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twstgarden · 30 days

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❀ ❝ 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲? ❞

━ malleus draconia x gn! reader (reader can be yuu or an oc/twstsona) ━ thoughts of the possibility of falling in love with your nightly visitor continue to disturb you even during the times you were supposed to focus on your quality time together.

no spoilers for chapter 7, diasomnia’s arc!

do not steal or translate without my permission.

buy me a coffee here and ko-fi here if you want to support me, commissions are open

“modern architectures seemed to have adapted new designs for their gargoyles. why, i even came across one that resembles a human face. it is quite intriguing, really. i have grown accustomed to seeing gargoyles that usually take the form of different creatures of the night, so seeing that human-like gargoyle sparked some interest in me that i wish to show it to you,” rambled malleus before he frowned, “however, my so-called phone could no longer capture images. it breaks easily, it’s unfortunate.”

you sat as you replied with a soft hum, your chin resting on your hand as you looked up at him with a rather longing and lovestruck gaze. you were paying attention to his ramblings, truly, you were! it just so happened that you were looking at him with an infatuated gaze.

hearing only a hum from you, malleus turned his head to look at his companion. with a raised brow, he spoke, “hm? are you alright?”

his question snapped you out of your thoughts. a soft blush dusted over your cheeks as you felt embarrassed of having been caught staring, “oh, sorry. um… so, did you capture it with… maybe a regular camera?”

once more, there was a frown on his lips, “no, but i will make sure i get to capture its uniqueness and aesthetic the next time i come across that gargoyle.”

it was somewhere around midnight when you decided to accompany malleus in the backyard of the ramshackle dorm, and you spent the past 30 minutes listening to him talk about his findings during his strolls for his gargoyle research club activity.

you loved listening to him speak. his voice was deep and resonant, yet so dulcet and soothing. you would never get tired of listening to him all day. when he speaks with clear passion and excitement laced in his tone, he resembles a young kid who had just gotten some candy – so endearing and oh so innocent, but you had to remind yourself that this was no ordinary man. this was the crown prince of a nation, a man respected by many and feared by many more.

still, who gives a damn about titles when you can enjoy his presence for as long as you want? as long as the moon stays up in the sky and the sun has not risen, you can guarantee his presence in your dormitory.

were you falling in love?

what nonsense. of course not! who could afford to fall in love at a time like this? what you needed to focus on was your return to your world, not fall in love with a prince who may soon be betrothed to someone else.

oh, but that smile…

malleus smiled as he caught you staring once more, lost in your gaze. with a teasing chuckle, he spoke playfully, “am i so captivating that you can’t seem to tear your eyes away?”

what a beautiful smile.

that question alone made you look away immediately. was it too obvious? surely, he was only teasing you, but it was as if he hinted that he knew you might be falling for him. you laughed a little and replied, “i was spacing out! i wasn’t staring or anything…”

“spacing out, hm? does something trouble your mind?” asked malleus. the playful air seemed to have dissipated, replaced with an air of concern and care as soon as you told him you were spacing out.

“not at all,” you replied with a smile, “i was only imagining what that gargoyle with a human face would look like.”

are you falling in love?

again, with such questions! having the desire to spend more time with the man and looking forward to your nightly meetings does not equate to falling in love. you merely wanted his companionship. he was the only one visiting you late at night, keeping you entertained and listening to your troubles. he was more of a friend than anyone else in night raven college – ace and deuce are a category of their own.

there was never a single night he’d bail on you. not a single night had he let you be alone. it had become a tradition at this point for him to always be standing by your window once the clock struck 12. he never arrived empty-handed; there was always a thoughtful gift in tow or an engaging tale of adventures of the people he knew – mostly lilia’s adventures. other times, it would be a treasure trove of fascinating facts on random yet intriguing subjects. with him, each nightly meeting was an enchanting experience, always concluding with the bestowal of a meaningful gift, the creation of lasting memories, or the gain of fresh knowledge.

a knowledgeable and kind-hearted friend.

that’s how you’d always describe him. that’s what you’d always tell yourself. he was nothing more than a knowledgeable, kind-hearted friend. why must your admiration of his character equate to romantic feelings? even friends can find one person cool and not wish to have romantic relationships with them.

oh, but you love holding his hand…

it was another night in night raven college, another night spent with your midnight visitor. he was discussing certain gemstones that he had in his collection – his hoard, a term better suited for his kind. the discussion seemed normal at first glance until he looked at your left hand and held his right hand out for you to hold after taking off his glove.

“may i?”

curiosity washed over your senses as you tilted your head but placed your left hand on top of his anyway. his gentle caress on your knuckles sent shivers down your spine, his hands felt so smooth and oh so gentle, yet you knew of the underlying strength that was concealed within his lovely hands. the same hand that finds ease in cracking a coconut open gently held your own – as if he was afraid of accidentally hurting you.

as his thumb tenderly brushed against your bare ring finger, he spoke, “a beautiful golden ring would best adorn your hand, perhaps one embedded with your birthstone, don’t you think?”

this was merely a casual conversation between friends – a topic of discussion relating to gemstones turned into rings. this is normal, is it not? you hummed in reply as he continued to hold your hand, “a golden ring embedded with my birthstone? that sounds lovely.” a soft laugh then left your lips, “i could not afford to buy one, however.”

hoping he would comprehend your attempt at making a poor joke, you looked at him with a smile. he let out a soft chuckle, leading you to believe he was amused by your jest until his response completely caught you off-guard.

“why buy one when i can have one custom-made for you?”

your smile dropped as your expression turned into shock.

“pardon?”

that night was memorable, and certainly had its surprising elements compared to your other nightly meetings. you thought he was joking about getting a custom-made ring for you, but he had given so many hints and statements that he was completely serious – he even took your ring size. you did not stop him. perhaps it was just another one of his many, many gifts that he had bestowed upon you.

your vague knowledge of fae tradition made you recall a hint of a connection between faes and the art of gift-giving – that exchanging of gifts was an intrinsic part of their nature. you were entirely unaware of the customs and traditions surrounding gifts in briar valley, but surely, gift-giving is a way to show how much one appreciates an important acquaintance, is it not?

after that meeting, you started to realise the growing number of attempts on him holding your hand – whether you’re walking side by side or sitting together on the bench – he would always attempt to interlock his hand with yours in a way that seems respectful. his hand would gently brush against your own while he was talking, giving a hint that he wishes to hold your hand but would rather have your consent first.

you did not hesitate. you smiled and continued listening to his words as you interlocked your fingers together, gently squeezing his hand as he had not worn his gloves like usual. there was a brief moment of his eyes lighting up and his smile growing wider once he felt your hand on his, but then reverted to his usual expression as he continued to share stories with you.

your nightly meetings had extended to daylight hours. you were no longer confined in the moon’s appearance in the sky to determine how long you’d spend your time with him. you did not mind being seen by everyone else in the academy hanging out with the hotshot dormitory leader of diasomnia – who cares about them?

as long as malleus continued to spend his time with you, you’d spend your time with him. your blooming connection had soon become known to everyone else, and those from his dormitory were more than happy to finally see their dorm leader making friends. well, lilia was the proudest, but sebek still has his suspicions.

it has been a long while now since you have established a connection with the lonely crown prince. his companionship was all you could find on all the times you yearned for someone to hang out with. things were going smoothly, and your relationship with malleus kept blossoming every day.

have you fallen in love?

that question now haunted you once more.

have you fallen in love?

you shook your head as you sighed, trying to think of something else as you sat on diasomnia’s comfortable couch. their lounge was spacious – able to fit more than 20 students at the same time, but you’d rather not stay in the lounge if it gets crowded. the leather couches of their lounge were certainly of high quality as once you took a seat, you felt yourself sinking into the soft depths of the sofa.

malleus was sipping on his tea while the other three kept conversing about their recent school activities. upon hearing your sigh, malleus glanced at you and placed his teacup down, “are you feeling tired?” you shook your head in response, “no, no… not at all…”

have you fallen in love?

perhaps you did. your eyes stayed on malleus for a while as you thought of all the reasons you were drawn to him. malleus had a regal and powerful aura, everyone knew that, but there was also a hint of innocence and loneliness behind that powerful mask of his. you were one of the few people who have witnessed the real side of malleus draconia, while everyone else only knew him as a powerful fae prince.

malleus had the most beautiful set of green eyes – striking and sharp, yet so ethereal and comforting. his eyes showed all the feelings his facial expressions could not, and when it twinkles at the sight or mention of things, he is particularly fond of, you feel a sense of peace within you – as if you felt happy seeing him happy.

for so long have you denied your thoughts and dismissed them as merely friendly observations. you thought he was beautiful, and it should be normal to find someone beautiful, no? you think vil is a beautiful man, but that does not mean you are in love with him, so what makes malleus any different?

but that’s the thing.

malleus draconia’s allure was a level of their own.

his beauty was not like vil’s elegant charm or neige’s endearing appeal. malleus embodies a beauty of ethereal quality – to you, he is a man of enchanting grace and elegance, shrouded in mystery and often veiled in reserve.

have you fallen in love?

after pondering on your inner thoughts, you can proudly answer this question with confidence.

yes, you were.

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ellecdc · 4 months

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The Drink Snob

mafia!Remus Lupin x fem!reader | 3200 words

p1 // p2 // p3 // p4

CW: mentions of spiked drink (no one drinks it), reference to past spiked drinks, complaining about misogyny, bad reputation of American tourists in the UK (I'm sorry!)

The short of it was: it had been a long day.

The long of it though, by God, was that you really, really needed a drink.

You got to your favourite pub which was only a brisk 7-minute walk from the university; a tiny, hole-in-the-wall Irish pub which probably had several thousand identical pubs lined across the UK but that didn’t matter, dammit, because this one was special – this one was yours. You chuckled at the irony that you had moved half-way across the world to England only to sit yourself in an Irish chain pub that you’d likely be able to find back home a mere 6000 kilometers away.

You relished the feel of the warm air hitting your rosy cheeks after marching your ass down to the pub in the biting wind in naught but a long coat and a scarf. The warm air stung but in all the best ways as you shucked off your outer-layers and plopped down on a stool by the bar, unawares of anyone else within your vicinity other than the bartender promised to serve you your drinks.

“Alright there, Lass? What can I get for ye?” The fellow asked and you could have kissed him right then and there.

“Can I have a negroni and your tallest pint please.” You asked, hoping the desperation in your voice wasn’t noticeable – the fact that the bartender didn’t comment on the odd combination of drinks let you know that is was noticeable. No matter – you were desperate, what did you care?

Turns out you should have cared more.

“I’m sorry but I must tell you, that is an awful combination of drinks.” A lilting voice came from your left side. You groaned audibly and held your hands up to your temples like blinders to avoid even looking at the voice who dared to speak to you after such a day.

“S’pose its good nobody asked you then.” You muttered darkly. You didn’t make a habit of speaking to people this way often – people already spent enough of your time in the UK mistaking you for an American on account of your accent anyway, you needn’t add fuel to the fire by adding to an already bad reputation.

“Please tell me that you’re ordering for a friend. You’ve surely just ordered for someone who’s meeting you here?”

You knew better – you really did. You don’t let strange men in bars know that you’re alone; make them believe someone could show up to save you at any minute. But dammit, you’ve been fending off jackasses all day – what’s one more?

“Apparently, I live to disappoint men, sir, so no – both drinks are for me. Is that quite alright with you? I didn’t realize I had to pass this decision by the board.” You spat, finally turning your what you were sure was a burning gaze to this mystery guy on a stool to your left.

You hesitated in your ire for a moment: the man was quite a bit larger than you had pictured in your mind – not large in a particularly broad way but the man seemed to be excruciatingly tall; he sat basically spilling off his stool, while still managing to look elegant in doing so. He was dressed sharply but not in a way that made him stand out – respectable but forgettable, he blended into this bar well. Or he would if he hadn’t been so fucking handsome.

He had warm, honey-coloured curls that seemed to artfully fall in front of his face, and eyes to match. You’d never seen amber coloured eyes before, but you couldn’t seem to pull your gaze away from them. You did – by god you did – because the rest of the man was too enticing not too. He had a chunk missing out of his left eyebrow which was arched mischievously at what you assumed was your attitude with him, and his crooked smirk matched. He had a few scars littering his face – most were small, but there was one large one that crossed the bridge of his nose, and another nick on the right of his upper lip that may have continued onto his lower, but you didn’t want to get caught staring at his mouth. And of course, of-fucking-course he’d have a dimple. Why wouldn’t he? Could this day get any worse.

“What was the thought process, then?” He asked, his smirk growing deeper.

“What?” You guffawed. He couldn’t seriously be doing this; people didn’t do this, right?

He gestured between the two drinks sat in front of you with his own – a rum and coke if you guessed correctly. “Why those drinks, specifically? They don’t exactly pair well together.”

You stared dumbly at this hot, audacious man. You hoped he’d decide you weren't worth the breath and move along. He only stared back at you.

“There wasn’t any.”

“Hm?” He queried.

“There wasn’t any. Thought process, I mean.” You muttered, taking a sip of the negroni. “I like both drinks – usually separately, but I’ve been dreaming about getting my ass down here since practically 9:30 this morning and I couldn’t choose which I wanted first and I knew that I planned on getting at least a little bit tipsy in order to pretend I didn’t have a completely mind-fucking day so I thought ‘fuck it, I’ll order both’ and I thought since it was no one’s business but my own what I put into my body that I could get away with it but clearly, I was wrong.” You felt winded after your mini rant as you looked back at the man. He seemed genuinely entertained at your story, though his eyes grew a bit softer.

“Thinking of drinking at 9:30 am, hm?” He pondered out loud. “You know, that’s usually the sign of a problem; one might call it alcoholism.”

You barked a laugh. “Yeah, you call it alcoholism, I call it Gilderoy Lockhart.”

“Ah, so boy-problems then, is it?” He asked in a laugh.

You shot him a warning look. “It is not like that.”

“I didn’t mean to offend.” He offered with his hands in the air in mock surrender. “Tell me what it’s like then.”

You sighed dramatically. “It’s really not that big of a deal, I’m just mad about stuff at school.”

“Ah, you’re a student, then?”

“PhD candidate, but technically, yes.” You offered, downing the rest of the negroni.

“Very neat. What’s your focus?” He asked again as you began sipping on your pint, trying not to grimace at the change in drink. You're sure you failed.

“Music.”

“Hm, I didn’t know one could get a PhD in music.” He queried.

“Music theory, but yeah.” You offered, moving your drink back and forth between your hands.

“And that brought you here? To England? Why not stay in Canada – if that’s where you’re from, pardon my assumption.” He quickly apologized.

You smirked at his correct assumption – thankful that you didn’t come off ‘too American’ today.

“She goes wherever the wind takes her.”

Your statement was met with silence, so you turned to see the man had frozen in his movements and stared at you incredulously.

“Are-are you quoting Disney movies to me?”

“So, you did get the reference.”

“I did, I just fail to see how Pocahontas relates to a PhD program in England on music theory.” He mutters, looking up at you from the rim of his drink.

“I finished my Masters, then the wind changed.” You offered with a shrug, “It brought me here.”

He seemed to study you for a few moments before coming to the conclusion that you weren't going to elaborate further. “And what does this Gabriel fellow have to do with the winds of musical theory?”

You snorted indelicately. “Nothing. He just, I don’t know, it sounds stupid now that I try to say it out loud.”

“None of that, now.” The man said gently with the same smirk on his face, “a smart girl like you doesn’t strike me as the type to overreact to male foolishness.”

He seemed honestly interested in your answer, at least, the most interested anyone has ever seemed in your ramblings about your toe headed fellow PhD’er. You tried facetime’ing your friends from home about him many-a-times before, and they listen but they don't get it. And your schedules don’t align and with the time-difference one of you is always either just waking up or going to bed. But this random, handsome guy in your bar making fun of your drinks has done nothing but listen so far and you really wanted to get it off your chest.

So, you did.

You told him how your morning started terribly as you ripped a hole in your stockings and only noticed once you got to campus and you usually don’t dress this formally to campus, but you were guest lecturing for Minerva and you know professors didn’t technically have a dress code, but she always looked well put together so, dammit, so were you. You explained that your mother always was the superstitious type and had you carry an emergency pair on you at all times, so you were thankfully able to change, but only after you spilled coffee on your blazer and had to shrug that off for the day and the lecture halls are ridiculously cold always; you know these stone buildings were built before electricity but surely with the great minds this school has churned out, they could find a way to keep the warm air in and cold drafts out?

And if all that hadn’t been bad enough, the other PhD candidate working under McGonagall is this absolute bell-end that you're almost positive has plagiarized half of his written work because everything he spews is absolute nonsense. He’s rude, and condescending, and spoke over you throughout all of your lectures to wax poetic about different Opera’s he’s performed in across the world - that you swear to God you will fact-check one of these days - that had absolutely nothing to do with the course content. And then, and then, he had the audacity to suggest you were only here because the school was required to accept a minimum number of foreign students and since you were, quote, just a woman, you also checked off their minority requirements too.

“People don’t get accepted here because of their nationality or their gender or their status as a minority. They’re supposed to get here because they’re good.” You muttered, finishing your pint you hadn’t realized you had guzzled during your rant

“And how’d Gavin get in, then?” He asked. You choked on the last of your beer.

“Fucked if I know.” You sighed.

A few more pints were placed in front of you as you continued to rant about the ins and outs of being a scholar in the world of music [for Christ’s sake, what was I thinking? I’ll never work a day in my life.] The man interrupting only to say that switching back to liquor would be a choice you would regret in the morning, and who were you to argue?

And he listened. He scoffed at some parts when you quoted Gilderoy suggesting something ridiculously altruistic that he’d done for the less fortunate while being nothing but condescending, he sprinkled in a few you’re kidding me’s, and even asked you to repeat something he couldn’t fathom the first time.

“See? I knew it. A smart girl like you wouldn’t overreact like that. Sounds like you’re perfectly justified in your ire.” He said.

You hummed as you finished your last pint. You felt thoroughly warm and heavy which was your intention of coming to the pub in the first place. You looked over to notice that the man – whose name you still hadn’t got – was still holding the same drink he had when you first arrived.

“Who are you here waiting for, then?” You asked him.

He looked confused for a moment. “How do you know I wasn’t just in desperate need of a drink myself?”

You nodded toward his still half-full cup in his hand. “Because you really haven’t been drinking.”

He narrowed his eyes and smirked at you. “Observant, aren’t you? Clever girl.” You rolled your eyes at the compliment.

“I was supposed to meet a business associate, actually.” He offered as he looked behind you towards the bar door. You turned to take in the rest of the bar yourself; it didn’t seem like the sort of place one would meet a business associate. The bar was dimly lit and somewhat claustrophobic; it didn’t offer a lot of privacy to talk business. You liked it because it was small - you’d be able to see everyone who was currently in the building with one sweep of your gaze save those who may be in the washrooms, and you could see out onto the street from your seat at the bar.

“I think it might be safe to say they stood you up.” You offered with a smirk as you turned to look back at him, only to find him already looking at you.

“I think you might be right.” He offered, looking you up and down.

You couldn’t help but admit he was quite attractive – and not just in his honey-blond curls and mischievous smirk and long limbs way, but he seemed clever, smart, and clearly he was a good listener. You sort of hoped he’d offer you his name, maybe even his number. You wouldn’t mind waiting around for a business associate of his with him again sometime.

You had no such luck.

He began to stand with an expression that bordered regret crossing his face.

“It appears I must be off.” He offered with a sad smirk as he placed some bills down on the table. You weren't quite familiar with the bills in the UK yet, but it seemed like an awful lot of money for the one drink he had at the bar that was still unfinished. You took notice of said drink as you came to this conclusion and got a weird feeling in your gut as he took the drink by the rim and brought it to his lips.

“Wait!” You said as you grabbed his arm. He tensed immediately and you pulled your hand away as if it burned. “I’m sorry. Just, is that the same drink you had when I first arrived?”

He looked from the drink back to me with furrowed brows. “Yes, why?”

You pointed to the drink he still held in his hand. “It’s old.”

He smirked. “Are you a drink snob, miss orders-two-incompatable-drinks-together-and-drinks-them-at-the-same-time?” You rolled your eyes and snatched the drink out of his hand as he brought it to his lips once again, which earned you an indignant ‘oi!’

“No, you berk, what I mean is, this drink is old. It’s warm to the touch, the ice has all melted and it should be as flat as a board but it’s bubbling, like, a lot.” You said as you held it in front of his eyes. He watched you for a few moments before you continued.

“It looks like someone put something in it.”

His gaze shot back to his drink where, sure enough, his should-be-flat diet coke was fizzing wildly as it began to turn a slightly murky shade.

You watched as he gently plucked the drink from your hand and casually put it back down on the bar and shrugged on his jacket.

“It appears you’re right.” He said in monotone. “Looks like we both ought to take our leave, hm?”

You nodded and followed suit; replacing your jacket and scarf you had ripped off unceremoniously as you had entered and headed for the door. The alcohol made you wobble for but a moment, but you were quickly righted by a gentle hand pressed to your lower back. Mortified, you put your best foot forward and marched out the door, hoping your embarrassment wasn't to evident in your cheeks.

You had to admit, you were beginning to panic. Why were you trusting this man? You had spent the last – you checked your watch – nearly two hours talking to this man whose name you still don’t know completely unaware of what was happening around you, and it turned out that there was someone here drugging drinks.

What if it’s him? An unhelpful part of your brain supplied. Why would he spike his own drink and then almost drink it? You argued back.

“You should be more careful.” You offered in what you had hoped to be a playful manner, but it came out strained. “Do you know of any reason why someone may want to spike your drink?”

He seemed to consider your question as you both walked somewhat briskly down the busy street to the subway station.

“No reason that would be suitable to share in the presence of a lady, I’m afraid.” He offered with a wink, leaning down slightly with his hands in his pocket. This answer didn’t make you feel any better.

“Any particular reason why you’re familiar with the signs of a spiked drink?” He offered back.

“I have a feeling most girls would be able to answer that.”

“Hm, perhaps. But I do not believe all would be as quick to catch it as you were.”

You didn’t answer him; you decided you had shared more than enough with this stranger tonight, and you were officially feeling all sorts of uncomfortable with the situation. You were mostly uncomfortable with how not uncomfortable you felt. It felt easy, walking with this stranger, as if you’ve been walking down dreary streets of London together for ages and this was just another Tuesday.

He stopped suddenly and flagged a taxi. You scowled at how quickly a cab stopped for him and his long as arms.

“Here, it’s too muggy for such a lady to brave the underground.” He offered as he opened the door. You began to protest, you had a tube pass through school for a reason, but his hand was on your lower back again as he gently led you into the car and closed the door before sticking his head in the window of the front passenger seat and tossing a handful of bills at the driver.

“Anywhere she wants to go.” He said, stepping back to the middle of the sidewalk and waving you off.

