#i think we could work our way to like spy x family | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lowkeyerror · 3 months

Text

The Family Business Ch.4

WandaNat x Reader

Word Count: 2k

Chapter Notes: Brief mention of the red room nothing crazy

Summary: Natasha is nervous about finally having some personal time with Wanda’s family. You help her fight through those nerves. Meanwhile Wanda struggles to come to terms with how much of your growth she missed.

An: Posting consistently again got me feeling in my prime. No promises, but might post chapter 5 later this week instead of next monday.

Series Masterlist| Masterlist

Once you were done with work, and had your flowers for Flora, you were ready to go to the Maximoff’s house. You’d sent a quick text to Dragos telling him that you’d bring Natasha with you, to save them an extra unnecessary trip.

You pack your things quickly and head to the car, Natasha follows behind you. When you get in the car, you finally notice the subtle nervousness of Natasha.

“Are you scared to meet Wanda’s mom?”

Natasha nods a little, “It’s more than that. You guys are the most important people in her life. She told me so herself. Dragos doesn’t like me yet, Pietro and I really just looked at each other, and I heard Flora’s got high standards when it comes to partners.”

“Well, they are the kindest people you could ever meet. All they'll care about is that you keep Wanda happy,” you insist.

“I think the kindness goes out of the window, when you find out your daughter got married to a Russian spy that tried to kill her,” Natasha mumbles.

You try to offer her some comfort, “I’m not going to argue with that but, you’ll get a little break, when I tell them I like you.”

“Really?”

“If Wanda told you all about me, then you should know they've got a soft spot for me,” you’re a little embarrassed when you say it, but it’s the truth.

If Natasha notices your embarrassment, she doesn't bring it up, “Wanda says you’re basically a Maximoff every time she tells a story about you.”

You smile, “I like to think of them as my family too. There’s been plenty of times where I want to call Dragos, papa. That means there’s even more times when I want call Flora Mama.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“I don’t want to take the chance and ruin our dynamic.”

The Russian sighs as the house comes into view. “I think they’d both love it. The way Wanda tells it, they feel as though you're one of their kids.”

You park the car before answering Natasha, “Maybe one day.”

With the hydrangeas in hand, you head to the front door. Natasha tries to walk behind you, but you pull her forward so she’s next to you.

“This is a family you have to face head on. Those uncertainties you have, keep them close to you. Don’t let them see your nerves because they’ll pounce. Just remember that you love Wanda, and she loves you too,” your attempt at a pep talk seems to calm her nerves a bit.

“You said they were nice people. Nice people don’t have warnings.”

You roll your eyes, “Natasha you secretly married the daughter of a crime lord without ever meeting the family, there’s a shitload of warnings.”

The door swings open before you have the chance to knock. You find yourself being pulled into a warm hug. It’s only a moment before Flora’s hands land on your face. She turns your head a couple times checking that you are fine, before planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Y/n, where have you been sweetheart? Too old to come see me anymore, huh? You’ve got bags under your eyes Malysh, have you been sleeping ok?”

You smile warmly at her antics, “I’ll never be too old to come visit my Flora. As a sorry, for being away I brought you these.”

Flora takes the flowers from you. “Always knowing how to get into my good graces, these are beautiful Y/n.” Her eyes dart to Natasha and you watch as her features go neutral.

“You must be Natasha.”

The red head extends her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs.Maximoff.”

Flora shakes her hand, “Yes, if only we could've done this sooner. “

Natasha doesn’t shift at the words, but you can feel her nerves from besides you. Flora beckons you both into the house and you follow her into the kitchen. She grabs a vase for the flowers and begins to fill it with water.

“So, why Natasha?” She says as she places the flowers in the vase.

“I’m sorry?” Natasha is confused by the question.

Flora keeps her eyes on the flowers, “Why’d you pick the name Natasha? Natalia is a fairly pretty name, why not keep it?”

You weren't surprised that Flora had done some research on the woman. However, Natasha was taken aback by the question. She wasn’t expecting it, so it took her a moment to respond.

“As a spy, I have many aliases. However, Natasha never felt like an alias, she just felt like me. My parents and sister call me Natalia often just to tease me, but even they seem to like Natasha better.”

You decide to help the Russian out, “Are you close with your family, Natasha?”

She nods, “Very close. My parents took Yelena and I when we were very little. They saved us from some terrible people, I owe then everything. Though they'd never let me repay them.”

“Reminds me of us,” you say to Flora, who has now softened her gaze on the redhead.

Flora had a soft spot for children in tough places. You knew that's why she originally gravitated towards you, when Pietro first brought you around. This was the perfect topic to get Natasha on Flora’s good side.

“If we found you any younger you would've had our last name,” Flora places the vase the table. She eyes Natasha for a moment before asking about her childhood, “Foster care?”

Natasha stiffens a little, “Worse. Young girls all taken and trained to be weapons for whatever they needed.”

Flora’s eyes become glossy, “The red room.”

Natasha’s gaze was locked on the floor, “Yeah.”

It is a quick turn of events when Flora wraps her arms around Natasha. She holds the woman firm as she begins to speak in Russian. You don't understand all of it, but it seems that Flora was intimately familiar with the place.

“You two go and make yourselves comfortable while I start dinner,” she says finally releasing Natasha.

“You don’t want help?”

Flora shakes her head, “Go, relax malysh. I’ve got it covered in here.”

Instead of leading Natasha to the living room, you take her to the backyard. There is a beautiful large grass area, with a nice garden space in the corner. The patio has the perfect view of the sunset. You sit on one of the patio chairs and Natasha sits beside you.

“I think that went well,” you say to her.

“Thanks to you, it went really well,” Natasha looks at you gratefully.

You shake your head, “I didn’t do much.”

Natasha argues back, “I see why they call you the glue. If you hadn’t made your comment, she would’ve slighted me all night.”

“Don’t give me too much credit, you would've had her the moment you asked how many people she killed,” you joke, and Natasha gets a bit embarrassed.

“Sorry, I guess I just- “

You stop her, “It’s fine, Nat. I’ve been underestimated all my life. My first kill is symbolic to me, even in that pitiful state, I was able to snap someone’s neck. I remember all of them, though it’s not a lot, I also remember each one getting easier.”

She looks at you, “The longer it gets, the less you remember, and then one day you’re left with the memory of how you used to feel about it. Maybe it fills you with pride in the beginning, but eventually killing just leaves you feeling empty.”

Wanda comes into the backyard before you could answer the Russian.

“She’s not giving you too much trouble is she, Y/n?”

Natasha sends her wife a pointed look. You laugh at the interaction.

“She’s a pleasure to have around. I can see why you married her, regardless of the assassination attempt.”

Wanda tilts her head but keeps a smile on her face, “Telling our love story without me, my love?”

“It just came up. How was the meeting?”

Wanda plops down next to you before leaning back, “Apparently Kingpin is looking to expand his control. At least that’s what Hammerhead said.”

You clench your jaw at the mention of the large man, “He’s such a greedy bastard. He has the second largest market besides us. Which means he thinks he can take over us. I couldn’t imagine being a guy that big with no fucking brains.”

Wanda shakes her head and chuckles slightly, “You sound just like Papa. He was pissed when he heard.”

“How is he now?” You ask knowing he could get a little reckless when he was angry.

“For now, he’s alright. I told him we could use Kingpin’s greed as an example. We can crush him and in turn teach the others not to try to cross us.”

Your hands reach to rub your temples, “You make it sound so easy.”

“It will be,” you can hear the determination in her voice.

Natasha interjects, “I think Y/n has a point. It’s definitely easier said than done.”

You keep your composure, “Kingpin selling is a problem in itself, but the people should know better than to buy from him. Whoever is making purchases with him is not being loyal to us. That means he’s making allies, or rather he is taking our allies away from us. It strengthens his numbers while diminishing ours. He’s trying to start a revolution.”

Before it could be discussed any further Dragos appears, “We can discuss it more tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate Wanda’s homecoming… and marriage. Dinner is ready.”

You’re the first out of your chair and into the house. It leaves Dragos some time with the couple.

“Remember we only talk business outside of the office, if it is absolutely necessary,” he reminds his daughter.

“She still gets that way?” Wanda asks referring to you.

He shakes his head, “She’s just started brainstorming and it’s hard for her to put it aside. She’s not that timid little girl anymore.”

Wanda lets out an irritated sigh, “Why does everyone keep saying that? I know her just like everyone else, papa. I’ve cared for her, I’ve trained her, and- “

“You missed 5 years of her life; you missed her graduation, you missed her putting all of her training to practical use, you missed her joining the family business. No one is saying that you didn't know her well, but you can’t act like you witnessed her growth.”

“It’s not my fault that I wasn’t there,” she speaks through gritted teeth.

“No one is saying it was, malysh.”

Natasha grabs her wife’s hand, “We’re celebrating you tonight like your father said. Let’s just enjoy this and eat. You never stopped talking about your mother’s cooking and the longer we spend out here, the colder the food gets in there.”

Wanda gets up from her seat, “You’re right. I’m sorry Papa, I’m just not used to being home yet.”

“It’s alright, her growth is startling. I still remember how I felt when Pietro told me she killed a boy. It was a shock; I didn’t want to believe it. She was so delicate that I couldn't picture her doing it.”

“Y/n killed somebody?”

Natasha nods, “She told me about it. Y/n actually has a little ledger, 8 people.”

Wanda’s eyes widen, “She told you about it?”

The conversation stops there, when you come back, “Flora said if you guys don’t come to dinner now that Piet and I can have your plates.”

“You’d eat Wanda’s welcome home meal, that’s pretty criminal even by our standards,” Natasha says pulling her wife along into the house.

“Oh 100%, you would too if you had Flora’s cooking.”

The playful banter continues, even once everyone is sat at the dinner table. Conversation flows freely, but Wanda doesn't contribute much. All that circles her mind is you.

Her father’s words echo in her head. She had missed some of the most important moments of your life. Wanda was scared to admit that she hardly recognized the woman you’ve grown into.

It bothered her. She was jealous that everyone got to see you blossom, but her. Even Wanda’s wife seemed to know things about you that she didn’t. It was a pill that she didn’t want to swallow.

Her little Krolik wasn’t so little anymore.

Taglist: @natashaswife4125 @autorasexy @alexawynters @blkmxrvel @toouncreativeforausername @likemick

#lowkeyerror #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #wandanat x reader #wandanat #pietro maximoff

440 notes · View notes

illyrian-dreamer · 1 year

Text

Our girl – Part 1

Azriel x Cassian x Reader angst

Summary: Deeming you unfit for a mission, the Inner Circle have betrayed your trust and shattered your life’s mission to avenge you sister. And the two males you love most were at the centre of it all.

Word count: 5k

Super angsty IC dynamics, little bit of violence/blood. Injured reader.

--------

“It was my right!!” Your voice was shrill, breaking from the volume – but you couldn't care less.

“I understand that Y/N, but I have a duty to my court. And to you, to keep you safe.” Your Highlord was unmoved, professional and stoic, your anger washing over him like water against stone.

The thud of your heart was in your ears, the tips of them hot, and you were sure the rest of your family could hear it too. You tried to breath, to think, to let yourself see the logic in Rhys’s decision to let Azriel make the kill over you.

But it was all bullshit.

“He was mine to kill,” you seethed, your voice unrecognisable, an almost growl from the deep part of your throat that strained at you not to cry.

“Try to understand–”

“No!” you spat, marching up to the High Lord, your finger pointed at your chest. The rest of your family stiffened as you approached, untrusting of what you would do next. You could see Azriel’s shadows run down his frame, even though the male hadn't moved from his formal stance by the door. He kept his hands clasped behind his back, still unable to look you in the eye since the moment you had barged into the room. Feyre was biting the nail on her thumb, her face pained and distressed as she watched you march up to her mate. But it was Cassian who showed the least amount of trust, taking a step closer, ready to jump in if - or rather when he had to.

“She was my sister Rhysand, MY SISTER! Not yours, not anyone else's here. He took her in innocence, and his death was mine to mark.”

Rhysand’s brow clenched. “It had to be this way,” he offered softly.

You scoffed, running shaky hands through your hair as you paced backwards. “You expect me to believe that?” Sarcasm oozed from you as easily as the aggression. “I’ve only ever asked you for one thing Rhysand, one thing! Meryl’s murder was unjust, and you promised to train me to avenge her! You promised I would be the one to kill that male!”

Rhysand took a deep breath, his violet eyes pained, but his head remained high. “I’m sorry Y/N. It’s as I said, you’re not ready to execute a mission this big, and Alvar had intel on our court that we could not risk exposing.”

“I have worked my ass off for years for you Rhys. I have trained in hail, rain and shine, I’ve completed mission after mission with no complaint. I have fought for you, lied and stolen and killed for you. I have given my life to avenging Meryl, and you have the audacity to tell me I’m not ready?”

“I know it’s hard to hear. There’s no changing that you didn't have clearance.”

“From who?”

“Cassian and Azriel.”

And that was the last thing you heard before your heart broke in two.

The males you trusted most in this world, the two that had broken your walls, taught you to trust again, trained you and nurtured you, the very beings you loved most in this world,– had not only known of the task, but had been the ones to stop you from fulfilling your life’s mission?

They knew the depths of your reasoning for joining the Inner Circle, for training as a Velarian spy. They had known your one true desire to find Alvar Ashwood – Hybern’s lead assassin – and make him pay for the innocent life that he took.

You looked between the two of them now, your mouth agape as you tried to find the words, or even a sound that could come close enough to the anguish you felt. But no sound found you, even your shaking had stopped. Rhys was saying something, but his words were a world away, muffled and muted as heart-wrenching shock consumed you.

Cassian looked back at you with broken, pleading eyes. Azriel's head hung low in shame.

You would never forgive them for this.

“I-I.” You stopped yourself, gulping. You had nothing left to say. Nodding slowly, silent tears of realisation rolled down your cheeks. One thing was clear – there was no one left that you could trust.

“I’m sorry you’re hurt Y/N, truly. Please, take some time to rest, to process. We’ll discuss this further when you’re ready, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Rhys’s stance had softened at your tears, his palms open as he dared to try and slip through your mental shields to sooth you.

Gritting your teeth, you slammed your walls up as high as possible, shutting him out and throwing him from the outskirts of your mind. You whipped your head back to your High Lord, a snarl ready at your lips as you took another stride towards him.

Cassian jumped into action then, stopping you with two large hands on either of your shoulders, his back to his Rhys as he blocked your path.

“Hey, hey, how about we go talk about this outside, ok?”

“Get off me,” you spat, shaking off his hold as you tried to eye Rhys over his shoulder.

Feyre had joined her mate now, their arms linked as they stared at you with pure shock. Neither of them had anticipated just how deeply this decision would cut.

Giving up against Cassian’s hold, you looked between both of them, their figures becoming a blur as tears welled in your eyes. “How could you do this to me?” you broke, your face crumpling. “I trusted you, all of you!”

Cassian pulled you close to his chest as he walked you from the room. “Shh, its alright, c’mon, come with me.”

You had nothing left to give. No energy, no fight, certainly nothing that could resist Cassian’s strength as he dragged you from that room, weeping.

You weren't even sure how you made it to the gardens, but the bite cold of the night shocked you enough to push the General off of you.

Bending at your waist, you held yourself up by your knees, your breath shaky and uneven as you struggled to breath in between sobs. Bile rose in your mouth, and you were unsure if you were going to be sick.

“Shh, its alright Y/N. Just breath.” Cassian’s large hand framed and soothed your back.You wanted so badly to give in to him, to throw yourself at his chest and let him hold you while you cried. But no – he had betrayed you, just like the rest.

“D-don’t touch me,” you managed to gasp.

“Alright sweetheart, alright.”

“And don't call me that!” Having regained a steady breath, you straightened to look at him, disgust seeping from your expression as your eyes darted between his. “You knew?”

Cassian sighed, closing his eyes and dropping his head slightly. “Yeah, I knew.”

“How could you not tell me?”

Another sigh from the General. “We knew you’d go after him if you found out.”

You blinked back at Cassian, biting your lip as you shook your head in disbelief.

“I know it might not make sense right now doll, but we did it for your own good.”

You shook your head faster, your frown deepening as you stepped further away from your once friend. “No, no no Cassian! No! There is no excuse!”

“I’m sorry you’re hurting Y/N, really, I am. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, to need to avenge them.”

Your eyes narrowed. “That’s right Cass, you do. So where was our family to lie and deceive you all those months you spent slashing and killing to avenge your mother?”

Cassian’s eye softened as he took a deep breath. “You know that is the deepest regret of my life.”

“At least the decision was yours,” you spat, turning your heel for the gates at the back of the gardens.

Cassian was on your tail. “Please, Y/N. We did it out of care for your safety, try to understand.” You kept a stubborn chin forward, picking up your pace as you sought any kind of exit from this Gods-forsaken home that had once been your haven.

You had finally reached the gates, magic willing them to open on their own accord. You steered straight ahead – to the thick of the woods that bordered the house

“Where are you going?” Cassian asked.

You didn't answer the General. Before you, your destination lay clear.

“Y/N. The woods are dangerous.”

You scoffed, your pace and direction unchanged. A strong hand caught your wrist.

“Get off me Cassian,” you snarled.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I can't let you.”

“I said get off!”

Cassian snatched his hand back, a sharp breath drawn as he winced in pain. Your power – that unpredictable, uncontrollable current of energy now swarmed your skin like an electric coating. It was moments like this that your gift found you, unpredictable and dangerous, much like yourself. Surely part of the reason your family had decided you weren't good enough to find and kill Alvar on your own.

You had no room in your heart to care if you hurt Cassian. This was your window to flee, so you did, escaping him and heading to the depths of the woods.

————

The woods were crisp and dark, the usual brilliant array of stars hidden by tree tops. But you didn't care, your own discomfort numbed from the sheer rage that fuelled your every step.

Your breath was a smoky puff against the cold, twigs and branches crunching underneath the stomp of your boots while circular thoughts reeled in your mind, over and over again.

Rhysand had ordered Azriel to kill Alvar. Cassian and Azriel didn’t give you clearance and kept the mission a secret. Alvar was dead. You would never avenge your sister.

It was done. It was over. The last tether to your sister, buried forever. Everything you had worked for, the one motivation that kept you from falling apart at her death, that got you out of bed on those days when grief was an excruciating ache on your stomach – gone in an instant. And the people you loved the most were to blame.

Deep within your turmoil of thoughts, the shadows that slinked over your footprints went unnoticed, and the figure that flew overhead amiss.

The sound of a bubbling brook pricked your fae ears. You decided to follow it – perhaps a sip of cold water, or running your hands through a stream might calm the energy that still zapped at your skin.

Sure enough, not a short walk away was the brook. The water trickled down into a large pool, the tree tops cleared as moonlight danced in the reflection of the water. Under any other circumstance, you would have found this setting to be beautiful.

You bought shaking hands to cup at the stream, wincing as the cold stung at your power. But the liquid was quick to sooth you, and your spark began to fizzle as you bought your hand to your mouth, drinking intently.

After a few more sips, you sat back at the bank of the pool, closing your eyes as heavy breaths pushed through the ache in your chest. The sound of a small splash of water had you opening your eyes, and you jumped as unfeeling, black ones stared back at you from the centre of the pool.

A sickly pale face watched you unblinking, its figure still beneath the water from the nose down. Adrenaline was quick to fuel you to get the hell out of there, but you also knew better.

This was a kelpie. And it was too late to run.

The kelpie moved silently beneath the water, wading its way towards you. You took the few moments you had to scramble to your feet, patting yourself for anything to defend yourself with. Fuck – you hadn't a weapon on you.

