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#i’ve had a lot of the same questions i will respond eventually. maybe. we’ll see
littlemsterious · 10 months
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i was thinking about that post comparing Jessica Rabbit as an asexual to Barbie and an asexual and then i thought of the Neil Gaiman post (was it a post?) about Crowley and Aziraphale being asexual sexless and then this happened.
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anyways. thoughts?
sorry it took so long I meant to do this a week ago but my brain is full of rocks.
[Image ID a three sided venn diagram. the big circles show Margot Robbie's Barbie sitting in front of a mirror, Jessica and Roger Rabbit from the poster of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens standing back to back. Between Barbie and Jessica Rabbit it says "sexualised by society". Between Jessica Rabbit and Aziraphale and Crowley it says "Knows what sex is". Between Aziraphale and Crowley and Barbie it says "no reproductive system(?)". the center is the asexual flag. End ID]
Also i haven't seen the Barbie movie as of this edit so at least please tag your spoilers.
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Note
I'm sorry for adding on to your pile of requests but I just wanted some family fluff with sbi where all of the siblings are having fun on a road trip or vacation
I don't know if that's specific enough for you if you want a little more detail maybe they're just being really dumb and making stupid videos with each other because that's something my sister and I do a lot
(A/N): I hope you don’t mind that I added Kristin and Tubbo (BASED ON THE CHARACTERS, NOT ACTUAL PEOPLE). Real life AU btw (no covid tho)
Okokok so this is deadass something Philza and Kristin is both dreading and looking forward to
1. They love spending time with their family especially now since yall are getting older and don’t spend as much time together anymore/getting ready to fly the coop
2. Have you met the SBI fam? Chaos incarnated.
After packing, yall set out on your trip to the hotel yall rented for a week or so (about an eight hour drive away from the house)
You and your twin Tommy 100% smuggle Tubbo underneath all of the luggage and a blanket
You’ll just ask them for forgiveness when you’re about halfway through
It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission 
Wilbur and Technoblade catching you hiding the stowaway and blackmailing you both into doing their chores for a few week 
Seating: Phil and Kristin in the front, Tech and Wil in the middle, You and Tommy in the back, and Tubbo in the trunk (it’s a mom van)
Before getting too far into the trip, a gas station is raided for snacks and drinks
Philza raising a brow at the amount of food you and Tommy get 
Philza’s eyes were torn off from the refrigerator in front of him by his wife lightly nudging him. Looking at her in question, she raised her eyebrows and pointed at their youngest kids. It looked like they were just looking at the Monster drinks, so why- oh god the last thing he needed was two already hyper teenagers hopped up on Monster trapped in a car for eight hours. Before he could go over there to stop them, Kristin grabbed his arm. 
“They’re up to something. Listen to what they’re saying.”
He strained his ears to hear what you both are whispering to each other. “...e like this flavor?”
Tommy shrugged, “I dunno. I’ll text him.”
As Tommy texted someone, Phil looked back at his wife. She wore a similar wary expression as they both stared at each other. He nodded in confirmation, “definitely. How do you reckon we confront them?”
He watched as his wife thought for a moment before she sighed and looked at him with a hint of excitement in her eyes, “let’s wait to see. It might be a pleasant surprise.” 
“What? Are you mad?” He eyed his youngest gremlins once more. It seemed that they finally decided on a flavor and are now moving on to the snack portion. He looked back at his wife and felt his heart skip a beat at the small grin on her face. “...fine. Let’s just see what they’re doing after they do it.” Oh, the things he does for love.
He kept a very close eye on you two after that 
You both are on your phones for longer than usual
Texting Tubbo so that he wasn’t lonely 
Tubbo has fun with hiding too, never being bored at all
The only thing that he (and you and Tommy) struggled with was holding in his laughter
You jumped as you felt someone gently slap your shoulder. Turning around, you saw Tubbo’s hand peeking over the backs of the seats. You glanced at your parents in the front seats, they were deep in conversation. Good. You saw Tommy stifle a laugh and pull out his phone to record. 
Tubbo made grabby hands at something but you didn’t know what he wanted, so you decided to mess with him a bit. Smirking, you put your earbuds in his hand. It snaked back underneath the blanket before he threw it back at you and did more intense grabby hands. You put your metal water bottle in his hand. He did the same thing before he threw it back at you. It collided with your forehead with a loud bong sounding throughout the car. Tommy started to laugh loudly and ended the video. You followed suit in the laughter as Tubbo’s hand froze midair and quickly slinked back into his lair.
All noise in the car came to a halt as they all looked behind them (well, Phil glanced through the rearview mirror suspiciously) to see you and Tommy laughing your asses off with you holding your forehead. Through blurred vision, you could see Kristin looking at you with worry and Techno and Wilbur looking confused and mildly annoyed.
“(Y/n) honey are you alright? What happened?” You opened your mouth to respond, but only wheezes came out making you laugh harder. You could hear Tubbo silently cackling to himself in the back, the blanket shaking slightly. Without being able to speak, you only nodded your head and gave her a thumbs up. 
Tommy sent the video into the siblings' group chat and you could see over Wilbur’s shoulder as he watched it before starting to cackle and save the video to his phone. Even Techno got a good chuckle out and saved it to his phone making Phil and Kristin even more suspicious. Well, Kristin was just excited for what you two (four? Was Techno and Wilbur in on it as well?) had planned. Phil could just imagine the chaotic things you had planned. And he did not like what came to his mind.
When the rest stop came eventually (about three hours into the trip), you all left the car to stretch your legs and take care of business
Taking separate ways to walk in pairs (same person they sat next to in the car)
You and Tommy wait until Phil and Kristin leave before getting Tubbo out of the trunk
You three vibe walking along the winding sidewalks for a bit before you come back to the car and get Tubbo back into the trunk
You, however, forgot to use the bathroom so you leave Tommy and Tubbo in the car 
“Fuck, I forgot to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
“Be quick, I’m not fuckin telling em if we forget you.”
“Pfft, they won’t forget me. Stop joking around.”
With that, you left the car and made a beeline to the bathroom. After that, you went back to the car. Well, where the car was supposed to be. There was no sight of a van anywhere in the parking lot. That asshole, he just let them drive off? He and Tubbo’s probably giggling to themselves in the backseat like school girls. You were only gone for like eight minutes. 
Sighing, you walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, pulling up Techno’s contact and calling him. 
He picked up after a few rings. The second you heard the dial tone stop, you spoke to him, “check the backseat.”
“What? You’re taking a nap, why’re you calling me I’m literally right in front of you.”
“Just fuckin check, Tech.”
In the background, you could hear Tommy snickering to himself. You heard some rustling before Techno started laughing, “Dad, we left (y/n) at the rest stop.”
“YEAH YA FUCKIN DID!” 
You could hear loud laughter from your brothers and muffled cursing from Phil. You heard Kristin tell Techno to hand her the phone. 
“We’re so sorry, we’re turning around right now. We’ll be there in about five minutes. Stay in one place and don’t talk to strangers.”
“I dunno Mom, that trucker looks really friendly. Might do some hitch hiking with him.”
You ended up befriending an old lady when she sat next to you on the bench with her husband. She even gave you some butterscotch and those strawberry hard candies that all older people somehow have but you can never find in stores. Her husband was telling you stories about his younger days when you saw the familiar van pull into the parking lot. Waving goodbye, you thanked them and hopped back into the car. 
After profuse apologizing from your family and scolding Tommy for tricking them, you were on the road again. You glared at Tommy with a small smile on your face, “you fuckin prick. Did you seriously make it look like I was sleeping under a blanket?”
“Yeah, I told you that I wouldn’t tell them if we forgot you.”
“You fuckin dick,” you grabbed a few butterscotches and strawberry candies and handed some to Tubbo after ensuring your parents weren’t looking. He took them gratefully and quickly. You heard him whisper a ‘thank you’ and opened them with plastic crinkling. 
“Wha- are those butterscotches? Gimme some.” He was about to snatch them out of your hands before you moved away from him. “No, you left me at the rest stop. You don’t get any. Do you guys want some? I’ve got butterscotches and strawberry candies.”
After you handed them out to your family, Phil looked at you confused in the rearview mirror, “(y/n), where’d you get these?”
“Oh, I just made some friends with an old couple while I was waiting.”
“You what? What if they kidnapped you?”
“Naw they couldn’t’ve. Ethel has hip problems and Charles was in a wheelchair. They were chill anyway.”
“...Just- just don’t do that again.” “Well don’t forget me again at a rest stop three hours away from home and you got yourself a deal.” 
After a while the family was chill again and everything was back to normal
It was getting closer and closer to when Tubbo would make his reveal
You three agreed that Tubbo would just wait for the perfect time 
That time came about three hours later when Phil and Kristin was asking everybody where they should stop for food
“So kids, we have three options: McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Arby’s. What do you want?”
“Wendy’s is obviously the superior choice.” Tommy proclaimed and you nodded in agreement. You leaned back and whispered to Tubbo, “now would be a great time.” You pulled out your phone to discreetly record the front seat. 
“No it isn’t. Arby’s is you heathens.” Wilbur chimed in, glancing at his twin for back up. Techno shrugged, “I’m fine with anything as long as it’s edible.”
“I’m more of a fan of Wendy’s myself!” Tubbo’s muffled voice chimed in from his makeshift hut in the trunk. You snickered as Kristin whipped her head around to look at the back seat and Phil’s eyes snapping up to look at you through the rearview mirror. 
“...Tubbo?”
“Hi Mrs. Tommy and (y/n)’s mum!” You flipped the camera around just in time to catch Tubbo poking his head out of the blanket and grin sheepishly at them. You panned over to Tommy’s ruby red face as he was holding in his laughter before flipping it back to the front. 
“You absolute gremlins, this is what you’ve been hiding?” Phil scolded you and Tommy, his knuckles whitening from gripping the steering wheel. You could see his shoulders bouncing slightly with a slight strain in his voice from holding in chuckles. 
“Honey, have you been in the trunk this entire time?” 
“Yeah, but it’s quite comfy back here! Tommy and (y/n) gave me pillows and some snacks. Got some stretching done at the rest stop.”
“You’ve been back there for six hours?” Phil’s incredulous voice asked. 
“Yep! Don’t worry, I had a lot of room. Anyways, my vote goes to Wendy’s.”
The car was quiet before Kristin started to laugh, “Wendy’s it is. See Phil, I told you it was gonna be a pleasant surprise!”
Tubbo sat between you and Tommy in the backseat for the rest of the trip 
Techno and Wilbur saying that they knew Tubbo was back there but left out the blackmail part
There was no way they’d risk losing their little siblings doing their chores for them for a few weeks
At the hotel, the rooming was the same as the seating in the car
You, Tommy, and Tubbo having the time of your lives alone in your hotel room
Jumping on the beds, checking for hidden cameras and double sided mirrors (well, that doesn’t sound fun, but you had fun doing it), truth or dare, racing each other down the halls at night time, the works
B L A N K E T  F O R T S (but always cleaning up the hotel room in the mornings bc yall are respectful to the staff)
Getting plenty of videos of you guys ding dong ditching Techno and Wilbur’s room
Them getting tired of it so they tell Dadza and Momza and they tell you to stop : (
Walking around aimlessly around the hotel hallways with Wilbur and Techno
Going up and down elevators aimlessly 
Pulling an all nighter with Tommy and Tubbo on the last day
Philosophical late night talks when yall hardly know what you’re saying anymore (and becoming closer than ever before)
“Tommy, Tubbo?” You three were currently sitting on the balcony chairs looking out at the empty parking lot and the occasional cars driving by. It was about three in the morning and you guys were determined to stay up all night. “If you think about it, a hotdog is puréed meat in an intestine casing. When we eat the hotdogs, we turn it back into puréed meat. It eventually goes through your intestines which makes you the hotdog for a solid couple of hours.”
“...What the fuck, (y/n).”
“No no, they’ve got a point. Don’t you understand, Tommy? We are hotdogs.”
“...I’m starting to think you guys need sleep. Speakin nonsense.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Do you two reckon we’re alone in the universe?”
“What do you mean, Tubbo?” You glanced at the male next to you and raised an eyebrow. He was looking up at the stars with furrowed brows. 
“Like, do you guys think there’s life out there. Looking down at us right now wondering the same thing.” 
You hummed and looked up at the stars. They were twinkling down at you with the occasional shooting star blazing by. Red lights from far off satellites being the only visible sign of humans in the dark expanse of space. “I think so. I mean, nobody knows how big the universe is. You never really know.”
“Honestly I don’t know what’s scarier, being the only lifeforms and being completely alone or having things out there that we don’t know about.” 
You sling an arm over your twin’s shoulders, “that doesn’t matter. As long as we have each other, we’ll never be alone. We’ll face whatever the universe has in store for us together.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I don’t know, I just hate it when people only see me as the loud annoying one. It really gets to me sometimes and I don’t know what I should do about it. Fuck, even Wil and Tech see me like that.”
“Toms, fuck them. They don’t know you like we do. You’re caring, ambitious, and brave.” 
“Yeah, don’t listen to what they say. We’ll prove them wrong when we form our own nation one day.”
Tommy’s sullen expression slowly melted into a smile, “yeah, I’d like that. You’d be the president.”
Tubbo grinned back at Tommy, “and you’ll be my trusty vice president and (y/n)’ll be our Secretary of State. We’ll rule together.”
“Our nation would be a place for people to escape tyranny and injustice. Somewhere where men could live free, you two would be amazing leaders.”
“What do we call it though is the question,” Tubbo hummed in thought.
“How about ‘Manberg’?”
You looked at your twin with half lidded, exhausted eyes, “I like it, but it needs more… pizazz. How about L’manberg?”
You watched as he smiled widely at the stars, “it’s perfect.”
Watching the sunrise together on the balcony wrapped in blankets
Sleeping on the rest of the way back home
Best sleep of your life
When you wake up (about an hour or so away from home), you see that there’s blankets over you three and you had your head on Tubbo’s shoulder, Tubbo had his leaned up against the seat behind him, and Tommy’s cheek was squished against the window
You stretch out your limbs a bit trying not to disturb the two beside you
Checking your phone to see pictures of you three sleeping sent into the family group chat with Kristin replying with a bunch of heart emojis
You send the videos and pictures you took along the way of you, Tommy, and Tubbo doing stupid things in the hotel room and in the car
If you looked in the middle row, you could see Wilbur watching the scenery pass by out the window with his earbuds in
Techno is reading one of his books (you have no idea how he doesn’t get car sick)
Phil and Kristin are talking lowly to each other holding hands on the center counsel 
Soft radio music is playing in the background
Life is good
General taglist (comment if you want to be added):
@crybabyjabby  @izzybobizzy13  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @bunnyz-pxstel  @averytiredfanfictionwriter  @dcml04  @sparkling-gayyyy  @bbigbbrainn  @thaticecreambish  @kiinokochii  @satansphatass  @bxkubitch  @bxmentchildxx  @roxy3457  @montygator17  @feverish-dove  @the-fictionwriters-hairdo  @jichuuchaeng  @404rynnotfound  @luluwinchester  @laura--444  @the-cult-classic-bitch  @youngstarfishdinosaur  @nottheotheruser
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benditlikepress · 3 years
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one good movie kiss
here for @sunforgrace 's thesis statement: give dean one good movie kiss and he WILL be alright
“Are you avoiding me?”
Dean’s hand stills in the air above his cup of coffee as the voice cuts through the kitchen.
Cas is standing in the middle of the room in an ill-fitting sweater and his hair is dishevelled as though he’s been tossing and turning. He looks so unremarkable, so human, it makes Dean’s breath catch in his throat at the reminder.
It’s been three days since Cas got back and it occurs to Dean when he speaks that it’s the first time they’ve been alone together. Awake, that is: Dean realised early on that difficult conversations couldn’t happen if you’re asleep. Thank god for Cas’ Empty-rescue hangover.
“No. I’m not avoiding you.”
“OK. Good. I was worried that after what happened things might be weird between us, but I suppose that’s unavoidable.” Cas pulls a face that’s a little self-deprecating.
I’m fighting the urge to run the hell away from you, Dean thinks. To stay the hell away from you before I do anything else to hurt you. Before you make a reckless decision to save me, again, or say something so brutal and true that my legs give out from under me and I’m left sitting alone on the floor wondering how the hell I’m supposed to do this on my own.
I’m fighting the urge to wrap you in my arms and never let go.
“I’m not avoiding you, Cas. I just.. I’m trying to figure out the stuff I have to say to you.”
“I understand. I know everything that’s happened recently is a lot to contend with.”
“Yeah, that’s an understatement.” Dean coughs and stands up, tapping his hands against his legs for something to do. Cas is looking at him expectantly and Dean knows he deserves answers but how is he supposed to do that? How do you even begin to explain to someone that their mere presence in the room has your breath hitching? “But it’s not.. you. It’s not you I’m avoiding. It’s just. Y’know. The stuff you said before you..” He doesn’t say it. He can’t. Cas blinks.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise. That’s – god, that’s the last thing I want. I’m just.. trying to get my head around it.”
“I meant it.”
“I know you did. I know that. I just.. I believe you, and nobody’s ever really said that stuff to me and meant it before. So I don’t really know how to talk to you about it. But I.. so long as you know I appreciate it.” The words are too fast and Dean doesn’t know if that’s more or less embarrassing than the way he’s stumbling, pathetic half-words forcing their way out of his mouth.
“OK.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
And it’s that simple to him, apparently. He doesn’t ask Dean for anything else. It pisses Dean off, actually – he wants Cas to ask him. Maybe if he’s forced to confront it the words might come out a little easier.
“I mean, you know that I.” Dean stops again abruptly and jesus christ why is there a lump in his throat? “It means something. To me. It means a whole lot, actually. Maybe if it didn’t it’d be easier to talk about. There’s stuff that I wanna.. stuff I need for you to hear. That you deserve to hear, when I get my head out of my ass. Because I don’t feel like I deserve any of that crap you said to me, but you deserve to hear things back.”
It feels like a monumental admission but it’s clearly not the thing on Cas’ mind as he frowns.
“You think you don’t deserve that? You really believe that?”
“Honestly? I’ve never believed it. I don’t know why you give me the time of day half the time, man. And you don’t have to.. argue about it, or anything. I know you want to. It’s just how I see it.”
Cas thinks about that for a couple of seconds, eyes boring into Dean so deeply he half-wonders if he can’t still see his soul. He walks further into the room but doesn’t approach Dean – not really. Just takes a couple of steps between the distance.
“I won’t argue. Not now. But I hope I can make you understand that you deserve it. Happiness, peace.. love-” The word has Dean’s mind reeling, flashbacks and heat rushing “– I spent a long time believing I couldn’t accept them for myself. I thought too much had happened, or that I wasn’t built to be capable. You allowed me to think differently. I want you to do the same.” Cas looks down and taps his hand on the edge of the table as though he hasn’t got Dean’s heart in the palm of it. He looks up again and his expression is breath-takingly earnest. “Dean, the things I said barely touch the sides. I don’t know if I could ever put into words the impact you’ve had on me since we met. I just wanted you to understand. I needed you to understand how other people see you, even if you can’t see it for yourself.”
“Message received.” Dean responds like a fucking asshole but Cas smiles all the same, warm and knowing and in a way that fills Dean with the relief of being understood.
“I can give you space to think about things if that’s what you want. I know I’ve put you in a difficult position.”
“It’s not difficult. Probably not for anyone else except me.”
Dean smiles in derision and Cas returns it but it’s pity and sadness and love and Dean’s mouth closes. “It was difficult. I threw things at you that’d been on my mind for a long time and didn’t give you any time to process it.”
“I’ve had weeks. Weeks and weeks, and I still can’t.. I think until I saw you again I had no idea how to understand it. Looking you in the eye and thinking about it-” Dean closes his eyes and pushes away black ooze and secrets and everything else that threatens to flow over the things he wants to remember. Tears in Cas’ eyes and his smile so bright, brighter than Dean even thought him capable.
He’s looking at him now like he might break.
“I’m sorry, Cas. I know I’m not-”
“I know exactly what you are, Dean.” The words are clear and sincere and Dean wonders if there’s anyone else in the universe capable of arresting him so simply. “I’ll leave you to it.” Cas eventually nods at Dean’s breakfast and smiles, dipping his head as he starts to leave.
“We’ll talk. We will.”
“I know we will.” He smiles a little as he turns to walk away and suddenly Dean’s heart is in his mouth at the sight of the back of his head.
Say something. Say something.
“Cas.” Dean calls too quickly, too desperately, and when he turns to look at him with naked expectation all of the wind is knocked right back out of his sails. “I… fuck, Cas. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
He smiles with complete and utter sincerity, and god he has to stop doing that. Stop accepting Dean’s bullshit as though it’s nothing. Shout, argue, anything.
He’s leaving. He’s still leaving, he’s turning away and suddenly Dean’s legs are propelling him through the kitchen of their own accord.
Dean grabs his arm and yanks him around, the force of it making Cas briefly stumble a little before he straightens his feet and looks at Dean with a wide-eyed confusion that makes Dean’s heart hammer in his chest.
Dean brings his hands up to cup Cas’ face around his ears on his neck and jaw, in a way he has before and convinced himself wasn’t ever possible when they weren’t battling life or death. Cas’ stubble is a little longer than usual and he strokes the line of it with his thumb, watching as Cas’ mouth falls open just a touch in the echoing silence.
Dean takes his time, registering every mini-movement of expression in Cas’ face as he understands what’s happening. His hand comes up to Dean’s wrist but doesn’t push it away, rather grips it for dear life as though he’s afraid it’s going to disappear. When Cas’ eyes travel down his face Dean takes it as invitation and closes the gap between them, pressing his lips lightly but surely against Cas’.
At first Cas’ are stunned frozen against his and Dean starts to panic that he’s made some kind of earth-shattering error in judgement before the hand on his wrist relaxes and he feels a pressure against his mouth. Cas’ lips are a little chapped, like always, and Dean feels his eyelashes flutter.
He opens his eyes reluctantly as he pulls away, not sure what he’s expecting to see (rejection? Lucifer? nothing at all?) and almost slams them shut again when he finds Cas peering at him with such utter arresting devotion he thinks his knees might buckle.
