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#ignore the bad quality. I did not bother w this
crystalxwitch · 1 year
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6| Déjà Vu - W. Maximoff
Summary: Who would have thought that you'd have the same pleasure to sleep in her bed again.
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"I wanted to apologize for last night."
You raise an eyebrow, mustering her over the rim of your cup of coffee. "Why?"
You haven't talked about the events of the previous day yet. When you woke up this morning, the spot next to you was empty. The mattress was cool to the touch as you turned around, burying your face in the pillow that smelled of her. 
Wanda looks down at her plate, acting preoccupied with her pancake. "Well, I- I fell asleep right on top of you. You couldn't leave because of me. The wine got to my head and-"
"It's fine, Wanda. Don't worry about it." You wave off, mustering her with friendly eyes. "Besides, I slept very well."
"Oh." She breathes out. "That's- That's good to hear. Again, I'm sorry for last night."
Are your eyes playing tricks on you or is she truly getting flustered? A faint pink tone rises over her skin, nearly going unnoticed by you.
"Don't worry about it." The corners of your mouth twitch. "Did you have a good night's sleep as well?"
"W-What?" 
Guilty. This is exactly the reaction you anticipated. The redhead stares at you with big round eyes with her lips slightly agape. You let the question hang in the air for a moment longer. 
Her heart races in her chest at high speed. Memories of your warm skin pressed against hers invade her mind again. You looked so.. peaceful. Did you notice after all? She thought that you slept through the night, not seeming bothered by the occasional thunder crashes. Only once, you whispered her name out loud. 
That doesn't mean anything, does it? 
Taking pity on her, you avert your eyes. After all, you don't want the redhead to faint at the mere thought of what happened. It was surprisingly nice to have someone by your side again but you aren't sure yet if it was with the right person. Wanda is beautiful, there's no denying that. Nevertheless, many beautiful women have shared your bed in the last few years. Women who took your breath away by simply looking at them.
This time there needed to be more to that. And the only quality you figured out about the woman is how easily she can annoy the hell out of you. You're not entirely sure what that says about her or you. 
"I meant with all that alcohol coursing through your blood you must've been out of it." You lie, stealing a glance in her direction. "You were pretty drunk."
"Oh." She exhales, her shoulders relaxing visibly. "Yeah, I slept like a stone. I don't know why I got so drunk. Usually, I can handle it better."
"Well, you probably can't handle it like you're younger self. You're getting older, Wanda." I tease, taking a sip of my coffee. "The college years of partying don't go well with the part of growing older."
You did not just say that. Wanda raises a brow, staring daggers in your direction. One night and she thought that you would be different. How wrong she was about that.
She narrows her eyes. "Do you want to imply that I look old?" 
"Yeah, I do." You smile, not at all frightened by her offended stare. "But not in a bad way."
The comment takes her by surprise. Are you flirting with her or is she misinterpreting the situation again? Judging by the glint in your eyes, you know what you are doing. Wanda gulps, ignoring the pounding of her heart that hammers against her chest. 
You're only playing games with her. The time in the mountains without anything to entertain yourself results in boredom. She is not going to give in to your silly games. Not even when you look at her with that addictive smile that keeps her warm. 
Save your pretty words for someone else, y/n. That sentence lingered on the tip of her tongue, ready to break free. But staring into your bright eyes makes her silent. The words seem stuck in her mouth. Wanda doesn't know what to do, parting her lips but remaining quiet. The thought of ruining the moment again and seeing the light in your eyes disappear makes her rethink her actions. 
"Thanks." 
"No probl-" You are cut off by her hand flying towards her lips. "What?"
"Did you hear that?" Wanda puts her forefinger in front of her mouth, telling you to be quiet. "Listen."
You closely listen to anything that might be going on in the house, blocking out the rain hitting the window. A loud noise of something falling to the ground pierces through the room.
"It's coming out of the living room." Wanda immediately says and stands up. 
You rise at the same time, running out of the door and towards the source of the noise. Halting in the middle of the door, you take a look around the area. 
The window is wide open, letting cold gusts of wind rush through the living room. You stand frozen on the spot as your mind doesn't move as fast as it should. Instead, Wanda does it for you. She stares at you out of the corner of her eyes, suppressing an eye roll. You don't see it. You don't even feel her brush past you. The sight of the broken window brings back memories of your early childhood. 
Flashes of broken glass shattered across the wooden floor enter your mind. Dirty footprints covered the floor, the mud clinging to the floor. Someone was inside the house. And you were all alone, holding onto your stuffed animal for dear life. The sound of someone loudly cursing pulls you back to reality.
"Fuck, fuck. This can't be happening." Wanda rushes to the window, quickly closing it shut but it's not fully closing. "The lock is broken."
It's a broken window. But you can't help yourself to scan the floor for evidence of dirty footprints. One can never be sure. The sight of old but clean wooden bars calms your mind. 
Everything is okay. Moving your gaze towards the window and the distressed-looking redhead, you rephrase your thought. Most of it is okay. Wanda struggles to keep the rain outside as the window opens with each new gust of wind. You are not a great help at all. 
"Here, let me give you a hand with that." You quickly walk up to her and grab the next best object to keep the window close. "This might help." 
Placing the heavy plant pot on the windowsill, the window is nearly closed. Only a few inches remain open, wide enough to let the cool wind inside but narrow enough to keep the rain outside.
Wanda gasps. "Oh no."
"What is it?" You ask, looking out of the window. 
"The couch." She whispers ever so barely.
Looking down on the couch, you realize with horror that the entire fabric is soaked through. The previous light material is completely dark, drenched in water. You let out a groan. Why is this happening to you?
You sigh, pushing a strand of hair out of your face. "I guess we need to do it one more time."
"What?"
God, this word slipped past her mouth way too many times this morning. You give her a funny look, raising a brow and suppressing a chuckle. The expression on her face - confused and befuddled - too amusing as it's the exact contrast to her usual put-together self.
"This won't be dry until tonight." You explain, pointing to the couch which is in fact your bed. "Or do you want me to sleep on the floor this time?" 
Yes. Please. Everything but sleeping in the same bed again. 
"No, of course not." The lie easily rolls off her tongue. "You can come upstairs when you get tired."
"Great. My back thanks you for it." You give her an honest smile. "Until then, I'll try to work on the window and fix the lock."
She gives you a puzzled look. "You can do that?"
"I'm not a child, Wanda." You can't help the laugh this time as a small furrow appears between her brows. "Fixing a lock is not rocket science or sorcery."
~
"I get déjà vu." 
You walk into the familiar bedroom in your pajamas. The storm hasn't calmed down yet and lightning flashes across the sky. The sound of the rain reaches your ears, seeming heavier on the upper floor as it dances over the roof. It sounds like the buzzing of a thousand angry bees.
Wanda hums behind you in agreement, keeping a safe distance from you. You noticed that she grew quieter throughout the day, not being as talkative as it usually has been the case. Is she nervous?
"It's not as if it's our first time." You say without much thought behind it, sitting down on the right side of the bed. 
Wanda nearly lets out a pathetic sound that could have been a whimper, the embarrassment clouding her brain. Without the alcohol coursing through her veins, the situation is much more intimate than last time. 
She should've drunk a glass of wine again if that would've meant that she wouldn't feel like this. But it is too late for that. Running downstairs for that would give her away and that would be even more humiliating.
Quickly, she shuts off the light before you can look at her and see the redness coloring her cheeks. Did she turn the heater on the highest number or why is it so hot? 
Wanda blindly navigates through the room and stops in front of her desk. Knowing that you could barely see her, she pulls off the heavy sweater and places it over the chair. Her skin burned. She keeps on her top, not wanting to sleep in nothing but her underwear beside you like she usually does. Changing her pants for a pair of joggers, she turns towards the bed.
The shadow of you laying on the bed brings her back to reality. Awkwardly, she scrapes the inside of her palm with her fingers. You are all too casual about this. 
Is it that natural for you to sleep beside someone you barely know? Of course, Wanda knew that you wouldn't kill her in her sleep. If you wanted to do that, you would've done it yesterday. Nevertheless, the thought of sleeping beside.. you.. leaves her throat dry in a weird way. 
"Come on, I don't bite." You joke, tapping down on the mattress. "I promise."
Your words don't ease her nervousness at all. They cause the exact opposite reaction. But she couldn't just stand there all night. Her body needs sleep. With slow steps, Wanda walks to the other side of the bed. Soundly, she crawls under the covers and immediately turns around to the other side.
She couldn't look at you. Not because you are hard to look at. More like the other way around. It is just like last time. The rain loudly smashes against the window. The wind blows through the trees.
You look at the ceiling. While Wanda's mind is like a hurricane, yours is surprisingly calm. Deep down you are relieved that you don't have to be alone right now. The sight of the broken window brought back memories of a night you gladly want to forget. Knowing that you aren't alone, holds back the anxiety of someone breaking in. 
Your heart pounds calmly in your chest. The exact opposite pace of the redhead trying to sleep next to you. Her thoughts are running wild. What is happening to her? A few days ago, everything was fine. You annoy her. She annoys you from time to time. What changed all of a sudden?
Something inside her longs for you. It is frightening. Wanda couldn't understand it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she forces herself to let the thoughts vanish and go to sleep. But the much-appreciated sleep doesn't come. Her condition only gets worse with each minute. Are you already asleep? Perking up her ears, Wanda tries to listen to your breathing pattern. 
She isn't sure. You could be dead asleep or wide awake. Would you push her away? Her heartbeat rises up to her throat. The spot on her waist still burns from last night as if your handprint paints her flesh. Maybe you were awake yesterday and knew about the position you slept in. That would explain your question this morning. 
She wants to be selfish. When was the last time she acted without thinking it through to the tiniest bit? She can't even remember. Swallowing hard, Wanda summons all of her courage. Be brave. Just this once.
"I can't sleep." The soft voice of the woman beside you makes you open your eyes again. "Something is missing."
You furrow your brows, your eyes darting around the room. What does she mean? Are the curtains not pulled close? 
Before you can ask, a warm hand reaches for yours. Your breath catches in your throat. Wide-eyed, you feel her hand placing yours on her waist. Her skin feels like it is on fire. Wanda inches back a couple of centimeters, not touching your front but close enough to feel your breath on the back of her neck. An uneven breath. 
"That's better." She mumbles into the darkness, too afraid to look behind her shoulder. 
Is she going too far? Is she truly misinterpreting everything? Is she ruining everything?
The thoughts spin around in her head at high speed. She doesn't know what she would do if you pull away. Her heart couldn't take the rejection. The embarrassment. 
You on the other hand are unable to speak. Unable to comprehend the situation. Wanda just put your hand on her waist. Willingly. Are you already dreaming?
Seconds pass by where you don't move at all. The air around you thickens, cracking with electricity. Your throat runs dry as you carefully caress your thumb over her skin. Softly. You are still afraid to scare her away. Her skin is just as smooth as last time. 
Wanda presses her lips together to keep any sounds at bay that might escape her mouth. Emotions crash down on her. She doesn't know where to put them or how to handle them. Carefully, she lays her hand on top of yours. Her heartbeat calms down for a moment as she is sure that you won't pull back. But it quickens all too soon again as you pull her closer to you until her back presses flat against your front.
You stay like this without uttering another word. Trying to make sense of the situation would ruin the peaceful atmosphere. 
You don't know what she wants. Hell, you don't even know what you want. The only thing you are sure of is that you don't want this moment to end. The warmth of her body wraps around you like an extra blanket. The redhead doesn't move. Instead, a small sigh of relief reaches your ears.
This needs to be enough for now. For you. For her. For both of you. You'll figure it out another time.
"Good night, princess."
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stanleyl · 8 days
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I know you’ll probably don’t respond to this but… as a Tom fan, I’ll be very honest. I feel like the fandom isn’t being truthful and there has been a lot of dissatisfaction around him for a while but won’t say it because they don’t want to come off as antis. But I think it’s okay to have different opinions and have some critics.
as a Tom fan, it’s been so exhausting how everything about him has become his romantic relationship. it didn’t bothered me at first but now it’s unbearable. For 2 years now, he isn’t perceived as an actor, just “the boyfriend”. he only trends or makes headlines related to his relationship. Before making the relationship public, he had a whole set of opportunities. He was a movie star in the making, everyone was waiting for his next move outside of the MCU. By 2019, he was already the lead of two movies with huge box office numbers and with active participation in the Avengers. One of the most talked about movies ever. And what have we gotten ever since? TDATT was his last good movie and that’s a fact a lot of the fandom doesn’t want to admit. And that came out 4 years ago.
I feel like a lot of people on the fandom doesn’t want to admit Tom is around people that don’t push him to consider his career Post-Marvel as long as they get the benefits from his MCU checks. And most of his team aren’t really building his career with a strategy in mind. The whole “lead action hero” agenda that his team tries to push only limits him. And I also think Tom lets himself get carried away by a lot of people like the Russo Brothers. Doolittle and Onward were cute but didn’t do much for his career. And I’m sure he only did Doolittle because of RDJ. And the movie flopped.
Chaos Walking was the worst decision he could’ve made because everything about it screamed that it was going to tank. But his team wanted him to be the face of a new franchise so bad. And it’s not like it was a super obscure genre that people don’t tend to watch - it was a young adult sci-fi movie but it was so bad Lionsgate had it as a tax write off. He missed on the lead for 1917 for this movie.
Following that, he did Cherry with the Russo Brothers and that wasn’t good at all. Yes, Tom’s acting was great but the movie was hardly of quality. It shouldn’t have existed in his discography and it’s because of his dependence with the Russo brothers that he got stuck with that script. After a year of bad movies outside of the MCU, comes NWH that quickly becomes a box office success but it’s also overshadowed by his relationship and the rumored cameos. I guess it was smart that Uncharted and NWH came out close because it helped the box office but even when I thought the movie was fun, it further typecasts Tom into those type of roles and I feel it goes with his team wanting him to be the “lead action hero” instead of going for smaller things as some actors do to slowly break out from a character.
After a long time, he drops TCR and again, I think his acting was great but the series as a whole was hard to get through. It definitely got ignored by the strike since he couldn’t promote it. But then again, the only viral tweets I saw about this show were in relation to his personal life. Not once about Tom as an actor.
I’m happy he is going back into theater and maybe he finds himself inspired again with what made him love acting. But after that? Uncharted 2? The confirmation of another Spider-Man trilogy? I really hope the Paul A biopic is still in place because this could turn around his career in another direction.
And yes, I know that not everyone wants to have a critically acclaim career and at the end of the day i am not here to dictate that- i understand he doesn’t like the industry and he is allowed to take time away from that, but I’ve been saying it for years - i think his team should allow him to do silly movies or movies w great directors and assemble cast where he isn’t the lead role. he could do a secondary character in a great movie and maybe he won’t feel too pressured by that but gets to build more experiences. florence pugh was 5 minutes in oppenheimer. a lot of huge actors do small roles in movies. why can’t he do the same?
tom has become really all about his relationship while his peers that didn’t have half the accolades than him, have been able to rise into a more established career in matter of 2 years. all while their relationship not being the main focus.
No, I'm posting, lol.
I think this whole viral stuff you guys are talking about is only a problem on Twitter. I get what you're saying, but he goes viral on TikTok for many reasons, even golf lol. The most viral stuff about TCR was those scenes from ep8, so where this narrative is coming from?
I agree with what you said about his team, 🤷🏽‍♀️.
I think most fans are just tired of constantly hate and unnecessary career discussions every two weeks coming from people who don't watch his projects and are always comparing him to other dudes, when we're barely getting anything from him and he hasn't been cast in a movie in 3 years, hasn't been on a movie set for 2 years. They cannot praise these other guys without mentioning him and it's annoying.
Also, fans who say he doesn't care about critics, aren't lying to themselves, he clearly does. What actor doesn't want positive feedback? He's still campaigning for an award even tho he probably won't get nominated again (I'd love to be proven wrong, but still).
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honey-hexes · 3 years
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Graphic design is my passion pt. 2
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Detective, guide me?
[Goro Akechi x Reader]
Summary: You’re visiting your cousin who lives in Tokyo and you just happen to meet the Detective Prince, Goro Akechi.
Warnings: NONE
Author’s Note: I feel like we need more of Akechi, am i right? Sure I am. Just a short story, please bear with me.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32248585
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“Like I said, cousin, I have literally no idea where I am or where I am supposed to be going,“ you huffed as you talked to your beloved cousin on the phone, while also being completely lost in Shibuya. Well, it seemed like such a good idea to visit him while he was here during his probation. Now you were not so sure anymore as you stood completely dumbfounded next to the famous Buchiko statue.
Out of self pity you reached to rub the dog’s paw, listening to your cousin’s attempt to give you the easiest possible directions. Easy, my ass, you thought bitterly.
You eyed the people go on and about their business and you caught yourself spacing out, suddenly the voice that spoke to you on the phone became a white noise.
“You got that? Just make sure you get to Yongen-Jaya. I can pick you up there at the station...“ your cousin hummed, a cat-like noise in the background that made you think the cat was telling him something. Ha, ridiculous. Thank Anime for those thoughts.
You blinked once - then twice. You felt hot and cold at the same time and you glanced around nervously. What was it he just said?
“Uh- yeah! Got’cha! No prob. Be there. Y-Yongen-Chia- was it?” you stuttered.
“What? No, Yongen-Jaya. Good luck, I gotta do something now,” your cousin laughed. “I trust you can do it!”
“W-wait- wait don’t hang up- Wait- Yongen-Jaya- how there?” you called desperately but the call was already disconnected.
Awesome-- you’re doomed. Were you supposed to just call a taxi? Surely that’d be the best course of action-
You had to look very lost and pathetic, because a young man approached you. You weren’t paying him much attention at first, frantically searching on your phone for any help internet could give you.
“I apologise for eavesdropping,“ the man said, forcing you to look up at him. You realised two things: his voice sweet like sugar and his face as handsome as that detective’s you saw on the TV just the other day-- huh, what?
“You were.. eavesdropping..? On me?“ you questioned suspiciously.
“Oh yes, how rude of me, I know. I overheard you’re headed to... Yongen-Jaya?“ he asked, giving you a sweet smile.
“You’re hearing things, sir,“ you remained cautious as you looked up and down his slim figure. You noticed the familiar uniform he was wearing, the attaché case with an A. in a circle. The reddish-brown eye colour that somehow reminded you of red wine.
He laughed softly, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“My, I understand your concerns, but let me assure you, I approached you with good intentions. I, myself, am headed there. There’s this restaurant I’d like to visit.“ he hummed, still smiling.
Well, you should’t look given horse in the mouth if he was offering to help, right?
“What’s your name, sir?“ you mumbled, at this point just making sure.
This question seemed to take him by surprise as he blinked at you, his shock bringing you just a little satisfaction.
“Goro Akechi, Miss. I am-“
“Oh, so it is you,” you gasped quietly, covering your mouth. “Sure have guts talking to random person on the street. Should I start screaming that I see ‘the Detective Prince’?“ you teased, really just testing his intentions.
“Please don’t. Don’t you need help getting somewhere?” he smiled innocently, which took the wind out of your sails.
You nodded, defeated.
“Let me help you.”
With that, you followed Goro Akechi.
_____________
The train was packed.
You could not believe the amount of people that managed to squeeze in, and it was even more shocking to you that it felt comforting when the detective stood between you and the others, shielding you from the rest of the passengers, as you stood with your back pressed against the train’s window.
Admittedly, it was a little weird having his hands just centimetres away from your head on both the left and the right side of you, but he was steadying himself from falling or being pushed on you. What a gentleman.
In return, you were holding his briefcase.
“I apologise, i didn’t think it’d be quite this crowded at this hour in the evening,“ Akechi mumbled, as if annoyed by the others.
“It’s alright, not your fault,“ you offered him a shy smile.
Akechi smiled back at you, keeping as much distance as he could when he felt someone’s backpack press into his back, forcing him closer to you. He still tried to keep calm.
“You know, you seem more patient on TV,“ you thought out loud.
“I try,“ he mumbled, eyeing you as you let out a quiet giggle. Well, that was cute.
"So, you said you're going to some restaurant?" you asked, fancying the idea of trying to have a small talk with the detective.
"It's famous for curry and coffee," Akechi nodded.
That made you pause a little. You were pretty sure your cousin was saying that exact same thing. Curry and coffee of the best quality. A restaurant located in a back alley with a French-like name. Hmm, name. What was it called again?
"-- anyways, in case you were interested, thats the restaurant's name," you caught the last portion of whatever Akechi was saying.
"Huh?" you blinked up at him, now actually feeling his breath on your skin as the crowd made him close the distance between the two of you almost completely. Centimetres apart, literally.
For reasons unknown, you felt your cheeks heat up. On the other side, it was pretty warm these days and the train was pretty full. Yup.
"Quite the habit of not listening, huh? I wonder if you have in common with whoever you're visiting," Akechi voiced his thoughts with a small snicker, either ignoring or not noticing the blush on your face.
Don't be stupid, he was a detective, he had to notice--
“No, not really. He’s a really good listener, actually,“ you shook your head slightly, gripping Akechi’s case tighter.
Akechi didn’t answer verbally, giving you a small nod instead. At this point his elbows were bent and his forearms also rested against the window. So close.  You were pretty you’ve read about scenes like those online.
“Can I know his name and your destination, then? I could just escort you there, seeing how close we’ve gotten over our short ride,” Akechi said, an almost amused look on his face when you choked on your saliva. He meant literally. He meant literally!
“Akira Kurusu. Uhh, I am not sure what the place is called-“
“Akira Kurusu?“ Akechi blinked.
You nodded shyly. Did you say something wrong? Surely not?
“Then, assuming you weren’t listening when I first mentioned the restaurant’s name, are you headed to LeBlanc?“
Your gasp was all he needed to hear and you heard him sigh, mutter a quiet ‘Seriously,’ under his breath.
“Is there something wrong?“ you frowned a little. “Do you know my cousin?“
“Ah yeah, We... have met. A few times, actually. Yes.“ Akechi gritted through his teeth quietly. Well, what a full 180° turn in the atmosphere.
You couldn’t help but giggle. This was quite interesting. You loved to annoy your cousin and seeing Akechi’s partially annoyed expression gave you ideas.
Maybe you found a partner in crime.
_____________
Akechi helped you step out of the train, holding your wrist tenderly as he pulled you aside as the crowd flowed through the station. He held your wrist for a bit, watching the people exit and enter the train.
“Here, your thing,“ you mumbled, pushing the briefcase into his free hand, letting him hold onto your wrist as long as he thought was necessary.
“Hmhm,“ he nodded. He fell quiet after he confirmed your destination and Akira’s name.
“Does it bother you that much?“ you asked.
“Does what bother me?“ he frowned a little.
“That Akira’s my cousin, that you volunteered to take me to LeBlanc,” you shrugged nonchalantly, noticing he still didn’t let go of your wrist.
“You said it, I volunteered - and I am headed there too, either way. And it was just... an unexpected information, don’t make it a big deal,“ he mumbled, looking around. “Let’s get going.“
Holding your wrist, he pulled you along, avoiding people as he followed the path he knew so well.
What a tsundere, you thought. That meant Akira knew this man too, then, right? You’d ask him later. Now, all you could do was drag yourself behind this fast paced detective.
_____________
“(Y/N)- finally- why didn’t you call m---“ Akira paused in whatever he was about to say as was left speechless after he just opened the door to LeBlanc to greet you - and Akechi who was still holding your wrist-- wait, what?
“Cousin!“ you beamed, throwing yourself at Akira who caught you in his arms, holding you close - and you realised it was because he was just kind of glaring at the man who guided you here.
“Hello, Kurusu,“ Akechi faked his famous TV smile. “I apologise for this late intrusion, but I happened to run into (Y/N) here and seeing the lost look in your cousin’s eyes, I couldn’t not-help,“ he explained, oh so sweetly.
Akira rolled his eyes, glancing at you as he held your shoulders.
“I’m really sorry, Akira! I just felt so bad calling or texting you again, it felt so embarrassing! And he happened to be headed the same way!“ you apologised as you wiggled out of Akira’s hold.
“... Sure, alright. Uh. I will make you coffee on the house, tomorrow?“ Akira mumbled to Akechi who beamed in response.
“Splendid, how kind of you, Kurusu.”
“Yeah. Uh, (Y/N)... I will ... just...  prepare your dinner, you must be hungry... uh... say thanks to Akechi...?“ Akira mumbled, actually unsure how to talk to the detective when you were present. He turned on his heels, shaking his head as he went inside the restaurant.
You glanced at Akira and then turned to Akechi who crossed arms over his chest.
“Thank you so much for the help. I am sure I’d be still at Shibuya station if it weren’t for you!“ you laughed nervously.
Akechi gave you a small nod.
The silence stretched, but you weren’t sure you wanted to say goodbye to the detective-guide that you met today.
You grasped all of the courage you could as you leant to peck Akechi’s cheek quickly.
“Please, be my guide again, sometime soon, detective,“ you smiled sweetly and then rushed inside the restaurant to bother your cousin.
Akechi stood outside with a dumbfounded expression, eyes wide as he watched you disappear inside LeBlanc. He blinked once, then twice, as a smile spread on his face. His gloved fingertips touched his cheek where your lips touched his skin.
“I’d love that,“ he mumbled, to no one in particular.
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sugarakis-p2 · 2 years
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Gamble ch 4: Bad Mate
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Rebel proves she is smart, useful, fast and is punished harshly by both Dabi and Shigaraki for it.
Poor Toga!
Awwww they teach Dabi to kiss!
Yeah I went there. There are some regrets, a lot of fluids, more fluids than regrets. I don't mind if you re-blog, or re-post just give me credit. I really love what I write and do work hard at it.
