.” Hopefully not. He started to walk away.

“You sure everything was alright y/n?” Sabo approached. You nodded again assuaging them everything was okay, although it was not true. “We can talk with the police if you want.”

“If you meet him and he bothers you, don’t hesitate to tell us. We will kick his ass.” Luffy said with a determined look on his face.

“Luffy, relax. Look what happened the last time you kicked someone’s ass.” Sabo sighed.

Luffy pouted. “But…” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, y/n is my friend and if that sunglassed guy bothers her I will send him flying.”

Ace rolled his eyes and smiled. “Y/n we will stay with you until the bus comes.”

“Oh there is no…”

“It wasn’t a question, we will stay.” Sabo said and sat down on the bus stop, followed by Ace and Luffy.

“Thank you.” You sat with them.

“So tell us y/n what were you doing before ending up here? It’s strange for us to get new people.” Ace asked.

“Mhm… well I just needed a peaceful place to stay. This was a good option.” You shook your head.

“It’s peaceful but sometimes it’s boring.” Luffy sighed.

“Getting bothered sometimes it’s good, Luffy. You started to pay attention to things you weren’t paying before.” You smiled. “I really liked it here, I mean I got the chance to meet you.” You looked at him.

“I’m also glad you came here.” He smiled and hugged you.

You smiled and hugged him back. “I didn’t know you had brothers.”

“Yep.” He smiled. “Ace, Sabo and I, we were raised together and became brothers.” You nodded.

“We were raised by Dadan, I don’t know if you have met her.” Ace explained and you shook your head. “It’s normal, she lives outside of the town and only comes from time to time.”

The three brothers explained to you how the three of them came from different backgrounds, how Sabo used to come every single weekend with his father and stepmother to spend the weekends at their house, but he would always sneak out to spend time with Ace first and then with Luffy too. Ace on the other hand, spent his whole life here, his mother died in childbirth and he didn’t know much about his father and honestly he didn’t care. As for Luffy, his grandfather raised him until he was four but then duty called and asked Dadan to look after him, his father apparently was someone important but Luffy couldn’t care less about it. The three of them bonded together and eventually they swore like brothers drinking sake.

You found heartwarming how they bonded with one another and how till this day, they are still together. Kelly was too young for you, she was still a baby, so that bond between you two was still not there. You hoped you could become someone who she could lean on, trust and watch as a role model. At least that’s what you used to want.

“Oh! Y/n!” Luffy took you back to reality. “Has Nami told you?”

“Told me? Was she supposed to?”

He nodded his head enthusiastically. “So every year, before Christmas we, the whole group, goes a few days . We stay in a cabin and enjoy the days on the frozen lake. This week we will be doing the same. Wanna c’mon?”

You thought for a moment, a mini vacation with your friends sounded amazing. “I would love to but the restaurant.”

“Don’t worry, Zeff usually closes the restaurant for a week before Christmas.” Ace said and Luffy nodded.

“Then yeah, sure.” You smiled and Luffy screamed in happiness. “Who is going?”

“Well… the group you already know, Sabo, will bring his girlfriend Koala and Ace will be bringing a friend of his, Yamato right?” Ace nodded. “You should ask Torao if he wants to come. Apparently you are the only one that is able to convince him or do this.” You laughed.

“I will try, but I can not promise anything.” You spot your bus coming. “Oh that’s my bus.” You stand up and the three boys did the same. “Thank you again for what you did.”

“There is no need y/n.” Sabo said.

“Yeah, don’t worry, you’re our little brother's friend and now you’re ours too, so we will always help you.” Ace said with a smile on his face.

“Yeah y/n you can count on us!” Luffy said.

“Thank you guys. I really appreciate it.” You hugged each of them. “I hope we see each other soon.”

The three of them nodded in unison and you couldn't help but giggle. You got on the bus and sat by the window to say goodbye to them from there. The three of them waved goodbye to you and you did the same until you lost sight of them. You leaned your head against the glass, it was still going to take you a while to get home, unlike the trips with Law in his car, here it was going to take longer because of the stops he made.

Law.

You closed your eyes remembering what happened before the brothers showed up. Now you understand why Law wanted to push you away, why was he so terrified for you. The boss already knew about your sister, which means he probably also knew about your mom and David too. It made you shake with the thought of them getting hurt once again because of you. You wanted them to be safe and okay, but being away you couldn’t be there to protect them. Although you knew there was a way to protect them, even if you were kilometers away.

No.

No you didn’t want to think about that possibility, you simply didn’t want it. What type of coward would you be if after telling Law to rely on you, not to push you away, to let you help him, you started to push him away, you would do exactly that, push him away. Leave him alone. Leaving there was not an option either. You didn't want to continue running away and you didn't want to abandon the people you had met in this town. There had to be some option, one where you wouldn't put your family's lives in danger, where you wouldn't have to stay away from Law, and where you could help him get rid of that man.

“Lady?” You heard from the front of the bus. “Isn’t this your stop?” You looked around and it fact it was.

“Yes it is. Thank you and have a good night.” You said leaving the bus.

You walked towards your house, there was no car parked at Law's house. He missed you, maybe Law was still working, that's why he hadn't shown up to pick you up. You entered the house and quickly went to the bathroom, you needed to take a hot shower after today.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Zeff and Sanji had told him that you had left a while ago. From what she assumed you had gone to the bus stop, Law walked or rather ran to the bus stop, hoping to find you sitting there. But you weren't there and Law could feel his heart speed up instantly and he knew it wasn't because he just ran, but because of that strange feeling that had been present in his stomach since he hadn't found you home when he returned.

“Oh! Torao!” Law cursed under his breath, right now Luffy was the person he least wanted to see. “What are you doing here? Searching for y/n? She just left.”

Law turned his body to meet Luffy and his brothers. “Have you seen y/n?” The three brothers nodded in unison.

“Yeah, she just left. We made sure she got safely after that weird man was with her.” Sabo talked this time.

Law swallowed, those words from Sabo had left his mouth dry. "What man?"

“Don’t know man. He was weird, he was wearing glasses and…” Ace was explaining when Law cut him off.

“Glasses?” It was him, he was certain about it. “And you made sure she got on the bus safely? There was no one strange on the bus.”

“No, she was the only one on it. She probably already got home or she is about to.”

Law nodded and without saying a single word, he began walking back to his car. He didn't have time to talk to those three, he had to see you and make sure you were okay and that asshole Doflamingo hadn't done anything to you. Just like before in a blink he was already getting of the car and going straight to your front door. He knocked on the door but there was no response, Law's pulse accelerated by the moment, and if Doflamingo had followed you here and if you were in danger?

He bit the inside of his cheek, he knew that he shouldn't enter other people's houses but you weren't responding and knowing that Doflamingo had been with you minutes before, they left him no other alternative.

He knew that Mrs. Smith kept a key on top of the door frame; more than once when he was young, she had called him to get it after leaving the keys inside. He entered the house and started calling your name, it was dark and cold inside.

“Fuck y/n…” He whispered to himself, searching for you.

He went up the stairs with long strides, when.

“Ah!” You shouted in front of him. Law opened his eyes when he saw you, you were there in front of him and you seemed fine. Although there was also something else. “What are you doing here Law?!” You covered yourself. You were only wearing a towel, which barely covered you up to your thighs.

“I…” Law swallowed, he could feel his cheeks burning. This had never happened to him but he didn't expect to find it like this when he entered your house like that. Law turned to avoid looking at you. “I’m really sorry y/n, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

You looked at his back and lowered your head, you would swear you had seen his blushing cheeks. “I am.” You said. “I was taking a shower.”

He nodded, still facing away from you. “Hmm, I'll be down. I need to talk with you."

“Alright… I’ll go change, I’ll be there in a minute.” And you walked towards your room passing by Law.

Law looked down when he saw you walking in front of him, damn he looked like a hormonal teenager at that moment. He quickly went down to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.

You leaned against the door of your bedroom, God, your heart was racing. And you didn't know if it was because of the scare that Law had given you, of her seeing you practically naked or because of the fact that she had appeared before you with the most worried expression you had ever seen. Law was back at your house, at night, and after realizing your feelings today, him being here didn't help in the slightest.

You took your pijama and changed to it, and made a braid on your wet hair. You looked at yourself in the mirror and inhaled. A question was running through your head and it was if Law was here because he had also met the boss.

You went down the stairs quietly and could see Law's figure sitting on the couch, with his head in his hands. You walked up there and whispered a shy “hello.” Law turned to look and when he saw you there, he got up from the couch, standing in front of you. Making you have to lift your head to look him in the eyes. Law swallowed and licked his lips before speaking.

“You’re alright… You’re here.” He said almost like a whisper.

“Yeah, I’m here.” You smiled at him.

Law watched you for a few moments and then pulled you closer to him, hugging you. You were frozen in place. That action had caught you off guard. You could feel Law's heart beating rapidly in his chest, and it sped up even more when you wrapped your arms around him. Staying even closer to each other.

“I’m so fucking glad you’re okay y/n.” He whispered to your ear. “You have no idea.”

Tag list: @phsycochan @punem699

[cherr-22]

TNGDH 24

I held up my hand to my forehead and looked up at the sky. The sun shined brightly with not a single cloud in sight.

“The weather is good.”

A wide smile spread across my face as I admired the beautiful, warm Blake estate today.

Pure white bricks laid neatly in rows and stalls lined up on both sides. Behind them were simple shops run by the people.

That’s right. Shops.

I admired the coin purse hanging by my side. It’s heavy. According to Kyle, I would have plenty of money even after saying ‘give me everything from here to there’ right now. 

While I didn’t plan on spending that much, isn’t good to have a lot? Even as Bae Soohyun I couldn’t enjoy such a luxury.

……To be more accurate, I died just before I got the chance to do so.

“Let’s go, porter.”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and turned to Kyle. He was dressed lighter than usual and was looking down at me with his eyebrow raised at me.

There’s no point in giving me that look. Of course I’d call you a porter. It’s not like you would call this a date. In the first place, you’re the one who wanted to tag along.

I turned around ignoring his stunned reaction and lifted up the heavy coin purse.

No matter what, I’m going to use this all. I won’t die before these are all spent.

This is something I realized after dying once, but money should be spent while it’s in your pocket. I’ll show you what it means to earn like a Northern prince and spend like a hamster. 

“Slowly.”

He grabbed the back of my neck before I could run off.

I frowned and scrutinized him. In my mouth held a piece of jerky I received at the stall selling dried meat.

“…….”

“Whad. Whad ah yoo looing ah.”

What. What are you looking at.

“……Nothing. Keep eating.”

Wow. This is absolutely crazy. How on earth did they make this sauce? Can a taste like this even exist?

Must buy it now.

I bought two packs of jerky. As I took out a shiny gold coin, Kyle held onto my bags.

Nibbling on the jerky, I headed for the next shop. Here they sold a ‘bracelet that can make you healthy just by wearing it!’. That was what was written on a thick piece of paper next to it.

<Shocking news! Beneficial mana energy is flowing out!>

……What is this, a germanium bracelet or something? The color seems similar too…… this is obviously a scam.

On the other hand, Kyle who was standing next to me held the bracelet up with interest.

“Are there any sizes suitable for a hamster?”

As if there would be any.

In the first place, don’t think about buying one. That energy or whatever. Mana stone or whatever. Oh dear, this is giving me a headache.

‘Maybe I should’ve pretended that there are special demonic beasts with rare constitution that don’t develop mana stones.’

I sighed as I dragged him to the next shop. He would’ve put an order down for the hamster bracelet if we stayed there for even a minute longer.

“Let’s see. Where can I buy clothes.”

“The cape is very warm! Thick and light!”

“Scarves, buy scarves here!”

“Delicious demonic beast meat skewers!”

“Buy one get one free bag of peanut crackers!”

The lively atmosphere of the market brightened my mood.

I bought everything that looked good. The shopping bags drooping off of the Grand Duke’s arms- ah, no don’t do that. Hang the bags on your left arm, not your precious right arm.

“Shoes made from the tough leather of a Northern elephant!”

“Have a look at these pants! Even the Blake knights wear these as training uniforms!”

Obviously I can’t hold back on these.

“Here are sweet and sour tangerine candy. Come see handmade candy made by a craftsman with 30 years of experience!”

This, can’t hold back on this either.

“These are crepes. We’re selling for only one more day to commemorate for the festival!”

Definitely can’t hold back.

“This sure is great.”

The money was spent rapidly, and the once heavy coin purse felt lighter and lighter over time. Both of Kyle’s arms were fully occupied with my shopping bags.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked while holding crepes in both hands. Kyle replied calmly.

“You are more easy to satisfy than I thought.”

I’m about to sell out all the shops and yet you call me frugal.

As expected of the Grand Duke of the North, this kind of spending must be nothing compared to what he spends on a single hamster. Would I have to buy the entire shop to surprise you?

“Today, I will treat you. Would you like some of this crepe? There’s raspberry inside.”

I bought one for myself because it looked delicious but suddenly felt bad seeing the porter work hard all day long. Ah, such a kind heart I have.

He stretched out his neck forward slightly.

“I have no open hands to hold it myself.”

“……Ah. You’re right.”

Both hands were filled with bags. My bags. I did bring him as a porter but……

Still, isn’t he the owner of this land and the ruler of the North? He has been following me behind silently, but the eyes of the shop owners would pop out whenever they recognized him.

“There’s no other choice.”

After contemplating a bit, I raised one of my arm to hold the crepe in front of Kyle’s mouth.

He remained still, as if this kind of situation was new to him. What else do you expect me to do. Should I go buy another arm for you somewhere instead?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because it’s unexpected.”

Kyle lowered his head and took a bite out of the crepe. An entire corner disappeared in an instant. ……Was it that tiring to hold the bags?

“It’s my first time to be directly fed like this.”

[First time~ It’s his first time! 〜(￣▽￣〜)(〜￣▽￣)〜]

Stop celebrating.

“It’s not like you’re a demonic beast. Why couldn’t you be fed like this.”

“They find me difficult usually.”

“You wouldn’t be difficult if they interact with you everyday.”

I said as if it were nothing special.

He may be a solemn duke in front of others, but to me, he was just a hamster otaku who kissed me everywhere with no reservation. It would be even weirder if I still found him difficult to be with.

“Have we been seeing each other everyday?”

Oops.

“……Recently we have. We saw each other yesterday and the day before yesterday.”

I kept my arm held up for him to eat the crepe and then turned to my share of the crepe in my other hand. Let’s see. Cranberry whipped cream made from goat milk……

“Too sour!”

Kyle flinched upon hearing my cry.

“……Is this your first time having whipped cream?”

“No, I’ve had them plenty of times. Whipped cream should be fluffy and savory, and yet why does this taste like this? And to add sour cranberries on top of that. It makes it twice as sour!”

Kyle tilted his head in confusion and took another bite out of the crepe.

