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lord-of-the-ducks · 3 years

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Ok so I was pretty busy today, so instead of watching something new, I just decided to post the notes from when I watched Nosferatu back in July

Two things to keep in mind: there’s a couple random references to The Magnus Archives, so apologies if you have no clue who “door wife” is, and second, I took the first half of these notes after not sleeping for over 24 hours. I can’t remember why, but I had pulled an all nighter the night before and decided to watch and take notes on Nosferatu while I felt like I was about to pass out, so up until about halfway through the movie when I decided to stop and actually go to sleep, the notes are super weird, even to me. I can’t remember exactly where I started on a full night’s sleep, but it’s around the point where I start actually referring to Hutter by his actual name.

Anyway, I watched this for free on YouTube and thankfully even though I was incredibly sleep deprived, I included time stamps. I’ll link the video that I used

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uNIajxOxdo

Takes place in 1838

“Nosferatu: Does this word not sound like the deathbird calling your name at midnight? Beware you never say it - for then the pictures of life will fade to shadows, haunting dreams will climb forth from your heart and feed on your blood”

Gutter? Hutter? Idk. And his wife Ellen

“The great death”

I wanna look like Putter. Or whatever the fuck his name is. He’s very gender

CAT

GOOD CAT ACTOR

I think the hair is historically accurate

Mutter’s face in the door is unintentionally terrifying at 2:07

I can’t tell if Ellen likes the flowers or not at 2:40

“Why did you kill them?” Ok I guess she’s sad. Shut up and put them in a vase

“No one can outrun their fate” bruh, he’s doing a light jog on a Wednesday, go away

Knock sounds like a name a nonbinary person would give themselves (3:29)

Knock is into the occult? Good for them

Count Orlok is the Dracula replacement

Knock seems to be the Renfield replacement and that makes me so happy

Ew capitalists (4:58)

Knock is not subtle… as all knocks are (5:10)

Stutter still looks like my ideal gender

“He wants a nice empty house” uh, same

Ok whatever this old house that looks like it’s definitely haunted is, Count Orlok won’t have an empty house. Because I’ll be there (6:19)

Wow Victorians just decide to drop everything and go on vacation (6:32)

“Land of thieves and phantoms” (7:01)

Ok the actor playing Ellen is great but Ellen, sit down and drink water (7:21)

I may or may not accidentally call Ellen “Helen”. I miss door wife

Who did Ellen dirty with those eyebags

I need to stop projecting myself onto Hutter and Helen onto Ellen

Ellen is “entrusted” to the wealthy ship owner, Harding, and his sister (8:52)

Ellen and Harding’s sister BETTER be gay

I want Butter’s cape… jacket… thing so much. New sewing project (9:22)

Look up the Carpathians (10:23)

These peasants are gonna tell Dutter spooky shit huh (11:13)

Yep. Knew it (11:47)

Nutter’s hair is actually really frizzy

“The werewolf is roaming the forests” (12:16)

No clue what the animal that’s supposed to be the werewolf is but GOOD BOY! GOOD JOB! (12:31)

GOOD HORSE ACTORS

GOOD BOY!!! (13:22)

I should make myself a scarf like Scutter’s

“From the seed of Belief sprang the vampyre Nosferatu who liveth and feedeth on human bloode. This unholy creature liveth in sinister caves, tombes, and coffins, which are filled with cursed dirt from the fields of the Black Death” (14:19)

This is a particularly fascinating line to me. Vampires sort of lost their association with disease, at least the direct association, but it’s being returned here

Gutter laughing at the book and throwing it is very… gender? (14:49)

(16:08) Me at the AP/SAT tests

WHAT THE FUCK IS MY MAN DOING (16:14)

I want Shudder’s hat too

Heading over the pass is bad apparently (18:25)

BLUBBER JUST HAS THE ONE TINY BAG I’M SCREAMING

“As soon as Hutter crossed the bridge, he was seized by the eerie visions he so often told me of…” (18:53)

Narrator knows Glutter?

I wanna live on that cliff house

WHAT THE FUCK (19:15)

Count Orlok is so fucking gender give me that hat and cape NOW (19:46)

… They had inverse effects?

The fucking feather in the cap is such a vibe

Count Orlok is my gender. This… man gives me so much gender envy (21:18)

Count Orlok has some real nice shoes (22:01)

DINNER DATE TIME! (22:46)

Whoopsie. Cutter cut his thumb (23:31)

“You’ve hurt yourself… the precious blood!” The fuck? (23:43)

Futter’s reaction to the thumb suckling is priceless

“Can we not stay together a little longer my lovely man?” (24:16)

GAY. THIS IS GAY

Ok so Hutter is terrified, not because of Count Orlok looks like a raisin, but because of the thumb suckling and “my lovely man”

Gay chair sitting position (25:12)

DAMN ORLOK ACTUALLY DRANK HIS BLOOD HOLY SHIT! (25:56)

Stop showing off your pockets I know they’re actually useful (26:11)

Count Orlok made Jutter breakfast? Lunch? Idk. Gay.

That castle is actually stunning

“The mosquitos are a terrible nuisance. Two just bit me on the neck, side by side, quite close together” (27:46)

I really want Orlok’s coat too (29:20)

I swear to fuck if Ellen is Orlok’s reincarnated lover I will riot (29:50)

“Your wife has a lovely neck” Orlok I love you (29:52)

Orlok is straight up telling Lutter that they’re gonna be neighbors

Orlok looks like me showing anyone the unhinged shit that emerges from my brain (30:17)

(30:28) I still see Hutter and Ellen as lesbians and no one can stop me

“At night that same Nosferatu digs his claws into his victims and suckles himself on the hellish elixir of their bloode” (30:47)

How do they still have the book???

“Beware that his shadow does not engulf like a daemonic nightmare” (31:00)

Orlok I love you (31:32)

T h e b l a n k e t n e v e r d i d a n y t h i n g (32:21)

Helen smells Hutter being a dumbass (32:38)

Ok I thought that Ellen would be Mina since she’s married to the Jonathan, but based on the sleepwalking, she may be Lucy

Hutter being attacked is directly compared to Ellen sleepwalking. There’s a TON to unpack there (33:59)

(34:32) This confused me, but I think Ellen somehow led Orlok away? The way this was shot implies that he “sees” her

“The doctor described Ellen’s anxiety to me as some sort of unknown illness. But I know on that night, her soul heard the call of the deathbird. Nosferatu was already spreading his wings. At dawn, Hutter set out to investigate the horrors of the previous nights” (35:13)

I think Harding is the narrator?

I think I’ve heard “deathbird” used in reference to vampires before but idk

Ah yes, the coffin busting (36:35)

Collecting boxes of earth (37:50)

The way the coffin just jumps on and the horses ride off is hilarious

Hutter was brought to the hospital by a guy with an awesome coat (40:13)

Hutter is so dramatic I love them

Nothing good will happen to this ship’s crew

Comparison of carnivorous plants and vampires

Knock is under Orlok’s spell, definitely the stand in for Renfield

YES FLY EATER

Ellen? Pining? GAY (47:10)

Plague of people with wounds on their necks referred to as an epidemic (51:53)

Ships being closed if suspected of carrying plague

Sailor took ill. Won’t be long now

Can Orlok turn into rats?

