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#and then when he asked if I was still alive and I replied we had an entirely self deprecating conversation
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Daylight |1|
Amber Freeman to Eventual Tara Carpenter x Fem!Reader
Chapter one: It's Nice to Have a Friend
Summary: You are enjoying a pleasant evening with Tara when things escalate for the worse when you answer a phone call from your girlfriend, Amber. There's only one person who can get your day back on track
Warning(s): Swearing, toxic!amber x reader, arguing, & implied anxiety
Notes: first chapter out. finally.
Masterlist|Next Part
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You were currently napping at your desk, drool dripping down the side of your mouth as your trigonometry teacher drowned on about—something, you couldn’t really think right now. You were up until three in the morning preparing for your physics exam. You would be risking your spot on the football team if you got anything that wasn’t passing.
So here you were, knocked out in the middle of math, when all of a sudden something smacks the side of your face. It’s enough to get your attention, waking you up before you look around with a puzzled expression. You rubbed your eyes before grabbing the folded piece of paper that had hit you.
you drool when you sleep, the note read. You peaked to your left, glancing at the girl who sat one over from you. A smile began to graze your face when you realized who had thrown you the note. You wrote a reply on the corner of the paper before swiftly passing it back to the girl.
When she looked over to you, you were already looking up ahead as if nothing. She read the note; at least i dont watch people while they’re sleeping creep. She couldn’t help but smirk down at the note, playfully rolling her eyes before ripping off another piece of paper from her notebook to roll into a ball and throw it at you. You narrow your eyes at her but she’s imitating a confused look.
Then the sound of your teacher clearing his throat could be heard. “Ahem. Tara and Y/N, is there something you would like to share?”
You and Tara make eye contact before looking back at the teacher. 
“No, Mr. Quinn,” Tara said before you followed with, “No, sir.”
After a second he nodded, “Alright then—as I was saying.” He turned back around, continuing the lesson. 
When the class was over, Tara walked over as you were packing your things. You could hear her impatience as you did so which caused you to roll your eyes. “You don’t have to wait for me,” you told her while zipping up your bag. 
“And you don’t have to be the slowest person alive, but here we are,” she countered as you both began to walk out of the classroom.
“Whatever—damn it these halls,” you grunt after somebody slams into you. “We’re doomed if the school’s ever set on fire.”
“I don’t care what the code or whatever is, if the school’s set on fire it’s every student for themselves,” Tara replies.
“You do know that means right?”
“What?” She knitted her eyebrows, looking up at you as the two of you continued to walk in the school’s halls.
“Tiniest people go first,” you answer—immediately making Tara shove your arm.
“Shut the fuck up,” she laughed, her dimples showing as she lightly shook her head. Tara’s hand was still gripping your sleeve, an action that neither of you took notice of. She’s been your friend, your best friend, since you were six years old; a bit of physical touch was not uncommon in your friendship, never questioned. 
Both of you were now leaning against a vacant wall, and just as she was about to open her mouth to say something else, another arm slipped around your waist, causing Tara to let go of your arm. It didn’t take long for this person to practically be clinging off of you—her arm around your waist, the index finger of her other hand hooked in one of your belt loops. 
Of course, who else could this person be than none other than your girlfriend; Amber Freeman. 
“Oh, hey Tara. Didn’t see you,” Amber backhandedly greeted without even looking at Tara. Amber had always been passive aggressive towards Tara. The Carpenter couldn’t explain it well if you asked her, but ever since they met—seventh grade—it’s like she has this vendetta against her. You were having lunch with Tara when Amber met you, and it didn’t take long for her to take a liking to you. She had developed a crush on you throughout middle school, it wasn’t until the summer before sophomore year that you and her got together.
And that is how the three of you were now in this hallway, Amber with her arm around your waist, your own arm around her shoulder, while Tara resisted the urge to gag at the PDA.
“I actually have to get going, but I’ll see you later?” Tara says as she starts to make a subtle exit. She no longer saw a reason to stay.
“Of course, see you around,” you send her a smile that she doesn’t hesitate to send back. That was something you could always count on her for. 
Your eyes don’t leave Tara until they lose track of her in the crowded hallway. Just seconds later you felt a tug on your belt loop and you looked down to see Amber.
“Are you coming to the party tonight? Marcy’s throwing it since her parents are out of town for the next few days,” your girlfriend explained. 
“Sorry, can’t tonight. I have to watch my little brother. Some other time?” Your tone was apologetic as you gently rubbed her lower back, hoping she wouldn’t be too upset you couldn’t make it to Marcy’s party. 
“Whatever. It’s fine,” was all she said—her voice monotone and dismissive—while she began to pull away. Your eyebrows furrowed at her actions and a pressure starts to envelop your chest. She started to turn to walk away from you and that’s when you reached for her hands.
“Hey,” you murmured loud enough for her to hear while you turned her back around to face you. “I’ll try and get the next one, okay?” You try to hold eye contact with her but she seems to find the ground more interesting. “I’m sorry, Ambs.” 
She finally looks up, sighing. “It’s okay. Next time.”
“Next time,” you nod as you bite the inside of your cheek.
Amber looked at you, letting out another sigh before saying, “I’m fine, Y/N—really. You’ll get the next one.” That tightening feeling in your chest begins to loosen at her reassurance. “I have to go,” she gives you a kiss, deepening it just before pulling away. “I’ll text you this weekend?”
You hummed in response, and the two of you shared another kiss before you both set off for the day.
After making sure you had everything, you began to walk towards the main entrance—leaving the building before making your way to the spot where you and Tara meet up everyday after school. You always walk home together, pretty much since you first started becoming friends. 
You leaned against the pillar as you waited for Tara; it’s not like you didn’t see her just a few minutes earlier, so she shouldn’t be too long. You look out ahead, blankly staring at the patches of ice that covered the ground; it was windy out, so much in fact you felt as though you couldn’t go without five seconds of blinking or else you would start tearing up. Thank goodness for eyelids—
—“Boo!” You heard someone shout; you immediately jumped back, startled, your hands were raised and ready to swing at whoever or whatever. But any thoughts of fighting vanish when you look over to see the culprit. “Jesus fuck, Tara,” you suspired.
She’s laughing her ass off, both hands over her mouth. You let out a dramatic exhale before saying, “I’m gonna get you for this. Just wait.”
“Oh yeah?” She replied between giggles, “What are you gonna do? Throw a football at me?”
“You’ll see,” you warned while narrowing your eyes at her.
Tara was finally able to get herself to stop laughing. “Of course you will, tough guy.”
“Whatever,” you mumbled as the two of you began to walk. “So, got any plans on this incredibly dull Friday evening?” You inquired while digging through your pocket for your gloves.
“Mmm not really,” Tara answered. Her arms always had a slight sway to them as she walked; it’s something you’ve always noticed, it’s one of the things that’s never changed about her.
“Then are you free to come over? My parents are out of town and I’m still gonna be watching my brother, but he’s probably just gonna be playing video games with his friends the whole time anyway,” you said; your hands were still digging around in your pockets.
“Yeah, I’m down.” Tara looked at you with raised eyebrows before saying, “Um, you looking for something?”
You suddenly groaned when you realized, “Shit. I left my gloves at home.” You roll your eyes at your own forgetfulness before stuffing your hands back in your pockets in an attempt to keep them warm.
“You can take mine,” Tara tells you. Without hesitation, she stops and begins to take off her own gloves but you put your hand over her own to stop her.
“Tara, don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be fine,” you try to reassure her. 
At this point, you both have stopped walking. Tara shook her head at you, “Don’t be so stubborn. Just take them.”
“What about your hands?”
“I’ll survive.”
“Now who’s being stubborn?” Ugh, you were so annoying. How dare you use her own words against her.
“Fine. How about this, you take one glove and I keep the other one.” She looked at the hesitant look on your face before sighing, “If you don’t take it then I’ll just refuse to wear my gloves at all and then we’ll both freeze our hands off.”
“Fine,” you finally gave in, taking the other glove from Tara and putting it on. You slipped on only half of the glove before you realized something. “Wait. You don’t have pockets.” 
“Okay?” Tara looked at you confused.
“Where are you gonna put your ungloved hand?”
“Oh my God, I’ll be okay. I have—”
“—Warm blood? Yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” you chuckled. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tara asked in a defensive tone.
“You said the same thing when we went to see No Way Home but all I could hear was your teeth clattering.”
“That is not true!”
“People complained!”
After a few moments of silence of seeing who would break first, you finally spoke up. “Okay. How about this, you use one of my pockets. Deal?”
“It’s not that deep,” Tara protested.
“...Deal?”
Tara rolled her eyes, shutting them as she sighed before looking at you again. “Deal.”
She got closer to you before you wrapped your arm around her, giving her right hand access to your right pocket. A smile grazed your face, “See now was that so hard, shortstack?” You teased as you lightly noogied her with your free hand. 
“You are such an ass and a half for that,” you heard her bitterly say.
“Yet you stay,” you said as you were both turning the corner to where your house was.
“I should’ve left you on that street corner where you were standing.”
“But you didn’t,” you remark while getting your key out of your pocket.
“Just shut up and open the door. It’s freezing and my feet still hurt from gym,” Tara complained, never dropping her hand from your pocket.
“Oh? I thought you were—what was it? ‘Warm blooded’ you said?” You smirked, beginning to turn the front door’s lock with your key. Tara started shoving you as soon as you unlocked the door.
“Hush,” she scolded you while taking off her shoes.
“No need to shove.” You kick off your shoes before placing them to the side. You and Tara make your way to the kitchen, placing your stuff down on the way in.
“Your parents already left?” Tara asked as you rummaged through your refrigerator.
“Yeah, they had to go to some funeral. Nobody I was close with though—I think it was a distant uncle,” you filled her in as you gave her one of the gatorades you pulled out of the fridge. “They should be back by tomorrow night,” you continued.
“And I’m assuming that’s your brother upstairs?”
Your little brother and his friends were currently yelling at each other over voice chat, you weren’t really sure what about but you knew it was video game related.
“Of course,” you said after taking a sip of your own gatorade, “Wanna head to my room or the basement?”
“Either’s fine, I’m honestly just beat. Anywhere I can lay down I’m totally open to,” Tara said while stretching out her arms.
“My room it is.”
“So,” Tara started; you were both on your bed, her legs on your lap as you both watched a show on your laptop, “what did the ice queen want when I left earlier?” The use of the nickname Tara had for Amber caused you to glance at her.
“Tara,” you said, giving her a look that matched your scolding tone. She mumbled something under her breath before you continued. “She just wanted to know if I could make it to a party tonight. I just said I couldn’t, and that was that.”
“Ah,” she replied in a monotone voice.
“What?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nothing, that was just a normal ‘ah.’”
“If you say so…” You both turn back to screen, Tara reaches over you to grab one of the snacks before you feel a buzz in your pocket; you looked down to see you got a message from Mindy.
“Who is it?” asked Tara, followed by her shoving a few gummy bears in her mouth.
“Your sister,” you replied without hesitation as you typed. 
She shoved you with her foot, glaring at you for your comment.
“Nah, just Mindy asking if I’ll be at the party—oh, and apparently Wes too.” Tara immediately grabbed the nearest pillow and shoved her face against it, her loud groaning muffled. You laughed at her actions before continuing, “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think. Maybe he really is just curi—nevermind, I can’t even lie.” 
She let out an even louder groan. After a few more seconds, she finally picked up her head as she sighed. 
“We dated for like five minutes. That’s it.”
“You can’t blame the boy for being so obsessed with you. I mean, look at that face,” you teased as you pinched her cheeks. She rolled her eyes, harshly letting her head fall against your bed’s headboard. 
“Ow,” she winced. 
“14 year-old you just had to be polite,” you said while also moving your head to rest against your bed’s headboard. You tilted your head to face her, now looking at each other as you slipped your phone back into your pocket.
“That isn’t …exactly what happened,” her eyes trailed down to her lap.
“It’s exactly what happened. You would’ve felt too guilty to say no because his pet hamster had just died.”
“Ugh.”
“How come you’re never that nice to me?” You feigned a pout while reaching for your phone that was now vibrating in your back pocket. “Uh. I gotta take this. Gimme a sec.”
Tara didn’t have to ask who it was. She already knew from the shift in your demeanor and attitude.
“Hey…” Tara heard you trail off as you left the room. You closed the door, going off to the side and leaning against the wall.
“Hey.” Amber’s greeting was curt and monotone. Nothing good could come from whatever she was about to say next. 
“What’s up babe?” You hoped that your voice didn’t show how nervous you were.
“Don’t ‘babe’ me. What is this I’m hearing about you and Anika?” Shit. You know you should’ve told her sooner, you still would’ve gotten heat for it but at least it would’ve came from you and not a gossiping cheerleader just trying to stir up trouble.
“It’s nothing bad—I just need some help in physics and she agreed to tutor me,” you tried to explain as straight-forward as you could. 
“How do you conveniently fail to mention this? We saw each other not long ago, yeah? So how come I have to hear about this from Daphne?” 
“There’s nothing else going on other than studying. She just—”
“She just what?!”
“She just offered! She overheard me talking to Chad about needing to get my grade up!” 
“Yeah right, Y/N! Everyone knows she has a thing for you, don’t be so naive,” she scolded as if you were a troublesome child. “I bet this is why you didn’t want to come to the party tonight.”
“Are you kidding? I told you, I have to watch my brother tonight. And Anika does not have a thing for me. Why can’t people just be nice to me without you freaking out?” Now you were pacing back and forth.
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to freak out if you would just tell me these things beforehand!” She shouted.
A familiar tightness in your chest grew with each word she threw at you, and your tongue felt as though it was glued to the roof of your mouth. What could you possibly say when you knew it wouldn’t suffice? You knew nothing you said would matter. You knew she wouldn’t have any of it.
“And you fail to notice half the school wants you—but once again, you’re just being naive! But I’m just your lame girlfriend, right? I don’t matter?”
You manage a scoff at her words. “Who—when did I say that?”
“Yeah go ahead, act like I’m insane. That I’m just making it all up in my head,” Amber went on as you rubbed the bridge of your nose. 
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m sorry, I just—”
“So you’re saying I’m not making this all up in my head? That I should worry about this?” This remark only made you even more exasperated from how insane it all sounded. This is insane, right? You’re not losing it? There really is no winning with this woman. 
“What? No! Of course not. Please just tell me what the right thing to say is.”
Then there was a pause that lasted a little over five seconds, but it felt longer. After the pause, you could hear Amber sigh over the phone. “I just need space right now.”
“I feel like… I feel like you always need space,” you confessed, aggravation at the tip of your voice. 
“Have you ever considered this is why? Maybe I wouldn’t need so much space if you would actually learn to listen to me for once,” she sourly shot back. Although she was no longer shouting, you could feel her burning frustration through the phone. You were all too familiar with her pattern of emotions when it came to disagreements with her. 
“I am listening but—”
“Clearly you’re not if there’s a ‘but’ to that.” Amber let out a dry laugh. “This is exactly why I need space; why we need space. When you wanna start acting like my girlfriend—you know where to reach me.”
She didn’t give you a chance to plead your case any further, hanging up the phone just as she spoke her last words.
You let your head hit the nearby wall as you slumped down to sit on the floor, groaning out. You tucked in your knees close to your chest before dropping your head to rest on them.
God, how could you be so stupid? You should know better by now—right? It’s not like you haven't had the same argument with Amber over and over again. It was routine at this point. Literally all your fights go about the same. 
You picked at your jeans, silently murmuring to yourself as you replayed the argument in your head. 
“Fine. Take your space. I don’t care.” Your chin rested on your free arm that laid on your knees as your other free hand continued to pick at your pants. “Are people not allowed to be nice to me? I don’t say anything when she studies with other people. What’s so different about me? I’ve never given her a reason to think otherwise…” 
Just then, the door opened. You looked over to your right, completely forgetting you were just outside your bedroom door. You looked up to see Tara staring down at you as she leaned against the door frame.
“Hey,” she greeted, walking over to sit in the vacant spot next to you on the floor. 
“Hi.” 
"Talking to yourself?" She quipped, jokingly, as a way to lighten the mood.
"You know me," you said. But Tara saw through to your thrown attitude.
“You okay?” She asked once she sat down.
“I’m… alright.” You responded, now looking at her. “Just the usual, you know.” There was a pause and a look that Tara was giving; you broke, sighing as you stared back down to your own fingers before speaking again. “She, uh, found out about Anika tutoring me. I guess she’s not Anika’s biggest fan or something.”
Tara knew she should comfort you. No matter how much she wanted to tell you that Amber was terrible, no good, and a bitch, she knew that would do no good. Reassurance was the way to go in these situations with Amber, no matter how much she hated the taste of her own words. “She’ll come around. She always does.” 
“Thanks…” 
A moment of silence passes before Tara gets up from her spot, your eyes tracking her movement. She reaches her hand out for you to grab before saying, “Come on, let’s play Mortal Combat or something. I’m bored and feel like showing off.”
You laughed as you took her hand and stood up. When you stood up, your fingers interlocked with hers, almost like puzzle pieces. She rubbed her thumb over your hand for extra measure. A sense of warmth flew through you and the tension in your shoulders start to release.
"Thank you, Tara."
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A/N: drama, commence
Taglist: @alyciaddict @tropicals-things @orignalpat @lilbitdepressed27 @nahnahnahwhat @fanboy7794
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i2sunric · 2 days
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HYUNG LINE WHEN THEIR S/O IS INSECURE
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𓆩♡𓆪. alternatively — where you are scared of them leaving you.
warnings: mentions of death, guns, overthinking. NOT PROOFREAD.
published: 5th May 2024
wc: 1.2k
taglist: (permanent) @stolasisyourparent @jaeyunsbimbo @jwnghyuns @heelvsted
𓆩♡𓆪. LEE HEESEUNG
You woke up all sweaty, your breath uneven and rushed as you sat up on the bed, Heeseung’s strong arms still wrapped around your waist.
You blinked your eyes, bitter tears rolling down your cheeks. The scene of your dream unfolding right before your eyes, ripping your heart apart.
Your sudden movements caused Heeseung to stir awake, his dear eyes opening “Baby?” He asked, his voice slurred with sleepiness
You dried your tears with your hand “Yes?” You said, trying your best not to give away the shakiness in your voice.
His brows knitted and he sat up beside you “What’s wrong?” Heeseung’s arms wrapped around your shoulder.
A pained sob escaped your lips as you snuggled close to his chest, his expression turning worried “Baby… Talk to me, what’s wrong?”
“I—“ You tried to say but your whole body quivered as you sobbed in his arms. He just rubbed your back, whispering soothing nothings to your ear as he waited for you to calm down.
And when you finally did, you raised your head to meet his gaze, your puffy eyes and red nose making you look so cute.
“I had a bad dream.” You answered, his thumb carefully dried the tear stains under your eyes and cheeks, “Mh? What happened in the nightmare?”
You gulped down, just the thought making you shiver, “We were at the mall and some random guy came with a gun and you protected me when he started shooting.”
Bitter and hot tears burned their way down your cheeks again “You were laying there, bleeding and I could do nothing, I couldn’t move.”
Heeseung’s expression softened and he placed one hand behind your head to pull you on his chest, his arms protecting you in a warm embrace “It was just a dream, Y/N.” He said gently.
“But it felt so real…” You shook your head, gripping his shirt as if he was a lifeline “I’m here, baby, I’m here with you.”
He took your hand and placed it on his cheek to let you know he was alive and there with you. His lips brushed your knuckles, your breath hitching.
“I won’t leave you, but if I ever die protecting you,” Heeseung helped you lay down again, placing the blankets back on your embraced figures “Then I’d die happy.”
He placed a sweet kiss on your forehead “Because you are my life, Y/N. And if there is no you, I don’t want to live.”
𓆩♡𓆪. PARK JAY
There were many sleepless nights where your thoughts wouldn’t leave you a break, making you overthink every choice and every little detail of your life.
No matter how hard you tried, your worries and anguishes never truly left you alone.
And that was how you found yourself standing in front of the large window at yours and Jay’s apartment. With only a thin robe to cover your nightgown you let the cold weather hit your body as you hugged your own arms.
It was in one of those nights that you started questioning wether you truly deserved such a perfect life. Jay was the best thing that ever happened to you, he was like a dream coming true.
He cooked for you, helped you doing the chores, bought you any pretty things you wanted without ever complaining.
He was perfect. Too perfect for someone like you.
Sometimes you thought you didn’t do anything, compared to all the things he did to you. You weren’t good at showing your emotions, at letting Jay know you cared for him the same way he did.
Your stream of consciousness was interrupted when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist, “Angel?” Jay’s sleepy voice filled your ear as he snuggled his head on the crook of your neck, hugging you from behind.
“What are you doing up?” He slurred sleepily, caressing your stomach with his thumb.
“Can’t sleep.” You just replied, the feeling of safety Jay brought you only adding to the anguishes making your stomach twist.
With a soft chuckle, Jay tightened his grip around your waist. "Come on now, don't lie to me." He paused, his breath hot on your skin as he sighed. "I know that there's something on your mind again — you're always overthinking, hmm?"
He truly knew you better than anyone else “You got me.” Jay hummed “What’s got you troubled?”
Seeing that you weren’t replying, Jay spun you around so you were facing him. You drank him in, his dark eyes ever so filled with love, his hair all messed from bed and his face puffy.
You smiled sadly and ran your fingers in his tangled hair “I don’t think I deserve you.”
Jay’s eyes widened “What?” He asked, not sure if his mind was playing some trick or if he had heard you correctly.
“I feel like I’m too much, Jay, like I’m always asking you for things just to never give you anything in return.” You sighed, dropping your hand “And I can’t stop overthinking, because maybe you truly deserve someone better than me.”
Jay felt a hundred daggers pierce his heart at your words. How long had you been feeling that way? And how come he had never realised? If anything, he was the one you didn’t deserve.
“No, baby.” He shook his head, his voice rushed and worried. He put his hands on your elbows, needing you close “You are not too much, nor you’ll ever be.”
Jay started, pressing his forehead on yours “I love you more than anything and I couldn’t ask for more than your love.” You let out a small sigh, his words sinking in your head, painting your heart red.
“You’re my girl, the person I want to spend my life with, the woman I want to marry.” He pressed a kiss on your forehead, then down on your brow, “Don’t doubt my feelings for you, you’re everything I could’ve wished for.” He kissed the tip of your nose.
“I love you, Jay.” You whispered, needing him to hear your feelings “I love you too, Y/N. So much.”
𓆩♡𓆪. SIM JAKE
It was just a slip of tongue, something Jake didn’t mean to say to hurt you— just a small detail he had noticed.
It wasn’t even your fault that Layla apparently seemed to like Jake’s ex more. It wasn’t even a big deal, then why were you crying in the bathroom?
You weren’t very in synchrony with dogs, or animals in general since commitment wasn’t your best attribute but you were trying your best to take care of Layla when Jake wasn’t home.
Apparently, you weren’t trying enough because even Jake noticed that Layla didn’t seem to enjoy your company. She’d bark at you and just completely ignore you when you wanted to play or take her out for a walk.
With tears making their way down your pretty face you felt extremely stupid. Why would you even be crying over something so small?
“Baby?” A knock on the door distracted you, making you bit down on your lip to stop your whimpers “You’ve been there for a while, you okay?”
You cleared your throat and replied “Yes, I’ll be out quickly.” You got up and washed your face, trying to get rid of the red marks on your face.
You then opened the door and showed Jake a good fake smile. But he knew you better, he could sense something was wrong.
“Were you crying?” He asked, widening his eyes as he took in the sight of your swollen and red eyes.
His eyebrows shot in surprise and scanned your whole body in search of any injury “Are you hurt? Did you do something?”
“No, no.” You shook your head “I’m fine.”
Jake looked at you with an expression that said he wasn’t believing your bullshit “You clearly aren’t.”
Your lips formed a thin line, “It’s something stupid. Just forget it.” You tried to dismiss it.
He let out a small sigh, “It’s not stupid if it makes you cry.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“I just have been trying to work it out with Layla.” You looked away, ashamed “But then you said she liked your ex more and I think it brought me down..”
Jake’s eyes widened more, if it was even possible. He had been foolish to make such remark when he knew you were struggling to build a good relationship with his dog.
“Oh, baby.” He wrapped his arms around you, brining you into a tight hug “I’m so sorry I said that, it doesn’t even matter if Layla doesn’t like you yet.”
He caressed the nape of your neck, thumb gently brushing against your skin “You need some time, and you need to stop overthinking this, mh?”
You looked up at him and slowly nodded your head “Good, because you’ll be her mother when I marry you.”
𓆩♡𓆪. PARK SUNGHOON
The pain in your chest made it hard to breath as you watched Sunghoon laughing wholeheartedly with someone— a girl that wasn’t you.
Everyone at Jay’s birthday party seemed to be happy, enjoying themselves while drinking and dancing. But even the loud music was clouded from your negative thoughts.
Sunghoon’s dimples showed with how much he was smiling at the pretty girl, she was so stunning you probably understood why he chose to be with her and not spend time with you.
No— Sunghoon was your boyfriend, why would you ever doubt him? The truth was that you weren’t doubting him, but yourself.
So many insecurities and unspoken worries filled your head until Sunghoon felt your gaze on him and turned his head to face you.
He showed you a warm smile that soon turned into a frown when you didn’t reciprocate it. Ashamed with yourself, you watched the two for the last time before rushing out of the room.
Sunghoon quickly excused himself and ran after you, he went outside and searched for you.
“Y/N?” He asked, looking around for a few seconds before he saw you, curled on yourself as you hovered on the ground, hugging your knees.
He sighed and walked to you, taking off his jacket to place it around your shoulders “Hey.” He kneeled down in front of you, showing you another gentle smile
When he saw you avoided his gaze, he took your chin in his fingers and lifted your head, finally looking into your eyes “What’s the matter, pretty girl?”
You let out a small sigh and shook your head, not wanting to voice out the storm inside your mind.
Sunghoon’s thick brows knitted, his lips forming a thin line “Y/N, what happened?” He asked, his hands on your shoulder, his gaze desperate “Did I do something wrong? Did I mess it up?”
You were quick to shake your head “No, of course not.” He seemed taken aback “Then… Why are you sad?”
Sunghoon was always so sweet and caring with you, he was still trying to get himself to show you how much you mattered, and even if he struggled, he always managed to make you feel like the only girl in the world.
You took a deep breath, your demeanour filling with regret “I’m sorry, Hoon.” You murmured, your gaze falling on the ground again but his fingers brought it back up, gently tapping your chin “I saw you with that girl and I couldn’t help but feel… miserable.”
“Miserable?” Sunghoon asked, his tone quiet “You did nothing wrong, It’s my fault… I keep thinking you’ll eventually leave for someone better.”
Sunghoon helped you stand up, one of his arms sneaking around your waist, brining you close. He used the other to brush a strand of hair out of your face “I understand it’s hard to believe someone cares for you, I do.”
His voice was so gentle “But please baby,” He held your face in his palm “Believe me when I say I never want anyone else, and if I get to have you for the rest of my life, I could never ask for more.”
Your breath hitched at his oh so romantic confession, making the air taste sweeter. He pressed a featherlight kiss on your lips, just to deepen it.
The kiss held all your unspoken feelings, making the worries disappear with its magic “Let’s go home now,” Sunghoon murmured on your lips “I want to hold you and cuddle until we fall asleep.”
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hazbinhotelie · 2 days
Note
Would you ever consider doing Alastor with a Mobster Reader?
(I have no idea how this would work and I don’t feel like doing proper research as to how the Mob works so here’s my best try)
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“Don’t move,” I said, pressing the barrel of the gun to the radio demons head.
“Oh, this gives me Deja vu,” he said lightly. He chuckled and tried to look at me but I held him firmly in place.
“I said not to move,” I growled, keeping him pinned. “Or I’ll have to shoot.”
“Have to? You say that as if you don’t want to kill me,” he noted. He tried to catch a glimpse of me through his peripheral vision but couldn’t. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I’d rather not stain my clothes with blood,” I replied, nonchalant. “This is my favorite outfit.”
“Ah, but surely there must be another reason,” he said with a grin. In an instant he was gone, as if he’d disappeared into the shadows. I narrowed my eyes, then jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Over here, darling.”
“That was rude,” I said, lowering my gun. We both knew I never even stood a chance against him. I was wondering why he was still here.
“Like I said, Deja vu. I didn’t appreciate the memories that brought back,” he said, radio static crackling louder. His neck seemed to bend into an unnatural position, the alleyway we were in growing much darker and more eerie. I shuddered. “Now, tell me, who in their right mind would send an average sinner demon like yourself after an overlord like me?”
