#but still it's kind of slightly traumatizing because i can almost promise she's going to not turn out that great | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

peronasghosts · 7 months

Note

I would LOVE to hear the zoro lecture

zoro lecture!! not three hours long bc i value my time & sanity but it is unplanned 👍 like all of the posts here at transdykezoro

actual ramble is under the readmore. bc it got LONG.

ok so zoro is fascinating as a character to me bc he’s got three main factors directing his behavior: his grief and subsequent extreme loneliness, his refusal to ever be the weakest person in any given place, and his pattern of being incredibly devoted. take into consideration i am only just finishing skypeia

his grief and loneliness are fairly easy to spot. it’s the root of his dream, and why he follows luffy in the first place. however!! it also shows up in other places.

the first example that i can think of is when nami went back to arlong park. luffy is certain that she’ll come back with them, that she wants to be with them.

zoro isn’t.

zoro consistently casts doubt on luffy’s confidence, and switches from liking and being friendly with nami to acting like he hates her.

you might be asking how this connects to his grief and loneliness. it does, albeit in a roundabout way.

don’t take this next section as fact, because i’m a teenager and not a psychologist. but judging from how zoro was a kid when kuina died (and he was already an orphan), and a young teenager when he started bounty hunting, he’s definitely traumatized. and his particular trauma is caused by his grief.

grief, especially when the death happens when you’re a kid, changes the way you see the world and how you see other people. based on his past, i’d say that zoro probably made that huge switch with nami partially because of her betrayal (sadness can appear like anger, but he still didn’t trust her as much after as far as i remember) and partially because he has a history of losing people. at least subconsciously, her betrayal made more sense than her coming back.

the next instance in which his grief shows up is when robin first joins the crew. nobody really trusts her (for good reason imo) but zoro is the one who goes on record multiple times (in the manga) in saying that he’s keeping an eye on her and will fight her if she tries to betray them.

but he trusted luffy instantly! so what’s the difference here?

the one that i see is that while robin made her first impression as a mysterious, cunning enemy, luffy’s first impression was him being dumb, annoying, and brave as hell. and also - luffy found zoro at a moment where zoro was unimaginably lonely. he’s not with johnny and yosaku, and seemingly hasn’t been for a while. he’s been traveling around east blue for a while mostly on his own, following the traumatic deaths of three people close to him.

yes, luffy technically blackmailed him, but zoro was kind of in a place where he’d take any chance that still allowed him to follow his dream. luffy understood that, and accommodated that. because he’s luffy

robin came in as an enemy and an ally to someone who mocked and almost killed luffy. and, importantly, she came in when zoro was experiencing something he hadn’t in a while - a stable, committed friend/family group

trauma also makes people hypervigilant. hyperviligance is when you’re basically always in some level of survivor mode. zoro’s in the grand line, a place he can’t survive in without his crew, and his emotional survival depends on his crew’s (mainly luffy’s) survival. robin is a threat to that. of course zoro trusts her the least

going onto the second motivation. it actually stems from the first one in that it’s rooted in his promise to kuina, but that’s normal for zoro.

zoro needs to be the strongest, or on par with the strongest, in any given situation he’s in. this changes a bit with luffy’s protagonist-ness but i think that zoro perceives himself as only a slightly worse fighter than luffy. and he’s fine with that bc it’s luffy.

in my opinion, it’s because zoro thinks that if he can’t win against someone who’s not a swordsman, how versatile is he? and if he loses to a swordsman, then he’s not on track to being the best, and then he’s not keeping his promise to kuina, which is i think his way of keeping her in his life

this factor in his behavior doesn’t stop when he’s not fighting, it’s spread to other parts of his life. i think that’s because zoro’s had a very unstable life so far, and so he controls what he can to make it more stable for him.

a side effect of all of this is that zoro seems incredibly masculine (in the traditional sense that i grew up with. i’m a white usamerican btw). this has inspired admiration and envy of some male fans. but also a not small amount of lesbians love zoro, and relate their experiences to him (like me) (from what i can tell).

i think you can kind of compare zoro to sanji and find out why. sanji’s masculinity, to me, seems incredibly performative. he’s in love with every girl he sees, he’s the one that’ll protect them, he wears a full suit on a tiny ship, but that’s not who he is when no one’s watching imo. sanji’s masculinity seems externally motivated.

zoro’s masculinity is rooted in his promise to a female friend he had when he was young. it’s incidental. his hair is short because it’s economical and easier and he’s muscular because he needs to be strong and likes being strong. it’s an internally motivated behavior, and seems like he’s just being himself. i think that that idea is very relatable to a lot of queer people and aspirational to a lot of cis guys (although maybe i’m giving some of them too much credit)

the third and final driving factor of zoro’s behavior is his loyalty. he’s perpetually loyal to kuina, and has been for about a decade. he changed his life for her when he was a preteen. that’s loyalty.

but now, he’s also intensely loyal to luffy. his loyalty to luffy and his loyalty to kuina sometimes come into conflict, but that hasn’t had a big impact yet, but i am excited for that possibility

#aaaahhh i’m sorry it took me so long to respond #as you can see it got long #one piece #orangetasteslikefruit #leon gets asks #hm should i put this in the main tag...#why not #roronoa zoro

6 notes · View notes

project-epsilon · 3 years

Text

I'm going to preface this with i love animals,

But im so beyond annoyed that my family got a dog. And you know; I love most animals especially domestic, but why in the fuck did they decide to get a puppy that needs constant supervision and training, and then have no one be home? Like most of the time I wake up is usually around 11 or so because I work 45+ hours a week and soon once I'm back to babysitting on the 19th, it's going to be even longer, and yet I'm somehow roped into taking care of a dog that we definitely should not have gotten because, let's be really really fucking real for a second, they're going to fuck this dog up probably. My brother and my dad are the ones who spend the most time with her and as you can expect they have that typical aggressive male training tactics of yelling at her when she makes a mistake that really she doesn't any better for. And I worry about this dog because I'm home the least out out everyone and then still am expected to take care of her? Like my brother texted me the other day asking me to take her out and im like "bro I'm at work literally most of the time including now". It just bothers me so much that there was so little thought, so little adjustment for getting a dog that she spends most of her time alone in the crate from about 9 am until probably 3 or 4? And she's young guys, like we had to wait to get her, and he's already trying to train her on like complex commands that won't stick because she needs fucking potty training and they're working on fucking tricks. I'm tempted so much to have my aunt take her back (she's a vet) and be like idk who thought this was a good idea but seriously she's gonna grow up and hurt someone. They think they're doing good but you can't just leave her alone for hours immediately after getting her. Like the day after we got her she was just alone because everyone in my house fucking works and my family just makes very poor decisions.

#project epsilon #animals #if you're gonna get a very young dog #fucking take care of it #i don't get a fucking say in this house and i cannot wait to fucking leave #oh yeah did i mention I'm lowkey terrified because i was hurt by a Rottweiler when i was younger #not her fault though #i was holding her leash and was like 10 and she took off #but still it's kind of slightly traumatizing because i can almost promise she's going to not turn out that great #fuck why do the men in my family have to solve shit with yelling

2 notes · View notes

rebeccccccaaa · 3 years

Text

TEᑎᔕIOᑎ

_____________________________

ᗩGEᗪ ᑌᑭ!ᑭETEᖇ ᑭᗩᖇKEᖇ ᙭ ᖇEᗩᗪEᖇ

ᔕᑌᗰᗰᗩᖇY: You and Peter have always been very flirty and touchy with each other. You chalked it up to just how he is, not that you minded. But what happens when Peter gets hit with Hydra’s infamous sex pollen and all he seems to be doing is moaning your name.

ᗯᗩᖇᑎIᑎGᔕ: smut of course lol 18+ (virgin kink?, first time!reader, experienced!Peter, etc, unprotected sex cuz i forgot to write that lol be safe though, and a digusting amount of fluff)

ᗩ/ᑎ: (non/dub con as per usual with sex pollen fics) although i tried to make as consensual as possible

ᗯOᖇᗪ ᑕOᑌᑎT: 4.0k (i’m so sorry this is so long lmao)

_________________________________________

“We’re back!” Tony shouted, his voice echoing in the building. They had gone on a mission to infiltrate yet another Hydra base.

Peter was currently sitting and watching television and you were watching from the kitchen making two drinks for you and Peter. You both looked to the team walking in before scurrying beside Bruce and Tony who walked straight into the lab.

“What did you get this time?” you asked excitedly. Sometimes the team brings back really cool things back from missions and in particular the Hydra missions have the coolest things. Unusually, Thor too walked in the lab before you all circled around the table and Tony placed a plant.

He backs away as did Bruce and Thor so after looking at Peter with wide eyes you both also stepped back.

“What is it?” Peter whispered.

“A plant,” Thor said.

“Not shit, Goldilocks. What does it do? You told us to take home, now what?” Tony said.

“Well, Man of Iron, it’s a sex pollen plant.”

“A what?” you gasped.

“Most planets use this as a sort of breeding plant; some species don’t really have the… stamina that Midgardians and Asgardians have.”

As Thor explained this, Tony and Bruce huddle away from the plant moving towards the computer to write down notes and data about what Thor was telling them. You followed pursuit also being intrigued by it.

Unfortunately Peter did not follow and instead moved closer to the plant to take a closer look. The flower was beautiful. The petals were a soft shade of periwinkle and the pollen was yellow almost like gold. The same shade of golden yellow dust swirled around the flower itself. It was hypnotizing. He really wanted to smell it.

Suddenly as Peter got closer just to give it a quick sniff, he could smell an almost overbearing amount of your scent. That delicious scent of vanilla and lavender that you smelled so nicely of. That scent that made Peter want to run his hands through your hair and his nose along your neck.

“One thing you should never do is inhale its pollen, if one does it could heighten their desires into madness.”

Peter looked up with wide eyes knowing he just did something he probably shouldn't have done.

“What desires exactly?” Bruce asked.

“Well, sex.”

Peter started coughing.

“Pete are you ok?” you asked walking up to him.

He looked you in your eyes and his own dilated insanely. You backed away slightly concerned for your friend only for him to take a step closer to you. The lab coated with silence analyzing his behavior since it was so unlike him. Tony got up from sitting on a stool and Thor puffed his chest anticipating his next move; he was certain the boy breathed in the plant’s pollen.

“It smelled just like you,” he whispered close to your face; his hands reaching under your shirt slightly.

The minute he put his hands on you, all three men ran you and Peter. Bruce pulled you behind him while Tony and Thor grabbed Peter dragging him away from you. You felt hot after what Peter had just done; in front of people too. He thrashed in Thor’s and Tony’s grasp, groaning and shouting from them to let him go.

You felt tears brimming your eyes. You did not like Peter like this. He was crying and begging to be with you, which you’ll admit surprised you.

“What’s happening to him?” you asked from behind Banner.

“The boy seems to have inhaled the pollen as I said not to do.”

“Yeah I get that! Why is he crying? Is he hurt?” you asked.

“Not exactly, the pollen will affect his mind and simulate pain as if he were to die, but his body will be perfectly fine.”

“What?” you all said at the same time.

“How do we fix it?” Tony asked.

“Y/n, baby. Please,” Peter practically moaned making everyone kind of uncomfortable.

“Well, the only way I’m aware of is, well, sex. And it seems like Peter desires the young lady,” you eyes widened and you shifted under everyone’s stares.

“No, no way,” Tony said; you were like a daughter to Tony and therefore boys were something he wasn’t too keen on the idea of you having. He still thinks you’re too young even though you’re already a consenting adult.

“Tony, the boy-”

“No, I’m not letting Y/n do that. We’ll find a different cure. Take him to his room and don’t let him out.”

“Tony, are you sure about this?” Bruce asked Tony.

“Yes I’m sure, Banner. There’s no way in hell I’m putting her in that situation. It’s not fair. Now come on, more time talking, less time finding a cure.”

“Technically there’s already a cure,” Thor muttered.

“Go!” Tony pushed him out.

“Is he gonna be ok?” you softly asked, hearing his cries and screams for you as Thor took him to is room.

“He’s gonna be alright, bug,” Tony said, hugging you.

Steve and Nat both walked in the lab after changing out of their clothes concerned with all the screaming they had been hearing.

“What happened?” Nat asked.

“Thor had us bring this plant home for analysis and turns out this shit makes anyone who smells the pollen horny as hell.”

“Really? Come on Tony, we heard the kid crying and screaming. What’s really going on?” Steve didn’t believe him at first.

“He wants to… have sex,” Bruce said shyly.

“Wait really?” Nat asked.

“With who?” Steve hesitantly asked curiously.

Tony and Bruce simply look at you, which you curled into yourself feeling embarrassed.

“Oh no, honey are you ok? Did he do anything?” Nat asked, holding your hand.

“I’m fine, I’m just worried about him.”

“Don’t. We’ll fix this I promise,” Tony said getting to work.

Well now it’s been 8 hours and Peter is still crying and moaning your name. You had been in Nat's room with her, Steve, and Bucky. Sam and Thor had been outside ‘patrolling’ Peter’s room making sure he was as ok as he can be, though it’s been proven that he seems to be in excruciating pain.

Tony and Bruce had been in the lab the entire day, you’d think they made wonderful progress and found a cure by now but no. All they’ve found was normal samples of Peter’s… everything. He was physically perfectly fine.

You were very quiet as they played video games and watched movies. You couldn’t help but feel burdened because you knew you could fix all of this. All you needed to do was go to Peter’s room and let him have his way with you. It’s not like you wouldn’t mind. You and Peter have always had this sort of tension and extra friendly behavior between you guys ever since you met.

To say you hadn’t developed feelings for him would be a huge lie.

“Are you ok?” Nat asked you.

“No, not really.”

“I know you want to help him but it’s for the better. Let Tony and Bruce find a cure.”

“Actually that won’t be happening anytime soon,” Thor said, walking with Sam.

“What happened?” Steve asked.

“They haven’t found anything and although Peter will be physically fine, mentally he could be extremely traumatized by the time they find something, if anything. The pollen mimics physical pain until sexual ‘needs’ are fulfilled by the person they desire most,” Thor looked to you at the end.

“I want to help him,” you said.

“Y/n, that’s not fair to you,” Steve said.

“And it’s not fair to Peter if I don’t help! He didn’t mean to smell the flower. I can't just sit here waiting for nothing to happen when I can go in there and help him!” you argued, “If I don’t, he’ll not only hate you for keeping me away from him but me too for not trying.”

“Don’t be silly, he’d never hate you,” Nat said.

“He will if I’m the reason he’s going to be traumatized for the rest of his life.”

“Come with me,” Nat said, holding your hand.

“Nat,” Steve warned.

“Steve, you and I both know this has to happen. They’re adults,” Nat shot back.

You followed Nat out of the room.

“Are you absolutely sure about this? Your first time should be special-”

“First time?” your eyes widen.

“Y/n, I know you're a virgin.”

“I’m not a virgin,” you mumbled.

“Really? When was your first?” she poked.

“It was- was in, it was high school,” you stuttered.

“With who?”

“... Tommy?” you said after a long moment of silence, trying to come up with a name.

“Tommy?” Nat smirked.

“Yeah, he was in my history class,” you lied.

“Ok we’ll work on that,” she said.

“On what?”

“Lying.”

“Hey, virginity is merely a social construct made by men who think their tiny dicks have the ability to change a woman’s life. It’s gonna be like a five second pump; I’ll be in and out,” Nat laughed at that.

“Ok, fine. Follow me.”

You followed her to Peter’s room where his moans and groans got louder with each step you got closer. Truthfully you were a bit nervous about the situation. Sure you did imagine your first to be extra special in a dim lit room with flowers and with someone you love. Well, now it looks like it’s going to be a dark room with your best friend who’s in the room driven by magic sex pollen, but at least you love him.

You got to the door and Peter instantly knew you were on the other side. His senses overwhelmed him with your scent, your racing heart beat. You exchanged a few words with Nat before she hugged you and left you to go into his room alone.

You slipped inside and immediately met with Peter crawling on the floor to you in nothing but a pair of boxers; a large prominent tent formed where his dick was.

“Y/n, you’re here,” he rubbed your legs and kissed your thighs softly still on the floor at your feet.

“Yeah, I am. I’m here to help you,” you said shakily.

“Oh god, you smell so good,” his hand reached up behind your thighs towards your ass and you panicked.

“Peter wait,” you pulled his hand away.

“What, baby? What’s wrong?” he too panicked.

“Nothing, I just… I’m kinda scared.”

“Of what? Of me?” he stood up and backed away from you.

“No! Not of you. I’ve never… done this, you know?”

“Y/n, why are doing this then- ugh!” he groaned, a wave of need and sexual frustration rushed over him making his body cramp.

“I want to help you,” you grabbed his hand; he pulled his hand back very quickly and retracted his body over to the bed.

“Peter, please let me help you,” you walked over to him.

“No, Y/n. I can’t do that to you.”

You were getting tired of his arguing. You wanted to do this. You rushed to him and took your shirt off hoping that’ll prove a point or something.

“Look, look. I want to help you, Pete. Let me do that,” you cupped his face making him look at you.

His eyes were so dilated nearly black as he looked into your eyes. His hands caressed your bare stomach and lower back making goosebumps rise across your body. He leaned forward running his nose along your neck breathing you in. He used every ounce of control he had in his body to not flip you on the bed rail you into the mattress. He had to be gentle. The idea of you never have been touched shouldn't have turned him on as much as it does.

Your stomach fluttered and you let out a shaky breath. Arousal pooled in your underwear with each move that Peter made. Your hands rested on his shoulders unsure of what to do but thankfully Peter moved your hands in his hair and you gently ran your fingers through his curly brown locks as he kissed and nibbled at your neck.

He moved your bra strap down your shoulder tracing his lips along your collarbone to your shoulder.

“I'm so sorry, baby,” he whispered against your skin.

“It’s ok Pete, I want to help you. Teach me. Teach me how to make you feel good.”

He practically growled picking you up and laying you on his bed. He kissed your stomach and left small bites and purple marks littered across your belly. He looked at you to make sure you were ok before pulling your shorts down your legs and off to the side. He continued to kiss up and down your legs growing harder at the small pants and gasps you made above him.

“I'm gonna give you a little taste, ok darling?” he whispered against your inner thighs.

You nodded and lifted your hips off the bed for Peter to easily take your underwear off. You grew embarrassed at how wet you were. Peter only chuckled before going in a licking along your entrance. You gasped and clenched your thighs together, only to wrap around Peter’s head pulling him closer to you.

This isn’t Peter’s first time eating a girl out so he was obviously quite skilled in bringing you a lot of pleasure from his tongue alone. Now in his twenties, after high school and after his identity was revealed, Peter somewhat tumbled his way into playboy town just like his mentor.

Girls left and right shot their chance to spend a night in the spider boy’s bed. But when Peter met you, oh boy, the kid fell in love. You were this innocent little thing that Peter just wanted to hold and take care of all the time. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. He stopped seeing other women in hopes that one day you’d be out of your mind enough to give him a shot.

Now here you were, laying in his bed like an angel, letting him have his way with you because he was shithead and smelled the flower when he wasn’t supposed to.

Your hips squirmed around, pressure building up in the pit of your stomach. You moaned loudly as you got closer to your oragsm. Your hands went to Peter’s hair making him hum when you tugged on his hair. His vibrations pushed over the edge and you came for the first time that night on Peter’s face.

“God that was hot, baby. Are you ok?” he asked, crawling up your body after discarding his boxers.

“Yeah, that was amazing,” you cupped his face, smiling.

He leaned down and kissed you for the first time ever. His hands roamed your almost naked body except for your bra of which you still had on. Not for long of course. Peter leaned back to sit up pulling you with him so you were now sitting straddling his lap.

You could feel his dick against you and your body shuddered in arousal. His hands wrapped around you to skillfully remove your bra, the last piece of clothing left on you. When he did so you covered yourself in instinct never having been naked in front of anyone before in your life.

“Don’t cover up princess. You’re so beautiful. I wanna see you,” he whispered, cupping his hand under your chin so you could look at him.

“Sorry, it’s- It’s a lot,” you whispered back.

“I know and I’ll try to go slow but if I’m not inside you right now I think I’m gonna pass out,” he moaned.

You looked down in between your bodies to find Peter’s dick big, swollen, and red. You felt bad because you don’t know if it’ll fit inside you and it looks painful.

“Please, Yn,” Peter had tears in eyes begging for you to take the pain away.

“Ok, I’m ready.”

Peter grabbed his cock and lined up to your entrance. You got up and slowly sank down feeling him stretching you out. With how aroused and wet you were after Peter’s mouth you were able to slide all the way down without feeling too much pain.

Peter moaned when he bottomed out and grabbed your face you kiss passionately. You moved slowly up and down and soon all the pain you felt subsided into pleasure and you too started moaning above him.

“You look so fucking good riding me, princess.”

His words made you moan even more embarrassed that everyone can probably hear you and Peter having sex. You bit your lip in hopes to silence the moans as much as possible, but Peter didn’t like that.

“Don’t. I want everyone in this building to know who fucking you this good,” he flipped you over onto you back and started thrusting wildly.

“Let them know what a good little girl you are for daddy. Let them know who’s name you’re gonna be screaming all night.”

“Peter oh god,” you moaned.

“Huh? You like it when I call you a good girl?”

“Yes!”

“My good girl. My little slut,” Peter groaned in your ear.

You were getting insanely close to your climax and Peter’s words only sped up the approach.

“Daddy, I think I’m close,” you whispered, pleasure becoming overwhelming.

“Let go baby. Cum all over my cock,” he said.

Your oragsm ripped through you and you practically screamed into his ear. Pleasure came over you in a huge wave. Your eyes screwed shut and your legs wrapped around Peter’s torso pulling him impossibly close. Your body felt limp under Peter’s and when you opened your eyes Peter's face held worrisome and frustration.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“I haven’t came,” his voice trembled.

“It’s ok. We can keep going,” you said tiredly.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he buried his face in your neck.

“You won’t hurt me, Peter. I promise.”

He kissed softly before gently flipping you over and thrusted into furiously.

Six hours later Peter finally came after you did so nine times; and that was before you stopped counting. Your body shook and Peter cleaned you up. He had a small fridge where he kept drinks from time to time and grabbed a water bottle for you to drink.

You breathed heavily after drinking a copious amount of water before laying back down. You turned to check the clock on his bedside and saw that it was around three thirty in the morning. Peter crawled into bed with you, both still naked not caring enough to change. He held you impossibly close, burying his face in your shoulder.

“I’m so sorry. Are you ok?” he mumbled in your skin.