Dean’s hands drop to his sides of their own accord, suddenly absolutely terrified, but Cas doesn’t move away in return. In fact, he brings his hand to Dean’s cheek and Dean’s sure he must look like a fish opening and closing his mouth in stunned silence before suddenly Cas moves in to kiss him again, other hand coming up to grab his face and hold him in place as his lips are ferocious and impassioned against his own.
And this, this is more like it, Dean’s barely able to think as Cas’ mouth opens and his tongue plays along the line of Dean’s own lips, his heart hammering in his chest as he hears a noise in Cas’ throat as he allows him entrance.
Cas kisses like he’s never going to get another chance: like Dean has granted him a once-in-a-lifetime wish that’s going to get taken away at any moment. He’s hungry and sharp and warm and Dean feels breathless as he lowers his hands from his face to his neck and then to his hip, pulling Dean sharply against him as Dean’s own hands cup his jaw and try desperately to gain a semblance of control.
There’s stubble scratching his face and he tries fleetingly to explain away the flushing burn on his skin as a by-product of it, but then there’s a hand riding up his shirt onto on the bare skin at the small of his back and it’s on fire.
Where the hell did Cas learn to kiss like this? His head is spinning before he can ponder the question and fingers on his back are steady and grounding even as Cas’ tongue and lips and breath have him practically able to feel the earth spinning beneath him.  
The kiss slows steadily and then all at once as Cas’ lips lighten against his, and he feels him exhale against his skin in a release that Dean himself is desperate for. He knows it’ll come, eventually: in every moment he allows himself to open like this, touch on his skin making him feel alive.
Cas pulls away and Dean feels a longing form deeply and harshly in his throat that barely stops him from yanking him straight back in again. He forces himself to open his eyes, wondering if Cas can see water pricking in the corners of them.
“Don’t give me space, Cas. I don’t want it.” He manages to say though his voice sounds foreign and weird to his own ears, like it’s formed by someone else. There’s that smile on Cas’ lips again and he feels a desperation to say something, anything, that’ll keep it frozen in time. “Just stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know.” Cas’ own voice is quiet now and Dean’s fingers somehow find themselves reaching out towards Cas’ hand, pulling it a little.
“You wanna do something today?” He says, just for something to say. Anything to prolong the moment.
“OK.”
“Sweet.” Dean nods and tips his head away, running a hand through his hair to try to gain some composure as Cas smiles at him as though nothing’s happened.
Dean has to pinch himself to check that it has.
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thebookreader12345 · 3 years
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Bullpen Chatter
Pairing: Hailey Upton x Kim Burgess x Best Friend! reader (plus Jay Halstead x reader)
Summary: Y/N and Jay have been seeing each other in secret for months, and after noticing Y/N's change in behavior, Hailey and Kim want to find out who the mystery guy is
Requested: Yes, by anonymous
Warnings: slight swearing
Word Count: 1,698 Words
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"Hey. Where are you going?" Jay asked me sleepily as he noticed me getting ready.
"I've got to get home and shower and stuff," I reply and continue throwing my clothes on.
"I have a shower, and you have clothes here," Jay pointed out.
"I know, but my landlord is on my ass for never being there. Something about me wasting the space," I murmur.
"So then move in with me," Jay spoke. I froze in place for a few seconds, my mind running a mile a minute. I then turned around to face my boyfriend, who was still laying in bed.
"Really?" I question.
Jay nodded, a small smile lighting up his face. "I mean, if you want to. We've been dating for almost 8 months now, and I don't see my feelings for you changing any time soon."
I grinned widely and climbed back onto the bed so that I was laying on top of Jay, and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. "I would love to move in with you. But you do know that because we're moving in together, we're gonna have to tell the unit that we're dating, right?"
"Give me a few days to prepare, and then we can tell them," Jay said.
"Okay. Now, I really do have to go if I'm going to make it to work on time. See you later," I tell him and peck his lips one last time before taking off. At my apartment, I took a quick shower and threw on some new clothes, barely making it out of the door in time to get to the district. After parking my car, I walked into the station and up the stairs, putting my hair into a ponytail as I did. When I got to the bullpen, I was surprised to see only Hailey and Kim sitting at their desks. "Morning, guys," I greet the two women. "Where are the guys?"
"I think I heard Adam say something about a donut run," Kim mentioned.
"Gotcha," I chirp and make my way over to my desk. Kim and Hailey both glanced at each other, confusion settling onto their faces. "What?"
"The past few months, you've been acting different. A good different, but different," Hailey noted.
"Yeah. You're always so cheerful in the mornings when the rest of us are miserable. So spill it. Who's the guy?" Kim quizzed.
I choked on the water I was drinking and coughed a few times to clear my throat, glancing up at my two co-workers. "What do you mean?"
"A girl only acts like you do when there's an amazing guy in her life," Kim answered. "So tell us who it is?"
"I never said...how'd you...shut up," I stammer, a slight blush rising to my cheeks.
"So there is a guy," Hailey stated. "When do we get to find out who it is?"
"Uh, give me a few days to get back to you on that," I confess and turn my attention back to the paperwork spread across my desk. At that moment, Adam, Jay, and Kevin walked up the stairs, their arms all filled with goodies and drinks.
"Hey guys. What's going on up here?" Kevin asked as he set down a box of donuts.
"We were just trying to get Y/N to tell us who see's seeing," Kim responded. My eyes darted to Jay, and I could tell that he was trying not to smile as he passed out coffees.
"Hold up," Adam interjected. "Y/N's got a boyfriend? Why am I just hearing about this now? Who is it?"
I groaned and set down my pen. "We're not talking about this right now. And I know you've all got paperwork to finish up, so you better get it done before Voight gets here in 10 minutes." The conversation stopped after that, but I knew the issue would eventually come back up, and at one point I'd have to talk about it. It just wouldn't be today
Time-skip Two Days
I was sitting in the interrogation room with files spread out all over the table, my hands occasionally moving the files around so that I could get a better view of certain ones. Lets just say that I was behind on paperwork, and I needed to get everything done before the end of shift. And being in here gave me more space than my desk did. I was just a little over a quarter of the way done when Kim and Hailey entered the room, taking up the two seats across from me.
"Uh, can I help you guys?" I question and sign another piece of paper, sticking it into a file to signify that it was completed.
"We'll be asking the questions here," Hailey cut in and folded her hands in front of her.
"Yeah. This is an official interrogation," Kim added.
I huffed. "Guys, if you couldn't tell, I've got a lot on my plate right now. And just because we're in the interrogation room does not make this an official interrogation. I could walk out of here right now if I wanted to."
"Who's the mystery man? Just tell us," Hailey pleaded.
"Hailey, Kim, I love you both. You're like sisters to me. But this," I exclaim and gesture to what was going on, "is insane."
"Y/N," Kim groaned and reached over to grab onto my arm. "Just tell us who the guy is! We want to know who's making you happy!"
I sighed and set down my pen. "So if I give you both some answers, you'll stop bugging me?"
"Yes," Hailey and Kim answered at the same time.
"Okay then. I won't tell you his name, but I will let you both ask some questions. But be aware that I'm only going to answer vaguely," I warn.
"Yes!" Kim cheered. "Okay. How long have the two of you been together?"
"8 months," I reply. "We're actually thinking about moving in together."
Hailey smiled. "That's amazing. Where does this mystery man work?"
"He's also a first responder," I respond.
"Wait a minute. Do we know him?" Kim quizzed.
"Maybe," I say and stand up, gathering my files as I did. "That's all for questions. Talk to you guys later!" And with that, I sped out of the interrogation room to get away from my two best friends. That night, back at Jay's apartment, the two of us were sitting in the living room eating pizza, a movie playing on the TV.
"Hey. You ever get that paperwork done today?" Jay asked and took a bite of pizza.
I shook my head. "Kim and Hailey wouldn't stop bugging me about the mystery man I was seeing."
Jay chuckled softly. "Well, I'm ready to tell everyone whenever you are."
"Right. Whenever I'm ready," I murmur.
Three Nights Later...
Our case was finally over, and all I wanted was a night off. So, everyone decided to go to Molly's to celebrate and let loose for a bit. Hailey, Kim, and I were sitting at the bar, drinks in front of all of us. I was sipping my beer lightly, waiting for Jay to arrive. I had told Kim and Hailey that my mystery man would be at Molly's tonight, so both of them were on the edge of their seats.
"Would you both settle down? He'll be here shortly," I tell him and take another sip of beer.
"We're just excited," Kim spoke. "You've been dating this guy for 8 months and haven't said a word, so he must be one hell of a guy."
"Oh, believe me, he is," I declare. Just then, the door to Molly's opened, and Jay stepped into the bar, immediately making eye contact with me.
"Jay! Over here!" Hailey called out and waved him over to the three of us. Jay made his way through the crowd to get to us, and as soon as he was close enough, I hopped off of my bar stool, grabbed him by the shirt, and brought his lips down to mine. I could feel Jay smile against my lips as he kissed back, his hands automatically gravitating to my waist. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, but as soon as we pulled apart, I saw the shock etched onto my friends' faces. "Hold on a minute. My partner, the guy I've been working with for like 2 years now, is the mysterious man you've been dating for 8 months?"
"Surprise," I chirp and lean back against Jay's chest.
"I don't even know what to say," Kim confessed. "How did we not know the two of you were together?"
"We're just great at hiding it," Jay answered and gave my hand a small squeeze. "I'm gonna find the guys, okay? It's only fair that they know now too."
"Okay. We'll be over there in a few minutes," I say. Jay nodded and pecked my lips quickly before heading off to find Kevin and Adam amongst the crowd.
"So? What do you guys think?" I ask.
Hailey smiled. "You guys seem happy together, so I'm happy for you. Even if you did hide this from us for months.
"Yeah," Kim agreed. "We're just glad that you're happy."
"You guys are the best," I exclaim and finish the rest of my beer. "All right, next drinks are on me. It's the least I can do for making you two wait this long to find out who my boyfriend is. But, Hailey, I think the real question here is, 'What's going on between Kim and Adam?'"
Kim's face flushed a deep shade of red, and she gulped down the last of her beer. "Herrmann, we need some more drinks over here!"
"Oh, you're not getting away that easy. Y/N and I will hound you until you tell us everything," Hailey claimed. "But you're lucky that we just found out about Y/N and Jay, because right now, that's all I want to hear about. So Y/N, tell us everything."
I let out a mix between a sigh and a groan. "Okay. I guess we'll start out with our first kiss."
________________________
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seriouslysnape · 3 years
Note
Hi i would like to request severus x reader where its their first time together and reader guides sev bc he‘s a virgin ?
Okay, so I’ve been putting this one off. It’s such a good idea, I wasn’t sure how to tackle it. However, I’ve been thinking on it for a few days, and I think I did this request justice!
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A Fast Learner
Severus Snape x Fem. Reader
Warnings: Smut.
Word Count: 3,066
“Shh. It’s okay.”
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He had become very self conscious about it over the years. Well, he was self conscious about a lot of things, but especially something like this. It was embarrassing that he had made it this far in life and had never been intimate with someone. He knew it was mainly his own fault. He had spent his life saving himself for someone who wasn’t even around anymore, and someone who never loved him the way he did her. 
Now, he was well into his adulthood years and he had yet to have sex with anyone. He had quite honestly accepted long ago that he’d never allow anyone to take his virginity. To most people, a person at his age with their so-called “v-card” still intact was odd and even a bit weird. Even if he did find someone he cared enough about, he would have NO idea what to do and it would be so off-putting that they’d likely run for the hills. Severus, as disappointed as he was, was convinced he’d live out the rest of his days as a virgin. 
That was until he fell in love with you.
He admittedly didn’t expect it. You seemed rather average to him in the beginning. He failed to see how you were any different than anybody else he had ever encountered. The more time he spent with you, though, the more he saw in you. You were probably one of the most patient and understanding people he had ever met. You were an efficient communicator and an even better listener. You were a picture perfect person. He eventually found himself in a relationship with you that exceeded having dinner and private talks in each other’s offices. 
For the first time in Severus Snape’s life, he had a steady girlfriend. 
As thrilling and exciting as that was, it also caused a whole new set of worries for him. Having a girlfriend meant that he was going to have to be fully intimate at some point. It wasn’t something he could keep putting off the way he had been. You had a gut feeling that Severus had never had sex before. At first, you brushed his hesitation off to just being nervous. However, you began to notice the way he visibly would shrink away any time your make out sessions began to heat up. If nothing else, it explained why your relationship seemed to move at an aggravatingly tortuous pace. 
He’d become fidgety when you tried to reach for his belt or when your giggles turned into breathy moans. He would simmer down the situation before it could ever evolve into more, which he hated to do. He knew you were dismayed whenever he did so. You were a beautiful, young woman who had needs. It wasn’t fair that you had to push your needs aside because of him. He definitely didn’t want you to begin to think that it had something to do with you. 
He had never told you upfront that he was a virgin, and he hoped that maybe he would never have to. Whenever he did build up the courage to make love, perhaps he could get away with not saying anything. That dream was rather short lived when you finally questioned him one night after he turned you away once more. 
You had been snuggled up next to him on the sofa in his living quarters, just chatting after a long day when your kisses became a little more heated and you ultimately ended up in his lap. Your knees were on either side of him so you were in a straddle position, kissing him with passion and desire. He kissed back as always, but you could feel the hint of uncertainty as his lips worked with yours. You kept in mind that this was usually the part where he’d stop you or get himself out of it. Still, you rolled your hips downwards into his crotch, your fingers finding his belt and beginning to unbuckle it. 
As expected, he stopped kissing you and gently gripped your wrist. That was his signal for you to stop, to which you would normally just smile reassuringly and move on. However, you pulled your hand from his grasp and rested both of them on his shoulders. 
You were intently looking at him, reading his guilt-stricken expression.
“Severus,” You began; “Is there something you want to tell me?”
He knew exactly what you meant. It was only a matter of time before you began to question him. 
“I don’t know what you mean.” He said, letting the lie slip through his teeth.
You never averted your eyes from him. He wasn’t leaving until you obtained some answers. You wrapped a lock of his charcoal colored hair around your finger and twirled it mildly. 
“Most men barely wait for their girlfriend to make a move on them. With you, it seems like you don’t want me like that.” You pointed out.
Severus was quick to answer, because this was exactly the thing he didn’t want you to think.
“No, no. I do. I really do.” He said truthfully.
Make no mistake, Severus did want to have that level of intimacy with you. He just couldn’t push himself to that point. He never wanted to disappoint you in any way, and he just knew his skills were probably little to none. You were confused at his response.
“Then why do you always push me away when I try?” You queried.
He sighed heavily. It was a fair question for you to ask. He would’ve probably asked the same if he were in your shoes. It was humiliating, but he knew he couldn’t hide it any longer. He took a breath and told you that he was a virgin. He half expected you to get up and walk out or go tell every living soul you knew. Instead, you smiled kindly and let out a soft laugh that wasn’t at all intended to be a mock towards his confession. He clenched his teeth as he awaited your reply. You moved your right hand to cup the side of his face.
“Oh, Severus...is that all?” You asked sweetly.
A feeling of surprise and relief fizzled through his body. He had been waiting for a much heavier, dramatic reaction. 
“Well, I...it’s not really something I thought I’d ever tell you.” He explained, avoiding your gaze.
“You didn’t think you could keep it from me forever, did you?” You wondered. He didn’t respond, so you went on; “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I can help you.” 
He let out an irritated huff. You could tell he was beyond embarrassed.
“You shouldn’t have to.” He said.
You kissed his forehead, encouraging him to embrace the situation a little. 
“I want to. It’ll benefit more than just me. Your first time should be special. I want to make it special,” You acknowledged; “But only if you want to. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
He was at a crossroads here. He wanted to do this, but he was still nervous. There were a million ways he could go wrong and mess up, but he also never thought there’d be anyone willing to offer a hand to him as an adult virgin. He realized that he loved you too much to keep treating you this way...so he agreed. He couldn’t help but nervously chuckle at your blinding smile. You were eager to teach him. He’d be a master in no time. 
“I promise we’ll go slow.” You declared, whipping your shirt off of your head. 
Severus felt a surge of heat go through his body at your breasts that were now VERY prevalent to him. His eyes widened and his stare lingered on them like a kid in a candy store. He looked over the black, lacy material of your bra and how it perfectly accented them. His cheeks burned a fiery red that he tried to hide, but to no avail. You bit your bottom lip to hold back a smile.
“Blushing already, Professor?” You asked teasingly. 
If he was already this flustered, you couldn’t wait to see him when you got to the good stuff. His eyes snapped back to yours, he sheepishly apologized.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
You hushed him, putting a finger to his lips.
“Shh. It’s okay.” 
You took his hands, bringing them around to your back. You maneuvered his fingers to unclasp your bra, and you slowly pushed the straps down your arms until it fell to the floor. His cheeks turned a darker shade of red now that you were fully exposed to him. He didn’t even try to confine his stare now. You spoke softly. 
“You can touch them if you want.” You granted.
“Touch them?” He asked.
You giggled lightly.
“Yeah, S. With your hands...or your mouth.”
He decided to go with the first option, not confident enough in his skills yet. His hands were trembling a tad, as he brought them up to your chest. He was awkward at first, sort of just fondling with them in an amateurish way. Your nipples grew hard at the feeling of his large hands on your soft skin. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he leaned forward and took one of your nipples into his mouth. He sucked firmly and swirled his tongue over your breast. A satisfied gasp fell from your lips, startling him and causing him to stop.
“Are you alright? Did that hurt?” He asked frantically.
You let out another laugh.
“Sev, I was moaning.” You told him.
He shyly grinned.
“Oh.” 
He took your nipple into his mouth again, his confidence slowly but surely beginning to build. You brought a hand to the back of his head.
“Kiss my neck.” You instructed.
He nodded, moving his lips up to your neck and kissed where you guided his head to go. You grinded your hips down onto his lap, a groan falling from his throat. You could feel his growing erection through his pants. You smirked, knowing the real show was about to begin. 
“Let’s move to the bedroom.” You said, persuading him up from the sofa.
You took him by the hand, leading him to his large bed. You debated for a moment over what the best approach to this was. You thought for a minute that maybe it would be best if he stayed on the bed and you rode him, but you figured that he wouldn’t learn much out of that, however it would be pleasurable for him. You wanted his first time to be special, as you had previously mentioned. You decided to go traditional missionary, that way you could talk him through it. 
You laid on your back, laughing at the way Severus was ogling over you. You motioned for him with your finger, and he timidly climbed onto the bed. He instinctively placed one of his knees on either side of you, which was a good start. 
“Move down a little.” You requested. 
He shifted down a bit so you could unfasten his belt and his pants. He helped you get them off, throwing them aside. You did away with your skirt and panties, now fully naked in front of him. He was fully hard now, your hand palming at his evident erection. He let out a soft groan, feeling amazed at how he had never been touched by anyone else like this before. 
He sprang free once his boxers were thrown aside to join the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Your eyes gazed at his length, raking him over. You snapped out of your trance, taking him into your hand. You stroked slowly and softly, just enough so he could see how it felt.
You knew this was going to be a tedious process for the first time, you didn’t want to completely overwhelm him and ruin it for him. He let out a stuttered sigh at the feeling of his dick in your hand. He had of course rubbed himself like this before, but it was totally different when it was being done to him. His sounds were alone enough to make your sex become slick with wetness, but you reached for one of his free hands.
“Take these two fingers,” You said, pushing his side three fingers down, just leaving his middle and ring finger. You brought his fingers to your heated sex; “Now, just gently-”
You were stunned when he began rubbing in circles, slowly but firmly. You wriggled underneath him, not prepared for him to do it so well. You let out a groan at the waves of pleasure building through you, he kept his eyes on you with a rather concerned expression. He was still afraid of hurting you or messing up. 
You stopped stroking him, taking his wrist and directing his fingers towards your clit. He knew he had hit the spot when you breathed out his name in a way he had never heard you before.
“Severus...” You exhaled.
He felt a burst of pride. Maybe he really could get the hang of this. He could feel the wetness spreading around his fingers, which is when you knew to stop him and move on with your instructions. You were beginning to realize that Severus was a fast learner. He’d have this in no time. You were a little breathless now, which swelled him with even more confidence.
“Take one of my legs and wrap it around your waist.” You said.
He took your right thigh into his hand, securing and hooking your leg around him. He noted that was how he’d be sure that you wouldn’t get too far from him. He was beginning to put pieces together.
“Okay, when you’re ready just push yourself in. Go slow at first.” You said, lining him up with your entrance. 
His tip just barely was touching you, he looked to you, stricken with a bit of panic.
“[Y/N], I don’t want to hurt you.” He said, registering that this was the part he was most scared of.
You shook your head. Half in desperation for him and half to reassure him. You put his hands on your hips so he’d be steady once he did start to move. 
“You’re not going to hurt me, Sev. I promise,” You said truthfully; “Just go at your pace. I’ll tell you if it hurts.”
You knew it wouldn’t, but it made him feel better to hear you say it. He took a breath, and leisurely pushed himself in as far as he could. You both let out a synchronous moan. He didn’t move for a second, wrapping his head around how damn good this felt. You didn’t expect him to stretch and fill you the way he did, so you were a little scattered when you spoke next.
“S-Sev, pull out a little, and then go back in again.” You said.
He gingerly pulled out, and went back in. He watched each time he moved in and out. He saw the way your eyelashes fluttered each time he went back in, and how your grip on his bicep tightened. You weren’t used to such a slow speed, but you didn’t want him to go fast if he didn’t feel like he could yet. However, you did try to convince him to pick it up a little.
“A little faster. If you want.” You said, really hoping he’d get the hint. 
He did get it, and began to rock his hips faster, filling in the pauses that he had been taking between tortuous thrusts. He had figured out a rhythm now, his movements becoming monotonous, but gloriously good. He watched as your breasts bounced each time he pounded back into you, and how your mouth fell open with noises that were music to his ears. 
You knew Severus was getting the hang of it, so you gave him another request.
“Take my leg and put it on your shoulder.” 