I froze, hesitated for a moment, then told him. I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t the most loyal of people, and I didn’t feel like being killed by the cannibal standing before me. If I ever returned to my boss, I’d get a death that didn’t involve being eaten or ripped to shreds.
“Ah,” he said with a nod. All the malice in the atmosphere lifted, and he returned to normal. “I’ve heard of that group. I’ll be sure to stop by and give them a proper warning for messing with the radio demon.” He paused for a moment, thoughtful as he looked at me. I still had my gun in hand, but I was making no attempt to harm him. “You’re a new member, aren’t you? You must be awfully skilled for them to send fresh meat like you my way.”
“I..” I fumbled, not knowing what to say. Was he going to kill me? Why hadn’t he killed me the moment I put the gun to his head? What did he want, why had he kept me alive? “I am new, yes.”
“Mm,” he said. “Then you haven’t sold your soul to them, have you?”
“No,” I replied truthfully. I put my gun away, not seeing a point to holding it anymore. “I haven’t.”
“Good. I have a proposal to make,” he said with a grin. He walked up to me and linked our arms, walking me down the street with him as if we were friends.
“A… proposal?” I asked, giving him a look. My other hand hovered over the holster for my gun. I had no shot of killing him, but if I was in danger I’d like to at least put up a fight. There were also other demons and sinners, too. They could attack at any moment, and I wasn’t sure the radio demon would keep me from harms way.
“I think we should make a deal,” he said cheerfully. “You give me your soul and I won’t kill you.”
“That’s not a particularly good deal,” I noted, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not the only one capable of hurting me. A random demon could kill me, an imp could kill me. Hell, a dedicated duck could kill me. You aren’t that special.”
“You make a good point,” he said. He laughed to himself, though I didn’t know why. “Hm, you are a level headed one, aren’t you? I do think you’d make a good addition to my collection.”
“Your collection?”
“Yes,” he said. He snapped his fingers and spindly creatures emerged from the shadows, trailing after us. They looked sewn up and jagged, unlike any demon I’d seen before. “These are my shadow creatures. This is what happens when I receive a soul but have no use of it anymore. It’s also what happens when I’m in a bad mood and some poor sinner happens to upset me.” He eyed me, a predatory grin on his face. “A poor sinner who was only doing their job as apart of the Mob, a poor sinner like you.”
“Ah,” I said, understanding. “That’s just another threat, though. If you were really in such a bad mood, you’d have done it the moment I attacked you. You’ve kept me alive, you’re walking with me now. You’re either enjoying yourself, getting some sort of entertainment from seeing me nervous, or you’ve got something in mind that you’d like to use me for. That’s why you want to make a deal, isn’t it?”
“You’re observant,” he stated. Dodging the question. He dismissed the unsettling shadow creatures and we continued our walk. “Still have your hand by your gun, too. You’re smart enough to avoid conflict when you can and try to appease me, but you’re never going down without a fight. Interesting. Interesting indeed…” he muttered to himself as we walked, sinners jumping out of our way. I wasn’t comfortable around him, but he was intriguing. “What if I changed the rules of the deal? Made it a bit more fair and beneficial to you?”
“I think that’d be good,” I said, keeping a poker face. “What exactly would I gain?”
“I’ll protect you from any serious harm, especially by imps, everyday sinners, and the like. You’ll have a nice place to stay, and I’ll ensure your boss and associates don’t come after you. You’ll be free from the mobs grasp, and completely safe from them,” he said, still thinking.
“And food? Clothing? Possessions?” I asked, tilting my head inquisitively.
“I will ensure you have the means to eat a proper meal, get some rest, and the like. I know other Overlords dictate what the souls they own wear, and what they keep, but I don’t particularly care for that. You may wear whatever you want and own whatever possessions you’d like,” he replied, a hint of disdain creeping in his voice at the mention of other overlords. “I won’t keep you from living your life, I simply have a few rules alongside your requirements for working for me.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. That made sense, it seemed reasonable. I hadn’t expected him to be so…. fair. It was almost generous, coming from an overlord. “What would be expected of me?”
“First and above all else, you can’t betray me,” he said, snapping his attention to me directly. Now I had his undivided attention and he was giving me a stern look. “You may not go against me or harm me in anyway. You are not allowed to take part in any plan that could negatively impact on me.”
“Okay, you want me to be loyal, then,” I said. I thought for a moment, then smiled. “That won’t be hard at all. You’re quite nice, you know. Not what I expected from the radio demon, but it’s a pleasant surprise.”
“I’ve been threatening you for half the time I’ve known you,” he retorted, rolling his eyes. “In any case, your actual job is to help me with my endeavors at the Hazbin Hotel. If I ask you to do something for me or anyone there, so long as it has to do with the hotel or protecting its inhabitants, you must comply. Understood?”
“Yep,” I said with a quick nod. “That’s the one for rehabilitating sinners, right?”
“Yes, I take it you’ve actually heard of it? What, are you interested in the concept?” He asked, giving me a look. He seemed surprised at the very notion.
“Eh. Not currently. I think it’s cool, but that’s not why I was asking,” I said with a shrug. I looked away from him for a moment, nervous again. “It’s just some of my possessions could be considered contraband in a place like that.”
“Oh,” he said, quieter. He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’m not quite sure what you mean specifically, but as long as you’re not putting the hotel in any danger, it will be allowed. Weapons, especially. A bigger part of your job will be protecting the hotel and its inhabitants. We have a few people who like to venture into town often, and you will be expected to accompany them.”
“As a sort of bodyguard.”
“Yes, precisely,” he replied. “Now, I do think that is everything we have to discuss. Do we have a deal?”
I thought it over for a moment, going over each thing we’d discussed. Then, I shook his hand. “Yes,” I said.
“Good. It was a pleasure doing business with you, my dear.”
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im-a-wonderling · 2 days
Text
Rescue Me, Part 4 ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi
If I didn't have @writing-on-the-wahl's help, this part would've taken so much longer and would've been so much worse. As always, my friend, you are an angel, and I adore you.
Summary: Now a Jedi Knight with her own padawan, Y/N gets an individual mission unlike anything she's done before.
Warnings: Yeah, this one's dark, so bodily harm and mortal peril and possibly more?
Word count: 9.8k
Rescue Me masterlist
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“Why does the council want to see us?” Ghon asked, keeping up with my brisk pace as best he could in spite of his tiny stature. It likely looked comical, but none of the Jedi we passed gave us a second glance. 
We’d landed on Coruscant not ten minutes before, and the waiting attendant had immediately informed us the Jedi Council was waiting.
The guilt of dulling my feelings for Ghon’s benefit weighed on my mind, but my padawan didn’t deserve to feel my anxiety as well as his own. Perhaps a day was coming where I would be able to stand in front of the council with confidence, but it wasn’t coming any time soon. “Likely to debrief us on our mission and brief us for the next one,” I replied, answering his question as calmly as I could. 
Ghon frowned. “But we just got back!”
I didn’t bother admonishing him for the complaint, not when I was also weighed down with a fatigue that seeped through to my bones. There was very little time for rest since I’d become a Jedi Knight, and it was almost too much for me to handle at twenty-two years old. Ghon was only eleven. 
“Such is the way of war,” I sighed as we stopped in front of the sliding doors. As we waited to be called in, I resisted the urge to smooth down my robes. My appearance did not matter. In fact, the more ruffled I appeared, the more humble I appeared. 
The Force buzzed to my left, and I glanced at Ghon to see him chewing on his lip.
He’d barely qualified as a padawan, evident by his deep-seated need to please. He needed lots of encouragement, but he made it easy to give. Everything he needed to be doing, he was. If only he could believe it.
I reached out and tugged lightly on his braid, making him smile. I barely had time to drop my hand at my side again before the doors slid open.
Each face expectantly watching us featured grim expressions with worry lines. The tension in the room was palpable, and I knew it had everything to do with the war tearing the galaxy apart. Every Jedi felt it, the pain and death radiating off each planet, and there was no solace from it. 
But the most depressing sight was the empty seat.
The seat which had been empty the day I cut off my own padawan braid with my lightsaber, and empty every time after. I knew better than to ask. Once in a while, a story drifted my way of some daring escapade, and I would know that my old master was still alive. 
I couldn’t lament it, for it was as he said: this is what we were made for. 
I bowed once I reached the center of the room. “Masters.”
“Congratulations on your success on Rodia,” Master Mundi said, mustering a smile. “Senator Farr thanked us on behalf of his people.” 
Senator Farr, leader of the swampy, waterlogged planet of Rodia, reached out to the Republic to ask for aid after he defied the Trade Confederacy. The Republic obliged, sending relief aid in the form of supplies and a Jedi healer. 
Me. 
I inclined my head. “I was gratified to be of help.”
The Force rippled as the attention in the room shifted to the young man beside me. “And your padawan seems to be learning quickly,” Master Mundi added.
I opened my mouth to agree, but the words died.
The humming of a light. 
Instantly, my insides were all aflutter. I hadn’t felt that light in months, and yet I could never mistake it. On every planet I’d been dispatched to, I searched for it and never found it. The sparse amount of times I’d been on Coruscant even, the light was nowhere to be found.
But now there was no mistaking it: the light was here. The sensation grew steadily, the source far too close to be anywhere farther than Coruscant's atmosphere.
I looked around at the council members to see if they’d felt it too, but none of their signatures seemed any different than they had before. 
“Yes,” I cleared my throat, “he is eager and very intelligent. He was of great assistance on Rodia.” 
“You picked your padawan well,” Master Fisto said, smiling at Ghon. 
“That I’ve never doubted,” I managed to say in spite of the humming. Maybe they would think me arrogant for saying it, but I never wanted Ghon to feel he stood alone in front of the council. 
Master Windu leaned forward, dousing me in the full weight of his skepticism that momentarily drowned out the humming, bracing his elbows on his knees. “How is Padawan Ghon’s learning going?” The light drew nearer, its humming filling my ears like the buzzing wings of a Grutchin. Ghon shifted beside me, reminding me of the question. 
“All things considered, I couldn’t ask for more. I look forward to the day when he doesn’t have to learn during a war.”
“As do we all,” Master Mundi murmured. 
The light grew louder still, loud enough for me to hear the exhaustion and anxiety within it, echoing the stress already present in the room.
“And what does your padawan think?” Master Windu asked.
Overwhelmed by the light as I was through the Force, I could still feel the flash of uncertainty fill the room and knew the council could feel Ghon’s reaction as strongly as I did.
“It’s been an honor to learn under Y/F/N Y/L/N.” He lifted his chin even as his hands shook slightly. “I’ve learned much.”
The light was shouting now, making it impossible to perceive anything else. “Well, it seems you’re a good teacher,” Master Ti's lips formed, his voice lost within the volume of the Force.
And then the humming cut off, beautiful silence caressing me. And into the silence came the words: “I should hope so.”
My breath caught in my throat. That voice. I could be dead and buried six feet under the ground and still recognize it. Still want to run towards it. 
Slowly, with my heart hammering in my chest, I turned to look.
In the open doorway of the councilroom stood none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi. 
His hair, neatly sheared, was far shorter. Instead of being combed back with the tips resting on his shoulders like normal, it laid on his head, making his forehead appear smaller. His beard, however, was fuller than before, giving his face a longer look. He too wore the worry lines every other master sported, far deeper than I'd last seen.
And yet with all the differences, his smile was the same as always. 
I almost started to greet him with an “old man” and a smile, but stopped myself. This was no longer my master with whom I could joke around with. This was a master, a member of the Jedi council who was only to be treated with respect and formality. “Master Kenobi,” I said. The honorific felt strange coming off my tongue.
His face pinched, as if the formality of his title filled him with as much strangeness as it did me.
“Ahhh, Kenobi,” Master Windu sounded about as pleased as he ever did, which wasn’t saying much. “Join us.”
Master Kenobi glanced over my shoulder at Master Windu and gave a quick nod, before brushing past me to sit in the empty seat. Remembering myself, I bowed respectfully, and Ghon followed suit as Master Kenobi settled into his seat.
“As it happens,” Mace Windu said, drawing my attention, “we have your next mission.”
Ghon straightened. “Are we going back to Rodia?”
“Appreciate the enthusiasm, we do, Padawan Ghon,” Yoda said, chuckling. “But a mission for your master alone, this is.” 
A mission of my own? If it was too dangerous for my padawan, was I capable of it myself? Ghon looked at me, the uncertainty lining his features reflecting what I felt in my gut. “There’ll be stuff for you to do,” I assured him in spite of my misgivings.
“I think Master Yoda could use some help with the younglings,” Master Fisto said kindly. “Until then, you can get food and perhaps some sleep.”
Ghon didn’t move. 
I nudged him, and he reluctantly bowed to the masters and left the council room. 
As soon as the doors shut, I turned back to Master Yoda. “What’s the mission?”
“To go undercover, you are.”
Surprise bloomed in my chest, but I remained silent, trusting the council to elaborate and alleviate my confusion. 
Master Koon leaned forward in his chair. “We’ve received intel of a Separatist trader that spends his evenings in one of the clubs here. We want you to meet him there for some business.” 
“I don’t have any experience with undercover work,” I said slowly, taking great care to sound confused and not defiant. 
“Experience you have not,” Master Yoda agreed. “Skills you do.”
“We would not have chosen you unless you were the best fit for the job.” Master Windu’s tone left no room for argument. “The Republic is running low on PLX-1 and PLX-4 missile launchers. We want you to make a deal with this trader.”
What? 
Paying for weapons? From a Separatist? 
This was not the kind of mission I’d expected. Master Windu continued, talking of the money I was to offer and how many launchers I was to ask for. I kept my eyes on him, but I shifted my focus to the no-longer-empty seat.
The turbulent light of Master Kenobi’s Force signature only made me more wary. 
“Conflicted you are,” Master Yoda said, drawing my attention. “Unsure of the mission’s integrity, hmmm?”
“It feels odd,” I said slowly, “to be a peacekeeper and be dealing weapons. Wouldn’t it be better if one of the senators met with this buyer?”
The light shifted slightly, a little more desperate than before. 
“We believe this buyer would prefer a transaction off the record,” Master Windu said. “We’ve also received intel that he prefers human women of a certain…physique.”
Discomfort roiled in my gut like acid. The council was giving me this mission because of my physique? “How dangerous is this man?” I asked carefully, and the light flickered. 
Master Windu’s impassive face did not inspire any confidence. “We have no reason to believe there’s any additional danger in this mission than any other.” Considering a significant amount of my missions involved outright combat, that wasn’t as reassuring as he likely meant it. Or perhaps he did not intend to comfort me at all. 
But Jedi were called to obey, regardless of and even in spite of comfort. 
“Wherever I’m needed,” I said slowly, meeting Master Yoda’s gaze, “I will go.”
The light flickered again, but I kept my attention on Master Yoda, who did not react. Master Windu sat back in his seat. “Then you are dismissed.”
I bowed and left the council room, mind buzzing. 
Ghon leaned against a wall outside the council room, eyes half-closed with exhaustion. He needed to sleep, and yet he was waiting for me. This would be our first time since becoming Padawan and Master that we would be separated. There was bound to be some strain. 
He stood straight when he saw me. 
I reached out to rest my hands on his shoulders. “It’ll be okay,” I said softly. “My mission won’t take very long, and then we’ll likely be off to the Outer Rim again.”
Ghon did not look comforted. “What will I do if it takes longer?” 
“There’s plenty to be learned right here,” I told him. “You can meditate, and there’s plenty of people for you to practice your swordplay with.” 
“But what if…it takes longer than that?”
I watched him, feeling the waves of anxiety pouring off of him and realizing it wasn’t just anxiety at being separated. “I will be alright, Ghon. You don’t have to fear for my safety.” I smiled comfortingly at him. 
“Don’t worry about your master, young one.” The comfort infused into the familiar voice made my eyes flutter shut. Opening them quickly, I turned to see the council all filing out of the councilroom. And strolling towards us was Master Kenobi, smiling kindly at my padawan as he said: “She can take care of herself.” 
Ghon bowed in respect, but did not say anything. 
There was a silence where I felt Master Kenobi’s eyes on me, where I watched Ghon…who was gazing at Master Kenobi. My padawan heard his fair share of stories about Master Kenobi, and not just from me either. The awe radiating from him was justified.
“Master Kenobi,” I stood behind Ghon, my hands on his shoulders, “this is my padawan, Ghon Laster.”
A strangely fond smile on his face, Master Kenobi held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” 
I couldn’t see Ghon’s face, but I could feel his shyness as he shook Master Kenobi’s hand. “Pleased to meet you,” he echoed, likely not knowing what else to say. 
“I can sense your worry.” Master Kenobi’s eyes flicked up to mine before returning to the young man. “It’s natural to feel such things, but trust in the Force. It will look out for your master the same as it does for me or you.” 
It wasn’t just my own apprehension that eased. Even if I couldn’t feel Ghon’s feelings through the Force, the slump of his shoulders made his relief clear.
“Ghon, why don’t you go rest before joining Master Yoda with the younglings?” I said. “We didn’t get much sleep last night, and this is your chance to get some.”
“Yes, Master,” Ghon said, bowing his head towards Master Kenobi before walking off in the direction of his quarters.
My eyes lingered down the corridor even after he was gone from it. Look at him, I told myself sternly. Acknowledge him. I managed to turn my head, but somehow, my gaze lowered. Why? It wasn’t as if the floor was particularly interesting.
“Knight Y/L/N.” 
I could tell from Master Kenobi’s tone that it wasn’t a goodbye. He was waiting to talk to me. Steeling myself, I finally looked up at my old master.
He tilted his head. “I haven’t seen you in months.”
“Yes, well, the council keeps me busy.” I flashed him a tentative smile. 
“We have a knack for doing that,” he replied loftily, but the jovial look in his eye told me his pretention was teasing. 
I fished around for a snippy reply, but it didn’t leap into my mind as it used to, the rules of our engagement covered in dust. I realized that the awkward silence had returned, and yet it was too late for me to reply to his snark.
What could I say? What was I allowed to ask? 
“I was about to go to the gardens to meditate,” Master Kenobi said before I could figure out whether to extend or end the conversation. “Would you…care to join me?”
The light flickered. Was he…uncertain? What could he be uncertain of? “I would appreciate a chance to meditate with my old master.” I smiled at him, and the light steadied. Master Kenobi gestured down the hallway. We started walking together, taking every stride together with such ease, neither one having to adjust their pace for the other. 
The Jedi Temple gardens were one of the only green places on the planet of Coruscant, and it took a lot of work to keep up. But having a space where a Jedi could reconnect to the Force through plants, the most innocent of living things, was worth it. 
“I must say,” Master Kenobi finally said as we reached the courtyard, “I’m curious.”
“About what?”
Master Kenobi clasped his hands behind his back. “I…hear stories.”
“What kind of stories?” I replied, reaching out to brush my fingers against a leaf. 
“Stories about my wayward padawan.”
I pursed my lips to keep from smiling. To some, it’d be insulting to be called padawan once they’d ascended to being a knight, but being Master Kenobi’s padawan was always a good thing to me. “Oh?” I asked vaguely, even though I could probably guess some of what he’d heard. “What do they say?”
“Well,” Master Kenobi ran a hand over his beard, “they say you fought a whole pack of Nexu on Cholganna.”
“Grossly exaggerated,” I said lightly. “I only fought three.”
Master Kenobi snorted, and I felt suddenly too warm for my cloak as I grinned back at him. “And your run-in with Aurra Sing? I suppose the two of you didn’t actually resort to fisticuffs?”
“Well,” I lifted my chin, “that’s true, but she was asking for it."
“No doubt you were also.”
“Just the opposite,” I replied. “I was trying to heal one of her coworkers, but some people just won’t be told.”
Master Kenobi’s merry laughter filled the hall, and I couldn’t help smiling at him. Was it possible that our old normal could return so quickly? Just as I thought the thought, his smile faded. “I also heard you lost part of your hearing in one ear.”
Had he truly been keeping such close tabs on me to know about my hearing? I nodded, solemn. “An explosion on Bora Vio.” I swallowed, looking down at the leaf as I remembered the pain of the blast. “I’m lucky a bit of my hearing is all I lost. Not even the best of us can make it through a war unscathed.” I glanced up to see Master Kenobi smiling down at me in a way that reminded me of our past. “Unless, perhaps, you’re Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
Master Kenobi’s face fell. “I’m far from unscathed.”
Panic flared in my stomach. “Is everything alright? Are you injured?”
“I’m quite well,” Master Kenobi assured me. I instinctively reached out with the Force, searching for any sign of pain or damage. Master Kenobi raised his eyebrows. “I see the healer training has paid off?”
My cheeks warmed as I quickly withdrew the Force. “Yes…it has. Vokara Che has been a wonderful instructor.” 
“Well?” Master Kenobi turned, holding out his hands. “What’s the verdict?”
I gave him a sideways look. His light seemed brighter than it’d been when first I sensed it before he joined the council meeting. The exhaustion was still there, as was the fear, but somehow the light gave off more warmth than before. “You’re not injured,” I replied, the only thing I was sure of.
“As I assured you.”
We reached the center of the courtyard, which was a plain yet polished marble circle. Master Kenobi sat down, and I sat across from him. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
The awareness started with myself.
Then it crept along the floor around me, the radius spreading until I was aware of the dozens of lives around me. Plants. Creatures. Jedi. I could sense the movement of the transits and speeders, carting people around this planet bursting with life.
But none of it compared to the light that sat directly in front of me.
Truly, I’d never felt anything more vibrant or mighty through the Force than Master Kenobi’s signature. If he ever happened to step foot on one of the dark planets like Dagobah or Mustafar, I was certain the planets would have a historic appearance of sunshine. 
Somewhere deep within me, there was a pull towards that light. Was it in my stomach? Or in my chest? Or perhaps even my head?
I couldn’t tell, but the Force seemed to sort of gather in between myself and the light, growing more and more dense.
Then a sharp tug came from nowhere, and because I was so in tune, I couldn’t stop it. 
My head jerked forward, only to collide with something so hard, I saw stars. “Ouch!” I blurted, opening my eyes and rubbing my smarting forehead. 
Master Kenobi mirrored me. “What in the blazes?” he muttered. 
“I don’t know,” I replied. I hadn’t leaned close enough to invade Master Kenobi’s space, unless…he leaned too?
With my eyes open, I couldn’t see the strange collection of the Force anymore, but I could’ve sworn I felt the Force laughing, and if I could feel it, Master Kenobi could feel it too. From the looks of him, he didn’t understand it any more than I did. 
The comm at my wrist dinged, and Master Windu’s voice filtered through.
“Knight Y/L/N, the attendant has arrived to dress you for your mission tonight.”
Head still aching, I pressed the button on the comm. “I’m on my way.” I gave Master Kenobi a quick, apologetic smile as I started to get to my feet. “Duty calls.”
“I’ll see you tonight then.”
I froze, paused in a sort of awkward crouch. “Tonight?” I echoed.
Master Kenobi’s mysterious smile filled me with the feeling I stood at the edge of a cliff. “I volunteered to be your backup for the mission.”
-
“The council agreed to this?” I asked for the millionth time as I looked at my reflection. 
“Yes, ma’am.” The attendant didn’t falter in her…attending.
Truthfully, I couldn’t explain what she was doing. She whirled around with brushes and bottles and sparkly adornments. Every movement she made directly correlated to my reflection morphing from a humble Jedi Knight to a midnight woman of decadence. 
The deep blue velvet dress clung so tightly to my body, I felt like it was strangling me. Draped over me were strands of precious stones of white, blue, and silver that caught the light every time I breathed. A matching hairpiece rested in my elaborate hairdo. The white, translucent gloves the attendant helped me put on helped me cope with how bare I felt, but the feeling of air against my collarbones and my back made me periodically shiver.
I’d never had this much of my skin exposed, nor the outlines of my body so easily made out. As the attendant had told me, the council approved, but I didn’t know if they’d seen the dress and approved it. Somehow, the idea of them all discussing the garment I was now wearing made me more uncomfortable in it than before and even more uncomfortable than when Master Windu commented on my Separatist-buyer-pleasing physique. 
And yet, strangely, as my appearance distanced me from the Jedi Code, the Force remained steady. It was comforting to know the Force could recognize me in spite of the sudden splendor.
I might've looked like someone else entirely, but I was still me inside.
The brush strokes on my lips ceased, and the attendant stepped back to study my reflection in the mirror. “You look perfect,” she said with great satisfaction, closing her trunk of paints and jewelry. 
I wanted to argue, but what did I know about such things? I rose from the chair and nearly toppled over, reaching out to steady myself. “How do I walk in this?” I grumbled, shuffling forward.
“Gracefully,” the attendant replied. “Here are your shoes.”
My eyes widened as she held up the platforms.
-
I stood nervously at the top of the stairs, looking down at the distance I somehow had to cover. I had a sinking feeling that these platforms made stairs dangerous, but there was no other way down. 
Lifting the skirts up enough to be able to see my feet, I stepped down, not looking away from the floor. I knew the moment I lifted my gaze, I would trip and ruin the attendant’s hard work as well as breaking my neck. 
Only halfway down the stairs, the Force shifted around me, as if it were parting for someone’s gaze. I stopped where I was and looked up.
Master Kenobi stood at the bottom of the stairs now, gazing up at me with an odd expression on his face. His expression resembled Ghon’s whenever I tried to explain that a visible lightsaber could be perceived as a threat to non-Jedi. 
“I know, it’s strange,” I said, redirecting my gaze downward to resume my treacherous descent. “I don’t even look like myself.”
“No,” Master Kenobi slowly said as I finally reached the bottom of the stairs, free to look up again. “No, you don’t.”
I nodded, pleased that he agreed. But when I opened my mouth to say something along those lines, I noticed how Master Kenobi’s eyes seemed to linger on the necklace around my throat. I lifted a hand to make sure it was still in place. “Blinding, isn’t it?”
“It certainly…demands…attention.” Master Kenobi cleared his throat, meeting my eyes. “The buyer will be pleased.”
I cast about for something to say in response, suddenly feeling my cheeks warm. “Hopefully Master Windu was correct about the type of company this buyer prefers.”
Master Kenobi’s face didn’t change, but the light took on a slight yet sickening green tint. He stepped to my side, turning to gesture down the street. “Shall we?”
“We’re walking?” I glanced towards the path and the great yawning distance before us.
“Is that a problem?” Master Kenobi asked.
I looked down at my shoes. I’d never walked long distances with them before. Surely it wouldn’t be an issue, even if I had to take smaller steps than I was used to. 
Quickly, I was proven wrong. 
I was moving slower than a Hutt, and it only took maybe twenty steps in the ridiculous shoes before my feet started to hurt. 
Night was falling in Coruscant, and the bustling nightlife didn’t seem to take much notice of a beautiful woman walking beside a Jedi Master. I envied Master Kenobi for being able to remain in his normal attire, but I supposed he wasn’t the one executing the mission. 
I opened my mouth, ready to ask Master Kenobi where he would be while I was in the club, but just then, my ankle wobbled. I flung my arms out to catch my balance. 
Unfortunately, the jerky movement sent my elbow flying into Master Kenobi’s gut.
“Oof!” he grunted, his hands coming up to grab my arm, helping me stay on my feet even through his pain.
“Sorry!” I said quickly. 
Instead of falling away, his calloused hands gently moved up my arm, offering me aid in my balance and offering something else entirely. “Here,” he said lightly. “Lean on me.”
We walked the rest of the way with my arm tucked into the crook of his elbow. 
With his aid, it was much easier to stay on my own feet, and I wished we could’ve walked the whole way arm in arm. Strange how being with him made me feel like a padawan again, as if with him, I had the option to not be strong. It felt almost like a luxury.
Master Kenobi stopped me when we were two blocks away from the club. “Here.” He dropped a comm into my hand. “I’ll stay here, out of sight.”
The sudden reminder of the situation made my chest tighten. I swore off all luxuries when I became a Jedi. It was time to be the Knight I’d been trained to be, the Knight Master Kenobi trained me to be. I squared my shoulders, gave a short nod, and then made the rest of the trip on my own. 
-
The novelty of my midnight dress had worn off. The cocoon of soft fabric against my skin felt wrong, and I missed the telltale scrape of my roughspun tunic against my skin. This self-serving grandeur wasn’t in line with the vows I’d taken. As I glanced around at the expensively clad bodies and breathed the air rank with alcohol, all I wanted was to be back in the temple.
Back in the garden. 
