#it’ll probably change again this was a panic change lol

[astronaut-karenwilson]

cl*ireisk*al -> astronaut-karenwilson

an irl person found me AND i realized my old username is still gonna show up in tumblr search tags so that’s fun 🙃

#username change #it’ll probably change again this was a panic change lol

[cyncerity]

alien terrarium au!!

here it is! i said it’d be today, so it’s done! 1 min before it becomes tomorrow!

minor thing, tho: this is extremely unedited. like, there are a lot of things i post that aren’t edited fully, but i didn’t even fully read this one in one sitting. but i’m not free again until this tuesday or wednesday, so i’m not gonna make you guys wait that long lol

basically it’s midnight and i’m way too fucking busy so i’m gonna post it and edit it when i have time to later in the week. if you wanna wait for the fully edited version, ignore this until i specify that I edited it. if you don’t care, i hope you enjoy! this has been an on again off again thing for a few weeks and i’m so glad to finally have it like 95% done :)

tw: soft safe vore, unconventional vore ig?

“We have to cut our losses here. We don’t have enough to fund this any longer, and there’s no one we can reach out to for more money. We can’t risk this getting out.” “Fine, I- I know, it’s just…this is a breakthrough. We can’t afford to give up now.” “We won’t. We just need some time to get back on our feet is all. Besides, he knows what to do now…” the scientists turned their heads to the one way mirror they stood behind. A little boy, barely a teenager, sat behind it on his bed, his eyes glassy and unblinking, turned a glossy pearlescent white. Their project, practically their life’s work. Well, the container for it, anyway.

***

Wilbur heard the three scientists come into the room, and somehow registered one of them motion vaguely with their hand despite his eyes being effectively turned off, which meant they wanted him back in their world. Ugh. Still, he cut off his thoughts with his practically other half, eyes beginning to function again and the scientists approaching him as they saw his eyes shift back to the colors they were supposed to be.

“Wilbur, what we’re going to tell you is very, very important, so you have to listen carefully. It’s your life at stake if this goes wrong. And his.” The one in blue said, gesturing to Wilbur’s torso. Well, that was certainly a way to get his attention. Wilbur didn’t say a word, though; the green one didn’t like it when he ‘sassed them,’ so he instead scooted back and placed both arms protectively around himself and his…what did they call him once, ‘cargo’? He was sure he heard Green call him a ‘parasite’ once, which was rude. Still, they must have noticed his panic, cause the orange one responded immediately. “It’ll all be ok, things will just have to change for a minute here. You’re…youre not going to be able to stay here for a while.” “What?!” Wilbur said, unable to restrain himself. The green one went to speak up but was silenced by blue, who just whispered something about him being ‘scared’ and how this was ‘probably a lot to handle.’ Yeah, no shit it was!

“I get this is a huge change, I do, but it’s necessary for now. We don’t have the necessary resources to keep taking care of you here. We need to find a way to keep you safe and healthy, both of you. You’ll be staying somewhere secure while we find somewhere more reclusive to hide you. We don’t want anyone finding out anything and putting the two of you in danger.” Orange said, sitting next to Wilbur and rubbing a thumb across his knuckles. Right. Right, he had a purpose. And if part of his purpose was to survive without his caretakers for a short while, he could do it. If it meant safety for his stowaway, he could do it.

“You doin ok, bud?” Orange asked, and Wilbur nodded slightly. Orange was his favorite of the main three. He was always nice, and even gave him extra treats when he was behaving! “When do you think you can be ready to leave, Wil?” Green asked, crouching to be at level with where he sat. “Whenever you need me to be, sir.” Green smiled and ruffled his hair. Wil always tried to be extra good for Green. It’s not like he didn’t like him, it’s just that Green was more likely to yell at him if he messed up. “Good kid. We’ll leave tomorrow morning and introduce you to who you’ll be staying with. Try to get some rest.” He said, smiling before leaving and leading the other two out with him.

***

“Sam! Hey buddy!” Dream said, jumping out of the side of his van and running over to his old friend. “Dream! How’ve you been?” “Pretty good, you?” “Doin pretty good myself.” Sam replied, pulling Dream in for a hug. “So, who’s this kid you found?” “Calls himself Wilbur. We found him a few months ago, but we’re a bit short on money right now and can’t handle another mouth to feed. He won’t stay here for long, promise, just till we find a more stable income.” Dream hated to lie to an old friend, but he couldn’t afford his secret to be leaked. “I’m always lookin to help out, especially for a friend. Anything I need to know about him?”

“Yeah, he’s a bit of an odd one, but that’s what we love about him.” Dream chuckled, hoping his friend was still oblivious. “He disassociates a lot. Like, constantly, and tends to get really upset if people try to mess with him when he’s like that. He also doesn’t do a lot of physical activity. Bruises take longer to heal for him, he gets sore easily, and his immune system doesn’t handle cuts well. He’s not very talkative, and he’s got some weird scars all over him. We think the two are connected, but we don’t know what this kid has been through.” Dream finished, and Sam nodded solemnly. Great, he was taking the bait. He was less likely to ask questions if he thought he was prying into the past of an abused child.

meanwhile, in the van…

“We found you abandoned. You’re just staying here until we get more stable jobs and can afford to feed you again. If he ever asks you about where you came from, you look away or change the subject as quickly as possible. You don’t know why you disassociate. You don’t know where the scars came from. Never do any of your caretaker necessities for him in front of Sam. He can’t know. Got it?” “Got it. He’ll never know.” Blue nodded back. Orange had just kind of been pacing in the van as Blue gave him the rundown again. Green came back to the van with a hand out towards Wilbur, giving him a reassuring smile.

Wilbur was about to take the hand before his arm got tugged and he was pulled into a hug from behind. A gentle one, obviously no one wanted to risk damaging what was inside of him, but a hug all the same. He didn’t get many of those. When the person pulled away he saw it was Orange, who was smiling proudly. “You’re gonna be fine kid. We believe in you. I’ll miss you, ok?” Wilbur just smiled back and nodded. “I’ll miss you, too. We both will.” He said before taking Dreams hand and walking outside with him.

***

It had been an…odd week with Wilbur in Sam’s opinion. Firstly, he’d been way more interested in things like trees and grass than any normal child would be, but refused to touch them. He also spent 95% of his time in the guest bedroom with the door locked, never making a sound. Who knows, maybe the kid just liked to sleep. He refused to play any sort of physical game, like Dream had warned him, but he seemed overly cautious of anything that could hurt him. But he wouldn’t pry, that wasn’t his job. His job was to take care of the kid until Dream, George, and Sapnap could take him back. Right?

That’s what he was supposed to do, but somehow, against all logic…he knew this kid. The giant brown eyes, the curly brown hair, his face shape, it was all so familiar. But why?

Until it hit him.

He’d woken up in a cold sweat, immediately racing to his computer to see if he was right. And his suspicions were confirmed, against all odds. There, on his friends facebook page, was a photo of him and his young son. His young son who was Wilbur’s age. His young son who used to have an identical twin brother who went missing when he was just a few years old.

Sam knew Wilbur’s face because Wil wasn’t the only person he knew with that face.

Sam wasted no time calling. He must’ve called 12 times before someone answered, which was fair given the ungodly hour, but this was urgent. “What the fuck, Sam…” and groggy voice answered. “Mate, it’s, like, 4 in the morning, what could possibly be this important-”

“Phil, I think I found your son.”

***

Breakfast was different the next morning. Wilbur walked downstairs only to see two strangers sitting at Sam’s table, one an adult and one a child around his age. The adult looked about as old as Sam, which was to say a bit older than his scientists. He had blonde hair and kind blue eyes, and was wearing a dark green sweater jacket over a white button up. The other had long pick hair pulled back into a loose messy braid and glasses almost reminding Wil of his own except square instead of circular. He wore a simple pink hoodie and dirtied jeans and surprisingly clean white sneakers, but he must have been staring, cause soon the kid looked over to him and-

Wilbur’s breath froze.

Why…why did this kid have his face?

At this point, the man had looked over to, and immediately shot up from where he was sitting, knocking over the chair he was sitting on in the process and making Wilbur flinch. “Orpheus?” Wilbur stared blankly for a few moments before the man rushed him, barely giving him time to react before he was pulled into a hug.

Not a gentle one like Orange knew to give. Not one given by someone that knew why so few people were even allowed to touch him. A lung crushing, tight hug that was unbelievably painful after so much time with such infrequent gentle touching. He rarely found his mind drifting back to his the feeling of cargo in him, given that he’d lived most of his life with him and had gotten used to the odd sensations, but now it was impossible to ignore. Everything in him, everything that had been worked on so diligently, everything that had been removed and replaced and rearranged to make him perfect for his purpose, and his stowaway inside were being crushed. His purpose, the thing he’d been raised to protect, his only true constant in his life, was being crushed. It was the most horrifying downpour of fear he’d ever felt.

Wilbur screamed.

He screamed bloody murder as the adult let go and backed away, eyes wide. Wilbur vaguely noticed that both the strangers were crying, but he didn’t care. Wilbur only stopped screaming once his air was gone and now replaced by jagged breathing and spasms in his lungs. He felt like he was about to collapse as his vision darkened and his limbs began shaking. He needed to know if he was ok. If he wasn’t, Wilbur would never forgive himself. He needed to know.

“Kiddo, I need you to take deep breaths, ok, I think you’re having a panic a-“ “Stay the hell away from me! All of you!!” Wilbur screamed, voice hoarse as he smacked Sam’s hand away and ran up to his guest room and locked the door. He sat on the bed with a thud and tried to stop his shaking, but couldn’t spare much time for that since he had to make sure his cargo was still ok. He needed him to be ok. God, he was still just a kid, even younger than Wilbur. He can’t have let him get hurt.