Reaching the edge of the bank now, it stood on its long limbs, water trickling off its sickly figure, its own long black hair blending with the reeds that clung to its frame.

“Are you a royal?” it grinned, its pointed teeth yellow and rotted.

You forced a steady voice, calling on your power you so often stifled. “No,” was all you said, staring the creature down.

The kelpie ran an insidious tongue along its teeth, churning a nauseous feeling in your stomach. “Then why do you smell of it?”

You blinked – you hadn't realised you carried the scent of your family with you too. Perhaps a kelpie’s scent was more heightened?

“They are my family. Unrelated.” you explained, buying yourself more time for your power to gather. “They’ll fetch for me soon,” you lied.

The kelpie hissed and grinned at once, walking closer towards you. You took a few steps back, keeping your distance.

“You smell…,” the kelpie paused, its awful nostrils flaring against its face. “Delicious.”

“You best leave. They’ll kill you if you harm me,” you replied quickly, cursing yourself for the fear that you knew now tinged your scent. The kelpie caught it too, its grin growing wider.

“But I’m starrrrved,” it drawled, lowering its look to you. “I’m afraid I cannot contain myself, even if I tried.” A sickly chuckle racked through its chest.

You gulped, sizing up the creature in front of you. Ordinarily, you knew you could take down someone of his size. But you were without your weapons, and your power was unreliable at the best of times. If it took you in the water, you were sure as dead. Begging to the Gods, you clenched your fists, willing your power to find you in any shape or form.

“Any last words, non-royal?” it cackled, readying itself to attack.

You didn't have a chance to respond as shadows flooded around you, blue siphons glowing among them. The kelpie yelped and howled, and as the darkness cleared you saw its pale figure pinned to the ground.

“Are you alright?” Azriel was before you, his hands gripped at both your arms. Your eyes were wide with shock as you took him in. He had followed you?

The kelpie was deceivingly strong, and fought against his shadows, freeing itself quickly. It screeched as it lunged for you both, a darkened claw swinging for Azriel’s back. You shoved the Shadowsinger aside, the kelpie’s claws slashing across your arm as you yelped in pain. Blood began to pour from your new wound, and the kelpie hissed too, having being struck by your power on contact.

Azriel was on the kelpie in an instant, a blur shadows and muscle before you spotted the glint of truth teller. The next thing you heard was the kelpie’s final howl.

Its mouth agape, the kelpie bled black blood, crawling back to the depths of the pool, choosing to die in its element. Neither you or Azriel stopped it.

Azriel was panting, his breathing loud as the final sign of life from the kelpie bubbled to the surface of the water. You stayed still with shock.

Hazel eyes were before you now, scanning you over.

“Your arm,” Azriel said, touching you gingerly.

“I’m fine,” you said with a distant voice, your mind still with the hideous creature that attacked you. Your forearm was warm with your own blood as it gathered at your fingertips before dripping to the ground.

“Let’s get you to a healer.”

It was that instruction, that order, that snapped you out of your trance. You had heeded and trusted that voice for far too long. And in the end, it had betrayed you.

You snatched your arm away from Azriel, scowling as you met his eyes. “Do not tell me what to do.”

Azriel levelled a look at you. “This is not a regular wound, Y/N. You know a kelpie’s claw is laced with poison.”

You gritted your teeth, ignoring the burning sensation quickly spreading across your body, or the reel in your vision. How convenient that you so desperately needed his help.

“I’ll see to it myself,” you snapped, glaring deep into the Shadowsinger’s eyes. A muscle feathered in his jaw, Azriel’s tell-sign of irritation. He was far less patient than his brothers.

You made to step around him, before a strong arm circled your waist, pulling you back. Too weak to fight him off, a scarred hand covered your mouth to mute your yell of protest. Instead a quick rush of air filled your lungs as the forest folded around you, quickly revealing an infirmary wing.

Shoving yourself from Azriel’s hold the moment you landed, you stumbled forward, finding balance by clinging to the edge of an empty cot. A set of healers rushed to you, grabbing your arms and holding you up.

“A kelpie’s claw,” Azriel said before either of them could ask the question, one of the healer’s dashing for the antidote. “Where is Madja?”

“She does not work nights,” the healer’s voice was loud in your ear as you clung to her, barely able to stand. A small groan escaped you, the fire from the kelpie’s poison burning through your veins, your mobility slowing with every second.

“Fetch for her, please,” Azriel instructed, taking your limp body from the healer and placing you in the cot. A vial was bought to your lips then, the contents inside giving off a putrid smell. You jerked your head stubbornly, but the vial was tipped further against your mouth.

“Drink,” Azriel ordered, his cold hand lacing through your hair and pushing at the back of your head. You had no chose, swallowing the liquid while you still could. The fire in your veins began to dull, and you breathed, thankful for the quick relief.

“Good,” the Shadowsinger said approvingly. You hated that affirmation, but were too weak to show it.

The healers dotted around you, placing cold rags on your face and stitching your wound. Azriel watched, his arms folded and face etched with concern. Uncontrollable shakes racked through your body, your muscles jerking with pain and exhaustion.

Falling in and out of consciousness, you were too dazed to note Madja’s arrival, and with her, Cassian.

“What happened?” Cassian asked his brother, his eyes panicked.

“A kelpie,” Azriel said tightly.

Cassian clenched his eyes shut, punching the bridge of her nose. “She got away from me. I didn't want to chase her, she was already distraught.”

“I was tracking her too. I should have intervened sooner,” Azriel responded, his eyes not leaving you as a deeper frown settled on his face.

After a quick check of your vitals and words with her healers, Madja approached the two.“The antidote is working. She’ll recover soon.”

“She still looks sickly?” Cassian questioned, looking past the healer at your sagged and sweaty body.

“That is what I wanted to talk to you both about. Y/N is carrying symptoms of something else I can't place. Do either of you know if she was involved in a foreign mission lately, perhaps something of high risk or stress?”

The brothers shared a look before Azriel responded. “Not exactly Madja, but she… received some bad news today.”

“She was very upset,” Cassian added.

Madja nodded slowly, tutting softly. “Whatever has happened, it’s manifesting physically. She’s weaker than usual, and will need to rest for a few days. I suggest keeping her here, where we can tend to her.”

“Perhaps we can bring her home Madja. Would you see to her there?” Azriel asked, his arms crossing tighter. Illyrian’s being preternaturally possessive, he preferred you at home where he could keep a closer eye on you, help even.

“The choice is Y/N’s really. Let me do what I can while she rests, I’ll call for you when she wakes.” The brother’s nodded, making to leave the wing.

“Madja,” Cassian half turned, grabbing the healer by her arm. “Please, just, tell her we’re sorry.”

With a small frown, Madja reluctantly agreed.

————

When you awoke, you expected it to be light. Instead, the infirmary was dim, the soft glow of fae light warming the medical wing around you.

Memories from the night before returned, your stomach churning at the thought. The kelpie, hurting Cassian, the fight with your family. Your heart clenched as you were reminded – they had betrayed you, and you could no longer trust them.

Groaning as you turned to your side, you felt around for anything to catch the bile rising in your throat. You luckily landed on a pan, what little remained in your stomach hurled up as your gut clenched and heaved.

Madja entered at the sound, rubbing soothing pats on your back and taking the pan away when you had finished.

You fell back onto the pillows, your body clammy and weak. “What’s wrong with me?” you asked her as she checked your breathing.

“You were struck by a kelpie. Although your wounds are healing well.”

You looked at the ceiling, nodding as you recalled the horrific event. It was hard enough to almost die at the hands of a creature like that, but your heart ached at the thought that Azriel had saved you, yet you never wanted to see his face again.

“It would seem there is something else that plagues your mind, child.”

You looked at Madja now, blinking away the tears that were quickly building.

��Your family mentioned some kind of distressing news?”

Closing your lids, a silent tear rolled from each of your eyes. You merely nodded, your hands quickly brushing away the evidence.

“Its none of my business, but the General was eager that I relay their apologies.”

You froze, flashing a broken look at the healer you had known for many years. How many wounds and ailments of yours had she patched and cured in your career? But emotional wounds – this was new territory for the both of you.

As if finally in safe hands, your face crumpled, your anger and anguish overwhelming as you began to sob. Madja was ordinarily tough – she had no time for foolery and was unsympathetic for injuries of your own fault. But she comforted you now, hushing you and patting your back in a motherly way.

“What do you do when you no longer trust the people you love, Madja?” you asked through shallow cries.

She gave a small, tight smile, squeezing your hands that she now held in hers. “You spend eternity learning to forgive them.”

You bit the quiver in your lip. “I’m not sure I can,” you admitted.

She sighed softly, nodding with understanding. “You have the rest of your existence if you choose to try.”

Madja’s wisdom comforted you, your eyelids turning heavy and you fell to another bout of sleep.

————

Azriel, Cassian and Mor were eating breakfast at the House of Wind, none of them speaking as the weight of last nights events hung heavy.

With a sigh, Mor looked between the males. “She’s going to forgive you eventually, you know that right?”

Cassian gave her a sorry smile, while Azriel kept his eyes on his eggs. He gripped his fork tighter, his jaw clenched. “You didn't see the way she looked at us.”

“She just needs time,” Mor said. “This was her life’s mission after all.”

Azriel’s head snapped up, an icy cold glare fixed upon his face, a blanket over the sheer guilt he felt at Mor’s statement. “You don’t think I know that?”

Mor blinked at the Shadowsinger in shock – it was so unlike him to lose his cool.

“Easy Az, don't snap at Mor for things out of her control,” Cassian frowned at his brother, before shovelling another mouthful of oatmeal.

Azriel let out a sharp breath, clenching his eyes shut, ignoring the sting from the lack of sleep. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, still unable to unlock his tight jaw. Mor waved him off, assuring him it was no big deal.

A gust of foreign wind blew as Rhys and Feyre winnowed into the dining room. The High Lord disregarding pleasantries, his hand clutching a letter, its broken seal the unmistakable symbol of the infirmary.

“I have received news on Y/N.” The High Lord’s tone was to the point, cold even, like he was only interested in discussing the facts.

“Is she alright?” Cassian asked urgently. Azriel’s grip tightened on his knife and fork as he held his breath.

“Madja says her recovery is slow, but she is making progress. One or two more nights at the infirmary and she should be strong enough to be discharged.”

“I asked Madja about attending to her here. Has she written about that?” Azriel asked.

Rhys’s lips tightened before he loosed a deep breath. Feyre, her face pained, jumped in. “Madja has also written that at this point in time, Y/N does not wish to return to home.”

The others fell silent.

“What does that mean?” Azriel gritted.

Tears welled in their High Lady’s eyes, and Rhys slipped his hand over his mates.

“She no longer wishes to live here,” he said, his violet eyes saddened and dim.

Mor gasped, and Cassian shook his head. “Where will she go?” The General stood, his chair scraping as he pushed it out behind him.

“It’s unclear at this stage. Madja has asked that we respect her privacy while she heals. I’m hoping we can talk to her when she’s feeling better. Perhaps even convince her to stay.”

“She won't come back.” The rest of the group turned to the Shadowsinger, his gaze darkened and his shadows building to his neck. “I could sense her rage, the hate she held in her eyes. To her, what we did is unredeemable.”

“Don’t say that Az,” Feyre begged, a lone tear rolling down her cheek.

Azriel’s pounded the table with his fist, his knife now stuck upright in the mahogany wood. “Would you prefer I lied? She’s worked her whole life to avenge Meryl, and we shattered that dream. I wouldn't forgive us either.”

“Surely there is something we can do,” Cassian looked between his brother’s, eyes desperate, almost pleading.

But Azriel kept his cold glare on the couple before him. “You asked me to find Alvar first. So I did. And now we’ve lost our girl.”

Rhys’s power coursed through the room as he bought his mate closer to his side. “Watch it, Azriel,” he warned. “Alvar had intel on our wards, our home would be forever exposed if he got away. I tried my best to give Y/N the opportunity. Let’s not forget the decision you and Cass made to keep her grounded.”

“She was going to get herself killed,” Cassian muttered, not defensively, but as pure fact. “The desire to kill him – it makes her power unpredictable. She would have hurt herself, or died trying.”

“We all did what we had to do,” Feyre said softly, bringing sense back above the tension of the room. Pained, guilty expressions reflected hers.

Azriel stood now too, making his way around the table and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Rhys asked.

“To go get Y/N.”

“She’s asked we give her some space Az,” Feyre reasoned. “We have no right to go barging in while she’s trying to recover.”

“I don't care. She’s angry, but that doesn't mean she knows what’s best. She’ll heal better here, with people that care about her. I’ll go–”

“Sit down,” Rhys interrupted the Shadowsinger, the air thickening with his power as he pulled rank.

Azriel’s shoulder’s tightened at Rhys’s order, halting his steps yet refusing to take his seat. “She belongs here, with us,” he gritted.

“We can't force her to do anything Azriel,” Mor whispered, her eyes soft as cast a sympathetic look at her friend.

There was silence in the room again, none of them knowing what to say next.

“This is my fault,” Cassian swallowed, his gaze distant in a deep frown.

“No one is to blame,” Rhys said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The situation is unfortunate, but I’m certain it will get better in time.” He breathed deeply, offering a broken smile to his mate before casting a stern look at the others. “We’ll keep you updated if we hear anything further.”

With a few quiet goodbyes, the High Lord and Lady winnowed back to their River Home.

“We–“ Cassian began.

“Don’t Cass,” Mor interrupted knowingly. “You need to leave bad enough alone.” She stood then, leaving the males to their breakfast.

Cassian cast a look to his brother, who was already looking at him. “Are we leaving now?”

“Not with all eyes on us. Wait until dark. Then we’ll go get our girl.”

“Deal.”

--------

Part 2 >>>>

AN: Ok, here’s that angsty piece I was telling you about....

I HAVE MISSED YOU GUYS!!!

Also I’ve been slack with my tag lists, very sorry! If you’d like to join a generic acotar one, drop a comment.

2K notes · View notes

tinfairies · 2 years

Note

I saw that you are accepting requests. I totally think aemond would go behind his relatives' backs to get what he wants. So you can do aemond x aunt hightower (the reader is married to alicent's brother gwayne hightower), and she becomes aemond's lover...?

Aemond Targaryen x Aunt!Reader

(we will pretend that Otto passes away sooner in the timeline)

The funeral was small, family and close friends only. Alicent refused to make a spectacle of her father's passing, even if he was Hand of the King. Few words were said and the only one that truly cried was Alicent's only daughter Helaena. Quick and quiet was Otto's funeral, not for lack of respect, but to not show weakness to Rhaenyra and her family. Alicent's older brother, Gwayne, had come for the funeral. She knew that a new Hand must be appointed, lest it be filled with a spy of Rhaenyra's. She had gone to her brother and begged him, she couldn't bare to have a weak spot in her position.

"Please, Oldtown will do just fine under our cousins rule. You are the only one fit to be placed as Hand." Alicent held his hands in hers, pleading. Gwayne sighed, he knew how fragile the throne was right now. "I can bring my wife, and son?" he asked. "Absolutely!" Alicent beamed, knowing this news would mean he would accept.

Weeks later, Lord and Lady Hightower moved into the Tower of the Hand. Gwayne was busy with his work and had been all but neglecting his wife. She knew how important his work was but she couldn't help but feel ignored and lonely. She enjoyed the time she spent with her niece, Helaena. Her hobby was quite peculiar, but as long as she was happy. Her eldest nephew Aegon was certainly a piece of work, they hardly spoke aside from formalities, and he was hardly ever present unless called upon by his mother. Her second nephew though, was an enigma. The lady could never tell how he felt about her, he was always around though never seemed hostile. Maybe Aemond didnt trust her? She didn't think he'd have a reason not to, she is his uncles wife after all.

Everywhere the Lady went, Aemond was not far behind. Sometimes she would notice him and sometimes she would not. The lady became accustomed to her personal body guard, he was quite handsome after all; though she would never admit that out loud. She felt uneasy, as if she's betraying her husband. Her nephew is much younger than her, most of all he is her nephew. The lady knew that the Targaryen's often married relatives, keeping the bloodline pure is a big part of Valerion culture. Her faith of The Seven frowned upon incest, it is punishable by death. Still she couldn't help but smile when she saw her nephew, Aemond was something like she had never seen. Looks completely foreign to her, eyes of violet, silver hair; Even his unfortunate scar made him all the more enticing.

Months Aemond had spent in her company, joining her for walks, or late nights in the library. They spoke often about everything and nothing all at once. She would read him tales of old Valyria, and in turn he would share is stories of battles. Always laughing and smiling with one another, feeling began to blossom in the Lady's heart. Her eyes always wandered over his features when she thought he was not looking. Aemond had noticed the way she looked at him, he may be without an eye but that just made him all the more observant. He had been infatuated with his Lady Aunt every since she arrived in King's Landing, her beauty took his breath away. He had to have her.

One night while reading together in the library, Aemond finally allowed himself to be caught staring at her. The Lady's eyes quickly darted back to the book, her cheeks getting hot. "May ask you question?" Aemond asked, never taking his eyes away from her. The Lady nodded, curious as to what he could possibly ask, perhaps it was innocent and her feelings were one sided after all. "Are you happy with your husband?" her stomach dropped and she began to stumble over her words. Aemond was beginning to worry that he may have misread her after all. "Well, I-I wouldn't say I'm unhappy. We've been married so long it feels more like an obligation than a partnership." the Lady rushed her words out, not wanting to speak ill of her husband who had only ever been kind to her. Though as kind as he was, she couldn't say she loved him. " I only ask because it seems you spend more time with me than with him." Aemond's words had meant to be a jab at his uncle. "I don't hate him if that's what you're asking." the Lady seemed defensive, she didn't want more turmoil brought into the castle. "I didn't ask your opinion. I asked if you were happy." Aemond placed a hand on her knee. She was tense, she looked at his hand on her lap then back to Aemond's face. "I could be happier." she said in almost a whisper. Aemond got closer to her. " Could I help with that?" their faces less than a foot from each other now. The Lady closed the space between them, her lips gently pressed against his. Aemond eagerly responded, the hand on her knee rising to cup her jaw. For every deep kiss he gave her, she placed a smaller more gentler one; like a signiture. Signing him like he was hers, Aemond would happily be hers for all eternity.

"Yes you can very much help with that."

#hotd imagine #house of the dragon x reader #hotd x reader #House of the dragon imagine #Aemond Targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #Hotd #house of the dragon #Game of thrones #Game of thrones x reader #Game of thrones imagine #Aemond's social media handle would be 'milf-hunter3000'#smut #blurb

872 notes · View notes

notallangelsaregood · 1 year

Text

My thoughts on Spy x Family Chapter 82

Needless to say, (some real serious) manga spoilers alert

Oh, boy, I'm gasping for air. I'm panicking, and I've not panicked this much about Spy x Family since Anya's last hijack incident (which my heart has not recovered yet). Mr. Endo, may you, please, pay my cardiologist bill? I'm not joking, I'm hyperventilating, and my chest is TU DUM, TU DUM.

The mole was discovered! Poor guy (or not, who knows?). I wonder what SSS will do to him. How far will the organization go? I believe we won't even know.

I'm seriously nervous for him. Twillight is used to things getting on his way, with minimum complications and this situation is definitely not it. Of course, he could figure things could go bad, since It's a really risky operation, however, I feel his frustration in not getting much time to secure the real wheeler.

Damn, my heart is not surviving till the end of this chapter.

Our man got ✨ The Skills ✨ Still, all this shooting is getting me pretty nervous. I'm immediately getting my anxiety meds. Endo, what the actual f-

Yeah, Twilight is The Man! Still, my hands are trembling and so is my apprehensive cardiac organ. This is sure to be qualified as torture.