"The death ship had a new captain" is such a raw ass line (58:19)

More sleepwalking from Ellen

“I must go to him. He’s coming”

I will never not love Orlok

KNOCK NO. STOOL ON THE BED IS A BAD IDEA

The stop motion is so funny for some reason

DAMN Knock’s getting bold

“Vampires can only draw their shadowy strength from the cursed earth in which they were buried” (1:03:28)

GOOD RATS. GOOD RAT ACTORS

Hutter got home fast huh

Orlok can walk through walIs? (1:06:59)

Very ghost like

Captain drained like a juice box

“Rats in the hold of the ship. Danger of plague” (1:10:51)

Everyone immediately abandons the body to avoid plague

Forbidden to transport victims at risk of spreading anything

Drawing crosses on doors (1:13:02)

Hutter forbids Helen from reading the vampire book (1:14:04)

Deliverance is possible by no other means but that an innocent maiden maketh the vampire heedeth not the first crowing of the cock, this is done by sacrifice of her own bloode" (1:15:06)

Orlok has just been… watching Ellen?

OH NO! YOUR EX: (1:16:44)

Sievers???

Yeah. Leave her alone. Genius

The town was paralyzed by fear. They were looking For A scapegoat: they chose Knock" (1:19:30)

This has SO much potential

Knock is accused of being a vampire

YOU'RE EMBROIDERING A LOVE LETTER? (1:21:17)

I like Mutter's ruffle shirt

God this shot is cool (1:26:13)

Looks like Orlok was too horny for common sense

Sunlight vaporizes Vampires (1:28:36)

ELLEN SURVIVED HELL YES!

Or... not.

Shadow obliterated by the sun

#nosferatu #nosferatu 1922 #watching a vampire movie every day until the WWDITS hiatus ends #see my pinned post if you're confused

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fandomcrazy6226 · 3 years

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WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S UNHOLY did i pull an all-nighter making a dream smp hunger games au that i'll probably never even write!!! (oh yeah, at the time im posting this tomorrow is my 15th birthday, so that's cool)

#all-nighter #dream smp #hunger games au #fanfiction #15th birthday

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bugmomwrites · 4 years

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Astragalus Tea & Soft Company (Juzo Honenuki x Reader)

Astragalus flower meaning: You soften my pain

Thank you for 100 followers and counting!

FUN FACT: This was actually for the Bnharem server collab, and the prompt was Flowers. I was hella late for this one due to things that popped up BUT my friend’s awesome stories are linked below, so check them out too!

https://jojosmilktea.tumblr.com/post/618831496637300737/this-is-a-sfw-choose-your-own-collaboration-by-the

I ended up whipping something together like a day before the deadline and almost having it done- and then I forgot my family came up to visit. My state has eased up guidelines a bit, and since I haven't seen them since my grandma’s funeral at the end of last year, I wanted to spend some time with them before they go home. As a result I kind of didn't have the time to polish it and post on schedule. Better late than never? Anyway here's some food for you Honenuki stans cause my boi needs more love. Takes place in their third and final year- their long history of friendship is important and comes up.

Rating: Teen and up

Words: 7.7k

Warnings: Language, vomit (brief scene), nudity (nothing happens but still)

After sharing classes for God knows how long, Juzo Honenuki could confidently say he knew just about all of your little idiosyncrasies and habits. You were one of his closest friends after all, even having gone to the same middle school. You both got in on recommendation, and the two of you were now in your third year of UA. He knew you liked to watch older memes from years ago, still quoting Vines as far back as 2013. He knew you’d flap your hands a bit whenever you got excited or nervous. Lastly, he knew you well enough to know you didn’t just get sick out of nowhere- it had to be a result of your poor sleeping habits as of late, ultimately catching up to you and taking a toll on your well being.

The other night he could hear you shuffling in your room across the hall until about 4:30 in the morning, and upon seeing your current state he mentally kicked himself for not nipping it in the bud weeks ago.

How you managed to retain the energy to function in class every day was a mystery in and of itself, but you for one thought you were doing an awesome job at balancing late night productivity with biological needs. Honenuki just so happened to live in the dorm room right across from you, often bearing witness to your bizarre nightly routines first hand. It never bothered him too much; he knew academics were tough and sometimes people needed a bit more time to study or indulge in their hobbies. So for a while, he thought nothing of the shuffling noises, or the light coming from under the crack of your door at some unholy hour. If he held his breath he could even make out some soft curse words uttered by you among other various sounds.

He knew you were up to something, but as much as he wanted to check in on you, there was a strictly enforced curfew, and it wouldn’t look too good if someone caught him sneaking in and out of his friend’s room in the middle of the night; nevermind that you were a girl. He resorted to just shooting a quick text, hoping you’d take a hint and maybe get some shut eye. His phone pinged not a minute later, and he shook his head in disappointment at the notification.

Read: 3:36am

By week two he began to notice you lagging behind in sparring, and even stopped to ask you about it- something that took you a bit by surprise considering his normally competitive streak- but you had dodged the question completely, dismissing his concerns and attempting to get back to the match at hand. He didn’t want to press, but if you said you were fine- so be it, he wasn’t one to hold back. He trained with you for about twenty or so more minutes before he noticed your reaction time slowing down exponentially, and even swaying side to side towards the end. You hunched over and rubbed your temples in pain, and in a moment he found himself cradling your head towards him, even softening the gym floor a bit in case you teetered off to the ground. He could see the bags under your eyes, so after scooping you up completely, he went off to Recovery Girl.

Said nurse confirmed that your tiredness was, in fact, a result of the all nighters Honenuki would catch you pulling multiple times per week.

“You should listen to your boyfriend! He only wants you to be healthy,” said Shuzenji.

Of course you only heard bits and pieces, already dozing off on the cot. He cleared his throat, teeth clacking when your head fell onto his shoulder. If he was already tense before, he was a full-blown statue by now, and the poor boy prayed he didn’t look like a tomato. He went to correct the nurse, talking carefully so as not to disturb you.

“We’re actually just friends, ma’am. I just happened to know about it because my dorm is right across from hers, and I can see when the lights are on under the d-” She cut him off, whacking him in the shin with her cane.

You tumbled onto the cot, somehow managing not to wake up from the impact. Honenuki could only sit there slack jawed as the older woman continued her tirade.

“You’re still close to her! Don’t be afraid to nag a little bit. But hopefully this should be a lesson. I’ll write you a pass.” And so, Honenuki took one last glance to where you lay curled up and at peace for the first time in a while, and saved that memory to his brain when Shuzenji offered the scribbly post it note to the blushing boy. He nodded in thanks, and briskly made his way out.

