#and it’s not even the craziest thing I’ve ever seen him pick up so

[suspiciouslackofclowns]

Big fan of Billy being super strong. Like, stronger than he looks, and he looks strong.

Headcanons and au’s where he’s disabled in some aspect after s3 are so near and dear to my heart, but I also take guilty pleasure in making him an unstoppable force sometimes. Just. Billy being built like a fucking bear, but also having learned to embrace his softer side again through his partner, because he is soft somewhere in there. Always has been.

Not to say that he doesn’t still get angry.

Maybe a few years later after he graduates and is settled into an apartment with Steve (or Eddie, Jonathan, Argyle, etc.), he has more of a rapport with the party. He’s not necessarily ruffling Dustin’s hair or giving Will the gay talk, but he’s around them and they don’t mind each other. He has playful banter with Max and maybe he even finds himself shooting hoops with Lucas every now and again.

He’s friendly with these kids, long story short. So when something happens like Troy Walsh and James follow Dustin on his way over to meet up at the apartment for D&D, because Steve and Billy let the party host there sometimes, Billy gets rightfully pissed.

Catches the kids out on his lawn, Dustin pinned on his back as Troy hovers over him and all of the other kids are screaming. He yells, sharp and quick and stomps over, just in time to startle Troy back before he’s able to land even a single punch. Steve is in the background trying to help Dustin to his feet and check for any injuries while Billy just fucking glares at this kid.

“Get lost,” Billy says.

Squares his shoulders and stands his ground, firmly placed between Troy and Dustin.

The kid looks scared. He swallows, takes a careful step back after he seems to assess that Billy is less of an angry parent and more of an impatient (and reckless) older brother. But then he smirks and reaches over to smack James’ arm.

“Sorry,” he muses. “Didn’t realize the fag brigade were official nerd protectors.”

Somewhere behind Billy, Steve drops Dustin as he’s attempting to help him to his feet, quickly scrambling to grab his hand again and hoist him up. Because he knows something that even Billy himself apparently doesn’t.

The blond is nice now. Downright pleasant to be around, even. He’s worked like hell to get here and he prides himself on being reformed. On being better than he used to be.

Something in his brain switches off. Steve sets a hand on his shoulder and Billy shrugs it off, taking a large stride forward and snatching the collar of Troy’s shirt. He doesn’t really think as he does it. Yanks him forward and grabs his thigh, and hoists him up into the air, kicking and screaming to no avail.

Like this kid weighs nothing at all.

James has retreated to the curb, yelling to put him down, put him down!

But Billy doesn’t budge. He merely bends his elbows and lowers Troy just enough to get their faces close.

In this blinding, white hot rage as brilliant as the glare off of a windshield in summer, Billy can’t even get the words out. Clenches his jaw. Unclenches. Fights the urge to throw this kid straight into the fucking sun.

Then he hears Steve behind him again, ushering the kids back and towards the house.

As silly as it is, that’s what breaks him. Hearing Steve’s voice, the man he loves, simply talking. Being naturally good as Steve always has been without trying — he can put on a show of playing the supreme bitch, but it falls flat somewhere in the delivery. Always.

Because he’s sweet and kind and he cares so much and he doesn’t deserve to be called that word. That horrible, horrible word that Billy has come to hate.

But he’s never hated it like he does right now. Not when it was hurled at him in school, or at home by his own flesh and blood.

But when it was casually directed at Steve. His Steve.

That lets the words flow easy.

“Don’t come around here again,” he hisses. “Don’t talk to or so much as even look at these kids or I’ll find out about it and I will hunt you down, you little shit.” Billy’s knuckles are white and his arms are shaking, but he doesn’t relax his grip for even a second. Troy whimpers, tears streaming down his face. “Am I clear?”

“Yes sir,” Troy manages between sniffles.

Billy finally lowers him back to the earth. The kid’s legs wobble when his shoes meet the ground, and the blond is half convinced that he only stays standing because Billy keeps his fist tangled in the front of his shirt. Stares at him with stern eyes for a moment longer before he shoves him towards his friend, still standing at the curb, and sends him tumbling down on the grass.

“Get the fuck off my lawn.”

The two boys scramble to their bikes and take off down the street without their asses so much as touching their seats.

A moment of silence persists after that. Billy pushes both hands into his hair and sighs, long and frustrated, and just… stands there. The kids are all still checking on Dustin, but Steve carefully approaches his partner from behind.

He knows that Billy gets skittish sometimes when he’s angry. That he sometimes doesn’t appreciate being touched. So he carefully sets a hand on his shoulder and squeezes when he doesn’t shrug him off.

“Bill?” Steve tries. “You okay?”

Of course Steve would ask him if he’s okay. Billy says nothing for half of a beat, and when Steve gently turns him around, he’s met with two huge eyes filled to the brim with with water. Billy blinks and it all comes crashing down in under a second.

He can feel his eyes already burning. Can feel the sobs begin to stir in his chest where he tries to keep them buried unsuccessfully.

Steve just guides him forward and wraps his arms around him protectively. Cradles him close with a one hand cupped over the back of his head and the other rubbing circles into his back.

“Oh, honey, it’s okay,” Steve croons. “You’re alright.”

Billy’s breath stutters as he slumps into Steve, thankful that the brunet is able to take his weight. He doesn’t feel like standing himself right now but he really doesn’t feel like trying to clean grass blood out of his jeans.

He isn’t sure how long they stand there, but he moans feebly when his eyes run dry. Let’s Steve push him back enough to cup his face in his hands.

Billy knows he must look ridiculous. His face always blotches his horrible red and his eyes get puffy when he cries, but Steve still smiles at him nonetheless. Brushes his thumbs over his cheekbones and admires him closely.

“I’m sorry,” Billy says hoarsely. Bites his lip to keep it from quivering. “I didn’t mean to get mad.”

“No one means to get mad, it’s just something that happens sometimes.” Steve presses their foreheads together and breathes in deep, guiding Billy’s breaths. “You can’t expect to not get mad ever, okay? The most you can do is learn how to control your reactions when you do.”

“I can’t.”

“You can, baby, we’ll work on it. For now, let’s just focus on making you feel better.”

A kiss gets pressed to his nose and Billy nods. Sniffles when Steve leans away and takes hold of his hand so he can guide him up the walkway to their porch.

Inside, the kids settle around the coffee table, still shaken up but calming down once they tap into the pantry for snacks. Steve sits Billy down on the couch and treats him like a damn princess, bringing him food and swaddling him in blankets and kissing his face until he’s sufficiently simmered down. Until his eyelids are heavy and he’s slouching into the sofa cushions.

Crying always takes it out of him. Steve seems to delight at his sleepy posture, plopping down on the couch next to him and setting his chin on his shoulder.

The kids have started working to set up their game. Dustin throws on a tape with strange medieval music that Billy would normally tease him for, but right now he can’t bring himself to care about anything other than the warm body pressing against his side.

“How’re you feeling, my boy?” Steve whispers.

Smooths a hand over the top of Billy’s blanket right over his chest and earns a little smile.

“Better.”

“Good, I really hate it when you cry. Makes me wanna fight god.” The two of them share a chuckle and Steve brushes his lips against the corner of Billy’s jaw. “I do like seeing you use your muscles, though.”

For emphasis, he finds Billy’s bicep under the blanket and squeezes it. The blond’s smile fades momentarily.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Dude, you bench pressed a whole teenager. That was the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Steve lilts, leaning closer into his side. “And I’ve seen some pretty cool shit.”

Billy snorts. Can’t help that he’s grinning from ear to ear when Steve starts kissing him again.

“You’re crazy.”

“If by crazy you mean super smart and handsome, then yeah, consider me batshit.”

“Dork,” Billy teases. Stretches an arm around Steve’s shoulders and envelops him in the warmth of the blanket. “I bet Walsh is gonna be scared of heights now, though.”

Steve snickers.

“And fags.”

They both start giggling hysterically, only stopping when Steve sees fit to turn Billy’s face towards him and mash their lips together.

So, Billy might not be as mellowed out as he previously thought, but he’s working on it.

They’re working on it. Together.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #tw homophobia #hugely inspired by an interaction I saw between my dad (rip king) and my 18y/o brother #where my brother was like bucking up to him trying to start a fight and my dad just picked his ass up #and pressed him flush against the ceiling #so yeah #def some of the scariest shit I’ve ever seen #and it’s not even the craziest thing I’ve ever seen him pick up so #anyway #Billy not being good at regulating his emotions? yes absolutely #him having crazy bursts of strength when he’s angry? yes absolutely #my writing #rambles #ficlet #unedited

[haetrack]

i just need to let this out bc i’m usually a hyuck girl but omg i’ve been obsessing over mark today… like fuck just him randomly having the horniest day of his life, so he ends up staring at the nudes u’ve send him or watching all these videos he’s recorded of u sucking him off, for HOURS. he’s just waiting around like a loser, hoping time moves faster till u come back home. eventually he can’t take it and starts palming himself over his sweats, and when that’s not enough, he slides his hand under his boxers, lightly stroking his hard cock. all he thinks about is u, the way ur lips wrap around him when ur on ur knees, the way ur back arches when he’s burrowed deep inside u. he grabs his phone immediately and facetimes u, elated when u pick up, greeting him with a small “hey” as u enter ur car. relieved that u weren’t in public, he wastes no time and picks up his pace. being able to see ur surprised face and hearing the gasp u let out upon realisation at what he was doing based off the whines leaving his mouth, just made his grip on himself so much harder and faster. mark thinks about how u whine and whimper in his ear with ur head on his shoulder, back to his chest as his fingers fuck in and out of u, his other hand applying pressure on ur clit. he almost comes when he hears u lightly breathe out “can i see, please?“. he curses under his breath and switches his camera around. he didn’t even bother taking his dick out, the shape of his hand desperately running up and down underneath his boxers and sweats was so lewd whilst still leaving much up to ur imagination. “ur doing so well baby, are u close?” u ask, “i wanna see u come, mark. i need u to take it out for me.” the deep groan that u hear from ur phone speakers makes u wanna go feral. he quickly follows ur request, his hard cock slapping against his stomach. his tip was so red and swollen, dripping with precum, making u wonder how long he’s been getting himself off for, considering u’ve never seen it this bad. the moan u accidentally let out causes him to twitch in his hand. finally without the obstruction of his clothes, u see him rutting in his hand. u feed him with praises, amazed at how much faster and louder he gets the more u talk. ur sure he’s not even listening to the actual words ur saying, just the sound of ur voice was getting him off. he opens his eyes after having them clenched the last few minutes, seeing his beautiful girlfriend’s face on his screen and noticing ur now heavy breathing, sends him over the edge. strings of cum land on his toned stomach and he catches some of it with his hand, continuing to stroke himself with it, emanating wet, sloppy sounds that bless ur ears. the groan he’s about to let out catches in his throat when he hear u say, “don’t move, i wanna clean u up.” the roar of ur car engine turning on and the facetime ending.

phew, had to put this out somewhere before i went to sleep 🧏‍♀️

holy shit. what. What

anon how could u just drop this in my inbox and go to sleep like u didn’t just write the craziest thing ever… ANON PLEASE…

just the thought of him being so horny and need you to get off… yeah. yeah. then when you get to his apartment he’d be all over you, trying to get you as close as possible. if you feel nice, you’ll let him cum as much as he needs to, grunts of your name filling the air as your hand glides over him and your mouth sucking on his tip. if you’re feeling mean, you’ll edge him, making him beg for you to let him cum, hips fucking into your fist.

even if you decide to let him fuck you, you’d ask him to beg for it. he doesn’t care, practically begging to fuck your dripping hole, no shame left in his body after being horny all day. he needs you. it doesn’t matter what position, his aching cock needs to be inside of you.

#asks #anon #vals hard hours #mark lee smut #nct smut #mark lee hard hours #ANON PLEASE COME BACK TO ME #we need u anon… #please tell me u write on here… #ANON PLEASE. #everyone please read this ten times

[klwrites]

Born To Die.1 (Jason Todd x reader)

Requests!!

The reader and Jason were friends for a long time before Batman took him in. You and him only had each other and the streets of Gotham.

(TW drug use)

Cold nights were the worst. You weren’t sleeping outside or anything but the kitchen floor of your job wasn’t the coziest. Speaking of warm, there was more warm next to you last night, where did Jason go? It wasn’t abnormal to wake up without him. Hell, you’ve spent more mornings without him then with, but no matter what you always ended up sharing the day by lunch time. You took a few steps outside before the familiar smell of smoke ran through your nose and you let your nose guide the way. There was a long path that trailed behind the buildings your job was in, heading to the usual spot you whistled to calmly grab his attention.

“It’s not even 8 am is it? Already at it?”

You joked, what better way to warm up? He passed it over to you while you mumbled a thanks.

The crisp air was awakening.

“You working today?”

“No,” you paused, taking a hit. “I know what we should do today though.”

“And what’s that?”

“Holy shit, Firefly… you’re insane.” Jason chuckled, looking around at the empty green house.

He questioned you robbing a magical treehouse,

“I’ve seen the women who owns them she doesn’t need all of them… and shes a criminal.”

“These won’t hurt you will they? You don’t know what she could have in these plants.”

You laughed,

“Yes, this tired women laced her beloved plants.”

Stretching your hand forward touching the large flower bud planted in the middle of the greenhouse. Your finger tips felt warm as the plant shared its energy to you.

“This is one way to make it through the winter.” Said Jason, taking stems and roots of various plants and throwing them into his bag.

If I get sick this winter I’ll die.

You let go of the plant, feeling full of life again. You excitedly let out a shout of energy.

“Her plants have something to them, man.”

“You’ve been here before? Without me? That’s dangerous.”

Not really, you replied.

You shivered, weak against the wind. Gotham city’s pollution was out of control and non frozen greenery was impossible to find. You curled up closer to yourself while sitting on the floor. Homelessness as a plant being who needs the sun and warmth to thrive has some ugly moments. Taking one last weak sad breath, you shriveled down into your unconscious.

After a while of freezing, a tall being with fiery red had come across your inhuman rotten looking body. Don’t ask how you knew, but you knew she knew you needed her help.

“Finally awake are you?” A deep gorgeous voice questioned from the shadows. You sat up from wherever you had been laid down and looked around. A green house, full of the craziest plants you’ve ever seen. The strongest energy you’ve felt.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t worry about it. You were dead on the streets of Gotham before I took you here. You should be thankful.”

“Why do I feel so strong?” You honestly asked. Her green skin was a give away that you could be honest with her.

“Because, darling, there’s no plants like my own. Where are your plants, hm? How did you let yourself freeze and die like that?”

“I’m stronger then her. It wouldn’t matter.” You said shortly.

“Uh” he said doubtfully, “alright”.

This women can survive winter and, well, you can’t. So you need her plants. As many as you can get. Prop lifting is the act of stealing plants by taking a piece of their stems, and planting the stem to grow your own plant; ‘propagation’ is the act of making one plant multiple.

“I need a Greenhouse.” You sighed

“If I could give you a greenhouse I would.”

“Means a lot,” you laughed, “Thanks.”

Even though you rolled your eyes, you can’t lie and say Jason isn’t a sweetheart at the whole plant thing, because he’s the best, most thoughtful, best friend anyone could ask for. Continuing picking the stems of colorful, glowing, exotic plants, when next thing you knew a plant reached out and grabbed your wrists and ankles holding you in place. Firstly, you looked towards Jason to see he was caught too.

Here we go. Your eyes glowed white, and skin glowed a fluorescent green and light pink. Connecting to the plants to calm them, freeing you and Jason instantly. Jason ran in-front of you as protection, but, no offense, you didn’t need it in this situation. Pulling Jason away you faced the one behind the attack. Poison Ivy. You didn’t know much of her criminal history, just that she saved you once. Even though that ended up meaning nothing.

What separates you and The Poison Ivy is that you’re an empath in a way. You survive on the energy of other life, just by living in it. (Or living in a perfect world at least) You can manipulate the energy from others into whatever energy you want, with practice. You don’t have that much practice. You did the one thing you’re good at. Sleep. Poison Ivy fell forward with her plants.

“We gotta go.”

#batman #jason todd #jason todd x reader #dc robin #batman and robin #robin x you #jason todd x y/n #dc universe #batman x reader #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson #robin #teen titans #dc titans

[pepperonijem]

vi. silly things & sensible people || all my love

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." - Emma; Jane Austen

Summary: sometimes all anyone needs is a gentle nudge in the right direction Pairing: high school!bucky x f!reader Warnings: food mentions Word Count: 3.1k A/N: we all need a friend like wanda <3 || sorry for the delay! I had a job interview this week that I spent all weekend prepping for... i passed! (i'm moving to korea this summer lol)

previous chapter || back to library || next chapter

Wanda opened her notes app and started a new note, titling it with the date and began her weekly letter to her pen pal, wanting to update them on her life... or mostly her best friend's life.

You will NEVER guess what’s been happening this semester. Did you guess? Well whatever you guessed is probably wrong… unless you guessed that my best friend just confessed to her crush without TELLING me about it first. 

It was absolutely insane, I was getting out of class and on my way to find her and Steve for lunch when I saw a HUGE crowd by Steve’s class and right at the center of it all was Bucky Barnes and the only girl crazy enough to give him a handwritten note in the middle of passing period. I only saw the end of it, but it was��� brutal. I’ve known Bucky long enough to know he isn’t the friendliest person out there but even for him… it made me so upset. He didn’t even take her card, can you believe it? 

Honestly, this whole time I didn’t realize she actually liked him enough to confess to him. I always thought it was a passing crush, but I guess I was wrong. She was pretty badass for that. But obviously Steve didn’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so dejected. I wonder if he’ll ever work himself up to do the same thing.

OH. But the craziest part is that a week after she confessed to him, she ended up moving into his house. Turns out her dad and Bucky’s dad were college besties. Isn’t that insane? It’s just like this anime Natasha made me watch with her once. We were in tears the whole time but uh, that’s a story for another day. Or a story for never. She swore me to secrecy after that night.

We actually didn’t realize that she had moved in with him until after the big exam we took when Bucky stormed in and she handed him a picture of the two of them asleep together at the dining table. 

Then that night, she ended up spraining her ankle and Bucky had to take her home so he didn’t get to go to IHOP with us. Sad for him, that was a fun night. Not for Steve… again. By the end of the night he was crying to Sam’s rendition of an ABBA song and chugging down strawberry milkshakes. He’s lactose intolerant and he slept over at my house that night. So… not much fun for me either. I–

“Wanda, get off your damn phone and help us move the couch.” Wanda looked up from her notes app to see Natasha, Tony and Scott waiting for her to grab onto the fourth corner of the loveseat.

“Sorry, sorry,” Wanda apologized before rushing to help them move the couch to the opposite end of the room. “Why are we doing this again?”

Natasha let out a grunt as they dropped the couch ungracefully onto the floor. “Scott thought it would be cool to have a pillow fort.”

“We’re doing this for a pillow fort?” Tony asked in shock. “I thought Scott’s mom just wanted us to redecorate.”

“Tony, why would his mom want both of the couches facing the walls on opposite ends of the room?” Natasha asked with a roll of her eyes. Tony shrugged his shoulders and plopped himself down on the couch. 

Natasha dropped down beside him with a sigh. “When is everyone else gonna get here?” she asked.

“Well Steve had to pick up Sam, but he should be here soon.” Wanda looked down at her watch at the time to compare it against the ETA Steve had sent earlier.

Tony checked his phone as he leaned over the back of one couch. “Rhodey just texted. He just parked outside.”

“What about Bucky?” Scott asked. 

Natasha shrugged as the doorbell rang and Wanda went to answer it, letting Rhodey in. “Sorry, I had to pick up the kid,” Peter walked into the kitchen with a proud grin as Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Yeah but we brought food,” Peter exclaimed as he placed a brown paper bag on the kitchen counter. 

“You brought your Chipotle,” Rhodey clarified as he walked to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. 

Scott laughed and shook his head as he took the bag and handed it to Rhodey to stick in the fridge. “Did you guys happen to get Bucky too?” 

Rhodey shook his head in response. “I offered him a ride, but he said he had plans.”

“Plans?” Scott echoed. “We are his plans. He’s never missed a board game night.” Wanda could hear the pout in his voice. 

“He didn’t give me any details but I think it has to do with his roomie.” Rhodey commented, checking through his text messages to see if he left any details out. “He said he’ll be busy all day.”

“His roomie, huh?” Tony repeated with a raised eyebrow. “Have you guys noticed he’s been weird lately?”

“Yeah,” Natasha replied. “Last week I asked him if he liked her–”

Before Natasha could continue, Tony walked toward the group gathered by the island, eager to join the gossip. “Yes!” He exclaimed. “Bucky always sends these weird memes that no one gets exam days, but last week, we had a literature exam and guess what?”

“What?” Rhodey asked flatly. Natasha nudged him in response, reminding him to be polite.

“He didn’t send anything,” Tony noted. “When I asked him what happened, he told me he was up the night before studying… but Bucky never studies for literature exams because he’s a nerd who already read the books.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the doorbell rang and in came Steve and Sam. “Hey,” Sam greeted. “What did we miss? We bought drinks.”

Wanda looked over at Natasha as Steve walked in, silently begging her not to finish her sentence from earlier around Steve. Natasha gave her a subtle nod as she attempted to shift the attention to the newcomers.

“Where’s the rest?” Natasha asked as Sam set down his drink on the counter while Steve found a spot beside Wanda.

“Oh,” Sam replied. “I meant we stopped over to buy ourselves drinks from Starbucks. That’s why we’re late.”

“Remind me to start being more specific when I tell  you guys to bring things,” Scott replied with a chuckle, shaking his head. “Anyway, what else were you saying, Tony?”

Tony thought for a second, remembering his train of thought. “Right, so I did some more investigating,” he continued. “And when we were getting into groups for our Shakespeare analysis – I swear I’ve never seen him move this fast, not even at a football game – I saw him join his roomie’s group. He even smiled when she waved at him. I’ve never seen him smile at anyone.” 

“He’s not exaggerating,” Natasha confirmed with an eager nod of her head. “I didn’t even realize they were friends, but it seems like lately they’ve been besties or something. Isn’t she supposed to be your best friend, Steve?”

Steve put his hands up in defense before speaking, his voice just a little too loud and too high to sound calm and collected. “She can do whatever she wants,” he said. 

Although the other boys couldn’t tell, Wanda knew Steve didn’t fully believe the spite in his own words. So coming to her friend’s defense, she joined in. “Yeah, but isn’t Bucky yours?” She asked Natasha, turning the question back to her.

“Chill out,” Natasha shrugged her shoulders. “I was just curious to see if you guys knew anything else.”

“We don’t,” Steve said flatly. “Are we going to play or what?” Natasha and Wanda shared a look, realizing that Steve was feeling a lot more than he was willing to let on, so they accepted his change of subject. The others rushed into the living room as Wanda and Steve stayed behind.

Wanda watched as Steve leaned against the counter, pushing his forehead into his palms as he let out a sigh. Wanda stood beside him facing the opposite way, her elbows leaning against the countertop. Her heart felt heavy at the sight of her distraught best friend.

“Steve,” Wanda began gently but firmly. Steve shook his head, already knowing where this conversation was headed. “Salad. Now.”

Steve let out another sigh, running a hand through his golden hair, and Wanda wasn’t sure if he would answer her, but after a beat, he finally lifted his head. “Lettuce… I’m sad. Chicken… I’m mad. Mostly at myself,” he confessed.

“Why?” Wanda asked quietly.

“For never being brave enough to say anything,” He admitted to Wanda, hanging his head. “It’s just… we have something so good and I didn’t want to lose that. But sometimes…” he trailed off.

“Sometimes what?” Wanda pushed.

“It’s just,” Steve sighed. “Do you remember that time in the eighth grade when the three of us got in that huge fight?”

Wanda let out a dry laugh. “The one where you thought the two of us were dating behind your back because we went to a movie together?”

Steve grew a small but sad smile. “Not just any movie,” he clarified. “You watched The Hunger Games without me. It was my favorite book.”

Wanda nudged him playfully. “Steve, you had the flu,” she reminded him. “We wanted to take you but your mom said if she found out you snuck out and we got the flu from you she would stop making us that sponge cake we like. That would’ve been the end of our 14-year old lives.”

Steve let out a chuckle as he nodded at the memory. “I know,” he continued. “But for a week after that, I felt so left out. Like suddenly you were her best friend and she was yours, and I was the odd one out.”

“Is that why you ghosted us for a whole month?” Wanda asked, eyes wide with surprise as Steve nodded in shame. 

“It was dumb, I know,” he cringed at the memories of that time. “But I think I was jealous. Of you.” 

Wanda snorted a laugh at his comment. “Of me? Oh buddy,” she laughed as she pat Steve on the shoulder.

“I know, I know,” Steve ran his hand through his hair again. “But anyway, I think that’s kind of how I feel right now. Like she’s everything to me… but I’m not to her. And it’s not like she owes me anything… I think I just keep thinking, what could I have done differently?”

Wanda thought through her next words carefully, letting silence rest between the two of them. Well, silence was relative. The others were in the next room arguing about whether or not it was fair to let Peter choose to be Colonel Mustard when he doesn’t know how to play Clue.

 “I can’t say I know what you’re feeling,” Wanda began. “But for me, I think that when I start focusing on things like that, my mind gets stormy. I stop seeing things clearly, and I start doubting myself and the way I fit into my friendships. But then you two always remind me that’s not real. What is real is that I would give everything for the two of you, and if I needed it, both of you would do the same for me. It’s one of the most stable truths of the universe. 

At the same time, I also know that both of you would want me to be happy, and to choose what makes me happy. The same thing I would do for you. And I will always help you to figure out what that is when you can’t see it, like you do for me. When I remember that, the skies clear a little, and I see the sunshine again. I see you guys.”

Wanda turned to Steve, who wiped at a tear forming in the corner of his eye. She gave him a gentle pat on the back and turned to leave him to his own thoughts for a bit. 

Honestly, she was a bit surprised at her own wisdom. She wasn’t usually the friend people came to for advice, but maybe they should start, she thought. She hoped her words got through to Steve, as seeing her best friend hurting was weighing heavily on her as well. She was, however, very excited to tell her pen pal about this situation.

After she made her way into the living room, Natasha moved to sit beside her on the couch, now turned to face the television. “Is he okay?” she asked, nodding towards the kitchen where Steve still stood by himself.

“Yeah, he’s just raiding the leftovers,” Wanda joked. She was lying, but she felt that Steve wouldn’t want to explain to everyone else what had him so emotional.

Natasha nodded, not fully believing her words, but accepting them nonetheless. “Do you wanna play the next round?” She asked instead. 

“Nah,” Wanda pulled out her phone. “I have to work on my letter.”

“Oh to your pen pal right?” Natasha asked. “I can’t believe you’ve been writing to each other since middle school. Why don’t you just ask for his number?” She attempted to look over Wanda’s hands to see what she was writing down.

“Yeah, ask for his number and invite her to the winter formal,” Sam chimed in. “Unless he’s catfishing you.” The group laughed and Wanda laughed along.

“Yeah, yeah,” she rolled her eyes and continued typing in her note from earlier, updating her letter with the most recent events. However she didn’t get very far before she got a call from Bucky. “Bucky’s calling me?” She asked aloud in surprise.

“Answer him!” They all called in unison, as they looked away from the game to flock towards Wanda, even Steve, who walked in from the kitchen. Wanda looked over to him and he responded with a small smile and a nod, encouraging her to answer the phone.

“Wanda,” Bucky’s voice filled the room from Wanda’s phone speaker. “I need your help.” The group gathered around Wanda all looked at her with wide eyes as they tried to contain their curiosity. However it was Scott who couldn’t hide his gasp, even as Sam slapped his hand over his mouth.

“Hey guys,” Bucky sighed. “Sorry I couldn’t make it but I really need to borrow Wanda for a second.” 

Wanda chuckled as she watched the group disperse with disappointed looks and resume playing their game. She walked back over to the kitchen, and Steve headed for the living room to give her privacy. 

“What’s up Buck?” Wanda asked when she was finally alone.

“Uh,” Bucky sounded like he was thinking about what to say. “How do you feel about a road trip?” 

Wanda couldn’t hide her surprise at the question. “Road trip?” She repeated.

“I can give you the details later,” Bucky said. “But just tell me you’ll come with me.”

“When?” Wanda questioned. “And why me?” 

“Tonight. Right now even,” He sounded panicked and Wanda was beginning to feel the same. “I called you because Natasha already said no.” As if on cue, Natasha had popped her head into the kitchen and Wanda waved her over. 

“Nat,” Wanda began. “Why the hell is Bucky asking me to go on a road trip with him right now?”

Natasha let out a chuckle. “Just hear the poor boy out,” she suggested as Wanda looked at her suspiciously.

“I need to pick up your friend’s dad,” Bucky explained. “Long story short, she was upset he couldn’t make it to the awards, so I reached out to him and basically now he agreed to be here for one night, and his flight is landing soon and the airport is over an hour away and I don’t want to drive alone, but I can’t bring her with me because it’s a surprise and –”

“Woah,” Wanda stopped his rambling with a chuckle. “Long story long, more like.” She looked back at Natasha who raised her eyebrow as if to say See now? Wanda nodded back to her as she let out a hum of thought before an idea popped in her head.

“I’ll come,” Wanda said with a mischievous smile that was hidden by her gentle voice. Bucky let out a sigh of relief, and Wanda could hear his shoulders relax. “But you have to come pick me up from Scott’s house, since I left my car at home.”

“Sure, yeah,” Bucky agreed desperately to her condition. “Thank you so much.”

Twenty minutes later, when the doorbell rang, Wanda almost felt guilty for what she was about to do. But when she thought about it some more, she reminded himself of what she told Bucky just earlier, and her conscience clears just in time for her to open the door to see a panicked Bucky, dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and mismatched socks.

Someone will thank me later, she thinks to herself as she pretends to double over in pain. “Wanda?” Bucky asked in concern. “Are you okay?”

“I ate someone’s leftovers,” she pretended to let out a grunt of pain. “And it’s really not agreeing with me,” she cursed under her breath. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can come with you.” She apologized.

“No, no,” Bucky dismissed her. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He walked in and shut the door, leading Wanda to sit down at the dining table as Natasha walked over with a medicine tablet and a glass of water. 

“Here,” she handed them to Wanda. “Don’t worry Bucky, we’ll find someone to fill in.” Before Bucky could protest, Natasha had walked to the living room and came back with a confused and annoyed looking Steve.

“Steve said he’d be glad to go with you,” Natasha beamed. He very much did not look like he was glad to go with Bucky.

“Uh…” Steve began before Natasha nudged him from behind. “Yep, yeah, I’d be happy to… sit in a car with you for an hour and a half… to pick up my best friend’s dad…”

Bucky opened his mouth to argue, but after looking down to see the time, his eyes widened in worry. “Okay, perfect,” he said instead. “Let’s go before we’re late. Bye you guys, tell the guys I said hey.” and he grabbed Steve’s wrist and headed out the door.

Wanda and Natasha followed behind them, Wanda now forgetting about her act and leaning against the post on the front steps.

“Do you think they’ll hate us?” Wanda asked Natasha as they watched the two boys get into Bucky’s car from the front porch.

“Oh absolutely. For a month at least.”