“I mean it was a lot,” you chuckled.

“I swear if it weren’t for that stupid fucking pollen our first time would have been softer and special,” he said, making you look at him with surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, well, look. Y/n, I really like you and I know that timing is horrible but it’s true. I promise.”

“Well, I like you too,” you smiled at him.

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

“Wow. God, you’re amazing. Thank you for today,” he whispered, cuddling you close.

“Of course. I’d do anything for you.”

You both fell asleep soundly in each other's arms until you both woke up the next day from loud yet muffled voices downstairs. The sun was shining very bright, lighting the whole room up brightly. You stirred around and peeked over Peter’s sleeping body to find that it was around noon already and you two were still in bed.

Peter moved a bit slowly waking up. You turned around to face and watched his beautiful face slowly come to life. His eyes met your eyes and you both smiled before bursting into giggles; hiding your face in his chest.

“We’ll have to get up soon, you know,” he said, making you sigh dramatically.

“Let’s run away, before they make fun of us. They had to have heard, right?” you said, slightly panicked.

Peter just laughed and shook his head. He reached to kiss you, moving your hair off your neck eyes widening.

“Oh man,” he said, thumb rubbing the dark spots he left on you.

“What?” You pushed the sheets off your body feeling intensely sore. You heard Peter gasped as you trotted to a mirror.

Your body was covered in bruises and hickeys that Peter left for literally everyone to see. When you looked in the mirror you yelled Peter’s name completely shocked at the state of your body.

“I can’t believe you!”

“Well, in my opinion I think you looking fucking sexy,” he said coming up behind you.

“I like them,” you said shyly, “But everyone’s gonna see them, no?”

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen next time.”

“Next time?”

“Hell yeah. Only if you want of course,” he chuckled, “Let’s take a shower before we grab some food.”

That was filled with giggles and little touches. Kisses were exchanged practically every minute. You both came out of the shower and Peter so generously lent you a pair of clean boxers and one of his shirts fitting way too big on you. He wore these delicious looking grey sweatpants and a tight fitted black shirt. You practically drooled over him.

“No, later,” he winked.

He grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers before heading down stairs preparing for what could be an upcoming disaster. You came down stairs meeting everyone appearing to be arguing probably over what you did. Everyone noticed you two and immediately stopped conversing.

Tony sat on a stool, arms crossed and an unamused look staring at you both while everyone else looked down or at each other, anywhere at but you guys.

“Before you say anything, everything that happened is my fault,” Peter pulled you behind him.

Tony simply looked at you and made you feel shy and ashamed somewhat under his gaze. He told you to stay away and you didn’t listen.

“Don’t even look at her. She has nothing to do with this,” he said when Tony shifted his gaze.

“Relax, kid. Look we all talked. Thor told me about the effects the pollen can have mentally and the trauma it can impact when ‘untreated’ for too long. We weren’t going to find a cure anytime soon and I don’t even want to think about the consequences you’d have to pay because I'm a stubborn old man who didn’t like seeing the kids not be kids anymore. You both are adults and I had no right to interfere with that. Besides everyone knows you two are in love.”

“We’re not in love,” Peter mumbled.

“Love is such a strong word,” you mumbled simultaneously.

“Don’t argue with me,” Tony said.

“Sorry,” you both whispered.

“I’m sorry,” he admitted.

“We also agreed that starting today we will be installing soundproofing in both of your rooms and Y/n, maybe put some ice on…” he pointed to your neck but then waved around your whole body because you were pretty beaten up.

“Thanks, guys,” Peter said holding your hand again.

“Congrats on getting the girl finally,” Steve said.

Before you two left you saw Nat wink at you and you smiled running away with Peter most likely to go cuddle and maybe fuck another round if your body feels better. As much as you hate to admit, thank god Peter smelled that fucking plant.

#peter parker #peter parker smut #peter parker oneshot #peter parker one shot #aged!up peter parker #peter parker sex pollen #sex pollen #tom holland #tom holland smut #marvel smut

3K notes · View notes

svnflowervol666 · 3 years

Text

Pinky Promise (dad!Harry)

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: Harry introduces a certain special someone to the newest addition of his family.

Author’s Note: Surprise! Here’s some boy dad!Harry on this fine week night. I feel like Harry is almost always written as as girl dad (guilty as charged tho), so I wanted to show the boys some love. I didn’t really call this one an ‘x reader,’ because this one’s mostly about Harry and his bub, but the missus is still there, don’t worry! I hope you enjoy and as always, feedback of any kind, likes and especially reblogs are super helpful to keep me motivated to post more. Take care and TPWK.

The Styles household was always filled with noise. Whether it was contagious laughter echoing off of the walls in the kitchen, the pitter patter of pudgy feet bursting through the back door from the garden, or the low humming of the secondhand record player coming from the living room. The sounds were comforting, reassuring to those that lived there. While the ruckus caused by something like which Joni Mitchell song Harry should play on the guitar before bedtime or what color everyone’s nails should be painted each week might seem chaotic to some, it represented a kind of tranquility that at one point did not seem possible to grasp.

But today, in the modest, ivy-covered cottage with a pastel-yellow door, it was quiet. The sun poured in from the two open windows of the living area, filling the room with a still brightness that only London could emote. Dust particles danced in the light, drifting along through their own invisible current. The beginnings of the city could be seen in the distance, visible in a foggy haze with promises of sweet treats and adventue-packed days. But no sound, as the newest member of the Styles family had commanded the attention and affection of everyone within its walls.

“She’s so little,” the youngest spoke up. Although he was now technically the oldest. He outstretched his hand out to caress the petite foot that stuck out from beneath the periwinkle-colored muslin blanket.

“I know,” Harry replied, watching the swaddled newborn’s toes curl in reaction to being tickled by her brother, “I remember when you were this tiny, too.”

“I was?” he asked, scratching at his chocolate brown curls that never laid flat.

Harry nodded in affirmation, recalling the early morning when his son had been born prematurely. He’d spent nearly ten days resting in an uncomfortable vinyl recliner beside his girlfriend’s, who was now his wife, hospital bed counting down the minutes until the nurse would give them the “ok” to go visit their bub in the NICU. Harry stared in awe at his newborn through the glass of the incubator, using the open portal on the side to reach in and stroke his cheek with the faintest of touches. He was covered in wires and tubes, surrounded by monitors and beeping machines, all tasked with keeping his underdeveloped organs afloat. It was the most pitiful thing he had ever seen, and Harry still has those nights where he’s plagued with memories from the hospital. While the day he became a father was most certainly the best day of his life, it was one of the most traumatic experiences he’s ever been through.

“Mhmm. You were actually even smaller when you were born,” Harry prodded, playfully wiggling his eyebrows at him.

“No I wasn’t! the toddler jabbed back, crinkling his nose up at his parents, his aquamarine colored eyes turning into tiny slits on either side.

“Umm, yes you were,” Harry’s wife replied with a chuckle from where she sat beside the rest of her family on the couch, “We bought the tiniest size clothes we could find and they still didn’t fit your teeny little bum.”

The boy sat confused, trying to comprehend how a person could be smaller than his sister, let alone be so tiny that clothes didn’t even fit them.

“Well, I’m big now. Right?”

“Much bigger,” Harry reassured him, “But now that you’re bigger, you have t’ take care of your sister. You have to teach her how to be kind and share your toys with her. Think yeh can do tha’?”

“Yes! C-can she swim with me in the pool?” he stumbled over his words, overjoyed by the idea of someone always being around to play his sacred water games with him in his nana’s pool.

“Not yet, bubba,” Harry laughed, tickled by his son’s enthusiasm, “We have t’ wait until she’s a little bit older. But I’m sure she’d love to swim with you at Nana’s when she knows how.”

“Okayyy,” the boy replied, slightly defeated.

“Do you want t’ hold her?” Harry asked, gesturing to the sleeping bundle in his lap, her puffy eyelids closed peacefully as tiny, sporadic grunts left her little belly.

“Yeah, but I don’t know how,” he professed, his plush, pink toddler lips turning down into a frown.

“’S alright, I’ll show you,” Harry then carefully shuffled from his position on the couch, turning so that he was facing his son.

“So, first, you have to make sure you hold her head because she can’t keep it up on her own,” Harry started, reaching over to place the baby girl into his son’s arms.

Unlike the last time, Harry’s hands didn’t shake. He wasn’t afraid like he was before, when his arms trembled as he took his newborn son into his arms for the first time, petrified that he was going to accidentally smother him or drop him and that the worst thing he could imagine would come true. No. This time, his hands were sturdy, protective over his new daughter as he was preparing to introduce her to his firstborn for the very first time.

Harry’s wife looked on lovingly as his son took the baby from him excitingly, his left hand cupping her head gently. Her tired eyes were filled with love when he wrapped his arm protectively around her little tufts of peach fuzz in the best way that a five-year-old with mediocre hand-eye coordination could.

“You also have t’ hold her bum so she doesn’t squirm out of your arms.”

Harry took his son’s hand into his, guiding him to place his tiny forearm along the baby’s back with his palm resting on her diaper-clad bottom. When he was confident of his son’s grip on the infant, he pulled back. He made sure to hover over him with his brawny, tanned arms just ghosting over his son’s. Just in case.

The boy was elated. His sister was warm and soft, and she looked like one of the stuffed animals that he slept with every night. He couldn’t believe that the person he talked to in his mother’s belly every night for nine months and gave kisses to each morning before nursery school was here and real and now she gets to live with him forever.

“She’s so cute,” he spoke in gentle whisper this time, remembering what his mum had told him about being quiet around the baby so that she doesn’t wake up cranky.

He was absolutely smitten over her. Everything about her was the cutest thing he had ever seen in his brief time on Earth: her button nose that sat perfectly above her lips, her miniature fingers wound tightly her fist as if she was ready to fight, her little tongue that barely poked through her mouth each time she yawned. He could stare at her forever if he could.

Instinctively, he pulled her into his bony chest for a hug, squeezing a little too harder than he should have. The baby girl tensed in his grasp at the motion, the beginnings of a shrill whine escaping her pruney lips.

“Whoa, bub. You have t’ be careful,” Harry intervened, loosening his son’s arms so that the baby rested peacefully in the boy’s lap again.

“She’s fragile. You can’t squeeze her like that,” the boy’s mum reminded him.

“Sorry, Baby,” said the boy as he reached down to press his tiny lips to her eyebrow.

Her forehead wrinkled up at the contact, similar to one of auntie Gemma’s baby puppies, thought the boy to himself. He also thought that she kind of looked like one of the puppies too, but he kept that to himself.

Harry and his wife watched their children interacted, how his son was brushing his thumb along her skull, how her face relaxed at the steady motion. They were already in sync with each other, already comforting each other just by their presence. They were both besotted with their daughter, but Harry thinks he might be just a bit more in love with her than his wife. Harry had gotten used to raising his son, while he taught him to be a kindhearted and gentle creature, there had always been a degree of roughness to which he interracted with him. His daughter, however, was made of glass, Harry had convinced himself. He vowed to do whatever it took to make sure she never shed a single tear because of him or anything else he had control over.

Now, Harry had two babies. One boy and one girl, just like his family before this one. The similarities slightly terrified him. His son was soft and gentle and loving, just like Harry had been as a child. He was sensitive, always yearning to be held and touched in the way that Harry had when he was his age. His daughter, even though she was only a few days old, was already a stubborn little fighter like his sister. She cried her lungs out within her first few hours of being born, kicking and screaming until it looked like her face was turning blue. She hated the harsh lights that the doctors shone in her eyes and their cold hands that poked and prodded at her belly like she was a science experiment. It wasn’t until she was in the arms of her family that her wailing subsided.

It was thoughts like these that felt surreal to Harry. He never saw himself as someone that could be in the position he is now. He’d always thought he’d be an eternal bachelor, someone who only ever stayed with someone for a certain period of time before everything inevitably blew up in his face and he’d be back at square one. He never thought that he’d be the type of person with a wife and a white picket fence and a slew of babies; he never thought that he could be the type of person who could be this happy.

“Bubby, can I ask you to promise me something?” Harry asked as he scooped the boy into his lap, making sure the baby was secure so that the three of them laid in one pile on the couch.

He pulled his wife closer as well, making sure they were shoulder to shoulder and he felt surrounded on all sides by the ones he loved the most.

�� “What?” his son asked, peering up at his papa with huge eyes that resembled saucers, his long, dark eyelashes brushing his brow bones.

“I want you to promise me,” Harry began, wrapping his arms tighter around his two babies, resting his chin in the crook of his son’s neck, “tha’ whatever happens t’ the two of you, no matter how many times you get into fights. No matter how mad you might make each other. That you’ll love her. No matter what. That you’ll always be her big brother.”

Harry hadn’t realized, but his voice trailed off near the end. His voice was just above a whisper, so quiet that only his son could hear. He pressed his lips to side of his bub’s forehead, an attempt to soothe both his son and himself.

“Can yeh do that f’ me?”

The boy in Harry’s lap pondered his father’s words. His finger went absentmindedly to stroke his sister’s hand, astonished when her fingers unfurled from the tight fist they’d been bound in all day. He slipped his pinky into her palm just as her muscles relaxed so that she was now clutching tightly to his digit.

He had no idea of the weight that Harry’s words carried. He had no idea of the thoughts of uncertainty that haunted Harry about never getting to this point in his life. He doesn’t understand the cruelty that exists outside the walls of his home besides the pesky little boy in his class that borrows his crayons and doesn’t give them back. He doesn’t know that other children don’t grow up in homes with parents that love each other like his do.

He didn’t know any of these things, but he sensed that it meant a great deal to Harry, and he wanted to make sure that his father knew he could count on him for anything because he loved him with all of his heart and Harry proved that to him every single day.

“Pinky promise, papa,” the boy responds, loosening his hand that was wrapped around his sister to offer it to Harry.

#harry styles x reader #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #dad!harry #dad!harry x reader #dad!harry styles x reader #dad!harry styles

829 notes · View notes

mycrofts-gunbrella · 3 years

Text

Caring is the Greatest Advantage- Part Eight (Mycroft Holmes x Reader)

Sorry for such a long delay!! It’s my little boy’s first birthday this week so I’ve been running around making arrangements and picking up last minute presents! Hope you enjoy this little chapter. It’s only 3K words, but it is a build up ready for the next chapter which will contain smut! Not full blown smut (I don’t think Mycroft is ready for that yet!) but still smutty nonetheless!

I will separate the smutty bit enough so that you can skip it if you want, but it will be referenced later on in that chapter!

Word Count- 3062

This morning differed from the last few that you had experienced since staying at Mycroft's home, namely because Mycroft had awoken before you this time, but also because it was the first morning you had ever been awoken by long fingers prodding at your forehead. That and also because, despite last night's late events, you managed to arise at a reasonable 9am.

"Did you know there are a lot nicer ways to wake somebody up?" You questioned, opening your eyes to see Mycroft staring at you with a slight frown to his brow. He retracted his hand slightly and shifted to sit a little higher.

"You know, Sherlock as a child once woke me in a similar way. I felt small scratches on my eyebrows and woke up to see him crouched over me with a smug little grin on his face. As it turns out, he had slipped sleeping pills into my cup of tea before bed and in my slumber covered my eyebrows in toothpaste." You covered your mouth with your hand and snorted slightly. "He'd come in to see if there was anything left beneath them, which, of course, there wasn't.. claimed it was just an experiment. I'd like to laugh and be more dignified about it upon looking back, but I struggle because he was only six and already a sod."

"Okay, you've proven there are in fact worse ways to wake up." You didn't make big deals out of it, but every time Mycroft welcomed you a little more into the stories of his youth, you can't help but feel your heart warm. It may not seem like much, but coming from Mycroft, a very private man who hasn't been treated the best over the years, it meant everything. You stretched and moved your hands up to rub your eyes, flinching a little as your fingers brushed against the bit of your head above your eyebrows. "Bugger." You winced, poking again and feeling a small lump.

"I was going to warn you but you laughed at my traumatic eyebrow removal story." You groaned and recalled your memory of last night and where you believe the bruise originated from.

"I jumped into bed last night sulking a bit that you wouldn't talk to me and uh.. misjudged.." Mycroft snickered slightly from your side, you swatted his arm. "Tit. I'm blaming you. This wouldn't have happened if you didn't go all Han Solo in carbonite on me." You spoke playfully, letting him know you weren't truly peeved.

"I thought you said it was cute?"

"That was clearly a concussion talking." You stretched once more and climbed out of the bed, walking over to a mirror above a dressing table and rolling your eyes. "Might need your special government powers to clear out the cafe else Ms Woodall will think we've had a domestic." Bernice Woodall, owner of one of your favourite little cafes settled on the outskirts of St James' Park was a very.. particular lady. She could have a good laugh one moment, and start a quarrel with a customer over the amount they stir their tea the next. But, you'd have to admit, she has one hell of an all day breakfast menu; you could practically taste one of her omelettes just by thinking about it, making your stomach growl loudly.

"I would but, if I am to be very honest, she genuinely scares me a little. I think she could overthrow MI5 so I daren't even try." You stood and moved into Mycroft's bedroom, grabbing your bag of clothes and picking through a few of the pairs of your jeans Anthea had brought and scanning through the t-shirts. Your fingers brushed over the creases of the shirt that had formed from being stuffed in the bag and frowned.

"Perhaps it would be more suitable for you to pop those in one of the chest of drawers? I'm sure I have at least one drawer empty.." Myc's voice came from behind you and you fell from your crouching position, clutching your heart.

"You and your bloody spy legs, you just scared the shit out of me." You stood back up, your pile of today's clothes in one hand and the bag of the rest in the other. "Giving me a drawer in your place already? Ooh Myc you are serious." You grinned playfully, following him as he guided you to a set of drawers in the opposite corner of the room. Mycroft halted and opened his mouth to make some kind of comment but you cut him off, placing your folded clothes inside the Edwardian furniture. "Only teasing.. I'm just glad you haven't kicked me out yet. Though I don't think my own bed will ever feel as comfortable as yours. I might not want to go back now you've spoilt me, you'll just have to be blunt when you're bored of me." You winked at him and carried your outfit into the en suite bathroom to get ready. Mycroft headed over to his wardrobe to pluck out his own clothes, electing to remain somewhat casual for your trip to breakfast with a pair of navy chinos and a lighter blue button up before muttering slightly under his breath.

"And if I never am?"

In the rare parts of his life where he allowed to imagine himself getting into a relationship, Mycroft had never expected himself to be overwhelmed with so much emotion so quickly, but with you it was almost as though he had no control; as though there had been so many pent up feelings over the years that they just seem to have exploded without any rational thought behind it. And whilst these were all new to Mycroft, and how he still wasn't entirely sure about everything that he felt when it came to things with you, the only thing he was positive about was that he didn't want it to go. And that meant not wanting you to leave. Which was ridiculous. You had just under two weeks left together until you would be needed back at work, and he would have to return to fighting on Britain's behalf, but the thought of you not being at home to greet him when he finished, or him not being able to pick you up in one of his cars from the Yard to take you both home made him feel a sense of disappointment. He shook himself from his thoughts when you emerged from the bathroom fully dressed.

"On second thoughts, I may take the risk. I'm not sure I can have members of the general public associating me with a Sex Pistols fan, no matter how humerous you may believe that top to be." You walked out proudly wearing your 'God Save the Queen' t-shirt with a grin. "You are aware tha-"

"That when the Sex Pistols released their song 'God Save the Queen' in 1977 it was around the same time of The Queen's silver jubilee and thus it was banned for a while on the premise of being 'bad gross taste'? You've only mentioned it every time I wear this shirt.. Though if your research extended enough then you'd know Paul Cook said it wasn't written specifically FOR the jubilee.. So if one of Lizzie's spies catch me in the act, I shall make a very sincere apology." Mycroft took his own clothes into the bathroom to get ready himself and scoffed.

"But I AM one of 'Lizzie's Spies'." He mused, leaning slightly against the doorframe after settling the outfit on the counter. You turned around on your heel and stood up on your tiptoes, pushed him more forcefully against the doorframe and placed your hands on Mycroft's cheeks, pressing your lips softly against his. His shock subsided before he kissed you tentatively, his hand resting on your lower back. You pulled away after a moment and ushered him into the bathroom to get ready, closing the door behind you and leaving him still slightly red faced and confused.

"Consider that my sincere apology." You headed over to the dresser and began to tie up your hair. "But hurry up, I'm starving." You called, moving the hairbrush too low and brushing against your bruise, making you wince loudly. From the bathroom, you heard Mycroft's voice before the sound of him brushing his teeth.

"Head?"

"Well I was thinking more along the lines of breakfast, but who knows what the day will bring." You heard the sound of Mycroft choking on his toothpaste and wished to whatever deity out there that you could have seen his face. Yes, you had promised to try and be less overbearing with your comments but he walked into that one. You grinned and sat down on the side of the bed, briefly scanning through your phone before Mycroft emerged, his face still burnt a red as deep as the burgundy sweatshirt he had paired with his outfit. The fact he had come out at all at least let you know that your joke hadn't taken it too far.

"You're a minx."

"And you wouldn't change it. Now let's go!"

---

Only 20 minutes later had you both be found sitting comfortably in Ms Woodall's cafe, tucking into your respective meals- with you noticing, but not commenting on, Mycroft eating comfortably until the last bite of toast was gone, a sense of pride warming within you. Not too long after, Bernice herself headed over to clear up your tables.

"I trust everything was up to standard?" She asked, piling your plates onto her little trolley and offering top ups on your drinks.

"Splendid as usual, Ms Woodall." Mycroft smiled, accepting his new cup of tea and cradling it comfortably between his long fingers.

"Still proving to be our favourite place for breakfast." You praised, your hand reaching out to fondly brush against Mycroft's before taking your coffee into hand. Bernice watched your movements and raised her brow knowingly.

"Took the pair of you long enough. I had been half tempted to abstain from feeding you here until I got one of you to say something, it had started making me feel a bit sick watching you eye each other up each time you'd get up to order something." You rested your elbow on the table, hand covering your mouth as you let out a laugh.

"Yes, well, I can't promise you the ogling will stop on my behalf." You teased.

"And why should it? Mr Holmes in those posh little outfits is enough to make anyone swoon." And with that she had headed back out into the kitchen again.

"There you go, Myc. Should anything happen to me, my replacement is only round the corner."

"Mmm, and she does make a rather good cup of tea. Perhaps I shouldn't wait that long." His lip raised slightly in a smirk as he took a sip of his hot beverage.

