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#I went completely overboard with the glow with this one and I’m not sorry
recovering-vamp · 1 year
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husbandohunter · 3 years
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Hello may I request albedo x shy reader where albedo and reader has feelings for each other but reader is too introverted to do anything and albedo doesn't want to tell as he thinks he scares her as reader always gets red and is stuttering when he talks to her. Klee finds out about this and makes it her mission to get albedo and reader together.
Klee gets albedo to play hide and seek with her and invites reader to play together with her. Albedo is counting down while klee and reader hides. Klee and reader hides in a location that klee always hides in so albedo would find them quickly. While they're hiding where albedo is within hearing distance, klee ask reader about whether she has feelings for albedo or not. Reader then admits to having feelings for albedo and makes klee promise not to to tell him. Albedo having heard all this comes behind reader and says why not, proceeds to bring reader to a private location and tells reader his feelings.
If this is too detailed a shy reader x albedo headcanon is enough.
I Found You [Albedo x Shy!Reader]
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Synopsis: For someone as meek and reserved as you, love with Albedo was a game of hide and seek...literally!
Genres: Fluff
(A/n): Ahhh what a cute idea, don’t be afraid to be detailed at all! I love hearing people’s ideas. Buuut kinda went overboard with this one since I am in the narrative mood, hope you don’t mind >//< Word count_2.3k
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Albedo wonders if he had done something wrong?
Three weeks, four days, sixteen minutes and twenty five seconds. To this moment he had counted down every tick of the clock since the day you began avoiding him. That's how he sees it at least. You weren't always deliberately doing this on purpose, as Lisa's personal helper, there were times when you were given a chance to converse with the Chief Alchemist after dropping off the books he requested for research purposes. Albedo would ask how your day went, trying to find out if you wanted to take a short break and drink some of the tea Noelle had prepared for him. Your response was a modest one but he didn't mind, he eventually came to enjoy your tranquil prescence after a long day of work. 
But something changed. Those moments where you came in during your free time have gradually faded to nothing more than swift bows and small greets coming from the door. Every attempt he made to invite you for another tea session you left as quickly as you entered. At first he dismissed these moments, thinking that you were probably too busy with no time to stop by. Albedo was a busy person himself, though, that didn't prevent him from noticing your odd behaviour whenever he saw you in the hallway. Just as he was about to call your name, you avert your eyes and take a sharp turn until you were out of sight, leaving him perplexed and alone. The alchemist couldn't help feel neglected. Compared to everyone else, he was the only one you couldn't approach with ease. It bothered him immensely.
Did he accidentally say something to upset you? Albedo was well aware of his straightforward attitude which might have caused a negative affect on your contrasting, rather delicate personality. But he always felt that he had taken great consideration on how to approach you. Or what if it was the time when he happened to eat the last bite of Noelle's shortcakes? Remembering the afternoon you sat in his office, he recalls that there were exactly five instead of four treats left on the plate. Little by little, they began to disappear, you only ate two while he devoured three. Was this the reason why? No, that can't be it. You were the one who offered and refusing would only be impolite. Unless you felt pressured to do so when he told you that he was very fond of sweets….
Albedo heaves his shoulders and lets out a breathly sigh. He became very melancholy since then, staring out the window from the second floor when there were still unread research reports lying on his desk. His mind was so cluttered that he couldn't bring himself to focus these days. How troublesome. If only he were more adept with the ways of socializing, only then he can figure out what triggers you to be so nervous around him, why you tend to shrink when he gazes into your eyes and how is it that he feels so bitter when seeing you act the complete opposite with someone else.
"Big brother?" asked Klee. She hops off her stool before throwing the box of crayons to the side. The young girl prances her way to where Albedo stood and tugs on the hem of his coat, "Is there something wrong? Why are you sad?"
"Klee," Albedo turns his head in reponse. A pair of oversized cherry orbs looks at him with concern while the girl's bangs falls sideways to frame her petite face. He felt the white fabric crinkling within her grip as she signals him to come down. Placing one knee on the floor, Albedo gently smiled, speaking in his soft and brotherly tone, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Have you finished your drawing?"
"Mhm, almost done!" She throws her hands up and cheers, "But can you help me with the backgrounds? Klee doesn't know how to colour them."
"I don't see why not," agreed the alchemist, "Come, I'll teach you."
Just when Albedo was leading Klee back to the little space he set up for her, a knock was heard on the door. He ushers her to stay put and Klee tries to peer over his shoulder to see who the visitor was. When she recognized you standing at the frame, her smile grew wide in excitement.
It's big sister (Y/n)! Did she come here to play with us too? Oh please please please!
"(Y/n), you're here," Albedo couldn't help the apparent surprise on his face, "What brings you? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ah sorry to bother, I-I have the documents you requested from the library!" You nervously handed him the folder.
Huh? Klee brings a finger to her chin, That's wierd...Why does she look so scared?
"Thank you (Y/n)," Albedo slips them out of your trembling grasp in the same fashion he would handle old relics on the verge of breaking. It was so long since you last visited him and he didn't want to startle you, "I appreciate you for bringing them here."
You shook your head in response, "It's nothing much…"
There it was again. You were avoiding to look at him in the eye. At this rate the next thing to occur would be you taking your leave and he didn't want that. Not when he finally gets the chance to fix his mistakes. Using his calculative mind, Albedo tries to formulate the best approach to soothe your worries. He thought of the first step, something that would make you more comfortable. Perhaps he could try smiling? Yes, that could do it. They always seem to have positive affects.
"(Y/n)."
He calls you. The sound of your name on his lips brings you out of your frenzy state and you subconciously lifted your gaze, daring to take a small peek over his countenance. 
"I'm very glad to see you again, truly."
Oh!
You froze into place. Your brain stops working and the whole world comes to a halt. It was the sight held in front of you that stole every last breath away leaving you with nothing but butterflies fluttering about. They spread their wings, voraciously swarming from the pit of your stomach, desperate to burst along with the pounding of your heart. Never in your life have you witnessed or even fathomed the idea of how Albedo would look if he smiled but here you were, mesmerized and captivated like a butterfly entranced by the flower's glow.  It blooms. So brilliantly that you couldn't stop yourself from being drawn. Eyes you fought so hard to tear away from, sparkled just for you, crinkling from the impact of his evergrowing smile. It was the feeling that made you fall for him. The same feeling that pushes you to run somewhere far far away, knowing if you flew too close, the outcome would risk everything you were trying to protect. 
"(Y/n)?" The alchemist tilts his head in confusion. He noticed the redness seeping into your features and immediately brings a glove hand to press against your forehead, "Your temperature is rising. Are you feeling sick? You should have told me earlier."
"I can't…" 
"Hm? Why not?"
"Ah I just remembered there's something I need to do!" Taking a step back you gave him a stiff bow, "Good luck in your research Sir Albedo!"
Given no chance to reply, Albedo watched you dash away before disappearing around the corners. He could only stare blankly at the empty space in front of him before dropping his arm back to his side, contemplating; where did I go wrong?
"Does that mean (Y/n) doesn't want to play with us?" Klee said dissapointedly.
"…I suppose."
"Big brother?" Upon hearing Albedo sigh, Klee finally figured out what caused him to falter these days. Perhaps not entirely being the small child she was but there were enough clues to let her know that the relationship between you and Albedo was somewhat strained. To Klee, she saw you both as the bestest friends! And it was only natural that friends play together right?
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"Eh? You want me to play hide and seek?"
The Spark knight nods heavily as she grinned up at you, "Uh huh, and with big brother!"
"Klee, don't force her if she doesn't want to, it'll be fine with just the two of us," Albedo scolded lightly and folds his arms over his chest.
She only returns him a pout, "But it's fun with more people!"
"Klee-"
"It's okay Sir Albedo, I don't mind," you chimed in at last. You were just taking a stroll near Starfell Lake after you finished organizing the bookshelves in Lisa's stead (as always, she naps while you worked away). All of a sudden, Klee waves over from the otherside and proceeds to drag you into a friendly game for little kids. You weren't sure why she seemed so desperate but…
"Yay!" While jumping side to side, the girl did a little mini dance while waving her arms in the air, "You're the best (Y/n)!"
It was hard to refuse someone as cute as Klee.
"So for the first round, big brother is going to be the one who counts to twenty while you and I go hide so he can never ever find us," Klee informs enthusiastically. 
"Alright, that shouldn't be a problem," said Albedo.
You followed suit with a giggle, "But considering it's you Albedo, I don't think twenty seconds is enough."
He quirks an eyebrow, shocked from the way you referred to him.
"Ah, I-"
"Let's go!" Klee interrupts which you were thankful for, "And no peeking!"
Turning to face the Statue of Seven, Albedo counts down monotonously while you and Klee scrambled for an ideal hiding place. This was not the first time you indulged in one of her many activities, in the past it had almost become part of your daily routine to assist the alchemist in entertaining his little sister. Even Klee was capable to be the seeker for several rounds and Albedo would lead you to a spot nearby yet discreet, just the right amount of difficulty for her to handle.
He wouldn't think of this area again, would he?"
"Six...five...four..."
Eeek! Better hide.
You hopped into the crevice formed between the mountain rocks and crouched down, huddling your knees together against your chest to blend with the shadows. You let out a soft sigh, pleased that you were able to make it in time.
"Wow big sis, I didn't know you would be here too."
The screech nearly escapes when you were startled by a pair of ruby eyes gleaming at you innocently. Klee signals you to stay quiet and you nodded, bringing down the hand that you used to cover your mouth. From a distance you spotted the chief alchemist shifting his footsteps against the grass, though he was far enough on the otherside to not notice you and Klee together in the same room. You beamed softly. He was purposely holding back.
"Pssst! Big sis?" Klee whisper-shouted, "Are you angry at big brother?"
You returned a curious glance, slightly taken aback by the outlandish statement she made, "No of course not. How could I?"
(If anything, it was the contrary).
"Then why are you always running away from him? You guys used to be really good friends, Klee misses you and big brother misses you that's why...that's why he's always sad when you're gone.
"Oh...I-I had no idea..." feelings of guilt begin to emerge when you realized what your action seemed from a different prespective. You were so caught up with being cautious that it prevented you from seeing how Albedo would react on the recieving end. Without knowing, your true colours began to reveal themselves as you could no longer stand the thought of making Klee (making him) upset, "I'm sorry, I'm just not good with words."
The little girl cocks her head to the side.
"Ever since I was little, I never found it easy to make friends. Until now when I finally became Lisa's assistance, I still can't approach other people and they tend to shy away from me since I am...difficult to hold a conversation with..."
Hugging your knees even closer, a fond expression graces your features, "But Albedo was kind to me. He was patient when I didn't know what to say. Whenever I made a mistake, he would always be there to teach me the correct steps. I have alot to thank him for."
"Huh...?"
"I think it's also on of the reason why I fell for him too. But I will never have the courage to say it. I don't want to ruin the friendship we have so I chose to keep it to myself. Though, I guess it only made things worse. So promise me that you won't say anything okay? I'll apologize to him later."
Klee did not respond. She only stares past your shoulder and you immediately spun around to see Albedo standing at the entrace with an expression equivalently shocked as yours.
"(Y/n)...."
"I...I-" you stammered. The embarassment was so unbearable to the point that tears began to form at the corner of your eyes.
"Wait, don't cry. There's no need to because-"
You thrusted your way past him before he could finish his sentence, sprinting to the distance while yelling, "I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYY!"
"Wait!" The alchemist chases shortly after, "Come back!"
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You groaned at the pain throbbing against your skull as you pushed yourself upright. A fallen branch, it was. One you didn't catch before tripping over your steps and tumbling down the hill while landing harshly on the sensitive pad of your elbow. The surroundings seemed unfamiliar to your memory since you never travelled too far from Mondstadt, your vision was filled with nothing but the endless columns of trees and bushes nearby. There were no signs of anyone else within the area.
"I'm lost," you announced in a defeated tone. Something cold taps against the tip of your nose and you realized that the clouds have already gathered over your head, violently spilling the rain down to where you sat. You crawled to a dry space where the tree branches were thick enough to keep the water out. You stayed there, waiting. But waiting for what?
"I can't go back," you meekly say, "I can't see him."
The air was cold and you shiver in response. You hated how much of a coward you could be sometimes. You were always so weak, never having the strength to be courageous for once. Albedo was a beautiful man, he was smart and he was popular, he was everything you're not. There's no way that he'd return your feelings.
However...
"I found you."
Why did he come back?
"Thank goodness you're alright. Are you hurt?" Albedo lowers himself to meet your level. Up close you could see the strands sticking from the side of his golden head and the residues that marred his features. Still, he looked beautiful. Your heart soars from the intense gaze he kept on you, drawing lower until he caught the scrape at the side of your arm. Albedo pulls it forward so that he could examine them at nearer proximity, "Hmm this doesn't look so good. We should head back so I can treat your wounds immediately. Can you stand?"
You nodded. 
"Good. Here, take my hand," he offers his gloved fingers and pulls you up to your feet. You could tell that he was trying to be gentle from the way he adjusted his stance so you wouldn't wobble. Kind. He was so kind.
"Why did you come for me?" You started, "I don't understand."
Albedo frowned. There it was again, the expression he hated. The one where you wouldn't look at him in the eye.
"I just don't want to-"
He didn't even bother with what you wanted to tell him. Instead, Albedo removes his coat almost within an instead and threw it around your shoulders. He wraps you gently, making sure that the rain didn't touch your bare shoulders before bring his arms around your figure and trapping you in his embrace. You could feel his fingers raking against the strands of your hair as your vision was blocked by the star on his neck. A little voice thanked the archons for this particular position, for two reasons in fact. The first being that he wouldn't be able to see your expression, knowing you must've looked as if you ate a bowl of raw Juyeun chilis. The second reason, well, you were simply overjoyed. 
"Do you understand now?" 
Closing your eyes, you succumbed to the grasp of your beloved, "Yes, I do."
"You won't run away?"
His tone was almost a plead. You reassured him by moving your head to the crook of his neck, how foolish for you to assume all this time, "I won't, don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"I promise."
"Good," Albedo's eyes soften in response as he pulls alway to see your face, "I love you too (Y/n)."
Alas the butterfly and the flower finally united as one. Like nectar, he was sweet. How bold of him. It seems that not only was he able to steal your heart but your first kiss as well.
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teawaffles · 3 years
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Louis and the Aquaria: Chapter 5 / End
Now, we return to the scene at the beginning of the story.
A little regretfully, Fred left for his work as the “Crime Consultant’s” point of contact, and Louis was alone in the hall once again.
However, the situation was completely different from before. He was no longer watching helplessly as the fish grew weaker — instead, he’d found a ray of hope for its recovery.
Standing before the aquarium, Louis was now gambling on both the medicine’s efficacy and the fish’s own willpower.
“Please, help him……”
Fervently, he prayed for the angelfish’s recovery.
And as the so-called king of the aquarium swam about its tank, the image of his brother surfaced in his mind.
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
Five days after that, the time had finally come for the tropical fish to be transported to Stapleton’s residence.
It was early in the morning, and the sky was perfectly clear. Several horse-drawn carts lay parked on the street outside their mansion. For ease of transport, the fish had been transferred to suitably-sized bottles; and as the members of the Moriarty household carried the bottles, tanks and other aquarium equipment onto the carts, Louis stood at the mansion entrance, quietly watching over the scene.
Although he’d nearly collapsed after those consecutive days of exertion, by the time the fish were set to be moved out, Louis had been able to recover his full strength. That haggard complexion of his was now restored to its healthy glow, and behind those spectacle lenses, his eyes shone with the sparkle of success.
At first, Louis had wanted to move the items onto the carts all by himself, saying that the entire enterprise down to the fishes’ transport was his responsibility. However, knowing he had contributed the most this time around, the rest of the Moriarty household insisted that he not work any longer. As a result, though dissatisfied, Louis had hence been relegated to a spectating role.
Occasionally, as they moved past him while carrying the fish in their bottles, the glint in Louis’s eyes would tremble ever so slightly. And when that happened, he would pretend to adjust his spectacles in order to hide the tremors in his heart.
“Feeling emotional, Louis?”
Seeing his younger brother readjust his perfectly-positioned spectacles for the fifth time, William walked up beside him.
Embarrassed, Louis gave a small cough, then straightened his back.
“I would never——”
He stopped. Then, looking at the carts, his voice grew soft.
“No, you’re right. I didn’t want to acknowledge it — but for once, I’m feeling rather sentimental.”
Hearing Louis reveal his true feelings, William gave him a fond look.
Before the two men, the bottles containing the pufferfish and guppies were being loaded onto the carts. Ever since the tiny fish had been given names, Louis’s tropical fish-keeping endeavour had taken a strange turn.
Recalling the reason that a spanner had been thrown in the works of this enterprise, Louis turned solemn, and dipped his head.
“Nii-san. I am truly sorry for what happened before. I went overboard, and ended up causing everyone unnecessary worry. I was immature, and I shall reflect gravely on that.”
Not only did he grow fanatical over the angelfish named after his brother, he even made the aquarium layout needlessly extravagant, and recreated a South American habitat through and through. To top it off, in caring for the sick fish, he had nearly destroyed his own health. Looking back on it all with a cool eye, he had really been quite reckless.
As Louis reflected on his actions in earnest, right then, Moran and Fred walked past bearing pots of tropical plants: the by-products of his over-enthusiasm. They would now become a surprise gift for Stapleton.
Without taking his gaze off the trees, Louis burned those symbols of his inadequacy firmly into his eyes.
Watching his brother ruminate on the subject so gravely, after a beat of silence, William spoke.
“You may be right. If the situation had persisted, and you’d collapsed, the care of the other fish may’ve been impacted. Although you took care not to let that happen, I do wish you had taken the worst-case scenario into account and talked with me more.”
“…………”
Louis knew that. But still, to have his faults pointed out by someone he respected — those words had pierced through his chest.
Naturally, the sense of achievement that’d grown within Louis now began to wilt; though his face once bore a proud expression, he now favoured looking down instead.
“But you know, that’s just one part of the story.”
“Eh?”
Out of the blue, William had added that in a gentle voice, and Louis was startled.
He couldn’t decipher the meaning behind that remark. Then, William narrated his own thoughts.
“Louis, you went overboard for a single fish, so much so you neglected your own body — I don’t think you should’ve done that, since there were in fact two other angelfish which could act as substitutes. But in a way, to go so far in order to ensure that not even a single life is wasted: that could be seen as an expression of your sincerity.”
Sincerity.
Louis knew he’d been driven by an impulse akin to selfishness. But strangely, he did not resist as that word seeped into his heart.
“Certainly, I had said that it’s possible to replace the fish if they die. But I think it’s wrong to take that at face value, and put one’s faith in how there’ll be replacements, or second chances.”
William moved on to talk about the attitude Louis had taken towards his work.
“Such naive thinking can undermine one’s focus on the task at hand. For example, if you were to think ‘There’s two more of them, anyway’, and approach the enterprise with that optimistic mindset, it wouldn’t be a surprise if all the fish ended up dying right away. In other words, Louis: from that point of view, I would say your earnestness towards that one fish was exceptionally appropriate.”
“……Nii-san.”
William’s tone had contained no more emotion than what his words conveyed, and in no way had he defended Louis’s actions. He was simply assessing them from an objective standpoint.
And that, was precisely why Louis was glad.
He’d thought his actions were nothing more than a mistake born from his own foolishness. But William had shown him that they could in fact be seen as the complete opposite. Taken another way, his persistence towards that one fish was proof of his ardour for his work — that, was what his older brother was telling him.