“Please get some rest, I hate seeing you like this.”

~~~

Did you learn your lesson that day? Apparently not. He still told you now and then to go to bed at a reasonable hour, and as much as you appreciated the care from the boy you loved, his warnings fell on deaf ears. This pattern persisted for a while, where you’d wake up exhausted and have him lecture you, only for you to ignore his advice. Rinse and repeat. You knew he meant well, but after one particularly bad day you couldn’t help but snap at him. Honenuki still remembered it vividly, seeing most of it firsthand in your shared class:

Another Monday morning. You were tired, and that was an objective fact. You already knew it was your fault, but you were so far gone that you couldn’t just go to bed early one night and hope it would undo all the self-inflicted psychological damage. You had already formed a habit, and it was something that could only be fixed over a period of time, little by little.

That day was particularly rough- Vlad kicked off the morning by giving the whole class a pop quiz, which you were sure you bombed horribly. Afterwards, you weren’t alert enough during training, which gave Tsuburaba an opening to catch you off guard and knock you to the ground ass first. It was a short fight, and he wouldn’t stop bragging to his friends about his quick victory.

“That’s a victory royale, bitches! Three years of UA and I finally beat (l/n)!”

To add an insult to injury, he was doing Fortnite dances (in mid 2020, no less), while whooping and hollering. You wanted to be happy for him, maybe even congratulate him on a good fight, but he was too damn obnoxious and by that point you just wanted the class to be over. The bastard didn’t even help you up, so you could only glare at him from your place on the floor. On the way back from the USJ, you got stuck on the bus seat between Monoma and Kamakiri, the former screaming from his own seat behind you to pick a fight with the hotheaded boy two rows up.

“Listen man, I’m just saying, if I wanted a teammate with the same abilities and none of the death threats I got from you on a daily basis, I’d tape a couple of knives to a Roomba and let it loose on class A.”

Kamakiri, however, was having none of it, so the next time Monoma leaned over your backrest to yell in his ear he was greeted with a swift punch in the throat. It sent him tumbling backwards and he released your backrest, but not before Kamakiri’s quirk accidentally left a clean gash on your forehead as you tried to duck down from the crossfire.

The howling laughter and “oh shit! Monoma’s fucking dead you guys!” from Setsuna did nothing to ease your headache, and as much as you wanted to give the two boys a piece of your mind, you didn’t particularly have a death wish. So you opted to seethe quietly, applying pressure to the wound until you could patch yourself up at the clinic.

When you arrived, the nurse was on lunch break, so you had to haul ass all the way back to the Class B dorms in the rain, do a walk of shame through the common room where many of your peers congregated at that time, and pray that you could find some sort of first aid kit in the bathroom. As expected you were bombarded with questions, but you dismissed them quickly, making your way over to the ladies room.

One alcohol wipe and a few butterfly sutures later, you tried to sneak back to your room for some sort of respite from what ended up being a trainwreck of a morning. You were almost in the clear when you bumped into someone you really, really didn’t want to deal with. Juzo. Normally, you’d be relieved to see him, possibly even thrilled. Alas, you just wanted to be left alone with your thoughts, at least for the time being. But in a matter of seconds he was all over you, much to your chagrin- especially since you were already on the verge of tears.

“Are you okay? What happened? Maybe you should go get some rest.”

“I’m fine, Juzo, it’s nothing. Just tired.” He frowned, having been here before one too many times with you. You looked like you would break down any second, and when that happened, he didn’t want you to feel alone. He loved you more than life itself, but if he couldn’t even be there to pick you up when you fell, what kind of friend would he be? Certainly not your best one, that was for sure. He figured he should tread carefully, knowing how much you hated crying in front of others. With a sigh he reached out, hesitantly running his thumb along the underside of your cut.

“Have you tried going to bed at a decent hour? I know I sound like a broken record, but-” Having enough, you slapped his hand away out of reflex, your teary (e/c) eyes now burning with rage at his words. Gentle, well-meaning words you’ve grown accustomed to hearing for the past few weeks being the final thing pushing you over the edge.

“I said I’m fine Honenuki! My sleep habits are my business, so why don’t you leave me alone. Don’t you have anything better to do?!” You did a full 180, lashing out and raising your voice loud enough it would traumatize even Present Mic. You were a ticking time bomb from the moment you woke up that day, and Honenuki was the poor soul that just happened to cut the wrong wire.

Honenuki visibly flinched at the use of his surname. Coming from anyone else, it was just a friendly acquaintance giving him a warm greeting, or making small talk. Coming from you, however, it felt...cold. Unfamiliar. You had been calling him Juzo since you both were fifteen, forging a camaraderie after the summer camp incident and growing closer ever since. He could only blink in shock at your outburst, unable to find anything to say as his mouth went dry. You stormed off, slamming the door to your room and shaking the floor beneath him, leaving him standing there with mixed signals and a heavy heart.

Still, he knew it was only a matter of time before you’d be paying the consequence, so he really shouldn’t have been so surprised when he got a message from you less than a week later. The news came to him just before he arrived to his first class of the day, and upon reading your text, he mentally facepalmed at your stupidity. Your bad sleeping choices- coupled with the freezing rain from that fateful day- had finally caught up to you, knocking you out with a nasty bug. It was the first time you had reached out to him since then, and even if he didn’t take anything too personally, it was a little odd for you to ignore him and follow up out of the blue without closure.

(Y/N) 8:30am: Can you please tell Vlad I can’t make it to class today? I feel like utter garbage. You'll never guess why ;-;

Juzo 8:33am: Ugh! I knew it! >HHHH<

(Y/N) 8:35am: In all fairness, maybe it’s just from the rain and not my piss poor bedtime routine...?

Juzo 8:36am: Stay put. I’ll be over after class.

(Y/N) 8:38am: Cool beans. Btw I already took some nasty ass cough medicine so please don’t make me take another dose for a few hours.

Juzo 8:39am: Fine. You better take it without any arguments when it’s time.

-and with that he clicked his phone off, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring. He took an extra set of notes for you, because you had insisted ‘that’s what friends do’, and he needed to keep his mind busy. The next class was English with Present Mic, and he thanked whatever deity out there that he was bilingual. Popping in and letting him know the circumstances wouldn’t cause any harm, and he was sure Mic would be willing to get another copy of the notes.

9:30am couldn’t arrive soon enough, but as soon as Vlad dismissed the class, Honenuki made a beeline for the English classroom. He was making great time, and was sure he’d be the first one there. At least until he found himself barreling into the back of a familiar leather coat. He almost got knocked back from the sheer force and he quickly apologized, bowing his head when a loud voice stopped him in amusement.

“Woah, slow down there speed racer! Just try to be careful next time”, Present Mic laughed, and Honenuki looked up in relief to find his teacher on his way to the same destination.

“Mic-sensei! Perfect timing, I actually wanted to ask a favor. You know (y/n), my best friend? She’s sick in bed right now, so I was wondering if I could get an extra copy of the notes to bring to her? I’d write them myself but my hand is a bit cramped from doing two sets last class.” His teeth clacked nervously, hoping that he didn’t seem too desperate, especially since it could be misconstrued as something more.

Mic raised an eyebrow, and hummed in thought briefly. “Ah, young love. You’re my top student in that class so I’ll do you one better! Next period is lunch, so I’ll give you a copy real quick since the teacher’s lounge is right here. I’ll even let you leave a half hour early IF you promise to help me organize the new textbooks when the order ships on Thursday afternoon.”