Master Kenobi wasn’t my only back-up. Alateen, a Rodian male I'd first met on his home planet, stood behind the counter. He also had a comm linked to Master Kenobi, and it was him that supplied me with the blue-tinted, tasteless and non-alcoholic drinks that matched with liquid sloshing around in the glasses of everyone around me. While drinking wasn’t expressly against the Jedi Code, I needed all my wits about me tonight.
“When was the senator supposed to get here?” I asked, lifting my glass to my lips to hide their movements.
“Fifteen minutes ago.”
I could tell from the edge to Master Kenobi’s serious voice that he was approaching no insignificant levels of stress.
I set the glass down, lifting my hand to delicately brush at invisible drops on my lips. “How long are we going to wait for their appearance?”
“At least a little longer.”
“You’re lucky,” I grumbled. “You can’t hear all the clammer and clatter.” The dull roar of music, conversation, and laughter was overwhelming. Master Kenobi couldn’t hear any of it and as a result wouldn’t have a raging headache later.
I missed the calm of the temple garden, meditating in silence, feeling the Force all around me. This place was so crowded, I barely felt like I had room to exist.
A Vurk male stumbled against my table, hitting it with such force, my drink toppled over, dumping half the contents onto my lap. “Ugh!” I grunted.
“What’s wrong?” The immediacy with which Master Kenobi’s voice came through the comm made me smile softly. 
“It’s okay.” I grabbed the cloth napkin and started wiping up the liquid. “Someone just knocked over my drink.”
“Do you want me to tell Alateen that you need another one?”
The Rodian male was leaning over the counter, talking very animatedly with a grinning Twi’lek female. “I think he’s otherwise engaged.”
“I’ll tell him,” Master Kenobi said gruffly.
“No, don’t.” I sighed, tossing the wet napkin onto the table. “There’s no point in having back-up if–”
“Well hello.”
That voice...the voice from many a nightmare I’d had in the past few months.
I jumped to my feet, whipping around to face the speaker. My heart kicked up into a ratchet pace, making me breathless. I stared into the soulless eyes I’d dreaded seeing since the first time I looked into them.
“Dooku,” I whispered in horror. 
“WHAT?!” Master Kenobi shouted into my comm.
Dooku’s hand shot forward, clenching my wrist before my fingers could graze the knife I had concealed. “Don’t say a word, or my agent will kill yours.” I glanced over at Alateen and noticed, for the first time, the way the Twi’lek’s hand lingered over the blaster strapped to her thigh.
“Y/N?” Master Kenobi’s voice asked. “Y/N, what’s going on?” I remained silent, staring at Dooku.“Talk to me! Where do you see Dooku?”
Dooku let go of my hand and pulled out my chair, a gentlemanly action to all those watching, but I wasn’t fooled. Alateen’s life depended on my cooperation. 
“Can you hear me?!”
I did my best to ignore his voice as I sat. Dooku took a seat across from me, looking as stiff and yet put together as he did while standing.
“I’m on my way, Y/N, just tell me if you’re alright!”
Dooku slid my drink across the table towards me. “Pull out your comm. Drop it in.”
“Y/N!”
My head urged me to obey Dooku, but my heart shouted back, begging me to say something to Master Kenobi. Dooku lifted his hand to his own ear. “Stoma, Y/N needs convincing.”
My eyes darted over to the Twi’lek, who gripped her blaster with her hand out of Alateen’s sight.
“No!” I burst out before clapping a hand over my mouth.
“Y/N, are you hurt?! Tell me–”
I yanked the comm out of my ear and dropped it into my drink. “I’m sorry, okay? Call off your agent.”
Dooku rested his hand on the table, palm down. A miniature countdown projected above his hand where a small black gadget rested. “In a moment, you’re going to stand up and follow me into the backroom.”
“Where are we going?”
Dooku fixed me with a look and said nothing. 
“What do you want with me?”
No reply.
“What about Alateen?” I asked. “If you hurt him–”
“Obey me and he won’t come to any unnecessary harm.”
“Unnecessary?” I asked, eyeing the numbers above his wrist. I had less than ten seconds left.
“One has to make sure your agent isn’t in a state to follow us.”
He’d thought this through. Everything had been accounted for. 
My heart sank. This was a trap, and I was already caught in it because all I could do was watch as the time counted down.
Three.
Two.
O-
With a loud boom, smoke filled the club. Screams reached my ears as the smoke made my eyes burn enough to make tears well up. Before I could reach up to rub at them, Count Dooku had firmly grasped my upper arm, leading me towards the bar. He didn’t drag me. He didn’t need to.
I reached out with the Force and immediately felt Alateen’s beating heart. With a bit of exertion, I could feel his unharmed body. He was unconscious, but so far, Dooku was telling the truth. 
My platformed foot ran into the doorway Dooku pulled me through, making me trip, but his death grip on my arm kept me upright. Once we were through, I turned to ask Dooku what was next. 
Before I could, I felt his hand on my shoulder and a sharp prick in my neck.
The last thing I remembered before my vision went black was the floor rushing to meet me as my knees buckled.
-
My head pounded. 
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter against the pain, but it didn’t lessen. 
As more awareness returned to me, I noticed the strange, aching position of my shoulders. I tried to shift, but I couldn’t move more than an inch. What was happening? 
“You’re awake.”
I jolted, my eyes flying open as I tried to step back. 
And didn’t get very far.
My heart sank as I looked up at the reflective surface of the metal chains which trailed from the ceiling and bound my wrists, keeping them aloft above my head. I looked down to see the dress, the jewelry, the gloves, and the sparkling strands of stones were gone, leaving me only in undershorts and a thin undertunic that I definitely hadn’t been wearing under the dress. My bare feet were freezing against the floor. I studied the wall in front of me, which seemed made of stone, but not smooth stone. It felt like the room was a cave, reinforced by the only source of light in the room being the open doorway behind me.
And when I twisted my neck, straining against the chains to give myself room to look, a figure stood in the doorway. Based on the silhouette, which was all I could make out, it could’ve been anybody.
But I could feel that same signature I’d felt before and knew exactly who it was.
Where were we? How long had it been since he’d knocked me unconscious in the club? Why had he taken me?
“What do you want with me?” I asked. He wasn’t the Jedi council; it didn’t matter if he judged me for asking questions. Dooku didn’t answer, and I felt nothing shift in his emotions. Either my questions didn’t matter to him or he was shielding himself completely.
He seemed to be in no rush. He just stood behind me, watching me. I could feel the weight of his gaze on my face. The weight turned into a distinct probing through the Force.
I let him probe away.
I wasn’t going to resort to Sith techniques.
Dooku walked slowly around, his face now illuminated in the light. “Apologies for the crude bonds. This planet doesn’t like technology, so we had to be a bit primitive.”
We were on a planet with high moisture then. Or perhaps a heavy gravitational pull?
“It’s high moisture,” said Dooku, making me pause. He was tapping into my thoughts. I stiffened, turning away from him, as if it were my face he gleaned the information from, not the Force. Why couldn’t he just hurry up and tell me what was going on?
The probing increased.
“Do you think I can’t feel you?” I asked.
“Why aren’t you stopping me?” Dooku asked. He stepped closer. “Push me out.”
I settled my gaze on him. So this was his game. He wanted to bully me into using a Sith technique. “No.”
A sharp searing pain shot through my head, and I sucked in a breath. As quickly as it came, it left. I’d only felt something like it once before.
“You felt me,” I blurted out. “On Taris. When I meditated, you found my signature and you cut me off.”
Dooku’s face remained impassive. “I assumed you were Kenobi.” 
How was that possible? Dooku said himself that I had darkness in my signature, and Master Kenobi’s signature was like pure light.
The pain lanced through my head again, cutting off my train of thought. “Push me out.”
“No.”
The pain was worse this time, enough to make a strangled groan leave my lips.
“Ahhh,” Dooku said. “I had a feeling Kenobi wouldn’t let you do such a mission on your own.”
I jerked my head up at him, feeling suddenly as though I were going to throw up. “What are you doing?”
"Imagine what he must've felt, storming into that establishment, only to find you were already gone." Dooku clasped his hands behind his back. “A worthy opponent is no good if there's no one to fight."
“If you wanted to fight Master Kenobi, you should’ve stayed on Coruscant.”
“And fight on his home turf?”
“I never took you for a coward,” I replied.
“Only a fool would fight a battle he does not need to.” The probing resumed, and Dooku tilted his head. “You have a padawan waiting for you on Coruscant, do you?”
My shields were half up before I even realized it. I forced them down. 
“He’s quite attached, is he not? The council doesn’t like that.”
I kept my shields open, silently apologizing to my padawan for putting him in danger. I could only hope that I returned to him in time to keep him safe.
“He’s young. Impressionable.”
An image formed in my mind, an image I hadn’t created, of an older Ghon dressed in black, wielding a red lightsaber.
“Stop that!” I blurted. 
“Do it yourself,” he replied. “Push me out.” I shook my head.
This time, the strike of pain spread down through my neck and into my chest and lingered longer. I let out a pained hiss as my heart contracted painfully under the strain. “What do you want from me?” I cried out in desperation.
“I want you to be the Jedi your master raised you to be!” Dooku thundered back.
I blinked at him, not understanding. Why would he want me to be more like Master Kenobi? Why would he want me to be more of a worthy opponent when he already had me where he wanted me?
Then it clicked. 
Pong Krell.
Of course.
Because everything always came back to him.
Master Kenobi was right on Taris; the attention Count Dooku was giving me stemmed from both of my masters. I looked at Dooku with new eyes. “You set a trap for me.” The ripple of darkness told me I was right. “You planted the information about the buyer and the type of women the buyer liked. You knew the council would send me.” They’d unknowingly delivered me right to him, gift-wrapped in a midnight blue dress.
Not even a hint of a victorious smile lingered on Dooku’s face. He didn’t revel. He only fixed me with a determined look. “Show me you’re Pong Krell’s padawan.”
I released a long breath. “No. Because I am the Jedi my true master raised me to be. And I will remain that Jedi until the bitter end.”
The pain reached all the way down to my hips this time. 
Again and again, Dooku repeated his command. 
Again and again, I refused.
Each time, the pain increased. When my body started to shake, rattling the chains above my head, I stopped keeping count.
-
There seemed to be no pattern to Dooku’s appearances. 
Now, whenever I refused him, I felt the pain from my head to my toes, and I was sure that every visit, the pain increased. Dooku didn’t seem amused by the pain nor did he seem to enjoy inflicting it. He was dogged in his pursuit of getting me to push him out.
Every time I almost broke, I thought of Master Kenobi, who’d hidden himself from the Force on Taris to protect me and wondered if I was endangering Ghon by not shielding. 
But I’d worked so hard to undo what Krell had done. How could I revert right back to it?
“No one’s coming to rescue you,” Dooku said during one of his visits. “You can feel the council’s doubt, don’t you? They see Krell in you just like I do, only they see it as a weakness.”
“That is their responsibility,” I’d replied. “Mine is to be the best Jedi I can be.”
The pain was horrid…but being left alone in the darkness was worse, because with the darkness came the scratching sounds.
There must’ve been some kind of rodent in my cell that came out in the dark because I never heard the scratching sounds when Dooku was there. That or I was starting to hallucinate. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched a conclusion; my hands were starting to shake from lack of food, and there was an unswallowable pain in my throat from lack of water. Three times since I’d woken up the first time in this cell, a human male brought me enough water to sate my thirst. Once he even brought some rations. When I tried to ask questions, he just stared at me and did not answer.
I had no way of knowing if Dooku sent him or if he was defying Dooku to help me. Either way, the food was only enough to remind me just how close I was to starving.
Unfortunately, even if my hands were free and a Jedi healer could heal themselves, hunger couldn’t be healed. I’d treated enough starving citizens throughout the Clone Wars to know that. 
As I listened to the horrible scratching sounds, I wondered if I would ever get the chance to heal someone again.
-
My head lolled back, and I stared up into the darkness where the ceiling was supposed to be.
Dooku had been more forceful this time. Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to hold on so long, however long I’d been here.
I had no way of knowing how much time had passed. There was no window for me to see day or night passing. If Dooku came into the cell once a day, it’d been a least a week since I was taken, but I had no way of knowing for sure. Perhaps he came twice a day. Or even every hour. Every period alone in the dark felt like ages. 
The longer I spent in this cell, the more my hopes of being rescued dwindled. If I was simply a hostage, I would’ve been returned or killed by now. If the council were organizing a rescue, would it have taken this long?
I was certain that the remainder of my days would be spent in this cell. I wished I felt the peace of the Force, but I could only feel the trickles of desperation Dooku clearly wanted me to feel. When would this end? Would it end with Dooku’s lightsaber buried in my gut? Or would it end with my body surrendering my spirit? 
-
My head lulled forward, breaking me out of my light sleep. I groaned as I lifted it to stretch it out. Now my neck ached as much as the rest of my upper body, but I still didn’t have the effort to hold it up. I could only rest it on one of my shoulders. It was freezing, but my body was too tired to shiver.
Today was surely it.
I could feel the Force in me going out like the ocean tides of Pabu, as if it were preparing me to leave myself and unite with it once more. 
As Jedi, we strived for the peace that came with the acceptance of death, and yet facing the prospect of my own was only wearying.
Had the council told Ghon of my capture? Probably, considering my mission was only supposed to last for an evening. Stars, I hoped that whoever told Ghon did so gently, for it was a heavy burden for any padawan to bear, and he was so young.
Well, my second master had far exceeded my first one. Maybe Ghon would get lucky in that way too. 
The sound of the door behind me scraping open reached my ears, and even with my eyes closed, the light of the open doorway was blinding.
“Y/N.”
The sound was far away, yet I shrank from it, expecting the pain that swiftly followed any sound. 
“Y/N.”
I knew that voice. My eyes fluttered, but it hurt too badly to keep them open. Something tugged on the chain holding my left arm up, and I let out a whimper as it pulled on my desperately sore muscles. 
“Y/N, it’s Obi-Wan.”
Obi-Wan.
Not Master Kenobi.
Obi-Wan.
“Obi…” My scratchy voice sounded like nothing I’d heard before.
“Shhhhh, save your strength, it’s alright, I’m here.”
I peeled my eyes open again, fighting the drag long enough to catch sight of the deeply concerned features of my favorite face in the galaxy.
My eyes fell shut again.
My body and mind had officially given up if they were conjuring such a welcome sight as Obi-Wan. Yet the impossible granted me an inkling of peace. Thank you, I said to the Force. For letting me say goodbye before taking me. I tilted my chin down to the ground, ready to give up.
The door scraped shut, throwing me back into darkness. Fingers tilted my chin up once more. “Open your eyes,” said my master’s voice. Instead of his voice getting further and further away, it was getting louder.
Confusion swirled, giving me enough strength to obey. I blinked but there was only darkness again. “I’m getting you out of here.”
Was this…could it be…?
My hopes rose.
“Darling, you have to hide your feelings,” Obi-Wan’s voice hissed. 
The hopes fell dead, dashed against the rocks of reality.
I’d never once known Obi-Wan to call someone by a pet name.
This was another trick, a new strategy of Dooku’s to get me to comply. How cruel, to take advantage of my failing mind to summon the image of my master, the very man I would never be able to resist. 
But resist I did.
If I’d made this far, I couldn’t cave now, not when the peace of death was so near.
“Y/N,” said the equally blessed and cursed voice. “Please, you have to hide yourself or he’ll find us.”
No. I am a Jedi.
“I know, but if we’re going to get out of here, you have to.” The sound of his pleading voice was far worse than any other pain Dooku had inflicted on me. I felt a mouth hovering by my ear. “Y/N, if I ever earned your trust, listen to me now. You have to raise your shields.” Even the graze of his beard against my cheek felt real, dwarfed only by the wave of despair crashing over me. “C’mon, honey, do it for me.” 
I let out a whimper, knowing there was only one way to make this vision stop.
I’m sorry, I thought miserably, I can’t take anymore. I squeezed my already shut eyes tighter, shrinking away from the Force and waiting for the cruel vision to fade.
It was like losing one of my arms. Or cutting off a friend. Or falling with no hope of ever hitting ground.
It’d been only seconds of separation, but my body was colder, weaker, and hurting more and more every second. How had I survived cutting myself off from the Force under Krell?
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like it at all.
But the fingers kept stroking my cheek. “That’s it, that’s it.”
Why was the vision still here? Dooku could only project it through the Force, and I’d pulled away from it. The vision should’ve faded, which meant…
My eyes flew open, and I wished more than ever that there was light so I could see my master. I tried to say his name, but my voice failed. 
The finger underneath my chin disappeared, and once again, there was a tug at my bindings. A strained whimper broke through my lips. “I know, I know it hurts, but I have to get you out–” He froze and then whispered under his breath: “Hells, he’s coming.”
Before I could muster up any thoughts or movements, all of Obi-Wan’s touch disappeared. I struggled against my restraints, the despair returning. There was a tiny, invisible caress on my cheek. “I’m here,” he whispered. “I’m here, but you have to shut yourself off.”
I hadn’t realized, in my panic, I’d reconnected with the Force.
I had barely enough time to lift my mental shields before the door scraped open again.
“Oh,” Dooku said from his place in the doorway. “Today is the day, then?” I heard the silent scraping of Dooku’s boot against the floor, drawing nearer and nearer. “Today,” he murmured, his voice far too close for comfort, “today, you give in.”
I managed to lift my head to see his keen eyes watching me.
I wanted to hurl a statement at him or even spit on the dungeon floor. I wanted to show him defiance, to tell him that he didn’t get to revel in my pain. But there was none left in me. I didn’t even have the energy to speak. I simply lowered my head again, shutting my eyes, hoping his visit would be quick today.
“You know you can’t live much longer.” His boots walked slowly around me. “Are you trying to die privately?” he asked. “Or are you trying to protect Kenobi from feeling the moment your life ends?”
I didn’t answer, even as my heart twinged in my chest.
There was a pause as the sound of his boots finished his rotation. He didn’t speak the words, but I felt the hidden message: join me.
My lips parted as I mustered all my strength. “I'm...” The word sounded no louder than a gentle breeze. “I'm a Jedi."
Dooku pushed his face close. “Jedi don’t shield themselves from the Force,” he said. “You’ve already given in. And for your submission, I think it’s time you got some food.” 
Guilt stabbed at my gut, and I was not comforted by the fact that Dooku couldn’t feel it. 
Dooku walked out of the room, the door sliding shut. 
Obi-Wan, wherever he was hiding, let out a long breath of relief. 
My body couldn’t even flinch at the blinding blue light that suddenly flashed through the chamber, nor at the screech of the chains as Obi-Wan’s lightsaber cut clean through them. 
For the first time in I didn’t know how long, my arms lowered past my shoulders. Unable to do anything, I collapsed, closing my eyes in preparation for hitting the floor. 
Instead of cool stone, however, my shoulder collided with a warm body, my head falling to rest on a broad chest. 
“I’ve got you.”
Obi-Wan lowered me to the ground. I had many questions, many expressions of relief ready to leave my tongue, but all I could manage was a high-pitched: “ouch.” It ripped through my dry throat, and I swallowed hard, trying to gather myself to say more. 
Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around me, offering me a modicum of warmth. “Where’s your dress?” he whispered.
I managed to shake my head. I don’t know.
Obi-Wan rubbed my arms up and down. He was probably trying to generate warmth, but the feeling of his hands on my skin was strangely painful. Then, his hands disappeared for a moment before wrapping a cloak around me, perhaps the one he’d been wearing himself. 
How long? I strained to ask as he wrapped the cloak around my neck, the clasp laying cold and heavy on my bare skin. I croaked twice, the croaks somewhat resembling the words. 
“Too long,” Obi-Wan whispered. “Eleven days.”
Eleven days.
My head felt too full and too empty to process the weight that came with the timeline. 
“Come on, up you get,” he said lowly. His arms hooked under my arms, pulling me upright. Another grunt burst through my lips as my muscles lit up like fire. “I know it hurts.” Obi-Wan pulled my arm around his neck, his steady body keeping me straight. “But we must leave before Dooku returns.”
He pulled me to my feet, and I nearly buckled.
“I know, I know, but I can’t hold my lightsaber if I carry you. You have to walk, Y/N, I need you to walk.”
And then we were walking.
Even as my feet and legs moved, my eyes fell shut, too tired to stay open. If it had been anyone else, I would’ve just laid on the floor, but it was Obi-Wan, so I would keep going.
I heard an electronic ding, and I opened my eyes just in time to see a door sliding away to reveal a barren, frozen wasteland I recognized.
No.
Not this infernal planet again.
The cold Neftali wind blew past my body, and my shivering began anew, but no complaint of any kind could pass through my lips before Obi-Wan dragged me into the snow.
Oh, it was so much worse than my memory made it out to be.
My bare feet were numb in almost an instant.
Obi-Wan couldn’t move carefully, not if he was going to get through the snow, but every movement of his body pulled at a part of mine that ached even as my body was quickly going numb. “Just a little further,” Obi-Wan kept saying as he half-led, half-dragged me. “Just a bit further.”
I pulled the cloak as tight around me as it would go. Even though it was thin, it was better than the brutal winds on my bare skin. I didn’t know where Obi-Wan was leading me, and without the Force, I couldn’t sense anything about my surroundings. 
“Just a little more.”
“Stop,” I panted. I felt horrible for saying it, considering Obi-Wan was practically carrying me, but I couldn’t walk anymore.
Obi-Wan came to a stop, gently lowering me to sit on the snow. I clutched onto his arms with my weak grip, which wouldn’t have kept me upright at all, had he not held me up. I desperately tried to catch my breath.
While my master’s appearance revived my spirit, my body was still shutting down.
“I’m…okay,” I managed to say. “Need…breath.”
Oh, every word was a colossal effort, and judging by the speed with which Obi-Wan’s eyebrows drew together, they weren’t as comforting as I’d intended.
“We need to–” He broke off as the distant sounds of voices reached us.
I wanted to cry. I couldn’t go any farther yet, not one single step, but our enemies drew ever nearer. The longer we stayed here, the more likely we were going to get caught. Between the snow and the dungeon, I would rather perish in the snow than be dragged back to that place. 
I couldn’t let Obi-Wan get caught, not when he came to rescue me. I looked up into his worried face, trying to summon the strength to move. It didn’t matter if I died on this planet, but if Dooku captured Obi-Wan, he’d subject him to the same pain he’d subjected me to. 
Clutching at Obi-Wan’s arms, I tried to sit up. 
Obi-Wan’s hand shot out, pressing down on my shoulder. His expression was pinched and cloudy with thought. “Okay,” he said to himself, seeming to come to some decision. “Okay, Y/N, you need to stay here, I’ll draw them away.”
“No!” My arms were weaker than my voice, but I still managed to grab ahold of him before he could slip away. Don’t be an idiot!
“I’m sorry, Y/N, I thought we’d have more time, but I have to lead them away.”
“Don’t–”
“Wait here for me.” Obi-Wan easily peeled my hand off his arm, squeezing it tightly. “I’ll come back, I promise.”
“Obi–”
Obi-Wan lurched forward, resting one hand on each side of my head as he pressed a kiss to my hairline, his beard scratching against my skin. And with that, he took off running. Blue light appeared as he activated his lightsaber, but soon, he disappeared altogether.
Even as my terror about Obi-Wan’s safety ricocheted through my brain, my eyes fell closed.
I’d seen many bodies suffer too much to hold on, but I’d never experienced it. Is this what it’d felt like for every patient I’d ever lost? Was this how much energy it took simply to hold on?
A grim certainty settled over me. If I stayed here in the cold much longer, my body would officially give up.
The sound of more voices became discernible over the roaring that could’ve been from the storm or could’ve just been in my own head. The voices grew closer. 
Did it matter much if they found me? 
No.
But would Obi-Wan endanger himself again to rescue me and get captured himself?
I couldn’t risk it. 
The desperation got me moving. Slowly, I managed to get to my hands and knees and started to crawl. 
I didn’t look up, not wanting to know how far I still had to go. I just kept crawling and crawling and crawling. 
The bunker, I remembered. But where was it? And how could I find it without the Force leading me?
Without the Force, I had no idea if I was even headed in the correct direction. If I’d been thinking clearly, I would’ve waited for Obi-Wan, but I didn’t, and now I was lost. He wouldn’t be able to find me when he was cut off from the Force, but reconnecting to it would bring Dooku right to him. 
Too tired to do anything, I half rolled, half collapsed onto my side, my arms falling limply to the ground as my head came to rest. The biting cold snow against my face hurt, but I couldn’t muster up energy to lift it.
Soon enough, I didn’t feel the cold anymore, nor the wet snow against my body, not even the thumping of my headache.
Everything was silent.
Everything was hazy.
And then everything was nothing at all.
-
Overall tag list:
@thelastpyle @valiantlytransparentwhispers
Rescue Me tag list:
@penfullofwordsaheadfullofstories @starlazergazer @blackqueengold @ajwild220 @exploringalaxiesfarfaraway @mortallycrispyglitter @nerdory10 @shinybananapastanickel @sassysaxxy @sunshine-girl013 @fablesrose @marrily @friskynotebook @burnthecheshirewitch @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @thriving-n-jiving
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zickmonkey · 1 month
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Oh my god hey besties guess who's having an awful time like mentally
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chuluoyi · 7 months
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fear
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- gojo satoru x reader
his best friend’s defection is still a hard topic for him to swallow, and it leads into an unexpected argument that spurs you to leave, only to unlock a new fear in him when you get into an unfortunate accident afterwards.
genre/warnings: angst, gojo being mean, one scene with a worried nanami *wink*, injured reader, hurt/comfort, fluff in the end
notes: *sigh* my coping mechanism is still gojo’s past arc, which is why this piece takes place on that timeline. just a little context: reader is in the same class with nanami & haibara and was in the same mission that took haibara's life. this is probably the longest oneshot i've written so far sooo… enjoy! :)
series masterlist | oneshot masterlist
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A year and a half had passed since Suguru embarked on his path as a curse user. In that one year and a half, Satoru had finished his last year at Jujutsu High, and now was in the halls of his alma mater, speaking to the newly appointed headmaster who was none other than his teacher.
"You're applying to become a teacher?" Yaga asked again with a frown. He still couldn't wrap his head around it. Granted, he was his most troublesome pupil. "Why, Satoru?"
"If I said it's because I want to train young sorcerers to be strong, would you believe me?"
That was not a lie. It was actually 50% of his main reasons anyway. The other 50% was to repent what he missed with Suguru when he chose his dark path—his contempt with the current system of this jujutsu world.
"I would," Yaga responded gruffly. To him, Satoru was irritating, but he also knew that he was also extremely capable, and thus everything he did wasn't just out of nowhere. "But you still have to submit your applications. We can't make an exception even if you come from a prestigious clan."
"That's fine with me," he grinned. "Thanks, sensei."
On summer days, he'd get reminded of Suguru and silly things they had done together. Eating shaved ice, cycling together, driving either you, Shoko or Nanami mad. Satoru missed those days, it hadn't been the same ever since. Not knowing if his best friend was alright—if he was still alive at all—was exhausting.
Sometimes, he felt like he was the only one who was affected by his departure, the only one who stayed right where Suguru left him. Shoko didn't seem ruffled, if anything she just went to more bars and pachinko parlors as of late. Nanami was always a recluse, he never disclosed his feelings. You mourned him, but it was clear that most part of you would always be more focused on Haibara's death.
Satoru understood that he couldn't force anyone to feel what he felt, and he had no right to. But sometimes, he just wanted someone to connect with at his level. Someone to get him just like Suguru did.
And so when he got back to his condo that night—just right next to the one he rented for Megumi and Tsumiki, since he had moved out of his dorm—to find his girlfriend there with a big smile and a tray of cupcakes, unaware of everything and anything, he merely scoffed to himself.
"Satoru, you're back," you acknowledged, beaming like the sunshine you were. "I just baked these for the kids. Do you want some?"
Usually he'd smother you, throw some pickup lines here and there and say yes, but today, he just felt drained. "No." And with that, he stalked away to the bathroom, not glancing back at you.
It was wrong. But tonight he just wanted some peace and quiet, and so keeping his silence seemed to be the best choice as he didn't want to start a pointless argument with you. But you weren’t anything but observant, and definitely noticed that something was amiss with him.
"Are you... alright?" You approached him warily after he came out of the bathroom with wet hair. "Where were you today?"
"Just somewhere," he replied curtly. Afterwards he turned on the hairdryer, drowning the whole place with the noise even as you stood behind him with a visible question mark.
But you were still there after he dried his hair. "Is something bothering you?" you asked with a tilt of your head, concerned. By all means, you mean well. You just wanted to know if he could use your help at all.