For now, William fell silent. And right then, the two brothers caught sight of Moran carrying an aquarium tank toward the carts. He hadn’t faltered at all since the start: with his physical strength, it seemed no load was too heavy for him to bear.
It looked like there were only a few things left to move; Fred, who’d also been hard at work loading the items, now put in a last burst of energy. Incidentally, Albert had already moved his share of the items onto the carts earlier, and left for his work at the universal trading company.
Taking his gaze off Moran, Louis now stared at the empty tanks lined up on the carts.
Then, the sight of the three angelfish swimming in close formation sprang to mind.
“…………”
In truth, before their departure from the mansion, he had wanted to return ‘William’ to the tank with the other two angelfish. He’d thought it would be nice to see them swimming harmoniously together once more.
But that wish had not been fulfilled. For Louis, who was in charge of this endeavour, it was truly a pity.
Then, following behind Moran, Fred stepped out the doorway of the mansion. In his arms was a bottle that held a certain fish.
Louis stood before the entrance. Fred studied his expression, and asked him a question.
“This’s the last one…… Is it really alright to load it up?”
“……Yes, please do.”
His reply bore a faint sense of loneliness. Hearing that, Fred nodded solemnly, and proceeded towards the carts.
For one last time, Louis looked at the bottle Fred was holding.
Swimming within it, was the angelfish that’d been ill up to a few days ago.
Earlier, as Fred spoke to him, Louis had noticed it swimming languidly yet powerfully through the water. The rays of the morning sun, just risen, gleamed off its silver scales — their lustre was simply beautiful.
In other words—— the angelfish had thoroughly regained its former elegance.
The day after he used the treatment William provided, the fish had gradually recovered, and fully regained its strength just the day before. However, as Louis was hesitant to stop the treatment immediately after it had recuperated, he had no choice but to abandon the thought of letting it rejoin its former tank mates. Instead, it spent its remaining days in the mansion confined to the small aquarium.
At the very least, he’d wanted to see the “three brothers” together once more.
However, as Fred loaded the bottle onto the cart, Louis quietly closed his eyes, and put that thought away.
——They are but three fish; they’re not the same as us, by any means.
That cold line was directed at himself.
After caring for them so wholeheartedly, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t grown fond of them in the slightest.
Moreover, if he had asked his brother seriously, it might have been possible to leave just the three angelfish behind in the mansion. In any case, there were many other varieties of tropical fish: they didn’t necessarily have to part with those three.
However, Louis did not do that.
As Fred had brought up, the one who’d asserted that the fish were nothing more than tools — was none other than himself.
He had no intention of retracting his words now. Furthermore, he was afraid that when the next mission came around, he might just let his emotions get the better of him, and end up causing irreversible damage.
When all was said and done, those stunning tropical fish were simply tools — a means to an end.
There were some things that could only be obtained by pushing aside sentimentality, disciplining oneself, and devoting one’s heart to their work, just as he had done.
And he was sure that his brother understood those feelings of his.
Even as he felt a pang of regret, Louis banished those thoughts, and met his brother’s gaze beside him.
William smiled back. “Well then, we’ve had a rather long chat, if I do say so myself,” he said. “But all that was just waffle. There’s only one thing I want to tell you, Louis.”
He knew what Louis truly wanted to hear right now. Then, he spoke in a warm and gentle voice — not as the leader of a criminal organisation that lurked in the darkness, but as an older brother.
“You didn’t let a single life go to waste: you did a great job, Louis.”
“……Yes!”
Louis replied with vigour. Then, dropping his guard, he nearly broke into a grin — and tried to suppress it in a panic. But he barely managed to stop himself from cracking a smile; emotion welled up from the depths of his heart, and his eyes misted over: it seemed that such sentiment could not be suppressed, even by a cool-headed man like himself. Through a mist of tears, he could vaguely make out the figure of his brother standing before him.
To become his brother’s strength. To fulfil his brother’s wishes. And, if possible, even if it was only for a little bit: to receive his brother’s praise.
Right after receiving that task from William, he had inadvertently obtained what he’d desired — and Louis was trembling with emotion.
William adjusted his tie. “Well then, it seems everything has been loaded up,” he murmured. “I think it’s time for me to get ready to leave as well.”
Then, he softly placed a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.
“Leave the rest to me, Louis. I’ll make sure your work wasn’t in vain.”
“I know, nii-san.”
Without a shadow of a doubt, Louis was certain of it. ——That his brother, would never let his own efforts go to waste.
Hearing that, William smiled; then, his expression immediately reverted to that of the “Crime Consultant”, and he went back into the mansion.
After seeing his brother off, Louis glanced at the carts full of glass tanks, and murmured to himself.
“……It’ll be time to make breakfast soon.”
Once he’d ascertained that the transport preparations were complete, the memories of his arduous days spent with the fish then morphed into a record of observations. In his mind, his thoughts switched back to their usual subjects: those of managing the mansion and their estate.
However, deep in his heart, that gorgeous silver light remained as an unfading memory.
Louis had taken on the challenge of maintaining aquaria, and completed his mission since. Surrounding him was a refined atmosphere, and the air of a man who’d finally brought an enterprise to fruition.
T/N: omg I have so many thoughts about this one — much longer than the usual one-liner at the end of each story — so they’re in a separate section below if you’re interested :3
Translator’s thoughts (haha)
Louis’s growth
I think this story in particular is the previously-untold link in Louis’s character development! As seen in the Baskervilles arc and the start of this story, Louis initially had this worldview that he needed to be a cold-blooded machine to fulfil William’s wishes. To him, everything else was unnecessary if they did not serve his brother’s goals.
But in the course of caring for the angelfish, Louis was forced to confront the fact that he was actually fond of the angelfish — even though this contradicted his existing worldview, since emotion is unnecessary in rearing mere tools. And upon reflecting on how he handled the whole debacle, he finally realised that although the way in which he acted on that affection was not entirely right — showering the fish with too much love, which might’ve led to its falling ill, and sacrificing his own health and potentially the entire endeavour to save just one fish — the very presence of that affection was not a bad thing; and as William affirmed, he should continue to value every single life.
So I think this was the turning point from which Louis started to let go of that obsession toward his brother, and act on his own emotions and wishes: what he thinks is right, as opposed to merely what William wants. And this culminated in him seeking Sherlock’s help to save his brother, even as William himself did not want to be saved.
So in short, I really think this story is a key point in Louis’s character development, connecting the Louis of the Baskervilles arc with the Louis we see in the Final Problem arc — a missing link in the narrative, if you will!
Some random thoughts:
I’d think that sometime after the events of this story, Louis would properly apologise to Fred over what happened in the Baskerville mission
William told Louis he was right to not let even a single life go to waste — I think those words would’ve echoed in Louis’s mind when he sought Sherlock’s help together with Fred
Parallels to the Final Problem arc
Furthermore, some aspects of this story do parallel what happened in the Final Problem arc:
‘William’ being the one to fall ill
Louis trying very hard to save him
Louis praying for someone to help his brother
Help coming from a friend, rather than Louis himself
‘William’ remaining separate from the other two angelfish for a time
I wonder if it’s intentional, in the same vein as that past illustration by Hikaru-sensei where William covered his left eye with a rose… It could be possible: this book was published alongside the Phantom arc (Volume 7), so it’s conceivable that the Final Problem arc had already been planned out by that point.
Wow this has been a long one — thank you for reading this far! And onward to the next story ヽ(*・ω・)ノ
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httpsaiki · 3 years
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Congrats on 300 love! I don’t think I’ve requested something yet from you even though I love your writing! Anyway, could I request a fic where Teruhashi and the (fem)reader are dating(usually I don’t mind what pronouns the reader has but for this one it’s kinda relevant. But you can make it gender neutral if you want)? So the two have been dating for a few months. The reason Teruhashi entered this relationship wasn’t because of “love” but because she wanted to get her fans off her back and what better was to do that than enetering a relationship with another girl. She this that it may help get her male fans off her and at first it’s great. Then the reader starts to see the relationship declining. At first Teruhashi was sweet and kind but now she is kind of rude to the reader, saying things like how she is embarrassing her or that if Teruhashi is so perfect why isn’t her s/o capable of being that way too. Mean ik (I don’t like Teruhashi if you couldn’t tell), the reader is also dealing with comments from her fans saying that the relationship is a charity case and such so she is feeling horrible in the relationship. A fight happens between the two and mean stuff is said. They break up and the reader isn’t taking it well. Not because she is upset she isn’t in the relationship cause she is happy to be out but because of the backlash from fans. Seeing this either Kuboyasu (jabjshsk I love him sm) or Saiki (love him too) comfort her and they begin to hang out more till they start to date. The two are now in a healthy and loving relationship and the reader gets to see what that feels like and how that wasn’t what she had with Teruhashi... I really just write this whole fic out lmao. I was going to write it but I’m simply lazy and I wanted to request something from you. As always ignore this or change anything if you don’t like it an take your time please don’t rush or stress yourself out. Ily hun❤️❤️
Hi!! Thank you so much <3! I wanted to say that I adore this request and honestly was ready to drop everything to write it, what an amazing idea you have here! I’m worried I focused a little too much on the Teruhashi part but, man, I’m a sucker for angst so it was a lot of fun. I think I may have gone a little overboard, as I don’t think I’ve written something this long before. I’m sorry if it’s wrong or not quite what you wanted. Thank you so so much for this request, I love it!
Small edit: I forgot to add I picked Saiki for this, as I think I write him a bit better than Kuboyasu!
— Reader is female! Warnings for slight angst, break up, fighting.
WC: 3041
Italics are Saiki “speaking” telepathically.
Teruhashi is the perfect pretty girl, on the outside at least. —————————————————–
“So, what I’m trying to say is… Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?” Teruhashi asked on the rooftop one fateful evening after school. She looked as gorgeous as ever, trying to hide her slightly blushing face as she avoided your eyes. The wind was blowing gently through her hair, causing it to sway ever so slightly to one side. The sun was setting behind her, giving her an even more angelic glow to her appearance. You said yes, of course, how could you not? It was magical, especially when it was from the world’s prettiest girl. There was no way you could reject her.
The perfect couple. That’s how it appeared to be. For some time, that’s even how it was.
Teruhashi Kokomi. Your stunning, admirable, and perfect girlfriend. She’s amazing. A few months ago when she asked you to be her girlfriend you were exhilarated. The thought of dating what many considered to be the perfect girl was a chance you knew you just couldn’t pass up. All the time spent with her felt like cloud nine, she made sure you were happy no matter what, and of course, you tried to do the same for her. Her reputation truly held up, even in private.
Over those months, it amazed you what a wonderful girlfriend she was, having seemingly endless affection and love for you. It felt like she was more in tune with your emotions than you’d ever been. She was always ready to listen to your problems, whether you just wanted to vent or needed solutions. She was such a giver in the relationship that you even felt a little bad about it.
She knew that, but she’d never tell you. Not yet, anyway.
So many precious memories flashed through your mind as you thought about her. From getting ice cream on hot summer days to study dates amid a cold, snowy winter (where there wasn’t as much studying as there was cuddling). All the late nights you had spent with her, talking about everything and yet nothing. Video calls at the bright and early hours of the mornings just so she could get your opinion on what she should wear for the day. Every little thing you did together seemed as perfect as Teruhashi herself.
So where had it all gone wrong?
The relationship seemed like it was going great. What happened? What had you done wrong? Recently, Teruhashi had been acting anything but herself. She’s been aggressive, rude, and not interested in anything to do with your relationship at all. She’d avoid you, ignore your calls and texts. When she did see you, she’d throw insult after insult your way, blaming you for problems that were far from in your control, ones that her in her life, not yours. But that wasn’t even the half of it.
What made it even worse? That was only in private. In public, whenever she was with you (or without) she put on her little show of being Miss Perfect. You don’t know how you didn’t see through it before, looking back it was so obvious how fake it was. While in public you were sometimes able to convince yourself she still loved you, clinging onto a desperate hope that things weren’t nearly as bad as reality would tell you. Maybe she was just having a rough time? Her life must be hard, with the constant stalking and fans harassing her along with the need to keep everything in her life completely in order. She must just be tired of it and need somewhere to vent her anger. You didn’t mind being that person, but just not like this. You couldn’t always expect her to be perfect, and you hadn’t. You did your best to make it clear to her from the start that you didn’t need her to be perfect all the time and that you’d be there no matter what. If she wanted to relax in private with you, she was more than welcome to. She never did.
You had it rough, too. Her fan club was constantly harassing you as well. They called you names worse than she did, and had gone to extreme lengths just to get you to break up with her. They stole your things, drew on your desk, and were all-around horrible towards you. They claimed the only reason Teruhashi was dating someone like you was that she pities you, Teruhashi could do so much better. Deep down, you knew that may be the case, but she still asked you out for a reason, right? You never once complained about it, nor told Teruhashi. It would be okay in the end, and being with her was worth it.
Looking back, the red flags were there from the start. It would’ve been better if you caved to the fan club’s wishes from the beginning.
Your arguments seemed to only get worse with time. Insults being thrown your way more than once a day. During a particularly bad argument, she expressed how she felt she was the only one keeping the relationship alive, the only one that truly cared. For the first time, you fought back.
“How could you say such a thing! I do my best for you, I’m sorry we can’t all be Miss Perfect! I try so hard and yet it’s never good enough, is it?” You yelled in frustration, your voice was a lot louder and far more powerful than you intended. Teruhashi was visibly taken aback, despite her constant berating, you had never once raised your voice at her. She paused for a moment, clearly to think. You could easily tell just what she was thinking about.
You had no idea she’d been keeping track of everything you told her. Well, you did, but you never imagined your insecurities would be used against you in the way Teruhashi has been. Screaming them, bringing them up to your face, and forcing you to face them without warning. Using them to insult you, making them worse, and letting them dig deeper into the back of your mind. 
Her face contorted in anger, even angrier than before. Listing things “wrong” with you as if her life depended on it, Teruhashi began her angry ranting. She wanted to get it across to you that she’s perfect and you’re far from that. She listed everything you’d ever done that irked her, every annoying thing you’ve said, and every problem you’ve ever told her about. She mocked emotions you’d told her in confidence and confessed that she always found them dramatic and ridiculous. She expressed how embarrassing it was to be seen in public with you, how she should only be seen with people on the same level as herself. If that wasn’t enough, she dealt one last finishing blow.
“I never loved you anyway.”
She turned and she left, slamming the door to your house shut behind her.
Your mind went blank and you barely noticed your knees hitting the floor as you collapsed to the ground. You didn’t realize you were crying until you felt the tears soaking into your shirt. You couldn’t see nor hear, everything around you felt numb and dark. Did she really mean all of that? There was no way you were that bad of a girlfriend to her. 
Why did you still not want to break up?
Days passed and you still hadn’t left your bedroom, let alone your house. Your phone was blown up with texts from your friends, asking if you were sick. You learned from glancing at a few of the messages that Teruhashi had told them that. Reading her name hurt, it made you feel ill as you remembered what had happened a mere few days ago.
Your phone dinged once again. You reached out and grabbed it with a weak grasp, not having the energy to do more than the bare minimum. The name on your screen made a wave of nausea come over you, the content of the message not helping either.
From: Kokomi♡
I’m coming over.
You really needed to change that contact name. That wasn’t what was important, though. Why was she coming here? What else could she possibly need from you, and what on earth else could you possibly offer? You didn’t have much time to think about it, you needed to appear at least somewhat put together by the time she got here.
Your hair was just finished drying as you pulled on clean clothes. You made sure the entrance and living room areas of your house were clean, along with the kitchen. The knock at the door sounded so familiar, Teruhashi always knocked the same way. It sent chills down your spine. Pulling on the best neutral face you could muster and forcing your legs to move, you opened the door.
She looked different. There was no glow to her anymore. She’d never looked less like an angel in your eyes. Even compared to when she’d been yelling at you. It was jarring, almost like she’s a total stranger. It’ll make talking to her easier, you mused.
You wordlessly invited her in, stepping aside as she avoided eye contact and made her way to sit in the living room. Even once you were sat in front of her, she still wouldn’t look at you. You couldn’t tell if that was because she felt shame or disgust. You just hoped it wasn’t the latter.
“What do you need?” You started the conversation, keeping your voice as steady as you could muster. You were quite impressed with how well you were doing.
“We need to break up.” She stated, still not looking up. You rolled your eyes.
“As if I’d stay with you after that.” You spit out, trying to keep your words from sounding too venomous. A moment of silence, you could feel your heartbeat quicken in your chest. The nerves were starting to get to you and one of you needed to say something before the panic could set in. Luckily, Teruhashi did.
“They were right, you know - the fan club?” She said quietly.
“What?” You were surprised, she knew about that?
“It was like a charity case. I only dated you to get them off my back. Didn’t work though. Shame.” Her voice was calm, way too calm to be saying something so harsh. She was fine just ending your relationship like that, no matter what you’d been through together.
“Oh... of course.” She really had never loved you. You were just a tool she could use to escape the mindless drones that claimed to support her. So it all had meant nothing. It was just too good to be true. 
She stood and wordlessly left, walking out of your life for good. Good riddance.
Your pain was only beginning to set in. You couldn’t care less that she broke up with you, you were miserable dating her anyways. No, the hardest part was you would be truly alone now. You knew once word got out that she broke up with you the whole school would blame you. There’s no way their perfect pretty princess could do wrong. It hurt to think about it, you’d probably lose your friends over this. There was one person, though, just maybe one person you could talk to.
Saiki Kusuo. An average looking boy, he didn’t stand out much. You had been friends with him months ago before you dated Teruhashi but she forced you to stop talking to him when you started dating. You never understood why, but she eventually told you that it’s because she used to like him before she got with you and she found it awkward for you to talk to him. You understood. The guilt ate you alive, but you complied. From that day on, you’d never again spoken a word to him.
You could tell just by looking at him he wasn’t like everyone else. He didn’t fawn all over Teruhashi when she entered a room and maybe that’s what drew you to him right now. He’d be the perfect friend, someone that wasn’t obsessed with her. You just hoped he’d forgive you.
“Hey, Saiki?” You asked, shyly walking up to him. He glanced up at you, an uninterested expression plastered on his face. He wasn’t visibly upset by you, but that only made you more nervous. You have no idea what he’s thinking. Realizing he wasn’t going to reply, you continued talking.
“I was just wondering if you’d be willing to have lunch with me. I-I know we haven’t spoken in a while but there are some things I’d like to clear up.”
Saiki knew exactly why you stopped talking to him. He wasn’t going to blame you for that, either. It wasn’t your fault. Sure, he was a little upset about it, you were someone whose presence he actually could tolerate. You were nice to talk to, mainly because you knew when was a good time and when to stop. Traits Saiki greatly admired and appreciated in a person. He might have even liked you a little.
He wasn’t about to let you go. Not as easy as the first time. “Sure.” 
His response was curt and blunt, but you couldn’t help the small smile that graced your features. It was your first genuine smile in months. Maybe the whole world wouldn’t be completely against you.
“Thank you.” You stated simply, turning to sit back in your seat. It seemed like such a meaningless thanks, but Saiki knew there was more behind it than that.
Lunch came quickly enough and before you knew it you were eating under a tree with Saiki. You explained everything that happened over the last couple of months, how awfully you’d been treated behind the scenes. You apologized more than necessary for abandoning Saiki, trying to convey that you didn’t want to, but your ex-girlfriend had somewhat forced you to. 
Saiki was forgiving, and far more understanding than he needed to be about the situation you were in along with the one you found yourself in now. Deep down, he was happy to have you back. Even if you weren’t super close before, he wanted to help you feel better and get over the torturous relationship you had just left.