Honenuki was thrilled, and nodded his head in agreement. A half hour later a hall pass was placed on the desk along with a photocopied set of notes, and he thanked Mic again, nodding gratefully before hurrying off to the dorms.

Honenuki rushed over to your bedside with a thermometer and a hot cup of tea, and you wanted nothing more than to apologize for giving him grief the last time you saw him when he was only looking out for your well being. You opened your mouth to speak.

“Juzo, I’m s-” You got cut off by a coughing fit, and he found himself rubbing comforting circles on your back before a mug was held out to you, almost like a peace offering. His eyes were soft and caring, and he muttered out encouraging words until you calmed down enough to notice what he had brought over for you.

“Don’t worry about it, we’re good. I brought you some astragalus tea. Yaoyorozu from class A said it was really good for pain relief and sickness. Shiozaki happened to have some fresh herbs growing too for brewing.” You accepted the cup gratefully, shaky hands attempting to take a tentative sip before you sneezed, spilling the hot beverage on your lap and wincing at the pain.

Honenuki panicked, fumbling for the cup and placing it on the nightstand beside you. While you knew Honenuki would never yell at you, you knew there was a pretty high chance he would at least give you a piece of his mind or even an ‘I told you so’. He was normally pretty laid back, so to see him so visibly worried was...jarring, to say the least. It probably didn’t help that you got teary eyed from the scalding hot beverage, and as much as you wanted to cry because of how much pain you were in, you didn’t want to deal with another post-sob migraine or stuff your nose up even more.

“I thought I told you not to stay up so late.”

There it is, you thought. Honenuki had told you time and time again that pulling all nighters would lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to viral infections that you may have otherwise been able to prevent with some proper rest. It was Friday morning too, and you woefully remembered that you’d have to cancel your plans for a girls’ sleepover in the dorms later that evening.

“What was so important that you had to sacrifice your hours anyway?” He chastised you gently, careful not to raise his voice too much as he put a hand to your forehead.

You sighed at your friend, leaning into his touch. His hand retracted much too quickly for your liking, and you had to take a second to compose yourself and provide a response.

“Video games...?”, you grinned sheepishly. You didn’t want to elaborate any more, hoping he would buy it.

Honenuki almost rolled his eyes at that. He knew you typically played online with a team, more specifically Awase, Tsuburaba, and Tetsutetsu. He also knew Awase had mentioned offhand yesterday that you hadn’t been on the raid team for almost a full week, and ‘was wondering where the hell you disappeared to’ . It’s not like you played a million other games either- you only got into it because they needed a full team of four once while Rin was away visiting his family.

“Try again, (y/n). I know you don’t dabble in much else besides Minecraft.” Defeated, you sat up, covered in sweat as your clothes felt like a layer of plastic wrap.

He began to absentmindedly rub your back, a habit which you normally found endearing, now serving as major comfort. His massages were hands down the best, and you often wondered if his quirk had anything to do with it.

“I’ll tell you all about it when I’m better, but everything hurts right now.” Honenuki nodded in understanding, and you both sat in silence for a few.

“I’m going to check your temperature. Is that okay?”, he looked at you with concern.

You hummed in agreement, and the next moment the cold metal was placed against your forehead, rolling down to your temples. You wished it was any other circumstance besides this one where his face would be close to you, because holy shit, he was so cute when he was focused. If you weren’t sick as a dog you may have even had the courage to lean forward and kiss him on the teeth, but that may have just been your fever induced delirium. It beeped after about ten seconds, and he showed you the flashing 38.9°C on the little screen. From your perspective, you wondered how much of that was actually from the sickness, and how much of it was from nerves. He ruffled your hair before speaking again.

“Tell you what- go in and shower okay? You’ll feel leagues better, it’ll loosen your sinuses a little bit, plus you still have tea on your lap.” His teeth clacked as he chuckled good-naturedly.

You grumbled at the realization, and rolled out of bed to clean yourself up a bit. You left a big patch of sweat on your sheets, so Honenuki offered to run them to the laundry room and see if he could find some cough medicine in the meantime. You thanked him, your voice still raspy and gave him an affectionate headbutt before you left.

After you disappeared down the hallway with a towel, he got to work for a few minutes when his phone buzzed. Kurorio’s picture popped up on the caller ID, and Juzo unlocked his phone to accept the call.

“Heard your girlfriend’s not feeling too well?” inquired Kurorio.

“Kuro, hey man! Um, (y/n) and I are still just friends. Would be cool though.” Honenuki slapped a hand over his mouth at his wording, hoping that Kurorio would buy it (he did not).

“I’m just taking care of her for the time being, taking her temp, washing the sheets, you know?”. Kurorio hummed suspiciously, but changed the subject.

Honenuki pulled up the topsheet with both hands while balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he bantered back and forth with one of his classmates. Kurorio was cracking jokes about how much dogs in general look like their owners. Especially their homeroom teacher, Vlad King and his English bulldog.

“It's the underbite! I know the former doesn’t have the floppy jowls, but I just can’t get over the underbite!” he had said, as Honenuki was quick to mention the square shoulders probably didn’t help much either. The two of them broke into a fit of laughter as Honenuki bunched up the sheets and pillowcases into the comforter like a knapsack, about to make his way downstairs when something wooden was peeking out from between the top sheet and fitted one.

It was a simple embroidery hoop with some aida cloth stretched over it, and various colors of thread knotted and going every which way. He flipped it over cautiously, YOU SOFTEN MY HEART was stitched in neatly inside a simple little border of what looked like Astragalus blossoms, and a small tapestry needle dangled below the messier side of the work.

Honenuki was intrigued- he never knew you could cross stitch! Of course it was nowhere near completion, but the black outline you started with was kind of a dead giveaway. It was like you blocked everything out first and built a foundation before finishing the more complex portions. It had to be planned out, the craftsmanship was too deliberate, too precise to just be done one stitch at a time while still maintaining consistent proportions. It was definitely a bit of an odd phase to copy onto what would likely be a keepsake, and he puzzled over the reasoning behind it when a wrinkled piece of graph paper under the bed caught his eye.

He smoothed out the pattern you had drafted so carefully, and he was thoroughly impressed at the detail in the work. But everything seemed to click in his brain when at the very top of the sketched out pattern were the words Birthday Gift: 06/20. That, and the post-it note on the side that said It’s for Juzo you lovesick bitch so make sure you practice, practice, practice!

Was that why you were up so much? Were you learning a brand new skill this far in advance to make something for him? His birthday wasn’t even for another month, but when it came to art projects, you were always planning and organizing to create the best results. He decided to set the pieces on your desk and went back to stripping the last of your bedsheets to take down to the laundry room. It would be a while before they were dry and clean enough to put back, so if you finished up before then, he figured he could just grab a couple blankets from his own bed right across the hallway.

“Huh, that’s really pretty”, he muttered absentmindedly.

Kurorio’s interest was piqued, and before either of them knew it, the conversation went back to (y/n) as Honenuki continued to tidy up for about ten more minutes.

“Yeah, I brought her tea, and sent her in to shower. She should be fine in a couple of da-“ THUD. Seeing as how you two were the only ones in the dorms, the noise was no doubt from you. Honenuki paled, but tried to stay composed even though his mind was racing.

