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#our minds really work the same cause i sat here for a good minute trying to figure out why the hell would someone ask him if he wants to-
scythegameing · 8 days
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Conflicting Lives- Chapter 6: Comfort and Chill Vibes
Word Count: 2247
It was the third day following the meeting. Scythe had woken up later on the same day of the meeting, about an hour after the others had gotten him back to his dorm room, but didn't talk much, just letting the others chat around him. Sam was coming over today though, so he at least had something to look forward to. He mostly just sat on the couch either watching tv or playing some games, but today he was too excited to see someone else to properly focus on anything on the tv. 
Thankfully, Scythe didn't have to wait all too much longer in his little pool of excitement before there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” Scythe yelled from where he sat. Ella was in class right now, and the door had been left unlocked for the past few days so friends could come check on him if they needed to, and he didn't mind one bit. Sam walked in, taking care not to knock anything over with his extra arms, they came with being a spider hybrid after all.
“Hey Scythe, How are you feeling today?” Sam asked with a wide smile. Sam goes to Cursia University as well as Ella and Scythe, and studies his major, Digital Game Design, as an off-campus student, traveling to go to his classes. He walked over to where Scythe was on the couch and sat down next to him.
“Way better honestly even though I still don't quite understand how I got so panicked so quickly. It is what it is I guess,” Scythe responded as he moved to the side a little to give Sam more sitting room. “I’m glad to have you here though it's been forever since we’ve been able to just hang out, chaos causing or not” 
Sam chuckled and agreed, “Yeah it really had, but with what's been going on I'm not really surprised we haven't been able to either.” The pair sat for a minute longer, simply enjoying each other's company. And then there was a knock on the door.
The door burst open, and before Scythe could turn to see who it was, he heard a familiar Australian accent. “What’s this then? A sad friend? Well that just won’t do!” That's when both Sam and Scythe found themselves with chocolates and chips being dropped on their heads.
Scythe chuckled and looked up where the friendly voice was coming from. “Hey Pearl!” Scythe said with a smile plastered across his face. “Did you really come all the way from Survas just to dump junk food on me? And you didn't have to open the door so fast either y'know.”
“Nonsense, of course I have to make an entrance! How else do you think I got my reputation as Scarlet Moon?” The tall moth hybrid replied with a smirk and a wink. She walked around and plopped down onto the floor in front of the two younger men, and looked expectantly at them. “Well, are you going to try anything or not? Cleo and Gem made those right there--” Pearl pointed to two pieces of tupperware, one circular and one square, that had landed between Scythe and Sam “-- and the two made sure that they were your favorite.”
Scythe looked at the circular tupperware, hardly hesitating before grabbing it and opening the lid. Almost instantly the smell of chorus fruit met his nose, the scent of pie coming only a moment later. He looked back at Pearl, still sitting on the ground, and said with a grin, “Please tell them I say thank you and that I love them. It has been far too long since I've had chorus pie and I know it'll be damn good if both of them had a hand in it.”
He took one more good sniff and put the lid back on to save for later. Reaching for the other, more square tupperware, Scythe opened it as well. “And fudge brownies?? Oh my void those two are saints I swear.” he said as soon as he saw what was inside of the container. Sam and Pearl burst into laughter, and it took a minute for Scythe to realize what they were laughing about before he started laughing too
“I don’t know if I would call those two saints but they sure are something.” Sam said in between laughs. “It definitely is nice of them to do that for you though.” The three finally stopped laughing as much, and Scythe found himself nodding in agreement.
“They may be chaotic but who’s to say you guys aren't either?” Pearl responded
“Yeah but you and Cleo are something else entirely” Scythe said back with a smirk.
“Hey you can’t say anything either, Scythe. Not with what you and Joel can get up to together.” Sam said, and Pearl stuck her tongue out at the Enderman hybrid in a mocking victory.
“Wooooow Sam. And I thought you loved me,” He said back playfully, holding his hand to Sam's face, blocking the view of the others' faces. The pair on the couch laughed, pearling chuckling along as well.
Scythe handed the other two a brownie after pulling one out for himself. “We all deserve a wonderful brownie if I do say so myself.” He said after taking a bite of his own piece, and the other two nodded in agreement while taking a bite.
The three just sat and talked for a few minutes longer, each enjoying the snacks Pearl had brought. They ended up splitting just about everything between themselves, Scythe making sure to grab a few that he knew Ella would like. He enjoyed having the company of others with him, but these were two of a select few people that he enjoyed talking to the most.
“Do you guys want to play some games?” Scythe asked eventually. “I’m not quite sure what we have that all 3 of us will want to play but we can always look”
“Sure! What kind of games ya got?” Pearl replied.
“I don’t even think he knows what he has himself” Sam chuckled and said, causing Scythe to stick his tongue out.
“I know most of the games I have, thank you very much! I just don’t know what we all want to play!” He pouted as he responded.
“Quit your bickering ya spoons,” Pearl said, standing up and gently hitting them both on the top of the head, effectively bonking the pair. “Let’s see what games you’ve got, eh Scythe?”
Scythe nearly jumped off the couch and to his shelf of video games, pulling around 15 off of it to show to the pair waiting behind him. He excitedly “ran” back to them, sitting on the ground and spreading them out in front of him. 
“This one--” he pointed to a game on the left side of the spread, “-- is more of a sandbox game. Its open-world type but still kind of has a goal but really we could all play and do whatever.” he pointed  to one a few to the right, “And this one is more a fighting type game, but not in like a 1v1 type style but more of like pve style and can have I think up to five players in a game.
This one over here is sort of a mix. It has the partial open world and sandbox type aspects, but it's also a lot about surviving and building a base from primitive tools to advanced machinery.” that time Scythe was pointing to a game on the far right side. He explained the rest in a similar way, then waited for Pearl and Sam’s responses.
After what felt like forever to Scythe, but was only probably a few more seconds, Sam spoke. “I think the mixed kind of one sounds cool. It could be a really fun challenge.” Pearl nodded in agreement, “it certainly does sound like a challenge, and a fun one at that!” She said with a smile.
And so Scythe booted up the game and they played. They played for what felt like hours. At some point, Ella has returned to the dorm after her classes for the day, hopped in a shower and had some snacks. She joined in as well, opting to be the farmer in the game, focused on getting food for them all. Pearl took the role of building the house up, Sam took to material gathering for just about everything, and Scythe took to taming the beasts that the in-game world had to offer.
They must have played though the entire night, as when they were finally starting to get tired the clock read 10:42pm. They all winced simultaneously at how late it was getting, and Pearl was the first to stand, followed by Sam.
“I should probably be getting home right about now lovelies, but thank you for letting me stay and play some games with ya!” she said, grabbing the few belongings she had brought along with her. The other three said goodbye, and Pearl left the dorm room and Scythe could’ve sworn he saw her flying through the window..
The three friends sat for a few minutes longer, but it wasn't too much longer until Sam grabbed their own items. “I should probably head home too. All of my stuff for my classes tomorrow are at home.” The spider hybrid said, double checking he did have all of his belongings.
“Alright, well get home safe Sam.” Ella said, helping him to get all of his surviving snacks in his multiple appendages and minimal bags. “Don’t do anything stupid on your way back.” She added with a small glare.
“Hey I’m not that dumb--” Sam's said, turning back to face Ella, stopping what he was saying at her stare. “-- ok maybe I can be but it's too late to do anything, plus I already said i have classes tomorrow I’m not going to do anything.” He conceded. 
“If I know you and Scythe, and I do--” Ella looked at Sam, then at Scythe, “-- you guys get up to stupid shit at stupid times. I know you likely won’t do anything stupid, but that doesn't mean you won’t at all.” She ended her sentence, making sure to enunciate each point of her mini-lecture.
Sam looked at Scythe for some support. “Come one Scythe help me out here man.” “I wish I could Sam but, well, she’s not wrong.” the Enderian replied, and Ella’s face turned into one of triumph.
“How could you betray me?” Sam said jokingly before the three laughed together a bit. “Alright , alright, I wont do anything too stupid. I promise.” He added as Ella looked at him once more with suspicion.
The trio said their goodbyes to each other, and when Ella had closed the door behind Sam, Scythe grabbed something. As she made it back to the couch where he was sitting, Scythe held out the circular tupperware from earlier in the day.
“What’s this?” Ella said, looking at the container Scythe handed her, trying to determine what it was before opening it. “Is it something that Pearl had brought?”
Scythe nodded, “Yeah! Cleo and Gem made it for me, but I thought we should share a slice or two given what it is.” Ella looked at him curiously. “Open it you dummy! Look at what it is!” he said in response to her curious glance.
She chuckled a little to herself and opened the container. The smell of the Chorus Pie once again hit Scythe’s nose, and he could tell that Ella was excited about the delicious treat as well. She looked back up at him, her eyes full of excitement. “Can we eat some now?” she asked, her multi-colored wings flapping a bit in her excitement..
Scythe laughed, “Yes, yes we can.” he grabbed the tupperware back from her and got up to go to the kitchen and cut a few slices. “You know, you can be really cute when you get all giddy and excited like that.” he said, smiling as he put each slice onto its own plate, grabbing a fork each. Ella’s cheeks turned a lighter, pinker hue, and her wings instinctively moved to cover her face. “The little wing movements make it even cuter.” Scythe added.
He chuckled as he walked back to the couch with the chorus pie slices, setting one next to a flustered and “hidden” Ella. Slowly, his winged partner  emerged from her feathered cocoon, mumbling small curses as she picked up her plate and took a bite of the pie. Almost as soon as she took the bite, her wings flapped a bit happily.
Scythe chuckled to himself once more, and Ella shot him a glare before taking another bite, and he put his hands up in defeat. Taking a bite of his own slice, Scythe appreciated Pearl's partners ever more for the pie, and how well they made it. From what he knew, chorus pie was pretty difficult to make, mainly because of the toughness and general difficulty to handle chorus fruit itself.
As the clock ticked ever closer to midnight, Scythe and Ella ate their slices of pie, chatted about some random stuff, and even played a few games, more chill in comparison to the one they were playing with Sam and Pearl. By the time the clock did hit midnight, the pair were already in bed, falling asleep and getting ready for another hopefully peaceful day.
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midwestmade29 · 6 months
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My first request 🥰
This little number was written for the anonymous request I received the other day! I hope that they enjoy what I came up with. While this story lacks the spicy content I usually write, it was nice to branch out and try something new. So, thank you for the request…let’s hope I did this right 😂
(Here is the original request from anonymous:
I personally would love to see a Christian Cage x (Possibly?) A Pregnant!Wife Reader, maybe the reader is pregnant and Christian’s valet (kinda like the Miz & Maryse) and she’s stressing at Ringside during a match that happens involving Christian’s little Crew (Him, Lucha, & Nick)?)
This story contains minor swearing, pregnancy, slight description of labor pain(s). Read at your own discretion.
Y/N- your name
O/B- obstetrician (A physician who cares for women and their baby during pregnancy and childbirth)
Word count: 1,343
Divider is from @saradika
GIF credit: @junglehooks
A Labor of Love 💕
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Christian and I had countless conversations about me joining him, Luchasaurus and Nick for his “write off” match that was happening next week on Dynamite. I wanted nothing more than to be ringside supporting him, cheering him and the guys on (and maybe even causing a little mischief for their opponents) but Christian was 100% against it. I know he was just being protective of me and our baby growing inside of me, but I knew this would be the last match I would be able to accompany him to the ring before our baby would be born. He also knew that I wasn’t going to give up on this until I got him to change his mind. To the rest of the world Christian was the biggest ill-tempered asshole, but when it came to me (and our baby) he was a complete softie. I loved being able to know that side of him.
“Y/N, what if something were to happen and go wrong? I just want you and the baby to be safe. It’s too risky for you to be out there with all 6 of us in the middle of the chaos. I won’t be able to keep an eye on you or keep you out of harm’s way.” He explained.
I couldn’t help but to let out a frustrated sigh. “This isn’t my first rodeo, Christian. I know what to do and where I need to be. I really want to be there since neither of us will be traveling with AEW after this match because the baby will be here soon. Please, just trust me. I need to do this for you and for me.” I pleaded. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I spoke again. “What if we ask my O/B at my appointment in a couple days if they think it’s a good idea or not? Let them decide if I’m in the clear to join you. Would that help make you feel better about it?” “I don’t think it would take all my worry away, but yes that’s a good idea. If the doctor says it’s okay, then I will trust their judgement, and yours.” I squealed with delight and threw my arms around Christian’s neck, causing my baby bump to nudge his stomach. Christian smiled at my excitement and placed his hand on my bump, marveling at the sudden kicks he felt against it. “Your mother is the most stubborn and determined person I’ve ever met. If you come out with the same fiery qualities she has, I’m in trouble.”
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“You ready baby?” I asked Christian as we stood backstage in gorilla position. I knew how nervous he still was about having me ringside even though my doctor gave us the green light last week. Christian would be missing the next 6-8 weeks because of the baby, and I was bound and determined to make tonight special for him. Little did I know how “special” the night was going to turn out…
Luchasaurus and Nick stood nearby, stretching, and psyching themselves up while I tried my best to calm Christian’s mind. “You’ve worked so hard to get here baby. I’m so proud of you! I’ll be fine, and so will the baby. Now get your DILF ass out there and give em’ hell!” He kissed me fiercely before leaning down and kissing my baby bump too. The opponent’s music hit right before they went through their tunnel and down the ramp towards the ring. There was a small pause before Christian’s music started vibrating through the arena, causing him to instantly tap even more into his villainous persona before leading the 4 of us up the steps to the tunnel. Performing was like a second nature to me, so just like Christian had done, I flipped a switch and turned on the bad bitch persona I was so good at portraying. I placed my hands on Luchasaurus and Nick, parting them as I made my way in between and took my place right next to Christian. I plastered the biggest and brightest smile on my face while lacing my fingers with Christian’s as we walked down the ramp.
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It was about 8 minutes into the match and the guys were rocking and rolling. I kept my distance from the busy spots in and around the ring while playing my part perfectly. Right on cue, I started distracting the ref so Christian could hit his opponent with the TNT belt Nick had tossed to him. I was yelling and waving my arms in the air manically, doing my best to keep the ref’s eyes on me for a few moments longer. When he threatened to throw me out from ringside, I hopped up and down throwing a tantrum, pleading my case for him to let me stay. The damage in the ring was already done, so I waved off the ref, allowing him to return his focus to the match.
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Everything was going smoothly until Luchasaurus nailed Christian with a tail whip when the opponent he was aiming for ducked out of the way. Christian stumbled back into the pads of the turnbuckle, completely dazed before sitting down. My first instinct was to go apeshit on the asshole who ducked out of the way, but I went after Luchasaurus instead. (I blame the pregnancy hormones) I had fury in my eyes as I climbed onto the apron and began yelling at Luchasaurus for not being more careful, cursing at him and getting in his face. Nick rushed over and tried to calm me down, but I quickly put that little boy in his place. The more he spoke, the more my urge to slap him grew. When I reared my hand back, Nick recoiled but lucky for him Luchasaurus grabbed hold of my wrist, stopping my hand from making contact with Nick’s face. If looks could kill, that dinosaur would be dead right now because I was staring daggers at him.
The ref had enough of my behavior and tossed my ass out. Of course I threw a fit all the way up the ramp until I reached the backstage area. I was a little winded from all my theatrics, so I tried to catch my breath as I watched the match on the tv in the back. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my lower back, around my hips and to my lower belly. The surprise of it caused me to gasp and white knuckle grip the table next to me so I could steady myself. “What the hell was that?!” I whispered to myself. “This is not happening right now…” Another wave of pain radiated through my lower half, this time causing me to drop to my knees. Kris Statlander saw what had happened and rushed over to my side, full of concern. “Y/N! Are you okay?” “I…I think I’m in labor. Help me stand…p-please. I need to get my phone so I can get ahold of my doctor.” I spoke as calmly as I could through gritted teeth. Kris helped me to my feet, holding on to my arm giving me support. I didn’t even notice that Christian’s match had ended until I saw him running towards me. “Are you alright, Y/N? Is the baby okay? What’s going on?” he asked breathlessly. “I think the little s-show I put on with Luchasaurus and Nick might’ve caused me to go into labor.”
Christian’s face turned a little pale as he stood in front of Kris and I in shock. It took Kris snapping her fingers and a boop on his nose for him to come back down to Earth. “You okay there, Dad?” she asked him playfully. Christian’s brows knitted together as he gave her a dirty look, but his face softened when he turned his attention to me. “I’ll put the fact that I was right about it not being a good idea for you to be ringside tonight on the back burner temporarily. Now, let’s go meet our baby!”
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Thanks for reading 🖤
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Note
Heyyy request - Y/n is a model and Josh’s agent takes him to meet Y/n to see if he’d want her to be the (main girl character )in gvf’s music video, and like Josh really liking y/n but Sam liked her a lot to (couldn’t stop staring when Josh introduced her )so Josh and Sam both fight over y/n and both guys getting jealous when the other is shooting a scene with her.
A/N: I love this idea! Bare with me, this is my first request! Please be kind 😅❤️ I did change it from agent to manager. But I tried to stick to the rest!
Warnings:None
Sammy x Reader x Josh
"Okay Josh, we've narrowed it down to two girls. I'd like you to come on down to the office and meet them. Your input will be taken into consideration for the final decision. Meet here in about an hour?" The boys manager asks.
"Yep, sounds good. See you then." Josh says before ending the call.
"What was that about?"Sammy asks.
"Oh, it was just Tony. He wants me to go to the office and meet a couple girls for the new music video. Want to come?" Josh asks.
Sam nods his head and Josh says, "Well we better head out now. It's getting close to the lunch rush and we really gotta work on not showing up late to everything."
They guys arrive 15 minutes late, despite their best effort.
"Finally. Come on back, the girls are right through here." Tony says, motioning toward one of the conference rooms.
Walking through the door, Josh stops in his tracks, causing Sam to bump into him. Looking at his older brother, getting ready to ask, what the hell he's doing, he catches sight of you. You are stunning. More than that, you're a goddess.
Smiling, you step forward extending your hand and introduce yourself.
Josh and Sammy reach for it at the same time, knocking into one another. Giving each other an irritated look. You chuckle and reach for Josh's hand first.
Smirking, Josh introduces himself. Sammy, quickly takes his place and does the same.
After introductions are complete, the interview process begins. You and the other girl take turns answering each question. After 20 minutes, it's time for the solo interviews.
Once it was your turn, you sat back into the chair smiling and waiting to begin.
"So, tell us, what draws you to working on this project?" Josh asks.
"Well, I really enjoy the concept." You say noticing Josh perk up. "I think the idea of your God being this wise and strong, albeit beautiful, woman, is amazing. Women are worthy of such worship. So, yeah..." You say trying not to ramble on.
"We whole heartedly agree. Women are the most perfect of creations." Sam says, smiling.
The interview continues on for a little while longer. Throughout the whole thing, you noticed how both Josh and Sam try in their own ways to flirt and connect with you.
Once it's time for you to leave, you stand and shake their hands. Making sure to go to Sam first this time.
"We want her." Sammy says pointing to your headshot.
"Okay, we'll keep your preference in mind." Says Tony.
"No, we pick her. She's perfect for the video." Josh cuts in.
"Well alright then. I'll give her a call right now." Tony says, stepping out to call you and give you the job.
On the ride back to his place, Josh looks over at Sam and says, "Notice how she was looking at me? Think I might have a chance."
"Nah, she was flirting with me. She's definitely more interested in me." Sam says.
"I guess we'll just have to see who she picks at the shoot then." Josh says with a smirk.
It's been about a month since you got the job. But, the day is finally here. You're on your way to the location for the shoot, nervous and excited.
As soon as the car arrives, your door is opened. Looking up, you see Sam. Extending his hand, he helps you out of the car and says, "You finally grace us with your presence my goddess."
Giggling, you shake your head. As soon as Sam begins to speak again, Josh appears out of nowhere.
"Ah here she is, our beautiful girl has arrived. Let me show you to your trailer." He says taking your hand and looping his arm around it.
As he leads you away, he looks back at Sam with a grin and winks.
Seeing that, Sam's blood begins to boil. But, he knew you'd choose him over his big headed brother.
By the time your makeup was done and you were dressed, the boys had finished their scenes and were ready for you.
It took about 4 hours to get all the shots. During all that time, you noticed Sam and Josh each vying for your attention. Giving each other dirty looks and scoffing when it was the others' turn to film with you. It was cute watching them seeming fight for your affection.
After filming had wrapped and you had changed back into your own clothes, you stepped out of your trailer and started walking toward the car they had provided for you.
Before you could reach it, Josh stops you.
"You did an amazing job today. Thank you for coming out. You were fantastic." He says.
Just as you're about to say thank you, Sam walks up from behind you and says, "Hey, I'm glad I caught you! I just wanted to thank you for coming out today and tell you how awesome you did."
"I already let her know, but thanks anyway Sammy." Josh says, smirking.
Taking in a deep breathe, you look at the both of them. "Thank you so much. I really enjoyed working with BOTH of you. I hope we can work together again." You say before giving them each of them a kiss on the cheek.
Walking away from the stunned pair, you reach the car. Before getting in, you turn toward the two of them and wink.
Just as you shut your door, you hear, "She just winked at me. No! She winked at me. No..."
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erodasfishtacos · 3 years
Note
how about when they first noticed ezra was a nervous and anxious baby ?
Seperation
prompt: the moment when h and yn decide that Ezra needs to see a therapist.
warnings: angst
if you like the fic - please reblog, like, comment, or come talk to me in my inbox!
I write for free so if you enjoy my fics please consider donating to support my writing on my kofi.
enjoy 😊
It’s late at night, like 3 in the morning, and Harry was down in Atlanta for three games with the Braves.
Easton and Cash had long adjusted to their father being away for short spurts of time - doesn’t mean they don’t miss him but they know he’ll come back to them.
Ezra was another story.
YN felt dread anytime he went away for a game because her youngest got so anxious and had trouble sleeping.
He was usually okay during the day (Harry was gone for practice and obligations during most mornings and afternoons).
It was at night time.
She really didn’t want to call and bother her husband because he had just played a game that went into three innings of overtime and had gotten a gnarly bruise on his thigh from a ball hitting him as he batted.
When they’d FaceTimed after the game, about eight, he had been so exhausted in his hotel room that his eyes were nearly closing as he spoke to her.
Now at three, three in the morning, Ezra still hasn’t went to bed because of how fussy and tearful he was - babbling about his father.
“Daddy, daddy, daddy,” He was whining into his mother’s neck, his hot tears rolling down his cheeks and onto her skin.
“Ezzie, baby. We have to calm down. Mama’s here and daddy is okay, he’s just working,” She murmured to him for the hundredth time that night.
YN was sat in the den with him because she didn’t want him waking up his brothers or his little sister who just begun to sleep through the night for the most part.
At one point, she did stir for a night feeding, and as YN sat on her bed - Briar latched sleepily, Ezra was nestled tightly into her other side.
When it hit three-thirty, she began to feel herself get frustrated because she couldn’t fix the situation - no matter what she did.
She knew once tears began rolling down her own cheeks that she had to call Harry.
It was never that she was worried he would be mad that she called, she just felt guilty because he had worked so hard already that day.
YN reaches for her phone, taking a deep inhale before pressing his contact for facetime.
It rings three times before it’s picked up, completely dark in his room, and he rasps out drowsily, “Wha’s going on, mama? Y’alright? The babies alright?”
“I-I can’t get him to settle,” YN takes a deep breath, the sleep deprivation making her want to just break down and sob.
“Daddy? Daddy, daddy, daddy,” Ezra just chants, eyes wide on the screen, searching for his father to just appear but all he sees is darkness.
That causes him to just start bawling his eyes out when he can’t will his father onto the phone like he wants.
“Whoa, Ezzie. Sweet boy, c’mon. Y’gotta breathe s’daddy can understand you,” Harry coos, stirring to turn on the light and illuminate his pillow-creased face.
“Daddy!” His voice is shrill, high-pitched and it makes YN’s ears ring.
“Ezra Duke,” Harry says a little more firmly, “Daddy can’t understand you when you scream, okay?”
The little boy sniffles and tries to catch his breath, leaning into where YN is rubbing soothing circles into his back.
“Miss you,” His son whimpers sadly, bringing his voice down a notch, “Come home, please.”
“I am flying’ home tomorrow, bab. Daddy will be home around noon but you have to be good for mama,” He says, voice still smooth and calm.
“Now!” Ezra screams in a way he usually never does and then continues, “Now! Now daddy! Now!”
Both parents are taking aback, Harry with wide eyes and parted lips as he watching his son through his phone and YN just squeezes her eyes shut, exhaling out of her mouth.
“Mama, breathe,” Harry directs towards her, can tell how overwhelmed she is getting from all the chaos of his screaming.
“Daddy, daddy,” Ezra blubbers, green eyes angry and anxious at the same time, “Please, home!”
YN hears noise from behind her, to see her eight year old padding into the room with his unruly curls poking every which way.
“Mama, is Ezzie okay?” Easton wonders, knuckling his eyes sleepily and then Cash follows right behind him in his dinosaur pajamas.
“Fuck, he woke up the boys,” YN informs Harry tearfully, “I just…I don’t know what to do. I can’t do anything to make him feel better.”
The older boys peek into the screen to smile at their dad and Harry gives them a tense smile, “Hi boys, I know Ez is being loud but can y’two be good f’your mama and go back to bed?”
They agree, giving their upset brother a kiss and then their mom before talking quietly to each other as they walk up the stairs.
“Daddy? Home, please! Hold me!” Ezra wails, clinging to his mother’s neck tightly enough to hurt as he tantrums.
“This is the worst it’s ever been, he’s normally stopped before I’ve had to call you,” YN groans, rocking him swiftly against her for lack of a better idea.
“Wait…” Harry sits up, scrubbing a hand over his puffy face, “Has this been happening’ every time m’away?”
“It just started two to three months ago but he’s always been able to be calmed down within an hour or so,” YN replies, shushing Ezra as he babbles over and over again daddy, daddy, daddy.
Harry’s jaw tightens and his frown settles into a deep crease, “Well why a’ve you not told me that m’baby has been cryin’ for me when I’m gone? Do y’not think that’s important?”
YN recognizes his irritation and is running on less than five hours of sleep over two days and may he’s it back with an even sharper tone.
“We can’t change that you’re gone. I’m trying to handle it, Harry.”
“Y’not doin’ a bloody good job at it!” Harry bites back in frustration, heart pounding in desperation as he hears his son cry for him.
“Daddy, daddy, come on.”
Then YN looks at him with watering, hurt eyes, “I’m doing my best. You’re not here, I can’t make you appear. I’m trying to calm him down without having to wake you up.”
And Harry shouldn’t but he’s angry and misses his babies - all of them but especially the one who needs him the most right now.
“Y’dont think I deserve to know tha’ Ezra’s been acting like this?” Harry snaps before adding, “In this situation, y’best isn’t good enough because he’s still crying and y’still haven’t been able to settle him.”
And wow, those words hit her like a ton of bricks. It was instilling all the insecurities that she had bubbling in her chest.
In this situation, y’best isn’t good enough because he’s still crying and y’still haven’t been able to settle him.
Harry automatically knows that he spoke before he thought and he let his stressed out mind say untrue hurtful things.
He part his lips about to speak before YN cuts him off.
“If you can do it so much better than me, fucking good you. Then come home and fix this because I give up,” YN laughs without humor, finger finding the red button to hang out and disconnecting.
Harry tried calling back over and over and over but YN just hangs her head, sniffling, as she watches her tired, anxious little son finally drift off to sleep.
At some point, her phone stops ringing when he’s given up and it doesn’t ring again until for another thirty minutes.
She knew he was going to keep calling until she picked up - had been that way since they first started dating.
By now, Ezra was asleep in his room and YN was sat against their headboard - having tossed the tear soaked shirt she had on off and was feeding Briar once more.
The millionth facetime request comes through and finally she swipes to answer, he’s furious right as they connect, “D’you have any idea how worried I am? Y’cant ju-“
He stops himself when he sees his baby girl pop her head from her mother’s breast with puffy lips and look at the screen, “Dadadadada.”
“Oh, hi lil’ mama,” Harry changes his tone completely, face softening - “Did I interrupt y’eatin’? S’mama being so nice and feeding you?”
Briar just smiles with a gapped baby tooth smile, a dimple pushing into her left cheek as she does so.