He gave you a puzzled look, thinking that there was no way that would actually do anything. Still, he draped your leg over his shoulder and he thought he might just collapse. He was slamming into you at a new angle that was a total game changer, and created a whole new feeling of pleasure. 
He knew sex was supposed to feel good, but he never thought it would feel THIS good. It was a bit of an accident, but he rotated his hips and you let out a high-pitched shriek that even he couldn’t mistake as a bad sound. You smirked at how he was now hitting your sensitive spot each time he went back in.
“Severus, you feel so good. Holy- yes, that’s perfect.” You cried out.
He didn’t dare speed up or slow down, if he had it right, he wasn’t going to mess with it. He continued to pound into you, alerted when he felt himself twitch inside of you. He assumed that meant that something was happening. Your own inner coil was growing hot, which was a delight to you, because you honestly weren’t sure at first if you would even finish since it was his first time. You arched your back to meet his thrusts, both of your releases coming quickly.
“Darling, I think I’m about to-” He was cut off by another one of your moans.
He felt the muscles in your leg contract, as you came around him. He thrusted a few more times before he did as well. A flash flood crashed over every nerve in his body. Your arms rested above your head as your chest heaved with each inhale. He slid out of you, falling next to you on the mattress. His head was spinning.
He had just lost his virginity. Something he had kept so private and locked away. He thought that maybe he’d be a little sad, but he wasn’t. He was beyond joyed to have lost it to someone he cared about so much. He leaned over, kissing your neck and nibbling on your earlobe.
“How...how was that?” He asked, a little apprehensive to hear your answer.
You looked over at him, a flashy smile and a voice full of honesty.
“Severus Snape,” You said; “You are one fast learner.”
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baekhansol · 3 years
Text
prologue: pretty please
pairing: werewolf!jackson x f!reader
genre: werewolf au, fluff, smut, angsty ending | rated: mature
word count: 3.6K
warnings: lying, fluff, oral (f receiving), slight orgasm denial, sort of nipple play (reader on self), unprotected sex, knotting, sort of awful sex I'm sorry jackson, angsty ending, and lmk if i am missing anything!
note: so this is the prologue to a series I am writing!! i hope you all really like it! I actually decided today it fits as more of a prologue than a chapter one, so :p please enjoy and maybe give me feedback idk also i know the smut in it sucks i'm sorry
You often found yourself in the library during the day, studying and doing homework or taking a break and watching anime. You had been sitting there for an hour or so, and it was starting to get busy. It always did around midterms and finals; you were just glad you found your own small table to sit at.
You were working on a paper when someone came up, smiling a bit awkwardly. “Hey, would you mind if I sit here? I’ll be quiet, I promise,” He says, hesitating to sit down. He had an accent that you couldn’t quite place, as it only happened with some words.
When you finish the sentence you were typing and look up, you do your best to hide your surprise at how handsome he was. He was absolutely stunning, making you question your own appearance. “Oh, um, sure,” you say, your cheeks flushing with heat as you make room for him.
“I’m Jackson, by the way,” He says as he pulls out the chair and sits, getting himself comfortable across from you.
“I’m Y/N,” you respond, still blushing.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he says, offering a charming smile as he pulls out his laptop.
The next week at the same time, he showed up again and asked, “Y/N, is it alright if I join you?”
You nod, a shy smile finding its way onto your face. “What are you studying?” you eventually ask him, tilting your head slightly.
“Business,” Jackson says, glancing up at you with a smile. “Actually, it’s my masters and I’m focusing on international business. What about you?”
When you tell him, he listens intently and asks polite questions- the right ones, too. Not the usual ones you always get.
The next week you’re running late and stop at the vending machine to grab your favorite candy. Going to your usual table, you do a double take when someone is already there. You pause awkwardly, only to realize it was Jackson waiting there with a second cup of coffee.
“Oh, hey Jackson,” you say, blushing as you join him.
He smiles at you, pushing one of the cups towards you. “I got you a coffee, just the way you like it.”
You suspiciously tilt your head, taking a sip, only to be surprised that it was the way you liked your coffee. “How did you know?” you laugh, getting out your laptop.
“I know some of the workers,” he sheepishly admits. You laugh and open the candy, offering him some.
“I shouldn’t, I’m on a diet,” he says with a pout.
“Oh, come on,” you scoff, raising an eyebrow.
He playfully rolls his eyes before grabbing a piece.
Soon, every Tuesday you would meet up with Jackson in the library. Before midterms, it became every Tuesday and Thursday until finals, when it was almost every day. It was on one of these Thursdays that he asked you, “Are you free tomorrow?”
You tilt your head, wondering what he was getting to. He seemed to always have plans on Fridays during your normal study time, and you tried not to study too late since the library closed early. “Uh, no, I don’t think so? Why do you ask?” you respond.
“Well, I was thinking that I could take you for a date! If you wanted to, that is…”
You could tell he was a little nervous, and you realized you were staring at him blankly. You let out an embarrassed laugh, nodding. “Yes, sorry, I was just… yes, I would like that,” you admit, shaking your head some.
“Great! I can pick you up after your class tomorrow? Just make sure you dress warm!” he says with a grin.
“You already have a plan? What is it? Tell me~?” you ask, pouting a little bit.
“Nope, it’s a secret!” he laughs, smiling brightly. “You have to wait until tomorrow to know!”
The next day, you woke up early to get ready. You wore warm clothes like he said, and did your makeup cutely but not excessively, especially since it seemed like you would be outside. In class, you were extra fidgety and kept checking the clock. It felt like time slowed, but you knew it was from your anticipation.
Right on cue as class ended, your phone vibrated. Checking it, you noticed a text from Jackson saying he was outside the building.
You all but run out of the classroom down to the parking lot, finding him standing outside grinning.
“Will you tell me what we are doing now?” you ask, giving him your puppy dog eyes.
“Maybe,” he teases, leading you to his car. He opens the door for you and even shuts it, getting in on the other side. “Does hiking sound okay? Then takeout and a movie at my place?” Jackson asks. You see a hopeful glint and the worry in his eyes, and your smile grows.
“That sounds wonderful!” you tell him.
“Great!” he says, starting to drive. “You’ll love it! I go here quite often, and it’s very pretty. I’ve seen some deer and some really neat birds before there.”
“Oh, really? Do you know what kinds of birds?” you ask, curious.
“Well, I’m not sure since they’re not the same as back home, but definitely some owls! I went out later than I should have. And I don’t know if it was a falcon, eagle, or hawk. But those too.”
“I think we have all three here,” you laugh.
“Well, that really doesn’t help identify it any, now does it,” he laughs with you.
“Not in the slightest,” you giggle.
“Well I guess if we see them, maybe you’ll know,” Jackson says, turning onto a gravel road.
“What am I, a bird expert now?” you laugh more.
“No, you’re just a native here,” he responds with a little pout.
“Still not a bird expert,” you point out.
“I know, but you will know better than me,” he reasons.
“Maybe, maybe not,” you say, shaking your head as he parks in a small parking lot.
“We are here!” Jackson says, turning off the car. He leads you over to the map by the trail entrance, glancing at it once before heading down.
“We’ll follow the blue markers this time,” he says, pointing them out on the tree.
“What do they mean? You didn’t give me time to read the map,” you say with a huff.
“They mean we’re going the correct way,” he tells you smartly.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”
“I know. And there’s nothing you can do about it but follow me and find out,” he teases you, taking your hand and leading you.
You’re both careful not to trip over any of the roots or loose rocks, and you start getting glances of white.
“Is that a river?” you ask, glancing at what looked like ice.
“Uh, maybe,” Jackson responded in an unbelievable manner. Of course he knew, he just wasn’t going to tell you.
Eventually, you made it to more of a clearing. Jackson didn’t even have to point to what it was he wanted to show you. You stood in awe instead.
Winter was definitely there, and you knew that since the little fountains on campus were frozen over. But this, this was a sight to behold. The entire river had frozen over, and what must usually be a gorgeous waterfall had frozen over. The water had frozen against the rocks, sharp spears of it dangerously hanging from the main body of water. You swore if the sun was just right, you could see some of the water on the very inside running down inside the thick, frozen ice.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Jackson asks you, his voice hushed. All you could do was nod.
The next Tuesday, you got to the library first. “Want to go on a second date?” you bluntly ask him when he joins you.
He laughs before smiling, nodding. “Of course, I’d love to,” Jackson assures you.
You’re not sure if you can ever end up choosing a favorite date by the time finals end. Your last “date” was taking him to the airport. He was going home for the break, and you wanted to take him.
“I guess this is as far as we can go, huh?” you ask sadly, looking at the security checkpoint.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Y/N,” Jackson says, fidgeting with his ticket as if he were nervous.
“Well, I’m sure everything will go well…” you say, almost more nervous than he was. “I mean, you’ve flown lots of times before, so this shouldn’t be any different…” you start to ramble in an attempt to console him.
He chuckles a little, gently putting his hand on your shoulder before tilting up your chin.
“Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?” Jackson softly asks, his dark eyes meeting yours.
Your heart leaped in your chest. You thought of him as your boyfriend, but you weren’t sure if you were official or not, so it made you a little nervous. But at his question, your lips smiled on their own, and you nod as much as you can for his hand holding onto your chin. “Yes!” you whisper.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks, causing you to blush and nod. Once given consent, he kisses you sweetly.
“I promise I’ll be back soon, okay?” Jackson says as he pulls away and picks up his things.
“Alright… be safe,” you tell him, feeling your cheeks burn.
“I will,” he assures you, kissing your cheek before leaving.
A few days later, when he was over jet lag, you face timed him. You were eating breakfast at the time, and he was eating dinner.
“How are you?” You ask, happy to see him again and hear his voice.
“I’m doing much better now that I get to see my beautiful girlfriend~” he coos playfully, causing you to laugh.
“Okay, okay. How was the plane trip? How are things going back home?” you ask, wanting more details.
“It went well, don’t worry. I am home safe, although it is a bit hectic at times,” he assures you.
“Why is it hectic? You’re on a break~ you need to relax!” you tell him with a huff.
“I know, I know, don’t worry, I am,” he again assures you.
“You better be,” you huff back, pouting slightly.
Just like that, your library dates were replaced with virtual ones. Some days you could only talk for a few minutes, some days you went on for hours. Every now and then, he even would sing you to sleep. You always slept well when he would.
When the holidays came, he ended up sending you a cd of songs he recorded to help you sleep.
When the semester started up again, you would meet in the library Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays this time. You sat at the same table, but also flirted more when you studied. You made sure to keep up your grades, since they were incredibly important to you.
After the initial start up hump of the beginning of the semester, you started to remember something strange about Jackson that you had forgotten or just hadn’t had the time to realize before. It wasn’t quite a gut feeling of danger, but a feeling of something was wrong. He would get sick nearly every month for a few days without fail. In the last week of January, Jackson was out sick for over a week.
The following Monday, Jackson comes back to the library, and you immediately perk up. “Jackson, how are you feeling? Your roommate told me you were sick,” you ask him.
“I was, but I am feeling much better now,” he assures you, smiling.
You felt a tug in your stomach, and you knew he was lying. “Jackson, you get sick more often than… well, anyone I know. What’s wrong?” you insist.
He sighs, his smile faltering. “I have an immune disorder. I don’t like talking about it much, but I often get sick,” he tells you.
So, you believed him.
You believed him until your introductory anatomy course went over autoimmune disorders. He didn’t fit any of the basic descriptions for them. You ended up choosing to do a paper on the topic, so you ended up pressuring him more when he was at your place for a movie date night.
“Jackson, I’ve been working on a paper for autoimmune disorders. I may have to narrow it down to one in particular… So, I was wondering what one you had?” you ask him, wanting to be a supportive girlfriend.
He sighs and seems irritated about it, and you couldn’t quite tell what was wrong. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I just… I feel like I can’t tell you…” he admits, shocking you.
You felt like you had told him everything. You told him about your asthma, how your therapy sessions went, what you wanted to improve on, your insecurities about your body, even sexual things you had thought about eventually exploring with him.
But he couldn’t tell you this? After you told him about your mental health issues? You were shocked and speechless.
After a moment, you finally catch your thoughts. “Jackson… you know you can tell me anything, right?” you say softly, frowning and not realizing you were tearing up.
Jackson’s face softens, and he pulls you into a hug, rubbing your back. “I’m sorry, I know. You’re right,” he soothes, sighing slightly. “I just… don’t want you to hate me or think I am a freak or anything,” he further admits.
“Jackson, I love you. I could never,” you whisper. It was the first time you had said that.
His heart melts at your words, and he started tearing up. You pull away, and he cups your cheeks.
He lets out a short sigh, making up his mind. “Alright baby. Well, I’ll just say it,” he tells you, now opting to hold your hands. Jackson gently squeezes them as he admits, “I’m a werewolf.”
You pause, staring at him as you replay his words in your mind. You then pull away and laugh, shaking your head. “No, seriously Jackson,” you say, feeling anxious. Why would he lie to you?
“I am being serious,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair.
“Then-then prove it,” you say, but it comes out as more of a question.
Jackson sighs softly, tilting his head some. “Alright. Count to ten and come into your room,” he says, going in.
You huff, counting out loud.
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
“Four.”
“Five.”
You stand up and head towards your room.
“Six.”
“Seven.”
“Eight.”
“Nine.”
“Ten.”
You turn the doorknob and say, “I’m coming in now.”
You open the door and are immediately greeted with a massive wolf. Oddly enough, he had the eyes of Jackson.
You quickly shut your door, knowing you weren’t allowed to have pets in your building.
“Um…” you begin, staring at him in confusion. You look around the room, wondering where Jackson was, only to notice his clothes on the floor. “So, you’re really-?” you begin, looking at the wolf again.
He nods and you groan, covering your face with your hands.
You hear him jump off the bed, and after hearing snapping and popping, you glance up and see Jackson pulling his pants back on. You quickly look away, your cheeks heating up as you try not to stare at his well defined body.
“Told you so,” he murmurs, smirking because he knew.
"Well this is rather awkward. What immune disorder do I choose to write about now?" You say with a laugh.
"Sorry babe. Let's go watch that movie now, yeah?" He suggests, taking your hand and leading you back to the living room.
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After learning about werewolves, Jackson would take you on hiking dates. Sometimes he would run around as a wolf, and other times you would ride him like a horse, which was probably ridiculous to look at, if anyone ever saw you. But he liked to show off.
After finals, you stayed with him for a week. You weren't ready to go home yet, but you already had to move out of the dorm you were staying in.
You were cuddling with him and watching a movie. You felt your insides burn with anxiety, having been wanting to tell him something for a while, but too embarrassed to say. See, once you admitted you were a virgin, Jackson took things very slowly with you. You enjoyed giving him blowjobs after he taught you about how he would knot, and the furthest he went on you was giving you oral once.
But now you felt ready to progress your relationship further, but you didn't know how to say it.
"Jackson," you say, feeling your cheeks heating up.
"Yes, baby?" He says, looking at you. He knew something was up and you needed to tell him something, but he honestly had no idea what it would be.
"I… think I'm ready," you admit, nibbling your lip.
"Ready for what?" He asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Having sex," you bashfully admit.
"Oh," he says, surprised. "Right now?" He asks, trying not to sound too eager.
You shake your head. "No, not right now. But soon," you assure him, feeling embarrassed.
"Well, I don't mind waiting a little longer," he assures you, kissing the top of your head.
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One minute you were grinding on Jackson, making out on the couch. The next, you and Jackson were both naked in bed. He lays you down, hovering over you as he kisses you.
“Jackson, can I give you a blowjob?”
“Don’t worry about making me feel good. I want to eat you out,” he says, pulling away from you and spreading your legs.
“Yes please,” you say, nodding softly.
He kisses your thighs, teasing you by biting and marking them. He knew this made you needy, as your thighs were sensitive. Jackson eventually kisses your clit, causing you to moan. He smirks as he licks your folds, maintaining eye contact as you blush.
“We’ve done this how many times? And you always get so bashful,” Jackson gently teases, quickly going to work.
He sucks your clitoris, his tongue flicking it as your juices leak out and onto his chin. Your hand grabs his hair, tugging as you moan. Jackson uses his strong arms to keep your legs open. He notices your hole clenching around nothing, boosting his ego.
Jackson inserts a finger, curling it up against your g spot, which causes you to cry out his name.
“You’re doing so good for me,” he whispers against your folds, pausing his kisses to your mound as he adds a second finger, working on stretching you out.
“Feels so good,” you whine, gasping as he adds a third finger. “I’m close,” you pant, reaching down to rub your clit. Jackson stops you and pulls out his fingers with a smirk.
“Jackson?!” you gasp, pouting that he took away your orgasm.
“I want to cum with you,” he explains, smiling sweetly.
You sigh and lay your head back down, nodding.
“Are you sure you don’t want to use condoms?” Jackson checks, raising an eyebrow.
“Positive. You said yourself I wasn’t fertile,” you admit, blushing some.
“Alright,” he says, teasing your folds with his tip. Jackson watches as your hole clenches around nothing, desperately wanting his cock.
“Please Jackson,” you huff, not liking how he began to rub his cock against your folds.
“I’m getting myself lubricated,” Jackson smugly responds, grinding into you, tapping his cock against your swollen bud.
“Fuck~” you cry, pulling your hair. “Please Jackson, I want to have sex with you,” you beg, tearing up in need.
“Hmm, alright,” Jackson says, slowly sliding his tip inside of you. He grabs your hands and kisses you, letting you adjust to his girth. He slowly slides in, huffing into your ear softly.
“Jackson, please move,” you beg once he bottoms out.
“Yes ma’am,” he teases you, starting with slow thrusts. Jackson greedily watches your breasts bounce with each thrust, a near-feral grin finding its way on his face.
“Faster, please,” you murmur, doing your best to keep your eyes open as you squeeze his hands.
He readily obliges, and you groan as the sound of skin slapping skin fills the room with both of your moans.
“I’m not gonna last that long,” he admits with a laugh.
You nod and he lets go of one of your hands, rubbing your clit. You grab your breast and pinch your nipples, stimulating yourself as you near your high.
He suddenly begins to cum with a loud groan of your name, his thrusts harder than before. You cry out in pleasure, which soon turns into a whimper as he begins to knot you.
“You’re doing so well, Y/N, you’re doing so good,” Jackson begins to praise. It takes all of his strength not to collapse on top of you, but he manages to nuzzle into your neck and kiss your sweet spot there.
You groan softly, brushing your damp hair out of your eyes. “I love you,” you say, smiling tiredly.
“I love you too.”
You wake up the next day naked and alone in bed. You look around, wondering where Jackson went. “Jackson?” you softly call, looking for him.
But something about his apartment was… off.
You carefully get up, your legs feeling a bit weak, and go use the bathroom. His toothbrush and razor were missing.
You go out into the kitchen and living room, and still no Jackson.
When you go back into the bedroom, you notice that his phone was missing. You open the closet and his dresser, and there were no clothes.
For one whatever reason, Jackson was gone.
160 notes · View notes
softspideys · 3 years
Text
Average (Frat!Tom Holland x reader)
summary: tom holland is the handsome, popular, and charismatic king of your campus. so why has he taken an interest in you?
warnings: none
word count: 3,000
pairings: frat!tom holland x reader
a/n: I personally prefer respectful frat boy tom to jerky frat boy tom. inspired by this glorious photo. I hope you you like it:) 
When Tom Holland first spoke to you, your immediate instinct was to assume it was a joke.
You’d just arrived at the party his frat was throwing and immediately made a beeline for the kitchen. You were never totally comfortable in situations like these, but after a couple drinks you tended to be more social and easygoing.
“Hey,” a voice said as you finished pouring yourself some of the suspicious-looking Jungle Juice. You turned around and almost did a double-take.
You knew who Tom was; his roommate Harrison was friends with your roommate Jess, but you’d never spoken to him. He was popular, but there were no rumors about him being a player or an asshole or a creep like there were with some of his frat brothers.
Now he was smiling at you, looking casual in jeans and a black t-shirt, a baseball cap pulled over his curly hair. “Hey,” you answered, once you were positive he was talking to you. There was no one else around you, but still.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Um, no thanks,” you said, gesturing to the cup in your hand. “I’m good.” You figured he was just being polite, but then he continued to speak to you.
“You’re Jess’s roommate, right?” he asked.
You nodded, a little surprised. You honestly didn’t even think he was aware you existed. But then it hit you—he must be looking for her and probably recognized you from one of her Instagram photos or something. “Yeah. I don’t know where she is, though. I just got here.”
“Cool,” he said. “I’ve only met her a couple times—she’s friends with my roommate Harrison—but she talked about you a lot. I’m Tom.” He held out his hand.
Slowly, you shook it. “Y/N.” This was weird. If he wasn’t being polite and he wasn’t looking for someone else, then why was he talking to you? You had to get out of there. “Um, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you.”
“Oh, okay,” he said. “See you around, maybe.” You smiled a little instead of answering before practically fleeing the kitchen and joining the party. The rest of the night passed uneventfully and you didn’t see Tom again.
You thought about him briefly afterwards, but decided not to dwell on it. Maybe he was just bored. Maybe he saw you by yourself and took pity on you.
A few days later, Jess ambushed you while you were doing homework in the library. “You talked to Tom Holland at the party on Saturday?” she whispered excitedly.
“Yeah, for like a minute. It was before I found you. Why?”
“Harrison told me he was asking about you. Want me to pass along your number?”
“No!” you said quickly, feeling your face get warm. “Wait. What do you mean, he was asking about me? Asking what?”
“You know, just like . . . what your deal is, and whatever.” She shrugged. “He probably wants to hang out with you.”
“Me? Why?” The thought made your heartbeat quicken.
Jess rolled her eyes. “Oh my God. Why wouldn’t he? You’re a total catch. I don’t know why you’re so surprised.”
The conversation was making you more and more uncomfortable. Tom was good-looking and popular and probably had tons of people lining up just to “hang out” with him. What was so special about you?
Despite your doubts, you found yourself giving in. “Okay,” you said finally. “I guess you can give him my number.”
Jess smiled, her eyes sparkling. “Awesome. I’ll tell Harrison.” She leaned closer, suddenly serious. “And look, I wouldn’t push this if I didn’t think it was a good idea, okay? You know I got your back. Tom is really nice.”