Between the alcohol, your nerves and being disarmed by the attractiveness of this man, you simply spouted the address of your flat to the driver and turned your face forward. The whole evening seemed otherworldly – like you were missing a big chunk of information of what happened tonight, even though you could account for every minute of it.

Your suspicions would have been proven correct if you had turned around to see your mystery man again, who was now accompanied by two other similarly dressed men - one with an unruly mop of brown curls and a shorter man with long black hair tied back haphazardly - who began chasing a fourth man in earnest down the street in the opposite direction.

Continue to part two here.

#marauders era #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x you #marauders au #mafia au #reader insert #x reader #self insert #remus lupin drabble #remus lupin fluff #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin fanfiction #short ficlet #marauders are in the mafia #obviously #marauders are a gang #vigilante

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bangchansgirlsblog · 3 months

Text

Bending over back

Warning: kissing? A bit of angst, it’s not traumatizing I promise

Pairing: Chan x reader

Summary: Basically your in love with him but your his assistant.

-A/N: i don’t know how I wrote this, it’s quite boring idk. Prolly gonna do a part two. I don’t like this one. HELP.

"Chan?" Her footsteps followed quickly behind him trying to keep up with him as we walked into the dressing rooms.

"Yeah?" He replied dryly as he sat into the makeup artists chair after saying a quick hello.

"You have a meeting with Eunwo and the PR tea-"

"Y/n honestly I don't have time for this right now. You see I have a show in a few minutes and you decide to tell me all this now?" He scoffed and looked up from his phone.

"No Chan it's just that-"

"Just that what? Look your a great assistant and all but your sometimes so uncoordinated. Do you really expect me to remember all the meetings I have?" He glared up at her.

She was wearing her usual knitted sweater, tight pencil skirt and some lofers. Her hair was up in a bun and she held her IPad and Chan's bag one in each hand.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she hung her head low and looked at the floor.

"Good, now go sit on the couch and sit there looking pretty," he stated and went back to scrolling on his phone.

Y/n was so confused because he would be so nice to her and then be the worst person to her at the same time. It was so confusing-

"oh and for God's sake Y/n what do I say about your sweater? It's ugly, I can't have my assistant walking around in such. Get rid of it. You know what, I'll even take you shopping,"

There it was, his sweet and sour side. Y/n was slowly getting tired of the abusive but at the same time she really didn't mind because she had the biggest crush on her boss. The biggest crush ever since she had join JYP and she walked into their first rehearsals as stray kids.

She basically watched him grow up and her feelings grew even more because of all the time she spent with him. Same hotel, same flight, same car, same house, same office. They were together 24/7 and not once did Chan ever try to make a move on her. He just became more and more bratty and even though she was okay with it, it hurt because she thought that maybe one day he would see her as something more but-

"Y/n get me water please," she heard his voice call for her.

Nope. He wouldn't see her as anything more. She accepted it and she was getting exhausted.

The rooms were all lit and they all had different people in them doing different things so it was very confusing for her to note where what was.

The crowded hallways and the lack of space was slowing her down from completing her task and it was frustrating her. Everyone was busy doing their own thing and wasn't bothering to help her out at all. It was almost like she was invisible.

"Can someone please show me where the water dispensers were set?" She asked anybody that could possibly hear her. No one dared to respond so she finally gave up and went into the other guys' rooms hopeful to find that they had accidentally set all of them there and low and behold a whole box of water was sat in Hyunjin's room.

He was getting his makeup aswell so she quickly slipped in then out. Making sure not to distract anyone and she run down the corridor and back to Chan's room where she found him done with his makeup and was now dressing up.

"Thank you love just drop it over there," he instructed. "Can you go pick up one of my friends from the backstage entrance. Her name is Min-Ji. Giver her this so they can let her in," he passed her another backstage pass with her name on it. His smile was very visible. Was this his new girlfriend?

Who was she? Was she pretty?

These thoughts run through her mind as she walked down the same corridors once again until she made it to the backstage door. She gave one of the body guards a high five with a bright smile and handed him the pass.

"I'm here to pick up Chan's friend," she smiled as she told one of the popular and most familiar guards.

"Oh, Chan has a new friend now?" He teased.

"Yeah I geuss, I've never met her before. Do you see her anywhere out there?"

"I'll have to make a call, one second," he Smiled and made his way back outside making sure to lock the door behind him for safety purposes and after what felt like hours but were actually 10 minutes, he came back with a girl. A really really skinny, pretty girl. Her eyes were perfectly shaped, he body was shaped like an hour glass, her skin was made of glass, her lashes were long and she had such beautiful lips.

She was dressed in a two piece and really looked/smelled good. Y/n was comparing herself so hard. The way she dressed was no way compared to the way this girl was dressed and her beauty was no way near the way this girl looked. Her heart was beating at a fast pace and now she knew that she had no chance against her. She knew Chan would never go for a girl like her when he was right next to whoever this was. It made her sad thinking about it.

"Hey! You must be Chan’s assistant," ouch, assistant? Was that all she was? "I'm Min-Ji but everyone calls me Jiji," she smiled and put out her hand for a shake.

"I'm Y/n. The assistant," she shook the hand quickly and led her to Chan's changing room.

"This is really such a big place," Min-Ji commented as they where making their way down the corridors.

"Yeah it is,"

"How long have you been working for Chan?" She asked trying to make conversation.

"About 6 years,"

"Do you have any advice? You know...for me?" That made Y/n start to slow down her pace because what was she trying to say?

"What do you mean?"

"Well you know...I have a big crush on him and he invited me here tonight. Do you know how i can be different? Like catch his eye?" Her cheeks were red from all the blushing she was doing. Probably thinking about all the possible ways her and Chan could be together.

Oh.

"Well, I don't know really. Just be yourself I geuss," Ofcourse such a hot girl like her wanted Chan! It was Chan after all! Ugh! The hot tears started to build as she thought about the situation over and over again.

"Chan she's here," y/n knocked on the door and slowly pushed it open.

"Ahhh, great! Min-Ji! Hey love," he smiled and moved away from the stylist to give her a hug,

"Hey Channie! Long time no see," she giggled.

"How are you? Please take a seat, I still have a lot before I get ready. Y/n please, get her a drink," Chan said.

"Ofcourse," she smiled through her teeth. Deep down she wanted to die as she watched the two interact and be all touchy. That should be her but..

She's just an assistant.

The show was great, everyone was happy with the outcome. Everyone had fun! Everyone enjoyed their time there and now it was wind down time. One of the trickiest parts of the day because everyone was shutting down so everyone was everywhere.

"Y/n you can go now, wait for us outside," Chan said shooing her away. She was shocked at this action. He wanted to spend some alone time with Min-Ji and it was so obvious. The both of them had been whispering and giggling with eachother for the past 30 minutes. It made sense for him to want her out. She wouldn't be surprised if they fucked.

The pain that she felt in her chest turned into anger and the tears that threatened to leave her eyes were not making it any better. Why? Why did she have to go and fall in love with her boss? Why her?

"Y/n!" Someone yelled for her making her jump a little, "what are you doing outside?! Get Chan and let's go!" One of the managers yelled as he walked up the corridor towards her.

"Sir? Sir he’s in there with someone-"

"Did we hire you to be standing around all day?! I told you we're on a tight schedule! We should be in a bus right now because we have a flight in less that 4 hours," he run a hand through his hair as he continued to yell at the poor young girl.

"Sir I tried to tell him, but his with-"

"Get him in the bus now. I don't want your excuses," he shoved past her making sure to hit her shoulder. Her hand automatically rub the area. Her feelings were now even more emotional than before.

She had tried warning Chan but instead of understanding Chan yelled at and now she got yelled at again. Was anyone going to actually be nice for once?

She quickly knocked on the door and prayed that Chan wouldn't be pissed off. Maybe he would be in a good mood to be rushed.

"Chan we really need to go! Please just come out," she begged.

"5 more minutes!" He replied.

"Chan we need to go! Mr-" the door swung open and cut her off. Min-Ji came out with her hair a mess and her lipstick everywhere. Her cheeks were flustered as she quickly made her way out and past her. Seeing her like that was the last draw for Y/n as tears slowly started to roll down her cheeks. She looked back inside the room and saw that Chan was fixing himself.

The tears wouldn't stop as she looked at him, analyzing him and trying to find some type of reason to run away and hide.

"Hey, do you think that..." he trailed off as he turned to look at his assistant. Worry quickly filled him as he made his way to her. "Hey? What's wrong?"

Why did he care? Y/n thought.

"Did someone do something? Why are you crying?" He looked down both sides of the corridors and saw that no one was there, so what was really going on?

"N-nothing," she shrugged his hands off her body and made her way inside but was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm.

"I've never seen you cry before so something has to be wrong-"

"I'm just your assistant," she sobbed. Chan was taken back because yes she was his assistant but that's not what she was to him.

"What do you mean?" He asked. His feelings now getting worked up but he couldn't help but ask why? Why was he getting so worked up after seeing her upset.

"Chan just let it be, we're going to be late," she wriggled her hand out of his tight grip and put her iPad inside her bag. She grabbed everything and made sure everything was left in place before grabbing his bag but was quickly stopped again.

“Y/n, love. Tell me what the matter is, I won’t tell anyone,”

The tears were heavy as they fell but nevertheless she still had shit to get done and Chan was shocked as to why she was still able to get shit done when she was having a mental breakdown. He felt bad.

"L-let's go," she breathed. Her chest pumping up and down at a high pace.

"Can we talk about what's made you upset?" Chan asked softly.

"Chan not now, please..."

"Later?" He asked hopeful and he got a head shake in response but he was satisfied with it.

"Can you atleast calm down for me? Just breathe," he took a few steps closer until he was towering over her. His hand land by her arms and he rubbed them trying to calm her down. It was working but the intense eye contact he was holding with her was scaring her. Her brain was foggy as she silently got lost into his eyes. Little did she know he was also getting lost in her eyes. He slowly analyzed her facial structure….he found her beautiful? The tension grew as he kept whispering encouraging words so she could calm down

until she did it.

She got on her tippy toes and kissed him he instantly kissed back and when she realized what she was doing she pulled away. Adrenaline run through her body as he looked at her shocked.

“Woah,” was all he was able to say to her.

Embarrassment grew in her chest before she knew it she was running out with door. She run to fast that she couldn't hear Chan's calls for her.

She entered the bus and sat in one of the empty sits and covered her head with her hoodie and pretended to sleep.

What the hell was that?

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owliellder · 8 months

Note

I need more Bunny Hybrid!Reader x Leon in my life 💖💖💖 smut, fluff, it doesn't matter to me 🥺

I'll make this one hurt/comfort since I need a whole bunch of hybrid content under my belt. Also I don't see a lot of content with hybrids other than smut. I want everyone to make hybrid content (feed me seymour)

Leon Kennedy x fem Bunny Hybrid! Reader

The routine you and Leon had fallen into during his work days was rather easygoing. He's usually gone before you wake up, leaving you to your own devices until he returns home around 7 or 8pm where you and him would then eat dinner, relax, and go to bed only to repeat the cycle.

It was mundane, you being able to occupy yourself for a short while until quickly growing bored of the quiet house. You didn't want to express to him just how much you hated being left alone all day since it would only stress Leon out. He couldn't do anything about his work schedule, why change the established routine when it'd been working out so far?

Days went by with you only growing more agitated and upset with the loneliness. You started waking up when Leon did just to spend that little extra time with him before he left in the mornings, sometimes getting up even earlier to put out his work clothes and make him a small breakfast.

Of course he didn't protest, he loved the extra time with his little bunny. Though he wasn't quite sure what had you up with him in the mornings now, he didn't feel the need to question it. He was so swamped with work, returning too tired in the evenings to notice your increasingly bad behavior.

You did your best to hide your disdain of the routine from Leon, but that could only go on for so long before you really started to display a bad attitude. You were becoming snappy, suddenly avoiding all time spent with him before and after he would come home.

It didn't help that Leon barely noticed your switch up until last minute. He'd woken up confused in the middle of the night to an empty bed, walking out into the living room to find you laying curled up in your pet bed next to the couch.

"Bun..?" Leon muttered quietly, rubbing at his eyes as he sauntered over to you. "What're y'doin out here?"

You heard him as soon as he walked out since it was near impossible to fall asleep out here in the living room all alone like this. "Nothin..." An obvious lie to egg him to question you further.

"That's convincing.." He grumbled, stepping to the side to sit down on the couch closest to your pet bed. He placed one of his arms across his stomach, groaning softly as he relaxed into the couch.

The two of you sat in the dark, silent for a few minutes. You were hoping Leon would ask again, yet he said the few words you didn't want to hear. "I've got work in the mornin', so c'mon to bed, okay?"

That only made you angry. He didn't even ask what was wrong, only ever thinking about work work work. He only seemed more confused when you grabbed at your soft ears, pulling them down so you could cover them.

"Hey, what's all that about?" He furrowed his brow as he watched your ears disappear from his view, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch before leaning over to look down at where you were laying. You kept quiet, shutting your eyes closed tightly to emphasize the fact that you were blatantly ignoring him.

"Okay, that's it." Leon pulled a yelp from you as he suddenly reached over and picked you up from the small bed, setting you on his lap. "What's going on with you lately?" Oh, so he had noticed everything!

You crossed your arms with a pout and turned your head to look away from him, though he fixed that immediately by grabbing your chin to force you to look at him. "Don't even with that."

Avoiding Leon to make this silly point had really taken it's toll on you since you barely got to spend time with him in the first place, so hearing Leon use such a stern tone was enough to break your tough act. Your bottom lip wobbled, vision blurring, and before he could do anything you burst into tears, your hands flying up to pull your bunny ears down to cover your face.

Leon was taken aback by your outburst, hesitating for a moment before quickly bringing you into tight hug. "Hey hey hey.. shhh.. I've got ya.." He rubbed your back with one hand while the other held the back of your head, keeping your head buried in his neck. A frown tugged at the corner of his lips, guilt settling in his chest.

He let you cry for some time since it was obvious that you needed to let it out. He noticed your change in behavior a big ago, but he didn't realize whatever it was had been weighing on you so heavily.

He whispered sweet nothings to you until your cries lessened to a soft weep, feeling your breath stutter as you hiccupped. "Alright.. alright, there ya go, baby..." He craned his neck to kiss the top of your head after brushing your hair flat with his hand.

You were eventually able to get a deep enough breath in you let go of your ears, letting them move to flop over the sides of your head. "You ready to talk?" Leon's soft voice grabbed your attention, now looking up at him through wet eyelashes.

"I-.. I miss you..." Is all you could muster before starting to weep again, hiding your face right back into his neck. He ran his fingers through your hair before rubbing your soft bunny ears with his fingers.

Leon's chest vibrated as he hummed, slowly rocking you side to side all the while. "Missin' me, huh?" He smiled slightly and cocked an eyebrow when he felt you nod. "Care to explain, baby bun?"

You mumbled against his bare skin about him never being home, how lonely you were, and whatever else came to your mind at that moment. He couldn't hear all of it, but he got the gist of your small ramble.

"You should've just asked. I have more power at work than you think." Leon whispered in your ear with a playful smirk, pulling your head away from his shoulder so he could look at you again. "I do have a lot of vacation time that needs to be used up, so how do you feel about taking a little trip somewhere next week?"

The mere suggestion had your little cotton tail wagging and a watery smile on your face, head nodding vigorously with growing excitement. You did feel a little silly acting out over something that could've been resolved so easily, but it did feel nice to cry in the safety of Leon's strong arms.

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cheolaholic · 9 months

Text

ring of love; csc (01)

summary; agreeing to join vernon spectate an underground boxing match wasn't how you'd expect to spend your friday night. you also didn't expect to see seungcheol, someone you've lost contact with for years, become a part of the ring.

modern! au • boxer! au • hhu focused • multiple kinds of tropes • fluff, angst, smut

a/n; AND THE FIC IS OUT 💃🏻✨

ngl, i posted up the teaser at around 1am just to see how it'd go (was planning on deleting it right afterwards if nothing showed up). i woke up like 6 or 7 hours later and holy shit yall - i wasn't expecting it to get so much attention or blow up 😭 and it was just a TEASER 😭✋🏻 i've also gone through the small notes section of the taglist form (my favorite is the one that said they like my brain lol) either ways, i'm so glad you're all as excited as i am for this fic 🥹🫶🏻 it really means a lot to me <33

i'd also like to point out that i'm writing this fic as i go, kind of going with the flow, so, occasionally some things might not make sense but let's hope the flow goes well 🙏🏻

taglist at the end !

click here to join the taglist ♡

“hey there, babygirl,” vernon greeted as he took a seat in front of you at the library desk.

the nickname had you looking up from your laptop, shooting the boy a grimacing look.

“vernon, what the fuck?”

vernon chwe, an art major you had met on the first day of college during orientation, since both of you were in the same freshman group during said orientation.

you were entirely new to seoul, having spent most of your life in a small town in daegu (alongside your introverted nature, talking to new people while having to adjust to your new surroundings was basically an introvert’s nightmare).

when vernon approached you during one of the 30 minute breaks, he handed you a bottle of coke, a friendly gesture you appreciated a lot. that wasn’t what caught your eye though - it was his clothes. it’s not every day you’d see a college student wearing a bright neon tie-dyed shirt.

when vernon noticed your staring, he simply said “ah, yeah, the rest of my clothes are in the dryer. i’m vernon, by the way! vernon chwe!”

“...i’m ___,” came your response, “lee ___.”

from then on, you’ve both been stuck to each other like glue. always seen together to the point you both had been mistaken as a couple one too many times.

guess the saying of 'you're not real besties unless people think you're a couple' is true to an extent.

though you both have made it clear that the relationship between the two of you is strictly platonic.

the boy laughs at your reaction before shutting up as a few students shoot him a dirty look, a few others shushing him. “it’s fun messing with you, ___,” he said in a soft voice, not wanting to get on the nerves of the other students, “watcha working on?”

“just the usual presentation preparations,” you answered as you pushed back up your glasses and continued typing away.

“is this a group or solo project?”

“solo, which thank god. if this was a group and i had another bad luck on my groupmates, i was going to lose it.”

vernon cringes at the mention of groupmates. in your previous group assignment, you were stuck with not one, not two; but three parasites. he remembered how sleep deprived and stressed you were throughout the semester for said group project. he’d gotten you to submit an email to the lecturer in charge, writing out in extreme detail how you had to bear the responsibilities of the group members while they were out and about, partying, going out on dates etc.

however, you decided to go even further than just submitting an email.

it was the day of the presentation. as your lecturer sat in the front row seat alongside two other faculty members, you looked at your parasitic freeloading groupmates that were standing to your left.

“are you guys ready?” you asked in a quiet voice.

when they nodded their heads, you smiled as you pressed the clicker in your hand. anyone would have assumed your smile was that of an encouraging smile. you however, knew better.

as the first slide was projected onto the projection screen, the topic of the presentation was written in a big font while all four names of yours and your groupmates were written underneath it.

as you pressed on the clicker, one by one, the names of your groupmates began to be removed from the slide. the classroom was confused before catching on - you were calling out your group mates for being parasites.

your groupmates watched in a panic state as the students began whispering amongst themselves; the faculty members jotting things down on their clipboards.

once all the three names were removed with your name being the only one left on the slide, in a calm and collected voice, you said, “now, shall we begin the presentation?”

vernon remembered the proud expression you had when he met up with you the same day. “how’d it feel?” he asked, having helped you with your research and planned out the execution for the revelation of the free loaders.

“amazing!” came your reply with a beaming smile, satisfied.

“whatever happened to those three anyways?”

shrugging, you heard from some classmates that they had either gotten suspended or needed to retake the class. but, you didn’t care.

why would you?

if anything, you were glad you didn't have to deal with them for the rest of your studying years.

"hmm, fair enough," vernon responded before placing both arms on the table, leaning forward, "so, got any friday night plans?"

"if you're planning to drag me to a frat party-"

"not a frat party."

looking up from your laptop with an eyebrow raised, the boy just shoots you a smile - a smile that you can't help but feel suspicious of.

as you saved your work progress and shut down your laptop, vernon spoke again.

"have you heard of underground boxing?"

"i am not going to get in a boxing ring."

"you don't have to!"

once you've packed up your stuff and headed out of the library together, he explained more about the underground boxing.

it's a monthly event and is usually held somewhere in itaewon. when you mentioned that you didn't think vernon was the type to take part in these events, he replied with, "that's because i don't. a close friend of mine does and i usually go to support him with two other close friends!"

"and where do i play a part in this… support group?"

"don't hate me for this, okay? i just think that you could use some outdoor time, ya'know? i know you're introverted and want to hole up in your apartment the entire weekend, but it wouldn't hurt to try something new!"

you were silent for a moment.

"so, i'm a bore, is what you're getting at."

"what!? no! absolutely, not!"

when you let out a laugh at vernon's reaction, it had a few students around both of you stunned.

maybe it's due to your introverted nature that everyone assumed you'd be cold-natured too, black cat energy they call it.

but to vernon, he knew it wasn't the case. you just needed to be around the right people or in a setting you're familiar/comfortable with to be yourself.

'naturally introverted, selectively extroverted' as they called it.

"i'll go if you pick me up."

"does seven sound good to you?"

"yeap."

"aight, bet."

introverted ass: ik i should've asked this earlier

introverted ass: but is there like a dress code or smtg?

introverted ass: bcs i don't wanna show up looking extremely out of place

vrrnonie: casual should be okay

vrrnonie: maybe bring a jacket along

introverted ass: but it's a boxing match

introverted ass: wouldn't it be hot and stuffy from all that sweat

introverted ass: ?

vrrnonie: it's actually air conditioned, believe it or not

vrrnonie: and it's well ventilated too

vrrnonie: and there's not much people, dont worry

vrrnonie: the place can hold up to 100+ ppl

vrrnonie: but they usually only let in abt 70-ish?

vrrnonie: not wanting to be too stuffy, crowd control etc

introverted ass: so i'm assuming i can just wear my sweater and tights?

vrrnonie: yeapp

vrrnonie: reaching in 10 btw

introverted ass: wtf

vrrnonie: you can do your makeup in the car when we reach

vrrnonie: it doesn't start til 10pm so we can grab some dinner

introverted ass: again, wtf

vrrnonie: love ya bestie 😘

introverted ass: 🙄✋🏻

true to his word, vernon did show up ten minutes later at your apartment front door.

parking his mercedes-benz in one of the few empty spots, he then brought you to a diner he deemed to have the best burger in all of itaewon (of course that was after he let you finish doing your makeup, as he had promised you).

"so… how long have your friends been doing this whole underground boxing thing?" you asked, stabbing a few fries on a fork before shoving them into your mouth.

"oh, just one of them actually," vernon replied with his mouth half full of his beef burger. "wonwoo hyung acts as the manager while mingyu hyung and i are there as first aiders. occasionally, we'd help him train too. but, mingyu is the one he trains with since he works out more than i do."