“Guess I’m good for one thing, right? A fucking milk-maker,” YN scoffs at her husband’s opposite tone as she guides Briar gently back down to finish her meal.
Harry frowns, “Y’know tha’s not anything near the truth and tha’ I think you’re the best mama to our babies. M’just upset.”
“You told me my best wasn’t good enough, I can’t believe you would say something like tha’ to me,” YN begins to sniffle again.
“Sweetheart, m’sorry. I ju-“
“What did you call for, Harry? It’s nearly four-thirty in the morning and I haven’t slept for nearly two days now. I want to feed her and go to sleep,” YN’s voice is disconnected and exhausted.
“To talk, I didn’t say how I was feeling correctly-“
“When you come home tomorrow you can fix everything and I’ll let you because I’m not doing a good enough job,” His wife cuts him off again.
Harry starts to feel a ball of worry form in his throat as he hears how unemotional and distance his wife sounds with him.
He had totally said the wrong things as his wife was just trying to do her best at balancing four babies while he was away.
“Please, let me apologize-“
“I would like to go to sleep. Please don’t call back,” YN responds before ending the phone call and leaving the screen dark.
They rarely ever fought. Especially like this.
He’s man enough to admit that he cries after he tries calling back (even though she said not to) and it went straight to voicemail.
-
He tries facetiming in the morning, at around nine right before if flight takes off - surprised when it actually was picked up.
Harry only sees YN for a brief moment before she’s propping up the camera on the kitchen table so that Easton and Cash are in view eating pancakes and Briar is in her high chair with blueberries staining her chubby cheeks.
Ezra must still be in bed.
“Hi bubbies,” Harry greets with a smile as they’re curls shake as they look up with excited smiles.
“Daddy! You comin’ home?” Cash squeaks excitedly through a mouthful of food.
“Hi dad!” Easton chimes in, waving.
Briar is only half-interested, more taken by the fact that if she squishes the berries between her fingers they turn mushy, babbles out a, “Daddadaa.”
“I’ll be home in like three hours, ‘kay” Harry informs them - his heart aches to be there right now with theme
“Ezzie cried all night,” Cash let’s his father know.
“Mama cried too,” Easton whispers, like it’s a secret that he doesn’t want her to hear, “I think she is really sad.”
Harry squeezes his eyes shut for a minute, “I know. Ezzie was sad last night. Can I talk to mama?”
Easton looks to his mother off camera as she must say something to him to repeat to Harry, “Mama said that she is busy and she’ll see you when you get home.”
He clenches his fist off camera, trying to smile but he knows it’s terse as he says, “Alright, I love you all. See y’when I get home.”
-
Meanwhile, YN gets all the children settled after breakfast.
Easton, Cash, and Ezra in the backyard - the two older ones digging holes for bugs and the younger playing in the sandbox.
Briar was snoozing in the cradle of YN’s elbow as she sat on a chaise - watching the kids.
She hits the number she was looking for, waiting for it to ring, and then she hears, “Hillside Pediatrics, this is Jess.”
The office knew the family well because Harry is Harry Styles and they have four children who visit there.
YN inquires about therapeutic options for him, resources, and if they had any recommendations for where to take him.
Like the super mom she is, she manages to set up an intake appointment that evening (which was a miracle on its own), call Anne and ask to watch the other children, and then take a deep breathe.
Harry steps through the back door, dressed in his usual Yankees hoodie, Nike shorts, and trainers looking tanner than before.
“Hi bubbies!” He greets, basking in when all of his children look up and squeal excitedly at the sight of their father.
Easton and Cash are the fastest, racing to cling to each legs and nuzzle into his thigh with a tight hug.
Ezra is slower, by the time he’s arrived to his father - there was no room for him to shuffle in and he automatically lets out an earth-shattering wail.
Just like before.
“Daddy! Hold me! Daddy, hold me please!” His youngest son begs desperately, stretching up his arms, and letting hot tears stream down his cheeks.
Harry tuts, reaching for him and popping him on his hip but Ezra has other ideas - scrambling until his nose is pressed into the curve of Harry’s neck with his arms wrapped tightly around him.
“Ezzie, c’mon now,” Harry titters softly, reaching down to give both of his other boys a kiss on the head before they dart back off to play.
“Daddy, miss you,” Ezra blubbers sadly, Harry wincing when his son yanks a bit in his longer curls by the nape of his neck.
“Y’okay, daddy’s got you. Relax, breathe bubba,” His father reassured him, swaying softly back and forth until he’s just sniffing.
“We have an appointment with a children’s play therapist for him later at five,” YN tells him, shushing Briar who’s squeaking from the noise.
Harry takes a deep inhale, “Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Can we talk now since y’been ignoring my calls?”
YN bristles at the attitude in his tone, “Excuse me if I’d rather not be critiqued on my skills as a mother when I am sleep-deprived and stressed out.”
He clenches his jaw, speaking lowly with firmness, “Y’bein’ absurd! I didn’t critique to you, y’blowing things out of proportion! Y’the one who didn’t tell me this was going on!”
“It didn’t get that bad until last night! I could handle it - he would just be upset for a little before bed but he’d never got that anxious before,” She justifies, returning the glare he’s giving her.
“Didn’t think y’could mentioned it to me? I have a right to know, he’s m’baby too. I could have fix this yet you were letting him suffer,” Harry bites out but know as soon as it’s out of his mouth that he wishes he could swallow the words back down.
You were letting him suffer.
YN doesn’t even argue back, just starts bawling because of how hurtful those words were and how could he even say that?
“Mama, fuck- I didn’t, I’m just-“
His wife gets up without a word, using Briar’s blanket to wipe at her wet cheeks, and vanishing through the sliding back doors.
Ezra was snoozing peacefully on him and he couldn’t leave the boys outside alone so he resorts to sitting down on one of the outdoor couches and curse internally.
He couldn’t believe he was being so cruel. He just felt so….betrayed that she hadn’t told him what had been going on and he felt like he was letting down Ezra.
It was a nasty feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach because he was away so much from his family and it was stressful for everyone.
He wanted to cry at the idea of his son crying for him every night.
-
Harry starts to get anxious when YN isolates herself in their bedroom with Briar for the next upcoming hours.
He knocks softly, opening the door to YN turned on her side away from him, under the covers, with Briar asleep in her bassinet asleep.
“Mama? Y’awake?” Harry murmurs cautiously with a sandwich and chips since she’d disappeared and hadn’t been down once, water in the other hand.
“Are the boys okay?” YN asks quietly, not bothering to turn over to face him.
“Yes, babies are fine. They’re watchin’ Toy Story right now, eatin’ lunch,” Harry replies, eyes falling in his beautiful little daughter.
“If the boys are fine then I don’t want you in here,” YN tells him with an angry tone but low enough that it won’t disturb Briar.
Harry nearly whimpers.
“Baby, please. We need to talk-“
“If the boys are fine, I want you to leave me alone.”
Harry hesitates by the door, feeling helpless as he slips the plate onto the dresser in case she is hungry but he doubts she’ll touch it.
“Alright, I’ll leave y’be. Call me if y’need anythin’ or help with Briar,” He offers, trying to buy time in the room.
She laughs sarcastically, “Yeah, I’ll make sure you’re notified because I can’t do a good enough job myself.”
Harry sighs, running a hand through his hair, trying to conjure up the perfect words to fix this situation but it’s interrupted.
“Daddy? Daddy? Where? Hold me!” Ezra screeches as Easton stands outside the door with him, holding his hand.
“Dad, he won’t stop,” The oldest complains with annoyance as Ezra scurries to his father and up into his arms.
“Daddy daddy,” He chants into his father’s skin with relief.
“Thank y’East, Ezzie’s been sad lately. Huh?” Harry replies, thumbing at Easton’s cheek.
The oldest shrugs, “Not always. Mama cheers him up all the time with kisses and hugs.”
Harry gazes back to the lump under the blankets and feels himself getting choked up. He really really regretted his words.
He didn’t regret being upset with her. He regrets the cheap shots he took at his wife who’s just trying to be a full time mom to his babies.
“Mama?” Ezra squeaks at the word, realizing he hasn’t seen her recently and then he’s back to tantruming, “Mama, mama, mama. Where’s mama?”
“M’right here, Ez,” YN murmurs, flipping to her other side so that her youngest could see her. His face lights up and he scurries to the bed, scampering up until his mom is tucking him under the blankets with her.
Harry’s heart aches when Ezra whimpers quietly and burrows into her warm chest with happiness that he found his mother.
“Y’got him?” Harry asks, hand raking through Easton’s curls as he leans into his father’s side.
“Can we go play now, dad?” Easton asks impatiently, tugging his father out of the room and down the staircase.
-
Anne shows up and the two older ones are so excited, bouncing up and down as they tug her into the backyard to show her the holes they dug with Briar popped on her hip - gnawing on her shirt collar.
YN brings Ezra down the stairs, curls tamed with a bit styling mousse and a little adias x disney outfit that was the cutest thing ever. ***
Harry reaches out to take Ezra off YN but he whines and shakes his head, clinging to his mother like it was life or death.
“No daddy! Mama!” Ezra pouts angrily, glaring at his father with protectiveness.
He puts his hands up, “Okay, okay. Y’can stay with y’mama.”
-
The car ride is silent, Harry doesn’t know what to say and YN isn’t giving him anything to work with. He feels like he’ll just say the wrong thing again.
When they pull up to the building and Harry puts it in park, he’s startled when his wife just starts bawling into her hands.
Harry freezes for a second with wide eyes before rumbling, “Mama, sweetheart. Please don’t cry, it breaks m’heart, darlin’.”
“I’m…I’m no-not a good mom,” YN cries, “I wanted to tell you but I was scared. I don’t want you to think I can’t handle raising our babies.”
Harry pries her hands away from her face, cupping her cheeks and firmly staring, full conviction in his voice, “If I didn’t think y’could handle four babies then I wouldn’t have put them in you. I wouldn’t talk about putting more in you.”
YN’s eyes are watering, letting Harry swipe the tears away with his thumbs as she inhales deeply, “I am so so sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t want you to worry when you’re away.”
Harry leans forward, kissing her harshly before whispering against her lips, “I don’t give a fuck about baseball in comparison to you and the kids. I’d give it up this second if y’asked. I want to worry because you’re the love of m’life and I’m y’husband - I’m here to support you and support our family.”
He continues, “I am a bit frustrated with you. I want you to tell me everything I miss when I’m gone even if it stresses me out or upsets me. Okay? But I shouldn’t have said hurtful things. You’re the best mama on this planet and y’treat our babies the best.”
YN nods, willing herself to stop crying as their appointment starts in ten minutes as she takes steady breathes.
“I forgive you. I’m sorry I let my pride get in the way. I just…I feel like you do everything for us and the least I could do is manage the kids,” She sighs with self-deprecation.
“Mama, just because one of our bubs needs therapy doesn’t mean you’re not doing a perfect job. We’ve always know Ezzie was an anxious baby. This is going to be good for him and for us, right?” He encourages, nosing at her cheek before she offers up her lips once more for a short kiss.
“I love you,” YN tells him, running a thumb of a light dusting of stubble on his jawline.
“Love y’more than anything,” He replies instantly.
-
Ezra is nervous as they step into the calming, peaceful office where there are neatly organized buckets of toys and shelves of books.
Patricia was a middle-aged woman with a kind smile who welcomed them in, she observed how Ezra had himself wrapped around his dad with hesitant green eyes peeking at her.
As they sit down, Patricia says softly, “This must be Ezra?”
They all wait for a moment before the toddler turns around to look at the woman and says timidly, “m’Ezzie.”
“Hi Ezzie,” The therapist greets and he gives her a cautious smile before nuzzling back into his father’s neck.
The discuss what has been going on. How Ezra has always been very nervous, anxious, cautious in a way that none of his other siblings are.
How he struggles when one of his parents is away from him, how he can get upset if he can’t find one of his siblings, or how much he worries about things most kids his age don’t worry about.
Patricia does an excellent job in calming down the parents, assuring them that it was nothing out of the norm, and that therapy would be beneficial for him.
She states that they’ll work a lot of feelings - being able to describe and recognize them. That will be one of the most important things.
Also working on his ability to calm down and cope with stressful situations, recommending once a week which of course his parents agreed to.
By the end of the intake, Ezra had ventured to take one of the baby dolls from a bin and bring it back to his father.
“Look daddy, s’a baby,” He lisps proudly, holding it up to show him.
“Good job, bubs,” Harry laughs, leaning to kiss his forehead - watching him toddle off to find more dolls to play with.
-
That night, after all the kids go to bed, and YN is finishing her final feeding with Briar in her nursery before putting in her crib.
Harry runs a nice, steaming bath with lavender bubbles and a candle burning with the lights dimmed low.
When she finds him, he slowly undresses her with warm kisses and praises of how good of a wife and mother she is.
They lay in there together, YN between his legs with her head rested on his chest, as his hands massage at her tummy and hips lovingly.
And yeah, everything is okay after that.
They get up the next day and everything is back to normal except now Ezra goes to therapy once a week with his parents.
(Ezra ends up working with Patricia until he’s in about sixth grade.)
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lily-drake · 3 years
Note
Twin!Sibling Tim and Marinette where Tim is digging into his parents old files one day and discovers he had a younger twin sibling that was given up cause she wasn't planned. Tim does what Tim does best starts tracking down where she was sent/adopted to and finds out she's in Paris. Marinette has always known she was adopted and doesn't even bat an eye when he shows up. Basically they bond over coffee/riddles/problem solving, and discover each other hero identities.
Siblings don’t shake hands, siblings gotta hug!
sorry this took so long!
Tim didn’t want to be at the manor.  He was tired, and it wasn’t because he hadn’t slept in like 4 days, no his tiredness was bone deep.  It has been a year now since he was proven right that Bruce was indeed alive.  He was right, but Dick never apologized, Damian was still trying to kill him, Jason was still doing his thing in Crime Alley, and as long as he stayed far away from there he would be fine.  Bruce, at least he had thanked him when Tim had pulled him out of the time stream.  But that wasn’t enough, because he never stopped Damian’s many attempts to kill him, he often let Jason, his also attempted murderer, into the manor whenever the guy wanted!  Dick had even threatened to send him to Arkham for even suggesting that Bruce was alive, and would you look at that, he is!  So no, he didn’t feel safe at the manor.  And yes, he was tired of doing so much for everyone and having to be trampled on and thrown away for someone or something new.
He didn’t know why he was at Drake Manor.  Honestly this place wasn’t any better, but he knew that no one would ever think to look here.  So he let the back of his mind take control and he wandered through old dusty rooms.  He was honestly surprised Bruce was still spending his money to keep this place.  He was wandering through his father’s old office and saw a filing cabinet.  Why not, Tim thought tiredly as he opened one of the drawers and he was met with files upon files.  Some mindless work would be good for him, it would keep his mind off of his horrible thoughts and the feelings he really didn’t need right now.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, just going through old documents, bills, reports, but it was fine.  Well it was fine until he stumbled upon a birth certificate that wasn’t his own.  It was a girl’s certificate, she was born the same day, of the same year, two minutes after him.  Tim sat there staring down at the piece of paper before his mind basically exploded and he was a flurry.  He was going through the metal cabinet drawers much faster.  He pulled out everything he could find on “Marinette”, and that’s when he stumbled upon a journal entry inside one of the envelope that held his —oh my gosh, he had a little sister, he wasn’t alone anymore; shut up, he’s not crying— apparent sister’s name on it.
19 July ####
Stupid child.  We didn’t know that this stupid girl was going to disrupt our plans!  We don’t need another heir, especially not a girl.  This might just set back our plans for Tim… unless we get rid of her.  Nobody has to know who she is, not even her if we put her up for adoption.  I’ll have to run it by Janet first, but I may have just found the answer to the problem.
Tim felt disgusted, how could his parents do something like this?!  Tim imagined what it would have been like to live with his apparent twin and thought how much better and warm it could have been.  Tim came to a decision, he was going to find her, he was going to meet her, he had to make sure that she was in a good home and that hi-er, their parents hadn’t just shipped her off to some random family that could be hurting her.  So that’s what he did.  After collecting all the information he could find and stuffing it into one of the manilla folders he ran back to the manor and to his room where his personal laptop sat on his desk.
_______
Marinette always knew she was adopted.  While she had many similarities to Sabine, she knew she couldn’t be her real mom.  She was different from them, and while she had learned so many things from them and she was so happy, she knew that she was missing something.  She had always felt some sort of loss, and it wasn’t their fault, but at the same time it might have been.  So when she saw a boy around her age with dark black hair and eyes so similar to hers she could just feel a connection.  It felt like something had just fallen into place and the world was finally beginning to be complete.  The two stared at each other for what felt like hours but was probably just a few minutes before he approached her.
“Umm..h-hey.  Um,”
He awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing.
“I’m Tim Drake, and I know this is going to sound weird…but I think I’m your twin brother.”
Marinette blinked a few times before a wide smile spread across her lips.
“It’s great to meet you Tim!  I’m Marinette, though I’m sure you already knew that.”
They both chuckled at that before the awkward silence surrounded them once more.
“Sooo….would you like some coffee?”
Marinette asked, noticing the tired posture that her —she had a brother, a twin no less, that’s so cool— brother’s exhausted posture.
“Wait, you're just going to take my word for it?!”
He asked incredulously.  Marinette rolled her eyes at that as she went behind the counter of the bakery and began a brew of her special all-nighter coffee.
“We have the same eyes, hair, and how dare you be a bad influence to me when I haven’t even met you!”
She joked, but he looked confused.
“W-what do you mean?”
“You look like you haven’t slept in a week, and I’ve been there, done that, and I know I’ll do it again.”
Tim didn’t have anything to say to that, because he was the older sibling, and he was a bad influence, even from an ocean away.  How could he fall into such a bad habit and let his sister think it was okay to do it too?!  A large cup of coffee was placed in front of his face breaking him out of his stupor.  He carefully took it and gave her an awkward smile.
“Thank you.”
He said sheepishly.  He slowly took a sip of the hot drink and his eyes widened with wonder and delight.
“Magical coffee goddess, I worship you.  This is the best coffee ever.  I’m so glad we’re related right now!”
Marinette giggled and played along tilting her chin the air in a ‘better-than-you’ sort of way,
“Of course you should worship me.  I am your sister and thus I obviously deserve all of the praise.”
They made eye contact and began laughing again.
“Follow me, mama and papa made some cookies upstairs.”
“Really?!”
Tim said with hope and pure joy.  Marinette could see the loneliness in his eyes, and she understood it.  They both carried a burden, maybe they had more similarities than they would ever truly know.
“So, do tell brother-o-mine, what are your hobbies?”
Marinette asked as she opened the apartment door that led to the main room.  He thought over for a bit as they settled on the barstools in front of the counter where the cookies sat in a pile atop a decorated plate.
“Well, I like photography, I do a lot of tech stuff, I solve cold cases, and solving riddles is fun.”
He said before nibbling shyly on a cookie, like nobody had ever really cared or asked what he liked to do.  Marinette was going to change this, he was family and he should be treated as such, which means she’s going to treat like he’s the most important person.  And considering their twins he is!
“Oh?  Ok then Tim-Tam,”
He made a confused face but didn’t say anything,
“I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?”
Tim's eyes widened before they sparkled with a bright happy gleam. He took another bit, a bigger one this time, of the cookie and swallowed before easily replying,
“An echo.”
Marinette nodded her head and held her hand up, he looked at it for a second confusedly before he realized what she was doing.  He quickly high fived her back and her bright smile made him so happy.  Was he doing this right, Damian had never given him a chance to be an older brother, he was even kicked out so he really didn’t know if he was doing anything right.  But she looked happy, and it seemed genuine, so maybe he was?
“Alright, my turn.”
He said, and after a bit of thought said,
“White bird, featherless. Flying out of paradise. Flying over sea and land. Dying in my hand. What is it?”
Marinette had never heard of this one, but she was determined to figure it out.  She took another cookie from the plate and began to eat it as she thought.
“Could you repeat it please?”
He smirked and did.  She would wipe that smirk off his face, she would not surrender!!!  After a few more minutes it hit her an she smiled brightly,
“A snowflake!”
Tim wanted to feel upset, he did, really!  But her smile was so bright and she looked so happy and prideful, he couldn’t help but smile too.  Marinette opened her mouth to ask him another riddle when her Akuma alert went off.  She glared at it before she sighed and stood up.
“I’ll be right back Tim, I just need to grab something in my room, okay?”
Tim hesitated a little but nodded silently and gripped his hands together.  Marinette wanted to scream, because of course he had abandonment issues.  She was going to kill whoever hurt her —she didn’t know who was older, she’d have to ask— brother in such a way.
“Tim, I promise that I will be back, and I’m not trying to get away from you.  I want to get to know you, I just need to take care of this, okay?”
Tim could feel tears stinging at the back of his eyes at her words.  How long had he been waiting for someone to say that to him?  That they weren’t going to run from him, that they would stay, that they actually would come back?
“Okay.”
He whispered not daring to meet her eyes for fear that she would see his weakness.  He could hear her feet on the stairs and the door close and then he waited anxiously for her to return.
It felt like hours that she had been gone, but when he checked his phone again it had been, half an hour.  He bit his lip in anticipation and came to a decision he would knock on her door and ask if she needed help with anything.  If she was working on some project it would be rude of him not to try to help her in some way.  So he carefully made his way up the stairs and knocked on the door.
“Marinette, do you need any help?”
There was no reply and it was silent in there.  It was too silent for someone to not be in there.  And he was a paranoid man, so could you blame him for opening the door, and when she wasn’t there looking around?  When he heard a thump come from the loft bed he quickly looked up and took a defensive stance only to see a lady in ladybug themed spandex and ladybug themed mask, and the suit was disappearing into magical pink sparkles, and his sister was staring at him instead of the ladybug girl, and oh, his sister was the ladybug girl.
“I’m the most terrible, horrible, absolute worst, influence to ever exist.  The worst big brother to ever exist.”
Tim groaned, burying his face in his hands.  Of course she was also a superhero.  When was anyone he called family not one?!  Marinette did not expect or understand his reaction.  How was he such a terrible influence, it’s not like he was a-unless he was.  So he was the older twin, question answered at least.
“What hero are you?”
She asked as she stared down at her brother from her bed.
“Red Robin, in Gotham.”
He groaned, face still covered.
“Well, want to meet the rest of the team?  We were planning to meet for ice cream soon.”
Tim looked at her eyes shining with emotion.
“Just like that?  You’re just going to accept it, except me so easily?”
Marinette hopped down and hugged her brother tightly and felt her heart ache as he practically melted into her touch.
“Of course!  You’re my brother, my family, and I’ll never leave my family behind, ever.”
They had both lost people important in their lives, both been betrayed in ways they weren’t able to talk about quite yet, but one day they would.
______
Tim had begun to zeta to Paris almost every other day to visit Marinette, and sometimes he would stay with her for weeks on end.  Tom and Sabine were such genuine and sweet people and he had never felt so loved then he did in her house or with her and her friends.  Chloe, Luka, Kagami, Adrien, and Juleka were some of the most genuine and protective people he had ever met.  He would often patrol with them, and when Adrien using his bo staff as a sword finally got to him, taught the kid how to use his precious child properly.  With his spare time he would help them track down Hawkmoth and help them narrow down the suspect list.
He had been gone from Gotham for almost a month now and all of them were just chilling in Chloe’s room.  Luka was strumming some soft melodies on his guitar, Juleka, Chloe, and Marinette were talking about designs, and Adrien and Kagami were talking about fencing techniques.  Tim looked up from his laptop, he had been doing WE work from here and attending meetings via video call, and picked up the camera he had brought with him from the table next to him.  He set his laptop aside and stood in a corner of a room getting the perfect angle to capture the serenity of the moment.  He stared down at the picture with a gentle smile and went back to his spot on the couch only for Marinette to lay down across his lap.
He smiled gently at his little sister.  She seemed to understand how touched staved he was, but knew how it was awkward for him to be touched or held for long periods of times.  So, she would often just lay in his lap and let him control the amount of touch that happened, he would often just run his fingers through her hair, and when the roles were reversed she would do the same for him.  He liked being able to fall asleep to her gentle touches.  They may have only officially met about 3 months ago, but it felt like they’d known each other their entire lives even though they were separated.  Suddenly his computer began to fuzz out and…he knew Oracle’s work when he saw it.  He sighed tiredly and leaned his head on the back of the couch as his brothers’ faces popped onto the screen along with Oracle herself.  He had been ignoring their texts and calls all week, he should have seen this coming.
“Tim!  We’ve been trying to get a hold of you for weeks!  We could really use your help right now!”
Tim grumbled tiredly under his breath as Marinette stared at the screen that held the faces of Dick, Damian, and Barbara.
“Tt.  We don’t need the pretender’s help, we’re just fine on our own.  In fact we’re better off without him completely.”
The small boy with green eyes said.  She glared at the screen and she could tell her friends were glaring as well.  Before Tim could do or say anything she snatched the laptop and made sure her face showed through the camera.
“What the-“
“Who are you?”
“Shut. Up.”
Marinette said darkly as she glared at the screen.  Damian went to open his mouth but she beat him to the punch.
“You will never, and I mean never call my brother that again.  And none of you have even noticed where he’s been!  None of you are worried about him?!  All you care about is what he can give you, what he can do for you, right?”
It was silent on the other end, everybody shocked at the words she was saying, specifically the “brother” part.
“I’ve dealt with people like you before.  Always wanting something, always asking, never caring about the person doing it.  You just expect it to be done even if they have other things they need or have to do.  And when it isn’t done you guilt or shame him, don’t you?!”
It was silent and she could tell she was right by the way two of them went pale, the other just crossed his arms and looked away definitely.
Her team was coming up to the camera and they made sure that the people saw their faces.
“Never call here again unless it’s for an apology or it’s the end of the world.  He's ours, and I’m going to make sure he’s protected from people like you.”
Then she shut the laptop.  Tim looked at his little sister and her, no, their friends with shock and utter joy.  He could feel warm tears begin to flow down his face and his family…yea, family were hugging him and reassuring him.  He loved it here, and he was so thankful he found his little sister.  He could share anything with her, and she never judged him, in fact she just up and helped him.  He made sure he did the same for her, and they often spent late nights working together and helping each other.
“Thank you Bean, and everyone.  Thank you.”
“We love you too Tim-Tam.  We'll always be here.  Because family don’t shake hands.”
“Family hugs.”
He finished.  It was a joke as after the first time they met before he left he held out his hand for a handshake, but instead she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.  Yea, he loved his family, and he was happy that they were always there for him.
Next
Taglist:
@aespades @adrestar @astrynyx @doll246 @queenz-z @toodaloo-kangaroo @crazylittlemunchkin @seraphichana @miraculous-ninja @dorkus-minimus @mysticsoulgirl @ritacrow-blog @snow-leopard-777 @fidget-eep @sometandomstuff333 @lady-phoenix-of-tardis @shreeing @achaoticmess1
836 notes · View notes
xpeachesncream · 3 years
Text
lowkey (jjk) | 02.
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⦿ boo’d up in the daytime
⦿ mackin’ & hangin’ in the nighttime
↳ series masterlist
summary: in order to pass organic chemistry and pay off your car damages from an accident, all you have to do is help the nerd, jeon jungkook, with a few things: pretend to be his girlfriend and teach him the ways of dating.
pairing: popular!reader x nerd!jjk
genre: college au, fake dating au, friends (with benefits?) to lovers au | fluff, angst, smut
words: 3.2k
warnings: cussing, implied sexual content/mature language, kissy-kissy koo, mentions of a boner, mention of sex and cum, seokjin’s still toxic
note: posting this chapter a little early since it’s butter weekend, plus the last part of liquid courage should be up sat/sun. still sticking to my schedule in my faq though, srry loves! i’ll do my best to update as soon as i can. 💗
tags: @taegularities​ @jimidol​ @miinoongi​ @bluesharksandfish​ @ggukkieland​ @unicornbabylover​ @thebeebi​ @preciouschimine​ @ladyartemesia​ @moonchild1​ @jikookiekosmos​ @marcoazz2​ @kootaes​ @wearenot7withu​ @codeinebelle​ @bigbootyjoonie​ @thisartemisnevermisses​ @maichiverse​ @ppeachyttae​ @fairysunooo​ @secretlycrazyhummingbird​ @yukiehyukie​
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"I heard you were in an accident last night, babe. Are you okay? I'm so sorry I got mad at you yesterday." Seokjin comes towards you, cupping your face to look at every inch, every detail. You move away from his hold, backing up to give yourself some space.