He tried to take deep breaths and reached his mind out to some foreign instinct he knew. He wasn’t sure what it was, or how it came so easily, but it was such a central part of his brain that he could find it with ease. The second he got close to it, his whole body relaxed involuntarily. He hadn’t done that, which only meant…

“Oh, Tommy, thank god.” Wilbur sighed out loud, though the rest was said just to Tommy in the special way only they could communicate. He felt Tommy slow his heart rate more as he felt like he was being sucked away from his body into a void that words couldn’t possibly describe. “Wilbur!” a voiced called out. It hadn’t come from anywhere, just everywhere, like Wilbur’s did when he was here. Wherever ‘here’ was. He didn’t really know. It wasn’t like a darkness or white area, it was just…nothing. Not a nothingness that couldn’t be seen, but felt. Devoid of anything that could make it describable. Wilbur liked to joke that it was the emptiness in Tommy’s brain. “What was all that outside? You know i’ve got se-“ “Sensitive hearing, I know. I was being loud. Sorry.”

Wilbur could basically see Tommy huff and roll his eyes, despite the fact that he’d never seen Tommy at all. He knew every detail of his little brother friend, and Tommy knew every detail of Wilbur. Despite neither of them being able to see in their respective nothings, somehow they could sense every “move” (aka the movement they imagined themselves making since they didn’t have bodies in the nothingness) the other made in the void. Also Tommy can sometimes see through Wil’s eyes to look at reflections, but he rarely does that. Green doesn’t like when he does that.

Still though, he knew Tommy. He may not know what he looks like perfectly, but he knew Tommy. In an odd sense, he knew his details, but never what he truly looked like. He could list the facts of how Tommy was, but he had a feeling of deja vu whenever he tried to imagine a face or any detailed image of his body. He never could, he just knew the facts, like he’d seen Tommy but the detailed image in his brain had been removed and blurred beyond recognition. It seemed kind of unfair to him, given that Tommy knew exactly what he looked like because of the shared vision things and mirrors existing.

Still, though, he knew the pale white-blue of his skin the bright blonde of his hair and otherworldly accents. The shining, almost glowing iridescence of his eyes and the strange markings found on his body. He was mostly humanoid, which had initially shocked Wilbur and the scientists. Orange had warned him once that since they had no idea what Tommy was, something inhuman and vicious could easily rip through him. It scared him a little, but at that point he’d seen Tommy’s egg once and had grown monumentally attached, lethal beast creature or not. But Tommy was humanoid, except for one thing; he didn’t have legs. Rather, he had a long predominately red scaly tail like a snake.

When Wilbur was first getting used to Tommy’s being in there, the hardest thing to deal with was one: the odd feeling of scales against his sensitive organs and two: Tommy was almost always cold. How he could stay shockingly chilly in almost 100° Wilbur didn’t know, but that’s probably a big factor on why Tommy couldn’t be in open air; he’d freeze to death. Or his aversion to any form of light (maybe that was an understatement: a dim lamp 2 rooms over could kill him). But besides that, his unnatural colors, and a few other random snake-like features, Tommy was far from the horrific deep space lovecraftian monster he or the scientists were expecting. He was more just a little person who also happened to be a snake from space. No biggie.

“I- I don’t know what happened down there. There’s…there’s these two people, and one looks exactly like me and the other called me the wrong name and rushed to hug me and I panicked cause I thought he hurt you. You’re not hurt, are you?” “I’m right as rain, mr. human man. I’m sturdier than you think. Er, well, you’re sturdy and I’m in here so yeah I’m good.” Tommy responded, letting out an unearthly mix of a rumble and a hiss as he did. Wilbur liked Tommy’s weird alien noises, it comforted him. He sighed. “Still, I should’ve been more careful-“

“No you shouldn’t have! Stop bein a..a uh…” he paused for a minute to mumble a series of his weird Tommy noises before starting again. “what’s the english word for someone who takes blame for no reason and thinks that they need to solve every problem ever cause somehow everything is their fault?” “I think you’re talking about a martyr complex.” “Stop have’n a martyn complex!” Tommy yelled back, making Wilbur laugh. He pressed a hand against where he felt Tommy within himself, in one of the open areas that had been cleared just for him. Tommy pressed back and started to purr, a common reflex for him when he was happy, excited, or just needed to comfort Wilbur.

Even if Wilbur’s and Tommy’s consciouses were in the nothingness, they could still feel their body’s and move a little bit, even if it was more difficult than when they were awake. Wilbur liked to think of it as the same type of gesture that his scientists would do when they rubbed his hair or gave him a side hug, something he would love to try but could never do with Tommy. He thought Tommy deserved to have his hair played with or to be hugged, but it could never happen. But the pressing in, the only amount of intentional contact they’ve ever had and could ever have, worked just fine as a replacement. Something comforting and quick to show he cared. Of course, Tommy knew he cared, they’ve lived together (well, one within the other, but same difference) for most of Wilbur’s life and all of Tommy’s.

“Still, though…i don’t know what to do. Sam hasn’t had anyone else over, i don’t know what they’re doing here.” “I’d say good old fashion spying, then. See if you can get closer and make out what they’re saying.” “Good idea-“ Wilbur said, beginning to break off the connection before Tommy shouted out. “Wait! Aren’t you gonna let me see?” Wilbur rolled his eyes and somehow, in a way he couldnt describe, let Tommy’s weird telekinetic force into his mind. He opened his eyes and he was back in his room, the nothingness vanished and his body back in his full control. He looked to his mirror and sure enough, the shiny white gloss that overtook his eyes when talking to Tommy had confined itself to just Wilbur’s pupils. He’d given Tommy access.

“There, is that better?” Wilbur asked quietly, unable to respond telepathically when not in his weird zoned out state. The lack of that void didn’t seem to pose an issue for Tommy, though, as Wilbur heard an enthusiastic “Yup!” mixed with a few alien chirps echo through his mind as a response. Wil nodded to his reflection (and Tommy by proxy) and went to the stairs. He probably didn’t need to go down, he just needed to be able to hear them.

***

Ok that was, in hindsight, a bad decision.

“‘Dad?!’ I have a dad!? And a brother!?!” Wilbur whisper yelled, pacing back and forth across his room. With Sam and the now-not-so-much-strangers still talking in their kitchen, he figured it’d be safe to talk outside of the mind void. Tommy, meanwhile, laid himself against the front of Wilbur’s storage, rubbing circles into the walls to try and calm him down. “Maybe that’s not so horrible! I mean, you’re not an orphan! That’s normally a good thing, right?” Tommy said skeptically.

“Maybe it would have been 9 years ago! But now I have you!” Wilbur said, stopping to sit on his bed and pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I don’t know them. I don’t remember them at all; you’d think if they were a good family to me I’d at least recall that they existed. But I don’t. How could I ever trust them with knowing about you?” “I…I don’t know. But…you have a dad, Wil! And a brother! That’s not something you can just ignore! Neither of us know what it’s really like to have a family, maybe…you could learn for the both of us?”

Wilbur sighed. He knew Tommy was right. And they’d both wondered where their families were; if they missed their sons, if they even wanted to give them up in the first place, what ever happened to them. Wilbur always felt awful because Tommy would likely never know. The odds that his parents were even still alive were slim, and it’s not like he ended up on earth with very specific instructions on how to take care of him by accident. But Wilbur had never thought his family could show up, either, yet here they were.

“What do we do about the trio?” “You know how I feel about them. Let’s see if those two are any better.” To be fair, Wil did know how Tommy felt about them; he didn’t like them at all. Tom didn’t like the tests they ran on him, he didn’t like what they put Wil through in order to do tests on him, he didn’t like how they treated his big brother caretaker as the less important one in their experiments, and he didn’t like how damn nosy they were. That part even bugged Wilbur. How the hell did they expect Tommy to be able to explain so much about what he was? He’d never met anyone like himself either, he’d been hatched on earth!

“Well, at least we know them. They’re predictable, and we know they have our best intentions at heart. Our. They know how to help the both of us and I- I don’t know if I can do all this alone.” “Wilbur you haven’t been alone since the day I was born. You’re not gonna start now.”

“What if something happens to you and I don’t know how to fix it? It’s my job to make sure nothing bad happens to you. I couldn’t live with myself if I let myself get caught up in some familial adventure and you ended up getting hurt because of it.” “I get it but don’t you think that’s unfair?” Wilbur paused. “Wh..what do you mean ‘unfair’?” “We’re kids. You’re a kid. It sucks for you that I’m your responsibility, it’s unfair that you gave up your childhood to keep me safe. But you can get it back, some of it, at least. Just…see if this can work out. If not for you, then for me. I hate seeing you put yourself on the back burner like this, Wil, I hate it. I can’t stand that i’m the reason you can’t have friends or play or be a kid. But this could change that. If it can’t, we’ll go to whatever lab the trio puts us in next. I’m sure they’ll be sooo thrilled that you’ve met your family.”

“Tommy don’t say those things about yourself.” Wilbur said, hugging his arms around himself. “I chose to take care of you, and I’ve never regretted it. Not for a second. You’re worth everything I willingly gave up, ok?” He heard a disgruntled noise in response. “Fine, we’ll come back to this conversation later. For now…ok. I’ll..I’ll give them a shot-” He heard Tommy cheer with a mix of wooing and trilling that he made when he was excited “-but Sam obviously knows the trio, so i’m sure he’ll tell them about my family at some point if he hasn’t already.” “I figured, but what are they gonna do? They can’t take you if you want to stay.” “Emphasis on if I want to stay, remember?” “Got it, bossman.”

