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acourtofwhatthefuck · 8 months

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Practice On Me — Part Nine — Azriel x Reader

Summary: Roza’s arrival in Windhaven brings some home truths crashing down on Reader. She just needs a hug, someone to talk to, but it all goes very, very wrong…

Word Count: 3k.

Warnings: None.

Chaos evades logic.

There is no rationality to be found here. No sense to be made of the ample feelings that begin to chew you up and spit you out.

All you know, as you lace your breeches up and correct yourself, is that you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut.

“Are you decent?” Roza calls, her back still to you.

You tie the last lace. Clear your throat. “All good.”

The closest person you’ve ever had to a mother figure turns on the spot. She’s absolutely beautiful — fucking glowing — her swollen belly visible through her thick coat, and her eyes alight with a quality you’ve never seen before.

Rhysand really is the mirror image of her.

“I actually cannot believe I just witnessed that.” She grouses. “And just when I thought the morning sickness had finally come to an end, too. My poor, poor eyes.”

Cassian makes a noise. “Roz, that’s a bit dramatic—”

“You be quiet.” She points a finger at him. “Your mouth has done quite enough tonight, thank you very much.”

The two of them stare at each other — Cassian wanting to be a little shit and push his luck, and Roza wanting to…

Well, to gouge her eyes out with a rusty spoon, probably.

But then Cassian cracks a grin, and he’s bounding over to the female like an excitable pup. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”

“Watch your language.” Roza scorns, but she happily accepts the hug that Cass yanks her into. “Gods, you’ve grown even more.”

You…you are rooted to the spot. Unable to move.

You want to go over there, too. To embrace her. But…but just seeing Roza makes the previous couple of months come hammering down on you in an unwelcome downpour of unwanted realisations.

You think: Roza caught me fooling around with Cassian.

And then you think: Fucking hell, I fooled around with Cassian again.

And then you’re wondering how — how you’ve let the recent events of your life veer down such a beaten, broken path.

It’s like Roza’s appearance brings a clarity that has been very much absent as of late. She’s always been a figure of reason and wisdom, always stopped you from spiralling.

And now she’s here, you’re looking at Cassian — your damn friend — and wondering just how much damage you might have caused.

He’s mid-conversation with Roza when he seems to notice you staring at him. Roza notices, too.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She says.

You open your mouth, unsure how you intend to respond. All that slips out is a rasped, “I’m just…so glad you’re here.”

Cassian snorts. “Tell that to your face.”

You can’t bring yourself to laugh at the jibe. And it would seem that Roza can’t, either. She’s studying you in that assessing way you’ve seen her wear a thousand times before — the one where the motherly instinct kicks in, and she’s sensing something is wrong. It seems to be a subconscious act, the way she slides her hand over her bump.

“So what are you doing back here, anyway?” Cassian asks her, slinging an arm round her shoulders. “I thought the High Lord wanted you to stay in Velaris for the pregnancy.”

“He does.” Roza says. “But then I found out Y/N had somehow ended up homeless and that he hadn’t bothered to help, so he and I aren’t on the best of terms right now.” She eyes you again. “I’ve come to move you properly into the cottage — including retrieving your belongings from your father’s house. I will not have you freezing your ass off in this dump.”

Gods, you love her.

She’s so fierce, so passionate. This is a female who housed three lost, rowdy children under her roof and offered them the same amount of love as she felt for her biological son. This is a female who does what she believes is right and damns the consequences. This is a female who doesn’t hesitate — not for one second — to help somebody in need.

She’s the exact kind of female you want yourself to be. And she’s the only person you wish to see in that moment.

“Perfect.” Cassian chirps brightly. “I’ll help. Let’s go fetch Y/N’s stuff from the bastard’s house right now.”

He takes a step towards the door, but Roza is laying a hand on his arm. She doesn’t look away from you once. “Cassian, my darling, I love you endlessly. And so, I say this with the greatest of adoration — fuck off to the mead hall, or something, and leave Y/N and I to have some girl time alone.”

“What?” He squawks in outrage. “But you just got here.”

“And I promise you we’ll catch up properly later. But right now, Y/N and I need some time alone.”

“But—”

“Do you want to stay and discuss the ins and outs of childbirth?”

Instantly, he falters. The change of tune would be comical if you were actually capable of feeling anything but despair in that moment.

“You know what?” He cracks a grin. “The mead hall sounds great right about now.”

Roza chuckles. “I thought it might. I’m taking Y/N back to the cottage. I’ll come and fetch you when we’re done. And if you see Az or Rhys, be sure to tell them to stay away, too.”

Oh.

This is going to be a serious talk.

You can’t remember the last time Roza was so insistent about it just being the two of you.

Probably when you got your first ever cycle, and she held and soothed and bathed you through it.

Will she still be so tender when she hears of the full scope of the mess you’ve created for yourself? You’re not sure you’d deserve it.

“Go easy, Cass.” Roza warns. “Don’t get into any fights.”

“Pff. As if I would.” Your friend lands a kiss on her cheek. “You look beautiful, Roz.” He says, and then he’s bustling out of the door without a care in the world.

You stare after him. Wish you could be that carefree. It feels…it feels impossible.

Gods, you just want to fucking cry.

Roza can see that. She holds a hand out.

“Come, my little dove.” She says. “Let’s get you home.”

✧: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

It kind of feels like walking into the cottage for the very first time, all over again.

You remember that night like it happened only yesterday. Remember how the cold had felt as you’d followed Azriel through the snow. The noises of bickering coming from behind the door.

Even at eleven, Az had always seemed so much taller than you. You’d noticed that as he’d strode ahead and led you inside.

Roza had been standing in the kitchen, and she’d turned to you with a curious expression. “Oh.” She’d chirped, with more warmth than you’d ever heard from your own kin. “What have we here, then?”

You, Azriel had explained to her, had been set upon by a group of males far older than you. Az had defended you, and then he’d invited you to share his dinner.

Roza had taken one look at the dirt packed beneath your fingernails and told you to thoroughly wash your hands before taking a seat. You’d done just that.

And it was at that very table that Rhysand had introduced himself.

“I’m Rhysand. My father is the High Lord.”

Roza had scolded him for showing off.

And it was after that that Cassian had eyed you with a wild, feral look and simply said, “I bet I could beat you in an arm wrestle. I beat everyone.”

“Not at my dinner table, you don’t.” Roza had put a stop to that immediately. And then she’d placed a steaming pie in the centre of the table, and High Lords and arm wrestles were all but forgotten, and Azriel had been quiet and shy at your side, but dutifully offering you different foods before he took any for himself—

Standing at the threshold of the cottage, now…it’s like watching that entire scene play out before you. The ghosts of your younger, wayward selves feast greedily on a wholesome meal that lets you forget your harrowing experiences for a little while.

How things have changed.

You finally step in. Kick the door shut behind you. The smells and warmth of your sanctuary envelop you, and you know — you fucking know that you won’t be able to keep a lid on your tears for long.

“Don’t know how many times I’ve told those idiots to put the fire out before they leave the house.” Roza mutters, but she goes striding straight towards that burning fire and welcomes its warmth. “Although, I must admit, I’m a little impressed. I expected this place to be far messier in my absence than it is. Don’t tell me they’ve actually been cleaning—”

“Roza.” You cut in, your voice shaky, desperate. “About what you saw—”

She turns back to you. Says nothing as concerned, violet eyes sweep the length of your body. She’s letting you speak, but you don’t know what the fuck to say.

You open and close your mouth as though the act will make some sense of…any of this.

It doesn’t.

“I didn’t realise you and Cassian were…” Roza clears her throat. Pauses. “I just…what of Azriel, Y/N?”

You blink at her.

Roza’s very good at knowing things she hasn’t been told, but for her to know about you and Az when she’s been in Velaris this whole time, and when, as far as you’re aware, these things have been strictly kept between you and Azriel only—

“What?” You breathe.

“Perhaps I’m wrong, I don’t know.” She frowns. “But I always suspected that you and Az would be…something more. Your connection with him has always run a little deeper than with anyone else. That’s why I was so shocked when I found you…and Cass…”

Is she wrong?

No.

And fucking damn you for taking all these years to see it. Fucking damn you for only realising you wanted Azriel as more than just your friend when somebody else began to recognise his brilliance.

Fucking damn you for all of this, and damn Azriel, too, and damn everyone.

It all comes showering down on you in an instant, harsh and unwelcome.

You love Azriel. Not just in the way you love Rhysand and Cassian. You’re in love with his soul, his spirit. Who he is will always be tethered to who you are, even though he isn’t yours to cling onto. It’s been that way since you were old enough to harbour such feelings, and you’ve been burying it all these years, burying it under bad choices and regrettable actions, because all of that seemed easier to face, than…this. The fact that you were never able to control your heart, stop it from feeling such things, and now you feel them so intensely that it hurts.

Had your deal with Az ever really been about helping him, or had it been a selfish ruse under which you could have some small experience to remember him by when he inevitably gave his heart to somebody else?

Because you are just Y/N. You’ve always just been Y/N.

You are not Kaeda — Kaeda with the wings, and the strength, and the excellence.

Just Y/N. Just Y/N—

“Speak to me, my love.” Roza steps closer. “I’m worried about you.”

Your eyes blur with tears. Your legs buckle, and you’re bracing one hand on the back of the couch while the other flies up to cup over your mouth.

“Oh, gods, what have I done?” Your voice breaks.

“Speak to me.” Roza says again.

“This is all such a mess.”

“What is, Y/N?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I don’t know what—what to do!”

“You need to breathe.” She responds firmly. “Deep breaths. Now.”

You try. Gods, you try. But your chest is constricting, and the air won’t reach your lungs, and all you can hear on a constant loop inside your head is one, bellowing sentence.

Everything is irreversibly changed.

Roza closes the gap between you and cups your face. The touch is soft, but firm. She forces you to look at her, and her face is blurred by your tears, but you know she’s looking at you how she’s always looked at you — with love.

“Tell me what’s going on, and I can help you through it.” She pleads.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” You sob back.

She yanks you close, arms wrapping around you. She’s held you like this through so, so much. This is no different.

But it feels different, in that it feels worse. Not only is it possible that your actions could change your relationships with both Cassian and Azriel, but also that they could change their relationship with each other, too — change the strong, steadfast dynamic between your three closest friends.

You tremble, clinging to Roza like you may just collapse. Your heartbeat gallops in your ears like rhythmic footfalls.

“Y/N—”

“It all turned into a total mess.” You choke out. “I was feeling things — I am feeling things — and then Azriel had Kaeda and I was jealous and stupid and I — I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have slept with Cassian.”

“You did what?”

Those three, outraged words are not spoken in Roza’s voice. The sudden interjection of Azriel’s is enough for your sobs to catch in your throat.

Every single inch of your body goes cold as you step back to look at him. Blink at him. Roza fights to keep hold of you.

Normally, he would have hurried over to embrace her. But he stays rooted to the last step of the staircase. He’s staring at you. Only you.

You’ve never seen him look so pale.

“Az.” Roza sighs softly. “We didn’t realise you were home.”

He doesn’t look away from you — not once — as he asks, “What did you just say?”

Roza inches towards him. “I think we all need to sit down and talk about this—”

“You fucked Cassian?”

Tears spill over, roll down your cheeks. Your voice doesn’t want to show itself as you croak out, “Az, I can explain.”

“You fucked Cassian?” He’s repeating it like…like he needs to. Like it won’t get into his head any other way. “You had sex with him?”

“Yes, but—”

“Around the time you and I were doing similar things?”

Roza’s head whips round to you in surprise. You’d failed to mention that bit. After a moment, she rights herself once more. “Azriel, you should let her speak.”

“I can’t fucking believe you.” Letting you speak is the last thing on his mind as he steps down, storming past the two of you. You reach out for him, but he’s jerking away, heading for the door.

“Azriel, please.” Your voice cracks. “Let me explain.”

“Explain that you fucked Cass? At the same time that I was sharing such…such huge things with you—”

“At the same time you were sharing them with Kaeda!”

He falls still, hand faltering on the doorknob, shoulders hunched.

And then he glances over his shoulder at you with an expression so bleak, you’d do anything, make a bargain with anyone, to wipe it from his face.

“Except that I’ve never touched Kaeda like that.” He says. “Not once. I couldn’t.”

Before you’re capable of summoning an answer, he’s yanking the door open and thundering out into the snow.

Shock pulses through you, ice-cold and harrowing. You blink, and blink and blink and blink, and you think Roza might be saying your name, but you can only choke out another sob that grates against your throat, and then your legs are moving forward, stumbling out of the door.

“Az, wait!” You cry, but he’s already striding far into the distance. “Please!”

You try to move, but it’s like the snow is binding your ankles, grounding you firmly to the spot. You sob. Try to move. Fall. Get up. It’s cold and wet. You’re hurting. Everything’s hurting.

And somebody’s yelling — yelling at you.

“Hey!” You know the voice. It’s a voice you don’t like. But you can’t put a face to it until its owner is stopping in front of you, sneering at you. Lord Devlon. “What did I tell you about staying away from these parts, girl?”

You’re incapable of answering him. You’re not even looking at him. You just stare and stare in the direction that Az disappeared in, fat, hot tears rolling down your cheeks.

“I’m talking to you.” Devlon grabs your chin between his fingers, hard. “Insolent female—”

“Remove your hand from her face at once.”

He blinks at the sight of Roza stepping out of the cottage. Clearly, he had no clue she’d returned. And even he won’t speak out against the High Lord’s pregnant mate.

He drops his hand immediately.

Roza steps up to your side and narrows her gorgeous eyes at him. Her hand sits on her swollen belly. “Look at you, Lord Devlon — following orders like a good dog. Now, go on. Fuck off.”

There’s a slight twitch of a muscle as he clenches his jaw. He hates every second of it, but he obediently turns away from you.

“Oh — Lord Devlon?” Roza calls after him.

He stops. Turns. “Yes, lady?”

“I decide who can and cannot live in my house.” She stares him down. “That call is mine and mine alone. And if I hear of you giving Y/N any more trouble? I’ll rip your fucking throat out.”

She turns her back to him with utter dismissal. If you weren’t so devastated, you might laugh at his stunned expression.

But Roza sees the pain in your eyes, and she pulls you into her arms.

“Come, my love.” She murmurs softly. “Let’s get you inside.”

az tags: @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @sirenpearldust @queercodedcharacter @azriels-shadowsinger @ruler-of-hades @demi03 @magicaldragonlady @abrielletargaryen @ralsieq @v3lv3tf0x @achase2002 @feyretopia @hayrunnwr @don’t-feed-the-hipsters @brekkershadowsinger @piceous21 @bloodicka @acourtofinkandpapyrus @riri-is-agirlie @siriusement @4valyries @socmono @azriels-mate123 @acourtofbatboydreams @katherinearcheron @nesemi @lupinswolfsbanes @dreaming-unafraid @dxnniiix @cyrygher @liddyr03 @lmllsl @nightless @teenageeggscissorslawyer @brighterthanlonelythoughts @blitz-fall @maybefoxysouls @mschanand1erbong @juiceboxreads @bangtanbecks @florencemtrash @hyemishii @obixix @thenovarose @meshellexplosionmurder @angzlxna @lissy31xoxo-blog @supernatural99 @positivewitch @art3-m1ss @milfhunter-pdx @bbuckysbeardd @coralseacourt @towhateverend87 @sspookz @bird-on-the-wire33 @morrie-rose @megwan @catscanteleport @sevikas-whore @thickthighs-sadeyes

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fuwushiguro · 11 months

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I Can Be The Eye Of The Storm

chapter six | masterlist | chapter eight

Toji Fushiguro x f!Reader | Megumi Fushiguro x f!Reader

Genre: Smut & Angst with horror/thriller elements Notes: thank u everyone who sent love about this series it’s been fun to get back into it! hope this chapter was worth the wait hehe 💕 Warnings: 18+, rape/noncon, major character death, false imprisonment, violence, attempted murder, blood mention, misogyny. Words: 4.4k

Synopsis: You meet a handsome older man while partying in Paris with your best friend. Going home with a man you've just met isn't usually your style, but looking at him is more than enough to dispel any doubts. But maybe you should have listened to your intuition.

“Toji please!” you cry, pounding against the door. “PLEASE!”

You keep hammering at the wood, you assume it will break if you carry on. But in truth you know you’re the one who’s going to break. You’re exhausted, you’re hurt, you haven’t fully processed everything that’s happened. And now the man who said he loves you is keeping you locked up in a room in the same building as your attacker.

And still, you can’t stop.

No matter how much your arms ache. Despite your voice becoming hoarse and your legs wanting to give out from under you.

You don’t stop.

“She needs a muzzle.” Gojo smirks, flipping through a deck of cards as he sits comfortably on a couch in the living room. The spot you’d been sitting in eating hashbrowns hours earlier without a care in the world.

Toji gawps at him. A little dumbfounded by his sheer audacity.

“What’s wrong, big man?” he asks as he starts to organise the cards. “Didn’t realise she was such a handful? I knew she was trouble from the second I saw her.”

And now, Toji has had enough. He hadn’t been able to sit down, instead pacing around as he heard your pleas and cries of his name. This is so fucked, but he couldn’t think of another way. But hearing what Satoru has to say is making his blood boil, and he’s no better than a caveman despite wanting to be.

“Shut the fuck up!” he lashes out, he approaches Gojo so quickly he’s barely registered their close proximity. He just looks up, and Toji is towering before him. And another second later, the cards are flying out of his hands as Toji begins to throw punches. “You raped my fucking girlfriend and you’re wondering why she’s screaming. Are you fucking kidding me?!” he yells.

“That’s enough.” Nanami breaks them up.

“Easy…” Gojo replies, his face bloody with a busted lip as he tries to regain his composure. “You sound like a pathetic old man, girlfriend? Please, you’re twice her age. It’s embarrassing.”

“I love her. I let you hurt her.” he rakes his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t invite you here for this.”

“So… why did you invite us?” Gojo stands up now, levelling his stare with Toji’s. “You said she’s slutty, and you’re willing to share. I took advantage of what you said and fucked her.”

“Not like this.” Toji responds immediately. “You did take fucking advantage. And you’re not even sorry. You’re not even fucking sorry about what you’ve done to that poor girl.” he argues. He begins to pant out of frustration. Nanami can do nothing but watch the two men argue. Gojo runs his tongue along his top row of teeth before deciding to speak again.

“Either way, we can’t leave her locked in there forever.” Gojo reminds him.

“I should let her call the police. I cannot fucking believe you’ve done this you stupid fuck.” Toji carries on with his barrage of insults. His gaze keeps flitting between the men he’s with and the stairs to the bedroom you’re locked in. “I don’t think a little bit of coke is going to matter to the police when there are bigger things to focus on.”

“You’re not calling the police.” Nanami speaks.

“Right, you’re not going to call them. Because you know it’ll blow all of our shit up and it’ll fuck yours up the most. So shut the fuck up, sit down and shuffle the cards. We can think about what to do in the morning.” Gojo orders him.

“I’m not fuckin’ playing.” Toji tells him. He retreats to the kitchen and grabs himself a beer, cracking off the top with his teeth. He’s only just realised his knuckles are bleeding and his hands are shaking. He puts down his beer and holds his head in his hands, his head pounding with the gravity of the situation.

Nanami picks up the cards that Gojo had dropped and begins to shuffle again. He hands them all out between to two of them, thinking snap is probably the easiest and low effort game to play.

“How can you sit there and play cards knowing what you’ve done?” Toji asks, emerald eyes vibrating as he stares over to Gojo.

“Just having fun, Toji.” he smirks again, “Just a little fun.”

A few hours pass and you know Toji isn’t coming. He’s hiding from you, he’s ashamed. Not that you know that, though. To you, he’s having fun with his friends and laughing at your expense.

You gave up kicking and punching the door a while ago. Now, you’re crumpled in a heap on the bedroom floor. Is this all you can do? Give up and accept this is it for you? That Toji might keep you locked up in this place until you agree to their terms? They can’t… they can’t make you.

And then a harrowing thought crosses your mind.

No one knows you’re here.

One of them alone could easily shut you up for good.

And there are three of them.

“To—” you stop yourself before his name becomes louder than a whisper. He doesn’t care about you. He isn’t going to help you. It’s all about self-preservation, for him. Toji is too scared of facing prison to help you out of this mess.

It’s got to be you.

You pull yourself to your feet using the bed frame, your legs are still shaky, but you know you’ll have to find your nerve soon. There’s no one coming to save you, nobody is going to undo the damage that has been done. If those three are all about self-preservation, you have to be to.

But nothing is catching your eye. There isn’t a single thing you can use to your advantage. You think about battering the door down using the armchair in the corner of the room, but you can’t imagine you have enough strength to keep repeatedly hammering away at it.

You instinctively reach for your phone, forgetting Toji had taken it from you.

“Fuck.” you mutter and begin to pace around the room. All you can think about is Nobara. What would she do in this situation? But that question immediately vanishes when you remember she wouldn’t be stupid enough to get herself into this mess. She didn’t trust Toji from the get-go and you shouldn’t have either. Tears begin to well in your eyes and spill over as you realise your momentary injection of heroism has been snuffed out. You’re stuck here like the useless idiot you are.

Your breath hitches as you look at the windows in the room. The same windows Gojo attacked you against. Your heart race quickens as you replay it in your mind. You can’t help but feel sick. It’s as though you can physically feel the weight of a bowling ball in your stomach as you relive the incident that occurred hours ago and think about the only thing people will see you as if you manage to escape.

A victim.

You place your hands against the window, and then your forehead, closing your eyes and beginning to sob violently. What had you done to deserve this? You know you’re stupid. You’re gullible and a fool and you’re just so fucking useless. But is that really a crime that deserves such a severe punishment? Is being a failure truly worthy of what Satoru Gojo had done to you?

As your eyes slowly begin to flutter open, you notice the pool illuminating your skin as it had with Gojo in his room earlier. It’s dark outside now, the cyan water even more bold than it was this morning. It looks so inviting…

It looks so… warm.

“Snap, I win.”

“You’ve gotta be cheating, Kento. You’re killing me.” Gojo laughs.

Toji is still leaning over the breakfast bar as he watches them both play their tedious little game of snap. He’s thinking about going to see you now. Checking on you, seeing where your head is at. He thinks maybe if he grovels, you two might be able to work something out. He’s drunk, he’s coked up, everyone is coked up. But surely there is some arrangement you can come to so that he can make things right without involving the police.

“I’m gonna head up.” Toji announces, shoving his fifth bottle of beer to the edge of the counter. “I need to check on her… try and do some damage contro—”

The three men pause, almost frozen in time as they look at one another to confirm they all heard that. Did they all really hear the sound of glass shattering from upstairs? They can’t move. None of them can bring themselves to snap out of their daze and move. What the hell was that?

And then, the sound of the crashing glass is followed by the familiar sound of water splashing. Toji finally manages to move himself, standing with Nanami and Gojo as they rise to their feet and stare at the bubbling blue water they can see out of the window.

Nobody says a word. They just stare and continue to stare.

Suddenly, you rise. The water is wiped from your eyes, and you see all of their eyes fixed on you. You too, are frozen. All you can do is kick your legs to keep you afloat. You know that your fear of them chasing you will be realised as soon as you make a break for it.

But you can’t stay here.

You swim as fast as you can to the edge of the pool, and your prediction comes true. As soon as you start swimming, they’re running for the front door. They’re scared, they’re panicking, this turn of events hadn’t even been in the equation for them.

Before they can unlock the front door, you’re already out of the pool and sprinting in the wrong direction. You’ve become disorientated but you know that you can’t double back on yourself, you’ll only fall into one of their arms and end up locked in a room without a method of escape. You have one chance to get away, and this is it.

Despite running through the wilderness in your underwear, you’d been smart enough to put on a pair of trainers and a jacket. You’d have covered yourself more, but you thought the water would weigh you down and give them more of a chance to catch you. That’s not a chance you can take.