"Seokjin, I told you to stop calling me that. Jesus. I'm fine. Don't need you to check up on me."
"Are you really gonna keep that up? I said I was sorry."
"Okay, and? I heard you."
"Really, that's it? Y/N, why are you being like this? What's the real reason?" He follows after you as you make your way to the library. To say Seokjin was persistent is an understatement— he was persistent for the wrong reasons. Like, keeping you close so he had you to fall on when things went wrong with another chick, his safety net.
"Because this is done, I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I'm tired of you doing this so, please. Just go." You slightly turn towards him as you climb up the stairs.
"I wanna work this out with you. Don't push me away. Let me help." You don't respond. He watches as you adjust your bag strap and wave at Jungkook. Seokjin chuckles and grabs your wrist gently, making Jungkook suddenly hop on defense as he balls his fists. Like he could do shit. Seokjin would probably wreck his ass with those broad shoulders.
Still. He hated how much of an asshole he was to you.
"Wait, what the fuck?" Seokjin laughs his rare, deep laugh that he uses when he's caught off guard. "You're hanging out with nerds, now?"
"And if I was, that would be none of your business." You snatch your arm away while glaring at him. You shake your head and continue walking towards Jungkook, relieved Seokjin finally left you alone today. Probably off to tell Namjoon, Yoongi and his friends how much of a bitch you've been and that you actually left him to hang out with a nerd.
Sunmi knows you're being tutored. However if that wasn't the case, she would question you, but she never take their side on shit. She remained loyal to you, and always supported you through whatever. That's why she's remained your bestfriend until this day. The senior chicks Seokjin and them hung around with though? Questionable. As long as Sunmi was by your side and you by hers, you both didn't care much for getting close to them.
"Hey, sorry you had to see that." You say as you sigh and set your bag down alongside of you on the long table.
"It's alright." Jungkook replies softly. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. Thanks." You give him a tiny, tightlipped smile. "So, should we get right into tutoring, or should we talk about the details of our deal? I have all afternoon." Luckily, it was quite loud in the loud section of the library. No one cared much to listen in to your secret deal with Jungkook, nor did anyone care because it was Jungkook.
"I do too. I guess, whatever works for you?"
"Let's get this tutoring over with first then iron out the rest." He nods.
"Sure." He pulls out his notebook. "Tell me, what are you struggling with?"
"Everything." He does a small head tilt.
"I doubt that. I'm sure you understand some things."
"No, you don't understand Jungkook. I'm legit drowning. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or where I'm lacking." Jungkook simply looks at you, lips pressed together before he nods. You're not lacking anywhere, he thinks. You're really not. The subject is just shitty and the spawn of the devil.
"That's okay. Well, can I go over some basics? Throw in some tips?"
"Yes, please. Lead the way. I need you." You chuckled, but it makes the heat rush to his cheeks. He hopes you don't catch the rosy tint creeping up on them, so he instantly grabs at the whiteboard near your table and starts to go over the very beginning, the very basics of this semester's OChem class. Maybe a bit from last semester, but last semester wasn't entirely that bad compared to this one.
He didn't expect you to be all that engaged for some reason, but he should have known you'd ask questions left and right, taking the black whiteboard marker from his hand to practice what you've learned with him watching and guiding you from your side. You were always focused, always so determined. You were incredibly smart. Incredibly beautiful.
Honestly, Jungkook go on for days.
The both of you hadn't realized it was nearing close to 5PM and neither of you had really eaten much since lunch. You sit, feeling pretty good about your first session with Jungkook. You feel a little bad having kept him for so long over OChem, realizing you still had things to iron out with him.
[sunmi] 4:34pm: hey babe, not gonna be leaving for a bit. i forgot i had to work on this psych project with jennie. you okay with leaving around 6/7?
"Crap."
"What's the matter?" Jungkook glances at you as you continue to stare at your phone and scroll away.
"Sunmi isn't leaving until later. I'll probably be stuck here for a little longer after you leave." You put your phone down, now resting your chin against your palm, nails slightly digging into your cheek.
"I-I can give you a ride, if you'd like? Plus, we still need to talk.. about stuff." He shyly says.
"Jungkook, that's too much to ask for."
"It's really not a big deal. How far do you live from campus?"
"Maybe a 10 minute drive, the next exit off the freeway." He shrugs.
"I'm going in that direction too."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. We can just talk on the way home."
"Would you be willing to stop by for dinner? We can talk then. Maybe it can be considered our 'first date.'" You joke with a small giggle.
"Oh, sure. Yeah." He gives off a tiny, nervous laugh. "Where did you have in mind?"
"Can we get.. hm—" You hum. "Fire Wings? Down the street?" He almost feels intoxicated watching how your eyes gleam under the light, how they brighten and widen when you mention food. You were cute, and you didn't even know it.
"Only if you tell me what flavors you get." He tries to get smart, which makes you laugh. He made you laugh.
"Is this judgment day? Gonna see if you should call quits on our deal before it even starts?"
"Maybe." He goes along with it.
"Okay. Garlic Parmesan and Dragon." You pack up your things before shooting him a look.
"Okay, solid flavors." He nods. "I guess we can continue on."
"You're funny." You giggle as you both throw your bags onto your backs. You stay in your position until Jungkook comes to your side so you can walk by him. You don't know much about him, but he has a soft demeanor and he makes you feel comfortable. You had only seen him a couple of times across campus, not really noticing him much in class either. You feel a little bad knowing you didn't even try being that he sat behind you, but better late than never I guess? Maybe there was a reason for all of this happening. The way he tutored you today was insane, too— he was super smart, but broke it down perfectly, was patient. He was patient.
No wonder Dr. K loved his ass.
"What about you?" You picked up the conversation.
"I usually go for a dry rub and Garlic Parmesan."
"I haven't tried any dry rubs."
"You can try one of mine later."
"Okay." You suddenly remember to shoot Sunmi a text before she comes looking for you everywhere on campus. Jungkook stays silent beside you, allowing you to do your thing without being too overbearing or nosy.
But, he honestly can't help but glance a few times.
[y/n] 5:11pm: sorry just saw this, hitching a ride with my tutor. don't worry about me! ty ily, have fun working on your project.
[sunmi] 5:13pm: tutor, as in jeon jungkook?
[y/n] 5:15pm: yeah, he offered.
[sunmi] 5:16pm: okay, that was nice of him. if he tries anything tho i'll beat his ass. text me when u get home?
[y/n] 5:17pm: don't worry about him, he won't lol i will.
[sunmi] 5:18pm: kk love u b
"Sorry." You say, tucking your phone into your pocket. "Had to text Sunmi."
"That's okay. You two are really close, right?"
"Yeah, since high school."
"Cool." At this point, Jimin, Taehyung and Hoseok are coming out of the café at the same you two are passing.
"What about you, where are your friends?"
"Um." He sighs, trying to avoid his friends obnoxiously waving and calling him from the distance. You glance over from behind his figure, chuckling a little bit. "That's them."
"Cute. You all are really close, too?"
"Ya, I've known Jimin the longest though." You smile and wave at them, causing them to gasp and whisper amongst each other with huge smiles on their faces.
"I'll need to meet them if we're gonna do this thing for real. Do they know?"
"Yeah kinda."
"That's okay. We should probably work on keeping it between us though." He nods.
"Okay, but. Can we save meeting them for later? They're a bit.. much." You smile.
"Sure."
"D-do I have to meet Sunmi?" You nod.
"If you wanna make this believable, yeah."
"She's kinda scary."
"Jungkook, she's not gonna bite your head off. She just has that look, but I promise she's sweet." That look, that resting bitch face. Really, you could be biased because it's Sunmi. She really only had issues if she felt disrespected. Other than that, she meant well. Same with you— you've been accused of being intimidating and having the same look but you don't mean any harm by it.
"Okay." Jungkook unlocks his black 2016 Honda Civic and pops his bag in the trunk. You do the same, while Jungkook goes to open the passenger door for you.
"Thanks." You smile sweetly at him. He climbs into his seat, hitting the button to start the car and sighs. The music in the background starts to play, and it sounds mellow, soothing— like it came straight out of a fairytale. His eyes widen as he rushes to lower the volume before shyly looking at you.
"Sorry."
"What, no. Don't be. What is this?"
"A Final Fantasy lofi mix." He begins to drive off as you turn the volume back up.
"It's nice. Pretty relaxing."
"Ya, it's nice to listen to after a long day." He pushes his glasses up at the light.
"Do you have family here?" He nods.
"I do. My mom and dad live about an hour away. I'm the only child. What about you?"
"Same. They're probably 30 minutes up north."
"Do you live alone?"
"Yeah, I live in a studio. It's actually my coworker's. She bought the space to rent it out. She lets me rent it for pretty cheap though."
"That's nice."
"You?"
"I live with Jimin. Our parents are close."
"What about your other friends?"
"Hoseok is dorming, and Taehyung would rather live back home with his family and commute. He's close to them. He'll crash at ours or Hoseok's from time to time."
"Are you close to your family?" He nods as he turns into the plaza lot.
"I suppose, yes. I'm just really quiet overall, so they think it's hard to read me sometimes." He parks and you watch as he shuts the car off with the same button. "You?"
"Yeah, I'm really close to my mom. Dad, a little questionable."
"Why, if I may ask?" He comes to open your door again, causing you to give him a small smile.
"He, um. Just got into some stuff." He watches as your body tenses while you fiddle with your fingers waiting in line.
"It's okay, don't think about it. I won't ask again."
"It's okay, Jungkook. Really. Maybe another time?" You look up at him and he nods. He stands way taller than you, almost at Seokjin's height, if not the same. He likes to wear baggy, dark clothing and doesn't do much to fix or style his hair.
He's simple, but in a good way.
You both order your food with Jungkook going first so he can grab a table afterwards. Before he could pay though, you offer to cover him for dinner as your way of thanking him for driving you home. You make your way over to the table he snags, Jungkook silently sitting at the high table with his legs pressed together and his hands clasped tightly on his lap.
"You okay?"
"Ya, why?"
"You look tense."
"Sorry. It's not everyday I have dinner with Y/N." You smile.
"Stop, relax." You watch as he slightly eases up. "So, this deal." He nods. "A month?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
"We have to convince people it's real or else people will know something weird is going on." You look at his hand, now resting on the table. "You're gonna have to hold my hand and kiss me, you know?" He swallows the lump in his throat. Shit, he thinks. Don't know if I can actually pull this off?
A kiss?! Fuck.
"Y-yeah."
"When was your last relationship, Jungkook?"
"8th grade." Your eyes widen.
"O-oh, now I see."
"What's that supposed to mean? It's terrible, I know but I—"
"No, no, no. You're good. It's totally okay, it doesn't matter. I'll just have to teach you to make it look realistic and not.. awkward." You perk up again. "Not saying that you are though, okay."
"I know."
"So, are you.."
"Am I..?" He cocks hid head to the side in confusion.
"Like.."
"Just ask Y/N."
"Are you a virgin?"
"I don't know." You furrow your brows.
"Huh?"
"Look, this is gonna sound really embarrassing and I don't know if I'm even ready to tell my fake girlfriend about it."
"Just say it. We have to know things about each other." He sighs.
"I— ugh." He groans. "I did it with my girlfriend at the time. Or I guess my ex because we had broken up and this was sometime during freshmen year in high school and she came onto me out of nowhere at a mutual friend's pool party. But it was weird because we were just hormonal kids and I was just curious so I slipped myself into her only to slip back out right after because—" He's rambling, but you're doing your best to keep up.
"Because?"
"I-I, ugh. Y/N." He shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"
"Jungkook." You lean a bit to try and catch eye contact.
"I came right away." He says just as the worker puts down your food and takes the number from your table.
"Ohhhhhhh." You say as you nod slowly. "Okay."
"You can just run now." His head hangs low as he slowly slides his chicken over in front of him, causing you to chuckle.
"I'm not going anywhere. It's okay. Stop that."
"It's pathetic."
"No. Besides, I know you'll get better overall, and you'll find someone who will rock with you till the end. We'll work on this."
"Thanks." He says, feeling comfortable around you. You were quick to reassure him and smile at him, he felt himself melting in his seat. Yeah, you were too good for Seokjin.
"You'll have to come to parties with me. Club events. Events in general. It won't look right if I'm always going without you."
"Okay. Can I bring my friends?"
"Sure." He nods. "What do you do in your free time?"
"Play video games and listen to music. Read comics, manga. Build lego sets with the guys."
"Cute." You smile.
"You?"
"Hang out with Sunmi, or just watch movies on my own at my place. Read. Eat by myself. Explore by myself. I value my alone time."
"It's nice." Jungkook's familiar with it. Even if he had his friends around, he truly liked being in his own peace when allowed. "What about outside of the public eye?"
"Hm?" You hum.
"Do we hang out?"
"Yeah we can." You nod.
"Cool." He smiles.
"Is my car gonna be a lot of work for you?"
"Don't worry about it, it'll be good soon. Just might take a bit cause I need some parts to make it look brand new again."
"I really can't thank you enough." He shrugs.
"Only trying to help my girlfriend out." He boldly says, causing you to laugh.
"Confidence is peeking through already, are you sure you need me?" You joke. The rest of the evening, you continue to talk to Jungkook about pretty surface level shit— what you like, dislike, overall experience in high school and college so far. It was a nice, harmless conversation, one where you were starting to see how warmhearted Jungkook really was. How real and laid back.
None of the shit in Seokjin's group. It was refreshing, a breath of fresh air.
Once dinner had finally finished, Jungkook was on his way to drop you off. He had parked in an empty guest spot, offering to walk you up just to be sure. At the door, he took a peek at how clean your studio was, mainly soft colors of white and cream taking over, with plants scattered around your living room area. The hallway in was sandwiched between your kitchen area and another wall, Jungkook assuming your bed was on the opposite side of it. He awkwardly stands at the door, afraid of overstepping.
"Well, goodnight Y/N. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Hey, wait." You smile and come close to him. He swallows, his mouth suddenly feeling dry when he feels your breasts press against his chest. "First lesson— give me a kiss."
"Right now?"
"Jeon Jungkook, we're doing this tomorrow. People are gonna have to see this at least once while we're together." He nods and presses a quick kiss against your cheek. "Not bad, but a little longer?" He complies and presses another kiss, leaving his pillowy lips against your cheek for a little longer before pulling away. "Perfect. Now here." You point at your lips before crossing your arms.
"Y/N, I—"
"Don't be afraid, just do it. I won't kick you in the balls or anything."
"It's not that. I just don't think I'm a great at this stuff."
"Okay." You tippytoe and gently grab his jaw while you lean towards his face. "Just relax, okay? Don't think too much of it." He stays silent, doe eyes constantly on you as you continue to inch forward.
Sparks. Just sparks everywhere for Jungkook.
He feels your soft lips against his and he relaxes, moreso because he feels like he's lost all senses being this close to you. Taking in your scent. Kissing you.
"There." He stands still, still trying to process the kiss. "Not bad. We'll get better over time, but at least that looks believable. Just—" You put his hands down as they were about to fall onto your hips during the kiss, but they fell short. "Let it happen and hold me, okay?" You smile. "Night Jungkook."
"N-night." He stutters as he watches you close the door. "Fuck." He whispers to himself when he realizes he's now sporting a boner. "Jungkook, what the fuck is this?!" He continues to whisper to himself as he waddles down your hallway.
838 notes · View notes
ijustwant2write · 3 years
Text
Call Me By My Name-Pietro Maximoff x Powers!Reader
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(GIF credit to @dailymarvelposts​)
Tags: @bloodorangemoonlight​ @amirahiddleston​
Requested by @husherstan​ : ‘could you write a one w pietro maximoff? idk if you know about a trend on tik tok where a gf or bf call them partners by they first name. Reader and Pietro are enemies cuz them both are always trying to be the best of t team, reader calls him by others names and when she (or gn) calls by him real name he was like "why are you calling me like that? whats wrong with you? are you feeling bad today?" (and he likes her so fucking much, a simp)’
Characters: Pietro Maximoff x Reader, Avengers team x Reader
Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name   
(Character has the power of force fields, that both generate electricity and provide protection for them/others)  
Warnings: Name calling, bullying, arguing, fluff
                                      *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“For the last time, watch where you’re going Speedy Gonzales!” I snapped as Pietro almost knocked me over again.
His form whizzed around the room once more before stopping in front of me.“Maybe try keeping up next time.”
I was startled by the force he left behind as he ran off again making a show of circling the entire training room multiple times, creating a small wave of air. I groaned loudly as I went back to jogging. He was such a show off, it infuriated me. We weren’t here to compete against each other, we were supposed to be a team; but when he waltzed around the place boasting about how fast he was, it was really hard not to step up to the plate. 
Pietro was running faster than usual, trying to overlap me dozens of times, more than he would have done in a normal session. It got on my last nerve, making me stop, my powers already flowing through my arms. It would be hard to pinpoint him, so I charged up a huge ball of electricity, casting it out harshly. I just managed to catch him, laughing as he yelped out in surprise, being thrown high into the air before landing on the sparring mats. I saw him slowly get up, clearly I had caused some pain. My fun was soon ended as he ran towards me again, having to quickly put up a force field that would protect me. Pietro bounced off it, though I hadn’t put any charge in this one, so he only fell on his backside.
“Enough!” Wanda yelled out, though we still kept our guard up around each other.“Really (Y/N)? You can relax now.”
“I don’t trust him.” I replied.
She sighed.“Come on, Steve wants to talk about the mission.”
“Why? We debriefed three days ago.”
“Something to do with it being on the news.” she shrugged, walking away.
Pietro glanced back at me, looking me up and down before following his sister. However, he didn’t look at me with disgust or anything of the sort, it was almost as if he was checking me out. I tutted at myself, why on Earth would he ever look at me like that?
I wasn’t happy joining the meeting in my sweaty state.Everyone else was dressed and put together, but at least Pietro looked similar. The team was gathered around a table, looking to Steve who was stood at the front, his arms crossed over his chest. He had the look of disappointment on his face, which meant bad news for the rest of us...or whoever was in trouble. With no seats left, I copied Steve’s stance at the back of the room, rolling my eyes when Pietro stood beside me.
“Sorry to call you guys in on such short notice.” Steve started.“But I feel that we have to discuss something that’s starting to effect the team.”
He pulled up a screen showing the news. It had images and videos of our last mission. We were raiding an old factory on the edge of the city, finding a terrorist group hiding out there as they worked on their gadgets. News coverage showed the team fighting from a helicopter view, and we were all confused as to why Steve was showing us this.
“Fastest man alive,” Pietro repeated what the reporter said,“it has a nice ring to it.”
“I wouldn’t put that in your Tinder bio.” I quipped, causing a few chuckles.
Steve looked at me.“And this is why we’re here today.”
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.“What?”
“You and Pietro are always at each other’s throats. It’s...well frankly, it’s exhausting listening to you two arguing all the time. And it could seriously put someone in danger whilst on a mission, even you two.”
“He always starts it-”
Pietro held up a finger.“Hold on, you do too-”
“You’re just proving his point guys.” Natasha spoke over us.
“As I was saying,” Steve brought the attention back to him,“the media has also caught onto this. There’s multiple images of you two clearly arguing, or even getting in each others way during the mission. At one point, you’re both trying to save the same person, but almost miss that chance because you’re so invested in being better than the other!”
Steve was really mad, and from everyone else’s faces, they thought the same thing.
“So until all of this changes, you two are suspended from any missions.”
“What?!” we both exclaimed.
“And you may not approach any other team member for assistance with training.”
“Why are we both being punished?” I demanded to know.
“Oh, do not play the victim here Mrs Incredible!” Pietro snapped.
“Mrs Incredible is super stretchy, it’s the daughter who has the same powers as me, you idiot!”
“See? You’re further showing me that I made the right decision. I felt bad at first, but now I know that this is the right direction to go in.” Steve raised his voice.“You’re both dismissed.”
“Well, what are the rest of you doing?” Pietro dared to ask.
“We are going to go over all the planning we have done for upcoming missions. Everything has to change because of you two. Now please go.”
I held it together as I left the room, not wanting to appear like a toddler stomping away in a tantrum. It was impossible to get away from Pietro, what with him being ‘the fastest man alive’, but I was going to try. I didn’t need another argument right now, I was upset, needed to be alone. Apparently, I wasn’t going to get that.
“Leave me alone.” I warned Pietro as he followed me.
“I can’t believe this! They’ve kicked us off the team because you always have to say something-”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“And to think, they’re going to risk not having me on the team. I help them with everything, I’m a crucial part-”
“Pietro!” I shouted, spinning on my heel to face him. 
His eyes widened at that, glancing down to my clenched up fists, little electric sparks running over them, before looking me in my teary eyes. 
I sighed, relaxing my tense shoulders and hands before leaving. There was no point trying to explain. He wouldn’t understand. We would both get mad, probably fight, the team would have to break us up; I had no energy to do that. Slowly turning away, I was surprised by the silence that followed, Pietro didn’t even follow me. 
I checked the time on the lock screen of my phone, seeing that an hour had passed since I fled from Pietro. It also made me realise how dark the room had become, the sun would set in a few minutes. But I didn’t bother turning on any lights, instead leaning back again on the chair. I was sat in an empty lobby, it was a small room, facing the floor to ceiling window that showed the landscape that surrounded the headquarters. Besides just sitting here, I should have distracted myself. Perhaps put on a film, relax after training, something to take my mind off of things. Instead, I decided to sit with my thoughts.
“H-hey.” I heard Pietro quietly say from the doorway. 
Looking over my shoulder, I didn’t reply, facing the window again when he began walking towards me. He hesitantly turned on a lamp near us, sitting on the chair beside mine. Pietro also looked out of the window, clasping his hands together for a few seconds before fidgeting. I tried to ignore it, though after an hour of peace and nothingness, it became irritating quickly.
“Can you stop?” I blurted out.“Please?”
“Are you annoyed by everything I do?” he asked.
“Not...everything. I just...doesn’t matter, it’s not like you care anyway.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’m not falling for this Pietro.”
“Why are you saying my name?”
“What?”
“You never say my name. Actually, we never say each others names.”
“And why does that matter?”
“It just feels, it feels serious.”
“I mean, we’ve basically been kicked off the team, so yeah, it’s serious.”
“We’ve not been kicked off the team (Y/N).”
“We could be if we don’t get our act together.”
“It won’t go that far-”
“But it could! I can’t believe how calm you are about the whole thing.” I stood, distancing myself from him.“I’ve worked too hard for this. Imagine what would happen if word got out that I was disbanded from the Avengers because of a tiny argument, with a team member who is so narcissistic that he can’t put others before himself!”
I realised I had began ranting, stopping myself before I said anything else hurtful. But by the look of Pietro’s face, it was already too late.
“I...I’m sorry (Y/N).” he never broke eye contact.“And before you say anything, I mean it.”
“Pietro, I-”
“I can see how much this job means to you.”
“It’s my fault too. I always try to outdo you or challenge you.”
“No, don’t be humble.” he got out of his seat, standing in front of me.“It’s almost always my fault that we argue. And I hate myself for it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m usually very good with the ladies.” he grinned, though it disappeared when he realised it wasn’t time to joke.“But not around you apparently. It’s probably because you’re extremely strong and sure of yourself, and I go for a different type, the polar opposite to you.”
“Pietro, I...um...”
“I was really impressed by you when we first met. It made me nervous actually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, all I can do is run really fast.”
“But, you’ve been on much more missions than I have. Doesn’t that say something?” I hung my head.
“Are you crazy? You’re not on those missions because they don’t need you.”
My head whipped up to see his smile drop.
“I didn’t mean it like that! I meant that those missions are for Avengers like me. The ones they can use over and over without worrying about them being too tired for the next one. What I’m trying to say is, you’re too important.”
“I never thought I would say this, but Pietro, you’re an important part of the team too. I always rose to your challenges because I felt I needed to prove something to the others. I was new, then I was accepted after all my relentless training, but when you and Wanda came along, I instantly became old news. And you didn’t even go through the rigorous regimes like I did, so I just assumed you were better than me.”
“It seems we were both wrong about each other. We were going through a lot of effort to outdo the other when we could have saved that energy for...well, anything else really.”
“Yeah. I suppose so.”
Pietro held his hand out.“Truce?”
I smiled up at him as I shook it.“Truce.”
A cheeky smirk appeared as he raised an eyebrow at me.“Let’s not tell the team about this just yet. I feel like there would be a lot of ‘I told you so’.”
“It’s like you read my mind.”
“And another thing.”
I noticed he was still holding my hand, though they were lowered now, and his grip wasn’t as firm.“Yes?”
“Can we start calling each other by our actual names?”
“I mean, I assumed we would anyway.”
“Oh, good. I just...”
“You just?”
“I just like the way it sounds when you say my name.”
2K notes · View notes
proserpina-magnus · 3 years
Note
hi! If you take requests can you write a reader x Remus fluff? where they are usually studying together and helping each other out, talking about books etc. it is obvious for everyone that they like each other, but not for them.
maybe the reader could be a little shy, but really positive? and Remus is completely smitten by her and also feels protective of her?
whatever you decide I’m sure it will be amazing, hope it’s not too much
thank you for your work, you’re truly amazing!
heyy, this has been in my inbox for weeks and I'm so sorry this took so long!! I loved how descriptive you where and I hope that you don't mind that I changed the plot just a tad. Remus kind of confesses to being a werewolf soo.. I hope you like it!! xoxo
Monsters Need Love Too [ R.L ]
word count: 2.5k
[ warnings: female reader, slight jealously, tears, slight possessive behavior/words, clothes sharing, first kisses, had holding, scars, slight talk about violence, Remus's friends embarrass him, flattering ]
editor: @breakingniconicokneecaps
Remus anxiously tapped his foot, you had promised him that you both would meet up for a study session before a big potions test. You had been running late, caught up with fixing your hair or finding missing quills.
Remus kept looking towards the library door, tapping his fingers on the wooden table. There had been cracks of brown throughout the wood, Remus watched eagerly towards the doors as his dainty finger traced over the dark spiral wooden pattern.
He felt his heart putter against his rib cage, a nervous sensation creeping into his mind as he started to worry about you. It had been 10 minutes since you both originated the time to meet up, Remus was just about to stand to go look for you, but you had just hurried into the library.
He watched your frantic state walk swiftly towards him, your hair pinned back with loose strands. He smiled, pushing the chair beside him open. You flopped yourself down onto the opened chair, your books and papers left a thud as you dropped them onto the desk.
"So sorry I'm late! I couldn't find my assignment, I might have to re-do it all," you stammered, opening your books with marked stamps. You sighed, before giving a smile towards Remus. "Oh well, at least I'll have a better understanding of the material,"
Remus looked lovingly towards you, rubbing his sweaty hands on his slacks. He looked towards his own opened book, moving his papers around as he passed you his finished assignment.
"If you want, you can take a look at mine," Remus suggested, but you only shook your head and looked back towards a student who sat across a few tables. The guy you smiled at was Amos Diggory, the captain of Hufflepuff's quidditch team. Amo's had combed back messy blond hair, a boyish grin on his face as he waved towards you. Remus followed your gaze, catching the small interaction. He felt a sense of urgency to have your attention back on him.
"That's alright rem, Amo said he would help me later. Let's work on potions shall we?" You said, guiding your attention back to your books. Remus gave a disgruntled sound, his leg bouncing as it tapped into yours.
"You alright?" You asked, knees twitching every time his own knocked into yours. Remus hummed, lips thin as he focused down on his book. You felt like you did something wrong, a frown forming as you flipped some pages.
After a few moments of awkward silence, your eyes travelled towards the taller male. He was hunched over his book, his hand in a fist that rested on his bouncing thigh.
"Did I do something wrong? Are you mad I'm late?" You mumbled quietly, leaning forward as Remus turned his gaze to you. He saw your pleading eyes, a sad pout on your lips at the thought of upsetting him. Remus concluded that you were just too cute to be mad at, not that he was prior.
"No, I'm not mad," Remus huffed, tearing his eyes away from yours. Truth be told, Remus had no idea why he was so upset. You mumbled at his lame lie, your fingers tracing his wrist as you glided your hand to open up his fist. Remus jerked at the faint touch, eyes pouring at the connecting hands.
"You seem mad," you whispered gently, trying not to cause attention in the silent room. Remus brought his gaze back to your face, seeing your beautiful eyes and a small welcoming smile on your lips. His fingers opened, your own wiggling between them.