#Bucky Barnes #Sebastian Stan #Bucky barnes fluff #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan angst #sebastian stan smut #sebastian stan fic #sebastian stan headcanon #sebastian stan x reader #James Buchanan Barnes #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes smut

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Epics of Ink & Light Chapter 11: Catharsis

Summary: In which a reconciliation is reached.

When you see an asterisk (*), there will information about a topic that appears within the story and will be explained in the author’s notes at the end of the chapter.

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◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Minako ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Minako’s knees slammed hard onto the dirt. Her head landed on its side and was only cushioned by the softness of her arm. The tiniest traces of her curse still lingered within her despite the fact that she successfully summoned a Patronus.

Ah, that’s right. She used up most of her power to save Riddle. Of course, she was still in pain. Minako managed a weak laugh to herself.

Am I bleeding? Her hand reached up to check her arm. It stung on contact, and that one touch was enough to pick up a wet substance on her fingers. Yup, she was bleeding.

To say that Rose Maze was a mess was the understatement of the year. It looked like it had gone through two hurricanes and an earthquake. Trees were ripped up from the ground, which left patches of dirt in its wake. Buckets of red paint were knocked over, staining the greenery. Rose petals were left scattered all over the venue, and not many had turned up whole in the aftermath of the ordeal.

Riddle seemed to be doing okay at least. Trey had taken to helping the boy sit up and bringing him out of his stupor.

“Riddle? Riddle, can you hear me?” Trey gently shook the dorm leader’s shoulders.

With a gasp, Riddle finally opened his eyes. He was sweating, with his head jerking from side to side to take in his surroundings.

“Finally decided to wake up,” Ace huffed and crossed his arms.

Cater let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Seven. We were afraid that you might have died!”

“What… what did I…?” Riddle took heavy breaths and a gulp to swallow the lump in his throat. He seemed to be stuck in a state of disbelief, like his overblot and the flashes of memories in his mind space were almost too far-fetched to be real.

“Thank goodness, you’re alive. Excellent job on bringing him back to his senses, Ms. Nezumi.” Crowley, who had returned to the maze to help them, smiled at Minako and gave her a congratulatory pat on her injured shoulder.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Minako yelped in pain as Crowley frantically apologized upon realizing what he had just done.

Trey was rubbing circles on Riddle’s back. “It’s alright. You had a rough time, so just rest for now.”

“Hey, hey! I thought we said no coddling! It’s the reason why he went berserk in the first place!” Ace protested. Like everyone else, he didn’t come out of the fight unscathed, suffering a few scrapes on his face and arms. “This place is a mess, and some of us could have died earlier!”

Deuce shook his head, stumbling a little on his shaky legs. “That was the craziest brawl I’ve ever gotten myself into.”

“Good grief! Bottling up all that stress can sure turn you into monsters.” Grim lashed his tail in annoyance.

Riddle looked speechless, rather than angry. Then at last, he meekly uttered out, “I really… I really wanted to eat that mont blanc.”

All at once, everyone looked at each other with equally bewildered faces, just to make sure nobody was just hearing things in their heads.

Riddle could only continue to get rid of the doubt in everyone’s minds. “I don’t mind if the roses were left white, or if the flamingos were left pink. I prefer honey to sugar cubes in my tea, and I like milk tea more than lemon tea.”

“Riddle?”

“I want to talk to everyone while I eat.” Riddle’s lip trembled. “And most of all, I want… to have fun with Trey, Che’nya, and everyone else…”

Like a dam that had been ruptured, a flood of tears had burst from Riddle’s eyes, with loud sobs to boot.

The stern and strict head of Heartslabyul was actually weeping like a child. And by the looks of everyone’s faces, nobody, not even Trey, has ever seen Riddle cry.

Ace was the one who quickly recovered from the shock and was back to being angry. “Shut the hell up! You think that crying like a baby will make us feel sorry for you?!”

Minako kicked him in the shin.

“Ow! You—” Ace yelped. He turned to glare at her. “He almost killed you! Why are you mad at me?”

Minako simply glared back. She would say something, but she had a funny feeling that opening her mouth would result in her spitting out more blood than words.

“Read the atmosphere, Ace. No one appreciates how bullheaded you are right now,” Deuce sighed.

“I have to say that I’m sorry too. I should have stepped in when I knew that you were enduring so much.” Trey patted Riddle’s back, letting him snivel out his last few sobs. “I’m going to be honest with you from now on. Your way of enforcing the rules is completely wrong, and you owe everyone an apology.”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Riddle’s gloved hands wiped his wet cheeks, which left his face red and puffy.

“You know, I’ve been waiting for an apology from you for a while now, but now that I’ve got it…” Ace paused for a second to cross his arms and tap his fingers impatiently against his elbow. “BUT ONE “I’M SORRY” DOESN’T FIX THE FACT THAT YOU’VE BEEN ACTING LIKE A TOTAL ASSHAT! YOU’VE GOT TO BE PRETTY FUCKING STUPID TO FORGIVE SOMEONE JUST LIKE THAT!”

Cater hurried to cover Ace’s mouth. “Ace! This isn’t the best time to be lashing out like this!”

Ace jerked his head away to rant and rave even more, “Why not?! We’ve been put through the wringer since day one! Humiliating us, throwing away that tart we worked so hard on. That’s not just something you can sweep under the rug with some watery-eyed apology!”

“Boy, you can sure hold a grudge. And I thought I was stubborn,” Grim deadpanned.

Minako thought about it for a moment. There was some truth to what Ace was saying. If Riddle really was sorry, then he had to prove it.

“What do you… suggest I do?” Riddle had long since calmed down from his tearful breakdown. A swelling in his eyes and a few sniffs of his nose were all that remained.

Ace took a moment to stop and think about it.

Please be reasonable, Minako begged internally. The last thing she wanted was for Riddle to face the same amount of humiliation that they did. A spiteful request would only result in making a bigger rift between them.

“Well, my birthday isn’t happening anytime soon,” Ace said.

Deuce blinked in confusion. “What? I thought your birthday’s happening in—”

“So, I think a Revenge Unbirthday Party is overdue after you kicked us out from the last one,” Ace talked over him, cutting Deuce off. “Except this time, you have to make the tart yourself. Not even Trey is allowed to help you.”

Fair enough, Minako thought.

“I’m not going to forgive you, unless if you make that tart all on your own,” Ace concluded.

“Really, Ace?” Minako suddenly snapped, a little fed up with her friend. Bad idea. As it turned out, there was still some blot left in her system.

Her tongue tasted of iron as blood dribbled from her mouth down to her chin. It was a morbid sight that caused everyone to blench and stagger back. Minako choked and spat out the ink-speckled blood, staining the grass. At least there wasn’t much blot left in her body.

“Ms. Nezumi!” Crowley caught her before she could collapse.

“Minako!” came several shouts.

“Yikes! Trey, both Riddle and Minako need to see the nurse!” Cater turned his head towards Trey, who was already carrying Riddle on his back. He can’t carry them both.

Crowley lifted her petite self into his arms, one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. “I will be taking Ms. Nezumi to the infirmary. Mr. Diamond, you and the rest should stay here and clean the garden.”

“Call… Dr. Radcliffe…” Minako gurgled out.

“Don’t— don’t talk for now, okay?” Deuce wiped the blood off her chin with the handkerchief that she gave him.

Grim hopped up on Deuce’s shoulder to talk to her with a face mixed with anger but also worry. “Don’t die on me, or I’ll kill you!”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Ace shook his head.

Ugh, what a day. “Headmaster, why am I seeing two of you?” is what Minako said right before her body completely shut down.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Riddle ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

His overblotted rampage was a blur to Riddle, but he could remember what it was like seconds before he was confronted with his memories. Suffocating woe and fury—it was all he was before a light had engulfed him. Heavenly voices graced his ears, and the grip that the blot had on him went slack.

Then he felt warmth.

Warm like a freshly baked pie. Warm like the crackling hearth on a cold winter’s night. Warm like a mother’s embrace, something which he never had.

Riddle’s time in that strange void of memories with Nezumi, ahem, Minako was oddly cathartic as painful as it was to go back to his childhood. His world was crumbling, shattering into a million a pieces beyond repair. And he can’t find the motivation to put it back together.

Riddle wasted no time composing himself while he was being escorted to the infirmary. His eyes remained puffy, and his nostrils were still clogged with snot by the time he got there, though. Not to mention, he was piggybacked by Trey on the way, so making sure that nobody else would see him cry was the only way for him to save face.

The checkup must have taken a couple of hours. By the end of the nurse’s tenth observation, Riddle had practically memorized the beeping of the machine that he was hooked up to.

“Amazing! There are no remnants of blot left in your body or your crystal,” chirped the ghostly head nurse. “Although, I would advise you to not use a high amount of magic for at least two weeks. Understood?”

Riddle nodded politely. “Understood.”

Overblots may be rare, but he at least knew that there would be drops of blot remaining in someone’s crystal should someone survive their overblot. Was the glowing mouse really that powerful? That “Patronus” as Minako called it had an overwhelming purity to it. He’d never seen or felt anything like it.

That was her Unique Magic, wasn’t it? Cleansing blot. That was a power worthy of being coveted in a widespread scale.

On that last minute dorm leader and vice dorm leader meeting, the night after the disastrous ceremony, the Headmaster had praised the girl who crashed the ceremony to be an extraordinary magician for her age. At the time, Riddle put the fault in the Dean’s buffoonery for promoting a troublemaker to dorm leader status so quickly, but now he could see why Minako had gained the Headmaster’s favour.

That reminds me, Riddle pondered as he shifted on one of the infirmary beds. He began scanning the other infirmary beds for a certain someone. Where is Minako? She passed out in the Rose Maze, so she should be lying in a bed and surrounded by half of the nursing staff.

He owed her, he really did. He could start with an apology… or two. Apologies were long overdue for not just physically harming that girl in his crazed state, but also for insensitively lambasting her parents.

Before Riddle could even ask about Minako’s whereabouts, Cater had stepped inside.

“Riddle!” Cater’s eyes brightened upon spotting him and Trey. He walked up to them with a sheepish smile. “Look, I know I’m in charge of cleaning the Rose Maze, but everyone’s been at it for a while. We’ll get back to it in an hour—”

“It’s alright, Cater.” Riddle calmly raised a hand to get him to pause. “I’m more concerned about where Minako is.”

A slip of the tongue. Riddle didn’t realize that he had addressed Minako by her first name, until he found Trey and Cater staring at him with confounded looks.

“Um… Minako’s recovering in the private infirmary,” Trey replied. “She is the only girl, and she needs her privacy.”

“Poor thing has a fever. That’s what I heard from Crewel. He looked like he was ready to snap the Headmaster’s neck,” said Cater.

“Professor Crewel? Why is he involved in this?” asked Riddle. Crewel wasn’t really one to get caught up in the plights of his students unless if it affected him.

Cater hummed and tapped his cheek. That was his gossiping face. “Well, I did hear from a couple of the first years that she’s one of his favourite students.”

“Didn’t Minako mention that Crewel was pushing her to see some kind of doctor?” Trey said.

Oh, Riddle got it now. It had been obvious to him for quite a while that Minako was afflicted with some sort of illness. It was most likely that the black marks on her body were a symptom of it.

A thought came up that made him swallow a lump in his throat. Did his overblot make it worse?

“What have I done to her when I overblotted?”

At that question, Trey and Cater winced, which was enough to make Riddle’s stomach drop.

“How do I put this?” Trey hesitated, scratching the back of his neck.

He and Cater did their best to relay Riddle the events of his overblotted state, though they had grown a little pale doing so. Riddle was sure that he did too now that he knew that he could have given Minako a painful demise. Not that he wasn’t close to killing everyone in that maze, but it seemed that Mugglesworth’s prefect received the brunt of his rampage.

“You’re saying that… I used her to make some sort of ink monster?” Riddle vaguely recalled the image of Minako’s teary eyes and blot escaping her mouth.

Cater suppressed a grimace. “Yeah. I’m not sure what you needed it for, but I really thought she was going to die.”

“What’s confusing to me is the fact that she can clear blot, but she’s been spitting out blot even after she used that spell,” said Trey.

That’s right. Why wasn’t she able to help herself? Surely her Patronus should have helped her recover once she summoned it. Unless, the spell simply didn’t work on her.

Riddle peeled the covers off his body and gathered the neatly folded garments of his dorm uniform. He clipped his cape back on, slipped on his boots, and gingerly placed the crown on his head. Holding his head high, he excused himself from the infirmary with Trey and Cater in tow.

“I think some explanations are overdue. Let’s hope that she’s fully conscious now to tell us everything.”

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Minako ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Three years ago, a thirteen-year-old Minako walked into Professor Trelawney’s classroom, and her senses were immediately assaulted by the stifling smell of sherry and incense. There were but ten students in the classroom while Professor Firenze had about thirty in his.

She wanted Firenze’s class initially, but Minako remained optimistic. She knew from what she’s read about Trelawney was that she had a few instances of being correct in her prophecies, and she was vital in predicting the events that took place during the Wizarding Wars. For that, Trelawney had Minako’s respect as she did her best to make the most of her situation.

However, as the months dragged on, Minako’s enthusiasm for the course gradually declined. She wasn’t sure what she was doing wrong. She could barely make one accurate prediction. Her inner eye was weak as she was told. Her spirit and curiosity were much appreciated but not enough to pass that class. It was a big blow to her pride, and she dropped the class on a sour note.

Minako hadn’t expected much on her final day with in Trelawney’s class, but then something strange occurred in the classroom seconds before she left it for good. She had just returned the deck of tarot cards and turned to depart, but then a loud, wheezing voice spoke behind her.

“In three years time.”

Minako whirled around. Trelawney stood not too far off from where she was, her body had become hunched but stiff. The old woman began twitching ever so slightly.

“Professor?” said Minako.

“In three years time,” repeated Trelawney. Minako swore that she heard two voices coming out of her mouth, one of which did not sound human.

Trelawney limply raised a finger at her. Then with neck-breaking speed, she ran up to Minako, her wrinkled hand reaching out to grab her.

“P-professor, please! You’re scaring me!” Minako attempted to pry off Trelawney’s hand, which were clawing at her robes, but to no avail. “Are you having a seizure? Do you need me to take you to the hospital wing?”

Trelawney wheezed as her grip tightened, her nails digging into Minako’s shoulders. Her eyes had gone unfocused, and her mouth hung loose to speak.

“The lost heiress will return to where her ancestors once resided. The markings of her heritage will reveal themselves to her, but her path is blotted by the grief of others. Worst yet is that her true enemy is herself. In three years time… the lost heiress… of the mouse… will return to her rightful place…”

Trelawney’s head suddenly dropped, her chin meeting her collar and her grip going slack. Her head then snapped back up, tossing her frizzy hair all about. Her eyes, enlarged by the view of her thick glasses, blinked in confusion at Minako.

“Sorry my dear. Must have nodded off from all of that wine— er… lack of sleep.” The old seer laughed it off.

Minako could only stare at her in shock.

“Is there something you need, my dear?”

Realizing that she had been gaping at Trelawney for a bit too long, Minako quickly snapped out of it and politely shook her head. “No.” And she left the class.

As it turns out, Trelawney never remembered making her true predictions. If only more people were aware of that, then maybe she would be seen as less of a joke by her peers and students.

Thirteen-year-old Minako mulled over that prediction for a bit, debating on whether she should find out about its meaning just in case if it was related to her. That thought was quickly abandoned and forgotten since her mind was overtaken by how she could beat her classmates for the next assignment in Potions.

Three years have passed and Minako was back in her sixteen-year-old body and no longer dreaming about her long-forgotten encounter with the eccentric seer from Hogwarts. Her eyes cracked open to the familiar walls of the private infirmary, head elevated as she laid in bed and a damp towel resting on her burning forehead. The repercussions of ignoring her body’s need to rest came to bite her back in the arse tenfold.

At least now, she remembered why “Heiress of the Mouse” sounded so familiar to her. Did Riddle know about who she was?

The sound of a swivel chair’s wheels rolling against the floor drew Minako’s attention to the side of her bed. Dr. Radcliffe was sitting on it as she greeted her with a warm and gentle smile.

“Welcome back to the waking world, Ms. Nezumi.”

“What day is it?” was Minako’s immediate question. She had a weak perception of time whenever she had a fever.

“You’ve only been out for a few hours.” said Ace who was sitting on the other side of the bed with Deuce and Grim. Their expressions varied from worried to somewhat lax.

If Minako had a galleon for every time she went through this scenario in an infirmary after a harrowing battle with a blot monster, she would have two galleons. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

“Your temperature was alarmingly high when I got here. How are you feeling?” Radcliffe plucked the towel from Minako’s head to dip it into a bowl of water and wring it out.

“I feel… meh.” Just meh. Minako’s brain was too muddled to find the right words to describe how awful she felt.

Wait, if Dr. Radcliffe is here, then Crewel must be nearby. Minako paled and swallowed.

“I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU, DIRE! I KNEW YOU WERE A DOLT, BUT I THOUGHT YOU’D AT LEAST HAVE THE BRAINS TO NOT LET HER GO NEAR AN OVERBLOTTED STUDENT!” Right on cue, Crewel was screaming his head off outside the room. The door muffled a portion of the noise, but whatever was being said was still largely coherent.

“Divus— Ack!” A voice that was evidently Crowley’s voice gave off the impression that he was being strangled. “Divus… I swear! She was being stubborn, and I had to— had to save everyone else!”

Radcliffe sighed and shook her head. “I hope he doesn’t get fired over this. I’m surprised it took him this long to finally take it out on the Headmaster.”

“He was hiding from him. Professor Crewel heard about the incident as soon as it was over, and he was asking around where the Headmaster was,” said Deuce.

Ace snickered. “We were coming back from cleaning up the gardens, and the Headmaster just climbed up the apple tree in the courtyard. Crewel eventually found him and chased him around.”

Grim cackled and Radcliffe chewed on her lip in an attempt to hide a not-so-discreet smile. While Minako felt partly guilty for being the cause of Crowley’s misfortune, she was unable to back a snort before hers and everyone else’s laughter rang across the room.

“So, are you and Crewel related or something?” Minako wiped a mirthful tear from her eye, coming down from her high of laughter.

Radcliffe was letting out her last few chuckles and replied, “He’s my big brother.”

“What? No way!” Grim’s jaw dropped.

“You two don’t look anything alike,” Ace pointed out.

“Let alone act alike,” Deuce dryly added.

“We get that a lot. I take after our father and Divus takes after our mother. Our parents were two completely different people.” The doctor shrugged. Then she asked Minako, “Was it obvious to you that we’re family?”

“I have siblings too. The dynamic is familiar to me,” Minako told her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that they all somehow heard amongst the cacophony.

“Hey, are you decent?” a voice called out that was loud enough to be heard despite the noise.

“Oh, it’s Cater. Come in!” Minako said, sitting up on the bed. She recognized his voice anywhere.

The volume of Crewel and Crowley’s scream-fest only amplified as the door was being opened. Cater poked his head through the door with a nervous and tight smile likely as a result of witnessing Crewel’s wrath being directed at someone else.

“I brought Riddle and Trey,” he said, looking a bit jumpy and eager to get away from the argument.

“Come inside. Hurry up.” Radcliffe beckoned them in.

Grim curled up against Minako on the bed as the three new visitors filed into the room. “Is it a good idea to let Riddle in too?”

“I heard that,” Riddle sharply shot back at him. He took a spot on the two-seater sofa across the bed with Cater, while Trey leaned against the wall when he found that there were no places to sit left.

“It’s alright. He needs to hear what I have to say,” Minako said. She swallowed the lump in her throat, finally feeling the pressure of telling the truth weigh down on her.

The door opened abruptly with Crewel’s hand on the knob. It slammed into the wall behind it and shook the room, which startled Minako. The only thing preventing it from smashing into the decorative paintings was the door stopper. Crowley stood behind the alchemy professor, looking wilted. His tie and waistcoat were askew possibly from being yanked left and right.

“How many times have I told you to not open doors like that?” Radcliffe looked annoyed with her brother. Despite being the younger sibling, she was sounding a lot more like an older sister scolding her brother.

“If there is no one behind the door, then I’ve done no harm,” Crewel said calmly as he fluffed his fur coat. He held himself in a collected fashion as if he hadn’t been screeching his head off out in the hallway just a minute ago.

Crowley composed himself by fixing his outfit and clearing his throat. “How are you feeling, Ms. Nezumi? You gave us quite a scare earlier.”

“I’m much better now. I feel a little too warm though.” Minako grabbed the damp towel from the table and dabbed it against her neck.

“There’s not a single speck of blot in her system at the moment, but her fever is still high,” said Radcliffe.

Crewel’s hooded eyes narrowed even more. “Puppy, you should have said something earlier. I had a sneaking suspicion as to why you were out of it in class this morning.”

Minako squeaked and sank back. She felt like she was being scolded by her seniors in the Slytherin Common Room again.

“Now, now. Let’s not scare her too much. We’re all well aware about what happens if we feed her negativity,” Crowley chided.

“They don’t know yet.” With her lips, Minako pointed over to where Riddle, Trey and Cater were. “I think it’s time they know.”

“You’re going to tell them?” It seemed that Crewel didn’t want her to.

“They already saw what happened to me. All of Heartslabyul did.” All because Minako was reckless and stupid. What was she thinking letting the insults get to her like that?

“We might as well come clean,” Deuce sighed.

“No point in hiding it anymore,” said Grim.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should be blabbing about this to anyone,” Crewel ordered everyone in the room. “Rosehearts, I want you to make sure that your dorm members don’t utter a word about what transpired today, especially about Ms. Nezumi. What happens in Heartslabyul stays in Heartslabyul.”

“Yes, sir.” Riddle nodded, his grey eyes looking sincere and determined.

“And tell them that if they do mention this to anyone outside their dorm, their mouths will be personally sewn shut by yours truly.”

Everyone paled at that.

Radcliffe frowned. “That’s a step too far. Even our mother wouldn’t do something like that.”

“You don’t know that. She was always very private when it came to her past.”

What kind of family were they raised in? Minako wondered.

“Ahem,” Riddle interrupted. “If I may, we’re getting off-topic.”

“This conversation is about Minako’s sickness isn’t it?” Trey asked. Up until now, he had been silent.

Minako took a deep breath and quickly thought of what she should say. She’s explained her curse before to others, but it always had a way of making her stomach drop.

“It’s more than just a sickness, it’s a family curse. We’re I’m from, we call it a blood curse or a malediction.”

“Curse? Someone laid a curse on you?” Cater leaned forward with interest.

“We don’t know who or what cursed my family. All we know is that I’m currently the holder of the curse and that it’s not supposed to exist where I’m from.”

Riddle quirked a brow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Have you wondered why she can’t go home through the Mirror this whole time?” asked Ace.

Heartslabyul’s dorm head and his right-hand men shifted uncomfortably in their spots.

“There was an attempt to bring Ms. Nezumi home the night she appeared, but the Dark Mirror dubbed her home as nonexistent,” Crowley brought up the opening ceremony.

“Nonexistent?” Trey parroted.

“After a bit of research, the Headmaster and I came to the conclusion that I came from somewhere beyond this plane of existence,” Minako said. “As it turns out, I came from another world.”

There was silence that followed after the bomb had been dropped. Then came a loud…

“WHAT?!”

“Pipe down! This is an infirmary!” Crowley shushed the three Heartslabyul students.

Riddle, Trey, and Cater took a moment to calm down and take in what they had just heard.

“I’m sorry,” Riddle uttered out sheepishly much to Minako’s confusion. He bowed his head in shame. “I’ve been cross with you for the wrong reasons. This whole time I thought you were leeching off of the school’s benefits like a freeloader.”

“What?” Minako spluttered.

“She lives in a ratty dorm. Why would you think that she’s a freeloader?” Ace gave his dorm leader a dirty look.

“A ratty dorm that needs fixing. We’ll need to do that straight away, so that nobody gets sick or hurt again. Isn’t that right, Dire?” Crewel smiled malevolently as he squeezed Crowley’s shoulder a bit too hard for it to be considered friendly.

“Y-yes. I agree.” Crowley gulped in response.

“Um, sorry. Let’s get back to the alien world thing. What does this have to do with your curse?” asked Cater.

“I’m not an alien. I’m completely human,” Minako sighed. “Since I came to this world, I discovered that my curse is blot-based. Where I’m from, blot does not exist. We don’t have limits as to how much we can use our magic.”

“Which is unfair.” Ace crossed his arms and pouted.

“It’s not all that great. My magic tends to mess with technology, so my magical community is stuck somewhere in the Middle Ages. It would be nice though if there were more efforts to introduce them safely into the community.”

“Again, that must suck.” Cater blew a stray piece of hair out of his face.

“Wait. So if blot doesn’t exist in your world, why do you have this curse?” asked Trey.

Minako’s eyes landed on Crowley. “I have a theory.” She met the Headmaster’s gaze. “The Moseley brothers; I’m related to them aren’t I?”

She couldn’t see much of Crowley’s expressions under his mask nor could she pick up anything from his body language, but her gut told her that he knew something. He must have had a reason to give her that camera.

“Who?” Crewel blinked in his confusion. Everyone else seemingly had the same question on their minds judging by their expressions.

Crowley’s dark, painted lips turned up ever so slightly at her. “Smart as ever. I see that you’ve figured it out on your own.”

“I had help. One of Sam’s shadows showed me the book.”

Deuce was quick on the uptake. “Wait. Is this about those Hidden Mickeys you’ve been telling us about?”

“Hidden Mickeys?” Radcliffe spun her chair around to engage in the conversation. “Those are the obscure mouse-shaped symbols, right?”

“I’m more concerned as to how she knows about Sam’s shadows,” Crewel added.

“Unimportant right now,” Crowley dismissed. “See, I had a hunch about who Ms. Nezumi is when I discovered that the Moseley’s old ghost camera was becoming active once more.”

“Active?” Grim glanced at the nightstand where the Minako’s ghost camera and a stack of Polaroids sat. “Is that thing actually alive?”

“I don’t remember taking these photos.” Minako picked up the Polaroids and shuffled through them. She wasn’t too worried about how much film was left (if it uses film that is; it’s a magical camera), but the pictures of Riddle’s memories were concerning.

“That is the Moseley family’s special ghost camera, tied directly to the magic in their bloodline. It responded solely to blood relatives of their clan. And because of this, the camera was dormant for centuries after the family had been sadly… wiped ou— ohohohooo!” Crowley’s explanation died on the last few words when he broke into a sobbing fit. He blew his nose into a handkerchief. Knowing the Headmaster and his theatrics, Minako was unsure if his tears were genuine.

“Headmaster. Headmaster, please!” Riddle spoke over the sobbing to grab Crowley’s attention. “Who are the Moseleys? They sound important.”

Crowley had calmed down enough to tell the story. “The Moseleys were once an esteemed family of magicians responsible for many innovations that made our Twisted Wonderland what it is today. The head of the family, Michael Moseley, and his half-brother, Osvaldo Faustus,* were legendary. The Hidden Mickeys, as you know them, are a product of Michael Moseley’s magic.

So, I guess Mickey is Michael’s nickname, Minako thought.

“Hold the phone. If they were legendary, how come I’ve never heard of them?” Crewel asked shrewdly.

“Doesn’t ring a bell to me either,” said Trey. Everyone else, even Riddle, agreed.

Minako came to a quick conclusion, “History forgot about them, didn’t they?”

Crowley nodded sadly. “Shortly after the family was eliminated, there seemed to be a mysterious force that made people slowly forget about the Moseleys. The few who still remember them and pass down their stories to every generation struggle to keep their history alive. It seemed that their efforts were usually all for naught when most forget about the Moseley history only mere minutes after hearing about them.”

“I don’t think I’m going to forget this conversation any time soon!” Cater gaped at the Headmaster.

“Me neither.” Ace’s pupils grew to the size of saucers.

“Perhaps nobody will anymore now that Ms. Nezumi is here.” Crowley beamed, dabbing the tears of joy from his eyes—practically the opposite of his sorrowful mood earlier. “There were rumours that one of Mr. Moseley’s children survived and was sent away for her safety. Never in my years did I think that she was supposedly sent to another world!”

The Hidden Mickeys. The ghost camera. The name, Nezumi. Heiress of the Mouse. The mouse symbols that followed her everywhere contained memories. Fragments of hers and Riddle’s souls, maybe even others’.

“Alright, but that still doesn’t explain how the family was cursed,” said Trey.

“I might have an answer to that. I have an inkling that the curse might be directly related to the family’s tragic demise.” Crowley appeared downhearted once more. “It all began when the Moseley brothers were looking for a treatment to blot without getting rid of one’s magic entirely.”

The room went silent for a moment. Minako had noticed how uncomfortable Crewel and Radcliffe had become when they either huddled or crossed their arms over their chests.

Minako was the one who broke the silence. “I’ve read about that in my book. They were experimenting with a medicine called ‘Paint and Thinner,’ right?”

“Did your book tell you how they died?” asked Riddle.

“Someone or something ripped the pages out, so no. And they were pages that probably would have given me the most vital information no less!” Minako bemoaned at how lacking the book was when it came to expanding on the most important topics. Her fruitless searching and leafing through the pages made her smash her head against her desk out of sheer frustration.

“Worry not. I’m among the few that still remembers.” Crowley puffed up his chest with pride.

“Hey, how old are you really?” Grim tilted his head at him.

“How rude!”

Crewel cleared his throat in annoyance. “The story, get on with it, if you will.”

“Right, yes! Something had gone amiss as the Moseley brothers conducted their experiments with the cure. A monster had materialized in their laboratory, which killed the family and perhaps many others. You may recall that monster from the Dwarf’s Mine that you encountered in the beginning of the year or that similar monster that appeared when Mr. Rosehearts overblotted.”

Minako gasped and Riddle flinched in his seat. The Crewel siblings looked more and more anxious.

“What’s this about a monster in the mine?” Cater sat up in his seat.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.” Deuce paled.

“As I was saying,” Crowley interjected, “the monsters you saw are what we call phantoms or phantom blots made from the excess blot from the individual who overblotted.”

Ace was the next to raise a question. “Then if the phantoms are made out of one’s own blot, why did Riddle forcibly take Minako’s blot?”

“He what?!” Crewel bristled. Riddle visibly inched further away on the couch.

Minako ruminated on the phantoms for a moment. Both times she had faced a phantom blot, she felt fury and sorrow in an agonizingly physical way. It felt like the sun had died and there was no way to bring it back. It was like…

“We were linked together,” Minako suggested out loud. Everyone turned to look at her. She attempted to rationalize her claim, “I mean… my curse did react to both of the phantoms. Maybe I was carrying some of their build-up of blot.”

Radcliffe looked stumped. “Is that possible? Carrying someone else’s blot?”

“Well, with Ms. Nezumi’s otherworldly background, it could be.” The Headmaster shrugged.

“And the possibility of her inheriting two different magic systems could be connected to her affliction,” Crewel added. He sighed in exasperation and pushed his hair back. “Seven, this is stressful. I need a cigarette.”

“Chew on some gum. You need to find better stress relievers,” Radcliffe reprimanded him.

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m older.”

Seemingly, everyone but Minako and Crowley were bewildered at the interaction. Maybe it was their first time seeing Crewel acting less than professional. Well, as professional as he can get since he compares his students to the likeness of untrained pups. Perhaps Minako’s many interactions with her professor made it easy for her to see how similar the Crewel siblings were to her own relationship with her siblings, mainly her sister.

