#yes this is directly related to the restaurant au leave me alone

[krak-house]

actually. hold on.

what if izzy always wears a glove bc he's got a prosthetic finger like lucius? they're already clearly narrative foils, what's one more similarity between them?

[albakore]

Away From Home

Characters: Zhongli, Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Thoma/Tohma (fem!reader) (fic)

Synopsis: (office!au) Even your boss Zhongli has moments where self control goes out the window to make way for carnal desires.

Warnings: not sfw (18+) reverse harem, (an orgie?), semi public sex again, creampie, oral (giving), petnames (angel, princess, gem), squirting, umm? did i miss anything?, not proofread because im lazy if you catch any errors feel free to shoot me an ask,

A/N: This is a part two to Office Adventures but t's not necessary that you read it before this. I don't know if people were expecting a direct continuation of the last one but I took some creative liberty because I felt like that would be boring and instead created a whole new scenario, I hope you all enjoy it just the same!

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘•⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅ ⊰ ⋅•⋅

The sexual tension in the office since that (ahem) eventful meeting had been nothing short of palpable, as Lisa had been ever so kind to point out. Even Jean and Eula were starting to grow frustrated with the way Childe and Kaeya made it painstakingly obvious their lust for you, and as you explained to Jean apologetically, they just wouldn't seem to take your request to tone it down seriously. Though you couldn't deny that even you often found your mind wandering as you sat alone in your office, frequently coming to remember the way you wobbled out of the meeting room that day, cunt quivering and leaking cum.

Luck seemed to be on Jean's side however, because this week you found yourself away from the office on an important regional business conference accompanied by none other than the men themselves, leaving her alone in charge of the office for a few days. The adventure of being in a new place was always exciting; there was light in your eyes as your plane touched down just outside the city, the skyline stood shimmering off in the distance. Though, as Diluc so gracefully reminded you, this was not a vacation but a business trip and most of your time would be consumed by meetings and other work-related affairs.

"(Name)!" You heard someone call from behind you. You were walking back to the hotel after another boring day of drifting in and out of meetings with people you hardly knew and topics you hardly cared about.

"Hm?" Your head turned to see three familiar figures waving at you as they approached.

"Care to join us for dinner? It'll be our treat." Childe asked once they had caught up to you, falling into step beside you.

"Where are you guys going?" You asked. You silently took in the appearance of the boys beside you. You hadn't gotten a chance to see them all day since you greeted them at the complimentary hotel breakfast bar this morning, and you had to admit they cleaned up nicely. You admired the three's formal dress, remembering the way Zhongli had specifically lectured them on the importance of appearance at an event like this. You notes Thoma's expensive looking watch and Kaeya's tailored button-up shirt that was, of course, unbuttoned halfway now that the workday was over. Childe had his suit jacket thrown over his shoulder, one hand holding the jacket the other shoved in his pocket.

"Mr. Zhongli found this fancy looking French restaurant a few blocks away, he wanted us to get there before we missed our reservation time." Thoma answered.

"Where is he?" You asked, taking note of his and Diluc's absence from the group.

"He and Diluc got caught up in some last minute business they had to attend to. It's times like these I don't envy the higher up positions of our company's cofounders." Kaeya answered you this time. "No matter how attractive the pay increase may seem, I can only handle so much overtime."

"You can say that again." Childe chuckled in agreeance, "I can't tell you how many times I've left the office only to come back in the morning and find Zhongli still hunched over some paperwork."

"Hey, guys, I think this is the place." Thoma motioned to the building you were approaching, and you immediately realized that 'fancy looking' was an understatement. "Will you be joining us, Lady (Name)?" Thoma questioned, extending his hand as an invitation to you.

"I don't see why not." You flashed him a smile before placing your hand in his, allowing him to tug you along. Kaeya opened the door for you, gesturing to allow you to step inside first. You were awestruck by the inside -- if you thought ‘fancy looking’ was an understatement for the outside, then the inside could be described as nothing short of grandiose. There were round tables covered in white cloth and fancy silverware, a fountain sat in the middle of the room behind the hostess desk and elegant trimmings lining the staircase off on the far side of the room. You quickly quelled your shocked expression as the hostess approached you.

"We have a reservation for six under the name Zhongli." Childe told her. "We'll have two more joining us later."

She checked her ledger and quickly crossed off the name. "Right this way, sir." She said to Childe with a polite smile. She led your group away from the main room, opening the door to a nicely decorated single-table room with a pleasant and romantic vibe, most likely accredited to the soft lighting.

“Thank you.” Childe told her as you four took your seats. One side of the table had booth-style seating and the other side had individual chairs. She closed the door with a click, and before you knew it you were sat in between Kaeya and Childe on the booth side, with Thoma directly across from you. You picked up a menu and began flipping through it to get a feel for what items might interest you. Before long, Childe’s hand had found its way onto your thigh. You looked down at it before looking back at him, a silent prompt for an explanation. “What?” He inquired mischievously, thumb rubbing your skin gently.

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could your server opened the door with a brief knock. Childe’s hand stayed firmly in place as the server introduced themselves before asking if they could get you guys anything to drink. Thoma and Childe ordered regular fountain drinks, and requested two extra waters be brought out preemptively for Diluc and Zhongli whenever they should arrive.

“Ah yes may I have a glass of your finest red wine.” Kaeya asked with a smile once it came his time to order, earning a look from you. “What? It’s coming out of Diluc’s pocket not mine, might as well make good use of it.”

"And I'll have a..." You started, feeling Childe's hand inch upwards as the servers gaze remained fixed on you. "Just a r-regular glass of water please." You managed to force out while trying to ignore the growing feeling of need that Childe's attention was causing you. You smiled at the server as they stated that they'd be right back with your drinks.

Moments after the server left, Thoma's phone started buzzing. He answered it and paused for a few moments before he stepped away saying something about needing to meet Diluc and Zhongli in the lobby. That left you alone trapped in a booth with two mischievous gazes focused on you. "I must say, (Name)," Childe started, "you look absolutely stunning tonight. You really took Zhongli's 'Dress to Impress' speech to heart it seems." His flirty demeanor was predictable, earning a chuckle and an eye roll from you. His fingers were tracing patterns into the flesh of your inner thigh, head resting in his other hand as he studied you. You felt Kaeya's arm snake around your torso, hand coming to rest on your hip.

"He's right, you should wear this outfit more often." Kaeya whispered into your ear.

“You know, typically you’re supposed to wine and dine me before you-“ A knock resonated from the door, cutting you off and causing Kaeya to pull away from you but neither him nor Childe made any effort to remove their hands from where they were situated. The server entered with the table’s drinks on a tray, dishing them out to their respective spots on the table before asking if anybody was ready to order. Kaeya told them politely that we would wait for the rest of the group to join us first, and with that they turned and exited the room again.

You watched as Kaeya reached for his no doubt expensive wine, taking a sip and letting out a satisfied hum. "This wine is absolutely divine, it's not often I get the chance to indulge in such luxury. Would you like to try some, angel?" Kaeya asked you while his fingertips traced your hips.

"Sure." You hummed back, reaching out to grab the glass but Kaeya stopped your hand. You looked at him quizzically, watching as he dipped two fingers into the glass and let the crimson liquid pool at his fingertips. He brought his fingers to your lips, waiting for you to part them. You did, but only ever so slightly, letting your tongue drag along his slender fingers with a hum of delight as you maintained eye contact with him. Once upon a time you may have been flustered by his actions, but ever since the incident in the meeting room you have become no stranger to these types of occurrences. You pulled away before pressing a kiss to the pads at the tip of his finger.

"Divine indeed, captain." You added teasingly, the nickname a reference to a costume he wore to a halloween party last year that had caught on and stuck around even months after. You watched his unreadable expression closely as you awaited his response. He grabbed your face, tugging you toward him so he could plant a firm kiss on your lips while he caressed your cheek gently. You felt Childe's hand inch upward yet again further and further before finally reaching your clothed sex. Your breath hitched as Kaeya deepened the kiss, Childe rubbing you through thin material at a teasingly slow pace. You shifted your hips, trying to gain more friction from his fingers.

Kaeya pulled back from the kiss to let you catch your breath. "You know, there is one thing that would make this wine taste better." He kissed along your jaw and down your neck, breath fanning your skin as he continued. "If I could pour it over your chest and lick it off of you, slowly, inch by inch while you squirmed under my touch. That would make this experience undeniably perfect." You felt a shiver run down your spine, hand intertwining with his hair. As if working in tandem with Kaeya, Childe took this opportunity to slip his fingers past the barrier of fabric, your slick making his fingers run smoothly over your folds. Your free hand extended over to Childe's lap so you could palm him through his pants, thumb caressing the imprint of his erection. He let a breathy moan right next to your ear, fingers slipping into your heat.

"This is our reserved room, correct?" Zhongli’s voice resonated from just outside the door before the door swung open. He stepped in, followed by Diluc and Thoma. Your eyes met with Zhongli's as you tried futilely to push the lustful duo off of you. You filled with embarrassment when you thought about how sleazy you must look with Kaeya's lips attached to your neck and Childe's fingers squelching in and out of you. "Thoma, switch with (name), please. Evidently these two are incapable of practicing self control."

"W-what?" You protested, stomach sinking at the thought of disappointing your boss.

"Seriously, you two wouldn't know good timing if it hit you in the face. Your hotel rooms are literally a few yards away from each other." Diluc scoffed, tossing his suit coat over the back of his chair before pulling it out and sitting in it.

Childe pulled away from you, frowning at Diluc's words. "If I'm not mistaken, it was you who was moaning her name last night while you were alone in the shower, no?"

"And if I'm not mistaken, I'm still your boss. Watch how you talk to me." Diluc shot back immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. You scooted out of the booth, over Childe's lap, effectively pulling away from the two.

"Sorry.." You fiddled nervously with the hem of your skirt, still trying to recover from the embarrassment.

"You misunderstand me, gem, I'm not upset at you in the slightest." Zhongli smoothed over some of your hair comfortingly. "I specifically had a talk with these two about keeping things professional on this trip. This has nothing to do with you or your actions." You stared at him for a second before nodding. You took your place in between Zhongli and Diluc, directly across from where you had been previously sitting.

"How did your meetings go?" Zhongli asked you, tone much softer than the one he had just taken with Childe and Kaeya.

"They were boring for the most part, I managed to make a few connections though so that's good. What about you?" You responded, tuning out Diluc and Childe's bickering in the background.

"Stressful, I had many presentations to give, and only few bode over well."

"That's just how it goes." Thoma chimed in. "Tomorrow is a new day filled with new opportunity, I'm sure you'll do better."

"Stressful, eh? Fortunately for you, I know of the perfect way to relieve stress." Kaeya, ever the troublemaker, fixed his gaze on you pointedly for a few seconds to allow his point to get across. He just couldn't help himself when the ball was set up fo perfectly for him to spike it. You studied Zhongli's expression, his face remaining stoic as he processed Kaeya's innuendo.

"Unfortunately, the rules I set for you two apply to me as well. It would be wholly unfair to not hold myself to the same standard I hold my staff." Zhongli answered effortlessly. Seems like all these years of press conferences seemed to have really sharped his ability to form charismatic responses. Wait, 'unfortunately'?

"C'mon, Zhongli, (name)'s had eyes for us just as much as we've had eyes for them. You should see the look they get on their face when they're alone in their office." Childe laughed after ending his bickering session with Diluc. Your eyes went wide at that, having whole-heartedly believed you were being careful about when to indulge in your fantasies. "Besides, doesn't fucking them senseless sound like the perfect pick-me-up after a long day of meetings."

Zhongli seemed like he was still struggling to process his comment, resolve chipping with every second. He couldn't deny the nights he spent replaying the image of you bent over that table while he pleasured himself, and tonight was shaping up to be no different -- well, that would have been the case had he not attended this dinner. His eyes shifted over to you, inner turmoil apparent in them. Evidently, your response would be the deciding factor that pushed Zhongli to either side of the fence.

