#yes i told my granny and she always gets it wrong but she's the only person allowed to misgender me bc shes got memory problems so w/e

[taniushka12]

The thing abt me is that i only come out when its strictly necessary for Me to do it, otherwise id just tell someone that knows im a guy to spread the news so when i arrive i dont need to have That conversation at the very least

[demondwellersword]

it’s always been you.

sasuke x f!reader

warnings: gore/violence, angst, canon-divergent (instead of sasuke leaving he just disappeared; the reader takes the place of sakura but with different jutsus/skills. i also diverged from the original story of the fairytale a bit)

notes: i recently watched the movie belle (i highly recommend it!) and i absolutely fell in love with it. i thought sasuke would be a perfect fit for a beauty and the beast retelling, so i took a few liberties with the source material. enjoy! 

You were confident you’d never been more anxious in your entire life. Even your first mission felt like a walk in the park compared to the fear that currently had a vice grip on your entire body. Your heart pounded in your ears so loud you doubted you’d even be able to hear your name get called. Your chest hurt with such a ferocity that it felt as if something was slowly cracking your ribs one by one. Your hands shook so much you could barely pull the scroll out of your pocket to check (for the fifth time) if you were in the right place at the right time. 

There had to have been some kind of mistake, you thought to yourself, heart leaping into your throat at the sight of Shizune, I’m nowhere near strong enough to be going on a mission like this.

“I’m glad you could make it here on such short notice, (Name). I know this is all a bit sudden, but I figured you were the best person to take on a mission like this.” 

All you could do was bow and utter a meek, “Of course, m’lady.” 

“Let’s get down to business then. We’ve been fielding more and more complaints about people on the outskirts of the village seeing some sort of monster moving through the trees at all hours of the day. A few brave—in my opinion stupid—souls have tried to catch it, but not a single one has even gotten close.”

“Is that where I come in?” You asked timidly.

The Hokage nodded. “I need you to patrol the outskirts and see if you can catch a glimpse of what’s been terrorizing the villagers. You’ll be leaving with Sai and Naruto tomorrow afternoon. But (Name),” the Hokage beckoned you closer, lowering her voice slightly, “you have to promise me that you won’t tell Naruto why you’re in the village.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

“I’ve told Sai the same. There’s a chance this could provide us with a lead on the disappearance of Sasuke Uchiha, and we can’t have Naruto, well...”

“Being Naruto?” 

“Exactly. I trust you and Sai will be more than equipped to handle this, but still exercise caution and use your best discretion. We don’t want anyone else disappearing, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” 

“Good.” As you turned to leave, the Hokage spoke one last time. “Be careful, (Name). I hope you’re able to find what you’re looking for.” 

*

Lady Tsunade’s final words rang in your head every sleepless hour that led up to your departure. What you were looking for, what you had always been looking for, was Sasuke. You were the last person to see him before his untimely disappearance, and the weight of it had crushed you ever since. No matter how good of a kunoichi you’d become there was a constant grey cloud hanging over your head—the belief held among many of Konoha’s citizens that you were the reason its brightest star had suddenly disappeared from the sky. 

You guessed it was why Lady Tsunade had given you the mission in the first place. She and Kakashi were the only people you had confided in about the relentless ridicule you’d been subjected to, so she knew better than anybody else how much it meant to you. It was why now, as you stood at the village gates waiting for Sai and Naruto to arrive, you felt as if the dango you’d eaten for lunch was about to rise back up from your turning stomach.

“Hey (Name)! What’s wrong? Aren’t you excited to be going on a mission? You talked to Granny Tsunade yesterday, right? How’d it go?” 

All you could do was blink in response to Naruto’s rapid-fire questions. Your eyes drifted over to Sai, noting that he looked just as lost as you did. 

“Good afternoon, (Name). You seem to be upset, is there something you would like to talk about?” 

“No, but thank you Sai.” You gave him a kind smile. “We should probably get going so we can get settled before ni—“ Sai shot you a dangerous look. “Before it gets too dark out. We’ll need to find a place to stay for the night before we do anything else.” 

“Good idea, (Name). You and I can take up the rear. Naruto, how about you take the lead and start heading toward the outskirts.” 

“Who died and made you leader?” Naruto remarked with a huff, starting with a leisurely pace toward the treeline in the distance. 

“Thank you, Sai,” You said once Naruto was out of earshot, beginning to bound through the trees a safe distance behind him. 

“Lady Tsunade informed me of the importance of this mission to you. I don’t know what kind of bond you two shared, but it seems that he means a great deal to you. Am I correct?” 

You nodded. “He was my best friend. I...” 

You swallowed thickly, the words dying in your throat. He was more than just your best friend or your teammate or your partner. For all of your shyness and all of his aloofness, it seemed you two were the only ones who understood each other. When you were young you’d been a calm, united force against the arrogance and unpredictability of Naruto; as you’d grown older you each became powerful in your own rights, but had never entirely abandoned each other. 

Until. 

“You’re much quieter than usual. It said in my book that often times subjects like this can be difficult for people to discuss, even if many years have gone by since it happened. I hope that you’ll be able to find Sasuke again, (Name).” 

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, your mind racing with thoughts. You had never entertained the thought of what might happen once you saw Sasuke again. It was always too painful, the wound always too fresh. Even now you felt a pain stab at your chest, but you couldn’t stop your mind from venturing to the thought. Would he remember you? Would he recognize you? You’d cut your hair since then, gained muscle, learned how to master the water change in chakra nature. You were different now, yet at the same time you felt as if you had remained exactly the same.

Even more concerning, would you recognize him? How much had he changed from the boy you’d promised to see tomorrow all those years ago? In your more heartbroken moments you allowed yourself to try and imagine what he would look like now, but what if you’d been wrong? What if he was unrecognizable? Would you still feel the same as you did then? 

“Hey! (Name)!” 

Naruto’s voice snapped you away from your doubts, bringing you to a screeching halt at the village’s outskirts. Sparse houses dotted the landscape, broken up by a few shops and restaurants that paled in comparison to the village proper. Lady Tsunade had arranged for the three of you to stay at a merchant’s house while he was off selling his products in another village, and Sai had been entrusted with the key a day prior to your departure.

He led the way to the modest home near the forest, which upon entering was found to be immaculately cleaned and finely furnished. Naruto immediately threw himself into a plush armchair, sitting back in it while Sai scolded him for disrespecting the house. 

“I think I’ll go rest for a bit if you two don’t mind.” You exchanged a look with Sai, making sure that he understood you’d be sleeping before you departed that night to look for the monster. 

“I’ll let you know when we’ve returned from talking to the villagers. Rest well.” 

* 

You awoke to Sai standing in your doorway, his hand raised and a smile on his face. “You’re awake.”

“Yeah, I managed to wake up on my own, but thank you for checking on me. Is Naruto asleep?”

“He just left for the bath house a few moments ago. I think I’ll join him. I wanted to stop by here and make sure you were awake first, and it seems you are, so I’ll be on my way. Please be careful while you’re patrolling, I wouldn’t want to get on Lady Tsunade’s bad side again.” 

You smiled, thanking Sai once again before he left. You pulled on your shoes and gathered your weapons, taking a deep breath before setting out into the night. The wind that met your face upon opening the door was pleasantly cool, marking the beginning of the shift from summer to autumn. It helped to wake you as you disappeared into the forest, bounding between trees while keeping your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. 

After an hour of searching all you’d come up with was a spider in your shoe and an overwhelming sense of defeat. You slumped back in a tree and sighed, wondering if Lady Tsunade had sent you on little more than a wild goose chase. As you rested your mind drifted to Sasuke, thinking of the low-rank missions you had gone on together as genin. It had always been the two of you taking care of the actual objective while Naruto got distracted, same as it was with you and Sai now. 

But you knew better than anyone all the ways that it hadn’t been the same for a single second since Sasuke had disappeared. In his wake he had left a gaping absence, a black hole that got closer to consuming you with every day that passed by. You hated it. Hated the feeling of waking up and knowing he wasn’t there, that for all you knew he would never be there again. Hated the way the villagers whispered about you, the way that they feared and reviled you. You who had shot their brightest star right from the sky. You who was no better than the Akatsuki members—why didn’t you just join them? It seemed you would fit right in. 

Yet for some reason you dug your heels in and kept stubbornly defending the Leaf, taking any mission that someone was kind enough to give you. No matter how dangerous it was, you had to prove that you were better than the rumors. You had to prove that you were strong enough to get Sasuke back. It hadn’t been a mistake that you were the one left behind, you just had to bring him back and—

Something moved beyond the tree line. 

You readied a kunai and slowly crept toward the shadowy figure in the distance. It was still for the time being, resting in what seemed to be a crouch. Its shape was unlike anything you’d seen before, the distance and darkness making it hard to pick out any specific details. Just as its image became clearer it stood up, quickly bounding toward a point in the distance. 

You immediately followed after it, breaking out through the trees to follow it on foot. You tried to move as quietly as possible, hoping that you could stay far enough behind it that it wouldn’t sense your presence. You could now see that it had a pair of massive, grotesque wings that looked like a pair of fleshy claws. It was vaguely humanoid, with a mane of thick black hair that bounced against its back as it ran. You allowed yourself to draw closer to it, making sure your footsteps were quiet enough that it couldn’t hear you. A pang of fear pricked at your chest when you realized there was a chance whatever creature this was could sense chakra, but it was too late now to implement any sort of measures to conceal yourself. 

You matched the creature’s every step, following the winding path it took with a grim determination. It was leading you further and further away from the village, which you could only guess was a deliberate move. The longer you travelled the more you could begin to see the landscape change, the empty grassland giving way to what appeared to be an abandoned village. The creature’s pace began to quicken, obviously drawing nearer to its destination. You took the opportunity to slow down and duck behind one of the empty houses, watching as the creature made its way to an expansive house in the distance.

As you drew nearer to the house you began to realize just how impressive it was. It was built much like any other house you’d seen in the Leaf, though far more elaborate and ornate. It was more well-maintained than it should have been, and as you passed through its front gate you were amazed to see that all the structures of it were seemingly intact. 

You walked along the corridor enclosing the central garden, peering into any doors that had been left ajar as you searched for any sign of where the creature had disappeared to. You could sense a distant chakra somewhere in the house, but every time you got closer to it it seemed to disappear completely. You sighed and stopped for a moment, walking through an open door into a wide, empty room with a few dusty pillows and a shredded tatami mat in it. You took a seat in the least cobweb-covered area of the room, giving yourself a moment to rest and collect yourself before you continued the search. 

Just as you lowered yourself to the ground you heard a loud crash from the other side of the house followed by a sharp yell. You ran toward the source of the noise, ducking into one of the rooms to hide as you looked for the source of the noise. You could hear the wood floors creaking, heavy footsteps drawing closer and closer to your location....

“YOU!” The growling roar of the creature’s voice filled your ears, making your instinctively shrink back and press your back into one of the corners of the room. 

You hurled a kunai at its chest, watching in horror as the creature deflected it and appeared in front of you. It reached a hand out to wrap around your neck, slamming you back into the wall hard enough to make your teeth rattle. You tried desperately to cast a jutsu that could get you out of its grasp, but before long your vision began to ebb and all you could think to do was claw at its hands in an attempt to grant your survival. 

“Why have you come here?” You continued to grasp at its hand. “Answer me!” 

“You...you’re....” 

Your head swam, blotches of blurred black occupying more and more of your vision. You stared into the eyes of the creature, knowing it would be your last sight before you inevitably died by its hands. And when you looked into them, a single thought occupied your mind:

Sasuke.

*

You could remember the first day you’d met Sasuke Uchiha like it was yesterday. Unlike the rest of the girls in Konoha you weren’t immediately enamored with him—in fact, you’d thought he was a bit of a stuck-up jerk. You were convinced the only reason he’d passed the tests was because of his natural talent, and you resented him for already being regarded as the best. You’d spent months training to pass the test, spending hours upon hours studying your family’s water-style jutsus in order to get a spot on a team. 

It wasn’t until after your first mission that you realized you had more in common with Sasuke than you’d previously believed. On your journey back from the Land of Waves the two of you had gotten to know each other, and you felt hopeful that the two of you would become good friends. 

As the months passed you and Sasuke began to forge a bond that would eventually lead to your current heartbreak. The more he opened up to you the more you fell for him, and the more you believed that you would have a real chance at a future with him.

You were so sure, in fact, that you had made a plan to ask him out on a date the day he’d disappeared. You’d worn your favorite dress and gotten a bouquet of the prettiest flowers you could find from Ino’s family’s shop, deciding you would ask him to meet you at Ichiraku so the two of you could talk. 

You had waited there for two hours. 

The shop owner had given you a free bowl of ramen when you had slumped into one of the seats, barely holding back tears as you picked your way through a bowl of tonkotsu. You wordlessly returned the flowers to Ino on your way back to your house, sniffling your way into your room without a word to anyone about what had happened. You didn’t know how long you laid in bed and cried, but to you it felt like an eternity. 

The sun was beginning to set when you finally dragged yourself out of bed to look for him, hoping that maybe Kakashi had passed him by in the village at some point that day. When you asked him he awkwardly asked if you had been crying, abandoning his inquiry as soon as your lip began to quiver. He’d told you he’d help you look and you made him promise to keep it a secret from Naruto, following him into the village with a heaviness to your heart.

Four hours passed before you concluded that he was simply gone. The last thing you’d said to him was that you couldn’t wait to see him again. Now the words felt like knives buried in your chest, stabbing at you as you fell to your knees and sobbed at the village gates. 

Weeks would pass without any sign of Sasuke, and each day that elapsed more rumors began to spread. You became something of a recluse, burying yourself in your training in order to fill the hole that had been left in your life. You’d barely even cared when Kakashi told you and Naruto you’d be getting a new partner—what did it matter, anyway? You liked Sai well enough but you had to agree with Naruto (something you would never admit to out loud), there was no replacing the empty space Sasuke’s disappearance had left behind. 

And now here you were, staring into the same red eyes whose powers you had once resented, now buried within the face of something you had described as a monster. 

You were surprised to awaken in one of the rooms of the house, watching as sunlight illuminated your surroundings. The door connecting the room to the rest of the house was firmly shut and sealed, and the windows all had paper bombs attached to them so they couldn’t open. Save for a few cobwebs in the corners the room was relatively clean, and it was furnished with a dilapidated futon and a few pillows. There was a small box tucked into the back right corner of the room which held two days’ worth of food and water and what you swore were the shedded scales of a snake. 

Whatever—or whoever—that creature was had forced you to stay here, but it seemed as if it wasn’t doing it out of pure cruelty. You would formulate a way to escape nonetheless, hoping you’d be able to make it back to the village before anyone went looked for you. But perhaps even more importantly than that you couldn’t rest until you saw the creature again. Its eyes....you knew they were Sasuke’s. You didn’t want to think about how it had come to possess them, but you had to keep grasping onto the hope that he was still alive somewhere in there. 

A day passed before you made a plan, and it wasn’t until night fell that you began to implement it. You were to cast your tidal wave jutsu directly at the door, hoping that one point-blank blast would be enough to break the wood and free you. You took your place at the opposite side of the room and began to cast it, stopping when you heard footsteps approaching. You lowered your hands and sunk down against the wall, sitting as if you’d been there for hours on end. 

The door slowly slid open, and before the creature could stop you you cast the jutsu and bolted for the door. You ran as fast as you could down the corridor, taking a sharp left and landing yourself in the western edge of the house. There was a single room tucked into the corner that you took the opportunity to hide in, flinging the door open as the creature closed the distance between you. 

The room seemed to be in a more severe state of disrepair than the rest of the house, and the sight of it gave you a pause that you knew would surely cost you your life. There was a single dust-covered window in the room whose light shone upon a single iridescent white snake, curled up and sleeping in the room’s center. You saw the shadow of the creature blot out the light, throwing a kunai at it to buy you enough time to escape. 

You ran from the house and into the empty area that surrounded it, heart pounding in your chest as you made your way for the village. You could hear the distant bark of wild dogs growing closer, fear in your eyes as you watched them skid to a halt and surround you. You tried to distract them with shadow clones, but their ferocity made quick work of them. Your hands were shaking far too badly to properly cast any justus, and you could feel in your heart that this would be the place where your story finally came to a close. 

You watched in fear as the creature grabbed you and pushed you behind it, taking a harsh slash to the chest from one of the dogs as its hands moved to cast a jutsu. Your heart lurched as you watched the creature cast a fireball, falling to its knees as the grass in front of it caught flame. With the last of its strength the creature grabbed you and gave its fleshy wings a flap, taking off from the ground and starting back toward the house. 

It began to rapidly lose altitude as its wounds gushed blood until it finally fell just beyond the front gates of the house. You carried it the rest of the way, heart pounding in your chest as you took it back to the room you’d been held in. You sat in the room for what felt like hours, casting a healing jutsu on its wounds until you could no longer physically sustain it. 

You collapsed by the creature’s side, tears prickling in the corners of your eyes as you finally allowed yourself to take a good look at it. In the fading light of the day you could see that scars had formed across its muted brown skin, and that it’s clothes had been torn in the fight. You sucked in a breath before directing your gaze to its face, heavy tears slipping down your cheeks as you took in the sight. Buried under the thick black markings across its face and the strange color to its lips you saw him. 

You saw Sasuke. 

The longer he slept the more his features began to return to their normal state, as if whatever jutsu had been cast upon him was reversing itself in midst of the peace of sleep. The man who laid before you looked as you had always imagined him, just as beautiful as you’d remembered him. The sight made you ache, knowing what would return once he awoke. You had no idea what this curse was or why it had been placed on him, but you were determined to do whatever it took to reverse it. 

You sat with Sasuke until he woke up, hating to see the way his features shifted back into the monster’s as he sat up and looked around the room. 

“You. You’re still here.” He touched the scars along his chest, looking back up at you. “Why did you save me?” 

“I...” Your breath caught in your throat. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk to him? “I couldn’t just leave you to die.” 

“So you carried me all the way back here? And for what? So you can feel a sense of accomplishment? Or was it to ensure that I was wounded and wouldn’t attack you again?” 

Tears welled in your eyes. You reflexively leaned back, pulling your gaze away from the venomous look in Sasuke’s eyes. “I-I healed you best I could—”

He scoffed at you in response. “So what is it then? Have you been sent to torture me with the hope that something might change?” 

Your lip began to quiver. “I just want to help you, Sasuke, please.” 

For a moment, he paused. You shifted away from him, worried for what would happen next. “What did you just call me?” 

“S-Sasuke.” 

“How do you know my name?” He barked, looking as if he were ready to attack at a moment’s notice. 

“Y-you don’t remember me?” 

You could barely swallow back the sob that tore its way out of you, your chest aching as a hand clasped over your mouth. How could he not remember you? Had you just been fooling yourself, childishly tricking your mind into believing that you meant something to him? Had you honestly thought that you could save him? You, the weakest one among all of Team 7. You who had tried so hard to shine as brightly as Naruto or Sasuke, but who could never even be a star in Konoha’s sky. You who had so naively believed that life was like some kind of fairytale, that all it would take was true love’s kiss to reverse years of heartache and torment. 

You who thought you were something more than what you are. 

“Answer me.” 

You tried to stand up, tried to run away and become the coward you always knew yourself to be, but felt Sasuke’s hand wrap around your wrist and grip it tight. He pulled you back down to a sitting position, holding you so tightly that you couldn’t move. 

“I...” Hot, heavy tears now streamed down your cheeks, and your voice came out as a raspy whisper. “Sasuke you have to remember me. Please.” 

His claws dug into your skin. “Who the hell are you?” 

“(Name),” You stammered, heart hammering in your chest. 

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. He studied you, your chakra, your clothes and everything that sat trembling before him. His scrutinizing gaze bore into you, laying you bare, breaking you down to your simplest of pieces. 

You were nothing more than a foolish girl who had wandered here believing that there was no force in the universe greater than love. 

How wrong you had been. 

Because it was hate that made beads of blood bloom against your skin. It was hate that manifested in two red eyes tearing you apart with more sting than the sharpest kunai. It was hate that had morphed the beautiful into the grotesque. It was hate that had wiped the slate clean, that had erased a life you’d thought you built. It was hate, all consuming and never ending. 

“Please let me go. I’ll leave and I won’t come back. I won’t tell anyone that you’re here, just please...” 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“You’re different. But your chakra is the same.” 

No waves of relief washed over you. Only a sick feeling deep in your stomach, heavy and dark  and thick as storm clouds. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, too afraid that you might see a shadow of his past self looking back at you. Any hope you’d once had that he would look at you with the same softened look he had before evaporated the moment he’d awoken. All you hoped for now was that you would make it out of here alive. 

He loosened his grip on your hand. “How did you know I was here?” 

How much did you want to tell him? “There....there were reports of-of something on the outskirts of the village....” 

“So they sent you here to investigate?” 

You nodded. “I didn’t want to hurt you, I promise. I-I didn’t even know it was you until...” 

You stopped yourself. Until I looked into your eyes. The curse of the Uchiha clan, always so beautiful to you. How many times had the power of those eyes saved you? How many more times did you think they would? Were you ready to let them destroy you too? 

“Why have you come here?” His voice had softened considerably, though it still held an edge of skepticism. His hand still held you in place, though no longer tight enough to make you bleed. And you, you were still terrified of him. You didn’t believe in any of this, not in the way you should have. Not in the way you had when you’d followed him here. 

To save you, Sasuke. To bring you home. 

Sasuke let go. “Why did it take so long?” 

You finally looked up at Sasuke. You saw beneath all that he had become. You saw that he was still the boy you snuck out to see, dancing across the rooftops of Konoha to the sweet melodies carried on the nighttime air. He was still the person you dreamt of every night, conjuring all manners of fantastical scenarios for your reunion. He was a monster now, yes, but this wasn’t the fate he would be resigned to. 

“I didn’t think I would ever find you again.” Your voice had returned, however small, your cheeks still shimmering with tracks of tears. “But I hoped I would. I never stopped looking for a sign that you were still alive.” 

“But why? I would think by now you would’ve given up.” 

“I-I couldn’t. I guess....” you sighed, “I guess I just couldn’t accept the fact that you were gone. The truth is, well...” 

I love you, Sasuke. That’s why I never stopped looking for you. I’ve loved you since we were kids. Not a single day has gone by where I haven’t dreamed of what it would be like to see you again. How stupid is that? I had always hoped this would be something magical but at this point I just wish you’d tell me to get lost. Please stop being so nice to me, it’ll only make what happens next hurt worse. 

“Well?” 

You couldn’t bring yourself to say it. Your hands fidgeted restlessly in your lap, eyes darting to the ground the second he looked at you. After all that had transpired you couldn’t even open your mouth, the words dying in your throat every time you tried to force yourself to get them out. 

A heavy silence settled between you and Sasuke. Did he know? Did he feel the same? Was he just waiting for you to say it, readying himself to reject you? Would the blow come soft, or would it hit harder than any jutsu that had been flung your way? You weren’t ready for the answers—but then again, you doubted that you ever would be. 

So in a moment of what would prove to either be pure stupidity or shocking boldness, you planted a hand on the floor, leaned forward, and pressed your lips into Sasuke’s. 

It felt as if time had frozen around you. Sasuke was motionless between your lips, so still that you cracked your eyes open to see if he was even there. Each second felt like an hour, ticking by at an excruciating pace. Just as you began to pull away in shame you felt his lips slowly press back against yours, a hand sliding up to gently cup your cheek. 

You leaned into him, his touch like pure electricity against your skin. It was utter bliss; everything you had ever dreamed of and more. When you finally opened your eyes and pulled away there was a moment where you felt as if you were in the twilight of sleep, worried that this was all some kind of cruel dream meant to distract you from the fact that you were still trapped somewhere in the house. But when you looked at Sasuke you knew this was as real as anything, a truth even greater than fiction. 

“Sasuke, you’re...” 

“An act of true love.” 

"What?”

“The person who cast this jutsu on me, the one who trapped me in this form, they said that the only thing that could reverse it was an act of true love. They said I would be stuck like this forever because no one would ever be able to defeat the hate in my heart. But you, (Name), you...” 

“I always did, Sasuke. Every single moment, I never once stopped.” 

Sasuke collapsed into your arms, no longer forced to bear the weight of what his past had forced him to become. You didn’t expect things to go back to the way they were, you knew that was foolish, but you did hope that the future the two of you would forge together would be a brighter one than the one you had long ago forced yourself to make peace with. 

In a few days’ time you would return to Konoha with Sasuke in tow. You knew there would be celebration, but you’d make sure he had time to recover first. You would make a bed for him on your couch or in your room or wherever he wanted to be, and you would go to sleep every night knowing that he was safe by your side once again. You couldn’t know exactly what would come in the weeks and months and years that followed, but you hoped that you would get the chance to spend them by Sasuke’s side. 

For now, though, it was enough knowing that he knew. It was enough to have said it without saying it, despite—or more likely because of—all that had happened. You held Sasuke close for as long as he needed, letting go once he sat up to look at you. 

“I always hoped it would be you that found me.” Sasuke’s eyes couldn’t quite meet yours. “I thought...I thought that you were the only one who could possibly break the jutsu.” 

You blinked. In all this time, had he wished for you the way you had him? Did he dream of this future too? Did it comfort him, or scare him? Had he believed you wouldn’t come, and was that why he lashed out the way he did? Was he scared of what would happen when you saw him not for who he was, but for what he’d become? Was he scared that you wouldn’t love him? 

“I’m glad I found you, Sasuke.” 

“I’m glad you did too.” 

You pressed another kiss into his lips, savoring the taste as if it would somehow disappear again. 

“Let’s go home, (Name).” 

[hyperifictrashlazi]

" 𝑀𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 " ˢʰᵘ ʸᵃᵐⁱⁿᵒ ˣ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

Part 3! Part 3! The last part of my 'Simple' fanfic for Shubert and Reader!!! 🎉🎉🎉

Thank you so so much for reading these fics, it made me very happy!! 🥺💜 I'm glad that some of my creativity is working lmfao.

If any of you haven't read the part 1 and part 2 of this fic series, you can read right here first!! Thankies!!!

Part 1 : "Simple"

Part 2 : "Open Book"

Anyway~ To School Romance AU with Shu!! 🍌

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

"Shu, I can't believe I'm saying this but -" Mysta puts a hand on Shu's shoulder, "You're actually an idiot." he then finished.

"Wait - what?" the violet eyed guy looked at his friend, baffled at the sudden remark. He was just having lunch, for goodness' sake.

"You can't say that you don't really care about romance when YOU WERE HOLDING HANDS WITH (NAME) YESTERDAY!" Mysta exclaimed in response.

"What? Shubert doing premarital hand holding?! How daring!!" Vox gasped out loud, putting on the dramatics.

"Wait - you saw that?!" Shu shouted in embarrassment, not even realizing that he outed himself in the process. "So that did happen." Luca said, initially not believing Mysta until Shu reacted.

Shu's reaction intrigued Ike, "You never told us about a crush, Shu." the amber eyed male teased. "Talk about friendship with the bois." Vox followed up in jest.

Red faced, Shu couldn't help exclaiming, "Okay, it was embarrassing to bring up. And - And - We're close friends!" he reasoned.

"He didn't even deny his feelings for (Name)."

"He can't deny when I saw solid proof of it!!"

"Your eventual honesty is very admirable, Shu."

"Shu has a love life, POG!"

Shu deadpanned at his friends, "Stop it, you guys." he stated their way. Jeez, he knew that this would happen if he ever told them...

"So, are you and the Theatre Club's muse together?" Vox asked for the tea with teasing curiosity.

Shu paused, "Together - ?" he then questioned, blinking. This got the rest of the group to turn to their smart yet dense friend.

"You know, Lovers, Dating, Significant Others...?" Mysta further elaborated for the boy. The silence they got from Shu made them all sigh.

"Shubert, I can't believe this..."

"YOU SHARED A SWEET HAND HOLDING MOMENT AND YOU'RE NOT DATING?!"

"How unpoggers Shu."