When you pulled that expression, he couldn't help feeling annoyed, like he wanted you to take a hint, but you just didn't. "If you know, then just shut it."
It was probably the first time since the two of you got together that Satoru actually said something harsh. But you still tried to be reasonable though, bless you.
"Satoru, I don't know what got into your nerves like this, but I think sleeping through it might help. Have a rest."
"Why are you talking as if you know it?" he snapped, finally turning to you with his cold gaze. "You might not know anything, so don't be a know-it-all. Just mind your own business."
Now you were frustrated with his reply. "Once again, I don't know what happened to you. But if you're taking it out on me because I'm the closest you have—"
"Who said that?" Satoru didn't know where he got all this venom from. It was just at the forefront of his mind and he just got the urge to spew it. "You're considering yourself closest to me? Where did you get that big head from?"
You were aghast, and you blinked a few times to get your bearings. "Let me guess, it's about Geto-san, isn't it? Or the higher ups. Either of that must be what causing you to blindly place your anger on me."
"So what if it was? It isn't like you'll understand anyway."
"Satoru," you started, trying to even your breathing. "What happened to Geto-san isn't your fault. I've been telling you this. It can't be helped—"
"Can't be helped?" he jeered. "Do you know why it has come to this?" his tone took a dangerous edge as he stepped closer. He reached for you, grasping your wrist.
"Maybe because I was too blind back then. If it weren't for you—if only I didn't spend that much time on you, maybe he would still be here."
Did he just say that? Did he just imply that he had regretted the two of you getting together?
You felt your lower lip start to tremble and something seemed to obscure and blur your vision, making it hard to see him clearly. "You... don't mean that."
"Really?" the corner of his lips curled into a disparaging smile. "You never know. Before you know it, this can be over already. After all, I could have anyone out there that I want. Maybe someone less nosey than—”
That did it. You wrenched your arm out of his grip violently, as your first tear fell. His smirk vanished too, replaced with a total stillness to cover his sudden panic that was followed by a sudden sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach.
"You selfish, self-obsessed jerk," you hissed through watery eyes. He was taken aback, even amidst your anger and possible fear of him, your still managed to throw daggers at him. "Fine. You have it. I'll see myself out."
Satoru never wanted you to leave. Honestly, he would've made you stay. But he wasn't in the right state of mind and it was too late to take back what he said. He didn't want to mess this up even further.
You left the cupcakes, even throwing it away just to spite him. Driven by pain and humiliation, you choked back your sob and didn't spare a glance at him as you shut the door.
Peace and quiet. There he had it, he thought as he clenched his fists, at the cost of everything else.
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Leaving that condo, every step you took felt like needles piercing your shattered heart. You wiped your tears roughly. No, you refused to cry over such asshole. He made it clear, didn't he? Whatever it was that you two shared, it was at the cost of his best friend leaving him. So now the blame was on you.
If you were thinking clearly, you would've understood that his words were likely a result of his own pent-up pain and frustration that he had kept to himself for some while. But you had no patience for that or even pinpoint what you felt right now—anger, disappointment or dread, or perhaps all three. You just felt wrongly accused.
Your feet brought you back to your dorm in the school. Now it wasn't as bustling as it once were. After Satoru and Shoko's graduation, you didn't really get close to anyone. There was Ichiji, but he treated you more like a mentor rather than a classmate.
As you sank into the comforts of your bed, You replayed the events, trying to find where it went wrong—and found nothing. After all, you had already said all that could be said. It wasn't just him who lost Geto, but you, Shoko and Nanami did too, but it was more convenient for Satoru to blame everyone else rather than trying to understand that they too shared this pain.
Nevertheless, you were disappointed. You didn't expect half of what he spouted, and it got you doubting everything you had.
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"You've royally fucked up."
Satoru exhaled, glaring at Shoko through the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, maybe."
The reverse cursed technique user threw him a blank stare, taking in everything from his disheveled hair to his wrinkled trousers. "Gojo, as much as I can’t care less about your sorry ass, I'm saying this not out of concern for you, but rather for Y/N. You are an asshole."
The puff of smoke she blew expanded to create a cloud-like shape. "Yaga-sensei was our teacher. His student is now a mass murderer and wanted dead. Can you even imagine how he feels? And I can't believe I'm saying this—but weren't there three of us?"
A week had gone by and instead of doing the right thing like trying to get into your good graces, Satoru was in Shoko's infirmary in the headquarters instead. He didn't exactly know what he was looking for by going here. Maybe some lingering taste of his happier student days, and Shoko was the only one remaining.
Three of us, huh... she was right. That was precisely why he came here after all.
"You're just sulking because it seems no one cares about your best friend being the best there is. But have you thought about how our juniors also lost Haibara? Right in front of their eyes? Haibara was our friend too."
He was wrong, of course he was. Satoru realized that now. But it felt wrong to ask for your forgiveness now, not to mention the disrupting thought he had—should he let you go for good altogether?
The phone suddenly rang with such fervor that made Shoko utter a swear word. She was on call duty for the rescue team today, and it was supposedly a peaceful day until Satoru decided to barge in to become her company. "Hello? Ichiji? What—speak clearly, I can't hear you."
She switched it to loudspeaker. "...iri-san! Ieiri-san—h-help—please—"
It was noisy, and blaring at the same time, and Ichiji was... Sobbing? Choking? His voice was terribly muffled and—
"L/N-san!" he cried, and Satoru remembered at that moment that you should be in a mission with Ichiji, he remembered you telling him before.
"Hic—s-she fell... hic—she fell! B-blood! She i-is bleeding so much! I-Ieiri-san—hic—s-send help! Please!"
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"Hey, stay awake. Breathe. Just breathe."
Everything hurt. Most notably, your head. You could hardly think straight when all you felt was blinding pain and how your breaths came in short wheezes. 
Your vision was blurry. The numbness had started to set in and chills ran up and down your spine. You couldn't make out who in front of you was. Was it Ichiji, who went with you in this mission? The only thing that glared was blue.
"You can't sleep, you hear me?" the voice was commanding, willing you to do his bidding. It was familiar, but usually his tone of voice was much lighter, happier.
Satoru.
But why was he here? He wasn't in this mission. It was supposed to be a mission for you and Ichiji.
You remembered getting the cursed spirit after manifesting your domain expansion, until in its last ditch attempt, it went after Ichiji. You had no choice—even when your cursed energy had burned out, you still shoved him away at the cost of being flung from the top of a building.
Not again. Not after Haibara. You’d gladly pay the price if it meant you didn't have to see anyone die in front of you again.
"I..." You managed to croak out—breathing hurt, and you felt your hands being grasped tightly.
"Hey, just breathe. Y/N. Look at me.” Through your blurry haze, you focused on that cold blue, and you saw him. Satoru's sharp eyes, pursed lips and frown. He's really here.
Satoru always said that if there was a cursed spirit apocalypse, then Ichiji would be the first to die. You used to scold him for that, but now as you a laid here possibly dying in your own pool of blood, you found it to be true.
Yet at the same time you knew that with him here, Ichiji must be safe already, and it gave you reassurance so great even when you were on the verge of dying. "I... can't..."
"Yes, you can. Just look at me," he firmly rebuked, his voice came out in a hiss. For all the time you had been with him, you had never heard him so forceful. "If you close your eyes now, I won't forgive you. So please, just hang in there."
It was a struggle to take in any air and darkness encroached on your vision as your consciousness began slipping away.
And everything faded to nothingness.
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Satoru honestly thought he had no fears. His worst fear had fully realized after all—Suguru going away into the darkness. What more could he possibly fear?
But when he heard Ichiji's distress call for rescue team, about how you fell from a rooftop of a building and unconscious, he realized that it was a fear he didn't know existed. His mind got disoriented and he teleported to the scene on impulse. He just had to see it for himself. With their petty argument still lacking closure, he felt even worse.
And the sight before him gave him so much fright he never thought was possible.
It was a mistake, he should have brought Shoko along.
You had laid there like a broken doll, your eyes dimmed, and not been able to breathe. He desperately tried to keep you awake, his presence beside you, yet it didn't seem to matter. He watched helplessly as you passed out in his arms.
Satoru felt nothing. The panic that had set in was suddenly gone as your limp body slumped against him, replaced by incessant ringing in his ears and tremor wracking his nervous system. It wasn't long until the rescue team came to retrieve you and even then he still felt numb. He rejected the idea that you might possibly die on him.
That went on until Shoko, who assisted in the emergency treatment, came out of the surgery, sweat on her forehead.
"It's even worse than the aftermath of the guardian deity mission last year," Shoko explained with a grim expression. "Her brain has sustained damage and it affects everything. It may take her quite a while before she can go back to the field."
When she said that, Satoru felt terror washed over him again. You almost died—was all he perceived.
The two of you had no contact for a week just because of his ego. He could still recall that day with vivid clarity, feeling a burning ache in his chest. If someone were to ask him what heartbreak was like, now he certainly would he able the to tell them the two instances in which he experienced them. What he felt now mirrored the same stinging sensation he had felt when Suguru left him.
He visited you when he was allowed to, and you were still unconscious, with many machines connected to your body. It was a sight he still couldn’t bring himself to get used to. He had seen you injured before, but never seen you in your own pool of blood, so this made him feel sick to his stomach.
"Stupid," he whispered, gently rubbing your forehead. His eyes remained fixated on you as you rested, his insides still churning with emotions. "You're not weak, and you're not hopeless." Once upon a time, Satoru might have thought of you as weak, but now he knew better.
"So why you always pick the worst decision?" The more he thought this could've been avoided, the more irked he was. The thought that he could have done something to prevent it intensified the sting of guilt, and he continued to punish himself with it.
And the more he dwelled on the idea that he had hurt you prior to this, the tighter his breath became.
But that was who you were. Self-sacrificing to a fault. And he loved you for that. There was no way of him letting you go now.
It astonished even himself—that he was capable of this love thing. At first it was an attraction, but now that you had been going on for more than a year, it felt like it was no longer a silly infatuation after all.
"Hurry and wake up, will you?" Satoru gently brushed your hair aside, his eyes fixed on you. He didn't know it even as his gut twisted, his frown deepened and his touch quivered, that he was worried sick. "I have a lot to make up for."
And he left you with a tender brush of his lips against your forehead.
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Nanami Kento was the first person you saw when you awoke from coma.
You struggled to regain your senses, still feeling absolutely broken. The dull throb on the back of your head was still there, and as if you had found yourself trapped in a fog, you were only able to move sluggishly.
"You're awake?" his gruff voice greeted, laced with concern. In his hand were a bucket of fresh flowers and fruits basket, which he soon placed at the table next to your bed.
It was unexpected, because ever since the tragedy that costed Haibara's life, the two of you had been drifting apart.
You nodded, and let out a hum in response—all you could manage at the moment.
"Thank God." Nanami sounded relieved as he pinched the bridge between his eyes, and you were moved that he had shown this degree of concern.
Your remaining classmate, who suffered the burden of Haibara's life just like you. He was always quiet or brooding somewhere, hiding his own feelings.
You felt tears pricking the corner of your eyes. The fact that he visited you meant that he hadn't decided to cut you out of his life yet.
"Gojo-san is out today, but he'll be back by afternoon," he said, mistranslating your tears as some sort of a want to have your annoying—ex?—boyfriend at your side.
The two of you were still not on talking terms, weren’t you?
You so badly wanted to say thank you to him—and tell him that no, you weren't looking for Satoru—but it came out hoarse and barely above a whisper.
"Huh?" Nanami then realized what you were trying to say, and a faint smile graced his lips. "Just... get well soon, L/N. Have a good rest."
Just before you drifted back to sleep, you could hear him sigh and mutter, "Hello, Gojo-san? L/N has awakened. Just letting you know is all.”
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You weren't sure how much time had passed when you woke up the second time, but the curtains were already drawn and only darkness came from the window. Your body felt lighter, but you still felt like a mess and and couldn't help but groan in discomfort.
Satoru was there, he perked up at the noise you made. And you realized that it was the first time in about a week that he faced you after that disasterous almost-breakup.
He walked up to you, his expression was more hopeful than you had ever seen him before, like a kid whose wish had been granted. He slowly shifted to sit beside you.
"Hey, welcome back." His voice was soft. It was a change of pace for him, as you were used to seeing him all loud and silly.
Now your voice no longer sounds like a lead. "Hey."
"How are you feeling?" he asked and you took a moment to look at him. He was smiling, but exhaustion reached his bright eyes, dimming them. "You know, with the whole you passing out and almost dying thing?"
His words were almost humorous as he spoke, like he didn't know what else to say except try to lighten the mood, but there was also a strain on his tone, like he was holding back.
"I'm quite fine now, I suppose..." You still felt the lingering pain and dizziness as you slowly sat up. Satoru reached out to steady you—and you realized how his fingers trembled when they made contact with your body—as his brows furrowed with worry when you winced.
"You don't look like it though." His voice dropped and the humor was gone, replaced by this haunted look. You blinked. It was probably the first time you had seem him this ruffled.
He immediately pulled you into a hug, cradling your head to his neck gently, as if to protect and shield you from the world altogether. Exhaling heavily, he leaned on you. "You scared me, you know that?"
You wondered out loud if you really had that hold over him. "Did I?"
"You can't do that to me, you hear?" Satoru stroked your hair, nuzzling his face on the crook of your neck. His voice quivered. “Don't ever do that again.”
He pulled you tighter against him, but still careful not to crush you.
You let out a snicker, letting go of everything you felt during this horrible week. "Heh, afraid to lose me, huh?"
"Shut up,” he grumbled. “What were you thinking anyway? How did you calculate that freefalling is better than letting that cursed spirit attack Ichiji?”
"He was defenseless. He could die, you know that."
"And you also can," he quipped, upset, pulling away enough to look you squarely in the eyes, his eyes devoid of any expression, yet filled with a raging wave that you could only interpret as undiluted concern.
The emphasis in his tone made you recoil and feel guilty. If you were in his shoes, you probably would've said the same thing and so you had nothing to say to that.
But the more pressing agenda in the list was the unspoken silent treatment the two of you saw fit to use against each other for the last few days. Satoru was the one who decided to address it first.
"About that night..." he faltered, looking away. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry."
Satoru always had trouble processing emotions. This time too. He must've a hard time dealing with the anxiety caused by the possibility of him losing you for good, no matter how much he tried to be unaware of it.
"..." You wanted to respond, to make him understand your point, but somehow right now you were just too weary. And he sensed your reluctance. So you blurted the first thing that gnawed at your mind.
“You said you could have any other women out there—”
"No, really—" he started to panic, and it was blatantly too, which surprised you. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Us. I don't regret anything. I’m not breaking up with you. Being with you is the happiest I've been ever since Suguru left."
“That's...” you blinked, before letting out a small sigh. “Okay. Fine then. Let's just put it behind us for now.”
“I—” he almost wheezed, his bright blue eyes were overtaken with sheer urgency to explain how wrong everything had been that night. “You must know that I didn’t mean any of it. And that I hate hurting you the way I did. I won’t—”
"Satoru, I understand," you let out another sigh, fidgeting with your fingers. "Sometimes when I’m reminded of Haibara, I also get sad. I don't want to presume but I think I know how you feel. Just next time, maybe," you shifted your gaze on him, seeing how you had his attention fully. Gojo Satoru, the strongest now, was looking at you as if you had his fate in your hands. "Just tell me if you need space and I would have understood."
"Yeah, okay, sure," he responded immediately, relieved, before a lopsided grin appeared on his face, turning him back into your dork slash boyfriend. "So, am I forgiven now?"
"A thank you would be nice."
In the end, he chuckled, seemingly resigned. "You should sleep more."
He positioned himself into bed next to you, and you let him pull you into his chest again. You could feel how his taut back started to relax upon the contact. He pressed his lips on your forehead in a fleeting kiss.
"Promise me you won't pull that stunt again.”
You smirked. "I can't. What if Ichiji—"
"Then just let him die."
You swatted his arm playfully, pressing your head to his chest as he continued to run his fingers on your hair. He cushioned you carefully, and you felt the tension in him slowly melt away with each breath you took. In your mind, you figured he needed this closeness more than you did, if anything, for the sake of his sanity.
“I love you,” he whispered by your ear, kissing it lightly.
“Mmhm.”
As you felt Satoru's calming presence, it helped ease you into slumber. You soon found yourself in a deep sleep, comfortably held in his embrace.
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Epilogue
Ichiji gulped as Satoru stared him down, sizing him up as if he was the most despicable creature on this planet.
Okay, he might be. He was a coward, all he could do was trembling in the face of evil. But he had come in peace, even bringing fruits as an offering! He felt bad too that he was the partial cause for you to be this injured.
He was used to Satoru terrorizing him—calling him names, slapping him, and whatnot—and he could take it. Just this time, he really looked like he could murder him on the spot if he wanted to. A small part of Ichiji mourned that you were his girlfriend, because that pretty much sealed his fate that Gojo Satoru could indeed murder him on the spot because he had a valid enough reason to.
"You are—"
"No! I'm sorry, Gojo-san! I'm sorry for my incompetence!"
"Hah?"
If he was mildly irked before, now Satoru was visibly irritated.
"You're not cut out to be a jujutsu sorcerer," he started. "You're useless. You just get in the way most of the time."
Ichiji kept his head down. No, no. He can't cry!
"Get your driving license or I'll slap the shit out of you."
"Oh?" and before he knew it, Satoru had stalked away, leaving him in the dust. How rude! But...
Get a driver license? Quit the jujutsu work?
Hey, that sounds like something I can do!
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fawnindawn · 1 month
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even at our worst, we know we'll still be okay (luke castellan x apollo fem! reader)
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summary: Where Percy's insistent pestering forces Luke to rethink on his possibly not platonic feelings for you, his best friend, and Percy's questions are answered for him with Luke's reaction to you being heavily injured on your return from your quest.
pairing: luke castellan x apollo fem! reader
a/n: i'm actually in love with this, maybe it's just the friends-to-lovers in me (where a love confession happens because one of them was near death's door-) but man.. also, i love including percy so much he's such a kid.
masterlist for this series next
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"Face it, man. You're whipped."
Percy watched Luke choke on his water, coughing as he tried to swallow past the sudden accusation. Wiping at the excess that dripped past his chin, Luke raised a brow at Percy.
"Whipped? For who?" Luke questioned, eyes averting and staring straight ahead, beyond the training grounds towards the meadows in the distance, seemingly searching for something or just doing a poor job at avoiding Percy’s unimpressed stare.
“I’m not blind, as much as Annabeth claims, to this...love stuff.” Percy huffed, half in exasperation and half in exhaustion as he leaned forward using his sword to balance himself. “You’ve been depressed ever since she left for her quest.”
Luke doesn’t need to hear your name to know who Percy was referring to. It’s been weeks since you were chosen by your father, Apollo, to descend on some mighty quest to fetch back his lyre that had been stolen. It wasn’t supposed to be a dangerous quest, but Luke had felt his gut sinking when he first heard the news from you.
“Why does he need to send you out there, where you could possibly be tracked down by monsters to get back a musical instrument of all things?” Luke snapped, exasperated as he runs his fingers through his curls, pacing back and forth in the Hermes Cabin, while you laid on his mattress looking undeniably calmer than he was.
“Luke, my dad won’t purposely send me on some death trap. I'll be fine.” You tried to reassure him, waiting for him to calm down in his pacing before you extended your hands in his direction right as he turned to make another round through the cabin for the seventh time. “Hey, come here.” You gestured. “Sit with me.”
He hesitated, stopping in his tracks as he finally took the time to look at you, noting your concerned expression at him. As if you weren’t about to descend on some ridiculous quest to god knows where all because your father couldn’t pluck up the effort to collect the instrument himself.
The longer your hands stayed outstretched for him, the more his anger and frustration dissolved into the overwhelming need to be near you. One second, he’s standing and the next, he’s laying in bed with you, your arms wrapped around him to stabilise him even though he should be the stronger one. The one to look out for you.
Laying his head on your shoulder as he wrapped one of his fingers around your hair, curling it in his palms, he spoke again in a soft whisper only for you to hear. “I’m worried.”
“I know.” You responded, your hands tracing at the curve of his shoulder, stopping at his collarbone, before your finger moved to tilt his face by the chin to look at you. “You trust me, right?” You ask, knowing his answer but wanting to hear the reassurance all the same.
“Course' I do.” He replied immediately, his eyes intense as he made eye contact with you. That was without question. You could ask him to walk into blazing flames, and he'd trust you would ask for good reason.
“Then you can trust that I’ll make it back alive.”
“Alive can mean lots of things.” He muttered, his eyes growing distant, the ghost of blood and a stinging burn running down the half of his face appearing uninvited in his mind.
“I’ll make it back alive and unharmed.” You reiterated, a knowing look in your eyes as you unconsciously traced at his scar, leaving warmth where it resides, making him shiver instinctively. “It’s a promise, Luke.”
He stayed silent, before slowly moving his hand to cup yours that rested over his scar. “I’m counting on it, sunshine.”
That promise rested over Luke’s conscience, gnawing at the back of his heels, chasing him daily from the early hours as he forced himself not to break over the stress and anxiety before putting on his golden boy facade, to pretend that he wasn't constantly distracted and nauseous over the thought of something happening to you without him being there to protect you.
He would've snuck out of camp if he could, just to find you, but Chiron had been tight-lipped on your destination, his all-knowing gaze piercing right through Luke when he had tried to nonchalantly ask about your whereabouts.
"I wish I could help you, Luke." Chiron had told Luke a few days after you had gone. "However, Apollo's request was clear. Only she shall take on this quest. No one else." The pin-point gaze Chiron had locked onto Luke made it clear he was talking about him.
"I am not whipped." Luke denied. "She's my friend. Like how you're my friend."
"I don't think your friendship with her is normal though." Percy fired back quickly, sipping on his own water as if he didn't casually demolish the older boy. "I swear I caught you bringing her back after curfew to your cabin, a few times in fact."
Luke felt his cheeks flush at Percy's sudden interrogation, smashing facts after facts on an early Tuesday morning. "I've been having.. nightmares lately. She's the only one who keeps them away." He didn't know why he felt like he had to explain himself to the kid, but the longer his friendship with you went under fire, the faster he wanted to get out of this conversation.
"You don't think that's something you should think deeper about?" Percy muttered with a shrug.
Luke is left speechless, his mind short-cutting at the sudden implication of.. him feeling something more for you? His most recent memories flashed through his mind. You tucked under his blanket as you laid beside him for the last night before your quest, a sleepy smile etched on your lips before you whispered him goodnight and he pulled you into his chest so he could feel your heart beating against his to push away any tricks currently playing on his mind, bringing light to how you're the only person he believes could calm him down and bring him peace-
"She's my best friend." Luke replied, more to himself than to Percy. "I'm just worried for her. A quest like that shouldn't take so long, and I keep imagining-"
He stopped in his tracks, not wanting to say his fears out in the open in fear that his words would jinx it, but Percy knew where he was getting at. Percy inched closer to Luke, moving to pat him awkwardly on the back in an effort to comfort him. "It's normal to be worried. From what I heard from Annabeth, you two are really close. I didn't have much conversations with her before she left, but she seems brave, and smart too. I have no doubts she'll make it back. If she's half as good as you, there's no way she wouldn't."
Luke felt a real smile crossing his face, the corners of his lips quirked up at Percy's words. "She's not half as good- she is better than me." He turned to look at Percy, that shine in his eyes noticeable as he talked about you. "Don't let her hear that when she gets back though, she'll talk my ear off for ages."
Percy returned his own smile, elated to see Luke have some improvement in his mood, proof being the first genuine smile Percy's seen in weeks coming from him.
"So.. do you want to stop for today?" Percy attempted with a casual tone.
"Why? Backing out already?" Luke teased, a smirk playing on his lips as he inched towards the kid jokingly with his sword raised.
"No!" Percy denied frantically. "I swear I'm not using the sympathy card as an excuse to get out of training-"
The sounds of a horn cut off his words, groaning across the camp, reaching the training grounds in record time. Luke felt his heart palpitate, nearly crashing into his rib cage.
He barely had time to think, yelling to Percy with urgency flying off his tongue. "Catch you later, Perce!" Then, he was off, his legs carrying him up the hills and back towards the camp entrance.
He heard Percy yell his name in confusion, but he could apologise later for his sudden departure.
You had come back to him.
The journey seemed too long, his shoes scrambling for ground, barely scraping the dirt as he ran towards the front of camp. He didn't know what to expect, a celebration with cheers from the other campers on your arrival, a glimpse of your face with that smile he loves. What he didn't expect was the silence as he came towards a slow jog before ultimately stopping at what seemed to be a crowd gathering around something- or someone.
He pushed his way through, barely making the effort to apologise over the thought of seeing you. His eyes finally caught onto what the onlookers were staring at, and his heart dropped.
You laid on the ground, passed out with what seemed to be dark, angry coils covering your skin, ranging from your neck to the outstretch of your back that was exposed from the gash in your shirt. That stupid lyre laid not too far from you, its golden strings ripped apart.
The sound that tore from his throat barely sounded like his voice, yelling out your name as he pushed through the final barrier in the crowd before reaching for you. He nearly made it before someone dragged him back, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him away.
The curses that left Luke's mouth would make anyone wince, and he had to resist the urge to punch whoever was holding him back as he twisted his head to face his repressor. "Chris! Get out of my way." Luke hissed, still trying to make his way to you, fury twisting in his gut as he couldn't fathom why no one's helped you yet.
"Calm down, Luke!" Chris pleaded, desperation in his eyes forcing Luke to falter. "I know you want to help her but you have to listen to me. Whatever attacked her left something contagious on her body. Someone already tried helping her but it spread to their skin too!"
Wait? While whatever was attacking your body seemed to grow more intense by the minute, as Luke's gaze locked onto your form and watched the sickening, black coils spread further and further up your neck.
"Rodriguez, does it look like I care if it spreads to me?" Luke spat out, giving his friend a final push. "If she dies, I won't ever forgive myself for standing on the sidelines. Let me go now."
The cold venom in his tone made his friend loosen his hold just enough for Luke to rip himself out of his arms to drop his knees beside you. He grabbed hold of your shoulder, which still had shreds of your shirt to prevent him from being stung by whatever was infecting you, but his other hand which grabbed hold of your back did not face the same fate. The coils snaked onto his palm, and he gritted his teeth at the burning sensation.
Just as he turned you around so he could lift you up, he heard the familiar sound of hooves stamping against the soil and he looked up to see Chiron approaching with a grim expression. No words needed to be said as Luke met eyes with the centaur, a mutual understanding as Luke wrapped his arms around your torso and legs.
He pushed through to help carry you up, barking orders for the crowd to part way as he made his way to the infirmary. The longer he held onto you, the more every bone in his body seemed to scream to let you go, but he only focused on every step it took to get you closer to help, his eyes unable to look away from the paleness of your skin, the blue to your lips.
It seemed unfit for a child of Apollo, a child of the sun, to be dull and lifeless. You looked dead, and if it wasn't for the faint drumming of your pulse he could sense from your wrist, he would've struck the name of your father with such unbridled hatred, Apollo himself would descend from the heavens to condemn him.
"Please." He begged, holding onto you tighter despite his body's cries not to. Begging to who, he did not know, but if any being could save you from the fate you did not deserve, and pass it to him instead, he would gladly offer his prayers and worship. If it meant saving you, he would take your pain and suffer it tenfold just to see you open your eyes again.
It took you five days to recover. The infirmary had been quarantined and no one save for Chiron and Will, the main healer from the Apollo cabin, was allowed in. In those five days, no one dared approach Luke, who seemed near death's door despite having received his own small dosage of ambrosia to heal the coils that had managed to sink into his skin. He had begged Chiron to let him visit you, but Chiron deemed him too unstable to be near you, your recovery process a fragile thing that required tentative hands and patience.
Waiting to see you was a torture not even he could have envisioned for himself. He had been torn apart at the seams, of his belief in the gods and the scars that were immortalized onto his body. He had lived through days of water and nothing but false hope, hiding from monsters and other horrors before he made it to camp, arriving as a scrawny boy with eyes having witnessed events no kid his age should have to go through. Yet, no pain he had experienced could compare to his fears of losing you. If he-
He couldn't think of it without wanting to puke, but if he lost you somehow, he would lose his faith in this world. There would be no one to hold him back, no you, to stop him from letting go of the world that failed him and tearing it down.
