#also I love ‘meet me on the roof at our usual spot’

[russellsppttemplates]

I never knew anybody 'til I knew you (Lando Norris)

Your new job is allowing you to have new experiences, and your heart is not too mad about it either

Note: english is not my first language. After a long time in the books, I'm finally writing for Lando! This is my first long piece and I hope I did well enough!

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: curse words, mentions alcohol consumption

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"I'm just saying, it's closer that way. We can go and get the packages ourselves and sort out any issues with them straight away", Lando reasoned, opening his text message app so he could continue what he wanted to do. "Okay, fine by me. He's got a point, Y/N", Max raised his hands in surrender, looking at you for your opinion.

Working for Quadrant hadn't been a goal you had set out to accomplish in the strict sense of it. You didn't see yourself working for a massive company where people were stuffed in offices where the only way they could know their colleagues' names was when they had online meetings that took far too long and discussed the baseline of the issues. So, when you saw the job offer for someone in the Graphic Design area of work, you looked up the company name and saw their work, fascinated with how the guys had grown this business from streaming online gaming. Later, as you progressed in the recruitment process, you came to learn that Lando and Max also had a more public presence than you had initially figured out, despite all of your friends' insistence that "you can't be that clueless, Y/N, how did you not know that Quadrant was Lando Norris'? I thought you applied because of that", they would say as you shrugged your shoulders, "in this economy, do you think I am that picky about a job? I have my preferences, sure, but I know what I'm worth and I saw the offer was actually quite okay!", you defended yourself.

You ended up getting the spot and, so far, you couldn't complain. Most of the time you worked with Callum, Max and Tara, since your work overlapped with theirs, and every now and again, like right now, Lando would also meet up with you.

"Are you sure it's fine if I go? Your parents know Max, but they haven't met me before. Are you sure they won't find it weird?", you spoke directly to Lando, thinking that his idea, as lovely and kind as it was, didn't account for the facts you were stating.

"Max is coming because he's from the team, and you're from the team, too, so you're coming with us as well", Lando said simply, not seeing the problem.

"But he's been your friend for so long now, I'm a Quadrant Team member", you attempted again, "they don't have to provide for and give a roof to a stranger, I'll find an hotel to spend the night", you offered, wanting to be clear about it.

"You're part of the team, too! Don't worry about that, okay?", Lando said, "besides, mum loves having a full house, she's definitely the host of the family", he smiled, checking the item on his list nd carrying on the meeting.

"When we're there, we'll be able to get our hands on the embroidered Originals collection", Max began, "hopefully they're perfect and we can start working on the website", he gestured as you turned your laptop so they both could see, "this is the concept I've come up with, since this isn't as flashy or as colourful as past collections", you showed them the mood board, looking for disapproval signs but being met with looks of surprise instead, "I know it's not usually what you go for, so I also have another idea here, if you just let m-", you were about to change when Lando slapped your hand away from the mouse and holding it in his, "I really like this one, especially these posts here, I think the ideas are great!", he noted as he set your hand down on the table, "okay, then I can keep working on this", you said, closing the other tab, "do you have something better than this?", Max asked, "seems as good to me!", he offered.

"This is just a draft, I'll invest more time in this and I'll have it ready for the end of the week. That way we can have it ready when the clothes arrive. I'll text Tara to ler her know", you smiled, grabbing your phone as the boys flickered through the ideas, pointing out the different details they liked and wanted to keep.

.

"I'm way too young for my life to be just this, so please drive safely, Max", you said, buckling your seatbelt and exaggerating your hold on the door handle, "if you weren't such a crucial part of this team, I'd make you reconsider your jokes", he teased back, reversing out of the parking space and initiating the trip.

Lando was already at his parents' house since they had a family gathering the day before, so you and Max were driving up to meet him, "they're really nice people, really chilled as well", Max began, "Adam and Cisca, that is. I can hear you thinking and I'm assuming that is what's going on in your head", he stated.

"I don't want to step on anyone's toes, and I don't want to embarrass anyone or myself even. Can you imagine Lando's parents finding out their son's company has questionable employees? They'll mark me off as some sort of strategy fool or think that I want to take this company down, and I don't!", you uttered out, sharing more than you meant to.

Impostor's Syndrome was a bitch, and it often showed up the moment things got progressively harder, and while you knew you were able to deal with it, the little voice still nagged you.

"Y/N, you're one of the most valuable people we have on the team, and I don't say that lightly. This is Lando's baby, and yes, he's the face of it and that counts for most of it, but the work behind it is just as important and with the numbers we're having, it all comes down to you. Since you joined us the designing aspect of it, - obviously, you wouldn't be the one responsible for accounting, duh -, the compliments have been non stop, it has improved the interactions, too!", he said honestly, "you have nothing to worry about, truly", he comforted, "it's this exit here", he mumbled, checking the GPS and turning on the blinker, slowing down the car as they entered the city.

You didn't have to wait long before he pulled up to a big house, the gravel sound quieting down until it came to a halt when Max stopped the car, "Lando said he'd meet us at the door, I really don't fancy being mistaken by a burglar", he joked, getting out of the car as you did the same, stretching your legs and taking in the sight.

"Max, Y/N! Did you have a good trip?", Lando made himself be heard and seen, walking up to you and grabbing the bags his friend was taking out of the car boot, "I'll take these", he offered, picking up your luggage as you pulled on your backpack, "thanks", you smiled, following him as he led the way into his parents' house.

"My parents are in the kitchen", the Formula One driver said, ushering you to the roomy space after he and Max dropped the bags by the stairs, "Max, dear! We haven't seen you in so long, how are you?", a beautiful woman said. Her hair was brown and her skin was tanned as she hugged Max and Lando, "this is Y/N, she is our graphic designer", he presented you, the older man hugging you and his wife doing the same, "I'm Adam, it's so nice to finally meet you", he smiled warmly, "likewise", you smiled back.

"You can call me Cisca, darling. We've heard so much about you, it's nice to finally put a face to the name", she winked at you as you didn't miss Lando elbowing his mother as he closed his eyes, sighing at her, "thank you for having me over, I hope it's not too much trouble", you thanked again, feeling more at ease at their genuine welcoming greetings.

Lando quickly scrambled an answer, seemingly not wanting his parents to talk, "of course it's fine, no trouble here! Let's get your things upstairs so we can settle in and work!", he clapped his hands, walking to the corridor and up the stairs with Max as you excused yourself.

"This is your room, you have the bathroom on the next door", he pointed on the corridor after he placed your bag and backpack down in the small sofa, "Max is in the office, it's just across the hall and I'm at the end of the hall, if you need anything", Lando offered.

"Thanks, again. Do you guys want to begin now? I just need to put on some fluffy socks and I'm good to go", you said, "yes! Is the dining room okay with your parents? The table is big enough to layout everyhting", Max chirped in, whistling at your room as he looked around, "she got an upgrade, good move!", he tapped his friend's back.

After Lando cleared it with his parents, he was quick to remove the table runner and flower vase from the dining room table, extending it to its biggest size so you had all the space you needed, "you can sit here, Y/N, it's usually where the room heats up faster", he pointed out the radiator, pulling up the chair next to your and typing on his iPad.

"So this is the video idea? I like it, we just need to find some background music for it", Max asserted, grabbing his phone to check the time, "we should get going to pick up the order", he uttered.

"Do you need all of us to go?", you asked, saying the changes in your laptop as you did,

"You can pull your the backseats of your car down, can't you, Max? That way we can bring more boxes, and you and me go", Lando reasoned, looking over at you, "do you mind staying here while we go get them?", he asked, not wanting you to feel uncomfortable.

"I'll be fine, you go", you smiled, opening your notebook and writing down some notes.

"Oh, darling, you could've turned the lights on. Soon enough you'll be like me and need glasses", Cisca said as she stood on by the door, flickering the lights on as your eyes got used to the brightness, "I already wear them, or I should more often anyway", you blushed, suddenly getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar, grabbing your case from your backpack and putting them on.

When Lando and Max left, you decided to work on the website graphics, checking how the campaign would work with the current layout, that you lost track of time.

"May I see what you're working on?", she asked, "it's okay if I may not, I don't want to intrude", she smiled as you pulled up the chair next to you, "I don't know much about these things, but I always get quite fascinated with this part", she said, sitting down and looking at the screen.

Already driving back home, Lando and Max talked about the plans once they arrived, "and that way Y/N can also finish the social media stuff, and maybe you'll have more time to actually make a move on her", he teased.

Lando scoffed, "I'm not trying to make a move on her", he defended himself, "I'm glad to know, because if those moves were what you had, it wouldn't surprise it that it didn't go very far", Max yelped as his friend took the opportunity of the straight road ahead to hit his thigh, "so that's what you talk about? Here I am thinking about business and you're meddling in my love life?".

"I never said it was love life, but since you've admitted it, it's saving me time. So, what are you planning? I could help since this seems to be stalled", Max tried again, holding his hands in protection of his body in case Lando hit him again.

"I wouldn't know where to begin, I mean, it will make things awkward if this goes south, right? I'd never be able to look at her again, much less work with her", Lando admitted, "She's very kept to herself as well, I highly doubt that she'll want to be involved with me in that way. Whoever I date or interact with has to deal with enormous amount of public eye and I wouldn't spring that up on her", Lando mumbled, taking the road exit on his left.

"So you've given this some thought, too. Here we are thinking you're coming to the meetings to help and now you're just blushing when we talk about Y/N", Max joked back as Lando shook his head.

"We're back!", Lando announced, walking inside the dining room while pushing the boxes with Max, "don't worry, mum, we're not scratching the floors", he said, sweetly kissing the side of her head, "are you planning to work for us?", he noticed she was sitting next to you, notebooks of the projects open and sheets and fabrics all over the table in front of you.

"Y/N was kindly showing me the project you're working on, for the launch, and it looks really nice!", she complimented, placing a hand on your shoulder and the other on your arm, "she's been showing me everything, I've probably stolen some valuable time from you, darling, I'm sorry", she slumped her shoulders slightly, "not at all, it's all under way, don't worry", you smiled, easing her worries, "I'll leave you guys to it, how about I make some tea?", she suggest as the three of you nodded.

"We have the boxes here, they're sorted by colours", Lando opened the first box, "these are only for the Originals collection, right?", you checked over, peaking at the blue hoodie he pulled out.

"The sizing is right, right?", Max wondered as Lando stretched it out, "Y/N, can you try these, please? We need to check if the model is good for guys and girls".

Getting up from your spot, you grabbed the vibrant blue piece, feeling its soft texture against your fingertips, "I have wider hips that average, I'm not sure I'm the greatest test model for that", you shrugged your shoulders, "keep that in mind". Taking off your sweater so your torso was covered in a strappy top, you pulled the new garment on, adjusting the strings around the neck so you could pull it all the way down, "Oh, it's so soft", you noticed, "and warm, too. And feels quite good actually, it's not too tight", fumbling with the ribbed material on the bottom as you checked yourself out on the windows now that it was dark outside.

Lando gulped as you did so. Oh, had Lando noticed your hips. To anyone else, it would be another feature of your body, but he was enamoured by them. Your body's curvy outline enticed him and he would be lying if he said that it wasn't the first thing he noticed at first glance when you arrived for you last interview, especially with the tapered pants you had been wearing.

"Looks nice. What do you think, mate?", Max turned to Lando, hoping to get an answer but finding him looking at you, "is there something wrong? I told you I'm not the best mo-".

"It's gorgeous, looks gorgeous", he breathed out just as his mother walked inside carrying a tray with tea and some biscuits, "Here's the tea, guys", she said, setting it on the table, "wow, that's a very nice piece!", she complimented.

"It is, isn't it, Cisca?", Max said, covering up her son as he kept looking at you as you tested the front pocket, not noticing his gaze on you.

"You also have a very beautiful model, you can't ignore that factor in the equation", she complimented you while you grabbed a mug, taking a sip of the warm liquid and hoping it hid your pink cheeks, "thank you", you whispered.

While Lando helped his father with dinner, Max convinced his mother to show you both family albums, and once you had the delicious food they prepared, you excused yourself so you could use the shower, wanting to wash the day of travelling away. Max and Cisca stayed in the living room while Lando helped his father prepare dessert, checking on the apple crumble in the oven so it could get golden brown and not burnt, "so, any life updates recently?", the older man asked.

Lando wasn't around as much as they both would've liked, so often times his visits also came along with news and updates, "not much, racing has been good, it's nice to have a break now, even if it's just two weeks", he offered, looking at the oven.

"And nothing else? I mean, no one special? Your mother is usually the blunt one, but I'm going to try it myself: Y/N is just a Quadrant Team Member?", Adam questioned, noticing his son's cheeks become redder.

"Is it that noticeable? I just hope she doesn't see it as much as you do", Lando groaned, rubbing his cheeks, "maybe you should hope she notices, you know? Maybe she'll admit she likes you, too. You never know", Adam patted his son's back, grabbing the gloves so he could take the tray out of the oven, "she seems like a really nice girl, kind, good work ethic, intelligent, and she's beautiful", he finished as his son sighed, grabbing the vanilla ice cream from the freezer, "she's all of that and so much more".

.

"Kygo is doing a set tonight", you heard Max say as you walked inside the living room, taking the spot on the sofa next to Lando since his mother had taken your previous spot when you went to use the bathroom, "I've been meaning to ask you guys if you wanted to go, actually. He texted me saying to tell him if we were planning on going", Lando stated.

"Go and enjoy being young, life is not all about work if you can't enjoy yourself", Cisca shared, "dad and I won't complain if you make noise when you get back", she winked.

"Would you like to go, Y/N? You can say no, that's fine, too", Lando turned to you. He knew Max would be down on a heartbeat, but he didn't want you to feel pressured to do something you didn't want to because you were at his parents' place as a guest.

"I'm good, I like his music, too. I've been wanting to see him live for a bit, actually", you smiled, thinking about how lucky you were to be able to have these experiences because of your job and friends.

Later that night, you're getting ready in your room, sitting on the carpeted floor and applying your make-up for the occasion. The dressier outfit you had brought with you consisted of a burnt red top and some pants as it had become the outfit you had felt the most comfortable and confident in to go out. The top complimented your chest and your midsection as your pants looked really good around your hips and butt, your legs elongated by the small heeled shoes you had spent years looking for. They were comfortable, pretty and functional, ticking all the boxes for what you needed for tonight.

"Y/N, can I come in?", your heard Lando knock on the door, welcoming himself when you said he could, "we are leaving in about ten minutes, if that's okay", he said, taking a good look at you as you fiddled with your earring, "yes, fine by me", you smiled looking back in the mirror propped on the bedside table and finally clasping it, looking back at him.

You took his breath away. It was as simple as that. Your hair had your natural curls he loved so much, your makeup complimented your naturally soft beautiful features and your outfit made you look incredible.

"You guys ready?", Max patted the door, propping himself on it as you grabbed your shoes, "I'll put them on downstairs", you said, carrying them in your right hand as you had your small purse on the left.

While you did the small, dainty tie on your shoes, Lando's eyes went straight for your chest, the slightly bent down position granting him an agonisingly teasing angle as he tried his best to look away, "you might want to be less obvious, you don't need to creep her out to get her to be yours", Max whispered in Lando's ear.

As soon as you arrived, Lando and Max walked with you to the VIP area, asking you what you wanted to drink before they went up to get it.

Lando looked great on his white shirt, the light coloured shirt looking great against his tanned skin as the relaxed fit complimented his back, prompting you to make sure you weren't drooling in public. You worked for his company, it would never be a good idea to get romantically involved with him, no matter how many times your heart leaped.

"A very weak Gin and Tonic for you, as requested", Max said as he pushed the cup towards you, carrying nother drink for himself, Lando sitting next to you on the booth and empty handed, "you're not drinking?", you asked, "I'm driving us all home today, I'm want to do it safely", he stated, tapping his hands on the table when he saw Kygo, signalling him to approach you.

"Hey Lando, Max", he smiled, "I'm Y/N, I work for Quadrant", you smiled, greeting him with a half hug as he introduced himself too, "my set is in a few minutes, you got here just in time. If you want to see it up close, Y/N, let me know and I'll make it happen", he winked at you.

The wink was not missed by Lando or Max. While Max wanted to laugh at his friend's jealous expression, threatening to send the norwegian DJ to a place that was less than nice and sunny, Lando couldn't believe his eyes. Yes, it was only fair that others, too, saw your beauty and noticed you, but to put themselves out like that, that was a different story. You didn't seem to bothered by all of it, sipping on your drink as you spoke to Max, pointing out different people you remember from Silverstone earlier that year.

"Kygo's starting, I want to dance!", you said, getting up and gesturing for the boys to join you. While you were used to having a lot less space to dance in, the welcomed freedom was appreciated as you playfully placed your pointer finger on Max's head, making him do a little spin, "now, no need to be jealous, Lando, you can twirl, too!", you yelled over the music blasting from the speakers, doing the same and sinking your finger on Lando's curls.

"I'm going to get another drink, want anything?", Max asked, excusing himself when you shook your head, "you know you can drink, I'm the designated driver", Lando offered, "I know, thank you for that. I just don't want to drink more", you smiled, recognising the next song, feeling brave and pulling Lando by his hand so he could dance with you.

I never knew anybody 'til I knew you

I never knew anybody 'til I knew you

And I know when it rains, oh, it pours

And I know I was born to be yours

Lando twirled you would face him, chest flush against his as his colourful eyes looked into yours intensely, "I know this is very forward, and very unlike me to be fair, but I need to get it out", he gulped as he spoke loudly in your ear, looking for any sign of discomfort from you, "I really like you, like, a lot. And I would like to know if you feel the same. Because Max and my parents seem to think you do, but all I know they're just saying so that I shut up about how much I love you and how much it would mean to me", he spoke loudly against your ear as the song played.

You were struck by his confession, not expecting it to ever happen, much less like this and in these circumstances.

"If you consider this a hostile work environment, I didn't want that, but I had to be honest with you", he gulped, "just say you don't feel the same and I'll drop the subject, okay? I might have to pretend to go somewhere else so I can be away from you a bit until things are not awkward, but don't worry, I won't drink because I'm driving and-", Lando belted out before you interrupted him, moving your face closer to his neck this time and speaking into his ear, "It's not hostile if it's consensual, right?", you smiled, a glint in your eye as his own widened, chuckling as he sang the the words in your ear, taking the opportunity to kiss your cheek near your earlobe.

"Took you two fucking long enough!", Max yelled as he approached you, tapping Lando's back in congratulations, "you know what this means, Y/N? I won't have to listen to him mope about how he thinks he was made for you and you were made for him, and that the universe would have to be playing a very bad joke of you two didn't end up together!".

"What makes you think I'll stop that? I just got the girl of my dreams, now I'll have the confirmations of all I've said! You'll just hear how amazing all of it is!", Lando smiled, hugging you close to him and kissing the top of your head.

#lando norris imagine #lando norris x reader #lando norris fanfic #lando norris fluff #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic

[aftgficrec]

My favorite fics are soft andriel, and teen andriel.

Here’s my recs:

Raised on little light by maqicien

Falling is a lot like drowning by chaoticas_hell

This wasn’t in the prophecy (series) by Arirmis

(Account locked) Raise me up so you can watch me fall by Yes_No_ofcourse

And this last one is angst and dark but I do love it

Hiding scars under exy gear By rinz

Wow, that’s a lot of recs in one submission!  Usually we just get one or two 🤣. - S

You can find some of those fics here:

‘Raised on Little Light’ here (since updated)

‘Falling Is A Lot Like Drowning’ here (since updated)

‘Raise me up so you can watch me fall’ here (locked, now complete)

This wasn’t in the prophecy by Arirmis [Rated T/M, 73294 words, incomplete, last updated Feb 2024]

Percy Jackson AU where all of the foxes are demigods, Andrew meets Neil shortly after his mom dies, and joins him on the run instead of going back to camp. Part one spans from their first meeting to their first kiss; Part two will take place a few years later, when certain circumstances force them to return to camp, and Andrew has to deal with what he left behind, on top of their current problem. While both fics should be able to be read individually, it does make more sense if you read them in order :)

Part 1:  Cross your fingers, here we go (T, 25037 words, complete)

Millport is a horrible, dry as fuck little town in the vast nothingness of the dust hole that is Arizona, and Andrew hates it with vigor.  He has been tracking a horde of Manticores for weeks now, and isn’t that something? A half-blood having to chase after the monsters. He is starting to feel like one of Renee’s hunters, when Andrew is pretty sure the nasty scorpion-cats should want to kill him more then he wants to kill them.  Or, Andrew expected to find all sorts of things on his first quest. He didn’t expect a twitchy, blue-eyed half-blood with monsters on his heels, and he surely didn’t expect to fall in love with him.

tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced rape/non-con, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: child neglect, tw: assumed character death

Part 2: Mortal Bodies, Timeless Souls (M, 48257 words, incomplete)

„Minyard! Get your ass up and put some armor on! Abby, Greene, get the infirmary in shape, border control just spotted a motherfucking Drakon in the woods!“ As if Wymack’s order triggered it, a ear grating screech echoes all the way to the big house. The camp counselor curses. „Move it people, there are half-bloods out there that need to get to safety!“  Or, for two and a half years, Aaron has been grieving the brother he buried, only to learn now, that Andrew is very much alive. He also has a scarred little shithead in tow, that Aaron wants to punch in the face regularily. Life is fun like that.

tw: blood, tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced rape/non-con, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: child neglect, tw: assumed character death, tw: vomit

Hiding scars (under exy gear) by rinz [Rated M, 34309 words, incomplete, last updated March 2024]

Juggling a mobster serial killer household and high school is harder than Neil had anticipated. and that goth kid on the roof really needs to mind his own business. OR a high school AU where neil and mary never run from nathan and neil meets the foxes in private high school instead.

tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: imlied/referenced torture, tw: graphic violence

#rec #reader submission #fic #neil josten/andrew minyard #andrew minyard & renee walker #neil josten & aaron minyard #neil josten & allison reynolds #au: percy jackson #au: gods & goddesses #au: mythology #au: high school #theme: angst with a happy ending #theme: hurt/comfort #theme: protectiveness #theme: reunions #theme: road trips #theme: slow burn #theme: pining #theme: friendships #theme: bamf!neil #theme: established relationship #theme: twinyards bonding #theme: secret identities #tw: blood #tw: violence #tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon #tw: implied/referenced self harm #tw: implied/referenced torture #tw: implied/referenced child abuse #idiot-h00ker

[tanith-rhea]

ello!!!! may I request some sort of coffee shop au with Miranda and female reader? Either we work there and she's the customer who always brightens our day, or we just continue to run into (not necessarily literally, but also what is some spilled coffee if we get Miranda in exchange?) each other all the time? It's really up to you, I'm just asking for some cozy coffee romance :) <3 tysmmm!

Coffee, tea, or could I offer you me?

Working at a coffee shop wasn’t nearly as quaint and romantic as the books you’d read while growing up described. However, instead of accepting the dull reality and focusing on working to pay for college, you decided to make a difference, and be the cupid of the establishment. If you couldn’t live your coffee shop romance, you would help other people do so. That was before you witnessed the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen get stood up by her date.

Word count: 7.1k (oops)

As the cupid of the Rainbow Roast Café, your life mission was to provide ordinary people with the ristretto-like love experience of their life. Or at least give clients a funny story to tell their grandchildren one day.

Your co-worker Maggy had even a bet going on that you would pair off at least one more duo or group of individuals until the end of the month, to which Dave — your other co-worker — betted against, saying you had already struck twice this month and it was virtually impossible for you to get another success in just ten days.

You didn’t see it as a competition though. It was the closest you thought you could get to experiencing a coffee shop romance. Patrons who flirted with you often acted like creeps and it was very rare for one of them to be a woman. So, you decided that giving other people the chance at a nice and soft meet cute and possible love story was your best shot.

At first, you thought it would be a horrible breach of boundaries to tell a client that you saw someone eyeing them from the other side of the café, so you kept your cool and inwardly itched watching people nurturing crushes and not telling the other person about it. Until the day of your breaking point.

