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folklorelise · 3 years

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Captain’s girlfriend being the Mom of the survey corps

You are Levi’s girlfriend, and you LOVE taking care of these kids.

- Background story

As a kid, you grew up next to Levi and his mother’s door. Your mothers knew each other since they used to work together. You and Levi very soon became inseparable. You would always play together during daytime; you would sleep together too because neither of you wanted to leave each other. You mother died when you were four, and very soon after that a farmer came and took you in. You tried to resist because you wanted to stay with Levi but the military police intervened. You didn’t even get to say goodbye to Levi and you were gone. Levi did not understand why from one day to another, you just disappeared. He asked his mom where you were, but she had no idea too.

”Is it because she doesn’t love me anymore?” Levi wondered.

”I’m sure she loves you, don’t worry about that my angel.” Kuchel reassured him while hugging him.

On your side, the farmer told you that he was your father. Your mother had succeeded, somehow, to send him a letter telling him how she knew she was sick. As a dying wish, she asked him to come and take care of you.

”I want to go back! I have a friend there and I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

”I’m sorry but the Underground is dangerous. You’re much safer here in wall Sina.”

Since then, you lived with your father helping him with the farms. Your father’s farm helped feeding the three military branches, so it was important to work hard. At the age of eighteen, it was time for you to choose a career. Younger, you thought about joining the training corps, but you father was against it, so you continued studying and finally began training as a nurse. You worked with Doctor Yeager a lot and once your trainings were completed, you decided to join the survey corps as nurse to help. You were twenty-one when that happened.

Your first friend was Hange. They would come into the infirmary very often due to their experiments. It was the only friendship you made since you arrived - you didn’t know how to make friends but Hange was very sociable, so they introduced you to Erwin and Mike. One day, you were eating with Hange in your office and you were talking about the latest news.

”Erwin just brought in three recruits!”

”Is that even allowed?” you asked surprised.

”Apparently. They were all against it because they’re from the underground. But I’ve seen them in action, and they are amazing. Even more because they had no training. You have to see them in action, because one of them, Levi, is truly a titan slayer god.” Hange blabbered.

”Levi?” you wondered, could it be your Levi? It has been a very long time, but he was only friend when you were a kid. Was he still alive? If so, did he change? Surprisingly, you still looked a lot like when you were a kid (according to your father).

”Yeah that’s his name, and his friends are here too — Isabel and Furlan. They are probably training right now if you want to meet them.”

”Why not!”

You finished your meal and went to the training grounds.

”FLAGON! Hi!” Hange screamed.

”Hange and my favourite nurse!” Flagon smiled, ”If you are here to meet my new members, they are killing titans.”

”Y/N come, let’s find them!”

Hange took your arm and run through the trees and once you spotted them, you stopped. They were good. One of them turned their head to where you and Hange were and for a second, you two made eye contact. He froze for a second but quickly continued to kill fake titans.

”Are you okay?” Hange asked you worried. ”You look like you’ve seen a titan.”

”No, I’m good but I have to go, I just remembered how I had some paperwork to do. Hm I’ll see you later!” you explained before running away.

Once the three of them were done training, they met Hange and Flagon again.

”Who was that girl?” Levi asked abruptly.

”Why do you care?” Flagon answered.

”Just tell me.” Levi urged clenching his teeth.

”That was our nurse.” Hange responded to avoid more conflict between the two of them.

”I want her name!” Levi growled exasperated.

”It’s Y/N, why?”

Levi didn’t answer Hange and just left rapidly. Isabel and Furlan were just as confused as the two squad leaders. You lock yourself in your office, panting a little because you ran to there. Levi knew where the infirmary was so he just knocks on your office’s door. He tried to open the door when you did not answer but it was locked.

”You’re a nurse, you can’t ignore your patients!” Levi yelled. ”Open the door now! Y/N!”

You unlocked the door and opened it slowly. You were scared to look at him so you’re eyes were fixed on his shoes. He gently pushed you inside so you would both have privacy. After a minute or two of silence, Levi suddenly took you in his arms.

”I thought that you were dead,” Levi mumbled, ”when you didn’t came that day, I thought that I’d never see you again.”

”I’m sorry,” you said hugging him back, ”a man came in when my mom died and he said that he was my father and since then, he took care of me. What about you? What are doing here? How’s your mom?” you asked softly.

”Erwin took us in,” Levi revealed briefly, ”and my mom died a few days after you were gone.”

”Oh... I’m so sorry about that.” you said looking at him.

”I’m glad you’re here.”

Since that day, you two spent all your free time together. Very soon enough, you met Levi’s friends. You loved spending time with them, and everything was fine. Until that expedition, where both Furlan and Isabel died. You tried your best to be there for Levi but it was difficult between all the amount of work you had to do after each expedition. So, at night, you would sneak into his room that he used to share with Furlan, but now it was just him. Levi was on his bed, curled up on himself. You would just lay beside him, with your arms around him. You were sleeping together just like you used to when you were kids. Since that day, Levi never let you go back to your old bed.

- First meeting with the 104th cadets

As head of the medical team, you volunteered to do rounds at the training headquarters because some of the kids were incredibly clumsy. It was the first week of training and you would constantly be visited by Eren. That kid was way too into trainings and wouldn’t mind hurting himself.

”Eren you should really calm down a little bit on the trainings.”

”No! I have to become a survey corps soldier so I can defeat ALL THE TITANS!” Eren screamed determined. Mikasa behind who just grab Eren and forced him to sit on his chair so you could stitch him up.

—————

The next kid that you would often see was Armin. He was constantly cold during winter and you would order him to rest instead of training. He would have to stay with you because otherwise, he would continue training because he was determined to pass his evaluations.

”If I rest too long, I’ll forget everything!” Armin tried to explain.

”I don’t want you to get hurt if you work out while being sick like this. You would have to wear so many layers of clothes that you couldn’t even put your ODM gear on.”

Once, you had to come urgently because Armin got extremely sick during winter. And he requested to have you here because apparently, sick Armin is really picky. You couldn’t refuse of course. You took the medicine you had for a cold and some extra blankets because you knew there was not any at the training corps and left. Armin was curled up on himself with his winter coat as well as Mikasa’s on top him.

”Armin, hey, I’m here.” you woke him up gently by sitting next to him.

”My head...” Armin whimpered.

”I know, I asked another nurse to boil some water and. It’s going to get better,” you reassured him, ”here’s some extra blankets I took for you.” you showed him the two blankets and put them on him and took off the coats.

After a few days of intense care from you, Armin started to feel better already. But never enough for him to go back training and once you heard him talking with Eren and Mikasa.

”If I’m better now she’s going to leave and that means no more bedtime stories or anything!”

That night you told him that you had to leave because the survey corps had an expedition, he next morning.

”But you’re not a survey corps soldier.” Armin said confused.

”But I am the nurse assigned for the expeditions.”

”What? But isn’t that too dangerous?”

”I had a lot of training believe me, and I have been doing that for five years now so I think I’m good. But thank you for worrying about me.” you laughed softly. ”I’ll be back in a few weeks alright?”

Armin only nodded and fell back to sleep.

—————

Reiner would constantly come for minor injuries or fake ones just because he liked hanging out in the infirmary. Reiner was too adorable for you to send him away. Bertolt would very often be with Reiner, and he would too often apologise for Reiner behaviour.

”I know you must be very busy, We shouldn’t bother you any longer.” Bertolt would blabber.

”Not at all! You kids are too adorable and nice for me to throw you outside.” you reassured them which would always lead to you giving them a hug after. You would remember the first time you hugged Reiner, he back up so brutally that it just confused you.

”What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?” you asked worried.

”No! I-I was just... surprised.”

”Well get used to that then.” you joked before hugging him again.

—————

You remember once Jean broke his arm so he couldn’t eat by himself and you had to feed him his soup and bread. Jean was sitting with his friend, but he couldn’t go and grab his food and earlier you had told him to wait for you. Five minutes after, you appeared next to him with his soup and bread and fruit.

”Thanks Y/N but I think I can eat by myself.” Jean said with a grin. You didn’t leave and instead just watched him struggle with his left arm. He would spill half of his spoon on the table but he didn’t ask for help. You took the spoon out of his hand and took a spoonful of soup and blow on it so it wouldn’t be too hot. You put your hand under the spoon and expected Jean to eat the food without protest but that didn’t happen.

”Jean, just eat the food.”

”No! I-”

”Open your mouth before I make you.” you ordered with a firm voice.

Everyone was surprised by your tone since you were always so calm and patient. Jean stopped protestant and ate his food. Once you were done you cleaned his plates and went back to your office without another word. Just before you were ready to go back to the survey corps headquarters, your door opened on Jean.

”Shouldn’t you be sleeping at this hour?” you asked softly.

”I...” he hesitated while blushing a little, ”I’m sorry about earlier. You just — you were just helping me, and I was... a jerk...”

”Jean, it’s fine.”

”You promise?”

”I promise, don’t worry. Now go back to bed, I have to leave soon.”

”When are you coming back?”

”Very soon, so until then, ask Marco to help you eat.”

- The night of the ceremony

Erwin was delivering his prepared speech, that he had practiced on you and Levi a least a thousand times. You would listen to him attentively in front of the crow. And in the end, only a bunch of them stayed. You would of course see Eren, Armin and Mikasa together. You greeted them and everyone else. You saw Jean sitting alone — you were surprised to see him here since you thought that he would join the MP. Your approached him and sat next to him.

”Are you okay? Where’s Marco?” you wondered.

”Marco’s dead.”

You didn’t say anything and just took Jean in your arms. He rested his head on you shoulder and cried a little.

- Jean can sleep after Marco’s death

You were in Levi’s office, doing paperwork with him as usual.

”You love these kids too much.” Levi stated.

”What? I like them a little.”

”Oh please. You spent all your free during these last three years with them.”

”It’s my job to take care of them.” you laughed.

”They weren’t even that badly injured.”

”Aw, were you jealous? You just have to tell me and I’m all yours.” you teased him.

”You already are.” Levi expressed with a smirk.

”Oh, I’m out of tea, I’ll be right back.” you warned Levi before leaving, but not before a kiss to your boyfriend.

You walked to the kitchen with your two cups and boiled some water. You poured some water in your cups and left the kitchen which leads to the mess hall. A small figure was sitting alone at the back. You walked closer to that person and quickly noticed Jean.

”Can’t sleep?” you asked softly.

”Every time I close my eyes, I keep seeing Marco’s half body just lying there... alone.”

”I know it’s hard, especially because you just spent three entire years with him.” you sat next to him, ”but you need to rest. You are part of the survey corps now and it’s a lot of work.”

”I can’t fall asleep...”

”Go back to bed and I’ll be there, I just have to take these,” you showed the cups of tea, ”to someone and I’ll be there okay?”

He nodded and left. You ran to Levi’s office and told him what happened.

”You love these kids too much.” Levi repeated.

”I’m sorry, it’s just...”

”Y/N, it’s fine,’ Levi reassured you smiling, ”plus, I know how that Jean boy is your favourite so just go but come back to bed with me!” Levi screamed as you ran out of his office as soon as he said it was fine.

Once in front of Jean’s bedroom that he shared with Connie, you opened the door gently. Connie was sleeping on the top of the bunk bed. Jean was sitting on his bed waiting for you. You sat next to him and took off your shoes.

”I once managed to get a guy who would only sleeps three hours top every night to have a better schedule of sleep. So, I think I can get you to sleep.” you told Jean.

Jean had his head on your lap, and you sat against the wall. You started to tell one of the stories your dad used to tell you when you couldn’t sleep. While doing that, you would of course play with his hair because according to Levi ”that sh!t’s amazing to help me sleep so do it”. Soon after Jean fall asleep. You wanted to leave but he had his arms around you too tight. After an hour of waiting, Levi opened the door with a confused expression.

”What are you still doing here?” Levi asked quietly.

”Jean isn’t letting me go.” you showed his arms around you.

”I’m going to kill that boy tomorrow when training!” Levi yelled softly.

Levi then helped you get out of Jean’s arms. You kissed his forehead before leaving him sleep.

”I’m never going to say this enough but you love these kids too much.”

”I do.” you confessed.

”You shouldn’t.”

”I know, they are strange-”

”No. I’m saying this because if they end up dying in the next few expeditions, you’ll never get over it. And I don’t like seeing you all sad.” he explained.

”I knoow, but I can’t help it if they are all so adorable!”

—————

PART 2: here

MASTERLIST

#attack on titan #levi ackerman x reader #jean kirstein #eren yeager #mikasa bae #armin arlet #hange bae #levi ackerman fluff #attack on titan x reader #attack on titan fluff #jean kirstein fluff #armin arlet fluff #just fluff i guess #hope you guys will enjoy this :)#jean kirstein x reader #armin arlet x reader #too much tags i abandon #i'm legit stressed about posting this cause it's been so long '-'

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reidyoulikeabook · 3 years

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Personal Google

4 times Spencer knows the answer, and the 1 time he doesn’t.

Summary: Spencer is your own personal Google. He always knows the answer to anything you ask him.

Warnings: Pining, slow burn-ish (?), reader and Spencer are both idiots who aren’t acknowledging their feelings for each other. Some mentions of a case and case-typical violence. No references to the gender of the reader!

Word count: 2k (this ran away from me)

A/N: Part two to this is here!

Requests: open!!

“Hey Spence?” You call, barely looking up from your phone as you scroll through Twitter, “What’s a hedgefund?”

“Are you reading about the GameStop stock?” He asks.

“Yeah.”

He clears his throat, and you look up at him, “Okay. A hedgefund is a way for accredited investors to invest in a way that minimises the risk to their own assets. Without getting too complicated, because it can get really convoluted, it’s basically just a way for rich people to get richer a lot of the time because a prerequisite for investing in the majority is having a high net income or a high net worth to begin with.”

You smile, “So basically rich people are getting screwed?”

“Something like that.”

“Good,” You respond, putting your phone away.

You swear you hear a little laugh escape his mouth as he turns back to the computer at his desk.

***

You’re sat on the jet, in your usual seat next to him, when everything starts to go pear-shaped. It jolts a little, sending you knocking into his side. You grimace.

“It’s just a little turbulence,” Hotch says, “Probably because of the storm coming from the East. We should be landing soon.”

Rationally, you realise there’s nothing to be afraid of. But it’s easier said than done to keep rational when the plane’s rattling like a pack of smarties and your head is bashing against Spencer’s bony shoulder every five seconds.

He senses your unease, tentatively reaching across to take hold of your hand. His instinct is to supply statistics about plane crashes but something in him tells him you won’t respond too well if he tells you the odds of getting in a small plane crash are higher than a regular commercial flight but still lower than the chances of being involved in a motor vehicle accident. Instead, he chooses a different tactic.

“It’ll be alright, we’ve been in the air for two hours and,” He squints at his watch, “Forty-three minutes. This flight’s two hours fifty-eight tops.”

You nod, “Hey Spence?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember this morning when you were telling me about the French dancing plague and we got interrupted by the call about the case?”

You don’t have to say anything more, he immediately launches into a spiel about France in 1615: the death of crops, how the people felt they were being spited by God, the whole thing. He gestures wildly with his free hand, but the hand that lies atop of yours doesn’t budge an inch. You rub small circles on it with your thumb, which goes unacknowledged. Privately, you’re a little disappointed. Privately, he’s afraid you’ll stop if he points it out.

***

It’s been a long and fruitless day. The local PD had been worse than useless, they were so reluctant to accept that anybody from their town could possibly have been responsible for what was going on that it felt like a constant battle to get anything done. You’d been out interviewing possible witnesses from the local bar. Well, trying to, you would have been a lot more successful if the Sheriff hadn’t constantly been under your feet, undermining your questions and generally resulting in making you look like an idiot.

Hotch had chewed him out in the end, relinquishing you from interview duty to help Spencer with the geographical profile back at the station. He’s scribbling away on the map while you slump in the chair, a little defeated.

“Hey Spence?”

“Hmm?” He hums in response, not taking his eyes off the section he’s just crossed out.

“How come you’re ruling out that side of town?”

He flips the whiteboard pen in his hands, returning its cap before turning around to you, “A lot of the area over there is industrial. I’ve been combing through to get a closer look, but it doesn’t look like our unsub would have the kind of privacy he needs. There are a lot of factories, granted, but they’re pretty much all occupied. He’s meticulous, I don’t think he’d take the risk of working in an environment where he couldn’t control anything and risking getting himself caught. And from what we know about him he certainly isn’t affluent enough to rent property on that side of town. Rent is almost three times as expensive there,” he gestures with his hands, tapping the lid of the pen on the area he means, “I think he’s more likely to be from the northmost part of town.”

You smile, “I don’t know how you do that.”

He opens his mouth to respond before seeing the softness in your eyes, realising you’re not asking for an explanation. You’re giving him a compliment. His chest feels a little warm.

***

You can’t sleep that night, despite how exhausting your day has been. You’d think the physical and mental exhertion would knock you out but instead you’re sat on your bed, idly flipping through TV channels. Not much is on except some old NCIS re-runs, and oddly enough you don’t feel like watching a crime show.

You could text Spencer. The thought appears in your head of its own accord, without your consent.

You could though.

10:12pm - You

You’d think after a day like today I’d be able to get some rest

10:13pm - Spencer

You can’t sleep?

10:13pm - You

No, sorry, I didn’t think you’d be asleep

10:14pm - Spencer

I can’t sleep either, don’t worry. Do you want to come over to my room? I have a documentary about Pearl Harbour I was going to watch

10:14pm - Spencer

Or we could do something else. Not sure if Pearl Harbour is more fun for you than struggling to fall asleep

10:15pm - You

A Pearl Harbour documentary sounds great

Thankfully you’d had the forethought to bring nice sleeping attire rather than your old ratty ones. You’d learnt your lesson before, when your presence had been required in the middle of the night and you’d had to scramble down to team meetings in pyjama bottoms that had a hole in the right thigh.

You take a quick look at yourself in the mirror, some anxiety fluttering in your stomach for some reason.

It’s odd. It’s hardly the first time you’ve been over to Spencer’s room for crying out loud, I mean he’s the person you’re closest to on the team and your best friend and your private yearning for him is mostly inconsequential. Mostly. Except you fix your hair and smooth down your top a little anyway.

He’s only three doors down and it’s easy enough to slip quietly into his room. He sits on the bed, two glasses of water resting on the bedside table, his laptop resting by his knees. He’s illuminated by the bedside lamp next to him, and his hair looks fluffy as hell. No doubt from him running his own hands through it in frustration today. He smiles at you, patting the space next to him.

You pad across and join him, “Hey Spence.”

“Hi.”

His laptop isn’t particularly loud, and the screen isn’t very big, so you end up sat quite close to him. The laptop rests on his lap. You hesitate before nuzzling in against him, feeling how his breath catches in his chest as your head rests against his on the bedframe.

“Is this okay?” You ask.

“Yeah,” He answers, a small content smile playing on his lips, “Yeah this is okay.”

***

You’re not sure when or how you fell asleep but you wake up with a start to the sound of pounding on the door. And you’re not in your own bed. You briefly acknowledge the warmth next to you before it’s gone, Spencer leaping out of bed to answer the door.

“We’ve been-” Emily stands in the doorway, the bedroom lamp that you must have neglected to turn off allowing her to catch a glimpse of your dazed face, “Reid, why is ____ in your room?”

Spencer opens his mouth, flustered and unsure of what to say, floundering between looking at you both for a moment before Emily rescues him. The digital clock obnoxiously blinks the time: 2:18am.

“Okay we’re definitely talking about this later but there’s another body, Hotch wants us all down at the station in 15.”

It occurs to you, as you rush embarassed from Spencer’s room, apologising to him at least five times on your way out, that the only thing standing between you and a million questions about your personal life is the focus on an unsub who you’ll hopefully catch today. You shrug your clothes over your head, replacing them with fresh ones and pulling on your shoes. The jet home is going to be fun.

—-

You were right to be hopeful about today. The unsub is tracked down and arrested by the time night comes around. His arrest is clean, no hostages and no shots fired. Really, in your line of work, it was the best possible outcome.

Hotch made the call that you’d spend another night here, since there was paperwork that’d need to be taken care of in the morning and some final loose ends that required wrapping up. You suspected some small part of it was because J.J wanted to ensure you made nice and left things on good terms with the local PD before you left, since there’d been a lot of headbutting throughout the case. Spencer had also been completely right about the geographical profile, the unsub had been working and killing from a rundown ramshackle house in the northmost suburb.

Speaking of Spencer, you’d barely acknowledged each other since this morning. Sure, you’d shared rooms together before, even beds when the occasion had called for it, but you’d never been so intimate before.

Maybe it was best for you both if you just ignored the whole thing entirely, carried on as normal. Yeah. Yeah that’s what you’d do.

You worried about the meaning of anything you said being lost over text so you headed to his room, knocking on his door. It brought a small smile to your face to think how you’d been on the other side of it the last time someone knocked.

He opens it, just slightly, before relaxing when he sees it’s you, “Hey.”

“Hi,” You step past him into the room, watching him close the door and take a step towards you.

He waits for you to speak.

“So. We never finished that documentary.”

He laughs, soft, “We didn’t.”

“Do you want to finish it now?”

“Uh…” He visibly pauses and you feel a small twinge in your chest. Maybe you’d made him uncomfortable, maybe you’d misread the whole thing, maybe you’d...

He interrupts your self-deprecating runaway train of thoughts with a simple, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

As you settle down to watch the film, his laptop situated firmly in the middle of the bed this time, you feel the gulf between you. Empty space where his leg rested against yours yesterday. Still, that was what he wanted, right? His own space. Not to talk about it.

You don’t notice because you’re watching the documentary, but Spencer has to stop himself from reaching his arm out for you when he stretches. You didn’t want to talk about it, obviously. Meaning you probably wished it hadn’t happened. He tried to ignore the ache in his chest at that thought, the hollow feeling it left. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before you spoke again.

“Hey Spence?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this historically accurate?”

And explaining the nuances of Japanese-American history is much easier for him.

#spencer reid fanfic #imagine spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #reid x reader #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid #imagine criminal minds #criminal minds x you #bau!reader

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belphies-cuhm-sluht · 3 years

Note

Belphegor with a s/o who is best friends with Lucifer.