"Oh really? Need I start getting possessive; stand my ground?" Before Mycroft could quip back, Ms Woodall had returned with a plate of biscuits in hand.

"Means you've already answered my next question, anywho." She hummed, placing the plate down between you and perching on the corner of the table beside yours. The pair of you gave her a questioning look and she continued, pointing up to her own forehead. "Tony and I were just as bad at the start of our marriage. Anywhere and everywhere we could get our hands on each other, I ended up with bumps and scrapes from alleys, the backs of cars, even in that one restaurant toilet that time.." You choked on your coffee and Mycroft all but dropped his teacup. "Oh don't act so ignorant, even us oldies had sex in their time." Your eyes caught Mycroft's and you could see him stifling down a laugh, biting softly on his knuckle- which, in itself, shouldn't have been as attractive to you as it was, but it is what it is.

"And with that thought, we best be off. Got a movie date planned." You commented, coughing down your own laugh as Bernice continued.

"Though to be fair it never stopped, all that spontaneity. Even towards the end, he could be like a lad of nineteen with how it was. God the positions, you'd have mistaken me for a gymnast and he could last for ages. I'd just lie there wondering 'will this pleasure never end'?" You could feel tears prick at your eyes as your laughter began to break through. "And then of course once Tony passed a couple years ago it all stopped. Shame really, all those years together, ending how it did.. Though sometimes I'm not sure if it's him that I miss or his massiv-"

"Ms Woodall we really should be going, thank you for breakfast." Mycroft hastily threw a few £20 notes on the table, far too much to cover your meal but enough to distract Bernice while tugging your hand and beelining for the door. Once safely distanced from the apparent nymphomaniac cafe owner you had to stop in your tracks to let out a laugh, Mycroft's hand still in yours as you doubled over.

"I can't believe she said that! She's so open."

"Evidently." Mycroft's comment set you off again, his laughter following, ignoring how you caught the attention of a few people passing by. "I do hope you are in no rush for breakfast there again any time soon, I don't think I can look her in the eye for a good while."

"Still so sure on replacing me with her so soon? I think she'd break you."

"Or turn me into a whore." You snorted and settled back to walking.

---

"Drink?"

"Please. Tea, hold the sexual history."

"I'll try my very best, though, much like my tea, I imagine my list would be abysmal in comparison to old Ms Woodall." You flicked on the kettle, eager to replace the half drunk coffee you had discarded on the cafe table in your escape from listening about pensioner sex. "Will you load up the movie?"

"No. But I shall get the film ready to go.. How the American dialect found its way back to England will never fail to disappoint me." You had followed him into the room shortly after, mugs on the table and settled on the sofa beside Mycroft.

"You know, typically, when people elect for a movie day, they don't choose the tenth movie in the series to watch first." You grinned, tucking your legs beneath your body in an attempt to get comfortable. You continued your shuffling movements and heard Mycroft's voice.

"I believe we both agree that Carry On Cleo is the superior of the 31 movies for, well, a multitude of reasons." He trailed.

"I shan't object. It's sweet that you remember it's the first one we watched together.. Had it not been for you hearing Kenneth's famous 'Infamy, infamy' line persuading you to come over, I fear that I'd have been set up with one of Greg's mates by now, sitting in a pub nursing a G+T."

"I never said I remembered that."

"You didn't have to. You and I both know that your favourite was always Carry on Camping."

"Yes, well.. Opinions change with experience."

"Is this our equivalent of a patronus? Yours has changed and matched with mine? Very cute, Myc. Might I expect you in a 'Never Mind the Bollocks' shirt next week?" You teased, electing to lay down with your head lightly using Mycroft's thigh as a pillow, feeling grateful when he didn't shove you off with a comment about ruining the linen of his trousers, and instead took to softly brushing his fingers over your head, narrowly missing the purple bump each time.

"You'd have better chances of catching me running naked down the street."

"Is that a promise?" A flick to your forehead.

"Just play the bloody film."

---

By the time the film had finished, your cheeks had hurt from smiling and your eyelids had felt heavy. Whilst getting up at a reasonable hour had felt like an achievement this morning, the lack of sleep from the previous night was beginning to catch up to you.

"Myc? Would it be entirely improper to nap on the sofa when there are multiple reasonable beds upstairs before continuing our films?"

"Only about as improper as it is to have a midday nap when you're not a young child." You shifted your head from his lap and sat up, ignoring the fact that you actually did end up ruining the linen of his trousers with the crease of your skull.

"Let me rephrase. Mycroft, would you be willing to break your proper posh boy streak and nap with me on the sofa?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to deviate from one's usual behaviours in order to satisfy those one holds dear."

"That's a yes, right? Good, lay down, else I may just collapse right at this moment." Mycroft's sofa certainly was a significantly bit bigger than those usually found in somebody's front room, but it was still nowhere near wide enough for two people to lay with distance. Even still, he followed your request and rotated his body, lifting his long legs to rest down the side of the sofa while you slid into the gap beside him. He eventually circled his arm beneath you and rested his hand on your hip, your face softly brushing against the comforting material of his jumper. "If you drop me, I will be holding you accountable." You mumbled, shifting your body closer to his. He merely hummed, his hand slightly bunching in your shirt and his arm tightening. "I'd always hoped you were secretly a cuddler."

"Make a point of it or tell Sherlock and I'll throw you off." You couldn't even think of a witty comeback before your slumber had taken over, the smell of Mycroft and the sounds of him breathing overstimulating your senses. Mycroft being a secret cuddler hadn't been as much of a shock to you as it probably should have, but you welcome it completely and feel incredibly thankful that he trusts you enough to let you be that close to him, to feel his body in such a way. And you would embrace that- and him- as long as he would let you.

165 notes · View notes

20moonchild21 · 3 years

Text

𝗦𝗲𝗵𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵𝘁 [𝗯𝘁𝘀]

⇉ 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 9

[pairings]

JK x female!oc, Bunny!JK x human!female!oc, Jin x female!oc, Leopard!Jin x human!female!oc, Jimin x female!oc, white Tiger!Jimin x human!female!oc, Taehyung x female!oc, black Tiger!Taehyung x human!female!oc, JK x Jin x Jimin x Taehyung x female!oc

[warnings]

very grumpy Tae, threats, flashbacks of abusive past, mentions Hybrid auction, traumatized Jimin and Tae, trust issues, mentions of blood, mentions of eating disorder

[words]

4.0k

[author] ⇉ please, read!

Okay, I swear I absolutely love Tae, but he just fits in that grumpy role. I actually want to upload all the other chapters so badly all at once, but I can’t!!!! You and I have to be patient a little while longer!

While waiting for my next update on Wednesday, you could actually check out my favorite author @starlightauroras-main. She wrote that really cute story Inferiority complex. I love it so much, and you definitely have to read it too!

Also, check out my other inspirations below this chapter. Like always, my message board is open for recommendations, wishes, criticism or whatever it is on your heart.

I also want to thank you guys so so so much for always leaving me so much likes and those super cute comments. I swear, I see all of them and they make me so proud and happy, but unfortunately, I cannot answer all of the comments. I wish I could!🥺 💜

PS: People often ask me what 𝗦𝗲𝗵𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵𝘁 actually means, so here is the answer:

Sehnsucht is a German word (I am from Germany, lol), and it stands for „the inconsolable longing in the (human) heart for we know not what ; a yearning for a far, familiar, (non-) earthly land one can identify as one‘s (n.)“

Kind of cute, don’t you think?

Stay healthy and safe!

Mꨄ

[chapter 8 ||| chapter 10]

“Okay, everyone needs to calm down.” She took a deep breath, as she closed her eyes.

“We are calm.” Jungkook piped in from beside her, as him and Jin and sat down next to her on the table. “You – You are the one who makes a scene.”

The girl chuckled nervously, before she opened her eyes to look at the boys. Jungkook had laid his head down on his hands, that were rested on the table. His ears hung loosely bedside his face, while his big, brown deer eyes were looking up at the girl, eyebrows cocking up. Jin beside him had wrapped both of his hands around the hot mug that was filled with coffee, while he cocked his eyebrows up as well.

“Oh my god. I am really making a scene?” She whined while her eyes moved away from both of her Hybrids over to the white tiger, who’s eyes were flickering between the girl and the other two boys.

When his eyes met the girl’s gaze properly, he stopped fiddling with his fingers. A heavy shed of red started spreading over his cheeks, before he quickly shook his head and dropped his eyes. After she had brought him and his brother breakfast, Jimin had carefully asked if he was allowed to leave his room. Taehyung on the other hand had refused to leave his bed. When she had offered Jimin to take a seat at the table, he had looked at her with wide eyes but not taken her offer. He rather stood next to the table, watching the scene in front of him.

“Why are you so nervous, Hope?” Jungkook had lifted his head and was now leaning it on his hands. “You are so smart.”

Hope chuckled at his innocence. She had told them roughly why it was so important to her that her term papers would be free of any mistakes, but she doubt that they had really understood the how much of her future depended on this.

“Thank you, Kookie.” She drover her finger through the thick hair at the back of his head. “But this is really important. If I made the smallest mistake, it might be that I can’t be a lawyer, which means that I can’t defend Hybrids in front of the Judge, you know?”

Jungkook just hummed, as he moved his head against her hand, getting himself a nice massage.

“What – What is a – a lawyer?” The girl moved her eyes away from the bunny.

Jimin was still fiddling with his sleeves, but he was now looking at the girl, his cheeks still covered in red.

“Do you know what a judge is, Jimin?” The girl asked the white tiger, as she kept driving her hand through Jungkook’s hair. Jimin thought for a moment, before he quickly nodded. “A lawyer is someone who tries to convince the judge, that the one who is accused should not be punished. I want to try to convince the judge, that human should be punished for hurting a Hybrid in any way. This is why this term papers are so important to me because if I made any mistakes, they won’t allow me to defend any Hybrids.”

“But she is the smartest girl in the world.” Jungkook had opened his eyes and was now looking sharply at Jimin, almost snapping at the tiger. “That’s why she is going to be a lawyer.”

Jimin, who seemed to be pretty intimidated by the bunnies words, wrapped his tail tightly around his left leg, before he nodded quickly. Hope nudged Jungkook’s arm slightly, gesturing for him to not sound so harsh.

“Don’t worry, Hope.” Jin put his mug back on the table. “You checked your terms several times. There is no chance you made any mistakes.”

The girl took a deep breath and nodded. Jin was right. She had read over the cases so many times, making sure that there was not a single detail left that would cause any problems. She had checked her terms for grammar mistakes or wrong spelled words. It must be bulletproof.

“You are right, Jin.” She whispered and placed her finger at the ‘send’ button. “I will send it out now.”

Jungkook grabbed the girl’s arm, before pulling it down and took her smaller hand in his, squeezing it slightly. She looked one last time towards the leopard, getting an encouraging nod from. With a last, deep breath, she bundled up all her effort and finally pressed her finger onto the mouse.

“You did it.” Jungkook whispered, before he stood up and wrapped his arms around the sitting girl.

“Are you a lawyer now?” Jimin piped in with a small voice.

“Not yet, Jimin.” She watched the tiger, as he carefully walked around the table to take a look at her laptop screen. “It needs time. The committee needs to read my whole term, then they need to check my arguments if they are true or not and then they will decide if I can be a lawyer or not.”

Jimin kept staring at the screen, his eyes flickering over the symbols and letters. Somehow, he reminded her of Jungkook, who would always have the same sparkle in his eyes when he learns something new.

She sighed, as she laid her head on Jungkook’s head, who had leaned his head against her shoulder. It seemed like Jin had accepted the fact that the tigers would be staying with them for a certain am out of time, but she also hoped that Jungkook and the both other Hybrids would get along the time they would be staying here.

She felt her heart tighten when she thought about the two tigers. Where would they go after Taehyung’s injuries were all good again? She didn’t even know what had happened to the two tigers. What if their owners were the same kind as Jin and Jungkook’s old owners? What if they were looking for them and punish them for running away. What if someone would caught them strolling around the streets without someone to look after them? They would immediately lock them away or even worse.

“You are spacing out again.” Jin’s chuckling voice was ripping her out of her thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”

“I – ehm – I” All the three Hybrids were looking at her now. “I was thinking about – ehm – Taehyung. I haven’t looked over his arm yet. Do you think he would allow me to change his bandage, Jimin?”

She felt a slight vibration going through her shoulder, as Jungkook growled at the black tiger’s name. Since Taehyung had showed off his fangs the previous, Jungkook had never left the girl’s side again, too scared that the tiger would hurt her.

Jimin meanwhile, had taken a small step back. He started fiddling with his fingers again, eyes flickering around the ground, before he slightly shook his head.

“I – I don’t think so. He was pretty angry this morning.” He whispered, not looking up. “I am sorry for him. He is scared and unsettled. He – he would never hurt someone on purpose. He –“

“He threatened us with his fangs.” Jungkook quickly interrupted him, pressing his eyes together. “Hope just wanted to help him.”

“I know.” Jimin’s sad eyes were looking up at Jungkook, ears flat against his head. “I will try to talk to him later. But I promise that he would have never hurt you.”

“Don’t worry, Jimin.” Hope tried to friendly smile at him. “It takes time to fully trust someone, but I understand. He will warm up eventually. But I need to change his bandage, or else the infection could get worse.”

To her surprise, Jimin’s mouth lifted up. He smiled happily, before he nodded quickly. He turned around and run down the hallways, entering his and Taehyung’s room. When he was gone, Jin stretched himself. It looked kind of funny, because he not only stretched his arms over his head, he also stretched his ears and tail way from him.

“I will cook something for lunch.” He announced, before he stood up and grabbed his mug.

“Since you started cooking for us I gained weight, you know?” The girl laughed, as she rubber her belly to support her statement.

Jin just shook his head and walked into the kitchen, starting to prepare lunch. The girl smiled at Jin’s eagerness to cook for the three, and now the five, of them. She could see the happiness in his eyes, when he set up he table or when her and Jungkook tell him how tasty his meals are. She was glad that thing with him had turned out in a good way.

“Jungkook.” She mumbled against the bunny’s hair. “Can you try to be nice to them. Jimin is trying really hard to be good. I think you scare him away sometimes.”

“Good, he better is.” Jungkook mumbled back, and she could clearly hear the amusement in his voice.

“Please, Kookie.” She tried again, nudging his arm slightly. “I don’t want them to feel not welcome here. Can you try for me, please?”

The bunny didn’t answer. He just kept his eyes closed, burring his face against her shoulder, mumbling something she couldn’t understand.

Just in that moment, the sound of an opening door rang through the apartment. Jimin came out of the room, pulling a crumply looking Taehyung behind him. Both tigers made their way down the hallway, before they stopped in front of the table, where Hope and Jungkook were still sitting. The girl smiled up at them, before she carefully pushed a protesting bunny from her shoulder and stood up.

“Jungkook, why don’t you and Jimin ask Jin if he needs help, while I change Taehyung’s bandage?” She asked nicely, before she grabbed the first aid kid from the cupboard on the wall.

Jungkook and Jimin looked at each other for a few seconds, before both nodded shyly. Jungkook started walking first, but not before he made a V-sign with his fingers, pointing at his eyes and then at Taehyung’s eyes. Jimin flashed Taehyung a look as well, before he trailed after Jungkook into the kitchen.

Taehyung didn’t hesitate, as he pulled himself a chair back and sunk down on it. He laid his injured arm onto the table, turning his head away from the girl, nose trails went wide. The girl sighed, but sat down next to him, gathering all the supplies she would need on the table. She didn’t tried to start a conversation, she just took off the used bandage and started cleaning up the scratch.

As the wet clothed touched his swollen and sensitive skin, the tiger hissed slightly. He slowly turned his head in her direction, opening his mouth so she could clearly see his fangs. It was just now that she actually was close enough to look at them properly.

From the thick root all the way down to the razor thin and sharp tip, the bright white the stood out from the red gums. They were definitely longer than his front teeth, maybe by one inch, which meant that he could easily cut through her skin.

“I am not scared of your fangs, Taehyung.” She simply stated, looking back down and not stopping to whip the cloth over his injury.

The black tiger didn’t response. Instead, he started laughing quietly and shaking his head. He leaned his elbow that was not injured on the table, before he put his head in his hand, still looking at the girl. He lifted his lips even more, showing her the whole length of his carves, while licking his lips over them.

“Is that so?” He laughed, making Hope looking up once again. When she was directly looking into his deep brown eyes, he started talking in a lower voice again. “Why are you lying to me? I can smell your fear. I can sense your heart beating in fear. I can see the fear in your eyes, little human.”

The way his breath was tickling her ear in combination with his very deep voice, were indeed making her heart beat faster. She gulped slightly and moved her eyes away from Tae’s eyes, looking over to the kitchen, but she couldn’t spot Jungkook or Jin….or even Jimin, who would gave her a safer feeling.

“What?” Taehyung had noticed her desperate attempt to look for help. “Do you want to call your little bunny for – ouch!”

He hissed sharply, as she whipped the wet cloth harder over the sensitive skin. He was right, his sharp fangs were somehow intimidating her, but she wouldn’t let him threaten her like this, and she would definitely not allow the tiger to talk about Jungkook as weak.

“I am really sorry.” She hissed back, throwing the clothe away and opening the tube with salve. “I am just trying to help you, Taehyung. But if you don’t like my help, my front door is always open. You can leave anytime you want to. I won’t force you to stay.”

Taehyung hissed again when she applied the salve without take much care. She didn’t want to hurt him at all, but his attitude was getting on her nerves. Taehyung closed his eye tightly, before he bit the inside of his cheek hard, a growl raising up his throat.

“Oh believe me, little girl, if it wasn’t for Jimin, I would leave immediately.” He opened his eyes, staring directly into hers, whispering in his deep, low voice again. “I am warning you, don’t push me too far. I am not scared of a leopard and a bunny, and I won’t hesitate to hurt them, if they try to harm my brother in any way.”

“So Jimin, how did you come to New York?” Jin put the noodles into the pot, before he closed the lid.

Jimin and Jungkook had asked the older boy if he needed some help, while Hope wrapped up Taehyung’s arm. He gladly told them to cut all the vegetables into small pieces, while he would prepare the sauce and noodles.

“I – ehm –“ He coughed, before he started talking again. “Me and my brother are Bengal Tigers. We are from Korea, but they took us to New York because of an auction.”

Jin didn’t miss the way his voice went quieter with each word. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw how his ears were flatly pressed against his black hair, while he had wrapped his tail around his leg. He know exactly how Jimin must feel. When he was younger, his old owner had bought him at an auction in Korea as well.

“What is an auction?” Jungkook laid his knife down and was now looking with wide eyes at the tiger and then at Jin.

It was the first time since the previous night that Jungkook actually tried to talk to Jimin. The bunny had told Jin the night before about his concerns. Jungkook was a nice guy. He never meant to be mean or offended to someone, but his fear about the Hope getting hurt, or that she would like someone more than him was too much for him to handle.

“Human organize auctions to illegally buy rare Hybrid breeds.” Jimin whispered, not looking up at the bunny. “They locked us in a cage, so that all the visitor can look at us. My brother wanted to protect me, as one of the visitor tried to inspect my tail, but the guards stopped him. They – they hurt him badly.”

Though Jin had never been at an auction, he could feel the pain that the younger tiger went through. He knew what it felt to be helpless if a person you love was hurt by a human. He shivered at those memories.

“The girl –“ Jimin started after a moment of silence. “Have you always been living with her?”

“No.” Jungkook had taken his knife again, cutting the cucumber furiously. “She found me first. A few weeks ago, she took me in. She gave me food and something to drink and a bed to sleep. Later, she bought Jin from our old owner and took him in as well. She didn’t even request something in return, she just gave us anything we could have ever asked for.”

As he spoke, his voice held a tone of bitterness. Though Jungkook had come far since he was taken in here, the past was still sitting in his bones. He didn’t want to admit it, but Jin sometimes noticed how he would wake up in the middle on the night, scared and confused. Jin wanted so desperately to help him, but he had no other choice than to be there for him as much as possible.

“Thank you for letting us stay with you.” Jimin suddenly said. He turned around and looked at Jin. “I know that you don’t like us here, especially if my brother behaves like this, but – but –“

“It’s okay, Jimin.” Jin stepped forward and laid a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. “Just a few weeks ago, we were in the same situation as the both of you. We know what you are going through, and we were glad that Hope took us in without any conditions.”

The three boys kept preparing their lunch for another few minutes, still talking about their lives, when suddenly they head the loud noise of a door slamming, followed by a long silence. Jin was about to look what was going on, but Hope was already walking into the kitchen. She flashed the three boys a sad smile, before she washed her hands in the sink.

“What’s going on?” Jungkook’s eyes help panic, as he watch the blood falling down in the sink. “Did he hurt you? I swear if he –“

“No, it’s okay. His wound was bleeding pretty bad, but I wrapped it up so it should be okay.” She dried her hands and turned around. “But he is still pretty unhappy with everything.”

She leaned herself against the counter, wrapping her arms around her waist. Jin didn’t need to ask her if anything was okay, he could smell it in her aura, that she as battling in her head. He knew how much she wanted to help Jimin and his brother, and that Taehyung was rejecting her help was really nudging at her bones.

“Don’t chew your lips, Hope.” Jin bend down to pull the plates out of the cupboard, before he pushed them into the girl’s arms. “Jimin, do you want to join us at the table or are you eating with Taehyung?”

Jimin’s eyes flickered from the stack of plates towards the hallway. He sighed, before he told them that he would eat with his brother. Jin nodded and prepared two plates of food, before adding two bottles of water onto the tray. He passed it to Jimin who politely bowed his head, as he made his way into the room.

“Don’t you want to try, Tae?” Jimin asked his brother, who sat arm crossed beside him on the bed. “It’s really good and look, I cut the vegetables.”

The black tiger breathed out hard, but eventually he grabbed the fork that laid next to his plate and began to eat. He wanted to spit this food out so badly, but he had to admit that it really did taste good.

“Who does this human girl think she is.” He put his plat back down on the tray, slamming fork down next to it. “She hurt me on purpose, Jimin. She asked for me to hurt her. I was just this far away – only this far away from ripping her throat out. Pathetic human.”

Jimin didn’t respond. The older tiger just kept shoving his fork around his plate, not looking up at his brother. Tae was irritated by this behaviour. Normally, they both would avoid to have contact in any way with human. They both shared the same opinion on them, which was why he couldn’t understand how Jimin could hang around with that girl all day long.

“Jimin?” Tae asked annoyed when the older one didn’t look at him. “Why are you acting that way? You agree with me, don’t you?”

