#yesterday i was fine. and then i woke up today and everything was wrong

[secretlyabunny]

after today there ain't no way i don't have pmdd

[h4rring1on]

We all love u here buddy! Would you wanna write smth about reader with steddie, where Steve accidentally upsets her and Eddie’s trying to comfort her, all the while Steve’s begging to talk and apologise

pairing: steddie x reader

warnings: swearing, steve accidentally being mean without realizing it, thats it but please tell me if i missed something!

you woke up rather early today, just in time to see steve before he went to work. something happened the other day, and you wanted to tell stevie all about it!

“oh my gosh, i have to tell you stevie! guess what!” you said, steve didn’t really answer but you were used to it anyway, “yesterday, i went to the mall with stacy! you know stacy, she’s like my best friend ever! and we had so much fun we ate ice cream and went shopping and when we were walking around the mall i saw the cutest—“

“baby” he said, a little louder than the volume you were speaking, “i really don’t care what happened with you and stacy, okay? i have stuff to do” steve said, and left the house

you stood there, tears brimming in your eyes, you did it again. you annoyed someone into leaving. why were you like this? why did you have to be so excited and get so talkative over something so stupid?

you silently went to the bathroom, seeing as you just woke up, you then went to the kitchen, and began making breakfast for you and eddie

sooner or later, eddie woke up, you knew because you felt hands wrap around your waist

“good morning, sweetheart” he smiled

you hummed in response, and he furrowed his eyebrows

“that smells really good” he said and you didn’t respond

he went to the bathroom, and you set the table, once he got back, he saw the look in your eyes, you were now facing him, and it was clear you’d been crying

“hey, didn’t you go out with stacy yesterday?” he spoke as he ate

you nodded

“how’d that go? you did come back looking excited”

you shrugged and continued eating

eddie looked at you for a moment before dropping the fork and knife

“okay, what the hell is going on?” he said, and you just furrowed your eyebrows, “don’t look at me like that, can you just talk to me like a normal person?”

“what’s wrong, eddie?” you said

“what’s wrong? wha—are you mad at me? shit—did you see the magazine under the bed? baby i swear i love your body that was before we all started dating i promise you i don’t use them i mean maybe sometimes but it’s only when you’re away i sw—“

“i didn’t know about that” you simply said and he realized he fucked up, “it’s fine eddie, it’s not all about me, yknow, you can see other magazines, it would be good anyway so you don’t get bored of me”

“okay, what?” he furrowed his eyebrows

“just forget it eddie” you said, eddie didn’t want to forget it, but he kept quiet for you

that was until he heard sniffling, he looked up from his plate only to see you crying as you ate

“hey hey hey, whoa, baby” he quickly got up and kneeled down in front of you to get to your level, “talk to me, sweet thing, what’s wrong?”

“i’m sorry—i just…i feel like steve doesn’t like me” you said

“what? of course not, steve loves you!” he answered

“but—today before he went to work, i wanted to tell him about what happened yesterday and he said he didn’t care and left…am i really that annoying?”

“what—no, no, no, you’re not annoying at all” he said, wiping your tears, “cmon baby, you know i hate to see you cry…why don’t you come and tell me what happened, i’m all ears”

sniffling, you had slightly calmed down, and with a light smile you nodded "so...yesterday, i went to the mall with...um stacy! you know stacy...yknow what its nothing-"

"no no hey..." eddie mutters softly as he caresses her cheeks, "i want to know everything...don't leave a single thing out, got it pretty girl?" he says in a low voice

you nod slowly, and look down before eddie lifts your chin up and you smile softly, "so...anyway she’s like my best friend ever! and we had so much fun we ate ice cream and went shopping and when we..."

you continued on with your story, telling him every single detail about what you did and saw and such, and eddie nodded, listening to you talk, smiling

soon, you had hopped in the shower, and steve had just come home, you made his favorite food, all ready and placed on the stove to be heated up when he comes.

eddie's eyes flickered to the door as he heard it, he slowly walked to the bathroom, slowly closing it so you don't hear anything outside, and turned to steve who was just sitting on the couch looking at the ground

eddie stood there looking at steve, steve didn't even dare to look up, he knew what he did.

"you had a good breakfast with her today?" eddie says and steve sighs

"i know alright...i messed up-"

"damn right you messed up. that sweet girl was crying because of it today." eddie says and steve looks at him, his eyes softening

"shit..."

"the fuck was going through your head-"

"clearly not alot!" he says and gets up, looking at eddie right in the eye, "im an idiot..." he says and turns away, "i love to hear her talk...i love everything about her...i was just stressed out..."

“don’t, steve. that girl has been nothing but an angel. you can’t take it out on her whenever some bullshit at work happens” eddie says, a stern look on his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself for a second before looking back at him

“she made you your favorite. it’s in the kitchen” eddie points out and walks away, steve sighed, he felt like a dick

you soon walk out of the bathroom after you’d gotten dressed, brushing your wet hair and walking, to be met with steve sitting on the couch, leaned to the edge, elbows on his knees, his hands raking through his hair as he mutters to himself

she paused for a moment, steve glancing up at her, just as she was about to turn away he gets up

“shit—wait! please baby, please?” he says, almost pleading

you turn back to him, fiddling with your hands after you’d placed the brush on the table, “um…i made you your favorite…i’ll heat it up” she says and nods before he even replies and walks to the kitchen, before he grips her wrist, not harshly but firm enough to keep her

“will….will you please…please—tell me what happened yesterday?” he asks softly, eddie, who was nearby, crossing his arms as you just looked at him

“uh…i already told eddie so…s’okay” she says softly and steve shakes his head

“i’m so so fucking sorry baby—please, angel? i know it’s not an excuse but i was just pissed cause of work and i wasn’t in the mood—but i’m so sorry. that doesn’t mean shit! i love hearing you talk, about every little or big thing in the world, with that pretty voice of yours. i’m so sorry baby, i’m so sorry” he whispers, his voice trembling slightly, like he was gonna run out of breath if she didn’t forgive him

you just look at him, your eyes softening, eddie glancing at you, you nod and hug him

“s’okay…i forgive you stevie…it’s okay” you whisper as you rub his back, your touch was a balm to his soul…he’d felt awful this whole day

“see that, sweetheart?” eddie says with a grin, “this idiot can’t get enough of you! look at him! you don’t talk to him for five minutes and he’s about to cry” he says and steve deadpans him, you giggle with eddie, and steve finally budges and laughs with you

“so…are you gonna tell me baby?” he says softly and you nod as you walk into the kitchen to heat up the food, eddie and steve both sit at the table

“okay okay! let me tell you! so i was—wait wait! let me start at the beginning—“ you talked on and on and the two listened, a soft smile on their faces, even eddie who already heard this story before, but they both cant help it. they’ll listen a million times…they will never get tired of you

a/n: hihi guys been a long long time since ive been around and writing, i missed you all so so much! i’m still getting into it so im not gonna be so frequent but feel free to request!! miss you all🤍

[ericshoney]

Mini Matt in a bad mood ~ Sturniolo Triplets

Summary: Mini Matt is having a bad morning, but the guys are there to help.

Warnings: usual swearing, teasing, name calling (in a joking way), platonic pet names, mentions of not sleeping, crying.

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

Today you woke up in a terrible mood. Like usually if you didn't sleep well, you would just be slightly grumpy. But today you woke up pissed. You were going to sleep in Chris' room with him as your bed hasn't been comforting the last few weeks, but he was nothing but annoying to you throughout the day.

"Hey Mini Matt look at this!"

"Oh Mini Mattitude is showing!"

"Yo Y/N you act like such a brat sometimes."

Honestly you loved the nickname, you really did and you knew Chris loved to joke around and tease you, but he seemed to take it too far, plus he kept stealing your food and not letting you speak a word.

So you decided to sleep in your own room for once, resulting in a terrible nights sleep and back pain. You had been meaning to look for a new mattress but had been so busy you kept forgetting.

You trudged out your room and to the bathroom you share with Matt, taking a quick shower with no troubles, the hot water relaxing your muscles slightly. You brushed your teeth and got dressed before going back to your room to find your phone.

"Where the fuck is it." You mumbled, after a couple minutes of searching.

"Yo kid hurry the fuck up we're gonna film a car video!" Chris shouted as he barged into your room.

"I'm looking for my phone." You muttered, throwing your pillows around.

"It's on the floor, are you dumb." He said with a laugh.

You looked down and saw your phone right by the side of your bed on the floor. You sighed as you picked it up and turned to Chris.

"Woah, kid, what's with the bags under your eyes." He mentioned.

"Don't worry." You grumbled, pushing past him, still being petty about the day before.

You quietly went down to the car, not speaking to either Nick or Matt, who gave Chris a confused look upon seeing him.

"Don't ask me." He said, making the eldest two share a look.

The boys got in the car quietly, Matt driving to the car park you had planned on stopping at. Nick had already put some snacks and drinks in the car ready for the video.

As Matt drove, Nick tried to show you some TikTok's on his phone, but you just ignored him, feeling upset, tired and angry. You knew it wasn't his fault, but couldn't quite say out loud what was wrong. Nick sighed and looked at Matt through the mirror, knowing something was wrong.

"Hey, bub, what's wrong?" Matt called, looking at you.

"Nothing." You muttered, looking out the window.

"Someone's got their panties in a twist." Chris replied.

"Will you shut the fuck up!" You shouted, making the brothers share a look of shock.

The rest of the car ride was silent apart from the music. You soon arrived at the car park, the boys sharing a look.

"You know...if your not up for filming we can do it another day or something." Matt suggested softly.

"No we're here now, let's begin." You responded, sitting up in your seat.

"We really don't have too, if there's someth-" Nick tried to say but you cut him off.

"I fucking said it's fine! Now fucking start recording!" You shouted.

"Bub..." Chris started, but again you interrupted him.

"No! If you hadn't been such an ass yesterday I would be fine! I love being Mini Matt but you took it too far yesterday and with the name calling too! If you really think I'm such a brat maybe you shouldn't be friends with me!" You screamed at him, a few tears now leaving your eyes.

"Hey woah, sweetheart calm down." Nick said softly, rubbing your shoulder.

"I'm sorry." You apologised, covering your face as you cried into your hands.

"This is more than just a morning grump....your really upset." Chris said, feeling the guilt set in.

"What happened?" Matt questioned.

Chris sighed and went on how he did everything yesterday, not realising in the time how silly he was being, only until now where you broke, making him feel bad.

"I'm sorry, kid. It's my fault." Chris aplogised.

"No...I'm being over dramatic." You muttered, wiping your tears.

"No, stop right there." Nick said sternly.

"You can't help if something annoys you. We all get annoyed with each other and it's okay, it's normal. You also slept in your own bed, correct?" He continued.

"Correct." You said with a nod.

"And we all know you, much like Chris, struggle to sleep in your own bed, which is okay. And I also know that you mentioned your bed isn't comfy, correct?" He added.

"Correct." You said again.

"Why didn't you come to my room?" matt questioned.

"Felt upset and angry. I wanted to say what was wrong and sort it out before bed, but was feeling tired and stuff." You admitted.

"I'm really, really sorry Y/n." Chris said.

"It's okay, I forgive you." You said, giving him a small smile.

"Hug it out." Nick said.

"What?" You called.

"You heard him, hug it out." Matt said with a nod.

You looked at Chris who laughed slightly, the both of you got out of the car as Chris pulled you into a tight hug, lifting you off the ground. You smiled and let out a small laugh as you hugged him back.

"I'm really sorry again, bub." Chris said, looking down at you.

"I'm sorry I didn't say what was wrong." You replied.

You both smiled and shared another hug, making both Nick and Matt smile. You then got back into the car.

"Next time, talk to us, okay petal?" Matt said.

"I'll try." You responded with a nod.

The four of you then started to film a video, laughing and joking, having a fun time and you started to feel much better.

[yuikomorii]

Happy Birthday, Ayato! ❤️

// Today is the golden boy’s birthday!! Sweet and spicy visual god, you are the reason of my unattainablly high standards… and also of my questionable financial decisions, lol.

This looks more like an Ayayui shrine than an individual Ayato one, but I couldn’t fit all the items in one pic, therefore I chose the ones that were the easiest to find in my room. :”)

Nevertheless… I did try to prepare a SCENARIO too! I used my nsfw edit as the cg, although I didn’t show everything. The romantic part is really cheesy and cringe, but if you’re into fluff, you will like that. 💕💕

~Operation: Ayato-kun’s birthday~

Yui: ( Haa… it feels as if there’s no ending to these anymore… )

( I woke up earlier today, hoping to finish all these exercises, yet I really can’t bring myself to understand how to solve them at all…! )

( My mind is completely in a whole different place right now. Today is Ayato-kun’s birthday after all. )

( Unfortunately, all the assignments kept me so busy this week that I wasn’t even able to bake a cake for him… )

( However, it’s still not too late for that, right? )

( Once I’m done with this page, I will definitely try my best to prepare it as soon as po—)

Reiji: Komori Yui, are you slacking again?

Yui: …!

R-Reiji-san!

( Oh no, he picked up my notebook! )

Reiji: Good grief, there are mistakes everywhere! Do I need to remind you that you are not permitted to bring disgrace upon the Sakamaki family as long as you reside under this mansion's roof?

Yui: Uuh… I-I’m really sorry, Reiji-san. I promise I’ll—

Reiji: Silence. I recently received your report card as well, and I must admit that I’m not pleased with your performance in the slightest. I was expecting such indifference from my brothers, but it’s rather disheartening for a human girl not to care about her education.

Yui: Y-You got it wrong! It’s not like I don’t care about school, but… simply put, the teachers have been giving us much too many tasks lately, and I find them quite difficult to solve, which stresses me out a little, to be honest.

Reiji: Hmph, excuses. I find it incomprehensible how such simple exercises cause you mental difficulties.

Nevertheless, I shall teach you then. Even if it requires the whole day to achieve that.

Yui: You will? Woah, thank you so much, Re— W-Wait, no! We can’t do that today!

Reiji: Pardon? Are you rejecting my offer to tutor you?

Yui: No, no! Not at all! It’s just that today is Ayato-kun’s birthday, and well… I would obviously want to celebrate it with him.

Reiji: Denied.

Yui: Eh—?

Reiji: You truly are a fool. Vampires show no interest in the day of their birth. Now, take a sit.

Yui: …

( I know Reiji-san is not in the wrong, but… I really do want to celebrate Ayato-kun’s birthday. That day may not be special to him but it’s so special to me. )

( Am I being selfish, I wonder…? )

*Timeskip*

Reiji: It appears that you’re finally able to understand how to solve this exercise. The next ones are similar to it, therefore there shouldn’t be any obstacles.

Yui: Yes, I see…

( I appreciate Reiji-san’s help, yet too many hours have passed by and baking a cake from scratch is not possible anymore… )

Place: Living room

Yui: ( Hmm… apparently I still have enough pocket money to buy a cake. I know a self-made one would have been more meaningful, but I really couldn’t… )

Kanato: Yui-san, are you spacing out?

Yui: Eh—? Ah, Kanato-kun, I didn’t see you there. I’m fine, but I’m a bit in a hurry, so… see y— Kya!

( He grabbed my wrist! )

Kanato: You’re going to buy a cake for my brother, aren’t you?

Yui: Uhh… well yes, I mean, it’s his birthday after all.

Kanato: My birthday was yesterday and I didn’t see you get any cake for me, nor for Laito. Teddy thinks you forgot about us. Tell me, Yui-san, is that true?

Yui: T-that’s not it!

Kanato: So you’re going to buy a cake for me as well after all? I might forgive you if you do that.

Yui: ( What did I get myself into…! I’m sure Kanato-kun will throw a tantrum if I say “no”. )

But… I don’t think I got enough money for two cakes.

Kanato: Please don’t worry about that, Yui-san, I know my ways. Or what, are you doubting me now?

Yui: …!

— shakes head —

Kanato: Good, now let’s go.

Place: Demon World Cake shop

Yui: Woah, I’ve never seen such big cakes before!

Kanato: Please don’t shout. Your looks already make you resemble a servant, you don’t have to act like one as well.

Yui: ( Hey, that’s mean! )

Cake shop owner: Welcome, how can I help you?

Yui: We’re searching for a birthday cake, but uhm… one a bit smaller than the ones displayed here, if possible.

Cake shop owner: Any flavor you got in mind?

Yui: ( Speaking of flavor, I don’t think Ayato-kun has ever told me anything about his favorite. He would probably say Takoyaki but a Takoyaki cake… that doesn’t feel right. )

I think he likes straw—

Kanato: Raspberry!

Cake shop owner: Wonderful! We just finished a raspberry cake a few minutes ago!

— brings cake —

Yui: ( It truly looks delicious…! Besides, it’s red as well, which is Ayato-kun’s favorite color, so I believe he would truly like this one! )

Kanato: Alright, we’ll take it!

Place: Mansion

Yui: Phew, I’m glad the cake didn’t get crushed on the way.

Kanato: It’s time to eat!

Yui: Wha—! No, Kanato-kun, you can’t!

Kanato: Excuse me, but who do you think you are? This is my cake, therefore I’m allowed to eat it whenever I want!

Yui: W-Well, don’t you want to wait for Ayato-kun too? This way, you two will be able to eat it together like bro—!!

(He pushed me in the cake!?)

Kanato-kun, why did you do this!?

Kanato: You ruined the cake!

Yui: Me!? But Kanato-kun was the one who pushed me there!

Kanato: Teddy says you’re annoying, and I agree. Now how will you fix your mistakes?

Yui: ( I can barely see anything…! )

Kanato: Fufu, look at her Teddy! She’s full of cake from head to toe! Now, let’s give it a taste che—

Yui: You can’t!

— moves cake away from him —

Kanato: I can!

— moves cake back —

Yui: No!

— moves cake away —

Kanato: Hmph, just give up already, will you!?

— pushes her away —

Yui: Wait, no—!!!

???: Oi, what the—!

— cake falls on them —

Kanato: Noooo, the cake!!!! Ngh, this is no fun anymore!

Yui: Uuh… Why is the floor so soft…?

Ayato: ‘Cause it’s not the floor, you idiot.

Yui: Ah! A-Ayato-kun!

Uhh… Happy birthday…~?

Ayato: Geez, c’mere, you’re an even bigger mess.

— picks her up —

Place: Bathroom

Yui: ( This is so embarrassing…! )

Ayato: Haa… You’re finally not covered in cake anymore.

Yui: I… I’m sorry…

Ayato: Huh? What are you apologizing for? I’m not mad that you dropped that cake on me.

Yui: That’s not the only thing I’m sorry about…

If it weren’t for my carelessness, you would have gotten a nice birthday, but now… you don’t even have a cake anymore.

( Ah, I’m feeling as if I’m about to cry right now… )

Ayato: Hey, c’mon that’s not worth the tears. I’m a vampire, remember? I don’t care about my birthday, so there’s no need to worry about such stuff.

Yui: Maybe you don’t care about it but… I do. I know that I’m about to sound selfish, but your birthday is very special to me. It represents the day you were born and I… I simply can’t imagine not celebrating it.

Ayato-kun is important to me, therefore that automatically makes his birthday important to me too.

Ayato: You klutz…

— hugs her —

Yui: W-Wha—! Ayato-kun…!