“Princess!” you hear Toji bellow in the distance. There’s a gap between you for now, but you know it won’t be long before they close the distance. You don’t think hiding is an option, you have to keep running.

You run.

You fucking run until you feel your lungs empty.

You run until your legs are cut to shreds by the brambles and thorns through the trees.

You run… until you can’t.

You’re staring over the edge of a cliff; another step would mean certain death and your stomach plummets at the thought of accidentally falling over. Looking left and right does little good as you know you’ll ultimately be met with the same fate no matter which way you go. The snow begins to nip at your skin. The adrenaline is wearing off and you’re starting to feel hopeless once more.

As you take a deep breath and contemplate your next move, you feel a strong grip on your wrist.

“Caught ya.” Gojo smiles, menacingly. You let out a scream and try to yank your arm from him, but it does no good. Toji and Nanami aren’t around, they must have split up to search for you. It’s just you and Satoru. And your legs begin to give out under you once again. “Squeezing your thighs f’me, hm? That excited to see me again?”

“L-Let go.” you try to sound confident, but your stuttering earns a pitiful laugh. This is the worst-case scenario. You can barely process what he did to you let alone what is about to happen. And Toji, once again, isn’t here to stop him.

“You’re no victim, look at you. Even now you’re running around in your underwear like a slut. Do you love the attention that much? You know anyone could be out here, waiting to fuck you. But that’s exciting to you, right? I get it, being desirable is the greatest feeling in the world. That’s why I couldn’t keep my hands off ya.”

“You raped me.” you say, your voice refusing to falter. “You know what you did, and you have to live with that until the day you die.”

“It doesn’t bother me, sweetheart. I wanted something and I got it, that’s how I am. It’s my right. And you were begging for me to fuck you.”

“No—”

“Yes.” he interjects. “Girls like you are good for one thing, and you know it. You’re just a cunt to be fucked. You’re barely a person. You’re a hole to be filled and make men feel good about themselves. You don’t think Toji loved you, do you? He loved having a pretty young thing wrapped around him and being able to brag about it. You’re nothing.”

“I— I’m…” you don’t know what to say. Partly because you think he might be right. You’ve always known it was ridiculous for Toji to be saying he loved you after barely knowing each other. It was some Disney romance you’d built up in your head to be more than it was. It wasn’t and isn’t love. It’s just lust.

You’re nothing.

“At least I’m not a rapist.” you tell him, your eyes focusing on his as you refuse to back down. “I’ve never had to have sex by force. I have loved and been loved. You just hurt people.” he grunts, forcing you closer to the edge of the mountain. It makes you smile, laugh, even. Knowing that you’re getting under his skin.

“You should be careful how you speak to people when you’re in such precarious situations.” he warns you. It’s a threat, and you see the gleam in his eye which tells you he isn’t afraid to follow through.

“I don’t give a fuck.” you smile. “You can’t do anything worse to me than you already have.”

“Wanna bet?”

“If I die, if you murder me, I promise… I’m going to haunt you until the end of time.” you start. “Whether I’m the first, only, or last of the people you’ve hurt like this. I will fucking haunt you until you lose your mind. I’ll always be with you, like your own personal stalker. And I won’t stop until you get what’s coming to you.” you speak with so much conviction, you hear a shallow and panicked grunt settle in his throat. He finds his steel once more, looking at you with disdain before allowing himself to smile.

“Go ahead and try,” he pushes you away from him. “I don’t believe in ghosts.” and with a final kick to your abdomen, a harrowing, involuntary scream tells you both that you’re not long for the world.

The air bites at your skin as you fall. He watches in horror as he realises what he’s done. What he has actually done. He’s killed you. Your eyes lock as you continue to fall. There’s no reading either of your expressions. Though he imagines you’re in shock, he is too, after all. He can’t turn away until he hears a thud, a disgusted gasp leaving him before he turns to look again. The white snow around you has been stained red, and your eyes are staring daggers up at him.

“Shit.” he speaks, pacing around as he tries to contemplate what to do.

For the first time in his life, he thinks he might actually be experiencing regret. His knees buckle, just as yours had after he assaulted you. His eyes fill with tears as he crawls on his hands and knees to peer over the edge and see your lifeless body staring back at him. He covers his mouth with a hand as he tries to keep it together.

You’d spoken with so much conviction and certainty. And now Satoru Gojo is experiencing… remorse? For the first time in his fucking life. Could you have been right about haunting him? Is this your doing?

“Have you found her?” Nanami asks, emerging from behind.

“Her footprints disappeared, she’s smarter than we’ve given her credit for.” Toji announces.

They both look confused as Gojo can’t pull himself away from the edge of the cliff. All they see is a pathetic, snivelling man on all fours. A sight neither of them had ever expected to see before. Toji’s brows furrow, and Nanami’s eyes widen as he realises what’s going on in record time.

“Try to stay calm.” he puts his arm across Toji’s chest, doing what he can to calm the situation before things get out of hand. But Toji is confused, he doesn’t understand why Nanami said something so random. He is calm. But they need to find you before things escalate even further.

It finally hits Toji when Gojo turns to look at them. Cheeks sparkling with tears in the winter moonlight.

“I f-found her like this.” he lies, effortlessly.

“No, no no…” Toji panics and hurries to look over the edge with Gojo. “FUCK!” he bellows as he witnesses the same sight Gojo had been staring at for quite some time. Nanami joins the two of them, standing on the other side of Toji as all three men look down at you with nothing but contempt.

“It’s regrettable, but I doubt anyone will find her out here. It seems we’re in the clear.” Nanami tells them, cool and collected as always.

Toji can’t stop himself from crying, his lip quivering as he stares down at you. He can’t feel the sting of the freezing wind and nothing else is happening between him and the woman he genuinely fell in love with, in a bloody puddle beneath him.

“I didn’t do it…” Gojo sniffles. It’s the only thing that can break Toji out of his trance as he starts to see red other than the blood surrounding your body.

“Is that what you think?” he mutters, his lips in a tight line as he feels more tears spill over and down his cheeks as he carries on staring at you. “You think you didn’t cause this?”

“She must have slipped while she was running.” Gojo lies, again, it comes too easy to him and Toji can see right through his crocodile tears. He kicks him to the ground so he’s flat on his back, and he can’t stop himself from delivering a multitude of brutal, heavy-handed punches directly into his face.

“You think this isn’t your fucking fault?!” he yells as he continues. He warns Nanami to back off when he tries to separate them again. “I should fucking kill you, you think she’d be running for her life out here if not for you? You think she’d be dead if you hadn’t—” he can’t even say it, covering his sorrow with more anger as he beats Gojo to a bloody pulp.

“You made your point.” Nanami interjects, consequences be damned. “The last thing we need is another dead body out here. We need to get back and figure out what we’re going to do about this.” he speaks, managing to tear Toji away from Gojo.

“Fuck sake, fine.” Toji grunts, walking ahead of them both. Nanami helps Gojo to his feet and helps him walk back to the house.

You’re so still. So statuesque as their voices fade from being clear to quiet mumbles. And then finally to nothing. But you don’t move, you just continue to lie still, soon to be a memory to all who knew you.

The atmosphere in the cabin is damn near disgusting. Nobody has spoken a word in hours, and the black sky is starting to fade. Toji can’t tear his gaze from the crackling fire while Gojo continuously dabs tissue on his gushing wounds and bleeding nose.

“I fucking loved her.” Toji grimaces, not sure if he’s talking to himself or letting Gojo know what he’s taken from him. “I don’t really give a shit what you thought of her or us… I know how I feel, and I loved her.” he finishes, wiping a lone tear from his eye as he tries to wrap his head around the fact that he brought you here and you’ve been murdered for it.

“Please try not to kill each other.” Nanami orders the two of them as he takes his cup of coffee and a cigarette outside. The two men watch him go before their eyes return to the aggressive flames in the fireplace.

“Sure you did.”

“Don’t push me, Satoru, or I’m gonna turn your face inside out.” he warns him.

“Whatever. It’s done now, she’s gone. What’s happened, has happened. We need to think about what we do next.” he tries to reason with him. “We’re going to have to pretend everything is fine and normal. We’re going to have to make sure nobody knows this ever happened.”

“I’ve got her phone so I can cover things for a while… and her car keys are—” he thinks for a moment as he tries to recall the last place he saw them. He checks inside the bowl at the entrance only to discover they’re not there. “They must be in our room.” he runs upstairs to check. The reality of how much covering up they’re going to have to do hits him as he sees your luggage littered around the room. But he tries to focus on searching for the keys. “Shit.” he speaks quietly as it dawns on him that you’ve taken them. He leaves the room, spotting Gojo at the bottom of the stairs.

“Well?”

“She must have taken them.” he alerts him. “She must have been planning on going for the car but ran the wrong way.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, shit. We’ve got to burn her stuff and figure out a way to dump the fucking car.” Toji speaks, visibly getting agitated again. “You’ve fucked us.” he yells at Gojo.

“This is not my fault! It was you who—”

Again.

Another splash in the pool.

You watch on in horror as Nanami’s lifeless body falls into the pool. That beautiful aqua colour becoming stained with red. But you don’t have time to watch this. You don’t have time to stand around and watch a dead man drown. You drop the heavy log you found on your way back to the cabin, the edge stained with Nanami’s blood. You knew it would kill him. You knew you’d become a murderer the second you picked it up no matter who you struck with it. He hadn’t bothered to save you when he could have. He decided to be ignorant, and he had no qualms in leaving you for dead back there.

Why would you grant him anything but the same?

You flee before you can be spotted, getting your car keys from your pocket, and hurrying inside. Once Gojo and Toji see Nanami’s body gushing blood in the pool, they know what’s happening. As they rush outside, they both spot you behind the wheel of your car, headlights beaming as you prepare to pull away. Toji rushes over to slam on the hood, begging you to get out so you can talk. You shake your head, barely able to look at him. Your eyes are more focused on Satoru Gojo.

He’s horrified.

You’d think he’d just seen an honest to God ghost before his very eyes.

And you will fucking haunt him.

You flip them both off before reversing as fast as you can and driving away.

Toji drops to his knees, he thinks he might be having a panic attack. He has emotional whiplash from everything that’s just unfolded. He was convinced you were dead, everybody was. And now… Nanami is gone.

“This isn’t over. She’s not going to let this go.” Toji practically heaves as he explains through panicked breaths.

“She’s really going to haunt me.”

“Yeah, we need to count our fucking days.” Toji continues. “You’ve fucked us.”

“I’m sorry.” Gojo answers.

“What good is sorry now, Gojo? We’re dead men walking.”

You drove, you don’t know how long for. So long that you thought you might crash if you had to keep your eyes open any longer. For some reason, you thought you’d been driving home. To the safety of your father and brothers. The security of your home and the money your father would ultimately use to guarantee justice for what you’ve been through and shield you from you suffering the consequences of what you did to Nanami.

But you’re not home. You’re parking at a house that you recognise, though. Your legs are moving on auto pilot as you get out of the car, not even bothering to close the door behind you as you approach the front door.

You don’t even know what time it is, so you can’t find it in you to care as you press the doorbell and begin to pound on the door repeatedly. There’s not a word you can say, not a single thing to speak of as you continue what you’re doing and wait for somebody to answer.

“I’m coming! Do you know what time it is?” you hear from inside as the stairs creak beneath their feet. “What is it?” she asks as the door opens.

“Nobara…” you manage to speak, your voice absolutely shredded to pieces. “Do you have a cigarette?” you ask before collapsing into her arms.

“Oh my God… Oh fuck, hey, hey hey. Don’t die on me!” she begins to cry as she tries to lower you carefully to the ground and hold you in her arms. “Maki! MAKI! CALL AN AMBULANCE!” she screams before turning to look at you again. Your eyes begin to flutter, and you can’t keep them open anymore.

“I love you…” you whisper, before fully closing them.

“Please don’t die!” she sobs, cradling your body close to hers. “I love you too, dummy. Hear me? I love you so much… so please don’t die.”

358 notes · View notes

tojikai · 2 years

Text

Permanent Mark VIII: Lengths

Pairing: Gojo x Reader

Genre: Angst

Warnings: smut, pregnancy, mentions of abortion, mention suicide, insecurities, self-destructive reader

Series Masterlist

How far will you go? How far can you go?

“Hey,” Suguru greeted Satoru as he sat on a pool chair beside him, pouring himself a glass, “I wanna punch you, you know that?” Satoru sighed at him, looking down as he shook his head. Suguru doesn’t know why Shoko hadn’t landed a slap on him yet, but he figured that you probably also told her not to make a deal of it anymore. Like you always do when it comes to Satoru. He watched as Satoru looked away, busying his eyes with others as they had fun around the pool just to avoid Suguru’s gaze.

“I know, Suguru, and I’m sorry,” He sighed as he downed his cup, face twitching at the bitter taste. Suguru doesn’t know what to feel about all of it anymore. He knows that you also made a mistake but then again, every time he remembers how hard it was for you just to stop thinking about Satoru all those days, he understands why you did it. It was a five-year relationship that had been taken away from you without notice; of course, you’d long for him. It’s impossible to not give in when all this time, all you’ve been craving is him. It frustrated Suguru in more ways than one, but he has to be honest to himself.

“You should be. She blames herself for it.” Satoru’s eyes widened at his statement; worry was painted all over his face as he sat up in his chair, “I was the one who kept kissing her.” He breathed out, thinking of any way he could ease your mind and heart about it when he cannot even get close to you. After the day he asked you to go out on a date, all of his calls went straight to voicemail, and you replied only at night when you’re already about to sleep. As a result, Satoru settled down on giving you flowers and gifts.

You accepted them but not him.

“You know she fucking misses you. You literally breached her walls, Satoru. And now, you’re after her again. Do you think she gave in because she wanted you back in her life? Do you really think she’s stupid?” Suguru was leaning closer to him, whispering with clenched teeth. Satoru knows that you mean it when you said that was the last time that it would happen. But he has no plans of giving you up. He knows that you only accept his gifts out of politeness that he doesn’t even deserve to get from you after what he’s done, but he wanted to show that he’s true to his words of earning you back again.

”It’s not like that, Suguru. I know that she only gave in because she was caught up in her emotions, and it might seem like I was only taking advantage of it, but believe me, Suguru, I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve denied how much I miss her and when she was within my reach again, I just couldn’t let myself let her go. I knew that I had to get her back.” Satoru explained, turning to face his friend as he desperately tries to prove how he truly feels for you. It hurts him that even his own best friend lost trust in him, but he couldn’t really blame them. After all the shit that he pulled on them and you over the course of two months, it would be hard to get their trust back.

“Well, good luck on that. Because she wants nothing to do with you anymore.” Satoru felt a pang on his chest as Suguru stood up from the chair. It didn’t shake his determination but thinking about how he probably really lost you for good this time is just too agonizing for him. “Are you…” Satoru started as Suguru walked past him. He swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing when he saw his best friend stop from the corner of his eye, “You and Y/N are just… just friends, right?” He tried to sound as calm as possible. He only wants to know; he doesn’t want to start a fight. He trusts your words more than anyone, but he wants to know if Suguru still thinks of it like that too.

“Yeah. I’m looking out for her. Friends help each other, right?” Suguru looked back at him, but Satoru remained unmoving. “I help her a lot, Satoru,” Suguru added as he walked away, not bothering to wait for his answer. Satoru exhaled harshly, taking his lip between his teeth and trying to get his thoughts straight after what he heard. Satoru doesn’t really know what to feel about how Suguru stated it, but he doesn’t have the right to react violently to it. Not anymore. All that he can do now is take every word you and Suguru say in a very literal sense so as to not burn the top of his head from thinking too much.

If he loses you, he won’t only lose his mind. He’ll lose his heart; he’ll lose it all.

Satoru grew up with only his mother and grandparents by his side. He has contact with his dad and meets with him every now and then. He left when he was 6 because he just couldn’t work it out with his mom, but he never really got into a relationship again. He always asks him about her and sends her gifts whenever he feels like it. Satoru found it weird that it was never a regular thing but more like his dad keeps taking a step forward and then back.

He asked his father about it once, but all he said was he’s simply being civil. Satoru believes that maybe his father still loves his mom, but he just doesn’t know what to do with her. Her mother can be stubborn, too headstrong, and rarely goes back on her word. Satoru never really suffered from the situation because they’re still present, but still, he wished that they stayed together for his sake.

He used to think that these had nothing to do with his state of mind right now, but after all the events, he realized that maybe he just took after his dad. He doesn’t want to use it as an excuse, though. He thought that if he could take after his dad, then he could also be like the person who carried him for 9 months and raised him. He wanted to be resolute. He knows that his parents' situation isn’t really the same as his with you right now, but he figured that these values should apply if he’s going to work for your trust and your hand. Knowing that you don’t even want to breathe the same air as him hurts. But giving you up hurts more.

He fears the day you officially lose every love you have for him. He fears the day when not even every other beat of your heart speaks his name. He fears the day you just shut him out instead of tolerating his futile attempts. He fears the day you see him as nothing more than a stranger who once held your broken pieces in the palms of his freezing hands. But when that day comes, it would also mean that you are finally healed from all of the misery he had made you go through.

He wants you. God, he fucking loves you. But would he really refuse to give that freedom to you?

—————————————————————–

“Did you really take Plan B?”

You took in a shaky breath as you looked up at Shoko. She was looking at you with wide eyes and a pale face. If the color drained from her face this fast, you’re also sure that yours is slowly getting drained out of your body, because you wouldn’t be feeling so lightheaded if it’s still normal. You fell on your bum as you put a hand on your forehead. You couldn’t be pregnant. You took it, and you’re sure of that.

“Is this your way of telling everyone that you’re getting back with him, Y/N?” Shoko accused; disappointment was crystal clear in her harsh tone even as she held your arms gently to help you sit on the closed toilet. Your vision is still spinning, and your stomach clenches every now and then. You shook your head as you pursed your lips before inhaling sharply through your nose. Your shoulders won’t stop shaking, and you don’t know if it’s because of the sickness or how nervous you are.

“No, Shoko. I wasn’t—” Before you could even finish your sentence, Shoko was already cutting you off with a slightly louder voice as she crouched down in front of you. “Then why would you lie about taking it?!” It wasn’t loud enough to be heard outside, but the way she said it was sharp enough to make you flinch. Her brows bumped together, and her mouth was turned downwards. It was rare for Shoko to show so many emotions, but that’s how you know that she’s really unhappy with your actions. But you could also tell that she was worried by how she ran a hand over her face as she took a deep breath.

Looking at the distressed look on your friend’s face made you realize how your problems with Satoru drained them. You know how much these people sacrificed and are still sacrificing for you, yet here you are messing around. They know that what Satoru did was wrong, and that’s why they didn’t hesitate to take your side. And what did you do? You slept with him after being left in the same room for not even half an hour. You made your friends look like a fool by the person you made them believe they were protecting you from. It’s all starting to make you feel sicker than you already do. You were dragging them along with you all this time.

“Y/N? Y/N?” You heard Shoko call out your name as she lightly shook your shoulders. You didn’t even realize that you were spacing out. Your fingers are starting to shake, and your stomach feels like they are doing flips. The sweat on your forehead is cold, and you don’t think you can still stand. The beating of your heart felt like it was coming from your head. You shook your head at Shoko as concern took over the gutted look that she previously had.

“I-I took it, Shoko. I swear. I wouldn’t lie about it. I-I’m sorry, Shoko. I-I really—” You started to panic as all thoughts of how you let the people who helped you down barraged your mind. They’re going to leave you now, too. Shoko would give up on you, and Suguru, who has stayed with you and did everything he could for you, would finally break and leave too. “Calm down. Y/N, calm down.” Your vision keeps blurring and clearing up. It’s almost as if you were slowly losing consciousness, but your beating hard is fighting to keep you up. You did

“Breathe. I’m here, Y/N. I’m sorry I snapped, okay? We’ll take a test at my clinic. Calm down.” Shoko tried to talk to you as calmly as possible, but inside her head, she was already thinking about how all of this would affect you. She already knows that you’re thinking about how you’re probably taking all of them down with your issues again. Shoko might be pissed at how easily you gave in to Satoru, but she can’t really blame all of it on you. She can’t invalidate your feelings and emotions like that. Yes, it was wrong to be an accomplice in cheating, and you know that. She thinks it’s unnecessary to penalize you further for a mistake that you’re already punishing yourself for.

“Come on, can you stand up now? Let’s get you dressed.” She wrapped her arm around your waist to help you stand up, letting you grab her hand with your freezing ones. Shoko prayed that it was only a false alarm. She knows that stress and hormonal changes can mimic pregnancy symptoms, and there’s nothing more that he wants right now but for it to be just that. She thinks babies are great but to be honest, Shoko doesn’t think it’ll be easy for you to conceive safely in this state.

“I know I took it…” You whispered to yourself before letting Shoko help you change. Is this why you’ve been feeling sick every day? You thought it was just your body reacting to stress because you’ve never really worked before, never had to handle and think of papers, never had to come home late and exhausted from such unfun things. You thought the accident, your mistakes, and the pressure that you’ve been feeling ever since you decided that you’d want to properly talk to Satoru about completely cutting things off between the two of you are just too heavy for you to keep bottled and are just begging to be finally released.

Not once had it crossed your mind that you might be carrying a life inside you.

“He told me you accepted his date proposal once; what was that about?” Shoko still has her doubts that you really took plan B. Not only because she doesn’t trust you due to what happened between you and Satoru but also because she’s suspicious as to why you’d suddenly agree to meet and chat with Satoru when you already rejected him countless times. She’s wondering what it is that made you accept it.

“I thought it would be a good chance to have a proper talk with him about how serious I am with my decision to end everything between us.” You heard Shoko sigh at the statement. You know that it was stupid since Satoru is not really showing any signs of giving up. Shoko also told you that it’s not really needed since you already made it clear, and Kento said so too. You see, he caught you snarling at your phone when you excused yourself to take a call.

“Boyfriend problems?” He asked you as he tapped a pen on the short stack of papers in from of him. He was leaning back on his chair with his suit jacket off, and you can’t help but notice his arms with his rolled-up sleeves. You shook your head as you sat down, sighing exasperatedly while pushing your hair away from your forehead. You’ve constantly been losing your cool on Satoru nowadays, and you’re starting to ask yourself if you’re really starting to hate him for real this time.

“Ex-boyfriend.” You answered him, massaging your nape as you closed your eyes. You can’t believe that you can be easily fatigued now. You wondered if it’s a change in your body brought about by the accident. “Let me guess. He wants you back?” Kento leaned forward, taking off his glasses as he smirked at you. You bit your lip as you thought of a way to explain it better to him.

“He’s…trying to court me again. So yeah, like that but not directly or forcefully. He’s working for it.” You looked down at the papers on your desk, trying to process what you sounded like when you said that. You probably sound like you want him back. And Kento confirmed that by asking, “So, you wanna give him a chance?” You opened your mouth to respond, but no words came out, so you simply shook your head.

You already made up your mind that you’re not taking any of his advances anymore. You only agreed to meet last time because you want to officially close your door on Satoru. There’s no reason to be thinking or having any second thoughts now. This is for your own good. There was a moment of silence before you took a deep breath and cleared your throat. You sat up straighter on the chair.

“No. I don’t. That’s why I was upset when he called, right?” You told Kento confidently, and you almost got pissed at the small smile tugging at his lips. Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at his expression. He started stacking up the papers in front of you as he looked at you occasionally with a small, playful smile. This dude, you thought as you let your lips part, waiting for him to finish tapping the side of the papers on the table to tidy them up before clasping his hands in front of him.

“Then block him.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it took you back a bit because that’s one thing that you refused to do. It’s not like you find pleasure in all the attention that Satoru’s giving you all day, every day, but you just think that it’s difficult to do, especially when the man is doing nothing but tell you kind, sweet, and caring words. Well, that, and asking you out on a date every now and then, but still, you don’t want to be that type of person. You’d rather reply ‘no’ for as long as you can instead of making him look stupid. You don’t hate him enough to do that.