Warning: Double Knotting, non/con, minor death, bad words
Chapter 3
Chapter 4: Bad Mate
Shigaraki was announced to the bored King, who did not bother to look up. "Hoodwink! Your mane is looking lovely!" Hoodwink, the Sphinx, shifts on his throne, his human-like face lighting up in joy upon seeing the female known as Rebel.
"Is that not the human female from the gambling hall?" He asks one of his females, who nodded yes. "Kitten! What brings you to my kingdom? Did your father sell you to some fool?" He eyes Tomura.
"You must have spurned the Count in some way; he would've warned you about this little runner. Not that it would've stopped you, it hasn't stopped many of us." He is now inspecting Tomura Shigaraki with interest.
"I doubt her father would have sold her to you though. Your kind knows the woods as well as kitten. Now that must be an interesting story." He indicates Shigaraki should sit.
"I heard you are an excellent sticks player. I have high-quality rubies. Let's play while my flock feeds and drinks. I can tell you how I caught my little butterfly." He pets Rebel on the head like a dog.
"Yes, yes, such a fine guest. I have not thought highly of your kind in the past, but I am impressed; I can feel my mind changing." Rebel flashes a pouch to a blue-coated female who speaks up.
"ReBell, kitten, you are worse for wear. Your clothes are tattered, and you reek. The females shall retire and fix this." She announces as she walks away. The king ignores her while Tomura nods to his mate in permission. Rebel goes to follow when she notices Toga trailing along. "Aren't you staying here?" "Why? I'm a female too." Rebel doesn't say anything else.
After a bath and fitted in silks, Rebel got to business. Negotiations were frustrating, but she and the flock came out on top. Toga was busy stuffing her face, watching. "Excellent, with these sapphires and your mate, will adhere to our agreement, we both benefit." "Toga has authority in this matter, I'm sure. What do you think, Toga?" "Sounds good," Toga mumbled around mouthfuls of meat. "Then sign here, Toga, and it's all done."
"It was a pleasure as always, Lunar. Excuse me, I have to use the privy." Rebel gets up and walks out of the room calmly. Once she is out of Toga's sight, she breaks into a full-tilt run to the exit. Toga pops in front of her.
"Caught ya! He knew you'd try something like…hey!" Rebel darted into a secret hall with a stone door that slammed shut behind her. Toga pounded for several minutes before saying to an empty hallway, "Tomura is going to kill me." Lucky for her, it was Lunar that delivered the bad news. "She ran away, but on the bright side, she brokered an excellent deal in your favor." She announces to the room, unable to talk to any males. "hmmm, deal?" The king asks, not really caring he was still busy playing sticks with Shigaraki.
"They are taking over the old hive in the forest on the edge of our territory. In return, they will kill any griffins that enter our kingdom; that's five times a year on average. They will kill all the vampire huggers in the lake, and in return, we build a canal to us and the hive. The only catch is that one can't enter the city of Forestdale. That one agreed." She says, pointing to Toga. Shigaraki manages not to kill everything. "Why would you agree to the last part," Shigaraki asks through gritted teeth. "I didn't!" she wails.
"You did, dear. See, it's right here. Rebell added it last second. Contracts are blood bonded, break any part of it, and the signer dies." "Can always find her by scent," Compress says. "She took a bath," Lunar says to Toga. Shigaraki is seething with rage. Toga wails, sure that Tomura is going to get her killed. Rebel knew he could not. Toga was the only viable female in a group of males. Unless he wanted his hive to collapse before it started, he would keep Toga safe.
"I would check my inventory if I were you," Hoodwink said idly. All the diamonds were missing. Tomura is scratching himself until he bled. "Dabi, I have a job for you." "What's in it for me." "Fun." Shig rasps and Dabi smiles.
Three days later, Rebel exited the forest into her family's backyard. Tired and hungry, the family celebrated all night. "Add more meat to the stew," Daddy shouted at Mama and Jenny. Rebel had stolen enough to set them up for two years. All seven of her siblings hugged her. They wept in relief, for both the cash and seeing her alive. It was such a close call she started training three of her sisters and two of her brothers to take her place. They made a tidy profit from the low carat diamonds, fleecing fools who thought they knew better than them, making purse drops and snatches. They had to be good enough to fool mythical creatures and fast enough in the forest to out run them.
It had been two months, and she was for sure pregnant. She was very late and very stressed. She needed to find a husband quick and accepted a date with the dullest fool to ever enter the Index. The Count set it up for her, telling her she could always be with him instead. Like she would ever be one of his harem whores. Although Rebel almost would prefer it to this.
The stocky man was the button king of the land, a wealthy lord of some kind. He prattled on and on about buttons. The different textures, the unique shapes, the exciting material, "Did you the vampire master Kai prefers polished steel, my golly, who would have thunk it." The custom jobs for kings all over the lands. Rebel smiled and nodded, asking him to please go on. She wanted to hang herself. She is fine with his shape and pale, sweaty skin. He is just so boring. She reaches up and scratches her scar when he wasn't looking. He touches the raised skin and smiles. It's the souvenir she has from Shiggy.
It's in times like this, she did miss Shiggy. He could be gentle and sweet. He is cleverer than he looked and presented. If he wasn't what he is, and if she wasn't a human, she could see herself happy with him. The cat and mouse game with him were the most on edge she has ever been. When she looks back, it was thrilling. At the time, it was terrifying; those fucking hands. A moonlight walk around the reflecting lake is pretty but basic and boring; no were near as thrilling as trying to outmaneuver a Mothman.
"It's getting very late, my lord. I really should be heading back home." She will end the date with a kiss on his round cheek. Only she is shocked that the man is a pillar of blue flame. He is crumbling to ash before her eyes. She's seen blue flame before. She turns to run when she is blocked by glowing blue eyes. Dark black wings that shimmer a purple design in the blue light. "I'm not going to get away, am I?" She says with a lilt of hope. He shook his head. "Can I say bye to my family?" Rebel asks sweetly. "You had two months more than you did two months ago. You're coming home to your new family at the hive." Dabi says in his firm smoky voice. She nodded and didn't fight when he carried her to hell.
"Look what I found," Dabi said. He put her down in front of Shigaraki. Painted like a king, he loomed over his bad mate. "What should I do with you? You broke our deal. You ran away and got poor Toga in trouble. Stole from the hive. I thought we were going, to be honest with each other. On the other hand, you only took a portion of what we agreed to for your family. Brokered a good deal, and now you are carrying my brood. Still, my mate. What to do? What to do?" Dabi had snuck up behind her and is sniffing at her hair. He had been a perfect gentleman during the trip. Now he was being a handsy creep. She smacked at him, which only seemed to get him more excited. "Don't forget my reward." Dabi hisses, Shig ignores him.
"I did say bad mates get it rough. I did say you have to please only me. I did tell your father only I could touch you. I guess this will make me two-thirds a liar, turns out being honest with my little butterfly is a bad habit. I must punish you. You have opened my eyes to compromises and accommodation. With so few females, I needed to offer Dabi a decent reward for finding you. After all, I can't enter your city. Don't worry. After your punishment, we'll go back to the original deal; this is going to be the only exception, right little butterfly? No more running." She gives them both dirty looks; Shigaraki's heartstrings are plucked when she's like this. "Oh, pretty little butterfly, you are in for a treat." Dabi hisses. "I've wanted this since back at the cave. Boss, do you really think she can take two knots?" She looks at the two evil grinning monsters in shock. Never had she thought that punishment would be on the table. Shig has been so possessive.
"No!" She screams as she tries to run. Four sets of hands capture her. "Fuck no!" She screams, flailing and kicking. "Don't be like that. Makes me think you don't like me. Wasn't I nice on the way over here?" "Only because you knew this was waiting for me, you sick fuck! Shiggy, please! I'm your mate! There are other punishments!"
"Sorry little butterfly, you forced my hand. Too few females, and it keeps my right hand close." "Real close," Dabi whispers in her ear, adding a chirp at the end. They are carrying her to a giant bird's nest filled with pillows. "Remember the rules. No marking, scenting or burning. You can dust and knot the ass, not the mouth. Also, fuck that mouth at your own risk." She is trying to bite at Dabi while he says the last part.
"She's pregnant, don't see why I can't have the pussy?" "Because I killed one knotting the throat, and anal just doesn't feel as good to me," Shig says. "Yes, but if we fuck her at the same time, the ass gets real tight." "Really?" "Both of you are fucking sick. Shiggy, please! You could kill me! Could hurt the baby!"
"That's cute. She thinks our cocks could kill her or hurt the baby. I thought you were smart. Don't you know holes stretch; bones break?" Dabi says while kneading her breasts. Laughing at her panic. "She was a virgin, it's really annoying having to train them, but she will do well. After all, she wants to make me happy. She wants to be my good mate. Good mates get considerations." Rebel whimpers pitifully. Then feebly struggles.
"This is great, you know; struggling and making us chase you gets our instincts riled up." "I'm going to fucking kill you both." Rebel snarls at them. "The mouth on this one, can we fuck it, right?" Dabi asks. He's inhaling her pure scent before Shigaraki gets to her. He chuckled when she struggled to claw at his stitches.
"I like to hear her threats and pleas. They are adorable. She is a bit of a biter again at your own risk." They are talking about her as if she is some dumb plaything. She knew they were talking in the human tongue on purpose. Humiliating and frightening her.
"Shiggy, my mate, please. The threat of this is enough. I promise I'll never run again." "Where did we land on the pussy?" Dabi asks. Both are ignoring her pleas. Tomura sighs, annoyed. "Only this once, just because she's already carrying. If it were any other time, I would withdraw the reward." She goes limp. Dabi shakes her and gives Shigaraki a disheartened look.
"Don't worry, she plays possum to get close before becoming a vicious minx. I sit, and you thrust?" Shig asks. "Yeah, I want to see her face. I'll thrust." Dabi's hand is knitted in her hair, tongue licking her neck, while Shigaraki pulls off her clothes. Dabi can feel the pulse of her heartbeat under his tongue and has to control himself. No marks are a rule, so he lightly nips. He wants to do this again, so rules with someone else's mate are the only ones he bothers to follow. Shigaraki is kissing her thighs. She has slowly snaked her hand under her jerkin and pulled out a knife. She is quick, but Shigaraki is quicker; he caught the blade. He's laughing. A trickle of blood drips down his chest as he tsks her.
"Playing a little rough there, sweet mate. I would be disappointed if you hadn't tried." He wraps five fingers around the blade, and his shatters into dust. Rebel whimpers. It was her last chance. They would never let her near anything sharp again. Dabi chirps.
"She is a little minx." Sliding his hot hand up her side. To cup her breast and fingers her puckers nipple. Shigaraki growls and turns her top into dust. Rebel squeaks in fear; four dangerous hands are on her. She has seen Dabi light fires on the way here, and she was happy with not having to deal with that, at least. How stupid and wrong she was.
"I wanted to be kind and leave your clothes, but you always force my hand. I can't trust you don't have other nasty things hidden. Always the hard way with you first." Tomura says. His teeth are nipping at her hips. They are both making her shudder in fear and pleasure, and she hates herself and them for it. Her body has been betraying her since she has met the Mothmen. Shigs hand darts up into her hair, and she screams. She knows that he doesn't want to kill her but that doesn't mean he might not accidentally do it one day. He twists her face towards Dabi's. His fur feels signed and smells like caramel on the edge of burning. "Give him a kiss," Shig orders. "A kiss? "It's a human thing where mouths are pressed together. It's a new way to taste a mate. Try it."
His lips are softer than Shigs. She can still feel scar tissue and a scrap of a stitch. His long tongue violates her mouth at the same time Tomura is licking her cunt. She whines and tries to twist away from them both. Both are starting to feel good, and she's embarrassed how her body heats at their touch. Dabi is so warm. She can tell the difference between their roaming hands. Their antenna is everywhere, tickling. Rebel giggled into Dabi's mouth, encouraging him to be more aggressive with his kiss. As he pulls from the kiss, she tries to bite him, but he's too fast. Rebel is gasping; both are leaving her breathless.
"It's like bringing her to heat, but dangerous, those little flat teeth are sharper than I thought." He snickers, nuzzling her hair to watch Shigaraki lick her. Tomura's is firmly planted over her pussy, tongue deep and squirming, as he slicks his dick with his precum.
"Mmmm, he seems captivated by your taste. I guess he's that kind of guy. You are so much sweeter with a tongue in you. Are you this sweet when your knotted, I wonder?" "Why don't you two just fuck each other?" She spits a Dabi. He catches in his mouth and groans. He wets two of his hot fingers and shoves them roughly in her ass. She shouts curses at them as he fingers her. "So delicious. It's much more fun when there is a little treat between. You're so much softer and tighter than anyone of our species. Smell good, taste good, fuck good. I hope you remember I'm being nice, getting you ready, because all of Shigaraki is going in this virgin hole. Such a tight little hole, maybe you'll misbehave, and I can try it later."
"How honorable of you, you disgusting creep." Tomura pulls away, Dabi pulls his fingers out with a squelch, Tomura spitting a wad on her holes. Wiping his face, he adds her wetness to his aching cock. "She's ready," He rasps. He lays back, wings and arms spread wide. "Come here, little butterfly, and sit on your mate's lap." Dabi flips her struggling form and helps spread her as he slowly lowers her on. Tomura is spreading her cheeks and lying himself up to her dripping puckered hole. Rebel sobs miserably as Tomura's cock is firmly anchored in her. His arms wrapped around her middle, pinning her arms to her side. He is nuzzling the crook of her neck, licking at her tears, and kissing his scarred mark. He leans them both back for Dabi.
Dabi leans down and gives a lick at where they are connected. It makes her squeal, and Tomura shivers with pleasure.
Dabi's hands grip her waist as he slowly sinks into her. She whimpers, and her pained face is making this better for him. She's so tight and full; his hips slowly start to rock. He grinds his cock deep inside her, making sure to form and stretch her insides to fit him. He wants to coax at least one orgasm from this female. He wasn't lying. She is softer and tighter. He wants her to misbehave so he can do this again. Maybe if they both realize how good this is, it could be more regular. The thought is so exciting he slides out a little too fast, and it's making her cry out with each thrust. Her eyes are squeezed shut, her head thrown back into Tomura, her teeth gritted.
"No, no, no more. Please." She begs. It feels unbearably good. She hates them. She feels like a panting slutty bitch in heat. It is the most degrading thing Rebel has ever had to do. The room is filling with the sounds of their moans, groans, the wet slapping of skin, squelching, chirps, and the buzz of wings. The smells of sex mixing in the air sending the males over the edge. "Oh, little butterfly, you're getting tighter. Your pussy is drooling around me. Are you about to cum?" "I hope you both die," Rebel moans. "Feels so good," Tomura mumbles. Dabi captures a hard nipple in his mouth, wings quivering, dark dust falling on both. She shouts, arching back into Tomura, both her cunt and anus tightening. Her orgasm is encouraging them to both pump deeply. She is shouting curses that are turning incomprehensible. Her walls are sucking them both. Primal growl as both knots inflate, making Tomura and Rebel squirm under Dabi. Dabi's cum feels boiling hot as he fills her. It is so much it's leaking around the edges, sliding down Tomura's crack. She is trembling between them, gasping, and going limp.
Dabi does a tentative knot pull that has both shouting and give him a nasty look, Tomura's blazing red eyes threatening. They all roll to the side, her cursing more of how it hurts for them to move. They coo and chirp over her. It would be sweet if she didn't hate them. Shigaraki is smothering her in his scent, telling her to never run again, and what a good mate she is for taking her punishment so well. Rebel is crying, telling them, of course, she'll never run again, please no more, it's too good. She is already plotting on running. Even the Count wouldn't do this, would he?
Panting and sweating, their wings encase her, and they fall asleep entwined with each other.
Sequel coming soon! I'm super lazy and tags are annoying.
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3416 · 2 years
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my two cents about buddie going canon:
i feel like with buddie, if everything else about their relationship remained the same as it is in canon, but one of them was a woman, there would be next to zero doubt that it was heading to a canonical romantic relationship. i think that’s the difference here…like, we’re not delusional, there’s so much there that hints to a buddie endgame. am i as 100% certain as some other buddie truthers?, no, but i wouldn’t say there’s been 0 indication of it on the show
my thoughts got a little too long, so this is going under a cut KLFJDKL, my bad. read or maybe don't 😭 bc obv, i disagree.
i mostly disagree but respectfully, i promise. the thing is... i think you need to be able to look at the context of the show and what it's trying to achieve rather than zero in on these individual dynamics that you personally want to read as or would enjoy as romantic. if we're gonna talk about something going canon, i mean. i know we get caught up in that romantic/shipping part in fandom bc it's the most fun, but it's not realistic to think the ppl running the show are approaching it that way at all. 911 is a procedural. it's not like groundbreaking tv in any real sense beyond the fact that it's putting diverse casts in front of wide audiences, and when it's trying to be "groundbreaking", it comes right out of the gate advertising it that way... like subtlety is NOT what network tv is known for, and i feel like every single theory i see about this long slowburn for buck and eddie hinges on a quality that just doesn't exist in this specific mediumfjdsk. like everyone wants to talk about how groundbreaking it would be to have some repression arc come to fruition and these two shown-to-be straight characters so far falling for each other, and that would absolutely be a treat,,, if network tv had ever been known for pulling stuff like that. 911 truly already covered the basis of a "coming out later in life" storyline with michael, so i have nO clue what makes someone think they'd take the risk of doing it again.
ik that actress that plays carla got some backlash for what she said about buddie (ider exactly the words, ik some of them were ignorant ((but also i laughed)) abt the alphabet ppl or whatjlkfdjsk im yelling), but realistically, when she talked about how buck or eddie wouldn't be canon bc they're the heartthrobs, she's not exactly incorrect that that's the way hollywood works. should it? not necessarily, but it does, lol, idk why bother trying to deny that. buck and eddie are both the two young macho straight guys to project onto in this show... the ones women thirst after also, and that's currency in tv, whether or not it's good moral practice or the right thing or whatever we can argue. i honestly think people are just giving 911 too much credit when they think this is happening or even a possibility. the show (and lone star and any other network tv show pumped out at this pace, it's not a drag lol) lacks so much nuance in other stories... they mostly just tell things in broad strokes to appeal to wide audiences... so why would they be able to handle this well? what about its formula makes fans think it's gonna defy those conventions of tv? i just don't get the faith, especially when everyone is railing on the show and writing 24/7 the second things don't go their way for 5 minutes. that's why i've said before.. on the very (very very very very, honestly nonexistent in my own brain but ill let myself imagine) slim chance they ever did become canon, it'd 100% be the pressure of fans. which again.. i don't think there's THAT much sway or power there compared to general audiences n ratings, it's just the most visible/loudest through the direct connections w social media these days lol... and historically fans have won that battle about "queerbaiting" ships like 0 times. though i also 100% disagree with the idea that should buddie never go canon it's queerbait but i digress.
of course you can take lines between buck and eddie and make them SOUND romantic if that's what you want to choose to see (honestly i could probably do it for any crack pairing in the show too, in some form or another), but the staging of the scenes themselves and the direction/acting of the actors has legitimately never landed that way or been overtly romantic (in the way that network tv often is) imo, and i don't think it's supposed to be. i don't think the show is trying to plant any seeds, i don't think there is some long con here. this show exists episode to episode, season to season. it's always about expanding threads they left open in the past, rarely about some long arc planned from the beginning. i think the over-analyzing nature of online fans (affectionate bc me too, just not abt this) and honestly this hyperfixated-on-queer-content corner of the internet is the reason buddie even exists as a thing. i wish i was around for its conception just to see the creators/actors initial reactions to it bc i bet they were SURPRISED that that's smth people would latch onto or even think about. i know i was when i finally learned what it was (and i literjlkdjsklfjlk look for gay people everywhere in media, don't let me be misunderstood) and i know if i went and asked 95% of the ppl watching this show what they thought of it, i'd be planting the idea in their mind for the very first time, lol. it's just... not apparent, and frankly, that's reason enough for me to believe it'll never happen.
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rainileo · 3 years
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have you seen hao’s selca ?? where he’s on the bed ?? ugh he keeps posting thirst traps and i cant stop thinking abt him and u having sex in the dorm where you have to stay quite bcs all of the boys are there and u guys eventually get caught </3
HES SO FINEE KHAUDUSJSJ
be quiet (m)
idol!minghao/the8 x (female reader)
warnings: public sex (?), dorm sex, quiet sex, minghao is sassy lol, not much else just sex w/ minghao
lmk if i miss anything (not proof read)
a/n: i literally almost peed when i saw those pics lmao he’s so hot ahhagejajdvs. i decided to make it so that he’s in school rn (like idfk art school or smthn trying to get a degree lol, but he’s still an idol). and sorry for taking so long to get something out lmao
10:33 pm
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“are you done yet?” your was tone is riddled with annoyance. you slumped in irritation, starting to get restless. you were asking if minghao had completed his school work yet, as he has been working on it non stop since you had arrived a few hours prior.
at this point you were so bored. the time was slowly passing by, and you thought about leaving more than once, but decided against it as the two of you haven’t had much quality time together lately. the other boys managed to keep you busy in the meantime, but it was beginning to get late and they were getting ready for bed, or already were fast asleep.
minghao wasn’t even paying attention to you, busy with his work that has been piling up over weeks. usually, you attempted to keep him on track with assignments, occasionally helping him or reminding him, but sometimes his actual job can get in the way and cause him to fall behind to the point where he has to spend his extra hours trying to catch up.
you felt bad for bothering him and getting upset, but, he did invite you over after all.
the two of you are always so busy that it could be almost impossible to find time for each other, so when you could, you tried your hardest to make the best out of it. it was even worse seeing as the two of you could barely have sex either, and it was really beginning to get to you.
his eyes were trained on the assignment sheets, reading over them with his head resting on his knuckles. he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and looking up to you with tired written all over him.
“no.” was all he said, his blank facial expression never faltering. he blinked slowly and tiredly at you, the bags under his eyes now more prominent as you finally get a better look at his face.
he was seated at his desk and you were on his bed, sitting atop the sheets, holding one of his plushies for comfort. one of his nightlights was illuminating his room, letting off a warm glow that contrasted his skin perfectly.
you roll your eyes and get up from your position, walking over to where he’s seated.
“you need to take a break, like meditate or whatever you usually do.” you try to suggest, coming in front of him and placing your hands on his shoulders and rubbing them soothingly. his eyes follow you, moving his head to crane itself to look up at you.
his face softens from your ministrations, his body immediately relaxing into your touch. “-and i don’t know, maybe spend sometime with your girlfriend.”
the attitude is evident in your tone but he ignores it, moving his head off the table to move his hands on your waist, squeezing it in response to your comment, still looking up to you with those same tired eyes. he only stays silent, the air becoming thick as you await his answer. when he doesn’t reply fast enough, you begin, “c’mon, let’s do something, you’ve been sitting here on your arse since i’ve walked in.”
you now move your hands to his forearms, backing up so you can use your weight to leverage yourself to pull him up. he complies and comes to stand up with you. when he gets off the chair, you hear the joints in his knees crack loudly. he grimaced and began to stretch, finishing it off by twisting and shaking his leg like a dog almost, making you laugh cutely at him.
the side smile he gives goes straight to your core, it being a little to seductive looking for your liking.
suddenly it was like a switch was flipped, now that he was at full length in front of you, it felt like the mood had taken a complete 180. he intertwines your fingers and presses his chest up against yours, exhaling through his nose when you look up at him.
“i have a proposition.” he blurts out and you nod, “shoot your shot.” you reply, blinking at him as you wait, wondering what he could possibly be interested in now.
“lets fuck.” your eyes widen at his bluntness, mouth dropping open in hesitation. now it was his turn to wait for your response, biting on his lip and stroking your sides gently.
“but the guys,” you look to the door and gulp nervously, already imagining one of his group members walking in on you while you two are intimate. “don’t worry about them, they’re tired, it’s been a long week and i just need you now.” his hands shifted down to your ass, squeezing it through your sweats and you narrow your eyes in thought, hesitating on the idea of having sex with your boyfriend while 12 other men are just on the other side of his door.
you look up to him and he’s got his head tilted, looking at you with admiration.
“we don’t have to, but,” he pauses, pursing his lips, “it’s been way to long.” he exhaled again, letting out that breath he didn’t know he was holding. you nodded in agreement, trying to weigh the outcomes in your mind.
his hands smooth over the skin on your ass now, your left hand grips onto his shoulder and the other rests on the nape of his neck, playing with the hair that was becoming very long at the back of his head.
your brain tells you not to, but your core says otherwise by pulsing when he leans into your neck, leaving open mouth kisses all it. “o-okay, yeah let’s do it.” your voice is barely above a whisper when he pulls away with the same smile as before, griping your hips and pressing into you when he leans in to kiss you deeply.
the kiss is sloppy and desperate, spit beginning to build in your mouth fast. your hands dig into his neck unintentionally when he licks over your lips, causing you to shift into his member on accident. he groans into your mouth and you finally open yours for him to slide his tongue into you, immediately exploring and causing spit to dribble down the both of your chins.
it became intense really fast when he began to shift your hoodie up your torso, pulling it up and over your head, leaving your upper half completely bare, as you weren’t wearing a bra.
minghao shifts his eyes to your boobs and he feels his mouth salivate, moving his hands and beginning to massage both your mounds.
he leans in to kiss you again, simultaneously pushing you backwards towards his bed for you to lay down with him hovering over you. your lips never leave each other when he shifts onto his knees, hunching over you, hands going back to play with your boobs.
you let out low moans and he takes that as a go for him to suck on your nipples. he leans down even further to put his mouth onto your right nipple, making eye contact and your mouth drops open in awe.
his hands makes quick work on the waist band of your sweats, playing with it before you buck up into him wantonly. he smiles against you and moves his hands to pull your pants down, leaving your nipple alone. he throws your pants somewhere along with your undies quickly after, spreading your legs to view your soaking center.