He is quite wise disguising as Yuri. Haha, got it? I'm not okay, Christ.

Damn, Yuri is very intelligent, as well. The brains had to go to one of the Briar's, am I right? (Poor Yor, I love you, It's not personal. Bad comedy is my coping mechanism when I'm nervous. I'm so sorry!)

He is right about that. Twilight is nervous. And I wonder why. Maybe because there's more on this game than before? He is a father. A husband. He worries. He is not the same he was before, as much as he tries to convince himself that he is not attached to his fake family dynamics.

I can clearly imagine his thoughts racing. He's thinking about Anya, about Yor, about WISE, while trying to run and get these thoughts away from him in order to not commit mistakes, like leaving a footprint behind. Just saying.

Oh Yuri, you are so sweet, in a way. And you know absolutely nothing.

The panic™ on his face. Poor Yuri, I'm truly divided right here. See? I'm calmer, not panicking at all, this is certainly my clonazepam working.

Quick (but important) writer's note here, I'm actually diagnosed with intense anxiety and use prescribed medication, I joke about it, cause It's better to laugh than cry on the reality of my condition, however, never use anxiolytic/benzodiazepines drugs without valid prescription and conscience, it might cause long-term dependency and tolerance. My Pharmacy academic self felt the need to point this out. Moving on!

By the way, have you noticed the "waver"? Twilight is hesitating, deeply, which makes him more prone to aiming wrong. Haha, ha… I'm okay, I swear 😰

...

HOW THE FLOOF AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CHILL AFTER THIS, HUH?

Okay, two theories. I'm okay, I swear, my blood pressure is just fine.

Theory number 1. Twilight gets Yuri shot on some of his limbs, probably one of his legs, so our spy can buy time, run to encounter the others Wise's agents and hide. Gladly, he can aim just on the spot when no much damage is made to Yuri, even though the spy is extremely nervous. Twillight was totally not expecting to find him on that corner, and he knows that doing something so serious like UNALIVING HER WIFE'S BROTHER will tear her apart. Why else he would waver? He is the best spy of Westalis. He doesn't hesitate, but this is different.

Theory number 2. Which I believe is less likely, but still possible, Yuri gets our incredible Spy shot on some area of his body where the disguise falls off, and he realizes Twillight and Loid are the same person, but he does nothing about it, at least not for a while. Making him and the spy share this major secret for a while, due to numerous reasons, but mainly to protect Yor and take her out of her position as Loid's wife safely. But as I said, I find unlikely to Yuri shoot TwiTwi, even though the latter is quite nervous and might not dodge the shot. Besides the fact Loid has his arm aimed at Yuri first, while Yuri has his arm sideways, which gives Twilight an advantage in time.

Be sure to talk to me in the comments, I would love to hear what you guys think. Moving on to the last past of the chapter.

Lady Yor! Our grownup baby! She is still with the same outfit and hair down, so I assume it's late at night or afternoon, maybe Anya is already home or at a sleepover with Becky? Not sure.

Our poor girl is nervous due to Yuri filling her thoughts with the possibility of Loid cheating (which is dumb as floof, because he is a loyal boy) but still, even sober, Yor is worried. She cares about this family so much it probably hurts and confuses her. Her face on the left gave me chills, so much is going through her mind, almost if she senses something is wrong.

So. Much. Blood. I'm. Nervous. I. Can't. Breath. Properly. What. Was. This? Whose blood is this? (Not Yor's, I assume). I always count the days till the next chapter, but for this one, I'll be in severe mental pain until its release date. My mind racing like Yor's, wondering if Loid will come home late or come home at all.

I keep imagining scenarios where one of the boys gets shoot and the aftermath of that, Loid or Yuri at the hospital or being held by their organizations in order to get intel from them, Yor drying with worry, there are so many possibilities. This arc has been the most intense so far, for me, at least. I don't know how I will cope till June 26th.

What do you guys thinking? If my heart survived until now, yours will! Make sure to like, reblog and support my work here on Tumblr, I really appreciate it. Now I will rest, cause that chapter was (hell) difficult 🌹 (this post will be reviewed soon, so if you encounter any grammar or spelling mistakes, forgive my bilingual mess self)

153 notes · View notes

aerequets · 1 year

Note

Hello again!

I was wondering if you had any spy x family fic recs that are twiyor centric? AUs? I’m having trouble finding ones that are what I’m looking for. Ratings don’t matter. Anything from G to E would be appreciated! Thank you!!

boy oh BOY do i have twiyor fic recs !!!! it's like basically all i read LMAO and i am always on a hunt for more. i feel like i have read through a good chunk of what's on ao3 and i still feel starved. there's always my bookmarks you can sift through for twiyor fics, but for some more curated recommendations (and this is not gonna include all the ones i've lost my mind over, that's far too many, this is just what i can remember off the top of my head):

the living blues by @nire-the-mithridatist

GOD it would be such an understatement to say i am a huge fan of not only this work but EVERY WORK by this author because SHE HAS A WAY WITH WORDS OKAY. i avoid angst like the plague but i saw the happy ending tag to this fic and IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT (chapter 6 is gonna be an epilogue)!!!!!!! AUGHHH this isnt even a good review im just yelling but yeah this is really good and also pretty much everything else by this author, i'll say it now so this list doesn't have numerous fics by the same person just do yourself a favor and read through what she's got if you haven't already

rated T, 5/6 chapters, currently 14k words

(edit: completed!)

With Kid Gloves by crownofrosegold on ao3

4 words: Mr Darcy Hand Flex

rated G, 1/2 chapters, currently 2.5k words

(edit: completed!)

the most yearning, pining, longing fic ever with the least physical touch ever. loid traces yor's gloves in his pocket with his thumb and its somehow intimate. yeah

it's been a hot minute since it's updated but the first chap can kinda be read as a standalone (to me) which is why i rec, even though i personally only go after finished fics for my own sanity :^) also its just too darn cute how can i not

How to Be a Supportive Husband by @nemaliwrites

rated T, 1/1 chapters, 910 words

short and sweet drabble of the most simpiest loid post reveal. what more could you want

MISSION: Bottom Feeder by SilverSupa on ao3

rated T, 2/4 chapters, currently 9.5k words

this one is just too good and funny LMAOO yor and loid are Peak Stupid and also Peak Attracted To Each Other so it's just. mm good mix. this one's also been a hot second since it's last update but i love it too much so its on this list

even when we're not together (will you stay with me?) by JaMills on ao3

rated T, 1/1 chapters, 4.5k words

gosh this is another one of those super good reads that make you sit and think after you're done. soulmate AU where they swap bodies as children until they meet. personally i'm not the most dedicated reader of aus where yor and loid meet as kids, but the way its handled here is just so good and adds to the story. it's also part of a series and the next installment is equally as good. this is another one of those authors that has a lot of quality stuff (although there's a good dash of angst which i keep my distance from JKFHISDH) so look through their page!

Enough by Frotu on ao3

rated T, 1/1 chapters, 4k words

EHEHE THIS ONE HAS ME GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET FR it is soooo cute. typical thing of yors coworkers getting into her head, she asks loid if what they have is enough, and... well.... you can read what happens from there ;] (spoiler: it's very cute)

a dream in charmeuse by selfetish (@selfetishizing ) on ao3

rated T, 2/2 chapters, 12k words

oh gosh, the prose in this is just?? so insanely good??? its such a pretty read. this is twiyor, yes, but it's also a deep dive into femininity and yor's understanding/rediscovery of it. i remember the first time i read it the opening scene of the first chapter was just so GOOD to me, i was like OMG i am not gonna forget this this is so iconic AND IT IS!!!!! i love me a good yor centric fic. we usually get more of twilight contemplation (i mean he has got the whole mission thing going on and hes our resident overthinker so, understandable) but this was such a nice look into yor's..,, like, fundamental building blocks?? if that makes sense?? its just good ok read it

"The Five Times Loid Forger Went Topless In Front of His Wife and the One Time She Reciprocated" Or “Bare-Chested in Berlint” by Talik_Sanis on ao3

rated M, 6/6 chapters, 17.5k words

that title should tell you all you need to know right LMAOOO it's just yor being incredibly horny, like embarrassingly so. she lacks a grip

again this is just 8 fics, where my bookmarks list are over 200 (yeesh) so feel free to look through those. i've also got some fics, most of which are twiyor lmao (brainrot i told you). and don't forget to show these awesome authors some love!

#fic recs #sxf fic #spy x family #sxf #spy x family fic #fanfic

373 notes · View notes

genshingorlsrevengeance · 1 year

Text

(Genshin Impact) Yelan with a Yor-esque S/O

No one requested this, I just got this flash of inspiration thinking of who to write for next. It occurred to me that Yelan is a spy, and I've been watching Spy X Family. Thank you Spy X Family for introducing the best woman this year.

Post Edit A/N: I swear to god everytime I write a new one of these, production time gets longer. 5 BLOODY HOURS

Yelan was used to talking to all sorts of people to stay undercover.

Woo a Nobleman here, do business with a merchant there. All kinds of people Yelan worked with ranging from a pleasure to work with to glad to never see them again.

But it was during one mission that she encountered the strangest person she had ever met.

Little did she know that they'd be her partner in crime for the years to come.

And that their feelings for each other would begin to grow into something more.

===

Yelan was in the marketplace of Liyue Harbor, searching for a merchant named Jin. He was wanted for money laundering by reselling high value items for traders in order to scam foreign merchants.

He was small-time really, compared to some others that Yelan has brought to justice. There were much worse people, but his crimes could not go ignored and officials couldn't touch him.

Which is where Yelan comes in, it was her mission to get close to the target and bring him down. The only problem is that she didn't have a direct way to get to him, seeing how he never did his business in person, always by proxy.

While thinking of how to get to him, someone bumped directly into her.

= Very Long under the cut! =

(???) "Wagh?!"

Yelan was slighty pushed back while the person that bumped into her fell onto the ground, dropping rather expensive looking items.

(???) "O-Oh no! No, no, no!"

Yelan took a moment to examine the person. They were dressed somewhat formally and looked something like a secretary. Regardless, they didn't seem like a threat and that this was a genuine accident.

She dropped to one knee and began helping them, grabbing a collection of pearl necklaces and giving it to them.

(Yelan) "Sorry about that. Please, allow me to help."

(???) "T-Thank you! And if anything, I should be apologizing, I didn't see you. Oh, the boss is going to kill me!"

Yelan looked closely at what she was grabbing. They all were gaudy looking accessories.

(Yelan) "Nothing is broken, is it?"

(???) "One, two, three...Nothing's even scratched, thank the Archons! Thank you for the help, miss...?"

(Yelan) "Sabrina. Fontaine Adventurer."

(???) "My name is (Y/N). Say, if you're an adventurer, do you know the way to the marketplace?"

Yelan refused the urge to blink in confusion. If they had any iota of common sense, they could see that they were already in it. Clearly they were a fish out of water...Wait a moment-

(Yelan) "You're actually in it right now."

(Y/N) "Huh? ...Oh, you're right! And, do you know the way to Jin's Emporium? I'm supposed to be delivering these accessories there."

Perfect.

(Yelan) "I do. Here, follow me."

Yelan led the way down towards the port. As they walked together, Yelan put her silver tongue to work.

(Yelan) "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing in Liyue?"

(Y/N) "I work for a merchant from Mondstadt, mister Emil! He was trying to find a trade partner in Liyue to sell our wares, and we found a buyer named Jin!"

(Yelan) Hm. So this is how Jin snares his targets. So, what happens to the people carrying the goods? "I see. Will you be staying long?"

(Y/N) "Not too long, no. Truth is, this is my last job for mister Emil. I'm retiring from the trading business to help my brother."

(Yelan) "Well, I hope that you and your brother get paid well from this job. Ah, there's your shop. Down by the pier, second to last by that boat."

(Y/N) "Ah, thank you so much miss Sabrina!"

They bowed, almost dropping the items again. Yelan caught one just in time, letting out a small chuckle and sending them on their way.

As soon as they got far enough, Yelan's smile quickly faded and blended into the crowd, making her way towards the stall.

Sure enough, Jin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was another man who looked remarkably unremarkable.

Yelan couldn't hear them, but she could infer what they were saying. The man was pointing at the trail that led out of Liyue and deeper into the mountains, (Y/N) nodding.

(Y/N) walked out the stall with a cart now, carrying all her goods and going out of Liyue.

Yelan kept her eye on them as she slowly trailed them out. The merchant didn't follow (Y/N). She had a feeling of where this was going.

After about twenty minutes of tailing (Y/N), she finally found out why they were sent so far away.

A group of Treasure Hoarders popped out of hiding, and rushed the cart with their weapons drawn.

Yelan's eyes glowed a dark blue as she drew her bow, leaping into action herself.

Yelan landed in front of the cart scaring the Treasure Hoarders, but surprisingly, not (Y/N).

(Yelan) "You don't wanna do that, boys."

(Treasure Hoarder) "Get the hell out of here, this doesn't concern you!-"

(Y/N) "Miss Sabrina, DODGE!"

Yelan didn't see anyone behind her, in fact, she knew no one was there. What did they mean by that?-

(Y/N)'s eyes suddenly narrowed as they kicked the cart with one leg, sending it hurtling towards her-

Oh Archons.

Yelan dove out the way as the cart flew with such violent speed, running over two of the hoarders.

The hoarder directly on their left raised their shovel to attack, Yelan shooting it out of their hand with her bow.

As they reached for their hand in pain, (Y/N) leapt over to them with a graceful frontflip, following up by a very swift and violent kick to the crotch.

Yelan swore she heard something crunch, and couldn't help but wince. For their sake, she hoped that their privates didn't just get reduced to a liquid.

Using her ropes to drag in a Treasure Hoarder by the feet, she yanked them by the collar and spoke calmly to them.

(Yelan) "Who hired you?"

(Treasure Hoarder) "I-I DON'T KNOW! IT WAS JUST SOME MERCHANT WHO GAVE US MORA!"

His eyes kept darting behind her, which obviously signaled someone was trying to ambush her.

Yelan was prepared to deal with them before she heard another man collapse to the floor.

(Y/N's Voice) "Taken care of, Miss Sabrina!"

Their peppy voice betrayed the absolute brutality and efficiency of their attacks, but Yelan focused back on the matter at hand.

(Yelan) "Where is this merchant?"

(Treasure Hoarder) "T-That way! Up the hill in the abandoned manor!"

Yelan knocked them out and let their head hit the ground, turning around to face (Y/N).

(Y/N) looked concerned, more for Yelan's well being than anything, even their own.

Though obviously, they didn't need Yelan's help to protect themselves.

(Yelan) "That was some fancy moves."

(Y/N) "O-Oh, that? That's just some basic self defense I taught myself!"

Although they were stuttering, it didn't seem like a lie. They were more embarrassed than anything.

Yelan's met a lot of interesting people in her line of work, and right now, (Y/N) was moving quickly up the list.

(Y/N) "By the way, were you following me?"

Yelan walked over to the cart to make sure the goods were intact. Miracoulsly they were, the cart on the other hand now had (Y/N)'s footprint firmly planted inside it.

That's not something an ordinary secretary could do.

(Yelan) "I actually saw you leaving town, and I intended to catch up and ask what you were up to before you were jumped by Treasure Hoarders. I thought you were delivering your goods to the merchant?"

(Y/N) "The man told me to deliver the goods up this hill, but clearly something isn't adding up..."

Yelan walked up to (Y/N).

(Yelan) "You should get back to Liyue. I'll make sure you get the money you need."

(Y/N) "But what about you?"

(Yelan) "Don't worry, adventurers are prepared for this thing all the time-"

(Y/N) "I-I'm coming too! I may just be a secretary, but I'll make sure nothing hurts you!"

Obviously, they were lying. No normal secretary could solo a group of bandits at a moment's notice as if they were nothing.

But, maybe for this mission's completion it wouldn't hurt to have them tag along. As far as they knew, she was just a kind adventurer.

(Yelan) "...Alright then, let's stay close."

A half hour passed as (Y/N) carried the goods towards the manor. Yelan stayed behind so it looked like they were alone. As far as she could see, there we no guards.

Makes sense, they didn't think a secretary could fight off a group of bandits.

The plan was to have (Y/N) walk in and lure them out so Yelan could ambush them, and hopefully they could take Jin down in one fell swoop.

Although she was far away, Yelan could tell (Y/N)'s demeanor instantly changed.

They left the cart outside and gave a thumbs up in a random direction before slipping away behind a wall faster than she could keep up with.

A few minutes passed by and nothing happened.

Yelan frowned. Did (Y/N) get caught in trouble?

Or worse...was she with them the entire time?

It wasn't completely out the question. They seemed completely unfazed by the Hoarders and were surprised by her appearance.

(Yelan) "Hm, maybe I should-"

WHAM!

Yelan saw Jin go flying out a window, the glass pieces shooting off everywhere.

Her eyes went wide as he ran away, tripping over himself as he kept looking back in terror.

Then suddenly the door was kicked open, revealing (Y/N) covered head to toe in blood.

(Y/N) shouted something that she couldn't understand as they chucked a barrel at him, hitting Jin over the head and knocking him out cold.

(Yelan) "Archons, good thing I told them I needed him alive."

She stepped down cautiously and looked at (Y/N), drenched in blood as they panted.

Though from what she could see, it wasn't theirs.

Looking slightly behind (Y/N), Yelan could see the bandits inside all on the floor.

(Yelan) "What...happened in there?"

(Y/N) "O-Oh, they tried attacking me but I made them hit each other."

(Yelan) "And the blood...?"

(Y/N) "Blood?"

Y/N looked down at themselves before stuttering even more.

(Y/N) "OH! UM...! I-I just got caught in the splash zone is all! Hahaha...ha...?"

Judging by how embarrassed they seem to be, they weren't lying out of malice.

Yelan had three guesses of what they were. Either they were an assassin, a Fatui agent, or an idiot.

Honestly, she didn't know what would be better, because it's looking to be all three.

(Y/N) "A-Anyways, what do we do now?"

(Yelan) "For now, we bring this man to justice for trying to scam you, and no doubt countless others."

Yelan and (Y/N) returned to Liyue Harbor, but not before she forced them to wash themselves.

Her entire goal is to keep low, having someone head to toe dripping in blood would do the opposite.

After turning them into the Millelith, Yelan accompanied S/O as they got their final job accomplished, alongside a bonus pay, and left the services of the Mondstadt merchant.

Deciding to go out for dinner, Yelan brought (Y/N) to Xiangling's restaurant for celebration.

After receiving their meals and thanking the chef, Yelan and (Y/N) proceeded to have a pleasant evening together.

(Yelan) "So, what will you do now? You don't have a place to stay, right?"

(Y/N) "Hm...No. With the money I've earned, I don't think I'll be able to return to my brother just yet..."

They looked conflicted on what to do.

(Y/N) "...Truth be told, I'm not sure what I could do. That job was the only thing I could reliably earn money with but, I'm not even that good at being a secretary."

(Yelan) "..."

(Y/N) "The only belongings I have are just the clothes on my back and hairpins."

Yelan looked curiously at their hair. There was no such hairpins they mentioned...Does that mean?-

(Y/N) "But nevertheless, I appreciate your kindness. I will never forget what you have done for me, miss Sabrina! I promise to make it up to you!"

(Y/N) prepared to give her some Mora before Yelan held up a hand.

(Yelan) "You know, you seemed to handle yourself well back there, despite being just a secretary. If you want, I could get some line of work for you."

(Y/N) "Like...an adventurer?"

(Yelan) "Yeah, something like that."

Yelan planned to tell them the truth, but obviously not in public. Whatever (Y/N) was, she wasn't going to let their skills go to waste at a mediocre delivery position.