"How could I possibly be mad when you look like that," Remus blurted, in a daze. You flushed red at the compliment. You wanted so desperately for him to kiss you, Remus felt the same exact way. Before a gentle kiss could be shared, you turned back around and faced towards your book.
"You flatter too much," you teased, your shoulder bumping in with his. You didn't dare take your fingers away from his, liking the way his scars felt rigid and warm against your palm.
"I don't think I flatter enough," Remus stated, his eyes still trained on your adoring profile. You flushed once more, a swirl in your stomach from his words. Remus gushed himself at your flustered state, denying himself the right to lean in and place a kiss against your red cheeks.
"You know what I think?" You ask, turning your head so you can take a long look into his eyes. Remus leaned forward, his nose almost brushing yours. "What do you think?" He asked in response, his voice a low hum.
"I think if anyone should be flattered, it's you. You're a very attractive young man, if I do say so myself Mr. Remus," you flaunt, a giggle on your lips as you close your eyes from the laugh. Remus smiles, watching the way your cheeks rose with your smile. He was absolutely adoring your giggle form, but it was soon to be crushed by his friends.
"Uh- hello! What's going on here?" Sirius's voice boomed through, the three boys marched over to you two. Your hand fell away from Remus's, a small frown on your lips before you replaced it with a smile.
"We're just studying," you say sweetly, turning around so you can get a good look at them. Sirius raises an eyebrow, a suggestive gaze in his eyes as he stares between you two. Remus grows anxious, wanting his friends to leave as soon as possible.
"Studying what? Human anatomy?" Sirius jeers, a smirk on his lips as he leans closer. James and Peter laugh, obvious to Remus's dire crush on you.
You turn to mush at the gesture, turning back to your book as you hide your glowing face. Remus notices, upset at the way they were getting you embarrassed.
"Leave it pads, go bug off, all three of you," Remus sends a low growl to the male, but the rest of the boys only laugh and continue to talk. James pushes a seat open next to you, Remus giving him a dangerous glare.
"She's very pretty" James gushed, one of his fingers poking your sides. You squirm, but decide to be polite and smile towards James. You can't even tell him a thank you before Remus is telling them off.
"Prongs, get up and piss off," Remus states, his hand wrapping around the leg of your chair as he scoots you away from him. You grab your stuff, placing it in front of you. James frowns, tilting his head to give Remus a puppy dog expression.
"Can I stay?" Peter asked his own pout on his lips. Remus sighs loudly, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.
"No,"
"But moony!" They all chant at once, shushes and glares get shared between you all. Remus sighs one more time, deciding not to freak out and yell at all of them in front of you. The tall brunette collects his stuff, pushing it into his bag in a messy hurry. You frown, watching him pack up. You thought he was leaving with his friends, but Remus starts to take your own books and papers. With his empty hand grabbing yours, He pulls you up, tugging you out the door.
The rest of the boys shout behind him, trying to follow you both. Remus leads you down the hallway, a smile on his lips as he pats your shoulder for some comfort. "One second love, just wait here,"
Remus speeds over to the boys at the other end of the hall, far away enough for you not to hear them. They start to argue, hearing Remus raise his voice. Soon enough, the three boys look towards the ground and scoot away down the opposite hallway.
Remus jogs back over to you, smiling as he runs a hand through his hair. You bring out your hand, making a grabbing gesture. He places his hand into yours, taking the lead as he guides you down the hallway.
"Where are we going?" You questioned, stepping down the switching staircases. Remus turns briefly at the end of the steps, waiting for it to connect with another. "It's a sunny day, let's go sit on the dock,"
"What about our potions test?" You asked, following Remus down the now given steps. He steps onto the cobblestone floors, helping you off the last step.
"It's not until Friday, we have plenty of time tomorrow. You deserve a break," Remus states, pushing open a thin wooden door out towards the back of the huge castle. He takes you down the small hill, holding your hand to protect you from tripping.
"Watch your step," he says, stepping down the small steep hill. His other hand holds your waist, squeezing it between his fingers as he helps you down.
"You're my saviour," you whisper in gratitude, leaning more towards him. The air gets thicker and the breeze grows colder as you step towards the doc.
"You get pleased too easily," Remus comments, his hand squeezing yours. You turn your head, tilting it as you walk against the wooden space.
"Is that a bad thing?" You ask, Remus looked over at you briefly. He has an unreadable face before he shakes his head.
"No, unless you're thanking the wrong person," Remus explains, walking further along the doc. He helps you sit first, following suit as his legs sprawl out. He has much longer limbs, you giggle as he stretches.
"Everyone's so nice, who could possibly be the wrong person?" You wonder, head leaning against his shoulder. Remus sighs, answering that question quickly in his intrusive thoughts. You shiver, tugging your skirt down towards your knees.
"What? Do you think you're bad?" You ask, lifting your head to get a clear look at the boy. Remus lets his head lean down, a frown on his face. You hold a confused expression, your heart aching at the thought. Before you can think, your fingers tilt his head. Remus looks with wide eyes, seeing your saddened expression.
"Remus, you're the nicest person I've ever met," you explain, emotion in your eyes as you talk to him. Remus screams at himself, knowing you had no idea what he really was.
"You need to meet new people," he jokes, but you only shake your head with a deeper frown.
His heart beats quickly, your eyes guiding down to his chapped lips. He picks up instantly on your intentions and he has no remorse to stop them.
Your eyes shut on instinct, lips moving closer to his. Your head tilts, nose brushing against his as you connect mouths. Remus expresses a content sigh, his own eyes closed. His fingers lace through the back of your hair, pulling you closer.
"You don't understand," Remus sighs after the kiss, eyes whisking open. You flutter your eyelashes, sitting back on your legs. You frown, thinking he didn't like the kiss.
"Then make me understand," you tell him, heart hammering inside your chest so loud you might go deaf. Remus smiles, one of his hands still occupied with yours. His other hand cups your face, sliding it through your loose hair.
"You'll hate me once I tell you," Remus whispers, feeling tears burn his eyesight. He wishes he'd never got bitten, he didn't want you to think he was some sort of monster.
You shake your head, leaning closer as you kiss his lips once more. Remus pulls you in, addicted to the way your mouth tastes. He pushes you back slightly, feeling guilty for not telling you what he truly is.
"I'm a werewolf," Remus says, ripping off the bandaid. You blink a few times, not comprehending what he just said. Your eyes dangle down to his scarred hands, your soft thumb tracing a particularly big one.
"Does it hurt?" You quip, eyes looking back into his. Remus feels instantly loved at your small little reaction, his heart swelling as he realizes that you only care whether he's hurt, not that he turns into a killer creature every full moon.
"No," Remus lied, a tear falling from his eye. You nod, happy with his answer. Your cold fingers come to wipe away the lost tear. you lean in for another kiss, but Remus pushes you back.
"I'm a werewolf," he states once again, you nod in understanding. "I can kill you,"
"Do you want to hurt me?" You mumble, Remus feels worried build up from just thinking about it. He shakes his head, head falling as he lets out more tears.
"Then it doesn't matter," you finish, leaning down so you can get your much wanted kiss. Remus leans into it, another sigh on his lips as he pulls you closer. The waves crash against the doc, coating the wood just in front of you with seeping water.
"I can't control myself in that state, I could hurt you," Remus whispers against your lips, his arms wrapping around your sides as he pulls you in. You sigh, kissing the corner of his mouth.
"No, the werewolf would hurt me. It's not your fault, you can't control it," you tell him, sticking with your conclusion. Remus would never dare hurt you and you knew that.
"You're too good, what is a monster like me doing with you, hm?" Remus says, his fingers tilting your chin as he places a generous kiss against your cold lips. A smile decorated on your mouth, you shift closer to him. His body was so warm and you felt so cold, you were almost slipping under his coat for warmth.
"You're no monster," you whisper, Remus notices your shivering body. He felt sick for taking you out to the cold doc, tugging off his coat quickly as he props it on your shoulders.
"I monster wouldn't let his girl freeze to death," he contorts, rubbing your arms to get you to warm up. Your face heats at his words, you couldn't help but smile.
"I'm your girl?" You ask, leaning closer as you shift onto his lap. Remus's long limbs curl around you, bringing you closer as he protects you from the now vicious wind. His hair whips in every direction, the wind so tough you can hear it.
"Yes, you're my girl," Remus juts, standing up with ease as you cling onto him. He adjusts you easily, hiding you inside his big coat. Your head rests against his chest, his arms hiking around your bottom to carry you up the hill.
"All yours," you mumble, happy with the soft protection he was offering. Your arms link around his neck, not daring to let go as he opens up the wooden door once again. He carries you inside, looking around as he spots his friends. They all gap with their mouth wide open, pointing.
"All mine," Remus mutters to you, speeding away from his frantic friends. You keep your eyes closed, letting him take you to wherever he pleases.
522 notes · View notes
whisker-biscuit · 3 years
Text
The Birds, The Bees, and The Bottles
Fandom: Psychonauts
Rating: T for mild language and discussions of underage drinking
Summary: Two teens are caught trying to sneak into a bar. Bob finally has a conversation he’s held off for far too long.
Because herbaphony is not the only thing that runs in the Zanotto family.
-------------------------------------
Bob’s phone rang at two in the morning. Judging by the jolly ringtone of Helmut singing Strawberry Fields Forever, it was his personal phone instead of his work one, and that was the real tip off to things being very, very wrong.
He woke up and groggily pulled out of his still-slumbering-husband’s arms to answer the little thing going off on his nightstand.
“H’lo?”
“Bob!” Truman’s voice came out far too loud for the time of night, and far too stressed. “Bob, I’m so sorry to wake you, but something happened with Lili. I need you to pick her up for me, please.”
The older man sat up, much more awake as worry and fear immediately rolled in his gut. Helmut finally began to stir beside him, sensing his partner’s agitation.
“Truman, what’s going on? Pick Lili up from where?”
“The city’s police precinct on Abbey Avenue. She – she called me, but I’m out of state and I wouldn’t get there for hours at least even if I left this instant. She’s not in danger!” He added hastily, hearing the concern before Bob could even voice it mentally. “She didn’t get hurt! She’s just…”
The way he tapered off, the way he hesitated, said more than words could.
“She just got herself into some trouble, and she needs someone to go get her.”
Helmut was sitting up now, and Bob felt the question cross their mental link.
 What happened?
 Truman needs me to pick Lili up from the police station.
“I’m up, I’m on my way right now,” He responded to his nephew verbally, heaving himself out of bed. His husband followed suit despite still looking extremely puzzled, bless him.
“Thank you so much, Bob. I’ll make it up to you as soon as I can, I promise.”
“Don’t worry about it.” The older man waved a dismissive hand even though Truman wasn’t there to see it. “Family is s’pposed to do that for each other anyway.”
“Did I hear that right? Our peppy petunia had a run-in with the law?” Helmut asked as soon as his partner hung up. He paused, and in a lower tone – “she didn’t kill anyone, did she?”
“I don’t think it’s that serious,” Bob said, pulling a coat on over his sleep shirt. “But something tells me we still have a few things to worry about. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Ohohoh, no, don’t even think about hoofin’ it without me. We both know I’m the better driver.”
“Neither of us are very good drivers, Helmut.”
“Exactly! That little bit makes all the difference!”
The herbophanist sighed, charmed despite himself and the situation. “Alright, alright. Let’s not keep her waiting.”
The police precinct was nearly dead at this time of night. While it would’ve felt eerie to anyone else, Bob was grateful for the lack of people, and not just because he was still an introvert of the highest degree.
Two teenagers awaited them in the lobby, sitting on a bench together. One was hunched over and burning a hole in the ground with his downcast eyes. The other sat straight up, defiant, holding a glaring contest with the officer standing over them. When Bob entered the room first and met his great-niece’s eyes, her self-assuredness wavered for a brief moment. She hid the slip-up behind a wall of indifference.
“Lili,” he said softly. Then, just as softly but with a gruff tinge of surprise; “Razputin.”
There was no accusation in his voice, but the former scowled harder and the latter looked like he wanted to employ his invisibility. Bob studied them both a moment before his husband appeared and broke the tension with his mere presence.
“We’re here to bust you out, kiddos!” He announced with spread arms, cheerfully ignoring the looks he received from every person in the room.
“Are you Truman Zanotto?” Asked the officer who finally broke his gaze away from Lili to give them a disapproving once-over.
“No, I’m uh, I’m Bob Zanotto, and this is Helmut,” came the awkward reply. “Truman called me to pick Lili up. She’s my great-niece.”
A few seconds of silence passed as the officer made no move to do anything with that information. Bob cleared his throat.
“We’re, uh, listed in her emergency contacts for school?”
“I see. If you can just fill out some paperwork first, we can release her into your custody.”
The herbophanist watched the way Raz seemed to sink further in his seat at the mention of family contacts. The Aquatos were also out of state right now too, if he remembered correctly. Perfect timing for two minors getting up to mischief.
Well, up until they were actually caught.
“And…Razputin, too?” He asked, catching the teen’s startled gaze and giving him the mental equivalent of a thumbs-up.
The officer raised a brow. “Is he related to you, too?”
“Well, uh –”
“Yep!” Helmut interrupted, strolling right up to Raz and giving him a merry clap on the back. The teen had a physique comparable to most adult Olympic athletes, but even he nearly toppled forward from the force of such a big man. “He’s my third cousin, twice removed. Big family. Very close. Holidays are an experience, lemme tell ya!”
“Fine,” the officer pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, okay, I’ll make sure he gets cleared for release too. I’ll be right back.”
He stalked off, muttering something about it ‘being too damn early for this’, and the older couple turned to face Raz and Lili. Helmut steepled his fingers together to rest against his mustache.
“So! Now that Officer Spoil-Sport is gone, are we allowed to know what heinous crime has been committed in the night by my favorite pair of mischief-makers?”
The two glanced at each other. Raz was the one to break their silence.
“We, uh…got caught sneaking into a bar.”
Cold heat rushed through Bob’s core. Helmut blinked once, twice, then let out a boisterous chuckle.
“That’s it? Jesus! From the way you two were acting I thought you’d robbed the First National Bank.”
“…Helmut.” His husband murmured. The psi-king lost his mirth as he caught Bob’s eye.
“Ah…w-well, y’know, while I’m certainly glad we won’t hear about a righteous homicide in the news tomorrow, forgery ain’t exactly a humble hobby either.”
“It was just two IDs,” Lili muttered under her breath. “Not a big deal.”
The ice in her great-uncle’s heart turned frigid, but before he or Helmut could say anything to that, the officer was back. He shoved a handful of forms under Bob’s nose and the herbophanist fumbled to grab them before they all tumbled to the floor.
“Uh, uh, thank you.”
“Alright, we’re putting the pause on this conversation to make you free citizens again, but don’t think that means we’re done with it.” The Psi-King gave the teens the sternest look he could manage. “As soon as we get in the car, you two will have a lot of explaining to do.”
“O-Okay.”
“Uh-huh.”
------------------------------------
No one spoke a word as they got in the car and started the drive back.
Raz seemed content to continue his efforts to blend in with the background of his seat, still not meeting anyone’s eyes, and Lili stared out the window with her chin in her hand, leaning against the car’s backdoor and letting the lights of the city bathe her in neon sickness.
Helmut, bless his soul, dutifully kept the radio going while he drove, changing the station to something more mellow whenever a song started getting a little too upbeat for the collective mood of the vehicle. Bob sat in the passenger side with his arms folded awkwardly. His brain was buzzing, dreading the inevitable conversation he needed to have with his great-niece and trying to figure out how he was going to go about it.
It surprised them all when Raz spoke over the music.
“It was my idea.”
The two adults glanced at each other, then through the rearview mirror at the fidgeting teen.
“Your idea to go looking for a drink? Or to sneak into a bar to do it?” Helmut asked, turning off the radio.
“Both.”
He still wasn’t meeting their eyes. Bob sighed through his nose.
“I don’t believe you.”
Razputin’s head finally snapped up to stare at him in shock for the fast call on his bluff. “I’m telling the truth!”
“I think you’re only telling part of it, kid.”
“No! I’m telling all of it.”
“Razpu-”
“Oh, come off it, Raz,” Lili snapped a little too loud, making the whole car jump. “Quit trying to take the fall for me. It was my idea to try the stupid fake ID thing, okay? Happy now?”
“Wh – uh, who said anything about being happy about it?” Helmut asked, legitimately confused.
“Look. Neither of us had anything to do tonight, and we were bored, so Raz suggested getting a drink somewhere, but Adam and Lizzie are out of town so we couldn’t ask them.” She crossed her arms and spoke without any inflection. “So, we went out but no one would let us do anything cause we’re minors. I thought that was stupid, because we’re agents same as any of you, so I came up with the sneaking-in part. We only got caught cause one of the bartenders recognized Raz from a show.”
There were a lot of loaded things to parse through from that explanation, but Bob’s mind stalled on one particular detail.
“Adam and Lizzie give you two alcohol?”
“Not…often,” Raz admitted. “Just once or twice, when we asked.”
“Do you mean like, a literal once or twice, or a…an estimated once or twice?”
“Did Dad put you up to this?” Lili shot back. “It was just a few times, like he said. What’s with the inquisition?”
“…Lili –”
 “Raz.”
“Okay!” Helmut proclaimed as he slapped his hand against the steering wheel in boisterous aggression. “Who wants some ice cream?”
Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Cause I’m really feeling some chocolate-vanilla swirl right now. Basic bitch style. Right? Who’s with me?”
Silence.
“Great! Look at that, open Dairy King right there, better take advantage of this opportunity before it slips through our fingers like the melting ice cream we’re all gonna have in about five minutes!”
The psi-king swung into the parking lot in a frenzy and herded the car crew inside before any of them could come out of their shock long enough to protest. It was only as Bob was staring up at fifteen flavors of oversaturated sugary goodness that he realized what had just happened.
He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief over his husband’s diversion. The tension that had been boiling over was cooled significantly by the sudden non-sequitur, and while the teens were rather half-hearted about picking out their sweet treats, there was no longer a risk of an explosion happening.
Metaphorically and literally.
Helmut caught his spouse’s eye with a meaningful look at Lili the moment all of them had their orders in hand, then slung his arm around Razputin’s shoulders and steered him away. “C’mon my lad! Nothing like the cool night air of three in the morning to keep your Hurricane ™ properly chilled!”
The poor boy had no choice but to let himself be pulled outside, leaving the two Zanottos standing awkwardly in the dingy restaurant. Bob gave a nervous scratch at his chin under his beard.
“How about we, uh, find a seat somewhere?”
Lili couldn’t fully cross her arms while holding ice cream, but she did a good job of making it work anyway. “Sure.”
They sat in a booth in the farthest corner from the front counter. Both great-niece and great-uncle stared at their respective sweet treats as if they could teleport them out of this situation. Bob glanced out the window and saw Helmut and Raz standing outside of the car. The former was on one knee with his hand on the teen’s shoulder, speaking earnestly but inaudibly, and the latter was scuffing the toe of his sneaker against the asphalt.
“Are you going to lecture me?” Lili finally cut through the silence.
Bob turned back to her. “No. Not really.”
“No?” She broke her gaze away from her ice cream just a little bit, eyeing him with surprise. “Then why did Helmut take Raz and leave us alone?”
She was so perceptive, so smart. And yet, still so young.
“Well, I… I still want to talk to you about what happened. I’m just not very, good, at this kind of thing.” He took his spoon and absentmindedly began drawing a flower in his soft-serve. “You already know what you did wasn’t a good idea, right? So I don’t think a lecture would help things any on that front.”
She didn’t respond. He continued.
“It’s less about the fake ID and more…the reasons you made the fake ID. Does that make sense?”
“I guess so, but I know what I’m doing, Uncle Bob. I’m not going to drink irresponsibly.”
The herbophanist shook his head. “But you’ll do irresponsible things to be able to drink in the first place.”
“That’s not –” Lili didn’t have a good rebuttal. She folded her arms and grumpily started eating her cherry chocolate delight. “Whatever. It’s two different things, anyway.”
Against his better judgement, Bob began picking at his own food as he thought about how best to bring the subject back up without making the teen defensive again. Spoons clicking against teeth was the only sound between them for a solid minute.
Finally, an epiphany.
“Did Truman ever…tell you anything, about your great-grandma?”
The girl paused with a bite halfway up to her mouth. She frowned, confused. “Grandma Tia? Not much. Just that she died when he was a baby.”
“Yeah. Yeah, she did.” He ran a tired hand over his face. The ache in his heart might have long-since healed into a scar, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when pressed. “She passed away when I was nineteen. The doctors told me it was liver failure.”
He didn’t have to say anything else. Lili’s mouth thinned and she put her spoon down, uncomfortable.
“When I…found out the reason behind her death, I was horrified by it. It didn’t make sense to me why she would willingly do something that hurt her so badly, especially when I was right there to love her and help her. It felt like a betrayal that she never got help or made herself stop. I was…disgusted by the mere thought of doing anything like that.”
Bob took a moment to breathe and wipe his eyes. He wasn’t crying, but better safe than sorry.
“It sounds pretty hypocritical when I say it now, doesn’t it?”
His great-niece only gave him a hesitant look.
“Anyway, uh, where was I…” He worried his lip. “Oh, right. I told myself that I’d never touch the stuff after that. I was angry at what she’d done, and I was determined not to have the same ‘weakness’, so to speak. As you know, it, uh, it didn’t last long. I was at a college party barely a year later when I was invited by some friends to drink with them. I didn’t make human friends very easily back then – actually, I still don’t – so I was a little desperate to keep them. It turned out to be pretty hard whiskey, so I got hammered.”
The man leaned back in his seat, staring at the patterns in the booth table.
“Back then, no one really knew how alcoholism could run in a family. Everyone thought it was a personal choice to keep drinking. It wasn’t even classified as an addiction yet. So I didn’t know how susceptible I was, or how careful I had to be. I’d spend months not having a single drink, thinking I was fine and could handle myself, and then I’d get plastered for a week at parties and bars and God knows what else, and it would take me even longer to get myself to stop again. It was like that even when I was with Ford and his gang. It wasn’t until I started dating Helmut that I started trying to change those habits. I’d never met anyone who loved me so unconditionally that I wanted to be a better person for them, until him. And it worked for a while.
“Well, barring our wedding, of course. I got shitfaced at the reception. It was embarrassing afterwards, but Helmut told me it made our cake-eating ceremony a hell of a great time.”
Lili snorted, and it was accompanied by a tiny upturn of her lips. Then it dropped as her expression became solemn. “And then…everything with Maligula happened, right?”
“Yeah. I think you know the rest of that story.”
“Uh-huh.”
Great-niece and great-uncle sat together for a while, just thinking about it all.
“I know I have to be more careful drinking than a lot of people, Uncle Bob,” Lili finally said at length. “My dad warned me about it when I was old enough to ask.”
“Truman is a good dad,” he murmured in response.
“The best dad.”
“Definitely the best dad.”
More silence.
“I didn’t mean to worry you and him,” she continued. “Or scare you. I know it was dumb to do what we did tonight.”
Bob looked at her, and she gave a conceding sigh.
“Okay, it was dumb to do a lot of what we’ve been doing with this stuff. That doesn’t mean I’m not being careful.”
“Kid, it’s not always just a matter of being careful. I thought I was being careful. I thought that for years and years, and when I finally realized I wasn’t, I convinced myself I could stop any time I wanted to, and kept up the same patterns anyway. That’s what I’m trying to get you to understand. I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I’m just worried about you.”
Lili closed her eyes with a grimace. “I know. I’m sorry, Uncle Bob.”
“Hey, kiddo, look at me.” He waited until she did so. “I’m not mad at you. I’m not disappointed, either. That’s your dad’s job. I get it, is what I’m saying. It gives you a buzz, and it’s fun and exciting, and you just wanted to have a good time with your, uh…”
Bob leaned in a bit, and dropped his voice to a stage whisper.
“Is Raz still your boyfriend?”
“Wha –” her cheeks went red. “Yes, he is!”
“Alright, sorry, I’m just always out of the loop. No one ever tells me when these things change or not. Anyway,” he continued before she could get brighter than the cherries in her ice cream. “I’m just saying that you gotta be more than careful with this kind of thing. Everyone should be, really, but especially people like us. Plants aren’t the only thing that runs in the Zanotto family, unfortunately, so we just have to be aware of it and act accordingly.”
The teen turned this over in her mind. He could practically see the gears moving. When she looked at him again, it was with a slow, contemplative nod.
“No more late-night bar-hopping?” Her great-uncle asked.
“No more late-night bar-hopping.” She answered, sincere.
“Good.” He looked outside. Helmut and Raz were both lying on the front of the car, pointing out stars to each other. The sight made him smile. “Come on, we’ll work on that whole thing about Adam and Lizzie giving you alcohol another time, when it’s not three in the morning. For now, let’s rejoin our boys again and go get some rest, okay?”
“Okay.” Lili slid out of the booth and tentatively took her family member’s hand. His fingers squeezed hers in reassurance. “And...thanks, Uncle Bob.”
“Well, what can I say. Us weird Zanotto plant people hafta look out for each other, right?”
“Right.”
They walked out together, hand-in-hand.
------------------------------
A/N: I knew from promotional material that we'd be going into the mind of someone struggling with alcoholism, but Bob's Bottles punched me hard in the gut. It's probably my favorite mind in the game, both because it's visually gorgeous and because it hit a little close to home with some of the themes, like generational alcoholism and how the addiction can make someone a shell of themselves.
I wrote half of this three weeks ago and then found myself really struggling to finish it because it brought up a lot of old feelings I thought I'd sorted through a long time ago.
Psychonauts, man.
239 notes · View notes
milliumizoomi · 3 years
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𝐼𝑆 𝑇𝐻𝐴𝑇 𝐻𝐸𝑅?!
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TodoBakuDeku x Black FEM! Reader
AGED UP!!
Warnings: Fluff to Angst to Fluff, cursing, confused boyfriends, tw,, racism mention and hidden talents.
A/n: my motivation be dropping really fast but we back😩✨. also i got a lil lazy at the end so that’s mbb😭.
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✗ 𝐎𝐇 𝐆𝐎𝐃, you knew that this wasn’t supposed to happen. They weren’t supposed to find out like this and now they're calling and texting you trying to find out where you are and what exactly it is that they just saw on literally one of the biggest billboard TVs in the city.
✗ But I should backtrack and say what lead to this.
✗ It started about 4 days ago.
You came home from work to an empty house, as usual. You were used to this. Your boyfriends were pro heroes so this was normal. You walked to your shared bedroom and dropped your purse on the bed. You sat down on the same bed and slipped your heels off. You then flopped down and let your body relaxed. “Ugh.. today was stressful. Ima go take a shower the wait for the boys to come home” you said. You then got up and stripped. You then picked up your shower cap off the dresser and walked to the bathroom. You pulled your lace front into a bun and put your shower cap on and turned the water on then hopped in the shower.
20 minutes later, you got finished with your shower. You stepped out and grabbed your (f/c) towel and dried off. You then also took the chance to peel the shower cap off of your head. You set the shower cap on the shelf and wrapped the towel around your body and walked out of the bathroom. You got to the bathroom and grabbed your lotion off the dresser and started to apply it to your body. After you were done, you threw on a big t-shirt that you had bought some time back.
You walked into the living room to see none of your boyfriends are back. You shrugged this off and decided to make dinner. Today you thought you make ackee and saltfish. You knew that your boys enjoyed your food. Especially since they weren’t used to food like that. So you got to work.
About an hour later, you hear the front door jiggling. And then the sounds of gruff voices could be heard. ‘They’re home’ you thought as you covered the pot and walked to the front door. When you got there, you saw all of your boyfriends leaning on each other as support for taking off their shoes. “Welcome home,” you said to them. They all looked up, stunned. They didn’t even notice you were there.
“Oh hey angel sorry you startled us. Are you ok?” Todoroki said as he stood up and hugged your much tinier figure. “Yes, sweetheart I’m ok. And how are my other boys?” You asked teasingly. Bakugou grumbled and stood up and leaned down towards your shoulder. You could tell he was stressed. “Ease up ‘Suki babe I need to my hair outta the way,” you said as you felt Bakogou’s head resting on your hair. He lifted his head for a second and allowed you to move your hair then dropped his head right back onto your shoulder. Midoriya then walked up to you and snuggled his head into the top of your head. “Hi pretty baby.. you ok?” He asked as he continued to rest his head on you. “My baby m’ok but y’all look tired.. rough day?” You asked as u were still supporting all of these huge men whom were all 6 foot and over. He nodded his head in your hair, answering your question. You stayed like that for a while until you remembered. “..Did I turn off the stove?” All the boys perked up at you at your question. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Bakugou yelled as he bolted to the kitchen. “Oh crap..!” You said as he managed to turn it off before anything bad happened. “I can’t believe I totally forgot..” you sighed. “Well boys go clean up I’ll share your plates,” you told the boys. They nodded and headed to the bedroom.