“jesus, look at you.” he mumbles, eyes focused on your core and you whine impatiently, bucking up again to get his attention, “minghao please~.” you flush, heat crossing over your cheeks and leaving behind a light blush.
you didn’t notice until now that your heart was pounding, even harder when you realize that he’s straining against his sweats. “just relax, i miss your body.” his hands run over your skin, fingers softly gliding every inch of you and you squirm in anticipation, getting anxious as you hear one of the boys in the kitchen near by.
“minghao they’re right in the kitchen.” you complain and he scowls up at you. “so what if they catch us, they’ll just be jealous they’re not getting their dicks wet.” he says before leaning back on his calf’s to pull his hoodie over his head.
the warm light still reflects off of him, making him glow in the dark light and your mouth waters now, thighs shutting against each other to relieve yourself. he chuckles and palms himself, the both of you staring down each trying to relieve yourselves.
he moves his free hand to your knee to pry them apart, marvelling at your wet center again. he feels himself twitch and decides it’s time to remove himself from the confines of his sweats.
you silently watch him, moving a hand down to play with yourself, biting your lip from the pleasure of the relief of your fingers.
once his pants are on the floor he comes back between your legs and leans in to kiss you again.
everything in the dorm was silent except for the boys that were still awake in the kitchen, either cleaning up for the night or relaxing in the living room.
it felt wrong to do what the two of you were doing and you began to let you thoughts get to you as you hear the guys get louder, actually hearing mingyu walking down the hallway.
minghao senses you uneasiness and pulls away, moving his palm to your cheek, thumb sliding over your lips easily. “y/n, i told you we could stop if you wanted.”
it was like everything came crumbling down on you in that moment and you groaned out in frustration, slamming your hands by your sides and frowning at him. he watched you with wide eyes, confused.
“minghao i swear just stick your dick in me.” he snorts at your response and roughly grabs your thighs to hoist them over his shoulders. he leans down to hover over you, practically folding you in half. your hands clutch onto his biceps’s tightly as you wait for his next move.
he grips his dick, sliding the head through your folds momentarily, then slowly pushing into you, causing you to gasp loudly, mouth dropping open as he slowly stretches you open. he too has his mouth dropped open, sliding in to the point where he’s ball deep, waiting for you to give him the go. “you’re so tight baby. just like i remembered.” he comments, his voice now an octave deeper, pressing his forehead against yours.
you back your hips against him and he takes that as a sign to start moving his hips and immediately begins a fast pace. the way he fucks you is desperate and rough, panting noises only coming from between you both, trying to keep quiet.
“s-shit.” you throw you head back and minghao moves his head into the crook of your neck, leaving open mouthed kisses and biting, being sure to leave marks. you let small breathy pants out, struggling to hold you noises in, deciding to bite your lip to aid you in concealing your noises instead.
right after that, minghao finds your spot and it causes you to mewl and to arch up into him. his hand holds onto your rib cage while the other snakes itself between you two and starts to rub over your soaking center, stimulating you even more, causing your pants to get louder and louder.
“baby,” he pauses, his thrust never faltering, and taking a breath, “be quiet.” his command makes you shiver, his deep voice resonating in your ears.
suddenly he changes his pace, making it slow and gripping your hips with both hands, pulling out and slamming in against you roughly. you moan out in response, but not loud enough for anyone to be suspicious. he immediately moves his hand over your mouth, going back to his fast pace.
you whimper into his hand, hands clawing his back as he shifts himself to hit your spot repeatedly. “i told you to stay quiet.” your face contorts in pleasure as he begins to speak, your brain not generating a response fast enough, “do you really want to cum?” he whispers into your ear and you whine, nodding vigorously. you begin to speak, pleading and begging him to let you cum, but your sounds are muffled from his palm.
he chuckles deeply and leans back onto his knees, sitting back to admire your fucked out look, eyes watering, hair sprawled on the sheets and a light layer of sweat on your skin. his hand remains tight on your face and your brows furrow after realizing he won’t remove his hand. “you said you didn’t want to get caught.” he smirks, his cocky remark making you roll your eyes internally.
he sits up to start another fast pace, now on his knees with your legs dangling off his shoulders. his thrusts are forceful but quiet, skillfully angling them to hit your spot with each thrust.
your hands go to wrap around the one that sates you, nails digging in with each thrust. “fuck.” he groans under his breath, watching as your breast bounce with the force of his thrusts.
he can feel you flutter around him, you feeling him twitching as well. “are you close?” he leans back down right in front of your face, breath fanning over it. you nod, giving him pleading eyes and he removes his hand. when he lets go you gasp for air, immediately swearing out as he chases both your highs.
you arch your back, squeezing your eyes shut, moving one of your hands down to relieve yourself.
you’re both so close and you feel it coming.
until mingyu comes busting though the door loudly, laughing at one of the guys and turning to the two of you who are looking back at him with frightened eyes.
minghao attempts to cover you, giving him a glare and mingyu squeals in fear, realizing what he had just walked in on.
“OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY!” he yells, putting a hand over his eyes and blindly walking out the room, bumping into the door and closing it.
you hear him run away and you both let out a sigh.
minghao slowly turns his head to you and you glare at him, shoving his shoulder angrily.
“i fucking told you.” you retort, crossing your arms over your chest as he laughs loudly at you, listening in on the conversation in the other room.
“whatever, let me finish you off it’s been way too long.” he says one last time before reconnecting your lips and starting his pace again.
374 notes · View notes
jorokai · 2 years
Text
RYUGUJI KEN (DRAKEN) — IN MY ARMS
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a ryuguji ken x reader
genre : angst
warnings : death , blood, mentions of gun and other weapon violence, masc reader
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it was an average day for draken, returning home from a long day at toman. he had few bruises and cuts staining his knuckles from having to fight a rival gang, but those didn't bother him. he stuck his hands into the pockets of his trousers, thinking quietly to himself as he walked back to the brothel in which he resided, completely ignoring any external noise.
his thoughts always managed to drift back to you somehow, and frankly he wasnt mad at it. everything you did left him absolutely starstruck, and he admired all your qualities. draken wasnt certain on a lot of things, but he knew for sure that he loves you more than words could express.
so when he was met with a tear-driven takemichi telling him that you were bleeding out somewhere after being attacked, he didnt know what to do.
"takemitchy? what're you talkin' about, this ain't funny man." the taller male rubbed his neck, smiling nervously. he quickly faltered when takemichi's scared expression never wavered, a shockwave of fear being instilled deep within his spine.
you, y/n, couldnt be injured to the point where you were on the brink of death, right?
draken repeated that to himself as he began bolting down the busy streets, following the blonde who was rushing him to the scene. 'he's fine, he's fine, he's fine, he's-'
quickly rounding the corner into an alleyway, almost tripping and falling because of how desperate he was to make sure you were alive.
his eyes met your hunched over form, your back against the wall. draken immediately rushed over to you, touching and feeling everything. "y/n? y/n! please, please answer!" he pleaded with you, desperately, as you took your nearly cold hands in his. "ken." you responded, your once cheerful voice now raspy.
draken felt his heart sink down to his stomach, and it hurt. bad.
tears began welling up in his eyes as he held your form close, wrapping his arms in a way as though he was cradling you into a half hug as you both sat on the cold concrete. "please, dont die on me y/n, please. i cant lose you too." draken whispered in a quiet voice. you frowned, now using almost all your strength to turn your head up to meet his gaze. you lifted your arms, gently wiping the tears out of his eyes with your blood-stained fingers with a soft smile painting your pained expression. "kenny, you shouldnt cry, those tears dont suit you." you muttered, trying to lift his spirits with the little bit of time you had.
"y'know, every bit of time we spent together, i... i always enjoyed myself." you began to struggle, but that didn't matter. you were determined to make your beloved boyfriend know that you were his world. tears began to well up in your eyes too, as you realized that this was it.
you were going to die.
"what are you saying, y/n?! you arent leaving, no , you cant leave. you promised me!" draken was wailing at this point, his hands which once held yours with love and affection now shaking with fear and uncertainty. you smiled gently, shaking your head. glancing to the multiple gunshot wounds in your stomach, you looked back at the blonde. "i think.. i think that we both know i cant fulfill my promise, ken. im.. sorry." your speech began to slow as the tears began to flow down your face, reaching up to cup his cheek.
his eyes went wide as you placed a gentle kiss to his lips, giving him a bright smile before coughing violently. "i always did love you.. ken."
no, no no. draken began to panic because, you were no longer smiling. your hand went limp and your body went cold , and he couldn't feel your faint heartbeat anymore. and then draken finally broke, holding your now dead body tightly as he sobbed his eyes out. he cried because he would no longer wake up and look forward to seeing you, he cried because he would no longer get to feel your touch, and he cried because he had lost his lover.
his partner.
it wasnt fair, because draken couldnt have anything. he couldnt have anything without it being snatched from him.
and so he sat there, holding you. but this time it was different, because you two werent laughing.
he held you, as you died in his arms.
32 notes · View notes
journalxxx · 3 years
Text
By Hook or by Crook (6)
Hey kid. I’d like to have a chat with you, if you’re up to it. Would you be free this afternoon?
Izuku idly reread the text and the brief exchange that followed as he whiled away the few minutes left before the agreed time for the meeting. 
Just a little over twenty-four hours before, Izuku had had a minor stroke at the mere thought of All Might texting him about a trip to the police station. Just a little over twenty-four hours before, he would have soared straight to cloud nine at the thought of All Might texting him ‘to have a chat’. It was a pity that the only emotion he could muster at the moment was a vague sense of stunned apathy.
“I’ll get that.” He informed no one in particular when the bell rang. The man installing what probably were legalized viruses on his laptop gave him an odd look, and his mother replied something indistinguishable from the bathroom. Izuku shuffled out of his room and unlocked the front door.
“Young Midoriya. Good afternoon.” All Might had reverted to his laid-back cargo pants and t-shirt attire. He seemed more tired and subdued as well, more like on the day Izuku had met him. 
“Good afternoon.” Izuku gestured at him to come inside, which he did with a quiet thanks. He did not remove his shoes though, and he stopped only few steps in upon spotting the second man fiddling with the landline in the living room.
“Ah. Busy day, is it?” All Might acknowledged the technician with a knowing nod. He then turned towards Izuku and tilted his head towards the front door. “Say, how about we take a walk? I bet your house feels crowded enough without me imposing as well.”
His mother’s head peeked into the hallway. All Might greeted her with a little wave and a weirdly embarrassed grin.
“I’m going for a walk.” Izuku announced as he slipped his shoes on.
“Uhm, are you sure?” Her eyes shifted between All Might and him with ill-concealed unease.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Izuku cut short. He wasn’t in the mood for another discussion. “See you later.”
He strode out of the building without hesitation. He made his way down the stairs, through the parking lot, all the way to the sidewalk before stopping. All Might caught up with him a minute later, after lingering on the threshold to exchange a few words with his mother that Izuku decided he did not care about. He also decided to ignore the pointed stare the hero aimed at him when he finally reached him.
“Anywhere you’d like to go in particular?” All Might asked after a beat, gazing up and down the small road.
“Not really. You?”
“Any place is fine by me. I need to get reacquainted with this city, its layout is quite different from how I remember it.”
Right, All Might had just moved in. And Musutafu had likely changed a lot since his U.A. days… That would have been a tremendously interesting topic for a chat, Izuku could feel the questions popping up in his head in droves, despite everything. Unfortunately, he was under no illusion that what All Might wanted from him could be that kind of casual conversation.
They picked a random direction and started walking. For almost five minutes, they strolled without breathing a word. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as it would have been under any normal circumstances.
“Had another rough night?” All Might said eventually.
“Mh.” Easy guess. The bags under Izuku’s eyes would soon rival the fixed shadows circling the hero’s if he didn’t manage to rein in his sleeping schedule soon. The nightmares had ceased, thankfully, but his head had been so full of disjointed and clashing thoughts and memories that he hadn’t managed to catch some shut eye until so late that it had become early. 
Nothing made sense. Everything made too much sense. In hindsight, it felt strange that Izuku had never contemplated the possibility himself. It also felt absurd that it could be true though, instead of some sort of huge misunderstanding. That his father could be-
“Oh, before I forget. The villain is faring much better.”
“Uh? What?” Izuku blinked.
“The sludge villain whose quirk you returned.” All Might graced him with a gentle smile. “I heard he was already mostly coherent by last night, and as of few hours ago he was firmly denying ever bearing any ‘serious’ ill intent towards you and your friend, demanding to see his lawyer and complaining about the quality of the lunch he was served.”
Guilt needled Izuku’s stomach upon realizing that the villain’s plight had completely escaped his mind since his return home from the police station. How poorly committed his sympathy was. “Oh. That’s… good, I guess?”
“We guess.” All Might chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve dealt with another incident that badly in years, but I’m glad that no one suffered any permanent damage, at least. And thank you again for bringing the matter to a close in my stead.”
“It’s hardly your fault if things went the way they did. But… yeah, I’m glad he’s okay and that it’s over.” Now if only that hadn’t sparked a much worse and much more scarring mishap, at least for Izuku… “Are you all right, by the way?”
“Me?” 
“Yeah. Have you managed to see a doctor yet? About, uh…” Izuku pointed at his own mouth, unsure how to describe the attack the man had suffered the day before, the likes of which Izuku had only seen in movies and cartoons, usually from people sporting deadly and gory upper body wounds. 
All Might laughed with inexplicable, genuine mirth. “Oh, don’t worry! I wasn’t playing it cool when I said I was fine. It’s just a thing that happens. Usually it isn’t quite as, uh, dramatic, but it really is nothing concerning.”
“But… you hadn’t even used your quirk…” Izuku could not fathom how spraying blood like a fountain on a presumably regular basis couldn’t warrant seeking any kind of medical attention, but the hero waved off his objection with finality.
“Trust me, it’s fine. More importantly...“ All Might wasn’t looking at him. He seemed deeply focused in memorizing as much as he could of his surroundings, peering here and there at street nameplates, buildings, alleys… manholes too, amusingly. But the low and soft quality of his tone made it clear that he wasn’t asking just out of politeness. “What about you, kid? How are you?”
Izuku dropped his gaze to his feet and shrugged. It was an accurate answer, actually. He’d spent so many hours torturing himself with doubts and grief and confusion that at some point his brain had sort of… ran out of energy to spare for emotions. He supposed it wasn’t the worst response he could have had. Stolid empty-headedness was largely preferable to the scorching waves of betrayal, impending doom and overbearing dismay he’d sampled the day before.
“I imagine how difficult all this must be for you.“ All Might went on, just as tactfully. “Have you talked with your mother?”
Oh, scratch that. He was still capable of feeling something. His mother was enough of a sore topic to make him clench his fists. “...Yeah. I have.”
“...I don’t think-”
“She knew.” Yeah, he was still angry. It bubbled in his chest like boiling tar, thick and sticky and suffocating.
“She told you that?” 
“I heard you three talking about it last night. I was listening from outside the living room.”
“What?!” All Might seemed genuinely shocked. It hadn’t been Izuku’s proudest moment, admittedly, but let’s be honest, what else was he supposed to do? Pretend that they weren’t discussing life-changing revelations just few meters away from his bed? He was only human. All Might slapped a large hand on his face and dragged it down alongside his pointy features with a groan. “Oh, come on…”
“She knew, and she never told me.” His nails were digging painfully in his palms and- oh great, now he was getting teary again. He’d held it together for the whole day and now he was going to lose it five minutes after All Might had showed up. For the third or fourth time in as many days. Sure, why not? It wasn’t like he’d managed to retain any sort of dignity since the very moment he’d met his idol. Why bother now? “S-She’s known since- since before marrying him- however that happened… I j-just...”
All Might regarded him silently for a moment. “...Things like these look very different from an outside perspective. Especially to someone as young as you are. It’s very easy to judge, and even easier to misjudge.”
“But she knew he was a criminal - one who would not even consider changing his ways for his family - and she… wanted him around anyway? Why would she do that?! It’s- I wouldn’t want an unrepentant villain still involved in illegal business around my son! He’d be... a bad influence, at the very least!”
“Before yesterday, have you ever thought that he could be having a bad influence on you?”
“Uh? No, I… I didn’t know that he was… I never… questioned...”
All Might sighed deeply. “Your father is a notoriously charismatic man. He’s always been particularly adept at coaxing people to his side without open coercion, but with simple, well-aimed words. You never suspected that he may have been acting in his own best interest while offering or withholding certain information from you, although it may seem obvious in hindsight. I bet he managed to instil the same trust in your mother, despite what she knew about him.”
“I…” Izuku rubbed away the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He couldn’t understand. He just couldn’t. And it tore at him. “W-Was it because of the money? She never... I-I thought we were good, she n-never said anything… I-If I’d known, I would have… I wouldn’t have asked for… s-so many things, I-”
“I highly doubt that a few toys and games could have had that big of an impact on the family budget. There’s no reason for you to beat yourself up over anything.” All Might slipped his hands in his pockets, sympathy plain in his sunken eyes. “Your mother found herself in a very tricky situation, through no real fault of her own. She navigated it as best as she could, and I’m sure your well-being was her top priority. Seeing the healthy and upright young man you’ve grown into, I’d say she handled it admirably.”
“...I know.” Izuku knew it, really, he understood that. But… he’d always seen his mother as just about the most transparent, honest, sensible and sensitive person on Earth. And it turned out she didn't… exactly… meet that standard, however idealistic. It had been a blow, on top of everything else, one that had left him without a real, fully trustworthy figure when he most needed it. “I know that, but… she should have told me. At some point. There’s no excuse for not doing that.” 
“Perhaps. It’s hard to predict the negative impact that such a confession may have on a younger child, but perhaps she should have.” The hero conceded. “I’d refrain from handing down verdicts though. You kept some secrets of your own from her. You hid your quirk-”
“But that’s not the same thing! Not even close! A quirk isn’t as big an omission as your father being a criminal!” Izuku snapped, then immediately hunched his back in regret, his tone losing some volume but not its bitterness. “And, you know, maybe, maybe I wouldn’t have listened to him so readily if someone had warned me that he isn’t exactly an upstanding citizen!”
“Look, it isn’t my place to comment on how things stand or should stand between you and your mother, or how you should behave, but… if there’s one thing you need to keep in mind - and please do keep it in mind, at all times - is that the one person who bears absolute and doubtless blame is your father. That’s the source of all the lies that have been fed to you. Lies and deception are… what he does, really. What he’s always done. You and your mother are both victims in all this.”
Izuku sniffed and wiped some tears and snot on his sleeve. It was gross, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. There was a logic to All Might’s words, but no logic justified the staggering duplicity that had just turned his life upside down. The unfairness of it all was simply too much to accept. 
The boy looked up when All Might poked him on the shoulder to catch his attention.
“Speaking of which…” All Might swerved to the left, entering a smaller and more secluded lane leading away from the more trafficked routes. He had resumed his perusal of the area, and his expression had regained a firm, almost steely edge. Izuku followed him. “What I wanted to talk to you about concerns what transpired about your father, and how it will affect your life going forwards.”
No surprise there. The two plain-clothes agents that had shown up that morning, no doubt mourning the loss of their well-deserved Sunday rest, had been clear enough of a warning of some upheaval to the Midoriyas’ routine. All Might’s vague text had only cemented Izuku’s expectations of further disruptions.
“I hate being the bearer of bad news, but it is imperative for you to understand the gravity of your father’s position… especially to prevent him from enacting any sort of manipulation or control on you in the future.” The hero began. “The man you know as ‘Hisashi Midoriya’ goes under many aliases, so much so that we are still unaware of his real name. He has committed an astounding variety of serious crimes, over the course of decades. Even if your mother claims to be aware of his background, I assure you she doesn’t know the half of it.”
Izuku physically curled up under the weight of those words. It was… even worse than they thought? His father sounded more and more like some obscenely powerful yakuza boss or something, which was just… just...
“The police will be gathering and analyzing as much evidence as possible to find clues leading to his current location and activities. All possible forms of communications between you and him will be monitored. Your phones will be bugged, and any electronic devices you own will be fitted with tracking software. Your mail will be examined before delivery.” All Might paused, assessing Izuku’s lack of a reaction to his speech. “Did they tell you about this already?”
“S-Some of it, yeah.” Izuku’s gaze dropped to the asphalt again. The dried tears made the skin on his cheeks and around his eyes itch. “Will there be cameras too? Inside the house?”
“I haven’t heard about cameras. I don’t think so. Seeing as your father never set foot in your house, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to surveil it that closely from the inside. The outside will be watched, so we’d notice anyway if he tried to approach it.”
“...Okay.” 
“...I know it’s an oppressive situation. No one likes having their privacy invaded. But know that the professionals in charge of monitoring you are utterly uninterested in you specifically, or in whatever you do with your free time, as long as it isn’t anything outrageously illegal.” All Might’s voice softened again, although not enough for Izuku to dare raise his eyes from the ground. “I hear they are especially unconcerned about peculiar web searches and piracy perpetrated by bored adolescents, and some such things. Anything that isn’t strictly related to the case at hand won’t ever make it into any reports.”
“Mh.” A couple of small mercies were better than none, Izuku guessed. He really couldn’t muster neither enthusiasm nor gratitude for them at the moment though.
“Ah, about this… Those monthly phone calls your mother mentioned are particularly relevant for the police. They are likely their best bet in pinpointing your father’s position.” All Might paused. “For that reason, we would appreciate your cooperation on that front.”
Izuku’s brain suddenly jolted into activity, a myriad of spy movies and comics coming to his mind and offering plenty of distressing scenarios he could be potentially thrusted into. “You mean like… you want me to help you find him? Get him to drop hints about where he is, or- or asking him to go somewhere where you can set up a trap, or-” Izuku looked back up at the man, without bothering to conceal the pure terror that such prospects filled him with.
“What? No, of course not!” All Might exclaimed, surprised. “I mean, it isn’t out of discussion that we may try to actively lure him out at some point, but that would take extensive preparations and precautions on our part. We’d need to gather more intel and agents, recruit other heroes first… We definitely aren’t considering taking any such steps yet.”
“O-Oh… okay…” He let out the tiniest sigh of relief. No wild capers… for now...
“Besides, even if we were, we wouldn’t use a child as bait! Your mother would be much more suited to assist us. Any request from her would have more sway on your father, and she would handle the pressure much better.”
“So… what do you want me to do then?”
All Might shrugged. “Just keep up appearances. Continue having your monthly calls with him as if nothing happened, so as not to alert him that something might be wrong.”
That wasn’t that big of a demand, objectively speaking, but... it didn’t seem feasible either. Izuku’s grasp on his own emotions was tenuous at best at the moment, and his father had always been exceptionally perceptive to his state. He really didn’t think he could endure up to two hours of small talk about heroes, quirks, school and assorted pleasantries without having some sort of breakdown halfway through. Izuku gulped, bracing himself for the inevitable scolding of his cowardice. 
“...I-I’m sorry, I’m not sure if I can do that.”
Surprisingly, All Might wasn’t put off in the slightest. “In that case, you could ask your mother to pretend you got hurt in some way that prevents you from speaking. Bad tooth, removed tonsils, broken jaw, you name it. That would earn you at least another month of silence and… hopefully the investigation will make some progress in that time, or you’ll grow used enough to the situation to face him with a cool head.”
That was a reasonable approach to the issue. It was a relief to know that someone else was putting some thinking into all this in Izuku’s place, now that his already flimsy decisional autonomy had stumbled into the metaphorical equivalent of a bear trap. “...I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you.” All Might nodded, strangely unperturbed by Izuku's less than proactive attitude. “Other than what I’ve mentioned, you will also be followed wherever you go whenever you aren’t at home or at school-”
“W-What?” Izuku instinctively glanced around, envisioning slow-moving cars or shady individuals with sunglasses and holed newspapers observing him from bushes.
The corners of All Might’s mouth twitched upwards. “You will not be aware of it, nor will anyone else, of course. It will have no actual impact on your daily life, like all the other measures we’ve already covered.”
“But why?” Izuku griped, his heart sinking so deep that it would soon pierce through the Earth’s mantle. “My father isn’t going to suddenly drop by to say hello, you just said so yourself!”
“It’s for your own protection too.” All traces of humor vanished instantly from the hero’s demeanor. “Your father is no stranger to violence. In the past, he has resorted to brutal and immoral means to dispose of his enemies, and... I’m sorry to say that he would not hesitate to employ such methods against his own family, if he deemed it a danger to his own safety.”
Izuku couldn’t hold back a little hysterical chuckle that sounded pitiful to his own ears. “That… sounds a bit exaggerated, doesn’t it? I-I get that he’s a bad guy, but… I really don’t think he’d do something like that to us. H-He’s never even raised his voice with me, never...”
“Midoriya. I beg you to believe me when I say that you can’t trust anything of what you think you know about your father.” All Might stopped to glare intently at a narrow, dingy alley littered with trash bags. “He is dangerous. Extraordinarily so. Tsukauchi is pushing for having further safety measures enforced for your family, and until those have been granted, please be very aware of your surroundings at all times. Refrain from taking unfamiliar routes, and stick to crowded areas whenever you can. I don’t want to scare you, but even having eyes on you at all times is no guarantee of a timely intervention, under unfavorable circumstances.”