There was this girl that always came at eight-twenty and ordered a white chocolate mocha. She had a favourite table by the windows to the side and near the back, and she sat there every day without fail to people-watch and write in a journal-like notebook. That was until a month in on your job, another person arrived at eight and ordered a simple iced and bee-lined to the very table.

When the girl got her order that morning, she was stuck for a bit, watching the intruder of her sacred spot. You thought she felt pestered at having to choose another seat, but over the next few days it kept happening, and the looks she shot at the brooding figure at her table started to appear more like pining than cursing.

You, being nosy and lacking several social filters, approached her on a slow day with the biggest double chocolate chip cookie you could find and tried to strike up a conversation. She turned out to be just as nice as you thought she was, and two days later you finally asked if she liked the mysterious customer at her former table. She timidly admitted to having a crush and asked you to keep quiet about it. The next day you wrote into their cup about the cute girl in a cardigan and how she thought they looked cool.

Lysa and Rae are still customers, but they sit at the same table for four months now.

The following ones were easier. You would write in a piece that customer x told you they liked customer y and see where things went. You always befriended the customer first and then offered to help, and when they said yes you felt over-the-roof-happy. You were always social, but you never thought you’d have such an enormous amount of friends, all of whom were dating while you were still painfully single. It was nice though.

Everything was going great that particular day at the café. Andre had paid a visit to get Mina her usual smoked latte before class and invited you to a movie night at the weekend in her dorm. You had bonded with Mina through your shared guilty pleasure of watching cheesy love triangle dramas when you were sad, and her taste in movies was as close to yours as that of a soul buddy. You wished you had attended uni with them, it would have been so much fun.

But, however good the day was, there was still time for that to change. An hour before the end of your shift, a stupefying figure entered the coffee shop. A woman, so tall she could reach the 8’3 door head if she raised her hand, walked in and settled at one of the front window seats. Judging by her slightly nervous aura, you assumed she was waiting for a date.

There wasn’t much movement that time in the afternoon. Most people were working and the few customers around already had their orders, so you decided to go ask the recent arrival if she wanted something while she waited.

Getting closer, you noticed her whitish-blond hair looked very soft, as did her milky skin and overall presence. If it wasn’t for her height, you could say she would look very plain or unremarkable. A white woman, with blond hair and average proportions. That was before you rounded a table and saw her closer from the front. She had a very remarkable face. It was a combination of gentle eyebrows, high cheekbones and a sharp jawline that somehow managed to not be threatening but disarmingly inviting.

“Excuse me,” you cleared your throat, hoping you didn’t sound as breathless as you felt, “Would you like to order?”

When she looked up from her phone, bright pools of arctic blue glued you to where you stood. If you walked, you were quite sure your legs would give out. She was nothing but exquisite, and suddenly you wished she was waiting for you, and that just this once you were the protagonist of the story.

“I’m sorry?” she prompted, and her voice, for everything that is good in the world, her voice sent chills through your skin even though it was an unusually hot autumn day.

“I just asked if you would like to order something.” You took out your notepad for something to look at other than the gorgeous stranger. “I can bring you something while you wait for…” it was quite shameless, but of course, you were fishing for information, “whatever you are waiting for,” you hoped she wouldn’t feel offended by your less-than-professional approach.

“I’m just waiting for a friend.” She gave you a small, timid smile, and gazed at the table, confirming she very much wasn’t waiting for a friend. “He won’t take long, so I’ll order when he arrives.”

You only nodded, instantaneously slaughtered of all hope and happiness at the kind dismissal. You returned to your place behind the counter and started cleaning already clean coffee machines and the spotless counter.

She was waiting for a he. Of course, that didn’t mean she was straight, and she was so beautiful you’d feel personally attacked if she was. Maggy noticed your state and tsked from the kitchen door.

“What is it? Someone didn’t want to chat?” you usually felt disappointed when some people gave you hints they wanted to be left alone. You wouldn’t annoy a customer for the life of you, but it did make you pout.

When she approached the counter to look at you, however, her eyebrow arched, and a smug smirk twisted her face.

“Ooh, am I seeing a rejected puppy?” her pretentious tone made your lips twitch. She was teasing you, but you wouldn't give her the satisfaction of making you laugh.

"Not rejected. You know I don't flirt with clients, it's creepy enough when they do it to me."

"Oh, so what would you call it then? Friendly banter?" you snorted ungracefully. It was true you were comfortable with teasing, flirting and sometimes even catcalling your friends. What could you say? You loved embarrassing and complimenting them, it was just the perfect means.

"Yes, friendly banter. Not everyone is smoking hot like you to be able to flirt and be taken seriously, you know," you arched an eyebrow and she threw a napkin at you.

"You're impossible!" she kissed you on the cheek before returning to the kitchen for more goods.

Half an hour had passed and the woman's date still hadn't arrived. You pondered going back there and offering something again, but you imagined she'd feel uncomfortable with you noticing she was possibly being stood up. Your bones hurt with the want to go strike up a conversation and distract her from the douchebag that was making her wait, but at the same time, your heart raced in panic at the thought of talking to her.

It was some time since you'd had a crush on a person. Even being a hopeless romantic, you didn't have many opportunities to find anyone attractive in your day-to-day life. You lived close to the campus, so taking the subway to work wasn't necessary. You spent your day at the coffee shop and it always felt like breaching an unspoken rule to fancy a client (even though you admitted some were very aesthetically pleasing), and all your friends were spoken for and their friends were usually on college so a few years younger and that didn't do it for you. So it was very curious to finally feel it again, and for a client to make matters worse.

"Ok, stop ogling her, you'll bore a hole on her neck like this" Maggy mused, bringing the rest of the pastries.

You let out a defeated breath. "You're right, I have work to do and no time for this kind of thing."

"Woah there, you seem to have thought a lot of things in the five minutes it took me to get back, huh?"

You did, and she might not have the knowledge of what went on in your head, but you knew she understood your conclusion. How did she come to know you so well was beyond you, but you guessed five months of friendship and almost uninterrupted proximity did that.

"You know it's not for me." You shrugged and noting she was about to object you excused yourself saying you'd get more excelsa beans.

When your shift was close to end, the woman was still there. She wasn't waiting anymore, you noticed. She was idly taking notes on a small pad and listening to music. She didn't look too affected by the guy not showing up. Maybe she suspected it would happen, or it wasn't the first time, you didn't know but her nonchalance about it made your chest tighten.

Before you could change your mind, you chose one of the biggest triple chocolate ganache palm-sized cookies from the display case and prepared an iced vanilla latte to go. You put the two in a paper tray and fake-power-walked to her, willing yourself to feel the smallest amount of confidence. You were the chatty one of the group, why was it so difficult to act normal with her too?

"Hey, hello..." great start, "Ahem, my shift is almost ending and since I couldn't help you earlier with your order I thought I would bring this to you." You smiled and were almost sure you did ok.

Until she looked up from her notepad with shimmery eyes, and your smile fell. She had not been so nonchalant then.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do I have to order to stay here?" she seemed confused while looking between you and the tray you placed in front of her.

"No! No, I just thought you'd like something sweet," you were nervous like you haven't been for a long time, "I don't know... you just seemed like the type..."

"That likes sweets?" her small voice made sent shivers through your arms, she sounded so fragile, looking at your offer with something akin to wonder.

"Yes. Sorry. When you work here for a while you pick up on these things. If you don't though, I can take it back-"

"No!" she interrupted you, briskly circling a hand to your pulse when you made it to take the tray away and looked at you with a bewildered expression. "Sorry! I do like sweets." She let you go as rapidly as she touched you, chest flaring red, she avoided your eyes and cleared her throat. "Thank you, it is very nice of you," with that, she smiled, almost beamed, and you could only nod and get the hell away from her as fast as you could.

While desperately changing into your own clothes, you jumped at the sound of Dave entering the locker room.

"Shit, sorry!" he exclaimed, looking at you from head to toe. He was a quieter friend, but very perceptive, "So Maggy wasn't joking," he smiled.

"Please, not you too."

He laughed, "I won't tease you for being human. Everyone has a crush from time to time."

"Shut up! I don't have a crush." You finished tying your shoe. "And even if I do, she's probably straight or has a boyfriend."

"So you thought about it."

"SHUT UP!" you couldn't help but laugh and as you closed the back door to the alley you heard him laughing too.

You didn't pay too much mind to your thoughts of the beautiful stranger in the following days. She would likely never go back to the shop and if she did it would take a while and your attraction would have died down.

When she came not three days after, you cursed and ran to the kitchen.

"What are you doing, we need you outside," Maggy furrowed her brow softly.

"Could you please go there for a few minutes? I can finish icing," you pleaded, already taking the bag from her hand; she gave you a strange look but said fine.

Not a moment after she entered the kitchen again with a pleased smile. "Y/n you insufferably adorable idiot, go back out there and serve your customer!" she pointed at the door, and you made a show of slumping your shoulders and pouting while you made your way out front.

The woman was at the counter, she had a light frown, as if a bit confused with something, and startled when you said, "Good morning, how may I serve you?" in your best impression of a customer-service-friendly tone.

"Oh! Hi," she beamed at you, "Nice seeing you again!" Fuck she was gorgeous, "I would like the drink you gave me the other time, I really liked it."

You didn't know if the swell of pride in your ribcage was for being such a kick-ass barista or because of the happiness on her face from your accurate assumption.

"Coming right up!" you started making her drink, pleased with yourself, "Will you want anything to eat, as well?"

"No, if I do my co-workers will want it too," she chuckled and you got a to-go cup. When you handed it to her, she looked puzzled. "How did you know...?"

"The time," you filled in when she didn't elaborate, "Lots of people come before work and the ones that stay are usually students."

She hummed, eyebrows going up with a soft smile, "What about elders?" she handed you payment, exact change with an extra A$2,00 coin. Hot and a good tipper? This woman has no shame.

"We have only one couple and they come a bit later in the day," you smiled, accepting the money.

"Well, thank you then," she awkwardly lifted the cup and gave you one last, sheepish smile, before leaving.

You were so very screwed.

She kept coming. Day after day, she came in at the same hour and asked for the same drink. You offered some variations a few times, but she always went back to the first you made her. You stopped pretending you weren't smug for getting it so right.

Today was raining softly, autumn was settling in finally and cold afternoons were now a guarantee rather than a wish. You heard the doorbell and looked up to see Mina skipping to the counter with a scarf-hidden smile. Her nose was rosy as well as her cheeks which turned her eyes into thin joyful lines.

"Hey, lover! I missed you this weekend." She fake-pouted and you began making her usual.

"Sorry, I worked Dave's shift on Saturday and forgot to let you know."

"It's fine, but only if you go to the next one. If you don't, I'll stop being your friend!" she joked, sitting on one of the stools to watch you make her drink.

"Ok, dear 8-year-old cousin," she laughed and you changed topics to what movies they watched and how you regretted losing Toni's shock-filled eyes at New Moon's 'hot vampire royalty' as Mina said he put it. For someone who said they hated Twilight, you were happy for their growth.

After some more gossip, Mina grabbed her coffee and fled to class with a kiss on your cheek.

It was past mid-afternoon; your shift was slowly nearing its end and you were grateful for bringing an umbrella. It would probably be still raining when you got out.

When she walked through the door half an hour later, though, you wished you had more time. Her hair was a bit damp, and she had a sports jacket on. Maybe she left work around that hour because it was close to the one, she came to the shop the first time.

Try not to be a stalker, you weirdo, you thought to yourself while she approached.

"Hello there," she had her usual easy smile on. So beautiful.

"Hey, what will it be?" you could almost act normal now, the result of prolonged exposure, you assumed.

"You know," she shrugged, leaning on the counter lazily.

You started preparing her drink with a small smile and Maggy shook her head at you, rolling her eyes dramatically before leaving for the kitchen. She had nothing to do in there anymore.

"Tough day at work?"

"Oh, the usual. Paperwork mostly, it's been a while since there's been any excitement." She shrugged, but soon fixed her posture and shook her head frowning. "Not that I want anything to happen. If paperwork is the price, it's fine by me."

Curious comment. You didn't know what she did, you realized you didn't even know her name. You fantasized about leaning over the counter and kissing her silly but could not say who she was. How could it be that through an entire week, you hadn't even caught her name; usually it took you one conversation and the next you would set her up with someone from the shop. Of course, you weren't inclined to do that with her particularly, because of reasons.... but it was rather odd.

"Sorry, I don't think I ever asked your name," you turned to place her order on the counter, not on a to-go cup this time.

"Oh my god, that's true! I only know yours from your tag, it never crossed my mind I didn't have mine on!"

So her work requires wearing tags... Fuck, I'm a creep.

"I'm Miranda." She extended her hand for you to shake, it was just as soft as it looked. You imagined what being caressed by it would feel like... or a massage... or other things.

Shaking your head, you leaned to kiss her hand, rather than shake it. Out of your control, really. You simply could not lose the opportunity.

She looked to the floor, biting her smile. You could not see the red in her chest this time, but her ears were blazing.

"I'll just-" she took the cup, looking at you and rapidly away again, "Thank you. I'll go sit now." You only nodded, amused and slightly euphoric but trying to keep it down, as you saw her go.

She sat on one of the front window tables, leaning on her elbow and pointedly looking at the rain.

Two days passed after that. It was almost the end of the month, and you didn't even find another potential couple to help. You were too busy daydreaming on the job to pay attention to the customers. Maggy would lose her bet, the poor baby.

It was the middle of your shift, so it took you by surprise when you saw the blond owner of your thoughts walking in.

“Hey!” Miranda approached the counter, her smile making quick work of warming your whole being. She was the best part of your day no matter what happened. You thought seeing her smile at you was worth more than winning the lottery. You could live without the money any day.

“Hello, there,” you smiled back, with your usual cheekiness. “Your usual, I presume?” You were almost beginning her latte when she interrupted you.

“No! No, today I’ll be having a cold brew and an espresso. Robin needs her caffeine.” At that, she pointed at a brunette walking slowly in. She looked waspish and you could easily believe she was one of those people who were very grumpy before their first cup of coffee. “I’m her partner,” she leant over the counter and whispered to you like it was an exciting secret. She looked so proud you felt nauseous.

So she had a partner; a week after being stood up. It was understandable, she was a smoke show, funny and adorable all at once. How could she not have a mile-long line of people waiting for a chance? It still disappointed you that you weren’t the choice.

“Do you want me to grind?” you asked, absentmindedly leaning down to search for the good beans. At the silence, you turned to see her. She was turning red very fast, then you realised what you said and almost dropped the bean’s package on the floor, “The beans! Do you want me to grind the beans? You know… so the shots are nice and fresh.” Jesus, good one.

“Yes…” she gazed at the floor for a second and shook her head before looking back at you. “Sorry, I was just distracted… by stuff…" she pressed her lips in a thin line and looked in any other direction than yours. “I’ll just- I’ll just sit there.”

And off she was.

“Could you be less of a flirt? Not everyone can pull girls like a magnet and it’s offensive,” your co-worker’s voice woke you from your trance. Maggy was coming with a tray of fresh cakes.

“Shut up… it was her.” You tried to recompose yourself, your week’s worth of daydreams turning sour as you saw her walk to the back table where her “partner” was. Miranda liked the front window, why did that woman seat in the only corner with no view of the street and the farthest possible from the door?

“Ooh, so you’re finally admitting it.” She began to arrange the sweets in flower-like patterns on the display case, still smiling to herself.

“You only listened to my screw-up. She has a girlfriend,” you didn’t mean to sound so snippy, but you felt angry tears forming in your eyes and couldn’t stop tapping your left foot faster and faster.

Maggy noticed it in your tense posture and tight face, and before you knew it she was shoving you into the kitchen and asking Dave to cover outside.

Incredible. Just magnificent. She had a girlfriend, because of course she did, and you foolishly invested time and hope planning to ask her out and imagining all the stupid little dates you wanted to take her to and all the stupid little things you would do to make her smile. Great.

“Hey, come here…” Mag’s voice was no more than a whisper, bringing you to her chest while you very pointedly didn’t cry.

Your chest was rising and falling erratically with your half-swallowed sobs and your face hurt from all the muscles you strained to keep from letting it all out.

Maggy knew you wouldn’t cry. You were too stubborn for that, too chagrined with yourself to allow release. After less than a minute, you pushed yourself out of her arms, face sullen and voice hoarse.

“They ordered a cold brew and an expresso. I feel suddenly sick, can I go home?” you didn’t feel sick, she knew it too, but she only said:

“Yeah… yeah, I’ll cover for you.”

You nodded, never meeting her eyes, perpetually looking at the ground as you walked to the staff changing rooms and then home.

While walking home that afternoon, you caught the rain. You’d seen the weather report, but you left in such a hurry that you forgot your umbrella and didn't feel like going back to get it.

You got actually sick. The next morning you woke up sweating, feeling every muscle in your body hurting. It was nine, so you were already late. You called your boss to tell him you had a fever and he said Mag had already told him you didn’t feel very well the day before. He gave you the weekend off and ended with a kind “get better soon”; he was a nice boss.

You spent said weekend in bed. When you felt less horrible you took a shower and changed the sheets, prepared some soup and ate on the sofa while watching the news.

Apparently, there was a gang targeting young girls from the university near the Rainbow. All the police could tell at the moment was that they were being abducted after hours when leaving the campus for a night out. What they did to them after was a mystery you felt like throwing up just thinking about. You texted Mina to know if the group was safe; they were, but also very scared.

“The police detective in charge of the case, Robin Griffin, couldn’t disclose any more information,” the anchor’s voice sounded while a picture of a sulking brunette appeared on your screen.

It was her: Miranda’s partner. A police detective of all things.

Of course, Miranda would date some mysterious, grumpy detective that fought for the innocent and had a secret soft side she never showed anyone except for Miranda. It was the perfect ray of sunshine/rainy cloud couple half of the young adult fantasies had.

You wondered what Miranda did for work. You shouldn't be thinking about her, but you couldn't help it. All you knew was that she used a tag, and that didn't reduce your options all that much. You had to get her out of your brain.

After finishing eating and taking another shower, you went to bed early to get some healthy twelve hours of sleep before returning to work. With any luck, Miranda wouldn't come so soon.

You weren't very lucky, as proven by the relationship status of the person you madly wanted.

Miranda came again the next morning, accompanied by her detective girlfriend, Robin Griffin.

"Morning!" she was cherry as all the other times she greeted you but now it caused you physical pain to see her smile and attribute her happiness to the sulking jackass at the back booth.

Maybe you were being too harsh if Miranda was dating the woman she had probably a reason but you chose to ignore it as an outlet for all your negative thoughts and feelings.

"Good morning, how may I serve you today?" you said in a practised monotone, customer smile on your face.

A little line formed between her eyebrows and your fingers itched to smooth it away.

"Hum, I'll accept a suggestion today." she observed herself drum her fingers on the counter, "And Robin wants a cold brew again."

You nodded, starting with a white chocolate mocha and ignoring the figure leaning her weight on the counter.

"You can grind-" you heard her start and stop for a few seconds, "the beans for Robin's, she never commented on coffee before but last time you made it she said it was really good."

"Last time I made it?" you cursed your curiosity, "Someone else made you two coffee?"

Technically, the only time you made coffee for them you only started the grinder and fled, so Maggy was the one to finish it.

"Yeah... we came on Saturday to straighten some things. I like the atmosphere here and Robin didn't mind coming again."

Straighten some things? Were they having fights? None of your business in any case but... were they? You only hummed in response.

You placed her drink on the counter and started the second. Noticing you wouldn't start talking again, Miranda cleared her throat and looked to the side. Why couldn't she look you in the face today? It was normal for her to blush and avert her eyes sometimes when you talked but she seemed incapable of keeping eye contact for five seconds today.

"I like your shirt," she commented, out of nowhere.

"It's my uniform? But thanks?" what in the seven hells?

You finished the second drink and thanked whoever listening for her silent departure. Her awkward nod still made your chest constrict though.

This time there was no Maggy to witness your suffering, instead, it was Dave who was bringing the new arrivals and decided to lean against the door and watch.

"Shut up," you breathed as soon as you saw his smirk.

"I didn't say anything."

"But you were thinking."

"Oh, come on, she was obviously flirting with you!" you hated that you agreed with him, it felt like flirting — hesitant and weird but flirting.

"Her girlfriend is sitting right there, she was not flirting with me just five meters away from her," if you said it out loud one more time maybe you could convince yourself.

"Well, or she's very clueless, or devilishly smart." He shrugged and started putting away some gourmet-looking packages underneath the counter.

Later that day you were still thinking of Miranda's strange behaviour. Dave wasn't one for gossip, but this time he opted to completely ignore that and conspire with Maggy about what were Miranda's intentions with you, quite loudly, just a few feet away. They were insufferable sometimes.

After a few hours of little giggles and middle school singsongs, you mistrusted the sudden silence. Dave, oddly enough, was cleaning the expresso machine serenely while Mag was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Maggy go?" you asked, walking to the kitchen door and peering through the circle window. She was on her back having a phone call.

"Her boyfriend called, don't know what's about but she looked strange when she came in."

A few moments after, Maggy slowly opened the door and peeked from it, "Y/n, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked, an uncertain tinge in her voice.

"Sure..." you followed her in.

Once inside, you heard her let out a long breath, "Ok, so I know I only covered for you days ago and that it sounds opportunistic as shit, but could you cover the end shift for me? Markus had an accident playing basketball and needs me to get him at the hospital" her tortured face was the cherry on top of your hellish day.

"Of course, I'll cover for you! What happened?"

"He fractured his ankle, that's why I need to get him; he probably won't be able to walk around the house very well too."

"You're fine, go get him. I don't have anything better to do anyway, bug." You kissed her cheek and rushed her into the staff rooms.

Closing wasn't so bad. Today was raining again but you had your umbrella and wouldn't forget it this time. After swiping the floor and checking the kitchen for stoves on and the like, you closed everything and went home.

Every day it got darker and darker around this time. You didn't notice before because you usually were at home, but now you wished you had charged your phone for some extra light. The rain was thick, and you couldn't even hear your steps. The umbrella didn't do much to shield your legs, which were drenched up to the knees.

After a few blocks, the streetlights got dimmer, the shops and public spaces being substituted by tall apartment buildings. You decided to hurry a bit and ignore the shiver on the back of your neck; soon you would reach home.

Well, not really. You felt before you saw the group of four people nearing you. When you thought of sprinting, one of them caught up to you and held you back with strong arms around your middle and one hand covering your mouth. You trashed, trying to free yourself, but they only shushed you sounding amused. The other three joined and they led you to one of the corridors between brick buildings. You couldn't see a thing, only feel rough fingers in your face and the prickly feeling of days-old facial hair on your ear as a hoarse voice breathed on your ear.

"Be a good girl and stay quiet. It'll be a lot less painful for you."

You felt overwhelmed by panic, gagging in bile and trembling like a baby dear. You didn't know where the strength came from, but you freed your face desperately and screamed your lungs out for help. You didn't know if anyone would listen with the rain, you could barely hear yourself, but it could have something to do with the buzzing on your ears muffling all sound around you.

You stepped on his feet, kicked him and bit his arm but he wouldn't budge. He managed to put his hand over your mouth again, but you bit it until you heard him scream and tasted iron in your mouth. However, that only made him hold you tighter, hurting your ribcage, and the rest of the group came to aid him.

What they did was each try to get you under control, which meant none had a full grip on you, and throwing yourself against one worked for you to start running for your life in the direction of the streetlights. You didn't know if your screams were intelligible of even if they were loud enough to be screams, you couldn't hear, had no frame of reference.

You thought you saw the lights of a car turning the corner, but you didn't have the time to see. The same guy who had you before was jumping at you, crashing you against the asphalt with his body weight. You felt your skin burn. Arms and face glued to the street with the impact. Your head was ringing, and you only saw spots of light and unfocused shouting and around you, a very loud noise was the last thing you heard before it was all black.