Ayato: Seriously, are all humans really that sentimental? Or does this only apply to cute girls like you?

Yui: …!

(He… he called me cute! )

— blushes —

Ayato: The day’s still not over, y’know? There’s still time to celebrate it if you’re really that obsessed with it.

Yui: …! So, are you really okay with that?

Ayato: Yeah? If I weren’t, I would have told you, idiot. On top of that, it’s not like I got anything better to do anyway.

Now tell me, Chichinashi, what exactly do you have in store for today?

Yui: Hm… uhm… nothing comes to my mind at the moment, but for now… I can’t say I mind spending time like this with Ayato-kun.

Ayato: Heh~? You suddenly don’t mind being in my arms while naked?

Yui: P-Phrasing it like that…!

Ayato: Well, if that’s the case, then… you wouldn’t mind if I sucked your blood either, right?

Yui: Go ahead.

Ayato: Hah? No talking back? Are you really that easy to convince today? Or, could it be that you finally admit enjoying the pleasure these fangs give you?

Yui: It’s not only about your fangs, Ayato-kun. I really like you as a whole.

I wasn’t even able to find a gift for you, therefore giving you my blood is the least I can do.

Ayato: Heh, I see… I don’t need your blood as a gift though.

Yui: You don’t…?

Ayato: Nope, ‘cause I already got the best gift ever.

Yui: Is that so?

( Did someone already give him something for his birthday? If that’s the case, then who could it be? )

( Ah… I guess I’m just overthinking, but now I’m really curious. )

Ayato: You really wanna know, don’t you? It’s already written on your face.

Are you getting jealous~?

Yui: T-That’s…—!

Ayato: Pfft, you really did get jealous, huh?

Yui: ( Ugh… he’s making fun of me now! )

Ayato: Anyway, there’s no need to. After all, the best gift I’ve ever gotten…

It’s you, Yui.

— Smooch —

The end

[frakts1ya]

let you break my heart again ft. xu minghao

💔 -> or, minghao realizes what he did wrong and wants to try again || wc : 1k.

☆ song recs! : let you break my heart again - laufey ; cold love - the8 ; darl + ing - seventeen ; real man - beabadoobee ; try again - jaehyun, d.ear

You and your ex both remember the break-up day like it was yesterday. A year together, 365 plus days filled with laughter and tears, which were all gone. Your ex, Minghao didn't know why he really did it, why he broke up with you. He just woke up one day and lost feelings.

You spent a week crying in the arms of your friends. You loved Minghao, and even if you tell yourself you had gotten over him, a little piece of you still wants him.

"...after that I literally- y/n? you good?" Danielle asks, noticing your shift in demeanor. There, out of the corner of your eye, you see Minghao, your one and only ex, the love of your life, hanging out with his friends. “That bitch.”

“Dani, it's… it's fine,” You say, still staring at him. His gaze meets yours, and your eyes widen. 

You sheepishly wave to him, which he hesitates before raising his hand back at you. 

Your phone then buzzes. Minghao is on the phone, so you're guessing it was from him.

 come over here.

“He's telling me to come over, I'll be back.” You run over to Minghao, and the friends he's with take this as a sign to leave.

“Hello, y/n.” Words you haven't heard in so long. It warms your heart, even if he doesn't like you anymore.

“Hi, Hao. How are you?” The conversations you've had all those years ago, forgotten about. From the early getting-to-know-each-other icebreaker talks to the late night deep conversations, you miss all of it.

“I'm good. You?” Minghao's heart skipped a beat. It's been so long since you've called him Hao.

“I've been good. Why do you still want to talk to me?” Such a mood killer, y/n. You know, but something inside you needed a conclusion.

“I need you.” Even Minghao wasn't expecting those words to exit his mouth.

“Huh? Hao, what do you mean?”

He exhales, already unsure if he wants to say what he has in mind. “I regret everything. It's been 6 months since we broke up, yet I can't stop thinking about you. I thought I lost feelings, but seeing you again today made me realize how much of an asshole I was to you. So please, y/n, give me another chance.” 

After he finishes, he watches your expression shift, eyes softening and darting away from his figure. “I don't know. You already broke my heart once. I was sad for weeks, Hao. I don't know if I could do this again.”

“I'll do better. I won't hurt you like I did last time.”

You stop for a second to think. Minghao was looking at you with the same expression he had when he first confessed to you. 

“Let's go get some coffee together, okay? We'll see what happens.”

“That drink looks disgustingly sweet. You're going to have a heart attack.” Minghao comments on the caramel frappuccino you ordered.

“You’re the one who ordered plain tea! Let me taste,” You took his cup and sipped the tea, scrunching your face up at the bitter taste.

In response to your reaction, Minghao took your drink and tried it, also making a disgusted face after swallowing. The two of you both laugh like you were still together. 

“I missed you,” You mutter ashamedly. 

“Yeah, I did too. I'm really sorry for breaking up with you. I-” Minghao stops mid sentence.

“You..?”

“I tried dating someone else for a bit. It didn't last. She said I was too hung up on my ex. I told her she was wrong, but I don't think she was.” Minghao holds your hand, his thumb tracing circles in the space behind your pointer.

“Oh, Minghao…” You pout, using your free hand to brush stray strands of hair out of his face. “Then, why did you do it?”

“I didn't think I was good enough,” He admits, barely audible for you to hear, “You deserved better than me, and I don't think I was ready then. It's different now. I've improved. Started meditating, taking better care of myself, you know.”

“You were always good for me, baby.” The whole café disappears as your lips approach his, bringing him in a soft kiss. 

“Shit, I didn't mean to-” You apologize, running off before Minghao could say anything. 

“Yeah, I fucked up bad!” You rant to Danielle, who's intently listening the entire time you recap your encounter.

“Did you see his face?” Danielle inquires, “Maybe he liked it?”

“I don't think so. He's going to hate me now. I thought we could restart, but, fuck!” You exclaim exactly as thunder hits the ground, making you jump. “This world hates me.”

The doorbell of yours and Danielle’s shared apartment rings, and Danielle glances over at you. “Want to go get it?” You shake your head, and Danielle goes to open the door. You hear incomprehensible chatter before Danielle goes back to your room to tell you: “Y/n, someone's waiting for you.”

You go to the door, where a very wet Minghao stands.

“Um-”

You can't get any words out before his hands are harshly gripping your cheeks and he's kissing you.

“Payback for leaving me in the café after you kissed me,” Minghao pants.

“Why? You're soaking wet, did you not bring an umbrella?” You fret, hands grabbing onto his damp button-up.

“Didn't have one. I needed to see you as soon as possible, my love. Let's start over.”

His forehead is pressed against yours, you could feel your heart beating out of its chest. “No, let's pick up from where we left off. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you in the future.”

“Okay…” The two of you are quiet for a hot second, before Minghao asks, “Can I come in and dry myself?”

“Of course. You know where the bathroom is.” You let him in and close the door behind you. As he makes his way over to the bathroom, you watch with the same eyes you watched him with when he first came over, or when you had your first kiss with him.

Though you knew (or, at least hoped) he wouldn't repeat his mistake, you would let Xu Minghao break your heart again.

[linkemon]

Imponderabilia (Ciel Phantomhive x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you're interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ᴀ ᴛʏᴘɪᴄᴀʟ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴀɴᴛᴏᴍʜɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ. ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ ᴄɪᴇʟ, ᴅᴇꜱꜱᴇʀᴛ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴅɪɴɴᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪʀʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱɪʙʟᴇ ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴇᴇꜱ. ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴘᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴇᴀ…

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅʟʏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ɪɴ ᴇɴɢʟɪꜱʜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ. ɪ ᴛʀʏ ᴍʏ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏ ᴛɪᴘꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ.

— Good morning, my lord! — [Reader] opened the door.

The view was the same as almost every day. The young lord was sitting in a navy blue, plush armchair and looking through the morning newspaper. He didn't take his eyes off it. He knew she would come. She was punctual. The same couldn't be said about the rest of the residence's staff.

— How are we feeling in the morning?

— Fine — Ciel replied quietly.

For him, it was an extremely elaborate statement. If Sebastian asked him about it, he usually told him to mind his own business. And when the other inhabitants of the estate did this, he preferred not to say anything because they began to get so happy that they would not leave him in peace for the rest of the day.

The girl grabbed the porcelain teapot and started making tea. The amber liquid sparkled in the decorated cup. The girl placed the saucer on a small table.

Phantomhive waited a moment to hear the sound of the door closing but to his surprise he didn't hear it. He looked at the maid. She stood with her back to him, leaning over the silver tray. When she started to turn away, he hid his head behind the printed pages, pretending to be reading.

A plate appeared next to him. An elegant plate full of cookies.

— It's too early for dessert — he said.

— Nonsense! — [Reader] rolled her eyes. — Sebastian is the one who keeps saying things like that. However, I think there is nothing wrong with sweets before dinner. Occasionally.

Ciel looked at the dessert. The baked goods looked average. Crispy, with chocolate pieces. However, their scent tickled his nostrils pleasantly. He felt his mouth water at the thought of tasting them.

— Did you make them today? — The question hung in the air, even though he knew the answer.

— I got up a little earlier. The lord had a hard day yesterday so I thought it would cheer him up. — She smiled.

The boy felt strange for a moment. He knew how much she had to do every day. She woke up long before him to take care of his house. In addition, she also had to correct the mistakes of Baldroy, Mey-Lin and Finnian. Tanaka wasn't that harmful but then again he wasn't very helpful either. Sebastian could arrange everything but she didn't like asking him for help. They tended to stay out of each other's way. Especially since the demon has been getting other tasks lately. Someone finally had to investigate in the queen's name.

And yet the maid denied herself the sleep to make these cookies for him. He felt a tightness somewhere around his heart but he decided to dismiss the ridiculous thought. Nobody cared about him. She did it because it was her job.

— You can take them. — His words were cold. So contrasting to how he felt inside.

— The lord won't eat even one? — She raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head.

For a moment the room was filled with silence. She was interrupted by footsteps. Suddenly, the newspaper paragraph was replaced by a girl's hand and a plate.

— Let's play a game. — That caught his attention. He became even more angry with himself. She knew him that well. — Please, taste them, my lord. If you don't like it, I'll leave the residence. Otherwise, I'll bake them whenever I want and you will always have to eat them.

— How do you know I won't lie? — He reached for the cookie.

— I'll take the risk. — The corner of her mouth turned up.

Ciel took a bite. He expected something extraordinary. Sophisticated taste. Secret spice. Amazing texture. None of these things! They were normal. As average as they looked.

As he took another bite, he had an epiphany. He was tricked like a little child. It wasn't about confectionery skills at all. He lost because he expected to fight on a completely different front than the one on which it actually took place.

— They're virulent — he growled.

— I knew it'll be like this. — Her smugness seemed to light up the entire room. For a moment he thought that she looked really nice in the bright light. The glow reflected in her eyes, reminding him of the radiant sun just outside the window. What was he even thinking about?

— Really? — He gritted his teeth.

— You like me too much to throw me out — she said.

She hit the nail on the head.

He felt a blush rising to his pale cheeks. For the first time in a long time, he was lost for words. Ever since she started working here, she had done and said things that made his heart beat faster. She was annoying. At the same time, he didn't want her to stop. He was stuck in a vicious circle and somehow he was in no hurry to change the whole situation. Yet he could fire her at any time.

He couldn't stand her smug expression as she headed towards the exit. He hated losing.

— Play chess with me.

— Chess? — she asked.

— Yes. How many times do I have to repeat? — he sighed irritably.

He placed the pieces in the starting position. If she thought she could just leave after all this, she was sorely mistaken.

[Reader] sat down hesitantly in the chair in front of him. He was pleased to see her slight confusion. She didn't expect this.

The game was going his way. However, he had to admit that his opponent was quite a challenge. The girl thought logically much better than he expected. Once she even managed to trap him in a bad situation. It took him a few moves to realize the trap. However, he managed to recover and was on the way to victory.

Chess was much simpler than life. They had clear and explicit rules. They rewarded the better and punished the worse. Only those who deserved it felt the taste of defeat. Completely different than in reality. A place where nothing was black and white, only shades of gray. Just like their strange relationship.

He moved the knight.

— [Readerrr]! — The door to the room opened with a bang.

Mei-Lin ran through the doorway. Red hair flowed behind her as she crossed the distance between them. Her glasses fell off her nose. She hurriedly picked them up from the floor. Even the carpet couldn't save them. One glass cracked, creating an ugly spiderweb on the surface.

— Oh my, my, my!

— What is it this time? — You could hear the tiredness in [Reader's] voice. The head of the Phantomhive family had no doubt that she had been through this hundreds of times, just as he had before Sebastian showed up. — Garden?  — She got a shake of her head. — Living room? — Same answer again. — So the kitchen… — [Reader] said. She didn't have to look at her co-worker to know she had nailed it. — It was very nice to play... — She was about to get up when the young master's hand gesture stopped her.

— We're not done yet — Ciel said.

— Ah, but... the kitchen! — Mei-Lin said.

— Find Sebastian. He will take care of it. — The lord moved his rook, thus indicating that he considered the conversation to be over.

— But I don't know where he is — the maid whined helplessly.

Phantomhive took a deep breath. Sometimes he really wondered why he kept all these people here. Maybe he should hire someone new?  He exhaled slowly through his nose.

— You worked with him in the living room today, so start in the living room. And if it's not there, keep looking until you find it. Have I made myself clear?

— Y-yes, of course! — The woman ran out, stumbling.

Maybe he was doing something stupid. After all, the kitchen was on fire. He shook his head slightly. Everything in the mansion burned down at least once a week, so it didn't really matter. Besides, why did he have his one hell of butler?

Ciel looked around the board, studying his options. It was basically a formality now but he still waited for her next move. However, only soft snoring answered him. He looked up from the black and white board. [Reader] rested her head against the plush headrest of the chair. Closed eyes and a steadily rising chest could only mean one thing. She fell asleep. How did sleep overwhelm her so quickly?  He had no idea. She must have been really tired. She had been helping him with his documents at night for the last week. However, he didn't think it would bother her so much.

He almost woke her up but then stopped himself. He brushed away a strand of hair that had escaped from her updo, then reached for the blanket lying on the backrest and covered the girl with it.

— Maybe I really like you too much...

He quietly moved towards the door and closed it.

[enhafilthandfiction]

Enhypen hyung line reaction to you walking around naked in the house to lighten their mood when they are mad

Hyungline's reaction to you walking around naked when they're mad

A/N : Hello anon, thanks for requesting! Sorry for the long title y'all, happy reading!!

Pairing : Bf!HyungLine X Fem!Reader

Warnings : Nudeness, kisses, grinding, tit groping, mentions of oral (f.rec), thigh riding, mentions of angry sex.

Word Count : 1,250 Words

Masterlist

» Lee Heeseung «

He was still frustrated with yesterday's recording session which didn't go so well. Apparently, his voice kept cracking and he couldn't hit the correct notes which is why he came home so upset, basically ignoring you and heading to bed early.

You knew he wasn't mad at you, just upset with himself, but the fact that he ignored you was annoying. Today he wasn't going to however.

He woke up grumpy, just like yesterday, groaning and sighing out in frustration as he thought of the day before. You weren't even in the bed, which upset him even more.

But as he gets up to go to the bathroom for his morning routine, he catches a glimpse of your naked form down the hallway. He stops in his tracks, watching as you enter the washroom, possibly doing the laundry.

He makes his way down the hallway, entering the washroom to see that he was right, finding you bent over, picking up clothes from the floor.

"Well what do we have here" he says, startling you a little, but you smirk, your plan going as planned. He places his hands on your hips, pulling your bare ass back to his clothed crotch, where you could already feel a bulge forming.

"Hi baby" you say, turning around to properly greet him, his eyes going wide as you flash him with your tits. He takes a second to respond, being too focused on your tits, hands coming up to grope them and message them in his hands.

"Uh- I-I'm doing fine, now" he adds, eyes still focused on your tits. "Yeah, now I'm definitely fine" he clarifies, before you giggle and get on your tiptoes, grasping his lips in a kiss. He kisses you back, his tongue pocking your lips already.

"Ew, go brush your teeth and come back" you say, breaking the kiss and continuing what you were doing. He rolls his eyes and makes his way to the bathroom, mumbling a "Be right back" and he was right back; In 2 minutes.

» Park Jay «

Today was just not it for him. Everything he was doing seemed to be wrong, even when he tried cooking something. All he tried to cook was some ramen, but he accidentally forgot it and it kinda over cooked, making the ramen soggy.

He had had enough, and you realised, but you didn't expect him to slam the pot on the counter, the banging noise alerting you. You wanted to calm him down a little, and you knew just what to do, undressing yourself and making your way over to him to distract him. How can he be mad at you?

The second he noticed your pretty naked figure walking around the kitchen counter and over to him, he felt his heart beating faster, but not because of how angry he was seconds ago.

You came behind him and wrapped your arms around his torso, pressing your face into his back. "Hi baby, everything okay?" you asked him with a soft tone, acting as if you weren't naked.

"Well, I messed up my ramen, but it's okay cause you're here" he assures, turning around to get a better view of your bare body. "Gosh you're just what I need Y/n" he admits, running his hands along your body.

"Yeah?" you ask him, giggling and watching as he nods.

"Who want to eat ramen when I can eat you anyways?" he says shamelessly picking you up with ease and taking you to the bedroom. You squirmed around in his hold, begging him to let you down.

He put you down on the bed and got between your legs, ready to distract himself from his though day.

» Sim Jake «

"I've told you like a hundredth times now, for fuck's sake!" You can hear Jake yell on the phone from the other room, and from what you can understand, he was having trouble with work again.

"No- Cancel that meeting and move it Monday instead" he orders, his patience being tested a little too much "Are you stupid? I literally asked you to do something-"

bla bla bla

You were tired of hearing him yell at his stupid assistant who couldn't do something right. You wanted to soothe him, but you were also pretty horny. The button up he was wearing was so hot, especially with the first few buttons open.

Your fantasies almost started to run before you got an idea. You took off your clothes until you were completely naked. Oh this was going to be a good distraction. You walk out of the room and make your way over to the main living room where Jake was in.

You walked around like you weren't naked, ignoring his gaze and pretending to check if the shelves had any dust. You could hear him sigh, turning around to face him and watching as he motions you over.

He places the phone down and mutes it. "Hold on give me a minute" he barely finishes his sentence before muting it and placing it on the coffee table, ignoring his assistant's annoying voice. "You're so pretty baby" he simply says, running his hands down from your shoulders to your ass, giving it a squeeze. "But I have to take this call, so be quiet"

You pout as he grabs the phone again, placing it to his ear before sitting down on the couch, beckoning you over. He makes you sit on his thigh, placing his free hand on your lower back, guiding you back and forth on his thigh whilst sharing glances with you and mouthing words. "You're doing so well baby, keep going"

His voice was much calmer when talking to his assistant, your presence distracting him when he gets to angry.

» Park Sunghoon «

You and Sunghoon had just had a rough fight just a few hours ago. You had complained to him that you were doing all the chores in the house and that he was breaking his promise of helping out. He on the other hand, claimed that he couldn't help with he house chores since he was too busy with work.

You both yelled at each other, accusing one another until he got mad and went outside for a walk. Once he was out, you couldn't stop thinking about him, you were still partly angry at him but also kinda horny for how riled up he got.