So Saiki was there for you. The little lunch meets becoming a daily occurrence and he did his best to keep the Teruhashi fan club away from you. Talking to Saiki felt different, it was like he was genuinely listening and cared about what you told him. He was eager to help and aided as much as he could in your recovery.
Weeks passed as the routine kept up. On the weekends you’d meet for dessert and studying. Everything you did with Saiki felt right, it felt safe and healthy. You hadn’t realized how suffocating your old relationship was - even during the good days. 
It wasn’t until Saiki asked you out and you said yes that you truly experienced what being loved felt like. It was late, well after the sun went down. Saiki had snuck into your house, claiming that his parents were being annoying but you knew that was a cover for the fact he missed you. There was no way they were awake these early hours of the morning. He saw your tired face under the dim light that peaked in from your window, as you woke up from his sudden appearance in your bedroom. Saiki felt a small rush. He needed to tell you. Now.
“Y/N” He spoke. 
“Saiki?” The confusion was evident in your voice, “You spoke?” You were clearly tired after being disrupted from your sleep. Never having heard him speak before wasn’t helping with your state.
“Yeah.” He whispered, reaching a hand out to brush the hair out of your eyes, letting it linger on your cheek. It was a little more than platonic, just like the look in his eyes.
“I really like you, Y/N.” He whispered once again, so quiet you almost didn’t hear it. 
But you did. Your eyes shot open, blinking a little in surprise. There was no way he just said that, you must be dreaming. There was no way this pink-haired boy that made you feel more than anyone else ever had was standing in your bedroom, at four o’clock in the morning saying he likes you.
You sat up, “You really mean that?” It came out without you intending it to. It probably sounded rude, but you were far beyond the point of being awake enough to care.
“Yeah.” He said, a small chuckle coming out, “I do.”
You didn’t say anything, all you did was slide back on your bed, making room for Saiki and open your arms. He took the hint and made himself comfortable next to you. He let out a small sigh, doubting he’d be able to sleep like this despite his relaxation. He wanted to protect you for as long as he could. He stared at you, probably a little more than he should. Saiki couldn’t help it, his eyes wouldn’t leave your form. You looked like you belonged in his arms, or so he thought. He was having a hard time processing his happiness at your figure in his arms. It had always been you, he was well aware of that now. 
“You still awake?” he asked, going back to his telepathic communication. You mumbled a small yes, prompting him to continue talking. “Thank you,” he started, “for asking me to sit with you at lunch that one day. For coming back to me.”
You let out a tired giggle, “You missed me.”
“I did.” He felt you tense when you said that as if you were shocked to hear it. That didn’t surprise him, he had his doubts you were told you were cared about enough, especially in your last relationship.
Looking down at you once again, he realized you’d fallen asleep. A smile grew on his lips as he made a silent promise to show you what real love feels like. He’d cherish you to the moon and back. It’s what you deserve and he was going to give it to you.
368 notes · View notes
dreamkidddream · 3 years
Note
Ah sorry, I forgot to specify;; I meant the quote <3
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Aw thank you! 🥺 tbh I’m surprised that this is the first Dazai request for the prompt special but I ain’t mad at it cause this was super cute ☺️ also this got kinda short so hope it’s okay and reader is gender neutral! Also look at how cute he looks in the gif UGH smiling Dazai >>>>>>
TW: typical Dazai suicide attempts/mentions, spicy/suggestive but fluffy, and nothing graphic is mentioned
Prompt: “I know I kissed you like, ten times, but just another ten, please.” with Dazai!
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Waking up to kisses being showered across your body, as you found out, is not a bad way to be woken up. It’s great when it’s on your day off, and the best when the one giving them to you is off too.
Dazai loves waking you up like this, seeing your nose twitch and your face scrunch up as he gently pecks any available area he can reach (and if he can’t, he’ll find a way). Doing this just reminds him of something that he has in this cruel world. Seeing you rise out of your slumber giggling and leaning towards him is a sight that he will never tire of. He’s not able to do it as much as he wants to (which is really every morning, really he wants to do all day), so he has to savor every chance he gets.
He’s not a morning person by any chance, but it becomes more than tolerable every time he presses his lips against you.
“Good morning sleeping beauty.”
You stretched and groan, his efforts finally paying off, “G’morning Osamu.”
Dazai could just lay in bed with you the whole day peppering you with kisses and die happy (dare he say it would be the perfect double suicide) on the spot. He stopped his attack momentarily after you tried to escape his grasp, keyword tried. As soon as you started to inch your legs towards the floor, he maneuvered his way to tangle both of your legs together, burying his head in the crook of your neck and continuing his onslaught of kisses.
“Trying to leave me already? You know I won’t let you go that easily. I know I kissed you like, ten times, but just another ten, please”, you shivered at his voice, he knew exactly what he’s doing. His sleepy voice retaining that sort of roughness does things to you (honestly his voice just do things to you in general), and he knows this. If he keeps this up, you wouldn’t be leaving the bed anytime soon, and that’s his plan. As pleasing as that sounds, you both do have to eat, and your stomach growling agreed with that.
“I know, but can we eat first? We have the whole day to laze away, but I don’t wanna starve while doing it”, you began to massage his scalp, softly snagging any knots that you came across. “Then I can give you all my attention and kisses after.”
He just smiled into your neck, climbing higher and edging closer to your lips. “Hm...Nope! I want them now, and I’m not waiting any longer.” And he reiterated his point by just snuggling deeper into you, breathlessly chuckling at your form giving off a shiver once again. He loves way your body reacts to him, and with the way you’re accepting his nonstop kisses, he knows that he’s going to be getting his way very soon.
“Osamu pleaseeeee? We can even do breakfast in bed! I know that you’re hungry-”
Pinning you down to the sheets, he didn’t waste any time in catching your attention and making your stomach flutter in anticipation.
“If you know, then you won’t mind helping me, hm? You’ll be more than enough to satisfy my appetite.”
Once again, Dazai never fails to take your breath away, and you might as well cancel any plans you did want to make today.
Dazai already had plans being completely selfish with you, and you could only hope that you’ll still be able to function tomorrow.
The next morning, Yosano eyed you up and down in suspicion. You walked in practically glowing, greeting everyone with an upbeat in your voice, with Dazai right behind you, and even he looked a bit more brighter himself. Usually it would take you some time to fully wake up and adjust (you still greeted everyone, just with incoherent mumbles) but it seemed that you were wide awake this time. Except there was one issue bugging her...
“Morning Yosano!”
“Good morning...? Are you okay?”
“Of course! why do you ask?”
“You’re awfully lively this morning. And why on Earth are you wearing that around your neck? Out of all the clothes that I picked out for you, and you don’t even wear them.”
“Oh I was...running late! Yeah, and laundry didn’t get done yet, so”, you gave a weak laugh. “You make with what you got, ya know?”
She’s not buying it one bit, and her eyes narrowed even more at your fashion crime. “Not to mention the fact that you’re limping.”
You felt your mind going blank as she just gave you a smirk.
You’ve been made!
“So I’m assuming that your day off was fun?”
You cleared your throat, “Y-yeah, it was nice. Just relaxed, nothing special about that.” A beat of silence passed between you, that caused you to sweat and fidget more and more. Before she could even open her mouth to comment, Dazai came up behind you and dragged you away under the pretense of being “too lonely to type up reports”.
“Are you proud of yourself Osamu?”
“I’m sorry, I might have went a little overboard yesterday”, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Can you blame me though? Hearing you cry out for me-”
“OKAY MOVING ON! Just”, you jabbed a finger to his chest. “You owe me!”
He just gave you a soft laugh and a kiss on your forehead. He knows that you’re a bit upset with him, but he can’t help it that you look too cute pouting!
“Our next day off is going to be dedicated to me and me only. I want the royal treatment: feeding me food, massages, the whole nine yards. And don’t think you’re getting out of this easy too!”
Rubbing circles onto your hands, he brought them to his lips, alternating between the two. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides”, he licked his lips.
“I’m just dying to get another taste.”
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mrpenguinpants · 4 years
Text
Zhongli: Dating HCs
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Aww, I’m glad you like it. Honestly, it was probably one of my favourite hcs to write aha. Ah yes Zhongli, the man who I refuse to believe has money and is constantly broke 24/7. An accurate reflection of me when I spend all my primogems on Childe and have nothing for Zhongli. 
This is my first time writing for Zhongli so I might have went a bit overboard? When you were gonna write a couple HCs and ended up writing 1k+ words. Whoops? Maybe I should put a read more on this.
[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.
@hanniejji​​​ @mikeysbike​​​ @unionwitch​​​ @musekala​​​ @twistedsunnshiii​​ @stanzastic​​
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Zhongli: Dating HCs
When you first met Zhongli, your first impressions on him was that he was a very intelligent and well-culture man on Liyue’s traditions and history. That was until you got acquainted with his money and negotiation habits. It gave you a bit of whiplash at how, almost naïve, Zhongli was but it was also endearing? It made him feel a lot more approachable and make you feel like less of an idiot when he started spouting off about things that most Liyue citizen’s wouldn’t know.
Your inner consciousness was screaming at you to help him out. You didn’t want to see him get his entire wallet scammed because he didn’t know how to handle mora. That’s how you basically became his accountant. You didn’t know where he was getting his money but if he was throwing it away so easily, it wouldn’t last long.
After a while, you developed a business-friend type relationship with the man. You would attempt to handle his negotiations and try and fix his bad habit of forgetting his wallet and in return, he’d tell you stories and odd bits of trivia that only someone like him would know. It was kind of interesting hearing him ramble on about different plants and machines. Though he did have a really nice voice too which probably added to the appeal. He mentioned once that if you were to ever pass away, he would see to it personally that your send off would be perfect. You told him he really did not need to worry about that.
Overtime, you found yourself beside Zhongli on simple outings. No need to worry about work or wondering where the actual hell Zhongli got his funds from, just friendly chatter. If you both happened to meet on the Liyue street with no work to complete, he’d ask for your company. Through one of your conversation you told him you were originally from Sumeru so he’d take you to special spots in Liyue, offering small bits of history.
One day, Zhongli had invited you out to dinner saying it was his treat for helping him out so much. You weren’t going to say no to his company and a potential free meal so you agreed. It was an overall good time until Zhongli reached into his pocket to hand you a gift, a case to carry your vision. You had mentioned once when you first met that your vision had been accidently eaten by a pyro slime when you were traveling from Sumeru to Liyue, so the casing was burnt around the edges. It was a shock to you that not only did he remember, since you only said it once in a brief comment, but the casing was actually really beautiful. Zhongli gently reached over to take your hands to put your vision into the new case, his fingertips slowly lingering. Then the gears in your head slowly began turning as the evening lamps reflected on the vision case.
“Wait, have you’ve been...asking me out on dates?” you asked, eyes blinking wide at him as he tilted his head to the side. He didn’t appear mad or annoyed, just genuinely confused by your question.
“Yes? I was under the impression you were aware I was courting you.”
You quickly run through the last couple of weeks with Zhongli trying to see if there was anything that stood out. You suppose he was smiling a bit more, going to more romantic areas in Liyue, and he did just give you a new case for your vision...
You wanted to die right there in your seat as your entire face flushed red. You didn’t even realize. So much for calling Zhongli the naïve one. Zhongli slightly frowned as he took your silence as a silent rejection and slowly slipped his hands out of yours before you quickly curled your fingers around his to keep them in place.
“Sorry, hang on. Please just -give me a second to collect my thoughts.” you quickly stutter out as you unconsciously squeezed his hand tighter as you bite your lip nervously.  
“Okay, take as long as you need,” Zhongli nods. If you weren’t gripping his hand like a lifeline he’s tempted to ease the pressure on your lip so the skin wouldn’t break.
You did really like Zhongli, you wouldn’t have stopped him from pulling away if you didn’t. But going from your casual friendship to something more?
“Um...would it be alright if we could take it slow? I don’t mean anything bad by that nor am I rejecting you. We could see how things go? Whatever happens happens?” you began to ramble before Zhongli cut you off. He slowly loosens the vice like grip you had on him and moves his hand to gently cup your cheek, to trace along the indent you left on your lower lip.
“Yes, I would like that very much. Thank you,” he smiles softly at you as his amber eyes seemed to glow in the dark. On second thought, you might not be able to take it slow, this one look is enough to kill you.
At first, Zhongli would give you material possessions and while it was very nice and his sense of style wasn’t that bad, you couldn’t help but worry that he might have spent his entire life savings. You have to gently remind him that you don’t need these things to win you over. Just to be himself and let things happen naturally. He nods along and actually begins taking notes, as if you’ve told him the meaning of life. It’s a bit embarrassing but at least it show’s that he’s serious.
Zhongli is earnest in everything he does and sometimes a bit too blunt. He’s still incredibly respectful of your personal boundaries and space but if you catch him staring at you he’ll be honest in his reasons why. Sometimes he’ll keep going and that embarrasses you too much to the point you have to reach over and stop him before your face overheats.
Likewise, his affection is similar. He isn’t incredibly affectionate but sometimes he seems to pop out of nowhere or you’ll be mid-sentence and he’ll sneak a small kiss. He isn’t trying to fluster you on purpose which makes you a bit more shy that he can do these acts with such ease.
Whenever he mentions that he may bore you with his information on odd historical and cultural aspect of Liyue, even calling it a  "bourgeois parasite" you quickly shut it down. He should have more confidence, not everyone in Liyue knows what he knows and he should be proud. It’s because of him that traditions are alive, even if it’s just him that remembers them. He wraps his arms around you and embraces you tightly as he thanks you so sincerely, it almost stuns you in place.
If you do happen to fall asleep he doesn’t take it personally. He enjoys the fact that you feel so comfortable in his presence to rest. But he does end up sitting the the same position until you wake up even though you tell him that sitting in the same position, at night, in the cold, for 6 hours straight is not something he needs to do.
You absolutely do not trust Childe anywhere near Zhongli but you’re weak whenever he gives you that small smile. He thinks of Childe as...a friend? Companion? A walking talking bank account? You doubt it’s the last one considering how respectful Zhongli is but you can’t help but worry. But if Zhongli considers Childe a friend then you’ll silently accept him. It slightly helps you get through the day, until you see Childe already sitting at a table waving to you both innocently. I hope you don’t mind that I invited Childe, he says. A part of you wonders if he actually knows what a date is or if the first times were flukes.
When Zhongli is there you’re both respectful with each other, slipping underhanded comments disguised as friendly jest’s. But as soon as he leaves, you’re ripping into Childe. Zhongli comments that he’s glad you and Childe get along so well as you both stare at him as if he’s grown two heads.
Sometime you get so frustrated that you have to sit him down and just clasp your palms on his cheeks as he stares up at you confused. You want to knock some sense into him that while Childe may own a bank, he in fact does not, and he should really stop digging himself into deeper debt with that Fatui. But he gives you that same tilt of the head, a small smile stretching over his mouth, and his amber eyes soften just a tad that it knocks the wind out of you on just how cute Zhongli can be sometimes.
You both never end up formally putting a label on what you both are, which felt a bit unusually to Zhongli who is so rooted in tradition. But as he watches you pout at him that he isn’t filtering anything you’re saying as you pay the merchant, he can’t help but wonder what the customs of Sumeru are in terms of marriage.
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all-about-seggs · 4 years
Text
A Fine Specimen-
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Rating : 18+, Mature, Yandere-verse
Pairing : Gojo Satoru x female reader.
Word count : 2.3k
Warning's : Dark themes, Yandere behaviour, non-con, drugging, cunnilingus, fingering, choking, vaginal sex.
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The lights on the low run down ceiling kept flickering, as you try your best to pull yourself out of your trance. The room was dark except for the surgical lights pointed straight on your figure, it seemed like an abandoned operation theatre, or atleast it should be, considering its dingy state. Every effort of looking around and trying to make sense of your current predicament has been futile, even staying level headed in this strange place was a constant struggle.
Your entire body felt heavy despite the fact that you didn’t even had a thread of clothing on you, the cold air of the room hitting you body made another alarm go off in your head. You’d think you were strapped to the cold hard examination table but it was simply the numbness of your limbs that prevented you from moving. Panic started to flood through your system as you racked your brain for any possible reasoning, as to why you were being treated like a test subject. Sure you lived in a society filled with supernatural beings but you were nothing if not normal.
The gradually increasing sound of footsteps pulled you out of your reverie but judging by the situation your in, it most likely wasn’t a good thing. Soon the person who enters, will see you at your most vulnerable, half conscious and naked state, it was humiliating but you had to pull yourself together if you wanted to survive.
Your sleep laden eyes were the only part that you could move but the light shining above you made it quite straining to focus so you stayed still.
A shadow casted itself upon you indicating the person who entered was tall, probably a male and stronger too. In your current state he made you feel like a rag doll as he stared at your form. You’d describe him as a hunter sizing up his prey if you could see his eyes, which were covered by a blindfold. But that wasn’t the only thing peculiar about him, his hair was as white as snow, the lights above you giving him an otherworldly glow when he leaned on you. His pink lips that looked so smooth, shined with the slightest movement. His beautiful features screamed perfect not creep.
“Hellooo~ Y/n chan, are you awake?…..”, He asked in a sing song voice and a smile on his lips that contrasted with the sombre atmosphere of the room.
So he knew your name? It’s not surprising if he was the one who brought you here, but it was the first time you met this person and he had enough quirks that anyone would remember even without having to converse with him. You were barely managing to keep your eyes half open and speaking seemed far too big of a struggle, your body wasn’t listing to you since the moment you woke up so all you could do was wait for him to explain himself, if he’s even planning to.
A few seconds passed in silence before the white haired man continued, “You probably don’t remember but you were attacked. By a curse, I mean.”
His tone held no compassion as his cheery voice continued, “ You were hurt pretty badly and almost got swallowed, but I made it in time so it’s all right now. You need to get examined for any signs of trauma or any other serious injuries, it’s just that your doctor is running a bit late so I decided to take over”, his face drew closer as he practically breathed on your lips, the warmth radiating from his body almost giving you a false sense of relief that was short lived when you felt his hand cup your breast.
“ You don’t mind right?, I’ll make sure to throughly check each.and.every.detail”, he cooed against your ear giving your cold breast a soft squeeze the stranger left feather light kisses up your neck. You may not be a medical expert but even you knew no medical examinations include foreplay. Your body was still as stiff as a rock and even if you were injured it seemed unusual for you to lose the entire control of your limbs and voice, so you put all your strength into pulling out a broken scream from your clogged throat. It was a futile effort but you couldn’t just let yourself be fondled by some stranger who clearly didn’t looked or acted sound of mind.
“ What’s wrong y/n? Didn’t that felt good?”, There was obvious confusion in his tone, as if he doesn’t realise he doesn’t have your consent but as outrageous as it seemed to you his touch felt good, comforting even. His touch was the only thing that gave you warmth since you regained consciousness and maybe it’s your dazed state or the fact that you’ve been lying on this hard surface or its in his superficial beauty that was making your body feel at ease instead of tensing up.
The murky room that previously made you shiver, now felt warm with a sweet scent in the air, “ Don’t worry, I’m going to take good care of you~”, he whispered softly in your ear, moving your breasts tenderly so as to not cause you any pain, and then lightly he rolled your perked up nipple between his fingers, delighting at the sight of your face twisting up in pleasure you can’t refuse.
He tilted your chin upwards to gain more access to your throat and started sucking a trail of red marks from your jaw to the valley between your breasts, they felt tingly and soft at first, his kisses lighting you’re numb body on fire, a feeling that was undeniably delightful albeit forceful.
“ Not gonna put on a fight now sweetheart? What a good girl you are!”, His voice took a maniacal pitch, but his smile appeared to be of genuine nature as if he really did wanted to take care of you.