“Wilbur?” He heard a voice outside call while knocking before the door opened a crack. “Were you…talking to someone..?” Sam said, poking his head in through the gap a bit. “Uh, no, I just..uh..kinda talk to myself sometimes. But I’m, uh, I’m sorry.” Wilbur said, trying to move past his previous conversation as quickly as possible. The less Sam questioned why he was talking to an empty room, the better. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like that, I just…don’t like being touched.” Not exactly true, but if it would keep the blonde guy and his clone from touching him it could be the truth for a while. Sam just solemnly nodded. “I’m sorry, I told him about you and how you were just kinda found with no memories, but…I don’t think he believed that your amnesia was as bad as I told him it was. I don’t think it hit him that you really didn’t know him until you ran off…Wil, he’s-” “He’s my dad, apparently. I was eavesdropping, i heard you talking downstairs.” Sam stared wide eyed for a second before he nodded solemnly.

“I know this must be a lot. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable by calling them here, you obviously didn’t expect to meet your long lost family while you stayed for the month. But…I’ve been friends with Phil for a while. That’s the blonde guy, by the way. He…he didn’t take losing you well. I was there for him when he and Techno were grieving and it..it was horrible. They were so broken.” Sam said, eyes beginning to shine from unshed tears. “I can ask them to leave if you want, I understand if-“ “I don’t want them to go.” Wilbur interrupted, almost mad at himself that he’d let Tommy talk him into this. “I want to meet them. I want to see what they’re like again.“

“Really? I mean, you can, but I just thought-“ “I’ve made up my mind. Can I meet them again?” “Y-yeah, yeah, absolutely.” Sam said, leading Wilbur out the doors down the stairs. He heard Tommy make a few more excited chirps before he started purring again. Like always, it put Wilbur at ease a bit. He followed close behind Sam down the stairs and back to the kitchen, where he saw the pink haired boy leaned over the blonde guy, who was sitting at the table with his head on his folded arms. The pink haired boy’s head snapped up from where he’d been comforting his father as Sam and Wilbur re-entered the room, eyes narrowing at Wilbur like he was a rabid animal. In the awkward silence, Phil looked up, and it almost pained Wilbur too see his red cheeks and puffy eyes. He really hadn’t meant to hurt the guys feelings, he just panicked. They all stared at each other for a moment before Wilbur realized that they were probably waiting for him to speak up. Great.

“Uh…I’m sorry for screaming at you, Mr. Phil. I don’t do well with…surprise contact. You just scared me, is all.” The man just continued to stare back at Wilbur for a moment. “You…you really don’t remember me, do you, Orpheus?” Wilbur looked back and took a deep breath. This may have been for Tommy, but he had to stand his ground here. “I’m going to say this once, and only once cause I don’t think you can handle hearing it a second time, ok? You think you can handle this?” Phil looked a bit confused at the annoyed tone but nodded, prompting Wil to continue. “Good, cause here it is: I don’t know who Orpheus is. I don’t know who he was. All I know is he’s not me. Maybe he was, but not anymore. So maybe your grieving wasn’t in vain: because he is in fact very much dead.”

Wilbur paused as Phil’s face fell and tears started to run down his face again. Even the pink haired boy had started crying. He tried to ignore it. “My name is Wilbur. If you want to know me, not Orpheus, me, I…I’m willing to try to connect with you again. I don’t mean to be heartless but I need you to understand that if you want me back, there will be no prior standards for me. I won’t try to change how I am now to be the person I used to be for your amusement, because frankly? I couldn’t give less of a shit about what you want, because I don’t know fuck all about either of you. If you came here to find the son you lost, I’d suggest leaving. Any questions?”

Shocked silence filled the room. Phil stood silent and still as tears poured down his face, his clone even started to cry when he saw Phil crying, and Sam looked like he’d just watched a bomb go off. Wilbur just stood at the center waiting for something to change. For Sam to send him to his room, for Phil to break down even worse or for him and his son to deem Wilbur too different and abandon him (again), but nothing was happening. ‘Way to sugarcoat it, Wil.’ quietly played in his head, as if Tommy was afraid he’d somehow interrupt the group despite them not being able to hear him. He’d elbow himself in the gut later, that’d probably look really weird if he did it now.

“…Do you want to come home with us?” Phil said after a few minutes, shocking Wilbur. “Do you want me to?” Phil just nodded and wiped a few more tears from

his face. “Even if you don’t remember us, you’re still my son. You always will be. I’ve missed you so, so much Wilbur.” He said, kneeling to be at eye level. Wilbur just sighed. “Ok, then…let’s go home, I guess. I didn’t come here with much, I can just go with you now?” “Really?” Phil said, surprised but seemingly excited. “Oh, o-ok then! I thought you’d want a few days but, uh, sure! As long as Sam is ok with that?”

“Oh yeah, Sam!” Wilbur interrupted, turning to face the man who’d just kind of been standing silently, clearly unsure of what to do in the situation. “I need you to tell my guardians what happened. They’ll

probably understand, but they’ll also want to meet my long lost family

since they raised me and all.” ‘More like interrogate them and possibly file a restraining order so they can never take us again, but same difference I guess.’ Tommy chimed in unhelpfully. Wilbur ignored him. “Give them Phil’s address asap so they know where to find me. Also give me their phone numbers, i don’t remember them.” “Wait, guardians?” Phil chimed in, lightly tapping Wilbur on the shoulder with a concerned look. “You have legal guardians?”

“Three college aged guys, yeah. But I wouldn’t say legal,” Wilbur explained, “they just kind of took me in when I was lost without my memories. They tried to find you for a few years but gave up after a while. I couldn’t really give them any info to go off of.” “Oh…do they treat you well?” “Yes.” ‘No.’ Wilbur and Tommy said at the same time, though obviously only one was heard. “That’s…that’s good, i guess.” Phil said quietly, then it was back to the awkward silence. Godammit, Wilbur hated silence. Was it gonna be like this all the time with Phil?

“Well then, let’s get a move on.” Said the pink haired boy who Wilbur had only remembered was in the room when he spoke up. He’d been pretty silent, but at least his tears had dried. That was better than Phil was doing. “And you are?” Wilbur asked. “Technoblade, but most people call me Techno.” he said, holding a hand out. Wilbur just stared trying to figure out why he was doing that. Was it a high five? Sometimes orange would give him a high five when he did a good job testing, but why was he doing it sideways?

Wilbur smacked his hand quickly and pulled away, smiling awkwardly. Techno just lowered his hand and stared. Shit, he was wrong about the high five, wasn’t he?“Ok…” Techno said, “we’re gonna have to re-teach you some stuff, aren’t we?” “Uuuhhh…maybe.” Wilbur said quietly as he heard Tommy laugh at him. Asshole.

Wilbur made his way to their car after grabbing his bag and saying goodbye to Sam. The packed into the car, and Wilbur was met with the silence again. Phil seemed…weary of him, to put it best. Like he was dam one bad storm away from breaking. Techno seemed more disinterested in him, just playing on a phone as Phil started to drive, never looking up at him. Well, he wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence this time. He didn’t want to talk to them anyway.

Instead, he let himself fall into his nothingness, connecting with Tommy on the other side. “Well that went great!” Tommy said sarcastically. “I stood my ground.” Wilbur shot back. “I don’t want to be treated like some lost broken kid. I’m 13. I know what I’m doing.” “Well, I like them. They seem nice!” Wilbur wasn’t sure how to respond. Sure, Phil seemed like he wanted to care about him. Techno seemed…willing, at least, even if he was a bit nonchalant. But could he trust these people? They were the people who abandoned him and left him to almost starve to death in the woods as a toddler. That wasn’t exactly something a loving family would do, but they seemed happy to see him alive. Was it a mistake? How could they have fucked up badly enough that he got amnesia and almost died at the ripe age of 4?

But Tommy seemed so excited. As much as the scientists always tried to make sure it didn’t happen, Wilbur loved Tommy. He really was like a little brother, they’d grown up together. They’d both always been told that it would be for the best that they didn’t make that kind of connection in case something where to go wrong, but who else did they have? Tommy was family to him, and damn if he wouldn’t do anything to make the little boy happy. He sighed. “Yeah, well…let’s hope so.”

#i’m too tired to even type essays in the tags what have i become #jokes aside tho im conkin out once i type this all #cyncerity #mcyt g/t #mcyt gt #alien terrarium au #cynwrites #mcyt g/t vore #tw vore #soft vore #safe vore #tiny!tommy #alien!tommy #giant!wilbur #giant!phil #giant!techno #giant!sam #alright gn y’all peace

[whydontyousaeso]

Hi again! I was wondering if you can write me a story. It’s Edge x Reader and reader gets into a very bad situation (up to you to decide what said situation is!) and he almost loses her and he has to save her. I’m an absolute sucker for Edge and angsty stories that end well lol. Tysm!

“Hold on”

Edge x fem reader

Type- Angst to fluff

Warnings- close encounter with death, choking, mentions of head injuries, hospital talk, threats

A/n- im back 🤭 but fr i hope this is what you wanted angst wise! After this I’ll go and post tattooed in your brain when final changes are made. But for now enjoy this! And if you guys would like some more edge content lmk and I’ll get a tag list started for him :3

“Oh my god! They’re stopping the match! I think y/n is seriously injured!”

You were.

You were extremely injured.

Your vision was going in and out, you could feel the blood dripping down your body.

It was bad.

Very bad.

Why wasn’t anyone stopping them?

You had been fighting Paige, you and her had a feud going on for a couple of weeks.

She had enough of you and was ready to put you away.

You thought she was joking.

Your head was busted open extremely bad, and there were cuts all over your body.

“I’m fucking done with you! I don’t want to see your dumbass face again! Not even at your own funeral!”

She grabbed you by the throat and started choking you, all the strength leaving your body.

You didn’t hear his music hit, you just saw Paige look over at the ramp and laugh.

You barely saw that though.

You were loosing air quickly, it wasn’t gonna be long before you were out.

Or dead.

She let go of you and rolled out of the ring, leaving you to gasp for breath while fading in and out.

“Y/n? Holy shit where’s the medics?”

It was edge.

Your boyfriend.

He pulled you close to him and yelled at the others around him.

You weren’t able to get enough air anyways.

As your vision blacked out you felt your boyfriend’s grip tighten.