“Is it… really that bad?” Izuku breathed, gutted by the unexpected harshness of the picture painted by All Might’s words. It was… inconceivable, still. His father, deliberately hurting him? His father, whose cutting sarcasm was just about the only vaguely hurtful trait Izuku had ever witnessed? His father, a hardened, soulless criminal averse to puns and All Might trivia, and yet always so willing to let Izuku torture him with both? His father, ambushing him from dark corners? “Is he really that bad?”
“Yes.”
“What did he…” Izuku started asking, only to trail off. It was a pointless question, with a clear answer. It had been buzzing in his head for the whole night, blindingly obvious by now. “...He steals quirks, doesn't he? That’s what he does. He... maims people for…”
“I’m afraid he isn’t nearly as conscientious as you in regards to-” All Might cut himself off with a visible flinch. “Wait, he told you about his quirk? You know it’s the same as yours?”
“Y-Yes.”
“You didn’t mention that to us.” Bright pinpricks of blue were suddenly trained on Izuku with piercing intensity. It kept catching him off guard, how both of the Symbol of Peace’s towering forms could switch from amicable to intimidating at the drop of a dime.
“I-I thought… He said it was a secret- one of his confidential matters. I’ve always thought he was some sort of… prison guard or undercover agent…” God, how unbelievably stupid it all sounded now. Izuku had never felt more childish. 
“...That goes to show…” All Might mumbled, barely audibly. It unsettled Izuku. It went to show what? His father’s cunning? Izuku’s naivety? Or… surely not that he could be hiding something on purpose...
“I-I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I had no idea how- how serious- I’d never-”
“Mh?” The hero blinked at him, as if emerging from a private musing. “Ah, I mean… There could be some merit to the other thing I wanted to ask of you.”
Izuku just waited, barely able to withstand the acuity of the hero’s gaze without shrinking. After a few tense moments, All Might let out a sigh and resumed walking, his eyes wandering back to the street ahead.
“To be frank… Personally, I don’t think we’re going to achieve much from all these investigations.” He grimaced, as if regretting those words as soon as they left his mouth. “Not for lack of trying, mind you. Tsukauchi is an immensely capable and dedicated officer, he’ll pursue each lead as thoroughly as humanly possible, but… Your father knows how to cover his tracks. Phone calls, payments, mail, blatant cues like those have never brought us close to him in the past, not once. To his associates, yes, to his… ‘aftermaths’, yes. But never to him personally. His circumstances were always shrouded in impenetrable security. I doubt this case will be any different.”
Buildings gave way to the open horizon. They had reached the end of the street, which merged into a largest road running along the coast. They crossed it, and kept going on the opposite sidewalk, looking down on a thin stretch of sand separating them from the sea.
“That said… he did leave one huge trail for us to find this time. A whole family, out in the open.” All Might’s eyes returned to the boy pensively. “A breakthrough like this, if you’ll pass me the term, is unprecedented. The most obvious leads could turn out to be dead ends, but maybe there is something to be found in the smaller things.”
“The smaller things?”
The man gestured vaguely. “He’s been talking to you, has he not? To you and your mother both, for over a decade. Not that often, but… hell, he even told you about his quirk, and one would expect him to be very tight-lipped about that. There might be more to dig up. Details he may have deemed unimportant, or accidentally let slip. Hints. Small things.”
Izuku was finally catching the drift. “I’m really sorry, but… I know you probably can’t take my word for it, but I really don’t know anything about what he does, or ever did. He never let anything slip about his… his ‘job’...”
“Of course not, that’s not what I’m referring to. The thing is…” The hero clucked his tongue in frustration. “We know so little about the man himself as well. His identity, his background, his history… We know next to nothing about him, and what little we do know, we were only able to discover through very unconventional means. If there’s a chance to glean one more shred of information hidden among the fabrications, I think it’s worth pursuing it.”
“So the police are going to question us about… fourteen years’ worth of chit-chats?” That seemed like a disproportionate endeavor for something as volatile as the possibility of parsing an ounce of truth. Exactly how desperate were they to catch this increasingly perplexing father of his?
“That’s the gist of it, yes. And ideally, we would like to interview you separately, to avoid that either of you could, ehr… inadvertently censor yourselves about information not known by the other-”
“Like my quirk. Or dad’s ‘activities’.“ Izuku muttered.
“...Yes. Things like those.” All Might paused, then cleared his throat. “Well… given the delicate nature of the case, we are trying to keep the workforce to a minimum, and involve as few people as possible. This ought to speed up coordination and briefing, as well reduce the risk of information leaks. Tsukauchi will be personally questioning your mother… as well as direct the entire operation. He’s quite the multitasker. And, well… since technically I’m already involved and up to speed and I won’t be contributing to the proper detective work in any capacity… we thought I might take care of hearing your side of the story.”
A little Oh was the whole extent of Izuku’s reaction as the hero’s words washed over him. All Might seemed a little discouraged by that.
“We figured it might put you a little more at ease… Talking with someone you’re already familiar with, instead of a brand new face. And, ehr… well, you mentioned being a fan, so…” He elaborated, his hands drawing half-formed shapes in the air to underline his words. He looked… almost nervous? “It’s just a possibility, of course. If you’d rather be entrusted to a proper member of the force, it’s well within your rights to request that.”
Izuku did not miss the underlying meaning of that winding speech. It was within his rights to request who he wanted to be interviewed by, not if. 
“Do I even have a choice?” All Might’s guilty grimace was all the reply Izuku needed. “...No, sorry, I… That’s a stupid question. I’ve no reason to refuse either.” Surely not the faint sense of betrayal knocking on his conscience at that very moment. Could he even feel bad about betraying someone who’d never been honest with him in the first place? 
“...I know it’s far from an enticing perspective.” All Might rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “It’s going to eat up a lot of your time, and people are never exactly eager to ‘snitch’ on relatives, even when they’re criminals. But I really think it could be of great help to us.”
So that was the role Izuku was going to have in this whole mess, that of a very oddly-shaped piece in a very complicated puzzle. It could be worse, he supposed. Being stuck in a room talking with the number one hero for hours could hardly be considered a real punishment. Were the topic of the conversation literally anything else, it’d be a dream coming true, even. He should push that angle on himself, Izuku pondered. Maybe he could talk himself into enjoying the whole thing, in some way. 
“Since I’m no policeman, I’m amenable to reward you for the time and effort you’ll generously dedicate to the task with suitable bribing. I was thinking snacks, if that doesn’t come off as too cheap.” All Might continued with a tentative grin, although his attempt at levity didn’t stick the landing. “No? How about, ehr… All Might merch?” For some reason, his face scrunched up as if the suggestion physically pained him.
Izuku sighed. There was no point in fighting the inevitable, was there? “It’s fine. I’ll do it.”
“...Thank you, that is very good to hear.” All Might smiled with evident relief. He patted Izuku’s shoulder encouragingly. “I’ll say, you’re taking all this a lot better than I was expecting. For all the crying, you have quite the resilient attitude. Heroic, even!”
Izuku let out a half-choked sob. Oh. Oh, wow, that realization hurt. He hadn’t thought about that since… had it really only been a couple of days since making it into U.A. had been his biggest concern in life? And now…
“Ehr… Sorry, did I say something wrong?” All Might asked when faced with the new bout of tears streaming down the boy’s cheeks. Izuku shook his head.
“S-Sorry, it’s just… I-I guess that’s the closest I’ll ever get to becoming a hero now, uh?”
“What?”
“There’s no way they’ll let me anywhere near a hero course now, is there? My father told me it was basically impossible before, and now...”
“Your father told you that you couldn’t be a hero? Your father who is a villain?” All Might gave him a pointed look. “You may want to start reevaluating some of the nuggets of wisdom he’s been imparting on you in light of the new revelations, kid.”
“But he’s right, isn’t he?” Izuku griped. “It’s even worse now that he turned out to be a villain! A bad one too! Abusing the same overpowered quirk I have, it’s just… too great a bias, isn’t it?”
All Might seemed caught off guard, then he frowned and looked away without replying. There it was, the naked truth. Not even an attempt at a rebuttal. Out of discussion. Izuku’s dreams scattered to the wind, without hope of salvation.
“Y-You know, I actually thought… I could work my way around it.” Izuku continued among the sniffles, dropping his gaze to the ground. “I thought I could just pretend to be quirkless. F-For a while. Pass the test like that, make some friends, get… get trusted as a hero because of my work. A-and then, then one day, just… after everyone trusted me, I thought I could come out clean. And start using my quirk for good. I thought it could work. Get others to know me before my quirk. B-But it’s never going to happen now. The police know, the school will know.”
“...I must say that building your budding hero career on a lie isn’t the most solid plan I’ve ever heard.” There was no accusation in All Might’s tone, but his words still cut deep.
“I know…” Izuku bit his lip. He’d known, but what alternatives did he have?
“But I guess we can’t all carelessly parade our true selves before public scrutiny, can we?” The man sighed, scratching his own head. “You are right about one thing though. Actions do speak louder than words. You might not be able to talk your way out of your… delicate circumstances, but factual demonstrations of good intentions can go a long way.”
“That’s… That’s all I’m asking for!” Izuku’s head snapped up, desperately latching onto that single lifeline. “I would do whatever it takes to be allowed to try!”
“Well, I’d say you’re already on the right path then. Cooperating with the police is definitely a good step to establish good faith.” All Might flashed him a sheepish smile. ”...I’m not saying that just to grind my own axe, I swear.”
“Do you think it would be enough for U.A. to let me attempt the test?”
“You want to apply to U.A?” The hero seemed strangely surprised.
“Yeah. Is it… not a good idea?”
All Might took a few moments to reply. “...It might work in your favor, actually. U.A. is famous for the degree of self-determination afforded to its management by the government. If you’re worried about external interference, U.A. is your best bet to avoid it.”
A tiny, shy flicker of hope ignited in Izuku’s chest.  
“...I’ve known the principal of U.A High School for a long time. He’s a bit of an eccentric, but one with an impeccable work ethic.” All Might resumed after a moment. “He’s not the kind of person to let unfair judgement undermine his institute. Especially if it prevented an aspiring hero he deems worthy from being appointed his student.”
“You mean that…?”
“I mean that if you do plan to apply to U.A. you could have a chance of making it in, regardless of your unfavorable background. If you pass the admission test, that is.” All Might suddenly stopped walking. “...What is this?”
Izuku blinked, ripped out of his thoughts, and took in the portion of the seafront they had reached. Wow, he really hadn’t been paying any attention to where they were going, had he? “...Oh. It’s, ehr… an illegal dumping site, I guess.”
“Really?” All Might commented, eyeing the sad, disregarded No Dumping sign welcoming its disobedient visitors.
“Yeah. The currents always bring flotsam to this area, so it was never clean in the first place. And then people started taking advantage of it…”
“And no one ever comes here to pick up any of this?” Strangely, the sight and the slight stench of mounds of rusting metal and assorted junk didn’t bother All Might, who climbed down the few steps separating the sidewalk from the beach.
“No, the city administration never took an interest. Everyone else just avoids this spot altogether. It’s been getting worse over the years.” Izuku had no idea why All Might was studying the piles of dismissed appliances as if they might hold some hidden treasures within, but he felt rather dumb for accidentally introducing this to the hero, of all places in Musutafu, as his first sightseeing landmark. “Sorry, I should have brought us somewhere else.”
“It’s fine.” Undaunted, All Might wandered deeply into the maze of refuse, with Izuku ruefully tagging along. “A safe, handy spot where a passing criminal in a hurry could stash some loot, don’t you think? Good to know.”
“Oh. I didn’t think about that.” Right. That was what it meant for a hero to know his turf, right? It went beyond street names and layouts. It meant to be aware of how each location could lend itself to certain criminal activities, what places could make for good improvised hideouts, where civilians were more or less likely to be gathered...
“How were you planning on passing the admission test?” All Might asked when they reached the water’s edge, eyes fixed on the waves crashing on the sand.
“Uhm. Well, I’ve already started reviewing the subjects listed in the syllabus…”
“I was referring to the practical session, actually.”
“Oh, uhm… Well, I tried looking for information about it online, but there doesn’t seem to be any. Apparently it’s U.A.’s policy to bind all participants to non-disclosure. They say that observing how potential candidates react to unexpected situations is part of the evaluation process, so…”
All Might looked at Izuku, his expression blank. “Yes. So?”
“Ehr.” Suddenly Izuku felt extremely on the spot. “W-Well, without knowing what I’m getting into, I don’t really have any specific strategies in mind.”
All Might cocked his head with a slight frown. “What about generic strategies? What skills were you going to capitalize on?”
“I… Well… I thought I’d just… try my best. Improvise and use my head.”
All Might blinked. “...That is what everyone else is going to do too. Except everyone else will also have a quirk to rely on, while you weren’t going to use yours. That’s a massive disadvantage right there.”
“Yes, I know.” Izuku clasped his hand behind his back in shame. That was an excellent point, one that somehow no one had ever raised with him. Everyone, including his father, instantly shot down his idea as soon it left his mouth. No one had ever asked him to elaborate on the practical details. Which he had sort of… failed to sort out so far.
“And you have no notion as to how to bridge that gap.”
“Not… not yet.”
All Might crossed his arms, sporting possibly the harshest expression Izuku had seen on him yet. It made his stomach lurch unpleasantly. “...Are you serious about this hero thing? Are you sure it isn’t just a passing fancy?”
“It isn’t! It absolutely isn’t!” Izuku answered immediately. “I just… I don’t even know if I’m allowed to bring any tools, or-”
“Tools?” All Might scoffed as he walked back to him and gave him a critical once-over. “Looks to me you already have all the tools you need, if you deigned to consider them.”
“Uh?”
“You have arms, don’t you? Hands. Legs. Arguably a head.” All Might poked at each listed limb with a bony finger as he started circling him like a starved shark. “All in working order, yes?”
“Y-Yes- I mean, I’m not ill or anything, but-”
“Then why aren’t you trying to capitalize on those? A quirk is an important part of a person, but it’s not the only one! You have a body, use it!”
“Ah, yes, I…” Izuku gulped. “It would make sense to, uh, try to get a little stronger, I guess…”
“You guess? ” All Might was reaching yet unexplored levels of visible exasperation, which was saying something considering the whole secret-villainous-father debacle. Izuku didn’t know if getting the number one hero so worked up about his little pipe dream should be considered flattering or shameful. “Being a hero isn’t a desk job! Running fast, lifting heavy weights, enduring fatigue are not optional skills! No matter what quirk they have, no hero worth their salt can neglect to keep in excellent shape!”
“R-Right. Of course. It’s just that, uh…” Izuku fidgeted. “I’m not really good at that sort of… physical stuff. I’ve always been a bit on the scrawny side, and I get tired easily, and I’m no good at brawling-”
“Despite training?”
“...I’ve never followed a proper training regimen, but…”
All Might rubbed his hands on his face. “Kid, unless they have a physical-enhancing quirk, people aren’t just born strong. They get strong by training - do I really have this state this out loud?”
Izuku was fairly sure his face was about to spontaneously combust. Of all the things he’d expected to happen in his near future, being scolded by All Might in person for his lack of commitment to physical activity was not one of them. “Y-You are right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… to disrespect you or your profession…”
“You didn’t, I was just… You seemed passionate about this two days ago...” All Might trailed off. “My point is that all the equity in the world won’t net you a place in U.A. if you don’t pass that test. And if you really are serious about raising your chances of becoming a hero, you have to give this some serious thought, and soon. You can cram months of study into weeks if you have the brains for it, but you cannot do the same with workouts.”
Izuku willed himself to hold his head up straighter. “I-I will. Thank you for your advice, it makes a lot of sense.”
The silence that descended between them was more than a little awkward.
“I’ve pestered you enough for today, haven’t I?” All Might eventually said as he took off towards the sidewalk. “Let’s go back.”
Izuku trailed behind the hero as they made their way among the waste, and almost bumped on him when he slowed to a stop to stare at a particularly high pile of contorted, rusty scraps.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I was just thinking that… What I need is a quiet, lonely place to have some private chats with you, and what you need is a way to work up some muscle and rack up some good karma, right?” All Might scratched his chin as he scanned the heaps of trash hiding the rest of the city from view. “...Say, how do you feel about community service?”
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willowbird · 3 years
Note
Hey! For the au + trope + prompt thing, could you do 1 for au, 9 for trope and 27 for prompt with pynch?
(P.S: I just remembered you have already done one with pynch, so you can do this one with another ship of your choosing if this one feels repetitive!)
Roommates AU, strangers to lovers, “that was a very bad idea. 0/10 would not recommend.” ~ for pynch!
I am more than happy to write 10,000 roommate aus for these idiots <3
---
It all started with an only mildly suspicious ad on craigslist:
Roommate needed $275/mo - utilities included must be ok with corvids good w/cars a plus - rent discount if u can prove it
Adam wasn't an idiot. He knew something that was too good to be true when he saw it. He also knew that answering a craigslist ad for a roommate was a good way to get stabbed, robbed, and God only knew what else.
And yet...
Sometimes, when your options were limited it really was better to take every possible avenue to get away from the devil you know - even if that means sharing a small apartment with the devil you don't.
Well, the devil and his pet raven. And really, Chainsaw was by far the more agreeable of the two.
That being said, it wasn't like Ronan was awful. He was an asshole, and he was downright grumpy bastard anytime before 11am. He listened to terrible music, if that trash could ever be considered such. Chainsaw was a sweetheart, though, always bringing Adam new shinies for his approval and sitting with him while he worked on a paper or research or any number of other assignments for his degree.
(Taking the risk that he had by jumping at that craigslist ad meant that he was able to cut back on his hours a little bit at work, go to school full time, and start amassing a savings account.)
And, okay, Ronan probably had some merits too. He could cook, for one thing. Not to say that Adam couldn't cook. He could - he just didn't like to. If it were up to him, he'd probably subsist on saltines and hard-boiled eggs. In fact, he had done exactly that for the first two weeks living with Ronan until the other man had dropped a full plate of breakfast in front of him, stole his crackers, and pointed at him. "Eat like a fucking grown-up," he'd said -and... well, that was that. Sure, Adam had tried to protest, but Ronan had just... started making food for the both of them and maybe if it was shitty food or even mediocre in quality Adam would have been able to ignore it - but it killed something inside Adam to waste food. Especially good food. And Ronan's food was fucking amazing.
So, there was that.
He also wasn't an absolute terror to be around. Having a conversation with Ronan Lynch was a choose-your-own-adventure novel written by very high geniuses. You really never knew what you were going to get and each alternate path was bound to be either completely bat-shit crazy or a humbling level of profound. Not only that, but Ronan didn't pull that alpha-male bullshit so many other men did where they refused to admit they didn't know something. No, when Adam proved that he knew what he was talking about when it came to cars, Ronan just said "teach me?" with such open intensity that Adam couldn't really tell him 'no', alright?
And then there were days like today, where Adam got home from an early shift at the garage to find Ronan sitting halfway out of their third-floor apartment, securing a thick rope to a hook above the window that definitely hadn't been there when Adam left that morning.
"Are you about to do something stupid again?" Adam called up to him as he got out of his car. Upon hearing his voice, Chainsaw (who had been circling anxiously above) crowed out a warbled imitation of speech that sounded a lot like 'Atom' and coasted down to him.
"Me? Stupid? Nah, this is gonna be fucking amazing," Ronan called back without looking away from his work.
Chainsaw landed on Adam's shoulder and clapped her beak affectionately near his ear. Adam dutifully lifted a hand to stroke at the soft feathers of her neck. If he also whispered 'hello beautiful girl, is your papa making trouble for you again?' it was between him and the bird and Ronan would never need to know.
Chainsaw crooned a tense 'kreh!' that Adam took as an affirmative.
"What exactly are you doing, Ronan Lynch?" Adam called up as he took another look at the setup, walking closer to the building. The rope that Ronan had just finished tying to the hook was already secured to a tree on the edge of the parking lot, the one that stood awkwardly out from the rest of the tree line. Their apartment complex was situated right on the edge of a forest preserve. A lot of Ronan's hair-brained ideas usually came back to the forest in one way or another.
"This is just a test run. If I can get it to work right, I'm going to set a line straight into the forest."
"Mm, yes, because... leaving civilization through a door is beneath you?"
Ronan paused, then grinned down at him, the expression somehow both boyish and savage in a way that always made Adam's heart jump for some reason. "Actually, yeah. Literally."
Adam rolled his eyes but didn't bother to fight the smile. "Punk."
"I resent that. I reject all labels, Parrish - you know that."
"Uh-huh. Sure. Well if you-- Ronan what are you doing?"
Ronan had produced what looked like a fucking tie (was that the one Ronan's brother Declan had been wearing when he came by for dinner a couple weeks back?) and had wrapped one end around his hand. As Adam watched, he flicked the loose end of the tie over the taut rope and then wrapped it around his other hand.
"Told you it was a test run, Parrish. That mean's I've actually got to test it."
"Ronan I don't think--"
But it was too late. Ronan had already jumped out of the fucking third-floor window like he was expecting to fly. For a second or two, he sort of did. The rope bowed but supported him and the smooth tie provided little friction as Ronan began to zoom down at a steep angle. Then the rope shuddered and went completely slack, the hook having torn free from the side of the building where it clearly had not been properly anchored. Ronan plummeted like a stone in a still pond.
"Ronan!" Adam did not make the active decision to move, but he was suddenly sprinting to where the jumbled heap of Ronan Lynch had landed on the rough pavement. Chainsaw had already launched ahead and was hopping around near Ronan's head, squawking out anxious reprimands of 'Kerah! Kerah!'
Adam skidded to his knees beside Ronan just as the other man was shakily trying to sit up. "What the FUCK Ronan Lynch!? What were you thinking!? You can't just jump out of a God-forsaken third-floor window like that. Do you want to be killed?" Adam didn't even care that the rural-Virginian flavor of his youth had coated his words in a thick batter, he was so mad.
Ronan blinked at him and there was a strange mix of confusion and pain and... something else on his face. "Scared, Parrish?" The words did not come out as teasing as they normally would.
"Scared? Scared? Of course I was scared. You... you fucking idiot!" Adam had to give himself a moment. He raked his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, then another. He closed his eyes and tried to center himself. Fear and anger would get him nowhere, even if the fear had already set its nasty little hooks into each and every one of his nerve endings and the anger felt like the only way to burn them away.
A hand touched his shoulder, then his cheek. Adam opened his eyes and Ronan was wearing another indecipherable expression, his dark eyes hooded, his mouth pursed.
"Come on," Adam said as he leaned back so he could stand up. "Can you stand?" Chainsaw continued to hop around, but she'd stopped her distressed shouting, perhaps sensing that Adam was taking control and feeling more comfortable knowing that he would set things to rights, whatever that might mean.
Ronan was quiet for a moment, then seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts before giving a derisive snort. "It was just a little fall, Parrish, I'm --fuck!" Ronan had just tried to stand up, but his knee buckled out from under him as soon as he put his weight on it. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, alright. Alright. Shit. Fuck. That was a very bad idea. 0/10 would not recommend."
"The standing or the stupid fucking stunt you pulled jumping out of a goddamn window?" Adam asked. He attempted to make it as dry as possible, trying to get them back to some kind of equilibrium, but his heart was still racing a bit too fast and he could hear the angry bite in his own words.
Still didn't stop him from instantly stepping forward and catching Ronan, though. He wound an arm around Ronan's waist, guiding Ronan's arm over his shoulders so he could support him.
"The standing, of course. Shit! Ah... fuck. My idea for the apartment-forest zipline is fucking genius thank you."
Adam helped Ronan hobble forward, taking them back toward his car instead of the building. "Yeah. Right. Whatever you say, Lynch."
"Where are we going?"
"To the hospital, dumbass," Adam said with a roll of his eyes, all but shoving Ronan into the passenger seat. He held the door open for Chainsaw to be able to swoop in and land on the idiot's lap. The least Ronan could do was soothe her for the drive.
"You don't have--"
Adam cut him off with a glare. "We. Are. Going. To. The. Hospital. Am I being perfectly clear?"
"...yes." Ronan glared back, but then sank down in his seat, expression mulish.
Adam fixed him with a hard stare that lasted another few heartbeats, then gave a nod and snapped the door shut.
So yes, Ronan Lynch wasn't all that bad. Sometimes the devil you don't really is the better choice. Because sometimes that devil has a cute bird and makes good food and has great conversation. If he also scares the shit out of you on the regular and makes your heart race inexplicably, well, that's not so bad a deal. Right?
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starofroselight · 3 years
Text
Title: He Calls You Theseus (Now Call Him Odysseus and Welcome Him Home)
Chapter 1: In Which Technoblade's Narrative Crumbles    
Summary: Technoblade's language is the art of combat and weaponry. Tommy doesn't understand, so Technoblade speaks in a way they'll both understand. Or, Technoblade’s been having strange visions while taking care of Tommy.
Tags: Technoblade, TommyInnit, SBI fic, Introspection, Flashbacks, Found Family, Brothers, Trauma, Alternate Universe, References to Greek Myth, Sleepy Bois Inc. as Family, Sleepy Bois Inc. Angst, Chat as Ghosts, Rose AU
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786947
Author’s Note: This is my baby. I’ve worked for this on a while, and it’s about 5.1k words. I hope you enjoy the first chapter, I plan for around five in all.
A flurry of snow buffeted the snow banks around Technoblade's retirement home. 
Technoblade had decided teaching Tommy the art of arrow fletching was important. He had come to immediately regret that decision. Tommy’s loud mouth and shaky hands were something manageable in the best of times, but when the time came for work to be done they became hindrances. Liabilities.
Technoblade didn’t take in liabilities. 