(Yelan) "And you can stay at my place, at least for a little bit. What do you say?"

And that, Yelan wasn't planning on telling her. It was actually one of many safehouses, but it was very secure and more importantly, closely watched.

If (Y/N) was someone who was a danger to Liyue, Yelan would be the first to know from her contact's close watching.

(Y/N) "T-Truly?!"

(Yelan) "Truly."

(Y/N) "I-I..."

They began sniffling, rubbing their eyes as their voice grew shaky.

(Y/N) "No one but my brother has shown me such kindness before...! T-THANK YOU MISS SABRINA!"

Yelan was immediately pulled into a hug which immediately put her on edge.

She hadn't felt physical affection and years and-...Wow, this was a really tight hug.

Yelan opened her mouth to speak before realizing no sound was coming out.

In fact, there wasn't any air coming out either.

(Yelan) "A....ACK!"

Yelan felt her spine tighten in (Y/N)'s death grip. Were they trying to kill her?!

(Y/N) "THANK YOU! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

...Well, at least they weren't trying to kill her on purpose.

Finally, Yelan managed to get the words out.

(Yelan) "AIR!"

(Y/N) "...OH MY GOODNESS!"

(Y/N) dropped her on the spot, Yelan trying to catch her breath.

(Yelan) "O-Ow...! D-Don't think I've come that close to death in a while..."

(Y/N) "I am so sorry! I-I never knew how to control my hugs. One time I accidentally broke my brother rib's when giving him a hug..."

(Yelan) Okay, what is wrong with them?!

(Xiangling's voice) "Oh, Yelan! Is this your date?"

(Y/N) spun around with a loud "EH?!", stuttering profusely.

Before they could say anything, Yelan spoke up.

(Yelan) "Y-Yes. They are. I was just wanting to take them out to celebrate getting a new job! Our compliments to the chef, by the way."

(Xiangling) "Congratulations, and thank you! I hope to see you two soon!"

When Xiangling left, Yelan was quick to explain herself.

(Yelan) "Sorry about that, I just want to make sure no one's picking on you since you're new to Liyue."

(Y/N) "Ah, I-I see. So we're going to be in a pretend relationship?"

(Yelan) "That's right."

This seemed to have calmed down (Y/N) quite a bit. She would have came up with a better lie, but honestly, she didn't think she'd need one.

Which she was proven right.

(Y/N) "Alright, that makes sense. Thank you so much for your kindness...By the way, did she just call you Yelan?"

(Yelan) "That's my last name."

(Y/N) "Sabrina Yelan? That's a pretty name!"

(Yelan) Oh my gods, I can't believe they fell for that. "If you don't mind, could you just call me Yelan from now on?"

(Y/N) "Of course...I-If I may ask, where is your home?"

Yelan looked into (Y/N)'s eyes.

You could tell what a person was truly thinking by the look in their eyes, and Yelan had become very talented at telling what they were feeling.

With one glance, Yelan could see...

...They completely believed her.

In fact it looked like there was barely anything going up in that head of theirs.

Well, if taking (Y/N) under her wing was going to be anything, it certainly wasn't going to be boring.

(Yelan) "Right this way. And (Y/N)? Welcome to Liyue."

====

[Mixed Nuts - Will Stetson Lyrics]

====

Yelan had no idea the hurricane of a person she brought in as a partner.

Despite their outstanding combat prowess, they were completely lacking in everything else.

(Y/N) "I made us breakfast!"

(Yelan) "Ah, thanks."

Yelan took one bite before her eyes shot wide open.

(Y/N) looked at her with an expectant gaze, Yelan could see the lights shining in their eyes.

(Y/N) "Well?"

(Yelan) "Dice roll, whoever loses has to...eat this."

(Y/N) "O-Oh..."

Within this world we love we’re just like nuts in a mixed bag, packed tightly And everyone has a partner they love who they snuggle tight, now everything feels alright!

No common sense in the slightest, and of course their first result when tracking down a target is murder.

(Y/N) "Would it not be easier to punch out the skulls of his henchmen to make him talk?"

(Yelan) "It might make him talk, but we need to keep a low profile. Besides, no one can do that."

(Y/N) "It's not that hard."

(Yelan) "...Have...have you punched someone's skull out?"

(Y/N) "A-AH! I read it in a book once is all!"

(Yelan) "..."

We look into each other’s eyes and smile like we’re peanuts, so brightly But honestly the truth is obvious, this whole display is just a lie

Trying to act as a couple was also demanding. It gave her a great cover story, since (Y/N) could provide a testimony when she had to leave.

(Y/N) could also make Yelan seem less suspicious if they told the stories right.

But that usually required (Y/N) to be a good liar.

Which they were also not.

(Woman) "So, why did you come out of the house covered in blood?!"

(Y/N) "Oh, that? I just work myself to the bone!"

(Yelan) *facepalm*

What you see is only a template, golden standard to all those passing by, but it’s deeper than they know

Honestly, they were a huge mess of a person.

And yet...

Yelan came home one day to their shared home to find (Y/N) with a cookbook in front of them.

They didn't even seem to realize she was there.

Instead of saying anything, Yelan watched as they tried hard to make an edible dinner.

(Yelan) "...How about that."

(Y/N) "GAH! INTRUDER!"

A frying pan came flying past Yelan's head that went straight through the wall.

(Yelan) "..."

(Y/N) "O-Oh...welcome home?"

Feelings never shown, even when we’re all alone, no one but each other Hands on the table, but we’re just putting on a show

They were trying to be a genuinely good boyfriend/girlfriend.

Obvious homicidal tendencies and startling lack of common sense aside, they were genuinely a kind person.

Constantly choking back our secrets, lying abound; but it’s my home, you know Now we can try to fill our stomachs inside, with a great home-cooked meal, or something plain from outside

Yelan woke up to a blanket on them that wasn't there before, only to see (Y/N) in their own bed without one.

Smiling, she put it back on them as she began to fully wake up from her nap.

Despite it being an act, they were giving it their all.

Now nothing is assured, and everything changes in this life, and I know Now every day’s so mediocre, boring and plain, passing by But really I don’t even mind, ‘cause you are by my side

After a long solo mission, Yelan opened the doors with a loud sigh, energy completely drained.

Instead of the home being completely dark, she was greeted with a warm smile, with an even warmer greeting.

(Y/N) "Welcome back! I was just making a spicy dinner for your return!"

Yelan couldn't help but smile.

(Yelan) "Appreciate it. Good to be back."

Now the truth is out, it feels so nice! My stomach’s full and satisfied I’ll keep on going through this miracle with you, this little something we call life!

Honestly, Yelan forgot what it was like for someone to have her back.

Even during missions that obviously well above and beyond what adventurers should do, both within a moral and legal sense, (Y/N) never once questioned Yelan.

They were a gullible, confusing mess but...It was nice to have someone to just talk to normally without fear of having to do mental gymnastics.

Even though their relationship was just a cover for the both of them...this felt nice.

...

====

[Comedy - Will Stetson Lyrics]

====

Yelan rolled the dice to see what she was going to be doing today.

(Y/N) noticed this and went about their business. For the past year, they've known her to always do that when she had nothing to do, besides nap anyways.

(Y/N) "I'll make sure dinner's ready by the time you get back."

(Yelan) "Not what I'm rolling for today."

(Y/N) "H-Huh?"

(Yelan) "This is for 'couple' stuff. We need to look the part, right? It's a bit strange that our neighbors only see us do this once a month. They might get suspicious."

(Y/N) "We're just adventurers, Yelan. i'm not sure what could be so suspicious."

Yelan just smiled and rolled the die.

Landing on a six, she turned to them.

(Yelan) "Alright, surprise me. Your choice of what we get to do today."

Petty little catfights, burn it all to black, I Watch the planet proudly peter round Searching, but I never figured out where I’m goin’

Yelan and (Y/N) walked through the marketplace, trying out all sorts of food.

She denied any sweets, but treated herself to the spiciest things they could find.

Yelan decided to let (Y/N) try one, only for them to rush around the stalls frantically trying to find water.

(Yelan) "Hah, you alright?"

(Y/N) "HOT! S-SO HOT!"

Every tear’s dried upon my face Stumbling back to better days, to dreams I escape Everything was simple, flowing in a ripple

The next place they walked past was the gardens, enjoying the breeze and talking about whatever.

(Y/N) "Who were the blonde people I saw you with, by the way?"

(Yelan) "Oh, them? Apparently that's the two who saved Liyue when..."

It was a bit strange for Yelan to walk around this casually. But she couldn't complain, the dice chose this. Beats doing nothing, anyway.

When I saw your stunning, starlit grace Calm my heart and let me feel the same, now you’re callin’ Ennui, all that I’ve ever known

For lunch, it was (Y/N)'s choice. It was some imported Mondstadt meals from their brother.

(Yelan) "How is this still fresh?"

(Y/N) "A-Ah, my brother learned how to preserve food when I wasn't around to cook for him."

(Yelan) ...Looks like they learned how to ration their food to prevent eating your food to me...

Suddenly, now I’ve found a home So come along on the road

(Yanfei) "And you see, that's why I need your help today!"

(Yelan) "You don't mind if we take a detour, right?"

(Y/N) "Is that them right there? I'll get them!"

Cracking their knuckles, they suddenly leapt onto the roofs and caught up to the suspicious man in no time.

(Yelan) "Uh oh."

Coupled, we crafted a creed Thicker than blood or the sea Let the parties agree: Joined we’ll always be

Yelan finished her dinner as the two watched the sun set over Liyue Harbor.

(Yelan) "Hm...You know, I've always watched this sun set on my free days, but today...it feels different."

(Y/N) "Is it because I threw that suspect into the direction of the sun?"

(Yelan) "I was gonna say because I got to watch it with someone but...heh, sure. That's a good reason too."

Gimme your hand and I’ll guide you home Dinner is waiting, come on let’s go “Look at all the stuff I know” Show me the world that you see inside your soul

(Y/N)'s hand slowly reached for Yelan as they walked home together.

But they backed away last second. Even though this was a fake relationship, they probably shouldn't overstep their boundaries.

Hearing Yelan chuckle, her hand wrapped around theirs.

As (Y/N)'s words got caught up in their throat, Yelan just put a single finger to her own lips and winked.

Calming down mostly, the two walked back to their home, looking convincingly like a real couple.

When you’re here with me, all of our moments are comedy Dancing a waltz to the box frame creaks Laughing to tears is all we’ll ever need

Upon reaching the door to their home, Yelan let go of their hands, and they both went to their separate bedrooms' doors.

(Y/N) "Good night, Yelan!"

(Yelan) "Night!"

(Y/N) quietly closed their door while Yelan remained by her own for a moment.

(Yelan) I'm glad you're not just an ordinary person (Y/N)...I still have no idea what you are but...Thanks for being here.

Maybe someday, she'd tell them that in person.

It sounds like dangerously like a confession.

...Now that she thought about it, that didn't sound too bad.

Taking in stride this silly life—stepping in time

#genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #yelan x reader #yelan genshin impact #yelan x y/n #yelan x you #yelan x yor!s/o

343 notes · View notes

tsukkismoonlight · 9 months

Text

Together Again || U.W x reader

Summary: It's been two years since you’ve last seen your childhood friend. Busy with his career in volleyball, and your own college life, you’ve certainly missed being home. It was easy to forget the comfort of your family’s home cooked meals, and their secure hugs. Summer break just as easily brings it all back, including the way you had forgotten your true feelings for the boy next door. An old summer tradition from your young days brings you back together, and you hope that it stays that way.

Wc: 8.3k

Gn! Reader

A/n: Long time no see! I hope everyone has been well! A while back I joined the For the Summer (and Forever more) collab that @auraxins was running, and of course I got busy with work and life, but I am posting this just in time! A little fic about childhood friends and nostalgia mixed with a couple of overused tropes (that i love) please feel free to let me know what you thought about the fic, as i'm pretty excited to be posting something, and this one i'm particularly proud of! Also, this is most certainly inspired by @gb-patch ‘s Our Life, so if you haven’t checked it out before, be sure to take a look at the game!

The night air is warm, settling heavily in your chest with each breath in. The grass beneath your legs seems to both tickle and itch at the same time, a sensation that you’re not sure if it bothers you or not.

“Why are you out here by yourself?” a sudden voice comes behind you.

You startle easily. This is no exception. You quickly shoot to your feet, your eight year old self has no problem with that yet. No sore muscles or tired mindset to hold you back.

Turning to face the stranger, you find that it's a kid about your age. In the dim lighting you can't tell if his hair is a dark brown, or just black. “Uh, I’m waiting for the fireflies. They always come out this time of the year.”

He studies you for a moment, young eyes seemingly scrutinizing your appearance. Your knee has a newly healing scrape, not yet bandaged by your family. You are sure that your pale shirt has a grass stain from your tumble earlier, and you wouldn’t be surprised if your hair was unruly.

“Cool.” Is his only word. It’s hard to tell if the kid means it, by the way he stares so blankly at you.

You tear your eyes away from him, taking interest in the patch of grass under your scuffed up shoes. It's quiet once more, and yet neither of you make any moves.

Finally after what feels like an eternity, you give a small sigh. Maybe you could share your summer tradition with the boy. The one you always partook in alone, a special annual celebration of your own doing that meant the world to your eight year old self.

“Want to catch them with me?”

At this, the boy’s eyes seemed to widen some, and he gave a silent but firm nod. He moved to stand closer to you, not quite next to you, but near you.

Together, you held your breath, eyes scanning across the field as you both ached to catch a glimpse of a neon bug.

After a few mere moments, one caught your eye, just to the left of the kid, floating lazily through the air. You silently brought your hand up to point at it, starting to excitedly bob up and down on your toes.

The boy moved towards it quickly, hands outstretched as he attempted to catch it. Before he got close enough, it’s light dimmed and it disappeared into the night. He stilled, turning back to face you with golden eyes, “It was too fast…”

You laughed at him, cutting yourself off before he thought you were making fun of him, “You have to go slow! And be more careful!” You paused, thinking of a way to make it sound easier, “Like…a spy! One on a super secret mission!”

For a moment, all the boy did was stare at you, and then, he surprised you.

The boy cracked a small smile, and held a hand out to you, his left hand, “Let’s be spies then, we can pretend to need the fireflies to…to save the world.”

“Team Firefly ! That can be us!” You grin eagerly, before turning to face the rest of the grassy field, “Let’s get to work!”

Together, the two of you ran through the uneven grass, hands outstretched towards the tiny glowing bugs, pausing only when you had one to show, repeating the actions until your names had been called for the night.

Time seemed to pass quickly the rest of that summer, maybe due to having a new friend, maybe not. In fact, time seemed to pass quickly over the next few years, so much so that you were now about twenty-two, and getting ready to head back home.

“So, what's your plan for the summer?”

You turn your head to look at one of your closest friends, dark eyes meeting yours for a second before looking out of the window of your now empty dorm room.

“Well, once I get back home, I want to try and catch some fireflies if they come back out this year.”

“You haven’t done that in awhile.”

His comment stills you, a low and hollow feeling settling in your stomach. Spending time away from home was hard, and missing out on your favorite childhood activity only made it worse.

“Yeah, I guess that's true…”

He leans across a box labeled “books” lazily, humming to himself for a moment, “So, does that mean you’ll see him this summer?”

You blink a few times, face heating up as you realize what he means.

“What? No! I mean…maybe but uh. I uh…” you fumble to form a sentence, hands coming up to defend yourself.

“Jeez! I didn’t mean it that way, I just meant it in general!” He pushes himself of the box, shaking his head slowly, “I know that you’ve been in love with the guy since you met, but is that all you think about when it comes to him?”

You release a large amount of air in a dramatic sigh, “First of all, I am not /in love/ with him. He’s just a friend. Secondly, I’m not sure if he’s going to be home this summer, because of his whole volleyball thing y’know?”

“Ah yes, how could I forget, you know someone almost famous” he chuckles, rounding the corner of your small dorm hallway, “Well, when you see Ushijima Wakatoshi, don’t forget about your best friend because you are totally in love with that guy, and I’ve been telling you that for ages.”

He leaves through the front door, not before shouting something about being back the next morning to help you pack up your car.

The lock clicks loudly in the quiet of your dorm, as does the sound of your feet softly hitting the wooden floors. Your bed creaks beneath you as you lower yourself into the plastic of the mattress, something that had always bothered you about it.

You pull out your phone, tapping away at the numbers on the screen to let you in.

3473359.

Firefly.

That was your passcode. It had been part of your life ever since you were eight. Ever since you met him. Ever since Ushijima Wakatoshi snuck up on you in the tall grass.

Maybe your friend was right. As your trip back home had come closer, the only thing you’ve been able to think about was him.

You let out a loud groan, throwing yourself back onto the mattress, squeezing your eyes shut. This was no time to contemplate your feelings for your friend. If anything, this was the time to focus on your summer. Iced coffees, long naps, days at the beach, picnics, home cooked meals from your father, and the feeling that everything would be okay.

That's what you needed.

Just then, a notification crossed your screen. It was your mother.

>Everyone is excited to see you! Please drive safe tomorrow, or you might give this old woman a heart attack

You squint at the words, thumbs flying over the keyboard with a response just seconds after receiving it.

>everyone? Isn’t it just you and dad?

The typing bubble pops up, then disappears, and finally, another text.

>oh i think i forgot to tell you! Takashi Utsui and his son will be home this summer!

>i was telling them all about you and how well you’re doing in school!

Your phone nearly hits your face, though luckily it lands just to the right of your head, the screen illuminating a small portion of your room.

So he was going to be home this summer. You were going to see him after all. And he was excited to see you?

>well, i'm excited to see everyone too!

>okay well get some sleep dear, i need you to arrive in one piece tomorrow, okay?

>okay mom. I love you, see you tomorrow!

With that, you lean over to where your charger sits on the floor, before setting an alarm for the morning, and then setting a second one, knowing full and well that you’d either sleep through the first, or shut it off and go back to sleep.

The morning came and went, you, your packed car, and your favorite playlist of music, were on the road.

Driving alone had never been your favorite idea, but it had to be done. It gave you too much time to think. Too much time to think specifically about your summer. You knew that your parents had some things planned for the three of you, but they had also said that you were free to do whatever you pleased, as long as you came home at a decent time, and let them know where you were going to be.

Part of you wondered how many of their plans included Ushijima and his dad. How many did you /want/ them to be included in? Should you invite him to hang out? What if he was busy?

You sigh, shaking yourself out of your thoughts as you glance out your window, where a cow in passing grazes on some grass. You imagine that the cow has no worries, which must be nice.

You bring your focus back to the road, loosening your grip on your wheel. It was summer. You could be like the cow, not a care in the world. No school, no homework, no job, just you and the warm air, itchy grass, sticky hands from melted popsicles. You were going to enjoy yourself. You had to.

It was the late evening when you arrived at your house, two lone figures standing outside waving as you pushed the gear shift into park.

They didn’t wait for you to leave the car, your mother pulling on the handle to the driver side door, while your father stands behind her.

“You’re just in time for dinner!” Your mother.

“Why don't we do the unpacking tomorrow, and catching up tonight?” Your father.

“I have so many questions about your time away, you’ll have to answer every single one of them.” Your mother again.

Before your father could steal a chance to speak again, you climbed hastily out of the car and threw your hands around the both of them, burying your head in their shoulders, “I missed you.”

Their arms immediately enveloped your frame, squeezing you tightly as they repeated the words back to you.

Just being back in their arms made your little world feel right again, pulling you back into one piece.

Together, you walked inside of your small house, and into the kitchen where two more people sat.

The first of which was Takashi Utsui, who looked a little more aged since you last saw him. But his eyes still held that warm look he had always given his neighbors.