She had a point. “I know,” you said grudgingly. “We’ll see if he even texts me.”
~ ~ ~  
Tom texted you the day after Jess passed your number on.
hey it’s tom, we met at the party on saturday :) i got your number from jess. i was wondering if you wanna hang out sometime?
You spent almost an hour reading it over and over, trying to figure out if there was any hidden meaning in the short message. Finally you wrote back: sure.
You expected him to invite you to another frat party or something similar, but instead he asked if you wanted to grab coffee and do homework. Midterms were coming up, after all.
So you met him at a cafe on campus on a chilly Thursday afternoon. He was there when you arrived, sitting at a table in the back. He looked cozy, all bundled up in a hoodie and sweats. You bought yourself a hot chocolate and sat across from him. “Um, hi.”
“Hi.” He smiled at you. “How’s it going?”
“Good. How are you?”
“Pretty good.”
You looked around. He’d picked a two-person table, but that didn’t mean someone else couldn’t pull up a chair. “Is it just going to be us?”
His smile faded a little. “Uh, yeah. Is that okay? I thought—I mean, you can see if Jess is around or something, but—”
“No, no,” you interrupted, wanting to kick yourself. “No, this is fine. I was just asking. I don’t mind.”
“Oh, okay.” He relaxed. “I’m glad you came. I didn’t think you would.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “You just didn’t seem very, uh . . . excited.”
You cringed inwardly, clearing your throat. “Oh, sorry. I’m not very good at texting. Ask Jess.” You smiled a little at the thought of your best friend. “She’s always mad at me because I take hours to respond and then it usually just ends up being one word.”
Tom laughed. “Oh man, my brother Sam is the same way. I have to send a message to him in all caps that says SOS EMERGENCY PLEASE ANSWER NOW if I want him to answer within the hour.”
“You have a brother?”
“Yeah, three actually. There’s me, then the twins Sam and Harry, and then my youngest brother Paddy.”
“Wow,” you said, raising your eyebrows. “Your house must’ve been pretty crazy growing up.”
“You could say that.”
Before you got to the cafe, you told yourself that you only had to stay for an hour. One hour, and then you could make up some excuse as to why you had to leave. But as time went on, you realized you were actually enjoying yourself. The conversation flowed naturally, and Tom was a good listener. He didn’t seem to mind when you eventually lapsed into silence to get some studying down, and the two of you worked quietly for a while. He even offered to refill your drink when he went to get another for himself.
“Got any plans for dinner?” he asked finally, breaking the comfortable silence you’d grown used to. You looked out the window and saw it was getting dark out.
At first you thought maybe he was going to ask if you wanted to get something to eat with him. But as quick as the idea occurred, you shot it down. That was silly; he’d already been here with you for a few hours now. Maybe he was meeting other people after this and wanted you to take a hint.
So you lied, “Yeah, I’m meeting Jess at a dining hall. I should probably get going, actually.”
“Oh, right,” he said, glancing down at his homework. “Uh, same here.” You both quickly packed up your stuff and left the cafe, pausing before you officially went your separate ways.
“That was fun,” Tom said. He hesitated, and you braced yourself to hear some excuse as to why he would never talk to you again.
You certainly weren’t expecting him to ask shyly, “Would you want to hang out again?” You blinked, certain you hadn’t heard him right. But he just looked at you, waiting for your response, and after a pause you nodded.
“Yeah. I would like that.”
Tom’s answering smile was practically blinding. You couldn’t help but return it. “Awesome,” he said. “Um, I’ll text you?”
“Okay,” you said. “See you later.” He smiled at you for a second longer before he turned and walked away, a happy sort of bounce in his step.
You couldn’t help it; you walked home with a dumb grin on your face.
~ ~ ~
True to his word, Tom texted you a few days later to ask if you wanted to hang out again. This time you accepted readily.
At first, the two of you just got together to have coffee and do homework. Then he somehow managed to figure out part of your schedule and would meet you on your way to class. Even if he had a lecture on the other side of campus, he insisted on walking you all the way to yours.
He started texting you more, sometimes sending you funny videos or memes, but also sharing random thoughts and asking questions. Now you checked your phone frequently, trying to get in the habit of responding quickly or initiating conversation with him first. You followed each other on social media and you noticed he’d liked all of your Instagram photos. Just to be funny, you liked a couple of his too, but then wondered if he would find it weird.
“We’re friends,” you told Jess when she noticed you smiling at your phone. “That’s it.”
“Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England. Are you kidding me?”
“I’m serious,” you said, because you knew what she was insinuating and there was just no way Tom Holland would be into you like that. Sometimes you saw him around campus, always surrounded by a laughing group of friends and admirers. He was like the sun, and you knew you were lucky to even be in his orbit.
“We’re having a party on Friday night,” Tom said to you one afternoon. The weather was nice, so you’d claimed a sunny spot out on the quad to do some homework.
“Cool.” You were more focused on the essay you were writing than the conversation.
“Are you gonna go?” he pressed.
“I don’t know. Maybe if Jess goes I’ll come too.”
“Well . . .” He trailed off, and you looked up to see he was fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves. “What if we went together?”
You stared at him. Of all the things you were expecting him to say, it certainly was not that. “Like . . . me and you? Like . . .  as your date?”
Tom was blushing now, steadily avoiding your eyes. “Um. Yes?”
Alarm bells were going off in your brain. If Jess were here she’d be throwing a parade, but you knew there had to be a catch. Out of all the people on campus, why was he asking you?
You opened your mouth to say no, but then he finally glanced up at you. His expression was so earnest and hopeful that you found yourself saying, “Sure.”
“Really? You want to?” he said, like he couldn’t believe it.
You nodded. “Yeah, it sounds fun.”
There was that goofy grin again, lighting up his entire face. “Okay,” he said. “Cool.”
You knew you should be excited, but there was a nervous pit in your stomach that just wouldn’t go away. It was still there when you arrived at Tom’s frat house that Friday. You didn’t recognize the brother at the door on security duty, but he took one look and waved you inside, no questions asked.
You were a little confused; you came by yourself last time too and had to say you knew Harrison. But the brother merely said, “Tom put you on the list.”
The boy in question was in the kitchen, talking to a few of his brothers. He noticed you walk in immediately and his eyes lit up. “Hey! You’re here!” To your surprise he gave you a hug, and you tried not to focus on how good his cologne smelled.
“You look nice,” he said when he pulled away. In an attempt to feel more confident, you’d worn your favorite pair of jeans and a cute top, even allowing Jess to do some hair and makeup magic on you.
“Thank you,” you said. “Um, so do you.” He was just in jeans and a purple flannel, a black baseball cap twisted backwards on his head, but he still managed to make it look effortlessly cool.
“Thanks.” He paused. “I’m, uh, really glad you came.”  
“Me too,” you said quietly. He smiled at you and the knot in your stomach tightened.
Tom barely left your side the entire night. He introduced you to some of his fraternity brothers, whose names you forgot as soon as they said them. A few of them had brought dates too, and while they were all friendly and welcoming, you couldn’t help but feel frumpy and plain standing next to them.
It didn’t help that there were some not-so-friendly girls coming over too. They gave Tom hugs and kisses on the cheek before eyeing you critically. You could practically see the invisible thought bubble forming over their heads each time they looked at you: why is he here with you? You wanted to tell them that you were wondering the same thing.
The longer you thought about it, the worse you felt. It just didn’t make sense. Tom had practically half the campus falling at his feet; why wasn’t he with someone more talented, better looking, charismatic? Why had he picked you? You were so . . . average.
Maybe it was some kind of prank, some kind of fucked-up tradition in his fraternity: find a shy girl, get her to fall in love with you, and then break her heart. That had to be it. There was no other explanation.
“Are you alright?” Tom asked, tearing you from your thoughts. You realized you hadn’t spoken in several minutes, just staring off into space.
You swallowed. “Could we, um, go somewhere quiet? Please?”
He studied your face for a second before he nodded. “Of course.” He put one hand on your back, gently guiding you out of the crowded room and up the stairs. You followed him down the hallway until he stopped at a door with a sign that said TOM & HARRISON.
Oh. This was his room. 
He ushered you in and you noticed he left the door slightly ajar, so you could easily leave if you wanted to. Still, you immediately took a seat at his desk, not wanting to even go near the bed. Tom didn’t seem to mind, falling onto it with a loud thud and a content sigh. Neither of you spoke for a minute. Finally you glanced over at him and saw he was already watching you, a tiny smile on his face.
You couldn’t take it any longer. “Is this, like, a prank or something?”
“What?”
“This. Like,” you gestured vaguely between the two of you, “all of this. Is it a joke?”
Tom’s smile vanished. He scrambled to sit up, scooting towards the edge of the bed. “What are you talking about? Why would you even think that?”
You shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve just been trying to figure out why someone like you would be doing all of this with someone like me.”
He looked lost. “Doing what?”
“You know . . . hanging out with me, texting me, inviting me here . . .”
He stared at you for a second before he let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “I mean . . . I like you. I thought that was obvious.”
“But why?” You were frustrated to find you were near tears. “You could have your pick of anyone on this campus. There are so many girls in this house alone right now who are prettier and funnier and more interesting than me. So why . . . why me?”
Tom slowly stood up and came over to where you were sitting, kneeling in front of you. “Because I think you’re pretty and funny and interesting,” he said, looking at you unflinchingly. “None of those other people matter to me. I don’t know why you keep trying to convince yourself that you’re, like . . . not good enough or whatever, but it’s not true.”
You bit your lip as he took your hand. “I’m just . . . not used to this. Usually people tend not to notice me.” 
“I did,” he said simply. “And I really, really like you.”
“I really like you too,” you said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” Tom said gently. “Just trust me, okay? I would never hurt you like that.”
He was being honest. He always had been, but you believed him now. You took a deep breath. “Can I kiss you?”
Tom blinked in surprise before he nodded. You leaned in and kissed him softly; his lips were a little chapped and tasted sweet and sort of fruity, like the juice from his drink. His hands came up to carefully cup your jaw, holding you in place. It made your head dizzy and your knees weak; it was perfect.
It was like a dam broke. Suddenly you couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t figure out what to do with the happy, fizzy feeling in your stomach. You pulled back a little, pressing kisses to his cheeks and his nose. Tom giggled like the touch made him ticklish and you thought to yourself, You were so silly to deny yourself for so long, to think you didn’t deserve this.
You knew better now. You knew you did.
631 notes · View notes
justkending · 3 years
Text
The Number One Rule. Chapter 18.
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Summary: Y/N has always been seen as “Steve’s rambunctious sister.” However, she grew up, graduated, and moved to London to study abroad for 4 years and get her bachelor's degree. The girl that returns looks nothing like the teenager that left, but don’t worry the attitude is still there and stronger than ever. What’s to come of the two grown adults that used to push each other's buttons, but now have a lot more in common than they’ve ever realized.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Y/N Rogers (Steve’s little sister)
Word Count: 3100+
Chapter Eighteen:
“Good morning, Sunshine,” Steve chuckled, bringing his mug to his lips as his sister walked in with a sleep ridden face. She gave him the silent bird before moving to the coffee pot. “I see your morning self hasn’t changed.”
“What are you still doing here? I thought you would have left for work by now?” Y/N asked with a tired voice as she walked to the fridge for creamer. 
He had ended up staying the night and sleeping in his old room that had been transferred into the guest bed. Him and his sister had been up late talking and catching up. 
“Eh, I’m going in a few hours later since I’ve been doing overtime recently,” Steve shrugged, leaning back and watching her sit across from him. She was wearing a giant T-shirt and some old pajama pants that she tiredly tried to straighten from their disheveled state. “What’s your excuse for not being ready for work?”
“I don’t have to be there until 9 today,” she answered with her eyes closed. 
There was a comfortable silence as the two sipped on their coffee and Steve read the newspaper. Looking over he saw her practically falling back asleep in her seat. 
“I guess I need to talk to Bucky soon…” He spoke up. Her eyes opened at that and she turned to him. 
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I mean now that I know the case, and now that I know you’re both happy, I don’t have a right to be a jackass anymore I guess,” he shrugged with a smirk. 
“I’m glad you came to terms that you were a jackass,” she chuckled, punching his arm playfully. “We’ve been waiting a few years on that one.”
“Hey, I can call myself a jackass, but you watch yourself,” he warned in a light manner. 
“Sure thing… Jackass,” she mumbled with a smile. Before he could start an argument, she diverted the conversation. “So, should I warn him, or-?”
“I don’t care. We have different shifts today, so I’ll see him tonight probably and talk to him.”
“Ok, then I’ll let you do the talking. I would warn him yourself though. He’s been a nervous wreck around this topic with you. Anytime he thinks about how we’ve hurt you, he gets upset and really anxious,” she explained more seriously. 
“I mean, I don’t blame him. This was a shitty kind of situation to go through, but mom was right. Neither side of the problem was handled well,” Steve sighed. “I’ll text him before.”
“Good,” Y/N nodded. “Want me to come?”
“No, I think we need to talk ourselves,” Steve sighed. “If you know what I mean.”
“I get it,” she nodded standing and grabbing her mug. “Well, I’m going to get ready for work. Mind if I come over tonight though? You know, when the coast is clear? Maybe we can all have a movie night like back in the day! Becca and Sam are invited too,” she pointed to him. 
“Sounds like a plan. You’re paying for pizza though. Since you have an adult job now, it’s only fair,” Steve said with raised eyebrows. 
“Hey, I-”
“You owe me,” he cut her off. 
She glared at him for using the given past situation as a way to get free food. 
“That’s low, big bro,” she deadpanned. 
“Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same thing,” he scoffed with a smile, going back to the paper in front of him. 
“Touche,” she nodded with a pursed lip. “At least text me when I can head over, so I don’t interrupt you guys' bromance session.”
“Shut up,” he groaned as she left the room. 
________
Once Y/N got to work, a few hours into her shift, she got a call from Bucky.
“Hey, B,” she smiled through the phone as she went through the loads of papers in her hands. 
“Hey sweetheart,” Bucky replied just as sweetly. “Guess who texted me today?”
“Hmm, Barack Obama?” Y/N responded. “Wait, no! Michelle Obama.”
“Haha, very close, but no,” he chuckled. “You’re brother reached out.”
“Is that so?” Y/N faked surprise.
“I’m guessing you guys' conversation last night went well considering your chipper mood?” he questioned. “Or they went horribly wrong and you’re just a really good actress.”
“We all know I can’t act even if my life depended on it,” she laughed, changing the phone to her other ear as she wrote some notes on a paper. 
“It’s true. You’re a horrible liar,” Bucky confirmed.
“I’m not even going to argue it no matter how much I want to,” she shrugged. “But I would say things went well. I mean we may or may not have gotten into a wrestling match on the front lawn, and mom might as well have dragged us by the ears inside to have a civil conversation, but besides that…”
“Oh God, Y/N… What the hell happened?” 
She just knew he was pitching the bridge of his nose on the other end. 
“Nothing too crazy. It’s just sibling fighting,” she waved off. 
“At least tell me you gave him a chance. You didn’t beat his ass too much, hopefully. You know we’re trying to win him over, not push him further away, right?” Bucky had a smile in his voice, clearly just joking around. 
“You know? Kids’ gotten stronger since middle school,” she noted. 
“I would hope so. He fought in a war and chases bad guys for a living. Can’t have scrawny middle school Steve doing that kind of stuff. He’d get a nose bleed just looking at the wrong guy.”
The two laughed for a little reminiscing at little Steve before he bulked up in high school. But after some joking, Bucky brought the conversation back where he started. 
“But in all honesty, I shouldn’t be too worried about tonight?” he asked. The nerves in his voice were clear to Y/N. 
“No, Bumble Bee. We talked it out, screamed it out, and fought it out. And in doing so, we had a good conversation. Thank Sarah Rogers for keeping us on track and not letting us walk away until it was resolved,” she assured, putting his mind at rest. 
“Ok, good…” Bucky sighed on the other end. A moment of silence went by as if he was trying to process it. 
“Hey, I know you guys still need to talk, but I do want you to know that it’ll be all ok in the end. Don’t get too worked up about it,” Y/N said softly. “26 years of being best pals can’t be ruined by this little bump. You said it yourself.”
Bucky let out a breath and nodded. “You’re right. It… It’s just, I hate that he found out how he did, and…” he paused. “It just kinda sucked seeing him that upset.”
“I get it,” Y/N nodded on her end. “But hey,” she added. “We’ll all be ok. Truly.”
“I trust you, doll,” he grinned. There was some distant talking on the phone and Bucky humming. “Hey, I have to go. Boss needs me for something. Call you later?” 
“For sure. Have a good day, and let me know if you need anything!” 
“Right back at you. Love you, sweetheart,” he slipped out the last part unconsciously. 
There was a moment of silence as the two were stunned. Neither had said the “L” word yet… At least not to each other…
“Uh,” Bucky stuttered out. “I-I-...”
“Buck-,” Y/N started in just as much shock. 
Another round of someone shouting on the other line that wasn’t Bucky came through through the phone. 
“I have to go! Talk to you later,” Bucky shouted into the phone. 
Before she could say anything else, the line ended and she slowly pulled back the phone seeing her lock screen blank. No words came out after that. 
She just stared at the screen where a picture of her Bucky, Becca, and Steve all were embedded in a bear hug together. An old picture, but one that she always loved and cherished with a group of her favorite humans. 
She also loved it because even though it was before Bucky and her had become an item, they were squished against each other. Bucky was smiling wide and caught in a laugh as he looked down at her, catching her from stumbling to the ground, and she was laughing as she gripped his arm to find her balance. Steve and Becca laughing on the side at her clumsy self, and the fact someone was always having to help her stay on two feet. Bucky having always been one of those top people in her life. 
She smiled down at the memory and couldn’t help but feel those little flutters move from her stomach to her chest and eventually make her cheeks heat up. 
_________________
Now he had two things to freak out about. One being Steve and his talk tonight. Yes, he knew he didn’t really need to after Y/N’s reassurance that things would be fine, but still. It was a strange conversation to have with your best friend. 
“Sorry I fell in love with your sister and hid it from you. My best friend of over a quarter of a decade. Not to mention you found out from me coming out of her room half naked after you thought she was home alone...” 
Yeah, that was going to be weird no matter how ok they were now… 
Then you add in, he just casually told Y/N that he loved her before hanging up the phone. He didn’t mean to. It just felt so natural in the moment! 
He wanted to make the first time he said it special, not just by accident…
God, his heart was racing and now he had four hours left of his work day to let those things just stir around in his head. Great. Maybe that 3rd cup of coffee wasn’t that great of an idea.
_______________
“So, everything’s good with you guys?” Sam asked after Steve let him in on everything.
“Yeah. I mean Buck and I still need to talk it out, but… I don’t know. I can’t be mad if they’re both happy at the end of the day. Happiest I’ve seen either of them in a while, if I’m being honest,” Steve shrugged with a small smile. 
“See, I knew that’d be the case at the end of the day. I tried telling Bucky that,” Sam shook his head as he finished up the dishes. “And sorry man about not saying anything. I didn’t think it was my place to,” he apologized. 
“No, I get it. This was their own thing. You were just being a good friend to Bucky and letting him figure this out himself,” Steve waved. 
“He’ll be home in a little. You worried?” Sam asked, washing his hands off. 
“No, if anyone’s nervous it’ll be Bucky. Y/N and I had a really good talk last night. No matter how upset I was before, I now know where they were coming from,” Steve sighed. “Did I agree with it? No, but we all have different ways we would go about things.”
“True facts,” Sam smiled. “Well, I’ll hoard myself in my room for a while until the coast is clear. Let me know if you guys need anything, ok?” 
“Got it. Oh, and Y/N said she was going to come over after with pizza for a movie night, if you want to join,” Steve pointed out moving to the couch. 
“I’m here for it,” Sam nodded, going down the hall to his room. “Call me when all is resolved.”
Steve nodded and plopped down on the couch skimming through the channels as he waited for Bucky. About 15 minutes later, he heard the lock turn and quietly the brunette made his way in with caution. 
“Hey,” Steve said softly, turning from the end of the couch. 
“Hey,” Bucky said with a soft smile as he put his things by the door. 
These were the first words they had spoken in over 2 weeks. They hadn’t talked since the whole fight in the backyard.
“How was work?” Steve asked, making small talk. 
“Nothing too crazy today,” Bucky shrugged, walking to the back of the couch with his hands in his pockets. “Oh, Lillian asked about you again.” 
“From accounting?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Only Lillian I know that’s obsessed with you,” Bucky laughed lightly. 
“God, I’m not ready for that…” Steve returned the chuckle. 
It got quiet after that. Not awkward, but not comfortable either. 
“So…” 
“Listen, Bucky,” Steve sitting back in his chair running a hand across his face. “I’m sorry, I punched you after-”
“Don’t be. I deserved it,” Bucky waved him off, coming around the couch slowly to sit on the opposite end. 
“Ok, yeah. You’re right,” Steve nodded with another small laugh. Again another pregnant pause. “I gotta know. Why didn’t you just tell me, Buck?”
He took in a deep breath before answering. “I’m sure Y/N told you, but we didn’t want things to have a bad falling out and it be awkward for everyone else-.”
“No, not that. Why didn’t you tell me that you weren’t going to do it from the start?” Steve interrupted.
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Y/N said that you guys went back and forth on not going through with this because you didn’t want to hurt me. I mean, maybe that’s not that big of a deal, but it changes things on my end some,” Steve explained. Bucky just sent him a blank stare. “What I mean is, when I first figured everything out, I was hurt because I thought you didn’t even consider me in your decisions. I know, it sounds selfish, but-”
“No, it doesn’t. You’re a part of the equation to some extent. Just like Becca is. But surprisingly Becca was excited and not freaked out about her best friend dating her big brother. It’s a little different being the big brother in the situation though,” he said softly. “It’s not selfish though Steve. If the roles were reversed and say you and Becca dated, I would hope you considered my feelings in the matter too.”
Steve was glad that he understood what he was getting at. He was worried it wouldn’t make sense or make him look like he thought the whole thing revolved around him. 
“Yeah…” Steve paused. “But you didn’t say anything about that when we did get in that fight. Why?”