You woke up feeling warm. There were quiet noises of clicking porcelain and muffled conversation to your left.

The sterile smell was what hinted at where you were, opening your eyes to bright white ceilings and empty beds around you. You were the only one in the room apart from the three people around the door.

Miranda, her girlfriend and a nurse. Oddly enough, Miranda was dressed as a police officer. What she was doing there you had no idea, in fact, you didn't even know why you were there.

You tried to sit, and all three looked at you. The nurse came over quickly and fussed around you, helping you sit, and asking how you felt. You didn't feel too bad, but there were some friction burns on your elbows and forearms that you could do without. Mostly it was just your head buzzing faintly.

"She said you might have a concussion," Miranda joined in, timidly placing her hand over one of yours resting beside you in the bed. You turned it so she could hold it if she wanted. You felt a pang when she did.

"The detective asked if you would be willing to answer some questions. I told her you might not be feeling well enough right now, but if you do I can tell her so." The nurse didn't seem too pleased talking about 'the detective', which reminded you of the movie hospital staff and made you smile.

"I don't know how much use I'd be," your voice was croaky as you looked from the nurse to Miranda, "I don't really know why I'm here."

She understood the question you didn't make and asked the nurse if she could talk with you alone. She seemed only partially agreeable but left anyway.

"You were attacked last night near the university," she said immediately, even if trying to sound softer, and her hand tighten around yours. "Why were you even out at that time in the rain?"

"I don't know... I worked the end shift?" you remembered Maggy asking you to and remembered closing and going out in the rain. Not much more than that.

"You were so lucky we decided to patrol the area, Jesus Christ," she was talking faster than normal, and you furrowed your brows, "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Why are you here? You aren't asking me any questions..." your head hurt too much to think at that moment. You just wanted some peace and not to have to stare at Miranda's face because your head and arms were enough things hurting.

"What? Because I care about you! Because I saw what those sick men were trying to do and I know how it'd end-" she choked in her hurried whisper. Was she about to cry? "You have no idea the terror I felt when I realized it was you the one on the floor. You weren't responding and all I could do was scream at Robin who somehow arrested three men on her own and still managed to call an ambulance."

Wow, there really was a reason Miranda dated her, then.

You felt exhausted all of a sudden. Emotionally and physically, you just needed some sleep and a hug and you leaned against Miranda for just that.

She took you in her arms, surprised but seemingly not against it. You sighed and swallowed the knot in your throat. It didn't help much. Why did you have to like her so much? Why was she so kind and caring even after knowing you for only two weeks? It was so unfair she was taken, the one person with whom you could envision making it work.

When you parted, Miranda still had her arms around you. She was searching for something on your face, staring earnestly into your eyes as if willing you to understand her. You could not for the life of you understand anything about that woman anymore. Here she was, holding you and comforting you after flirting with you at your place of work. Sending you all these mixed signals and expecting you not to fall for them.

She looked almost frustrated with your lack of understanding, then her eyes snapped to your lips for one second then looked back at you; brows furrowed and eyes pleading. Why did this have to be so complicated? You matched her look, gazing wantonly at her lips, just to torture yourself at not meeting them.

However, at your lack of action and obvious wish, Miranda made the decision and leaned in. You weren't expecting it, suddenly woke from your daydream to a very real pressure on your lips. She had strawberry lip balm on and tasted of tea. Hospital tea, the ones at the reception for people staying the night. She smelled of nothing other than her, no soap or sweat or anything, just her after a long night and possibly long morning of dealing with whatever resulted from the last night's occurrence. She felt like home, her arms around you bringing you close delicately, the pressing of her lips long and slow as if she was trying to convey this ineffable thing you couldn't understand when she looked at you. It was beautiful and sweet and so painful you had to stop.

"But what about Robin?" you whispered against her lips.

"What about Robin?"

"I'm so confused, aren't you dating Robin? Your detective 'partner'?" and as you said it, everything clicked together "Oh, no-" You hid your face in Miranda's chest, feeling silly for all the bitterness and jealousy you indulged for the last week, but also hating yourself for all the unnecessary heartache. "You and Robin are partners, as in you work together on cases, correct?"

"Yes... I thought that was rather obvious..." Her arms tightened around you and she made soothing circles between your shoulders. "I think we even discussed the case in the coffee shop. I thought you heard us."

"I might have misunderstood," your voice was muffled by your face pressed onto her uncomfortable, bumpy, vest. You heard her chuckle, and she took a step back, with her index under your chin prompting you to look at her. She had a mischievous grin and an arched brow.

"Did you think we were together?" you only nodded, "And were you jealous?" at that, her grin went from mischievous to an earnest, excited smile. She was too pure for this world.

You didn't respond, only looked to the side screwing your face up to avoid the relieved smile.

"No, c'mon, I want to hear it," her voice carried a note of amusement, but she only looked kind when tilting your face to look at her again.

"I might have..." she huffed a small laugh "No! Shut up! Listen-" you could not control your smile at her looking so delighted "It's your fault that you were so adorable that first day and accepted my coffee like it was the best thing ever! It was just coffee and a cookie, and you looked unreasonably happy! And after that you kept coming and coming more frequently to my god-blessed queer café and flirting and looking shy and beautiful, what did you expect me to feel? Are you kidding me? This was all your fault, you menace! So, of course, I was jealous when you appeared with a dark and mysterious stranger and sat in the most private corner possible to whisper to each other like teenagers thinking they’re being subtle!"

"Ok, I realize you are very passionate about this," she laughed softly, bringing you to a hug again. "But you forgot that you were flirting mercilessly with me and that I never asked you to stop." She had a point, but again there were people who liked being flirted with, even when they were in relationships. You didn't think Miranda was like that, though.

"I know, but I'm allowed to be a bit irrational about this..." your volume decreased as you finished the sentence.

"You're pouting," she whispered to match you, "Why?"

Taking a deep breath, you locked eyes with her. Here goes nothing. "Because you're my coffee shop romance," you said trying to sound confident. At her lack of response for more than five seconds, you backtracked, "That is if you'd like to be. I shouldn't have assumed, you-"

"Jesus, shut up-" she said and smashed your lips together.

The kiss wasn't too dextrous, both of you smiling too much and too eager for it to work properly, but it was the best thing in the world.

"Not Jesus, but I'll let it pass this time," you murmured against her lip when you slowed down. She was peppering chaste, slightly long kisses on your lips and face.

"Shut up," you heard her smile before feeling it in your skin.

"You'll have to make me," you breathed back.

Decided to put notes at the end. I posted this one here because of the ask, but I hope you liked it and that I lived up to your expectations! I had a lot of fun writing this one, so thank you so much and sorry for the long post 💛

#miranda hilmarson #miranda hilmarson x reader #fluff #coffee shops & cafés #coffee shop au #top of the lake #gwendoline christie

[densi-mber]

A/N: Happy first day of Densimber to you all! As always, we begin with decoration day. Thanks to @mashmaiden for collaborating on this story.

***

Traditions Come and Go

“Baby, I told you I could get that,” Deeks said, hurrying towards Kensi as she toted a storage container of Christmas decorations through the house.

“It’s not that heavy,” Kensi insisted, shifting the box out of his reach as he attempted to take it. “You’ve been doing everything around here for weeks. Or at least attempting to. I can manage this.”

“I don’t want you to strain yourself.”

“Baby, I appreciate that, but just because I’m pregnant—”

“32 weeks pregnant,” Deeks interjected smoothly. Kensi sighed, accepting his point.

“Yes, I am. I can also squat with a 15 pound dumbbell in each hand,” she reminded him gently. “I don’t think this is going to strain me.”

“Ok, touché.” Deeks grinned self-deprecatingly. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok, I know you mean well.” She stretched to lean over the container and kiss him. “And who knows, in a couple weeks, I might change my mind and want you to do everything.”

“You just say the word,” he said, stealing another kiss.

***

Rosa arrived home just as they were unwrapping the now dozens of decorations they’d collected over the years. An entire bin is dedicated to various ornaments Roberta had passed down.

“Oh, I’m glad I didn’t miss everything,” Rosa sighed, hurrying to set her backpack and shoes to the side. She’d woken up early to pick out a tree with Kensi and Deeks before heading out for classes.

“Like we’d start without you,” Deeks scoffed. He patted the spot on the couch next to him. “Grab a seat and start unwrapping.”

“What is this?” Rosa asked, grimacing at a freshly revealed horse with pink hair and an oddly creepy expression.

“Grandma Deeks’ idea of a joke.”

“She said it was a family heirloom,” Kensi added.

“I don’t remember seeing it last year.” Rosa turned the ornament from side to side, seeming caught between interest and mild disgust.

“Yeah, that’s because we usually never, ever take it out,” Deeks explained. He took it from Rosa, tucking it back in with the rest of the unwanted and boring ornaments. “I’m thinking maybe this year it should meet with an unfortunate and tragic end. Do you think a fiery death is plausible?”

“Or we could just pass it on to our beloved oldest child,” Kensi suggested with mock innocence. “Keep the tradition going.”

“Oh, no thank you,” Rosa said quickly, raising her hands as she chuckled nervously. “I’m good. Though I wouldn’t say no to that aqua one over there.”

“That’s one of my—mmm.” Stopping mid-thought, Kensi rubbed a hand over her lower ribs, wincing for a few seconds.

“Was it croissant or donut this time?” Deeks asked.

“Donut, I think,” Kensi replied, arching her back. “I swear these kids are practicing for a soccer match with how much they kick.”

“Are you ok?” Rosa checked.

“Yeah, they’re getting stronger, but I’m fine. I guess they just wanted to join in on the fun.”

“But maybe hang out for a couple more weeks,” Deeks suggested, resting his hand over Kensi’s stomach.

“So, do you want to put the outside decorations up when we’re done here?” Rosa asked once they had lights strung around the tree.

“Actually, since things are going to be extra crazy this year with all the baby prep, we decided to just decorate inside this year,” Deeks explained.

“But you love Decoration Day.” While initially bemused by Deeks’ excitement last year on December 1st, Rosa had quickly been caught up in the general festivities and greatly enjoyed the entire premise.

“I do, but it’s only one year.” Deeks couldn’t deny he was a little disappointed at the thought of missing out on one of their traditions. He knew they’d barely notice though as everything picked up in the next few weeks.

“You know I’d help,” Rosa offered. “I can hold the ladder and even go on the roof if you want.”

“I really appreciate that, Rosalind, but you have your classes and finals to study for. It’ll be ok.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s not the first time it’s happened,” Kensi said. “The year we moved here, we were so busy packing and going to showings that we never got around to it.”

“Next year we’ll just have to do something extraordinary to make up for it,” Deeks suggested.

“Now, that worries me a little bit.” Not sounding worried in the least, Kensi pushed herself off the couch.

“Where are you going?”

“To get those Christmas cookies you guys made,” Kensi replied. “You should never decorate on an empty stomach.”

#ncis la fanfiction #densi #marty deeks #kensi blye #domestic densi #Rosa #pregnant Kensi #still manifesting twins #fluff #densimber 7.0 #densimber 2023 #densimber day 1 #by ejzah

[afreakingdork]

Weak Spot - Chapter 7

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader

Warnings: Aged-up Turtles, Romance, Meet Cute, Villain Donatello, Cussing, Crushes, Xenophobia, Fear, Intimidation, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort

Synopsis:  When falling in love is the easy part where does the difficulty lie? In a society where we’re defined by our job, it’s those little details as a relationship goes on that ends up setting a course for whether or not a couple can make it in the long run.

Also available on Ao3

First 💜 Previous

Settling into your seat, you trapped your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Now that you were in a dry cab, any movement exaggerated how wet you were. While Donatello had tried his best, you were still soaked through to the point that your clothes either clung or created a pool where they wrenched from your skin. Sneaking a peak to your partner, you found him set in a statuesque manner that you had a feeling was to minimize similar sensations. He was staring at the street outside and looked especially dashing against with the droplet covered cab window. The rain drowned out the quiet noise of the radio and as you watched trickles streak from the taxi’s speed, you became hyperaware that it was heading to your apartment.

“So, I’m gonna assume you already knew where I lived?” You tried to balance the weight of chide in your tone.

Donatello didn’t shift, but one of his cheeks seemed to puff up in what you assumed was him suddenly clenching teeth.

You waited him out, pushing your back into the leather with an uncomfortable squish.

You watched the moment he arrived to an answer and took great care in only having to turn his neck to view you. “Should I prepare myself for this to be a thing?”

“What?” You smiled. “Where I repeatedly bring up how you broke into my phone and gathered up a bunch of info on me?”

His brows came together with scant irritation. “First, those are not mutually exclusive.” He reached a hand out and placed it in the center seat that separated you before using it to stabilize himself as he leaned over the space. “Second, I was forthcoming.”

You tilted into him. “Good to know.” You then turned back towards the window as if you gathered all that you needed.

The way your cushion held its tilt said he refused to retreat. “Do you think you’ve tricked me somehow?”

You tucked a grin into the corner of your mouth. “I wouldn’t say it like that. It was more like I’d been wondering.”

“You’re curious.”

Watching a particular cluster of water droplets split apart as the cab took a turn, you narrowed your gaze. The simple sentence sounded odd; it was as if he had forgotten to inject inflection. It brought your head around. You found him still bridging the gap with even features.

Both of you stared at each other for a long time before he seemed to feel the need to clarify. “About me.”

Though you hadn’t recovered near enough from the events of the day, a little amused disbelief snuck onto your face. “Well, yeah.”

He blinked his gaze away and then right back. “If you had a question why not ask it outright?”

That same sneaky emotion intensified. You had the answer but hesitated. While you weren’t trying to levy knowledge over him, you weren’t sure if you were ready to give away another one of those little conversational quirks of his that you had picked up. Searching his face found the usual blank canvas. You wondered how far he would push it if you decided not to explain. Looking away to debate the options, the cab took another turn. This one turned the car right and you could feel the extra weight as Donatello kept himself still against the force.

You gave a small defeated sigh and decided to take a shot at trying to curtail a straight out blurting of the information. “It’s like how you said you were forthcoming or whatever.”    

You refused the tug of his gaze.

“You choose your words very carefully. It means you’ll drop things like ‘I looked into you’ when I’m not really prepared to take that as seriously as I should.”

The pressure on the seat intensified and for a moment you thought he’d reach out. Instead, he retreated. Though he hadn’t offered anything to assuage it, you felt all the more cold.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said tepidly after a little bit of time had passed.

Staring down at the floor, you noticed a penny half shoved under the mat.

“You’re still concerned.”

After digesting the phrase, you finally looked at him. If he meant from today, that should have been obvious so he must have meant something else. You studied his profile until it came to you. “I mean, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still interested in you.”

His gaze sharpened with a negligible lid drop and he mumbled something. It was fresh enough on your mind that you were able to decipher it.

“Nope, not mutually exclusive.”

Instead of turning his head, you watched his pupil move to evaluate you. “How do you do it?”

You opened your mouth in question.

“We’ve arrived!” The cabby spoke.

You caught the man’s eye in the rear-view mirror and then looked back to find Donatello turned away. You gave a sad smile at the back of his head. “Thank you again for today…” He didn’t respond so you shuffled over to make for the door handle. Slipping your fingers under the latch, you popped it and heard the thick shift of wet fabric. It wasn’t enough to give you pause so you gave a little push. The first bit of rain tried to sneak through the cracks and the sound overtook Donatello saying something to the driver. Before you could turn you had a feeling what was happening. Using your knee to press the door open fully, you caught sight of Donatello in the middle seat with that strange umbrella of his in hand.

“This again? Really?” You looked between him and the object dryly.

“Just to your front door.”

“That’s not…” Hanging a foot out onto the sidewalk, you pushed out of the vehicle. Only a few droplets made their way onto your head before the umbrella extended out of the vehicle to cover you. “And you say I’m stubborn?” 

His voice came in close as you hadn’t moved far from the cab and he nearly pressed up against you. “I also never said I wasn’t. Regular humans are more susceptible to illness.”

“Isn’t that an old wives’ tale?”

“Yes, but lowered body temperatures can weaken your immune system while the humidity makes it easier for bacteria to proliferate.”

Unmoving, you tipped your head back to get a look at him. His jaw looked particularly sharp from this angle. “Alright, Dr. Donnie, so you’re doing this because you’re worried about my health?”

He looked down his snout at you and gave a small frown.

Breaking eye contact, you took your first steps away from the cab and he staunchly followed with the cover overhead. You hopped the stairs up your stoop with ease and turned abruptly to face him when you hit the landing.

He looked over your door for a moment and then landed back on you with what seemed to be a the barest struggle.

You tilted your head in a show of patience.

His mouth opened and then closed up tight.

You gave your head a shake to signify you’d given up and went to root your key out of your bag. Your fingers had just brushed the ring when he finally found the words.

“I didn’t like the way you looked.”

Pulling your keys out in time with lifting your gaze to him, you arched a brow. “What?”

He had now chosen to stare back at the cab which idled at the curb. “The rain.”

“You’re going to have to put those separate thoughts together.”

You watched his grip on the umbrella tighten. “When it was streaming down your face. It made it look like you were crying.”

 Your jaw didn’t drop, but it was enough surprise to make your lips part. “But you moved so fast. I was only in the downpour for what? A few seconds at most?”

That little frown that had yet to leave him deepened. “It’s not an emotion I care to deal with.”

You carefully etched his struggling expression to memory. “You must have known I was upset from how I contacted you. There was the very real possibility that you would have had to.”

He gave a single tight nod.

The rain filled the air and with him not giving you anything else, you looked over your keys. “Sorry for holding you up, I know the meter’s running.” You shifted to put them into the lock.

“That’s not-”

Swiveling your head, you found that he had at some point crept in very close and seized up as you caught him. You looked down to see his fingers curled inches from your arm before turning your attention back to his face.

“I understand that it can be inevitable, but I would rather you not express it.���

You gave him a dull look. That was a far too clinical way of putting something that seemed sweet.

 “I told you what to expect with me.” His arm retracted back to his side.

You watched it before studying the way the moisture collected and bubbled out on his mask. From what you had gathered about his standards, he had gone to some great lengths today. Looking back to where your key was still half-inserted into the lock, you felt your shoulders slouch. Today had been far too much and you still felt like a hollow version of yourself. “I… It’s not you. I’m not thinking clearly. I really do appreciate all you did. I think I just need a hot shower and some sleep...”

The rain tamped unevenly on the umbrella and you finally turned the lock. The door shifted with its freedom and you reached to grab the handle. Out of your periphery you saw a flash of green and black as his hand shot forward, past you, and pressed the frame shut. Your lips pursed as you reviewed his action and then moved to examine Donatello. His eyes were slightly wider than normal and, from the little information you read, he was just as surprised by the action. You watched as he came back to himself and then hitched his brows as he tried to make sense of it all. It rapidly softened your heart.

“I’m gonna guess that’s both of us, hm?” You shifted on planted feet to glimpse him behind you over a twisted shoulder.

His eyes struggled for a moment before he wrenched them away from the door and to you. There they evaluated you until his lids lowered. He poured himself further into your space. “You don’t need to give me an out. I’m fully aware of my actions.”

“Sure.” You steeped your gaze with sarcasm.

“Petulant.” He scolded and drew closer.

Despite your dampened attitude, your heart seized. These weren’t the ideal conditions for this, but the constant interruptions were starting to compound. You tipped your head to convey your accessibility. He gave you a once over and you thought he’d close the gap when you heard the sound of the door being opened. His face didn’t seem to betray the action, so you looked away to find he was indeed holding it open. When you brought your gaze back he had retreated. You might have been annoyed if there weren’t the faintest timid air to him. “Do you think you’ll be in an adequate mental state to reschedule our lunch for tomorrow?”

He was considerate to a fault. You straightened up and gave yourself a little shake. Coming out of it, you found him still waiting with his head tipped down. He seemed especially wary as if he were prepared for his body would betray him again. You wanted to pinch his cheeks, but shoved the sensation down. “Maybe. Can we tentatively plan on it?”

He turned the query over for a moment. “Considering the circumstances, I suppose I can accommodate that.”   

“Thank you.” You dipped under his arm and the move made it so he could open the door fully. “Text me when you get home?”

He gave a single nod.

You gave him a little wave and headed in. A creak signaled the door was closing soon after and just before it shut you could have sworn you heard something about getting warm. When you looked back you saw the faint outline of Donatello retreating to the cab.

-

It was less unfortunate and more a simple fact of the universe that your roommate sniffed you out as soon as she got home. She pinged that you were not only early, but had somehow had enough time to shower while also hiding yourself away in your room. She had left all her belongings in a trail across the apartment as she descended upon you. She had bundled you up as you carefully recounted the day. She then ushered your swaddled form to the living room couch and made soup as you continued your tale. She dolled it out and as soon as she was caught up, she’d already cancelled her plans for the next day. With the inevitable treatment of endless movies and pizza now looming over your Saturday, you got a hold of your phone. 

Donatello’s arrival text waited there along with a surprising confirmation of his change into warm clothes. It might have been the soup, but you cradled your device close and gave him an extremely simplified version of the events since parting. Though you hadn’t mentioned her much, he seemed to easily accept your roommates meddling and in another shock had offered a provisional go at Sunday. The way he was willing to bend over backwards was what really allowed you to categorize the heat pooling in your cheeks. As soon as your friend got sight of you, she switched from comforting to voracious.

You both stayed up late as you gave an edited version of your relationship thus far. Your roommate had scoffed at several things and you watched on fondly as she ranted. She always had your best interests at heart and the thought of spending the next day with her was sounding increasingly enticing. She’d shooed you off to bed sometime after midnight with the many promises of the Saturday to come. It might have been all the spoiling, but, in a minor daze before plugging your phone in for the night, you shot off a message to Donatello about how’d you badger him all the next day with your lazy activities.

When you awoke many hours later, you blearily stared at a response that passively accepted the announcement as if it were an inevitability. It’d been such a high that you didn’t even care it was immediately followed up by stipulations that his phone would be silenced, it was only allowed for the one day, and he’d reserve the right it ignore any message he saw fit. Heart beating a little too fast for the time, you could still feel the traces of emptiness inside you. Overall, thankfully, sleep had done wonders. With work still set to continue Monday morning, you were sure it was going to be an ongoing process. Until then, you’d take it day by day which meant starting this one with a bedhead selfie sent to the object of your affections.

Though you put no effort into the shot, you’d flung your phone away and fled to wash up. You returned to find a wall of text that seemed to be something of a New York law regarding the use of texted images. The legalese proved to be a bit too much for you, but you got the gist being something about personal use of photos sent voluntarily. There was no way to know for sure, but you had a feeling he’d sent that as a way to say he’d be saving the photo. The thought alone propelled you running right into your roommates room without knocking and jumping directly on top of her still sleeping form. Many curses were shared, but it was the start of your day together.  

Eventually pizza was ordered and you parked yourselves on your respective sides of the couch. Your roommate immediately hit play on the first movie in your watch list and you badgered her for not letting you decide. She scolded you for that being why your queue was so long and eventually the doorbell rang. Your roommate juggled an enormous stack of boxes and you gawked as you helped split the load. She joked about it barely being enough for one day and you bopped her with one of the plates you gathered. Between eating, lounging, and the constant string of distracting lights from the television, you slowly felt a reclamation of normalcy. You peppered the day with little updating texts on how a movie was or shots of your never ending slices to Donatello. He added little comments that didn’t necessarily hold great content, but gave you a sense that he was there. It added to the comfort and it was around the time that the sun was waning behind buildings but not quite set when your roommate made for a tub of ice cream she’d been hording.

You were unchecking the films you’d watched from your list when you heard the clanging of spoons against bowls.

“Oh.”

You gave an absently curious hum as you scrolled down a line of movie posters.

“He’s holding something back.”

Stopping and staring down the length to where the remote was raised in your hand, you chewed your lip. “Uh huh?”

“Sorry, realization.” Your roommate appeared in the corner of your eye and passed you a bowl with far too many scoops in it.

“The suspense is killing me.” You gave her a flat stare which you then turned with growing fear at the  mountain of cream.  