You decided to calm down his nerves a little, undressing yourself as you head to the kitchen to start dinner. He came back shortly, maybe after 15 minutes, only to find you fully naked, cooking dinner. "Oh, so this is your way of making up?" he asks, scoffing.

You shrug and continue what you were doing, paying him no mind, waiting for him to break. Which he did shortly. He made his way over to you, pressing his body up against you. "What do you want huh?" He asks you, almost starting to grind against you.

"I want you to do the dishes after dinner" you said with a forced smile.

"Fine, but you gotta let me fuck you first" before you could do anything, he pulls you out of the kitchen and throws you on the couch, getting undressed himself before climbing up behind you.

"I'm gonna fuck you so good you're gonna forget why we were arguing in the first place" and he did, taking his and your anger out by fucking you hard and fast, till all you could think about was him.

Hello, this was actually fun to write, proudly wrote it in one sitting!! I hope you enjoyed reading, have a good day/night and remember that ily <333

[stardustrebels]

More of You- Chapter 5

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

WC: 1.7k

Rating: 18+ for eventual smut, MDNI

Series Masterlist | Blog Masterlist Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tags: No outbreak!AU. Coffee shop meet-cute with a slow-ish burn. Sickly sweet fluff with eventual smut. Joel Miller just deserves a good life, you know? Joel and reader have a teeny tiny age gap- Joel is 42, reader is mid 30s. Sarah is 19. No use of Y/N, minimal descriptions of reader. She has hair long enough to tie back and she wears skirts and dresses.

A/N: Joel Miller’s very bad no good morning pre-chapter 1. I just want to give this poor lonely saddie daddy a big hug. Of course, like a moth to a flame, the man’s drawn in by exemplary woodwork and the promise of good coffee. I hope you enjoy!

The first time Joel Miller saw you, it was a Monday. 

The kind of Monday that he guessed was going to be shitty from the moment he opened his eyes. He woke up half an hour before his alarm went off and stared at the ceiling, cursing the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, like the day had already gone wrong. 

The sun had barely risen, casting a faint orange glowing beam across the room through a gap in the curtains and straight in to his face. He groaned, slapping the top of his alarm before it even had a chance to sound. 

Seconds after he stood up, he stubbed his toe on the edge of his bed frame, cursing under his breath before limping his way to the bathroom. 

He got dressed and made it downstairs without further injury, sulking as he entered the kitchen, hoping to at least have a decent cup of coffee before leaving the house. He opened the cabinet and reached up to where the coffee tin usually sat. The coffee tin that wasn’t there. The coffee tin he’d forgotten to pick up a replacement for at the store yesterday. 

He gripped the edge of the counter, letting out a frustrated sigh and hung his head momentarily in silent defeat.

It was the type of Monday that would make anyone want to climb back in to bed and try again tomorrow. 

It also happened to be his birthday. 

And despite everything else that had happened so far, that fact was hands down the worst thing about today.

Sarah had left for college two weeks ago, and this was the first birthday he’d spend without her since she was born. 

The first time she called after he’d dropped her off, she said she would come back to spend his birthday with him. He’d insisted that she should be focusing on making friends and having fun, not worrying about her old man. After some back and forth, she’d relented, settling for sending him a picture of a hastily written I.O.U for ‘one amazing birthday celebration’ on a pink post-it note after they’d hung up.

In lieu of any coffee to drink, he leaned against the breakfast bar with a glass of orange juice and sifted through the small pile of birthday cards until he found the one with Sarah’s handwriting on it. The card had an obnoxiously large badge on the front- ‘it’s my birthday’ emblazoned on it in giant red letters. He huffed a laugh at it, shaking his head. 

Inside, she’d written that she’d told her Uncle Tommy she wanted picture evidence that he had worn the badge to the office. He sent her a text, despite knowing she wouldn’t be awake for hours. 

Thanks for the card, kiddo. And the badge. Not sure it’s clear enough though, could be bigger. Love you.

He placed the badge securely in his jacket pocket, ready to pin on his shirt when he got to the office. He figured if he didn’t, he’d never hear the end of it. 

By the time he left the house that morning, Joel felt unusually lonely. He’d been doing fine the last couple of weeks, or at least that’s what he told himself. 

The day after he dropped Sarah off, he’d realised just how quiet the house was without her. He had immediately thrown himself in to work, spending long days at the office, doing out-of-character site visits and offering to take Tommy’s client meetings. Anything to stay busy. 

By the time he got home every night, he had just enough energy to heat up some dinner and fall in to bed. It felt like the old days, when Sarah was younger. The days where he would work every hour God sent just to keep a roof over their heads, making himself sick with stress. Except this time around he didn’t get to see her little smiley face every morning to remind him that it was all worth it. 

Joel tried to ignore the little lump in his throat as he climbed in to his truck that morning, earlier than he would normally leave. The house felt emptier than it ever had. 

The traffic on the way in to the city was a nightmare, and he had to park a couple of blocks further away from the office than he usually did because of road closures. By the time he found a spot and turned off his engine, he was utterly miserable, the idea of trudging to the office against crowds of other commuters did nothing to improve his mood. He grabbed his jacket and slammed the truck door shut, muttering to himself.

He groaned inwardly as he immediately hit the don’t walk signal at the first crosswalk. As he waited, the building on the corner next to him caught his eye. He took a moment to admire the dark wood and worn decorative trim around the windows. He squinted through the bright morning sunshine at the sign above the door. Harrison’s it read, in gold handwritten letters. 

The crosswalk signal sounded, but he didn’t move. He glanced through the pane of glass in the wooden door. It was a coffee shop. He hesitated a moment, standing on the sidewalk as people brushed past him. The faint smell of fresh coffee wafted out as the door opened and closed in front of him. He glanced at his watch; he had meetings stacked like bricks and emails waiting to be answered, but he could spare a little time. 

“Screw it, why not?” He muttered under his breath, pushing open the door. A bell chimed above him as he stepped inside.

The place was cosy; not too modern but not stuffy either, with dark wood floors and mismatched tables and chairs. Shelves filled with old books lined the walls, peppered with sepia-toned photographs and various pieces of historical- looking memorabilia. Eclectic but not overwhelming, 

He ordered a black coffee at the counter, unable to return the barista’s cheery smile as he paid, and decided to settle in a seat near the window, thinking how nice it might be to just watch the world go by for a little while.

He stared down at his wrist, at the watch that Sarah had fixed for him all those years ago. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it meant the world to him. He missed her. Missed the sound of the music drifting from her room, the clatter of her hurried footsteps when she was late for school, the terrible movies she made him watch, even the endless chatter about her friends, classes, and the soccer team she was part of.

He knew that this was the way it had to be. She was nineteen now, finding her independence and figuring out who she was outside of their little family unit. That had always been the goal, hadn’t it? To raise her to stand on her own two feet. She needed space to grow, to succeed and stumble, and she needed to do it without him hovering. He knew that.

Still, it didn’t make it any easier. 

The barista arrived with his coffee, pulling him from his thoughts. He muttered a thanks and took a sip, letting his eyes scan the other customers around him. 

Then he saw you. 

As soon as he laid eyes on you, it felt like everything around him exploded in technicolour and the world snapped in to sharp focus all at once. You were sitting a few tables away, staring at your computer screen, entirely engrossed in whatever was on it, oblivious to anything going on around you. 

Joel’s heart was suddenly thrumming in his ears as loud as waves. Everything surrounding you seemed vivid, bathed in the yellow glow of the sunshine streaming in through the window. 

A lock of hair slipped over your shoulder as you tilted your head, causing a gentle shadow to fall across your face. You tucked it back behind your ear with delicate fingers, focus unwavering. You were the the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. 

He blinked, the thrumming in his ears was joined by an unfamiliar feeling swelling right under his sternum. His palms felt sweaty and goosebumps started to spread up his arms. He felt hot and cold. He needed air. 

He downed his coffee, grimacing at the stinging heat against his tongue, grabbed his jacket in one hand and the empty coffee cup in the other to place back on the counter as he passed it, making every effort not to draw any attention to himself. 

He pushed past a queue of people waiting for their coffees and out of the door, bell jingling behind him as he stepped back in to the morning air. He sucked in a deep breath. The feeling in his chest- the one that had hit him like a freight train - was still there. 

He braced his hands on his hips, head tilting back to stare up at the pale blue sky. A little voice in the back of his mind pointed out it looked bluer than it had before.  

“Get it together, Miller,” he muttered towards the heavens, willing his pulse to stop racing.

It wasn’t like him to get flustered. He wasn’t the kind of man who let his emotions run away from him. He’d just had a tough morning, that’s all. He mused that this might be brand new biological perk, unlocked with another year of his 40s. 

He took another deep breath, willing the tightness in his chest to ease as he began to walk, eyes fixed on the concrete in front of him as he passed the windows.

By the time he made it to the office, he’d convinced himself that the strange feeling had been because of his bad morning and the sudden change in temperature from the coffee. A delayed reaction. A ‘funny turn’, as his Grammy used to say, nothing more. 

He stopped outside the glass doors, frowning at his faint reflection in them. He reached in to his jacket pocket and took out the badge Sarah had sent him. He pinned it to his shirt and took a deep breath. 

Weirdest damn birthday I’ve ever had he thought as he pulled open the door and walked inside. 

Next Chapter

[vqrtualheartss]

42!Miles x Black!Fem!Y/N ― “They sleepin' on you” part two

ᴅ☆ᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴀʏ|

Y'all didn't expect this huh (My bad for the 5- week wait pookiess― promise I love y'all) Anyways, part one Obviously there will be a part three in two weeks or less

The teased rain from the night before had eased up, a few sheer droplets appearing here and there, and the cold breeze making her aware of her exposed hair. Immediately after getting her body into comfort, (y/n) furrowed her brows in remembrance of her dream. It was of her and Miles going out and giggling, just like the day before ―just what she did not need―. Bringing her phone over her face, the reflection made her suck her teeth and staple a mental note to book a hair appointment today. As if her missing bonnet wasn't already the most out-of-place thing she needed, something on her phone sent her into a deeper confusion.

11:37 AM ― Oh damn? No, not that, that

Hi Miss Mysterious sleeping already?

It was easy to figure whom the person was, having known who was to call her by that name.

Yes I was 'sleeping already'. It was almost 2 in the morning nigga

I planted my phone face down with absolutely no expectancy of a reply. I mean, why would I expect one? After a quiet 3 minutes my phone pinged with a notification.

Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? miles trust and believe that i don't need you making me miserable right now ouch that hurt ... all that progress yesterday for nun?

I squinted my eyes, subconsciously tapping on the side of my phone still opened on Miles' thread. He did go through all that trial and tribulation. Ah, fuck it

myf, I just don't feel alright aight all good so.. so? dry ass texts ― message deleted i saw that okay and? pick up huh?

My phone started to ring, and with no immediate excuse to mind, I answered.

Miles had a PlayStation controller in his hands, headset tucked underneath his braids but the microphone attachment over his mouth still.

"Hello to you too (y/n)'s wall" "Real funny. Hi Miles"

"Just woke up?" Through the tiny window I could see him pressing back into the reclining gaming chair. It had purple streaks all over it

"hmm, how'd you know?"

Looking into my recent chats, I found the user I was looking for. "You sound like a man" My thumb lingered over the profile picture. Did I hear that jiggaboo right?

"Funny how I sound like one more than you do" I smirked at his new found expression, trying to sight any open bookings my stylist offered between the time-frame of today and Saturday.

"What's that shit to mean" He questioned with a defeated tone, his ever so nonchalant look mixed with petulance.

"Play silly games, win silly prizes" He rolled his eyes before fixing his posture and pressing harder into the controller. Sassy much?

꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ · Moving away from the phone unnoticed, (y/n) slumped herself to get ready for the 1pm appointment she barely managed to snatch.

Thank God for cancelling clients, she sighed with relief coming outside the bathroom wearing an off-the-shoulder shirt and casual sweats with her pre-washed hair in a loosely tied, top knot bun.

꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ · Retrieving her charging phone, she furrowed her brows, shaking her head and smiling at the flood of texts.

"you there?" "(y/n)" "(y/n)?" "everything good?" "atleast shake the phone if you're okay"

I sent him a text saying that I was fine, it didn't go through. "Weird" Grabbing a sizeable shoulder bag, I put my purse and card in it, texting my mother my location while closing the front door.

Being distracted placing my keys and phone inside the bag, a big pair of hands held onto my forearms. I screamed, squirming and forcing my way outside the grip before a hand covered my mouth. "Shut u― CHILL. SHH" I looked up at the person before tilting my head with an aloof expression, hitting a smiling Miles on his shoulder "Not funny" "Making me think that you were in danger isn't either―"

"Okay― Wait― How do you know where I live"

"Asked your friend"

Now what if I got kidnapped Would you complain?

He did a once-over at me, raising a brow

"Are you really wearing a mask just to do your hair ?" He shook his head, pointing to the bag I held.

"What―" I raised a hand over my mouth, clutching onto the bag of braids and speed-walking to the salon. "Late?" Because of you― "yea". Before I finished, he grasped onto my hand, dragging me through different lanes and shortcuts, call me crazy but some real kidnapping shit going on

"Calm, I don't plan on taking you away" "I said that out loud?" He chuckled softly at my dumbfounded expression.

Standing infront the lightly tinted, push-and-pull doors, I turned to him.

"How do you know so many― I don't even care― Just― Thank you for getting me here" "No problem" "Can you hold this for me?"

Giving him the bag of hair, I expected him to let go of my hand but nope. Instead he took his time slowly rubbing my thumb in patterns with his as I reached for my phone. We arrived earlier than expected.

"So, see you later?" "Who said I was leaving" He can't be serious "Suit yourself, I can't help if anyone hits on you. A lot of your fan-girls are probably in there" "Would you even be able to? Aren't you like 5"5?" "Not you flexing being a giraffe" "Not you not being able to"

Finally entering the store, we stood awaiting the hairdresser that told us to do so. I pinched Miles' hand with my index and thumb, forcing him to untangle them. He flicked my arm in retaliatilon but before I could do anything, I was embraced by the 20 year old stylist, Keziah. She's one of my close friends, basically an older sister to me, probably how I slipped into my appointment so quick.

We engaged in small talk as she led me over to her station. With my hair down and out, Miles snapped a picture, I posed with a peace sign before pointing at him. "I know, I know. I won't post it" Having no other way of showing gratitude, I made a heart sign, to which he photographed again.

Look who's getting comfortable with someone she swore she'd never talk to

"Y'all together?" "nah, he's my friend" "sure, but believe me, I've heard that from one too many people one too many times. It's all the same ending " "which is?" "the inevitable, falling in lovee"

She made a heart gesture with her fingers to which I playfully rolled my eyes to. In the vanity mirror I peeked Miles' head buried deep in his phone. Looking up, he smiled and waved. Aww

Deciding on knee-length knotless, as expected, the wait took a longg time.

꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ · Throughout the 8 hours (y/n) couldn't help but soften up at the things Miles did for her.

★ · When her neck hurt, he went out to buy a stuffed toy, earning laughs at the name he picked out for it ―Milo, despite not deciding the gender beforehand. Coincidence or not, it was in her favorite color, easily gaining its spot in her heart as a #1 gift. Maybe it was that or the fact that she got it from Miles, either way she adored it.

★ · For the umpteenth time she had reminded Miles of his freedom to leave, and each time he gave the same answer

"You can leave y'know" "Who said I wanted to"

★ · Halfway through, he fell asleep and seizing the opportunity, she took a picture unbeknownst that the flash was on and waking him. Snatching the plush from her hands as revenge, he laughed when she asked for it back with grabby hands.

"Okay, no. Milo is my child and therefore off-limits, give him back" "As Milo's biological father I believe I also get a say in who's care he's in" "And as Milo's biological mother and current guardian I want him back" "Nahh you'll be fine, sit still"

The teasing had Keziah chucking softly over (y/n)'s head, resulting in her putting on a forced anger expression that, however, quickly dissipated.

"Look, mami's angry Milo" "I hate you" "You love me"

★ · Nearing to the end with two braids left, she asked Miles his opinion on what to add. Miles he would've found it cheesy be it any other girl, but he felt happy, ―lovesick even― by her asking for his opinion on something so minor. 'The small things' he'd call it.

"Curls or no curls?" He thought long and hard before answering, he swore you'd look great with either. "Curls"

Closing her eyes as Keziah wrapped the end of her braids with curlers, she heard a buzz from her bag draped across his lap.

"Could you hand me that please?"

The new notification was a message from Miles. Looking at her phone, (y/n) couldn't help but smile.

"you ok?" "I've been ok for the last 13 times you asked" "I'm just worried about you" "What the fuck is tjag Fyt ??"

Spotting Keziah walking with a kettle in her hands she could only assume that was what he was referring to. Pointing at it, she tilted her head as if to ask:

"You mean that?"

He shook his head in response, watching closely as Keziah dipped her hair into the hot liquid. Slightly wincing in pain, he put Milo in her hold, it didn't go unnoticed by (y/n) how their fingers interlocked over the others before pulling away. Ouhh

꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ · Ending off the night with the ladies talking briefly, it finally dawned on (y/n) how late it was getting, ―deciding to pay and leave.

On the other side of the door they stood separated; no type of touch between the two. Miles had his hands in his pockets, (y/n) holding tightly onto Milo. Usually, she was so accustomed to the sting of fresh-braids but no sah, this time it didn't work out like that.

Walking, he looked over his shoulder to see me still put, holding onto the back of my head for dear life and rubbing it. Just how long was that water boiling for? "You good?" "No" my answer― even thought against my will― came off somewhat harsh, tiredness and pain driving me agitated. Now standing infront me, he silenced my ever occurring grunts with a hug? Placing his hand over mine, he started to knead away the pressure, the tension within fading. After some time he hoisted my chin with curled fingers. "Better?" I mumbled an incoherent "Mhm" falling back into his hold and wrapping my arms around him loosely.

I don't know why I did that, well, I'm trying to push away a few ideas but even they're too out-of-reach. Looking up at him, he smiled. I returned it, my half-opened eyes closing fully before I let out a yawn. Hurriedly, I slapped a hand over my mouth as he laughed "How 'bout we head back to your place, sounds good?"

I felt drunk with fatigue miserably stumbling over my own two feet. It didn't help that Miles was laughing like a rass hyena helping me up.

"Can't hold a joke?" I tilted my head, lazily crossing my arms "Come here" He dragged me nearer to him with one arm around my neck, hugging me as we walked. I thought our feet would get caught up from us walking so close, the idea made me giggle.

He guided me the way home and when I tell you that déjà vu hit like a bus, believe me. We sounded like those recordings that had people talking as if they're in their own little world with the calming songs in the background. (Hope it makes sense lol) If anything, a video from some vintage camera would make us look like starring actors playing school-kids from a sappy love-sick drama .

Nah, that's too far. It's just a friendly encounter, nothing to go feral about...yeah

-------- Heyy, it's Wednesday

Dropping my head into my palms, I scanned my bed. Usually, as you can tell, I don't wake up this early, but the pain from the braids was too much for my subconscious to bear even after being alleviated. It wasn't anything concerning or harsh on my scalp but― ugh― how do I explain― it's like when there's a mosquito right, it's not doing you anything but it's there and being bat-shit annoying.