“ Let’s get serious now shall we?”, Saying that he moved towards your legs, he bent over your naked pussy and parted your thighs as much as your currently stiff body allowed. It was clear to him that you wanted to protest, wanted to hide yourself and run away but your slightly parted lips that couldnt make out any screams of pain or pleasure, those half lidded eyes which were struggling to focus on what was happening to the rest of your body, it was all part of what made your current violator’s desire surge through his blood .
His hand that parted your legs gave the inner part of your thighs a gentle pinch, as he kept on stroking the soft flesh. Moving his left hand inbetween them he reached for your glistening nether lips beneath curls of pubic hair, with two of his long thick fingers he pried them open. Licking his lips like he was about to devour a delicious meal he brought his face closer to your sex until his tongue made contact with your clit. He took the tiny nodule in his mouth and gave it a hard suck making you shiver and with that, every ounce of fight left in you died as you started to surrender yourself to his touch that promised the kind of tantalizing euphoria you’ve never imagine possible.
Your body was beginning to heat up to the point of burning as your senses started catching up to the white haired guy’s mouth which relentlessly worked your clit back and forth. Slipping two fingers of his right hand in your tight cunt, he made more of your white hot cum flow out, your face was the picture of bliss as he kept on licking your slick covered pussy. He shoved his fingers inside you harder and faster until you began tightening around him, your pussy started convulsing when that coil of pleasure unwinding in the pit of your stomach reached its peak. With a slight squeeze of his digits you came on his face, just like he wanted you to.
He smiled while watching you come down from your high, the mess your quivering body made was a beautiful sight for him and he wanted to savour every second of it. You though the fire that he kindled inside you would calm down after you came but your body kept on shaking even when your orgasm had ended. It was like your body was not yours anymore, like it didn’t belong to you but the guy who was in front of you. It was only when he was touching you that made your senses come back to yourself and as soon as he drew away you were left unable to control even a single limb of yours.
“ I’m glad to see it was enjoyable for you my sweetness, although I couldn’t swallow all it, I think i was able to get a good enough taste of you”, he spoke in a low baritone. “ I really wanted to hear your cute voice crying out for me but I suppose I went overboard with your medications, so I guess that won’t be happening”, his tone lacked regret but atleast now you knew why your body was acting funny and how this person was insane if he thinks drugging you is giving medication, despite your reasoning all rationality had already left your brain, only leaving you with an unquenchable thirst for his touch.
From the corner of your eye you could see him swiftly unzipping his pants to take out his hard member. He mounted on you still palming his hard on and it only now dawned on you just how huge he was, his body completely enveloped yours making you feel small as he planted one hand beside your head. He leaned down to kiss your parted lips, slipping his tongue inside, you could taste the remnants of your cum on it when he licked the roof of your mouth. His kiss was so hard it almost felt like he was sucking the life out of you not stopping until your consciousness started to waver again.
“ Haaaa… Sorry, I got carried away, breath for me cupcake, Its no good if I have to hump your unconscious body.”, With that he placed his right hand on the back of your knee and pushed it all the way up to your chest, this new position giving him more access to your still swollen and trembling cunt.
In one smooth motion he was buried deep in you, the slick from your last orgasm gave him enough lubrication that he started moving immediately. His pace was fast, but not violently so. It was the right amount of deep and long as he pulled himself out until only his tip remain inside of you before pushed it in again. He watched your reactions intently as he maintained his steady pace, though mildly, you were still able to contort your face like anyone who is being fucked so good. Soon you felt your second orgasm approach and he speed up his own actions to chase his high as well.
“ Gojo…..Satoru…..”, He said inbetween his rhythmic thrusts, “ that’s my name, so let me make you….. remember …it…..”, With a few more hard thrusts a familiar pleasure washed over you. Your pussy clenched around his cock making him follow you soon after.
Panting heavily, he leaned down to rest his forehead against the crook of your neck, beads of sweat trickling down his face as he calmed himself down. He didn’t pull himself out until both of your heavy breaths became steady, still looming over you. Raising his head he licked your lips, and with a low growl against your mouth he put one of his hand on your throat, wrapping itself around it completely, his actions sent a shiver up your spine. He started putting pressure on only some very particular spots, causing your eyes to roll back, making the already delicate state of consciousness to fade. But before you felt yourself getting knocked out you heard him speak again.
“Next time…… I’ll make you say it”, he said calmly as the man named Satoru withdrew his hands from your neck.
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“Alex…” Jo interrupts, her hand slowly curing round his, the one resting on her bump. He can feel his lips trembling as the tears he’d fought so hard to keep at bay begin to fall. 
"I put glow in the dark stars up.” He whispered. "So she can't be dead."
On one of the rare occasions, Alex and Jo’s days off don’t coincide, Alex finds himself wishing for a six-hour surgery, hell he’d rather be removing splinters than deciding between lemon sherbet and soft daffodil. To say he was excited about the impending arrival of their second child would be an understatement but completing the ridiculously long list Jo had left him to do this morning before rushing off with Robin felt more like torture.
He understood though, with only two months to go everything seemed to pile up on them, the quiet calm they had mistaken for panic when Robin was on the way paled in comparison when they were trying to juggle two full time demanding careers, a new puppy, a new baby and a toddler whose main goal in life seemed to be giving his parents a heart attack with the many hiding places he could find.
And this is how Alex found himself staring into the abyss of a million Amazon boxes that Jo had somehow managed to sneak by him, with various shades of yellow paint cans dotted around.
He understood Jo’s desire to make everything perfect, she’d been that way since she’d stepped out of the loft bathroom over two years ago, her hands shaking as she lifted the test towards him clearly displaying two lines. He swears they both had good intentions when Robin was born, he wouldn’t be spoiled, there wouldn't be gifts that make up for missing birthdays or missing bedtimes, they’d be honest about mommy and daddy having to work hard for everything they have and yet they couldn’t seem to stop themselves, because the luxury of giving their son and now their daughter everything they’d never had brought more happiness to Jo and Alex then maybe their children would ever understand. There could never be a single second their children doubted how loved and wanted they truly were, so it didn’t matter if their daughter would be in with them for the first few months, her room had to be finished before she arrived.
Their daughter...he smiles at the mere thought of her, their daughter, who likes to kick when their reading Robins bedtime stories, or plays the guitar on Jo’s rib cage until Alex sings along softly with her in the early hours of the morning, their daughter who’d refused to make herself seen for the first two scans.
It’s only when Alex finishes the last coat of soft daffodil that he hears the faint ringing of his phone above the radio. Shuffling down the ladder he wipes the back of his hand on his shirt as he hears the familiar ringtone sound again making Alex frown as he manages to navigate his way through the maze of boxes he's built around himself.
There’s a slight twitch in his chest as he begins down the stairs hearing his phone fall quiet only to start up again seconds later. He finds it still plugged in by the coffee machine where he’d left it, glancing at the screen to see he had twelve missed calls and three voicemails.
There's a definite twitch in his chest now as he clicks play on Jo's first voicemail, his lips twitching up at the sound of Robin's singing. They sounded like they were still in the car as Jo listed off a few more things she needed him to do.
"Hey, sorry I know you said not to go overboard but there are two more deliveries coming today so make sure to listen out for them and oh oh...if you get a chance to go grocery shopping we need...well we need pretty much everything but get me those cupcakes with the oranges on them and oh erm..." She paused after taking a slightly heavy breath. "I do not feel great today, maybe I can get someone to take over my surgeries. Oh and don’t forget to get the box of baby clothes down from the attic will you...okay... I love you, Alex, I’ll call you later."
He frowned quickly, bypassing the message Meredith had left, assuming it was whatever love triangle tragedy she had that day. He finds Jo's second message. There was no greeting to this one, only Jo's panicked voice.
"Why aren’t you answering the phone Alex? What’s the point of having one if you don’t ever answer it?”
His phone beeped again, signalling another message had been left, this time from Meredith again.
"Alex, where the hell are you? You need to be here now. I don't know if Jo is trying not to worry you but Carina is having her admitted so get over here before I leave work and drag you here myself.”
He felt his heart begin to drop in his chest as he hit replay, trying to piece together what was happening. Before he even knew it his feet were carrying him towards the front door, keys in hand as he rushed out. His entire mind had narrowed in on one simple need: to get to Jo.
He couldn't think of much else as he drove, he doesn’t even remember his route to the hospital he just remembers being at home and then bursting through the doors of Grey Sloan. He was severely out of breath by the time he caught sight of Meredith outside the maternity ward talking quietly with Bailey.
The best thing about Meredith, and what made her excel as a doctor, was that she was damn good in a crisis. So she knew the minute their eyes met that Alex just needed Jo. As soon as he’s within reach she wraps an arm around his shoulder—which felt way too much like condolences for Alex's liking and leads him through the doors where Carina was already waiting. This had to be a mistake. Jo was fine last night. Their daughter was fine last night. He’d felt her kicking as they’d talked. They’d talked about his mom's upcoming visit, and maybe going to see Amber and her family for Christmas or inviting them here.
"—I know. It's awful." Carina mutters her eyes on Jo's chart. The intern beside her nodded in agreement.
"I hope Dr Karev shows up before the ultrasound. She shouldn't have to deal with that alone." The intern responds.
“He’s here,” Carina whispers as she looks up, hearing Alex and Meredith footsteps as she tucks the chart under her arm. “If you can go set up the ultrasound while I talk to him.”
"Of course."
Alex gulps at the sorrow on Carina’s face as she steps closer, it's all too much for him as he averts his gaze down to the floor, his eyes catching on the silver band around his finger, splattered with yellow paint from earlier.
"What's going on?" Alex asks, hearing his voice crack as Meredith drops her hand from his back.
"Alex, you need to take a breath and pull yourself together because right now Jo needs you.”
He doesn't respond to Mer, doesn't even look at her as he raises his gaze back towards Carina, “What’s going on?” He repeats, his voice lower this time.
"Jo's in premature labour. She mentioned a couple of hours ago that she had some pretty bad Braxton Hicks, but then she timed them and they were too close together and too regular. So she paged me, and when I checked her cervix had already begun to open-”
Alex found himself nodding along but Carina’s words soon faded to quiet buzz in his ears. His fingers are already twitching to hold Jo. This couldn’t be happening, not to them. Not now.
"Okay." He whispers his voice dangerously low as he blinks back tears, desperately trying to pull himself together when everything in him was burning. Please don’t do this, please don’t take her from us, please don’t do this to her . He can feel his nails digging into the palm of his hand, the only way he's sure he’s still alive is the dull pain he feels as he takes a deep breath gathering himself slowly. Suddenly his doctor brain kicks in as he begins to ask what they are doing to fix this, listing everything he knew like he wasn’t surrounded by some of the best doctors he knew.
Carina nods, her words still buzzing in Alex’s head as she explains the past couple of hours, Jo’s contractions stopped an hour ago, her cervix hasn't opened any further.
“We’re just waiting to do an ultrasound...it really needs to be done right away.”
“Right...what's the problem then?”
“She’s refusing Alex, won't let anyone near her.”
Alex shakes his head, that's not true. Jo wouldn’t...she would never do anything that could harm their baby. She wouldn’t refuse medical care. He watches as Meredith shoots another look to Carina who sighs, tilting her head in a way that has Alex’s heart dropping into his stomach. “I tried earlier with the stethoscope to find the heartbeat...and was unsuccessful.”
"Alex, do you understand? We couldn't find a heartbeat. Dr DeLuca tried and I did too. Even Jo tried...now she’s refusing the ultrasound, she won’t let anyone touch her."
The childish reaction was quick and automatic. "Maybe you didn’t try hard enough, you didn’t do it right, okay? You know you should check properly.”
Carina took a deep breath. "Alex, I'm sorry. I’m going to do an ultrasound, of course, but…I don't know. It's usually easy to hear it with a stethoscope at twenty-eight weeks. Intrauterine deaths happen and there's not much—"
He felt like he couldn't breathe. His hand was clutching at his chest trying to feel the air filling his lungs but he couldn’t feel a thing as everything went fuzzy again. "Stop. Just shut up. You don’t know Jo. You don’t know our…"
"I'm so, so, s o sorry, Alex," Mer whispered. "I know how much you wanted her."
He felt his eyes burning. "I still want her. And you're wrong because I just felt her kick last night. She was kicking when I sang—she always does that. She does. So she can't be dead."
He chokes on his words. “She’s not...dead.”
There’s a quiet discussion mainly between Carina and Meredith who seems to be answering for Alex as they both guide him towards a door at the end of the corridor:
He has to stand outside the door for a full minute as he tries to get a hold of himself. He doesn’t want his face to show how truly scared he is at this moment.
When he does finally gather himself enough to step into the room he notices how the curtains were pulled, blocking almost all of the sunlight from the otherwise dark room. Jo was curled up onto her side, her entire body tucked protectively around Robin's sleeping frame. She hadn't even lifted her head or made a move to turn when the door shut behind Alex, and that terrified him so deeply that he couldn't even move. It had all suddenly gotten very real.
He walked slowly around the bed so he could see her face, he needed to meet her eyes or he’d never believe any of this was true. But as he rounded the bed he was met with her blank stare, blinking slowly as she took in his form.
"Robin needs to go home. I don't want him to have to see any more of this." She said quietly. She made no move to speak about what was going on. She was emotionless and it terrified him. Suddenly flashbacks of the first time he’d ever seen her look so shut down came to mind. When she’d first met her biological mother. When she’d shut down and left him out in the cold. He wasn’t sure he could survive it back then, he’d needed her so much but now he was certain he’d never survive without her.
Alex turned his focus to his son, who was asleep with his face scrunched up against Jo’s chest, his chubby hands resting on the swell of her stomach.
"I can get Mer to take him home with her." He told Jo quietly, he couldn't find any other words to say, it seemed neither could she.
Jo just nods in response but makes no effort to move. Alex could tell by her hand curling tighter around Robin's back that she wasn’t quite ready to let him go yet.
He’s not sure how much time passes next, as he takes a seat carefully on the edge of the bed. Reaching out gingerly to run his hands softly across Jo's cheek. And it’s in that moment when their eyes meet, his thumb tracing the already dried tear tracks down her face that they break. She lifts her right arm gathering a handful of his shirt tightly pulling him closer, pressing her cheek against his chest so she could hear his steady heartbeat. She doesn't say anything and for a second she’s silent before the sob she must’ve been holding back erupts from her and Alex can feel the tears begin to soak through his T-shirt. He feels powerless, all he can do is keep a steady arm wrapped around his wife holding her tightly to him. That was what hurt him the most about this. He couldn't do anything to take her pain away. He couldn’t fix this.
“Jo…Jo Carina is waiting to do an ultrasound…we need…we need to be sure.” Alex sighs trying to keep his tears at bay as she continues to shake in his arms. “Why won’t you let her help?”
"I didn't want anyone else." She finally admits, loosening her grip enough that he can see her face, her lips trembling as she speaks. The sight alone sends another sharp stab through Alex’s heart. "I didn't want anyone. I wanted you. I wanted—I wanted you to make it better."
Alex nods, wishing with everything in him that he could make any of this better. He lets out a shaky breath as Jo settles back down so her head was resting on his chest, her face pressing into his collarbone. He knows it is selfish, he knows it might kill them both but he can’t help reaching out over Robin's little body and pressing his hand to her stomach. He waits a moment…before pressing again, still waiting to feel the usual response. He hears Jo's breath hitch as she too waits for the little nudge of their daughter's feet, he knows she’s usually responded by now but he waits, he just keeps waiting. He thinks sort of him will always be waiting for that little kick…he thinks this moment might be frozen in time. Not us. This happens to people, but not us. Maybe it wasn’t fair to think like that, after all, every day he sees the worst card parents could ever be handed in life and yet he says the same lines about support groups and doing everything he could and not once did he think he’d ever need to hear those words.
He doesn’t know how long he keeps his hand there just waiting. "I just finished painting the nursery. I went with soft daffodils but if you prefer lemon sherbet we can change it…we can pick whatever colour you want, and I know I said we didn’t need a new crib but if you want that fancy one we’ll-“
“Alex…” Jo interrupts, her hand slowly curling around his own on her bump. He can feel his own lips trembling as the tears he’d fought so hard to keep at bay begin to fall.
"I put glow in the dark stars up.” He whispered. "So she can't be dead."
There’s no logic to what he said. There’s no truth to his reasoning but he believes it. Jo winces at his words or more likely one word in particular. He feels her drag his hand down to where Robin's tiny hands rest, a little reminder of what they still have.
Alex moves closer to them, pulling Robin gently onto his chest, sliding over and opening his arms for Jo. Letting her sink into him. She rests against him like she no longer has the strength to hold herself up.
“I'm sorry. I thought it was nothing more than Braxton Hicks. Can you believe that? I’m a freaking doctor and I couldn’t tell the difference between Braxton hicks and labour. I should have known better. I did this. This is my fault—"
Alex cuts her off, shushing her. "It's not your fault," he assures her. Life was unfair. He knew that. But this pain Jo didn’t deserve. Not his children. Not Robin. Not their new little girl with the stars on her ceiling. Not his family. They hadn't built this together for it to be broken.
"Please don't cry," she pleaded, her voice wavering. "Please don't, it terrifies me. I'm already so scared, Alex. I'm so scared."
Alex just nods, swallowing deeply as he pulls her tighter against his side. It was true that everything had changed once he'd had children. He no longer understood how he had lived without them. And he was realizing that everything he gained could be taken just as easily. He knew that, if this baby really were gone, there would be nothing he could do to ever fix the pain that would settle in Jo's heart or his own for that matter.
He feels Robin begin to stir against him and he forces a smile on his face and kisses his head, smiling genuinely when the little one lifts his arms, reaching out for his father in an instant.
"Daddy” He cheered, his little fists gripping Alex’s T-shirt as he shifted him higher up his chest. He settles his palm on the back of his head and kisses his head again.
"Robin, how would you feel about playing with Ellis, Bailey and Zola tonight?" He asks him carefully.
Robin is as stubborn as his mother. "Scout?" He suggests instead.
"Yeah okay, we can see if Uncle Link will take you. You can play with Scout and then mommy and daddy will see you when you wake up." He knows Robin has no real clue on what’s happening around him but he knew Jo had been right. He didn't need to be here.
Robin lifts his head and peers down at Jo. He seemed to be thinking hard about the proposition before shaking his head fiercely.
"No."
No was his new favourite word and Alex was already sick of hearing it. He strokes his hair back as he meets eyes with Jo. Her tears are still falling steadily. Her hands spread out over her stomach and he knew she was waiting to feel something still.
"No, I want mommy," Robin insists. His little face mustering up what Alex assumed was a scowl as he reached over to wrap his hand around one of Jo's curls hanging loose in front of her face. Alex didn’t have it in him to battle Robin today, it’s not like he wanted to let go of Jo either.
They were out of time to decide what to do about Robin because Carina was already wheeling in the ultrasound. Jo tensed beside him, her hand gripping his tightly as he rose from his place on the bed lifting Robin with him.
"I can't. Please." She whispers and if possible his heart cracked even more.
She was hanging on by a thin thread, but she was hanging onto him. They could survive this…they could survive it together. He lifts Robin higher up his chest, gently cradling Robin's head to his shoulder as the little one's legs wrapped around him.
Alex stared at the swell of Jo’s stomach, the same stomach he'd kissed just last night and singing old country songs much to Jo's amusement. There was no way…there was no way she was…he’d just finished her room…the paint was still wet. Her name is written in stars above her crib. She can’t be.