“You were saying?”, Kurorio was snickering on the other line, not even trying to hide his amusement.

He knew his friend had a growing crush on you, and as much as he wanted to tease him about it he knew Honenuki was stressed enough already.

“I’ll call you back.”

And with that Honenuki found himself clicking the “end call” button and booking it towards the bathroom down the empty halls of the dorms. He tried not to seem too worried, praying you just dropped a bottle or something. Still, when you were in such a state he couldn’t help the looming sense of dread that you had gotten hurt somehow.

“(Y/N)? Everything okay there?”

Silence.

He knocked again, only to be met with a pained groan from the other side. Common sense was thrown out the window as he turned the knob and found you sprawled out on the floor, face down, a little wet, but thankfully still fully clothed with the shower running. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or just confused, and if it weren’t for your labored breathing the whole thing would very much look like a crime scene.

He kneeled down to your level. “What are you even doing? I thought you were going to shower”, he asked softly as he tried to flip you on your side.

You blinked slowly, assuming fetal position as you responded.

“Water hot. Floor cold.” Just as you went to press your burning cheek back against the tile, a pair of arms scooped you up.

He didn’t even have time to be embarrassed as he set you on the countertop by the sink and helped you peel off your now soaked top, tossing it to the side. He took the hand towel hanging up next to you, folding it lengthwise and ran it under some cold water before holding it up to your forehead. Your normally healthy (h/c) hair was matted and smelled of sweat, and it looked like a real bitch to comb through. You seemed to realize just how much of a mess you were, and couldn’t help but feel tears of humiliation bubbling up. This didn’t go unnoticed by him though, and his brows pinched together in concern. Before he could ask what was the matter, you sighed ruefully.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with me like this”, you muttered.

God, you couldn’t even look him in the eye. The man you’ve admired since day one was seeing you at rock bottom, and the shame was almost too much to bear. Honenuki, being the saint he was, just rubbed your back soothingly and told you not to worry. Still, there was a growing dread in the pit of your stomach, and you wondered why he was pitying you. Could things get any worse?

Indeed they could. Before you could stop yourself, the little bit of tea, as well as the crackers that you had consumed earlier somehow found its way back up and all over the front of not just you, but your best friend and longtime crush as well. There wasn’t a whole lot in your stomach, but the amount of it wasn’t what worried you- it was that you did it in the first place.

You started crying all over again, apologies spilling out of your mouth as you hyperventilated. This was it, there was no way he’d want anything to do with you now. He’d probably be too disgusted to keep helping you, and as soon as everyone got back to the dorms, word would get out, and you wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. His stunned silence only made you more anxious, and you prepared for the worst when he took off his tee shirt and started wiping you off as best as he could. He put the soiled shirt into the corner before grabbing the wet towel and wiping off more of it, cleaning up the mess. Finally, he looked down at you, and squeezed your shoulder affectionately.

“It was an accident, (y/n) it’s fine. I’ll be right back”.

Now it was your turn to be stunned as you sat dumbly on the countertop for a minute until he reappeared with lysol wipes, a new towel, a jar of Eucalyptus mint soap scrub, and a fluffy bathrobe.

He turned on one of the showers, waiting for it to be a good temperature before turning back to you. “Go ahead and get in the shower. I’ll clean up.”

You didn’t have the energy to object as you shuffled over to the stall, peeling all your clothes off and getting in, albeit sitting on the floor- you didn’t want to risk falling over again. After a few minutes, you could feel your sinuses clearing a little bit. Enough for you to talk a sentence or two at least. After the events that transpired, you found some solace knowing that your best friend must really care about you to stick around and help you during a time like this. You remembered how he’d blush whenever someone asked if you were dating. You had nothing else to lose at this point, so your feverish brain made a bold decision and you stuck your head out to find him still waiting outside.

“I’m not gonna let you sit covered in vomit. And I know you’re too stubborn to leave my side to go wash up somewhere else, so get in here.”

Honenuki was at a loss for words. Was it really fair to you? You were the one inviting him in. But then again, you did have a point- he really did plan to wait it out. He’d do it a hundred times for your sake. Would it be weird? It wasn’t like you were toddlers anymore, whose mothers wanted to get a cute picture in a bubble bath- you guys were in your final year of high school, and if the note he found in your room was any kind of proof, you were just as in love with him as he was you...but there was no one else in the dorms, and the opportunity was practically handed to him on a silver platter. You were just a sick friend in need of help, right? Except you saw him as something more than that, he wasn’t stupid. And while in any other case an invitation to share a shower would be implying some sort of ulterior motive, he knew you well enough to know that you were genuinely looking to help him. Just with the added bonus of seeing a different side of you.

So he took off his shorts, opting to leave his boxers on just in case. He was silently grateful that the water was a colder temperature to ease not just your fever, but his racing thoughts as well. Keeping them on probably wouldn’t do too much to hide his arousal if they were going to get soaking wet anyway and just cling to him as a result, but at least this way he could keep it hidden from plain sight. He opened up the jar and passed it to you, which you gratefully accepted, but not before taking a deep whiff of the soothing scent. He sat behind you criss-cross applesauce, and gently took the plastic comb from you as you kept trying to yank it through your hair.

“Allow me”, he said, squeezing some shampoo out and lathering it on your head. Occasionally, the foam would fall onto your body and you’d have to flick it away with wet hands. These motions only made it that much more difficult for Honenuki to keep his eyes off your supple, soft curves. The slope of your back to your ass looked almost too inviting with the white suds cascading down in rivulets. He groaned inaudibly when you wiped a particularly large cluster of bubbles from off your chest, trying not to stare for too long.

He coughed, grabbing your attention. “Can you lean back more?”.

You tilted your head back, sighing in content as he massaged your scalp, taking great care to not get soap in your eyes. He reached for the shower head when you stopped him. You lathered up some shampoo and repeated the process on him, making sure to spike his hair up as high as you could. Then you did the same for yourself before you both turned to each other, and broke down into a fit of much needed giggles at how ridiculous you both looked. Maybe laughter really was the best medicine.

He rinsed your hair off and proceeded with the conditioner, combing it through one section at a time. It was one thing to absentmindedly play with the ends of it whenever the two of you were hanging out in close proximity, but to go through it so thoroughly and gently was surprisingly intimate, especially given your current scenario. Honenuki and you have been close for years now, maybe not quite since diapers but long enough for you to realize that he had already seen most (if not all) sides of you- and likewise, you of him. The man had somehow managed to stick by you through your awkward middle school years, to the rough days of early highschool and hero training, and even now when you were suffering the consequence of going against his advice.

You thought you were only crushing on him before, but after having him see you so vulnerable and still s tand by you, you realized the idea of spending the rest of your life with him sounded even more appealing than before, if that was possible. You, (y/n) (l/n), were in love with your best friend Juzo Honenuki, and after the events that transpired this morning, you were okay with that.