“Y/n? Please hold on”

The ref’s bustled around edge, signaling the need for medical attention.

He was red in the face with dark red blood on his body.

Nothing like this had happened before.

No one had been this hurt before.

No one actually had to intent to kill someone before.

Everything around them was stained red.

Edge sat there, breathing heavy as he kept his lovers bleeding body close to him.

He was loosing his shit.

He kept yelling, even as medical staff surrounded him.

He didn’t want to give her up, he was too scared

Eventually they convinced him, allowing him to stay next to her at all times.

And he did,

He didn’t let go of her hand once.

Even as they tried to wipe off the blood he didn’t let her go

Even as they wheeled her into the ambulance and drove her away.

The only time they were able to peel him away was when they arrived and had to take you back.

Only then he was left in the waiting room with blood stained clothes and a racing mind.

Fuck Paige.

“Edge?”

He turned around to see Paul behind him with a duffle bag.

“Go change, I want to talk”

“I don’t need it”

“Like hell you do, go change. I’m not leaving until she’s back.”

You woke up to bright led lights and extreme pain in your entire body.

It felt like you couldn’t move.

You groaned and started to panic, you had no clue what happened.

“Shhh it’s okay it’s okay, I’m here darling”

You felt rough hands around your cheek, seeing your long haired boyfriend come into your vision.

“Don’t panic, I’m right here I promise”

Your lip quivered, tears flooding your vision .

“It hurts”

“I know it does, but it’s gonna be okay”

You tried to move again, failing miserably.

“Don’t move dear, the doctors don’t want you to.”

He wiped away your tears and kissed your forehead.

“I’m scared”

He grabbed your hand, holding it gently.

“It’s okay, it’ll be over soon I promise”

You tried your best to nod, your head raging at you as you did.

You just wanted to go home.

“What happened with her?”

He looked up at you.

“There’s some things happening, she’s probably gonna be released”

You smiled faintly.

It was horrible.

She was borderline insane

But that was behind you.

“How long am I here?”

He shrugged, kissing your hand.

“They don’t know, depends on your recovery. But you shouldn’t be talking, they don’t want your throat fucking up more.”

You forgot about that

You could only imagine the bruising there would be on your neck.

He seemed to notice your upset look on your face and smiled.

“Don’t worry, it’ll go away eventually”

You looked and gave him a small smile again.

Throughout the recovery process he didn’t leave your side.

With every test, every check up.

He was there.

You kind of felt bad, he was doing so much for you.

But he didn’t care how much he had to sacrifice.

You sat on your bed dressed, waiting for him to get back from the paper work

After a week you were finally able to go home.

The doctors said your recovery time was insane, considering the extent of your injuries.

“You ready?”

You smiled and turned towards him, standing up as he walked over.

He rested his hands on your hips, kissing your lips and smiling into the kiss.

“I’m proud of you, you know?”

You just chuckled.

“You did all the work silly!”

He shook his head and held onto your hand, grabbing his bag and leading you out of the hospital.

“I would do it again and again just for you.”

#wwe #wwe raw #wwe smackdown #fanfic #edge wwe #adam copeland #wwe edge

[hypersonic04]

the first time Ross is alone with the baby and he kinda panics a little and has to call the reader 🥹

omg this is such a great ask, anon!! <3

Like you said, it’s his first time alone with the baby! I like to think you had her in the autumn, so maybe it’s October half term, he has a week off work, and maybe she’s about three or four weeks old? One of your friends has asked if you want to go round for some drinks and dinner, a girls night, and after some deliberation about leaving baby girl, you decide it’ll be good for you to spend some time with your friends. Ross is all for it, encouraging you to go, because he is, of course, just the most supportive and dreamy husband <3.

Before you leave them, you’ve left him a note with key stuff on it, just in case he forgets, but he’s like ‘I’ve got it, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine, enjoy yourself!’. He looks all cuddly and comfy, in a pair of sweatpants and a jumper, and you just don’t want to leave him or the baby. The house is all cosy, it’s a Saturday night so your favourite tv shows are on, so you’re a bit pouty before you leave.

“We’ll be here when you get back. You’ll enjoy yourself, y/n/n.” He holds your face in his hands as you look up at him with sad eyes, but he’s right.

You go, and it’s actually such a lovely night! All your girls are there, and it’s nice to talk about something other than how many feeds baby girl had in the night or how sore your boobs are. However, as you said anon, your phone rings later on, and it’s Ross having a little bit of a panic.

“Are you busy? If you’re busy it’s fine, I just-“ he starts the phone call, already making you worry with his tone of voice. You can hear her cries in the background.

“What, what’s happened? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just can’t remember whether we give her the 2 ounce bottle at night, or the 3 ounce, and she’s crying, and-“

“Ross, relax.” You laugh lightly, sighing in relief at the fact that there’s nothing actually wrong and your husband is just panicking a bit. “It’s the 2 ounce. Do you want me to come home? I don’t mind, honestly.”

Obviously, he says no, that he’s got everything under control, and to be fair, he’s doing a great job! He gets baby girl changed, little lilac baby grow on, and he sits watching the rugby with her on his chest the whole evening. He chills out a lot more after his panic, especially now he knows you’re having a good time, so it’s just the most lovely evening for both of you.

When you get home, probably about 12ish, he’s settled her down in the cot next to your bed, and I reckon he’s asleep too. They look so sweet, and it melts your heart. You’ve had a lovely evening with your friends, but seeing your baby girl and husband all snuggled up in bed makes you never want to leave them ever again lol.

#ross macdonald #the 1975 #1975 band #fanfic #matty healy #adam hann #george daniel #matty the 1975 #asks #teacher ross

[wikiangela-fanfics]

I don't mind a detour (as long as I still get to be yours)

honestly, no idea what this is, it got away from me lol

Words: 1.4k

[read on Ao3]

***

Buck falls asleep on his couch. It happens so quickly it takes Eddie by surprise. When he comes back into the room and sees Buck fast asleep, at first he feels a hint of panic, before he reminds himself that Buck’s completely fine and he just nodded off. He’s just exhausted.

Still, Eddie finds himself almost holding his breath as he listens to Buck’s, just to make sure it’s there, as he watches his chest rise and fall. He just needs to- he needs to make sure, is all. It’s not rational, but it’s not like anyone’s gonna know. He spends almost a minute like that, bated breath, just listening and observing, his hands growing cold and damp from the condensation from the beer bottles, and, funnily enough, that's what grounds him to the moment, that and the sound of Buck's steady breathing. 

He takes a sip of one of the beers, then walks around to the other side of the couch and sits down, as carefully as possible, as not to startle Buck. He knows he should just leave and let him rest, he needs it. But he can’t bring himself to leave his side, not yet. He needs a second. Because he wasn’t able to be there in the hospital, he wasn’t able to look, to see him like this, unconscious, not breathing on his own, hooked up to all those machines that did it for him… 

He takes a shaky breath, and looks at Buck again. Eddie has to remind himself that he’s fine. He’s alive. He’s sleeping, arm sprawled out across the back of the couch, head leaned back, feet on the coffee table – with shoes on, but at this moment Eddie doesn’t care – a peaceful expression on his face, and, most importantly, breathing. 

He only means to sit here for just a minute, but before he knows it, one of the beer bottles is empty, he’s almost halfway through the other, he feels the familiar buzz of the alcohol, and he realizes that he’s just spent more time than appropriate just staring at his sleeping best friend. He finds himself smiling fondly, as Buck smiles in his sleep, or murmurs something incomprehensible, or changes positions to settle in more comfortably. He looks so cute and cuddly like this, burrowed into Eddie’s couch. Eddie wishes he could sit closer and wrap his arms around him, and just hold him. But as of now, he has no right to do that. Maybe one day.

The thing is, he’s aware of his feelings for Buck, of this thing between them. He has been for a while, and now it’s a matter of when Buck will get on the same page. Eddie’s not going to push, though, he’s fine with waiting. He’d wait for Buck his whole life, or until the end of the world, and even longer, because Buck’s more than worth it. He almost lost him, and when he got him back, Eddie wanted to tell him so badly, but it’s not a good time. Buck’s recovering, and Eddie can feel that he’s not where Eddie is yet. But he knows that it’s all going in that direction, it just makes sense. He believes that one day it’ll happen, and it’ll be one of the happiest days of his life – and probably Chris’, too, he’d be over the moon if he had his Buck around more often, if he moved in, if he officially became his dad… Eddie can only daydream for now, but one day he will marry this man, and he knows that with almost absolute certainty.

As he keeps observing Buck, who’s still sound asleep on his couch, he randomly thinks back to that conversation they had a few months ago. “Maybe I don’t want to pick the wrong couch again” is what Buck said then, and Eddie knew that he didn’t only mean the couch, it was obvious, and he always knows what Buck means, anyway. Eddie wanted to tell him, then, that Eddie had a perfectly good couch that could be Buck’s as well – he stopped himself, though. It wasn’t the time, Buck needs to catch up to him first.

And now… and now he can’t help but feel this weird sense of satisfaction that it’s his couch that had Buck fall asleep within seconds. That it’s Eddie’s couch that makes Buck comfortable and at peace and home. Because Eddie’s house, it’s Buck’s home, and he just needs Buck to finally see and realize this. He knows that Buck has a brand new couch at home, and yet he’s here, sleeping on Eddie’s, and Eddie really tries to stop himself from thinking that it means something more for Buck. He’s just tired, and Eddie’s couch is soft and comfy… but he’s here, and he’s the one always going on and on about that couch metaphor, and maybe this is something that will bring him a little bit closer to where Eddie is. 