She missed her family terribly. Minako sank back into her bed, trying to not let her sadness show.

“So, the monster is some sort of ghost in a way? A phantom.” Minako said in an attempt to distract herself from the negative. “That makes a lot of sense now as to why my Patronus can clear blot.”

Crewel’s sleek brows shot up. “What do you mean?”

Riddle locked eyes with Minako. “That light you summoned has to be your Unique Magic, right?”

“Unique Magic? The Patronus Charm is a difficult spell, but it isn’t Unique Magic,” Minako told him. “We don’t have Unique Magic where I’m from.”

“What?” Cater’s eyes grew wide. “Not even one little spell that only one person can use?”

“Not that I know of. There’s a rare skill here and there, but nothing that everyone else can’t learn how to do, just like the Patronus charm.”

“That reminds me,” Deuce spoke up. “Ace and I know that you’ve been struggling with that spell for a while up until earlier today. If blot doesn’t exist in your world, then how did you know that using your Patronus would do the trick against overblot?”

“I’m getting to that,” Minako said. “Let me start by saying that ghosts have a thing against our light spells.”

Grim’s ears perked up. “Is that why the ghosts back at our dorm get scared every time you use Lumos?”

“It is.” Minako felt bad about it, but how else was she going to get lights when the current lightbulbs were garbage? “Lumos, though, is nothing compared to other light spells. The Patronus is a powerful charm that takes skill and happy memories, primarily used to protect ourselves from a type of wraith that sucks out your souls called Dementors.”

Everyone in the room shuddered at that.

“That’s horrifying.” Trey’s face turned almost as green as his hair.

“Fortunately, they’re usually confined to guarding a prison that’s in the middle of a sea, which is why it’s rare to see them wander off to a Muggle city where I live.”

Minako did her best to tell everyone the story about the family curse without choking up. She started with how the curse showed its first signs when she was eleven. Then she told them about the worst summer of her life that began with her parents’ death. Her overwhelming grief had ended up creating an inky Dementor out of her built-up blot as she was sleeping. It was only with her sister’s Patronus did it go away.

Minako had meant to distract herself from her heartache, but she only managed to make it worse.

Reaching for her wand on the nightstand once she felt the curse marks sting her skin again, she calmed her nerves and said the words: “Expecto Patronum.” Then a mouse that was so very small materialized from the light of her wand and began scampering in the air. Four years ago, she wasn’t able to do something like this.

There were gasps, oohs, and ahhs. Some people’s eyes were filled with childlike wonder and amazement.

“Your eyes! They’ve changed!” Riddle pointed out.

“Yeah, they’ve being doing that lately,” Minako said. She relaxed when she felt the stings on her skin immediately disappear. “Depending on who you are, the Patronus will take shape based on a creature that best suits the caster. It could be anything from a mouse to a dragon.”

“I want a dragon Patronus!” Grim exclaimed.

“It’s so small. I can’t believe that thing defeated an overblot!” Cater gaped.

“I don’t suppose you know anyone that has a dog Patronus, do you?” Crewel’s eyes sparkled with glee.

“My sister. In fact, her Patronus looks like our late dog,” Minako said with a nostalgic smile.

“Then I’d like to meet this sister of yours some day.”

They spent the next hour going over any other questions they had on their minds. Some were answered, some not. By the time they were done, the sun had already gone down. Radcliffe had to shoo everyone but Grim out of the room so that Minako could rest. The two Mugglesworth students would be staying here for a while with the promise of a clean, refurbished dorm.

With that, Minako closed her eyes while her precious mouse of light made circles above her head.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Riddle ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

The restoration of the Rose Maze didn’t take much longer than a few days. Its immaculate, rosy glory called for another Unbirthday Party held just a week shy of Trappola’s birthday. Riddle, after all, owed it to his dorm for all the grief he’s given them. And he owed it to the Mugglesworth dorm leader too for all the pain she’s been put through.

Riddle did as Professor Crewel ordered him too and that was to make sure that his dorm members did not utter a word about Minako’s curse. Long overdue apologies were made a few nights ago when he gathered everyone into the courtroom and even so, there were a few who haven’t forgiven him. Some had even demanded to switch dorms.

Riddle resisted the urge to fall back into that belligerent, punishing conduct that he was used to. Old habits die hard. As calmly as he could, he announced that Minako’s condition should not be mentioned outside the walls of Heartslabyul.

“This goes to anyone who intends to switch dorms as well. Buy your freedom with your silence,” Riddle demanded in the courtroom that night. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee that one or two might not slip up. At this point, he wished to have a few NDAs at hand, but he figured that the severity of his reputation might be convincing enough.

It was ten to three in the afternoon right now, just ten minutes before the renewed Unbirthday Party. Riddle made some final adjustments to his pristine, perfect suit before he headed to the Tea Garden with his sceptre in hand. The vast array of sweets and tea must be set up nicely by now including his own homemade strawberry tart. His first time making a tart was satisfactory Riddle supposed, but there was an odd brownish colour in the pastry cream which he normally didn’t see in Trey’s tarts. Did he use too much of the special ingredient? He hoped that it still tasted alright despite that.

“The hedgehogs are still missing?” From afar Riddle could hear a conversation among two of his dorm members just outside the entrance to the Tea Garden.

“Slippery little demons. That girl went to find them in the Rose Maze.”

“By herself? Wouldn’t she get lost?”

Riddle was no fool. He knew that they were talking about Minako. He let out an exasperated sigh. The hedgehogs were missing and so was the guest of honour. It was a good thing that he knew the Rose Maze like the back of his hand.

The expanse of the Rose Maze took up more than half of Heartslabyul’s terrain with hedges that made twists. It could make someone go as mad as the land that the Queen of Hearts had sovereign over. Almost every nook and cranny was choked with rose trees all with white roses so that they may be painted for different occasions. It was a place that even the Queen of Hearts would be proud of, and it made Riddle feel a tad melancholic at his admittance that there were things that he preferred that she did not.

Riddle was far enough within the maze for most people to get lost when he made a sharp turn and at last spied Minako crouching in front of a pair of trees. Rather than the Heartslabyul dorm outfit, she donned a blue frock and a white pinafore apron. Next to her feet lay a basket of multicoloured hedgehogs that she managed to retrieve. Her back was turned to him and her arm was outstretched to something hidden in the shrubs.

“Come here, come here.” In Minako’s hand, she seemed to be holding out a morsel of dried insects.

A pink hedgehog shyly poked its head out of the greenery, its nose twitching at the scent of food. While seemingly hesitant at its first few steps, it quickly scampered up to Minako’s hand and dove in to indulge in the treats.

“Good hedgehog. Now, get in the basket— oh!” Unexpectedly, the hedgehog scurried up Minako’s arm before nestling itself on her shoulder. “That tickles!”

Truth be told, Riddle hadn’t really seen Minako much in the past few days as she was stuck in the private infirmary nursing a fever. With the heavy information that the Headmaster had laid out about the Moseleys and an otherworldly curse, Riddle hadn’t realized that he barely made any actual deserved apologies until hours after he left the room. Awfully out of character for him to forget something like that. Suddenly remembering that fact made him shoot up from his bed and immediately rush over to his desk to write down a formal apology. His chamber floor, usually so spick and span, became littered with wads of papers after a long night of finding the right words to say.

Riddle’s mind kept going back to the handwritten words on the stationery paper. Maybe he should have gone over it one more time before he decided to head out.

His second thoughts were soon cut short for Minako had already caught on to his presence. She pivoted on her heels to face him. Her magic camera that hung from her neck swung a little as she did. “Riddle?”

“Minako?!” Riddle jolted in surprise. Her name on his lips still felt foreign to him. He cleared his throat and composed himself before he calmly approached her. “I heard from the others that you went to go find the hedgehogs.”

“I did. Seven of them escaped, but they’re all here safe and sound.” Minako picked up the basket, presenting to him the six other hedgehogs laid on a white cloth. The last and seventh hedgehog remained perched on her shoulder, snuggling against her hair.

“Did you go to find them by yourself? In the Rose Maze?”

“It was no problem. Everyone else was busy.”

“What if you got lost?”

Minako reached into one of the hidden pockets of her frock and pulled out her infamous ebony wand. “I promised to send them a signal once I was done.” Then she put it away. “How are you feeling? You know? After your overblot? I never got to ask you that a few days ago.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Riddle replied, not daring to make himself look vulnerable again. “And you?”

“All good.” Minako gave him a thumbs up. “Unfortunately, my dorm is being renovated, so my stay in the private infirmary will be extended.”

“I see. Well, if you’re done gathering the hedgehogs, then I suppose that I’ll be the one guiding you out of the maze.” Riddle bent his free arm at the elbow and offered it to her.

Minako took a step back, seemingly caught off guard. The hesitance didn’t at all surprise Riddle when their relationship was mostly hostile up until the overblot incident.

“That’s kind of you. Thanks.” Minako appreciatively slipped her hand into the crook of his arm anyway. She checked and double-checked that every hedgehog was securely obtained in the basket and on her shoulder right before they headed off.

“Next time, don’t wander off into the Rose Maze on your own without a companion from Heartslabyul. Since you’re not familiar with this place, it’s easy to get lost here,” Riddle cautioned her.

“Right, sorry,” Minako said sheepishly. “I tend to get ahead of myself when it comes to animals and magical creatures alike.”

Riddle did hear from Cater that she was fond of animals, hence she was against playing croquet using the flamingos and hedgehogs.

“Did the hedgehogs give you trouble?” he asked.

“Oh no. They were such dearies that I could almost say that they practically brought themselves over to me. Almost.” Minako beamed, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Riddle looked down at the hedgehogs that were languidly resting in the basket. They seemed so docile and compliant, especially the pink one riding on Minako’s shoulder.

“The hedgehogs usually don’t take to new people very quickly, and they have a penchant for mischief too,” said Riddle. “But if they listened to you that easily then perhaps the Dean was right when he said that you are a talented beast tamer.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m studying to become a Magizoologist, and it’s an essential part of the job to be good with animals.”

“Magizoo… what?” Riddle quirked a brow.

“A Magizoologist,” Minako corrected him. “A witch or wizard who has a job in studying and caring for magical creatures.”

That explained why she could handle the hedgehogs so well. Magical creatures, big and small, were a lot harder to handle than regular animals.

Wait, this isn’t about animals. He came looking for her for another reason.

“I’m sorry,” Riddle blurted out.

Minako’s head snapped up to look at him. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Riddle repeated. “How I’ve treated you was atrocious. I’ve been nothing but antagonistic towards you, I’ve made cruel assumptions about your family, and even physically harmed you in my rampage. Even after all that, you still had the decency to save me.”

“You weren’t really in control of yourself when you overblotted. And I had the cure, so I had to help. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t.”

“You could have used your newly awakened magical ability to save yourself, but instead you used it on me.”

“Trust me, I did us both a favour by aiming for you,” Minako excused. “And I did absorb some of my Patronus’ healing properties, just not as much as you did.”

“You still wound up getting sicker in the end.” Riddle suppressed a gag remembering how she puked out the leftover remains of blot.

He hadn’t told this to anyone, not even to Trey, but the memories of his overblot had come rushing back to him a couple of nights ago. Flashes of mahogany skies and screams of terror haunted his dreams. What was worse was that one image that he remembered so vividly was having Minako struggling in his grasp as the wounds of her curse festered with ink and dark energy. He recalled how good it felt at the time to feel her magic right in his hands. She was overflowing with rich power, and that was all it took for Riddle to push aside any rational thought he had left in favour of absorbing the magic that her curse provided.

The possibility of Minako inheriting two magic systems was becoming more and more true by the day. Her power was a thing to be coveted indeed. It should never fall into the wrong hands.

They were silent for a moment as they walked. It wasn’t until they made another turn that Riddle broke the silence again.

“What were your parents like?”

“Huh?” Again, Minako was surprised.

“I’ve made some unfair assumptions about your family and your upbringing. I think it's only fair that I know what they’re actually like.”

“Uh…” Minako looked reluctant.

“Well, I mean, if you’re comfortable sharing that.” Riddle didn’t mean to sound like he was prying. How everyone else’s childhood was like never really piqued his interest until he was confronted with his mother’s actions. He knew that neither Trey nor Che’nya were brought up in the same way as he was and yet, they seemed quite content with their lives.

Then Riddle suddenly remembered the two coffins and a young Minako running away from the gloomy scene of a burial.

“Perhaps that was insensitive of me to ask,” Riddle said sheepishly. “Again, I apologize.”

“No, no, I get it. You’re curious, right?” Minako reassured him. “I don’t mind talking about my parents. I’d actually like to.”

Riddle blinked at her. “Really?”

“Really.” Minako gave him a warm smile, her brown eyes twinkling. “Who do you want to start with?”

“Your mother.” Obviously.

“My mother, huh?” Minako pondered on that for a moment, still smiling. “If I were to describe her with one word, I’d say that she was fearless. She never seemed to be afraid of anyone or anything. Even though she’s a Muggle, she’d never let a single witch or wizard push us around.”

“Muggle?” A new word that Riddle has never heard of.

“That is, a magicless human. We have different terms for different blood classes. My siblings and I are Muggle-borns, meaning that we’re magical but both of our parents are magicless.”

With terms like that, Riddle inferred that the social divide among mages might be bigger in Minako’s world than here. He had to ask about that another time.

Riddle led her down another curved path in the maze. “And your father? What was he like?”

“Gentle and intelligent, I would say. Whenever I think of him, I think of warm hugs and adventures in the woods.”

Riddle can’t say much about his own father. His relationship with him was rather distant.

Minako leaned closer to him. “Sorry, is all of this bringing you down?”

“I was the one who asked about your parents. I only have myself to blame.”

“Hey.” Minako gave his arm a slight squeeze. “Families don’t always have to be the people you’re related to. The friends who’ve been there for you count as family.”

My friends? Trey, Che’nya, Cater… What a saccharine thing to say.

Riddle could almost laugh. “Do you realize how nauseating your words sounded just now? That isn’t what Night Raven students would normally say.”

“You say that my words are nauseating, and yet you’re the one who’s smiling.”

“This isn’t a smile. This is a smirk because of how naive you are.”

“Nuh-uh! That’s a bona fide smile!”

Riddle only turned his head away in defiance. He’ll admit that he was smiling, but he won’t give Minako the satisfaction of confirming it. His gaze ever so slightly shifted down to Minako’s face. There was a natural rosy hue to her cheeks that he hadn’t noticed before. Perhaps it was because he was used to seeing her face becoming white with fear or sickness. Her hair was done up neatly too with baby blue ribbons and a headband to match her frock. And was she wearing lip gloss?

She looked rather pretty.

Riddle shook the thought out of his head immediately and moved on. “Oh look, the exit is just over there.”

Minako immediately let the previous topic go and looked ahead. “Oh, so it is. What time is it, anyway? I hope we aren’t too late.”

Rats. I forgot about that. Riddle checked the time on his watch that was tucked away under his sleeve.

Two fifty-seven. Three minutes before the Unbirthday Party begins.

“I guess we will have to walk in together,” Riddle said as they finally left the maze and headed towards the Tea Garden. He then quickly corrected himself, “as friends, I mean. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What else would we look like other than friends?” Minako raised a brow at him, genuinely confused.

Riddle connected the dots. She’s dense as a brick wall.

He wasn’t blind to the many boys who have taken an interest in Minako. Many of his own dorm members expressed their own interest in her through hushed whispers, and it only became louder and more frequent in the aftermath of his overblot. Riddle predicted that as soon as she entered the Tea Garden, she would be bombarded with an onslaught of boys kissing up to her in whatever way possible. He could only hope that his dorm members would have the decency to behave themselves for their own sake and Minako’s.

A girl at an all-boys school can be a dangerous situation.

“Minako, listen to me.” Riddle’s face turned serious as they stopped just by the Tea Garden’s entrance. “Don’t hesitate at all to call for my help if you’re being harassed, especially if the perpetrators are from my own dorm. Don’t hesitate to get help from Trey or Cater either.”

“Where’s this coming from? And I thought that looking out for others wasn’t the Night Raven way.”

“It’s true that we’re not the most dogmatic individuals, but as a dorm leader and your senior, I still have an example to set. You’re an honorary member of Heartslabyul now. Don’t forget that.”

Minako placed her hand over her heart and her cheeks grew pinker. “I don’t know what to say.”

Riddle straightened his posture. “Look alive and compose yourself. The party is about to begin.”

The double doors opened with a click, and they walked in with their arms still linked. The familiar sound of the heralding trumpet rang across the garden.

“All rise for his majesty! The Crimson Queen! Dorm Leader Riddle!”

“Dorm Leader Riddle, hip, hip, hooray!”

Riddle smiled to himself and observed the area. As tradition goes, he recited his list out loud. “The roses are scarlet red, and the tablecloths are a pristine white. Truly, a perfect Unbirthday Party. Is there a mouse sleeping in the teapo— I suppose that doesn’t really matter.”

Trey stood by right next to him with a friendly smile as usual. “Change is nice every once in a while, but not everything has to change right away. Try spreading some jam on the scones instead of the dormouse’s nose this time.”

Scones and strawberry jam sounded delicious right now.

“Think of change as ‘it would be nice to have’ rather than ‘it’s hopeless without it,’” Minako suggested as she handed the basket of hedgehogs off to someone else.

“I guess that notion does sound nice.” Riddle resisted the urge to laugh when Minako struggled to pry the pink hedgehog from her shoulder.

“Mini-chan! Thanks for getting the hedgehogs back. What would we do without your beast taming skills?” Cater made his presence known and stood close to Minako. Seeing as he was the most shameless flirt towards her, he must have grown protective of Minako when the number of her admirers increased.

“I think my skills worked a little too well.” Minako tried removing the hedgehog again. Its grip was surprisingly strong, but then she finally wins the tug-a-war and detached the hedgehog’s paws from her apron.

Riddle frowned and folded his arms over his chest. “Next time, don’t send her off to the Rose Maze on her own. You’re lucky that I went to go find her when I heard that she went to collect the hedgehogs.”

“I wasn’t in any real trouble. I told you that I’d send a signal,” Minako told him.

“Yada, yada, yada. Are we going to eat or what?” Grim shouted impatiently from his table with Trappola and Spade before Minako reprimanded him for being rude.

Cater bounced on his feet. “Ok! Let’s get this party started—”

“Hold on a minute.” Riddle spied something off colour among the bushes. “Those roses are still white.”

A collective gasp came from everyone at the party.

“What? We missed a few?” Ace became white as a sheet.

Cater began fumbling for the right words. “A-Ace, Deuce, I thought you said you painted them all!”

“You’re blaming us?” Deuce exclaimed.

“R-Riddle, we can explain…” Trey was stumbling for an excuse himself.

Minako looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please, let this slide!”

“Pfft.” Riddle couldn’t hold it anymore. Got them. He found himself smiling. “Just kidding. One or two missed roses doesn’t warrant a harsh punishment.”

Then a sigh of relief swept through the garden.

“Riddle, that’s so kind of you!” Cater beamed at him.

“We can get those roses done in no time if we did it together,” Riddle quickly added. This was an Unbirthday Party after all. Unbirthdays called for red roses.

“So, he still wants us to paint them.” Ace’s shoulders drooped.

“Still, it’s a good step forward. I’m proud of you, Riddle.” Trey patted Riddle affectionately on the shoulder. “By the way, when was the last time you painted the roses?”

“Can’t say that I remember.” Riddle shrugged. It had been a long time. Painting the roses was usually not the dorm leader’s job.

“Let’s get painting then! I want to start eating soon!” said Grim. Impatient little cat.

“I can take care of those roses for you instead.” Minako deftly twirled her wand in her hand and pointed it towards the unpainted roses. She murmured a spell in a language that Riddle did not understand, and in an instant, the white roses became a vibrant red.

Now, it was an Unbirthday Party.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Minako ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Heartslabyul’s garden looked so much grander and more beautiful than it was before. Maybe it was the new atmosphere that made it look and feel different. Anyway, it felt so good to be out of that infirmary for some fresh air, especially when it was beginning to feel like her lonely one-person dorm in the Slytherin Common Room.

Just as Minako went to grab a biscuit from a platter, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her. She turned and found Ace staring her down with a pout that was further accentuated by resting his cheek on his fist.

“So, why were you and the dorm leader holding hands when you came in?” Ace sounded irked at her.

“He helped me out of the Rose Maze. You know that,” Minako replied.

“Yeah, but did you really have to hold on to him? You didn’t trip and get hurt, did you?”

“No, I did not.” Now, Minako was the one feeling irked. She held hands with her friends all the time. What was the big deal?

“Ignore him,” Deuce inserted himself into the conversation. “Ace is just pissed because everyone kept asking us if you were single.”

Minako’s annoyance left her altogether in place of confusion. “Why would they want to know if I was single?”

Ace snorted humorlessly. “So smart, yet so dumb.”

Minako scowled, crossed her arms, and jerked her head away with her signature, “Hmph!” Ace sure picked a bad time to be a complete arse today.

“Riddle, what do you think of the outfit that I picked out for Minako?” Cater suddenly brought up.

Riddle’s head snapped up from his teacup to take a good look at Minako. “It’s nice. I think it suits her.”

“Doesn’t it?” Cater was all smiles. “I thought that it was fitting that she would be our Alice for the day since she is from another world and our guest of honour.”

“The card symbols on her apron are a nice touch,” Riddle commented.

“You really get my style, Cater. It’s a cute frock,” Minako added. Although, she will admit that the large petticoat made it a little difficult for her to sit down.

As the party continued, Minako found herself being a tad overwhelmed by the politeness of the Heartslabyul students. Despite how often it was emphasized that NRC students weren’t the nicest lot, it seemed that the Victorian era manners of when Alice in Wonderland was written still ingrained themselves within the boys all around her. Left and right came several offers of tea and homemade sweets that she received. It became too much that she didn’t know when to find room to ask them all to stop. Thankfully, Riddle was the one to scold them all to back away.

“Great Seven, it’s started.” Riddle pinched his brow.

“What’s started?” Minako downed her third helping of Earl Grey tea with extra milk and sugar.

Riddle simply sent her a sly smile and said, “Oh, nothing.”

Minako frowned. It seemed that her new friends had some similarities to her friends back at home—always leaving her clueless whenever she didn’t get something. She usually ended up feeling like the baby of the group.

Riddle picked up a pumpkin-shaped pastry and observed it before taking a small bite from it. “Interesting pastry. Is this a new recipe of yours, Trey?”

“Nope, those are Minako’s,” Trey said.

“They’re called pumpkin pasties. They sell them all the time during the train ride on the way to my other school.” Minako took a pasty for herself. “It’s a good thing Sam had just started to sell some pumpkins.”

“They’re great with hot cocoa!” Grim could attest to that since he almost raided her stash after getting a taste of three of her pasties from the batch she baked.

“It’s sweet enough, and it has a pleasant spice to it,” Riddle’s compliment made Minako’s cheeks heat up.

“Fall is fast approaching, so these are perfect for the season,” said Trey.

“Speaking of treats, what about that tart you promised, dorm leader?” Ace drawled.

“I-I baked it all by myself like we promised.” Riddle dragged over a cake stand to the centre of the table with a rather decent-looking tart sitting on top of it.

What’s going on with the colour of the cream? Minako thought.

Trey observed the tart himself. “Not bad. The circular shape could use some work, but you made good use of the nappage and really made the strawberries shine.”

“Let’s see if it tastes as good as it looks before you start doting on him again,” Ace countered playfully.

“Hold that knife! We need to immortalize this first on Magicam.” Cater snapped two pictures of the tart. After the quick photoshoot, the tart was divided equally among them.

“Let’s dig in already!” Grim stabbed his fork right through the strawberries and all the way to the bottom crust of his slice.

Everyone did the same and so did Minako. But before Minako could shove her fork into her mouth, her very sensitive nose (fostered by being a master at potions, and therefore gaining the ability of identifying different ingredients by their smell) picked up a briny scent from the pastry cream. Nobody but her had picked up on it for they had already gotten a taste of their own tart slices much to their regret.

“What the…” Ace froze.

Trey dropped his fork, and it clattered on his plate. “It’s so…”

“SALTY!”

“What?!” Riddle squawked, looking down at his own piece of the tart in shock.

“Ugh! Ack! Did you— did you put an entire salt lick in this thing?” Ace coughed.

“I did everything by the book! Not a single one of the measurements was incorrect!” Riddle protested before his expression faltered at some kind of realization. “Unless… ah! Did I put too much oyster sauce in it?”

Oh, that explained everything.

Deuce chugged down a glass of water, sputtering a little before speaking. “Are you talking about Trey’s joke about the walrus brand oyster sauce?”

“Joke? But Trey said that oyster sauce is the secret ingredient of all famous bakers for making tarts!”

“And you actually believed that?” Ace threw away the napkin he had been using to scrub the taste off of his tongue.

“You fell for it too, Ace. It was clear that he was pulling your pisser,” Minako rebuffed him. She began pressing the cream of her slice of the tart into a paste with her fork, unsure what to do with a bad-tasting tart. She hated wasting food, but she also hated eating bad food. Decisions, decisions.

“Maybe just a teaspoon wouldn’t make much of a difference in the taste. Just how much oyster sauce did you add?” asked Cater.

Riddle turned red with embarrassment. “It wasn’t a part of the recipe, so I couldn’t find any set measurements for it.”

“You used the entire bottle, didn’t you?” Minako deadpanned. After coming to a conclusion about what to do about this tart, she decided that it wasn’t worth eating it at all even for frugality’s sake. Maybe she can use it to make a compost for a vegetable garden.

“Oh, my stomach hurts!” Trey wiped away a mirthful tear from his eye as a result of his uncontrollable laughter. “I can’t believe you actually fell for it!”

Rather than getting angry, Riddle began laughing along with him. He actually looked adorable when he smiled. “It is quite funny. Silly me.”

“It’s so awful, but I can’t stop smiling,” Deuce chuckled. Ace was next to join in on the laughter.

Grim took another bite of the tart and experimentally smacked his lips. “It’s not that bad once you get used to the taste.”

“Says the one who ate another black rock while we were cleaning the Rose Maze,” Ace retorted.

“What?” Minako went rigid. “Grim ate another what?”

“Shut up, Ace!” Grim screeched, but it was too late. The information had already passed Minako’s ears and from the look of Grim’s bristling fur, she knew that he was guilty.

“You know, Grim’s right.” Cater unknowingly defused the situation. Much to everyone’s surprise, he put a forkful of the salty tart in his mouth. “It’s an acquired taste, but this tart isn’t half bad.”

“You’re kidding, right? You know that Grim just eats things he finds on the ground.” Deuce looked at Cater as if he grew another head.

“Listen, it doesn’t taste amazing. It’s just not all that bad.”

“It’s okay to you because you’re not a big fan of sweets,” Trey pointed out.

Cater froze in his seat at that statement.

“It’s alright, Cater. I know you hate sweet things,” Trey told him bluntly.

Minako recalled their baking session that happened a week ago. Cater only really ate the crust part of the mont blanc up until Trey’s Doodle Suit masked the taste.

Cater’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “You got me. What gave it away? I’ve never told anyone about that.”

“You keep casually bringing up my Doodle Suit whenever we have sweets just so you could get me to change the flavour to a savoury dish. You kept it hidden well enough, though.”

“I’ve been exposed! So embarrassing.” Cater dramatically feigned dismay. “You know, Trey, you should know by now that keeping quiet when you know something is wrong isn’t that great of a habit.”

Trey laughed. “I’ll make you a quiche for the next Unbirthday Party. Sound good?”

“Yes! Just make sure it looks as photogenic as your tarts and cakes.”

There was a light-hearted hum coming from above as Minako munched on a biscuit. Although she may have only met him once, the mischievous lilt in the tune was almost unmistakable. Minako was correct on her assumptions when Che’nya’s bodyless head materialized next to their table. His invisible hand made it look like a biscuit had floated up to his mouth to take a bite out of it.

“Mm! Your sweets are as purr-fect as ever, Trey.” Che’nya happily plucked another sweet from the plate as the rest of his body appeared.

“Hi Che’nya,” Minako greeted him politely.

“Hello, purr-tty mouse.”

“Che’nya! What are you doing here?” Riddle stood up from his seat. Minako had almost forgotten that he and Trey knew Che’nya since they were children.

“To celebrate a very Merry Unbirthday with you all, of course!”

“This is a Heartslabyul tradition. My dorm members might get hostile once they see you.”

Hostile? Is the rest of Heartslabyul just as strict on who gets to come to their Unbirthday Party?

“What about those two then?” Che’nya pointed over to Minako and Grim.

“You’re that hocus pocus cat-boy with all those cat puns!” Grim pointed a paw at him back. “You never even told us which dorm you’re from.”

“Che’nya doesn’t even attend Night Raven College,” said Trey. “He’s from the rival school, Royal Sword Academy.”

Minako stopped and dropped a biscuit in shock. Something about that name sounded familiar, and she didn’t know why.

“You’re kidding right?!” Deuce gaped.

“Freaking Royal Sword Academy?! The one with those flowery princes?” Ace added.

“Princes?” Minako muttered. So, Royal Sword Academy was the heroic antithesis of the villainous Night Raven College? She imagined handsome boys sitting up high on mighty steeds and swords sheathed at their hips—quintessential fairy tale princes.

“Did someone say Royal Sword Academy?” One of the students from a far off table was within earshot of the conversation.

“He’s one of those perfume posies?!” Another student stood up so quickly in his rage that his teacup spilled and stained the tablecloth in brown.

“Let’s get him! We’ll give him what for!”

“Oopsies! Time for meow to go. I’ve already had my fill!” Che’nya didn’t miss a beat, keeping up his cheeky front even when he was about to be ambushed. All at once, his body vanished into thin air, his humming becoming more and more distant as he left.

The riled up students were far too late to even catch up to him. Like chickens, their heads turned left and right trying to find any signs of that grinning Cheshire Cat even after he had disappeared.

“Damn it! He’s gone!”

“He could still be here! Don’t let him get away!”

With that, the party had become a few students short when the boys ran out of the Tea Garden.

“Sheesh! They sure have it out for him,” Grim said.

“To most of NRC, RSA is our prime enemy. Night Raven’s students tend to fly into a frenzy at any mention of Royal Sword Academy.” Riddle sounded vexed with how his dorm members just up and left the party.

Trey looked just as exasperated but somewhat understanding. “After a whole century straight of losing to them, how can anyone be surprised?”

An entire century?! That would piss Minako off for sure if she went up against her own rivals.

“Aw come on! No more sad talk. This is supposed to be a fun time,” Cater soothed. His smile was so infectious that not even Riddle or Trey could resist grinning from ear-to-ear.

“Alright! I’m going to eat until my tummy blows up!” Grim dove in for a large slice of cake.

Minako relaxed and leaned back in her chair. Her first two weeks in Twisted Wonderland were fraught with constant stress that it nearly made her turn grey. Not to mention how the new revelations of her ancestry made her lose so many hours of sleep just by thinking about it. She was never a party person, but the Unbirthday Party was exactly what she needed right now.

Royal Sword Academy. Where have I heard that before? An intrusive thought crossed Minako’s mind. She quickly shook the thought away and helped herself to another pumpkin pasty. She should be relaxing right now.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Flor ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

This was her fourth cup of coffee today. Flordeliza, or Flor as she prefers, didn’t normally fall back onto an unhealthy amount of caffeine, but she hadn’t been sleeping too well in since the school year began. As a creature of habit, she had yet to get used to her little sister going away to a new school in a different world for Merlin’s sake!