“Whipped cream usually taste like this.”

Seeing him, I bit into mine again.

Sour as expected.

“No. Crepes are usually supposed to be so sweet that it makes your mouth ticklish to be delicious.”

This guy knows nothing. The cloud-like fluffiness is the charm of whipped cream, and yet he doesn’t believe me.

At 9:30PM, I used to have a piece of fresh cream cake delivered from the cafe near my office. It was always the last order since the shop closed at 10:00PM. Roughly once a month, I would have it on a hard day to melt away my fatigue.

Those were hard times, but thinking about it now felt like old memories.

“Is that so…….”

Kyle held a serious expression.

“If you don’t like it, you should throw it away and eat something else.”

“What are you talking about? How wasteful. Besides, just because it’s sour doesn’t mean I can’t eat it.”

“Alright. Eat a lot.”

He finished the crepe and lightly squeezed my wrist to examine it.

“Small and skinny.”

What bullshit is he saying. I’m slightly bigger than the average Korean. I’ve never been told I was small. Especially with one insole in my shoe, my height reached 180 centimeters tall. A thin insole of course, not the thick one.

“Are you sure it’s not just you being too big?”

He let out a low chuckle.

“Eat lots of meat. Even with me protecting you, your body must be in good condition to go out on the reconnaissance. In the Blake territory, even the support units receive martial arts training, not just the knights and soldiers.

Kyle asked as I finished off my crepe.

“Do you have any weapons you can use?”

“No.”

“Any specialties?”

“……Ummm…… language?”

C language is also a language after all.

### programming language

“Besides that.”

“Eating a lot?”

In the case that I failed to develop the game, the lady who worked at the restaurant I frequented said I should try doing a mukbang.

### Mukbang is a live-stream where viewers watch the host eat

“Haaa…….”

He sighed deeply.

What’s wrong. Do I seem like luggage burden now that you think about it?

But consider yourself lucky. As long as I have the system with me, your future will be bright. It may sound odd, but just believe in me.

“Is there something wrong?”

I asked in a provocative tone.

“Are you already worried that you won’t be able to protect me?”

The nickname ‘Loser of the North’ would probably spread throughout the land if that were the case. It’s not like he gained fame as the ‘Bloody Grand Duke’ by killing innocent people. If he can’t protect even a single civilian, he would have to step down from his position as the lord.

His eyebrows furrowed upon hearing my provocation and laughed as if he were intrigued.

“You sure know how to provoke someone.”

“Thank you for the complement.”

Office workers usually fight well. Fighting with clients, fighting with their boss, fighting with overtime… I won’t lose to anyone anywhere.

“Where should I move this to?”

After busily walking around eating this and that, we ended up at the front of the Blake castle. He glanced at me as if to say that I would have to climb the stairs myself this time. I know, I know. It’s not like I don’t have legs.

I trudged up the stairs as slow as a turtle.

“I’ll be shoving them into an unused storage room.”

“Not the servant’s dorm room?”

“Yes. There are no space left for me. I was only able to go there in the past because Sen was with me.”

“…….”

How would I put all these bags into the break room of the servant’s dorm without putting up with the others’ stares?

I’ve been meeting with Kyle in the break room until now since I didn’t want to meet him in his study. Now that Sen has left, no matter how thick-faced I may be, staying there would be too much.

“I’ll get you a room.”

Kyle said it as if it were nothing. You can give away a room just by saying you’ll give me a room?

“……Huh? Really?”

“You must’ve forgotten, but you are also one of the castle’s people.”

Oh right.

“I request a room with a big window.”

If I’m going to receive one, I should get a good one while I have the chance.

With that, the items I bought from the stores today piled up high in my newly assigned room.

As expected, the world revolves around money.

--------------------------------------------------------

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

T/N: I will not be able to post a chapter for next week so this is an early chapter, plus a bonus chapter 25 as an apology!

[voxasks]

–    G  U  I  D  E  L  I  N  E  S  .

     ⭑      BLOG  INFO.

this  is  an  independent  roleplay  ask  blog  (wow  that’s  a  mouthful) .

i close my inbox when it gets to 30 asks so i can get through them quicker and reopen asks quicker.

vox  has  an  editor  (me)  who  manages  half  of  the  blog  and  writes  out  his  responses  to  send  out.  vox  knows  he’s  speaking  with  the  living  world  but  doesn’t  know  he’s  in  the  show  called  ‘hazbin  hotel.’

       ⭑      CRITICISM.

i  answer  a  lot  of  asks  in  the  day  meaning  i’ll  likely  make  typos  so  do  be  kind  if  you  spot  them!  i  will  only  be  taking  constructive  criticism  into  consideration.  this  blog  is  my  very  first  shot  at  roleplaying  so  apologies  if  there  are  any  issues!

       ⭑      PORTRAYAL.

vox  will  be  portrayed  as  i  see  fit.  he  can  be  professional,  compliant  and  even  kind  to  asks  that  don’t  provoke  him.  inversely,  he  can  be  crass,  loud  and  outright  evil  to  those  who  do,  but  please  remember  to  separate  me  from  the  character. 

       ⭑      ASK  RULES.

NSFW  is  okay  on  my  blog,  seeing  as  vox  is  also  quite  open  to  the  idea.  excessively  troll  /  low  effort  asks  (e.g.  i  have  had  TONS  of  asks  just  saying  ‘bald’)  will  be  ignored  as  it  does  take  time  and  energy  out  of  me  to  tap  into  the  character’s  voice  when  i  answer  these.

this  one’s  specific  and  it  is  actually  the  reason  i  had  to  do  a  heavy  update  on  my  guidelines,  but;  i  have  had  people  come  into  my  inbox  saying  they  take  pleasure  in  indulging  in  the  following  :  dr*gs,  m*rder,  ab*se,  s*icide,  sh,  and  more  along  these  lines.  asks  like  these  aren’t  allowed  unless  you’re  clearly  joking  or  using  it  as  an  expression.  however,  merely  mentioning  these  topics  IS  allowed.  i  understand  some  people  will  still  not  be  comfortable  seeing  it  being  used  as  such,  but  as  someone  who’s  had  experience  in  the  last  three  topics  listed,  i’m  not  easily  fazed  and  do  not  wish  to  censor  this  blog  too  much.  here  are  some  examples  of  what  i  do  not  allow  : 

asks with harmful phrases such as ‘k*ll yourself’ will be deleted, same goes with other phrases of a similar vein.

if  you  are  stickler  for  canon,  in  all  technicality,  vox  probably  wouldn’t  condone  asks  like  these  either  to  keep  him  and  his  brand  highly  professional / lighthearted to put others at ease.

the  rest  is  only  the  obvious  :  i  will  not  condone  homophobia  and  racism,  and  will  not  be  entertaining  asks  over  political  views. 

however,  if  you  are  suffering  from  s*icidal  thoughts  or  sh  and  you  cannot  refrain  from  sending  me  an  ask  about  it,  please  at  the  very  least  provide  me  a  way  to  contact  you  in  private  so  as  to  not  trouble  others  viewing  this  blog. 

       ⭑      RESPONSE  TIME.

to  those  who  have  been  here  since  the  beginning,  i  am  so  sorry  i  am  no  longer  able  to  get  through  asks  as  quickly.  i  have  a  real  life  as  well  as  my  main  blog  to  attend  to  so  you  ask  might  take  a  while  to  get  to!  i  should  not  take  more  than  a  week  to  get  to  your  ask,  but  apologies  if  i  still  do.

       ⭑      ART.

any  art  on  this  blog  (as  scarce  as  it  may  be)  is  drawn  by  the  editor,  me.  please  do  not  repost  without  my  permission! 

       ⭑      OOC.

some  of  my  personal  thoughts  or  comments  to  your  asks  will  be  in  the  tags  labelled  as  ‘ooc’.  sometimes  i  may  also  make  announcements  on  this  blog  without  using  vox’s  voice  so  do  take  not  of  that!

       ⭑      WARNINGS.

as  mentioned  above,  this  blog  may  contain  mentions  of  m*rder,  ab*se  (probably  because  of  val  asks)  nsfw,  manipulation,  gore,  body  horror,  immoral  views,  etc.

       ⭑      UPDATE  LOG.

03.04.24   —   more  clear  guidelines  hehe

03.07.24 — inbox closes at 30 asks .

[in-my-loki-feels]

🔁😂💯💘📚

*cracks knuckles* Here we go! From this ask game.

🔁 A fic you’ve re-read several times

This feels like an impossible question because I've re-read quite a few. I narrowed it down to a few options, but I'll save one of those for if I get asked the 😭 question and offer a full fic rec and two drabbles.

touching the horizon by @astrosxnthesis

"Have you been wounded by the Loki S2 finale? Then you may be entitled to compensation in the form of fics that pick you up, dry your tears, and offer solutions." This fic fits that bill! It's sweet, funny, has delicious emotional hurt/comfort, and it's a clever take on how Lokius could be reunited.

2. It's no secret that I love President Loki so I've re-read a lot in that tag. Allow me to highlight chapters 30 (SFW) and 66 (NSFW) of For All Time? Always by chaircat (not sure of their tumblr name).

Not only do these both feature President Loki, but both (definitely the second, but also the first imo) are Loki/Mobius/President Loki, which I find very fun. 😈 And there's just not enough of it!

😂 A fic that made you laugh out loud

Footsies by @devilbearingtrouble

I rarely laugh out loud when reading (though I might be chuckling to myself), but the way the tension builds so innocently in this one set me up so that when I hit one line in particular, I actually went, "Ha!" out loud. Love it when writing can do that. 😂

💯 A fic that makes you think #writergoals

This one's easy! I was just thinking along these lines while reading @doomed-spectacles latest, Paper trail. Or, traces of you. Just, wow. Their blend of humor and tenderness and spice floored me. The prose rendered me speechless. It's the kind of fic that, after reading, makes me sit back and go, "What am I doing with my (writing)life?" And I mean that in the best way possible!

💘 A fic you couldn't stop reading once you started

Kneel for Me by @ceeceetv. I saw the post while I was getting ready for bed and even though my partner had already put his phone away and gone to bed, I stayed up and kept reading because I. Could. Not. Stop. I knew if I tried to save it for the next day, I was just going to lie in bed, unable to sleep, because I couldn't stop thinking about it. And I'm still not done thinking about it, to be quite honest!!

📚 A fic you wish you could display on your bookshelf

I love this question because to me, it's about picturing what the fic would look like if bound, and I think your spirit box would have the raddest cover and super cool interior illustrations, a la Starling House (but maybe I'm influenced by that also being a book with a sentient house.)

I feel like I need to give a special shoutout to The Storyteller Saga by @kcscribbler because after @izumiyagami14 went and made the dang thing a real book, how could i not want that on my shelf??

[angelsanarchy]

Alkaline: Euronymous x Y/N Series CH 4

Tagging: @ophelialaufey @madamemaximoff06 @forever-not-gonna-sink @ajmiila02 @liquidsmoothdomme @shady-the-simp

Oystein had been caught up with the band and his friends the moment they picked up Pelle. He was the perfect addition to their band and he couldn't help but feel like a revolutionary in the black metal scene as they put together new music. Y/n hadn't seen him around much and his sister informed her that him and the band got their own place about 30 mins away.

Y/n couldn't help but be a little bit bummed that she hadn't seen him but she knew he would eventually be too busy to entertain the idea of her. She figured wallowing in what could have been made the most sense when she walked into the packed bar. She squeezed between bodies until she was able to get to the bar top, bumping into someone with long blonde hair.

"Oh excuse me." The bump caused something to fall out of his pocket and Y/n was quick to pick it up. She realized it was decomposing rabbits foot.

"That's one way to keep luck with you." Y/n joked earning a silent smirk from the guy.

"I just cut it today." Pelle explained holding it in front of her face. He seemed almost surprised that she wasn't disgusted by it but Y/n grew up with two brothers and an uncle that was a butcher. Dead animals didn't faze her.

"You should change the metal cord out for string. As it breaks down, the cord will slice right through that like butter. String will give it some more time if you're trying to keep it around long enough to smell the death." Pelle looked stunned and nodded his head.

"Thanks." He held the foot in front of his own face as he walked away and Y/n shook her head. She ordered a drink and suddenly felt a hand on her back. When she turned she was surprised to see Oystein standing next to her with a smile on his face.

"Miss me?" Oystein asked smugly.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Y/n replied with a smirk. She must have missed him and his friends occupying a big table in the corner of the bar.

"You can admit it. My mom said you came by a few times." Oystein bumped her shoulder with his own.

"Just because you move out doesn't mean your family stops needing groceries." Y/n laughed.

"Maybe I should order some groceries for our new place. It's not too far out." Oystein leaned on the bar top.

"I don't usually do the orders that go outside of the perimeter but you can always put in an order and see who you get." She teased. Oystein's friends were loud and he glanced back at them.

"You met our new singer. His names Dead." Oystein pointed out the morbid blonde she had bumped into earlier.

"Wow...that's very fitting. Does he have an equally suitable name as you or?" She teased and he rolled his eyes.

"I would say his name is very fitting. He's a lot more fucked up than you can imagine. Living with him has been interesting to say the least." Oystein watched as she took another swig of a beer and couldn't help but stare at her throat. He wanted to wrap his hand around her neck tightly and fuck her until she was gasping for air and release.

"Don't let me keep you from your friends. I only came for one drink before I head home. It sounds like they're getting a little restless without their fearless leader." Y/n looked at his friends who gave her odd looks. They weren't sure exactly what someone like Euronymous was doing talking to someone like her.

"I don't care. Let them fuck off. I'm talking to who I want to talk to. I've missed seeing you." This surprised her. He was never upfront with feelings like this, especially amongst his peers.

"Really? I thought you would have forgotten all about me now that the band is taking off." Y/n kept her eyes on Oystein as he shook his head with confidence.

"When are you going to give it up and realize I'm not going to just piss off? I mean I will if you ask me to but not before that." He smiled, letting his hair fall into his face. Y/n reached up and pushed it away hearing a click of a camera from behind her. Oystein's smile dropped and the girl taking photos spun on her heel quickly.

"Don't let me ruin your image. You know where to find me if you're really looking." Y/n polished off her drink and Oystein seemed disappointed that their interaction was coming to a close.

"Do you want a ride?" He offered but she shook her head.

"No I'll be fine, thank you. Just try and get back to your place in one piece." She walked towards the door and he kept his stance at the bar.

"Oh and congratulations on the new place and the new singer. I'm happy things are going so well for you Oystein." The gang at the table started laughing and cracking jokes at him and he cut his eyes at them. She pushed out of the bar hoping he wasn't too embarrassed by her farewell. She had considered caving and calling him Euronymous but it just felt weird to her. She didn't see him like the others did. They didn't get to see the sweet, sensitive side that made sure to make it home for his mother's holiday dinner parties or who taught his little sister how to headbang. He made sure to always show her boss respect and even tipped him on holidays when the shop was usually dead. She didn't see him as this dark hero that they worshipped. She had nothing against that side of him but she liked him just the way he was.