He feels ridiculous for hoping for anything like this just because his best friend is asleep on his couch. But it’s Buck. Eddie knows Buck better than anyone, it’s how he knew that he was going to come over soon, that all the visits and company is not what he needs – Maddie meant well, she always does, but Eddie knows Buck in a different way than her. He and Buck always seem to almost sense what the other one needs, they understand each other so well, it’s unlike anything Eddie’s ever experienced with anyone else. He’d never say it out loud, because it’s corny and not something he actually believes, but sometimes it feels like they’re soulmates or some shit like that. 

He shakes his head with a quiet scoff at his own thoughts. He’s so in love and lovesick, it’s starting to affect his rationality. At the same time, he just knows that when Buck gets on the same page, and they get together, Eddie’s going to be so sappy and corny, and trying to tell and show Buck just how much he loves him all the time, he’s going to be insufferable. And Buck will love it, because he’ll be the same way, and they’ll make fun and tease each other about that, and they’ll be so happy. Eddie’s really looking forward to that.

But he’ll wait, however long it takes, he doesn’t mind. At least they’re on the right track, even if Buck is taking a more roundabout way to get there.

As he finishes his second beer, he decides it’s time to get up and take care of all the chores he needs to do. And he really doesn’t want Buck to wake up and catch him staring. 

He gives himself another minute, as Buck breathes in and out, in and out, his chest rising and falling, just breathing and living – Eddie doesn’t think he’ll ever stop doing that, making sure Buck’s okay and breathing whenever he can. 

Then, he gets up, empty bottles in one hand, and as he passes the couch, he can’t help himself, he softly runs his fingers of his other hand through Buck’s hair, just a barely there touch, but he needs to touch him, just- just making sure he’s even there. Buck stirs a little, his head moves, and Eddie’s heartbeat accelerates in panic, but Buck doesn’t wake up, and he exhales with relief. He has to remind himself that can’t do this yet, he can’t be caught doing this, because he can’t tell Buck about his feelings before Buck figures things out for himself. And when he does, Eddie will be here, waiting with open arms.

Buck wakes up a long while later, while Eddie’s preparing Christopher’s lunch in the kitchen.

When Buck walks in, still looking so soft and cuddly, and sleepy, and he’s smiling, Eddie’s breath catches a little, and he feels as if the sun just lit up the room, and that smile makes something in Eddie’s chest feel a little lighter, he can breathe easier now, seeing Buck awake and perfectly fine.

He smiles back, and tries his best to hide his feelings deep inside again. Right now, Buck just needs support in his recovery, Eddie can’t pile onto that. But one day. One day, no matter how long it takes. If there’s one person in the world worth waiting even an eternity for, it’s Buck, who already stole Eddie’s heart years ago, and now just needs to realize that he has it.

#buddie fic #buddie fanfic #911 fic #my writing #wikiangela writes #eddie diaz pov #no dialogue #911 6x12 #911 spoilers #the couch #idk #not sure if I like it tbh this was supposed to be smth else but this happened so 🤷 #6x12 coda #kinda? idk actually lol #I feel like I'm just repeating two things for 1.4k words lmao but who cares

[sunflower-butch]

Well hello darlin'

(I guess a little fact about me is that i'm NOT from the south, and thus have never been called that before you. it makes me a blushing mess each time)

sorry it took me so long to respond I tore my room apart trying to find my wrist brace lol

I ALSO play guitar, though mostly electric!

Every time you compliment my singing voice i'm just like awww <333 but I also feel the need to let you know that I have a lullaby voice. which does not mean it;s soft and sweet but means tired, cranky babies don't mind it (but tired, cranky adults do)

Русская Принцесса is about how it's hard to be around a russian princess but they're already part of the inner circle and it's interesting (probably in a 'person observing an insane person' kinda way I think)

I've actually never heard of the song to recommended but the vibes are very 'neon green' (like the colour) if that makes any sense.

I forgot to say but I listened to the songs you sent me and Apple Tree Blues is probably my favourite out of the bunch!

we really are two peas in a pod lol. guess who also has a bit of a stutter! it gets worse for me when i'm having a bad day(thanks autism!)

very random but, if you have any house plants what is your favourite one? and if you don't have house plants just favourite plant en général

also forgot to add but a man had the audacity to ask me out today, and to put it nicely I was dressed very not straight (my shirt had the word boobs on it and i was wearing so many rings, and my pants were cuffed, to list a couple things things) also side note but i might dye my hair purple again, thought?

your damsel who is currently in distress - el

Good evening my lovely! <33 I’m always so excited to see that you’ve messaged and definitely don’t gay panic for a solid 15 minutes minimum ☺️

(That’s so sweet! If you like it, I’ll continue. It’s not even common here, it just makes me swoon when I hear it, so I thought I’d try it out. I like the way it sounds, and if I ever get to say it out loud, I like to think it’ll sound nice with my accent)

That’s incredibly okay! I hope your wrist is okay. I would kiss it better if I could <33

That is so incredibly cool, omg. And you play BOTH?! Be still my poor gay heart. I want to learn both so bad, and any new favorite song changes my mind which I want more, but I’m on a solid acoustic kick rn. I have spent too long on the Donner website staring at their guitars and daydreaming 😔

A lullaby voice is still really cool! I’m tone deaf as shit but I think there’s a song or two where I can hit the notes okay. I love belting songs alone in the car with no judgement. Hopefully someday someone will want to do it with me.

Oh that’s so interesting! I think I did find the right translation then, I was having trouble lol.

No that absolutely makes sense! I definitely don’t have synesthesia, but I think some songs definitely have colors, you know? I mean you must since you said it 😂 It’s fun to connect little things like that, just take a song or a movie and say “yes, this is indigo blue” because of some specific reason or even just Vibes

Oh I’m so glad! I love that one so much. I listen to basically anything, but folk music has a special place in my heart (bet you couldn’t tell 🤪). What genres of music do you usually listen to?

Oh boy do I feel that. Mine comes out with nerves or excitement. My brain gets to fast for my mouth and then I just get stuck on a word. I think it’s fun, and my friends are all nice about it. We all laugh every time I hit a new record for how long I was stuttering over one damn syllable 😂

I do have a house plant! Turns out I have the opposite of a green thumb and I can’t even keep succulents alive (I managed to overwater one and underwater another despite them being the same species on the same water schedule shekekks), but I’ve found my match. I have a little golden pothos plant, and I named her Becky because why not. She’s going strong! Do you have house plants and do you have a favorite?

Favorite plant in general would by hibiscus though. I have a hibiscus tattoo, because my Papa used to have some in his backyard and we’d go see what new ones had bloomed every time we stayed over <33

Okay, first of all, that outfit sounds sick as hell and I adore your style. Second of all, ew why do men. I wish I could have been there to defend your honor, my darling damsel. Purple hair sounds sick as hell!

Your knight in shining armor who’s definitely not plotting homicide on said man,

- Max/Lo

#elmax anon #shdjkskdksk I like talking to you so much #sorry I’m so rambly nandksks

[mossappreci8or]

just in case it’s relevant or useful to any anxiety havers, I tried out the DARE method (which comes with a lot of emphatic praise online) and while it has been helpful it’s also definitely just ACT/DBT reframed by Kinda Just Some Guy and sold as a self-help product. it’s most helpful for dealing with irrational physical anxiety/panic disorder but not for trying to cope with immediate, rational concerns like financial trouble or major life changes. I think the writing works best for people who don’t connect with “spiritual” frameworks for mindfulness but also don’t want to read a textbook. it does come with a lot of self-helpisms like claiming to be The Quickest Method To Healing but if you can get around that there’s at least some meat on the bone. just get the book for free online, the workbook is a waste of paper (there are seriously like 10 “work” pages in the whole thing, being extremely generous, and also it’s especially condescending). there’s an app too but if you’re not gonna listen to the daily podcast or whatever you’re paying a subscription for access to clips from the audiobook arranged by subject plus a mood tracker.

it boils down to learning how to put up with and embrace physical symptoms for long enough to acclimate your body, proving to yourself over and over again that you’re not in actual danger until your body stops sounding the alarm for every little sensation you become aware of. it’s exposure therapy. you’ll get the best results if you’ve recently seen a doctor just to rule out any other causes for your symptoms, and you have to trust their judgement. I don’t really think anyone should use this method without also trying medication and talk therapy so you’re not just completely raw dogging panic attacks with tools you haven’t really honed yet and only a book (and other anxious people) as guidance. it sucks ass and feels very wrong to do at first so you really will need someone else to reassure you that it’ll be worth it and you’re not hurting yourself. however you are purposely making things worse so they can get better later and that’s really not a self-help tier thing to do imo. I wouldn’t exactly recommend DARE in particular but if you don’t have access to ACT/DBT programs and really need to address debilitating symptoms right now you could certainly do worse. someone else has probably done better but this is the one I found lol

[awkwardgtace]

Results of Expectations Part 1

This started as a streamer au for like all my ocs....then i decided to traumatize Mira. Yeah it's still kind of streamers and podcasts and stuff but it's very backend lol

TW: Panic, sort of panic attacks, a bit of dehumanization, IDK What else as always please tell me

Part 2 | Part 3

Results of Expectations Part 1

“Thanks for watching, we’ll pick this up next time! Signing off,” Mira smiled as she ended her stream.

It was always fun to have talks with her chat, but lately it’s just been questions about her size and what she looks like. It wasn’t like she was the only one who hid her size, but the others usually talked about things that gave good ideas. She laid her head on her arms, it was tiring. Her phone buzzed and lit up with a name that made her laugh. Ian should probably have changed handles from NervousGamer before streaming. She pulled her phone close and sent him the go ahead to call.

“Hey Ian,” she said, as soon as the call came through.

“Hey,” he chuckled, he was nervous. “How are you?”

“Ian, what’s on your mind? Talk to me!” She was putting on a begging act to get him to talk. She heard the deep sigh and knew she’d got him.

“I…Mik wants to tag along today. He’s worried since you don’t know if this guy is really human. He’d rather you get mad at him grabbing you and leaving than freeze up with a stranger… I would rather him go too.” He added the last part hastily.