“Your boy toy.”

That got your attention. “Okay, wait, go back.”

Your roommate gave a knowing smile from around the spoon in her mouth. “Now you pay attention.”

“Sometimes you just ramble!”

“One: rude. Two: It’s because I have so many good things to say!”

You waved her off before pulling yourself out from where you had begun to fuse with the cushions. “Let me be the judge of that.”

She shot you a dirty look but relented. “There was that weird air yesterday, which is like yeah, yesterday was fucked, but also it seemed like he was rubbing you the wrong way, right?”

An image of petting appeared in your head and you drowned it out with a huge scoop from your bowl. You instantly got a brain freeze and scrunched yourself up around the sensation.

“Nice one.” You roommate rolled her eyes. “From what you described it sounds like he’s holding himself back.”

“From…” You pushed your tongue to the roof of your mouth to abate the pain. “… What?”

She shrugged. “You almost caught him touching you multiple times, so probably that?”

“Well yeah we almost kissed…” You pulled your knees up to balance your ice cream.

“More than that, even during the first almost kiss, it sounds like he didn’t actually touch you.”

You searched the milky depth for the memory. He’d indeed gone to great lengths to prevent doing so. “Weird…”

“As much as he’s an enigmatic ass, he’s also like a well trained dog.”

You swiveled your head to her with mild offense.

She had a coy smile on her lips along with a blob of chocolate dotting the corner of her mouth. “Look, he follows orders! Did you accidentally give a command?”

Brows still knit in light irritation, you tried to speed through your dialog. You had mostly focused on his so yours fell by the wayside. “I… don’t think so? That doesn’t make any sense though!”

“Uh huh, that’s the part of him I’m not into.”

“Yeah, yeah, red flags.”

“The fact that you acknowledge it and willingly aren’t pushing it kills me.” She waved at you and you watched her curiously. She then pointed to your phone and you brought it up. “I don’t know when I can do a proper shovel talk, but I’d rather send a message now just in case.”

You pulled your device in close. “I get where you’re coming from, but he’s also…” You grimaced. “Ugh, it sounds bad, but he’s trying. I don’t know the whole story, but I like him a lot. You know I have a pretty good sense about people and I’m careful.”

Her usual playful air dissipated and she eyed you. She didn’t close out the examination and instead pointed to your phone again. “Selfie.”

Frowning, you brought up the camera. As you turned it to the front facing one, you felt the couch dip. As soon as the screen flipped you watched as she thread one arm around your body and the other came up to slice at her neck in the universal ‘you’re dead’ signifier. You made a show of rolling your eyes and snapping several pictures in rapid succession. As soon as you finished, your roommate retreated back to the comfort of her ice cream and you sent the best of the bunch to Donatello. His response came almost immediately.

Donatello: Is that your roommate? It’s good to know at least one of the tenants in that apartment has sense.

You scowled and turned to show the response to her.

She laughed brightly. “Okay, maybe I kinda get what you mean.”

-

After staying up far too late and sleeping in far too long, you rushed to make it to your lunch with Donatello on time. You found him waiting outside the establishment with a casual air. You greeted him with your usual beam and caught the way he seemed to close off at it. With your roommate’s guess fresh in your mind, you decided to keep an extra eye out. Between the delicious food, you for distracted prodding your companion about his knowledge. You ended up coming away from the meal now knowing that it seemed to encompass an insane amount of fields. It was as if he’d somehow gotten a discount on buying PhDs in bulk. It also meant you were more at a loss at his profession than ever. Refusing to sulk, you lead the charge outside and did a quick pivot to catch him in case he tried to scatter to the winds.

“Do you have other plans for today?”

He let the restaurant’s door close and stepped out of the way of impeding it. “Not until this evening. I assume you have something in mind?”

“How about walking lunch off and heading towards the farmer’s market?”

“Walking off this meal or yesterdays?” He questioned but headed in your direction.

You blew a raspberry. “I’d have to run a marathon if that was the case. We ate nothing but junk all day!”

“It raised your spirits.” He gave you a side glance as if he were passing judgment.

“It did. I’m dreading tomorrow a little, but I’ll be okay.” You thoughtfully tucked your hands into your coat’s pockets. Early spring tinted the air with a slight chill, but it was comfortable with breaks of sunshine leaking between skyscrapers.

Donatello chose not to comment and for a few blocks you both walked in comfortable silence. It was as you waited at a crosswalk that you started to sense something was off. Sneaking glances at your companion found nothing exact, but there seemed to be a palpable sensation you couldn’t name. Again, your roommate’s words echoed in your mind. You’d gotten a little too wrapped up in your questionnaire and tried to sweep back through lunch’s events. On recall, you found Donatello had gone for far more napkins from a pile between you than he ever used. Trying to reassemble the table’s layout, you weren’t exactly sure but you thought it happened to be close to where your arm was. It wasn’t conclusive enough so you rolled back further. You’d finally had enough wherewithal to pay for a meal and when you’d turned to him after doing so, he seemed closer, but again it was an uncertain dead end.

Pushing your lips into a tight line, the signal switched and you both crossed amongst milling pedestrians. Sunday seemed to seep in the area and there wasn’t as much of a rush as there usually was. You took the time to admire the surrounding stonework as you passed. It sparked another question from your list and you turned to shoot it off at your companion. You caught him with his hand seemingly swung out as if he were speed walking even though you knew for a fact he wasn’t.

You stared at it curiously before looking to his face.

He kept his eye staunchly forward and momentum pulled the appendage back to his side.

“How about architecture?” You drew out the question lazily, still studying him.

“I can name the designers of most of the iconic buildings, but it’s not something I studied at length.”

“Huh.” You marked the syllable with dry huff.

He grew quiet again and you tried to work out what it was exactly. Turning back to the sidewalk ahead, you picked over what was in reach. The offender had been his arm closest to you, but there wasn’t exactly anything to grab. Your hands were still in your pockets and with his height, you couldn’t imagine more than him walking with his hand on your shoulder. The thought was laughable and you unearthed a fist to close off any giggles by pressing it to your lips. As soon as you did so, you felt a tight seize from Donatello. He was only in your periphery, but he seemed especially at attention. You desperately wanted to ask, but you just knew as soon as you brought attention to it, he would squash the supposed unruly reaction. Dropping your arm limply to your side, you caught the way Donatello’s intense eye caused his head to dip down as he traced it. It hit you all too fast.

He wanted to hold your hand.

Giddy bubbles overflowing like a shaken soda turned your head all the way away as if you were still looking at the buildings.

That couldn’t possibly be it.

You chased the thought with a broom and dust pan. It had to be categorized away into the wishful thinking you often caught yourself in. All you knew for sure was that he had interest in you. Even though it wasn’t spoken, it was a known fact as you continued to seek each one another out, but he’d overtly turned down romantic notions. Enjoying his companionship was high on your list and besides the ever growing desire to actually commit to a kiss, you were satisfied with what you currently had. Still an image of clasped hands appeared and you felt a momentary high put pressure on your ear drums. A smile wrinkled your lips and you were glad you turned away. It was in this motion that a glass windowed business passed by your vision and you caught a sight that made you all the more light headed.

From your other side was Donatello reaching out towards your hand. Your stomach flipped and your fingers clenched reflexively. You watched in the window as he pressed his lips together in dissatisfaction and his other arm came around to soothe his failed one. One hand clenched the elbow closest to you and he turned his attention away. In the last pane of the building, you watched his fingers dig into his coat.

He was holding back.

Turning your head forward, you tried to think of the best course of action. You were sure you could easily rectify the current situation by just grabbing his hand and he’d allow the action, but that wouldn’t solve the bigger issue. He had implied in the cab on Friday that you could always ask him and you already had a testament to his honesty, even if it were often shrouded. Knowing that, he was sure to give some half answer since, by the way the way he struggled, he seemed just as perplexed by whatever was happening. Head tipping as you formulated, you thought about how to catch him in the act. You’d nearly caught him a number of times and he had always gone on as if nothing had occurred. It couldn’t just be almost, you had to catch him when he’d actually executed whatever move. A small smile played on your lips.

Tipping your head upward, you pulled your other hand out of its pocket. You then let your arms swing a little more freely as you caught sight of several pigeons on a nearby ledge. “How do the mutations work?”

“Are you sure that’s a subject you want to delve into?” There was a smug air to Donatello’s words.

“Ah, got a science explanation ready?”

The air shifted and you could tell from his tone that he soured. “If only it were that clear. There have been notable exceptions to whatever rules I try to put in place. There’s a frustrating element of mysticism.”

He had put a strange amount of emphasis on that last word. It flagged it as something to remember going forward. “I guess I’m just curious how the animals get picked.”

He was quiet as he gathered his thoughts. “Again, there are quite a few variables.”

“Okay…” You feigned as if that were difficult even though the conversation was thankfully playing out in your favor. You lifted the arm farthest from him and pointed at the next set of pigeons bumming about wherever they could roost. “Let’s say, why aren’t there more pigeon mutants? Isn’t there something like more pigeons than rats in the city?”

Out of the corner of your eye you watched him follow your guide. You moved a little bit closer to him as he digested the question. “You make a good point. It’s unfortunate that I’ve have had the pleasure of meeting a pigeon mutant.” There was a palpable disdain oozing from the sentence that made it very apparent he’d some kind of extremely negative encounter with a rat.

Your heart sank as you wondered if you had dashed yours chances by accidentally stepping on a land mind. You scrambled to shove the subject back into the right track. “So, the amount of the animal might have an effect?”

“If I were to attempt to explain it simply, than you could say it tips probability.” His sour attitude seemed to lessen with each word.

You mentally wiped your sweat away. “What’s the probability exactly?” You made it a few more steps and watched as two pigeons tapped beaks cutely from above. “And not the numbers I mean!”

He seemed amused by your save and you felt yourself finally in the clear. “For a human, you’ll usually mutate into a recombinant version of whatever animal you were last in contact with.”

“Zookeeper!” You rounded on him making sure to use your far hand in accusation.

“I was not created in that way.” He seemed to gloat more and more with each of your wrong guesses.

You turned away from him with a snap, but had maneuvered it that you were so close now that one little move would cause your shoulders to brush. You could sense how close his hand was to yours as each step brought them in near contact. In a final feign you played up as if you were thinking of another guess and waited as the silence filed in. Almost instantly that withheld aura cropped up and you could tell Donatello was once again suffering at his own hand. From where your fingers had lazily curled in a neutral position, you flex them out in a little stretch. He tensed instantly and your heart sped up with each step in anticipation. You willed him to finally go through with it as the air seemingly became oppressive. He wouldn’t even have to move at this point; he just needed to time the swing of his arm. Your heart surged as you felt the ghost of contact. Mind spiraling, you tried to come up with some kind of final push.

“We’re almost there.” It came off your lips because you could register that was the perfect move; it rolled up an honest truth, a warning, and a last call all into one.

You could see him falter in his steps before immediately scrambling to pick back up at your side. He slotted himself as close as you had before and you squeezed your eyes shut to keep from spoiling the moment. Steps continued to march forward and you leaned your fingers out an almost negligible amount. You felt that ghosting again, but this time it lingered. It was as if his hand were barely skirting the hairs on yours. You waited, unconsciously counting down to what seemed like an inevitable when he disappeared. You made it a few more steps before the missing echo of his telltale boots reached your ears. Popping your eyes open, you spun around to find Donatello hunched, fisting his hands in apparent fury.

“Don-?”

“I can’t take this!”

Your stomach bottomed out in a way that made your legs feel like lead.

“It’s constant, inane, and aggravatingly disobedient!”

Though you still felt at a loss, your head tipped to one side. Across from you Donatello was contracting so aggressively that it seemed like a blood vessel might burst. “Woah, hey…”

“Absolutely infuriating!.” He seethed.

You brought your hands up as he seemed like he could lash out and took a tentative step forward.

Instead of you rounding on you with anger, he snapped up with what almost looked like fear. “Stay back.”

The command had a lethal quality to it, but your feet didn’t seem to get the memo. Within another step, his hands came up as well. Still moving, your foot lifted to close the distance a little more. His body careened to one side and you desperately tried to track his unhinged tilt. Like a pendulum, he then shot in the opposite direction and was upon you. You stared up at his towering form. It wasn’t at all like when he’d tried to intimidate you. Instead he seemed to be teetering in an abysmal loss of control. Bringing your gaze down slowly and unsure about taking your eyes off of him, you tracked to find his fingers hovering centimeters from your arms. It was enough to completely shake off alarm for the confusion you’d had since leaving the restaurant. “Don, what’s going on?”

Your use of a nickname seemed to have the intended effect as a shred of his former self appeared. “I have not cleared-”

He stopped as you laced your expression with concern and he seemed to catch on that you had only done it as a means to get his attention.

He lowered his head until your were caught in his gaze. His eyes were nearly as wide as they had been when you thought he might attack your boss. Instead this time, the pinprick of his pupil seemed to correlate with manic distress. “I need you to listen closely.”

You gave a nod, keeping your eyes trained to his.

“I don’t like touch.”

“Oh…” You faltered, a new type of confusion settling in. “Okay?”

He exaggerated his features for a moment as if to double down on the statement.

Gaze breaking free, you searched his face where he seemed immovable on the subject. “I don’t mind? I think I just touched you the one time, but I can make sure to steer clear?”

He hissed as if burned and reeled away from you.

You watched on with budding awareness that this display heavily contrasted his usual unflappable nature. You’d seen cracks of it here and there, but on full display he seemed freed in a way that you might have regarded fondly were he not so distressed.

“It’s not you! Well, it is, but-!” He was moving again, nearly rocking as he attempted to pace. For whatever reason, he didn’t get more than a few steps to either side.

“Alright, let’s just-” You attempted to duck and weave to catch his eye. “Donatello, can you look at me?”

He shook his head.

“Okay, that’s okay.” Glancing at the few people on the street, you reviewed the buildings that lined it. “Can you step over here? Let’s move to the side.” You took your time making your way over to a small inlet worked into the stone near an alley.

Donatello shifted a few times before trailing after. As soon as he made it, he pressed a shoulder into the building to stabilize himself.

You mirrored his move and could feel the cold of the concrete through your layers. You closed your eyes in a form of accordance and focused on your breathing. For several minutes, everything seemed quiet save the sound of the city. With the way he had been able to sneak around, there was always a chance that he could have left all together, but you decided not to think about it. Instead, you slowly combed over the little information he had offered until he was ready.

When he finally spoke, it was in a low voice. “I didn’t intend for you to see that.”

Unsure if you should open your eyes, your brows knit. “Hey, it’s alri-”

“No.” The force lifted his tone and brought your lids up part way. Through your lashes you glimpsed that his steely expression had returned, but the mask had been placed in a hurry. A peek at his pearly whites showed his teeth were grit. “I pride myself on having more control. The fact that I buckled under a few compounding pressures…”

“Then…” You kept your gaze low. “How about we call it even? I don’t feel great about dragging you out when I was a shell of myself. We hadn’t even gone on a date yet.”

“It’s more than that.” His lips seemed to realize they were betraying his face and came to close the gap. “Besides, I’m glad-” As soon as the shield went up, it immediately malfunctioned and he sneered.

“Is it-” You pulled your own breaks, unsure if your usual nature of blurting things out was appropriate. Fiddling with your coat, you snuck a glance to find Donatello waiting with a look that seemed to urge you to form a distraction. You desperately hoped that reading was accurate as you opened your mouth again. “Is it a weakness thing?”

“Explain?”

The fingers that were picking at the breakpoint, fisted the fabric. “Admitting you like me or anything that might signify that. Do you not like it because it’s a weakness?”

This was usually around the time he’d punctuate something about you being presumptuous, but the quiet that followed was unnerving. You finally brought your gaze up fully and, instead of finding him put off, he seemed to be contemplating.

It meant there was a portion of truth to your question and you rotated until your back was pressed flat against the building. Even though you had a feeling, it didn’t feel great to see it confirmed. You weren’t sure if you could be with someone who thought of love in that way. You blinked twice, staring wide out at a passing taxi. That choice of word wasn’t right. At least, not yet. Putting further pressure into the concrete the eventuality took hold. You were getting so far ahead of yourself you wished you could strangle your own brain for even daring to think like that.

“I dislike the causality of it.”

Remembering you had been waiting, you whipped your head around to your companion. “Like cause and effect?”

“It means that somewhere along the line, in another infuriating loss of control, I allowed a series of events to take place that brought us to this moment.”

“Control, control… I’m sorry, Donatello.” You shifted to turn to him to also communicate that with your body. “I get that this is hard, but I don’t think I’m going to understand unless you explain it.”

He reached out and both of you watched as the hand neared your face. His other then appeared and snatched the wrist of the first. “There!” He glowered at the appendage as if he’d chop it right off. “I know you’ve seen it. I appreciate that you hadn’t called attention to it, but it keeps happening.”

You suddenly felt guilty for having tried to bait him earlier.

“As I said.”

“You don’t like touch.”

“Exactly.” He used the hand he supposedly had control over to put the unruly one back at his side. “And yet, my body continues to betray me.”

“Has this happened before?” You adjusted your coat and moved your arms to your side as he had done.

“Not this way.” He blew out an annoyed puff of air. “I might have had the urge, but when it played out I found the exchange repulsive.”

You mulled over his phrasing. “That bad, huh?”

He didn’t exactly relax, but he didn’t seem as strung up as he once was. “As a stickler as I am for data, it was the sort of thing that didn’t need much repeated testing to satisfy my hypothesis.”

“I see…”

“Which makes it dually frustrating because I already know the outcome and yet my magnificent mind is somehow choosing to both dump that info, something it has never done before, while also strengthening an exercise of my subconscious, something I had long trained otherwise.”

“Hence the control…” You spoke the sentence aloud more to confirm it to yourself.

 “Yes.”

“And the causality thing is you aren’t sure how you ‘let’ that happen?”

“In a sense.”

You gave a little hum and kicked an errant pebble on the sidewalk. It skittered a bit before disappearing into a crack.

“I usually don’t see the need to clarify, but there was a chance you said it as a means to pacify me earlier…”

You looked to him.

“Are you alright going forward without touch?” He then broke away to shake his head off to the side. “I neglected to add it to my warning list.” He then cursed under his breath something about oversights before turning his attention back to you.

Mulling over the response, you decided with a small frown. “I’m not sure. Honestly, I’ve never been in a relationship like that, so I don’t know what I’d do, but then, pretty much everything else about this has been new to me…” You looked toward him with a tepid hope.

He regarded you evenly in a way that said he wasn’t sure where he landed on the matter.

“Though, I’m more worried about you at the moment.”

He gaze turned into a flat stare.

It seemed like his version of bewilderment and it made you smile. “Based on what you said, logic reigns supreme in that head of yours.”

He took the comment as appreciation and one of his brows rose a centimeter.

“And because of that, I can’t imagine that this conversation is going to fix your reaching out problem.”

For a moment his brows rose as he took in the information and then they came down as he appeared to come to a similar conclusion.

“Here.” You slowly brought you hands up and held them out in front of you. “You’re not wrong about how you feel or what you’ve decided and I don’t think I have some kind of magic touch that will make everything okay, but maybe you can try a quick graze to see if maybe that will at least get it out of your system?”

He tilted his head the slightest amount.

“I’ll stay totally neutral so it’ll all be on your terms.”

One of his hands came up and from its speed you weren’t sure if it was purposeful or not. He did, however, halt the appendage and give it a quick fist before squaring his shoulders. “Okay.”

“Okay.” You nodded back, raising your chin as if you were preparing yourself for some great labor.

His other hand joined his first and he slowed. “I believe you said you weren’t going to hold my hand.”

If you weren’t already poised, you might have fallen over. Your roommate’s comment on commands surged in your mind. “Please tell me you didn’t take that seriously?”

“Don’t be absurd.” He huffed and continued his trek.

He turned his hand over so that your palms would meet. You watched carefully as his fingers skirted the underside of yours before sliding along what you knew to be your fate line. It brought a certain heat that seemed to linger in the tips of your ears. His thumbs then closed in around the top of your hands and the sheer size of his appendages completely encompassed yours in a loose hold.

He became very still and you had to force your gaze to him. His eyes were once again wide, but this times his pupils had enlarged in an attempt to match up. His gaze was unfocused and gave you the impression of a hungry animal who’s turn at the carcass was just one away. Before you could look back down, he gave your hands a proper squeeze. It sent a fluttering sensation up your arm. You suddenly had to put a fair amount of focus into not returning the gesture. On your left hand, you felt one of his finger skirt downward and land precisely on your radial pulse. Your heart picked up on contact and your eyes squeezed shut as he surely felt the exact moment it did.

“I require further testing.”

Your eyes popped open to find that hungry stare now pointed directly at your face. “How so?”

You immediately wished you’d said something more clever, but it also seemed like forming the two words you had required all your strength.

“Your arms, if that’s alright?”

You gave a nod that felt far too small.

He was in motion again, but it was slow and methodical. He traced the lip of your coat, tucking a finger under it to chase the skin momentarily before relenting to move overtop the barrier. Everything fell away to just him as he then took a grip of your forearms and instead of just squeezing, gave a gentle rolling massage motion with his thumbs.

You felt weak at the knees and were assaulted by the memory of him throwing his arm over your shoulder and holding your hand from a few nights ago.

Had you both forgotten about that?

You wanted to voice the exception, but he intercepted.

“To the shoulders.”

It wasn’t even close to a question and his voice was thick with a sort of need. You felt drunk on the intoxicating amount of attention he was giving you, but you somehow found more words than before. “If you do, my hands are going to hit your chest again.”

You patted yourself on the back for slipping in at least a reference to the outlier.

“I don’t care.”

He really didn’t as he gently cupped your elbows on a journey to your upper arm. As he drew close, your fingers pressed into the taunt surface of his abdomen and you remembered feeling a similar hardness before. Knowing now he was part turtle, you wondered what the shell his coat was obviously concealing looked like. The thought evaporated as he reached his destination and let the length of his fingers curl around your shoulder and onto your back. You squashed your lips together to avoid making a pathetic sound over such a simple touch. It caused your fingers to tangle up in his shirt and you leaned your head forward to keep from acting further.

“More.” His voice was dark now and his head landed somewhere around the top left of yours.

Swimming in a head rush, you couldn’t find any need to respond. Still he refused to move and gave your shoulders tight squeeze as if you wake you up.

“Please.”

A buoy thought about how he was using so few words surfaced. You clung onto it to make your mouth move. “It’s fine!”

You hadn’t meant it to be so loud, but he surged forward and embraced you in a crushing hug. You were thankful for the force because it felt like the only thing keeping you upright. Unfortunately, it also caused the sharp lip of something across his chest to press uncomfortably into your face. With your head slightly down it narrowly missed crushing your eye and you wormed out a little noise of discomfort from where you were buried amongst his clothes.

The reaction was instantaneous. You knew you were moving, but not where when your feet left the ground. You landed, seated against something, before he pulled back. Dizzy from the whirlwind, you watched as he dipped down lower until you realized he was trying to catch your eye from where your head had lolled down. It took all you had to muster a question with your eyes.

“I know.” He had a weakened quality to his voice. “You can-” He took your hands and delicately cradled them by your fingers before bringing them up near his shoulders. “If you want.” He then shot you a look that nearly pleaded you to comply.

You wanted to tell him he didn’t need to ask.

You wanted to ask if this was still about gathering data.

You ended up unable to say anything and instead broke free from him to rush getting around his head. He moved in tandem and you were swept up in another hug that you returned by wrapping your arms around his neck. Your face settled in a crook between your arm and his head. With the full contact, you could feel the sensation of him relaxing as if he sighed deeply. No sound accompanied it and you felt the pressure on your end reach a head. It manifested in you giving him a tight squeeze and worming your face in as close as you could get it to him. He returned the gesture with a sharp compression of his own, before his arms parted to cradle one of your shoulders with one hand and the small of your back with the other.

Slowly you felt the steam release and the desperation tapered off. Unlike him, you allowed yourself a contended sigh and his thumb gently rubbed your shoulder blade. “You okay?” You mumbled into the thick of your arm.