Alex didn't even realize he was crying until Carina flashes him a sympathetic smile. Robin lifts his head as he squirms in his fathers’ tight grip, peering up at him with a frown. Reaching out to touch his cheeks with his small hands.
"Daddy sad?” He whispers curiously. Alex was torn because there’s no way of explaining this to their toddler and he doesn't want to scare him. Instead, he settles for pressing him back against his chest, his little face squeezed against his neck because while he didn’t want him to watch he also couldn’t bear to let him go.
He watches as Carina helps Jo to sit up. It was too much to watch, the way her whole body shakes as her cries shook through her. He reached for her hand, laying limp by her side, his hand covering hers as he threaded their fingers together. She squeezes his hand back, gripping onto him like he was the only thing stopping her from coming undone. Her hand in his gave him a spark of hope that maybe no matter what happened next they’d make it together, as long they just kept holding on.
He almost dropped Robin in paralyzing relief when the familiar whooshing of the heartbeat filled the room. He lets out a cry of relief as he shakes his head. Alex presses his face back into Robin's hair and squeezes Jo's hand tightly, his heart still pounding away.
"Why wasn't she moving?" Jo asks, her voice hoarse. "I tried everything and she wouldn't move. And why couldn't you find it before?"
"Babies don't move much if at all during labour," Carina explained. "And I don't know. I listened for such a long time.” Once again Alex’s mind blocks out the surrounding noise until it’s a quiet buzz. Instead, he focuses on the image of their baby girl on the screen, the feel of Robin's hot breath against his neck and Jo's hand still clutching his tightly. His family. He’s had these images ever since they’d decided to try for a second…maybe even longer, before Robin, before he and Jo had even got married he’d had this whole dream…Jo, their kids and the house they’d live in and the life they’d live. “But you'll have to be on strict bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy, and even then there's no way to know how long you can prolong labour. If we can keep her from being born for at least a month she’ll be in a much better position."
He comes back down to reality when he feels Jo tug at his hand, she’s looking up at him expectantly. “There’s our girl,” He whispers, leaning closer, pressing a quiet kiss to her hair, not even glancing at Carina as she backs out of the room to give them a moment.
"What if I have to give birth soon?" She mumbled into his shirt. "What if we lose her anyway?"
He shook his head firmly. "We won't.”
He kisses her forehead and glances down at Robin before turning back to Jo. She was looking at him with that look. The one that communicated very clearly that she trusted him with everything in her.
Alex set his hands on her stomach and let out another relieved breath.
"God." He said quietly. She set her hand over his and caressed the back of his hand with her thumb.
Jo's expression twists with guilt. "I’m so sorry...this is all my fault. I've been overworking myself. I always think I can do so much more than I can and our girl is suffering because of it. Maybe I'm not fit to be a mother."
Alex shook his head. "If you're not fit to be a mother, Jo, no one is. Hell, you know what an unfit parent looks like and you are not one."
She opens her mouth to say something else, but abruptly she stops, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. Her expression goes from shock to joy in no time at all as she grabs his hands gently and moves them back to her stomach, pressing down lightly. Alex feels a familiar, returning nudge, gentle and soft, but definitely there. He laughs giddily and locks eyes with Jo, pleased when she laughs in return. He moves around the bed, leaning over Jo so he could press a kiss to the spot he'd last felt the nudge. He keeps his cheek pressed against her soft skin for a moment, whispering a quiet ‘I love you.’ before looking back at Jo’s teary gaze.
"Robin, come here. Come feel your sister." He tells the toddler. Alex tugs him up into his lap and helps guide his hand to the spot he'd just kissed. He applies slight pressure and laughs at the joyous giggle Robin gives when he feels the baby move underneath his hand.
"That's your little sister."
Robin looked up at her father and smiled but the tiny movements didn’t keep his attention for long as he began to climb out of Alex’s grip, into Jo's welcoming arms.
“It’s gonna be okay Jo. We’re gonna be okay.”
Jo looks up at him. Tears still trailing down her face but the sparkle missing from her gaze earlier was slowly making its way back.
He smiles gently, reaching out to cup her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs softly over the wet trails her tears left. "Everything’s gonna be okay.” He promised. "You'll see."
And she did. A little over two months later their baby girl made her entrance into the world, a little less dramatic than her brother as she’d been monitored so closely, that it was no surprise when she decided to join everyone. With her brown eyes sparkling with the same warmth as her mother’s and a full head of hair she was every little bit perfect as Alex had imagined. A little taste of heaven.
“Hey, baby…welcome home.” Alex grinned as he pulled open the door to the nursery, ushering in Robin who proudly displayed the teddy he’d chosen for his baby sister as Jo slowly made her way inside. She’d been too afraid to step inside since the incident, she claimed it would jinx it.
“Oh wow…” She hummed happily looking down at the bundle in her arms, who as predicted was still asleep and had no understanding of the magnitude of the moment happening around her. “Aren’t you a lucky girl P?”
“Mommy… I see…you sit.” Robin yelps, pulling Jo from the bottom of her cardigan towards the new rocking chair set up in the corner. Jo is all too happy to take a seat, allowing Robin to catch sight of his baby sister.
“It’s perfect Alex…Thank you.” Jo mumbles after a minute, catching Alex’s eye who had taken the moment to settle against the door frame and just watch his family.
He smiles softly, before pushing up off the frame heading towards the window. “You haven’t seen the best bit.” He pulls the blinds down slowly, letting darkness take over the room leaving only the glowing stars for light.
Robin gasped as he looked around in wonder but Jo's eyes remained trained on Alex. “I love you.” She whispers.
“I love you.” Alex grins, kneeling down beside the chair as he runs his hand across their daughter's head. “I love you all…now look up.”
Tilting her head, Jo looked up at the ceiling and gasped. The stars trailed up the wall and right above the crib, they clustered together, spelling out their dear daughter's name.
Peyton.
-
Yes. This is a day late. But it's also very on-brand for me so.
This one-shot is part of the What Could've Been universe so if you haven't read them I would thoroughly recommend reading them, you find them all under my master post on Tumblr.
Also, I made all the medical crap up, so don't come for me with corrections...I don't care.
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ryukoishida · 3 years
Text
QianQiu/Thousand Autumns Fic: In which gang leader!YWS and school teacher!SQ falls in love.
Title: You’re a Problem I Encounter Fandom: Qian Qiu / Thousand Autumns Characters/Ships: YanShen Rating: NSFW eventually Chapter: 1/? Summary: Yan Wushi was the proud leader of Huan Yue Group, one of the most influential syndicates in the underground world, who wanted nothing more than to see the world burn. His accidental encounter with the pure-hearted school teacher Shen Qiao was a problem he didn’t expect to get entangled in. A/N: A syndicate!AU that literally nobody asks for. It’s also been awhile since I last wrote a fic, so please excuse awkward/bad writing. Sobs. List of Chapters: [1] [2] [3] 
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i. First Encounter
“Tie the pretty boy up nice and tight,” Sang Jingxing ordered his subordinates in a lazy drawl, his face half hidden in the shadow of the poorly lit room, but even the darkness couldn’t conceal the cruel smile crawling along the lips of the deputy leader of He Huan Group. As he stepped away from the wall and began walking towards his captive, his grin widening when he saw how much of a mess his men had made of the young man, his foot crushed the discarded glasses that’d been knocked off the man’s face during the brief but vicious fight.
There were no windows, just a lone, bare lightbulb swinging back and forth from the ceiling casting a meager glow of light in the underground chamber.
Glancing down at the half-conscious man bound at the wrists behind his back, Sang Jingxing grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced his neck to crane back.
“We don’t want you running back to your daddy so soon again, do we?”  
The only response he received was a pained groan. A sound that sent trills of excitement down Sang Jingxing’s back.
It had taken four trained men to finally take Shen Qiao down. By the time the scuffle ended, Xiao Se had an impressive bruise on his right cheek, Yan Shou had bloodied scratches along one of his arms, Huo Xijing had been elbowed directly in the solar plexus and was still recovering on the ground, and Bai Rong was smart enough to retreat just after receiving a blow that barely missed her eyes.  
After a valiant attempt at escaping, Shen Qiao was no match for the sheer number of guards Sang Jingxing had assigned to keep him under surveillance in the end.
“At least not before we get what we want, isn’t that right, my dear?” Sang Jingxing turned towards the woman with an overly saccharine smile.
Yuan Xiuxiu rolled her eyes at her partner’s theatrics, but after working and managing He Huan Group together for so many years, she was used to his antics by now, so she merely ran a hand through her wavy hair and replied, “I don’t care what you do with the boy – torture him, fuck him – do whatever you want. Just don’t go overboard. We still need him alive if we were to negotiate with Qi Fengge.”
“Whatever you say, dear,” Sang Jingxing said to Yuan Xiuxiu’s retreating back as the leader of He Huan Group slammed the cell door shut behind her without another word.
There were no windows, just a lone, bare lightbulb swinging back and forth from the ceiling casting a meager glow of light in the underground chamber.
“Ah… Shen Qiao. Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it was to steal you away under Qing Fengge’s nose?” he’d released his grip on Shen Qiao’s hair, and his head lolled forward like a broken, ragged doll. Blood streaks on his face made his complexion more pallid, and the only sign that he was still breathing was the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
Sang Jingxing continued, circling his captured prey like a hawk. “I get that you’re his adopted son, but you aren’t even meant to be his successor, so why does he spent so much of his resources on protecting you?”
He wasn’t really expecting an answer, but he wanted to have fun with the boy first before he dived straight into business. With a leering, animalistic gleam in his eye, Sang Jingxing reached out towards Shen Qiao’s bruised face, thumb roughly brushing against the man’s lower lip as he tried to force his finger past the seam of his lips.
Though Shen Qiao was in no shape to fight back, he was not a man who surrendered as long as a drop of strength still remained inside him. He twisted away from his captor’s hand and swiftly angled his head to bite Sang Jingxing’s finger with a snarl, hazel eyes bloodshot from what little adrenaline still lingered in his system during the fight.
Sang Jingxing hissed in pain, fury flashing across his eyes as he yanked his hand back, and Shen Qiao felt a sharp blow across his cheek just a short second later. Taste of iron flooded in his mouth.
“Playing hard-to-get is cute the first time around,” Sang Jingxing muttered while inspecting the teeth marks Shen Qiao had inflicted on him, before he put his hand on Shen Qiao once more, “but I don’t have that much patience, even for a beauty like you.”
He wrapped his fingers around Shen Qiao’s neck and started to squeeze with real intent to hurt.
“Yan Wushi, how did you—!” Yuan Xiuxiu’s muffled high-pitched exclaim transmitted through the thin walls of the basement and was interrupted by a distressed scream.
Before Sang Jingxing could react or shout for backup, he heard the men who were stationed outside the cell yelped in surprise and agony, and two successive bodily thuds later, the cell door was busted open.
Two men strode in with confident steps. The one leading had a cold, lethal look to his maroon eyes, the streak of star-silver locks a stark contrast to his otherwise dark, slicked back hair. In between his index and middle fingers was a small silver blade, still dripping with fresh blood of his latest victims; he wiped the blood off with a clean handkerchief that the younger man standing just half a step behind him handed him with the kind of easy elegance that one couldn’t simply mimic.
“Sang Jingxing, has He Huan Group lost so much money these days that you can’t even afford decent guards anymore?” the older man sneered.
“Leader Yan,” the utter of the respectful title was pleasant enough, but they’d been rivals long enough to know that there was no amiability in this exchange, “what’s the meaning of this?”
“I heard you got yourself a new plaything,” Yan Wushi said, glancing over at the barely conscious Shen Qiao with one of his eyebrows raised, “is that him?”
“What is it to you?” Sang Jingxing asked, narrowing his eyes. His flexed his fingers instinctively, his muscles taut and itching to reach for the revolver tucked inside his suit jacket. If anything, at least he was certain that the bullet would find its target faster than Yan Wushi could cause any real damage with his infamous silver blade. It had been awhile since they last confronted each other face to face like this, but Sang Jingxing could never forget the scars and humiliation of defeat from their last meeting.
“Oh, calm down,” Yan Wushi chuckled, the other man’s subtle signs to initiate the first attack all too obvious under his trained observation, “I’m not here to pick a fight, unless you’ve already forgotten what that was like the last time that happened.”
Sang Jingxing pressed his lips tight, silent anger threatening to boil over in the form of whipping out his revolver and pulling the trigger, but he didn’t dare — not when he knew he’d already lost. The fear of losing once again to this man – this monster – was simmering at the back of his mind, and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to get away with just a long, ugly cut along his back this time.
“That’s what I thought,” the corner of Yan Wushi’s lips curved up slightly into a cold smile, “let’s not waste any time here. I’ll take what I want, and then we’ll each go our separate ways, hmm?”
“Yu Shengyan,” the leader of Huan Yue Group commanded his assistant with a nod towards the bloodied man still tied up in the chair a few steps away from them. Without further instructions, Yu Shengyan quickly ran over to Shen Qiao and started to cut the ropes loose. With practiced swipes of his switchblade, it took him only a short moment before he freed Shen Qiao.
At this point, Shen Qiao had already completely fainted, and when released from his restraints, he fell forward limply into Yu Shengyan’s arms.
“What do you want with Qi Fengge’s kid anyway?” Sang Jingxing asked. Though he’d given up on trying to keep Shen Qiao in his possession, curiosity still got the best of him.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Yan Wushi only said with a laugh.
Carrying Shen Qiao on his back, Yu Shengyan followed his master out of the dank basement cell, thrilled that he got to witness Yan Wushi scaring the shit out of Sang Jingxing and his minions, but mostly confused about the purpose of this confrontation. He didn’t know what to expect when Yan Wushi had suddenly ordered him to come to He Huan Group’s headquarters. To be honest, the young assistant had been half-expecting the gang leader to start a bloodshed for one reason or another — after all, it wouldn’t have been the first time Yan Wushi went off the rails due to the most miniscule of reasons — but he’d never thought they’d be rescuing a stranger.
They were rescuing him, right? Yu Shengyan was hesitant as he carefully placed the unconscious man into the back of the car before slipping into the driver’s seat. Glancing over at his master out of the corner of his eye, the young man almost felt sorry for Shen Qiao, for he recognized that particular look on Yan Wushi’s face.
It probably would not bode well for the man still unaware of what he’d gotten himself into by getting accidentally entangled into Yan Wushi’s life.
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willowbird · 4 years
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Congrats!! If you want, how about the first time Ronan sleeps over at St. Agnes? Like the pining!!
Yay! I was SO EXCITED to get a Ronan/Adam ask!! I may have gone a little overboard with the pining, but I hope you still like it <3 <3 This is actually my first Pynch ficlet! I hope you like it! Lemme know if you think I should post it on AO3 ^^; Since it’s my first time actually writing them and I haven’t read the books as many times as I’ve read AFTG I hope it’s okay!
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Ronan bounced the rubber ball against the sloped ceiling from where he lay on Adam’s bed, waiting for the other boy to get out of the shower. He’d been out, just driving around with no discernable purpose or direction, when it came around that time for Parrish to get out of work so he’d swung by and picked him up. There’d been no reason to say no when Adam had asked if he wanted to come up for a while. After all, he and Adam were friends -- no matter how much they seemed to bicker -- and Ronan liked being at St. Agnes. Sometimes, it was honestly more satisfying to be there than it was to be at Monmouth. Nothing beat being at the Barnes, but still -- St. Agness had a particular energy, it always had. 
After all, Ronan Lynch was no stranger to St. Agnes. The hours he’d spent in the quiet pews could stack together to build a universe apart from the rest of the world, a separate realm that even the horrors inside his own mind couldn’t touch. And yet, since Adam came to live there, the hallowed halls of that familiar place had developed a completely new,,, feeling that Ronan had no idea how to feel about. 
A part of Ronan wanted to be pissed off about it. 
A bigger part of Ronan was fascinated in the way that the travelers in his father’s stories had always been fascinated by the glow of will-o’-the-wisps between the branches of the deep woods and frosted bogs. The peace that the church had once given him was spiked with something else now, something that fizzed like pop-rocks under his skin, and as annoying as that was -- he really couldn’t say that he hated it. 
Considering he knew that the fizz of... enchantment was most definitely caused by the boy now living in that small, slanted room above the church? No, he really couldn’t say that he hated it at all. 
Not to say that Adam I’ll-be-independent-if-it-kills-me Parrish didn’t make him want to punch his fist through a fucking brick wall -- because he absolutely did. But there was also something... undeniably right about the boy taking up residence above the church. After all, the infuriating pest already lived full time inside his head, he might as well sleep in the building that housed Ronan’s soul as well. At least he was fucking consistent. 
The shabby door connecting the bedroom to the tiny bathroom creaked open and Ronan caught the ball on its rebound and didn’t throw it again, instead turning his head to look as Adam entered the room. 
He did not expect to see Adam walk into the bedroom in nothing but a towel and instantly looked back up at the ceiling, throwing the ball again with a bit more force than necessary. Only his quick reflexes saved him from losing a fucking eye. He tried not to think about the way the other boy’s skin had been flushed pink from the heat of the shower, his hair damp and pushed haphazardly back from his face, exposing cheekbones and eyes that...
Okay, he tried -- that didn’t mean he succeeded. 
“Sorry, it’ll just be a minute. I forgot to grab something to change into.” Adam’s voice was soft, lilted with the Henrietta accent in the way that only happened when he was either really emotional or perfectly at ease. Ronan would never tell him how much he loved hearing the edge of gravel and wild country grass around his vowels, not on pain of death, but that didn’t make it any less true. 
“Take your time, Parrish. I don’t fucking care.” No one needed to know that the sigh that followed was relief at how nonchalant he had managed to make the words, instead of the dry irritation it sounded like. 
Adam huffed a soft laugh and Ronan could feel the eye-roll being directed at him. He didn’t bother to hide his grin, just gave it a bit more teeth as he tossed the ball up and caught it again. 
It was only another few minutes before the door creaked open again and Adam came out -- this time fully clothed. Ronan caught the ball and sat up, scooting over so that Adam could come over and sit down, which the other boy did with a flourish and a groan. 
“Ugh, I just do not wanna do homework.”
“Then don’t.” Ronan shrugged and bounced the ball on the floor this time, angling it slightly so that when it rebounded it went toward Adam. 
Adam caught it easily and bounced it back, timed perfectly with a familiar scoff. “Some of us care about school, you know.” Ronan waited for a beat, but when Adam didn’t follow that up with chastisement or prod for him to start caring about school, he gave a small shrug. 
“Sure, but tomorrow is Saturday. It isn’t like you’ve got anything due tomorrow. You just got off work, learn how to fucking relax.” He caught the ball and held it for a moment, tilting his head back as he mimicked a thoughtful expression. “Oh, oh that’s right, you don’t know how to relax.” He gave a deep, mournful sigh and bounced the ball back at him. “Shame, for man so smart to be missing such a vital real-life skill.”
“Ha ha, you’re hilarious,” Adam sniped back, but his words were sharpened more with amusement than irritation. 
“Oh, I know. I’m a regular comedy special,” Ronan agreed readily. “But that, actually, was not a joke.” He could press here. He could remind Adam that his whole world didn’t need to be as rigid as he was making it to be. He could tell him that he could afford to take a break every now and then, that he deserved to chill the fuck out. But if he did that he risked sounding too much like Gansey or repeating an argument that neither of them probably felt like jumping into tonight. So instead, he caught the ball and cocked his head, studying the other boy curiously. 
Then he asked, “Where would you go? If you could go anywhere in the world with no consequences. What would you do? And not to accomplish anything great or whatever -- I’m talking just for fun.”