Flor found herself wandering around the house, empty cup in hand. She stopped below the attic door that was riddled with black marks of the family curse whenever traces of its destructive power would seep through the many protective charms that were cast on it. She pulled down the string, and the ladder glided open like a tongue hanging from its mouth.

Minako was not here at the moment to accidentally unleash the curse on her, so it was safe to step inside her room for a bit.

Flor climbed up the steps and took a small peak. Everything was kept the same as it was since Minako left. It was neat and tidy but missing half of her valuables because she had taken them with her to that new school. Then her eyes landed on the ornate mirror hanging on the wall.

Who would have guessed that the family heirloom was a gateway to another world? A world that had answers to the family curse. Flor had half a mind to go there herself to accompany Minako, but she had a wife to take care of and a promise to keep that she would not baby her sister too much.

She gave the mirror one more tentative glance, and she stepped down the ladder. Any more time spent there, she might just lose it and jump in to find Minako.

Headmaster Ambrose, please take care of her.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Bonus; earlier in the private infirmary:

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Notes:

*Osvaldo Faustus—Twisted from Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey's predecessor and brother according to the Epic Mickey lore. The surname Faustus means "fortunate" or "lucky." Michael and Osvaldo have the same father but have different mothers, and out of respect, they prefer to use their mothers' surnames. However, the public often refers to them as the Moseley brothers because Michael is more famous or the D'Isigny brothers, which is their father's surname.

Heartslabyul arc is finally over! Next will be just a brief intermission before we head off to the Savanaclaw arc. On another note, I can't wait to write more scenes with Riddle and Minako. I honestly love the mentor and mentee dynamic that they have right now with a slight romantic tension.

Hope to see you soon in the next chapter! Bye!

Also, here are some of the concepts I went through with Minako's Unbirthday frock if you're interested. Most people preferred the middle concept.

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#my writing #my art #twisted wonderland x harry potter #twisted wonderland #harry potter #twisted wonderland fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #twisted wonderland x mc #epics of ink & light #epics of ink and light #twisted wonderland mc #harry potter oc #OC: Minako Nezumi #twst grim #riddle rosehearts #dire crowley #ace trappola #deuce spade #trey clover #cater diamond #che'nya #alchemi alchemivich pinka #divus crewel #OC: Anais Radcliffe #oc: flor nezumi

[ozimagines]

Hello, I just wanted to say that I hope your recovery goes smoothly and if you wanted, I thought a dating Busmalis would include would be interesting. I hope you feel better soon!

LOL I just can’t get what @wawamouse calls him out of my head. “Burdened grandpa”😂 But I mean, his love with Norma was cute af. Plus he can be goofy and disarming in the world of Oz. 😄

(And thank you! Reaching the halfway point in my meds so wish me luck!)

Dating Agamemnon Busmalis would include…

Officer Doofy, reporting for duty

Alright so he’s not the most serious guy. So what? So he could be like Vern and Hernandez with the permanent scowls on their faces? Nah, not his style.

So what if his style was a hundred years outdated? Just meant he had… culture? Right?

Bob was his best friend. He’d never hoped to have someone like that since his brother became a total mama’s boy.

Now all he needed what a significant other. He’d thought it was Norma, but she stood him up at the altar. He’d tried not to take it personally.😭

When he meets you, he’s sure immediately. Like immediately immediately.

“Bob, look!”

“… what am I looking at?”

“Don’t you see him/her/them! That’s the future Mr./Mrs./Mx. Busmalis you’re looking at!”

*In Bob’s head* here we go again…

He talks to you immediately. Not being weighed down by things like social norms or personal space.

“Hi! I just wanted to say you’re about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. What’s your name?”

“…Y/N.”

“That’s the best name I’ve ever heard! Music! Y/N! I knew it had to be as wonderful as you are.”

“I… thanks.”☺️

His love is a little obsessive. Will write you letters -yes, actual letters- telling you all the places he’d take you and and things you do.

You’re into it, don’t get me wrong. He’s just a little much for new people.

But yes honest. Charming in a clumsy kind of way.

He asks you out, and does a dance in front of you when you say yes. 😂

He takes you out to the finest restaurant in his opinion; The Olive Garden.🥲

“Best breadsticks in town, by a mile!”

He’s wearing his goofy Checkered suit with the polkadot tie. And his lucky fishing cap.

He picks you up, with flowers of course. Daisies. Since it had been days-ies since he’s seen you! Get it?

You’re in a classy black number with minimal accessories. You get a look at his outfit and say “one second”. He’s worried he blew it just like that!

You come out wearing a pink feather boa and a Yankee’s baseball cap with a pin of a capybara saying “don’t worry, be cappy.”

“You’re… beautiful.”😍 he informs you, wide eyed.

Dating Busmalis is sort of like doing improv. It’s a lot of “yes, and”.

He mixes everything together. He gets the Alfredo at Olive Garden and asks for some pesto to mix in, with mushrooms and asparagus. Kinda slaps.

Whenever you get a fountain beverage, he has to mix the flavors. Dr. Pepper and Orange Fanta… or Sprite and Rootbeer! Sometimes he mixes in the lemonade and asks you to try it. 😄

You’re on the date, and he asks about you in school. You mention you’ve never really been the most popular but you’ve had friends. You remember playing out a recess all the craziest games in the world. Your favorite was one your friends invented, called Tunnel.

“Like… digging?”🤞🥹🤞

“Yeah, just little hand tunnels but we would see how elaborate we could make them before they collapsed.” You recall with a smile.

He still hasn’t picked his jaw up off the floor. 😛

He asks you EVERYTHING about it, down to exactly your region of the world and what kind of dirt is there.

“I’m a dirt savant.” -has no clue how stupid that sounds😂

Everything about him makes you smile. Guy’s got a great attitude, even if half the reason for that attitude is not having basic danger reflexes.

Just a fun note but I think out of everyone in Oz, if you’re gender non conforming, that’s not a turn off or even a question to this guy. Like, we always hope our favorites would be allies, but with Busmalis, the way he treats Fiona on the show… it’s canon, he’s an ally.

He will be asking you a million questions just like Stanislavsky lol

“You’re nonbinary?”

“Yes.”

“Like neither or both genders?”

“Yes.”

“You were born nonbinary?”

“Yes.”

After the first date, he takes you to your front porch, like a gentleman. You lean in for a kiss and *oblivious* he leans up and kisses you on the forehead, missing your lips by a mile.

“Well?” He asks excitedly.

You’re a little confused.

“Are you my boyfriend/girlfriend/partner now?”🙃

“I… uh… sure, yeah.”😅

“Wow!”🤩

Dates with him are a wildcard. He’ll show up at your place and be like;

“There’s a kids interactive exhibit open at the Art and science museum! You can TOUCH a stingray!”😃

“There’s a jazz bar around here that has this guy who plays the saxophone… and fire comes out!!”🫨

“The Zoo just got a new baby panda!! It can barely open its eyes!”🐼

You just can’t predict what the next adventure will be. Either way it’s fun to watch him get excited!

Kept his old Vinyls that he plays for you two to dance to. Lots of 30’s jazz. Vaudeville style.

Kind of oblivious when people are making fun of him. You see him one time, talking to Vern and Robson, them “asking” about the relationship.

“Yeah, I bet you two have fun.” Schillinger laughs to his friends, and Busmalis just nods.

“Oh, yeah, we have the best time!” 😀And he keeps talking about you as the guys laugh at him to his face.

You’re immediately angry, but you’re smarter than the average skinhead, so you adjust yourself in the mirror to get yourself looking sharp, and walk over to them.

“Look who’s joining the party.” Schillinger regards you with an unkind smile. Robson smirks.

“Your geriatric Casanova here was telling us how much ‘fun’ you two get up to… when he can get it up.” The guys all ooh and ahh and all the other things gorillas do to impress the others. You just smile.

“You have no idea.” You say, seductively. You start to play with Agamemnon’s hair, fingers tickling his neck. He’s not following any of this so you use it to your advantage.

You just don’t want your sweet Aggie getting hurt. 🥺

“Aggie? Remember about two weeks ago… our date to The Caribbean?” The Nazis don’t have to know that’s a discount seafood buffet restaurant. They’re quiet. Busmalis’ eyes get wide and he smiles at the memory.

“Didn’t know you could handle so much!” -he’s referencing the oysters you and he devoured together but both Robson and Vern’s interests are peaked. You bite your cheek to stifle a giggle. 😋

“Aggie, remember when…” you lean in and whisper into his ear. “Remember when I couldn’t get the oysters opened, so you helped me? What was that you said?”

“Oh!” He remembers that too, reaching an unknowing arm around you. “I said sometimes you just gotta go at it hard. Some like hard, some like soft, but I really get at it, y’know?”

Vern and Robson’s jaws are on the floor. You smirk.

“I didn’t know how hard I could go. Watching you get your fingers in there and get right to the goods… it was so… hot and steamy.” You kiss the side of his face and sigh. 😘

Vern makes a face and gestures for his guys to leave. Robson follows him, casting one more confused look back at you two, still giggling and talking in code.

They don’t bother him after that.😂

You do that a lot. Protect Busmalis. He’s a good guy, and you know that. You know the relationship from the outside doesn’t make as much sense as when the two of you are alone and he’s making you laugh every second of every date.

He calls you muffin, sweetie pie, little bear (because you’re just right), puffin pal (he likes puffins, that’s it), and any variant of your name (Hannah Banana, Joe Bo, Fancy Nancy, things like that)

He’s Aggie to you. Sometimes you call him your groundhog and ask how many more weeks of winter. This is usually when he has his glasses on and you see him pop his head up when you enter. ❤️

World’s most anxious gift giver. It’s like every time he has to get you a gift for your birthday and anniversary and things like that, his mind forgets that he knows anything about you and he panic buys something insane. 😭🤣

“I didn’t quite know what to get you… so I figured you like strawberries so I got you this cup shaped like a strawberry and I got you strawberry milk. So you can put it in and you’ll know what you’re drinking… because the cup… it shaped like a… well, you get it.” 🍓

And the gift he gets and convinces himself you wouldn’t like is always so much more awesome than whatever Temu nonsense he’s found.

“Oh that? It’s just a rock. I mean it’s a geode I opened up that I got on our first date, and I told myself when we shared our first real kiss, I’d open it and give it to you. I opened it and one of the pieces fell out so I made you this necklace with that piece with an inscription on the locket that says ‘your future husband’. But I thought that was stupid… so here’s the cup.”🥲

“Aggie… that’s… I’m… I like the cup.”🙃

“Really?!”🤩

“Yes… one might even say I… love the cup.”🥰

“Oh.” He thinks for a second. “Well, then I’m glad I got it for you!”

He’s a virgin when you meet him. He wants to please you, but he’s never had sex with, as Torquemada put it, “neither man nor woman, neither fish nor fowl.”

You take it easy on him, helping him get out of his three piece suit and being very gentle and kissy with him.

I’m not going to say he’s a surprise deviant or anything. But you’re explaining the G-spot to him, kind of letting him tour you and understand what each part does, and he goes, “oh okay… like… here?” And then just sort of fucking hits it immediately.

Your whole body shakes and your eyes go wide. He’s certain he’s done something wrong and you’re like… nah man… that was it. You found it.

Does a little dance after finding the g-spot, like the lovable dork that he is. 😅

You move in together after that. He makes space for you very easily. Kind of a guy who doesn’t mind giving up half a closet just to watch you hang your clothes next to his.

He has a favorite coffee cup. You got it for him. It says; Soil ≠ Dirt. Yours is shaped like the poop emoji. Don’t take it personally, he thought and still thinks that it’s chocolate ice cream😂

You make his coffee exactly the way he likes it; four sugars, and lots of hazelnut creamer. His coffee looks like milk afterwards lol.

You introduce him to Pumpkin Spice Lattes. He’s never been happier!

Loves Pinterest. Finds recipes and crafts for you two on there often.

You watch the Lord of the Rings series together while eating Hobbit inspired foods. You even eat them in order; breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, luncheon, supper, dinner, so on!

He loves Lord of the Rings. Wants to be a dwarf mining in a mountain somewhere. You tell him if he ever grows a beard, you’ll braid it like the dwarves. 😘

Decides he’s gonna propose to you. Tells Bob about it and asks for help.

“He/she/they need something as special as he/she/they are! Something amazing!”

“I think Y/N will appreciate the effort, but nothing crazy right?”

“Bob, this is me you’re taking about!”😃

Bob: 😟

He takes you to a movie in the grass. It’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s at the part where Audrey Hepburn is singing moon river. He also consigned Murphy, McManus, Sister Pete, and Mukada to help with all this.

Murphy plugs in the fairy lights, McManus switches the movie to a prerecorded message from him, Sister Pete is standing with a confetti gun, and Mukada is holding a Dalmatian puppy with the ring on its collar. What can go wrong?

Well, after the lights short circuit, turning on the sprinklers, the puppy is chewing on Mukada’s pant leg, and the confetti gun shot straight through the screen, now playing a warped message that looks satanic, and everyone is booing Busmalis, who is soaking wet holding a dog smelling ring… you just start to laugh.

You can’t stop. It’s all so Aggie that you can’t help but smile and laugh yourself to tears. As everyone is booing him, you stand up, regard the Dalmatian now relieving itself on his leg, and you hug him.

“Yes, Aggie. I’ll marry you on one condition.”🥰

“Anything.”

“Never change.”❤️❤️❤️

Your wedding is goofy. Chicken nuggets and ice cream. There’s a fish on every table that are meant to be given as gifts, but no one loves them more than you and Aggie so you get a hundred gallon tank for your fifty little goldfish friends.

You’re holding hands in front of the tank, trying to name each of the identical fish, laughing as you forget all of their names immediately.

“I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, Aggie.”

Bonus: Guy’s a Temu junkie. It’s like a dollar store that sells things for insane children. None of your cups are just cup shaped, all of your pillows are squishmallows (his favorite is the axolotl. Because he just recently learned those are real.), and he’s got a million pins on every thing with jokes that have gone over his head. You couldn’t be happier.😋

#hbo oz #oz meme #Agamemnon Busmalis #y’know this one was very fun to write #kind of a Roger rabbit as a man kinda guy #personally humor is everything to me so I can see this working #but let’s be clear you’re the best thing that ever happened to him #burdened grandpa turned lover #Like he said #he and Bob are the real Romeo’s

[pepperonidk]

vi. silly things & sensible people || all my love

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." - Emma; Jane Austen

Pairing: Jeon Wonwoox f!Reader Summary:  Sometimes all anyone needs is a gentle nudge in the right direction Warnings: food mentions Word Count: 3.1k A/N: this is a chapter from seokmin's perspective! no yn in this chapter but very much seokgyu. THIS CHAPTER IS NOT IN FIRST PERSON LOL. the beginning is Seokmin writing a letter... I promise yall

take a look at my pinned post to see how to join the aml taglist!

previous chapter || back to library || next chapter

Seokmin opened his notes app and started a new note, titling it with the date and began his weekly letter to his pen pal, wanting to update them on his life... or mostly his best friend's life.

You will NEVER guess what’s been happening this month. Did you guess? Well whatever you guessed is probably wrong… unless you guessed that my best friend just confessed to her crush without TELLING me about it first. 

It was absolutely insane, I was getting out of class and on my way to find her and Mingyu for lunch when I saw a HUGE crowd by Mingyu’s class and right at the center of it all was Wonwoo and the only girl crazy enough to give him a handwritten note in the middle of passing period. I only saw the end of it, but it was… brutal. I’ve known Wonwoo long enough to know he isn’t the friendliest person out there but even for him… it made me so upset. He didn’t even take her card, can you believe? 

Honestly, this whole time I didn’t realize she liked him enough to confess to him. I always thought it was a passing crush, but I guess I was wrong. She was pretty badass for that. But Mingyu didn’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so dejected. I wonder if he’ll ever work himself up to do the same thing.

OH. But the craziest part is that a week after she confessed to him, she ended up moving into his house. Turns out her dad and Wonwoo’s dad were college besties. Isn’t that insane? It’s just like this anime Jihoon made me watch with him once. We were in tears the whole time but uh, that’s a story for another day. Or a story for never. He swore me to secrecy after that night.

We actually didn’t realize that she had moved in with him until after the big exam we took when Wonwoo stormed in and she handed him a picture of the two of them asleep together at the dining table. 

Then that night, she ended up spraining her ankle and Wonwoo had to take her home so he didn’t get to go to IHOP with us. Sad for him, that was a fun night. Not for Mingyu… again. By the end of the night he was crying to Seungkwan’s rendition of an ABBA song and chugging down strawberry milkshakes. He’s lactose intolerant and he slept over at my house that night. So… not much fun for me either. I–

“Seokmin, get off your damn phone and help us move the couch.” Seokmin looked up from his notes app to see Joshua, Jun and Soonyoung waiting for him to grab onto the fourth corner of the loveseat.

“Sorry, sorry,” Seokmin apologized before rushing to help them move the couch to the opposite end of the room. “Why are we doing this again?”

Soonyoung let out a grunt as they dropped the couch ungracefully onto the floor. “Jeonghan told Joshua that he thought it would be cool to have a pillow fort.”

“We’re doing this for a pillow fort?” Jun asked in shock. “I thought Joshua’s mom just wanted us to redecorate.”

“Jun, why would my mom want both of the couches facing the walls on opposite ends of the room?” Joshua asked with a laugh. Jun shrugged his shoulders and plopped himself down on the couch. 

Joshua dropped down beside him with a sigh. “When are the rest of the guys gonna get here?” he asked.

“Well Mingyu had to pick up Vernon, Chan and Minghao, but he should be here soon.” Seokmin looked down at his watch at the time to compare it against the ETA Mingyu had sent him earlier.

Soonyoung checked his phone as he leaned over the back of one couch. “Jihoon just texted. He just parked outside.”

“What about Wonwoo?” Jun asked. 

The three other boys shrugged as the doorbell rang and Seokmin went to answer it, letting Jihoon in. “Sorry, I had to pick these three up because Jeonghan didn’t feel like driving.” Jeonghan and Seungcheol walked into the kitchen with proud grins as Seungkwan rolled his eyes.

“Yeah but we brought food,” Jeonghan exclaimed as he placed a brown paper bag on Joshua’s kitchen counter. 

“You brought you and Seungcheol’s leftover Chipotle,” Seungkwan clarified as he walked to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. 

Joshua laughed and shook his head as he took the bag and handed it to Seungkwan to stick in the fridge. “Did you guys happen to get Wonwoo too?” 

Jihoon shook his head in response. “I offered him a ride, but he said he had plans.”

“Plans?” Soonyoung called from the living room. “We are his plans. He’s never missed a Smash night.” Seokmin could hear the pout in his voice even from the kitchen. 

“He didn’t give me any details but I think it has to do with his roomie.” Jihoon commented, checking through his text messages to see if he left any details out. “He said he’ll be busy all day.”

“His roomie, huh?” Seungcheol repeated with a raised eyebrow. “Have you guys noticed he’s been weird lately?”

“Yeah,” Seungkwan replied. “Last week I asked him if he liked her–”

Before Seungkwan could continue, Soonyoung came running into the kitchen, eager to join the gossip. “Yes!” He exclaimed, excited to contribute. “Wonwoo always sends me cat memes before exam days because he knows I get stressed out, but last week, we had a literature exam and guess what?”

“What?” Jihoon asked flatly. Jun nudged him in response, reminding him to be polite.

“He didn’t send me a cat meme,” Soonyoung pouted. “When I asked him what happened, he told me he was up the night before studying… but Wonwoo never studies for literature exams because he’s already read the books.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the doorbell rang and in came Mingyu and the rest of the boys. “Hey,” Vernon greeted. “What did we miss? We bought drinks.”

Seokmin looked at Seungkwan as Mingyu walked in, silently begging him not to finish his sentence from earlier around Mingyu. Seungkwan gave him a subtle nod as he attempted to shift the attention to the newcomers.

“Where’s the rest?” Seungkwan asked as Vernon set down his drink on the counter. Minghao and Chan sat at the dining table with the other boys while Mingyu found a spot beside Seokmin.

“Oh,” Vernon replied. “I meant we stopped over to buy ourselves drinks from Starbucks. That’s why we’re late.”

“Remind me to start being more specific when I tell  you guys to bring things,” Joshua laughed, shaking his head. “Anyway, what else were you saying, Soonyoung?”

Soonyoung thought for a second, remembering his train of thought. “Right, so I did some more investigating,” he continued. “And when we were getting into groups for our Shakespeare analysis – I swear I’ve never seen him move this fast, not even at a football game – I saw him join his roomie’s group. He even smiled when she waved at him. He doesn’t smile at me like that.” 

“He’s not exaggerating,” Jihoon confirmed with an eager nod of his head. “I didn’t even realize they were friends, but it seems like lately they’ve been besties or something. Isn’t she supposed to be your best friend, Gyu?”

Mingyu put his hands up in defense before speaking, his voice just a little too loud and too high to sound calm and collected. “She can do whatever she wants,” he said. 

Although the other boys couldn’t tell, Seokmin knew Mingyu didn’t fully believe his own words. So coming to his friend’s defense, he joined in. “Yeah, but isn’t Wonwoo yours?” He asked Jihoon, turning the question back to him.

“Chill out,” Jihoon shrugged his shoulders. “I was just curious to see if you guys knew anything else.”

“We don’t,” Mingyu said flatly. “Are we going to play Smash or what?” Jihoon and Seokmin shared a look, realizing that Mingyu was feeling a lot more than he was willing to let on, so they accepted his change of subject. The other boys rushed into the living room as Mingyu and Seokmin stayed behind.

Seokmin watched as Mingyu leaned against the counter, pushing his forehead into his palms as he let out a sigh. Seokmin stood beside him facing the opposite way, his elbows leaning against the countertop. His heart felt heavy at the sight of his distraught best friend.

“Gyu,” Seokmin began gently but firmly. Mingyu shook his head, already knowing where this conversation was headed. “Salad. Now.”

Mingyu let out another sigh and Seokmin wasn’t sure if he would answer him, but after a beat, he finally lifted his head. “Lettuce… I’m sad. Chicken… I’m mad. Mostly at myself,” he confessed.

“Why?” Seokmin asked quietly.

“For never being brave enough to say anything,” He admitted to Seokmin, hanging his head. “It’s just… we have something so good and I didn’t want to lose that. But sometimes…” he trailed off.

“Sometimes what?” Seokmin pushed.

“It’s just,” Mingyu sighed. “Do you remember that time in the eighth grade when the three of us got in that huge fight?”

Seokmin let out a dry laugh. “The one where you thought the two of us were dating behind your back because we went to a movie together?”

Mingyu grew a small but sad smile. “Not just any movie,” he clarified. “You watched The Hunger Games without me. It was my favorite book.”

Seokmin nudged him playfully. “Gyu, you had the flu,” he reminded him. “We wanted to take you but your mom said if she found out you snuck out and we got the flu from you she would stop making us that sponge cake we like. That would’ve been the end of our 14-year old lives.”

Mingyu let out a chuckle as he nodded at the memory. “I know,” he continued. “But for a week after that, I felt so left out. Like suddenly you were her best friend and she was yours, and I was the odd one out.”

“Is that why you ghosted us for a whole month?” Seokmin asked, eyes wide with surprise as Mingyu nodded in shame. 

“It was dumb, I know,” he cringed at the memories of that time. “But I think I was jealous. Of you.” 

Seokmin snorted a laugh at his comment. “Of me? Oh buddy,” he laughed as he pat Mingyu on the shoulder.

“I know, I know,” Mingyu ran his hand through his hair. “But anyway, I think that’s kind of how I feel right now. Like she’s everything to me… but I’m not to her. And it’s not like she owes me anything… I think I just keep thinking, what could I have done differently?”

Seokmin thought through his words carefully, letting silence rest between the two of them. Well, silence was relative. The boys were in the next room arguing about whether or not it was fair to let Chan choose Kirby when he only uses the same move.

 “I can’t say I know what you’re feeling,” Seokmin began. “But for me, I think that when I start focusing on things like that, my mind gets stormy. I stop seeing things clearly, and I start doubting myself and the way I fit into my friendships. But then you two always remind me that’s not real. What is real is that I would give everything for the two of you, and if I needed it, both of you would do the same for me. It’s one of the most stable truths of the universe. 

At the same time, I also know that both of you would want me to be happy, and to choose what makes me happy. The same thing I would do for you. And I will always help you to figure out what that is when you can’t see it, like you do for me. When I remember that, the skies clear a little, and I see the sunshine again. I see you guys.”

Seokmin turned to Mingyu, who wiped at a tear forming in the corner of his eye. He gave him a gentle pat on the back and turned to leave him to his own thoughts for a bit. 

Honestly, he was a bit surprised at his own wisdom. He wasn’t usually the friend people came to for advice, but maybe they should start, he thought. He hoped his words got through to Mingyu, as seeing his best friend hurting was weighing heavily on him as well. He was, however, very excited to tell his pen pal about this situation.

After he made his way into the living room, Seungcheol moved to sit beside him on the couch, now turned to face the television. “Is he okay?” he asked, nodding towards the kitchen where Mingyu still stood by himself.

“Yeah, he’s just raiding your leftovers,” Seokmin joked. He was lying, but he felt that Mingyu wouldn’t want to explain to everyone else what had him so emotional.

Seungcheol nodded, not fully believing Seokmin’s words, but accepting them nonetheless. “Do you wanna play the next round?” He asked instead. 

“Nah,” Seokmin pulled out his phone. “I have to work on my letter.”

“Oh to your pen pal right?” Seungcheol asked. “I can’t believe you’ve been writing to each other since middle school. Why don’t you just ask for her number?” He attempted to look over Seokmin’s hands to see what he was writing down.

“Yeah, ask for her number and invite her to the winter formal,” Jeonghan chimed in. “Unless she’s catfishing you.” The boys laughed and Seokmin laughed along.

“Yeah, yeah,” he rolled his eyes and continued typing in his note from earlier, updating his letter with the most recent events. However he didn’t get very far before he got a call from Wonwoo. “Wonwoo’s calling me?” He asked aloud in surprise.

“Answer him!!” All the boys called in unison, as they paused the game to flock towards Seokmin, even Mingyu, who walked in from the kitchen. Seokmin looked over to him and he responded with a small smile and a nod, encouraging him to answer the phone.

“Seokmin,” Wonwoo’s voice filled the room from Seokmin’s phone speaker. “I need your help.” The boys around Seokmin all looked at him with wide eyes as they tried to contain their curiosity. However it was Soonyoung who couldn’t hide his gasp, even as Seungkwan slapped his hand over his mouth.

“Hey guys,” Wonwoo sighed. “Sorry I couldn’t make it but I really need to borrow Seokmin for a second.” 

Seokmin chuckled as he watched the boys disperse with disappointed looks and resume playing their games. He walked back over to the kitchen, and Mingyu headed for the living room to give him privacy. 

“What’s up Wonwoo?” Seokmin asked when he was finally alone.

“Uh,” Wonwoo sounded like he was thinking about what to say. “How do you feel about a road trip?” 

Seokmin couldn’t hide his surprise at the question. “Road trip?” He repeated.

“I can give you the details later,” Wonwoo said. “But just tell me you’ll come with me.”

“When?” Seokmin questioned. “And why me?” 

“Tonight. Right now even,” He sounded panicked and Seokmin was beginning to feel the same. “I called you because Seungkwan already said no.” As if on cue, Seungkwan had popped his head into the kitchen and Seokmin waved him over. 

“Seungkwan,” Seokmin began. “Why the hell is Wonwoo asking me to go on a road trip with him right now?”

Seungkwan let out a chuckle. “Just hear the poor boy out,” he suggested as Seokmin looked at him suspiciously.

“I need to pick up your friend’s dad,” Wonwoo explained. “Long story short, she was upset he couldn’t make it to the awards, so I reached out to him and basically now he agreed to be here for one night, and his flight is landing soon and the airport is over an hour away and I don’t want to drive alone, but I can’t bring her with me because it’s a surprise and –”

“Woah,” Seokmin stopped his rambling with a chuckle. “Long story long, more like.” He looked back at Seungkwan who raised his eyebrow to him as if to say See now? Seokmin nodded back to him as he let out a hum of thought before an idea popped in his head.

“I’ll come,” Seokmin said with a mischievous smile that was hidden by his gentle voice. Wonwoo let out a sigh of relief, and Seokmin could hear his shoulders relax. “But you have to come pick me up from Joshua’s house, since I left my car at home.”

“Sure, yeah,” Wonwoo agreed desperately to his conditions. “Thank you so much.”

Twenty minutes later, when the doorbell rang, Seokmin almost felt guilty for what he was about to do. But when he thought about it some more, he reminded himself of what he told Mingyu just earlier, and his conscience clears just in time for him to open the door to see a panicked Wonwoo, dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and mismatched socks.

Someone will thank me later, he thinks to himself as he pretends to double over in pain. “Seokmin?” Wonwoo asked in concern. “Are you okay?”

“I ate someone’s leftovers,” he pretended to let out a grunt of pain. “And it’s really not agreeing with me.” he cursed under his breath. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can come with you.” He apologized.

“No, no,” Wonwoo dismissed him. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He walked in and shut the door, leading Seokmin to sit down at the dining table as Seungkwan walked over with a medicine tablet and a glass of water. 

“Here,” he handed them to Seokmin. “Don’t worry Wonwoo, we’ll find someone to fill in.” Before Wonwoo could protest, Seungkwan had walked to the living room and came back with a confused and annoyed looking Mingyu.

“Mingyu said he’d be glad to go with you,” Seungkwan beamed. He very much did not look like he was glad to go with Wonwoo.

“Uh…” Mingyu began before Seungkwan nudged him from behind. “Yep, yeah, I’d be happy to… sit in a car with you for an hour and a half… to pick up my best friend’s dad…”

Wonwoo opened his mouth to argue, but after looking down to see the time, his eyes widened in worry. “Okay, perfect,” he said instead. “Let’s go before we’re late. Bye you guys, tell the guys I said hey.” and he grabbed Mingyu’s wrist and headed out the door.

Seokmin and Seungkwan followed behind them, Seokmin now forgetting about his act and leaning against the post on the front steps.

“Do you think they’ll hate us?” Seokmin asked Seungkwan as they watched the two boys get into Wonwoo’s car from the front porch.

“Oh absolutely. For a month at least.”

taglist: @sdoulc @starryjww @sherizaraiyah @comerollwithme @pastel-andme @mingyublues @leahel @nichoswag @freakyfriedrice @pusangmamon @dekusgirl @hokuuu @xxluckydreamsxx @noraehey @dreams-in-different-colours @bunniparadise @dazedhxze @thedeeppoet @wonuziex @inlovewith-yeosang @tfmingyu @hanniesrock @ilymarkchan @royal9 @may1996s @hqstimpy @dnylwoo @dobbyflwr @awyunh @calvinkleinhoon @kei-is-simping @travelleratheart101

#wonwoo #seventeen #jeon wonwoo #wonwoo fluff #wonwoo imagines #wonwoo angst #jeon wonwoo x reader #jeon wonwoo scenarios #jeon wonwoo fluff #jeon wonwoo smut #jeon wonwoo imagines #svt #seventeen imagines #seventeen fluff #wonwoo x yn #wonwoo x reader #seventeen wonwoo #svt wonwoo

[maladaptivedaydreamingbullshit]

The Monster +You(S1E6)

Pairing: No romantic pairs.