“So that’s what you use to get your hair to smell like (f/f)...” his thoughts were accidentally voiced out loud, breaking you out of your reverie. You nodded slowly, and the soft clack of his teeth was heard behind you. “It’s nice. I like it!”, he said more confidently this time before he picked up the bottle to read it.

“Thanks, you want some?”, you questioned hoarsely, but since your voice was still sore it was very difficult to be heard over the running water.

You didn’t get a response, either because you weren’t loud enough, or he was too absorbed in the words printed neatly on the bottle.

“Juzo?” He hummed in response, which you took as a yes.

If he let you use that fancy ass scrub for your illness, you figured the least you could do was share your leave-in treatment. Sharing is caring.

“Here, let me” You attempted to rotate yourself to face him so you could condition his hair too.

He glanced back up from the directions on the back, and you thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Dropping the comb he stammered, trying to maintain eye contact and not look down. He gulped, and all the words he had on the top of his tongue vanished when you plucked the comb from the wet shower floor and placed it on your thigh. You tried to reach a bit to get the conditioner bottle from him. This was a leave in conditioner, so your own (h/l) hair was still plastered down until it “set” for seven minutes. The excess dripped from the ends, down your back and shoulders, giving your body a light sheen. Your bare chest slid against his arm, and the bottle fell with a harsh clatter. He averted his eyes to look anywhere but at you, but it was kinda difficult when you were-

A. Naked

B. Feverish and flushed

C. Half straddling him

D. Covered in copious amounts of wet foam.

“Are you sure? I’m the one that’s supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around,” Your breasts were inches from his face, and Hoenuki swore he could feel his soul leaving his body when he finally had enough, frantically shoving the bottle in your hands.

“Juzo, you’ve helped me so much already, and it’s not even eleven am yet.” And with that he promptly shut his mouth and let you get to work on returning the favor. You squeezed out some onto your hands before rubbing them together. “Turn around and tip your head back- you’re taller than me and I can’t see.”

He normally loved massages (especially if they came from you after a long day of training), and how quickly your skillful hands would put him at ease, but he knew you weren’t really feeling your best today. He didn’t want to push you too far, but the sentiment was still appreciated nonetheless. You obviously couldn’t go for as long or apply as much pressure before your arms got tired and you started to ache a little, but you didn’t mind brushing his long, sandy blond locks. He was still grateful for the little bit that you were able to do, and you wondered how the universe could bless you with someone this sweet.

After seven minutes passed, Honenuki stood up and grabbed the shower head above you and rinsed out your hair, being extra careful to make sure each section was covered, and out of your face with a wide tooth comb in the other hand. You were still seated, and this gave him a bird’s eye view of not just your backside, but your front as well. He swore to himself he was only in to help you out, but fuck, if you weren’t contagious he’d seriously consider taking you right then and there. You peered up at him through wet lashes, and to make matters worse you were nearly eye level with his straining erection. He was almost certain you noticed, but knowing you, you were too kind to comment on it.

Eager to get out before things went south, or- god forbid- he did something impulsive he’d possibly regret, he quickly repeated the process on himself. After you were both rinsed, he switched the lever to “off” and turned to look down at you.

“I’m going to help you stand up, okay?”, his voice was calm, but assertive as he pulled back the curtains and stepped backwards out of the shower. Still seated, you spun around, and moved to push yourself up. You were halfway there when he threw a towel around your back and put his arms under yours. You suddenly felt more self conscious than ever, and as much as you wanted to drool over how toned he had gotten from years in the hero program, you couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of inadequacy at your own figure. You trembled slightly, fever chills slowly coming back now that the water was off, and your legs shaking like a baby deer.

“Juzo careful, I’m gonna sli-”

Before you could finish your sentence, you slipped on the shower floor and went tumbling forwards. Yet instead of meeting a face full of tile for the second time in the hour, you found yourself leaning into Honenuki’s protective embrace. Your breasts were pressed up against his torso, and you both found yourselves relishing the feeling of fitting together just right.

“You feel more refreshed?” He asked as he wrapped the rest of the thick towel around you.

You nodded, genuinely relieved that you were no longer covered in sweat, vomit, or tears. And you smelled damn good to boot. You still felt sick, but now at least you could heal comfortably.

~ ~ ~

“Your sheets aren’t ready yet, so you can sleep here for a little while.”

You were being carried into his dorm, wearing his fluffy robe that he had lent you after you had freshened up. He was originally just going to lend you some blankets, but he figured you’d be more comfortable in a made bed- that, and he could keep an eye on you. He went to set you down, but instead of letting go, you held onto him tighter. Honenuki glanced down at you, nuzzling into him for comfort and sighing softly. You were still a little bit warm, and your voice was raspy, but you seemed much better than you were just a short while ago. Now that you were showered and medicated (not to mention under the care of someone who’s presence just generally put you at ease no matter what), you felt like you could get better fairly quickly.

You didn’t know what you’d do without Honenuki at your side, and found yourself mumbling “please don’t go yet” when he tried to tuck you in.

Your request caught his attention, and he checked again for confirmation that he heard you correctly.

“You...want me to stay?”, Honenuki asked you curiously, a rosy hue growing on his face. The only response he got was an exhausted hum of approval, and a small nod.

“Am I some sort of alternative medicine? Can’t get enough of me?”, he joked, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorably clingy you were when you were sleepy.

You were too sick to get flustered at his comment, and even if he did call you out on blushing, at least you could use your fever as an excuse.

“Alright, let me get something lighter. I know that robe is comfy, but you’ll bake yourself alive in it.” Reluctantly, you let go so he could go to his dresser drawer and find you some makeshift pajamas.

“I’m a hot snack, sorry. I gotta be wrapped up and baking”, you croaked out, smiling weakly.

It hurt like a bitch, but seeing the amused shake of his head and smiling eyes at your stupid joke was well worth it in your opinion.

He tossed a tee shirt and some boxers in your direction, and you sat up to slip the robe off. Almost immediately he whipped his head away from you so fast, you thought he’d get whiplash. It was rather cute, actually- he had already seen you naked not even ten minutes ago, and had known you for about a third of his life- but the way he cleared his throat and mumbled out a soft apology was one of the sweetest things you’ve seen from him. Your robe hit the ground and you slipped on the shirt first, before you moved to tug up the boxer shorts. Making sure everything was in place, you turned to your best friend. He still had his back to you, but you could see the very tips of his ears flushed scarlet.

Seeing him so flustered was still a relatively new sight to you, but adorable nonetheless. You took a couple seconds after you were dressed to just appreciate the sight before you, committing it to your memory. Honenuki sensed the silence that settled around the room, no longer hearing the shuffling of fabric behind him and cleared his throat before he spoke up.

“You’re all set then?”, for someone who was normally composed you noticed Honenuki’s voice was uncharacteristically shaky, and he still refused to look at you as he had a hand blocking his peripheral line of sight. He was such a gentleman- you almost felt bad for flustering him so much.

“Yeah, thank you Juzo. I don’t have a bra or underwear, but if I’m being honest I think this is more comfortable.” You wanted to slap yourself for oversharing- while this fever was making coherent thoughts and common sense a bit more difficult, you couldn’t help but inwardly cringe at your lack of a filter.