"I don't want to hear that from any of you." Shu stated back to the three. "Yeah, give Shu a break." Ike defended the boy with a frown.

"(Name) obviously likes you too anyway." Mysta pointed out. Shu furrowed his brows at that, "How are you sure of that?" he asked.

Mysta rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, it's obvious! Always staying by your side when possible, glancing your way, you're the closest to her in class - they're subtle but it's there!" he said.

"That does sound like a crush." Vox agreed with a nod. "No it doesn't. That's not enough to confirm (Name)'s feelings." Ike bluntly disagreed.

"But Ike! Nothing will happen if Shu doesn't do anything! He has to at least make a move." Luca persisted on the topic. Ike pondered, "Well... you're not wrong either..." he was slowly swayed.

Shu could only blankly watch his persistent friends gossip about his crush like grannies with their favorite drama series.

Jeez, his very caring friends are also very nosy.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

"Okay, okay - let me get this straight." a girl said right in front of You. "You both held hands, admitted some feelings with each other, AND YOU THINK HE STILL DOESN'T LIKE YOU!?" she then exploded.

"I... Yes." You agreed, sweatdropping at your friend. Said friend threw her hands up into the air, "This is why we can't have good things!" she exclaimed.

"Okay look... wait - you know what, you make sense, Lia." You then reconsidered with a mumble. "Uh - no shit." the girl sassed back.

This here was your best friend, Natalia. She was the Theatre Club's main scriptwriter who creates the playwrights for the club. Her story writing is one of the core factors of the Theatre Club.

The both of you were besties since middle school so you were very close and are each other's confidants.

"But I don't want to assume, you know?" You still insisted. "You're assuming he doesn't have feelings for you right now." Natalia immediately rebutted.

"Stop twisting my words, Lia."

"Never, (Nickname)."

"Plus, we all know how Shu Yamino is! He's not the type to do PDA just because!" Natalia stated. Shu was nice but direct, if he doesn't like something he most likely won't be swayed into doing it.

"That's true..." You mumbled, slowly being convinced. Shu wouldn't say those things just because he felt like it... right??

But what if this is just wishful thinking and you're coping way too much right now??

Natalia sees the confused and distraught look on your face and heaved a sigh. "Okay, let's move on from this for now. We still have a play to practice, let's focus on that instead." she decided to let it go.

You nodded, "You're right Lia! Let's focus on rehearsals!" you said, pumped up. Your feelings can take a break for now, it's theatre's time to shine!!

"I bet he likes you back though."

"As if. Stop gaslighting me."

"50 bucks?"

"... 50 bucks."

Shu was out of your league while the stage is within reach. You'll focus on acing that play first.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

"How's the play going?" Shu asked you, glancing at the thick script in your opened backpack. "It's going splendid! Although I still need more practice." You sheepishly said, keeping the worksheet the teacher gave into your bag.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Shu reassured, smiling. He always loved the way your eyes brighten when you talk about the things you like.

"Thanks Shu." You smiled back. You always loved the way he was supportive and gentle in his very own way.

'Maybe... just maybe... I can try...?' Shu thought as he sees you focus on closing your stuffed bag. It was dismissal time after all, and you had rehearsals to attend to.

"No problem (Name)." Shu said, slinging his bag on his shoulder. "Our clubrooms are in the same direction, let's walk together?" he then offered.

"Oh sure thing!" You immediately chirped in response, carrying your own bag. You go to Shu's side, "Let's go." you said with a nod as you both started walking in comfortable silence.

Shu was slightly lost in his thoughts, You were practically glowing with so much joy and energy at the thought of your rehearsals. He thinks that it was utterly endearing.

So full of light, magically bright like the sparkle in your eyes.

"And~ here's my stop." Your voice snaps Shu out of his trance, both of you stopping in front of the Theatre club's room.

You turn to Shu, "Thanks for walking with me." you said, softly smiling. "Anytime." Shu replied as they waved goodbye.

Shu started to walk to the Tech club's room, he felt his face burn, flustered red. Your eyes just now were gleaming... all while facing him and gently smiling.

And your eyes only brighten because of things you like.

Shu covers his blushing face, goodness he's letting his friends' words get to him. This is pretty much copium he's inhaling.

But... he really hopes they're right...

"Mysta's right..." Shu mumbled to himself, sighing. "I'm an idiot."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

Days pass and today was the School Festival. A lot of classes and clubs had their activities and booths open for the public festivity.

Shu, as someone from the Tech club, was helping the Broadcasting Club in using the technology for festival announcements and gimmicks. All of his friends were busy with their own clubs or classes.

"Shu, it's my shift now. You can go enjoy the festival." the Tech Club's President stepped into the room. Shu nodded, "Okay, I'll be back soon." he then said, standing up.

"Nonsense, just go have fun. I'll stay here."

"Thank you."

And Shu was off to look around to see his friends in the festival.

His class was doing a cafe (Mysta was forbidden from entering the kitchen). Luca's Track and Field club were hosting a game stall (a shooting game from Pomu, Luca said). And Shu didn't dare enter Vox's class doing a host club (he can see the line for Vox's specific table).

There was Ike's writing club left... where was he?

"Oh hey there, Shu." as if on cue, Shu sees Ike approaching him. "Hey Ike, aren't you supposed to be with your club?" he questioned.

"Oh, the Writing club helped with the script and direction of the Theatre club's play. We aren't exactly that busy." Ike explained. Ah right, the Writing club, Music club, and Theatre club collaborated for the festival.

"The play should be halfway through... Want to join me watch a bit?" Ike offered. Shu hummed, "I was about to head there next so, yeah let's go." he then agreed. The two went to the auditorium where the play was being held.

"Ike told Shu about the overall plot of the play as they walked. It was about a brave noble who wanted to know about their mother's identity. They escaped their home and met a carefree mage who decided to help them in their quest.

As the play goes, the noble found out that their mother was a mercenary who chose to love their father until their death and realized that their own dream was to choose adventuring with the mage they grew to love.

It was a simple and sweet story about rediscovery and dreams.

The two boys make it into the auditorium, taking the few seats at the back. The room was pretty much full, students and guests alike watching the stage with their full attention.

Shu couldn't blame them, (Name) was singing and it was magical.

There you were, on stage. Right under the spotlight, singing your heart out. The lyrics flowing through as smoothly as the tune.

The fates have aligned with brightness and love Gleaming proof we're meant to be by the heavens above So, let's grant each other's wishes, My Star Let's fall into each other's arms just as we are With you, I know we can go far

There you were, like a flame with embers so bright. Your voice and acting were mesmerizing. And like a moth, Shu was entranced by the light of your fire.

Please take my hand Together, let's make a stand And we'll sing ballads of us across the lands!

(Name) faces front, as if the protagonist was looking at the world of adventures they were singing of to their beloved. You made your voice softer, the song approaching its end.

I know we can do it, together we can reach it Side by side, we can make it through...

And for a moment, you lock eyes with soft amethysts watching from afar. You feel you heart skip a beat, butterflies magically fluttering in your stomach, but nonetheless continues the show with violets in your gaze.

All I need is You...

You smiled for a moment, a glimpse of the You singing to Your Secret Beloved, before turning to your stage partner as the Noble serenading their Starlight.

Will you join me in this Journey for Two? A Lifetime of Me and You.

And the leads of the show held each other's hands, sweet gazes exchanged as they smile. In one breath, they sing.

To an Adventure of Fated Skies to see Just You and Me...

The music dies down, the lights fade out... And the applause echoes in the auditorium.

Captivating... Shu Yamino was too busy being absolutely captivated.

It was one look, one line, one smile. And one that made him feel like falling in love all over again.

The applause was nothing to the loud thundering of his heartbeats.

Shu gulped down his overwhelmed emotions, trying to compose himself. He was too flustered for his own good.

"That was a stellar performance! (Name) really is the muse of the Theatre club." Ike praised, amazed by the show.

"Yeah... that was amazing." Shu agreed, still looking at the stage with reddened cheeks. Ike huffs at the smitten guy, feeling his teeth sore at the sweetness.

"I'm staying to watch until the end. Care to join me, Shu?"

"Yeah, I don't mind."

If it's You, Shu doesn't mind anything one bit.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

The sun was setting and the flurry of festivity has come to an end. The School Festival was a success!!

You walked out of the clubroom, waving goodbye to your clubmates. The play was such a success and the applause was still resounding in your ears.

You felt so proud of yourself.

"Oh! Hey Shu, why are you still here so late?" You noticed the raven haired boy by the empty hallway. "I helped the Broadcasting club finish up." Shu reasoned.

You nodded, "I see. Let's walk together?" you offered his way. "Sure." Shu replied as you both walked through the halls.

"The play was amazing, by the way. Ike and I watched halfway." Shu said to you. "Yeah, I saw you guys. Thanks for the support." You smiled back brightly.

Maybe you were giddy because of performing so well, or maybe because Shu watched your play. Nonetheless, you were happy.

"You really are talented, you know that right?" Shu chuckled out. "Oh, flattery won't get you anywhere, Mister Yamino." you said in response.

"I mean it." Shu sheepishly said, "You're amazing." he then admitted. He paused in his steps, making you stop walking as well. "... Shu?" you questioned with a tilt of the head.

"When our eyes met... it felt like you stole my breath away." Shu stated as he faced you. Shades of violet fill your eyes once more, "You were breathtaking, (Name)." he then told you, patches of red on his cheeks.

'NO U!' You thought, heart thumping erratically. Shu Yamino, praising you in the most romantic way possible?!

This was an illusion, a dream, a delirious delusion.

"I - you - wait Shu - what?" the denial in you made you stutter out loud. For the first time in so long, you couldn't compose yourself immediately again.

Despite being flustered himself, Shu was amused by the blush on your cheeks. "Cute." he mumbled out, smiling endearingly.

Your heart was pounding in your chest, eyes widening as you see Shu reach his hand out. Almost immediately, you reach out your hand to meet his midway.

With a single touch, the warmth spreads. "I... I have something to say. Will you listen to me, (Name)?" Shu asked, taking a breath of courage.

"Of course, Shu." You nodded, breath hitching at his fingers interlacing with yours.

"You're mesmerizing, you know... almost magical." Shu started, making you blink at him in question. You, something as ethereal as magical and mesmerizing??

Shu couldn't help a chuckle at your silent reaction, "It's true. You're such an expression of bright compassion, full of colors." he added on. "So full of life... I wouldn't trade any of that for the world." he said.

"I like you that much (Name). To the point that I can't unsee your radiance in my life." Shu confessed, meeting you in a flustered gaze.

You were left stunned, speechless, as you stared right back at him in shock. The scene before you was just breathtaking.

Under the twilight, in an empty hallway after classes, and with gleaming violets sincerely conveying feelings... it was magical.

You owe Natalia 50 bucks... but who the hell cares?! The Shu Yamino, the man you've been crushing on, confessed to you - likes you - and it was causing your brain to short circuit.

"Shu I - I - wait, I need a few minutes to process this!" You exclaim, holding your flushed cheek with your free hand.

Shu huffed, "Is it so hard to believe?" he asked you. "Yes, it's too good to be true." You immediately stated back, busy reeling from the fact that Shu just confessed his feelings to you.

Despite blushing at the comment, Shu perked up, "Wait, you mean..." he said, thinking of the meaning in your words.

"Okay, okay, I'm good - kinda." You said as you looked at both of your hands, still intertwined together tightly.

"I... It feels like a dream... Us like this - holding hands, confessing feelings, picturesque sunset - you know? It's so unreal but..." you trailed off as you decided to meet his eyes, soft and sincere.

"But this is all real... and that makes me so happy." You grinned his way, almost goddy. Shu's face goes a shade redder, heart leaping with ecstatic beats.

"I like you too Shu. I couldn't imagine a life without ever meeting you." you confessed your own feelings to him.

It felt like everything just comes into place. The twilight, the comfortable silence, the endearing smiles, the warmth between interlaced fingers... everything just falls into place.

It felt so magical, a stunning moment dyed in the kaleidoscope colors of the sunset, cherished with sincere gazes and sweet smiles.

"Want to go on a date with me?"

"I'm free this Saturday, let's have lunch together?"

And with their own colors, they paint their own magic over the connection sparked with holding hands and loving gentleness.

Shu Yamino and (Name) (Last Name).

Seemingly opposite types of people who complement each other. A similar definition to Opposites Attract.

Calm and Cheery. Quiet and Expressive. And yet, a mutual synergy of Support and Sweetness between them.

Shu Yamino was smart, supportive, and calm minded.

(Name) (Last Name) was talented, passionate, and outgoing.

And with intertwined fingers, walking together with smiles on their lips, they were full of love and contentment.

It felt enchanting, warm, and utterly sincere. Like a Book coming to a Happy End.

But in the end, it wasn't anything that magical...

Rather, it was a very simple thing.

They were simply two people in love with pure affection and a warm promise of lifetimes sworn on every heartbeat.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

WE DID IT BOIS, THE SIMPLE SERIES HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END!!!

Thank you so so much for reading until the end! This took WEEKS and its so long lmfao I'm glad I can give a satisfactory end to this small series of fanfic though!

Once again, thank you so so much for reading!!

[wrenhavenriver]

the "there's a hole in the world" line really gets me too!! I can't pin down why, it just conveys this sense of melancholy that dishonored is so resplendent with to me. do you have any personal interpretations about the line?

Yes, it's absolutely a melancholy line. It evokes a very specific flavor of despair for me - that realization of "this world is held together by rubber bands and chewing gum" that comes from seeing all the entrenched injustices and senseless cruelties and uncontrolled disasters recurring day in and day out. It's that semi-hysterical moment of sinking realization that maybe nobody really is flying the plane, so to speak, and that things are terribly, dangerously wrong.

But that despair isn't an endpoint. The full wording of the quote as it appears in the first Dishonored--"You wanted me to decide. You asked me to do it. There's a hole in the world," scrawled on the floor of Granny Rags's old apartment, possibly written by her--also speaks to me of someone being cornered into a certain life and given an ultimatum to conform or fall in line, being told that that's just how the world is, how things are, so it's how things always have to be. And that person then looking at that decision that's been made for them and saying, actually, you're full of shit, everything that you tell me is set in stone--these rules and roles--are arbitrary and changeable and rotten, and I don't have to participate in them. Or, as the Outsider describes: "I watched her consider [her suitors], measure their worth, and find them wanting. Then she made a different choice"--in essence, she chose a different life than the one that was meant/allowed for her. If there's a hole in the world, in the very fabric of reality, how could something as petty as a society’s prescribed mores and roles and systems of power, however entrenched, be exempt, immutable? Again, as the Outsider says, “eventually all bridges [must] tumble down.” This conversation between two guests at Lady Boyle's party--the same mission you find Granny Rags' apartment and the "there's a hole in the world" graffiti--also sums this up quite neatly:

Guest One: We found out what the whales could do and it made us an Empire. This is the beginning of a golden age! Guest Two: Do you know they've found the ruins of another city under this one? Before the Overseers, before anything. I bet they thought they were living in a golden age, too.

And while Granny “Slackjaw Soup Potager” Rags isn't exactly a, uh, benevolent character, she's hardly the only example of a person staring down the role that has been assigned to them and realizing that there’s a choice to be made, one that certain people are very invested in them not realizing they have at all. Because honestly the game as a whole is built on that premise. Corvo experiences some of the most acute suffering the world has to offer (the love of his life is murdered in front of him, his young daughter is kidnapped, and he's publicly blamed for both things and then imprisoned and tortured daily for months), and then Havelock hands him a blade and tells him that "Assassination is dark business, but sometimes good men have to do bad things to make the world right," when Corvo’s whole adult life until now has been about protecting people, not killing them. And, to be clear, you can kill all those targets--so long as you aren’t unnecessarily brutal about it on the way, you can do so and still get the best ending for the city and keep your allies’ esteem--but that’s also what the main loyalist trio, and to an extent the world as a whole, expects of Corvo and assumes he will do, what he will want. You’ve suffered this pain and that loss and that violence, so of course you’ll want to kill persons A B and C (and doesn’t that align so nicely with my goals...).

But the Outsider, for one, isn’t all that impressed with you if you do. For all that he plays up the “impartial observer, just here for the show” vibe, his language in high chaos shrine speeches is often less than favorable (a very lukewarm/unconvinced “I suppose I should thank you” for killing Campbell in mission 2, a sarcastic “what [other] choice did you have?” for a lethal mission 5, questioning if Corvo even knows why he killed Daud in mission 7). Because, after all, that is the expected route, the way the world “works,” the exact thing the Outsider’s had a front row seat to for thousands of years. It’s when Corvo ignores those expectations and takes the route that hasn’t been planned out for him by someone else that the Outsider--among others--is most impressed. It’s what sparks the Outsider’s delighted “You fascinate me” and the quiet awe of Daud’s “And you choose mercy. Extraordinary.” It’s Callista’s relief and joy that a man who was meant to be an assassin on a single-minded mission took the time and trouble to save a life--her uncle’s--on the way to possibly taking someone else’s. It’s even Pendleton’s mitigated grief at the possibility of seeing his brothers again and the remaining Boyle sisters’ thanks for having a family left at all.

tl;dr: uhhhhhhhhh it's about despair and societal injustice and that feeling you get sitting on the toilet at 2 in the morning when you can’t sleep because the world seems to be collapsing but it’s also about autonomy and hope and saying fuck you to people who say that things have to be this way because they want to control you for their own ends, and how existence is fundamentally chaotic and full of suffering but the fact that it’s all a bunch of made up bullshit means that you’re free to make things less bullshit, yes this post represents ten years of overthinking about this game where are you going

tl;dr for the tl;dr:

[sweetwolfcupcake]

The Forest: The Beginning

The Forest: The Beginning

Yandere Namjoon x Reader

****

“The forest was vast, but smothering, not a ray of sunshine could penetrate the ominous grounds. It looked sad but menacing. And…GRRR!”

The little girl gasped and turned to her grandfather, eyes wide until he began to laugh- hearty, loud but warm.

She had been eyeing the woods all along while her grandfather recited to her one of the tales from the storybook he had gifted her for last Christmas.

She was perched up over the little space the window of her room offered along with it. 

The window faced the woodland that surrounded her mother’s hometown. And the thick greens were separated by high walls and a rather narrow clearing around the town. Her grandparents’ home was nearest to the walls, offering her a closer view of the edge of the woodland.

“What are you looking at?” he asked when she turned to face the window once more

“The woods, it’s beautiful,” she replied, she turned to him once more “But you never take me there!”

“You are not old enough, Muffin.”

“But mother goes with you, I am old enough- I go to college!”

At this, the wrinkled man let out another hearty laugh “You go to college huh? Do you even know what it is?”

“Yes, Samantha goes to college, and she says that she is my friend, so I go to college too!” she asserted.

“Sam adores you so much, but she is much, much older, okay? So she can go there. But never alone. We never venture there alone, Muffin.”

(Y/N)(L/N) was a curious child, as curious as a five-year-old could be. And she had always had an eye for the forest surrounding the town. She did not ask further. Her grandfather would always say the same things- she was not old enough to accompany him and his group into the woods and that one must never venture alone.

------

 And she should have listened to her grandfather.

“You know, it’s not far from here, we can even see the edge.” Michael stood with his toy gun, eyeing the tip of the tall trees visible. Other than that, mostly they could only see the towering walls.

The tree-tops appeared to be peeping from the walls.

Michael’s family resided in the next house, a little further from the looming walls. Michael was seven and faster than her. But he often burst into tears, and (Y/N) would be immediately worried. He cried so much and feared too many things. Even butterflies.

So the sudden burst of bravery confused her “Grandpa says we should—”

“Yeah, yeah, shouldn’t venture alone, barred from entering after sundown and crap. It’s summer anyway.”

“You aren’t afraid?” (Y/N) was curious now.

Her friend bit his lip and looked at her “You don’t want something to remember? You’re going back next week.” 

She sighed and her lips fell into a pout “Yes– but this just—”

“Aren’t you curious too? I see how you look there. Besides, I need to prove ‘em that I’m not a coward.”

“You’re not. You killed that cockroach yesterday.”

“And I was screaming too. Do you know what they call me in class? Wimp. They call me a wimp!” he turned towards the forest. “We’ll go and get something from there- I’ll show ‘em all.”

“But Grandpa will find out.”

“He’s gone fishing with his mates.” Michael countered

“And Granny? Mom?”

“They won’t find out if we won’t let them.”

“And man guarding the gates?”

Michael looked at her, grinning. He was up to no good.

-----

(Y/N) knew that she had disobeyed the elders- it was wrong- but the closer she got towards the woods, the towering trees seemed to pull her nearer. There was something so sweet about the place. It seemed to lure her in, and she could not resist the urge to walk into the woods.

Michael always had something up his sleeve. (Y/N) did not even remember what he told the man guarding the gate, she had just moved along. And the moment he was out of sight, they had slipped out of the smaller door built with the massive iron gates.

And now, with the afternoon sun shining over their heads, they were rushing towards the forest. Her heart thundered more with excitement than the running.

As they crossed the clearing, she could see the woods. Even though the day was sunny and clear, the woods seemed…darker, it was misty within.

“It’s damp and cold there. How?” she questioned absentmindedly, still peering into the woods.

Nothing much was visible except the towering tree trunks, the trees were larger than any of the mountain trees she had ever seen.

“Must be the density, look at the mist there,” he commented

“Michael, we can’t see much.” 

“Yea.” that was all that came out of his mouth.

They both had stood there for a few moments, she had expected birds singing and sunlight filtering into the woods- there was nothing- it was just…silence.

“What if we get lost, should we run back?” The sight of the woods still tingled her curiosity, but the darkness within was intimidating to the little girl.

“I have a compass. I just wanted to be quick with it. Come on, we won’t venture far.” he sighed and stepped in. 

Spearing a glance behind, towards the walls of the town, (Y/N) quickly followed him in.

.

.

.

“Why is the compass not working?” Michael hissed. He had taken notice of it only after they had ventured far enough.

“You don’t even know how to read one.”

“I do, Dad taught me. You don’t.”

“But it’s not working and…and it’s cold and dark here.” (Y/N) whined, her curiosity was no more appealing, the prospect of getting lost in the dark, cold place daunted her.

“We can still see the clearing from here. We will get through this, okay? Let me just  find—”

Snap!

Both the children gasped in unison and turned towards the source of the sound- nothing. It was silent, utterly silent for even the sound of a breaking twig to appear so loud.

Their eyes looked around frantically, the mist had seemed to thicken, nothing was visible.

“Michael…” she whispered out, reaching for her friend’s hand.

It was cold and shivering slightly, but his grip tightened. It did not feel right, they did not feel alone anymore.

“Michael…I don’t like it here anymore,” she whispered out to the frozen boy. She no longer felt like it was only two of them.

“Let’s just—”

His words were cut out by a low grunt and they froze, it was far from anything human they had heard in their short life and it felt too near. 

Their breathing quickened.

And then, she saw it- the faint shadow of…Something.

Something massive and four-legged. And that was enough for both the children to scream and sprint away. 

Neither of them let go of their grip on each other’s hand, Michael was faster and he was pulling her faster.

But she could feel it. The ground beneath them thrummed with the fast-approaching predator.

It was catching up on them and it was big and fast. But they did not stop running.

Yet, (Y/N) dared to turn back. It was already too late.

It lept in the air, pouncing through the mist and she screamed her lungs out.

**++**

She gasped and woke up. Her breathing was ragged and her forehead was glistening with sweat. 

“Hey, Hey (Y/N), it was a nightmare, it was just a dream okay? Just a dream.” she turned towards her concerned roommate who had sat up and hand grasped her. 

“Wha-What?” 

“You were screaming, I woke up and realised that you were having a nightmare. Again.” Cindy’s voice was laced with concern with a hint of panic.

She had not even realised that she had actually screamed. But the nightmare felt so real…She thought they had stopped, they never did.  It would always be regarding the forest, she and Michael getting inside and something following them. The nightmares returned soon after her twenty-first birthday

“It was the same?”

She remained silent at Cindy’s question. The said girl began to rub her shoulders.

“You know it wasn’t your fault right? You both were just kids—”

“And we had been warned so many times to not go there. And yet we did. I could have stopped him, I should have.” she felt her throat closing up and her eyes stinging. 

She did not even remember what was chasing them, but it felt nowhere near friendly. All she remembered was screaming as loud as she could and shutting her eyes tight.

And the next time she opened her eyes, she was sitting, hunched over, head between her knees, terrified- that was how her grandfather and the group with him found her.

There was no trace of Michael.

It was just her, with lapsed memory and a lifelong invisible but throbbing scar.

“(Y/N), you have to stop blaming yourself. Please, it was not your fault.” she looked up at Cindy, realising that tears were already tracing her cheeks.

She had no one to blame but herself for the tragedy. She had not returned to the town since. It was her grandparents visiting her after the incident.

But now, they were waning as well. And deep down, (Y/N) knew that returning to the town and having to face Michael’s parents was inevitable.

****

[dreaminlittlenightmares]

This is for all the characters on the Maw. The Health Inspector shows up to do an inspection. How badly is everyone panicking and what are they doing in order to pass the inspection. Bonus if you want to throw the Thin Man in because I can see him just being unlucky enough to be there when this happens and the Lady using him as a distraction.

The Maw is a five star Michelin restaurant. What could possibly go wrong?

The Maw x Health Inspector

It's highly unusual that a Health Inspector arrives at the Maw unannounced or off schedule. Usually, the crew cleans up the ship before then, but that wasn't the case this time...

When the regularly scheduled ship of Guest arrived, a surprise Health Inspector climbed onboard, much to the Lady's surprise

She hid her shock well, thanks to her mask, but deliberately stalled taking the Inspector down to the kitchens. She took them on an unnecessary tour around the main lobby, just give her crew extra time to hastily clean things

The Janitor called all the Nomes to attention and deployed them like a general commanding troops. Thankfully, the Nomes are used to tight turnarounds, so anything cleaned by them was done at godspeed

The Twin Chefs almost always clean the kitchen areas themselves because their teamwork is second to none. The second they got word of a surprise inspection, the Twins went into gamer mode and cleared all spots and splatters in one swipe. All utensils were washed in piping hot water to disinfect any germs and ingredients were properly packed away

The Granny had the hardest job of clearing the trash in the Depths. Normally, the health inspection would skip this place, but a good way to measure a restaurant's cleanliness was also looking at how it treats its plumbing. The old crone managed to flush away the trash out of the Maw and mask the disgusting smell with the usual brackish salt water

Six and Runaway Kid don't have much of a charge to do here, but they were told to get the other kids in line and prepared for the inspector anyways. The two have often plotted to expose the Maw's secrets whenever an opportunity presented itself... like now

The only reason why they didn't and went along with the rest of the crew's orders was because Roger himself promised them treats if everyone was good; and the Janitor was always good keeping his promises...

Now that everything was in order, the Lady allowed the Health Inspector do their job. Everything was going well until the Thin Man appeared out of nowhere and started complaining about the food

The Lady would have killed him then and there, but the Health Inspector was awestruck that THE BROADCASTER was at the Maw. The Lady saw this as a way to get thing back on track

She flew over to her tall friend, clung to his arm, and started telling the Inspector about how much the legendary man from television was a regular visitor and loved the food here Thin Man: When have I ever... Lady: -sinks her claws through his coat- Thin Man: -wincing- Uh, y-yes! What she said! Excellent restaurant, very clean, superb service, delicious food...

Successfully distracted and awed by the Thin Man, the Inspector took his word and gave the Maw a passing grade for the inspection. They left soon after, especially with an autograph from the Thin Man

With the Inspector gone, the Maw let out a breath out relief and went back to its usual activities. The Thin Man was credited for saving the day, much to his annoyance Thin Man: Give me a heads up then next time I have to lie for you, instead of clawing my arm Lady: How about your favorite dessert and a kiss as my gratitude? Thin Man: ...'kay~

[i-need-entertainment]

Haikyuu Boys and the moment they thought their child came from satan

Characters: Akaashi, Washio, Konoha, Kita, Suna, Ushijima, Yahaba, Iwaizumi, Futakuchi, Daishou, Numai and Iizuna

Warnings: Children, children can be cruel- please proceed with caution, the guys being called not-nice-things cause kids are (albeit cute) incarnates of satan. I say this with love, and yes I have trauma, mentions of injuries, nerf guns and shooting someone with them, pushing someone down the stairs

Akaashi Keiji:

When your son was first born, he was very much a parents-only child. He didn’t like to be held by strangers, which were anyone not his parents.