You hate what he did, but you cannot hate him.

“Nevermind. He’ll probably use another number to call you again.” Kento shook his head while you were thinking of a good response to his suggestion. He’s right, though. Even if you block Satoru, you’re sure he can always use another number to reach you. “It’s not that bad, really. Not the stalkerish type of thing.” You gulped, leaning back on the swivel chair. “I already told him ‘no.’ Our situation got really complicated, and he wants to make up for every fucking thing.” You gritted your teeth as frustration took over you, not realizing you just cursed in front of your trainer. “Sorry,” You whispered, and you only heard him chuckle, making you sigh in relief.

Kento is a really great company; he might seem like the ‘oh-so-serious’ type but not so much when you get to spend time with him. You understand why your Mom entrusted you under his care. He’s responsible and strict when it’s about work. He can easily get you into a mindset where all you see and care about is the job in front of you and how you have to get them done so, you could have a precious time of rest later on. Truly admirable.

“I kind of stood him up the last time he asked me out on a date. But only because I forgot.” You still feel bad about it. You didn’t mean to keep him waiting, and you definitely didn’t want to get him soaked by the rain. You feel terrible for not even offering to let him dry up in your apartment, but it’s for the best. You can’t afford to make the same mistake you made the last time you were alone together.

“So, you still agreed. Don’t give him false hope, Y/N.” Kento clicked his tongue, putting a hand behind his head as he leaned back. He’s such a hard-working person, and it’s very rare for you to see him so relaxed in the office. It was nice, and it calmed you because he felt like a new person to trust outside of your circle of friends with Satoru. “Don’t do that. Just say no.” He looked at you with kindness, offering nothing but guidance.

“I wanted to talk to him about something. Seal the deal, you know. Make it clear that it’s over.” You fiddled with your fingers as you thought of how you initially said the words out of frustration. When you got to think about it later that day, you wanted to take it back, but then it hit you that it could be a closure date instead. As if 'closure sex' isn’t enough. The voice inside your head whispered, and you clenched your teeth, breathing in and out through your nose. You’re still angry at yourself for letting it happen.

“Look, I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but you already made it clear with a no. Agreeing to a date with him just might lead him on, Y/N. And it's crueler than rejecting.” Kento sighed, shrugging as if unsure of the piece of advice he had given you. It made you wonder if he’s ever been in a similar situation before. You don’t really see any signs of him being in a relationship. Most of the time that he accepts a call, it’s from someone higher in the company. You don’t see him texting anyone either.

Tired of thinking, you just nodded and sighed heavily, pursing your lips as you stared at the unfinished papers in front of you. Maybe it’s really better to just say ‘No.’ Just reject his advances, thank him for the gifts but make it clear that whatever you and he had before is never happening again. You love Satoru, but thinking about how he recklessly left you in the cold makes you feel like locking yourself up at home and drowning yourself again. You can’t be like this forever.

“How many weeks has it been since something happened between the two of you?” Shoko took you out of your trance, handing you fresh garments from your bag to change into. There was a full-body mirror inside the bathroom, and you couldn’t help but stare at your stomach. There are no changes in it. But then again, it’s only been a month, and you’re not even sure if you’re pregnant yet. It’s not surprising for it not to show yet if it’s really the case.

“Four, I think.” You sniffled as you got dressed as quickly as possible while guarding yourself not to slip. Shoko was fixing her things, too, and you could tell that she was just as nervous as you. It made you feel scared because if you were really pregnant, what were you going to do? Will you tell Satoru about it? Suguru will think you lied to him about taking the pill, and that’s the last thing you want him to think of you.

“Don’t be scared.” You put on your shirt, blinking away your tears before they even start to pool in your eyes. “You said you took plan B. Don’t be so nervous.” She added, but you know that she’s just trying to calm you down. Both of you know that Plan B’s can fail, too, but you don’t want to think that it was what happened. You can’t afford to be crying now; you’re tired of this already. You have to be strong for yourself, and if what you and Shoko thinks is proven correct, then you also have to be strong for the baby. Your baby.

“Shoko,” You turned to her, letting her wrap her arms around you as you cried softly on her shoulders. You just can’t hold it in anymore, and you think it’s better to let it all out here rather than let everyone outside see. You’re not just afraid of what the results will be, but you’re also scared to lose these people who have been with you through it all. You’re afraid that they’ll finally give up on you. “It’ll be fine, Y/N. We’ll be with you.” Shoko wanted to scold you, but how could she when you’re already breaking down like this? She knows better than to leave you in the middle of it all.

“Let’s go, Y/N. It’s gonna be okay.” She wiped your tears and kissed your forehead before getting all her things and leading you out of the bathroom. She waved at Mei mei and the others, quickly making an excuse for your sudden leave, but of course, it won’t go unsuspicious to Suguru, who’s now making his way towards the two of you. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Satoru sitting up on the pool chair too. She can’t afford to have him know of it yet. It’s not even confirmed, he’d only want to go with you, and Shoko’s sure that it would cause tension and stress to you. She puts a protective arm around your waist as she waves at the group.

“What’s going on?” Suguru whispered when he reached the two of you. He knows you wouldn’t just suddenly leave because you want to go to a salon appointment with Shoko. It’s not impossible, but you were just having fun. Why would you suddenly leave? “Are you hurt anywhere?” He gently took your elbow, checking for anything wrong, but you were quick to shake your head, flashing him a smile.

“You can’t tell Satoru yet.” Shoko answered for you, and that’s when Suguru’s face changed, looking at your friend with concern before turning to Shoko, “We’re going to the clinic. Just follow us there. I’ll explain later.” Suguru can’t think of any matter at the moment that Satoru can’t know about. He’s basically out of your life now, so anything that concerns you is not within his scope anymore.

“The clinic? Are you sure you’re fine?” He turned to you, pulling you a bit to check again, but Shoko tapped his wrist, quickly not to get the attention of the others before slightly shaking her head at him. It left Suguru no choice but to nod. Your eyes landed on his Adam’s apple as it bobbed up and down when he swallowed. You refused to look up at him, still thinking of an explanation just in case Shoko’s assumptions were right. You don’t want him to think that you fooled him.

Saying your goodbyes to your friends for the last time before leaving, Suguru moved out of the way to let you and Shoko pass. Now he has to think of a way to get out of here without making it suspicious. He bit the inside of his cheek as he thought about letting a bit of time pass before getting ready to leave. He grabbed his bag and decided that a stick or two should be enough before he goes to the clinic.

“What happened to Y/N?” Satoru stood up beside him as he lit up a stick. Suguru knows that he’d ask questions, and of course, he knows that it’s about you. “Didn’t you hear what Shoko said? She’s got an appointment at the salon.” Suguru did his best to make it seem like it was really where they were going. It’s Shoko’s first sentence to him when he asks about what happened, so it’s obviously the most important.

“At this hour? It’s almost 5 pm.” He murmured, turning away from the smoke. “It closes at 9,” Suguru answered confidently, thanking the Gods that the location of his tattoo shop is near the salons. He’s definitely right about this one. Hearing Satoru says ‘Oh’ was a relief to him because he didn’t know what else he’d say to him if he asked questions further. Just a bit more. He thought to himself as he bounced his leg, impatient for a bit of time to pass.

—————————————————————–

“Fuck.” You stared looked at the three tests in front of you. All positive. “How could it be? I took plan B, Shoko. I swear.” You heard the door to Shoko’s clinic slam open, and you already knew that it was Suguru. There were heavy footsteps before he appeared in the doorway with a worried look on his face. His eyes darted to the three tests lined up on the table. His eyes darted to Shoko before you.

“This is what’s happening? What’s the result?” He breathed out heavily, walking towards you with large strides. He hugged you to his side before looking over to the tests. Shoko could swear that she could almost see the color fading away from his face. His eyes were blown wide as they looked at his friend. He heard you sniffle at his side, putting his bag on the floor beside the table. Of course, the tests are yours.

But why the fuck are they positive?

“I didn’t lie about the Plan B, Suguru. I swear I took it. I wouldn’t lie to you and Shoko.” You wept, putting your face in your hand with your elbows on your knees. Suguru crouched down beside you, eyeing Shoko, who was also looking accusingly at him. He knows that she will interrogate him about this later, but right now, he’s only worried about you. How are you going to handle this? Even if they were with you, it’s only natural for you to be scared of what’s going to happen.

“I know. Stop crying. It’ll be fine.” He wiped away your tears, attempting to soothe you even when he himself was panicking. He knows that you’d have to tell Satoru about this. It’d be unfair to hide it from him. “Suguru, I’ll talk to you.” He looked up at Shoko, who only offered you a small, comforting smile before walking out of the door, beckoning him to follow.

“Stop worrying. That’s not good for the baby.” He kissed your forehead before following Shoko, leaving you to stare at the tests. Suguru knows just what Shoko is going to ask him from the look that she gave him earlier. From all the time he spent with you, it’s expected that anyone would be suspicious. Shoko was present too, but he stayed with you more because his line of work isn’t as demanding as Shoko’s.

“Is it yours?” was the first thing Shoko asked him when he closed the door to the room that was separating him from them. Shoko was aware of Suguru’s real feelings for you and that’s why despite trusting him, she still wanted to ask him about it. “You know, It’d be better if you say yes. It would be an easier mess to fix. You know how fucked up things with Satoru are already.” She chuckled a bit, probably trying to make the situation lighter than it really is. She took a seat on one of the couches and crossed her arms, worry etched all over her face even as she tried to hide it by acting calm. Suguru could see where she was coming from. He knows that Satoru would want to keep it if it’s his; that’s one of your life goals with him. Something he ruined when he chose to run away with someone else.

“Did something happen between the two of you?” Shoko asked more directly this time, and it only made Suguru gulp which is obviously too audible because it made Shoko snap her head towards him, eyes wide and lips ajar. “Something really happened? While I was away? You guys…” She stood up from the chair, covering her mouth. Of course, it’s shocking. Both you and Suguru swore to everyone that you’re just friends. Which you are but…with more involvement. But you’re definitely not in a relationship. You were just drunk and he was tipsy. He doesn’t see a reason to not help you when you were begging that much and looking so ravishingly good too...

It started when he called you to ask what you were doing, wondering maybe the both of you could crash at Shoko’s place after a movie. You answered the phone and said that you were already drinking, so he rushed over, worried that you might not keep it in moderation again. It’s been a while since you drank, and he made sure to tell you that you shouldn’t do it when you’re alone. He knows how messed up one’s thoughts can be when they’re drunk.

“Join me. We’ll go to Shoko’s tomorrow.” You giggled as you walked toward your bed, a movie already playing on the large television mounted on the wall. It’s not good for a friend to think this way, but you’re literally free-balling it in front of him. He had to pull down his shirt as he threw his keys on the small chair to sit on the bench at the foot of your bed. You hand him a glass reaching over as your shirt hangs low on the neck, making him look away.

It’s not unusual for you to hang out like this. Shoko’s used to all of this, too, but right now, you only have one layer of clothing, and Suguru could tell that you’re already close to telling stories from when you were still living under the same roof as your mom. You’re more careless with your movements and probably even more so with your thoughts. He’s seen you drunk many, many times, but it’s different this time. He downs a whole glass whenever you do something that makes a part of his jump. He just drank his third one when you whined about a thread on the hem of your shirt bothering you.

“Suguru…” You slurred, cheeks flushed as you lay down on the bed in nothing but your oversized white shirt and tiny sleeping shorts that barely covered your ass. It’s not something Suguru would say to you, and it’s not something that a ‘friend’ should pay attention to, but how could he not when you’re looking at him with soft, gleaming eyes and glossy lips? Your hair is messy, yet it only makes you more inviting than you already do.

You’re fucking hot, and he can’t believe that he really risked it all and came over.

“Can you bite this?” Suguru gulped, keeping his eyes on the TV so as to not look at you. You’re making it harder for him. “What?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. If he stands up now, you’d definitely see what he’s been hiding. When he heard you whimpering, he finally turned around, seeing you with one of your legs stretched out and the other folded. The thread that you were mewling about is wrapped around your finger as you tried to pull on it.

“Alright, let me get a scissor.” He spoke, thanking the heavens that his brain was still working properly. He quickly got up to get one and came back just as fast but not before telling himself that he cannot let anything happen between the two of you, no matter what happens. No matter how painful it is. He took in a deep breath before entering the room again and sitting next to you and pulling the hem of your shirt to cut it, breath hitching when it exposed your lower stomach.

“By the way, when are you gonna tattoo me? I've been busy with work, so let’s schedule it on… weekends!” You put down the glass on top of your bedside drawer, pulling your shirt up further. “It should be here, right?” You pulled your shirt over your stomach and exposed the underside of your breast, tracing where the tattoo should be. Suguru could still remember the day Satoru ruined your tattoo session, and the events that came after only angered him more, so he just hummed and nodded.

“If only Satoru didn’t barge in that day.” You scoffed, pouting and turning to him and pulling him down to lay with you. Suguru quickly threw the scissors at the bedroom bench that he was sitting on earlier, letting you drag his body down with the light touch of your fingers tips on his shirt-covered chest. He pulled the blanket over his lower half, still wary of the growing tent on it every moment that passed. He closed his eyes shut, reminding himself what to do and what not to do.

“Say Suguru, would you have helped me if I was as frustrated now as I was back then?” You spoke in a soft voice, almost as if you were luring him into you. But Suguru’s sure that it was just how he always hears you. And that’s why he can’t say no to you. “Yeah, I’ll make you a warm bath to take away your frustrations.” You laughed at his answer, throwing your head back until they came down as giggles.

“You won’t help me deal with it?” You turned to him, speaking directly to his ear while he tried to keep his focus on the movie playing, albeit with a slightly blurry vision. He only hummed and cleared his throat, feeling you trace figures on his arms. You moaned lightly as you got up, ready to pour yourself another glass, but Suguru was quick to grab you by the waist, pulling you down on the bed.

“I knew you’d do that. I haven’t even drunk much. I’m just exhausted from work, you know.” It’s true; he could see that it’s still a bit more than half full. He’s drinking, too, so he wouldn’t say that you consumed all of that. But still, that’s more than enough than what he’d like you to drink. After not drinking for a while, he wondered if it was possible that your tolerance had lowered.

“Would you touch me if I ask politely?” Suguru was taken aback by your statement. Not once have you asked him something like that. “You’re drunk. Go to sleep.” He quickly answered, moving to grab the covers, but you lightly placed your foot on his arm, halting his movements as you adjusted yourself, not tearing your eyes away from him. You traced his tattoos with your toes, with your pointer finger on your lips, and Suguru could swear that he could feel every thought leaving his brain.

The skin of your thighs, how those shorts hug your hips and waist, and how your hardened peaks poked through the thin fabric of your shirt; he’s sure that you’re dead set on making him lose his mind or killing him with your eyes. He could hear his breath hitch when you lowered your foot, parted your legs, and invited him in. How could Satoru fucking trade this sight for anything else? He gritted his teeth, both anger and frustration making their way into his veins, and he gotta be careful not to fuck them out on you.

Suguru closed his eyes tightly, realizing the thoughts that just ran through his head. Yes, he likes you, but he’ll never admit that. You’d probably want to go back to Satoru someday. You’d probably make your way back to each other again, and that would break him; God, that would fucking kill him, but it’s been destroying him for five years now, so what’s stopping him from letting it obliterate his heart more?

A night would be enough, and he’d let you crush his heart by running to Satoru again.

“What do you want?” It felt like it wasn’t himself talking. His mind was hazy and he’s almost seeing double. He’s sure he’d have to sleep in another room because there’s no way he can drive in this state. You bit your lips at the lowness of his voice, feeling it send vibrations to your core. A whimper escaped your lips as Suguru positioned himself between them, not touching you. He sat far enough to watch you try to grind yourself on the bed, begging for friction as you arched your back, panting for his touch. There were small whines escaping your lips as you reached out to him, asking him to come closer with your sinful eyes.

“Touch me, Suguru. No one else would do it.” Your voice echoed inside his head, repeating the words. It sent his body moving closer to you, letting his forehead rest on yours as you cried out softly, feeling the bulge on his pants. It wasn’t long before he was claiming your lips, his tongue dancing with yours as you tugged on his hair, careful not to mess it up. Your other hand was gripping his shirt, obviously asking him to pull it off, which he gladly obliged, throwing it somewhere in the room. His hand found its way under your shirt, fondling the soft flesh of your breasts. He caught your breathy moans with his lips as he played with your buds before pulling away again.

“Just a touch,” He spoke, raising a pointing finger in front of you when you tried to go after him. It was more of like a reminder to himself than to you. That this is about you and not him. You lied back down on the bed, pulling another pillow under your head to make sure that you can see everything that he’s doing. He tried to ignore how your hips raised, aching for his touch as he watched you push your shirt up to expose your chest. You’re really not helping with the battle going on inside his head. You've made it seem like there’s no other way but forward.

His fingers danced on the skin of your thighs, climbing their way up to your heat. He traced on top of your mound, looking up at you for permission before proceeding to cup it in his large, warm hands. You rubbed yourself on it, rolling your hips which made Suguru furrow his brows as he restrained himself. He’s aware of your nature, but he’s never been left alone with it. Thinking about it now, he doesn’t know how he’ll manage if he was to have you to himself every night and day.

“Please, Sugu. Don’t tease.” You sobbed, looking up at him with glassy eyes. Suguru clenched his jaw before pushing the fabric aside, exposing your womanhood to him. He almost went insane at the sight. He ran a finger on your slit as if testing the waters and gathering your essence on his fingers before rubbing on your nub. Your breath hitched at the contact, relaxing your body as you closed your eyes. Gradually, he started to put more pressure on it, making your pants turn to whimpers and to moans.

“More, Suguru. Please.” You pushed the fabric more to the side, giving him more room to roam his fingers on. He traced your hole, making you whine as you pushed yourself more on his hand. He pushed one digit inside, slowly before curling it, making you cry out loud. It was music to his ears. He wonders how angelic you would sound if he wasn’t only using his fingers. He’d probably hear it even in his dreams. His head is spinning and he doesn’t know if it’s because of the alcohol or if it’s because of you; both are intoxicating.

‘How fucking stupid are you, Satoru?’ He thought as he panted slightly, thinking about how his friend has all of you but still chose to turn away. He growled lowly as his finger in and out of you, eyes flickering between your heat and your face while relishing in your cries of pleasure and the sound of his name rolling off your tongue. Oh, how he wishes to hear it every night. He wondered if this was all he’ll ever be. ‘A helpful friend.’ You have no idea what he’ll do for you. What he wouldn’t give to make you love him as much as you love his jerk of a friend. But right now, he’s just thankful that you’re not screaming out Satoru’s name. He’d understand if you would, but he’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t.

Adding another finger in as his thumb applied pressure on your pearl made your eyes roll back as you gripped the sheets underneath you. What a sight. He wished that he could capture it, but it wasn’t his. It stings, but the way you clamp around his fingers is soothing the pain. The way you release yourself for him as you reach your high, chanting his name like a prayer, and the way that your arched your back and rolled your hips are taking away the throbbing ache in his chest.

This is enough for him; how you reached out your hand as he pulled away was enough for him.

“Your turn,” You smiled up at him with tears of joy, wetting your lashes as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He shook his head and pushed the hair out of your face. “No, you go to sleep. I’ll take care of myself, Y/N.” He kissed your lips once more, savoring the taste, fearing that this might be the last time that he could ever feel it against his. He ignored your whines of protests as he pecked your forehead before fixing your clothes and pulling the covers over your body.

Not long after, sleep took over you. You looked so beautiful, but he had to leave. Before you pull him in any further, he has to leave. He has to stay like this for now. He can’t love you when you’re obviously still in love with someone else, and the both of you know that. To be perfectly honest, Suguru’s firm on not sleeping with you. Satoru’s still his best friend and is currently pursuing you. Even if you’re rejecting him, it’s still not right for Suguru to step in between.

To feel something towards you is one thing but to act on it to satiate himself is another.

“You touched her? When was that? And you were drunk. How sure are you that nothing happened after? God, you two.” Shoko tapped her feet on the tiled floor as she bombarded him with questions. Suguru was sure that nothing happened because the next day, you even apologized to him about it. Now that he thinks about it was that sudden need caused by the pregnancy? You’ve never initiated something like that before, but you were also never drunk around him before that. He doesn’t know if it’s the hormonal changes or just plain alcohol that made you do that.

“I can’t remember exactly when, but I think it’s a bit after she told me about what happened with Satoru. And I’m positive that nothing more happened after that. You know I wouldn’t do it, Shoko.” Suguru sighed, prancing around. He knows that you didn’t sleep with anyone either. You won’t hide something like that from them if you think someone else could be the possible father.

“You two never told me about that.” Shoko looked at him pointedly, offended that it was never shared with her. “Why would we do that?” Suguru rolled his eyes at her, running a hand on top of his hair. “She needs to go for a check-up if she was already pregnant at that time. She drank.” He’s genuinely worried about the child’s well-being. He doesn’t know what you plan on doing with it, but he knows that he would love it.

“The risks are low since she’s just in the first semester, not even 9 weeks in, but yeah, just to be sure. “ Shoko sighed before standing up. “Plan B’s can fail, right?” He asked as they made their way back to the room where you were in. “Yeah, it can. Since morning-after pills are intended to delay ovulation, they are ineffective during this time. Plan B will already have failed if ovulation is already taking place. That’s most likely what happened.” Shoko explained, but all Suguru needed was that yes. It was dead silent, and Shoko didn’t know if she should be thankful that you were not crying anymore or scared because they didn’t really know what you were thinking about. You were staring calmly at the tests with a protective hand over your stomach.

“What’s on your mind?” She asked as she stood behind you, gently massaging your shoulders to soothe whatever worry it is that you might be feeling. “I gotta call Satoru.” You whispered as you turned around, wrapping your arms around Shoko’s waist as she rubbed your arms up and down. That just confirmed that you never had intercourse with any other man than him. She knows that you’re still scared, but she’s thankful that you know what to do. Initially, she thought that you might want to hide it from him. She’s proud that you’re not thinking of it. Even if Satoru was a jerk, he’s still the father.

“I didn’t sleep with anyone else, so it couldn’t be anyone else.” You whispered as you pulled away, looking over at Suguru, who was already staring at you with soft eyes. “He was worried before I left. He can sense that something was wrong.” He nodded at you, watching you grab your bag to look for your phone. Suguru could tell that you were planning on keeping it, but to be honest, he doesn’t know if it’s the best idea. All they could do was support you whichever way you want to go, as long as it’s good for you.

“I texted him to go to my apartment.” You put the phone back in your bag with a sigh, closing your eyes for a moment just to let your brain absorb a little bit more of the situation in front of you. “Let me drive you home.” Suguru sighed, also grabbing his things which he dropped earlier. He’s unsure whether it’s okay to leave you alone with Satoru, but this is a matter that you have to settle together. He just has to stay alert and watch his phone just in case something wrong happens.

“You don’t want us to come with you?” Shoko leaned back on the table as she thought about how Satoru might take the news. She knows that he wants you. But what about the baby? He better man up for this since he’s the main reason why it happened. It wouldn’t have been such a problem if he didn’t betray you. It wouldn’t have been a problem if he didn’t break your heart for something he was not even sure about.

“Yeah, it’s fine.“ You gave Shoko a small smile just to put her mind at ease. Thanking her, you and Suguru left for your apartment. There was a comfortable silence as you leaned your head back on the seat, closing your eyes while you thought of a way to break the news to the father of your child. You and Satoru talked about kids before, and he’s not opposed to the idea. But the situation is different now, and you don’t know if his words would stand the same.

“God," Suguru sighed as he pulled up in front of your apartment building. , turning to you before placing a hand on your stomach. You leaned your head on the car window, looking at his hand, “There’s really something growing in here.” He said it like he’s still in disbelief. You are too but you can’t lose your mind, not when it’s not just you anymore. You spotted Satoru's car parked across it, and the nervousness that you weren't feeling earlier suddenly made its presence known, spreading from your chest down to your fingertips.