"He's not wrong." You shrugged, offering Zhongli a small smile. It was a simple sentence, only three words and yet… You watched his expression darken in that moment, his half hard erection already apparent in his pants.

"Thoma," you immediately noted the way his voice seemed to have dropped an octave. His gaze never once left yours.

"Yes boss?" Thoma responded almost instantly.

"Lock the door." Zhongli growled. Your heart skipped a beat, you felt heat rush straight to your core. The way Zhongli was looking at you made you feel bare even though not a single article of clothing had been removed from your form, at least not yet.

"The waitress is going to come back to place our order though." Diluc seemed to be the only voice of reason in this scenario. Thoma returned, scooting back into his spot in the booth, forcing Childe to be the one trapped in the middle this time. "That's gonna look awfully suspicious."

"Frankly, I can't seem to bring myself to care about that right now." Zhongli stood from his seat. He turned toward you, motioning for you to stand as well. "We'll tell them I had an important announcement that I didn't want getting interrupted or something." He lifted you at the hips and set you down on the table, placing himself in between your legs and pulling your core to meet his crotch. His lips caught yours, deep and breathtaking, as his hands roamed over your body. He tugged your shirt to untuck it until his fingers came into contact with the hem. He pulled it up, breaking the kiss to allow him to discard your shirt.

You found yourself rocking against him as his lips worked down your neck and chest. A new pair of hands hooked themselves under your bra clasp. You looked back to see Childe's arm extended. He pushed the straps off your arms, allowing the bra to fall away and expose your breasts. The cool air made your nipple perk instantly. You felt Childe's hands tug you down gently, allowing your back to lay against the cool cloth. You looked over to see Diluc's hands full of your table's drinks as he set them off to the side to avoid any accidents. Thoma eagerly took one of your nipples into his mouth while Kaeya's cold hand cupped the other.

Childe scooted the table away from him to provide him with the room to stand up. Your cheeks burned as you found yourself face to face with his still clothed erection. He chuckled at your expression, fingers caressing your cheek. He let his pointer finger trail delicately down your jaw to your chin, and then from your chin down your exposed neck. You shivered slightly at the way it tickled.

You felt someone tug down your skirt and your underwear, cool air rushing over your core. Zhongli had managed to free his member from his pants and was pumping himself outside of your field of vision. His other hand was pressed to your hip. He admired the way your chest heaved. Thoma and Kaeya littered your skin with bite marks and kisses. You watched intently as Childe followed in Zhongli's lead, freeing himself from his pants. Your lips parted slightly in anticipation, breath fanning the tip of Childe's dick with every exhale. Zhongli lined himself up with your entrance, you clenched your fists when you felt his tip push in. He sunk the rest of the way into you, a sigh of relief falling from his lips. He silently thanked Kaeya and Childe for prepping you so well before he had even arrived. Childe repeated this same process with your lips, slowly sinking into your mouth and relishing the feeling of your warm tongue wrapping around him.

The men both started thrusting at the same time but at very different paces. Childe was eager and less restrained, holding you steady while he fucked your face. He was also louder, not seeming to care if the staff or other patrons heard how good you were making him feel. Zhongli on the other hand was slower, drawing all the way out of you before slamming back into you. Though, after a few moments he seemed to compromise with himself and picked up the pace slightly, only drawing partially out of you, but still enough to let you feel his tip hit deep inside of you with each powerful thrust. You felt Diluc's familiar fingers come into contact with your clit, rubbing you in just the right way to make you clench around Zhongli and moan around Childe. Diluc left kisses all over your lower half, his long hair spilling over his shoulder and tickling your stomach.

The lewd sounds of slapping and kissing and sucking were all that could be heard in the room, along with Childe’s occasional unrestrained noises of pleasure. He moaned your name, head thrown back and mouth agape. His cheeks were flushed bright pink, and they only seemed to glow brighter the closer he got to cumming. Childe's pace became sloppy and erratic as he drew near to his own orgasm, thrusts becoming shallow as he chased euphoria. He pulled out right as he hit his high point so he could paint your chest with his cum. He moaned your name particularly loudly as he did, using his own hand to slowly lower himself down from his peak.

Kaeya pulled back and marveled at the marks he left on your skin, the imprints of his teeth visible in several spots. "My turn already?" He hummed, fingers tracing over the splotches and bruises on your skin. "A shame, I wasn't finished with my work of art yet." He stood up nonetheless as Childe fell back on the seat behind him, still trying to catch his breath. Kaeya quickly took his place, much to Thoma's disappointment. Kaeya's signature smirk hadn't left his face once while he admired the way your breasts glistened with a mixture of sweat and cum. He slowly undid the button to his pants, pushing them partially down his legs before moving to his underwear. You swear his cock bounced when it sprang free, tip flushed and absolutely beautiful. It seems this man truly didn't have an ugly bone in his body.

You felt Zhongli slowly coming undone inside you too, his cock twitching more and more every time he pushed himself into your smooth walls, even more so whenever Diluc's added stimulation made you clench around him. You felt yourself rock against his fingers, your own climax on the horizon. Zhongli gave one final thrust into you before you felt him spill his hot seed into you, his fingers digging into your hips in an attempt to ground himself. You moaned at the feeling of your walls being coated white. Kaeya took this as an opportunity to muffle you with his cock. He stuffed your mouth full of him, watching in a sort of satisfied sadistic fashion as you choked slightly on his length.

Zhongli pulled out of you after he finished cumming, panting heavily. You whined around Kaeya's cock at the loss of contact, hole clenching desperately around nothing. You squirmed your hips and mewled, hoping someone would get your wordless plea for some form of stimulation. Diluc, ever so observant, was the first one to pick up on your discomfort. "Aw, does my little princess want to be filled up again?" He asked tauntingly. "Do you want my cock inside of you?" His fingers continued to push you toward your orgasm. He chuckled at the way you jerked your hips into his touch, whines becoming louder still even with your mouth full of Kaeya's erection. As he felt your body start to tense, he withdrew his hand from your clit before you could cum. You pressed your thighs together while a groan left your lips, feeling frustrated tears well up in your eyes.

Diluc switched spots with Zhongli and unzipped his pants loud enough to get the anticipation in your stomach building rapidly. You heard fabric bunching and shuffling, and in turn took advantage of the adrenaline rush you were getting to eagerly please Kaeya. You hollowed your cheeks and allowed your tongue to work over him, lewd sucking noises escaping your lips. Kaeya groaned in response, his grip on your head tightening still as he bucked his hips into you frantically. You felt Zhongli's rough hands run over the skin of your breasts, centering on the nipples. You felt him wipe some of Childe's cum off you, and moments later the feeling of his fingers got replaced with his tongue as he sucked slightly on the soft flesh.

You sucked in a sharp breath when you felt Diluc's tip at your entrance, face contorting as you prepared for him to stretch you out just like Zhongli had. You paused as he pushed in -- not all the way, just an inch or so -- to truly revel in the feeling the he was providing you. He sunk in a little bit more to let you get used to the feeling of him in your tight sex, he was a little more girthy than Zhongli. Finally, he pushed into you until he bottomed out, filling your cunt to the brim with his member. A quiet groan escaping his lips; you would give anything to see the blissful look on his face right now.

You squirmed as he started to move. He went slowly at first, letting himself become coated in your slick to make his job easier. He took a few moments to find a good rhythm, one that was much different from Zhongli's. He was steady and consistent, pulling out an inch or two only to push back into you. He lifted one of your legs to give him a better angle, you let out a muffled moan as his tip kissed your sweet spot. Kaeya groaned again at the vibration of your voice. You felt Kaeya’s thumb press slightly against the center of your throat where he could feel himself thrusting in and out of you. You swallowed around him as he gave his last few thrusts before he was sent over the edge, cumming in spurts over your tongue. He let out a long moan that you wanted to keep on repeat forever.

You caught sight of Thoma eagerly awaiting his chance to feel your mouth around him. Kaeya pulled out slowly, stepping to the side (albeit a little bit grudgingly) to let Thoma have his turn. Thoma has already freed himself, precum leaking from the tip. He seemed a little nervous as he found himself finally aligned with your awaiting mouth. “Are you sure this is alright?” He asked, closely watching your face for signs of discomfort. His gentleness was refreshing after the way Kaeya and Childe so unceremoniously face-fucked you.

You giggled, kissing his tip causing his ears to flush red. “Mhm, of course. You’re so good for me~” His eyes went wide at your praise. You let your mouth hang open as an invitation for him to enter you, a high pitched whine escaping him almost immediately after sinking into you. He cupped your head gently, pulling out of you slowly before pushing back into you, truly appreciating the stimulation you were giving him.

Kaeya truly could never sit still with an opportunity so grand in front of him. His fingers found their way to toy with your clit, his cold fingers making you squirm under his touch. Childe, who was still on the couch, had gotten hard again and was pumping himself as he watch you slowly get your holes stuff full of cum. You moaned as Diluc’s dick hit your sweet spot again and again, Kaeya’s cold fingers causing your head to spin. You could feel your orgasm coming fast, and it felt like it was going to be an intense one. You arched your back off the table, whines becoming increasingly more frequent the more pressure built up. Diluc also seemed to be nearing his release, you could always tell by the way he moaned your name. A few more thrusts into you was all it took for you to come undone. You cried out, thighs quivering as you squirted all over Kaeya’s fingers and Diluc’s cock alike. Diluc followed a few seconds after, burying himself inside of you as he came hard, eyes intently watching the sight of you during and after your orgasm.

Thoma’s cock twitched as he watched you make a mess over Diluc’s cock, his breathy moans of your name getting louder and louder. He knew it wouldn’t take long for him to finish, not with the way your tongue traced his veins and your hand assisting him with whatever he couldn’t fit in your mouth. You felt the knot come undone and Thoma’s sweet cum flooded your mouth. He pulled out, gently wiping the spit from your face.

The room was filled with nothing but the sound of heavy breathing as everyone came down from their highs. Zhongli was even nice enough to grab your water from where Diluc had set them off to the side and offer you some as he dabbed away some of your sweat with a napkin. Diluc finally pulled his now softened member out of you, admiring the way your cum-filled hole leaked. He had to fight the urge to fuck every last drop back into you.

A knock resonated from the door, causing everyone in the room to freeze. “Um, sorry to interrupt,” the servers voice sounded meekly from outside the door, “you guys reservation time is up…” You cringed at the idea of having to walk back to your hotel room in this state, legs still wobbly and cum all over you.

“I supposed to ‘important announcement’ excuse won’t work now..” If you didn’t know any better, you’d say Zhongli sounded amused. “No need to fret, I’ll just pay them a generous tip to overlook this little.. endeavor.”

“You mean I’ll pay the tip.” Diluc cut in flatly. You all were lucky the company had the money to be avoiding scandals like this or else you’d all be done for. Maybe he could convince you to, uh, thank him for it later…

[takkarulz]

For HisoMachi week! @hisomachiweek

Link to the AO3 version

Modern day AU, rated for teen and older audiences.

Day 4: AU

Almost normal

York Shin Hospital, Friday, 6: 30 pm.

It was a burning hot afternoon and Machi Komachine had just finished her shift at York Shin Hospital. Despite her youth she was one of the most prominent plastic surgeons of that hospital and her pay check, along as her pink Gucci handbag and her BMW Grand Coupe reflected that. People believed that she was vain and some people hated the way in which she flaunted her luxurious lifestyle, however, the fact was that Machi in reality was pretty much a self-made woman. Born of refugee parents in the poorest slums of the city and often taking multiple odd jobs to make the ends and spending countless nights reading complicate textbooks, first to study in the best technical high school of her city and then in one of the top public universities of all the country, so all those years of sacrifices gave her the right of displaying all her wealth and hard-earned money.

She was about to get in her car and leave when a she saw two teens passing near her.

“Why don´t you have a car yet? I though your family was rich!” said Gon Freecks to Killua Zoldyck.