"Y/n! Wait up." She spun on her heel and waited as he ran towards her with a napkin in his hand.

"Just in case you start missing me too." His friends poured out of the bar shortly after him and he ran after them before she could open the napkin. Once she did she saw a number scratched across it underneath his name: Øystein 

[strawb3rrystar]

Star's 200 followers special !! - Prompts

See here for the characters I will write for

How to request:

(Prompt(s) - Max 2) (What kind of reader - Fem, Masc, Gender Neutral) (Character) (Any other extra things you want me to add into the fic)

How long will the event run for?

November 1st 2023 - December 31st 2023 is when I'll be accepting requests and will be writing/posting them throughout

*Please note! The crossed out ones are already taken!

Smut prompts:

1. “Your underwear!? Why would you ask me! I, obviously, don’t have them!”

2. "Oh, my love, the things you do to me."

3. “Such a cute Puppy~ begging for cock like the well trained mutt you are."

4. “You look so good like that, my dear. On your knees, my cock down your throat."

5. "The only thing you’ll every be good for is a tight hole for me to stuff full.”

6. “You're drunk on my cock, aren’t you? You want to be stuffed full till all you can think is my cock in your needy little hole, don’t you?"

7. “Look at you. Cumming from just a vibrator, like a needy whore."

8. “Shut up and get against the wall. I’m fucking you right here in this alley, I don’t care who watches."

9. "Get over my lap. Good, I want the others to watch you get punished. I want them to know who you belong to.”

10. “Maybe you shouldn’t have dressed this way if you didn’t want someone to rip these clothes off."

11. “Don’t squirm, sweetheart. You’re my breeding bitch, now."

12. "Go on, swallow my spit. Be a good little slut."

13. "The only way you're getting off is on my thigh. And don’t you dare think of touching yourself."

14. "Two fingers, too much, baby?"

Yandere Prompts:

15. "I need you to eat. Don't make me set up the feeding tube again."

16. "Unless you want to be put in isolation again, I'd suggest you put down the knife. I'll let ____ know you can't assist in the kitchen for a while."

17. "Did you really think that would work? You know I have to put the shock collar back on now."

18. "Just remember, my hands can wrap all the way around your neck if needed."

19. "Why are you shaking, darling? Are you scared of me?"

20. "I'll take the gag off once you stop screaming."

21. "It's okay, I'll kiss all the pain away, my love. You don't have to worry."

22. "They deserved it for talking to you like that."

23. "You look so pretty in a collar, my perfect little darling."

24. "I wasn't following you, my dear. I was just making sure you were alright."

25. "Stalking? No, these cameras are to watch everything. Not just you... that would be silly..."

26. "I don't care if the ropes hurt, I'm not having you escape again."

27. "Why are you screaming? You know, no one will save you."

28. "Your friends? Darling, they've always hated you, believe me."

Fluff Prompts:

29. "Let's watch the sunset. Just you and me."

30. "I got you these flowers. I thought they matched your eyes."

31. "Are you cold? We can cuddle if you want to."

32. "I'm sorry if this isn't the romantic date you were hoping for..." "____, it's perfect."

33. "You look like you're struggling there. Want me to help?" (Dying/doing ur hair)

34. "You're so (Beautiful/Handsome/Amazing/Other compliments), baby."

35. "I hope my hands aren't too sweaty... Ah! Did I say that out loud?"

36. "Come on, we have time for one more kiss."

37. "Can you paint my nails too...?"

38. "Wow... My outfit looks like shit compared to yours."

39. "Jealous? Pfft, I'm not jealous."

40. "You're my (type of royalty), and I'll treat you like it."

41. "Let's get away from these assholes, hang out alone."

42. "I got you another stuffed animal. What? You can never have too many."

Tagging everyone on my taglist and my mutuals so they can see!! @raphaelsqueen @kipxer @mamaemoemu @sleebykei @vixezn @thejudiciousneurotic @spongejuice and @ju1cyfru1t - Not trying to bother any of you, just want to get the word out

[idontknowreallywhy]

Estera - Ch 30 - Introduce

It’s been a while… nearly a fortnight, but they’re back ;)

What went before

I struggled with this one, dunno why, but most of the good ideas and one-liners are down to @sofasurf! So much so I’m tagging her in for the next one.

This chapter is 100% silly friends being silly and daft brothers being daft because everyone needs to let their hair down once in a while… And they need a break before anything else falls on anyone…

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

…

The three “your contact is typing” dots bounced for a while then stopped. Then bounced again. Then stopped.

She put the phone down and continued to make breakfast but within moments picked it up again, intrigued. What was he taking so long to write?

…

…

How’s your day?

…

Did you know stress balls are not actually indestructible???

Um, yeah - I’m a primary school teacher. That’s basically day 1 of training.

Huh.

I sense there is a story behind this… sharing is caring you know?

THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE INDESTRUCTIBLE!

O….K…. Imagine me saying generic reassuring things and patting you on the shoulder.

My shoulder is covered in stress ball goop. But thank you, that weirdly helps.

🤭 oh dear… that stuff is a beast to wash out

Well there’s another Italian tailor I have to avoid for the rest of my life…

Not again!

I have glitter in my hair 😭

I’m sure it looks beautiful. I’ll ask one of your brothers to send me a photo.

I’m not getting out the shower until it’s gone.

You will literally starve to death.

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So today I had to confiscate an action figure which had Alan’s head, John’s torso and your limbs. Should I be concerned about these children?

That’s… horrifying. I’m never coming back to the UK. 😲

They all say hi by the way.

I’m too scared to say hi back to them now 😬

On the topic of the action figures…

Yes?

I have to know - what WAS wrong with Gordon’s novelty action figure of you? You never told me…

You don’t want to know.

Oh I really really do.

…

Oh go on, I’ll only be imagining worse.

…

The figure was making pancakes while wearing a frilly blue “Kiss The Chef” apron.

That doesn’t seem so bad?

Only the apron.

Oh my… 🤣

Speak of this to no-one.

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Hey Estera, got any plans this evening?

Aside from vegging out with Bez and watching Celebrity Alligator Wrestling?

I mean I wouldn’t want to tear you away from that…

I could be persuaded… :)

Well, we happen to be in Europe right now (John had a thing) and Penny is visiting some Earl near Exeter and suggested we pop by and go out for a drink.

John’s not Earthside very often so she takes whatever chances she can get to catch up with him (they are old college friends, did I ever mention that?)

ANYWAY as it’s not far from you I wondered whether you might like to join us?

Oh wow thank you that’s very kind of you to think of me! It would be lovely to meet John and Lady Penelope if you’re sure I wouldn’t be intruding?

Of course not!

Virgil is with us too and says you have to come because he’s already bored with mine and John’s company.

Ok, I must now tell you that he did not in fact use those exact words.

Or to say that.

Apparently I am maddening.

Hi Estera, it’s Virgil. Please ignore what my idiot brother is saying. It would be lovely to see you if you’d like to come but please don’t feel any pressure.

Girjebvaxbnnnnn&&&&&&&

It’s Scott again, I’ve retrieved my comm. Sorry about my annoying TINY LITTLE BABY sibling who snatches things that aren’t his.

😂 I think I’m sold. I can get to Exeter in an hour? Where and when should I meet you?

John says the place is near the Cathedral - send a message when you get there and I’ll come and find you?

Fab! Ok I shall do that.

Ha!

What?

F-A-B is kind of a thing for us.

Oh! Oh I should have known that!

Reuben and Alex refuse to use any other affirmative words.

Why though?

Long story, tell you later maybe.

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Estera rounded the corner of the cathedral and yelped as a strong gust nearly ripped her arm off in its determination to steal her umbrella. She wrestled it back and ducked into the shelter of the huge doorway only to conclude she should have let the wind take it as it was no longer any use to anyone other than as an art piece. “Mangled: A study in nylon and flimsy aluminium” perhaps. She tucked it under her arm and pulled out her phone:

Hi! I’m on The Green :) Don’t worry about coming out in all this, just let me know where you are and I’ll find you.

On my way!

Scott! It’s chucking it down! Just give me directions or somewhere to aim for.

I like the rain!

You’re a nutter.

A what?

… err British for ‘totally normal and rational’.

OK I will take your word for that and begin using ‘nutter’ regularly in a professional context.

Um… sure. I see no issues arising there.

😝 alright then

I think I see you!

She looked up and laughed as she spotted a lanky figure silhouetted against a streetlamp waving enthusiastically from across the green. She raised her arm in greeting, pulled her hood tighter around her face and then jogged towards him. She started out dodging the huge puddles with strictly limited success then gave up in favour of a direct route, swerving off course just the once to dump the useless brolly in a waste bin.

As soggy as she felt she was by the time their paths met, she wasn’t a patch on the drowned-but-grinning rat bouncing gently on his toes before her, hair plastered to his forehead and shirt clinging to him in a way she was relieved Barbara the receptionist couldn’t see.

Wait, shirt?

“Scott! I KNOW you own a coat.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “It always takes so long to dry the thing out. Cotton is fast.”

“Aren’t you freezing?”

“Nope!” He grinned and produced an umbrella with a flourish, pressing a button to automatically extend and open it and then raising it over her head in one smooth motion. The little squeak he emitted as he did so was anything but smooth however.

“Did I just hear an excited giggle from Mr Commander Tracy?”

“Also nope. Definitely not. Unrelatedly aren’t these just-press-the-button-and-SWOOSH-it’s-an-umbrella umbrellas just the best kind of umbrellas?”

Estera raised an eyebrow and wondered with amusement how many drinks he’d managed to put away already. “Certainly beats mine which I just ditched back there…” she looked at him smiling down at her from very much outside the umbrella’s zone of protection, water streaming down his face “although, given you have such a swanky brolly why did you not actually use it?”

“I told you, I like the rain.”

Estera raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’d do well living here then, we get a lot of it.” Shuddering slightly she shook water out of her sleeve. “Shall we get where we’re going before we grow gills?”

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“He’s going to get absolutely soaked isn’t he?”

Virgil watched his elder brother stroll casually towards the doorway and then launch himself out into the rain like an excited puppy. He couldn’t help smiling fondly.

“You know what he’s like about rain, John. Anyway the wet shirt look isn’t going to do him any harm is it…?”

“VIRGIL! Honestly you’re impossible.” John’s facepalm was a masterpiece.

“Well, before he brings this young lady back, somebody had best update me on what, exactly, we believe her status is.”

“Virgil is convinced they are an item. Scott denies it.”

“I didn’t say that. I just think she’s good for him. He is happy. I like that. So I’m inclined to like her. And if we’re about to meet our future sister-in-law that’s fine by me.”

Penelope chuckled, Virgil the hopeless romantic was certainly living up to expectation. John was frowning slightly however and that intrigued her.

“What do you think, John darling?”

“I’m interested in what has him so… interested. They seem to spend a lot of time talking, yet all I can see they have in common is shared trauma and an unhealthy approach to adrenaline.”

“That is more than many people have when beginning a friendship, John. That doesn’t mean it is all there will ever be. Look at you and I, all we had in common was the inability to escape the weight of our surnames and yet we’ve had some superb times.”

John smiled and raised his lemonade in a silent toast.

“Well, I’m excited” Virgil commented. “Let’s not scare her by being too… you know.” he gestured vaguely.

“Excellent social etiquette tip, there, thank you Virgil.” his brother muttered.

Penelope smiled into her cocktail. This was going to be an interesting evening.

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“You ok?”

Estera had slowed almost imperceptibly as they approached the door to the boutique pub Penny had selected and Scott paused as they reached the shelter of the porch, his hand resting on the heavy oak door.

“Yes! Uh, a little nervous I guess? Last time I spoke to John I was… rather embarrassing.”

“Aww, no you weren’t. You were just worried about me and that’ll go in your favour I promise. It’s pretty much a family pastime from what I can make out…” he pulled an exaggerated grimace and got a little smile in response.

“I can imagine.” She appeared to be steeling herself.

“They don’t bite, I promise. But…” he touched her shoulder lightly and ducked down a little to look her in the eye “if you’d rather not… we could go somewhere else and I can catch up with them later?”

“Oh goodness no. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, I am! Let’s go inside, it’s freezing out here.”

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“Hey look, John, Estera found a drowned puppy!”

“Goodness, doesn’t it look tragic?”

Penelope leaned backwards away from Scott as he responded to his brothers’ banter by shaking himself like a dog and showering the table with droplets from his hair before wringing his sleeve out down the back of Virgil’s collar who himself yelped like Sherbet in a snowdrift.

“Right for that you’re buying the next round big brother.”

“And this is novel, how?”

His friend hung back a little, watching the interaction with a mixture of amusement and mild confusion. Penelope gestured to Estera to take a seat beside her and cut across the brotherly jibing:

“Might it be an appropriate moment to introduce us Scott?”

The supposedly eldest and most mature of the pack looked up from where he’d flung his arms around John’s neck in what was clearly a weaponised soggy hug and smiled impishly before moving over and crouching down next to Estera’s chair.

“Estera, this is Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward - she is as lovely as she is fabulous and I’m sure you’ll get along.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that for a moment. And please call me Penny!”

Estera smiled and offered a hand which Penny grasped with both of hers and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

Scott cleared his throat importantly “Next, I am delighted to present for your approval Annoying-Little-Brother-One who also goes by don’t-call-me-Johnny”

“Ha. Ha. Scooter. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Estera, although why you are wasting your time in the company of this absolute fool I cannot fathom.”

“And last but very much not least, either in importance or sheer bulk, here is Annoying-Little-Brother-Two who we refer to as short-stuff, the-tank, care-bear or, occasionally, Virgil”

Virgil leaned across the table to shake her hand. “You do realise what an insufferable creature our eldest brother is don’t you?”

“Oh yes, spotted that one straight away.”

Scott clutched his chest and gasped “I am hurt! A plague o’ both houses! I am sped!” before collapsing on to his back with melodramatic flailing and a range of choking noises before lying still with his tongue lolling and eyes rolled back.

Penelope giggled delicately while Estera tutted and rolled her eyes.

“You still have a couple of paragraphs of monologue before you’re allowed to expire, Mercutio. C+ must try harder.”

Scott pouted while John held up his hand for a high five.

Penelope caught Virgil’s eye and he grinned.

“Death doesn’t get you out of your round big bro. Get your soggy butt off the floor and over to the bar while we fill Estera in on some key anecdotes.”

Scott’s expression of dread wasn’t melodrama at all.