I slapped my forehead repeatedly, waking up myself to get ready to conquer day 2/6 of holiday. Trust me, extra sleep would be greatly appreciated, but I think it's time to give my bed a rest. Throwing on cargo shorts and a loose-fitting top, I did my hair in a low bun with a headband after doing any chores I think I'd get penalized for ―nothing atrocious though. Just the regular like cleaning my room and doing my section of the roster―

----

Taking a water for myself, I slid a bottle of juice down to my sibling per her request. Dae, my 14 y/o sister, is almost a mini-me; she reads a lot, plays most games I do, and really really quirky ―in a good way though, fs . But unlike me, she's what you'd call a 'social butterfly' and a pretty one too, genes run strong in the family i guess.

Sitting on the counter-top I flicked through whatever the media had to offer, Dae staring at me with a knowing look and crossed arms. Glances like that would've normally been exchanged from the two of us but this time I had no clue what's going on

"Your boyfriend seems nice" "My who now?" "Y'know, your Prince Naveen with the braids that held you oh so close to his manly chest"

In the middle of her sentence she held overlapping hands over her arms and twirling. She talked in a ludicrous princess voice; to which I cringed heavily at, earning laughs from her.

"He's not my boyfriend" "Soo you're like that with all your male friends?" Which male friends? "NO―"

She started to eye me up and down with a cheeky smile. I looked at her blankly, eyebrows drawing nearer as her smile got wider. She opened her phone, scrolling through something before she brought it up to my hand, urging for me to hold it. It was a thread of messages

"Even ma' likes him" This the intervention or sumn' ? "Wait― Hold on― What?" "I was on a call with her, and not gonna lie. You looked drunk as hell"

Flashbackk ¦

"You can leave me here, my house is right around the corner" Lifting herself off of Miles' body, (y/n) pointed groggily towards a shop. Hissing his teeth, he brought her back to her original position with a soft pull on her arm. "If it's right there we can just walk. What if something happens to you?" Shrugging, she clinged onto his arm for support. Stunned by the sudden affection, it was hard to bite back the smile that cuffed his lips. He felt something dull surge within his body when she didn't smile back, well, when her eyes didn't squeeze together like they usually would.

¦ In the past few hours (y/n) found the walls she built for her own protection falter; the bits left crumbling every time she interacted with him. Miles Morales did something to (y/n), be it the way he looked at her, the things he did, the stupid stuff they talked about; whatever it was, it was serenating. But she knew giving in would could cost her a lot ― much more than her 'ghost' reputation, it was her sanity at stake.

For Miles, all that mattered was the girl tucked underneath his arm, it's hand intertwined with hers― a stance they were sure to grow fond of. Unsure why he was acting the way he was, he found himself wanting to do and be so much more than an 'accomplice' by her. He wanted to watch every late 90's romance-movie while taking down the braids he wished he could've funded for her. For her, he would splurge his life savings on anything she could ever want and need. Miles knew that the Ms. Independent in her would never let him, something he admired about her. He grew to admire a lot about her. She's going to work me hard

Right now, our favorite two were in front the (l/n)'s residence as she frantically searched for her keys. Opening the door, she stood nervously as Miles remained outside, (y/n) went back down the steps to face Miles before―

Flash ¦

Hiding her phone in an instant, Dae smiled innocently, chuckling softly as she made way to her room.

"My dearest princess Tiana, whenever you're done dreaming about your prince Naveen and you find yourself needing me. Well, which I hope not, I'll be playing Valorant's new season" "There's a new season?" With her head peeking out the door frame, she narrowed her eyes "I don't know, fuck around and find out"

Before I could say something she shut her door. Yup, mini-me. I took up my phone in reaction to the notification sound, it was a message from Lailah.

"Mind explaining why thee Miles Morales wants your house address?"

okay culprit.

"took his book on accident" "so what you're telling me is" "You saw miles in the flesh and blood within less than three feet?" "Eww lailah" "It sounds weird like that" "girl, you cannot tell me that you don't find him cute" "who?" "miles?"

If you want him girl take him, I certainly won't

"..obviously" "nope...you do?" "who doesn't" "I'm worried about you" "wtv"

I scoffed.

What's so special about him? He looks like every other guy, like literally. The only difference is probably his jawline, smile, eyes..how all his features just make him look so. so. so.. majestic? I hissed and laid down on the countertop, groaning when my hands couldn't push my head any deeper into the material as I accepted defeat. The image of just him doing anything could bring a smile and not a scowl to my face. Ew

I hate this― whatever that he's making me feel, I don't like it.

I'll be staring part three for my other story and also this one

[bcdrawsandwrites]

[ID: A Team Fortress 2 fanfic banner in the style of the game's achievement icons. A tattered yellow-white ID card is shown on a gray background. On the left side of the card is a stylized portrait of Miss Pauling, and on the right of the card is a stylized globe. On the right of the banner is the chapter's title in yellow-white, reading "CHAPTER EIGHT: IDENTITY THEFT" /end ID]

Flickering

Fandom: Team Fortress 2 Rating: K+ Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship Characters: Spy, Pyro, Miss Pauling, Medic, Heavy, Scout, Sniper Warnings: General references to trauma Fic Description: After the events of the comics, the mercs try to go back to how things were, but it’s never that easy.

Spy can see his teammates going through their own struggles… but something seems to be very, very wrong with Pyro in particular.

And since no one else seems to be doing anything about this, Spy makes it his mission to get to the bottom of what is troubling Pyro. For no particular reason.

Beta Readers: @mechmolar, @gonturan0, @junuve

---~~~---

Chapter 8: Identity Theft Summary: In which Spy makes use of his disguise kit.

---~~~---

Once again, Spy found himself staying on-base overnight. The drive out to the bookstore and back had been quite enough time on the road for him, after the little sleep he'd gotten the night prior, so he opted to stay rather than make the trip back home.

Fortunately the Pyro had not attempted another absurd bonfire that night, so those who chose to stay were able to sleep as well as they could. Which, for some, was not as well as might be hoped.

Spy woke before sunrise to the sound of voices—Medic's was the first he could identify, calm and authoritative and mildly annoyed, while the second was Heavy's, a low, quiet rumble. While normally he would not bother eavesdropping at such an early hour, the smell of blood from his dreams lingered in his nostrils, and he could do with a brief distraction. So, slipping out of bed, he crept to the door and listened.

"...have spoken with Herr Engineer about this, and no, it is not possible."

"Da, I know this."

"Then you did not have to wake me up at four in the morning."

"I did not mean to wake Doctor up. Only to check."

"That will not be necessary. If I am ever in mortal danger again, I will be sure to let you know."

Silence. No footfalls followed.

Medic went on, lowering his voice. "If it makes you feel better, you're not alone. That schweinhund keeps showing up in my nightmares."

"This... does not make Heavy feel better. Would like to help."

"You can do that by letting me sleep." The Medic sighed. "Tell you what—I can train Archimedes to come get you if there is a problem. Would this make you feel better?"

"...Da. I think so."

"Good. I can also prescribe you something to help you sleep."

"Maybe. Will see." A pause. "Goodnight, Doctor."

"Yes, good night."

Finally Heavy moved away, while Medic shut his door.

Spy stood for a moment, wondering if he should ask Medic for some sleep medication as well, but shook his head. No, he just needed to sleep in his own bed again, is all.

Yawning, he trudged back to the other side of the room and slipped into bed.

Everything was fine. They would be over this soon.

—-

Upon entering the mess hall, Spy abruptly remembered the events of yesterday when he found it near devoid of chairs and with multiple of his fellow mercs standing about awkwardly. Sniper lurked in a corner, nursing what was surely not his first cup of coffee; Engineer leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, eating a plate of eggs and bacon; Demo knelt awkwardly next to one of the tables, leaning his head against it; and Soldier sat in the only chair, shoveling burnt pancakes into his face.

Sighing, Spy turned away—perhaps today would be a good day to rest at home.

"The chair problem's bein' corrected," Engineer said, and Spy looked back at him. "Miss Pauling said she'd come deliver them herself."

Spy raised an eyebrow. "Good to know, but strange she would make the delivery herself."

Engineer shrugged. "I don't question these things."

"I don't expect you to," Spy muttered as he stepped past him and into the kitchen. Perhaps it would be beneficial for him to stay around a little while longer, if it meant he could speak with another potential source.

Breakfast went by quickly enough, and he hoped it wouldn't be much longer before Miss Pauling arrived. He had no desire to hang around the other mercenaries for the time being, and retreated to his bedroom, cracking open the window so he could hear Miss Pauling's vehicle when she arrived. He'd grabbed his book from his smoking room, but upon entering his room, he found his gaze drawn to the mirror.

Spy set down his book on his table and stood before the mirror. In one swift motion he whipped out his cigarette case and opened it. His gaze fell not upon his cigarettes, but the disguise kit. A few quick taps and a puff of smoke, and he found himself staring at the Engineer.

"Yee-haw, I struggle to pay attention to anything that is not made of metal!" he said mockingly in the Engineer's voice.

Rolling his eyes—invisible beneath those stupid goggles—he tapped the disguise kit again a few more times. A puff of smoke later, he was adjusting Medic's glasses. "I give pointless diagnoses and extremely unhelpful advice, and my lab reeks like a badly-maintained zoo!"

Spy shook his head, glancing down at the disguise kit again and looking through a few more disguises.

He paused.

He could, of course, turn into dead people. It was part of his modus operandi in battle—killing one of his enemies and then disguising himself as them in order to either sneak around or kill more of the enemy team. But...

For a long moment he stared at the name on the device, and, after a brief hesitation, hit the confirmation button.

When the smoke cleared, he was staring at Beatrice, the pyro of the former gray team. The disguise included her mask, but he removed it in order to stare at that face he remembered seeing what felt like a lifetime ago—the gray hair, the burn-scarred face, the singular eye. Yet... no, she still didn't look quite right.

Spy thought for a moment, then replicated a calm, smug grin.

There she was.

He would not soon forget that smile, nor the way it had twisted her face in dark, eager excitement as she looked at the Pyro.

"I like a challenge."

Spy shuddered as he spoke the words in her voice.

Admittedly, he sometimes felt joy at seeing his own enemies in pain. He might occasionally twist the knife—quite literally—but for the most part, he just did his job.

That was not, he knew, the case for this woman. This woman, who, when charged to interrogate them, asked Soldier one question before continuing to torture him, very clearly must have taken pleasure—joy, even—in what she did.

So what had she done to Pyro?

Spy lowered his head in thought. Off the top of his head, he knew what could be done to hurt most of his fellow mercenaries. Soldier, who took joy in his own torture, would have taken a severe blow to being told that he was not a true member of the United States armed forces. Heavy valued his family, and would potentially bend under threats made toward them. Engineer would be pained to see his hard work destroyed—not merely his beloved buildings, but his blueprints, which allowed him to rebuild them. He could go on, but there was no point. He knew what could hurt the others.

He did not know what could hurt Pyro—what had hurt Pyro. What had drained its life of color. What had brought it down to the point where if it dared to make a noise, it would degenerate into a panicked mess.

Looking up, he stared into Beatrice's eye.

"What did you do?"

He arranged her face into the same smug grin he saw the day she tortured Pyro, the day she died. And again he repeated the words he remembered her saying:

"I like a challenge."

Realization hit him like a sniper's bullet, and the disguise faded in a puff of smoke, leaving Spy staring wide-eyed at his own reflection.

His chest began to burn, and he stumbled over to his chair. A cigarette soon found its way into his mouth, hoping to cloud his disturbed thoughts, but his hands searched for his lighter, only to come up empty.

A motor rumbling outside interrupted his dazed thoughts, and initially he wondered where Sniper was off to before he remembered. Jumping up from his chair, he looked out the window and spotted a truck pulling in front of the base, and a familiar purple dress on the person stepping out of said truck.

Drawing in a breath, Spy straightened his jacket and exited his room. Perhaps he could talk to Miss Pauling about this—she may know something that he didn't.

But as he neared the front of the base—

"—I mean, you didn't have to come all the way out here just to see me, Miss Pauling!"

"I didn't. I came out here to deliver this myself because I knew if we sent someone else, you guys would shoot the delivery driver. ...Again."

Scout and Sniper had met Miss Pauling at the door, the latter sizing up the furniture in the back of the truck, and the former flexing his arms at every opportunity.

Scout shrugged. "Well, while you're here—"

"While you're here," Miss Pauling countered, "why don't you help me haul this stuff in." As she was turning away, she added, "Hi, Spy."

Scout looked over his shoulder, only to do a double-take. "What's with you? You seen a ghost or somethin'?"

Abruptly Spy realized that he'd been staring, and that the blood had drained from his face. But Scout was already shrugging and stepping out the door, followed by Sniper, who gave Spy a knowing look as he left.

"Yeah," Scout was saying outside. "I don't blame you for wanting first row tickets to the gunshow!"

"Oh! I'm going there with Heavy in a couple weeks, actually."

Gritting his teeth, Spy stormed into the mess hall, and, from there, into the kitchen. While normally he wouldn't bother with such menial tasks here, he removed his jacket and slipped some rubber gloves over his usual ones and began to wash the dishes that had been left to pile up in the sink. It would get him out of their way, and give him something to do while he waited for Scout to stop bothering Miss Pauling.

The sound of chair legs shrieking against the floor soon let him know that they were replacing the chairs in the mess hall. Above that, he could hear Scout's attempts at flirting, which might have amused him had it not made him remember a more dazed version of Scout's voice cracking jokes, when—

"Hey—hey! Heavy! Since when are you goin' on a date with Miss Pauling?!"

"What is Scout talking about?"

Seizing his opportunity, Spy yanked off the rubber gloves and whipped his jacket back on before hurrying out to meet Miss Pauling. He skirted past the utterly stupid argument unfolding in the mess hall and rushed out the front door, where he caught Sniper and Pauling both hauling in a new chair for the lounge.

"Miss Pauling," Spy said, and she gave him a grunt of acknowledgment. "May I have a word?"

"Yeah, sure, just let me—"

Spy approached one of the free sides of the chair and helped lift it up, bearing some of its weight.

"Oh, thanks!" She gave him a relieved smile, and the three of them carried the chair through the base and into the lounge, where they set it down. Wiping her brow, she heaved a sigh. "Sheesh, Pyro did a number here, huh?"

"Yeah," Sniper said, leaning against the chair. "Like I said, you shoulda' seen that bonfire it made!" He gestured with his hand in an attempt to indicate the height.

"Actually," Spy cut in, "that's what I wanted to talk with you about."

Miss Pauling raised an eyebrow. "The bonfire?"

Spy gave a quick look around—he hadn't seen Pyro yet today, but he didn't want to take a chance that it was anywhere nearby. Frowning, he motioned for Miss Pauling to follow him outside.

"Is it the furniture?" she asked, bewildered, as she followed. "I'm sorry, Spy, but we can't afford stuff that's as nice as what you have in your smoking room for every—"

"It's not that," Spy said as they stepped out the front door again. He looked back to see the Sniper had followed them out, but there was no reason to send him away. "It's... about the Pyro."

"Pyro?" Miss Pauling echoed. "I mean, it's not that weird for it to be setting fires."

"No, it's been acting strange. More violent on the battlefield, and strangely silent. It... managed to communicate recently that it no longer sees color."

"Oh, man..." Miss Pauling's brows knit with sympathy, and she lowered her head for a moment, only for it to shoot back up. "Oh! Do you think this is from whatever the enemy pyro did to it?"

"That is exactly what I think." He automatically tried to take a drag from his cigarette, only to remember it wasn't lit to begin with. With a growl, he tossed it to the ground and stomped it. "While I have yet to figure out the specifics of what happened... I may have figured out at least one of the details."

Both Miss Pauling and Sniper leaned forward in interest.

"Pyro has been silent, but I do not think it wants to be. However, whenever it does vocalize, it falls into a panic."

Miss Pauling looked down in thought, frowning. Meanwhile, Sniper hummed, and Spy wondered if some gossip about the incident at Medic's lab had gone around.

"Furthermore," Spy went on, "the enemy pyro took an interest in our Pyro when that idiot Soldier let slip that it could not talk."

He let that sink in for a moment. Sniper's brow furrowed, while Miss Pauling's head suddenly shot up, her eyes wide.

"I believe," he said, eyes narrowed in disgust, "the enemy pyro may have punished it for saying anything other than the information she desired."

Sniper scoffed. "That's ridiculous. Pyro can't talk—not with normal words, anyway."

"Exactly my point. She—"

"She saw it as a challenge!" Miss Pauling exclaimed, her face going pale. "She wanted to see if she could force Pyro to talk!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "Poor Pyro..." After a moment, she straightened, jabbing her thumb at the truck behind her. "I mean, all this is still coming out of its paycheck, but still."

"Bloody wankers," Sniper growled. "But what'd they even do to it?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Spy said, and looked at Miss Pauling. Sniper followed his gaze.

"...Wait," he said, pointing at Miss Pauling. "You knew about my birth parents, and where I came from. You gotta know something about where that bloke came from, or what it even is."

Miss Pauling winced. "Look, the Administrator wouldn't even tell me about it, so I'm as much in the dark as you are. Heck, she only told me about your parents because they were a lead on the world's remaining Australium."

Gritting his teeth, Sniper turned away.

"Surely there must be something you know?" Spy asked.

"Yeah—a lot! Just nothing in particular about Pyro, other than that it's not human." She rubbed her forehead. "Look—Medic might know something—"

"His knowledge is limited, as Pyro does not cooperate with examinations. What little he does know is classified."

"Ah, right. Just between him and the Administrator, huh?" Heaving a sigh, she tipped her head back. "Look, Spy... I'd really like to help you—or help Pyro, anyway—but I'm not sure what I can do."

"Well, Miss Pauling, given your unique position, I think there might be something you could do to retrieve the information I need. Even just to persuade the Administrator to—"

Miss Pauling gave a forced, humorless laugh. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Sorry." When Spy gave her a look, she softened. "No, seriously, I am sorry. But with how badly everything went with that last mission, I—" She cut herself off, and swallowed.

Spy looked at her for a moment, and she looked back, and he nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Thanks," she replied, her shoulders drooping. "I hope Pyro will be okay. It's nice of you to look out for it."

Spy shrugged. "It was merely a mission I gave myself, since no one else was looking into it."

Feeling the hair rise on the back of his neck, he knew Sniper was staring at him—for what reason, he didn't know, but he would not look back.

"Great!" Miss Pauling smiled, oblivious to the tension between the two mercenaries. "Sniper, could you help me get the last one?"

"Sure thing, mate." The Sniper followed Miss Pauling over to the back of the truck, but as he passed, gave Spy another look—one that seemed to say, we need to talk.

Absolutely not.

Frowning in thought, Spy hurried back into the base, heading down a few hallways until he neared the medical wing. There he stopped, looking around to make sure there was no one else around. There was no sign of anyone else heading this way, and, creeping up to the doors and listening, he could only hear Medic's voice speaking softly to Archimedes.

Casting one last look to assure himself he was alone, Spy whipped out his disguise kit.

A moment later, Miss Pauling burst into the lab. "Medic—? Oh, good, you're here."