“I still have no driver permit. And I really don´t want to ask my parents to pick me!”

“Then ask your brothers to drive us!”

“Illumi is working out of the city most of the time and Milluki does not even share his French fries at Mc Donalds, let alone his car!”

Machi feel a bit of compassion of them. For what she had heard Gon and Killua were students and the same technical high school for nurses and future med students that she attended and probably that day they had gone to the hospital for a school related activity. Machi knew that probably they had lots of homework and things to do at home so giving them a small ride could help them.

“Hey, you two! Do you want me to drive you near to your house or a bus stop? I have to pick my fiancé from his job at Hotel Beitacle at downtown and then we are gonna dine out at The Chimera Ant.” Said the pink haired woman.

“That fancy restaurant of Netero Avenue?” asked Gon.

“That one.” Answered Machi.

Gon got a bit surprised after knowing that Machi and her fiancé were going to eat at such a fancy restaurant. Judging for Machi car and general apparence that guy must be also as wealthy as her, probably even more. Maybe that man was a lawyer or a powerful CEO.

“It is near to the subway and Gon´s house, so it seems ok.” Said Killua.

“Yeah, just let me message this to my auntie, so she knows where I am!” said Gon.

Machi smiled at them.

“That is a smart move kiddo, in fact I can even get you directly to your house if you want.” Said Machi.

“Sounds fantastic, but as long as you leave me at the subway with Killua it is ok! Thanks Mrs. Komachine!” concluded the darkhaired boy smiling

Hotel Beitacle, Friday, 7:00 pm

“This is the worst clown show I have ever seen in my life! You should feel ashamed of giving my daughter such a horrible Quinceañera party show!” screamed hysterically a middle-aged man with a mustache to Hisoka.

Light Nostrade was the owner of the famous fashion brand Oracle and one of the richest persons in York Shin City, while Hisoka Morrow was just a brand new clown and party entertainer, freshly out of clown college.

“Sir, your daughter wanted a horror themed Quinceañera party and that is what I gave her, besides she was laughing at my jokes.” Said Hisoka without bothering himself much.

“Did you really had to make a fake decapitation joke involving a man in a toilet? Don´t you think that it is gross and vulgar?”

“Yes, it is gross and vulgar, that is why is funny! Besides everything we used for that prank was fake and edible, we used Nutella and crunched cookies for the poop and cherry jelly and strawberry syrup for the blood and guts! It was very tasty!” said the clown smiling.

“That is horrible! Absolutely horrible! My poor Neon is going to have nightmares caused by your horrible and degrading antics! Not mention your whole butt dance! It was supposed to be a family event, not a bachelorette party in Las Vegas!”

“Hey, it is called twearking, everybody does it now days. Plus, it is a great way to keep your ass in shape!” said Hisoka spanking himself in a comedic way.

“Still, that is so gross and horrible! My daughter is going to be traumatized by it!”

“Well, trauma or not, I will not give you back your 200 dollars.”

“Bullshit! I will not pay you! In fact, I will call my lawyers to sue you for…”

“Sue me for what?”

“Child corruption!”

“Sir, you make your daughter pose in lingerie and skimpy clothes for your stupid brand of clothes, even in magazines aimed at adults. Making a girl like Neon work in such stuff should be labeled as child sexualization and exploitation…” said Hisoka smugly, but before Mr Nostrade could reply him a phone call from Hisoka cellphone interrupted the conversation.

“Oh, sorry, sir. I have to go. Let’s talk about it latter, I got to see someone really important!” said Hisoka, running away without answering his phone, leaving the angry parent alone with his complains.

Outside of Hotel Beitacle, Friday, 7:15

Machi had already called her fiancé five times and he had not even seen her answers. Either he was still in the show or he was just being an asshole as always. Killua decided to play some video games in his cellphone, while Gon on his part started at the window of the car, saying nothing, just contemplating the people passing by the street and the guests who arrived at the hotel. It looked that there was like a big party, probably a Wedding or a Christening, perhaps a Quinceañera or even Bar Mitzvah. He still remembered when he went to Killua´s Bar Mitzvah a few years ago, it had been quiet fun, despite all the fancy etiquette of the Zoldycks family and the weird boyfriend of Killua´s older brother. Every time that Gon thought about that guy he felt chills down his spine. That man looked like some kind of ghost or evil clown, very tall, pale, full of weird hair dye and uncannily creepy. As far as he knew Illumi had already broken with that clownish guy, focusing instead in his career as costume designer for theatre plays and soap operas. Good for him, thought Gon.

“Mrs. Komachine, but how much is going to take your fiancé to get out there?” asked Gon a bit bored.

But before he could have an answer, he saw a creepy familiar face approaching to the car making him and Killua scream in horror.

“Hi, Machi! Sorry for my lateness, I was dealing with work stuff.” Said Hisoka as he entered in the copilot seat smiling, with his face still plastered by his horrible clown makeup and costume.

“Is ok. Just don’t be late again or I won´t invite you to any fancy place anymore.” Answered Machi after kissing the clown and turning her car on.

“And who are those cute guys back there?” said Hisoka smiling playfully at the teenagers.

“Pff… just two kids for the technical high school for nurses. I gave them a little help to reach their homes, cuz I don´t want them to walk too much as I did when had their age. Specially with all those thieves and creeps roaming out there.” Said Machi.

“Ohhh, you are such a sweet woman!” said Hisoka in a low voice.

“I am as sweet as cyanide, so better watch out.” Concluded the doctor in an icy cold voice.

Gon and Killua stayed almost in absolute silence, counting in theirm minds the seconds so they could go out of that car and be free of that creepy clown. Finally, they reached the Netero Avenue near to the subway station both teens rushed out of the car without making any noise asides of a “small thank you” to Machi, running inside the station as the car went away.

“Why the fuck did that fancy lady was dating the ex of your brother?” said Gon still scared by that clown.

“I have no idea and at this point is better to not have any idea of it.” Said Killua, still shocked by the way in which that clown was able to get a hot rich girlfriend despite of being the sleaziest clown he had ever even meet.

The Chimera Ant restaurant, Friday, 8:00 pm

“Hey, Pitou, I know that you have a lot of job right now but, why does that customer is dressed like a clown?” asked Knov, a worried chef to the receptionist.

“Dunno, but it seems that does not violate any dress code. And he said that he liked my new hair dye!” Said the receptionist smiling like a kitten who just cached his first mice.

“Still is very weird and I don´t like him much.”

“Well as long as our manager does not complain there is nothing, we can do about that clown guy.” Said the receptionist.

“But Pitou! She is blind, she is never gonna know that there is a man dressed as a clown here!”

"Then tell her that there is a clown." said Pitou.

"She is never gonna believe me!" screamed Knov.

“Well, unless she or the chef says something that is not our problem.” Said Pitou.

“But Pitou! That clown scares me!”

“Damn, you used to work in the military and now you are scared by a clown?”

“I say that clown is cursed! He looks evil!” said Knov hyperventilating and sweating as he saw the clown approaching to him.

“Excuse me sir, I know that my fiancé already asked for the bill for our table, but can I get another scoop of bubble gum ice cream please?” asked Hisoka to the waitress who just fainted in the place.

"Well, he is not a waitress, but even if he was I doubt he is gonna do anything now that he fainted. By the way I like your clown costume, it looks like a fusion of a diabolic harlequin and Caesar Romero��s Joker. " said Pitou to Hisoka.

"Oh, thanks sweety. Now, let me call my fiancé, I know she would help this man..." said Hisoka.

"Why did think your fiancé is gonna help him?" asked the Pitou a incredulously.

“Fuck off albina bitch, I am a doctor and for fucks sake I will help with this man.” Said Machi arriving to the scene crudely, while she started to examine Knov.

“That´s my woman!” cheered Hisoka, making the receptionist, genuinely intrigued.

How it was possible that a clown like him could date a doctor like her?

That was a mystery that deserved to remind unsolved.

[dulce-pjm]

caffeine crush

word count: 4.3k 

genre: fluff, coffee shop!au

summary: all it took was one trip to the cafe to cement a friendship you never wanted. but it’s high time you fess up and call it all off. 

Yes, you’d picked up the habit last August, you’re certain. 

Classes had yet to start but, growing tired of your overbearing family, you decided to head back to campus a week or two early and get a head start while the university was still mostly empty. 

You didn’t exactly get a ton of work done, but those few weeks were relaxing. Cleansing, even. You spent your mornings wandering around campus and the surrounding area, soaking in the summer sun. Your afternoons were spent curled up in a comfy chair in the corner of the library, nose deep in a romance novel. You found yourself eating better, exploring the city and finding new activities and niche locations. At this point, you thought you would make an excellent tour guide if someone hired you. You knew nearly every corner of the blocks surrounding the university. You’d made it a game to leave no stone unturned, memorizing the storefronts and seeing what hole-in-the-wall restaurants and shops you would find next. 

You were playing just this game when you met Seokjin.

It’s not like you particularly liked coffee. It’s always been much too bitter for your taste. No amount of sugar or cream or pumpkin syrup made the drink worth it to you. 

But you set your personal preferences aside for the mission. How could you give coffee shop recommendations to your imaginary tour group if you’d never tried them out yourself?

And it was with that mentality that you tentatively stepped inside the near-hidden cafe, door chiming as you made your entrance. 

The minute you walked in, you fell in love with the atmosphere. The place was well ventilated and cool, perfect for someone like you who preferred to keep the thermostat at ‘obscenely low temperatures,’ as your sister would say. The walls were coated with muted mints and greens. Draping plants decorated the wooden shelves scattered across the far wall and the soft jazz playing over the speakers made you feel relaxed. A large chalkboard menu hung behind the counter, fresh flowers sat by the cash register. The smell of coffee grounds was undeniably comforting and potent, despite your general dislike for the drink. 

This place was perfect. You could imagine your friends applauding your efforts now, praising you for managing to stumble on such an amazing hideout, tucked away from the chaos of university campus yet still within easy walking distance. 

The cafe was almost completely empty, save for a couple about your age camped out at a corner table. You barely paid them any attention except to be jealous of their closeness as they giggled over something on the girl’s phone. 

You approached the counter, curiously vacant of any employees. You looked left, you looked right. But no one appeared. 

The couple, too absorbed in their own world, did nothing to aid you as you stood helpless in the middle of the abandoned store. You gave it a good ten seconds before you felt much too awkward standing here all alone and gave up, turning to leave. 

And just as you did, you heard a collection of scuffles coming from the back and a door swing open with a creak. 

“Oh, I am so sorry. One of our frothers broke and made a huge mess.” You spun around. And your jaw dropped. 

Before you stood the most godly man you’d ever seen. 

The first thing that caught your eye was tufts of soft lavender hair, shining under the cool vintage lights. His eyes were wide and dark and warm, making you shift on your feet when they focused on you. His shoulders were broad and wrapped in a thin, cream turtleneck despite the warm weather. You practically drooled when you caught sight of his lips, full and soft pink.

He looked just like every male romantic lead you’d read about in your spare time. A purple-haired prince charming. A knight in his shining, corporate-regulated apron. 

“Were you waiting long?” His friendly voice snapped you from your daze before your thoughts could roam further to his muscles and chest and-

“No, not at all.” Could he tell you’d just been ogling? You really hoped not. 

“Good, good.” He shoots you a relieved smile that has your knees shaking. “Well, what can I get for you?” 

Shit, he was pretty. The slope of his nose and jaw and the swell of his cheekbones looked like they’d been crafted by god himself. Not that you were particularly religious, but after this encounter, you mused that maybe one day you could be. 

You were already fantasizing about the future the two of you could forge together. Stolen kisses, cuddles by the tv, a cozy house full of little purple-haired kids. His pillowy soft lips looked awfully inviting. You wondered what it’d be like to lean onto the tips of your toes and press your lips on his, to run your fingers through his hair, to-

“Uh, is there something I can get for you?” 

Shit. You’d been caught red-handed. 