It didn't help that in those five days, he had dreams. Of a different world, of salvation. A dark, ancient voice called to him, older than time, with whispers of promised glory and revenge. There was no you, none of your soothing touches or voice to wake him. In those five days, his strength faltered and he made a deal.
On the sixth day, he was woken frantically by a shake on the shoulder from his sleep. He roused awake, dizzy and still-half asleep to see Chris talking to him in rushed incoherent words.
"Awake- She's awake, sleepy-head!"
Luke was half-dressed, still fighting off sleep with aggressive rubbing to his eyes as he tugged on his t-shirt, rushing towards the infirmary with Chris hot on his heels.
He burst through the front door, holding his breath when he finally saw you, propped up on two pillows talking to Will. Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision as he rushed over to you.
You turned to him then, just in time to see him blink his tears away. "Luke." You called to him softly, and time seemed to stop just for the two of you, and he could only see you in his vision.
"Can you guys give us some privacy?" You asked politely, eyeing Will and Chris, but your eyes never drifted far before moving back to him.
"Of course." Will responded, quickly getting up from his chair towards the exit, dragging a confounded Chris with him with a tug on the back of his shirt. "Hey! I wanted to see her too-" "Give the two lovebirds some time alone, you idiot."
Luke inched closer to you, his heart beating so loudly in his eardrums he swears you could hear it too. You lifted your arms to him and he didn't waste time, taking you in his arms and embracing you so tight, and yet he felt he couldn't be close enough.
"You were dying. In my arms. I felt it when I carried you in here." He muttered into your shoulder, shaking as he finally let out the exhaustion and pain he had been feeling since the day you left.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." You apologised, rocking him back and forth as your voice croaked up. "All I thought of was you. When I fought against that beast, I kept repeating my promise to you. That I would come back to you. You saved me."
He shook his head, feeling his tears wet his cheeks as he pulled back to grab you by the chin, a gentle touch like he was afraid you would disappear if he couldn't see you talking to him, that your voice would be a hallucination he concocted. "I should've stopped you from going. I had a bad feeling since I heard about it. I should've protected you- prevented you from getting hurt in the first place-"
You stopped him with a kiss, desperate yet shy, before pulling away and pressing your forehead to his. "I love you, Luke. I was so scared I would never get to tell you and it would've been my biggest regret. I love you so much, Luke, and I'm sorry if this ruins anything between us but I can't hide it anymore-"
Luke cut you off the very same way you did, but with such intense hunger you gasped when he kissed you, sloppy and with even more desperation, tugging at your bottom lip and pulling you closer with his hand at nape of your neck. "I love you." He muttered through quick breaths. "I love you, it actually hurts because of how much I do." He admitted, grabbing your hand to place right above his heart, which is owned completely and only by you.
He leaned in once more, addicted to the taste of you, kissing you with one hand holding yours to his heart, the other pulling you close so that there was no space between the two of you. When he had to stop so you both could gasp for air, he pressed his forehead back to yours, the first smile stretching at his lips in days. "I never want to be apart from you ever again, you hear me, sunshine?"
You giggled at his words, nodding slightly. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Extra: Luke reappears with you the next day when you insisted on wanting to get out of the infirmary after being cooped up away from the sun for so long. ("You're such an Apollo kid." Luke teases, which you ignore with a roll of your eyes.) He's with you every step of the way, and now that your feelings are out for each other in the open, he doesn't hesitate to kiss you on the cheek or fawn over you without hiding his intensity.
When he makes eye contact with Percy over the room, the damn kid gives him a wink and a thumbs-up.
a/n: i want to expand so much more on this, with kronos taking advantage of luke's weak mind during your recovery and more, OMGGGGGGG. tell me if you guys want more pls and i'll make more parts. thank you for reading if you made it this far <3
update: I am officially making this into a series called ‘everything in between’. To those who want to follow more on their story, you can comment on whether you want to be added to the tag list for this series or check the masterlist!
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nocreativityfornames · 4 months
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Everything we know about Barbatos so far, lore wise.
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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ALL SEASONS
➤ He lives in the Demon Lord's Castle with Diavolo and works as his loyal butler. (swd: 2-13)
➤ He's one of the demons who share a pact with Solomon. (swd: 2-A)
➤ According to Mammon, he has a secret torture room beneath the castle from where you can hear the screaming of his victims at night. The other brothers and Diavolo were in the room when he told this to MC but none of them batted an eye or tried to deny it. (swd: 6-19)
➤ Before, citizens of the Devildom were allowed to easily travel to the Human World whenever they wished through passages placed in certain locations in the kingdom, but now those passages are blocked and the only way demons can use them is by getting permission from the few other demons who are still allowed to use them freely first. Barbatos is one of said demons. (swd: 11-4)
➤ He has the ability to time travel thanks to his powers that allow him to create a portal to any place, time and reality he wants. (swd: 15-17 and 53-11)
➤ He was the one to take MC back to the past when they made a deal with Diavolo to figure out who had opened the attic door and released Past!Belphegor in exchange for Present!Belphegor's freedom from being imprisoned for conspiring against the exchange program. (swd: 15-17)
➤ He looked into MC's bloodline under Diavolo's request once the prince realized there was something special about them, and it was then that he found out that they were Lilith's distant descendant. (swd: 16-15)
➤ In response to MC asking him if he knew everything that would happen with Belphegor getting out of the attic before it occurred Barbatos said that no, he didn't know, and even further said: "Imagine for a moment what it would be like to know everything that will happen from now until the end of time. Why nothing could possibly be more boring, wouldn't you agree?" (swd: 15-17)
➤ His main way to use his powers to "space travel" is through the many doors in his room in the Demon Lord's Castle. (swd: 15-17)
➤ He was never a child. (swd chat: The Royals, “That's What I Mean”)
➤ He met Solomon a long time ago when the sorcerer risked death to summon him (swd: 53-16), desperately needing his powers to control time for reasons that are still unknown. (swd: 49-A)
➤ He gave Solomon his grimoire out of trust and respect for him. (swd: 53-16)
➤ It's a big rumor around the kingdom that he's powerful enough to rival even the Demon King himself. (swd: 54-1)
➤ He met Diavolo when the prince was still a child and Diavolo got Barbatos to work for him by luring him into the castle with the promise of very rare tea and then telling him that he wouldn't let him leave unless he agreed to be his butler, getting to the point of even threatening to not assume his position of king in the future if the older demon refused to. And telling this story to Thirteen, Barbatos confessed to having found the whole thing very cute. (swd: 58-A and nb: 15-A)
➤ When it hit the news that he had sworn allegiance to Diavolo the whole kingdom was in shock and it was THE THING everyone was talking about. (swd: 54-1 and nb: 15-1)
➤ He has been around for a long time and shows up in historical records under multiple different names. Rumor has it he was alive even before the Devildom took shape. (nb: 15-1)
➤ When asked about Diavolo in a conversation with MC, he told them that the prince is the very reason for his current existence. (swd: 54-5)
➤ Narrated by Solomon in the Nightbringer Prologue Movie we hear the story of a certain demon, it goes: “Once upon a time, there was a demon who could see both past and future. With a flurry of trumpets from his king, the demon appeared. Finding a lost human the demon whispered: 'I can take you to where you'll be happy.' Through their tears, the human spoke: 'Thank you, o kind one. If you save me from this dark path, I will pray to you every night. Please, tell me what they call you!'" But before any reply can be said Barbatos is shown making a shushing sound, which was largely perceived as him not wanting the viewers to know that he was the demon from the story. Later, the human was revealed to be Adam, a man who came to the Devildom looking for his lover and met a demon named Nightbringer, who he immediately went to begging for help. (nb: 8-16)
➤ He was the one to give Solomon the title of “the Witty Sorcerer” when he brought him to the Fountain of Knowledge for the first time while Solomon was on the verge of death. Barbatos attended the sorcerer's wounds there and declared him the new protector of the spring. (nb: 11-10)
➤ He's to blame for how much Solomon has changed, according to Thirteen. The reaper told MC that Solomon used to be very loveably innocent when he was younger, but that Barbatos let him experience whatever he wanted and now nothing scares or fazes him anymore. (nb: 11-10)
➤ The reason he had been so irritable towards Solomon in the past was because when visiting the sorcerers' home he found a list of demons he wanted to make pacts with and noticed his name was placed 8th. (nb: 25-1)
➤ Before meeting Diavolo he used to use his powers freely to travel through time and space whenever he wanted without a care for how his actions could affect others, and they ended up terribly affecting Diavolo and Solomon, and Barbatos sees his devout servitude to the prince as a way to atone for those past actions, but Diavolo doesn't know that. (nb card: Barbatos, "Tea With You")
➤ Although he accepted to work for the prince for the sake of atonement, he ended up enjoying his time with him and found that he felt a sense of belonging working for him. (nb card: Barbatos, "Tea With You")
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vivwritesfics · 18 days
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Vampire!oscar with human girlfriend who wants him to feed from her
🤭🤭🤭
okay so this is at the top of my inbox but @biancathecool and i coincidentally had a conversation about this and here we are
warnings: blood drinking talked about (human and animal mentioned)
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Oscar used to eat well. Before he met her, before he fell in love, he ate like, well, a king. He didn't care who he fed from, as long as he was eating well.
But then he fell for a human. He hadn't expected it, hadn't expected to want to do anything but feed from her once he met her. He'd pushed her hair to the side and had felt his teeth elongate.
He couldn't do it. He couldn't puncture her neck and feed from her. Most humans enjoyed it. It was a euphoric feeling, as they slowly drifted into an eternal sleep.
Oscar kissed her neck. He forced his teeth back and pressed his lips to her neck. She ended up in his bed that night.
Even after he had slept with her, Oscar didn't want to let her go. A human that made him not want to feed on humans? Why should Oscar want to let her go?
When they began dating, Oscar stopped feeding on people. He couldn't bring himself to do it, couldn't bring himself to harm someone. Not since he met her.
Animal blood didn't sustain him like human blood did. Oscar ignored the signs his body gave him, the signs of his body growing weaker. He used to be incredibly strong, incredibly fast, but not anymore.
She noticed this change in Oscar, and it was incredibly worrying. He hadn't told her what he was yet. But, when she cornered him, almost crying because she seriously thought he was dying, he told her. He revealed his teeth and let his eyes glow.
But still, something was wrong. He didn't tell her what was wrong, but she knew it was something.
And then she realised that she'd never seen him feed. Maybe he did. Maybe it was in secret, but she'd never seen it.
"Hungry, baby?" She asked one day as she sat down and moved her hair away from her neck.
Oscar couldn't hide the way his stomach growled. But still he said, "No, I'm fine," he said and kissed her cheek.
But then she climbed into his lap and stared at him, her expression stern. "Oscar, come on," she said, tilting her head to the side and exposing her neck to him. "I know you're hungry."
Oscar bowed his head, pressing it against his shoulder. "Starving," he replied, his voice gravelly. "But I don't want to hurt you."
"It's okay," she whispered as she ran her hands through his hair. "I trust you to stop."
Oscar lifted his head from her shoulder. His teeth slipped down and he pressed his lips to her neck, kissing softly. But then she felt his sharp teeth graze over her soft skin. A gasp left her lips and Oscar pulled away, but she shook her head. "Keep going."
Oscar sank his teeth into her flesh. "Shit," she cried, but it came out more like a whine. Oscar pulled his teeth away and licked her skin. A soft moan left her lips as Oscar began drinking from her. It really was a euphoric feeling, one she wouldn't mind feeling for the rest of her life.
Even when she began growing light headed, she didn't register it. It felt too damn good. It was only when her gasps few weak and her eyes began fluttering shut that Oscar pulled away.
He licked his teeth as he looked at her. Shit, he had gone too far. She looked so incredibly weak. "Oh fuck," he said, pulling her against his chest. "Fuck, I'm sorry," he gasped as she weakly lifted her hand to his face. "I didn't mean-"
"Shhhh-ut the fuck up," she mumbled. "I'm fine. I'm alive. And that was incredible."
But Oscar wouldn't be feeding from her again, not for a long time (no matter how much she loved it).
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quokkawritesarchive · 5 months
Text
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? — SEUNGMIN.
pairing: seungmin x reader(afab) genre: office au!seungmin, enemies to lovers, a bit of comedy, slow burn, smut, NSFW warnings: swearing; SMUT SPOILERS: biting, marks, oral (f. receiving), slapping (f. receiving), use of “whore”, edging, semi-public sex
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it wouldn’t have been a normal day in the office, if you and your co-worker kim seungmin hadn’t been caught in a fight. honestly, everyone would be more surprised, if two of you survived a day without yelling at each other. and there wasn’t even any particular reason why you two were fighting - it just happened. did you accidentally bump into him and he dropped all his papers? for the next twenty minutes, you are gonna yell at each other instead of simply apologizing and forgetting about it. did he ask you a question? you will never respond to it properly without mocking him.
“can you bring me the report?”
“come get it yourself.”
“can you hold a door for me, please?”
“do it yourself.”
it just kept going. at first, your boss tried to do something about it, but then realized that it was just useless. you two won’t change your behavior, no matter what punishment he imposes.
today was no different. you were running late, because your cat kept walking on the table during breakfast and spilled coffee on your shirt and you then had to change. so now you were faster than a bullet, trying to make it in time. your boss was lenient to those who were late. except for those “general team meeting“ days, like today, when it was necessary to be on time and not even a second late, unless you wanted to burn alive under the gaze of your boss. you literally ran into an office building, scanned your card and headed straight to the elevator, hoping that it wasn’t stuck somewhere on the top floor. there were still three minutes left. if you managed to get into the elevator right now, then there was every chance to make it.
someone was standing near the elevator, ready to step inside, because the doors had just opened.
“hey, can you wait, please? i am very late! just wait a second!” you were shouting, waiving actively, trying to get that person’s attention.
but he didn’t seem to care. he just walked in, pressed the button and stood there with the most smug expression on his face.
fuck.
it was kim seungmin.
you are gonna be late.
“you dick! we both have to be at this meeting! why can’t you act normally for at least one day!” you shouted again, stopping right in front of the closing doors, exchanging glances with seungmin.
doors closed.
“fucking piece of wanking piece of fucking shit, you fuck! ugh! shit!“
a few people turned around at you, but you didn’t care. this guy was driving you nuts. you were fuming and the work day hadn’t even started yet.
minutes, that felt like hours, have passed and you were finally running to the meeting room. the wave of anxiety crushed you again, as you thought of the look that your boss will give you. but you had no other choice other than to come in. the more you wait, the worse it will be.
“sir, i am so sorry for the late arrival!” you bowed the lowest you could. “it won’t happen again! i am really sorry for the inconvenience!”
“take your seat.” boss replied after a long pause.
oh, he was not having it today.
you rushed to the empty seat, feeling that you could sink into the ground right now. the meeting was happening in one of those rooms with a big round table and long blinds on glass walls. the faces of your colleagues were as pale as ever. that meant only one thing - today everyone will get punished for some kind of oversight.
someone was burning a hole in you. and it was not your boss. the feeling was very annoying, so you turned around to find the source of it. of course, it was no other than kim seungmin. he was smirking at you. probably, very happy with the way he put you in trouble again.
“fuck you.” you mouthed and turned away. there were better things to focus on right now. for example, to try not to lose your job.
squeezed lemon - that's how you felt after that two-hour brain-blowing. the usual meeting turned into everyone being reprimanded in full. so now you just wanted some coffee. no, you craved coffee.
you sighed, when you saw the coffee machine being occupied already by your lovely friend kim seungmin. luckily, he didn’t notice your appearance and was probably lost in his thoughts. that could have been the perfect timing to scare him. but you didn’t. instead, something more intriguing caught your attention.
the open collar of his shirt revealed a view of thin collarbones and pale white skin. it looked so magical and angelic that suddenly you felt the urge ruin it with a red bruise, bite into it with your teeth, sucking harshly.
“what are you looking at?” the usual dissatisfied tone of his voice brought you back to consciousness.
“what?!” you snapped.
“i am saying - why are you checking me out? got a crush on me or sum?” seungmin grinned, buttoning the collar in the meantime.
fuck.
he had noticed you staring at his neck.
“did you melt your brain completely after the meeting or what?” you scoffed, passing him by, going to another counter to take a mug.
the beep of the coffee machine signalized readiness. you heard seungmin’s footsteps getting quieter and breathed out. finally, you will not have to stay in one room with him any longer.
as soon as you relaxed, you felt someone’s hand wrapping around your hip, as the other went past you to pick something from the counter in front of you.
“sorry, forgot to take a spoon.” he was breathing into your neck, making you freeze in place. he was that close to you, you swear you could hear him swallow.
the feel of him was scalding. his big chest pressed against your back for a brief second, until you panicked and leaned forward a bit to try to escape how firm he felt against you, how his heat radiated from him and shot through you, straight to the dull thrum between your legs. leaning over the counter now, had you pushing back against his hips. you had to mentally beat yourself into thinking he's not hard and that's his phone in the pocket, when you heard his breath hitch.
it was low, trembling mutter of your name that had the back of your neck get goosebumps. the thrum between your legs made you painfully aware of how good he would look on top of you.
you didn’t realize you almost dropped your mug until you saw him catch it from your hands mid-air and put it on the counter. his palm then found home on your other hip and squeezed it, making your breath quicken.
“be careful next time. or you will have to pay for the broken mug as well.” he whispered in your ear.
and then he was gone, leaving you with a spinning head and a blush on your cheeks.
what the fuck just happened?
it has been a few days since the kitchen incident. you two were ignoring each other completely. well, at least you were. you really didn’t want to address it, but trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation wasn’t as easy as you thought. every time you saw seungmin in the corridor or walking to the elevator or in your direction in general - you rushed away, trying to hide from his sight. even some of your colleagues had noticed how unusual your behavior was. of course, no one yelled in the middle of a work day anymore. instead, you two have become magnets trying to push each other away.
you were scared to even exchange a look with him. confused by feelings, trying to find a explanation for what happened, you were terrified of what he would do or say if you two were left alone in a room again.
and that shouldn’t happen under any circumstances.
you were making your usual after-lunch coffee when you saw a tall figure enter the kitchen.
oh no.
the sudden heatwave rushed to your face as you headed for the door, dismissing whatever you were doing before. you won’t stay in a room with seungmin alone.
don’t look at him, just keep moving forward.
you kept your eyes locked in front of you, staring directly at the door, but it was difficult to ignore the feeling of dark-brown eyes burning into you.
don’t look that way, keep looking ahead.
you made it outside and into the corridor, running a hand over your heated face with your lips pressed tightly together. a wave of embarrassment washed over you.
you just ran away from the seungmin like a child.
running away has never been your way of solving problems. it was seungmin’s weird behavior that made you act like this. you were just doing this because he made you uncomfortable, right?
turning your head slightly, you peered back at the kitchen door you’d left ajar. the gasp trapped itself in your throat as you locked eyes with seungmin himself. he was standing a few meters away from you with a mug in his hand, seemingly searching for you.
“you forgot your coffee, idiot.” you imagined him saying last word, like he normally would’ve. but instead, he handled you a mug and went back to the kitchen.
no, you were an idiot.
it didn’t go away. the thrum between your legs was a constant reminder of how touch-starved you were. every night your mind went back to the feeling of his hand on your hip, squeezing it slightly, him whispering in your ear, while your hips touch his. the scenarios you were creating in your head were so naughty, it made you even more uncomfortable being around him in person.
this is when it finally hit you. you were not avoiding him, because you were scared of what happened. you were avoiding him, because you were scared of his possible rejection of you.
but then why would he flirt with you? just to hurt you more? just to play with you and then make fun of you like he always does?
“why do you always cause me trouble?! i need this report now!” your boss was fuming.
of course he was. you were daydreaming, thinking about seungmin between your legs, and forgot to make an important report on time. even now seungmin was affecting your work, without even doing anything purposely.
“i don’t want to make it into a high school detention, but you need to figure your shit together. so better do this today after work, or tomorrow before, i don’t care. i need the documents ready tomorrow. and you back to normal condition tomorrow as well.” boss pointed his finger at you.
you bowed and exuded yourself from the room. a sigh escaped your lips. apparently, being in the same workspace with kim seungmin affected you anyway. weeks of trying to avoid any contact led to this - problems in your own work. without any further thinking you decided to stay after work hours.
so there you were - hidden under the piles of paperwork, trying not to go completely insane. your desk was a mess - loose papers, folders, notebooks, to-do lists on sticky notes and a little note with a sketchy portrait of seungmin, that you drew some time ago, because his desk could be seen from your place. maybe you did actually have a crush on him after all. a note with a deadline right next to it made you focus again and stop thinking about this stupid kim seungmin.
“what are you doing here?”
at first you thought you were seeing things. what is he doing here? everyone left like an hour ago. but no, it was real and breathing kim seungmin looking at you smugly.
“do you only ask stupid questions?” you responded in a usual manner, rolling your eyes. it came naturally, even if you didn’t want to be rude to him right now.
“do you only know how to snap back or maybe you need some help?” he answered your question with a question.
as you were about to actually snap back at him, you paused, confused by his words. “what?”
“what?”
“did you just offer your help?” it was definitely a dream.
“you heard me.” without any further discussion, he turned the chair next to you around and sat down, looking at you in anticipation.
this was not happening.
“well… boss said i need to finish this by tomorrow.” you pointed to the mess at the table.
seungmin just nodded in response, rolling up his shirt sleeves and unbuttoning his collar, getting ready to work. this simple gesture made you wet already. the way he did that, with such elegance and calmness, completely out of his character. it also made his veiny arms and neck open to your sight. you clenched you legs, trying to calm down. it was definitely not the time to get all horny over him.
it felt weird. empty office and both of you being completely mute, with just a keyboard clicks breaking the silence. maybe seungmin thought he made you uncomfortable and was trying to bury the hatchet, pretend like everything is normal, like he didn't invade your most intimate thoughts late at night. you could see that seungmin wanted to do something, say something, but he was unsure of how you'd react.
it was talking all your force not to look at him. especially, when the collar was unbuttoned, revealing the cream canvas of skin hidden underneath. you cleared your throat and vaguely realized that he’s been talking to you this entire time. your eyes flicked up to his as you opened your mouth to ask him to repeat whatever he just said. but as your eyes met his you froze again.
“now who’s brain is melt completely?” he mocked your phrase, giving you an incredulous look, pen perched above the paperwork he was signing off.
“what were you saying?” you ignored his usual rudeness.
“do you need to sort this too or no?” he pointed to the papers in another pile.
“well, obviously, everything that’s here needs to be sorted out, then calculated and written down in an excel file.” you scoffed at him out of habit, immediately realizing what you just did, but it was too late.
“why am i even helping you…” he sighed, rather disappointed than angry and stood up.
the way his eyes were staring at you with intensity made you feel that you may have gone a bit further than your normal bickering.
“listen, i didn’t mean to-“ you were cut off by his raised voice.
“of course you don’t mean to! like you always do! it’s just a usual thing - to yell at me at every given moment, right?!”
this was it for you. did he want to argue?
oh well, no need to ask you twice.
“do i yell at you at every given moment?!” you mocked his phrase. “do i try to ruin every day at work for no fucking reason?! am i the asshole and everyone in the office agrees with that title?!”
“so you think i am an asshole…” he pursed his lips, nodding.
“oh don’t try to play the victim now!” you were furious. who does this guy think he is?! “remember last week’s meeting? i was late, because you didn’t wait for me in the elevator! why would you do that other than to piss me off?! you are an asshole!”
“because you look hot when you are mad...” he blurted.
you froze, completely forgetting what you wanted to say. “what?”
“you are right,” he continued. “i try to piss you off, because you look hot when you are mad.”
“y-you, you-“ the words were stuck in your throat.
this was not happening right now.
“you are crazy, you know that?!” you pointed finger at him.
he rolled his eyes. “so are you gonna kiss me or what?”
the mischievous smirk that appeared on his lips set your nerves on fire. feeling like a deer caught in the headlights you froze again, your face burned with embarrassment.
“i know you were fantasizing about me. the way you keep looking at my body like a starved animal, you are so obvious with your needs. i bet you’ve been wet ever since i came here thirty minutes ago.”
���shut up.” you blurted out rapidly, as he started approaching in your direction.
but he didn’t stop at your words - quite the opposite. his pace made you take a few steps back and end up being pinched against the wall, stupidly so. to confirm your helpless position, seungmin placed one hand on your right, blocking your access to escape route.
like you were planning to escape.
“so?”
he was so close to you. your faces were literally a couple of millimeters apart, so you could feel his breath on your lips. it was just like in your fantasies.
you involuntarily gasped when you felt seungmin’s soft lips press against your cheek. soon enough, he whispered in your ear. “that blush on your cheeks is really cute, should I deepen it?”
bringing his mouth closer to you, he pressed his wet tongue against the tender skin under your ear and you quietly whimpered. he wasn’t planning on kissing you yet, no. he was teasing you, like he always did, leaving sloppy kisses down your neck. a shiver went down your spine when the tip of his nose trailed back up to your ear. you let your hands tangle in his hair, while he sucked a trail of bruises down your neck.
no other person's mouth would’ve felt as good on you as his did. it was like you two were made specifically for each other. you knew it as soon as you felt his hand wrap around your hip that day in the kitchen.
his hand slid up your thigh, edging dangerously close to the hem of your skirt. you felt your cheeks flush, you knew that your face had to be red hot by now. you yearned for more contact, it’s been too long since you’ve been touched.
finally pulling away from your neck, he leaned closer to your face again, brushing his lips against yours in a silent question. in response, you closed the gap between the two of you. his lips worked eagerly against yours as his hands massaged little circles on your inner thighs.
the kiss happened to be a lot softer than you expected. maybe your yelling earlier caused your accumulated anger to go away, so now you didn’t feel the usual self while being around seungmin.
when you felt his strong hands smooth over your shirt and around to your back you slightly whimpered and instantly melted as seungmin placed his hands on your waist.
seungmin chuckled into your mouth, nipping at your bottom lip. then he was pawing at your shirt again, this time trying to get it off. in order for him to do that, you had to stop kissing him, but when he tried to pull away from you, you stubbornly followed, chasing his lips with your own.
“wait,” he said, mumbling incoherently against you. “need to get this off.”
you relented when he bit your lip a little harder, and took your shirt off yourself just to be petty. your brattiness wasn’t going anywhere. seungmin narrowed his eyes at you.
“wasn’t done kissing you.” was all you said.
he gave you a wry smile as he moved closer to place a sweet kiss on the edge of the your jaw, instantly reminding how stupidly horny you were.
despite the annoyance in his look, seungmin kisses you again deeply, getting you to moan so that he could slip his tongue into your mouth.
his open collarbones caught your sight again. god, you’ve wanted to do this for so long. breaking the kiss, you learned closer to his neck and placed a kiss on a creamy skin. it was his turn now to groan. you smiled. besides you being touch-starved for such a long time, it didn’t feel weird being intimate with seungmin. to add, it didn’t feel weird hearing his moans and whimpers, while you were sucking on his skin. his grip on your waist tightened, as a loud moan slipped out of his parted lips.
“mhm, please, bite it again-“
“bite again?” you grinned. “i knew you love pain.”
“shut up and do as i asked.” he responded, smacking your ass lightly.
you giggled quietly, following his order and placing another bite on his collarbone. there were already traces of your work on it - creamy skin turned into a burgundy-red. he groaned in a wicked tone at the feeling of your teeth against his skin.
“i need you to fuck me.” you whispered against his lips, trailing down his jaw and neck. you wanted to leave as many marks as you could.
“mhm?”
“i-need-you-to-fuck-me.” you repeated word by word.
oh, he heard you the first time. all he wanted was to hear the words from your mouth again, he needed to know he wasn’t dreaming.
the look in his eyes that he gave you was different than his usual. he wanted you just as bad, as you did. all he wanted to do right now was flip you over and fuck you. he had pictured this for so long and was happy that it was finally happening. surprisingly, you didn’t hate the idea of him fucking you too, like you didn’t hate each other for the past three years.
seungmin’s fingers trailed up your thighs pushing them apart wider. you lifted your skirt up higher for him, as he pulled down your panties.
“fuck-” he groaned seeing your pussy glisten with arousal. he couldn’t resist any longer, he needed that pussy on his tongue.
you didn’t expect him to just get down on his knees in front of you with his pretty face next to your wet cunt. even yesterday this image could be possible only in your dreams. he got closer, pressing his lips to your inner thigh, making your breath hitched at the feeling.
oh, you desperately wanted him.
he gave you one more kiss before he began licking your clit. you gasped at the feeling. your hands flew to his hair the instant you felt his tongue on you, pushing his face further into your pussy. seungmin moaned against you, which made you moan in turn. grabbing his shoulders for stability, you threw your head back. another moan slipped from your lips.