But there was one exception to that rule, and that was Bokuto.

Which was good because even as an adult I don’t think Bokuto could handle being rejected by little Akaashi.

As he got older, he slowly warmed up to more people, but he was still very shy everywhere not home.

Bokuto had been visiting for the weekend, wanting to come see his friend and his family!

Bokuto had left that morning, and your son was still not happy. He really wasn’t a difficult kid, but this weekend had been a long and active one, so he was very tired.

And seeing as he was indeed Akaashi’s son, he was also very blunt.

“Come on buddy, let’s go take a nap. I know you’re tired.” Akaashi tried to coax his son to come with him, eye brows furrowing when his son shook his head and refused.

“Why not?” his son pouted as he looked up to his father.

“Cause I want uncle bokuto…” Akaashi frowned as he kneeled in front of his son, “I know, but he’ll be back to visit soon.”

His son shook his head, “No, I want him now, I want him to tuck me in.” One of Akaashi’s eyebrows rose, his head tilting to the side abit, “Why Uncle Bokuto? Why not daddy?”

His son sighed, “Because I don’t like you, I like Uncle Bokuto.” Before he trudged off towards his room, dragging his blue blanket behind him, leaving Akaashi speechless and betrayed.

You wasted no time in assuring Akaashi that ‘he didn’t mean it!’ and that ‘he probably won’t even remember it when he wakes up’. But that didn’t do much to sooth the seething pain of your first born betraying you✌😔

Washio Tatsuki:

Washio was outside with the kids, watching over them while they played.

You were inside, talking on the phone with your mom and sipping a cup of tea/coffee.

You were flipping through a magazine, laughing at a memory your mom had brought up, when the front door burst open.

Turning around, the smile on your face dropped when you saw Washio holding your youngest (3 yr old son), who was balling his eyes out.

Apologizing to your mom you stood up from the couch, immediately walking over to them.

“What happened?? Did he get hurt?” Washio sighed as he gently handed him off to you, running a hand through his hair as he shook his head.

“I don’t know, he won’t tell me. All I know is he’s scared, but he won’t tell me what scared him.”

You frowned as you held your little boy, cradling his head against your chest as you slowly rocked back and forth, whispering words of comfort into his ear and kissing the crown of his head.

Eventually, he stopped crying, he was still a bit sniffly and had a few hiccups, but he had settled down quite a bit.

You sat down on the couch with him on your lap, Washio standing after he had brought the twins in as well.

“Wanna tell me what scared you baby?”

Your little boy looked at you, slate gray eyes shimmering with tears as he wiped his cheek before turning to look up at your husband.

He pointed a little finger, “Daddy, daddy’s scary.” He then proceeded to dive back into you, head snuggling into your neck.

You quickly looked up to see your husband's eyes widen as his jaw dropped, looking down to your son in complete and utter disbelief.

It broke your heart the way he clung to you that night, head buried in your chest as he quietly asked if he was a good father, conclusion: kids can be cruel…

Please don’t hate me, i guarantee this hurt me more than it hurt you

Konoha Akinori:

You had brought out old videos from Konoha and yours high school years, wanting to show them to your kids since they were curious. And you and Konoha had wanted to trip down memory lane anyway.

You had chosen a game of Fukurodani vs Nekoma, since those were always good ones.

Your kids were more than entertained to watch it, since dad had long hair?!?!?

They also liked seeing some familiar faces, like Komi and Saru and others obviously.

But one of your children found a specific moment a little...too funny.

It had been a rough match, and a close one as Konoha had remembered it. Akaashi had been subbed out after a ball caught his nail, Washio had very minorly twisted his ankle, and Bokuto had already gone through 2 emo modes, the 3rd not far away.

Konoha had been getting over a cold, he was no longer sick but he wasn’t at 100% yet, so he wasn’t completely in it.

Not to mention he had to make up for the absence of both Akaashi AND Washio.

It was half way through the second set, he was in the back and Yamamoto was up to spike, only Konoha wasn’t expecting Yamamoto not to hit and instead for Kuroo to come up from the back, meaning the ball his Konoha right in the face, knocking him down on his butt.

You all kinda laughed at that part, I mean, who wouldn’t? (don’t lie-)

But what you didn’t expect was a full on demonic cackle coming from your 3 year old who was sat in between you and your husband.

It wasn’t a chuckle, or even a laugh, IT DIDN’T EVEN SOUND LIKE YOUR 3 YEAR OLD!!

It was...unsettling, and when she bounced back not 2 minutes later, you snuck a glance over to your husband, who was slowly scooting away.

Kita Shinsuke:

Kita came in from the fields, closing the door and slipping off his shoes, stretching his hands above his head as he groaned.

He smiled when he heard little foot steps echoing through out the hallway, watching as his little girl ran towards him and into his arms.

He smiled wider when you walked out of the nursery, little baby in your arms as you came up to him and gave him a kiss.

Time skip to dinner that night, all 4 of you are sat at the dinner table.

Kita is sat at his usual spot on the end, you sitting to his right as his daughter sat to his left, you feeding the baby.

He put down his fork to rub his neck, fingers trying to work out the knots that had formed over the past few days.

“You know, granny and I are going to get massages this weekend, why don’t you join us? Gin said he’d be willing to watch the kids.” Kita smiled towards you as he nodded.

“That’d probably be a good idea, thanks honey”

You nodded as you continued to feed your youngest, sending silly faces and smiling at her little giggles.

Kita was about to continue eating when his oldest daughter asked him a question.

“Hey daddy? Why do you need a mass-age.” He chuckled at the way his daughter said massage, going back to eating.

“I’m goin’ cause my neck is sore sweetheart, it’s just from work, nothin’ to worry bout.”

Your daughter nodded, returning her attention to her plate as well.

“So, basically, daddy’s just really, really old.”

You turned away so your husband wouldn’t see your smile, and it worked until you snorted and started laughing.

His small glare towards you only making you laugh harder.

“It’s not bad daddy, you’re just really old, but s’okay, I still love you.”

He shook his head, eating the rest of his dinner with a pout as your daughter carried on like nothing happened and you explained why she shouldn’t say those things.

Suna Rintaro:

Suna was sat on the couch with his oldest son and daughter, watching a movie.

Obviously it wasn’t scary or inappropriate for children, I mean, it was a kids movie. But he had to admit, this one was cutting it a little close.

He would have turned it off but...it really wasn’t that bad and the kids were sitting quietly and watching it, so he figured it’d be okay.

His kids weren’t exactly squeamish, and they didn’t scare easy, but they were also only 8 and 6, so he wasn’t going to risk it.

He also didn’t want to risk it with you, he had a comfy bed and he’d prefer to continue to sleep in it😊

Sometime after the half way point of the movie, a scene came up that was questionably violent for a kids movie. There wasn’t any gore or anything, but it wasn’t a clean death either.

He reached for the remote to change it when his kids started giggling.

Not like uncomfortable awkward chuckles, I mean real and sincere laughter...AND SOME DUDE HAD JUST DIED?!?!?!

Suna texted you with a ‘please help, our children are demons’ as he tried to return his focus to the movie and not his snickering children.

Ushijima Wakatoshi:

Ushijima had just picked 3 of his kids up from school, and was taking them home.

His 2 oldests were talking to each other about school while his youngest (of the 3, not in all), just sat quietly and listened to the radio.

His oldest had asked about his day, and Ushijima told him all about his practice and the practice games they played.

The 2 oldests were entranced, and loved hearing about the sport, his middlest however did not.

It’s not like he hated the sport, but it wasn’t really for him. He much preferred martial arts to volleyball, which was fine with Ushijima, at least his son was happy!

Anyway, Ushijima and his 2 oldests started to talk all about volleyball, the middlest looking confused.

“Wait, why is it like that?” Ushijima peaked in the rearview mirror, “It’s the rules, like how there are rules in Jujitsu.”

Your middlest turned towards the window, “Yeah, but Jujitsu is cool, volleyball sucks.”

Ushijima almost crashed, and it wasn’t long before he got home, pulled into the drive way, parked, and turned to face his middlest with a face that said ‘where did I go wrong…?’

His son just turned to face him, “What?” Ushijima shook his head, turned off the car and headed inside.

When he got inside and walked past you, all you heard was him muttering ‘no child of mine will say that about…’ as he headed straight for the bedroom to lie down.

Yahaba Shigeru:

Yahaba was walking around the living room, sorting through the mail as he separated bills and important things from junk mail.

He had been working in his office all day, doing paper work and what not, and right now he had his ear buds in since he was technically in a work meeting. (muted with the camera off cause how else do you do things virtual?)

So he was completely unsuspecting of his two sons as they snuck up behind him, both holding nerf guns in their hands as they crept closer and closer.

Yahaba had paused, slipping his phone out of his pocket as he started to talk to his coworkers about something when all of a sudden the unmistakable whirring of the automatic nerf gun started.

Before he could even turn around his sons had open fired right on their dad, Yahaba yelping as he started to run, grabbing a pillow from the couch as he fumbled with his phone, desperately trying to mute himself between being pelted with nerf bullets.

“ACK- hEy! You two! Quit it!-” He had made himself a shield out of the couch cushions, finally getting his phone and apologizing to his giggling coworkers, he wasn’t in trouble obviously, the distraction and entertainment was a gift to them all.

The meeting then finally ended, and Yahaba turned to find his sons searching for bullets, him shaking his head as he walked towards them.

“Nice try boys, but I collected the bullets as you shot me, so there’ll be no more of that.” His youngest shrugged as he then decided to instead throw the toy at Yahaba, his oldest then hitting him with it as he shrieked and made his way to the master bedroom.

Iwaizumi Hajime:

You and Iwaizumi had 3 boys.

3 boys who were close in age and high in energy, never a great combo when they’re stuck indoors because of the rain.

You had been taking a nap due to a weather-related head ache, while Iwaizumi did some work from home.

He had heard some questionable sounds coming from the basement, but he didn’t pay them any mind, figuring they were just being kids.

That is until he heard a distinct ‘ow!’ from his middlest.

Walking down the stairs he could hear his youngest chanting something like ‘fight! Fight! Fight!’ which obviously made him move faster.

He rounded the corner to see his oldest and middlest in the middle of a circle, each with one of his boxing gloves on as they circled each other.

“The heck are you guys doing??” They all turned to face him, that was when he noticed they had drawn on themselves to, what he guessed, look like pro-wrestlers, the basement was also a mess.

“Having a cage match, it’s 2 for 2 so far, this round decides the world-class-gladiator-basement-fight-to-the-death match, and the loser gets sacrificed.”

He almost let it go as his boys were being normal boys, until the last part hit him.

“Wait- what?! Sacrificed to who?!” His son giggled, “I don’t know, it’s only pretend, daddy.” Deciding he could no longer bear their empty stares he made them clean up the basement before spending the next 1 ½ hours cleaning off marker.

Futakuchi Kenji:

You guys had taken your 3 girls to the park to have a play-date/picnic with Aone and his wife/kids.

You were sitting and chatting away with his wife, while Aone and Futakuchi talked about their high school days, Aone gladly telling Futakuchi’s embarrassing moments.

Your youngest daughter was 3, and so far it has proven to be the worst of any age they had experienced yet.

Or rather...he had experienced yet.

For you, she was a perfect little angel, sweet and giggly, super cuddly and very much a momma’s girl.

But towards her daddy? She held nothing but malice. She would often smack him and run away to you giggling, or scrunch her nose up at him when he tried to get a hug or kiss.

You guys didn’t know what brought on this sudden hatred, but you were sure it would pass someday.

Your baby girl had waddled up to the picnic blanket and plopped herself down on your lap, playing with some nearby grass as the more adults continued to talk.

Deciding to try his luck, Futakuchi got the attention of your daughter.

“Hey, why don’t you come sit in Daddy’s lap.”

Your daughter turned towards him and shook her head, “No.”

Futakuchi pouted, “Why not?” Your little girl huffed as she only turned her head this time.

“Because I don’t even like you dada.” She then plopped her head back down on your chest while you and Mrs. Aone started laughing and Futakuchi’s face showed only pain.

“hEy! I helped make you, the least you can show me is some gratitude!” Your youngest only stuck her tongue out at him, causing an audible chuckle out of Aone and more pain for Futakuchi.

Daishou Suguru:

When you and Daishou had your first child, your daughter, you never had a hard time getting her to sleep.

But for some reason, lately she had been getting out of her bed in the middle of the night, with seemingly no reason.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Daishou loves his little girl.

But sometimes...kids can be creepy, and yours were no different.

When she woke up at these awful hours of the night, she’d just go to you guys’ room and...stand there...she wouldn’t say anything, just stand there with her teddy bear in one arm and the other hanging limply at her side.

It was almost 3 am, so naturally Daishou had long since been asleep.

He had just rolled over to the edge of the bed to grab some water when he almost screamed.

Standing right there was his daughter, just standing there, watching him.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he took a deep breath.

“I- go back to sleep, it’s late.” Your daughter just nodded, turned around, and walked out of your room and back into her own.

Heart still beating out of his chest he got his sip of water, laid back down and tried to go to sleep, which proved difficult with the blank stare of his child still stuck in his mind.

Numai Kazuma:

You, Numai, and your 4 children had taken a road trip as your big summer vacation.

Currently, you were all driving through this cute little town on the out skirts of one of the cities.

Two of your boys were sleeping, one reading his picture book, and your youngest and only girl was looking out the window.

You had taken a turn driving while Numai had taken a small nap, although he had woken up a little bit ago.

You guys had gotten to the outskirts of this small town, and were coming up on a cemetery.

Your daughter was 4, so she knew what a cemetery was. You guys weren’t too worried, she had grown up with 3 older brothers so things like bugs or ghost stories never really bothered her too much.

You and Numai had started talking to each other when you heard your daughter speak up.

“Hey mommy, hey daddy,” You took a peak into the rear-view mirror, your husband turning to look at his daughter.

“Yeah baby? What is it?” Your husband asked as he smiled towards his little girl.

Smiling, she turned towards the window and pointed to the cemetery.

“That’s where all the dead people are.”

Numai blinked as he just nodded and turned back around in his seat, slumping down as his eyes held a certain ‘deer in headlights’ look, slowly turning to see you as he pointed towards your daughter than to you.

“That came from your genes, not mine-” He winced when you slapped his arm, shaking your head as you too tried to erase the utter creepiness you were feeling after that.

Iizuna Tsukasa:

Iizuna yawned as he walked out of the master bedroom, having just woken up from a 3 hour nap.

Today had been a particularly intense game, which they had won, but had left him exhausted.

You were downstairs in the bathroom, working on washing the magic-marker your other children had put there off of your 10 month old baby while your 2 oldests were upstairs in time out where you left them.

Iizuna walked through the hallway, smiling as he heard his two oldests talking and playing. Or at least, it sounded like they were playing.

Recently, your oldest, your daughter who’s barely 4 and your son who just turned 2 had been bickering all the time, fighting over toys and had resorted to pinching.

When you had caught them and put them in time out, Iizuna was dead asleep, so he didn’t know his kids were supposed to be in timeout, and at the ages they were at it wasn’t unusual to see them play together.

Turning the corner his smile dropped as he sprinted towards his kids, watching in horror as his oldest pushed the middlest down the stairs, simply watching as her brother tumbled as Iizuna lost 10 years of his life.

Quickly scolding his daughter he ran down the stairs and carefully grabbed your son, who thankfully had no injuries, heart beating out of his chest as he sighed.

You, having heard tumbles and then tears, speedily rounded the corner with your now marker-free child in your arms.

It was safe to say neither of you knew how to respond to that, your oldest simply waving from the top of the stairs as Iizuna now has a significant amount of trauma.

[spockandawe]

Well, this is interesting! So, in that post yesterday, there was one line that really baffled me, a thing about people brushing off a character as an asshole “because he shows literally zero growth.” I kind of set that aside because it was such a weird non-sequitur, and guessed that it was just someone’s sentences not quite keeping up with their train of thought, which has happened to me many times. Apparently I was wrong! I already spent long enough on that one post, I’m tired of talking about that, but this is new and interesting. 

Okay. I kind of wanted to see if I could talk about this purely in terms of abstracts and not characters, but I don’t think it’ll work. It would be frustrating to write and confusing to read. It’s about Jiang Cheng. Right up front: This isn’t about whether or not he’s an abuser. Frankly, I don’t think it’s relevant. This also isn’t about telling people they should like him. I don't care whether anyone else likes him or not. But I do like him, and I am always fascinated by dissecting the reasons that people disagree with me. And the process of Telling Stories is my oldest hyperfixation I remember, which will become relevant in a minute.

I thought I had a good grasp on this one, you know? Jiang Cheng makes it pretty obvious why people would dislike Jiang Cheng. But then the posts I keep stumbling over were making weird points, culminating in that “literally zero growth” line.

So! What happened is that someone wrote up a post about how Jiang Cheng’s character arc isn’t an arc, it’s stagnation. It’s a pretty interesting read, and I broadly agree with the larger point! The points where I would quibble are like... the idea that it’s absolute stagnation, as opposed to very subtle shifts that still make a material difference. But still, cool! The post was also offered up as a reason why OP was uninterested in writing any more Jiang Cheng meta, which I totally get. I’m not tired of him yet, but I definitely understand why someone who isn’t a fan of his would get tired about writing about a character with a very static arc. Okay!

Now, internet forensics are hard. I desperately wish I had more information about this evolution, because I find this stuff fascinating, but I have no good way to find things said in untagged posts, reblogs, or private/external venues. But as far as I can tell, that “literally zero growth” wasn’t just a slip of the tongue, it’s become fashionable for people to say that Jiang Cheng is an abusive asshole (that it’s fucked up to like) because he doesn’t have a character arc.

Asshole? Yes. Abusive? This post still isn’t about that. This is about it being fucked up to like this character because he did bad things and had a static character arc.

At first, that point of view was still deeply confusing to me. But I think I figured out the idea at the core of it, and now I’m only baffled. I’m not super interested in confirming this directly, because the people making the most noise about this have not inspired confidence in their ability to hold a civil conversation and I’m a socially anxious binch, but I think the idea is: ‘This character did Bad Things, and then did not improve himself.’

Which is alarmingly adjacent to that old favorite standard of ‘This piece of fiction is glorifying Bad Thing.’ I haven’t seen anyone accusing mxtx of something something jiang cheng, only the people who read/watched/heard the story and became invested in the Jiang Cheng character, but things kind of add up, you know?

Like I said, I don’t want to arbitrate anyone’s right to like/dislike Jiang Cheng. That’s such a fucking waste of time. But this is fascinating to me, because it’s like..... so obviously new and sudden, with such a clear originating point. I can’t speak to the Chinese fans, obviously, but exiledrebels started translating in... what, 2017? And only now, in 2021, do people start putting forth Jiang Cheng’s flat character arc as a “reason” that he’s bad? I’m not going to argue if he pings you in the abuse place, I’m not a dick. I’m not going to argue if you just dislike his vibes. I’m just over here on my blog and in the tag enjoying myself, feel free to detour around me. But oh my god, it’s so silly to try to tell other people that they shouldn’t like him because he has a static character arc.

I want to talk about stories. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to say, because it’s impossible to make broad, sweeping statements, because there are stories about change, there are stories about lack of change, there are all kinds of media that can be used to tell stories, and standards for how stories are told and what they emphasize vary across cultures and over time. But I think that what I can say is that telling a story requires... compromise. It requires streamlining. Trying to capture all the detail of life would slow down most stories to an unbearable degree. Consider organically telling someone ‘I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich’ versus the computer science exercise of having students describe, step by step, how to make one (spread peanut butter? but you never said you opened the lid)

Hell, I’ve got an example in mdzs itself. The largely-faceless masses of the common people. If someone asks you to think about it critically like, yes, obviously these are people, living their own lives, with their own desires, sometimes suffering and dying in the wake of the novel plot. But does the story give weight to those deaths? Or does it just gloss by? Yes, it references their suffering occasionally, but it is not the focus, and it would slow the story unbearably to give equal weight to each dead person mentioned. 

Does Wei Wuxian’s massacre get given the same slow, careful consideration as Su She’s, or Jin Guangyao’s? No, because taking the time to weigh our protagonist with ‘well, this one was a mother, and her youngest son had just started walking, but now he’s going to grow up without remembering her face. that one only became an adult a few months ago, he still hasn’t been on many night-hunts yet, but he finds it so rewarding to protect the common people. oh, and this one had just gotten engaged, but don’t worry, his fiancee won’t mourn him, because she died here as well.’ And continuing on that way to some large number under 3000? No! Unless your goal is to make the reader feel bad for cheering for a morally grey hero, that would be a bad authorial decision! The book doesn’t ignore the issue, it comes up, Wei Wuxian gets called out about all the deaths he’s responsible for, but that’s not the same as them being given equal emotional weight to one (1) secondary character, and I don’t love this new thing where people are pretending that’s equivalent.

When Wei Wuxian brutally kills every person at the Wen supervisory office, are you like ‘holy shit... so many grieving families D:’ or are you somewhere between vindicated satisfaction and an ‘ooh, yikes’ wince? Odds are good you’re somewhere in the satisfaction/wince camp, because that’s what the story sets you up to feel, because the story has to emphasize its priorities (priorities vary, but ‘plot’ and ‘protagonist’ are common ones, especially for a casual novel read like this)

Now, characters. If you want to write a story with a sweeping, epic scale, or if you want to tightly constrain the number of people your story is about, I guess it’s possible to give everyone involved a meaningful character arc. Now.... is it always necessary? Is it always possible? Does it always make sense? No, of course not. If you want to do that, you have to devote real estate to it, and depending on the story you want to tell, it could very possibly be a distraction from your main point, like the idea of mxtx tenderly eulogizing every single character who dies even incidentally. Lan Qiren doesn’t get a loving examination of his feelings re: his nephews and wei wuxian and political turnover in the cultivation world because it’s not relevant, and also, because his position is pretty static until right near the end of the story. Lan Xichen is arguably one of the most static characters within the book, he seems like the same nice young between Gusu and the present, right up until... just before the end of the story.

You may see where I’m heading with this.

Like, just imagine trying to demand that every important character needs to go through a major life change before the end of your book or else it didn’t count. This just in, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg go through multiple novels without experiencing radical shifts in who they are, stop liking them immediately. I do get that the idea is that Jiang Cheng was a ~bad person~ who didn’t change, but asdgfsd I thought we were over the handwringing over people being allowed to like ““bad”” fictional characters. The man isn’t even a canonical serial killer, he’s not my most problematic fave even within this novel.

And here is where it’s a little more relevant that I would quibble with that original post about Jiang Cheng’s arc. He’s consistently a mean girl, but he goes from stressed, sharp-edged teenager, to grief-stricken, almost-destroyed teen, to grim, cold young adult (and then detours into grim, cold, and grief-stricken until grief dulls with time). He does become an attentive uncle tho. He..... doesn’t experience a radical change in his sense of self, which... it’s...... not all that strange for an adult. And bam, then he DOES experience a radical change, but the needs of the plot dictate that it’s right near the end. And he’s not the focus of the story, baby, wangxian is. He has the last few lines of the story, which nicely communicate his changes to me, but also asdfafas we’re out of story. He was never the main character, it’s not surprising we don’t linger! The extras aren’t beholden to the needs of plot, but they’re also about whatever mxtx wanted to write, and I guess she didn’t feel like writing about Jiang Cheng ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But also. Taking a step backward. Stable characters can fill a perfectly logical place in a story. Like, look at Leia Organa. I’m not saying she has no arc, but I am saying that she’s a solid point of reference as Luke is becoming a jedi and Han is adjusting his perspective. I wouldn’t call her stagnant, the vibes are wrong, but she also isn’t miserable in her sadness swamp, the way Jiang Cheng is.

Or, hell, look at tgcf. The stagnant, frozen nature of the big bad is a central feature of the story. The bwx of now is the bwx of 800 years ago is the bwx of 1500+ years ago. This is not the place for a meta on how that was bad for those around him and for him himself, but I have Thoughts about how being defeated at the end is both a thing that hurts him and relieves him. Mei Nianqing is a sympathetic character who’s also pretty darn static. Does Ling Wen have a character arc, or do we just learn more about who she already is and what her priorities always were? I’m going to cut myself off here, but a character’s delta between the beginning of a story and the end of a story is a reasonable way to judge how interesting writing character meta is, and is a very silly metric to judge their worth, and even if I guessed at what the basic logic is, for this character, I am still baffled that it’s being put forth as a real talking point.

(also, has it jumped ship to any other characters yet? have people started applying it in other fandoms as well? please let me know if this is the case, I am wildly curious)

(no, but really, if anyone is arguing that bwx is gross specifically because he had centuries to self-reflect and didn’t fix himself, i am desperate to know)

And finally. The thing I thought was most self-evident. Did I post about this sometime recently? If a non-central character experiences a life-altering paradigm shift right near the end of the story (without it being lingered over, because non-central character), oh my god. As a fic writer? IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE. This is the most fertile possible ground. If I want to write post-canon canon-compliant material, adsgasfasd that’s where I’m going to be looking. Okay, yeah, the main couple is happy, that’s good. Who isn’t happy, and what can I do about that? Happy families are all alike, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, etc.

It’s not everyone’s favorite playground, but come on, these are not uncommon feelings. And frankly, it’s starting to feel a little disingenuous when people act like fan authors pick out the most blameless angel from the cast and lavish good things upon them. I’m not the only one who goes looking for a good dumpster fire and says I Live Here Now. If I write post-canon tgcf fic, it’s very likely to focus on beef and/or leaf. I have written more than one au focusing on tianlang-jun.

And, hilariously. If the problem with Jiang Cheng. Is that he is a toxic man fictional character who failed to grow on his own, and is either unsafe or unhealthy to be around. If the problem is that he did not experience a character arc. If these people would be totally fine with other people liking him, if he improved himself as a person. And then, if authors want to put in the (free! time-consuming!) work of writing that character development themselves. You would think that they would be lauded for putting the character through healthier sorts of personal growth than he experienced in canon. Instead, I am still here writing this because first, I was bothered by these authors being named as “freaks” who are obsessed with their ‘uwu precious tsundere baby’ with a “love language of violence,” and then I was graciously informed that people hate Jiang Cheng because he experiences no character growth.

[harrylilies]

The Royal Series | Pt. VIII

The Royal Series Masterlist

"Come on, Henry!" You laughed at your brother, wrapping the scarf you got him around his neck. "It's your best picture!" The green and red scarf had a picture of him fighting a pap in 2004 all over it, ready to be worn.

"You were only 10 when this happened, how did you even remember this?" He laughed, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and squeezing you to his chest.

"Brings out the colour in your eyes." Will said, helping Charlotte off of his lap and letting her run towards you.

"Think you should wear my gift to your boyfriend's family meeting." Harry joked, letting you go.

You rolled your eyes, scooping Charlotte in your arms. "Did you see Granny's face when I opened the gift?"

Harry mimicked, making everyone in William's drawing room laugh. "Admit it, it's a nice sweatshirt."

"The best thing to wear to a first family meeting; Harry Styles have my babies. Excellent choice." You said sarcastically, swaying Charlotte gently in your place.

"Teetee, did you like my present?" Charlotte asked enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around your neck.

"I loved it! I'm putting that picture frame beside me, on my bedside table. So every morning when I wake up and every night before I sleep, I see you and your brother. It's the best to wake up and sleep to, Charlie." You smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Also, our little squish here wrote me a very nice letter." You nodded towards Kate's baby bump.