Everything's Gonna Be Okay (Belphegor x GN!Reader ft. Lucifer) ANGST -> FLUFF

Word Count : 2.2K Warnings : Spoilers to lesson 16; Mention of death;

“Where were you?” His voice cut through the pitch black of the room, sharper than a knife, accusatory and angry as he always was whenever you were with Lucifer. He knew exactly where you were, his question was more so to ask what you were doing without seeming like he actually cared. You had explained to Belphie before that he had no reason to worry, but at this point you figured that he wasn’t worried about anything, he was upset with you for still being friends, let alone best friends, with Lucifer after everything the guy had done. You walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge and preparing yourself to give him the same explanation that you had given him so many times, it was like being on constant repeat. “I was helping him file his papers, I just lost track of time.” You turned your head, trying to make out the shape of him on the bed. He was turned away from you, but you could tell that his entire body was stiff, like he was on edge. “You know, he’s just as much my friend as everyone else in the house.” He rolled over finally, growling quietly. You knew now that you shouldn’t have said it, but you couldn’t take it back now. “Oh yeah, that’s great, Y/N. I’m sure you’ve all just forgotten completely that he locked me up here and lied to my brothers about everything to cover his own ass. He’s a great friend to have.” He pulled the blankets from your side of the bed and wrapped them around himself, deciding to be petty and immature instead of just listening to you. It wasn’t unlike him, but it was so agitating. “He did it to keep me safe from you!” You snapped at him, and you were trying really hard not to bring up the sore subject of what he had done to you, but he just refused to listen to anything that you had to say. He scoffed, turning his back to you once more and you should have bit your tongue, but it was so hard to do when he was acting this way. “I’m sure you’ve just forgotten the fact that you killed me, and then tried to do it again, you know, the reason you were locked in the attic in the first place.” You heard his teeth snap together, the deep growl that was building in his throat and his heavy nose breathing. He was trying to keep himself calm, keep himself from absolutely losing it at your mention of his previous mistakes. “That’s right. I’m awful, I’m the absolute worst, because Lucifer hasn’t tried to kill you before either. None of my other brothers have ever tried to kill you, it was just me.” His laugh was humorless, and you could feel the bed practically vibrating beneath you, he was shaking so much. He was beyond angry, he was livid, and you weren’t sure if you could backpedal your way out of this one. “I never said that! Lucifer isn’t getting mad at me for being with you though!” You huffed loudly, crossing your arms in front of your chest. For once there was nothing but silence from his side of the bed though, and you actually thought that you had potentially gotten through to him. The evident sounds of his agitation were gone, and it almost seemed like he had stopped breathing for a second, he was so still. That’s when he shot up straight in bed, kicking the blankets off and pushing himself off the bed. “I can’t believe you just fucking said that.” Now he just sounded exhausted as he walked over to the door, shaking his head as he grabbed his cardigan off the bed post. “Lucifer would have no right to get mad at you for being with me because HE’S not your fucking boyfriend, Y/N… I don’t even know if I am at this point.” You watched him as he walked out, his words hung in the air and you couldn’t think of anything to say, you didn’t know how to respond. Not that you had time to anyway, he was already out of the attic, slamming the door behind him as he walked down the stairs, most likely going to his and Beels room to sleep. Maybe that’s what you both needed, to just sleep it off and hopefully you’d both be able to talk things over in the morning.

Morning came, and for a second you thought that everything that had happened last night was just a really bad dream. That is, until you turned to the side and saw Belphies' side of the bed was empty. He had essentially broken up with you last night before he walked out and you had never felt more heart broken than you were right now. You needed to talk to him, but you were sure that he didn’t want to talk to you at all right now, but you needed to talk to someone. There was nowhere else that you could think of going right now, and there was only one person that you knew would be up this early. It would be a problem, especially if Belphie knew that you went there to talk about his and your relationship issues, but Lucifer was your best friend, and you needed some sort of guidance. You knocked lightly on his office door, waiting for him to call out to you to come in, but this time he actually opened the door for you, smiling softly when he saw you standing there. “Y/N… You’re up early.” He stepped to the side to let you in and you went straight for the armchairs, letting yourself drop into one, your head falling against the back as a loud groan escaped you. “Rough night I assume?” He followed you over, sitting in the chair beside yours and folding his hands on his lap. “I think Belphie broke up with me…” You whispered, not even wanting to say it out loud. The words didn’t sound right, they didn’t feel right leaving your lips. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed as he looked at you, and he seemed just as shocked by it as you had been. “He doesn’t like me spending time with you… and I know he hates you, but… You’re my friend. You’ve been my friend way longer than he’s been my boyfriend… I don’t want to hurt either of you though.” It was emotionally tolling, emotionally draining for you to even think about, let alone talk about. You didn’t want to have to choose between the two of them, and you shouldn’t have to. Lucifer reached out to pat the top of your hand, giving you that same soft smile that he had at his office door. You didn’t know how he could possibly reassure you right now, but you knew that he was about to try. “Y/N, you don’t have to hurt either of us, and you don’t have to choose. I’m still going to be your friend, no matter what. If Belphegor doesn’t like it, that’s his choice. You’ve done nothing wrong, but it would be wise to talk to him about this, and try not to let your emotions get the best of you.” Your emotions… they had gotten the best of you last night, and you had said something without even thinking, and that’s why he stormed out. You had to stay in control, even if Belphie couldn’t.

Taking a deep breath, you knocked quickly on the door to Belphie and Beels room, Lucifer’s words replaying in your head. You needed to talk to him about this, but as seconds ticked by and your heart raced, you wanted nothing more than to turn around and run into your room. You didn’t know how you’d be able to look at him, let alone talk to him without getting upset. It would be so easy to just go to your room and lock the door, and just as that idea was starting to sound like a better plan than anything else, the door swung open. “Hey, Y/N. Belphie’s still sleeping… He was up for a while last night tossing and turning… I even think he was crying. He didn’t want to talk about it though… Do you know what happened?” Beel was smiling at you just as he always did, but you worried that if you told him what had happened, the reason for his twin brother's lack of sleep, he would be upset with you. There was no use in lying to him or acting unsure though, you were sure that Belphie would tell him about it at some point anyway. “We got into an argument last night… I just really need to talk to him.” He hummed thoughtfully before nodding his head, stepping out of the room and watching you walk in. “Thank you…” For not asking any further questions, for not trying to poke at yours and Belphie’s relationship. If you didn’t tell him right away, he wouldn’t ask, and that’s the thing that you really liked about Beel. He was quiet, and he respects people's privacy. He gave you a quick nod before pulling the door shut, leaving you alone in the room with Belphie. Everything sounded so loud, even your breaths seemed to echo off the walls of the room, like everything was in acoustic. Your steps over to the bed sounded more like you were stomping even though you were being as quiet as you possibly could, not wanting to wake Belphie up. He would just be even more angry if you not only made him lose sleep last night, but also woke him up once he was finally able to get some shut eye. “I wasn’t crying, by the way. My nose was just stuffed up.” You stopped where you were, looking over to see Belphie sitting up in his bed. “Why are you here anyway?” He was going to be like that right off the bat, but you needed to stay calm, keep your composure. Things would be easy if at least one of you kept your cool, although it would be even easier if you both talked this through like grown adults. “I need to talk to you… You said last night… That you didn’t know if you were my-... What did you mean?” At this point you were standing in the middle of the room, awkwardly twirling your fingers as you looked at him. He sighed quietly, shaking his head as he looked up at you. “I was just mad. You know I didn’t mean that.” He watched your face closely, the way you bit your lip and shuffled your feet. “You do know I didn’t mean that, right?” His eyes softened and in a blink of an eye he was out of the bed, wrapping his arms around you so tight that it seemed like he wasn’t going to let go. “I’d never leave you over something like that, I just… I got mad, and I said something I didn’t mean to say.” He pushed you back just enough to kiss your forehead before looking down at you, his eyes holding your own. “I know… I know you wouldn’t…” You were holding onto the sides of his cardigan tightly, trying to think of how to tell him how you felt and what you were going to do without pissing him off again. “I love you, Belphie… I love being with you… But I’m not going to give up my friendship with Lucifer. I know you hate him, but-” He kissed you quickly, as if he was trying to quiet you before you went too far, and maybe it was the best thing for both of you. At least with his lips against yours you were sure of two things, and those were that you wouldn’t say anything to piss him off, and that he still was in a good enough mood to kiss you, and those were both very good things. The kiss lasted until the both of you were out of breath, both of your chests rising and falling quickly as you stared at each other. His cheeks were lightly flushed as he took a step back, chuckling

softly. “I’m not asking you to give up your… friendship with him.” He bit his lip a little, like the next part was hard for him to even try to say, and you began to mentally prepare yourself for whatever it was he would say next, fearing that it would be something you didn’t want to hear. “All I want is for you to not stay with him so late… I… I like falling asleep next to you at night.” His cheeks turned a brighter shade of red and he quickly pushed your face back into his chest, hoping that you didn’t notice it. Being held by him made everything that happened the night before seem like a nightmare and you were finally waking up from it. Lucifer was your best friend and nothing was going to change that, just like nothing was going to change the fact that Belphie was your boyfriend, and you loved him. As long as you got to end your nights in his arms and wake up to see his face everything would be alright.

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writingtoforgetreality · 3 years

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I’m Only Me When I’m With You (Sam Wilson x Reader)

Request: Hello! Hope this ask finds you well! May I request a Sam Wilson x reader in which the reader is very stubborn but finds herself falling for Sam despite trying to resist those feelings? Thank you so much! I hope you stay safe and healthy during these crazy times! (by @agentmalfoy24601), [Marvel-Masterlist]

Summary: You liked Sam. Was it a secret? You hoped so but your team would state otherwise. While the teasing was funny & all, it actually made you distance yourself from your feelings even more. Luckily, there was a certain someone who could see right through you.

Words: 1,990

Warnings: language, feels, fluff, this is a cute one, I love Sam but barely anyone writes for him :(, slight TFATWS spoilers, (Y/E/C) = your eye color, REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

“Nope, forget it.” you argued with the three men in front of you. “I understand that this mission is important but I will not pretend to be his wife.” your finger pointed at Sam while your eyebrows raised.

“You could always pretend to be my partner.” Zemo reasoned. Shaking your head, you let out a scoff.

“(Y/N) & Zemo? Makes a cute couple.” Bucky spoke up & earned a death glare from not only you but also Sam. Though you did not see what Wilson was doing. Not in this moment.

“I hate every single one of you.” you snarled through gritted teeth.

“Sure.” Bucky mumbled almost inaudible, followed by a low chuckle.

The thing about this mission was that you knew if you played pretend next to Sam, it would not actually be pretending from your side. Truth was, you were falling for him. More than you would have liked to admit. You were not born yesterday, you were aware that relationships did not work out. Not with a job as dangerous as yours. Besides, this was Wilson you were talking about. Hell, he could have anyone, he would never choose someone like you. And you did not want him to choose you. Relationships complicated things. Complications led to danger & danger led to death. The rest of the team, especially Bucky, had picked up on the fact that you kind of liked Sam. And they teased the shit out of you. They even made bets on how long it would take the two of you to start dating. No way would you give in. Nope. That was not in your nature.

Though you had to admit that Sam did not make your plan of burying your feelings deep down any easier. Most of the times, he did not even realize the effect he had on you. It was simple things, really. The way he moved his body. How his shirts fit just right. This heartwarming smile of his that had you weak at the knees. His efforts to make you smile constantly, especially after failed missions. He was a good guy. And good guys never chose people like you. An acquaintance. That was what you were to him. Maybe it was for the better anyway.

“(Y/N)?” you heard Bucky’s voice coming from the closed door to your room. Jogging over there, you slowly opened it for him, checking if it really was him & not a threat or something. He entered after you stepped aside as a silent invitation.

“What’s up?” you were fixing up your appearance for the upcoming party you all had to attend. The outfit you wore made you feel like a strong goddess. The colors complemented perfectly, hugging every curve in the best way possible. It was not often when you got to dress up like that but when you did, it definitely paid off.

“Tell Sam you like him.” Bucky wasted no time with his words. Spinning around in order to face him, you gave him your best dumbfounded look. It made him roll his eyes. “I’m being serious.”

“How much money do you win if I do?” you asked curiously, knowing that this was most likely just part of one of their stupid bets.

“Zero, actually. Because I said you’d get together after this mission.” you gave him a look that he gladly ignored. “But that’s not the point…I do believe that the tension between you guys will be unbearable, though.”

“Oh, come on, dude. You’re totally exaggerating.” you gave an awkward chuckle to hide your embarrassment.

“I’m afraid I’m right.” he sat down on one of the chairs, then looked into your eyes. “I don’t know why you make such a big deal outta it. You like him. He likes you-“

“Which is not true. You’re just assuming shit.”

“He likes you. (Y/N), you’re not the same when you’re not with him.” his words were soft, the sincerity clearly shown.

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” your arms raised in confusion. Plopping down on your bed, you sighed loudly.

“He completes you. I didn’t think it was possible, actually. I used to laugh at people when they said stuff like that.” he chuckled. “You & Sam deserve to be happy. You belong with each other.” when there was a long pause from you, Bucky got up & approached the door. Stopping briefly after touching the doorknob to turn around & face you. “Please think about it, (Y/N).” shooting you one last warm smile, he exited. Leaving you alone with the silence being your only company.

Bucky was one of your best friends. You knew he would not lie to you. Not about something like that. And even though he loved messing with you, he was serious when he talked to you just now. Yes, you liked Sam. Of course you did. How could you not? His broad shoulders, muscles that you only ever got to see when he decided to change in front of you (which did not happen often enough for your liking). But why were you even thinking about that? If you were honest, you were not even sure if you would go on a date with him if he decided to ask. Was it to protect him & the others? Or was it to protect yourself from possible heartbreak? Or was it just to show yourself & the others that you were not someone who gave in easily? Not when everyone around you pushed you to do something. Wanted you to do something.

There was another knock on your door. This time, your head was thrown back in frustration. Bucky was a pain in the ass sometimes. He did not even give you enough time to go talk to Sam if you planned on doing so. Which you were not. Walking over to the door, you prepared a speech for Barnes.

“You know you’re actually an awful frien-“ you stopped dead in your tracks when the door opening revealed that it was not Bucky who came to invade your privacy again. It was Sam. Realizing what you just said, you started stuttering out an apology. “Oh God, Sam. I’m so sorry. I thought Bucky was-“

“No worries.” his laugh warmed your heart as much as you disliked to admit it. “Can I…?” he gestured to your room. Quickly stepping aside, you motioned for him to enter, apologizing once more. Why were you even saying sorry? There was literally no need to.

“You-You look gorgeous.” he eyed you up & down, taking in your appearance. Training your eyes down to the floor, you regained your composure a second later. You were not the embarrassed type.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Wilson.” winking at him & his black turtleneck. Sam wearing this? Well, it did things to you. He patted the spot next to him on your bed. Getting the message, you walked over & seated yourself right beside him, body facing his. The most gorgeous brown eyes locked with your (Y/E/C) ones. It was hard to look away. Like you were trapped in them. But truth was, you did not want to look away. Sam was the first one to speak up. Voice only a whisper.

“What are we doing?” he asked & you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

“W-What?” you really had no clue what he was talking about.

“This.” he gestured between you two. “What are we doing?”

“Well, Zemo said we’ll have to pretend to be married, right? So I guess we should just stay close to each other at all times & then see-“ you got interrupted by him shaking his head frantically, a smile still on his lips.

“I’m not talking about the mission, (Y/N).” his eyes met yours once more, an expectant expression on his face.

“O-Okay?” your head tilted to the side.

“Why are you making this even harder?” he sighed frustratingly but you could hear the sarcasm in his tone.

“I’m sorry?” it was more of a question, really. Quickly, he shook his head, one of his hand moving on top of yours.

“No, please don’t apologize. You do that way too often.” he chuckled. “Am I the only one thinking that there’s something between us?” your face changed in realization. No. Whatever he was doing, you hoped he would not go that way. If he did, it could ruin your entire friendship. And you were not sure if you could live without him. You did not want to live without him.

“I’m- I mean…I think we shouldn’t-“ you started only to be interrupted by him again.

“Why shouldn’t we?” he asked, voice raising just the slightest bit. You gave him a shrug in return, eyes focusing on his hand on top of yours in your lap. “Oh, I think I get it.” Sam started again when he realized that you were not planning on giving him an actual answer. “You’re scared.” this statement made you glance at him. He smirked at your expression because he knew that he had you now. “You’re scared that this won’t work out. And you don’t wanna give in.”

“Don’t wanna give in?” you played dumb but actually, it shocked you how well Sam knew you. Yeah, you had been close friends for a while now but still, nobody else could read you like he did.

“People have been bugging you to go out with me, haven’t they?” his eyebrows raised while waiting for you to confirm this. After a few moments, you nodded slightly. “That’s one of the reasons we aren’t dating yet.” he was straight forward with all of this. Like he had been preparing this speech for ages. Maybe he had, who knew?

“Yeah? You seem pretty damn sure about this.” you smirked at his certainty. Deep down, you knew he was right. But a little teasing never killed nobody, right?

“I know I’m right.” he pointed out, mimicking your smirk.

“Is that so? And why do you think that?”

“Because you’re too stubborn for your own good sometimes. “ you should feel hurt by him calling you out on this but you felt the exact opposite. It just showed you how much he actually paid attention to you. “You’re too stubborn & you like to do things your way. So when people tell you to do something…you tend to do the exact opposite.” his bright smile plastered one on your face as well.

“Guilty.” suddenly, it was way too silent. Not the usual silence but one that was uncomfortably quiet, even more so than normal. His hand cupping your cheek brought you back to reality. Leaning into his touch involuntarily, you closed your eyes briefly. Sam took the chance & closed the gap between you two. You were frozen in place at first but found yourself melting into the kiss soon. It was better than you ever imagined. And you were glad that he was the one who took that first step. Because you were, you had to agree with Sam here, way too stubborn to deal with this yourself.

After breaking away from each other, he rested his forehead against yours. Neither of you said anything for a few minutes. You simply enjoyed being with each other. Bucky’s words made their way into your mind again & you could not help but start laughing.

“What?” Sam pulled back, looking at you with that charming smile of his. Oh, how he loved when you laughed.

“Just…” you shook your head. “Bucky told me earlier today that I’m only myself when I’m with you. And I think I finally know what he meant.”

“Yeah? What did he mean?” he inquired.

“You know me better than I know myself.” this made him smile even wider. Leaning in one more time, he pressed another loving kiss to your lips. Wherever this was going, you could not wait for your journey with Sam.

Published (04/29/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @bibliophilewednesday, @msmarvelsmain, @babygirlwilly, @patricexirene (thanks for your support <3)

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olivia-anderson-fanfic · 3 years

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Stalker X Stalker, Part 12

First

Perma taglist: @nathleigh @peachmuses

Stalker x Stalker taglist: @aespades @jayjayspixiepop @blueslushgueen @fan-written @seraphichana @nerd-nowandforever @toodaloo-kangaroo @khneltea @raeuberprinzessin

Tim had exactly zero idea what was going on.

Marinette had disappeared into the shower so he’d figured that, hey, work was over and he was 90% sure it was the day she usually shaved (something he knew because every time she shaved she excitedly asked him to touch her leg because it was smooth) so he had time to kill…

He walked over to her jewelry box.

He’d already bugged all of the new jewelry he had bought her but her old stuff was perfectly intact and he kind of wanted more insurance. Sure, they lived together now so it was unlikely she would have much reason to leave without him, but he was known for his millions of plans and contingencies and he wasn’t about to mess up when it was someone he cared about.

So, he went to work on the first necklace he grabbed. It had a tiny cat with green emeralds for eyes.

He looked at the tiny black pupils that the cat had. He pulled a tiny pick out of his pocket and carefully started carving a circle in it for the bug.

And then a bug-shaped god came flying out of the door for something.

There were a few beats as Tim and Tikki stared at each other.

Tikki broke it with a loud groan.

He watched her float past him for the towel hung on Marinette’s bedpost and then go back inside.

Shit.

He darted towards the bathroom, only to pause at the door. He really didn’t want to burst in while Marinette was probably naked, that was a huge breach of privacy, but he also didn’t want Tikki to tell him about all the bugs he was planting! Shit! He bit his lip, considering.

“Here’s your towel, Marinette,” Tikki said with a sharp edge to her tone.

“... are you mad?”

“Not at you. Where are the cookies you baked last night?”

“Uh, the fridge --?”

“Thank you.”

Why hadn’t she told her? Tim wasn’t complaining, of course, but he was a little confused. She was clearly mad about it and he doubted that Marinette had made some rule that said ‘you can’t tell me about people bugging me’ because that was oddly specific and not a very good idea… so… what?

He didn’t know. He was just going to thank the god of luck -- he was pretty sure that was Tikki -- and continue what he was doing.

Marinette didn’t have to struggle to keep everyone inside the first night. She liked that. More time to plan.

But how did she get herself let out, you may ask?

Remember how Tim had said that all-hands-on-deck situations are the only exceptions to the Stay Inside While Injured Rule? Well, guess what had happened.

Arkham had had a huge breakout and Marinette wasn’t going to complain… even if her kwami might be a little disappointed in how happy she was about it.

She was even happier when she’d found out that one of the people that had broken out was Scarecrow. She’d been meaning to tell him about her guesses about his brownie recipe for a while and she hadn’t really had a chance to do it when she was talking to him through a phone with a thick glass between them.

Batman -- Bruce? -- didn’t need to know that they’d broken into a bakery for the night to test out their theories before she had taken him back to Arkham.

He’d thank them when he got the brownies (the missing ingredient was Mexican cinnamon!). Or, at least, she hoped he would.

Tim had to say… Marinette's plan to get everyone in her house was working.

He could warn his siblings but, honestly, he found it kind of funny.

He was surprised to see Jason show up first. He raised his eyebrows at his brother. “Didn’t know you were in town, Flamebird.”

Jason did an exaggerated eye roll that Tim swore he could see despite the domino. “Marinette said she had something she wanted to show me.”

And she did. She walked over and dropped the Harry Potter books onto the window ledge beside him. “This is terrible and I hate you for making me read them.”

“It gets better later on --.”

“I read two books. That’s six hundred pages. If you can’t get your shit together in six hundred fucking pages then you don’t deserve my time.”

He scoffed. “They’re not that bad.”

“Oh yeah? Read it. It’s been years for you, right? Get to book three and tell me it’s good.”

Jason scowled and grabbed the books, taking a seat in the armchair.

Tim grinned and rested an arm around his girlfriend. “You don’t actually hate Harry Potter, do you?”

“Only the book version.”

He frowned. “I think we need to break up.”

“Nope. Not allowed to break up with me.”

“Oh, well, if I’m not allowed then I guess I won’t,” he said, leaning down to press a tiny kiss to her lips.

There was a groan from the window and they both rolled their eyes, turning to look at Damian.

“Why must you sully my good mood so early on with your disgusting displays of affection?”

“It’s our apartment, you just so happen to be here,” said Tim, glaring at his brother. “We can do what we want.”

Marinette, bravely, stepped between the two of them with a bright smile. “Now, boys, it’s not the time.”

“It is not the time for your libido, and yet...” argued Damian.

“Please, that isn’t even close to libi --,” Tim started, only to get elbowed in the stomach.

She gave him a look that told him to let her handle it and, while he didn’t think that was a good idea, he held up his hands in surrender.

“Robin, it’s unbecoming of you to argue with everyone you meet,” she chided lightly.

… did she speak Damian or something? Because Damian actually looked a little reprimanded at that and Tim needed to learn her ways.

Then, she leaned down with a grin. He could see her hands start to rest on her knees but she thought better of it at the last second. “I got some new stuff from the pet store and I wanted to know if you wanted to help test them out on Vanelope.”

Damian narrowed his eyes slightly. “What kinds of new things?”

“A bunch of cat toys.”

“... I suppose I can test them out for you.”

“I mean, I said you could help --,” she started, but Damian was already heading towards Vanelope without her.

Tim looked over at his girlfriend. She didn’t seem all that put out by this.

“You really had something planned out for everyone?”

She smirked and took a seat on the windowsill. “Yep. It should take Flamebird about two days to finish the first two books -- assuming he can even get through them that quickly -- and Robin is sure to be very thorough in his testing of all the cat toys.”

“Oh? And what’s your plan for everyone else?”

She shrugged just slightly. “Guess you’ll have to wait and find out.”

When Dick appeared she set him up with Beat Saber, saying that she was curious about why the VR glasses gave her a headache and wanted to see if he had the same problem. Tim knew the problem was that they were made for men and therefore sometimes had negative side effects for women, but he bit his lip before he could offer to get a set custom-made for her in favor of watching Dick select the poppiest pop song in existence and instantly get addicted to the game.