“Oh! Um... uh...” You couldn’t focus. The words on the menu were suddenly too blurry as your tunnel vision zoomed in on him and only him. “A latte! A latte is fine.”

Seokjin smiled sweetly, making your stomach flutter. 

“You got it! Just a sec.” He spun away, running back and forth between the different contraptions that look more like convoluted machines from a sci-fi movie than coffee-related appliances. 

You were still trying to collect yourself when his hand brushed yours as he passed your drink across the counter. A shiver ran unwelcomed down your spine. You barely managed to fork over a few bills when the man shook his head adamantly.

“I made you wait. This one’s on the house.”

God, he was hot and nice? How?

“Oh, thanks...” Your eyes found the small name tag pinned to his blue apron. “Seokjin.” He grinned, his eyes crinkling adorably. 

“Not a problem. See you around.” He said it like the two of you were friends and not strangers. Like he was going to miss you when you walked out the door. 

You felt his gaze on your back as you left the tiny shop, bells chiming as went. 

You knew you’d be coming back. 

And come back you did. 

You’d reasoned that it wasn’t because of Seokjin, no, of course not! You liked the cafe, it was quiet and there was plenty of room to study. 

Oh, who were you kidding? It was totally because of Seokjin. The cafe was nice, you guess, but you don’t even like coffee! Rather, you used your time spent in the shop half actually doing your work and half staring at Seokjin and letting your mind wander. It was a stress reliever, really. A guilty pleasure, to bask in his glory. 

It was a harmless habit. You got your work done and got to stare at an angel sent from heaven, and Seokjin had extra business bolstering his paycheck when you dragged your friends with you to camp out at the cafe. 

It was harmless. 

Until you’d spent the better part of four months somewhat stalking him and now he knew your face. 

So when a certain someone tapped you on the shoulder in January as you settled down for the first day of class, you really should have known this would happen. 

“Hi!” he’d exclaimed, taking the seat next to you before you could protest, not that you wanted to. “I didn’t know you were a student here.” 

It was Seokjin. Hot barista from the coffee shop, Seokjin. In your class. Talking directly to you. Except now, he’d traded his purple locks for warm brunette ones. It didn’t take away from his appeal at all though. It made him seem boyish and younger, suiting him well. 

“Oh, hi...” You were at a loss for words. Never in your life did you think that Seokjin attended your university, let alone would be taking the same classes as you. Wouldn’t you have seen him by now? How did this slip under your radar?

“Y/N, right?” His smile widened when you nodded, confirming his suspicions. 

The professor walked in a moment later, informing you all that the person next to you would be your partner for all projects for the rest of the semester. Your stomach dropped to the floor

And from then on, Seokjin was your friend. 

You’d done your best to fight it, to resist him but you were only pulled deeper and deeper. 

Before then, the line of acquaintanceship was defined, set in stone. You knew his name, sure, but only because of the context of the situation. You had no reason to talk to him, to know him. And he had no reason to remember you. 

But once he confirmed your name, claimed the seat next to you, expressed excitement at being your partner (because he’d seen how studious you were at the shop, he said- and what a lie that was), the line had been crossed and blurred. He made a point to smile at you every time you arrived to class, to ask you how your day was going and if you were planning on stopping by the cafe any time soon.

It didn’t take long, however, for fantasy Seokjin to crumble before your eyes. Your dashing prince charming turned out to actually be a gluttonous man-child. Long gone were the days of your innocent crush on him. No longer could you sit and daydream about his perfect self when you were watching him pig out on take-out dumplings and listening to the most cringe-worthy jokes you’d heard in your life. 

“So I was at this vegetarian restaurant, right?” You nodded, only half paying attention as you made final edits to your presentation on Nordic traditions. “And this girl comes up to me and starts to tell me how I’d done her so wrong and she was finally standing up for herself.” 

At that point you were interested, allowing yourself to watch his dramatics rather than your laptop screen. Was Seokjin secretly an asshole? A heart breaker? God, this couldn’t be farther from how you’d imagined him months ago. 

“But the thing is-” He paused, meeting your eyes to make sure you were fully paying attention, which you were. “I’d never even seen herbivore!”

A fully offended sound left your throat as Seokjin burst into squeaky, boisterous laughter at the disgusted expression on your face. 

You couldn’t even bring yourself to fake laugh. That joke was absolutely dreadful. 

See, this is normally when relationships- dating and friendship alike- started to go downhill for you. You were much too idealistic. You set certain expectations for anyone and everyone before you ever laid eyes on them. And when they didn’t meet those expectations, it was easy for you to lose interest. Once you realized that they weren’t the person you’d hoped they’d be, you realized you’d never really liked them at all. You’d just gotten too caught up in your head, too captivated by your own imagination to recognize that you were walking into something you didn’t want.  

Seokjin, though, was different. He’d been drastically far from your expectations, absolutely. But instead of that eventual feeling of self-directed bitterness and regret for setting yourself up for failure, you felt guilty. Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, actually. Even if he had an awful sense of humor, Seokjin was great. He was kind and charming and teasing and thoughtful and earnest. He was genuine. 

Yes, if there was one word to describe Seokjin, it was genuine. But if you had to add a few more words, they would be ‘too fucking nice.’

When you were about to be keeled over in the school’s bathroom, puking your brains out with the flu, it was Seokjin that had noticed you were feeling off and chased you down after class. He’d been the one to see how sick you were, to hold your hair while you were bent over the toilet, to take you to the doctor and bring you homemade soup for dinner. 

While you panicked about the project due in the next few days, Seokjin adamantly insisted that you rest and promised that he could take care of it for you. He was unwavering in his resolve and despite the guilt brewing in your stomach alongside the nausea, you almost let yourself think he was doing this just because he wanted to, not because it was his personality. 

You didn’t deserve him. Not his friendship, not his love, not his time. He’s out of your league. Hell, he’s playing a different sport entirely. What you were doing wasn’t fair. This friendship didn’t happen because you were genuinely nice like Seokjin. It happened because you were lonely and, frankly, thirsty.

So, while you’re taking your final exam for your class with Jin, you reach the conclusion that it’s time to fess up. To admit who you really are, what your motives were, the reason you kept coming back for coffee you didn’t like. And then you’d cut it off. Not that you think you’d have to. Seokjin would see just how crazy you were and then never speak to you again. Things would be right with the universe and you’d be guilt-free, if a little embarrassed. 

Your pencil hovers over the scantron and you consider that you probably should have spent all this time focusing on the exam and not your friendship’s impending doom. 

But this class had been nothing short of an easy A, so you decide to have a little faith in yourself that even you could choose the correct answers while your mind wandered elsewhere. 

Yes, this was the best option. It’s not like you were in love with Seokjin, missing his presence and smile the minute he walked out the door and admiring the way his laugh lit up a room. Seokjin wasn’t some unreachable fantasy. You wouldn’t be retreating to your room sobbing if he was suddenly gone. He was just a person. He was just Seokjin. You could let him go. He could realize what you really were.

Easy peasy. Right? 

When you shoulder your bag and trudge out of the exam room, Seokjin is waiting for you, despite finishing a few minutes earlier. He was much too nice to other people like that. He hasn’t quite noticed you yet, too absorbed in a conversation with a fellow classmate. You indulge in his objectively perfect features for what will likely be the last time, but you don’t let your imagination wander. You just take the moment to appreciate what is in front of you. 

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m pretty tired...” You note the awkward, apologetic smile on his face and wonder what they’d been talking about. In that moment, his eyes flicker to yours, immediately lighting up. “Oh, Y/N!” He shifts towards you, leaving the poor girl to flounder. While he smiles enthusiastically your way, your expression is almost completely neutral. The abandoned classmate looks back and forth between the two of you, trying to decipher your relationship. You sigh, internally scolding him for wasting his attention on you. 

“Hey, Jin.” You address him by the nickname you’ve heard his friends call him. He’d never explicitly told you to call him that, but when it accidentally slipped out one day, he smiled to himself and you added the name to your vocabulary.

“Well, how do you feel? It’s over!” You shrug, shifting the backpack you always carry to the other shoulder. 

“Not as good as you do, I’m sure.” Seokjin’s brows furrow curiously and cutely, not understanding where you’re going. “You’re graduating? I’m still stuck here another year.”

“Ahh, at least the semester’s over. You are coming to my graduation, right?” You shoot him a look saying something akin to, ‘are you stupid?’

“Of course I am. You’d never let me live it down if I didn’t.” Seokjin laughs but doesn’t argue. You realize the classmate from before is long gone. You’re not sure when she left. Good, now you can tell Seokjin what you’ve been meaning to. “Can I talk to you?”

“Aren’t we talking now?” You sigh, loosely crossing your arms. 

“You know what I mean, Seokjin.” Sensing your serious demeanor, Seokjin immediately drops his teasing smile, switching his expression to one laced with concern. 

“Yes, of course. My shift starts in half an hour, though. Can we talk on the way to the shop?” 

“Sure.” Perfect, actually. Walking side by side, you wouldn’t have to watch that soft smile turn into an expression of disgust when you admitted what you were about to. 

As the two of you walk across campus and into the city, you tell him everything. You tell him how the minute you saw him, you’d thought he was the hottest person you’d ever laid eyes upon. You tell him how you came back almost thrice a week just to stare and think about him. You tell him how you don’t even like coffee, but your frequent visits to the shop have made you dependent on caffeine. You tell him how you’d had a bit of a crush on him, no, on your fantasy version of him for months. You tell him you don’t feel like that now, that you just feel guilty that this friendship existed when it was all born from a lie, from a terrible habit you couldn’t seem to break. You tell him how fake you are.

“And you deserve better than that, than me. I’m sorry I dragged you along for so long. I shouldn’t have.” You haven’t looked at him once this whole time, too ashamed to clue yourself in to what he’s thinking. “I think that’s everything.” Seokjin stays silent for a few agonizing minutes as the scenery morphs from tall, brick lecture buildings and trees into a more urban environment filled with bustling streets and colorful displays in the store windows. 

“Can I ask a question?” You jump at his voice. You’re almost surprised he’s still here. 

“Yeah.” You nervously fidget with your backpack straps, still refusing to even glance his way. 

“When you actually got to know me better, were you disappointed?” If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he sounded nervous. Heat rises to your cheeks. Shit, you’d hurt his feelings, hadn’t you? Why couldn’t he just get mad or storm off to leave you in the dust? Did he think that you hated him? That you were tired of him and that’s why you were doing this? You had to make him understand. You are the problem, not him. God, why was this idiot so nice?

“What? No!” You’re frantic with worry. Maybe you were being too egotistical to think that your confession had hurt his self-image, but you were willing to take the risk. “You’re great, Seokjin. You’re sweet and thoughtful and funny- well, actually your humor could use some work -and perfect. You’re a great friend. It’s me who’s disappointing. You’ve never disappointed me, not once.”

If you could just tear your eyes from the sidewalk, you’d see that Seokjin was grinning from ear to ear, over-the-moon ecstatic your compliments. Neither of you has ever been great with words, so you hope your pep talk was enough and that his silence is a good sign. 

The skies have begun shifting away from bright and sunny to grey and cloudy. The air is thick and heavy, like it’s about to rain. Just your luck. You should have checked the weather channel this morning. 

“We have caffeinated drinks other than coffee on the menu, you know.” 

Really? You’d just confessed your most embarrassing secret and that’s all he had to say? You stumble over your words, not sure whether to be flustered (because you definitely didn’t know that) or frustrated at his unwavering good nature. 

“Oh.” You grow sheepish and pretend to find the dirt under your fingernails interesting. “I guess I had a hard time focusing back then.” Those days had long faded away. You didn’t crumble under his gaze anymore or struggle to form coherent sentences around him. He’d long lost his mystery. 

Then, Seokjin laughs. He laughs and he chuckles and giggles and you cringe. You want to crawl into a hole and never come back out. When other times you could find humor in the rambunctious sounds spilling from his lips, now it only felt jarring, like a smack in the face. He was laughing at you, at how much of a hopeless idiot you are. You suppose that was better than him feeling betrayed and never wanting to see you again. Though he hasn’t exactly ruled out the latter. 