Jimin was still not looking at the younger one.

“Don’t you, Jimin?” Tae asked again, bit this time with a quitter voice.

“I –“ Jimin stopped, looking for the right words to continue. “I just don’t think that she is that bad. I mean, Jin and Jungkook seem to be pretty – happy? Maybe she is –“

“Nice? Kind? Different than the other human?” Tae smiled at Jimin, before his face dropped. “Forget it, Jimin. Human are all the same. I don’t trust that little girl.”

How could Jimin be so blind? Hadn’t the past encounters with human had been enough reasons to not trust those creatures again? He breathed out again, adding a growl. Just because that girl and her pets had offered them their help didn’t mean that Tae would jump into her arms.

It wasn’t that he was not thankful for her help, even when he had threatened her earlier with hid fangs. It had made him angry, that he actually hadn’t had smelled any fear at all in her scent. She hadn’t lied at all. But that didn’t change a single thing about his opinion on her. If she or her pets would do one wrong move towards Jimin or him, he could not promise anything.

He watched his brother eating his lunch quietly. It scared him that Jimin looked so pale and skinny. He had always been a skinny boy, but he had loosen a lot of weight while they were out on their own. Tae wasn’t stupid. He had noticed that Jimin had saved all the food they had left for him, so he could get healthy again. Even though Jimin was older that him by a few months, Taehyung had that urge to protect that smaller male from any threats.

He hadn’t lied earlier. If it wasn’t for Jimin, if Jimin wasn’t here with him, if he only had a responsibility for his own, he would have never taken a step inside the girl’s apartment. It was all for his brother.

“It’s just – “ Jimin was still not looking up at his brother, but Tae could clearly hear the bitterness in his tone. “Last night was the first night I actually had a proper sleep since a very long time, Tae. I wasn’t worried about you not eating enough, I wasn’t worried about you being cold, I wasn’t worried about you being in pain. Can we just – can we just enjoy the time we are allowed to stay here?”

“I don’t know about you.” Tae laughed and leaned himself back against the headboard of the bed, arms behind his head, legs stretched out wide. “But I am enjoying my stay.”

Jimin turned his head, but not saying anything. Tae knew that it was harsh of his to talk about the girl’s offers like that, but it wasn’t like he was going to stay forever. So why not enjoying this comfort for once?

“You know what I meant.” Jimin sighed, as he let go of his fork, letting himself fall back on the soft mattress. “Jin and Jungkook are actually nice to talk to. It was the first real conversation I had in a very long time. Beside, I feel really bad to use the human girl like that. Don’t you think we should show some thankfulness?”

Tae had heard a lot of stupid ideas coming out of his brother’s mouth, but this was an absolutely highlight. His whole life, human had threaten him like he worth nothing to them. They had hurt him, they had humiliated him, they had locked him up, and now he should show some thankfulness?

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jimin.” He growled quietly, closing his eyes. “It’s not like we forcing her to help us. Plus, we won’t stay long, so don’t get attached to that human or her pets.”

[recommendations | Inspirations]

@wishesunderthestars

@agustdakasuga

@ditttiii

@angelicyoongie

@starlightauroras-writes

174 notes · View notes

my-unmanageable-mischief · 3 years

Text

New Norm Part 2

Hello!!! I’m back with the highly requested part 2 of my New Norm series. I am defiently open to a part 3 as well if people continue to enjoy it. Not too too much ‘plot’ here, just getting back to school while trying to navigate a new relationship. Some tender moments, and some very cuddly Sirius. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!!

Part 1

Sirius Black x Reader

The last few weeks of summer we’re the longest and most brutal weeks of your life, and for the first time you felt you understood Sirius and how he became the lighthearted boy he portrayed daily at Hogwarts. When dealing with trauma, and Merlin his mother was traumatizing, people adapted in different ways. Never have you seen such polar reactions as you saw with Sirius and the dutiful Regulus.

Sirius spent the first week you were living at Black Manor picking fight after fight with his mother. Not that she didn’t start her own plethora of ‘disagreements’. You could tell Sirius got something significant out of disobeying her and making her angry, much to your demise; as the woman began taking it out on you as well. She would nitpick you worse than your own grandmother. Sit up straight, ladies shouldn’t speak out of turn (Not that she didn’t do plenty of speaking), and most recently, a wife should know how to cook. So you spent hours of your day locked up with the awful Kreacher in the kitchen.

After a conversation one evening in hushed voices, curled up under the covers he had apologized to you.

“I’m sorry about my mother,”

“Sirius, it isn’t your fault,” You assured, playing with a loose string of his duvet.

“I don’t help it,” He admitted, staring up at the ceiling. Your hands paused and you turned your head to look at him sadly.

“Maybe not, but I can’t blame you either. She’s a witch, and I mean that as an insult. Like the Snow White kind.” Sirius turned to you making a face.

“What’s a Snow White?” You chuckled, shaking your head.

“Oh nevermind, just.. God I know it’s easier said than done, but, try and ignore her? We’ll be back at Hogwarts in no time, away from her. And then my mother said next summer we will have our own home.” Sirius gazed at you for a moment before turning away to look at the ceiling again. He didn’t answer, though you gave him room to do so. Finally you stopped your fiddling with the string and reached over, taking his hand in yours and squeezing.

“We’ll be alright.” You promised him as well as yourself. You had to be, you had no choice. Sirius squeezed your hand back and didn’t let it go for the rest of the night. Eventually silence ebbed into static breathing and light snores, and when the sun peeked through the window, you were still in bed, fast sleep, hands clasped. Sirius woke up first that morning and laid there for a while longer as you slept. He remembered his vows, that he would protect you, and that included from his own mother. If that meant becoming complacent in her demands for these next few weeks- that was something he was willing to do. For you.

Finally the morning of September 11th, 1978 came, it was a cool morning for the end of summer, but sunny. You and Sirius were dropped promptly at Kings Cross station, receiving lectures on behavior. Sirius and his father shared a few words in private that left him scowling for a good majority of the morning, even after you had found Potter, Pettigrew, and Lupin in one of the train compartments.

They eyed you funnily the entire train ride, and you did your best to ignore the gazes. Sirius had told you that he had told them about his wedding, but it was different now in person.

“So is she going to be hanging out with us now? All the time?” James eyed you skeptically and you raised your eyes from your novel to narrow them at the boy.

“She has ears, and is capable of responding to you herself.” Sirius glanced at you, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. It was the closest you’d seen him to smiling since you boarded, and that fact was not lost on the other Marauders.

“Are you going to be hanging around all the time now?” He asked, pouting slightly. James Potter could have received straight Os if being a git was a class at Hogwarts, but you knew he was also a sweet and caring boy, when he wasn’t being 17. You had a feeling he wasn’t keen on sharing his best mate, not that you blamed him.

“James, she’s my wife now.” Sirius muttered, glancing out of the window. Potter made a face.

“I know and it's weird.” You rolled your eyes, opening your book back up and slouching in your seat.

“And you think that is lost on us? We know it’s weird. We’re living it.” James looked ready to continue but Remus cleared his throat and gave him a warning look. A silent conversation you weren’t privy too took place between the two boys and James shrugged, going back to his Quidditch magazine. You finally reached the doors to the Great Hall hours later and Sirius turned to you.

“Sitting with us?” He asked, you looked past him to James and shook your head.

“I think I’ve intruded on boy time quite enough for one day, I’m going to go find my dorm mates.” You admitted, James had the decency to look guiltily at his feet.

“Alright, I’ll see you later.” You hadn’t kissed since you were pronounced man and wife, but you had taken to holding hands in rare private moments you had gotten together. He reached out to you, allowing his hand to awkwardly drop onto your shoulder. He squeezed before letting go and you offered him a smile before turning to go find your friends, you had missed them.

That night was the first night you had not eaten together in a month, and it was weird for you. You glanced down the table a few times, making eye contact with Sirius. When your eyes would meet he’d smile at you reassuringly, and you always returned it. Meanwhile, your friends gushed about how lucky you were, married to the most gorgeous, the most wanted man at Hogwarts. You didn’t feel very lucky, nor did you think they could understand. So you smiled and nodded, and laughed, like things were how they always were. But they were not. They never would be.

When you entered the common room that night Sirius and his crew were already sitting in their seats closest to the fire, Sirius waved you towards him, but you were in the middle of a (dull) conversation with your friends about whose bum had gotten the fittest over the summer, so you shrugged, going to sit with them. About half an hour later someone approached your group and you looked up surprised to see Sirius.

“Y/N,” He greeted you, and you smiled.

“Hey, what’s up?” Your friends around you tried to stifle their giggles and hid smiles behind hands, something Sirius was used to, but for some reason, in that moment it bothered him. Were they laughing at him? Had you been laughing at him?

“Can we talk for a mo?” He asked, and for a moment he almost looked nervous, but mostly he looked slightly ticked off. You frowned. What had you done?

“Of course,” You nodded, getting up from the armchair you had been longing in. You followed Sirius silently through the common room, aware of his friend’s eyes on you as you went. You reached the corridor and he walked you a little further before sitting in an alcove. You sat with him.

“Are you angry with me?” He asked so suddenly it took a moment to process, your frown deepened.

“Merlin, no, should I be?” You asked, turning to face him, with your hands rested in your lap. He shrugged and wouldn’t look at you. “Have I done something to upset you, Sirius?” You asked gently. He shook his head no before shrugging.

“Why were your friends laughing at me? Why didn’t you sit with me?” He asked, and you sighed, taking his hand gently in yours, causing him to look at you.

“Because they think you’re cute,” You smiled slightly, nudging him, “And they think it’s brilliant I’ve gotten to marry you when half of Hogwarts would die to get ten minutes in a broom closet with you.” He smirked slightly, which made you feel better. That was the Sirius you knew. “And I didn’t sit with you because.. Because I am trying to give you space. This is new and scary. For both of us I’m sure. I don’t want you to feel like I’m smothering you, and I can tell James isn’t too keen on me, I don’t want him thinking I’m stealing his best mate.”

“But were different. I’m not married to James.” You laughed at that,

“I wouldn’t tell him that.” You joked and Sirius let out a small chuckle himself.

“You’re not smothering me. I... I enjoy you being around. I would like you to know my friends, they’re my real family after all.” You squeezed his hand again and he lifted your hand to his lips, kissing the back of it.

“I’ll sit with you lot more often then, just tell James to go easy on me. And don’t think I will be helping with any of your tomfoolery,” You chided jokingly, “My mother will have a cow,”

“Well good thing I’m your husband, I’m in charge of you now,” He grinned and you used your free hand to whack him.

“In charge of me?” You laughed, “Watch yourself, Black.”

“Oh Black huh? Well you’re Mrs. Black.” You froze at that, and something truly haunting dawned on you. Tomorrow classes started. You were no longer Ms. Y/L/N... would your teachers be calling you Ms. Black? If the whole school didn’t already know by now, they certainly would tomorrow.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, resting your entwined hands in his lap.

“I’m Mrs. Black,” You repeated, he nodded, not catching on. “Everyone will call me such.”

“Does that upset you?” You shook your head.

“No no, not upset. I mean, everything is just different now? Even my name.”

“I don’t really fancy it either, don’t worry,” He joked, but you knew he was serious. “We can change it.”

“Sorry?”

“When you graduate, when we move and have jobs we can change it- to whatever you’d like.”

“I’m not sure your mother will allow that.” Sirius shook his head defiantly.

“Once I, well now you I suppose, graduate, I have no intention of doing anything that old bat has to say.” He puffed his chest out slightly, putting on an air of confidence. Your head swum slightly. If that were the case, wouldn’t you simply divorce? “Y/N,” He continued, voice lower and more gentle.

“Hm?”

“It’s going to be weird sleeping alone tonight,” He admitted sheepishly, glancing at your hands, “I’ve gotten quite used to you, I admit.” You smiled at that, leaning against him.

“I won’t miss the snoring,”

“Oi, I don’t snore!” He laughed and you grinned nodding your head.

“You do, love. But I will miss it too,”

“Come visit?” He asked wiggling his eyebrows at you again, you whacked him once more.

“No I think I’ll let you suffer, just for that.”

“Evil.”

“That’s me,” Sirius stood up, bringing you with him before releasing the hand he was holding to put his arm around your shoulder.

“Come sit with us?” He questioned, “I promise James will be good.” You nodded, leaning into the boy's touch.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” You spent the rest of your night at Sirius’s side.

James was civil but you could tell he still wasn’t fond of you or your newly added presence. From that moment forward you spent nearly all your time out of class with the group of boys. You found a friendship in Remus, he was a kind boy, with similar interests. You enjoyed studying together while the others mucked around, and you talked about literature together. Even James was coming around on you, though you two still bickered constantly. Sirius once called it “Sibling rivalry.” which made you laugh. But you could tell how fiercely James cared for Sirius, it made your heart feel warm, knowing he had people to look out for him. Even Peter wasn’t bad to be around, he was funny when he wasn’t being vulgar, though he loved making jokes about the fact that Sirius was now a married man and ‘on a leash,’.

You didn’t feel like Sirius was on a leash, and certainly not your leash. You were married by your parents' request, not dating. If he wanted to go snog some slag he was more then welcome to. At least that was the lie you told yourself. Girls continued to throw themselves at Sirius, I guess a wedding ring didn’t mean much to them, and you were increasingly more surprised every time he politely turned them down. You began to relax more, maybe he wouldn’t?

One evening you all sat in the boys dormitory. Peter was practicing chess, Remus was reading and taking notes. James was laying on his back at the foot of Sirius’s bed, you were sitting back against the boy’s pillows, as he was resting his head in your lap. Sirius and James were debating the validity of some prank they wanted to pull- whether they could pull it off or something like that. You weren’t paying attention, you were reading, occasionally running your fingers through the hair of the boy who was in your lap.

“You’re making me sleepy,” He suddenly yawned, turning away from James and burying his face into your jumper. You smiled, not looking up from your reading.

“So go to sleep,”

“Get a room, you two.” James complained, whining from the bottom of the bed.

“We’re in a room, you’re the one in my bed mate.” Sirius laughed, wrapping his arm around your middle and cuddling into you. As time past Sirius became more and more physically affectionate with you. Not that you minded, it was comforting having someone around whom you could simply touch. James huffed, dramatically getting off the bed, pulling the curtains shut with a great flourish.

“Use a silencing charm for our sake!” He called.

“Piss off mate,” Sirius laughed and you chuckled slightly rolling your eyes.

“He’s just jealous you don’t cuddle him like you used to.” James made an indignant noise from the other side of the curtain and you heard him stalk away to his own bed. You carded your fingers through Sirius’s hair for a few more moments before letting out a yawn of your own.

“I should go to bed,” You murmured, hand stilling. Sirius let out a small whine and you smirked, gently tugging on one of his locks.

“So go to bed,” He joked, mirroring your earlier words. You started to move and Sirius’s arms around you tightened, pulling you to him. “Here,” He asked and you sighed, patting his head.

“And if we’re caught?” You questioned.

“Live a little, love. Girls are always sneaking into the boys dorm for sleepovers, at least we’re married.”

“I doubt McGonagall will care for that small difference.”

“Please?” Sirius asked, looking up at you through his lashes, batting them at you sweetly. You sighed, shaking your head.

“Fine, you’re a bad influence one me, you know that?”

“That’s the kindest thing a woman has ever said to me,” He grinned, peeling himself from you to sit up, “I’ll get you something to sleep in.” You hummed softly. Sirius disappeared for a moment and came back with a t-shirt for you, handing it over. You watched from your position on his bed as he undressed himself, you felt your cheeks going rosy. Once Sirius was down to his boxers he crawled back into bed beside you, nudging you. “Get changed, I wanna cuddle,” He murmured to you and your blush deepened. You stood up, standing beside the bed and facing away from Sirius as you removed your jumper, pulling the shirt on over your head. It was plenty long on you. Next you removed your skirt, leaving your clothes in a pile beside his head. You turned back around and Sirius was watching you, his own small blush. “C’mere.” He offered you his hand and you took it, allowing him to pull you down to him.

You situated the covers around you both before allowing the boy to snuggle up to your side, his head on your chest. You resumed your earlier activity of running your hands through his hair.

“Thank you for staying,” He murmured and you smiled, dropping a kiss onto the top of his head before you could think about the action.

“Of course.”

“You’re welcome in my bed, anytime.” He promised and you rolled your eyes, gently tugging his hair again.

“Don’t ruin the moment, arse.” He chuckled, tangling your legs together beneath the duvet. Sirius fell asleep to the sound of your heart beating firmly in your chest, it was the best lullaby he had ever heard. You played with his hair until his quiet snoring started before simply resting your hand on his head. It took you longer to fall asleep but you eventually did, enjoying the company of the other- you hadn’t realized how much you missed just sleeping with the boy. And this new found cuddling between the two of you really added to the whole experience.

In the morning you were rudely awoken by James, who threw the curtain of your bed open with a scowl.

“Are you wearing clothes?” He questioned, “I was kidding when I said to use a silencing charm, I don’t want you two shagging when I’m five feet away-”

“Mate,” Sirius groaned, rolling over, glaring at the boy, “Shut up,” James huffed, crossing his arm.

“Y/N better get back to her dorm before all her roommates wake up and wonder where she’s been all night.” You groaned, stretching your arms over your head.

“Thanks Jamie,”

“Don’t call me that!” He whined, shuffling away, you laughed as you untangled yourself from Sirius’s limbs, standing up.

“Do you have to go?” He asked, frowning.

“I will see you at breakfast,” You rolled your eyes, grabbing your discarded clothes from the floor. Sirius frowned, flopping back onto the bed, crossing his arms. It made you laugh, god how he and James had grown to be alike over the years. Or maybe they found each other because they were already so alike.

“Do you want to go on a date?” Sirius asked you one morning during breakfast, your mouth full of food. You raised an eyebrow at him as you swallowed.

“Hm?”

“A date, Y/N.” Like that clarified anything.

“Is there a Hogsmeade weekend coming up?” You questioned him and he grinned, shaking his head no.

“So what, you want to go on a date in the common room?” You laughed, shaking your head at the boy, “Don’t we do that every night?”

“Not the common room, I want to show you something.” You eyed him suspiciously and he flushed slightly laughing, “Not that, who's got a dirty mind now?”

“Still you mate,” Remus interrupted and Sirius shot him a glare, but he quickly recovered, grinning at you again. You weren’t sure you liked that look.

“Sure,”

“Brilliant, be ready tonight at 8pm, in the common room.” You nodded your head, continuing to eat. Whatever he was up to, you were sure you’d be finding out soon enough. That night you got dressed, listening to advice from all your dorm mates.

“Wear a dress!”

“Let me do your makeup please!”

“No no wear the blue skirt with the cream jumper.”

“Do you think you’ll snog?” You shrugged helplessly, ignoring all of their advice and going with your favorite pair of jeans instead and a black and white striped jumper.

“I hardly know.”

“I think it’s weird. You’re married but you don’t snog.”

“They cuddle, that’s for sure.” You flushed slightly, rolling your eyes.

“We sorta skipped a bunch of steps. It’s hard. Our relationship is unique.” You tried to explain to them. You and Sirius didn’t have some play book you could look to to figure what you should be doing and when. You were all on your own in this, on your own; together. You allowed your friend to apply a small amount of makeup to you, no more than you would wear any other day. You didn’t want to seem like you were trying too hard- because you weren’t. You shouldn’t be. It’s not like you had to woo him or anything. Right?

You went down to the common room at 8 where Sirius was sitting with the boys waiting for you.

“Y/N!” He called excitedly, jumping up from the sofa, “You ready to go?” He asked and you nodded, coming to him and accepting his outstretched hand.

“Be good!” Remus called jokingly, waving from his spot in one of the armchairs.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” James added and Sirius threw them the finger over his shoulder before leading you from the common room.

“So,” You started, skipping slightly beside him, grinning up at the boy, “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, you’ll see.” You followed Sirius up to the 7th floor corridor and were met with an expanse of blank wall, you eyes him suspiciously.

“Very nice, Sirius.” You put the hand not holding his on your hip.

“Just watch!” He assured you excitedly, “Me and James found this place 5th year when we were running from Filch. Suddenly it was there,” You listened intently, still staring at the blank wall. Maybe you were missing something? “So we did some experiments, and I think we figured it out. Remus read about it in a book we nicked from the restricted section. Apparently it’s called the Room of Requirements, or the Come and Go Room.” You looked away from the wall up at Sirius, blinking at him. He smiled down at you, nodding towards the wall, when you looked back there was a door and you gasped.

“How?”

“No idea,” He shrugged, “But it turns into whatever you need it to.” You looked at the door in awe.

“Really?” You asked, shocked.

“Yup, come on,” He tugged you forward, opening the door and ushering you in. Once you were inside you were met with a small room that closely resembled the Gryffindor common room, but maybe only one forth of the size. It had a sofa in front of a large roaring fire, there were candles lighting the rest of the room, and a few fluffy blankets sitting on the sofa.

“This is lovely,” You breathed. He pulled you towards the sofa and you allowed him to guide you. He sat down and pulling you down beside him. You sat close to him and he placed his arm around your shoulder. You pulled one of the blankets off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around both of you, leaning into him.

“Thank you,” He smiled, glad you liked it. It had taken him ages of brainstorming to decide what you both needed, for your first proper date. And in the end, he decided, simpler was probably better. You weren’t really one for grand gestures.

“How are your classes,” He asked, playing with a lock of your hair, looking at you. You were warm from the fire, but your chest felt even warmer, something fire couldn’t cause. You shrugged, leaning slightly into his touch.

“Alright, not as hard as your stuff I’m sure, but everyone’s making sure we’re preparing for the NEWTs already. It does my head in.”

“I’ve never asked you what you want to be when you graduate,” He tilted his head thoughtfully and you smiled slightly looking down.

“I’d like to be a curse-breaker,” You admitted, Sirius nudged you until you looked at him.

“That’s brilliant, you’ll do wonderfully.” You shrugged, flushing slightly at the complement.

“Maybe. I’m struggling with charms this year though.”

“Is Remus helping you?”

“Yes but still,”

“You’re brilliant, Y/N.” He assured you, resting his forehead against yours. You smiled, leaning forward slightly to nuzzle your nose against his. “You can do anything you want to do, believe that.”

“I will try. What will you do? After you graduate.” Sirius hummed softly, and you cuddled even closer to him, practically sitting in the boys lap.

“I want to be an Auror.” He spoke softly, “I want to save people, protect them. War is coming, Y/N. I want to make sure I am on the right side of history.” You took his free hand in yours and held it tightly.