“you taste so good.” he moaned into you, sending through vibrations, helping you closer and closer to your peak.
for a split second your mind went back to the thought that you were still in the office and there must be security cameras around. but you decided to focus on the feeling of seungmin working you closer and closer to the edge with his tongue instead.
“ah-h, fuck, i am so close-“ you whimpered, gripping on his hair tighter.
but as you were about to hit your high, he pulled away from you, grinning.
“no, no i’m so close. please, why’d you stop.” you pleaded, trying to trap him in place with your thighs around his head. “please, seung, i’m right there.” you tried again.
“make me cum and i will make you cum as well.” he cut off, as he stood up in front of you.
ugh.
you obeyed when he turned you around to face the wall. just like you imagined it time and time again. you heard the sound of his belt unbuckling and his pants falling to the ground.
you whimpered, as his palm smacked your ass again.
“i knew you’d like that.” he chuckled, whispering in your neck. “such a whore for me.”
“shut up-“ was all you could say right now. gosh, you were so desperate for him that you let him fuck you in the office.
he smirked, resting his hand on your waist with a firm grip to keep you in place. you moaned feeling him trail his already leaking tip through your wet folds.
you bit your lip, feeling that delicious stretch you‘be been craving for so long. just like him, his dick was long, you felt every vein, as he filled you perfectly. this definitely wasn’t a dream, no - it was heaven. 
his grip on your waist tightened, as he began to fuck you against the wall.
“f-fuck… you are so wet for me-“ incoherent mumbling was leaving his lips.
you were hardly able to reply to him, muffled whimpers escaping your lips as he continued to hit every spot inside of you; the sweet tip of his cock bruising you inside.
“ah, faster, please-” you cried out as soon as seungmin’s thumb started circling your clit. he moved in slow, almost painful pace, compared to his dick; thumb rotating across your bud.
oh gosh, your mind was foggy now. how were you supposed to function with his dick stuffed in your cunt like that?
seungmin pulled you even closer - as if that wasn’t already possible - making you ride through his orgasm. he came hard, hands gripping your hips so tight you thought you’d bruise. you were honestly not far behind him, cumming right after.
it was nothing, but a heavy panting from two of you. after he finally pulled out of you, you turned around and took a good look at his face. it was flushed pink, a dewy sweat on his forehead and chest. he was still panting, a few strands of his hair plastered to the forehead.
you gently removed those strands from his face, receiving his soft smile in return.
“i think it’s time to get back to work now.” he chuckled.
oh shit. you already forgot why you were here in the first place.
“don’t worry, we still have some time till the building closes.” seungmin noticed your furrowed eyebrows and gently rubbed your bottom lip with his thumb, placing a quick kiss afterwards.
“right…” you responded, thinking of how you’d get back to work after feeling his dick ruin you from the inside out.
“can someone explain to me why i received an email from our security this morning with a video of you two fucking in our office?!” your boss was fuming.
of course he was. you just had sex with your coworker in front of security cameras at your workplace. even now seungmin was affecting your work, without even doing anything purpose.
if seungmin wasn’t standing right next to you, you probably would’ve cried your eyes out already. but since he was here, holding your hand, you two couldn’t help, but grin in response, trying not to laugh.
“get out now!” boss shouted at your backs. “and better stay out of my sight until tomorrow!”
as the door closed behind you, you couldn’t help, but giggle like a teenagers.
it wouldn’t have been a normal day in the office, if you and your co-worker kim seungmin hadn’t been caught fucking at the workplace…
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areislol · 7 months
Text
“You really took care of us huh?”
►— pairings. genshin men x gn! creator! reader
►— warnings. nothing that i know of?
►— synopsis. albedo created a machine where it would bring back their creator, who was stuck in another world, back to where they belong. but instead of bringing you here to them, it brought them to where you were.
►— a/n. OMG IM SO SORRY FOR PUTTING THIS OUT LATER THAN EXPECTED 😭 instead of writing i was playing a game so that’s on me, i was also unbelievably tired this week, my fault! but it’s out now 🫶🏻
►— wordcount. 4.1k
✧ part one | ✧ part two | ✧ part three | ✧ part four | ✧ part five | more tba.. NAVIGATION
recommended to listen to: wave to earth - seasons or only - leehi
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You never expected, not even in a million years or like.. in a lifetime for the video game characters coming alive and appearing in your room.
And they were handsome too, like, drop-dead gorgeous and the fact that they all respect and love you… You were surely the luckiest person alive right now.
These men also made your bank account cry, the amount of money you had spent on them—pulling for them (and losing many 50/50’s) and their weapon, grinding for hours trying to get their materials to ascend them and for their weapons, artifacts (you’d rather not talk about it) skills and EVERYTHING.
You put more work into making sure they’re all fully taken care of and put to the best of their ability than compared to your work. It was a bit concerning yes but, this game—the characters, we’re so comforting to you than anything else. So of course you poured your whole soul into the game and their characters.
(Also the fact that you also read fanfics about them and now they’re suddenly in your room does not help with your infatuation with them)
And so this brings you to where you were now, showing off their showcase at 10 in the morning.
“Oh wow Y/n! You worked really hard to make us strong.. no wonder why I felt so strong all of the sudden in one day..”
Aether watched in awe and amazement as you showed him his artifacts and his weapons with Venti, Pierro, Diluc, Kaeya, Tighnari and a few others hovering and peeking out from behind your chair, watching as you showed Aether’s build to everybody.
The rest were in your living room, eating breakfast. You had decided to eat breakfast after showing the people who wanted to know their builds.
For some reason their characters were still in the game despite really being in your world. You would have to ask Albedo about this later.
“What about me?” Diluc grumbled, trying his best to ignore the states he got. “What? I can’t ask Y/n something so simple?” Everybody shook their heads “no”.
Smiling, you replied. “Of course! I remember when your skin first came out I was all over it, I made sure to buy it to, did you like it? I think it looked beautiful on you.”
Diluc blushed at your words and nodded his head. “Mhm. I loved it, Y/n, thank you.” He stated, smiling warmly down at you.
You began to stroll through your characters until you found Diluc. “There you are—look at you! So handsome..” you sighed dreamily before snapping out of your trance and cleared your throat and began to go through his build.
Once you had finished showing Diluc and everybody his showcase, more people wanted to know about theirs and obviously you couldn’t say no so that’s how you ended up showing nearly everybody’s build and showcasing their skills and whatnot.
“And yeah! I did spend a lot of money but it was.. I guess worth it? I mean I’m glad you guys felt strong and all!”
Tighnari sighed and rested his hand on your desk. “We are all thankful, but seriously you didn’t have to spend all of the days you worked so hard for..” he explained, Diluc agreed with him.
The rest, too, didn’t want you to waste your hard work but then again for you to work so hard on and take care of them ignited something inside of them, so they couldn’t complain.
Before you could respond, a knock was heard. “Come in!” You shouted, turning around in your chair to see who it was.
Lyney entered the room and smiled at you (ignoring the others) “are you done? Your breakfast may get cold you know..” his gaze wanders off to the guys beside you. “Oh, and yours too.”
You could hear the scoffs coming from Diluc and Pierro. “Yeah I’m pretty hungry right now, and was it (Vietnamese) broken rice I smelt?” You asked, getting up from your seat and walking towards Lyney. He nods his head.
“Yeah, Aether found the recipe in a book and found the ingredients for it, lucky huh?”
As you smiled at him and began to walk out of your room followed by the others as Lyney cocks his head to the side—ordering them to get a move on and out of your room. “Come on, I bet you all are starving right now!”
Making your way to living room, you found everybody already done with their breakfast, with only a few plates placed on the coffee table for you and the others.
“Ouuuuh it looks absolutely delicious? Who cooked it?” You asked, sitting down on a pillow beside Xiao and Wriothesley.
“Thoma did with the help of Neuvillette and Childe, surprisingly.” Cyno responded, eyeing Childe from the corner of his eyes.
“Hey… what’s that supposed to mean?!” Childe yelled, pouting at Cyno before looking at you, betrayed and defeated.
You shrug your shoulders and began to dig in your food with Diluc, Venti, Pierro and Tighnari mirroring your actions, sitting down and eating their breakfast.
Childe began to make his way towards you and pushed the other men away that were behind you, this obviously annoyed them but before they could yell at him (start world war 3*) he had wrapped his arms around your waist and buried his face in your neck.
“You don’t think I poisoned your food, do you?” He mumbled, even though you couldn’t see his face you knew he was pouting.
You shake your head no, not even reacting to his affection—you were somewhat used to it. “‘Course not, I don’t think you could ever actually.”
Childe smiled on your skin and tightened his grip on you. “Mhm. Thanks snookums.”
Everybody cringed (some nearly gagged) at the corny pet name. “Snookums, really? Out of all the petnames.. and it’s not the first time he called them that.” Kaveh whispered to Al-haitham who was obviously disgusted by the pet name.
“Mhm, it truly is disgusting..” Al-haitham whispered back, looking away from the ginger.
Childe rolled his eyes at their reactions and continued to hold you in his arms, Xiao holding back his urge to tackle him right there and then but you were in his arms so he couldn’t, because if he did you would get harmed and he would rather die than hurt you.
While you were eating your breakfast, you grabbed the remote and began to go through the channels—animal documentary, no.. news, yes. Setting down the remote on the table you listened closely to the news.
You weren’t the type to listen to the news but today was an exception, because you just felt like it. “What’s that?” Ayato asked, eyes ogling at the news reporter in the middle addressing the weather.
“Oh-“ “how does she know the weather so precisely?”
“Because, she is a news reporter, she reports on the weather and gives us all of the latest news about whatever.”
The sounds of them “oooh”ing and “aah”ing could be heard from all around you. With Al-haitham and Dainsleif just giving a small “mhm.”
You spend the next few minutes just eating breakfast and watching them all eye the TV and listen closely to the woman. This was.. interesting to them, they had never experienced this before.
Finally you were done eating breakfast, you were the last one to finish so as you began to wash your dish, you looked back and found Neuvillette behind you.
“Oh- god!” Your body jolted as your heart rate spiked up. “You scared me!” You said, sort of breathless.
Neuvillette sends you an apologetic look and apologies. “I’m so sorry for scaring you like that.. I apologize. I should’ve told you beforehand..” his brows furrowed, he looked extremely guilty it was eating your heart away. You couldn’t just not forgive him!
“It’s really okay Neuvillette! I just got a little scare was all..” you laughed at his scared face and turned back around to wash your dish. “What did you want?”
There was silence at first, Neuvillette didn’t respond, there seemed to be a nervous and awkward tension between you two.
“Neuvillette..? Did you want something?” You repeated, placing your dish in the dish rack before washing the other utensils, still awaiting his response.
“I-..” Neuvillette pauses, cheeks slightly tinted with red. “I uhm. I wanted to..” all of the sudden Neuvillette suddenly pulls you in a hug from behind, his arms awkwardly wrapped around your waist.
You were caught off guard by his action but you already knew all of them were touch-deprived and or just wanted to be next to you all the time.
“What’s the matter?” You asked, letting him embrace you in his warm arms from behind. “When I saw Childe hugging you I just.. felt something weird. I wanted to, lord forbid, push him and take his place.”
His words caught you off guard causing you to laugh abruptly and drop the utensils in the sink, a loud "CLUNK!" could be heard. "Oh whoops.. any who uh- Neuvillette are you.." you turn around and raise your brow, smirking up at him.
"Am I what?"
"Are you jealous~" your teasing voice made his heart skip a beat, his eyes focused on you, brows furrowing. "Me? Jealous? I don't know what you mean." Neuvillette sighed, his grip on your waist tightened.
You eyed him and slowly nodded your head. "Mhm.. sure.." Neuvillette peeks his head to the side and spots the utensils still unwashed. "Would you like me to clean the rest? You could go rest and bond with the rest."
Turning your head back around to look at the utensils that laid in the sink. You hummed for a few seconds before responding—"why don't we both clean them? You wanted to be with me right?"
Neuvillette nods his head, offering you a smile. You two began to wash the dishes together with Neuvillette standing beside you, after a few minutes all the dishes were on the dish rack, water dripping off down into the sink.
"All done! Now let's go join the others" you excitedly hummed, grabbing a hold of Neuvillette's arm and walking over to where the rest were.
Kazuha smiled and waved his hand at the both of you, once spotting you with Neuvillette. "You're back! What do you want to do now?"
You sit down on the end of the couch and sighed. "I'm not sure.. I do need to clean my house though, its been a while since I last cleaned it." ever since the men appeared in your room your house has.. sort of been trashed.
Not entirely trashed (Thoma, Kazuha, Diluc, Tighnari and Al-haitham kept the house clean) but still, you really needed to do a deep clean—ever since you've bought a house it really has been a hassle to keep everything in place as you were still in college and had to multi-task.
The mention of cleaning your house definenetly perked some heads up. "Cleaning? I can help!" Thoma offers, eyes shining with excitement (yes he loves cleaning and cooking and everything domestic, he IS the male wife).
"Me too!" "me three, I can help as well!" others chimed in as well, Childe stood up and raised his hand. "I will be the biggest help, don't worry Y/n! What's the biggest job I can do?"
Everybody groaned at the ginger's words and shook their heads in disappointment. Giving his words a thought, you hummed and put on your thinking face.
"Hm.. well I would say cleaning every single crevice you know.. the nook and crannies." you replied, smiling at Childe. He immediately grabbed a duster and set off to clean single crevice.
"I'll wipe the surfaces and all." Al-haitham states, getting up and grabbing some wipes before doing his thing.
"I'll organize your clothes Y/n! Oh and ours too"
"I'll go mop the floors."
Soon, you pretty much gave everybody a role to do (or they just gave themselves the role) and they all set off to do their jobs. Honestly, this had to be one of the best days ever—your house was going to be squeaky clean and plus you get to see them doing domestic chores.
"If you guys need any help just ask me okay?" you mentioned, dusting the books on a shelf. A collective "yes ma'am!" could be heard. They were so respectful it made you fold.
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After what felt like hours of cleaning (it was, approximately 4 hours of cleaning) you flopped down on the couch along with a few others and heaved a great sight.
"Good job everybody!! the house looks so much cleaner now..." you sighed, chest heaving up and down. You were all tired, apart from Thoma, Tighnari, Al-haitham and Albedo, they still had energy left.
As you got up from the couch to fetch a glass of cold water, you got a fright from seeing Gorou sitting at your feet, looking up at you with puppy-dog eyes.
"Gorou? What's wrong?" you asked, your heart melting at the sight of his ears pressing flat against his head. Gorou stared up at you—his eyes glistening.
He inches closer to you, his arms wrapping around your legs. "What. Is. He. Doing." Childe whispered to Pantalone, eyeing Gorou with... some disgust. Pantalone shrugs. "Lord knows what."
"Uhm, If I may ask Y/n.. Do you think I did a good job today? For uh.. cleaning the house."
Your brows furrowed in confusion as he asked the question. What does that even have to do with anything.. "Yes, you have, why?" you questioned, watching Gorou lower his gaze to the floor.
Everybody watches as the scene unfolds, they were confused, scared, worried, but more so confused.
"Could I get a head-pat?" Gorou asked quietly, his eyes still focused on the floor, his head lowered as if to invite you to pat your head. Was he asking for a head-pat (some kind of reward) for his hard work?
Nodding your head, you began to pat his head softly, enjoying how soft his hair was, your hands would occasionally caress his ears and my god were they super soft!! Heat rushed to Gorou's cheeks as he realized you had no intention of stopping. Not that he was complaining.
"Gorou.. did you know your hair is very soft? Like, unbelievably soft! I could touch it all day if I could.." you exclaimed, if Gorou allowed you, you would definenetly be running your fingers through his hair furiously because it was just way too soft.
You wondered if the other's hair were soft too, I mean, all of theirs's looks soft, Neuvillette and Ayato's looked soft and silky. You should go look for an excuse to touch their hair soon..
As everybody watched Gorou enjoy his head-pats, they all eyed him with jealousy (if you look closely you can clearly see fume coming out of their ears right now), wishing that they were in his position—receiving head-pats from you, what a dream. And they were sure to make it come true.
"Ahem, dearest Y/n, don't you think that I too, did a fantastic job in scrubbing the shower too?" Kaeya sighs dramatically, sliding down and sitting next to you, batting his pretty eyelashes at you.
You turned to face him, pursuing your lips. "Well.. I mean.. yeeeessss..?"
It was a bit confusing after that, Kaeya asked for you to pat his head as well, saying that he "deserved it" (which he did) but then after that the others started to ask for some head-pats too. So in the end you had to give everybody a head-pat, it was very time consuming.
Soon, it was 1 pm—it was time for lunch. Time has gone by so fast with them, you (unfortunately) stop petting Al-haitham's hair and stand up from the couch.
"I'll go make some lunch now okay? Something simple like maybe a sandwich or something, is anyone hungry?"
While a few replied with "I'm hungry" some replied saying that they weren't hungry and would eat a snack of some sort. You began to grab out the ingredients to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich.
You made sure that the men weren't allergic to anything beforehand, you would definenetly not be having beans around Itto at all, while you were busy making everybody sandwiches, Zhongli sat on the chair behind the kitchen counter, watching your every move.
It was sort of uncomfortable, yes, but you didn't really mind at all. You were used to their curious stares after all.
"Zhongli, would you like to be the first one to try it out? I want to see if I need to add anything or fix anything up."
This wasn't your first time making sandwiches but still, you were positive they weren't used to your (earth) sandwiches so why not make Zhongli your taste-tester?
Zhongli nods his head, giving you a warm smile in the process and god was he so handsome. "Of course, It would be an honor to be the first to taste your sandwich." and with that you placed the plate – with the grilled cheese sandwich on it – on the counter, waiting for Zhongli to take his first bite and his opinions on it.
As Zhongli grabs the sandwich and takes the first bite, munching on it. You weren't nervous at all, watching him eat your sandwich. Okay that was a lie you were totally nervous. I mean making a grilled cheese sandwich? Nothing big! But the fact that Zhongli, a handsome, fine, fancy man is sitting right across from you and eating your sandwich is!!!
Studying his face got you nowhere. His face was as always, nonchalant and somewhat still, after swallowing, he looked up and set his gaze on your face.
"It's... amazing! I've never had anything like this before, a simple grilled cheese sandwich I've had but to have it made from you and in your household, in your world, makes it all the better. The taste is also immaculate, truly other worldly. Quite literally."
You crack a smile at his joke at the end and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god.. so it's okay, thanks Zhongli!" you thanked him before going back to making some more before finally setting them all down on the kitchen table, counter, and coffee tables (and some other places as well since those all of them can't fit in three spots).
Tighnari had noticed that you had a couple of plants in your home, they were.. not in the best condition, he had to say. But that was no problem! He could help you raise and take care of them.
"Say, Y/n. Please do not take any offense to this whatsoever but do you take care of your plants?"
The question was out of the blue, yes, and it did catch you off-guard for sure. "Oh- uh, my plants? Well the truth is I haven't really been taking care of them.. I mean I would love to but I'm very forgetful." You explained while smiling sheepishly, it was embarrassing after all.
Tighnari nods at your response and offers you help to which you obviously agree to! I mean who wouldn't? He would take care and nurture your dying plants? Deal!
Everybody began to eat lunch as for the ones who weren't hungry just lounged in your room, Al-haitham read a historical book that you haven't even finished reading (you only bought it because of you thought the cover was really vintage), Pierro stood in front of your window, staring out to the view of the skyscrapers and buildings. Albedo and Cyno were sitting on your bed in silence, waiting for you to finish eating and come back.
"What a total weirdo.." Cyno whispers to Albedo, eyeing the tall, old (and stinky, that's what they call him) fatui. Albedo simply glances at Pierro and looks back at Cyno, confused. "How so? I think it's totally normal to gaze out of the window, don't you think? I mean, the view is absolutely fantastic out there.. so many things we've never seen and don't you agree that the flowers that bloom down near the window looks absolutely-"
Cyno groaned as Albedo ranted on and on, what Albedo was trying to say was basically, staring out the window was "normal". But of course, he couldn't be rude about it so he had to painfully listen to Albedo spitting out nonsense.
Finally, you (along with others) finished your food and washed your dish before walking into your room, leaving everybody else who was still not done (Heizou, Kaveh and surprisingly, Tighnari, are slow eaters).
"You're done eating? What do you want to do now?" Pierro asked, his voice rumbling deeply that it gave Cyno a spook, it gave him the hibbie jibbies. Humming, you thought about your answer but concluded that you wanted to do nothing but sleep.
"Eh, not really. I do want to get a nap in though, I'm sort of tired." You yawned, flopping down onto your bed between Cyno and Albedo. "Would you want us to leave and let you sleep in peace or..?" Pierro asked once again, his face scanning yours.
You shake your head, covering your body in your sheets and curling into a ball. "I'm okay with you guys here don't worry. Pierro could you close the blinds please?"
Pierro nods and closes the blinds at your command, the room now dimly lit. Soon your heavy eyelids take over, but not before the sound of the door clicking open and then followed by Childe complaining about you leaving him.
The obvious sounds of groaning and complaints about Childe could be heard too (Itto was complaining REALLY loudly.), Cyno shushes everybody entering your room, pointing at your trying-to-fall-asleep figure.
"Ooooh, whoops! Sorry Y/n!" Childe apologizes, cringing at the thought of his loud voice waking you up. You could barely hear him though, drowsiness taking over your body and thoughts, nothing was left in your brain except for one thing—sleep.
Kaeya rolls his eyes at Childe before slowing and carefully closing the door shut. "It's only 2:30 pm, isn't sleeping in the afternoon bad or something?" Gorou asked, peeking his head from behind Itto to look at you.
Albedo hums. "Well, yes, but considering that they have been tiring themselves out since we've arrived, I think they deserve this well-deserved rest. Don't you agree?"
The surrounding men agreed, nodding their heads. "I agree, we should let Y/n sleep, I think I should too, without Y/n I'll be bored..." Kazuha yawns, already getting ready to take an afternoon nap with you.
After Kazuha laid down on the mattress, a few others started to mirror his actions. Itto, Ayato, Capitano, Thoma and Kaveh began to settle down on the mattresses while the others went to the other room to take a nap as well (some didn't want to so they stayed out of the rooms and watched the TV or played board games).
Normally when you sleep during the afternoon, you would wake up in the middle of the night, and oftentimes you fail to fall back asleep. And that is exactly what happened to you.
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In the dimly lit room, darkness envelops every corner. The only source of light is the faint glow seeping through the curtains, painting the room in a hazy ambiance. You lie on your bed peacefully, your chest rising and falling rhythmically with each gentle breath you take in your sleep, the softness of the pillows cradling your head.
The darkness of the room seems to cocoon you and everybody, it is as if the night itself has woven a protective blanket around you all, the silence is broken only by the distant hum of the city, a lullaby that lulls you deeper into your peaceful slumber.
But soon, your eyelids flutter gently, and in the dark room, you can hazily make out the scene before you. Outside, the moon casted its soft glow through the window, casting delicate patterns on the bodies of the men and on the wall. It illuminates your face.
It was so comforting to you, the soft glow of the moonlight completing everything.
As you take in your surroundings you begin to understand that you were cuddling Kazuha while Ayato had his arms wrapped around you. Smiling softly, you snuggled in closer to Kazuha's chest—pressing your cheek against his warm and slowly rising chest.
And in this dimly lit room, you slumber on, oblivious to the world outside. The darkness embraced you like a mother's embrace, offering comfort, it is a place where dreams are born and nurtured, where the imagination takes flight and as the night deepens and silence engulfs the room, you continued to sleep peacefully, unaware of the outside world.
But then before you could fall asleep your eyes shot open, I have to work tomorrow. Groaning, you nuzzled your face more into Kazuha's chest, knowing the next day would be tiring.
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note: IM SO SORRY FOR PROCRASTINATINGGGG i just got home a couple days ago and my jet lag is pretty bad and i have to work and all of that jazz!! thankfully i got myself together and finished it :)
taglist: @tomansimp @one-offmind @miitchiji @dainsleif-when-playable @momoewn @stygianoir @irethepotato @v4an @imetsk @fiannee @sunnyf4lls @goldenglow149 @rhwm @urlocalheizousimp @hex-vx @saltylovetale @backintomykpopphaseagain @toramune @oreo-ren @serenity-loves-red @flooofity @minteasketches @amaizverydum @lovelive-animequeen1029 @roseapov @yuraasia @chellazhef @fulldoves @kateybuggi @wanderingconstellations @mini-shower @160ccm @rosariashield @sickize @sarah22447 @dreamlessnight @gimmealamp @bebeluvs @caramelstarlight @sukiidreams @oceanisty @achy-boo @alhaitie @dilucragnvindr-my-beloved @that-mom-friend @v-sh @merormerry @gojoulen03 @scarletttcroww @hadischara @kithewanderingme @keiqq @livelaughlovekuni @chirikoheina @wr1t3rfum1k0 @issacdaholi @yu-ulda @alysinbshsu
(if the usernames aren’t highlighted that’s because I can’t tag you so I’ll dm you when I post a new chapter!)
liking + following + reblogs are greatly appreciated!!!
1K notes · View notes
quin-ns · 1 year
Text
Assigned Seat (JJ Maybank x Reader)
Word count: 2.8K
Summary: JJ won’t sit in the correct seat because it’s not next to you
Tags: fluff, mutual crushes, lots of flirting, JJ being cute, slightly oblivious reader, getting together, everyone ships, just cute fun fr
A/N: binged obx and this is my first fic for it and of course I had to write for JJ- he’s my fave. also, it’s s2 when school starts but let’s say they know that john b is alive before the first day of class bc I don’t want this to be angsty lol
cross-posted to ao3 • obx masterlist • writing masterlist
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First day back in your first class of the day—Mr. Sunn’s history class—and you were greeted with a seating chart. Usually, you would just sit with your friends, but now you saw that Pope and Kiara weren’t in the same row like they usually would’ve been when you all shared a class. You didn’t even see JJ at all yet. You wondered if he’d show up. It was the one class that you actually had with him, so you hoped he would. Otherwise you wouldn’t see him until lunch break.
You found your seat with ease, but gave Kie a light frown when she turned around and saw you weren’t anywhere close to her or Pope.
About a minute before class was about to start, JJ walked through the door. He spotted you and grinned. He headed for the empty seat beside you and dropped down in it.
“Hey,” JJ greeted. “I was almost late but here I am.”
You laughed a little (mostly because of how proud he sounded). “Yeah, I see that.”
“So, what’s up?” he asked, side eyeing Kie and Pope. “Are we avoiding them for some reason or…?”
“What? No,” you replied quickly. “Appreciate that you were instantly on my side, though,” you said with an amused tone. 
JJ smiled at the comment. “I appreciate the appreciation.”
You rolled your eyes but smiled back nonetheless.
“If you two are done flirting, perhaps Mr. Maybank could move to his correct seat and we can get class started,” Mr. Sunn called out suddenly. You and JJ both were startled, realizing he was talking to you
JJ furrowed his brows. “Correct seat?” he whispered. “What is he talking about?”
“There’s a seating chart,” you muttered back, finally remembering.
“What?” JJ asked a little louder. “That’s lame,” he grumbled. 
“Well, tough,” Mr. Sunn replied, clearly having heard. “And according to my lame seating chart, you’re on the other side of the room.”
“It’s an empty seat,” JJ pointed out. 
“Actually, it’s Mr. Kane’s seat,” Mr. Sunn gestured towards a boy standing near you guys that you embarrassingly enough just now noticed. 
“Well, great, he can have my seat,” JJ suggested with that cheeky smile of his. 
Mr. Sunn looked from JJ to you. “You must be something special, Ms. Y/L/N. I’ve never had someone fight so hard to keep a seat.”
All you could do was laugh awkwardly, very aware of all the eyes on you. You gave JJ a look, asking for him to save you from being the center of attention on the first day. The only way he could was by relenting. 
With a sigh that you would deem dramatic, JJ stood and grabbed his backpack. Mr. Sunn held up the seating chart paper. Everyone watched as he went to the front of the class and glanced at the paper, and then found his actual seat on the opposite side of the room. 
“You can see your girlfriend after class,” Mr. Sunn commented in response to your friend losing the argument.
You weren’t his girlfriend, but neither you or JJ corrected him. You didn’t because frankly, you’d gotten your fill of attention. You weren’t sure why JJ didn’t, though. 
Besides, you weren’t totally against people thinking that. It was still weird having a teacher call you out like that, though.