The warmth from Suguru's hand as he took yours calmed down the cold, fading just as your flesh was about to shake. "Just call if something wrong happens, alright?" He placed a kiss on your knuckles as you sighed deeply, nodding slowly and catching his eyes on the rare view mirror. The adrenaline was making your blood thicker than it already was, and you wanted to just get this over with to figure out what your next step should be.

You stepped out of the car, waving him goodbye before turning to walk inside the building. Now that Suguru isn’t there to tranquilize your nerves anymore, you found it hard to even press your floor number on the cold buttons of the elevator. Satoru’s already here, and his car outside confirmed it, probably pacing back and forth in front of your door from the curiosity as to why you suddenly called him here when you’ve done nothing but avoid him these past few weeks.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” He asked you, rushing to you the moment he saw your figure walking down the hallway. The way he checked on your body, almost turning you around to see if you were injured anywhere, made your heart squeeze. There was a slight pang in your chest at how gentle his hold felt around your wrist, in contrast to how he carelessly shook your shoulders back then. You wondered if he completely forgot that he loved you during those moments. Was the difference between you and Rie so apparent that when he saw her hurt, his first thoughts were how insecure you must be?

Remembering everything, you quickly stepped away from him, tears easily pooling in your eyes but quickly blinking them away at the thought of the purpose of calling him here. You’re here to inform him, not to fix things with him. So. all those memories are unneeded. You don’t have to know the answers to those pointless questions.

“Let’s go inside, then we’ll talk.” Your voice sounded hoarse, your throat was dry, and your tongue felt numb. You see Satoru nod as he steps away, letting you open your door. Stepping inside, he inhaled the familiar scent of your cologne. Everything in this apartment screams at you. And only here will he ever feel at home. There’s nowhere in the world that can feel as homely as your apartment. Not even his house, not unless you’re there.

You put your bag down on the couch before you sat beside it. He sat across you, watching your every movement as you rummaged inside it. Taking a deep breath, you looked up at him. He started to feel the seriousness of the situation. You placed the three sticks in front of him. Not just any sticks, pregnancy tests, and instantly, Satoru already knew what you were going to say. He already knows why you called him here, and he doesn’t know if he’s happy that you’re having a baby or terrified because he doesn’t know if it’s his or not and if you called him here to officially ask him to stop trying to get you back. If someone else got you pregnant, he wouldn’t know what to do. He’d probably kill himself thinking of what could’ve been if he didn’t fuck things up.

“It’s yours.” Satoru’s eyes widened as he stared at you, watching you avoid his gaze as you looked down, hugging yourself. “What do you…what do you want to do with it?” You asked him reluctantly. If he said that he doesn’t want it, you wouldn’t know if you’ll be able to do it. But looking up and seeing his teary eyes proved you wrong.

“Of course, I’d want you to keep it, Y/N. That’s my baby. But if you can’t…” He paused, thinking about how it happened and how unprepared you were for it. He’s scared that you might want to abort it. He won’t lie, the baby was an accident, but that doesn’t mean that he will see it that way. Even if people turn the world upside down, it’s yours and his. At the same time, he doesn’t want you to have a hard time accepting it. He doesn’t want you to feel like you have to be with him just for it. He’d be present as long and as much as you want him to be.

He won’t take away your freedom of loving someone else even if it kills him.

“It’s mine. What makes you think I’ll get rid of it?” You snapped at him, glaring as your hand instinctively went to touch your still flat stomach. It made him feel warm for some reason, thinking about how the growing life inside you was connected to him and how you wanted to protect it. Satoru sighed, running both of his hands down his face as he stood up, reluctant to sit next to you but not when he saw you starting to cry.

“Hey, hey. Look, I’m sorry, okay? This is my fault. I’m sorry for putting you through a tough spot like this again, Y/N.” He pulled you to him, thankful that you didn’t push him away this time, letting yourself fall into his embrace as you cried on his chest. He could feel your hands tremble as you gripped his shirt, and it sent a tight feeling to his chest as he thought of how hard it must be for you. You want to keep it because it’s yours too, but you probably hate that it has to be his. The thought sent a sharp ache to Satoru’s body. It comes in waves each time you sob, and he could almost feel it physically.

“I’m scared, Satoru.” You wept, gripping his clothes tighter as you let him pull you to his lap. “Don’t be. I’ll be here to support you through this, but I won’t force you to be with me if you don’t want to.” Satoru’s voice lowered at the end. It was a hard thing to say, but if that’s what you need, then he’d do it. Even if that means watching you with someone else. Even if it means being an outsider in your life except for the string that this baby connects the two of you with. After everything that he made you go through, it’s only natural for you to not want to trust him again. He’ll give his life to gain it back, but he won’t force you to do it.

After a few minutes of sobbing, whining, and punching his chest, you finally calmed down. But only because you fell asleep. Your face buried in the crook of his neck as you breathed slowly made Satoru feel like a feather was tickling his chest. He longed for moments like this with you again, and now that he has it, he could only wish that it’d last longer just so he could embed the feeling in his mind.

He took you to bed, carefully laying you down before taking in your sleeping form. Your cheeks look rounder. You obviously got healthier when you’re not stressed over him and his stupid mistakes. He wondered if work was treating you well or more like whether your mother was treating you well. She’s got a habit of using things to get you to do what she wants because ever since you were a teenager, they already had a hard time making you do as they say. She can be harsh towards you, and Satoru’s heard enough of it to feel some hostility towards her.

Now that’s another problem the both of you have to face; to tell your mother about this.

He didn’t get the chance to ask you if he could stay the night, so he’ll just come back early morning tomorrow. He figured that he should ask Shoko for some doctors she recommended so he knew who to make an appointment with for check-ups. And then after that, you’ll talk about how to tell your mom. It’s really not good timing, especially now that you’re starting to work for her company. Something she’s been pestering you to do ever since you got out of college.

Satoru leaned down to give you a peck on the forehead just before he left, letting his hand caress your stomach as if saying good night to his little one too. He doesn’t know if your decisions will change, but he wants to be there for you, whatever it is.

—————————————————————–

After that night, Satoru always came around at your house, and you could not really push him away anymore. You just don’t feel the need to, and each week that passes, you get angrier and angrier at him. Not always, but he just pisses you off a lot more nowadays. Even Suguru wasn’t spared, and only Shoko is the most welcome in your home. You went for a check-up with Satoru on your 6th week and were relieved to find out that the alcohol intake did not affect the baby at all.

The doctor said that it was too early and that the baby was not even feeding through you yet that time. The baby feeds through the placenta, and it takes about 9 to 12 weeks for it to form completely, which means that during the time that you were drinking, the fetus was not consuming nutrients from you yet. You felt a tremendous amount of relief when you heard that it was safe. The doctor warned you to never drink again, and you don’t plan to.

Today marked your 9th week of pregnancy. You haven’t told your mom yet, and to be honest, you don’t want to tell her, but she’d notice. You sat on the swivel chair in front of Kento, who was typing away on his laptop. You were scrolling through social media when it slipped out of your mouth. It’s not like you’re hiding it from him, but you figured that it’d be safer if no one in the office knew.

“Aversions at 6 weeks? I think I got mine at 5.” You whispered as you scrolled past another video about pregnancy. You were wearing earphones, not realizing what you were saying until you noticed Kento staring at you. You honestly didn’t think that he’d hear it. You raised your brows at him, pretending to be nonchalant. Like you don’t know what he’s staring at you for, but he just kept looking at you until you removed your earphones.

“You’re pregnant?” He asked you as if it wasn’t a big deal. You quickly shushed him, glancing at the locked door, “My mom doesn’t know yet.” You explained to him, and he only nodded at you. Very slowly. And in an instant, you were scowling at him. “Are you judging me? I know who the father is.” You narrowed your eyes at him, and he raised his hand defensively, chuckling, probably aware of the mood swings.

“Is it the guy with tattoos who visited the other day?” He was referring to Suguru when he brought you some donuts. “I told you, he’s my friend.” You snarled at Kento again, who’s now leaning on his elbows. It was still early morning, and his paperwork hadn’t stacked up yet, thus giving time for a chat. “Doesn’t mean it cannot happen with him.” He said, and you only nodded, realizing he’s got the point, but that’s not the case for you. “Yeah, but no. Not him.”

There was a knock at the door, and you quickly stood up, knowing who it was. You put your phone down on the table, raising a hand at Kento to tell him to wait for a second. You opened the door, revealing Satoru with a bag with boxes of sliced apples and cheese in it. The moment you woke up, you told him to bring some for you at work, and here he is.

His eyes darted around the room until they landed on Kento, giving him a smile and a nod. This was the first time you asked him to bring you food at work. He visited a couple of times, too, but it’s usually just to check on you or to bring you something to get on your ‘good side.’ Some people at the office know him and thought that he was just trying to make up with you, but the story of how it all happened never really got out. Well…you don’t really know because people are nosy, and they probably have your whole love story memorized but won’t make it obvious that they do.

They won’t say anything about it because they’re afraid of your mom.

“Thank you.” You took the bags from him, looking inside and smiling a bit as your mouth watered at the sight. “Call me if you want something else, okay?” You hummed at him before turning your back, waving goodbye. You heard the door shut after a couple of seconds, and only then did Kento let out a knowing ‘Ah.’ You gave him a funny look, determined to not tell him about it yet, but he shook his head before continuing to type on his laptop.

“He’s the father.” You admitted, arranging the strip of cheese on top of the sliced apple before taking a bite of him. You didn’t think that food could taste this good. You used to believe that pregnant people were just exaggerating their cravings, but now that you’re starting to experience them, you can understand why they cry for pineapples, tomatoes, and peanut butter. It’s such a weird change, but it makes you happy that you can give the life inside you what it needs.

You wondered if you’ll be able to give it a complete family too. You’re still not taking Satoru back, and he’s not bugging you about it either.

For some reason, ever since you found out about your pregnancy, you started to see the fetus as the most important thing of all. Your worries, fears, and trauma seem to dissipate away whenever you remember that you have something to protect and take care of. It doesn’t change the fact that it was formed because of what happened between you and Satoru, but it would be unfair if you’re going to make it suffer that too. Your pregnancy is unplanned, but you will never ever make this child feel unwanted.

“I figured.” Kento nodded, not prying any further into your business which you are incredibly grateful for. Right now, you don’t want to think about anything that has happened in the past months. You’ll tell your mom about it, just not now.

—————————————————————–

“Here,” Satoru put the plate in front of you, still apples and cheese. It’s been a week, and that’s still all that you ever want to eat. You’re 10 weeks now, nearing the end of the first trimester, and you agreed with Satoru that you will finally tell your mom about it. You argued about it ‘til late last night, which ended in him having to calm you down, rubbing your back and buttocks until you fell asleep, and he did too. Only to wake up angry at him again. It was simple, you wanted to tell your mom, and he said as long as you’re comfortable, and you took it as him not caring enough. It’s silly when you think about it, but it still makes you angry.

“Come over tonight. I miss you. Shoko too.” You spoke on the phone, taking a bite of the apple and cheese that your ex prepared for you. You heard him huff at your request to Suguru, but you’re too busy to give him attention about it. “I’ll call Shoko, but it’s a weekday, and I doubt she’ll agree. I’ll be coming over, though.” He answered from the other line, probably getting ready to go to his shop too.

“Mhm, let’s watch a movie. We’re telling Mom today, I’m petrified. But Dad will be there.” Your Dad always made it better for you whenever you had to spend time with your Mom. You don’t understand why he still hasn’t divorced her after everything, but you figured maybe that’s just how it works. Your Dad puts up with everything that your Mom says and does because he simply loves her.

“It will be fine. Satoru’s going with you, right?” You looked over at Satoru, who’s only placing his mug on the table, hearing it clink on the glass before speaking for you. “Of course. Why? You wanna take my place there?” You glared at him, watching him take a sip of the hot coffee. He’s wearing one of the tank tops and pants that he left here that one night he stayed over. You kept asking him to take it home, but he refused, claiming that he’s gonna need it, and it really did happen. You’re still going to make him take it back, though.

“I’m sorry about that.” You heard Suguru chuckle on the other line, cursing Satoru under his breath. “He’s just jealous. I’ll see you later. Y/N.” You hummed before pressing end and turning to your ex, who’s happily munching on his sandwich as if this is house. He looked at you, his movements slowing down as he took in the agitated look on your face. He had to clear his throat and think of another topic just so a fight wouldn’t start again. It reminded Satoru of how you two were when you were just starting; everything is a call for a debate, and that debate turns into fights.

“Y-you didn’t tell me Rie works for your mom.” Your muscles tensed up at the mere mention of her name. Satoru really knows just what to say, and right now, he hit Bull's eye. He knows it because you turned to him again, now with a harsher glare and a pained look in your eyes. “So, you ran into her? And didn’t tell me?” You put your food down, rolling your eyes as you thought of every possible thing that could’ve happened in that interaction.

“It’s not like that. She was just walking in as I was exiting the building. We didn’t even talk.” He explained quickly, moving a chair closer and bracing himself for whatever outburst you have in store for him. It’s either you cry, or you kick him out of your apartment in nothing but a tank top and sweat pants. “We can even ask the guard about it if you want.” He really can’t afford to get you in your feelings right now. But you were quiet, still chewing on the food in your mouth. He didn’t know if it would come, but when the first drop of tear fell from his eyes, he panicked.

“It’s fine, though. I don’t care.” You sobbed, voice cracking as you wiped away the stray tear from your eyes with the back of your hands, “It’s not like we’re anything. And it’s not like I’m taking you back. You’re just with me here because of the baby.” You sniffled, trying to keep a tough facade despite how small you sound, “You can always go back to her, you know? It’s not like I’m forcing you to take responsibility for this. I messed up too.” Now Satoru knows that this is not just about pregnancy hormones anymore.

“You know that’s not true. I was actively pursuing you, Y/N. I broke up—” He started, but you already stood up, whimpering as you stomp your feet, “You broke up with her because you feel bad for me.” You wept, voicing out your real concerns as you tried to close the door, but his hand was already stopping it. You know Rie could get him back if she wanted to. She’s beautiful, she’s kind, and she cares for Satoru really well. Unlike you, who still have to take care of yourself.

That’s why it was so easy for him to leave you.

“Stop it, Y/N. I’m sorry. I really am. But it’s nothing like that. I swear. ” He opened the door wider, careful not to hurt you with it before stepping inside and holding your wrists gently. “Come on, now. Don’t cry. It’s bad for the baby.” You swatted his hand away, but he already caged you in his arms, sitting on the bed as you once again cried to him, spilling out your heart's deepest secrets.

Everything that he needed to hear to realize how deep the wound he had given you was. How bad it had affected you and how bad it scarred you. He doubts that you even realize that you were saying everything out loud, but he’s heard them. He’s heard them, and there’s nothing he could do but whisper sorry to you. There’s nothing he could do but listen to all types of pain that he made you feel.

Maybe you’ll never really take him back, but he could promise you that he’s surrendering himself to you.

Hours have passed, and you both fell asleep again. It was past noon when you woke up to Kento’s calls. Satoru’s arms were around you as you noticed the tear stains on his top. Have you cried that much? You don’t want to think about it anymore. You tried to wake him up and tell him to leave, but you remembered that you were supposed to meet your Mom and tell her about the pregnancy.

“I’m starting to not want to tell her…” You murmured on the phone as you felt Satoru shift behind you. You don’t think the conversation with your mom will go well, considering the type of person she is. You guessed it’d be better if you could just tell her when the baby’s already here, but that’s kind of impossible because you work for her.

“Tell her now. It won’t be any prettier if she finds out from someone else. It won’t come from me, but you know how people are, Y/N. It’s not something you can easily hide.” You sighed in defeat as you hummed. You don’t know how he always says the right things and make the correct choices when he hasn’t even been in the situation himself.

“Alright, thanks. I’ll see you if it goes well, I guess?” You rubbed your eyes, turning your head to the open balcony, the sun isn’t out, and it looks like it’s about to rain. It’s a perfect day to stay in bed, but you don’t wanna lie down next to this man. His eyes twitched as he slowly opened them, hand searching for you in the open space beside him only to find you sitting on the corner of the bed. His eyes softened when they caught yours.

“Get ready, now. Let’s meet them.” You said curtly, standing up to go to the bathroom, not bothering to wait for his answer. He could only watch your back as you walked away without giving him a second glance. He wondered what things would be like when you finally decide to be with someone else and only see him as the father of your kid and nothing more. He felt helpless like you were continuously slipping away from his grasp no matter how tight he held on to you.

You moved around each other in that big room. No words spoken, no conversations, nothing. It’s only you and Satoru’s gentle pecks on the skin of your neck as you try to fix your dress in front of the mirror. You tried to pull his hand away, but it was tight yet gentle around you. His hand occasionally brushes against your tummy.

“Daddy’s sorry,” He whispered behind your ear, sniffing your cologne. “Daddy’s sorry for everything.” You scoffed as you used force to take his arms off around you. It’s not that you’re intentionally being mean, but you don’t want to hear it anymore. You don’t want to feel soft for him because he sounds like he’s offering the world to your feet every time he speaks. You’re not giving in to this.

You remained silent during the whole car ride, save from the small hums to his questions. You didn’t really try to communicate. His hand rested on your knees as he talked to you about buying baby stuff when you enter the second trimester of your pregnancy. You thought it was too early, but he was eager to do it, even planning what color he’d paint the baby’s room and what kind of stuff he’d put in there. He’s enthusiastic even if the baby was a surprise to all of you.

You’ve never felt this nervous when walking inside this building before. Now you can’t help but clutch your hand behind your back as you give a tight-lipped smile and greeting to everyone. Satoru was following closely behind you. The door to your mom’s office looked so big that you felt like it could eat you alive. You said to yourself that the moment you open this door, there’s no turning back anymore. And it was true because right now, your mom looks like she’s ready to disown you any minute.

“What did you say?” She looked at you from the frames of her glasses. You can see your father sit up straight with a slight glare on Satoru as you let the words come out of your mouth. “I’m…I’m pregnant, Mom.” You looked down, hearing the wheels of the chair that your mom was sitting on the roll on the tiled floor. The sound was annoying. It made you want to grit your teeth until they felt like they were burning.

You slowly looked up at her, not prepared for the slap that landed on your face. Just as quickly, Satoru was holding you, shielding you with his body as he glared back at your Mom. None of you saw it coming. You expected that she’d slap you, but you didn’t think that it’d be strong enough to make you stagger a bit. You saw your Dad holding your Mom back as she glowered at you.

“All this time, I was thinking you got better when all you did was whore around.” She snarled at you, pointing a finger at your shaking figure. “Please, don’t talk to her like that. She’s still your daughter.” Satoru defended, placing a protective arm around your trembling form. Tears were already falling down your face, and you were clutching the sleeves of his coat.

“She’s my daughter. I talk to her however I want. And really? Y/N? With your ex? How stupid can you be?!” You cried to Satoru’s chest, closing your eyes tight and praying that this would all just end soon. “You’ll abort it.” The statement from your mom made you stand up straight, shaking your head, “No.” It scared you because your mom always has her ways to get what she wants and get things done. You were not an exception to it.

“No, Mom. Please, I’ll do anything.” You pleaded, struggling to get closer just to beg your mother to take her decision back. Satoru didn’t understand just how intimidated you are by your Mother up until now. You used to fight back against her back then, but now that you have something to protect, you’re completely powerless.

“There’s nothing you can do. Abort it. Or you won’t get a single penny from us. I’ll throw you down with the regulars.“

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firefirefruit · 6 months

Text

Steel in Her Veins, Chapter: Three

Table of Contents | Next Chapter

Characters: Fem!Reader x Roronoa Zoro

Chapter Three: The Golden Medallion

“No. Absolutely not,” you respond angrily, feeling the fire lurching up in your throat.

“Why not?” Luffy pouts deeply. Although his physical body is laying idle a few metres away, his face is hanging uncomfortably close to yours - the only explainable reason being that his neck’s so stretched out that it’s formed into the shape of a bamboo pole.

You childishly frown and point at the guy standing beside the remains of Luffy.

“I don’t want to work for the Bull-Boy,” you say.

“Who’re you calling Bull-Boy?” Bull-Boy snaps.

“Our cook is really good, and we go on cool adventures and stuff,” Luffy pushes on with a very underwhelming attempt at persuasion. You want to laugh out loud – it feels like he’s trying to coax you into his crew as if you’re some stray cat – but as much effort as it takes, you remain completely stoic.

Chopper is handled in Luffy’s vice-like grip like a helpless doll, who is then shoved in your nose; the wide-eyed reindeer looks at you in stupefaction.

“Look - our doctor’s cute.”

“She accepts your offer, Luffy-boy,” Gramps calmly says. You snap your head at him with a terrifying, bone-chilling glare on your face.

“That is not your decision to make,” you hiss angrily, fingertips growing warmer by the second.

“You’ve been getting your way since you were eight. So, now I’m deciding.”

“Have you gone insane by any chance?” You bark out as flames lick the strands surrounding your face. Has he forgotten how dangerous both of your lives are? As far as anyone knows, merely existing – breathing - shouldn’t be happening for the either of you two in this very moment.

With a loud Twang! and Snap! Luffy’s head recoils back to his body in an alarmingly fast momentum, his rubber neck slinging back like hitting a homerun. It seems like it’s now Gramps’ turn to be ambushed.

“Really? Are you sure, pops?” The captain bounces, beaming in Gramps’ face, in which Gramps boyishly beams back, completely undeterred by the rubber boy.

“Absolutely.”

“Cool! When can Swords join?”

“Hmm, she needs to repair the Marimo’s swords so…” Gramps taps a knobbly finger to his chin, looking incredibly nonchalant in thought. “Is a week’s time good for you?”

You cannot believe this. A pirate and an old man you’ve known since you were born are discussing your arrangements as if you’re a child moving between divorced parents.

“A week? That’s pretty long, pops. How about a day?”

A loud guffaw rings in the air. “Absolutely not. Blades require time.”

Luffy makes a dissatisfied noise in his throat, making the marimo shoot him a glare.

“Oi, Luffy. I’m staying here until my blades are done.”

“Stop talking to each other as if I’m not here!” You exclaim frustratedly. “I’m not joining, I’m not doing it.”

“Luffy, don’t you think you’re going too far?” Nami steps beside you, her forehead creasing. She glances at the flames rolling around your fingers like serpentine coils.

Luffy pouts at her in confusion. “But I wanna be friends with Swords…”

“Why?” Bull-boy scoffs.

That’s it. You’ve had enough.

“Listen - I appreciate the offer, but I decline,” you announce as calmly as you’re able to. You turn to everyone in the room, eyeing them all with your usual hard-headedness and meaning. “That’s my last say.”

Luffy silently stares at you, looking baffled as to why you don’t want to join him on his adventures so badly. You quickly look away from his questioning gaze, trying your best not to reveal anything across your face.

You walk towards the hardened metallic puddle on the floor and crouch.

“What my old man said was wrong - frankly, I can’t fix your swords, Marimo. Even before they were liquefied, you presented me with scrap metal and not swords. Much to his opinion…”

You stare at your Gramps from a distance, not only frustrated with his foolish shenanigans, but of the permanent glint that lives in his eyes. He’s not underestimating your skills, no. He’s testing you. He wants to see whether you’re going to give out the right prognosis for these blades. It makes you want to roll your eyes knowing that he does this with every client who comes to your shop since you were about fifteen.

“…Fixing some swords would take me three days. Remaking them, though, will take a week.”

The swordsman unfolds his arms. “You can’t remake any of them. They’re all—"

“Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, Enma…” You list off the swords that…used to be in his possession. “We own all the initial blueprints to your blades.”

“What? How?”

Of course, he has a point - no other swordsmith would even dream of having these legendary blueprints laying so casually in their keep. But if you explain how and why and who and where, then your whole cover would be blown.