Adam held up his hand for the ball and Ronan tossed it to him. His eyes caught on the way he began to roll it between his palms, those long fingers curling around it, bony wrists twisting to pass it from one hand to the other. Ronan had the sudden urge to brush his lips over the prominent bump in each wrist. Not in a kiss -- but just to feel the protrusion against his mouth. 
“That’s pretty broad,” Adam said with a hum, oblivious to his distraction. “There’s a lot of places I could go.”
“That’s the point. There’s no consequences, no limits. You could go anywhere.” He dragged his gaze away from those hands but this time they caught on the exposed bit of Adam’s collarbone on the way up to his face. “So pick a place, Parrish. Never known you to be so indecisive.”
Adam’s eyes dropped from where they’d been thoughtfully searching the ceiling, locking onto his as he flashed a sharp smirk. That expression cut him right between the ribs, twisted, and nestled in nice and deep for the winter -- because this, this was the Adam Parrish he couldn’t stop thinking about. Everyone seemed to underestimate him. Everyone thought he was so soft, thought he was so polite and sweet and yeah sure, he was all of those things, but that was only one part of him. It was just the surface setting to the multiverse that was Adam Parrish, and this sharp, biting, cunning side of him was closer to his core. Ronan knew he was one of the only people who knew that side was there, and was probably the only person who truly understood how much a part of him that facet was. 
“All right,” he said, his voice smooth and low and Ronan had the distinct certainty that if that sound were a drink it would be a spiked mulled cider, husky and tart in a way that made your head light and your chest warm. “I’ll play. But you go first. Where would you go? Somewhere outside of the States,” he added, before Ronan could say the Barnes -- because he was apparently that predictable. 
Ronan rolled his eyes, but shrugged and slipped off the bed, laying on the floor beside the bed and pillowing his hands under his head as he thought. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Adam stretch out on the bed on his stomach, hugging a pillow and using it to prop his head up a bit as he looked down at Ronan. The feel of Adam’s full and undivided attention on him did things to his pulse he didn’t want to think about. 
“Probably Ireland,” he finally said after a long moment of thought that was torn up and distributed between flickers of distraction caused by Adam’s silhouette in his peripheral, from the way his damp hair was falling into his eyes now that it was beginning to dry all the way to the slump of his broad shoulders and the sharp jut of his elbows against the cushions. There just really wasn’t any part of Adam Parrish that Ronan didn’t want to look at. 
A soft huff of laughter had Ronan turning his head to look at him straight on and the amusement on the other boy’s face told him that he was being predictable again. Ronan frowned -- he didn’t like being predictable. 
“Don’t give me that look. Tell me why, Ronan Lynch.” There was a teasing note in Adam’s voice, and if it were anyone else that would have brought Ronan’s back up -- would have made him snap his teeth and snarl. Coming from Adam, he had to give himself a moment so he didn’t trip over his own foolish tongue. 
Somehow he managed to avoid that humiliation. Instead, he told Adam about Ireland through his father’s eyes. He told himself he didn’t care about the softening of Adam’s smile, that it did absolutely nothing to him to watch the other boy close his eyes and rest his cheek on the pillow, leaving himself vulnerable as he dipped into his own thoughts. Rather, he focused on the stories he was telling Adam, reliving them as he did his best impression of his father’s cadence and storyteller’s hum. He told him stories about the fair folk, the fey and the night creatures. He told him about the magic of each valley and river and dale. He shared his favorite tales about cheeky brownies and powerful, dangerous sidhe that became captivated by the bright, fleeting magic of a human’s ability to create. 
Adam listened to each one, and that smile...? It never faded, not even once. 
“It’s your turn,” Ronan finally said, when his heart was full and his lungs tight -- torn between the memories caused by those stories and these newer, more electric feelings caused by the proximity of Adam Parrish’s smile.
“Mm, I think... I think that if I were to go anywhere in the world I’d want to see high mountains. High mountains and dark woods. Deep lakes. Flowers that seem to have their own language between the brightness of their colors and the way they sway toward and away from each other in a wind that affects them and them alone. Butterflies that cast shadows like birds of prey...” As he spoke his words drew further and further apart, his tone drifting as fatigue from the long day dragged him down toward sleep. 
Ronan held his breath, almost wanting to prod him for more -- because it was rare to hear Adam talk... well, like a dreamer. Adam was a boy who kept himself grounded so deeply in reality it was sometimes painful for Ronan to be around him. This secret side of him, this side of dreams and hope and wonder... it was a vulnerable side that he knew Adam wouldn’t be indulging in if he weren’t perfectly comfortable and probably way more tired than he’d originally thought he was. It was a side of him that Ronan had always known existed (you couldn’t chase a dead Welsh king without being at least part whimsy, no matter how charismatic Gansey was) but one that Adam kept very close to the chest. 
“Mm... Ronan?” Adam’s voice was soft and sleep-slurred, his eyelashes shielding the color of his eyes, he was barely able to keep them open. 
“Yeah?” Ronan’s voice was rough, even to his own ears, but Adam didn’t seem to notice.
“Do you think a place like that actually exists?” The question was light, but there was a raw, sweet shard of hope beneath the words that cut Ronan in a tender space below his throat. 
“Yes,” Ronan promised with certainty, not even needing to think about it -- not even needing to question it. “I know it does.”
Adam’s eyes dropped all the way closed and he smiled, sighing in relief. That sigh transitioned directly into the deep, slow breaths of sleep. 
Ronan knew that he should get up. Sleeping on the floor would give him one hell of a backache, and Adam hadn’t said he could stay over. He should get up and stretch, then drive back to Monmouth, where he should crawl into his own bed for the night -- or maybe stay up longer and bother Gansey, because fuck knew that guy didn’t understand the concept of a regulated sleeping schedule. 
Instead, Ronan watched Adam until his own eyes just couldn’t stay open any longer. Then, from the floor of St. Agnes, beside the boy who called to him like a fire-sprite, Ronan dreamed. He dreamed of dark woods and flowers that seemed to have their own language, between their bright colors and the way they swayed in their own self-contained breezes. He dreamed of butterflies that cast shadows like birds of prey. He dreamed of safe places even in the dark woods -- and when Ronan dreamed... well, when Ronan dreamed, reality itself seemed to listen.
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step-on-me-khun · 3 years
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Hello there D! I hope my requests don't bore you hehe ❤️ I hope you're doing well. Can I request a nsfw bam x fem reader with mommy kink setting? Like, Bam welcomes the reader home from work wearing a cute apron, calling her mommy and then let himself be dominated by the mommy reader as she treats him like a good boy he is? ❤️ oKAY THIS IS VERY RANDOM HAHA if you have any questions just inbox me ❤️ thank you hehe!
Hello ❤️ None of your requests bore me
And I can do this for you and I'm trying to complete it by a certain date too
I also worry that this may be either too much or not enough 😅
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Who wouldn't want a guy like Bam? He was kind, sweet and caring, always considering your feelings first before doing anything with you. And that's what made you fall further in love with him. He was such a precious soul, and you would be a complete mess without his presence.
But Bam wasn't overly dominant with you. Even when you mention it, he tells you how much you mean to him and that if he ever hurt you, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for it.
Any idea you had, even something small, you had to give it a lot of thought. Would Bam be alright with it? And how would he react to it be suggested?
Bam was a switch at the best of times, happily choosing to do whatever you wanted to do as long as you were safe and happy.
He just wanted to be a little different. There was something he wanted to try, to be brave and do something new that he hadn't done before.
--
The click of the door was the one thing that alerted Bam that you were back. His gold eyes fixed on your form as you strolled through the door, usually stressed or tired. That's why he had an idea.
Now, when Bam was in the mood, he could be rough with you. Not in the way that he would leave marks on you, but he was still rough. But it never felt enough.
You, on the other hand, had pegged Bam before, and most of the time, you tried to match his movements on you. Sometimes though, you might've got a little too eager and went overboard with it.
Bam sat patiently on the end of the bed, focusing on staying calm as small waves of nervousness washed through him.
The trust between the two of you was solid and adorable. If there weren't any trust, then Bam wouldn't have thought about doing all this.
"Bam," your voice says, getting louder as you got closer to your room, "where are you?"
The door to the bedroom opens slowly. Before you enter the room, Bam stands up. The only thing he was wearing was an apron, nothing else. Hopefully, you weren't in too bad of a mood.
You walk into the room, greeted by Bam and his barely clothed form standing in front of the bed. Bam's face was red, and his gold eyes turned away from you as you approached him.
Shock ran through you, this was one thing you weren't expecting, but you weren't complaining at all. Eventually, the feeling vanished, leaving you feeling a little mischievous.
"Is there any reason why you decided to dress like this?" You ask playfully, smirking as you walk in front of Bam. Your hand move to cup Bam's chin, tilting his head to look you in the eye.
"I-I just wanted to do this for you," Bam says, stuttering a little from his nervousness. "You know how much I love and adore you,"
"I know you do," you say, cupping Bam's face with your hands. You inch closer to Bam, rubbing your nose on his, making him a little more comfortable. A soft exhale leaves his mouth as you continue to rub your nose against his. "Are you going to be a good boy for me?"
"Yes, mommy," Bam responds. Realising what he's done, he tenses up.
It was a surprise, but it didn't stop you from being closer to him. Your eyes widened for few seconds, a tingle of excitement shot through you. Mommy, you liked it. You wanted him to call you it, to beg and constantly tell you how good you made him feel. The thought of it all got you hot and bothered.
Without wasting any more time, you move your hands to Bam's chest and push him on the bed.
Bam's eyes remain on you as he fell onto the soft fabric of the blanket, waiting for you to do what you wanted.
You moved to the bedside table, removing something and hiding behind your back. But Bam knew what it was and would be patient with you until you decided to use it.
Your feet quickly rushed back over to the end of the bed, kneeling on the ground in between Bam's powerful legs. You could see he was shaky. Even if it was only a little, you could see it. He was so cute like this, all red and needy, waiting for you to do anything.
Bam closes his eyes as he waited, the sound of you removing your clothes and the shaky breaths he made being the only things he could hear.
"Would you like me to take care of you, Bam?" You ask, trying to look cute for him.
"Yes, please," Bam replies.
"Hmm?"
"Sorry. Yes, please, mommy,"
You giggle at his words. They made you all giddy and happy.
"I'm going to remove this for now," you announce, reaching behind Bam to untie the apron around his waist, "it'll get in the way, and we don't want it to get in the way now, do we?"
The way you spoke and how you moved and did everything was intentional, and Bam knew it and was just as excited as you, but some nervousness was still hiding inside him.
You place a kiss on the tip of his length, looking up at him as you did. His face glowed as your soft hands wormed their way onto him.
Bam was a sweetheart and would never flip a situation unless you were both feeling playful enough, or he was serious and wanted to make sure you knew it.
Your mouth continues to leave a trail of kisses down his dick, making sure you never left a single inch of him. He was so good to you, in his way, and you were doing what you, and him, wanted.
After reaching the base of his length, you trailed back up, peppering more and more kisses on him. After you get to his tip again, your mouth sucks on it, swirling your tongue around him.
Desperate groans left Bam's mouth as your tongue slid across him, even reaching his slit and toying with it, tasting the precum that you had abandoned before.
"You've been so good and patient, Bam. Do you want mommy to continue?" You tease as you remove your mouth from him.
"I do want you to continue," he responds. Your eyes glare at him for a second before realising once again what he had missed, "please, mommy,"
You smile sweetly at him, "that's better,"
The bed shifts as the two of you move onto the bed closer to the headboard. Bam's brown hair stuck to his face, the sweat helping it stay in place.
Your hands had picked up the strap-on from earlier, and you were currently putting it on.
A shiver ran down Bam's spine as he watched you. His beautiful angel, treating him like an angel. Well, kind of. Bam would always praise anything and everything about you.
The few minutes were just about bearable to him. Every single movement you made, Bam watched closely. Your hands reached for the lube, spreading it generously over the strap-on.
Then you move over to Bam, leaning over him.
"I love you so much," you say quickly, planting soft kisses all over his face.
Bam didn't answer. You already knew that he felt the same way. The smile he gave you was enough to prove it.
You lined the tip up to Bam's entrance and thrust slowly inside him.
Bam throws his head back against the bed, gripping the blanket below him tightly, making his fists pale.
You continue slowly, making sure that you didn't hurt him. Bam wanted you to treat him well, and so did you. It would be bad for both of you if it went wrong now.
"You're doing so well," you say, lifting one of his legs over your shoulder.
Not like you were expecting anything out of Bam's mouth at the moment. You were more interested in how he felt, and, by the look on his face, how he was reacting to your movements, he looked like he was enjoying himself. Oh, how good it would feel to you to hear him beg, calling you mommy and have him all whiney just for you to do anything to him.
You were out of it, your head thinking up all kinds of situations now that Bam had called you mommy.
"Oh, fuck. You're making me feel so good, mommy," Bam groans, snapping you out of your lewd thoughts.
You had unintentionally sped up. It must've been the reason Bam suddenly became more vocal.
It was boosting your ego a little. You were making Bam feel good, and you could see it, too.
While your hips continued to snap into Bam, causing the strap-on to reach further inside him, your hand reached over to his length and started playing with his head again.
The sight of Bam's face contorting in front of you was quite a sight. It was as if he was trying to keep himself grounded while you were thrusting quickly inside him like this.
Then his arms covered his eyes, and his back arches up. You must've hit his prostate.
All the squirming Bam was doing, the small groans that came out his mouth, and the occasional mommy, it was just so damn precious to you. It was something you wanted to try again.
Bam, the kindest person you knew, looking at you with his eyes the way they were, it was almost too much to you.
"Are you getting close, my cute boy?" You ask.
"Yes. Yes, mommy," Bam responds, his eyes closed under his arms.
Your fingers rubbed all over the head of his dick, helping him to reach his climax.
The breaths that escape Bam's mouth become shakier, his groans and whines growing and become just a little louder. He was so damn close. It was like he was losing his mind, and it was you who made him like this.
Your hand released his length, letting it fall onto his stomach as he came. His sticky liquid spurted into his skin, your speed decreasing now that he had reached his end.
Both of you were panting messes. Your bodies were sweaty and heaving. It wasn't like you had gone too easy on Bam. But you hadn't gone rough on him, either. You couldn't help but wonder if you had left him satisfied.
"Did that feel good, sweety?" You ask, acting as playful as you did before.
Bam laughs a little, watching you again as you remove the strap-on. "Yes, mommy," Bam says sweetly, smiling at you, "and you always will do,"
That was something that he let you know anyway. It was these sweet moments of honesty that meant the most. If you didn't have them, then there would be no relationship. You adored Bam in these moments.
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Rewind Chapter 7 - Mistakes are Made
Oh jeez, I mean to post this days ago but I totally forgot! Whoops.
As you might have noticed, updates are coming pretty slow at the moment. This fic is getting hard to write, due to personal circumstances and shifting hyperfixations, but I will continue it once I’m able to get invested again. Until then, updates will probably be slow. Rest assured, this fic will be completed!
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)
_______________________________________________________________
After a few more necessary hours of sleep, which for Ford were deep and dreamless, the construction itself began in two different corners of the lab. On one side Fiddleford dove into making a working prototype of the gun, while on the other side Ford began cooking up ammunition.
Few things could kill a dream demon. Protective unicorn magic could halt one, and the right concoction of ingredients could harm one, but working together they might just be able to kill one. Therein lay the rub – how could the two be combined into a single shot? Luckily, Ford didn’t have his three PHDs for nothing, and he was nothing if not persistent.
:readmore:
By mid-morning he had worked out the necessary ratio of ingredients for the most effective attack power. By afternoon he had created the first prototype, and by late afternoon he had a dish full of them.
The final bullet design had a pill-like appearance, spherical in shape and filled to the brim with cloudy, iridescent magic. They made a glass-like tinkering noise as they dropped into their dish. Ford took a pair of tweezers and lifted one to the light, admiring its shine.
“That looks cool.” Stan said hesitantly from behind him – how long had Stan been being him? Ford yelped and fumbled, nearly dropping the capsule. “Sorry.”
“Don’t sneak up on me when I’m working!” Ford snapped. He hurriedly placed the ammunition back on its tray before it could get broken and turned to frown at his brother. Stan, for his part, looked suitably ashamed. “What are you doing down here anyway? I told you, you’re not allowed in the lab.”
“I know, I know!” Stan’s shoulders were around his ears and creeping steadily higher with each second that passed. “Just – I thought you and Fidds would be hungry? You’ve been doing your science thing for ages and I made food, so…”
“Oh.” For the first time, Ford comprehended the tray in his brother’s hands. “Well, thank you. You’re still not supposed to be down here though.”
Stan stood on his tiptoes to lift the tray onto Ford’s workbench. The normally exuberant boy seemed unusually down, stepping back and rubbing his arm after placing down his load, and a twinge of guilt went through Ford. Okay, maybe a little more than a twinge. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Look – Stanley. I need to apologize for my behaviour earlier. I shouldn’t have gotten short with you.”
Stan shrugged and did not meet his eyes. Ford crouched to be at his brother’s level.
“I. Um, those dreams you told me about. Did you have any more last night?”
Stan stared at his feet and mumbled, “No.”
Ford took a deep breath, but before he could speak Fiddleford called out from across the lab.
“Stanford, I could use a hand over here!”
Ford straightened and hurried over to where his partner was soldering parts together. The gun was beginning to take shape on his workbench – maybe the size of a small hunting rifle but thicker, runes scratched into every inch of shiny metal and shimmering with Bill-proof magic. Fiddleford lifted his soldering mask to wipe his damp forehead.
“I already added yer magic wards and the last of that shiny hair stuff, an’ I gotta finish the magazine. Hold the thing steady for me, will ya? It’s delicate and we’re all outta unicorn hair to make another one, so for god’s sake be careful.”
“Of course.” Ford slipped on a pair of heat-proof gloves and steadied the rifle while Fiddleford lined up the parts. He made sure to avert his eyes from the glow of white-hot metal as his friend worked.
“Watcha doing?” Stanley called from across the lab.
“Attachin’ the last piece.” Fiddleford called back, not taking his eyes off the rifle. “Don’t get to close, or ya might get burned.”
“What bit is that?”
“It’s where the ammunition is stored.” Fiddleford explained.
“Oh! Like the shiny things Ford made?”
“Exactly.”
Once the soldering was complete Fiddleford lifted his mask to inspect the job, squinting through his glasses. He nodded to himself.
“Could use a bit a’ fine-tuning, but I’d call that almost done.”
Footsteps sounded as Stanley approached cautiously. Fiddleford grinned at the child, who stretched onto his tiptoes to see the project. “Whaddya think?”
Stan’s eyes lit up. “That looks so cool! This Bill guy isn’t gonna know what hit ‘im!” He looked between Ford and Fiddleford. “Whaddya do with it now?”
“We gotta make sure everythin’ runs smoothly before anything.” Fiddleford pulled off his soldering mask and wiped his sweaty brow. “Ford, would ya get the ammunition? Once this thing cools down I wanna make sure the dimensions are right.” He began pulling off his thick gloves.
“I can do that!” Stan scurried over to Ford’s workbench, ignoring Ford’s cry. He grabbed the dish of capsules and trotted back with the enthusiasm of a golden retriever playing fetch. Ford let out a hiss.
“Be careful with those!” He snatched them from his brother’s hands, heart racing. The ammunition seemed unharmed, but you could never be too careful, especially when there was a child around. Especially when there was Stanley around. He acted so thoughtlessly sometimes, that was the reason Ford hadn’t allowed him down here in the first place!
Stan looked sufficiently ashamed. “Sorry, Ford.”
Ford placed the bullets down very carefully next to the cooling rifle. “Why don’t you go upstairs? This is delicate work.”