‘They were off.. what happened today..?’ You thought. You had realized that their behavior was slightly off as soon as you walked up to the door and inspected them. Their body language was a little different. ‘But why didn’t they tell me..? Do they not wanna talk about it?’ You continued to ponder. You decided that you would ask them later. You shared their plates and placed them on the table. You then shared your plate and sat down. They all emerged out of their bedroom in their casual clothes. And by casual I mean shirtless with sweats on.
They came and sat down at the table. “Thanks princess, it looks delicious!” Midoriya praised. Bakugou grunted in approval and Todoroki nodded, indicating he thought the same. You all then started eating in silence. It felt awkward. You decided this would be the best time to talk about what may be bothering them,, so you asked. “My loves?” You started. They all looked up and you, letting you know you have their attention. “Did something happen..? I mean! The reason I was asking is that you guys seem to be deep in thought about something” you continued.
You watched as all three of the men looked at each other then looked back down at their food. You sat there confused. Where they not going to tell you? You opened your mouth to say something but Bakugou cuts you off, “Don’t worry about it Y/N.. it doesn’t concern you anyways” he grunted. This surprises you. You all had been keen on communication in this relationship and yet here they are shutting you out. “What does that mean Kastuki? Y’all know that we communicate in this relationship. I want to help you with whatever it is that is bothering y’all but how am I supposed to when you won’t even tell me?” You said, having your english slowly beginning to break because you were getting a little upset.
“Drop it Y/N. This isn’t something we wanna share ok” Todoroki said calmly. “But why? We’re supposed to be open about this stuff” You answered back. You weren’t going to drop this so easily. You wanted answers all while trying to stay rational, calm, and patient, but that was slowly dwindling. “At least explain to me why you don’t want me to know and I won’t push it! You aren’t giving me any answers here! How am I supposed to feel seeing the three people I love so much walk through that god damned door looking frustrated and shit huh?!” You say getting even more frustrated.
“STOP FUCKING ASKING! IT’S NOT LIKE YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND OK!” Bakugou yelled. “Now I don’t know who the fuck you raising your voice at ‘cause I know it ain’t me,” you said, trying to maintain your calm state of mind. “Yes! I am talking to you” Bakugou grunted out. “No the hell you not y’all know I don’t take disrespect from nobody,” you said while leaning your hand on the table and resting your face in your palm.
They stayed silent. “And why don’t you think I’ll understand?” You continued. They didn’t answer. “Well?” You questioned. You scoffed. “Wow ok, no answer tough crowd I guess..” you said, rolling your eyes. You looked over at Midoriya who was silent the whole time. You could see he wanted to say something by the look on his face.
“You got something to say don’t you Izuku? Go ahead say it. ‘Cause right now I’m trying to understand” you told him. He froze up at the sound of his name. You didn’t really use their real names much so it was a shock to not only him but the other two men as well. “B-babe.. well I— I just—“ he started. He then sighed and started again. “It’s something you wouldn’t understand because um..” he said and then mumbled something at the end. “Ima need you to speak up please ‘cause you mumbling and I ain’t hear what you said” you said. He froze for a second then said it again. “Because your not...” he mumbled again. “Izu I still can’t hear you” you told him. “BECAUSE YOUR NOT A PRO HERO!” He blurted out. Your eyes widened and you froze. We’re they seriously not gonna tell you what’s bothering them because of their job?
“Are yall fucking serious..?” You mumbled out. “We’ve lived together for so long.. we’ve been dating for so long and y’all trying to tell me the reason y’all can’t explain what the hell is bothering you is because I don’t have the same fucking job..!” You stated getting angry. “What does that even have to do with anything?!” You said, fuming.
And they just sat there. Staring down at the table. “I don’t give a damn about your job all I want to know is what’s wrong so I can help you!” You yelled out. “You should give a damn about our jobs.. all you do is leech off u—“ Bakugou started but stopped as soon as he heard what he was saying. The other two men looked at him wide eyed. They all turned to look at you. You stood there in shock. You then laughed, but there was no humor behind it.
“Wow.. this all started because I was trying to be a good girlfriend. And then the people I call so called boyfriends wanna tell me that I’m LEECHING OFF THEM?! THAT THE REASON THEY CAN NO LONGER TALK WITH ME IS BECAUSE IM NOT A FUCKING BIG SHOT LIKE THEM?! UNLESS YOU FORGOT I GO TO WORK TOO! I DON’T LEECH OFF NOBODY FOR SHIT!” You said, seeing red. How dare they. They know the shit you go through at your workplace. Having to deal with racism and things of that nature. You stood up from the table with the food that was barely touched. “Eat your food I’m going to bed.. do whatever the fuck y’all want ion care,, I won’t ask no questions no more. Thanks for telling me the reason though” You said as you walked off to one of the guest bedrooms to sleep.
They boys sat there in silence. They knew they were wrong for what they did and no doubt they felt horrible. “Fuck” Bakugou started, leaning down to hit his head on the table. “That was the worst conversation ever..” Midoriya said, pushing his plate away. “I feel really bad.. all she wanted to do was help” Todoroki chimes in. The guilt settles with them. “She.. she didn’t deserve that..” Bakugou said feeling extremely guilty. “Why did I say those stuff.. I’m a fucking idiot!” He continued. “Don’t say that Kacchan! Granted we didn’t act the best but..” Midoriya trails off. “We should go talk to her..” Todoroki says as he gets up. The other two men get up as well and they all walk towards the room you were in.
They stopped in front of the door when they get there. Midoriya knocked softly. “B-babe..? Can we come in?” He said silently. There was no answer. He looked back at the two males behind him then spoke a little louder. “N/N can we come in please we’re sorry.” Still there was no answer. Todoroki moved in front of him to test if the door was unlocked and it was.
He looked over at Midoriya and Bakugou, then looked forward and pushed the door open. The room was dark, with only a soft glow coming from your phone. Your back faced away from the door so you couldn’t see the boys when they came inside the room. “B-babe..?” Midoriya croaked out. You didn’t answer. “Babe we’re sorry please face us..” He continued. You stayed silent, not moving a muscle. The boys looked at each other and sighed in defeat. They moved to leave since they knew that when your mind was made up about something, there’s no persuading you.
“Hey..” you called out to them before they left the room. “Yes?!” Midoriya called out first. The three men turned around quickly, facing you. “Say that to me again.. and I won’t stay here..” you said as you turned to face them. Your eyes were red and your face was tear stained. You cry when frustrated.
The three men stiffened. The my knees what they did was wrong, but they had no clue it affected you so much. “Do I make myself clear..?” You asked seriously. “Y-yes babe.. we’re sorry.. just please don’t leave.. please” Todoroki said as he leaned down next to your bed and hugged you. You put your hand on his head and reassured him. “I’m not, I’m not. I trust you guys. You have me your word. I love you. All of you.” You tell them. Bakugou and Midoriya stood there, probably too overwhelmed with the situation. “Come on you two. Get over here.” You smile at them. The all laid in your bed together and fell asleep, the dinner forgotten on the table.
You woke up the next day to a cold bed. ‘Oh they probably went to work already..’ you thought. It was Friday. “Well.. time to get up” you yawned. You got up out of your bed and stretched. You took a shower, put your clothes on and made breakfast. You realized the dishes from the dinner you cooked yesterday were washed and cleaned already. You smiled at this and continued to finish getting ready for work. You finished your preparation and went to your car. You started the car and drove off to work.
When you pulled up, you got a text from your friend since middle school.
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✗ Messages
[???]
— hey y/n! how you been?
[you]
— hey … ! ive been good,, hbu?
[???]
— ive been doing alright,, but i need to ask you a favor
[you]
— a favor?? what kind of favor??
[???]
— remember what we used to do in high school >:)
[you]
— lemme think abt it ok
[???]
— alr but lmk soon ok
[you]
— np xai yk i will
Read at 8:43 a.m
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You spent the whole morning considering what your long time best friend asked of you. You really wanted to, but you weren’t sure. ‘It has been a while.. and I’d like to catch up. I wonder if they still act the same,, knowing those bitches they haven’t changed” you rolled your eyes and laughed.
A few hours pass and you get off work and get home. You slip your shoes and jacket off and walk to your shared bedroom with the boys. ‘Ugh..my head is killing me..’ you thought as you sighed and plopped down on the bed. You took your phone out of your back pocket and looked at the messages again. You really weren’t sure whether or not it was a good idea. You decided to take some more time to just think it over.
You sighed as set your phone down on the bed. You payed there for a bit just to relax. After a couple minutes you decided to go take a shower. “Ugh.. time to take a shower. Damn work took it outta me today. Wonder when them niggas getting home today..” you stretched and said. You laughed to yourself as you thought of how many times you’ve called the men you live with different names. It’s funny because they don’t mind it at all, so you get to basically call them anything you want. You shook the thought from your head and headed to the bathroom to take your shower.
After you finished, you walked out with a towel on and headed back to the room. ‘Ok I needed that..’ you thought to yourself. You made sure to dry your skin properly and continue to do your night routine. ‘Finally finished for the night.. god I’m tired but I still have to cook’ you thought.
You made your way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You chose to make some fried chicken with rice and a homemade sauce you created a while back. You got the pots on the stove and started cooking. Like clockwork, the 3 men you shared your home with came through the door at roughly the same time as the day before. Right now, it was 8:39pm. You heard the front door and the muffled voices from the kitchen. You smiled to yourself knowing that they made it home safely. Being a pro hero does not mean you living to see tomorrow is guaranteed, so you were grateful. You heard their heavy footsteps and muffled voices coming closer towards you. You turned away from the stove to greet them.
“Hey how was work?” You questioned as you were putting a knife down. “Stressful” Bakugou said running his had over his face. He walked over to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, trying to look at what you were cooking. “Hey babe” Todoroki said sitting at the table. “Hi Sho. I’m guessing your day was just as bad as Katsuki’s huh?” You snickered. Todoroki shook his head with a soft smile on his face because of your antics. “How ‘bout you Izu how did the job go for you?” You said teasingly. He groaned and leaned up next to you on fridge. “It was stressful today that’s for sure..” he exasperated.
You couldn’t help but laugh at them. They look so out of place and annoyed. “Awe come on babe cut us some slack. Some of these people really know how to get on my nerves ok!” Bakugou groaned. The two other men nodded in agreement. You let out a final laugh before calming down. “Okok I will. I’m sorry” you said, still trying to calm down. The three men looked at you then smiled. This went unnoticed by you since you had shifted your attention back to the stove. Your mind was still lingering on the day before with the events that took place. You shook you’re heading to try and shake off the feeling since you opted to try and not think about it and got back to cooking.
“Oh by the way N/N, we have some plans we have to look over for the weekend ok? So we need to focus because apparently this new mission is a big job” Todoroki said. You nodded. You knew by the tone of his voice that he was serious, plus, you had no energy to say anything otherwise. “Dinner’s ready!” You said as you placed their food on the table. You could see that they’ve already started talking about what they had to do.
Suddenly a light bulb went off in you head. “Aye.. y’all.. I actually have something a friend wanted me to help them on this weekend. They didn’t say what it was but apparently it’s some sort of project” you tell them. You decided you were gonna help your friend since the boys are gonna be extremely busy. And that meant you were most likely gonna get ignored unintentionally, which is something you weren’t looking forward to anyways. And since they already started planning out what they were going to do about the mission, they just waved you off. You rolled your eyes and went to your shared room and grabbed your phone.
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✗ Messages
— i’ll be there,, and expect me early cuz i may be leaving tonight or early tomorrow
Delivered
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You put your phone down and started to pack a bag full of stuff you may need. ‘Should I leave a note when I’m going?’ You thought. ‘Naw whatever I’ll text them that I’m gone’ you decided. You continued to pack your overnight bag, making sure to put all the essentials in it. You look at the clock to see it was already past 10.
“Damn that took longer than I thought..” you said as you leaned up to stretch your back. ‘Where are those overworkers anyways? I thought they’d come in here and see me packing or sumn but I guess not’ you thought as your mind traveled to your boyfriends. You walked out of the room and into the kitchen to see they were already done eating. You rolled your eyes. “Of course those niggas are already working. Guess I’ll leave tonight. Got nothing to do anyways” you said to yourself.
You went back to your room and changed your clothes. After you were done, you made sure to grab your purse and put everything that may be needed in it. You wrote a note and stuck it the one place you knew they would all see it. The fridge. After you were done, you took all your stuff and grabbed your car keys. You walked out of the big doors and opened your car to drop all of your stuff on the passenger side of the car. You walked back around to the driver side and jumped in. You started the car and drove off, already knowing the address to the place you needed to go.
You arrived at the big house that was blaring with music. ‘A music video.. I knew it’ you thought. You and your friend, which was a well known musician. A famous one at that. And he wanted you to be in it since well, you’re a dancer and sometimes you sing too. ‘This was the project huh..?’ You thought as you shook you’re head and laughed silently.
“N/N YOU HOE YOU MADE IT!” Your friend, Xai yelled as he hugged you. You hugged him back. “Shut the fuck up bitch, yes i'm here. Now tell me what I have to do nigga” you said teasingly.
He rolls his eyes at you. “You know exactly what to do don’t act” he says walking away. You laugh. “Yeah yeah I hear ya. Now where’s my outfit. This is gonna be so fun” you said with excitement.
A few days later•••
And that is how you ended up with your situation. Apparently you went viral in that music video. You were one of the dancers and one of the background singers. You were dancing with your friend, who’s stage name was Xailli, in a scene and people found you captivating. So now your face was on some of the biggest billboards in the city. And apparently they, meaning your 3 boys, saw you and is now blowing up you’re phone.
“XAI! WHAT THE HELL! I DIDN’T KNOW THAT YOU WERE ACTUALLY PLANNING ON RELEASING IT SO QUICKLY!” You yelled at him on the phone. “I DIDN’T KNOW THEY WERE RELEASING IT EITHER!” He said frustrated. “Oh my god.. and now their blowing up my phone” you said. Right now you were hurrying to drive home.
“Omg I’m gonna get a fucking earful when I get home. And I honestly thought it was supposed to be a rough draft” you sighed. You never told the boys about your secret talents and now you were pretty sure whatever conversation that’s waiting on you wasn’t gonna be a pretty one. “Wait are they planning on releasing the rest?!” You asked expectantly. Xai scratches his head. “You know I’m not even sure no more I’d have to ask but since they can pull shit like this I wouldn’t put it past them..” he answers very frustrated. “Fuck..” you sighed.
“When I see your producers again they getting they ass beat. And why did they make us sign that NDA?” You asked. “Honestly I have no idea. I feel like they tryin to hide sumn but I don’t fucking know” he answered, visibly stressed. “Ah whatever.. I just pulled up outside the house so I’ll talk to you later ok” you said to him. “Alright laterrrrrr” he answered in a singsong voice. “Byeeeeee” you answered as you hung up.
‘Ah fuck..' you thought as you got out of the car and made your way to the front door. You walk up the stairs and go to open the front door when it swung open. You froze. ‘shit! shit! shit!’ You thought. You head was tilted down so all you saw were their feet. You were pretty sure they were starting down on you so you didn’t move an inch.
“Well?” Midoriya said. You didn’t even shift. For some reason you were so nervous that you didn’t even realize you were holding your breath. “Get your ass inside. We need to talk about something that I’m pretty sure you know about” Bakugou said, turning around. The other two men turned around and walked inside the house.
‘Why the actual fuck is this happening right now’ you thought as you walked in the house, head still facing the ground. You put all your stuff by the door and took you shoes off, then just stood there awkwardly. The three men stood in front of you, towering over your body.
“So.. you gonna start explaining? Because we sure as hell would love to know what we saw on the billboards all over the fucking city" Bakugou said. “And look up at us when we’re talkin’ to you” Midoriya says.
‘This is gonna be a fuckin' pain..’ you thought. You stood up straight and look at them dead in the eye. “What do you wanna know?” You asked. They all looked down at you knowingly. “We for one, why the fuck were you on a billboard today?” Bakugou asked. You sighed. “Ok I left you a note saying that I was gonna go to my friend’s house to help them with a project, given I had a feeling it was gonna be a music video but I wasn’t 100% sure” you said honestly. The three men looked at each other, then back at you. “Ok.. so then why didn’t you text us to tell us that’s what you were going to be doing when you found out?” Todoroki questioned. “I couldn’t. For some reason I had to sign an NDA, which I don’t normally have to do” you replied.
“They made you sign an NDA?!” Todoroki asks, concerned. “And you said they usually don’t make you do that..? Does that mean you’ve helped or does these types of things before?” Midoriya asks. “First yes Sho, I’ve been in helping in the music industry and in all my years of doing that I’ve never had to sign an NDA. And secondly, Yes Izu, as I said before I have been helping in this industry for a while.” You answered honestly. The three men stood there bewildered.
“So you’ve been helping with these kinds of things and never told us?” Bakugou asked. “Well yeah I guess.. it really wasn’t a everyday sort of thing. Whenever they called me to help I’d either tell them yes or no.” You answered. “Ok.. so what about the NDA?” Todoroki asks. “Well.. we did multiple videos, meaning music videos, and the producers released the video you saw today without Xai’s permission so I’m not sure what their gonna do now” you answered.
“WAIT THERE’S MORE?!” Bakugou yelled. “Uh.. yeah??” You answered in clear confused. “And they made you sign an NDA?!” Midoriya questioned. “Uhh yeah I’m sorry I don’t get it” you answered back visibly still confused. You looked at the three men who looked at you then looked at each other.
“Yeah we’re going down there NOW!!” Bakugou said, grabbing his jacket. “Wait wait WHAT HOLD ON I DON’T GET IT!” You yelled in confusion. Just then, your phone started ringing. You looked at the caller ID to see it was Xai. You answered it quickly. “Hey what’s up? You good why you calling again?” You asked. “No time to explain but you need to get over here quick. It has to do with the NDA. Turns out the producers and some people on my teams’ been pulling some shit behind the scenes,” he replied. You’re eyes widened at this and then mumbled a quick “thank you” then you hung up.
“They tried to fuck us over.. let’s go” you said as you rushed to the car. The three men looked at each other then proceeded to follow you. “I’m driving” Todoroki said as he took the keys from you. You all jumped in the car and he drove off. After you gave the directions and he got there, there was a spectacle outside. There were news reporters and paparazzi crowded outside. It was the house you shot the music video at, not Xai’s actual house. “For fuck's same how’d they find out already?!” Bakugou yelled. You sighed.
“I’ll handle this” you said as you got out the car. You walked up to the door but before you could get there, there were flashing mics and cameras being stuck up in your face. “Can you please get that away from me?” You asked as you tried to push forward but to no avail. “Excuse me but I think our love said to move back thank you,” Midoriya said, coming out of absolutely nowhere.
And the reporters just stood there in shock. Then the questions started bombarded all of you. You all managed to push through the flood of reporters, granted with Bakugou yelling curses for them to get out of your face. You all managed to get up to the front door. “XAI LET US IN! THESE REPORTERS OUT HERE ALL UP IN OUR FACE!” You yelled over the noise the door swung open and Todoroki pulled you up and walked inside the house with Midoriya and Bakugou quickly following. “Sho why’d you pick me up?” You asked. “I wanted to” he said nonchalantly. You rolled your eyes as he set you down.
“So where’s this Xai person and where can we find his management and team?” Midoriya said seriously. “No shit, they’re not getting away with this” Bakugou said. “I’m Xai and I’m talking to them right now, you can come along if you want to you know,” Xai answered. “You stay here” Midoriya said. “I ain’t staying nowhere,, let’s go,” you said, following Xai. The boys shook their heads at you and followed your lead.
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✗ Eventually they got all the information they need and filed a lawsuit. Apparently what was happening was that Xai’s management was trying to squander the resources they have for this project they were currently doing for another. Basically copyright. And therefore they’ve made all who were there sign an NDA so that if this came out to them and those workers realized what they were doing then they wouldn’t be able to say anything.
✗ They got sued of course and Xai had to find new management. And you won the case and everyone was paid the money they deserved. You, on the other hand became a well know singer and dancer after that, with the help of the boys’ support of course. You were happy and so were the boys and you could honestly say that things couldn’t have turned out any better.
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©Property of Miashimaa. Please don’t rectify, repost or modify without my permission. Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated.
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potter-imagines · 4 years
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Best-friends to Lovers (Fred Weasley x Reader)
Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader
Request: can we get like... a lil fred weasley, you guys are good friends and you don’t usually go back for the holidays, and Fred invites you back to the Burrow to spend the break there and y’all like totally fall for each other 🥺
Warning: None (I switched it up just a tiny bit to where they’ve already developed some feelings but they finally admit them sooo hope you enjoy!)
Word Count: 4.5k
It was a flurry and cold winter night, the kind of night when every breath stings the lungs and every exhale chills the lips. The frigid air, the slippery ground and the sheet of white covering the once green grass. All signs winter was here and cold times were ahead. Even in the highlands of Scotland, the winters were ferosus and unforgiving. You despised the freezing temperature, but Fred was far too convincing and a midnight walk with him was something you couldn’t find the words to turn down.
For the first time in the five years you had spent at Hogwarts, and the five years you had been best friends, you had finally accepted the twins offer on spending Christmas at the Burrow with their family. It was a turn of events in your typical holiday plans which were mostly spent alone at the castle. Your first two years at school you had traveled home for Christmas. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t exactly a ‘jolly’ time either. Family time came few and far between. The sparse time you did spend around your family had grown… awkward. Being the only witch in your family didn’t help much either. As the years dragged on, you felt like a stranger in your own home. Your parents spent their entire year with your younger brother, so he had undoubtedly grown to be the favorite and the prized child. They still loved you of course, it just felt forced to engage with them at times.
So it came as a pleasant surprise when you walked into the Weasley’s home and were engulfed in a warmth you had never known. Molly Weasley was the first to greet you, popping out from the staircase with a shimmering grin. Before you could register what was happening, she pulled you into a bone crunching grip rambling on about how good it was to meet you. Arthur hugged you as well and teased about how much the twins would talk about you, especially Fred. Fred would turn bashful but he didn’t deny it.
Ginny showed you around the house, beating Fred and George to the chance. Molly set up a mattress on the floor next to the youngest Weasley’s bed, something Ginny was over the moon thrilled about. She had been longing for a sleepover with you for years now. Ever since her first term, she followed you around like a little puppy. So your first night at the home, Ginny coerced you into a slumber party immediately.
The twins, mainly Fred, weren’t too happy at this. They were the ones who invited you yet their little sister was stealing all your time. Fred was bitter when you hurried off from dinner to go join Ginny upstairs, not even bidding him a farewell.
George insisted his twin was being dramatic- they had an entire month for Merlin's sake! The feelings his brother developed for you, their best friend, was clear as crystals to George. They both shared a crush on you for the first year at Hogwarts but George’s feelings quickly shifted to a friendship, sister love. Fred on the other hand, well his crush only evolved further. George noticed it the second Fred started combing his hair before dinner and always placing himself the closest towards you. It was a topic they danced around for quite some time. He teased his twin for years until the idea came to him that Fred still felt this way towards you even after years. George had devoted his previous two summers to breaking Fred into admission. All he wanted was to hear his twin confirm his suspicions. Not that he needed that really, other people were beginning to notice as well.
One of them being your temporary roommate. Ginny was a top notch observer. During her second year, she started to catch on to the elephant that followed you and Fred into every room.
That first night, Ginny shed light on her theory by offhandedly making a rather large claim late that first night. While the two of you were chatting softly in the dark, the young girl declared out of the blue,
“I think my brother is in love with you.”
In an instant, your whole body froze over like water on a lake. You were thankful for the dark, it kept Ginny from seeing your wide eyed stare of shock.
“What?”
It was now you could see her small frame adjusting in her bed. Even with the lack of light, you saw her sitting up on her bed, propping her weight on one elbow. It could be assumed she had a devilish smile as she probed on.
“Fred… pretty sure he’s in love with you.”
“Why, what makes you think that, Ginny?”
“Quite a laundry list of things, actually. First, he never shuts up about you. Second, he’s always trying to be around you. Third, he’s always staring at you… bit creepy. Fourth, he’s told our nanna about you! Lastly, and most obvious, I heard him telling George right before school started.”
Laying back down, you fixed your eyes on the ceiling taking in her words. Does your best friend really share the same feelings for you? It was too good to be true, it couldn’t be true, you thought. This kinda stuff only happened in the movies and your life definitely was not a film gracing the silver screen. The butterflies went rampant in your stomach, fluttering about wildly. For a moment, you had forgotten Ginny was there, or that you were in her room, until she spoke again.
“So, what do you think of him?” She asked innocently. Tugging the fluffy blue blanket closer to your chest you replied,
“Pardon?”
Ginny wasted no time and reached over to flicker the light switch on her bedside lamp. A bright light broke through the pitch black darkness of the bedroom. You groaned at the act but Ginny spoke over your sounds of protest.
“Are you in love with Fred?”
Running your hand over your face, you let out a sigh. It was getting too late to be thinking about such heavy topics. You had a great friendship with Ginny, you really did, but if you couldn’t even deal with these emotions on your own, you really didn’t want to throw your thoughts on her.
Turning over on the mattress, you rolled your eyes.
“Ginny, I’m not even dating Fred.”
“But you want to.” She confirmed stubbornly.
“I mean… I-I don’t know, Ginny. Can we talk about something else, please?” You wanted to hide under a blanket and avoid the question for all of eternity. She had caught you off guard and although the feelings you felt towards Fred were strong, it wasn’t something you felt ready to face yet. It wasn’t easy being in love with your best friend- there was so much risk, so much to lose if things went south. You settled on keeping Fred as a friend rather than gamble the option of rejection and a change in your relationship forever.
Ginny perked her brow, opened her mouth as if ready to rebuttal, then deciding against it. The corner of her tip twitched to a smirk as she replied,
“Hmm, okay.”
The topic was dropped for the rest of the night as Ginny went to bed shortly after, but it wasn’t completely over. From then on, you began noticing the constant little redhead attached to your coattails. You noticed each time Fred shooed his sister off and demanded she find something better to do. He was edging closer and closer to his point of eruption. This break was supposed to be time for him to spend alone with you and finally confess his feelings. Not Ginny being your shadow and George tagging along for every outing.
Now on your walk almost a week later, your mind hadn’t stopped wandering to that conversation. Ginny hadn’t brought it up again, at least not vocally. During breakfast the next morning after your talk while you're placed between Fred and George joking around with them, she’ll send you knowing looks, giggling to herself. Harry started to pick up on this as well and you noticed Ginny whispering to him afterwards. It didn’t help that Fred would take any opportunity he could to make you laugh and be in your presence.
Last night you found yourself sitting in front of the fireplace with George, Ginny, Ron, Harry and Fred. A steaming mug of hot cocoa was clutched in everyone’s hand. After about an hour of talking softly and sharing stories, Ginny, Ron and Harry decided to call it a night and trudged up the stairs together. You waved to them as they disappeared up the wooden steps, the sound off their feet turning quieter with every second.
As the three of you sat closely, it felt like you were back at Hogwarts in the common room. George was gushing about a Muggle film you had shown him earlier in the day and Fred was silently listening in, a small smile kissing his lips. You were sat at Fred’s side, your backs against the couch and his arm thrown casually around your shoulder. George was laid on the smaller couch across from the two of you, rambling on to himself. As his talking continued, Fred slowly worked to move your body closer to his and nearly in his lap. He did it so naturally you almost failed to notice. The loud, booming tone of George simmer out within minutes. His voice seemed to sooth him into a slumber as his harsh snores suddenly cut through the air, having talked himself to sleep. This caused the both of you to start laughing. Fred’s arm gripped you tighter as his body shook with chuckles. The sensation sent an odd shiver down your spine. It felt… nice, really really nice to be in his arms.
Fred wondered if now was the time. It was the first chance he had gotten alone with you for almost a week, so there was a good probability he wouldn’t get another for a while. He needed to make a move, something at least! Fred hated not having the bravery like the Gryffindor he was to fess up and spit out the words to describe how he felt about you. Closing his eyes, Fred took a deep breath then peeked his gaze open once more. The nerves had calmed and for the first time, he felt ready and he knew he had to act on it. But as he looked down at you, all the confidence had vanished with one glance. His throat dried as your eyes met and a faint precipitation budded in his palms. All the words he had been rehearsing for a year now simply slipped out the back door.