The second of which, was of course, Ushijima Wakatoshi. It had been two years since you had seen him. And he hadn’t changed. His hair was still styled the same way, short bangs falling over his forehead but stopping just before his eyes. Even sitting down he was tall, large frame making it a bit hard for him to sit comfortably. But what was the most recognizable, was the nearly expressionless nature of his face.

You greeted them politely, a small bow of your head before speaking up, “It’s been awhile, how are you two?”

His dad spoke first, “I’ve been well, just trying to stay busy while my son is away.” He cracks a smile, carefully clapping a hand onto Ushijima’s shoulder, “It’s been real quiet in the neighborhood without you two around.”

You give a little laugh at that, recalling days when you were kids, most typically you were the one shouting as you ran in the grass, while Ushijima made sure you weren’t going to trip on anything.

You spare another look to Ushijima, eyeing him for a moment before re-stating your question, “And how are you Ushijima-san?” You ask, turning away at the last moment. Was looking at him always so…flustering. Probably not. Your friend making all those comments must have something to do with it. You make a mental note to yell at him later for it.

You can hear the rustle of his windbreaker, and a small breath taken in. “I’ve been well, thank you for asking.”

There’s a long pause, awkward as much as it is stifling, before he speaks once again, “I hope you’ve been well.”

This brings you to look back at him, piercing eyes matched with his signature stone faced expression. Some things will never change. At least you know him well enough to know that he doesn’t mean any harm by it. A small smile seems to creep on your face.

“I have been alright. Mostly just tired. But, I finished the year off with high marks.”

Upon hearing that, his father stepped into the conversation, “Your parents have been telling us about your time in college, congratulations on finishing your year well!”

This brought your parents back into the discussion, their faces lighting up at the chance to engage in their favorite activity: smothering you with affection.

It was nice that they cared so much, but at times it could make you feel as if one wrong move, one bad grade, even the slightest way of disappointing them could make their image of you crumble away. They never meant to put that kind of weight on your shoulders, and you knew that it was entirely self imposed, but it was something you couldnt shake, ever since you first left for school.

After some time of constant praise, you managed to switch the topic, asking about summer plans.

Your mother came around to where you were standing, a gentle hand on your shoulder blade, “Whatever you want to do.”

“Mom, I can’t make all the decisions, I want to do what you and dad want to do too.” You gave her a pointed look, then looked back to your neighbors, “And if you guys have any plans, I can join you for them too, as long as im not intruding on your time together.”

Utsui seemed to brighten at your words, before turning to face his son, “Now that would be pleasant, right Wakatoshi?”

“Yeah.”

His father laughed, shaking his head slightly as he did. “Why dont you get settled in here, and we can make plans tomorrow?”

Your father nodded along, “It is getting late, we wouldn’t want to keep you too long. Let’s plan tomorrow!”

Not too long after, the five of you said your goodnights, waiting for your neighbors to step inside their house before returning to your own. Your parents walked you to your bedroom, where most of your things still laid dormant.

“Maybe tomorrow we can help you put up your pictures, and if you want we can rearrange your furniture?” Your mom stopped at the doorway, eyes scanning your childhood room carefully.

You mimicked her gesture, looking around the space. Your bed had always been pushed into the far left corner, while your desk was opposite it in the right. You had a dresser just off to the side of it, and a small closet along the same wall that your bed was on.

“No thats alright. I think kid me would cry if I changed it now.”

Your father came up behind your mother, nodding seriously, though there was a hint of a smile hiding on his features, “You did hate change when you were a kid. I still remember when Utsui and his son moved in, you were mad that our old neighbor had left, and that you wouldnt be able to play with their dog again.”

You huff dramatically, “I am still mad at them. Who is going to chase Maru around the yard?” You paused, stepping closer to your parents, “I bet they found some other kid to take my place, I’m devasted to this day.”

“I’m sure you are.” Your mom reached out to take your hands carefully, “Now, its time for you to get some sleep, you were driving all day.”

You pulled her in for a hug, in which your father joined shortly after, and you all said another set of goodnights.

The next morning, the sun woke you up. Something you had forgotten about since being away. Every morning, it would stream through your curtains, and force you to wake, like a natural alarm. You could vaguely remember kid you rolling over in an upset manner, hiding under the blankets until it got too stuffy to stay in bed.

Slowly, you pulled yourself out of bed, and stepped into the hallway, quietly making your way back into the dining area where you had been the night before. Your father stood near the opening to the small kitchn, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. He had been staring down into it, deep in thought.

Like this, you could see the age clear on him. His hair had greyed some, and he had deep smile lines by his mouth, and worry lines on his forehead. His eyes seemed tired, half due to it being about eight in the morning, and your father was not a morning person.

“Good morning, dad.” You spoke quietly, to which he still startled some.

“Oh good morning!” He grinned, moving to set his drink down for a moment, “Your mother is out in the garden, but we need to stop by the market. She wants to cook something special tonight.”

You hummed lightly, “Am I tagging along?”

He chuckled, “Oh no, not only do you need to unpack, but you got your hate for mornings from me. Go ahead and stay home kiddo.” He ruffled your hair as you walked into the kitchen, despite your attempt to dodge away from his hand.

“Mkay, you’ve got a point there.” you paused, “Any idea when you’ll be back?”

He stared at you evenly, “You know how your mother is, we might be there for a few hours. She’s very picky when it comes to cooking ingredients.” While his words were slightly exasperated, he still held a warmness in his eyes. He probably could spend all day at the market with your mom, if it meant making her happy.

He left you to find your breakfast, ushering your mom into their car and driving off to the market just barely on the other side of town.

You settled for some toast and eggs. Bringing it back into your room, a little voice in your head reminding you to bring the dishes back out before your mother returned. You would not repeat the summer you were twelve, when she discovered crumbs on your bed.

You picked up your phone from where it was hidden under your pillow, opening it to your messages. Your friend had messaged you, just hours before you woke up, most likely he was getting up for a run. How he managed it every morning was beyond you.

>Get home alright?

>See your boyfriend yet?

You glared intensely at the screen, hoping he could feel it wherever he was. You tapped away at the screen.

>he’s not my boyfriend

He responded quickly, another cheeky remark filling your screen.

>but you want him to be

You paused, starting to reply, but backspacing your words. You couldn’t find a way to defend yourself without knowing he would only use it to his advantage.

>Im blocking your number

You hit send, and directed your attention to your bedroom window. There was a slight thudding noise coming from outside. Your hands deftly sliding it open, just as you had done many times growing up.

It wasn’t hard to find the source of the noise. In his backyard, Ushijima was practicing. You watched silently as he set himself up for a receive, before quickly moving to a low stance, arms in a perfect platform. The ball flew back up into the air, a few inches away from his old volleyball net. His next move was something you had always wished to see in person. He had just enough time to take two steps, before pushing off the ground. His left hand making contact with the ball flawlessly.

With no blockers, and no one to attempt a recieve from his hit, it slammed into the ground, and bounced away. He seemed to take a few heavy breaths before crossing under the net, stooping down to collect his volleyball.

When he turned back around, his eyes strayed up to your window, instantly spotting you leaning out of it.

You stifled a gasp, realizing that you had been staring at him while he was practicing, for too long. You could feel the warmth in your cheeks, and raised a hand ever so slightly. “Uh, morning, Ushijima-san.”

It took him a moment to reply, most likely wondering why you had been watching him. “Good morning.”

You gave a sheepish smile, mentally kicking yourself as you did. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to watch for so long, I just never actually got to see you play outside of a phone screen.”

He walked a little closer to your window, stopping short of his fence. As he did, you could see a light layer of sweat, and his face slightly red. He must have been at it for quite some time. Which did not surprise you. With his repuatation, a volleyplayer such as himself couldn’t afford to miss out on practice.

His words brought you out of your own thoughts, a question that you hadn’t thought he would bother asking.

“You watched my games?”

Instinctively, you leaned a little further out of your window, just as you had done as a kid, “Of course I did. I tried to keep up with all of your games! Its you, I mean, we were close friends as kids, so…” You trailed off, trying not to sound weird.

Just then, Ushijima let out a quiet but clearly a positive hum, and his lips turned up in a small smile. The sight of it made your heart thud. You looked away, instead taking an incredible amount of focus on a cloud in the distance.

“Next time I have a game, I’ll send you a ticket.”

Another sentence that cause your heart to beat hard enough for you to notice. You glanced back over to him, taking a moment to calm yourself. “I promise to be the looudest one cheering for you then.”

He finished your statment for you, “Like when we were kids.”

Your mind stilled for a second. You had convinced yourself that by now, Ushijima Wakatoshi had left behind the times that you shared when you were younger, in favor of his sport and new friends. The thought was immediately shattered upon hearing his words.

“Yeah, just like when we were kids.” You returned the sentiment, before clearing your throat some, “I’ll uh, let you get back to it though. I need to bring my things inside and unpack.”

He nodded to you, slowly turning away to the net once more.

You paused, halfway back inside your room, before leaning back out of it once more, “Ushijima-san!”

He glanced back your way, eyes a little wide at your sudden call. The ball in his hands waiting for its user to continue his practice.

“When i’m done, would you like to join me for a trip into town? Maybe I can buy us lunch or something…”

He thought for a moment, eyes showing no hint as to what exactly those thoughts were. The seconds spanned between the two of you, your stomach seemed to churn with anxiety.

“Sure.”

You nearly let out a sigh of relief. Then said a temporary goodbye before sliding back into your bed. You never had trouble asking him to hang out as a kid, which was probably due to the nature of your friendship. As kids, you had a large amount of courage, and hardly ever took no as answer, especially when it came to Ushijima. Where you went, he was sure to follow.

The more you thought on it, the more you realized that Ushijima had been such a staple of your life. When you were kids, Ushijima scared away anyone who was mean to you, and you would loudly object to anyone who called him names. Before highschool, you had grown even closer, enough to talk to him about your dreams for the future, the ones that did not match your childhood dreams. Nothing would ever top being spies however.

You breathed in, a thought at the forefront of your mind. Your friend was right. Even just being home for one day reminded you of the affection you held for your neighbor. How long had you ignored the idea that you might want to be more than just friends with Ushijima? You couldn’t say, but looking back on the years, it was easy to see now.

You always wanted to be near him, always wanted to share a space with him even if it meant sitting in silence. You’d share food with eachother, and offered to take care of him if he ever felt sick. You would do your best to help him practice, which usually resulted in you shagging the balls that he hit your way. Not to mention that every summer that he had been home, you always dragged him out to see the fireflies.

You could feel your chest tighten, heart rapidly speeding up as you came to the realization that you did have feelings for him, and had just been hiding them away from yourself. But now, what could you do about it? You would never want to get in the way of his career in volleyball, or any dreams that he had, and you also had aspirations of your own, ones that might mean being away from him. And of course, there was the heavy weight that loomed over you, shadowing you with uncertainty. Ushijima might not even like you in the same way. Afterall, you had pretty much been the driving force of your friendship. Hopefully he had never felt that you were overbearing.

From where it still sat on your bed, your phone began to buzz a random pattern. You were getting a phone call.

You mentally thanked whoever it was for the distraction, and reached over to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Hello to you too, you mother would like to know if she should buy you anything from the market?” Your father sounded a little muffled, probably trying to keep his voice down while out in public.

You shrugged, even though he couldn’t see it, “I don’t think so…not unless they still have the stand with the necklace pendants!” That one had always been your favorite to look at as a kid. It was full of intricate designs on either wood, stone, or wire wrapped gems. You never had enough on you to buy one, but looking was enough.

“Hah, okay. I’ll let her know. Did you get your stuff inside yet?”

“No, not yet. I’m about to though, and then when i’m done, I invited Ushijima to go into town with me, it’s been awhile since I’ve been there. “

You dad was quiet for a moment, thinking over his words most likely, “Back to sticking by his side all the time?” there was a light teasing tone in his voice, and something told you that your father was onto you and your troublesome feelings for Ushijima.

“Well, it is summer, I have to be as much as a kid while I can.”

Another pause, “Well, don’t forget to come home to your loving and adoring parents, yeah?”

You snorted, “Yeah, I wont forget. I’ll let you go back to shopping though, don’t lose mom in the crowd.”

After you hung up, you looked back to your forgotten breakfast, carefully grabbing the plate and taking it back down into the kitchen. You needed to focus on bringing your things inside and set up your room. It takes you a few trips to get it all inside, but it gets done.

You glance at the time. Eleven thirty-two. You could at least unpack your clothes, and put them away in your dresser. Most of them should still be folded anyways. You moves past your box of books, and another one labelled ‘decorations’ before finding your suitcase. You pulled out an outfit for today, and then started to separate shirts from pants and shorts, athletic clothes fom sleepwear, and everything inbetween. Once they were all sorted, you moved onto putting them away in your drawyers, knowing full and well that they’d inevitably end up sitting in a laundry basket, never to be folded again.

As you finished, you took some time to clear a pathway through your room, picking up your clothes to bring them to the bathroom, so you could take a quick shower to wash off your drive from the day before.

By the time you stepped out of the shower, it was already noon. Hopefully Ushijima still wanted to join you in seeing your hometown for the first time in about a year for you, and about two years for him. You wondered if anything had changed, and what had stayed the same. If you could change within a year, so could your town.

With a fresh set of clothes, you set out to go find Ushijima. A quick glance outside your window showed that he was no longer practicing, which meant you’d have to go to their front door. Grabbing your car keys from where you had tossed them onto your desk, you once more made your way to the front of the house, and locking the door behind you. You hesitated for only an instant before stepping off your small porch and crossing through the grass to your neighboring house, rapping your knuckles across the door in a way to keep it from being too loud.

Within moments, the door swung open, revealing Ushijima. He had changed out of his clothes from earlier, now in a simple gray t-shirt and a pair of black joggers. He looked good. As the though hit you, you shoved it away, not wanting to just stand in his doorway focused on how he looked attractive in the plain outfit.

“Do you still want to join me to town?” You asked, rocking back onto your heels, waiting for his answer.

His eyes slid to the side, just behind the door, where he grabbed a crewneck sweater, pulling it over his head easily before stepping outside, “Yeah.”

You looked at him sideways for a moment, pursing your lips as you looked at his sweater. “You do know it’s going to be hot out?”

“I do know that. But it might get cold iniside certain buildings. I want to be prepared.” He stated it so simply, as if he couldn’t fathom why you didn’t have the same thought process.

You laughed lightly, of course that was his reasoning. Ushijima wanted to be prepared to be cold, in the middle of summer. At least he was thinking ahead. Something about the whole thing made you wonder if he was like that with everything he did, though he had never seemed overly cautious.

“Mkay, let’s get in the car.”

“What’s funny about my sweater?” he asked from your side, his long strides making it hard to keep up with him for the short distance that was to your car.

At this, you reached over to his sleeve, pulling at the seam gently, “It’s inside out Ushijima-san.” You kept your voice a little low, trying to be gentle about it. You’d never seen him get embarrassed but if he were, it would be about something like that. Ushijima usually wanted to seem well put together when he was home.

He looked down at his sweater, pulling it away from his body as he inspected it. “You’re right.” He stopped walking, starting to pull the dark green crewneck back over his head, now flipped so it wasn’t inside out. He slid his arms back into the sleeves, only to struggle getting it over his head. You blinked a few times before moving closer to him, the soft fabric in your hands before you could think about it.

With a careful tug, you pulled the crewneck back down, freeing Ushijima from death by sweater. You were looking down at the lettering on it, when you could hear him take the quietest breath in. This prompted you to look up, quickly becoming aware of how close you had gotten to him. Your eyes met. In the sunlight, his eyes looked golden. They were widened, seemingly a little shocked. You immediately took a step back, fumbling with your words for a moment before finally getting out an apology.

“I did not realize how close I was, I’m sorry!” You held your hands out away from your body, mind still reeling.

Ushijima appeared to have shook himself from his surprise, and once more looked at you, “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

Another apology died in your throat, as you proccessed his words. He didn’t mind? What the hell was that supposed to mean? He didn’t mind you helping him with his sweater, or he didn’t mind how close you were? If it was the latter, then what does that even mean in general? Was itbecause you were close friends as kids? Or was it-

You stopped yourself from the spiraling thoughts, instead focusing on not letting your face show your worried thoughts.

“Ah, what do you mean by that?” You questioned, trying to be casual about it.

He stiffened visibly, one of his hands coming up to pull at the collar of his crewneck. “It’s nothing. Thank you for helping me.”

And just like in your dining room, an uncomfortable silence descended over the two of you, one that hung in the air like a candle scent that you dont entirely love. It lasted the whole car ride into town. You resolved to ignore it for the time being, and instead try to lighten the mood from whatever it was just then.

You rounded a corner steadily, and pulled to a stop infront of an old cafe. It used to be run by an elderly couple, but a few years back, they retired, and their daughter and her partner took over the business for them.

There was a subtle ringing of bells as the two of you walked inside, making your way to the counter side by side. You watched as Ushijima’s eyes wandered the little cafe. He looked down at the counter, where a small cat statue sat, portraying a spotted cat curled up, asleep. He gingerly tapped the ceramic head of the cat, lips curling up ever so slightly.

You both looked up as a hostess greeted you politely, and led you to a small booth. She left you for a few moments after that. It wasn’t busy in the cafe but she did have other patrons to attend to.

“I’ve never been here.” Ushijima was still looking around, admiring the minimalistic design of the place. It was mostly white, with some soft blue detailing, and a few gray-scale paintings hanging on the wall.

“Really?” For someone who had lived here almost his whole life, he sure didn’t get out much. It was almost hard to believe that he hadn’t also been everywhere you had been. At least that’s what both of your parents would say on the topic.

“Mhm.” He pulled his attention back to you, a tender look in his eyes as he mused outloud, “I think Tendo would like it here.”

The name rang a bell in your head, and it took you about two seconds to remember why. “Oh! You played with Tendo at Shiratorizawa! I think I remember seeing him on the court!”

He nodded. “I think you two would have gotten along too.”

“Maybe he can visit sometime, he seemed like a good friend to you when you weren’t playing.”

Ushijima thought for a moment, before pulling out his phone, “Would you mind joining me for a picture?”

The suddenness of the question took you by surprise, tilting your head as you gave Ushijima a blank look.

“Well, I think he would like this cafe, and also have liked you.” He sucked at communicating. It took you at least three whole seconds to connect the dots.

Like a light being clicked on, you understood what he meant. Ushijima wanted to send a picture to his friend. He wanted you in the picture. He was going to tell his friend about you. Well…maybe.

“Yeah, okay. Do you want me to sit in your side of the booth for it?”

He merely nodded in response, a more serious look crossing his face as he tapped away at his screen. While he readied the camera, you stood up, making your way to the open spot on the booth, sliding close to him, but not as close as earlier.

The smell of freshly washed linen, and slightly of sandalwood washed over you, and you were surprised that you hadn’t noticed it earlier. Your shoulders bumped as he leaned a little closer to you. And you drew your attention to his camera, where Ushijima’s finger hovered over the shutter button. You frowned slightly, watching as his face stayed the same levelness that he always seemed to have.

“You should smile.” You stated plainly, bringing a hand up to his face, poking his cheek. It was easy to fall into a pattern of being playful with him, just as you did when you were younger. You almost didn’t even realize that you had done it.

He turned over to you, opening his mouth to say something, before shutting it quickly. He seemed to question himself for a moment, before doing what he was told. His smile didn’t seem forced. It was small and rather cute. You leaned in a little more, letting a natural smile take over your face as he snapped a few pictures. One of them you didn’t even notice Ushijima holding up two fingers behind your head, acting as bunny ears, until he had already taken the picture.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that, Ushijima-san.” You said as you started to stand back up, to return to your side of the table.