Being a Kozuki isn’t just for show. You've met multiple disciples and predecessors of different legendary swordsmiths thanks to the privilege of your name. You have worked alongside them, learned from them, been gifted with their precious scripts once they decided that you were worthy of them.

The Enma blade comes from your clan, of course. Your uncle, Kozuki Oden - this is – or was - his sword, so why is it in this green-head’s hands now?The Sandai Kitetsu, too – wasn’t that your own gramps’ sword once upon a time?

And then… the Wado Ichimonji. Pain spreads across your chest when you think of that sword – more specifically, of the previous wielder to it.

When Bull-Boy first arrived in your shop and you began to sense the type and make of these three swords, it completely took you off guard. Imagine a random guy showing up with two of your family heirlooms, and one who used to be your dear friend’s, in his possession, completely broken and disregarded in their sheaths.

You knew your Gramps could sense the make of those swords, too – he was the one who taught you most of what you now know. So why was it that when he was walking alongside him, he was completely relaxed? Not only relaxed, but elated and laughing? It didn’t make sense to you – to you, this guy is a thief. An uncaring thief who isn’t aware of the heavy histories that lay within those blades. It makes you furious thinking back on it.

“Come back in seven days and you’ll see for yourself,” you manage to muster out.

“I don’t get it.”

Oh, God. Is he really that dense?

“We. Make. Swords. Come. Back…Seven.” You shove seven fingers in his face. “Seven days.” Maybe acting it out with your hands will stick better in his empty head.

Bull-head kisses his teeth vexedly. “What is it with you two and the weird words?”

Gramps giggles pleasantly, waving his hand. “She learns from the best.”

Silence.

“You two are related?” Both Luffy and the Bull question.

“Have you been checked out for the whole of this conversation or what?” Chopper exclaims heatedly, climbing over them to smack both on the head.

“Honestly…” Nami says, disapprovingly glaring at them.

Shoving down all the feelings and desires of wanting to form companionship with these strangers, you turn your back and walk to the back door.

“Our shop’s closed,” you simply say, ashamed of the fact that you’re being so closed off. They won’t listen if you act otherwise, you think. It must be done.

Suddenly, a pair of hooves patter in a rush towards you and you feel your shirt being lightly tugged. You look down.

Chopper looks at you imploringly, and utter warmth washes into your heart.

“Is it still okay if we come back tomorrow with Franky?” He mumbles anxiously.

Unable to fight against your feelings anymore, a small smile brushes across your lips as you take in the sight of the doe-eyed doctor.

“We would be very grateful, Chopper.”

He blushes before giving you a strong nod, seeming relieved with your response.

With everyone else remaining silent, you finally take that as your queue to escape from the overwhelming parade of people in the room; all you want to do is to be completely absorbed in your work and to mourn over what could have been.

Later in the evening, as your unexpected guests take their leave after their lively hang-out with popular Gramps, you hear the door to the workshop turn and click shut.

The small domes of light resting on your walls warm up your home like fireflies humming alive, harmoniously buzzing and merging with the sound of your electric tools. The comforting sound of your Gramps’ footsteps close in on your small studio like clockwork, and you’re secretly glad that you’re able to hear them outside of your room once again.

Knock. Knock.

You keep staring at the torn letters that you’re attempting to preserve, your palms gingerly brushing across them like fragile artefacts.

“Come in,” you mumble, adjusting the neck of the warm light on your desk.

The door creaks to an open. There’s a silence as Gramps stands there for a few seconds before he shuffles towards you.

It’s quiet between you and your Gramps when he takes the old bench besides you – once upon a time, that used to be his mentoring seat when he examined the quality of your work. It creaks against his weight, and he grumbles out a little from the struggle.

He searches for your eyes, a kind smile on his lips, but yours are permanently glued to the work in your hands. You desperately try to avoid his attention on you.

“Raya…” Gramps gently says, putting a strong hand on your shoulder. “Let’s talk.”

“Sure. What’s up?” You try to ask as casually as possible regardless of the anxiety that’s dangerously bubbling up in your chest.

His warm hand moves away from your shoulder to place them over your hands, lightly lowering the letters away from your face. You lock eyes with your grandpa, slightly frowning.

“Can I ask you a question?” He cocks his head slightly.

“Okay.”

Gramps looks at you with curiosity in his eyes, his lips pursed tightly.

“What are you scared of?”

You pause, taken aback by this line of questioning. “What?”

“Your fear is palpable. Anyone with eyes can sense it,” he says, glancing over at the cracked medallion resting in the little groove of your desk. The family crest glints sharply across its surface, etched deeply into its golden skin. “This is what you wanted.”

“I wanted to learn and work on my craft – not to become some hot shot back home, and definitely not to join a pirate crew,” you correct while watching your Gramps reach out for the medallion.

The medallion spins heavily within his crafty hands as he observes the damage underneath the glow of your desk light. “Can you pass me the solder?”

You grab the coil of gold alloy from an open drawer, placing it in his open palm.

“I don’t want you to relish so much over what I’m about to tell you, but I think it’s time.”

Your ears perk up immediately whilst your hot red finger lays against the uncoiled wire, acting as a makeshift soldering iron. As gramps sets the wire across the coin, your finger melts it into a pool of gold, slowly flooding through the wide gaps across its surface.

“You have nothing more to learn, Raya,” he says matter-of-factly. “Your education with me is ending today.”

You swallow hard, completely speechless.

“What?”

He looks up from the medallion and stares at you straight in your eyes. “Do you remember how difficult it was to convince the clan to let you go of your leadership duties?”

You laugh out a little, nodding your head. “I had to steal some of your glue back in your workshop and glue my hands on an anvil. They didn’t know what to do.”

“They saw the same fire in your eyes that Kotetsu had eons ago - apparently, you two seem to be like two sides of the same blade. It shocked them so much that they had to change your path right then and there, to let you grow into your natural form, to become one hell of a legendary swordsmith…

“I remember having that discussion with the higher ups. It’s not like they’d refuse a former Shonen, but I wanted to make things clear that I was leaving. With you. Because if you and I stayed, we would’ve been found by the wrong people—”

“And we’d be dead,” you answer automatically. “I know.”

He nods with a smile on his face, heating up more of the gold alloy with your finger. “From then on, I taught, I lectured, I was – at times – cruel...”

He’s not wrong about that. A vivid memory of Gramps throwing away your half-made blades every time you would make even the tiniest little mistake flashes in your head.

“I taught you to fight and defend yourself with your very own weapons, to ingrain into you the importance of the objects that you bring into the world. I tried to make you stronger, to let you work on the thing that you have always loved the most. I tried to always make you into a better swordsmith than you were yesterday. And I hope I was somewhat helpful in that regard.”

“Of course,” you mumble quietly, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for your grandfather.

“You were my granddaughter as you were my apprentice...but now…” Although he’s trying his best to hide his face away, you manage to notice a few tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. “But now, you’re one of the best swordsmiths our clan has been honoured with. Dare I say, I think you're almost on par with Kotetsu.”

The breath you’re holding gets thickly lodged in your throat and you thoughtlessly pull your finger away, staring helplessly at your old man. Gramps turns to face you, forcing his tears to stay in his eyes a little while longer as he slaps his palm onto yours.

Pulling his hand away, the golden medallion of your clan glows as good as new in your hand.

“No one else in the world can teach you now, Raya - except for experience. And you need to see the world for that, Raya. You need to live.”

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ladykailitha · 1 year

Text

Oh For a Muse of Fire! Part 12

Thank you so much for the love this story has been getting. I love every comment and tag. You guys are the best!!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

“They want us to record a demo?” Jeff asked for the hundredth time since the agent had talked to them.

They were in the garage they used for practice the next day. They still were on the high of suddenly having an agent. Something that they certainly wouldn’t have had without The Queen’s Crown.

“Holy shit!” Gareth said, his voice high from the excitement. “They want us to record a demo.”

“Hell yeah, they do!” Eddie said clapping a poor stunned Brian on the shoulder.

They sat in stunned silence for a couple of minutes.

“This doesn’t mean we’ve made it,” Brian said softly, barely above a whisper.

“No,” Eddie agreed. “But making a demo to shop around to all the labels is a hell of lot closer than we were two weeks ago.”

Gareth let out a shuddering breath. “I thought that song would do it for us, you know. That it would put us on the map.”

“Hey,” Jeff said. “It still might. We just have to knock the recording out of the ballpark too.”

“Think of it as a campaign,” Eddie suggested. “You found the magical item, now you just got to get to the final boss. There’ll be other adventures along the way, but we’ll get there.”

They all nodded.

Steve was set to start his painting. Eddie was strewn out on a bed of red satin, his hair a halo around his head, his body beautifully stretched. Steve yearned.

He yearned to press his lips on the indent of Eddie’s collar bone. To taste the line where hip met leg. To run his fingers through those dark locks. To bring a flush to those pale cheeks.

Steve bit down on his lip. He couldn’t fuck this up. Not like what he did last year. He had to paint the whole thing. His face, his thighs, his cock. Steve couldn’t cover anything up or place anything in the frame that cover any part of Eddie.

Everything else? Was completely up to interpretation. He could Lucifer fallen from heaven (if you wanted to torture yourself with painting wings). He could be fair Lysander asleep from Puck’s flower. He could be from any myth, legend or story.

Steve had chosen Eros asleep when Psyche comes to him the first time. Because if there was anyone who fit the god of desire and love, it was Eddie.

He got to work on sketching Eddie’s outline. Choosing the scene carefully. And then when he was home he would work on painting the bed, using an old catalogue as reference for the four poster bed he wanted.

Every time Joyce walked by when he was painting Eddie, she would nod her approval and walk on.

“Fuck, Chrissy!” Eddie cried, burying his face into the throw pillows on her sofa. “The way he looks at me makes it very hard not to get aroused. And I cannot get aroused. I’ve tried thinking of horror movies, cataloguing my band t-shirts in order of when I got them, or even Jeff in a tutu!”

She patted his head gently. “Is this beer, ice cream, or Chinese food freak out?”

Eddie raised his head thoughtfully. “Chinese food.”

Chrissy nodded and went to go make their order. She squeezed onto the sofa between his head and the armrest. She began threading her fingers gently through his hair.

“Do you think he’s doing it on purpose? Like to fuck with you?” she asked softly. “Or you think he has the hots for you so bad it’s leaking out all over the place?”

Eddie slowly sat up next to her and put his head on her shoulder. “I want to believe it’s the latter. But we really haven’t done much except grab the occasional coffee. We text and call all the time, but I don’t know what means.”

“Have you told him you’ve had a crush on him for awhile?” Chrissy asked. Her and Pearl spent most of their shifts together complaining about how their best friends were morons that kept making googly eyes at each other.

“No...” Eddie said with a sigh, dragging his hands over face. “Because of the nude thing.”

“What’s up with the nude thing that prevents you from going after what you want?” She shifted on the sofa to prop her head up on her fist, her elbow on the back of the sofa.

“It’s already hard enough keeping everything down,” he gestured vaguely below his waist, “but add actually knowing what he tastes like, knowing what his skin feels like under my hands, my lips, my tongue? It would take all of two fucking seconds of him looking at me with those bedroom eyes and I’d be harder than that god damn concrete floor.”

Chrissy giggled. “Yeah, I could see how that would be a problem. That’s the best part about being a woman, when we get aroused, it’s a lot harder to tell.”

Eddie scoffed. “Which also makes it the worst part about being a woman because then it means the other person is fucking clueless.”

“Mostly guys,” she agreed.

“Are you glad you’re a lesbian?” he teased, going into tickle her sides.

She squealed with laughter and batted him aside. “Knock that off.”

Just then the doorbell rang. “That’s our food. Saved by the bell.”

Chrissy hopped up to get the food and paid. She set their food on the coffee table and began going through the boxes.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Eddie said. “I could have at least covered the tip.”

Chrissy laughed. “Babe, you’re working part time as model and getting paid by the gig. Save your money. I get paid $15 an hour plus tips. Believe me when I say, I’ve got this.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’m glad the Queen’s Crown is working out for you, sweetie. You seem so much happier since you’ve started working there.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “And Diamond is thinking of hiring a third bartender things are going so well. It used to be that they only needed the one on week days and two on Fridays and Saturdays, which is when Diamond would step in and help. But with how well Garnet and I get on, we have more people coming in on the week days and we’re getting better tips, too. So Diamond wants to bring in a third so that Garnet leaves we’ll still have two at the bar.”

“Wow,” Eddie said. “I’ve been stuck in the same place for so long...” he spread out his hands, “I forgot what freedom was. We’ve been in the studio recording the last couple of weeks working on our demo to be shopped around.” He sighed heavily. “I’ve writing every moment I can. Hell, most of my best lyrics come from me just lying there for three hours. Well...the ones that don’t have Steve in them, anyway.”

Chrissy laughed. “Oh, I’m sure the lyrics that come from those classes are way to risque for radio.”

Eddie blushed and shoved hair in front of his face. “Shit, Chris. I don’t know.”

She ate her food thoughtfully watching Eddie push his food around. She nudged his shoulder with hers. “So what’s the real problem?” He looked up at her confusion. “I know you. There is something else that’s bothering you, love. You’re wound up so tight.”

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know.” He set his food down and clasped his hands together, looking down at his feet.

She bumped him again. “You just talked about the freedom to write music, to get the chance to really do something with your life. But I don’t see it in your features, babe.”

“What happens to Steve if I do get a record deal and have to start touring?” he muttered mournfully. “What happens if we’re more than friends when we leave? I just feel torn apart. Having to chose between the life I’ve always dreamed, and my man of my dreams. I don’t know if I would chose touring with the guys if it came down it.” He threw his arms around her. “I would chose Steve every time and that scares me.”

“Oh.” She set her own food on the floor and wrapped her arms him. “Oh, sweetie. That’s why you have to talk to him. Because it sounds to me like those questions have answers only he can give.”

Eddie let out a sob. “What if the answer is that he doesn’t want to try because he doesn’t want to be left behind?”

She kissed the top of his head. “How would you be leaving him behind? Just because he stays in one place while you tour, doesn’t mean you’ve left him behind. It just means you’ve given yourself a home to come back to.”

Eddie looked up at her in awe. “Oh.” He snuggled in close. “You’re the best friend an idiot could ask for.”

She poked his side until he squirmed. “You’re not an idiot, Eddie. Anymore than you were an asshole about Steve. You can only work with the knowledge you have. And yeah, maybe some of your choices were pretty fucked up, you were able to move past it and become friends.”

Eddie let out a shuddering breath. And then another. “I love you, Chrissy.”

“I know, sweetie,” Chrissy murmured, kissing the top of his head.

“You wanted to know who Garnet is,” Jonathan snapped. “So that’s why we’re here.”

Nancy sighed. “Doesn’t this go against the bar’s rules or whatever?”

Jonathan threw his arms in the air. “I don’t care at this point. They all know who I am and I know who they are. Because shit happens outside of work sometimes and it gets revealed.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “I’ll just go to the bar tonight like Onyx suggested.”

Jonathan furrowed his brow. “No. Absolutely not. Because if you do, you’ll get upset and if you get upset, you’ll make a scene and if you make a scene Diamond will ban you.”

It was Nancy’s turn to throw her arms in the air. “Can’t you just tell me who it is?”

“Because you wouldn’t believe him,” a warm, gentle voice said behind her.

She whirled around and gasped. “Steve!”

Steve smiled sadly. “Hey, Nance.”

She looked back and forth between Jonathan and Steve in shock. “He’s Garnet?”

Both men nodded.

“Pure coincidence,” Jonathan said. “I had been working at the bar for a year when we needed a new bartender. Steve came in with Robin and they were both hired.”

Nancy’s eyebrows shot up. “Robin works there too?”

“Yup!” Steve said with a smile. The smile slowly slid from his face. “Look. I know me turning out to be gay was hard on you. Especially with how it all came out. But just remember, I didn’t come out because I wanted to, it was because I forced to.”

Nancy buried her head in her hands, she looked up at him, anger sparking in her eyes. “If you hadn’t tried to be a hero...”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you say that it would have been better for a girl to be raped and not realize I’m gay over what I did,” Steve snarled.

She opened her mouth to refute him but no sound would come out.

“I’m sorry it ruined your life, Nancy,” Steve said. “But it wasn’t just your life that was ruined. Do you know long it took for me me to walk down the street without people whispering behind their fingers? How long it took to be able to look at myself in the mirror because of the scars around my neck? I’m sorry I’m the reason you can’t trust Jonathan, but fucking hell Nancy, you aren’t as big as the victim you are making yourself out to be.”

Jonathan touched her elbow. “I didn’t know you felt this way. You need to talk to someone, Nance. That was some pretty messed up shit I just heard.”

Her lip began to quiver. “I didn’t mean that. I swear I didn’t. Because you’re right, that was so mess up.” She let out a shuddering breath. “The newspaper has someone...I’ll give him a call.”

Steve reached out and held open his arms to her. Nancy wavered a moment, looking to Jonathan. He nodded and she ran for Steve’s arms. He wrapped her up in a fierce hug.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” she whispered. “I’ve just been so angry for so long.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You’ve got a good boyfriend there, Nance. Take advantage of that, okay?”

Nancy nodded. “Okay.”

He gave her a brief squeeze and let her go. “I’ve got to get to class. But you take care of yourself, you hear?”

She smiled and let Jonathan lead her away.

Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Epilogue

Tag List: @artiststarme @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @itsall-taken @m-owo-n @zerokrox-blog @runyousillydetective @grimmfitzz @wonderland-girl143-blog @sapphirecobalt-1 @scheodingers-muppet @victor-thee-corvid @apricottree @bookbinderbitch @sleepyboosstuff @biatcgh @pixiefallingupthestairs @grtwdsmwhr @thepainisspicy @carlyv @eboyawstenn @bisexualdisastersworld @bidisastersworld @abstractnaturaldisaster @evix-syne666 @nerdsconquerall @lololol-1234 @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @a-little-unsteddie @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @elluminis @tailsfromthecrypt @danili666 @plyerice27 @alittlegreyfish @n0-1-important @no-upper-limit-to-stupidity @maya-custodios-dionach @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @heaven428 @thedragonsaunt @ceaselessly-watching @imfinereallyy

#My writing #stranger things #steddie #art school au #gay steve harrington #bisexual eddie munson #ladykailtiha writes

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stray-kaz · 1 year

Text

Out of Bounds : a Jake Seresin x reader FF : I

Summary: Jake comes across something he can never pass up: a prize he’s been told he cannot win.

A/N: I did not plan on having this be longer than a oneshot, but the idea got more fleshed out as I thought it over, so it’s likely to be three to five chapters long instead.

Please let me know what you think so far!

Warning: A smidge of saucy language.

“Who’s the pretty little thing over there with Bob?” Jake asked Natasha, drinking you in from afar.

She raised her perfect dark eyebrows at him and shook her head.

“Nuh uh, Bagman, no way. She is majorly out of your jurisdiction.”

Jake looked away from you to stare at Natasha instead, taken aback.

“Why?” he demanded. “Is she his girlfriend? If you say she is, I’m not going to believe you.”

Natasha shook her head again and patted him with faux sympathy on the shoulder.

“Worse, much worse for you, sky cowboy. She’s his little sister.”

Bob clocked the direction of Jake’s burning gaze and moved to physically block his view, but you had already noticed.

“Who’s the golden boy keeping an eye on me?” you asked, intrigued.

“That’s Jake” your brother answered grudgingly. “He’s one of the best pilots here.”

“Huh” you muttered. “Men like him don’t usually look twice at me. Interesting.”

Bob scoffed.

“No” he started to argue. “Not interesting. Count yourself lucky men like him don’t usually look twice at you. Stay away from him.”

You raised your eyebrows at him.

“Man, you must really hate him to warn me off. You’ve never done that before.”

Bob sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, sliding his glasses down a bit.

“I don’t hate him” he said, almost growling. “I’ve never had to warn you off before because no one ever turned your head.”

You smiled warmly and kissed Bob’s cheek, patting his shoulder lightly.

“Big brother, my head has been turned once or twice, you just never saw it.”

He groaned and slung an arm over your shoulders, knocking his head gently against yours.

“I still don’t need to see it, little sister. Eyes up and hands off the golden boy.”

You started to head off in the exact direction Bob didn’t want you to go, and he reached out to snatch at your wrist, loosely caging it with his fingers.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Just to say hi to Phoenix” you replied, and pulled free.

Natasha looked up at your approach and cast a quick glance at Jake, who was eyeing you as you stepped closer and closer. Finally, you reached them and hugged Natasha, propping your chin on her shoulder to meet Jake’s gaze.

“So, my brother has warned me off you” you said, arching your eyebrows at him. “Anyone know why that is?”

Natasha snorted and stepped back, briefly squeezing your hands.

“Well, for one, we call him Bagman because he always leaves us high and dry” she told you, grinning up at the man in question.

You watched Jake closely, his green eyes narrowing on you when your gaze didn’t drop, his perfect spun gold hair threatening to fall over his forehead but not quite managing.

“Well, I’d say he leaves a woman or two high, but I doubt he’s ever left one dry” you murmured wryly.

Natasha choked and Jake’s eyes widened in surprise before a well practiced smirk curled the corners of his mouth.

“Well, I sure didn’t expect that attitude from Bob’s sister” he told you, something lighting behind his eyes. “I thought you’d be quiet, like him.”

“Oh, I am, but not when it counts” you replied, flushing under his stare.

“Is that so? You can get loud, darlin’?” Jake pressed on, drawing out the teasing.

Natasha covered her ears with her hands and walked away, pulling a face. She could see Bob watching you and Jake flirting, his jaw set sharply and his eyebrows drawn together in a furious frown. She stopped in front of him with her arms folded.

“I feel for you, I really do” she said somberly.

Bob blinked at her, puzzled.

“What?” he asked, a little blank.

“There’s no stopping that runaway train, my friend. Hangman is gonna reel that girl in like a fish and he is never gonna throw her back” she answered.

Bob sighed heavily and nodded.

“I was worried about that” he muttered. “What is he saying to her?”

Natasha glanced back over at where you and Jake were standing, and winced. He had stepped closer to you, his hands in his pockets, leaning in towards you slightly. Your arms were crossed over your chest, but your head was tipped back and your hips were slanted toward Jake.

She looked back at Bob.

“They are having a conversation with their body language and you don’t want to hear it.”

He groaned and turned his back, walked away a half dozen feet, and then changed direction, stormed over to stand so close to Jake they were almost touching. Your eyes widened as you stared up at your big brother, and Jake turned to meet Bob’s gaze head on with the barest flinch.

“Can I help you?” he asked pointedly.

Bob nodded abruptly and jabbed a finger in your direction.

“If you hurt her, they’ll never find your body” he promised, and left them standing there in shock.

No pressure tag : @withahappyrefrain

#jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman x reader #tgm fic #liss writes

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i--luv--you · 2 months

Text

Type A.

Question: "A redox reaction involving the oxidising agent Cr2O7 2− (aq) to oxidise ethanol, CH3CH2OH. The following half-equations represent what happened but are incomplete: Cr2O7 2− (aq) → Cr3+ (aq) CH3CH2OH(l) → CH3COOH(l)"

"Write out the complete equation under acidic conditions. (1 MARK)"

Chapter six: It's time to get wasted!!

“Why do we even have to do this.” Oliver groans, letting Ari blow on her nails. “I mean. Can’t we just stay home. And like. Watch a movie. I don’t wanna see that ginger fuck.” She mumbles looking annoyed.

“Stop moving so much, you’ll smudge it.”

“Sorry ma’am.”

“Atta girl.”

“Can you guys please try to stop eye fucking each other for one night.” Yui groans.

“That’s homophobic of you Yui. Just say you hate gay people.” Ari mumbles, getting off Alexis’s bed and walking to her mirror. “It’s ok. We’ll accept you for who you are.”

“I won’t.” Oliver mumbles, flopping on the bed, careful not to ruin her nails.

Yui huffs, “I’m not even homophobic but sure.” She grumbles.