Spending more time with your family doing nothing but laughing, teasing one another, and reminiscing the days when you were all younger, it wasn’t long before you were putting on your coat and ready to leave.

"Do you have to go?" Charlotte whined, frowning as she looked at you.

You cooed, "Aw, none of that now, Charlie. I'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah, Charl, Teetee will only be gone for a few days before she comes back." Kate said, standing beside you as she assured her daughter, "We don't want Y/N leaving with us crying and her getting sad, do we?"

Charlotte nodded before letting out a dramatic sigh, "Okay."

"Now, I really have to go. Want to help me get my bags?" To which Charlotte nodded eagerly to, making you grin, "Where's your brother? Where's Georgie?"

"I think he's in his room." Will said, standing up.

"Let's go get him, Charlie. Let old Daddy sit, wouldn't want him hurting his back." You said teasingly as you walked past your brother, hearing everyone behind you snickering.

"Hey! Don't tell my daughter that!" Will joked, making you wave him off.

Reaching George's room, you let Charlotte knock before you heard him give you a "Come in!"

You opened the door gently, peaking yours and Charlotte's head inside to see George sitting on his floor, playing with the train toy set you had gotten him. His head snapped towards you, a grin instantly drawn to his face as he stood up and sped towards you, hugging your legs. "Auntie, you're still here!"

"I am, baby, but I wanted to ask you if you want to join me and Charlie and help me with my suitcases?" You stroked his scalp gently.

"Yes, of course! I'll get my train." He said before walking back to his previous spot, taking one red train before walking beside you, holding your hand.

George opened the door to your room, going inside and climbing up the bed till he sat, his feet dangling and swaying as he made train noises and flew his toy in the air. You sat Charlotte beside him, giving her the small piano toy she had left in your room the previous day, before unlocking your phone, finding 3 missed calls from Harry.

"Shit," you cursed under your breath, turning your phone slightly to find that it was silenced.

You instantly called him back, balancing the phone between your ear and shoulder blade as you opened your plain blue suitcase, double checking that nothing was missing before checking your duffel bag, too.

"I thought you got cold feet." Harry said as soon as he picked up, followed by a heartfelt laugh.

You smiled to yourself, taking your red sweater in your hand, "No, no. My phone's mute button was probably pushed by accident. Is something wrong?"

"No, love. I just wanted to make sure that you're," he cleared his throat, "You know, still coming."

"I am, H. I'm about to leave," you assured him before chuckling, "They still don't believe you?"

"They don't. Even showed them a couple of pictures but they told me that my fans make insane photoshopped pictures. I’m starting to feel very offended."

You laughed, zipping your suitcase. "Good thing I'm spending New Year's with you then, huh?"

"The best. Still sure about that? Wouldn't your family have your head?" He asked. "One, I'm sure. Two, told you it's me who decides. Now," you held your phone with your hand, "I have to go get dressed. I'll text you when I'm near, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm waiting for you. Take care, yeah?"

"Always do. Bye, baby." And so, it slipped from your mouth, making your eyes widen and your other hand to cover your mouth.

The pet name didn't seem to go unnoticed by Harry as he giggled quietly into the phone, giving you an eager "bye!" and a kissy noise before hanging up.

"I'm going to go change, I'll be right back." You informed your niece and nephew who only nodded at you, too engrossed in their toys.

_

With the car door open wide for you, you bent down, hugging George and Charlotte close to your chest, kissing their temples. "Be good for Mummy and Daddy, will you?"

"Yes, Teetee." They both replied, their arms on you.

"Come on, give me a kiss." You smiled, patting your cheeks for them to which they giggled at, leaning forward and planting loving kisses on your cheeks. "I love you."

"Love you, Teetee!"

Getting into the car and blowing everyone a kiss, you nodded at your driver who stood by the driver's door side. "Don't worry, Ben. I’ll be careful." You smiled, "You spend some time with your family."

"I did actually spend a wonderful time with my wife and the kids." He smiled, closing the door after you got in and put on your seatbelt before you put down your window.

"Oh! Did they like my presents? I certainly hope they did. Although I'm not so sure about the sizes, I just picked the ones suitable for your daughters' and wife's ages." You chuckled, looking up at him.

"They loved it, Your Highness! And the sweaters fit them just right. Lilly especially wanted me to thank you and invite you for a tea party." Ben chuckled humorously as he referred to his youngest daughter, only being 5.

You grinned, perking up. "I love tea parties! I'd gladly come if you'd let me."

Ben laughed in delight, nodding eagerly. "Of course we would! You're welcomed to visit anytime, Your Highness."

You smiled, starting the car before waving at him before you drove off, already feeling the nervous butterflies in your stomach at the thought of meeting Harry's family after a 3-hour drive.

Meanwhile, Harry sat on his mother's sofa, laughing at Gemma's embarrassing stories that Anne was telling Michal, Gemma's boyfriend, laughing at his sister's sour face.

"Oh, come on. At least I'm not as delusional as Harold here, says he's with HRH Princess Y/N." Gemma snickered.

Harry groaned, dropping his head low in defeat. "She's coming in a few hours."

"Oh dear, I have to move the pebbles for when the horses arrive on our doorstep." Anne joked.

"She doesn't move in coaches, Mum." Harry laughed.

"Probably wings." Gemma joked, motioning with her arms to wings, making Harry throw a cushion on her.

"Stop it, Gemma. Stop making fun of your brother," Anne said, standing up and taking two of the many empty glasses on the table which belonged to some of Harry's family whom were in their presence but left, "I raised you both to never make fun of troubled people." She giggled, speeding off to the kitchen.

"Hey, why are you doubting him? Harry's pretty big and known." Michal defended him, looking at Gemma.

Gratefully, Harry made prayer hands as he closed his eyes, mouthing "Thank you" to him.

"I'm not belittling him but," Gemma began, "This 23-year-old woman, one of the most beautiful, whose father is Prince Charles and mother is Princess Diana and her grandmother is the fucking Queen and was raised and continues to live in the monarchy is pretty big, too."

"You always believed me when I told you about my girlfriends." Harry gave her a side eye, raising his eyebrows.

"Because you dated what we now call ordinary people, T Swift, Kendall Jenner. If a colleague of mine told me that they were dating them I'd believe them," she stood up, taking a couple of glasses before following Anne to the kitchen. "Better start cleaning before Her Highness arrives.”

Harry rolled his eyes, looking at Michal. "At least you believe me."

Michal chuckled, standing up as him and Harry started helping Anne and Gemma with the remains of the Christmas get-together they threw.

_

"It told me to make a left, so I did." You said, glancing at your phone in its holder before looking at your surroundings. "Alright wait, I'm coming outside." Harry said through the speaker, the sound of some shuffling around being heard next.

"Are you wearing a green jumper?" You asked, squinting your eyes to get a better look at the figure in front of you.

"Yes! Is that you in the black ca-Oh, hi." He giggled as you drove closer to him, finally getting a clearer view. "Bye bye." He eagerly said before hanging up, watching you park in front of him.

You grinned as you rolled your window up and took your keys and phone, Harry opening your door for you.

The moment you got out, Harry wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you chest-to-chest closer. "You look very cuddly right now," he whispered, kissing your hair. "You always look cuddly now that I think about it."

You laughed, putting your hands on his chest and looking up at him. "I got some nice cocoa powder for hot chocolate. It's the best you'll ever have."

"I think we have marshmallows." He nodded. "Where are my manners?" Harry asked himself. Smiling as he leaned down, he pressed his lips to yours. Your leaned back on your car, smiling into the kiss as your hands moved to his jaw.

"They still don't believe you?" You asked as you took your breath, glancing back at his house before looking at him.

Harry rolled his eyes, "They teased me enough."

You tried not to laugh, though did a terrible job at it, before patting his chest, "Come on then. Let's meet them." You got out of his grasp and towards your boot. Right as you were about to take your suitcase, Harry beat you to it, taking it out, draping your duffel bag on his shoulder before closing the boot.

"I can take it." You said as he rolled your suitcase in one hand, the other holding yours.

"So can I. Come on." You both walked towards his open door, you smiling sheepishly as you tried not to look around.

"It's quiet." You whispered as Harry put your suitcase and duffel bag beside the door after kicking it close.

He chuckled, "They're in the back."

"I got presents." You whispered again, "Oh shit, I forgot to take them from the backseat." You opened the door, practically jogging towards your car before Harry followed you, grinning as he saw you take out neatly wrapped medium sized boxes in glistening and vibrant Christmas wrapping. "I trust you with the sizes you gave me."

"You got Mum that dress you showed me?" He asked, helping you and taking two boxes, leaving you with one which had a card on top of it with your neat handwriting that said “Merry Christmas, Michal!”

You nodded, humming. "And got Gemma the striped suit and the golf watch for Michal. Is that all alright?"

"Baby, I told you that you don't even have to get anything." Harry chuckled, bumping his hip with yours.

"It's Christmas, H. Everyone deserves nice presents." You smiled.

"Let's put these under the tree." Harry said, raising his eyebrows upwards as you both walked inside. Instantly smiling at the cosy aura the place had, your eyes fell on the twinkling Christmas tree by the window. You put the box under it, waiting as Harry put the other two there.

"And your gift is in my suitcase." You giggled, looking up at him.

"Yours is in my room." He replied with a dimpled grin, "Come on."

With his hand on your waist, you both walked towards the kitchen where you heard chatter and clinking, making you look at Harry, giving him a nervous smile. "Oh God." You whispered to yourself, huffing out before putting a strand of your hair behind your ear, your fingers lacing together in front of you, sheepishly.

Harry gave you a quick peck on the cheek before walking inside the kitchen, clearing his throat to catch his family's attention.

You could almost hear a pin drop. All of their jaws dropped, faces going tint red, looking intently at the new addition. You looked up at Harry for a second before looking back at the ones in front of you. "Hi, I'm Y/N."

"What the fuck?" Gemma was the first to speak, Harry cringing as he squeezed your waist slightly. Gemma's eyes caught her brother's, who widened his green eyes at her before she cleared her throat, drying her hands in the yellow towel on her shoulder before putting it on the chair. "Do I-Do I curtsy?"

"God, please don't," You laughed, moving forward and naturally wrapping your arms around her in a brief hug. "You look a lot like Harry. It's insane."

Still at a loss of words, Gemma awkwardly hugged back, looking at Harry from over your shoulder as he smirked at her, cocking an eyebrow. "You look like-" She cleared her throat, "Like how I see you on the telly."

You chuckled, pulling away, "I'm hoping that's a good thing?"

"Yeah, of course. Of course, it is."

"Excuse my daughter," Anne spoke, moving forward and approaching you with a wide, loving smile. "I'm Anne."

You and Anne hugged, her rubbing your back soothingly as she did. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things?" She asked jokingly as you both pulled away.

"The best." You nodded in confirmation.

"It's so nice to meet you." Michal said, leaning down and giving you a greeting hug before looking at Gemma, "Guess your brother isn't so delusional after all, huh?"

"Shut up." She said under her breath, covering her face.

"Let's take this to the living room, shall we?" Anne grinned enthusiastically.

"They're starstruck." Harry leaned down, whispering in your ear.

"I'm more of in awe that I'm meeting them." You giggled, holding his hand that was draped from your shoulder.

"Who got-Oh God, did you-" Anne gasped, looking back at you from the tree.

"It's Christmas. It's also a thank you for making me spend New Year's with you." You smiled warmly, feeling yourself get hotter, “I hope that’s okay.”

"Did I just get a present from the Princess of the United Kingdom?" Gemma asked her boyfriend quietly who tried to stifle his laughter and not burst out laughing before his face fell, looking at one box under the tree, "Yup. She got you one, too."

"I read online that's she's known in the royal family to get the funniest Christmas gifts." He whispered back.

They couple both shared a look before looking at you, laughing at something Anne said. "We did make fun of our Harry, honestly. Sorry, darling."

"I felt very offended, thank you very much." Harry put his hand on his heart dramatically before looking at you, "How was your drive here?"

"Very nice and quiet. That intersection you told me about saved me a lot of time." You pointed at Harry.

"No offense, sweetheart but what do we call you?" Anne asked warmly, “We have never really interacted with someone from the royal family this close before, excuse us.”

"Please, don’t worry. Just Y/N would be great."

"And please call me Anne," Anne pointed at herself, "Oh where are my manners? Are you hungry, sweetheart? We had nice turkey and mashed potatoes."

"Mum makes incredible turkey." Harry said from beside you on the sofa, his hand on your knee.

"Thank you so much, Anne, but I think I'm so full. I managed to get myself pizza on the way.”

“How many slices did you have? You can’t be that full, love.” Harry asked.

“Got a large and finished it all actually,” you shrugged, “But actually, I got us some fine cocoa powder if you fancy a nice hot cocoa cuppa. It's homemade." You grinned, standing up to walk towards your suitcase, "Actually if you don't mind, I can make them."

"Oh, love. You really didn't have to." Anne laughed in delight, watching as you shook your head at her with a warm smile, "Gemma can help you."

"Of course!" Gemma perked up, standing up, "I personally love eating cocoa powder."

You laughed, pointing at her, " Me too! My brothers make fun of me for it all the time."

You and Gemma walked towards your suitcase by the door before you opened it, taking the packet of cocoa from one of the pockets and closing it. Gemma hummed, closing her eyes "It already smells so good."

"Trust me, it's the best you'll ever have." You assured her as you both walked back to where everyone was. Harry leaned his head back on the sofa, looking at you upside down before giving you a childlike wide grin, almost as if he was assuring you that it was going well.

_

Standing in the kitchen with Gemma as you warmed the milk, she cleared her throat, getting you to look at her. You felt nervous, almost as if you were preparing yourself for the talk.

"So, you and little Harold? How did that even happen?" She chuckled, looking at you as she leaned on the counter.

"I've been a fan of One Direction for as long as I remember and I've always, you know, kind of had a soft spot for H. I don't get to go to concerts and shows very often but I went to his show a few months ago after getting in contact with Jeff then I met him. We met then we went to this local bar not far away with the rest of the band and we sort of," you shrugged with a smile, "Clicked."

"I bet he was shitting himself," she laughed, turning off the stove before taking out mugs for you. "From what he told us, you haven't been dating for long."

You nodded, "Almost two months."

"I'm sorry if this is too straightforward but does your family know?" Gemma asked quietly.

"My brothers and their partners know that we're together, yes. Uh, my grandparents and father know something is going on but we kind of had," you gestured with your hands, "A disagreement you can say. They'll come around."

"But you're planning on telling them, right?"

You nodded instantly, "Definitely," you paused, sighing as you looked at her, "I know what you're thinking. I really don't plan on hurting Harry."

"What about your family? Do they not?"

Deciding to not take it to heart, you simply shook your head. "My family won't get in the way of what makes me happy."

"I'm sorry if I come off as a bitch, I just," Gemma stopped, looking at you sympathetically.

"I understand," You smiled, "I'd do the same if I were in your place. You're just looking out for your brother and I truly respect that."

Gemma smiled in gratitude before shaking her head, "God, you sound so posh."

As the night went on and everyone was more comfortable, you were tucked in Harry's side, his arm wrapped tightly around you.

Empty mugs of hot cocoa were proof of the success and so were the smiling faces in the room. Gemma, Anne and Michal sat with their presents on their laps as they waited to unwrap them.

First went Anne, neatly unwrapping the present after complimenting your choice of wrapping paper. Her eyes almost widened at the Versace box, opening the lid slowly as she gasped at what's inside. She took the dress out, holding it at arm's length as she gushed over it. "Y/N! This is gorgeous, sweetheart!" She stood up, holding it over her.

"Ooooo, look at you." Gemma grinned, now feeling over the moon excited to open her present.

"This is a lot, Y/N."

"It's not, I promise. You're letting me stay here for 6 whole days, Anne. It's the least." You truthfully said, giggling when she gave you a kiss on the cheek.

Harry grinned at the interaction, rubbing your arm.

"Okay, my turn!" Gemma exclaimed, unwrapping the present before gasping at the Alexander McQueen box, "Oh God," She laughed, opening it. "Ooooo,"

"I trusted H with the sizes." You informed them, watching as Gemma took out the black and white striped jumpsuit out.

"I love you already." Gemma pretended to wipe her tears, making everyone laugh. "Thank you so much, Y/N." "You're welcome, Gemma. I bet it would look so good with red lipstick." You wiggled your eyebrows.

"You know what? We're going out tomorrow and I'm wearing that." She pointed at you. Gemma sat down, elbowing Michal, "Go on then."

Opening his box after unwrapping it, Michal let out an excited laugh as he looked at the expensive golf watch he remembers telling Gem about it a year ago. "That's massive! Thank you!"

"It's no problem. Harry told me you're really into golf. He helped me with this one." You smiled up at Harry who scrunched his nose.

"Did a great job, mate."

_

You left your hair down as you changed into your pyjamas, walking inside Harry's room. Right as you stepped inside, Harry quickly covered something with the covers, making you stand on the doorway with your hand on your hip. "Got something, Styles?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Harry shrugged, tilting his head at you with a cheeky grin.

You sighed dramatically, "Guess I just won't give you your present then."

Harry laughed, throwing his head back, "Y/N!" He whined.

"Fine," you chuckled, "Alright I got you a bunch of stuff actually." You took the rectangular box out of your duffel bag, holding it out as you sat beside him on the bed, crossing your legs.

"Okay," Harry breathed out, copying your moves and sitting in front of you with his legs crossed, unwrapping the box. "You have really nice wrapping paper."

"Thank you, I take pride in choosing and wrapping them." You giggled, bringing your knees closer to your chest as you rested your chin on your knee.

The first thing Harry got out of the box was a book that had a cat in front books and a typewriter on cover, the title being "I Could Pee On This" along with "And Other Poems by Cats"

Harry burst out laughing; his eyes shut and his head back as his hand slapped his thigh. "Where did you even find this?!"

You only shrugged in response, grinning at his reaction. "I know you love cats and I thought it might be exactly what you need."

"I definitely needed that. Thank you, baby." He laughed, putting it beside him before taking out the next item. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the packet in his hand, reading what was written; "Animal butt magnets."

"When I first came to your house, I noticed your fridge didn't have any magnets so I thought you should add a few there."

Harry laughed, turning the packet to you, "You got me animal butts for me to stick on my fridge?"

You nodded excitedly, hugging your legs, "Precisely!"

"You're absolutely mental." Harry chuckled, leaning forward to peck your lips.

"Now for the grand, real gift!" You exclaimed in a reporter's voice, opening your arms wide.

Harry grinned, glancing at you before closing his eyes and taking the last item out of the box. His eyes fell on his hands, laughing, "Love, is that-" He glanced at you before opening the wallet in his hands, "It's a wallet! You got me a wallet that looks like burnt toast!"

"I love all of them!" Harry laughed, moving until he propped himself up on his knees, cupping your face in his hands as he pressed his lips to yours. "Has anyone ever told you how creative you are with gifts?" You hummed, smiling up at him before glancing at his lips, "Maybe one or two."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." You whispered back, pecking his lips.

"You might not know it but you've been touching your present all along." Harry chuckled, kissing your temple for a second before taking the box from under the covers.

"H, it's made a fucking lump. Of course I knew it was a present." You laughed, looking at the green wrapped box.

You unwrapped the box, Harry watching nervously and silently admiring how gentle you were while unwrapping the box. "Gucci!" You grinned, looking at him, "That's your favourite."

"I remember you telling me you like something of mine so," he shrugged.

You opened the box, "Loafers! You got me loafers!" You grinned, taking them out, "Are we going to be the cliché couple that match?"

"I think we're cliché enough to do that." Harry nodded. "There's something else in there."

You looked down, taking out the vinyl record in your hands, grinning when you read "Piano Man" and "Billy Joel".

“How on earth did you know I wanted this?"

"Might have had Farrah help me with that one." Harry smiled, shrugging sheepishly.

"You take your Christmas presents seriously, don't you?" You smiled, putting the shoes back in the box before wrapping your arms around his torso.

"Do you have any idea how hard picking a present for you is?" Harry rolled his eyes, groaning as he threw his head back.

"Hey, that goes both ways." You raised an eyebrow.

He laughed, raising his hand to push the hair that got on your face away, "You know what I got us for when we're back at my house? For our board games nights and all that?"

"And the Chinese takeaway?" You asked hopefully, making him chuckle and nod.

"And the Chinese takeaway," Harry confirmed, "I got us about 10 massive puzzle pieces."

You gasped, "You genius! I was actually thinking about getting us a new one."

"And now we have 10."

“And I have Gucci loafers.”

“And I have a wallet that looks like burnt toast.”

“Sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t know you took Christmas presents so seriously.” You sheepishly said, scrunching your nose as you looked up at him.

“Hey, none of that,” Harry frowned, “These are probably the nicest Christmas presents I have ever had. ‘sides,” he held up his wallet and new magnets, “What’s not serious about these babies?”

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝑀𝑎𝑓𝑖𝑎! 𝐴𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑧: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝐹𝑢𝑛 𝑂𝑓 𝐻𝑖𝑚 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝐵𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑜𝑓𝑡

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, supporting, justifying or encouraging mafia activities or lifestyle. This is all fictional and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

✿*:･ﾟ𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰 ﾟ･:*✿

Hongjoong was startled by the sound of the door opening. He watched as you scurried over to his desk, boxes in your hand that you set down on the floor so you could clear off the papers in his desk.

"May I ask what are you doing?" He finally asked when you began placing the boxes on the desk.

"I need your help. It's of utmost importance."

Hongjoong stared in confusion as you began taking out various table decorations in all shades of pink. He pointed at them and looked to you for an explanation.

"It's my cousin's baby shower this weekend and I promised to make the table decorations, but I don't know which one to pick..."

You held up 2 different options for him to look at.

"So I need your opinion."

Hongjoong sighed softly and began pondering over his choices. Sure, they all looked pretty cute already, but he felt like they could be better. He took one of the decorations from your hand and began taking some things off.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" You screeched in horror.

"Relax and give me a moment." He looked inside the boxes and took out the fabric glue and scissors so he could modify it to his liking.

Now you understood what his plan was. You knew he loved to modify clothes, so of course he'd try to modify these ornaments. You decided to just watch him and see what he'd come up with.

You were both so engrossed in his task, you didn't notice Mingi had been standing by the door, trying to get Hongjoong's attention. He cleared his throat loudly, finally catching both of your attentions.

"If you grannies are done with your knitting and sewing, I have some papers for the boss here to see."

Mingi walked over and handed the stack of papers to Hongjoong. He snorted when he took in the sight of Hongjoong holding the glue and pink bows in his hand.

"What? You're telling me that'll cause more damage than a gun and bullets?" Mingi teased him.

Hongjoong threw the glue tube at Mingi, who only feigned to be hurt before walking out of the room, laughing his ass off and planning to tell the others.

You and Hongjoong looked at each other before laughing yourselves.

"Ok. Now back to our task."

✿*:･ﾟ𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪 ﾟ･:*✿

Seonghwa hated it whenever anyone would even so much as touch him. If one of the other guys merely brushed against him, he'd already be pulling out his mini lint roller to dust away imaginary dirt that got on his suit.

"Seriously? You're acting like I got the black plague or something." Wooyoung told him when Seonghwa took out a disinfecting wipe to wipe his hands after Wooyoung shook them.

"Worse. You got hoe germs."

When they heard rumors he was dating, they brushed them off as lies.

"No way. Man can't stand being around other people too closely." Yunho said.

"People can't stand being around him." Wooyoung never missed an opportunity to take a jab at Seonghwa.

"I feel bad for who ever does date him." Hongjoong shook his head.

But it turns out the rumors were indeed true, and not only did they find out about you, but they were even more shocked to see Seonghwa practically make out with you in his office. There were so many things going on that normal Seonghwa would have frowned upon.

"Well well well. What have we got here?" Hongjoong smirked at the 2 lovebirds.

Wooyoung let out a dramatic gasp.

"Seonghwa?! Letting someone sit on his desk? Whatever happened to 'don't touch my things?! You'll dirty them?' "

"Did he make you wash your hands before touching him?" Yeosang asked you curiously.

You simply blushed and looked to Seonghwa, wondering what was going on. Seonghwa pulled away from you to usher the boys out the room, threatening to throw bleach at them if they didn't stop. Locking the door, he went back to you and cupped your cheeks.

"Now....where were we my little honey bunch?" He leaned in to kiss you again.

"He even uses lovey dovey terms?!" Wooyoung's voice was heard from outside.

✿*:･ﾟ𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸 ﾟ･:*✿

Yunho proudly showed off the sonograms to the other guys.

"Look! You can already see her little hands forming."

The other guys had mixed reactions. While some like Seonghwa, San and Mingi were cooing along with him, Hongjoong, Yeosang and Jongho just awkwardly looked at each other, while Wooyoung was simply on his phone, not even paying attention.

"Need I remind you this was supposed to be an important meeting?" Hongjoong spoke up.

"Oh right! Sorry." Yunho quickly put away his phone and they all looked back at Hongjoong.

"Ok. As I was saying, they are to bring our shipment in on-"

He was interrupted once again by Yunho's phone ringing. Upon seeing it was you, Yunho immediately picked up.

"Hi love! How are you? How's my precious baby mama doing? Is our little dove doing ok?" He cooed into the phone.

Jongho and Yeosang began giggling, mimicking Yunho's love struck expressions and high pitched voice. Hongjoong was about to say something but Seonghwa interrupted.

"Say hi to Y/N for me!"

"Oh hold on! The boys wanna say hi!" Yunho put you on speaker.

"We do?" Wooyoung asked, finally looking up from his phone.

"Hi boys! How's it going?" You asked.

"Oh nothing much. Just witnessing how your husband turns into a baby when anything related about you and your bundle of joy is mentioned." Jongho said sarcastically.

Yunho pouted. " I do not."

"Oh really?"

Jongho turned to Yeosang and smiled like an idiot.

"Wanna see my baby's sonogram? Here let me show you!" Jongho made it a point to use his aegyo voice.

"Ooh! Y/N is getting rounder and chubbier and it's the cutest thing ever! She hates it but the pregnancy suits her well! I can't wait when I get her pregnant again." Yeosang played along adding the fakest laugh he could muster.

"Yes he can." Your voice reminded them that you were still there.

Yunho just blushed and giggled.

"You guys wouldn't understand! But one day you will."

✿*:･ﾟ𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰 ﾟ･:*✿

As one of the top snipers in the world, Yeosang had always had an image to uphold. He was rarely seen outside of work related events, he hardly talked and everyone swears he never smiles. His private life is practically classified as well, not even his best friend of 5 years could tell you if he has a family or not. To his friends, Yeosang is just cold and heartless.

"Guys.... is that who I think it is?"

San's voice had everyone looking at what he was pointing at. It took them all a minute to comprehend what they were looking at, but once they did, they were shook.

"It's Yeosang! And he's.....smiling?!" Mingi exclaimed, putting on his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things wrong.

"He's not just smiling, he's giggling!" Yunho added.

"And he has.......a girlfriend?!" Wooyoung was offended and hurt that he never knew about this information.

They all stood there, watching as Yeosang and you acted all loving towards each other. They couldn't believe The Kang Yeosang was capable of falling in love. The rest of the boys looked at each other and smirked. This was perfect.

Few days later, they cornered. Yeosang at work.

"What do you dumbasses want now?" He asked, his usual cold gaze on his features.

"We want to meet your girlfriend." San replied.

For a brief second, Yeosang's eyes betrayed him, expressing shock that they knew, but he quickly composed himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Yunho quickly took out his phone and presented their evidence in the form of pictures. Yeosang looked at them and gulped, finally realizing his secret was out. He stared at the floor in shock.

Yunho laid his head on Yeosang's shoulder and teased.

"Now unless you want them all over the internet, I suggest you let us meet her."

Yeosang pushed him off and sighed.

"Looks like I have no choice......"

The other guys cheered at the success of their blackmail. But it was a little too early for a celebration as Yeosang finished his sentence with:

"But to take you all out."

They all shut up and looked at him.

"Please say you're joking."