He didn’t immediately respond, but you felt a bob in his shoulders. You identified it as a single chuckle. It was a gesture that could only be felt and not seen. It opened up a whole new world of little things about Donatello for you to uncover. You tried to temper the rush of excitement as there was still a chance this was a onetime thing. As if on cue, you felt his hands began to retract. You loosened your grip and he shifted in a way that brought your cheeks together as he continued to part. You were suddenly hyper aware as his face grew in your periphery. Your fingers accidentally hooked the back of his collar and he slowed at the sensation. It meant he came out with his lips skirting the side of your head as he turned inward to question you. Your breath hitched as you awaited what seemed to be continually put off. His gaze focused on your eyes and your lips parted in anticipation. While he didn’t look down, he seemed to catch the gesture and just barely tipped his forehead against yours before fully pulling away.

You made sure your hands were free and he let them cascade over his shoulders and down to his lapels.

It made sense in a sad way.

A kiss would probably be too much on top of everything else.

His hands freed themselves from your after a last caress to your sides before he brought them up to cover yours on his chest.

“You didn’t answer…” You murmured to yourself, still trying to suppress the fringe melancholy.

“I’m okay.” His voice sounded far clearer.

You nodded and prepared yourself to let go when you realized that you were perched on a metal railing. Your contact point on Donatello was keeping you upright and you quickly blinked away the other lingering distractions in favor of measuring your jump down.

“May I?”

Unsure of what he meant you nodded and he slotted his hands around your waist again, but this time in a far less romantic fashion. He then lifted you like a toddler and set you down on the ground. It took a moment, but you rounded your disrespect on him with a glower and venom. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” There was an airy quality to his voice that was surely put on just to be snarky but it made his relaxed aura all the more apparent.

“How’d it go?”

He gave you his patented look and translated he knew full well of how you had also indulged in the moment.

You rolled your eyes and tried not to recount the memory already. You were giddy enough as it was.

He adjusted his coat in a slick move and raised his head as if he finally had all the composure in the world. “I suppose there was always a possibility that I could be wrong. Ah, the accursed asymptote.”

You watched him curiously, trying to think back to anytime before the hug and failing miserably.

“The farmer’s market, was it?” He took a tentative step forward and there was an odd teasing quality to him.

It created a sense of dread in you that only foreboded the best things that would also just so happen to wreck you.

You wondered if he was aware of that fact or just caught up in finally being freed of his supposed ailment.

“Yeah…” You drew out the word and hesitated to join him. “You still want to go?”

“Why not?” He turned an even but carefree look onto you.

You shook your head at him. “No reason apparently.”

When you came out of the motion he had dipped alarming close into your personal space.

You wondered if at any point he could have been wrong about his mutation as he always seemed to slink around like a snake.

“For the record, I’ll be reassessing my hypothesis.”

He even slid on his S’s like one.    

 He came in until his nose almost touched yours. “That means further testing is required.”

He punctuated the point with a shift in his brows before perfecting his posture by your side.

He was absolutely aware.

You moved to join him and he offered his arm.

You gave him a look which he pointedly ignored. Forced to give up, you chuckled and tucked your fingers into the crook taking great care for that to be the only bit touching. You both began walking and he passed you a grateful tip of his chin at your thoughtfulness.

“Did you think love is a weakness?” The sentence popped out of you as if your lips remembered your earlier concern more than your brain did.

“Isn’t it?” He was quick to respond and you turned to look at him curiously.

Waiting there was the fingers from his other hand which he used to flick your forehead.

“Hey!” He hadn’t held back much and you used your free hand to rub the spot.

“Case and point.”

“That’s not fair, you-” You froze as you realized there was a clear insinuation there. You sputtered in a similar way as you had when you brain had suggested the same thing. “I-I don’t-”

“Of course not, you’re just slow and gullible.” 

Annoyed at a number of things, you pinched his bicep.

The corner of his mouth turned up in tempered amusement.

“I could just leave…” You huffed.

“Be my guest.” He eyed you to see how you’d handle your bluff.

“I believe ‘wicked’ will be a great first addition to your negative list.” You relented by turning away from him to pout into the sidewalk.

You felt a comforting tap of his hand against yours before it returned to his side. “Good choice."

NEXT

#rottmnt #rottmnt donnie x reader #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt x reader #donatello hamato #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #me #fanfiction #my fanfiction #weakspotfic

[penelope-regulus]

Welcome to the Last Part of the Incomplete Tour of the Eckhart Estate!

I finally have a chance to gush on and on and on about their greenhouse hehe. Not going to hide any of my obsessiveness, jealousy, or other dark emotions any longer! I've warned you!

The greenhouse is freaking huge and simultaneously the most amazing thing I've ever seen?! It has a strict competition with Derrick's study and I... I think... I might actually like the greenhouse more...

I mean here, look for yourself!

OMG

It's outline is gold and silver and it's got a holy amount of light, ok? And look! Look how bright it is even when it's raining out! There's actual chandeliers hanging from the greenhouse roof goddammit, butterflies and wildflowers live here, and as if the flowers and greenery from the garden inside it and the nature it's surrounded by on the outside wasn't enough, they even have shelves lined neatly with the PERFECT AMOUNT of flowers in pots to enhance the look!

Whoever the designer of this estate is in that world is my one true love. Goodbye, Callisto. I'm so done here.

LIKE

EVEN THE DOORS TO THE GREENHOUSE MAKE ME UGLY WITH JEALOUSY!!!

WHO?!

WHO NEEDS DOORS THAT HUGE?! EVER?! IS THERE ANY HUMAN DOUBLE PENNY'S SIZE WHEN THE CALLISTO REGULUS ISN'T?!

Hnnggggggg I hate being jealous. MOVING ON!!

Can we talk abour how Penelope glows here, even when she's fake smiling? How she looks even more gorgeous than usual? Absolutely swell? And how so necessary it was for Callisto to meet her in the greenhouse and see how beautiful she looks for himself too?

LO AND BEHOLD PENNY! IN THE GREENHOUSE EDITION!!

Of course Callisto proposed to her a second time seeing her here and asked her to move into his palace with him immediately. Anyone would.

Of course Duke Eckhart handed her a mine after seeing her in the greenhouse too. He probably wanted to see her covered in riches like all of us do. Anyone would.

Of course Derrick and Reynold didn't scold her for being late again to lunch like they did the first time they had lunch together. It makes sense that they remained shut up. Anyone would.

Of course Eckles couldn't hold back from reaching out and trying to touch her face despite knowing his place and full well that it wasn't something he should be doing. Anyone would.

Of course I just decided that I'm going to never stop talking about this from now on. Anyone would.

NEXT

Looking at the floor here, it doesn't look like the dining table was placed on the Duke's orders for that one lunch, meaning that the greenhouse is large enough to have a garden, a full-fledged dining area, and a lawn and making it the largest greenhouse I have ever seen in any manhwa. I have 710 bookmarks at the current moment, so that's a HUGE achievement and really, really impressive.

On another note, look at Reynold in this picture. What the heck. Why does he look cute here too. Probably a greenhouse thing.

Also, look at the detailed design of the glass doors, the jewels hanging from the chandelier, the outside view, and how bright it is and the shape of the structure. It's just so beautiful that no matter how much appreciation I give it, it's not going to be enough.

And counting the butterfly above, which is also behind the speech bubble that says "yes" in the image below, the butterfly behind the pot of flowers on the shelf and the faded orange-ish one on the left, we already have three different species of butterflies, but notice there isn't a single fly or ant or anything us humble earthlings have to deal with in our lives.

The last thing I want to mention is that there's also floor lamps placed out here (one can be spotted on the left in the image of their dining table) along with the chandeliers and undoubtedly more as well, right? Just imagine how the greenhouse would look at night with all of them on!!! Hopefully we get to see it...

Anyway... That concludes everything I have on the Eckhart Estate! I would love to see the entire estate someday, even if it's just the exterior of the building -- the FULL exterior -- with details of the front and back and the path to the drill hall and the exact location and setting of the greenhouse shown as well.

If I made any mistakes anywhere, feel free to correct me!

#the greenhouse #the eckhart estate #derrick eckhart #reynold eckhart #duke eckhart #penelope eckhart #callisto regulus #eckles khan delman #eckles #vadd #vadtd #ditoeftv #villains are destined to die #death is the only ending for the villainess

[elesdecroisa]

Untitled short writing

"Why… am I crying…?"

The black rose in my hand emitted a strange, gloomy aura. Tears ran down my face, as if I just witnessed the death of someone I loved dearly.

… But who exactly was that person? Was that the woman whose image appeared when I touched the Forget-Me-Nots? Was that the person in that crumpled drawing, whose face was covered in dried blood? Were all of them the same person?

Did I know this person? Why can’t I recall anything? What happened to her? What happened to me?

What is going on anyway?

* * *

As I ventured deeper and deeper into this place, I met a woman, who was fighting against a tough monster. I watched in silence, as the woman swung her weapon. Her movements were swift and strong, yet still so elegant.

And then, I saw that monster charging towards her at a high speed. As an instinct, I quickly used my power to stop it from moving. The woman paused for a second after that, but then she immediately got back to fighting and defeated that monster.

As the fight ended, she turned her face to where I was hiding.

"You can come out now." - She spoke.

Her voice was as calm as the water surface of a pond. But I didn’t want to get out yet, because I was scared of talking to strangers.

"I will not hurt you, I promise." - The woman continued.

I knew she genuinely meant no harm, but I was still nervous, since I had never been a social type. I slowly peaked out of my hiding spot and then stood up.

It’s been a long time since I last saw a human, not to mention talking to them. And yet I was here, standing in front of this woman. Usually I would just hide, but I just… felt like I shouldn’t.

"Thank you for your help." - She said.

I finally had the chance to look at her more clearly. She was as beautiful as a lotus, with a straight posture of a bamboo.

What should I say, I didn’t know. I couldn’t think of anything. I kept my head low, trying to avoid eye contact.

"You are also not from this place, are you?"

I immediately looked straight into her face in surprise, as my eyes opened wide. Did she just say “also not from this place”? She doesn’t belong here either?

If that’s true, then should I tag along with her? No, even though I did want company, that would still be weird.

The woman continued, as if she could read my mind:

"You can go with me if you want. I am also an outsider, after all."

"Ah… Thank you." - I finally spoke.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you by the way."

* * *

Time passed.

I had been traveling with her for a while, and I had grown closer to her. We hung out in the city, read books in the library, and had fun just by spending time with each other. We fought together, ate together, and rested together.

The more I spent time with this woman, the more I felt like she was the only person that I needed. She was beautiful, she was strong, she was patient, she was understanding…

I think… I had fallen in love with her.

* * *

"I believe… you already know the answer."

Calmly did she speak, yet her voice didn’t soothe me like it always did. Her callused hands held mine, as she let out a slight, gentle smile.

I felt… happy. Happier than ever.

I had never fallen in love with anyone before, and here I was, gathering all the courage to tell her.

She was still the beautiful woman I know, still quiet, still calm, still patient,...

But she had become someone else. My partner, my love, the one I would treasure for life.

We sat on the roof, looking at the city below. I put my head on her shoulder and sighed:

"When we finish this journey, I’d love to go with you."

Time felt like it was standing still.

Even though I didn’t look at her face, I still knew that she was smiling.

* * *

We kept going and going, and our journey got harder and harder. But we had to move on.

We got caught in a tough fight. Even with both of us, everything was difficult.

And then, just as I finished taking care of an enemy, I noticed the other one had disappeared. I turned around…

And just before I could even react to that, it attacked me. The only thing I managed to do was to close my eyes and take the hit.

Slashing sounds were heard. But I didn’t feel anything.

I opened my eyes, and I was shocked by the scene in front of me.

My love was there, in front of me, with the corpse of the enemy behind her. But her chest was bleeding, as if… she had taken the hit for me.

Immediately, she collapsed on the ground.

I ran towards her, with fear in my eyes. I looked at her, her face, her wound, my eyes became watery as I noticed how severe the wound was.

She turned to me, with her usual expression. I knew she was in pain, since her voice was weak:

"At least… you are alive."

I didn’t know what to say, nor what to do. She lifted her hand and touched my face.

"I’m sorry, my dear… Sorry… for leaving you alone…"

I could only feel her breath getting weaker over time. I held her hand tightly, while shaking. Tears started to fall from my eyes.

"No… it can’t be, right? You won’t die like this, right…"

I saw her using the last of her strength, to find something from her belongings. She took out a small cluster of light blue Forget-Me-Nots and handed it to me.

"Please… move on without me…"

Just as soon as I took the flowers, her hand dropped to the ground.

I grabbed her shoulders, shaking them violently. But she didn’t move. I hugged her lifeless corpse, still crying.

"No! Please, please don’t leave me like this!"

I screamed through my tears as her body slowly dissipated in my arms. I couldn’t do anything, I just couldn’t…

If only I were stronger, if only I could react in time… then she wouldn’t have to sacrifice her life to save me like this.

It was painful, but I couldn’t do anything. I could only sit there and cry.

But there was something, in the middle of the blood pool. A sprout. It grew, then bloomed into a single black rose.

My red, swollen eyes opened wide upon the sight of the rose. And before I even knew it, I had already taken it with me.

* * *

I missed her.

I kept seeing images of her whenever I looked at the flowers she gave me, or the one that grew from her blood. Tears would run down my face every single time. I even imagined her still being here with me, and pretended to speak with her.

But I felt… numb. Towards everything around.

I just mindlessly fought whenever I met those enemies. I couldn’t think, and I just let my body act on its own.

After the fight, I sat on the ground and took out a pen and a piece of paper. I drew her, mindlessly. I didn’t even notice that my bloody fingers had smudged her face on the paper.

I crumpled the drawing and threw it away.

I had no motivation to keep going. Everything felt meaningless without her.

I covered my face and cried.

She was dead, and it was all my fault.

She told me to move on, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t let go.

I just sat there, crying.

I just wanted to see her again.

What's the point of living, when she wasn’t here with me?

Then, what if I die too? Would I be able to see her again?

I held my weapon tightly, as those thoughts came across my mind.

…

…

…

#my writing #bad ending #not sure if it's good or not

[aliceindaisychains999]

Here’s an ask for iron petals💖

I wonder if Dempsey would like to go skiing? it sounds really fun I got the chance to go once it’s extremely fun, also i wondering if he would enjoy exploring abandoning buildings or taking pictures or nature like be a photographer.

This sounds awesome! I love action-packed stuff and I’m sure he would too! He’d definitely give skiing it a shot! But I hope they allow snowboards for me. It’s no surprise that Dempsey would love to stay active because it’s great for his mind and also keeps his killer strength and endurance in great shape. I’d try to follow him as best I can down the hill. I know I’d be the one who’s just cruising down the snowy hills while he’s doing 360° turns and flips. He loves to show off what he’s made of, oorah! For some reason this came to mind when I started brainstorming bc I feel like he’d pull this stunt

I love making scrapbooks to each represent a chapter of my life. And because Tank and I are sharing our lives together, I wanted him to help me with my 3rd book. He usually suggests design ideas or points out great shots. Camping trips happen a lot so that’s always a great start! I think one of my favorite shots is where he was posing dramatically at a cliff spot where you could see the whole town from below. Tank said one of his favorite pictures besides the night sky (because it’s so much prettier without light pollution in the way) was one of me of a blue butterfly on my nose. Tank also hijacked a few of the google drive album of him making angry faces and goofing of. So now our scrapbook has a page of us with funny faces complimented with whatever memes we printed off the internet (half of his choices were freedom memes and edgy skeleton memes)

I always was fascinated with urban exploring, especially abandoned malls and any fun indoor entertainment places like Showbiz Pizza. Considering doing that was what lead me to be meet Dempsey, I asked him about it. He raised his eyebrow at me.

🧨Really? You didn’t learn your lesson the first time, huh?

🌻It’s not going to be government owned property this time! And we’ll be fine if we’re quiet enough

🧨Technically everything’s government owned. But I’m not gonna let you get hurt. I’d never forgive myself if I lost you or something.

🌻Honey, please? It’s only once

🧨Alright, I guess you’ll be fine with a big strong man protecting you.

And then he’s wrapping me in a hug bc he knows I melt easily. 💕💕💕

Aside from the mushy stuff, now comes our adventure: the mall! An old abandoned mall that went bankrupt around 2007. We slip in quietly through the back that apparently lead us straight into the food court. There were lights on the neon signs but we relied on flashlights for the most part.

🌻It’s pretty scary with the lights off.

🧨The scariest thing about this food court is that it’s got an Arby’s.

We took photos around as best we could with our phones and figured to use Lightroom on my computer at home to brighten it up. The best part was breaking into an FYE and finding out that not all the stuff was boxed up! Dempsey was thrilled. “Hell yeah! Free shit!” He told me to open my backpack up to store his looting of cds and whatever movies we could find for a blind movie night. “Hey, finder’s keepers. It’s not stealing if we can’t pay anyone, right?”

It was tons of fun overall! The only part that freaked him out was a bit of the graffiti because what I’d hope were teenagers sprayed some devil talk in the lowest level. He didn’t make it obvious but I could see in his eyes that the emptiness of the mall with that was making him uneasy. Oh! And we got a sunset shot on the roof of the mall but we had to make it quick before anyone could flag us. I’d never be able to do it again because of safety reasons according to Dempsey but it was still great we got to go.

🌻This was so much fun! Thank you, Tank *Hugs him and leaves a kiss on his cheek*

🧨Aww, quit butterin’ me up! You know I’d do anything for you, Maddie!

#thank you anon! #this was fun to brainstorm #IronPetals

[invisibleraven]

Bed sharing bed sharing! 9 rulie

Julie wondered if she should be afraid of how used she was getting to hearing knocking on her window at night. "It's open!"

Probably way too much.

"Hey Jules!"

Julie waved. Reggie then. It was usually him, Alex choosing to hide out with Willie when he needed refuge from home, and Luke usually left in the middle of the night and went to the studio. Reggie came by most nights, either because his parents were at it again, or his mind was restless and the walk helped calm him down. Julie knew she probably shouldn't condone it, him climbing up the tree next to her window, but she'd rather have him there with her than wandering the streets of LA.

Julie had the tip of her tongue stuck out of her mouth as she applied another coat of nail polish. Reggie sat next to her wordlessly, taking the brush and painting her other hand, then offered his hand to her.

"Red or black?" Julie asked. Reggie handed her a deep dark purple colour instead, complementing the electric blue of her own. "Okay, what's up? You usually don't deviate from your faves."

"Felt like it was time for a change," Reggie replied with a shrug. "Something needed to."

"Tell me about it," Julie replied with a scoff. "But then again... change is terrifying. So much has changed lately, so the sameness was nice for a while."

"Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same..." Reggie hummed. "Anyways, what do you wanna do tonight? Movie? Jam session? Prank Luke and Alex?"

"Can we just... talk?" Julie asked, blowing his nails dry.

Reggie nodded, a wide grin on his face. "Have you ever thought about the stars? Like, they're this big burning balls of gas a million light years away but we use them for navigation and stories and see all these symbols in them. It's wild."

"I always loved the stars," Julie mused. "They can make you feel so small, meaningless, but also there's a hope that they represent something more. A hope for humanity. But mostly they just remind me of stargazing with my mom. Dad telling us the legends in Spanish, using a telescope on our roof."

Reggie flopped back onto the bed, patting the spot next to him. "Tell me your favourite memory of her."

Julie recalled the day in the dahlia field, taking a picnic out with her parents, enjoying the sunshine. That was the day they told her she was going to be a big sister. Her dad had taken the picture that now sat on her nightstand just as Rose had whispered the news into her ear.

Reggie didn't have many happy memories with his own mother; a cold and distant woman who barely tolerated him. But he had plenty of MeeMaw stories. Riding horses, picking berries, being brought to the lone Temple in Georgia to study Hebrew. He extracted a wrinkled photo from his wallet, of MeeMaw and a tiny smiling Reggie, missing his two front teeth, yarmulke on his head.

"She sounds lovely," Julie whispered, her lights turned down as the hour grew late. She knew her dad probably wouldn't approve of Reggie being here well past midnight, but she also knew he wouldn't turn him away. Best not to tempt fate though.

"She really is Jules, and I bet she would love you. One of these days I gotta bring you with me, let you see where I grew up," Reggie said, his sentence punctuated by a yawn.

"That sounds magical," Julie said, fighting to keep her eyes open. "I can't wait to meet her." Julie sank down further into her pillows, blinking sleepily at Reggie, nuzzling their noses together.

He grinned at her, then urged her to sleep, following right behind as the sky began to lighten.

The next morning, Ray began to wonder about Julie, she normally wasn't one to sleep in, and it was getting closer and closer to noon. Maybe she was sick? He crept up the stairs, just in case, and eased open her door. There was Julie, still fast asleep, curled in Reggie's arms, the man dozing right beside her. They were still dressed, and looked almost too sweet to disturb. Almost.

"Ahem," Ray let out a loud cough, biting back his smile when the couple startled awake, looking at him with guilty expressions. "Seems we need to go over the rules about visiting hours again. Reggie, I trust you're staying for brunch?"

"I-if that's alright Mr. Molina."

"Ray, I've told you a million times." He then looked at Julie, his eyes stern. "Don't let it happen again and I won't tell tia. Deal?"

"Deal," Julie replied. Ray nodded and walked off, leaving the two of them staring at his back. "Crap," Julie swore. "He totally thinks..."

"Yeah. But he knows I have way too much respect for you both to do something like that! Plus we aren't even together!" Reggie protested.

"I think we might have a time convincing him of that," Julie stated, nodding towards her still open door.

"What, friends can't fall asleep cuddling?" Reggie joked. "Yeah, I'll go down and talk to him, let you get dressed."

Julie reached out and grabbed Reggie's hand, holding it in hers. "We'll talk to him together." She stood and intended to press a kiss to his cheek, a reassuring gesture. But Reggie turned his face at the last second, connecting their lips. Julie's eyes opened wide for a moment, then closed, the sheer rightness of the kiss washing over her. Reggie's other hand came up to cup her cheek, pressing a little more intently, making the kiss deeper, sweeter, and then slowly pulled away, leaving the two of them staring at one another.

"Yeah, I think the talk may have changed," Julie whispered.

"I don't think it's even necessary now. Why try to convince him of something that isn't true... or won't be after I take you out later?" Reggie asked.

"If you think he's letting me out of the house after this, you're insane. But maybe after my grounding is over?" Julie counter offered.

"Sounds like a date," Reggie said, leaning in to kiss her once more, only breaking apart when they heard Ray banging pots in the kitchen extra loudly. They giggled and went down the stairs hand in hand, ready to face the consequences, and eager to see what lay in the future for them, groundings or no.

#filled prompts #ficlet #rulie #julie and the phantoms

[popcornrya]

Tell me about them again? Please?

———

(Mikey and Iodine sit in their usual meeting spot, some little apartment building rooftop nestled in between some taller buildings as they sit on the edge of the roof over looking what they can see of the city)

“I just wish that my brothers would have a little more faith in me…”

Mikey confided. Iodine sighs softly with a sympathetic smile

“I guess that’s the price of being the baby huh?”

Io asks

Mikey is a bit annoyed at this

“I’m kind of jealous.”

Io admits with a little laugh

“It must be so fun to have siblings, you always have people to hang out with.”

Iodine suggests

“Yeah… but sometimes they just don’t wanna… they’re too busy to hang out with me…”

Mikey sulks a little

“Well, personal time is important too.”

Io shifts the focus

“So you don’t have any siblings?”

Mikey asks Io shakes her head

“Nope, just me.”

“you must get lonely then huh..?”

Mikey asks imagining what life would be like without his brothers

“Yeah… but, I get to hang out with you! And I get to hear all your stories, and I hear about you and your brother’s adventures, It’s kinda awesome, sometimes I try to picture your stories in my head, it always looks crazy! You must live such interesting lives.”

Iodine gushes warmly

“Yeah, we kinda do.”