"does this boxer friend of yours have a name?"

"i can't really say his actual name out here. but, his stage name is scoups!"

why does that stage name sound so familiar… you ponder.

it's now 1230am and you've been out way longer than you should be (technically, more like longer than you wanted).

by right, shou should now be on your bed, cuddled up in your blanket as you binge whatever series or movies are available on the many streaming platforms offered.

yet, here you are - in an underground boxing ring somewhere in itaewon all because your best friend had decided you should spend more time outside.

the match was nearing its final round and based on what you've heard from the people sitting beside you (vernon had left to go to the locker rooms where his friends were; but had assured you everyone is respectable and won't try anything weird. it didn't reassure you completely to be left alone in the crowd, but any kind of reassurance is acceptable at this point), it seems that the two final boxers would be JK and scoups.

(you had also taken a lot of toilet breaks due to the overwhelming feeling of being in a crowd for an extended period of time)

you still ask yourself why the name 'scoups' sound so familiar…

it was only when the loud cheers snapped you out of your thoughts, causing you to shift your focus onto the ring that you finally realise why that name sounded so familiar.

because right in that boxing ring, stood an old face you've been longing to see for years.

choi seungcheol.

taglist (i can't tag a few for some reason ㅠㅠ);

@yoonclip @1004luvangel @catjunhui @mystikha @spk93 @tinkerbell460 @yoozuku @dnylwoo @christinewithluv @limbomoon @plutoxxxworld @i-give-up-1234 @m1ngyuc0re @yunloyal @leclercloverbot @bettybeako @billboard-singer @ocyeanicc @krupyadoorrahe @seobinnieshi @xcynthiaaa @k411z @disneyprincesshuri @sunnyapp @khxsh @staygenezy @loufi8iepuff @ursweetener @noisypapergalaxy @wonwootakemyheart @sugainpinksweater @leah-rose03 @thisisnotthelastofus @yearnoclock

705 notes · View notes

zorrasucia · 2 months

Note

"Just sleeping and fucking all day," I AM DEAD!!! and i revived just to BEG you to expand on this please i just love them so much 😭

I'm so glad you liked it, Anon! I came up with something but I'm like 90% sure it's not what you were asking for - I aimed to write more smut and it turned into saccharine fluff somehow. I apologize. Rest assured that the next update for this fic is business as usual, very spicy and contains Carmy finally ******* ****** :)

Teach Me Tonight - Deleted Scene 2.0

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Deleted Scene] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] Deleted Scene: [Part 8]

Reader x Carmy Berzatto (The Bear FX)

Rating: Mature (1k)

Tags: Set sometime after the opening of The Bear, Smut, Virgin!Carmy, Fluff, Miscommunication, Domesticity

"Hey, baby," Carmy mumbled with a smile, rolling over in bed and looking at you with sleepy eyes.

You had padded into the room and leaned over to kiss his neck, waking him up from his third nap of the day. In between, you had fucked - slow and loving, then quick and hard, then a mix of both. You felt tired in the best way - and still somehow you wanted him. But you could wait.

"Shhh. I'm not here for another round," you soothed, moving a lock of hair out of his face. "Got us some pizza," you settled across from him, laying the box between you.

He sat up and ogled you shamelessly. You were wearing jeans and one of his shirts, your nipples showing through the white fabric.

"You're gonna be the death of me," he shook his head and focused on the slice of pizza you handed him instead.

"I mean," you gestured at him, his naked torso and satisfied smirk, "likewise, Carm."

You shared a hungry look while taking a bite of pepperoni. He broke first, looking up at the ceiling, away from you.

"How's it feel?" he asked.

"Mmm?" you nudged his leg with your foot.

"You come like two, three times when I can only do one and be just useless..." he blushed, curiosity tinting his skin. "I was just wondering what that was like, if all women were like that."

You smiled. Sometimes you forgot that he was a virgin before you.

"A lot of women can, uh, come multiple times," you explained. "If it's done properly, if you work for it," you cleared your throat. "Some women can't come at all."

"That sounds, uh-" Carmy struggled.

"Miserable?" you supplied and he nodded. "It can be. But sex isn't always about coming, you know? It's about being close and getting to know each other."

Carmy hummed pensively.

Just now, between one round and the next you had fallen asleep still intertwined, spent, his arms around your waist and his softening cock inside you. It was nice, to be so close with zero expectations of it going anywhere.

"What've you learned about me? With sex, I mean," he asked, his blue eyes wide.

"That you're giving, uh, determined, a fast learner," you pondered for a minute while you chewed. "A bit of a control freak but we knew that from before," he chuckled. "And you think you don't deserve good shit, even though you do."

"Pretty spot on," he let out a shaky breath.

You caressed his calf over the bedsheets. It felt strange to be talking about this but it had been a fucking weird day, and discussing orgasms with Carmy while eating pizza fit right in.

"You're a great fuck, Carm," you said softly. "And that takes patience and care and- I love that you want to make me feel good. I do," his gaze was downward and you reached for his hand. "I just don't want you to think you need to be perfect for me here too, you know? There's no pressure."

Carmy nodded and his eyes met yours, he gave you a soft smile.

"Thanks," he brushed your knuckles with his thumb. Then his smile turned mischievous. "Just to be sure, you do like coming though?" he looked for confirmation, head tilted.

"Yeah," you laughed. "Obviously, yeah," you poked at his side and reached for another slice of pizza. "I'm just saying there's no pressure, okay?"

"Okay," he took a big bite of crust. "You didn't answer my question from before," he prompted, raising his eyebrows. "How does it feel?"

"Uh. Well, you don't know how good it's going to be until you're coming. Sometimes it slows down, becomes softer. Or you get halfway through the next and get stuck there," you shrugged. "Sometimes it builds up, becomes more intense each time-"

"Like the last one?" he asked.

You blushed - the memory of him on top of you, his chain dangling near your mouth, his hands holding your wrists above your head, taking up all your thoughts. He had fucked you through your first orgasm until you saw stars and your moans turned into cries of pleasure.

"Exactly like that," you replied bashfully like it wasn't you that had begged him to keep going and fuck you harder.

"How many have you done?" Carmy asked after a while.

"Huh?"

"How many times you've come in a row?" he repeated, that calculating look back on his face. "What's the max?"

"I don't know, five?" you laughed nervously. "I think you're getting the wrong message from this, Carm."

"No, I know," he shook his head. "I was guessing we could start with all that 'no pressure' thing tomorrow. And I think I still have one more round left in me today, so..."

"What the fuck, Carm?" you giggled.

You covered your face with your hands, hiding how flustered you were.

"I'm serious," he said, amusement still showing in his tone. You finally uncovered your face and looked at him. He was smiling but he wasn't joking. "I don't know how to be calm," he explained. "I don't know how to fucking relax and be normal. I never have. Being with you- That's the closest I've come to that," he said softly. You cupped his face tenderly. "But sometimes it gets so crazy that the only thing I know I can do well is make you feel good. That's why I can be a control freak and competitive and insane..."

You shushed him.

"You're fine, baby," you caressed Carmy's shoulders, scooting closer to him. "I love that you're all those things. I just- You push yourself to the limit. You can hurt yourself trying to make everything perfect," your thumb traced the edge of the dark circles around his eyes - all from early mornings and late nights at The Bear. "I don't want to be that for you - another weight, another thing that needs to be perfect."

"You're not," he whispered. "You've never been that, okay?"

"Okay," you sighed and surged forward to kiss him, his face between your palms.

Even after the kiss was over you stayed there, your forehead on his, and your noses touching.

"So," you said after a while, "how about we finish this," you pointed at the pizza, "and watch a movie?"

You had learned that watching a movie with Carmy was shorthand for a nap on the couch since he was always so fucking tired.

He chuckled against your mouth.

"I think I can manage that," he replied, guiding you by the hand to the living room.

[Part 8]

@th3h0nkz @faephoria @wadupppp

#replies #carmy x reader #carmen berzatto x reader #carmy berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto fanfiction #carmen berzatto x you #carmy berzatto x you #carmy x you #carmy berzatto smut

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ilypaigebuckets · 6 days

Note

kate martin x competitive swimmer reader por favorrrrrrr

Someone Who Isn’t Me - K.M.

u cannot tell me i didn’t eat with the title right there it’s literally swim i feel like a genius. literally wrote half of this and went to finish it and i guess i forgot to save it bc it was all gone :(

pairing: reader x kate martin

plot: kate has a game the same day as your swim meet and can’t make it to watch you, which makes her feel like you need someone else who can make more time for you.

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

you had woken up at 7 am sharp and had starting to get ready for your swim meet that afternoon. you were doing the 100 free and were pretty nervous for it. you tried to calm your nerves by playing some music and taking your time to get ready. you heard a ping on your phone and ignored it, trying to stay in the zone. you heard a second ping a while later and decided to see who was texting you. you looked down and smiled as you recognized the notification to be your girlfriend.

k ❤️

sent an image.

I’m so sad lovely 😔😭

you quickly typed in your password to see what the image was. turns out, it was an email from her coach to her team saying that her game’s start time would be postponed for 2 hours later.

y/n

awe :( i’ll miss you teddy bear

good luck at your game i love you!

you were going to miss kate and kate was going to miss you. it was hard when the two of you couldn’t make it to each others games and events. you knew it would be especially hard on kate, she had a tendency to overthink and think the worst of herself when she couldn’t show up for you.

on the court, kate was a mess. “kate!” her coach called to her, “whatever’s going on with you, i need it to stop. you need to focus on what’s on the court, you’re our glue.” kate nodded, absentmindedly and ran back to the court. in the end, iowa ended up losing 56-67. kate walked back to the locker room defeated. ‘great’ she thought ‘another reason this is the shittiest day ever.’

she got back to her apartment and saw you’d texted her again.

My love 💕

hi kate kat!! how was your game? do you wanna come over :)

kate smiled faintly at your message. you were so positive, even when plans didn’t turn out the way you two had expected.

Kate

i love you so much i’ll be over in 10 🤗🥰😘❤️

kate grabbed her backpack and packed some clothes and her toothbrush into it, she figured she’d spend the night at your place. you two had a tendency to have sleepovers a few times a week and she didn’t want to be alone tonight after this tough loss.

about 8 minutes later, you heard a knock at your door. you opened it and there you saw her. your beautiful girl standing there with a pout on her face. you grabbed her bag from her and stood on your toes so you could reach up to kiss her nose. you grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch.

“i missed you today baby!” you said to her as you sat down on the couch next to you. she groaned and pulled you onto her lap, wanting to be closer to you after a day apart.

“you aren’t close enough!!” kate whined as she hugged your body close to hers. “i was having such a hard day already and not seeing you just ruined it. i was starting to think that.. i don’t know maybe you need someone who can be there, who can show up for you. i feel terrible. god.” she buried her head into the crevice of your neck and inhaled your scent. “god y/n i was thinking maybe you need someone who isn’t me. but now i’m here and i can’t imagine not having you. we lost and i should be so upset about it, and i was, but it’s like now i’m with you and none of it matters anymore.”

you simply giggled and kissed kate soundly on her pink lips, tasting her chapstick as you did so. kate started to perk up and smiled too. her spirit seemed to brighten the more time she spent with you. she put her hands on your shoulders, shaking you, “how do you make me so happy, y/n? hm? how do you do that? tell me your secrets!”

in that moment you wanted to cry. you loved how you and kate could overcome seemingly anything, not letting a bad day come between you guys. “i hate seeing you upset, kate. you’re my person. i wish i could be around you all the time.”

#iowa wbb #wlw post #kate martin x reader #kate martin #wbb x reader #iowa hawkeyes

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thefallennightmare · 1 year

Text

Envy-one shot

Pairings: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1119

Warnings: angst, swearing, drug/drinking references, fluff, and a bit of implied smut.

Summary: There's a new bartender at Bucky's club which almost spells disaster for reader and Bucky's relationship.

Authors Note: Someone requested this like over a month ago and I'm finally finding a few minutes to write something up, so whoever requested it I hope you like it! Sorry for yet again making Natasha the bad guy.

The music was loud, echoing off of the brick walls of the club as I maneuvered my tiny frame through the sea of bodies that were pressed against one another. It was a typical Saturday night, everyone in Brooklyn had shown up for either drinking their sorrows away or hoping to get a glimpse of him knowing that he would be the answer to whatever problems they needed help with. I knew that it was a long shot because he rarely was seen out on the main floor of his club. He strictly stayed in the back, watching everything from afar.

“Hey, Y.N. Where’s Barnes?”

I came to a halt while crossing my arms over my chest and raised a brow at the man that sat in the usual stool.

“Tony Stark. I thought you said that your standards were too high for Buchanans?” I reminded him.

Tony shrugged while taking a large swig of his beer. “Your boyfriend has a great place, what can I say?”

“Fiancé,” I corrected him.

The large diamond from my ring shined bright underneath the lights that were being projected from the DJ booth.

“So,” Tony set the beer on the bar behind him. “Can I get a few minutes to sit with him? I’ve got a great business idea that would be perfect for his mob group.

I shook my head. “Bucky doesn’t like walk-ins. Call Sam to make an appointment.”

Ignoring his protest, I walked to the other end of the bar and gave a small smile to the new bartender who looked a bit flustered. I knew that anyone's first night at a new job would be nerve wrecking especially here at Buchanan’s. It was known as THE hot spot in Brooklyn, everyone wanted to come here but spent the majority of the night waiting in line, hoping it would be their moment. There was a very strict guest list here and Bucky would never deter from it.

“Hey, can I get Mr. Barnes drink please?” I gave her another smile.

The bartender, Natasha, raised a brow at me while halting making the current drink.

“I didn’t receive Bucky’s order,” she said with a hint of attitude.

I bit the inside of my cheek to do my best to keep my own attitude at bay.

“Mr. Barnes,” I corrected her.

There were only a select few that could call him Bucky; me and Steve.

Natasha rolled her eyes before popping open a beer bottle and sliding it over to me.

“$7,” she said flatly as I was about to walk away.

I scoffed. “Put it on his tab.”

“I was told that whoever picks up Mr. Barnes drink needs to pay,” Natahsa stressed out his name.

“This isn’t worth it,” I mumbled to myself and went to walk away yet again.

It was when I felt her hand on my wrist that I stared at it with pure anger flashing in my eyes.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I seethed and yanked my hand away.

Nataha’s eyes sliced into me. “Who do you think you are that you can walk away without paying?”

I held up my left hand, the large diamond glimmering in her eyes. “I’ll let this one-time slide but if you question who I am or touch me again, I’ll make sure you never work anywhere in Brooklyn again.”

There was a small group of people staring at us, wondering if a fight was about to break out, but there were a certain set of eyes that I felt burning at the back of my head that made my entire body tingle.

I peeked over my shoulder and saw Bucky leaning into our booth, the sight of him being seen out for the first time in a while. No doubt he received word about my and Natasha’s exchange of words. And with the way his eyes dropped away from me, a deep breath falling from his lips I knew that he was disappointed.

With a snap decision to drop this conversation, I turned my back to Natasha and made my way towards Bucky.

“Don’t even say it,” I warned while sitting next to him.

Bucky sighed. “How many bartenders are we going to have to rehire because of you?”

I snorted a laugh. “Maybe if they learned their place then I wouldn’t have to show it to them.”

The fast-paced beats of the music pounded hard against my chest as I leaned deeper into the cloth booth, the heat radiating off of him. With his arm wrapped around me, I stared up at the soft features of his face, the freshly buzzed haircut of his suiting him just right.

I pressed my lips onto his, Bucky’s tongue not wasting any time in exploring every crevice of my mouth. My moan was muffled by him as his fingers slid underneath my skirt and ghosted over the slit between my legs.

“So wet for me already, doll,” Bucky groaned while burying his face into the crook of my neck.

Our actions went unbothered by anyone in the club, they all were too busy with drinking or snorting whatever drug had been smuggled inside.

“Excuse me, Bucky?”

Rage boiled when I heard her scratchy voice and Bucky reluctantly pulled away, eyes landing on Natasha who was leaning on the table in front of us. Her breasts were exposed by her low-cut shirt.

“It’s Mr. Barnes.”

I chuckled silently at him correcting her.

She mocked sorrow by nodding. “I’m sorry, Mr. Barnes. But there’s someone at the bar asking for you.”

We noticed Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers leaning up against the bar which only meant one thing; Bucky was needed somewhere pronto.

“I could walk you over there if you’d like,” Natasha said. “I know how crazy it can get in here when people see you.”

Bucky ignored her and placed a deep, loving kiss upon my lips. “Don’t wait up for me, Y/N.”

I scratched at the back of his neck, his sweet spot, and saw his eyes flutter shut at my touch.

“We both know that I always do,” I said.

“Mr. Barnes?” Natasha tried again while pushing her breast together. “Would you like me to walk you over there?”

The low rumble of annoyance in his chest was only heard by me as Bucky stood from our booth. “Get back to the bar, Romanoff and don’t leave unless I say it’s alright.”

With her tail tucked between her legs, she scurried back to the bar.

Bucky went to walk away but I linked my fingers with his vibranium ones. “Be careful.”

With a few peppered kisses over my palm, he nodded. “Always, doll.”

#bucky barnes #mob!boss bucky and yn #bucky barnes x reader #mob!boss bucky barnes and reader #james buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes x reader #bucky barnes request

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amlvsx · 3 months

Text

"I would have never thought.."

•Bang Chan x Male Reader•

Summary: y/n is a well known dancer on tiktok and instagram. his unique dance style and dance covers draw attention to him. Bang Chan just so happens to come across one of his dance covers, specifically his megaverse dance cover. y/n ends up going to see stray kids just a couple days after Chan liked his cover. one thing y/n didn't expect to happen at the concert, was to be recognized by his favorite idol.

Genre: fluff-ish

Warnings: little bit of cursing

A/N: hey guys!! this is my first ever story here on tumblr, i kept getting stuck on a few things since i haven’t wrote a fic in so long, please let me know if you like this! :))

—————————————————————————-

The rays of sun that peeked through your curtains laid across your lower face as you laid in your bed.

The sun now reflected across your eyelids indicating a few hours have went by. You opened your eyes and they were automatically met with the shining light.

Sighing as you rolled over to escape the sun, your eyes landed on your phone as it seemed to ding.

Lifting yourself up halfway, you grabbed your phone to see a notification from instagram.

gnabnahc liked your reel

Rubbing the sleep away from your eyes, you reread the notification not believing what was written on your phone. “No fucking way” You thought with your mouth agape and eyes wide, you unlocked your phone and went into instagram.

Looking at the reel that Chan liked, it was a video of you doing the dance to Megaverse.

You clicked off of instagram and texted your friend.

—————————————————————————-

y/n😎

Bro you will not believe what just happened..

Bang Chan liked my instagram reel!

f/n🥸

No way!🫢

Which one?

y/n😎

My dance cover of Megaverse :D

f/n🥸

That's so cool!!

Sadly I have to go, I have to get back to work

but ttyl👋

y/n😎

bye bye👋

—————————————————————————-

You smile to yourself as you get out of bed to start your day. You make your way to the bathroom to take a shower. Getting undressed, you make sure the temperature of the shower is just how you like it before stepping inside. Letting a sigh escape you as relax from the feeling of the streams of warm water cascade down your back.

After washing your body and hair, you turn off the shower and step out. Drying off your body and putting on your clothes for the day, you make your way to the kitchen. You decided to make yourself an omelet with fruit. Once the cooking was done, you sat down with your breakfast and opened your phone.

Looking at the notification again, you still couldn't believe that the Bang Chan had liked your reel. Never in your life did you ever think that your favorite idol was going to notice you. Thinking about Chan reminded you that you were going to Stray Kids’ concert in a few days. You finally had the opportunity to get barricade, even though you spent almost all of your life savings.

You ate your breakfast and cleaned up what you didn’t eat.

—————————————————————————-

Day of the concert..

You woke up from your alarm blasting in your ear. Rolling over and shutting off your alarm, you opened your eyes. Checking the time it was 10:45 a.m. Getting out of bed you went to the bathroom and got ready for the day since the concert wasn’t til 7 p.m.

After doing everything you needed to do in the bathroom you decided to spend some of your time catching up on your favorite show. Only after 10 minutes your stomach started to rumble. You decided to have cereal since you didn’t feel like cooking.

Sitting on your couch with your cereal, you continued watching your show. After an hour, you got up and cleaned up your empty bowl.

“Hmm..what should I do?” You thought to yourself. Noticing that you haven’t done a dance cover in a couple of days, you thought about doing Maniac by VIVIZ.

Going to your living room where you had the most space, you look up the dance on TikTok. While learning the dance you get a call from your friend.

“yo, what’s up?” You say waiting for a response.

“hey, i was just wondering what time are you going to pick me up for the concert?” Your friend replies.

“probably around 5:45, i want to make sure we get there somewhat early” You tell your friend.

“okay, cya then”

“cya”

Hanging up the call you continue learning the dance. Making sure you got all the moves down, you record yourself. It takes a couple of tries for you to be completely satisfied with the results but once you are happy with the video you post it on TikTok and Instagram.

You were left with nothing to do but since you had yet to pick out your outfit for the concert, you went over to your closet. You picked out a Aelfric Eden shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. You obviously are going to wear your Converse, since it might be a little cold, you picked out a black leather jacket.

For some jewelry you picked out some silver rings and a silver chain. After you picked out everything that you wanted to you got your light stick and your wolf chan. You laid those two things next to your outfit that you put on your bed and checked the time, 2:33 p.m.

You thought about watching your show again but you didn’t feel like it, so you went over to your computer and went to find a video game to play. After finding a video game, you occupied yourself with it for about two ish hours since you had some time to kill.

You sigh as you lean back into your chair, slightly stretching. You check the time yet again, 4:45 p.m. You were bored out of your mind waiting for it to be time to go pick up your friend, as you sat there you hear your stomach gargle, realizing that you never ate lunch.

You have been wanting to go to this one take out place for a while, so you texted your friend to see if they wanted to get food before going to the concert. You instantly get a text back with them agreeing.

You get up to go change into your outfit, once you had the outfit on, you looked in your mirror mostly happy with how the clothes seemed to kind of go together. Once you fixed your hair to make it look the best you could get it to look, you grab your light stick, wolf chan, your jacket, and your keys.

You walk out of your house, making sure the front door is locked, and you get in your car. Quickly texting your friend that you are on your way, you pull out of your driveway and head to their house.

You surprisingly make it there faster than you expected, your friend had been already standing outside waiting for you. You turn on the radio while you also put on the directions to this food place.

You arrived at the food place, getting out of the car and walking in, you were shocked with how beautiful the inside looked. You ordered whatever seemed appealing to you. The stadium that the concert was being held at was not too far away, and your friend had suggested that you guys could eat in the little restaurant.

While waiting for your food you and your friend had brought up Chan liking your reel.

“so he didn’t comment or anything on your video?” Your friend asked.