✿*:･ﾟ𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷 ﾟ･:*✿

"I told you guys I can't go, I already made plans."

San sighed as his friends wouldn't quit bothering him about going over to Seonghwa's house to get drunk.

"You liar!" Mingi exclaimed through the phone.

"That's rich coming from you. Now bye."

San hung up his phone and decided to turn it off so they wouldn't bother him. He then went back inside the kitchen, where you were already placing the first batch of cupcakes in the oven.

"Baby can you set a timer for 30 minutes?"

San grabbed the stop watch and promptly did as you asked. He then pulled you into a hug and just held you there.

"Don't tell me you're planning on doing this for 30 minutes." You giggled.

"Precisely my plan."

Meanwhile, the other guys were in Seonghwa's car, who was driving well above the speed limit to get to San's house. If he wouldn't come over to them, they'd come over to him.

"We're not letting him ditch us on dude's night." Mingi said.

They quickly went up to his apartment and rang the doorbell. 5 minutes passed though and no answer. They looked at each other for options before Jongho stepped up and kicked the door open.

Hearing the door slam, San and you got scared, thinking it was an intruder. San quickly pulled you behind him, ready to attack whoever came in.

"Surprise! We- AAAAH!" Wooyoung screamed, as he was hit with frosting that San squirted into his eyes.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" San asked as he helped Wooyoung regain his vision.

"We're doing guy's night out at your place!" Jongho said happily.

"What? No! I told you guys I had plans!" San repeated.

"Well........ here we were thinking you had mission plans.....but instead...it's baking plans." Hongjoong snorted as he looked at the half-decorated cupcakes on the kitchen island.

"I promised my baby we'd make cupcakes for her nephew's birthday party tomorrow." San explained as he went back next to you and wrapped his arm around you, looking at you with fluttering eyes.

"Wow.......you've gone soft Choi San." Seonghwa pointed out.

"What! No I have not!" San defended himself.

"You're softer than this cupcake. Delicious by the way." Yeosang popped up behind him, half a cupcake already in his mouth.

"Hey! That's not for you!"

✿*:･ﾟ𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲ﾟ･:*✿

It was all tension in the room. A recent mission had gone terribly wrong and what was supposed to be a calm discussion soon turned into a jabbing fest between the men.

"I told you all we shouldn't trust those Stray Kids, but nobody ever listens to me." Mingi huffed.

"Mingi, that's because the last time we listened to you, you cost us 1.5 million dollars!" Hongjoong reminded him.

"Meanwhile you almost costed us our lives today, not to mention about 200 of our best men. What kind of leadership is that?"

Soon Hongjoong and Mingi were up in each other's faces, each waiting for the other to throw the first punch so he can retaliate. The other guys hesitated between telling them to back off or let them blow off some steam.

"Please! We both know you don't have the guts to fight me. I will literally murder you with my bare fists! Don't think I won't hesitate to punch your little face into-"

A knock interrupted Mingi's threat to Hongjoong. He stormed over to the door, ready to shoot whoever dared to interrupt him. He briskly opened the door.

"The fuck you ass- Y/N! Baby, what are you doing here?"

His tone immediately went down once he realized it was only you. You smiled up at him and held out his holster for him.

"You left your gun back home. I was worried you wouldn't be able to defend yourself without it." You answered him.

Mingi blushed and took it from you.

"Awww baby, you really didn't have to. And besides, you know I don't like you carrying things like these. You might accidentally hurt yourself." He whined cutely at you.

The other guys were on the verge of laughing. It was always funny to see how quickly Mingi went soft and sweet for you.

"All right, I promise I won't do it again."

You held out your pinkie to him, which he linked with his own before holding your hand up to kiss it.

"I'll see you later. Love you sweetheart."

With a peck to your lips, he watched as you walked away, letting out a blissful sigh once you were out of sight.

"Ok Romeo, we get it. You're in love and it's gross. Can we get back to what we were saying before I break this table out of anger at this lovey dovey mush?" Jongho complained, groaning at the loving scene that just took place.

✿*:･ﾟ𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 ﾟ･:*✿

"Hyung? Can you buy this for me?"

Jongho held out a bag of chips to Wooyoung, who just scoffed.

"We're in the middle of stalking someone and you're seriously asking me to buy you snacks?" Wooyoung couldn't believe the younger member.

"Hey. We need to look as normal as possible and it's a store! Come on! Buy them for me."

Jongho actually made puppy eyes at Wooyoung but to no avail, he wasn't budging for nothing.

"I'll pay you back later! I left my wallet in the car." Jongho was begging by now.

"No. I, Jung Wooyoung, don't buy anything for anyone but myself."

Just then his phone rang and he picked up.

"Hi pumpkin! How are you? Hmmm? No I'm not busy! Just here at the store with Jongho." He spoke into the phone.

Jongho rolled his eyes.

"Oh no! My little baby is feeling bad? We can't have that." Wooyoung pouted when he heard you were ailing.

Jongho raised his eyebrow at Wooyoung.

"Don't worry sweetheart. I'll get everything for you. See you soon. Bye love."

Jongho thought he was going to barf when Wooyoung actually made kissing noises into the phone.

"Ok, we need to get pads, tampons, ice cream and chocolate asap." Wooyoung declared as he began walking to the freezer aisle.

"What?! No way! How embarrassing!" Jongho crossed his arms in defiance.

"Come with me. That's an order." Wooyoung practically dragged Jongho, who just groaned and complained the entire time.

"Why are you like this Hyung? You weren't like this before. It's so ewww!" Jongho cringed.

"Because Jongho, this is what love does to you."

✿*:･ﾟ𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸 ﾟ･:*✿

You were currently cuddled up to Jongho. He had promised only 25 more minutes and he'd take you home, but it quickly turned into an hour and you were tired. You were sitting on his lap, your face hidden in his neck, arms clutching his shoulders as you drifted off to sleep.

Jongho kept one arm around you, the other busy filling out some paperwork. Sensing you were falling asleep, he began to sing softly to you, he knew you loved falling asleep to the sound of his voice. He continued to sing even after you completely fell asleep, smiling occasionally at how adorable you looked.

The door opened and Yunho came in. He was about to ask something, but Jongho held a finger to his lips, ushering him to stay quiet so he wouldn't wake you up. Yunho looked at you two in shock before smirking.

"Aren't you two the cutest things ever?" Yunho teasingly whispered.

Jongho rolled his eyes at him before handing him the papers he came for. Feeling him move, you slightly shifted. Scared of waking you up, Jongho quickly held you closer and began to sing again, happy that he got you to stay asleep.

Yunho clutched his heart and cooed faintly. He actually took out his phone to take a picture.

"So cute." He showed off the picture to Jongho.

Not amused, Jongho held his fist up to Yunho, silently threatening to break him if he didn't leave.

"Ok ok calm down lover boy. Have a good night." Yunho left you two alone.

After a minute or two, Jongho got up and began carrying you bridal style to the car. He had just gotten you in the passengers seat and he himself got on the driver's side when you whined softly and rubbed your eyes.

"Jongho?" You called out.

"It's all right baby. Go back to sleep." He whispered softly to you as he strapped you into the car, kissing your temple before turning the car on to go back home with you.

Gifs not mine, credit goes to their respective owners.

[olivia200312]

Accident~ RID2015! Optimus x Human! Reader

Plot: Y/N got into an accident in her house.

So, this is a true one-shot. This is NOT a lie. I got into an accident this morning. I woke up normally like every other human but when I wanted to move my head, I felt a massive intense pain at the back of my neck and head area. When I stood up, I felt dizzy. I moved a bit but it got so worse that I wanted to lay back down. But I collapsed and my face made contact with the floor. Luckily not hard but I did get a bloody nose. I felt very hot and was pale. But this all stopped when I laid down and slept a bit. My grandmother called my mom and she arrived s fast she can. The ambulance was called and they took me to the hospital. They checked my health and I was allowed to go. I also bit my lip a little bit hard so it's swollen when I fell. I wear a case around my neck and have to take it easy. This all happened on July 16th.

This continues after You're No Alone and Author! Check them out!

Author: one-shot where I became a self-published author on July 10th.

You're Not Alone: on February 5th, my grandfather passed away.

Head area:

Brain: Processor / Brain Module

Head: Helm

Face: Face plate

Ears: Audio receptors / Receptor Orifice / Audials

Nose: Enstril / Olfactory Sensor

Eye brow: Optical Ridge

Eyes: Optics

Mouth: Intake

Lips: Dermas

Teeth: Denta/Dentas

Tongue: Glossa

Chest area:

Chest: Chassis / Thoraxal Cavity

Back: Hexa-Lateral Scapula

Spine: Bipedalism cord / Back Strut

Chest and back armour:

Chest plate

Back plate

Mid-section plating

Neck guard

Side plating

Arm area:

Arms: Arms / Restarlueus

Forearms: Bitarlueus

Hands: Servos

Fingers: Digits

Arm armour:

Gantlets

Shoulder pads

Arm guard

Lower area:

Pelvis: Pelvis

Butt: Aft / Skid-Plate

Thighs: Tibulen

Calves: Cadulen

Feet: Pedes - the high heel bits are called Struts or Heel Struts.

Lower armour:

Skirt plates

Aft plate / Skid plate

Thigh guard

Ankle guard

General/Internal components:

Muscles: Cables / Pistons - It depends on the area in question.

Veins: Fual lines

Stomach: Tanks

Lungs: Vents - used to stop the con/bot from over heating.

Heart: Spark

Tattoos: D-con/A-bot Insignias and the lark

T-Cog: The thing that allows all Cybertronians to transform, be that their arms or their whole body.

Bonus:

Penis: Spike

Vagina: Valve

Body: Frame

-----------------------------------------------------

The alarm clock went off through Y/N's phone. She groaned and reached to put it off. Just as she wanted to move her head, she felt an intense massive pain at the back of her neck and head area. The pain was so intense and aggressive that it paralyzed Y/N to move. She nearly cried because it was very painful! But she managed to push the tears down. She moved her head very carefully. She then managed to stand up but she felt extremely dizzy and hot. She even was pale! Just as she grabbed her things like her phone, the charger, her wristwatch, and her headphones, it got far worse. She wanted to lay down again. She really tried to reach the bed but then... she collapsed. Her face made contact with the ground. It wasn't luckily hard, but she, either way, felt her nose drip out blood. She bit her lip a little bit hard that it will be sure swollen later. She even felt hot! Due to collapsing, she dropped her stuff, creating noises.

There were fast footsteps heard and the door of her bedroom opened. It was her grandmother. The poor woman looked panicked once she saw her granddaughter laying on the floor. "N/N, are you ok?" She immediately helped her up and made sure that she laid down on the bed.

"I f-feel weak."

The grandmother then saw blood drops on the floor, the carpet. She picked up her granddaughter's stuff that was dropped and laid them on the table. "I'll call your mother and clean the blood. Oh my god..." She immediately left the bedroom to call Y/N's mother and once it was done, she started cleaning to get the blood off. Once it was done, she sat down on Y/N's bed and kept an eye on her.

There were noises heard since Y/N's granny lived in an apartment. There was an elevator. Y/N heard the elevator clearly and it stopped on the floor where Y/N's granny lived. The doors opened and she entered the place. She immediately entered the bedroom. Her eyes widened when she saw her daughter in a weak state. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know. She collapsed on the ground. She has a high temperature."

That's when Y/N heard that her mother will call the ambulance. Oh no... Please no needles! Y/N didn't have enough strength to respond she took small naps until the ambulance arrived. It was two grown-up adult males. They were friendly. At that time, Y/N managed to sit up on her bed, her feet touching the carpet floor. She explained everything to the men while her family watched worriedly. They checked her blood pressure and her temperature. Like this one thing where you put your finger in. Y/N's temperature went down back to normal quite fast and she even stood up! She even moved and she felt no dizziness! Huh, looks like her body took the action quickly. Y/N wanted not to get tested but her mother wanted her to. God... She's an overprotective mother since she's single and loved her child dearly.

Y/N's grandmother helped her granddaughter to actually put her pants on before the ambulance arrived. She carefully stood up while the men made sure that she didn't collapse again. Y/N's mother packed like Y/N's phone, wallet, and the book she published. She had to wait for a few days to finally hold her book in her hands. What's stupid was that she had to pay for her own book instead of getting it for free since she's the author after all. The world was so stupid sometimes...

For the first time in her whole life, she rode in an ambulance car. One man was driving while the other was with Y/N, writing important information of Y/N's mother's card ID. Y/N herself was 17, almost 18. Let's just say that the accident happened on the day when her mother was supposed to come over and hand her daughter the book. It was honestly a very sad day for Y/N... She was excited to hold her book in her hands but look t that... a freaking accident.

The ambulance finally arrived at the hospital and Y/N was checked this time by a nurse. Everything went fine. The doctor came to check on her and Y/N explained everything. The doctor explained that the pain might be caused due to sleeping positions or other reasons. And the attack of dizziness, it could be caused by stress.

"Ever since my father's passing, she had a very hard time accepting that he's not here anymore. I see her constantly trapped with her feelings and emotions. She might have possible autism but it's not sure yet because the tests didn't happen yet. She even confessed that she wanted to commit suicide by taking pills. We are going to a psychiatrist but it doesn't help sometimes." When Y/N looked at her mother, she had a sad and soft look.

The doctor looked shocked by Y/N's mother's story. He couldn't help but feel sad for the teenage girl. She suffered a lot and still does. No one deserved to go through this, especially a kid. He looked to Y/N's mother and told her that it's better to continue to go to a psychiatrist. That's when Y/N was finally letten go with her mother. But however, before they can ride fully home, she heard her mother make an appointment with the doctor for a blood test. Oh, come on!

Later~

Optimus heard the news of what had happened. He got very worried when he heard that Y/N fainted. In his processor, he knew that it could be from the stress. Ever since her grandfather's passing, she never got better. She would cry for days, she didn't eat for 3 days which caused her to feel dizziness and headaches. She nearly landed in the hospital because of this. She started having trouble with her emotions and feelings. Not only that, but 2 months later after Y/N's grandfather's passing, her mother had a discussion with her, and guess what she found out, Y/N's other grandfather passed away on December 23th! Y/N never met her other grandfather before. She never saw him but she did saw how he looked from photos. His death was kept a secret for 2 FREAKING MONTHS! Y/N's father went to live in England with his new 'family'. Y/N's father did everything, especially paying the bills but he found out that his girlfriend had enough money to actually pay the bills! She lied the entire time! Y/N's father quickly broke up with her so he lived alone now. Y/N remembered the day very well when she heard the news that her other grandfather passed away in December. She cried. Yes, she may have never met him but she's sad that she lost someone that she could never meet. She wanted always to meet him! But he mysteriously disappeared after Y/N's parent's wedding day! Y/N had so many questions at that time. Had he ever heard of her? Did he know that he had a granddaughter? And many other questions. Y/N was right to be mad at her family. She was furious for days and there's still anger in her, she just doesn't show it. She rather keeps it hidden.

On the 3rd of July, just as summer vacation began, Y/N traveled to Poland with her mother. Since her grandfather passed away in Poland, both mother and daughter had difficulties traveling. Corona was still out there and the airports were controlling the passengers. You need to have important documents and proof that you are fully vaccinated or negative. Y/N was not vaccinated so she had to the test and let me tell you, it was disgusting! You know, the long thick thin stick in your nose to get the cells? Y/N's mother was also not vaccinated so she had to do the test as well. On the 4th of July; she went to visit her grandfather's grave. It was so painful... Y/N's mother believed that it would ease the pain, but she was so wrong, it didn't ease at all! Y/N wanted badly to talk to her grandfather alone but her two aunts and her mother stood close by. She didn't get privacy at all. She was mad. Y/N refused to eat for hours as well. But eventually, she came to eat when it was time for dinner.

2 days later, she returned back to the cemetery. She was alone this time with her mom. She had one minute of silence with her mother and FINALLY, Y/N got the privacy she needed. She must have at least talked for 1 hour to her grandfather's grave because she spoke a lot. She was thankful that her mom understood her. She said at the end her goodbyes and wanted to hug his grave, but she felt ashamed, shy, and embarrassed so she only touched the cross and cried. She cried the whole time.

At that time, Y/N was fighting was depression for months now. It was not easy due to the loss of a loved one instead of an animal. She missed of course her pet friends she lost, but with people was very different. When you lose someone for the first time, it's so painful. It can take a long time to get over with or part pain will stay forever inside of you. Depression cannot be 'cured' but you can control it with your power. It's not easy and it can be stressful, exhausting, and painful as well. Pain can be felt in your heart. What's one of the most important things to NOT ever do to a depressed person was yelling. It happened to Y/N. Her aunt, or her second mother, who lived in Poland, texted her and asked how she was doing. Y/N responded that she's fine. But she also told also that texted if she doesn't get better because of her possible autism or mental illnesses, then she will not go to work. But what Y/N's second mother send next, made Y/N mad. She responded like she doesn't have mental illnesses and that she needed only more explanation. Seriously? That made Y/N cry! Why was she reacting fast? Why was she quickly angry? Why was she having bad days? Why was she losing interest in her activities sometimes? Why had she dark thoughts? Why would she cry a lot? Why was she having trouble with emotions and feelings? Think about other symptoms. Those were clear signs of depression. According to an American's website where the experts knew everything about the loss of a loved one and what can happen further in the future if you don't get better in like 5-6 months after you lost someone, the chances were high that you had depression but it's important to go to a doctor where it helps you and asked questions. It's important, to tell the truth. once it was done, the doctor will finally give you the diagnoses that you were waiting for what's happening inside of you.

Y/N had to wait sadly. Still waiting. It can take up to almost 1 year or 2 to meet the doctor where the diagnoses can be finally revealed. She had possible autism as well. It was very possible Asperger's Syndrome. It's autism where people have difficulties communicating with other people but also having trouble understanding. The person can talk very well but sometimes can be quiet as a mouse too. People who have it were very unique. They even don't like to be touched all the time and don't like to make eye contact. Y/N's grandmother was the first one to notice the symptoms and told her daughter, Y/N's mother, to bring her to the doctor but Y/N's mother didn't notice anything until finally years later when her father passed away. So, they're on the waiting list. I mean, they had to be.

But anyway, Y/N's mother caught her daughter crying after she was done chatting with her second mother. Sometimes, Y/N doesn't want to talk about why she's crying but she's sometimes being pushed a little bit too hard which was not smart at all. When Y/N explained why, let's just say that later, Y/N's own mother, started to yell at her. Yes, Y/N had been fighting for months but seriously? Y/N wanted to scream and fight back but she couldn't! But when the fight was finally done, Y/N's heart was full of pain and felt hopeless as well. Y/N's mother should have never yelled at her! The results will be only crying! Sometimes, it can give results of an attack or worse...

Later~

Y/N walked carefully while not wearing a cervical collar around her neck. The doctor said that she didn't have to wear it all the time and recommended to at least sometimes move carefully her neck. Y/N felt pain sometimes but it's healing. She couldn't laugh hard, not yawn widely, etc. It was so annoying! She still couldn't forget her mother's yelling inside her head and those memories will probably haunt her. She already got her first corona vaccine and tomorrow, she needed to take a blood test because ever since the accident, her health was getting suspicious. Y/N decided to confront her mother at the doctor tomorrow and teach her a lesson that yelling at a depressed person was not smart at all. Now that she's a self-published author, she's busy writing about her life to inspire and teach others. Her mother needed to learn too.

"Sweetspark, when I heard about your accident, I was very worried," Optimus said, who randomly appeared behind her.

Y/N turned around fully to let her neck heal. "I am fine now. Just giving my neck time to heal. Sorry about worrying you..." She felt ashamed.

Optimus wrapped her arms around her waist, causing her to relax and lean gently against him. "Please remember that you're not alone, sweetspark. We all are here to help you. What your carrier did was not smart but I am proud of you that you'll confront her about it."

Y/N only hummed and couldn't help but smile when she felt him leaving soft kisses where she felt pain at her neck and head area. She giggled and Optimus smiled.

P.S. when Y/N became an author, only her second ex, her family, and her followers on Wattpad congratulated her. None of her friends did. Do you consider this disrespectful rude or heartless?

Yes, readers. Every detail left there is all the truth, including the yelling as well. I got the first shot of the corona vaccine and I feel still small pain but it's not bad luckily like the HPV vaccine I got once. So painfully... But my mother feared that soon the entire country will force everyone to get vaccinated, except kids under 12. Sorry to disappoint you all about the shot... The part at the end of my friends not congratulating me is also the truth :(. Darn blood test tomorrow! I have a phobia of needles...

[lettheladylead]

Not Your Aunt

Chapter 8: Webby [ao3 link]

It had officially been one week since Goldie first stepped foot in the manor. And she was still there. This was the longest she’d ever spent in Scrooge’s home since his cabin in the Klondike (excluding times when she was sick or injured, of course).

She was pretty sure, by this point, that Scrooge was avoiding her. He’d been spending a lot of time with his daughter (or whatever) and a lot of time at the Money Bin trying to fix the many issues that cropped up over the past few months with his money managers betraying him, but then even the time he did spend at the manor seemed to always involve other people besides her. The only alone time they’d had was right after he crawled into bed, but every single night their conversations were brief and then he’d fall right to sleep.

So she was a little annoyed. She’d had a few conversations with the kids, sat in on a few dinners, harassed Beakley, been harassed by Sharpie...it’d been quite the couple of days. But it was getting late and she couldn’t wait much longer to talk to him about how she was feeling or how he was feeling or where they might want their relationship to go after all of this…

Ugh. Goldie sighed and wandered around the upstairs hallway. She hated thinking about mushy family stuff, but ever since Florida she’d been feeling an unstoppable pull towards the Ducks and she kind of wanted to relax and see what could happen. But if Scrooge couldn’t make any time for her in the next few days, she was definitely leaving and not coming back for at least a year. Love or not, she did not take well to being ignored.

A door ajar in the distance caught Goldie’s attention and she started walking towards it, curiosity being the best cure for her boredom. She wasn’t sure what that room was - Scrooge didn’t redecorate much, but she couldn’t keep track of everything since he collected so much junk and had 50 regular rooms plus another 10 secret rooms and who could remember all of that?

Goldie tried to peek inside, but it was pretty dark except for a small light in the corner. With a shrug, she forwent her usual sneakiness and just fully opened the door to let the light from the hallway light up the room.

She was met with a surprised chirp and two bright eyes staring directly at her.

Goldie stared back, not sure what to make of what she was seeing.

Webbigail was sitting on a table near the back of the room with a giant book on her lap - surrounded by heaps of other similar-looking books. She looked sweaty and grimy, and the whole room was covered in a thick layer of dust.

“...wh-what are you doing here?!” Webby asked, closing the book that was on her lap.

Goldie raised an eyebrow and decided this situation was interesting enough to explore. “I could ask you the same thing,” she said as she took a few steps towards the girl.

Webby frowned and shook her head for a second before wiping her hand across the cover of the book. “I was, um...well...trying to learn some stuff.”

Goldie leaned against the table Webby was sitting on and craned her neck so she could properly see what she was holding. Oh. “In an ancient photo album?”

“Yeah,” Webby said a little sadly. “Uncle S-, er...my dad has been telling me all about our family...well, just more than usual, I guess...but some things still weren’t quite adding up and I thought maybe I could piece things together on my own.”

Goldie raised an eyebrow and stared at the girl without responding.

She didn’t seem to notice. “I’ve always liked connecting things together...before I was told anything about the McDuck Clan or my dad’s life story, I went through all his different biographies and the photos he has around the house and tried to figure it all out myself. And now he’s telling me things that almost, like...conflict with other things he’s said or other things I’ve read about and it’s just getting confusing.”

“Well,” Goldie said quietly, “he is pretty old, you know. Could be he’s just forgetting some things or mixing up stories.”

“But...but he’s Scrooge McDuck!” Webby said with a frown, opening the photo album again. “It’s one thing to forget a few details from a story, but like…” She pointed to a photo of Scrooge’s parents and a very small baby duckling. “The back of this photo says it’s from 1939, but whose baby is that?! Hortense didn’t have kids until the 1980s and Matilda never had kids so is this just some random baby or-”

“That’s Gideon,” the blonde answered, pointing to the way the baby’s hair stuck out at the top. “Scrooge’s half-brother.”

Webby stared at the photo again, then up at Goldie, her mouth wide open in shock. “Wh...wait, so...does that mean one of my grandparents had a baby with someone else while they were still married?”

“Uhh…” Goldie leaned back and scratched her neck. She knew Scrooge didn’t like to talk about his brother much, but she’d met the man a few times so there was no point ignoring the physical similarities. Though the complications of his conception might be why Scrooge didn’t bring him up. “...something like that. Don’t worry about the details too much.”

“Worrying about the details is exactly why I’m here,” Webby mumbled, flipping through a few more pages. She glanced up at Goldie. “You know my family really well, don’t you?”

“Not by choice, but yeah. If you think Scrooge loves to talk about his family now, you wouldn’t believe how he was back in the day. Very talkative.”

“I know the feeling,” Webby said, chuckling a bit to herself. “Lena said I’ve always been a little too obsessed with the McDuck family and now I’ve gotten even worse.”

Goldie felt an unfamiliar twinge in her chest and plopped a hand down on Webby’s head. “If she’s still sticking around, it doesn’t bother her as much as she says it does. Trust me.”

The preteen seemed to think about that, letting out a low hum while she considered Goldie’s words. “Trusting you doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do, but it sounds like you’re talking from experience.”

Goldie removed her hand from Webby’s head and shoved it back in her pocket. “Despite what your granny says, I’m not always lying.”

Webby turned her whole body towards Goldie. “I don’t think you were lying about Gideon either...so...would it be okay if I asked you about other confusing photos from any of these albums?”

Goldie sighed and lifted herself up to sit on the table, too. “You can. I really think you should just ask Scrooge about all this stuff, though. A few memory lapses here and there doesn’t mean he’s going to withhold entire family members from you.”

“I know, I know,” Webby mumbled and held the album against her chest. “I’m just still getting used to all this. I feel like I should know all these people already, y’know? Like...like Elvira Coot, the mother of Quackmore Duck, isn’t related to Scrooge McDuck at all, but they refer to each other as cousins in a lot of old letters. Is it just them being friendly with each other? Or is my research totally and completely wrong?”

“They’ve just known each other for a very long time,” Goldie said matter-of-factly. “Some people call old friends brother or sister, some people call them cousin. Scrooge usually just generally calls everyone his family, but some people get friendly little titles.”

“That’s very confusing.”

“It is what it is,” Goldie bent one of her legs so she could lean on her knee. “Scrooge has always enjoyed being a little confusing.”

“Is that why he likes you? ‘Cause you’re confusing, too?” Webby asked with an innocent tilt of her head.

Goldie rolled her eyes. “Maybe. I’m sure he’s got a long list of reasons why he does or doesn’t like me.”

Webby huffed out a short laugh as she tapped her hands on the open album page. There were photos of a few familiar members of Scrooge’s family and even a baby picture of Donald and Della.

“...you are really confusing,” Webby said, breaking the awkward silence. She didn’t let Goldie interrupt as she continued. “I don’t think I understand you at all. You’ve been here for a whole week so...are you moving in? Or what’s going on?”

“I’m just here to talk to Scrooge.” Goldie grabbed a photo album that was next to her on the table and flipped it open. “He’s been particularly busy this past week so I’m waiting.”

Webby watched her flip through pages and wondered if there were going to be any more secret relatives she didn’t know about in there. “I didn’t think you liked waiting for things.”

“Not a huge fan, no.”

“But you’re still here,” Webby mused. She watched as Goldie stopped flipping pages and stared down at a photo of Hortense and Quackmore, clearly having a fun time on their wedding day. It was a very sweet picture. “Huey says you and Scrooge are gonna get married, too.”

Goldie rolled her eyes and flipped past the wedding photo. “I’m sure he did.”

“If you did get married...would that make you my mom?”

Goldie closed the album and glared down at the girl next to her, annoyed that these kids were so interested in weddings and marriages. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” Webby asked, trying not to seem too confused.