However, he caught your wrist, his hand easily enveloping your wrist, though his grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt you.

“You don’t need to do that.” He paused, thinking to himself once more before continuing, “We’ve known eachother for years, we don’t need to use honorifics.”

You knew that when he said ‘we’ he meant you. And it wasn’t something you were doing on purpose, rather it was habit you had forced yourself to do while in school, as you only really had the one close friend, and hardly knew any other students beyond their names. But Ushijima…he had a point. You had known him since you were eight. You nodded slowly, starting to pull your hand out of his. You tried to ignore the way your fingers lingered on his. You tried to ignore the searing feeling of his hand on your wrist. The gentle tone he had taken. The meaning of his words.

“Okay, just Ushijima then.” you sat back down, and before either of you could continue, your hostess came back.

She took your drink orders, and then your food orders, and left once more.The rest of your time at the cafe was spent talking, and then at times, sitting in silence while you ate your food. But it was different than in the car. This was easy, comfortable, a reminder of how things used to be before the two years of not seeing eachother had happened. You could sit at this diner with Ushijima for hours. Maybe even days.

But, you did have to return back home at some point. Your mother was making dinner, and your father made you promise to come back, in his own words of not forgetting your parents, of course.

Back at the front counter, you tried to pay, card already in hand, when Ushijima’s phone flashed a card, and the reader gave a short beep. You blinked a few times, your brain trying to catch up to your eyes.

“Hey! I was supposed to pay!”

He shrugged a response, already turning to the door of the cafe, “Too slow, maybe next time.”

And just like earlier in the day, at your window, your heart sped up, its beats sounding loud in your chest. He had said next time. There was going to be a next time. You forced a scowl, shaking your head at him. “I’ll slip money under your door.”

He held the door open for you, his hand coming to the small of your back as he followed behind, guiding you out of the way of more cafe guests. His touch seemed to burn, but in the way the sun felt when you were outside, its rays warming your skin while a breeze floated past.

“I’ll just return the money.” He leaned down, his words held a light tone to them. This was the Ushijima you knew as a kid. While he could sound uninterested, the fact that he talked at all was how you knew he was your friend. And that was all you needed to know when you were younger. That you had made a friend in him.

You frown at him, and stop walking all together. “Ushijima Wakatoshi. This can only be settled one way then.”

He stared back, brows furrowing for only a moment before you spoke again.

“The fireflies. They should be out tonight. If you can catch more than me, I’ll let you get away with paying for lunch. If I can cath more than you, I get to pay you back.”

He stepped around you, throwing a competetive look over his shoulder, “Alright.”

You pulled your keys out, unlocking the car for the both of you. It was a short trip home, filled with music from an artist you hadn’t heard of, but was good nonetheless.

You departed on the sidewalk, after confirming that you’d meet up in your backyard around ten pm.

Upon walking inside, your mother greeted you with a kind smile, and an almost childlike joy in her eyes. Your heart swelled at the sight.

“Good evening, how was the market?” You asked, slipping off your shoes before making your way to where she stood by the kitchen counter.

“Oh it was wonderful! Your father let me bring home new plants for the garden, as well as some handmade house decorations!” She paused, hands coming up to hold your shoulders for a moment before her eyes widened, “Oh! We also got you a few gifts! Let me go get them!”

She disappeared into the hallway, leaving you in the quiet of the kitchen, a pot on the stove bubbling on a low flame. It smelled good. You had missed it.

When your mother reentered the room, your father was trailing behind her. She held a small parchment envelope, which she passed to you, holding your hands for a passing moment.

When she let go, you took a moment to admire the packaging. It was a simple brown paper, wrapped with twine, and a small card stamped with the vendor’s logo. Simple, but definitely something to take your time on looking at.

You carefully untie the twine, and unfold the wrapping, revealing two identical necklaces. They were fireflies. The bug itself was carved out of wood with impressive detailing, while the end had small green stones, if you shifted them one way or another, the green would fade a slight yellow, giving the feeling of a glow.

You smiled at the sight. It wasn’t hard to imagine why they bought two of them. Your parents knew what the lightning bugs meant to you…and you were sure that they knew how much Ushijima meant to you.

“After dinner, be sure to give him the other one.” Your father said, all while stirring the contents of the pot on the stove, most likely knowing that your mom would eventually forget that it was there.

“I will, dont worry.” You wave him off, starting to say something to change the subject, when your mother stops you short.

“I don’t want to assume anything, but do you love him?”

You froze. The feeling from earlier today taking over your whole body. A not quite uncomfortable feeling, but one that sends warmth to your cheeks and a slight tremble to your hands.

Instantly, your father chastised your mother, trying to ease his child at the same time.

You took a moment to shake off the nerves that had spilt over your mind. “Its okay dad. Im sure that you guys have always known…” you trailed off, eyes glancing to the clock on the wall nearest to you, “I think I do love him. I’m not sure when it happened, but even for the short time I’ve been home, It’s been on my mind. He’s been on my mind.”

Your parents shared a look. They weren’t exactly expecting you to be so honest with them on the topic. When they brought their attention back to you, they both wore the same expression. Not quite worried, but it was still there.

“Are you going to tell him?” Your dad’s voice was soft, one he would use when he tried approaching the local strays.

You shifted your weight, mind racing with all the different ways that conversation with Ushijima could go. In the end, you were sure that you’d regret it if you didn’t.

“Yeah. Tonight. When the fireflies come out.”

They shared another look, and a quiet breath escaped your mother. When she turned back to you, she was smiling once more, “Well, let’s eat before the big moment, yeah?”

You’re hardly able to eat dinner, hardly able to sit still. You notice every minute that passes by. It takes all of your strength to stay with your parents as they finish their meals.

It’s nine forty-five when you make your way to your backyard, slowly coming to sit on the ground, trying to take as many deep breaths as you possibly can.

The night air is warm, and it settles in your chest heavily. The grass beneath your legs tickles and itches all at once. Above your head, a few fireflies are seemingly floating in the summer night’s breeze.

This time, his voice doesn’t scare you.

“You’re early. It’s not ten yet.”

You turn halfway, leaning on one of your hands as you do, “I know. I figured I’d sit for a minute.”

He walks closer, standing next to you for a moment, eyes straying up to the sky. He brings his eyes back to your form, lowering himself into the grass next to you. Ushijima is still wearing his sweater. He still smells vaguely of sandalwood.

Neither of you speak just yet. You don’t know how to tell him your thoughts, and he must know that you have something on your mind.

A small gust of air passes over you, and you can’t help the shiver that follows shortly. Part of it is from the temperature starting to drop, the other part from nerves.

“Would you like my sweater?” His voice is quiet, and sincere.

You don’t even get the chance to answer before he slides it off, and passes it to you. You fumble over a thank you, trying to hide the shaking of your hands as you pull the collar over your head, tugging on the sleeves until they meet your wrists.

It’s silent again.

You open your mouth to speak, when you feel something land on your hand. Your eyes flick downwards.

You hadn’t seen it. A lone firefly danced through the air before it came to rest atop your hand. It’s gentle glow would come and go in waves while you watched it crawl.

“Caught one.” Your voice scares it away, but the sensation stays.

He chuckles. A sound you had always enjoyed. “That’s only one. I can catch up.”

You shake your head lightly, remembering the earlier conversation you had. “Hey, before we catch any more, can I tell you something?”

Ushijima glances towards you, then nods in response, “Sure. What is it?”

You angle your body towards him, finding a few stray blades of grass to keep your hands occupied as you work up the courage to confess. Finally, the words tumble out of your mouth.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

“You think?”

You catch yourself smiling carefully, looking out towards the edge of your yard, “No…I know I do. I was pushing my feelings aside for a while. But, I needed to tell you, now that we’re together again.”

A few beats of silence pass again. And you’re about to ramble about how it’s okay if he doesn’t feel the same, when his hand tenderly turns your face to look at him.

Your eyes meet his golden ones, and he doesn’t hesitate to pull your lips to his.

His hand is gentle and warm as he cups the side of your face. You can feel his lashes ever so slightly on yours. His lips are chapped enough to notice, but not enough for you to care. Ushijima is careful in how he kisses you. It’s light and fleeting, and everything you need to suppress your worries.

When you part, you’re speechless. His hand doesn’t leave your face. You shut your eyes for a passing second before looking back at him.

“I know that I’m in love with you too.” He sounds sure of himself, as he always does, but this time it's different.

You aren’t exactly sure when, but eventually you found yourself leaning your head on his shoulder, watching as the fireflies lifted into the night sky. You could sit there for hours, as long as you had Ushijima right there next to you.

#ushijima wakatoshi #haikyuu ushijima #hq!! ushijima #haikyuu #hq!!#haikyuu x reader #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #wakatoshi ushijima #wakatoshi x reader #ushijima x reader #haikyuu fic #long fic #ish #haikyuu!!#gn! reader #event: for the summer

104 notes · View notes

stellar-constellations · 9 months

Text

An Alliance (Part 2)

Fem! Spy! (Y/N) x Yuri Briar

Parts: One, current part, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten (to be continued when Spy x Family has more Yuri content!)

(Y/N) is given her own backstory that is important for the story!

The setting for this story is based off West and East Germany's (because Spy x Family is heavily based off Germany in the 1940-1950) laws (or at least replicated to the best of my abilities since it's unknown what time period Spy x Family is exactly in, we'll go with 1950 for the sake of this story).

Historically-accurate women misogyny and mistreatment! Only small comments and historically-accurate laws (replicated to the best of my ability).

The story, plot, and settings might not match up to the Spy x Family manga as it's not completed and the manga is still being crafted.

This series contains spoilers for the manga and anime!

"Don't touch anything, unless you want to be zapped by Westalis lasers." I sarcastically spoke as I opened my apartment door.

The man waltzed into my home and looked around, his hands in his pockets as he observed the place.

"Your place is so..." he paused, looking around, "plain. And boring. And you have no furniture." He admitted honestly.

He wasn't even trying to be mean as he held a honest and slightly concerned expression.

"I'm a spy. I had to move around a lot for my missions." I admitted. "As a spy, I'm always on the move all across Ostania. Sometimes I'm traveling secretly between Ostania and Westalis too." I spoke.

"How do you do that?" he questioned.

"Oh ho ho. Look at you, already trying to put that contract to use. I'm soooo glad you're interested in me—you know, like asking about my favorite color or what genre of movies I like?" I spoke sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"You're such a doll." He sighed, rolling his eyes too. "Brat..." He murmured quietly.

He followed me to my room as I grabbed the small amount of clothes set out for my everyday convenience as I shoved the clothes into a suitcase.

"Just so you know, I'm not looking for this to be a real thing. When we're in public and at work, we'll act close—but don't expect anything kind of special treatment behind closed doors. Our 'marriage' is just a piece of paper that can easily be destroyed. The only thing that we have in common is work; nothing else." The second-lieutenant spat harshly as he walked closer to me, standing tall as he looked down at me in more ways than one.

For some reason, I felt my heart stab as my stomach felt queasy. My head felt light as I looked up.

"I'm glad we're on the same track. I want nothing to do with you just as you do with me." I stated.

I huffed and took a step to the side to get the second-lieutenant out of my way. I walked to the bathroom and grab my soaps and routine-supplies, ignoring the way my chest felt sunken and my eyes stung.

Why do I feel the need to cry? I thought to myself. That mutt doesn't know what he's talking about. He doesn't know me at all. I rolled my eyes, thinking about how pathetic I was for letting his words get to me like that.

He's the enemy. There's no reason I should grow attached like how he's thinking. I'm not going to submit and prove that he's right!

I softly sighed as I walked back to the bedroom, momentarily stopping to see the man stare at the ceiling bored. On. My. Bed!

Calm down, it's just a bed HQ rented.

Yeah. I just slept on it for two weeks for my mission I finished before getting captured. The Handler momentarily rented this room for me in this apartment so I could have a place to relax as I get through my recent slow-burn mission.

I groaned. I'm gonna kill kill kill KILL KILL THAT MOLE! I screamed loudly inside my head. I HATE THEM FOR PUTTING ME IN THIS STUPID SITUATION!

“Your bed is so uncomfortable. How can you sleep like this?” the man deadpanned.

“That’s not my bed. This is a room I was given from my boss since I had to do a mission here.” I explained, putting my supplies in one of my suitcases and zipping it up.

“What was the mission?” he seemed interested, turning his head to the side so he can face me.

“I had to get some information from city hall. The boss there is a scumbag exchanging some Ostania secrets there.” I explained.

“Huh. I didn’t know about that.” He admitted.

“Well, now that you do, you can tell the Director and have someone new to interrogate tomorrow.” I sighed, sitting down on the un-comfy bed (I hate to admit that he’s right about the bed).

“You didn’t interact with the employees, did you?” he questioned, his voice serious as his eyes dug into me, searching for truth.

“Only those I needed so I could sneak in. About two or three people. But nobody that sparked interest.” I admitted.

“Good, good…” he muttered, his voice and face softening as we stared at each other.

“Why?” I questioned.

“Nothing, I was just curious.” He spoke.

I didn’t believe it, but right now I didn’t care about it as we stared at each other.

He had pretty ruby eyes, ones I was almost envious of. He had dark black hair that matched his eyes perfectly, and his face was both innocent and stern at the same time (how could that be possible?)

I allowed myself to observe his outfit, the causal white shirt and black pants along with black shoes. But I wasn’t the only one taking notes of the enemy. I noticed he was looking at me longer than what should be comfortable.

“What?” I snapped, letting the heat in my face be anger and not something I was…afraid of, I guess you could say.

“You were staring first…” he grumbled.

Douche! I shouted in my head yet sighed.

“Whatever. Let’s go.” I commanded, jumping up from the bed and lecturing myself of my racing heart.

“Don’t boss me around, brat.” He stated, yet sat up nonetheless.

“Don’t call me brat!” I complained as he smirked.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” He teased, smiling.

Now he's using my own words against me? I thought to myself yet smirked, deciding to entertain him.

“It’s alright, darling~” I retorted as his face morphed to disgust.

“Gross! Don’t you ever call me that again!” he complained.

“Then stop calling me brat! And don’t call me sweetheart, I said it first!” I shouted.

“Ugh. Like I’d ever say something so vomit-inducing again. I just wanted to mess with you.” He whined, still acting like he was sick to his stomach.

"Come on! Let’s get a move on. It’s dark and we haven’t ate dinner yet.” I spoke.

“Oh? So I’m the one treating you?” he huffed.

“Your boss never gave me back my belongings. That includes my wallet.” I pointed out, smiling.

“Then you can starve.” He deadpanned.

I huffed and grabbed my two suitcases, walking out of the apartment and to the car as he followed behind me.

“Hurry up! I hate slow walkers!” I complained, waiting for him to unlock the car.

He did, yet immediately locked it once I reached for the door handle.

I glared and waited for him to unlock the door. He sighed and did. I reached for the handle and pulled it, only to find it looked.

“Dude!” I exclaimed, looking up to see him smiling at me, proud in his childish actions.

“Okay okay!” he laughed, then unlocked the door.

I pulled, but for the damn thing to be locked again.

“YOU FELL FOR IT THREE TIMES! AHAHHA!” he laughed boisterously.

“Shut up!” I shouted, ignoring the way I slightly giggled and wore a smile on my face. “Could you please unlock the door, sweetheart?” I teased.

“Ew! Stop it!” he gagged, yet unlocked the door.

I quickly opened the door, causing him to let out an “aw” followed by a “it was fun while it lasted.” I put my suitcases in the backseat and sat in the passenger seat.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked, stepping into the car and putting the keys in, twisting them to start the engine.

“Oh, I thought I was going to starve.” I smiled, watching as he rolled his eyes and huffed.

“This is just one time…” he grumbled. “Now hurry up and choose!” he shouted.

“Don’t pressure me! Then I can’t think!” I shouted back. “I’m fine with anything.”

“Seriously? I just told you to choose! I don’t know what you like!” he complained.

“I’m not picky; besides, you’re paying.” I spoke as he sighed aggressively and backed out of the parking lot.

I looked out the window, watching as we left one of my many—many—temporary homes that the Handler has placed me in before.

I should send a code so the headquarters can decipher my message. What should I tell them? I can’t tell them I’m a double-agent, that’s for sure.

I glanced over at the man, thinking.

I can’t believe I thought this asshole was innocent-looking and hot when I first saw him—he’s just a jerk. What’s his problem anyways? Why’s he hate me so much? Sure, I’m a spy, but I’ve always tried to avoid the conflict between Westalis and Ostania.

A frown made its way to my face as I thought some more.

Can I even be called a spy ever again? I got ratted out and captured. I might never get a mission again if I’m stuck with the Secret Police. My spy days are over.

Surprisingly, it didn’t sound too bad. I was in the spy business for almost a decade. Breaking into homes, deciphering codes, protecting government officials that's killed my family, even going as far as to disarming bombs. Whether I was in the Westalis army, a Westalis spy, or now even Ostania's SSS, I’ll always have the looming threat of dying.

I really wanted to live a peaceful life too, it was the spy business that tracked me down and recruited me when I was ten. How could they manipulate me into this war? I wanted out of it after the military! I whined in my head.

It’s not like I didn’t agree. But I was ten! I didn't understand what being a spy exactly meant. I guess drastic times called for drastic measures, even going as far as to getting little ten-year-olds recruited.

“What’s with that face?” he suddenly spoke up.

“What face?” I questioned.

“The sad face. Your face looks even more ugly like that.” He deadpanned.

“Ugh! You jerk!” I exclaimed, resisting the powerful urge to punch him hard in the arm.

I would’ve, if the sudden thought of him concealed-carrying didn’t immediately cross my mind.

Yeah. He’d shoot me for punching him.

“I was just thinking! Jeez, you’re mean…” I grumbled.

He hummed, a smile on his face. He seems proud to be an asshole. . . We decided to grab quick fast food since there was no point in going anywhere expensive.

He drove to a gated apartment complex for two-income families, entering a passcode.

“Fancy apartment complex.” I commented, looking out the window.

“The job pays well.” He spoke back, driving in and parking somewhere.

He shut the car off and we both opened our doors. I got my luggage as he impatiently waited. We walked to the doors, going into a lobby and to an elevator. He pressed the second button and stuck his hands in his pants pockets. I clutched the handle on the elevator, ignoring the look the man was giving me as I felt my stomach tighten.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to puke.” He groaned. “You got a weak stomach or something?”

“Elevators just make me nauseous.” I admitted. “But I’ll be fine, thank you so much for your concern.” I commented sarcastically.

Elevators remind me of planes, planes remind me of hijacks and crashes. Just the thought of having to be in another plane going down for one of my missions makes me want to vomit. I never want to be above the ocean or ground again.

The doors opened and we walked out of the elevator. We walked a few doors down until we got to the fourth door on the right. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and opened the door.

He silently walked in and I followed, a little unnerved at being inside the enemy's apartment.

It's not like he'd kill me—at least not without getting information out of me. Right?

"Where should I put my stuff?" I questioned.

The man hummed, thinking to himself.

"You can put it in my room, I'd rather not have the living room dirty." He replied.

"Do you have any house rules?" I questioned, taking my shoes off as the man drags his off, standing with perfect balance despite being on one foot.

I hid my amazement from his balance skills as I had hopped on my foot to take my shoes off.

"I don't think I do. I mean like, don't go through my stuff? And don't go out without me. I can't really think of anything unless you do something that I'm not comfortable with, but I'll tell ya." He sighed.

"Okay." I spoke, following him to his room.

He opened the door, allowing me in. I set my suitcases neatly in the corner as the man jumped on his bed, sighing.