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[bodrewritten]

Daughter of Discord Rewritten Chapter 22: My Love Is Alive

2:30 Pm / CW: descriptions of a meltdown, comfort. Stay tuned for a bonus chapter with an epic surprise. Read tags

When the young couple floated back to the ground, their lips were still locked. The world around them had returned to normal, save for the blizzard. Discord was standing up.

"okay ya crazy kids, come up for air!"

When the pair finally pulled away, Mothball was smiling like an idiot.

"Wow!"

His eyes spun in circles and hearts beat in his eyes. This made Screwball giggle. Her friends rushed to her side and embraced her.

"That was amazing!" Apple Blossom shouted.

"Heroic!" Cinnamon twist added.

"Cool!" Doodle palooza piped.

"Romantic!" Dinky sighed.

Autumn Glory lifted her head from below dinky. "Major league epic."

Dinky got off of her friend, giggling. "Whoopsie!."

"So you guys aren't mad at me?" Screwball asked hopefully.

"Yeah, w-well," maple Cinnamon said, putting his hoof to his bandaged head. "You s-seemed to learn y-y-your lesson."

Meanwhile, Mothball was twirling in circles, lost in the memory of the bliss he had just experienced.

"Uh oh," Apple Blossom chuckled. "Screwy, I think your kiss did more than save the world. You've made the poor boy all loopy!"

"like some sorta poison frog!" Cinnamon twist laughed.

The group laughed. Screwball broke their hug and walked over to her coltfriend. She put her hooves on his shoulders to stop him from falling over. Mothball then returned to his senses, only to get lost in her hypnotic swirls.

"I'm proud of you, Screwy."

They turned toward Twilight, who had her horn back.

"I guess I was wrong, you really didn't have to choose. Between loves, I mean." She immediately told spike to write it down.

Rarity dashed to hug her girlfriends, kissing rainbow dash passionately, the only warmth around the mare. She glanced towards Applejack, who only looked towards Autumn Glory. Applejack seemed withdrawn. It made Rarity feel distant again.

Mothball blushed nervously. "Grand duchess...I know I've done some bad things in the past, but I swear I'll be careful around ponies! I can become a vegetarian and live on chocolate!"

Twilight laughed. "You are pardoned, Mothball." She looked at screwball's family.

"I don't think you'll starve anytime soon."

The unicorn's mirth diminished when Discord stepped in front of her. Mothball shrunk under the draconequus' strict glare. His arms were folded and his face wore a frown. The changeling clung to Screwball for leverage. She gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Discord glanced between the two. Neither said anything for a long while. Then he sighed and extended his paw towards the changeling.

Mothball looked at it unsurely. He glanced at Screwball, who was grinning excitedly. She let go of him and nudged him toward Discord's paw. The prince gazed up at the draconequus. His face softened to one of happiness.

"put'er there, son!"

The changeling slowly raised his hoof and placed it in his paw. As soon as they made contact, Mothball felt a bolt of electricity and shook uncontrollably.

Discord started laughing and revealed the joybuzzer in his paw. He clutched he pulled the poor boy into a hug. The Pie family was laughing as well, as was Screwball. The others either giggled or just grinned in amusement.

Mothball looked at his marefriend in confusion.

Screwball chuckled as she patted him on the back. "that's his way of showing that he likes you!"

The changeling looked at the others. Cinnamon twist gave him a shrug.

"It's true."

"t'aint wrong."

"I still have the mark on my hoof."

Mothball then found himself snickering. He still didn't get it.

Screwball left Mothball and ran to her parents.

"Mom!"

The couple pulled away and opened their arms for their daughter. Fluttershy weeped at the sight of Zany.

"Oh, my baby!" she cried. "I thought I had lost you!"

"Our family," Discord sighed, "together at last!"

"Promise me we'll never split up again?"

The draconequus shook his head with a laugh. "Never."

Mothball smiled as the family embraced each other. He was happy that they were whole again, but it also made him sad. The changelings were the only family he had ever known. Now that he had left them, he had no one. He did not even have a place to live.

Then Fluttershy noticed Mothball. She was surprised to see him here, but given the fact that Discord had not vaporized him, she figured things were sorted out between them now. She reached out her hoof toward him. Mothball beamed as he took it and she pulled him in.

Pinkie Pie blew her nose in a handkerchief.

"It's so beautiful!" she cried.

Then she smiled suddenly. "Hey! Why the blizzard in summer?"

Crap.

Everyone looked onward to the horizon line, beyond the mountains. There, windigos raced towards the village.

Something was almost irreversiblly wrong in the relationships with the ponies if they hadn't begun to talk.

The bunkers opened, only to be met with walls of snow.

"Did we miss anything?" Cadence inquired. She had just arrived in ponyville. Princess Celestia and Luna took care of the diplomatic relations in Canterlot.

"quite a bit! Windigos across the mountains!"

The sky was a mourning grey, blistering cold, freezing the tips of their limbs. Crystalline ice formed on the surfaces of everything, sprinkled like glitter on the face of the scowling town.

"screwball, what is happening?"

"WINDIGOS ARE REAL?!" Screwball shouted to her mother! Her eyes were wide with shock.

Why wouldn't they be? They detected the war, drawn in by the bloodshed and now they galloped to consume everything in their sight.

"b-but everything is better now! This shouldn't be happening!" Rainbow dash exclaimed.

Rarity yelped as the wind picked up. Rainbow dash couldn't fly in this wind, not as well as she usually would. Her wings unfurled, but dash almost fell over.

"Applejack! Please! Go get her!"

Applejack stood still in fear, confusion, and...

Twilight tried to rally crowds of ponyville citizens back into their basement, but they screamed, hurling their worst at mothball.

"he did this!"

"spawn of evil!"

Mothball covered his ears. Everything felt like it was being pelted at him, making him angrier, more frustrated, unable to express anything out. Mothball grit his teeth and thrashed at anything, anything to release the steam building up, and The fire around him.

Shouting, yelling, screaming, screech, the blizzard of stinging, the ache in his exoskeleton, the aggravating, irritating tinging of their every breath, crack, shatter, thump, repeat, repeat repeat.

Mothball couldn't help but cry, couldn't help but push out every tear hoping the repeating screams of contempt just goes away. The dull ringing in his ears attempting to muffle everything never worked. Suddenly, he was scooped up and brought somewhere near silent. Still, like a water lily. He was tightly wound up like a little grub baby.

Mothball was under a weighted blanket, hugged tightly under pale yellow hooves.

Mothball's ears were covered with thick earmuffs. He wanted to talk, but Fluttershy spoke first.

"Screwball gets this way too. She's in her bubble right now. I know it might be difficult to talk right now, so if you need anything, just tap me. I'm right here"

He drove himself closer to her. The crowd was quieted down by the princess, cadence and Grand Duchess Twilight Sparkle.

"please, everypony, quiet down! Mothball is an ally! He's a part of the house Discord!" Twilight yelled, and the crowd screamed towards her their woes, the chill dripping from their faces unnoticed.

Cadence made them stand back, directing the crowd to speak one at a time.

"Cadence, I can't keep doing this, they won't listen!" Twilight turned up to her sister in law, ears pulled back.

"oh twily, they might never listen. But we have one chance to do our best. You're always great at that." Cadence noogied the Duchess' hair, and twilight smiled for the first time all day.

The crowd hushed when they saw this. Twilight addressed them directly. "Citizens of ponyville, mothball, the prince, no longer holds that royal title. He has been accepted by the family Discord, so why can't you accept him? He fought off the changeling queen, he and screwball defeated our enemies, he is an ally to the entire equestria."

The crowd talked amongst themselves while rainbow dash crawled towards rarity. The winds blew harder, an impending twister upon them. Rarity climbed into a ditch, safe in a pipe, and rainbow dash held up a wooden pallet, bringing it to cover the entrance. Applejack was attached to a tree, holding onto her hat as hard as she could.

"Applejack!" Rainbow dash yelped! "Dude, what are you doing?! Talk to me! We need to get to rarity!"

Applejack held onto her tree tight as a boa. "Nothing is wrong! Y'all leave me be, I'll get there when I do!"

"what are you talking about!? You haven't talked to rarity in two days! Something's up and you're leaving me out!

Rarity lifted her head. "Is this about the gala? Prince Blueblood? Applejack I can't fix what I did if you don't tell me how!"

"we don't gotta fix anything! I just wanna go back to how it was! I ain't got nothin' more to say!"

Rainbow dash had quite enough.

"DAMNIT, QUIT TAP DANCING AROUND THE CONVERSATION! THIS TORNADO WILL BEAT THE WITHERS OFF OF YOU IF YOU DONT TALK, AND I MIGHT JOIN IN!"

Rarity looked at her wife, tears streaming from her face the same way they did at twilight's first sleepover. The first time she thought about kissing her woman. She pleaded with her wet, shimmering eyes, salty tears freezing to her thick lashes. Applejack gulped and hid her face. The shame bubbled in her chest. Her hind hooves flew freely in the whipping wind, tearing away her hair ties.

"when you said you would never let Autumn Glory know about her dad, I felt like you didn't care how much it affects a pony! I felt like you intentionally ignored how much losing my parents damaged me!"

Rainbow dash looked in shock. Rarity looked with love.

"oh darling! Just let the words fall out!"

"you're my best girl! So's Dashie! I know you'd never hurt me on purpose, but I couldn't face how much you was hurtin' cuz I'd have to confront how I felt when i lost my parents!"

The storm died down, allowing some leverage for Applejack's hoof to hit the ground. She outstretched every limb like a lazy cat, adjusting every muscle to reach her wives. Finally, after torturous minutes, she found shelter in the large pipe.

Fluttershy sat next to discord to wait out the storm. He turned to his wife and nuzzled her nose. Mothball felt a bit embarrassed that they were being so sweet while he was right there.

"discord I have to say it. I thought that screwball wouldn't find love as easy as she did because of how hard it was for you to love and be loved in the beginning. I thought other ponies might think that she's too much."

Discord looked at her with drooping eyes.

"you don't still believe that, do you?"

Fluttershy kissed him. "You two are so easy to love. I'm glad the world knows that now. No, I don't."

Mothball cringed as they hugged and snuggled above him. He ran out to the blanket and out into the cold, starkly contrasting.

Mothball stood in behind Cadence to face the crowds. His chest was raised and chin held level. Just like Mantis taught him to face crowds.

The ponyville citizens kept their stare at him. Cadence pushed him forward, and before he knew it, twilight sparkle let him address the ponies.

"kingdom of ponyville, I implore thee to still thy tongue." He said in the changeling language, like queen Chrysalis did. "I cannot apologize for what my previous hive has done. You have every right to hold malice against them. But please, forgive me. I have experienced the life I can live with you, and I will use my powers to help out kingdom, if only you will let me into your hive. Together, we can be strong, and our friendship will be universal!"

Yikes. Twilight and Cadence looked at each other with wide eyes, lips pursed. Silent as a dead lamb.

...

One pony piped up from the crowd, "close enough!" Before they erupted into cheers.

The parties were happening all about the town, but most vibrant in the park. Rarity sold more in ponyville than ever before. As did Pinkie. Rainbow dash played in the sky, taking her wives up high as she could, doing anything just for fun. Twilight danced and didn't care who saw, telling everypony what constellations she recognized. (All of them.) Rarity set up a date to allow Autumn Glory and her other foals to meet their father, and told them what to expect. Applejack supported her the whole way.

The war was over, and the storm was dying down. Ponies enthusiastically hugged their heroes, swapped stories of survival, and played through the night. A party with lanterns and fairy lights illuminated the starry sky. All was warm and bright. They could sleep in the day, work even later, but for now, nothing kept the citizens away from eachother

Under a string of pink and blue lights, twilight found Princess Celestia, chatting away with her guard near the banquet.

"and make sure none of them are white. I cannot see the- Twilight!" Celestia smiled at her, unapologetically showing her teeth.

Twilight hugged her and she took the unicorn under her wing.

"you have proven yourself more than capable of your royal position, and much more. You are the biggest mark on history I have ever witnessed."

Twilight nearly cried. huge, wet eyes met Celestia's. She chuckled and pat her student's head.

"consider yourself graduated from my mentorship. You... Are ready."

Twilight was barely able to comprehend that statement before Celestia brought her to her magical alicorn-creating void between universes. Idk man I'm ready to end this series.

Discord and Fluttershy walked to an empty area of the park. Their time alone together was long overdue and the first thing they did was share a passionate kiss.

"I never should have doubted you," Discord said. "I should have known you would never betray me." He chuckled nervously. "I'm such a nutcase."

Fluttershy smiled. "It's alright. We have everything in order now.." She glanced back at the party. "Are you alright with Screwball's coltfriend?"

Discord cringed. "I've been meaning to tell you"

Fluttershy gulped. He seemed so approving bef-

"Fluttershy, he has no place to stay can we please-"

Fluttershy practically deflated. "Discord, you big softie,he can stay with us as long as he needs to."

Discord scooped her up and she blushed a deep color. He kissed her all along her face.

Screwball and mothball, meanwhile, drank punch on the sidelines.

"shall we tell them that everypony can see them kissing?" Mothball said, not looking at his fillyfriend.

"jeez, 16 years and they still act like a couple'a teenagers!"

"that does not seem entirely distasteful. At least you know they love each other!"

"you wanna talk distasteful? Try sleeping down the hall from em."

Mothball stared blankly into the distance. "Glad I do not live with you!" And they laughed at once!

Discord appeared right next to them instantly!

"great news kid! You're living with us! Don't try getting out of it!

Mothball was stunned. He wanted to thank the man and his wife, shake his hoof, but something felt like he wouldn't know peace for the rest of his life.

As he agreed and hugged his girlfriend's family, he felt that he could live with that.

"Aw, Daddy!"

He looked up and saw Screwball hovering above him

Screwball floated down and hugged her father around his neck.

"I'll always be your little girl," she declared.

Discord smiled and wrapped his arms around the filly. No matter what would happen, no matter how big she would get, she would always be his daughter Screwball, and he would always be there for her.

For he was her Daddy Discord.

[geronimomo-spd]

@cosmik-homo's post really did get me thinking, what are you guy's 60s Who recon moments that you want to see, that you can pull up from your brain in under 30 secnds?

mine are: -Steven getting carried by a bunch of fake cops in the fake silent movie scene from "The Feast of Steven", i know that this episode was the only Dalek Master Plan episode that was not sold overseas so i dout we will ever see it again, but gosh darn it i need to see Steven getting carried around like that XD, and the rest of the episode sounds hilerios too AND I NEED TO SEE IT OK

-Vicki hugging the Tardis goodbye scene from The Myth Makers!! like are you kidding me, that sounds fucking ADORABLE like jesus christ, i was hoping even for a telesnap or something but no dice, and gosh darn it that sounds like everything, more companions should do it

-i also NEED Two annoying Ben with his reccorder for the very first time from Power of the Daleks, annoying little shit and i needed to see the first time he plays that thing like come on!!