Medic looked up, his eyebrows raised, while Archimedes fluttered up to the ceiling and Aristotle squeaked. "Ah, Miss Pauling! Good to see you!" the Medic said, smiling as he strolled up to meet her. "Finally come for your follow-up appointment? I've almost got the blood type separation technique worked out—"

"Uh, no, not today. I'm in a bit of a time crunch—since we set up office again, the Administrator realized she's missing some of the mercenaries' medical files, and I haven't had the chance to come out here until now."

Medic sighed. "Very well," he said, turning toward his filing cabinet. "Which ones did you need?"

"Just Scout, Soldier, and Pyro," she replied.

"Oh, you're in luck! I just updated Pyro's file recently."

"Yeah, great." Distractedly Miss Pauling looked around the lab, her eyes falling on Aristotle's, which were narrowed at her suspiciously. "Oh, uh, is... that the monkey you got from—never mind."

"Ja, he is!" Medic smiled as he went through the folders. "Say hello to the lady, Aristotle."

Aristotle hissed and scampered up to Medic's side.

"Now, now, that's no way to behave around patients like Miss Pauling!" Turning around, Medic wagged a finger at the baboon. "Only the bad patients. Now!" He held up the papers and looked up at Miss Pauling. "I'll make some copies of these and send you on your way. Stay here."

Miss Pauling held out a hand to protest, but Medic was already hurrying out the door. She watched him leave before turning back to Aristotle, who continued to glare at her. Then, in a deep, masculine voice that was not Miss Pauling's, she said, "What are you staring at?"

Shrieking, Aristotle scampered up on top of the filing cabinet and hid behind a pigeon nest.

Sighing, Miss Pauling crossed her arms, looking around the lab as she waited. Hearing the door open, she spun around. "Thanks, Medi—" The word caught in her throat.

Sniper stared at her from the doorway, holding out the copies of the medical records. "Looking for these, ya bloody wanker?"

"Uh, hi, Sniper!" She gave a nervous grin. "What are you doing here?"

"Dragging you out before Medic gets back." With that, he grabbed Miss Pauling's wrist and yanked her toward the doors.

"Sniper, what—?!"

His head whipped back to look at her. "Medic nearly chased the real Miss Pauling out the door to hand her these. I offered to run them out to her myself." He rushed her out the med bay doors and further down the hall, taking a couple turns before he slowed.

Meanwhile, Spy's disguise faded as he yanked his sleeve away from Sniper's hand. "I hope you've been washing your hands," he grumbled, dusting his sleeve off.

"You're welcome." Sniper stopped, and turned to face him.

"Now..." Spy reached for the papers. "Hand them over, bushman."

Sniper held the papers further away. "Tell me what this is about first."

Spy glared. "You already know what this is about."

"Oh, I do. It's you I'm not so sure about."

Rolling his eyes, Spy made another grab for the papers, only for Sniper to hold them away again. "You heard what I told Miss Pauling. I'm on a mission to find out what's happened to Pyro, and you are currently withholding vital intelligence for said mission."

"Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that," Sniper said, his voice low.

"What are you talking about?"

Sniper leaned in closer, and Spy leaned back. "Funny, ain't it, how the one you decide to buddy up with is the one who can't talk back. Can't ask you what's wrong, or what you're running away from."

Anger bolted down Spy's spine. "Are you accusing me of being a coward? You're the one who hides in one place for an entire match!"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, Spy." Even with his sunglasses, it was clear that Sniper was glaring at him. "Don't you. Or d'you have it buried so deep you don't even remember what you're buryin' anymore?"

"Stop talking nonsense and give me the papers!" Spy growled, making another swipe for them.

This time, Sniper let him snatch the papers, and leaned back. "...You really don't know, do you?"

Quickly he folded the papers and shoved them into his inner coat pocket before they could be grabbed away again. "What?"

Sniper went quiet for a long moment, before shrugging and turning away. "Nothing. Guess maybe you'll have to dig it up on your own."

Spy glared after him, but he was already heading away. He wasn't going to be digging anything, thank you—not in his suit, anyway. Instinctively he dusted off his sleeve again and hurried back up to his room, where he hopefully wouldn't be bothered any further.

Once safely in his room, Spy whipped the papers out of his pocket, unfolded them, and sat at his desk to read them over. For a moment he was confused at Soldier's papers being at the top before he recalled he'd asked for three of the mercs' medical records to avoid suspicion. He set the pages aside, and his eyes brightened at seeing the Pyro's class logo printed on one of the pages. He'd read this one before, when he'd first sneaked into Medic's lab, but now he had free access to all the information he needed. Setting aside the first page, he looked at the second.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the large text, reading:

DO NOT attempt to clean skin!!

Brows furrowed, he skimmed some of the writing after that, but there was no further information written on this point. Of course, he should have expected that—these were mainly for the Medic's reference, after all. Still, the other notes might prove useful. There was a recent date written, followed by more information:

Patient has submitted to a partial physical! Can be bribed with candy.

However, patient strongly resisted blood pressure and thyroid tests, likely due to recent trauma/shellshock. (Will try again later.)

"Goggles" seem to be a form of eyelid. Dense transparent lenses protect eyes beneath. Seems to be incapable of blinking.

Spy paused for a moment, and shuddered.

Heart rate elevated, though may or may not be due to anxiety. Normal heart rate unknown. More examination is necessary!

The notes on that page ended there, and Spy nearly crumpled them in frustration. Instead, he read them over again, his eyes drawn to the larger text once more. The previous page had noted the layer of soot coating Pyro's body, which Spy had witnessed himself. Could the soot be a protective layer? Or, perhaps, attempting to wash Pyro's skin resulted in injuring whatever poor sap attempted it. It did have a higher body temperature than normal—warm enough to burn someone, perhaps?

There was something there, he was sure. But what, he didn't know.

Sighing, he set the page aside, only to realize there was more beneath it.

Name: Jeremy—

Spy knocked a vial of ink over the papers, by complete accident and nothing more.

Some time later, he exited his room, and nearly bumped into the Pyro. Before he could stop himself, he held out the crumpled, ink-stained papers. "Here," he said. "Take these and burn them."

Pyro perked up and took the papers, but stared back at Spy, tilting its head.

Spy snorted. "How often does anyone give you kindling?"

Pyro stared at him a moment longer before turning back into its room, fishing its lighter out as it went. Spy watched it go, until it shut the door behind itself. With another sigh, he made his way down the stairs, only to stomp his foot on one of the steps.

That was his lighter!

[ourfatherwhoartinhell]

Bad day snuggle fic with Primo? He deserves to be spoiled so so so badly

Primo x reader (platonic) fluff

Word count: 1395

A/N: I hope this is kind of what you were looking for? I am so sorry it took so long to get to! Enjoy!!

Fic requests are OPEN ✅

...

Today was not going his way. From the moment he woke up, Primo had been facing anything and everything going wrong. He went to brush his teeth? No toothpaste left. Went to take a shower? The ghouls had used up all the hot water. 

He woke up late for the first time in 100 years and he was beginning to wish he never woke up at all.

With a grumble he walked out to the gardens, hoping to find some peace amongst his flowery friends. He hadn’t finished up the work he wanted to get done yesterday. Thinking the sunshine would fix everything, he took a deep breath as he put one foot in front of the other and stepped out into the fresh air. 

Peering out across the yard, it looked like he would be left to his own devices for the most part. It wasn’t that he was a grumpy fellow, but today was trying his unholy amount of patience. He didn’t want to make any of the Siblings upset with his grumpy attitude, and almost tripping over his robes as he went down the steps was not helping.

“Saint Lucifer…”

He walked slowly over to his flower patch, and began tending to his leafy companions. The beautiful hues of blue, purple, pink and white shining brightly under the midday sun as he worked. Some would say that the plants and flowers perked up at his presence. Bending their stems all right ways to help him prune easier, glowing as he gave them soft words of encouragement to grow strong and healthy.

Primo loved working in the garden, it was warm and comforting. It brought him immense joy and happiness. However today it seemed a lot more like work than usual. The arthritis in his hands and fingers making it quite painful to close the scissors and pluck weeds around the stems and hold the watering can.

With a pained groan, the scissors fell out of his hands and onto the ground. The Rhododendron he was working on almost resting its leaves over his arm in comfort.

“You’re right little ‘dendron, maybe that’s enough for today.”

You were walking through the garden when you heard Primo’s frustrated sigh, quickly making your way over to find him sitting on the ground.

“Papa! What are you doing on the ground?”

He looked up at you and tried to give a small smile, but you could tell it was quite pained. “I’m fine my dear. Just… resting.”

You noticed how he clutched and rubbed at his knuckles and hands with a look of discomfort. With a small roll of your eyes you bent down to help the ancient one to his feet. He wobbled and grasped your arm for stability as his vision faded and quickly returned, an unfortunate side effect of standing too quickly.

“Thank you, amore. I do think I need some rest, would you care to help me to the gazebo?”

“Of course, Papa.”

The two of you slowly walked arm in arm. Headed towards a large gothic gazebo that stood in the middle of the elegant garden, you made a point to hold up Primo’s robes to avoid another tripping hazard. The gazebo had 2 steps up to a round platform, two plush chairs sat on either side with a comfy couch with pillows decorating the centre.

“You need to take better care of yourself, Primo. What’s happened today, you aren’t yourself.”

Helping him up the couple steps, you two plopped down onto the very comfortable couch sharing a tired huff and a chuckle.

“The dark one is testing me today, Cuore mio. I wake up unfashionably late and look what happens.” He holds out his shaking hands, attempting to bend his fingers. They only get so far before he hisses in discomfort. “I barely got to tend to 4 of my flowers this afternoon.”

With a sad smile you take his hands in yours, massaging his pained joints in hope to bring him some comfort.

“The world will not end if you take a day off, you know. You probably needed the rest, you work yourself too hard, Papa.”

Primo let out a small chuckle, gently patting your head. “I would not care to find out if that’s true, but perhaps today you are right.”

You leaned in closer, resting your head on his shoulder while Primo wrapped his arms around you. He was genuinely enjoying the company as he brushed the last of the garden dirt and grass off of his robes. Since you picked him up off the ground, things have started going right. In your embrace his mind finally went quiet. All the bad things that happened today faded away and his frustrations ceased.

He laid back against the back of the couch, grabbing a pillow as he guided you to lay in his lap. You both sat together in silence, taking in the sound of birds chirping in the trees and the wind whistling through the branches. It was exactly what he needed, but would never admit.

“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything? Excuse my manners, I never asked about your day.”

“You don’t need to ask about my day, today is about you,” you tutted.

“Oh I am fine. I am always fine.”

“Yes but sometimes it's nice to have people look after you, yes?” You looked up at his softened expression.

“Of course.” He said, running a hand through your hair gently, leaving a small tender kiss on your forehead. “Thank you for taking such good care of me. My bad mood has been lifted, and my day brightened. Grazie mille.”

“Oh, Primo! I almost forgot!” You carefully jumped up from his lap to kneel next to the basket you brought out to the gardens. Rummaging through the goods inside, you pulled out some freshly baked muffins and scones, some cream and a bottle of pressed juice from the kitchens.

“I was coming out here for a little picnic, but I found you instead and you’re not allowed to let me enjoy these goodies alone!”

You pulled the glass coffee table closer and laid out the food and glasses on it. Pouring a glass for Primo and then yourself. You delighted in the opportunity to spoil him since he often got forgotten within the Ministry. 

Primo mainly got friendly “Hello’s!” as he passed Siblings and Clergymen in the hallways, but nothing more. In his retirement he no longer had much of a role to play, but you loved all the conversations you had with the older Papa. He was full of interesting fun facts and stories, you made it your life's mission to hear everything he was willing to share.

Spreading the cream on a scone, you placed it on a plate with a muffin and some grapes and handed it to him with a smile.

“I can get my own plate, amore. I am fine.” He returned the same smile.

“I know,” You shrugged. “I was putting one together for me anyway.” 

Returning to your place beside him on the couch and trying the muffin, you noticed him struggling to grab a grape off the stem.

“Oh Papa, Mi dispiace. I forgot.” You grabbed the entire thing off his plate and picked off each grape, discarding the stem. You even put them into a separate small bowl so they wouldn’t run away.

“Thank you very much, Amore. My arthritis is quite bad today, si? We must be getting some rain.”

“At least the plants and flowers will be happy! It’s been a bit dry lately.”

Primo nods as he takes a bite of the scone and hums in delight.

“Did you bring my favourite buttermilk raspberry scones just because you like me, or were you hoping for another story?” 

Your face flushed slightly embarrassed and looked at him with hopeful eyes. “If you had another story I wouldn’t be opposed to hearing it.”

“For you, I will tell all my stories… so one day you can tell them when I am gone.”

It was mid afternoon when he began. The sun began to set as the story came to an end, the juice now empty and the plates carrying the crumbly remains of muffins and scones. Your mind once again alive as you followed along in another of Primo’s many exciting adventures.

[mybelovedwoo]

in which you drank more than you could handle

wooyoung x f!reader

fluff, angst, established relationship / wc: 2k

warnings: drinking irresponsibly, unconsciousness, mention of throwing up, passing out, injuries, blood, mention of food

note: this is where my last headcanon came from. if you haven't read it yet you can find it here:) if you want to be tagged in any of my fics you can enter here <3

wooyoung mastelist - main masterlist

You are somewhere between dreamland and reality when you feel the strong sunshine burning your eyelids. Usually, you have very intense dreams, but today you woke up not remembering any of them, you feel like you just had the best sleep in a very long time. You turn over to the other side so you can finally open your eyes without getting blind.

When you open both eyes, you feel as if your head is about to split open. You wonder what is this terrible headache, maybe you are getting sick? You start thinking back to what you did yesterday, that made you feel this way, but you don't remember much after you went out for dinner with your friends.

You try to sit up, but to do that, you have to support yourself up because your head is pulling you back to bed. You slip into your warm slippers and head toward the kitchen. Your bag and shoes from last night are on the floor in the living room. And you finally reach your destination in the kitchen, you see the huge mess there, you swear to god you left everything clean when you left yesterday. When did you even have time or ability to cook?

You just need a coffee and you will be fine, you think. But before that, you make your way to the bathroom, because you don't know how much water you drank yesterday, but you really need to pee ever since you woke up. When you enter the bathroom, you are greeted by a very interesting sight. The sink is full of bloody tissues. You got really scared. Are you injured by any chance somewhere? You look over every part of your body, but nowhere do you see anything unusual, except for some purple bruises.

You are deep in your thoughts when you leave the room, and just then the front door opens and your boyfriend enters your apartment, in his hands there is a bag full of things.

"Oh, are you up already?" He is surprised. He walks over to the kitchen counter and puts everything down from his hands. Then he walks up to you. "How are you feeling?" He asks.

The frames of last night suddenly play through your mind.

You run to the door when you hear someone ringing your doorbell nonstop. You already know who it is, who is so impatient, that can't wait even a minute for you to get there in a normal space.

"Omg, Wooyoung I gave you a key for a reason. You can use it whenever you like, you know that right?" You open the door for him, with hands on your hips.

"But I can't possibly know what you're doing in there, what if I interrupt something?" You can see a mischievous look on his face. "You just like it if I open the door for you, aren't you?" You already know him well enough to know he has other intentions.

"I like it when you greet me with a kiss, what's wrong with that?" He said it with a pouty voice. He is seriously so cute, you think. "So where is my kiss then?" You made a quick peck on his lips and pulled him inside. "What is this big rush, that I can't even get a proper kiss from my girlfriend?"

"The others are already there Babe. I hate to be late you know that." You said as you were putting on your shoes and your jacket. When you're finally ready to go you pull Wooyoung out of your apartment by his hands and literally rushed to the restaurant.

As you said before everyone else was there already, they had a really big table for themself. Yunho was the first one who noticed that you have arrived. "Oh, the real party finally came!" He shouted, and everybody turned towards you.

"You couldn't wait for me to arrive, aren't you?" Wooyoung felt flustered by his mates' comments, suddenly he became all smiley. "Not you, you dumbass. Y/N! She is more fun than anybody here." Hongjoong confessed while Wooyoung seemed really disappointed, so you grabbed his hands and squeezed them to cheer him up.

"Come Y/n, you're already behind us, you have to have at least one drink with each one of us." Jongho speaks from behind, everybody seems tipsy already. 

"Can I at least order my food first?" You joked with them, sitting down at the end of the table with your boyfriend. 

After a couple of hours, you really did drink with all eight of your friends and even beyond that. Of all the people, it was Mingi who was almost at the same level as you. He grabbed the bottle and poured another round for the two of you, but your boyfriend took the glass away from you before you could drink it. "I think she had enough for today." And he drank that shot himself. It was known that Wooyoung handled alcohol very well, but he didn't drink that much tonight on purpose. When he drinks with you, he never dares to relax, not because he feels tense or something, but because he wants to be himself around you all the time and take care of you if something goes wrong.

"Come on man! Don't be such a party killer. Y/n is a big girl, she can decide for herself, right?" Mingi didn't have any bad intentions, but little did he know, you definitely had enough to drink, because you heard everything, but weren't able to answer. It's like someone is blocking your brain and the ability to speak up.

Wooyoung put your arms around his neck, so it would be easier for you to get up, he didn't dare to let go of you. "Hey Sweetheart, can you get up on your own?" He whispered to your ears, he didn't want anybody else to hear, because he knew you would get embarrassed. You looked up at him and said "Of course I can, but I like it better in your arms Handsome" with the biggest smile on your face.

Your boyfriend is so glad that you are drunk now and can't make fun of how flustered he got by your sudden flirting, but he couldn't deal with that right now. He had one thing on his mind and that is he needs to get you home safe.

While he was calling for a taxi, you were clinging to his waist the whole time, to stay balanced. The ride home was a whole other journey, that Wooyoung thought was the most stressful experience of his life so far. The battle of you throwing up or not, with a fully open window and the slowest drive ever, he couldn't believe when he got out of the car in front of your apartment complex that he survived.

When you got into your apartment, you said that you felt completely fine now, and he could go home if he wanted to. He knew from this sentence that you weren't fine at all because you would never refuse a sleepover with him, he knew how much you loved when he cuddled you to sleep.

"Baby, what about you taking a really good shower then I put you to bed, hm?" He was so desperate to complete this mission.

"But I'm really hungry...I think I'll cook something." You opened the fridge and started to get some stuff out that didn't really make sense, like a couple of eggs, ketchup, and orange juice. It is a known fact that you cannot cook, but somehow you felt the sudden urge to learn it in the middle of the night. Wooyoung walked up to you and took the knife away from your hand, he knew it is already dangerous in your hand in general, not speaking when you were drunk, the sight terrified him. "What if I cook you something until you have your shower?" He couldn't believe he had to cook you dinner, after having dinner at the restaurant.

"So you're not gonna join me, huh?" He was surprised by your boldness, he really liked it when you acted like this on any other occasion. But he knew he can't do that, not when you are in a state like this. "Not today." But he gave a small peck on your lips.

-

Wooyoung was almost done with his Haejangguk when he heard a loud thud coming from the bathroom. At first, he didn't know what it could be, but knowing you, how clumsy you are, he knew something was wrong. He immediately ran up to the door and knocked on it. "Hey, is everything okay there?" He did want to just break the door in you. But when he didn't get an answer he had no other choice, and when he opened the door his worst nightmare was in front of his eyes, something that only happens in nightmares. You passed out right in the middle of the shower.