Alexis pulls open the door and smiles, “Give us a moment Kaveh." Alexis smiles, slightly closing the door.

"What is that traitor doing here." Ari huffs, crossing her arms.

"Oh come on Ari. You and Kaveh have known eachother since you were kids! Why are you so mad at him now?"

"He took our girlfriend from us." Ari says plainly and Oliver nods.

"An unforgivable crime."

"Well ignoring that. He's gonna be coming with us. As my date."

Ari and Oliver gasp, Yui sniggers, turning away to focus on her hair.

"Your date!? But we're your date!!"

"Ari. I have a boyfriend now. Of course he's going to be my date."

"I cannot believe you."

"I'm sorry girls but what is done is done." Alexis frowns and Ari huffs.

“Whatever, Yui come help with my hair.” Ari calls the girl over and she walks over, pushing Ari to sit down as she begins to brush her hair.

Kaveh quietly steps into his girlfriend’s room and smiles. “What are you all wearing to this lovely and hopefully very normal occasion?”

“Well, we’re going to go with something formal on the very small chance that the ginger has a ballroom. But we thought about it five minutes later and decided it was stupid.” Yui says, using her fingers to untangle the largest knots in Ari’s hair. “You’ve got dandruff Ari.”

“Just announce it to the whole world why don’t you.” She mumbles.

“Sorry...” Yui smiles, looking sheepish. “But yea, so we’re just thinking of just chucking together a few things each of are bringing.” Yui says and Oliver pushes herself into a sitting position.

“You know. I heard Scaramouche is going.”

Yui freezes, the slightest tinge of red on her cheeks. “What?”

“Oh yea…” Ari grins. “He’ll definitely be there.”

“How can you be so sure.” Yui whispers.

“I mean. Listen. Scaramouche is Childe’s best friend. They’re literally like. The school’s most known duo.” Ari grins, picking at the skin on the side of her nail bed.

“Wait I thought that was a rumour. I mean. Childe is seen hanging out with everyone. And Scaramouche is a certified loner.” Alexis says, letting Kaveh put on her nails.

“Well yea. But like. They are! I know they are!” Ari persists.

“How can you be so sure.” Kaveh says, looking up to meet his friend’s eyes.

Ari splutters and turns away, making Yui laugh. “Oh, come on you guys know Ari used to have the FATTEST crush on him.”

“That was before I found out he was a royal asshole.” Ari huffs. “And if we’re pointing fingers, Alexis used to have a crush on Oliver’s man.”

“He’s not my man!”

“Not yet.” Ari mumbles.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Whatever.” Oliver says, standing up, “Alexis help me get ready, will you?”

“Sure, gimmie a minute let Kaveh put on my nails first. Can we lay down some ground rules please?”

“That’s a good idea.” Yui nods and Ari shrugs.

“Sure, why not.”

“Great. Rule one. Don’t fight Kaveh.”

“I like that rule.” Kaveh nods.

“I don’t.” Ari glares.

“You and Kaveh may have consented to enter a romantic relationship, but we didn’t.” Oliver frowns, yelping when Ari tugs on her hair.

“Black or purple?”

“Uh… I dunno.”

“I think rule two should be, if I get drunk and end up sleeping with Childe, you should kill me.”

“That’s a good rule.” Ari nods.

“Thank you I came up with it myself.”

“No-one is killing anyone.” Alexis sighs.

“Oh, rule three should be, if we all end up separated, we should have a meet up spot somewhere where we meet up at a particular time to go home. Just in case someone’s phone is off or flat.” Yui says and Kaveh nods.

“That’s good. And if anyone is leaving with someone else, they should probably tell someone.” He adds, smiling when Alexis steps out in her outfit. “You look amazing my darling.” He whispers, ignoring the way Ari and Oliver make fake gagging noises.

“Ok is everyone ready to go?” Alexis smiles and the group nod, grabbing their things.

“Let me get that for you sir.” Ari grins, grabbing Oliver’s things.

“I’m going to ignore that.” Kaveh mumbles.

“Let’s get wasted!!” Ari grins, pumping her fist in the air.

“Safely!” Kaveh whispers.

“That was bad.” Ari mumbles.

“You broke his nose! Yea it was bad!” Kaveh exclaims, looking horrified as he meets Ari’s eyes in the car mirror.

“Watch it pretty boy or you’re next.” Ari glares. “Don’t test me.”

“I’m just surprised you hit him.” Yui says and Ari groans.

“He was pissing me off! What was I supposed to do!?”

“Leave?? Go find someone else to hang out with? Not punch him!” Alexis says, turning round in the car to meet Ari’s eyes.

“There go my chances to win the bet.” Kaveh mumbles. “Shit!” He gasps, hitting the breaks.

“I wanna go home…” Oliver whispers.

“Wait what bet.” Ari glares as Kaveh pulls into the driveway.

“Don’t worry 'bout it”

Answer: "Complete: 2Cr2O7 2−(aq) + 3CH3CH2OH(l) + 16H+ (aq) → 4Cr3+(aq) + 3C H3COOH(l) + 11H2O(l)"

Taglist: @kunix, @xlivr, @alekav, @too-queer-for-school, @mimixso,

@littlebluejayy

#aribedo <3 #other selfships <3 #kavexis <3 #olijax <3 #aribedo #the chemical forumula for your love

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jbuffyangel · 4 months

Text

Best Friends: Arrow 1x19 Review (Unfinished Business)

“Unfinished Business” takes a hard look at Oliver’s friendships with Tommy and Diggle, as one relationship crumbles and the other finds stronger footing – after a few missteps.

Prepare yourselves. I might write about the flashbacks this week because Shado provided an information download which was sorely needed.

Let’s dig in…

Oliver and Tommy

Oliver revealed his true identity to Tommy three episodes ago and it feels like their friendship has been a bomb waiting to explode ever since. A girl who partied at Verdant dies from a Vertigo overdose, which puts Quentin hot on Tommy’s trail and Oliver hot on The Count’s. This poor girl sadly is the catalyst for the explosion between Tommy and Oliver we’ve been waiting for.

The “evidence” that convinces Quentin Tommy is dealing Vertigo isn’t exactly irrefutable. The girl texted Tommy before she died, which Tommy easily explains because he receives texts from hundreds of people every night trying to get into the club. Her request for a “hook up” is not for Vertigo as Quentin believes.

The second piece of evidence raises the eyebrows, but Tommy has an explanation – albeit a shady one. There is ten thousand dollars missing from Verdant’s operating budget. Quentin believes Tommy used it to buy Vertigo, but he used it to bribe the zoning commissioner into skipping their inspection. Bribery isn’t great, but it’s a far lesser crime than dealing a deadly drug. L*urel could drive a truck through all that room for reasonable doubt.

This episode is another Merlance highpoint. L*urel believed in Tommy one hundred percent and he called her baby. Just leave me to my grave to die a happy woman.

After Tommy refuses Quentin entry into Verdant without a warrant, the detective comes back with one and it leads to a heart stopping moment. He wants to specifically look at the sub level not listed on the inspection’s floor plans. Ever the dutiful detective, Lance pulled the county records and knows it exists.

In my mind, I know this is not the way Oliver’s vigilante hideaway is getting discovered, but the panic in Oliver’s eyes always sends me to Stressville USA. Especially when he types the code!!! He’s shooting those panicked looks at Tommy who is as cool as a cucumber.

Quentin enters the The Hood's bunker and there’s no bunker! How Tommy moved all that equipment and replaced it with bottles of booze I will never understand. We simply have to believe in the magic of television y’all. Tommy is not going to rat Oliver out and he quite literally saves his ass.

Something Oliver should have known, but his lack of faith in Tommy is evident. It’s something Tommy cannot tolerate, not after everything that’s happened between them. He cannot believe Oliver thought he was dealing drugs out of the club.

Oliver doesn’t understand why Tommy wasn’t honest about the bribe. Oliver loses me right off the bat. Team Tommy all the way. Let’s list out the things you have not told Tommy, Oliver and we’ll see who has the longer list. YOU HID YOUR SECRET SUPERHERO LAIR IN THE CLUB YOU OPENED WITH TOMMY AND NEVER TOLD HIM ABOUT IT. A bribe is chump change in comparison to that lie.

Tommy: Let me ask you a question, pal. What have I done in the last six months since you’ve been home that would lead you to believe that I would sell drugs?

Oliver: In the last six months? Nothing. But before I left you played hard. You played with bad people who were into bad stuff.

Tommy: So, did you Oliver. But I changed just like you did. Now you put arrows in people who do bad things.

Oliver gets owned in this argument, because Tommy is right. He refuses to see that Tommy has truly changed, but still expects Tommy to understand he has.

Source: @htbthomas

Oliver’s changes are a tougher pill to swallow. Tommy cannot understand how Oliver can kill people so easily and, quite frankly, wasn’t one hundred percent sure he wouldn’t end up with an arrow in him if he told Oliver about the bribe.

Is this insane for Tommy to be wondering? No, I don’t think so. We know Oliver doesn’t kill easily. We know he’s fighting a nightly war and there is a steep cost to this mission.

However, Oliver has not opened up to Tommy about what happened the five years he was away and he’s not Mr. Joe Here’s What I’m Thinking about being The Hood today. Killing is something Tommy cannot understand, but Oliver expects him to accept it with little to no explanation. Then he has the nerve not to trust Tommy? Seriously?

Source: @htbthomas

What Tommy thinks of him is a verbal gut punch to Oliver, but he deserved it. Unfortunately, this fight is not one Oliver can fix with a simple apology. Tommy has reached his limit and who can blame him.

Tommy: This club is important to me, but to you it’s just a front. You want me to keep your secret, help you be this thing you’ve become, but you refuse to see me for what I’ve become. I’ve got just a bit too much self-respect for that. I quit.

BOOM. YASSS MY SON!!! Way to stand up for yourself Thomas. I was so proud of him telling Oliver where to stick it.

Tommy: I’d prefer we skip the I-told-you-so’s, but the nightclub wasn’t really working out. I guess I need something more boring, stable… I guess what I’m saying is - I need a job.

TOMMY WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!! WORST. DECISION. EVER.

Tommy is back in the arms of the Big Bad Malcom Merlyn. For one brief shining moment, Tommy stood tall on the moral high ground, but not five seconds later comes plummeting back down to work with the sludge of the earth.

Source: @fogsblue

Tommy has every right to be pissed at Oliver, but his father is not the answer. That man is a hellscape. Whatever positive changes Tommy has made he is in real danger of a serious backslide. Now that Tommy is on the outs with Oliver, Merlyn can lead his son right to his very own villain origin story. And Tommy may lose sight of who he really is.

Oliver and Diggle (Felicity)

Oliver is firing on all cylinders tonight with his bros. After accusing his best friend of being a drug dealer, Oliver pitches a hissy fit over Diggle not being available the second he’s needed.

John is distracted because he’s consumed with avenging his brother’s death and killing Deadshot. While Oliver was trying to stop a hostage situation with a man high on Vertigo, Diggle was handing over information on Deadshot to a friend from ARGUS.

Hello Lyla! This is her very first Arrow appearance. These two had more chemistry in this single scene than any scene with Diggle and Carly. I don’t know what obsession this show has about siblings dating the same people, but it’s enough already. I have to deal with this crap on The Vampire Diaries.

Oliver is furious Diggle ignored Felicity’s phone call. John hilariously tells Oliver not to get his panties in a twist. He’s completely fine. Oliver pretty much puts his hands on his hips and says, “You couldn’t have known that!” They sound like an old married couple.

John is a little put out Oliver is not more understanding. He thought Oliver would understand his vendetta against Deadshot, since Oliver is walking around with a whole damn list of names from his father! But that’s right. It’s a mission. Not a vendetta. Where’s Helena? We need her around if we’re debating this again.

Diggle chooses to be more specific and reminds Oliver The Count almost killed Thea, so his fervor over getting this drug and criminal off the streets may be a little personal too. Oliver says nothing because it’s true.

Diggle: I can’t move on with my life knowing that he’s still out there. I thought if anybody got that it’d be you.

Oliver doesn’t say anything here either because that’s true too. #TeamDiggle.

Felicity and Oliver discover there’s a new antipsychotic drug added to Vertigo, which makes Oliver believe The Count didn’t break out of the asylum like he thought. Maybe he faked his escape like he faked the crazy.

Close, but no. The Count really is three paper plates short of a picnic. It’s his DOCTOR and a very burly orderly who are manufacturing Vertigo. Honestly, I did not see that one coming.

It’s a Vertigo episode, so Oliver is getting drugged, but this time Diggle does show up to save him. He takes out the horse sized orderly, and Oliver kills the doctor with three arrows. It’s not often The Hood requires more than one to get the job done, but his vision was a bit wonky, so he used three just to be on the safe side.

Both the orderly and the doctor had to die because they knew Oliver Queen was The Hood. Those are the rules. The interesting choice Oliver made was not to kill the Count, who is babbling like a toddler on a telephone.

Arrow uses this moment to draw a very important distinction between Diggle and Tommy. After the boys return home, Oliver wants to know if Diggle is ok. He’s the killer in this family, not John.

Diggle: I’ve killed before Oliver. It’s just been a while.

There is no judgment from either man. It’s just quiet acknowledgement that killing is necessary sometimes. But that doesn’t make it easy.

Tommy’s anger towards Oliver makes him blind to his humanity. Oliver is not a psychopath. He does not kill for the enjoyment of it. He is doing what is necessary to save the city from some really bad people. Tommy takes it too far believing killing is easy for Oliver. He’s furious Oliver doesn’t see the change in him, but the truth is Tommy doesn’t see the change in Oliver either.

This is something Oliver never had to explain to Diggle. John does see the change in Oliver. He stood by quietly as Oliver grappled with killing The Count. Diggle didn’t make any speeches. He simply left space for Oliver to make that decision on his own.

If Oliver chose to kill The Count, John would’ve understood that choice as well. He wouldn’t call him a murderer. John encourages Oliver to make different choices, but he also meets Oliver where he’s at. Maybe Oliver would open up more to Tommy if he offered less judgment like John Diggle.

Diggle is curious why Oliver didn’t kill The Count and he tells him the truth. There just didn’t seem to be a point with the Count chained up and lost to madness.

There are two things Oliver is not saying. He was convinced earlier in the episode that he made the wrong decision allowing The Count to live and was just a teensy bit mad.

Source: @lucyyh

But he couldn’t fire the arrow in the end.

Felicity’s gentle reassurance that locking The Count up was the right call hit her intended mark. If killing is truly a last resort, then Oliver has to utilize other methods of dealing with criminals. Oliver has shown more restraint ever since Felicity joined the team. He hasn’t stopped killing, but he does listen to her.

Source: @lucyyh

The second is Oliver believes killing an unarmed man in that condition would be wrong – like stabbing someone in the back. He’s not a threat in that condition and The Count truly didn’t have anything to do with the Vertigo being unleashed on the city again. There are rules to war and those rules keep his humanity intact.

John Diggle has Oliver’s back, so in return Oliver will have his and is making Deadshot a top priority. Couldn’t we have just done that from the beginning and skipped their couples fight?

Neither Oliver or Tommy can see the other for who they truly are. Yet, people Oliver met barely a year ago have more faith in him than his childhood best friend and vice versus. Sometimes history stops us from allowing change in the people we love.

You can see why Oliver is keeping his identity secret from his family and L*urel. It's not just about their safety. He's afraid they will all react like Tommy.

But there's no baggage with Diggle and Felicity, so Oliver has a clean slate. They can see Oliver for who he truly is. It's becoming clearer with every episode that Diggle (and Felicity) are Oliver's best friends.

Shado

Like Felicity, Shado is a breath of fresh air to Team Island. She is beautiful, kicks ass and knows a thing or two about a bow. Oliver has been helpless majority of the time. I am not expecting him to become a super secret agent man like Slade Wilson in a couple of months, but he does need to perform a function on this team other than dead weight.

Shado takes it upon herself to teach Oliver how to shoot, but she does not start with the bow. She begins by telling Oliver to slap a bowl of water. Like the idiotic American he is, Oliver is annoyed, but doesn’t really have anything better to do, so he slaps the water in the bowl. By episode end, his hand is strong enough to pull the bow string. This woman accomplished more in a day than Slade Wilson did in months.

She also provides some much-needed Yao Fei backstory. He was general in the People’s Liberation Army (the Chinese communist army). The military committed a massacre and chose Yao Fei to take the blame. They sent him to Lian Yu for the rest of his life. Fryers knows this and wants Yao Fei to take the fall for whatever he’s going to do.

And we thought The Count was nuts.

Source: thearrowgifs

As for Shado, she spent years searching for her father. A man told her he knew where Yao Fei was, but kidnapped her instead and brought her to Lian Yu as leverage over Yao Fei. It took nineteen episodes to get that information. Yeesh.

Shado: I’m worried, this island, what he must have had to do to survive. That it changed him.

If this sounds ominous it’s supposed to. Not all change is good. That’s true for all of us - even Oliver Queen.

Stray Thoughts

“You could’ve just said he was nuts.” I like sassy Quentin.

Maybe it’s my whole Buffy history, but Shado and Slade sparring felt very sexually charged.

Budget cuts and the CAMERAS are the first to go in jail?!!!

This will always be one of Diggle's best lines.

TOMMY HAS FELICITY’S PHONE NUMBER. Oh, the fics this detail launched.

What did we ever do in the bunker without this perfect gumdrop of a human being?

“What’s happening now isn’t your fault.” Felicity should’ve tattooed this on Oliver’s arm. It would save a whole lot of time.

“My mom does yoga.” Ollie is just so… Ollie.

1141 is the passcode to the bunker. The Green Arrow was created November 1941 (11/41).

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x19!!!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me

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ellssbellss · 2 years

Text

pairing- Kyoya Ootori x Reader

In which a rational head hides a generous heart, but you have always known how to see past his walls and help him bloom into the gorgeous rose he is.

Enjoy a slow burn between an honor student and our beloved glasses character!

-> word count: 4.8k

-> summary: Kyoya gives you a once over. You’re going to be the death of him.

see masterlist! : masterlist

Starting Today, You are a Host! pt. 1

A (h/c) haired girl walks quickly through the halls of Ouran Academy. You check the time, and your uniform sways with your movements as you increase your pace down the pristine halls of your high school.

Not unusually, you were late.

You had characteristically overslept this morning, earning you an urgent call from one of your best friends, Kyoya Ootori. Kyoya was also not a morning person, but on school mornings he had a set routine, and making sure you woke up on time to get to school had begrudgingly become a part of it. Because you were both a part of the same club, Kyoya had to make sure you would show up on time. If a member was late, the entire operation was unbalanced until they started their shift. Also, Kyoya had a short patience for lateness.

You were particularly grateful for his call this morning. As nice as it was to hear the voice of someone so special to you, you had completely forgotten your arrangement with Chairman Suoh, which required you to be at school earlier than normal.

You had rushed around your room, respectfully declining the maids and butlers attempting to assist you with your daily routine, knowing that it would be done faster if you did it yourself. You threw your hair together, then your makeup. It was minimal, but considering you usually didn’t put much on anyway, it was easy and quick for you to finish. Kyoya’s voice could still be heard in the background of your bathroom, where you had left him on speaker.

“I cannot believe you forgot (Y/n). Especially after Suoh-sensei sought you out himself.” You could practically feel the smirk after a disapproving sigh escaped him.

“Not helping.” You said as you reached for your bag and rushed out of the bedroom, only to return quickly to get your phone.

“I am very helpful. Without me, you definitely would’ve slept through every alarm you set.”

“Uh huh, I owe my life to you Kyo, thank you.” Rolling your eyes, you got in your car, needing to say goodbye so that you can drive.

Kyoya felt the eye-roll and heard the door to your car shut, signaling your need to leave.

“A favor will do just fine.” You cursed him in the back of your mind. That’s what I get for being friends with the Shadow King. Kyoya’s voice came back through the phone, “I assume you need to go?”

“Yes,” you sighed, setting your bag down into the passenger seat of your (d/c), “I have to drive away now if I’m ever going to have a chance at being on time. Thank you for looking out for me and waking me up, Kyo. It means a lot.”

On the other end, Kyoya fixed his glasses. “Of course, (Y/n), drive safe. Goodbye.”

“I will, see ya.” You hung up the phone and sped down the interstate.

Now, as you glance at the clock once more down the hallway, you’re nearly jogging when you stop to find a brown-haired student sitting outside of the Chairman’s office. When they look up, an imaginary light bulb sparks on when you see the eyes of the person you’ve been looking for.

“Are you Fujioka-san?” You ask, recognizing her from her profile the Chairman showed you, although her hair looks shorter than it did on the photo.

“Yes, I am! Are you (L/n)-senpai?” She stands up from her chair, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.

“Yes! You can call me (Y/n), Fujioka-san, no need for honorifics. I’m from (C/n) so it’s still rather unfamiliar when people call me that.” You sheepishly laugh, a light blush on your face.

“Oh, wow! Your Japanese is really good, (Y/n). In that case, you can call me Haruhi.” She sticks out her hand for you to shake. “Isn’t this how most (n) people greet each other?”

You reach out and take it, smiling at the inclusion of your culture. “That’s perfect!” You let go of the handshake, turning to walk down the hallway.

“Thank you for showing me around the school, (Y/n). It’s so big here, it is completely different from the high school my old friends are attending. It’s such a relief to have a tour by a fellow honor student.”

You giggle at her as she nearly trips over her own feet from being distracted by the large chandeliers that hang above you. “Haha, yes, well that was the Chairman’s exact thought process when he asked me to lead you to your first class. Just to ensure that you would be comfortable! If you have any questions, you can definitely let me know.”

“Um, well there was this one question I was thinking about…”

“Sure thing! What is it?”

“I was just wondering how you were able to apply as an honor student to Ouran Academy? Aren’t you the heir to (L/n) Tech?”

You chuckled again, smiling at her. “I can see how that could be confusing.” You take a moment to collect your story, even though you’ve had to explain yourself many times before.

“I am the heir to my mother’s company, yes. But when my father told me that we were moving to Japan in order to expand our market, he reminded me that people may not respect me because of where I came from, in school, work, or otherwise.” Haruhi frowned at this. “I wanted to enter this new chapter in my life with a new confidence and a strong reputation. I knew that I was smarter than most– I’m sure you know what that’s like– and decided that if I was going to go to one of the best high schools in the academic world, I was going to earn it.”

“Did it work?” Haruhi asked, seemingly impressed with your determination. She noticed how beautiful you were when you talked passionately. Surely, I’m not the first to notice, Haruhi thought.

“For the most part, yeah!” You looked ahead, reminding yourself how proud you are to be where you are today, “People saw that I wasn’t just another rich person going to school to have a good time and live off of Mommy’s money. I was here to become successful and happy with the life that I was able to build myself. And, also, to have a good time.”

The two of you laugh together, after rounding a corner. Since you were able to share your story, you asked Haruhi about her own life. You were sad to hear that her mother died 10 years ago, but touched to hear that she wanted to become a lawyer just like her. You gasped at the comparisons she made between her old middle school and here, because even if you were independent, you were still a higher-class citizen, and thankfully never experienced the middle-school bathroom horrors she was retelling. You walked her down the hall to her first class, satisfied with your job of making her comfortable on her first day here.

“Thank you so much for showing me around, (Y/n)-senp-, uh, I mean, (Y/n).” Haruhi smiled at you again to show her gratitude.

“Of course! Here is my number if you ever need anything else. Sorry I have to leave you here so early before class starts because of my club, but maybe we could meet up for lunch? If you’re not already too popular by then.” You joke as you hand her one of your business cards your mom had made. You then wave at her and turn to leave, hurriedly preparing yourself to face the wrath of your friends for being late as you make your way to a certain music room.