“I don’t know… I guess I just wanted you to understand my feelings for her more than anything. I needed you to know that she wasn’t just some girl I was hoping to hook up with at some point.”
“I know you would never do that Buck. No matter how upset I was, I still don’t think that low of you,” Steve sighed. “And about that… I’m sorry I said you don’t deserve her… That was an extremely hard hit to the gut.”
“You were looking out for her,” Bucky said with pursed lips, but the pain from the past comment was clear. It didn’t feel good having your best friend who's been through thick and thin with you tell you weren’t worth something. 
“Yes, but that was a low blow and I said it out of hurt feelings. I was hurt, so I wanted you to be just as hurt. That wasn’t fair,” Steve concluded. “If there is anyone in this world that I trust to take care of Y/N just as much as me, it’s you Buck. I was just blinded by anger.”
“Understandably,” Bucky nodded, looking back at his friend a little less troubled. 
“Understandably,” Steve agreed. They stared at each other silently communicating. “I’m sorry.”
“If anyone is sorry, it’s me Steve,” Bucky shook his head running a hand down his thigh still slightly anxious. 
“How about we both agree that we didn’t handle this situation the best way,” Steve smiled. “I should have seen how happy you two were and not second guess how it happened. I shouldn’t have made it about me when you both clearly are what the other needs.”
“Steve-”
“Truly. You guys have been glowing the last two months with complete and utter happiness and I was so oblivious to pick up on it. I feel like a shitty brother and best friend.”
“You’re not a shitty brother or best friend. Not in the least,” Bucky said scooting to the edge of the couch. “You know that.”
“Y/N tell you we got in a fight on the lawn yesterday?” Steve asked with a small smirk. 
Bucky chuckled. “Yes. Said your mom about beat your asses out there too.”
“All because I was too stubborn to talk it out,” Steve shook his head while he threw it back on the back of the couch. 
“Eh, you said it yourself. We all didn’t handle this situation well,” Bucky chuckled. “She kicked your ass, didn’t she?” he said after a second. 
“Wouldn’t say that, but she must have worked out over seas because I couldn’t pin her like I used to. She was giving me a pretty decent fight,” Steve laughed loudly. 
“God, I would pay money to have someone get that on tape,” Bucky laughed with him. 
The two soaking up the now comfortable atmosphere. 
“So we’re ok, right?” Steve asked. “Leave all out petty, stubborn, and stupid mistakes in the past?”
“I’m fine with that if you are,” Bucky nodded. 
“Good. I’ve missed having my best friend around. I was getting tired of ignoring you,” Steve sighed, patting Bucky’s back. 
“You gave me good practice with your stubbornness for Y/N. Not that I haven’t been practicing with you both my whole life, but damn you guys are too bull-headed monsters.”
“We feed off each other's energy,” Steve shrugged with a smirk. 
“I know, it’s exhausting, yet entertaining all at the same time,” Bucky smiled as he moved his head side to side. 
A knock sounded at the door and they both turned toward the wooden panel. 
“Speaking of the devil,” Steve smiled standing up.
Bucky froze. 
Shit. One anxiety had been cured now, but he had almost forgotten about his second one...
(Tags for this series will be closing soon as it is getting pretty full, please send an ask if you want to be added:)
I’ll post on whatever chapter I decided to close it down here.
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hangovercurse · 3 years
Text
Blind Date
After being single for three months, your friends decide to set you and Colson up on a blind date.
Request: Hey!! Could you do one about the reader and Colson meeting by a blind date? Let your creativity go wild ❤️
Colson x Reader
Warnings: Cursing
A/N: This is a little bit different from how I normally write, so let’s see how this goes.
Word Count: 1916
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It’s funny how the universe makes things happen. While some people are having their first kiss, others are taking their last breath. Every moment in time is so intricately woven together, it sometimes seems ironic how things happen.
Like tonight, on two sides of California, two very different people were having the same conversation.
“I’m not sure about this.”
“What if she thinks my tattoos are too much?”
“What if he thinks I’m too weird?”
“What if she hates music?”
“What if he hates art?”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
“I don’t think I can do this.”
Your best friend stared at you from your bed as you paced around the room. “Y/N, you’re going to be fine. You said it yourself, you need to get back out there. Baze says he’s a good guy, and I trust Baze.”
Baze was in a similar situation, laying on the couch as Colson paced around the house. “Colson, dude. It’s gonna be good, she’s gonna like you.”
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like I’ve never been on a first fuckin date before. I used to do this shit every night.” He sighed, sitting down.
You let out a frustrated groan, “I know. I just feel like after everything in the past few years I feel like I’ve forgotten how to do first dates.”
“You’re gonna be great, just be yourself. And remember, it’s a blind date, so if you guys don’t hit it off or something goes horribly wrong, you never have to see him again.” She smiled as you threw her a playful glare.
“Colson, I love you man, but you have to do this. I don’t think you’ve even looked at a woman who isn’t Ashleigh in like three months.”
The light-haired man sent his friend a glare, “I’m sorry that I was recovering from the worst heartbreak of my life.”
You finally sat down, pulling on your shoes. “Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe I’m not as ready as I thought I was.”
Your friend sighed, sitting up and placing her arms around your shoulders, “It’s been three months since you and T broke up. You grieved, and now you need to move on. You deserve this.”
“Dude, you said you were over her. You are over her. Now you get to find someone else and try to be happy. You deserve this.”
“Maybe don’t bring up your disastrous ex, Y/N.”
“But please, for the love of god, bro, don’t bring up Megan.”
 You entered the small, classy restaurant, your hands shaking slightly. The entire place was dimly lit, with candles scattered around any surface available. You walked to the hostess stand, “Baker for two.” You told her, a small smile gracing your features.
She nodded, leading you through the floor. “He got here not 30 seconds before you did.” She laughed and you blushed a little bit.
You were grateful he wasn’t late, but you were also grateful he wasn’t extremely early , or else you would have felt awful for making him wait.
You were finally brought to a small table in the back of the restaurant to find one of the prettiest men you have ever laid your eyes on. When his eyes met yours, he stood up immediately, a smile on his face. “Y/N?” He asked.
“Colson.” You responded. He pulled your chair out for you, and you felt heat rushing to your cheeks at the kind gesture. None of the guys you had ever dated pulled your chair out for you, especially not your most recent ex.
“Baze told me you were pretty but this is…” He trailed off, seeming a bit lost for words. “You are absolutely gorgeous.”
He was good at this, good at making you nervous, making you blush like a teenager. “Thank you.” You whispered, “I think you are one of the prettiest people I have ever met.” You returned his compliment with one of your own.
The redness in his cheeks made you smile, a bit of pride rising in your chest. “Baze truthfully didn’t tell me much about you.” He started, “so, what do you do?” He was kicking himself for the lame question, but his mind was half occupied with the color of your eyes and he couldn’t form a coherent thought.
“I’m an artist.” You probably didn’t realize it, but Colson could see the slightest bit of a light in your eyes as you spoke about your passion. “I do graphic designing for websites, making logos and designs and such. That’s my day job, at least. I do some painting and sketching on the side, though. Eventually I’d like to be able to make that my whole job, but it is a hard industry.”
Colson nodded in understanding, his eyes holding the same weight as yours when you spoke of your flailing dreams. You wondered how he knew exactly what you were talking about.
Seemingly reading your mind, he answered. “I get that so much. I’m a musician, so I’ve been there. Luckily, I did make it my full-time job, but I remember before I made it, all the stress and struggles. It gets better.”
You smiled, “easy for you to say, aren’t you like, a big Rockstar?”
He chuckled, looking down, “yeah, sort of. But I wasn’t, you know? Like before all this I was dirt poor and the picture of a starving artist. I mean I’m still not like, winning Grammys or shit now, but I’m not there anymore either.”
You nodded, studying him. “I was lucky, I had support through art school and got a job as soon as I graduated. I’ve never had to struggle in that sense. I don’t think I’d be happy staying where I’m at for the rest of my life, but I am definitely in a stable place right now.”
He seemed so interested in what you were saying. Soon the conversation moved into the type of music he made, and then to your art styles. You flowed together easily, never becoming awkward or uncomfortable. As the night went on, your nerves fell away, as did his.
You were talking about your favorite movies when your food arrived, but even then, your conversation continued. At one point, he paused mid-second. “You’ve got something, “ he pointed to his face. “Fuck it, this is gonna be so cheesy.” He grabbed his napkin and wiped the bit of sauce you had on your cheek off.
You blushed in embarrassment, “thanks.” He was right, the moment was very cheesy. His hand pulled away slowly, lingering near your skin a bit longer than necessary. You didn’t mind though.
As much as you hated to admit it, especially since you had only known him for one night, you could be really into him. And that scared the fuck out of you.
Colson was, too, scared shitless. Why the fuck was his heart fluttering every time you giggled. He’d just met you. But already he could tell you were something special.
 He paid for dinner, like a gentleman, even though you protested. “It’s our first date, I am paying.”
You liked the way that he said, “first date,” implying there may be more. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to pay next time.” You said, smugly.
His eyebrow raised in question, a small smirk on his face. “We’ll see about that. I might just give them my card ahead of time.”
“Then I’ll just have to get there before you.”
You two laughed at your small competition as he led you to the parking lot, his hand in yours. “Did you drive?” He asked and you shook your head no.
“I called an uber. Speaking of…” You reached for your phone before he stopped you.
“Let me drive you home. If that’s okay?”
You let him lead you to his car, hand still tightly in his. He pulled the door open for you, guiding you in. Everything with him seemed like a new experience, his gentleman gestures catching you off guard.
“You should play me some of your music.” You told him when he got in. He smiled at that, pulling his phone out and opening his library.
“I don’t know if you’ll like the type of music I make.” He blushed, scrolling through to find a song he thought you might like.
You rolled your eyes, “well I like you so I think, by proxy, I’ll like your music.”
He bit his lip to hide the way his face lit up at your subtle confession. “Just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”
You heard a somewhat familiar rhythm, something you had probably heard on the radio. “Wait, this is you? I swear I’ve heard this before.”
He smiled, glancing over at you before turning his attention back to the road. “Yeah, me and my friend Matt dropped this right before my last album release.”
You let the music play, listening to his voice as he sang. “You know, this somehow sounds exactly like you and nothing like you at the same time. Like if you hadn’t told me I don’t think I would’ve known this was you. But I do know so I can hear it.”
He chuckled but didn’t say anything, occasionally looking at you as you nodded your head to the music. A few more of his songs played from Tickets to My Downfall and you seemed to enjoy it. “You’re really good.” You commented. Your voice was truthful, you weren’t trying to flatter him, you were just saying what you thought. Your words were genuine.
He didn’t know why but hearing that from you meant so much more to him than he expected it to. He finally parked in front of your house, getting out and opening your door for you. Like a true gentleman, he walked you to your door, pausing before you unlocked it.
You turned to face him, looking up into his bright eyes. “I had a really good time tonight.” He said softly. “Probably the best night I’ve had in a while, honestly.”
You smiled widely, “I did too, Colson.” You grabbed his hands in yours, swinging them slightly. “I’m really glad we did this.”
He nodded, leaning closer to you, “would you, maybe, wanna do this again?” He asked, his voice falling closer to a whisper.
“I was hoping I had made that obvious when I said I’d pay next time.” You giggled, leaning up closer to him.
He rolled his eyes playfully, “just wanna make sure you didn’t change your mind.”
“Trust me, I didn’t.” You whispered, before leaning up and connecting your lips with his.
The kiss was short and sweet, but it seemed like everything you had ever wanted. When your lips left his, you both stayed very close to each other, hands still clasped. His face was still only inches from yours, eyes studying your every feature.
Eventually he let out a small sigh and leaned back up. “Well, uh, goodnight, Y/N.” He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he took steps backwards towards his car. You smiled at him, waving a small goodbye before turning to unlock your door.
Your hand touched the handle before you turned around, finding Colson in the same situation at his car door, still looking at you. “Do you maybe wanna… come in?” You asked, biting your lip. His face lit up, a smirk highlighting his features.
“I would love that.”
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nevertheless-moving · 3 years
Text
Suicidal Misunderstanding IX
Star Wars Time Travel AU #27
Part I - - - - - Part II - - - - - Part III - - - - - Part IV  - - - Part V - - - - - Part VI - - - - - Part VII - - - - - Part VIII
Content Warning: This chapter contains potentially triggering material, particularly aftermath of attempted suicide as well as discussions of bodily injury.
Cody woke up the morning after the...drunken keldabe still feeling uneasy. He spent half an hour attempting to read over reports in preparation for the Umbaran campaign before giving it up as a lost cause. He distracted himself for a little while by pouring over last night’s cantina surveillance, before giving up on that as well and sending a message to General Skywalker.
‘Any updates on General Kenobi’s status?’
He watched the comms as communications from everyone besides the General trickled in. He answered a few requests for requisitions, forwarded some medical reports, and ignored an irritating handful of overly-personal questions. 
Agonizing over it the whole time, he opened a comm-text link to Obi-Wan. It took nearly an hour, but he managed to send two sentences. ‘Hope you’re recovering well. Look forward to upcoming mission discussion.’
He immediately wanted to retroactively delete the message, mortified by every word and deeply concerned at every second that passed without a reply.
He spent the next 30 minutes hunched over, quickly closing every incoming CT and CC communication, justifying the time to himself as ‘technically on leave.’
He lurched forward when he finally received a General’s comm code, but slumped in disappointment when it was Skywalker, not Kenobi.
‘Not as drunk but still seems a little high. He says he wasn’t drugged. He’s taking the rest of the day off. I’m monitoring.’
Taking the rest of the day off. Did that mean he wasn’t carrying around his comm? Kriff. Should he more or less concerned that the general was actually taking a day off?
He decided to be more concerned.
‘Thank you for the update. Respectfully request information on any changes.’
Hopefully that would encourage Skywalker to keep him informed even if he stopped freaking out over his vod’s behavior.
Stowing the remote comm, he stood up and exited the temporary planet-side office, throwing himself into cleaning up the mess that was nearly 20,000 clone troopers simultaneously attempting to get the most out of a very brief R&R. 
Shortly before mid-day, he received another update from Skywalker.
‘Just managed to get him to medical. Healer cleared him of drug interactions but Obi-Wan’s still acting strange (not crying, but a lot of hugging).’
Cody stared at that for a long while.
‘Any other verbal indications of upcoming danger?’ he finally asked. Skywalker didn’t reply. 
Shortly after nightfall, his incident reports were interrupted by a call from an unknown temple number. He quickly opened it, and a holo of an unfamiliar Mon Calamari female healer appeared in miniature on the desk.
“Commander Cody. Thank you for answering so quickly. Are you somewhere private?” she asked, voice deliberately neutral.
The Commander tensed up. “Yes, sir. I’m in CC office space, alone. The room and the channel are both secure. Is this regarding General Kenobi?”
“Yes.” She replied. “My name is Master Bant Eerin; I’m a temple healer as well as a personal friend of Obi-Wan’s. He’s...he’s in the healing halls right now. We’re still trying to understand exactly what happened- I’ll tell you what I can but first we need to rule out any possible drugs he may have contact with. I need you to describe in detail anything he may have been exposed to that could have possibly had mind-altering effects.”
The Commander was a professional. He swallowed back his fear, his questions, and his demands to know what was going on.
“Of course. Everything on the Negotiator was GAR Standard, and I was with him when we left the ship. We went directly to the lower levels. The first time he was exposed to anyone outside the 212th was when we left our transport on level 3915. I...actually have footage of him the whole time night after that point. I’m sending it over right now, sir.”
“That would be extremely helpful, thank you.” He watched as she pulled it up on a second comm, sound barely audible. 
He continued with his report: “One of the boys took it without permission. He didn’t mean anything by it, he’s just an idiot; I’ve already issued a severe reprimand. In any case, he brought it to me after I issued surveillance on the cantina, it tracks everything the General did- as far as I can tell, he had a glass of house grub wine, two shots of rancor blood, and an unnamed mixed cocktail ‘on the house.’ You can see everything the bartender added- as far as I can tell nothing was slipped in. He just... blacked out suddenly after the fourth drink, and quickly startled awake, confused by his surroundings.”
“I see.” Her tone was still carefully neutral and Cody didn’t know how to read her expression. He waited, wishing he was wearing his bucket so he didn’t have to keep schooling his face into professional patience.
“You brought him back to the temple...correct?” 
“Yes, sir.”
She let out a deep breath, gills fluttering slightly. “We’ll probably have more questions later, but please understand our inquires are entirely based around determining how we can best help Obi-Wan. This call and any future ones are not intended, and should absolutely not be interpreted, as indications of blame. He’s actually spoken to me about you before, I know he has the deepest respect for you, personally and professionally. Someone will likely be assigned to talk to everyone whose spent time with him recently, including myself.”
The sick feeling in his gut from last night returned full force. “I...believe I understand sir. His condition is serious, then?”
Her gills fluttered again.
“Even now, I think we can safely anticipate a full physical recovery. He...there’s no easy way to say this...it appears he attempted to end his own life. Knight Skywalker got to him just in time, and he received bacta within minutes of the initial burn. I...like I said...we’ll began work to figure out why-”
Her voice broke and she stared up, large tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She hastily wiped them away.
“Rest assured commander, he’s getting the best treatment possible. Thank you for your assistance. I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have right now. This is my personal comm link- please feel free to reach out to me at any point for updates.”
“I-” Cody cleared his throat. “Can I come to the temple? To...” he trailed off, not sure how to finish.
“Not tonight, I’m sorry. The healers need to focus; he’s not allowed any visitors until he’s out of Bacta, I’m afraid.”
“Skywalker must be throwing a fit at that” Cody remarked numbly.
The healer winced. “Knight Skywalker is currently sedated. He was...injured in the struggle to keep Obi-Wan from further harm. Master Windu witnessed part of it, but we’ll have to wait until its safe to wake him to get the full story. I’ll be notifying Captain Rex of the situation after we finish speaking.”
“I’ll do it.” Cody offered immediately. “Tell me what happened.”
Eerin hesitated. 
“Please, Sir. It will be better coming from me and...if he’s the only other trooper who’s being informed at the moment...”
“Of course,” she said quietly. “We don’t know the full circumstances, but at some point in performing emergency care for Master Kenobi, Knight Skywalker was stabbed in the lower abdomen with a vibroblade. It pierced his large intestine. The blade was pulled out shortly before healers arrived, causing some further damage and blood loss. He’s already finished surgery, and should only need a few hours of Bacta at most. Considering his extraordinary past recovery rates, he’ll likely be out of bed tomorrow and fully healed by the end of the week.”
“General Kenobi wouldn’t...” Cody trailed off again. He was having a hard time putting coherent sentences together.
Bant looked at the ceiling for a moment, seeming to collect her thoughts.
“Psychosis can have many manifestations. Even with- with conventional injuries, people can mistake help for harm. There’s just too much we don’t understand, and only so much we can learn before they wake up. Are you certain you wish to be the one to inform Captain Rex?”
“Yes.” That was about the only thing the Commander was certain of right now. “Is there anyone else in the GAR I should inform of...anything?”
“The military aspect of this isn’t my area of expertise. If there’s someone you trust who can be a support for you, I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to tell them in confidence. Some form of what happened is going to get out eventually.” she replied. “Please use your discretion, I suppose. It’s...not really my speciality but I imagine you’ll receive further orders on how much to release to the GAR once Obi-Wan’s stable.”
Right. Discretion. Because Obi-Wan wasn’t just Obi-Wan- he was a high general in charge of nearly 1/3 of the republic’s forces. If word of this got out to the wrong ears it would cause mass panic, maybe even an emboldened separatist advance. It was an insane amount of responsibility for one person, no wonder - he deliberately didn’t finish the thought.
“I’ll comm the Captain immediately. Thank you for the information, General.” he said out loud.
“Feel free to contact me for further updates, and tell Captain Rex he’s welcome to do the same. I’ll message you when its clear to visit the halls.”
“Yes, Sir.” Cody responded, saluting automatically. 
“Take care of yourself, Commander Cody”
The hologram blinked out. Cody sat motionless for several long moment before sweeping his desk off, sending the assorted flimsies and redundant comm-units of various designations to the ground.
He stared at the empty desk, then tapped a button on his wrist comm, opening a private audio channel. “CT-7567, please come in” he said calmly.
“Cody?” came the alarmed reply. “I’m here, what’s going on?” Why did he sound so panicked? He had deliberately used his calmest voice. Oh well.
“Please report immediately to CC Office 12 in Guard Headquarters”
“I’ll be there in 10″
Cody hung up. He stared at the blank wall. He knew something was wrong with how the General said goodbye.
He opened the single desk drawer and dumped the odd wires and coins inside to the floor. Eerin had said burn. That could mean a lot of things, but lightsaber was the most likely. 
Cody puked profusely into the empty drawer. He stared at the vomit for a moment before carefully closing the drawer. He still felt a little sick. He hadn’t even said anything back to the General, he just stood there, frozen. 
He stared vaguely at the wall across, wondering if he was going to puke again.
Rex burst into the room. “Cody! What’s going on?! You- kark, what is that smell?”
“I puked in the desk drawer” Cody explained.
Rex shut the door behind him and slowly walked over. He knelt down next to the desk, gently taking Cody’s hands in this own. “Cody. Vod. Talk to to me.” 
“Obi-Wan tried to kill himself.”
Rex’s hands tightened over Cody’s compulsively and Cody squeezed back harder. He closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at Rex’s expression.
“Some of ghost company went out for drinks last night. Obi-Wan started acted oddly. We flew towards the temple. He started crying. We got to the temple. He Keldabe kissed me. He told me goodbye. I didn’t say anything back.”
“Oh, vod” Rex whispered. He gently pulled the slack Cody off the chair and onto his lap on the floor. Cody continued mechanically. “I did reports today. Skywalker said he was with him. I left Obi-Wan a message. I don’t think he saw it. He tried to kill himself. Skywalker must have left him alone. He saved him. Obi-Wan stabbed Skywalker.”
Rex froze, still holding on to Cody. 