This is what you wanted, this is what you wanted. 

You say nothing, consumed by your own bitterness, as Seokjin calms down. 

“You’re pretty stupid, Y/N.” Your face falls. 

You knew that. He didn’t have to tell you. 

You were stupid to keep showing up at the coffee shop like a lovestruck teenager. You were stupid to believe Seokjin was your friend or that he might have even enjoyed your presence. He was just too goddamn nice and you were too goddamn stupid.

As the two of you get within a few blocks of the cafe, Seokjin’s hand brushes against yours. 

“Oh, sorry.” You’re quick to yank it away, almost burned by his touch, but to your surprise, Seokjin chases after it, fastening his palm against yours and intertwining your fingers. 

What was he doing?

“What are you doing?” For the first time since you started your rambling, you look at Seokjin, gape at him. But the timing is poor and now he’s staring straight ahead, not giving you a passing glance. 

“Do you really think I would have given you free drinks and sat next to you in class and talked to you every day if I didn’t at least like you a little bit?” You’re rendered speechless, eyes bugging out of your head.  

“I- um...”

“For being an accounting major, you really are the densest person I know.” His tone is light despite his blatant insults. “Don’t you realize I had a little crush on you, too? I was so excited when I realized we were going to share a class, but you never gave me the time of day.”

Your mouth opens and closes but no words leave it, not unlike a fish. 

“I've nearly asked you out at least three times now, but I kept chickening out.” 

The entire world feels like it’s flipped upside down. It’s like gravity’s stopped working and your head is spinning and you’re dizzy and your heart as burst and Seokjin’s hand enveloping yours is the only thing keeping you from floating away into the sky. 

The revelation smacks you in the face. 

Seokjin’s a liar. Not as genuine as you’d thought, after all. 

While you spent a semester pretending you liked coffee when really you just thought Seokjin was hot, he’d spent the next pretending he was only interested in your friendship when he’d been harboring a crush on you. 

You struggle to contain the small smile on your face. Seokjin’s hand gently squeezes yours and lightning shoots up your skin and spine. 

Seokjin’s eyes finally meet yours as the two of you stare sheepishly at each other. His gaze flickers to your lips a few times and you openly ogle at his, but he doesn’t lean in. He simply lifts your entwined hands and smiles, a short breath leaving his nostrils in place of a chuckle. It’s content and peaceful. There’s no need for love declarations or romantic kisses. You think you could be happy here forever knowing Seokjin wants you by his side. 

The moment ends when a raindrop hits your nose, startling the hell out of you. 

While you’re disoriented, Seokjin laughs and tugs you into the shop, now only a few steps away. The place is rather busy for it being lunchtime, but Seokjin weaves the two of you through the throng, stopping by the staff door. 

He looks at you with slight mischief. 

“You know, since it’s raining, you should probably just stay in here. Don’t wanna catch a cold.” You want to scoff, tell him that’s ridiculous and that your dorm is only a few minutes away. But you swallow your retort and let him have his moment. 

“Good idea,” you agree solemnly with a nod. 

“Actually, you should probably just stay until I’m off my shift. You never know when the rain might pick up again.” This time, you can’t help but quirk a brow. 

“Because you’re planning to protect me from the rain? You don’t have a jacket either.” Seokjin gives an offended look, like you’d just insulted his pride. 

“No, it’s so we can get sick together. It’d be romantic.” You scrunch your nose. Having fevers and runny noses and gross coughs together? Doesn’t seem like an ideal first date. 

“Sounds romantic.”

“I’m glad you agree.” 

You’re staring at each other again, in your own little bubble, until a customer brushes against your shoulder and you’re reminded that Seokjin is technically on payroll right now. He has a similar realization and reluctantly releases your hand, blowing a kiss over his shoulder as he steps through the staff door. You roll your eyes, feigning embarrassment, but on the inside, you’re melting. 

You plop down in your self-assigned seat in the most well-ventilated part of the cafe that also has a very convenient view of your favorite barista. The semester’s over and you have no work to do, but you don’t mind, content to watch Seokjin work while mindlessly giggling when he shoots you winks in between orders. 

You don’t fantasize or wonder where this might go. You don’t think your imagination could come up with anything better than what’s in front of you. 

You do predict, however, that you’ll be spending many more hours cooped up in this little cafe. 

Old habits die hard, you suppose. 

[estethell]

May I request a schort story? Thorin x reader with 'Can you lift me up? I can't reach.' and 'Say that again!' Thanks so much ;*

Thorin x Reader

Title: The balloon

Plot: You know Thorin Oakenshield when you were a kid, and your love for him never ended. When you become an adult, a particular event brings you back to meet your first love.

Tags: Modern AU - General Audience - Age difference - First love never forgotten - 

When you were eight years old, you loved playing with flying balloons. You particularly wanted to see them fly around you and then pull them by their thread and see how the light colored itself through the plastic. Your dream in the drawer was to become a painter one day and be able to paint all those shades of color on the canvas.

At that time you lived in a quiet neighborhood of a small town where everyone knew each other, and nothing unexpected ever happened. But there weren't many children in your neighborhood, so you often played alone with your toys or flying balloons.

It was in one of these game sessions that you met your neighbor Thorin Oakenshield. It was a calm and clear day, torrid as only those in the summer could have been. You ran in front of your house around a big tree on the sidewalk, pulling the balloon behind you and laughing with joy. You were having a lot of fun, but while you were looking back at the colored balloon you did not notice that a tile of the sidewalk was raised above the rest of the pavement and you stumbled.

You fell injuring your knee, and in general surprise you left the thread of the balloon that flew away entangling the branches of the tree. Slowly you sat up as the tears began to swell the eyes. The knee was burning and bleeding a little, but for you who were so small the most important thing was to have lost the balloon. It had flown so high that it was almost impossible for you to recover it without the help of an adult.

As you began to wipe the tears on your face, a deep and warm voice took you by surprise. A sir, though not as old as your father, had come up to you and crouched down to talk to you. He was a big sir with long black hair, a short beard and blue eyes like the sky, but instead of being cold as ice he was hot as fire. He smiled at you as he set aside the shopping bags and stroked your head with a large, warm hand.

"Did you hurt yourself, baby?"

When asked who he was, the man introduced himself as the son of your neighbor, Thorin Oakenshield. The name said nothing to you, you were too young to be interested in neighbors who no longer had the age to play on the street, but his words reassured you instantly. Thorin sketched a smile, then took a tissue and cleaned your knee with slow, calculated gestures.

“You should be more careful, you could get really hurt. It still burns?"

But you shook your head, it couldn't continue to burn after his attentions. You stood looking at Thorin for a long time, fascinated by the beauty of that gentleman. He noticed your obsession with him and smiled, then looked up and pointed to the balloon.

"Do we want to take it back?"

“Yes. Can you lift me up? I can't reach!”

Thorin nodded and picked you up. He supported you with his strong hands in the armpits and raised you as much as possible, careful not to hurt you. You managed to catch the thread on the second attempt, and he brought you back to the ground while stroking your head again.

"You have been very good! Now I have to go, be careful, okay?"

He waved at you and retrieved his envelopes to go home, which was exactly in front of you. You remained at him all the time, her cheeks flushed with excitement. It was at the age of eight that you knew your first love.

*

Your patience was reaching the limit, as was your endurance. It was really a pain to participate in parties with relatives, especially your relatives, let alone a wedding of a distant unknown cousin and of whom you did not care. It was hours that you were with uncomfortable shoes on your feet, wrapped in a beautiful and uncomfortable ceremony dress to suffer the torrid heat while you waited for the bride to arrive, observing how all the relatives were anxious and agitated for the event.

You liked weddings a lot, from an early age, but arrived at the age of twenty-eight without a partner and with the prospect of marriage very distant, your passion for these ceremonies had long since died. But you couldn't avoid this so you contented yourself with sitting in your church seat, trying to cool off with a small fan.

The function was really slow and majestic, very beautiful but also heavy and when you finished you were grateful to rush out of the building, despite the heat outside. As soon as you put your foot out the door, a relative giving you a white balloon.

"It is a surprise for the newlyweds, as soon as they leave the church we will fly them all together"

You smiled at the idea of flying the balloon and positioned yourself on the church steps, ready to let your balloon fly. Despite the age, you had not lost your passion for flying balloons, even if you no longer had the opportunity to buy them. The heat was unbearable and the spouses still did not leave the church. All the guests gathered on the stairs, making the atmosphere even warmer.

"This nightmare will never end!" You finally exclaimed while wiping your sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

“Say that again!”

You turned around in amazement at that phrase and you saw him, Thorin Oakenshield. He was standing there with a white balloon in his hand, wearing an elegant formal dress, his long hair tied in a tail. You were shocked and amazed at the same time. You hadn't seen your neighbor in years, moved to your pain after graduating from law, and you hadn't kept in touch. Now seeing him there caused you a series of mixed feelings.

"Say it again, you are quite right" the man repeated and damn if he was not beautiful, perhaps even more since the last time you saw him.

You smiled and complained of the torrid heat and the long wait, Thorin who agreed with you while his rigid expression did not reveal any emotion. He was evidently suffering in silence. When the bride and groom finally came out, Thorin handed you his balloon with a smile.

"I know you really like balloons, you can use mine too"

That gesture ignited a strong blush on your face and you accepted shyly, giving him a smile. You felt Thorin's gaze on you all the time, even when you left the church to head to the restaurant where you would celebrate with a long lunch. In that time, you realized that Thorin was a discreet but fixed presence around you, as if he was trying to stay nearby without interacting directly with you. This flattered you a lot, but it saddened you just as much. You wanted to have contact with him but you didn't know how.

You spent the whole lunch in the company of your relatives, trying to respond with smiles to the pungent questions that related to your life, your career and above all your love life. No, you didn't have a partner and this greatly surprised the relatives, who now wanted to see you married. The overwhelming questions prompted you to want to take a breath of fresh air.

You went to the garden of the restaurant, a cool and pleasant place, quiet and very beautiful to see. You sat on a bench and observed the view enjoying the quiet of the place, which however did not last long. You were joined not long after by Thorin, as if he was watching and following you, and sat down next to you on the bench.

"Are you also fleeing oppressed relatives?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes, them and their stupid questions"

"They also ask you constantly when you will find a partner and get married?"

The question Thorin asked you led you to turn around to look at him curiously. Thorin's small smile confirmed your suspicions and this made you blush. Thorin was insinuating that he was single and was vaguely investigating if you were also. Unsure of how to proceed, you nodded thoughtfully and went back to looking at the garden. A few moments of silence passed, then Thorin spoke again.

"Maybe ... I could offer you something to drink, at least to silence our relatives for once?"

He carefully avoided your surprised look and you smiled at his shyness. He was so handsome in his formal dress, his neat beard, his hair tidy and tied, and a little blush on his cheeks while shyly avoiding your gaze. You remembered why you had had such a serious love for him as a young man, a feeling that had never completely disappeared.

"Yes, yes it seems like a good idea"

Thorin smiled, then pulled a small business card out of his pocket. It was a working type, where his name was flanked by the word lawyer. He handed it to you gently waiting for you to take it.

"I want to leave you my contact details before I miss the chance. I would have liked to leave him long ago, when I moved, but at that time you were only seventeen and I was already twenty-five and I didn't want to give you a bad impression ... well ... " His voice faded.

You smiled at the man and put your hand on his arm.

“I have wanted this card for years. I believe that after all he has waited for you all this time"

Thorin looked at you with sincere astonishment, then softened his gaze. He stroked your face with a shy gesture, then slowly approached you to give you a kiss.

"Then I think we are two"

[toomuch-caffeine]

Not a bad thing

AO3 link

Word count: 3579

Summary: May Parker is dating Tony Stark's bodyguard. It would be awesome if Peter didn't have a secret identity to keep. Alternative meeting fic, where May Parker dates Happy Hogan before either of them know Spider-Man identity.