“Why would it?” Goldie said with a hand to her forehead. “At the most, I’d be your stepmother, and that’s only in the very unlikely scenario where I say ‘yes’ to Scrooge’s proposal.”

“But this is a hypothetical scenario, so...if you did get married...would I be allowed to call you mom?”

“Ugh.” She knew there was a line here where her crabbiness would start to offend, but Goldie was not enjoying this line of questioning. “Even in this magical, crazy, hypothetical scenario...I would rather you didn’t. If I’m being completely honest, I’m still uncomfortable hearing you call Scrooge ‘Dad’.”

Webby, rather than be offended like Goldie thought, laughed out loud. “You think you’re uncomfortable with it?! I’ve been saying it over and over in my head all week and it still doesn’t sound right!”

Goldie raised an eyebrow at her and Webby froze, clearly surprised at her own outburst, and settled down. “Sorry. I shouldn’t say that. It’s just a little weird still.”

“Why shouldn’t you talk about how weird it is?” Goldie asked genuinely, leaning back on her hands. “If you don’t want to call him ‘Dad’ then you don’t have to.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Webby mumbled, imitating Goldie’s lean. “If I go back to calling him ‘Uncle Scrooge’ then it’s gonna seem like I’m rejecting him or something. That’s too mean. I can’t be mean like that.”

“It’s not mean.” Goldie sighed and turned towards the younger girl. “It’s your life. Call him whatever feels right to you."

Webby leaned her head back to stare up at the ceiling. "I've never had a dad or a mom before so I think I should keep trying for a little longer. It might just feel weird 'cause it's so unfamiliar."

"Or maybe it feels weird because it is weird," Goldie grumbled. "His DNA was stolen and used to create you, sure. So he's your father, but does that really make him your dad?"

The younger girl glared at the ceiling for a moment before turning towards Goldie again. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Being your biological father is significant, obviously. But family is whatever you want it to be." Goldie sighed and stared down at another photo - one of a much younger looking Scrooge. "You can run away from it. You can accept it without question. Or you can just try to figure it out."

Webby watched Goldie's face - trying to read the woman's expression as she stared at the photo. "I think I get that."

"Your grandmother wouldn't appreciate you listening to me, you know."

She smiled. "I know. But it's kind of interesting to get a more...outside perspective. I mean you're not not part of the family, but you weren't a part of all…" Webby waved her hands around for emphasis. "...this stuff."

"I suppose," Goldie said as she put the photo of Scrooge back down. A part of her really wanted to take it, especially knowing that Scrooge never went into this room so he likely hadn't looked at any of these photos in over fifty years. He wouldn't miss it!

"Do you think...um…" Webby stumbled over her words. "...do you think he'd be mad if I started calling him Uncle Scrooge again?"

"No," Goldie answered sternly. "He wouldn't be mad. Especially given everything that's happened with your family lately, I think an opportunity for some normalcy would be appreciated."

Webby flipped to another page in the photo album while Goldie spoke, and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar face in one of the old photos. She looked back up at Goldie and then back down at the photo. "So...if I call him Uncle Scrooge, then I guess I can call you Aunt Goldie, huh?"

Goldie turned to scold Webby for bringing up that nickname that she always knew would come up around these Duck children...when she came face-to-face with a photograph she didn't even know existed. Webby was holding it up dramatically, smiling smugly as she did so.

It was a slightly out-of-focus snapshot of Scrooge and Goldie in wedding attire, at an altar. Pretty clearly getting married.

Goldie quickly snatched it from the girl's hand and turned it around to check if there was a date or any notes. In Scrooge's handwriting it said "1953. Almost felt real."

She blushed a bit and turned it back around. "...I didn't know there were any pictures from this."

"And to think you made such a big deal out of my hypothetical scenario! But you're already married!" Webby looked more smug than she'd looked in a while, clearly ready to announce this news to the whole family.

Goldie frowned, unable to tear her face away from the image. Both her and Scrooge's faces were visible and, despite being at a bit of a distance, she could see just how happy they were at that moment. "...it was a con. A business decision. Not a real marriage."

"So you got an annulment afterwards?"

She laughed. "You think Scrooge would waste money on something like that? No, we just...moved on. I completely forgot it even happened."

"Well, Aunt Goldie, it doesn't look like he's forgotten."

Goldie sighed and pocketed the photo, wondering if she should show it to Scrooge later and shake out some memories. "Clearly he hasn't been in this room for a long time, so I wouldn't assume that."

Webby's excitement died down just a bit as she noticed Goldie's lack of embarrassment. "Isn't this...I mean, I know you say you don't wanna marry him, but you're still here despite everything plus you're already married! You really are Aunt Goldie and I don't get why you'd try to fight it."

The blonde frowned and exhaled loudly through her nostrils, trying to think of the best way to explain how she felt. "You've spent a long time idolizing Scrooge, right? Wanting to be a part of his family and whatnot."

"...yeah?"

"And from what I could tell, you two were getting close over the past few years. You called him Uncle Scrooge, he remembered your name. Yeah?"

"...uh-huh…" Webby had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"But now that this father-daughter thing was suddenly dumped in your lap in such a...such an awful way, really, you're feeling weird about it. Maybe it feels a little hollow, like this is what you wanted but it's not how you wanted it."

Webby frowned deeply - Goldie was completely right, but hearing the words said so casually didn't make her feel better about it.

"...that's what that wedding was for me," Goldie finished, finally connecting the two thoughts together. "I'd...wanted to be closer to him. I thought we were headed there. And then he suggested that plan and how could I say no? He was splitting the money with me 60/40 and I knew I could steal my missing ten percent whenever I felt like it."

"So you wanted to get married, but then you did but for the wrong reasons?"

Goldie sighed and shrugged. "Basically. It was a long time ago. Things change."

"And some things don't change," Webby added, noticing that Goldie was still staring at the photo in her hand. "You've had decades to talk to him about this, so why haven't you?"

"Eh," Goldie answered and stuffed the photo into her pocket. "Adult relationships are complicated."

Webby shook her head. "Not all of them. Just the ones that don't talk to each other."

Goldie glared down at Webby again, but the girl was already flipping pages in the album once more. She wasn't going to whine to a kid about how she was trying to talk to Scrooge but he was just making it difficult. Maybe if she told him she'd spent some time with his kid, he'd finally sit down and talk to her.

"Who's this?" Webby asked suddenly, pointing to another photo.

This one was older - depicting a young Scrooge (maybe nine years old?) with an even younger child that looked very similar to him. Goldie pouted and put a hand to her chin before grabbing the photo and turning it over to see if anything was written on the back.

"Oh, this is Douglas. One of Scrooge's cousins."

"On whose side?" Webby asked curiously.

Goldie shrugged. "Not sure. I know he lived alone in the Netherlands somewhere until he died, but he and Scrooge weren't very close, from what I could tell."

"Oh." Webby looked down at the photo, not really being able to read either child's expression. She supposed photos from the 1870s were rarely as expressive as ones from modern day. "You really know a lot about my family.”

"It's completely useless information taking up valuable space in my brain," Goldie complained with a smirk. "Maybe I'd be fluent in Mandarin if not for Scrooge."

Webby smiled, happy that she was able to recognize Goldie's words as a joke. "Well it's not useless to me. Thanks, Aunt Goldie."

Goldie frowned and rolled her eyes, but that just made Webby smile. She felt like she was starting to understand this woman...just a little bit.

A realization hit her and Webby suddenly gasped before hopping off the table. Goldie watched her with curious surprise. "I need to update my board!" Webby said as she rushed towards the door.

Goldie raised an eyebrow and hopped off the desk to follow. "I have no idea what that means!"

She followed Webby out the door and down the hall, until the girl was back in her own room. Goldie stuck her head inside just in time to see the unveiling of an insane-looking board filled with photos and string and notes and hearts and…

"...is that a locket with my face in it?" Goldie mumbled as she continued into the room. She stared at the locket as Webby ran around looking for something.

As she reached out to grab the strangely unfamiliar locket, Webby was suddenly on a step stool next to her and reaching for it herself. Goldie watched silently as the girl tugged her away from her little grouping of villains (rude) and moved her oh-so-closer to Scrooge.

Goldie blushed the slightest bit as Webby shortened the string, added some little hearts, and slammed a sticky note between them that said MARRIED-ISH!

"There's no way I'm letting you keep that up."

Webby laughed and wagged her finger in Goldie's face. "I'll just put it back when you leave!"

Goldie crossed her arms over her chest. "Then I'll just have to st...hm."

Webby's eyes were sparkling.

"...visit more often."

The correction didn't dull Webby's sparkle, instead she just smiled brighter. "I think everyone would really like that." 

Goldie raised an eyebrow. "Nice try, but I can assure you that your grandmother would sooner attend my funeral than enjoy having me around."

Webby hopped off the step stool. "Then you'll just have to win her over!" she said with a skip as she pushed the stool back to its regular spot.

"Yeah...I don't really see that happening," Goldie mumbled, not objecting when Webby grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the door.

"I think you could be friends! You just have to try!"

Goldie rolled her eyes but still didn't pull her hand out of Webby's grip. "Don't get your hopes up, Pink," she said with a sigh, but there was a little part of her that wondered if getting along with the whole family was even possible. She'd spent so long pushing away from Scrooge and his family and his friends that she'd never really considered what it would be like to actually...try. And she struggled to admit it, but...she wanted to find out.

She squeezed Webby's little hand and stared down at the bouncing bow on her head. Goldie still wasn't anyone's aunt, but...if she had to be, Scrooge's kids would be her first choice.

[stahlop]

The Night We Met

Summary:

Ever since Emma and Neal started dating, his roommate, Killian, has always been a jerk. But now that Emma and Neal have broken up, will she see Killian in a different light? Especially when she finds out the truth about why he's always hated her?

Rated M

Also on A03

Happy belated birthday @mariakov81! I have finally finished your birthday fic. I hope you enjoy this college/enemies to lovers/miscommunication au.

Thank you @ultraluckycatnd for being my beta on this one.

-------------

“Ruby, I’m tired, I really don’t want to go to this party,” Emma whined as Ruby walked through her door.

“Too bad,” Ruby trilled at her. “You promised. You’ve been working like a dog. And besides, maybe you’ll get yourself laid tonight.” She smiled her wolfish grin at her.

“Ruby, I don’t need to get laid. I’m perfectly fine!” Emma huffed and settled herself back down into the couch cushions.

“Emma,” Ruby said, sitting next to her on their overly plush couch. She threw back her red tinged, brown locks, and grabbed Emma’s hands from where she’d had her arms crossed over her chest in indignation. “You have not been with anyone since you and Neal broke up. Not even a one-night stand or a rebound to get over him. I know he hurt you..”

“He fucking cheated on me for half of our three year relationship, Ruby!” Emma said, pulling her hands back and willing the tears that pricked her eyes not to fall. She wasn’t going to get upset about fucking Neal again. “Thank goodness I always insisted on condoms even though I was on birth control. Who knows what kinds of diseases he could’ve picked up.” The memory of finding Neal with another woman in their bed was seared into her memory. The fact that he’d apparently been cheating on her with multiple women over the course of their relationship made her feel like the biggest failure on the planet. But Emma always got left, always, so she really shouldn’t have been too surprised.

“I know what you’re thinking, Emma Swan, and it’s not true. You did not deserve this.” Emma raised her eyes to look at her roommate. How the hell could she always read her mind? “I know you,” Ruby said as if she had, in fact, read her mind. “I’ve known you since we were 15 and Granny took you in off the streets, fed you, and never let you leave.” Emma smiled at the memory. As a 15-year-old foster kid runaway, Emma had tried to take some food from Ruby’s grandmother’s diner dumpsters, but had been caught by Granny herself. Emma had thought she would call the cops on her, as had been her experience, but instead, she called 15-year-old Ruby down from the apartment over the diner and together, they had made what Emma had constituted as a feast (really just grilled cheese, steamed broccoli, onion rings, a hot chocolate with whipped cream, and a piece of cherry pie for dessert). Emma had made to leave as they’d done their good deed for the day, but they insisted on Emma staying in their spare room (and with a stern warning from Granny that if anything were missing in the morning, she would hunt her down). And somehow, Emma had fought the urge to run, and eventually, Granny ended up getting permission to foster her, and she had never left. Now she and Ruby were finishing up their senior year of college and Emma did not need her foster sister to try and convince her to go to some end of the year college house party.

“Look, Neal was a raging douche. I’m just sorry he had to break your heart for you to see it. But it’s been six months, Emma. It’s time to end the wallowing and come out!” Ruby gave her a stern look and Emma knew she was done for. She could never say no to that look, and Ruby knew it.

“Fine!” Emma practically bolted off the couch. “But don’t expect me to have any fun,” she warned as she headed off to her bedroom to change.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ruby said, waving her hand behind her as she went through the door of her own room.

-------------

Emma sighed a breath of relief as she sat down in the recently vacated spot on the couch. There was a couple making out on the other end of the couch, but as long as they didn’t invade her space, she wasn’t too worried about them. She’d been making the rounds with Ruby for the past hour and the heels that she’d picked out to wear were not being kind to her feet whatsoever.

She had just grabbed her phone out of her wristlet, flicked her blonde hair back behind her, and was just about to check the time when she heard his voice.

“Fancy seeing you here, Swan.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she knew more would be coming. “This doesn’t really seem like your scene,” the heavily accented, British voice continued on.

“And what exactly is my scene, Jones?” Emma didn’t even look up from her phone, just opened it up and started to scroll through Instagram so that she didn’t have to actually speak to him. She groaned when she felt the couch dip next to her. She glanced past him to where the couple had been making out just seconds ago, but it seemed as if they’d decided to take their activities to someplace more private.

“Aren’t you usually at bars or at Neal’s place?” Emma wasn’t sure if he was asking a genuine question, or if he just didn’t have a good zinger for her (which was pretty much his thing). But it was obvious from his answer that he didn’t know some important information.

“Neal and I broke up,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant and not like her heart was still breaking six months later. It wasn’t even Neal she was upset about, it was the being lied to and cheated on part that still got her upset. That she had put her heart out there and Neal had essentially stomped all over it, making her feel like that lost girl all over again. She looked over at him expecting to see an ‘I told you so’ smirk on his face, but instead, he looked rather upset.

“I’m sorry, Swan,” he said, a solemn expression washing over his face. “I truly am. I know how happy you two were.” Emma almost burst out laughing. 

“Are you mocking me, Killian?” She wasn’t angry, just confused. “Because I seem to recall you not liking me at all when Neal and I were dating. Considering you were his roommate for most of the time we were together, I rarely ever saw you. And when I did you showed your disdain toward me pretty flagrantly.” Great. Now she was all riled up again. The last thing she needed tonight was to get into an argument with Killian Jones who had been the bane of her existence when she and Neal were together.

The expression on his face morphed from concern to pure anger after her little outburst. “I don’t even know why I try with you, Swan.” He pushed himself up off the couch and started to walk off before he stopped sharply, turned around, and came back over to her.

“I don’t know what I ever did for you to be so combative towards me, but now that you're not with Neal I don’t have to put up with it anymore. Go screw yourself!” Emma watched in shock as he stalked away from her and started up the stairs. The few people who were in the room with her all had looks of disbelief on their faces at the scene that had just transpired. Emma felt her whole body start to flush in embarrassment before she realized that she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Who the fuck does he think he is? she thought, her embarrassment now turning to anger. She and Killian had always had an antagonistic relationship. They had never gotten along. Well, technically, that wasn’t true. She’d actually met him before Neal as they’d had a class together sophomore year, but they’d only made small talk at that point. They’d flirted a bit and she’d thought he’d been interested, but then Neal had asked her out instead and Killian had made it clear that not only had he not been interested (what with the girlfriend Neal told her he had), but that he really didn’t like her at all. Every time she’d go over to their apartment, no matter what she said, he retorted back with some kind of insult or sarcastic comment. It had almost been a relief when he’d moved out a year and a half into her and Neal’s relationship.

“You try with me?” she asked incredulously, running after him up the stairs and trying not to knock over any of the, most likely, drunk people who were congregating there. Killian turned around toward her, his blue eyes flashing angrily at her. He looked like he was going to say something back to her, but then his whole body deflated with a resigned sigh that said ‘Great, I guess we’re doing this.’ And before Emma could even comprehend what was happening, he’d grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty bedroom right off the stairs, locking the door behind them.

“Did you know?” she asked before he could get a word in. 

“Know what, Swan?” Killian asked as if this whole thing was an inconvenience for him, even though he was the one who dragged her into the room.

Emma let out an exasperated sigh. “That Neal was cheating on me?” Killian’s eyes went wide for a split second before he tried to cover it up with a look of disbelief, but that was enough for Emma to see that, yes, he indeed knew that Neal had been cheating on her.

“Wow,” Emma said, trying to blink back the tears that had started pricking her eyes, all the fight leaving her body. “I knew you hated me, but I never expected you to sit idly by while Neal cheated on me.” She sank down on the bed and proceeded to use the heel of her hand to try and stop the tears from actually falling. She glanced a look at Killian, expecting to see him gloating or a mirthful smile gracing his lips, but instead, he looked absolutely crestfallen.

“I had my suspicions,” he began, running his hands through his hair, making it stand straight up and yet still making him look devilishly handsome, not that Emma was noticing. Nope. She was too upset to notice how Killian looked. “I confronted Neal about it and he told me to mind my own business. That’s why I moved out. I may be a bit of a scoundrel, Swan, but it’s bad form to cheat.” He made a move to sit down next to her on the bed, pausing to silently ask permission before she nodded yes and the bed dipped next to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you even suspected?” Emma asked. She was staring at the god awful bedspread they were sitting on. It looked like it was denim with rhinestones all over it. How could that be comfortable to sleep on? She felt the bed shake and saw Killian scratching behind his ear, a nervous tell she’d noticed over the years. She wondered why he was nervous talking to her right now.

“Honestly, Swan, I figured you wouldn’t believe me. I mean,” he paused for a moment as if he were going to reveal some big unspoken truth between them, “you did choose him over me. I didn’t want to come off as jealous and petty.” She nodded as if that made sense, but then realized it made no sense.

Jealous and petty? 

Chose Neal over him?

“What the hell are you talking about, Killian?” The sadness that she’d been feeling was replaced by utter confusion. 

Killian took a deep breath as if he couldn’t believe they were going to discuss this. “Look, I know you always felt a bit uncomfortable about me being Neal’s roommate, since you rejected me so grandly. I guess that’s why I was always so sarcastic toward you -”

“No, seriously, Killian,” she said, cutting him off, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. When did I reject you?” She’d turned to face him now. She was sure her face had the most puzzled expression on it since this conversation had taken a turn. Killian’s eyes searched hers as if looking for the prank she was playing on him, but when he couldn’t, he continued talking.

“That night in the bar. You rejected me and chose Neal,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I know I keep saying this, Jones, but what the hell are you talking about? I never even spoke to you the night Neal and I got together in the bar. How could I have rejected you?” God, had she drank more than she thought that this whole conversation with Killian made no sense whatsoever? Killian let out a huff of frustration.

“I was perfectly happy never to bring this up, since you never did, but I guess we’re finally going to have this out. That night. At the bar. I thought we were flirting. It seemed like we were flirting.”

They had been flirting. She’d been waiting for her friends at a table by herself when she’d noticed Killian Jones from her biology class sitting with Neal at a table across the room. They’d practically been eye fucking each other from their perspective tables when Neal had walked over to her table and surprised her by asking her out instead.

“You had a girlfriend!” Emma said, accusingly. And now she was back to being angry. She jumped up from the bed, intent on leaving the room. Why the hell did he feel the need to rehash all this from three years ago? She’d felt humiliated when Neal had told her Killian had a girlfriend. She must have completely imagined the flirting that she thought he’d been reciprocating. 

“What are you going on about, Swan?” he asked. Apparently it was Killian’s turn to be confused. He was wearing the most perplexed look on his face that Emma had ever seen.

“Your girlfriend, Mia, or Mina, or whatever. You were dating her when Neal and I started seeing each other, so you couldn’t have been flirting with me!” Emma was exhausted from this whole exchange. She knew she shouldn’t have let Ruby convince her to come out tonight. And here she was only, she checked the digital alarm clock sitting on the nightstand, one hour into the party and she was already fighting with Jones. And she wasn’t even sure what they were fighting about this time. Just that she felt like she was reliving one of the more embarrassing interactions she’d had with him.

Killian sat there looking shell shocked. “Milah?” he asked incredulously. Emma shrugged.  “Neal’s cousin? I never dated her. I met her at a party, once. The party you came to as Neal’s girlfriend for the first time. Whatever gave you the idea I was dating her?”

Emma furrowed her brow, trying to recall that night three years ago. “Neal told me you were,” she said slowly. Killian scrunched his face in a look of confusion. He headed back over to the bed and sat down. He looked like he was thinking about something and Emma started to feel like an intruder in the room. She was about to suggest she head back to the party when he patted the spot next to him.

“Come sit, Swan. I feel like we need to clear the air about a few things.” The solemn look on his face was enough for Emma to follow his instructions. After she’d settled herself on a patch of the bedspread that did not contain rhinestones trying to puncture her through her jeans, Killian began to speak. “Let me see if I have the order of events correct from that night in the bar. You and I were flirting.” Emma attempted to interrupt him by reminding him that she was flirting, but she’d obviously misinterpreted his intentions, but he put his pointer finger to her lips to stop her. “Sh Sh Shush. It’s storytime,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“So, you and I were flirting, or, at least, I was flirting. I was flirting with you in our bio class at school and I couldn’t believe my luck that you were sitting there at that all ages college bar flirting with me. But, I wasn’t as confident back then, so when Neal offered to be my wingman and kind of feel you out about your feelings for me, I jumped on the opportunity. I sat there watching the conversation from my table. I watched you smile at him and then look over at me and my heart practically soared out of my chest that you might be agreeing to pursue something with me. And then your face fell and you looked over at me again, but this time with a little more scorn in it, and then you and Neal just kept talking and talking, and the longer I sat there the more I felt like the biggest fool just sitting there. I could tell your affections had shifted. And then Neal came back over to me after you’d finished talking and told me how you’d really been flirting with him and that you’d agreed to go on a date with him, and better luck next time.” Killian hadn’t looked at her throughout the entire part of his story, probably afraid to see her reaction to it. Probably afraid that she would be mocking him in some way since that’s what their relationship had been since she’d been with Neal, and now she understood why.

“But, that’s not what happened,” Emma said with an anguished cry. Killian’s face snapped up toward hers so fast she thought he might have hurt something. “I was flirting with you. I’d been crushing on you so hard. And then you were in the bar. I wanted to come over and talk with you, but I didn’t want to lose the table I was saving for my friends. When Neal came over, I thought maybe you’d sent him instead. But then he told me that you hadn’t been flirting, that I must have misinterpreted. That you had been with your girlfriend, Milah, for a while now, and could I possibly consider getting to know him and go out on a date with him instead. And I felt like the biggest fool,” she said repeating his words back to him, “but Neal was cute and nice and I thought, why not. And then he brought me to that party and Milah was all over you and that just confirmed to me that everything I thought had been happening between us was just in my head, so I agreed to be Neal’s girlfriend that night.” A thought struck her and she gasped.

“That’s why you’ve been so mean to me? You thought I rejected you for Neal?” She felt horrible now, knowing the truth.

“Aye,” he said, scratching that area behind his ear again. “I admit, I didn’t deal with my feelings about being rejected that well. And the fact that you never said anything about it perturbed me too.”

“He played us both. He was supposed to be your friend and instead he screwed you for a girl.” Emma had thought she’d been pissed at Neal when she’d discovered he’d been cheating, but now she was angrier than she’d ever thought she could be. Neal was the worst of the worst. And to top it all off, he had stopped whatever could have potentially happened between her and Killian from happening.

“It was part of why I moved out. Besides suspecting him of cheating on the most glorious woman I’d ever laid eyes on, I just couldn’t see you two together anymore. It hurt too much.” He gave a shy smile which looked odd on his ruggish face.

“Ugh! Neal is the biggest asshole ever. What the hell did I ever see in him?” Emma asked.

“You see what you want to see when you’re in love,” Killian answered. Emma bit her lip, replaying everything she’d just learned. The last three years had been built on a lie. Neal was the biggest asshole to the tenth degree and Killian was sitting here looking at her as if she hung the moon.

Killian was looking like a man in love.

Emma had thought he was cute back in their freshman year when he’d still had lanky limbs that didn’t seem to fit his body and could barely grow facial hair. And now here he was sitting in front her, his body lean and muscular, beautiful scruff covering the lower half of his face, and a thatch of chest hair sitting exposed from where he’d unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt (something she always had complained to Neal about when she thought she hated him, but she’d really always wanted to run her fingers through it). She looked up into his eyes and noticed that they were practically black. Only a sliver of blue iris ringed the outside of the pupil. Emma could feel her heart starting to pound in her chest. She’d hated him until only mere minutes ago, hadn’t she? Until the revelation of Neal’s manipulation had come to light. Or had she simply been masking her feelings by engaging in his hateful banter? It only took a split second for her to decide what to do.

She grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and hauled his lips to hers. If Killian seemed surprised by this turn of events, he didn’t show it all, as he immediately started kissing her back. His scruff on her chin felt delightful, his lips were soft on hers, and his hand had threaded its way into her hair and the slight pull felt amazing. She ran her hands through his hair and reveled at how soft it felt. She broke the kiss for a moment to get some air, their foreheads resting against each other, both of them panting.

“That was…” he began.

“Long overdue,” Emma finished before she went in for another kiss. But Killian stopped her before her lips could reach his. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but for a totally different reason than it was before. She couldn’t have possibly misread the situation again.

“You don’t want me anymore,” she stated softly, pulling away from him before she could embarrass herself any further. But he wouldn’t let her out of his grip.

“On the contrary, I want you very much.” Emma bit her lip and couldn’t stop the smile that overcame her lips. “I just…” he huffed, most likely trying to find the right words to say what he wanted without offending her. “We’ve spent the last three years believing we hated each other, and I just want to make sure this isn’t a one time thing, because I never hated you, Emma.” The sound of her name, and not Swan, did things to her that she never knew just a voice could do. She gently cupped his face in her hand and gave a chaste kiss to his cheek. 

“Killian, I fully intend for this to be more than a one time thing. So please, just kiss me again?” And with that, he surged forward and gave in to her request. 

This kiss was nothing like the last one. This one was full of want, passion, and love (yes, love; Emma may have still loathed him earlier tonight, but she would be the first to admit that there was a thin line between love and hate, and it had now been crossed).

Killian started peppering her jaw with kisses, finding a particular spot right before her ear which made her moan with pure lust. “Swan,” he growled into her ear, his breath making her whole body shiver, “you can’t even imagine how long I’ve wanted to hear you make those noises because of me.” He bit down on her ear lobe, soothing it with his tongue as she made another obscene noise that in all her time with Neal she’d never heard herself make. “Do you know what it does to a man when the object of his desire is getting off by someone else in the next room with thin walls? It was absolute torture.” He moved back down her jaw, kissing her lips again before moving to the other side. 

“In all honesty, you mostly heard me faking it,” Emma laughed. She honestly never knew it could feel this good and they were only kissing.

Killian pulled away from the ear he’d been sucking on and faced her with a troubled look. “Please tell me my former prick of a roommate gave you some orgasms during your tenure together?” Emma almost laughed at the level of concern on his face, but she knew he was being serious so she held it in. 

“I mean, he gave me some,” she shrugged. “But he was the only guy I’d ever been with, so I don’t really have a lot to compare him to.” Killian looked even more insulted at that statement. 

“Swan,” Killian said, grabbing her hands. “You are a goddess and I’ll show you how you should be worshipped properly.” He punctuated this statement with another bruising kiss. 

Emma sat slack jawed at his words. Never had anyone spoken to her like Killian did. Like she was worthy of being ‘worshipped’ as he’d put it. So she just nodded in agreement. 