Characters: Eleven/El, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, You(y/n)

Summary: "You" are inserted into the world of Stranger Things. Season 1, Episode 6: The Monster ~Basically this is my DR for Stranger things but instead of my name I just put y/n.~

Word Count: 2,080

A/N: When I tell you, I thought this was gonna be the longest one. It is just these 3 boys bickering. 10/10 the most boring so far. I added some stuff because when I first watched this episode, I was APPALLED. You probably know the drill by now-- Rip if the tense changes because that is my main weakness.

Warnings: cussing, bullying, attempted murder at one point, maybe others- let me know.

Stranger Things insert:

Season 1: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8

Me and Jonathan yell out for Nancy for what seems like forever. 

At some point we both hear her but it seems like she is far away. 

“Did you hear her? That was her right?” He looked at me, panicked. “I’m right here! Nancy! Just follow my voice!”

With all the information that has been forced upon me, I am guessing she found a way into the upside down. But how? Mr. Clarke said it would take up massive amounts of power– I feel like I would see something like that.

Jonathan is still screaming for her as I am trying to look for anything that resembles a– door? Gate? Entryway of some sort? 

What the hell am I even looking for? How the hell did Nancy, of all people, just stumble on a gate to another dimension?

Jonathan runs past me, “Um.. y/n.”

I ran up behind him as he pointed his flashlight at a tree. At the bottom it looks like it is cracked open with webbing or something around it. I kneel down about to touch it. 

“What are you doing!? That looks.. Gross.” Jonathan kneels down to look at it closer. 

“Uh.. well..” I can’t just tell him– 

Oh, it is probably a door to a darker but eerily similar dimension to ours. I think Will is stuck in there and now Nancy too. Plus there is this weird monster thing we have named the Demogorgan. Crazy right!

“Do.. Do you think Nancy is in there?” Jonathan looks at me. 

I must look worried enough as he starts yelling in the hole. 

“Nancy! Follow my voice!”

I hit him. “Dude! What if the Demo—monster is in there?” I stuttered trying not to give all the information out. “We are toast if that thing comes after us.”

He looks at me with the craziest eyes I’ve ever seen. “Then we need to get Nancy out.”

He turns back and starts yelling again. 

A hand jutted out from it. 

We both fall backwards.

“Jonathan!”

“Nancy!” 

We both grab her arm and pull her out. 

She lands on top of Jonathan and I pick up his flashlight to look at the gate some more.. But it started closing. The bark of the tree filling in the hole like it was never even there. I turn back to Jonathan. 

Nancy is holding on to him crying. He looks up at me with a questioning look. 

Great.. 

—

I didn’t sleep much.

Nancy recounted some of the things she saw in the Upside Down and it sounded similar to what I saw in my– vision thing. She said she saw the Demogorgan, too. 

I left her to take a shower and gave Jonathan some pillows and blankets.

I went to the basement, half hoping El would have come back, but she wasn’t there. 

Mike came down after the sun had been up for a couple hours. 

“Y/n? Where is El?” Mike looked over at the empty fort. 

“I don’t know. If I had to guess somewhere in the woods.” I was looking down at some stain on the floor. As I have been for most of the night. 

He stomped over to me. “What do you mean in the woods? Why didn’t you bring her back?” 

I slowly looked up at him. “She ran away from me, Michael. I told her we needed a plan and she ran off. I chased her until it was too dark to see. Oh, and I am fine. Thanks for asking!” 

I turned away from him and started focusing on a loose thread on the couch. 

He started tearing down the fort and kicking all the blankets. 

After a while of silence, he called Dustin to come over. 

Mike starts talking off Dustin’s ear about El. 

“Mike, this isn’t your fault..” Dustin was trying to calm Mike down. 

“Yeah, it’s Lucas’.” I snapped my head towards Mike.

“It wasn’t his fault, either.” Dustin beat me to it. 

Mike stops pacing. “It wasn’t his fault?”

“No.” We say in unison. 

Mike looks between the two of us. “So you’re saying he wasn’t way out of line?”

“Totally, but so were you!” Dustin snaps back. 

“What?”

“And so was Eleven.”

“Oh, give me a break!” Mike chides. 

I stand up from the couch. “Shut up, Mike!” 

They both turn to me. 

“All three of you were being a bunch of assholes! Dustin was the only reasonable one and actually tried to stop you from fighting. And El..” 

Mike tried to interrupt me.

“No! El needs to get her powers in check or she is going to hurt someone and you need to stop gaga-ing after her. She is a girl we found in the woods, Michael. Not a take home girlfriend!” I looked over to Dustin and motioned him to finish.

He turned and looked at Mike, “She’s right. And you know the rules, man. You pushed first..”

“No! No way! I am not shaking his hand!” Mike crossed his arms.

“You are shaking his hand!” Dustin leaned closer to him. 

“No, I’m not.” 

“This isn’t a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party.” I raised my eyebrows at Mike. “Do you wanna be banished?” 

Mike drops his arms. “No.”

“Good.” Dustin turns to put his jacket on. 

“Where are we going?” Mike huffs. 

“Where do you think? We’re going to get Lucas. And Then we’re gonna find Eleven.” Dustin grabs the rest of his stuff and ushers me to go upstairs.

I looked at him. “Why am I going?”

Dustin rolls his eyes and pushes me to go up the stairs. 

“Whether you like it or not y/n, you’re in the party. Let’s go!”

—

Lucas opens the door, “What do you want?”

I waved with a tight smile and we stood there for a few extra long seconds.

Finally, Dustin hit Mike to get him to start the apology. 

Mike sighs, “I drew first blood, so..” He stuck his hand out for Lucas to shake.

I narrowed my eyes at him, great apology… 

Lucas just stared at him before letting us inside. 

Lucas was mulling over the shake. “Okay, I’ll shake.”

Mike threw his hand up again and Dustin smiled. 

“On one condition.” Dustin’s smile fades. “We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate.”

Mike jerked his hand down, “Then the deal’s off!”

“Fine!”

“Fine”

Ugh!

“No, no, not fine! Guys seriously!” Dustin pushes Mike to look at him. “Do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone Pass?”

I rolled my eyes. More D&D things. 

The two boys shrugged and e sighed. “We couldn’t agree on what path to take, so we split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!”

“Yeah, I agree.” 

Finally, Lucas was turning around. 

“But this is the party, right here in this room.” He pointed to all of us. 

I squeezed my eyes shut. When have I ever been in this party??

Mike stepped forward. “El is one of us now.”

“Um, no, she’s not. Not even close! Never will be. She’s a liar, a traitor-” Lucas started counting on his fingers. 

“She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn’t mean to hurt you. It was an accident.” Mike cut him off. 

“An accident?” Lucas questioned. 

Dustin stepped in between them. “All right, accident or not.. admit it, it was a little awesome.”

“Awesome?” 

I swatted Dustin and shook my head no.

“Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!” 

Lucas looked at me wide eyed then turned to the boys, “I could have been killed!”

“Which is why we need her! She’s a weapon!” I smacked Mike’s shoulder.

“She is not a weapon!”

He ignored me and continued, “Do you seriously wanna fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That’s like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We’re no use to Will if we’re dead.”

Everyone was quiet for a second. 

“If you wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, ’cause I’m not spending my time on her anymore. No way! I’m going to the gate. I’m gonna find Will.” With that, Lucas pushed past Dustin and Mike.

I sighed. “So is this where we get eaten by trolls or..”

Dustin rolled his eyes at me and started walking out of the house. 

—

We were riding our bikes down the street. 

Well, I was just following them. They were talking about best friends or something but I wasn’t really paying attention.

All I could think about was Lucas going to The Gate, capital T, by himself. 

Nancy looked terrified after she saw the Demogorgan.. And so did Will. 

Whatever it is, he isn’t prepared for it. And I don’t think we are either. 

The boys abruptly stop in front of me. 

“Woah”

I look over and see a crowd at the grocery store. 

Dustin looks over at us, “You don’t think..”

“Uh, definitely.”

—

I don’t know how, but I am moving after this. 

We are in the woods. Again! 

They are screaming for El, I am walking behind them. 

I could be doing anything right now. Homework, probably. Still…

They stopped. 

“Did you hear that?” Mike looked around. “El! El?”

Troy and James walked up. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me, don’t you have blocks to play with or something?” I sneer at them. 

They cut their eyes at me but start walking again towards the boys. 

“Hey, there, Frogface.” Troy pulled a switchblade out from his jacket. 

“Toothless” James was right behind Troy.

“The fuck? You are just gonna murder them?” I step in front of Mike and Dustin, meeting Troy and James. 

“You are done after I tell Hop about this. I hope you–”

James grabbed my arm, “You’re not gonna do shit!” He shoved me to the ground.

“Shit! Run, Mike!”

Dustin and Mike ran the way we came. 

I sat on the ground for a second, replaying what just happened. 

All I saw was red before I got up and ran after them. 

I saw them at the top of the query. 

Troy had Dustin and was holding the blade to his face. Mike was walking towards the clearing. 

What a psycho! I am going to end his stupid li– 

Mike stepped off. 

“Mike! No!”

I pushed James out of my way, “Are you fucking stupid! He will fucking die!” 

I ran to the edge and I felt Dustin grab my arm before I fell off. 

Troy and James ran up as well. 

We all stood there staring. Mike was hovering in the air. 

I slowly looked up at Troy, “You’re dead, piss boy.” 

Mike was brought up by some invisible source and sat down behind us. 

El came walking over from the woods. 

James lunged at her first but he was quickly pushed back. I took that time to crush his hand under my boot.

El jerked her head to the side and Troy’s arm snapped, sending the blade to the ground. 

Troy was wailing, “She broke my arm! My arm!”

“Go.” El just stared at them. 

James pried his hand out from under my boot while Troy helped him up. “Let’s get out of here! Let’s go!”

Dustin’s face was beaming, “Yeah, that’s right! You better run! She’s our friend and she’s crazy! You come back here and she’ll kill you! You hear me? She’ll kill you, you sons of bitches. She’ll kill you, you hear me?”

I roll my eyes and grab the switchblade. Dumbass..

I look up and see El swaying. 

I ran towards her before she fell and lowered her down. “El? Are you okay? El!”

I was making sure she didn’t hit her head, while also holding her in my arms. 

She looked up at Mike, “I’m sorry..”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?” 

She continued to sob, “The gate, I opened it. I’m the monster.”

“ No. No, El, you’re not the monster. You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me.” Mike knelt down and pulled us into a hug. 

I felt Dustin’s arms go around my shoulders.

We sat like that for a while..

“This is nice and all but, Lucas is going after the gate and we should probably get him before something bad happens.”

We all get up and head to Mike's house.

#stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things x y/n #stranger things oc #fanfic #stranger things fanfic #fanfiction #stranger things spoilers #st1 #sti ep6

[kimberly-spirits13]

Dating Tim Drake (My DR)

This is what it’s like dating Tim Drake according to my DR (shifting) and let me tell you, he’s a precious and culturally sound man who loves Scooby Doo and is also a freaking genius

Tim Drake is someone that everyone likes

he’s the kind of chaos and perfectly calm that everyone just thinks is the greatest

knows every vine and every meme available but also could have like 100 PHD’s and can hold long conversations about pretty much everything from Barbie and Scooby Doo movies and then the depths of astrophysics and international politics and affairs

As Tim Drake is helpful to those that he notices needs a little pick me up like with homework or just getting around

As Red Robin he’s the same way and if you ever have a home work question, don’t hesitate screaming about it and he’ll pop in and tell you the answer

As RR he’s the one that is always seen doing the craziest things with his brothers and being an absolute icon

Thunder Thighs and amazing abs

he loves coffee as usual but also loves any sort of ginger bread too

Skincare fanatic and loves keeping the vibes right all around him

Loves the movies from 70’s-90’s and quotes them often

Quotes Gordon Ramsay as RR

Loves chemistry and space

When you met you were in Gotham Academy and both in the same classes i the advanced classes

lab partners and were often hanging out together

When you met RR it was because you were hanging out on the rooftops of your apartment

Your parents were having their regular dinner party with a ton of their friends

You lived you in richer part of Gotham so it was normal for you to be out at night like that

It was this time when you were reading your book that you made about all of the heroes and villains that you had ever known of in any of your lifetimes

You were this sort of being that was immortal but always dying as normal and being reincarnated

You retained all of the memories of your past lives and all of the knowledge and skills that you learned along the way

It was something that you clung to and always joked to yourself about

“I have 20 PHD’s I don’t even know why I’m here.” “I’ve trained as an assassin for 400 years, I could kill this idiot with a single strand of hair.” “When I was ruler, they wouldn’t talk to me like that.” "HEY! That’s where I was burned alive for being a witch! Ah memories…” - child anyways

it wasn’t a lie either

Tim caught you in the middle of writing notes in this GIGANTIC book and watching something like Inspector Gadget on your phone

“it’s a bit cold to be out here this late at night dontcha think?”

“that’s why I have my hoodie on.” You say not turning to face the person

This causes Tim to come and sit next to you

You know who he is but he doesn’t have to know that yet

“So whatcha doin?” He asks before realizing that you were writing notes on darksied

“Just improving on some information that I have here.” You answer, “Do you think that his eye beams are closer to shimmery or sparkly?”

“Sparkly- I did not just answer that.” “Why do you have a massive binder on everyone?”

“It’s just a little project just in case.”

“Sounds legit”

You two flip through the book and watch Scooby Doo

He pretty much immediately knows that you know who he is and you explain the whole situation

You meet the Batfam even though you already know them but now they can really be THE WAYNES since they don’t have to hide the fact that they’re the batfam

They’re always inviting you now to come patrol and do things with them now

It makes Timmy a bit jealous but you always make sure that he’s included in some way unless it’s just like a girl day or something

Since you’ve mastered the magic and art of healing, you can restore Babs (that’s just because she does it anyways so I figure just change it a bit)

Damian and Cass love you since you have sooooo many new things to teach them about training and fighting

Tim’s fighting improves so much while you’re dating

not that it was ever bad, it’s just that training with you sky rocketed his skill

The media love the interactions between you and the Wayne family or Y/H/N and the batfam plus other heroes

You and Tim are inseparable

Always finishing each other’s sentences and can basically communicate with looks and small phrases that are just incomplete sentences and words that no one else really gets

rooftop dates and just hanging out- this is especially at your place since you’re on the roof a lot

telling stories about historical figures that you knew at one point

they all become inside jokes at some point

you let some of them become known to the batfam but definitely not all of them

that’s a breech of code

Tim thinks that any and all of the powers that you’ve developed over the few millennia are pretty awesome

Always dorking out over the dumbest crap

it’s pretty funny to you two

You’re friends with all of his friends and he likes all of yours

Makes sure to keep the vibes right since that’s important 🤚

you two always are really good at listening and to and understanding each other

I think that he’s actually really really good at communicating especially when it’s something like a case or a problem that is frustrating him

He has the best tastes in everything and that’s that

also a swiftie

no debate about it

sometimes gets things that remind him of you

you help him with everything WE related that he might need some extra hands on

sometimes you’ll do a months worth of work in a night just to give him some off time a bit

that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t ever scold you for it a little bit

he really appreciates it though and since you know how his brain works and how he does things, it never stresses him out and after a bit of explanation as to what you did, he just picks things right back up

you two probably sleep on top of each other or very very close

could fit on a twin bed because- pile

Always takes you to galas and gets along with your parents well

whenever you do interviews and things, if they’re not WE related they’re always really really funny and entertaining

reacting to videos, the ones with all of the animals, eating things and talking, painting and talking, rapid fire interview

everything goes viral

there are so many edits of you two it’s ridiculous

when you’re not around since maybe you’re traveling or on a mission he’s always keeping up on how you are

sets alarms to call if you’re in a different time zone

Even if you’re in Paris and it’s 4am in Gotham, he’s calling

relationship goals

#dc x reader #dc comics #batfam x reader #tim drake x reader #tim drake x you #tim drake x gender neutral reader #tim drake x y/n #tim drake imagine #tim drake #red robin x y/n #red robin x you #red robin imagine #red robin x reader #red robin #batfam x y/n #batfam x you #batfamily #batfam imagine #teen titans x you #teen titans x y/n #teen titans x reader #teen titans #young justice phantoms #young justice outsiders #young justice x y/n #young justice x you #young justice #young justice x reader

[wicked-mind]

The Night We Met

Summary: When Sam catches you and Bucky making-out in the truck, he has some questions. The most important one being how you two met.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Swearing, drinking, some talks of boobs. 

All Writings Masterlist

Any and all likes, comments, and/or reblogs are deeply appreciated (: I love that shit.

*Gifs not mine.

A soft whimper escape your lips as you tilted your head back, feeling the kisses slowly move along your jaw and down your neck. Your hands tangled in his dark locks as you press your hips more against his, “Bucky…”

Bucky grins against your neck, nipping softly at your skin. The way his name rolls off your tongue makes him grip your hips tighter in his grasp, slowly starting to move your hips back and forth against his own. He knows exactly how to drive you wild. All his focus is on you that he didn’t even notice Sam approaching the truck from the house until he knocked on the window, causing both you and Bucky to jump slightly. Bucky pulls his lips away from your neck and rolls down the window with one hand, “Uh… Hi Sam…” He said with a small smile through the window as you nuzzle your face into his neck embarrassed.

Sam folds his arms at the two of you. He had suspected Bucky to have a girlfriend with how weird he’s been acting lately with his late night phone calls and random trips that lasted for days but he’s never been able to confirm it until now, seeing you straddling Bucky in the driver’s seat of the truck, “Why don’t you invite your friend inside for a drink? Would love to meet her.” He said with a small half smile, “Five minutes.” 

Bucky watched Sam turn and walk towards the house for a moment before letting out a raspy chuckle, “I think we’re busted, sweetheart.” He murmurs out to you, gently rubbing a hand up your back.

You giggle softly and pull your head back to look into his eyes, biting your bottom lip at the sight of him. He was the most beautifully built man you had ever seen but you loved his eyes the most. They looked at you like you were his world and he would do anything to keep you safe, which you knew he would, “Well, you did bring me here to meet him anyway.” You say softly, lifting a hand to stroke along his cheek gently, “We just got a little distracted.”

Bucky grinned up at you. Every touch you gave him was like fire to his core, intoxicating him. He couldn’t get drunk but god damn, it sure felt like he was drunk on something when you looked at him like that and touched him so sweetly, “We better head in, otherwise I’m not gonna be able to keep my hands off ya.” 

That’s how you ended up sitting by Bucky across the table from his friend Sam, drinking a beer as the two men awkwardly stared at each other as if trying to read each other’s minds. You cleared your throat and smiled, breaking the silence “It’s nice to meet you, Sam. You have a very lovely home.”

Sam looked over to you and smiled, “Thanks, it’s nice to finally meet you too. I knew Bucky was sneaking around for some reason.” He chuckled and shook his head, “So how long have you two been…”

“Sneaking around?” You ask with a small smile before looking over towards Bucky, “Uh, about four months?” 

Bucky nods in agreement and moves one of his hands under the table to your thigh, giving it a soft squeeze. He knew you were nervous just by the way small red splotches started to appear on your neck.

Sam folds his arms and leans back in his chair, his eyes flickering between the two of you, “Four months, huh?” He asks, landing his eyes on Bucky who shifted a little in his chair, “That’s about the time you went to New Orleans… So how’d you two meet?”

You and Bucky look at each other with a small smile.

About Four Months Ago

‘Go explore the world. Live a little.’ Sam had said to Bucky, ‘You’re free now, Buck. Get out there.’

That is exactly how Bucky ended up Bourbon Street in New Orleans in the middle of Mardi Gras in a state of shock while two women had pulled up their shirts to flash him. He didn’t know what to do, they were staring at him like they expected something in return but he was just shocked at what was happening before him with wide eyes and lips parted slightly. He looked like a deer in the headlights except those headlights had nipples.

Luckily, you managed to see the whole ordeal and waltzed on over to the three, pulling some beads off from around your neck and passing them to the two women, “Beautiful ladies!” You tell them as they put the beads on, pulling their shirts back down and stumbling off down the street drunkly. You turn to look at the tall, dark haired man who seemed to relax a little after the women had left, “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

Bucky sighs and shoves his hands in his pockets, “That obvious, huh?” He asks with a small half smile, observing you as you stood in front of him. You had a friendly smile on your face and your neck had many different colored beads around it, “I’m not sure what exactly I stepped in to.”

You chuckle softly and smile at him, “Well, you sort of have this cute lost puppy thing going on. That and you looked like you were going to die from shock from being flashed.” You say, pulling a few strands of the beads from your neck and slowly dropping them over his head to dangle around his neck, “It’s Mardi Gras. Girls get a little crazy and there’s this thing where if they flash you, you give them beads. So here’s these just in case you get trapped by boobs again.”

Bucky blushed but let out a small chuckle, “Thanks for saving me, I guess.” He said before pulling a gloved hand of his pocket and outstretching it to you, “I’m Bucky.”

You smile and shake his hand, “Bucky. I’m guessing that’s not your real name?” You ask, narrowing your eyes a little at his cerulean ones, “I’m Y/N.”

Bucky nods, shoving his hand back in his pocket after you shook his hand, “Yeah, my real name is James.” He said sheepishly, his eyes glued to you, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N.”

You nod, “Well, since you introduced yourself to me as Bucky first, that’s what I’ll call you.” You beamed at him before looking down the street, “The parade will start soon. We should probably get somewhere less crazy. Neither of us have enough beads for the amount of women that’ll be flashing us.” You chuckle, looping your arm around his and starting to walk him down the street, “So, where you from?”

Bucky keeps pace with you, following to wherever you were leading him as long as it was away from more drunk women, “Brooklyn originally but I’ve been staying in Delacroix with a friend.” He said down to you, watching your movements, “How about you?”

You nod as you listen, looking up and over to him as you weave through people, “I lived in Seattle until I turned twenty-four, then moved here. I didn’t do well with the cold and constant grey. I prefer my sunshine and jazz. Not to mention the history and culture here is very intriguing. I love it.”

Bucky nods as he keeps his eyes glued to your face, dodging people without even looking at them as you lead him down the street, “You live in this chaos?” He asks with an amused grin.

“I thrive in the chaos.” You giggle, “But it isn’t like this all the time. We always have tourists but Mardi Gras is the craziest two weeks out of the year.” You stopped in front of a small bar and looked up at him, “C’mon, we’ll be safe in here.” You say before pulling him inside. The front of the bar was packed but you weaved him towards the back and through an archway that said private to find a secondary, smaller bar and took a seat on one of the stools, “What brings you to New Orleans?”

Bucky followed you, weaving through the crowd of bodies into the less packed area before taking a seat on the stool next to you, “Well, I haven’t traveled much except when I’m… working and just finished up some of that work so I have a lot of time on my hands now.�� He said softly, “My friend suggested I explore the world.”

“Sounds like a good friend.” You reply before reaching over the bar and grabbing two glasses and a bottle of whiskey, “You like whiskey?” You ask, looking back to him to see him nod with a sort of uneasy look as you reached over the bar. You chuckled softly, “Don’t worry. It’s not stealing. I work here and I’ll make sure to pay for it.” You told him, watching him relax a little as you poured some of the amber liquid into the glasses before setting the bottle onto the bar. You lifted your glass and held it out to him, “Well, cheers to good friends pushing you into the world of New Orleans so you could meet me.”

Bucky smiles and picks up his own glass in his leather gloved hand, cheering your glass before taking a sip of the whiskey. He smiled slightly as he watched you take a sip of yours, your nose crinkling at the burn in your throat. He thought it was cute.

You set the glass down on the bar and licks your lips before looking back to him, “What hotel are you staying at? Just so I can let you know if you need to check for bedbugs.” You giggle.

Bucky squinted his eyes slightly, he knew he forgot something. Sam had showed him how to look at hotels on his phone and how to pay for rooms but he never got around to it, “Uh… No where.” He replied, “I haven’t booked a room so I guess I don’t need to worry about bedbugs.”

You laugh slightly at his response, shaking your head, “Oh, Bucky. You’re never gonna get a room now.” You tell him, “All the hotels are probably booked since it’s the middle of Mardi Gras.” You bit your bottom lip softly as you looked at him, “You could stay with me if you’d like until we manage to find you a room. You don’t want to be wondering the street all night. Besides, that way I can give you the proper tour of New Orleans without the boobs.”

Bucky smiles over at you, thinking your suggestion over before something inside him told him to agree even though he was hesitant, “Alright. Thank you, doll.” He replies, his smile widening when he saw you blush slightly at the name.

After a few more drinks and shared laughs while you two got to know each other a little better, you lead Bucky back to your apartment after he went to his truck and grabbed a duffle bag with his belongings. You watched as he looked around at every detail in your apartment like he was studying his surroundings. After grabbing some pillows and a blanket for him on the couch, you shared a goodnight before going into your bedroom and falling asleep.

The next day, you took Bucky around New Orleans showing him all the sights and sharing the history about the town. He had a constant smile on his face as he listened to you speak about the history, nodding sometimes to let you know he was still actively listening to you. Although it seemed quick, Bucky was falling for you with every word that dripped from your mouth. Your voice quickly became his new favorite sound, especially when you would get lost in a ramble and then blush when you realized you were doing all the talking. The first day together was mostly just you showing him around and how to get back to your apartment in case he wanted to go out on his own. 

The second day together, you took Bucky around to try all your favorite foods. You started with mimosas with chicken and waffles, laughing when Bucky made a bitter face at the orange juice with champagne, making a joke about he must be strictly a whiskey guy which made him smile. You took him to your favorite place to get beignets and when Bucky saw how much powdered sugar was on the pastry, he made a comment about having a heart attack that made you laugh. But beignets quickly became one of his favorite snacks, especially due to the fact you wiped some powdered sugar off his chin and he returned the favor when you got some on your nose. Your night finished up by ordering some take-out gumbo and sitting on the balcony of your apartment as you two ate, watching the people flood the streets as loud jazz music filled the air. 

The third day, you took him to the French Quarter after another beignets stop. Bucky was a little hesitant when you told him there were a lot of psychics that do card readings, palm readings, and other things. He was especially hesitant when you told him that you two should stop to visit your favorite palm reader, telling him that she was freaky good. You offered to go first and Bucky watched the psychic intently as she held your palm in her hand. The psychic, named Iris, told you that you have a very bright future and that your person, whether it be a best friend or a lover, was closer than you thought. Then was Bucky’s turn. He hesitantly pulled off the glove from his right flesh hand and outstretched it to Iris who gently took it in her own, tracing the lines in his palm gently with one of her fingers, “You’ve been through a lot, James. Winter has not been kind to you.” The psychic told him, which shocked Bucky. He hadn’t told her his real name and the fact that she said ‘Winter hasn’t been kind to him’ was like saying Winter was a person. Which it was. It was the past version of him, “Your ghosts want you to know they forgive you, something about it not being your fault. They thank you for your amends.” He swallowed hard before she continued, “You’re on a good path, especially since you decided to come here.” She leans forward a little and hushed her voice so you wouldn’t hear as you looked at some crystals on the gift shop wall, “You’re guide is more important to you than you know. Keep your light close.” She said, nodding over to you before giving a soft smile to Bucky.

After you two left the psychic, Bucky was more quiet than usual since you’ve met him and you wondered what the psychic had told him. You bit your lip as the two of you walked in silence, counting the bricks on the floor to distract yourself from the silence. The sun had started to set when you made it back to your apartment. Bucky immediately went out onto the balcony without saying a word and you stood in the kitchen, pondering what possibly could’ve been said that seemed to close him off slightly from you. You grabbed two beers from your fridge and went out to stand beside him with a small smile, holding one out to him.

Bucky looked over at you as you came out, still pondering what the psychic said to him. The words she said had echoed in his mind since she said them. He took the beer from you with a small half smile and muttered out a soft, “Thanks.” He took the cap off and looked out into the streets, watching people flood them again as they did every night. After a few moments of silence and noticing you shift on your feet awkwardly he turned to look at you, “I’m sorry, doll.”

You swallowed hard as he finally spoke to you, turning to face him and putting on a small smile, “It’s alright, Bucky. I’m the one who should be sorry. You didn’t really want to go see Iris and I pushed you.” You said, leaning your elbows on the banister and looking down at the beer in your hands.

Bucky frowned a little as he watched your movements and listened to the apology that spewed from your lips, your tone almost sad for seeming to offend him. He held his beer on his left gloved hand and placed the other on your back gently, “Y/N, no need to apologize. It was… enlightening.” He said softly and offered a small half smile. And it was. Iris knew things about him she shouldn’t. She knew of his ghosts and his amends. But then she spoke about how important you would be to him, calling you his guide and his light and he wondered if it was fate that he met you, “I had a really good time with you. I’m sort of sad I gotta go back to Delacroix tomorrow.”

You smile over at him, “Me too. I’ll miss having someone to eat beignets with.” You said softly, looking back down at the people in the streets dancing to the loud music, “Good thing it isn’t too far away.”

Bucky kept glancing over at you from the corner of his eye. He honestly didn’t want to leave but if he didn’t, Sam would just come looking for him like the annoying friend he was. He swallowed hard before clearing his throat at an attempt to grab your attention, which he did and he felt nervous butterflies in his stomach as you met his gaze with those beautiful, shining eyes of yours, “Maybe I could come back next week?” He asks, “I mean… I’d like to eat more beignets with you.” He internally flinched at how he sounded before letting out a deep breath, “What I mean is that I would like to see you again… Take you out on a date.”

You smile over at him, turning your body to face his and bit your lip as you listened to him stammer over his words which made you giggle a bit with a small blush to your cheeks, “Now here I thought I was taking you out on mini-dates.” You teased with a smile before continuing, “I’d like that very much, Bucky. You know where to find me.” You said softly, reaching over and taking his hand in yours and together you silently watched the parade in the street while giving small squeezes to each other’s hands.

Present

Sam listened to the story and then held up his hand, “Wait… So you two met because you saved him from…”

“Boobs.” You finish with a chuckle, looking over at Bucky who had this look on his face like he was done with this conversation, a slight pink on his cheeks, “Yup. I saved him from boobs.”

Sam nodded slowly and looked over to Bucky with an amused grin, “So your little ‘escapes’ have been going to see the woman that saved you from boobs.” He said, holding back a laugh.

Bucky glared over at Sam, “It’s not like I was scared. I just didn’t know what to do. They kept staring at me like they earned something.” You and Sam both let out a chuckle which made Bucky look over at you with a half smile at the sound of your laughter. You laughing was his favorite sound, especially when it was because of him.

“The boobs kept staring at you or the women?” Sam asks with a laugh. That earned a groan and an eye roll from Bucky and a laugh from you. Sam folds his arms with the same grin on his lips, “Alright then. Well, we have a spare bedroom. You’re welcome anytime, Y/N. You’ll have to come to one of our cookouts.”