Tim raised his eyebrows slightly when Steph appeared, textbook in hand.

“How did you know everyone would show up?” He asked once Marinette had set her up with a particularly long and difficult worksheet to make sure she got the lesson.

“Well, Spoiler shows up every Saturday night for tutoring, Robin comes by every other day or more and he didn’t stop by last night, Nightwing pops by most weekends, and I called Flamebird over myself… speaking of which…” She pulled out her phone and tapped a few buttons. “Right, Signal said he’ll be here in ten minutes seven minutes ago… so, he’s almost here.”

Tim grinned. “You forgot Cass.”

“She only ever really shows up to get away from all of you guys so, with everyone here, she’d have no reason to come over.” Her face split into a sheepish grin. “Also, she’d see through me pretty quickly.”

“Don’t you want B to have no help?”

She shrugged. “It should be a light night since almost everyone important is in Arkham right now but that doesn’t mean that the two of them can deal with all of Gotham’s petty crime on their own. I give them until three or four before they crack.”

“... you might be a little scary.”

“You don’t last long as a vigilante if you’re not at least a little smart,” she chirped. “I just choose to turn my brain off most of the time.”

He smiled. “Oh? And the exception is what? Making you stay inside?”

She waved him off. “Kind of. It’s more that I only put effort into making sure I’ll never be bored. What’s the point of thinking about anything else? All that does is make you sad.”

Well that didn’t sound healthy, now did it? Tim was pretty sure that was just repression but, honestly, he had no clue. His family famously did not use therapists.

Before he could figure out how to address that there was a knock on the door.

Marinette grinned and opened it to reveal Duke, who was holding a computer.

Duke looked around the apartment, raising his eyebrows at all the people there. “Uh… should I ask?”

“I’m spiting Bruce.”

“Wild. Whatever. Ready for GBBS?”

“Sure. Tim, you gonna watch it with us?”

He hesitated. Steph had been sending him pleading looks since she had gotten her worksheet and he felt kind of bad for her… but then Duke and Marinette sat on the couch and she rested her head on his shoulder lazily to get a better view of the computer and Tim figured that Steph was smart enough to do the worksheet on her own if she really tried.

He took a seat beside her and smiled a little when she switched to lean against him instead.

“So, who’s your favorite person for the season?” He asked.

She thought for a minute before shrugging. “The guy that always wins but keeps being anxious about his bakes. Forgot his name, though.”

“Rahul?!” said Duke.

“Sure.”

Duke frowned. “I’m not sure whether to be happy you like at least one contestant, be proud it’s Rahul, or be annoyed you didn’t remember his name.”

“Character development takes time,” said Tim wisely.

Marinette scoffed a little. “Just put on the damn show. I’m tired of listening to you assholes talk.”

Duke grinned. “Fine. Fine.”

Time passed as the three of them watched the show.

Other family members slowly made their way over one by one. Damian brought the cat with him. Jason came over to give his brain a break after all the reading he had done (and then, when Marinette pointed out that you never take breaks while reading good books, had gone straight back to Harry Potter). Steph decided she didn’t want to pass her class and came to lay across the top of the couch. Dick eventually got tired and rested his body after the intense game that is Beat Saber.

… B released her at almost exactly three thirty. They ignored their comms in favor of continuing to watch the season finale.

Marinette bit her lip anxiously as she preemptively turned off the notifications on her phone. Tim did the same.

They typed up matching tweets about how they were moving in with their partners, tagged each other...

Their fingers hovered over the tweet buttons.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I’m sure one of my siblings will do something stupid in a few days and the media will leave us alone,” said Tim.

She smiled awkwardly. “That isn’t what I’m worried about.”

He frowned just a little and slipped his arm around her. “Well, can I help with whatever it is?”

She hesitated. It would be better to warn him, she supposed. “Not really. You’re going to get the ‘shovel talk’ --.”

“My dad is Batman, Bean, I’ll live.”

“-- by the person who currently controls the embodiment of chaos and destruction.”

His face paled a little (which is dangerous, considering he was already pale enough). “Does Chat Noir not know we’re dating yet?”

“Nope.”

“... so he’s going to find out through the media?”

“Yep.”

“Shit.”

She nodded her agreement, curling into his side and glaring at the phone.

Adrien was going to be pissed. Especially since he was going to learn through the media. Sure, that was the intention, she was hoping that Tim would be left more or less alone because her friend would be too busy being hurt about not being told to focus on his anger at her boyfriend… but, yikes, she didn’t really want to deal with that just yet.

Also, she thought with a wince, Adrien was going to be even angrier when he figured out that she hadn’t exactly given up, as he called it, ‘stalking’ the people she was interested in. Marinette was pretty sure that Tim already knew about some of it but she wasn’t completely sure and, just in case, she wanted to keep it a secret for a while… a few years, at least, and she wanted to be the one to tell him because she was sure that Adrien would be a lot harsher about it than she would. He already called it ‘stalking’ when it was clearly different, she didn’t want to know what he would say if she let him talk about it in more depth.

Unfortunately, though, Adrien wasn’t stupid. He’d eventually catch on. The longer they dated without him knowing the guiltier he would assume she was.

She sighed and took his face in her hands. “I’m leaving it up to you. I’m not sure. I’m leaning towards being public but...”

He bit his lip as he considered it. She fought the urge to stretch his face until he let go.

He smiled hesitantly. “Well, I’ve lived long enough, I think.”

“Don’t worry, darling, I’ll summon a lucky charm for you,” she half-joked.

He gave a puff of laughter that wasn’t quite real and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thanks, Bean, but I doubt that’ll be necessary. This is Gotham, no one dies here.”

“We don’t know how long that’ll take, though,” she said with a pout. “I’d prefer to have you back as soon as possible.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’ll always have my siblings.”

“But I want you,” she huffed. “You’re my favorite.”

She felt his cheeks warm beneath her hands.

“I’m your second favorite,” he reminded her. “Cass.”

She snickered. “True. You’re my favorite until Cass accepts my proposal.”

“Hm. I’ll have to enforce the bro code to make sure that never happens.”

“Oh no! I guess I’ll be stuck with you forever, then. What a shame!”

He smiled brightly. Sometimes she lamented the fact that he didn’t give a lot of genuine smiles. The grins and smirks were nice, of course, but she liked to watch the way he would duck his head slightly to try and cover his face with his bangs. Still, in the privacy of her own head, she had to admit that the fact she could get such a smile out of him when few others could made her heart rate spike. He smiled for her. Who wouldn’t be flattered by that?

She pulled the smile that she loved so much down for a kiss.

The first time they stepped out the door as an official couple they were hounded by reporters.

Tim wanted to ask how they knew where they lived. He settled for asking them to blur the area around them.

It was more than a little annoying to be harassed on your way to the grocery store. They had just wanted eggs, milk (Marinette kept leaving it out for some strange reason), some cat food, and enough miscellaneous snacks to keep Cass occupied. They did not want cameras shoved in their faces.

But years of being public figures had trained them to keep pleasant smiles on their faces and to answer questions with as little information as possible.

Finally, though, they made it inside and a manager kicked out the reporters.

Marinette let her shoulders slump a little beneath his arm and Tim flexed the muscles in his face before it could get stuck in that awkward half-smile forever.

He squeezed her a little. “You alright?”

She shrugged as much as she could without displacing his arm. “Yeah. Just… hate reporters.”

He nodded his understanding. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Want to buy some Oreos while we’re here?”

Her face lit up. “Can we?”

“I’m rich. Of course we can.”

And, so, they did. He made a mental note to start buying oreos in bulk. All the flavors, just in case she ever got sick of the normal version.

They glanced out the door and, though they couldn’t see the paparazzi waiting just outside, they were sure that they would be back soon. They ducked through back alleys to try and get away.

Only to stop in the middle of a dark alley at the high-pitched cry of: “Give me your money or else!”

Tim sighed and set down the cat food to hand over everything in his pockets. A glance back at Marinette confirmed she was doing the same --.

And then he stopped short. He turned more fully to look at their mugger and then started to laugh.

“I’ll… I’ll kill you!” Said the mugger, who was just a kid. They might not have even hit puberty yet.

“With a pocketknife?” Tim said.

Marinette turned around as well at that and a grin spread across her face. “Oh my gods, that’s so lame.”

“It’s Gotham, you gotta do better than that,” said Tim. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a butterfly knife. He handed it over. “Here, have this, at least. Christ, that’s terrible.”

The kid didn’t seem to know what to do about the fact that his would-be victims were laughing at her and apparently helping her mug people.

Marinette handed over everything except for the necklace Tim had given her. “Here, kid. And get a mask or something to hide your face, it’s not nearly dark enough in here for you to just go with a hood.”

“Oh, and here’s my address,” added Tim. He typed it into his phone -- damn, he should have brought more than a pager -- and then handed it over. “We always have a lot of extra food, so if you ever need it just knock on the window.”

“... thanks?” said their now adoptive kid (they didn’t make the rules, this kid was theirs now).

“Yeah, yeah, no problem. Can we go now? One of his siblings is coming over soon and he will start our show without us.”

“Uh… sure?”

Marinette sat on the kitchen island, squinting at the cast on her arm. Was it worth taking off for the sake of doing work? Maybe --.

Tim’s voice crackled through her ear and she perked up a little at the sound, smiling. He was talking, greeting guests it seemed. Right. He had a meeting today, Janet had mentioned it earlier that morning.

Marinette sighed a little at the reminder that, while she might not care about her broken arm, her boyfriend did. Yeah. Tim would probably be stressed if she took off her cast before the doctor said it was okay. She settled to lay back on the counter, head resting on her good arm, and stare at the ceiling as she listened to his voice...

Only to dart up when she felt a tap on her arm.

She looked over, eyes blown wide, and only relaxed slightly when she realized she recognized the person.

Adrien stood over her, arms crossed over his chest despite the glasses/miraculous he had hooked to the collar of his shirt, but he apparently wasn’t angry enough to not accept the usual kisses on both cheeks that Parisians did as greeting.

He said something that she couldn’t really understand with the part of her brain still concentrated on Tim explaining some sort of chart.

She sighed and reached a hand to her ear to turn off the bug. “Hey, can you repeat that?”

He didn’t. Instead he squinted at her ear suspiciously. “Does your ear hurt?”

“... no?” She said slowly, a little confused.

“Whatcha listening to?”

She paled. Shit. He was going to be pissed (or, at least, more pissed than he already was) if he found out that her supposed ‘stalking’ was getting worse. She needed an excuse.

“Uh, that one rapper, uh --.”

“BS. You don’t listen to rappers.”

He held a hand out and, reluctantly, she handed it over to him. She might as well get her murder over with.

He set it in his ear and, after a few attempts, turned it on. His face soured even more, somehow.

“This better not be who I think it is.”

She gave a tentative half-smile.

That was all the answer he needed. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and started dragging her through the streets.

No one helped. Not that she expected them to, it was Gotham, but it was still a little hurtful.

Adrien stopped suddenly after a few minutes of walking.

“... wait… where’s his office?”

51 notes · View notes

harrisonstories · 3 years

Photo

George Harrison holding a t-shirt which says, “Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends” with Lakshmi Shankar during the Dark Horse tour. (1974)

George Harrison + politics

“I think about [the war in Vietnam] every day, and it’s wrong. Anything to do with war is wrong. They’re all wrapped up in their Nelsons and their Churchills and their Montys -- always talking about war heroes. Look at All Our Yesterdays. How we killed a few more Huns here or there. Makes me sick. They’re the sort who are leaning on the walking sticks and telling us a few years in the Army would do us good.” (Datebook, 1966)

“He thinks that his, George’s personal taxes are going directly to pay for F111’s. He sees Mr. Wilson, the Prime Minister of England, as the Sheriff of Nottingham, ‘There he goes,’ George said bitterly, ‘Taking all the money and then moaning about deficits here, deficits there -- always moaning about deficits.’ In fact, he approves of nobody in authority, religious or secular. These people are called Big Cheeses or King Henrys. They should practice what they preach, and, according to George, they do not. ‘Take teachers,’ he said. ‘In every class when I was at school there was always a little kid who was scruffy and smelly; and the punishment was always to sit next to the smelly kid. Fancy a teacher doing that.’” (Datebook, 1966)

“I think if somebody can go and buy a crate of whiskey and drink that and be perfectly within the law then I think somebody, particularly within the privacy of his own home, should be able to smoke a marijuana cigarette. You know. I think marijuana is only as bad as an ordinary cigarette, or alcohol or tea or coffee or any of those things. They’re all drugs, all stimulants you know. The thing is to define between something that is merely a stimulant and something that makes your physical body crave for it. There’s no comparison between marijuana and heroin.” (KRLA, 1967)

“I noticed a police car. It says, written on the door, ‘To serve and to protect’, and that really sort of buzzed me. I was starting to wonder like, who are they serving, and who are they protecting? I mean that’s where it’s really at because maybe they do serve and protect, but you know...themselves or? Like, who? [...] That’s the trick you see. They say, ‘It’s not me. It’s somebody up there telling me what to do,.’ and you can never find like, who is the guy at the top? Because they shift the load, you know? Take a load off Annie.” (1968)

“It’s shocking for anyone to shoot anyone. Some shootings just get more publicity than others. There’s no interest in people who aren’t senators. It’s silly for people to have guns. If they have guns, they’re going to use them, aren’t they? If people get busted for anything today, they should get busted for guns, I think.” (Teenset, 1968)

“[The government] still choose to use the money for military and for weaponry, as opposed to building the inner cities, giving people jobs, or detoxifying the oceans or whatever. I mean it’s just -- it’s in a nutshell greed I think. It all comes down to greed. Y’know industry, commerce, and that.” (RTE, 1987)

“I voted for the Greens because I think it’s more important to um, have a bit of oxygen to breathe. I think that’s one of the most important things, to have something left of the planet.” (1987)

“I know it must sound strange from someone who’s made a lot of money out of selling records, but the present yuppie consumerism spurred on by Mrs. Thatcher and her friends is absolute anathema to me. It is, I believe, amoral and ultimately very corrupting. I despise the politicians -- and there are so many of them like this in the present Government -- who urge us on to new heights of consumerism, who elevate the yuppie to the ultimate pinnacle as the ideal to be copied by all. This idea that profit and the private sector must rule everything is just crazy to me. I don’t accept it at all.” (1987)

“You see, even in a place like Henley-on-Thames there are youngsters who are not from particularly well-off families. Some of them live on the borderline of real poverty. And there’s a limit to how much there is for people like that to do. For some time we ran a special scheme of subsidised ticket prices for such young people and it worked wonderfully well. We asked Michael Heseltine, our local MP, to ask Nicholas Ridley, the Secretary of State for the Environment, to make the cinema a listed building. It is a period piece. But Heseltine said to me, 'It is not a good enough building to save, you know, and quite honestly, George, you cannot stop it from being knocked down.' So I said, 'Well, there is too much traffic coming over Henley Bridge anyway, why don’t we knock that down and make a nice big, wide, concrete one? In principle, I don’t see that there’s any real difference.' And he said, 'George, don’t be so ridiculous! That bridge is an old structure and is so much part of Henley, it’s important to Henley!' I replied, 'But if you take the cinema away, then something else, and then something else, then you slowly change the town. The cinema is just as important as the bridge in that respect, and the cinema has a social function that no bridge can ever have.' And, you know, Heseltine looked at me as if to say, 'Shut your mouth, you ignorant Liverpool git!'” (1987)

“If you have a leader who hasn’t got himself together, then you can’t do anything. Then you see like Richard Nixons, Ronald Reagans -- all these kinds of people are empty. They’re just like a shell with darkness and emptiness inside, and they’re out there leading countries.” (1988)

“[Piggies] was social comment, and it’s still the same today. Especially now, with glasnost, and communism going away, they’ve got to have a good reason not to give that money to the poor, or redivert it into helping the planet become safe and unpolluted.” (Musician, 1990)

“The poison is everywhere, on your potatoes, tomatoes — not to mention the air we breathe. The basic problem is that the agrochemical industries have a stranglehold on the government. They’re all in cahoots [...] What we need is an honest army that goes around busting those guys, because they’re the ones ruining this planet. But what you find is that the people causing the most environmental damage are the industrialists. And the Dow Jones people. Buy buy buy! Sell sell sell! This madness that Reagan and Thatcher created, this idea that everyone is much better off now, everyone is more in debt, there’s more concrete, we’ve sacrificed the planet for the motor car.” (Musician, 1990)

"I earn enough money to be a conservative, but I am not willing to give up my principles.” (El Pais, 2000)

#george harrison #the beatles #lakshmi shankar #dark horse tour #politics #quote compilation

188 notes · View notes

sugarmaplewings-fics · 4 years

Text

First Kiss

Pairing: BNHA Boys x reader

Warnings: The safety of your uwu's. We got stuff from me writing at 3 AM, which is basically Sugar Sap Hours TM, so be warned. Also if you don't like kissing. Idk why you would keep reading if you didn't, but yeah there's some detail.

This is what I mean when I say that I am little more than a hopeless romantic.

If this is bad then that's because the last time I kissed someone was when I was six years old.

Enjoy!

-Sugar

.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇

Characters: Midoriya, Bakugou, Todoroki, Kirishima

Midoriya:

● Boy was so nervous

● Truth be told, he'd wanted to kiss you long before you started dating, but he never knew how to ask

● It had been a month or so into the relationship, and you'd begun to take notice that the two of you hadn't gone any further than hand holding

● You didn't want to pressure Izuku into something he didn't want to do, neither of you did. It was just that—you longed to feel his lips pressed against yours, and with each passing day the temptation only worsened

● One afternoon, Izuku had just gotten back from his hero training session. You had been watching with the rest of the class as he sparred against Tokoyami. After a hard fight from the both of them, Midoriya had finally come out on top and won against him

● He walked back into the observation room, still panting slightly as he adjusted his protective gloves

● You felt so proud of him. That was your boyfriend and he was a m a z i n g

● Most of the class crowded around and congratulated him as he walked in, and Aizawa sensei even gave him an approving nod

● The glow his eyes had taken on pulled you in, and, before you knew it, what was meant to be a congratulatory hug from you turned into a kiss

● It was quick, your lips barely pushing into each other before you pulled away, but it still had a massive impact

● The whole class (minus the few who had left to get ready for their turn) erupted into cheers and 'OHH!'s

● You both turned bright red and jumped apart, Izuku unable to do anything other than stand glued in place and grin sheepishly

● Once Aizawa had settled everyone down, you pulled your boyfriend towards the back of the room

● "Sorry," you apologized immediately. "I got carried away and—"

● "Why are you sorry?" Izuku asked, suddenly incredulous

● "I just wasn't sure if you were ready—"

● "Do you know how long I've wanted to kiss you?" he cut you off, keeping his voice low so prying ears wouldn't be able to listen in *AHEM, Mina and Kaminari*

● Your face flushed a whole new shade darker. "I may have an idea . . . . I've felt the same way."

● Izuku took your hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the side. "If you want to start now, we can."

● "I'd like that."

● He bit his lip, blushing again as he put a hand on the back of his neck. "We could do some more . . . once class is out."

● Your eyes shone, already giddily anticipating meeting Izuku in his room. "That sounds wonderful."

--------------------

Bakugou:

● It was no secret among the Bakusquad that a certain explosive blond had taken interest in you

● It started with Mina noticing the subtle glances (*stares) he'd throw you, then she enlisted Kirishima to ask him, which only lead to a solid confirmation from Bakugou himself (and Eijirou nearly getting his face blasted off), which then was spread to Sero and Kami

● Within a matter of days, Bakugou's crush on you had simply become common knowledge to the four of them, and now they had to decide on what to do about it

● There was some teasing, of course, in the week that followed; Sero or Kaminari lightly jabbing at him with their elbows when they caught Bakugou absentmindedly watching you

● But Mina wanted more than that, and the others were quick to agree

● One afternoon when classes were over for the day, the quartet were hanging out in the common room. You happened to wander by, looking for something to do and they waved you over excitedly

● They invited you into a game of truth or dare, which they had 100% NOT started just because you walked in

● "Oh, (Y/N), just in time," Sero called out to you. No one other than you missed the way Bakugou shifted in his seat across the room at the sound of your name, back turned to the group

● So as not to seem suspicious, everyone went around a few times, playing their turn

● When everyone's eyes turned toward you for the third time, Denki finally took the opportunity to quietly dare you to go over, kiss Bakugou, and live

● Nothing much, just on the cheek if you could

● You, who were blissfully unaware of Bakugou's feelings towards you, happily accepted, already anticipating seeing the look of pure rage on his face

● You sauntered toward the gremlin boy, who was sitting on a couch across the floor, not paying any attention to the game that was going on mere feet away as he read over one of his notebooks from class

● You leaned over the back of the couch, positioning your face at a perfect angle level with his

● "Hey, Kacchan."

● His head whipped around at the name, giving you perfect access to plant your lips soundly on his cheek for a solid half second before bolting off as fast as you could

● Bakugou just sat there for a second, dumbstruck and trying to process what just happened

● Had that been you? Really you? The (Y/N) who had been stubbornly and oh so agonizingly plaguing his mind for the past two months? Kissing him on the cheek and calling him Kacchan???

● Your speedily retreating form confirmed it for him, plain as day, and he wasted no time in jumping up and vaulting over the couch to chase after you

● Your mind and heart raced in tandem as you finally heard his footsteps slapping after you, running barefoot down the hardwood floored hall

● I'mgonnadie I'mgonnadie I'mgonnadie

● You couldn't help but allow giggles to escape your lips, however, especially when you heard little popping noises behind you, signaling Bakugou was firing off tiny explosions in what you could only assume to be rage

● You began to panic as you realized his legs were longer and he was faster than you. You yelped as searing hands grabbed your shoulders and pressed you against the nearby wall, signaling your defeat

● You were uncertain as to what you should do now, having not thought so far ahead. His hands were now resting firmly on either side of you, caging you in as the both of you lightly panted from the excitement of your short chase

● You defiantly shoved down and silenced the voice in your head that was screaming that he would certainly kill you and spit on your grave, opting to instead grin smugly at his face which had curled into a bit of a snarl

● Oh, how handsome your murderer-to-be was. You couldn't help but finally notice the fact now that you had kissed death, both literally and figuratively

● "So this is how it ends," you said, straining to keep your voice steady and the smile on your face. "If it makes you feel any better, I did it on a dare. Denki's fault."

● Confusion suddenly contorted your face as you watched Katsuki's fall. "That didn't mean anything?"

● You blinked. "Uhh, should it?"

● Katsuki's carmine glare never ceased in its intensity. He harshly bit his lip before removing one of his hands from the wall to drag over his mouth; processing

● You stayed in place, mind racing as to what he might mean. Had he enjoyed it? Did he like the thought of it? Had the Bakugou Katsuki developed . . . feelings for you?

● Of course you knew Katsuki wasn't lacking in the looks department. As you made your rounds assessing all the boys in your class, just like most high school girls do, he most certainly crossed your mind as not bad

● His personality had turned you off a bit, but you knew enough about yourself by now that you were a damned sucker for a bad boy

● His red eyes, which had trailed down to the floor as his mind raced through thoughts of his own only made your face heat

● The way his lips pouted ever so slightly, already enticing you to lean back in for seconds

● No, you told yourself. Begone, thot. Thought? Ha ha. This means nothing, you're just overthinking like you always do.

● You shifted your weight between your feet a few times, trying to physically distract yourself from how close his face was to yours

● Katsuki looked back up at you, disturbed a bit by your antsy squirming

● "What do you want me to do?" you finally asked him, wanting to mull over these intrusive thoughts in the silent privacy of your room. Maybe die in a hole later. You never knew.