“The healer called. Asked about drugs. They don’t think its drugs but they had to ask. She said they’re both going to heal completely fine. I have a link if you want to call the healer directly. That’s...it. I have reports to do now.”
Rex held Cody tighter. “Not right now”
“It’s war. People get hurt. People die. I have work to do”
“Not right now,” Rex repeated. “You have the right to be upset. You have the right to grieve. You’re a person, of course you have feelings.”
“Obi-Wan said that.” Cody whispered. Then he started crying. He continued to quietly sob for some time, hurt and bewildered and scared. They sat on the floor together; Rex barely moved, simply held on to his older brother as he fell apart.
Inevitably, Cody’s tears dried up and he pulled away. 
“I don’t know how to clean this,” he said gesturing at that closed drawer. 
“I’ll take care of it. Let’s just get you to bed. There’s CC bunks here, right? 
“Yes but...”
Cody didn’t really like sleeping so isolated, but he also couldn’t imagine facing the 212th right now. 
“I’ll stay here with you. We’ll go to the temple together in the morning.”
Rex shepherded Cody to the fresher. He stared at the mirror with a vague sense of recognition before automatically moving through a standard sanitation routine. By the time he finished, Rex had joined him in his room.
“What did you do with the vomit?” Cody asked, suddenly exhausted. They slipped into bed together.
“Swapped the whole desk with Pond’s. That bastard knows what he did.”
Cody let out a snort. Then, much to his surprise, he sank heavily into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Part X
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Evil Scar on 3rd life? I really like your writing btw
3rd Life rly is just a place for people to have villain arcs lmfao /hj also thank you, i’m so glad you enjoy my stuff :D
(just a reminder: do not tag this or any of my work as shipping of any kind)
  “Mrrow.”
  Etho chuckles and leans on his pickaxe as his cat, named Pineapple Pizza, sits down on the staircase behind him, looking up at him. “Heyo. What can I do for you? You hungry?”
  Pineapple meows again in response.
  “Okay, then. Let’s get you some fish.”
  Seemingly delighted with his response, Pineapple jumps up onto Etho’s shoulders and curls herself round the back of his neck. Etho grins and tickles her under the chin as he goes back up the stairs of his mine and emerges back in the swamp. His wool bridge stands proud through the middle of the swampy water, looking rather good for a build made of white wool. 
  Etho roots around in his chest for some fish, but by the time he finds some, he realises that Pineapple has jumped down from his shoulders. Glancing around, he spots a figure moving around in the trees and heads over to investigate.
  As he approaches, Scar emerges from behind the tree and spots him. “Ah, Etho! Good to see you.”
  Etho blinks, acutely aware of the red heart on Scar’s neck. “Hi, Scar,” he says warily, but still with a friendly tone. “What can I do for you?”
  “Oh, I was just in the neighbourhood and I-.”
  “Meow.”
  Scar breaks off as Pineapple appears between them, sitting down and starting to lick her paw.
  “Is this your cat?” Scar asks, bending down and picking Pineapple up. 
  Etho starts to reach for his cat but stops, as if afraid of spooking a wild animal. “Uh, yes. Yes, that’s Pineapple Pizza, Piney for short. Scar, could you, um… Sorry, but would you mind not picking her up? She doesn’t like being held by anyone who isn’t me.”
  “But she’s so cute.” Scar strokes the top of Pineapple’s head. “I’ve been looking for a cat, you know. Haven’t seen any Jellies on this server so I guess this one’ll have to do.”
  As Etho stares at him in shock, Scar turns and walks out onto the bridge. Etho falls into step beside him. “Scar, please,” he pleads. “She’s my cat. I can help you find one of your own, but-.”
  “No, I like this one. Not only is she adorable but she seems to be in need of a new home.”
  “No, please!” Etho’s voice rises. “Scar, please don’t take her from me! Please!”
  Scar steps back, still holding Pineapple in his arms. “I’d stay back from me, if I were you. Otherwise you might lose more than just your cat and your extremely flammable bridge.”
  “Wh-.”
  Before Impulse even finishes his word, Scar turns and strikes his flint and steel, setting the wool bridge on fire. 
  “NO!” Etho screeches.
  He charges forwards and attempts to stamp out the fire but it’s already spreading, and all he succeeds in doing is burning his leg. Stumbling backwards, Etho realises quickly that his bridge is a lost cause. As the flames explode outwards, all he can do is dive over the edge into the swampy water. 
  He swims to safety and climbs out onto the shore. By the time he turns around, his entire bridge is alight. Abandoning it, he dashes down the swampy banks, searching wildly for any sign of Scar. 
  But his former friend is long gone, along with his beloved cat. 
  As the sun rises, Etho sits on top of the hill with his knees drawn into his chest, gazing numbly down at where his bridge used to be. All that’s left is two blocks of wool and some fences. He’s shed so many tears tonight that he has nothing left in him. 
  Everything he loves is gone. His tree, his bridge, and even his beloved cat. He has nothing now. Nothing. 
  “Etho!” comes Tango’s call from somewhere to his left. “Etho, where are you?” 
  Etho doesn’t respond. 
  After a moment, Tango and Impulse emerge from the forest and discover him sitting on the edge of the hill. Neither of them speak; they’ve already heard what happened. News and gossip travels fast on the server. 
  They sit down on either side of him, neither of them entirely sure what to say. 
  “How you holding up, buddy?” Impulse asks eventually. 
  Etho closes his eyes briefly, releasing one stray tear he didn’t know was there. “Why does Scar hate me?” he whispers. 
  Tango and Impulse exchange a sympathetic look. 
  “He doesn’t hate you,” Tango begins. “He…” 
  “He burned down my tree and my bridge, and took my cat away from me. I must have done something to make him hate me.” 
  “No, buddy.” Impulse puts his arm over Etho’s shoulder. “Scar is… He’s… different than how he used to be. This server has changed him, and I guess it’s changed all of us. Just… him in a different way.”
  After a moment, Etho stands up, shaking Impulse’s arm off his shoulder. 
  Tango and Impulse also simultaneously rise to their feet. “Are you gonna be okay?” Tango asks. 
  Etho takes his gloves out of his pocket and puts them on. “Eventually.”
  “Not sure I like that answer. Etho, don’t push us away, okay? We’ll help you out, we’ll support you. Anything you need.”
  “Yeah,” adds Impulse. “Anything.” 
  “Alright, I appreciate that. I think I just need to be left alone for a while.”
  Exchanging another look, Tango and Impulse reluctantly nod. “Okay,” says the former. “You know where we are if you need us.”
  Etho waits until they’re out of sight before climbing into his boat and taking off across the swamp. He has somewhere to be.
  Etho climbs the sandy hill and stands a safe distance away from the small castle at the top. “Scar!” he calls. “Scar, come here!”
  He spots Grian dithering just inside the entrance of the house, but before he can call to him, Scar brushes past him and stands in front of him, crossing his arms. “What do you want, Etho?”
  “I want my cat back,” Etho responds steadily. “You’ve now burned down two things that meant a lot to me and I couldn’t stop you, so I’m here to fight for the only thing I have left. If you don’t give her back to me, I WILL resort to violence.” 
  Grian glances sharply at Scar. “That black cat is Etho’s?” 
  Scar shrugs. “So what if it is? He’s not gonna do anything about it. The rules say that PvP can only begin if a red lifer initiates it. And if I do initiate violence, I promise you, you won’t last long enough to strike me back.” 
  Etho’s narrowed eyes flicker to Grian, who reluctantly nods. “He’s right. If Scar strikes first, you’re allowed to strike back. But if he doesn’t, you can’t legally touch him.”
  Etho curls his hands into fists. “Why are you doing this, Scar? First my tree, then my cat, then my bridge. Why do you delight in taking away everything I care about?”
  “You have no idea how delicious it is to take things from people and watch as they slowly come to realise they can’t do a single thing about it,” replies Scar, grinning maliciously. “Maybe if you had a red heart like me, you’d understand.”
  “You get how being on red isn’t a GOOD thing, right?” Grian says warily from behind him. “One more death and you’re gone. And Etho could kill you right now, you know. He’d be breaking the rules, but that wouldn’t bring you back from the dead.” 
  “You shut up, Grian,” snarls Scar. “I didn’t ask for your input.”
  Grian flinches and turns away. 
  Seeing his friend mistreated like that pushes Etho over the edge. Grian is clearly scared of Scar. There’s no reason for him to be, unless Scar isn’t exactly his friend anymore. 
  Etho grabs Scar’s lapels and shoves him against the wall. Before Scar can even make a noise, Etho shoves his face close to Scar’s and snarls, “WHERE. IS. MY. CAT.”
  “I-I put her upstairs in the bedroom,” yelps Scar. “G-Grian, save me! Don’t let him kill me!”
  “I’m not gonna kill you.” 
  Etho shoves Scar aside and barges into the building. Grian wordlessly leads him upstairs to the room in question, where Etho finds Pineapple curled up on the bed. “Piney!”
  She opens her eyes and, upon spotting him, jumps down from the bed and circles his feet, rubbing her head against his ankles. 
  Etho almost cries with relief. “Oh, Piney… I’m so glad you’re okay.”
  He picks up Pineapple and lets her lie across his shoulders, before turning to Grian. “You don’t have to stay with him anymore, Grian. I know you said you owe him your first life, but just look at yourself. You’re miserable here with him. Scar’s turned into a bully, and you’re the person he targets when there’s nobody else around. You don’t have to live like this anymore.”
  Grian sighs quietly. “Where would I go? I burned all my bridges when I came here with Scar. And would I even be safe from him?”
  “Come live with me in the swamp,” Etho urges. “I’ll protect you. He may be on his red life but if he strikes one of us, the other can take him down. I’ll make sure if he strikes either of us, it’ll be me. You’ve been through a lot since Scar’s first death; you deserve your freedom.”
  For a moment, Grian doesn’t seem convinced. 
  Then Scar’s voice yells his name from downstairs and Grian again finds himself flinching. 
  This clinches it. He can’t spend the rest of his time on the server doing Scar’s bidding, waiting for either Scar or himself to die. That’s no way to live and he knows it.
  Finally, he nods. “Okay, I’ll come with you. Th-Thank you.”
  “No problem.”
  Etho leads the way back downstairs. He finds Scar standing in the doorway, arms crossed again, seemingly having regained his composure. “I heard what you said. Do you really think you can get away with stealing my cat AND my best friend?”
  “She’s not your cat,” snaps Etho.
  “I’m not your best friend!” Grian bursts out at the same time.
  Scar blinks. “Grian, what’d you just say?”
  “You’re not my best friend, Scar! Not anymore. Ever since you lost your first life, you’ve been different. And you’ve only gotten worse since you lost your second. I-I can’t live here with you anymore.” Grian’s voice cracks. “I’m sorry.”
  Scar’s shocked expression quickly turns into a ferocious glare. “Fine, then! Go, both of you. But don’t expect any mercy from me when I’m ready to start killing people. I’ll be coming for you first.”
  Grian freezes.
  Etho takes hold of his wrist and skilfully pulls him past Scar and out of the house. “You’ll be okay, Grian,” he says reassuringly. “I promise.” To Scar, he says a simple, “Goodbye.”
  Scar turns away as Etho and Grian head down the sandy mountain. “Did that really just happen?” Grian says numbly. “Did I really just abandon Scar?”
  “You did,” says Etho warmly, putting his arm over Grian’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?”
  Grian takes a deep breath. It’s the same air, but somehow, it tastes fresher. “Good, I think. You?”
  Etho smiles as he feels Pineapple rub her head against his cheek. For the first time, he hasn’t let Scar get away with taking something he cares about. It feels great. 
  “Never better.”
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drabbles-mc · 3 years
Text
Early Bird
Juice Ortiz x OFC (Chris Teller)
Request by Anon: what about an x reader insert where reader likes to workout, and Juice walks into the club gym when she is in there, and is quite taken aback by her muscularity. Anywho, they then start up working out together, and this goes on for some time, until the tension just snaps at some point, maybe reader just makes the first move
Warnings: language
Word Count: 3k
A/N: Swapped the reader-insert for an OC because not only do I really love the whole world that I’ve been building for Chris and Juice (which I’ll eventually start posting as a full fic rather than just these little one-offs) but this also worked really well in line with who I’m building her to be as a character. Hope that’s alright! Enjoy xo
Join my group-chat here: (X)
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Juice heard the music bumping from the tiny room that passed for a gym at the clubhouse. Curious as to who would be there so early in the morning, he made his way down the hall. He heard the clanging of metal on metal and assumed that whoever was in there was lifting.
He peaked around the corner and his eyes grew wide when he saw Chris laid back on the bench press, getting ready for her next set. She adjusted her grip, getting her breathing right as she pushed the bar up from where it was resting and bringing it directly over her chest. Juice was on the brink of drooling as he watched her in awe. He propped himself against the doorframe silently, not wanting to disturb the zone that she had clearly put herself in.
Once she got through her next set, she let out a sigh before sitting upright. She gasped in surprise when she saw Juice standing in the doorway, letting out a slightly nervous laugh as she paused her music.
“You want to give me a heart attack first thing in the morning?”
“Do…do you always work out here?” he asked, completely ignoring her question.
“Fuck no,” she laughed as she rose up off the bench and stretched, “My gym is closed for some bullshit reason so I figured this little jail cell setup was better than nothing.”
“Hey,” Juice chuckled as he walked farther into the weight room, “it’s got the essentials. Don’t hate.”
She smiled, shaking her head, “Anyway. What’re you doing up so early?”
“About to do the same thing you are. Only, you know, with more weight,” he laughed.
She gave him a good-natured shove to the shoulder, “Shut up,” she laughed, “I’ll leave you to it, then. I just finished.”
“You’re done?” he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Early bird gets the worm,” she shot him a wink, “And an empty fucking gym.”
“Hey, Chris,” he smiled as he watched her walk away, “You think your gym is gonna be closed tomorrow, too?”
She laughed, not turning around to face him as she walked away, “Maybe.”
All of his plans for the morning completely went out the window. He made his way over to the door and leaned out, watching her walk down the hall. He felt his jaw go a little lax as he took in the way the muscles in her back and shoulders moved and flexed as she walked. A quiet sigh slipped past his lips when she turned the corner out of sight, and he forced himself to focus on what he had originally shown up to do. He went through the motions of his workout but if someone had asked him what he did or how it went he wouldn’t have been able to give him a good answer.
The next morning, he set an extra early alarm. He’d gone to bed early the night before so he would be able not only to wake up early, but also keep up with Chris and whatever workout she had planned. He might’ve joked around with her from time to time, but he really had no interest in going toe-to-toe with her. She carried herself with the confidence and assurance of someone who could easily put him to the ground. And, from the pump he saw in her shoulders and arms the day before, he had no doubt that the confidence she exuded was earned, not given.
When he walked into the gym, she was sitting on the ground stretching with her headphones in. Despite that, she’d heard him walk in and flicked her eyes up to him and smiled. She took one headphone out, “Decided to get a real workout this morning?”
He chuckled, “Just wanted to see what it was all about.”
As much as he wanted to ask a million questions, he didn’t. He warmed up and followed her lead, impressed at her level of focus. They bantered back and forth but he could still tell that underneath it all she was there to work.
They were finishing up with core-work on the little bit of floorspace that they had in the clubhouse gym. Juice didn’t want to admit that the moves she had him doing were making him wonder if he ever really had any core strength to begin with or if his body had been lying to him the whole time. Chris flopped onto her back when she was done, taking a deep breath before turning to look over at Juice.
“So? What’s it all about?” she was still catching her breath.
Juice wasn’t any better off as he sat up, slowly forcing himself to his feet. He wiped his hands off on his shorts before lifting the bottom hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, “It’s more than I’m ready for, apparently,” he laughed.
She tried not to make it obvious that she was staring at him when he lifted his shirt. She forced her eyes to look literally anywhere else as she propped herself back up into a sitting position. He held his hand out to her, offering to help her up onto her feet. When she gripped his hand in hers, he found himself watching the muscles in her forearm and bicep flex as she hoisted herself up off the floor. For a moment their hands stayed entwined as they took in the sight of each other. Simultaneously they both realized what they were doing and pulled their hands back to their sides. Juice was fighting inside his head to be respectful, to not get distracted by the sweat that was glistening on her skin.
“Same time tomorrow?” he finally forced the words out.
She laughed, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, “Nah, my gym is back in business tomorrow. No more jail setup for me. Besides,” she clapped him on the outside of his arm, “Something tells me you might need a rest day tomorrow anyway.”
She was taking off out of the room before he could respond. He sighed, walking over and taking a long drink from his water bottle as he thought back over the entire morning. He drummed his fingers on the plastic container in his hands, trying to figure out what his next move was going to be, if there was going to be one.
When he went back to his dorm the next night, there was a folded-up slip of paper on his bed. He looked around the small room as though he had missed someone being in there when he walked in. he ran his hand over his mohawk as he picked it up, taking a deep breath as he unfolded it.
A little plastic card fell out and he fumbled to catch it before reading the note, “If you’re looking to get out of the jailhouse gym. -Chris” He chuckled as he looked at the card in his hand, realizing that it would let him scan into what he assumed was Chris’s gym. He tucked the card and the note both into his wallet before getting ready to go to bed. He made sure to set an extra early alarm, hoping to beat her to the gym in the morning.
When he rolled into the parking lot the next morning, Chris was already walking towards the front doors to the gym. She looked up, and he could see her shaking her head as she laughed, making her way over to him once he was parked.
“Surprised you decided to show up.”
“Couldn’t turn down a personal invite,” he couldn’t stop smiling as he grabbed his gym bag from the back seat of his car, “How’d you swing this, anyway?”
“I get one visitor with my membership,” she shrugged, “Figured having a workout partner wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”
“Well,” he walked in behind her, “glad I’m at least not the worst thing in the world.”
He felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb, but the longer that he was there with her, the more he realized that everyone was so in their own little world. Everyone had headphones in, just focusing on themselves. It was comforting, and soon he didn’t have the time to be worrying about anyone else as Chris got him roped into everything that she was doing.
“It’s leg day, baby,” Chris laughed as she prompted him to follow her over to the squat rack, “Let’s see what you got.”
Juice laughed as he watched her slide weights onto the bar, “I’ve never skipped a leg day.”
She looked him up and down, arching one eyebrow, “I guess we’ll see.”
It became their new routine every morning. For the first time in a long time Juice found himself with someone specific to look forward to every day when he woke up. Neither of them really said anything about it to anyone. They weren’t doing anything wrong, but at the same time they knew that part of the ease and comfort of it all was that it was something that was just the two of them. Every now and then the guys would give him grief for bailing on a party early, and he’d just tell them that he had an early morning the next day, but wouldn’t offer up any other explanation.
Early morning workouts soon started extending into going out for coffee or breakfast after the fact. And once that became the routine, they both decided that there was no reason not to carpool together if they were going to spend the entire morning together. It got to the point where Juice could hear Chris’s car in the silence of the morning as soon as it turned onto his street. He’d be walking out onto the front steps as she pulled into his driveway. And no matter how many times he tried to argue that they should take turns with the music, Chris always won by saying it was her car and her gym membership so she got to pick the playlist. Realistically Juice didn’t have any issue with any of it, but he knew that the pointless arguments would get her to laugh and there were very few things that were more enjoyable than that.
One morning when she pulled into the driveway, before Juice could walk up and open the passenger door, she hopped out. He looked at her, clearly confused, “What’s up?”
“How you feel about a run today?”
Truthfully, he knew he could use a light cardio day. Working out with Chris had made him realize that while he and the guys worked out pretty frequently, they didn’t really push themselves. Some part of Juice’s body had been sore every day since he became Chris’s workout partner—he worked muscles that he didn’t even know that he had. He didn’t want to admit all of that to her, though, so he did his best to give a nonchalant shrug and not seem too excited by the prospect of it.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Distance or sprints?” she raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Distance,” there was no hesitation in the answer as he laughed, “Fuck sprints.”
She laughed, “Alright,” she grabbed her bag out of the car, “Can I toss this inside?”
He nodded, “Yea, sure,” he gestured for her to follow him.
Once she’d locked the car and put her bag inside the front door, she took off down the driveway, “Try to keep up, Juan Carlos!” she laughed.
He chuckled, shaking his head with a soft smile as he took off after her, both of them racing down the street at a pace they both knew they wouldn’t be able to sustain for any extended amount of time. They quickly eased into a more realistic pace, each of them half listening to their own music and half making sarcastic comments to each other as they jogged.
It got to the point where Juice was wondering how the two of them were going to be able to survive a return trip back to his house without their legs giving out. He was still alright for the time being but it wasn’t going to last forever. Chris, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed.
“We gonna start heading back at some point?” he asked.
She looked over at him, “What’re you talking about?”
“To the house. We, we gotta head back eventually, right?”
She laughed, “We’re on a big loop. We got like, one mile left.”
His brows furrowed in confusion as he looked around, “Seriously?”
“Yea,” it was hard to laugh and keep her breathing even at the same time, “Dude how long have you lived around here?”
He shook his head, “Apparently not long enough.”
When they reached the bottom of his driveway again, they both stopped to try and catch their breath. Chris interlocked her fingers behind her head as she stood, trying to catch her breath. Juice leaned over, bracing his hands against his knees. Chris smiled as she watched the sweat trickle down the ink that decorated the sides of his head.
“Nice little five-mile run, huh?” she laughed as she clapped him on the back.
“Fuck,” he laughed as he forced himself to stand upright, “I’m going to be dead tomorrow. I can’t remember the last time I ran for something besides a warmup.”
“Or getting away from the cops,” she chimed in with a laugh.
He smiled, “Yea but that’s more sprinting than distance.”
“Right,” she laughed, “right.”
“You wanna,” he motioned towards the house, “want some food or something?”
Chris shrugged, “Sure, why not?”
As she walked farther into his house, she couldn’t hide the surprise on her face at how clean and orderly it all was. Growing up with Jax, and hanging out in the clubhouse all the time, gave her a very skewed view of how all the guys lived. But apparently Juice kept his own space very neat and orderly.
“If you wanna shower while I cook, you can,” he offered.
“Why? Am I that gross?” she cocked one eyebrow.
“Yea,” he laughed, “And I don’t want you getting your sweat on all my stuff.”