“Ian… You and I both know I’ll be fine.” She could hear the lie in her own voice. Ian definitely heard it too. “I’ve been talking to Corus for months, there’s no way he’s a giant. He’s a human. He understood the stuff I’ve mentioned that only humans would. So there’s no reason for M-Mikhail to come with, at all.”

“Mira… you know he won’t hurt you. He’s like a really big brother. It’ll be fine. I’d go too and we’ll stay far away, even leave if he’s a human. Please?”

“Ian, trust me, I’ll be fine. I have to get ready anyway. I'll keep you updated, promise.”

She hung up quickly, trying to steady her hands. She had to get over everything for at least her family. They had giants in their lives and she couldn’t just ignore them. She could at least see them and keep going instead of freezing up. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She had to get ready and go to meet Corus. A human that didn’t know her history was going to be a fun change. He said he moved here a few months ago. Plus he seemed to get the whole no control and hands thing too which was nice. It helped that he was cute for sure.

Corus was antsy as Delphia helped to fix his hair. He was hopeless with fashion, but couldn’t risk looking like a mess today. He’d been counting the days to this meetup, Mira was great. He’d planned this day since they first did a video together. She had been so nervous at first, he never expected humans to be what got her comfortable. Delphia stepped away and seemed to be happy with her work. He stood up and turned to face her, pulling his shirt down again.

“How do I look Del?” he asked. She studied him for a minute.

“Like a mess, but I’ve done all I can. I can’t hide your natural messiness,” she laughed. He acted like she’d shot him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and a frown on his face. He smiled quickly though, today was too important.

“Thanks again. I don’t think I’d have ever been ready for this without you.” He pulled her into a hug and she patted his back before pulling away.

“Did you do what I said?”

“I told you she’s a giant, it won't matter. There’s no way I misunderstood. She's funny, amazing, kind, I’m sure she’s beautiful too. This will be great.”

“Corus, neither of you ever asked and you set all of this up. Please tell me you listened at least. I thought Ash was a giant after talking with them. It would have been awful if I didn’t know Alessia was human and only planned for giants.”

“Don’t worry Del, I did listen at least. I made sure to pick the park to meet so there’s no chance of trouble from a building. I also planned for us to get food at one of the new places that have every table set for humans and giants. Nothing can go wrong.”

“Just be careful, and don’t be too grabby if she is a human. She may not spend a lot of time around giants when she’s a streamer.”

“I know-” He planned to say more, but his phone beeped. Her stream ended which means he has to go. He waved quickly before running out.

The park wasn’t far and he wanted to be early. He picked a bench that was about midway for either size. He hoped she was a giant, but he wouldn’t change how he felt if she were human. He had every intention to ask her on a real date today. If she said no then they continue on as friends, but he was hopeful. He stared at his phone waiting for the message that said she was on her way.

Mira did one last thorough check in her mirror. A simple black shirt with jeans. They were just two friends meeting, although she definitely wouldn’t mind misunderstanding and this being a date. She pulled her phone out and snapped the picture that would seal her fate. The first image she’d be sending of herself to someone outside her small circle in years. She typed out a quick here’s how I look today before sending. She almost screamed when she got a picture back. Corus sitting in the park, he looked great. She shoved her phone away before her doubts could stop her.

She had called a car to get her there. It wasn’t too far, but walking near giants was…a lot. She was lucky she didn’t have to go out around giants basically ever. If only the ones her family knew could leave her alone. She knew they meant well, but after the way Ian and Mikhail even became friends she didn’t want to risk knowing any. At least Ian felt safe around one and that one would go with him to meet and greets. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as the park came into view.

She hopped out quickly with a quiet thank you before rushing to the human side of the path. She just had to reach Corus before another giant showed up. If another human was around then the giant was less of a risk. She made her way to their meeting spot, panic hitting her when she noticed the large feet up ahead. She felt her breathing start to grow rapid, she just had to get to the spot and wait. She’d message Corus and he’d show up and she could be ok. It almost never mattered who it was, a human made her at least able to handle being near giants. She took a chance to look up, if it was Mikhail she was going to kill Ian.

She almost screamed when she got a look at the giant face. The face that was supposed to be meeting her. That should be on the human bench that was too close to the giant feet. She couldn’t breathe, tears started to pour from her eyes. She was shaking and couldn’t get her legs to move. The giant would see her, know it was her, and grab her. She had to leave, she needed to leave. She watched in fear as the giant foot ahead of her lifted slightly slamming back down. She yelped as she fell back, staring up in fear as the giant head slowly turned to look down.

Corus was starting to get nervous. She had said she lived close, she shouldn’t take too long. She hadn’t sent him anything, maybe she was a human? Close for them usually was a lot slower than giants. He tapped his foot, freezing when he heard a small yelp. He looked down and saw a human knocked over, he must have scared them. He kept his eyes on them as he turned and kneeled to check on them. They had strange hair, bright…lavender?

“Mira?” he asked excitedly. He was honestly confused, he was positive she was a giant. How did Delphia always know these things? He reached forward planning to help lift her back to her feet, but he noticed her shaking before he touched her. Did he almost hurt her? He changed plans, stopping with his hand just a bit above and ahead of her so she could use it to get up. “Are you ok?”

He felt small hands against his fingers, the gentle pressure of pushing against him. He took the hint pulling his hand back. He tried to smile at her, to look gentle. He knew some humans still had nerves around giants, but he could manage this. He didn’t know if he should try to get lower or if that would make her upset. He just wanted a chance, she was perfect and he didn’t want her to hate him. He pulled his hand completely away putting it on his knee. She was still shaking. He hoped she wasn’t crying.

“Hey, uh do you still want to go get lunch?” he tried. That seemed to set her off, he watched as she jumped to her feet and started backing away. “Mira I-”

She was running. He couldn’t go after her, it would only make things worse. He just sat there staring at the little human he desperately wanted to turn around and come back. He just watched as she ran out of the park, was he that bad? He pulled out his phone planning to message Delphia. He took another glance at her and saw the worst thing he could imagine. Mira was running into the human street with a car coming right at her. He acted without thinking.

Mira kept hearing the voices of back then. Talking around her how she was cute and her new sibling would be so happy. The awful month trapped with barely any food and water. Different memories as she kept her world barely together. Bruises that had faded burning with pain. She just ran, she had to get away from here as soon as possible. She wouldn’t let another giant hurt her like that. They were awful and painful and she just had to get away.

Next thing she knew there was a blaring horn and bright lights. She froze as she saw the car coming at her. She was going to die, she couldn’t get her legs to move. Then she was in something warm and firm that felt familiar and awful. She started thrashing immediately, she hated this. This was a bad thing, this was something to hurt her. She started crying before her world filled with light again. She was shaking as soon as she found the giant blue eyes staring down at her. She was frozen again, a giant had her. She’d be trapped again.

Before she even had time to think there was yelling. Then another hand that moved her in a way that made her feel even worse. Then she was wrapped in arms, arms her size. She slowly turned towards the body that pressed into her and saw a face she knew. Ian was here. She grabbed him tightly, shaking only a little less. She took a careful look around, hand they were on hand. She grabbed him tighter, her shaking getting to a worse level and her start. She was pretty sure he said something, but her heart was pounding in her ears. Giants had them, giants would hurt them. Giants would trap them and torture them and kill them and the giant was moving.

She pulled Ian as close as possible. He was supposed to be with a good one. He was still a kid. Then he was pulling her and she was forced to follow. Ian took her to the ground, they had to run. She pulled on him, but he pulled her back. He started leading her somewhere. This was Ian, he was good, he was trustworthy. She followed him, stumbling over her own feet as she moved. Ian would only lead them somewhere good.

“Why were you holding her?” the man asked. His green eyes looked like he could burn right through him. Corus tried to watch what happened with Mira and the other human, but this man stepped in front of him. “I asked why you were holding her?”

“Sorry if you missed it, but she almost got hit by a car,” Corus answered. The stranger’s gaze softened slightly before flaring up again.

“I highly suggest you do not contact her again.” Corus tried to look around them, but they put out a hand to hold him back.

The stranger glared at him, but he wasn’t about to walk away. She ran like he was some monster, nearly getting hit by a car doing so. She seemed terrified when he was holding her, but she had nearly died. He was at least going to check on her. Hopefully they could work something out, maybe another chance. He at least wanted to stay friends even if she had a problem with giants usually. He sighed before finally turning away, the stranger just glaring after him the whole time.

Ian’s hold helped ground her a lot. It took almost the entire walk home, but she seemed to start coming back to the present. She slowly loosened her death grip on Ian and he smiled at her as she did. He kept them walking, he even kept them from being close to the giant paths. He was too good to her. By the time they reached her home Ian was barely holding her hand, she’d pulled the contact away. He waited patiently as she opened the door for them, then helped her inside. He sat her down on her couch and then took a spot next to her, pulling her close so her head rested on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time before she felt safe to even think again.

“...I’m glad you both came even though I said no,” she whispered. She felt the arm around her shoulders tighten before starting to rub her arm.

“To be honest, Mik had said he couldn’t let you risk it. Especially not with how you reacted to just trying to meet him. I didn’t disagree,” Ian admitted. She curled in on herself a bit more, leaning into the hold of someone who made sense. Someone her size. “Mira what happened?”

“I was fine and then I got there and there was a giant where we were meeting. I was going to message him, but then I looked up and it was him…” She had to take deep breaths to stop from crying. He’d been terrifying. The images in her mind holding a sneer and reaching to pluck her from her life. “Then I fell and he heard and he looked. Then his hand was there and I was running. Then bright lights and a honking horn and then his eyes. Then another hand then arms then you then the ground. Now we’re here…now I’m barely sure this isn’t some nightmare and I’m still there.”

“It’s ok Mira, I’ll stay until you feel safe again. Do you want me to call the others too?” She nodded into his chest.