● "I want you to do it right this time."

● "What?"

● "If you want to, kiss me like you mean it. If not, you can always go." He kept one arm at his side, open for you to slip away from him if you so chose

● But you didn't want to choose that option. Your head spun, trying to keep up with everything that was going on around you

● It was all so fast, and yet—you loved it

● Shutting down your brain entirely, you grabbed at the back of Katsuki's head and kissed him, full on the lips

● His eyes widened in surprise, having half expected you to slide out from under him and walk away, but no, you were kissing him and it was both everything and nothing like he'd imagined and your lips were so soft and—

● He pushed back into you, fisting your hair in his hands. He was rough and unpracticed, but what he lacked in sweetness he made up for in unapologetic passion

● His teeth knocked against yours and your heart soared in excitement, warmth flooding your body in ways you'd scarcely glimpsed the feeling of

● A sudden cheer brought you both out of your heightened euphoria, Katsuki pulling away and whipping his head around so fast you nearly whimpered at the loss of his lips against yours

● You were just able to see four bodies briskly retreating around the corner, absolutely cackling as Bakugou embarked on his second chase of the day; blushing up a storm and screaming considerably louder at his friends than he had at you

● You brushed the tips of your fingers over your still hot lips, still tingly after what they'd just experienced

● Smirking to yourself, you leaned back against the wall, coming down from your adrenaline high as you attempted to slow your pounding heart back to its normal pace

● He would be back. Boys like him always were. You would talk about your status and becoming official then, but for now, you were content to listen to the echoing explosions sounding off in the other room

--------------------

Todoroki:

● Even after a few months, Shouto was still getting used to the whole idea of 'dating'.

● You were his first s/o, so he wasn't really certain what he was meant to do

● Nevertheless, he tried everything he could think of to be a good boyfriend

● He'd of course noticed that couples kissed, and now that he had you, he wondered if you would like it and what it would feel like

● The two of you were just vibing in your room, doing homework together as you liked to

● Shouto looked up at you to find that you were concentrating on a math equation, nibbling on the end of your pencil

● Your lips suddenly looked so full and soft and enticing, and Shouto couldn't think of anything other than having them pressed against his

● He had been staring at you for quite some time, so you looked up

● "Need something, Sho?" you asked, wondering why he was looking at you like that

● "Can I ask you something?" he asked

● "Sure."

● "Would you mind if we ever . . . kissed?"

● You blinked, taken aback by the completely unexpected question

● "Uhh, like . . . right now?"

● "That would be nice."

● You blushed and smiled. "Sure."

● You moved your notebooks behind you so you could have room to sit close to each other, sliding forward until you were comfortably in front of him

● Shouto felt semi prepared. He had watched exactly five videos and read two articles on this. How hard could it be?

● He touched your cheek, looking into your eyes as he ran his thumb over your skin

● Shouto leaned in, simultaneously guiding you closer to his face

● His nose fell in place next to yours as he gently brushed his lips over your soft pink skin

● You were surprised with how well and confidently he was kissing you, blissfully unaware of his search history

● He left several little pecks against your lips before finally pressing them flush against his in a deeper kiss

● Your eyes had fluttered shut, experimentally pushing back as his lips moved against yours

● It wasn't long before your mouths had opened and your tongues were gently tapping against each other, aching to explore a foreign cavern

● It was only then that you began to notice just how warm he'd gotten—yet simultaneously cold?

● You flicked your eyes open to see that Todoroki's right side had begun to frost over slightly, his left sending waves of heat rolling onto your body

● You reluctantly pulled away, Shouto's lips cutely chasing after you for a second before he opened his eyes

● "What is it?"

● "Is this getting too intense for you?" you asked

● "Not really. Why?"

● "Your, uh, quirk."

● Shouto glanced down, only now realizing how much he'd unwittingly let it activate

● The frost patches quickly receded, and the heat abated slightly, though to say your own cheeks weren't burning in their own way would be a flat out lie

● "Sorry about that," Shouto apologized

● "It's fine," you waved off, trying to keep your giddy expression toned down

● "So did you . . . enjoy it?" he asked

● "Yeah." Your voice was breathy as you ran a hand through your hair

● Todoroki allowed himself a small smile before settling back into his seat on your bed

● "Want to do it some more later?"

● "Of course!"

● Needless to say, it wasn't long before the two of you had become total pros at kissing

--------------------

Kirishima:

● Kirishima is a very romantic kind of guy

● He'd been thinking about kissing you for a while, but decided it would be more manly to wait for the most perfect moment possible when he could be certain that that was what you both wanted

● You'd gone on a couple of dates together, but he hadn't taken the opportunity to kiss you yet

● Finally, he couldn't get the thought out of his head, the urge to take a step further in your relationship ever-present in his mind

● He planned for it a few days in advance, making sure to get a good time for when you were both free

● It was late when he came to collect you, around eleven o'clock

● He led you outside into the night, making sure the both of you were quiet as he guided you along

● Soon enough, you reached your destination, which was simply a small blanket laid out over a patch of grass in an open area right under the stars

● You both sat down next to each other, the warm night air keeping you just at the right temperature

● Kirishima watched as the light of the stars reflected and twinkled in your eyes, and he thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful as your features lit in their glow

● You began to point out your favorite constellations, tracing the groupings of stars with your finger as you held out your hand to the night sky

● "I love them," you said, referring to the sparkling lights. "Do you ever think about just how far away they are? It's all just so magical and humbling all at once. They may look like little pinpoints of light but we're the small ones, you know?"

● Your voice was so soft in his ear as you scarcely dared to raise it above a whisper. It soothed him, making his eyelids feel comfortably heavy

● Your body pressed closer into his, leaning against him while you looked up and mused

● "They're never gone, either," you continued. "Do you ever think about that? The sun is just too bright for us to be able to see them during the day, but they're there all the same, watching over us."

● Kirishima wanted to be there for you forever, making sure you were happy and safe

● Your wide (E/C) eyes drew him in, your words making his mind swirl

● Before he knew it, his nose had brushed against your cheek, causing your head to turn at the contact

● Your nose bumped against his, and the feeling of his breath fanning over your lips caused your cheeks to warm

● "You know," he muttered, pressing his forehead to yours, "you're more beautiful than all the stars in the sky."

● Before he could close the remaining distance between you, you couldn't help but let out a small chuckle

● "That was really cheesy," you remarked, closing your eyes and letting a small breathy snort leave your nose

● "Aww, what?" Eijirou pulled back a little, causing you to open your eyes again in disappointment at the lack of contact. "I meant it, it's true. And a super manly thing to say."

● You couldn't help but notice the tiny flicker of anxiety in the backs of his ruby red eyes, worried he'd done something wrong

● You couldn't resist that look, the way he pouted ever so slightly, just scarcely able to make out the outlines of his endearingly abnormally sharp teeth

● In that moment, you wanted nothing more than to feel those lips against your own, to feel what those teeth would feel like under your tongue

● "You're right," you finally said, reaching up to hold the back of his head in your hand, fallen red spikes tangling between your fingers

● You pulled him close and let your mouths move together, hesitation quickly changing to courage the longer you left each small peck

● Eijirou was quite possibly the sweetest guy you knew, but you'd never experienced anything so sweet as his kisses. There was no heat behind them, but the passion and love for you was evident all the same

● He eventually pulled away to caress your face, hand cupping your cheek with softest care

● You leaned into his touch and gazed up into his eyes; freckled by the light of the stars. Somehow, the reflections seemed even better than the real ones hung in the tapestry of the atmosphere

● Eijirou pulled you onto his lap and into his chest, where you instinctively clutched and buried your nose into the soft fabric of his t-shirt

● He hummed a little in his throat, beginning to rock back and forth ever so gently as he held you in his arms. You could hear his heart softly pounding deep within him

● His warmth lulled you to slumber, allowing you to slip into the depths of sleep without you scarcely taking notice

● Kirishima allowed you a few minutes to settle, switching between gazing into your sleeping face and back up at the stars

● He finally stood, carrying your limp form back to your room, where he laid you out on your bed and tucked you in

● He felt like he'd done well, and finally went to sleep himself, the taste of your lips still tingling on his tongue

.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑*̑˚̑*̑˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇

So, uh, I was going to do Amajiki and Shinsou but I low-key ran out of time and ideas so . . . yeah. Maybe I'll do them later, but probably not. Idk. If someone asked for it I would but for now . . . probably nah.

Anyway, I really liked how these turned out! I hope you did too! My favorite is probably Bakugou's, but I also super enjoyed Kiri's.

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day!

-Sugar

Taglist: @basicaegyo @iiminibattlehero @pyrofanatic @sokkasangel @xoxopam4

#izuku midoriya #izuku midoriya bnha #izuku midoriya x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #shouto todoroki #shouto todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki mha #eijirou kirishima #kirishima x reader #kirishima eijirou x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #reader insert #sugar scens

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jvnghxope · 4 years

Text

love sewn | final

final part;

◦ pairing: Jungkook | reader

◦ genre: boy next door au; fluff, angst

◦ word count: 9k

◦ warnings: angst, mentions of self-hatred, cheating, infidelity

◦ abstract: You’ve never cared about the thin-as-paper walls of your beloved apartment until Jeon Jungkook moved next door. You could hear everything –from his late-night parties on Saturday, to the quality time he spent with his girlfriend in the intimacy of his bedroom. One day, everything ceases. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and you find yourself knocking his door before you can think it twice.

⇥ prologue | part one | part two | part three | final

◦ a/n: It took me a lot more than anticipated to edit it, but it is finally here! Thank you so much for all your love and support. I hope you have enjoyed this ride as much as I did.

A numb feeling spreads throughout your body as you stare dumbfounded to his cellphone.

You don't know if their conversation continues and you don't care. It's like your mind has shut down. You feel a giant knot inside your throat like you just swallowed a big-ass pill without water. This is awfully like that night two years ago and you feel the breath hitch in your throat.

“Hey," Jungkook says as he appears in the hallway, dressed in jeans and a naked torso as he slides inside a t-shirt. “I was thinking we could go to this park after breakfast. It has a majestic view and you can draw something and I could take some pics– What’s wrong?” He asks the moment he sees your expression and then, his eyes fall to the cellphone.

“You have, hmm, a new text,” you say as calm as you can and hand him his phone.

Maybe it's not a good idea that you stay here. Yes. You need to go. You move past him to walk to his bedroom but he stops you, taking your wrist.

"Did you read these texts?" He asks. A part of you expected him to be mad at you for invading his privacy, but he sounds more worried than anything.

"It was not my intention," you reply, your voice just above a whisper. "I wanted to check the hour…"

"Let me explain."

“There’s no need to explain.”

"It is not what you think."

You take a deep breath and turn around to face him.

"What I think is that you have unresolved feelings for your ex."

There, you said it. The confusion in Jungkook's eyes only confirms it. He has an internal struggle.

"It is complicated," he finally says.

At that, you smile. "I know."

You can assume by his expression that he feels genuinely torn.

“Jungkook," you murmur, taking the hand that was holding your wrist in yours and squeezing it tightly. "I am not your girlfriend. You don’t owe me anything.”

Words that are hard to pronounce but the truth behind them might give him some perspective.

He shakes his head, "Don't do that."

You frown, "Do what?"

"Minimize this," he points at you and him. "Come here." He tugs you by the hand and leads you to his couch.

"I hate to burst your bubble Kook, but we had one date."

He nods, "I know. We might not be a couple. But that was something I was hoping we could be in the future. That we've dated once doesn't change the way I feel about you."

The small layer of ice that was beginning to form around your heart warms at his words.

"What about Zoe? Do you still love her?"

He sits there, silently, pondering his answer carefully.

"I'm going to be honest with you," he starts and your heart clenches, already fearing his words. "I don't know. I haven't seen her or spoken to her for over a year. But she was a big part of my life. I just can't forget her completely."

You nod. You understand that. "I'm not asking you to do that. I just… I think we moved too fast. Last night–"

"I don't regret what happened between us," he snaps. "Not at all. I thought I made myself clear when I told you about my feelings. I know I am a mess, and yes, maybe it was too quick. But last night was genuine and beautiful. I would do it again."

The tears sting in your eyes. Jungkook caresses your cheek with his thumb when one of them falls.

"Last night was special for me too. But there's something you need to understand. I don't think I could be with you until you resolve this. I don't want to be insensitive or selfish, or anything. I just know that, if we continue this, if we continue living inside a bubble, one day it will burst and someone is going to get hurt. What if when you meet her again you realize your feelings for her haven't changed at all? The three of us will be in a more complicated situation than none of us want to be. Believe me."

At this point, the tears are cascading freely down your cheeks.

"Don't you think that is a little pessimistic?"

You sniff and wipe your cheeks with the back of your hand, "It is realistic. I've been in the same position before. I've been the second choice and I don't want to be again. So, I think I should go."

You stand from the couch.

"Wait!" He stops you. "What does that mean for me? For us?"

"I think that's up to you. But, for now, maybe we should take some time to think and revalue our situation."

He chuckles dryly, "That sounds awful to 'I don't want to see you anymore'. I don't blame you. I wish things were different."

"Maybe right now it was not our time."

"I don't believe that. Everything happens for a reason."

Ugh. Even in times like this, he is so stubborn. He stands from the couch, too. His eyes are red and he looks defeated. It only makes your heart sink even more. You hate seeing him like that. You wish things were different, too.

Summoning all the courage you have, you take his face between your hands and raise on your tiptoes and press a soft kiss to his lips. Jungkook's arms find their way around your waist.

"Take care of yourself, Jungkook."

You murmur against his ear, hugging him. At that, his arms tighten around you.

"Is this goodbye?" He asks, his voice strained and face buried on your hair. You choose to not reply and give him one last kiss to his cheek.

After you've gathered all your stuff, you walk towards the door. But when your hand touches the doorknob, you hesitate.

Is this really the right choice?

It is, you tell yourself. And with that, you walk out of his apartment without looking back.

Seeing you walking away broke his heart in a million pieces.

He wanted to run after you so bad. Hug you and tell you everything was going to be okay. But he didn’t. He knew he needed to let you go. If seeing you walking was heartbreaking, seeing you cry because of him almost killed him.

Waking up the next day after your departure felt surreal. Like he was dreaming. For a moment, he forgot what happened the night prior. He stood up and made himself something to eat. As he was breeding some coffee, he was waiting for your arrival like every Monday morning. But of course, that didn’t happen. You didn’t come. And then it hit him. You didn’t swing his door open with that smile of yours he adores so much.

He wanted to call, even send a text. But every time he picked up his phone, his mind was blank. Would you pick up if he called? If so, what should he say? He wished things were different. He wished he met you in different circumstances.

He avoided all of Zoe’s attempts to approach him, too. Every call, every text since the last one. It has been a year. She had all those months to do it. Why was she contacting him now when his life was somewhat normal? She made everything more complicated than it already was.

“...so, that’s the reason why we should keep it casual,” Yoongi finishes the sentence and turns to his friend. “Are you even paying me attention?”

“W-what?” Jungkook blurts.

“That’s a no,” Yoongi giggles and punches him softly on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I logged out for a second." Jungkook rubs his temples and takes a sip of the coffee he left on the table. It is not even hot anymore, but the taste is enough to give him some comfort.

“Are you okay?” Yoongi asks. When Jungkook nods, he hums. "You don't seem okay."

Jungkook glares at his friend.

“Yeah. I was just… thinking,” he says. "I have a lot in my mind."

"Yeah, no wonder."

It is strange. He sometimes forgets how close to you he has become in the past few months. He is probably aware of the whole ordeal from both sides.

"Shut up."

Yoongi opens his mouth to say something snarky but gets interrupted by a newcomer: a cute redhead in a pretty business dress.

"Hello. My name is Lisa and I’m the assistant of miss Hyeri. She will receive you now," she greets them and urges them to follow her.

Then the realization hits him. Jungkook and Yoongi are about to have an important meeting with one of the curators of the most important museums in town. He doesn't have the time to be nervous because the next second the receptionist is opening one of the many wooden doors.

A gasp falls from his mouth at the sight of the meeting room. It is both mesmerizing and massive. Most of the space is occupied by an enormous table. A woman is waiting for them at the end of the table. Jungkook recognizes her from the gala.

"Min Yoongi, Jeon Jungkook" Hyeri greets them and shakes their hands. "Please, take a seat. Do you want something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Maybe something to eat?"

“I’ll have a cup of tea, thank you,” Yoongi says. Lisa nods and disappears through the door. Not much longer after that, she reappears with a cup of hot tea.

“I’m so glad you guys could meet us here with so short notice.”

“It is no problem,” Yoongi comments after taking a sip of his tea.

"We were wondering why we are here,” Jungkook adds.

“Oh, right,” she claps. “I have good news. One of my permanent artists recently decided to part ways with the museum and now that we have a free spot, we would like to offer it to you guys.”

For a moment, they just stare at her with wide eyes and mouth agape. Yoongi is the first one to jump into action.

“Seriously?”

Neither of them can believe it.

Hyeri nods with a smile. “The Museum is a big fan of your work. I've been following it for over a year. It is really impressive what you guys have accomplished.”

“Wow. That means a lot coming from you. Thank you,” Jungkook musters and then exchanges a look with Yoongi, slightly panicked. He has always admired Yoongi’s ability to hide his emotions. He is there, completely serious when Jungkook is freaking out. He is both excited and afraid. They have never had a boss. Never had to meet deadlines. To be honest, Jungkook is not very good with deadlines. He likes to work at his own pace.

“So, how would it work?” Yoongi asks.

“Unless there is a special occasion, we change the exhibitions every month or two months. If you agree to work with us, you’ll have a little over a month to work on your first one.”

“Will we have creative flexibility?” Jungkook interjects.

"Totally. Unless there is a special theme or it violates our politics, you are free to create what you want.” Then, she hands them a folder. "Everything is explained in the contract. You can check it out. There is a money offer too. If you want to change it, we are open to negotiation." As if in cue, Lisa opens the door and waits with a smile. “I apologize but I don’t have more time. Please, feel free to arrange another meeting with Lisa whenever you have an answer. I look forward to hearing from you guys.”

"No, it’s okay. We understand. Thank you again for receiving us," Yoongi says as he shakes the curator's hand. Jungkook does the same.

"Thank you so much for coming. Have a nice day," she has enough time to wave them goodbye before her phone starts to ring.

They follow Lisa out of the door with dumb smiles and full of hope.

Thirty minutes later, Jungkook opens the door of their gallery.

“I didn’t expect that,” he musters as Yoongi closes the door behind them.

“Then why did you expect?”

Jungkook shrugs, “I don’t know. A part of me thought she wanted to steal Vante from us.”

Yoongi snorts, “And why would she tell us?”

“Good manners?”

“Right.”

"Anyway. It sounds like a good offer, right?"

"Yeah," Yoongi answers. "I gave it a quick check. They are willing to pay us twice the money we earn in two months at the gallery. That sounds pretty good. But I want to call Taekwoon, first. Maybe he can come next week to check the contract before we make a decision."

"Good idea," Jungkook agrees.

“Why are we here, anyway?” Yoongi asks while scrolling down his contacts.

"I need to pick something up from the office. Do you want to go to grab something for lunch? I am starving and in the mood for Thai food.”

“Can I pick the restaurant?”

Jungkook chuckles. “Sure.”

He leaves Yoongi in the entrance as he makes his way to the office. It was Yoongi's idea to have the office behind a hidden door. More like an office is more like storage. They keep there all the photographs and paintings. Theirs and their artists. But Jungkook didn’t find what he was looking for there. So, he returns to his friend.

“Hey, Yoongs. Do you know where is the portfolio of my trip to Machu Picchu? I don't find it and I want to use some pictures in the next exhibition…"

Jungkook stops on his tracks and a gasp falls from his lips.

"Zoe…"

She is there, Jungkook's ex, standing in front of him with a very awkward Yoongi.

"What are you doing here?" He manages to ask after staring at her for a couple of awkward minutes.

"I came to see you,” she says and the sound of her voice moves something inside his chest.

"You can stand,” he blurts.

"Yeah,” she laughs, embarrassed. “We have a lot to talk about."

Jungkook's face turns to Yoongi. "Go," his friend says. "I'll wait at your apartment and I'm still picking the food."

Twenty minutes later, they are both in one of the cafes near the gallery.

Jungkook shifts awkwardly on his seat.

“So, about what you wanted to talk about?”

"Well, I don't know where to start." Zoe takes a sip of her latte nervously.

And that is what sets him off.

“Since when can you walk?” He tries so hard not to sound mad but that is an impossible task. All the anger that he has been holding back for a year is finally pouring off of him.

"Two weeks after the accident, I started to feel the tip of my toes. After a month, I could feel my legs completely. After a lot of physical therapy, I finally can walk without any type of help."

Her face lights up at the memory and Jungkook doesn't know if he feels relieved or still angry. Maybe a little bit of both.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He deadpans. "Picking up the phone was really that hard?”

Zoe gulps at that. “I wanted to reach you, but I was not in a good place. I was dealing with a lot and my body was getting used to the medication again…”

“A text would have been enough... “ he counters attacks. “Do you even realize how I lived the next months? How hard was it? I know is nowhere near what you have been through, but living with the guilt… almost broke me."

At this point, tears are running down Zoe's cheeks and his heart clenches.

"I know I'm late, but I am so sorry." She reaches out to grab his hand. He stiffens but doesn't pull away. "Jungkook, the accident was not your fault." Somehow, those words managed to lift some weight off Jungkook’s heart. He didn’t realize how much he needed to hear those words until now. Especially from her. It is like he can breathe properly again. “I know what I said. I regretted it the moment I said those words. You didn't ruin my life… You saved me.”

Jungkook can’t help but snort. “Saved you? How? I almost killed us!”

A soft smile spreads across her face. “That night, I was in the middle of a crisis. I was a danger to myself and others around me. You might not understand how much you helped me that night. Despite what happened.”

She uses one of the napkins to wipe her eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Maybe I could have done something more.”

“It was nothing personal,” Zoe replies, taking a sip of her already cold coffee. “I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 12. When I told my friends, they started to look at me weirdly. Like with pity. I couldn't bear the look in their eyes. It made me feel like there was something wrong with me. So, when I started high school, I decided to not tell anyone about it. Ever since then, only my family knew about it.”

Jungkook nods, understanding.

“I was feeling so good,” she continues. “In my stupidity, I stopped using the medication. I thought I didn’t need them anymore. The first month I was okay. Fine, actually. It was in the second month when the problems started. I guess it was around the time we started fighting over nonsense…”

Jungkook finds himself squeezing her hand in comfort. Of course, he remembers those fights. But right now, they don't seem important anymore.

“But, are you okay now?”

She sniffs. No matter how many times she wipes her eyes, the tears keep coming. “Yeah. The medication is working. These last two months are the first time I’ve been genuinely happy in the last year.”

A smile tugs the corner of Jungkook’s lips. “Who is he?”

Zoe looks at him with wide eyes, “What?”

Jungkook chuckles at the way she is looking at him. “I know you like the back of my hand. Who is he?”

Suddenly, Zoe’s cheeks turn slightly pink. “I met a guy in my support group three months ago. He is an athlete too, with an injury in recovery. We officially started dating a month ago. It's pretty new.”

“He makes you happy?”

“Yes," she says with a radiant smile enough to light up the entire cafe.

"Did you tell him about it?"

She chuckles, "Yes. I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

“Good. I am really happy for you.” He offers her a smile.