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Blood, stabbing (nothing too graphic), mild language

A/N:

Originaly posted on AO3 on 31.05.2021. I decided to start a tumblr and repost what I've already written.

This is an AU, where accords did happen, but Avengers talked things out (like adults) and CA:CW didn't happen. Tony have never looked for Spider-Man's real identity, so Peter have never met him or Happy.

May has been behaving weird for about three weeks, Peter thought. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Her coming home later than usual made keeping his extracurricular activities a secret way easier, since he didn’t have to make up excuses. Besides, she started smiling again and her eyes shone, which was a nice change compared to the hollowness that followed the months after Ben's passing. So, yeah, weird, but good. Peter certainly wasn’t going to call her out on anything, especially that he also kept some secrets and may have snuck out during the night a couple times or came back home later, with some unexplained bruises. Since the conversation about May would somehow circle back to him and he wasn’t really ready to let go of that secret, he left that alone and enjoyed her happiness, even though he didn’t know its source. He shared his thoughts with Ned and MJ during lunch.

“She’s dating. She’s totally dating,” Ned declared.

“Wha… I… What? No! Ben was like a year ago!”

“Yeah Peter, but there are no rules to how long people are supposed to grieve. Maybe she met someone who helps her,” MJ flatly said, with her eyes glued to a book.

“I know, I know, it’s just weird, y’know? I mean she’s happy so that’s good, but still…”

“Look, maybe it is something else. I’m sure she will tell you eventually. And if she’s dating you can tell her that you are uncomfortable, she’ll understand.”

“Maybe she’s also a vigilante and you are both hiding your secret identities from each other and there will be a big battle and one of you will get hurt and there will be dramatic reveal, sad conversations and happy ever after, of course.” Ned sped through his theory on one breath. MJ looked up her book and lifted her eyebrows, while Peter facepalmed.

~~~

As it turned out, May was dating. Technically, the secret superhero theory was neither confirmed nor denied, but since it seemed highly improbable, it was discarded. One day Peter came home straight from school, deciding to skip early patrol in order to study for chemistry. May was home and apparently waiting for him.

“Hi honey, it’s great you are early.” She hugged him tight.

“Hi May, something happened?”

“I was just leaving, but I want to tell you something,” she started. “Sit down, sweetie.”

“Uhh, you are worrying me”

“Everything is okay, actually is better than okay,” she beamed. “I… err… I think you noticed how I’ve been coming home later lately.”

“Umm, yeah?”

“I know that it may be worrying, but I’m fine, I’m just…” She drew a big breath. “I’m seeing someone. As in dating,” she dropped. Peter opened his mouth, but May gestured at him and continued. “I know that it’s soon after Ben, I know that you can feel like I’m replacing him, but the guy I met? He’s great. We met at that coffee shop near the hospital, you know which one, they have your favorite hot chocolate, we started talking, he helped me and it began more serious lately.”

“May, but that’s great!” In reality, Peter wasn’t feeling exactly great about that, but he didn’t know the guy yet and his Aunt was really nervous and excited, so he decided to draw some enthusiasm.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, you know I haven’t met him yet, but I noticed that you are happier, so I’m good”

“About meeting him. I was thinking, of course you don’t have to agree, that maybe he could come to dinner Friday, next week?”

“Uhh, sure, why not?” Peter blinked, taken aback by May’s words. She really was serious about this guy if she wanted to meet him.

“If you don’t want to do this, tell me. I mean it. I don’t want to make you unhappy”

“No, May, it’s okay, really, if you are happy, that makes me happy as well,” Peter quickly replied. May eyed him carefully, then stood up.

“That’s great, honey. I, umm, I actually have a date with him tonight and I have to go. There's dinner in the fridge, but you can order the take out. Is that okay?”

“Yes, May, of course,” Peter said, emphasizing the first part. “Go, have fun!”

“Call me if you need anything, okay?” She shot him a stern glance. “Bye!” May pressed a kiss to his forehead and Peter yelped in surprise and scrunched his face.

“Ew, gross, just go. Bye!”

~~~

Despite what he told his Aunt, Peter didn’t like the idea of meeting a mysterious boyfriend. He wasn't exactly opposed to that, but everything just seemed rushed. He was brooding during lunch everyday, to the point when MJ stopped rolling her eyes at him and started ignoring him by putting earbuds in her ears every time he changed the subject to this.

“Dude, just chill out, meet him, and if the guy gives you weird vibes just tell May that he’s a creep, she will dump him in five seconds.” That was Ned’s advice when the fatal Friday came. “And if he’s not a creep, give him a chance,” he said between bites.

~~~

They were going to meet at their favorite Thai restaurant. May spent the short walk from their apartment reassuring him.

“Just give him a chance, ok? But if anything doesn’t feel alright, or you dislike him just tell me. I don’t want to pressure you. It’s fine and you are more important to me.”

“I know May. I will tell you if I don’t like him.”

Finally they reached the restaurant and they entered. There was a vaguely familiar man with broad shoulders and dressed in a suit. Peter knew his face but couldn’t place it anywhere. Man reached them and greeted May, kissing her on her cheek.

“And that’s your nephew, Peter?” Man asked, looking at him.

“Yes, Peter, this is Harold Hogan,” May introduced them, her smile so wide that it reached her ears.

“N-nice to meet you, Mr. Hogan, sir,” Peter stuttered

“Nice to meet you too, kid. And drop the sir, call me Happy”

“O-okay, sir, Happy, I’m sorry,” he berated himself quickly.

Happy eyed him suspiciously and didn’t say anything.

“Right!” May clapped her hands, interrupting awkward silence. “Let’s go to the table.”

Wow, Parker, great first impression. Real smooth, Peter though. But before he could dwell on that, he was seated at the table next to May, Happy across from them and the waiter brought them menus. Peter didn’t need one, he always ordered pad thai, but Happy and May were reading theirs. Meanwhile, Peter tried to place the man's face, but with no avail, so he asked him, “Umm, excuse me si.. Happy, your face is kinda familiar, but I can’t place it.”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you, honey, Harold is Tony Stark’s head of security, you surely saw him at one of his press conferences,” May chimed in. That sounded about right, when Tony Stark or Pepper Potts were speaking, there was always someone in the background. That news made Peter’s heart hammer in his chest. Knowing someone from Tony Stark’s inner circle, as awesome as it sounded, was a danger to his secret. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to meet the Avengers, he just wanted more to keep his identity hidden.

“Oh, okay.”

“You know, Peter was always a big fan.”

“Yeah.” He felt the heat come to his cheeks. If the ground could open and swallow him whole, that would be preferable than sitting here. Fortunately the waiter that came to them saved him from further embarrassment. They placed their order and May went to the toilet, leaving him alone and anxious.

“Soo, Peter…” Happy started and that did sound ominous. It didn’t help that he squinted his eyes at him. “What do you like to do?”

“Oh, umm, I like chemistry and physics at school. A-and I do Academic Decathlon at school.”

“That’s actually impressive, kid.” Happy smiled at him. Happy complimented him. That serious looking, stone faced man smiled and complimented him. Maybe it wasn’t going so bad.

“Uhh, thank you.”

“You like doing something else?”

“Dumpster diving? And I’m in the robotics club at school as well,” Peter squeaked. This looked too much like an interrogation. Maybe the whole thing was a plot to make him confess that he is Spider-Man. “I hate the gym, if you wanna know. I have asthma.”

“You are a proper nerd, I see,” Happy chuckled. “I can’t relate though, before I became a bodyguard I’d been a boxer.”

“Wow, seriously? That’s kind of cool.”

May chose this moment to come back.

“Oh, I see, you are getting along, that’s great!” She said while sitting down. “What did you talk about while I was gone?”

“Happy asked me about school and stuff.”

After that conversation started flowing more easily. Peter still stuttered his way out, when he was asked a question directly and Happy was shooting him wary looks, but he also smiled at them and some of his stories, especially the ones about the Avengers were hilarious.

~~~

Peter and May spent Saturday snuggled under the blankets on the couch, watching TV, and eating a lot of pizza and popcorn.

“So, what do you think about Harold?” May prompted

“Uhh, he seems like an okay kind of guy… I mean he’s intimidating, but I guess that comes with the job.”

“You don’t sound so sure, Peter,” she stated

“Y’know, I met him only once and he was scary at first, but then it was better, he was actually funny and he really cares about you, May.”

“So, are you up to meeting him again?”

“Yeah, sure”

May smiled at him, hugged him and kissed him on the forehead.

“May!” He squirmed. “Stop!”

~~~

Ned was going to burst.

“Your aunt is dating a guy, who knows THE Tony Stark?! You have to ask him if you can meet him! Peter, this is the opportunity of a lifetime!”

“I am not going to ask a guy, who I met only once to arrange a meeting with Tony Stark, Ned!”

“And what about, you-know-who?”

“Voldemort? Don’t want to meet him.”

“No, I mean, the other you…” Ned was whispering in the most suspicious way possible

“That’s what I’m mostly worried about right now.”

“But he could help, Tony Stark could help!”

“No, Ned, they can’t know! They’re gonna take one look at me and see a scrawny kid and forbid everything. And May’ll freak.”

“Whatever you say, man.”

~~~

Next meeting with Happy went more smoothly. Then they started meeting more regularly and Peter didn’t even notice when he started feeling comfortable around the man. His fear about accidental identity reveal diminished.

One day they met without May and Happy took him to the gym.

“I thought that I could teach you some self-defense, you come back home with bruises too much to May’s or my liking.” At the sight of Peter’s wide eyes he added, “I’m not going to ask you who’s beating you up if you don’t want to tell me, I'll just teach you to defend yourself. I won’t hurt you.”

“Thank you. You know, I thought that you train at the Tower or the Compound”

“I do, sometimes, but the atmosphere there is too high strung for me. And most of my friends from my boxer year train here.” Happy was surprised how fast Peter learned.

“Kid, how come you have a C in a gym class? You are better than this.” Peter actually had to pretend that he was in much worse shape than he really was, but on the other hand he kind of wanted to impress Happy, so he wasn’t doing as badly as at school. Still, he found that lessons useful. During fights with criminals he relied on webbing from the distance and spidey senses, but when that failed Happy’s advice on hand-to-hand technique was valuable.