:::

Haruhi was beginning to get frustrated as she looked at her watch, only having a certain amount of time to find a study room that was quiet enough to finish her Japanese literature essay. It had been a couple weeks since her first day, but she was still not at all familiar with the layout of this school. You had walked her everyday to her classes for the first week, but you had told that everywhere outside of your usual class schedule was an adventure in itself, and she would help you find them another time. Haruhi knew she didn’t wanna bother you during club hours, so she settled on trying to find a room herself.

She walked towards the last music room she would be searching for, because if this place was busy too, she would just give up and finish the essay at home, which made her even more stressed considering the work she had to get done.

Haruhi opened the doors, and was immediately swarmed with rose petals, confusing her on how the defied the laws of physics.

“Welcome!”

Willing her eyes to get used to the blinding light that emitted from the room, she took a step inside to see seven figures grouped in the center. Two ravenettes stood to the left, one with his back turned and the other with a black notebook in his hand. Two gingered twins stood to the right, hanging on one another with a mischievous smile on their faces that unsettled Haruhi to her core. A smaller blonde stood in front of them, with big gleaming brown eyes and a pink stuffed rabbit hanging from one of his arms. Then sitting in the center was a prince-like blonde, who was already looking at her in surprise. She was the one to gape when she saw you, standing even more to the left, near the one with the glasses.

“Haruhi?” You asked, but just as you took a step forward, the twins sauntered up to Haruhi before you got the chance. Oh god.

“Oh wow, its a boy!”

“Huh? No, act-” As you were about to correct them, Kyoya put a hand on your shoulder to stop you.

“What?” You said turning to him.

“Don’t say anything. I want to see how this plays out.”

You deadpan, “You’re kidding me.”

“Oh (Y/n), I’ve never been one for humor.”

Poor Haruhi, you think, but keep your mouth shut, secretly wondering the outcome as well.

“Hikaru. Kaoru. I believe this man is in the same class as you?” Kyoya turns back to your friends, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah but he doesn’t talk much-” Hikaru started.

“- we don’t really know much about him.” Kaoru finished.

“Well, that wasn't very polite. Welcome to the Ouran Host Club, Mr. Honor Student.” Kyoya says, taking a step forward and writing something down in his notebook.

Tamaki takes another step forward, but seemingly something clicks in his head. “What? You must be Haruhi Fujioka! You're the exceptional honor student we've heard about.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say this whole time.” You mutter under your breath, Kyoya smirking next to you.

“How did you know my name?” Haruhi asks, nervously taking a step back, clearly wanting to leave.

“You’re famous, Haruhi!” You say, finally speaking loud enough to where the others can hear you, “It’s not everyday a commoner like you gets into a school like this. You've shown the world that even a poor person can excel at an elite private academy.”

“It must be hard for you to constantly be looked down upon by others.” Tamaki pouts.

Haruhi frowns. “I think you're taking this poor thing too far.”

Tamaki rushes to Haruhi’s side, taking her hand, dramatic sympathy in his eyes. “Spurned! Neglected! But that doesn't matter now. We welcome you, poor man, to our world of beauty!”

Haruhi has become even more bewildered than when she walked in, trying to exit with a respectful, “I’m outta here.”

Just as she is trying to leave, the small blonde boy rushes over to her, stopping her slightly in front of a vase that you had always admired. He grabs her hand, and looks up at her with a beaming smile that melts the coldest of hearts.

“Hey! Come back here, Haru-chan! You must be like a superhero or something. That's so cool!” Honey-senpai smiles at her even more, dazzling at his new found discovery.

“I'm not a hero, I'm an honor student. And who are you calling Haru-chan?!”

Tamaki puts a finger to his chin, “I never would have imagined the famous scholar would be so openly gay.”

You put your head in your hands, “Oh my god.”

Tamaki strides over to Harhui, earning more sympathy from you as she backs up even more. He doesn’t give her personal space still, of course, and grabs her hand again, turning on his charm, “So tell me what kind of guys you're into. Do you like the strong silent type?” Tamaki gestures to Mori, who gives a slight nod. “The boy lolita?” Honey-senpai beams up at her once more. “How about the mischievous type?” Hikaru and Kaoru are still analyzing her with their eyes, and they give lazy salutes. “Or the cool type?” Kyoya gives her a flash of his glasses and a signature smirk.

Haruhi’s face contorts into a more horrified expression when she realizes that they are suggesting that she sought them out to flirt.

“I uh... I-It's not like that! I was just looking for a quiet place to study.” She backs up even more, not noticing the vase behind her.

Your eyes widen, “Wait, Tamaki-”.

Tamaki continues to walk towards her, charm seeping through him as roses seem to circle him, “Or maybe you're into a guy like me.” He poses, another step forward, “What do you say?”

A flustered Haruhi stutters and takes another hasty step back, knocking your favorite vase off its mount. Haruhi turns quickly and watches it begin to fall, hastily reaching out for it in desperation. Her hand nearly grazes the handle, but it slips through her fingers and falls to the floor.

Crash!

You and Haruhi both stare at the vase in mortified terror. You look over at Kyoya, who has lost the smirk and now sighs displeasingly at the words he writes into his notebook. You frown too, knowing how this is going to end.

The twins step forward to look down onto the broken porcelain, already knowing how to create another hell.

Kaoru tsks, shaking his head, “Oh, now you've done it, commoner. The bidding on that vase was supposed to start at eight million yen.”

Haruhi chokes on air, ”What, eight million yen? How many thousand yen is that? How many thousands are in eight million? I'm gonna have to pay you back.” She starts to count on as many fingers and toes as she can. The twins begin teasing her on how she couldn’t even afford a uniform, let alone 8 million yen.

You take pity on her, and in her trance, you lead her away from the broken glass in order to start cleaning it up. You were able to join the host club as an errand girl, cleaning and cooking and serving for the boys when they needed you. At the beginning, you had entered the Music Room looking for the host club because you needed an extracurricular that wasn’t a performing arts, since you had enough of those credits already. Plus, it put you in good standing with the chairman’s son and the third son of the Ootori’s, a family your mother deals with often, considering her development of medical technologies.

Kyoya later admitted to letting you join because you intrigued him with your ambition to prove yourself, something he could relate to in his own way. You didn’t know that you had also caught his attention in other forms as well. To be fair, he didn’t either.

You knelt down on your knees to begin picking up the largest pieces of glass, not bothering yourself with a broom due to the fact that it was in the closet across the room span, and you didn’t want anyone falling and cutting themselves immediately, considering how dense and clumsy the entire club was.

Kyoya turns to look at you, ignoring the chaos caused by the first year trio, now fully focused on the broken pieces in your delicate palm.

“(Y/n), we have a broom in the closet just over there, why are you picking those up with your bare hands? You’re going to cut yourself. Someone else can pick those up.” Kyoya walks over to you and stops in front of you.

You look up at him, smirking at his concern. “I just don’t want anyone to fall on these big pieces, so I’m picking them up right away. This is what you hired me to do Kyoya, I’ll get the broom in a minute.” You carefully place another big piece of porcelain, balancing it on top of the small pile in your hand, when you feel a shadow over you.

Mori has retrieved the broom for you, and holds it out for you to grab.

“Oh wow, thank you Mori-senpai!” You look away from your hand for a moment and shift your balance to reach out and grab the broom, scooching your knees forward slightly to get closer to Mori’s grip. As you move your knee, it glides over one of the pieces of glass, cutting into your skin.

“Ow!” You flinch, accidentally putting more weight on it, pressing the vase even further into your knee. Mori’s eyes widen and he goes to help you, but Kyoya is already beside you, grabbing onto your unoccupied hand and hoisting you up, pulling you close to him. The movement causes you to drop the pieces of vase you picked up previously, making them shatter into smaller shards.

“(Y/n) are you alright?” Kyoya turns you around to face him to find a blush on your cheeks and small tears forming from the initial pain.

“It’s my knee, I-ow.” You laugh wetly in disbelief at how quickly karma came to bite you in the ass, and you look down to see a trail of blood making its way down your calf. Kyoya follows your eye-line and tightens the muscles in his jaw. He grasps your hand again and leads you to the front door with the intention of finding a bathroom. The trio comes back into earshot as you pass.

“So boss, what should we do?” The twins ask, as Haruhi still freaks out.

Tamaki flourishes, a smug look imprinted on his face, “ There's a famous saying you may have heard, Fujioka. When in Rome, you should do as the Romans do. Since you have no money, you can pay with your body. That means, starting today, you're the host club's dog.”

You stall, whipping your head to Tamaki, causing Kyoya to pause as well.

“Tamaki, Haruhi can’t be the errand gi-boy, that’s my job.” You look at him with confusion in your eyes.

Tamaki turns to face you and sees the blood dripping down your knee. He rushes over to you

“(Y/N)! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU WHY ARE YOU HURT?! MON AMIII HOW COULD YOU?”

“It doesn’t matter,” You brush him off, feeling another tug from Kyoya, but you don’t budge, “you can’t just go giving my position away like that, Tamaki, what am I supposed to do now?”

Tamaki puts his chin back to his face, thinking as hard as he can. The twins look over to him, worried that he might sprain his brain.

After sometime, Tamaki shoots up, an accomplished look on his face.

“(Y/n) could become a host!”

The Music Room is quiet at first, but suddenly the hosts start crowding around you, minding your knee, and flood you with encouragement. A blush forms across your face at the thought of entertaining guests. Sure, it is definitely something you have wanted to try out, and you think that you could be good at it. You could be the “Sweet” type, or the “Beautiful” type, and you could definitely bring in more business, considering boys is a whole other audience to cater towards, and-

“Absolutely not.” Kyoya states, trying to pull you out once again to tend to your injury.

“What?” The hosts exclaim as you turn to look at your friend in disbelief.

“But Kyo-chan, (N/n)-chan is so cute! She would do such a great job!” Honey said, using his puppy dog eyes on the Shadow King.

“We can’t have two errand people-” Kaoru started.

“-but we can’t fire (Y/n) either.” Hikaru joined.

“I’ll think of some other way, no one is getting fired and debts will be paid. Right now, (Y/n) is bleeding and needs to be taken care of. She doesn’t need to be worried about entertaining crowds of men when she is the one that needs to be attended too. Excuse us, please.” Kyoya glares at the other hosts as they quickly make room, the aspect of a new opportunity for you making them space on the fact that you cut yourself just minutes ago.

You and Kyoya exit the music room, Kyoya still holding your hand as he leads you into the women’s bathroom. During your walk you try to study his back, searching for any expression, but it’s hard to do so without seeing his eyes. Kyoya always prides himself on the mask he puts on for his guests, and he is confident that his emotions are well hidden. They are, but anyone who is as close to him as you are fail to tell him that his eyes give him away at a moment's glance.

He walks into the women’s bathroom with you despite your protests, telling you sharply that the guests and students made their way back home, as it is after-school hours.

He leads you to the counter of the sink and asks you to jump up on it. You do so, and now you are facing him, trying to scan his face for any sign. Kyoya reaches into his coat pocket and takes out a mini first aid kit, something you knew he always carried around.

“For emergencies.” He said, holding it up and gesturing to your knee.

He opens the kit and finds the mini bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a small patch of gauze.

“Uh, Kyoya, is that really necessary?” You sweatdrop, not wanting to suffer anymore today.

“Yes, (Y/n), this is necessary so you don’t get an infection. Or would you like me to remind you that you cut yourself on broken pottery that sat in dust from the floor?” His tone was sharper than the tone he usually used with you. He was mad.

“Look Kyoya, I’m sorry about this, I know it’s inconvenient to take you out of club duties and everything.” Kyoya met his eyes with yours and then back to the task at hand, but in that flash you saw something akin to annoyance.

“It’s not inconvenient to take care of you, (Y/n), it’s inconvenient when you go against your better judgment to use a broom. I know you’re smarter than that.” He puts the liquid on the gauze. One of his hands holds the back of your calf, and after cleaning the blood that ran down your leg, making your cheeks a slight pink from the touch and the compliment he just gave you, he hovers it over your cut, moving the unoccupied hand to a respectful place on your outer thigh.

“It’s going to sting.” Kyoya said, prompting you to give him an oh really? I never would have guessed look.

“On three?” He asks, meeting your eyes again. This time the annoyance has mixed with concern.

“On three.” You say, moving a hand over his on your leg, preparing for the feeling.

Kyoya nods and counts. “One…” and on two there is a cold, sizzling, stinging feeling on your knee, making you gasp and tighten your grip on his hand. Kyoya shifts his hand to hold yours as he presses the gauze into your cut.

“You son of a bitch”, you say, trying to crack a smile through the discomfort. Kyoya watches you with a smirk of his own, and while the concern is still there, you find the annoyance has disappeared. He lifts the gauze much to your enjoyment, and goes to rummage through the med kit to find ointment and a band-aid, letting go of your hand.

“So what do you really think of me being a host?” You say, trying to gauge his reaction once more.

Kyoya gives you a side eye, his mouth drooping into something disapproving. You find yourself missing the smirk. “It’s unnecessary”, he says and he moves towards you again to put an antioxidant ointment on your cut, “Tamaki doesn’t know the numbers like I do, so he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“So, what, you’re going to be paying the salary for two errand people? A salary that I know we don’t have the budget for?” You ask, reaching over to grab the bandaid from the box and putting it on yourself so you feel like your helping.

“No, obviously not, that wouldn’t work.” Kyoya walks to the entrance of the bathroom with you, turning and waiting for you to adjust your skirt.

“Then I have to quit?” You say, walking up behind him, “I really like this club Kyoya, I-”

He turns around, and puts a hand on your shoulder, you two suddenly being very close, “You do not have to quit either, (Y/n), that’s never going to be a part of the solution. We all want you to stay.” He looks at you for a long enough moment to notice another shade of gray in his eye, then ducks his head and pulls out his book, opening it to a page and studying it, putting some space between you.

You blink and put on a soft smile, “Then just hear me out.”

Kyoya raises an eyebrow and looks at you, giving you his attention.

“If I were to be a host, I would be marketing towards a whole other demographic of students. Around 57% of the student population at Ouran Academy is male. Not saying that we have never had male guests, as we always support the LGBTQ+ community, but even they are a small recorded percentage. That’s nearly half of a market that we aren’t utilizing to our advantage. Think of the money that could go towards the host club, and the kind of budget you would have in order to grow this place,” you take another step towards him, “and I think that I could be really good at it. At the tea party tomorrow, just let me go for a trial run. If I fail, I fail, but if I succeed, then you need to seriously consider me as a permanent host. Deal?”

Kyoya gives you a once over. You’re going to be the death of him.

It has always been obvious to him that you wish that you were a host. You love being around them and helping the club in anyway that you can, and you always felt that being a host was the most influential position, meaning you could help the most. And he knows that you would be good at it. Damn good at it. You’re beautiful, kind, smart, talented, and incredibly out of their league, which would only make them want you more. You would have an audience of guests in no time, bringing in publicity and money that would almost rival Tamaki.

But Kyoya for some reason has always clenched his teeth at the thought of the boys that would get to surround you, have you flirt with them and whisper sweet nothings into their ears. They would buy you gifts and sweets, while you flashed them your signature smile. You wouldn’t be able to sit with him anymore due to your busy scheduling of clients. The image gives him a pit in his stomach.

He studies your face and realizes that for him to deny you with absolutely no reason other than a selfish one would be against something you stood for, and he was smart enough to know to always stand behind something you were passionate towards. You had even studied the stable numbers, something you knew he was appreciative of.

Kyoya sighs, “Okay. One session. We will advertise you as a new limited time host, and we will see how it goes from there. But you must teach Haruhi what you can so that he-she doesn’t do the wrong thing.” He looks down at your knee. “I suppose though, it doesn't matter how much training she gets.”

He looked back up to your face to see a shocked look. He waits for your reply, knitting his brows together.

“Did you hear what-oof!” Kyoya was cut off as you hugged him, thanking him repeatedly, clearly excited. He chuckles and wraps his arms around you for a moment before pulling back.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”, you exclaimed, pumping your fists in victory, and dancing with excitement while Kyoya looks at you with feigned annoyance.

“Please stop that, you’re embarrassing me.”

“Mmmmm…no.” You laugh, and continue celebrating.

#kyoya ootori #kyoya x reader #kyoya ootori x reader #ouran high school host club #tamaki suoh #haruhi fujioka #kaoru hitachiin #hikaru hitachiin #honey senpai #mori senpai #x reader #romance #slow burn #mutual pining #fanfiction #ouran fanfic

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mackeydoodledoo · 2 years

Text

The Florals: Chapter 6

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x (Fem MC)Reader

Summary: You and your best friends are one of the most popular local bands. After a gig you meet the bartender, who has caught your eye and interest.

Chapter Warnings: Depressed Wanda/Strelitzia, Angsty Strelizia

A/n: hi, suffer in this chapter with me :)

Chapter Key: Italic = Thoughts, ~~Words~~ = Phone Call, [Words] = Song Lyrics, Bold/Italic = Dream Sequence, +*+ = Time Skip

Chapter Theme: Heartbroke - Clubhouse

-------------------------------------------------

How long has it been since he told you those three words?

I’m not sure exactly how long but he is still good to me

That single sentence continued to roll through your mind as the next couple of weeks passed since the Pride party at that kids’ house.

“Strel?” Roy calls out to you

You snap out of your thought process and look at him.

“Would you be able to help this girl pick out her new drum set?” He asks

“Oh! Yeah sure...” You clear your throat, “Follow me.”

After helping the girl pick out her first drum set, and checking her stuff out at the register, you see Roy coming up to you from the corner of your eye.

“Have you been feeling okay lately?” Roy asks you

“Has it been that obvious?” You ask

You were slouched one the check out desk as the day continues on slowly.

“Very,” He sighs, “Is it about that Wanda chick?”

You nod.

“Dude, doesn’t she have a boyfriend?” He asks

You nod again.

“You cannot be serious...” Roy groans, “You know how much of a bad idea that is? How her boyfriend could ruin your career for simply fawning over his girlfriend?”

“I’m fully aware,” You say, “I just didn’t give two shits about it.”

“I just don’t want you getting into something you can't recover from kid,” He sighs

“I know Roy,” You say

You were able to go to work like normal, but you’ve stopped having lunch breaks with Wanda and you’ve stopped taking her to and from work. She hadn't really asked you to in the last few weeks. So, even if she wanted to, you wouldn’t have known that she would.

[You would have to go way back to find all the wrong]

Even if you’re picking up something from the grocery store, you use the self checkout so you wouldn’t pain yourself and Wanda. You’ve seen her talk to Oliver more and more. He’s been picking her up and taking her to and from work. Even replacing you in what would have been your lunch breaks. Once, you were walking out to the front doors, Wanda turns to a cart and places a bag into it and looks up. You couldn’t help but look at her.

Wanda...

You force yourself to look away and make your way out of the grocery store to go back to work.

+*+

~~Yeah, I don’t feel too well. Don’t worry, I’m still practicing Lark. I’ll be okay.~~

You’ve also been skipping rehearsals because you could never bring yourself out of bed or drive anywhere. You mostly watch TV, drum, eat and repeat the cycle all day. It’s all like, you’ve just had a heartbreak; without the dating part…

[I’m burning through these bottles like you wouldn’t believe]

*Lark's POV* Weeks go by since your friends last heard from you... the Fall Halloween Special show is in a couple of weeks. It’s been a rough couple of rehearsals as you are the one who keeps the band together; tempo wise.

"We need Strel for our opener set," You say, "has anyone called her?? Left her voicemails?? Even tried to visit??"

"We’ve done all of the above Lark,” Poppy tells them, “But, Strelitzia won’t answer...”

Before anyone else could come up with ideas to reach out to you, they look over when they hear the doors open.

*Strelitzia's POV* You hold your arms open as your friends almost topple over you as they all hug you tightly.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Your bandmates ask you

"Home, wallowing in my sadness," You say

"I tried to visit you," Rose said

"Those times, I was at work." You answer

Rose nods.

You all hop to your instruments and you go to sit at your drumset.... Though, everybody starts playing through the song you can't bring yourself to even hit a drum.

[I don’t want to let you go] [And have to do this no more] [Sulking on the floor like I was Heartbroke]

Lark looks at you and comes over.

"Strel," Lark says, "Hate to break it to you but you need to pull your shit together okay? Wanda likes you? Yes, I'm rooting for you. She doesn't like you? Heck we're here for you man. Don't worry about her now. We need you."

You look at Lark and shake your head, "you're right."

You pick up your sticks and hit the bass pedal, signaling Lark and the others that you all shall rehearse.

“There she is,” Lark laughs triumphantly

+*+

During lunch break, You and Lark were at a chipotle and the both of you were eating in silence.

"Why do you still fawn over Wanda? She basically ghosted you," Lark breaks the silence

s"I know it's just," You say, "After our first gig, he and I chatted. Then I took her out to get late dinner before taking her home. As we continued talking about events in our earlier days... She’s the first person outside of our friend group whose liked the way I do photography.... She even wanted to book sessions with me after she gets back into the industry..."

Lark looks at you surprised, “Wow, if a model and somewhat a singer tells you that, your work is amazing.”

"As we pulled into her boyfriends’ place after that pride party. We…. She and I uhhhhh," You stammer

"You kissed her!?!?!" Lark asks, a little loud

You shush them and covered their mouth. You couldn’t believe they guessed it right in the spot.

"It just happened," You say

"Kissing a person who's in a relationship doesn't JUST happen," They say, "she's actually into you."

"I don’t know if she's denying it or she actually doesn't like me but I really, really love her Lark," You say, "She's better than the previous girl. I just thought I ended up not having time so I gave up, until a month ago."

Just as Lark was going to say something, two girls walked up to the both of you.

"Hi, Strelitzia, Larkspur, could we get a photo with you two??" One girl asks

"Call me Lark," They say, "and I'm down, Strel?"

You nod and we get up and pose for their picture. They smile as they walk away. You and Lark packed up your remaining food and refilled your drinks and went about back to rehearsal.

+*+

By the time you returned back home, it was almost midnight, You shed off your day’s clothing and slipped on your jammies and began tucking yourself into bed, however, as soon as you put your phone onto the nightstand, your phone dings. You lean over and see that it was from Wanda: a missed call and a voicemail. You weren’t feeling up to answering her back as you had to be at work in a couple of hours. You leave it be and decide to get some shuteye.

*Wanda’s POV* Wanda didn’t necessarily have it easier either since deciding that no longer talking to you was the best idea (for her relationship with Vision).

“Are you alright Wanda?” Vision asks, sitting himself next to her as she stares at the blank wall

Wanda nods, hoping to not give Vision any suspicion about the kiss you shared with Strelitzia after that party.

“I’m just tired Vis,” You lie

“Get some rest,” He says

He stands as he places a kiss onto your forehead and begins making his way over to his side of the bed. You get yourself underneath the covers and lay on your side; back turned to Vision as you slowly try to drift off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wanda opens her eyes to see herself at the bar of Banks Theatre.

How long have I been here?...

“You okay?” A familiar voice asks

Wanda turns her head and sees a familiar bright-haired woman; You.

“Strelitzia,” Wanda smiles, “It’s you!”

She attempts to give you a hug but she goes right through you. She looks down at her hands as she turns her body towards you.

“Wanda?” You call out to her

You walk up to her and tuck your hands underneath her elbows; she could feel them, so why couldn’t you feel her?

“Wanda...” You call out to her again

She looks up at you; oh how she missed you calling her by her name.

“Who do you chose?” You ask

Wanda’s smile drops, “What?”

“Who do you chose?” You ask again

“St-Strel I don’t-I don’t know what you’re asking me,” She says

“Yes you do,” You say, “You’re conflicted. You don’t want to hurt Vision but you’re falling for me at the same time. But, either party is going to get hurt. You can’t play neutral in this Wanda.”

“Then I want you,” Wanda says

Wanda was about to press her lips to yours however, she felt a force pull her out of your grasp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You jolt up from your bed as you wake up from your slumber and groan, rubbing your eyes. You slip out of bed fortunately not waking Vision to go to the bathroom. However, as soon as you shut the door, You don’t turn on the light. You press your back against the door and sink into the floor, beginning to quietly sob to yourself.