It is true. There is no jealousy. He really feels happy that Zoe found someone that understands her and what she's been going through.

“Thank you,” she smiles back. “What about you?”

“Me?” Jungkook can’t hide his surprise and a smirk appears in Zoe’s lips. She still looks beautiful with puffy eyes and smudged mascara.

"Come on. I know you too like the back of my hand. I know how your 'I'm sad because a girl' face looks like. What's up?"

"Do you remember my neighbor? ____?"

She nods. "She's really beautiful. What about her?"

“Well, we had one date," he confesses.

“And? How was it?” Zoe asks excitedly and Jungkook smiles shyly. Talking about you makes his heart flutter.

“Good. Really good, actually. I asked her to be my date at the gala.”

“That’s so cute. So, are you two a thing now?” She coos.

“No," he says and Zoe notices the change in his mood right away. "It is complicated."

"What happened?"

"There was a misunderstanding… I think… And you are involved.”

Zoe chokes on her coffee. “Me? Why?”

“She thinks I still have feelings for you and I was not much of a help either.”

"Do you still have feelings for me?"

"No."

"And why didn't you tell her that?" She accuses him.

"Because I was confused when she asked me!" He exclaims. Zoe frowns and he raises a hand before she starts to speak. "We didn't talk for a year. Our relationship ended literally out of nowhere. We didn't have the time or the will to talk about it. So, I buried my feelings. At the time, they were not worth dwelling on."

Zoe shifts on her seat. “It makes sense. I think we can both agree that we shared something magical, passionate and it didn't last that much. We never get the chance to celebrate our first anniversary."

Jungkook chuckles, sharing the nostalgia. "Yeah. We had a lot of plans for that day."

“Sometimes I think we were so stubborn and more in love with the idea of love rather than with each other. If the accident it would not have happened, maybe we would have broken up in the next couple of months.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. We need to admit we were not compatible enough,” Zoe shrugs with a smile. “Anyway. One of the reasons I contacted you, besides apologizing to you, of course…”

“Of course.”

She ignores him, “...is because I miss you and I want us to be friends.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Really?”

Jungkook throws her a bag of sugar, “What do you mean ‘really’? You know my family abandoned me a long time ago. So I made a new one: Yoongi and you. For a while, we were only the three of us and everything was fine. One night, that changed. I lost a member of my family. Again. Of course, I want you in my life.”

“Owww, Jungkook…” She wipes fake tears. “I forgot you were such a corny.”

He snorts.

“I’m going to get another coffee and then you can tell me everything about her and we could come up with a plan because I didn’t raise you to be this stupid.”

And with that, she stands up and walks towards the bar.

Just like that, two old friends reunite. As the last months never happened.

The next day Jungkook wakes up feeling as light as a feather. It felt nice to talk with an old friend. He feels like Seokjin, Anna and the other guys are more friends of yours than his. It feels nice to have someone else by his side besides Yoongi. Finally, he feels he can breathe properly again. After a year of living full of guilt. Now, he can finally move on with his life. He spends the morning thinking about what he should do next.

He was looking for some of his old photos when he finds one of your sketchbooks. You must have left it here the last time you visited. He knows how important the sketchbooks are for you. They are like a window to your soul. He needs to return them. With that in mind, he takes the sketchbook and walks to your apartment.

If things were as they used to, he would enter unannounced and straight to your room. But things are different. Now, he knocks as any normal slash civil neighbor and waits. Some minutes pass before he realizes there's no one inside. Jungkook sighs disappointed. Part of him wanted to see you again.

"Jungkook?" Someone behind him calls his name. "What are you doing here?"

Seokjin is standing behind him with a lot of bags of groceries.

“Hey," he greets him. "____ forgot one of her sketchbooks at my place. I was wondering if I could leave it in her bedroom."

Seokjin nods, “Do you mind helping me first?”

"Ah, yes," he takes a couple of bags of Seokjin's arms.

“Thank you."

Seokjin opens the door and Jungkook follows him inside. Seokjin places the bags in the kitchen counter and throws the keys into the table.

“Wow, these are a lot of groceries.”

Seokjin smiles sheepishly, “Yeah. I want to perfect some recipes.”

“More than they already are?”

He chuckles, “Yes. I want everything ready when I open my new restaurant?”

“Wait a minute,” Jungkook gasps. “When did that happen?”

He suddenly feels bad for not keeping in touch with him after the little fight he shared with you. His friend only shrugs, keeping his hands busy as he places the ingredients he is not going to use at the moment in their respective cabinet.

“I bought a nice place downtown last week,” he confesses. “But I’ve been planning it for a while now. It seemed like the next step.”

“Wow, congratulations!” Jungkook beams and pats Seokjin’s shoulder over the counter.

“Thanks,” the older replies. “Actually, I may need your assistance with something.”

“What can I do for you?”

"Someone told me you are good at video editing."

A small blush appears on Jungkook’s cheeks, “I wouldn’t say good, but I am decent enough. What do you want to do?”

"I figured if Gordon Ramsay can teach cooking through videos, I can show my recipes too. Will you help me?"

"Of course."

The elder hums and a comfortable silence fall upon them. After a while, Jungkook’s gaze shifts toward the hallway that leads to your room. Seokjin notices, even when he is busy chopping some vegetables.

"___ is not here," he comments.

"Oh…" Jungkook already knows that but that doesn’t mean that he feels any less disappointed. "Is she out?"

Seokjin nods, "She went to visit her sister for the weekend. I thought she told you.”

“Well, we are not exactly in speaking terms,” Jungkook confesses, his eyes falling to his hands. "When is she coming back?"

"Possibly Monday after work,” Seokjin throws the vegetables he just chopped to a strainer. “What happened between you two?”

“She didn’t tell you?” Jungkook asks surprised.

He shrugs apologetically, “Kind of. But every story has two versions."

At that, he stays quiet. Seokjin doesn't push him to talk, which Jungkook is thankful for. The elder keeps doing his magic in the kitchen and soon it starts to smell really good.

“A year ago,” Jungkook starts. “I was in a car accident with my former girlfriend. I was driving. She was the most affected. She had several injuries. She blamed me for everything and I accepted that blame. We didn’t talk or saw each other for a while until she contacted me the night of the gala. She wanted to talk. ___ saw it. We had a little… argument about it.”

“What happened?”

Jungkook's face return to look at his friend.

"That night was our first date. I was so excited and nervous. I have never felt like that about someone before. The date went pretty well. Until she saw the text."

He can still see your face. Trying so desperately not to cry but failing nonetheless. It has been printed behind his eyelids.

“She told me that we couldn’t be together until I figured my feelings for my ex. She started to ask questions I couldn’t answer at the moment. I’ve been confused for a long time and denied it for a while.” Jungkook groans and buries his face inside his hands. "I think I ruined everything with her."

“No, you didn’t.” Jungkook raises to meet Seokjin’s gaze. "Is valid to have unresolved feelings when your relationship ended abruptly. Especially after a tragedy. You didn't get closure."

"You didn't see her face." Jungkook chuckles dryly when a shot of tequila appears in front of him. It reminds him of when things were less complicated.

"She is hiding."

"Why?"

Seokjin shrugs, "You know her. Her heart is bigger than her body. She is the type to help strangers when they are at their lowest. She is that selfless."

Jungkook blushes at that. He still feels bad at the way he treated you those first days.

“But when it comes to romantic feelings… She is scared."

"Why?" Jungkook finds himself asking. You never told him about his past relationships and he never asked.

"Someone broke her heart," Seokjin confesses with a sad smile. "It took her some time to recover from that."

"What happened?" He whispers.

"Well…"

Three years ago.

"So, when is the opening night?" You asked Seokjin over the phone. You searched inside your handbag for your key.

"Next week," he replied and then groaned. "I still haven't found the perfect hostess."

"Jinnie, everything is going to be fine. You are an amazing chef. Everyone in the city is going to love your food,” you tried to calm him. “You’ll find the perfect hostess before you know it.”

"Thank you," he replied gratefully, "You are coming, right?"

You tsked, "Of course."

You opened your front door and placed the keys over the small table near the entrance. You made your way towards the kitchen.

"Are you going to bring some of your stuff? Anna brought some boxes the last time she visited and she is going to move in next month. I found this cute apartment. It is kind of expensive, but considering we're four…"

"Yeah, about that…"

"You haven't spoken with Jimin, have you?" He interjected before you could continue. It was impressive how well he could read you even when he was a mile away.

"I will! Is just… Everything is moving so quickly. You moved to the city 6 months ago and you are going to open your restaurant in a week. Anna found a good job. What if I don't get the internship?"

You finally voiced your worries.

"You will," he assured you. "You are really talented. And if they don’t, there are other companies you can apply for."

"I know. Thank you, Jin. I really needed to hear that today," you said as you took your bag from the counter and walk to the mini-studio. "I promise I'll talk to Jimin and of course I will be on your opening night."

"Sounds good!" He chimed. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay? I left something in the oven."

And he hung up before you could say goodbye. You chuckled and placed your phone over your desk. With a sigh, you took your sketchbook out of your bag and opened it. You meant to work on your designs to finish your portfolio but your stomach suddenly growled.

"Jimin! Do you want to grab dinner?"

When it became apparent you were not going to get a reply, you left the studio and went to the bedroom. Till then, you didn't realize how quiet the apartment was. You frowned. You were 90% sure Jimin's car was at the parking lot. But then again, one of your neighbors had the same car.

The bedroom door was half-opened and you heard the faint sound of the shower. Entering the room, you were about to scroll through Uber Eats when you noticed someone lying on your bed and it was not Jimin.

"Hmmm, Who are you, and why are you lying in my bed?" The blond girl staring at you looked… worried. She opened her mouth but got interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening.

"Hey babe," Jimin murmured, a towel around his waist. "I think you should go. My girlfriend will arrive soon…" He stopped the moment he saw you, standing there, in your shared bedroom.

Every word felt like a dagger. Your suspicions were confirmed. Your boyfriend was cheating on you. You wanted to cry, scream, throw stuff, destroy everything around you. But you were frozen in the same spot, unable to do anything your aching heart craved to.

Maybe it was a dream. Yes. You were still sleeping and this was a nightmare. Your mind couldn't wrap around the fact of Jimin –your sweet and lovely Jimin– doing such thing as betray you.

The sound of your name brought you back to the painful reality. You gathered all the courage you could to look at him.

"What it this, Jimin?" You managed to whisper.

It was a dumb question to ask when the answer was right in front of you, but a part of you wanted to be a misunderstanding, still hoping this was a sick joke.

Jimin, the man you fell in love with, was looking at you with so much sadness that it made you sob.

"Please let me explain. I never meant to hurt you. You were not supposed to know like this."

What was he talking about?

"Know what? That you were cheating on me?" You said. "Is this the first time?"

"I wish I could say yes."

What?

Involuntarily, your eyes turned to the woman you found in your bed. At least she was dressed now, a pretty sundress hugging her body. You gulped. Did he found her prettier than you? At that moment, when you were using a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, you definitely felt she was prettier than you. You hated to feel this way.

"Why?" You finally found the courage to ask him.

"Don't pretend you haven't felt how we've drifted apart."

Oh, you noticed. He had been weird the last couple of months. At first, you thought it was because of school. He gets really moody when it comes to exams. But he graduated and things were the same. There was less communication. He used to be your best friend… And now was like you lived with a stranger with whom you happened to have sex occasionally.

You couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, but you didn’t want to push Jimin in to talk about something he was not ready to share. Who would know that something was him cheating on you?

“Is that enough reason?”

“My parents are getting divorced,” he confessed then, taking slow steps into your direction. Your whole body tensed. The last thing you needed was him to get closer. “My father started to drink again.” You opened your mouth to say something but Jimin raised a hand. “No, please. Let me finish.” You pursed your lips and let him continue. “I didn’t want to bother you with my problems. You were busy working at the cafe or working with your designs… They were not yours to handle, so I didn't tell you anything. Then, I met Hannah at one of my lectures. We clicked right away. I invited her for a coffee one day and it was like I could tell her anything."

"And you fell in love with her," you finished for him. You felt hot tears running down your cheeks. You couldn't hold them anymore.

"___, you need to understand…" he took another step closer. “I never meant to hurt you.”

"Well, you definitely did a great job. Why didn't you tell me when you realized that you had feelings for another woman?" You confronted him. By the look on his face, you guessed that was not a question he was expecting. Wiping your tears with the back of your hand, you looked at him expectantly.

“I-I tried… But I couldn’t find the right time…”

He was close enough to take your hands in his. You tried to pull away but he didn’t let you. “Really? In the six months, you’ve known her, you couldn’t mention something?”

“How am I supposed to tell the person who used to be the most important to me that I may have feelings for another woman?”

If you were not feeling like your whole world is crumbling down, you probably should’ve noticed the desolated expression in Jimin’s face.

“You are talking in past tense…” you murmured. “Why didn’t you tell me?” you repeated.

Fresh tears fall down cheeks. You closed your eyes. Suddenly, something warm pressed against your skin. Jimin’s fingers. Your eyes slowly fluttered open. Fixed on his face, it was the first time you realized they were tears on his cheeks. Jimin was crying too. A pair of strong arms encircled your body and pushed you against him. You resisted at first, but he was holding you with so much force. Being between his arms for the last time was the last thing you could handle and you found yourself hugging him back tightly. Three years of your life were slipping between your fingers like water and there was nothing you could do about it.

It was over…

“I’m sorry, ___,” he chanted against your hair. “I am so sorry…”

That night, you drove all the way to the city and never looked back.

When Seokjin finishes the story, Jungkook is speechless.

His heart aches for you, for what happened to you.

“She was broken. It took her a while to recover. She is strong. She just needs some time.”

“I just miss her a lot…”

“I know.”

His friend offers him a smile and continues with his handiwork in the kitchen.

Jungkook stays silent in the next 20 minutes, lost inside his mind. It takes him some time to take everything in. Now, he understands why you reacted the way you did and wishes he handled the situation better. His trail of thought is interrupted when Seokjin places a bowl of homemade noodles in front of him. It smells delicious.

“Eat up. I want your opinion.”

“Thank you.”

The sound of a door being opened catches his attention and Anna appears in the hallway.

“Oh, Kook. You are here,” she greets him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?” She sits in the stool beside him and squeezes his shoulder affectionately.

“Good. How about you?”

“Full of work but I smell Jinnie’s special noddles and I realized I was starving,” she was and takes a mouthful of noddles.

“Where can I leave ____’s sketchbook?”

“You can leave it at the studio. I’ll tell her you left it there,” Anna says.

Jungkook nods.

The rest of the meal, they talk about random stuff. Jungkook tells them the news about his possible new partnership with a museum and Seokjin talks more about the plans he has for his new restaurant. Soon, the moon sets and Jungkook is full of deserts. Before leaving, he walks to the studio and places the sketchbook on your desk. He takes a blank sheet from Anna’s desk and a pen and he starts writing:

Dear ___…

"So, in conclusion, you ran away because you are scared," she murmurs softly.

“Did you even heard what I just said?”

“I did and you are an idiot,” she stands from the couch and walks to the kitchen. “Do you want more ice cream?”

“Yeah.” You follow after her. “Do you really think I am an idiot for leaving him there?”

“Yes, I do.” She notices your panic. “Look. I know you are afraid. But this is not the same situation. The story isn’t repeating.”

She serves two more balls of chocolate ice cream into the bowls.

"I don’t want to live that hell of self-hatred again. It took me a while to understand it was not because of me and even more to realize Jimin and I were not meant to be. So yeah, I ran. I thought Jungkook would have chosen his ex if he needed to choose. They have a long story."

She squeezes your hand, "And you removed yourself from the equation so he wouldn’t have to choose." You nod. “That’s why I think you are an idiot.”

“Hey!”

“I’m serious. He can choose you. There is a possibility. But you decided to run instead to fight for him.”

She takes the bowls and returns to the living room. Then, she turns Netflix off. You stopped paying attention to the movie anyway. You lay down and place your head on her lap with your bowl of ice cream over your stomach. You feel so tired.

"Let’s get this clear. For what you have told me, it looks like he likes you a lot. You were his muse at the gala!" She starts to pet your hair softly, "Listen. I know it hurts. Sometimes, you just need to take the risk. You can't hide here forever. Whatever that happens, you'll be fine. You have me and your friends."

You shift your body to face her, "Thank you. I really needed to hear that."

She grins, "What is family for?"

You stayed with your sister the whole weekend, eating tons and tons of ice cream and watching tons and tons of movies. It was soothing and calming. It helped you get your mind off the situation. And it gave you time to think.

You were back at your apartment morning-evening after work. You are finishing unpacking when Seokjin enters your room.

“How it went?” He sits at the end of your mattress.

“Pretty good! I missed my sister a lot.”

“Maybe you should visit her more often,” he jokes.

You giggle, "She told me the same thing. How was your weekend?"

Now that all your clothes are scattered all over your bed, you throw all the dirty ones into your laundry basket.

"Good. I tried a new noodle recipe... and Jungkook came looking for you."

He is playing with one of your jeans, folding and unfolding them.

You drop what you are doing immediately, "Really? What did he want?"

You try to keep a serene face but on the inside, you were going crazy. The tiny smile on Seokjin’s lips only confirms that you are not very good at hiding your emotions. You’ve lost your touch.

"He brought your sketchbook back," Seokjin says. "Apparently, you left it at his place. It is at your desk."

"Oh… Thank you."

"I’ll have dinner ready in 20 minutes." Seokjin smiles sweetly and walks out of your room.

You finish unpacking and tidying everything up before going to the studio. You left Jungkook’s place in such a rush that you forgot that your sketchbook was even at his place. You run your fingers over the leather cover. It is one of the fewest sketchbooks that you own that doesn’t have anything to do with your work or designs. It is more like a journal were you draw anything that came to your mind. Flipping through the pages, you remember that one time when Jungkook took you to his favorite park. According to him, the sunset looked majestic from there and he wanted to take some snaps. You were supposed to draw it but Jungkook's beauty was more enticing and you end up drawing him.

You keep going through the pages for a while. The sketchbook is full of memories of him… of memories of your times together. There is this one, where you draw the two of you. But before you arrive at that page, you receive a call from Anna. Dinner is ready. With a smile, you place your sketchbook with the others you’ve finished in the box under your desk unaware of the fact that there is a letter Jungkook wrote for you.

One year later.

It is Monday morning and you are at your office. It is surprising how much work can accumulate in one weekend. The workload helps you to ignore the curious glances Taehyung sends your way since you arrived at the office. It becomes pretty annoying at the meeting you both attend to check some details about the newest collection before sending it for approval.

Around 11 am, you go to the coffee station to make yourself some tea. Taehyung is there, too, taking some coffee. And there’s the stare again. “Some say a picture lasts longer.”

He chokes on his coffee. You take your favorite mug from the countertop and purr hot water. Today is chamomile day.

"Are you okay?" You ask him. He nods like he has not been acting weirdly all morning.

"Yeah. I am okay." He leaves his now empty cup in the sink. "Do you, by any chance, have received any texts or calls today?"

"From someone in particular?"

"You know what? Forget it. I'll see you at lunch."

And he walks out of the coffee station before you could ask him what he meant.

Yep. He is definitely acting really weird.

The rest of the morning passes quickly and you don't have the opportunity to confront Taehyung about his weird behavior. He is hiding something. That much is true.

Exactly one hour before lunch, your phone buzzes, and for a split second your heart rate increases until you see the caller ID. It is your sister.

"Hello?"

"Hey, stranger!" she chimes. "How are you?"

"I'm fine! A little busy. And you?"

"Good! At what time you leave your office?"

"At 5PM. Why?"

"I have a surprise for you: I am in the city! So, I was wondering if you want to have dinner with me today."

"Wait, is everything okay?" You sit straight. If something is wrong, she would have told you, right?

"Yeah, silly. Don't worry. I came to buy some stuff and, of course, visit you. So, do you want to go to dinner or what?"

You giggle, relieved. "Sure." You start to think of possible choices. It is the third time your sister comes to the city. You want to take her to somewhere special. "Do you want to go to Seokjin's new restaurant?"

"That sounds perfect."

"Good. Let me text you the address."

You put the phone on speaker to find the message with the address Seokjin sent to you a while ago. You know how to arrive there but you don't remember the street name.

You do small talk with your sister as you do your search, but your Skype goes crazy out of nowhere.

"Hey," you interject between her story. "I will text you the address later. My boss is looking for me."

"Ok. Don't worry. I'll see you tonight."

You arrive at 7:15pm at Seokjin's restaurant.

In less than 6 months, the restaurant is now one of the most exclusive restaurants and one of the best places to eat. That's why the place is at full capacity for Monday night and there are even more people outside waiting for a table or place at the bar.

Tonight Seokjin is the host. He receives you with a heartwarming smile.

"Your usual table?" he asks.

“Yes, please.”

He nods, “You are lucky you know the owner,” he adds with a smirk and you roll your eyes.

“Thanks, Jinnie.”

You walk through the restaurant. The table you like the most is located in one of the corners, near the kitchen. It is kind of hidden but you can see the whole restaurant from there. You’ve spent hours and hours there sketching the people that come by.

Your eyes scan the menu as you wait for your sister's arrival. Jin adds new recipes to the menu every once in a while.

"Does this sit is taken?"

You raise your head to look at the newcomer and you do not expect what you see...

"Jungkook?"

For a split second, you think you might be hallucinating. But no. He is really there. It is the first time you see him in a year. He smiles sheepishly and you remember that there's a question you haven't answered yet…

"I'm waiting for my sister…"

And then, it clicks.

Do you, by any chance, have received any texts or calls today?

"You planned this with my sister," his smile widening is your confirmation. "But, you don't know her. How?"

"We have a mutual friend."

"Taehyung and Seokjin knew about this," you accuse.

Jungkook nods, "The guys helped me to plan this. So, can I sit?"

"Yeah, I guess," you reply. "Is my sister even in the city?"

"Yes. She is waiting for you with Anna at your place."

You don’t know how to reply to that, so you stay silent. You take the opportunity to look at him. He looks… different. His hair is longer. He is wearing a plain grey shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket that fits him so well. He gained weight. The sharpness of his face is gone. His lips look more full in the way they stretch into a smirk. There’s a spark shining on his eyes. He knows you are checking him out.

You clear your throat.

"So, why did you take so much trouble when you just could have called me yourself?"

Jungkook shrugs, "I thought you wouldn't have come if I was the one who contacted you."

Before you could reply, one of the waitresses approaches the table.

"Are you ready to order?"

Jungkook gazes at the menu, "I'll have the Special Noodles, please."

She nods and turns to you, "And you, ___? The usual?"

"Yes. Thank you, Eli," you reply with a smile.

"Right away," she says and walks to the kitchen.

Once she is gone, the heavy atmosphere around you returns.

"Did you broke your phone?" You finally ask him the question you were dying to since he appeared.

"I know. I'm so sorry" he takes your hand in his. It feels so good to feel his warmth again. "You don't know how much I wanted to call. Or even go to your place to see you in person. But I made a promise to myself: I wouldn't contact you until I was in peace with myself."

It is selfish to feel this way. You know it. He did the right thing, but a part of you resents him. He disappeared. For one year, you didn’t know anything about him. Now, he appears out of nowhere and expects you’d receive him with open arms.

“Jungkook, why am I here?"

He seems confused, "What do you mean? I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About us?"

"Is there really an 'us' to talk about?"

"What?"

You shift in your seat. “You left without saying goodbye. With no type of explanation.”

He shakes his head, “What do you mean? I left the letter. Did you not read it?”