You took note of the ghost white paleness that took over and immediately sat up, removing yourself from his arms to ask,
“You alright, Freddie?” The concern dripped from your words as you examined the face of your best friend. His eyes were lowered, glued to the flickering flames of the crackling fire.
“Of course, love. I’m sorry, was just thinking.”
“Aw, Freddie, we talked about this. You know thinking is no good for you- you’re brain can’t handle it, darling!” Fred’s heart leaped at the adorning pet name. Only recently had you started calling him more loving names, and it drove him absolutely mad. No girl could ever get his heart racing with just one word like you could. He loved hearing such names coming from your mouth, and directed to him. There was only one name he would die to call you and that was his.
“Can I take you for a walk, love?” The request came abruptly, completely out of the blue. Your eyes widen at his question. Any other time you’d say yes without a second thought. Although, it was late and the land was not a territory you were familiar with like Hogwarts.
Your eyes fell on the window behind the couch. Large white snowflakes swirled from the sky and coated the grounds. The heavy black winter jacket you packed was hung up neatly by the door, not having been touched for at least a day.
Turning your attention back to Fred, you realized his eyes were already trained on your face. At your glance, a hopefully smile reached his cheeks.
“It’s nearly midnight I… actually, why not? Sure. But if we run into any wolves, I’m sacrificing you to them, Weasley.” He laughed at your response and quickly jumped up. You set your hands to your side, readying yourself to stand when suddenly, Fred’s large hands attached to your sides and lifted you up to your feet. You stumbled trying to gain balance but once again, Fred was right there to help you.
Unexpectedly, his left hand extended out and intertwined his fingers in yours. Just as you had predicted, his touch was warm, addicting in a way. It set off a pool of security and protection. Instead of fearing what may lie in the open land outside his house, you trusted Fred.
The tall boy walked you towards the door and pulled your long coat from the hook then threw it around your body. You slipped your arms into the fuzzy material as he yanked his heavy jacket on. Watching the never ending snowfall outside, you worked your hands into the black mittens you had stored in the coat pockets. You hoped it wasn’t as bone chilling outside as it looked.
“Here, I think you might need this, love. You can use my scarf too if you’d like. Don’t want you freezing to death, that’d be hard to explain to George and the rest of our friends.” Fred placed an extra winter hat of his on top of your head. Heat slapped your cheeks at his movements. Fred was commonly sweet towards you but lately, he had been extra sweet. Small gestures here and there were adding up and raising a bit of questions in your mind.
You knocked Fred jokingly on the shoulder and remarked,
“Reckon they’ll send you to Azkaban for that one. I’m a saint, everyone loves me, Fred.” You teased him playfully before accepting his offer with a thank you. Instead of handing you the maroon and gold striped scarf, Fred leaned forward and wrapped it snug around your neck. Once finished, his fingertip tapped against the tip of your nose, grinning to himself.
“You’re not wrong about that. We should get going though. The killer trolls will rise from the ground soon!”
“Knock it off!” You scolded him in a hushed tone, careful not to wake his sleeping family as you chased out of the house after him. Running down the steps, you saw Fred waiting near the car for you. There was an open path behind the car, a makeshift road but the kids used it for a walking guide.
He motioned you over waving exaggeratedly.
“C’mon, darling! You’re taking forever.” Fred moaned on dramatically as he waited for you to catch up to him.  
“It’s freezing out here, be patient.” You waddled over to his side and stood close to his frame, egar for warmth. Fred took in your shaking body and wrapped his arm around your shoulder and tugged you towards his side.
Snowflakes landed on your eyelashes, conflicting your view. Despite the coldness of the winter air, the landscape was beautiful. There were miles and miles of open plains on all ends of the Burrow. In a way, they were isolated, but the atmosphere was live with activity. It was impossible to be bored when the Weasley siblings were around. There was so much to do, in an exploring sense. You had never felt so free, so open before. It was refreshing to spend time at Weasley's home. As the two of you walked together in the crunchy snow, Fred pointed to a large field, a makeshift pitch if you had to guess.
“Charlie and Bill taught George and I how to play Quidditch over there the summer after our first year. Percy hated playing with us! We’d all gang up on him- even if he was on our team- and try to knock him off his broom. I don’t think he’s played with us since! You would’ve died of laughter seeing how angry he got.” You watched as Fred’s features scrunched in laughed at the memory. His contagious chuckles infected you as you laughed along. It was a recollection you could imagine perfectly, even if you weren’t there. Percy was an easy target but he had done it to himself so there wasn’t much room for blame.
Shrugging your shoulders you said,
“I would say poor Percy but he turned me in for being out past curfew so, I’m proud of you, Fred.”
“Sounds like him, just try being related to him. He runs to our parents for everything! Every. Little. Thing. It’s infuriating.” Your cheeks began to sting from smiling so much, but when you were around Fred, it was a given. He had an affect on you that no one else seemed to earn. Even when you were on the brim of tears, Fred always found a way to bring a grin to your face.
But still, you thought about Ginny’s words and the change in Fred throughout your years as friends. Nights were lost tossing and turning over the thought of that prankster redhead who had occupied all your notions.
Lifting your hand up slightly, you grabbed for Fred’s gloved hand. He gladly accepted your gesture and squeezed on your hand as you continued to walk further from the home. Fred’s attention soon dropped as his consciousness drifted once again. Pursing your lips you drew him out.
“Freddie, what’s on your mind? You’ve been different since we got here. I mean, it’s not a bad different. It’s just… something is different with you and you’re my best friend so I wanna know.”
Fred’s eyes snapped up at your concerning voice and the startled expression met yours. This was definitely not a common act for Fred. Your mind raced at the possibility of what it could be but luckily, Fred didn’t make you wait long for an answer.
His pace slowed, but his feet still dragged in the powdered flakes holding your hand. You wanted to hear him speak so bad although you respected the time he needed and waited in silence as you continued to walk. It didn’t take long for Fred to shatter the thin air,
“Can I ask you a serious question? Like one that could change everything.”
“You can ask me anything, Fred. You know this. It won’t change a thing.” You replied seriously. Fred could hear the truthfulness in your words and it calmed him, only a little though. The looming fear, and reality, of rejection was becoming all too real. Even worse than rejection, Fred had a feeling if he didn’t take his chance now, he might never have the opportunity again.
“Do you see me only as a best friend?” The nervousness in his voice broke the peace of the air. Your feet halted at the cavalier inquest. Fred had asked quite the offhand questions before but this, this was new. Mentally attempting to connect the pieces, you tilted your head in confusion.
“Freddie…” The mummer was faint, almost failing to register from your lips. The Burrow was still in near distance and the moonlight provided enough light to search Fred’s face. You weren’t sure what to make of the inquiry exactly, but your heart race excelled in anticipation.
Fred Weasley shifted in the crystalline snow. His hands were shoved deep in his coat pockets and his legs bounced in his stance. You knew him well enough to see the contemplation written across his features.
“Y/n I really really like you. I promise this isn’t a joke or some prank. If you don’t feel the same I can find a way to accept it but I don’t wanna lose you in my life. I just can’t hold it in anymore. It’s been five years of tortue now and… I just needed to get it out, love. I think I might be falling in love with you- if I haven’t already.” As Fred poured his heart out openly, the dripping snowfall ceased all together. It was magically in a sense. The loud slush was now quiet, almost like drizzling rain. His gingerbread eyes were studied upon you, waiting for any sort of reaction to surface. You just gazed up at him scavenging for the perfect words to spill your emotions.
“You’ve liked me for five years?” You asked, stunned. That was impossible. All this time you had spent crushing on Fred and admiring him, stuck in the friendzone, you could’ve just talked to him and been honest. Fred’s eyes darted back to his house then to you anxiously.
“Yeah. I’ve just been too scared to tell you. I don’t want it to ruin our friendship, that’s the last thing I could take.”
Your heart dropped at his words. It was funny in a way, he had the same fears as you. In the same way, you felt guilty for putting him through the same torture you had been going through the last few years as well.
With a surge of confidence, you snapped your head up to Fred and quickly remarked,
“Will it ruin our friendship if I think I’m in love with you too?”
The stillness in the air was unreadable at first. Your gazes trained intently on each other. The uplift gleamed in Fred when he took in your words. All his fears went away like the swish of a wand.
Half out of adrenaline, the other half out of want for years of desire, Fred took one step forward and closed the small gap of space between the two of you by pressing his lips tightly against yours. His hands rested on your face, and the small of your back to keep you steady. This you were thankful for this as his quick actions took you by shock nearly knocking you off your feet.
Your left hand drew up to his hair, finding a tight grip in his shoulder length locks, something you’d been dreaming about doing. The kiss intensified as you indulged in the lock and pressed closer to Fred. Your mouths moved together as if snogging was naturally with you two.
Your lungs demanded air after a few minutes and you slowly pulled away from Fred’s lips and leaned away to regain your composure. You could hear Fred panting at your side, also processing what just took place. Your hands never left each other’s and he suddenly squeezed yours to earn your attention. A genuine look crosses Fred’s face as he whispered into the cold air,
“Can I ask you to be my girlfriend now or do you want me to woo you over on a date first?” His sweet words nearly melted your heart. As easy as you were to please when it came to Fred, this heartwarming exchange felt like the perfect night to declare as a first outing.
“I think I’ll count this as our first date, it was quite romantic.”
Fred rolled his eyes with a smirk. It made him happy that you weren’t demanding or the snotty type. He loved that the small things made you glow with happiness. Even with this, he was still mentally planning a date to take you on before break ended. Although you still had yet to answer his big question.
“So does that mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” You had to swallow back a laugh as you realized you never officially answered Fred. Despite your kiss, he still looked worried you’d turn him away. Shaking your head with a smile you replied,
“Yes, I won’t make you beg anymore.”
Fred wasted no time snatching you by the waste and giving you a small twirl around the snow. A yelp sounded from your lips and you hoped it wasn’t loud enough to wake anyone sleeping at the Burrow. Fred chuckled at your protests and placed you down delicately. Placing his hands on either side of your face, the joyful Gryffindor snogged you lightly, but his passion still seeped through.
“Merlin’s beard, can’t believe it took my stupid arse five years to ask you out. I could’ve been kissing you years ago!”
“Guess we were both missing out. Feel dim for thinking I was going to ruin everything between us if I told you how I felt. But I’m so happy, Freddie.”
“Here, darling,” His gloved hand jerk back to the house, “We oughta head back, now. Mum will kill me if she finds out we were out this late! She thinks you’re an angel so you’ll be fine but I’ll be six feet under by dawn. I can’t wait for morning, though. I can finally brag to everyone that you’re mine, love.” His lips pressed against yours again, desperate to relive the spark and it did not disappoint. Kissing Fred felt natural, like you melted into the embrace. Your lips molded in sync, matching up like magnets. His tongue drew a line across your bottom lips as he kissed you deeper.
Coming back to earth you detached from Fred with a light ‘smack’ noise. Neither of you could wipe the childlike grins off your faces. His plump cheeks turned crimson in the night. Unable to shake off the excitement of the night’s events, you leaned into Fred’s body, giving him a tight hug. He returned the embrace instantly and left a long kiss to the top of your head.
Leaning away, you planted one last kiss to Fred’s cheek then held his hand as you two walked towards his home. The light at the top of the Burrow, assumingly Fred and George's room was turned on. Brightness shone from the window and you pointed up at the sight. The house was only feet away and you started to wonder what George would think of the news.
It could be assumed he wouldn’t be shocked. George spent the last year making comments to you here and there, prying in on you and Fred. Ginny of course wouldn’t be too blown away either, but what about Ron and Harry?
Fred already knew what their reactions would be. He knew without a doubt all of your friends would be thrilled, but no one would be too taken aback by your new relationship. It seemed the only two students who were oblivious to your shared feelings, were Fred and yourself.
“You think they’ll be surprised to hear we’re dating?” You wondered out loud. Fred swung your hand in a back and forth motion as you approached the front porch of the house. Your question obtained a chuckle from Fred as he shook his head,
“Not one bit, love.”
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she ain’t a gold digger ~ machine gun kelly
word count: 2417
request?: yes!
“Hi, please write a MGK imagine where the reader joins him on tour and he loses his wallet and when they decide to go out to a club one night, she asks him to get something from her bag and he sees his wallet in there. He accuses her of stealing and they get into a fight and she storms off. One of the guys confesses that they found it in their suitcase by accident and just slipped it in her purse to keep it safe but forgot to tell him and he apologizes profusely to reader and after some persuasion she forgives him”
description: when his wallet goes missing and he finds it in her bag, he lets the tabloids bullshit get to him and causes a fight he regrets
pairing: machine gun kelly x female!reader
warnings: swearing, angst
masterlist (one, two)
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The hotel room was basically overturned when (Y/N) walked in. Colson was tossing things from his suitcase, frantically searching for something.
“We’ve only been here like five minutes, is it really time to pull a full Motley Crue on this room?” she teased.
“I can’t find my wallet,” Colson said, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
“What?”
“It’s not in my suitcase, it’s not in any of my pants - the ones in my suitcase or the ones I’m wearing - it’s not in my carry on or my jacket.”
(Y/N) crossed the room to kneel next to Colson. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. In a more calm manner, she looked through the things Colson had messily thrown about the floor. She helped him to look for the millionth time through everything, coming up empty yet again.
“Okay, don’t panic,” she said. “You had it at the airport because it was with your passport. We can call both this airport and the one we just departed from to see if it’s been turned in. In the meantime, we can lock your cards so no one can use them.”
Colson nodded, but (Y/N) could see the panic in his eyes. She cupped his face and made him look up at her. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll find it, and if we don’t we’ll replace it the best we can.”
~~~~~~
Despite the stress he was still feeling, Colson decided to join (Y/N) and his friends at the club that night. He was glued to his phone the entire ride there, and once they got to the club (Y/N) took it and shoved it into her purse.
“Relax,” she told him. “We’re here to have a good time.”
“But what if someone calls about my wallet?” he asked.
“Then they’ll leave a message. I highly doubt anyone is calling you at almost midnight, though.” (Y/N) laced her fingers through Colson’s and pressed her body against his. “Please baby? For me?”
Colson sighed but (Y/N) could see the smile on his face. “Fine, but you’re paying for my drinks tonight.”
He had to admit the night out was what he needed. Besides the panic over his wallet, Colson had also basically worked himself to death the past few months. Between recording and filming, and now the tour. He was just grateful that his manager allowed (Y/N) to join them on tour. He’d be out of his mind without her.
(Y/N) pushed through the crowd to where Colson and his friends were and passed Colson his drink. He smiled and pulled her down onto his lap. (Y/N) giggled as Colson pressed a kiss onto her neck.
“If you guys are gonna fuck, do us the curtesy of going to the bathroom,” Rook called over the music.
“Please, I’m more classy than that,” Colson responded. “I’d fuck her in the coat closet like a gentleman.”
(Y/N) rolled her eyes and stood. “I’m gonna go dance. Enjoy your boy talk.”
Colson watched the beautiful curved figure of his girlfriend strut to the dancefloor. He finished his drink in one mouthful and went to follow her.
They danced together for so long that Colson had forgotten all of his worried for a brief period of time. He gazed lovingly into the face of the love of his life as she grinded her hips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sheepishly smiled up at him.
“Wanna get out of here?” she whispered seductively in his ear.
“More than anything,” Colson responded. “I’ll get our things. Meet me at the front doors.”
(Y/N) smiled and winked at him as they went their separate ways. Colson pulled out the coat check tickets to get his jacket and (Y/N)’s purse, and passed it to the girl working there. As he shrugged on his jacket, he got the overwhelming urge to check his phone to see if anyone had called about his wallet.
He promised (Y/N) he’d have a good time, but she didn’t have to know he checked. He would just look and see if there were any missed calls then forget until morning.
However, when he opened (Y/N)’s purse to get her phone, he noticed something on the very top: his wallet.
Why does she have my wallet? he thought. And why wouldn’t she tell me that she had it? She knows how worried I’ve been about it.
He tried not to overthink anything before talking to (Y/N) first. He made his way to the front of the club where (Y/N) was waiting with a joint hanging partially out of her mouth. She looked over at him and smiled as a puff of smoke rolled from her lips.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked. When she noticed Colson’s serious look, her smile fell. “Babe, are you okay? Did something happen?”
He found his words stuck in his throat, so instead of speaking he just held his wallet up.
“Holy shit! Is that your wallet?” Colson nodded, still unable to talk. “Where did you find it?!”
“In your purse.”
(Y/N)’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What? How did it get in my purse?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
She looked up at him as she took another puff from the joint. “What does that mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything, I’m just asking a question. This is your purse after all, the only people who touch it are you and me. Obviously I didn’t put the wallet in there so that leaves one person.”
(Y/N) crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. “Say it Colson. Fucking say it.”
“Did you take my wallet (Y/N)?”
“No! Of course I didn’t!”
“Then why is it in your purse?”
(Y/N) rolled her eyes and turned away from Colson. She started to walk away, but he followed her.
“If you took it, I just want to know why,” he said. “I’m not upset, I know there’s likely a good reason for taking it and not telling me.”
“I didn’t fucking take it!” (Y/N) snapped, spinning around to glare at Colson. “I know how this looks, I know it makes no sense, but I fucking swear to you I did not take your fucking wallet. I don’t know how it got in my purse, I don’t know why it’s there, but I did not take your goddamn wallet!”
“Then why the fuck is it in your purse?!”
(Y/N) let out a frustrated groan and buried her head in her hands. “Why can’t you just fucking believe me when I say I didn’t take it? I don’t know how it got in my purse, but I didn’t take it.”
“It just doesn’t make sense to me, (Y/N). How else would it have gotten there? You’re the only one who even touches your purse, none of the guys have had access to it. You knew when and where I had my wallet last, and now it’s showing up in your bag.”
“If I had taken it, why was I trying to help you find it? Why did I tell you to shut down your cards so no one could use them? Why was I helping you to call the airports and turn over the entire hotel room another two times looking for it? Why would I go to those lengths if I just had it instead of telling you just to replace it all?”
“I don’t know, (Y/N), maybe you were just making sure you could get whatever fucking money you could from me without me realizing.”
(Y/N)’s face fell and her eyes started to well with tears. After being together for a year, she thought he would know her better than that. She thought he wouldn’t believe the bullshit tabloid websites were publishing about her being a gold digger and just dating Colson for the money. She thought he would knew she loved him with her entire heart because of who he was, not because he was a famous rapper.
Apparently she was wrong.
Without another word, (Y/N) turned away from him and walked towards the line up of taxis that were waiting outside of the club. Colson watched her go, his anger starting to subside and be replaced by guilt. But he couldn’t go after her, he wouldn’t. He needed some time to think about all of this, to let her think about it as well. Neither one of them were going to get any answers if they kept fighting and hurting one another.
Colson entered the club again, order two more strong drinks and finding his way back to his boys. They all looked at him with confusion as he sat down where he had been before.
“Dude, I thought you left,” Baze said.
“I thought so, too, until I found my wallet in (Y/N)’s purse,” Colson muttered. “We got into a fight and she left.”
“Why were you fighting about that?” Rook asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.
Colson waved off the comment, not feeling in the mood to relay the entire fight back to his friends.
“Wait, did I not tell you I put the wallet there?” Slim asked.
Colson nearly choked on one of his drinks. He coughed and turned to look at his friend. “You fucking had it?”
“Yeah man, it somehow got in my carry on,” Slim responded. “I found it when we were waiting for our luggage. I put it in (Y/N)’s purse cause I knew it would be safe there. I could’ve swore I told you that, though.”
“You didn’t,” Colson said. “God fucking dammit, I’m an idiot.”
“What did you say to her, man?” Baze asked.
“I...I insinuated that she...she’s only with me for my money and she stole my wallet so she could get it.”
The guys chorused disapproving noises at the same time.
“Kells, (Y/N) is literally the realest person I’ve ever met,” Rook said. “She ain’t a gold digger, and you definitely shouldn’t think that she is.”
“I don’t,” Colson sighed. “I was just pissed. God, I’m a fucking idiot.”
“Bro,” Slim said, leaning forward to look at Colson, “go after your woman and apologize.”
Colson nodded and quickly stood from his seat. The cab ride back to the hotel felt incredibly slow. Of course, he had left his phone in (Y/N)’s purse so he couldn’t even call or text her. There was no guarantee that she was even at the hotel, and that thought had Colson’s anxiety so much higher.
He desperately searched his pockets for the hotel key as he approached the room. When he couldn’t find it, he realized it was likely he had left that in (Y/N)’s purse, too. He sighed and began knocking on the door.
“(Y/N)?” he said, his voice soft. “Baby, can you let me in? I think my key is in your purse.” When there was no movement, he added, “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). I should’ve listened to you. Slim admitted to putting my wallet in your bag, turns out he had it all along. I...I should never have thought it was you. I shouldn’t have said what I said. Can...can you let me in, please?”
There was silence. Not even signs of movement. Colson’s heart began to race as he realized the likeliness that (Y/N) had left. He had no idea where she could’ve gone, and now he didn’t even have any way of reaching her.
The door suddenly opened and (Y/N)’s tearstained face looked up at him. She didn’t say anything as she turned away and walked back into the hotel room. Colson followed in silence, unsure of what else to say. He just wanted to hold her and apologize forever, to do anything and everything she wanted to make things better.
(Y/N) got back into bed and laid with her back to Colson. He stood there in the dark, just looking at her.
“(Y/N), I’m sorry,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.
“You called me a gold digger,” (Y/N) responded, her voice equally as small. “After almost a year together, you called me a fucking gold digger.”
“I know - ”
“We’ve talked about how much those tabloid stories get to me, how upset they make me, and you really had the audacity to bring that up and not believe me when I said that I didn’t take your wallet.”
The fact that her voice wasn’t angry, but rather sad, made everything so much worse. Colson winced at her words, feeling a lump form in his throat.
“I know,” he repeated. “I don’t know why I said any of that. I didn’t mean it, I know you love me. I just...I have no excuses. I am a total fucking idiot and you have every right to be angry with me. I know I’m sorry won’t cut it, but for now that’s all I can say. I really am sorry.”
There was another prolonged silence. (Y/N) didn’t even move from her place on the bed. Colson had accepted the fact that she probably hated him and was preparing to go stay with one of the guys for the night, when he heard the bed shift and (Y/N)’s soft voice ask, “Did the guys give you shit?”
Colson smiled to himself. “Yeah, they did. They called me an idiot.”
“You are one.”
“I know.”
Through the darkness of the room, Colson could see (Y/N) lift the blankets and gesture for him to join her. He quickly kicked off his shoes and threw his jacket somewhere on the floor. The minute his body connected with hers, he felt relief wash over him. He hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go.
“I love you,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head and repeating the sentiment over and over.
“And I love you, as in you - Colson Baker. Not Machine Gun Kelly, not the man with the money. I love the real you.”
“I know you do. I promise I’ll never doubt that again baby.”
(Y/N) relaxed into Colson’s arms, still a bit hurt from what he had said but happy to have him there with her. Finally, after some time, the two drifted off to sleep.
514 notes · View notes
uvobreakmylegs · 3 years
Text
Right Place, Right Time
wanted to write something with a little more humor in it but there’s still dark shit because phantom troupe
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Warnings: mentions of death
“There's trouble, boss.”
Phinks' voice cut through the chatter of the busy casino. Chrollo didn't look up at first, relaying a few more instructions to Shalnark via text. 'Trouble' wasn't unexpected; as much as Chrollo could plan ahead, human nature could be unpredictable and would usually cause a few bumps in the road when it came to their heists.
“What sort of trouble?” Chrollo asked as he pocketed the cellphone.
“A Zoldyck.”
Ah.... That was a bit more trouble than usual.
Chrollo's gaze followed that of Phinks and Shizuku. Looking down at them from a second balcony stood Illumi, his face devoid of emotion as the black void within his eyes took in the group.
The second Chrollo made eye contact with him, Illumi gestured to his left with a sharp jerk of his head before walking off in the same direction.
“Does he want to fight away from the guests?” Shizuku asked.
“Maybe,” said Chrollo. He began to walk in the direction Illumi had gone, signaling for Shizuku and Phinks to follow. The three of them walked up one of the staircases located to the side. Phinks pulled on the collar of his suit every so often, while Shizuku walked slightly slower due to the heels that she wasn't used to wearing. But Chrollo could sense that the two were anticipating a fight (Phinks likely ready to use it as an excuse to get out of the fancy suit he hated so much).
“But it may not come to a fight with him,” Chrollo told them.
“Don't the Zoldycks hate us?” Phinks asked.
“Silva hates me specifically,” Chrollo corrected, “but Illumi can be reasoned with.”
Phinks snorted a bit at that, but didn't say anything else. Shizuku then asked what Silva Zoldyck had done to the troupe, to which Phinks gave a brief summary of the incident that had happened years prior. A very brief summary, but he knew there was no point in getting into details since Shizuku would forget almost immediately; this wasn't even the first time she had asked.
Perhaps he should have expected that one of the Zoldycks would be present – it was the opening night for this particular high-end gambling hall. But with how stingy the owner had been rumored to be, he would have thought that the price of a Zoldyck assassin as a security guard would have been more than she was willing to spend.
If it was Zeno or Silva there would be no chance of ending things amicably: Zeno was dedicated to his work and wouldn't be moved by a bribe or any words that Chrollo could offer. And Chrollo and Silva shared a very mutual hatred of one another, so a fight would have been inevitable in that case.
But Illumi, while also just as dedicated to his family as his father and grandfather, could be convinced to stand down if Chrollo could name a good enough price and ensure that the Zoldyck name wouldn't be tarnished in any way. The Zoldycks successfully completed every job they took on, but they couldn't be held accountable if their client terminated the contract before they could complete it. It had happened once before, in an instance where a man had hired Illumi to assassinate Pakunoda. Illumi agreed to hold off on going through with the hit for a short while in exchange for twice the amount the man had paid him for and to allow the troupe the time needed to get to the client and release him from the contract.
Though it would be nicer to just get to Illumi's client and kill her off, there was no chance Illumi would allow them to do that while still under his contract. And Illumi would be happier if he was able to leave with twice the amount of jenny he had been promised.
Illumi was waiting at the end of a hall that had fewer people in it, pointedly looking at him before entering into what looked to be a darkened room. Chrollo pulled out his phone to text an order for the troupe to wait as he spoke to Phinks and Shizuku.
“You two wait out here,” he ordered.
Phinks looked as though he wanted to question him on that, but he held his tongue, crossing his arms as he gave a sharp nod in acknowledgment. If Shizuku felt that his actions were questionable, she didn't betray that fact to him.
Leaving the two of them behind, Chrollo made his way to the door Illumi had entered and pulled it open.
This room was darker than the rest of the casino, and without the electric lights that brightened the building and the bodies of the customers that increased the temperature with their own body heat, it was much cooler in the room as well.
It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but when they did, he saw that Illumi was leaning against a smaller circular table, toying with one of his needles as he watched Chrollo enter.
“I thought you didn't like the body-guarding jobs,” Chrollo said as the door behind him slowly swung shut.
“I owed my brother for his assistance on my last assignment,” Illumi explained, “so I'm filling in for him.”
Chrollo nodded, though he didn't particularly care all that much. Whatever the reason, the presence of a Zoldyck would hinder things. Best to get straight to the point.
“How much are you being paid for this job?” Chrollo asked.
Illumi's eyebrows raised slightly.
“You think you can pay me off?”
“It worked once before.”
“So it did,” Illumi conceded, “but it would start to look suspicious if I accepted your offer too many times, no? It would be a problem if people thought the Zoldycks could be bought out. Our reputation is everything.”
“Well, you can't help it if your client decides that your services aren't needed and lets you go, now can you?”
“Another inexplicable 'termination' with a job that involved the Phantom Troupe?” Illumi asked, “father was annoyed that I did that last time, though he was more annoyed that I took the job in the first place.”
Illumi sighed.
“But again, doing that too often would look strange, and I will not do anything to harm our business reputation.”
“Very few people knew about the previous hit on Pakunoda,” said Chrollo, “there would be few who would notice a particular pattern, and I think the two of us are both inclined to avoid an unnecessary fight if possible.”