“no he only liked it and that was it, though i would have never expected him to watch instagram reels” You chuckled.

“maybe he was just bored or something” Your friend shrugged.

“maybe bu-“ You got cut off by a person calling you and your friends order. You stood up and grabbed your guys’ food. You and your friend went on talking about nonsense the rest of the time you were at the restaurant.

“we should probably go now, it’s already 5:15” Your friend reminded you.

“yea you’re right, i do want to make sure we can get in line early” You said while picking up your garbage to throw in the trash.

Walking back to your car, you two headed to the stadium. Your friend had connected their phone to your car and was blasting Stray Kids. Time flew by and you had already arrived at the stadium. You quickly got out of the car with your light stick and wolf chan to make sure you got a decent spot in line.

You waited for some time before finally getting your tickets checked. You rushed to the barricade just to see that it wasn’t as full as you expected it to be.

As you waited for the show to start, your friend had noticed a head pop out from the curtains under the stage.

“bro who is that” Your friend asked.

“huh who?” You looked at your friend confused.

“over there” Your friend pointed behind you to under the stage.

You looked back to where your friend had pointed, your eyes widened in shock as you stared at the person.

“dude that’s chan” You said in disbelief.

“why is he just peaking out like that” Your friend chuckled.

You kept staring at him, and his eyes eventually made their way to yours , You looked away with slight embarrassment reverting back to reality, but you could feel his gaze on you.

You looked in his direction again, your eyes just feeling drawn to him. Something about his eyes was luring you in. He was still looking you before he breaks eye contact and looks to the ground, smiling to himself. He slipped back behind the curtains completely.

Your friend nudged you lightly, “i think someone recognizes you,” they said in a teasing tone.

“oh hush,” you say rolling your eyes with a cheeky smile.

You and your friend continue talking for a little while until the Stray Kids anthem started playing. You focused on the stage, filled with excitement and anticipation. The crowd being filled with screams only fueled your expectations.

The moment you had been waiting for had finally come, the Stray Kids was preforming in front of you. You screamed your lungs out, along with your friend and the crowd. The first song began to play as you swayed your light stick around.

As the concert shifted into the more calmer stage, the members started to interact with fans more since they weren’t dancing a lot. Chan had been roaming around your section for quite some time now. Just as you were focused on recording another member , you failed to notice that Chan was sitting on the edge of the stage right in front to you, interacting with the people next to you.

Your friend hit you while squealing, you looked back to in front of you. You started fanboying over the sight in front of you. Moving your phone to focus on Chan, he reached out for your phone.

A little confused with what he was doing you, let him grab your phone waiting for his next move. He recorded himself on your phone, he even did a few poses with you in the background before handing your phone back. He got up and walked over to a different section while you were frozen in place.

Your friend squealed even more, shaking you not believing what just happened. The rest of the concert was amazing, eventually the time came where they had to say goodbye. They went backstage after their goodbyes and soon the crowd started to leave.

You and your friend started making your way out of the stadium giggling about certain things that happened. As soon as you stepped outside you were hit with the cold winter air. You had forgotten your jacket in the car, so you started to speed walk back to your car. Unfortunately, you parked on the side of the stadium and your car was kind of far.

You weren’t paying attention to your surroundings much as you got closer to your car, and just to your luck you bump into someone. Stumbling back a little bit you take a good look at the person, it was quite dark so it took you a second to fully realize who you just bumped into.

“oh sorry, are you okay?” Chan asked.

“i am okay but i’m sorry i should have been paying attention more. i didn’t hurt you, did i?” You responded quite worried.

“no no, i am fine trust me” Chan said as he flashed his signature smile.

You stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Standing this close to your favorite idol made you really nervous.

Chan broke the silence, “are you the person who did that one Megaverse dance cover?”

“yeah that was me,” You chuckled nervously. You anxiously fidgeted with your fingers.

“it was a really good cover, your dance style is really eye catching.” You have heard that same compliment from a lot of different people, especially other dancers. But hearing it from Chan just felt different, it probably was because he was your favorite idol but you still felt like it was something that had a new meaning now.

Your favorite idol thinks that your dance style is eye catching. Something that you could have never imagined would happen to you.

“I would have never thought…I would hear you say that”

—————————————————————————-

A/N: i feel like i made this story too long but i hope you guys liked it!!

—————————————————————————

@belladonna6-6-6

#bang chan #skz #stray kids #stray kids x male reader #skz x male reader #first fic #christopher bang #kpop x male reader #male reader

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ultralightpoe · 5 months

Text

Full House llll - Eddie Munson

Authors Note: This one is a bit short but I'm starting something and I hope you guys like it.

Word Count: 8,831

Warnings: angst again? but not bad.

Part One HERE.. Part Two HERE.. Part Three HERE.. Part Four HERE..

(Thank you for the gif @lightningcrashes)

Enjoy!

The Johnsons Prison Facility loomed over Eddie, the same shadowy feeling he always used to get when visiting.

Back then, when Wayne had brought him, Eddie had refused to take the man’s hand. His father hated when Eddie held into his mom and uncles hand, used to say it made him look like a baby.

He always wanted to make it seem like he was tough, and maybe…. Just maybe his dad would be proud of him.

But then he grew into his teen years and Wayne stopped coming, too disgusted by his brother, so Eddie was left to deal with his father by himself. And in his teen years Eddie was still trying desperately to get his dads attention but he was more at ease thanks to Wayne.

Now? He held Motleys hand as she stood by him staring up at the building. In her arm she held her school folder with all the research needed for this family tree.

With Eddie’s help, and your information, she decided she would fill in Billys side. And she would add Eddie’s side.

“You ready?” He asks, clearing his throat.

“Are you?”

“If you’re here with me? Always.” He smiles and leads her in. They sign in, putting all their belongings in the bin including his rings. When the officer stops Motley she is forced to put her grandmothers ring in the bin, still on the chain Eddie had made for it.

“It’ll be fine here kid.” The officer smiles. “He used to do that too.”

Johnson’s prison facility was 2 hours away from Hawkins, and they had three main cops that have been here since Eddie had started coming.

He leads them to the cafeteria where 4 guards stand and Eddie takes a seat, keeping Motley pressed into his side as he waits for them to bring in his dad.

10 minutes go by and then he’s there, handcuffed and smiling from ear to ear as Robert Munson is brought to the table.

“Edward.” He greets, waiting for the officer to cuff him to the table. He grunts in pain when the officer tightens it a little too much, glaring up at him. “Hey man. Think you can take it easy? That's my granddaughter there.”

“How did….” Eddie begins to ask.

“Wayne called me a couple days ago. Warned me about how I needed to act. My little fucking brother calling me to tell me to respect my own fucking son and-“ He stops when he sees Eddie’s glare, turning instead to the girl sat beside him. “What’s your name sweetie?”

“Motley.” She smiles.

“Jesus. Still into that rock music bullshit? You named your kid after them?” He laughs.

“He didn’t name me. My mom did.” Motley answers quickly. “She named all of us.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Four.”

“Wow. Someone has stayed busy.” He chuckles, casting a side eye to Eddie. “You let her name all four?”

“The first two I wasn’t there for. The last two I figured she spent 7 hours pushing my boys out that she should get the naming privileges.” Eddie mumbles, tapping his knuckles on the table.

“You weren’t there for the first two?”

“No. I didn’t meet them until Metalhead here was 6.” Eddie smiles at Motley, pushing his head to her forehead which makes her laugh.

“So she’s not yours?”

“She’s mine. She just didn’t come from me.” Eddie says defensively. “Kind of like Wayne and I.”

He watches as his comment sinks in, the man’s face falling a bit as he stares at Eddie before nodding slowly. “You got a picture?”

Motley nods, opening her school folder to pull out the most recent family photo.

Eddie stood in the photo, dressed in a button up and slacks with his hair pulled back into a low bun and you beside him in a nice outfit. Motley stood in front of him, smiling from ear to ear in her own dress with her long hair curled and her newly pierced ears shown. Ziggy stood beside her holding your hand with her hair in pigtails and a dress that cost you three pancakes to get her to wear it. The boys were both in their cute little baby ties, one in your hands and the other sitting on Wayne’s lap.

Wayne sat in the middle, Halen giggling widely as everyone smiled and you could see the happiness in Eddie’s

“Wow. Look at you guys.” His dad murmurs, nodding awkwardly. “That’s a….. you got a good family Wardie.”

“Wardie?” Motley asks looking up at Eddie.

“It’s what he used to call me. Way back when I was growing up.”

“What’s all this for?” He asks, waving his hand to all her papers.

“I’m doing a family tree and I have some questions. If you would be okay answering them.”

“I got…. An hour with you guys so let’s get it done.” He smiles.

The next 40 minutes he talks to Motley about the family, and about his mothers side of the family. Once Motley answers all her questions she closes the folder and stares at him dead on.

“I just wanted to say….. my dad is one of the best. He didn’t have to stay but he did and he’s made my life better. He’s a good man. You should know that.” And Eddie has no clue what to say, neither does his father. Both just blinking at her for a moment as she packs up her folder before shuffling to give him a side hug.

Eddie gets protective, standing quickly as Robert tries to hug back but the cuffs prevent it. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You as well.” She smiles before moving to follow the guard out.

“Edward. If you would wait just a moment.” His dad sighs, and Eddie sits back down. “I…. I think you’re a great man. I always knew you would be and I’m sorry if I- not if. I’m sorry that I treated you the way I did and constantly hurt not only your physical health but your mental health. I’m sober and I’ve come to realize how bad I was.”

Eddie nods, he doesn’t really know how else to respond to that.

“I…. Well I miss you, and my brother. They have family visitation in April and I…. It would mean the world to me- but you don’t owe me anything- if you brought your family. I could make ‘em little wooden sculptures. I’ve gotten good at those.”

“I…. I’ll talk to my wife about it.” Eddie nods. And then Robert is nodding his head to the guard at the door who brings over a small little ornament carved out of wood, a bat.

“Last time I saw ya I saw your bat tattoos. We have shop here so I made that.”

“Thank you.” Eddie nods. “Means a lot.”

“And slowly, with each step rattling the ground beneath the travelers feet, the goblin king was upon them!” Eddie narrates with an excited look in his eyes, making the entire table sit on the edge of their seats.

The party; Lucas, Erica, Mike, Dustin, Gareth, Jeff, and Paul; had collected at the house and Eddie had stolen the dining room for the night and banned the girls from entering or interrupting the campaign the party had been trying to schedule for months.

They obviously started off butt hurt but once you told them you’d let them eat dinner in front of the tv they had gotten more excited about it.

So you had made dinner, and got them set up as Eddie began his campaign.

You sat with the kids on the floor, working on a crossword puzzle as the girls kept their eyes glued to the screen.

Here’s the thing, Eddie told the girls they couldn’t come in but he never exclusively said the boys couldn’t come in. So when Ozzy emerged at the door Eddie gave him a warning look that said ‘back away’ and it always used to work in school. Jocks used to back away from the lunch table easily and theater kids would dash from the drama room quickly.

But Ozzy? Nooooo. Ozzy liked to cause problems and fight against the punishment.

He smiles at his dads warning look and gets a little further in the kitchen as Eddie tries to concentrate on the campaign. “And with an angry roar he reaches a heavy fist out to slam against the ground and ‘BAM!’-“ Eddie slams his fist on the table.

“Bam bam!” Ozzy repeats, hitting the fridge like Eddie had hit the table.

“Yeah dude. Get into it.” Jeff smiles.

“The goblin hits the ground so hard the earth begins to crack and tear beneath you travelers! What will you -Ozzy no.” Eddie doesn’t have time to react as his son dashes to the table and sticks his grubby little toddler fingers out to snatch Paul’s little figurine.

“Hey! Eddie that thing stole my-“ Paul begins whining.

“That thing is my son so watch your mouth.” He warns before snapping his fingers at Ozzy. “Give it.”

Ozzy doesn’t, and when Paul reaches for him he screams out and shakes his head. “NO NO NO!”

“He doesn’t like to be touched.” Eddie explains.

“Don’t touch him.” Lucas snaps.

“Well he-“ and then it happens. Ozzy pulls his hand back and chucks the goblin straight into Paul’s face so hard Eddie gasps.

“OW YOU LITTLE FUCK!” Paul yells, covering the spot leaking with blood.

“BAM BAM!”

You appear in the doorway then, eyes wide as you reach for Ozzy. “I’m sorry guys.”

“Can’t you keep control of the kids?”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Eddie sneers, finger in his face. “Dude we’ve been planning this night for months and we all have to work around your schedule with your kids. This is insane!”

“Hey. Erica and I have a newborn so it was us too.” Dustin defends, standing up. “And Lucas has away games and Mike is busy with his internship. Gareth owns a bar and Jeff is taking care of his mom. Not all of us have all day and night Paul.”

“Guys. I’m sorry. I’ll get a washcloth for your face and set the baby gate up. Okay? Just get back to your game.” You try, pulling Ozzys hand to lead him out.

“ITS NOT A GAME!” Paul snaps and Ozzy whirls back.

“No yell Mama!” He yells, dashing around the table. Eddie already moving to catch him but before he can Ozzy hits Paul straight in the crotch.

“Oh! Get him Ozzy!” Mike laughs as Eddie lifts his kid by the back of his shirt and pulls him away.

“No yell mama!” Ozzy repeats himself which pulls Ziggy and Motley into the room.

“Who yelled at mom?”

Ozzy answers his older sisters question by pointing straight at Paul.

“Don’t yell at my mom!” Motley snaps and Ziggys face gets red.

“Eddie. Get your kids man.”

“YOU’RE AN UGLY BLOWFISH!” Ziggy shouts.

“PEPPERONI FACE!” Motley adds.

“And you stink!” Mike helps, smiling from ear to ear.

“POOPOO HEAD!”

Paul collects his stuff angrily, cussing under his breath on the way out before slamming the front door harshly.

“Anyone else want to go?” Eddie asks. “Cause I love you guys but my kids and wife are more important. So if you have a problem with them then go.”

Everyone looks around at each other and shrugs, getting comfortable again as Eddie sets Ozzy down. The girls move over to kiss his cheek before dashing back to the tv.

“I do have dessert cooking guys.” You mumble, still obviously awkward as you try to reach for Ozzy. He moves away and struggles to get onto Paul’s empty seat.

Eddie watches as he gets settled, his face just meeting the table.

“No Ozzy.”

“Yes Ozzy.” His son argues. Jesus he looked just like Eddie.

“Oz, come on. I’ll put on Scooby.” You try again and he shakes his head.

“I’m cool if he stays.” Gareth smiles, shrugging. “He seems to be really into it”

The rest of the table agrees and you nod, looking to Eddie to make sure.

“You can stay. But no throwing anything.” He orders and he knows that Ozzy didn’t actually hear a word as he giggles.

You move to leave to the living room but Eddie stands quickly to catch you and give you a deep kiss.

“Enjoy your g….campaign.” You smile, heading back out with the girls and Halen.

Once Eddie starts again Ozzy stays seated which is extremely odd for the toddler, and everytime Eddie makes an over dramatic sound Ozzy repeats it.

Every “Bam” is met with a “bam bam!”, and every “boom!” Is quickly followed by a “BOOOOM!” and the party seems to love it.

Lucas lets Ozzy roll for him, laughing every single time he rolls a Nat 20 to Dustin’s measly 1’s.

And suddenly Ozzy was there every week to watch them play.

(Let me tell you. Eddie’s kids stand on BUSINESS)

The day you both took them to get their vaccines was filled with tricks and lies. Your good parents, you knew how this game was played.

The agreement was if they all behaved during their doctors appointment then they could all get a toy and an ice cream cone.

So they all piled into the car and played nice until you got to the doctors office. Then to make things easier the doctor pulled you all back and you planned on it being easy.

But of course it wouldn’t be easy because the kids saw the needle.

“No no no no no.” Motley begs, her face pressed into Eddie’s abdomen as he keeps one hand on her head to keep her there and the other rubbing her back gently.

“Breathe. It will be okay. Just a second.” He promises, watching the needle go in and holding his breath as Motley tenses with tears sliding down her face.

Ziggy cries, Halen and Ozzy crying too as the doctor congratulates Motley and sticks a bandaid over her arm before handing her a lollipop.

She glares, still crying as she mumbles out “you’re mean,” to the poor doctor and hopping off the table. Eddie gives her another hug, kissing her head before you’re bringing Ziggy up to the table.

She kicks out and screams as you try and relax her, and Eddie does what he did for Motley and shoves her face in his abdomen so she doesn’t have to look.

“Come on Zigs. You got this.” He whispers and the doctor pushes the needle into her arm. She cries out, and once the needle is replaced with a bandaid she is far less forgiving than her sister. “Bitch.”

“Heyyyy.” Eddie warns, helping her off the table to replace her with Halen.

The youngest was surprisingly calm. He whines out at the pinch of pain but the second he has a transformers bandaid on he is distracted and easy to woo.

Ozzy however was not having it. He fought you getting onto the table and he fought Eddie trying to hold him. Finally it got to the point where Eddie had to hold his arms down just for the doctor to go ahead and once it was done and Eddie thought it safe to let go your son took a swing on the doctor.

It hits her in the cheek and Eddie is apologizing immediately as she laughs it off mumbling that it’s not the first time.

You snatch him from the table and pull him out of the room as Eddie continues to apologize, the doctor just waves him off and laughs.

The car ride is silent as you and Eddie both try to figure out what to say. You had reached the point with Ozzy where he wasn’t listening to your warnings or lectures but neither of you wanted to hit him. So you didn’t know what to do.

“That’s it.” You snap, unbuckling quickly and bending to snatch his arm from the seat behind yours and biting down hard enough to make him cry out before pulling back.

“That hurt?!”

“YES MAMA!” He screams.

“Good! No more hitting or biting or kicking!” You yell back. “And everyone but you gets ice cream because you’re a mean baby!”

“NO MAMA!”

“Yes! Now shut the hell up and think about what you did!” Adrenaline is coursing through you and you already feel bad for yelling at him but you turn to face the front and see Eddie trying his best not to laugh.

“You just bit our kid.”

“That’s not a kid. That’s a villain.” You snap.

“Think you can bite me sometime?” He teases and you try not to laugh as you look out the window.

“I think I can make something happen.”

And when Eddie pulls into the ice cream parking lot the other kids all jump out, Halen being grabbed by Eddie as you move to the back to sit with Ozzy.

“Mama please.”

“No.”

“Mama…. Pwease!” He whines, eyes filling with tears.

“You were bad Ozzy. Very bad.” You mumble, reading your book as he pouts and cries. There is a knock at the window and you crank it down to greet your husband.

“Wanted to make sure it was going okay in here.”

“That’s why I sent you in because you cave in too easily.” You sigh, seeing the puppy dog eyes of your husband. “Eddie, he needs to learn.”

“But he’s so young and he-“ you start rolling the window back up, with a roll of your eyes.

“Wait wait. Fine. Okay? He was bad.” Eddie sighs. “But that’s our little man! Look at him.”

You don’t want to because you know you’ll be met with the spitting image of your adorable husband.

“Just…. Come on baby.” Eddie whines and you roll your eyes again.

“I sowwy!” Ozzy sniffles and you feel yourself break under pressure.

“He’s sowwy.” Eddie coos.

“F-fine.” You sigh, moving to unbuckle him and get out of the car. “But I swear-“

Eddie is grabbing him already and you go to sit where the rest were sitting, watching Eddie take him to the counter to choose an ice cream.

When they come back Ozzy moves to sit in your lap, which shocks you because he normally hates that.

He keeps the side of his head on your chest as he eats the ice cream and you’re able to read as Ziggy talks Eddie’s ear off about how brave she was.

“You were brave. All my dorks did so good.” He smiles, leaning to sneak a gummy bear out of her ice cream.

“Daddy!” She whines but he sticks out his tongue which makes her stick out her tongue. Halen tries but he had a mouth full of chocolate ice cream so Eddie is quick to tell him no.

“How is ice cream made?” Ziggys asks and Eddie shrugs. “Am I supposed to know?”

“Yes?”

“I’m supposed to know how ice cream is made?” Eddie scoffs, looking shocked.

“Yes!”

“Then you tell me how babies are made.”

“Mommy makes them. Duh.” She responds like he’s stupid. “Where were you?”

“I can promise you I was right there.” Eddie laughs and you glare which makes him laugh harder, leaning back in his chair to give himself room to cackle.

Halen imitates his cackle which makes Eddie laugh harder until his chair falls backwards and all you can see are his feet flying in the air.

Motley and Ziggy laugh loudly, both rushing to go help him up and you shake your head.

“You’re where Ozzy gets it from.”

“I think I broke my back-“

“Ow. Baby.” Eddie groans, laying face first into the pillow as you climb into bed.

“What’s wrong?” You tease laying down and adjusting the blanket to cover you. You feel his hand reach out as he grunts in pain, looking for you.

“Baby come here.”

“Why?”

“Because we always cuddle!” He sighs, already agitated.

“How am I supposed to cuddle you right now? You’re in pain.”

“Come on….. just. God damn it come here.” He snaps, pulling you in and grunting in pain. “Just need you near. That’s all I want.”

“You’re old.” You murmur, rubbing his lower back a little. “Stay still. I’ll go get the icy hot.”

“Nope! No!” Eddie shouts, dashing after where Halen just escaped from butt naked. “Come here boy!”

Halen merely giggles and when Eddie runs around the corner he nearly collides with Ziggy, jumping over her like a fence. “Sorry sweetie!”

“I’m stealing your-“ he doesn’t hear the rest, zipping after Halen and just managing to catch him before he goes to bother you in the kitchen. “It’s bathtime little man. And it’s also rude to run with your junk out.”

“No bath!”

“Yes bath!” Eddie laughs. “You smell like grandpa Wayne.”

“Heard that!” His uncle calls from the hall. “Thin ice boy!”

Halen and Eddie exchange glances, both wide eyed. “He talking to me or you?”

Halen shrugs and Eddie tries not to laugh at how innocent he is as he dashes upstairs. Only to find Ziggy covered in your lotion.

“That’s it. I’m dead.” He sighs. “Your mother is going to kill me.”

“Okay daddy. I have a plan though.” Ziggy starts.

“…..I might be interested in hearing it.” Eddie mumbles back, Halen wiggling in his arms.

“We don’t tell mommy. I don’t get spanked and you don’t get killed.”

“Seems legit. Hop in the shower and I’ll hide the evidence.” And just like that the daddy daughter duo commits a crime.

By the time you are getting ready for bed he hears you rustling around in the bathroom doing your nightly routine.

“Hey baby?” He calls, scratching the back of his neck. “I need your help.”

The plan was to distract you, whether that be through seduction or just talking your ear off he had yet to figure out.

You come out of the bathroom, raising an eyebrow out to him in confusion as he sits on the bed. “With what?”

“Allllll of thisssss.” He wiggles his eyebrows, using his hand to gesture up and down his body.

“What’d you do?” You snap, hands flying to your hips as you glare.