Still, he plopped himself into bed behind you, pulling you into his chest and massaging your back. Your sinuses were still a bit clogged even after the shower, but his hands worked wonders when it came to easing your pain, and it didn’t take long for you to fall into a light slumber. You sighed contentedly, closing your eyes.

He could only hope that after you were fully healed, he’d be able to fully confess his feelings for you, and after how you two interacted that morning, he realized his friends insisting that you felt the same for him might not be so crazy after all. But for now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment, as friends, because your friendship was more than enough for him if it meant he could have moments like these. The day he confessed would come eventually, right? You guys were definitely more than friends, it just wasn’t official yet. Someday, he thought wistfully. Someda-

“Thanks for softening my pain, Juzo. I love you.”

‘...!”

His eyes shot open at that, and he briefly wondered if he heard you correctly. Of course she meant you, idiot. Who else would she be talking to? H e wanted to twirl you around the room with a resounding I love you too! I always have!, he wanted to scream it from the top of the rooftops, and celebrate once and for all, but just as quickly as you had uttered the words, you fell asleep in his arms, and he was certain you could hear his racing heart through his chest. It wasn’t from nervousness however- it was the sheer joy, the anticipation of when he could finally ask you to be not just his best friend but his girlf riend, from relief of knowing you would say yes.

He now had verbal confirmation that you felt the same. The ball was in his court now, and as soon as you got better, he was going to make up for so much lost time. Even though you couldn’t hear him, he pressed his teeth gently to your forehead and held you closer, drawing heart shapes on your back.

“I love you too, (y/n).”

~ ~ ~

Thank you so much for reading this labor of love! I’d love to hear your feedback, and I’m always open to new ideas <3

#my hero academia #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia #boku no hero academia x reader #honenuki x reader #juzo honenuki #juzo honenuki x reader #juzo x reader #x reader imagine #bug mom writes #sickfic #tw: vomit #tw: nudity

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some-cookie-crumbz · 7 years

Text

We Are Stars

Title: We Are Stars Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Pairing: Keidge Summary: Request for Pidge and Keith doing a little bit of dancing. Ended up a little sappier than I intended. Heavily inspired by this song: [link] Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more. AN: Second fill for some requests I received. Will post the others soon, due to me still working on them.

She had done it again.

Pidge was normally a workaholic who focused more on her projects than maintaining her sense of personal care. It was something that he could relate and admire about her; within certain parameters, anyway. He had once watched her spend four days straight, running on nothing but these awful alien drinks that could only be described as Red Bull and Monster having some unholy love-child abomination together, to assist with some heavy repairs to an allied ship after a confrontation with a Galra fleet. It was obvious that her passion for technology and ability to learn about the most foreign of alien mechanisms was an asset to not only herself and their team, but the universe as a whole. Her being someone that would dedicate herself so fully to her work was another perk, revealing her under played attribute of reliability.

But there were points when she really did go a little overboard.

He had found her two other times passed out from one too many all-nighters working on new defenses for the castle or upgrades for the Lions and the like. The first time he’d found her like that, she had gotten defensive and confrontational immediately, escalating so that they were bickering with one another pretty aggressively. It had occurred only a short time after they had joined Team Voltron, before either of them had an understanding of the other, and shortly after Pidge had nearly left to go looking for her family. After having a bit of time to cool down and some bartering on Keith’s part, Hunk agreed to play mediator and got an answer as to what was up with her.

She’d been trying to stay distracted because her Dad’s birthday was a few days away.

Keith had sympathized immediately. Years after the fact, there were still days that he ached for his own Dad; the holidays and birthdays being significantly painful. Much like Pidge, he found things to keep himself distracted. He did, however, have someone he could trust and talk to when the feelings were too hard for him to bear alone in Shiro. And for Pidge? Well, if he had to reason a guess, he figured that Matt had probably been that person for her before Kerberos. The way she talked about her brother and father made it clear how much she loved and admired them. And with what little he knew about her time at the Garrison, she’d been more focused on her mission and goals than making any long standing friendships. She got on well enough with Lance and Hunk, but neither of them could offer up much information that she had willingly shared with them, and Pidge herself had been too preoccupied to pay attention whenever either of them had tried to share with her.

So Keith had sought her out and, very bluntly, told her that he had an idea of what she was going through and that he was there if she wanted to talk.

At first she’d seemed ready to reprimand him for his words, judging by how her mouth had curled halfway up in a defiant snarl, but the corner of her lips twitched in hesitation. She instead whipped around, shifting with the blueprints she’d been looking over with more gusto than necessary, and barked at him to leave her alone and stop wasting her time. He had yielded at that point, but two days later when Samuel Holt’s birthday was, he went and checked on her anyway. She was at her desk, body wound so tight he wondered how she hadn’t snapped in two, putting together some kind of small, round electronic device.

“Go. Away,” She had said, her tone flat and final and short.

“What are you working on?” Keith asked abruptly, walking over and leaning his hip against her work station, pointedly ignoring her words. Her hands halted briefly in their frenzied work of twisting the device this way or that, trying to get the two pieces to snap together, and she lifted her head to glare at him. The heavy bags under her eyes killed the effect she was going got a bit, but he opted not to call attention to it. He instead indicated the device with a dip of his head and calmly repeated, “What are you working on?”

Her eyes shifted from him to the device and then the blueprints before her, brows knit together in a mix of bemusement and frustration. He could practically hear the gears in his mind twisting and turning, trying to determine what angle he was coming at her from exactly. Slowly her gaze moved back to him and she held the device up so he could get a better look. “Well, I’m intending for it to be a sort of short-circuiting device,” She said calmly.

He nodded and hummed, pulling a spare chair over and sliding to sit a bit closer to her. “Wouldn’t that have bad repercussions for our team if we were too close when it went off?” He quizzed.

She rolled her eyes and her lips kicked up in a small smirk. “I’m not an amateur, you know. What I’m trying to do is key it up so that it can tell the difference between us and the enemy. It’ll be able to read our electrical signals and determine that we shouldn’t be effected and specifically target any device without a matching wavelength,” She said calmly. He watched as she grabbed a small screwdriver and began take the outer shell off of one, pointing and explaining how the mechanisms inside functioned. He understood a decent amount of what she was saying, but it wasn’t really why he’d asked.

The more she spoke, the more the tension in her body gradually relaxed, the spark in her eye kicking back up.

The next time she got in a funk like that had been the anniversary of when the Kerberos mission failure was announced. Keith himself understood the bitterness and anger bubbling inside her – he himself still struggled with the feelings that deceit left in him, even though he knew Shiro was alive and well – and once again took it upon himself to offer his assistance in the form of a distraction. They had just finished up a battle to free a Galra-controlled planet and the Lions were all pretty rough off. Hunk had sprained an ankle on the mission – an injury he insisted didn’t warrant a trip to the healing pods – and he had volunteered to help Pidge with the repairs in Hunk’s stead. Having someone to work with and help teach seemed to be a good way to get her mind off of things. Keith was well-versed in the basics of repairs and self-taught himself a bit in the way of mechanics, but Pidge was on a whole other level and learning some of her tricks was beneficial for him and seemed to be a stress relief for her.