Mikey realizes

“Can you tell me more about your brothers?”

Iodine asks sweetly

“More?”

Mikey laughed amused by Iodine’s unwavering interest in him and his big brothers

“Of course! Hm, well my big big brother is Raph, he’s the oldest, he’s also the most protective. He’s kinda our leader, always looking out for us and trying to be the responsible one. He might be really big but he’s really a big softy, he likes plush toys and animals, even if animals don’t like him back.”

Mikey describes, Iodine soaking up every word

“Then there’s Leo and Donnie, they’re twins, or at least Leo says so… Leo likes to make jokes a lot and he kind of interferes with our plans a lot too… usually trying to show off and stuff but whenever we’re in a real mess and Raph can’t get us out Leo will. He’s also the self appointed “face man” but to his credit he is good at it.”

Mikey nods agreeingly at the thought

“And… the last ones Donnie right?”

Iodine inquires

“Mh, yeah. Donnie is-… well Donnie is smart like really smart. And he’s always making new things, sometimes he makes stuff for us but it goes wrong and ends up being more of a problem than help… he means well though, … most of the time…”

Iodine giggles

“And you’re the artist huh?”

Io asks

“Yeah and I got my Razzmatazz and flair baby!”

Mikey announces proudly

Io laughs

“That you most certainly do Michelangelo.”

She agrees as Mikey smiles feeling seen and appreciated.

—————

This little writen snippet actually kinda goes along with this comic section not really? But happens around the same time? Sorta?

Bad end remix Comic chapter two part one.

Io loves hearing about Mikey and his brothers, being a sheltered only child with an overprotective and somewhat controlling father leaves her quite lonely and isolated at times… but after meeting Mikey she quickly came to view him as her little brother, spending hours listening to him vent, tell stories, even making art together some nights leaving their home lives on the back burner for a while just so they can enjoy being truly seen and free to explore and make their own decisions without the stress of being babied and talked over.

Mikey and Iodine at their most content and free~ this is actually how they met, spray painting. And they’ve been thick as thieves ever since.

#rottmnt #rise of the turtles #badendremix #rise mikey #rise michelangelo #rottmnt mikey #michelangelo #mikey tmnt #rise tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #writing #rise comic #tmnt au #bad end remix au #iodine #child of Draxum

[izdatazn]

S.U.I.T.S - Terran's Hidden War

TERRAN 5 - COUP

"You still don't look well," Kumiko expressed with a worried expression. "Ishika and Olek really did a number on you."

Taking a sip from my water cup, I replied, "I didn't realize Shiro's training would be this challenging. Trying to connect with my supposed weapons and unleash my element at will during a 2 vs 1 fight."

Kumiko pointed out, "Your lessons were supposed to be split into two separate sessions, but you got caught up with school and chasing after the deck of clubs."

"And look what happened to me as a result," I retorted in annoyance. "I ended up passing out from using too much energy during Shiro's lesson." Glancing at Aikawa, I questioned, "And why are you here? Doesn't your track team have a competition coming up soon?"

Kumiko and I were studying at a restaurant near our house when unexpectedly Aikawa joined us. We took our usual corner spot with the seats that can accommodate a group of seven customers.

"What's the problem with taking a day off from track and field to check on my best friend after his training?" Aikawa justified. "I needed to get information from Viktor in order to locate both of you."

"Why did you inquire about my whereabouts with Viktor?" I asked irritably.

“Because you left me on read!" Aikawa responded.

I shot a quick glare at Viktor, who was seated at another table across the restaurant. He seemed oblivious to me as he enjoyed his lavish spread of food and desserts. Meanwhile, Miyoung sat at a separate table in front of Viktor, sipping on black coffee and nothing more. It was clear that they were engrossed in their own personal pleasures.

"Well, take a hint," I retorted. "You're being bothersome."

"Oh, come on, Issei," he teased. "You're just upset that I disrupted your study session with  the lovely Kumiko." She looked at him in disgust. I was about to argue back, but my phone suddenly buzzed urgently, interrupting me. It was a text from Miyoung in a group chat, asking me if I’m alone. Kumiko and Aikawa also saw the text. 

I discreetly hid my arms under the table and rolled up my right sleeve. The wrist device materialized over my wrist as I commanded it to do so. A small transparent illusion shield bubble formed around us. Daisuke called and I answered it. His transparent hologram appeared above my phone.

"Kobayashi, there's been a change of plans," he said urgently. "Right after this meeting, you'll be heading straight to Venezuela. Aikawa is not needed in assisting you. The regional presidential elections are taking place there and the Five of Clubs, Dominic Kaiser, is planning to capture and assassinate his opposition leaders. News has spread that one of them has already been marked as dead and the rest are potential targets. Your contact will be waiting for you upon arrival. You must hurry, Kobayashi.”

I entrusted my belongings to the others at the restaurant as I departed with Miyoung and Viktor. Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt next to us. Through the transparent window, I spotted Kokoro in the driver's seat. We swiftly got into the vehicle and she accelerated towards our destination - the Pacific Ocean.

I asked, "Where is Asuka?" 

“She on a mission," Kokoro replied. "The four of us, along with our contact in the country, will be fine."

Inquisitively, I asked, "How are we going to reach there?"

"Due to the circumstances," Kokoro explained, "we will be teleporting there." She extended her hand towards a switch on the car's roof and flipped it. As we moved away from our busy surroundings, I could hear a faint hum emanating from the car as it quickly became invisible. Kokoro then reached for another switch located near the gear shift and flicked it. This time, I heard a distinctive sound while she motioned for me to look ahead. Following her gesture, I noticed a subtle distortion in the distance. As we approached closer to the distortion, it gradually grew larger until we passed through it. Holding on tightly for dear life, we teleported to the other side of the distortion.

The car landed roughly on a dirt road at night, overlooking a city. What I didn't anticipate was the city in turmoil as a result of the assassination of a presidential candidate. We had traveled back in time to Saturday, February 5th, 2079, just hours before midnight, and all I could hear from the local radio were reports of violent individuals rampaging through the streets and causing harm to innocent people. It became apparent to me that this chaos served as a diversion from something much more significant happening elsewhere.

"Welcome to Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela," a melodious female voice interrupted the news broadcast on the radio. "I am Isabel Macedo, your designated contact. Let's meet at my secret location, it’s close by. It will serve as our hideout for the time being. See you soon!”

I reached for Isabel Macedo's dossier in the archives section. She was born in 1490, during the height of the Aztec Civilization and 31 years before the Spanish Conquest. Despite being from a noble family, she had a lost left arm. However, her family was involved in advanced technology at that time and they constructed a wooden prosthetic arm for her, which proved to be beneficial when she joined the Aztec army.

Due to her small stature and adeptness at utilizing her surroundings to her advantage, she was scouted and recruited as an elite Eagle Warrior. She also attained a senior position in the government later on. Isabel played a crucial role in defending her city during the two-month Siege of Tenochtitlan by the Spanish forces. Unfortunately, she lost her life after their city fell.

We arrived at our destination, a rudimentary clay building perched on a cliff with a view of the city engulfed in flames. Outside her secret hideout, we met Isabel, who led us inside. In the hideout, we discovered a person covered in blood sitting on a chair, chained up in the center of the room, a single flickering light fixture above the wall. We stood around him.

“His pulse is faint.” Miyoung said.

“You were told to wait for further command.” Kokoro said.

"I grew weary of waiting," Isabel interrupted, her smile widening. She leisurely circled around her captive. "So I apprehended Dominic Kaiser's second-in-command and kept waiting, even though it bored me. I demanded the whereabouts of his boss, but he adamantly refused to divulge it." Isabel paused in front of her captive before taking a few steps forward, kneeling in front of him. She stared directly into his bruised eyes, shifting his face with her mechanical hand in an attempt to make him focus on her. "I toyed with him for some time, yet he still remained steadfast. So I took matters a step further until he finally surrendered and disclosed Dominic's location just moments before your arrival in Caracus." She paused for emphasis, drawing him closer to her. Isabel continued, "Dominic Kaiser is currently at his rival's mansion for the presidential election, situated a few miles north of the city. His men are guarding the premises."

"Miyoung," I said.

"She speaks the truth," Miyoung replied.

"Then let's move," I declared.

"I'll join you," Isabel grinned, "But first." She gently pushed the man away before he leaned towards her again. In that moment, she swiftly retracted her mechanical arm and impaled the man's body with it, killing him instantly. Slowly standing up with the body still in her grasp, I watched as she lowered her arm and let the lifeless form slip out and fall onto the floor with a loud thud. "No one would have found him anyways. Not even Dominic," she chuckled, licking the blood from her hand. "Because I will kill him myself."

Dominic Kaiser was born around 1000 AD, during the time he joined Leif Erickson's first expedition to North America, ultimately settling in Vinland along the North American coast. After a few years of establishing themselves in this new land, a raid occurred as a result of Leif's brother Thorvald Eiriksson's aggressive behavior towards a group of natives. One survivor from the attacked group returned with reinforcements and tragically killed Dominic while defending Thorvald. Shortly after this incident, Thorvald himself met his demise just minutes later.

"I spotted at least 50 of Dominic's loyalists surrounding the mansion," Miyoung responded.

Isabel and Miyoung provided accurate details about the heavily fortified mansion. It had strong defenses both externally and internally, with two helicopters constantly patrolling above. As the mansion was situated on a cliffside, we conducted our survey from a distance while hiding behind the tree line due to a gap separating us from its exact location. The main entrance to the mansion was accessible via a raised bridge that prevented interference with ongoing activities.

"Miyoung, where is the captive located?" I inquired.

"In a bedroom with stable conditions," Miyoung replied. "Dominic Kaiser is also there."

"It's your call, Kobayashi," Kokoro stated. "What would you like to do?"

I took a moment to think before responding. "Miyoung, focus on Dominic if he makes any moves toward the captive," I instructed. "Since Dominic is expecting us to deliver the final blow, we might as well go in guns blazing."

"Viktor goes smash?" he asked eagerly.

"Kokoro will provide support. Isabel, you're with me. We're heading straight for Dominic," I confirmed. "Viktor goes smash."

He suddenly jumped up and down with excitement and quickly positioned himself. "Get ready, guys!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Because I will throw both of you over the gap!"

Viktor swiftly manipulated the ground beneath me and Kokoro, launching us into the air and across the gap before propelling himself even higher to reach one of the helicopters.

We landed safely on the outskirts of the mansion compound, taking one of the nearby guards by surprise. Isabel quickly threw her weapon at him, preventing him from sounding the alarm. However, in his panic, he fired a few shots from his gun, alerting everyone in the compound and attracting attention from the helicopters. Viktor skillfully crashed into one of the helicopters and ruthlessly eliminated anyone in sight before focusing on the second helicopter where we were situated. With incredible force and precision, he propelled himself across the compound from above and forcefully entered inside the second helicopter, eliminating whoever was present.

Isabel dashed forward, swiftly retrieving her weapon that had become lodged in the guard. With a fluid motion, she withdrew it and found herself faced with four guards encircling her. Without hesitation, Isabel reached for her second weapon, positioned on her back, and skillfully hooked both her sword. In one seamless maneuver, she gracefully spun around, effortlessly decapitating the four guards before unhitching her swords.

Kokoro quickly took down another guard who had approached us. We continued onward, defeating guards who came our way as we made our way towards the mansion. Our progress was abruptly halted by a machine gun positioned at the side entrance. Viktor wasted no time in coming to our aid from above; a part of a helicopter was hurled towards the machine gunner before he joined us in battle near the back entrance. He efficiently dispatched a couple more guards before we regrouped with him.

"Don't worry," Viktor assured us confidently. "Viktor's got this."

As we entered the kitchen, we quickly defeated our opponents in its vast area. Then, we continued down the hallway and came across more members of Dominic's gang. Continuing with our mission, we arrived at the foyer and conquered the remaining enemies nearby as well as those on the second floor. Taking a moment to regroup, we stood back-to-back and surveyed our surroundings. The only sound that reached our ears were distant gunshots coming from outside the mansion, accompanied by Viktor's howls of enjoyment.

"The first floor is clear," Miyoung announced over the coms. "Dominic and his captive are located on the opposite end of the mansion, specifically on the second floor. As you ascend, be prepared to encounter a few more of his loyalists waiting for you in the hallway."

We readied ourselves to advance. My heart raced slightly as I tried to calm my nerves. I reloaded my gun and took a sip from my water bottle. Isabel reached out for it.

"Do you mind?" she asked, seeking permission. I nodded in agreement.

Instead of taking a drink from it, Isabel quickly climbed the stairs with me following closely behind. Upon reaching the second floor, she aimed her gun at an open room. Taking cover behind a wall, Isabel surveyed the dimly lit hallway. It didn't take long for her to spot a couple of our adversaries hidden behind barriers, anticipating our move.

In a strategic move, Isabel threw my water bottle into the hallway and stepped out into plain sight. With her mechanical arm raised high, she instantaneously transformed the water flowing out of my bottle into ice right in front of her. The ice rapidly spread across the floor and ceiling as our enemies unleashed their gunfire upon her.

The bullets were halted by the ice wall as our adversaries exhausted their ammunition. Isabel cautiously advanced and placed her mechanical hand on the icy barrier. I observed as fragments of ice erupted from it, striking anything in their path. Her icy projectiles tore through the walls of the building, neutralizing our enemies before they had a chance to retaliate against us.

As the icy barrier quickly melted away, a hush fell over us as we surveyed the hallway in shambles from Isabel's brutal attack. After successfully eliminating any threats on the second floor, we cautiously made our way down the dimly lit corridor until we came to a stop at the entrance of the master bedroom. We maintained silence, eagerly anticipating any movement or sound from inside.

Miyoung transmitted crucial information to Dominic through our communication devices. "Kobayashi, there are only six guards remaining on the other side of the room," she informed me. I could faintly hear the sound of a gun being cocked in the our communication transmission as she spoke. "I'm ready whenever you are.”

“Viktor is ready as well!” Viktor shouted in the coms.

Carefully and quietly, I reached out for the doorknob and turned it. Suddenly, a bullet pierced through the door just above me, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

Through the door, Dominic's voice came out muffled. "What are you doing, Isabel? I'm waiting for you to come out. Don't play games with me," he said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

I firmly grasped the doorknob and locked eyes with Isabel. She nodded in agreement, and together we entered the master bedroom. With swift precision, Miyoung eliminated an enemy using her sniper rifle while Viktor created a diversion by forcefully entering through an open balcony. He hurled a piece of marble at another adversary. Amidst the chaos, Miyoung swiftly readied her sniper rifle and promptly responded when Dominic aimed his gun at his captive. She expertly shot the weapon out of Dominic's hand just as Isabel and I took down the remaining guards.

"I am in quite the predicament," Dominic chuckled, raising his arms. Isabel, Viktor, and I formed a circle around him, pointing our guns towards him. Viktor then entered the bedroom to retrieve the hostage and shut the door behind him, leaving Isabel and me alone with Dominic. We maintained our positions, anticipating his next move. Suddenly breaking the silence, he questioned, "Aren't you going to arrest me?" Dominic inquired.

"It's a trap," Miyoung responded solemnly.

Out of nowhere, a chain emerged from his sleeve and ensnared me. I was forcefully pulled towards him, causing me to fall onto my back. Meanwhile, Isabel reacted swiftly by emptying her gun at him while steadily advancing. Although her bullets made contact, they seemed to have no effect on him. In response, she discarded her firearm and swiftly drew her sword, launching an attack. However, he managed to block the strike with his arm.

Just as I was about to reach Dominic, Miyoung skillfully shot the chain link that held me captive. Seizing the opportunity for escape, I hastily unwrapped the chain from my ankle and began moving away backwards. Without hesitation or second thought, I tossed my gun aside and unsheathed my trusty sword for battle.

"I never thought you would reveal yourself, Isabel," Dominic chuckled. "After you killed my most loyal follower, there was nowhere left for you to hide." He continued to laugh while staring at her. “I’ll let my faith decide on fate."

"Darling," Isabel replied confidently, “Your faith will not help you her.”

Isabel and I approached him, and in retaliation, Dominic forcefully kicked me aside before focusing all his attention on Isabel. They engaged in a intense fight up close. From the corner of the room, I observed as Dominic persistently targeted Isabel with his chains, using them to distract her by pulling her closer whenever he wrapped them around her hook sword. Nevertheless, Isabel gracefully evaded every attack from Dominic while skillfully landing strikes on his body with her weapon. 

I watched as her weapon slid off Dominic's defensive skin, yet I couldn't help but notice subtle cracks in his defense as they continued their fight. Dominic failed to land a single blow during their weapon fight and even in close combat. Isabel effortlessly and skillfully dodged his attacks from every direction. 

I observed in awe as she skillfully dodged him, gracefully maneuvering her hook swords and grazing the ground. Displaying great expertise, she smoothly inserted one of the elongated connecting blades beneath the floorboard and raised it above her head. The formation of a sharp ice tip on her weapon immediately caught my attention, extending her range. Isabel swiftly swung down her extended sword, cleanly severing Dominic's left shoulder from his body. Without any hesitation, she replicated the movement and made a precise incision on his chest before he crumpled to his knees, allowing her to remove his other shoulder from his arm with precision.

Isabel came to a halt, unhooking her swords with a slow and deliberate motion. Despite his added layer of protection, Dominic proved no match in defending himself until the bitter end. The master bedroom fell into an eerie silence, faint gunshots echoing from outside while Dominic's breaths grew shallow.

"I am succumbing to my wounds," Dominic gasped, his voice strained. Isabel approached him cautiously, watching as he knelt on the floor. "Yet I surrender to the will to the ancient prophet, for it has foretold my fate from the very start," he labored to inhale.

Isabel maneuvered around him, strategically positioning herself behind him. "Inform your almighty," she uttered with determination. She raised both of her weapons and placed them beneath his chin. Isabel steadily elevated her weapon until she felt it make contact with Dominic's chin. With a firm grip, she forcefully pulled her weapons, firmly clutching his chin. I observed blood gradually oozing out between his flesh and her blade. Silence engulfed them once again, except for the sound of Dominic gasping for breath. "Make it known that such presence is not welcome here." Isabel swiftly severed Dominic's face from his body, promptly ending his life.

[thataroaceghost]

Junior year of high school I would listen to an Alice in Wonderland inspired playlist and sit on my roof while looking at the stars. I stopped because it got cold and then summer was a bit too busy, there were a couple other factors but the point is I haven't done it since that year and had largely forgotten about it. However, a couple days ago I was listening to the radio while getting coffee and one of the songs in that playlist came on. The song was a cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World", this cover was by Gary Jules. Since I hadn't listened to this song since using it as an anchor while staring at the stars it has only been attached to one memory or collection of memories.

It would usually be semi cool when I would hop out my window to stargaze on my roof, cool enough that I would always wear pants and a hoodie. The hoodie was partly to hold my phone so I could listen to music but more often than not the warmth provided by it was very much appreciated. My roof is on the mossy side and also has a texture similar to sand paper but the bumps are more spread out and less painful. I remember this because even though it was chilly out I would never wear shoes so that it would be easier to climb on the roof. One part of my roof is slightly higher than the other part, but there was a spot where the two roofs were close enough together that I could lay down on one and rest my feet on the other. It was probably my favorite part of that year. I would sit on that roof until I couldn't feel my feet just staring at the stars and drowning out the world in music about a world that wasn't quite sane.

Part of why the stars were where I would go each night was that I had recently lost a very close friend. We would talk on the phone late at night telling each other our darkest secrets. Until the day we didn’t. Because as all things go people change. She grew up in a way I didn’t. She drowned herself in responsibility and cut off her friends. So I drowned my self in stars and music.

I wouldn't say that I was happy in those memories, but I also don't think I was sad. Maybe sometimes melancholy but I would drown that out in wonder at how deep the sky was. I remember dreaming about drowning in the stars.

When "Mad World" came on the radio I sang along and remembered how I love the stars. The song made me feel as if I was back on that roof looking up at the stars and pretending I was looking down, thinking about how if it wasn't for gravity and the atmosphere I could simply fall off this roof and float away into the stars and meet a cold demise.

#stargazing #stars #roofs #memories #those nights were incredible #night #the moon #the moon is a lesbian #alice in wonderland #I wanted to be in a world the refused to pretend to be sane

[sabertoothwalrus]

i had ANOTHER dream abt miraculous ladybug and this ones a LONG one. it didnt have your artstyle but time paris DID have lovely architecture such as: the bigass hollow tree stumps in breath of the wild, u know the ones big enough to fit a shrine and a half. anyway, the final battle is Happening, people get to wonder if hawkmoth is gonna bite the dust in real time bc its being televised. this is all taking place smth like 3 yrs in the future from season 4 of the show. so theyre like uhhhh Older Teens and certifiably Tired Of All This Shit. so! at the bottom of one of those tree stumps, cat noir’s identity is going to be revealed! oh no!! hes in a #crisis of the soul mostly bc getting revealed would be Bad but also he doesnt feel like hes helping ladybug anymore. he doesnt feel trusted. a classic tale of the villain manipulating a traumatized teen. and ladybug (looking out over a roof and yelling at the top of her lungs) is like “ABSOLUTELY NOT YOU LEAVE MY PARTNER ALONE.” and bribes hawkmoth away by dangling her own secret identity in front of him like a worm on a hook. it works a little too well. her identity gets revealed! cat noir is safe but in the shuffle hes lost his miraculous and marinette picks it up. shes got both and puts them on. tikki and plagg are like “MARINETTE ITS SO DANGEROUS TO WEAR BOTH AT THE SAME TIME” and shes like “im going to punch hawkmoth in the face” and off she goes.

cat noir is nowhere to be found bc now hes adrian! and she doesnt know that! but he knows shes marinette! drama! so now ladybug is re transformed (without activating the black cat miraculous) and is whaling on hawkmoth. she crashes thru my house which is definitely not in paris and tells me and my sibs we have to get out NOW so we book it and its at this point the dream reveals to me that mylene’s mom is chinese and i sit there like Now Hold On A Minute and my mom says “i told u so!” and i tell her “you dont even watch the show???” mylene was wearing a green cheongsam. i don’t tend to ask questions. also by this point i made a mental note to tell u abt this bc it only gets more batshit.

ladybug told us (and everyone that was running away which was a lot of ppl) that if they find cat noir they shld tell him that ladybug loves him. then she has this Stellar idea. she finds nadja chamack and her camera (bc theres only two newspeople in all of paris and one of them runs reality tv) and is like “hi i need to get a message out to cat noir.” when the camera is situated on her (mind u ms chamack is VERY aware that this is her daughters babysitter and is currently holding hawkmoth in a chokehold) she says “im sorry cat noir. you believed in me and trusted me since day one and i couldnt extend you the same courtesy. i was wrong. there is no one else who can wield the black cat miraculous, no one else i would trust with the power of destruction. meet me at our normal rendezvous point so i can give back what is yours.” its all very heartfelt but undercut by the fact that hawkmoth’s bitch ass is shouting explicatives next to her. the fight resumes. she gets slammed into a wall á la every anime fight ever and manages to hide before getting to the roof where she’s waiting for cat noir. shes in a right amount of pain and tikki is running her mouth abt danger and injuries etc. marinette Will Not Move until cat noir shows up. and he does! adrian arrives! when marinette sees him she starts laughing and crying. adrian is rightfully confused. is this a good thing? is this a bad thing? did she hit her head? (yes to all 3.) marinette says “i have been in love with you since 10th grade.” (were they in 10th grade? i do not know.) adrian says “and ive been busy being in love with ladybug.” and then she apologizes again, gives him the ring back, they hug, kick ass and meet up in her room.

if it feels like we’re going rlly fast now its bc we are. the dream was pretty much a montage at this point. hawkmoth is arrested, the world knows who ladybug is, adrian is an orphan, nathalie is still sick, and marinettes parents r thinking that their kid has nearly died MULTIPLE TIMES and they never knew. also luka is under that bridge going “oh fuck.” marinette is in her room trying to explain what will happen next to alya and nino. alya says “i had to tell nino”and marinette says “i am beyond the point of anger. but whatever.” cat noir falls thru her sunroof and they hug (again, there was so much hugging in this dream to make up for the complete lack of hugging in the actual show) and alya + nino are like “uhhh awkward.” the last convo i don’t have quotes for bc at this point my alarm was ringing but it was something abt how marinette cant be ladybug or hold the miracle box and she wld want alya to be the holder but NINO knows and nino Cant Know. but cat noir doesnt want marinette to lose her memories! but People Know. the conclusion was they have to talk to chloe abt how to navigate paparazzi. this is my chloe-and-marinette-could-be-friends agenda. ok i think thats EVERYTHING. if u read all that godspeed, drink water. OH. FINAL THOUGHT. ADRIAN HAD LONG BEAUTIFUL HAIR WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ALL OF THIS. he had model-brand stubble and sharper teeth than he should.

sometimes I’m peeved that tumblr increased the character limit for asks to be higher than 500 characters, and other times I get

1k word asks about miraculous ladybug dreams, and I think that’s beautiful

I do unironically love the part about Chloe helping Marinette navigate paparazzi, rip to her canon character development

#also I love ‘meet me on the roof at our usual spot’ #but he DOESNT HAVE HIS MIRACULOUS #NCBDBSHDHGJG #HOW DID HE GET UP THERE #miraculous ladybug

[starryhyuck]

just like magic. (m)

pairing: fuckboy!jaehyun x fuckgirl!reader

words: 4k+

summary: jung jaehyun’s body count is almost as high as yours. however, after yuta spreads a nasty rumor, you learn that jaehyun’s always imagined those girls to be you instead.

genre: fluff, smut

warnings: multiple sex partners, public sex, sex on the roof, multiple orgasms, degradation, wall sex, creampie

Your head rests on the bathroom mirror, inhaling and exhaling loudly as Mingyu finds a wipe to clean you up.