So Happy was really okay. He was gruff, he shot him weird looks, and frowned at him, and definitely didn’t do hugs, but on the other hand he was quietly concerned about his well being. He took him out for ice cream, regaled him with embarrassing stories about Avengers, and asked about his grades. Even so, he didn’t try to fill Ben’s shoes.

~~~

Six months have passed, summer break has begun, and Happy became a constant. He started staying the night and Peter quickly learned the signs at which he should go patrolling for an hour or so. That day started well. Last night’s patrol was mostly uneventful, so he wrapped it up around 1 AM. He went back home, where May was soundly asleep, showered, and went to bed. He slept in, and got out of bed at noon. May was already gone, she left him a note, asking to pick up some groceries. He went to hang out with Ned and on the way back did a requested chore. May came back home, Happy an hour later. They ate together, watched a movie, and went to beds. That’s when things between May and Happy started getting bit… hot. They tried to be quiet, but with Peter’s super hearing that didn’t matter. So Peter dressed in a suit and went out. Patrol was going great. He rescued a cat from a tree, webbed couple muggers, and was about to come back home, when he spotted 5 men dressed in ski masks breaking into a corner shop, a block away from his apartment.

“Hey, are you aware that this is illegal? You should really stop!” Peter called them out, dropping behind them and webbing one of them to the wall. The robbers weren’t talkative and didn’t respond to him, instead they drew knives and guns. “Okay, you’re not in the mood for talking, but can you put the weapons down? It’s really dangerous,” Peter teased them, while covering two guys holding the guns with his webs. He turned to the right when two other robbers were aiming knives at him and shot webs at them. One webshooter released webs and restrained the criminal, but nothing came out of the other. Peter looked at his wrist.

“Shit!” He hit faulty mechanism with his other hand, while he felt sharp pain. He instinctively clutched at his side and saw white. When his vision came back to normal, he realized that he was kneeling, holding his hands to the injury. He carefully pried his fingers off his abdomen and looked down. The wound was really deep and seeping a lot of blood. The sight of it made him want to throw up, but he swallowed the nausea and looked around a scene. Four robbers were immobilized, the one that stabbed him missing, escaped. Right now he was bleeding out and already feeling light-headed. He put a hand on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, and nearly passed out from pain. Breathing through his teeth he got up and set off in direction of his home, already planning on how to discreetly get to the bathroom and stitch this up. He reached his apartment building and crawled up to his bedroom window, hoping that he didn’t leave too obvious bloodstains on the wall. He ungracefully went through the window and fell with a loud thud. This jostled his injury and Peter let out a muffled cry. He panted on the floor for a second, than he heard movement in May’s bedroom and his Aunt calling him, “Peter, honey, everything alright?”

“Yeah, May, sure,” he said out of breath

“Kid? You don’t sound okay.” Happy also got interested in weird sounds coming from his room.

“Ev’thin’ ‘s ‘right, Hap,” he slurred

“We’re coming in Pete!” Crap, he was still in his suit. He discarded his mask and tried to lift himself up on his elbows, but fell again, just as May and Happy opened the door to his room.

“Peter, what..?!”

“He’s bleeding out, fuck!”

Suddenly there were a lot of hands on him and a lot of yelling, but he didn’t register that anymore. Last thing he saw was May with a broken expression on her face, crying and begging him to stay awake.

Darkness engulfed him.

~~~

Peter was floating. He was warm. There was a softness surrounding him. Like cotton candy. He really wanted cotton candy. There was also beeping and voices that reminded him of safety. And he had hands that were surrounded by something else than cotton candy. That was wrong, he wanted cotton candy. He tried to move his hands, but they weighed too much. He whimpered.

“Peter, sweetheart, can you hear us?”

“Open your eyes kid, please”

Oh, eyes. He had them as well, right. He tried to lift his eyelids, but it was hard. Eventually he managed to do that and saw May.

“May.”

“I’m here honey, it’s ok.”

“Wan’ cotton candy.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you a cotton candy, kid.”

“Mmm, Happy.”

“Yeah?”

Peter wanted to tell him something, but he closed his eyes and the darkness swallowed him again.

~~~

Next time Peter woke up there was only May in the room.

“May,” he weakly called her.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Where am I?”

“Avengers Tower med bay.”

“Wha’? How?”

“Harold called Tony Stark. You couldn’t go to a normal hospital.”

“Mmm…”

“We’ll be talking about this when you feel better, okay?”

“’kay, May.”

~~~

“So you’re the kid that made my Forehead of security panic for a last few days?” There was actual, real Tony Stark in his hospital room. Which shouldn’t be surprising, because the whole building belonged to him. But still.

Tony Stark.

“Uhh, sorry sir?”

“So, a spider-boy? Spiderling?”

“Spider-Man.”

“Your aunt is currently so pissed that you will be grounded-man for the foreseeable future.”

“I didn’t do anything bad!” Mr. Stark sent him an unimpressed look.

“Sure, kiddo. What I’m interested about is why do you do this, what makes you go out there?”

“Well, umm, if you can do things like I do, but you don’t do them, when something bad happens it’s because of you.”

“Uhuh? And the web fluid? Tensile strength is off the charts. How did you get it?”

“I… made it?”

“Well, you certainly are clever. Let’s meet sometime in my lab. Of course after your aunt ungrounds you.” With that he stood up.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Parker.” And then he left.

“Uhh, you too?” Peter said, gaping and not quite believing that this was just a drug induced dream.

~~~

Mr. Stark was right. May was very, very pissed.

“Peter, do you understand what happened? You were dressed in that ridiculous costume, stabbed and bleeding out! And we can’t call an ambulance, because a normal hospital won’t help an enhanced person!”

“May, listen…”

“No! You listen!”

“But…”

“How could you do this to me! Especially after Ben! Do you even understand…”

“With the great power comes the great responsibility!” Peter interrupted and continued in sobs, “He said that. And I couldn’t… I had these powers, but I didn’t… I… It’s my fault… I will do this for him!” He shouted. Something flickered and softened in his aunt's face.

“Okay,” she said defeated. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I won’t yell at you anymore. It’s alright, it’s alright.” She grabbed him, pulled him into a hug and started rocking them lightly.

“Everything is gonna be okay, hon.”

~~~

After a couple of days Peter was cleared by Dr. Cho and Bruce Banner, (he still couldn’t believe that he met some of his favorite scientists), to leave med bay. Happy brought him to the elevator that went up to the penthouse. They entered a large living room, but Peter didn’t have time to marvel at the view or very elegant and certainly expensive décor, because Happy steered him straight to the couch, where his Aunt and Mr. Stark sat with stern expressions. Peter looked at the adults around him with uneasiness.

“Peter-” his Aunt May began, “-I don’t approve that you’ve been sneaking out to fight criminals for about a year.”

She made a stopping gesture at the sight of Peter’s opening mouth.

“But, I see that you have a fairly good reason for that, so after a lot of consultations and thinking, I decided that I am going to allow this.

“However, there are going to be some rules,” she quickly added. “Also you are grounded for the rest of summer break.”

“What, May, you can’t! Ned and I…”

“I am your legal guardian, that means that I can and I will.”

Peter was only allowed to patrol in a special suit that he was going to make with Mr. Stark. Until the suit was finished and tested in the Tower’s gym he was forbidden from going out as Spider-Man. May also took his phone and computer for a week and gave him a long list of tasks to complete that took almost all of the time (“But May, we never clean the top of kitchen cupboards!” “Yeah? Maybe it’s time to start. Use your powers to do something useful at home!”). After that he started spending most of his time at the Tower training or working on a suit (“This isn’t a reward, Peter. We just don’t trust you to leave you alone and unsupervised without anything to do.”). He even got permission to invite Ned to the Tower.

This isn’t bad, he thought as he entered Mr. Stark’s workshop for the first time. This is actually better than great.

A/N: So there's other loosely connected fic in this series on my AO3 that I'm going to repost on tumblr tommorow and a direct sequel that's mostly written and I'll publish soon.

[tinybookgirl]

Phone Calls are Extremely Stressful- Chapter 2

((Human AU Amethyst meets her birth sisters))

Amethyst had her fingers drumming endlessly on the table. Peridot put her hand over Amethyst’s.

“You’re panicking,” Peridot said.

“I’m not panicking,” Amethyst pulled her hand away. The three of them were seated at a table in the back corner of Fish Stew Pizza. Only a couple other tables were filled. She almost wished she had picked some place less empty. She couldn’t figure out if empty was going to be better or worse. Amethyst checked the time on her phone. It was ten to six. “I’m- I don’t know what I am.”

Amethyst buried her face in her phone again. Jayna had texted her this morning to make sure they had the right place. They hadn’t texted since. Amethyst wondered if she should send another message to make sure they were coming. She put her phone down and shoved it away from her. She started tapping her fingers on the table again.

“Sisters. What do you do with sisters? Peri, what do you do you do with sisters?”

Lapis stirred her straw around in her drink. It was the only thing any of them had ordered so far. “I don’t think Peridot’s sisterly experiences are going to be much help here.”

Amethyst groaned, dropping her head onto the table.

“Are you sure this is right?” Gina asked. She leaned over towards Jayna in the passenger seat to check the GPS on Jayna’s phone. Jayna tilted her phone away and turned the GPS off.

“There can’t possibly be that many restaurants called Fish Stew Pizza,” Kaylee said from the backseat. She got out of the car and shut the door, gesturing down the boardwalk.

Gina turned the car off, the rest of them following her out. Jayna shoved her phone away in her pocket.

Gina reached into her purse and ran her hand over the picture frame.

“Okay, none of us have actually moved,” Jayna realized. They were all still standing right outside the car. “Are we doing this or not?”

Elle nodded. “We’re doing this.”

Peridot poked Amethyst in the arm. “Amethyst. Amethyst.”

Amethyst kept her head on the table. “What?”

“I think that’s them.”

Amethyst shot her head up. The four Deitz girls were heading back towards their table.

Amethyst felt herself enter some sort of actual panic mode. “What do I do? What do I do?” She whispered urgently.

Neither Peridot or Lapis had an answer, and there wasn’t time for one anyway before the four girls reached the table. Jayna spoke up first.

“Are you Amethyst?”

Amethyst nodded, looking up at them. They looked remarkably like her, despite all being quite a bit taller. “That’s me.”

Jayna held out her arm and shook Amethyst hand as the four of them sat down at the empty seats. The other three shook hands with her as well as they introduced themselves, but it was awkward and stiff. Amethyst hated it. Well, no. That wasn’t the problem. Saying names and shaking hands felt so empty. It didn’t mean anything. It was formal and weird and not much fun, like all five of them were intentionally holding back.

There was several seconds of silence before Amethyst remembered she hadn’t actually come here alone.

“Oh, this is Peridot and Lapis,” she gestured towards both of them. “They’re my-” she could say roommates, which wasn’t actually a lie and would easily avoid the possibility of them instantly disliking her for that fact alone. But she also didn’t want to lie to them. “They’re my girlfriends.”

Peridot thrust her hand out instantly. It didn’t look near as awkward when Peridot did it. Peridot was just about to say something when Lapis stood up and grabbed her arm.

“Let’s go order a pizza,” Lapis demanded.

“Wha-” Peridot was yanked from her seat, stumbling for once on her platform shoes. Lapis pulled her away, very intentionally leaving Amethyst and the other four alone. Amethyst tried to grab onto the edge of Lapis’s skirt, but they were already on the other side of the restaurant. They were not going anywhere near the counter, clearly having no intention of ordering pizza.

Amethyst didn’t like that it still felt awkward. She grabbed Lapis’s abandoned drink for something to do with her hands. Kaylee spoke up after a minute.

“Are you in school?”

“What?” Amethyst looked up from the drink. “Oh, yeah. I’m at the college here. I’m on a wrestling scholarship. Any of you guys still in school?” They looked older than her, Amethyst couldn’t guess by just how much. She wasn’t sure which one was actually the oldest. Everything that was being said still sounded too formal and boring. She didn’t want her sisters to be boring people.

“I just graduated,” Elle said, “Bachelors in Zoology.”

“I work at the South Side Mall in Empire City,” Kaylee said. “Security Guard.”

“I’m the only other one with a degree,” Gina added, “Associates in social work and therapy.”

“Hey, I do have a degree!” Jayna interrupted. “I’m a cosmetologist,” She told Amethyst.

“That’s not a degree,” Kaylee said, a tone that indicated this was very much a joke between them. Jayna smacked her on the arm.

Amethyst smiled, even though she didn’t actually get the joke. She could see Peridot and Lapis watching them from a table on the far side of the room. They were whispering to each other, and clearly paying very close attention to the conversation.

“You didn’t tell us your major,” Elle said. “What is it?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Amethyst shrugged. “I probably should soon. I’m running out of general ed classes to take.”

“Any ideas?” Gina asked.

“I don't know,” Amethyst shrugged again. “PE coach or something maybe?”

“What about your adopted parents?” Kaylee said. “What are their jobs?”

The tension changed. Amethyst wasn’t entirely sure if it was for better or worse this time.

“My mom was… My step dad runs a carwash. So I don’t think I’ll be picking that as a career.” Amethyst said, half hoping they wouldn’t notice the mention of her mother. If they did, none of them said anything about it. Amethyst quickly changed the subject. “What did our mom do? As a job?”

This time Amethyst was sure the tension got worse. Elle slumped back in her seat and crossed her arms. Jayna was staring very intently at Amethyst. Kaylee wasn’t looking at any of them. Gina glanced at her sisters and took the picture frame from her purse. She set it flat on the table.