“What? What do you mean?”

“You only do that cheesy sexual thing when you are hiding something Edward Munson.” You snap, moving closer. First mistake.

“No I don’t!” He scoffs. “I’ve never once in my life done that.”

Yes he had. Once last week when he broke your favorite mug. Twice the week Motley kicked a soccer ball through the back window.

“Are you accusing me of being a prostitute?”

“Prostitution is for money. You’re doing it to make sure no one gets in trouble. What’s the word for that?”

“Protective.”

“Slut.” He gasps loudly at your words, moving forward to snatch you into his arms.

“You wanna see what this slut can do?”

“Yes. Then I wanna know what you did.” You laugh.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” You sigh, walking in front of Motley as she follows you around the diner floor.

You were opening this morning, and Motley decided to come with you to try and plead her case before she went to school.

“Mom please.” She whines. “I wanna go.”

“Motley. It’s not a good idea.” You repeat, snatching all the ketchup bottles from the table to refill. Honestly you were done with this conversation, and though you understood why Eddie took Motley in the first place you did not want your kids or your husband attached to that man.

Robert Munson was a plague in memories for your husband and you didn’t want that for him.

But Motley wanted to take Eddie to go see him on family day. And you were wracking your brain trying to figure out what was going on here. Why was your daughter so obsessed with this situation?

“Be fair!” She snaps.

“Take it down a notch.”

“But mom-“

“What’s the deal here, Motty?” You sigh, sitting in a booth to start marrying all the ketchup bottles. “If you’re upset about something you should just tell me.”

“I’m not upset about anything.”

“Yes. You are.” You respond. “Tell me what’s going on here.”

“Do you think…. Do you think Dad misses me?”

“I’m sure he does. He always begs to pick you guys up from school-“

“No. I mean….”

“Oh…. Motley I don’t know. Are you missing him?”

“No. I just wonder if he’s missing me. He’s my dad. He should be right. And if Dads dad can miss him, maybe my father can miss me. You know?”

You don’t know what to say, and you don’t know how to fix this so maybe you should just give in and see if she can sort some of these emotions out herself.

“I’ll discuss it with Eddie. Okay? Now how about you play hooky and miss your first class for a stack of pancakes?”

“Okay.” She giggles, and that was a step in the right direction.

Eddie was tense the morning you got ready for family day, not really saying much as you both shuffled around each other before you had to get the kids up.

You knew he was nervous and stressed and you didn’t know how to help him which was beginning to stress you out. He was doing this for Motley, and you were so grateful for that but you seemed to be pushing too hard.

So, as he sat on the bench at the end of the bed putting on his boots, you took your chance and wormed your way onto his lap with your legs on either side of his hips.

He accepts you with little fight, practically melting at your touch and pressing his nose into your collarbone as you hug him. His hands clutch your hips tightly, and you quickly realize he is doing the grounding technique that his therapist recommended.

“5 things that you can see.”

“Your dress, the sock under the dresser, the throw blanket you claim is important, my bandana hanging on the back of the door, and your purse by the door.”

“Good.” You hum out. “4 things you can touch.”

“You, my jeans, the blanket and your hair.”

“3 things you can hear.”

“The fan in the boys’ room, the water in the toilet run, and Wayne shuffling around downstairs.”

“2 things you can smell?”

“Your perfume and the febreeze.” He’s less tense now, breathing out easily.

“Something you can taste?”

“If you gimme a kiss something tells me that famous cherry chapstick.” He mumbles slowly, nose going up your neck until his lips reach yours. He doesn’t kiss you though, just keeping his lips barely touching your own, breathing into each other.

“Are you okay to do this?” You whisper.

“I…. I’ve done it once with her already.”

“This is different and you know it. And I know you’re doing it for Motley because you’re amazing but I just think this is pushing it a bit.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Eddie.”

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” He mumbles, finally pressing his lips into your own to kiss you finally. You deepen it instantly, pushing him into the mattress a little from his spot on the bench which makes him smile through the kiss.

When you reach down to unbuckle his belt he hums out, moving to stop you. “We gotta get the kids ready-“

“We got time.” You smile. “And I’m craving it.”

He couldn’t argue that.

Eddie was trying to hide the fact that his hands were shaking and he couldn’t seem to catch his breath, but he was trying really hard to seem cool.

This was for Motley, he could do this again for Motley.

Last time when it was just him and her it was easier. But now, with you and Wayne and Ziggy and the boys. It was going to be too much. Too soon. He really didn’t want his dad knowing all this about his life.

He also didn’t want all his kids knowing this part of his life, the child of a murderer life.

Wayne sat next to him in the car and you sat in the back with all the kids. He kept looking back at you through the rear view mirror, lightening little by little each time you smiled at him.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. He was going in with his best team.

But then the Johnsons Center came into view and all he could feel was dread. This was a terrible idea and he would regret it.

Motley is the first to jump out, holding the card she made in her hand as she waits on the side of the car for everyone else. Eddie had put her hair into two braided plaits and he was thankful she did because now she can’t pull at it to show her nervousness.

The boys both yell out when you try to help them out after unbuckling them and they climb out themselves, Eddie helps them hop down since the little toddlers couldn’t manage that part themselves and Ziggy jumps out at him with a smile.

“You ready?” Wayne asks, helping you shuffle the kids together so you can snatch the boys up. Halen giggles, jumping into Wayne’s arms as Ozzy lays his head on your chest and clutches at your shirt. Ziggy and Motley are both holding Eddie’s hands.

“I’m as ready as I will ever be.” Eddie sighs. “Alright. Let me see everyone.”

Everyone smiles at him, just like they always do when he asks this, and before he knew it he was leading them all into the building. Helping Ziggy and Motley on the beginning of what they needed to give up and helping them through the scanners.

Ziggy giggles when the guard takes his hand scanner and checks her, calling it a lightsaber which makes Eddie laugh.

Motley once again hesitates when giving up her grandmothers ring, but the second it hits the bin the guard gives her a small smile promising to protect it.

Ozzy and Halen are a bit easier, you have to give up your earrings and Wayne his watch but they were soon ushered into the courtyard where other families all sat together having fun.

In the center, sitting at a table by himself, sat Alan looking anxious and eyes casting around nervously. The second his eyes land on the family, a smile splits across his face from ear to ear as he stands and fixes the jumpsuit he was wearing.

He looked nervous, and that made Eddie feel a little easier about everything.

“Hey guys…” he smiles, when they make it to the table. “I am so glad you could make it.”

“Hey Alan.” Wayne mutters, and they stare at each other for a second before Alan holds his hand out to shake like a peace offering.

“Motley, good to see you again angel.” He smiles, holding out his hands for a hug if she wanted. She does, giving him a full hug before sitting down. Ziggy smiles at him, sitting by her sister quickly and Wayne sits with Halen.

You stand by Eddie, allowing him to lead you a little closer by your lower back.

“You must be …..” Alan smiles, reaching a hand out to shake. “My son told me about you a couple years ago when he came to see me.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” You smile, and Eddie feels something pinch in his chest. “You know Motley, this one is Ziggy-“

Ziggy goes to bite you when you place your hand on her head, to which you pinch her cheek. “Then we have Halen and Ozzy.”

“You have a little army.” Alan laughs, watching as you sit with Ozzy. Eddie stands awkwardly with the picnic basket Wayne had carried in, Alan moves in for a hug and Eddie is quick to shake his hand before sitting down with his family and allowing Alan to sit as well.

“They said we could bring food so we did.” He mumbles, opening the basket and beginning to set everything up.

“Thank you guys! This is great. I was beginning to think you might not…..” Alan blanches, anxiety pouring off him.

“Sorry. We all got a bit of a late start.” You explain, smiling in Eddie’s direction slyly.

“I want to know everything. What do you kids do for fun? What’s your favorite animal?”

“I dance!” Ziggy mumbles, snatching a sandwich Eddie had been trying to pass her. “You wanna see me twirl?”

“I would love to.”

“Maybe after you eat.” Eddie mumbles before she can rush to do it. “Once she finds a way to escape the table she can’t ever sit back down.”

“Not true!”

“So true.” Eddie laughs.

“Kid. You’re an everyday Houdini with dinner tables.” Wayne teases, using his fingers to tickle her side which makes her laugh loudly, pushing his hand away.

“Grandpa Wayne!” She whines and Alan freezes, keeping a smile glued on his face. Eddie’s side hurts, the scars aching from the bats teeth.

“She…. They all call him-“ he tries to explain before you’re there to save him.

“The kids missed their grandma and grandpa from my side and I insisted they call Wayne here Grandpa Wayne.” You explain.

“You live with them? Isn’t that right?” Alan asks, looking at Wayne.

“Yes. Little boss pants over here insisted I move in after my hip surgery.” Wayne smiles and you roll your eyes playfullly.

“BIRD.” Halen yells happily, pointing up to the bird flying overhead before bouncing up and down happily and clapping.

“BAT!” Ozzy calls next, pointing to Eddie’s bat tattoos.

“How many tattoos you got now boy?” Alan smiles, looking at his son.

“Oh, Eddie, you should show him your newest one.” Wayne offers. “He’s got the kids' names down his side. It looks great.”

But Eddie blanches, hands shaking as he rubs his side. “Well uh-“

He lifts the shirt slowly, showing the tattoo that has all the first letters of their names and their birthdates by them.

Alan smile falls as he sees his sons side and abdomen, all the scarring there. “Wow….”

“My dad has cool scars!” Motley explains, tracing along the outer edge of one.

“What from?”

“Oh…. Just stuff.” Eddie mumbles out. “We made you some potato salad.”

As soon as all the plates were full everyone began a natural conversation, Alan asking question after question about the kids.

And once lunch was done Alan invites the kids to play some game that they had set up in the courtyard.

“They let anyone with good behavior do this.” He explains as he leads them to the games.

“Yeah? Family day?” Wayne clarifies.

“Yeah.”

“Have you been bad?” Ziggy asks, holding Wayne’s hand as they walk. “Since this is your first family day?”

“No. I’ve been allowed for a couple years. But I just….. didn’t know if anyone would be interested in coming.” Alan answers truthfully. “You remind me of your grandma.”

“I do?” Ziggy smiles.

“Oh yeah. She liked asking questions too. Never stopped.” Alan laughs. “She spent her life wondering new things.”

“Do I look like her?”

“Oh, Zigster-“ Eddie starts but Alan is quick to stop him. “Yeah you kinda do kid. You got her bright eyes.”

Her smile widens and soon enough she was moving to the jump rope game with him close to her.

“This isn’t going bad.” You mumble, watching the girls with Wayne and Alan. “How you feeling?”

“Tense. Pain. Awkward.” Eddie blurts, shuffling Halen around in his arms. “I…. This is not what I imagined.”

“I know.” You mumble, leaning forward to kiss him softly. “But I’m really happy you did.”

“I…..” he trails off, sitting on the benches with you.

“I don’t know how to help Motley with this.” You mumble. “But you’re helping her and you need to know that it absolutely means the world to me.”

“You guys mean the world to me.” He smiles, hand rubbing your knee as he bounces Halen in his lap. “Would you ever…. Allow a supervised visit?”

“For Alan?”

“No. For Billy-“

“No.” You snap out, body physically turning away from him.

“I know. I just think she needs closure-“

“Shut up.” You snap out, standing quickly to go stand with the rest of your group.

Eddie sighs out, chest aching.

The car ride on the way home is silent as all the kids play with the wooden ornaments Alan had made them. Wayne holds the pack of photos you guys had gotten with Alan in his hand and you say between the twins with your arms crossed glaring out the window.

You hadn’t said a word to him since he asked and he was beginning to think he really fucked uo by bringing it up.

Dinner passed in silence and by the time you got the kids ready for bed you both split up to get everyone into bed.

Eddie took the girls, reading them both a bedtime story before taking a moment to pick up the basement lounge area that had been made into their shared playroom.

By the time he makes it upstairs he moves to see if you’re still with the twins, shocked to find that both of them are completely passed out and their starry night light the only source of light in the room.

So he shuffles to the room, finding you sitting on the bench with tears streaming down your face that you keep quickly trying to wipe away.

He shuts the door, moving closer to sit in his knees in front of you.

“I’m sorry.” You blurt. “I don’t know why I’m crying. This is so silly.”

“No it’s not.” He mutters, rubbing your thighs. “Nothing that makes you upset is silly.”

“I just don’t know how to help her with this. I’ve never had to go through it and I hate the thought of him seeing her but she’s gotta have something going on here and I can’t be selfish-“ you begin to rant, taking a deep breath in and moving to hold his hands.

“We can try a supervised visit to see if it helps her. Or maybe we ask to see what she wants.” Eddie offers. “Or maybe we distract her with a trip to Disneyland.”

“Shut up!” Your laugh is watery and you slap his shoulder lightly as he lunges up to kiss you. It’s urgent and strong, and you immediately melt into it as his hands slide up your body to keep you pulled close to him.

“I hate when you’re mad at me.” He murmurs when he pulls away, finger tracing your cheek slowly as he admires you.

“I wasn’t mad at you.” You mumble, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “I just….. it scares me you know?”

“I know. I also kind of sprung the idea on you.” He answers. You both work in tandem, slowly beginning to undress each other, one piece of clothing at a time as you keep coming in for more kisses.

“Did you lock the door?” You whisper, and he grunts out, sliding from the bed to make sure the door is locked before dashing back to you.

The diner you had chosen to meet Billy at was extremely crowded. Which is why you had chosen it.

You sat at a table for 4, with Motley and Ziggy on either side of you as Billy sat across from you. He has an irritated expression, had one the entire time as Motley and Ziggy talk to him about anything and everything they could.

His answers remained short, and the girls were definitely getting hurt by it.

“I got the chicken tenders and there was only supposed to be three but I got five!” Motley explains with excitement.

“Ok.” Billy shrugs, not really caring and taking a bite out of his burger.

Halfway through the lunch they both decided to just talk to you instead which you were fine with, and once he was done eating he put cash down for his own before kissing their heads and heading out.

You stayed sitting there, smiling at the girls as the waitress cleared the table.

“Are you ready for the check?” She asks sweetly. “I’m sure I can get the chef to make you both a free milkshake.”

She winks as the girls sit up happily and you smile back. “We’re actually waiting on my husband and their brothers. They’ll be here soon.”

“Yeah, we had lunch with my biological dad. But my dad is coming to pick us up. He went to some really big store that had lots of game stuff.”

“He plays DnD.” You nod, and the waitress smiles happily.

“I’ll be right back ladies.”

10 minutes later there is a round of milkshakes as the twins munch on a plate of fries while Eddie listens to the girls talk about the lunch.

“I got the chicken tenders and there was supposed to be three but I ended up getting five!”

“You’re absolutely kidding!” Eddie gasps. “The kitchen must have thought you were awesome.”

“Must have!”

“Did you have ketchup or mustard?”

“Both!”

“Atta girl!” He smiles. “I got you something from the store.”

He pulls out a small pouch and hands it to her so she can dig through it, pulling out a set of pink dice. “NO WAY!”

“I want one!” Ziggy whines and Eddie laughs before pulling out a little princess figurine for her.

“Nerds.” You mumble out which makes him give you a toothy grin.

“Daddy daddy daddy!” Ziggy yells excitedly, running up to where Eddie sat on the couch with his reading glasses on, focusing on the pages before him as the girl climbs up to get to him. “Guess what!”

“What?” He smiles, closing the book to turn to watch her.

She pulls her lip back with a finger to show a gap in her front teeth.

“You lost a tooth!” Eddie laughs with excitement. “Oh Man! The tooth fairy is gonna come give you money tonight!”

“I thought she gave chocolate? In the baskets?”

“No zigster. That’s Easter.” He smiles at her. “The Easter bunny does that. Remember? He pooped all over the house?”

The ‘poop’ had been brownies crumbled, rolled up and set along the floor to make it look like the bunny had pooped everywhere. The girls thought it was hilarious and Eddie regretted setting it up everytime he had to drag Zeppelin away from the brownies.

“So she gives money?”

“Always does.”

“How much?”

“A dollar.”

“That's cheap!”

“Ohhhh be careful little one. She might hear you say that and bring nothing.”

“She wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh she would.”

“What a bitch.” Ziggy sighs out and Eddie tries his hardest not to laugh.

That night Ziggy gets 50 cents and a cute little note saying “how rude.”

She was upset. Eddie thought it was hilarious.

(Time change here gadies and lentlemen)

“Babe! Have you seen my keys?!” Eddie panics from down the stairs, rushing around the house to try and find them as everyone upstairs gets ready for the day. “I can’t find them!”

“Last I saw they were on the bannister!” You call down the steps and Ziggy dashes down, bangs and all.

Ziggy was 11 now, and she had gone through a lot of changes. No more pigtails, now she kept her hair down with bangs, and she always had one tiny braid in it that she always tied off with one colored rubber band. Todays was bright green to match her nice little dress for picture day.

“Hey papa.” She greets, dashing past him to get to the kitchen. “Do we have egos?”

“Egos? Yeah. Sometimes. Eggos however, your aunt El ate them this weekend.” He explains while searching his bag for the keys.

“UGH!” His daughter yells, stomping to go get cereal.

“Hey dad!” Motley smiles, entering the kitchen and moving to kiss his cheek.

“Hey Metalhead- absolutely not. Go up and change.” He snaps, shaking his head.

Things had changed with Motley too, and Eddie hated it. Well he loved her but he hated that she had to go through puberty. Why couldn’t she just stay young and adorable forever?!

Gone were the overalls and plaited hair.

Now she styled her hair in all the new trends and styles, she wore tiny skirts and tiny crop tops. Her nails were always covered with a new color every week and the amount of time Eddie asks her to pick up her stupid sandals has gone too far.

Not to mention the amount of makeup the girls have in their bathroom downstairs.

“What?! Dad!” She sighs, already ready to fight for her outfit. Today she had chosen a pair of heeled Mary janes with tights and a really short black skirt. That he didn’t mind, even if he was the slightest bit concerned about the skirt he knew he should be lucky she wore the pantyhose. The shirt she chose however was a no.

“I can see your midriff!”

“So?”

“You raise your hand once and everyone will see your bra!”

“Again, so?”

“Motley Marie.” He snaps and she sighs out, stomping off to go change as you enter the kitchen with a smile.

“Morning handsome.”

“Babe I need my keys!” He panics, kissing you quickly before rushing past. “I can’t be late for work again!”

“Why's Motley mad?” You ask him while helping him search.

“I told her to put on clothes.”

“Why’s Ziggy mad?”

“Out of Eggos.”

“Got it.”

“Morning!” Halen smiles, jumping down the last 7 stairs which makes you gasp out in fear.

“Halen, you know I hate when you do that!”

“Looking for dads keys?” He asks with a shit eating grin that makes you both groan out and rush to the plants left on the banister.

Lately Halen had been in a bit of a….phase? He liked to steal things. But not actually keep them. No the kid liked to steal and hide things just for the sake of it. His favorite spot to hide things happened to be the plants.

So you both began digging through the plants, searching for the keys.

Motley stomps back up the stairs, and Eddie whirls to see what she is wearing. “Better. Thank you.”

“Whatever.” She grumbles out and moves to grab her bag.

“Cute sweater. Now take it off.” You smile, watching her freeze.

“What do you mean?”

“The top that your dad told you not to wear is under it. You think I’m stupid?”

“UGH! This house is so stupid!” She screams, stomping back down the stairs. Her heels hit the stairs with a thump thump thump each time.

“I would have never realized.” Eddie mumbles, before you pull out a pair of silver keys. “AHA! My beautiful wife!”

“Do we have Eggos?” Halen asks, dashing to the kitchen where Ziggy is shoving her face with cereal.

“No. Stupid.”

“You’re stupid!” He snaps, moving to grab the box.

“Those are mine!” Ziggy snaps. “You chose the Frosted Flakes!”

“Just share!” Eddie sighs. “Your mom and I will go shopping later.”

“Hey guys.” Ozzy mumbles, coming into the kitchen.

The boys were 8, and somehow become exact opposites of eachother. Halen kept his hair short and mostly wore flannels and converse. He liked to steal things for whatever reason and was currently hyper fixated on baseball.

Ozzy liked to keep to the baggy long sleeve shirts and black ripped jeans, he had been wearing out his pair of converse for years now and refused to wear the new ones you and Eddie got him. His hair, pitch black, was extremely curly and reached his mid neck. (I’m thinking like Finn wolfhard hair. You can choose though it’s your kid).

He was currently obsessed with Eragon, and Nirvana. Both of which Eddie could support.

Ozzy came in dragging his cello case until you grabbed it from him and set it on the couch. Instead of guitar the kid chose the cello, and Eddie had gotten him a nice black handmade cello.

“You okay pal?” Eddie asks, watching Ozzy scramble to make toast.

“Yeah. I stayed up late.” The kid mumbles.

“Yeah! His reading light kept me up dad!”

Right on cue Motley stomps back up, wearing a form fitting top that didn’t seem much better but at least she’d be able to raise her hand in class.

“Better?”

“Not much but I’ll allow it.” Eddie smiles, leaning to kiss her cheek right as there is a honk out front. “Really? Samantha can’t just come to the door?”

“It’s not Samantha.” Motley shrugs, grabbing her bag and lip gloss before heading out the door.

“Wait what?!” Eddie calls, following her out. “Fucking Aaron again.”

“Dad, don't embarrass me.” She snaps as she gets into the car.

“Hey man-“ Eddie calls, stopping the door before she can close it on him.

“Don’t worry Mr. Munson. She’s in good hands.”

“I don’t want her in any hands!” He snaps out, glaring at the idiot of a kid.

“Dad!”

“Okay. Fine. Just be careful-“ the door is shut before he could finish his sentence and they are off. “Oh I hate this feeling of parenthood.”

“Come on kids. We gotta go!” You call from the door, trying to get them all to the car. Halen dashes for his seat, papers flying out of his backpack that Eddie quickly moves to snatch.

“Halen? Did you do your homework?” Eddie sighs, seeing most of them blank.

“Ozzy did!” Halen smiles. “I’ll copy it when we’re there.”

“That’s not how that works kid.” He warns as Halen buckles up.

“Are you picking me up after baseball practice?”

“Yes. I might be a couple minutes late because Ozzy needs to be picked up from orchestra.” Eddie answers, kissing his forehead.

You load Ozzys cello into the trunk as Eddie kisses Ozzys head and whispers “don’t give your brother the homework.”

“We both know I will.” Ozzy whispers back before pulling out another book.

“Hey papa.” Ziggy calls, walking around the car with her painting kit. “Bye papa.”

“Bye Zig. Good luck with art class today okay?”

“Good like with Jared.” She smiles, making him smile at the memory of his stupid new mechanic. “Who doesn’t know what a wrench is?”