“That’s sweet, you’ll make a brilliant Auror.” Sirius smiled.

“James heard his parents talking about some... organization, they call themselves the Order of the Phoenix. I want to join as soon as I’ve graduated. Their goal is to be prepared for when Voldemort finally makes his move.” You nodded, trying to swallow down the worry you felt rising in your chest. You didn’t like the idea of Sirius out there battling dark powerful wizards without you there by his side.

“Good,” You squeezed his hand tightly, “That’s good. You’re a good man.”

“My mother will disown us, she supports those pure-blood ideologies.” He spat the words out and you flinched slightly. You didn’t want to think about what your own family thought of those horrible people. Especially not your father or your grandmother.

“We’ll be alright.” You assured him. Sirius looked at you for a long moment and you smiled softly at him, nudging your nose against his again, “Alright?”

“Alright.” He assured, “Y/N...” He started before trailing off.

“Hm?”

“May I kiss you?”

“Of course,” You whispered, blushing slightly. Sirius smiled before leaning in, he didn’t have to go far before his lips were on your lips. He kissed you softly, his hand that was playing with your hair stilled, resting on the back of your neck to keep you close. You kept one hand in his and moved the other one to his chest, placing it over his heart. He broke the kiss and pulled back just far enough to look at you before his lips were on yours again, this time with more eagerness. He kissed you, lips smashed up against yours and you kissed back, moving your hand from his chest to wrap around him, pulling him closer. He parted his lips slightly, testing the water. You allowed your own lips to open as well, inviting him in. Sirius kissed you with emotion you were surprised were capable of being put into a simple kiss. Everyday Sirius surprised you more and more, and everyday you found yourself falling more and more in love with your husband. It might not have been traditional, or even preferred. But it was working, you were going to make it work.

You spent the rest of the night alternating between speaking to each other in soft voices and snogging. It was the best, and last first date you had ever been on. Sirius was becoming you safe haven in a confusing world. He was becoming your new norm.

Tag list : thebrigheststarinthesky , all-art-is-quite-useless , lindatreb , paosesposts

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in a part three!

#Harry Potter #sirius black x reader #Sirius black #sirius black x y/n #james & peter & remus & sirius #sirius black x you #new norm

201 notes · View notes

twst-kumi · 3 years

Text

Children of secrets Chapter 1

In the great library, Crowley searched for the group's country but couldn’t find anything. They even showed him their ID, student card and currency, so it wasn’t a lie. The problem was, he couldn’t find anything in his book and maps about a country named Japan. It didn’t exist. At least not in this world or planet.

_There is nothing, Japan doesn’t exist here. Then how did the black carriage took you? (Crowley)

_If we knew how we would have left long ago. (Sano)

_Then could you come from another dimension or planet? (Crowley)

‘There that option, yes’ The group looked at each other before looking at the poor director. Truthfully they already knew they were not in their world. But in a world where they didn’t know if they were hostile to Yokai or not, it was better to act clueless and like they were human. Deep in thought, Crowley looked at them, two boys and six girls. He could shelter the two boys but what about the girls? It’s an all-boy school, he can’t let girls stay here. But… he also couldn’t leave them without a place to go.

_This is quite problematic, while the two boys could stay without a problem, you young ladies can’t stay in a school full of males. That's dangerous. (Crowley)

_Ah, I understand. After all, boys are more dangerous than being homeless without anyone to protect or help you. (Aoi)

_What? No, I will make sure you stay somewhere and are taken care of. (Crowley)

_I see, thank you. I suppose putting us in a stranger’s care while separating us is the best option. (Asano)

_Ah… I’m sorry but I rather live on the street than be separated from our group. (Yuuken)

‘Wait! It sounds like I’m heartless and irresponsible.’ Crowley thought while sweating at the situation. Maybe they are more dangerous than the boys in this school. If word of that incident were to get out, that would be bad for the school. And their reputation would be stained forever.

_ Of course, you will stay, until I find a way to send you back! (Crowley)

He hurriedly blurted the word out before seeing the small smile on their face. Ah, so he got tricked. They knew what they were doing when they played with his word. And he couldn’t come back on his word.

_Well since I am a kind teacher, I will provide you with your needs and shelter. Of course, you will have to work to earn your bread. (Crowley)

Turned toward the door and left with them. He continued talking about what they would be doing from now on and a bit about the school. They followed him listening carefully. As their new home came into view, their eyes grew a little bigger. This dorm was practically run down.

_Thankfully we didn’t demolish this old dorm, this is Ramshackle dorm. Students tend to avoid it so you will be safe here. (Crowley)

_Does that mean we can do whatever we want with it? (Asano)

_I… well, yes. I was planning to destroy it so I suppose you can. Although… What are you planning to do with it? (Crowley)

Yuuken laughed when he saw the man growing worried. He patted on his shoulder before reassuring him.

_Don’t worry, we were just planning to renovate it a bit. (Yuuken)

After a quick tour of the dorm and a “warm” welcome from the ghost, the group settled their thing and started to examine every still usable element in the dorm. They still have electricity, clean water and a stove working. Finding a broom and a bucket, they started to divide the chores among them. Yuuken and Kaiba would do the heavy lifting and important repairs like the stair, Sano and Haru would take care of the small repairs and mending the furniture, Asano and Aoi the bedrooms, Alice and Yume the cleaning. Everyone was laughing as they started and soon the place was more livable. They still had more repairs to do but it was far more than enough for a start. After they would finish, if they could completely modify the dorm it would be even better. Thankfully, they had the acknowledge to renovate the dorm themself. This was the perk of being a century-old (or more) yokai, from the most rudimental house to a traditional Japanese house to a slightly more modern house. They had the time to learn and use those skills and their power helped a lot. Putting some buckets out as they heard the rain pouring outside, they were starting to make a list about what was left to repair or change. They could hear the rain leaking from the roof.

They were still chatting when Crowley came back with their meals. First, he was surprised to see the dorm almost fully repaired. Even with his magic, he couldn't be that fast. Hard to believe it was a run-down building. He could also feel something strange. Something was strange here, almost as if something unbeknownst to him was there. He could feel but he couldn't point it out.

_How incredible, you repaired that place fastly. If I leave this place to you then maybe we could open this dorm again. (Crowley)

_ Or not, we prefer keeping your Territory untouched by strangers. (Sano)

_I’m sorry? (Crowley)

_Sano is right, we don’t know if we will be able to return to our world. So we may as well claim this place as our own until we find better or you take care of your mistake. (Yuuken)

Those kids were talking fearlessly or carelessly in their case. This confidence made him question them a bit. They were talking out of habit like they are used to it,he could see that. They weren’t even scared about the situation, rather… they enjoyed it? They were hiding something from him, it was carefully hidden but still there, hiding beneath their smile. Like small predators ready to bare their fangs if provoked.

_Well, you sure know how to work together. Maybe it was destiny that you got here… (Crowley)

_To clean your school? (Asano)

_How humorous! It seems like we have funny students this year!! (Crowley)

Muttering to herself a small “I wasn’t joking tho”, Asano crossed her arm and huffed a bit. She could definitely feel that chore coming their way.

_But yes, I want you to work as a janitor and in exchange, we will provide you with your meal. (Crowley)

_Ugh! No way I rather go to class than clean. (Aoi)

_Unfortunately, only a magician can go. A magicless kid like you can’t. (Crowley)

Before she could even do anything, she was stopped by Sano. But as foolish as the director looked, he was still a powerful magician. And fastly caught on to what was happening. Now he was sure, they were hiding something. Dropping quickly the kind act, he looked at them seriously.

_You! What are you and what are you hiding ?? (Crowley)

Looking at each other, they sighed and let the ginger head wrap things up with her skill as they acted guilty. Aoi’s species were known for their skill to deceive the living, she was after all a Kitsune. One of the most famous Yokai species alongside Sano and Kaiba as an Oni and Yuuken who are a Tengu.

_Ah…. I’m sorry, the truth is with actually have magic. (Aoi)

_Nonsense! The mirror said you didn’t have any! (Crowley)

Showing him a part of their actual power and revealing her fox ears, she shed tears crying pitifully. She could see the man calming down before trying to soothe her.

_We hid it because we didn’t know if you guys would be hostile to us or not. You see, the world we come from is quite hostile toward magic and mystical creatures. If found, we could get killed at any moment. I remember that witch who used her power to help someone, and she was burned alive! I’m sorry if it seems like we were deceiving you director (Aoi)

That begin said the witch was burned 200 years ago, but he didn’t need to know that detail. After all, the best lie is when you tell a bit of truth in it.

Not finding any lie, Crowley calmed himself and even felt a bit sorry for them. Because this world wasn’t hostile to magic it didn't mean that was the same for them.

_I see, I’m sorry for forcing you to reveal such a traumatic matter but as your kind educator, I must know what happened. (Crowley)

Crowley smiled at them trying to be as reassuring as possible.

_But if it’s that hostile, why do you wish to return? (Crowley)

_Huh? But we never said we wanted to return, you’re the one who said that we must return. (Yume)

_That true (Alice)

Thinking carefully about it, Crowley felt like he couldn’t let them simply go. They had magic so they could technically enrol in the school. The problem was most of them were girls, and with the incident that happen today, he didn’t know how he was supposed to cover it. They didn’t want to part and that was understandable in an unknown world. Resigned to this fate, the masked director decided to do an exception and let them all enrol in the school.

_Tomorrow come to my office after you guys cleaned the main street. (Crowley)

_Huh? We are still cleaning? (Aoi)

_Of course! I may let you guys be as students but you will still be this school janitor. And until I prepare everything you need plus work you all can along with your studies. (Crowley)

Aoi truly wanted to burn this man to crisp. She didn’t want to do those kinds of works. She hated that to be real but at least they had a place to sleep so she couldn’t complain.

The next as promised, they gathered at the main street with the cleaning tool. They laughed while chatting about what they wanted in their new dormitory and made some jokes. Reaching the alley, they looked surprised and a bit amazed bit the statues. No matter how they looked at it, this was a Disney villain’s alley, right? They started the cleaning not daring to bring the matter out. At some point, it was Yuuken who brought it up.

_I wonder who they are… I mean, they look like Disney characters but that it, right? (Yuuken)

_What you don’t know about the queen of hearts? (Ace)

‘Like in Alice in wonderland?’ Yuuken looked at the redheaded boy behind him. He was soon joined by Haru who wasn’t far from him.

_Queen of hearts? It’s my first time hearing about it. (Haru)

_In the past, she was the queen who lived in the Rose Maze. She was someone who valued rules and discipline above all, strict in all things from the march of the card soldiers to the colour of rose bushes. It was a land of madness where all submit to her rule. (Ace)

_Wow, she was really strict. (Haru)

_Even me, I’m not that strict in the kendo club. (Yuuken)

Ace laughed putting his hand behind his head. He couldn’t help but throw small glances at the petite girl’s skirt. She was truly a girl in an all-boys school.

_Yeah, no one can compare to her in that. Why do you ask? Because it was off with your head! (Ace)

_Who’s the other then? (Haru)

_No you should ask about who he is first, don’t you think? (Yuuken)

Haru pouted as she felt like she begin to be scolded by him.

_Ah… It’s alright! I’m Ace. A fresh-faced first year. Nice to meetcha. (Ace)

_I’m Yuuken, and this is Haru. The other are Kaiba, Yume, Sano, Aoi, Alice and Asano. (Yuuken)

_You….What? (Ace)

_Just call me Yuu. (Yuuken)

_Hey Ace, what about that lion? (Haru)

Haru grabbed his sleeve as her eyes shone with curiosity. The young male blushed, she was so cute. He could die from it. She was almost like a kid, Yuuken noticed Ace's reaction and couldn’t help but laugh silently. The poor first year was a blushing mess.

_S… Sure! This is the king of the beast who rules the savannah. However, he was not born to be king, but he took the throne through effort and elaborate planning. After becoming king, he even allowed the loathed hyenas to live in his kingdom without discrimination. (Ace)

_Well You can’- (Haru)

_Haru! (Yuuken)

_What about the octopus woman? (Haru)

Swallowing her sarcasm, Haru changed the subject by pointing to the next statue.

_That’s the sea witch who lives in a cavern in the deep. Her purpose was to help all unfortunate merfolk. As long as you could pay the price she could transform you, help you find love, anything. If it was within her power there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do. They say her prices were pretty high though.

Ready for another sarcasm, Haru opened her mouth and looked at Yuuken who shook his head to say “no”. She pouted before turning her attention to the fresh year.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twst oc #leona kingscholar #floyd leech #jade leech #ace trappola #twst yuuken #enma yuuken #ruggie bucchi #malleus draconia #azul ashengrotto #deuce spade #jack howl #silver x reader #Children of secrets

31 notes · View notes

avengerscompound · 3 years

Text

The Tower: Happily Ever After - 5

The Tower: Happily Ever After An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist | Character Refrence PREVIOUS //

Pairing: Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 1601

Warnings: Pregnancy

Synopsis: Almost 40 years after Elise Cooper first crashed into Natasha Romanoff outside the library at Columbia University, she and the Avengers are adapting to a near-immortal life together with their large brood of children. Yet things aren’t perfect. Life is moving on without them and they’re starting to discover who isolating being immortal can be.When Angela comes and asks Thor to take the throne of Asgard once more, the group leaves Earth in the hopes that they will find their Happily Ever After there.

Chapter 5: Farewell to Our Old Life

It was kind of strange how little there was to organize for us regarding our move. There was packing, but we couldn’t exactly hire a moving truck so it needed to fit in bags that we could carry or it had to stay behind. That was difficult. We had had a long time to collect a lot of things we considered precious to us. The glass artwork that Thor and I had inadvertently made on our honeymoon was the thing I wished we could bring the most. It would stay in the fountain in the entry and hopefully, we’d come back sometimes and see it.

Thankfully, most of our things were fairly portable. We also wouldn’t need a lot of clothes because Asgard would provide things more fitting for the palace, and it’s not like we would need any furniture. Mostly it was just personal effects and tech that Tony wanted to use there.

Other than that it was just letting the doctors know I was leaving, pulling Marya out of school, and organizing the party.

It was still leaning on the stressful side though - especially considering we were still waiting to hear what the rest of the kids were going to do.

Even though Rose and Paul had appeared closest to deciding to come, it was Billy and Teddy who came back to us first with a yes. They had also said they wanted to do a bonding ceremony when we were there, which added another level of excitement and another level of stress.

Rose and Paul came next. They said that they would try it out and see. The concern about their children’s lifespan was a big issue for them, but Paul also said he’d be crazy to give up at least trying to live on Asgard as actual royalty.

As expected it was Eddie who took the longest to decide. He really did love his job, and I think even with his talk about having children, he, Lyra, and Rory were still right into the rich, young party lifestyle. He was worried about what they’d lose going to Asgard, rather than focusing on the things he might gain.

No one pressured him though. Any questions the three had were answered as honestly as we could and if we didn’t know we’d send word back to Asgard and Loki would come and give the answers they were looking for if at all possible. Eventually, he decided that he’d give it six months for us to settle and make sure things with Stark Industries and the Avengers was transitioning smoothly given our sudden departure, and then he and his family would join us there to try it out. He mentioned maybe doing six months on each planet or returning to Earth for a month or two every year, but we were all just glad he was willing to try it out, and his delayed departure from Earth was a good idea. He even promised to come and visit when his new siblings were born.

When our goodbye party began, the whole family was excited for this new chapter in our lives and sad to say goodbye to the last.

Many of our friends were elderly or had passed on, so the party was going to be a mixture of different people. Clarke was still around, though Jax had passed a few years ago. We’d lost Rhodey and Fury, though Hill was still running the day-to-day operations of the Avengers, even in her old age, and Coulson had retired after years as successfully being director of SHIELD. Vision was the same as ever, and people often came to him for direction when it came to the Avengers. Carol also hadn’t changed though she still spent more time in space than on Earth. A lot of the people we had met that had seemed so young when we met them, were all not officially middle-aged. Even Peter Parker who was only fifteen when I met him was now pushing fifty and had a wife and daughter of his own.

They would all be at the party, including a lot of the new Avengers lineup. Most of whom were much heavier hitters than any of us, even when we were wielding Mjolnir. It was definitely going to be sad to say goodbye.

“It’s going to be okay, you know?” Wanda said, snapping me out of my mini-trance as she ran a brush methodically through my hair.

“No, I know,” I said, tilting my head back.

“Then tell your brain that,” she teased.

I giggled and leaned up and pecked her lips. “I’m sorry. I would if I could. Just hormones I guess. Feeling stressed.”

“Well, stop it,” she scolded playfully. “It’s bad for the babies.”

She began to braid my hair and I hummed as her fingertips grazed over my scalp. “Imagine it though, Elly,” Wanda said. “All the kids nearby - the new babies.”

“You’re a baby-oholic,” I said, laughing softly.

“It’s true,” she says. “I am.”

She ran a hand around my side and pressed it on my stomach. “I can’t wait to meet them,” she said. “They already have such busy thoughts.”

I looked up at her and I’m not sure whether it was the look of pure and complete love in her eyes or the way the light caught in her hair, but I was struck by how beautiful she was and how much I loved her. She smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you too,” she said and picked up a strand of silver wire with black opal and threaded it into my hair. “All done.”

I stood carefully and straightened out the skirts on my blue lace cocktail dress. “How do I look?” I asked.

“Perfect as always,” she said. “Let's go say goodbye to our friends.”

We made our way down to the party deck where the party was only just starting up. Bruce, Steve, and Clint were all already there, but there was no sign of Tony, Natasha, Clint, Sam, Thor, or Bucky.

Some of our kids were there and their kids all played out in the garden atrium that was built on the protruding wing of the tower and the party deck opened out into. I greeted everyone and as I made my way around the room more people arrived.

Clarke came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and smiled, hugging her tightly. She had aged well, not as well as I had obviously, but while her face was lined and she was a little frailer looking, she had kept in good shape and she continued to color her hair. It would be easy to think she was in her early fifties rather than her mid-seventies. Her eyes were what gave it away. What had once been vivid violet had faded to pale lavender and were slightly cloudy. They were heavily lined at the corners, the years having carved deep crevices to mark each time she was happy or sad or angry or worried. It was still my Clarke though and I was going to miss her.

“I can’t believe you’re not going to be here when these two are born,” she said, indicating to my stomach as we pulled apart. She was one of the select group of people I would be totally fine with touching my stomach unasked - but she never assumed. “Where am I going to get my baby kisses from?”

I laughed and shook my head. “I guess you’ll have to visit me on Asgard.”

“You can do that?” She asked.

“I mean… I’m the Queen. I think I can pull some strings,” I teased.

She laughed. “God, thinking of you as a Queen is such a trip.”

“Hey Auntie Clarke,” Billy said, appearing behind us. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”

Clarke hugged him and looked around. “It’s been too long. Where are those kids of yours.”

“Come on, I’ll take you to them,” he looked over at me and narrowed his eyes. “You go sit down, mom. You know you’re supposed to be taking it easy.”

“I am taking it easy,” I argued, holding up my hands. “I’m just standing here.”

“Go on,” he said. “Don’t make me page Dad Tony.”

“Heaven forbid,” I laughed and he wrinkled his nose at me and led Clarke out to the atrium. I got myself a little plate of appetizers and a glass of punch and went and took a seat.

It wasn’t long until the whole room was teeming with people. The Avengers had gotten to be a rather large collection of people since the original six had been reluctantly dragged together all those years ago. Having so many of the people who meant so much to all of us here at the same time couldn’t help but make me think about how I’d first joined this group that would one day be my family.

All those years ago I had been a traumatized woman in her mid-twenties, just trying to get by. I didn’t have many good friends, because it took a lot for me to trust people. It took a superhero to get through and with her, so many other people flooded in after. I was so grateful to them, and so in love with each of them to this day. It would be hard letting this life of ours go, but it was inevitable. I still had my 9 chosen people though, and I always would. I was glad to be taking this next step with them at my side.

// NEXT

73 notes · View notes

equestrianwritingsstuff · 3 years

Text

Summer of Whump #19: Fear

Warnings: death mention, pills, fever, injured, thermometer

Hero found Villain in a cellar, severely injured. His ribcage was close to crushed and blood was gushing out of mulitple wounds. He was only just conscious, but his breaths were ragged and strained.

"Villain," Hero said, even though she knew that he wouldn't be able to recognize her presence in his state.

She crouched next to him and ran her hand through his sweaty hair. Villain mumbled something that sounded like garbled nonsense than something of actual intellect.

"Shh," she soothed and wrapped Villain into her arms. Without a second thought, she whisked them away to her home using her teleporting powers.

Even as they were still in the tornado of color, Hero was already rushing to her first air kit to stop the blood flow. That nasty Supervillain...

When Hero returned, Villain was awake and pressed against the wall, breathing hysterically.

"Get away from me!" He yelled, defensively. Hero immediately put the first aid kit down and approached Villain with lowered hands.

"I will," she promised, only to say right after, "only if you let me clean you up."

"Never," Villain snapped and lunged forward. He tripped and nearly landed face first, but Hero caught him.

His body convulsed which made Hero's heart lurch in worry. But then he relaxed, melting into Hero's arms. She began to rock him back and forth while very slowly inching towards the first aid kit. Up close, she noticed that many of the wounds had shrapnel stuck in them. She sighed, this was going to hurt.

The first one would've came out easy if it weren't for the fact that Villain pulled out of the way rather quickly. Hero sighed again. Villain had super-strength and speed.

"S-stay away-way," He slurred, but maintained a steady posture.

"I can't do that, you need help," Hero tried to reason, but the villain wouldn't listen. He shook his head wildly.

"Don't, don't, don't," Villain mumbled and put his hands on his forehead, clutching it and swaying. Hero started forward, only to hesitate.

Without another word, Villain ran forward and pushed past Hero. He went over to the door, fumbled with the doorknob and then ran outside.

Hero, shocked, shook the daze out of her eyes. Villain hit her hard. But she wasn't worried about a little bump while Villain was bleeding out on the streets, so she followed him out the door.

She first assumed that he wouldn't be able to get too far, but she was wrong. A mixture of super-strength, speed, adrenaline and fear must've fueled him to get out of there. Hero groaned in annoyance as she teleported around, trying to latch onto Villain. Being able to teleport also granted her the ability to teleport by feeling anyone's emotions and thoughts of those emotions.

Only that wasn't easy when Villain was running around one hundred miles per hour.

Hero squeezed her eyes shut and traveled throughout the city, dipping her hand down into puddles of people's thoughts as she searched for pain and fear, likely the only thoughts running through his head.