Strelitzia...

Even though you cut off things with her, you couldn’t get your mind off of her. Despite leaving her a voicemail, you didn’t expect her to answer you back... Hell, you didn’t blame her if she was mad at you: ghosted and replaced her with one of your coworkers...

Come back...

*Strelitzia’s POV* You open the bathroom door, shaking your hair out of its straightened out wetness and walk into your kitchen, hoping to score food.

Shit did I forget to go grocery shopping earlier this week?

You did. You were so busy wallowing in your own sadness and depression eating, you didn’t realize how fast you blasted through your food. You quickly blow dry your hair and head to the grocery store, not giving a care if Wanda was working or not. You quickly make your way to the grocery store and begin packing essentials into your cart as you make your way through the isles.

“Strel?” A familiar voice calls out to you

You turn to see Wanda; in her usual work clothing. She looks around and begins walking up to you. She engulfs your torso in a tight hug. You unintentionally inhaled the scent of mint and vanilla. How much you missed that smell of hers.

“The hell do you want?” You ask, looking at one of the items on the shelf

“I swear I didn’t know you were here,” Wanda states

“Yeah, well I’m going to be gone in a minute,” You sigh

You begin to turn away from Wanda.

[Like, “where the hell’d you go?”] [And “How’d you do this to me?”]

The hopeful lover side of you was waiting for Wanda to run up to you and hug you, begging you to bring her back into your life. However, it was shattered when you didn’t feel her wrapping her arms around your midsection.

So much for being optimistic....

+*+

Over the next couple of days, you were feeling okay enough to go back to work and go to rehearsal like normal; preparing for the Annual Fall Halloween gig/Your birthday.

You were drumming to yourself like usual, however immediately stop when you see feet at the end of the kick drum. You were composing yourself until you stood up.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, moving yourself towards the back of the drum section

“I came to check on you.” She answers

[Hate that you had to break it off] [Been with you through it all]

“You decide that now?” You ask, “ After ghosting me for weeks, replacing me with Oliver on your lunch breaks and then all of a sudden you turn up here to simply ‘check on me’?! After all of that?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I-I know Strel but-but,” Wanda begins to stutter

“Think about that before you made the decision to come check on me, because clearly I haven’t recovered,” You say, “Got whine to Oliver and/or Vision about it, Maybe they’ll listen to you...”

[Feel Like I really hit the wall] [And you don’t care]

You brush past Wanda, bumping her shoulder in the process. Wanda turns to the exit and exits the drums section in an attempt to find you. However, you were nowhere in sight. She hastily leaves you're workplace and begins walking back to her car, slowly breaking down with each step.

You were in the staff bathroom, broke down, crying. You didn’t mean to pin Wanda to the wall like that, you were just built up with a lot of anger and frustration, that, that’s what came out of your mouth.

[Go crazy when I think of you] [Thinking of you] [But lately, it’s been hard to love you] [Hard to love]

Chapter 7

#wanda maximoff x reader #female reader #wanda x y/n #wanda maximoff #marvel #elizabeth olsen #scarlet witch #scarlet witch x fem!reader

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sebsxphia · 2 years

Note

Touching on Rhett x Single Mom!Reader and feeding the girl dad!Rehtt agenda!

Starting this by saying I am not a mother, I do not know what to do in this situation at all but this is my interpretation of it, you real amazing moms out there please don’t judge!

Your daughter is too young to fully understand what happend to her real father and with Rhett and you being in a relationship for a awhile now and him spending more time around her, she starts to call him dad🥺

The first time it happens Rhett is making her a sandwich for lunch, her standing next to him on a stepping stool at the kitchen counter, practically glued to his hip at this point in your relationship.

"Cut it like this daddy!"

Rhett is shocked and in disbelief, truly having no idea how to react or what to say because you two never talked about it, your daughter is innocently giggling next to him, showing him how to cut the sandwich not comprehending she just knocked him into another headspace.

"O-Okay I w-will."

When he talks to you about it, at first you're scared and also confused because you can't keep your daughter in the dark about her real father but she's still a little baby and wouldn't even understand that Rhett isn't her dad.

"I can talk to her if you want me to? If you feel uncomfortable with it Rhett-"

"Darling I never said that, I just don't want to step on somebody’s toes here, what do you want to do?"

You two decide to just leave it be, watch if she does it again or if it was just that one time and she just slipped up but it does happen again. Rhett is carrying her into the car after a day spent on the ranch with the horses, your little girl completely exhausted after running around all day and when he goes to put her into her car seat, she tightens her arms around his neck and doesn’t want to let go.

"No daddy, have to say goodbye to the horsies."

That's when you both know it's time to talk because she's clearly not dropping it.

"Rhett I don't know what to do, I mean she's 4 years old she won't understand, me and you we don't even know where this is going and if we don't work out I can't let another man leave her life and she's already seeing you as much more then just my friend and-"

"Heyy heyy I ain't leaving until you tell me to and even then I'll put up a struggle, listen I don't mind it okay? I care about you and you're girl, baby I love both of you dammit."

And that's the first time he tells you he loves you, it's not a thought out thing it just falls over his lips before he could even comprehend what he's saying but he ain't regretting it, he means it with his whole heart.

"Rhett if something happens, you won't just hurt me, you'll hurt her too."

"I promise you I won't, not if I can help it, I swear."

Eventually you do talk to your daughter about it, trying to lay it out to the best of your ability to make her understand without just making her confused or worse hurting her. She of course doesn't fully understand what you mean but you both can see she somewhat understands what's going on.

That night you're eating dinner, your daughter sitting between you two as she babbles on about something that happend in one of her tv shows leaving both you and Rhett laughing.

"That sounds very interesting sweetheart-"

"And they have horses that look just like yours on the farm daddy!"

Rhett just looks at you with a small smile, still stunned but not nearing a heart attack anymore. You blink back tears because fuck this man has done the most, going beyond you ever thought any man would for the both of you, ugh my heart.

🦕

UGH MY HEART TOO DEAR ANON??????

i cannot believe you just bless me with these incredibly sweet drabbles!!! for free!!! oh my god!!!!

you love rhett too, but you’ve been hurt in the past of what happened with your previous partner, so you’re more closed off until he tells you that he loves you and reassures you ten fold that he won’t hurt you.

i just know that rhett wouldn’t want to step on any ones toes either. he fell in love with you first and your little one just became part of his life naturally, but he still doesn’t want to overstep so he’s happy to take the time you need to process it and ensure you’re comfortable with the notion.

i’m so very obsessed with this idea!! thank you so so much for this my beloved anon!! mwah!! 💌🫶🏼💖

#💌you’ve got mail #rhett abbott #rhett abbott x you #rhett abbott x reader #girl dad!rhett #🦕 anon

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aajjks · 5 months

Note

TPOL!JK

“I think you should tell him because he deserves to know you cannot lie about this. You know that right?”

you’re in disbelief that you really killed your friend. your best friend who you’ve known since high school. when jin asked if you were going to tell jungkook the truth, you didn’t have answer because part of you didn’t want to tell him but isn’t that why you guys split in the first place?

it’s only fair to jungkook that you communicate the horrid deed you did for him but you did it out of love. you did it because you love jungkook and you love jaemin. she was a problem and hurt his feelings, she talked shit about him so many times and the price for his tears was her death.

you’re kind of satisfied but you’re still in shock. you’re morally corrupt and you don’t know what’s right and wrong anymore but when jungkook calls you and you pick up to hear him ask what you’re doing it korea, you take this opportunity to meet with him and tell him the truth. him calling you must be a sign for you to tell him the truth and so you will.

no more secrets, you’re an open book now and even though you two probably won’t be together after this, you’re happy to have finally done what you should have a long time ago.

“yeah, i’m in korea. i’ll tell you what i’m doing if you meet me at my hotel” you tell jungkook and for a moment he’s silent. “you still need to tell me how you felt remember? and i have something else to tell you too” and so jungkook agrees to meet with you at your hotel when you send the address and you do.

when jungkook arrives and goes to the floor and room number you’re at, he’s happy to see you. he’s been meaning to tell you how he felt about your apology and maybe you can tell what was so important that you missed jaemin’s first birthday party but his answers would be answered soon.

“jungkook” you say as you shut the door behind him and take his hands in yours.

“before you tell me how you feel, you need to hear this first” you take a deep breath and you let it out.

“i killed yerin. i missed jaemin’s birthday party because i went to her house to kill her for hurting your feelings and bringing up jaemin. she won’t be a problem for you anymore or jaemin”

Jungkook laughs at your joke.

So hard that tears fall from his eyes, he leaves your hands and grabs his stomach to stop himself from chuckling too much, he can’t look at you due to his blurry vision.

Of course this is a joke because jungkook knows you better than anyone and if he knows anything about you is that YOU are not capable of hurting anybody so let alone killing anyone?

Especially your best friend? Do you really expect him to believe that? Jungkook finally he stops laughing as he looks at your face and you are really serious, his heartbeat drops.

“W-What are you saying? Did you kill someone yn?!” He stutters, “you killed her? Yerin?!? you’re kidding, right?” You killing her would be the biggest joke ever because.. she’s always been really important to you even more than jungkook, why would you kill anyone for him? He sees No hint of emotion in your eyes. He’s a little scared.

It’s someone else in front of him and not you.

The horror of realization hits him when you repeat your sentence again for him, and Jungkook backs away from you. “Y-You really killed yerin? How? And what was the need? After nine months?! Yn… and why didn’t you tell me?” a lot of questions are running through his mind right now he’s really shocked.

He’s beyond shocked. Jungkook thought the divorce was a huge punishment for her… she’s dead now though… oh, because you killed her… for him.

“Y-You did it for us?” He asks you, “yn I thought you didn’t love me anymore…? And you always condemned me for the people I killed…. W-Wha-How?!”

He just needs to know. “A-And what if someone finds out?! What are you gonna do then? And what do you expect to happen now?”

#ask: tpol!jungkook

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writingwithciara · 2 years

Text

Saving Grace (Part 1/2) ~Joe Keery~

summary: after joe saves his best friend from her abusive and stalker ex-boyfriend, she begins to rely on him for everything. This not only drives a wedge between them, but between joe and maika as well

word count: 2.9k

pairings: joe keery x reader

warnings: abu$e is mentioned but not described, dr*g mention, fluff, angst, joe being in an established relationship with someone who is not the reader (if that counts), cute little caleb mention

a/n: I have grown so attached to joe (and even steve) recently, it’s not fair. Also, I love maika, so this is no hate to her. She is fantastic. there will be a part 2 to this, due to the word count i had & it will be shorter than this one

masterlist

“Please leave me alone, Jake.” y/n tried to pull her arm out of the grasp of her ex-boyfriend. “We broke up 6 months ago.”

“Um, I think I’d recall if you broke up with me.” Jake held tighter and looked down at her. She hated how he made her feel so small, not only physically, but emotionally as well.

“Obviously not because it happened. You probably don’t remember because you were so fucked up on drugs to even put together a coherent sentence.”

“Why on Earth would you even think about leaving me? Alright? I own you.”

“You own me? Are you on fucking crack or something? You can’t own a person and you most certainly cannot own me!” y/n raised her voice and yanked roughly. Her arm came free, and she rubbed the spot he was holding, a large purple bruise already beginning to form.

“Will you keep your voice down? You’re attracting unwanted attention.”

“If you didn’t want all this attention, maybe you should’ve thought about that before you tried to harass me in public, dumbass.”

“What did you just call me, bitch?” The look on his face only meant that she was about to be in trouble.

“You heard her the first time, dumbass.” Joe came out of the coffee shop and handed y/n her favorite drink. “Now why don’t you do what the lady asked, and just leave her alone?”

“Why don’t you make me, huh?” he looked at Joe and shook his head. “Who’s this asshole?”

Joe looked down at y/n. “This the guy you were telling me about?” y/n nodded, and Joe placed his own drink in her hand, stepping closer to Jake. “You are in no position to be demanding anything from anyone, buddy. Especially not after what you did to y/n.”

“Whatever this bitch told you is a lie, believe me. That’s all she does is lie and manipulate people.”

“Oh, she’s the liar? Really? That’s the story you’re sticking with?” Joe laughed dryly and cracked his knuckles. “Also, she’s not a bitch. Her name is y/n, so I suggest you start using her name properly. She is my best friend and she’s shown me all the bruises you’ve given her and all the messages you’ve sent. You’ve been stalking her for months and she has all the proof she needs to get you arrested. So, I suggest you back the fuck up and leave her alone or I will see to it, with every fiber of my being, that you get locked up and stay that way. Is that clear?”

“You think I’m afraid of you? You’re nothing but a bitch, just like y/n. You don’t have the-“ Jake was almost done his sentence when Joe’s fist collided with his chin. That was all it took for Jake to tumble to the ground. At this point, a crowd was beginning to gather.

“Joe, let’s go. He’s not worth it.” y/n grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him back. But he just leaned down to look Jake in the eye.

“Stay away from y/n! You got that?” Joe’s face was full of rage and if it hadn’t been for the constant tugging on his arm, he would’ve continued beating Jake to a senseless pulp. When Jake nodded, Joe turned back to face y/n. “Come on, love. Let’s go.” He walked past her and out of the mall.

Y/n looked over her shoulder and sighed before following Joe out to his car. She climbed in the passenger seat and handed him his coffee. “Thank you for that. I honestly didn’t think he was ever going to let go of me.”

“That’s what best friends are for, right?” he chuckled and sipped his drink before pulling out of the parking lot. The drive back to set was filled with nothing but silence. When Joe parked in his spot, he turned to face y/n. “Let me see your arm.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m fine.” She tucked it farther into her sleeve and reached for the door. Joe clicked the lock button and gently touched her elbow.

“Please? I promise I’m not going to hurt you.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “I’m nothing like Jake.”

“I know. It’s just that…I don’t know.” y/n shook her head. “I don’t like people seeing the effects he ever had on me.”

“You’ve showed me multiple times though. I’ve cleaned up your cuts whenever he got a little too violent. I’ve seen it all. So will you please let me see the damage this time?” Joe pleaded one last time before y/n slid her sleeve up to her elbow. His eyes widened when he saw the bruise. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“Joe, I already told you I’m fine. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“The hell it’s not! He’s not going to get away with this, I promise.”

“Joe, I love you. I really do, but I think you scared him enough today.” y/n smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’m just trying to be the greatest friend in the world. No need to thank me.”

“You’re already the greatest, Joe. You just don’t get the appreciation you deserve for it.”

“I want you to know that I’m always going to be here to help you, no matter what. And I promise to never tell your story to anyone.”

“Thanks, Joe. That means a lot to me.”

Joe smiled as the two of them walked to the set, completely prepared to film their scenes. The secret of abuse would stay between them, for now.

A few weeks later, Joe’s phone never stopped ringing & he had found that he could never get any alone time with his girlfriend, Maika because y/n was always in need of something. While he didn’t really notice, Maika couldn’t help but get annoyed.

She didn’t mind it at first. She knew that Joe just wanted to be a good friend. It wasn’t until y/n started interrupting their special date nights with the tiniest problems that Maika spoke up about it.

“Joe, this is getting way out of hand. We never have a minute alone anymore without y/n constantly calling you or just showing up here. When are you going to tell her to stop?”

“I can’t just stop helping her. She’s my best friend and I made a promise.”

“What happened that was so bad you had to make a promise to help her with everything?”

“She um….I can’t say anything. I promised not to.”

“Why do you keep making these promises for her? Don’t you see that she’s taking advantage of you?”

“What are you going on about? She is definitely not taking advantage of me.”

“Yes she is, Joe. You drop everything whenever she calls. And lately, that’s been every single hour.”

“It’s called being a good friend, babe. I can’t just ignore her. She’s my best friend.”

“I know, but it really feels like you’re dropping me for her. Please tell me that’s not what’s happening.”

“Of course it’s not.” Joe walked closer to his girlfriend and held her. “If it makes you feel better, I won’t go help her every time she calls.”

“Okay. Good.” Maika stood on her toes to place a kiss to her boyfriends lips. Just as he returned the favor, his phone began to ring. They didn’t need to check the ID to know it was y/n, since Joe had assigned her a personalized ringtone. “Let it go to voicemail.”

“I plan on it.” Joe kissed her again and smiled when the phone stopped ringing. “Finally, some alone time.”

For the next week, being on set wasn’t easy for Joe or y/n. Joe was just trying to make his girlfriend happy but to y/n, it felt like he didn’t want her in his life anymore, so he stayed away as much as she could and was coming to work late every day.

The next Saturday happened to be the hardest for Joe. Y/n was running extremely late, and it started to worry him.

“We’re gonna have to start without her. Let’s just film the scenes she isn’t in.” Matt looked at Ross, who was looking at Joe. “Come on, Joe. It’s time to film.”

“But y/n isn’t here yet.”

“It’s okay. The scene we’re going to film doesn’t need her yet.”

“What if something bad happened to her? Has anyone been able to contact her?” Joe looked at his costars frantically. “Caleb, she talks to you the most. When’s the last time you spoke to her?”

“Last night when she told me that she’d be here on time today.” Caleb checked his phone just to make sure. “Yeah. The last message was at 9:45 last night.”

“Damn it. How about you, Gaten? Sadie?”

“Sorry, dude. Nothing new for a few days.” Gaten shrugged. Sadie, on the other hand, was staring at her phone as if she was deciding how to respond to a certain text.

“What is it?”

“Um, she says she’s not coming in today. Female problems.” Sadie quickly typed something in response and shoved her phone in her backpack.

“How many scenes do I have to film today?” Joe looked at Ross.

“7. But they’re short scenes and should be able to be shot quickly. Why?”

“I gotta check on y/n.”

“Won’t Maika get pissed?” Gaten questioned as he followed Joe to their marks.

“She’ll get over it.”

The two boys began their scene and remarkably, Joe only messed up twice, so it was easy to film. But for the rest of the day, he could barely focus on his lines. Y/n was all he could think of and because of that, he was stuck on set until it was dark outside. He checked his phone when he could and noticed multiple missed calls from y/n.

As soon as he was allowed to leave, he hopped in his car and drove to y/n’s apartment quickly. He tried calling her, but she wasn’t answering her phone, causing even more panic to flow through his body.

When he got to her building, he rushed to her door and walked in. All the lights were off, and he became more worried.

“y/n, are you home?”

“I’m in here.” He heard her voice and followed it, finally locating her in the corner of her living room.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?”

“Jake came back so I didn’t want him to know I was home.” She tried to look at his face but failed, due to the darkness. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“I was on set all day. I’m so sorry.” He sighed. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“I meant last week. You just stopped answering me altogether and you were avoiding me on set. Did I do something wrong?”

“No. Well, not really. It’s just that Maika-“

“Of course it has something to do with her.” y/n stood up from her spot on the floor and clicked on a lamp. “Did she tell you to stop talking to me or something?”

“No. She just asked me to stop letting you take advantage of me.”

“I was not taking advantage of you! I needed your help.”

“Yeah, with small problems. That’s not exactly what I meant when I said I’d be there to help.”

“You said you’d always be here to help me, no matter what.” y/n threw her hands up in frustration. “And it wasn’t a small problem. Jake came back and you know how horrible he is. I was terrified, and even more so because I didn’t have my ‘best friend’ to talk to. I was completely alone.”

“A ‘best friend’ isn’t someone who constantly calls on the other person to fix every little problem, y/n.” He chuckled coldly while shaking his head. “This is starting to get ridiculous.”

“Yes, I agree.” y/n sighed and took a seat on the couch. “Maybe we should just stop hanging out with each other for a while.”

“What? That’s not what I meant.”

“Joe, it’s really for the best. I mean, that way I’ll stop bothering you and getting on yours and your girlfriends nerves.”

“No, wait. I take it back. I don’t want that. Your calls don’t bother me. I’m sorry.”

“Look, Joe. You already said it. It’s out there. And it’ll be better for your relationship if I’m not always butting in. Maybe then you guys can move forward with your relationship.”

“Y/n, I-“ Joe tried to form a coherent sentence, but nothing came out for a minute. “What about the show?”

“That’s the only place I’ll see you and talk to you. Our relationship is no longer friendly. It’ll be strictly professional from here on out.” y/n got up and walked to the door. “You can go now, Joe.”

Joe looked at her sadly but left without a word. Once the door was closed, y/n turned off all the lights in her apartment and cried herself to sleep. Losing Joe left a big hole in her heart that she knew nothing would fill.

The sun wasn’t even up the next day when y/n woke up to her phone ringing loudly. She rubbed her eyes and answered her phone sluggishly.

“Ugh, Caleb. What do you want? It’s too early.”

“Are you gonna be coming to set today? You still got a few scenes to shoot. And I feel like I’ve barely seen you all week.”

“Is Joe going to be there?” she sighed and swung her legs off the side of her bed.

“He’s here right now. Why? Are you guys okay?”

“I’ll tell you more when I see you.” She checked the clock on her bedside table. “I’ll be there in 20.”

“Okay, great.” Caleb hung up and looked over at Joe. He was pacing while studying his lines. “She’s coming today. Are you sure everything is fine between you? She didn’t sound very happy.”

“It’s a long story. One that I promised not to tell.”

“Alright. I’m gonna take that as a no, but I’m not going to pry.”

“Thanks, Caleb.” Joe sighed and looked down at his phone. The last text he sent to y/n still said it was undelivered, meaning that she either had crappy service or she had his number blocked. Joe had a bad feeling it was the latter.

When she finally showed up on-set, most of the cast had filmed their only scene and were just hanging around to see how the rest of the day would go. There was also a handful of people who wanted to see what was really going on with y/n and Joe. The second the two of them made eye contact, the tension in the air became thicker. Anyone standing near them could feel the intensity. Gaten was the first one to attempt to break the tension.

“The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can all go out for a celebration.”

“Okay.” y/n smiled and turned to Joe. “You ready to do this?”

“Always.” He returned the smile and followed her to their marks. When the director called action, it was like all their problems were forgotten. Y/n felt like herself again and Joe was happy they were talking again, even if it was only just professionally.

After their scene, Caleb, Gaten and Sadie approached them.

“And I thought you guys were having issues.” Gaten smiled & Sadie nodded.

“Just because we’re no longer friends, doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be professional.” Joe looked at his friend and pulled out his phone. As y/n walked away with Sadie, Joe sat in his chair. “Honestly, it’s hard to do this, guys.”

“I know you can’t tell me exactly what happened, because you promised, but maybe there’s a way you can tell me without giving too much detail.”

“Sorry, but I can’t. It’s not just my story to tell. And besides, a promise is a promise. I can’t go back on it.” Joe thought back to what happened the night before and sighed. “I’m an idiot. I’ll be right back.”

Gaten & Caleb watched as Joe walked out of the studio. Y/n and Sadie gave Gaten a look and he shrugged, prompting them to walk back over to him.

“What was that all about?” y/n questioned while sipping on her coffee.

“Not totally sure. We were talking about promises and he mentioned that he promised you he wouldn’t say what happened and how he couldn’t go back on that promise. Then he just got up and walked out. Mentioned something about being an idiot.”

“He’s a big idiot.” y/n sighed. “He used to be my best idiot.”

“Are you going to tell us what actually went down?”

“I did promise you, didn’t I?” y/n set her cup down and proceeded to tell her costars what happened. She even went all the way to the beginning of her friendship with Joe.

Joe, on the other hand, was currently on the phone with Maika.

“Babe, I know I said I’d get her to leave us alone, but I made a promise, and I don’t go back on those. Especially not ones that I’ve made with y/n.”

“Well I’m your girlfriend. Shouldn’t my needs be more important right now?”

“They are important, trust me. But Y/n is important to me too. You can’t just expect me to drop her because it’s what would please you.”

“You’re never focused on this relationship anymore, Joe. You have to pick.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Look, I love you, but you’re being ridiculous.”

“It’s either her or me, Joe. Who are you going to pick?”

#joe keery x reader #joe x reader #joe keery

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