This time, however, he had no idea what had set her off or how to distract her.

They were taking a small break from battle to focus on recruiting more planets into the Voltron Alliance, coasting in the stars from planet to planet on the outskirts of galaxies where the Galra had yet to take complete control. There was no need for battle – only an occasional air show with the Lions to prove who they were – nor were there any repairs needed, as she, Coran and Hunk had taken care of all that before they started recruiting in the first place. Furthermore, they were running low on spare parts and components for her to tinker around with, so the most she could really do was blueprints and rough drafts.

Keith knew she was going to need a distraction of some sort; so, with a hard swallow of his pride, he asked Lance for a favor.

Despite not being able to do much else, Pidge was still at her desk in the hanger, scratching away at some graphing paper as if her life depended on it. She shifted a bit when the doors opened but seemed unconcerned with someone coming in. “Hey,” He said quietly as he approached, one hand shoved in his jacket pocket and palming the device Lance had agreed to lend him.

She let out a small grunt of acknowledgement, setting her pencil down to grab an eraser. He watched as she erased a line that she had drawn connecting two pillar-like objects and brush away the little bits left behind. “Did you need something?” She asked, her tone a mix of curt and tired that he never thought possible. Whatever was plaguing her mind was really getting to her.

“Nothing I need but there is something I want,” He said calmly, pulling out the small device. He tapped the small center button, put in the unlock code and skimmed through the little iPod for the playlist he’d cobbled together over the last three days of research. While he and Lance had very different tastes in music, there had luckily been a few songs that Keith was fond of or knew well enough to get a one-hour playlist going.

Pidge slowly turned her chair to face him fully as he set the little device down on the corner her desk, the soft acoustic chords of The Only Exception by Paramore starting up from the small speaker. “What are you-?” She was cut off by his taking a step back and offering her one of his hands.

“Dance with me,” He said, holding a breath after the words left his mouth. This was a complete gamble for him; after all, he had no idea if something like this would be to Pidge’s liking or if she might read what this really was. They’d had many conversations about various things but dancing and musical taste were not subjects they had ever touched on. On top of that, dancing was something he’d always considered to be intimate and, well, incredibly romantic. He only hoped that she wouldn’t read this as a confession – as he wasn’t ready or sure how to approach that topic – and laugh him right out of the hanger.

Indigo locked with bronze for a full minute before the weight of her hand settled in his. “I’m warning you now that I’m not very good. Most of my dancing background is being led on my dad’s feet in the kitchen and ballet classes when I was in grade school,” She warned him, her tone just a bit softer than before.

“I’m choosing to read the ballet lessons to mean you can at least match a beat,” He teased lightly as he guided her to the empty space between she and Hunk’s respective work spaces. It was a comfortable enough space that they could move with relative freedom without the risk of bumping or knocking anything over. She laughed slightly at his comment and settled to matching her steps with his, glancing down briefly at their feet.

The first few songs went by easily enough, all being softer and slower songs that are easier to sway to. For the most part, Pidge was still tense and uneasy, but a bit more fluid than she had been perched up on her chair. When they were greeted by the severe mood whiplash of The Macarena pumping out the speaker, though, she let out a few let snorts, clearly struggling to keep back her laughter. He grinned a bit and stepped back to perfectly follow the dance instructs of the song, which only made her laugh even more. “Where did you learn that?” She chortled, reaching up with one hand to wipe at her eye lightly.

“My baby-sitter used to teach me goofy dances when I was really young because my Dad thought it was cute,” He said lightly. He swallowed down the painful sting the little bit of nostalgia left in him and beamed when Pidge started trying to imitate the steps. “It’s really easy if you just listen to the beat and the steps. Here, let me help you.”

He slid behind her and tried to help guide her, the two of them working like an odd, poorly coordinated puppet show, but they were laughing the whole time. The next song was another peppier, upbeat jam that Keith didn’t recognize, but Pidge seems to be as she started humming along. He twirled her around with a bit of a flourish and the two started up a terrible mockery of a tango. The next song was some song from Grease that led to Pidge teaching him how to do the hand-jive dance from the film. That was followed up by a sandwich of Pop by N’Sync in between two Backstreet Boys songs; Larger than Life and The Call, respectively, and they dissolve into less of actually dancing and more tripping over each other’s feet while doing intentionally terrible karaoke. Those three were followed by Angry White Boy Polka by Weird Al Yankovich, which felt like the cherry on top.

Pidge’s mood seemed to dip slightly when I Bet My Life by Imagine Dragons came on, which seemed odd to him. It was another song that was a bit more boisterous and energetic, with a pleasant enough sound to it. She started to pull back from him but he nudged her closer. “Something’s bothering you. Tell me what it is,”

She grimaced and let out a long, drawn out groan in response, her gaze darting to various other points in the hanger.

“Pidge,” He said more sternly, one hand moving to catch her chin and force her to look at him, “I’m not a mind reader. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

She stared at him for a moment before she moved closer to him. She shifted up to her tip-toes, resting her chin on his shoulder and tilting her head a bit, the ends of her hair teasing along his cheek. The hand that had been on his opposite shoulder had slid to wrap around his neck, her fingers fidgeting with the back collar of his shirt a bit, while the other had slithered to wrap around his side and rest that hand on the middle of his. “My mom,” She said softly, voice coming out small and strained, only audible due to the small delay as the iPod shuffled to the next song.

He leaned his own head against hers, his cheek pressing into her temple and a small sliver of her ear, and hummed softly. “You miss her,” He said quietly, slowly beginning to sway them to the gentle tempo of the song.

“I just… It would have been her and Dad’s wedding anniversary today. And he’s not there to be with her to celebrate. Hell, she’s all alone on Earth thinking that we’re all probably dead,” She choked out, her last statement coming out as a borderline hysterical laugh. She tilted her head and pressed her face into the crook of his neck, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. “I know I did the right thing in what I did… Know that it’s better I stay here as a Paladin so I can find Matt and Dad… But it still hurts to know how much she must be suffering.”

He hummed quietly and wrapped his arms more snuggly around her, shifting so that her feet are resting atop his as they swayed to and fro with the song. “Maybe we can talk to Allura about jumping to Earth sometime just so you guys can tell your families you’re alive,” He suggested. She hummed noncommittally in response. He gently stroked one hand along her back in slow, small circles that he hoped she took comfort in. “And, I know it’s probably not worth much, but I’m glad you’re here.” She sniffled quietly and pressed more into, her holds on him tightening ever so slightly, and he felt a small smile turn up his lips as they drifted to the slow beat of the song.

I see nothing worse, than to sail this universe without you.

#Voltron legendary defender #Keidge #Kidge #Peith #Pidge Gunderson #Keith Kogane #my fics

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