“How’s this, big man?” The tooth-gaped teen asked smugly, holding up a shoddily constructed arrow as if it were made of gold.
Technoblade briefly considered how much easier this would have had he cleaved Tommy’s head clean off in the hole under his house.
> You can’t!
> The most efficient way to grind out arrows is village trading. Make one of your downstairs hostages a fletcher, trade sticks, build rapport, then trade in for arrows.
> Tommy pog
> would’ve been funnier if you did
“Chat, do you see what I’m dealing with?” He mumbled to himself. 
“Oi Chat! Hey Chat, do you think Technoblade is a big bitch?”
“Tommy, you’re giving me a headache.” That wasn’t all that was giving him a headache: voices, the thousands of voices which were riled up by his every interaction with another living soul. Each voice was vying for a spot to influence his words, to have any effect on the outside world like they once were able to.
And the voices really liked Tommy.
“All I want’s an answer.”
He wouldn’t get one.
"How am I better at this with hooves?! Here, let me show you one more time.” Techno squatted beside where Tommy was sitting on the stone brick floor. “Two ties on each side over the flint. Three sharp cuts into the wood. Feather goes in between. Look, perfectly functional arrows! What part of this aren’t you getting? It’s not that difficult!”
Tommy picked up the tools from the fletching table. He took one look at the sticks, then picked up a fistful of feathers.
“Right—”
“Okay, that’s enough, I’m not going to let you keep massacring my feathers like this. What even is this?" He picked up a feather from the floor. It hung limp between the heel of his hoof, frayed and torn. "These chickens died for nothing!"
“What am I supposed to do while you do all the work if I can’t help?” Tommy was pouting, his face so full of vibracity and energy it looked as if he was choking.
That was it. Techno's face twitched. 
“Maybe if you sit down and stay quiet for a minute, I can come up with an idea!”
Surprisingly, Tommy did. His face flushed red with embarrassment. 
And Technoblade realized he had screamed at a scared, struggling sixteen year old child covered in scars. 
> do you feel powerful now
> OOOOOOO
> You should kill him
> Betray Tommy!
> betray tommy
He dragged a hoof over his face. The gesture was easier with hands.
"Look. . . Tommy. You're clearly not good at fletching arrows. Why don't you go lay down in your racoon hole?"
Technoblade’s plan had been, surprisingly, one of altruism. He wanted to teach Tommy how to make arrows so he could value the ammunition. He had a tendency to complain about. . . well, everything, but specifically running out of supplies. Techno hoped this would teach him how valuable they were. Not in resources, but as assets. In the heat of battle, every shot mattered.
After Tommy had made a quiverful of arrows, Technoblade planned on taking him out to his practice range. Inexperienced hands nocking an arrow were shaking and quick to flinch. Archery hurt. It was a difficult skill to master; the art of shooting an arrow required the fletching to run through the archer’s fingers. If their hands were smooth and uncalloused, the projectile would cut through their fingers like a blade in water. His hands (and hooves) were roughed up to the consistency of leather from arduous repetition. Tommy hadn’t had that experience.
Technoblade had made leather gloves for that exact reason.
And now that plan was ruined.
While his retirement home was the definition of picturesque, Tommy had come to ruin that as well. The foundation had made Techno's house uneven. The ground was unstable and it had started to sag north. 
Tommy had literally dug up and unsettled his life. 
Somewhere in there was a metaphor and a moment for some much-needed introspection. Technoblade ignored it. 
Snow had sloped onto the roof heavy, the sound of monsters outside crunching feet of the stuff. The cold had choked out the will of any invaders at the cost of isolating them together. The house’s floor was insulated with stone, then covered with wood. The chimney doubled as a source of light, warmth, and a way to heat the floor. Technoblade had learned how to make heated floors from Chat. The quality of life improvement was immense.
Tommy hadn’t understood how, but he did enjoy it. Too often he had slept in his boots, curled up into a jacket or blanket or whatever he could find. But this? This was a luxury that could lull him into a rest like no other.
And Tommy needed a good sleep after Logsteadshire.
Still, his spirit reignited despite his body's protests. He stretched his arms upward in attempts to hide his yawn. 
He stomped his foot. 
"I'm not tired! We need supplies, we need—We need to get back the discs."
That was going to be a hard habit to kick. The kid needed a break; his eyes were ringed in black. He sat hunched over with awful posture, looking pitiful. Technoblade held back the urge to call him a racoon again.
Despite the warmth, Tommy was shivering.
Exhaustion. Techno knew it all too well.
The Piglin man took off his cape, folding it over his arm. It helped increase his bulk, his size when intimidation was necessary. When he was home its purpose became a blatant unnecessity. Still, he often found himself falling asleep in it, curled up in a tiny pile against the wall where no one could hurt him. 
It was important.
And he tossed it to Tommy. 
"We'll get back the discs after you go to sleep. If you fall asleep in the snow you'll freeze to death and die."
Then he stoked the fire with an iron pole, minding Edward's head. He couldn't be bothered to kill the creature just yet. The flames roared up, consuming the cold air in the room and up the chimney. 
Tommy held the crimson cloak in his arms. He stared for a second, then twisted to wrap it around himself. It was enormous, swamping his thin figure in fabric and comfort unknown for weeks in exile. He pushed himself further into the corner with the fletching table, close to his hiding box.
"The 'and die' is kind of redundant, 'innit?" Tommy muttered, head poking up from the fluff of the cloak’s collar.
Technoblade sighed. 
They were going to keep talking in circles. He would make a general statement, Tommy would overload him with non sequiturs and nonsense sentences until Technoblade tuned him out with Chat. However, he couldn’t ignore Tommy here. If he did, the boy would never go to sleep, and the cold of the night didn’t need a cold shoulder on top of it. A cranky Tommy and an annoyed Technoblade was a recipe for disaster, overthrowing governments or otherwise.
There was only one way he knew how to talk in times like this:
“Let me tell you a story.”
It was an offer more intimate than Tommy knew. 
Naturally, he rejected it.
“What if I don’t want to hear a story?” Said teenager shifted in his cozy corner. 
“Too bad.” He pushed the crown up from where it was slipping off his head. If he was going to coax the world's most energetic child to sleep, he needed to let down his guard. 
“Why do you even wear that thing?”
“What, the crown? It’s not like I use it in combat or anything, it's just for fun. Fun is banned? You're banning fun now?" He laughed. "Good luck getting anyone on your side."
“I don’t have a side. Or rather, my side is your side? Now you’ve gone and got my head all confused.” Tommy’s voice had grown softer. 
Techno couldn’t have that.
“There’s no ‘our side’. We are not a team.”
Tommy huffed. “Until we get the discs back.”
“Will you let go of the discs for a minute? They’re not going anywhere.”
“Could go into a fire.”
Techno huffed heavier. Puffs of true flame curled out from his snout. Not the metaphorical risk clouding Tommy’s mind. He was already headed towards the pitfall he wanted to avoid. It was time to change the subject.
“Considering your limited knowledge of Greek classics, you wouldn’t happen to know Homer?”
“Who what now?” 
A solid ‘no’ would have sufficed, Techno thought.
“You probably haven’t heard of Odysseus, then.”
“With a name like that, I reckon I should of. Wait, this is one of your myths again, isn’t it?” Tommy kicked himself up, back against the wall to look at Technoblade as they spoke.
“I like a certain section of stories. Is that so wrong?”
“Is this story about you?”
The Blade tutted. “No, no, no. I don’t have any family. Orphans killed my parents. Family is useless, it slows you down unless you’re exacting revenge. In that case, family is excellent. Nothing better than dead family.”
"That doesn't make any sen—"
"Keep interrupting and I'll make you sleep in Carl's stable."
Tommy pouted. His hair stuck up in every which way, active as he was.
“Odysseus was a king of his own island. He lived in peace with his family on Ithaca, and he was known as a wise man.” It had been a while since Technoblade had told a story like this. His rhythm was lacking. “He was the favorite of Athena, the goddess of battle and wisdom.”
“Gods aren’t real.”
“You’re looking at one.”
Silence. “Yeah, right.” 
"Moving on.” He wasn’t willing to indulge Tommy in that story when he was preoccupied with telling another. “While Odysseus was a king, he wasn’t the chief king. At that point Greece was broken up into various city states, other little countries that refused to be conquered. While it was all Greece, there was a difference between a Spartan and an Athenian. Too many fights for power and the geopolitical landscape had torn them apart. Odysseus had his friends, though it would be more accurate to call them his allies, his country with whom he had sworn an oath to fight alongside. Each of those kings would be headed out their own separate way.” That felt right to Technoblade. “They were brothers in arms, finally called to war for the sake of their nation. But Odysseus ended up alone.”
“Why?”
“The people around him broke the rules. They went up against the sun god, and so they were punished.”
“What’d they do?”
“Oh, uh. Ate his cows.”
Tommy gasped.
“No!”
“Okay, so you get it. The Pet Skirmishes but on a much, much bigger scale.”
“Where’s Sapnap?”
“Tommy, it’s a myth, it’s not about your friends. They’re gods.” 
“Dunno why you’d tell a story about a bunch of boring, stuffy gods. Hey, why’re you such a bad storyteller?”
That was it. "I'm trying to monologue here! Chat, Chat see how impossible this is?"
“Tell chat that you’re a pussy! And I’m the coolest! TommyInnit is the coolest, got it?” Tommy’s eyes, which had held the murmurs of sleep, were now alive and vicious.
Undoing all of Technoblade’s work. And proving he didn’t understand Chat.
“Bruh.”
“I am!”
“For the third time now, if you will let me talk, I’m trying to tell the story.” 
“Right, right, sorry.”
“Odysseus was the only one who knew the warning signs. He had encountered the gods before, and he would rather starve to death than offend them. Because sometimes, Tommy, not offending people is a good thing, and making needless enemies makes the situation ten times worse.”
Tommy bit his lip. 
Techno continued.
“But no one ever listens to Odysseus. That’s one of the ironies of the story, Tommy. Often being right lets the hero escape with his life. Doesn’t mean he can save anyone else. Most of the time he doesn’t even save himself.”
“What?”
“I mean, I tried telling you. Heroes are doomed the moment they call themselves heroes. Odysseus never did, he was smart. It was the people that came later and told the story that did that. A hero is born through the crossing of the stars, something divine. Special. For all of his worth, the burden of expectation is put on his shoulders and then he battles with his pride. The Greeks had a word: hubris. It’s the hubris that strikes the killing blow. It’s never the beast or the gods themselves, it’s someone the hero has wronged. Odysseus wronged a monster, a cyclops, but even that was too far.”
Tommy was quiet. All of his focus was pooled into Technoblade.
“Odysseus played the part of warrior. Now it was time for him to be a survivor. See, it didn’t matter what the gods put him through, the trials or the tribulations or the meaningless delays. He had a mental image of what his home was. Ithaca. It had stopped being a real place. Instead it was an idea. A concept.”
“Oh.”
“And even when he was gone, trapped by witches and beasts, he kept that vision of home in his head. Because he was going to get there no matter what. It was all he had left of the world he knew. Even when he was offered another life, another world in what might have been a better place, he turned it down. Because it wasn’t what he wanted. He learned what being a hero meant, and now what he wanted was the opposite: to go home. To be normal. But the thing is, life doesn’t wait around for us to come back.”
Tommy glanced down to his neck. The lodestone compass shimmered in the dim light. His Tubbo.
“The world doesn’t care what your aspirations are, your nation, or your ideas. It doesn’t even care about your friends. The world doesn’t care if what you want does not want you. It doesn’t care, period. It’s cold. Survival is survival.”
-
"I want to be a hero when I grow up!"
"Oh, you do?" The man chuckled, furloughing his spade to sit down on the steps beside him. 
"What's the point of having a name like Technoblade if you're not a hero?" He shut the book in his lap, face beaming.
The young man's mouth opened before a scream rang out from inside the house, followed by shouting and yelling. 
The blond haired man sighed. He smiled back, then rolled his eyes. The man reached out and tousled his hair.
Techno laughed as the man’s voice echoed:
"How are ÿ̸̻͓́̑͐́͗̽͝͠ö̶̝͖̱̫̈́̑́͌͒̋ǜ̴͍͖̝̑̋ ̴̢̛̛̮̼̲͖̠̻̼̝̥̗̻̩̲̼̂̽͌̾̇͂̈́̾͐̅͘̚t̷̤͔̥̤̫̫̟̀̐̈́̿͐ḧ̴̡̘̦͔̠͎̰̬̼̜̺̮͎͚͛̈́ͅȩ̵̦̦̠̬̼͔̰̩̯̻̍̈́͐̌̓͆̀̉̑͗ ̸̪̤̣̏͒̚͜ͅm̸̗͇̘̮̥̮̪̤̯̤̞͉͗̾́͜ą̸̡̖̭̣̭͉͎̥̫̝̑̿̅̄̓͐̽̊̂͂̆͠͝ͅţ̶̮͚̰̂̀̈́̐͆͑̍͆͗͝͠ü̶̢̻͔̼͓̹͖̺̯͙̅̂̔̊̐̅ͅr̴͔̐̾͛ẽ̴̱̰̣̀̓̉̀̆̓̈̄ ̸̛̱͇̺̂̿͑̏̍̋͊͊͗̋̇̆͝o̴̬̙͚͇̳͎͆̇̌̐̿͂̓̄͛͝ͅn̵̨̈́̈́̂̋̐ͅe̷̛̟̱͖͙͙̩͆̊̆̓̂͒̈̍?̸͖̟̺͇̬̗̰̭̺͇͆͐̀͊́̄̍̀̅́͜
-
> home. 
> Tommy's still looking at you, you haven't spoken in a minute
> do you feel sick?? whats going on i just got here
“Blade?” And there was Tommy, with a drop of concern in his voice.
Technoblade shook his head. Late joiners. The memory crumbled to dust. 
He continued. “The Isle of Ogygia. That was where Odysseus’s survival took him. He stayed there, in the lull of the witch Circe, who wanted him for herself—”
“That’s sexist.”
“W-What?”
“The witch!”
“You think the witch is sexist?”
“No no no, the hero! He gets called upon—lured—by this woman just because he’s what, the hero?”
He could not believe this. “Tommy. I didn’t write it.” 
“I’m just saying!”
“The Isle of Ogygia. Or Atlantis, some people think it could be Atlantis, it honestly depends on what version you’re reading but that’s not important. Odysseus spent countless years there, safe but soulless. His heart was gone from his body, kept at bay with thoughts of home. Of family, of kinship. He was out of his body and mind for seven years. He was at the gods’ mercy, but fortune smiled upon him and he escaped.”
Techno took a moment to return his attention to his listener.
Tommy was transfixed, eyes wide.
For some reason, that made him smile.
“He made his way to one of his allied kingdoms. The gods, though, had shifted his appearance. This was to know how he still stood in their eyes. When so much time passes, relationships and bonds fade. Only his dog recognized him. The home he’d wanted for so long was plundered, practically destroyed. His wife—”
“He had a wife? That’s unrealistic.”
Technoblade repeated, annoyed: “His wife and his son didn’t recognize him. Only the dog.”
Tommy continued to ignore his point.
“Well dogs are good like that. I reckon dogs are better than most people."
Moving for the first time since the beginning of the story, he took a step towards the corner.
“Tommy, I’m trying to tell you that even though he won—He got everything he wanted, he got to go home—He didn’t win. His home was different. And he wasn’t the same man.”
“That’s—That’s sad.” 
Tommy stood up and Technoblade crossed his arms.
“It’s not a happy story.” 
"Then why are you telling it?"
“Forget about it.” If Tommy didn't understand, he wasn't going to waste any more time explaining. 
Tommy moved, shifting the cloak on his shoulders crooked. He opened the spruce doors, a strange expression on his face. Like a mixture of horror, fear, and anger. Technoblade recognized the anger first. Tommy looked back, stepped into the snow, then shut the door.
Techno thought, what? He’s going to throw a tantrum because a story doesn’t go how he wanted—
-
A white substance flitted down through the air like snow. Small, unburnt hands grasped upwards to try and catch it. They had only seen snow, never this new, fluffy, off-white plume.
The boy coughed up ash. 
“Hello? D̸̫̦̳̰͐̉ã̸̲̦̞̺͆d̶̗̒̐̕̕?”
-
Technoblade grabbed the edge of the box, stumbling. 
The memory—No, vision—was incompatible with reality. How would he have gotten to the Nether as a child? And Techno never had a father, never depended on anyone, never needed—
Before he could even begin to understand the implications, he was thrown back in.
-
He was lost. 
He was alone. 
And he couldn’t have known that enough inhaled ash will scar your lungs, burn your skin, and bury you beneath a mountain of suffocating fire the moment you stop moving. He couldn’t have known that the Nether contains biomes of this stuff.
Ash has suffocated him. It burns, searing his skin and cooking him alive. It’s like the fall of Pompeii. He read a book on Pompeii once. Perhaps in some distant time an archaeologist will discover the hollow shell of his remains and theorize what happened here, or a traveler, a survivalist happening along the same paths years later when he’s just a mound.
He read another book, once. About a volcano. It’s similar to that pyroclastic flow, a mix of awful molten core and heat. There’s no way to swim in lava, not truly. It doesn’t stop a thirteen year old boy from scraping for the surface in a pit.
He was going to die here.
It’s his coat that saves him. Handcrafted and made with love. The bottom half tears, and he loses a precious gift but gets to keep his life. 
Everything is burning. Is he screaming? His clothes are torn and he’s burning, he’s burning—
-
As quickly as it had come, it was gone.
Technoblade was instantly brought to the sensation of cracklings coals. He jumped at the sound, then looked down at his hands.
Hooves, right. Hooves.
This was too much to process.
Techno looked up.
He watched Tommy waddle to the front of the house in front of Carl’s stable, trudging through the snow the most inefficient way Technoblade could imagine. He was wiping his face.
For some reason, he thought it was something his good friend Philza would have a laugh at.
> PHILZA!!!
> Philza Minecraft?
> Philza would love it here
> The child is annoying, I hope he freezes to death
> I miss Philza
> Countdown to Philza visiting!
“Chat, you’re screaming into my ear right now.” He needed clarity, not a thousand voices in unison chanting for a friend.
Even from here, he could see that tears were pooling in Tommy’s eyes.
Technoblade didn’t bother with a coat. He ignored the sounds of the fire and how the heat made him feel uneasy, instead opting to climb down the ladder and go out the front door. Tommy was muttering to himself, a hand petting Carl.
“‘s not a happy story—What’s the point of telling a story if it’s not happy? I reckon he’s just one big downer. Downing all the time.”
It was then Techno decided to speak. 
“I’d say talking to yourself is a bad habit but since I can’t really do that without coming off like a hypocrite, I’ll tell you that being quieter usually means people can’t overhear sensitive, secret information.”
Tommy didn’t jump, but his shoulders hitched.
“I don’t care about secrets.” Tommy crossed his arms.
“Everything’s a secret when you can’t understand basic information people are telling you.”
“You don’t tell me anything!”
“I’m trying to tell you why people tell sad stories.”
“If I were his family, I would have recognized him.”
“No you wouldn’t have! That is literally the point of the story. You’re like five now, you think you’d recognize someone you saw as a baby?”
It happens a third time and Technoblade’s world spins.
> Recognize recognize recognize
> Is he finally remembering????
> idk, not yet?
> Ugh, someone get me when something interesting happens
> your dead, whats stopping you from watching all the time?
> It’s actually ‘you’re’
> where
> where?
> WHERE DID I ASK—
-
There is a house on a hill in the forest. It looks familiar, with a basement, a middle floor, and a top floor with stairs leading up from the outside.
There is a house beneath a hill in a fierce tundra. 
There was a house on a hill in a forest. It was a home too, once.
Both can theoretically exist at the same time. The house on a hill in the forest is perfectly ingrained in his memory, enough for him to replicate it bit by bit.
There is a boy with a beanie, taller than him. He wears a scowl.
There is a boy smaller than him with a bandage on his cheek.
Sunlight flows through the curtains like honey, oozing in warm delight. There is something resting on the bridge of his nose, and his fingers fly to adjust it.
He laughs.
The tiny freckled boy smiles and it shows his tooth gap.
A deep, tenor voice calls from downstairs and they rush to where storage is, the chests the dining room.
Their father is tired. There are bags under his blue eyes, but his smile lights up the room like the honey-light and like his brothers’ faces. He takes off his hat to sit at the table, a cape swishing behind him.
They’re singing at the table. Four humans with perfect harmony. They sing together all the time, how could he forget?
 The candles on the cake are flickering, and it’s a world away from the fires of the Nether.
“Happy birthday T̶̡͆̋́͝—”
-
Nothing else but static noise and Chat going wild.
“I’m sixteen! I am an adult man!” Tommy’s fists are balled as he stands, beating against his chest to each word and anger burns in his eyes until he sees his hero’s face. “Technoblade?”
His heart pounded.
-
The boy that Technoblade has been seeing through the eyes of is not an adult. Now he is a teenager. He is taller, the clothes more unfitting than before. There are stitches to fix the jacket, now forced to be a half-coat that tucks into his shirt.
He looks like the mockery of a man.
Actually, he doesn’t look like a man at all.
-
Technoblade remembered this part.
The rest had to be a daydream, the machinations of a tired mind. Separating his identity from his mask is impossible.
Literally.
-
He has forgotten what snow feels like. He has forgotten snow. There are many things Technoblade has forgotten, but the name of snow sticks. Snow. It sounds like a dream, like the deranged ramblings of a piglin who lost his mind, and like a fairy tale all at once.
He liked fairy tales, once. 
Now they’re just unrealistic.
The piglin group he is trailing turn to look at him. He’s been following behind them, scavenging whatever food they decide to discard and bartering whatever he can get his hands on. Their eyes are vacant, white. His eyes are present, despite his appearance. Alert. He has to be, it’s one mistake and death. 
The Nether is not forgiving.
He notices when their behavior shifts.
The piglins decide to attack. 
Technoblade sighs.
He doesn’t want to attack this one. There have been too many packs, too many attempts at communication, too many tries at a family.
Technoblade has no tools. He’s forced to work with his fists and some metal the pigs scrapped, which with enough tempering he’s made into knuckles. Netherite knuckles, but that knowledge will evade him until years in the future.
He busts one of the pigs’ heads open, then shoves another’s head into the netherrack wall. Blood spills on his boots. A tusk is embedded in his hand; he puts pressure on the wound then yanks it out, stabbing it into the head of the third. The fourth pushes into his back, and Techno slams his head back into its skull until it fractures.
The fifth runs off. 
And all at once, an uproar, a chant from a place and group he cannot see or hear.
It sings that Technoblade never dies.
-
All at once Chat was unanimous:
> Technoblade never dies.
> TECHNOBLADE NEVER DIES
> technoblade never dies
> blood for the blood god!!!
> Techno never dies
> Technoblade never dies!
He nodded in agreement.
“Technoblade.”
Tommy laughed.
Techno realized he had convinced the child he was fine.
“Is that how you get the girls, Blade?”
“I’m not interested.” The art of combat and potato farming interested him more than girls. Or anyone, for that matter. 
“Are you crying?”
“No.” Tommy sniffed. 
“Here, let go of Carl.” Technoblade pulled Tommy away.
“But I wasn’t—”
“I killed everyone that ever touched that horse.”
“Okay, fine.” Tommy doesn’t move.
Techoblade can’t sigh because he’s already sighed too much and anything that exacerbates the situation will give him a headache. Instead, he picks Tommy up and lifts him over his shoulder. He chooses to say nothing in response as Techno headed inside and down, down, until they were both in Tommy’s little nest of shiny things and stolen goods. 
Tommy struggled to stay on the bridge of consciousness. Technoblade takes his hand and walks him all the way there, staying down in the pitiful hole until Tommy has tired himself out from the sound of his own voice.
It was hours before he risked stepping away from the bed.
Snow fluttered down. It was cold and wet, but it was snow; a miracle all the same. 
Technoblade stretched out a hoof. It was not the hand of a small child that was trapped in the Nether. It was a Piglin beast who had believed he'd never feel the cold again. 
Technoblade glanced out the shutters. Tommy was inside, falling asleep. The silence of the home told him as much. 
He pulled his hand back inside. 
The fire of the top floor crackled. Techno dipped his head forward. His hands clasped around an invisible buckle, hidden underneath his hair. 
As easy and simple as changing clothes, Technoblade the human stood in his retirement home. His height was the same, scars still present, but now a long unkempt braid of hair trailed down his back. It was ill-maintained, tangled and disgusting. A liability.
Without thinking twice, Technoblade took his sword and slashed the braid off.
-
“You don’t know when to quit, do you?!” Dream yells. It feels like the ground is shaking beneath them.
Techno stands firm. He’s towering above him, sword at his side.
“Nope. I’ve been told it’s one of my best qualities.” His voice is monotonous as always.
The green fiend stood hunched over his stomach, shoulders rising and falling to the tune of his ragged breaths. He knew that they didn’t need to breathe. It was all theatrics, even in the middle of a fight. Still, Dream’s voice was frantic, jittery, shaking, and loud; something Chat assured him they altogether had never seen in their combined existences.
Technoblade felt smug.
Technoblade made the grave mistake of hubris.
In a flash, the god is behind him. The god that can see the straps of his mask, the god that slices it off with a well-placed swordstrike and grabs him by his braid.
“Y’know, I really didn’t want to kill you. I’ve heard about you, a little bit. I just didn’t care.” He whispers into Techno’s ear as the pain tears into his scalp.
It only took a half-second for him to find a solution.
Dream was guarding from the left, expecting another hit to his mask. 
Technoblade swiped at the right.