-also!!! Barbara's iconic: "you check your history books, Ian, before you decide what other people deserve" moment from Rain of Terror, Barbara my queen i adore that for you, also the only time that Ian was moraly wrong in an episode i think. such an iconic sentence im still wow from it

-Steven leaning on the Chumbly from Galaxy 4, such a gender moment from him, iconic behavior

-meeting Jamie for the first time <3 oh and the blood letting scene from The Highlinders, the entire episode like, pretty please! the entire episode is so fun its insane, also an honreble mention for 2 dressed as an old lady and annying people in the In <3

-the team sleeping and waking up scene from The Macra Terror, it looks so domestic before Ben gets brainwashed lol

-the Jamie dance scene from the Macra Terror as well!!! "We want something gay and cheerful" "JAMIE: Gay and cheerful?" from the Macra Terror as well. the entire dance!! please and thank you!!!

and these are mine!! what are you guys? put them in the tags even if you don't wanna reblog sdfsf

[bwabys-scenarios]

Fixer Upper

Part 27

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

!!REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!

Part 26

Part 28

warnings: drinking, characters get high(weed), killua and Kurapika get into a fist fight, Reader is mentioned to have attempted suicide, mentions of Kurapika planning to kill himself after he finds all of the scarlet eyes

A/N: everyone thank Bug for not only the idea for this chapter, but also for helping to write several scenes!! Without her, Fixer Upper wouldn’t be possible <3

taglist: @fabitheraven @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @lemonslut @homeinmydreams @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc @itszenava @fiightforlovee @mimi-sanisanidiot @monainanuttshell @wow-im-gay @whorermoviestar @lightshowerrr @mama-m1na @nenggie @wicked-binch @jamayah @themanicwriter01

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(Name) set the turkey to bake the night before the gathering, and after that, she went to sleep. She would be waking up in the early hours of the day to cook and do some last minute cleaning, so she would need her sleep.

An alarm was set for 6 am, where she would wake up to check on the turkey before getting everyone else up.

“Kurapika, it’s time to wake up.”

The blonde groaned, sitting up to see (Name) standing at his bedside, looking exhausted. She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her tired eyes, before gently brushing his hair out of his face. “Todays the big day. Let’s get ready, okay?”

He followed her downstairs, where everyone else was already awake and yawning. (Name) stood in front of everyone, wearing her pajamas. “Okay guys, I’m going to give everyone a task that you’ll need to complete before guests get here.”

“Um, (Name), a guest is already here.”

(Name) looked to where Gon was pointing to see Bisky sitting on the couch next to Leorio, eyeing him up. “Hey sweetheart, I decided to get here early, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh um, I don’t mind at all. Please excuse the mess, we’re still getting-“

(Name) watched as Bisky pulled out a wine glass and bottle of wine before pouring herself a drink. “Oh don’t worry about messes, (Name). I’m sure those boys are to blame anyways.”

Killua and Gon shrank under her gaze, the former sticking his tongue out at her. Leorio scratched the back of his head. “So what are our tasks, sunshine?”

“Oh, right.”

Killua and Gon were put on cleaning duty, Leorio and Kurapika were asked to do grocery runs and get the little fire pit ready outside, and Alluka was sat at the kitchen table to help (Name) cook. “I thought Bisky came to help with preparations, but she’s just drinking and watching hallmark movies.”

Leorio walked in, wearing a look of confusion on his face. “So is no one going to stop the 12 year old from drinking her weight in wine?”

“Are you talking about Bisky? She’s nearly 60.”

“60? Yeah and I’m 42.”

Alluka and (Name) glanced at each other then him. “You… look like you’re pushing at least 30, Leorio.”

“30!? IM 21!”

(Name) watched as he sulked out of the room, trying not to laugh. “You’re handsome though!”

The two got back to work, smiling and laughing as they cooked. “Okay Alluka, Zushi is going to be here soon so you two can go play, alright?”

A few hours passed, with (Name) finishing up most of the cooking besides a few items. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to make another cherry pie last minute, but she was able to make another batch of macaroni. She still set Kurapika’s version on the table though, even when Killua walked up and scowled. “Mom, that’s going to give someone food poisoning.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Killua, be nice. Kurapika and-“

“Oh I am being nice, that shit looks like it’s going to come alive at any moment and beg for death-“

“Does it really look that bad?”

Killua paused his rant when Gon appeared in the doorway, looking a little hurt. “I tried my best…”

“Oh, Gon…”

(Name) patted his back, letting him sniffle. Killua grabbed Gon’s sleeve and tugged him away, (Name) watching them go. Ever the curious one, she snuck around the corner to listen in on their conversation.

“Gon, I didn’t know you were the one that fixed it up. I was being too harsh b-“

“Because you thought Kurapika did it? That’s not very nice, Killua.”

She could hear Killua sigh, smiling to herself. She could almost picture his cheeks puffing out in a pout as he looked at his friend. “Well… I just don’t really like him all that much.”

“You keep saying that, but you never tell me why. What did he do to make you hate him so much? He’s never done anything to hurt any of us!”

Killua stayed quiet, (Name) holding a hand over her chest. “I just… don’t like that he can’t just tell mom how he feels. He says he wants to ask her out, but he keeps chickening out. Kurapika is selfish too, he expects her to wait for him forever…”

(Name)’s eyes widened. ‘He… he likes me? He’s been trying to ask me out on a date?’

Her face felt hot, and she stopped listening for a moment until she heard something else of interest. “Come here, Gon. Let’s get back before everyone gets suspicious.”

“Yeah. I love you, Killua.”

“I love you too.”

(Name) peeked her head around just in time to watch Killua give Gon a peck on the cheek, both of the boys blushing. She stared open mouthed for a split second before rushing back to the kitchen.

———————-

The guests started arriving soon after that, the first being Wing and Zushi. Zushi immediately left with Alluka to play outside, while Wing walked into the kitchen to greet (Name).

“Miss (Name), it’s good to see you. Thank you for watching Zushi last month, he really enjoyed it.”

(Name) smiled, shaking his hand. “Oh it was no problem, and just (Name) is fine!”

Wing left to join Leorio on the porch, Kurapika peeking into the kitchen soon after. “Angel, I got the milk and eggs.”

“Oh wow, he came back with the milk. Surprising.”

Kurapika scowled at Killua, narrowing his eyes. “Of course I did, (Name) asked me to.”

“Uh huh. It’s just a bit of a shock to see you doing anything useful around here. Usually you stand around like an idiot while (Name) does all of the work.”

Kurapika’s grip on the shopping bags tightened, (Name) rushing forward. “You two need to stop, you’re being childish. Anymore of this fighting and you’ll both be washing all of the dishes after dinner. And I mean all of them.”

Killua shuddered, looking at the various pots, pans, bowls, and plates littered across the kitchen. “… point taken.”

Kurapika set the groceries on the table, helping to unpack them as (Name) smiled. “Don’t take him too seriously, he’s trying to get under your skin. If you ignore him, he’ll stop eventually. You have to stop giving him a reaction.”

“You’re acting like he’s some kind of wild animal that can’t be tamed. He’s a kid that needs some discipline, you let him get away with everything.”

(Name) scowled. “I don’t let him get away with everything, he usually is really well behaved whne you’re not around. Have you ever thought it’s not him, but you that’s the problem?”

Kurapika paused, feeling a bit hurt. “What did I do to deserve-“

He stopped, sighing softly. They both knew what he did to upset Killua, but Kurapika had hoped he would be past that by now. But at that thought, Kurapika cringed. ‘Oh course he isn’t over it, who would be? (Name) didn’t deserve that…’

Kurapika sighed, throwing the empty shopping bags in the trash. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

(Name) looked up, humming. She had already went back to mashing up potatoes while he sulked. “You can make sure Leorio doesn’t get high before dinner.”

“On it.”

More guests arrived, in the form of Knuckle, Shoot, and Morel. They all brought desserts, which were much appreciated since Kurapika burned the cherry pie. “Aww, these look great!”

“Thanks, we got them from the bakery down the street.”

Morel and Shoot joined Leorio on the porch while Knuckle sat at the kitchen table, watching her cook. “You’ve been working hard, (Name). You made all this?”

“Yeah, but I had some help from Alluka and Menchi-“

“I can tell you did most of the work, (Name). Don’t sell yourself short.”

She nodded, her cheeks warming at the compliment. (Name) leaned towards Knuckle to give him a kiss on the cheek just as Kurapika rounded the corner to ask if she needed any help.

The blonde stared at the two, his eyes gone scarlet. Knuckle was the first to recognize the intense bloodlust emanating from behind him, seeing Kurapika when he turned around. (Name) spotted him as well. “Oh, hey Kurapika!”

Kurapika didn’t respond, only walking over to get, grabbing her arm. “(Name), I need to speak with you for a moment.”

“B-but I have something in the ove-“

Kurapika continued to pull her away, his heart racing and his stomach churning. He couldn’t stand seeing her lips touch another man, it made him seethe with rage.

“Kurapika, what is so important that you need t-“

“Why were you kissing him??”

Kurapika grabbed her by the shoulders, meeting her (e/c) eyes with his scarlet ones. She blinked before answering. “Huh? Because he was being nice to me. It was just a kiss on the cheek, and I can kiss whoever I want.”

His grip tightened slightly, the blonde biting his lip. “(Name), I-“

A knock at the door interrupted the two. (Name) used the small distraction to duck away from Kurapika and towards the door. (Name) wiped her hands off on her apron. “Coming!”

Kurapika followed behind her, attempting to get her attention again as she opened the door. Neither of them were mentally prepared for who would be behind it.

“Hello, (Name). It’s a pleasure.”

Pariston stood behind the door, holding a box of gourmet chocolates, likely bought from the local bakery. He handed them to (Name) before pushing past her into her home.

Behind him was Cheadle and several other people (Name) assumed were zodiac members. She could almost feel Kurapika tense up behind her.

“Chairwoman Cheadle, what a-“

Cheadle sighed as Kurapika began to ask her a question. “When you mentioned the get together (Name) planned, Pariston was determined to attend. I didn’t want those two to cause too much trouble, so I and a few of the Zodiac came as well.”

“Those two? I only saw Parist-“

“Hey babe, miss me?”

(Name)’s face scrunched up in disgust when Ging walked up her driveway, giving her a sly smile. Cheadle slapped a hand over her forehead, rubbing at her temple as if she already had a headache from his presence alone. “Yes, those two.”

Ging walked in, walking over the welcome mat without wiping his feet. He ended up tracking in a lot of mud, causing (Name) to twitch. Cheadle hit Ging on the shoulder. “At least act like you have manners. Take those off on the porch!”

Kurapika seemed tense, the corner of his mouth twitching downward into a nervous frown. (Name) placed a hand on his shoulder to attempt to comfort him, but he shrugged it away. She sighed, putting on a smile for the Zodiac members.

“Well, welcome everyone. Please, take a seat. There’s drinks in the cooler outside.”

They walked in, and Kurapika noticed it was all the members that had been at the meeting the other day. Pyon, Gel, Mizaistom, and Zanzai, along with Ging, Cheadle and Pariston. ‘A bit of a handful, but if everything goes well, maybe this would be a good opportunity to prove that (Name) isn’t a bad person!’

(Name) got them all drinks, smiling sweetly and making idle chat as she did some tidying up. “I’ll be back in a little bit, please make yourselves at home!”

She wiped her hands on her apron before leaving to the kitchen, Kurapika’s eyes on her ass as she left.

“She’s got quite the figure, doesn’t she?”

Kurapika’s cheeks turned bright pink when Pariston sat beside him, following his gaze. “I can see why you like her so much, not only is her nen powerful, she seems like you could put her body to use as well.”

The blonde felt his blood boil. “Don’t you dare speak of her in that way, she’s not an object.”

Pariston laughed, patting Kurapika’s shoulder playfully. “Oh my dear friend, she’s the object of your desires, is she not? You were look at her too, you sly dog. Funny, I thought you were supposed to be the rat zodiac.”

Kurapika was visually uncomfortable, his hand gripping the fabric of his pants. No, Kurapika didn’t just see her as an object to own, he loved her. He was nothing like Pariston!

Right?

“Kurapika!”

He looked up, relaxing ever so slightly when he saw (Name) walking back in. She was carrying a bowl of peach cobbler and ice cream in her hands. “I got you a little snack! I saw you didn’t eat breakfast, so I cut into the peach cobbler a little early.”

He felt his heart melt, the blonde sighing happily as she handed the bowl to him. “(Name)…”

Like the last time it was given to him, the peach cobbler was shaped into a heart, with generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Pariston snickered next to him. “Wow, it’s even heart shaped. How… cute. You two… must be very close. That’s interesting, really.”

Kurapika’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the things Pariston was insinuating, or the sinister look in his eye. “We’re not that close.”

Kurapika said this to be cautious, but (Name) tensed behind him. “I… made it how you like it.” she said softly.

Kurapika’s grip on the bowl tightened, and Pariston decided to keep going. “That wasn’t what you were saying in the meeting. Don’t you lo-“

Pariston grinned when Kurapika covered his mouth, the Kurta’s eyes scarlet with anger. “Keep your filthy mouth shut, Pariston.”

(Name) glanced at the other Zodiacs, who all looked bored, besides Ging, who was walking towards her bathroom with a groan.

“Um… I’m going to go… finish dinner.”

She gave Kurapika a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder before leaning down to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be in the kitchen, okay Pika?”

Kurapika nodded, his eyes half lidded and face red as she left. Her touch could always calm him down, and the blonde couldn’t help but watch her leave with a yearning in his soul.

“Your face is as red as your eyes, lover boy.”

Pariston laughed at Kurapika, crossing one leg over the other. “You look like your husband just left for war. I never thought you would be the clingy type, but here we are.”

“I’m… I’m not clingy. (Name) is just important to me…”

He ate his cobbler in silence, pouting. Maybe if (Name) hadn’t made him something and kissed his cheek, he wouldn’t have been teased so much. ‘I’ll just talk to her… Leorio said communication is key.’

The blonde finished his cobbler, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. He opened the door, glancing in to see (Name) humming to herself as she chopped up celery. “Kurapika? Did you enjoy the cobbler?”

He was quiet as he set his bowl in the sink. He turned on the water, filling the bowl so it could soak to make it easier for whoever washed dishes later.

“(Name)…”

She looked up, swiping the chopped celery from the cutting board into a strainer with her knife. “Yes, Pika?”

(Name) looked awfully cute in her pink, frilly apron, making the blonde short circuit for a moment before he was able to answer. “Can… can you not embarrass me like that?”

The woman paused, giving him her full attention. With an unreadable expression, she replied. “Excuse me?”

‘Fuck.’