He excused himself to walk outside, and make the calls. She knew one was to Mikhail too. She should thank him, even if Corus was safe she never would have managed to say anything. She would have had to rely on him deciding to put her down or call a human for help. If he even knew any humans. Every thought she had made things worse, he could have taken her. It could have been just like back then. Ian came back in and had her lay her head in his lap. At least she had a family that was the right size to help.

“Del, it was awful,” Corus whined. He hadn’t known anyone else to call or even talk to, going straight to Delphia. She was with her partners right now, but he couldn’t just sit on this. “She saw me, acted like I was going to-to kill her or something. Then almost got herself killed and some other guy showed up, grabbed her out of my hand and sent her off with someone who could have been a complete stranger to her. The guy then acted like I’d committed some awful act for even bothering to look at her. He basically threatened me not to reach out again.”

“I was getting worried that might happen,” Delphia sighed. He barely heard the soft voice of Alessia over the line. “What was the handle for her streams again? You never did tell me…”

“I wasn’t telling you cause she hides who she is. I was hoping you’d wind up meeting her so I thought it would be best.” He sighed. Delphia was asking for a reason he didn’t think he’d like it. He flopped onto his bed before he answered. Something about this made him feel like he’d be upset. He could hear Ash’s voice now too. If they were speaking up it had to be pretty bad. “I was meeting PinkEyedMiracle.”

“I knew it,” Alessia’s voice came through loudly. For someone so tiny she never failed to almost blow out his eardrums. “Look none of us can or will get into it, but there was no way that was going to go well. We grew up with her and it’s been like this for most of her life now. She can’t even face Vitus and Dabria who basically raised her. I’ll try to get her to at least be willing to talk to you, but I can’t promise anything. Delphia’s got to do us a favor now bye!!”

He had no time to respond before the line was dead. He stared at the phone for a while before deciding to open his chat with Mira. She didn’t seem to have blocked him yet. He scrolled up through months of chats, to the very first messages about working together. He needed to find where he messed up so badly. How could he have thought someone that terrified was a giant like him? How does he fix it?

It was a bit later than he wanted it to be, but he found his first clue. She said she hated going out lately. Everything in this town was so combined she was always on edge. He’d laughed and said he felt the same. That one still was a simple miscommunication. She was worried a giant would do something, he was worried he’d mess up and hurt a human. It was a clue, but definitely not an answer.

The next message was after they played a game offline together. She seemed really nervous and asked him about ten times if she could admit something. She’d said she was always terrified of the other size. She didn’t say which, and they had just played a horror game as humans escaping a giant together. He slapped his hand to his face, that one was pretty obvious. She said having him there was the only way she got through that game. He thought she’d meant being so small was terrifying, something he related to.

After that night there were so many obvious signs. She was terrified of meets after she heard about how bad things went for the human streamer NervousGamer. She wouldn’t meet this guy her friend had basically become brothers with because his size made her anxious. Of course he was a giant, maybe that was who pulled her from his hand. He tossed his phone on his desk, if he kept going he’d just see how blind he was. How was he going to fix this?

He rolled onto his back and stared at his ceiling. He could just leave it, that’s what that guy said to do. Alessia said she’d try to get her to talk to him. He sat up and stared at his phone. He could call her… He could maybe message her at least. Apologize for today and offer to make it up to her. Although what could she have been through to cause such a bad reaction? He groaned before reaching for his phone and staring at the last message in their chat. A picture of her before the meet up, the opposite of what he saw. She looked happy and confident, he wanted to see that face in person. He had to say something.

Mira spent the night curled up with her family around her. A group of kids who’d lost the people around them taken in by a couple with a soft heart. She loved Vitus and Dabria, even if they were giants. They had saved her, gave her a home where she still knew people, and they never made her talk to them. They were probably the only giants she could handle anymore. They were the only ones she knew wouldn’t do anything.

Alessia had her in a hug, Ash holding them both. The two were supposed to spend the night with their girlfriend, Delphia would have stayed here if she were human. Rhys and Ian were laying on each other on the couch, they fell asleep watching the movie they’d all put on. She slid out of the hug, smiling as Alessia rolled over snuggling into Ash. She carefully stepped out of the room taking a moment to breathe. She needed to think about things.

She had to check things, she had a lot she was supposed to do yesterday. She turned on her computer feeling a pang in her heart. She didn’t know if she wanted to see him say anything. She opened her chat app and saw the bubble she was dreading. She checked her email and posted an update while the bubble seemed to grow bigger on her screen. She hated this, she should get someone else to open it. She was running out of things to do and no one else was awake. She clicked the bubble, looking at a much longer message than she expected.

CorBuster: Hey Miracle, I kind of figured you may want me going back to your name on streams. Sorry I scared you so badly, guess I should have been more obvious I was a giant. I know some humans are pretty nervous. My best guess is I almost stepped on you when I tapped my foot. I was sure you were a giant, but that doesn’t excuse that I wasn’t paying attention. I’m sorry I grabbed you too, I hadn’t planned to go after you I swear. I just saw you heading towards the street and the car coming. I had to do something, I probably could have done something else if I thought about it for more than a second.

If you’re willing could we talk? On the phone or online or even chat like this. I just… Look I really like you and had been planning to ask you on a date officially last night. I don’t plan to push it or anything, but I would like to stay friends. Finish the games we were playing on and off stream. Fuck I might delete this before you even see it. This is stupid that guy told me not to bother you again, but I can’t just forget this. I don’t know why I’m even writing this part, I’ve typed this whole message like six times and deleted it all. I probably won’t even send this. I’m pretty sure the sun is coming up, I hope if I do hit send you think about it. If I don’t hit send I guess I hope you message me….asdfkajfwoihfasklj;nfv;llkjaf

She couldn’t help but laugh at the end. He had done that a lot in their talks, passing out because he stayed up too late. It was part of why she started talking to him more. She didn’t want him to hurt himself just to try and be popular online. She checked the time stamp, he sent it two hours ago. She could just pretend she never saw it, let him wake up and probably delete it.

Alessia had said she thought it was worth talking with him. She couldn’t even start to think of how to start. She had a panic attack and nearly died to desperately get away from him. It wasn’t easy to say she had a horrible fear of giants and actively spent her life avoiding anything to do with them. The only ones that she could even speak to were Vitus and Dabria, but that had to be done one at a time while she was hidden in her home. She can’t remember the last time she actually looked at one of them.

She sighed as she read the message again. At least she could handle telling him that it wasn’t exactly him that caused it. It didn’t help that she could still picture him only as the human she’d imagined. The giant yesterday felt like some horrible stranger. It was probably the only reason she could even stand to think about entertaining this idea. She started to type out a message.

PinkEyedMiracle: Look it’s…a lot to explain, but it wasn’t your fault. The only thing that happened was I should have asked if you were a giant before agreeing to meet you. Let’s just finish our current stream plans and call it done.

She hit send and tried to relax. She didn’t like that her hands were already shaking. That giant could never get near her again, Corus wasn’t that giant. Mikhail had put her down after getting her out of one hand. The giants aren’t bad, they aren’t going to do what the other did. They aren’t going to ignore it if she were to disappear. She had to keep repeating it in her mind as she slowly curled in on herself. A ping sounded and she jolted upright.

CorBuster: I’m willing to listen. Mira I don’t want to lose you even if we just keep being friends. Can’t you tell me what’s going on?

PinkEyedMiracle: Even if I tell you it won’t matter. No offense, but I’ve been through it plenty of times. Besides, I don't want to type out everything and have it sitting there where I can see it again and again.

CorBuster: Let’s video chat, just one time please. Just one chance.

PinkEyedMiracle is typing…

PinkEyedMiracle: …fine…

Corus was vibrating, she had agreed. He could barely wait, hitting the call and waiting for her to answer. She answered, it was so funny how they felt the same size right now. She didn’t look like herself. She seemed small, scared, like the person he’d known couldn’t possibly exist. This wasn’t Mira, the person he learned about slowly over months. This wasn’t PinkEyedMiracle the famous streamer who kept millions entertained almost daily. This was someone completely new. He wanted to know this Mira, this one felt more real.

He watched her as her face seemed to twist when it met his eyes. He wanted that to be the bright smile he’d seen for months. How could he fix this? Did she hate the idea of being with giants? It could be that she had a bad ex or something. He just wanted to keep his friend at least. He had an idea that may backfire, but it was worth a shot to get her to loosen up.

“So,” he started, she jumped and he felt an ache in his heart. “Giants suck. They’re all loud and grabby, and uh big.”

Mira chuckled at Corus’s attempt to help calm her down. That smile that had been something she was so excited for lit up her screen. He looked so human like this. Nothing that made it seem like he was a giant, like he could grab her and lock her away. She had to take deep breaths to push away those thoughts. He cared about her and she cared about him more than she ever thought she could about a giant.

“Look Corus, I…” she tried. She has to explain so much. A lot is horrible. “It’s probably easier if you just go back like sixteen years to find the articles about it. Although none of them mentioned much on the humans, just the poor giant kid who had their life ruined.”

Corus wasn’t sure if she meant for him to do it now, but she wasn’t continuing. He did look it up, a giant kid who had their life ruined and humans were involved. There weren’t many stories about that overall. There was one that came up that took place in this town. She had said she grew up here. The headline alone made him pray that he was horribly wrong. Human girl found with giant sibling after missing for over a month. He clicked the link, the images were all of the giant child and their family. It didn’t look like a single human was even spoken to or directly about.

He started reading and he felt himself getting sick. A giant couple had recently started to adopt orphaned humans. The first the couple took in had supposedly been doing fine and they took in a second. The second had lost her parents to an accident that happened between humans and giants. The girl hadn’t been seen after spending a day with her new family, a large assumption was she was healing. The giant couple claimed they hadn’t even reported her missing because they wanted to keep adopting humans. They were sure she’d come home when she was ready.