“True. Killing you and the rest of your group would take some time. And it wouldn't be worth the amount that woman is offering. Really, she's low-balling us. I don't know what Milluki was thinking when he took this job. Didn't even make her pay upfront.”
“Then we can come to an agreement?” Chrollo asked.
Illumi closed his eyes in thought, his fingers still twirling around that needle. He was considering it.
Chrollo waited in silence. Trying to push Illumi to do one thing was unproductive and could possibly make him decide to fight after all, though he was certain that Illumi was already willing to take him up on the offer since the assassin hadn't sent his needles flying the second Chrollo walked in. Pulling out his phone, Chrollo checked the time: 8:54 PM. He had planned for this particular operation to begin at 9:15. The owner was part of a group that had begun to throttle the livelihood of Meteor City, and tonight she was the host of a party for that group that was taking place in the upper floors while celebrating the successful opening night of her casino. The main purpose was to send a message: kill the group and anyone else in the building so the rest of the world knew not to interfere with the business of his Meteor City. Whatever valuables they collected would just be bonuses for the troupe to divide amongst themselves.
Though Chrollo rarely went back to the city these days, it was beneficial for him if the city still existed. And though he would never admit it out loud, there was of that sentimental feeling of wanting to protect his old home, as harsh and cruel as it had been for him growing up.
Illumi opened his eyes and looked to Chrollo.
“3 billion and I'll leave.”
“That's quite a lot,” said Chrollo, “much more than I paid last time. Why such a steep increase?”
“So it's worth my while.”
Chrollo mulled it for a bit, checking his phone again: 8:57. He certainly had the funds to pay Illumi's price, but it did feel like he was being somewhat taken advantage of in this case. Still keeping an eye on Illumi, Chrollo couldn't help but notice that the assassin seemed to have something else on his mind that he was considering. Then, like he had come to a decision, he sat up a bit straighter as he addressed Chrollo again.
“There's one more thing,” Illumi said.
“Something more than 3 billion jenny, Illumi?”
“Just some time; give me four minutes before you start.”
Chrollo hummed. Illumi didn't need that much time to vacate a building like this. Was it an attempt to set some kind of trap? No, that was unlikely. It would be far too obvious and Illumi wouldn't go to such lengths unless he was being paid to do so. Still, he couldn't help but be a little curious as to what Illumi would need that time for.
“Why four minutes?”
“Personal reasons.”
Ah. He should have sensed something like that would be the answer.
“A lot can happen in even a single minute, Illumi. And you want four?”
“Four minutes is unreasonable?”
“Not enough to end this deal, but I may want you to lower your price a bit.”
“Are you trying to haggle with me?”
Illumi frowned a little when Chrollo smiled at him.
“Maybe just by 60 million or so,” Chrollo said.
“So you'd rather pay two billion, nine hundred and forty million?” Illumi asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It's still more than you'll get if you keep your current contract, correct?”
Chrollo saw the corners of Illumi's mouth turn upwards ever so slightly, a small smirk on his face as he closed his eyes again and considered the offer.
“That's true. Even taking that out I'd still be much better off.”
Chrollo checked the time and found it to be 9:01 PM. If Illumi came to a decision soon the troupe's operation could still go as planned.
“Very well,” Illumi said after a moment of thought, “transfer me the money first.”
With a nod, Chrollo accessed one of his bank accounts through his phone, bringing up the necessary amount and transferring it to the account number Illumi gave him. Within a few minutes, the transaction was completed. Illumi seemed rather pleased with himself, Chrollo noted.
“Perhaps you should stay in here for a moment,” Chrollo said, “Shalnark is upstairs. I can order him to take control of the owner and have her officially fire you. Then there won't be any issues with your family, correct?”
“That won't be necessary,” Illumi answered.
“Oh?”
“I got fired before you got here.”
“..... Excuse me?”
There was a flat tone to Chrollo's voice that made Illumi chuckle as the latter continued “that woman felt like she was wasting her money, but she was pressured to hire one of the Zoldycks at the behest of her guests. Seems to me like she was looking for an excuse to get out of paying the full fee. Apparently I was 'unprofessional'. But I'm glad I caught sight of you, otherwise this evening would have been more of a loss for me.”
Chrollo said nothing at first. Illumi had been careful with his wording, Chrollo realized, and it hadn't occurred to him to ask if Illumi was still under contract.
The funds weren't that important to Chrollo, but he couldn't help but feel rather miffed. Had he known that the assassin was currently out of a job, there wouldn't have been a reason to pay a higher price than normal; Illumi would have been left between going home empty-handed or with whatever Chrollo would have been willing to give him.
But then again, how could he have anticipated that a Zoldyck would have gotten fired?
Realizing that he had been played, Chrollo checked his phone again: 9:07. At least they'd still be able to start on time.
“Your four minutes start now,” he said.
Nodding, Illumi stood from where he'd been leaning against the table. He made his way through the room, past Chrollo and to the door that lead to the hall where Phinks and Shizuku waited.
“Perhaps you could humor me,” Chrollo said as he walked by, “it shouldn't take you four minutes to exit a place like this. What exactly are those personal reasons?”
Illumi chuckled a bit as he placed his hand on the knob.
“I suppose you can see for yourself if you decide to watch me leave.”
With that, Illumi left, the door swinging shut.
Standing alone in the dark room, Chrollo wasn't sure what to make of Illumi's behavior. He was used to the assassin being more straight-forward. He was secretive, yes, but there was something about the way he had acted just now that seemed a bit more.... Playful.
Illumi and Hisoka had known each other before Chrollo had met the long-haired man, and the two had seemed like they were in frequent contact. Perhaps, Chrollo mused, some of Hisoka's less-than-ideal qualities were rubbing off on Illumi.
Phinks and Shizuku approached him immediately after he also exited the room.
“It looked like he was leaving,” Shizuku said, “were you able to talk him down?”
“Yes. It was more expensive than it needed to be, but he'll be leaving shortly,” Chrollo answered as he nodded at her.
“He required four minutes before we began, so we'll be able to stay on schedule,” he continued as he looked at his phone again. 9:08.
The two spiders nodded (though Phinks seemed somewhat disappointed to not have a chance to fight Illumi) and Chrollo updated the rest of the troupe. The three of them slowly began to walk back to the main hall before coming to a stop at one of the balcony's. Below them the crowd had only managed to have grow larger as more people had entered to try their luck in the new gambling hall. For the majority of the crowd it seemed to be more of a pastime as they looked more well-to-do, but there were a few individuals who already appeared to be reaching a point of desperation, sweating nervously while they looked to the indifferent dealers.
A grand clock at the top of the hall showed the time to be nearing 9:10, and they had yet to see Illumi leave the building.
“Why did he want four minutes?” Shizuku asked.
“He wouldn't say,” Chrollo answered her.
“Hm. I wonder what it was,” Shizuku said.
“It seems he wanted to collect some woman before we got started,” Phinks suddenly said.
“Huh?”
Both Chrollo and Shizuku looked to where Phinks was looking. Within the crowd they saw Illumi walking through, accompanied by you. He held your hand as he lead you through the throng of guests, and you were giggling at something he had said while you intertwined your fingers with his. Illumi smiled back at you as he continued to pull you forward.
It was not a sight Chrollo had anticipated, nor was he expecting to see the darkened marks on your neck when he squinted. Marks that could've been made by Illumi's mouth.
Remembering that Illumi had said he'd been terminated for being unprofessional, and suddenly the reason for his firing became clear.
“That's just a civilian, right?” Phinks asked, “what does he want with her?”
“I guess he doesn't want to leave her here to die,” said Shizuku, “that's sweet.”
Chrollo continued to watch as the two of you made it to the other end of the hall. When you were finally out of the crowd, you went to wrap your arm around the one that had been leading you, smiling up at him as you two continued your way to the entrance. There weren't many who could touch one of the Zoldycks like that and live to tell the tale. Phinks was most likely right in his assessment; you weren't anything special. You probably had no idea who the person was that you were so happily walking off with or how dangerous he was.
Illumi said something and smiled at you before the two of you began walking again, but Chrollo didn't miss the little warning glance the assassin had sent in his direction.
As Shizuku and Phinks talked amongst themselves on what all that was about, Chrollo found himself unsure of what to think of this particular turn of events.
Evidently to Illumi, you were worth at least 60 million jenny.
You had come to this event on behalf of your friend Kiki, who had been invited by her cousin who had wanted to spend a milestone birthday at the casino. Places like this had never done much for you; the odds were always stacked in favor of the house and you didn't want to lose your hard-earned cash by gambling it away. You only came to do a favor for your friend, and yet about an hour into the evening, she had left you to chat up someone at the bar, leaving you with a group of people you only vaguely knew in an even bigger sea of strangers. Most ignored you, but there was the occasional middle-aged man who would eye you up and make you feel uncomfortable enough that you felt like you needed to leave the general area.
And then you ran into him.
The handsome man with long black hair and dark eyes who'd been walking about. He caught your attention like he'd caught the attention of most of the people around him, though they had seemed more content to watch him and gossip about him from afar. Maybe it was because no one else was going for it, maybe it was because you were slightly jealous that Kiki had managed to find an actual date for the night, or maybe you were just tired of the gross older men that kept ogling you and you wanted to be able to enjoy yourself with someone that you were actually in to. Regardless of whatever it was that made you do it, you approached the man and asked if he wanted to get a drink with you.
He hadn't wanted any drinks, but your boldness had impressed him enough that he wanted to talk with you. In private. Leading you away from the crowd and noise, he took you to a staff-only hallway where he introduced himself as Illumi. You introduced yourself to him, and the two of you managed to hit it off, having a lengthy conversation that ended when he kissed you suddenly. It seemed like something that had been spur-of-the-moment for him, and he pulled away from you to ask if you had liked it. Your answer was to pull him back onto your lips.
Your make-out session had culminated in him pushing you against the wall while he sucked hickeys into the skin of your neck.
And then you got caught.
You were expecting that you'd both get kicked out, but Illumi had been asked to accompany some of the casino staff while you were taken back to the main hall. Being that they were more concerned about Illumi, they left you there while you tried to hide the marks Illumi had left behind. You hadn't been sure if you would see him again; you didn't realize that he'd been working for the casino, and you were worried that you had cost him his job.
So it was unexpected when he appeared before you and asked you to leave with him.
But you said 'yes' without any hesitation.
You slid into the backseat of the car that had pulled up, Illumi coming in after you.
“The Palazzo,” Illumi instructed the driver.
Wait....
“Isn't that the really expensive hotel on the riverfront?” you asked Illumi.
“Yes. I've been staying there,” he answered.
You were amazed that he had the cash to be able to stay at a place like that. Then worry hit you.
“I got you fired, didn't I? Are you sure that isn't an issue?”
With that same small smile you had seen several times now since he'd opened up to you, Illumi smiled back at you.
“I got a better payout leaving like I did than if I had stayed. So don't worry, there's no issue.”
That eased your worries a bit, and you settled yourself into the seat as the car began to pull forward. You glanced back at the illuminated casino as you drove off, and another pang of guilt hit you.
“What's wrong?” Illumi asked.
“I left my friend without telling her anything,” you said as you pulled out your phone, “I should text her about where I'm going.”
“Mm. Yes, that would be a good idea.”
Illumi's tone was always rather flat, so you didn't notice that he seemed slightly displeased as you messaged Kiki to let her know you had left. It seemed like she'd found her own date, so hopefully she wouldn't be too mad at you. It wasn't like she'd been left alone.
The instant you hit 'send', you turned your attention back to Illumi.
“Think she'll get it in time? The reception was a little spotty in some places,” you said.
“It was fine, but don't worry about that.”
With that, Illumi pulled you into his lap while you yelped. You wanted to protest, seeing as you two were in a moving vehicle and the driver could tell what the two of you were doing. Illumi held you securely, however, and when you looked to the front of the car, you found that a sheet of tinted glass now separated the front from the back. The driver must have been able to read the mood.
“Don't worry about what's going on back there,” Illumi told you, “from this point on, all I want for you to focus on is me.”
His order made you blush, and you shyly answered with an “okay” before his lips were on you.
The casino and the people inside it were the last things on your mind that night.
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Text
It Was You All Along (Part 7)
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Author’s note: So that wasn’t much of a break, but I couldn’t resist! Here is the next installment of the series, featuring a meme I made myself to reflect the vibes of the first half of this part! And yes, it is supposed to be that pixely. It adds spice. Also, I tried to be as vague as possible describing reader’s outfit towards the end so that you could imagine it the way you wanted! As always, feedback is appreciated, and I hope you all enjoy! Link to my ask box! 
Tags: @ayyyyitswednesdaymydoods @blackjay04 @weaselbee04​ @bravelittlesunflower​ @mxsmwndr​ 
A voice called for me, but I didn’t quite process it. I was too busy trying to fix this gigantic, gaping hole in Geralt’s trousers. Melitele knows if I don’t do it, he would just walk around with it decorating his attire. 
The voice called for me again, but this time I ignored it on purpose. If I lost concentration, I would prick myself with the needle...again. And I didn’t really want to turn my fingers into more of a bloody mess than they already were. 
I heard footsteps beside me, but I didn’t realize how close they were until a rush of coldness surrounded my body. Not only coldness, but wetness. A bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on me, causing me to scream and drop what I was doing as I stood up in shock. 
“Julian!” 
His real name still felt unfamiliar on my lips. I had taken to calling him that every so often, usually when I was angry with him, or when I was messing with him. It was for that reason, I think, that he froze so suddenly when I spoke. He wasn’t used to it either, even though he was the one that suggested I start using it more. 
The bucket made a small thump sound as it hit the ground beneath us, and Jaskier raised his hands up in an apology. But he also backed away like a scared animal. I almost felt bad for him. Almost, but not quite. 
“Now, (Y/N)...I was just trying to get your attention is all. It’s quite important, you see.”
I gathered my skirts in my hands and stomped towards him, scowling and shivering the whole way. 
“What could possibly be so important that you couldn’t wait until I was finished? And what made you think dumping cold water on me was a good idea?”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond before I starting running towards him, my clothes making a sloshing noise against my skin. A string of curse words left his mouth as he took off trying to get away from me. He could be quite fast when he wanted to be. But no way was I going to let him get away from me that easily. 
As soon as he picked up speed, so did I. He wove through the trees surrounding our campsite, going in between them like a maze. Eventually we made it back to where we started. My spot was near a tree and the pants I had been working on were visibly in a bunch on the ground. But behind that was the river that I’m assuming the idiot got the water in the first place. I wonder if I could lead him back there... and “accidentally” knock him in.
As luck would have it, I didn’t even have to put that thought into action. He had made his way to the edge of the river, and turned quickly on his heel trying to run away from me again. But he slipped on the muddy bank, and fell right into the water himself. 
Coming to a stop, a sharp laugh came from my chest suddenly. And I laughed even harder when he bobbed above the surface, hair sticking to his forehead and his fancy doublet soaked. 
“That’s what you get!” I yelled to him between bouts of laughter. 
While Jaskier pulled himself out of the water unceremoniously, I heard more footsteps behind me followed by a thud. Geralt must be back. Only one man I know could walk and sit down that heavily. 
I turned towards the sound, and sure enough, Geralt was sitting down on the log he had claimed as his earlier. He took one look at me and one look at Jaskier who was now standing on the bank of the river, shivering like his life depended on it. 
“I don’t even want to know,” said Geralt with a twitch of his eyebrow and a roll of his eyes. 
~
Night had fallen now. I couldn’t help but reflect on the past few months since that attack at our camp. Things had been pretty boring since then honestly. But I guess I couldn’t complain. Being bored was better than being in danger. 
Geralt was asleep and snoring at an unholy volume. This of course caused a glance between Jaskier and I, and sent us into a fit of silent laughter together. The kind of laughter that had your stomach hurting and your mouth open with no sound. The kind that had you grabbing onto your friend for dear life. Which is precisely what the two of us were doing right now. I had such a grip on Jaskier’s arm, I thought he surely must be in pain. But if he was, he made no mention of it and kept laughing with me. 
However much time had passed, it seemed to only be a few minutes. And I still had my hand on his arm, although my grip definitely lessened. He didn’t notice this either, and simply looked into the dying flames with dried tears from his laughter on his cheeks. My gaze lingered a moment too long on his cheeks, and I began to think about how gentle his eyelashes looked against his skin as he blinked. 
Heat rose in my cheeks and I silently withdrew my hand from his arm. This seemed to catch his attention though. 
“Composed yourself now? Don’t need to steady yourself from anymore laughter?”
There was a glint in his eye as he asked me the questions. I had to keep from smiling. 
“That depends. Got any jokes?”
He stood suddenly and rested a hand on his chin, making it seem like he was deep in thought. 
“You look as if you are composing a new song, Julian.”
“I’m a musician, my dear, I am always composing.” 
He paced around the fire, which was even lower than before. The way he took everything so seriously was something that entertained me, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself because of it. 
Suddenly, he opened his mouth in a silent “Aha!”
“(Y/N), why must you never use a broken pen?”
I paused for a moment and scrunched my face in thought, trying to come up with an answer. But before I could, he delivered the punch line. 
“It’s pointless, darling.”
I snorted at the same time Geralt groaned. The fucker was awake. 
Jaskier almost jumped out of his boots at the sudden noise, which only caused me to laugh again. The pain in my stomach from earlier was back, but I couldn’t keep from laughing. 
“Have you been awake this whole time, Geralt?” Jaskier yelled in surprise. 
“Long enough. Don’t you have anything better to do? Like sleep?”
Jaskier open and closed his mouth a few times before settling on a simple, “Right,” in response. He then took his spot a few feet away from Geralt and laid down for the night. 
“Goodnight, Geralt.” Jaskier said with a stifled yawn.
Geralt simply grunted in return, rolling over so his back was facing Jaskier. 
“Goodnight, (Y/N),” Jaskier called in my direction. 
“Goodnight, Jaskier. And goodnight Geralt!” 
“Hmph,” was all I got in response. 
There was a silence over our camp now. But it was too quiet. The kind of quiet that felt like it would be broken at any moment now. Jaskier’s voice was what broke it, of course.
“Goodnight, Roach.”
“Oh, yeah! Goodnight, Roach and Lily!” I called out excitedly. 
“How could I forget Lily? Goodnight, Lily!” Jaskier parroted. 
“Oh, for the love of-” Geralt groaned loudly, sitting up and gathering his things. He promptly moved farther and farther away from us, settling on a spot under the cover of darkness in the trees. 
I snickered to myself as I got my things ready to lay down. Annoying Geralt had become one of our favorite things to do together over the past few months. 
It became silent again, and I could hear Jaskier’s even breathing now, signalling that he was asleep. I had the feeling I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Call it instinct, I guess. 
I laid down on my back and stared up at the sky. Jaskier and I were closer than ever, and it was so nice. But I needed more. I craved more. They say time heals all wounds, but my heart was still shattered after all these months had gone by. I was still so in love with my best friend that it hurt. Even more than it did before. 
Jaskier had been acting differently lately though. He called me more nicknames, and he was even more of a flamboyant disaster than when I first met him. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him with any random women in bars or taverns anymore. Could he-? No. No way. I must be out of my mind. 
My fingers instinctively went to the dagger Geralt had given me a while ago. Sometimes I would run my hands along the inscription, trying to remind myself to be brave like it said. I could almost laugh at myself right now. I was being anything but brave when it came to Jaskier. 
“Could you please calm your nerves down? I can feel them from over here,” a gruff voice said in the distance. Geralt. Of course.
“Sorry to disturb you. Maybe you should move to another new spot, even farther away. Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask. How is Yennefer?”
I didn’t have to have Witcher senses to feel how that comment landed. 
~
Morning came much more quickly than I was hoping it would. It meant today was the day we had to get moving, which meant we would be moving closer to the situation I had been trying to avoid thinking about. The ball. 
I seemed to be the last one awake, and I could feel the energy as soon as I had rubbed the sleepiness from my reluctant eyes. Geralt sad brooding in the corner of our camp, and Jaskier was flitting about getting everyone’s things together. It was easy to see who was excited and who was not. 
“Today is the day, you sad sack of...sadness,” Jaskier vocalized in regards to Geralt. 
“I know. Don’t remind me.”
I almost laughed as I sat up from my spot on the ground. Geralt wasn’t looking forward to this, and truth be told, I wasn’t either. At least part of me wasn’t. The other part couldn’t help being excited in a childlike way. I had never been in a castle before, let alone a ballroom. Although I couldn’t help but feel like I would be out of place, and painfully so. 
“Don’t look so excited, Geralt.” 
“You weren’t there. You don’t know what happened at the last one.”
I winced and realized that he was right. Although Jaskier had told me some of what happened, I was almost certain that he watered down the events of Pavetta’s betrothal ball in doing so. 
The man in question turned to look at me, apparently just now realizing I was awake. 
“There you are! Come on, we are losing daylight!”
“Jaskier, do I even really need to come? Geralt is only going to be your body guard, so I don’t really have a purpose.”
“Don’t be silly. You must come! We couldn’t just leave you by yourself for hours at a time. These things do tend to take a while.”
I rolled my eyes and stood, stretching as I did so. 
“I am a grown up, you know. I can take care of myself. Afraid I might get kidnapped?” 
Jaskier scoffed and continued packing, mostly ignoring my comment. But it was true, I could take care of myself. Geralt had taught me some things with the dagger over the past few weeks, and I felt confident in my abilities. 
“Well if I must go, at least be careful with my dress and things. I’m sure Yennefer paid good money for them.” 
“The witch probably stole them, more like.”
I watched as Jaskier carefully started packing my things, and tried not to cackle when Geralt made a comment about shoving his foot somewhere it didn’t belong in reference to Jaskier. 
Today was going to be quite...something. 
~
Since we had done most of the travelling yesterday, what was left for today didn’t take long. We made it to the castle in no time it seemed. 
Lily and Roach were tied up in the stables, in the same stall actually. I was quite happy that the stable master was willing to do that. They always seemed to enjoy each other’s company. 
I sat in my borrowed room getting ready, and I was assuming that Geralt and Jaskier were in their own rooms doing the same thing. But that thought was at the back of my mind now as I looked at myself in the mirror. Or at least, what I think was myself. I didn’t really recognize the woman staring back at me. 
Yennefer had picked out the most beautiful, elegant, and intricate floor-length ballgown I could ever imagine. It was sleeved as well, with lace adorning them to match the bodice. The skirt was made of layers on layers, it seemed, and with every move I made it swished gently to follow. It was even in my favorite color. I wonder how she knew? I don’t remember telling her...
She had also gotten me some jewelry to match, and the metals and gems complimented my skin tone perfectly. How did she know all this? I had only met her once, and it was very briefly. I would have to thank her for all this later. 
Not long after I had finished getting dressed, jeweled, and made up, a knock sounded at my door. 
“Come in,” I called. 
Jaskier entered in his outfit for the night. It was a dark, silky purple with golden accents along the doublet’s center, and my breath hitched in my throat when I saw him in the reflection of the mirror I sat in front of. 
“You look breathtaking, darling,” he said in a whisper as he approached me. 
Hopefully he didn’t notice the blush creeping up the sides of my neck. I don’t think I would ever get used to his names for me. 
“You don’t look too bad yourself. Compare that to when you fell into the water yesterday and looked like a dying animal, you basically are a different person.”
Jaskier feigned anger, but I could tell he was amused. 
“Do you like your clothes? I made sure to tell Yennefer all your favorite colors and shiny things.”
My heart skipped a beat. He had told her all of that? I didn’t even know that he knew those things about me.
I stood before really thinking about what I was doing, and turned to face him, the shock evident on my face.
“You told her all that? I didn’t know that you knew such trivial facts about me...Thank you.”
He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. 
“Of course I know. And it was no problem. I had to make sure she didn’t dress you in an unflattering way.”
I tilted my head in thought, almost as a reflex, and it caught his attention. 
“What are you thinking about, (Y/N)?” Jaskier asked me quietly with a crooked smile. 
“I seem to be thinking about everything and nothing at once...but I am mostly wondering how you convinced the people hosting this ball to let me in. Geralt is your security, of course, I get that. But how did you get me in? I’m no one special.”
He was silent for a moment and stared at a spot past me, for almost so long I didn’t think he would reply. But then he did, with an odd look on his face that showed happiness and some other emotion I didn’t recognize. 
“I told them you were my muse. A musician cannot perform without their muse.”
My mouth twitched as if to fall open in shock. but I didn’t let it. I didn’t want him to see how this affected me.
“I’m your what?”
“My muse. You know, inspiration?”
I shook my head furiously, matching the speed at which my heart was beating.
“I know what it means. But why did you tell them that? You couldn’t have come up with a better excuse to get me in here? You didn’t have to lie to them.” 
You couldn’t have come up with a better excuse in order to keep me from getting my hopes up?
He looked at me with a smile. But it was a pained smile. Then for a second, it looked like he might speak. Until Geralt passed by the open door way and told Jaskier it was time to go. The crowd was waiting on him. 
I stood frozen in the same spot I had been in, and I watched them leave. First Geralt, then Jaskier following behind him. At the last second before leaving the doorway, he stopped, placing a hand on the frame. 
Finally he turned to me, and looking over his shoulder, he simply said:
“I didn’t lie.” 
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helloalycia · 3 years
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teenage dirtbag [one] // wanda maximoff
summary: when you're paired with the most popular girl in your grade for Chemistry class, you definitely don't expect to start liking her like that...
warning/s: none i don't think??
author's note: okay so i have a ton of requests to work through but i got sidetracked and before i knew it, five parts of this imagine were written.
It's based off the song 'Teenage Dirtbag' and idk, i thought it was cute to write! Who doesn't love the popular girl!wanda and loner!reader concept?
Here’s a cover of the song to listen to because i really liked it and a girl sings it so it immediately made the song 10x more gay, just how i like it 🥰
masterlist | wattpad | part two | part three | part four | part five
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"Are you all comfortable?"
The class stayed silent, watching our Chemistry teacher, Mr. Hale, as he looked to everyone with a raised brow.
"You all like who you're sat with?" he asked again, as if expecting an actual response from someone.
I exchanged questioning glances with my best friend, Y/BF/N, who was sat beside me. It was the first day back in Chemistry class of our final year of high school and we were just waiting to begin.
"Anyone?" he asked, looking around.
"Yeah," a few students mumbled in response so we could move on.
He clapped his hands together. "Great! Well, don't get too comfortable because I made a seating chart."
A chorus of groans erupted from the class, including from me and Y/BF/N. Every other class had successfully managed to not give us a seating chart. I'd heard that Mr. Hale was an awkward teacher who hated students (ironically), but I didn't think he'd stoop so low as to pair us with students who weren't our friends. These new seats were also our partners for the rest of the year and were non-negotiable, so any projects or work we did would have to be with our seat buddy. Fun.
Students began to shuffle to their newly-assigned seats reluctantly as Mr. Hale read out the chart. When Y/BF/N left my side, I frowned dramatically, waving goodbye to him.
"Wanda Maximoff, you're now partners with Y/N Y/L/N," said Mr. Hale, making me look up at the mention of my name.
I didn't get chance to register what he'd said as the aforementioned girl soon approached me, settling her bag on the table beside me. I looked up and saw Wanda Maximoff smiling my way before taking a seat on the stool.
Huh. Wanda Maximoff. She was one of the most popular girls in our grade. Everybody loved her, either wanting to be friends with her, be with her or be her. I'd personally never crossed paths with her apart from the few classes we shared. She seemed nice enough, but I guess I had preconceived notions of what she was like since she'd made the very poor decision to date the most obnoxious guy ever. Anyone making decisions that terrible definitely had a flaw.
She had a twin brother, Pietro, who was also in our grade and played on the football team alongside her boyfriend. Her parents were good friends with mine, through mutual friends, I think, as I recalled my mum mentioning 'Mrs. Maximoff's boy' or 'Mrs. Maximoff's girl'. And I remembered when her family moved into our town back in second grade.
Admittedly, Wanda was the star of the show back then, too. We were only kids, but child Y/N wasn't blind. She was the first girl I'd crushed on, an innocent child crush – the crush that made me realise I liked girls. Apart from that, and the fact that she had a locker behind me in the hallway, I never really thought about her.
I glanced behind me, catching Y/BF/N's gaze across the room as he sat beside some other kid. He frowned, implying he wished we were partners, and I knew just how he felt.
Once Mr. Hale finished assigning seats, he gave us five minutes to get to know our new partners as he struggled to find the powerpoint for today's class. If there was anything worse than getting assigned seats, it was ice breakers.