He never was this afraid in his life, he opened the shower door, the water was still running. The first thing he checked was if you had any injuries, you might have hit your head badly, so he was ready to rush into the hospital. But gladly he didn't find any injuries on your body. He pulled you out of that cold shower cabin and close the water. He accidentally cut himself on the big chaos with his razor on the sink when he was looking for your towel, at the moment he was the least concerned about that. He took a handful of tissues and wiped the blood off his wound.

"You joined after all?" He felt like he could breathe again when he heard your voice. He hugged you tightly to himself. 

He wrapped you up in a towel, and swooped you up in his arms then brought you to your bed. He found the perfect pajamas for you, it was your comfiest one, and he helped you put it on. Then when he pulled your blanket all the way up to your neck he couldn't help himself but admire your face for a little while. "Please don't scare me like this ever again." He stroked a piece of hair out of your face, but you were already dozing off.

-

Oh fuck, last night was an actual nightmare. You took Wooyoung's hand in yours to take a closer look. And there it is, that cut from last night. "How is your hand?" You ask very concerned. You feel very guilty, it's partly your fault.

"Do you remember what happened?" You wish you would not remember anything, maybe then it would be easier to face the people from yesterday. This whole situation is just so embarrassing, you knew you were not a heavy- weighted drinker before, but this never happened before.

"Unfortunately." You say quietly, maybe he wouldn't hear it. You must have been such a pain in the ass for poor Wooyoung. And what are the others think of you right now? You would rather bury yourself in the deepest hole if you could. "I'm so sorry." You looked down ashamed.

"Don't worry, it happens to everyone sometimes. The others are in worse conditions, I think you won after all." His words comforted you a little, but there was still a thing that bothered you. 

"You haven't answered me yet. So how is your hand? Does it hurts a lot?" You placed your palms on his chest, while he was looking for the right words to say because he didn't want you to worry too much about him. "It's not that bad I swear. I was just careless." Huhh if he was careless, then what were you? "I'm more worried about your head, to be honest. Do you feel anything unusual?" He strokes your head gently.

"It hurts a lot, but it's nothing more than a simple hangover." He placed a soft kiss on your cheek as you reassured him. 

The rumbling of your stomach ruined this intimate moment. "Are you hungry? I made some Haejangguk last night." Ohh so it was him, mystery solved. Then you didn't miraculously learn how to cook in the middle of the night. What a pity.

-

taglist* @laylasbunbunny @yeow6n (you can message me if you want to be added or removed)

[writing-whump]

Heart

Isaiah was happy. So very happy he could burst.

That's why, when he woke up on Sunday with a squeezing sensation around his chest, he decidedly ignored it. There was no way he was going to let any of that ruin the happiness he found.

He managed incredible things this year. A pack, sort of a balance between his duties and job, his girl, his brothers...everything was working out. Better than he planned, better than he hoped.

Isaiah was healed. The heart troubles started when he left the Wolfson pack—when the years of his father's abuse and damage to his shadow tore through once he was somewhat safe—but that was over now. The issues were fixed, the hurts were mended, the wrongs were righted.

His soul was healed. There was no reason why his shadow or his heart should be giving him any trouble.

It was very early in the morning, but Isaiah liked to wake up that soon. He could make breakfast, enjoy the peaceful morning, get himself ready before turning his attention to everyone else.

So he was feeling a little lethargic today. Nothing specifically wrong or hurting, just this strange general feeling of malaise, like he was coming down with something. Simple fatigue he could shake off.

Maybe he was a little lightheaded as he was making coffee. There was this mild tingling in his jaw and arms, like tiny needles prickling him there.

Isaiah decided he better shake that off before anyone noticed. How lucky was he that he always managed to get through his heart episodes without Seline noticing? It was the key to happiness.

Cause he was going to fix it. Himself. By being happy.

"You are awake early," Matthew greeted him with a yawn, hair all ruffled from sleep.

Isaiah put the freshly made coffee on the table, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "I'm glad you are taking a break from running. Feeling better again? You can go back to sleep."

Matthew huffed at him but ended up on the couch, eyes still sleepy and gluing together. "Where are you going? So dressed up and ready."

Isaiah shrugged. "I think I'll go for a quick walk before Seline wakes up and stop by the store and make Tiramisu. We need cakes that don't need to be baked in this heat."

Matthew shook his head at him. "Aren't you overdoing it a little?"

"But it's so fun," Isaiah said with a giant smile spilling on his face. "Be right back."

Isaiah left quickly after, walking briskly. The streets were still empty this early on Sundays, it felt like he was the only resident in a town of ghosts. He relished the quiet.

And the fresh air. Surely this fatigue or what it was could be shaken off.

Isaiah didn't want to slow down, but once he reached the big shopping mall, he was panting for breath. Maybe he was the one who should start running. Workouts and sparring were good, but he was not supposed to be out of breath this quickly.

Ah whatever. He would shop, make the cake. It was a good excuse to invite Hector and Arnie over as well. Having them all in one place, making them closer could be fun.

The needle prickles were growing more intense as he reached the inside. Isaiah braced against the wall for a moment, catching his breath. What was with the tingling? He was also covered in sweat, though it wasn't hot yet. Come on, now. He wasn't walking that fast.

Everything was fine. He was fine. There hadn't been a happier phase in his life. It couldn't be more alright than it was.

Then why was his chest squeezing and heart flipping like something terrible was about to happen?

Isaiah made a few more steps towards the glass railing with the view of the underground floor with the shops. The world was coming in and out of focus, black spots dancing in his vision. Like he was about to pass out.

He hadn't eaten yet; he had just had some coffee. It was hunger. Or he was exhausted; that should be it. His stomach was clenching like a fist was in his insides, pulling it in. Heartburn from yesterday?

It was fine. He was fine.

His left arm, jaw and neck were prickling. A persistent ache demanding his attention. A sudden retch had him pushing away from the railing.

He was fine.

Though maybe he should find a bathroom first. Something wasn't agreeing from yesterday. That was it.

He stumbled towards the public bathrooms and locked himself inside the stall. Sweat was covering his face, his arms, his neck, he was overflowing with it. His chest felt constricted like he couldn't get enough air in. Not around whatever the big rock was, that was currently crushing his ribcage.

Isaiah doubled over. His limbs were shaking so much he had to kneel on the floor, retching towards the toilet. The coffee came up with a violent splash.

He couldn't breathe. He grabbed at his shirt, ripping the buttons away to free his neck up. Clutched at the left side of his chest, where his heart was beating at crazy speed along his harsh breathing. The prickling turned to pain, shooting up from his chest towards his back, his arms.

He retched again. His chest was being squashed, his ribs turning into dust. The sense of impending doom worsened, blood rushing in his ears.

Not now. Please, not now. He was happy, he didn't have time for this.

People died because they succumbed. He had read about experiments with prisoners who were told they had poison applied to their veins although it was nothing toxic and died from believing it. He would let no such thing happen. He would will himself to fight back.

He would not lose this. Not now. Just not now.

His body sank under gravity towards the floor. He couldn't really feel it, he couldn't feel anything past the overwhelming pressure over his chest, unrelenting and all-consuming.

It had never felt this bad before.

The last thing he remembered was someone knocking at the door, asking if he was alright.

...

Isaiah was taking a long time with that shopping.

Seline woke up earlier, impatient to see him. She was so happy after everything from yesterday she couldn't wait. When he wasn't coming while she sat in the living room next to dozing Matthew, she even went up to change. Get all ready so they could make the cake together. Have breakfast on the balcony before it got too hot.

She ended up texting Isaiah where he was, but he didn't read it. Weird.

Then an unknown number appeared on her phone. Seline was tempted not to take it, but oh well. It would work as a distraction.

She took the call. Had to stand up while she listened and then leaned against the couch so suddenly she thought she would fall.

Isaiah Wolfson, yes? Emergency contact. Hospital. Can you come?

Seline didn't feel her lips or how she said she would be there soon.

Something about her tense voice must have woken Matthew up, because out of the blue he was standing too. Likely simply heard what was said in the phone.

He took her hand as he grabbed Isaiah's car keys. They were out of the apartment in the next ten seconds.

...

...blocked coronary artery...he regained consciousness in the ambulance...symptoms have been going on for several years...a condition called unstable angina...a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart...occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart—specifically the coronary arteries—are significantly narrowed or blocked by plaques...when they rupture, it leads to the formation of blood clots...

..without immediate intervention, the affected heart muscle begins to die, which is why this situation is so critical...

...stress and ongoing strain can aggravate the condition significantly...had several smaller episodes and cardiac arrests before, the tissue is scarred...

...performing an operation called angioplasty as we speak...

Seline was pretty sure she was dreaming. The guy in the white coat was blabbering on and on about symptoms and medications that will be needed to prevent heart attacks in the future and for managing pain.

"I have never seen such extensive damage on someone so young. And he is a shadow wolf too. I'm sorry, but we had to use silver instruments. His shadow healed our interventions, but not the blockage."

At this point, Seline wouldn't have been suprised if the guy sprouted wings and flied away. It would be just as likely as this.

Isaiah had a heart attack. At 25. At the mall. Just like that. Despite being healthy, a shadow wolf, undiagnosed with any heart conditions, never complaining about any kind of discomfort.

"But how...how?" Seline managed to say.

"It's common for coronary artery disease to progress gradually, often over many years, until a severe event like this happens. The good news is that with the operation we're doing, we can restore blood flow to the heart, and with the right medications and lifestyle changes, we can manage the condition going forward."

"So the cause..."

"We aren't exactly sure what is causing the unstable angina, just that it must have been developing for a long time to get to this stage. CAD is the most common underlying issue, but with him being a wolf...it's a very unique case. That is why we assume his shadow has to be damaged as well, or the stress wouldn't be able to leave such lasting marks on him."

"Right." Seline looked between the middle-aged doctor and Matthew standing by her side.

"It's not an uncommon problem. The operation is going well so far, almost at the end. We'll be able to tell you more in a few hours, but we are very positive right now."

Oh, they were positive. How reassuring.

"You are members of his pack, yes? How often did he mention this to you? Sometimes people brush off these things as minor. Has he been complaining about chest pain or discomfort more often recently? Did he ever mention any episodes of dizziness, nausea, or sweating? Do you know if he’s been under a lot of emotional strain lately?"

Seline stared at the doctor uncomprehendingly. Mention? Complain? Noticed? Huh?

Matthew cleared his throat. "It's been going on for some time. Couple of months, but not more often lately or anything."

Seline turned to stare at him.

"How often would you say?" The doctor asked casually, like he didn't notice the floor just shattered underneath them and that the planet just stopped in its tracks.

"Several times a month?" Matthew answered thoughtfully. "Usually from stress. Last time he had a fever it got a bit worse too, but..."

The doctor wrote something down. Asked a couple more questions. His voice faded in and out.

There were more promises happening that they would keep them updated, and more guesses about the estimated duration of the surgery.

Seline floated down the hall towards the chairs, completely numb. This could not be real.

Matthew sat down beside her. He was silent for a long minute.

"You knew?" Seline made herself say what was obvious.

Matthew looked at her, lips pressed together and nodded.

Seline mirrored the movement. "I see." Funny, despite the numbness, she knew exactly when her heart broke—right in that moment.

A flood of emotions followed. Shock. Disbelief. Betrayal. Shame. Another blast of betrayal. A profound sense of failure.

Pain, pain, pain.

She shifted away from Matthew, his knee next to hers feeling too close. Her hands wrapped around her chest as she shrank into herself.

"Seline, I-I'm sorry. He begged me not to tell you and he felt so humiliated as it was...you know how scared and irrational he gets about needing help- and I was worried that if I insisted, he wouldn't let me be there for him even for that bare minimum he did-"

Matthew reached for her shoulder and she flinched away.

He froze.

Seline stood up slowly, whole body turned away from him.

"Sel-" he whined.

"Right. I get it," she said, voice cold. "Leave me alone for a minute."

Of course she would be back. Compared to Isaiah dying on that table, to the treatment and medication he would need to be taking, to his recovery were her feelings entirely insignificant.

Even worse, they could be a burden right now. She couldn't let them stop her from doing what needed to be done. To not be there for him, when he needed her and Matt more than anytime before.

Did he need her though?

She walked down the hospital hall like a zombie until she reached the bathrooms. Braced against the sink, she watched her expression in the mirror.

There were things to be done. More than anything she needed him to survive. To be okay. Everything else could come later.

It didn't matter what they could have done to prevent it or what they haven't done. Or whose fault it was. What the cause was. It didn't matter now.

Seline just needed to put all those flooding emotions back. Cut them off. She could do to. She had done it many times.

It was harder this time. After she had let them out so consciously, after she let herself feel them, it was so much harder to put them back into boxes and forget.

Maybe for just a bit she could get some release so she could concentrate better. On the operation, on what Isaiah needed.

She went to the stall, locking herself up. At least the bathroom was quiet. Glad she chose a place by the window, she slid down the wall.

Hugging her knees to her chest, the first tears sprang to her eyes. Then sobs. Ugly and loud. She didn't hold them back. Just this once.

Cry and let go. Just so she could concentrate. Just this once.

The rest would come later.

[sunnyie-eve]

22 | Backfired

Series: Significant

Paring: Colby Brock x Original female character

Warnings: Accident that could have been death

Word Count: 2.2k

| MASTERLIST |

~

"What's up everybody the prank wars are still continuing. I've finally decided to get Penelope. She's been up in her room all day because she had a long shoot yesterday. So today I have a rodent glue with me and I'm going to put on the two steps on our staircase. I'm hoping when I call her down she's come running and get stuck on one then the second one." Elton sets up cameras to film her getting stuck.

"I'm gonna call her real quick." He FaceTimes her.

"You never call me what?" She asks confused.

"I need you downstairs it's Circa and something is wrong and she's not letting me near her. Help me please." He panics.

"Okay, okay." She hangs up rushing out of her room and as soon as she takes one step down, her foot gets stuck but since she was running full speed she takes a tumble down the stairs.

"Shit! Penelope!" Elton rushes over as she lays on the floor. "Penelope." He tapped her but she was knocked out and could see her head was bleeding a bit. "Guys! Help!" Elton calls out for the rest of the house.

"What?" Corey sticks his head out of his room.

"It's Penelope, she fell down the stairs. My prank backfired!" He shouts panicking.

"This isn't funny Elton." Aaron comes out as well.

"I'm not joking! Help me. Watch where you step!" He tells them know as a tiny pool of blood starts. "Fuck!" He stares at her as everyone comes downstairs.

"What the hell?" Sam rushes to her side, "This isn't a prank?"

"Penelope, come on. Wake up." Colby carefully touches her. "Someone call 911!" He panics not wanting to move her.

"I'm on it." Corey runs upstairs carefully to get his phone.

"What was the original fucking prank?" Colby looks over at Elton.

"Human glue trap. She was just supposed to get stuck not tumble down the stairs. That's what the cameras are set up at certain angles." Elton explains.

"Turn them off now!" Sam shouts going to do it himself.

When the ambulance arrives taking Penelope to the hospital, Colby goes with her while everyone changes to go to the hospital as well.

In the ambulance, Penelope opens her eyes finally looking at Colby, "You're gonna be okay. I'm not leaving your side. I promise." He tells her before her eyes shut again.

At the hospital, they ask Colby questions about what happened and if she had any family they could contact but he tells them that they still live in Kansas, so he'll call them but she lives with him and their other roommates. So at the moment if any choices would need to be made Colby had a say.

"Is she okay?" Sam finds Colby in the waiting room.

"They rushed her into surgery. Something about internal bleeding as well. As soon as we got here her heart rate dropped. I said all call her family but I want to wait till after surgery." Colby lets him know things.

The others show up and wait as well after Colby keeps them up to date. Colby sees the doctor finally walk towards him so he gets up and walks to him.

"Is she okay? Did everything go well?" Colby tries to stay calm.

"The surgery went well..."

"But?" Colby could tell that's what he was going to say.

"She still hasn't woke up yet. We gave her some time after the surgery but she still hasn't woke up like normally. We gave her, her own room to stay in. For this situation, I advise max of three guests in the room with her but when family comes it's okay if they are all in there."

"What room is she? I'm staying with her till her family can get a flight here. We grow up together so I'm not leaving her side." Colby tells the doctor so the doctor tells him the floor, room, and hall.

"Is she okay?" Devyn asks as Colby walks back to them.

"Surgery went fine but she's not waking up yet. They have her a room. Max guests in the room is three right now. I plan on staying here with her." He tells the group.

"I'll go home and pack you a bag for a few days." Sam sighs trying not to cry.

"I'll help you." Katrina takes Sam's hand into hers.

"I have to call her mom or Harper to let them know. So who wants to wait in the room for a bit?" Colby asks.

"I want to." Devyn raises her hand quickly.

"Okay, so you three stay here. Aaron, Sam, Kat, and I will go home. Just keep us updated." Elton messes with his hands.

"I will." Colby leaves with Corey and Devyn following him to Penelope's room.

Getting to the room the two let Colby go in by himself first to see her. Her IVs were in her arm, she had oxygen on her, and a broken arm as well. The sight just caused Colby to break down in tears. He tries his best to get himself together before letting Devyn and Corey in.

"I'm gonna call her mom." Colby goes out into the hall.

"Colby? It's odd hearing from you sweetheart, what's going on?" Victoria asks him.

"A prank at the house failed and Penelope's in the hospital. Her surgery went fine but she still hasn't woken up. Sam is packing me a bag to stay here with her till you guys can get here." He lets her know.

"Colby... Me and the guys are in Canada at the moment for Turner's competition but Harper is in Vegas with some friends so she can get there before me. I'll call her for you. I know you'll be with Penelope in the meantime. Thank you for letting me know." She ends the call so he goes back to the room.

"Her mom is in Canada and her sister is in Vegas so Vic is gonna call Harper to let her know." Colby tells the two.

"I need to go home. I can't see her like that." Devyn leaves the room crying.

"You gonna be okay?" Corey eyes Colby.

"I'll be fine, Corey. Like I said, I'll keep you guys updated." He tells him so he leaves while Colby sits on the sofa looking at Penelope.

When Sam brings Colby his bag he stays for a bit with Colby before heading home alone. Since there wasn't much to do Colby just made himself comfortable on the sofa watching TV, while keeping an eye on Penelope.

"Just in here to get her vitals." A nurse comes in.

"You guys probably have no idea but do you know when she'll wake up?" Colby asks her.

"Sadly we don't. We hope for not too long." She tells him then leaves the room.

"Please wake up soon, Penelope. I can't see you like this. I don't want to see you like this. I need you to wake up." Colby goes to hold her hand kissing the top of her head.

A few days passed and Penelope still wasn't awake yet. Harper hadn't been able to leave Vegas yet before she broke her leg and her girlfriend was in jail. Victoria was still stuck in Canada for Turner so Colby was still by himself with Penelope.

"Normally when you're in a not-so-good mood you listen to One Direction." Colby takes to Penelope putting on her playlist since Sam brought her phone as well.

Colby plays the music next to her and dances around the room singing along as Penelope just laid there.