“Bye, love you.” You mutter, kissing him quickly before jumping in the car. “Don’t forget Motley has cheer practice tonight, she’ll be home around 8. I’ll be with Ziggy tonight for parent teacher conferences. If she’s a minute late-“

“Grounded. Got it.” He smiles, leaning down to get an actual kiss. “Don’t forget I love you.”

“Never do.” You tease.

“I don’t get it.” Samantha mumbles, watching Motley through the schools bathroom mirror with wide eyes. “You’re bailing again?”

“I just don’t have time.” Motley sighs, fixing her lip gloss. “I have plans.”

“But we always do friday movie nights.” Sam whines. “Motley-“

“There’s a party tonight.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“You weren’t invited.” Motley laughs in her friends face before taking off the shirt she wore over her favorite top and walking out of the bathroom.

On the way out she bumps into Vinny, shrinking a bit at the glare he gives her.

“Munson.” He snaps, shoving past her to get to class.

“Harrington.” She responds, blanching as he flips her off over his shoulder.

Vinny or Vince as he likes to go by now, had grown up quite a bit. Gone was Vinny the nerdy boy that only read and never talked to anyone.

In his place came Vince, the schools valedictorian and the best baseball player they had. He had grown into an extremely attractive man and it didn’t help that he was nearly 6’3.

The thing was? He hated Motley and her friends. Hated them for being bullies because that’s exactly what all her new friends were.

“Harrington?” She calls, swiveling to follow him.

He doesn’t turn, merely keeps walking like he could ignore her. “Hey Harrington!”

“What do you want?” He snaps out.

“There’s a party tonight and I wanted to see-“

“Motley. Are you serious?” Vince snaps, glaring down at her. “It’s DND night.”

“So?”

“Everyone is there for dnd night?” He asks. “It’s tradition.”

“They won’t even notice that I’m not there-“

“You’re dad is never gonna let you go.”

“He doesn’t have to know.” She shrugs.

“Whatever. Just….. leave me alone okay? And have your friends leave my brother alone. He already struggles with his speech thing and you guys just make it-“

“W-w-w-orse?” She teases, laughing at his brother until his glare deepens.

“You know what? I heard my dad talking to yours the other day and he said that you were starting to remind him of Billy. I didn’t see it at first.” He sneers. “I see it now.”

And he’s off again, leaving her in the crowded hallway feeling stupid.

Part Six HERE

(Do we want more? What do we think?"

(Merry Merry christmas!!)

Taglist:: (lmk if you want to be removed)

@dontcrydaddy @valentine-ger @mariamayhemrsmunson @hippiefairy02 @alyisdead @thehuntresswolf @username199945 @peaches-roses-sins @bl1ssfulbaby @friendly-neighborhood-boricua @avenjames-anderson @nodont1 @bethanyzed @caseyqdilla @zooboomanfu @hazydespair @costellation-hunter @vanessav03 @r-a-d-i-0-n-0-w-h-e-r-e @kidd3ath @katzarantos

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dellalyra · 6 months

Text

ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ ʙᴏᴏᴋ: ᴀᴋɪᴏ ʀʏᴜ ᴛᴀᴅᴀsʜɪ ɢᴏᴊᴏ

ᴀ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴇxᴛʀᴀ

Pixie says: requested by my darling angel mrs.geto (aka @soraya-daydreams) forever ago but I have just finished bc uni has been kicking my booty. i love this - it’s mostly silly but a nice lil extra for FF.

The first time Akio laughed, it surpised nobody that it was his father who elicited the sound. The game of peekaboo had always made the baby smile and gurgle away but today it seemed to especially tickle him as you lay beside him on the bed with Satoru popping in and out sporadically of his field of vision. Satoru popped up with enough gusto to even make you laugh. That’s when the most melodic sound either of you had heard rang across the room. A tiny, bubbling giggle from the stretched out baby on the comforter - you both froze.

“Do it again, ‘Toru.” You whisper, urgently.

So he does.

And he laughs again.

That night you both spent hours coming up with ways to make the baby laugh and recording videos to send to the family.

Safe to say, next time Itadori was over - it became very clear that Akio was a Gojo through and through when he began laughing at Sukuna’s malicious remarks through Yuuji’s cheek mouth.

At 5 months, Akio was on his play mat on the living room floor while you made some food with your husband. Music from the speaker had coaxed your husband into twirling you around and wrapping you in his arms as he laughed at whatever nonsense you were babbling on about, pressing kisses to your cheeks and nose. You’re spun like a princess and when you see the baby mat, you gasp. Satoru stops, looking at you - then the mat.

Akio wasn’t on his back anymore chewing on his teething ring - he was sitting up.

Sitting up and staring at you both.

With a murderous glare of an angry cat, exactly like his father.

“He sat up.” Satoru whispers.

“Yeah, with first degree murder in mind, I think.” You reply.

You approach the baby (cautiously).

His face suddenly changes into a bright smile, wide and cheerful as he has another first.

He reaches his chubby little arms out and makes grabby hands toward you.

Gasping, you scoop him up.

“My baby! Of course you can have a cuddle, my smart little man!” You coo, nuzzling his little head.

Satoru leaps over the back of the sofa and comes to join in.

“Grabby hands and sitting up in one night! Baby boy, you’re spoiling us!” He says, reaching to squeeze his arms around your waist.

The baby frowns.

Satoru pulls away.

Akio smiles.

Satoru lifts Akio from your arms, and he’s fine and dandy, nuzzling his papa.

Satoru goes to kiss you both on the cheek but when he gets to you he’s met with a scowling baby again.

“Holy shit - kid, am I not allowed to touch your mama?!” Satoru gasps.

You test the theory and find that Akio loves cuddling you both still, just - separate. The minute Satoru tries to kiss you it’s back to the scowl (luckily, not a tantrum).

“Listen here - she was my wife first.” He narrows his eyes at the baby he has suspended above his head.

“He’s bound to be a little possessive, he did come out of me.” You roll your eyes, laughing at the two Gojo boys battling for your attention.

Satoru pouts, sulking.

“Yeah well, I come in you.” He retorts.

“You are so lucky that child is only 6 months old and you haven’t scarred him for life like you did with Megumi.”

At 7 months - you and Satoru were waving goodbye to Megumi on a Sunday evening as he went back to stay at the dorms for the week, with Akio on your hip. Feeling movement from the baby, you look at him as he clumsily waves his hand around toward his brother.

“Look! ‘Toru! He’s waving bye-bye! You waving bye-bye to ‘Gumi, baba?” You coo, as Megumi stands at the gate for an extra minute just to wave at his little brother being doted on by his parents. Ijichi, here to collect Megumi, receives a wave too.

8 months - Akio’s hand and finger movements are improving rapidly, slightly advanced for his age if anything. He can grab and pull and push and pick things up now - much to the entire families amazement.

One sunny Thursday evening, the designated day every week for ‘Kooking with Kento’, as you named it back in High School. The tradition formed when Nanami first made enough food for an exhausted young and Satoru one day after a particularly long and frustrating mission, and has been a weekly occurrence since. Nanami would come to the house, you and him would cook and then the family would eat together. This week, with it being a balmy April evening - you sat outside in the garden together, a bottle of wine split between you all and Akio on his Godfather’s lap. Mid-sentence, Kento was cut off as Akio reached up to grab his Uncle’s sunglasses off his face.

It was silent for a moment as the baby waved them around, before you and Satoru burst into cacophonous laughter.

Nanami couldn’t help the small smile as he fitted the glasses on the babies small face.

First word was unsurprising. A day trip out with his parents, sitting in a cafe as you and Satoru share two large slices of cake and milkshakes and Akio drools over the sight in from of him. He begins jabbing his little hand at the plate, poking you both in the face and babbling nonsense.

“You had some cake, ‘Kio!” You laugh.

“This is my cake. Papa’s cake.” Satoru says.

“Eh? Mama and Papa’s cake. ‘S mine too!” You pout, batting his fork away with yours.

“I’m bigger than you, so I should get about 70% of it.” He reasons.

“Absolutely not. I wanted my own slice, you insisted on sharing because it would be romantic so it’s a 50/50 split or go get your own, Satoru Gojo.” You glare. Cake’s a serious topic in your house.

“It is romantic!” He argues.

“I agree, it’s adorable, and I love that you suggested such a cute thing - what’s also adorable is cake. We split the cake 50/50, Satoru. It was literally in our wedding vows that all cakes be split in half so that we can both live happy lives.” You contribute, still sword fighting his fork.

“Cake!” Came an angry little voice.

“Mama’s cake!”

“Papa’s cake!”

There’s silence.

Akio is looking at you both.

You look at him, then each other. Tears spilling in both your eyes.

“Cake!” Akio claps, shouting the word again.

You both let out a sob. Hugging him and then each other and pressing kisses to every face at the table.

“As much as you want, sweet baby!” You say, feeding the 11 month old a bite of your cake.

“Any cake! All of it!” Satoru nods, beaming and ordering three more slices.

His first steps, came toward his father.

Satoru had been training with Megumi all afternoon in school, before they both got into his car and drove home to you and Akio. You had returned to work a month prior, continuing to teach the second years and had picked up Akio from your mom’s that afternoon before driving home.

You were sitting on the floor with your baby, playing with his blocks and reading him stories before the jingle of keys could be heard at the front door. Your son crawled out of your lap and toward the hallway, stopping at the coffee table as the door unlocked and in walked his father and older brother.

“Hi, my loves!” Satoru calls, smiling and blowing kisses toward you both as he takes off his sunglasses and coat.

“Hi mom.” Megumi calls.

Akio squeals, hearing the two voices, using the edge of the table to pull himself onto his feet as he’d been doing for a month now.

The two men come around the corner, and Megumi leans against the archway to the room and Satoru kneels down on his haunches as he always does to let Akio crawl to him.

However, nobody expected him to pull his hands away from the table and begin to take wobbly, determined steps toward him.

“Oh my god!” You gasp.

“Yes, baby! You got this! Come see papa!” Satoru calls, delight evident.

Megumi straightens up, walking around the side - ready to pounce at any sign of a tumble.

The baby makes his way just to his father’s feet on his unsteady feet before his legs give way and he tumbles straight into his father’s large, waiting arms.

The three of you crowd over him, cooing and kissing and crying (you and Satoru), and later when he walks toward Megumi - you record a video - a very precious video to save to the collection.

At 14 months, a trip to the playground reveals a lot.

You and Satoru, Megumi and Itadori (Nobara is shopping, unsurprisingly) are sitting having a picnic as you watch the baby toddle around the area playing with the giant abacus and building blocks, and thoroughly enjoying the sandpit.

You see his little head follow something, eyes locked intently on it. Following his line of sight, all you can see is a playhouse. A cute, wooden playhouse.

Looking to your side, you see your husband is staring at the same spot.

“Satoru?” You ask.

“He’s looking right at it.”

“Huh? The playhouse? Why’s he so focused on it?” You puzzle, there’s one in the garden at home so it’s not a new sight for the baby.

“No. There’s - Y/N - there’s a fly head in it.” Satoru says, eyes flicking between the boy and the playhouse.

Your head snaps, toward the baby.

You follow his line of sight, and sure enough he’s staring directly at the top left corner of the playhouse roof.

“Is it in the top left corner?” You ask Satoru.

He nods.

“Holy shit.” You whisper.

“He’s got it.” Satoru says, breathless in wonder.

“Huh? Got what?” Itadori asks through a mouthful of strawberries.

“Shut up, just watch.” Megumi elbows him.

“How…? I thought - ” You begin.

“It’s said to be impossible but… I always wondered with the strength of your cursed energy - combined with my bloodline, if it would create another one.” Satoru says, serious and thoughtful.

“He doesn’t have my cursed energy though? Only yours.” You ask.

“It’s only Gojo energy he has, yeah, but what Gojo energy would have been weakened by one parent being a less powerful sorcerer was bolstered by the fact you’re a special grade yourself. It strengthened my genes to create another one, fully powered.” He says, breathless in his awe.

Your jaw drops. Shocked.

Akio - has broken the mould.

Two wielders of the Six Eyes now exist in the world.

You look back at the baby, grabbing Satoru’s hand who squeezes it three times (I love you.) You squeeze it back four. (I love you too).

The baby pulls himself up. Toddling in the direction of the playhouse. You go to stand up, a flick of a finger from any adult or student sorcerer would exorcise a fly head. You’re pulled back down, onto your husband’s lap.

“They’re harmless alone. It won’t hurt him.” He says.

You know he’s right, and wouldn’t ever let anything hurt a hair on that baby’s head so you sit, leaning back against his chest.

As Akio approaches the playhouse, the fly head comes out and perches on the little bench beside it.

Akio stares at it, tilting his head like a curious kitten.

Itadori jumps up, ready to go fist fight in a playground - but Megumi pulls him down.

“Watch this.” Megumi says, quietly.

The fly head moves toward where Megumi’s divine dogs are flanking the baby and lands on Akio’s shoulder. He just looks at it, curious - until it pulls on his fluffy white hair. Without a sound, just a frown - and a smack of a pudgy fist - the fly head drops to the ground, fizzling into nothing.

You and Satoru just look on in awe, silent and amazed by your beautiful baby boy.

“He’s something special.” Satoru says, voice full of love.

“Course he is, he’s part of you.” You whisper, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

Itadori is just sitting slack jawed.

“Did the baby just -” He mumbles.

“Welcome to the Gojo household.” Megumi smirks.

His first conscious choice of style came with a decision at two and a half. He marched into the living room where you sat, his papa’s head on your lap as you stroked his hair. Papa had the same hair as Akio, just shorter.

“Mama! Papa!” He says, standing with his hands on his hips.

“Yes, sir?” Satoru says, one eye open and saluting the child.

“Change my hair!” He says, determined.

Your heart nearly broke - hoping he wouldn’t ask for it to be cut - you adored his long white locks you tied in a little bun. Yet, if he wanted it cut - you’d agree.

“What do you want to do, ‘Kio?” You ask, still combing your hands through the head of hair on your lap, where your husband sat nuzzling the growing bump and whispering sweet nothings to you and the baby inside.

He pats the top of his head, looking at you both from in front of the fireplace.

“Up here! Like Uncle Soso!” He says, smiling.

You and Satoru just smile at him (relieved he’s okay with keeping his precious long hair).

“You want two little buns like Uncle Soso?” You confirm.

He nods, very assuredly.

“Your Uncle Soso’s hair is pretty fire, kid, good choice.” Satoru smiles at him, beckoning him to sit on his lap where he lays.

“Yeah, ‘s so fire.” The baby nods, smiling and grinning.

“Okay, how about we do it the next time we go see him at school?” You suggest.

The baby cheers and claps and tosses himself onto his father’s lap like an Olympian, thanks to his tall height for a 2 and a half year old and then hugs you both.

“Mama? Maybe we watch Toothless? Papa loves Toothless. As a s‘prise for him?” He whispers (he doesn’t, he’s got all the subtlety of his father).

“Oh, is it for Papa? I thought we watched How To Train Your Dragon for Akio?” You smirk.

“No - for papa.”

You look down at your husband.

“No. He’s right. It’s for papa.” Satoru confirms, smirking up at you both before flicking on the film as the three (four) of you curl up under a blanket.

Akio’s first little sibling was a day of great excitement for him. He sat, not patiently, on the floor of his ‘Uncle Soso’s’ apartment, playing with blocks and toy animals with him (his Uncle Soso was very fun to play with, he thought) and asking every 20 minutes if the baby had come. Every time, Uncle Soso would say “not yet, ‘Kio, but soon.”

When the phone rang, and Choso answered Megumi’s call saying the baby was here and it was time to come to the infirmary - he scooped up Akio and said,

“Wanna go meet your sister?”

Akio was enamoured with Mirai from the moment he laid eyes on her. She was so tiny, even tinier than his baby dolls and looked like a pretty snowflake. She had the same hair as him, white and fluffy but her eyes looked like his Mama’s. He kissed her softly on the forehead, trying to remember all the things ‘Gumi and Uncle Soso told him about being a good big brother.

He was so attentive, insisting on playing quietly in the same room as Mirai when she napped so he could keep an eye on her - and keeping a little cloth in his toy box so he could help Papa or Mama if she had too much milk. He would sit and tell her stories every night, trying to remember the ones Mama and Papa told him about the heroes who saved the world, the Knight with the Pink Hair (he thought that one was cool, since his Jiji (Yuuji) has pink hair), The Prince of Shadows, The Piercing Princess and the Wizard Kendo. He told her the love stories of the King and Queen in the stories too, he liked those characters a lot - The Honoured King and The Queen of The Forest. Sometimes, he would wake up in the morning and see Papa asleep, with Mirai on his broad chest and Mama asleep in bed and crawl into bed between them, holding their hands and kissing his baby sister, before drifting back to sleep with them.

The first secret he had to keep was the ring. He was 6 and ‘Gumi was sitting at the table with him, Mirai and their parents.

“Mom, dad - I - um… wanna show you guys something.” He said, awkwardly as ever.

Akio didn’t look up, his pasta was too good.

Well, he didn’t look up until he heard his Papa gasp and his mama shout ‘No fucking way!’.

On the table, in front of Megumi was a tiny black box with a gold ring inside. Whats so special about that? Mama and Papa both wear rings all the time.

“You’re gonna do it? You’re gonna ask him?” His mama asks, voice sounding funny.

“How? Is it super romantic? Oh my god, our baby boy is getting married!” His papa shouts.

“I haven’t asked him yet!” Megumi retorts, his face really red.

“Like he’d ever say no.” His dad rolls his eyes.

“Your dad’s right, ‘Gumi - he adores the ground you walk on! When are you going to ask him? Do you need any help? We can book out a restaurant or something for you!” You squeal in excitement.

“Tomorrow. I’m not going to do anything extravagant - you two always said your private, quiet proposal was really special so I’m going down that route.” He says, shrugging but face focused.

“What’s a posal?” Mirai asks, face covered in sauce.

“When you ask someone to marry you, ‘Rai.” Akio responds to her.

“How did you posal, mama and papa?” She asks, poking her dad in the arm.

“Your papa made a pretty picnic and we sat out in the garden in the summer and he gave me a pretty ring and asked if I would marry him. It was just us two, and it was perfect.” You say, tilting your head to kiss your husband, both softly smiling.

“Of course it was, everything I do is perfect - just look around this table. I’m the strongest.” Satoru nodded, winking.

“Of course I said yes, and we got married and that was 12 years ago! Then we had you two squirts.” You says, sticking out his tongue. You stood up, walking to put your arms around Megumi’s shoulders and kiss the top of his head, eyes teary and smiling.

“And she’ll never get away!” Satoru says, running to lift you up and over his shoulder, tickling your sides as you squeal, before he sits back down, now with you on his lap, arm around his neck. Papa and Mama were always touching, he liked seeing them cuddle, it made them both smile a lot.

“So ‘Gumi is gonna marry Jiji?” Mirai asks.

“I’m gonna ask him to, yeah. Is that okay with you two, because if we get married he’ll be your brother too.” Megumi asks, serious.

“Yes please! Please, please, please!” Akio pleads.

“Get married tomorrow!” Mirai squeals.

“I’ll ask him tomorrow, how about that?” Megumi smirks.

“Deal.” Akio says, nodding.

The next time Megumi came over for dinner, three days later, Yuuji was wearing the gold ring.

#submission #jjk #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #gojo fluff #family formations extras #dad!gojo

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scalingsvt8thusiast · 1 month

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Skin-Deep Chapter 7

summary: The one where you fall for Seungcheol amongst all the protests and insecurities. The one where you don't know that he's fallen for you too.

a/n: thought i'll post earlier today incase I forget later tonight cause i have dinner and i need to study for my first clinical rotation of the year :D Enjoy! This is a pretty short chapter, now that i look at it again

You wake up to the sun shining in your face, someone had left the curtains open last night and it was not you. You turn to blame the only other person in the room but you were met with emptiness. Seungcheol’s side of the bed was cold, unslept-on and Seungcheol-less. You sat up, looking around the room, no sign of your boyfriend anywhere.

Last night, you waited for Seungcheol in the shower and he ultimately did not join you. When you exited the shower, you could hear him downstairs on his phone. It didn’t really bother you much, you assumed it was Jeonghan or Joshua calling about something urgent. You tried to stay awake while waiting for him in bed but you were so tired from a whole day of studying that you ended up falling asleep.

You got out of bed and headed downstairs, you checked every room, no Seungcheol in sight. You were puzzled, had your boyfriend been abducted by aliens?

You went to check your phone, no messages either. No “I went out to get coffee” or “Sorry baby, Jeonghan got stuck in the wall again”, nothing.

You sent Seungcheol a text, asking where he was. You realised that your message wasn’t even sent! This was starting to get bizarre.

Was it your phone??? Nope, still 4 bars, fully connected.

While you were busy getting ready for work, you sent Seungcheol a few more text messages, hoping it would go through, but it didn’t. You called him a few times but the call went straight to voicemail. You had checked the news to make sure there were no accidents or murders involving the famous Choi heir. You were more confused than worried, reasoning that if something did happen you’d either hear about it on the news or from Jeonghan and Joshua.

Fortunately, the cafe was slow so you spent your day checking your phone for any reply or calls from Seungcheol.

“What are you, addicted to your phone?” Mingyu’s voice sounded from the other side of the counter.

“Oh, Gyu!” Your head whipped up in genuine shock, you were too immersed in your phone to notice your best friend entering the store. “Sorry, what can I get you?”

“An iced americano. While you’re at it, you can tell me why I’ve been standing here for 10 minutes waiting for you to notice me.” He said, handing you his card. He noticed your dazed look as you ran his card.

“Yea, it’s just Cheol wasn’t home this morning.” You said.

“What? Bro, you and him not together for a day and you’re acting like he’s been kidnapped.” Mingyu said, he watched you prepare his drink, noting your exhaustion.

“It’s not that, Gyu.” You say, handing him his beverage. You leaned on the counter, your chin propped up on your arm. “He disappeared last night, I think, when I woke up this morning he wasn’t at home. I don’t think he even came to bed.”

If this was an animation, Mingyu would have question marks sprouting out of his head right now.

“What do you mean he disappeared? Did you try to text him?” Mingyu said in disbelief.

“That’s what I’ve been doing all day!” You showed him your phone, all the unsent texts and unanswered calls on your screen.

Mingyu eyed you, sipping on his drink.

“I know, I’m over-reacting. Maybe his phone’s just broken or something and he’s just in class.” You said, slumping down onto the counter.

“No, I don’t think you’re over-reacting at all.” Mingyu said as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin, “If I were you I’d be frantic right now, but you’re clearly more level-headed than I am.”

“Right?! I don’t think he’s disappeared on me before like this.”

“It’s odd, even by our standards its odd.” Mingyu said giving you a knowing look.

a/n2: cause it's so short I may post the next chapter later on cause i feel bad. well anyway if you have any ideas on how to improve or anything just comment or send me a message :D

#seungcheol x reader #scoups x reader #seungcheol fic #scoups fic #seungcheol fluff #scoups fluff #choi seungcheol #scoups #seventeen seungcheol #seventeen scoups #svt #seventeen #seventeen x y/n #seventeen x reader #svt fanfic #svt fic #svt x reader #svt fluff #mingyu

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bangchansgirlsblog · 3 months

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The assistant.