“Ugh. I can’t believe we did it in Bambam’s gross bathroom.”

Mingyu chuckles, the deep sound echoing in the small space. “Please. Don’t act like you’re so disgusted now.” You roll your eyes at his comment while he cleans the cum smeared on the inside of your thighs. “Besides, it’s not like you were having fun at the party anyways.”

You shrug and jump down from the sink, straightening out your skirt and trying to look somewhat presentable.

“True,” you murmur, fixing your hair in the mirror. “Jungkook couldn’t come tonight so it was way easier to find you.”

He scoffs. “As if Jungkook could fuck you better than me.”

You laugh and find the lipgloss sitting at the bottom of your bag. “Oh, he can. He’s not a little gym rat for nothing, you know.”

Mingyu huffs, leaning down to pull your panties back up and straightening your skirt. This scene isn’t unfamiliar to the both of you, although doing it in Bambam’s bathroom certainly was. You’re pretty sure Bambam smoked a shit ton of weed before his party started, and Mingyu opens the bathroom window to release some of the odor.

“See you in 104. Did you finish the extra credit paper already?”

You shook your head, opening the bathroom door and hearing the lively party continue downstairs.

“Nope, not planning to,” you give him one last kiss on the cheek. “Nice fuck, Gyu. Tell Jungkook to show up next time.”

He rolls his eyes again and you two depart, almost toppling over as you bump into Jung Jaehyun on the stairs. His arm quickly slides around your waist to prevent you from falling. He smiles at you.

“How was Mingyu?”

“How was Jennie?”

He chuckles. “Good. As always. You really have to start expanding your little black book. Mingyu and Jungkook aren’t always going to be around, you know.”

You raise an eyebrow and step away from him, shooing his arm away from you. “You don’t think I have backups, silly? Doyoung is at my beck and call, I assure you.”

He smirks, raising his red solo cup to you. “If you ever need me.”

You dismiss him, walking down the stairway of Bambam and Yugyeom’s place. You and Jaehyun had always been similar in many ways, especially in the way you ‘connect’ with other people. If you two ever had a body count competition, it would surely have Johnny’s head spinning all night at the numbers. You never fucked Jaehyun, however, simply because you had no desire to. You’ve known Jaehyun for as long as you’ve known Mingyu, but the only personality trait you’ve ever deducted from Jaehyun was that he’s excellent in bed.

That, and the fact that during your first year of college, Yuta spread some rumor that Jaehyun masturbates to the thought of you.

No big deal.

You find Minghao and Sicheng speaking in the kitchen, and you whine when you clutch Minghao’s arm.

“I’m tired, Hao.”

“You leave us to go fuck Mingyu for a hour and now you want to go home?”

You can hear the condescending tone in Minghao’s voice and you do your best to ignore it. You offer him your best toothy grin. “Come on, designated driver. You’re not even doing anything remotely fun!”

“Hey!” Sicheng interjects. “We were actually just talking.”

You lean over to pinch his cheeks and Sicheng nearly growls at you.

“You’re cute, but you and Minghao talk all the time. Nothing new. Plus, all of us are roommates, dumbass! We could talk at home any time we want to.”

“Fine, fine,” Minghao concedes, laying his cup down on the kitchen counter. You ignore the fact that Yugyeom’s tongue is shoved down some girl’s throat only five feet away from all of you. “Did you already clean yourself up? I don’t want any of Mingyu’s germs in my car.”

“Are we sure it was Mingyu?” Sicheng counters. “It could’ve been Jungkook or Doyoung or Wonwoo or Jinyoung or-“

“Alright, alright,” you glare at him. “And yes, it was Mingyu. He already cleaned me up so you won’t get any Gyu germs.”

“Good.”

Minghao still has trouble trusting you after that one time you wore a skirt with no panties and let Kun’s cum spill all over Minghao’s front seat. Sicheng is still extremely traumatized from the situation.

You exit the house party with your roommates, almost stopping at the sight of Kunhang looking like a fucking dream near the speakers-

“Come on, you horny asshole,” Sicheng grunts, pushing you out the door.

—

“Did you hear the news?”

Your eyes flutter at the sight of Nakamoto Yuta, who is leaning over your desk, smiling. You sigh and decide to entertain him.

“What is it now, Yuta?”

“A little birdy told me that a certain Jung Jaehyun has fallen for Mingyu’s girl,” Yuta’s smirk widens when you furrow your eyebrows.

“Mingyu has a girlfriend?”

He huffs. “You, dumbass.”

You giggle at the thought of dating Mingyu and roll your eyes. “You’re full of shit, Nakamoto.”

He stands straight, his figure towering over you. You peek your head out to see if the lecture has started yet so Yuta can get the fuck away from you.

“Then why did I hear Jaehyun calling your name when he was getting his dick wet this morning?”

The accusation has your eyebrows raising. You barely know Jaehyun, only from fleeting stories from Mingyu and Jungkook. You also know that Yuta’s always full of shit, spreading rumors about various people just because he can.

“Get your head out of your ass, Yuta.”

He laughs at your dismissive nature, leaning in again. There’s a troublesome glint in his eyes.

“And what if I told you Mingyu said Jaehyun’s loved you since you were five?”

You challenge him. “I would say that the cum in Miyeon’s panties say otherwise.”

He smiles and steps back when the professor finally enters the room.

“Whatever you want to believe.”

That conversation with Yuta was three years ago. He’s graduated long since, but the rumor about Jaehyun still pops up here and there. Jaehyun never addressed it with you, and when you asked Mingyu about it once, he just laughed.

“A lot of guys on campus jack off to the thought of you. Are you surprised?”

You think about the memory as you watch Soojin straddle Jaehyun, her hair falling over the side of her face as she leans in to kiss him. The rest of the party ignores them, mainly focused on how Bambam is nearly toppling over trying to do a keg stand.

A hand slides around your waist and you feel someone’s lips attach to your neck.

“Gyu told me you were looking for me the other day,” Jungkook murmurs lowly in your ear. “Did you miss me?”

You smile when you feel his fingers inch closer to your breast, hands roaming all over your body.

“Yes. Your absence made me fuck Mingyu in Bambam’s germ-covered bathroom.”

He chuckles lowly, and the sound shoots straight to your core.

“I’m here now, baby. I’ll take care of you.”

Your eyes drift upwards again, startled to find Jaehyun already gazing at you. Soojin’s sucking at his neck, but his eyes are locked on you, watching the way Jungkook paws at your breast.

Yuta’s voice rings in your ears. Jaehyun’s loved you since you were five.

You push the thought away as Jungkook’s mouth envelops yours. Jaehyun couldn’t love you, Yuta was just full of shit.

—

“You’re late.”

You narrow your eyes at Mingyu, who brushes off the time. He promised to meet up with you yesterday to finish your project for 104 and give you a quick lunch time fuck. You’re a little disheartened to see he’s tugged Doyoung and Jaehyun along.

“Don’t be so upset, frowning doesn’t look good on you,” Mingyu teases, sliding in the chair across from you. Doyoung sits next to him, and Jaehyun awkwardly takes the spot next to you. “We were just playing a little basketball outside. The time slipped my mind.”

“Well, I guess it slips my mind that I’m supposed to fuck you before your next class.”

Doyoung laughs and seizes the opportunity. “I, on the other hand, never promised anything and my schedule is conveniently free for the whole day.” He winks at you, his gums showing brightly as he smiles.

You smirk when Mingyu elbows him in the side. Jaehyun is oddly quiet and you turn to face him while Mingyu hisses at Doyoung.

“I saw you and Soojin getting it on last weekend. How was it?”

He smiles tightly. “Good, as always. Jungkook per usual?”

You nod. “The little gym rat won’t stop exercising. He was talking to me about his routine all night. I almost just got myself off instead.”

Something flickers in Jaehyun’s gaze, and it’s gone so quickly that you might’ve missed it.

“I can’t imagine why that would be preferred, especially when you have most of the male population lining up to get a taste of you.”

There’s a hidden implication in his words, and you take the chance.

“Are you part of that male population?”

He smirks at your question. Before he has a chance to answer, Mingyu’s voice fills your ears again.

“Anyways, my dorm is free and I can afford to miss my next class. Wanna head up? Promise I’ll go down on you as an apology.”

You scoff at Mingyu’s half-assed proposal, and stand to leave. “I’ll pass. Get a watch next time if you want your dick wet. I’m assuming you’re going to finish most of our project since I was waiting here for over a hour.”

Mingyu frowns. “But-“

“But?” You say, raising an eyebrow.

His shoulders slump. “Fine. I’ll finish the damn project.”

You lean over to pinch his cheeks. “Good Mingyu. I’ll see all of you at Minghao’s birthday bash.”

You depart without another word, ignoring the burn of Jaehyun’s stare. When you arrive back to your apartment, Minghao is organizing his wine cabinet while Sicheng talks to Tzuyu at the kitchen counter. You sigh and throw your bag across the island.

“Boys are dumb.”

Tzuyu laughs. “Did Mingyu forget what time it is again?”

“As always,” you confirm, searching for anything consumable in your fridge. As expected, no one’s gone grocery shopping in a week. Guess you’ll have to raid Wonwoo’s apartment tonight.

Sicheng huffs. “Good. I don’t need you getting any more Mingyu germs before Minghao’s party tomorrow.”

“And what does Hao’s party have anything to do with me getting laid?” Sicheng rolls his eyes at your question, and you smile sweetly at him. You decide to favor the leftover pieces of ham sitting at the back of the fridge. “Tzuyu, back me up here. Didn’t you have a good time with Jaehyun two weeks ago?”

Tzuyu’s cheeks flush as she recalls what you’re referring to. At Jungwoo’s party, she and Jaehyun were practically fucking each other in the middle of the living room.

“I guess. He was weird about some things.”

You frown, removing the lid off of the container and shoving a piece of ham in your mouth. “Like what?”

She looks embarrassed to be talking about such intimate things in front of Sicheng, but your roommate is unbothered. He’s heard enough of your escapades to be unfazed by any mentions of sex.

“He didn’t want to look at me when we did it. He told me I had to face the pillow or else he couldn’t cum that way.”

You shrug. “So he likes it from behind. Nothing too weird about that. Which way do you prefer, Sicheng?”

He glares at you. “None of your business.”

You giggle at how cute he is before Tzuyu continues. “I mean, it wasn’t just that. He didn’t really like it when I made noises. I had to be as quiet as possible.”

“Ugh, that’s fucked. Guys can grunt in the nastiest ways possible but they hate it when we make an ounce of noise. I hope you’re not that way, Sicheng.”

His glare burns. “None. Of. Your. Business.”

“Yeah, it was weird. He’s really good in bed though.”

You chuckle. “I would hope so. Anyways, who’s on the guest list for tomorrow night?”

Sicheng sighs, and you wonder if he thinks about moving out and living with a less horny roommate.

“Basically anyone you’ve fucked before since you’ve slept with all of Hao’s friends.”

You frown. “That’s not fun. I like someone new once in a while.”

“No funny business at Minghao’s party, I mean it. We can’t be cutting his cake while you’re getting railed in your room.”

You boop his nose. “No promises.”

—

Sicheng’s done this on purpose.

All of the men at Minghao’s party have flocked away from you, like Sicheng sent them all a mass text before the party started or something. You tried to slide up to Mingyu but then he was quickly taking the offer to do body shots with someone else. It’s as if you would bite all their dicks off with the way they’re running from you.

It’s the middle of the party when you grow tired of hearing Jieqiong’s banter with Jun.

You step out of the apartment for a few minutes and head up to the roof, arms wrapping around yourself to shield from the cold. You know you should’ve went to Wonwoo yesterday, especially since Sicheng has apparently made it a no fuck zone for tonight.

You jump when you feel a jacket moving over your shoulders. You’re even more startled to see Jaehyun next to you.

“Oh, hey. When did you get here?”

He smiles, and it hurts your eyes a little by how pretty he is.

“About a hour ago. I’m not surprised you didn’t notice, considering I could feel your rage from five feet away.”

You laugh dryly. “Did Sicheng send you a text too?”

“No, but Mingyu told me about it. I assume he only sent it to the guys you’ve slept with before.”

You nod. “Yeah, probably. I’m off limits to all males tonight.”

The two of you stand together in silence, gazing out at the view of your city. You’ve never felt an urge to get an answer from Jaehyun before about Yuta’s rumor, but now that he’s here, it’s all you can think about.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t you say anything about the rumor Yuta spread around in freshman year?”

His back stiffens. The seconds pass in a deafening thump, and you’re starting to feel like you shouldn’t have brought it up.

He finally sighs. “How long have we known each other?”

You blink. Did he really have to respond to a question with another question?

You think back to when you first met Jaehyun and Mingyu. You were only five then, and you screamed in the middle of the classroom because Mingyu had spilled paint all over the front of your shirt. You remember Jaehyun handing you a wipe to clean yourself up, ears bright red.

You grin at the memory. “Since I found out Mingyu was the clumsiest kid on earth.”

He chuckles. “You never really saw it, did you?”

“Saw what?”

You’re even more confused by Jaehyun’s vague ass answers. He averts his gaze from you, and you suddenly feel a lot colder on this rooftop.

“How much I liked you.”

The statement causes you to freeze. So Yuta was right - Jung Jaehyun has loved you since you were five. Still, it doesn’t make any sense. You’ve been fucking Mingyu since high school and Jaehyun never seemed bothered by it, considering he and Mingyu were still best friends. In fact, you’ve been in bed with most of his friend group and he’s never said a word about it. His friends never even mention his liking for you, so you have to assume that they don’t know of it either.

As if he could sense your rampant thoughts running wild, he squashes them.

“I thought you loved Mingyu. I thought that when the two of you first started sleeping together, it would develop into something more. It’s why I never said anything to him. He knew, but I’m sure he thought I didn’t mind.”

You’re baffled. You don’t even know how to respond to this newfound information. Maybe you should’ve stayed downstairs at the party.

“Mingyu is an asshole,” you finally conclude. Jaehyun’s shoulders relax when you speak. “And so am I. I swear, I didn’t know, Jaehyun. I would’ve-“

“You would’ve stopped seeing Mingyu? And Jungkook? And Doyoung, and Wonwoo, and-“

“Okay, okay,” you raise a hand up to stop him before glaring. “You’re not entirely innocent either. I’m friends with most of the girls you’ve slept with too.”

His eyes darken. “And have you asked them what it’s like to be with me? How I have to turn them over and imagine it’s you before I can get hard? How I have to keep them quiet because their moans are too loud or simply because it doesn’t sound like you?” How-“

“Jaehyun,” you whisper, feeling like the wind has gotten knocked out of your chest. You’re also trying to ignore the wetness that’s pooled in your underwear. “Are you saying-“

“I’m saying that I’ve been running circles around you since we were five and you’ve never noticed. I’ve had to hear countless nights of Mingyu and Jungkook talking about how sweet your pussy is when they slide into you. How pretty you are when you’re stuffing their cocks far down your throat. How you let them take you anywhere, any time, because you enjoy it as much as they do.”

You swallow. He’s inches away from you now, hands dancing around your waist carefully. You quickly check the time.

One hour before Minghao cuts his cake. That should be enough.

You grab the fabric of Jaehyun’s shirt, pulling him to you as his lips crash into yours. He grunts, gripping your sides and pressing you against the railing. Your eyes glance down briefly to see how high up you two are.

“Drop me and I’ll kill you.”

He laughs, chasing you again and quickly moving to undress you. You ignore the goosebumps rising on your arms when Jaehyun nips at your neck, fingers dipping into your panties. “So pretty,” he murmurs, licking a stripe across your collarbones. You moan when he slides a finger into your heat. “That’s it, baby. Sound so fucking good.”

He slips another finger in, basking in the glory of your moans. “We have to hurry,” you mumble breathily. “Sicheng will come looking if he knows I’m gone for too long. It’s like he can sense when I’m fucking someone.”

Jaehyun laughs, moving back up to kiss you. “He can watch if he wants to then.”

“I wanna-“ you gasp when he curls his fingers. “I wanna suck you off.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. He’s fingering you faster now, and you can hear the squelch of your wetness fill the air. You gasp, desperately holding onto his forearm. “I’ll fuck your mouth next time, I promise. I need to see you cum now.”

You unravel in no time, moaning loudly as you fall apart on Jaehyun’s fingers. He coaxes you through your orgasm, murmuring praises in your ear. You whimper when he pulls away from you, licking up the remaining essence on his fingers.

“Jaehyun,” you say frantically, pawing at him. “I need you inside me.”

You turn over so that your back is facing him, and you think he’s about to slide your underwear down but instead, he swivels you around.

“Need to see you,” he whispers. “Jump.”

You do as he says, wrapping your legs around his waist and kissing him with much more fervor. You moan when his hands grip your sides roughly, pressing you against the concrete. You sit on the ledge of the rooftop, trying to ignore the genuine fear of falling.

He’s quickly shoving his jeans down his thighs and you whimper.

“Hurry, Jae.”

“Fuck, baby. I’m here, I’m right here,” he hisses, pulling out his cock and giving it a few strokes. Your eyes widen at the size — he was surely bigger and thicker than Mingyu or Jungkook. He chuckles at your stare, as if he knows exactly what you’re thinking. “Bigger than what you normally have?”

You narrow your eyes. “Don’t tell me you idiots had a dick measuring contest.”

He shrugs. “Maybe.”

Then, he’s pushing your panties to the side and sliding into you. You gasp, his fingers roughly gripping you in place to make sure you don’t fall. He doesn’t wait for you to adjust, thrusting rapidly as soon as he feels you.

“Good little slut,” he grunts. “So pretty and pliant for me. Is my cock too big for you to take, baby?”

“You’re gonna fucking,” you pant, whining when his cock hits you deeper. “You’re gonna fucking split me in half, asshole.”

He grins mischievously. “That’s the goal.”

You’re so lost in the feeling of him that the both of you fail to hear the door to the rooftop open. You’re startled when Sicheng’s voice booms in the air.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! We haven’t even cut the cake yet!”

“Sicheng, I-“ you shamelessly whimper when Jaehyun hits your sweet spot, not slowing down in the slightest despite Sicheng watching. “W-We’ll be d-down before Hao c-cuts the cake.”

“Horny assholes,” you hear your roommate mutter before the door to the rooftop is closing again.

Jaehyun chortles. “He should’ve sent that text to me too if he was so concerned.”

“Fuck him,” you groan. “And fuck me harder.”

He listens to your command, pushing into you so deep that you almost fall off the ledge. You scream as your upper body dangles off the rooftop, but you can hear Jaehyun’s giggle. Your fear is overtaken by arousal when you realize his cock is hitting you deeper in this position.

“Cum, cum,” you whisper. “I’m cumming.”

He groans when you tighten around him, convulsing around his cock. When you recover, he’s hoisting you back up, bringing your chest to his as he carries you. You have no idea where he’s going, but with every step, his cock slides deeper into your soaking cunt.

The door to the rooftop is opening again and you realize you’re in the stairwell.

“Get down, hands on the railing.”

You shakily follow his command, ignoring the wobble of your legs as you grip the metal bars. He’s pushing into you again before you can take a breath.

“I-I thought you needed to see me,” you say, your back turned to him.

“You’re right.”

Then, he’s pushing you against the wall with force and abusing your pussy. You practically scream, clawing at his back while he pounds you into the wall.

“Do you want to know exactly what Yuta heard three years ago?” He groans against your neck. You can barely form coherent sentences, and you’re pretty sure you had another orgasm that you haven’t even revived from. “He heard me desperately fucking my cock into my hand, whimpering your name. All I could imagine that day was the little short dress you wore to Yugyeom’s party, and how Jungkook’s hands were all over you as soon as you stepped through the door. I fucking came so hard that I had to wash my sheets before Mingyu came back to the dorm.”

“Jaehyun, Jaehyun,” you whisper frantically. You’re unraveling again — cumming around his cock while he fucks you hard. “Cum with me. Inside, cum inside. Please, please.”

He grunts lowly. “Yeah? You want my cum? What about the rest of them — how many of them have spilled inside you?”

“I’ll keep it in,” you promise him, just wanting your hole to be filled. “I’ll walk around Hao’s party with your cum dripping down my thighs. How does that sound?”

And he’s groaning, giving one final thrust before he empties inside of you. You gasp at how much cum he has to give you, some of it spilling down your lips and onto the floor.

The both of you are panting lowly, trying to recover from your orgasms. You faintly hear a chorus of people singing Happy Birthday two floors down.

“Fuck, Sicheng’s gonna kill us.”

#nct smut #nct scenarios #jaehyun #jaehyun smut

[helliontherapscallion]

pspspsp can I just request an immortal reader who's life is just dull/sad as hell since they've seen their loved ones leave or die in front of them so many times

but when they meet SBI or anyone, their life just suddenly brightens up? (Platonic and it can be any type of fic!)

(A/N): I got waaaayy too carried away with this. Star god reader my beloved (also, I’d imagine that your cloak looks like this guy’s but on the inside with the outsides being any color of your choice (credit goes to original artist))

If you want more god!reader content with the dream smp, @wooloo-inc has a really good series about a male!nature god!reader (aka, the god of dilf collection)

In the beginning when DreamXD created you (which if you think about it, that makes him your father, but I digress) from stardust and meteorite shards, you were a ball of fun loving sunshine (well, starshine?)

You loved watching over all of humankind, admiring their determination and bonds with other humans (both romantic and platonic)

Your older brother, the god of the moon, told you about how they viewed you and you were amazed

“Oberon?” You ran up to your older brother and tugged on his cloak making him hum in question, not looking up from his parchment scroll. “What- what do the humans think of me?”

He scoffed and glanced at you with his lily white irises, “why are you on about them again? They are lowly creatures compared to us, filled with greed and misfortune.”

“They worship us and that’s how you speak of them?”

“(Y/n) believe me, you have not seen the brutality they are capable of. War, famine, greed, plague, genocide, it’s all something you have not witnessed before. You have only seen the good in those things.” 

“But Oberon, I wanna-” he lightly smacked the side of your head, “use proper English. We are gods and you will behave as such.”