She shook her head with a laugh, “Fine, fine. I’ll be quick.”
There were a few moments of silence in the house before Juice could hear music being played from Chris’s phone in the bathroom. He laughed, shaking his head as he set about getting breakfast ready for the two of them.
She walked back out in a fresh pair of shorts and a sports bra, and Juice was trying not to be obvious about his staring. He set two plates out on the counter and watched her as she looked around the house. Despite the fact that it was the first time that she’d ever really been in his house, for some reason it all felt extremely familiar.
“You can eat,” he nodded towards the food on the stove, “I’m gonna rinse off real quick.”
“Yea, you can’t get your sweat on everything either,” she laughed as she walked around the counter to get her plate, her hand lightly brushing along his shoulders as she did.
He glanced back over his shoulder before walking down the hallway, and he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face as he watched her do a little dance as she scooped food onto her plate. He bit back a chuckle before turning around and heading off to shower.
When he walked back out into the kitchen, Chris was comfortably camped out at the counter scrolling on her phone. Her eyes flicked up and widened at the sight of him walking through his house without a shirt on.
“New ink?” she nodded towards the tattoos on his chest.
“Uh, yea,” he glanced down at the skulls for a moment before getting back on track, “got them a couple weeks ago.”
“Gotta decorate all your new muscles?” she laughed.
“Might as well, right?”
“You’re welcome,” she winked.
They sat next to each other at the counter and spent the whole morning talking. Every now and then when she laughed really hard, she’d lean over and bump her shoulder against Juice’s. He reveled in the brief contact, wishing that he was brave enough to do something about all of the thoughts in his head.
She was in the middle of a story when her phone started ringing. She sighed as she looked to see who it was, groaning when she saw her brother’s name flashing across the screen, “Yo, what’s up?” she paused, rolling her eyes as she listened to what he was asking her to do, “Alright, yea. I’m, I’m just finishing up a couple things and I’ll be right over. Love you too, bye.”
Juice looked at her expectantly, “Gotta go?”
She sighed, nodding as she got up from her seat, “Yea. Family shit.”
“Everything alright? Need me to go with you?”
She flashed him a smile, “I’m good, Juice. Thank you. And thanks for breakfast,” she walked over to pull her sneakers back on, “Gonna put the diner out of business.”
He walked over, leaning against the wall as he watched her pick up her bag and grab her keys, “Same time tomorrow?”
“Rest day tomorrow,” she saw the disappointment cross his face for a moment and she felt a smirk tugging at the edges of her mouth, “But I’ll still swing by for breakfast.”
“Yea?”
She laughed, nodding, “Yea. I, I like spending time with you, you know,” she stepped in, kissing him on the cheek, “See you tomorrow. I’ll even bring coffee.”
“O-okay,” he was trying to warp his head around everything that she was saying.
“Okay,” she chuckled, “It’s a date,” she saw the flustered look on his face and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
“It’s a date,” his voice was almost a whisper as he listened to the quiet giggle that slipped past her lips before she turned and walked out of the house to her car.
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The Missing Guardian | Prologue: Act I Scene I | Mondstadt: The Outlander Who Caught The Wind
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A.N. okay! so first chapter of a new series im starting! its a series rewrite of the genshin impact plot. i had always wanted to do one of these, and with my comic obsession, if you read marvel/dc comics youll find some crossovers hints. hope yall enjoy as i finally start to write and get on some type of schedule. its also one in the morning so imma head to bed :)
Word Count. 1,633 words
Page Count. 4.8 pages
Synopsis. When you’ve finally found a home in a set of twins who travel across worlds, setting out to enjoy your time with them; learning everything you could while traveling from world to world. But this time was different, because this time, someone stood in your way from continuing forward, from going home. You watched as your family was torn from you once again, leaving you stuck in a world alone with only a guide, the memories of a life long left behind, and the hope of finding them once again.
[ Series Masterlist: The Missing Guardian Mini Masterlist ]
[ Act I, Scene I ] [ next scene ]
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Prologue Act I: Scene I | Monstadt: The Outlander Who Caught The Wind
                So, what you're trying to say is that you fell here? From another world?
                But, when you wanted to leave and go back to your world... Your path was blocked by some unknown God?
        You could only nod at Paimons commentary, watching as she floated next to you, a small hand to her chin as she looked deep in thought. Looking forward to the vast openness of the ocean in front of you, memories flashing before your own eyes as the pain settled in your heart, the wind slowly picking up before the tears filled your eyes. It hurt to think back at what happened, to how you lost them, the two people to found you after being lost for so long.
        That carmine red outlining the dark abyss shaped like a star would haunt you as a woman walked out, snowy white hair and the bandages around her legs flowing around her as her voice seemed to break through your skull, demanding your attention while the twins next to you could only look up in confusion. The anger in those golden eyes was enough to make you take a step back, you've never met her- Hell, you've never seen or heard of anyone like her, so why did she come at you with such ferocity? Even her mere presence contrasted with the ivory, baby blues, and gold of your surroundings, the heavenly area around you tainted with this... Unknown God.
        "Outlanders, your journey ends here." She demanded, the portals behind her sharpening with the wave of her hand. Lumine took a step forward, her shock evident in the small gasp she let out before speaking, determination and confusion spilled across her features.
        "Who are you?"
        "The sustainer of heavenly principles." She responds quickly, bringing a hand up to her line of vision with a small red and black cube in her hand, twirling it causing the ground beneath you to tremble, Aether looking between you and his sister. Shaking your head, you bent your knees ready to jump, the engines in your heavy boots started up, as your mask appeared on your face once again with only a light touch to the earpiece.
        "The arrogation of mankind ends now." The ground lit up around you, red and irritated with magic you haven't seen before, your boots shooting you into the air as Aether and Lumine jumped- following your lead as they pulled their golden swords and allowed their wings to manifest, holding themselves in the air.
        It was barely a second, before you moved forward with the twins by your side, your hands moving to the Quads in their holsters and taking them out for another fight. You only thanked whatever Gods in your own world were listening, and that damn mentor of yours, before your mind went back to the battle at hand- requiring you to fly around and dodge the large amounts of glistening red and gold cubes that came in your way, blocking you from the target of the Unknown God.
        Before you knew it, the end of this battle came quickly, an explosion from the mere speed of you, Lumine, and Aether stopping right before the Unknown God to attack.
        And that second was all she needed to do what was needed. 
        Her gaze fell upon you, making you shiver in fear, before you flew back and blasted a beam of energy at her from your Quad, only for it to be absorbed by a cluster of cubes. Your voice came out robotic, echoed with the technology that covered your face, you eyes moving to see the cluster of cubes enveloping the twins that were once beside you. 
        "Aether! Lumine!" They only looked at you in horror, fading once the cubes covered them whole, returning to the Unknown God in a hollowed and golden version of her twisted and unique weapon. She watched the rotating cube with wide, uncaring eyes, giving you enough time to circle around her and attack once more- throwing the handheld mines from your belt onto her form, the beeping accelerating once it met her skin, and an explosion following quickly. 
        By the time the smoke cleared, and before your mask could scan and gain some sense of recognition, the cubes that protected the Unknown God attached themselves to your outstretched hand, closing in on you while maintaining the explosion you caused. Eventually, it all settled into one cube that contained your hand, before you followed the same fate as the twins.
        "Wait! Don't go! Give them back!" You managed to scream, desperation in your voice, as you watched another family be taken from you once again, your vision fading into darkness and your heart breaking once again.
                And just like that, the god took away my friends.
                Some kind of seal was put on my being, and the power I had was gone.
                And while I had the freedom to travel the universe, worlds, and entirely new realms.
                I was now trapped.
        "How many years ago was it? I don't know, Paimon. But, I've gotta. I have to." You answered Paimons question, still looking out to the sea in front of you, mask now hidden into the earpiece that decorated your left lobe. The leather of your jacket warmed you from the cool breeze of the sea, the bodysuit underneath regulated your body temperature in any environment, but you specifically used it when in space when you held the title of Guardian. But you couldn't afford to think about that now.
        Not when there's a chance of finding Aether and Lumine. 
        "After I woke up, I was alone- until I met you two months ago." You finished, looking over to your floating friend, who only turned as she spoke.
        "Yeah. Paimon really owes you for that. Otherwise Paimon likely would have drowned... So, Paimon will do her best to be a great guide!" She smiles, hands on her hips while looking up to you, seeing as she always chose to float around chest-level when around you. You sighed, a weak chuckle escaped your lips before you sat up from the sand, brushing off the back of your cargo pants and looking towards your guide for this new world- patting her head and making sure to be careful of the crown that hovered above her.
        You had only hoped Paimon would do most of the talking for you anyways, due to Tevyat’s language being foreign even to your ears and tongue, a feat for a Guardian of your reputation. A decent understanding of the oral part of the language under your belt, you found reading to be easier, since it did look similar to some scripts back in your own world. Your thoughts were cut off as Paimon spoke up, calling for you to follow her as she sped ahead of you, following the path from out of the beach to the grassy area ahead of you.
        "Awe, the path ends here. I guess we'll just have to climb, huh?" You rolled your eyes, shaking your head while you started to heave yourself up the large rock, Paimon taking notice of this.
        "You mean I have to climb the rock, P, you just have to float." You laughed, reaching the top with a grunt before she whined about floating taking as much energy as walking or climbing. It wasn't bad, you've climbed a lot worse in even more horrid situations, but damn did that take a good breath from you. You'd have to work on rebuilding some of your stamina while traveling here, and possibly need to find some supplies to settle somewhere for a bit, maybe even collect whatever currency they had here.
        "Well, let's take the route we planned! We're off to... a Statue of The Seven!" She smiles with glee, before a questionable face appears as you both move forward, her head turning towards you as you attempt to take in much of the scenery and areas you could. Your heavy boots only crushed the poor underbrush and grass that came into contact with it, your belt that was filled with gadgets and such clinking with the sway of your hips- hitting the holsters.
        This world is beautiful...
        "Which of The Seven are you looking for exactly?" She asked, making you shrug your shoulders at her, hands up as you walked towards a nearby tree- picking up the strange orange fruits and packing them away before moving forward. They looked like some weird crossbreed of orange and pear, but, you hoped it would taste as good as it looked.
        "To be honest? Any of them. They should have some idea of what happened, but even then, The Seven are gods in this world- and from what I remember of gods... they aren't too sane to say the least." You said, reaching a small cliff side that overlooked a lake with a statue near the edge of the small island in the center of it. 
        "That's a Statue of The Seven!" She pointed in its direction as you gave her your full attention, your finger going to touch the back of your ear to signal that, mindful of the metal to not trigger the activation of your mask.
        "There are a few of these statues scattered across the land to show The Seven's protections over the world. Among the seven gods, this god controls the wind. Paimon's not sure whether the god your looking for is the Anemo God, but... Paimon'll take you to the Anemo God's place first, and there's a reason why~" She muses, giving you a small wink before turning around, allowing you to follow her down the path to the first Statue of The Seven.
        To the first step towards finding Aether and Lumine.
        Your journey has started.
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ddarker-dreams · 4 years
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Aspiration Part 2. Yan Chrollo x Reader [COMM]
click here for part one! 
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“You’ll hurt your neck if you keep craning your head down like that.” 
What good it does to chastise you on an insignificant action like this is beyond you. There isn’t much else to do until you land in this “unknown” destination that he’s spoken of earlier, yet the thought of entertaining conversation with him doesn’t feel appealing either. Being kidnapped will have that effect on you, he shouldn’t expect otherwise but seems to. 
“Nothing a few painkillers won’t solve.” you respond with forced disinterest, flipping to the next page of the magazine Chrollo gave you earlier. It feels like a minor loss to entertain him with a response, your cold shoulder treatment temporarily lifting. 
You’ve read this magazine at least three times by now, hoping that giving your mind something to focus on will steady you in reality. The lackluster stories about summer sales, latest keto recipes, and what celebrities have been up to lately offer none to little substance. Yet your eyes continue scanning them dutifully as if it’s a sacred text recovered by a forgotten civilization.
Letting out a small yawn, you continue to read until you get to the familiar final page once again. Fully intending on completing the cycle of rereading it, Chrollo interrupts this by plucking it from your grasp before you get the chance. All you can offer in return is a halfhearted glare and grimace. 
“Hey! I was reading that.” you protest with a frown, feeling vulnerable without anything to hold onto. 
He ignores your agitated exclamation, placing the magazine out of your reach by his side. “I don’t believe you’re missing out on anything of importance, seeing as you’ve read it multiple times already.” 
Huffing but not humoring him with a response, you cross your arms and stare out the window. The clouds below you are an enticing sight, still not enough to maintain your attention for the remaining thirty or so minutes of this flight. When traveling, it’s always the last amount of time before reaching your destination that feels like the longest.
Chrollo lets out a disapproving sigh at your actions, then pulls back his sleeve to check the time. “It won’t be much longer. I’ll attribute your current behavior to being hungry.”
“Well, yeah, there’s that,” you finally look over at him, lips pursing indignantly. “And there’s the fact that I’ve been kidnapped by an A bounty criminal and am currently heading to god knows where at four in the morning.” 
“You’re by all means welcome to rest.” 
How he can calmly rebuke all your thinly veiled sarcasm is a special talent, like water off a duck’s back. You don’t want to admit it, however, you’re grateful he isn’t hotheaded and offended by your boorish remarks. Watching your tongue would be how any sane person would deal with a threat like this… then there’s you. Making poor decisions and winging it. A life motto, really. 
An invitation to rest your weary eyes isn’t easily declined, an alluring proposal. His presence makes it a challenge to feel comfortable enough to fall asleep, that state leaving you entirely vulnerable. When you’re awake you have some tandem of control, even if it isn’t much. 
“Where exactly would I do that? I don’t see any beds in here.” You emphasize your rebuttal by glancing around the room you two occupy, as if one would materialize at your words. Now that would be a useful nen ability, if he happened to have it. 
Chrollo smiles, in a way that doesn’t sit well with you. “Why not rest on my shoulder?” 
“W-whatever happened to your previous care over the well being of my neck? That’ll just hurt it after five or so minutes.” you stutter back, face flushing as his lips quirk further upwards. Amusement is dancing within his dark eyes, drawing out further discomfort from you. He seems to like exchanges like this, flustering you with the same ease as breathing.
“Painkillers. You said it yourself,” Chrollo throws your previous statement before you, challenging you with a raised eyebrow. “I’d be happy to get them, if that’s the only reservation you have about sleeping on me.” 
Inhaling sharply at his teasing assault, you close your eyes to prevent yourself from doing anything foolish. Gritting your teeth and balling your fists by your side, you remember why you were giving him the cold shoulder earlier. Talking to Chrollo is exasperating, all of his composed words like needles in your skin. Not wanting to swat at the wasp nest any further, your mind starts drifting, in a last ditch effort to distract yourself. 
It’s been an eventful night. The most memorable night of your life, if you’re being honest. You had always acknowledged and accepted the risks of looking into the Phantom Troupe. The stories of their unabashed cruelty served as an appropriate warning. Playing it close to the chest usually entailed fear of death, so never in your wildest dreams were you expecting… whatever this is. 
At least it beats dying? So you’ve got that going for you.
There isn’t anything you can do now, is what you’ve been telling yourself. Playing along with his whims is all you can think to do. It isn’t the ideal situation, but your only option now is to wait for an opening for escape. Even though Chrollo has more strength than you, he is still human. The thought offers a glimmer of encouragement, knowing that people aren’t infallible. You’ll take advantage of any weaknesses you can find. 
Getting more information out of him is a path worth pursuing for the time being. 
“I hope we’re not camping,” you murmur, shuddering at the horrific thought. “Bugs eat me like I’m the last supper.” 
“We won’t be camping. And despite the name, the last supper isn’t actually the last time the disciples ate.” There’s something extremely ironic about a murderer correcting you on this. 
“Please forgive me for not being up to date on biblical theology. I’ll be sure to correct that before the next test,” you deadpan before a realization hits you. “Wait, so what exactly are we doing? How am I even allowed to be on this blimp without my passport? God, none of this makes any sense…” 
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever ask. To answer your questions, we’ll be staying at a hotel for a few weeks. I know some people in the area who are interested in purchasing what was stolen earlier.” Chrollo explains with a casual air, smoothing out a wrinkle in his shirt. 
It all hits you again. This is really happening to you. An inescapable reality where you’re at the complete mercy of this man, who despite showing no interest in harming you, is fully capable of doing so. Your contempt style of speaking until now has been a pitiful defense mechanism to help you cope with the extremity of this situation, not doing anything aside from momentarily distracting you. Running a hand through your hair, you feel your heart pounding within once more.
Chrollo takes note of how you shift in your seat, and tilts his head. “I understand this has been quite a lot to process. I meant what I said earlier -- about having no intention to harm you -- unless you do something that forces my hand.” 
He smiles, the warm action not matching up to the dark implications of his words. It makes your blood run cold, how a monster can wear the skin of a human. There isn’t any benefit of getting yourself further worked up, so you continue rambling on. Life is all about testing the boundaries of what you can and can’t get away with. 
“I still… don’t really get it. I know I was looking into information about you guys, but in that case, why not just,” you gulp, fearful that saying it will solidify the possibility. “Kill me? Even more so now that I know more.” 
For the first time all night, Chrollo doesn’t offer an immediate quip in response. He carefully considers your words, in a way that leads you to believe he doesn’t entirely know the answer himself. It’s not that you have a death wish, yet your curiosity is overwhelming. Whenever he does decide to grace you with an answer, maybe you’ll find out something that’ll prove useful to escaping in the future.
“There’s no simple reason that’ll satisfy you. You piqued my interest, and that’s a dangerous thing to do with a thief,” he leans over, clearly assessing you as you back away in response. “I confirmed my suspicions when we spoke earlier in the car. So for the time being… I want to observe you.” 
He was right when he said the answer won’t be satisfactory. His response leaves more questions than answers, some of which you don’t want to delve into. Backing down from this befuddling conversation, you focus on something else.
The soothing night sky outside elicits butterflies in your stomach. Darkness allows for the city lights beneath to stand out, little twinkling dots of light growing closer as the blimp descends. You can’t help but feel a sense of relief knowing that you’ll be on the ground soon, a sense of claustrophobia constricting you in this room with no escape. His suffocating presence doesn’t help on that front. 
Chrollo is finally considerate enough to leave you to your thoughts. Within a few more minutes you’ve made your landing, leaving through a private terminal with what has to be forged ID. A black car rental car is waiting for you outside the airport, Chrollo opening the door to the passenger seat for you. The gentleman-like act almost causes you to roll your eyes, but you’re far too exhausted to do anything other than sitting down obediently. You’ll save the cheek for a later time. 
He shuts some luggage into the trunk, then starts the car with a low hum, driving off to where you presume the hotel he mentioned earlier is. Looking out the window, you squint as the sun begins to rise into the sky. Your eyelids grow heavier by the second, in spite of how desperately you cling to consciousness. Eventually, the world around you grows distant, and you’re lulled into a deep slumber.
Dreamless rest is stolen from you, Chrollo gingerly shaking your shoulders and bringing you back to cruel reality. Letting out a low groan at the unwelcome interruption, you feel like swatting his hands away. “What… oh, it’s you.” 
“Good morning to you too,” If he’s bothered by your unenthusiastic greeting, he doesn’t show it. Taking out the keys from the car, the vehicle ceases making noise. “We’re here now. You did mention wanting to sleep on a bed earlier, didn’t you?”
Craning your neck to look out the window, you see only about half an hour has passed since you first fell asleep. Outside is a grandiose looking building that must be your hotel. As much as you hate to admit it, you find yourself staring at what has to be the very expensive venue. Much more than anything you could ever hope to afford. While you’re appreciating the sight before you, Chrollo gets out to get his luggage. 
That’s right. What are you supposed to do for clothes anyways? All of it’s stuck back at your apartment, and you don’t think Chrollo was generous enough to pack for you. At least a hotel will have toiletries, so that won’t be a concern. 
‘Oh well. I guess we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.’
“Do you need me to carry you?” Chrollo calls over from the curb, two large suitcases in hand. You realize only one of them has a lock on it.
Not even humoring him with a response, you get out of the car, keeping your distance from him. To your understanding, attempting to flee or signal down anyone will earn “unwanted consequences”, or at least that’s how he put it. It’s one thing to endanger yourself in a daring escape, but you can’t justify putting other’s lives on the line. 
Morning chill prompts you to wrap your arms around yourself, warding off the cold. Following Chrollo’s lead, you head through revolving doors into a breathtaking lobby. Warm, yellow light from a glass chandelier basks the room in an ethereal glow, accenting the white marble flooring. He walks up to one of the employees behind a desk, checking in and getting a key to the room. 
In the liberating few minutes away from Chrollo, your eyes sweep the surroundings for any openings. Is it possible to make a run for it for one of the cars outside? He’s fast -- you’ve seen it for yourself -- undoubtedly more than you. Such an obvious attempt at escape will only be met with failure. The lobby is wide open, no possibilities for hiding evident. 
‘There goes that idea.’
Your insistent glancing around the area must’ve given you away, Chrollo placing a warning hand on your shoulder, and giving a firm squeeze. “Let’s head to our room. You must be exhausted by now.” 
Once again offering no signs of protest, you head to an elevator together. Chrollo hits the button with the highest number on it. Ascending upwards, you watch the lights around the rims of the buttons with interest until it reaches level thirty. The elevator adds to your dizziness, a fuzzy feeling budding in your head. 
With a ding, the door opens to reveal a long hallway. Chrollo checks the number on his key once more, before navigating to a room.
Finally, after what feels like forever, he opens the door to your shared suite. The lobby clued you in earlier that this is no cheap hotel, the suite confirming that. Since it’s at the top of the building, the entire city is visible to you. It’s a breathtaking sight, one that keeps you entranced as Chrollo shuts the door behind you. Looking out the window, you see more signs of life as the morning progresses.
The glass opens up to a balcony, the handle locked and cold to the touch. It’s probably not a good idea to walk out without permission, not sure of the act could be interpreted in a negative way. 
Chrollo takes a place by your side, a little too close for your liking. Amidst the beauty before him, he’s more interested in looking at you. “I take it you like the view?” 