In a flash, he’s cut off his braid of pink hair and freed himself from the clutches of his enemy.
He smirks, and pulls out his axe. He doesn’t need the mask to fight, it’s already a part of him.
“C’mere, Dream.”
-
That one. That memory is real and he has all the proof he needs of that. He turned over his hand and pushed up the brass knuckles to see the gashes along his finger from where he held the grip. He sets the hand-to-hand weapon on the crafting table as he massages his hands.
Soaking his fingers in instant healing should alleviate the pain. Even for a moment. 
Dream hit hard. The wounds never left. 
But Technoblade hit harder.
A burned hand reached out to the snowfall. 
The snow didn't burn back. 
"He's not me, Chat. We're keeping it that way."
If there was one thing Technoblade was good at achieving, it was his goals.
74 notes · View notes
pindaleng · 3 years
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Merry Pitchmas @anotherbechloeshipper !!
Had so much fun writing this one, hope you enjoy it :)
Title: In From the Snow
Pairing: Bechloe
Chapters: 1/1
Wordcount: 2943
Summary: Beca didn’t anticipate making many friends her freshman year, much less become best friends with one Chloe Beale. When a snow storm ruins both their plans to travel home, they get to spend some quality time together. Beca thinks this might be her best chance to tell the other girl how she feels.
Read on AO3 or below.
Beca stared gloomily at the large flakes falling outside her dorm window.
There was no way her old Camry would be able drive more than ten miles an hour in these conditions. The forecast said “heavy snow”, but she didn’t realize it’d be this bad.
She totally would have left a few days earlier if she didn’t have a final scheduled for the absolute last day of the semester. It’s not like she was super excited about heading back home either, but she knew her dad and step mom would give her shit for it.
She sighed. Might as well text them now to rip off that band-aid.
Shortly after she sent the message, she heard a knock on her opened door.
“Hey, you’re still here!”
In the doorway stood Chloe Beale, undoubtedly the coolest person on their dorm floor. Beca (to her surprise) got along with most of the people on her floor, but something about Chloe specifically drew her in.
Admittedly, she found the other girl annoying at first, as she seemed like the high school girls that were fake nice just to talk about you behind your back. She soon learned, though, that Chloe was the real deal.
But not of course before giving her a hard time for a couple of months. Frustratingly, but thankfully, Chloe was incredibly persistent. Beca hadn’t really expected to make so many friends, intending to keep her head down and make her way through, but everyone grew on her. Especially Chloe.
“Yeah, unfortunately still here.” Beca replied. “Wanted to drive out today but doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen.”
Chloe invited herself in and hopped onto Beca’s bed. She hummed in understanding. “I just got back from the store and driving was for sure a struggle. Definitely would not recommend.”
“Great. You’re staying here too, then?”
“Yep! Which means you get to spend time with little ol’ me.” She propped her head on her hands. “Any plans for the day?”
There wasn’t really a Plan B since she didn’t expect her driving-back-home Plan A to not work out. “Not really, probably just gonna work on some mixes.”
“Can I join?”
“Yes, please make it a little less sad that I’m stuck here on Christmas Eve.”
“Sweet, I’ll be back.” Chloe slid off the bed and make her way out the room. “Don’t have too much fun without me!”
Beca just rolled her eyes and started setting up her laptop.
Chloe came back moments later with her sketchbook and colored pencils, and settled on Beca’s roommate’s bed. Both of them were friends with Stacie, so they knew she wouldn’t mind her bed being used.
They passed time peacefully like this for a couple of hours, each doing their separate thing.
Beca was so engrossed in her music that she doesn’t notice Chloe call out her name until the other girl waved at her to get her attention.
She slipped off her headphones. “What’s up?”
“I was thinking about getting some food soon. You in?”
The hunger hit her stomach now that food was mentioned. “Yeah, I could eat. Where at?” Though the dorms stayed open, dining halls were closed. There were plenty of places nearby though, and many of whom delivered. They went back and forth suggesting restaurants until Chloe looked like she had an epiphany. “We should go to that new ramen place!”
Beca’s immediate reaction was to pout, as they didn’t deliver. Chloe laughed.
“Oh come on, it’s a five minute walk, max. You big baby.” Chloe playfully poked her cheek. “Plus it’s super pretty outside.”
“And it’s super warm inside.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m going with or without you.”
The ultimatum was effective. Beca grumbled but put her coat on anyways. The reluctance was really just all show, as she would probably walk naked into a freezing lake for the other girl.
Snow was steadily falling outside, blanketing all the surfaces in a thick layer of white. Campus was quiet, as most of the students had already left for the holidays. It was both eerie and calming. The absence of drunk frat guys yelling, though, was definitely a plus.
“Okay I admit, it is pretty outside.” But you’re prettier. The automatic thought was so cheesy she almost threw up a bit in her mouth. Since when did she think such gross things? She could practically see Stacie smirking annoyingly at her.
Chloe grinned in victory, and Beca’s heart swooped.
Her brain definitely wasn’t lying though: Chloe was undoubtedly beautiful. The snowflakes in Chloe’s hair contrasted perfectly with the red color, making her look like some sort of magazine model. It felt kind of unfair that she could exist like that and not know what she was doing to poor Beca’s soul.
When the waitress asked if they needed one or two checks, Chloe replied “just one” before Beca could get a word in.
As the waitress walked away, Beca sent a questioning look to the redhead.
Chloe shrugged, “It’s easier for them to just run a single card.” Beca offered to pay her back, but she insisted it to be a holiday present. If Beca didn’t know better, she would have swore it was a date.
They were on their way back to the dorms when Beca felt something hit the back of her head.
She whipped around. “Hey!”
Chloe was already packing another snowball, clearly out for blood. She quickly launched that one too, which Beca barely managed to sidestep. She bent down to create her own snow projectile.
Chloe began to run away to get out of range, so Beca went to chase her. Unfortunately, Beca slipped on the snow and fell. Chloe was immediately at her side. “Oh my god, are you okay?”
The snow cushioned her fall pretty well, but Beca didn’t want to give that away just yet. She faked a grimace. “I think I broke my leg.”
“Oh shit.” Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in worry. “I’m so sorry I-“
Beca felt too bad that she immediately stopped her. “I’m joking, I’m actually fine.”
It took a moment to register, and then Chloe slapped her on the arm. “You scared me!”
Beca rubbed the spot where she was hit. “Ok now I actually have to go to the hospital.”
Chloe just slapped her arm again, before offering a hand to pull her up. Beca took it but didn’t get up. Chloe looked confused as Beca smirked, and then pulled the other girl down into the snow with her. She fell on her face in the fresh snow with a satisfying poof.
“Oh my god, you asshole.” Chloe laughed after pulling her face up, and shoved at the other girl, who was still laying in the snow.
“Chlo you have a beard.” Beca was practically wheezing at the sight of Chloe having snow stuck all over her face. “Still hot though.”
Chloe modeled it, striking poses and getting up to walk down an imaginary runway, while Beca yelled after her, hyping her up.
They messed around in the snow for a while longer, then took the long way back. Beca considered complaining about the cold and wet seeping in, but Chloe just looked so happy. Plus, it really was nice outside. Walking with Chloe in the peace of campus was a moment Beca wanted to keep tucked in her pocket forever.
After getting back, they went to take showers (separately) to warm themselves up, deciding to reconvene later in Chloe’s room. Beca sat on her bed with her hair in a towel, scrolling through her phone. She opened a message from Stacie, who was definitely one of her best friends in college so far. She flew out a couple of days ago and told Beca not to “get too freaky” while she was gone. Beca practically shoved her out the door.
Stacie [6:31 pm]: You make it home?
Beca [7:13 pm]: No, stuck here. Stupid snow.
A reply immediately came in.
Stacie [7:13 pm]: Ugh that sucks, are you by yourself then?
Beca hesitated on what exactly to say, knowing Stacie would immediately make fun of her for the truth.
Beca [7:15 pm]: Not exactly…..Chloe is also still here
Stacie [7:16 pm]: !!!!!!!!!!
Stacie [7:16 pm]: BECA
Stacie [7:16 pm]: THIS IS YOUR CHANCE
Beca [7:17 pm]: Dude she doesn’t like me
Stacie [7:18 pm]: Do NOT bother coming back to campus if you don’t shoot your shot right now
Stacie [7:19 pm]: Joking but also not
Stacie [7:19 pm]: She hangs out w you all the time. She actually listens to your music recs. Plz do something.
Stacie [7:20 pm]: Ok talk later family is calling for dinner, good luck!!!!!
Beca [7:21 pm]: ??? I’m going to ignore that you basically implied not listening to any of the music I’ve suggested
She fell back onto her bed. She wanted to make a move, and she did feel like there could be something between them. However, each time Chloe was nice to someone else, she got psyched out believing that Chloe was always just being platonically nice to her. No flirting involved.
With each passing day, though, it became harder to deny she wanted her. And how badly she did. She caught herself staring a bit too long, and hung endlessly on the small touches Chloe would always do. A brush of the finger here, and a hair tucked behind an ear there. Beca thought some days she might explode.
She texted Chloe to ask if she was ready yet.
Chloe [7:25 pm]: Sorry got distracted!! Hopping in the shower now.
With the extra time, Beca decided to finish the mix she was working on earlier that day. There was something off about it that she couldn’t quite figure out, but coming back to it now, she figured out what it was missing. She listened to it a few times to make sure she was really happy with it before mastering it.
A text came in from Chloe, letting her know she could come over whenever.
Beca quickly added the song to a USB which already contained many music files, then placed the drive into a small pink, cardboard box she got from Stacie. The box originally held a necklace, which made it the perfect size for her gift.
She stashed it in her sweater pocket then made her way to Chloe’s room in the other wing of the floor.
It was still relatively early in the night, so Chloe suggested a movie. Beca wasn’t one for movies usually, but it wasn’t like she had any better ideas.
They cuddled together on the small dorm bed in Chloe’s den of pillows, with the laptop in front of them. The movie was actually pretty good, despite all the bad decisions the main character kept making, and the fact that Beca missed half the plot due to glancing at Chloe instead, and being nervous about how close they were.
“Thoughts?” Chloe turned down the volume as the credits began to roll.
“I think she should have gone with the second guy.”
“Really? I thought he was kind of iffy.”
They proceeded have a lively discussion about the movie, with Beca continuing to argue mostly to mess with Chloe, who seemed quite adamant about the main character’s end choice of romantic partner. It ended with Chloe tickling her until Beca finally admitted her defeat.
“Okay, close your eyes.”
Beca looked at Chloe warily, still catching her breath from the tickling attack. “Um, why?”
“Just do it.”
She sighed but did as she was told.
“No peeking!”
Her index finger drew a cross above her heart, signaling her promise to not look.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
In front of her was a piece of paper carefully rolled into a tube and bound with a red bow. Beca picked it up, gingerly untying the ribbon, unraveling her gift. Her jaw dropped.
“Chloe…”
In her hands was a pencil sketch of her with headphones on, smiling and almost on the verge of laughing. Honestly, she never thought about what she looked like while she was happy. The image of herself in her mind was always some version of broody. Is this how Chloe saw her? Beca wasn’t one to usually cry, but she might have teared up a bit.
“This is…incredible.”
Chloe looked kind of nervous. The same way that Beca was protective of showing others her music, Chloe was hesitant to show much of her art. “You like it?”
“Dude I love it. Seriously.” That reassurance seemed to put Chloe at ease. “Okay, your turn to close your eyes.”
Chloe did it without hesitation, and also held out her hands. Beca shook her head a bit in amusement and placed the small box into her palm.
“Okay, open.”
She opened her eyes and lifted the lid of the box to find a black USB drive, with a piece of tape on the side simply labeled “For Chloe”.
Her smile widened as she realized what her present was. “Do I get to finally listen to your music?”
“Maybe.”
“It means a lot, Beca. Thank you.”
“Um yeah, no problem. Don’t tell me if you end up thinking it’s bad.” She joked.
“Oh please, you’re going to have to block me with how many good things I’ll say.”
“Don’t tempt me, I might delete your contact right now.”
Chloe laughed. “Oh please, like you could last a day without me. Also, I actually have another present for you.” She scotched a bit closer to Beca.
“Oh,” Beca furrowed her eyebrows. “Well, I don’t have anything el-“
She was swiftly cut off as Chloe kissed her, soft and sweet. So polite and unassuming it almost felt platonic.
But god did it give Beca butterflies.
Chloe pulled away so quickly that Beca wasn’t sure it even happened. Like maybe she just daydreamed too hard and manifested a hallucination.
She must have had a deer in the headlights look because Chloe suddenly got super shy. “Was that okay?” She whispered, face still close.
Beca finally came to her senses. “Yeah, totally. More than okay. Amazing really.” She must look like a blushing mess.
The corner of Chloe’s mouth quirked up in amusement and relief. “Yeah?”
“Still could be better, though.” Good work Beca, make a joke to regain some semblance of having her shit together.
“Oh?” She watched Chloe lick her lips, a mesmerizing motion. The shyness was all but gone, replaced by something much more confident, and destined to ruin Beca’s life. And she knew she’d welcome it with open arms.
Beca woke up in the morning to the light touch of fingers trailing along her jaw. She smiled, remembering where she was, and more importantly, who was besides her. She probably had the best night of sleep in her life. “Can’t keep your hands off of me, Beale?” She asked, keeping her eyes closed.
“Are you going to try and stop me?” Chloe whispered. Her raspy morning voice was really so damn attractive.
She opened one eye, smiling. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good.” Chloe leaned in for a long kiss, the hand on her face pulling Beca closer. Her breath hitched. She didn’t think she could ever get used to this. Kissing Chloe Beale. Touching her.
She pulled away all too soon, just as Beca began to want her even more. Beca was quickly learning how much of a tease Chloe was.
“i’m going to get ready, and then maybe we can go get breakfast somewhere?”
“Or…we can stay in bed all day.”
Chloe giggled, and Beca almost professed her love. “Becs, both of us gotta head home.”
“Do we though?”
Chloe just smiled as she slipped out of bed and grabbed her toothbrush and face towel. Before she was completely out the door, she gave her butt a little shake, as if she could tell Beca was staring at her clad in a large t-shirt and sleep shorts. Beca was sure Chloe was smirking as she did it.
As soon as she was out of sight, Beca grabbed her phone from the desk. A text from her dad and a couple from Stacie. She opened the messages from the latter.
Stacie [11:13 pm]: How’d it go?
Stacie [11:30 pm]: I’m assuming the silence is a good thing and ur just too busy making out with Chloe to reply ;)
Beca typed out a quick message.
Beca [9:30 am]: So…..
Stacie [9:30 am]: THIS BETTER BE GOOD NEWS
Beca [9:31 am]: How do you keep replying so quickly??
Stacie [9:31 am]: How about you stop avoiding
Beca thought of the million different things she could say, but opted for simplicity.
Beca [9:32 am]: :)
Stacie [9:33 am]: Is that good
Stacie [9:33 am]: Beca is that good
Stacie [9:34 am]: ?????
She set her phone down, feeling giddy. It might have been a bit cruel to leave Stacie hanging, but she’d get over it. She’d get the full story eventually, but right now, Beca wanted to keep as much of this thing with Chloe to herself as possible. Definitely not like a shameful secret, though.
Something about telling someone about it, however vaguely, made last night and this morning seem actually real.  She had this feeling deep in her chest that this was the start of something incredible, which made her both excited and a bit scared. Ok a lot scared. Terrified even.
It sucked that they’d have be apart right as they were starting something. Winter break couldn’t be over soon enough.
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excitedlysuffering · 4 years
Text
Loyal To A Fault- Sasuke X Reader
Requested from my Wattpa account, enjoy!
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“Oh, Sasukeeee-kuuuun!” You resisted the urge to scream, as her voice rang out. Sasuke wasn’t much happier, his head was in his hands. Sakura, queen of ruining your dates and trying to steal your boyfriend, had arrived.
Since the two of you weren’t on the same team, the amount of time you could spend together was already limited without the pink tool intruding.
“Oh. you’re here too, (Y/N).” She snarked walking up to your booth. You smirked. “That’s usually how dates work, Sakura. Not that I expect you to know that, though.” Across the table, you saw Sasuke trying to stifle his laughter.
“I don’t know what you see in her!” The Uchiha scowled, causing Sakura to shrink back. “Look, Sakura, we’re busy. Can’t you go find something else to do?” She frowned, crossing her arms. “I’m just here to tell Sasuke that we have a mission in Kiri. Kakashi-sensei sent me to tell you.”
~~~Time Skip Thanks To Sasuke’s Chest~~~
You muttered darkly under your breath as you left the cafe, wondering why the universe seemed so against you having quality time with your lover. You had every intention of pondering the question over a tub full of (favorite flavor) ice cream.
“This is amazing, dattebayo!” You took a double-take at the unmistakable voice of Naruto who, according to Sakura, should be on a mission. Unless… no, you refused she’d be as low to pull something like that.
You hesitantly stepped into Ichiraku’s, frowning at the Uzumaki, who didn’t seem to be in any type of rush. “Naruto? Don’t you have a mission?” He shot you a confused glance. “No? Why would you think that (Y/N)-chan?” You felt your fists clench as realization dawned on you.
“Uh, no reason, thanks!” You forced a smile on your face as you left to go find the truth. As you searched for their chakra, you could only feel yourself getting angrier. Why that conniving little pink-haired-
You stopped mid-thought as you finally sensed two familiar chakras. You looked up and your heart dropped at the sight of Sasuke holding the Haruno’s hand to his chest. Against your will, tears filled your eyes. He wasn’t yelling, in fact, he looked calm as ever as if he didn’t mind being there.
“Some mission this is.” You declared coldly. The objects of your rage turned your way, Sakura’s expression screamed smugness and Sasuke looked stricken.
“(Y/N)! Wait, let me explain!” Your scowl was deadly enough to match his as you backed up. “Don’t bother, I understand exactly what’s going on. I’ll leave you alone so you can really concentrate!” Not waiting to hear any responses, you calmly walked away, not wanting to Sakura to find any satisfaction in the way your heart was breaking.
~~~Time Skip Thanks To Sakura Running Out Of Pink Hair Dye~~~
It’d been a week since you had seen Sasuke and Sakura and you hadn’t left your house except to train and go grocery shopping. You had no desire to see anyone, least of all them. Sasuke had come banging on your door four days ago, but you had quickly turned him away, and that had been the last time you’d heard from him.
As much as you didn’t want to hear anything that he had to say, you were slightly hurt that he had given up so easily. Did you and your relationship really mean so little to him? You’d never felt so defeated in your life, and to feel this because of Sakura Haruno of all people.
Currently, you were wrapped up in a cliche mystery novel with a cup of tea. You had solved the whole thing a few chapters ago, but still, it managed to hold your interest. Just as you were getting to the main conflict, unignorable banging sounded from your door.
You stomped over to it, not caring in the slightest that all you were wearing was sweatpants and a T-shirt, or that your hair was in a messy bun, whoever was at the door was going to get a piece of your mind.
“What the hell is wrong with you, banging on my doo-?!” You paled at the sight of Kakashi-sensei. He raised an eyebrow at your questionable response. “You were saying?” You flushed, suddenly not so confident in your appearance. “U-um, nothing, Sensei…”
He shrugged, becoming serious. “Sasuke is in the hospital. He’s stable, but he won’t let anyone see him.” I felt my heart stop.
“W-what? What happened…?” Your voice came out in a tortured whisper, much to your chagrin.
“A week ago he started overtraining himself and slipped into a coma from severe malnutrition and exhaustion. He’s awake now, but he’s being uncooperative. I was hoping you could convince him to take care of himself…” The silverette trailed off expectantly. (A/N: I don’t know if it works that way, but bear with me lmao)
You forced yourself to stop shaking, but you couldn’t help but believe this was your fault. The whole time the two of you ran to the hospital you couldn’t help but think of all the ways you could’ve prevented this.
You were hurt and angry, yes, but you’d never wish something like this on Sasuke. “Lady Tsunade! She’s here!” The Hokage approached you, her every movemnt reading irritation. “I’ll ignore the way you’re dressed, for now, Sasuke is in room 207.” You nodded, trying to contain your blush. She should just be grateful I had a bra on…
You rushed down the endless white halls, finally reaching the room. You bit your lip, hesitating before knocking lightly. “Sasuke?” You called. “Come in.” Never had your heard his voice be so weak, and frankly, it gave you chills.
You pushed the door open, peeking your head in before entering. You sat down in the chair beside his bed, frowning. “Baka! Why would you do this to yourself?!” The Uchiha just sighed, exasperated.
“What else was I supposed to do? You wouldn’t talk to me, I was trying to avoid Sakura, and Kakashi overused his Sharingan so he was out of commission.” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “First of all, you can do all of those things and take care of yourself, and second why were you avoiding...her?”
He shot you a look of disbelief. “You can’t be serious, (Y/N).” You just crossed your arms, showing that you were indeed serious. He rolled his eyes, glaring at you, but it was without his signature malice. “Of course I’m avoiding her. She made me ditch you, saying we had a mission, then she came onto me to get back at you.”
You gave him an unimpressed look. “You expect me to believe that? That’s so cliche, I could’ve made that up on the spot.”
“It’s true…” You both whipped around, Sakura’s voice startling you both. “What are you doing here?” You hissed dangerously. “I thought I told you not to come in here,” Sasuke demanded, frustrated.
“Shut up, both of you!” She exclaimed. Falling silent out of shock, you watched as she exhaled, her dejected aura coming back. “Sasuke-kun is telling the truth… I lied and tried to take advantage of him. I’m sorry for everything I’ve caused.”
You could only watch in astonishment as she helped you. “W-why are you telling the truth?” She looked down, ashamed. “I didn’t know Sasuke-kun would let your absence destroy him like this-”
“This did not destroy me!” Sasuke interjected, but Sakura continued on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I saw how happy you make him and I realized that I should be happy for his happiness… even if it’s not with me.” Your jaw dropped at her sudden maturity.
Before either of you could respond, the door was closing behind her. “I’m sorry for not listening to you, Sasuke… I ought to have more trust in you, huh?” He reached out his hand to you, which you eagerly accepted. “Don’t be… I know it looked bad. I’m sorry for resorting to… this… instead of making more of an effort to talk to you.”
You dropped his hand, opting instead to hug him. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you tighter against him. “I’m just glad you’re okay, Sasuke. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
He chuckled quietly. “As long as you don’t leave me, (Y/N).” Before you could respond, the door slammed open.
“SASUKE-TEME, YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THIS WAS ALL OVER A GIRL?!” Sasuke let go of you and a vase went flying at Naruto’s head.
“SHUT UP, DOBE!” At least somethings never changed...
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jojoimaginestories · 4 years
Text
Muse (Jotaro Kujo)
Muse
Paring: Jotaro Kujo x Fem!Reader Words: 1655 Warning: Some mild language, some fluff, maybe soft Joot at the end? Requested By: None
**Gif does not belong to me**
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Would you be surprised that Jotaro Kujo actually has a soft spot for drawing? You didn’t believe it at first, but when you saw him take out that small notebook of his and start drawing, man did you realize it then that he’d be engrossed in that thing until something finally caught his attention. Once again, you were the one trying to catch his attention before giving up because of Kakyoin’s calls to do something else. You staggered over towards him as he decided to be the one to help you in what you needed, which particularly was simple and wondered why you wanted Jotaro to do it.
You pouted and looked at the ground. “Jotaro’s more intimidating and could get rid of the problem much faster,” You mumbled.
He chuckled. “That’s fine, (Y/n). I can see now. I’ll do my best to help you,” He smiled at you.
There was this group of men in front of the hotel and you wanted to go out to get gas for the car while Polnareff and Mr. Joestar scouted the town you all were at. The group had been catcalling women for a while now, and you saw them do it when you arrived last night as well. You thought Jotaro would help you by keeping his stone façade up as you two walked past.
“No, it’s not that much of a trouble,” You shook your head. “I’ll just wait and make Polnareff do it. He just put the job on me because he wanted to help Mr. Joestar for a bit.” You sighed.
“It’s alright, (Y/n). Let’s go. I’m sure it won’t be bad if they notice you with me.”
“What are you two muttering about,” Jotaro asked as you both looked at him.
“We’re going to get gas for the car,” You hummed with a nod. “There’s a group of guys in front of the building catcalling girls, and I wanted to get you to intimidate them, but Kakyoin says he’s got it.”
Jotaro huffed and stood. “Knowing you two, you’ll both idiotically get in trouble. Let’s go.”
Kakyoin nudged you and gave a sly smirk and motioned towards him. Your cheeks flushed as butterflies fluttered in your stomach. The large-stone cold teen just so happen to be your crush, and Kakyoin knew this because you confided in him about it. He’s been encouraging you since he found out, which was the day you two met. You 3 left the hotel and walked out front.
“Look at her, eh,” A guy laughed.
The group of catcallers stopped you, Jotaro, and Kakyoin.
“Hey, why don’t you come have fun with us,” A guy looked at you and winked.
“Yeah, we can give you a very good time,” Another guy nodded his head with a smirk.
Your face flushed in embarrassment as you tried to inch backwards. You bumped into something, and instantly recognized the aura that stood behind you was Jotaro.
Since when did he get behind me, you thought quietly.
Jotaro placed a hand on your shoulder. “Go ahead and head to the car (Y/n). I’ll take care of these idiots,” He hummed.
You gave a slow nod and looked towards Kakyoin, who nodded and motioned towards the car that was in sight. You slowly started walking.
“Hey don’t ignore us-!” You heard a punch. You snapped your head back to see a guy on the floor.