The kid who had been waiting for JJ to vacate his seat gave you an apologetic look before turning his attention to pulling out a notebook.
You made eye contact with JJ across the classroom and he winked.
“Now that everyone is in their correct seat,” Mr. Sunn announced. “We can get started with class.”
Everyone turned to focus on Mr. Sunn going over the first day syllabus, except for Kie. You caught her looking at you and you met her eyes. She raised her brows as if to ask, “what was that?”
You shrugged, telling her that you didn’t know. It was true, you didn’t. 
After class, no one brought it up so you didn’t say anything about it either. You all went about your day and soon, the whole seat incident left your mind.
The next day you were reminded of it.
You arrived to history with Pope, chatting about the syllabus and what supplies you still needed to get. Kie was already in class. You said hi and then bye and headed to your seat. JJ was the last to show up, cutting it close again. You gave him a small wave, assuming you weren’t going to get to talk to him until after class.
Except, he walked right up to you and sat down next to you. 
You raised your brows at him. “What are you doing?”
“Well, hello to you too,” JJ acknowledged with a light chuckle. 
“He’s gonna tell you to move again,” you predicted. 
JJ shrugged it off. “Like some seating chart is gonna keep me away from my favorite girl,” he retorted in a playful tone. 
You smiled, ready to go along with his flirting. “Favorite, huh?”
He put his elbow on his desk and leaned on his hand. “What, you didn’t know that? I coulda swore I made it obvious.”
You hummed, ready to hit back with a sly comment. Until you were interrupted.
“Is this going to become a daily occurrence?” Mr. Sunn’s voice tore you and JJ away from the gaze you held. You both looked to the front of the class, where he stood watching you two. “I believe you know your correct seat, Mr. Maybank.”
“I forgot, actually,” JJ lied easily. “I’m pretty comfortable here, though.”
Mr. Sunn rolled his eyes and held back any indication that he found the situation as funny as you did. “I can’t have my students revolting,” he decided. He pointed to JJ’s assigned seat, waiting for him to move.
“It’s only 45 minutes, JJ,” you told him. “I think you can survive.”
“Fine, fine,” he told you and Mr. Sunn. He got up and moved to his seat. The boy that sat next to you came out of nowhere and took the seat. 
After class, you met up with your friends. You were about to walk with JJ to the hall where both your next classes were, but Kie decided something different.
“I gotta go to the bathroom,” she announced. “Y/N- come with me?”
Except you didn’t really feel like she was asking. 
“Um, sure,” you agreed and headed off with her in the other direction of the boys.
“Why do girls always do that?” JJ wondered, watching as the two of you turned a corner.
“Girls just do that,” Pope explained. “This time they’re going to talk about you, dude. For sure.”
“About me?” JJ furrowed his brows. “What about me?”
“About how you like Y/N and that it’s totally obvious now. To everyone.” 
JJ just shrugged. He thought everyone already knew. The only person he really wanted to know was you, but you never seemed to think he was serious. You always flirted back and that was fun, but maybe he had to up his game.
Oddly, no one brought up the seat incident yet again as a group. Kiara and Pope did observe you and JJ closer, but even if the flirting was a little more obvious, it didn’t go beyond that.
Next day in history, it was a repeat of the previous days.
“I’m starting to think you like me,” you joked to JJ when he sat down beside you.
“It took you this long?” he responded teasingly. You tried to not read into it, not wanting to get your hopes up. Not realizing that he was hoping you would read into it.
Mr. Sunn looked up from his desk when the bell for class to start rang. Immediately, as if in a force of habit, his eyes landed on you and JJ. Once again he would have to start the class period by telling JJ to move.
“You must have amnesia,” Mr. Sunn directed towards JJ. Everyone knew that, he didn’t have to say his name.
You and JJ exchanged a look and a small laugh. You’d gotten over any level of embarrassment that came from people chuckling and eyeing you and JJ. 
“Can’t you just make an exception?” JJ asked. He was bargaining but didn’t have anything to offer.
Kie threw a smirk over her shoulder at you, but you avoided eye contact. 
Yesterday she had spent the “bathroom” trip convincing you that JJ really did like you—as more than just a friend. She knew you liked him, but also knew you were avoiding telling JJ. You didn’t want to mess with your friendship by making what you had always assumed was just friendly banter into something awkward and feeling like an idiot for thinking it was some kind of signal if it wasn’t. 
If she hadn’t sworn to JJ that she wouldn’t tell you how he felt, she would have cleared it up yesterday. But of course you didn’t know that.
Mr. Sunn’s lips pulled into a tight line. You couldn’t tell if he was genuinely annoyed or amused. “If you’re next to her, how can I expect you to pay attention in class?” 
At that, the whole class chuckled. Even you. At least Mr. Sunn had a good sense of humor.
JJ blushed a little at that. You hadn’t seen him flustered like this in… well, it had been a long time. He couldn’t think of a comeback as quickly as he usually did. Too many seconds passed for him to recover, so he had no choice. 
JJ grabbed his backpack. “I’ll see you after class,” he promised. 
“You always do,” you replied just loud enough for him to hear as he stood. He shot you a smile before walking over to his assigned seat.
Class moved slowly, although at least the subject was mildly interesting compared to your other ones this semester.
When the bell rang, you waited for your friends and you all walked out of class together. 
“JJ, are you trying to get in trouble?” Pope asked, almost accusingly.
JJ scoffed out a laugh. “Don’t be dramatic, I’m not gonna get in trouble over a seat.”
“Interesting that you keep going for a seat that’s right next to Y/N,” Kiara mused in a knowing tone.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” you told her, but not in a serious way. You and JJ flirted but you didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable by her comments, implying that there was more.
Turns out it was the opposite. You didn’t see the way JJ looked at you. You were focused on the eye roll Kie gave before saying bye and heading to her next class. Pope followed suit, leaving you and JJ to walk to your next classes together.
“Y’know, if Kie wants to think… that,” JJ started, referencing her very obvious implication. “Or if anyone else does… I wouldn’t mind.”
You stared up at him, a bit taken aback. You and JJ had always been close and flirted, and even though you had a crush on him and all your friends were convinced he had a crush on you, neither of you brought it up or confronted it. JJ was taking the first step.
“I wouldn’t mind either,” you admitted, smiling lightly. 
JJ looked surprised, then relieved. “Really?”
You only let out a small laugh, “I’ll see you later,” you told him. You were about to walk to your class further down the hall, but stuck around for a moment longer. “Tomorrow, just sit in your seat,” you suggested. “Mr. Sunn is a chill guy but it’s gonna be a long year if we start off annoying him.”
“We’re not annoying,” JJ faked offense. “But yeah, alright,” he relented. “I guess I’ll just have to stare longing across the class,” he teased.
Your smile grew. “Yeah, I guess so,” you replied smoothly. Then, you walked away towards your class.
“We’re still meeting up with Pope and Kie later, right?” JJ called after you.
“Yeah,” you called back, not looking over your shoulder.
You hung out with your friends later and gone about your day. You and JJ of course flirted, but nothing more than usual. Pope didn’t bring it up again and Kiara just shot you knowing smirks. 
Next day in Mr. Sunn’s class, much to your surprise, when JJ walked into class he gave you a light wave and continued on to his assigned seat. He was following your advice, which was a hard thing to get JJ to do. You looked over and realized he was standing near where his seat was. 
And that someone was already in it.
The guy who was supposed to sit by you was in JJ’s seat. Meaning there was an empty seat right beside you.
JJ looked over his shoulder at you and grinned. He waltzed over, suddenly in a much better mood.
“Is this seat taken?” he asked you cheekily.
You looked past him to see the guy in JJ’s seat. He gave you a shrug and a look that said, “you’re welcome.” You almost laughed. 
“I guess not,” you answered JJ, looking back at him with a smile of your own.
He sat down in the seat, victorious. 
Mr. Sunn walked in when class started and went to the board.
“I see my words mean nothing to you, Mr. Maybank,” Mr. Sunn said, spotting JJ.
A smirk crossed your friend's face. “Actually,” he started, perking up. “My seat was taken.” 
Mr. Sunn looked at JJ's actual seat and sighed. The kid looked a little guilty but didn’t say anything. He looked back at JJ. “Fine, you win,” he decided. Then, he began to write on the board. 
After class, you and JJ parted from Kie and Pope to walk together to your next class. 
“I can’t believe he finally gave in,” you said with a laugh.
“I can be persuasive,” JJ replied smoothly.
You let out another laugh. “That was not persuasive. That was…I don’t know what that was,” you admitted.
“Fine, but I got what I wanted,” JJ revealed. It was no surprise, but there was something underlying in his tone. 
“Hey, I’m not complaining,” you held your hands up in surrender. The two of you stopped outside of your class and faced one another.
A small smile tugged at his lips. “I would hope not.” 
“I’ll see you later,” you told him. “Don’t miss me too much,” you decided to add on. 
“Oh, baby, I always do,” he played along casually. 
Your face felt warm at the nickname, but you didn’t say anything more. When you all hung out later, the interaction played through your mind.
You were too distracted to realize JJ was staring at you all night—or at least that’s what Kie had told you later.
The next day in Mr. Sunn’s class, JJ was there before you. You couldn’t remember the last time he was ever in a class before you. You walked to your seat and he smiled up at you.
“Hi there,” you greeted, sitting down beside JJ. “For once you actually came to class early,” you pointed out. 
“Well, I had a reason to,” JJ replied with a smile. “I wanted to ask you something.”
You chuckled, thinking of a joke. “Do you need an alibi?”
“Ha ha,” he said sarcastically. “I’m serious though.” Your expression turned confused. “Not like, serious serious. Don’t look so worried.”
“Alright, what is it?” 
“After school today would you wanna hang out? Just me and you?” JJ asked with a hint of nervousness.
“We hang out all the time,” you started knowingly. “So if you’re asking…” you mused, suppressing a smile (you were having a hard time with that, though). “Is this you asking me on a date, JJ?” 
“Maybe,” JJ said with a tad of nervousness. “Would you want to?”
“Yeah,” you answered without hesitation. You could’ve held out longer and maybe messed with a little, but you decided against that.
JJ looked pleasantly surprised. “Really?”
In your head, you were beaming with excitement. Out loud you confirmed, “it’s a date.”
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Mr. Sunn called to you and JJ, interrupting. “But since it seems important, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing with the class.”
“Well, I’ve got a date later, so that’s pretty great,” JJ practically bragged, not missing a beat. “As for how that goes, I don’t kiss and tell.” 
JJ shot you a wink after that, Kie and Pope looked over their shoulders so fast you thought their heads were gonna spin, and Mr. Sunn actually looked impressed.
“About time,” someone in the class spoke up. It was an unfamiliar voice. When you located the source, you found it was the boy in JJ’s old seat.
And what did you do? Well, all you could do was let out a laugh and share a smile with JJ.
You had a feeling this class was going to be much more fun now—although, maybe not as much fun as your date with JJ.
6K notes · View notes
disasterofastory · 7 months
Text
A shocking night (Brahms Heelshire x Reader)
A shocking night // Brahms Heelshire Masterlist Brahms Heelshire x Reader Kinktober 2023 - 2/14 Warnings: shower smut, a bit dub-c, dead bodies
Summary: You meet Brahms, the living one, for the first time.
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It's so quiet you can hear the rapid beating of your heart as it tries to break free from the hold of your ribcage. Your chest heaves as you pant and gulp for air. Your lungs burn. You can feel the wild rhythm of your pulse at the tip of your fingers. It makes your limbs numb and frozen. It makes you stop from running and escaping this hellhole.
The entrance door of the mansion seems far away. Too far away.
Your eyes are on the man. He is the only one still alive. The other three lie on the ground, bloody and motionless. They chose the wrong house to break into. Your attention falls on them for a second before snapping back at the one who stares at you from behind his mask. The white but dirty porcelain is familiar. Too familiar.
"Brahms?" Your voice is high and panicked. At first, you think he doesn't even understand your question. He tilts his head to the side before nodding. His posture is still tense and ready to jump at any second if you dare to move even an inch. His broad chest moves up and down as he pants. The white shirt he wears is dirty and bloody, too. Everything is.
How is it possible? You heard about the history of the family who hired you. Malcolm told you about their son who died in the fire that still marks the outside of the house. That's why you were so accepting to take care of a toy. You had no idea what secret they hid among the tall walls of the mansion.
"Y/N?" Your heart stops beating for a second when a high, childlike voice pulls you out of your thoughts. Your eyes focus back on the man in front of you. "Yes?" You ask back, gasping. "Are you going to leave?" He asks. It's a dangerous question. You hear the silent warning underneath his words. "No, Brahms," you force yourself to speak. "I won't leave you." He nods. Even through the mask, you can see the satisfaction that your reply brings to him. "Did they hurt you?"
Did they hurt you? You have to think about his question. You don't remember. Everything happened so fast. In one second, you were asleep, and the next, you woke up at the sharp sound of breaking glass. You went to see what it was, and before you knew it, chaos ensued. Brahms broke through a mirror and killed everyone. Well, expect you.
He steps closer, and your back presses against the wall as you try to keep your distance from him. His hand lands on your shoulder, sliding over the curve until he reaches your neck. His touch is surprisingly gentle.
Oh, now you remember. One of the men grabbed your neck when they noticed you. Your head is still dizzy because of it. And because of everything else. "I'm fine," you tell him. "Please, Brahms." Tears gather in your eyes as you stand still in his hold. "Please, don't hurt me." The man frowns behind the mask as he moves his gaze from your neck to your face. Your face is wet from crying. Your eyes shine with tears and panic. He shakes his head. "If you are good to me, I will be good to you." His words do nothing to calm you down, and his thin voice makes you want to cry harder. How is it even possible? The boy, the man in front of you, should be dead. Taking a deep breath, you reach for his hand still on your neck. His fingers curl around your fingers instantly. "We have to do something with… them," you tell him, glancing at the lifeless bodies behind Brahms.
You are not even sure what you should do. Call the police? You are sure Brahms wouldn't let you, and you would end up in prison without a question. Nobody would believe you. But maybe being behind bars would be better than staying here.
"I will take care of them," Brahms says. His voice is normal now, and you are surprised at how good it sounds. "What will you do with them?" You ask him. "I will take care of them," he repeats his previous words, and you get the hint. "Okay," you nod. "Take care of them, Brahms." At your instruction, the man's posture straightens. He almost seems happy that you told him what to do. "I will go and make some tea, okay?" You ask him. He is not happy about letting you go out of his sight, but the promise of warm tea after he is done makes him relent.
You know this is your chance to escape, but you can't make yourself do it. You are too afraid. And too tired. You sit at the kitchen island for what it feels like forever. You hear Brahms moving around in the other room, and you can see his dark form outside, but the greenery of the garden hides what he is doing. Well, you have a guess, anyway.
"Are you done?" You ask him when he appears under the door of the kitchen. He is even more dirty than he was. His boots are almost black because of the mud outside.
You have to clean up everything tomorrow. You stop at the thought. What? There is no way you will stay and play nanny after this madness.
When Brahms nods, you push the other mug his way, and he sits down in front of you. "How will you-?" Before you can finish your question, he pulls on the mask, and you get a glimpse of his thick beard and lips. "Oh." For long seconds, none of you say anything. Brahms just stares at you while sipping from his cup, and you look back at him with several unanswered questions. "Brahms," you break the silence after a while, clearing your throat. You are still afraid to say the wrong thing and anger him. As it seems, he has a sure place for dead bodies. He says nothing but watches you, waiting. "You were here the… whole time?" He nods. "And the… doll? It is just a toy, isn't it?" He nods again. The thought of him watching you without your knowledge sends unease down your spine. He was there the whole time, and you did know nothing about it. "Your parents," you continue. The words roll down your tongue slowly and carefully. "They wanted to protect you." You heard about him killing a little girl. Brahms nods, putting down the mug onto the wooden surface. It's empty. You have not enough courage to ask him why he did what he did. "You…" Your throat tightens. "You killed those men so easily." He reminded you of a feral beast, taking down those men easily and quickly. Even when they begged, Brahms didn't have mercy in his heart to throw them out and let them run away. "They hurt you," he says. His gaze falls on your neck, watching the dark bruise already forming on your soft skin. It makes him angry. "You came out to protect me?" He looks into your eyes again as he nods. "Will you hurt me?" He thinks for a long, horrible second and shakes his head. The dark curls on the top of his head frame the porcelain mask on his face. "The mask," you continue. "You can take it off." His muscles tense, and he shakes his head again. "Okay," you nod, looking at the clock on the wall. "It's late Brahms. You should take a shower and go to sleep." "No," he replies, and his voice is childlike and high again. You frown at his answer. "Do you want to go to sleep like this?" You ask him. He is dirty and bloody and sweaty. He shakes his head. "Then go and shower. You will sleep better." "No." "Brahms," you sigh. "It's late, and I'm tired. Please, just do as I say." After watching over the doll for weeks, you fall into your caretaker role automatically. "Will you be there?" "While you shower?" He nods. "If you want me there." You have to force your face not to grimace. "Will you bathe me?" 'No' is your first reaction, but you keep it yourself. He is so calm now. You don't want to do anything that can disturb it. "If you want to." He nods again, standing up. "Then go and get some clothes and meet me in your room, okay?" You can see he wants to argue for a second but decides against it at the end. He must be tired, too.
While you wait for Brahms in his room, your eyes are glued to the doll in the middle of the bed. He stares back at you. The dim lights reflect in his glass eyes. You are almost angry at it. There were moments during your time here when you foolishly thought taking care of a toy wasn't the biggest waste of your time.
A thought gets stuck in your head, and you frown. Your eyes are still on the doll when you hear the real Brahms's arrival. "Brahms," you say his name. He stops, watching your back until you turn to look at him. He holds his clean clothes against his chest. "Your parent. They won't come back." Your question sounds like a statement, but the man nods anyway.
You need several deep breaths to calm yourself. Upsetting Brahms won't lead you anywhere good.
"Come," you break the silence after a while. Your voice is surprisingly steady. "The sooner you get cleaned, the sooner we can go to sleep."
In the small space of the bathroom, Brahms seems even bigger. He towers over you easily, watching you put his clean clothes on the toilet through his mask. His heart is wild in his chest. He imagined you this close to him so many times before. Of course, he acted on his desires several times, but now you are awake. You know about him. And you will stay. "Take off your clothes, Brahms," you tell him, trying to look everywhere else but him as he slowly does as you say. "You don't like me?" His voice is a mix of his real and childlike pitch. You gulp. "Of course, I like you, Brahms." "Then why don't you look at me?" He is confused. You don't like how he looks like? Maybe you would prefer Malcolm instead of him? The thought angers him. That man is weak and incapable of protecting you. You force yourself to look at him. "I just thought you would feel uncomfortable," you lie. Oh. The man calms down within a second. How nice of you. "Now go," you tell him, pointing at the already running water. For a moment, you think he will obey again, but at the last second, he grabs your wrist, trying to pull you with himself. "Brahms!" You gasp. "What are you doing?" "You are dirty, too." "I will take a shower after you go to sleep." "No." "Brahms!" You don't stand a chance against his strength. The sleeve of your shirt is already wet. "Get in with me!" The anger is clear and powerful in his voice. Blood freezes in your veins at his sudden aggression. "Okay! Okay!" You gasp, afraid. With a quick step, you are under the water, too, letting your clothes get soaked and stick to your body.
Being so close to him, you don't have any other option but to stare at his bare upper body. His skin is several shades darker, with dried blood and dirt on it. His chest is covered in dark hair that barely hides his hard muscles. How can he be so fit while living inside the walls?
"No," he breaks the silence when you reach out for the sponge. "I don't want that." After his last outburst, you decide to let it go. Pouring some soap in your palm, you smear it all over his chest. Your lungs burn for air as you stare into nothing, trying not to think about what you are doing right now. You can feel his muscles quiver and move under your touch. "Am I a good boy?" Brahms asks, making you look up at him in surprise. "Yes," you reply. "You are a good boy." "I protected you." "You did, Brahms." "And good boys get rewards, right?" You gulp. "I guess you are right." "Then take off your clothes." Fuck. "I will take off my clothes if you wash your hair. I can't reach it." The man thinks about it for a second, then nods. By the time you reach for your shirt, he is already washing his hair.
Brahms's heart thuds in his chest as he watches you get rid of your clothes. Soon, you are bare and soft in front of him. Your hair is soaked, and small drops of water run over your skin, caressing the parts he wants to touch, too. His large palms almost burn with need, and his fingers twitch with need. "Am I still a good boy?" He asks, staring down at you. He doesn't even try to hide the fact that he is mesmerized by your breasts. Your nipples are hard peaks almost grazing his chest. "Yes." Your reply is barely louder than a whisper. "Then I can wash you too." It's more of a statement. "Brahms, I don't think it-" Your words end in a startled gasp as he tugs you closer without your permission. His hands are large on your back. His erection is pressed between your bodies. The friction makes him grunt. He caresses your skin, starting on your back and slowly but surely slipping to your front. His thumb flicks over your nipples, playing and teasing them. "Brahms!" You want to sound stern, but your voice trembles at the pleasurable feeling that goes straight between your legs. When he tugs on one of your nipples, your back arches on its own. He knows your body better than you think, and his little secret pulls a naughty smirk on his lips. "Y/N," he says your name, almost whining. "You said I am a good boy." "You are," you tell him. "But you shouldn't-" Your moan is loud and clear in the small room. His long fingers slip between your legs even when you try to close your thighs. "Let me get my reward," he says, on the edge of demanding. "I am a good boy, Y/N. I protected you from those men." "You did," you cry out, feeling him on your most intimate part. His fingertips graze over your slit, opening you up to caress you some more. He isn't sure what he is doing, but it doesn't stop your body from reacting. You feel yourself getting wetter and wetter. His breathing is heavy next to your ear, and his hips rock against your stomach. He grinds his cock to your skin for some friction and whines every now and again. "Teach me, Y/N," he says. "Tell me what to do to be your good boy." If he is a good boy, you won't leave him. You won't even try it. "M-my clit," you tell him, reaching down for his hand to lead him to the small buddle of nerves. "Rub it, Brahms. Here!" He does as you say, watching your face to see what feels good and what isn't. The man draws small circles on your clit while his fingers get soaked in your juices. He can feel the familiar pull on his balls as he continues to grind against your body. Your soft stomach feels like heaven on his aching cock. Your hands snap up to his shoulders, grabbing onto the man to keep your balance. Your legs shake, and your thighs open for his curious fingers. He feels proud when he notices it. "Call me a good boy," he pants demandingly. "Tell me I'm your good boy, and you won't leave me." His fingers on you move faster, rubbing and teasing. "You are my good boy, Brahms," you tell him, gasping and moaning. Hot coil burns in your stomach as you feel your orgasm approaching. "So good!"
You almost fall against the tiles when Brahms squats down in front of you. Your nails scratch over the wall to find your balance. For long seconds, you forget how to breathe as you stare down at the man's curly, wet locks in front of you. You can feel the cold of his mask on your thigh as he pushes it out of the way. "Brahms!" Hearing his name falling out of your lips in a shocked cry makes his cock jerk and leak even more pre-cum.
The scent of your arousal is thick and heavy in his nostrils. Saliva gathers in his mouth as he takes several deep breaths to burn your smell in his memory. When one of your hands finds his hair in a strong pull, he doesn't waste any more time. He leans closer and closes his lips around the small bud he teased a few minutes ago. The vibration of his moan strikes over your body. Your taste floods his mouth, and he can't help but crave more. He devours your pussy like his life depends on it. His tongue flicks over your clit, and his cheeks hollow when he starts to suck on it. "Fuck!" You scream, letting your head fall backward. "Brahms!" Your hips grind down on his face with fastened pace as you chase your release. His muffled whines and moans echo in the small bathroom, mixing with your cries until both of you reach your highs and fall over the edge. His cum lands on the ground until the still running water washes it down the drain while your pussy gets cleaned by his tongue. Your muscles twitch and jerk under every swipe on your sensitive center. "Good boy, Brahms," you gasp for air. "You are my good boy."
1K notes · View notes
rileyslibrary · 1 year
Text
“A barista?”
“Mhm,” you nod, “I used to pretend play with my parents.”
He looks at you with one raised eyebrow. Confused. He surely knows what pretend play is; it can’t be.
“Y’know, taking their orders, then pretending to be making coffee and serving them.” You elaborate.
“Ah.” He nods.
The question was, “what did you want to be when you were young?”. You asked him, but he diverted the question back to you. He said he had to take watch while you two were sitting on the roof, waiting for the target to appear.
“What about you, Ghost?” You ask.
“Don’t know, kid,” he says as he looks through the sniper scope, “can’t remember much from my childhood.”
Of course, he doesn’t. Trauma does this to you. It doesn’t erase memories, but it suppresses them. Like you’re throwing piles upon piles of clothes in a closet. Only to find that its doors won't close one day and all the dirty, unorganised garments would come crashing down on you.
“Alright,” you say, “what would you like to do for a living if you weren’t doing this, then?”
He shifts from the scope and stares at the horizon. He’s thinking. Like nobody has asked him before. That or he never planned for the future. That’s what this job does to you.
He tilts his head back to the scope. “Open a pub.” He finally replies.
“Didn’t you role-play something like that with your parents?” You ask.
You know you’re approaching a dangerous territory in that brain of his, full of mines that they’d be best left untouched. But talking about you past is a good thing, especially when you’re with Ghost. You’re sorting out your mental closets together, cleaning them out and organising your thoughts like folding clothes on Spring cleaning day.
“My father was already a drunkard, darling,” he explains, “didn’t need my help with role-playing pub with me.”
You shrug. “Would you like to take my order as a practice?”
“Go on.” He says in a low tone.
“A glass of Sauvignon Blanc, please.”
“Sorry, love, we don’t sell shit like this here.”
“Ghost!” You laugh, “you can't talk to your customers like that.”
He huffs, but he’s enjoying it. He brings his hand towards you, his fingers pinching on a stem of an imaginary wine glass. “There you go.” He says, still focused on the scope. You touch his hand so he can sense that you’ve accepted the glass and thank him.
“Maybe we can combine the two ideas,” you contemplate, “a coffee shop by day and a pub by night.”
He lets a light chuckle. “We’ll need a license for the pub,” he explains, “sort of a pain in the ass to acquire it.”
“So you’ve looked into it, I see.”
“A couple of times,” he admits, “can’t live like this forever now, can you?”
You sigh and nod in agreement. “I’d visit your pub, Ghost.”
“Sure, as long as you pay for your drinks.”
“Of course, I will.”
“You sure?” He asks, “cause you didn’t pay me for that wine.” And extends his hand towards you.
You smile and place imaginary money in his palm, and he grasps your hand.
“Promise me,” he says, “that you’d leave this job while you’re still alive and jolly.”
You look at his hand with your mouth open, but no words come out. He squeezes your hand, begging for an answer.
“I-I’ve got nowhere else to go, Lt.” You manage to utter.
“Sure you have,” he says, “a whole life ahead of you.”
He lets your hand and grasps the rifle.
“Will you come visit my coffee shop?” You ask.
“If I’m alive till then, I promise I will,” he replies, “now get ready; our target’s approaching.”