“I’ve never been in a place like this,” you tell him, eyes wide and mouth agape at the breathtaking scenery. “If I had known we’d be staying here, I would’ve let you kidnap me sooner.”
“That’s a joke, by the way.” 
He chuckles lowly at your rushed cover up, thinking little of it. “Are you hungry?” 
Now that gets your attention. You can only imagine how wonderful the food here is, and you haven’t had anything to eat since your dinner last night. Having gone so long without food you’re surprised you aren’t ravenous, the kidnapping likely stunting your appetite. Still, you won’t be turning down the offer. 
You nod your head to confirm his words. Chrollo walks over to a phone in the room to place an order for room service, quietly listing off a variety of breakfast foods. While he’s occupied doing this, you look around what will be your residence for the next few weeks. He must not take any issue in your wondering about, seeing as he’s covering the only possible exit. How considerate of him. 
While he’s busy placing an order, you wonder off to take in your surroundings. From the door that leads to the hallway is a small closet on the left, and an expansive kitchen in the middle of the room. To the right of which is a living room, all surrounded by glass windows. That leaves your sleeping arrangement. 
Saving the bedroom for last, your fears are confirmed. You realize that even in such an expansive suite, there’s only a single bedroom, with a king sized bed. Luck doesn’t seem to be on your side. Well, it’s not like you can’t sleep on the floor or couch if the opportunity presents itself. A nagging voice in the back of your mind tells you Chrollo won’t allow for that, unfortunately. 
Plopping yourself down on the right side of the bed, you could almost melt into the comfortable mattress. Tempting as it is to fall asleep, you don’t trust Chrollo enough to give that a shot. Frowning at your fancy evening wear from the previous night, your previous concern about not having any clothes to change into returns. The bathroom did have a fluffy, white robe in it. 
‘That feels too vulnerable... I’ll take my chances with the dress.’
Getting up before you fall asleep, you look around for anything that might be useful. The phone in the living room might be an idea, if you could somehow call and alert the staff of your predicament. Something tells you Chrollo has already taken that into account, and you write off the idea as soon as it appears.
Speaking of Chrollo, he enters the bedroom with an inviting cart of food in front of him. Everything from hashed browns, scrambled eggs, pastries, pancakes, bacon and waffles sit atop silver plates. 
“I wasn’t sure what you like, so I got everything. Help yourself.” 
Not needing to be told twice, you grab a plate and go to town. Chrollo grabs a steaming cup of tea, taking a sip and sitting down next to you. The bed creaks underneath his added weight, you too occupied with eating to care about the implications of his action.
He raises the glass to his lips. “Is there anything else you want to ask me, [First]?” 
Swallowing your previous bite, you give his question some thought. There is plenty on your mind that you’d love to know. A better, more conclusive answer for why he kidnapped you at the top of that list. You recall how he looked detached from reality when you asked him about it on the blimp, leading you to believe that asking again will earn a similar result.
‘It’d be best to play it safe for now.’
“Yes, actually,” you take a bite of a blueberry muffin, wiping your mouth before continuing. “Am I supposed to wear this damned dress for the remainder of this... arrangement?” 
"As lovely as you look in it, no. One of the suitcases has clothes for you, among other things.” 
Blinking at this new information, you wonder if he ever intended on telling you this. In your short time of being acquainted with Chrollo, you’ve picked up on how he rewards you for conversation. Humiliating as it is to play along with his tune, you’ll have to do just that. 
“Other things...?” you repeat back in a faint murmur, showcasing your confusion by tilting your head. Chrollo nods his head in affirmation to this, setting his now empty tea cup on a nightstand with a faint click. 
“You strike me as the type to want something to do, so I went through the trouble of procuring a few of your belongings. A few books, and the like.” 
‘Ah. How terribly considerate of him.’ 
It’s not much, but knowing you have some of your personal possessions is comforting. Anything is better than being stuck alone with him, or your thoughts. The worst possible case scenarios. 
Your meal now finished, you get up and place your dirty plates back onto the tray. Chrollo continues relaxing, eyes still following your every moment. How is he not exhausted? The only thing keeping you awake is your fear of what could happen when you’re asleep, and even that is beginning to wane. Maybe some caffeine will help with that. 
“I’m gonna get my stuff.” you call over, holding your breath in anticipation of a response. 
At his lack of protest, you assume this action is approved of. Helping yourself to the suitcase without a lock on it, you unzip it to find it’s just as he said. Some of your clothes from home, your switch, books, a few offline games, your favorite perfume, shampoo and body wash. 
It’s creepy to know someone went into your residence and took your stuff, but that’s the least of your problems right now. While grabbing a change of clothes, a thought hits you. Looking up towards the phone Chrollo used to call room service earlier, your hand twitches by your side. It’s a temptation, taunting you over the possibility of freedom. 
‘He’s in the other room relaxing. Maybe, just maybe I have enough time...’
Cautiously, as not to alert him of your scheme, you begin to silently tiptoe over to the phone. Time feels like it goes slower, not even trusting yourself to breathe in fear of him hearing it. Hand hovering over your possible saving grace, your fingers grow closer to pressing 9. 
That’s when he appears in the corner of your eye, leading you to hurriedly bring back your hand and straighten your back. 
“I already cut the wires. It was a good idea though.” he calls over from the doorway, leaning against it and smiling in a way that makes your stomach curl. Not a single detail has gone overlooked, but what were you expecting from a mastermind criminal who has managed to go this long without being caught? 
Checking to see if his words hold any merit, you find it’s just as he said. Wires cut in a single clean motion, biting your lip as your hopes evaporate in front of you. 
It reminds you of Tantalus. Who was cursed to be hungry and thirsty forever, in the taunting reach of food and water that’d recede whenever he went to partake in it. An eternal punishment you’re now being subjected to. 
‘I should’ve known it wouldn’t have been so easy. Still, how could he have not made a single sound? I didn’t even hear the bed creak.’ 
Laughing nervously at being caught, you step back as to avoid further consequence, cheeks flushing at being caught in your measly attempt. “Just... checking to make sure all is in order, aha...” 
Walking away from it, you look to change the subject. Chrollo doesn’t seem bothered by your defiant actions, having clearly already anticipated your idea. He rolls out the cart from before, leading you to stiffen when he walks past you. Heart pounding away in your chest, you silently observe him opening the door to place it outside. 
He looks back at your anxious form after shutting the door. “I’d rather not have to constantly monitor you. Whether or not I do will be determined by how you act.” 
There’s a thick pressure in the room from his words, one that pushes down on you like a heavy weight. Unable to maintain eye contact with him any longer, you look to the side, clutching your clothes to your person. Chrollo doesn’t have to resort to infuriated threats or physical violence, his presence commanding enough on its own.
To ease the tension in the air, Chrollo speaks up. “If I happened to leave out anything you need, let me know.” 
Grateful for the change in subject, you nod your head in a daze. From now on you’ll have to be more discreet. Mentally slapping yourself for not giving your earlier actions more consideration, you move on at Chrollo’s lack of reprimanding. 
“Is it alright if I get changed?” you speak up, voice meek enough to remind you of a mouse. Chrollo considers you before nodding his head. You jump at the opportunity to be alone, borderline running to the master bathroom and shutting the door behind you.
Looking in the mirror, you see your frowning reflection staring back. Placing a hand to your face, you inspect the bags forming underneath your eyes. Peeling off the dress feels heavenly, using a wet rag on the sink to quickly clean your body. Showering with a murderer in the other room isn’t a tempting proposition.
Putting on your clothes, you feel like a new person. Straightening up your hair and splashing your face with cold water, you place your hands onto the cool marble counter top. 
‘I’m going to get out of this. It’ll be okay, [First]. Stay calm.’
Finishing your mini pep talk, you fold your previous outfit and place it on the floor. Will Chrollo even allow someone into your room to clean it? Not that it matters, seeing as you spotted a washer and dryer earlier. 
He’s sitting up in bed when you open the door, a book now in hand. At your presence, he looks up to acknowledge you. Chrollo’s dark hair frames his face, and you flush at his admittedly handsome appearance. How are you supposed to remain composed in his company? 
“I can close the blinds if you intend to sleep.” he offers before turning to the next page of his book. 
Oh, that’s right. Now that you’re wearing pajamas he must assume you want to sleep. The next hurdle of this headache inducing dilemma, Chrollo having the expectation of you resting next to him. Eyelids feeling heavier by the second, you wonder how much coffee would be necessary to keep you awake.
That’d still be delaying the inevitable. Coffee or not you won’t be able to stay conscious forever. Earlier, when you fell asleep in the car, he didn’t do anything weird... right? Nothing that you can account for. 
He looks up at you, noting your lack of response. Unfreezing from your prior stiff position, you make the decision to sit down next to the bed. Chrollo most likely wants you where he can see you after your previous stunt, and sleeping on the floor isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Aside from the back pains. 
Making yourself comfortable, you fully intend to fall asleep on the floor. Chrollo closes his book at your antics, coming over to your side of the bed and frowning. “What are you doing?”
“I’m about to sleep.” 
“... On the floor?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.” 
Unreadable grey eyes pierce through your being, sending chills down your spine. From your previous interactions with him, you thought a measly sign of resistance such as this one wouldn’t matter. Your initial assessment must be incorrect, as he sends you a disapproving look.
“There’s no reed for that.” he reasons with you, leaving little room for argument. Not wanting to give in, you remain planted in your spot. Without wasting anymore time, he gets up and crouches next to you. You wonder if he’s going to chastise you further for your childish actions. 
He instead lifts you up in a single, fluid motion. A small noise of shock leaves your lips at the sensation of being hoisted up, scrambling to clutch onto him in fear of falling. It doesn’t last long, as he places you down onto the bed with gentleness that you didn’t expect him to have.
Arms receding back to his side, Chrollo returns to his previous position as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. You feel your face burning, a bright red glow coupled with it. The scent of his cologne lingers, memory of his touch flustering you further. 
Clearing your throat to play off the events, you still can’t manage to look at him. “I was planning on sleeping here, actually. Was just testing the floor out.” 
He opens his book back up to its previous page, lips quirking into an amused smile. “I’m sure you were.” 
Having no other options, you lay on your side facing the wall. Muscles taut and incapable of relaxing in his presence, you squeeze your eyes shut to no avail. All you hear is the gentle hum of the air conditioner on the wall, and the occasional page flip from him. 
More time passes, at a snails pace. An hour ago you would’ve entered slumber easily, now it taunts and eludes you. Huffing at your inability to rest, you adjust yourself against the soft mattress. 
Sighing quietly in defeat, you attempt to make conversation to pass the time. “Do you not ever need to sleep?” 
“I’ll be fine for a while longer. Are you concerned for my well being?” You can imagine the smug visage on his face, clear as day. It’s tempting to want to bite back with no, you’re not very worried about his health. You bite your tongue and instead ignore the teasing.
Sitting up and hugging your knees to your chest, you look over at him. His guard is still on high alert even while he’s reading. There’s an immeasurably gap in strength between you two, accented by his casual demeanor. 
“That makes two of us. I don’t feel tired now,” you narrow your eyes in his direction, wanting desperately to know what it is he’s thinking. “Something tells me we’re not going to be sitting here all day.” 
“For a majority of it. I’ll consider taking you out for dinner if you continue acting agreeable.” 
Tempting you with food, huh? It’s a most valiant effort, one that almost threatens to win you over. Especially since cities always have a variety of nice restaurants to choose from. Giving his proposition some thought, you realize there might be a catch. There always is with these kinds of ordeals. 
“What is your definition of... agreeable?” 
Disliking the way the word feels on your tongue, you purse your lips. Dehumanizing is how you’d describe it, knowing that your actions are being analyzed and studied. If Chrollo notices the bitterness in your voice, he doesn’t feel a need to mention it.
“I don’t care much for labels, but I’d equate it to wanting to date you. I told you earlier that I had taken an interest in you, that’s what I meant.” Chrollo explains to you with ease that tells you how much thought he’s given it.
When he had told you he was interested in you earlier, you thought he meant it in an entirely different way. Like how you find a certain movie interesting or entertaining. Now you’re unsure what to think. Mind swarming with thoughts ranging from maybe it’s a good thing, to what do you do now? 
Finally, you deliver your eloquent and delicately woven response, having put every level of care into it. 
“Oh.” 
Glancing over at your dumbfounded expression, he can’t help but laugh airily at your mortified look. 
“I’ll take that as a yes.” 
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yinses · 3 years
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fractured kingdoms
| he made you a princess … it was only right for him to play the white knight |
one
gojo satoru rating: 18+
a/n: this will be a slow pet project for me. i’ve outlined what i want to accomplish so we’ll see if i can manage to meet my own goals. thank you for all the interest! 
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the ability to be lured out with food was dangerous- for her. 
likely for humans too, for those who may have fallen for her charms. but aside from milking them dry she didn’t seem to have any ill intents. rather didn’t know what to do with them or why she should bother. 
gojo didn’t know if she stayed around this area for a reason or if he just got lucky. he’d played around with possible back stories for her origin. 
he would have assumed the factory had been the place of her death given that’s where he’d initially found her. but the fact that she was able as stray as far as she did after their meeting meant that she could have come from a lot further.
whether or not she was the accumulation of her own thoughts was a contender too. she didn’t need to be the same girl who died per say. with as many souls lost in this area alone, she could have been the combination of plenty- yet her personality was strong enough to bubble to the top. 
she was an anomaly. but that was also why she was still alive and not exorcised without a second thought. 
swinging the bag of treats, the crinkle of plastic replaced what would have been small tut for her attention. he wondered if that would have brought him more ire or favor. 
fortunately the smell wafting from the still warm desserts did the work for him. that faint scent drifted past his nose again, something still annoying indescribable, came from above again. 
“these are for you, princess,” he responded to her unasked question. 
“wow, you actually came back.”
shaking the bag again, gojo made a noise of appreciation when she responded eagerly, watching quietly as she dropped down and snatched up the bag without so much of a thank you. maybe only some princesses actually showed gratitude to their subjects. 
the building had been cleared of bodies but not properly cleaned. there were still distinctive dark pools still staining the floor that would undoubtedly linger. she seemed to have no problem plopping down near one as she opened the first container. 
“oh! i love strawberries.”
there is was again. a small inking of what should be a preference, bred from past memories. he doubted he would get a straight answer if he probed. whether from her own attitude or lack of understanding- it was too early to tell. 
instead he took a different route. 
“this is a pretty dirty castle.”
there was a splotch of pink jam at the corner of her mouth. his hand twitched but nothing followed up. 
“it’s not like i live here,” she scoffed. 
his brow rose,” oh, but this is where i found you again.”
it was a false representation but the way her cheeks warmed at the attention carried her image as a human girl. he couldn’t feel the heat but there was a hint of shyness pinching at her cheeks.
unable to resist, he delved deeper.
“so then you were waiting for me all this time.”
that was no surprise. he didn’t expect for her to follow him home like a lost kitten after he bought her nice things. actually he’d hoped she’d come back here until he could return. 
it took him three days, but it was more than enough time for the lower grades to purify the area. the reports read that all lingering spirits had been taken care of with little issue. 
it was safe to assume that the curse before him was far from a small issue. so either she was capable enough to conceal her presence through a purge or she had drifted off somewhere else and returned. both were very intriguing concepts.  
“i thought you had come back earlier but they were just annoying pests.”
ah the plot thickens. so she had been here. 
sliding his freed hands into his pockets, gojo tilted his head to the side. “you mean my comrades. yes, they needed to clean up the mess your friends made.” before she could retort with they weren’t my friends, he added. “how did you feel when they showed up?”
she made a face,” i don’t know. fine, i guess.” she tore at the dough and fed herself smaller pieces. “annoyed maybe? it made my head hurt a little and there was this heaviness in my chest.”
she almost sounded concerned, so blissfully unaware that she had been resisting a reverse technique so effortlessly. the clean up had taken at least a day and a half. gojo doubted she could have escaped the barrier placed without alerting someone so she must have just endured. 
funnily enough, he imagined that she would have been crankier. 
when presented with an untouched raspberry filled daifuku, he almost smiled. actually he did one better, dramatically clinching a hand to his chest as he lowered to one knee. 
the greatest shaman alive bowing to a curse. 
“i wasn’t expecting you to share. how sweet.”
she scowls and looks like she might take it back but he doesn’t give her the opportunity. he was going to stop by again on the way home but this would help sate the craving. gojo offered a thank you in return. 
“they were suppose to kill me, right? did you send them?”
what an observant creature. and the way she made her voice so small as if disturbed by the idea of being removed to safe humanity. she wasn’t immune to what she could have done, what those in her likeness had conducted in her stead. 
gojo swiped the pad of his thumb against his tongue, savoring the lingering tangy sweetness. “yes. though not specifically you.” 
he did put out the official request to ijichi, even if he hadn’t filled out the actual order. they would have certainly tried to end her and likely called him back after she showed any signs of intelligence.
“but you did good, kitten.” why was he praising her for evading his colleagues? maybe he was a little proud of her for surviving his test. “that means you're about as strong as i predicted. maybe even stronger.”
curious eyes shot him a glare at the admittance, but she still partook of his peace offering- now that it had informally coined as such. 
“why does it matter if im strong enough? i don’t want to fight anyone.”
but she would. eventually have to fight, if solely for the reason to survive. 
maybe it was considered treason, or something along those lines. but gojo was willing to cross into that territory and give her a fighting chance against the odds. 
her hair was soft, he noted. more surprisingly she allows him to caress the top of her head with his palm. gojo had expected it to be as grimy as her environment. 
there was no reason to extend this curses life any longer; even if she did put up a reasonable struggle he could succeed. yet here she sat, not necessarily open but trusting. 
gojo’s face was a mask as her smaller hands toyed with one of the empty wrappers. she cast a questioning glance towards him,” will you help me?”
and who was he, her self proclaimed white knight, to deny such a request. 
“of course, princess.” 
it would be my honor.
“call me satoru.”
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Fic Writer Interview
thanks @allthebooksandcrannies for tagging me!!
How many works do you have on AO3: 160!! yes i have a problem
Total AO3 word count: 844,446 oh god
How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?: 5 i think? dc comics, young justice, voltron, the teen titans cartoon once, and that one tiny fic i did for the lunar chronicles which is the only time i ever strayed from my fic-writing comfort zone lmao
Top 5 Fics (by number of kudos): the #1 fic is "obedience" with 3395 kudos, #2 is "don't touch me," #3 is "no pain, all gain," #4 is "hi bi, i'm dad," and #5 is "the same mistake twice" with 1353 kudos
Do I respond to comments, why or why not: i tried to respond to all of my comments at one point, but it was a lot of work to keep up and eventually i just gave up after a month of that. nowadays i try to respond to the longer comments that people put actual effort into or if they have a question or something
Do I write crossovers (and if so, what is the craziest?): nope nope nope. it's just not my thing (unless you count the ones where i give characters plots or traits from other forms of media like my "tim sees ghosts" au but that's about as crossover-y as it gets) (also julie and i come up with crossover ideas all the time but for my real, public writing, it's a hard no)
Have I ever received hate on a fic?: oh gosh so so SO many times. it's never fun
Do you write smut?: nah, it's not my thing. i've thought about it sure, just to branch out my writing style and to see if i'd be any good at it, but it doesn't match my audience so it's a no for now
Have you ever had i fic stolen: i hope not? i actually don't know what that means but it doesn't sound fun
Have you ever had a fic translated: yep! a couple have been translated into different languages and a few awesome people have done podfics for my stuff :)
Have you ever co-written a fic before: sort of? sometimes julie or i will write stuff together, but it's usually in a way where one of us will write a fic based on headcanons we've come up with together and then we'll credit the other when it's posted. there have been a few times when we've written actual fics together in the same document and everything, but i tend to step back and let julie do most of the work because i'm inherently bad at working with others and my instinct when partnered with other people is to shut down and let them take over everything 🤷‍♀️
What’s your all-time favorite ship: i don't know actually?? i'm sure i have one, but as far as writing goes, i tend to mostly lean on ships like jayroy, timsteph, spitfire, and birdflash occasionally. there are plenty of other ships that i care about way more than those four, but most of them i just haven't written for yet so yeah. for someone who's obsessed with love and romance, i'm pretty lukewarm on most ships
What's a WIP that you want to finish but probably never will: oh gosh. oh man. foster dad bruce au, my beloved. i love that fic with all my heart but like icarus, i forgot my sunglasses and rocketed straight into the ball of burning gas. this fic gives the phrase "bit off more than you can chew" a physical form. the fourth chapter has been sitting in its document half-written for months now and i know i vowed to never ever ever ever EVER post a fic and never finish it because i always hate when people quit on fics i like,,,,, there's a 50% chance that i will get back to that fic. it's just too long. i've only finished 3 out of 7 chapters and already it's at almost 59,000 words, i'm TIRED okay i'm sorry guys maybe one day i'll reclaim my braincells and finish that fucking thing
What are your writing strengths: i'm good with the mechanics and stuff, like the way my sentences are arranged and thought-out, but this is also my biggest weakness, which sucks. it's like in monsters university when mike spends so much time studying the technical aspect of scaring but he can't do it naturally like the other monsters can? yeah. i'm so focused on the mechanics of my writing that it's hard for me to let loose and actually let myself think and go loose with it. the only times i can really WRITE without one hand tied behind my back is when i'm overly tired or caffeinated. i have a feeling i'll be one of those writers who can't write anything of value without a bottle of wine lmao
What are your writing weaknesses: see above
What’s your thoughts on dialogue being written in other languages in fics: i don't know what this means?? is this asking whether i approve of dialogue being written in other languages?? or is it asking how i want it formatted?? what does this mean?? sometimes a story requires dialogue in another language, idk what to tell you man
First fandom you wrote for: oh god. don't make me think about my fanfiction.net days. i'm not strong enough (it was batfamily btw because what else do i write)
What’s your favorite fanfic you’ve written: my young justice gsa au <3 my pride and joy <3 that au was when i truly peaked as a human and it's only downhill from here <3
tagging uhhhhhh @damthosefandoms @haljordangreenjedi @catboykonel and @magebirdi because i have very few friends
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