The rest of the group cowered at the sight of Jotaro taking a step forward. You decided the smart idea was to rush off without any complications. You sat in the car and checked the gas tank. Kakyoin got in the back as Jotaro got in the passenger seat.
“Did anything bad happen,” You asked with a hum as you started driving off. You looked in the rearview mirror as Kakyoin motioned towards Jotaro and winked. Your cheeks got hot. “I hope you two didn’t get in trouble because of me.”
“It was nothing,” Jotaro muttered.
You tried to be positive. “Thank you, Jojo…” You pulled into the gas station quickly and got out to get the gas pumped. Jotaro headed inside the store as Kakyoin leaned out the window while smirking at you.
“He really showed them, you know,” He chuckled.
Your cheeks got warm. “Don’t even tell me. I’d rather not know,” You sighed.
“But you do. I know you.”
“And you KNOW that I won’t listen.”
You paid for the gas and got back in the car just as Jotaro arrived. You started to drive off, content that you got something done for the day as you drove back to the hotel. After getting back and parking, you got out as Kakyoin was already heading inside.
“(Y/n),” Jotaro muttered.
You paused and turned towards him. “Yeah, Jojo,” You asked.
He stared down at you, his gaze piercing yours as you then struggled to stay underneath his gaze. “Next time, don’t hesitate to tell me you need help from me. I’ll pay more attention next time.”
You felt your cheeks warm up. “A-Actually, I knew you were drawing, so bothering you wasn’t exactly the best option if you were concentrating that hard. May I ask what you were drawing? You looked pretty engrossed in it and I thought it must’ve been very important to you if you were paying so much attention to it.”
He pulled out his small notebook from his pocket and flipped the page. He held it out to you as you took it in our hands to look. You stared at the drawing on the page to see that it was a picture of you. You were smiling of course, one of your signature looks because you couldn’t help but have a smile on your face sometimes, even in this state you all were in of trying to race to defeat Dio. You paid most attention to how detailed the drawing was. Your cheeks got warmer each second as you stared at the fine details before looking at him.
“This is really good,” You gleamed. “I mean, you captured the emotion perfectly! I didn’t know you drew this well! I thought you only held notes in this notebook of yours, and I’ve seen you doodle marine animals before, but this is just… This is amazing!!” You grinned. “I’m glad to be some sort of inspiration for you to draw this!”
His cheeks were dusted pink as he sighed. “Flip back a page.”
You blinked in confusion as you did what he told you. You saw another picture of yourself. This time, you were sleeping. More importantly, you were sleeping against the window of the car. You remembered sleeping on the way to the last place you all were at, but that was pretty vague based on your memory alone. That place went by quick. You flipped the page without asking. And saw another picture. And another. And another. And another. You blinked in confusion as you looked at Jotaro.
“You… took the time to draw all of these,” You asked, not sure what else to say.
He held up a second notebook. “This is the one you’ve seen. That one, I got after I met you,” He motioned towards the notebook in your hands.
“R…Really?” You were shocked. You both literally met a few weeks ago. And there were a fair good bit of drawings that looked like it took time and effort to make them in the quality they were at now. Did he seriously draw you in his spare time when you weren’t looking?
“Yeah. It’s hard to not to. You have a good facial structure that’s easy to draw.”
You swore that he was going to say something else instead of that. Your quickening heartrate diminished as soon as he said that as you slowly nodded. “I see,” You hummed.
“It’s also the fact that you’re beautiful. It’s hard not to keep an eye on you.”
Your heart fluttered again. This time, your heartbeat’s fast pace returned and you stared at him in shock. “Beautiful? You think that?” You really were at a loss for words now.
“Do I need to spell it out for you or are you going to keep standing there dazed out of your mind?” He leaned towards you a bit. “I like you, a lot, (Y/n). I wouldn’t draw you like this for no reason. That’s what stalkers do. I’m not a stalker. I genuinely like you.”
Your face got hot. “J-Jojo,” You squeaked. “I-I…” You shut his notebook and pressed it to his chest. “I like you too!” Your heartrate sped up. “I’ve liked you for a while! And I never really had the courage because of what we’re doing right now in saving your Mom and defeating DIO! So… I decided to keep my distance.” You gazed down a bit before sighing. “But now is as good as a time as any… I seriously want to thank you for protecting me earlier. I really appreciated it.” You looked at him again and realized he was closer to your face this time.
He tilted your chin up with his finger and brushed his lips against yours. You didn’t hesitate to lean into the kiss as your quickening heart finally started slowing down with the time. You both pulled away rather quickly, as both of you stared into each other’s eyes.
“Will you be my girlfriend, (Y/n),” He asked quietly. “You’re already my muse.”
You smiled and nodded. “Of course, I will.”
“Why do you two look like you’re about to start biting each other,” Polnareff called as you both looked to see him and Mr. Joestar walk up.
You gave a small growl. “Polnareff,” You yelled.
“W-What?!”
Jotaro chuckled and grabbed your arm. “Let’s just go inside. I want to draw you some more,” He pulled you along.
Your face got hot again as you walked away with him. “U-Uh, okay Jojo!”
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porta-decumana · 3 years
Text
Very abbreviated, sleep-deprived thoughts about 5.5
Werlyt will take some time for me to digest, I think.  The plot has always made me somewhat uncomfortable given how dark and despairing it is... it just evokes some bad feelings for me.  There were parts I found that I did enjoy about the conclusion but a lot of parts I did not.  Gaius vs Valens felt pretty satisfying.  Seeing Gaius use the new Terminus Est ability was -chef kiss- perfection.  The weird imperialism apologist vibes from some of the dialogue was very uncomfortable however.  As much as putting Gaius in charge of a military unit makes sense as he’s a very well-known military general, having the people of Werlyt actually nominate him felt... really, really, really weird. It’s definitely a troubled plot that mishandled a lot of things.  I don’t think I viscerally hate it as much as a lot of people but I found it very stressful and some parts of it off-putting.  
I don’t get Valdeaulin’s arc suddenly being wrapped up but I’m taking this as a W because at least he didn’t get killed off like I feared he would.
Cid and Gaius being on somewhat amiable terms again feels good on paper but I wish they had a longer scene where they had talked about their feelings because I am a sucker for that shit lol
Did they really tease the idea of the WoL and Gaius piloting a mech together and not do it because I’m forever sad but basking in headcanons.
I need to go back and get a screenshot of Gaius in absolute anguish over discovering the identity of the overmind in Diamond Weapon because that image killed me inside.  I really like how Gaius felt more like a concerned father in this segment.  They honed in on his emotions in a lot of scenes and I liked it.  It made him seem less robotic.
The Cloud Deck is a super fun fight, probably the best in terms of production quality.  The mechanics aren’t exactly novel but they feel like they’ve been handled in a refreshing way.  Gonna farm the EX a bunch with my fc tomorrow.
ALFONNNNNNNNSE -sobs-
The MSQ was very fine.  The only two things that really bothered me were G’raha and Tiamat.  In terms of G’raha, while I think the character is great, I’ve found the way they’ve written him lately to be a bit disingenuous to his character.  It feels like he’s been reduced to a near drooling fanboy almost every time he talks and that feels like a far cry from the person he’s been in almost all of Shadowbringers.  I get that he’s getting to live out his dreams now but I feel like they’ve discarded a lot of his character development and that’s very sad imo.  He had such a good arc and it’s like they’re ignoring it.
In terms of Tiamat, I thought the addition of her being tempered added nothing to the story and was padding so we’d go around Azys Lla a bit longer.  It felt like it downplayed the tragedy of her summoning Bahamut and her feelings and semi-retconned her HW appearance. 
Pagl’than might be my new favorite dungeon tbh.  The ending area is absolutely stunning and the second boss is super fun!
I’m glad Lunar Bahamut was a fight in the dungeon instead of a separate instance for 6.0.  We’ve fought a lot of Bahamut over the years... we don’t need another instance of fighting Bahamut.  
I’m still hollering over Zenos having Faust’s spear.
Bringing Fordola and Arenvald back made my heart happy, I love those two.  The fact that Arenvald is critically injured now though?? Hurts my heart.  Thanks, Yoshi P.
Estinien vs Alisaie is the rivalry that will fuel me during Endwalker probably.
I think I was waiting for more of an “oomph” with the story.  I’m not disappointed but I’m not chomping for the next part of the story, if that makes any sense.  
Nier raids pretty much highlighted to me why we need to stop having homage raids.  Even being familiar with Nier Automata, I didn’t find the story of the Nier raids super enjoyable and felt a lot of it just didn’t make sense.  It feels like something that people familiar with the series might enjoy but everyone else is kinda left in the dust.  The 24 man itself had some wicked cool fights though.  I really liked the 3rd one especially.  
I won the new caster top and I’ll post pics tomorrow when I’m not about to pass out from exhaustion.
I want all the new hair.  Gimme gimme.  Especially that ponytail.
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Leave No One Behind Ch6: Kiss The Girl
Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​
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Episode Summary: Ari is trying to find the right moment to talk to Hannah about their kiss but things and people just keep getting in the goddamned way…
Episode Warnings: Bad Language words. A world of smut via flashback (NSFW no under18s)
Episode Pairings:  Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz
Song for Episode:  Make It With You by B.R.E.A.D
A/N: So, we promised you some soft daddy Ari, and here he is…you might want to grab a fan or something coz we ain’t gonna lie, this one left us in a puddle on the floor!!!
Series Master List    //   Main Masterlist 
Life can be short or long, love can be right or wrong, And I if chose the one I’d like to help me through, I’d like to make it with you, I really think that we could make it, girl.
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It had been days since the kiss, which soon enough turned into weeks. 4 and a half to be exact. Ari knew. He had counted them along with each phase of the moon, and nothing happened. They had kissed and that was it and to say it was bugging him would be an understatement.
He had tried, though. Well, sort of. The night after the kiss, Ari had seen Hannah walking Simon towards her spot as she had gotten used to doing before going to sleep. He had started after her on impulse, but then he had stopped on the beach sand and  chickened out when he realised he hadn't thought about what to say and ended up going back to his hut after finishing his cigarette.
A couple of nights later, he had mustered enough courage and was determined to go after her. He needed to speak to her. He didn't know exactly what he would say but he had come to the conclusion it would be best to wing it and let his mind speak for itself. Just get your ass there and let's see how it goes, Levinson. And then Sammy (who else?!) had appeared with a bottle of whiskey asking him to join him and Jake. It was a good thing, though. They had sorted their differences which had left them on an even keel, although Ari wondered for how long. If Sammy only knew what was on his mind just a few seconds before...  But Sammy had also told him he had also apologised to Hannah so things were getting better, that much was undeniable.
Still, the fact was, that little gathering around a bottle of whiskey had meant Ari had left another few days go without speaking to her. And even though she hadn't reached out to him either and things, everything considered, weren't awkward between them, Ari knew he had to speak to her.
The next chance he got was another few days later. Everyone was busy after dinner and he decided it was the perfect opportunity to go for it. But he had to stop when he met some tourists on the beach near her spot. He had to feign he was checking up on them and after a polite exchange on the wonderful time they were having at the resort he had to turn on his steps and head back to his hut, cursing all the way.
The more time that went by the harder it was getting not only to find the perfect moment but also to gather the courage to have that pending conversation with Hannah. So Ari found himself one night wondering if it was just better left alone. Was there even a pending conversation to have? The atmosphere was good, Hannah was fine with him, even her and Sammy had taken a trip together to Port Sudan and no one had died. That was another bump in the road, every time he commented on having to go to Port Sudan or even Khartoum hoping for Hannah to come with him, someone called dibs or even offered to go on his behalf. So he had stopped faking reasons for the trips and coming up with real reasons as chances were he would end up going with someone else or staying at the resort.
Fortunately Simon made it impossible to stay in a bad mood. The dog was as cheeky as it gets. Hannah had been teaching him some tricks so he now sat, gave his paw and rolled over. Well, sort of, he more like got onto his back and stayed there with his short legs extended in the air. It was hilarious. He also went conveniently deaf whenever anyone other than Hannah or Ari told him to do anything. So it was a common joke now that Simon was his and Hannah's kid, which didn't bother Ari in the slightest. On the contrary, he happily played along when someone told him to take care of his child.
Thus, week after week went by and before they knew it they were in the middle of February and Rachel was preparing to take the first Shore Leave trip home. She was the only one with kids other than Ari, but Maya was with her mother while Rachel's kids were with their grandparents so they all agreed she should be the first to travel home. Hannah would take her place as managing director, aerobics instructor and much to Max and Jake laugh, masseuse.
The night before Rachel travelled to the US, Hannah was in the kitchen feeding Simon after they had already had dinner while the rest of them were chilling on the patio. Rachel had sneaked a bottle of Tequila from the stash of alcohol they had been gathering from their trips to Port Sudan or the nearest village market, to toast for a safe trip home. Jake, encouraged by the Tequila shots he had been gulping, was hitting on a group of young female tourists that were gathered around an improvised bonfire on the beach.
"It's the first time I see him do that in the nearly two months we've been here." Max snorted, seeing Jake stumble on the sand and fall on his ass next to one of the girls.
"Guess the real Jake has taken over Luca Morano." Sammy scoffed.
"It has." Ari chuckled. "Did I ever tell you how I found him with a girl in a decompression tank when I went to recruit him in Belize?"
"Now that's Jake Wolf." Max laughed. "Must have been a sight to see."
"Oh, it was. Stark naked. Refused to cover himself up all through our conversation." Ari confided before taking a drag of his cigarette.
"Well, he has managed to keep himself away from tourists until now. We have to give him that." Max commented.
"Maybe it's because Hannah’s not into him after all." Rachel deadpanned, always the perceptive one.
"What do you mean?" Sammy asked or more like groaned.
"Just saying they're not diving as much now as they did before. She’s cooled off, certainly over the last month anyway." she shrugged.
Everyone fell silent for a few minutes, enjoying their shots and taking in Rachel's words. Of course she had noticed, she always did. That was what made her, along with other qualities, one of the best spies Mossad could ever hope for.
Ari could see the clogs in Sammy's brain turning, as usual his brain short-circuited when it came to his sister. He, on the other hand, was low-key pleased to hear that. He wouldn't be feeding himself to the sharks after all and he couldn't help the smile that spread on his face when Hannah came back with Simon and grinned at the sight of Jake flirting with the group of women.
"How's he doing?" she asked, nodding towards Jake before taking a seat next to Ari.
"Working on it." Max answered, looking first at Hannah and then discreetly at Ari who was still smiling widely.
*********
The following morning, after having waved goodbye to Rachel who had left after giving some last minute instructions to Hannah and promising them all to make the most of her week off, Jake, Max, Ari and Hannah were sat at their breakfast table.
"They must think we're stupid." Hannah said, pointing to the fact that Sammy had offered himself, more like jumped to the opportunity of driving Rachel to the airport in Port Sudan.
"What?" Ari asked.
"Ok, maybe you all are stupid." she said rolling her eyes as she poured herself some more coffee.
The three men ignored her jab and looked blankly at one another for what looked like an eternity until Max twigged it. Hannah spotted the exact moment coz he grinned and gave his trademark chuckle. That was enough for Ari to realise as well.
"Rachel and Sammy?" Ari asked, not believing it.
"You're a dumbass, Levinson." Hannah teased him.
Simon then rolled on the floor and gave a loud yip as if to highlight his mum's words.
"Wouldn't be so pleased, pal. He's coming back." Jake said, looking down at the dog.
Everyone chuckled at the comment and as much as Jake tried to hide his hangover behind his shades, his hoarse voice was betraying him.
"This is good." Max said, still grinning. "I mean Sammy needs to get laid, release some tension."
"Don’t we all?" Jake quipped, thus unwillingly confessing he hadn't been lucky the night before.
"Cheers to that." Hannah said, raising her mug.
Max, Jake and Ari all raised their mugs to join Hannah in her toast as they laughed, though Ari was internally groaning. He wasn't expecting having to visit the shower again that morning.
*********
With Rachel gone Hannah was busier than ever as she had to pick up a lot of her chores, including the aerobics classes. Having to witness Hannah every morning clad in those colourful tight leotards and tights, bending and stretching sent Ari into a frenzy. At some point he tried to avoid her classes, either to dodge suspicious looks from Sammy or to prevent Jake from drooling shamelessly over Hannah and other female tourists too.
“What? Why can you be at the classes and I can't?” Jake asked Ari one morning after he gave him a reproachful look because the truth was that Ari’s attempts to avoid them had failed, miserably, and instead he had found any excuse possible to lurk in the reception area. Be it a document he needed to check, a key someone from the staff had asked him for or a glass of water he had to grab from the kitchen, among other things, which always caused some giggles from the group of young female tourists. If they only knew it wasn't about them.
Ari had come to the conclusion that he needed to speak to Hannah, because it was starting to get embarrassing and Simon wasn't helping. The dog was exposing him even more as he would bark at him and look for his attention every time he walked in to the room with another lame ass excuse. He had no idea what he would say or how he would address the elephant in the room after so a month, he just knew he needed to be alone with her or he would go crazy.
However, he failed again and again not only because with Rachel gone Hannah was busier and didn't have much free time but because most of the scarce free time she had was spent with Sammy, who was excessively clingy to his sister.  Ari now realised that Hannah had been right, the man clearly had a thing for the blonde.
Which was even clearer the evening before Rachel was due to return as Sammy had been particularly jovial after a week of exacerbate grumpiness and moping around the resort. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by any of them. What was more, Hannah was not letting the opportunity to tease his brother go by.
Sammy had offered to walk Simon with her before going to sleep and they were walking along the sea shore in a comfortable silence when he threw a stick towards the waves so that Simon could go and fetch it. Hannah didn't hesitate to bug him when he bent to scratch Simon's ear when the dog came back with the stick in his mouth.
"I don’t recognise you, Samuel Navon. You’re even being nice to Simon." she said.
"Well, he’s growing on me." he shrugged, smiling at the dog.
To be honest, Hannah knew Simon was indeed growing on him. The dog had become a sort of celebrity in the resort, with all the guest ladies cooing over him like a baby whenever he was near and him going from group to group of guests on the beach, demanding attention from everyone, most of them willing to give it to him. But, there was something else to Sammy's sudden cheerfulness and Hannah was sure she knew what it was.
"Bullshit. Just yesterday you were wanting to kill him because he chewed your shoes." Hannah smirked, stopping to look at her brother.
"Why does he have to chew my shoes when he has Jake’s shirts to go at?" Sammy whined.
"It’s a woman, isn’t it? More specifically, it’s Rachel. She’s back tomorrow and you’re happy…" Hannah insisted, smiling at him in an attempt to make him confide in her. Sammy had never been the one to let his emotions take over. Even when they were kids she had been the lively, expressive one and he had been the brooding older brother.
"Will you shut up if I tell you it is?" he asked, more of an order than a question. He knew her sister and there was no going back at this point, he had been busted. Better to get it over with in the most graceful manner possible.
Hannah grinned "You sly dog."  and then she offered him a warm smile "Good for you, Sammy.  I’m pleased."
"I don’t know if she feels the same way…so I don’t want to make a fuss about it, ok?" he said, trying to dim his sister's enthusiasm.
"My lips are sealed." she made a zip gesture over her mouth. "But you know there’s only one way to find out? Ask."
"Easier said than done." Sammy scoffed.
Hannah then sighed, "Don’t I know it."
Sammy looked at his sister, his brow furrowing.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh nothing…was just talking in general." she said, trying to make it sound casual.
"No, you weren’t." he retorted.  "But it's ok if you want me to pretend you were. After everything that’s happened I’m probably better off in the dark."
Hannah smiled at her brother's words. After all, he was trying hard not to meddle in her life, unless she asked him to do so, as she had requested when he had apologised to her weeks earlier.
"Just give yourself the chance to be happy, Han." he said as he reached to hug her.
Hannah sighed and leaned into her brother's embrace. She knew full well he didn’t mean Ari when he was talking about her happiness, but that was where her mind went. The thought of Ari's shore leave looming in the horizon, as his turn would come only a few days post Rachel's return, made her shiver. And the realisation that she needed to speak to him before he left hit her like a landslide. She needed to reach out to him before he went back to the real world. To Maya. To Sarah.
"Easier said than done." she forced a smile, repeating her brother’s earlier words back to him.
Rachel returned the following day and she was beaming. Being able to spend time with her kids had, no doubt, suited her. It was now a matter of days for Ari to be able to spend time with Maya and he was looking forward to it. The countdown to his leave officially started and he was excited to see Ethan too as he was proud of how they were set up and operating. His idea of turning the resort into a running hotel had been a great success and Ari couldn't wait to report to Ethan face to face, or Isaacs for that matter. The Head of Mossad had been a whiny bitch about them taking in real tourists and Ari, arrogant as he was at times, was hoping to have the opportunity to rub it in his face.
Yet there was one thing that was bothering him and would keep him awake late at night, and that was Hannah. Over the past few days Ari had noticed she had started to withdraw again. She should have been more relaxed now that Rachel was back but she had become warier and quieter instead. But that wasn't the only thing bugging him. He was well aware that he was going to miss her and he was finding it quite odd. They hadn't seen each other at all over the last four years and now the idea of being apart from her for ten days was bothering him.
They say time flies. Either because you're having a great time or because you don't want time to pass at all, which was the reason in Hannah's case. The night before Ari left they were gathered together as usual after dinner, having drinks and toasting to Ari's safe flight home. Hannah was trying to keep it cool and ignore the churning feeling in her stomach, but she was failing spectacularly. She was a jumble of nerves, she had been for the past few days, but that night it was getting worse so she decided to stop drinking before she barfed or even worse got so drunk she would start doing or saying something she would regret. She felt like she was gonna start crying any minute and Max and Jake goofing around weren't helping her in any way.
"Come on, Red. Drink another shot with me." Jake said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he poured two tequila shots with his free hand.
"I don't want to drink, Jake." she refused the drink with a wave of her hand.
"What? Are you pregnant? Don't tell me, a hairy Nazi knocked you up after a massage." Max snorted, visibly drunk.
"You're not funny, Maxwell. Fuck you." she growled at him, standing up to shove him in the chest almost sending him flying backwards on his chair.
"What's wrong with you, cracker?" he yelled back, visibly surprised, trying not to lose balance as the chair teetered precariously on its back two legs.
All the group, in fact, were surprised. Not only because Hannah and Max were best friends and got on but also because they joked and pranked each other on a daily basis and Hannah had never snapped at him like that. Normally she would have come up with a smart reply and they would have been bickering for minutes but that night Hannah was behaving out of character.
She didn't answer Max, instead she shook her head and left, with Simon following trail. Everyone then turned to glare at Max who shrugged and leaned to grab the bottle of Tequila.
"Something has gotten her on edge. She's been odd for a few days but today she's been particularly bad." Rachel explained, looking worriedly towards the path that led to the huts.
Ari sighed, both of his hands brushing his hair back. He wanted to go after her but wasn't sure if it would be weird in the eyes of the rest of the team.  While debating what to do he looked at Sammy but he was busy looking at her and asking Rachel what she meant. Max was out of the question as he had decided to drown his concern in Tequila shots, so he looked at Jake who nodded meeting Ari's eyes. Go talk to her, he mouthed.
He didn't have to be told twice. Ari stood up and went to find her. In order not to raise suspicions, more on Sammy's part than on anyone else's, he went in the opposite direction before doubling back around the front of the resort. He went to the beach and started walking thinking maybe Hannah had decided to go to her spot on the rocks after all. But she wasn't there so he decided to try her hut. And there she was as he heard Simon bark when he knocked on the door.
"What do you want, Ari?" Hannah asked the moment she opened the door.
She didn't seem surprised to see him at her door but she didn't seem excited or pleased either. She seemed so messed up, as she didn't give a damn about anyone anymore.
"Wanted to see if you’d drive me to the airport tomorrow." he said shyly.
He hadn't thought about what to say to her, not knowing the mood she would be in and the idea came to him out of the blue. He thought it was the perfect chance to be alone, to talk.
Hannah frowned at him "Thought you already asked Sammy."
Busted.
Ari looked down at his feet, put his hands on his hips and sighed.
"What do you really want, Ari? I’m not in the mood." she asked again.
"No, but you’re in A mood. I noticed, matter of fact everyone did..." and then he paused as a thought hit him. As unlikely as it was, he decided to ask anyway, edging his bets. “Is it…is it because I’m leaving tomorrow?"
Ari saw her eyes beginning to cloud and she looked away
“No.”
"You’re as bad a liar as Sammy." he said, trying to lighten up her mood.
But his attempt to make her smile resulted in her turning away from him. She left the door open though so he stepped in and closed it behind him, accepting the silent invitation.
"Firefly I…" he began.
"I’m just stressed Ari…a little homesick too, I miss mama, but that’s it." she cut him off.
"Promise me?" he asked, tilting his head and smiling softly.
"Yes, Ari." she replied drily.
"I don’t believe you." Ari said, his hand caressing her cheek. A bold move if you will but he had nothing to lose at this point.
Hannah started crying immediately and Simon let out a little whine when he heard her. Ari then pulled her in for a hug. He was beginning to wonder if it had been too much but then he felt her shoulders relaxing as her hands connect round his broad back. Simon felt her change in demeanour too and jumped up at them wanting to take part in the comforting gesture, his paws resting against Hannah’s thigh. Hannah chuckled as she stepped back slightly to pet him.
She stayed quiet for a minute, her eyes focussed on the dog and then she lifted her eyes to look Ari before speaking “Are you going to see Maya?”
It was a dumbass question, as she knew perfectly well he was, but he instantly understood what she was really asking. Are you seeing Sarah?
"Is that what’s bothering you?" Ari asked, looking at her with concerned eyes.