You frown, more confused by the minute. “What letter?”

“The one that I hid in your sketchbook. Do you really don’t know what am I talking about?” You shrug. “Well, that explains a lot,” he chuckles awkwardly.

“So, what was in that letter?”

He smiles over his glass of water. “It explained why I left, why I did it, and what happened with Zoe.”

“Yeah, about that… What happened? Because all this time I thought you ran away with her.”

A smirk appeared on his lips. It is not the type you like. It is the smug one. It makes you want to smack him on his pretty face.

“We talked. We resolved things. We stayed as friends,” he replies nonchalantly.

“G-good,” you manage to say and his smile widens. “Where were you staying, anyway?”

“I stayed a while with Yoongi and little with Zoe and her boyfriend. He is really cool.”

“That bastard!” you yelled and sank in your seat when a few customers turned to look at you. “When I asked him if he knew where did you go, he lied.”

Jungkook smiles apologetically, “He promised not to tell you.”

“Yeah, whatever,” you huff, a little annoyed at Yoongi. He is going to hear you out the next time you see him. “You could have texted me or something. Do you know how much time is one year? That means I spent 365 days wondering if I would ever see you again." Jungkook opens his mouth but you raise your hand, "Please, let me finish."

He nods.

"One year is enough to meet new people…" You finish what you wanted to say.

Jungkook's smile falters, eyes widening, "Ohhhh… Does that mean you met someone?"

"I had a couple of dates," you confess, watching carefully his reaction. "But the two of them went really wrong."

His face illuminates at your words, "Why?"

"Because they were not you, idiot!"

He starts to laugh at your outburst. Wow, you forgot how much you liked his smile. His eyes turn into beautiful crescendos and his nose scrunched. His laugh is contagious you start to laugh back.

"I'm really glad to hear that."

A comfortable silence falls between you two. At the same time, Eli arrives with the order.

“Oh my god,” Jungkook moans after his first bite. “They are better than the last ones I ate.”

“Well, Seokjin had a year to perfect the recipe,” you mock.

While you eat, you talk about random stuff: how the recent partnership with a museum went; the brand new collection you and Taehyung are designing from scratch. Stuff like that. It almost feels like time hasn’t passed at all.

“So, you didn’t answer my question,” you say once you have ordered the desert.

He takes a sip of his water. “What question?”

“Why am I here?”

“Oh, I wanted to see you and talk to you,” he says, suddenly shy. “I know you didn’t read the letter I left for you. But I want to explain to you, in person, why I left…”

It doesn’t make sense. How can someone who looks as good as Jungkook does can be shy?

“Go on.”

“I know it was selfish to leave. But I needed to do it. I was not myself when we met. I was lost. Even when you helped me to raise my feet again, I was not entirely okay. I left because I didn’t want to be emotionally codependent of you. If we are together, is because we want to, not because we need each other to survive. The time I spent away helped me to rediscover myself. Now, I am more me than I have ever been. I hope you will give me another chance.”

His beautiful words make your heart flutter. He is looking at you with so much intensity and hopes that you feel bad for being cold with him for the past hour. You stay silent for a moment, though. You suppress the smile that tugs the corner of your lips. Maybe you enjoy a little bit much the way his expression turns in panic.

“Well,” you finally speak up. His shoulders tense in anticipation. “Taehyung and I have an important dinner next week. Some important designers are coming to see our collection. Taehyung is taking his girlfriend. So… Would you like to come with me? You know… As my date?”

The end. ♡

#jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts scenarios #bts angst #bts fluff #bts fanfics #jungkook x reader #bts #story: love sewn #jvnghxope

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omniswords · 3 years

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Chronicles of a Parisian Dumbass 16

oh gosh, i'm so sorry for the late update!! i promise i'm still working on this, little by little. i am on vacation next week, so maybe i'll get the chance to really put some work in.

in any case, enjoy today's update c:

okay, so who the hell was gonna tell me that CBG’s designed a whole-ass album cover for my favorite artist of all time?

scratch that. who was gonna tell me she designed my FAVORITE album cover for my FAVORITE artist of all time?

Bubbles, as it turns out, has known Marinette Dupain-Cheng since he was four years old. Went to school with her and everything. So that’s another scoop to the shit Luka’s landed himself in. He still isn’t sure what gave him greater whiplash: finding out about that connection, or finding her name in the fine print of Jagged stone’s album credits. He also isn’t sure whether it’s a good thing that Nino mentions little else, and especially dodges the question of if it’s even cool to actually admit to having a gigantic crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, or whether he’s just wasting his time.

Cool.

Cool, cool, cool.

(Luka is most definitely not cool.)

Especially for those freeze-frames of time that he wonders, to his own horror, if Bubbles has been Adrien Agreste all this time.

It takes him the better part of an hour of pacing and fidgeting with his guitar pick to realize that no, he hasn’t been casually messaging a fashion mogul’s son who also just so happened to be Marinette’s own gigantic crush. He doesn’t seem like the type to use “dude” in everyday conversation, and for another thing, it didn't exactly like up with what Marinette had said about them knowing each other in middle school.

One day, Luka swears, he’s going to take this anxiety thing out back and have it meet its maker.

Even if, maybe, he sort of is its maker.

(Okay, maybe he's going to take his brain out back, because he's definitely not responsible for that.)

But he figures, once that initial panic and urge to scream into his pillow wear off, that it might be a cool talking point between him and Marinette. One that, for once, doesn’t have much to do with either of their jobs. Or with how tongue-tied he gets around her because she just won’t stop being so pretty. Not that that’s a problem; both his sister and his mother would have his head for ever thinking that way, and even then, Rose would tell them to get in line. Something about how they didn’t raise him this way, even if two of them didn’t even raise him at all.

Luka waits a couple of days before stopping by the bakery again; it gives them both some breathing room and the time for those postcards to be finished and printed. He thinks about it a lot. The postcards. The effort. Marinette, too, but in his quietly flustered opinion, he thinks that’s a given. He doesn’t get the chance to come until close to closing time again because of his delivery shift; he just hopes they don’t mind too much. He braces himself the whole ride over for whatever may be coming: another friendly crack about napoleons and pear tarts, the beauty of the postcards, maybe even another offer of kindness if Marinette’s pattern is anything to go by.

The one thing Luka doesn’t brace himself for—which, of course, is the one thing that ends up happening—is the door propped open, and the music drifting out through the crack. And he can’t even revel in the fact that it’s one of his favorite songs playing, because…

Because Marinette is dancing. Rag in one hand, spray bottle in the other. No, it’s not like, a flawlessly choreographed routine or anything. It’s more like a mix of what Rose does during their down time when she has too much energy and nowhere to put it, and what Juleka does when she’s trying to find the rhythm of a new song. It’s blissfully unaware, and beautiful, and it feels like home, and Luka can’t stop staring.

He doesn’t mean to. He knows he shouldn’t. It’s just… he can’t remember ever seeing a moment when she was simply “Marinette, “instead of “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Friend to Practically Everybody.” or “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Daughter of the Owners of The Best Bakery In Paris.” or even “Marinette, the Girl Behind the Counter with the Sketchbook Full of Secrets and the connections to Jagged Fucking Stone.”

Okay, maybe he’s been watching a couple too many fantasy movies lately.

And he definitely needs to look away, like, right now, because she does this thing with her hips that makes his brain forget how to function for a second, and he needs his brain to function in every sense of the phrase, and God fucking damn it, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is hot and he’s not supposed to think that she’s hot—

And she’s looking at him. Frozen. right as he’s about to get off his bike and knock.

And, like the total idiot he can only manage to be at the worst possible times, he trips. Over his bike. And faceplants, right in front of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

He’s somewhere between waiting for death to take him, and thanking his Ma for always getting on him about wearing a helmet, and wondering if he really was so stupid that his first instinct was to run, when the bell over the bakery door rings like mad. Someone cries out his name, and the music cuts, and there’s a skitter of footsteps on concrete. When he comes to himself and starts to sit up, he finds himself face-to-face with Marinette, who's kneeling beside him and already scanning him for any injuries.

The first thing she says, with her hand in her hair, is, “Oh, God. She’s gonna kill me.”

The first thing he says, with a wince, is, “Yikes.”

It’s then that the pain sinks in, dull and searing and throbbing all at once, as if punishing him for choosing to say that, of all things. He sits up a bit more, pain chasing up his spine and stinging his palms; his knee is badly scraped and starting to swell, he realizes once he gets a good look at the rest of him. He can’t tell yet, whether Juleka would call this karma or kismet. All he can think is that at least his jeans were already ripped.

“Can…” Marinette swallows hard, but otherwise she’s entirely unfazed. “Can you stand? Put weight on it? Oh God, oh my God, she’s actually gonna kill me.”

“I…” Cautiously, Luka tries to get to his feet, and Marinette makes space for him. All it takes is one step for a jolt of pain to shoot up his leg, and he staggers and clutches the closest streetlamp, nearly tripping over his bike again in the process. “Shit,” is all he can bite out after drawing his breath in through his teeth and holding onto it for too long. He lets it out, little by little, and his grip on the lamppost loosens. “It’s okay, I’m—I can just walk my bike to the metro station, and—”

It’s like she isn’t even listening to him; she’s looking around the bike, evidently searching for something. Finally, she finds it—his bike lock—and after it and the bakery door are secure, she coaxes his arm around her shoulder. It’s almost comical, because he’s got a good thirty centimeters on her, but it hurts too much to laugh. Or, apparently, to stammer in protest when she leads him through the side door and up the stairs to her apartment.

Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Seeing her in her pajamas was enough of an invasion of her privacy. But seeing the inside of her literal, actual home? Oh, no. No way.

“You’re hurt,” she says simply, as if she’s read his mind; her voice is trembling, the way voices do when they know they shouldn’t. “It’d be against like, everything I am as a person if I just let you leave.” She only lets go of him to unlock the door, and only then does it occur to him that, for a few moments that should have been blissful, they were side-by-side, and in some places skin-to-skin.

Mr. Dupain gives them a funny, almost unreadable look when Marinette opens the door. One look at Luka’s leg seems to answer any questions he might have had, and effortlessly he helps Luka to the couch while Marinette disappears into the bathroom. “You know,” he jokes under his breath, “When I imagined someone falling for my daughter, I didn’t mean literally.”

Luka’s face goes hot. “I didn’t—I’m not—”

Whatever he wants to say falls on deaf ears, and Mr. Dupain makes himself scarce as soon as Marinette emerges from the bathroom. Even as she lifts his leg onto the coffee table, Luka swears he can feel those kind, quietly insistent eyes burning holes into him all the way from the kitchen. He doesn’t get to think much more about what Mr. Dupain might have meant, or what he would have said to refute it, because Marinette is pressing an alcohol pad to the scrapes, and it stings like a motherfucker—which is probably a good thing for more reasons than one.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says weakly, because somewhere along the way, I don’t deserve it got stuck in his throat and refused to come out.

Marinette gives him a look. He can’t quite figure out what it means. “Yeah. I do.”

“Nah.” He readjusts, braces himself for the second sting of the ointment and the bandages. “I kinda deserved it. Jules would call it karma, I guess.”

There she goes again, wincing at the mere mention of Juleka. Or maybe… maybe it’s something else. Without a word, she gets up and disappears into the kitchen, and he spends her whole absence wondering what he said or did. He’s only relieved when she returns with a bag of frozen corn and a shrug as if to say, It’s all we had. She presses the bag to his knee, breathing deep in time with him, or maybe in hopes that his breathing will start to match hers. Then she speaks, and her voice wavers.

“Why would you ever think,” she murmurs, “that you deserve any pain?”

Luka opens his mouth. Shuts it. Opens and shuts again. This time, at least for a while, the words don’t even make it to his throat. Eventually, all he can spit out is, “I was. Watching. You.”

“I know,” Marinette says, turning as pink as her shorts. “I saw.”

That’s the one thing he can appreciate: she doesn’t try to downplay it or say it was dumb. Even now, she’s unapologetic, and direct, and God, maybe he’s just fallen a little more. “I shouldn’t have,” he says. “I was gonna knock, I was…” He shifts again, his knee still in her gentle grasp, and flinches. “I just… wanted to see your postcards.”

I just wanted to see you.

“Marinette.” His lips tingle just from saying her name, and his stomach is churning. “Who… who’s gonna kill you?”

This time, Marinette goes scarlet; it would look about as pretty as literally every other color and pattern she wears if she didn’t seem so… mortified. “I’ll go get one of—the postcards,” she says—stammers, more like—and as she’s heading upstairs she calls out, “Papa, he can’t walk. Can we drive him home?”

From the kitchen, Mr. Dupain winks.

1 Photo Attached

RIP lol

and no, i’m not talking about my jeans. those were already like that.

but also. 😬 oh boy.

#miraculous ladybug #lukanette #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #fic: chronicles of a parisian dumbass #oh my dude we are in for it now.

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lillywillow · 3 years

Text

Best Laid Plans

Summary: When a mission goes astray, you and Sam manage to find shelter at a quiet little inn and pretend to be married to share a room for the night.

Word Count: 1112

Square Filled: Bed Sharing

Pairings: Sam Wilson x Female Reader

Warnings: Slight details of the mission

Written for @star-spangled-bingo

The mission was supposed to be an easy one. Infiltrate a Hydra base in England, take information, get out but was not how it went. Halfway through the mission your cover was compromised, making it difficult to escape. One of Sam’s wings had been damaged in the turmoil so he couldn’t fly but fortunately you had managed to find a car. Sam got in and you took off with Hydra on your tail. Just when you managed to shake them, you drove into a ditch that you hadn’t seen due to the dark and the rain. Your comms were also down, meaning you had to walk to the nearest sign of civilisation. Luckily, Sam had spotted a town a few miles out while flying in so you headed in that direction as the rain bucketed down, choosing to leave the heavy tactical equipment behind for now.

The sleepy little hamlet only had one single place for visitors to stay. You looked around the place, feeling quite numb; not only from the icy cold rain but the whole mission. Sam approached the desk and rang the bell. An elderly couple walked out from the back.

“Hi. Um... we would like a room for the night.”

“We can certainly help you with that. Now, I have to ask; are you two married? We certainly don’t approve on unwedded couples sharing a bed. Too many shenanigans going on,” the woman said with a stern tone of voice.

“Oh, yeah! We’re totally married. We’re taking a vacation, right honey?” Sam smiled, putting his arm around you. All you could do was nod.

“Is she alright?” the man, presumably the woman’s husband asked.

“She’s a little shaken up. You see, we crashed our rental car and had to walk here.”

“Oh, my. You poor dears. I’ll take you to a room right away.” The woman headed off led you to one of the vacant rooms. It was a homely little place, sweetly decorated with a double bed and a couch.

“You go warm yourselves up; I’ll bring you something to eat.” Sam thanked her and ushered you into the room.

Sam turned on the shower and pulled you in with him, keeping your clothes on for now. You remained silent for now as he carefully washed your hair and cleaning off the dirt and grime from the mission. It worried Sam to see you like this. You had never been this quiet in all the time he had known you although, this had been the first mission the pair of you had been on that had gone so badly.

Once you had both warmed up, Sam turned off the water and got out. He took the towels and bathrobes, handing you one of each and turning to give you privacy so you could peel off your wet clothes and he could do the same. As soon as he was done, he walked out of the bathroom just in time for a knock on the door. The owner had made soup for the two of you, asking Sam if you were feeling any better. He told her that you were feeling much better and thanked her for the soup. She left and he brought the tray with the two steaming bowls in. You had numbly dried your hair and walked out into the room to sit on the bed, Sam handing you one of the bowls. The pair of you ate in silence. When he was finished, he put aside his bowl and knelt down in front of you, taking your face in his hands.

“Talk to me, baby girl. You’re starting to scare me a bit. What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?” You finally looked up to meet his deep brown eyes which were full of warmth and concern.

“It’s just... I keep going over that mission over and over in my head. What if things had gone differently? What if one of us got seriously hurt? What if... you had gotten killed? I couldn’t deal with that. You’re more than just my partner and best friend... I can’t lose the man I love...” by now tears were pouring down your face as the dam you had built up was destroyed and all your emotions came flooding out. Sam kissed your forehead and pulled you into his arms.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. I’m here, we’re safe. We’ll get through this... we always do...” Sam continued to hold you until you were all cried out. “Do you want me to take the couch?”

“No. I want you to hold me in your arms and make me feel safe...”

You looked up into his gaze. Sam gently leant forward until your lips were touching. The kiss was so full of love and tenderness and honestly, you couldn’t believe you were kissing him. There had always been some playful flirting between the two of you but you never thought it would ever blossom into anything. Sam held you close to his body and you could feel the heat of his hands through the thin fabric of the robe. Eventfully you had to pull away for air.

“Y/N, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to say this but, I love you. Just like you said, you mean more to me than just my partner in crime and best friend; I’m in love with you. Honestly, that mission scared me too that I was going to lose you.” You hugged Sam tightly.

“Does this mean we’re together now?”

“I guess we are... we should get some sleep. We need to get in contact with the team tomorrow.” You nodded and settled under the covers and Sam held you close. You slept well that night, despite the rough day you had.

The following day, things were looking up. Your clothes had dried and you were able to get in contact with the team to pick you up. You usually kept a wad of emergency cash so you paid the lovely couple for the room for the night. When you had announced to the team that you were officially dating, they were thrilled. Apparently there was a pool going on when you were finally going to confess your feelings which Natasha won. Neither of you cared though. As long as you had each other, you could handle anything.

#ssb2021 #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson #Marvel #bed sharing #Fluff #x reader #kisses

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glassbxttless · 3 years

Note

Finny Highschool info? what's he got goin on. is he single ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Finn is now one of my favorites, I’m not even sorry for the domestic fluff that’s going to come.

Warnings: (Age 16.5) shark attack, (Age 18) physical therapy, (Age 18.5) tattoos, (Age 19) breakup

Age 16.5

Finn begged his mom to let him meet his friends at Colony beach after church one Sunday, and with some provoking on Silas’ part— he gathers his board and decides to forego the wet suit, he wouldn’t be out long anyway. They spend just a few hours chasing waves and riding them back in, Micah— one of Finn’s best friends— teasing him about that girl he’s been crushing on.

And Finn feels a hard knock into his board— hard enough to knock him away from it. He sputters for air once he resurfaced, trying to look and get a grip on the situation unfolding in front of him. And then he sees the fin of a great white and he feels the searing pain in his legs. His friends are alerted by his blood curdling scream and they watch him bob up in the water, thrashing around as the waves turn a bright crimson. The shark isn’t backing off, after each bite to his body there comes another and another— it’s sinking it’s teeth into his torso. He can feel his flesh being ripped from his body and the water is burning his lungs just as much as this pain is.

And then, there’s dolphins— and he’s dropped from the sharks mouth. He can hear his friends screaming, trying to pull himself onto his half broken board. He thinks he’s going to die, lying there. And he’s sure it’ll be back for him. He can’t fucking move. He’s floating in a widening circle of his own blood, losing more of it by the minute. His hands are cut open, slashed and bruised— and he hears the sirens of the coast guard. And he feels hands pulling his body onto the boat, “my mom’s going to kill me.” He breathes out, coughing up the blood curdling in his lungs.

Age 17

Finn has endured so many skin grafts and surgeries to repair his bone and muscles. He’s been home three weeks. He walks with a cane now, attends physical therapy three times a week, and sees his psychiatrist once a week. Silas has the teeth the Great White had lodged into his little brother’s back in a little jar in his closet. Finn and Silas are watching Jurassic Park when they hear that knock on the door.

Silas answers it, smiling at you— as you stand there with chocolate chip cookies. “I brought Finn some cookies.” You say softly, holding the tin out to him. “I’ve just been worried about him.” And behind Silas, you see Finn turn his head on the couch to look at you— his cheeks are turning a bright red and Silas ushers you in, letting Finn cover his legs up with a throw blanket. There is no way he’s letting his little brother’s biggest crush fall right out of his grasps.

Age 17.5

Finn graduates on time, even with the year he’s out recovering. He’s leaning on his cane each time they ask him to stand— his dad had made sure he was home for this. Finn has worked so hard. Through all of the pain and sleepless nights, he’s made sure to complete his assignments and get them in on time. The damage in his hands never makes his hands feel great afterwards, but he doesn’t give up. He needs his diploma.

He needs to see you watch him receive his diploma. You clap and smile and cheer for your baby. The boy you had admired for so long, but couldn’t work the courage up to ask out until after his accident. And now when he pulls you in close, pressing the softest kiss to your lips as he tries to stay upright— your heart bursts into a million peaceful sections. Finn is your home.

Age 18

Finn smiles when you sit in on his physical therapy appointments. While his nurse holds his hips, helping him walk without his cane for the first time in over a year. You’re taking a recording, grinning and praising him for doing such a good job. And the giggle from Jackie, his nurse, when you press the most gentle kiss on his cheek is something that will live in your heart forever. “Do you want to try alone, Finn?” She asks quietly, you’re hoping he says yes. You want to be here to see it.

And he just nods, smiling when Jackie reaches for your phone and instructs you on where to stand. Your hands are outstretched as Finn makes his first few staggered and painful steps on his own. Everyone’s cheering for him, he’s come so far from the kid to survive the most severe Great White attack in Maine. And when he makes it to you, you support his weight with your arms wrapped around his waist. “I’m so proud of you, Fish.” You smile, nudging his nose with your own. And he just grins.

Age 18.5

You smile as you walk into the tattoo parlor with him. He’s been nervous this entire week as the date grew closer and closer. And you hold his hand as he explains to the artist that he was in a freak accident a few years back and wanted this tattoo to start on his journey of sort of reclaiming his body. She’s understanding, offers up a booth in the back behind a screen for his privacy.

And that’s the first time you see the scars on his torso, when he pulls off that chunky sweater and has the stencil applied right above the bite marks on his ribs. “Can I take a picture, Fishy?” You ask softly, only getting a nod from Finn, covering his face a bit. You make sure to capture the process of Finn’s first and only tattoo. A pretty great white right on his rib cage.

Age 19

It isn’t long now, that you’re leaving him and Finn knows. But he’s been trying to hold on to the hope that you won’t forget him for so long. You’re packing your bags for Florida and he’s so proud of you for going off and paving your own path. For getting into college, furthering your education. But watching you— the only person that’s ever loved him, not thought of the scars he chooses to show as some scary thing— leave him hasn’t been easy.

And he helps stack your boxes up, ready to leave. And you drive him home. Neither of you say a word. Because you love each other so much and you know this is it. This is your last night together and neither of you want to admit it. “So… what does this mean?” Finn is the first to speak, clearing his throat as he stares at his lap.

“I don’t think… Florida’s a long ways away, Fish…” you sigh heavily, wanting to reach out and grab his hand. Comfort him in any way that you possibly could. But you can’t. You have to sit here and wait to say what you both don’t want to hear. “I don’t think we should…” you continue. You watch as Finn starts untying the string bracelet you had tied around his wrist at his graduation. The one that he’s never taken off. You watch him drop it into your lap and he gets out, slamming the door behind him.

And you do try calling him, three days in a row— giving up on the day that you make your drive to Orlando. And you don’t hear from him. Not until the following year, when you make your way home to Kennebunkport utterly defeated from Orlando and he’s waiting right there for you.

#glassbxttless adcu #glassbxttless #finn reynolds x reader #finn reynolds #finn in the glass bottle #tw: shark attack #tw: tattoos #tw: physical therapy #tw: breakup

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harringrovetrashrat · 4 years

Note

Hey I'm new at 'Asking' on tumblr but I'll give it ago, I was thing like, a harringrove soulmate au, (it can be what ever) but like they find out mid-flight at the Byers, like (the thing you choose) happened, and maybe even one of the kids see and is all like "omg are u guys SOULMATES?!?!?"