You smile and nod, “Perfect. I’ll bring the beignets.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Permanet Taglist: @buckypops​ @bibliophilewednesday​ @stcrryslibrary​ @redhairedfeistynerd​ @princessnnylzays​

#bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes oneshot #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes

[xmint-conditionx]

art on exhibit | myg + jhs feat. knj

pairing: sugardaddy!hoseok x fem!reader, ceo!yoongi x fem!reader, brat!reader, sub!reader, dom!hoseok, dom!yoongi w/c: 5k but i feel like it should be so much longer for some reason smh summary: you and your sugar daddy, hoseok, are big fans of exhibitionism, but this is the craziest you’ve ever taken it. most of his prestigious party guests are jumping to get to get their hands on you. will you be able to handle it? tags/cw: 18+ please, smut, exhibitionism, voyeurism, remote controlled vibrator, almost reaching limits, spanking, marking, biting, ball gag, degradation (slut), praise, punishment, crying, light oral (f recieving), public humiliation, rope play, shibari, suspension, almost like being pimped out but u like it?, open relationship, hoseok is sort of protective tho, overstimulation, subspace, the orgasm nearly kills you, this one is real nasty, namjoon is just a guest appearance tbh but maybe later he doesn't have to be???

a/n: this thing has given me so much trouble by not appearing in tags. it didn't the first time i posted it on the old blog, and it hasn't been showing up this time either, so please feel free to give this one some extra love. also, honestly, i was sitting on this idea for a long! time! before i actually wrote it out. if i was spaced out in my last class of the day, i was probably thinking about this. i am almost proud and almost ashamed to share this with you all, lmao cause it's honestly a huge fantasy of mine. i’ve been really wanting to do a sugardaddy!hoseok thing for a while, and if you guys like this, then i think i can add more to the story. alright, y’all stay nasty. enjoy!

The ropes dig into the skin of your thighs ever so gently, and you close your eyes to listen to the din of the party that surrounds you. Guests only arrived 30 minutes ago, and you’re already dripping wet. This isn’t the first time you and Hoseok have done exhibitionism, but this is the farthest it’s ever been taken. Men and women in their best black tie attire surround you, glasses of his most expensive champagne in their hands. Not all of them are looking at you; some are too bashful to acknowledge your existence. Some only sneak glances when they think nobody else is looking. Few have come up and examined your entire naked frame, suspended from Hoseok’s ceiling in the middle of his entertainment space.

They’re examining you as if you were a piece of fine art; just another pretty and peculiar object that Hoseok has collected. You’re placed among some of his other art pieces - some Pollocks, some Dalis, some Picassos, and one O’Keefe - and somehow, you feel like you fit. That’s what Hoseok had said anyway. That since you were one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen in his life, he wanted to feature you as the work of art you are. He chose to display you in his favorite way.

Red shibari rope surrounds each of your legs like a cage before confining your hands behind your back. The rope trails over your torso and is twisted and knotted around your exposed breasts, but not tightly. Just enough to accentuate your natural shape. Your legs are tied so that they remain apart, one held higher than the other to leave you fully exposed. Your stomach is facing the floor, but not entirely; Hoseok has tied you so that you’re almost lounging comfortably there, suspended in midair. The lines of rope flow with the form of your body, and even though all of your weight is pressed down onto them, the ropes are the soft and luxurious kind - no doubt expensive - that make you feel as though you could be floating instead.

Just then, your attention is jolted to your cunt, where his favorite black remote control vibrator has just been triggered. You clench around it, and your moan is muffled by the ball gag that is secured over your lips. When you open your eyes, he is standing solidly in front of you.

His black button up shirt and jacket combination is draped over his shoulders beautifully, and his shiny brown hair is parted in the middle. He looks incredible. Radiant. Sinful.

“You looked bored,” he says with a little smirk as he continues to let the vibrator run inside of you, “and we can’t have that… Perhaps I should turn it up.”

He twists a small knob on the remote and the vibrations steadily rise in frequency until they’re as high as they can go. A semblance of a scream escapes your lips behind the gag. You begin rocketing toward climax, but Hoseok knows you and your body too well. Just as you begin to feel the tingles spread over your body, he shuts it off, and your muscles immediately go lax from being tensed up and ready to come.

He laughs softly as you pant, and then takes a quick look around the room.

“You seem to have gathered some attention. That’s my good girl.”

Without another word, he pockets the remote, and you watch how his ringed fingers delicately pick up a flute of champagne from one of the server’s tray tables. Then he simply walks away. His immaculately shiny black shoes gently thud on the marble floor as he makes his way through the crowd, to presumably some other obscenely rich friend of his.

You feel a small amount of saliva about to peak over your bottom lip. You’ve been good about swallowing everything but it seems your denied orgasm has made you forgetful. Moments later, a small thread of your own spit runs out of your mouth and onto the floor. You know that you have been dripping from the other end too, and you wonder if any of the guests have just seen you drool on yourself.

As if to answer, Hoseok comes back from behind you and grabs you by the jaw. His face lights up when he confirms that you have made a mess of yourself. He turns to one of his guests and speaks.

“See, Namjoon?” he says, tilting your head up toward his guest so that he can see, “She’s incredible.”

You meet eyes with the guest, and put on your best innocent look. You love how a blush starts to creep up into his cheeks, and how his pillowy lips part slightly. Even though you’re bound from head to toe and easily the poorest person here, you feel like you’re the most powerful person in the room. The guest clears his throat and turns his attention back to Hoseok.

“How much was your price?” he asks.

Hoseok looks down at you, and a smirk begins to form on his plush lips.

“1,000 US Dollars. Per second,” he says, “Which charity will it be, then?”

You’d been the one to come up with the idea for the proceeds from the charity fundraiser to be benefitted by getting to control the vibrator. Hoseok loved it.

“Your education charity,” he says, “and I’ll take 30 seconds.”

Hoseok nods, “Do you want to go ahead and write the check now or do you want me to keep a tab running and let you know at the end of the evening?”

The tall man considers this, and looks back at you for a moment before answering, “keep it open, will you?”

“Alright, Mr. Kim. All yours,” Hoseok says as he fishes out the device from his suit pocket before turning to you, “Be good, you hear me? Don’t come until you have been given permission by either Mr. Kim or myself. Understood?”

You nod frantically as you watch the remote being transferred from Hoseok’s hands to Namjoon’s. The earlier flustered man turned more confident once he held the little black fob in his palm - quite a large palm now that you look at it closely. It would look so nice trailing up your thigh, you think. You look up at Namjoon and convey a pleading look, one that silently asks for mercy.

He does not give it.

With a small grin, he turns on the vibrator, and you scream (or try to) at the suddenness of the sensation. He spends his entire 30 seconds with the device in your pussy at full speed, and you can’t hold back your groaning. You clench around the bullet, and when his time is up, you feel beads of sweat starting to form on your brow from the exertion. You’re left a panting mess in front of him, Hoseok, and every other guest that has turned to watch you squirm.

Namjoon’s satisfied smile and nod encourages others in the room to have a turn. Before long, you see a few more guests make their way over to where you are hanging. This time it is a group of women.

“Hye-jin!” Namjoon exclaims, before he hugs the woman and offers a short to the three others that come over with her. She’s dressed in the most beautiful black form fitting dress you’ve ever seen. Her hourglass figure sways captivatingly in the gown, and you’re momentarily mesmerized by her figure. You look up at her and she’s smirking down at you; you were too distracted at the way the large jewels on her necklace fell over her collarbones to realize that they were already discussing you.

“I should have known it would be you to break the ice,” she says playfully to Namjoon, who just presses his lips together in resignation as he puts his hand to the back of his neck.

“How’s the comeback?” he asks casually, as if there isn’t a fully naked and exposed woman suspended in front of him. His ability to be so casual while you’re at the edge of your sanity shoots a ping of arousal through your body. You shiver slightly, and you catch Hoseok looking at you out of the corner of his eyes. He’d never admit it, but he cares about you a lot. You can tell he’s checking to make sure you aren’t getting ready to start snapping your fingers- the safe action you’d both agreed on to release you from the ropes and send you into his master suite. Even when he had walked over to find Namjoon, you know even then he wasn’t out of sight or earshot from you.

He had a clean and plush robe stowed away in the closet nearby, and was always ready to release you should you want to be. You’d worked together before the event to set up a space in his suite to go should you need to retire for the evening, and you caught him setting a hoodie of his on the side of the bed where you typically sleep. You’d always playfully taken them, either to flirt or to wear it (and only it) to encourage a round two. But he had never deliberately set one of them aside for your use. He knows you won’t be using it to flirt or to rouse him into more sex, so his little efforts to bring you as much comfort as possible had set alight something in your heart.

He really did take pride in taking good care of you. As a good sugar daddy should.

You’re yanked back to reality when the vibrator starts up again. You clench around it and feel a gush of wetness surge out at the sensation of it going at full blast. Just when you become used to the speed and lower your whining, you open your eyes to see the woman holding the remote this time, grinning down at you with full lips. She meets your gaze and turns it up all the way, which makes you tense up every last one of your muscles. The woman next to her with long, light hair and a wicked gaze, whispers something to her while eyeing you up and down. It then occurs to you that you weren’t paying attention and don’t know how much time she purchased.

As the seconds tick by, they feel like hours. With the device at full speed, you feel yourself closing in on a climax, and so you squeeze your eyes shut and brace yourself for the orgasm that is about to rip through your body…

She turns it down to the lowest setting and watches as you groan at the second denial crushes you. More saliva drips down your chin as she switches it off, leaving you with only the beads of sweat that cling to your skin.

“Thank you, Hoseok. Worth every penny,” Hye-jin says, handing the remote back to him.

Hoseok beams his thousand-watt smile at her, and congratulates her on both the success of Maria, her solo album, and then thanks her for her donation.

She thanks him in return, and both women walk back into the crowd. Namjoon has also gone, which just leaves you with Hoseok again. His eyes meet yours for a moment, and you see a fire in them that you’ve never seen before. You’re dangling about waist height, and you can’t help but to look down from his face to try to see if you can make out a bulge. You don’t get time to really look, because as soon as you break eye contact, he moves to your back and smacks your ass cheek hard. A loud thwack echoes throughout the large space, over the din of the partygoers. You inhale sharply at the sting, and let your breath back out in a long groan, drawing the attention of more guests. You knew that the champagne would loosen inhibitions eventually.

You hear the footsteps of a couple other guests walking toward you from behind where Hoseok stands. You crane your head to try to see over your shoulder, but they stand just out of your peripheral vision. They’re talking in low voices, and you can’t make out what they’re saying. You wish you could swing yourself around and look at them, but knowing that the only thing they can see of you is your dripping cunt, you’re not so mad.

You feel a hand on your thigh, a touch you’re familiar with. You know it’s Hoseok’s hand, as he gently trails up your inner thigh, purposefully teasing you. An involuntary shiver runs through your body and you can’t help but to whimper slightly. You hear a man’s chuckle, and then he’s speaking, again too low for you to hear.

Hoseok uses his grip on your inner thigh to spin you around so that you’re facing the group of men. Namjoon has come back, this time with what appears to be a friend in tow.

“Baby girl,” Hoseok’s voice says gently, and you look up to meet his gaze, “Yoongi here has just asked if he may touch you.” Your eyes widen at the thought, remembering how just Hoseok’s hand trailing up your thigh had your toes curling. You look up at the new guest, and see only a cold and stone-like expression. His eyes seem to bore right through you, and directly into your cunt. You’re momentarily mesmerized under his heavy stare, before you slowly nod your head.

“Yoongi here has just generously donated one million dollars to one of my charities, so do you know what that means?” he asks you, not expecting an answer, “How long is one thousand seconds?”

“Sixteen minutes and 40 seconds,” Yoongi says, not breaking eye contact from you, “If I’m correct.”

If your mouth could drop, it would. Namjoon, looking up from his phone, just nods nonchalantly.

Hoseok asks the man what he has asked everyone else: if they would like to keep a running tab or if they would like to write a check now. Yoongi reaches into his back pocket and pulls out what you assume to be his checkbook. With rings glittering in the lighting of the room, his hand swiftly fills it out. He rips it out and extends it to Hoseok.

“I won’t be needing more time.”

His cool confidence in saying this small phrase makes your stomach drop.

Hoseok grips your chin and tilts your head up. “Remember, baby girl, don’t come until you’re told to. You want to be on your best behavior for Mr. Min. Trust me.”

He speaks sternly and then releases your jaw, trailing his hand back to stroke your messy hair, before settling on your two hands secured behind your back and giving them a light squeeze. A silent reminder of your out, should you need it.

This Yoongi must be… a force to be reckoned with.

“Your time starts now,” Hoseok says, tapping his phone screen. You squeeze shut your eyes and brace yourself for the abrupt shock of the vibrations, but seconds pass, and they don’t come. You gingerly open your eyes and look up at the man standing above you, toying with the remote. He regards it with vague interest, and then he flicks up his eyes to look at you. Your heart stops for a moment, as he begins to rake his onyx eyes over your body. He purses his lips slightly and begins walking around you, all too slowly.

Even though he has disappeared from your view, you can feel his eyes on you. Your anxiousness grows as he remains out of your sight longer, and this is no doubt intentional. It seems as if he picked up your unease earlier when he first approached.

This guy is good.

You’re so on edge, that the light vibrations that begin in your cunt still surprise you. He turned the vibrator on to its lowest setting, but these low and slow vibrations still make you have a sharp intake of breath. He finally arrives back to your front and seems pleased at your reaction. He squats down so that his face is level with yours.

“What a good girl you are,” he muses, lips parted, tongue playing with the inside of his cheek, “I hope Hoseok here treats you well. You seem… pent up.”

At those last two words, he revs up the vibrations slightly, causing you to let out a small moan. He stands and puts the remote in his pocket. You watch as he gently rolls up his sleeves to the elbow, his forearm flexing as he fixes them. Your hungry stare betrays you.

“Is she always like this?” he asks Hoseok, almost laughing at you. “God, she’s desperate.” He looks at you. “Does Hobi not fuck you enough, little girl?”

Your eyes widen at the implications, and you furiously shake your head no, trying to convey as much as you can with your eyes alone. He just chuckles.

“Loyal,” he says, “I like that.” He looks back up at Hoseok. “Is your agreement exclusive, or is there room in her life for a second... benefactor?” You look up at your sugar daddy, eyes wide with what he might say. He’s just standing there, arms folded over his chest, as if he were discussing the weather or the stock market.

“I’m afraid she’s all booked up for the foreseeable future, unfortunately,” he says cooly but firmly, a little bit of edge to his voice.

“Pity,” Yoongi says, taking a step toward you, “I could think of a million good ways to take up her time.”

“You’ve got 14 minutes left,” is all Hoseok says in response, a definite sharpness to his tone. You’ve only heard this type of voice from him when you’re being particularly bratty. You rarely hear him this stern.

The vibrations quicken slightly, and you can tell from your frequent use that the device is at about its medium speed.

Yoongi takes his hand and reaches out to your back, and with a featherlight touch, begins to trace next to where the ropes lie. He keeps working down your back, and gently trails down your bare ass cheek and ghosts against your pussy. You can feel the heat from his hand, impossibly close to touching you. You hold your head back and try to look at him as you whine out a plea.

“Eyes straight ahead, little girl,” he says, and you comply reluctantly, flopping your head forward dramatically as you sigh. His hand grabs hold of your thigh, and squeezes it so hard you’re sure you’ll find a bruise there in the morning. “And lose the attitude.”

You whimper as he releases your thigh, and goes back to delicately running his fingertips up to your core. He stops just short of your cunt, and you desperately want him to just touch you. You flex your back and buck your hips in order to push yourself onto where you know his hand is. Your clit makes contact with his hand, and as soon as you feel it connect, you feel it missing. Not even a moment later, a sharp sting spreads across your ass, and you clench around the vibe.

“What a greedy little slut you are. Do you always misbehave this much?”

You turn your head back to look at him, and as you meet his eyes, you can see he begins to fume.

“Namjoon, keep her head straight. Someone's not listening.”

You turn your head back around and Namjoon is quickly grabbing your jaw firmly in his hand. Your eyes meet his, and his earlier show of no mercy seems to still be intact. You feel Yoongi’s hand soothe the soreness he just created, only to once again reel back and give the same spot another firm smack, just as hard as the first one.

You cry into the ball gag and the shockwave from his hit sends you slightly swinging forward into Namjoon’s belt. Even though the vibrator is only at medium speed, you feel yourself beginning to get close to a climax. Your moans get longer and higher, and your body tenses to prepare for it. You hear Yoongi behind you.

“Don’t.”

You know exactly what he means. You focus on your breathing and furrow your brow in an attempt to stave off your orgasm. It’s working, but barely. He turns up the vibrations and you cry out again, your head shaking as much as Namjoon’s firm grip will allow.

“Don’t.”

You distance yourself from the situation, distracting yourself with thinking about schoolwork. The essay you’re currently writing. How the rough draft needs to be done by tomorrow night. You need three more in-text citations to make --

His hand is against your clit, and he’s rubbing at an agonizingly slow pace, with just enough pressure for you to want more. You inhale sharply and work harder to distract yourself.

You have two of the quotes picked out, but you need to finalize the third one to really hammer in your point. Maybe you can spend tomorrow morning reading --

His lips graze over the ass cheek he tortured earlier, your smarting skin responding sharply to the gentle contact. He gives you a soft kiss, and then you feel a sharp pain as he sinks his teeth into your already ruined ass.

Your eyes fly open and you make desperate eye contact with Namjoon, trying to show him that you can’t last much longer. Thankfully, this Namjoon is a perceptive man, and he looks from you to Yoongi.

“She can’t take much more, Yoongi.”

“Good,” he says, breath grazing over where he just bit as he speaks. “Come, slut.”

For the first time tonight, your orgasm peaks and rips out of you. Your whole body trembles with the sensation, and you feel his pressure on your clit increase to see you through. The orgasm is hard, and long, and it leaves you with tears streaming down your cheeks, mascara running wildly. You’re coming down slowly, and you feel his hand pull away. Before you realize it, he is standing in front of you again. Namjoon releases you, and your head hangs lifelessly as you pant.

Yoongi stands directly in front of you again, and you find yourself staring at his expensive shoes. You’re completely spent. Post orgasm bliss spreads throughout your muscles, and then, a slight discomfort. You realize what it is: the vibrator is still going.

You squirm lazily and whine at the sensation, it being too much. Yoongi squats down and gently lifts up your head by the chin. Your exhausted eyes meet his, and he clicks his tongue.

“Aw, are you all sensitive now?” he asks gently, in an almost patronizing tone. You don’t care. You nod sleepily.

“Is the vibrator too much, little girl?” You nod once more, eyes fluttering shut.

“Then use your safeword gesture,” he says, almost as if it’s a dare. "Go on. Snap."

If he’s not done with you, then you’re not done. You open your eyes and look directly at him as if to say “challenged accepted.”

Without moving his eyes from yours, he cranks up the vibrations until you’re whimpering again.

“Six more minutes,” you hear Hoseok say from beside you.

“Plenty of time,” Yoongi replies without skipping a beat. “I think we can get three more in. One every two minutes? Surely a slut like you will have no problem with that, since you wanted to come so badly earlier.”

You groan at the ache in your cunt, and at the slight displeasure the vibrator is causing. Yoongi stands again and walks back behind you, and this time you know better than to move your head to look.

Soon the vibrations begin to feel pleasurable again, and you’re having a hard time keeping your moans quiet.

“Atta girl,” you hear Yoongi say from behind you, “Your next one’s already coming isn’t it? You greedy little thing. You’re going to ruin Hoseok’s nice floors with your slick. And in front of all these people?”

Just like that, you’re reminded that you have an audience. Quite a large one. You open your eyes to see just about every guest’s gaze glued to your straining form. The heat bubbles in your abdomen as your next climax rushes toward you.

“You may come again,” is all Yoongi says as you’re thrown off the edge again. As soon as you begin to recover from this one, he ups the vibrator to full speed. You scream into the ball gag at the overstimulation, and cry out as tears spill out of your eyes. It’s entirely too much, but you love it. Before you realize it, another orgasm rips through your body, almost as if it were a continuation of the last one.

He doesn’t miss this though, and spreads your ass cheeks apart so he can get a better view. At this point, you’re not sure if you can do another one. You feel as though you might pass out if you come again. But the overstimulation is so overwhelming that you can only think of reaching one more high. You tense your entire body and try to get another one, but your muscles are so spent that you can’t stay tense for long. After a few more tries, you just sigh and hang limply, your limbs heavy and tired. You hang on the edge of climax, being able to see the other side, but not being able to go there.

Mascara tears stain your cheeks from exertion, and you are well and truly spent. You give up.

But you don’t snap your fingers.

Yoongi fastens his lips over your aching clit, and sucks. Just like that, you feel your orgasm building again so you clench, desperately trying to claim it; this time, you reach it.

It tears through you like a slow strike of lightning. You feel yourself shaking as it takes its time fracturing within you. It grows white hot in your belly, and it’s as if every cell in your body has been burned alive. All of the energy you have left is spent thrashing in the ecstasy of your orgasm, and for a few seconds, you know nothing else but the pleasure.

You find yourself deep in subspace, practically dead to the world. You don’t even have the energy to open your eyes. You barely register Hoseok as he begins untying the ropes around your hands, getting assistance from both Namjoon and Yoongi. You feel his hands as he releases your ball gag and caresses your face as he asks if you’re okay. You give the tiniest nod, and he wraps your limp form tightly in his arms as the two men finish unwrapping your legs. He swoops down and sweeps your legs up to carry you bridal style away from the party.

The next thing you know is the soft and cool silk of his sheets enveloping you as he lays you down. You exist there for a time, every nerve ending in your body tingling as you drift off.

You wake some time later to hear quiet chatting. You inhale and breathe in the musky scent of Hoseok’s favorite cologne. You find yourself curled around the hoodie he left for you. As you slowly open your eyes, you can just make out the time on the nightstand clock. It’s almost 3 AM; the fundraiser had to have ended over four hours ago. You breathe slowly and close your eyes again so you can focus on the voices in the room.

You hear Hoseok straight away; his tone is forever instantly familiar to you. The way his normal speaking rhythm is a little sloppy with alcohol. In reply is a voice you more recently became acquainted with. The voice who you last heard giving you permission to come. It’s a little bit more rough now, a Daegu accent slipping out in his intoxication. The third one takes you by surprise. A low and calm voice. Lower than you’d ever suspected possible, from hearing him speak this evening. Even still, Namjoon’s even tone is a rumble you can make out.

You sit up slowly, not wanting the blood to rush to your head. You were sleeping hard. Your dry mouth guarantees that. At your movement, the three men stop their talking and look over at you. Hoseok is the first to set down his glass and walk over to you. His black tie is gone and so is his jacket. His collar is wide open, showing off his tanned chest behind the many unfastened buttons. He gets on his knees next to the bed and reaches for your hands. Once he finds them, his brow is creased with worry, as he brings your hands up to his lips.

“Are you alright, baby girl?” he asks into your hands. You still have the weight of sleep over you, so you don’t respond right away.

“She had her gesture, Hoseok. She could have used it,” you hear Yoongi say, and you look in his direction. He sits with his legs spread, glass of whiskey hanging off of his fingers. Your eyes meet, and even though he’s trying to seem impertinent and uncaring, there’s a tinge of worry and guilt in his eyes. You glance to Namjoon and see that his worry is more plainly stated.

Hoseok caresses your cheek and turns you back to facing him. His eyes plead for an answer. So you give it.

“Yes,” you say, voice raspy, “I’m alright. I feel great, actually.” Hoseok visibly relaxes and you hear Yoongi across the room mutter an “I told you so” to Namjoon.

“He didn’t push you too hard?” Hoseok asks.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” you reply smugly, meeting Yoongi’s eyes, “But he did well and truly wear me out... Clearly."

You chuckle as Hoseok covers your hands in a million tiny kisses.

“Perhaps I do need to step my game up,” he teases, “I’ve never seen you so fucked out.”

“Nothing a good nap can’t fix,” you tease back. He smiles up at you, and you once again get lost in his brightness and warmth. “Mind if I join you all for a drink?”

“Of course not, baby girl,” Hoseok says, “I’ll go get your robe--”

“Don’t bother,” you say, wiggling into his hoodie and pulling the hood up and over your hair, “but you can go get me a glass.”

#bts smut #hoseok smut #yoongi smut #namjoon smut #yoongi x you #hoseok x you #namjoon x you #xmint-conditionx

[maddiwrites]

Secrets of the Shore (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Pogues x reader, eventually JJ x reader.

Summary: This is just my rewrite of the show Outer Banks with my own twist by adding another main character which also happens to be John B’s twin sister. 

Note: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the support of my last couple of fics. All your messages have been so kind and so sweet! I’ve made a rewrite of the show with a new character that eventually falls in love with her best friend. I’m gonna be posting a new chapter three times a week. Let me know what you guys think!

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: None

Chapter 2 

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck?" John B tip toes across the middle of the roof as he sips out of the can of beer in his hand.

I lean to my right, pressing against JJ's shoulder as we sit on a construction slack used to hold construction workers as they work on the siding of the home. Scaffolding, I think it's called. I narrow my eyes at my brother, counting down the seconds until he falls.

"I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival," Pope jokes from the deck below us.

John B shrugs. He licks his finger and holds it up in the air as if he's feeling which way the wind is blowing. "Hm. Should I do it?"

"Yeah, jump." Pope holds up a power drill and points it at John B like it's a gun. "I'll shoot you on the way down."

"You'll shoot me?"

"Yep." Pope closes one eye and pretends to shoot it. "Pow!"

I roll my eyes and look forward again, letting the beer slip down my throat like a refreshing glass of water. The warm North Carolina air presses soothingly against my freshly tan skin and I bask in the sunlight. Its days like these that I like the most. Days where none of my best friends have work, we're drinking causally, and joking with one another. Even if it's on a construction site in the middle of Figure Eight. But the idea of getting caught just gives me an adrenaline rush.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," Kie says as she walks out of the unfinished house.

"Of course. Why wouldn't they?" JJ says next to me with a shrug like it's not the craziest thing that a Kook would own.

"This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess."

"I can't have cold towels."

Kie looks up at John B, shielding her eyes with the back of her hand. "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Don't spill the beer. I'm not giving you another one," JJ says.

As if on cue, John B's foot slips. Luckily he catches himself, but his beer, however, drops to it's death on the deck below. As John B steadies himself I release the breath I didn't even know I was holding. I take another greedy gulp of my warm beer to steady the nerves in my chest.

"Whoa! Oh, shit," John B curses.

"Of course you did," JJ rolls his eyes playfully. "Smooth."

"A plus, really." I glare up at my brother, feeling his mischievous smirk right back at me.

"Dumbass," Kie mutters under her breath. She looks up at me as if waiting for me to say something, but I only giggle to myself. John B can be clumsy but he's not going to accidentally kill himself.

"Hey!" I hear another voice shout behind us towards the street and front of the house. A voice that doesn't belong to any of my friends or my brother.

"Hey, uh, security's here," Pope says.

Immediately knowing what that means, I jump to my feet with the help of JJ right after he slugs the rest of his beer. A delirious grin dances along my lips as I hop down to the main deck.

"Let's wrap it up!"

"Boys are early today."

"Humpty Dumpty, let's roll!"

My legs take off after my friends through the house. Adrenaline rushes through my veins and straight to my head like a power high. I can't even feel my legs as they jump over wooden slacks and construction tools. The high from running from the police is better than any drug JJ can get his hands on, even the good stuff.

"Gary is that you?" JJ plays along before accidentally running into him, making him slip on his feet before running the other way. I grab his wrist and pull him closer to me to catch up. "Gary, good to see you man!"

I laugh as my feet land on the freshly cut grass in the front yard. "You're asking for it."

"JJ!" The obese cop chases after us, recognizing my best friend's face instantly. I'm not surprised, not even a little bit. JJ had his fair share of run-ins with the law.

"They're going out front!" I hear another cop shout. I can barley hear through the wind rushing through my ears.

We run into a tall white painted fence that blocks us from our car, better known as the Twinkie. Hopping fences is something I've learned to become better at after doing it so many times. However, I can't say the same about Pope. He's always struggled.

I swing my legs over the fence and land with a small 'oomf.' I look over my shoulder for my slow-poke friend and see him falling over the fence, landing on his side. I laugh as I pick him up by the shoulders.

JJ is waiting for us, clapping his hands like a coach on the sidelines at a football game because his players aren't running fast enough. But there's a smile on his face. "Get up, Pope, fatso's coming!"

"Hey!" The guard shouts behind me. He's halfway up the other side of the fence, but he doesn't have the strength to pull himself over completely. "Come here you little pricks!"

I hear the familiar honk coming from the van John B and I learned to drive in. My brother and Kie are waiting for us in the front seats of the Volkswagen van that would look better in the 70s than the 2020's but I love it. It fits our friend group perfectly. Plus I'd choose this car over any fancy Mercedes Tourons usually drive. The only time I've ever been in one of them is when I snuck off with a golf player from Georgia after a boneyard party. It was luxurious of course, but nothing like the Twinkie.

"Bus is leaving!" John B says as we get closer.

"Come on!" Kie yells at us from the passenger seat, banging the flat of her palm against the door.

I dive through the back first, landing on my elbows and rolling over. Pope and JJ follow less than a second later.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Gary calls after us as John B steps on the gas.

JJ leans out of the sliding side door that's still wide open. I lay on my back watching him as I try to catch my breath. His smile is contagious. For a boy who's been through hell and back, he smiles a lot, and I love every second of it.

He holds out his beer can as if he's offering it to the cop who's still trying to catch us...if he can catch up to it. "Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise. Come on, Gary!"

"Wait. Slow down. Hey! You little pricks! Hey!"

"You're gonna give him a heart attack!" Kie tries to scold him but she can't fight the smile on her lips either as she watches from the side rearview mirror.

"You're so close! You can do it. There you go. They don't pay you enough bro."

"JJ, stop. Stop!" Kie says through her laughter.

I love Kie. She always tries to keep the peace between her friends and the world itself. Always the girl who raises money for charities that protect this Earth and save animals and solve world hunger. She's going to change the world someday. Her and Pope. Maybe if they can tolerate each other, they'll do it side by side.

JJ slumps back into the van with a toothy grin. He sits next to me and pulls me up so I'm sitting up straight. He dangles his arm around my shoulder and I lean further into his side. If I could choose one position to be in for the rest of my life it would be this one.

But I'd never admit that.

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," JJ says.

I hum in response and lean back into the seat behind me and stare out the window. A view of passing vibrant green leaves takes over the window as John B drives. The scene comforts me. Summer is my favorite season. No school. Just work and friends and the Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth, some may call it.

It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. We're currently driving through Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live.

As John B drives further South, the houses get smaller and smaller, feeling more like home. This is the South side. Or as we like to call it, the Cut. Home of the working class who make a living bussing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of...drumroll, please...the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest members of the food chain.

I know... a little harsh, don't you think?

So, the downside of the Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of the Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

The second John B parks the car, the boys are gathering all their fishing gear and we set off to our next destination. The marina.

"Nice haul, dude. Look at that!" JJ teases my brother when he reels in what I think is the smallest fish I've ever seen. If it was orange, I would have thought it was my old pet goldfish from when I was six. "Been all bait for, like, three weeks."

John B pulls the fish off his hook and tosses it in JJ's direction. JJ flinches back, knocking into me and almost throwing me into the water below. That was probably my fault, though. I shouldn't be sitting on an open ledge, dangling my legs twenty feet above the water.

"Watch it, idiot!" I smack JJ upside the head after letting go of the death grip I had on his bicep when I was about to fall to my death. Well...I'd probably survive, but it would hurt like hell.

"It's not my fault you chose the most dangerous seat!" JJ retaliates.