There is no other place that I would rather be

Than right here with you tonight

As we lay on the ground I put my arms around you

And we can stay here tonight

'Cause there's so much that I wanna say, I wanna say

Colby gives up taking a seat in the chair he put next to her bed, "You know even when your family shows up I'm not leaving. Remember you're stuck with me so you actually have to wake up." He pokes her arm tearing up.

A knock at the door makes Colby wipe his eyes before Sam comes in alone, "Still nothing?"

"Nothing." Colby holds Penelope's hand.

"She's going to be okay, Colby. I believe in her." Sam takes a seat.

"I need her here Sam." Colby snaps.

"I know, we all do." Sam tries to calm him down.

"You don't get it! I think I love her... And you get what type I mean." Colby leans back in his chair.

"You think you love her?"

"Yes..."

~

A few days turned into two weeks till Penelope's mom finally made it with Turner and her husband Richard.

"She's still not woken up?" Victoria enters the room.

"I would have let you known if she woke up." Colby tells her.

"Since we're here now you can go home. Het some good rest in your bed." Richard tells Colby.

"Thanks but no thank you. I'm not leaving her." Colby tells him.

Richard was Harper and Penelope's stepdad while he was Turner's bio dad. Colby and the girls didn't care for him much since he talked shit about Matthew, the girl's dad, who passed away when they were 14 and 12 years old.

"Her family is here now and you're just her friend, Colby." He adds.

"Richard, Colby is fine staying here." Victoria gives him a look. "But Colby, please actually eat some good food. Go to the nearest McDonald's or whatever."

"Can I go with him?" Turner asks his mother.

"That's fine, honey."

Both boys leave quietly going to Colby's car that Sam brought and having Kat pick him up. "Is Penny going to wake up soon?" Turner asks Colby.

"I don't know. I'm hoping that she does, Turner."

"Has she shown any signs of waking up?" He asks making Colby hit his steering wheel.

"I'm sorry... No, she hasn't. I just don't wanna talk about it, Turner. I've just been in that room since she got here and every day I beg her to wake up." Colby apologizes to the sixteen-year-old.

Turner looks at Colby as they drive off, "Are you just worried as her best friend or? You can tell me. I can tell when a guy has feelings."

"Yes, I do but she doesn't know that." They go to eat.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Richard and Victoria were slightly fighting about Colby being at the hospital when he could go home.

"Mom!" Harper shows up coming into the room with her crutches.

"Babe." They hug each other, "Colby went out for food with your brother."

"Colby actually left the room?" Harper takes a seat, "He said he refuses to leave her."

Richard went out for a walk around the hospital while Vic and Harper stayed in the room watching TV. Slowly Penelope's eyes start to flutter open looking around the room, "Da-daddy?" She sees her dad sitting in the chair next to her holding her hand.

The sound of Penelope's voice causes the two to look over at her, "Babygirl!" Victoria rushes over to her side, "You're awake." She smiles before rushing to get a nurse while Harper goes to her sister.

"Colby... Where's Colby?" She starts to tear up remembering what he said in the ambulance.

"He went out to eat with Turner. He'll be back." She said as the doctor came in to check her out and run tests.

Once the door opens Penelope looks over to see Colby with her brother, Colby puts the food on the counter before rushing over to her.

"You weren't here when I woke up." She cries to him.

"I'm sorry." He hugs her, "I know I promised you." He kisses her forehead before letting her go.

"Glad you woke up." Turner smiles so Penelope motions for him to hug her.

For the night, Colby stays with her while her family gets a hotel room to stay in for a while. Both watch TV while eating McDonald's since Harper brought them some.

"So you've been sleeping there for two weeks?" Penelope looks at Colby's setup.

"Yes, I have. Sam, Devyn, and Corey volunteered to stay a night each but I said no. As I promised, I stayed by your side. I talked to you every day. We had a little One Direction concert. I finally watched Titanic from beginning to end." He makes her laugh as they finish eating.

"Colby, can you lay with me for a few minutes, please?" She asks as he gets ready for bed.

Colby smiles walking over and gets in the bed with her since they gave her a big bed. She cuddles into him carefully tearing up, "What's wrong?"

"I thought... I thought I was dead for a minute when I woke up. I saw my dad sitting next to me holding my hand. I could feel him holding my hand, Colby." She cries.

Colby didn't know exactly what to say so he just held her close to him, "Maybe he just wanted to make sure you were okay." He holds her tighter.

"Thank you for staying with me, Colby. It really means a lot to me. When I woke up I asked where you were." She whispers to him.

"Ah, you wanted me?" He chuckles.

"I always want you." She giggles talking about when she's scared, nervous, or in any serious situation.

Colby's heart starts to beat super fast as he makes the decision that was going to change their relationship from that moment on. She could hear he was having trouble saying something so she leaned back to look at him just for him to lean in ever so slightly till she felt the soft brush of his lips before he gently pressed his lips to hers.

[caramel1mochi]

ぐちゃ ! (Splat!) [Yoru x F! Reader] [End]

Heya! Guess who's officially done with Yoru? That's right, this gal!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go binge watch Iso's trailer again as a rewar– I mean, to get a feel for his personality, if you catch my drift hehe

Catch you next week! And this time I won't be late!!

❤ฺ·。

Yoru x F! Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 4.5 / Part 5 / Part 6

Genre: Fluff, some angst

TW: Detailed violence

Words: 6k

Synopsis: Hapless doesn't even begin to describe you. With your life flipped upside down within the span of a day; you're left to rely on your best friend Tala to help you pick up the pieces and build the new one forced upon you. And this 'luck' seems to have caught the attention of one of her friends.

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

To say today had a good start would be a vast understatement.

You woke up feeling untouchable, as if even a bullet wouldn’t be able to take away the triumphant aura you exuded around everyone on your way to responsibly prepare for the mission.

You were smiling ear to ear in the training range; gunning down bots like a particularly happy paperboy delivering the newspapers. Neon definitely felt that something was off. But it wasn’t the fact that you weren’t an anxiety-ridden mess, no. What concerned her was how good your aim was, and especially how calm you were with how you wielded your weapon. It was contagious.

She stood next to you and crossed her arms, speaking loudly to counteract how deafening the shots were.

‎ 

“Someone’s happy today.”

‎ 

You shrugged and continued shooting.

‎ 

“It’s just a good day, you know? Clear weather, chill vibes and everything.”

‎ 

Neon raised an eyebrow. With the upcoming mission, she herself was prepared to reassure you on how things would go as smoothly as they did last time. But this? This attitude was as natural as catching sight of a flying pig.

‎ 

“Alright, lay it all out, A/N. You were gone all day yesterday.”

‎ 

She forced a blush out of you with just those words, and prompted you to stop shooting for a moment. There was no reason for you not to tell her. Well, except for one…

‎ 

“It’s not like you’d believe me.”

‎ 

“Don’t be like that, when have I ever doubted you?”

‎ 

She said with one hand on your shoulder, completely confident in her words. And you could make an entire list in response to that. A sigh escaped you before you finally managed to meet her gaze.

‎ 

“Fine. I may or may not have gone out with Yoru yesterday.”

‎ 

Neon paused for a moment. Then, she snickered, as if you told her you’d won the lottery.

‎ 

“Be honest. I’ll be impressed with whatever it really is.”

‎ 

“I’m not joking, Neon!”

‎ 

“No way, Yoru doesn’t go out with people two consecutive days in a row, I tried!”

‎ 

Sounds like something she’d do, alright. Just as you went to throw a snarky response at her, you jumped once she gasped in the most diva way possible and forcefully tilted your Bulldog upwards.

There, she saw it.

‎ 

“What is this?”

‎ 

Neon called out as if she spotted a bomb. In fact, she scared you, until you realised she was pointing at your prized gift from the day before. She tilted the gun to get a better angle and held the omamori in her hand to make sure it was what she thought it was.

‎ 

“There’s no way– is that from Yoru?!”

‎ 

You flushed and pulled it away, swiftly turning on the safety considering how stupid of a move this was.

‎ 

“I told you, dummy!”

‎ 

“I didn’t think– did he give that to you or did you sneak into a shrine? There’s no way you got that, right?”

‎ 

You allowed her to take your gun to inspect it. And with just a few touches, she confirmed that it was an omamori only he’d get.

‎ 

“I’m serious, he gave it to me!”

‎ 

“How?! I've known him for months and I can barely get a text back sometimes!”

‎ 

Which is why you couldn’t wait until the mission to finally not have something go wrong for once. Nevertheless, you innocently shrugged and tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear in the most smug manner possible.

‎ 

“Oh, well, you know. I guess some of us are naturally irresistible.”

‎ 

“What-ever.”

‎ 

Neon crossed her arms and pouted for a moment. But then, she met your gaze with a devious glimmer in her eyes once a brand new idea popped up. Uh oh.

‎ 

“Sooo… did he cook you something this morning? Anything delicious for breakfast?”

‎ 

“I woke up late.”

‎ 

She clicked her tongue, before getting back to the main task at hand.

‎ 

“Okay fine. When he does, which he will, you wouldn’t mind, you know… sneaking some for your best friend, right?”

‎ 

You couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped you. Of course Neon would request something preposterous like this. Why wouldn’t she?

‎ 

“Ease up, Neon. Too early. We’re still just friends, remember?”

‎ 

“We’re almost a month in and you still don’t know how Yoru’s world works? If he feeds you, he’s basically proposing!”

‎ 

You definitely knew, but you weren’t about to admit that. She began shooting with your Bulldog as each of you spoke, almost as if to emphasise the fact you had an omamori tied to the gun.

‎ 

“That’s a reach.”

‎ 

“Why’s that? It’s not like you’d say no if he does.”

‎ 

“Pshh. As if you know that.”

‎ 

Neon tossed your Bulldog back to you, before grabbing your wrist and forcing you to get a good look at the roots. Only now did you notice how organised and easy-to-digest they were, as if they were sets upon sets of cables that unwrapped from each other. No wonder why it felt like your arm was easier to have.

‎ 

“This wasn’t here before!”

‎ 

Your eyes widened as you took the sight in. And for once, it looked organised.

‎ 

“Wait– when the hell did this happen?”

‎ 

“You didn’t notice this?!”

‎ 

You flushed and pulled away as Neon laughed. But since you were a simple tee, you couldn’t really cover up your arm.

Before she could somehow sneak in one more snarky remark about how unfocused you were, the door to the training range loudly slid open and caught both of your attention. Your eyes promptly darted to the entrance. The strong light from behind shone upon a silhouette that took you a moment to recognise.

But if the imposingly tall stature didn’t help with that, his voice surely did.

‎ 

“Excusez-moi, not to interrupt a pleasant conversation, but we have to leave.” <Excuse me,>

‎ 

Chamber called out, earning a sneer from Neon. One that you unfortunately didn’t see.

‎ 

“Leave? Wait, what time is it?”

‎ 

“One.”

‎ 

Your eyes widened. 

‎ 

“Crap. Okay, talk later Neon! Don’t forget to wait for me until I’m back!” 

‎ 

You quickly reloaded your Bulldog and rushed towards him. Neon excitedly waved as you moved through the doorway with the same grin on her face.

‎ 

“I’ll be waiting, break a leg out there!”

‎ 

She said, earning a nod before you disappeared down the hallways. With Yoru’s omamori in hand, you thought, you hoped it wouldn’t be your leg that would break.

You moved down the halls with Chamber by your side, inspecting your weapon one final time.

‎ 

“Man, time flew by so fast. It feels like I haven’t even trained. Also, am I late?”

‎ 

Chamber chuckled, his polite laughter echoing through the hall just as much as the clicks of his dress shoes did. You couldn't tell whether or not he was mad. But from the looks of things, he seemed... unamused.

‎ 

“Late enough for Brimstone to send me to get you. Was your phone off, by any chance?”

‎ 

Uh oh.Your face turned red. And immediately, you began fiddling with your bracelet. Crap, he mentioned your phone; did they send you a bunch of messages that you didn't see?!

‎ 

“Oh, sorry. I– I left my phone back in my room…” You awkwardly smiled, feeling a bit more embarrassed. “I’m making a terrible first impression on you, huh? Sorry about that…”

‎ 

“No need for an apology, A/N. I completely understand. It must be exciting, non? Your first mission with a team.”

‎ 

Chamber noted with a smile as he fixed his tie.

‎ 

“Ah, to be young, innocent, and on my first mission again.”

‎ 

You couldn't help but smile. His voice was calm. Just the stagnant tone of it could put you to sleep if he just spoke long enough. With everything else, there's no way he wasn’t one of the higher-ups, right?

‎ 

“So you’re Chamber, right? I heard you’re an expert. Does that mean they’ll bring you on the other side?”

‎ 

He shrugged and put both hands behind his back as he walked.

‎ 

“That is a contingency I cannot predict. Personally, I would hope otherwise.”

‎ 

“Why not? Fighting yourself sounds like fun. Speaking of, now I’m curious about how you are on the field.”

‎ 

“I admire your optimism. That being said, if I were you, A/N, I would stay far, far away from my double.”

‎ 

You paused to process what he said.

What did he mean by that? But just as you formed an answer to that question, Chamber stopped in his tracks, and only now did you notice that you had finally arrived at your destination. You stopped as well once you made your way through the doorway. It felt like the voices of your colleagues were drowned out during the conversation, for some reason.

‎ 

“Ah, here we are. Now, as I was saying, keep that attitude up, and I guarantee nothing less than an excellent performance from you.”

‎ 

He said with the same smile he had the entire conversation.

‎ 

“Best of luck to you.”

‎

And with that, Chamber took his leave and left you with your thoughts like nothing happened.

‎ 

“Thanks…”

You mumbled, before quickly looking around in order to distract yourself from what he just said. Luckily for you, however, you spotted Omen in the far right corner of the area, both his arms crossed as he listened to Sage ramble on about something.

Quickly, you made your way towards them.

❤ฺ·。

The place you've arrived at looked vastly different from the pictures you'd seen beforehand. But, to be fair, you looked at it for a picosecond before leaving for more, ahem, 'important' matters. Once the aircraft landed, you stepped out with the rest and prepared yourself for the sand that might enter your eyes, recalling which site you were supposed to be in.

But before any of you could actually move to where you needed to be, you immediately found Brimstone standing in front of all of you.

‎ 

"Alright, let's get one thing out of the way. How many of you read the brief?"

‎ 

You proudly lifted your hand.

‎ 

"I did!"

‎ 

"Me too."

‎ 

Yoru chimed in, and the both of you earned a nod before he turned to look at Omen and...

‎ 

"Phoenix, buddy, you're coming with me."

‎ 

The Englishman’s eyes widened.

‎ 

"Woah woah, why me? Why would you assume I haven't read it?"

‎ 

"Have you?"

‎ 

Brim asked with a raise of his brow, and Phoenix quickly let out an awkward chuckle whilst he scratched his head. Omen, unlike the two of you, minded his own business and proceeded to walk to his designated site.

‎ 

"Well, I didn't read read it, but I skimmed over it. Still counts, right?" 

‎ 

Brim walked off to A site right behind Omen, and Phoenix promptly followed behind.

‎ 

"That's still more progress than last time! Wait, Brim, just hear me out, fam! How come Raze never gets in trouble for it?"

‎ 

You giggled to yourself before moving to your site: B.

While you walked, you extended your arm and took in the sight all over again. Seeing the roots so organised felt like such a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but being able to feel it without it mimicking the sensation of being trapped in a deep maze of a forest.

A shade of deep blue caught your eye, and you lifted your chin to see Yoru standing next to the doorway with his Sheriff in hand. You hadn't noticed him walking off during the feud between Brim and Phoenix.

‎ 

"Testing out a new look?"

‎ 

You playfully rolled your eyes.

‎ 

"Mind you, this is your fault."

‎ 

"Tch. Then no wonder it looks good."

‎ 

There he was, the confident Yoru you knew and probably loved.

‎ 

"You're too confident for someone who got all red over a hug."

‎ 

Yoru chuckled. Just as you took another step forward, he spoke up once more.

‎ 

"You okay?"

‎ 

"Uh, yeah, of course I am. Why?"

‎ 

"Just asking..."

‎ 

This time, his tone was much more... you couldn't really put your finger on it. Despondent? You noticed his awkward stance. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes had this odd glimmer in them.

...

Oh.

‎ 

"Are you talking about the last mission?"

‎ 

"I didn't say anything."

‎ 

"I'm serious, Yoru. If I can't be ready now, then I'll never be."

‎ 

He shrugged and walked through the doorway to which you promptly followed from behind.

‎ 

"I know."

‎ 

His path was curt once he felt a tug at his sleeve, and he looked behind to see you gently holding his wrist.

‎ ‎ 

"Hey, dinner after?"

‎ 

Yoru stared at you for a few seconds and fought the blush that crept up on him. Then, he shook his head.

‎ 

"Save it for next week. I need to rejuvenate."

‎ 

"Rejuvenate?"

‎ 

"Introvert thing."

‎ 

A set of familiar beeping echoed from window. And it wasn't only a few seconds later until an explosion took its place, grabbing both of your attention. Definitely Raze. Even you knew that.

‎ 

"That's our queue. See you around."

‎ 

Before another word could be exchanged, Yoru tore the fabric open and disappeared into the ocean of blue he called a dimension. But you couldn't help but let your thoughts roam as you moved near the radianite crates stacked on top of each other.

Having been around Yoru enough to make him come out of his shell, you knew when he was uncomfortable or not. And he sounded like he held something back. Did you do something wrong? Was it the date earlier? Did you push things too far?!

You mumbled an 'ow' once you picked at your bracelet too hard, a ting of pain following the scratch. In order to distract yourself, the radio was muted and you hesitantly called out your situation.

‎ 

'Uh‎– Raze on B.'

‎ 

Enough anxiety, you had a mission to get to. Evident by the rapid footsteps that came from long. You immediately took position and held out your arm, lightly twisting each root until you found the right one to slow down their push. Since they were now untangled and you were calm, it was exceptionally easy to navigate the maze that used to be your arm. Not the scent, not the hand… You paused once you felt a peculiar one.

The bomb.

Just as you heard the footsteps switch from a sandy ground to a wooden one, a burst of sundew escaped your arm and immediately landed where they would have stepped if they didn't push themselves back.

The roots stuck themselves on the ground and prevented them from entering.

Perfect.

You held up your gun and diligently watched the angle in case they'd start to get bold.

'Any updates?'

‎ 

Brimstone asked over the radio. You were so focused that you'd completely tuned everything out, so you jumped once he spoke. Yoru unmuted.

‎ 

'They're not committing. Probably a distraction.'

‎ 

You were surprised at this. Despite the ruckus, he seemed confident in this assumption.

‎ 

'Good call. Then we're staying here. Think you can hold your own out there, kid?'

‎ 

'Yeah. We just need smokes.'

‎ 

The blast echoed on Yoru's side made you wince. Luckily for you, he muted and spared you the inevitable ringing in your ears. 

And it only took a few seconds before a purple mist emerged right where you were aiming, shielding you from the bullets that would promptly be fired. Combined with Yoru's call, you could now tell they were shooting at random.

‎ 

Some time had passed since that ‘attack’.

Despite what you thought was a hard push earlier, Yoru was ultimately right in the end and they'd aggressively pushed out on A, forcing Yoru to rotate. You, however, decided to go from behind. The distant gunfire took over your ears and unintentionally helped shield your footsteps as you moved. Then, it stopped and a heavy thud followed.