“Emma --”

“Killian --”

They both gave a small laugh having spoken at the same time. 

“Emma, I just want you to know that no matter what happens tonight, I want to be whatever you want us to be. Whatever we become is as much up to you as it is to me.” So much more romantic than Neal’s ‘So I wanna if you wanna,’ Emma thought.

“Are you trying to make sure I’m okay with this, Killian? Because I am. I liked you back before Neal, and I thought I’d been wrong about you being this nice guy, but I still always had a thing for you, even when we were... mortal enemies.” More laughter emanated from them. “But I want this. I really want this.” She took her free hand and moved a piece of hair that was dangling over his eye away. “And I want to explore what could’ve been if He Who Shall Not Be Named hadn’t interfered for his own selfish reasons.” They both smiled at that. Emma could see his blue eyes twinkling. She thought he was going to kiss her again, but he let go of her hand and got up off the bed and motioned for her to do the same. Emma was confused until he began turning the bed down for them to get more comfortable.

“Oh, so now you’re a gentleman?” she asked jokingly.

“I’m always a gentleman,” he replied back. And then he grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. “But right now, I want to tear off this ridiculous comforter,” Killian ripped it off the bed revealing the normal looking sheets underneath, “so I can get you into that bed, tear off all your clothes, and hear you scream my name.” He growled into her ear as he tongued it. His voice went straight to her clit and she swore she might come from his voice alone. 

Killian moved her hair off her shoulder as his lips began their assault on it. Emma had never been so glad she’d chosen the off-the-shoulder top she was wearing for the party that night. She started to unbutton her blouse to move things along, but Killian swatted her hands away. 

“No, Swan. I will not have you ruining my fun by having you undress yourself. I intend to unwrap you myself. I’ve waited too long for this to be a quick fuck.” Emma shivered at his words. Never in a million years would she have thought Killian would have been a dirty talker. And she never realized that it would turn her on so much. 

His scruff was scratching her neck in the best way as his lips went back to her neck. Her hands went to the thatch of hair peeking out from the top of his shirt and Emma decided that if she wasn’t allowed to unbutton her top, she could certainly start unbuttoning his. The chest hair was something she’d always wanted to run her fingers through. With every button she opened, more and more hair was revealed. She ran her fingers through it as Killian moved back to her mouth. 

“Please, Killian,” she begged as she got to the last button on his shirt. He removed his arms from the sleeves while still keeping his lips on hers, although she could feel him smile as she begged. He continued to unbutton her blouse with his deft fingers and discarded her shirt onto the floor.

“Better?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow in the sexiest way she’d ever seen. 

“Not even close,” she panted. The black, strapless lace bra she was wearing felt too constricting, and as much as Killian had wanted to ‘unwrap’ her himself, she reached behind her back to unhook the offending material. The eyebrow raised again as he stepped back to see what she had done, but then his eyes widened when he saw what was underneath her bra.

“You’re absolutely stunning, Emma,” Killian whispered in awe and before she could say anything back, he started kissing her again. This time, Emma pulled him down onto the bed with her. They found a comfortable position with her on her back and him between her thighs. His lips seemed to be everywhere: lips, jaw, neck, collarbone. He was kissing a path down to her breasts and she was rubbing her jeans against the large bulge she could feel through his.

“Someone is impatient,” he smirked into the top of her breast before his teeth clamped down over her nipple.

“Fuck, Killian!” she said as he immediately laved his tongue over the now peaked nipple. The smirk returned.

“All in good time.” He moved over to the other nipple and repeated the same movements with his teeth and tongue. Emma had never felt these feelings before. Neal had barely done any foreplay, and Emma, having not been that experienced, just figured that was normal. Now she was mentally berating herself for missing out on this the past few years. But she needed to stop thinking about Neal when she had Killian’s mouth heading south. His tongue dipped into her navel and Emma swore she was going to come before he even got her jeans off. She never knew someone’s tongue could feel that erotic on her skin.

“Is this okay?” Killian asked as his fingers came up to the button on her jeans. Emma could only nod, her mouth not seeming to work. He popped the button and Emma lifted up her ass so Killian could slide her jeans and underwear down (just plain cotton which she was highly regretting right now; at least she’d had the forethought to shave before the party). He continued to kiss down her body as her jeans slid off, leaving her completely nude. For the first time that night, Emma began to feel self conscious about the position she was in. She and Killian had hated each other up until an hour ago, was it really prudent of her to sleep with him already? Maybe they should slow things down. She was just about to voice this when his tongue made contact with her clit and all rational thought went out the window.

“Oh, God!” she screamed and her hands involuntarily went to his lucious, brown locks and pulled him even closer.

“Killian will do,” he said, smiling into her. “So wet for me, Swan.” He began licking her like a man possessed and Emma had never been this crazed from oral sex in her life. She was pretty much fucking his face and Killian seemed to be enjoying it. He sucked her clit between his lips and Emma knew she was so close. Killian took his pointer and middle fingers and slipped them into her wet heat, thrusting them back and forth until he finally found the spot that would make her come undone. “Come for me, Swan,” he growled in a commanding tone. He gave one final suck and her body exploded. 

Emma knew she was mumbling nonsensical words as Killian continued to lick and pump his fingers more slowly now, bringing her down from her high. Never in all her life, not by her own hand or any other boy’s (because that’s what they all were, boys) had she ever had an orgasm so strong. Emma was vaguely aware that Killian was now kissing back up her body: a small nip to her hip, his tongue licking a stripe up the side of her stomach, his teeth grazing the side of her breast. His hand was still in between her legs easing her down from her intense orgasm.

“Oh my fucking God, Killian!” she panted out, her heart still beating frantically in her chest.

“Sounds like you enjoyed that.” He smirked. That smirk always used to annoy her, but now it was the sexiest thing Emma had ever seen. She grabbed Killian by the hair and crashed her lips onto his. She could taste her essence on his lips and it was intoxicating. Emma never thought she would be turned on by that. She was learning a lot about herself tonight. Like the fact that she was completely nude and Killian was still half dressed.

“Lose the pants, Killian.” She’d found her way to the tip of his pointed ear. Another thing she’d always found annoying about him and now she found hot as fuck.

“As the lady wishes.” He stood up and began to unbutton his pants as Emma started stroking his chest hair. He was wearing a pair of black boxer briefs underneath that did nothing to hide his erection and for the first time, Emma realized that all the sexual innuendos he’d dropped over the years were not because he was compensating for something. He could really back up everything.

“Fuck, Killian!” Emma breathed out as he pulled his boxer briefs down to meet his pants that were at his knees. Emma knelt down to pull them off the rest of the way, Killian watching her intensely, and found herself eye to ….cock. He was so much bigger than Neal, and it was nicer looking, what with the manscaping he’d obviously done. Neal had just been a hairy mess. But Killian, well, Emma never thought she’d describe a man’s penis as beautiful, but that’s what this was. She gently brushed her thumb over the tip, a hiss emanating from Killian’s lips as he sat back on the bed. She wrapped her small hand around it and looked up at him. “Is this okay?” She echoed back his words from before, and just as she had, he nodded, too much in awe that this was actually happening.

Emma pumped him up and down slowly, her thumb grazing the tip each time. His shaft was velvety smooth under her touch. She was gearing herself up to lick him; it was not something she had particularly enjoyed doing for Neal. Killian must have sensed her hesitation because the next thing she knew, he was hauling her up into his lap. She immediately became wetter the moment his cock rubbed against her already damp folds.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, love.” He brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear before kissing her again. “Besides, if you put your mouth on me, I’d probably finish there and I want to feel you around me.” Emma could feel her cheeks redden, but then started rubbing herself against him. The noise Killian made was probably the most amazing noise she’d ever heard and she doubled her efforts rubbing against him just to hear him make it again.

“One moment,” he said, maneuvering himself to grab his pants. He quickly pulled out his wallet and grabbed the foil-wrapped condom from inside, then deposited his wallet back in his pants before dropping them back on the floor. Emma was busy giving sloppy kisses along the column of his neck when she heard the foil rip, and she lifted up slightly so his cock stood in between them looking red and angry. Emma had never seen an erection look so hard. She plucked the condom from his hand and pulled it down herself (and honestly, she never thought putting a condom on could be so damn sexy).

“Ready, Swan?” he asked. Emma didn’t even give a verbal answer. She grabbed his cock, lifted herself over it, and slowly sank down on him, adjusting to his length and girth.

“Fuck!” she moaned when he was finally seated completely within her. Killian kissed her passionately, his tongue plunging into the depth of her mouth and tangling with hers. She tugged on his lower lip with her teeth, and she could swear she felt him get even harder inside her.

“You need to move, Swan,” he bit out. Emma lifted herself up, and slammed back down on him. God, she’d never felt so full in her life. She never wanted this feeling to end. She continued to fuck herself on him, her hands on his shoulders to lift herself up higher, his hands under her ass to do the same. She’d never fucked anyone like this before. Neal had always insisted on missionary style, which Emma was now realizing was probably the only way he could get off. This position felt fucking amazing and she was pissed at herself for never trying it before. But she needed something more.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” she screamed as his hand moved from her ass to in between them and made contact with her clit. That was exactly what she needed. He continued to rub it as hard as he could. It was too much, yet not enough. She was almost there.

“Let go, Emma. I promise I’ll catch you.” And that was all it took. Emma lifted up off him completely and had the most fucking intense orgasm she’d ever had in her life. Even more powerful than the one he’d brought her to before. Everything seemed to go black and then next thing she knew, Killian had turned them over so she was on her back and he thrust himself back inside her. 

Emma didn’t even get to contemplate how fast he’d changed their position when another orgasm rocked her due to the angle of his cock inside her and a well placed thumb on her already swollen clit. “Killian!” she screamed, her voice starting to feel hoarse from all the screaming she’d been doing. He rode her out until she finally felt him still and he grunted, emptying himself into the condom.

Killian collapsed on top of her. He was heavy, but Emma decided she didn’t really mind. She liked the way he felt. With Neal, she’d just wanted him off of her right away, mainly because he’d fall asleep almost instantaneously and then she’d be trapped beneath him. Almost as if he was reading her mind, Killian rolled off of her. Emma immediately missed the warmth of him, but he quickly took off the condom, wrapped it in some tissues from the box on the nightstand, and threw it away in the garbage can. Then he pulled her into him so their foreheads were touching, and Emma thought it was the sweetest thing anyone had done for her after sex. She kissed him, a short and sweet kiss, just to let him know that this wasn’t just sex. She hoped that it conveyed what she was too afraid to say. But then, she decided to say it anyway.

“Killian,” she began, “would you like to go out on a date...or something?” she mumbled, her confidence waning after she mentioned the word date.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you out?” Killian teased as a wide smile graced his handsome face. She blushed. After everything they’d just done and she blushed when he teased her. She had it bad. “Yes, Emma, I would be honored to go out with you. But please let me plan the date,” he said earnestly. How could she resist when he had the puppy dog face going. She kissed him in agreement.

“And now, love,” he said hesitantly, “I think you and I should get out of this bed, considering it doesn’t belong to either of us. And who knows how many other people have used this bed for this exact same purpose.” That made Emma jump up almost immediately. God, she hoped whoever's house this was they washed the sheets before they’d made the bed.

They quickly got their clothes back on (and Emma didn’t even want to think about the mess her hair probably was), and Emma pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans that had been discarded, noticing there were a few text messages from Ruby.

“Shit! Ruby’s been trying to get a hold of me. She wanted to leave half an hour ago.” She frantically started texting Ruby to tell her where she was, but Killian took the phone from her hand and deleted the text.

“Tell her you’ve gone home with someone and you’ll see her in the morning.” Emma looked at him quizzically.

“Am I going home with someone?” Killian’s cheeks went red all the way to the tips of his elfin ears and his hand went to the back of his neck.

“Only if the lady would like to.”

Emma debated making him even more nervous, but couldn’t contain herself. “The lady would like to, Killian,” she said, giving a small smile. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the knuckles and Emma thought she might melt on the spot. How could she have ever hated him? Oh right, her jerk ex. She quickly sent a text off to Ruby.

He unlocked the door and they stepped out into the, thankfully, empty hallway. They could still hear the party going on downstairs, and lots of moaning coming from the other rooms in the hall. They both gave each other slightly embarrassed grins.

“Come, love, let’s take this somewhere more private,” Killian said smugly; Emma nodded in agreement and they headed down the stairs… and ran smack into Neal.

He looked, if Emma was being honest, like crap. His hair was disheveled, and not in the way Killian’s was looking because of her pulling on it during sex, and there were bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t been sleeping. 

“Emma!” Neal said, his face lighting up. “Boy, am I ever glad to see you.”

“Can’t say the feeling’s mutual,” Emma snapped. The euphoria she had just experienced with Killian was quickly fading into revulsion. She gave Killian’s fingers a quick squeeze so he knew she was not going to let Neal ruin their night. He gave her a squeeze back in understanding.

“Oh, come on Ems, don’t be like that,” he said, flashing that grin that always used to make her weak in the knees. Now it just made her want to vomit. What the hell did she ever see in him? Had she really been that desperate to be loved? Neal reached out to grab her hand and Emma could see the confusion when he realized one hand was occupied, and then the look of realization when he finally noticed Killian standing beside her.

“What the hell is this?” Neal asked angrily, like he had any reason to be angry. “You making a move on my girl, man? I thought we were friends!” Emma actually burst out laughing at that remark. Both Neal and Killian looked at her bewildered.

“First off, Neal,” she said, giving him a fierce push against his chest, her laughter giving way to irritation, “I’m no longer your girl. I haven’t been your girl in six months. And,” she gave him another push, “you were cheating on me for half of our relationship, so I really haven’t been your girl in a long time.”

“Ems, I can explain…”

“No, you can’t explain, Neal. And even if you could, I don’t want to hear it. And as for Killian being your friend,” she gave a glance to Killian and gave him a huge smile before returning her look toward Neal, “friends don’t steal the girl their other friend is interested in and then lie to both of them about it for years.” Another push. Neal’s face went practically white. “Yeah, we figured some things out tonight about the night we met.” She scowled at him to let him know that she meant business.

“I..” But Emma was done with this.

“I don’t want to hear it, Neal.” And with that, she walked past Neal, her hand in Killian’s to really make her point that she was no longer his.

“Your loss, mate,” Killian said with a smirk and gave a salute as Emma pulled him along. They ran out the front door into the cool spring air. When they made it to Killian’s car (a Chevelle that Emma remembered he rebuilt himself) they stopped to catch their breath. Emma could feel Killian’s eyes on her, silently watching her to see her reaction. 

“Emma, I’d understand if we’ve moved too fast and you want to slow things down,” Killian said quickly. It’s as if he’s afraid that if he doesn’t say it fast enough, she’ll say something to end what has barely begun between them. Emma gets it. She walked over to him. He’s busily looking anywhere but at her, while scratching that spot behind his ear. It’s utterly adorable.

“Killian?” She’s standing directly in front of him and the surprise look on his face when he finally does look at her is priceless. “I don’t want this to be a one time thing. And I definitely don’t want to slow things down.” And with that declaration, she grabbed his face, pulled his lips to hers, and kissed him with everything she had in her. It took Killian a moment to catch up with her, his lips finally kissing hers back after a slight gasp of surprise into her mouth that made her smile, almost giggle even. 

They finally separated and got into Killian’s car, both of them quietly contemplating, with anticipation, what the future held for them as they drove silently back to his apartment.

 In the morning, Emma expected to feel the urge to run, to feel they moved too fast. But she doesn’t feel any of that. He pulled her in tight in his half asleep state, making her feel safe as she cuddled into his chest, and Emma wondered how she ever could have hated him the way she thought she did.

Tag List: (Let me know if you want to be added or removed)

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[believingispowerfulmagic]

“A Fairytale for Christmas” Chapter 3

"Let me know if this is too tight," Granny said, lacing up Regina's dress for the masquerade.

"It's fine," Regina assured her, bracing herself against her dresser. She glanced over her shoulder at her housekeeper. "Thanks, Granny."

Granny stepped back, smiling. "You're very welcome, Regina. And you look beautiful, as always."

"Thank you," Regina said, turning from the mirror to face Granny. "Are you sure you don't want to come? You're always welcome. And I do have a dress on standby for you."

"I know, but this is a party for the young, not old women like me. You go and have fun. Don't worry about if it will make the society pages. Just enjoy yourself, Regina. You deserve it, no matter what your mother tells you," Granny told her, taking Regina's hands in her own and giving them a squeeze.

Regina took a deep breath, knowing Granny was right. She nodded. "I will. I promise. Though I'm less worried about the party itself and worried about…well…"

"Falling for another Mr. Wrong?" Granny asked, looking at Regina over the rims of her silver glasses. When Regina nodded, Granny hummed. "I figured as much."

"Why do I keep falling for the same type of man?" Regina asked, feeling like a fool who was doomed to never learn her lesson. "What is wrong with me?"

Granny frowned as she gently cupped Regina's cheek. "There is nothing wrong with you. All those men were greedy and didn't appreciate the gift they had been given. They are the only fools in all of this."

"I doubt that," Regina said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I'm pretty sure I'm a fool too."

"Nonsense," Granny replied, sitting down next to her and patting her hand. "You are a wonderful woman who loves with her heart and soul. And somehow your mother hasn't managed to kill that. Don't let those men do it."

Regina sniffed, trying not to cry. She couldn't risk her makeup running and she was careful as she dabbed her eyes. "It's just so frustrating. How am I ever going to find the person I am meant to spend the rest of my life with at this rate?"

"Alright, alright," Granny said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "First, I want you take a deep breath."

Nodding, Regina did as Granny said. She then released that breath, feeling herself relax a bit. "Now what?" she asked.

"Now, you put on your mask and go enjoy your party," Granny said. "Don't worry about anything else except having fun. You don't have to find love tonight. Just take it slow and enjoy yourself while getting to know people. Your Mr. Right is likely being hidden by another Mr. Wrong. Be careful not to be distracted by the ones who are flashy and trying to get your attention or you might miss him."

"You always give the best advice," Regina told her beloved housekeeper, feeling more confident after their conversation. She then grinned. "Makes me wonder why I pay Dr. Hopper."

Granny chuckled. "He can help you in ways I can't, trust me."

Regina nodded, knowing she was continually unlearning toxic things her mother had taught her and working to live a healthier life. "True. I guess I need both of you to make it through this world."

"I think you're doing just fine," Granny assured her, giving her a one-armed hug. "But I'm always glad to be here to help you."

"Thanks, Granny," Regina said, resting her head on Granny's shoulder as she took another calming breath.

Granny then stood and pulled her up as well. "Now, you put on that mask and go down to that party and enjoy yourself. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Regina said, hugging her again. "Have a good night, Granny. I'll see you tomorrow."

Once Granny left her room, Regina reached over and picked up the dark blue mask with black feathers she had chosen to go with her gown. She placed it over her eyes and tied the black string behind her head. Admiring her appearance in the mirror, she beloved most people would not be able to recognize her with the mask on.

Good.

She picked up her stocking, which she had lovingly filled earlier that day, and left her room. As she walked down the stairs, Granny's words kept replaying over and over in her head. Mr. Right might be hidden by another Mr. Wrong. Don't get distracted or you might miss him.

Regina paused, recalling her warning about Keith and the fact she had mentioned there was someone else with him. She wondered if her statement was about Keith and his partner. Was Granny telling her that Keith would be just like the other Mr. Wrongs she had dated and cause her to miss seeing that his partner was her Mr. Right?

Was his partner the one that had been sending the emails all along?

Nonsense, she thought. Who would use someone else's name on their signature? The emails had to have come from Keith.

She squared her shoulders and finished going down the stairs, heading for a side door. Regina would enter with the rest of the guests so no one would be able to pick her out from the other partygoers. Tonight, she would blend in and just be another faceless person in the crowd. Hopefully, that would help her look past the Mr. Wrongs and find her Mr. Right, if he was at the party.

And for some reason, she believed he would be.

Continue reading on FFN, AO3 or Wattpad

[animationnut]

Feelings In Free Fall

Rating: K+ Summary: After the terrifying ordeal that was fighting F.O.W.L., tumbling through the air with no parachutes was far from the worst thing to happen to the McDuck clan that day. After all, what's better than hugs in free fall? 

Spoilers for The Last Adventure!

...

The bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds would have been peaceful if Huey wasn’t currently free-falling through the picturesque scenery.

The wind slapped at him from all sides. Huey kept his eyes firmly closed, pretending he was at the harbour or the beach and not plummeting to his death from tens of thousands of feet in the air. He tucked his legs against his body to prevent himself from tumbling in all directions.

“I’m going to be okay, I’m going to be okay,” he chanted. “We just survived the insane Bradford Buzzard. We’re not going to die because Launchpad accidentally hit a button. Fate is not that cruel.”

Something solid stuck him and Huey’s eyes flew open. He yelped as Louie frantically clung to him, his movements causing them to spin. “Louie!”

He grabbed hold of his brother’s wings and adjusted his body into a horizontal position. Louie copied his movements so that they were directly across from each other as they fell through the sky. “We need to get a cover for that button,” said Louie flatly.

“Don’t think it would help much. Launchpad will still find a way to crash the plane.”

“Yeah, but at least we’d be inside when it happens.”

“That would be preferable,” admitted Huey.

Louie arched a brow at the steady stare Huey aimed at his face. “Do I have something on my beak?”

“What? No.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“If I look down, I’m going to freak out,” said Huey, more calmly than he felt.

“Ah. Gotcha.”

“Hey, guys! Check this out!”

Louie glanced down, rolling his eyes at the sight of Dewey moonwalking through the air, moving his hips and arms to a rhythm only he could hear. “Show-off.”

Curious, Huey snapped his gaze down just long enough to catch Dewey’s dance routine before returning his eyes back to Louie’s face. “It’s kinda impressive.”

“I thought you were too scared to look down!”

“I am! But I only looked at Dewey, not what was under him.”

Louie was baffled. “How do you even do that?”

Dewey spun in a circle and flattened himself out, sailing up to join his brothers. Louie and Huey each grabbed one of his wings so that they were free-falling in a circle. “Pretty cool, right?” said Dewey cheerfully.

Huey could not help but smile. “It was very smooth.”

“You guys should try and do some tricks!”

“No way,” said Louie with a strong shake of his head.

“Yeah, I’m good,” said Huey feelingly.

Dewey regarded his brothers, his expression softening. “I’m really, really glad nothing bad happened to you, Huey,” he whispered. “We freaked when we saw you left your Junior Woodchuck Guidebook behind.”

“I’m glad nothing happened to you guys, either,” returned Huey. “I was really happy to see you.”

Louie grinned. “We could tell by how you nearly strangled us with your hug.”

Dewey lightly jostled Louie in the side. “You were great, by the way. That pep talk on the plane was something I needed. Thank you.”

“I knew the Dewey in you was there. You just had to stop trying to be Mom, Uncle Scrooge and Uncle Donald in order to find it. That plane flying of yours is seriously amazing and it’s all you.”

Dewey beamed. “Thanks! I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?”

“So humble, too,” said Huey sarcastically and Louie snickered.

“Heads up!”

The shout caused Huey, Dewey and Louie to look up in time to see Webby was hurtling towards them. Louie and Huey hastily let go and created a space for her to drop through. Before she went out of their reach, they snagged her by the wings, pulling her up to join their circle.

“Hi!” she chirped. “Isn’t this so cool?”

“I did a moonwalk over the clouds!” said Dewey excitedly. “Did you see?”

“I did! It was amazing!”

“Ha! See?” Dewey grinned smugly at his brothers. “Told you I’m awesome.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t wear hats,” said Louie. “That big head of yours wouldn’t fit into any of them.”

Huey studied Webby closely. There was a bright light in her eyes and she didn’t seem to be too fazed by the events of the day. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, wanting to be sure she was all right.

“I’m fine,” she answered with a nod. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’re good.” Dewey nibbled on his bottom beak. “Seriously, Webby, about the whole…clone thing. You’re not upset?”

“I was, at first,” admitted Webby. “But I think I was mostly angry. Angry that I was lied to by Granny. That I wasn’t who I thought I was. But I was wrong. It doesn’t matter who made me. It doesn’t matter that I was made and not born. I am the girl I’ve always been. Nothing changes that.

“And…well, I thought I lost my parents a long time ago. Now I have a dad!” Her delight was short-lived as she considered, for the first time, that this might not be something the triplets would be particularly happy with. “Does…does that bother you?” she asked in a small voice. “That I’m his daughter, and that I’m the one who found the Papyrus?”

“No,” Dewey said fiercely. “Not at all.”

“We think it’s so great that Uncle Scrooge is your dad,” said Huey sincerely.

“You were family before we knew about your past,” said Louie. “Why would that change now?”

Webby beamed. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too,” the triplets chorused.

“Hold that form, lads and lass!”

The kids glanced up to see Scrooge careening towards them, a wide grin on his beak. He did not show any signs of diverting from his path and Huey asked nervously, “Uhhhh what is he doing?”

For a moment it seemed like Scrooge would crash right into them. The shriek formed in Huey’s throat but before it could be released his great-uncle soared neatly through the middle of their circle. He somersaulted in place three times before angling his body so that the air carried him back to the kids.

Webby and Louie parted to make room and Scrooge joined the little formation they had created. He gripped Webby and Louie’s wings tightly, his eyes glinting with delight. “Ah knew Ah should have made ye kids wear those life vests.”

“Uncle Scrooge, even if there was water below us, a life vest would be useless given the speed with which we’re falling,” said Huey.

“It’s a joke, goof,” said Louie with a roll of his eyes.

“I know, but I feel we’re having too much fun given our life-threatening situation.”

“That’s never stopped us before,” countered Dewey. “At least this life-threatening situation isn’t, like, dark and dire.”

“We’ll be fine, lad,” said Scrooge, giving Huey a reassuring smile. “Fenton will nae let us plummet tae our deaths.”

“But Mom and Uncle Donald will,” said Louie with a straight face. “Totally don’t blame them.”

“Ye know what Ah mean,” said Scrooge with a slight smirk. His humour faded slightly and he regarded them all seriously. “What happened today was nae like anythin’ we ever faced before. If ye need tae talk, ye know Ah’m—”

“We know,” said Louie, giving Scrooge’s wing a tender squeeze. “We can always talk to you, Mom and Uncle Donald.”

“We already checked in with each other,” spoke Dewey. “We’re fine, Uncle Scrooge. What happened today was hard and terrifying, but we got through it, because we were fighting for each other.”

“Family sees us through, always,” said Webby earnestly.

“Aye, that it does,” said Scrooge with deep fondness. He surveyed the children that had changed his life so completely, an intense love burning bright in his heart. “Ah love ye kids. Always.”

“And we’ll always love you,” said Dewey with devotion, and Huey, Louie and Webby chimed in with their affirmations.

Though a warm fuzziness filled Huey’s chest, the anxiety still tingled, not letting him forget about their current predicament. “I hate to have another cute family moment interrupted, but we really should start making our way to the others.”

Dewey and Louie shared a mischievous glance. “All right, all right,” said Louie casually. “You want a boost?”

Huey blinked. “A boost? What does that—?”

Louie let go of Scrooge’s wing and Dewey pulled on Huey’s arm, yanking him from Webby’s hold. Ignoring Huey’s protests, Dewey and Louie each took one of his wings and used all their strength to send Huey hurtling downwards, where the others were scattered at various altitudes in their own free falls.

The sky flipped in all directions, just like Huey’s stomach, as he spun out of control through the air. Huey screamed with panic as he flailed, trying to put his body back into a stable position and failing.

“I haaaaaate you guuuuuuuuuys!” he wailed, even though he was sure his brothers couldn’t hear him any longer.

Alerted by the screams, B.O.Y.D. looked up to see Huey twisting towards him. He reached out and tried to grab his best friend, but missed the fabric of his red shirt by inches. Huey pitched below them and B.O.Y.D. cried out, “Huey!”

Gyro activated the communication function of Lil Bulb, connecting him to Gizmoduck’s helmet. “You’ve got Hat Nephew incoming,” he said.