Yeah, that's JJ. John B's best friend since the third grade, which subsequently makes him my best friend since the third grade too. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Second best surfer I know. First being me of course. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

"Yeah, Mar, you should really get down from there," Kie says, walking over to me to help me down. I decide not to put up a fight. If I'm going to break my leg, I'm gonna do it in a surfing accident or something cool, not by falling off the dock.

Kiara. Or Kie as we call her. When not saving turtles or listening to Bob Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why though. She's a rich kid, actually. Her family owns the Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash down with the tourists and my current job. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. But they like me enough to bring them money towards their restaurant. I bring in a lot of regulars. Advertising is kind of my thing. I'm pretty sure all my friends, even my brother, have a thing for her.

Kie hands me a water bottle and lays her legs across my lap. She lies down on the wooden bench and bathes in the sunlight the day still has to offer. Kie is my best friend. Best secret holder known to man, for the most part.

"I think she needs a leash," Pope adds, making me pass him a glare.

"The only thing useful about a leash is how I can strangle you with it," I say.

"Kinky," JJ says and winks at me. "That's my girl."

John B slaps JJ upside the back of his head.

I'm lucky my sunburnt skin is hiding the blush that creeps along my cheeks.

Pope glares at both JJ and I which only makes my growing smirk widen.

Pope...the brains of the operation...finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us.

"Trust me, if a leash was that easy, I would have tried a long time ago," John B mutters with a hint of a smile.

John Booker Routledge. My insufferable twin brother. Pain in my ass. Number one partner in crime. I hate him but I love him. Pretty much like any sibling relationship. We live in an old fish shack on the marsh. The Chateau as my dad use to call it. My dad disappeared at sea nine months ago looking for a shipwreck. I mean seriously, who disappears at sea these days? I miss him a lot. He may have been a little neglectful, but he took care of us the best that he could. My mom, however? She split when I was three. Last I heard she was in Colorado. At least I think it was Colorado. Honestly who knows and who cares.

Since my dad vanished, my Uncle T is supposedly my legal guardian. At the moment, he's in Mississippi, building houses which means it's just me right now, on my own, hangin' out with my brother and my friends.

Three months after my dad went missing, he was officially presumed dead. John B is more of an optimist than I am. He refuses to sign the paper and until he sees a dead body, he's not giving up. I back John B's decision, but I'm more realistic about what happened to my dad. The ocean, although my favorite place to be, is also one of the scariest.

My dad is probably dead and I will never get the closure that I want. So I'm dealing with it the best way I can, although I'm pretty sure everyone is a little worried about me, especially Kie now that John B is starting to follow in my footsteps by exhibiting reckless behavior.

But I'm getting better now. Day by Day. At least I wasn't acting like I did when my dad first left us.

                                                     ~ ~ ~

I woke up with a slap to my ankle and my head buried deep into my pillow. I groan from the abrupt living alarm clock that's now pacing my room and throwing clothes from my closet at me. It only makes me squeeze my eyes tighter in hopes for at least five more minutes of sleep.

"Seriously, Mar, we need to go. We're late." John B rips my blanket off my body, leaving me exposed in just my pajama boxer shorts and a tank top. The sudden chill sends goosebumps up my arms and legs.

"Go without me." I push myself up on my elbows and grab the clothes he threw at me. I knew meeting the social worker alone wasn't an option. Even if one of us goes to this stupid meeting, it will prove to the social worker that we're not being responsible enough to keep DCS off our backs. As far as they know, Uncle T is still living with us and keeping us safe.

"You have five minutes." John B ignores me and leaves my room, slamming my door shut.

I roll my eyes and tumble out of my soft bed. I slip on my jeans shorts and a white t shirt that I tie in a knot to make it a crop top. Underneath it I have on my plain black bikini, knowing that I will be surfing the second we get home. The News has been reporting a storm for weeks that's suppose to hit tonight. Vicious waves and crazy winds sends a thrill through my body.

We arrive to the social worker's office only two minutes late. I thought that was a sign of responsibility, but the social worker only looks at us with distaste as we sit in the two chairs in front of her desk.

"John, Marleigh, it's come to our attention that you two are unemancipated minors living on your own." Her hair is pulled back into a tight low bun and her glasses are perched on the tip of her nose. Her suit looks way too tight for comfort, like it's squeezing the life out of her.

John B scoffs and leans back into his seat as if we have nothing to worry about, but I know his heart is beating just as wildly as mine. "No....no." The social worker raises one brow in suspicion and glances in my direction to either confirm or deny what John B is saying. John B sees this and answers for me. "No."

I just shrug as a response, which only makes the social worker more weary. She leans into her desk and folds her hands on top of our folders that are piled in the middle. "I need honesty to help you. That's what we want, right?"

"Yeah. I'm being honest."

"Okay, then when is the last time you spoke to your uncle?"

John B looks down at his watch and purses his lips. "Uh...thirty-four minutes ago."

"When's the last time you saw him?"

"Two hours and...forty-three minutes ago?"

I hold myself back from rolling my eyes. It's clear on the social worker's face that she's not buying into any of John B's lies.

She sighs and turns to look at me. "We're gonna come out there tomorrow to talk to your uncle. If he's not there, we're gonna move forward with foster care." Foster care. The words make me dig my nails into the wood of the arms of the chair I'm in. The last place I ever wanna be is in foster care. I want to stay here on the island with my brother and our friends. Not with some random family who couldn't care less about us in a place I'm not familiar with. "I want to assure you, we're gonna find you a safe and loving home."

She says it like she's offering us a better life, one that we would want, one that sounds like the better option but it isn't. I ignore the worried look John B sends my way and watch the seconds go by on the clock above the door. We basically have twenty-four hours to find Uncle T or someone to be pretend to be him.

                                                  ~ ~ ~

The winds begin picking up early in the afternoon, the rain hitting by 5. On my way home from working at the Wreck, I watch people board up the windows of their stores and homes. All John B and I can do is hope that our little shack won't blow away by morning.

Unfortunately for Pope, he's at our house when John B catches me leaving the house with my board. When he tells me to stop, I'm prepared to put up a fight. I've been looking forward to surfing in this storm all day - something I can use to push the DCS lady out of my head and the promise she made that sounded more like a threat.

"You think you were gonna go out without me?" John B smirks and leads the way to the beach.

Pope follows behind us like a lost puppy, basically talking to himself as he tries to convince us that this is a bad idea. We stop at the edge of the beach. It's almost impossible to see the ocean through the wind and the rain.

"Those aren't surfable waves, bro," Pope says, squinting through the rain that splatters our faces wet.

"Says who?" I say, passing him a devious smirk and make a run for it towards the ocean.

I paddle past the choppy waves, letting the water knock me around like a feather in the wind. When I see a decent looking wave to ride, I prop myself up on my feet and stand. I lean into my board. The warmth that's taken over my body outruns the cold water I fall into when the waves crash over me. My body tumbles under the water and my board bumps against me. I try to swim back up to the surface but the current is strong. I don't know where I am and I can't see under the water. My nose burns when water rushes up my nostrils. I squeeze my eyes tight and just swim upwards in hope of reaching air. Maybe this was a bad idea, but the thrill is still keeping me excited.

I finally reach the surface after what feels like years. John B and Pope's screams are dull against the whistling wind. I hop back on my board and give the two guys a thumbs up and a wicked smile. Pope looks like he's about ready to have a heart attack and John B breathes out a sigh of relief as he paddles closer to me.

"You alright?" He asks me.

"Fine," I yell against the wind.

John B nods. He looks like he's about to say something else, but something over my shoulder catches his attention. I turn myself around, intrigued at what's he's seeing other than the water, clouds, and a bunch of rain. Then I see it. A boat that barely looks afloat, so far out that it looks like a speck against the rain.

"We should probably go," I say. I don't want John B's mind to run to what might have happened to Dad out there. Maybe he was caught by a storm like this, maybe his boat went overboard and his body is out there floating with the fishes. I don't know. The last thing I need him to do right now is speculate. Even if the same thoughts are running through my head, John B thinks he's still alive. These thoughts will keep him up all night. He doesn't move, however. "John B let's go."

                                                  ~ ~ ~

JJ is already laying on the pull out bed in my living room when I get out of the shower. JJ crashes here most days of the week. He'd much rather be here than with his drunk abusive dad. Our friends don't know the extent of how shitty his relationship really is with his dad. But I do. I found out when I was thirteen. JJ snuck through my bedroom window after a tough night with his dad. His face and torso were covered in bruises. It took everything in me not to burst out in tears right then and there. But for some reason, he trusted me of all people with his biggest secret. I cleaned him up and let him sleep in my bed with me. Every once in a while we repeat the process. Sometimes he's not even hurt, he just shows up. And I let him in because I like having him there.

I fall onto the mattress next to him and prop my head up on my hand, leaning on my elbow. I run my fingers through his hair, feeling satisfied and bubbly when he moans in response.

"When did you get here?" I ask him.

"You were in the shower. Don't worry I didn't peak, but I was tempted," He says into his pillow.

I use the same hand I had woven in his hair and punch his shoulder playfully, making him fall on his back. His lips turn up in a grin.

I lay there for a second, looking up at the ceiling. My eyes feel heavy, the events of the day officially taking over my body. I peek an eye over at JJ who's watching me carefully as if I might break under his fingertips.

"What?" I grin to myself, thankful for the darkness so he couldn't see the blush on my cheeks. Again.

"You all right?" He asks, pushing my hair out of my face so he can look straight into my eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

JJ hesitates, like he's trying to pick the right words to say. I watch him closely, studying every mark and crevice on his face. Beautiful and clear like always. Even when it's covered in bruises and blemishes, he's handsome. I could look at him all day.

"You hate storms," He says.

"I can sleep through anything," I tell him. "And I don't hate storms. They make for...eventful surfing days."

His face drops to a more serious one. "You know what I mean."

I do. Storms have never really frightened me. Not really. But ever since my dad disappeared nine months ago, I worried that he would get caught in a storm like this, that by morning there would be a knock on my door from an officer who would tell me that a dead body has washed up on shore and they ID'd him as my father. The image leaves me with nightmares on nights like tonight.

JJ's the only one who knows this.

I don't like talking about it. Like JJ, we have this in common. So instead of telling him I'm fine and him not believing me, I pull the blanket at the edge of the mattress over our bodies and tuck myself into his side, laying my head on his shoulder. A position so intimate for just us "friends." I hope he can't feel my heart pounding beneath my skin, against his side. I let my body soften against his, feeling sleep take over me. I fall into a dreamless sleep next to JJ, hoping that the storm will be gone by the time we wake up.

#jj maybank #jj x reader #jj maybank fic #jj fic #jj maybank x reader #outer banks #outer banks imagine #outer banks fic #john b routledge #kiara carrera #pope heyward #jj maybank one shot #jj maybank imagines #outer banks rewrite

[fandoms-are-my-friends-1321]

Do You Want to Know A Secret?

This is a request for @ringa-starr! I really hope you enjoy it, and I’m sorry for taking so long to write it. My life has been very busy and hectic, but I’m going to have some spare time to get this published. This is also very short, but I can make a part two or multiple parts if need be!

Summary: The reader is pregnant with Bill’s child, but with it being their senior year of high school, the reader is worried about how Bill will react. Bill assured them that everything will be alright.

Warnings: pregnancy (both the reader and Bill are eighteen, so it’s all legal), some mild cursing and angsty, it will have a happy ending though. If I missed something let me know!

Y/N couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The test in front of her told her everything she needed to know. She was pregnant, and there was only one person that could be a father of the child.

You’ll never know how much I really love you

You’ll never know how much I really care

Y/N had been dating Bill for over a year now, and they had lived every minute of it. The way his blue eyes sparkled when he was writing music for the band, the way his blonde hair managed to reflect any light perfectly, everything about him mad Y/N happy. This however, could be the end of their relationship.

Listen, do you want to know a secret?

Do you promise not to tell?

Y/N knew that she couldn’t tell Bill about the baby. They were almost done with high school, and with the future plans that Bill had for the Wyld Stallyns, a baby would just get in the way. A single tear slipped down Y/N’s face as she tried her best to get ready for school.

Bill of course noticed Y/N’s change of attitude as soon as she stepped through the doors to the school. He could see the streaks that her tears had left behind, and a depressed aura surrounded the women he loved. What was it that could be bothering her? Was it something that he had done?

Closer, let me whisper in your ear

Say the words you want to hear

Y/N avoided Bill the entire day, and he was done stalling. “Ted, my most excellent friend,” Bill stated as he stood up from a bench outside the school.

“Yes, Bill,” Ted replied.

“There is something wrong with Y/N. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to find out. She’s my babe, and I would do anything for her.”

“Then you better hurry over to her house quick. Don’t worry about rehearsal tonight. We can meet two times next week. See ya later dude!”

Ted waved to his friend as he walked in the opposite direction of Bill. With confident strides, Bill made it to Y/N’s home in no time. He knocked on the door, and Y/N’s mother answered. “May I speak to Y/N, please? I think something is bothering her,” Bill asked.

“Oh, of course! I was wondering the same thing myself.” Y/N’s mother ushered Bill inside, and pointed to where her room was down the hall. Bill made his way to the door, which happened to be closed, but Bill could hear Y/N’s faint cries from within.

“Y/N, babe, can you please open the door,” Bill said as he gently knocked on the oak surface. There was silence. Then the door opened enough for Bill to slide in. Y/N had her back facing Bill, she simply stood in the middle of the room. Bill’s heart crumbled at the sight of her. “Hey, you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

Y/N broke in an instant. Her body was wracked by each sob she let out, and Bill was by her side in an instant. He wrapped his arm around her waist and lead Y/N to sit on the edge of her bed. Bill tried to wipe away the tears, but Y/N turned away from him. “I’m s-sorry, Bill. We can’t be in a relationship anymore. I have some terrible news, and it’s going to destroy everything.”

Bill didn’t think he would ever hear those words. He thought his relationship with Y/N was perfect, so why would she be saying all of these things. Luckily, Bill knew exactly what to say, and he spoke what he felt inside.

I’m in love with you, ooh

“Y/N, nothing in the world is going to stop me from loving you. I would even quit the band if you asked that of me. Your the most beautiful babe I have ever seen, and no matter what is going on, we will get through it together.” Bill picked up one of Y/N’s hands and left a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

For Bill to offer to quit the band, Y/N knew that he was serious. Maybe they really could work things out after all, and while the journey might be a bumpy one, it would be worth it so long as she was able to stay with Bill.

I’ve known a secret for a week or two

Nobody knows, just we two

“Im pregnant, Bill,” Y/N said as another tear fell. She was so scared at how he would react, but Bill simply laughed. At first, Y/N was worried that this laugh was a judgmental one, one that said, “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” However, this laugh was genuine. Bill picked Y/N up and spun her around a few times.

“I can’t believe we are going to be parents, and I’m going to be the most excellent father to our boy or girl,” Bill shouted as he pecked kisses all over Y/N’s face.

Y/N giggled at the action. “I’m glad that you feel that way. I know this won’t be easy, but as long as I have you by my side, I know everything will be okay.”

The two moved to lay fully on the bed to cuddle. Bill ran his slim, calloused fingers through Y/N’s locks, and she let out a satisfied hum. Finally, Bill decided to break the silence with a question. “What should we name it?”

“Well, I think we should name it after Ted. If it’s a boy that is. If it’s a girl, we can make it work somehow perhaps” Y/N responded. Bill though on it for a moment, but then it came to him in an instant. He snapped his fingers and sat up excitedly in the bed.

“How about we name her Theodora “Thea” Preston,” Bill said as he looked to Y/N for her reply.

“I think that’s a perfect name.”

#Bill Preston x reader #bill and teds excellent adventure #bill preston #bill s preston esquire #bill preston x reader #bill and ted #x reader #fluff #fanfic #guys I finally have something to post!

[quickspinner]

Not Exactly a Loophole (but he'll take it)

Luka's got a crush on one of his regulars, but there's just one problem. His mom may not be big on rules, but when it comes to her bar Nanarchy's, the few she has are nonnegotiable--including the rule that employees are not allowed to ask out patrons. With Juleka also pining for a cute customer, Luka's determined to find a loophole...but the universe seems to have its own plans.

Rating: T (mostly for language)

This one is a belated birthday gift, but not for me--for the lovely @mamanabeille! It was meant to be a meet cute featuring EMT Marinette, but bartender Luka kinda stole the spotlight, so it didn’t quite come out like I intended, but I hope you all (and especially MA!) enjoy it anyway! 

The bar was nearly empty the first time she walked in, but Luka was sure he would have noticed her in the craziest crowd. She paused in her approach to the bar when she saw him, but when Luka gave her a friendly smile and simply asked what he could get her, she came the rest of the way over and slid onto a stool, ordering her drink in a quiet, hesitant voice, pulling out her wallet.. 

“I thought Juleka was working tonight,” she said as he took her card and opened a tab for her. 

“She will be.” He glanced at the clock. “In about an hour.” 

Her eyes widened slightly. “An—“ She frowned, pulling out her phone, and then something seemed to click and she folded her arms, pouting, as he set up to mix her drink. Luka felt like pouting, too, over the fact that Juleka had seen her first. She was really cute.

“They told me the wrong time,” she grumbled. “Because they thought I would be late. Which means I nearly killed myself getting home to change and get back here for nothing .” 

“Not for nothing,” Luka said easily. “Juleka’ll be here in an hour. We’re not busy, I don’t mind if you camp out. You look amazing, I’m sure she wouldn’t want to miss you.” 

She looked a little confused for a moment, and then her eyes went round and she touched her fingertips to her soft red mouth. “Oh, n-no, I’m not, uh—I mean I don’t um—“

Luka winked at her. “It’s okay, I won’t tell her anything.” 

“Rose!” she squeaked, waving her hands so frantically that Luka instinctively slid her drink out of the way. “I’m friends with Rose! She wanted to come while Juleka was working, and I had a—a bad experience at the bar I used to go to, and she said that kind of thing doesn’t happen here, and a bunch of us were supposed to meet up so Rose could fli—TALK! To Juleka and the rest of us could have a drink and hang out in peace but they gave me the wrong time because I’m late for everything, but for once I’m not late and now I’m stuck here with you and—“ She slapped a hand over her mouth and looked so horrified that Luka could only laugh. 

“Well, Rose is right, we don’t allow any kind of disrespectful behavior here, my mom’s very strict about it. She values Nanarchy ’s reputation as a safe space and she’s very particular about it. I promise you, being her son wouldn’t excuse me from an ass-kicking if I was inappropriate with you, or stood by while anyone else was, so feel free to hang out and wait for your friends.” He picked up another glass, flipped it in his hand before scooping it full of ice, and then he filled it with water and set it in front of his reluctant customer. “My name’s Luka, just let me know if you need anything.” 

He lingered long enough for her to smile tentatively back at him, and then busied himself far enough away from her that she wouldn’t feel crowded, setting up the wells and making sure everything was stocked and topped off before the rush started. 

Marinette nursed her drink and pouted, annoyed with her friends for wasting her time this way. Sure, she was always late, but her job was demanding and she wasn’t always in control of when she was able to leave. She couldn’t just ditch Adrien to handle it all, that would be mean. As it was, she’d been late leaving her shift today, and she had scrambled home to get home and get herself presentable and get here in time. 

Then she walked in, triumphantly on time and not even in her work clothes, and those losers she called friends weren’t even here! And then she got all confused and tongue-tied and practically preemptively accused the cute bartender of harassment, even though in two minutes of conversation she could tell that he wasn’t anything like that guy that ran Graham’s and—

She groaned quietly and dropped her head on her arms. 

Luka didn’t look back at her, but there was a slight quirk of his lips and the tiniest motion of his head in her direction that said he knew she was watching him. He set the two handful of beers he had just picked up on the bar in front of him and dipped a hand in his back pocket, coming out with a bottle opener spinning on one finger. He flicked the caps off the bottles in quick succession and then with another twirl, the bottle opener went back to his pocket like a six-shooter into a cowboy’s holster in some old western. Marinette giggled, and only then did he tilt his head in her direction and wink. 

Marinette squeaked and buried her suddenly red face back in her arms. She was pretty sure she heard a low chuckle from down the bar. 

Juleka walked in about forty-five minutes later. She took one look at Luka and asked, “What happened?” 

“Hmm?” Luka looked up at her from where he was slicing limes.

“That’s the dumbest grin I’ve ever seen on your face,” Juleka commented as she tied her apron on. “And that’s saying a lot. What gives?” 

“Nothing,” Luka said, resisting the temptation to squirt her with lime juice. It was too early in the evening to escalate that far. “I’m just in a good mood.” 

Juleka’s eyebrows raised. “You’re always in a good mood. You don’t always grin like a dope.” Luka opened his mouth to say something rude when they were both distracted by a surprisingly strong but very feminine voice carrying the length of the bar. 

“Luka!” Both of them looked down the bar to the pretty dark-haired lady waving at him (and wincing slightly as she realized how loud she’d been), and Luka’s grin grew wider as he waved a hand to acknowledge her. 

“I’ll get it,” Juleka said as he reached for a towel to clean his hands.

Luka took a step back to block her from getting around him. “Oh no you don’t. She’s my customer.” 

Juleka blinked at him in surprise and then smirked. “Oh. I see.” 

“You see nothing,” Luka told her, tossing the towel at her face as he made a beeline down the bar. “Back off. You can serve their table later, but while she’s at the bar, she’s mine.” 

“Never knew you were so possessive,” Juleka muttered, moving the towel aside with two fingers and dropping it into the dirty bin with a gesture of distaste. 

“Laugh it up, I’m gonna get you back soon,” Luka called back, and turned to his customer. “Doing all right? What can I get for you?” he asked, smiling as he leaned his hands on the bar in front of her. 

“My friends are almost here,” she said, setting her phone on the bar where he could see the message chain. “I was going to go ahead and order for them if that’s okay?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Luka said, looking at the list of drinks. When he was sure he had the order, he leaned back and smiled at her. “You can go find a table if you want, I’ll get the drinks ready and have Juleka bring them to you.” He winked, and she giggled. 

“That would be perfect. And...thanks, Luka,” she smiled, blushing a little, and he thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “My name’s Marinette, by the way. Which...you actually probably knew, because you opened my tab, um...” 

“I did,” he grinned, and began setting up glasses on the bar top. “But it’s nice to hear it from you.” Marinette gathered her things slowly; she’d spread out across the bar as she’d waited, with pens and a small notebook and a set of index cards with neat notes scattered across her part of the bar.

Luka pulled his mind to the task, picking up a jigger and flipping it in his hand. Realizing that Marinette was still watching him, he poured some liquor and then gave the jigger a flip around his hand as he made eye contact with Marinette. He had to chuckle when her eyes widened slightly and her face flamed up red. She forgot all about picking up her things as she watched him mix the drinks, and he struggled not to show off too much, amused at her fascination. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to be doing, and began picking her things up haphazardly. She reached for a pen, but knocked it with her fingers, sending it spinning off the back of the bar. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry—” she exclaimed just as Luka’s hand snapped out and caught it before it could fall to the floor. Fortunately he hadn’t been holding anything liquid at the time, and he hastily picked up the shaker he’d dropped on the bar and set it back upright before handing Marinette her pen back.

“It’s okay,” he said soothingly. “No big, Marinette. Relax.” 

She was staring at him, her blue eyes round, and slowly she took the pen back from him. “Thanks,” she whispered, and shrank a little, tucking the last few things in her purse.

“My pleasure,” Luka smiled. “Seriously, Marinette, you’re here to unwind. Don’t sweat the small stuff, okay? No pressure here. Just take your time.” He flipped a shaker up over his shoulder and caught it behind his back, and Marinette put her chin in her fist and pouted again. 

“How do you do that?” she asked enviously. “I’m such a klutz when I’m not focusing.” 

“Practice,” Luka shrugged. “I’ve been working here since I was old enough to be behind the bar, so. It’s not really anything special, but it makes pretty girls smile, so…” He grinned at her, and then motioned behind her. “Table six is the quietest, over there by the wall. I’ll have the rest of these done in just a minute, and—”

“Marinette!” someone squealed from the door and Luka chuckled. 

“—And there’s your friends,” he said, as Marinette turned and waved. 

She turned back and gave him a smile that nearly knocked him off his feet. “Thanks a bunch, Luka, really. You’ve been great.” 

“Any time,” he barely managed to answer, and had to swallow quickly afterwards. He mixed the rest of the drinks on autopilot, his eyes darting back to Marinette as she and her friends settled at their table. He saw the petite blond with her raise her hand and wiggle her fingers, and a quick glance down the bar showed him Juleka standing as if she had been hit in the back of the head with a board, a faint rosy color tinting her pale cheeks.

Luka grinned and loaded the cocktails on a tray before carrying them down to her. “These are for six,” he told her, and she looked at him stupidly. Luka smirked. “You know that saying about people who live in glass houses?” he grinned, nudging her arm before he headed back to the next customer waving for his attention. “Don’t drop anything,” he called back, and heard Juleka snort. 

***

Girls Night was no longer the trial that it used to be. Marinette loved everything about Nanarcy’s . Their aesthetic was cool and unique, their atmosphere was fun and chaotic in a controlled way, their live music nights were amazing, and they didn’t overpour, so everybody was only as drunk as they wanted to be at the end of the night. 

And their bartenders were hot. Rose was head over heels for the quiet, dark-haired Juleka, and Marinette was pretty well smitten by the kind, gentle man with the shaggy hair and the soft eyes, who never seemed to take offense no matter how many times she put her foot in her mouth. She’d never been as early as she had that first day, but she did rush just a little to beat the girls there, so that she could sit and talk to Luka for a bit before the rush hit. 

He was just so nice , and easy to talk to, and perceptive, and she always relaxed after a few minutes in his company.

Unfortunately Marinette couldn’t be early all the time, and the girls were already at their table and there was already a crowd at the bar before she arrived.

She stood on her tiptoes, looking over the crowd, and saw Luka about the same time he saw her. He flashed her a broad grin that set butterflies wild in her stomach. She gave him a small wave and then formed her fingers into a d, their sign that she was the designated driver tonight. She saw him nod, and started working her way through the crowd to the bar. 

Luka picked up his napkin and did that funny flick with his fingers that sent it spinning onto the bar right in front of her. Marinette really wanted to know how he did that, but his hand moved so fast she couldn’t follow it no matter how many times she watched him. She saw him chuckle at her pout as he flipped a tumbler in his hand, filled it with ice and soda water,  and then set it on the napkin. “Good to see you, Marinette,” was all he had time to say, but his warm, smooth voice still made her melt a little on the inside. 

She lingered at the bar for just a moment, watching him joke and banter as he flipped and spun bottles and tumblers and shakers, dropping them to catch behind his back, his movements all smooth and practiced. He’d told her once that what he did wasn’t actually that hard, but it still looked like magic to her. It had surprised her at first; he’d struck her as a quiet, laid-back kind of guy, not someone who enjoyed crowds and attention—but then she’d seen him play with the band one night, and understood. Luka might be quiet on his own, but in front of an audience, he was a performer, and if she’d thought what he did behind the bar was impressive, seeing him on stage with his guitar was, well...breathtaking. 

For all that flash, though, it was watching him shake a drink that made her go weak, eyes glued to the lines of his arms and the slight smirk on his face. Marinette picked up her soda and headed back to the girls’ table before she could embarrass herself by swooning on the bar. The girls gave her knowing looks when she arrived, but other than the smirks, they left her mercifully alone about her increasingly obvious crush. 

Marinette felt fortunate that Rose was more fun to tease (and safer; Rose didn’t flail and knock over drinks when she got flustered). Rose blushed and denied and then gave herself away by sighing dreamily as she looked at the tall girl behind the bar. Marinette couldn’t help covering a snicker with her hand, though as her gaze followed Rose’s, her traitorous eyes snapped straight to Luka. 

He seemed to be in some kind of one-up contest with his sister, the grin on his face positively wicked as he balanced a cocktail on a bar spoon on his forearm—which required to him to keep his arm flexed in a way that made the normally subtle swell of muscles along his arm much more obvious. Marinette groaned and leaned on Rose, who was peeking through her fingertips and trying not to squeal as Juleka rolled her eyes and set up a row of glasses in front of the bar. Twirling a bottle in each hand, Juleka smirked at Luka. Luka was good, but Juleka obviously outmatched him in this context. She was herself beautiful and elegant, with her hair tied back in a thick braid and perfectly done makeup that highlighted her fine bone structure. Her features were a little rounder than Luka’s sharp angles, and she was tall and slender without being as lanky as Luka. The pair of them together were unfairly attractive. 

Juleka’s motions at the bar were fluid and graceful, without any wasted movement, and she was fast . She filled the cocktails on the bar in front of her, mixing them up first and then stacking the shakers to pour all four glasses at once. Then she turned to Luka, plucked the glass off of his spoon with a lifted eyebrow, and set it on her tray, swinging it up onto her shoulder. Luka made a laughing gesture that was clearly I surrender , and Juleka smirked as she went around the side of the bar.

“She’s so beautiful,” Rose swooned into Marinette’s side, and Marinette smiled, bumping her shoulder into Rose, who just flopped in the other direction to drape herself over Mylene and sigh some more.  Marinette gave her friend an affectionate look, and then tried to school her expression as Juleka appeared at their table, setting cocktails in front of them with practiced ease and a quiet, “Welcome back,” with a subtle smile. Her eyes, though a different color, were as intense as Luka’s, and Marinette thought they stayed focused on Rose for a beat longer than the others. Then Juleka’s gaze flicked to Marinette’s drink and her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Refill?” she asked. 

“No thank you,” Marinette said automatically, and Juleka nodded. Those amber eyes flicked back to Rose as she set the last cocktail down in front of her. “Enjoy,” was all she said, but there was a subtle quirk of a smile to her lips, and Marinette could feel Rose freezing like a deer in the headlights at her side. Then Juleka was gone again, her heavy braid swinging behind her, before Rose could even think of anything to say back. 

“Ooh,” Rose moaned, frustrated, grabbing her drink. 

“Next time,” Mylene said consolingly, patting Rose’s arm. “It’s busy here tonight. I’m sure she’ll be back when there’s more time to chat.” 

That was true, Marinette thought, but still...they’d been coming here for weeks and things didn’t seem to be going anywhere. She’d thought Juleka was interested but maybe…

“You know what, I’ve changed my mind,” she said, picking up her glass and sliding out of her seat. “I think I do want a refill.”

“It just tastes better when Luka serves it,” Alix snickered, and Marinette pretended not to hear her as she made her way to the bar. She needed some answers, and maybe it was time to try the direct approach. 

Luka was hopeless, he knew, watching Marinette’s table out of the corner of his eye even as he teased Juleka. He didn’t care if it made sense or not; he was crazy into the girl, and her mere presence made him feel more alive. 

Juleka snatched his cocktail and Luka had to move quickly to catch the bar spoon and dump it in the bin. He waved Juleka off with a laugh and glanced back at the table again where Marinette was consoling her little blond friend, who was clearly suffering after Juleka’s display. That only made him grin wider. 

Luka allowed himself one lovesick sigh. Marinette was so beautiful, and he loved the way she put so much individuality into the way she dressed, and the contours of the muscles in her arms as she waved them about, talking with her hands. She was funny, and she was sweet, and she was smart , and every time she came in he entertained fantasies of quitting on the spot, confessing his love, and running off with Marinette in the rain (he wasn’t sure why it was always raining in his fantasies, but it seemed to fit her for some reason). His mom would probably forgive him. Eventually. 