“But you guys seem really busy. I can help!”
“No, Stan. This is very important work and you might break something.”
“No, but I’m good at stuff!” Stan protested. “I can carry stuff, and punch people, and get unicorn hair! I can be useful. You wanna move this to a bigger table? I can do it, see?” And to Ford’s horror he grabbed the gun off the table. Ford snatched for it, but Stan had already yelped as his bare hands came into contact with scorching metal and the rifle slipped from his grip.
Fiddleford dove to catch it. He crashed chest-first into the ground and only barely managed to snag it before it was dashed against the floor as well. The ammunition was not so lucky – the dish overturned in the scuffle and pellets skittered every which way, disappearing under surfaces and around shoes. Stan fumbled to try and collect them, but he was only making it worse, knocking them away in his panic.
“Sorry, sorry sorry sorry-”
“I said no!” Ford roughly grabbed his brother’s arm and yanked him away from the workspace, ignoring Stan’s yelp. “Every time, every time I think we’re past this you just have to go and mess everything up again! Are you not capable of doing what I say for once in your life and just leaving well enough alone? I told you not to touch anything! You could well have destroyed our one chance at getting rid of Cipher once and for all!”
“I’m sorry, okay?!” Stan whined and tried to pull away – dodging responsibility once again, just like always. Ford growled and held him in place.
“Now, Stanley, you– quit squirming! – you will sit down and be quiet and not touch anything else, is that understood?”
“Ford, leggo!” Stan squeaked.
“You are to stay away from Fiddleford and I while we work. I will not have you sabotaging me again, not like you did at the science fair-”
Stan punched him in the face.
It was a weak blow from a tiny fist – it barely hurt – but the shock at having his brother strike him made Ford freeze. Stan ripped from his grip and stumbled back with a whimper that sounded dangerously like a sob.
…oh.
Ford didn’t even have to look at his brother’s pale, tearstained face to realize that he had, perhaps, gone a little overboard.
“Stanley-” Ford couldn’t think of anything to say. What was there to say? Stan looked terrified, and Ford supposed he cut a rather intimidating figure to such a small person. He reached out but Stan jerked away violently from his hand.
Why wasn’t Stan getting mad at him in return? The Stan Ford knew would have yelled right back. Ford could handle anger, but he had no idea how to handle fear.
“Stan, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
He reached out again, helplessly. The instant his fingertips touched Stan’s shoulder the child recoiled, throwing his hands up as if to defend himself. But surely he knew Ford would never hurt him?
“No! No no no don’t touch me leave me alone! Go away! I hate you and I don’t ever wanna see you again go away!”
Ford flinched, and Stan took the opportunity to spin on his heel and bolt for the stairs. Ford froze, torn between chasing after him and staying to clean up the mess.
“Ford, a little help!” Fiddleford yelped, and Ford made up his mind. He whipped around and hurried to help his friend lift the rifle back onto his workbench. As he took the weight of the rifle Fiddleford snatched his hands back, wincing at the bright red burns that seared across his palms. “Ouch.”
Ford was careful to keep away from the hot section of metal as he lifted the gun back onto the table. When it was secure he was finally able to take a breath and turn to his friend.
“Fiddleford, are you alright?”
“Ah’m fine, just gotta get these in some water. Where’d Stanley go?”
“I – I don’t know.”
Fiddleford’s eyes widened. “If he goes outside the barrier-”
There were more words, but Ford had stopped processing them. He bolted for the stairs.
 Stan was such an idiot.
He hadn’t even stopped to put on shoes before running into the woods, and he already couldn’t feel his toes from the stinging cold. Well, who cared anyway? He just had to get away.
Stan’s numb foot caught on a root and sent him hurtling to the ground, grating his face and hands on frigid, snowy dirt. He let out a squeaking wheeze as the air left his squashed lungs, letting out little hitching coughs and sobs as he struggled to regain his breath.
Shut up shut up shut up, stop being such a wimp. He pushed himself up on shaky arms and sniffled, rubbing at his nose with a pathetic whimper.
Okay. So, everything was crashing down around him. That was fine. Everything was just fine. He still had – um.
What did he have?
There was something in his fist. Stan sniffed and uncurled his fingers to reveal a tiny shimmering pearl resting in his palm. He stared at it, blinking tears from his eyes.
“What the heck are you?”
Oh, wait. It was one of Ford’s bullet things. Stan’s grip tightened around it, that stupid little ball that was so important to his brother.
He placed it on the ground, climbed to his feet, and lifted a foot to stomp down on it.
And hesitated.
Because it was stupid, but Ford seemed to think these were so important, and Stan just couldn’t crush something that meant that much to his brother. He hiccupped and growled to himself.
He couldn’t do it.
Stan shoved it in his pocket and headed further into the woods.
 Stan wasn’t in the house.
A quick, desperate search revealed Ford’s home empty. Luckily a fresh layer of snow lay on the ground outside – a trail of footprints disappeared into the woods and he bolted after them, snatching his coat on his way out. Of all the places to go! The forest wasn’t safe, Ford had to get his brother back inside the barrier where Bill couldn’t reach them-
His foot slipped on wet snow.
Ford barely had time to flail before his legs slipped from under him and his head hit a tree trunk with a decisive clunk.
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bytheangell · 3 years
Text
The Gifts of Childhood
(Advent Prompt: Toys) (Read on AO3)
Magnus arrives back at the loft a little later than he planned. Though Alec is sitting on the sofa Magnus can tell that he’s been waiting for him - the tea on the table is cold, the book in Alec’s hand is upside-down and clearly just for show.
“Sorry I kept you waiting,” Magnus says, greeting Alec with a kiss.
“I wasn’t,” Alec tries to lie. “I was just reading a bit.” Alec holds up the book for emphasis, which is when he, too, realizes it’s upside down and flushes.
“I’m not sure who’s more excited for Christmas,” Magnus says with a laugh. “The children or you.”
“Speaking of,” Alec says. “Do you have a second to help me grab those gifts I was keeping in my office?”
Though there were already quite a few presents under the tree in the corner of the room, Alec told Magnus he had some others stored away in his office so the kids wouldn’t be able to snoop around and find them at home.
“Of course, darling,” Magnus agrees, opening a portal. Magnus expects to see a few boxes to help carry through - what he actually sees when he steps through the portal are at least a dozen more presents of various sizes, possibly more depending on what’s hiding behind the larger ones.
“Alexander…” Magnus says, eyes sweeping over the large pile.
“I know, I know, I went overboard,” Alec says. “It’s just…” he starts, then trails off.
Magnus knows that tone, though. It’s Alec’s ‘I want to get this thought off my chest but I’m afraid it’ll sound silly’ tone, which Magnus is getting surprisingly used to these days. It always pains him to see Alec hesitate to share anything with him, but he’s just as grateful that Alec has the inclination to try in the first place.
“What is it?” Magnus prompts.
“I want them to have all the frivolous stuff I never did,” Alec admits. “Rafael wanted some stupid glow in the dark goo at the store the other day and I told him no because I didn’t see the point of it.” Alec frowns. “It’s like I totally forgot he’s a kid and not everything has to have a point or a practical use.”
Magnus’ expression softens at that. “It’s your job to say no once in a while, Alec. We can’t give them everything they want, either,” he points out.
“I know,” Alec sighs. “But I want them to be kids. When I was Rafe’s age all I wanted were wooden practice swords,” Alec points out. “I want our kids to enjoy the silly, pointless things. I want Rafael to get awful goo stuck to the ceiling, and scrape his knees from falling at playgrounds, not from training. I want that for both of them.” Max is younger than Rafael, and he’s also not a Shadowhunter. As a Warlock, Magnus knows Max won’t have the same expectations to train and fight, not that that puts him at any less of a risk in the grand scheme of the Shadow World. “I don’t want them to grow up too fast.”
Magnus hears the unspoken ‘like I did’ at the end of Alec’s last sentence.
He understands Alec’s feelings completely. He thinks of his own childhood, one cut even shorter than Alec’s own and with much more severe consequences, and definitely understands the desire for his own children to live a proper childhood - one as carefree as possible, full of love and joy and wonder. And they will, for as long as they can. Both he and Alexander will make sure of it. Still…
“They’re going to grow up at their own pace. Rafe is scrappy and determined, you know he’s going to want to train with you sooner rather than later. You can’t hold that off with glow in the dark goo forever,” Magnus points out.
“I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” Alec gives a slightly forced laugh. “Sorry if I went a little overboard on the toys without telling you.”
Magnus glances at the pile again. “I’m sure they’re going to love all of it,” Magnus reassures him. “Everyone spoils their kids, Alec. It’s basic parenting instincts, to give them a better life than you had. You don’t have to apologize for the extra presents… but next time something like that is on your mind, talk to me about it, alright?”
Magnus reaches out and takes both of Alec’s hands in his, giving them a comforting squeeze. Alec’s entire body seems to ease with the action. “Alright,” Alec agrees.
“Now, let’s get these back before the boys wake up in the middle of the night and notice we’re gone.”
It takes both of them two trips with arms full of gifts, but they get them all back and under the tree without either of the kids waking up.
As they drift off to sleep Magnus isn’t sure what the right answer is to Alec’s concerns, if there’s an answer at all. No matter how many mistakes they make along the way, Magnus is just thankful he gets to be the one by Alec’s side as they figure it out.
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drazzilder · 3 years
Text
A Hellish Encounter
By Drazzilder 
Chapter 37: One for All
It’s the UA sports festival and the excitement couldn’t be higher. Your now 38 and Enji will be 46 in the summer. Shoto has finally started school at UA, on Enji’s recommendation, and you couldn’t be more proud. Your tutoring job at the school hasn’t stopped your hero work. You go a few mornings a week to work with a student at a time. You always want Enji there as often as he can but sometimes it’s just you and Zaheer. Plus, All Might is now working at the school and he knows who to call is something goes wrong. You meet the girl from the demon fight, Momo. She is one of Shoto’s classmates. She says she doesn’t remember the fight but you don’t blame her, it was traumatic.
Shoto has done very well in the festival so far and is about to go on the vs competition. He is fighting this up and comer student Izuku Midoriya, but he goes by Deku. The competition has been extremely close but you know Shoto is doing his best. Enji is going a little overboard with the support, yelling Shoto’s name is excitement every time he does something impressive. You just can’t help find it adorable that Enji is so proud of his son. Shoto on the other hand just rolls his eyes in embarrassment. You wish you could be with Enji but you’re in the arena to stop students if they take things too far. You and Zaheer are standing next to Midnight when the battle starts.
“Alright boys! I want to see a clean fight. Go!”
Shoto is off with a huge wall of ice heading straight for Deku. That’s when you see something familiar. Deku uses his finger to launch a large wind blast to break the ice. This happens over and over again until there are no more fingers. Shoto then switches to fire but Deku seems to catch on quick and starts dodging left and right. Shoto seems to getting annoyed at this point. He does something he only tried once before but failed. He starts using his ice and fire back and forth quickly. He then creates a huge wall of ice, chasing Deku down as he starts heading towards Shoto with all his might. Shoto then switches to fire but is causing the whole arena to heat up.
“Hellboy, you need to stop this, they are going to get hurt.” Midnight says in a panic.
“Right.” You and Zaheer both say.
You quickly teleport between them as Zaheer stops Shoto and you stop Deku. Shoto is frozen still and Zaheer then stops his control. Zaheer then turns around to see how you are doing. “That was close. Seems like you stopped th….(Y/N) what’s happening!?”
You’re on the ground, convulsing, while Deku is out cold.  Zaheer knows something is wrong and rushes to your side as Enji flies from the stadium seats to you. He places a hand on you and your freezing cold to the touch as ice starts forming on your body. Enji opens one of your eyes to see it’s fully red.
“We have to get him out of here, he isgoing to lose control! Zaheer, teleport us to a place where he can let it out.”
Zaheer quickly places a hand on the both of you and suddenly you’re in the mountains, the ground burned and scarred.  You’re still shivering in Enji’s grip, trying to contain everything, as he places you on the ground.
“(Y/N), let it out. It’s ok, no one will get hurt here.”
You open your eyes and they are still fully red. You manage to get on your hands and knees. Spectral flames engulf your body as you start shaking violently. The markings on your arms begin to glow as the energy begins to flow. You begin vomiting but it’s not from being sick, it’s pure demonic energy that’s flowing from your mouth. As the red liquid hits the ground, it starts burning everything it touches before it quickly evaporates. It takes about a minute for the flow to stop and you pass out. You come to in Enji’s arms.
“What happened, (Y/N)? I thought you managed to balance your power correctly?”
With labored breath: “There is something with that boy. Something I can’t put my finger on. It was like I was being forced out. All of the energy in Deku overwhelmed me, I’m not sure exactly how to explain it. Plus, I sense something familiar in him. Did you feel it too, Zaheer?”
“I did. Do you think we need to talk to him?”
“Who?” Enji says picking you up.
“All Might, we need to talk to him. Zaheer, please take us back to the school. I’m better now. Before we go, I have to tell you something, Enji. I have been here before. Zaheer and I would come here to let out energy, but that the first time I had to let out so much.”
“I figured as much looking at the ground, as long as you’re ok. You are, ok? Right?”
“I am, come on.” You say before the red flash of light. Once back at school, you find All Might, in his small form, at the infirmary with Deku. You enter the room followed by Enji and Zaheer.
D: “I’m so sorry Mr. Hellboy. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
(Y/N): “Don’t worry about it, I’m fine. I’m sorry to bother you All Might, but can I talk with you?”
A: “Sure, did you want to go somewhere private.”
Z: “Actually, this does involve Deku as well.”
D: “What does this have to do with me?”
(Y/N): “It involves my mind control quirk and what happened with you, Deku.”
E: “I haven’t seen (Y/N) like that since the interview. If he lost control in a stadium full of people, who knows what would have happened.”
A: “I see, I’m sorry for what happened. Are you ok?”
Z: “He’s fine now but he had to let out a lot of energy. He was overwhelmed after trying to stop Deku.”
A: “I glad you are ok. What did you want to ask me?”
(Y/N): “I don’t know any other way of asking this so I’m just going to be blunt…. All Might, when did you give your quirk to Deku?”
All Might and Deku both go completely white. Clearly you caught them off guard as they look at you. While you give them a moment to gather their thoughts, you look at Enji. He has also gone white at this point. You take Enji’s hand and lead him to a chair to sit.
(Y/N): “I’m sorry if I was too abrupt but I need to understand what’s happened. I will never forget that energy that flowed though me at the stadium. When I tried to stop Deku, I felt it again. The problem is I was forcefully pushed out, like something was activity trying to keep me away from Deku.”
A: With a sigh “I was afraid this might happen. When I found out you were working with students, I asked Nezu to keep Midoriya away from you. Not because of you and Zaheer but to keep my secret away from you. I probably should have just told you but I didn’t know this is how you would react if you used your quirk on him.”
“All Might, what’s going on?” Enji says still shock.”
With another sigh, All Might starts describing One for All, it’s origins and everything that goes with it. He describes why he chose Deku and that he is the 9th user and that it is because of this quirk that All Might is the number one hero. During all of this information, you look at Enji who starts looking a little red in the face.
(Y/N): “Enji, are you ok?”
E: “I was never going to surpass you, was I, All Might?”
A: “I’m sorry I never told you this. The less people who know the better it is. One for All builds with each user so yes, my power was far beyond anything a normal quirk could achieve.”
E: “So everything I did was for nothing.” He says looking at the ground.
Z: “Enji?”
E: “Nothing I did mattered?”
A: “Endeavor?”
Enji then jumps out of his chair and grabs All Might by the neck. He flames are growing by the second as he loses control of his emotions. “Do you have ANY idea of what I put my family through because of you! I tortured them! My son and wife died! I lost my children! It’s because I wanted to be better than you, you BASTARD! ITS BECAUSE I….I…..”
At that moment, Zaheer places a hand on Enji’s back and start taking control of his body to stop him. He slowly makes him let go of All Might and carries Enji back to the chair. Once he relinquishes control, Enji just blankly stares back at you.
(Y/N): “Are you ok?”
E: “I know you want to hear me say yes but I can’t honestly say that.”
(Y/N): “It’s ok. I have an idea what you’re going through right now. Do we need to go home?”
E: “No, I’ll manage. I want to be here for Shoto.”
A: “I never knew I did that to you.”
E: “What?” He says looking up at All Might.
A: “I never knew that me being number one was so hard on you.”
E: “I was so obsessed with trying to surpass you that I hurt my whole family to try to achieve my goal. Everything I did was for nothing, I was never going to be better than you, Shoto is never going to be better than you. They went through so much because of me, none of it they deserved. I wish I could go back and stop myself from doing everything, if I could tell myself the truth maybe things would be different. Maybe they wouldn’t have been hurt by me.” He says looking down at his hands.
You go to hug Enji. He stands up and you let him rest his head on your shoulder as a few tears appear in his eyes and sizzle from his flames. “It’s ok, you’re better than that now. You would never do that again. I know you wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
E: “It just still hurts to remember what I did.”
A: “I’m sorry. If I could go back and change that I would. I don’t know what I can say to make this better, I can barely get Midoriya to stop crying sometimes. The only thing I do know is right now we need to worry about the future. All for One is still out there.” He says holding his hand out.
Enji sighs and releases you from his grip. “At least let me thank you for one thing.”
A: “What would that be?”
E: “(Y/N). All Might, it’s because you saved him at the stadium that we are here today. Without him I wouldn’t be here with my kids. I’m just going to have to accept the past as it is.” He says as he gives All Might a hearty handshake.
A: “I am truly sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
E: “Just make sure that boy, Midoriya, becomes to best hero he can be.”
All Might goes to his muscle form: “Don’t you worry. As long as I AM HERE, he is in good hands.”
Enji responds with a faint smile. “Good. Now, (Y/N) don’t you still have the rest of the festival to help with.”
A: “They took over after you lost control, it should be over by now. Come on, let’s go see.”
You enter the stadium to find that Shoto came in 2nd place to Katsuki Bakugo. It’s doesn’t matter to you, you are just happy he did his best. Everyone meets after the award ceremony.  
E: “I’m so proud of you son.” He says with a boasting smile.
(Y/N): “Yes, all of us are proud of you. You did great out there.”
S: “Thanks. (Y/N), are you ok?”
Z: “We are fine now, don’t worry about us.”
E: “I haven’t seen you use both of your quirks before, since when could you do that?”
S: “I didn’t know I could use both like that. In the heat of the battle, I kept thinking about you, dad. I thought about how your better now and trying to be the best you can be. You’re not perfect but you’re really trying now and I guess that gave me the boost I needed.”
Enji can’t help himself and hugs his son with all his might, screaming “SHOOOOOOTOOOOOOOO!” at the top of his lungs.
(Y/N): “Put him down, Enji. You’re embarrassing him.”
Releasing his son, “Sorry, I am just so happy to hear that.”
S: “It’s ok. Now that the festival is done, can we go home? I want to tell Natsuo and Fuyumi about today.”
E: “Of course, (Y/N)?”
“On it.” Is all you say as you teleport everyone back home. Once home, the house was filled with a lot of excitement and energy. Fuyumi was so proud of her little brother doing so well in the competition while Natsuo begrudgingly listened to Enji describing everything they already saw on TV. Zaheer was helping you cook dinner while everyone was talking at the dining room table. After dinner, everyone was tired from the excitement of the day and went to bed early. All three of you lie down in bed, naked under the covers. You rested your head on his bicep while he used his hand to rest his head. His other arm was wrapped around you, holding you tight. Zaheer is behind you, laying a arm around the both of you. Your hand is on Enji’s chest when you feel his heart rate and it’s fast.