Hero squeezed her eyes even harder and concentrated on as a wave of emotions entered her brain and fueled the powerful blood that coursed through her veins.

She could feel her eyes dart around in their sockets as she searched. Searched for two emotions that were tied together that would mean Villain.

Keep on moving, keep on... the thought trailed off, leaving Hero in the dust, but she knew that it was Villain.

Keep on going, gosh this hurts. Pain, pain, pain. Rest, just rest. Who cares if she finds me. I need her help. I am tired, done. Legs, just give up already- the thought was cut off by a loud ringing noise.

Hero's mind threatened to pull away from Villain's, but she held on. Villain had collapsed, she knew this. She also knew that she desperately needed to grasp onto that last straw of consciousness to teleport successfully.

Sleep... let go Villain, let go...

Hero grabbed onto that thought and teleported. She landed on top of a dumpster with a painful thud.

But her determination to find Villain covered the pain. She jumped up and searched frantically around until she spotted a lump next to a pile of cardboard.

"Villain!'" Hero exclaimed, not taking any precautions to make her appearance less threatening. She rushed over to Villain's side and without thought, checked for his pulse.

Her heart started to race when she didn't find it. Maybe she sucked at searching for one? She didn't know, so she reached downwards and put her cheek to Villain's nose.

Soft air blew against her sweaty cheek, cooling it. Hero almost let out a cry in relief until she remembered that Villain was currently bleeding out on her lap.

"Hold on bud," she whispered into Villain's ear. She didn't care that he was incapable of hearing, but it made her feel better about the situation.

The next morning, Villain regained consciousness with a scream, loud and agonizing. It shook Hero, who was drowsily reading a book by his side, to the core.

"Are you okay?" Hero asked, yawning. Villain's pale, ghost-like face was clammy and covered in a thick layer of sweat. Hero looked away, slightly embarrassed to see him look like this. Weak and helpless, completely at the mercy of Hero. Not that she would hurt him. No, she would never to that. She always looked up to him with admiring eyes, as hard as it was to admit it. Seeing him like this was like witnessing your parents cry. It was unnatural and something that she hated.

Villain squinted his eyes and furrowed his forehead. Only that effort seemed to waste too much energy because he relaxed his face and sagged into the pillow again and shivered.

Hero fought the urge to use her hand to check his temperature. It would be a kind gesture- maybe even soothing and would make him feel safe- but Hero knew that Villain would take it the wrong way. She could just imagine extending her hand to him and him freaking out and hurting himself-

A soft whimper drew Hero out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the villain with pity. His eyes seemed to get more and more unfocused as the seconds ticked by. Hero put her hand half-way out. It wouldn't hurt would it?

She place her hand on his burning forehead.

Villain's eyes widened and focused as he tried to pull away, rubbing the cuts on his back. Hero had to face the choice of laying him on his stomach, which would aggravate his ribs, or lay him on his back, which could rip the stitches that Hero spent hours on. He was too weak to lie on his side. She ended up choosing the back for breathing purposes.

But now she really regretted that decision as she heard stitches tear and Villain cry out. Blood started dripping again and all Hero could do was grab Villain's flailing wrists and hold them tightly.

"Stop this," she pleaded with her delirious patient. His gaze flickered to her and watched her movements with suspicion. Hero deftly pushed his arms to his sides and clicked them into the handcuffs. This wasn't the first time that she had cared for an injured person.

Her mind briefly flickered to Sidekick's last week alive. How she struggled and struggled to live, but the deep abdomen wound that... Hero glanced down at the writhing Villain. That Supervillain caused, just like what he did to Villain.

Maybe it would be better to let him suffer. Hero contemplated the idea, weighing the pros and cons (cons being much more) about letting Villain live. Less civilian deaths, less destruction, avenge Sidekick with a fellow villain's death...

But Hero couldn't let someone in pain suffer as they die. She knew how traumatizing it would be for him if he linked Hero's face to this excruciating pain if he indeed lived.

Hero left the scene momentarily to grab a thermometer and tylenol to kick the fever. Her hand lingered over a painkiller too before grabbing that bottle as well.

Villain's eyes were half-lidded by the time Hero returned, but his mouth was clamped shut. She gently opened his lip with the thermometer, but wasn't as successful with slipping it through his clenched teeth.

She sighed and grabbed his jaw, pressing her fingers into his cheek to pry his mouth open. He obeyed, and Hero placed the thermometer under his tongue. Villain's eyes widened at the sudden discomfort, before drooping again. He weakly swallowed the saliva that built up. Hero gingerly rubbed his throat.

The thermometer beeped: 103.9, almost 104. Hero gulped, she needed to lower this fever as soon as possible before it got out of hand. She gently placed the tylenol on Villain's slightly sticking out tongue and dumped some water down his mouth. Villain sputtered and coughed, unable to swallow. His eyes widened in panic and he started writhing around again, pulling against the restraints.

Hero dipped his head back and rubbed his throat.

"Swallow. You can do this," she murmured softly. She wanted to give him the pain meds too, but seeing his inability to do a simple task like swallow, she would have to revert to other means of pain control.

Villain ended up swallowing. His body instantly relaxed as his eyes finished closing. Hero grabbed onto his hand and rubbed in slow, circular motions until his breathing slowed. She smiled, at least alseep he wouldn't hurt.

#summer of whump #protective hero #villain whumpee #fear #tired villain #super powers #hero caretaker #hero x villain #injured #feverish whumpee #day 19 #writing #death mention

72 notes · View notes

mysmegrace · 3 years

Note

Hey! Could I request zens reaction to MC wanting to wait to move in and sleep together until after marriage?

hello! of course~. i'm not sure if the mc wants to do it for religious reasons or simply a preference, so i'm going to leave religion out of it. please request again if you'd like it to be because of religion! now onto the hcs!

*hello, just wanna add that i’m so sorry this took so long to post. life has been kicking me in the ass lately, but things are subsiding now, love yall <3

Zen with an MC who Wants to Wait Until Marriage

---

you had just come off the traumatic experience of almost being kidnapped through the apartment windows.

but now that you were in the presence of zen in his safe home, your nerves were eased.

everything was going well, with him offering you many things to keep you safe.

tea, organic bananas, the whole 4 rounds.

one of those things also being a proposal to live with him from now on.

you had no idea how to tell him that you didn't want to live together until marriage.

of course you would have to tell him eventually, but it was quite soon into the relationship for that kind of proposal in the first place.

you understood where he was coming from.

he wanted you safe beside him, so that he could protect you at all times.

but it was clear of your difference in values regarding living together and other intimate activities from the get go.

"zen, i can't do that" you say, trying to shut down the conversation as soon as possible.

he looks at you with a sad smile, almost as if he would start trying to convince you to stay.

puppy eyes being paired along with it.

"is it because of the rent? i can handle all of that. i can take care of everything here, don't worry about it" he responds.

you see he's gotten the wrong idea as of why you don't want to live with him yet.

quick to clear up confusion, you say "it's not because of that. i don't want to live together or sleep together until marriage because of my own reasons.”

adding onto that, you state “it’s not because of anything you did. i just don’t believe in living together before marriage”.

you were hoping he’d accept your reasoning, but even if he didn’t you wouldn’t change your mind.

your values came first to you, just building onto the reasons why zen admired you.

you caught his eye as he looked slightly down, almost too ashamed to say a word.

he hadn’t wanted to put you in such an uncomfortable position.

however, he was still hesitant at the idea of you living alone at the moment.

what if the hacker was still searching for you?

yet he reluctantly agreed, and promptly apologized for bringing up the offer so soon.

“it’s fine zen, i understand where you’re coming from” you reassured him, continuing to say “thank you for understanding as well”.

hence why later that night, zen walked you to the apartment before dark, making you promise to call him whenever you suspected something to be wrong.

little to your knowledge, he begged seven over the phone earlier to give him access to the CCTV footage seven agreeing just to make zen shut up.

he took pride in his girlfriend for many reasons.

the fact that she had a set core of values and the strength to speak for what she believes in just made him love you 10x’s more.

on the bright side, it gave him an excuse to propose to you sooner ;)

---

18:53 AST - 08/03/21

#mystic messenger #mysme #mysme zen #mysme headcanons #zen #zen x mc #hyun ryu

32 notes · View notes

thanksjro · 3 years

Text

More Than Meets the Eye #30 - The Cybertronian Judicial System is a Friggin’ Joke

Have I mentioned that I’m not a huge fan of court case stories? I think they’re pretty boring, on average, so the last couple of issues have been slightly dragging for me.

Anyway, back to Megatron’s trial.   Our issue opens up with a full back shot of Ultra Magnus.

Artists take note, he really is built like a capital T.

As Magnus reads out Megatron’s statement retracting his “guilty” plea, we get some decent points as to why. See, telling a guy that you’ll stab him in the brain, so his trial can be over as quickly as possible, maybe isn’t such a hot idea. Megatron wasn’t a huge fan of that, or of how those memories they would’ve yanked outta him would have been used to fuel the Autobot propaganda machine. Why, you may ask?

Well, I don’t know if you knew this or not, but Megatron… doesn’t particularly care for the Autobots, nor the rhetoric they uphold.

I know, I was surprised too!

There’s also the fact that Optimus Prime is the judge on this whole thing. You know. Optimus Prime. Off and on leader of the Autobots, whenever it suits him. The guy who fucked off into space for a year after the war. The guy who threw a hissy fit when someone pointed out that he was compromised the last time they did something like this with Megatron. This guy:

Yeah, there might be a slight conflict of interests here. Remind me again why this had to be a military trial?

Anyway, enough of that, it’s time for a fight scene.

A swarm of Decepticons storm the arena, going after Megatron so they can help him escape. Magnus, though acting as Megatron’s defense, cannot abide by this disorder in the court.

Wild to think there’s a tiny little Pringles man with anxiety in there, isn’t it?

Optimus joins the fray, because there really are, just, so many guys to deal with here. A dude goes to collect Megatron, stating that they brought teleport packs for this little shindig. Megatron isn’t super jazzed about that though, not bothering to grab on before the dude gets shot to death. There’s a brief recess, I guess so the janitorial staff can deal with the mess of corpses littering the courtroom.

Meanwhile, in the present day, Rung’s building a model spaceship in Swerve’s, which is a very brave thing to be doing, seeing how sticky and gross bars can be. Brainstorm’s brought a flask to the bar, and proceeds to pour the contents into a funnel sticking out of his arm.

Our bartender for the evening- I’m assuming it’s evening, but I doubt the concept of time has any real weight in space- is Bluestreak. Bluestreak was stationed on Earth for a while, which is some Phase One stuff, and took a liking to human media while he was there. He’s the guy who handles movie night these days, seeing as Rewind’s too busy being dead to do it, and I doubt Chromedome has the emotional bandwidth to take over for his late spouse.

Bluestreak’s favorite movie is Zulu, a film glorifying the colonialism of the English over the native populace of an African kingdom. Make of that what you will.

Whirl wants to watch À Bout de Soufflé, or Breathless, as it was translated for the English-speaking world, which is a French New Wave film about a criminal who shoots a cop, hides from the police in a journalist’s home, who he seduces and likely impregnates. She eventually finds out what he did, reports him to the police, but then has a change of heart and lets him know what she’s done. He runs, but is shot, and dies in the street. The film is notable for its final scene, in which the following dialogue happens, between the dying criminal Michael, his lover Patricia, and an officer.

Of course, any poignancy would almost certainly be lost on the average comic book reader, and is also somewhat nullified by Whirl praising the film with internet lingo.

Then again, I suppose Whirl would be the type to dismantle any deeper reading of his interest in such a film, lest he be subjected to the horrifying ordeal of being known.

Over with Skids and Riptide, it’s revealed that Megatron’s been teaching classes on the Lost Light, specifically on the Knights of Cybertron. Riptide’s getting an education, because he’s been feeling pretty lost since the war ended- we’ll get to the potential whys of that later on. Swerve isn’t a fan of this community college thing that’s going on, stating that Megatron’s using it as a distraction, so he can devise plots most foul.

Back in the past, Autobot high command is having a talk about what Megatron’s demanding, and man is it a doozy— turns out, since the trial’s happening on Luna 2, the trial proceedings are subject to the laws of the moon. One of these moon laws is the right to request being judged by the Knights of Cybertron. Now, this is a problem, seeing as the Knights of Cybertron have been AWOL for the last several million years, but the law is the law, and you can’t just go ignoring it when someone’s pointed it out.

Bro, your SIC just suggested y’all pull the trial so you could slap it on Cybertron, thus negating any need to pay attention to the Knight law. That’s such a gross miscarrying of justice, it’s genuinely baffling. You’ve got bigger issues going on than flouting. My god, Optimus, you were a cop—

Oh wait, that’s right. Carry on, then.

Back on the Lost Light, First Aid’s checking to make sure that the coffin Rodimus they revealed last issue is true and proper dead. Now, this may seem like a given, but you’ve got to remember that Brainstorm was mostly dead for over a year and a half, and nobody fucking noticed, so it’s probably for the best that they’re checking.

First Aid’s been pretty withdrawn since Ambulon died, so this autopsy is really good for him, since it got him out of his room. Pretty fucked up that it would take a dead body to get him out and about. Has Rung checked in on his poor son of a gun, or has he been spending the last six months getting his professional rocks off psychoanalyzing a genocidal warlord?

Our coffin Rodimus died from having parts of his brain removed, and potentially died screaming.

Yes, that is a Furmanism, thank you peanut gallery, moving on—

Ratchet hands the phone over to Ultra Magnus, saying that a call has to be made, and it can’t be by him, because the callee is mighty upset with Ratchet at the moment.

Oh, I guess he’s fine after all. This must be where the sci-fi bullshit really starts kicking in for the series.

Because seeing your own dead body is likely very traumatic and awful, Rodimus is taking a while to string together his thoughts on the matter. Megatron doesn’t particularly care, because he’s not terribly sympathetic to this sort of thing, and the two get into a spat, where it’s revealed that they’re co-captaining the Lost Light.

Because things weren’t chaotic enough on this fucking ship. Need to mix in some peacocking between the McDonalds twunk and the man who killed half of Beijing.

Back in the past, Optimus Prime visited Megatron in prison to have a little chat. It’s not about that little rescue attempt, though the fact that those Decepticons may have been released from the Lost Light’s brig is certainly interesting. No, Optimus is here to sit way too close to his mortal nemesis on the floor of his room and talk about how Megatron is a sneaky bastard.

You remember the Hellraiser puzzle box from a couple issues back? Yeah, that was a communicube, one that was passed to Optimus to suggest that the trial be held on the moon, so the arena there would be able to hold all the people wronged by Megatron. This seems pretty damn convenient in hindsight, but Megatron swears that the legal loophole wasn’t his only intent when he sent the cube.

Because it’s all about you, isn’t it, Megatron? It’s all about how you’re perceived by future generations. Fuck the guys who had to actually deal with what your personal choices caused to happen.

Megatron wants to make amends with all those who were wronged by him. This doesn’t include being acquitted of his crimes, which, y’know, good- at least he’s being slightly realistic about how this is going to turn out for him.

What he wants to do is find Cyberutopia, so the Cybertronians have a replacement planet, since Cybertron kind of sucks now.

Oh, sorry, did I say realistic? I take it back.

In the present, Rodimus is still bummed out about being dead. Still, the day doesn’t stop just because it’s a bad one, and he calls in the experts.

CHROMEDOME YOU PROMISED TO STOP THIS SHIT

Yeah, no, Chromedome’s fallen off the wagon again, and does his thing on the coffin Rodimus. As he does, Megatron suddenly gets squeamish, Brainstorm pulls out his early early-warning device to lean on the fourth wall, and it’s revealed that the coffin that coffin Rodimus was in was built in the fashion of the Spectralist faith.

All Chromedome can suss out of coffin Rodimus’ memories is the really big important stuff, which includes the speech at Rivet’s Field inviting folks to come join the Knight Quest. Aww, that’s sweet.

With the analysis of the innermost energon complete, the results are in— the coffin Rodimus is a Rodimus. A real one, from the near future. Bummer.

I suppose denial is one of the seven stages of grief, isn’t it?

As everyone argues over whether or not Rodimus is going to die, Nightbeat brings up a good point— there aren’t any numbers carved into the coffin Rodimus’ hand. Rodimus is about to reveal some Ratchet-original wisdom, when things start getting really weird; whole sections of the Lost Light are disappearing.

Over at Swerve’s, Tailgate is regaling his peers with the story of his derring-do against Chief Justice Tyrest. Everyone is very impressed, and this includes our good buddy Getaway.

Jeez, think you’ve got enough antagonist shadows on this guy? It’s almost as if the art’s trying to tell us something about him.

Getaway lays it on real thick, saying that Tailgate could totally be the next Prime, with how courageous and awesome he is, all while completely ignoring Tailgate’s personal space and having a weirdly tiny hand. This seems to seriously bother Cyclonus, who is watching this shit go down from the doorway. Our purple space jet leaves once the drinks start being poured and conversation starts happening. God knows he hates talking about his insecurities.

Then the Pipes is Friggin’ Dead alarm goes off. But Pipes has been dead for a while now, so that must mean something else awful is happening.

Back during the trial, I guess because Optimus has a soft spot for Megatron, he allows him to join the Lost Light’s Knight Quest… even as he says that he could keep the guy locked up until Rodimus and pals find the Knights. However, there are rules to this, and one of the rules is that Megatron must publicly denounce the Decepticon cause.

It is a slow and painful experience for everyone involved, as he reads the statement he was given. It’s an immediate call to action- or rather, inaction.

Geez, think they could’ve made it any more obvious that this was being ghostwritten? I can’t wait to see how long it takes for “Megatron was blackmailed into saying this by the Autobots” to be a plotpoint.

Outside the prison, Ratchet and Rodimus are taking in the brand new Rod Pod, which is genuinely ridiculous in how large it is. Rodimus admits to having taken Atomizer’s list, though he knows that trying to use it to keep those who voted him off would be a pretty shitty thing to do.

Also, no one’s told him about Megatron coming along on the trip. As captain.

Or you could, I dunno, lock him up from the start. Or, if you want to give him a chance to prove himself, slap him into a bottom-rung role, like bilge cleaner, or sewage mucker, or whatever the equivalent would be on a spaceship full of giant gay robots. We don’t have to give the guy any power to hold him to scrutiny— any minimum wage worker will tell you that scrutiny comes far harsher for those who actually carry out orders than those who give them.

But what do I know? I’ve never fought in a several million year war, and I don’t plan to.

Getting back to the list, it seems as if Ratchet and Rodimus are on the same wavelength, in that both agree it’s only going to cause trouble and hurt feelings to keep the thing around. Rodimus destroys it with his usual flare, only to be blindsided by the fact that it was fake this entire time. How does Ratchet know this?

Because his name wasn’t on it.

...Man, that’s gotta sting. No wonder Rodimus was upset enough to not take his calls.

In the present, everyone’s in a panic, as they all bolt for the shuttle bay and start pouring into shuttles. The Lost Light is disintegrating around them, which is sort of a problem. Despite this nightmare scenario happening, Rodimus and Megatron still find the time to be assholes to each other. That’s dedication right there.

As the two bicker, multiple shuttles zip away from the rapidly disappearing ship, including the Rod Pod.

Man, now it really is the Lost Light.

#transformers #jro #MTMTE #world shut your mouth #issue 30 #Hannzreads #text post #long post #overthinking about robots #incoming analysis #comic script writing

177 notes · View notes

et-lesailes · 4 years

Text

release

pairing: andy barber x reader

word count: 2978

summary: for obvious reasons, andy is incredibly stressed. you never thought you, his young neighbor, would be the one he wants to take it all out on.

themes: age gap, smut

taglist: @evanstush, @tanyam93, @bval-1, @wonderwinchester, @patzammit, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @sammyslonglostshoe, @jadedhillon, @bohemian-barbie, @whysparker, @sebastian-i-stan, @sebabestianstan101, @lille-kattunge, @teller258316, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox, @heyiamthatbitch, @cptn-sgrogers, @heyyouwiththeassbutt, @bangtan-serendipity, @troublermalik, @beardburnsupersoldiers, @hannie-stark, @bookish-shristi, @kind-sober-fullydressed, @whores4thor, @gingerninjaprincess16, @straightforwardly, @denisemarieangelina, @frencchfries, @xlanawriter, @littlemoistcarrot, @pottxrwolff, @arianatheangelworld, @ifuseekamyevans, @southerngracela, @nsfwsebbie, @rororo06, @savemesteeb, @raveviolet, @inactivewhore, @hurricanerinwrites

notes: HELLO IT’S ME YOUR VILLAGE IDIOT WRITING ABOUT A CHARACTER I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT! graphic creds go to the amazing @allthefandomstogether !!!! :)

His scowl is tense, his blue eyes stormy, and his jawline clenched. He’s wearing a dark tee and black jeans, his biceps practically bulging underneath the short sleeves. He’s generally sharp and refined as it is, but ever since his 14 year old son was arrested for murder, his demeanor, understandably, has become much more harsh.

He moves his head and you quickly cast your eyes back down onto the dining table, placing your hands together. “Andy,” your father reaches over to pat his shoulder, looking just as stressed. “We’re going to do whatever we can to help you. Jacob will get out of there. Okay?” Andy doesn’t even look at him- instead, he’s looking towards the window with the troubled expression that’s become his norm, as if Jacob will come strolling up the path. As if his wife will pull up in the driveway again even though everyone knows she’s most likely staying at her sister’s for quite some time. The strain has been too much for her, and Andy has changed entirely. These days, he seems almost… dangerous. You can see it in his eyes- he’s getting desperate. He’ll do anything to get his son in the clear, whether he committed the crime or not.

“Do you want more?” you offer to break the awkward silence, lifting up the container of pasta you and your father had brought over to his house. Andy looks to you, shaking his head and clearing his throat. “No. Thank you though, Y/N. You made it, didn't you? It tasted good.” You give him a smile, happy to hear the compliment. Anything you can do to make your neighbor’s mood better. You’ve known Andy and his family since you were a teenager, and now as a 23 year old, you want to return all the support and thoughtfulness he’s given you. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.” You stand up, cocking your head. “If you’re all done then, how about I help clean up?”

Your father nods with a smile. “That’s a good idea, sweetheart.” He glances down at his watch and sighs. “I’ve got to meet with my boss at the office in twenty minutes, I should probably head out now. You stay and help Andy, alright?” You nod and he leans down to kiss your cheek. “Thanks, Y/N. I’ll see you back home later.” He gives Andy a somewhat sad smile, a sigh escaping his lips. “Please, buddy. Hang in there. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.” Andy barely nods, giving the man a brief thanks and a hug goodbye.