"Er, well, hi," Wanda greeted, turning to face me. Green eyes sparkled brightly behind a friendly smile. "I'm Wanda. But, I mean, we already know each other."
"That we do," I said with a nod, returning her smile. "How're you doing? Your summer go well?"
She ran a hand through her hair, adjusting herself so she was comfortable on her stool. And as she did, a waft of her perfume washed over me and I blinked, trying to ignore how nice it smelled. Floral. Subtle. It suited her.
"Good, yeah," she answered with a nod. "Could have gone on longer for all I care."
I chuckled. "I feel that. I'm definitely not ready to be back."
"Right?" she said with raised brows. "It's gonna take a while to get back into routine, that's for sure. But I guess I did miss seeing my friends everyday."
I hummed in agreement, eyes flickering to Mr. Hale as he attempted to tackle the oncoming stream of animations on his powerpoint. I tried not to laugh as I looked back to Wanda, who clearly noticed the same thing as me and stifled a smile.
"Have you had Mr. Hale before?" I asked, nodding his way.
She shook her head. "Nope. You?"
"Never."
"Sucks that he makes seating charts," she said with a sigh, before realising what she said and looking to me with panicked eyes. "Not that I don't like you or anything–!"
"It's fine, I get it," I cut her off with an amused smile. "I wanted to sit with my friend, too."
She breathed out quietly, a hint of relief in her eyes, and scrunched her nose with an apologetic smile. Okay, yeah, maybe that was kind of cute. Older Y/N wasn't blind either. Wanda Maximoff was beautiful, with long brunette locks and matching hazel eyes that seemed to change from blue to green to brown in a kaleidoscope of colour. A winning smile and soothing voice was enough for anyone to fall for her unintentional charm, but it was purely admiration. Everyone pretty much had a mild crush on her, you'd be stupid not to.
"If we're gonna be working together, d'you wanna get the whole awkward number exchange out the way now?" she asked, half joking, half not.
"I– er– sure," I stumbled out rather carelessly, before cringing internally. Where did that come from?
Thankfully, she didn't seem to pick up on it (or just saved me the embarrassment of acknowledging it) and was already writing her number on a slip of paper. Sliding it my way, she capped her pen and gave me her signature smile.
"Thanks," I said with a nod, accepting the paper and pocketing it. "Can't wait to start those lovely science projects we've got coming up!"
She let out a quiet laugh at my sarcasm. "It'll be fine. You're not dumb, right? So, we'll be fine."
"Can't promise you that," I joked, making her roll her eyes playfully.
"Maybe if we–"
But she was cut off when Mr. Hale spoke up loudly, interrupting everyone's conversations.
"Five minutes are up, let's begin!"
I wondered if everyone was thinking the same thing as me – that was not five minutes.
"So it begins...," I mumbled to myself, facing forward.
Wanda breathed out, a stifled laugh, probably having heard my comment, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe I judged her too harshly. She wasn't actually that bad.
Since being paired with Wanda, I was surprised by how much she'd made an effort to befriend me outside of class. We'd always been back to back with our lockers though not quite speaking, but since becoming Chemistry partners, she'd wish me a good morning if she caught me, or greet me briefly as we collected our books.
She didn't have to, but I could see why everybody liked her now. She was just genuinely nice. Due to circumstance, we'd become partners, but rather than leaving it at that, she made a genuine effort to befriend me. And not even just me, but also Y/BF/N, who was at the locker next to mine. He was as surprised as I was, expecting Wanda to mind her own business as we weren't exactly in the same social circles.
This was, I guess you could say, the start of our friendship. And it was a good one at that. I grew to learn how funny she was, how much she loved her brother, the passion she had for art and painting... she was a wonderful person. Which is why I didn't understand why she was with her boyfriend, Nate. He was a grade-A dick and everything Wanda wasn't. How were they a thing?
It sounds like I'm being a bitch and judgemental, but he really is the worst. The few unfortunate times I shared a class with him or caught sight of him around school, he was causing some sort of trouble with the teachers or picking on students in a way that made it seem like a joke but everybody knew it wasn't.
For example, there was a time when Wanda and I were studying for an upcoming Chemistry test we had. We decided to just help each other study since we already worked together in class, so knew we could motivate each other to actually put in the work. It was, maybe, the fourth studying session we had, and I was going over some notes when I felt her eyes watching me.
"You need a hand?" I asked, unable to take the staring any longer. I looked up at her, quirking a brow.
She seemed to fall out of her daydream and straightened up, eyes flickering to mine. "Huh?"
I gave her an awkward smile, unable to maintain her gaze. "You're staring."
She didn't seem fazed as I called her out, instead leaning back in her seat and continuing to study me curiously.
"Did you do something different with your hair?"
Subconsciously reaching for my hair, I straightened up my ponytail and shook my head. "No...?"
She chewed on her lip, saying after a pause, "You tied it up. You usually leave it out."
Did I? I wasn't sure. I just knew that her noticing something like that made me feel self conscious all of a sudden.
"It looks good," she decided, before offering up a small smile. "You should do it like that more often."
Quickly, I felt warm. Was it stuffy in here or was it just me? God, compliments already made me feel stupid. And compliments from pretty girls made me feel ten times that. It didn't help that she was watching me with an endearing expression, making me focus on my book before me.
"Thanks," I got out quickly. "I– yeah."
Her smile widened before she looked back down to her own book. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of the way her leg brushed up against mine under the table.
Thankfully, the strange fuzzy feeling following her compliment faded and we were able to get back to work without her tuning out again. As we were going over each other's practice questions, an annoying voice shouted from across the library.
"Wanda, head's up!"
"Hey, no talking in the library!" a librarian hissed at the voice.
Wanda and I looked up just in time for a football to smack me in the side of the head. I didn't even see it coming until I felt the thing slap my head, giving me an instant urge to strangle whoever threw it.
"Fuck," I cursed, holding my head and closing my eyes to breathe through the pain.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" Wanda's voice made me open my eyes and I saw her leaning forward, hand resting on my shoulder and the other on top of mine that was clutching my head.
"Been better," I admitted, trying to make light of the situation because as angry as I was at the idiot who threw it, I was also embarrassed because it hit me.
Wanda seemed concerned as she gently pulled me hand away, not letting go as she got a better look at the side of my face which I was sure was burning red. At least that's what it felt like.
"Shit, I'm so sorry."
I looked up and saw none other than Nate Green, Wanda's boyfriend, hovering and stifling a laugh as he looked at me. He had his stupid varsity jacket on and I was tempted to strangle him with it.
"I thought Wanda would catch it," he explained stupidly, before moving around the desk to collect his football.
Breathing out through gritted teeth, I pulled away from Wanda and nodded reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Just need an ice pack."
"You're such an idiot, Nate!" Wanda snapped, looking to him with a glare. "You need to watch what you're doing!"
He smiled sheepishly, making me roll my eyes and clench my jaw at the heat on the right side of my face. Fuck, that really hurt.
"What did you want?" Wanda asked him with a quirked brow. She definitely wasn't impressed. I'd hate to ever be on the wrong side of that condescending glare.
"I thought we could go out," he said like it was that simple.
"I'm studying," she quipped with crossed arms.
"I'm happy to wait," he said, toying with the ball in his hands.
Knowing I definitely didn't want that, I closed my books and said, "It's cool. You guys go. I think we're done here anyway."
Nate grinned. "See? S'all good."
Wanda ignored him and looked to me with worried eyes. "Y/N, are you sure?"
"You know your stuff," I said, referring to the work. "You'll be fine in the test. I'm sure."
I offered her a small, forced smile, before standing up to pack my bag. She did the same, beginning to pack her own things, but her eyes kept flittering towards me.
"D'you want me to go to the nurse's office with you?" she asked, shame laced in her voice.
"It's fine, I'll be fine," I said, hurrying up with my actions so I could just get out of here whilst I still had (some of) my dignity left. "See you in class tomorrow."
She nodded, sending a guilty smile my way. "See you tomorrow, Y/N."
Without giving either of them a look, I shouldered my backpack and left the library. Just another reminder of why Nate Green was literally the worst person ever.
Liking Wanda as more than a friend wasn't something that happened for a while if I'm being honest. I guess I started to enjoy her presence more and more the longer we spent time together.
I'd come to appreciate it whenever she'd say something completely out of the blue that made no sense whatsoever, or whenever she'd laugh at something I'd said that was arguably not funny but she didn't want to make me feel bad, or even whenever I teased her about something stupid she did, resulting in her doing that cute little nose scrunch she did. But I didn't think of it as liking her, more just a randomly-formed friendship that I was glad to have.
Maybe it was this misinterpretation that didn't make me see how I was acting around her, such as the time I was in the dinner queue at lunch when I realised she was stood behind me.
"Oh, hey, Y/N," she said when she noticed it was me in front of her. Her usual bright, friendly smile was on her lips as she looked to me. "You good?"
I nodded, returning her smile. "Yeah. Just getting some doughnuts for Y/BF/N and I. You?"
"Same," she said, before nudging the guy next to her, who I recognised as her brother. "Pietro and I thought we'd treat ourselves."
At the mention of his name, Pietro looked down to his sister before his gaze fell on me. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips as he put out his hand.
"Pietro Maximoff," he introduced. "You must be the Chemistry partner, Y/N, right?"
I raised my eyebrows with surprise as I shook his hand. "You, er, know who I am?"
He glanced at his sister with a cheeky smile. Wanda was avoiding both of our gazes, her cheeks dusting pink.
Clearly saving face for Wanda, he said, "We've been in the same grade since kids, right? 'Course I do."
Despite the truth to his words, something told me that wasn't how he knew who I was. Especially since I was sure I'd never spoken to him in my life. But, to save Wanda the embarrassment of clearly having spoken of me at home, I nodded to Pietro.
"Right," I agreed with an amused smile. "Duh."
I moved down the queue and grabbed two doughnuts from the display, putting them in two separate paper bags.
"Dibs the last one!" Pietro exclaimed as soon as I returned the clippers to the display. He reached around his sister immaturely and bagged the last doughnut.
Wanda rolled her eyes. "You know I can ask for more, right?"
Pietro grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Go on then."
The two were twins, but they couldn't have been more different. I simply revelled in their interaction, finding it adorable.
Wanda did as she said, asking the dinner lady if there were any more doughnuts in the back. Unfortunately for her, those were the last for the day, making Pietro laugh as Wanda pouted.
"Sucks to be you," he teased her, as I paid for mine and Y/BF/N's doughnuts.
"I hate you," she mumbled playfully, but I saw the disappointment in her eyes as he lovingly but annoyingly waved his bag before her eyes.
Without even thinking much of it, I held out one of the bags in my hand. "Here. You can have mine."
Wanda looked to me with surprise. "Are you sure? I can live without a doughnut, if that's what you're thinking."
I chuckled, grabbing her hand and making her take it. "It's okay. I wasn't in the mood anyway."
Plus, you look better when you're smiling and not pouting, I added in my head.
She accepted the bag reluctantly. "I– thanks. At least let me pay for it–"
"It's just a doughnut, Wanda," I teased, before nodding her way. "See you later."
Leaving her and Pietro to it, I headed back to the table Y/BF/N was sat at and took a seat opposite him before giving him his doughnut.
"Sweet," he said, quickly opening the bag before realising I didn't have one. "Where's yours?"
Over his shoulder, I saw Wanda and Pietro taking a seat at their lunch table, doughnuts in hand and a heartwarming smile on Wanda's lips.
"They ran out," I answered Y/BF/N. "Wasn't in the mood anyway. Enjoy."
He shrugged before digging in. I'd like to say I didn't spare glances in Wanda's direction every now and then for the rest of the lunch hour, but I'd be lying if I did.
I'm in the art department. You okay to bring it here?
I read over the text Wanda sent me before shooting her an 'okay' and heading to the Art department. I'd grabbed her notebook in class earlier on, only realising as I was studying with Y/BF/N in the library and pulled out an extra one, so I was going to give it her back.
I guess, when you realise you like someone, it comes randomly, suddenly, without warning. Liking someone isn't instant, it's constant and gradual and subconscious. I guess I'd been falling for Wanda for a while, without even realising, but today was the day I acknowledged that fact.
The Art department wasn't somewhere I frequented regularly – give me a paint and brushes and I'd probably present you with a finger painting – but it was definitely worth the visit. Art pieces from current and past students were hung on the walls, a mural of the school was spray painted on another, and sculptures stood around. The whole department brought a smile to anyone's face with its bright colours and open space – I could see why Art students always hung out here, Wanda included.
Speaking of Wanda, I found her in one of the classrooms sat at a stool in front of a series of canvasses. The room had a few other Art students littered around, working on their own pieces during their lunch period, otherwise it was empty.
"Hey," I called, getting her attention as I approached her.
She followed my voice and straightened up with a cheery smile. "Y/N, hey. Thanks for coming. I'm working on my Art project, so I couldn't pull myself away."
I waved my hand dismissively, joining her side. "It's all good, don't worry." My eyes wandered to the series of canvases on easels she was working on and widened. "Holy shit, these are so good."
Three unfinished hyperrealistic portraits of people were before us, one whom I recognised as Pietro. The paintings were so detailed, despite their medium-size, and I couldn't imagine how long they must have taken.
"You think?" she asked, glancing between them. "I think I messed up the nose here." She pointed with the back end of her paintbrush to the nose of Pietro. "It's a bit bent."
I almost laughed as I looked to her with disbelief. "Are you kidding? Wanda, these are amazing. How did you even do this?"
She looked down bashfully, a nervous smile on her lips. "I don't know. It's for a project. I chose to do family portraits." She pointed to each one as she said, "My mum, my dad and my brother."
I was in awe of her talent, jaw dropped with amazement still. I always knew she was an artist, but I'd never actually seen her work. I was starting to wish I'd come here a lot sooner.
"So, you got my notebook?" she asked, pulling me back into reality.
I looked away from the paintings reluctantly before getting her notebook from my bag and holding it out for her. As she accepted it, she must have forgotten she was holding her paintbrush as the tip brushed my wrist, leaving a swipe of red there.
"Oh, my bad," she said with a laugh, before setting her notebook and brush down and grabbing a paper towel from beside her.
Wetting it with water from her bottle, she pressed it to my wrist and swiped the paint away. It was such a mundane action, but the way her fingers gently held my wrist and emanated a warmth only she seemed to carry sent shivers down my spine.
I glanced up at her, letting her do it, and noticed the swipe of paint she had across her cheek, as if she'd touched her face without realising.
Now that I paid attention, I noticed how cute she looked in her Art getup. An old, oversized shirt covered in paint was being worn to cover her clothes, sleeves loosely rolled up to her elbows. Her long hair was tied back into a ponytail, but her baby hairs framed her forehead adorably.
When her hair wasn't in her face, her eyes only seemed more intense, glistening with excitement and happiness. I almost forgot to breathe when they met mine briefly, a hint of embarrassment there from when cleaning me up. She was in her element here and it made sense to me now.
I knew I'd fallen for her.
"You don't get it," I was saying to Y/BF/N as we hung about the school gym, waiting for the teacher to start the lesson. "It's bad. I like her. Like, like like her."
Y/BF/N laughed, clapping me on the back with pity. "You're screwed."
I frowned. "I know."
As he stretched for class, he continued, "I mean, I get it, I do. She's super nice. Pretty. And you guys seem to get on."
I chewed on my lower lip worriedly.
He gave me a knowing look. "There's one problem though."
I groaned, running a hand down my face. "I know, I know. She's got that dick of a boyfriend."
He chuckled. "That's one way to put it."
I sighed, crossing my arms with annoyance. Since realising I liked Wanda as a little more than a friend, things weren't going well for me. Whenever we worked together, I'd forget what I was thinking because I was too busy admiring her side profile or getting lost in her eyes. If she spoke about the work, told a joke or was simply speaking her thoughts aloud, I'd focus on every little thing she was saying, knowing I could listen to her speak all day. It was bad, but thankfully I hadn't stumbled over my words or made a total fool of myself in front of her. I was determined to not let it get that far.
My eyes wandered around the gym as Y/BF/N tried to give me advice, but admittedly, his words flew in one ear and out the other when I caught sight of Wanda.
She was standing with her friends, smiling and laughing to whatever they were saying. Like everyone else in here, she was wearing her gym kit – black athletic shorts and a blue and white tee shirt, the colour of our school. It wasn't anything special, yet she made it seem that way, outdoing anyone in here. Her brown hair was tied back, the ponytail falling down her back, showing her stunning profile and making my mouth go dry.
Another clap on the back from Y/BF/N pulled me from my reverie and I looked to see he was laughing at me.
"Majorly screwed," he corrected his previous comment.
He was definitely right.
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risusnet · 3 years
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Something there that wasn’t there before.
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Jonathan Crane x Reader
Summary: [Y/N] is a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. Bruce Wayne is holding a charity gala to help raise some funds for the asylum and [Y/N] along with some colleagues are invited. Her friend and crush Jonathan Crane was one of her co-workers that was invited too and they both enjoy the evening together.
Prompt: “Be still my heart.” Word Count: 2,626
You worked as a psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum and you, along with some of your other co-workers, had been invited to a charity gala hosted by Bruce Wayne which intended to help raise money for the Asylum. You were wearing a beautiful dress that you had picked out a few days earlier and had just parked up in your car outside the gala hall, you sighed feeling nervous to go in. There were going to be so many people there, one of which was Dr. Jonathan Crane, your friend and co-worker who you had been low-key crushing on for the past few years, your heart jumped into your mouth just thinking about him being there.
“I bet he’s wearing something really nice- wait no- he’s just your friend, shut up!” you thought aloud.
You pulled yourself together and got out of your car, shyly walking to the door and trying to distract yourself from the photographers and reporters at the entrance who were also here about the gala. 
“Name, please.” said a frightening-looking bouncer,
“Dr. [Y/N] [L/N].” You told him,
“Ah, I see your name, you may enter.”
“Thanks..” you quickly entered the hall.
It was a beautiful venue, priceless golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the corridor with marble lining the floor that led to a foyer. For a corridor it was massive, it felt intimidating. You cautiously wandered onward, the corridor was fairly empty with only a few people littered here and there, some people on the phone, some couples making out and drunk people stumbling around aimlessly. You reached the entrance of the hall and looked around, there were so many rich and famous people here, it was easy to feel like you didn’t belong here. You saw some of your co-workers spanning the hall, there were some of them together in groups, sticking together but then you saw someone in the crowd that was not with the rest of your colleagues. It was Jonathan. It felt like time stopped when you saw him, he was wearing a really lovely suit and you felt your pulse quicken, you took a step backwards and bashfully looked at the ground,
“Be still my heart.” You muttered to yourself.
You braced yourself and walked on into the foyer, you decided to get something to drink to set your head straight. After sipping your drink, you looked up only to lock eyes with none other than Jonathan on the other side of the room. He smiled at you and smiled back, if you had still had the water in your mouth you probably would have spat it out in surprise. Luckily, you were able to hide your surprise pretty well. 
The moment was cut short when a man who seemingly worked for Bruce Wayne came onto the stage and told everyone that the ballroom was now open and people began to make their way in the direction of the ballroom. You put your drink down and followed the crowd, you could see Jonathan up ahead in the corner of your eye and you tried to ignore him for your own good, however, you were doing a terrible job at that.
Once you entered the ballroom, you were mesmerised by how enchanting it truly was in here. You took in every last corner of it and smiled in awe. Your eyes travelled back down again and you suddenly felt a little shy again, remembering Jonathan was here. You really had to get a hold of yourself and forget your feelings whilst you were here, you had to act professional!
A soft song was being played by the orchestra they had hired and many people had already coupled off and started dancing and talking in the ballroom, you found a place off to the side to stand and took in the environment. Jonathan walked over to you and stood next to you,
“[L/N], Hello.” He nodded in your direction,
“Crane, good to see you.” You responded.
“It’s rather, chaotic, in here, isn’t it?” He smiled,
“Yeah, it’s a bit overwhelming,” you laughed a little.
You looked in his direction slightly, he was still just as handsome as before, shit. You ended up catching Jonathan's gaze on accident, to which caused him to speak,
“Would you like to dance for a little?” He said, his tone slightly softer than previously. You paused, you wanted to, but felt shy, how typical.
“Are you sure?” you crossed your arms and looked at him,
“It might be fun, plus, we may as well get in a few of the photos from the event.” He joked,
“Alright, sure, let’s go.” You both walked into the main area of the room where people were dancing. Your mind felt like it was literally screaming at you, you weren’t sure if it was in an ‘Oh my god, this is so exciting’ way or a ‘No no no no no, abort abort, abort mission’ way. Anyway, you still seemed pretty composed and he took your hand, either way. You started to lazily dance along with everyone else, you felt completely in your element and yet completely out of it at the same time, a very strange feeling, maybe it was just the nervousness.
Funnily, photographs were taken of you both, you spied it just out of the corner of your eye and you’re pretty sure he noticed too. Dancing with Jonathan and now you have proof of it? There’s some bragging rights! 
“Wait- what if people get the wrong idea? I’m gonna be hassled by questions and rumours going back into work.” You thought in your head. 
“What if those ideas are good ideas?” a voice replied. Voices aren’t meant to reply to you in our head so that means that…
“Huh- Did I say that out loud-” you felt a little embarrassed, then you remembered what he responded with, “..Hey, wait a minute-”
“Don’t worry about it.” He cut you off with a grin. Is he going to ignore what he said? Great, now you are going to worry about it, or more specifically, you are not going to stop thinking about this. Maybe, ever.
“If you say so.” Your eyes held a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity, whilst he looked slightly smug. There was a vague air of flirtatiousness between the two of you as you continued dancing, you both spoke to each other in a manner that wasn’t flirting, but borderline was. However, it was usually like this when you spoke, you just had that kind of dynamic. You can’t blame yourself for catching feelings in an atmosphere like that, right?
You felt a lot more comfortable than earlier, you had probably just gotten used to his presence. He was always good company and the rest of the bustling gala just seemed to phase out. There had come a point in which you and Jonathan had stopped speaking altogether and just had your eyes fixed on each other. You guys were also having a… moment? You were edging closer and closer to one another absentmindedly and a layer of tension filled the air. 
“Guests! Thank you for coming to this lovely gala we have been hosting today!” Oh yeah, that’s where you were. You and Jonathan stopped dancing and turned to face the voice and saw Bruce Wayne now on the stage introducing the event. You released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “You all probably already know why this gala is being thrown today, we are here to support our very own Arkham Asylum and its employees who work tirelessly to try to reform the criminals it holds. The dining hall is now ready for everyone so if you follow the butlers they will direct you to your seating! Thank you.” Bruce gave a winning smile and moved away from the microphone and off of the stage.
You looked to Jonathan who nodded in the direction of the hall and you both started to make your way over.
The room was beautiful, with hundreds of tables brimming the hall. You stuck to Jonathan like glue, because despite all of the friendly-seeming faces, it was still pretty nerve-racking and he didn’t seem to mind, in fact, he seemed to enjoy being your protector.
You were eventually seated, with Jonathan being in the seat next to you on your right. You were glad for that, at least. Apart from him, you were surrounded by a load of unfamiliar faces that lined your table, not that that was surprising, you couldn’t recognise 90% of the people attending this. 
There was a lot of, ‘How do you do’s and ‘What is your name’ and ‘Where do you work’ as everyone around you settled in. They asked you and Jonathan many questions about your jobs upon learning that you both worked at the asylum.
“So, Dr. Crane, what’s it like working with a bunch of criminals? Isn’t it dangerous?” one woman who appeared to be quite rich asked. She wore an expensive dress and a face full of extravagant makeup.
“Ah, well, we don’t just have them running rampant with a knife or such whilst we are in appointments with them.” His comment earned some laughter from the table. He was good at this, you smiled to yourself knowing you were in good hands and that you could relax a little because Jonathan knew what he was doing.
A different man, one who sat on your left side began to strike up a conversation with you.
“Dr. [L/N], a pleasure to finally talk to you. I have been meaning to ever since I saw you arrive!” This comment earned a suspicious side-eye from Jonathan but he quickly looked away and continued the conversation he was in.
“Oh, well it’s an honour to meet you, sir.” you politely responded and extended your arm to shake his hand, which he took, shook and lingered for a bit too long before releasing it.
“You must be very intelligent to be a psychiatrist. Where did you study?” He leaned over remotely closer, awaiting your reply.
“Gotham University for the most part! I enjoyed my time there, actually.” You tried to be oblivious to how he was acting, but it was super off-putting.
“Ah, a good one. I have known friends who have attended there!” His breath stinks of booze. He was closer still and you were starting to feel uncomfortable.
“Thank you, I’m sorry, but could you excuse me. I think I need to use the restroom.” He nodded his head and you stood up. Jonathan had an idea of what was going on and waited two minutes before leaving too.
You walked as fast as you could to get yourself some air. You were back in the foyer and nearly at the bathroom when a hand grabbed your wrist.
“[Y/N]!” You turned around and your eyes were met with Jonathan. “Are you alright?”
“I’m... I’m sorry. Everything was just really… hectic. I needed some air…” You weren’t quite sure what to say.
“Was it that man? Did he make you feel uneasy, or something?” His eyes looked full of care and concern. He really knew you well.
“Yeah, I’m sorry for dragging you out here, you can go, you don’t have to worry.” You tried to brush it off but he could tell how it got to you. He moved his hand, which was still holding your wrist, to hold your hand.
“I’m not just going to leave you here when you’re like this. I’m someone who cares for you.” He sounded truly earnest, it made your heartbeat speed up when he said that. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me. If it will make you feel better, we can switch seats. If he tries anything, even if he looks at you in a strange way, I’ll see to it myself.”
“Jonathan… Thanks.” You smiled to which he returned it.
“Shall we?” His facial expression shifted to a smirk.
“We shall.”
You both made your way back to the table, sitting in each other’s seats. You realised you were still holding hands and had to unfortunately let go to sit down. You settled back down and the man from earlier began to speak.
“I think you two are sitting in the wrong seats.” He was so clearly annoyed but tried not to show his frustration by placing an obvious artificial smile on his lips.
“Hm, it seems that we are,” Jonathan said, turning to you. “Ah well, no point in getting up again.” He shrugged and was pulled into another conversation with someone on the table.
At some point, you had ended up placing your head on his shoulder to lean against which he let you do. It was comfy and by the time you realised you had done so, it had been about 5 minutes and he was fine with it so you decided to bask in the moment.
Bruce Wayne, that mysterious rich guy, was once again back on the stage. 
“Hello everyone,” he had a drink and a tiny spoon in his hand which he clinked to the glass to command everyone’s attention. “Now, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear, is the best part, where I give you all a load of free food! Feel free to indulge yourselves as the butlers bring the food and beverages around to the tables.” Then he confidently strode off the stage and back to his seat. His table was less full of businessmen in suits and more full of beautiful women in expensive dresses.
Everyone turned back to their conversations as trays and plates came out of the ginormous kitchen hiding somewhere in the back. There were all sorts of food that you had yet to try in your life but you were eager to. You had to sit up though so that meant lifting your head off of Jonathan’s shoulder.
You, along with the rest of the guests began to eat the food served. Whilst also maintaining some light conversation. By this time, you had quite the collection of business cards handed to you by various people at this table. 
Bruce stood up to toast to the event, “Here is a toast, to this pleasant gala and to those we are holding it for. A toast to all of the incredible employees of Arkham Asylum who are and aren’t here today!” He raised his glass which everyone else followed suit with.
Half an hour later and everyone was finishing up their meals and you too felt very full and idly set your head back onto Jonathan’s shoulder. You looked up at him from there and he looked back, laughing a little before looking away again.
The gala was starting to wrap up and people were starting to leave. Bruce went onto the stage to say his official goodbye causing a massive flock of people to also call it a night for them there.
“We should probably give it a minute before leaving, save getting trampled.” Jonathan looked to you, who was still leisurely resting on his shoulder.
“You’re right.” You said watching people leave, “This was surprisingly fun.” 
“I agree, I didn’t expect to have this nice of a time. Maybe it’s just thanks to you though.” Jonathan now rested his head atop yours. 
“I’m glad you were here too.” You sighed happily.
“We should see each other outside of work more.” He said, nonchalantly.
“That would be nice.”
“Are you free next Saturday?” Oh wow, he’s good, real smooth.
“Yeah, in fact, I am.” 
“Looks like we’ll be doing this again soon, then.” He had that smug grin again. Then sat up, took your hand and you both walked out together.
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