“Don’t pretend you are ok, Enji. You’re safe with us.”
With a sigh “You can always read me like a book, can’t you?”
“That and I can read your mind if I wanted to. Come on, tell me what’s wrong. I’ll find out even if you don’t tell me.” You say as your eyes glow brighter.
He sighs again “I’m still thinking about All Might.”
“Oh…” is all you say as you place a cool hand to his face.
“I spent almost all of my life trying to succeed him, trying to surpass him. I put my family and myself through so much because of my obsession. It was all for nothing, nothing I could do would make me better than him.”
“But you’re so much better now.”
“I know, but it still doesn’t change what I did in the past. I hurt all of my kids and Rei.”
“That’s not you now, I know you would do anything to not to hurt them now.”
“This just brought it all back to the front again. I wish I could go back to before knowing all this.” He says with a tear forming in his eye.
“There is one thing that makes you better than All Might, if you want to hear it.”
Raising an eyebrow “And what might that be?”
“Your ability to change. When I first met you, you were an apathetic hard ass with no one who cared for you.”
Now squinting, “How is this making feel better?”
“Let me finish, you are so impatient sometimes. I know coming from me it might not mean as much, but you have changed so much since then. You laugh, you cry, you love; those are all things that you never would have done before. Your family now loves you, that is something All Might doesn’t have: a family.”
“True…”
“Plus, I love you. Even though I fell in love with you early on, the changes you have made after all these years is why I never want to leave.”
He kisses you on the lips and whispers “You always know what to say.” After kissing a few more times, Enji pulls back. “I am worried about you, I haven’t seen you lose control like that in a while, are you sure you’re, ok?”
“As long as I have the both of you, I’ll be fine.”
“That isn’t the first time we had to eject energy like that.”
“I know but that was more than I seen before.”
“That One for All quirk just put a beating on me. Let’s not worry about it, I promise it won’t be a problem as long as I don’t try to control Deku again.”
“I’m just going to have to accept that marrying a demon has its problems.”
“And benefits” Zaheer says as you start kissing again. Zaheer is starting to lean over the both of you to get a better position. After a little bit more of this you start to feel something between your legs. “Enji, did you need something else?” You whisper.
Enji responds with a husky voice and a toothy grin “I think you already know what I want.”
Next Chapter
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nobodyfamousposts · 4 years
Text
BURN THE WITCH! Part 4
It took more time than it should have to lose the akuma and her followers. Partly because of the shoes and the disguise as a whole doing more to slow her down than it did to protect her. Mostly because of just how many people were currently after her—and wow, was it a lot!
But she had managed to not only escape with life and hair intact (despite the attempts of the damn hairnet), but also find a place to hide until the akuma was dealt with.
From what she had observed, the akuma’s effects were carried by hearing her speak from that scroll of hers. Almost immediately after spouting off something else from the “list”, anyone within earshot would join the increasing number of minions, even if they had just been trying to run away moments prior. It was like the akuma could incite anger in anyone…self-righteous anger, and all of it specifically targeted at Lila.
She was going to have words with Hawk Moth about this. If he had an akuma able to enthrall people like this, why hadn’t he given it to her? She could have made much better use of it than Rose, of all people. Now he had an akuma solely focused on revenge instead of the masterpiece Lila could have been. Honestly, she would have Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated by now!
As it was, Lila had to survive. And to do so, she had to make do with her own skills.
Fortunately, the akuma’s reach—while growing—was only as far as people could hear her. Which made the boat at the Seine a perfect place to hide out.
Especially since the old woman and her son living there were easily drawn in.
“It’ll be all right, lass. You’re safe here.” The woman said, reassuringly. “We’ll man the gunnery if any of those fools try anything. They can’t get to you here.”
“Thank you! I just…I just don’t know why this would happen.” Lila gave another well timed but ultimately fake sob into her hands.
“Don’t worry.” The guy—a teenager, and not a bad looking one, either—rested a hand on her shoulder. “Ladybug and Chat Noir will fix this soon enough.”
Lila forced herself to smile. “I hope they do.”
If only because this was the one akuma she didn’t want to see win. Otherwise, she would fully be cheering for their demise. Possibly with popcorn.
Assuming she wasn’t the one doing it herself, of course.
“Luka, keep an eye out in case someone followed her here.” The woman ordered.
“On it.” Luka, apparently, guided Lila to the couch to rest before he moved to another part of the room. The woman took a pair of binoculars to one of the windows, trying to peer through them to see further into the distance.
Lila sighed and was preparing to finally relax.
“Why is the akuma after you, anyway?” He asked while grabbing something from the corner.
To her credit, Lila did acknowledge that Marinette had at least tried to help her. And surely the girl who helps everyone would want to continue to be of use. Even if she wouldn’t necessarily like what Lila was currently using her for.
But in Lila’s defense, Marinette DID shove her in a closet.
“I was helping with a friend’s charity work and some money went missing. There was a huge fight over it today and one of my classmates tried to blame me for the loss.”
“That’s horrible.”
“I know!” Lila continued, hiding a smile. “Rose is kind, but she is so forgetful that she could have lost the money anywhere. Then Marinette took advantage of the opportunity to claim I did it.”
Luka paused at that. “What?”
Lila nodded, mournfully. “She’s been against me from the first day I started school.”
Technically true.
“She’s been bullying me, calling me names, trying to convince everyone I’m a liar.”
Also technically true.
“I’m sure she was happy to paint me as the villain today, and everyone believed her.” Lila proclaimed with a little sob. “Nobody would even listen to me! Then Rose got mad and became an akuma, and Marinette left me to perish!”
“That doesn’t sound like Marinette.”
Immediately, all thoughts halted as she realized her mistake.
These two knew Marinette.
Okay, no big deal. She can just spin it.
“That was what I thought, too. But she showed her true colors when I tried to make friends with her! I even offered to help her with her crush on Adrien. But she’s just so jealous.” Lila insisted, laying on the charm and tears. “She’s been telling everyone such horrible things about me.”
Luka’s frown only increased though.
“She hasn’t mentioned you to me.”
She shook her head. “Then I’m sorry, but it seems you don’t know her that well.”
“What are you talking about?” The mother demanded, confused and annoyed. “That girl comes over here all the time. She’s a wonderful girl and a wonderful friend to our daughter.”
Wait…daughter?
The boy narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion.
“Where was Juleka in all this, if what you’re saying is true?”
“She wasn’t there.” Lila said, thinking quickly. Better not to implicate their daughter or try to throw her under the bus if they were getting suspicious already. “I know if she had been, things could have worked out. She’s such a good friend, and would never think badly of me.”
But Luka only looked angrier. He held up a remote.
“Then why is she with the mob?”
Lila spun in surprise at the sudden blast of sound. It turned out that the thing he had grabbed before was the remote to the television. Which was on—if muted during Lila’s story-telling.
On the screen, the akuma was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower reading from her list. The video showed Witch Hunter and her followers in full detail. Including Juleka.
Juleka, whom Lila was now realizing had to be the daughter and sister of the two in the room with her.
“She’s been influenced by the akuma! It’s her power.” Lila explained hastily.
But Luka chose to ignore her in favor of unmuting the television, which showed the akuma speaking and reading more of Lila’s crimes from the list. The scroll almost seemed to glow momentarily before she started to read.
“This just in! The Witch just tried to turn two innocents against Marinette and even their own family member. She lied about the cause of the fight! And this is after she already tried to sacrifice Marinette to save her own skin!”
Both mother and son froze at that.
“WHAT?!”
And as if it couldn’t get worse for her, the news proceeded to play a video from earlier. One that Lila had not realized was being recorded at the time.
It showed in full detail the inopportune moment where Lila shoved Marinette out from behind their shared hiding space and attempted to direct the mob’s anger onto the clumsy girl.
Slowly. Slowly…they both turned on her, furious.
“It’s not what it looks like!” She tried to claim. “She was already part of the mob and I was trying to get away from her. I was in danger!”
The two glared at her, clearly not buying it.
It seemed Lila had made a miscalculation as to the limits of the akuma’s range of influence.
Or perhaps it was just that she hadn’t counted on her would-be rescuers being family to one of her classmates.
The woman glowered at her. Without even looking, she grabbed a sword off of the mantle and pointed it at Lila with a ferocity she hadn’t seen before. In that moment, she appeared every bit the pirate she had previously been pretending to be.
“Make her walk the plank!” She yelled.
“We don’t have a plank, mom.” Luka growled, seeming downright disappointed by the fact.
“Then throw her overboard!”
It seemed her sanctuary was short-lived.
_____________________
“Kettle corn! Ready-to-cook over a fire kettle corn!”
Marinette sighed. “Master, not you, too.”
The man cheerfully sold a container to a customer, completely disregarding the problem as well as Marinette’s presence.
“Master Fu, please! The akuma is influencing everyone! Even Tikki is affected! And if I don’t do something soon, they’re going to burn Lila at the stake!”
The man gave her a blank stare.
“And what part of that is supposed to be the problem?” He asked.
“See? He gets it!” Tikki chirped.
“Sometimes, Marinette, an infected bud must be pruned for other flowers to grow.” Fu stated calmly as he imparted his wisdom.
“But flowers aren’t people!”
“It’s a metaphor.”
“Flowers don’t scream when you prune them!” Marinette shouted.
Tikki floated up to her chosen, trying to calm her. “Marinette, sometimes an akuma can actually be a good thing! Remember Bubbler?”
Marinette just gave her a dry look. “You mean when you lectured me for stopping Chloe from kissing Adrien, said it was an abuse of my powers, and emphasized doing the right thing? Remember that? The right thing? The moral choice that involves NOT letting people die just because you don’t like them?”
“This girl has been an obstacle to you and an ally to Hawk Moth.” Fu pointed out. “Would it not be better to simply let her be removed?”
She moaned. Honestly, it annoyed her when Tikki or Fu lectured her and had to be the voice of reason and morals she was pushed to adhere to rather than the support she needed in the moment. But this wasn’t support. It was just life throwing more temptation at her by having two of the people whose moral compasses she trusted pushing her to not care!
Give her a break, life! She’s having a hard enough time as it is!
"No!” She insisted. “I need the Dragon miraculous to stop this akuma! So please, help me!" 
"Another time perhaps, now is the time for popcorn!"
Marinette glared, put off at the way Fu ignored her to sell another container of popcorn to a customer.
Might as well try to take advantage of the situation though. While Fu was distracted, Marinette attempted to reach around him for the gramophone.
Fu slapped her hand.
She grabbed her hand in surprise before looking at him with a pout.
Master Fu didn’t even react.
She growled.
“Okay, that’s it!”
Later, Marinette decided as she picked up one of the pans, she would let herself feel bad for this.
Much later.
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ceratonia-siliqua · 4 years
Text
Sunshine
Baby’s first stucky fic! A/B/O based on a post from awhile back about omegas being soft and smelling good after laying in the sun. If I find it again I will link it!
Written because of prompting from @the1918 and @howdoyousleep3. It’s not my usual poetic musings but sometimes you just need some unadulterated fluff. 
Warnings: The lightest, barest amount of angst if you squint. This work is also left ambiguous as to the history prior to this so it can be as close or as far from canon as you would like it to be!
Sunlight, unfettered and sweet filtered through the window. Cast a long glowing shadow across the light wooden flooring. The light traced the imperfection in the wood, every scratch and gorge on display. It was a sight, one made homely by the nest pooling across the floor. It was small, temporary, one built by an omega for comfort than by an alpha for home. A lump made warm and honeyed by the light rested in it’s center. Long strands of hair stuck out wildly from it, messy in a sleepy way. A way that made Steve’s heart melt into a molten, sticky mess. 
He slowly made his way over, taking in the sight of his omega in a state of sound and utter peace. Bucky had burrowed face down, hiding his eyes from the light while his skin absorbed the vibrant smell that came from it. To Steve it was the smell of a happy omega. He’d never once known an omega to be sour after a sun bath, especially not Buck. Bucky always smelled like peaches, the sun ripened him till he smelled like cobbler. It was addictive, Steve’s favorite smell on earth. 
He’d been watching for awhile now. Morning coffee in one hand, newspaper forgotten in the other. He watched Bucky build the nest, had offered to help but was politely ignored. Steve may have a tendency to go overboard with nests. When he’d been a skinny slip of a thing he’d committed himself to perfecting the art. It was the one alpha role he could fulfill and do truly well. He’d rent books from the library and spend hours memorizing the best techniques. It felt silly looking back but it had been one of the only providing roles he’s ever thought he could meet. Ultimately, it had been a good time investment if the nest in their bedroom was any indicator. Bucky had once joked the only thing it was missing was Steve going apeshit with a baddazler. 
A massive sigh came from the Bucky shaped lump on their living room floor. The kind that only comes from complete and utter contentment. Steve couldn’t resist anymore. He set his coffee and newspaper on the dining table, never looking away from the sundrenched spot. His footsteps didn’t seem to alert Bucky in the slightest, a trust built in the space of their life together. Their home provided them both safety, safety they needed after so much of their lives spent constantly in and out of war. It was nice to finally have a physical space to call home, even if that was Bucky’s title before the four plaster walls surrounding them. He carefully stepped into the nest, straddling the space over Bucky before folding down on top of him. 
Bucky jumped but settled as Steve’s nose burrowed into his neck. His skin was warm and sweet, Steve couldn’t help but get a few openmouthed kisses in so he could get a taste. Couldn’t ever get enough of Bucky, especially like this. Nearly liquid under him, Bucky’s purrs were gentle and sleepy. He worried his own rumbling would be too much, but he received no complaints as the sun warmed his back as his sun sweetened omega heated his front. It was blissful, he wished they could stay there, unmoving, for the rest of their natural lives. 
The shifting beneath him seemed like it would end that wish, but Bucky had simply turned onto his back, tucking his face into Steve’s neck and getting his fill of his beloved alpha’s scent. He’d told Steve once that he smelled like pines, he wondered if the sun changed that the way it did Bucky’s. Their joined scent, something sharp and fresh with a homely edge to soften it, flooded the space around them. The sun mellowed it into a hazy cloud. 
“Steve?”
“Mhm?”
“Are we still supposed to go to that charity event Tony is putting on?”
Well, that killed the mood a bit. He sighed, “Yes, we do.”
“How many rounds do you think we can get in before we have to be ready?”
The scents in the room suddenly turned deeper, mustier, Bucky shuddered beneath him. “Why don’t we find out, sugar?”
_____
The smell of sun didn’t leave. Even after fucking like they were dying, the vibrant smell lingered in unexpected places, most notably, Bucky’s hair. It made getting ready difficult on Bucky’s part. 
“Steve I swear to god-”
“I’m not doing anything!”
“Get your nose out of my hair for five seconds so I can get shit put together!” Bucky hip checked him hard enough that Steve let up. Made puppy eyes at his mate’s back even as his very name was cursed to the heavens. The clacking of hangers across the rack followed him as he sat down on a chair by the closet, watched as Bucky tried to find them both outfits. 
“You know Buck, you don’t have to dress me. I’m fine doing it on my own.” If looks could kill Steve may have ended up with two knives in his ribs with the way Bucky was glaring. 
“Steve, there are a lot of things society expects out of me, most of which they can shove right up their asses, but I will not be the omega that lets his mate leave the house dressed like a doormat.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you dress yourself like a cardboard box, Steve.” 
“I’m wounded Buck, I really am.” The pout he put on was usually successful but rarely a trick he pulled. Something about the dinner had to be stressing his poor baby out if he was this snippy after most of the day in bed. 
Bucky sighed, running his fingers through his hair, still drying from the shower. “I’m sorry Stevie, it’s not your fault. There is a lot of press coverage at this event and I don’t want to give them ammunition against you.”
Oh, oh. Things were clicking now. The press had been a problem for a while now. Steve knew what Bucky meant but wasn’t saying. For some reason, a magazine company had started running slander campaigns against Bucky. In a way it was to be expected, Bucky wasn’t a traditionalist, and neither was Steve when it came down to it. They’d both dumped enough expectations for their roles in the garbage to be on equal ground but Bucky got the worst of it. Everything he did was picked apart. Most of it was laughable, but there were things that got to him, mainly those which targeted Steve. Bucky could handle more than anyone he’d ever met, but Steve had never seen him more devastated than the day four articles had come out about Steve wearing mismatched shoes. All the blame had been pinned to his poor omega. The gossip circles had labeled Bucky as neglectful. One of the few “omega specific” tasks he was known to partake in was dressing Steve. When they had been nothing more than two starving Brooklyn kids, Bucky had been determined to take care of Steve when his body shit out on him. One of the few things he’d let Bucky truly do was dress him. They had a rhythm, tops always went on first. Unless he was too weak to lift his arms Bucky would simply pass shirts, jackets, and coats for Steve to do himself. Most days Bucky only put his feet through the legs of his pants for him, letting Steve pull them up when he stood. There were plenty of times on the other hand, where Buck had needed to vault Steve into standing by his belt loops so they could get him up long enough to get his pants on. 
Steve knew all of this, very well in fact, but the media didn't. They hadn’t seen Bucky, eighteen with only a few dollars to his name, beaten and worn down. Hadn’t seen the exhaustion skittering across every nerve. Didn’t know that despite being dead on his feet, Bucky would always make sure Steve was taken care of first. No one deserved the level of disrespect going on, but Bucky shouldn’t have even been on the radar. The shoe mix up had been his own fault. Bucky had been sick, throwing up at even the slightest suggestion of light. He had gotten dressed in the dark and ran to the store, hadn’t even thought about what he might look like, laser focused on his task instead. Bucky needed medicine and Steve needed Bucky well. That was all he had thought at the time.
“Buck, we don’t have to go.”
Eyes fluttered to the side, Bucky wouldn’t look at him. “I want to go, and it wouldn’t be fair to Tony to leave him to the dogs like that.”
Steve nearly snorted, Tony wouldn’t notice them failing to pop in, and even if he did it wouldn’t be remembered the next morning. 
“Sweetheart,” He stood up, went and placed both his hands on Bucky’s shoulders. Bucky peaked at him from the corner of his eyes. “You don’t have to make yourself uncomfortable to make others comfortable. We can stay home, watch a movie, order some take-out.” 
Bucky looked over his shoulder at their closet. He held himself like he was expecting something to jump out at him, like a timer was set to go off any second to spell some horrible doom. Steve wanted to call it right then and there, force them to stay home, but Bucky would fight him on it and go out of spite. He cupped the side of his darling mate’s face and coaxed him into eye contact. Blue and grey met and blended, met and crashed, met and free fell backwards into each other. There was trust, so much trust. It bellied his own concerns, left him hovering there waiting for an answer. Bucky would make the choice he needed too, even if it wasn’t the one Steve would have made for him. From day one he had sworn to be an alpha Bucky could respect, one that he would be proud to stand by. Part of that was letting go in moments like this. He looked into those eyes, the ones that belonged to his heart, and sent a silent message. It’s your choice. Your call. I will follow you wherever you take me, us. It was intense even for such a simple choice, but that was always how it was between them. 
Bucky’s nose turned into his wrist, silent puffs of air sliding over his skin as Bucky drew in his scent. He closed his eyes for a few time-stopping seconds before those haunting grey eyes peaked beneath fluttering lashes. 
“...Let’s stay home.” A smile turned the corner of his lips, an expression Steve would never stop loving. “But I get to pick the movie. You’re still on a two week probation after making me watch Baby Driver.” 
Steve couldn’t resist dipping down, stealing a kiss across slightly chapped lips. The kiss stolen at the end of his love’s sentence was sweet. The traces of sunlight only made it sweeter.
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