YES YES!!!

I’ve never done a soulmark fic before, so I truly hope you enjoy this!! I had fun writing it, either way, lol

(Quick note: Shirts v Skins in this is more Shirts v Tanks for privacy based around marks. Most things are made so you have privacy, but a lot of people are open with their marks anyway.)

The day that Steve found out that Nancy wasn’t his soulmate probably should have been a little sadder. Don’t get him wrong, Steve had been fucking heartbroken. Had felt like something was missing inside him. But it had made sense. Because there was always something that didn’t click between the two of them. Where Steve reached, Nancy pulled away. Where she went, he couldn’t follow.

He reminded himself it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t love him, you can’t make yourself love another person, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Also, he probably should have seen it coming when he got his mark. When the mark appeared on his ribs, a crown encircled by a wave.

He had no fucking idea what that meant. How it related to him and Nancy.

After the breakup, done in her front yard on her birthday in late August, when hers appeared and was a camera with an eye for a lens, he had hated looking at it. Hated the reality it presented, even if he was happy for Nancy and Jonathan. More jealous of what they had together. The mark was a constant reminder that he was the problem, so he stopped showering at school after practice. Changed and left as quickly as he could. Did the same at home, hoping, wishing that if he just didn’t look, it would go away. It never did. He never looked in the mirror without a shirt anymore.

Then Billy Hargrove arrived and Steve’s world was fucked.

He was everywhere, getting into Steve’s space, challenging him for the throne he didn’t even fucking want. Blue eyes, tanned skin, rough hands, and a tongue that refused to stay in his mouth. Steve didn’t like to admit that that tongue had featured a lot in his dreams. That he had imagined Billy pressing him against his bed, pressing him against fucking anything, and speaking in that low voice that hit Steve in his gut.

It wasn’t necessarily shocking, Steve had come to terms with kinda looking at boys too, but it’d never been like this. He’d never been so utterly consumed by the thought of another person. Not even with Nancy. Billy Hargrove was a temptation, but also not a possibility. He was a man’s man, a ladies man, and an all around asshole.

By the time he had joined the basketball team, Steve had developed the worst one sided crush he’d ever had in his life. And it didn’t even make sense. Sure, he’d noticed that Billy was smart, was attentive and observant, just like Jonathan. But he was also a massive tool.

Practice was normal enough, Billy and Tommy doing what they could to get a rise out of Steve, but he quickly brushed it off, making a beeline for his locker. He heard the clanking of a lock and turned to see Billy opening his locker. When he noticed that Steve wasn’t showering he turned his wolf-like grin on him, tongue peeking out between his teeth.

“What’s up, Harrington? Kings don’t sweat?” Steve ignored him, sighing. Billy smirked, smile going sly and… something Steve couldn’t place. “Got an embarrassing mark or something?” Steve rolled his eyes, blocking Billy’s view of the left side of his ribs as he pulled his shirt on.

“Just don’t want y’all tryin’ to look at my massive dick, Hargrove,” he replied. There was a pause, then Billy laughed, loud and bright. It sounded surprised and almost happy.

“That so, King?” Steve slammed his locker closed and shot Billy a dark look. He kept his eyes on Billy’s, not letting them wander over the expanse of his chest. Billy smirked, like he knew where Steve wanted to look, where he wasn’t going to look. Steve turned on his heel and left, ignoring the blood pumping in his ears.

Then everything kinda went to shit.

Or well, really, really went to shit.

He didn’t know why Billy had to always goad him, had to be such a prick all the time. Why he had to come here to find Max, on tonight of all nights. Why he had to smash a fucking plate over his head. And now here he was, being flipped over as Billy straddled him, much differently from his dreams, and got ready to beat the shit out of him. Steve looked up at him, hating that the light created a halo behind him, hating that he looked good, hating everything. Billy’s shirt was hiked up, Steve had tugged it free from his jeans as they grappled, and as he moved, it rose some more.

“Holy shit!” Dustin’s exclamation wasn’t new, mixing in with the cries of the other teens, but then he said something that made both boys pause. “Your mark!” Billy went rigid on top of him, slapping his hand over the side of his back hip as he turned and leveled Dustin with a glare.

“What?” He snarled, tugging his shirt down with one hand while he held Steve down with the other. “If you think pointing that shit out is gonna make me--”

“I’ve seen it,” he whispered, eyes widening. “Oh my god, that’s--” He let out a weird sound, making Billy let Steve go fully, narrowing his eyes. Steve took his chance, sitting up quickly, trying to shove Billy back, but he gripped Steve’s body with his legs, pulling him along. They rolled and Dustin let out another strange noise. “You guys! Stop!” Both older teens turned to look at him, confusion on their faces. He went forward, tugging at Billy’s shirt, trying to get a better look at his mark. Billy scrambled away, shoving Dustin’s hands.

“What the fuck!”

“You have the same mark,” Dustin breathed, eyes going wide. Billy stared at him, contemplating, before his eyes slowly widened. Steve furrowed his brow, not getting it.

“What?” Billy took a step away, looking ready to run, which was so different from only moments before that Steve was feeling weirder than he had about carrying a dead monster.

“Remember when you showed me your mark,” Dustin said, speaking fast, “I would recognize it fucking anywhere--”

“Max,” Billy snapped, breath coming in shorter, “We’re fucking leaving.”

“No,” she said, anger barely restrained. “Fuck you, Billy! We’re doing something important.” He grit his teeth, turning his back on Steve, looking right at her. Dustin looked between him and Steve, before his face hardened and he yanked up Billy’s shirt, mark on display.

Steve couldn’t fucking breathe.

“Fuck off, shithead!” Billy said, wrenching away from Dustin and shoving him back, though the push was weak. He turned back to Max, not once looking at Steve, who was still staring, mind wrapping itself around Billy having a crown. A crown with a wave circling it. Of Billy, the total womanizing douchebag, having his mark. “Maxine, Neil and Susan want you home, we’re leaving.”

“Wait,” Steve said. It was quiet, but it cut through the room. Billy tensed, not turning around. Steve wanted to ask, wanted to show Billy his mark, wanted to figure out what the fuck was happening, but they didn’t have time. Mike tensed up, already knowing what Steve was going to ask. “Guys, I think--”

“No!” Mike cried. “No, we’re not telling him!”

“He’s not gonna leave without Max,” Steve snapped, finally getting up. Billy had retreated slightly, still twitching with anger, but his curiosity was starting to win out. “And,” he sighed, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if we tell him, we’ll have another person to go with us and--” he let out another sigh, “We’ll do your plan. In the tunnels.” The preteens exchanged glances and huddled together. There was intense whispering, one ‘ew,’ and then they were turning back.

“Nothing about-- You know,” Lucas said, miming a nosebleed. Mike looked unhappy, arms crossed as he hunched over, but he didn’t say anything.

“Fine, fine.” Steve rolled his eyes.

“What in the fuck are any of you talking about?” Billy snapped.

“Are we not going to discuss that you guys have matching marks?” Dustin said, clearly unable to read the room. It was like all the air had been sucked out, like the eye of a storm.

“Dustin,” Steve said, voice restrained and even, “I seriously need you to drop it.”

“But--!”

“Drop. It.” Steve said through gritted teeth. Billy bristled and Steve’s eyes flickered over to him. He wasn’t looking back, just angrily staring at the floor. “Hargrove,” he said, and Billy still didn’t look at him. “This is gonna sound weird, and you aren’t gonna believe me, but--” He paused, not sure what to say. Then he remembered. “Follow me.” Billy looked at him then, eyes narrowed and wary, almost scared, and wasn’t that funny. Still, he followed, and while the kids moved to do the same, Steve glared them into submission. “You guys get the stuff ready, okay? You’ll just overwhelm him otherwise.” He couldn’t help it, he put his hand on Billy’s lower back, ushering him into the kitchen. Billy moved away, movements jerky. It felt like ice in Steve’s veins, but he could worry about his soulmate hating him later.

“So?” Billy snapped, licking his lips anxiously. “Show me.” Steve took a deep breath and pulled open the door of the fridge. The demodog spilled out, practically oozing onto the floor, and if it wasn’t the night it was, if hell wasn’t knocking on the door, Steve might have laughed at how bugeyed Billy went. “What the fuck?” He breathed, eyes darting between Steve and the monster. “What the fuck is that?”

“That,” Steve said, “Is a demodog. It’s a monster from a different dimension called the Upside Down. We gotta go kill and distract a horde of them so the chief can close the gate and kill their connection to the other side.” Billy stared at him, blinking. He pursed his lip, pointing a finger, before dropping both and looking at Steve like he’d grown a second head.

“What?”

“Essentially,” Steve said, glancing at the clock and noticing they needed to leave, “We gotta go distract and maybe kill a bunch of monsters or they’ll take over Hawkins. You in?” Billy stared at him, brow furrowed. Steve stared back, tired and ready to fight if he had to. Wondering about where that syringe went. Billy finally swallowed and looked away. His voice was low when he responded.

“You want me to come along?” He sounded almost shocked. “Even with--” He pursed his lips, going red. Like he hadn’t meant to bring it up, but also couldn’t stop thinking about it. Or maybe that was just Steve.

“Of course,” Steve said, scoffing a little. Billy frowned at him, looking defensive. Steve licked his lips, feeling bold. The night was already scary enough. “I’ve been crushing on you since you got here basically.” Billy’s eyebrows shot up and Steve looked at his shoes. There was demodog on them so he looked back up, but not at Billy. “Even though you were a total tool,” Billy scoffed, “You were smart and like, so much more than you let people believe.” Billy was silent and Steve chanced it, looking at him. Billy stared at him, face soft and open, at least more so than usual.

“Can I--” He licked his lips. “Can I see it?” Steve’s breath hitched and he swallowed, nodding. He untucked his shirt, hiking it up to show the left side of his ribs. Billy's thick hand splayed over it, thumb rubbing the mark. Steve shuddered, mouth parted slightly. His touch was electric, especially over the mark. Now that they knew, it made sense. King Steve, engulfed and protected by the rushing and wild wave that was Billy Hargrove. His breath hitched as he watched Billy stare, each rub of his thumb sending sparks through Steve. The mark looked right, now. Like it was meant to be there, bright against his pale, skin, marking him for the world to see as Billys Hargrove’s soulmate.

The thought of Billy belonging to him made him shudder again.

“If you guys are done being all sappy,” Mike Wheeler’s voice cut through the moment, shattering it like glass. “We could maybe, I dunno, go?” Steve pulled away, beet red, and Billy looked like he could strangle the kid. He had his lanky arms crossed, trying to look fierce, but Steve could see that he was scared. Worried about El. He sighed and gave Billy a loaded look, heading for the door.

“I’ll grab the axe from the shed, you kids pack up the car.” He looked at Billy. “Grab my bat will you?” Billy’s nostrils flared and he grinned, eyes alight.

“Sure thing, King.”

#harringrove #steve harrington #billy hargrove #soulmate #soulmarks #anon #ask #prompt #the party

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singledarkshade · 3 years

Text

Learning The Changes

Summary: As Gideon begins to realise her situation is permanent for the moment, it's time for them to go on missions. Sequel to Can I Return This Gift and Days Like This.

Author’s Notes: I’m having fun with this AU, hope you enjoy.

*********************************************

Gideon looked around confused as Rip parked his car in front of the Palmer Tech store.

“Date night is beginning to look a lot like my day job,” she noted annoyed, making Rip chuckle.

He got out the car and opened the passenger door, taking her hand to help her out, “You’ll like this.”

Smiling as he kept a hold of her hand, Gideon allowed him to lead her towards ‘Hidden Gems’ the rare book shop everyone thought he owned. It was an Argus front that they’d been using as a base for the past few weeks since this whole insanity had begun. Very few people ever came in which meant Rip could work on whatever Argus needed him to do and allowed privacy for them to talk.

“Where are we going?” Gideon asked as Rip led her through the back, to a door she’d never noticed before.

Rip smiled slightly, “The powers that be decided since we were going to be here a while then we need a proper base. They finished it earlier today.”

Before Gideon could ask, he flipped open a panel at the side revealing a number pad. He quickly typed in a six-digit code and the door unlocked.

“Oh my God,” Gideon breathed as Rip led her downstairs into what looked like the bridge of a starship.

“Welcome to our new base,” Rip told her with a smile.

Gideon moved to the multiple screens and slid her hands across the computer.

“Look but don’t touch,” Sara’s voice came from behind them.

“Come on,” Rip touched her arm, “I’ll show you around the rest.”

“What else is there?”

What else there was included a large gym area, cells, an interrogation room, an armoury, a tech room with things Gideon was desperate to get her hands on, a changing room with showers, bunks for the team and a backdoor exit to the Palmer Tech store through Sara’s locker.

“So, what do you think?” Rip asked as they took a seat in the main control room.

Gideon let out a sigh, “I take it this means you’re going to be here for a long time?”

“It means,” Rip took her hand, “That while we’re here we have a proper set up.”

Dropping her head, Gideon whispered, “I suppose so.”

Touching her chin so she would look at him, Rip said, “I know this is hard, but this will be good. It’s a place we can talk without worrying someone will overhear us. Besides, look at this place. As a techie, isn’t this a bit like a dream?”

Gideon smiled, “It is. It reminds me of a ship in my favourite sci-fi shows.”

“Then name it,” Rip told her.

“What?”

He shrugged, “Bases we use normally have a name of some kind, you name this one.”

Biting her lip, she shook her head.

“What would you call your ship, if you had one?” Rip asked.

She hesitated for a moment before replying softly, “Waverider.”

Rip smiled, “Welcome to the Waverider.”

*********************************************

Gideon took a slow breath as Rip offered her his arm as they headed into the gala, the red dress she had been given for the evening was the most gorgeous thing she’d ever worn and when she saw herself in the mirror couldn’t believe how perfectly it fit her. Sara had fixed her hair up, a talent Gideon never suspected the blonde had, before Rip gave her the golden locket she was wearing, telling she needed it to wear it at all times. It turned out that was because it held a tracker so they could always find her. It took the sheen off it a little, but she obediently stood while Rip fastened it around her neck trying not to shiver when his fingertips brushed her skin.

Rip for his part was wearing a tuxedo and looked…Gideon forced herself not to finish that thought.

“Relax,” Rip said softly, “This is a simple mission to look around and find any information we can on the people who stole the formula. All you need to do is walk around the room and if you flash on anyone tell me.”

Gideon frowned at him, “That’s it?”

“See,” he smiled at her, “Simple.”

Nodding she took another deep breath and Rip started them into the main ballroom. As they moved further in, Gideon saw the bar and instantly recognised one of the people behind it. Sara was dressed in a terrible mustard and black uniform with her long blonde hair pulled back in a tight ponytail while she smiled sweetly at people she was serving. Getting a lot of good tips from what Gideon could see.

“Alright,” Rip said softly, “Do you want something to drink first?”

Gideon nodded.

He escorted her to the bar and flagged down Sara casually.

“What can I get you?” Sara asked with a smile.

“Sparkling water and…” Rip turned to Gideon.

She grimaced, “I’m guessing a wine isn’t a good idea.”

“Two sparkling waters it is,” Sara said.

Rip reached out and took Gideon’s hand, “I understand this is the first time we’ve ever been out in this kind of situation, but you have to relax. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

Rip could feel how worried Gideon was about tonight. This was the first time that they’d been out in the field, all previous missions they had Gideon watching surveillance camera footage from the van but unfortunately due to the amount of people here tonight the cameras wouldn’t give the coverage they required.

He was trying his best to keep her calm, but not get too close. Gideon looked utterly gorgeous in the dress he’d chosen for her, and he was beginning to think he shouldn’t be the one choosing her outfits. Miranda always used to tease him how he had an eye for fashion and loved every outfit he’d ever found for her.

“Start your walkaround,” Sara hissed at him as she took their glasses, “I want out of here.”

Rip nodded and offered Gideon his arm. She nervously smiled as she took it, and Rip began to walk them around the room.

“Are there a lot of people in this room who could kill me without hesitation?” Gideon asked suddenly.

Rip shook his head, “Don’t think about that.”

She frowned at him.

“Alright,” Rip sighed, “Think about the fact that both Sara and I are trained to protect you instead.”

Gideon looked at him with big eyes, “Okay?”

Shaking his head, Rip started her walking, “If you flash on anyone let me know.”

Gideon sighed in relief as she unzipped the dress and changed into her pyjamas. It had been a long night and not even slightly productive. She’d seen nothing to help which frustrated her. This thing in her head was supposed to make her useful but she’d been worse than useless while shaking in fear throughout the entire evening.

A knock on the window made her jump, and she slowly opened the curtain surprised to see Rip standing there. His bowtie was untied and the top buttons on his shirt open, he looked even better than he did when fully dressed.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently when she opened the window.

“I feel useless,” she sighed, “I was meant to flash on something that would lead you to the bad guys.”

Rip shook his head, “It’s not your fault our intel was bad. And you did well for your first proper mission.”

“I just feel…” she hesitated.

“Hey,” Rip reached out and took her hand, “Listen to me. You are not trained for this, and we are expecting so much but you are doing an amazing job. Trust me.”

Gideon dropped her head, looking up when Rip touched her cheek, his green eyes catching hers, “I don’t even know you.”

Rip sighed, “You know me as well as you need to, Gideon and you know that I will protect you with my life.”

She sighed, “I’m sorry, Rip. I’m just tired.”

“Then get some rest,” he said softly, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

*********************************************

Sara was sitting cleaning some of her weapons when Rip headed down into the Waverider. Glancing at the screen, he could see Gideon at her station within Palmer Tech talking with her best friend.

“She’s fine,” Sara told him as he placed the coffee that he’d brought for her on the table, “Working away like the worker bee she is.”

“Has there been any contact from Waller about what happened last night?” Rip asked as he drank his tea.

Sara shook her head, “Not yet. Are you sure your girlfriend isn’t just glitching?”

“From what we’ve observed of the Intersect,” Rip reminded her, “If Gideon had seen anything then she would have flashed. Our intel must have been wrong.”

Finishing her task Sara took the coffee and frowned in thought, “What if we had her looking at the wrong thing?”

“What do you mean?” Rip asked.

“We assumed the sellers would be there last night,” Sara reminded him, “What if the buyers were there and the sale was set up last night.”

Rip let out an annoyed sigh, “Of course,” he began to type and brought up the surveillance they had from the night before onto the monitors, “What are you thinking?”

Sara moved to his side, “If it’s the same group we think it is then check decorations used. They like to hide symbols.”

Rip nodded and began to scan the screen with one half of the room, while Sara took the other.

“Look at this,” he said after a few minutes, “Do you see the gold patterns on the vases?”

Sara chewed her lip for a moment before she nodded, “Yes, that’s it,” quickly typing a command they waited a few minutes and watched as the system pulled together the information.

“Co-ordinates for a meeting tonight,” Rip said, “We should have known.”

“The meeting spot is in a crowded mall,” Sara told him, “We’ll need the Intersect to spot them within the crowds.”

Rip nodded, “I’ll let her know.”

Walking into Palmer Tech, Rip instantly spotted Gideon talking to a customer. When she finished, Gideon turned and saw him. A smile touched her lips and Rip walked over to her. As they’d agreed, Rip wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed a quick kiss to the side of her mouth. It was as intimate as she was willing to let him be for public appearances, which he understood.

“I need to talk to you,” he murmured, “Can you take your lunch break now?”

Gideon nodded and turned to Cisco who was standing nearby, “Tell Zari I’m taking my lunch just now.”

“No problem,” Cisco waved at her before turning back to continue his sales pitch to the customer he was talking to.

Rip wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the store towards the base. He made sure to stop at the café to pick her up some lunch, while he grabbed a few pastries for the base.

“So,” Gideon said as she took a seat, “I’m guessing something has come up?”

“It looks like last night our friends set up a meet for tonight to sell the formula,” Sara explained bringing up the symbols from the night before, “It’s not something we see often but some groups like to be awkward in the hopes we don’t catch them.”

Gideon nodded, “Then I guess we have another date night tonight.”

“We do,” Rip confirmed, “But on the bright side, as the co-ordinates are the near the cinema then that’s what we’ll tell people we’re going to. It also means, comfortable clothes tonight.”

“And shoes you can run in,” Sara added.

*********************************************

Gideon grimaced as her brothers appeared in her room while she was trying to figure out what to wear for her ‘date’.

“You know,” Gary started.

“You’ve been dating this guy for a month or do,” Gilbert picked it up, “And we’ve been thinking…”

Gary nodded as Gilbert trailed off, “We want to meet him.”

“No.” Gideon told them instantly.

“Gideon…” they both said in unison before having a silent discussion.

Gilbert took the lead, as he normally did, “We just want to meet this guy. Your friends have already met him, and we want to make sure he’s good enough for our baby sister.”

“Especially considering how many nights you’ve been out with him recently,” Gary added.

Gideon rolled eyes, sometimes having two older brothers was helpful, even if they were barely older than she was, but then there were times, like this, she would happily be an only child.

“Fine,” she gave in, “I will ask him for dinner on Saturday night, is that okay?”

They nodded in unison before leaving her alone. Gideon sat on the bed and dropped her head into her hands wondering how her life had become so complicated.

After a few minutes, Gideon shook herself and pulled on the jeans, a blue sweater, and comfortable shoes she decided to wear. Pulling her hair up, Gideon grabbed her bag and started out.

“I’ll ask,” she threw at her brothers as she passed them before leaving their flat.

As always Rip was waiting for her in his car and she slid into the passenger seat, holding on as he sped away.

The mall was busy, and Gideon watched everyone who passed them as they stood at the cinema pretending to work out what they wanted to watch. Rip’s arm was around her waist while he had her set just slightly in front of him, so she could feel him pressed against her.

“Anything?” Sara asked in her ear.

“Not yet,” Rip replied softly, making Gideon bite her lip as his breath ghosted off her ear.

Three men appeared suddenly, all looking as though they’d been found in Thugs-r-Us and Gideon knew instantly they were the men they were after. At her gasp they turned to look at them and Rip tightened his grip on her.

“Laugh,” he whispered in her ear, “Pretend I’ve said something funny.”

“You’ll have to pretend,” Sara noted, “Hunter is not known for his wit.”

Gideon chuckled, catching a slight annoyed look Rip gave at Sara’s words but it worked, and the men ignored them once more.

“They’re heading towards the employees only section,” Rip reported to Sara, “I’ll meet you there.” He turned Gideon, “I need you to go back to the van and wait for us.”

Gideon whispered, “Be careful.”

Rip nodded, “We will be.”

As he slipped through the crowd, Gideon started out the cinema foyer frowning when another man appeared. Smartly dressed, her mind spat out the information that he was a rogue Argus agent called Kinnerton, one who had been turned in by Rip after murdering several of his own people.

“Rip,” she called, frowning as no answer came, “Sara?”

Something had to be blocking the communication and, realising they wouldn’t know about the former Argus agent, Gideon turned and ran towards the door they’d gone through to warn Rip and Sara. Gideon skidded to a halt as she found them in the centre of stacks of chairs she quickly ducked behind surrounded by the three thugs and Kinnerton who was smiling smugly, his gun aimed at Rip’s head.

This was not good.

Rip was seething as he glared at Kinnerton.

Once a prize pupil, the man someone else who had betrayed the beliefs Rip held and had killed several people Rip had trained alongside him. Rip could feel Sara at his side, coiled like a spring ready to attack but she couldn’t because of the guns trained on them.