“W-when you kissed by cheek, it was a little embarrassing. The Zodiac are my prestigious colleagues, I don’t want them thinking lesser of me. Showing weakness in front of them isn’t very-“

Her expression was now very readable. She looked hurt and upset, the soft smile she’d been wearing before completely gone. “… think lesser of you? What do you even mean by that? Am… I embarrassing to you?”

Kurapika knew he fucked up, the blonde trying his best to backtrack. “No, no you’re not embarrassing, it’s the way you act that’s emba-“

He cursed to himself, he was just digging himself in further. (Name) stared at him in disbelief, hurt evident on her face. “Are you… being serious, Pika? You think I’m embarrassing?”

He froze, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to explain himself, but he wasn’t able to get anything out. Kurapika stuttered, face flushing in embarrassment as he tried to justify what he said. “Well, it’s just that sometimes you can do things that e-embarrass me. I…”

He went quiet. There were tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, and her lip was quivering. “Sorry, I’ll keep that in mind, Kurapika.”

Kurapika flinched. He wanted to grab at her sleeve and apologize, try to explain himself better, but she was already giving him the cold shoulder, refusing to even look at him. He hated seeing her cry more than anything, especially when he was the cause of her tears.

“(Name), please, I… just listen to me.”

“Sorry, I’m too busy being embarrassing to hear you.”

“(Name)…”

He reached out to grab her shoulder to MAKE her listen to him, but before he could the bathroom door opened. Ging walked out, holding the bottle of Febreze and spraying it. “Yeesh, I feel 10 pounds lighter. Hey (Name)!”

He turned to them, laughing. “Ah, they you are sweetheart. Shitters full, hope ya got a good plunger.”

He patted her shoulder then walked off, leaving both of them grimacing and covering their noses.

“And I’m the embarrassing one? So much for the Zodiac being prestigious…”

Kurapika grimaced. He couldn’t really argue with that, and he didn’t want to either. There was the fact that Ging wasn’t a Zodiac member anymore, but he had been one for a while. There was no excuse, really.

“Leorio, toilets clogged!”

————————

(Name) sat in the kitchen, angrily stirring a pot of cabbage. She hadn’t spoken to Kurapika since he claimed she embarrassed him, and the blonde was currently an emotional wreck. He couldn’t even pretend to keep up appearances, Kurapika openly sulked on the couch as the other guests loitered awkwardly.

“Kurapika, you’re bumming everyone out. What’s up with you?”

The blonde groaned, his head in his hands. “I’m an idiot. The worst.”

“Oh fuck, what did you say to (Name)?”

Kurapika looked up at Leorio, his face miserable. “Why do you think this has to do with (Name)?”

“Because you’re an idiot when it comes to her.”

Leorio wasn’t wrong, Kurapika’s brain did always turn to mush when (Name) was around. “I… said she was embarrassing.”

“Just when I thought you couldn’t say anything worse than the shit you said in York New, you just… go above and beyond.”

A groan left Kurapika’s throat, causing Bisky to glance in his direction. She gave the boy a sympathetic look. “Girl troubles? (Name) told me everything. I should be angry with you but…”

She crossed her legs. “If I’ve learned anything in my old age, it’s that no one would act the way you are now unless they were in love.”

Kurapika nodded slowly, his cheeks flushing a soft pink. “I do love her, I just… I say stupid and hurtful things I don’t mean. I’ve made her cry, now I can’t say I love her. Who makes the one they love cry and think all they are is an embarrassment?”

Bisky placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it. “Everyone says things they don’t mean sometimes. What’s important is fixing that mistake and making sure the person you hurt knows that you care about them. Just talk to her, tell her how you feel.”

Kurapika scowled. “That’s the problem, she isn’t talking to me now. Every time I try to talk to her, she turns up the music on her headphones or gives me the cold shoulder.”

“Yeah, that’s to be expected. Hell, if you called me embarrassing I would have broken up with you then and there.”

“… we’re not dating.”

Bisky blinked a few times. “Ah… with the way you two look at each other, I thought… never mind. Obviously you haven’t gotten lucky yet.”

The pink on Kurapika’s cheeks turned to a bright red, Leorio trying not to crack up beside him. “Th-that’s none of your business!”

Kurapika crossed his arms, looking away as Leorio stood. “You have fun sulking, I’m gonna go get the fire started.”

(Name) sighed in relief, placing the last dish on the table. The food was finally done, all she needed was to cut everything up and set out paper plates for everyone to use!

“Need some help with that, (Name)?”

Kite was leaning against the doorway, giving her a soft smile. It took (Name) a minute to process their presence, and when she did she broke out into goggles. She ran over to hug them, looking up at them with a big smile. “Kite, you made it!”

“Of course I did, wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

They helped (Name) get the turkey cut up, along with placing a serving spoon in each dish. She sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Finally…”

They ended up having to put two tables together to fit all of the food, and it looked like a feast for a king. If only Menchi could see it, but unfortunately she could only be there the day before the event to help. She had a lead on a new ingredient, and wouldn’t be able to make it.

“You did this all by yourself, (Name)?”

Kite looked over the tables, their red hair tied up into a ponytail to keep out of their face. (Name) leaned against their shoulder. “Mmm, I had some help, but most of it, yes. Thank god for Alluka and Menchi, they were both big helps.”

A soft smile took over Kite’s face. “It’s nice to see you’re allowing yourself to rely on others, (Name). It’s good progress.”

(Name)’s face heated up at Kite’s observation. Recently, she had been asking for help more often, without even realizing it. “I guess… I just have people I can rely on now.”

The two smiled at each other, before she stretched. “Well, let’s not keep the hungry people waiting.”

Kite caught her wrist before she could walk out. “(Name).”

They turned her so she was facing them. “Are you alright? You seem a bit… distracted.”

(Name) looked away from their eyes, puffing out her chubby cheeks in a pout. “I’m fine… it’s nothing.”

Kite raised an eyebrow before grabbing her cheeks in their hand and squeezing her face. “You’re fine? Why are their tear stains on your cheeks then?”

With a defeated sigh, (Name) told them what happened between her and Kurapika earlier that day. Kite nodded along, listening intently. “I see… that would be a quite upsetting situation to be in. Have you tried talking to him? From what he said, perhaps he said the wrong thing.”

(Name) huffed as she buttered the rolls. “I’ve been way too busy to deal with him. If he wants to man up, apologize, and speak to me, he can.”

Kite blinked in surprise. “(Name)…”

They smiled, patting her shoulder. “You’ve really grown, haven’t you?”

She nodded, finishing the last roll. “I… I’m not as much of a pushover as I used to be. I have friends now, friends that will back me up if I need them to. I don’t… I don’t have to put up with people mistreating me anymore.”

Kite patted her head, ruffling her hair a bit. “That’s good, name. Good girl.”

She melted at the compliment, leaning into their touch like a puppy being told how good it is. “Thank you, Kite…”

(Name) pulled away, her face a little warm. “Alright it’s really time to tell everyone it’s ready.”

The living room was occupied by the Zodiac, along with Bisky and Gon. Ging was nowhere in sight, possibly hiding from his son. “Hey guys, the food is ready, feel free to make yourself a plate!”

Cheadle stood, giving her a polite smile. “Thank you for this (Name), I know having to cook for so many people last minute wouldn’t be easy.”

“It’s fine, please, there’s plenty of food. Make yourself a plate!”

The zodiac were pleasantly surprised by how soft and sweet she was. Pariston smirked as he passed her, his hand brushing against her hip. “Thank you, princess. It smells lovely.”

She shivered, quickly retreating behind Kite, who kept their eye on the former rat zodiac. “It’s okay, (Name). He won’t bother you any further than that.”

The two made their way to the porch, where Leorio, Wing, Knuckle, Morel, Shoot, and a very awkward looking Kurapika. They all had a bottle of beer in their hands, though Kurapika had barely dipped on his.

Once the blonde spotted (Name), he looked away, seeming embarrassed and shy. Kite noticed this, glancing between the two. ‘Ah, they like each other.’

“The food’s ready, guys.”

Knuckle cheered, patting her shoulder as he walked past her. “Thanks, (Name)! Man, I’m starving!”

Morel laughed. “It smells nice, thank you for your hard work.”

He ruffled her hair, Shoot following behind him. The purple haired man gave her an appreciative smile. “Thanks, (Name). We’ve been looking forward to your cooking all year.”

She flushed over their compliments, waving her hand. “Oh, thank you… you’re all so sweet!”

Wing, who left to grab Alluka and Zushi, smiled. “Zushi always gets excited when he gets to come over. Also, I wanted to personally thank you for making the food nut free. It’s very kind of you to take Zushi’s allergies into consideration.”

“It’s no problem, really. He deserves to have a nice dinner too!”

Zushi and Alluka were both filthy, their hands and clothes covered in dirt. (Name) smiled, finding their dirty faces endearing. “Leorio, you guys go eat. I’m going to get the kiddos cleaned up.”

Leorio nodded, cupping her cheek to keep her in place so he could kiss her forehead. “You’re a doll, (Name).”

She sighed happily, leaning into his calloused hand. Leorio was always a warm and safe place for her, and when he held her so tenderly, it made everything a little easier.

Kurapika watched this interaction with a dull ache in his chest. Leorio was always able to give her affection without being awkward. Maybe he should try as well!

He stood up to say something, but from the look (Name) gave him, Kurapika knew he wasn’t getting any kisses. “Th-thank you for your efforts…”

(Name) nodded, turning on her heels. Kite gave the boy a sympathetic look before following behind her, the two kids being led by (Name) to the bathroom.

“Kite, could you keep an eye on the kitchen to make sure… some people don’t mess anything up? I’ll get the kids clean then come make myself a plate.”

Kite nodded. “If you mean keep an eye on Ging and Pariston, I’ve been doing it the entire time.”

She sighed in relief, giving them a smile before taking the two kiddos upstairs. (Name) was surprised to see Killua sitting on her bed, listening to something with headphones on. He glanced up when she walked in, reaching out his hand for her. She walked forward and took his hand, gently squeezing it. “Overstimulated?”

Killua nodded, glancing behind her two see the two filthy kids behind her. “Did they roll around in dirt?”

(Name) snickered. “That’s what I’m assuming happened. I’m going to get them washed up. Do you want to go make your plate now, or do you want me to come with you?”

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand in thought. “Could you… make me a plate and ask Gon to come upstairs with me when you’re done?”

She nodded, ruffling his hair. “Of course. Just relax, getting them tidied up shouldn’t take long.”

———————

(Name) sighed as she wiped Alluka’s face with a warm, damp rag. “Girl, you’re filthy. I expected this from Zushi, but usually you don’t like getting dirty.”

Alluka leaned into (Name)’s gentle touch, nuzzling her hand. “We were playing a fun game! I don’t like getting dirty, b-but it’s okay when it’s for a fun game!”

“Ohh, I see. Well, your nice dress will need to be washed now. How about we put you in some overalls, so you can play better?”

Alluka nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah! That sounds like so much fun!”

(Name) took off her dirty dress and set it in the hamper, then dressed Alluka in a pink sweater and jean overalls. She changed Alluka’s Mary Janes to a pair of sneakers and put her hair into a ponytail so she would be able to play more efficiently.

“There we go, all done. Look at how cute you are!”

Alluka twirled around, giggling. “Thanks, big sis! I’m so excited, I want to play now!”

(Name) laughed, pulling the girl in for a hug. “You have to eat first, okay?”

When the girl looked up, it was Nanika. “Mama… want to sit with you.”

She scooped her up, balancing her on her hip. “Okay, that’s fine with me, sweetheart!”

(Name) walked down the stairs, spotting Zushi making his plate. He was all clean now, wearing a pair of Killua’s play shorts and a shirt. “(Name), thank you for getting me all cleaned up!”

Nanika smiled, nuzzling her face into (Name)’s shoulder. “Love you, mama…”

She kissed the top of Nanika’s head. “Love you too, sweetheart.”

(Name) sat Nanika down at the table, making her a plate of food before she made one to bring up to Killua.

“Gon?”

The boy looked up. He and Kite had been catching up when (Name) walked over. “Hi (Name)! The food is so good, you did a great job!”

“Thank you, Gon. I just wanted to tell you Killua is upstairs, and he asked if you could come eat with him.”

Gon jumped up immediately, grinning. “Sure! Is that plate for him?”

“Yeah, it is. Would you mind taking it up to him?”

Gon took the plate, smiling. “Of course not, Kite, come talk to me before you leave, okay?”

(Name) began to make her plate, spitting a certain blonde walking into the kitchen. Kurapika paused, wondering whether he should stay and make his place, or if he should leave and give her some space.

“It… all looks really good, (Name).”

She hummed in response, placing a piece of turkey on her plate. Kurapika grabbed a sturdy paper plate as well, standing near her as they made their plates together. Even when (Name) was mad at him, she still gently took his hand and guided him to the food she thought he would like. “Try this, I think you would like it.”

(Name) seemed to have an endless amount of patience and kindness. Kurapika did as told, trusting her completely. He looked up just in time to see her placing a helping of the macaroni he made onto her plate. “(Name), you don’t have to. It’s probably not that good.”

She glanced at him, a slight softness in her eyes. “You worked hard on it. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or not, I’m not letting your effort go to waste.”

This made his heart race, his face turning red once again. She was so good, so sweet, he truly didn’t deserve her. ‘Oh, (Name)…’

He truly loved her so much, even when she was upset at him he still couldn’t help but melt in her presence. “Thank you… you’re such a sweetheart.”

(Name) paused as she was walking out the door, her face heating up. She didn’t respond, but felt her heart speed up.

She sat with Nanika in her lap as she ate, making small talk with the other guests. Most of the Zodiac members were keeping to themselves, but now they had spread out.

Kanzai seemed to be getting along well with Knuckle. Pyon and Gel sat together with Bisky, drinking wine with their meal and watching some hallmark movie. Mizaistom was chatting along with Kite, the two seemingly debating something.

‘Well, I’m glad they feel more comfortable,’ (Name) thought, feeding Nanika a bite of turkey. The girl munched happily, before burying her face in (Name)’s shoulder.

“Happy… mama, Alluka wants to go play…”

Nanika looked up at her, gently nuzzling her cheek against (Name)’s. The girl was very affectionate, which (Name) didn’t mind one but. “Okay, okay. You finished your food, go have some fun.”

When the girl looked back up, it’s was Alluka. “Yay, thanks big sis!”

She hugged (Name) before she ran off, giggling. “Be careful, and don’t get into too much trouble!”

(Name) finished her plate before she went back to the kitchen. She looked over the feast she made. There was still so much food left, even after everyone had made their plates. ‘This is going to be a pain to put in the fridge later.’

———————

Kurapika sat on the couch, mindlessly a scrolling on his phone. (Name) has introduced him to social medias a week or so ago, and he really enjoyed TikTok. The nature themed videos where Hunters showed the places they were exploring interested him greatly, along with fun history videos. He had seen a few inaccurate history facts that had him ranting to (Name), though.