"No it’s just I.. " she started protesting but he cut her off.
"Han, if I want to see Maya then I need to speak to Sarah."
Hannah fell silent again, she knew she had just shown her cards so there was no point denying anything anymore. She looked down and started fiddling with the hem of her top for a few seconds before her shoulders started to shake and tears began to run down her cheeks again.
"Hannah, what’s going on?" Now Ari was genuinely confused. They had not been alone since that night, not talked about the kiss so he wasn’t sure why it was bothering her so much. He had assumed from her silence over the past month that she thought their little moment was all a mistake and that was it for them, but the fact that she was bothered by the thought of him seeing his estranged wife meant something else, didn't it? "I don’t want you to go."  her voice now a whisper. "I mean, I know you have to but.." she swallowed before continuing "I don’t want to be here without you." She had said it, right? She had admitted it. I don't want to be here without you. Ari was suddenly floored, utterly floored. This meant she felt something more.
"Firefly, look at me." he demanded. But she didn't move. "Look at me, please." he spoke more softly this time.
Hannah then raised her eyes, locking them to his, her bottom lip quivering slightly. "I’m coming back." Ari assured her.
"I know. It’s just…I’m gonna miss you." she said lowering her eyes again
"You’ve got Simon to keep you busy." he said, nodding down to the dog who was sat watching them both. "And Sammy to placate when he growls at him or eats his shoe. Jake to take you diving, Max to…well…just be Max and Rachel…" he paused to lift her chin to make her look at him  "You got your safe place for when it all gets too much, the sea, the stars at night…what else could you ask for?"
"Well, when you put it like that I’m not sure." she chuckled.
There it is, that damned smile. Ari thought as he chuckled too. "Guess I made my point."
There was a slight pause as he reached for her hands, his fingers caressing hers “I’ll miss you too Han, more than you know.” he said before pressing his forehead to hers.
"But you’re gonna.."
"I’m going to see my daughter, that’s all I care about in Tel Aviv." he paused before asking her again the million dollar question "Why are you so bothered, Han? Tell me honestly."
Hannah swallowed, her fingers fiddling with his as their hands are laced together "I just…what if you see Sarah and decide you want her back."
"But why do you care?" Ari asked, he was frustrated at this point and he knew his voice showed it. They were going round in circles and he just wanted her to say it.
She pulled back to look at him, her eyes locked onto his, their faces inches away.
"Because I wouldn’t be able to…" she swallowed once more, stumbling over her words "It would break me again Ari. I’d be happy for you but…”
She had said it. She had admitted it out loud. She had feelings for him. Wasn't that what you wanted? Your move Levinson. Ari thought before taking a breath thinking his next words carefully.
"Listen to me carefully, Hannah." he said, sternly.
Hannah was deflated by the look on his face and those words. He had called her Hannah, no Han, no Firefly. She thought that was it, she had pissed him off. She had fucked it up and this time she was the only one to blame.
"There’s no chance I want her back, even if she wanted me, which she doesn’t. We’re over."
"But for Maya." Hannah blurted out.
"Not the slightest chance, Firefly." he said, taking her face in his hands.
Hannah then let out the breath she had been holding and sniffed.
"God, I’ve been going out of my head for almost a month, Han. Going over that afternoon in Port Sudan  and that kiss…" Ari confided, tracing her lips with his thumb at the mention of the kiss.
And she gasped. It was electric. An electric blue bolt of lightning sending shivers down her spine.
"Me too…" she whispered, trying to recover from the electricity that had just travelled through her body “Why are we so shit at communicating?"
"I did try and find you at your spot a few times but someone always got in the way" Ari admitted.
"Story of our lives huh?" she said with a soft smile.
"Yup." Ari chuckled "Maybe it's time we changed that…" he said as he cupped her face in his hands. "Wait for me to get back…"
"Not like I can go anywhere, mi lobo." she said smiling at him.
And Ari knew why. MI...not EL, MI. My. It had been 9 years since she uttered those words to him. His heart was literally bursting and at that point he thought fuck Sammy, fuck Andy, fuck Max. He didn't care anymore.  With his hands still on her cheeks he tilted her face to meet his and kissed her. And it was everything he needed and more. It was only them now, as far as he was concerned the world could go to hell. It was soft, gentle, but oh so loaded at the same time and when he pulled away eventually, he kept his head pressing to hers.
"You said Mi…" he whispered.
Hannah bit her lower lip, a wide smile forming on her face and was about to reply when there was a loud noise outside and Simon started barking.
"I best go, it's an early flight." Ari said, fighting the urge to press her body against his and never let go. But he was leaving the following day and it wouldn't be fair for any of them.
"Ok…" Hannah nodded.
Ari turned slowly to go, his hand still on hers for as long as his reach would allow but had to let go when he reached the door.
"Come back to me this time." Hannah said before he opened the door.
Ari paused and turned to look at her "Promise…my firefly." When he left her hut, a smile that could lit up an entire city on his face, the feeling in his chest was warm. That crappy pang he had associated with being around her over the past few months gone, hopefully for good.
********
Ari left before breakfast the next morning, his flight was early. Nevertheless all the agents were up to bid him a good trip. He shook hands with the boys, hugged Rachel and finally reached Hannah. Giving her a smile he swept her into his arms and she closed her eyes momentarily, holding him close before she stepped back and smiled, both of them trying to play it cool. Tearing his eyes away from her he crouched down to give Simon a scratch, the dog leaping up at him to lick his face.
“Gonna miss you too.” he said quietly, and Hannah knew full well he wasn’t just talking to the dog.
The day was fairly busy, which kept Hannah occupied for the most of it, right through until the evening at which point she bid them good night and headed off to take Simon for his usual pre-bed walk.
“Mind if I join you?” Rachel asked “I haven’t stretched my legs properly all day.”
“Sure.” Hannah looked at her, and the two women headed out onto the sand.
“So, You and Ari…” Rachel said as soon as they were out of ear shot. Hannah spun to face her, frowning.
“Me and Ari what?” “Don’t play dumb with me, Cracker.” Rachel looked at her “I saw the way he was hugging you before, and the way he looked at you as Sammy drove them away.”
Hannah sighed, and knew there was no point playing dumb. “You know, it’s pathetic really. I mean I hadn’t seen anything or heard anything from him since Andy’s funeral and then within 6 weeks of us being here I’m catapulted right back to where I was 9 years ago.” “Must have been some fling…” Rachel looked at her, and Hannah snorted.
“You know full well it was more than that.”
“You loved him.” Rachel shrugged
“Ironic thing is I never told him.” Hannah sighed “Not whilst we were together anyway. I came close once.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Well, it felt too soon, you know, we’d only really been dating a few weeks.” Hannah shrugged “But if I’m honest, I fell for him way before we got together.” She stopped walking and looked around, before she gestured with her head and Rachel followed her lead, sitting on the sand besides her. “I remember the nigh though. Instead of using the actual 3 words I told him that I’d fallen for him years ago. We’d been on a date, just a small restaurant not far from his and we were walking home…”
“You know, everyone at work keeps asking me who my mystery girlfriend is.” Ari’s glanced down at Hannah as they walked down the pavement, his hand around hers.
“I thought you liked the secrecy?”
“Yeah, well, as much as it’s been fun I’d like to be able to introduce you as my girl one day.” he looked at her.
“I’d like that too.” Hannah smiled.
“Though you friend, Abi is it? Yeah she might not like it that much…” Ari said and Hannah let out a snort.
“Yeah, she would go mad. She keeps on asking me about you.”
“Really? What’s she say?”
Hannah laughed, “Fuck off Lobo,” she said, shoving him playfully in his chest.
“Easy firefly…” he caught her hand softly, raising it to his mouth and pressing a kiss to her wrist “She never stood a chance”
“Neither did I” Hannah look at him as his fingers laced through hers.
“What do you mean?” Ari frowned.
“The minute I met you I was a gonner Ari”
“But you’ve been dating other guys, I’ve met some of them Han.” he looked at her.
“Yeah, but they weren’t you. I knew you were out of my league but still…always hoped one day you’d see me.”
Ari took a deep breath and shook his head “I saw you. How could I not? You were this smart, sassy kid…old before her time. I constantly had to remind myself how young you were and then I watched you grow up…” he smiled “And then, a few months after your 18th, at your graduation I came over and for the first time, well I saw you then as this gorgeous young woman, not just that sassy little kid and…” he shrugged, trailing off.
Hannah shook her head, her eyes fixing on Simon who was barking at his reflection on the calm ocean.
“It was funny that he brought up my graduation, as that was when I fell for him big time. I’d always had a crush on him, you know…” “Every little sister does on their older brother’s friends.” Rachel said wisely, and Hannah nodded.
“But then he gave me a pair of earrings. Just silver ones, in the shape of a crescent moon as a congratulations. But, they were so special because it was a little joke between us, you know, the fact I used to say he probably turned into a werewolf every full moon because he used to eat mama out of house and home…” “El Lobo Hambriento…” Rachel repeated and Hannah nodded.
“But that…that was the moment. He’d gone to enough effort to get me something that was personal and meant something to us both and I knew then I was falling for a guy I had no chance with. I tried so hard to ignore it. I dated other guys but it was pointless. And then on my 21st.” she shrugged “We had a whirlwind of a 3 months before he ended it and left. I heard nothing more until Sammy told me he had a girlfriend. So that was that, and it turns out it was all down to my late husband.”
“That must have been really hard.” Rachel said after a pause
“Well, I knuckled down, finished medical school and pretended I was ok.” Hannah shrugged “Even went to his wedding because I figured having him in my life one way was better than not at all. I didn’t see much of him then until I joined Mossad 2 years later.”
“Did he go to your wedding?” Rachel asked.
“No.” Hannah shook her head “I dunno why. Maybe he was on a mission, maybe he was too busy living his life with his then wife and kid…I never asked.” she took a deep breath and smiled as Simon bounded back across the sand towards her, flopping down onto his back for a belly rub which she happily provided “And then Andy died and just when I was beginning to come to terms with it all Ari shows up at the clinic and I find myself here in the desert and once more he’s turning my life upside down.”
“Maybe you need to set it the right way up again.” Rachel looked at her. “What’s stopping you, honestly?”
Hannah shrugged “Look, the other night, you’re right…we had a moment. Just a kiss, nothing more, and then last night we talked about it, kissed again and I dunno, maybe when he comes back…” She trailed off.
“Do you both want it?” Rachel looked at her. “To try again I mean?”
“I know I do and he says he does so…” she shrugged “I just…is going back over old ground the right thing to do Rachel? I mean we’re here…then there’s Sammy and his fucking reaction and…” she shook her head as she glanced out over the ocean. “Why does everything have to be so complicated?”
“It’s only as complicated as you make it.” Rachel said, laying her hand on Hannah’s arm “Look, screw Sammy and screw everyone else. If they weren’t in the picture…” “Then I wouldn’t hesitate.” Hannah looked at her friend. “You know, I loved Andy, and in a way despite me being so angry at him, I always will do but what I felt when I was with Ari, well, it was like this raging fire, it consumed every single part of me whereas Andy felt safe...not that I was any less happy with Andy, I wasn’t but…”
“Was Ari your first?” Rachel looked at her, and Hannah nodded. “That’s why it felt like that.” Rachel continued wisely. “You were discovering things, it will have been exciting, passionate…” “I know, and I understand that we’re both different people now and I don’t know whether, even without everyone interfering we would have made it back then, probably not to be honest but I’m wondering if this was life’s little plan all along. A way of giving us a second chance when we both have a more mature understanding of what we had…does that make sense?”
Rachel smiled and placed an arm around Hannah’s shoulder “Perfectly.”
“You cannot tell Sammy.” Hannah looked at her “Not until Ari comes back and we’ve decided on what is gonna happen…if anything.”
“Cross my heart.” Rachel smiled.
Hannah, satisfied she could trust the woman turned her attention to the ocean. She knew Ari would be home now, and she couldn’t help wondering if she was on his mind, as much as he was on hers…
******** Ari was exhausted. Upon landing back in Tel Aviv he had been greeted by Ethan, and he’d been back into HQ for an hour or so before heading to his apartment. Thankfully, Mossad had agreed to keep funding the rental fees whilst he was away which at least meant he didn’t have to stay in a hotel on his trips back home. He’d debated calling Sarah to tell her he was back, but it was getting late and not wanting to wake Maya he had instead decided to call in the morning.
He showered, revelling in the comfort of having decent water pressure before he collapsed into bed. But try as he might, as tired as he was he just couldn’t turn off. His mind was wandering, in particular over everything that had happened with Hannah just before he had left. She’d basically admitted to him what he knew anyway, that her feelings for him were still there, and moreover that there was a chance that they could make something out of the whole sorry mess. He should be happy, and he was, but part of him was still tentative. There was a lot at stake, if it went wrong they were stuck, thousands of miles away from home…and he didn’t even want to think about Sammy’s reaction, or Andy for that matter. What he did know, however, was that whatever they both decided it was going to be their decision. He wasn’t letting anyone make it for them, not like last time.
The rain was lashing against the windows, and he was suddenly taken back to a rainy evening one March almost 9 years ago when he and Hannah had been out for something to eat. They were walking back to his and she was telling him how she’d fallen for him big time over a pair of earrings he had bought her. He had just been about to tease her about being materialistic when the heavens had opened…
“SHIT!” Hannah shrieked, ducking as if that would prevent the rain from hitting her. She pulled her jacket a little tighter around her but the rain fall was ridiculously heavy.
“Come on!” He said, tugging on her hand and the two of them began to run towards the doorway of a shop. Ari pulled her under the awning, glancing down at her. Her hair was dripping, sticking to her face and she looked at him and started to giggle. Her jacket wasn’t done up all the way, and he could just see the rivulets of water trickling between the swell of her breasts, through her cleavage and dampening the fabric of her little flowery dress.
“My face is up here…” she quipped and immediately his eyes flew to hers and he gave her a sheepish grin, before he arched an eyebrow.
“Seems I inadvertently got you a little wet.”
She snorted, shaking her head at the joke and then looked up at him, her eyes flashing as she bit her lip.
“Better take me home and do something about it then…”
Ari groaned at the memory of her, stood there in front of him. They’d only been dating a few weeks at that point and he’d taken it slow, deliberately not wanting to rush her but as she stood there in front of him, giving him the blatant come on, her eyes fixed on his, not a shred of doubt in them…he’d pretty much dragged her back to his. He shifted slightly on the soft mattress, his hand sliding into his boxers. Just that image of her in front of him had him hard as fuck, and he needed to do something about it. With slow, deliberate strokes he began to palm himself to the memory which was now fresh in his mind…
As Ari was fetching them both a towel each from the bathroom, he heard Hannah on the phone speaking in Spanish to her mama. When he walked into the living room she was just finishing up and he handed her the towel which she used to start drying out her hair as she kicked off her shoes.
“Mama ok?” he asked.
“Yeah she’s fine. Didn’t ask where I was…” she said, pausing where she was squeezing her long locks “Which suits me as I didn’t have to lie.” Ari sighed “I meant what I said before. I don’t want it to be like this forever.” “Me neither.” she agreed. “But…I just don’t want anyone interfering. Not yet anyway.”
He smiled and used the towel he had grabbed himsel to rub at his hair and face, emerging from it and she giggled, reaching up to smooth down his hair.
“This is getting long.” she said, her nails raking on his scalp as she straightened it down.
“I might grow it.” he mused.
“As long as it’s not into a mullet.” At that he laughed, his hands falling to her hips. “Not a chance Firefly.” She looked at him as she continued to attempt to dry her hair before he couldn’t take it anymore. Gently he took the towel off her and tossed it, along with his own, over to the sofa, before his hands cupped her face and he kissed her slowly. Her hands fell to his waist, tangling in the bottom of his grey shirt and he let out a little sigh at the feel of her fingers brushing his skin. She pulled back slightly and he pressed his forehead to hers, both of them breathing deeply and she looked at him, giving him the same eyes she had in the shop doorway.
“Lobo…” she swallowed.
“What do you want Firefly?”
“You…” she said, looking at him. “All of you.” At that his cocky demeanour wavered slightly. She’d told him only a few days ago when they’d been getting a little heavy on his couch that she was a virgin. She’d done other things, but not that, and now the thought of him being her first…well it was a head fuck. But a good head fuck.
“You sure?” he asked, searching her face for any shred of doubt. But he found none. Instead she nodded and bit her lip. Permission granted he’d reached down, gripped the soft flesh at the top of the back of her thighs and hauled her up, her legs locking around his waist. His lips smashed onto hers, their teeth clanging together in the urgency of the kiss as he carried her over the hall to his bedroom, where he softly set her down on her feet, flicking the lamp on besides him.
She’d stood, looking up at him, all doe eyes and damp hair and he’d had to fight back every single urge he had to push her back on the bed and fuck the life out of her. He wanted her first time to be soft, gentle, special. So instead, with a restraint he wasn’t sure he even possessed up until that moment, he reached out and pulled her to him again, kissing her softly and her fingers drifted to the buttons on his shirt. She broke the kiss so she could look down, her hands fumbling slightly but Ari let her carry on. Eventually she had it open and she pushed it back off his shoulders and down his arms where he then shrugged it off and let it fall to the floor. She looked at him, biting that damned bottom lip again and Ari couldn’t help but feel slightly smug at the hungry way her eyes were roving his torso. He ran, worked out with weights and he knew he wasn’t in bad shape. He couldn’t afford to be with his job after all but he was enjoying the appreciative way she was taking in his broad shoulders and chest, following the strip of hair down to his waistband. She looked up at him once more, reaching out with her hands and she smoothed her fingers over his chest to his shoulders as he leaned down and caught her mouth again. This time his hands moved to the back of her dress, finding the buttons and he flicked them open one by one. Hannah stilled at little and he stopped, glancing down.
“You ok?”
“Yeah…” she nodded.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, just…no one’s ever seen me…”
“Let me…” he said softly, almost pleading.
Her cheeks flushed red and she moved her arms to allow the dress to fall down, shimmying out of it as it dropped over her hips and Ari let out a soft groan as he took her in from toe to head. Lithe legs gave way to a softer curve over her thighs and hips, up to her trim stomach, her waist cinched in before it met the swell of her perfectly proportioned breasts which he’d always had a real thing for. She was dressed in a simple matching cotton pair of baby blue panties and bra, and the pure innocence of it was driving him wild.
“See…” he said, his eyes locking onto hers “Beautiful, my firefly…”
He leaned down and dropped a kiss to the crook of her neck and shoulder and she gave a little shiver.
“Like that?” he asked softly, she nodded so he did it again, his arm curling around her waist, holding her still, letting her get lost in the sensations as he lavished affection on her, working across her collar bone to the other side, before he trailed hot kisses up her jaw line, before pressing his lips to hers again. She kissed him back, the kiss hungry as her hands tangled in his hair. Taking the lead, he backed her up slightly, until her knees folded against the edge of the bed and she sat down. Her eyes were level with the top of his jeans now, and there was no hiding the evident bulge at his crotch. She glanced up at him, giving him a little smirk, almost of pride, before she popped the button on his jeans. She tugged them down, and he stepped out of them, leaving him in his tight boxers and he crawled over her as she moved up the bed, settling into the space between her legs. His hands trailed up the outside of her thighs to her hips and up her ribcage before he gently palmed her breast over her bra. He felt her relax under him, which is what he wanted, and he gently pressed a kiss to her shoulder as he pulled down her bra strap, repeating the motion at the other side. He slid his hands underneath her and she arched her back allowing him to pop the clasp. Taking another look at her, she nodded and he pulled the garment away, and he glanced down, taking in her bare breasts with a soft moan.
“Fuck, Han…” he said softly, his mouth dropping to her cleavage, soft kisses trailing up her sternum as his thumbs softly skated over her nipples. She wriggled a little, letting out a tiny whimper at his actions which encouraged him and he moved his mouth over to take over from his left hand, gently flicking his tongue.
“Shit, Ari…” she gasped, her hips bucking upwards slightly and he ground down against her, this time her noise was louder as she mewled at the contact, her hands fisting around the duvet at either side of her. He moved his attention to the other breast, repeating his action, drawing more noises and reactions from her, before his lips moved downwards, trailing over her belly where he gently rubbed his nose above the waistband of her panties. Glancing up at her again, she was watching him, her eyes wide with excitement and he hooked his fingers into the cotton, sliding them down her legs. He knelt up, taking a second to look at her before he parted her knees with his hands. He felt her shift slightly and looked up, that bashful tinge was back on her cheeks.
“Hey…” he said, looking at her as he pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee.“You trust me?”
“With my life, Mi lobo…”
That fucking name did things to him, and once more he found himself fighting to keep control. But knowing he had to take it slow he did just that, trailing soft kisses up the inside of her thigh before he reached his goal and gently slid his tongue up her entrance, causing her hips to buck again.
“Easy firefly…” he mumbled gently, his arm looping over her waist to keep her still as he gently lapped at her, teasing her sensitive bundle of nerves before his tongue poked deeper into her, fucking her with his mouth. She writhed as much as she could, her breathing deep, almost at a pant and he glanced up to see her head was thrown back against his pillow, mouth forming a perfect O shape, and her hands were flat against the bed. With his spare one he reached up, taking her right hand and he placed it on his head, where she gently gripped at his hair. As he continued to eat her out, god she tasted amazing, her fingers tightened, and at one point she pulled on his hair to the point of it being painful. He let out a groan and she stopped and he glanced up.
“Sorry….” she began to apologise but he shook his head.
“Don’t…I like it.” She arched an eyebrow at him, but he didn’t give her much time to think about it as his mouth set to her once more. As he continued alternating his attention between her entrance and her clit, her breathing became nothing but a sharp, staccato pans and he felt her legs beginning to tremble.
“Oh, God…Ari…” she keened above him and he gave a little grin as he upped his speed slightly., “I’m…gonna…” and with that she gave a loud cry, her hips jumping upwards as her body trembled. Her legs became rigid for a second before she relaxed, completely boneless in the after throws of her orgasm. Knowing she’d be sensitive, he moved away slightly, wiping his mouth on his arm as he crawled up her body.
“Good?” he asked, already knowing the answer as she was utterly wrecked beneath him, but he wanted to hear it from her.
“Yeah…really good…” she panted, her eyes flickering open to lock onto his before he kissed her again. She was clearly feeling a little braver now as her fingers grasped at the waistband of his boxers and she pushed them down. He shuffled out of them before he practically fell over her, propping himself up on his elbows, and she looked at him for a second, her hand pushing into his hair.
“You got any….” “Top drawer.” he nodded, to the nightstand. She shuffled slightly and he sat back on his heels, his erection hard and slapping against his abs as she found the condom and handed it to him. He easily tore it from the packet, and once he’d carefully rolled it down over himself he moved forwards again, so he was settled and lined up. Taking another look at her face, once more making seeking assurance she was absolutely sure, she nodded and slowly he began to push into her. She tensed up a little, her hands gripping at his forearm and he took his time, gently moving his hips until he was fully sheathed inside her.
“You ok?” he panted, she felt tight and warm around him and fuck, it was euphoric.
“Yeah…” she assured him. “Just go slow.” “I got you sweetheart.” he gently pressed a kiss to her mouth, moving his hips back before he slowly pushed into her again, and again, taking his time, keeping his eyes focused on hers as he caged her between his arms. He gently pressed a kiss to her hair line as he ground into her again, causing her breath to catch in her throat, but it wasn’t in pain. No, he could tell she was enjoying this. Taking that as encouragement he repeated the action and her hands tightened around his biceps.
“You alright?” he asked, his voice ragged and she nodded eagerly.
“Feels good.” she panted, as he pushed up against her, his hips bumping hers as he continued his movements, picking up the pace ever so slightly, but all the time being careful to still take his time. Her hands hooked round his shoulders and he pressed a bit more of his weight onto her as he found a slow, steady rhythm. It wasn’t long before he began to feel the warming deep in the pit of his stomach and balls, and he really wanted to get her there again, but was now beginning to question how much longer he was going to last. His lips met hers, the kiss desperate, and she cried out into his mouth as he pushed deeper. He could feel her fluttering around him and he knew she was close.
“Come on Firefly…come on…come on…” he said, his breathing deep in between each word as he nudged at her chin with his nose, gently nipping along her jaw line before he softly sucked at the point under her ear and with another push upwards he felt her tense and she gave a desperate mewl once more, her nails digging into his shoulders, before she stilled completely, her mouth slackening, eyes fluttering shut as she tightened around him, her release crashing over her in wave after wave. A few thrusts later Ari found his own, the coil in his belly finally slapping and with a loud cry he came, hard, his hips stuttering before they slowed completely and he gently fell forward, his face burying into her neck. He stayed still for a moment, waiting for the world to tip the right way up again, and he moved his head to kiss her, both his hands holding her face before he pressed his forehead to hers. She smiled at him, her lips once more meeting his as her breathing started to even out.
“I didn’t hurt you?” he asked softly and she shook her head.
“No, no you didn’t.” she smiled “That was…that was perfect Ari…”
With a loud groan Ari finally brought himself off and felt the hot, white ribbons streak over his abs as he gently worked himself through his release. With a sigh his head fell back against the pillow and he gave himself a moment before he reached over for a tissue from the box by his bed.
“That was perfect Ari…”
Hannah’s voice echoed round his head and he swallowed as he cleaned himself up. Yes, it had been perfect, he’d loved the fact he’d been her first. Something no one else could ever claim. With a sigh he tossed the tissue to the side, his breathing deep as he settled himself down for the night, the earlier tension and unrest he had been feeling slightly abated. Jerking off to his own internal filthy thoughts was nowhere near as good as the real thing but for the time being, a memory would have to do.
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