Fenton snapped his gaze up. He could hear Huey’s screams but couldn’t see the boy. He was about to ask Gyro if Huey was still in his sight when the red-clad duckling plummeted through a cloud just above their heads.

Fenton jerked backwards, tilting his head as far back as possible so that Huey wouldn’t get hurt on his propeller. Gandra extended her wings and there was an oof from both her and Huey as she caught him.

“We’ve got him,” Fenton reported to Gyro.

Huey clung to Gandra, his stomach still twisting and turning despite the fact was he no longer moving. His heart raced in his chest and his breaths shuddered out of him. Gandra tightened her grip and said soothingly, “You’re okay, Huey. We’ve got you.”

“What happened?” asked Fenton in concern.

“My…brothers…are…jerks,” he wheezed.

“Siblings can be like that,” said Gandra in amusement.

Huey caught his breath and the roaring in his ears died down. He properly processed his surroundings, finding himself pressed against Gandra’s chest with his head tucked against her chin. She was in Fenton’s arms, cradled securely against the chest piece of the Gizmoduck armour.

Huey’s cheeks burned red. “I ruined a sweet moment, didn’t I? I am so sorry.”

“You did,” said Gandra with a teasing lilt.

“But now we’re having a new moment,” said Fenton cheerfully, briefly raising one armour-covered wing to stroke Huey’s feathers.

“Ugh, gross,” said Gandra, pulling a face, but a smile broke through when Huey wound his wings around her neck.

Up above, the cackling of Louie and Dewey was promptly cut off by a firm grip falling on their ears. “Ow,” whined Dewey. “Uncle Scrooge!”

“Ye know your brother does nae like tae be surprised like that,” he said sharply.

“That was mean,” chided Webby, crossing her wings over her chest.

Louie’s phone trilled in his pocket and, bewildered, he pulled it out. “Uncle Donald?” he said in confusion.

Scrooge let go of their ears and said knowingly, “Answer it.”

Louie tapped the screen and brought his phone to his newly-freed ear. “Uh…hello?”

“Where’s Huey?” barked Donald. “What happened?”

Eyes wide, Louie darted his gaze left, right and center. But Donald was nowhere in sight and he said in disbelief, “Wait, where are you? Did Huey fly by you?”

“He’s not with you?!”

“How did you even know?” cried Louie.

“It’s that sixth sense he’s got,” grumbled Dewey. “He always knows when we’re up to something.”

Scrooge nicked the phone and said smoothly, “The boys thought it would be funny tae throw Huey through the air. He’s fine, Ah saw Fenton catch him. Hmm? Yes, one moment.”

Scrooge returned the phone to Louie and, knowing what was coming next, he muttered, “Thanks a lot, Uncle Scrooge.”

“Yeah, thanks,” said Dewey with a pout.

“Ah trust ye two will be able tae find your way tae the others,” said Scrooge pointedly. “Come along, Webby Darlin’.”

Webby happily linked up with Scrooge and together they soared downwards. Louie winced and put his phone on speaker. Donald’s voice, already in mid-rant, erupted through the air.

“—and this is not the time to be goofing around or flinging your brother through the sky! When we get down to the ground you are going to apologize! Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Uncle Donald,” Louie and Dewey mumbled.

“And we want some sincerity when you apologize,” chimed in Della sternly. “You know your brother has anxiety. There’s a line, boys, and chucking your brother through the open sky by himself while we’re in free fall definitely crosses it.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Do we need to come and get you?” asked Donald warningly.

“No!” said Dewey quickly. “No, we’re on our way down.”

“Don’t dawdle!”

The line went silent as Donald hung up. Louie sighed and stuck his phone back in his pocket. “You know the thing about having a big family? A lot of parental figures.”

“Isn’t it great?” said Dewey happily.

Louie snorted. “Yeah, when I’m not in trouble.”

He performed a spin before angling his body directly downwards. He went gliding away and Dewey stayed in place, the wind whipping past him. He spread his wings and fell backwards, his gaze trained on the bright blue expanse above him.

A few years ago, Donald freaked if they went onto their docked houseboat without their life vests. Now here they were, free-falling thousands of feet through the sky, and his uncle wasn’t tearing his feathers out trying to get to them. He trusted them to make their way to safety without his help.

But the protectiveness had been in Donald’s voice, just as strong as ever. Dewey knew, even if his uncle had learned to let go, he would always be there.

The thought of Donald and his near-death experience caused tears to spring to Dewey’s eyes. He swiped them away and refused to dwell on the memory that had nearly broken his heart. His uncle was safe. His family was safe.

The family that risked life and limb to save each other. A family that was much bigger than Dewey ever imagined it would be. A family he loved with his whole being.

Dewey flipped over and soared downwards. He spotted B.O.Y.D. holding Gyro by the back of his vest, his rocket feet propelling them through the sky and keeping them out of gravity’s mercy. In Gyro’s arms were Lil Bulb and Louie.

“The extra load isn’t too much for you, is it?” Dewey asked when he came within earshot.

“Not at all!” said B.O.Y.D. brightly. “Dr. Gearloose is quite light.”

“I wasn’t talking about Gyro,” said Dewey with a snicker.

Louie glared up at him. “Shut up.”

“I’m sorry, the Gyro Express is closed,” said Gyro flatly.

“Don’t listen to him,” dismissed Louie. “He told me the same thing.”

Gyro narrowed his eyes. “I can still drop you, Green Nephew.”

Louie groaned. “Come on, man. How long are you going to pretend you don’t know our names?”

“I don’t,” said Gyro with a sniff. “I haven’t gotten around to it. I’m a busy scientist. I don’t have time to learn the names of snot-nosed brats.”

“You can ride with me if you want,” offered B.O.Y.D.

“Nah, I’m good. I’m gonna go find Launchpad.” He extended a fist and said warmly, “Thank you, B.O.Y.D. You put yourself in a lot of danger to save my brother. That means a lot to me.”

“To us,” corrected Louie seriously.

“I’d do anything for Huey,” said B.O.Y.D. passionately. “I’d do anything for any of you.”

They exchanged a fist-bump and Dewey grabbed hold of Louie’s cheeks, squishing them together. “I love you, little bro.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying,” whined Louie. He reached up and wrapped his wing around Dewey’s neck, pulling him as close as he could for a hug. “But despite that, I love you too.”

Gyro gave a yelp of surprise when Dewey hugged him next. Squeezing tight, Dewey whispered, “You saved Uncle Donald’s life. I can’t repay you for that, because it means absolutely everything to me, but I’ll try.”

“Yeah,” said Louie softly, resting his head against Gyro’s chest. “We owe you.”

“Don’t be stupid,” said Gyro gruffly, lightly setting his wing against the top of Dewey’s head. “You don’t owe me anything. It’s, uh, what family does. The whole saving each other thing.”

“He said it!” crowed Louie, gripping the front of Gyro’s shirt and shaking him. “He said we’re family!”

Gyro’s teeth rattled from the rough motion. “Knock it off! I mean it, I will drop you. Louie!”

“Ha! You do know our names!”

Dewey laughed as Gyro spluttered angrily. He continued his descent and it was barely a few minutes of falling later when he came upon Fenton, Gandra and Huey. “Eyyyy! How was your trip, Huey?”

“Terrifying!” snapped Huey, straining to smack at his brother.

“Listen, Uncle Donald told us to apologize, but he said to do it when we’re on the ground and we’re not on the ground yet, soooooo…”

“You are the worst.”

“You’re confusing me with Louie,” said Dewey jokingly.

“This isn’t the time to play around,” scolded Fenton lightly. “Hop on.”

“Thanks, but I’m on my way to Launchpad. Just wanted to stop by and give my big bro some love.” He rested his forehead against Huey’s and said affectionately, “I love you.”

His ire melting, Huey wrapped his wings around his brother. “I love you too. Even when you tap dance at three in the morning.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” said Fenton warmly.

Gandra furrowed her brow. “You tap dance at three in the morning?”

“Sometimes I get restless,” said Dewey simply. “I like to dance it off.”

“But why tap dancing specifically?”

“It calms me down.”

“Er…okay.”

Dewey regarded her, the way her arms were wrapped securely around Huey and how his brother was nestled comfortably against her. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “For helping out my family today. This is, like, a weird way to officially meet, but I can’t wait to get to know you better. From everything Huey’s said about you, you’re awesome.”

“He talks about me?” said Gandra, touched.

“All the time.”

“Not all the time,” said Huey quickly. “A reasonable amount of time.”

“I’m flattered, Red.” Gandra playfully pinched his cheek. She smiled at the boy in blue and said, “Thanks, Dewey. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, too. I’ve never really found a place where I fit in before. I think your family might be what I’ve always been looking for.”

“It is,” said Dewey confidently. “Right, Fenton?”

“Absolutely,” said Fenton with a nod. “I…I didn’t think I had what it took to be a hero. But Launchpad, Mr. McDuck, you guys and everyone else showed me I was wrong. You are the reasons I fight.”

“So much mush,” said Gandra with a shudder.

“Get used to it,” teased Fenton. “You sure you don’t want to ride with us, Dewey?”

“Huey’s with his best friend and I ought to go to mine. See you in a few!”

It took a bit longer before he encountered the next group. The girls were all surrounded with Lena’s blue magic, keeping them anchored in the sky and letting them move as they pleased. Dewey cupped his wings around his beak and he shouted, “Webby!”

“Dewey!” she shrieked back gleefully.

She opened her wings and Dewey performed a spin before landing in her embrace. He gripped her tightly and whispered, “Thank you, Webby. For believing in me even when I didn’t. For not giving up even when I wanted to. I couldn’t have found out what happened to Mom without you.”

“I’ll always believe in you, Dewey,” said Webby fiercely, clinging to his shoulders. “Thanks for trusting me with your secrets.”

“Awwwwwwww.”

The coos came from the gathered girls, though Lena’s was a touch more sarcastic than sincere. Dewey stuck his tongue out at her and she made a face at him in return. He spun around so he could fully face May and June and took hold of their wings.

“Webby is like, the best sister you could ask for. I know everything is going to be crazy different for you now, but it’s going to be way better. I promise.”

“We’ve never been part of a family before,” said June hesitantly.

“I didn’t have a family at first, either,” said Lena softly. She pulled Violet against her side and said warmly, “But Violet and Webby changed that for me, and we’re going to change it for you.”

“We’ll show you the ropes,” said Violet confidently. “Don’t worry. You will be well-loved.”

May peeked at Dewey and said hopefully, “We always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.”

“Now you’ve got three,” said Dewey with a grin. “I’m the best triplet, though, but I’m sure you’ll soon figure that out.”

“Okay, one of the rules of this family, Huey is the most trustworthy triplet,” said Lena with a roll of her eyes. “So, like, don’t take anything this dork says seriously.”

“Noted,” chirped May and June.

Dewey clutched at his heart. “I am wounded.”

“Whatever,” said Lena with a snort. “You wanna fly with us?”

“I’m actually on my way to Launchpad. I thought I’d see you before I passed by.”

“Group hug before you go!” whooped Webby.

Dewey found himself smushed between the group of girls. “Cooties! I’m infected!”

May blinked. “Cooties?”

“Get outta here!” said Lena with a laugh.

Dewey found himself encased with blue magic. He yipped as Lena flung him down and as he twisted and spun through the air, he found the inspiration for his apology to Huey.

Thanks to the burst of power from Lena’s magic, Dewey came upon Manny, Mrs. Beakley, Scrooge, Della and Donald much quicker. “Heeeeeey!” he said dizzily as he finally straightened himself out.

“What are you doing?” demanded Donald. “I told you not to dawdle!”

“I’m not! I’m on my way to Launchpad!”

“Where are your brothers?” asked Della with a frown.

“Louie’s with Gyro and B.O.Y.D. and Huey’s with Fenton and Gandra.”

“Is Webby still with the girls?” asked Mrs. Beakley.

“Yup! Just passed them.”

“Launchpad is too far down,” insisted Donald. “Get over here.”

“I’m going to be fine! I can literally see Launchpad from here, it won’t take long.” Dewey grinned at Manny and said, “Love the makeover, by the way. Beyond epic.”

“I must say, it’s nice to have my own head once again,” Manny replied.

“Don’t see what was wrong with the other one,” said Scrooge under his breath.

“All right, before I go, I have some very important things to say,” declared Dewey. He drifted over to Mrs. Beakley and folded his wings around her neck. “Thanks for being our protector,” he said softly. “I love you.”

Mrs. Beakley set a wing against his back. “I love you too, Dewey. I will always fight the battles you cannot,” she said strongly. “And thank you, for all you’ve done for my—for Web—”

“For your granddaughter,” interrupted Dewey firmly. “She’s your granddaughter.”

It took Mrs. Beakley a minute before she could speak past the lump that formed in her throat. “Yes. She is.”

Dewey latched onto his great-uncle next and Scrooge wasted no time into pulling his nephew against his chest. “Ah’ve hunted years for the most sought-after treasures,” he whispered. “But ye kids and your uncle reminded me that there will never be a greater treasure than my family. Ah love ye, Dewey.”

“I love you too,” said Dewey, nuzzling into the front of Scrooge’s coat. “You taught me so much. You showed me the world. You helped me realize that I’m special as I am, and that the only one who thought I wasn’t good enough was me.”

“Ye are perfect joost the way ye are,” murmured Scrooge. “Do nae ever change.”

“Thanks, Uncle Scrooge.”

Scrooge gently let him go and Dewey floated back into the air. He angled himself in front of his mother and uncle and, at the sight of the tears already building in their eyes, his own started to spill over.

“You know, I’m the luckiest kid in the world. When I set out to solve the mystery of my mom, I only wanted to know what happened to her. I thought she was lost, but then I found her. She wasn’t who I thought she was—she was even better than that. She’s been trying to be the best mother she can be ever since she came back and though she makes mistakes sometimes, I know she loves us, and she’s already taught each of us so much. She’s amazing.

“Even if I didn’t understand it or always appreciate it, I was protected for the first decade of my life by someone who loved me and my brothers more than anything else in the world. He loved us enough to bring us to meet our great-uncle, and we’ve grown together ever since. I know that even if he learned to let go, he’ll always be close enough for me to reach out and grab hold of. I never had to go searching for my dad because he’s been with me since the day I was hatched.”

Donald seized Dewey by a wing and pulled the boy into his embrace. Della twisted around and placed one wing on the back of Donald’s neck while the other curled around Dewey’s waist. Donald nuzzled his beak against the top of Dewey’s head and the duckling clung to them, tears splashing down his cheeks.

“I love you,” he said tearfully. “I love you both so much. I’m who I am because of you.”

“No, you’re who you are because of your uncle,” said Della with gratitude. “The best brother a girl could ask for, and the best dad. I see so much of Donald in you and your brothers.”

“When I look at them, I see you,” countered Donald, lightly running his wing through Dewey’s feathers. “Their spirit, their love of adventure and their strength is all you.”

“No,” said Scrooge, his voice thick with emotion. “The boys are both of ye. Ah know because the traits that drove me crazy when ye were kids are the same traits that these kids have.”

Donald and Della looked at each other and laughed. Della wiped the tears from Dewey’s face and kissed his forehead. “I love you, baby. I am so, so proud of you.”

“You boys are my world,” said Donald tenderly. “That’ll never change.”

Dewey beamed. “You guys are my world, too.”

“Now go to Launchpad before I strap you to Manny,” said Donald.

“I would prefer if you didn’t,” the horse said.

Donald and Della raised their wings with Dewey holding on. For a moment he floated in the grasp of his guardians, and Dewey’s heart felt like it would burst from the amount of love he felt.

The twins let go and Dewey tuck and rolled, sailing further down. He spun onto his back to blow Scrooge, Della and Donald a kiss, which they mimed catching in unison with adoring, loving smiles on their beaks.

Dewey fell into a dive and he hollered, “Launchpad!”

“Little buddy!” cried Launchpad.

“Can I ride with you?”

“You sure can! Get over here!”

Dewey fell level beside Gosalyn and she grinned at him. “All right! Now we balance out the nerdiness with our coolness!”

“You know it!” he cheered, high-fiving her.

Darkwing ruffled his feathers. “Better get secure, kiddo. I think the ground’s fast approaching.”

Launchpad grabbed hold of Dewey and the boy let out a small squeak as he was sandwiched against the pilot’s broad chest. “Don’t worry, Dewey. I’ll keep you safe.”

“I know you will,” said Dewey with a smile. “Thanks for being my best friend, Launchpad. You inspire me every day. I love you.”

“Aw, buddy, I love you too,” said Launchpad with a sniffle, squeezing Dewey even tighter. “But you inspire me way more.”

“You’ll never guess what happened in the evil guy’s lair,” said Gosalyn eagerly.

“What happened?”

“Launchpad became Gizmoduck! He kicked butt and it was awesome!”

Dewey craned his neck and said excitedly, “You got to borrow Gizmoduck’s armour?!”

“I sure did!” said Launchpad proudly.

“Tell. Me. Everything.”

As Launchpad started to tell an enthralled Dewey the story, Darkwing turned to Gosalyn and frowned. “Wait. Borrowed? I thought Launchpad was Gizmoduck.”

Gosalyn shook her head fondly and lightly tapped Darkwing’s beak. “Yeah, no, he’s definitely not, Clueless One.”

“Hey!”

[ourloveisforthelovely]

At Last (oneshot)

Harry Potter Marauders Era 

Request: hi! can i request a regulus x reader childhood friends to lovers? 

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: T

_______

“So are you going to finally ask her out?’ 

Evan asked as he stood with Regulus at King’s Cross station. You were coming back from a month’s long visit to your grandma’s that left Regulus, in Evan’s mind, an abandoned wreck. Evan had been watching for the past 8 years as Regulus fawned over you (his best friend) helplessly and you were blind as a damned bat to the whole thing. 

Regulus crossed his arms over his chest wanting to ignore Evan’s question. The less that he had to talk to Evan about his lack of a relationship the better. Regulus wanted nothing more than to ask you to be his girlfriend. He had wanted this since 1st year at Hogwarts. Every time he came close to asking you out, he panicked. Panicked was putting it lightly. Regulus was about two stones short of a panic attack anytime that he came close. 

It didn’t matter that you were the perfect girl for him or that the two of you had been best friends since childhood. He always chickened out. Evan decided to make it his civic duty to try to give Regulus non stop pep talks on trying to get with you.

“I’m hoping to.” 

Regulus finally replied. Evan smirked, knowing that this was probably a bunch of shit that Regulus was saying. If Regulus Black asked you out, Evan would eat his own hat. 

“Well, Barty and I hope you do because you get all emo whenever she goes on a date with a new guy.” 

Regulus’ dark eyes rolled over in his direction with a displeased scowl. 

“Shut up, Evan.” 

Shutting up was something that Evan Rosier wasn’t good at and Regulus was crazy if he thought that he was going to get off of the hook that easy! 

“Repeat after me, Y/n will you go out with me. I’m a wreck without you.” 

Regulus aimed a kick at Evan’s shin making the other boy shriek in pain. 

“Shut up Evan!” 

Evan sighed, his voice becoming a bit more gentle. Apparently, this was what it was going to take. Regulus apparently didn’t understand that Evan only wanted him to be happy. He was tired of seeing Regulus so gloomy whenever you went out with some new mistake that didn’t last long. 

“Dude you need to practice. Whenever you try to ask Y/n out you just make a squeaking noise and she thinks you're catching a cold and tries to take care of you.” 

Regulus again gave Evan a dark “Black family scowl.” Evan didn’t seem to realize just how difficult this was for Regulus. It wasn’t just asking a girl out. It was asking you, his best friend, out. This was huge! What if the relationship failed and Regulus lost his best friend in the world? You were the only person that really understood him. You were the one that comforted him when Sirius ran away. Was Regulus really prepared to potentially lose the one person that he could really be himself with? 

The question that Regulus should have been asking himself was would he be able to handle it if you married someone else? Regulus wasn’t ready to think of “that” step yet but what if some fucker asked you and you said yes? Would he be able to stand there and watch you pledge undying love to some fucker who could never love as he could? 

“I kind of want to kill you Evan.”

Evan didn’t have to ask Regulus what was going through his mind, he knew. He had seen Regulus get super depressed every time you dated someone else. Now that the lot of you were getting older there was a good chance that someone would eventually propose and you would eventually say yes. Regulus would fall apart when that happened. 

“Eh. Who would you bitch to?” 

Before Regulus could reply, he spotted you stepping off of a train. 

“Enough, Evan. Here she comes.” 

You waived the moment that you saw your two best friends standing away from all of the other muggles. 

“Hey!”

You called before running over and throwing your arms around Regulus’ shoulders. He wrapped his arms around you and placed a kiss on your head. 

“Did you have a nice trip?”

Regulus asked as he gently sat you down. You laughed before hugging Evan, who for whatever reason, was looking extra smug about something. Knowing Evan, it was probably something stupid. 

“If you consider going to bingo every other night, eating a shit ton of jello, and being hugged by random old people at the rest home, fun...I had a blast. Every old person thought that I was their granddaughter.” 

You didn’t want to go on the trip to begin with but you parents talked you into it. They used the whole “your grandmother is getting old and won't be around much longer” comment and you agreed to go on month’s long roadshow to visit your granny. 

Looking at Regulus, you realized just how much that you had missed your best friend. Best friend...you sighed at the word. You wanted it to be a lot more than best friends but he didn’t seem interested in that. It didn’t matter how many times that you send signals his way, Regulus seemed oblivious to it all. The best that you could come up with was Regulus didn’t have any interest in any relationship with anyone. He had his head too far in his own role in the war. 

“Yum, jello.” 

Evan said, pulling you from your thoughts. Both Regulus and yourself gave Evan an annoyed expression. 

“If you like jello, you should go visit with me next time. They will want to keep you with your blue eyes and dimples. All the little old ladies will want to say that you are their doll baby grandson.” 

Evan’s smile faded. He didn’t like people touching him as it was and he knew the moment that he stepped foot in that rest home every stranger would be hugging him nonstop. 

“On second thought, no thanks. Well, I came to see you now I have to go get ready for a hot date.” 

Evan focused his attention on Regulus before emphasizing. 

“Get. Ready. For. A. Hot. Date.” 

You had wrapped your arm through Regulus’ and watched as he gave Evan a huge go-to-hell look. 

“Make sure to not wear that muggle Old Spice cologne. You’ll smell like a grandpa.” 

You said, earning a smile from Regulus. Evan, meanwhile, shook his head. 

“You two behave. Oh wait, look who I’m talking to. Later.” 

Evan turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving both Regulus and yourself with matching frowns. You were the first to speak as you looked up at Regulus. 

“Something is wrong with that boy.” 

Regulus nodded. 

“He was dropped on his head a few times. That’s the best that I can come up with.” 

You spent the rest of the day with Regulus. After Walburga got on her youngest son’s nerves enough, Regulus conned you into going upstairs to his bedroom. Regulus lay back on the bed putting his hands behind his head as you sat down beside him. His curls framed his perfectly handsome face and you wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him. The two of you hadn’t “cuddled” in sometime and at the moment, you would love to curl up in his arms. It didn’t matter how many guys you dated, none of them made you feel the way Regulus did.

“So what else did you do on your trip other than be everyone’s granddaughter?”

Regulus asked. 

“I went on a few dates with this guy from the Netherlands.” 

The moment those words left your lips, Regulus’ eyes snapped open and he glared up at the ceiling. He snorted before sitting up and shaking his head. 

“Of course.” 

You blinked from your place on his bed. 

“What?”

Regulus stood up and stormed over to the window to glare out. If some poor soul on the street suddenly caught on fire, Regulus wouldn’t have been surprised. 

“Nothing.”

You didn’t move nor was you about to back down. Regulus liked to “shut down” when he was mad but you were not a “shut down” kind of person. You wanted to talk about it. 

“Talk to me, Regulus.” 

When Regulus didn’t speak, you finally got off of his bed and went to join him at the window. Wrapping your arms around him from behind, you weren't about to let him get away from you. The two of you were going to talk whether Regulus wanted to or not.

Snuggling your face into his back, you breathed in his scent. How were you supposed to tell Regulus that it was his scent that you smelled when brewing an amortentia potion? How were you supposed to say, “Let's throw away our friendship and  risk it all for love?” 

“I swear, Reg you act like you are jeal…”

BAM! It hit you like a bag of bricks to the stomach. Regulus was jealous! He was just too good or too proud of a man to say it. 

“Thank you for finally seeing things my way.”

Regulus finally commented. His voice was soft but had a hard edge to it that told you how angry he was. Regulus didn’t care to yell at Evan, if he had to. Yelling at Barty was like breathing. Raising his voice at you, however, never happened. You were the person that Regulus would never raise his voice to or put an unloving hand on. There was the one time when the two of you were five and he accidentally knocked you down the front steps and he felt awful for weeks. He sobbed until Walburga fixed up your skinned knees and told Regulus to get a grip on himself. 

She is just fine, son. Now stop this nonsense. 

You smiled at the memory before reaching out and forcing Regulus to look at you.

“How long?” 

“How long what?”

Regulus asked, trying to be stubborn. You rolled your eyes. 

“Regulus Arcturus Black, stop this nonsense. You know what I mean...how long have you felt this way?”

Regulus sighed. 

“Not long...a while...since 1st year at school. I want to be with you but you keep getting with these fucking twats that no nothing about you. They don’t even know what way is up.” 

Your mouth dropped before smiling. Regulus wanted you. He wanted you like you wanted him. Bless him, he had been feeling this way for so many years. There were so many years that the two of you could have been happy together and you wouldn't have dated any of the clowns that you were fixed up with. You could have the boy that you wanted from day 1. 

“No, they don’t. They also are not you.” 

Regulus looked at you with wide eyes as he got the meaning of what you were saying. 

“What if we fuck it all up? Everything that we have...I wouldn’t want to live without you in my life.”

Regulus said, looking down. You quickly moved to wrap your arms around his shoulders. Snuggling your face into his shoulder, you breathed him in again. 

“We wouldn’t fuck it up. It's something that we both want and we both know each other. Like, you know when I am getting my big dick energy and can talk me down…” 

“And you know when I'm getting too dark and can lighten me up.” 

Regulus interrupted before giving you a small smile. You eagerly nodded, cupping his face.

 “See, we have what we need. You’re what I smell in an amortentia potion. You’re what I need, Reg.” 

Regulus wrapped his arms around you holding on tightly. He wasn’t about to let go. If anyone tried to get in the way now, they would be hurting! You were his girl and his alone. Regulus’ days of watching some poor useless fucker flirt with you were over. Those pretty lips were all his now...as they should have been from day one. 

“Funny, you’re what I smell in one too. Your perfume, your shampoo...everything about you. I need you too, Y/n...more than you know.” 

“I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Regulus gently titled your face up to his. The first kiss was everything that you expected and more. All of the years of mutual pining, desperation, and jealousy were paying off. Both of you were finally getting what you wanted and nothing else would ever get in the way. 

“I love you.”

Regulus said as he pulled away and nuzzled his forehead against yours. 

“I love you and no one will ever get in the way of my feelings for you again.” 

Wrapping your hands in Regulus’ shirt you pulled him down for another kiss. As soon as his tongue slipped into your mouth, a clapping sound filled the room. Both of you looked up quickly to see Evan perched on Regulus’ bed with a gleeful smile on his face. 

“Oh thank Merlin! Finally! I swear, I thought that I was going to have to tape you two together or something.” 

You turned to Regulus who was scowling at his best male friend. 

“Regulus, why is he here?” 

Regulus didn’t remove his gaze from Evan for a moment before wrapping his arms around your waist ready to apparate elsewhere. 

“No idea, let’s leave.” 

Evan, meanwhile, was still going on and on about how happy he was that the two of you finally got your heads out of your asses and joined the rest of society. You nodded returning your arms to Regulus’ shoulders. 

“Great idea. Let’s go  somewhere...anywhere else so we can be alone.”

Regulus nodded. 

“At last.” 

_________

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