“She worked with the state parks for a while. She got fired when I was about five, just before she got pregnant with Kaylee.”

Amethyst pulled the picture towards herself. There was something extremely strange and thrilling about actually seeing an image of the woman who had given birth to her. It was somehow weirder than sitting in a restaurant with people who actually shared her DNA.

Elle was now staring intently at at poster on the wall. Jayna hadn’t looked away from Amethyst at all. Kaylee suddenly stood up.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” She announced, quickly disappearing to the back of the restaurant. Gina watched her go and then continued anyway.

“She had a bunch of jobs after that,” Gina said. “We ended up in foster care when I was ten. She would have been pregnant with you then.”

Amethyst looked up from the picture. “What about now?”

“Jayna and I got legal custody for Kaylee and Elle as soon as we both could. We all have an apartment in Empire City.”

Amethyst wondered what exactly was being left out of the story. Something had to be. She decided to leave it alone for now.

Kaylee returned to the table just as the bell over the door rang.

“Amethyst!”

Amethyst looked up to see Steven and Greg. Steven ran directly towards her and pulled himself into Peridot’s empty chair.

Greg hurried up to the table. “I’m so sorry, Amethyst, I told him you looked busy-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Amethyst assured him, throwing an arm around Steven. “I’ve always got time for Steve-o here.”

Steve grinned and turned his attention to the four girls on the other side of the table. Every bit of tension had left the place completely when Steven had appeared. Gina had taken the chance to put the picture away. Elle no longer had her arms crossed, Kaylee was sitting down again, and Jayna was looking happily at Steven.

Steven held his hand out. “Hi. I’m Steven.”

The four girls repeated their names again and each shook his hand. With Steven, nothing about it was stiff or formal or awkward. Amethyst was pleased to see that they were all smiling this time.

Greg went to introduce himself as well. Amethyst took her arm off of Steven’s shoulders.

“Stevn,, Greg, these are actually my sisters.”

Steven gasped. He had stars in his eyes. “You have sisters?!”

Amethyst laughed. “Yes,” She gestured at Steven and Greg, “This is my little brother and my stepdad.”

“That’s so cool!” Steven burst out. “Oh! You guys should come to my Hanukkah party next week!”

“You don’t have to come!” Amethyst said quickly. Not that she didn’t want them to be part of things. It was simply that the idea of them meeting everyone, because Amethyst already knew that Steven had invited half the town and everyone he was even remotely related to, was nerve wracking.

Kaylee grinned, leaning back in her chair. “We’d love to come.”

[jaeminlore]

Prove Me Wrong // Cha Eunwoo

-

the prompt: could you write a fluff + angst scenario of Eunwoo from Astro? Eunwoo could be fall in love with an international fan.

words: 1946

category: angst + fluff, soulmate!au

author note: I’ve turned this into another soulmate au bc i liked the idea. please enjoy!

- destinee

-

Eunwoo absolutely hated the tattoo on his skin. He hated the small pink rose that covered just under his palm. He hated how it determine who he would fall in love with.

The soulmate rule was a strange one. Eunwoo didn’t believe in it. Even after seeing Jinwoo and Myungjun find their own soulmates and find happiness with them. Eunwoo still distrusted the entire system.

He wanted to fall in love naturally. Even if the universe had decided before hand, he still wanted to seek his own soulmate out. He wanted to fall in love slowly and surely.

Instead, all he had to do was check the wrists of fans or people walking by. And he did, without really meaning to. At every fansign and high touch, he would look at every fans wrist, wondering if it was them.

He had to keep his own tattoo concealed, obviously. Since fans would go off getting matching tattoos and saying that they were his destined to be.

Eunwoo had yet to find his soulmate. Still, he found himself wishing to fall in love with someone, not for the ink on their wrist, but for the beliefs of their heart.

-

Eunwoo sat in the booth with the rest of Astro after one of their many international concerts. He was starving, and could barely think of anything other than getting food in his system.

“Hello, my name is Y/n, I’ll be your server for today.”

Eunwoo looked up at you the same time you finally noticed your customers. He took in your colorful hair, and the rainbow ink running down your arm. Your eyes were bright and cheery, pulling eunwoo into an unknown smile.

“Oh my goodness, you’re Astro.” You said, finally noticing your customers. You cleared your throat and straightened professionally, “I mean, what can I get you guys to drink?”

Since Eunwoo was the most confident in his English, he ordered for the boys. He watched as you walked away, before turning back to his fellow members.

“Woah,” Sanha breathed, also watching you go, “Did you see all of her tattoos? I wonder if she has the tattoo soulmate link.”

Rocky looked at his own tattoo, his written as the first words his soulmate would ever speak to him. “Some of my friends at school told me that when people with the tattoo link get rejected, they cover themselves in tattoos so that no one can find the original.”

“Do you think that happened to her?” Moonbin asked.

“Guys, stop.” Eunwoo warned, even though he, too, was curious as to why you had so much ink on your arm. “She’s coming back.”

You returned, handing each of them their respectable drinks and then asking to take their dinner orders.

“How long have you been an aroha?” Myungjun asked you.

“Oh,” you seems surprised that they were talking to you as a fan and not a waitress. “Since debut, actually.”

“Wow, thanks,” each of the boys stated.

-

As you waited for the cooks to make the boy’s meals, you pinched yourself. Did you just talk to your favorite kpop group?

You knew they were in your town, but you never assumed you would get to meet them. Let alone in a casual setting like a family-owned restaurant.

Of course, they had to see you in your worst look. Your roots were showing through the pink hair you hadn’t re-dyed yet. And they just had to see your colorful sleeve on full display.

Really, the reason you decided to blend in the pale pink rose was because you didn’t like the idea of soulmates. You weren’t sure you liked the thought of someone picking you because of the mark on your arm.

You wondered if Astro didn’t like tattoos. Maybe they thought you were rebellious or something.

By the time you gave them their food and check, you were ready to bolt. You really did worry too much, especially about what others thought of you.

You tried to avoid them as much as you could, only returning to collect the check and give them back their change.

It was Eunwoo who handed you the check, and you caught it: the small pink rose stark against his wrist bone.

It was smudged, as the sweat of their previous concert must have taken the concealer off.

Still, you understood perfectly. Cha Eunwoo was your soulmate.

-

You didn’t tell him. There was no reason to, really. He might not like you. Actually, you were sure he wouldn’t like you.

You were rough around every edge and Eunwoo was as delicate as a flower. The soulmate link must’ve messed up. The two of you were clearly opposites.

He wasn’t your bias. Your bias was Jinjin, whom you felt you could relate to most. The two of you had similar style and similar taste in music.

Eunwoo… you weren’t sure you had anything in common with him. Even when it was announced that Jinjin had found his soulmate, you didn’t change biases. And if you had, it certainly wouldn’t have been the main visual.

Yes, you were sure this was for the best. You would find another person and so would Eunwoo.

-

The next morning, you arrived at your work, ready for the incoming of business people on their way to work.

You stood where the hostess stands to greet others, when you noticed a familiar face walk through the door.

Eunwoo caught your eye and a shy smile covered his face. “Y/n, if it’s too much to ask, can we talk whenever you have a break?”

“What about?” Your heart beat fast at the thought of him finding out the truth.

“It’s about the soulmate link.”

Does he know? You feigned a smile and nodded, “Okay, I’ll go get someone to cover me.”

You slid into the table across from Eunwoo. The boy was sipping on a coffee and looking around, anxious.

“What do you want to talk about?” You asked hesitantly.

Eunwoo bowed his head, “Tell me if I’m being rude, but the boys and I couldn’t help but notice the amount of tattoos on your arm.”

You unconsciously pulled the sleeve of your jacket over your hands. Luckily, you were still wearing a jacket, thanks to the morning chill that hadn’t let up and the fact that your boss didn’t believe in a heater.

“Why about my tattoos?”

“Well, Rocky said that when someone with the tattoo link gets rejected by their soulmate, they get a bunch of tattoos to cover it up. I was just wondering if that happened to you.”

“Why does it matter?” You asked, suddenly annoyed by his curiosity. “The soulmate link is a stupid concept anyway. People should be able to fall in love with whoever they want.”

Eunwoo’s eyes widened. You took time to study his face. He looked pure at every angle. So perfect that you could only assume he wasn’t real. No wonder everyone called him an angel.

“I just wanted to know, since you seemed experienced in the area, how much it would be to have a tattoo removed.”

Your eyes widened. A strange pang struck your heart and you felt unaware as to whether it was the soulmate link or your actual disappointment. “Oh. Well, I’ve never done it, but I think it goes up to five hundred dollars. I also heard it hurts. You might be better off getting it covered up, if you want to get rid of it.”

Again, more pain struck your heart as you felt yourself getting rejected. Couldn’t the two of you learn to love eachother?

Wait, Y/n, what are you saying? Just yesterday you said you never wanted to see this boy again.

“You’ve never gotten yours removed? Did you cover it?” Eunwoo seemed curious as he glanced down at your wrist. Luckily, the tattoo was covered by your sleeve.

“No, I’ve never gotten it removed or covered it,” you answered. “I’ve got to get back to work now.”

“Oh,” Eunwoo looked at his coffee almost disappointedly. “Well, will I see you again?”

You just indirectly rejected me. Why would you want to see me again?

“If you come back, I suppose you will.”

“I’ll be back then,” Eunwoo said, and the determination in his voice was enough to make your stomach feel all fuzzy.

-

You couldn’t think that entire day. As you locked up the restaurant and began to walk home, you heard the labored breath of someone, along with quick footsteps.

You turned around, rather afraid, before seeing that it was Eunwoo, dressed in a long coat, pulling at the handle of the restaurant. He groaned when he could not open it and leaned his forehead against the door.

“Looking for someone?” You called out.

A huge smile of relief came onto his face as he turned to see you. “I thought I missed you,” he breathed. “We’re leaving early tomorrow morning for the airport and I wanted to get your number.”

“Why is that?” You asked.

“I think I like you,” Eunwoo answered honestly. You knew he was never one to dance around feelings anyway. “And I want to get to know you better.”

Your breath caught in your throat and tears suddenly pricked your eyes. “What about your soulmate bond? What about her?”

Eunwoo stiffened. “Truth be told, Y/n, I don’t like the soulmate bond. I don’t like the rules of that game. I want to create my own future and my own destiny. So I want to go out with whomever I choose to go out with.”

When you show him your mark, will he reject you directly? What if his like for you had just been because he figured you, too, didn’t care about the bond?

“Why are you crying?” Eunwoo asked, walking closer to you and peering down questioningly.

You hadn’t even realized it, but hot tears were streaming down your face. “Eunwoo, I’m you soulmate,” you whispered, pressing your eyes closed and willing yourself not to look at him. “I saw your tattoo and it’s the same as mine. If that makes you want to leave me, I get it. I understand that you don’t like the rule. I didn’t either, but I was hoping we could at least try.”

You wiped more tears away and looked at Eunwoo, “I get it if you don’t like me anymore.”

Eunwoo didn’t say anything for a while, and you could feel all of the hope in your heart shattering, until he finally spoke. “Can I see it? If our tattoos really match, can I see it?”

You wordlessly pulled your sleeve up to your elbow and lifted up your hand. Eunwoo noticed it right away, the pale flower hidden in the garden of flowers tattooed on your arm. It was different from the rest, and there was no doubt in Eunwoo’s heart that it was the one that matched his.

Gently, so as not to startle you, he grabbed your hand and pulled it up to his lips. His lips pressed down on the rose softly, intimately. Your own lips parted from the gesture.

He looked up at you, “I’m willing to let you prove me wrong. I liked you before I knew we were soulmates, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

He wiped the tears away from your cheeks using the pad of his thumb. “Can I have your number? We still have to leave tomorrow but I can come back as soon as I get time off.”

You wordlessly handed him your phone. As he typed in his number, you began to smile. “Take your time, Eunwoo. I’m not going anywhere.”

~the end~