He leaves the house and you barely bite your lip, but start bringing empty dishes to the sink to rinse them off. “Do you have enough food?” you ask, turning your head over your shoulder to look at him. “I have some free time this weekend, I’d be happy to make you some more…”

He’s quiet for a few moments before he steps closer to you. “I don’t need food, Y/N.” He mutters, running his fingers through his brown hair, his features filled with nothing but tension. “I don’t need food, I don’t need sympathy-- you know, I don’t even need my wife.” You’re about to wash the dishes but you sense a whole new level of gravity to this conversation, and so you slowly turn around to face him. “I… Are you two getting divorced, then? I thought you were just taking some time apart… you know, temporarily.” Andy and Laurie had always seemed like such an amazing couple to you, especially considering your own parents were divorced. Their love for Jacob was immense, and they always looked so happy to you as a whole. You supposed experiencing such a traumatic incident could change that.

“I don’t want to be with her anymore.” He speaks bluntly, coming to stand next to you and leaning against the counter, blue hues looking back towards the window. “She doesn’t get me the way I thought she did.” You look up at him, feeling strangely intimidated- something you had never felt around him before. “Andy,” you speak quietly, “do you think maybe that’s because… you’ve changed?”

There’s a silence for a few seconds, and you wonder if you’ve gone too far. He’s still looking to the window, but he looks as though he’s pondering over this thought. “I’m sorry.” You finally say, clearing your throat and turning to the sink. “I shouldn’t have said that, I know this is a hard time for you. For all of us. Let me finish up he-”

“No.” Before you know it, his hands are on your waist, spinning you back around so that you’re facing him, his own body now completely turned towards you. “Tell me, Y/N. Do you think I’ve changed?” His voice is lower, his eyes locked onto yours, his grip securing your hips tightly. You widen your eyes slightly, thrown off to say the least. You’d be lying if you said you’d never had the silly little daydream of being this close to Andy Barber, let alone being in his arms. Even as a 16 year old, you had somewhat of a puppy crush on the older man, finding his chiseled features, perfectly groomed facial hair, and built stature incredibly handsome. Still, you had never felt anything more for him- you couldn’t even allow yourself to. He’s your neighbor, one of your father’s close friends-- hell, he’s a father himself, of a boy you used to babysit.

But even throughout the years of slightly crushing on him, a scenario like this had never quite exactly popped into your head.

“Maybe a little,” you whisper, staring up into his eyes somewhat nervously. You practically don’t recognize the man you’re looking at. However, you aren’t scared of him. You’re scared of what he must be feeling, of everything he’s going through. He’s not dangerous. He’s helpless, he’s afraid, he’s in despair. “But I don’t blame you for changing. I think it’s just because of everything you’re dealing with.” You explain, slowly placing your hands over his. “Andy, maybe you should… let go…”

“Do you know what I need, Y/N?” he asks suddenly, still holding you tight, and you remember your conversation just a few moments ago. Not food, not sympathy, and not even his wife. “What?” you ask softly, your heart pounding. He leans down and you nearly shiver; his lips are mere inches away from yours, his breath warm and almost taunting. “I need a fucking release.” He mutters through slightly clenched teeth, and you can see the vein in his neck slightly bulging. He’s angry. He’s sunk. He’s in need.

“Okay.” You find yourself breathing out, and that’s all he needs. A husky growl escapes from deep within his throat as he crashes his lips against yours, hands pulling your body even closer until it’s pressed up against his. It isn’t long before he’s simply scooping you up into his arms, lips still connected in a heated kiss as he brings you to the living room, though you quickly make a whimper of protest before he can toss you onto the couch. “W-wait,” you practically gasp as you pull back, already breathless, “not here, the… the window…” Your cheeks are bright red as you glance towards the large living room window, the thought of your father or even any neighbor seeing the two of you making you beyond uncomfortable. You already can’t believe you’re doing this, but you have to admit, his kiss in itself is more than convincing. You can’t help but want more.

He seems like he wants to chuckle, and you know the old Andy would have shown at least some form of amusement. This one, however, seems to be running on some type of agenda, and so he simply nods with a somewhat impassive face. “As you wish.” He murmurs, easily carrying you up the stairs and to the bedroom. You feel guilty once again knowing that he once shared this room with Laurie, but when he practically throws you upon the mattress and crawls over you to kiss you again with even more intensity than before, this guilt goes flying out the window. For now, anyways. You kiss him back just as fiercely, moving your hands to run your fingers through his beard and his soft, soft hair, back arched desperate for the feeling of his hips against yours.

“Fuck,” he mumbles shortly as he moves his open mouth down to your neck, biting and sucking roughly. “A-Andy!” you let out a high pitched hiss, gripping his hair, “N-not too rough, don’t… don’t leave any marks…” He nips at your shoulder in response, moving one of his hands down to rub against your clothed entrance. “How many boys have you slept with before, Y/N?” he murmurs huskily into your skin, teeth still teasing your sensitive flesh. You can’t help but moan, your eyes fluttering shut as you enjoy the pressure of his fingers in your lower region. “Only… only one…” you mumble softly, somewhat embarrassed- you’ve got to be far more inexperienced compared to him. “And how old was he? Your age?” he asks, finally pulling back to look down at you with a look so intense, you don’t even realize he’s pushing down your pants. “A year older- o-oh!!” you cut off your own answer with a moan when you feel his digits pressing up against your now damp panties, rolling your hips unable to help yourself. “You’re already wet for me.” He notes, kneading at the wet spot roughly with his knuckle making you whimper. “Naughty girl. Is fucking a man nearly twice your age a fantasy of yours?” Your cheeks turn bright red as you stare up at him somewhat flustered, having no idea how to answer this. He raises a brow, hooking two fingers in your panties and tugging them down, his thumb now moving to rub your clit. “I asked you a question.”

“Mm…!” you moan, your breaths becoming heavier. “N-not just any man…”

He smirks, and you’re expecting him to pry the rest of the answer out of you, but it seems he’s satisfied enough. You can also sense he’s not all that interested in talking at the moment, anyways. He pushes one finger inside you and your whimpers become more high pitched, your head tilting back. “Oh… oh, Andy,” you moan, and he clucks his tongue, pumping harder. “You’re fucking tight. I’m going to need to stretch you out a bit if you’re going to fit me.”

You gaze at him with slightly wide eyes, your lips parted and your cheeks flushed. “Wh-what do you…” you start to ask, but instead let out a gasp when he pushes another finger inside, your teeth tugging at your lip hard. “Mmn…!” He pumps both inside you at a steady pace, watching you with dark eyes. “You can take it. C’mon, Y/N.” You slowly begin moving your hips in sync with his movements, whines becoming moans of pleasure, head rolling back all over the pillow.

A third finger slides in, and your back practically lifts off the mattress. “It’s… it’s too much…!” you whimper through shut eyes, though at the same time, you don’t want him to stop. He knows just how to maneuver his fingers, and it’s now clear that you’ve been missing out by not hooking up with older men. “How about now?” he murmurs deeply, slightly crooking his fingers and moving them expertly in rhythmic motions, finding your sweet spot as if he knew exactly how the entire time. “A-ah… fuck, right there!” you find yourself cursing, and at this, he chuckles lowly, continuing to pump in the same spot. “There you go. Come for me, Y/N, go ahead.” He practically coos, his tone oddly encouraging yet dark at the same time-- nonetheless, you release with a loud moan, your chest heaving underneath your light sweater, your skin hot and crimson.

“Good girl.” He does not waste any time as he pulls back, and therefore you have none to get yourself together. Withdrawing his fingers, he briefly sucks on them before nodding towards you. “Take that shirt off or you’re going to overheat. I want to see all of you.” He’s already removing his own shirt, hastily reaching down to unzip his pants and remove his briefs as well. You blush but sit up, trying to control your breaths as you lift your shirt off over your head, thankful you didn’t embarrass yourself by somehow getting stuck in it. All he has to do is gaze towards your bra and arch an eyebrow expectantly; you instantly reach behind to unhook it, biting on your lip. However, when your eyes drift down to his length, they immediately widen. He’s long, and thick.

You realize what he meant before.

“Lie back down.” He commands, and you obey, though you’re still nervous. “I… just… be careful…” you somewhat pathetically manage, and he looks down at you for a few moments before barely smirking. “You don’t think I don’t know what I’m doing?” He reaches over to the nightstand, taking a condom out of the drawer and putting it on. You still can’t help but stare. There’s no way you’re coming out of this without feeling sore and aching. And yet you still feel undeniably aroused, your heart practically pounding out of your chest from desire and need. He pumps himself as he guides his shaft towards your entrance, his breath hitching as he presses up against you. “Fuck, this is going to feel so damn good.” He mumbles, pushing his hips forward and thrusting inside you with a low groan. You inhale sharply, reaching up to grip his shoulders, head tilting back once again. “Oh… mm… Andy…”

“God my name sounds good coming out of your mouth.” He scoffs, bucking his hips harder as he pushes more of his length inside you. “Fuck. You like that, Y/N? You like the way I stretch you out like this?” You can only nod weakly, his dominating thrusts soon overpowering every inch of you, rocking your body back and forth as if you’re nothing but a little doll underneath him. He was not kidding about needing a release. Every rough movement, every clench of his jaw, every grunt and groan that slips out of his throat-- he’s had pent up frustration for a long time now, and it’s evident he’s going to let it all out on you.

He reaches out to hold the bedpost with one hand to support himself, other hand placed on the mattress by your shoulder only to swing his hips even faster, the bed now beginning to creak. “Fuck. You’re so fucking tight.” He hisses in a pleasured rasp, his breaths heavy and uneven as his knuckles begin to whiten from his tight grip. He keeps thrusting into you hard, eyes staring down at your body below him-- until he suddenly changes it up, adjusting himself so he’s on his knees before grabbing your legs and pushing them back by your head. “Flexible little thing.” He breathes out, bucking his hips roughly as he groans louder. You let out a string of intangible moans and mewls, eyes rolling back as he keeps fucking you, practically jackhammering into you at this point. “Andy! Andy, I-I’m close!” you’re practically screaming, even holding your own legs for him and digging your fingers into your own flesh as a form of release. He smirks breathlessly, shaking the sweat out of his hair as he keeps going. “Go on then,” he grunts, “come for me again.”

You release, panting heavily as you stare up at the ceiling, and he comes soon after with a low groan of satisfaction. You watch as he slowly pulls out, moving back to stand beside the bed, carefully disposing of the condom in the bin before running his fingers through his slightly graying beard. “Thank you.” He rolls his neck to either side then looks at you, and you can practically see at least some of the stress having faded away in his features. “I needed that.” You sit up, suddenly reaching out to take his arm, gently pulling him down to sit next to you. He blinks, turning his head to look at you with simultaneous confusion and curiosity. You hold his hand on your lap, rubbing his knuckles slowly. “This isn’t going to fix anything, Andy, and you know that.” You mumble softly, “But I promise. Everything will be alright. He… he’s going to be okay. And so are you.”

He looks at you for a few seconds and you’re a little nervous he’s simply going to shut you down, but he nods. “Thank you.” His words actually seem genuine, and instead of displaying frustration and hostility, he only seems… worried. Distressed. Like a true father, one with compassion, empathy, and who only wants the very best for his beloved child.

You gently lie him down in the bed, rubbing his chest. “Get some sleep, Andy. Please.” You whisper, and he stares at you before exhaling deeply and tiredly, nodding his head. “Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

You can’t help yourself when you lean over and kiss his forehead. “I’ll… come check in on you tomorrow. Goodnight.” You pick up your clothes and leave the room, closing the door behind you. Quickly getting dressed on the landing of the stairwell, you walk downstairs and peer out the window facing your house, relieved to see your father’s car isn’t in the driveway yet. You turn off all the lights before exiting out the front door, steps light as you walk through the grass separating your driveways, entering your own home- your heart still racing. You can’t believe what you’ve done.

Furthermore, you can’t believe that you want to do it again.

#andy barber x reader #chris evans x reader #andy barber smut #chris evans smut #andy barber

2K notes · View notes

justfangirlthingies · 3 years

Text

Talking to the Moon (Billy Hargrove)

Another songfic. This one is based on "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars

Word count: 2049 words

Warnings: a swear word I think?, mentions of death, description of death, this is basically fueled by angst, sad, mental illness I guess (I think that's it), allusions to sex

I may or may not have made myself cry while writing this

"I know you're somewhere out there" you whispered as you were seated in your driveway, leaning against a car, long abandoned. His car.

Denial. That's what one could call your situation. Struck with grief and pain, yet still not recognizing it.

"Somewhere far away, but that's okay I'll find you or maybe you'll find me." A sad smile traced your lips as your eyes began to water. You gazed at the starry night sky, the moon, shining as bright as ever, illuminating your frame.

You couldn't accept it. And why would you? Just to have your world shutter to pieces before your feet? No thanks!

"I want you back,"

It never happened. Not as long as you refused to believe it. It just had to be some cruel joke. IT HAD TO BE!

Slowly flashes of memories invaded your thoughts and unfolded before your eyes. The way he sacrificed himself in order to save all of you. The way he was impaled from all directions by the beast and how his blood soaked the white tank top he had been wearing that evening. The way his limp body dropped to the floor. How he just laid there unconscious in a puddle of of his own blood. How they had to drag you and Max away from his body, but you wouldn't budge. "No Billy! BILLY! Come on! D-don't do this to me! You can't just leave me here like that!" In that moment you either wanted him to wake up or to just lie down and leave this place with him, but you couldn't do that to your family and friends. And to think that fateful day was your anniversary as well. You quickly pushed your thoughts and trauma to the back of your mind.

"I want you back Billy, please just come back home." Slowly the silent tears started escaping your eyes.

A hand pat your shoulder causing your features to flash with hope. Yet, it wasn't him. "Come on you gotta go back inside" It was just your little brother. The hopeful glimmer in your eyes vanished as you slowly got up. "I know... I know" You muttered and when you had made it to the front door you glanced at the old car again, wiping at your face to dry the tears.

"(Y/n) do you wanna watch a movie or maybe meet up with the gang? They miss you." Your face contorted to one of agony and you flinched at the mention of the kids and some of your friends. However, you quickly tried to mask it up and flashed your brother a smile "Sorry Dustin, those are your friends I'm just your babysitter. Have fun though." You ruffled his hair and just like that you left your little brother standing in the hallway as you made a beeline for your bedroom.

▪︎

My neighbors think I'm crazy. But they don't understand

Whenever you left the house you got weird or pitiful looks thrown in your direction. It was no wonder you stopped leaving the house. And quite honestly, you were beginning to feel better. You felt better, not because you finally accepted the decision fate had made, but rather because you started to drift off. Reminiscing about the good times and creating your own little world in your head where everything was just fine. Or maybe you were just feeling numb by now...

"You're all I had, you're all I had and you're all I'd ever need" you mumbled to yourself and to the night sky.

At night, when the stars light up my room. I sit by myself. Talking to the moon

You often sat on your windowsill as you told him all that happened on each day. Sometimes you'd rant about your job. Other times you'd ask him questions and beg him to come back to you.

Trying to get to you. In hopes you're on the other side, talking to me too

Could he even hear you? See you? Know you were trying to contact him somehow? If the upside down was real, then so was the chance he might be out there somewhere, right? It was a desparate last glimmer of hope you had left.

"Or am I a fool, who sits alone, talking to the moon? Maybe I am..." Oh

▪︎

I'm feeling like I'm famous, the talk of the town.

Of course you noticed the people watching you and talking about you behind your back. They say I've gone mad. Apparently they had nothing better to do than talk about you.

Yeah, I've gone mad. But they don't know what I know

One night when you were rambling into the night you heard his voice.

'Cause when the sun goes down, someone's talking back.

It was faint at first, but it got louder and steadier and sounded more like him.

Yeah, they're talking back, oh. At night, when the stars light up my room

And that was when hope returned to you. You left your room less and less, your family and friends growing more worried with each passing day. They barely got to see you.

I sit by myself. Talking to the moon

You didn't even notice how you neglected your needs.

Trying to get to you

You were too busy talking to him. Too busy to eat or sleep. To anxious that he'd be gone again if you left for too long.

In hopes you're on the other side, talking to me too

Your family was at their wits end. They didn't know how they could help you. But you didn't think you needed help. You had Billy and that was all that mattered to you.

Or am I a fool, who sits alone, talking to the moon?

Slowly your brain had repressed the trauma, leaving it on the threshold between consciousness and unconsciousness. The images of the distressing and traumatizing memories only appearing in your sleep. In your nightmare plagued sleep.

Do you ever hear me calling? (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah) Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh. 'Cause every night, I'm talking to the moon

They were just nightmares, nothing more. After all he was here. What did you need sleep for when you could be awake and talk to Billy

Still trying to get to you

You had gotten lost in your own fantasy. A different reality where your boyfriend was still alive. Where he was still his usual cocky, jealous overprotective, but loving self, the one you fell in love with.

In hopes you're on the other side, talking to me too

Today was your anniversary. You dressed up nicely and left your room for the first time in forever. Describing your family as shocked when you left your room, went to grab a shopping basket and put on your shoes was an understatement. You flashed a bright smile at them when you saw them. "(Y/n)? What's got you in such a good mood? Are you going out?" Your mother was a little worried about your sudden change in demeanor, but quickly pushed those doubts aside. She was delighted at how happy you seemed. She didn't want to see in what bad shape you were, didn't want to notice how weird that smile looked on your exhausted posture or how that smile didn't actually reach your glassed over, dull (e/c) eyes. Eyes that shone bright with love, hope and life once. She didn't want to realize that you were just a shell of yourself.

What she did notice though, was the effort you put into looking nice today and that you actually wanted to leave your room and even the house.

"Yes mum, of course I'm in a good mood!" you exclaimed, you almost seemed like you were in some kind of trance. "It's our anniversary today. I'll go buy a few things to surprise Billy with his favourite dish for when he comes over later" and just like that you were out the door. Leaving your mother with confusion and worry written all over her face. Dustin had noticed the whole ordeal, however he did not choose to blatantly ignore your change in behaviour. "I have an idea, I know someone who might be able to help." Just like that your brother had left through the front door, sprinting to his friend's home.

▪︎

Or am I a fool, who sits alone,

You had spent your afternoon cooking and baking for your boyfriend. You prepared everything, now all you had to do was wait for him.

talking to the moon? Oh

A grin made itself prominent on your face as you thought about your favourite anniversary, the one three years ago. The weather was nice and Billy took you to the fun fair that just happened to be in town. He kept you close to him and would've punched anyone who laid their eyes on you for too long if you hadn't stopped him. "Don't worry, I'm only yours Hargrove" you beamed at him with delight in your eyes as you pressed a tender kiss to his cheek. After that he won you a stuffed animal and you got some cotton candy together.

"I love you, you know that right? I'll stay by your side forever you'll see. And I'll never leave you, like my asshole of a father left my mum, I promise. The two of us, we'll stay together for eternity" The blonde told you that evening when you were in bed, snuggled up cozily together after he had shown you just how much he loved you in every possible way. You moved your head which was resting on his naked chest slightly so you could properly look at him. His eyes held so much love, passion, adoration and tenderness for you in them and you knew yours did too "Forever huh?" you grinned as he brushed a strand of hair out of your face. You could feel his fingers trace patterns on your back and arms as his strong arms pulled you impossibly closer to his body, the scent of his cologne engulfing you. "You better keep that promise then because I love you too." A cocky smirk appeared on his face and there was a short pause, a comfortable silence, as you pondered "Billy?" The boy hummed in response, his fingers still caressing your soft skin. "Can you promise to show me the beaches in Cali someday as well?" You felt your boyfriends chest vibrating as he chuckled softly "I think that I can manage (Y/n)" That's how you drifted off to sleep that night.

"(Y/n)..." a soft voice cautiously brought you back to your reality. "It's been three years." Your eyes were wide as you found yourself face to face with Maxine Mayfield, Billy's half-sister. He always acted like he hated it when someone called them siblings, when in reality he didn't mind at all. He loved his sister, he just had a special way of showing it. "What are you doing here? And what are you even talking about?" A smile was on your face. "As much as I love our silly little talks Max, I must advice you leave. Billy will come home any minute now and you know how he can get when he has plans and you appear out of nowhere." a giggle left your throat. As you spoke your eyes started swimming with tears. Why? You didn't know.

"(Y/n) listen to me. Billy died three years ago today, he's not gonna come to your anniversary. You just made up that he's still here with you because you couldn't handle his death. Not with how brutal it was." Tears were now pouring from your eyes as you shook your head. Realization dawning on you. "No...that-that's not true" you said, your voice cracking halfway. "Three-three years ago he took me to the funfair and-" you stopped mid sentence as the images from your nightmares unraveled before you. Max pulled you into her embrace and you hugged her back immediately, your whole body racking with sobs. The redhead also shed a few tears, not only because of her dead brother but also because of the state you were in. "I know, I know..." she soothed you

I know you're somewhere out there.

Somewhere far away...

84 notes · View notes

willadisastercry · 3 years

Text

More than ‘just a little tired’: aftermath turned aftershocks part 3

tw: discussion of sever burns and re-burning, lots of pain, also lots of heavy emotions, ptsd symptoms towards the end

Keith is in a lot of pain from just having his wounds cleaned but complications arise that make the relief of the pod that much further away. Tensions are still high and everyone’s emotions are running rampant as they are forced to watch their friend be in so much distress, their friend who never let on when he was anything other than angry, who is now crying and begging for it all to stop. Keith is desperate, his stoic facade has shattered but his body refuses to pass out and they still have to separate him from the bits of the suit that remain...

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

(( haven’t edited yet so ignore for now if it’s riddled with errors or some parts make zero sense lol, enjoy!!! ))

The infirmary was both eerily silent and brimming with commotion, nearly devoid of any conversation or background noise at all aside from muted whispers and the gentle clink of tools as the sound of Keith’s pain filled every dreadful square inch and left little space for much else.

Shrio was still perched on a stool with both hands clasped securely around the one of Keith’s that was accessible, the other hanging over the edge of the table limp and unmoving.

The older boy spoke calm reassurances to him in a low voice, the sentiments themselves not so much soothing as the steady cadence of them were.

It was clear he was still suppressing every wince and grimace though his resolve to remain unbothered seemed to be weakening as he fatigued further. And so Shiro’s gentle tenor worked to ground him as his wherewithal plummeted, the neutral pressure on his hand giving him something else to focus on and keep him from panicking while he lay somewhat paralyzed.