‘Ah… (Name)…’

He was thinking about her again, and how he pretty much fucked up his chance to ask her out at the party. Kurapika sighed, turning off his phone and glancing around the living room. It was crowded, but there were also quite a few guests missing. He spotted Ging sneaking around. So far the deadbeat had been able to avoid Gon’s detection, and it seemed he was going back in for a second plate now.

“Wow, you really are pathetic, aren’t you.”

Kurapika looked to his left to see Killua peeking over his shoulder. The blonde scowled, his eyes narrowing. Usually he would take it in stride and just leave the room, but today his mood was sour and patience thin. “What the hell do you want, Killua?”

“Wow, touchy. Guess making a complete idiot out of yourself in front of (Name) can make you pretty grumpy, huh?”

Kurapika’s eyebrow twitched. “I’m really not in the mood for this today, Killua. Don’t you have someone else to annoy?”

Killua didn’t answer him, only moving to sit across from him. “Tell me, Kurapika. Do you plan on making mom wait forever? Do you actually think she would wait that long?”

“Excuse me?”

Killua sighed, shaking his head. “Figures. If you haven’t been able to figure it out yet, mom is very popular. Take Knuckle for example. He’s a nice guy that likes mom, but she hasn’t given him a chance because she likes someone else.”

The white haired boy stared at Kurapika. “Unfortunately for all of us, that person she likes is you. It’s a tragedy, really. I really wish my mom had better taste.”

Kurapika was both flustered and pissed off. He was just about tired of Killua belittling him every chance he got. “What the hell is your problem? At this point it feels less like you’re defending (Name), and more like you have some personal issue with me.”

Killua laughed. “Are you joking? Fuck, I knew you were selfish and an asshole, but I didn’t know you were delusional too. I can count on a single hand the amount of times you’ve done anything for the group. Though, that number is smaller if we take into account whether it was for your own benefit or not. Mom has helped others for nothing reason other than being a good, kind person. Not only do you not deserve her, she doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of by you.”

Kurapika was shocked, his mouth agape. “Taken advantage of by me? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Her kindness, Kurapika. You take advantage of what a good person she is. Like a parasite, you’ve latched onto her because she makes you feel a little less pathetic than you are. You can’t love others, so you find people that can and attach yourself to them.”

“That’s not true, I do love (Name)!”

“Really? Does someone in love make their loved one sick with worry? Do they make their loved one so depressed after they leave them that they fall into a depression so bad that Leorio had to take an entire month off of college to make sure they are taken care of? Fuck, Kurapika, do you not understand the absolute hell you put mom through?

You’re fucking selfish, and now that you’ve been given a second chance you can’t even make her happy when you actually try. I think that’s what pisses me off the most, the fact that mom is kind enough to not even mention the shit you’ve done and just allow you to stay here, and you can’t do something as simple as ask her out. You’re a coward, a selfish, pathetic coward.”

Kurapika crushed the cup he was holding, glass shards flying as he stood. “That’s it, I’m sick of this. You don’t know anything about me or how I feel. Do you understand how hard it is to try and love someone after losing everyone important to you, how terrifying it is to realize that my love for her could get her killed? My clan-“

Killua groaned. “Your clan is gone, Kurapika. At this point I think you’re using this bullshit as an excuse to distance yourself emotionally. Your mission, your dear clan, blah blah blah. Who fucking cares? They’re gone!”

This sent Kurapika over the edge. He launched himself over the table, his eyes glowing scarlet as he grabbed Killua’s shirt. “Don’t you ever talk about my clan like that, you fucking-“

Killua ripped his hands off of him, laughing. “Oh, are you going to fight me over it? Go ahead, Kurapika, hit me.”

And Kurapika did just that, punching the white haired boy in the face.

——————

Leorio sat on the porch with Wing as Zushi and Alluka searched the garden for more creatures. He took a sip of his beer as the latter army crawled out from under the porch, tiny fists balled up and caked in dirt as she made a beeline to the little picnic table in the distance. Zushi smiled, flipping to a random page in a coloring book he packed.

“Perfect! Worm Court is open for business. Time to assemble the jury.”

And just like that, two little sets of hands tried to place the various critters in a two-by-six array on the wooden surface. None of them were staying put, wriggling around and falling off. Amidst their cries of “contempt of court!” and “Order! Order”’, Wing finally hazarded a glance over to Leorio.

“Were kids’ games always that…”

“Strange? I don’t question it anymore. They’re not hurting anyone though, so that’s good.”

As soon as Leorio turned away, Nanika reached under the bench and pulled out a rusty hammer. How long it had been there was unknown, and she plopped it unceremoniously onto the bench before Alluka returned again.

“That’s a relief. I know Zushi wanted to teach her more about nen this weekend, but I feel like it’d be too stressful at a large gathering like this.” Wing nodded in understanding, sipping his beer. “Speaking of mastering nen, a little bird told me you’ve improved by leaps and bounds in your own journey? How’s that working out for you?” Leorio lit up at the praise, trying to rein in his excitement with a cough.

“Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah, I think I’ve figured out how to use my nen effectively enough for healing”, Leorio flushed a little, clearing his throat. It wasn’t every day a nen master praised your hard work after all.

“That sounds like a great application for it, I’d love to see it in action sometime.”

Leorio smiled, happy to share all the ideas he’s come up with so far.

“It’ll really come in handy for medical sc-“

CRASH!

The screen door slammed open, the wooden frame snapping in the middle and rattling the side of the house with sheer velocity. Fists were flying in a tornado of white, gold, and blue, and the men jumped back on reflex.

“Hey, HEY! What the hell is going on h-WOAH!”

It slowed down enough for Leorio to notice the two instigators as none other than Kurapika and Killua, and when he went to pull the latter back by the collar of his shirt he ducked out of reach, paying no mind.

“You mother FUCKER-“ Killua picked up the blonde by his tabard, only for him to spit out a little blood, scarlet eyes glowing with fury and…mischief? Kurpika, bruised and bloody gave him a shit-eating grin before he finally spoke.

“I sure am, what about it?”

The words took a moment to register in Killua’s head, but as soon as they clicked into place, he saw nothing but red.

Killua tossed him backward into the fire pit (Name) had dragged out to the porch for special gatherings, but Kurapika grabbed onto the boy, sending both of them tumbling off the porch as the railing splintered beneath their collective weight. The fire pit rolled into the flower bushes, and the rose bush was engulfed in flames, burning steadily as they traveled up the plant. A few feet away, not even acknowledging the accidental arson, Killua rolled over to pin Kurapika to the ground, fists flying as he wailed on the man below him.

“YOU”- he punched Kurapika, punctuating his words with blow after blow. “LEAVE”- a hand came up, trying to shove him off but he pushed it to the ground, standing up. “MY MOTHER”- another haymaker to the temple. “OUT OF THIS!” Killua finished with a solid kick to the groin, reaching for a split wooden beam and raising it to strike. In a flash, Kurapika blindly kicked him in the leg to fall on his ass with a dull thud.

Killua looked up just in time to see Kurapika grab a shitty plastic chair by the headrest, the latter chuckling dangerously as the cheap red material quickly began to dull in comparison to the scarlet rage overtaking his irises. He waved the 2x4 menacingly, almost daring the blonde to come closer.

Wing and Leorio watched, horrified as the two of them battled it out. Not with nen, like one might see in a clean fight, or normal blades like that of a sparring match- but with scattered debris, bloodied fists and all of the finesse and gracefulness of a couple of drunken sailors. Realizing they need to put a stop to it before it got any worse, Wing stepped forward as Leorio attemptsy to stomp out the blackening shrub.

“That’s enough! This is no way for dignified hunters to act, especially a couple of nen users such as yourselves. You two ought to be ashamed!”

Kurapika, too far gone to pay attention to much else, swung the chair at Killua menacingly as the younger one parried it with the splintered 2x4. The trajectory and force were enough to knock not just the glasses off of his head and onto the lawn, but the beer right out of his hands as well. The bottle ricocheted off the chair, flying towards the large oak tree before shattering into a million pieces like some sort of horrible glass baseball.

It left a dark stain on the trunk in its wake, trickling down the bark and down into the pile of shards left behind. Despite the impact, Kurapika never faltered, either unaware of what just transpired or completely indifferent.

‘They’re not even using nen, they’re just fighting dirty…it’s like they want to revel in the destruction, to feel the blood on their hands themselves.’ Wing felt around his immediate vicinity for the frames, before Leorio spotted them a few yards away. Placing them back on the man’s face and helping him up, he patted his shoulder and shot a glare at the duo, seemingly out for blood.

“Wing, the hose is on the left of the house. Put the flowers out, and I’ll see if (name) has some frozen peas you can put on your bruise.”

He nodded sprinting across the floor porch as Leorio hurried in to see (Name) minding her own business, putting up the food. He glanced back over to the door again, little more than a pile of mesh and scrap wood. Between the stress of cooking, company, and cleaning, (Name) seemed too preoccupied to notice the damage. He silently thanked the stars above

‘They’ll sort it out themselves, the last thing she needs is more stress’, he thought to himself. If Kurapika wanted to make an ass of himself in front of the Zodiacs by decking a 14 year old, then that was his problem. Right now, he needed to find something cold for Wing to use as a compress.

She had sent mostly everyone out, claiming the kitchen tended to get chaotic, and he would have laughed at the irony if he wasn’t so worried about the fiasco going on just outside. Her hair was a mess, favorite apron is covered in various stains and spills, and plates upon plates were scattered onto various surfaces. He nearly left undetected when she sensed his aura, turning her head.

“Hey Leorio, what’s up?”

His mouth was dry, trying to figure out the best way to explain himself and possibly buy some time when she paused and frowned. Leorio tried to follow her line of sight and saw Wing by the window, followed by… a garden hose?

“Oh, did Alluka get all muddy from worm hunting under the porch again? I thought I told her not to do that until after dinner.” As soon as she said that, the oven went off, and she slips on a pair of Hello Kitty mitts, sliding the pie dish out and closing the door with her hip with a practiced ease. Placing it onto the burners to cool and slipping them off again, she offered them to Leorio. “Could you hang these up for me? “

Leorio realized what she saw just a second too late, powerless to stop her as she turned the stove off to rush past and see what was going on firsthand

“Leorio, what’s going on? And why do I smell something burning?!”

“Nothing! It’s just the kids get a little rowdy is all, and Wing needed an ice pack.”

Ging’s voice tore through the clattering of pots and pans like a warcry for deadbeat dads from the porch.

“WOOORLDSTAAAARRR!”

By the time (name) made it to the front door (what was left of it anyway), she was met with Wing frantically trying to put out the last of the fire as Leorio pulled the broken pit away from the bushes. The railing was completely destroyed on one side of the steps, and there was scorch marks all over the wood. Finally, Leorio cleared his throat.

“Thats not…what we called you out for”, (Name) followed the man’s gaze, before landing on Kurapika and Killua rolling around in the front yard in a mess of flailing limbs and screaming. This time, however, it looked as though Kurapika finally got the upper hand.

“You little bastard, have you always been this insufferable?! You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you?!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Killua sunk his teeth into Kurapika’s arm, relishing in the anguished scream that rippled from the man’s throat.

“You think I’m afraid of your goofy ass Ghost Of Christmas Past attacks!?”

She got about four steps forward before a jet stream of water shot out from behind her, soaking the boys as they froze up instantly. Wing held the hose and glared at them, and white hot shame crept up upon both of them.

“If you want to fight like animals, you’ll be treated as such.

It quickly turned to dread however as soon as Kurapika noticed (Name) marching over, brandishing a wooden spoon and a scowl that somehow manages to chill him even more than the garden hose. Leorio had given her a quick explanation, along with Bisky who had heard what happened inside.

“(Name)! I can explain”

“Mom”-

“Killua, you didn’t need to bring his family into this. You know it’s a sore subject.” The boy in question was pouting as she flicked his forehead. Kurapika snickered but it died down instantly when she redirected her ire to him.

He yelped when she smacked him over the head with the wooden spoon. “And YOU’RE not much better. Who the hell throws hands with a child, Kurapika?! You’re a grown man. Come on.”

She narrowed her eyes at the two, who couldn’t even look her in the face. “Don’t you ever think about hitting each other again, we’re friends. Act like it.”

They nodded, and (Name) sighed.

“Both of you can do the dishes. I think that’s fair. Maybe it’ll teach you to get along too.”

The two grumbled, but quieted down when she pointed to the kitchen using her wooden spoon. “Go, now. I want them done within 30 minutes, or neither of you are getting any dessert.”

——————

The two stood in the kitchen, silent as they both washed dishes. They got a system going, where Kurapika washed, and Killua rinsed and dried.

(Name) had healed their injuries to the best of her abilities before they went inside, getting all of the big wounds and gashes dealt with. Now they were covered in bruised and little scratches, but were overall okay.

Kurapika glanced out the window to see (Name) walking to Leorio, Kite, and Wing, the woman looking distressed. When she started to talk frantically, Leorio pulled her into a hug. Kurapika felt awful for causing her trouble, and when he looked to his right, he saw he wasn’t alone in that.

Killua also looked guilty, looking at (Name) with soft, concerned eyes. Though they were different, Killua and Kurapika shared one thing.

They both loved (Name).

The blonde sighed, setting down the rag for a moment. “Killua… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let my anger get the better of me, hitting you was unacceptable.”

Killua was quiet for a moment before he nodded slowly. “I… I’m sorry too. I… was just so angry when I saw (Name) upset again over you that… I snapped. You were right, I… don’t know you or how you feel, and saying that about your clan…”

Kurapika shook his head, patting the boy on the back. “It’s alright, Killua. Water under the bridge.”

The two smiled at each other. “Okay, okay… and I have to admit, you’re pretty skilled, Kurapika. That’s the most fun I’ve had during a fight in years.”

The two laughed, laughing and joking like old times.

It calmed down a little and Killua sighed, trying to be serious. “Can I ask you a question? Man to man?”

“Hm? You’re fourteen, I’d hardly call that a man. But go ahead.”

Killua glared, but elected to ignore the remark in favor of getting information out of him.

“You love (name), don’t you?”

“…”

His silence spoke volumes, but Killua already knew his answer before then. He was just looking for confirmation.

“She let you back into her life, and I know she forgives you. Not that you deserve it, but a second chance just fell into your lap. I feel like you’re still holding her at arm’s length though. And don’t think she doesn’t notice, because she does. She’s a lot more perceptive than people give her credit for.”

“I…even if I were to stay in her life, I don’t deserve to be that close to her. I’m lucky to be her friend.”

“You don’t even want to try? Like at all?”

“Killua, it’s not that simple.”

“If it’s because you think you don’t deserve her, shouldn’t that motivate you to WANT to be better? And become someone she deserves?”