If it was my bed, I would've followed and laid down too since I was quite tired with today's events too, but this is the second-lieutenant's bed (who still won't tell me his name). I feel it would be rude lying down on his pretty red bed (I also feel that he will snap at me).

I looked around the room, looking at the pale peach walls. I looked down at the apartment's wooden floor, noticing how clean it is.

He must like his apartment clean. I supposed every likes a clean space to walk in though.

He had very few artworks on the wall, only two paintings. One was of a bright forest and a path. The other was a dark figure on the beach, dancing alone as the sun set behind them. I looked at his expresso drawers, seeing there was two of them. He had a closet I didn't feel like exploring.

Doesn't look very secretive and Secret Police-like. I thought to myself. Well, it does make sense. I hide my spy-gear out of sight too in case the SSS tries to do a secret investigation on me when I'm not at the place I'd be staying at during that time.

"So, what are the sleeping arrangements?" I questioned.

"I don't know..." He muttered, tired.

He's seem to have lost all that spark from earlier. I thought to myself. It's kinda cute how worn out he is.

I smiled, observing him as he threw me a tired glare.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing." I spoke, sitting down on the bed yet keeping a good distance. "You said you had an older sister, so where would your guest room be?"

"She'd sleep in my bed and I'd sleep on the couch." He explained. "I would rather have myself sleep on the couch than have my dear sister sleep there—she's family."

"So you can be nice." I hummed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he huffed, his energy to argue seeming to recharge as he sat up from his bed.

"Oh, don't start getting riled up just yet. I'm just teasing you." I rolled my eyes playfully, smiling as I enjoyed the way his face bloomed into a rose and he stuttered.

"D-don't say it like that! Brat..." he muttered, covering his face with his arm as he coughed out his embarrassment.

"You tired?" I questioned.

"Yeah. But I'm going to wait until you fall asleep." He spoke, sitting up from his bed.

"Okay, creep. You do you I guess, just leave me out of the equation." I giggled as he glared at me.

"Not like that. I meant I'm not planning on waking up to you gone from the apartment and running back to that stupid spy business of yours. The Director would kill me." He huffed.

"You know, I didn't just join them because I felt like it." I huffed, crossing my arms.

"What did you join them for?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"You gotta earn it first." I clicked my tongue, mocking his words from earlier.

We shared a glare before he sighed.

"Fine. I wasn't even that interested anyways." He huffed.

We stayed silent for a bit before he spoke up again.

"You can shower first, I'll wait for you." He explained.

"Oh. Thanks..." I muttered, slightly surprised as I walked to my suitcase and opened it, grabbing clothes and bathing supplies. "I'll be right back." I stated.

He's a stupid jerk, but there's been moments where he's been a little nice. Maybe over time I can crack that shell. I thought to myself before immediately catching myself. Over time? What am I saying? I'm not staying with that jerk forever! No matter how much kinder he gets!

It's not like I'd have a choice either. The Westalis spies would be around searching for me if word gets out that I betrayed them. I shouldn't be the one at fault. It was that mole's fault! That, and they were the one that betrayed the Westalis spies and me! I can't believe the Handler assigned me to show him the ropes when he first came in a couple months ago. I thought he was doing a good job too!

I got dressed into pajamas and walked out of the bathroom. I heard soft snoring and looked to see the man was sleeping, having not moved from the same position I left him in.

He'd be so easy to kill, allowing himself to be in such a vulnerable position while the enemy is in his home. I sighed, not really wanting to wake him up in case he forgets who I am and flips out.

Maybe I can send that message to Westalis. I thought before quickly deciding to cross out that idea.

That'd be a stupid thing to do while I'm in enemy territory. That, and I don't want to cause trouble immediately. I've honestly been wanting to take a break from the spy business for a while, but I was afraid the Handler would kill me (she's not called the Fullmetal Lady for nothing). This will just be a mini-vacation.

I had an intense battle inside my head, wondering if I should take out Flower from my suitcase or not.

If the jerk wakes up, he'll see it and probably tease me forever. I thought, sighing as I looked at the man. Why should I care what he thinks? It's not his bunny!

I huffed and grabbed Flower from my suitcase. She looked at me pitifully with her one eye and hanging loose threads of her pink nose and mouth. She still has a slight lingering smell of ash, but it's barely noticeable now because of all the times I've thrown her in a washer. I walked over to the man and noticed the slight twitch from his left eye as his mouth frowned slightly. His eyes were slightly squinted, and I mentally gasped.

How dare he fake-sleep in front of me?! Does he really not trust me? But it does leave him open for me to mess with him...

"My love, wakey-wakey." I teased, causing him to almost shoot up immediately.

"Don't say that!" he shouted.

"I can't believe you faked sleeping!" I laughed, a disbeliefed-smile on my face.

"I was making sure you wouldn't try running or contacting the Westalis spies!" he exclaimed, trying to justify himself.

"I can't believe you would think that!" I exclaimed.

You were very right, sir. Very right...

"Whatever, just shower so we can go to bed." I sighed.

My face heated up at my wording. If the man noticed, he didn't pay no attention to it as he stood up and walked to the bathroom, suspiciously eyeing me as he closed the bathroom door.

What a pushover. I thought, before sighing and laying down on the bed. Me and the enemy sharing a bed together? I think I'm going to puke.

He didn’t take long, probably rushing to make sure that I wasn’t escaping, before he opened the door and suspiciously looked around the room.

“There’s no traps or bugs.” I rolled my eyes.

“How can I trust you?” he questioned.

“Because I would’ve forgotten them then accidentally set off one of my own traps.” I deadpanned.

He huffed, but didn’t say anything after that, that was until he noticed the bunny.

“…What the hell is that?” he mumbled, making eye contact with Flower’s one eye.

“Don’t say that!” I gasped, covering Flower’s ears. “She’s sensitive about her appearance!”

“She’s…sensitive?” he questioned, an evil smile forming on his face.

“Don’t look at me like that! Flower isn’t just some stuffed bunny, she’s my childhood warrior.”

He smiled more. “S-stuffed…bunny…childhood…warrior!” he started to cackle as I glared at him. “I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT YOU STILL SLEEP WITH STUFFED ANIMALS!”

“Flower is my friend!” I cried out. "She means a lot to me!"

“AHAHAHA! YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH A BUNNY? YOU’RE REALLY THAT PATHETIC?!” he laughed.

I huffed, walking over to him and pushing him onto the bed.

“H-hey!” he stuttered out, his face turning red as he stared up at me.

“Shut up and sleep!” I ordered, walking to the drawer and placed my glasses down (or ignore this part if you don't wear glasses).

I walked to the light switch and turned off the light, then carefully navigated through the dark and felt for the bed. I grabbed the covers and got into said bed. I felt that man’s body but I couldn’t care enough to walk all the way on the other side in the dark—however, he had other plans as he protested.

“Oi! Oi! Stay on your side!” he shouted.

I huffed, ignoring his demands. “I am. Scoot over.”

He groaned yet scooted over, allowing me to steal his side. I clutched Flower to my chest and sighed.

…

“You don’t bring girls often to your apartment, huh?” I questioned, smiling as he shifted in bed, spluttering out nonsense.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” he shouted, offended.

“I mean that your bed is small, so you never thought of sleeping with anyone when you bought it. Sad, sad little virgin.” I teased.

“Shut up! Like anybody would willing sleep with you!” he huffed.

“Ohoho~ well you’re mistaken, sweetheart.” I laughed, causing him to blow up.

“I will suffocate you with this pillow!” he claimed.

“You won’t, you need me.” I smiled.

He stayed quiet before eventually huffing, “Whatever.”

“Aw! You didn’t deny it!” I smiled, turning my head over to see him, well, try to.

I could kind of see him, my eyes adjusting to the dark. I noticed how he was already looking at me, his bright red eyes visible.

“What?” I questioned.

He squinted, glaring at me before sighing.

“It’s kinda cute…” he spoke.

I waited for him to add context to it, glad that it was dark enough to not see my red face.

“The bunny, I mean. Not you. Obviously.” He scoffed.

“I’ll take it as a win.” I smiled.

We stayed quiet, turning our backs to one another as they pressed up against each other. I ignored the heat on my face and the fact that we're so close together.

“You should get a fan. It’ll make this room cooler and it’ll be great background noise for this awkward silence.” I spoke.

He sighed. “Yeah. I will.”

Parts: One, current part, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten (to be continued when Spy x Family has more Yuri content!)

Want more Yuri content? Check out the Want more Yuri content? Check out the Yuri Briar Masterlist!

Have any requests? Check my masterlist to see the characters I write for: Masterlist (Please request, I have too much free time and too little fics).

114 notes · View notes

littleavengerfics · 2 years

Note

Hey, can you do a Wanda nat x little reader where Natasha and Wanda are arguing because Nat keeps coming home from missions injured and Wanda is tired of seeing Natasha hurt. So maybe she breaks up with Nat to protect herself and y/n. But Nat doesnt want to leave y/n or quit her job. Then y/n hears them and gets upset then maybe blames Wanda.

Sorry this is long but can you do the prompts with Natasha saying it if possible.

"I will always be here to protect you."

"I've got you baby."

Thanks

It's not enough (WandaNat x little reader)

Warnings: break ups, separation, mentions injuries, arguing. Angst

"Hey babe, I'm back." Nat announced placing her keys down on the table, leaning on it with a sigh. She was exhausted, she had barely slept in weeks, just throwing herself into her work. It became so extreme that her body and her relationships were beginning to suffer.

"Hey." Wanda watched from the doorway as the russian straightened up and limped over to her. "Hi my love." Nat let out a hiss of pain before placing a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. "Sit down, let me take a look." Wanda said firmly, visibly agitated by the woman's state. "You know I can fix myself up, I can take care of myself." Nat chuckled, however Wanda didn't find it funny.

"Clearly you can't, this is the third time this week you've come home like this." Wanda guided Natasha down to a seat before pulling the first aid kit closer. "I can't keep doing this Natasha."

"You don't have to, I told you I've got it covered."

"I mean it Nat. I can't do this anymore." Wanda whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Nat looked at her in disbelief. "What- What do you mean?"

Wanda took a shaky breath, dabbing the Russian's wound. "It's not fair on me and it's not fair on y/n. Youre hardly home anymore and when you are you're in bed curled up in pain. It hurts me Natasha." Nat's eyes began to water as she watched a single tear roll down her lovers cheek.

"It hurts me to not see you for days at a time. To tell y/n that their mama isn't coming home for dinner or bath time, that you wont be there to read a story or hold them when they have a nightmare. I have to break their heart everyday and hear them cry into their pillow knowing theres nothing I can do to bring you home."

"Babe, I love you, I love our family. I will take some time off, I will reduce my hours… I'll do anything please don't say it." Wanda stood up, turning away from the redhead. "I wanna break up. I can't deal with it anymore." Nat felt her heart break into a million pieces. "No no you don't mean that." Nat stood up taking Wandas hand from behind. "Give me a chance please. I will do whatever it takes." "I can't ask you to do it. That job means everything to you, I don't want you to gove that up for me but it's the only way I can carry on with us." Wanda said quietly, pulling away from the spy.

"Come on there must be another way we can work it out. I love you and y/n so much and you love us too. That has to mean something." Wanda nodded in agreement.

"It does, but its not enough. Loving you isn't enough to heal the pain i feel when I wonder if you are gonna come home. Or the pain in my stomach I get when the phone rings and I prepare myself to hear the worst news I could think of. It's not enough anymore."

Nat nodded slightly, the tears still falling off her face that she didn't even bother to wipe away. She didnt know if she'd ever experienced such emotional pain or if she had ever cried as hard as she did in that moment. "I'll go get my stuff." She said trying to hide her voice breaking in the middle but the sokovian still heard it and it made her stomach turn.

"No mama dont go." Both of them turned to see you clutching your stuffed animal under your arm.

"Hey baby." Nat dried her face before walking over to you. "Mama pease stuffies name doesn wan you to go."

"I know baby but it's gonna be okay, you still have mommy and… I am only a phone call away. So if any of you ever need me. I will always be here to protect you." She smiled looking between both you and Wanda.

You let out a sob, throwing yourself into the Russian's arms. "Mama." You cried into her neck as she held you tight, ignoring the pain in her side. "Mama's got you little one, I've got you baby."

Nat stayed hugging you for a while before pulling away, "I will see you soon, I promise. Mommy will look after you tonight but I will call you before bed for a bedtime story. How does that sound?" You looked at your mommy who was avoiding Natasha's eyes.

"Come on baby." Wanda swallowed, taking your hand and pulling you towards her… and away from your mama

Nat grabbed her bags and blew you a kiss before leaving. "I love you dorogoy!" She smiled, peeking her head out from behind the door.

"It's going to be okay love." Wand asmiled down at you but you pulled your hand away. "Is not otay! You made her weave. Dis is all your faults!" You shouted before leaving, taking your stuffed animal with you.

Wanda flopped down onto the couch before sobbing into her hands. She allowed herself a few moments to feel before she straightened herself out and went to speak to you.

"Y/n can I come in?" Wanda asked knocking on the door twice. You didn't respond but the witch entered anyway. "You know we love you right? We always will no matter what me and your mama are going through, I promise it will be okay."

You felt a kiss land on your forehead before the sokovian retreated back to the living room.

You pulled the blankets up higher so they covered your face, you wanted to hide. Maybe if you wished hard enough when you lifted the blanket Wanda and Nat would be there smiling at you lovingly and this would turn out to be a bad dream. Maybe they could stay together.

Maybe it was enough.

#Littleavengerfics #littleavengerfics #little reader #sfw agere #natasha romanoff #mommy natasha #mommy!natashalittle!reader #wanda maximoff #mommy wanda maximoff #Mommy wanda maximoff x little reader #Wandanat #Cgwandanat

328 notes · View notes

mdhwrites · 3 months

Text

Jumbled Thoughts: Romantic Rivals With Spy x Family

"What do you mean you love him!? You may be best girl, the tsundere and the one who spends 90% of your screentime with him but I'm in love... With..." "You want to go get a drink as a consolation prize?" "Yes please." And then I'm going to poison her drink so he can be all mine!

A lot of good, long term romance works have what can easily be identified as the romantic rival, regardless of how actually effective those rivals are. A character essentially designed to be an obstacle between the main couple and true love. There's a lot of forms this can take and luckily, anime has given us two great examples recently with Spy x Family's Yuri and Nightfall... But first let's get a few things out of the way.

Despite my bit at the beginning, a romantic rival actually doesn't need to be a direct competitor. Quintessential Quintuplets' romantic rival is the 5 girls' father and it'd be real creepy if he was actually trying to bang him.

"SIS!"

We'll... We'll get to that. No, instead the point of a romantic rival is simply to be someone who has to lose if the main couple ends up getting together. Their happiness and desires are essentially impossible if the main couple's happiness is achieved. That's why they're a rival since there can only be one winner. The most direct way to do this is with someone else who loves one of the two MCs but it can take on a lot of forms.

Secondly: For them to be a rival, they do actually need and investment in the potential of the two MCs being together. The best rivals are likely going to relish in destroying what might have been just as much as they'll enjoy either capturing the one they love or dooming them to misery. For their role to function though, they can't be unaware of what they're doing. Otherwise, they fall more into cruel twists of fate or comedic interventions depending on the severity of the moment and the tone it's portrayed with. Like Joe from Big Time Rush moving for her work isn't because her agent is a romantic rival, whoever they are doesn't care about the romance going on, it's just business. One that tragically breaks up the head of the band and her.

We did get one hell of a song out of it though. (Yes, I loved this show as a teenager and still think their music slaps incredibly hard. Also, I'm linking this video because it portrays more what happened but I do think the 2020 acoustic version done during lockdown is better.)

youtube

Another thing necessary for the character to be a rival though is that they are inherently a bad option. While one could call all the girls in your typical harem romance rivals to each other, it's better to call them contestants. They all have a real, viable case for taking that spot of best girl/boy, both in the hearts of our MC and of the audience. You are supposed to be okay with any of them getting with the main character. They are simply a competing ensemble.

A romantic rival is a villain. Even when not explicitly portrayed as one, you're supposed to want them to lose. They VERY rarely are real people besides maybe a sob story but that's not really the point of them. Romantic rivals are meant to elevate something into soap opera levels of drama, not for a nuanced discussion of love. A way to heighten the stakes and force the cutesy, potentially eternal lovey dovey elements of a work into what will be an even more satisfying conclusion.

Or for some EXTREMELY funny jokes. Speaking of, let's get into Spy x Family.

Nightfall versus Yor.

Yuri versus Loid.

Or, er... Well, see, why these two are so useful is that we actually have an incredible romantic rival and one that mostly entirely falls flat on his face in the role and is arguably the worst element of the show to me. As such, let's start with him: Yuri. Yor's baby brother.

He is a member of the secret police, the best at what he does despite such a young age and has a sister complex. Like... 80% of his character is sister complex. 19% more of that is screaming about his sister and then 1% of him makes you remember "RIGHT! This guy actually claims to be a functional human being!" Yuri's inability to actually function as a person is one of his biggest flaws because that single minded obsession makes it hard for him to really have more than a handful of jokes, all of which just increasingly become more stale (at least for me) as the show went on. That's a real shame too because as a rival to Loid, he's actually about as good as you could ask for.

See, while I have problems with Yuri, his failure in this role actually has a lot more to do with Loid than himself. A rival is meant to push the couple out of their comfort zone, potentially make them fuck up and do something that will upset the other, or challenge some aspect of a person's love for their partner. Loid... Doesn't have any of these traits. His whole gimmick is being the man with a thousand faces. To have so many layers, you'll have cried an ocean by the time you get to the core of this onion. That also means he has no comfort zone to push him out of, only fuck ups because of himself and...

Well actually, this is the one way I think Yuri does screw up as a potential rival to Loid. He makes big declarations about whether or not Yor and Loid's love is real but his love isn't real either. He doesn't actually know his sister. He doesn't engage with her genuinely, just like Loid doesn't. He has this nostalgic, permanent image that would take literally seeing his sister kill a loyal citizen to the country in order to even crack. That's not actually more genuine than Loid using her like he does. The only difference is that one will never ask Yor of anything and want to stay by her side while the other will only stay until the job is done. It'd be much more effective, in this role, for Yuri to genuinely know his sister and be able to call things out because of the genuine care versus Loid's artificial care.

Otherwise, what Yuri really does is be a reminder of the world these characters exist in. Someone who genuinely can NEVER find out the secret between the main couple, that they're not married nor actually in love, or else Loid is a dead man and Operation Strix is over. That's because Loid is an enemy of the state so while Yuri would lock him up for the wrong reasons, he is still one of the few people who could actually cause trouble if only he knew the truth. Too bad Yuri has been a spy for like an entire decade less than Loid and so Loid can run circles around him also making this tension somewhat tenuous at best.

He is only a threat in essentially the same way anyone is. In that he cannot know the secret. That is the exact opposite of Nightfall, Yor's rival.

Nightfall is a fellow spy from Loid's agency. She actually was a pupil of Loid's and mistook being told you can't have emotions on a mission to mean she must deaden all emotions. She is also a super spy on a similar level to Loid, making her the idea working partner for him.

But that lack of emotions is also why she can never be Loid's romantic partner. Yor is a bundle of energy and a precious cinnamon roll who wears her heart on her sleeve and couldn't help but be earnest even if she tried not to be. She is exactly the sort of warm, open person that Loid needs to ever make him consider retirement. To peel back the layers so that he can one day be himself instead of one of the many faces that he has. She will only ever love Loid... Not Loid's job or codename: Twilight.