He hadn’t moved much as they cleaned his back up after they gave him the muscle relaxant, not that he could if we wanted to, not when his whole body felt about as solid as jello. The only movements possible were occasional reflexive twitches or sudden bursts of shuddering breaths that had whoever was poking his back pause to give him a minute to steady himself.

That was until the team had separated him from as much of the under-suit as they could with just tweezers and saline... because about 30% of what they’d sectioned off around each wound was still attached and not coming free no matter how hard they pulled or however much saline they poured.

It was then with everything cleaned away that they saw how severe it was, how little of the blur of soot around each blast could actually be cleaned away because it wasn’t his skin that was charred, it was the suit itself.

They couldn’t fix that with tweezers but they had to remove the melted material so the pod didn’t heal around it somehow.

Keith’s attention was admittedly elsewhere when the disorienting haze of pain granted him a few moments of clarity once he realized the only hands still touching him were Shiro’s.

It took him a while, but he was able to cut through the fog enough to vaguely tune in to what was going on around him. He has missed the beginning of the conversation that Shiro was having but it wasn’t hard to piece together what was happening.

“The process should be relatively seemless if I use this—“ Coran noted grimly as he presented Shiro with a scalpel that had a cord attached to the end of it “—the scarring will already be minimal given the pod’s capabilities and the fact that these are mostly second degree, but in order to remove the bits that remain I must burn number four again to sever what joins his flesh to the undersuit...”

Shiro had figured as much and so had Keith.

Well no, his addled brain hadn’t figured much of anything coherent in a while, he just wasn’t surprised to hear that it was the only solution.

Keith wouldn’t consider himself as handy as Hunk or Pidge but he knew his way around tools from having a bike and living on his own for so long. And he couldn’t come up with anything else on hand other than a hot knife that would do that kind of job either.

He also didn’t really care how they did anything anymore. He didn’t have the energy to when all he wanted was for this to be over.

Exhaustion seeped into his bones like radiation, clogging the channels in his marrow where his blood should flow and making his entire body feel so very heavy. It was the kind of weight that lulled you into a deep sleep, yet Keith remained awake, his nerves fried and his mind wired.

Shiro sighed, bowing his head to catch Keith’s pleading eyes one last time before nodding, giving Coran the go ahead.

It’s not that Coran was hiding the tool from the other paladins or what it did, that much was sort of obvious. It’s just that the question didn’t concern them, the decision wasn’t theirs to make. Shiro was their unofficial health proxy now that they were in space and called these kind of shots for all of them, but that was especially true for Keith since he’d already sort of been doing so back at the garrison before Kerberos.

The paladins were of course privy to deciding what happened to their own bodies regarding altean remedies or lesser pod stays since some of the options are pretty out there and if they aren’t absolutely necessary, then they aren’t mandated. But all decisions were passed by Shiro who ensured that their younger counterparts were entirely clear on what they were or were not agreeing to before Coran or Allura did anything, given the situation allotted time to take such measures.

This is one of the rare instances where Shiro had little choice in how to handle the matter. There was only one option and Keith would continue to suffer if he wasted time worrying about what none of them could control.

And it wasn’t even that he was too out of it to know what this meant and be able to deliver the green light himself, the fear on his face when Coran said ‘burn’ was more than apparent. But the kid was so goddamned rational about things no one his age should be able to rationalize that it was clear he had already evaluated and come to terms with the predicament in those brief moments of hesitation before Shiro agreed.

His eyes fall closed again and Shiro thinks he can hear the screams already.

The gravity of the decision seemed to dawn on everyone else a beat later, an anticipatory silence replacing the anguished weight that hung on all of them seconds before.

Everything moved slowly for a moment, the rise of chests halted, the chitter of mice quieting while they searched the princess’s face for answers until reality crashed back down on the castleships’ inhabitants like the tidal surge of a hurricane. The green tinge on Hunk’s face deepened several shades and Allura absently slid a waste bin closer to him, her movements robotic, like she wasn’t all there anymore. Pidge’s sobs from her helpless position on the adjacent cot were almost as painful to hear as Keith’s.

The only one to contest the idea was Lance, the sheer horror of what was about to happen registering on the blue paladin’s face like it was a death sentence for his friend.

“No, that’s torture! You can’t possibly think that’s a good idea, it’s barbaric, it’s—“

“Lance, calm down.”

“I will not calm down! Don’t you see how insane this is?!”

“There’s nothing else we can do. Don’t you see where the hell we are? We’re in space. We are light years away from human healthcare, we kind of have to work with the resources that we have!”

“But there has to be another way! I don’t understand why you’re not trying to figure something else out first... haven’t you hurt him enough today, Shiro? For fuck’s sake, aren’t you supposed to be his br—“

“Do it—” Keith punches out in a harsh whisper, effectively silencing the argument “—j-just do it already.”

His voice was gravelly and weak from all the shouting, his waning energy evident in the exasperated punctuation of his words. He’s fairly sure he won’t remain conscious long enough to be truly traumatized by the a procedure and was growing more irritated the longer they delayed it.

Keith appreciated that Lance had a conscience but also knew full well that he was stuck on the agony he was emoting since he usually never emoted at all, and probably not imagining just how awful it must actually be if he was advocating that more pain be inflicted so the sweet relief of the pod came sooner.

Lucky for him, Coran seemed to grasp the concept well enough on his own.

“Alright my boy, as you wish... Allura you might want to grab something for him to bite down on.”

What remained of the upper half of his under suit lay on him in tatters, his back bare except for the front section beneath him with strips of black littered over the table and floor. There’s a square of material missing on his thigh but the rest of the bottom portion is pretty much in tact.

The wounds looked worse free of all the blood and shredded bits. Like so much worse. But Keith didn’t have to see or be told how horrible it looked, he already knew that however bad it appeared, it hurt a thousand times worse.

“I have a topical anesthetic here that should numb the surface tissue but I’m afraid I can’t make any promises about nerve pain that might go deeper... it will still hurt a great deal.”

Talking was hard. He didn’t have the energy to stay awake let alone speak, but since his body was denying him that mercy, he figured forcing himself to communicate might speed the process along.

“Kay... s’fine,” was all he managed in response, his head swimming slightly as he forced the words out.

Allura’s face came into view then, smiling with so much sadness behind it as she lowered a hand to Keith’s flushed and tear stained cheek, gently coaxing him into opening his mouth.

He was sort of confused as to why until she brought a small hand towel folded in a tight roll up to his chin. His eyes widened a bit but he hummed in understanding and parted his blood encrusted lips so she could place it between his teeth.

They hadn’t had a chance to fuss over the gash on his face with everything else they were focused on but he was also very much laying on top of it. The cut itself also didn’t appear to be giving him much of an issue, but the fact that he was resting his cheek in an ever dampening rag as it caught his blood was woefully uncomfortable, the swelling laceration under his eye endlessly agitated with every reflexive jerk.

The sight might’ve been more alarming if his back wasn’t so horrific.

Shiro searched Keith’s lidded eyes when Coran pressed a button that had the tool whirring to life with a warm orange glow before he set it aside to warm up. They were sluggish and bloodshot and slow enough in meeting his gaze that would’ve had him majorly concerned should he not already have dozens other reasons to be.

“The spray might sting a bit at first... just bear with me lad.”

Coran’s voice was pinched and level, his statements clinical and his hands deft.

He’d already gathered that Keith didn’t need things explained before they were done like Shiro who needed to feel like he was in control of his own body when being tended to, or Pidge and her unwavering need to know absolutely everything ever, or Hunk and his already debilitating anxiety regarding the unknown.

No, he was like Lance who didn’t want the details, didn’t need to know what was happening or when. In fact, he reacted worse when he knew.

Keith needed things done without preamble. It didn’t matter how much it would hurt, he just needed it to hurt before the anticipation that it was about to could consume him. And Coran would do whatever he could to ease the red paladin then, so if that meant working fast than he would work fast.

“Nngh...” Keith choked out against the towel, nearly gagging on it when his entire body jerked as soon as Coran started spraying despite the medicine running through his body to specifically lessen reactions like that. But the man didn’t slow once he started, not even for Keith’s muffled pleas.

The spray did in fact sting. It stung a lot.

His head flew back and his eyes screwed shut as he struggled to breathe through the application, jerking despite himself each time the liquid landed on his raw and burning wounds.

The cloth trapped between his clenched teeth had him sputtering on the spit in his mouth and he almost welcomed the fear that flooded his body when his throat closed to keep from inhaling it.

“I know, bud... looks like just a bit more and then hopefully some relief.”

Shiro looked so young when he was like this, the knitted worry lines on his forehead almost out of place for the age he looked then. Keith didn’t like seeing him like that, it’s what he looks like when he’s having a rough day with his ptsd, so he closed his eyes against the tears that were brimming in the corners of them and took in long, purposeful inhales while Coran finished up.

He felt it as soon as the anesthetic started working, a discernible cold partially quenching each tiny inferno that was at the center of his injuries. It didn’t do much more than place a lid on the fires, not putting anything out completely but it was something and had him sagging into the table at the small bit of respite.

“I’ll be right here the entire time, okay? Coran will try to be as quick as he can but you can do this Keith, you’re strong, I know you can do this...” Shiro rambled, his timbre still subdued and settling.

It was nonsense. It was absolute nonsense he was babbling but the older boy’s voice never wavered and the constant presence of it hung on Keith’s battered body like a warm blanket, soothing the biting chill of anticipation that spread over it before the endless waves of agony started all over again.

“It’s going to be okay, bud.”

Keith clung to his words like they were a broken board from a sinking ship, the only buoyant thing in sight that could keep him from sinking right down with it.

“It’ll be over soon...”

He felt himself physically calming the longer he spoke until suddenly his chest didn’t feel as tight.

“...and then you can rest.”

Because he believed him. He believed that Shiro wouldn’t tell him he would be okay if it wasn’t true.

“We’ll get you set up in the pod...”

And for just a second, he actually believed it would end, that it wouldn’t last forever.

“...and then you’ll start to heal...”

The breaths he took were urgent, almost greedy as he relished in the temporary peace from everything. From the pain, from his anxiety, from feeling so fucking helpless.

“...just a little longer. I promise.”

Shiro made a point not to make many promises to Keith, even if he never planned on being anything other than good on them. He knew that too many had been broken for him to trust a vow like that. The words were empty, just another tool for people he trusted to bait him with before they left.

In Keith’s experience, everyone always left.

“I am going to begin now, remember to breathe lad...”

Before Keith had been holding back most of his exclamations of pain, biting his lip or cheek and setting his jaw to swallow them back before they escaped.

He wasn’t exactly sure what it was that made that impossible now, maybe since he knew the pain would be insurmountably worse or maybe because his body was too tired to expend that kind of energy anymore, either way the only thing muffling the sounds then was the towel keeping him from biting clean through his tongue.

The way his back arched when Coran brought the scalpel down looked like it shouldn’t have been possible in his condition. Keith didn’t know it was possible either but wasn’t too focused on the logistics with how intensely his lungs were screaming as he realized he could no longer move air in or out with how shocking the pain was.

It was like he’d been electrocuted, his muscles spasming and his nerves glitching in override.

“Shit, someone help me hold him down... come on damnit, hold him still!” Shiro ordered when it was apparent that Keith was incapable of controlling his reactions as Coran kept at it with the tool.

The movements were violent and quick, more convulsions than Keith’s own will, but they happened with each slice which made it difficult for Coran to work, so Hunk and Lance repositioned themselves on either side of the table and pinned his chest down wherever was most absent of injury while Shiro kept his head still and attempted to talk him through it.

Allura wasn’t having much luck in soothing Pidge either who was hysterical with her hands clamped over her ears. The guilt she felt over being the reason Keith was now in such intense pain was overwhelming and the princess was deeply concerned that she was going to make herself sick or reopen her only somewhat mended wound.

“Huh, huhh, huh... AHGh!”

Coran ignored how his fingers were blistering from working around the red paladin’s struggles.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry...”

Apologies were pouring out of Shiro like his own blood would.

But Lance didn’t buy them. He couldn’t grasp how their infallible leader missed someone being injured this severely.

And for it to be Keith of all people.

He’d spent half of his young adult life on his own, looking out for himself, no other support. He wasn’t used to having a team to look out for him especially since the last time anyone had was when Shiro had taken him under his wing. Shiro who had pretty much promised not to give up on him only to leave for Kerberos and never come back.

And what’s worse, as if anything could get worse at this point, was that Keith genuinely hadn’t wanted their help. He would’ve insisted he was okay whether or not his injuries were known regardless, but Shiro overlooking him in the heat of the moment had only fueled his warped view on taking care of things himself. It made him think he didn’t deserve any help, like he was being selfish for even suggesting he might not be okay when Pidge was also hurt.

It wasn’t true. But Lance knew that Keith couldn’t always decipher those kinds of things, the subtle messages in tonality that other people would’ve instantly picked up as, ‘no, I don’t actually hate you’ but completely eluded him.

Because Keith was extremely literal. He was also a self sacrificial idiot. Kinda like Lance. Not the literal thing, Lance almost never spoke literally.

But Shiro knew that, he knew that Shiro knew all of that about Keith and yet here they were.

His eyes were glossy and he was livid. It didn’t make any sense. They were supposed to look out for each other. It was Shiro’s whole philosophy and here he was, a complete hypocrite.

Pidge let out a strangled hitch then that broke Lance’s focus on analyzing whatever the hell had gone down on that mission.

The guilt was raging an almost identical fire in her chest, licking at her lungs like there was lighter fluid on them and threatening the sinews that had just barely latched across the chasm in her abdomen.

Hunk wished he could cry, wished he didn’t have to be so close to the terrible mess that was his friends’ back or the sounds he was making.

He didn’t know how many more he could stand to hear. How many more times he could handle the pang of terror in his chest when one escaped the lips of either of his friends.

Anytime anyone was hurting he felt like he was too. Like he had an access pass to their pain or some wicked ability to envision exactly how it must feel. And between Keith bucking beneath his hands and the guttural groans smothered by the towel, Hunk’s stomach was flipping dangerously.

Keith’s strained huffs had turned into hysterical shouts.

“Coran,” Allura deadpanned, her voice low and deadly.

They’d started off with a sort of restraint but it hadn’t taken long for them to raise in volume. He hated it, he was too tired to be so vocal and his throat was aching, but he couldn’t help it.

If it was up to him he would’ve just relaxed and taken it. He was used to simply enduring in the moment and compartmentalizing as he went. He had no experience in allowing such real reactions, in being so vulnerable against his every will.

Taking it silently would’ve been just as painful, there was no changing that, but maybe then he wouldn’t have had to see everyone so upset.

But he couldn’t relax. And he couldn’t use his twisted reason to logic himself out of it.

“This is cruel-I can-I can ease his suffering with my powers, move aside and let me—“

“Princess.”

Coran sounded distressed, almost pained. It was the first hint of emotion he’d shown since they’d dragged Keith into medbay.

“You couldn’t heal him without going into a pod first or it would start depleting the quintessence of your life force... we don’t have time for that, you know what my answer is—“

“But it’s worth it! Just a second, even just a touch would make the world of a difference, please—“

“Allura... come on, let him work.”

Lance looked angry still, and Shiro wasn’t sure he blamed him anymore, but the princess’s voice was shaking and his hand on her arm was pulling her away from Coran gently.

And she let him, the sob that erupted from her throat startling everyone. But Lance was there, the usual smirk he wore when speaking to the princess noticeably absent as he braced his her shoulders because they were shaking too.

Shiro is pressing Keith’s chest down flat where Lance had been after he Coran hissed at the heat of the tool while he continued to thrash.

The energy in the room was so dark and heavy it was almost sinister.

But the worst part was seeing it on his face. The desperation in his expressions was gutting. It felt like a sort of betrayal, which in a way it was, but so was the alternative.

Shiro tried to keep up his rambles of assurance but found the sentiments catching in his throat.

It had become wildly apparent that they were more comforting to him than they were to Keith, but he repeated them still, the same nonsense over and over again like a prayer. The swipe of his metal thumb clearing the endless stream of tears out of his eyes was the only constant other than the sound of his own screaming sobs.

And the pain.

His sobs and the pain.

It was blinding and it was everywhere. He couldn’t get away from it. Couldn’t get away from himself or the terrible sounds he was making.

All of it was suffocating. The fire poker dragging against his already charred skin, the hands holding him still, Shiro’s words, his own cries, all of it.

The air was filled with a bitter and nauseating heat, the smell of his own flesh burning permeated it and made him cry harder.

He wanted to throw up, wanted to pass out, hell if he died right there he wouldn’t have even minded.

He just wanted everything to stop.

He didn’t think he could stand much more of it but his body wouldn’t give in. His screams had morphed into one piercing and continuous wail as every limit he had was tested and shattered.

Keith thought he could handle pain fairly well, but this was absurd. This pain was otherworldly.

It’s only when he spits the rag out for the millionth time and begins chanting his own prayer that Shiro really wavered, his hand halting abruptly as he went to put it back between his teeth before they tore through his tongue the next time Coran moved his tool.

But Coran had taken the glowing metal away for a moment and was fiddling with something, so when Shiro leaned in to replace the cloth he could finally make out what he was saying.

“...D-d-d-da-dad... pl-please, dad... dad m-make it st-stop... dad...”

The words were slurred and barely audible with how wrecked his throat was, but there was no denying it.

“Oh, Keith...” Shiro breathed before his jaw was working to muffle his own pitiful sounds.

He was in such a delirium that he was calling out for his father, the man who Keith hadn’t called out to in years because he was dead. He’d left him in the most final way someone could leave.

Shiro didn’t know how many promises his death might’ve broken, just that the words Keith was uttering were what finally broke him.

Allura’s cheeks were still wet with tears but stepped forward anyway and moved the towel back into place, her hands running through and smoothing down Keith’s wild locks all tossed out of place from writhing.

She bent down to speak softly into his ear, Shiro didn’t catch much over the ringing in his own while his eyes locked into place on the towel in his mouth and the blood staining his chin and neck, though he thought he heard something about him being strong, him doing so well...

“Shiro.”

The hand on his arm didn’t make him jump because he couldn’t feel it. The room was expanding and he was shrinking because Keith’s whimpering was beginning to sound like the despairing cries before someone or something died in the arena.

The arena...

His eyes open wide and flit around wildly, the room abruptly fitting back to size.

“Huh?”

Shiro was good at snapping himself back to reality when he needed to, good at functioning at half capacity just to see through whatever he was in the middle of until it was safe to let the lights of the arena bleed into his present.

Not that acknowledging his memories was ever safe. And not that reliving them in his cabin was any safer.

Just easier.

“What is it?”

“I’m starting again...”

He hadn’t noticed that he’d backed up into Pidge’s bed or that her tiny hand had wound its way into his.

“...and he’s asking for you.”

“Right.”

His voice was sturdy again, hands no longer trembling. He could do this.

The whirring of the tool sounds too much like his metal arm, it glows orange instead of purple but that doesn’t seem to matter because it’s cutting into Keith’s skin all the same and the screams that escape his mouth cut into Shiro just as bad.

But he pushes it all away. He can unpack the emotions that rise up with it later but Keith needed him now.

The initial twitches that wracked his brutalized frame when Coran brought the tool back down had Allura turning away and the smoke that rose up with the first slice had Hunk clamping a hand over his mouth and nose. But the princess’s hand never stopped brushing through his hair and Hunk kept the grip on his shoulder firm.

They could feel his muscles loosening, could feel the power of each jerk dwindling.

And then they watched with heavy consciences as even his steady cries quieted, his body finally waving the white flag.

“I’m sorry...”

Shiro chanted it so many times that the syllables blended together and turned into something else altogether.

Keith’s breathing was more erratic than it ever had been and it didn’t seem like he could see straight anymore so Shiro lowered his forehead to Keith’s and draped his metal arm over his neck.

Both were damp with sweat that created condensation on his hand, his hair wet with it and plastered all over, but Shiro couldn’t find it in him to care. He needed him to know that he was there, that he hadn’t left.

“I’m here, Keith. And I’m sorry...”

But his cheeks were flushing with something other than straight up exertion. And Shiro felt it, felt his hand go cold while all the blood raced to his head. He knew what was happening but he wasn’t worried.

He was relieved.

“I’m so sorry...”

The rag falls out again because his jaw had gone slack and his eyes were rolling to the back of his head. Shiro didn’t move to fix it.

His breathing still irregular but falling into a more even rhythm.

Lance looks stricken and Hunk is rather green when they let go and step back.

Pidge had finally found the ability to relax abs was slumping into the bed, eyes glued to Coran’s hand who was still not done.

Still not okay. Still not in a pod, but no longer in pain.

Hunk took exactly one deep breath before devolving into tears. He was done being strong, but Lance never seems to get the luxury and was pulling him into a hug that didn’t have him standing any straighter or have his chest working any less, but it was something.

Coran’s hands move slow and he doesn’t seem to feel the red welts on his fingertips from wrestling with his tools. But he looked more at ease with Keith blissfully unconscious, like he was breathing again.

Shiro was still holding Keith’s hand. It was ice cold and looking sort of blue with the white blotches dotting it. He leaves his other hand on his neck where his skin is hotter, figuring if the cool metal could be useful for anything other than killing, it might just be that.

Lance eyes the distance in Shiro’s gaze, the rigidity in his movements, and he thinks he understands. He thinks he can overlook his anger to remember that the guy is still human.

He’s almost scared that he was speaking out loud when Shiro rakes his grey pinpoints around the room, not appearing to actually see any of it before passing over Lance’s briefly. Hunk has his head burrowed in his chest as he fights to regain his composure but he musters up a small smile for him despite being otherwise occupied.

It’s a peace offering. A sad one at that, the corners of his mouth barely perking up, but it’s something.

Shiro wasn’t sure if he returned it but his heart felt lighter once Lance did that.

The energy in the room was still buzzing but it was less stifling, not as heavy as it had been moments ago.

The artificial sunlight starts to turn purple again and he can hear desperation mix into the buzz and for a second Shiro is worried that Keith has woken up. In a bit of a panic he drags his gaze back down to find his eyes still closed and his face still scrunched up like he hadn’t escaped the pain entirely with sleep.

But that was infinitely better than him sounding like them, the dying things he was hearing.

He vaguely wondered if the medbay was a safe enough place to let the purple flood in and ultimately decided that it didn’t matter.

He’d staved it off long enough, was strong for Keith when he needed him to be.

And so he lets himself drift.

83 notes · View notes