‎ 

"Yo, I got the spike!"

‎ 

Phoenix proudly called out over the radio. But before you could hear who responded to him, you immediately tuned it all out and focused in on the steps right around the corner. You were in bath, and there was clearly someone who wasn't paying attention to you. In the words of Neon, 'easy pick'. Or whatever she used to say.

Then, the sound of the teleporter went off and concealed you even further. Just as he took his final shot and stepped back to reload, you held out your arm and began twisting a specific set of roots to emit a strong scent. You knew you'd started to do something right once  he began to cough into his elbow. And with a deep breath, you mentally prepared yourself to get your first kill.

You peeked and began shooting, refusing to let your finger off the trigger until the Bulldog ran out of bullets. And... you did it.

Gekko's dead.

‎ 

A huff escaped you once you took a step back, reloading with incredibly shaky hands. Your eyes were stuck on the omamori as you worked. You got your first kill.

The teleporter going off twice snapped you out of your trance, before the voice of Yoru took over your ear on the radio.

‎ 

"Who's in bath?"

‎ 

"It was me, I got the pick on Gekko."

‎ 

You said with a shaky yet excited voice. Now you started to understand why Neon spoke like that sometimes.

‎ 

"Finally got a kill? Nice one."

‎ 

You couldn't help but smile at this.

‎ 

"Chamber's stuck in hall with the spike. It's only us here. If we can draw him out, one of us can get an easy kill."

‎ 

You peeked to see the spike sitting right in front of the teleporter. And if you looked closely, you could see a golden glint reflected off of him. Probably the tattoos on his head. Yoru was backsite. With all of this in mind, a plan immediately popped up.

‎ 

"Stay there, I'll lure him out."

‎ 

"Got it."

‎ 

You stood near the doorway and already knew which root to aim for before you even lifted your arm. A shadow slowly emerged from above and blocked the glimmer. 

Then, the air stopped.

‎ 

Just as the building he was in buckled under its own weight, Chamber peeked, shot then disappeared into the teleporter with the spike. It took you a moment to look down on your hand and realise that there was a hole on your palm, blood slowly pooling around the wound and escaping.

‎ 

❤ฺ·。

‎ 

Everything felt like a blur at that point. Noises were drowned out, your mind drew blanks and your eyes were focused on only your hand.

Warmth slowly began to encircle your right shoulder. And like a virus, it began spreading in a line across the inside of your arm, red fluid continuously seeping out of the 'small' wound on your palm. It took what felt like a few minutes to comprehend the fact that he hit his shot almost perfectly. So perfectly, it went through your arm and tore your roots apart.

Then, you realised that the odd deafening noise around you had been reduced to a mere rumble. But once you looked up, the explanation was immediately provided. The exit was blocked by what seemed to be the building you ripped apart before he took his shot.

You couldn't move your right arm whatsoever.

‎ 

You felt a pull on your chin. And before you knew it, you were looking right at a familiar set of brown eyes.

‎ 

"Hey, hey, look at me, are you okay?"

‎ 

How did he get here... so fast?

‎ 

"Y‎– yeah, I'm good, I..."

‎ 

The centre of your right shoulder felt so heavy now, as if the bullet inside now began increasing in weight. You still haven't been able to comprehend the fact you were shot. Yoru, however, wasn't in a state of shock like you were.

‎ 

"We need to get you to Sage."

‎ 

"We have to run to B."

‎ 

You both said at the same time, and you earned a dirty look from him.

‎ 

"Yoru, It's fine. It doesn't hurt."

‎ 

"You're bleeding."

‎ 

"It's not important! Look, let's take care of the spike first, then we can get to my arm. The teleporter's just outside!"

‎ 

"We're not going‎–"

‎ 

"I'll be good, it's not like it hurts, anyway!"

‎‎  

Before he could get another word in, you immediately moved through the entrance from behind and walked as fast as you could towards the teleporter. Yoru followed from behind despite his ability to disappear into the rift. You weren't lying when you said it didn't hurt. But that, unfortunately, was before the adrenaline had worn off. And you hadn't realised such a fact.

‎ 

‎ 

Now that a moment had passed, with each step you took, it felt like you were exerting more and more energy just to get to your destination. You stopped just a few feet next to the would-be teleporter to catch your breath. What you hadn't noticed was that it was blocked by so much rubble, it was impossible to get through even if you wanted to.

You lifted a hand towards the wreckage and began sifting through the remains of roots you had to clear an entrance. But no matter how much you tried, you couldn't locate any points for what you needed. It was as if the roots Chamber sliced stripped you away of your powers completely.

Yoru held your chin and noticed the tinge of blue that painted your lips. That wasn't to mention how deathly pale you were, even more than you naturally were.

‎ 

"You're losing too much blood."

‎ 

You weakly shoved his hand away.

‎ 

"Don't do that..."

‎ 

Yoru rolled his eyes. And since you forgot who you were dealing with, you were to pay the price. He slipped a hand under your legs and one behind your back, exploiting your weakened state to easily lift you in his arms.

‎ 

"Get‎– let me go!"

‎ 

You tried to push him away whilst he moved back, to no avail. And just moving your good arm left you exhausted. Combined with the sudden aching that overtook your right one, it felt like you were stabbing yourself from the inside over and over.So you rested your head on his shoulder and let him take you... 

...

Where was he going again...?

‎ 

"You, you wouldn't let anyone do this to you..."

‎ 

"I wouldn't have used my abilities out in the open‎–"

‎ 

He snapped back, before he caught himself and cleared his throat.

‎ 

"I'm... sorry. You're right, I wouldn't."

‎ 

Yoru sighed. Then, completely unprompted, he let out a whispered cuss under his breath.

‎ 

"I should've taken the chance when I had it."

‎ 

"Huh...?"

‎ 

"Nevermind."

‎ 

You felt the hot afternoon sun shine upon you once Yoru moved through the doorway, before he stopped out of nowhere. You took it upon yourself to lift your heavy eyelids and look at what was in front of you.

The wreckage from A went through the teleporter, enough to block the entrance to the fight. And it was as if Yoru knew what ran through your mind just by the way your foot twitched.

‎ 

"We'll be fine."

‎ 

You heard a bullet whizz by each of you from behind. Luckily, Yoru dodged it and immediately moved towards the rubble, allowing the walls to conceal you. He set you on the sand and took out his weapon.

‎ 

"I'll be back. Try to hold out until then, A/N."

‎ 

You quickly grabbed his sleeve.

‎ 

"Wait‎– don't, don't leave me here, let me help!"

‎ 

"I can't let you get hurt twice."

‎ 

"But Sage can bring me back, I can still‎–"

‎ 

Yoru got on one knee and held your shoulders.

‎ 

"I'm not letting you get hurt. Don't make me repeat myself."

‎ 

You stared at him for a few seconds. Despite your blurry vision and all of the noise from the fight deafening you, you could see the look in his eyes. His irises swam with vulnerability.

‎ 

"You're not giving up, huh...?"

‎ 

He stared at you and let the tense silence be your answer. But just as he went to stand up once more, you pulled him back and pressed your lips against his forehead.

‎ 

"I'm so lucky to have you."

‎ 

Yoru, stunned, simply blushed and weakly smiled.

‎ 

"I... could say the same thing."

‎ 

He caressed your cheek with his thumb, before finally standing up and digging his hand through the rift.

You closed your eyes in order to gather all of the energy that you could. And judging by the constant ringing in your ear combined with the repetitive beeping, it sounded like the spike had been planted. You put your left hand on the nearby stack of crates, helping yourself up. The omamori on your Bulldog caught your eye, its green colour shining brilliantly against the dullness that surrounded you. It almost worked in pulling you out of your dizzy state.

Your eyes locked on the rubble whilst you caught your breath. There must be a way to get through this. But how? Your roots were sliced from within.

You held out your incredibly shaky arm towards the entrance and took a deep breath in an effort to calm down and outline exactly what remained. Scent couldn't be produced and you couldn't squash anything either. That left you with… You perked up once you noticed one single root that was still connected.

The bomb. The bomb was still there!

It wasn't much, but you had to get creative with it. You took a few steps back and leaned on the wall, aiming towards the rubble. Then, you shot.

‎ 

A burst of sundew immediately stuck to it like ducklings to their mother. You then rushed to grab it with both hands, and, despite the ever increasing pain, you pulled on it as hard as you could. The sundew refused to let go. In fact, it stuck to it even more, which pulled the rubble with it. And the more you struggled, the more it held on.

The next thing you knew, you were on the ground once you'd finally pulled out the massive brick the sundew was attached to. This set off a domino effect.

You grabbed the Bulldog and rushed behind cover as the wreckage began to tumble over. Sand upon sand covered the air and the noise from this move split your ears for what felt like minutes.

Then... silence. The dust had settled.

You weakly clutched your Bulldog and leaned on the wall whilst you walked to the now-clear entrance.

‎ 

The fight could be seen through the open window. And so could the spike, surrounded by fire and being defused by Phoenix. The rest were clearly holding off someone in garden alongside Yoru who was behind them. He was only halfway through, and there were only a few seconds before the bomb would go off, judging by the black aura and the unnatural impact it had on the area around it. Victory should be guaranteed...

But that was until you noticed Sova near the doorway who aimed his bow and arrow, ready to shoot a dart. One dart, stall them and that would give the bomb the time it needed to explode. They didn't see him. It seems like he didn't see you, either.

Before he let go, you took aim and immediately began shooting, the bullets rapidly digging through him. It took only one more for you to take his life.

The Englishman immediately met your gaze and said something with a wave of his hand, but his words fell on deaf ears since all you could hear was the pounding of your heart. You huffed and stood up, taking a few steps back to lean against a nearby wall. The Bulldog fell out of your grip, and the omamori's gentle green colour was defiled with the trail of blood that continuously seeped out of you.

Then, it all went dark.

‎ 

❤ฺ·。

‎ 

You awoke from your deep slumber with not only a raging headache, but with an arm so sore it felt like it was only one wrong more away from melting off of your shoulder. Almost completely driven by instinct, you immediately sat up and clutched your head, a gentle voice adjacent to you immediately reacting to such a move.

‎ 

"Oh, A/N, try not to move too fast–!"

‎ 

The pain set in just as Sage held your shoulders, and you mumbled an 'ow'. It felt like the blood inside your body was swirling and sloshing inside you as it got used to the sudden movement.

‎ 

"Ah, really...? I turned my back on you for one second..."

‎ 

"Sorry... First mission, and stuff."

‎ 

"Don't start with that, you did great! Two kills on your first mission is something to be proud about!"

‎ 

You ran your fingers through your hair and began gently rubbing your head, the ringing in your ear slowly dissipating. It took you a moment to comprehend what she said. But once she did, guilt quickly set in.

‎ 

"Thanks... Yo, I wasn't too bothersome to revive, was I?"

‎ 

"Revive? No, you didn't die, you didn't die at all! You've been out for two hours, you actually survived!" 

‎ 

You didn't believe her, despite the wide grin on her face. Probably trying to save you the embarrassment of dying on your first mission.

‎ 

"Totally..."

‎ 

"I'm not joking!" she smiled tenderly and clasped both hands together, "Ah, I– I know this sounds hard to believe, but you truly did."

‎ 

"Let me get this straight, you're saying Chamber tore all my roots and I survived?"

‎ 

"Not just your roots, A/N; he tore a few of your arteries as well and you still made it! It was miraculous!"

‎ 

She placed a finger on her chin once a new piece of information popped up.

‎ 

"Now that I think about it, theoretically, you should have passed out thirty seconds afterwards. Hypotension is no joke."

‎ 

You paused once you caught something from the corner of your eye. On a nearby counter right next to the sink was your trusty little Bulldog, the familiar omamori still tied to it. Unfortunately, it was soaked in blood. And you swore you could see that it was torn, as well.

Huh...

‎ 

"Really...? Maybe my luck's really turning over this time."

‎ 

"Possibly. On another note, if this happens again, I might have to put 'durable' in your files."

‎ 

She winked playfully.

‎ 

"Seriously? Wait, no, Brimstone might–"

‎ 

You heard two knocks before the door behind you swung open, revealing two very familiar silhouettes. Neon and Yoru solemnly stood near the doorway, a serious expression very unnatural for your Filipino friend to have.

But once she noticed that you were awake, her eyes glimmered with an abundance of joy.

‎ 

"A/N!"

‎ 

Uh oh.

Before you could prepare yourself, you were already pulled into a hug that put all the aching in your arm to shame. She hugged you even tighter (and knocked the air out of you for good measure) before finally pulling away.

‎ 

"A/N, you're alive!"

‎ 

"I'll... leave you three to talk. Erm, Neon?"

‎ 

"Huh?"

‎ 

"Brimstone?"

‎ 

"Wha– oh! Oh come on, she just woke up! Can't you tell him to give me a few minutes, at least?"

‎ 

Sage sheepishly smiled, both hands behind her back.

‎ 

"I'm sorry... This'll take just a few seconds, okay?"

‎ 

With a loud groan, Neon decided to follow the healer with an immense amount of reluctance. But you couldn't let her go without some reassurance.

‎ 

"I'll catch you later, Neon!"

‎ 

"I know you will!"

‎ 

The door slammed shut and they disappeared. You wanted to ask Yoru what that was all about; but you had a much better idea in mind.

‎ 

"I– I wanted to–"

‎ 

Just as Yoru looked back, he found himself pulled into another embrace. This one, however, didn't cause him immense pain.

‎ 

"Missed you."

‎ 

You mumbled. And to say Yoru was speechless would be a vast understatement. His mind drew blanks at such a sudden move, despite it not being the first time. And all he could really do in response was put one hand on your back.

‎ 

"You... Um, you had me worried back there, you know?"

‎ 

The words mindlessly escaped his mouth, but he didn't really do much to stop it.

‎ 

"Really?"

‎ 

"Yeah..."

‎ 

He quickly cleared his throat before he continued.

‎ 

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm impressed you got Sova. I don't know how you got through the rubble."

‎ 

You pulled away with an unamused expression.

‎ 

"I– I thought you died back there."

‎ 

"You need to expect more from me, dummy."

‎ 

He blushed and rolled his eyes.

‎ 

"I said don't take this the wrong way, 'dummy'."

‎ 

You glanced at the omamori on the counter behind him, but promptly looked back so that he wouldn't catch on.

‎ 

"So, uh, speaking of dying... Where do you get omamoris again? Shrines?"

‎ 

"Yeah."

‎ 

"Are you going there any time soon?"

‎ 

You tried to be discreet about it, but somehow, he still caught on and looked back to see what your eyes kept darting to. And he saw your weapon, the omamori you spoke of gently resting on top of it.

‎ 

"Huh, it's torn?"

‎ 

"Yeah."

‎ 

A meek smile forced itself on your lips as he walked towards the Bulldog and picked it up. Damp with your own coagulated blood, and torn open just as you thought.

‎ 

"Sorry about that."

‎ 

"What do you mean? It's a good thing."

‎ 

Despite scrutinising it, Yoru didn't sound as bothered as you did. In fact, he sounded pleased.

‎ 

"This means it did its job."

‎ 

You perked up at this, but you caught yourself before you did anything impulsive.

‎ 

"So... remember when you mentioned dinner?"

‎ 

"Totally. You said no."

‎ 

Yoru nervously cleared his throat.

‎ 

"Yeah, I, um, I remember. And I don't want to miss my chance this time."

‎ 

"Miss your chance?"

‎ 

"I don't like it when people get all up in my business. But you know what?" He pulled you close by the waist. "Maybe it's not so bad when you do it."

‎ 

You snickered.

‎ 

"You're just saying that because I almost died."

‎ 

A mischievous smile painted his previously callous features. No matter how much he tried, flirting just wasn't Yoru's thing. That much you could tell. But teasing definitely was.

‎ 

"Fine, guess I'll ask Sage to join me for the date I had in mind."

‎ 

The word 'date' immediately snatched your attention.

‎ 

"Wait. Okay, fine, let's hear it. What's the idea?"

‎ 

"Hanami's coming up and... I haven't celebrated with another person in a while. Wanna join me?"

‎ 

Hanami? That's right, it was the first of May; the trees must've bloomed already, and the celebration must've started. You beamed at this and completely disregarded your sore arm.

‎ 

"Is it just the two of us?"

‎ 

"Tch, yeah. I have a good spot booked and everything. There's this one old lady that sells the best dango, I'm thinking of going to her again this year. If, um, again, you don't have to, but–"

‎ 

You gently elbowed him with your good arm. Even then, he could barely feel the pain you intended him to feel.

‎ 

"Don't say that, yes I am. We're going. Where's the spot?"

‎ 

"Don't you need a minute to rest?"

‎ 

You proudly gestured to yourself.

‎ 

"I'm well rested. Don't I look like it?"

‎ 

Yoru stared at you for a few seconds.

You looked dishevelled. It was natural for someone who danced with death mere hours ago, but the confidence you radiated made it look like it was just the wind after a pleasant jog up a hill. He couldn't help but agree, and that was made obvious from the slight shimmer in his usually narrow eyes.

‎ 

"If you say so."

‎ 

You moved towards him.

‎ 

"So, where's the spot?"

‎ 

"Kitanomaru park–"

‎ 

The words were lodged in his throat once you took his hand in yours, pulling him out of the patient room and into the hallways. If you keep walking down this hallway, you'll eventually pass by someone who'll see you both like this. But he worked to convince himself that he didn't really mind...

You met his gaze with a warm smile, before pulling him close to you.

‎ 

"That sounds amazing."

‎ 

Just the thought of spending the day with Yoru on that river sounded like some kind of paradise only few would achieve. Fortunately, you were one of the 'few', and you were about to enjoy it as much as possible.

You knew what that day would entail, and you were ready for it.

[cleolinda]

Short answer: They’re not sure; storm survey teams are going out to assess damage in Chilton County and then the weather service will “officially rule if it was caused by tornadoes or straight-line winds.”

The fact that we don’t even know, after a forecast of golf ball-sized hail and 80 mph winds and free trips to Oz, is fantastic. Any morning-after that doesn’t make national news is a good thing.

The 2011 Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado is lurking in the subtext of all this. Any time I post about storms, I’m thinking about that, and about the fact that the two houses directly behind us got nailed by trees last December. The house to the left has been seemingly abandoned, still unrepaired.

We’re fine. Yard, trees, container garden look good. I honestly don’t even know what happened. I get storm headaches like a goddamn human barometer—I’m more accurate than weather apps at times—and I honestly didn’t have one yesterday afternoon, so I knew the storm wasn’t going to be as bad as we’d feared.

I saw someone mention silent migraines on here the other day, and I didn’t understand what that meant until I had one last night. I can’t really explain it, it was just—I didn’t have headache pain per se, but everything else felt Bad and Wrong. I was dizzy, irritable, sensitive to light, couldn’t think straight, hellaciously drowsy—I ended up falling asleep with the weather channel on and phone alerts set to loud. I slept like a rock and woke up at 2:11 am, around the time the tornado watch was supposed to end. So normally I sit listening to whatever alarming noises on the roof directly over my head, or watch the sky turn alarming colors through my window. This time, I have no idea.

None of this is particularly enthralling, but I went on about storm prep at such length yesterday that I figured I’d update. That said, I do have that “headache hangover” feeling, so something definitely passed by.