Juleka would kill him though, and besides, he liked his job and he got to see Marinette almost every week. And...maybe he was a little bit chicken. Just a tiny bit. There was every chance that instead of falling into his arms and agreeing to run away with him, Marinette would be startled and freaked out and run away without him, and then he’d be out of a job with a broken heart in the bargain. Just because she liked joking around with him, and watching him (because he definitely didn’t miss her eyes on him, with as often as his were on her), didn’t mean she was interested in the reality of dating him—especially if he were suddenly jobless. 

So the fantasies would stay just that for now. 

Ugh, sometimes he really wanted to...hug his mother in a bone-crushing but loving way and tell her that for someone so hung up on freedom, her rules were a righteous pain in his ass. 

That would probably get him fired too. If you fire me, I’ll have to come live back at home with you , he mentally argued with his imaginary mother, but it didn’t work any better in his imagination than it would have in real life.

Unfortunately Juleka didn’t seem to be having any better luck than he did. Luka had a half-formed plan to call in a favor so he could get Juleka cut early, so that she could run into Rose on her way out and get around Anarka’s rules that way, when he was startled out of his thoughts by someone calling his name.

Luka was moving down the bar to smile at Marinette before he’d even fully processed that she was calling him, but the crease between her brows made him hesitate slightly. 

“Juleka didn’t get you a refill?” he asked, but Marinette shook her head. 

“I told her I didn’t need one, and then I changed my mind.” She set her glass on the table and nudged it towards him. “Also...well, I want to ask you something.” She shifted uncomfortably, and Luka swallowed as if that would keep the sudden butterflies in his stomach confined there.

“Anything,” he said glibly, with a smile that showed no trace of his nervousness. “What’s on your mind?” 

“Well, it’s just...do you think…” She glanced up at him shyly, and looked down, cheeks pinking. 

Luka leaned his elbows on the counter and lowered his head, cocking it slightly to show he was listening. His fingers laced together and squeezed tight in front of him.

“Does Juleka like Rose?” Marinette asked, glancing nervously back at their table. 

Luka blinked. “Ah…”

“Before you answer,” Marinette said quickly, turning back to him. “It’s just that Rose really, really likes Juleka, but Juleka hasn’t...well she does flirt some, but Rose isn’t sure, and...I just don’t want to be encouraging her to pursue something hopeless, so I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell me now if Juleka’s not interested in her. I won’t say anything to Rose, not directly, I just...if it’s not going to happen, I can maybe get her to—”

“It’s not hopeless,” Luka interrupted, trying not to laugh, though whether at his own stupidity or Rose and Juleka’s, he wasn’t sure. “It’s definitely not hopeless. The only thing hopeless is my poor little sister.”

“Oh,” Marinette breathed, and then smiled. “Okay then. I’ll tell Rose not to give up?”

“Definitely not,” Luka confirmed, straightening. “But we’re not allowed to ask out customers, so she’s either got to catch Juleka on off hours or make the first move herself. Mom’s a real stickler about it. I’d get in less trouble for being high on the job than hitting on a customer.”

“Oh,” Marinette’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, I see. I...I guess that makes sense. And Rose hasn’t wanted to be creepy if Juleka was just…” She blushed, surprisingly intensely. “You know, being nice because it’s her job.” 

Luka snorted. “Juleka’s not nice.” 

Something hit the back of his head and Luka straightened to find Juleka glaring at him. “What are you saying about me, jerk?” she demanded, and Luka rolled his eyes, looking back at Marinette.

“See?” he grinned.

“Shut up and move,” Juleka grunted, shoving his arm until he stepped aside for her to get by. 

“Someone’s in a mood,” he called after her, and she turned her back to the bar and flipped him off where only he could see. 

“Rude,” he chuckled, and focused back on Marinette. “Look, I can’t speak for her, but as her brother...I don’t think your friend has anything to worry about, yeah?”

Marinette gave him a dazzling smile. “Thanks Luka. I really appreciate it.” 

“Anything for you,” he grinned automatically. 

“Send us another round for the table when you get a chance?” 

“Sure. I’ll have Jules drop it off.” He winked at her, and her smile got even brighter.

“Perfect.” She gave a happy little bounce before she hopped off the stool and went back to the table. Luka watched her go, and saw her look back at him over her shoulder. He sighed. 

“Dumbass,” he said to himself, shaking his head as he turned away to get their drinks ready.

Well, at least Juleka would be happy. If Rose still felt weird about asking her out, he could still try and get Juleka cut early the next weekend. Victor was always asking for more hours, surely he’d do Luka a favor if it meant weekend night tips…

Not that that helped Luka any. He looked back towards Marinette’s table and sighed. 

Well, he’d get his own chance eventually—or he’d make one, if he had to. 

***

“I’m missing girl’s night,” Marinette huffed, throwing herself behind the wheel. She was missing seeing Luka, she thought petulantly. Her one night a week to see him and she was missing it because Adrien had said something stupid to the person resonsible for their schedules, and she was his partner, so she was guilty by association.

“I said I was sorry,” Adrien sighed, hauling himself up into the passenger side of the ambulance.”

“Say it again,” Marinette grumbled. 

Adrien groaned, slumping into his seat. “I promise that I have never in my life been more sorry than I am at this moment, facing this whole shift with you in this mood.”

Marinette glared at him, but the radio called their attention. 

Their first few calls were simple enough, but the next one made Marinette suck in her breath sharply. 

“What?” Adrien asked, looking at her. 

“That’s my girls’ night bar,” Marinette breathed. “26-year-old male…it could be Luka...”

Adrien raised an eyebrow at her. “You want to pass it on?” he asked, not unkindly. 

Marinette shook her head. “Nobody else is even close. Let’s go, but you take lead if it’s—if it’s someone I know.”

“It’s probably not,” Adrien reassured her, flipping on the lights and sirens.

Marinette made a noncommittal noise, trying to ignore the cold weight that had settled in the pit of her stomach. Adrien put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed—and then braced himself as Marinette pulled out into traffic.  

When they walked into the bar, they had to shove their way through the crowd that had formed in a ring being kept back by a man and a woman wearing shirts that identified them as security. 

“Marinette!” Rose cried, waving at her with one hand, and for an instant, Marinette froze.

Luka was sitting in a chair, looking dazed. He kept trying to get up, but Juleka shoved him back down with one hand. Rose was pressing a blood-stained towel to his head. 

“Oh no,” Marinette murmured. Adrien squeezed her arm, and then moved past her, his stride purposeful. Marinette pulled herself together and followed, pressing her lips together. This was her job, after all, and she was good at it. It was just another call, and Luka would be fine.

Luka was confused as hell, and his brain didn’t quite feel connected to his body. He was vaguely aware that his head hurt, but he couldn’t seem to make sense of what was going on. He’d woken up on the floor, and then he’d nearly fallen when he tried to stand, and Juleka had shoved him into a chair and fluttered over him, alternately swearing at him and sounding at the edge of tears, and Luka still had no idea what was going on.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You’re a fucking idiot, that’s what happened,” snapped Juleka. “We have bouncers for a reason , dumbass.” 

“Bouncers?” Luka asked, bewildered. He blinked, trying to focus and clear the fog from his mind. The room didn’t seem to want to be still. It wasn’t spinning, exactly, just tilted to the left slightly. A flash of white crossed his vision and he focused on it for a moment, and then blinked again, still confused and sure he couldn’t be seeing what he was seeing. “Marinette?”

“Hey, Luka,” she smiled, leaning over him. 

Luka grinned. “Hi.” Then he frowned. “Thought you were working tonight.” 

“I am working,” Marinette said gently, pulling something out of her breast pocket, and Luka vaguely registered that the white he had seen was some kind of uniform shirt. Then he jumped slightly and blinked as she shone a light in his eyes. “He lost consciousness?” she asked, but then Luka was distracted from Marinette as someone else took his arm. He blinked down at a blond man that had knelt next to his chair and was pulling... stuff out of a bag beside him. 

“Yes,” Rose confirmed from somewhere behind him. 

“Luka, was it?” the blond man asked. “I’m Adrien. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Kentucky sunrise,” Luka muttered. “Told Jules to keep an eye on the guy, he seemed shady.” 

“He was shady,” Juleka said, fingers squeezing on his shoulder. “He got nasty and I told him to leave, and he grabbed me, and then this idiot jumped the bar to come get involved and—it’s kind of a blur after that, but he got Luka in the head with a glass or a bottle or something.”

“Where’s the guy now?” Marinette asked. 

“Ivan’s got him in the back, waiting for the cops.” 

Luka tried to follow the conversation, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate for very long. Adrien started asking him questions, and Luka’s world greyed out a bit as he tried to focus enough to give the right answer. They seemed like really dumb questions, and Adrien kept touching Luka’s head where it hurt. Luka tried to push his hands away, but Marinette caught Luka’s hand and squeezed it tight. Luka looked back at her, focusing on the cool blue of her eyes. She asked him something, but he didn’t quite catch it. 

Fuck, he was tired. He just wanted to get somewhere quiet and dark and less peopled and go to sleep. 

Marinette’s hand on his cheek brought him back to reality a bit. She was frowning. “Luka, do you feel sick?” 

“No,” Luka sighed, eyes fluttering closed. “Just tired.”

“Luka,” Marinette said sharply, and he opened his eyes again. “Don’t go to sleep, okay?”

Luka whined, but tried to keep his eyes open. He leaned his head on Juleka’s stomach, and felt her hand stroke gently through his hair. He must really be messed up, he thought with mild amusement, for Jules to be that gentle. 

“I think we better take him in for evaluation,” Marinette said to...someone. “He’s definitely got a concussion, and that head lac needs stitches.” 

“Agreed,” said Adrien, and Luka began to lose the battle to stay awake. “Come on, stay with us.” Someone squeezed Luka’s arm, and Luka struggled to open his eyes again.

Luka lost track of what was going on after that, moving mechanically when someone asked him to and just trying to stay awake. The only thing he really registered was Marinette leaning over him in the back of the ambulance, stroking his hair back from his face and looking at him with such softness that his breath caught even through his fog. “I’ll drive,” she said. “Take care of him for me.” 

Luka was confused until Marinette disappeared from his side and Adrien settled in next to him instead, a faintly amused look on his face. “She must really like you,” Adrien commented under his breath. “She hates to give up the action and drive.” 

Luka smiled weakly. 

***

The hospital was a confused sequence of waiting rooms and big noisy machines, but as they sat through it all, Luka began to regain some focus and clarity, and by the time they came to tell him that he was fine, he pretty much was, aside from the throbbing in his head where they’d stitched the wound closed and the anesthetic was wearing off. 

“We’re going to keep you the rest of the night for observation,” the ER doctor told him, “But unless there’s any sudden changes, you should be good to go tomorrow. Just take it easy for the next few days.” 

Luka didn’t bother to argue since the night was mostly gone anyway. All he really cared about was getting to a bed, now that they had cleared him to sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, Juleka was sitting next to his bed. 

“Hey, dummy,” she said, when he turned his head to look at her.

“Hey,” he sighed. “Can I go home yet?”

Juleka snorted. “Knowing hospitals, it’ll take all day just to fill out the paperwork to get you out of here.

Luka made a face. “Probably true, actually.” He sighed and laid his head back, lolling it over to look at her. “Tell me you at least got a date out of it.”

Juleka blushed, and dropped her gaze, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. “She’s a nurse at this hospital, do you know?” Juleka mumbled, fiddling with her fingers. “She stayed with me the whole time they had you doing all those tests. We’re...having dinner tonight when she gets off work.” 

“Awesome,” Luka grinned, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. 

Juleka took a moment to collect herself, and then she lifted her head and grinned at him. “Now it’s your turn.”

“God I wanna marry that girl,” Luka groaned, smiling dreamily. “Gorgeous and smart and funny and a badass. This is it. I’m totally gone for her, Jules.”  

Luka didn’t need to see Juleka’s smirk, he could hear it in her voice. “What else is new?” she snorted.

Another memory surfaced and he grimaced. “I’m not sure puking all over her partner in the back of her ambulance made the kind of impression I was hoping for.”

“Don’t worry,” a male voice chuckled. “You’re not the first, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.” 

Luka and Juleka both looked towards the door. Marinette and her golden-haired partner were standing there in clean uniforms. Luka felt a sudden flutter in his stomach. The EMT uniform didn’t do much for her, compared to her usual perfectly tailored clothes, but...she looked strong and confident and in charge, and it was definitely doing things for him. Her hair was tied back and pinned up, but that just made her beautiful eyes more prominent, and the same smile tilted her sweet lips.

He suddenly remembered what he and Jules had been talking about. Oh God, did she hear him? Luka swallowed nervously.

Marinette gave him a little wave, her shoulders hunched slightly. “I hope you don’t mind that we stopped by,” she said shyly. “I— We just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Adrien grinned broadly, clearly amused, and Juleka began to snicker. She leaned over and whispered to Luka, “Your heart monitor’s going crazy, dumbass.” Then she kissed his forehead. “Call me when they’re ready to let you out of here.” She walked away from the bed, and Luka realized too late that she was planning to leave him there with Marinette. 

He registered about that time that the monitor behind him was indeed beeping frantically and felt himself flush. He fiddled with the clip on his finger, but if he took it off the nurses would come charging in, so he took some deep breaths, trying to get himself under control as Juleka stopped to exchange a quiet word and a hug with Marinette, with a quick handshake for Adrien. 

Adrien and Marinette approached the bed and Luka reached up self-consciously to smooth his hair before remembering the bandage on his head. He extended his hand towards Adrien instead. 

“Hey, man, I really am sorry for throwing up all over you,” Luka told Adrien. “I swear, I didn’t know it was coming.” 

Adrien smiled ruefully as he shook Luka’s hand. “I’m used to it. Sometimes I think I have a target on my chest.”

“Serves you right for always wearing such expensive shoes,” Marinette huffed.

“They’re comfy!” Adrien protested. 

Luka chuckled and looked at Marinette, taking in the uniform and trying to recalibrate his mental image of her to include this new information. It wasn’t as hard as it seemed like it should have been; she’d always had that something about her that said she could do anything, and she was certainly fit enough to be hauling people around, and the impulse to help people fit in with her sweet nature. 

He really hadn’t thought he could fall any harder, but looking at her now—staring at her, he realized abruptly—he accepted that this hole was a lot deeper than he’d realized.  

Marinette leaned over the side of his bed and reached toward his hair. “May I?” she asked, and at Luka’s nod, she parted his hair to peek under his bandage at the stitches. She was close enough that Luka could smell the faintest hint of sweet vanilla even past all the medical smells. The monitor began to beep warningly again and Luka thought he saw the corner of her mouth twitch. Her fingers skimmed his cheek as she lowered her hands. “It looks good. You probably won’t even notice it with your hair covering it.”

“Thanks,” Luka said stupidly, not really sure how one was supposed to react to a compliment on how well one’s head was sewn back together. 

“How do you feel?” she asked, straightening a little. 

“Not too bad,” Luka shrugged. “Still have a headache, but it’s much better.” 

Marinette frowned. “What are they giving you for pain?” She looked at the board in his room without waiting for him to answer, and gave a slight sigh. “Well, that should fade soon, hopefully. As long as your imaging came back normal—” Luka nodded. “—it should just be a question of paperwork.” She laid her hand over his and squeezed. “You should be back behind the bar in no time. No more fights though, okay? You scared me, when we got the call for your address.”

“Sorry.” Luka gave her a lopsided smile. “Can’t say I wasn’t wishing to see you, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.”

Marinette giggled, her eyes darting away and her teeth catching her lip for a moment before she looked back at him, a bright smile slowly growing across her face. For a moment they just stared at each other. Adrien raised his eyebrows and put his hands in his pockets, wandering back across the room. 

Luka barely noticed. Marinette was looking at him and he had never seen her eyes so soft before. Except—except that one moment when she’d been leaning over him on the gurney, and she’d promised him he was going to be okay, and then she’d looked up at Adrien and said take care of him for me…

He was so transfixed by her eyes that he didn’t react to her leaning over the bed until he felt her hand on his chest and her breath on his face, and then he only had time to gasp and close his eyes as her lips found and caressed his in a soft and tender kiss. He leaned into it as much as he dared, and managed to move his mouth to kiss her back, electric thrills moving through him. 

He followed her when she pulled back, and opened his eyes to stare at her in wonder as her lips left his. 

“I’m dying,” he said flatly. “I’m dying and no one wants to tell me, is that it?”

Marinette giggled. “No more than everyone else.” Then she actually blushed and looked down. “I’ve maybe been thinking about doing that for a while now.” She glanced up through her lashes and a truly wicked smile slowly spread. “And trust me, when you actually are going to die, you’ll know it.”

Luka’s attempt at a reply became a strangled noise at the back of his throat. 

There was a quiet cough from the other side of the room, where Adrien was turning red attempting to hold in his laughter. “I’m getting the feeling you didn’t actually need a wingman here,” he said.  

“Take a walk, Adrien,” Marinette said in a warning tone, and leaned in to kiss Luka again. Luka moved to meet her, lips parting eagerly as he buried the hand not covered in wires in her hair, only vaguely aware of Adrien’s gusty sigh and the sound of the door opening and closing, or the rapidly accelerating beep of his heart rate monitor again.

Somewhere in the haze Luka realized he wasn’t on shift, and anyway Marinette had kissed him first, and Anarka’s rules didn’t matter anymore. 

“Hey,” he mumbled in between kisses. “Want to—mm—get coffee sometime? After they let me out of here.” 

“I’d love to,” Marinette sighed, and kissed him again. She giggled. “You should have told me about that stupid rule sooner. All this time, I’ve been waiting for you to make a move.” She pulled back and blinked for a moment, and bit her lip. “Um. I should probably tell you that I told my boss you’re my boyfriend.” She shrugged. “If I start dating you after you’ve been my patient, it’s weird, but if we were dating before that, then it’s just unfortunate coincidence, so…” 

“I’m cool with that,” Luka said quickly. “Very cool.” They grinned like fools at each other for a moment, and then moved to kiss again. 

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a nurse poked her head in. “Mr. Couffaine? We’ve been getting an alarm from your monitor—” She paused, taking in Marinette’s wrecked hair and two blushing faces. “Oh.” 

Marinette giggled, hiding her face in his shoulder, and Luka groaned. “How much do I need to bribe you to turn that damn thing off for the next f—” he glanced at Marinette. “Ten minutes?” 

The nurse rolled her eyes, but winked at them. “Just remember you’re supposed to be taking it easy,” she admonished, crossing the room and unplugging the monitor from the wall. “If anyone asks, you’re in the bathroom.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Luka grinned as the nurse shut the door behind her, pulling Marinette back in.   

#quickspins #i'll never not know you #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #pro lukamari #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug #birthday big bang

[catxsnow]

WARMING UP

Request: May I request a Batfam X Batmom!Reader? Her and Bruce have been together for about a half a year now and the boys are still getting used to her. They don't think she knows about their activities but she does. One night she tells Alfred that she'll cook and let's him have a break. After calling the boys multiple times and they don't come to dinner she brings it down to the batcave and they're like,"How did you get in here? How did you know?" She laughs and says, "You're bad at hiding things."

Warning: Nothing really. fluff

A/N: Hope you enjoy!

GIF not mine

Word Count: 1.9k

The craziest part of dating Bruce Wayne wasn't the fact that you got to stay over in a huge manor with nearly everything that you could ever imagine, it was the fact that he was ridiculous to think that you didn't figure out his secret.

Bruce and his kids were constantly covered in bruises and no matter how hard they tried to hide them, you had seen them. Not to mention that every time you and Bruce every slept together, you saw the scars that laced his body. He never talked about them and you could only assume that it was something from his past that he wasn't ready to reveal yet.

So, you kept quiet. You didn't bring up the fact that him and his kids were covered in thick scars or that they would show up with random cuts and bruises whenever you saw them.

It took you a while to piece everything together. The wounds, the reflexes, the knowledge that something bad was going to happen before it even did, and mainly, the random disappearances. You were dating Batman. His kids, were the long chain of Robins.

Bruce was shocked when you brought it up to him. He wasn't sure if he was more shocked that you had figured it out so quickly or how you were so calm about the matter. He told you the truth about his life, what he did in the night, and that you were completely right.

Your knowledge about the truth was kept quiet to his kids. They didn't fully trust you and you couldn't blame them. It hadn't even been a year since you and Bruce had been officially together, they had every reason not to trust you. Damian was the most weary of you, he was protective of his father.

As much as you loved Bruce's kids, they were far more reluctant to let you into their inner circle. It wasn't just because they didn't know you, but getting involved in their lives only meant putting you in danger. You tried to make things go smoother with them - particularly by trying to make sure that you weren't trying to force them to think of you as their mom.

Besides, you weren't technically even moved in yet. Though, you stayed over enough to make them believe that you did. Bruce joked with you lots that you may as well just bring all your things over.

That evening, you had decided that it was time to show off your cooking skills. With your sleeves rolled up to your elbows and your hair tied back, you were deep into making a delicious meal. The rare times that Bruce came over to your tiny apartment, he always raved about how good your cooking was - hopefully his kids would agree.

"Miss (Y/N)," Alfred was surprised to see you in the kitchen. He was so used to making every meal that having someone using his space had come as quite a shock.

"Alfred!" you grinned at him. After being used to cooking only for yourself, having to amp up the portions was taking more of a toll on you than you thought. "I thought I would make dinner tonight, I hope you don't mind. I should have asked first."

"Not at all," Alfred assured you. "Would you like any help, Ms. (Y/N)?"

"Thanks, but I'll be okay. Relax for the night," You offered. "I never see you take the night off when I'm here."

"As you wish," Alfred smiled at you before leaving. You got back to work, nearly working up a sweat by everything that you had on the go. As much as you enjoyed cooking, it was definitely easier when it was just for you and Bruce, not six hungry kids too.

Less than an hour later, you had finished preparing and plating everyone's food. To be honest, you thought that this had to have been one of the best meals you ever made in your life. You just hoped that everyone else thought so to. It was the first time that all the kids were in the house for a meal together since you had started dating Bruce.

You loved Bruce, a lot. In the relatively short time that you dated him, you had fallen in love with everything that he stood for and what he represented. Between his days of maintaining Wayne Enterprises and nights of being Batman, you realized that you wanted to spend your life with him in the busy life he had.

That meant that you had to ensure that you were liked by his kids as well. They were a big part of his life and you didn't want to be a part of this family without them liking you. They had already changed from when you first met all of them. They were kind to you, even though they felt that sometimes you were just a distraction in Bruce's life.

The more time you spent there, the more they realized how good you were for him. Bruce spent a lot of time alone, it wasn't hard for him to sometimes forget that he was just human too. You brought that side out in him, a side that everyone forgot that he needed.

"Bruce!" You called. Your voice echoed throughout the huge house but there was no reply. "Bruce, dinner!" How did Alfred gather everyone so easily? "Damian! Tim!" Still no answer. "Steph! Cass! Goddammit."

With a sigh, you left the dining room and ventured out to see where they could be. None of the boys were in their room and Bruce wasn't in the office meaning there was only one place they could have all been gathered: the batcave.

Bruce had shown you how to get in and out of it, however he told you that going down there by yourself had to be for emergencies only. Technically, this wasn't one of those cases but the food was getting cold and you had to assume that they were getting hungry. So, you opened up the grandfather clock and opened the entrance.

It was the first time that you were going down there on your own. The steps seemed to be creepier without Bruce's hand clasped with your own. Shaking off the eerie feeling, you continued your trek down the stairs. The closer you got the the bottom, the more you could hear their voices.

Just as expected, all the kids, along with Bruce and Alfred had been down there. Half of them were crowded around the various monitors and the other half working on gadgets or training. It was incredible how they all just worked so well together - despite all their disputes. You knew Jason and Dick weren't happy to be back, Tim was less than eager but accepted it. Damian still lived in the manor, he was used to it. Steph and Cass didn't seem to mind being back to their old home.

"Dinner's ready!" You announced. The sound of your voice brought everyone to a stop. Alfred and Bruce were the only ones that knew that you knew their secret making it quite the surprise for everyone else to see you so nonchalantly there by yourself. "It's getting cold..." You trailed off as no one moved.

"How..." Dick trailed off. His head was cocked to the side as he tried to figure out how you knew where they were. "How are you down here?" It was pretty obvious that if you knew how to get down there, you knew why it was there too.

"Bruce showed me," you explained.

"Father, you told her?" Damian looked over to Bruce. He was surprised that in such a short amount of time that you guys had been dating that he was so willing to tell the truth. It was clear that Damian didn't think that you guys were far enough into a relationship to know the family secrets.

"Bruce, are you serious?"

"You haven't even been together a year."

"Come on guys, do you really think I'm that oblivious?" You rhetorically asked, cutting them off before they could argue with Bruce any longer. "You guys aren't very good at hiding it within the comfort of your own home, it didn't take me that long to find out by myself. I've known for months."

“Hmf, maybe you do deserve to date Batman,” Jason joked to himself. You could see in the corner of your eye that Steph had jabbed him in the ribs for that comment. Not that you would ever pick favourites - but these weren’t technically your kids and Steph was easily your favourite.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tim asked. He nearly looked hurt by the fact that you kept your knowledge a secret. Then again, he could understand why. His brother's were always a little hostile when it came to new comers - you were still part of that group. "Why didn't you say anything?" He changed his question and looked over at Bruce.

"It doesn't matter why," You answered for your boyfriend. "Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner but it wasn't really important, was it? Now, come on - I made dinner and I spent a lot of time on it and the longer we're down here the colder it's getting. We can talk about this after."

It was the first time that you had used your 'mom voice' on the kids. Your hands were placed on your hips and you watched them all expectedly. Thankfully, they listened to you. Everyone, aside from Bruce left back to the dining room. 

As each of the kids passed by you, you had pulled them in to place a loving kiss on the side of their heads. Half the time you had to stand on your toes just to be able to reach. You had picked up the habit with them a while ago, and since none of them complained, you kept it up. 

It was the only time that you ever felt like they cared about you just as much as you cared for them. 

As soon as it was just the two of you, Bruce tugged you into his arms. His hands rested on your hips and he instantly brought you in for a kiss. You smiled into it, bring your hands up to the back of his neck.

"Thought they were gonna take that a lot worse," you confessed between kisses. Bruce finally pulled away from you. "You think they'll ever warm up to me fully?"

"They grew up learning not to trust anyone," Bruce told you. You played with the hairs at the nape of his neck - easy for him to tell that you were nervous. "I think that if they're going to warm up to anyone, it's going to be you. My smart, loving, beautiful, sexy, girlfriend."

"Bruce Wayne," you shook your head. "Such a suck up." A grin spread across your face as be brought you in for another long kiss. Bruce trailed his hands down your sides until landing on the curve of your ass. You pulled him in to deepen the kiss, pressing your bodies flush against each other.

"(Y/N)! Come on!" You couldn't tell which of the kids were yelling your name, but you took that as your queue to head upstairs as well. At least they were eager for you to join them - whether it was because they wanted you to or because you had made the food they were eating. You weren't going to complain either way that they had called your name, not Bruce's.

"See, warming up to you already."

#batfam #batfam x reader #batfam imagine #bruce wayne #bruce wayne imagine #dc one shot #dc imagine #dc #batfam one shot #batmom #batmom imagines #batmom x batfamily #batfam x batmom

[amajikilvr]

Do you think maybe you could do something with Fatgum or hawks and a reader who’s just having a hard time and is really sad and needs some comfort and cuddles? -@tamakisunshine

outstretched arms - taishiro toyomitsu (fatgum)

word count 710

reader type gender-neutral

premise you’re comforted after a hard time

It was a bad day.

By this point, you’d abandoned the idea of trying to deny that simple fact. The sun was setting and you just couldn’t continue to coat your dismal feelings with sugary sweet positivities any longer. It had grown almost exhausting keeping up that cheery act while at work.

It was a bad day and that was okay.

You still politely waved to everyone as you made your way through the bustling Fat Gum agency. Everyone’s constant chatter made you somewhat aware of the bigger incidents that had occurred today. You wondered how worn out Taishiro was after all of the apparent commotions in the city. Slipping off your winter coat, you dragged yourself into the familiar office.

“Y/N!” Your fiance immediately greeted you with his usual resounding warmth and you’re a bit taken aback by the sight of him. You weren’t expecting him to be in his smaller, more proportionate form.

He’d already changed out of his probably tattered hero outfit, now donning a plain t-shirt and sweats.

“Hi, Taishiro,” You responded stiffly as you plopped down beside him on the giant neon green beanbag. Without his bigger size to even things out, it swallowed the two of you like a child in an oversized jacket.

You looked closely at his sweet face and noted the angry-looking scratches that littered his cheek. On instinct, you reached out and stroked the rough marks with your thumb. Your hand dropped as you forced yourself to attempt to start a casual conversation.

“I take it that you had a tough day? Either that or you went and provoked a very grouchy cat.”

His yellow eyes lit up like firecrackers.

“Oh boy, lemme tell you- So, there was this dude who that one huge bank and his quirk was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen! Some kind of hybrid mutation tiger transformation! And you’ll never believe what Amajiki had to do! Poor kid. He wasn’t hurt or anything, but you know how shy he is. Anyways-”

His excited word jumble comes to a screeching halt.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

He’s staring at you with so much fragile concern and that’s all it takes. Just like that, the hot tears start to dribble down your chilled face. Taishiro doesn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms.

You let him run a hand through your hair while you sniffled against his shirt. “Oh, Y/N. What happened?”

“I’m just sad, I guess, and it’s so hard sometimes.” You choose not to elaborate, further attaching yourself to Taishiro instead.

“It’s okay to be sad. Let it all out, I’m right here.” His hand found its way downwards and started massaging the small of your back. “Brr, you’re so cold from outside still. We gotta warm you up.”

His rubbing became more vigorous and less precise, focusing solely on the goal to create friction. A small snotty giggle escaped you as fell further into his coziness. It didn’t matter what size, he was always like a huge teddy bear and you loved that more than anything.

Taishiro spoke again, his voice soft and serious. One arm rested snugly around your back and the other hand returned to patting your head. “If something’s bothering you, you can tell me all about it. Doesn’t have to be right now. It can be later. You know, I’m always listening.”

“And I’ll do everything in my power to help you, Y/N.”

You hiccupped weakly once and carefully considering every single one of his reassuring words.

A great deal of time passed before Taishiro said anything else. He began to maneuver himself off to the side in an effort to reach for something, all while continuing to snuggle you.

“I know food doesn’t cure everything, but I actually already picked these up for you earlier.”

Finally uncovering yourself, you glanced up to see him grinning and holding a cute little bag of your favorite candies. There was a small note attached to the treats.

Taishiro chuckled, a sound you could feel vibrating his chest. “Don’t judge! I’m no poet, but I did try my hand at writing something sweet for you. Total coincidence. I hope it isn’t too cheesy.”

Even before reading it, you knew it’d be wonderful.

#bnha imagines #bnha x y/n #mha imagines #mha x y/n #my hero academia fanfiction #my hero fanfic #my hero headcanons #my hero imagines #my hero x reader #fatgum #fatgum x you #fatgum x reader #comfort fic #fatgum x y/n #taishiro x reader #mha taishiro #bnha taishiro #taishiro toyomitsu #bnha fluff #bnha comfort