Immediately we have the reason why these two contrast and why you will never root for Nightfall. Nightfall loves Twilight. Loves the image and ideal of Loid as this unstoppable super spy who she could essentially conquer the world with. Who she could help alleviate the woes of before they both get back to work. She'd be devoted but to all the wrong needs of Twilight. We even know she has the skills with which to do it, something Yor very clearly lacks as putting her in the kitchen is a surefire way to attempt mass genocide.

Not to say Yor is incapable of challenging Nightfall in a more practical way like how Loid entirely destroys Yuri. Yor is still superhuman in her physical capabilities which is why despite how clumsy and dumb she can be, she's still a very capable assassin. It's just that being an assassin is essentially all she's good at, besides empathy that is. Yor's care runs deep, just like how deep the tennis ball she sent into God only knows where is or the ball she played with Anya with when she did her own signature shot. Since Nightfall can't convince Loid to drop Yor due to her wifely duties, she does only have this and one other tactic to use against Yor and here she fails ENTIRELY.

The other one she's a lot better at. See, in her eyes, Yor is a bad wife. Yuri thinks the same about Loid but as a bad husband. Unfortunately for our cinnamon roll, she does not have Loid's confidence or the homely skills to back that up and so questions about her capabilities, especially with a smooth motherfucker like Twilight, shake her to her core. Luckily, she has the empathy and care that helps with Anya and makes her not just a good wife but what is even more important here: A good mom.

Here is where we get Yuri's last failing. See, a good romantic rival should be like any good villain. They oppose not only the couple but the whole premise and theme of the show. Yuri and Nightfall both do actually attack the themes to some extent by asking for stagnation and pulling the two back to their past where they will be trapped in the violence they have known all their lives. This is attacking the Spy part of the title. Only one of them actually says anything about the Family part of it though.

The most disappointing moment of the entire series for me was when Yuri finally interacted with Anya, Loid and Yor's adopted daughter, and hated her. Now, admittedly, his goal of arresting and killing Loid would pretty much certainly mean Anya's death too since she was adopted by Loid. Best case scenario for Anya if Yuri wins is going back to the orphanage but... That's the same case for if the operation that brought these three together fails in anyway. He adds nothing new with this that the base premise of this being a sham family doesn't already add.

Meanwhile, Nightfall knows from go about the operation and her opposition to Yor is specifically so that she can take the place of Loid's wife for the operation. This introduces two new elements that very, VERY few other characters can so directly. The first is that if Nightfall wins, it dooms Anya. Her desire to keep Loid as Twilight, rather than as himself, means that the warmth that Yor and Anya are forcing out of him will likely shrivel back up and die so that when the operation fails, Anya will go back to an orphanage and the family will end.

You also might have noticed that I said WHEN the operation fails, not if. While we haven't gotten it in the anime directly, we know a lot of Loid's methods for getting Anya to succeed fail and Anya at least likes Loid enough to try. Yor has made monumentally better strides in getting Anya to listen, be better and try harder than Loid ever has because, well... Anya is six. She doesn't need a cold, calculating spy, she needs parents and Yor's earnest and honesty makes her a great parent who is constantly trying to do the best for her child. From the brief glimpses we get of what Nightfall would try to employ as a parent, we have good reason to assume she'd fail just as hard as Loid has and so either Anya would run away, happy to be away from a family that no longer has Yor's warmth and has a slowly deadening Loid, or she'd be sent away once the stress and pain of that environment crushed her.

It is a unique threat that quite only someone from Loid's agency can present and it's a much more interesting reason to hate Nightfall and want to see her fail than Yuri just hating Anya regardless because he sees her as an extension of the sister stealer. It makes her a genuine villain that the regular populace can't replicate. It also allows her more dynamism as she'll do whatever she has to to gain the place of Loid's wife, even act kind to Anya, until finally she no longer needs to. She's a spy after all and this is her mission.

There's one other element here though I want to give a shout out for that is actually easy to overlook for romantic rivals: I want Yor, Twilight and Nightfall to be in a polycule. For Loid and Nightfall to finally have a real conversation and fix the lesson that has poisoned Nightfall so thoroughly. For Yor's kindness to help Nightfall see herself as a real person and not a slave to her image of Twilight. Hell, I even do want to see Nightfall be able to help shore up Yor's skill weaknesses and give Loid someone who can 100% understand his worldview, even as they both fight against keeping up those barriers. Nightfall is mostly a joke, mostly played for comedy but her genuine care for Loid, and how much it devastates her to fail, makes her into a more complex, sympathetic villain who you don't want to see be splattered on the pavement.

I... Well, I won't say Yuri is such a bad character that I want him literally dead but if he got shipped over to this world's version of America for the rest of his life, I would not miss his presence. He is a creep, a man child and quite frankly the best ending for him is probably to literally never be able to see his sister again so as to grow up as a person. Even that implies I even care enough to want to see him grow though as two seasons in, I don't really care. He has ONE truly great sequence that shows his potential and even it shows his critical flaw as a romantic rival: It has literally nothing to do with Loid or Yor. He is only an interesting character outside of the context of those two.

And for a narrative role who's whole job is to complicate and add excitement to the context of the main couple, that makes him a complete failure. So for as great as yuri is in most contexts, make sure you don't write the character Yuri if you're trying to make a good romantic rival. Not unless you wish for night to fall on your story and leave it in the dark.

======+++++======

It's kind of fun how much romance anime I've watched in the like past six months. It's still only three series, Kaguya, Quintessential Quintuplets, and Spy x Family (the last of which is SO many genres) but it did help me have some actual examples when I finally sat down and wrote this. Also, I'm currently poking at theoretically going back to my roots and writing a harem story, though also keeping it PG-13 like my current stylings so honestly, have any anime recommendations for me?

Also, this is probably another Jumbled Thoughts post that goes too much into the example, even if highlighting how Nightfall is a good contrast to Yor is so important to understanding what a good romantic rival looks like.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#spy x family #loid forger #yor briar #yuri briar #nightfall #jumbled thoughts #Romantic rivals

17 notes · View notes

bookish-whore · 1 year

Text

Illicit Affairs Pt.II

Eris x Reader

Words: 1.2k

Warnings: idk probably angst

A/N: Welcome to Day Six of my 1k Celebration!!! It's been a long week and tomorrow is the last day. So, I just want to thank you for coming on this journey with me ❤️ Today's fic is part two to this and I initially had a longer idea planned but the more I thought about it the more I just wanted two people who would never work together and go their separate ways, So I kind of kept it short and sweet.

My Masterlist -> Here

Join my Taglist -> Here

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

I couldn’t sleep.

I spent all night lying awake in my room, thinking about that moment. The way he had apologized before introducing me to her.

His fiancée.

Katerina.

Eris.

All of it had just become so complicated and I had no idea how it had all spiraled so fast.

I had reached out to Azriel asking to be removed from this mission because it had all become so personal. He had agreed to pick me up tomorrow he was smart not to ask for details because I think having to explain that I fucked Eris and compromised my position would definitely change the nature of our working relationship. All I knew is that I needed to get out of here and he needed to assign someone else this task.

I figured I would spend my last day walking the grounds of the house. I had always felt so at peace in nature. Surrounded by trees out here I didn’t have to pretend, I could simply exist. I found a spot with a huge tree that had branches that hung down over the river and I climbed onto it, laying my body over the strong oak allowing my fingers to skim the surface of the water.

I had brought a notebook with me, and I planned to write out what I had so far, I needed to see things in front of me to put them together so I could give the next spy the rundown of what we had gathered so far.

As I worked, I listened to the sounds of the river rushing past and I tried not to think about him but my luck seemed to be against me as a familiar voice disturbed my contemplation.

“So, this is where you have been hiding”

I rolled my eyes, tucking my journal into my bag as I stood on the branch making my way towards solid ground.

“Gods, can’t you just leave me alone” I groaned as I attempted to walk past him.

He grasped me around the arm “Please y/n, just let me explain” he begged

“I don’t want an explanation Eris, I want you to leave me alone” I gritted as I pulled my arm from his grip

“I was going to tell you about her”

“Oh, you were. Was this before or after you fucked me?” I asked

“It wasn’t like that y/n” he said “I wasn’t trying to trick you or lead you on. I swear when I came to your room my intention wasn’t to sleep with you.”

“So, the flirting was unintentional as well?”

“You didn’t seem to mind it.” He retorted

“I’m not the one who is engaged!” I yelled

“You think I want to be?!” he yelled back. I was startled at the volume I didn’t expect him to yell back. My shock must have been clear on my face because his next words were a normal volume. “It is my duty to take a wife, a match that will produce strong heirs and Katerina she was chosen for me she comes from a noble family and she knows the court, she knows her duty”

“Then I should offer my congratulations” I said sarcastically turning once again to leave

“y/n please” Eris begged

“What more is there to discuss Eris?” I asked allowing my desperation to seep into my voice. I didn’t want to have this conversation with him of all people. Not when it was so raw, not when I felt so vulnerable about it.

“You aren’t just some other woman I slept with” he said

“What do you mean”

“I mean this-this connection between us. You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked tucking a stray hair behind my ear as he stepped closer to me.

“Please don’t” I pleaded

“Y/n…come on this has to feel like a sign. I mean you show up in my court after that amazing night we spent together when you didn’t know who I was. When you didn’t look at me like Eris Vanserra, when you didn’t immediately assume I was the big bad wolf because of who my father is or because of what I have done in the past. I was allowed to just be me.”

“Eris you are engaged” I reminded him, but I think I was really reminding myself of this not so insignificant fact. “There was never a future for us we just got caught up in the romanticism of it all”

“You know when my father brought her to me and told me I would marry her I refused and do you know what he told me?” he chuckled at the memory “He clasped me on the shoulder and said ‘my boy duty is the death of love’” he paused a moment as if deep in thought “I will marry her because it is my duty and you will return to your court and find some nice man who can fuck you decently and we will both remember the fond time when I was just a man at a ball and you were just an emissary in my court”

“I suppose there are worse fates” I said my voice cracking at how this felt, it felt like a goodbye but it also felt like all of the unsaid words between us, the unspoken promises we had whispered against each other’s skin, the unexpressed opportunity that we both found ourselves missing.

I went home the next day without so much as a goodbye.

A few months later I heard he was married from Rhysand. I went home that night and sobbed, I didn’t really understand why because we weren’t anything to each other besides a few stolen kisses and a few nights we spent lost in each other.

But I still reminisce on that brief time when he was mine and I was his and the world didn’t matter.

I guess that’s the thing about illicit affairs.

They end, and all you’re left with are the burning memories and promises that would be unfulfilled.

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

Tune in Tomorrow for the final day ❤️

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

Taglist (All Fics) ->

@cherryjain17 @we-were-beautiful @moonfawnx @cityofidek @daily-dose-of-sass @marvelouslyem @moonlightazriel @frieddesigninspiringquotesslime @indaybella99 @gray08 @dreamsofivy @gorgeouslysent @viradeity @kennedy-brooke @maddistyles17 @thewarriormoon @pixiestix13 @lucyysthings @a-frog-with-a-laptop @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @purplevitagen @devilsfoodcake22 @lillithathecat @baby-is-crying @nightcourtwritings @lastwandastan @marudersarehot @georgiastars13 @percyjacksonspeen

#acotar fanfiction #acotar fanfic #acotar series #eris vanserra #eris x reader #eris x y/n #eris x oc #azriel shadowsinger

111 notes · View notes

miguelsfangservice · 7 months

Text

BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT III

Pairing: Miguel O'hara x F!Famous Idol Reader

Warnings: Angst/comfort, fame has caused reader a lot of pressure and insecurities.

Summary: It doesn't matter he's at HQ trying to keep the multiverse afloat, your face, your voice, your smile and laugh follows him everywhere.

No, he is not losing it (yet); it's just that it’s kind of inevitable when most spiders under his command are... how did Gwen called it? Ah-staning you?

Well, he can't really complain, it's his girlfriend, after all.

PART I, PART II, PART III

“I’m telling you, he’s been seeing someone” Peter chants while gently bouncing Mayday on his arms, trying to soothe her enough to fall asleep. “That or there’s something super shady going on with him”

“Why are those the only two options for him according to you?” Jessica questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Those are the extremes of all the situations I could imagine for Miguel.”

“Him dating someone is something extreme for him, Peter, really?”

“Ok, you know what?” he rolls his eyes, and looks at Jess completely offended by her refusal to help him figure out what’s happening with their boss. “If he’s not seeing anyone, his behavior is still kind of worrying, don’t you think? Like, even while talking about all the stressing stuff about our work, he seems worried about something else. Miguel does NOT worry about anything else BUT work, Jess. You gotta admit that.”

“It’s just…” she whispers, looking away from Peter, unsure. “It feels kind of out of character from him, don’t you think?”

“I guess so, but maybe he got tired of…you know, the loneliness of the job.” Peter says looking down to see Mayday finally asleep, he smiles and thinks about his friend, of how much he would like to have something like what him and Jess have. “He deserves to have someone who’s there for him when he goes home.”

Jess smiles, thinking about her family, about the warmth that comes after a long day saving her New York and other universes.

“We should ask hi—”

“We clearly need to spy on him”

❃❃❃❃

Miguel entered the apartment with a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the night's events on his shoulders, it’s been hours and the sun is starting to rise in the horizon, but there’s still some left-over adrenaline. All he wants is to get on the bed and hug you, he knows both need that.

The sight of the scattered clothes in the bedroom and half-finished breakfast worries him. Everything your company (specially that annoying manager of yours) is making you do isn’t healthy, it’s going to harm you sooner or later and he needs to find a way to stop it.

Miguel is used to deal with a hundred Peter Parker’s stubbornness, he knows his way around most of them…but with someone who mirrors his own stubbornness? No way in hell that, if he tried to dissuade you to leave the company, it would go well between the two.

Besides, this is his first relationship in years. He doesn’t want to mess this up, he needs you so bad to the point Miguel feels like he could die if anything were to go wrong, separating you from him.

It’s not healthy, he’s aware of that. But years of trauma and solitude had taken their toll in several aspects of his life, especially in the relationship-love department.

He broodingly picks up the clothes and finishes your breakfast, then goes to bed and tries to get some sleep…tries and tries for what feels like hours, but he can’t stop thinking about you.

You were probably exhausted, hungry and stressed out of your mind.

Miguel looks at the clock on the wall, at 1:00 p.m. he knows you get your one and only break of the day. Miguel can visit you then, bring you some food and try to cheer you up, maybe if he’s nice enough with godawful Ashley she could let him stay for the rehearsals.

It’s not a secret that Miguel despises her and he knows you do too, so, it makes him feel a bit guilty to think that, out of all the people in your and his life, Ashley is the one who knows about your relationship.

You had told him it would make it easier for him to get into the building if she knew, instead of having him sneaking around after long exhausting days saving the multiverse.

Deep down, he recognized the same could apply to his people at the HQ. Especially Jess and Peter, who could probably give him decent relationship advice.

With those thoughts on his mind, he changed clothes, took the keys of the apartment and headed to your workplace.

❃❃❃❃

Ashley leads him through the building, trough tons of hallways covered in mirrors.

“Dios, qué asfixiante es este lugar.” ( God, this place is so suffocating) He mumbles.

“Hm?”

Miguel politely smiles and shakes his head. Ashley keeps walking in front of him.

She kept talking about how much your effort was benefiting the company, backhanded praises and just saying stuff Miguel felt bitter about, he knew that even if she was telling him good things about you, she did not mean them, Miguel was aware of how bossy and cruel she could be to you if her demands were not reached.

“If only your girl could up her game, you know?” she was using an upbeat tone, but Miguel was not stupid, he could sense pettiness in her voice.” Lose some weight and be on time she could ready for something more.”

Miguel couldn’t help but scuff and clench his fists.

“I think we both know she’s already more without any of what you mention she supposedly needs to do.” Miguel's response was laced with a sharp edge, his tone far from the usual 'normal citizen Miguel' as you liked to call it. Instead, it resembled the 'mean boss Miguel' that you sometimes reprimanded him for when he took annoying calls from Peter. “She has prepared herself for this her whole life, she’s more than ready for it, she’s already doing more than enough, wouldn’t you say?”

He kept walking, Miguel could see the door to the rehearsal room so he decided to ignore her silence and the few seconds Ashley stopped right on her tracks, watching him walk away from her.

Miguel was about to knock on the door, your sweaty and exhausted self-opened the door. Your eyes grew big and a smile started to appear on your chapped lips; Miguel tried to offer you a warm smile, but seeing how pale and absolutely tired you were clenched his heart, his mind aching to do something, anything to take you away from this place.

“Miggy, what are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe we could find some nice place to eat on your break, cielo.” He can feel Ashley’s presence behind him and he confirms she has catch up with him when your eyes divert to her.

“I’m sorry, love. I- I have to finish this one, but we could eat together tonight, right?” you whisper, your gaze nervously diverting to Ashley. Miguel looks over his shoulder and catches your manager practically giving you a death glare before shifting her attention to Miguel and forcing a tight smile.

Miguel had enough.

“You did not finish your breakfast and barely got any sleep” he hisses. Miguel does not intend to make you think he’s angry with you, but his anger towards the situation is threatening to overtake his rational side and with all the bitterness he can muster without fully showing his anger he says: “Even Ashley here can tell with how pale and shaky you are, although it wouldn’t be convenient for her to admit it.”

“I don’t think I like whatever nonsense you’re implying here” Ashley retorted, her face red with contained anger.

“You know exactly what I’m saying here, stop manipulating her!”

“Miguel, enough! I’m fine! I’m not even hungry—”

“You need to understand, you may not be feeling bad right now, but if you keep this up it’s going to do more damage than good, you know that, right?” Miguel softens his voice, moving closer to you.

He feels his stomach drop when you step away from him.

“Cielo, this place, this people” he almost hisses those words, pointedly looking at Ashley. “Cannot be the only way to get what you want, please…I’ll help you find a way, trust me with this. You’re talented, hard worker—”

“Stop” you whisper, you don’t even have the energy to stop your tears. You look around and there’s people looking at the scene now.

“You are enough, love. Don’t let them tell you otherwise just so they can fill their bags with money!”

You can hear the desperation in his voice, his eyes pleading. But it’s all too much, his words, the whispers of those who know nothing about you, about Miguel… and the relentless stare of Ashley, of this damn company that gave a nobody like you a chance to fulfill your dreams.

Overwhelmed, you felt the emotional weight of the moment bearing down on you.

“Leave, Miguel, please”

Your heart hurts at Miguel’s utterly devastated face. Even with the mental fog the stress is giving you, you are quick to regret your words, he was only trying to help, and while this wasn't the best approach, you know feelings are hard for him.

Miguel composes himself, gives you a nod and starts walking away.

“Miggy, wait—.”

“You need to leave too.”

You turn to look at Ashley, to people who didn’t know her, the expression on her face denoted nothing…but most of your day was spend with her and you knew that look.

Not only were you frightened, but you also felt completely humiliated, you felt like a child being scolded by its mother.

How in the world could you end up like this?

Behind Ashley, you look at your reflection.

Really looked at your reflection, for the first time, not to judge your body or your dance moves, but to actually see what they were making of you.

You felt a familiar warmth engulf your tiny hand compared to his. Looking up, you saw Miguel looking at Ashley solemnly, you imagined this was the expression he made when he gave orders to the hundreds of heroes under his command.

“Let’s go, cielo. You need to rest.”

❃❃❃❃

A/N: I'm so sorry this took me so long! I was having a hard time writing this cuz I didn't know what direction i wanted all of this to take. But I hope everyone can enjoy this! I'll love to hear your thoughts!

#miguel o'hara x y/n #atsv miguel #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara #spiderman 2099 #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel spiderverse #miguel 2099 #miguel spiderman #atsv #spider verse

36 notes · View notes