You huffed, “I want to know about how they view us! I do not care about the bad things they have done! Plleeeaaassseeeeeee Beri?” You willed the stars that constantly gleamed in your eyes to shine brighter as you fluttered your eyelashes at him. He may seem like he hated everyone and everything (especially his siblings), but he had a soft spot for his youngest sibling. He just stared at you for a bit before he sighed and shifted in the massive throne so that you could hop up onto his lap. With a wave of a slender pale hand, he conjured up various images of humans with stardust gazing at the stars and the moon with carefree swipes of his hand. 

“They view us as… poetic of sorts. They compare us to romance,” an image of two human males kissing then gazing into the stars laying down on a cliff came into view, “fortune tellers,” an image of the Aquarius and the Capricorn constellations popped up making you squeal in happiness. He chucked and changed the picture to a mother and son standing over a grave looking up in amazement at a shooting star, “and most importantly, as a sign of hope. 

“They see us as complementary, the moon and the stars cannot be as beautiful without the other. We hold the power of the night and everything it touches, (y/n). This is our kingdom, do not forget that,” the image changed to the moon surrounded by stars and swirling blues and purples of nebulas.

You looked at the images with awe, absorbing every word that fell from his mouth. “Beri?” He once again hummed, his deep baritone voice sending vibrations along your back. “Will we be together forever?”

His lanky arms wrapped around your much smaller frame, “for all of eternity. The moon is nothing without the night sky and all of the stars it holds.”

Centuries passed and your fascination with humans only grew from there

When you eventually asked if you could meet a human Oberon reacted angrily and forbade you from speaking of humans again in your shared palace, worried for your safety

When he caught you attempting to sneak out, he locked you in your room for months on end

Humans wondered why the stars hardly appeared in the night sky anymore, forming the theory that they had somehow angered you

They prayed to you more and more, begging and groveling for forgiveness

They left more offerings at shrines

You heard their every word, feeling your heartbreak with sorrow and guilt for your lovely humans

You snuck out of the palace that night determined to make it up to the humans

You quietly snuck past the main room where you and Oberon used to sit on your thrones together and control the night. The large doors were cracked open showing your older brother watching the night with boredom. As you passed, his voice startled you, “I just cannot stop you can I?”

He appeared in the doorframe looking at you emotionlessly, his eyes glinting with hidden pain. “Do you realize how cruel of a place that world is? How cruel humans are?”

“I do not care, brother! They are in anguish because they think I am angry with them! Because you locked me in here!”

“I have told you time and time again, they are ruthless creatures. Humans are constantly clashing with their own kind for the slightest bit of power, they’re greedy creatures! Have you forgotten what happened to Arachnia?”

A shiver went down your spine at the mention of your fellow deity. She wanted to be with humans but they stripped her of her grace and virtuosity, torturing her when the moon would rise. That is the reason spiders attack humans in the night when the moon and stars show themselves and are dormant in the daytime. However, that did not deter you. 

“I have not forgotten what happened to Arachnia, her tale fills me with grief. But not all humans are like that! They are compassionate, loving, and sweet creatures deep down, each and every single one of them!”

“They were not showing compassion or love when they tore Arachnia limb from limb! When they languish in riches while millions die around them! What part of that is compassionate?”

“Sure they do bad things sometimes, but have you forgotten the love they hold for each other? The determination and hope shining from within them when they pray to us? Have you forgotten that?”

“THEIR ACTIONS ARE NOT JUSTIFIED IN ANY WAY!”

“AND OURS ARE? YOU ARE BLIND, OBERON. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CRUELTY THE GODS HAVE SUBJECTED HUMANS TO? WHEN OUR FATHER TOOK YEARS AWAY FROM THEIR LIFESPANS SOLELY BECAUSE THEY STOPPED WORSHIPPING HIM AS OFTEN AS THEY USED TO? WHAT PART OF THAT IS JUSTIFIED?” 

He just stared at you with angry irises and his chest heaving before he ran a hand through his long ivory hair and turned around, the flowing white cape flowing wildly behind him with unseen air. He walked back into the observation room and back to his throne. Without a second glance to you, he worked on the transition of power between the sun and moon. You could imagine your sister Aelia grinning brightly as she rose the sun for the day.

“You are to never return here if you step foot out that door. You will still have control of your duties of the night. However you will never return. Do not come back groveling for forgiveness when I have given you constant warnings of their cruelty. If I see your face show up here, I will make sure father smites you down. Now get out of my sight.”

You huffed and whipped around to the front entrance, the stars that constantly twinkled and the nebulas that constantly swirled in the inside of your cloak illuminating the white floors below you as you ran. You left the palace without a second thought, leaving your old life behind in favor of spending it with the humans.

When you came crashing to the Earth in a shooting star, you were amazed by the beauty of it up close and in person

It was everything you expected and then some

You heard the humans cheering and thanking you in their prayers when the stars returned brighter than usual

You being completely enamoured by all of the humans, even if they recognized you or not you loved them all unconditionally

You set up a little cottage in the tundra where you could see the night sky clearly with the occasional aurora borealis 

From the roof, you controlled the stars

The tales of you defecting from the heavens was a popular one, and you became somewhat of a symbol of the hope that humanity should hold for themselves and compassion

Occasionally sending shooting stars over humans you knew were stargazing

You have met many lovers, friends, and even your own adopted kids over the next millenia, all of them accepting your immortality and everlasting duties

But it’s all the same in the end: they come, they leave, and they die

With each death of your loved ones, you could feel your will to keep going dissipate

The stars grew dimmer gradually in the night sky

The humans gradually stopped worshipping you as you disappeared from the night skies

You became a distant memory for elders to tell children 

Disappearing from the face of the Earth for a few centuries when you could not take the constant deaths any longer

Nobody knew where your cabin laid so you were undisturbed for centuries on end, left to your grief

That was until a knock sounded at your door

The knock startled you out of the comfort of your bed. Reluctantly, you left the warmth of the multitude of blankets and donned your cloak to hide your unkempt appearance. When you passed the mirror hanging in the hallway, you could see that your face was shrouded by darkness with the exception of a single glint where your eyes were caused by the lone star that was a constant reminder of your position. Before you fell into a deep depression, the stars would illuminate your entire face if you put your hood up. 

You opened the front door without a care in the world. If the beings on the other side were humans that would take you away and torture you, you didn’t care. You’re long past the point of caring for your own well being.

On the other side was a man of average height and long shaggy blond hair pulled into a slick ponytail. He was dressed entirely in green with a green and white striped bucket hat placed on his head. Past you would’ve been cooing at the object, but now you dully looked at the man in front of you. You glanced behind him and your eyes widened at the huge black wings sprouting from his back. You know who he was the second your eye caught the black feathers; he was the Angel of Death.

“Hello, Angel of Death.”

He tried to peer into your shrouded features, only seeing two pinpricks of light where your eyes should be. He gave you a friendly smile, brushing off the snow that gathered on his shoulders. “(Y/n), the God of the Stars and the Night Sky. Giver of compassion to the human race, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Why are you here? Last time I checked, my last lover died centuries ago.”

“Yes, my condolences. They were lovely when I guided their soul to the afterlife.”

“You still have not answered my question, Angel of Death. Why are you here?” You grit out the last sentence through a clenched jaw. He has no right to talk about them when he assisted in taking them away from you. Him and your cousin, the Goddess of Death Kristin. They took everybody you loved away from you. You knew that their deaths were unavoidable since they were human and you were immortal, but you still couldn’t help but resent them.

“The Goddess of Death sent me. The God of the Moon and the Goddess of the Sun sent her a request to send me to check on you.”

You stared at him for a few moments before you saw him shivering slightly and sighed. You always had a soft spot for humans, even if the being in front of you was not a human in the slightest. He reminded you of an old friend. You stepped aside and gestured lazily inside the house, “come in.”

He started to visit more and more over the next century

He eventually befriended you about half a century into the visits

It was extremely difficult to do because of how guarded you were, but he managed to break you out of your shell

You realizing how kind he was and how much he cared for you

You quickly came to the realization that he was immortal as well after reading up on the Angel of Death

After another fifty years, he became your best friend

You both opened up and comforted each other about everybody you both lost over the years

When he adopted Technoblade and then Wilbur not long after Techno, you were extremely hesitant to get close to them

Even going as far as telling Philza that you thought that it was an extremely bad idea

Mortals always end up leaving in the end anyways, it’s best to avoid the endless cycle of hurt that came with having mortals around

You told him about your own adopted children that have died over the years

You refuse to meet them, cutting off all communication with Philza for a year or two

Eventually meeting his three adopted kids when you reluctantly accept a dinner invitation one day

You attempted to appear cold and uncaring, but your love for humans (especially baby humans) shone through when an infant Tommy started to play with your cape

It seemed that the stars and the moving nebulas within the fabric entranced him

From then on whenever you visited Philza, you always held Tommy until he was too old for you to do so

Becoming very attached to the blond with your strong innate parental instincts

You introduce Techno to mythology, sharing stories of your personal interactions with certain gods and entities throughout the years

You teach Techno how to cope with the voices as you constantly hear multiple prayers to you from humans at the same time

You arrange a meeting for Wilbur with the Goddess of Music when he asks you about her

Arranging for her to start giving him lessons in exchange of a favor that will be cashed at a later date

You help raise all three of them, often taking them off Philza’s hands for a night or two 

Their favorite activity with you is watching you raise the stars and turn the sky dark

They always loved to watch you move the stars and summon shooting stars for them

The stars gradually returned to your eyes and a constant ecstatic smile slowly became synonymous with your face again

Humans started to worship you again when the stars in the sky became brighter

You became your old self again after centuries of feeling lost 

To repay them for everything they’ve done for you, you decided to rearrange the stars for one night 

One night of having a different star pattern couldn’t hurt 

Sure, it’d make a few theories pop up among the humans, but those are fun to overhear sometimes

The young boys and Philza behind you watched in awe as your eyes started to glow brightly and you slowly moved your hands gracefully raising the stars with the moon, your cloak starting to flow with nonexistent winds. They’ve seen you raise the stars thousands of times, but it never ceases to amaze them. It was just so… entrancing. 

You broke into a slight sweat and started to move the stars from their original positions in the sky. Shaking slightly, you pushed back against the strain and slight pain that it brought you. You’ve never done this before, so you really didn’t know what you were expecting. You felt someone put a hand on your shoulder.

“What’re you doin, mate?”

“Uh Dad?”

“Not now Techno. Mate, are you alright?”

“Dad, look up. They’re rearranging the stars,” Wilbur breathed out.

You could hear Philza gasp slightly as he watched star after star move until they locked into place. There in the twinkling night sky was each of their names gleaming brightly in small lettering. When you were done, you fell into a kneel onto the ground and rubbed at your aching head panting lightly. 

You could hear the boys around you panic slightly as you regained your breath. As you heard them approach you you looked up at them and smiled, the stars gleaming brightly in your irises. “Do you like it?”

“Y-yes but gods, (y/n) are you alright?”

“I am fine, but stars, I have never done that before. Are you four ready for stargazing?”

“That was so pog, (y/n)! How’d you do that?”

“I hold the power of the stars and the night sky in my hands. My brother once told me that the night is our kingdom.” You laid down onto the grass and took off your cloak to cover up a shivering Tommy and Wilbur next to you. You sighed as you thought about your siblings; you wondered how they were doing. 

“I will gladly move the stars themselves for you four. You are my family.” There was a stretched out moment of comfortable silence as you five watched shooting stars blaze by. Eventually, you saw an aurora borealis materialize above you. Furrowing your brow, you looked at it in question. They don’t appear this time of year, so why-

“Aelia,” you breathed out as you watched the greens flow above you. She must’ve sent a gust of solar wind your way. 

“Isn’t Aelia the Goddess of the Sun?” Wilbur asked you.

“Yes, she is my oldest sister. She must have redirected the solar winds over here.” 

“Damn, what’s with the gods changing everything tonight? You guys need to fuckin chill.”

“Tommy!” Philza scolded and was about to continue before he heard you start to laugh. They’ve only heard you genuinely laugh only a couple of times, so the sound that left your mouth immediately brightened the mood. 

“Yes Tommy, I suppose we do need to ‘fucking chill’.”

“You swore! Fuckin pog,” Tommy cheered to himself as the others looked at you in slight shock at your words. If you’re being completely honest in all of the years you spent alive (which is since basically the beginning of time), you’ve never sworn once. You were raised differently than that. When you realized that the others were staring at you, you smirked at them. The stars twinkling and giving your eyes even more of a mischievous glint, “what? Have you never heard a god swear before?”

General taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@crybabyjabby  @izzybobizzy13  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @bunnyz-pxstel  @averytiredfanfictionwriter  @dcml04  @sparkling-gayyyy  @bbigbbrainn  @thaticecreambish  @kiinokochii  @satansphatass  @bxkubitch  @bxmentchildxx  @roxy3457  @montygator17  @feverish-dove  @the-fictionwriters-hairdo  @jichuuchaeng  @404rynnotfound  @luluwinchester  @laura--444  @the-cult-classic-bitch  @youngstarfishdinosaur

#sbi x reader #sleepy bois x reader #sleepy bois inc x reader #philza x reader #technoblade x reader #wilbur soot x reader #tommyinnit x reader #god reader #requests #hellion's requests #1k special #hellion's 1k special #tw: death #tw: depression #tw: grief #tw: swearing

[storiesforallfandoms]

the type you bring home to mom ~ eddie kaspbrak;it chapter two

word count: 2361

request?: no

description: in which he finally brings his girlfriend home to his over protective mother, and it goes exactly as he thought it would

pairing: teen!eddie kasprak x female!reader

warnings: swearing, overbearing mother, derogatory name calling (i guess?), basically eddie’s mom just sucking

masterlist (one, two)

note: (y/n/p) = your parents’ names

I played with the hem of my dress as I walked up to the Kaspbrak household. I was regretting my choice in wardrobe, but it was too late to change now. I knew nothing would feel right anyways, I had already changed three times before I came over.

For the first time in our year long relationship, I was meeting Eddie’s mother. We had somehow managed to keep our relationship a secret for so long that I never felt like I had to meet her, and Eddie wasn’t exactly pushing for it either. As much as he loved his mom, he also knew she was manipulative and overbearing, and he often told me how he was afraid of his mom scaring me off because of these facts.

When the news eventually got out and travelled quickly through the small town of Derry, as gossip usually does, it got to Ms. Kaspbrak in no time. She immediately demanded to meet me, and Eddie set up a dinner at his house for the occasion.

Before I could even knock on the door, it swung open to reveal my tall boyfriend smiling down at me. Any tension I had melted away as I looked up at him, into those beautiful eyes that could calm me down whenever they were on me. He took my face in his hands and pulled me to kiss him. It was such a normal action that, at first, I leaned into it happily, until I realized the circumstances of my visit and quickly pushed him away.

“She’s not here,” he said, as if reading my worried thoughts. “She’s gone out to get some stuff for dinner.”

He stepped aside to let me step into the house. It wasn’t unfamiliar territory; Eddie and I had had many rendezvous there during the rare moments when his mom wasn’t home, but it felt wrong to be there on this occasion. I just wanted it to end already, and to go home or go for a long drive with Eddie.

“Come, sit,” he said, leading me to his living room. We sat close to one another on the couch, so close that we were just barley touching. Feeling his arm brush against mine sent sparks through me.

“How worried should I be?” I asked him, trying to remain as light as possible.

He sighed and shuffled in his seat. “I wish I could tell you not at all, but...”

He trailed off so I finished his sentence for him, “But it’s your mom.”

Eddie nodded. “But it’s my mom.”

One of his arms was around my waist. I hadn’t realized that the skirt of my dress had hiked up a little until the hand around my waist started to play with the hem, his fingertips brushing against my ass. His other hand touched my leg, starting lightly on my knee and then slowly travelling up my thigh till it stopped on my inner thigh. I shivered, wanting him to go further.

Most people who knew him would never believe that Eddie Kaspbrak, the hypochondriac, fast talking, former sheltered mama’s boy, would be absolutely mind blowing in bed, and constantly handsy whenever we were alone. I hadn’t even believed it until we got together, but man, Eddie knew how to make me feel absolutely amazing.

He leaned forward to kiss my neck, his fingers tracing circles in my inner thigh. I was shivering with anticipation and whimpers were escaping my lips. I could feel Eddie’s amused smirk against my neck as he placed another kiss there and lifted his head to look at me. He kissed my lips and his hand finally made its way further up my skirt.

Our moment was interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming. I practically jumped to the other side of the couch, touching my neck in hopes that he hadn’t accidentally left hickies there.

“You’re good,” he said, understanding what I had been doing.

The front door opened and I suddenly felt paralyzed. I wasn’t sure if I should stand up or stay sat down, if I should move even further away from Eddie or stay exactly where I was. In the end, I stayed frozen like a deer in headlights as his mom rounded the corner, arms full of grocery bags.

“Oh,” she said when her eyes landed on me. “Is this...her?”

There was a slight leer to the way she said “her”, which made me want to squirm under her intense gaze.

“Mom,” Eddie said, a partial warning tone in his voice, “this is (Y/N), my girlfriend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Kaspbrak,” I said. “Do you, um, need any help with - ”

“No,” she cut me off. “I have it. You’re early.”

“I told her this is when to get here,” Eddie defended. “You wouldn’t tell me exactly when to invite her over.”

“Well, this is hardly dinner time,” his mother huffed. “It’ll take me a while to get dinner ready.”

“I can help,” I offered again.

“No,” she said, sharply, which told me that was the end of the matter.

I shrunk down in my spot on the couch.

“Mom,” Eddie snapped again.

She glared at me before turning to her son, trying to soften her expression for him. “I’ll let you know when the food is ready. For now...stay here.”

When she disappeared into the kitchen, Eddie immediately moved to sit next to me and took my hand in his.

“I’m okay,” I assured him. “I’ll get through it. It’s just dinner then we’re done, right?”

He nodded, but I could see the worry on his face still.

A while later, Ms. Kaspbrak called to tell us dinner was ready. She had made sure to place everything so that Eddie and I were sat at the heads of the table, far apart from one another, while she was sat between us. Eddie and I shared a look before sitting in our designated spots.

Dinner started with awkward silence besides our cutlery against the plates. I tried to keep my attention on my plate, but every so often I’d glance up at the Kaspbraks to see Eddie nervously glancing between me and his mother, and his mom just glaring daggers at me. The nervousness I was feeling took away my appetite, but I felt like I had to eat everything to make a good impression, if that was even possible.

“So,” Ms. Kaspbrak said, drawing our attention to her, “(Y/N). Your parents are (Y/P/N), right?”

She already knew the answer to this question. I had grown up in Derry, where everyone knew everyone. There was a reason she was asking, and I had a feeling I already knew what that reason was.

“They are, yeah,” I responded.

“And they’re divorced, aren’t they?”

“Mom!” Eddie groaned.

“It’s just a question, Eddie,” his mom said.

“It’s okay,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t mind talking about it. That’s kind of old news anyways. They divorced when I was 10, dad moved to the next town over and mom got full custody of me.”

“That doesn’t seem like a very stable upbringing,” Ms. Kaspbrak commented. “I’m sure it’s taken such a toll on you, you must’ve decided to rebel somehow.”

Eddie put his face in his hands, officially admitting defeat on trying to stop his mother.

“Actually it wasn’t anything like that,” I said. “Mom and dad stayed pretty civil. There wasn’t any big fight or anything, just an agreement that they’re better off not being married. When dad moved he made sure to stay in constant contact, and comes to visit all the time or I’d go to visit him. Mom always made sure I had a roof over my head and food on the table. They both love me unconditionally, even if they’re not together.”

Ms. Kaspbrak sat back in her seat, a sour look on her face. “Well...regardless, it’s just not right to be raised by a single mother.”

Feeling a bit brave, I raised an eyebrow at her. “Eddie was raised by a single mother.”

“That’s different. My husband died, he didn’t decide to abandon me and Eddie.”

“My dad didn’t abandon us, he’s still very much a part of our lives.”

She ignored me and continued to eat. I looked across the table at Eddie to see him avoiding all eye contact with either of us as he pushed his food around on his plate. As if feeling my gaze, he looked up at me. I gave him a small smile to try and indicate that I wasn’t upset with him. I wanted him to know everything was going to be okay, even if I didn’t fully believe it myself.

“How many boys have you had sex with, (Y/N)?”

The question caught me off guard and I nearly choked on the food I had just put in my mouth.

“Jesus Christ, mom!” Eddie snapped.

“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vein, Edward,” his mother chastised him.

“You can’t just ask something like that, mom, that’s none of your business.”

“Of course it’s my business. I need to make sure my son isn’t dating a slut. I remember you were friends with Beverly March before she moved away, and trust me, I heard all sorts of stories about her. Anyone who would hang around with her must be somewhat similar.”

The mention of the untrue bullshit that used to be spread about Bev made the anger within me bubble over. I was seeing red as I looked up at Ms. Kaspbrak, and I was ready to pounce.

“Actually, your son took my virginity, and I took his,” I told her. “And we have sex quite a lot, sometimes upstairs in his bedroom when you’re not home. Although, for someone who says he was a virgin I don’t know how much I believe it. Eddie has done things that I don’t even think the most experienced of people could do.”

If he was upset with me for saying all of this, Eddie’s face didn’t show it. He was sipping on his water, trying to hide the smug smile that broke out across his face.

Ms. Kaspbrak’s face turned blood red before she rose from the table. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

“Gladly,” I said, abandoning my dinner to quickly leave the shitty situation.

“And don’t you dare come anywhere near my son again, or else I will have the cops on you!” she threatened.

I stopped and turned back to face her. “For what? For dating your son? For showing him that there’s someone who actually cares about him without manipulating him? For finally cutting the cord that you’ve had wrapped around his neck since he was born? Ms. Kaspbrak, I understand that you’re afraid to lose your son the way you lost your husband, but being a manipulative bitch who forced him to think he had illnesses he didn’t have for years and insulting his girlfriend in front of him is not the way to keep him around. Eddie is 18 years old, he’s an adult. He can do whatever he wants, which includes dating whoever he wants and leaving this hell hole that you have the audacity to call a home. The day that you finally accept that just might be the day that Eddie finally considers you to be an actual mother.”

And with that, I decided not to overstay my welcome and left.

I was only a few feet away from Eddie’s house when I heard him calling after me. I slowed my pace just enough that he could catch up with me, but didn’t completely stop. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and the Kaspbrak house as I could.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed as he fell in step next to me.

“For what?” Eddie asked. “I should be the one apologizing to you.”

“You warned me on how she would be, and I still let her get to me,” I said. “I probably made having to live there a whole lot harder.”

“It was hard to begin with, (Y/N). Nothing could make it harder than what it was,” he told me. “What you said, it was all true. Mom needed to hear that. Doesn’t mean she liked hearing it, or that she’ll actually accept it, but she needed to hear it none the less.”

“I guess I could’ve said it nicer,” I said. “Or at least not included details of our sex life.”

Eddie awkwardly chuckled. “Yeah, could’ve done without mom knowing I’m a sex god.”

I gave him a look and playfully nudged him. “I never said you were a sex god.”

“Eddie has done things that I don’t even think the most experienced of people could do I believe were your exact words.”

“I only said that to make her more upset.”

“So you’re saying I’m bad at sex?”

I pushed him again. “Eddie!”

He laughed and put an arm around my waist. “I appreciate the compliment either way. And I hope you know how much I love you.”

I smiled up at him and leaned into his touch. “I love you, too.”

We walked in silence for a while and, before I knew it, we were at my house. We stopped and turned to face each other.

“Want to stay over tonight?” I asked. “I figure going home isn’t exactly the best option right now.”

“It’s not,” he agreed. “Will your mom be okay with it?”

“Of course she will, she loves you. She’ll probably even cover for you if your mom calls.”

“I take it back, I don’t love you. I love your mom.”

“And I take back my offer. Go sleep on the streets.”

I took off for my front door with Eddie hot on my trail. I tried to open it and lock him out before he caught up to me, but of course his long legs gave him an advantage. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away from the door, both of our laughs ringing out through the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

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