"Chan?" Her footsteps followed quickly behind him trying to keep up with him as we walked into the dressing rooms.

"Yeah?" He replied dryly as he sat into the makeup artists chair after saying a quick hello.

"You have a meeting with Eunwo and the PR tea-"

"Y/n honestly I don't have time for this right now. You see I have a show in a few minutes and you decide to tell me all this now?" He scoffed and looked up from his phone.

"No Chan it's just that-"

"Just that what? Look your a great assistant and all but your sometimes so uncoordinated. Do you really expect me to remember all the meetings I have?" He glared up at her.

She was wearing her usual knitted sweater, tight pencil skirt and some lofers. Her hair was up in a bun and she held her IPad and Chan's bag one in each hand.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she hung her head low and looked at the floor.

"Good, now go sit on the couch and sit there looking pretty," he stated and went back to scrolling on his phone. Y/n was so confused because he would be so nice to her and then be the worst person to her at the same time. It was so confusing- "oh and for God's sake Y/n what do I say about your sweater? It's ugly, I can't have my assistant walking around in such. Get rid of it. You know what, I'll even take you shopping,"

"Y/n get me water please," she heard his voice call for her.

Nope. He wouldn't see her as anything more. She accepted it and she was getting exhausted.

The rooms were all lit and they all had different people in them doing different things so it was very confusing for her to note where what was.

Who was she? Was she pretty?

"I'm here to pick up Chan's friend," she smiled as she told one of the popular and most familiar guards.

"Oh, Chan has a new friend now?" He teased.

"Yeah I geuss, I've never met her before. Do you see her anywhere out there?"

"Hey! You must be Chan's assistant," ouch, assistant? Was that all she was? "I'm Min-Ji but everyone calls me Jiji," she smiled and put out her hand for a shake.

"I'm Y/n. The assistant," she shook the hand quickly and led her to Chan's changing room.

"This is really such a big place," Min-Ji commented as they where making their way down the corridors.

"Yeah it is,"

"How long have you been working for Chan?" She asked trying to make conversation.

"About 6 years,"

"Do you have any advice? You know...for me?" That made Y/n start to slow down her pace because what was she trying to say?

"What do you mean?"

Oh.

"Chan she's here," y/n knocked on the door and slowly pushed it open.

"Ahhh, great! Min-Ji! Hey love," he smiled and moved away from the stylist to give her a hug,

"Hey Channie! Long time no see," she giggled.

"How are you? Please take a seat, I still have a lot before I get ready. Y/n please, get her a drink," Chan said.

"Ofcourse," she smiled through her teeth. Deep down she wanted to die as she watched the two interact and be all touchy. That should be her but..

She's just an assistant.

"Y/n!" Someone yelled for her making her jump a little, "what are you doing outside?! Get Chan and let's go!" One of the managers yelled as he walked up the corridor towards her.

"Sir? Sir he's in there with someone-"

"Sir I tried to tell him, but his with-"

"Get him in the bus now. I don't want your excuses," he shoved past her making sure to hit her shoulder. Her hand automatically rub the area. Her feelings were now even more emotional than before.

She had tried warning Chan but instead of understanding Chan yelled at and now she got yelled at again. Was anyone going to actually be nice for once?

She quickly knocked on the door and prayed that Chan wouldn't be pissed off. Maybe he would be in a good mood to be rushed.

"Chan we really need to go! Please just come out," she begged.

"5 more minutes!" He replied.

The tears wouldn't stop as she looked at him, analyzing him and trying to find some type of reason to run away and hide.

"Hey, do you think that..." he trailed off as he turned to look at his assistant. Worry quickly filled him as he made his way to her. "Hey? What's wrong?"

Why did he care? Y/n thought.

"Did someone do something? Why are you crying?" He looked down both sides of the corridors and saw that no one was there, so what was really going on?

"N-nothing," she shrugged his hands off her body and made her way inside but was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm.

"I've never seen you cry before so something has to be wrong-"

"I'm just your assistant," she sobbed. Chan was taken back because yes she was his assistant but that's not what she was to him.

"What do you mean?" He asked. His feelings now getting worked up but he couldn't help but ask why? Why was he getting so worked up after seeing her upset.

"Y/n, love. Tell me what the matter is, I won't tell anyone,"

"L-let's go," she breathed. Her chest pumping up and down at a high pace.

"Can we talk about what's made you upset?" Chan asked softly.

"Chan not now, please..."

"Later?" He asked hopeful and he got a head shake in response but he was satisfied with it.

"Can you atleast calm down for me? Just breathe," he took a few steps closer until he was towering over her. His hand land by her arms and he rubbed them trying to calm her down. It was working but the intense eye contact he was holding with her was scaring her. Her brain was foggy as she silently got lost into his eyes. Little did she know he was also getting lost in her eyes. He slowly analyzed her facial structure....he found her beautiful? The tension grew as he kept whispering encouraging words so she could calm down

until she did it.

She got on her tippy toes and kissed him he instantly kissed back and when she realized what she was doing she pulled away. Adrenaline run through her body as he looked at her shocked.

"Woah," was all he was able to say to her.

Embarrassment grew in her chest before she knew it she was running out with door. She run to fast that she couldn't hear Chan's calls for her.

She entered the bus and sat in one of the empty sits and covered her head with her hoodie and pretended to sleep.

What the hell was that?

#skz channie #skz imagines #skz comfort #skz x reader #skz angst #skz fluff #skz x y/n #skz x you #skz drabbles #skz stay #stray kids drabbles #bangchansgfblog #bang chan angst #bangchan #bangchan angst #bangchan x reader #bangchan fluff #bang chan x reader

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loki-cees-all · 1 month

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Chapter 7 - All the Tiring Time Between {TLTGYA - Post!TVA Loki x OFC Longfic}

Previous Chapter / TLTGYA Masterlist / A03 Link / Next Chapter

Pairing : Post-TVA!Loki x Oliviette (OFC)

Chapter Summary : Sometimes the sharpest boundaries require the gentlest touch.

Chapter W/c : 8.7k words

Chapter Tags / Content : Angst (as always), brief mentions of blood and injuries. Also there's a bunch of Tesseract lore and Loki's history with Thanos that I really got carried away with while writing this.

18+ Only - Minors DNI

⊱ ─ ༓ ── ⋅•⋅⊰ ─ ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ∙ ⋅ ─ ⊱⋅•⋅ ── ༓ ─ ⊰

The silence in the cell was electrifyingly tense, and Loki wished he had something else to focus his attention on.

His jaw ached as he took another bite of the flavorless, perplexing bread that was both stale and damp at the same time. He should have been grateful for it and its distraction, despite the woman having offered it without even so much as looking at him. But it just reminded him of the year he’d spent with the Mad Titan: Wretched. Forsaken. Totally and completely hopeless.

Loki tried desperately not to think about it, but it was getting harder to fight as his exhaustion grew.

The woman sat across from him in the cell, her knees pulled to her chest and her expression blank. She’d said absolutely nothing after dismissing his question about Anathema the night prior, not even when the peculiar guards brought in their cruel attempt at a meal. She didn’t even flinch when they set the tray down in front of her, nor when the duo stared, cold and unmoving, presumably waiting for her to beg for her life like all the others…but she did wait until they were finally gone to pull the tray closer.

She had grabbed the chunk of bread first, and extended it towards him in the shadows like it was second-nature to her. As if it wasn’t ever an option that she wouldn’t share it, and despite the fact that they were in stark disagreement about their respective situations in this place.

He felt guilty for accepting the offering, but unfortunately, he felt like he had no other choice; his eyelids were growing heavier by the minute, his muscles were becoming weaker with each new day of disuse, and his nerves were perpetually fried with wary energy. He was constantly stifling another yawn, and was dangerously close to falling asleep, to having another nightmare again.

Loki didn’t know if he ever talked in his sleep, but he didn’t want to risk revealing any compromising information about himself or his past; the less anyone knew about him here, the better off they all were.

But other than the food she’d shared with him, there wasn’t much else for him to distract himself with. The woman wasn’t talking anymore, and her questions had faded away alongside the hope she may have once had about escaping. That left Loki to alone deal with his questions about her, and their inscrutable answers.

The problem with that, however, was that his mind was nothing but a tangled mess; a rat’s nest, made up of lies and false memories, the betrayals of the life he’d left behind, and all the lives that never were. Before him lay a scattering of dots, all seemingly unrelated and centered around a woman who claimed she didn’t know what they wanted with her, and he couldn’t seem to make heads or tails of any of it.

Loki used to pride himself on his ability to see the bigger picture, especially on a galactic scale. But he had come here to hide and to wallow, to purposely let his mind atrophy into a cobweb of nothingness, because that was easier than continue trying, and failing, to be happy. He felt comfortable doing that, and letting this become his legacy, because he hadn’t ever expected a riddle to fall into his lap again. He hadn’t ever expected her.

As Loki swallowed the last of the bread, he forced himself to look at her again. She was still huddled against the wall, illuminated by the dim lantern light from the hallway and shivering in the cold dungeon like a scared little child. He was flabbergasted that she was still here, that they’d bothered bringing her back after being caught during an escape attempt. And he couldn’t help but hate himself, because the old Loki could have figured out why that was a very long time ago.

Next to her, the bowl of porridge sat on the floor, mostly untouched and definitely not enjoyed. Her expression was sullen as she stared off into the distance, and her limbs were folded around herself as she retreated deeper inward. It almost made him feel…something.

Of what exactly, Loki wasn’t quite sure; the feeling was old and familiar, something that was long lost while never really being understood in the first place. He told himself that the feeling was irrelevant, because it was just the mystery he found equal parts infuriating and intriguing. He just needed a bit more time than usual to settle the question marks, and then he could finally return to the blissful void of apathy.

And maybe she wasn’t lying when she claimed to not know who Anathema was, but he didn’t believe for a moment that she had no idea why the guards were so interested in her. Either she had something of theirs, or she knew some mysterious piece of information they didn’t yet - but they were obviously willing to play the long game in order to acquire it, and that couldn’t have been for nothing.

Perhaps it had something to do with the gem dangling from her necklace. Loki had seen her touching it, frequently and absentmindedly, running her slender fingers over the deep blue stone during stressed and quiet moments like now. Clearly it meant a lot to her; someone who loved her had given it to her. Someone she loved back, someone she probably missed dearly…

As he started to wonder if anyone was out there looking for her, Loki realized he was staring and quickly averted his eyes. They landed once again upon the bowl of uneaten porridge next to her, and a new form of discomfort wove itself between the muscles of his shoulders and neck. It wrapped around his nerve-endings, stinging the open and frayed tendrils that had been worn bare from the pain of still being alive.

He was quite vulnerable existing like this, even though he knew she couldn’t see him hiding in the shadows. That she didn’t know what he was thinking, or where he was looking. That she was unaware of the fleeting relief that poured into his veins when she was brought back to the cell alive, or his shame at feeling anything that had immediately replaced it.

Loki had been flippant when she was initially brought in here. He was angry the first time she tried to share a meal with him. And then he was conflicted, at best, when she was dragged back in the second time. This paltry range of emotions was far more than he was previously used to; he felt like he was drowning in it, like it was slowly collapsing his airways and squeezing out every last ounce of oxygen from his lungs.

Because there was only one person on this planet who knew his name. A single individual, throughout all of space and time, knew where he was. She was the sole witness to his current existence, and he’d never felt more uncomfortable or on display than here and now. She had met him at his worst, in his ultimate moment of triumph when he’d finally been able to remove himself from any and all equations, from every problem that ever needed solving, and he absolutely hated that.

Loki thought he’d finally accounted for everything when he had stepped through the Time Door and into this dungeon. He thought he’d finally fixed the issue, himself, for literally everyone - and then this tiny little variable had shown up so unexpectedly to completely ruin it for him.

He should have been angrier about it. He should have been furious and seething and shaking with rage over this egregious betrayal of the universe. Being alone had been the whole point, keeping everyone safe from him had been his only intention, seeking protection from the pain of both betrayal and being betrayed was all that Loki had left. Why wasn’t he allowed that meager peace of mind?

Damnation clung to Loki like a frightened child clung to his mother’s skirts, trembling in the dark and begging for acknowledgement of its traumatized state. It lurked around every corner and it haunted every shadow, constantly weeping and whimpering and howling out its anguish to cruel and uncaring souls. It was always there, lingering in the corner of his eye, reminding him of just how helpless and useless he was. That he should just give up. That he should just end it already.

But sometimes, the damnation would transform into something far more sinister, into the tall, skulking form of a cerulean demon. Hanging over his shoulder and digging its claws into his neck, the demon would spit cruel maledictions into his ear. Didn’t Loki know that everyone around him was already doomed? Wouldn’t it be kinder to just kill them now, rather than waiting for him to ruin their life and then cruelly and inevitably take it from them?

Hiding in the dungeon was the only reasonable compromise between the frightened child and the viscous demon warring in his mind. If only he had stuck with that plan, if only he hadn’t revealed that someone else was alive in the cell with her, then maybe he wouldn’t be in this mess right now.

Regret, his oldest and only friend, wouldn’t be blaring its horn and sounding the alarm bells and crying out for solace. So why did it bother him so much now that she wasn’t eating?

Loki shifted uncomfortably on the stone floor, weighing the options in his mind. The regret of initially engaging with this woman didn’t mean he couldn’t change tactics; and if she wasn’t eating, then it wouldn’t be too much longer until he was on his own again. That had been his initial plan, and there was no reason he couldn’t return to that now. Wasn’t being alone all he ever wanted?

“You should finish your meal. There’s no telling how long it’ll be before they bring another…” The words felt like acid on Loki’s tongue, dripping down his throat to eat away at his insides. He hoped they had come out as bluntly as he’d intended, but in reality, it just sounded like something his mother would have said.

This time, the woman didn’t shudder when he finally broke the tense silence. She didn’t even react at all, other than to sigh heavily and respond in a low and flattened tone. “What’s the point…?”

“Well, clearly they’d prefer you to be alive, for whatever reason…” Loki’s jaw tensed as he paused, struggling to understand why he was even bothering. “Even if they bring food on an irregular basis, it’s still more than anyone else gets…”

“Maybe the only reason they want me alive is so they can continue mocking and hurting me.”

That was a more difficult point to contend with; perhaps the guards had just grown weary of the simple and mundane murders, and they’d decided to go with something more entertaining this time. What if there wasn’t a more complicated explanation for the guards' motivations? What if he was searching for logic that didn’t even exist?

Loki stifled another yawn as he leaned back against the stone wall, raking his fingers through tangled curls that were just as chaotic as his thoughts. There had to be something he was missing while attempting to put this puzzle together. “So what did the guards say when they caught you escaping?”

The woman let out a heavy exhale, and her tone shifted into a more sarcastic tone. “Oh, normal things like what are you doing out of your cell?, and no one’s coming to rescue you. Typical kidnapper things, you know…”

Loki couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her nonchalant answers, but what else was he expecting? He was beginning to wonder if it was even worth putting this much effort into avoiding sleep. Nothing else in his life prior to meeting her had been easy, so why was he expecting this to go smoothly?

“Actually, the guard did say something strange before knocking me out…” The woman trailed off, pausing as she furrowed her brow.

Loki cleared his throat as he looked towards her again. “Strange how?”

“Maxine - or Nulan, whichever one it was…They caught me upstairs in their private quarters. Just before attacking me, they said what is gone…may never return.” The woman pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she recalled the memory. “I’ve never heard it before, and I have no idea what it means…”

What is gone…may never return. Loki turned the phrase backward and forward in his mind, trying to find its place in this absolutely confounding puzzle. But he’d never heard anyone say anything even remotely close to it, so there was nowhere for it to go. The phrase’s sentiment, however, he understood perfectly well.

“It was probably just a threat, or a taunt…” she continued with a dismissive shake of her head. “They were just mocking me, for losing everything…”

“Or it’s a prayer. A desperate request, for some kind of reprieve…” Loki murmured in reply. He didn’t want to think about whether anyone had ever hoped for the same thing after he’d finally walked away, but he was positive that they had. And he hadn’t meant for his interpretation to sound so melancholy, but as his gaze caught the woman’s matching expression, he could feel her understanding of his meaning. Loki hated that.

She must have sensed that as well, because she quickly forced a false smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “No…surely they must have been talking about me losing my boots.”

Her smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared, shifting into a grimace as a violent shiver shuddered over the limbs she struggled to pull close enough. She breathed out a heavy sigh and lowered her forehead to her knees with another tremble, and for once, Loki was grateful for the Jotun physiology keeping him relatively comfortable. But the woman didn’t share the same luxury of such a curse, and she was clearly suffering in these dank and grim conditions.

Loki turned his attention towards his fingers, twitching and fidgeting restlessly in his lap. This particular guilt was both new and unwelcome, like the haunting of fresh ghosts he thought he’d finally manage to not brutally murder for once. It wasn’t directly his fault she was here, that she was suffering. She was a complete stranger, after all, and this couldn’t have been his problem, or his responsibility.

But as Loki lifted his gaze again, carefully moving his eyes to avoid looking upon her once more, he caught a glimpse of the woman’s forgotten boots in the shadows, the ones carelessly stripped away while the guards were searching her the night before.

He recalled one of the first lessons Odin had explained about ruling a kingdom, that sometimes tact and finesse were far more effective than blades or might. Perhaps if Loki was kind instead of harsh, and if he returned the boots to the frozen woman, then she might help alleviate the nagging questions he still had and allow him to fight off sleep for just a little bit longer.

His brow furrowed, and he swallowed hard as he realized this was the least he could do for the both of them. It wasn’t much, but it felt like chopping off a limb when he cleared his throat and forced himself to speak again. “Your, um…boots are in here. They might help you with the…cold.”

The woman’s head popped back up, and her eyes narrowed as she scanned for them in the darkness. “Where are they? I don’t - ” she replied, clumsily attempting to push herself upright, obviously eager to get them back on as soon as possible.

Loki felt an odd sense of duty, one that had been buried deep underneath the many eons of pain, and it compelled him to act before he had the chance to second-guess himself. He moved slowly, shifting his weight onto his hip, and extended his arm out. His fingers were just long enough to barely grasp the black leather pull loops, to drag them closer and then place them within her reach while maintaining a safe distance, and without the need for him to stand.

A faint smile crossed her lips as she stretched to pull them closer. “Thank you so much, Loki.”

He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact anymore; it was hard enough to listen to the bewildered gratitude in her voice. His every movement had stayed within the safe confines of the shadows, and he imagined that she saw her boots reappearing as if from the loving aid of a benevolent god, of someone else who was capable of caring.

“It was nothing,” he told them both.

He had fully intended to return his attention back inward, but he found himself distracted by the woman as she shifted on the floor. Curling and stretching her limbs, gracelessly attempting to pull a boot back on with a single hand, and then reluctantly, with both hands. She let out a gasping whimper as she tried to extend out her left arm, and Loki noticed her fingers trembling as she tried to push through the pain.

Obligation flared along his spine again, but this time, Loki questioned it. A childhood memory surfaced, of when his father would return home from war, bruised and exhausted and weary, and Loki would rush to his side, eager to help with removing his armor and assist in any way he could. He thought maybe if he proved himself useful, eager and determined, like his older brother was, then Odin might finally give him a chance to fight alongside him.

But even though his seidr had been well-advanced for his age, his father had always refused to bring Loki along, despite never leaving home without Thor. Odin had said that Loki wasn’t ready yet, that he wasn’t strong enough, that it was too dangerous for a little boy to be out on the field and surrounded by their mortal enemies.

“Such a young prince falling into the hands of Asgard’s opponents could prove disastrous to the realms,” his father had said, even though that fear had never stopped him from bringing Thor into battle. It wasn’t until much later that Loki realized the truth, that the only real use he had wasn’t needed back then - not until the direst of circumstances forced his father’s ultimate and final hand.

The woman let out a sharp groan, bringing Loki back to the present. She had collapsed back against the wall, sniffling and brushing the messy strands of crimson hair away from her face. “Loki, I’m so sorry…but can you please…?”

His eyes widened, and hers were full of tears. Her cheeks reddened, and her lower lip trembled as she spoke with a cracked voice. “Please help me? I’m so cold, and I can’t…I can’t get these back on…”

It wasn’t like the cold, calculating demands he was previously used to, and Loki realized that it pained her to ask like this. She wasn’t trying to get anything out of him, she wasn’t manipulating her way into something more than she deserved, or trying to get him to commit atrocities in her name.

It wasn’t a game or a trick designed to be laughed at later with her friends; she genuinely just needed his help. But the problem was that this kind of assistance not only required him to vacate the shadows, to come closer and share the same air as her - it necessitated physical touch. Loki was sure he couldn’t handle that.

The muscles in his fingers articulated of their own accord, separating and curling into just the right place to summon and concentrate his seidr, intent on disassembling the atoms that made up the woman’s boots and reassembling them back where they belonged.

A suitable compromise, Loki believed, except that absolutely nothing happened. The warmth that normally accompanied his magic was nowhere to be found, that familiar connection to the past and the present, to his mother, wasn’t opening its loving arms to welcome him back home - and that was when he finally remembered.

Loki’s seidr was dead, because he was supposed to be dead.

He’d forsaken his magic as soon as he’d arrived here. Once he willingly stepped through the Time Door and into this dungeon, once he’d realized that the first thing this newly-freed universe had done was trap him yet again, he decided that this time it was really meant to be.

So he didn’t bother fighting it, and he willingly let go of the tendrils of seidr he had once clung so tightly to. He didn’t deserve the honor of wielding it, not after what he’d done in New York. And what use would that magic have been to the hollowed-out shell of a person he was now? What good could he have possibly done with it anyway?

“Loki?”

Once again, the woman’s quiet voice refocused his attention. Her expression had fallen even further during his silent brooding, and she was staring woefully into the dark, desperately hoping to see him finally coming to her aid. A deep sense of dread rose up within his chest, thick and impenetrable, oozing between his ribs to singe and suffocate his lungs like molten lava.

Loki didn’t know what to do, and yet, he moved anyway. Pressing his palms flat against the stone floor, he bent his knees and carefully pushed himself upright. His joints cracked and popped, his muscles were stiff and sluggish as he slid one foot forward, and the belt around his waist was far looser than when he’d initially put it on.

Taking another step closer, his mind suddenly dizzied, and his body began to sway dangerously from the juxtaposition of pushing himself forward while he’d been wasting away. He quickly grabbed onto the wall with a sharp gasp, trying to steady himself as his legs tingled themselves awake.

“Loki…are you alright?” the woman murmured, her brow furrowing with concern.

“I’m fine, it’s just - ” Loki sighed heavily, his heart pounding and muscles trembling. “I’m just not used to…standing.”