3K notes · View notes
astonmartingf · 22 days
Text
THIS IS NOT OUT OF THE BLUE ; YT22
yuki tsunoda x gasly!reader . . . in big brother fashion, pierre wants you to go on a date with yuki to convince him to move closer to milan. however, yuki already lives in milan, and pierre is still not putting the pieces together
amgf see this is what yuki brainrot gets you, i love this omg one of my best works yet, i might come back to this type of format because i am not writing pt2s anymore!!!!!! (lovingly ofc) just like always, enjoy 👍 @viennakarma it's done 🫡
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yourusername
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liked by pierregasly, francisca.cgomes, and 12 others
yourusername i get why my brother likes him so much now. he's a fucking child! feels like another day spent with pierre.
view comments...
francisca.cgomes awww they're bonding look pierregasly
pierregasly you had me in the first half, wym a child he's older than you
yourusername doesn't seem like it, seeing how you act, understandable
charles_leclerc oh chérie, what is your brother up to?
yourusername he's up to no good as usual, but if he's constantly yapping to you then you must know what he's up to
charles_leclerc i'm more surprised that you agreed to this?
yourusername he threatened to throw me back to university for a master's degree this time FFS
charles_leclerc well, if it's a master's degree or a date... understandable
yourusername control him please, i can't be the victim of his antics no more
pierregasly he said he had fun!!!
pierregasly now go on another date with him 🫣
yourusername ???? what is actually wrong with you
pierregasly you're acting like you didn't have fun, you even posted it for the whole family to see
yourusername get off my back pierre, my account my rules
pierregasly yeah you constantly yapping to your 20 followers which half are our family members
yourusername i'm blocking you next
pierregasly try me bitch
yourusername oh i will, you are no longer welcome in my account, get out
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yourusername uploaded a new story
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[he's taking me somewhere... i hope i come out alive 😀]
pierregasly replied to your story
oh my gosh, is this progress?
apparently he's in milan, and now we're on the coast so... i guess
wym he's in milan?
he's here?
he's with me atm but yeah
i saw him earlier and he asked if i was free
did he say ask about me?
sorry pierre 😐
non no, it's fine
i'm a bit sad he didn't contact me but i'm glad you're together
francisca.cgomes replied to your story
a boat date 🥰
it's not a date...
we're just hanging out
uh huh... cool
that's it?
wym?
that's it? you're just letting me off the hook like that? no teasing about being yuki's future lover or smth?
you want me to tease you about it?
non, not really i was just thinking about it
you're thinking about being yuki's future lover?
shut up kika, you know i didn't mean it that way
yeah yeah, sure 😏
you're absolutely telling this to pierre huh?
you know, i'm on your side for this one
your secret's safe with me 😉
what secret?
oh yn, for someone older than me you're a bit out of it but it's okay you'll get it one day 😊
get what?
kika?
what are you talking about?
yukitsunoda511 replied to your story
wow, you don't trust me one bit
i thought we had something going on
yeah right, shut up yuki
am i your boyfriend?
🥺🥹😭
yes
good girl 😊
yourusername uploaded a new story
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[it's him again... annoying asf]
yukitsunoda0511 replied to your story
why would you lie to your audience like that?
because it's way more fun this way
duh???
everyday i'm reminded that you are pierre's sister when you pull shit like this
excuse me?
are you calling my soft launching methods shit 😕
i'm just kidding
you totally aren't
you're right, i am not
it's just i didn't think he'd be that dense about it
i'm sure i told him we were dating
he's forgetful like that
don't start talking, you didn't even tell him about us
i did!
uh huh....
well, it's funny to me because look, he's so desperately trying to get us together because we're so perfect for each other (ikr) and if he would've just listened like a year ago he would've known about us already
i mean, even alex knows what's up and she's seen us like twice already
alex has seen us a couple of times, even kika but pierre...
he'll figure it out, it's like he's been waiting so long for us to date, i don't know when he'll realize it
let's pray for him
praying for pierre 🙏
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yourusername
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liked by yukitsunoda0511, charles_leclerc, and 13 others
yourusername road trip with 💋 + we met alex on her field trip, it's a win 😊
view comments...
alexandrasaintmleux it's nice to see you two ❤️ have fun on your road trip
yourusername ahhhh thank you, we'll see you soonest 😠
charles_leclerc come visit us next time ^^
pierregasly are you in monaco? hello? who is that person 🤨 where are you going? you said to update me? where are my updates?
yourusername i told you where we're going dumbass, check your messages be for fucking real
pierregasly oh you did send me updates
yourusername 🙄
pierregasly OWAH? YUKI IN THE LIKES? liked by yukitsunoda0511!!!!! we're winning today
yourusername what is actually wrong with you?
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yourusername
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liked by pierregasly, yukitsunoda0511, and 22 others
yourusername milan. my man.
view comments...
pierregasly can't believe i'm finding out through an instagram post and not IRL, fake sister 👎
yourusername is it our fault if you didn't listen?
pierregasly i was already shipping you in my head with yuki, i thought of it first
yourusername okay and? doesn't change the fact that we've been mentioning it for a long time already
yukitsunoda0511 i mean yn is right, i did tell you as well
pierregasly okay everyone is ganging up on pierre for not knowing blah blah blah
francisca.cgomes i mean babe, you are the only one who didn't catch up
alexandrasaintmleux it was clear as daylight, they're not only dating but they're clearly fucking you're so dumb in your own delusions to see
pierregasly okay wow, i'm going to ignore the last few texts but first it was my sister, next my teammate, then my girlfriend, next my friend's girlfriend okay charles i know you're with me here buddy defend me please 🙏
charles_leclerc do you want me to add more salt to the wound? because i agree with all of them...
yourusername see? this didn't just happen out of nowhere, it was already happening and you were just too invested to see the truth
yukitsunoda0511 i look good there, next time i'm posting 😊
yourusername noooo i want to gatekeep you 😠 no no non
yukitsunoda0511 okay, whatever you say goes 🫡
yukitsunoda0511 can i soft launch?
yourusername yes 🥰
428 notes · View notes
Honey Girl. Chapter Four.
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Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Series Masterlist. The Playlist.
Chapter Synopsis - You and Bucky deal with the fallout of Cora's reveal. What's that saying? If you love something, let it go...
Pairing - Dad'sBestFriend! Bucky Barnes x Female Reader - soulmate au
Age Rating - 18+
Warnings - cursing. angst. alcohol consumption.
Word Count - 5k
Author's Note - i can only apologise that this chapter took a little while!! my life is at a super weird place rn, so i'm just trying to find the time when i can. words cannot describe how incredible all of your support is for Honey Girl. the fact you all reblog and comment and send me asks means the world to me. love you all so much.
as always, reblogs, comments and feedback (even anonymous feedback) are immensely appreciated!! your reblogs are the only way to circulate my fics, which keeps me going <3
Masterlist. Inbox.
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You can't breathe.
It's like all of the oxygen has been sucked out of the air, leaving it dry, brittle, sterile. Your lungs are burning, scratched like sandpaper. The backyard is spinning, like teenagers at a roller rink - all flashing lights and endless rotations.
You haven't taken your eyes off of Bucky, and he hasn't taken his eyes off of you. If you were thinking more logically, you'd probably realise that you've been staring at each other for too long, and it's starting to look a little suspicious. You don't care.
Your ears are ringing. It's like there's been an explosion, and you're scattered amongst the debris. Smoke, flames, rubble. A catastrophic detonation in your parents backyard.
A gentle hand on your shoulder snaps you back to reality. The music is still playing, everyone around the table is still conversing, the house still stands. No explosion here.
"Sweetheart?"
It's your Mom, clearly sensing your distress. She probably thinks you're upset with her, for telling Cora. You are, but that's not what's causing the pain in your chest.
"Come inside with me, baby girl. Let's get away from the noise for a second."
She grabs your hand and pulls you out of your chair, still none the wiser to the magnetism preventing you from breaking your gaze that's locked on Bucky's. She practically drags you inside, the cool air of the kitchen waking you up.
"Sweetheart, I am so, so sorry. Cora overheard the conversation we had earlier. I thought it was good news, so I didn't think to ask her to keep it private."
She looks like she's being eaten alive by guilt. Your bottom lip quivers, your eyes well up, and before you know it, there are warm, salty tears dripping down your cheeks.
"Hey, hey. What's the matter?"
You sit down on the tiled floor, back pressed against the cabinets. Curling your knees to your chest, you try to stifle your sobs.
"Everything's such a mess, Mama."
She drops to the ground, gathering you in her arms. She holds you as tight as she can, rubbing soothing circles into your back and whispering comforting words in your ear. Eventually, she pulls back to look at you.
"What's the matter, baby? I thought Stella's call was a good thing - that you'd be excited to go back to California."
You take a shaky breath before replying.
"It's just... I think - I don't, it's... it's so complicated."
She traces her fingers over your cheeks, your eyebrows, your nose. She dances her fingertips over your face, as if she's committing it to her mind forever. It brings back warm and cosy childhood memories of her doing the same thing to help you sleep. The two of you would snuggle up against all of your pillows in bed, tucked up and safe. She'd lie with you until she was sure you were dreaming, before kissing you on the forehead and sneaking out.
"Talk to me. We can figure it out. We always do."
"It's not that simple. I just... there's a lot going on, I guess. I thought it'd be an easy decision, but it isn't, and it's all I can think about, and it's eating me up because I'm so scared I'm gonna do the wrong thing -"
You cut yourself off with a sob, resting your head on your knees.
"I knew there was something bothering you, sweetheart. Why didn't you come and talk to us? Even if we can't fix it, we can listen."
"I thought I could handle it. I thought I could figure it out on my own."
"You don't ever have to carry stress like this on your own, baby girl. Ever. You hear me?"
You nod and lean into her, letting her rock you in her arms on the kitchen floor.
"I'm sorry again, about Cora. She means well, you know she does."
"I know. Doesn't feel like it sometimes, but I know."
A pause.
"Okay, sweetheart. What are we going to do now? Whatever you decide, we'll support you."
"Your Mom's right," your Dad says from the doorway. "Whatever you choose, we'll be right alongside you. No matter what."
He strides over to join the two of you on the floor, sandwiching you between him and your Mom.
"If you need help packing up and moving, we're here. If you need us to create an elaborate lie to tell Stella, we're here. Either way, you've got us."
You smile at him gently, leaning to rest your head on his shoulder. Regardless of what happens, you have two parents that love you more than anything in the world. That has to count for something.
"You wanna rejoin us outside, or are you too tired? No one will blame you if you go home."
"I think I'll go home," you murmur. "I don't wanna face any more questions for today."
"Bucky's just gone too. Said something about an early morning tomorrow."
You inhale shakily at the mention of his name. You know you'll have to face him sooner or later.
Your Dad stands and grabs your hands to help you to your feet, before doing the same to your Mom. They both hug you tightly before walking you out to the front door.
"Promise me you'll call if you need anything. Anything."
"I promise, Mama. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."
"Do you want one of us to walk you home?"
"No, it's okay. I think I need the air."
"Love you, baby girl."
"Love you too. Both of you."
✵  ✵    ·  ✵    *  · ✵
You're halfway home when you decide to turn around. You need to talk to Bucky.
It doesn't take you long to figure out where he is. You can feel in your chest that he's close by, that he hasn't strayed far. He hasn't gone home, though. The Universe is pulling you in the opposite direction.
The beach.
You spin on your heel and start walking down the road, picking up pace as you go. You can feel rain in the air, threatening to spill from the clouds at any given moment. Before you know it, you're running, sprinting along the sidewalk in the direction of your soulmate.
You get to the small boardwalk and look out over the sand. The sky is grey as concrete, cold and unforgiving. You spot a figure in a worn brown leather jacket by the shore, and you know instantly. It's him.
You march onto the beach with your shoes still on, wrapping your arms around yourself to act as a shield from the wind. You left your jacket at your parent's house, too eager to get out of there in a hurry. The rain is suspended in the air, never quite reaching the ground. You know it's only a matter of time before the heavens open.
"Bucky!" you yell, practically bounding across the sand. "Buck!"
He doesn't turn because he hears your voice. He turns because he suddenly feels like he can breathe, which he hasn't been able to do for the last hour. He knew you were there before you shouted his name.
"Bucky, please!"
He spins on his heel and stops walking, waiting for you to catch up with him. You're sprinting, panting as you reach him. The ocean waves crash against the shore, dangerously close to his boots.
"Buck, just let me explain," you choke out, trying to catch your breath.
You finally stop running and look at him. He looks broken. His hair looks like he's pulled his fingers through it repeatedly, tear tracks staining his cheeks, lips bitten red. You've never seen him upset like this. It's the worst thing you've ever witnessed.
"There's nothing to explain," he begins calmly, trying to keep a lid on his feelings.
"There is, Buck. There is. I... Cora overheard me confiding in my Mom, telling her about a call I'd gotten, from a classmate at culinary school. It was just an offer - I haven't accepted anything! I never meant for you to find out like this, I swear. It's all just... it's all so fucked up."
He looks at you in disbelief.
"No, you know what's fucked up?" he asks, raising his voice. "Finding out that my soulmate is moving across the country from some alcoholic suburban mom at a dinner party!"
You've never heard him yell before. You don't like it at all. You gather yourself before replying calmly, determined to keep you emotions under wraps.
"I've been trying to find a way to talk to you about it, but I didn't know where to start. How do I even begin to explain any of this?"
"Maybe, I don't know - 'hey, Buck, I got a call and I'm thinking of moving thousands of miles away for my dream job,' would be a good place to start?"
"It's more complicated than that. I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what?"
"From blowing your life up for me!"
You stare at each other for a minute, both of you unblinking.
"What are you talking about?" he croaks out.
"You'd drop everything for me, Bucky, and I can't let you do that. You've worked too damn hard to let it all go."
He's dumbfounded, for a moment. Not because he doesn't understand. No. He's realising that you're right.
"I knew that if I told you straight away, you'd have persuaded me to let you come with, and I would have said yes. And then you'd regret it, and you'd resent me, and we'd be over before we've even begun."
When he doesn't say anything, you continue.
"The thing is, Buck, the selfish part of me would have happily invited you along. Me and you, in California, running a bakery? That sounds like a fucking dream. But I have to listen to the other side of me, the selfless part. And that part is telling me that you have worked too damn hard for too damn long just for me to take that all away."
You feel droplets of water on your face, and for a moment, you wonder when you started to cry again. Then, in the deep distance, you hear a crack of thunder. The rain begins to pour, both of you caught in a storm in more ways than one.
"You don't get to make a decision like that for me!" he finally responds, yelling to be heard over the downpour. "We're supposed to talk about these things! To figure them out together! That's what soulmates are - we're a team!"
"I can't think rationally around you, Bucky! It's like all logic goes out the window. I'm just so overwhelmed with-"
You stop yourself before the word comes out, but you both know what you were about to say. He feels it in his ribcage, the surge of emotion from you.
"-with how I feel about you. You're my forever, Buck, and I feel like -" a sob wracks through you, shaking your frame. "-like I've fucked it all up already."
Your tears mix with the rainwater, trailing down your cheeks. You watch as Bucky fights with himself, internally battling his feelings.
"You're not the only one fucking it up," he chokes. "You repeatedly told me we had to take it slow, but I just... couldn't help myself. I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you, and being away from you for even a minute is fucking torture. I moved us too fast, and now look where we are. We've become the equivalent of a married couple in a couple of weeks. No one can handle change that sudden."
"It's not.. none of this is your fault, Buck. I kept something from you, something big. I know it doesn't matter now, but I want you to know how hard it's been to not tell you. It was killing me."
"I felt it," he murmurs shakily, willing himself not to cry. "In my chest. You were so torn up about something, and I just couldn't figure out what it was. I should have pushed you more, but I was worried I'd push you away."
Your lip trembles as you watch him bite his own anxiously.
"I'm so scared, Buck," you whisper. "I feel so lost and so confused and like nothing makes sense."
"Me too," he whispers back, eyes never leaving yours. "I'm fucking terrified. Our worlds have been turned upside down."
"Is it... is it supposed to be this hard? Everyone makes it sound so easy."
"I don't know. Maybe the Universe heard that we were anti-soulmate and decided to be super tough on us. Cosmic karma, or something."
You choke out a laugh through your tears. The rain has plastered your clothes to your body, the salty wind chilling you to the bone. Without thinking, Bucky takes off his jacket and wraps it around you, unable to watch you shiver any longer.
"What now?" you ask quietly. If he wasn't standing so close, he wouldn't have heard it.
"Let's get out of the storm," he suggests, nodding his head towards the path home. "We can talk some more somewhere warmer."
You sniffle and take a deep breath, willing yourself to get it together. Bucky surprises you by linking your hand with his, warm fingers intertwining around yours.
He doesn't let go the whole way home.
✵  ✵    ·  ✵    *  · ✵
Bucky takes you to his house.
You haven't been here since before your Tethering. You walk in the door, and your knees threaten to give way.
It's overwhelming.
Everywhere - everything - smells like Bucky. His scent clings to every fabric, every upholstery, every room. There's pictures scattered across the mantelpiece, his handsome face staring at you wherever you go. The house is warm, cosy, and just so Bucky it makes your heart ache.
You walk over to the fireplace, taking a closer look at the array of frames adorning it. There's one of your parents and Bucky smiling, sat out on his lawn last summer; another of Bucky and his team of mechanics, stood proudly outside his garage. A small black frame catches your eye. You pick it up, and your breath hitches in your chest.
It's a picture of the two of you on the deck of his boat, the day after you found out you were soulmates. The wind is blowing your hair, billowing your shirts, sun beating down on your skin. You're both beaming at the camera, bright and blinding, completely content.
You're holding back tears as you put it back in it's original place.
"My favourite picture," he murmurs from somewhere behind you. "We look happy."
"We were happy," you whisper. Then, quieter, "We will be again."
A pause.
"You want something to drink? Coffee, cocoa? Oh, I have that tea you like, the apple one?"
"You do?"
"Yeah. I, uh, bought some last time I went grocery shopping. In case you stopped by."
"Tea sounds good. Please."
You stay stood in the middle of the living room while Bucky puts the kettle on the stove, worried that your wet clothes will ruin his couch. As if he's read your mind, he pops his head around the door.
"There's a load of fresh clothes folded on top of the dryer. Grab whatever you want, dry off a little."
You wander into the laundry room, sorting through the pile. You find a t shirt with his garage logo on the back in big, white letters.
J.B.B. Motorcycles and Automotives.
The blocky, bold font swirls across the black material. You run your fingers over it, tracing the curves and spikes of the typeface. It's something you've seen him in a million times. You inhale deeply as you slip it over your head, revelling in the way it smells like him. You grab some boxer shorts and slip those on too, glad to finally be warm and dry.
Bucky loses his breath when you walk into the room. He's never seen you in his clothes before, and for good reason. He's about to have a goddamn heart attack.
"Tea is on the coffee table," he chokes out. "I'm gonna change, and then we'll talk, yeah?"
You nod gently, settling into the cushions of his couch and tucking your legs underneath you, mug warming your hands.
When Bucky returns, he's in sweatpants and an oversized hoodie that you want to burrow yourself into. He takes his place, careful to put a little distance between you. Far enough that you're not touching, but close enough that you almost are.
"I'm sorry," you whisper. "I'm not good at this."
"Neither am I," he smiles gently. "It's my first time having a soulmate."
"Mine too," you laugh softly.
It floors you, his ability to always be able to comfort you. It's like a superpower, the way he always knows what to say or do to put you at ease.
"I think we got a little ahead of ourselves," he begins, careful to keep his voice low and deliberate. "I keep forgetting that we have forever. Literally. I was so eager to rush into this with you because I got excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm still ridiculously excited, but I'm realising now that our version of 'slow' wasn't slow at all."
"This whole Tethering thing makes everything so intense. There have been times where I honestly thought I was going to drop dead if you didn't kiss me."
"The feelings mutual," he chuckles.
You lace your fingers with his, never breaking eye contact, before addressing the elephant in the room.
"What am I gonna do about California, Buck?"
Your voice cracks just saying the word.
"Stella needs an answer, and I've upset you, and my parents are clueless, and I just - I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do. Please."
"I can't tell you what to do, honey," he soothes, running his thumb over the back of your hand. "And I'm not upset. I was, in the backyard... but I was mainly just blindsided. I kinda get it, you not telling me. I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation either."
"I just feel like both decisions are wrong. I can't win."
"Hey, hey. Look at me, pretty baby."
Bucky cradles your face in his warm hands, forcing your eyes to meet his ocean blue ones. You have to focus on his words, so you don't get lost in the waves of his irises.
"At the end of the day, it's completely your decision, and no one in the world can change that. But-"
He takes a deep breath, and continues.
"I think that you'll regret it every day for the rest of your life if you don't take the incredible opportunity that's been offered to you."
You take a second to process what he's telling you, your mind running at a thousand miles an hour.
"Are you... you're... are you saying I should take the job?"
"Like I said, it's your decision, but... yes. I'm saying you should take the job."
Your eyes well with tears, and you bite your lip to stop them from escaping. Inhaling carefully, you put your hands on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat under your palms. He's calm. He's sure. He's collected enough for the both of you.
"What about us?" you ask, barely above a whisper.
"Like you said, baby. I'm your forever." Buck leans in, resting his forehead to yours. "We have time."
"All the time in the world."
You connect your lips to Bucky's softly, testing the waters. He kisses you back with so much feeling, tears slip from your lashes without warning. He's crying too, emotion mixing with yours, dousing you both.
You pull away and wrap your arms around him, curling yourself into his chest. He holds you as tightly as he can, knowing this will be the last time for a long time.
"So you'll go."
"I'll go."
"And I'll stay."
"You'll stay."
"And we'll be okay. No matter what, we'll be okay."
You and Bucky fall asleep in each others arms, cherishing the feeling of home one last time.
✵  ✵    ·  ✵    *  · ✵
The happiness is starting to seep through.
You're devastated to be leaving Bucky behind, but you're trying to look on the bright side. Sunny beaches, new people, your dream job. If you think about the positives for long enough, the Bucky sized hole in your chest hurts a little less.
You're packing up your bookshelf when your phone rings, scaring the life out of you.
"Bitch!"
You know who it is instantly.
"Hi, Lacie."
"Where have you been? Why didn't you answer my text from last night?"
"Shit, sorry. I've been packing. What's up?"
"We're going out tonight. Not just us - all the girls. We're throwing you a goodbye party!"
You groan inwardly, massaging your temples with your fingers.
"A party? Lace, I don't need a party."
"Babe, you do. You really do. It'll be fun! I thought you'd be excited!"
You take a deep breath, and remember what you've been telling yourself. Focus on the positives.
"Okay, fine. Where? What time? What should I wear?"
"I knew you'd say yes! Come to my place at like... six? We can get ready together, like old times! And wear something sexy."
She doesn't wait for you to argue, just hangs up the phone. She knows you too well.
You know it'll be good for you, to see your girlfriends - but the thought of all the goodbyes you're about to say breaks your heart a little more.
✵  ✵    ·  ✵    *  · ✵
"Okay, what the fuck is going on with you?"
You're sat cross legged on Lacie's living room floor, sharing makeup that's scattered across the coffee table. You sip your wine for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse. It's no use.
"I don't know."
"Bullshit."
You turn to look at her.
"What?"
"It's bullshit, babe. Something's going on. You've been given your dream job, and you're moping around like you just got broken up with or something. Why aren't you happy?"
There's no malice in her voice, just pure love. She adores you. You adore her. She's the one person with an outsiders perspective on all of this. So, you cut the act.
"I had my Tethering."
Silence.
She's processing.
"What?!"
"Yeah."
"When? Who? Where? How? Oh my God what is happening? Why didn't you say anything? Fuck, I'm gonna cry. I'm so overwhelmed right now, I'm so happy for you! Wait... are we not happy?"
"It's... complicated."
There's a lump in your throat, but a levity in your heart. A weight has been taken off you. Telling someone the truth has made you feel a little lighter.
"Who is it, babe?"
You take a deep breath, and look her in the eyes.
"Bucky."
Her jaw drops.
"Your... your Dad's best friend Bucky?"
"That's the one."
"Oh. My. Fucking. God."
"Yeah."
"Holy shit."
"Yeah."
"This is complicated."
"Yeah."
"Aw, babe."
She pulls you in for a hug, not caring about the makeup you're smearing across her shirt. You cling to her as tightly as you can, savouring your best friends comfort.
"Does anyone else know?"
"No. We decided not to tell my parents for a while."
"Shit. No wonder you've been so sad lately. You're moving across the country, away from the one person you're supposed to be near."
"It's really hard," you whisper, tears threatening to spill.
"I can't even begin to imagine," she murmurs, holding you close. "I wish you'd told me sooner. We could have talked about it."
"I know," you sniffle. "I thought I could handle it on my own, but I really can't."
"You're not on your own, okay? You have Bucky, and you have me. You can always talk to me about this stuff. God knows I talked your ear off about Cameron."
You laugh softly, thinking back to that day that feels both like yesterday and a million years ago.
"Where is he tonight?"
"Out with his boys. It's good for us to spend a few hours apart."
You smile at the happiness that's radiating off her. She's glowing, beaming in all directions.
"Thanks, Lace. I love you. You know that right?"
"Of course I do. I love you too. So much," she leans forward to kiss your cheek. "Now let's have one hell of a last girls night, shall we?"
✵  ✵    ·  ✵    *  · ✵
You've lost track of exactly where you are.
You know you're downtown somewhere, in one of the bars. This one smells like wood and whiskey, lowlit and smoky. You hit the cocktail bar first, then the one covered in leopard print, then the monochrome pink one. Now, you're here.
The six of you are sat at a booth, high heels tangled and legs intertwined under the table. The wood is sticky with lemon wedges from tequila shots, salt scattered across the surface.
"If you find any hot west coast men, will you send them my way?" Reese asks, nudging you with her shoulder.
"And if you find any hot west coast women, will you send them mine?"
Everyone laughs, the scent of perfume filling the air.
"Rosa, what happened to Aubrey? We liked her!"
"Caught her kissing my ex girlfriend. So now they're both my ex girlfriends."
"Jesus Christ."
"Man, that's rough," Lacie giggles next to you.
The other girls continue to talk about Aubrey's infidelity as Lacie leans to whisper in your ear.
"Have you said goodbye to Bucky yet?"
You nod.
"Yesterday. I stayed the night, we fell asleep together. Said our goodbyes in the morning. It was awful."
"Love you," she whispers, squeezing your hand under the table.
"Love you too," you reply, squeezing back.
"There's a table of super hot guys over there," Maggie observes, tilting her head in their direction. "Maybe we should conveniently dance that way in a little while."
You don't bother to look over, knowing that none of them will compare to your soulmate. The other girls seem interested, though, so you smile along with them.
"Babe," Sam hisses, kicking you under the table. "There's a hot guy at that table, three o'clock, that keeps staring at you."
You glance over, and your heart stutters in your chest.
Bucky.
His blue eyes pierce your soul, even from across the room. For a moment, it's only the two of you, all the noise forgotten.
You're snapped back to reality by Sam.
"Fuck, he's hot. If you don't want him, I do."
"You should talk to him," Lacie suggests quickly. "Why not, right?"
She's practically pushing you out of the booth, high school wrestler style. In another life, you think, she would have made a good football player. All five foot four of her.
You walk past his table, eyes still locked on him, and towards the bathrooms. You know he'll follow you. You walk to the end of the hallway and out of the door, into the fresh night air.
You feel him appear before you see him. You lean your body against the wall, head resting on the cold brick. Bucky stands in front of you, shirt stretched across his shoulders gorgeously.
"Hi."
"Hi, honey baby."
You smile softly at the nickname.
"What are you doing here?"
"I got dragged to a boys night. What are you doing here?"
"I got dragged to a girls night."
He laughs, and all the tension melts from your muscles.
"Thought we said our goodbyes. I didn't think I'd see you again before I left."
"Me too. But you know the Universe. It hates us."
"Cosmic karma," you whisper.
The two of you stand down the alleyway, looking at each other carefully. Neither of you wants to spook the other person. You'd processed your leaving, said your emotional goodbyes. And now he's here, standing in front of you. You don't want to have to do it all again.
"I should probably get back inside, before the girls get the wrong idea."
"Baby, I followed you to the bathroom. They've already got the wrong idea."
You chuckle, kicking at a rock on the ground.
"Yeah. I don't know how I'm gonna explain this."
A smile. A pause.
"I'll let you get back to your friends, then."
You lean up to press a kiss to his stubbled cheek.
"Bye, Buck."
"Bye, pretty girl."
You push off the wall and walk away towards the door. Suddenly, a warm hand wraps around your wrist, yanking you into a solid chest.
Bucky kisses you like a man possessed. There's nothing gentle about it - just pure, unadulterated passion. It's all teeth and tongue and nipping and biting, neither of you willing to be the first to pull away.
He walks you back into the wall, pushing you against the rough brick. You hike a leg up onto his hip as he grabs your thigh to pull you closer, desperate to feel all of you. Your hands are in his hair, around his neck, tangled in his collar, his shirt, his belt loops. Anything you can get your hands on, you grab.
A distant chorus of cheers break you out of your lust fuelled haze. A bachelorette party walks by, one of the women winking at you as they go. You and Bucky take a step away from each other, straightening out your clothes and fixing your hair.
"Promise me you'll call me if you need anything," Bucky murmurs, leaning to rest his forehead on yours.
"I promise," you whisper, almost against his lips. "Goodbye, Bucky."
"Goodbye, honey girl."
✵  ✵    ·  ✵    *  · ✵
The salty ocean wind whips through your hair, sun beating down onto your skin, some upbeat pop song humming from the radio. You keep your eyes glued to the road in front of you, begging yourself not to look back. You know if you do, you'll turn the car around and run straight back into Bucky's arms.
Let the happiness seep through, you remind yourself, gripping the steering wheel.
Let the happiness seep through.
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