“I’m here to buy something very special,” Kinnerton chuckled, “And getting to kill you is just the icing on the cake.”

Rip glared at him, he had so much he wanted to say but refused to give the bastard the satisfaction. A flash of movement caught his eyes and Rip realised Gideon was hiding behind some of the chairs. From Sara’s unclenching and re-clenching of her fist he knew she’d seen Gideon too. The Intersect was their priority so no matter what they had to get her out of here.

“I always wondered,” Rip suddenly spoke up, “What made you turn on Argus. What made you turn against the people who had worked with you for all that time but honestly I can see why now.”

Kinnerton frowned, “And why is that?”

“Because you know that you’re not exceptional,” Rip replied, “Like the others were, you rode on their coattails and when you knew they were going to surpass you, you couldn’t handle it. Because you are worthless.”

As Rip finished, Kinnerton let out an enraged cry and lunged towards him. Rip grabbed his arm and twisted as Sara attacked the three henchmen. Slamming his elbow into the other man’s face, Rip grimaced as Kinnerton flew towards the stack of chairs where Gideon was hiding.

Before she could run away Kinnerton grabbed her. Rip hesitated, and a smug smile touched the other man’s lips.

“Oh, I thought she was just a civilian in the wrong place,” Kinnerton laughed as he gripped Gideon’s throat tightly, “But she means something to you Hunter. I can tell. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before.”

“Let her go,” Rip snarled.

Kinnerton chuckled, “I might,” he leaned in and smelled her hair, “But she’s so pretty. I bet she’ll provide me with a lot of fun.”

Before Rip or Sara could do anything, Gideon’s face set and she slammed her elbow into the stomach of the man, as he gasped Gideon kicked him in the ankle, threw her head back to hit Kinnerton on his nose before hitting him in the groin with her fist.

As he doubled over in pain, Gideon ran to Rip allowing Sara to deal with Kinnerton as he moved her out of the room.

“I’m sorry,” Gideon babbled as Rip walked her back to the van in silence, “I know you wanted me to get out of there, but you weren’t answering your comms and I needed to warn you he was here.”

“It’s okay,” Rip said softly, “But you have to remember our job is to protect you, not the other way around.”

Gideon shook her head, “I know but…” she shrugged, “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Wrapping his arm around her, Rip gave Gideon a tight comforting hug. Letting her go he smiled, “You didn’t need our help, where did you learn to do that?”

“Ray set up self-defence classes a few years ago,” Gideon shrugged, “I had forgotten about it until just now.”

“Well, I have a feeling Sara is going to set up some training after seeing you in action,” Rip told her.

Blushing Gideon smiled slightly, “Does this mean we’re finished for tonight?”

“Sara will have contacted the clean-up team, she’ll co-ordinate with them so you’re free for the night,” Rip told her.

Gideon grimaced slightly but before she could say anything else he continued.

“Since we’ve told everyone that we’re going to see a movie tonight,” Rip noted, “We could go see one.”

“Sounds good,” Gideon smiled before she added, “And it will give me some time to persuade you to come for dinner on Saturday with my brothers.”

Rip’s eyebrow raised.

“They want to meet you and they’re beginning to annoy me about it,” she told him, “It would sell us dating as well and make my life slightly easier.”

Rip nodded, “Of course. I’ll be there but first,” he offered her his hand, “What do you want to go see?”

#fic #legends of tomorrow #rip hunter #gideon #sara lance #chuck au

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black-streak · 4 years

Text

Waiting for the Worms - Mother

Part 9

So uh... Marinette's part kind of became too long and I'm going to have to extend it into part 10. Plus the tone of this to the rest is just so different that it seemed necessary to split it. Very Damian centric here. Warning all still apply.

Closed! List (Do y'all mind that I've hit you up four days in a row now?) : @northernbluetongue @thethirdwheelfriend @shizukiryuu @theatreandcomicfreak @michellemagic @karategirl119 @moonlightstar64 @my-name-is-michell @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @miraculousdisapointment @dorkus-minimus @jardimazul @allthebooksandcrannies @g-arya @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @persephonescat @mycupisbroken @luciferge @18-fandoms-unite-08 @dawnwave16 @alwaysreblogneverpost @kris-pines04 @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @weird-pale-blonde-person @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @kokotaru @naclychilli @slytherinhquinn @clumsy-owl-4178 @ladybug-182 @darkthunder1589 @evil-elf16 @dast218 @lysslovsanime @emilytopaz @naoryllis @iloontjeboontje @thepeacetea @danielslilangel @finallyaniguana @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @vixen-uchiha @yuulxd @bleeding-heart-romantic @magic-inthe-stars @st0rmy-w1th1n

~---~

Before the week ended, the boy approached her once more. This time it was after she had just finished up her Arabic lessons, the first time she'd seen him outside of that room.

"Why did she choose you?"

Marinette lifted her shoulders in a shrug and watched the frustrated twist of his lips as he attempted to stare her down. Her eyes occasionally jumped around the corridor, ensuring their privacy, but still refraining from answering.

"Are you mute?" The child demanded of her, "is that why you're with the language masters all the time? To learn to speak?"

Amusement coursed through her, shining from behind her eyes as she lifted a solitary finger to her lips, letting Damian determine her meaning. He didn't disappoint as an excited look came about him and he pressed further, hushing hus voice and moving in closer as though sharing a secret, which wasn't far off from the truth.

"The others aren't aware you can talk, are they? Of course not, dimwitted as they are," he took a condescending tone.

Letting an airy chuckle pass and offering a small smirk to let the other know he hit the nail on the head, she watched as the kid tried to appear composed while also preening under her obvious agreement with his insight. She couldn't help but wonder if this was his first experience with a willing audience. He couldn't be more than seven years old and yet already so cautious about allowing her to see how he enjoyed her attention.

"Well no matter, if they can't figure it out on their own, I see no need to inform them," Damian reassured her, hiding it as another jab at their peers. And after taking note of her appreciative nod, he disappeared the way he came.

...

Over the next few weeks, he showed up at random, venting out his annoyance with the trainers and masters, always under the guise that she couldn't tell anyone anyways without giving herself away, to which she only offered her quiet affirmations and acceptance.

Sometimes he asked questions, only to cut off and respond to himself that of course his companion couldn't answer, returning to his own conversation. It seemed to ease him that he never need worry over what she might say to him. Once in a blue moon he asked something she could answer without opening her mouth.

"Do you have a life outside of here?"

She tilted her head back and forty in contemplation before shaking a decided no. He seemed pleased with this. No competition for her attention, she supposed.

"How many languages do you actually speak then? Or are learning at least."

She contemplated if league dialect counted and decided it had to and also threw in guardian speak since she had been learning it beforehand, lifting up eight fingers. Damian's surprised look and appreciative hum lasted only a moment before his next barrage of insults to those who thought her mute started up once more.

While their talks only lasted about ten minutes tops and only every few days, the progress was enough to earn her Talia's praise in private, excited that the boy took to her so quickly. She also inquired as to Marinette's tactics but only received a shrug of her own and the quiet explanation that she simply listened.

…

After a particularly grueling training session where the two ended up switching targets midway through their own battles, taking both trainers off guard and downing them in record time, Talia decided to send them out for an extended mission together. Her reasoning that Jason obviously felt protective over the heir and the two worked well enough in tandem that it offered the perfect environment for furthering Damian's training, having only ever tagged along for small time missions in the past.

Later in the evening, she explained how the joint missions extended their trust and allowed more freedom for bonding to occur. How they could further plan for their escape if they knew how to work together outside of the city limits. Marinette meditated every second she could before the start of their new assignment.

The morning of, she collected Damian from the meeting point Talia gave them and led him into the larger group to make their way out of the caves. The mission went on for five days before they finally tracked down their targets. It took all of one night to end the mission, Marinette taking extra precautions to cover Damian's back at all times, landing killing blows to any that threatened the young life entrusted to her. By the end, the little one only took one life. A young woman who landed a lucky shot on Marinette. The boy's eyes widened in fear and struck blindly, slashing his katana across her torso, opening her up to the world before giving another wild slash to her neck. The second the woman dropped, he ran to her side, pressing on the wound and helping her back towards their hideout as the others cleaned out the last of the building.

As the sun rose, he helped to patch her up, yammering on about how stupid she was to allow herself to be hit like that. How ashamed she should be. How she should be better. Marinette saw the fear and worry and horror waring in his eyes, in the tense way he held his shoulders and shake in his hands. The guilty glances he tossed her, knowing she was distracted by protecting him. She ruffled his hair and offered a crooked grin at his huff of indignation. Neither slept that night, ready to return in the morning.

Damian refused missions without her after that.

…

After their return from their seventh successful mission, over two months later, Talia stopped showing up in the training room. No longer informed Damian where to meet up for missions, allowing the information to flow from the trainers down instead. She still told Marinette inner details in her rooms, but she could tell the woman cut off the child almost entirely. Knew they only saw one another during meetings with Ras.

Within another two weeks, Talia began to distance herself from Marinette in public even further. She was no longer seen as the pet project, but as a full fledged member who happened to run in this squadron. She stayed quiet on the manner, not willing to question her mentor on what she thought best when seen amongst the League. And with Marinette now understanding and speaking both arabic and league dialect fluently, she could spy on the others and gather information much easier without the silencing presence of their leader, all speaking more freely amongst themselves, still under the impression that she was not only mute but one of them now.

Damian seemed to grow more irritable by the day, sticking to her side like glue, quieter and on edge. Separation anxiety most likely. Talia had always retained a distant aloof relationship with her own kid, but he likely never expected her to quit checking up on him entirely, to no longer keep up with his progress and watch his training. She always let him know she hadn't forgotten him entirely, in her own way. Now, she hardly glanced his direction if they happened to enter the same room.

He lasted three weeks without Talia's watchful eye, before he broke down in his own manner.

Marinette heard a soft knock on her door before it creaked open, one green eye peeking in at her, in a silent question.

Sitting up in her bed, she tilted her head in consideration before nodding her acceptance. She observed as he slid into the room and shut the door behind him, hesitating only a moment in the doorway before marching over towards her and taking a seat, starting in on his usual tirade of random facts and observations. By now, she recognized this as a coping mechanism, his way of excusing his coming to her without outright stating that he just craved the company. A growing suspicion in the back of her mind told her that once he assured himself she wouldn't leave nor dismiss him, he might take to more quiet quality time. For now, he rambled endlessly. Eventually he tired himself out and left her alone once more.

Every other day, he made a reappearance to rant once more until he couldn't find anymore excuses to stay and left, tail practically tucked between his legs.

…

Two months more passed and Talia showed no sign of returning to Damian's life, Marinette finally decided to confront the woman.

"Oh Jason, surely you know I can't escape with you, right?"

Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion at the question, before realizing her own stupidity. Why in the world would she train Marinette to take away Damian if she could do so, herself? As shock overtook her, arms wrapped gently around her shoulders, drawing her into the woman's embrace.

"It would put both of you at too high a risk. I need to stay here and throw them off your trail. To control the situation until you're both too far out of my father's reach. He can't know I have any attachment to either of you for this to work. You need to blend in, mean nothing to me so that everyone overlooks you. It doesn't matter if Damian clings to you, as long as no one else looks at you twice, you're still nobody. You'll slip out and everyone will just assume you died on a mission if they even think of you."

"Can't you meet with him in private? Like you do with me?" She pleaded with Talia, heart heavy knowing she would have to eventually leave another mentor behind. Knowing how Damian hurt for his mother.

"No Jason. He's too young. He won't understand. It's best if he comes to the decision to disown me. To no longer care about me, ao it hurts less in the long run. If he barely ever knew me and I simply disappeared, if he never truly knew my love to begin with, there's less to miss. Less of him to hurt in my absence. I know it's terrible and he feels abandoned, but think how much worse it would be if I showed him love now only to kick him out of the league to never be seen again? I can't add on to that pain."

She hated how much sense that made. Whether Damian knew it or not, his mother loved him so much and was willingly sacrificing her right as his mother so he could have a better life without her. That would never make the years of neglect and abuse okay, but at least she was setting him up to move on to something hopefully better. Marinette would do everything in her power to ensure that hope became a reality.

…

Three months into Talia's disappearing act, six since Damian first came to her in the training room all those months ago, he entered her room and sat without a word on the bed next to her, staring down at the floor. She waited patiently for him to find his words, but tensed upon seeing the tears well up in the corner of the child's eyes. She desperately wished to reach out to comfort him, but restrained herself, not sure how he'd take the action. Eventually, he spoke in a trembling lilt.

"Why am I never good enough?"

Sucking in a breath, she swallowed down the last of her reserve and murmured back, voice a gentle lull, if a little deep and gruff around the edges, "You are plenty enough."

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, wide and clear, "You…"

"You are so much more than you know and anyone who can't see that doesn't deserve you."

He hesitated a moment, "Even mother?"

"No one who pays so little attention and offers so little love deserves the title of mother," she stated, hating herself for the words, knowing how much Talia truly did love and care, but aiming to break his connection to her at the woman's own command.

"You've never spoken to me before," he accused.

"You seemed like you needed someone to listen. And you said it yourself, I couldn't very well pose as mute if I answered all of your questions," she eased.

"And when I came here?"

"You hardly gave an opportunity to speak up in the midst of all your ranting. You don't strike me as the type to appreciate being cut off either," she teased, earning a soft blush in return.

He sobered up after a moment, looking back down towards his feet, "So if she doesn't deserve the title of Mother, I have no one."

"How do you mean?"

"Well Ras hardly deserves the title of grandfather by your definition and it's not like I have a father. So I have no one."

"And what am I then, chopped liver?"

He startled up, shooting her a bewildered look, "What?"

"You've become my personal little leech, attending all of my missions, sharing my training with me, coming into my rooms at your leisure, and yet you have no one? That hurts me deep," she attempted a saddened look, not sure how it turned out with her older, masculine features and white lined scars scattering her skin. It startled a tiny laugh out of him, so she'd take it.

"You… you want me? You actually care?"

"Of course I do, Dami. You're the closest thing to family I've got."

"Family," his inquired, tone guarded, a slight twitch in his nose and uptilt in his chin, giving away his hopeful excitement at the word.

"Yours, if you'd have me."

"That would be," he cut himself off here, trying to control himself, to not appear too eager, "acceptable," he settled on.

"Good. You're well spoken for an eight year old."

"I'm seven," he corrected with a smug smile.

"Even more impressive then," she lilted, watching as he took that to be the end of that conversation, moving to leave, only to stop with a hand on the door.

"Jason?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're my family."

#jasonette #maribat #ml x dc #WFTW #part 9 #if i get writers block im going to crash so bad i just know it #cross your fingers folks #and please tell me your thoughts i live off them

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z-rayed · 3 years

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Anxiety - AxelxJemma

Hey there! As I see, my first drabble was pretty much of success, so I decided to write one more, now with Axel. Attention! There’s a topic which can influence your mental condition! If you are mentally unstable, please either be careful or don’t read it! Word count: 1913

The school day was finally over. A lot of students gathered in small groups, chatting happily about interesting things they saw or heard during the day. But for Axel there was no place to have fun in his heart.

'Where are you? Why didn't you tell anybody what happened to you?'

The worst thoughts came into his mind, and no matter how he tried to not to think about anything bad, the thoughts kept popping out. And there was the reason for that. For the first time in 2.5 months Jemma didn't come to classes. At all.

The first class was math. Usually she came at least 10 minutes before the lesson started, but not that day. The bell rang, and still there was no sign of the blonde girl. Soon after came Ms. Rodrigues and looked around the classroom.

'I don't see Jemma, does anyone know what happened to her?' She asked.

There was an unearthly silence in the class. Everyone looked at each other, waiting for an answer, but nothing was said.

'Strange, even when she feels bad, she comes to classes.' She signed. 'Anyway, let us begin the lesson.'

Axel skipped math class as usual and didn't know about the situation. But before the next class Raquel found him playing the guitar in the garden.

'Hey bro, do you know anything about Jay?'

This was the first thing she said. Not 'hello', 'how are you' and so on. That confused Axel.

'What do you mean?'

'She wasn't in math class and no one knows where she is!'

At that moment Axel felt like the world began to ruin inside of him. He jumped up abruptly and headed for the infirmary. Maybe he could get information there. Unfortunately, the nurse didn't know anything.

'I'm sorry, Axel, but she didn't come here and no one told me what happened to Jemma.'

He started to shake a little, his legs buckled, but he still managed to thank the nurse and dash out of the infirmary. So many questions were in his head; where she was, what she was doing, whether she was okay or not and many others. The only thing he knew was the fact he needed to find her. He didn’t give a damn about classes, who even cared about those classes at the moments like this? As Axel approached the exit a strong hand gripped his shoulder. So many negative emotions hit him at that moment: anger, even fury, resentment, bitterness and pain. He turned around only to see the last person he wanted to see now.

‘Tadashit.’ There was a clear threat in his voice, but Tadashi was unwavering. Axel tried to let go of his grip but it was very strong and his strength seemed to leave him. ‘Leave me alone.’

‘Listen, Axel.’ Tadashi began to speak, choosing his words as carefully as he could. ‘I know you worry about Jemma. Me too. But you shouldn’t-’

‘Leave me freaking ALONE!’ The last word was so loud everyone in the main hallway looked in his direction. ‘I don’t give a damn what you think and what you say. Just stay out of my way.’

‘And do you really think your skipping classes would help Jemma? And if you find her, what good will it do you?’

‘I don’t care what it would cost me! Just move your ass already!’ With his hands clenched into fists, it was as if he was killing anyone who stood in his way with his gaze.

‘Well, let's say you find her after spending a lot of time, but you will be expelled, and you will not be able to be together. Is that what you want? To make her feel alone?’ Tadashi’s voice was quiet, deep and quite angry, but he tried to stay calm as much as possible. He knew Axel was in pain, he didn’t think clearly. For the first time he felt sorry for someone like him. That was why Tadashi tried to put him on the right track, not to do the mistake that would cost him a lot.

Axel said nothing. He just couldn’t. It was like something hit him so hard he couldn’t do anything. He shivered all over. The only thing he managed to do was to cover his face with hands. Tadashi finally let go of his shoulder. Having no strength to stand, Axel squatted down, and tears began to fall on his palms. Unable to look at him, Tadashi turned away.

‘You can skip the next class but not the others.Calm down and after that come to classes. I'll figure something out.’

Axel nodded, stood up, wiping tears, and went to the direction of the cafetery. He had a long day ahead of him so he needed some energy.

After a really hard day, he still had a mission to accomplish. He had to find Jay.

‘Jelly. I will search for you no matter what. I have so much to tell you and to show you. Just wait a little bit longer.’ He was so desperate he even began to talk to himself. His hands were still trembling but he tried to stay calm. And, to be honest, he did it pretty well despite the situation he was in.

Taking a deep breath, Axel headed out to the dorms. He looked around carefully while he was between the academy and the dorms, having a little hope he could find her there. No luck. He reached the door to her room and was ready to knock but then he noticed that it was slightly open. Taking a deep breath again, he came in. But he didn’t expect to see what happened here.

An almost pitch darkness met him. There was no light except for the one that came from a corridor but it was so not enough to light up the room but enough to see what was on the floor. A lot of pills and the person he worried about as hell in the middle of this circle of drugs. Jemma was sitting there but she didn’t even turn to the source of the sound and the light. Axel rushed to her, moving all that medicine away and looked at Jay’s eyes but once he studied her glance he was horrified. It was empty, almost lifeless. Axel put hands on her shoulders and began to shake her a little.

‘Jelly, can you hear me? What happened to you?’ Nothing changed. She still looked like she didn’t notice him at all. He began to panic and hugged her desperately.

‘I’m here, sunshine! I’m here for you! Please, come to me!!!’ With the last sentence he began to cry again. ‘Please… I have so much to tell you, just come to me…’

‘Uh…’ Suddenly Jemma moved a little. Trying to calm himself down, Axel carefully moved away from her, his hands were still at her shoulders. She glanced at him and smiled faintly, her eyes began to glitter a little.

‘I’m… so… sorry… I…’ Not finishing the sentence, she fell right on Axel. He felt so frightened he barely could think. But he knew one thing: he needed to take Jay to the infirmary. Taking her into his arms, he rushed out of her room, hoping she would be alright.

***

‘Thanks for bringing her here, if you have done it a bit later, that would have been a disastrous outcome for her.’ The doctor came to Axel after taking some blood tests and examinations. ‘Sorry for not giving you the option to stay with her.’

‘I understand, sir. How is she?’ Axel was nervous, very nervous.

‘Actually, you’re right on time. She woke up a few minutes a-’ Without listening to the end of the sentence, he hastily opened the door and dashed to infirmary beds, finding Jay immediately and hugging her tight.

‘I’m so glad you’re awake! I was so worried about you and-’ Jemma groaned a bit and Axel moved away a little, looking frightened ah hell.

‘I’m happy for such a greeting, but it hurts…’ He was ready to put a hand on her head and stroke her hair but was interrupted by the doctor cleaning his throat.

‘Young man, please don’t do this again, you could interfere with patients’ rest. Anyway, here are the results of your tests and according to them you had-’

‘Overdose. That was my conscious decision.’ To say it was strange for Axel to hear that saying so casually was to say nothing. He felt as if the ground was slipping away from under his feet. He was shaking a lot and was ready to cry again, but he managed to place his hands on Jemma’s.

‘Why did you do that?’ His voice cracked a bit but he tried to stay as calm as he could and not to worry Jay. She took one of his hands and put it in her cheek.

‘I’m sorry I’ve worried you so much. But… how should I start?.. Okay, I’m going to tell this straight. My mom’s condition got worse. Much worse. Dad called me yesterday in the morning. He was crying. You know, he’s a captain of British Navy yet he cried so bitterly… It was awful but the most awful was that I couldn’t do anything to help my mother. I felt so useless I began to have a breakdown. The pain was so big I wanted to numb it. And then… well, you saw me, Axel. I’m sorry. I am truly.’ Jay started to cry and Axel hugged her carefully this time, letting her cry into his shoulder. The doctor looked at them with a bit of sorrow.

‘I looked through your medical file and I have one question for you. Have you had the overdose before?’ Jemma hesitated for a few seconds but lying to a doctor couldn’t make her any good.

‘Yes. It was about two years ago.’ Axel hugged her tighter.

‘And what was the treatment?’

‘That overdose affected me stronger so I had to lie in the hospital for some time.’

‘I see. You can rest now. I’ll give you some privacy so you two can talk and then I’ll prescribe a diet to you.’ The doctor was ready to leave but Jemma stopped him.

‘Can you… not tell my family about it? I don’t want them to know I’m in such condition.’ The doctor thought for a bit then nodded.

‘Usually I don’t agree not to inform parents in case of students being minors, but I understand your decision. I won’t call them.’ And with that he left.

Now there were only two of them. A comfortable silence surrounded them and they tried to enjoy it. Still, there were words to say and things to do. Axel let go of Jay for a bit, not taking his arms away from her, and began to talk.

‘Jelly… Please, don’t do that again. At least for my sake. I was so-’

‘Shh.’ She touched his lips with her finger and then lightly kissed him on the lips, shaking her head. ‘There’s no need in words, darling. I know.’

Axel nodded, smiling, and kissed her again. That was a kiss full of hope to be with a person they loved as much as he could. Sitting quietly in the infirmary and being in each other's hands, they were in their own world where no one put life into danger and just expressed their feelings.

#sweet elite #se axel #se scholar #drabble

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