“People can’t change. If I get too close, I’ll lose my rage. That’s the only thing keeping me going right now.”

“Oh noooo, I can’t be around this person because they make me less angry~!” Killua replied mockingly, putting his soapy hands up in defense when Kurapika glared at him. “That’s called being comfortable around someone. And people can too change, genius.”

“The spiders will always be cold blooded killers. There’s no room for redemption.”

“Okay, maybe not everyone”, Killua rolls his eyes, of course Kurapika had an exception up his sleeve. “But for the most part, we do. (Name) told me once that stagnation is a fate worse than death. If you aren’t evolving as a person, then what the hell are you doing?”

Kurapika blinked in surprise, putting the plate down and grabbing a cup to wash. “I…guess that makes sense? You’ve mellowed out a bit over the years Killua.” He didn’t want to outright admit that Killua had matured, or he’d risk him getting a big head.

“No shit Sherlock. She gave me a loving home and enrolled me in therapy. Being loved didn’t nerf me, if anything it made me stronger. Now I’m emotionally stable, nourished, and thriving. I stand a way better chance at kicking someone’s ass now.”

The last dish was dried and put away, and the two of them came out to the living room where everyone is huddled on the couch or near it, the TV playing some sort of holiday special. (Name) noticed them, and waved them over. He noticed she changed into something more comfortable, but when he recognized the faded pattern on the sleeves he had to do a double take.

It was the same one she had during the hunter exam, but back then it was much newer and vibrant.

“You’re just in time, we were about to start Charlie Brown!” Killua joined her, and like clockwork she removed the sleeve so he could put half of it on like an oversized blanket. “This thing is kind of old, (name). It’s cozy, but definitely seen better days.”

“I know, I mostly wear it to bed or knocking around the house, but I love it too much to get rid of it. It’s one of the comfiest things I own, even if it’s golden days are long gone”, she ruffled his hair and Kurapika joined her on the other side.

“It still serves its purpose, Killua. We don’t all need a giant wardrobe”, Kurapika teased good-naturedly, and the boy in question lifted his head to stick a tongue out at him.

“It’s one of those that gets softer the more you wash it”, (name) helpfully supplied. “It just means it’s well loved, and it loves you back. Time is irrelevant when you’re this cozy.”

Kurapika hummed, leaning a head against her other shoulder. A few minutes into the movie, his phone pinged with a message from Killua, who sighed in contentment before closing his eyes. Kurapika opened up the message and saw attachment: 1 image.

Wholly expecting another stupid meme, like that god awful Megamind “no bitches” thing he got like clockwork every time he did something bad in front of (Name), he sighed and opened it intending to leave him on read. Instead, he was greeted with a side by side comparison of what looked like a couple of plush Garfield cats. One plush looked brand new, while the other was worn down from use. The text said “to be loved is to be changed.”

He thought back to what Killua said earlier about how stagnating was a fate worse than death.

He knew his mission was dangerous, but at the same time, would it really be okay for him to get close to (name)? It was just a stupid Garfield meme, he shouldn’t be reading this much into it, but before he realized it he was tearing up. (Name) looked over and frowned.

“Kurapika, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

A gentle hand cupped his cheek, her thumb swiping away his tears. Kurapika sighed in contentment, leaning into her touch. “It’s nothing, just… thinking about things, what I want to do with my time.”

(Name) nodded, retracting her hand and allowing him to lean back against her shoulder.

She seemed a bit more relaxed, the two not knowing she was watching their little interactions just moments before. “By the way Kurapika, Leorio wanted me to tell to meet him on the porch asfter this movie.”

The blonde nodded, looking down at her. “(Name)… when I get back… we need to talk, okay?”

(Name) paused, Killua giving him a thumbs up from behind her. “Oh, um… alright.”

She sounded hesitant, but it was an improvement from her ignoring him. The three watched He gave her a sneaky kiss to her cheek before walking out to meet Leorio.

Leorio and Kite sat on the front porch. It seemed most of the guests had gone home. Knuckles, Shoot, Morel, Pyon, Gel, Kanzai, and Mizaistom were gone already.

“Kurapika, sit.”

Leorio gestured for a wicker chair sat next to the two. The blonde took it, glancing between the two. “What did you call me out for?”

“You seemed pretty… antsy earlier,” Kite explained as Leorio rummaged a small metal box.

“Antsy is an understatement, you looked insane. I really thought you were about to start growling and foaming at the mouth for a moment there.”

Kurapika flushed at Leorio’s words, feeling ashamed of his actions. “I know, I’ve already apologized to Killua.”

“Shit, he wasn’t much better. Trust me, I know Killua, he can be a real asshole, but he’s still a kid.”

Kurapika nodded, looking at his lap. Leorio was right of course, he usually was. “So, what did you want?”

Leorio smiled, finishing his task and pulling out a blunt from the metal box. “I want you to relax and smoke with us. Take a breather, chill with the boys- or well, Kite and I.”

Kite rolled their eyes. “I told you I don’t care what you call me, Leorio.”

Leorio blushed, waving his hand apologetically while Kurapika processed what the dark haired man was offering. “You want me to get high with you? Is that smart, considering I pissed off (Name) enough today? She hates when I smoke.”

“See, you need to relax. Stop worrying about (Name) for a minute. You worry so much that you stress yourself out, making you snap at others. You’ll be way better to (Name) if you learned to chill out and take care of yourself every one in a while.”

Kurapika leaned back in his chair as Leorio lit up the blunt, taking a puff before passing it to Kite.

“Come on, Kurapika. It’ll help you relax.”

Kite held out the blunt to Kurapika, smiling. The blonde stared at the two. “Am I being peer pressured right now?”

“Yes,” the two said in unison.

He groaned and took the blunt, holding it out. “Just one puff.”

———————

(Name) looked up when Kurapika stumbled into the house, a dopey smile on his red face. Once he spotted her, the blonde made a whining sound, immediately clinging to her as he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Mmm… (Name)…”

The woman squeaked, squirming in his strong grip as he pulled her closer, peppering kisses into her cheeks and neck. “K-Kurapika, what are you-“

She paused, sniffing his shirt. “Oh god damn it, are you high? Leorio did this, didn’t he?”

(Name) huffed as Kurapika nuzzled his nose agaisnt hers, clinging to her like she was his lifeline in a storm. “Just want you… lemme hold you, ‘kay?”

She didn’t protest, leading him to the living room so he could snuggle her on the couch. He seemed so attached to her, and as soon as they laid down he squished his face into her chest, nuzzling until he was comfortable.

The woman wanted to pretend she was annoyed, but honestly she found him cute when he was like this. Whenever he was inebriated, Kurapika could let go of all of his limitations and do what he really wanted. He wanted to be near her, for every part of his body to be in contact with hers. It made him so happy to lie on top of her, his face in her breasts and arms wrapped around her.

“(Name)…”

She hummed in response, running her fingers through his blonde hair. “What is it, Kurapika?”

“I…”

He looked up at her, his eyes a little red from smoking. “I’m really sorry… I know… I say stupid and hurtful things sometimes… but just know…”

He blinked at her sleepily, leaning forward to the point their lips were only an inch apart. “I care about you… a lot… so, so much…”

(Name) sighed happily when he kissed her, feeling his tongue gently lap at her lip, asking for forgiveness and acceptance. With a little nip to his lip, she allowed him in, holding his face tenderly.

Though their tongues danced and their breaths were heavy, the kiss wasn’t arousing. It felt loving, sweet, a kiss people who loved each other would share. When they pulled away, Kurapika’s eyes were soft, looking into hers with so much love (Name) felt her body would explode. “Mmm…”

He laid his head back down, his lips pressing kisses into her neck sleepily. ‘I love you…’ he thought, his hands gently caressing her sides.

The two soon fell asleep on the couch, being covered up by Leorio and hour later. Guests left, leaving Kurapika and (Name) in peace.

Leorio, Kite, and Bisky sat on the porch, talking as they drank. “It seems those two have made up.” Bisky said with a laugh, swirling her wine glass.

“Yeah, it seems so. They both looked pretty happy.” Leorio agreed, staring into the neck of his beer bottle. Kite only sighed, leaning into his chair.

“Does he still not know about the Chimera Ant situation?”

The other two went quiet at Kite’s question, not daring to look up. “He doesn’t, does he?”

“No, he doesn’t even know about the letter, or the fact she nearly killed herself after what he did in York New,” Leorio said gravely, setting down his drink. “She said it would absolutely destroy him. Sometimes I hate how she always thinks about others before herself.”

Bisky nodded. “She cares about Kurapika so much, she won’t even tell him just how badly his actions affected her in fear that it would push him over the edge. Apparently, when she would sleep next to him during the Hunter Exam, he would talk about ending his life after finding the scarlet eyes in his sleep. It really messed with her head.”

Kite cleared their throat. “Well, it has to come out eventually. Keeping all of these secrets helps no one, especially the fact that (Name) has worked with the Phantom Troupe. If he finds out on his own, he might assume she’s a traitor when she’s actually been helping him by being getting information. He gets too angry, he wouldn’t be able to comprise with them.”

Leorio sighed, the man looking much more tired than before the conversation started. “Yeah, I know. I just hope Kurapika is ready for all of that information. Hell, Gon doesn’t even know any of it, he doesn’t even know Kurapika’s the one that broke (Name)’s wrist.”

The three sat in silence, knowing that eventually, these secrets would come to light.

They were just hoping it would be of (Name)’s own free will.

[mysticstarlightduck]

Incorrect Quotes Tag!

Tagged by the very cool, @rickie-the-storyteller! Find her post here!

This is the link to the generator.

Since the last time I did this, I used my characters from The Last Wrath, this time, I did this tag for my main cast of Tales of Wilted Flowers!

It is mostly platonic, the only ships here are: Rylisan/Eiralis, and Xarian/Lorelai.

Micah, Caladin, Arista, and Neoma'ka are their friends and adventuring companions. Kaellel is Eiralis' estranged older brother and Niven is one of Rylisan's many siblings.

Xarian: Is something burning? 

Lorelai (leaning seductively on the counter): Just my desire for you. 

Xarian: Lorelai, the toaster is literally on fire.

-----

Kaellel (flying down to camp like nothing’s wrong in the world): Sorry I'm late, I was doing stuff.

Rylisan: YOU PUSHED ME DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS!

-----

Eiralis to Rylisan: Turn that frown upside-down!

*a little while later*

Eiralis: What are you doing?

Rylisan, trying to do a handstand: You told me to “turn that frown upside-down” but it is not working.

-----

Xarian: I'm going to ask you to be respectful.

Caladin: I will politely decline.

-----

Rylisan: Did you just refer to a knife as a “people-opener”?

Arista (a dhampir with issues): …

Arista: …Should I not have?

-----

Neoma’ka: While you were caught up in your heterosexuality, I studied the way of the blade!

------

Lorelai: Do you have a self-care routine?

Kaellel: "Keep going bitch,” said to myself in different accents.

Eiralis, coming into the room: Kaellel, no.

-------

Rylisan, stoically amused: Do you need help getting up?

Caladin, after a drunken brawl: Nah, I'm cool down here on the floor.

------

Eiralis: Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't even know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way.

------

Xarian, incredulous:... You’re giving me a sticker?

Lorelai: Not just a sticker. That is a sticker of a kitty saying “me-wow!”

Xarian: … 

Xarian: I’m not a preschooler.

Lorelai: Fine, I’ll take it back-

Xarian: I earned this, back off!

-------

Kaellel, eyeing Rylisan with a death glare: It’s not that I don’t trust Eiralis, I just... don’t trust my sister's impulse control. Especially when it comes to you.

-------

Eiralis: *eating a cinnamon roll*

Rylisan, feigning shock: Cannibalism.

Eiralis: *confused chewing noises*

--------

Micah: Now, if I may speak for good-looking people everywhere...

Kaellel, walks past: Only as their rodeo clown.

--------

Lorelai: Neoma’ka, no.

Neoma’ka, cracking her knuckles, walking towards a fight: Neoma’ka, yes.

--------

Lorelai: Why do humans have different blood groups?

Caladin, looking at Arista: So mosquitoes can enjoy different flavors.

Arista: *vampiric hiss*

-------

Rylisan: What can therapy do for me that screaming for 30 minutes can’t?

Niven: I have several questions... Namely why are you like this?

-------

Micah: Maybe the true treasure was friendship all along. But I hope not, because I can’t spend my friendship on new clothes.

-------

Rylisan: You're violent.

Arista: Yeah but I'm also short and that's adorable.

--------

Caladin: I was arrested for being too cool.

Xarian: The charges were dropped due to a lack of supporting evidence.

--------

Xarian: Isn’t it a bit dangerous?

Lorelai: Xarian, please. We’ve been in a lot of unexpected predicaments before and we always escape unhurt.

Xarian: …

Lorelai: Okay, we sometimes escape unhurt.

Xarian, narrows his eyes: ...

Lorelai: Alright, we escaped unhurt once... Then we hurt ourselves on the way home.

---------

Rylisan: Do we have any orange juice left?

Kaellel: *pours the remaining juice into their cup without breaking eye contact*

Kaellel: Sorry, we’re all out.

---------

Xarian: What is the most illegal thing you can do with one gold?

Neoma’ka: Exchange it for a hundred copper, put them all in a sock, and then beat someone to death with it.

----------

Rylisan: Niven, I screwed up, big time.

Niven (downing a glass of wine, done with life): Brother dearest, given your daily life experiences, you’re gonna have to be more specific.

---------

Arista: Now it's time for some witty back and forth banter. You go first.

Caladin: *sobbing*

Arista: Look, my dude, I'm not sure where to go with that.

---------

Lorelai: That was so hot, Xarian.

Xarian: I literally called the person who just flirted with you a degenterate dog and told them I hope they get dragged through the streets.

Lorelai: I'm so in love with you.

---------

Kaellel: You know, Micah, you are the sun in my life.

Micah: Why? Cause I'm smoking hot?

Kaellel: Because it hurts my eyes looking at you. LEAVE MY HOUSE-

---------

Neoma’ka: What do you do for a living?

Rylisan: I exist against my will.

---------

Eiralis: Hey, Rylisan, do you have any hobbies?

Rylisan: Swimming..

Eiralis: Really? That’s cool. I never expected you to-

Rylisan: In a pool of self-hatred and regret.

---------

Micah: As a responsible adult-

Caladin: *chuckles*

Micah:… As a responsible adult—

----------

Lorelai: Wow, that was quick thinking on that phony sacrifice stuff.

Xarian: Oh, that was all real.

Rylisan (interrupts): Wait, you were trying to help them kill us?!

Xarian: Well, If I’m gonna be sacrificed, I’m gonna do it right!

Lorelai:... He has a point.

---------

Tagging: @writernopal, @tabswrites, @cabbojage, @clairelsonao3 and @liv-is.