Loki closed his eyes and leaned against the wall for a moment, willing his body back into operating under his own control. But despite his best efforts, weariness and exhaustion were still permanently at the helm, relentlessly steering him back towards collapsing and passing out again.

“It’s alright. Take your time…”

Loki’s eyes snapped back open, painfully aware that she was still watching him closely, and he did everything he could to both avoid her gaze and her reassurance. Nothing about this was alright, and he could hear his father’s chastising voice from beyond the stars, criticizing him for allowing enervation to consume him - even though that was the only way to keep himself out of trouble.

His eyes flitted across the dungeon cell, feverishly taking in the stone walls and steel bars of the door, then out to the flickering lantern light of the hallway. Loki had never even bothered to take a good look at his coffin before committing to staying in it for all eternity, but from this elevation, he could clearly examine the cuts that made up the large slabs of the walls and floor. Meticulous, flawless, precise - too perfect to have been sliced by hand.

His gaze moved to the cream-colored candlestick suspended within the single lantern in the hallway, evenly melted away and without a single speck of soot upon the glass encasing it. From there, he could make out the grooves carved by the steel bars into the doorway’s arch as it swung open and closed, and the streaked and dark stains, smudged against the grayed and leadened floor, leading from the hallway back into their cell.

The woman’s blood, he assumed, and Loki’s hands clenched into fists. His throat tightened, and the slightest hint of outrage began to reluctantly wake from its slumber.

Forcing the feeling away, Loki finally closed the distance and carefully crouched in front of the woman; only then did he let her be the focus of his attention. Loose and uneven strands of crimson had been pulled free from the long, disheveled braid nestled untidily over her shoulder;her skin was wan and pallid, and her lips were tinted with the faintest hint of blue.

Dried blood had smeared on her ear, her neck, the lengths of her hair and along her cheek. It was everywhere, mixed with the dirt and muck from the floor, coating the corners of her cracked lips and the freckles that dotted her cheekbone. The fact that the blood was dried, meaning the original wound was at the very least no longer actively bleeding, did nothing to make him feel better.

Loki lowered one knee down to the floor, precariously settling his weight onto one ankle, and the woman’s attention was now entirely fixed on her boots. She swallowed nervously, and Loki silently agreed with the sentiment. How long had it been since he’d touched another person? Did he even remember how to be gentle? How to not contaminate?

Moving cautiously, he took a boot into his grasp, threading his fingers between the loops and slowly pulling to loosen its laces. While he worked, he focused on the soft leather: its scent was herbal, earthy, and with just the barest suggestion of sweetness. Intricate designs, swirls and constellations and rays of light emanating from an overly-stylized sun were stitched into the leather, extending from the collar and flowing down way past the ankle.

Soft, pliable and shiny, the leather still showed signs of its latest polish, applied with a healthy dose of high-quality wax, from underneath the layers of grim. The boots had been methodically cared for, regularly and recently, and probably not too long before the woman found herself in custody of the mysterious guards. Loki found himself curious about the circumstances of her capture.

Stained in the same shade of night as the leathers covering her legs, they blended seamlessly together with the rest of her clothing, from the thin stockings on her feet to the chipped lacquer on her fingernails. Everything was the exact same color, save for the thin, flowing emerald tunic that had long since come untucked, and the gem that hung from her neck.

And everything she wore was undoubtedly expensive, most likely customized for this particular owner, and she had obviously not dressed for being locked inside a damp and grimy dungeon. At best, she was prepared for a pleasant walk through the woods on a mildly chilly evening; Loki tried not to think about it too much.

Out of his peripheral vision, Loki could see the woman stealing glances up at him. She watched him carefully, her sea green eyes shifting cautiously between his face, his hands, and the boot he was unlacing - obviously examining and judging the hideous monster whose help she had no choice but to accept.

Loki began to feel self-conscious. There was no doubt that his own appearance wasn’t any better than her own at the moment; in fact, he was sure it was much, much worse. Dark and unkempt curls hung way past his shoulders like sinister snakes. The skin on his hands was sullen and pallor, shifting dangerously close to bluish gray, and he had no idea if his eyes had begun to drift back into their original shade of ruby-red or not. He promised himself that this would be the only time she ever saw his face up close.

When he could no longer justify stalling with the laces, he cleared his throat, and forced his fingers to tap the underside of her leg; a featherlight touch that could have been easily missed if one hadn’t been expecting it. But the woman again mercifully sensed his meaning, and she positioned the appropriate foot for him to slide the boot on.

Too well, Loki noticed, as he pulled the collar up to settle around her calf; she was exceptionally practiced at having others put footwear on her - at tensing the right muscles at just the right moment, and extending the leg with just enough force to seat the foot comfortably against the insole.

“Sorry about this…” she mumbled as Loki pulled the laces tight and began looping them back and forth around the hooks. “Although, this is probably the most exciting thing you’ve done in a while, huh?”

She was trying to lighten the mood, to distract from the previous awkwardness of such close quarters. Loki’s response was flat and measured, his attention focused on tying instead of talking. “Like I said - it’s nothing.”

A nervous silence followed, one that was far more uncomfortable than the awkwardness. Loki hadn’t meant to be so dismissive, and perhaps he’d been far too frigid for someone who was supposed to be helping her. When he finished the final loop, he cleared his throat again and forced himself to look up again.

“Is that…too tight for you?” he murmured softly.

The woman managed a weak smile as she flexed her ankle. “No. It feels fine.”

Loki noted that her pupils dilated ever so slightly when she met his gaze, and he took that as a good sign that her head injury wasn’t a completely serious one. He wasn’t sure why he was noting that, but nonetheless, he had, and he didn’t have the energy to start questioning it. Instead, he busied himself with picking up the other boot and threading his fingers underneath its laces like he’d done with the first.

“Is this all I have left? Just waiting in this cell to die?”

Her voice had taken on a somber, more sorrowful tone now; apparently open anguish was much easier for her than polite small-talk, and if she hadn’t been so exhausted, Loki would have guessed there would have been more than a tear or two accompanying her questions. He wasn’t sure how to answer her; bringing up the fact that the other prisoners before her had never lasted more than a day or two, or the fact that they were never returned once removed from their cells, probably wasn’t going to help her mood very much.

“At least they’re leaving you alone for the most part,” Loki answered, lightly tapping his fingers underneath her other leg for the placement of its boot. “Be thankful for relative peace.”

The woman sighed heavily as she cooperated. “Relative peace. That’s all I have to look forward to?”

“For some, that’s all they’ve ever wanted,” Loki said absentmindedly. “They’d kill for it, and others willingly die in its pursuit…”

The woman’s eyebrows raised in troubled concern, and Loki tried to ignore it. He couldn’t understand why he was like this, either speaking too familiarly with the woman, or far too flippantly. He was out of practice when it came to any sort of normal conversation, but he didn’t want to be accustomed to it again. In the end, she was just a temporary distraction, and he wasn’t supposed to even exist at all.

“That’s very enlightened, coming from someone who has nightmares every time he closes his eyes…” the woman replied as he finished tying the laces on the other boot. She flexed that ankle, and then nodded her approval while pulling her knees back against her chest.

Loki’s brow furrowed as he met her gaze once more. Her eyes were wide and open, appearing to be without a single shred of judgment, only empathy. Loki couldn’t help but scrutinize her for that. If she only knew how little he deserved kindness, and he was irritated that she’d noticed how bad his nightmares were at all. He’d rather have not known that his weakness was on complete display, and thus, beyond his complete control.

Slowly pushing himself back up to standing, grateful that the task and its requisite close proximity were finally over, Loki’s fingertips trailed along the cold stone as he backed into the shadows again. But lethargy was creeping back in, along with the ever-present unsettled and restless energy, and when Loki returned to sitting, he wasn’t quite as far into the dark as he had been before.

“You know, it may help your nightmares to talk about them,” the woman suggested cautiously. “Perhaps unburdening yourself a little would be a good thing…”

Loki grimaced. Of all the ways she could have worded it, he wished it hadn’t been in that specific way. As it were, various burdens of all sorts were already going to haunt him until the end of time, it seemed, and he preferred not to be reminded of the purposes initially set upon him by Thanos. And even if he wanted to, where should he begin?

He still didn’t quite understand what exactly had happened to him on Knowhere; that entire year was just a chaotic haze of torture and manipulation, through both physical and psychological means, and it was impossible for him to decipher what was real and what was a lie. Even now, he couldn’t even recall the exact circumstances that led to his descent from the Bifrost and into Thanos’ control.

Sometimes, he could clearly remember the decision to let go of Gungnir and fall into the abyss; other times, he was absolutely convinced that his brother had pushed him in a jealous rage, furious that Loki’s short tenure as King had proved far more successful than any longer one Thor could have ever managed.

Either way, the fall had resulted in him becoming Thanos’ prisoner, and then later, as a member of the Black Order - but only after they’d finally conceded that physical torture was never going to work on the body of a Frost Giant, on an Asgardian prince raised as a warrior, or on a powerful sorcerer who already had extremely complicated feelings about being alive in the first place.

But once they realized that he just wanted somewhere to belong, they finally started to see real progress, and the emotional manipulation that followed was probably more effective than they could have ever hoped for. It was so very easy to muddy the rough waters of Loki’s psyche thanks to the Chitauri Scepter and his tremendous heartbreak - a kind word here, a clever lie there, and nothing but speeches about revenge and betrayals, destinies and purposes, salvation and redemption, and scorned Kings and their disgraced sons.

After Loki had been welcomed into the fold, Thanos explained his need for the Tesseract; if Loki acquired it, then he would be granted an army to help take Midgard by as excessive and violent force as he deemed necessary. The God of Mischief already knew that he wanted to be as destructive as possible - to both completely cripple his brother’s fondness for the pathetic humans, and to show Odin that he would settle for being a terrifying leader if he wasn’t permitted to be a good one.

His idea for retrieving the Tesseract had been a clever one; so clever that Loki wasn’t surprised that Thanos or the Black Order hadn’t ever considered it before. But getting to suggest it meant that his new Master was immediately pleased with his usefulness, something that had rarely happened with his previous keeper, and Loki was so grateful for the opportunity to satisfy.

Out of the six Infinity Stones, the Space Stone was unique in that it could generate massive amounts of self-sustaining energy. Its power signature was incredibly easy to track, and it didn’t take long for Loki to determine the Tesseract’s location inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility. Under Fury’s careful and watchful eye, the mortals were studying its capabilities for power production, no doubt to be used in some kind of advanced weapons manufacture instead of something that could actually be used to help mankind.

A stereotypically short-sighted action, one that would soon be their downfall, because none of those weapons would ever be able to stop him from completing his task. Had they realized the stone’s true potential, as Loki had, then perhaps the humans might have fared better during his invasion.

Because he knew something that apparently no one else did, something he now prayed that no one else would ever be able to figure out. Loki was in the unusual position of understanding exactly how the Bifrost had operated, of how it could easily send and receive anything from across the galaxies with frightening and pinpoint accuracy. As a child, he was fascinated by the Bifrost, and more than once Heimdall had to stop him from attempting to disassemble it while searching for the details of its inner workings.

Once informed of her son’s unyielding curiosities, his mother had patiently redirected that energy towards Asgard’s massive libraries. There, he spent many late nights pouring over the texts and histories of the magnificent Bifrost. Once he’d devoured all he could from words, he then spent his time exploring the Realm and looking for means of travel that didn’t involve going to the Bifrost at all.

And thanks to the Mad Titan’s relentless and universal conquest in search of the stones, Loki had access to incalculable amounts of lore, research and history that had been stolen from countless cultures and societies. He spent months buried in books and manuscripts, performing calculations and practicing his seidr, searching desperately for the perfect combination of science and magic to get him what he needed.

All of that, when combined with his extensive knowledge of the Bifrost, allowed Loki to realize that all he needed was a power-source. It must have been fate and its impeccable sense of humor, because the Space Stone could be the engine, and the Tesseract was going to be the gateway - a terrible, incredible bridge between where you were, and where you desperately wanted to be.

For Loki, the Tesseract was going to deliver him to vengeance, respect, authority and glory - in a way that no one would be able to undo once he finally got it. His brother, his father, the entire Nine Realms and beyond, all of them would be powerless to stop him once he figured out how to open the Tesseract’s portal from the other side.

Returning to his research with a new sense of delirium, he gave up on sleep, and food, and his sanity while he searched for the answer. His cheeks became hollow, his eyes were sunken deep into his skull, and his skin grew weak and frail. His nerves were on the verge of total disintegration, his heart ached and his mind was hazy.

His every waking thought was consumed by the Tesseract, and on the rare occasion that he actually passed out, so were his nightmares. He became too lost to even carry on a conversation; all he could manage were grunts and groans and strange approximations of the word “Tesseract”. Every part of himself, anything that had once been Loki, had all but slipped away.

But occasionally, Loki would come back to himself. He would look down at his hands in horror, and he wouldn’t understand where he was or how he got there. While screaming and lashing out, the one called Ebony Maw would preach about balance, about salvation and judgment and how Loki was destined to assist the Great Titan in saving all of life, by ending half of it. He was instructed to be grateful for being allowed to take part in it.

But it didn’t make any sense, and Loki tried so hard to resist, to fight them off, to scramble to the exit and free himself, to warn someone of the terrible thing that was coming. Then, something would happen, something would touch him, and his mind would cloud back over with rage and madness. The dangerous craving for the Tesseract would return tenfold, and then he would be back on task, more eager than ever to please.

After a quick journey through the minds of the men known as Selvig and Barton, Loki finally had everything he needed to complete his sacred mission. The astrophysicist filled in the last remaining gaps about the Tesseract’s functionalities, and the archer revealed information about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security protocols - how many personnel were on site, what types of weapons they had, where they’d been trained. The details of every file stored on their secret servers, every individual’s personal histories - including that of the beings once considered to join the so-called Avengers, the ones that might be called upon to stop him.

On his first attempt, Loki succeeded in opening the Tesseract’s portal. One moment, he was standing on Thanos’ ship, and the next, he was inside the research facility, shrouded within a haze of smoke and mania. By the third second, he was ferociously attacking, moving and acting without consideration for the stealth or secrecy he’d been trained with as a child. He didn’t even bother dodging the humans’ pathetic projectiles; instead, he focused on murdering the ones he had already deemed useless to his cause, and using the Sceptre to convert the ones that were worthy of it

Nor did he bother mincing words with Fury as the Director stalled for time, not even the ones ripped directly from Ebony Maw’s impassioned and self-important speeches. Loki already knew how unstable the gateway was, and that was by design. During his maniacal studies, he had determined how best to sustain the portal’s opening for safe and easy passage - first, in order to allow entry for the Chitauri forces, and then to facilitate easy travel for Thanos to find the rest of the stones later on.

Loki’s first act of murder had been intentionally not stabilizing the portal as it opened inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility; he had wanted the structure to collapse in a stunning display of destruction. Whether it was to be an ominous warning for what he was about to do, or if it was to serve as a call to action for the only ones who could have prevented him from succeeding, he still wasn’t quite sure.

Either way, he ultimately failed in the only way that had mattered. Loki didn’t achieve vengeance or respect or authority, and there was no victory or glory waiting for him after it was over. The Chitauri Forces were destroyed, the Tesseract was not handed over to Thanos per their agreement, and he’d made a great many vicious and unforgiving enemies that day.

In the end, the only thing waiting for him was a prison cell on Asgard, and all he’d managed to do was to make everything worse.

And presumably, after it was over, Thanos still had access to all of Loki’s research. Losing out on the Tesseract would have infuriated him and the Black Order; a minor inconvenience, sure, but it wouldn’t have hindered their quest in the slightest. Thanos still knew how to use the Tesseract because of him - and more importantly, he understood how to use it in the most destructive way possible. That was completely and entirely Loki’s fault, and he just hoped that Thanos was arrogant enough to keep that information to himself, that no one else would try and fail in the same catastrophic way that Loki had.

Maybe the Tesseract wasn’t meant to be used as a gateway, and in doing so, Loki had ensured that he’d never get what he wanted, and that he’d lose what little he had left. All of that madness and frantic chaos and deliberate carnage had been for absolutely nothing. Maybe the Tesseract was cursed, and maybe, so was he.

Because every single time Loki had come into contact with it, his life had taken a drastic and even more devastating turn for the worse. Attempting to acquire it for Thanos had broken him - mind, body, and soul; fleeing New York with it had landed him in the clutches of the TVA; and apparently, it had been his ultimate destiny to die while trying to keep it from the Mad Titan.

The absolute last thing Loki ever wanted was to be reminded of the Tesseract - more than he wanted silence, or solitude, or to rot. And now this woman wanted to know what his nightmares were about?

Even if he had made it to the prison cell on Asgard, he wasn’t planning to explain himself to anyone. What was he supposed to tell his brother, his mother, his father? That he’d been deceived? Were they going to believe that he’d fallen for someone else’s lies so easily, and without question? That the God of Mischief himself had been tricked, played for a fool and made to be the universe’s largest and most pathetic scapegoat?

No, trying to justify his actions would be a grave disservice to the innocent lives he’d taken, and telling the truth was next to impossible. Even just talking about the betrayal of his family would be too much for him to bear, and that was the only aspect of the entire thing that Loki had never, ever second-guessed.

The woman continued stealing glances in his direction, from just a few feet away now. Still waiting for him to say something, anything, to help keep her mind distracted from her own plights. For the briefest of moments, he actually considered asking if she’d ever heard of the Tesseract, or the Infinity Stones. If she knew who Thanos was, if he’d ever been to this planet before…but as Loki fidgeted with his tie, running his fingers over the frayed and broken seams in the cloth, he knew the answer didn’t matter.

The appropriate time to have asked that question would have been when he’d first arrived, back when the TemPad still had the power to take him some place else if need be. But now the TemPad was dead; he was trapped here, and the longer he could go without hearing about the Tesseract, the better. The longer he could go on in the blissful ignorance of relative peace, and without talking about himself, the easier this would be for everyone.

“How did you wind up here anyway?” He winced as he spoke, hating himself for being more than a little curious about it. “I can’t imagine the guards asking you to come along nicely…”

The woman hesitated for a moment, no doubt replaying the events in her mind and wishing she had done something differently. Her fingers grasped the gem that hung from her neck, and she swallowed hard. “I was…taken from Tessaway, my home, in the middle of the night.”

She paused, her eyes focused on something non-existent in the distance. “I don’t know how they made it past the sentries, but they…managed, somehow. They took me from my bed, while I slept…”

Loki shook his head, trying to appear sympathetic. “You lived in a heavily guarded city. It must be a very dangerous place…”

“Tessaway isn’t a city,” she corrected, furrowing her brow as she looked over at him. “It’s the castle in Fayrest. You know, the capital city…?”

He didn’t know any of that, of course, having never left this cell. The woman looked like she wanted to say more but was afraid to, and he couldn’t help but think about why she had seemed to imply before that no one was going to rescue her. “Wouldn’t someone from the castle have noticed your absence? Surely they have to be looking for you by now…”

“No…” The woman shifted uncomfortably in place, her expression broken and forlorn. “No, I was just a servant. No one important enough to miss…”

Loki had been studying her carefully ever since he’d realized her captors were going to keep her alive for much longer than they had the others. Her movements were elegant and refined, her clothing and jewelry expensive and customized, her speech graceful and enchanting; the kind of charming that could only come from years of practice. He didn’t believe for a second that she was just a servant working in a castle.

But she was also clearly in a tremendous amount of pain, and for whatever reason, was keeping the origins of her birth a secret. Loki wondered what might have happened to him if he had been given that luxury, if he hadn’t been the only one to not know the truth about himself.

“Ah, a servant,” he replied, trying to lighten the mood a little. His unpracticed lips curved into a forced and lazy grin. “That certainly explains why you’re so concerned about my well-being…”

The woman’s eyebrows raised in amusement, and she tilted her head curiously as if taking his comment as a challenge. “What’s the matter? Are you not used to someone worrying about your well-being?”

Loki’s jaw tensed; perhaps he hadn’t been behaving as opaquely as he hoped, and he hated that she could see through him just as well as he could through her. He glanced over, and decided to provoke her right back. “Well, I’m sure they’ll miss you at the castle eventually. Like when there’s pots that need washing, or linens that need changing?”

“Yes, yes, that’s very funny…” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I get it, the thing about servants is that no one knows your name until something you normally do suddenly isn’t being done anymore…”

The woman turned, and she met his gaze with a considering and dissecting one of her own. “Like you - you don’t need anything from me, so why would you ever bother learning my name?”

From just a few feet away, the woman stared deep into his soul, tugging at the strings that still held him upright and all but questioning if they were even necessary. He waited until she looked away to furrow his brow again, because while she was right about him not needing anything from her, she was surely mistaken about the other half of her point.

Because he did actually know her name; it was the first new name he’d learned in such a very long time, and he thought it suited her quite well, all things considered. But he had been trying to avoid acknowledging it, not wanting it to mean something more than what it was.

It was just a name, after all; a series of specific vocalizations designed to get her attention. Saying it out loud didn’t mean that they were friends, or that they were even important to each other. It wouldn’t bind them in any way, or obligate him to care. But if that were true, then why did he have such a problem with saying it?

Loki could feel a nervous energy creeping relentlessly up his spine again. He wished it would stop receding, that it would stay put, because the constant shifting between relaxing and stressing was completely wearing him out. He told himself he just needed to say it out loud and get it over with, before he could start second-guessing and talk himself out of it again - especially now that she had noticed his careful avoidance of her name.

“What kind of servant knows how to fight with a staff anyway?” Loki asked, affecting an innocent and casual tone. “I guess servants named Oliviette do…”

After he answered his own question, Loki looked towards her again, and Oliviette was already smiling back at him; it was a bleary and quiet acknowledgement, but the sentiment was definitely noteworthy. For the first time since they’d met, he could see the dimples in her cheeks, and it was impossible to miss the way her eyes lit up with mirth, or how her lips pursed before she finally responded.

“What? Am I not allowed to have hobbies outside of work?”

Loki struggled to not return her smile. He almost felt a sense of appreciation for her snark and the much-needed diversion from the constant aching in his chest. It was only then that he remembered that this was supposed to be a temporary distraction; he couldn’t afford to spend needless energy that didn’t directly involve finding out why the guards were keeping Oliviette alive for this long.

Keeping a safe distance was paramount, his new glorious purpose. Trust was for children and dogs, wasn’t that how he’d put it to Mobius during their first meeting? As long as he stayed here, keeping himself isolated and protected, then he couldn’t ever be tricked into being someone else’s attack dog ever again. He couldn’t ever hurt anyone again.

Besides, it was highly implausible that her life would end in any way other than tragically. Loki’d already had quite enough of that - and would it be worth getting close to her, even if it didn’t?

⊱ ─ ༓ ── ⋅•⋅⊰ ─ ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ∙ ⋅ ─ ⊱⋅•⋅ ── ༓ ─ ⊰

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