“Mira is this-” he tried to ask. He didn’t want to keep going if it wasn’t her.

“Keep reading,” she cut him off. He nodded.

The article didn’t go into much detail on what happened to the humans. It barely mentioned even their status after they were found. It did mention the first human child had been found deceased. Their second child was found after a concerned parent of her friend forced himself into her new home. He started searching and calling out for her when he noticed the couple’s child eyeing a box with a fierce look. The child tried to stop him, but he had forced them aside. He lifted the box, tearing it open and finding the girl. Reports on the human girl said she was emaciated and screamed in fear as the giant who found her went to hold her.

Apparently his wife had come along and took the girl to the hospital. Then the concerned father started searching through the boxes the child kept in the room. The other adopted human was found along with a number of missing humans from the town. All of them deceased. The giant child was charged with murder and sent to serve their sentence in a giants only prison. They were added to the human risk registry banning them from locations that humans lived unless their surviving victim spoke up for their growth. The child’s parents desperately apologized and wanted forgiveness from the human they had meant to take in. He couldn’t read anymore as it just turned into trash about how humans ruin the lives of prominent giants. Seemed like the one who wrote it was just a prick.

“Were you really the one who survived?” he asked. Mira looked up at him with a fiery anger that felt out of place. Anger was probably better to feel about that though.

“Yes I’m the one who barely survived some sicko locking me in a box after my parents were killed,” she seethed. “I don’t care what you say I will never state they deserve to be around humans again. There’s no way anyone like you could understand what that was like for me!”

“Mira I-”

“It’s easy for all of you to say move past and I can’t hold onto it forever! You didn’t fear for your life every day. Hear how people casually discussed you running away or hiding from them like it was just inevitable!”

“Mira… please let me-”

“Go ahead tell me how you think I’m just some cruel size focused bitch. I already heard it all before. You can take all the-”

“Mira!” She seemed to see him again, bright pink eyes filled with fear. He felt awful, he scared her again. “I don’t think you should be over it. I want to punch that person who did all of that and then personally thank your friend’s parents.”

“...what?”

Corus was the only giant outside of Vitus and Dabria who didn’t think she had to change. Delphia and Mikhail knew there was something, but she made the others promise never to tell them. She didn’t want to have them face the comments she’d heard before. Vitus and Dabria heard it all before and they swear these giants wouldn’t think like that. She wanted to believe them, but no one she’d met felt that way. It’s been years and there were others she told, humans always understood and giants always said they were different. The worst giants said she should just get them off the registry, they were only a kid when it happened. So was she…

“I well I think what you went through was awful and wish I could have stopped it. I can’t see where anyone would think you should just get over this,” he said. She watched as he rubbed his neck, cameras made giants so deceptively human. “If people have been saying that to you then I think they’re just focusing on the wrong part. That kid’s life was ruined because they treated people like trash and hurt them. That couple claiming they had no idea seems off too.”

“I need to go,” she said and shut her computer down. She nearly jumped away from the thing. He didn’t mean that, he was lying to her. He just wanted her to believe him so he could keep her like they did. She didn’t even realize she kept backing away until she hit the wall, sliding down and hugging herself. Alessia ran in, she was probably eavesdropping. She held Mira quickly trying to soothe her. It wasn’t panic, this was something else. It was like he actually understood… “He didn’t say I should be over it…”

Corus didn’t have any time to try and stop her. The call ended before he processed what she said. He wanted to know more, more about what that kid did to her. He started searching, he couldn’t find much on any of it. It was like someone made sure all of it was gone. He found one thing though, the couple that had taken her in had their contact information up. He typed out a professional looking email asking for details on the old incident. They replied in seconds with a number happy to take his call immediately. He didn’t wait either, relieved when the line connected.

“Hi, it’s a pleasure to hear someone looking into this again,” Mrs. Ambul said. She sounded almost hopeful, he couldn’t help the way it made him upset. She was probably hopeful that her child would be let loose around humans again.

“I was looking for some new content when I came across the old article. It seemed like the focus was mostly on how someone had invaded your home and ruined your child’s life. Can you give me some details?” he asked. He tried to sound curious despite the anger he had burning inside thinking about Mira’s face. She had expected to be rejected and blamed for something there was no way she controlled.

“Oh well, our child had some strange interests. They thought it would help the humans if they stayed somewhere dark and quiet, like a way to grow up. The first human child we took in had a history of running away and the second had just lost her parents. We had no reason to assume a story that came from a book would cause such trouble.”

“According to the article, there were a number of other deceased humans found alongside the two adopted. Ones that had been going missing from the town for an extended period. Can you tell me more about that?”

“Well there seemed to be a bit of miscommunication in that original article.” He heard forced laughter, he had a bad feeling about this. “Those humans had all been homeless and snuck into my child’s room for warmth. They frequently complained it was too cold so we had a heater in their room year round. The humans got stuck and no one knew they were there, nothing like you’ve heard.”

“I see.” He was going to be sick with his next line. “This adds up to a lot of what I found. Do you think you could connect me with your child? I have a lot I need their take on. A lot that if heard I might be able to get public opinion on their side.”

“Oh well that’s wonderful, unfortunately they aren’t allowed to interact over the phone or internet outside of their giants only community. I can give you their address and let them know you plan to come by maybe today?” The joy in her voice made him want to scream. He couldn’t though, he had to hold back and keep this up. He would probably wind up punching this kid in the face though.

“Tomorrow may be better.”

The woman spoke too quickly for him to hear, but he got an email with an address and the line went dead. He stared at it for a while. That reaction from Mira wasn’t someone who’d been misunderstanding a child’s antics. Their kid was almost ten at the time too. These people made him sick and he would get to the bottom of how anyone could think this was normal. Another email came in from the woman with a list of names. Others she spoke to before they spoke to the human who lied about her child. Things were getting clearer now. The first bits of a plan formed in his head as the dread settled in his gut.

He sighed before pushing away from his desk, he’d need Delphia’s help with all of this. He grabbed his phone and sent her a message. He may need her to contact that podcast friend of hers. That list of names is long and it makes him have a feeling there’s a lot more that got hidden. First he’d need to get some kind of recorder. He wasn’t risking his phone failing on him out there. He got a call after a minute, a bit shocked to see a number he didn’t recognize.

“Hello?” he asked as he answered. He hoped it wasn’t someone telling him Mira hated him.

“Cor, it’s me. I’m with that podcast friend of mine now. My phone’s being used by him for something. What’s up?” Delphia’s voice came through. He smiled, this had to get done.

“Look, long story short I found out about something that makes me sick. I don’t want to explain how I know, but can we meet and talk? Can you both come here? I want to get information on this and it’s a lot I can’t do it on my own.” He heard muffled voices on the other end. Delphia was probably asking, it seemed like she was agreeing. She always had his back.

“Ok we’ll be over in a bit. We weren’t far anyway. Although my friend said if you waste his time you’re paying for what he’d been out here buying.”

“Tell him I’ll do it anyway. Let yourself in when you get here, I’m going to be on my computer searching for some things.”

As soon as they were off the phone he went searching. He found article after article about how an innocent young giant was punished because a human made up lies. Each person on that list had written one, a number of them had petitions to get the giant removed from the human danger registry. Sob stories about reuniting them with their parents. He was ready to go hunt each one down and teach them a lesson. How could they see the way she reacted to giants and think she was just holding a pointless grudge?

Something else started to eat at his mind, she said her parents were killed, but the article mentioned an accident. It would have to be close to when that first article was written. He started searching for information on that. He was coming up with nothing until he widened the search area. He found an article, Tragedy at the Human Roads. It was small, but had more than enough information. A giant collapsed and fell on a human road, causing a number of deaths. The article had a picture of human survivors and it may be a much younger version, but he saw Mira.

He jumped when he heard his door open. This was worse than he thought, he just hoped he could do something about this. He couldn’t make her less scared or anything, but he could make sure that the humans hurt finally got the attention they deserved. He turned to his door waiting for Delphia and her friend. When they walked in he jumped up, it was the guy from yesterday. He was just as stunned, staring daggers at Corus. This wasn’t going to be easy to get help then. Delphia clapped, making them both look at her.

“I guess you two have met, Corus, this is Mikhail, Mikhail Corus,” she introduced them. Corus went back to his computer, closing the article on the accident and pulling up the main one he’d found on the creep of a kid. He stepped back again looking at them both.

“Obviously you already don’t like me, but just read these articles I found. I can’t just ignore all of this,” he explained.

Mikhail narrowed his eyes but approached the computer. Delphia leaned over his shoulder to read along. It wasn’t long before she had tears in her eyes and was backing away. She didn’t have the heart for all of this. Mikhail just kept reading, moving between each article slowly. Corus was getting worried he was actually on the side of the family that let humans like Mira suffer. Mikhail turned to face him once he reached the last article Corus had pulled up.

“What are you planning to do about this?” he asked. His voice sounded somewhat like when they met the day before. An anger thinly veiled under an air of decorum.

“I was curious after this, so I called the family from the article. They talked about how the human who survived misunderstood and how their child was being wrongfully punished,” Corus started.

“Are you intending to take their side in this?” Mikhail raised an eyebrow. That anger seemed to come forward more.

“I want to get the truth and have it reach as many people as possible. The last person the kid’s mother spoke with wrote an article a few years ago. I think if we work together we can make sure the truth about this kid gets out so there’s no risk to humans at all from them. A number of the articles spoke about reconsideration for the sentence. I have some ideas on how to help humans who deal with this too.”

“Corus, I need you to tell us, does this have to do with Mira?” Delphia asked. He knew the look in her eyes, he couldn’t get away with hiding it. He stiffly nodded and the two shared a look. Delphia turned back to him with a strength he didn’t expect. “What’s the plan?”

Mira hadn’t handled the call well. She shouldn’t have even spoken to him. She should have made up some excuse for all of this instead. Alessia had spent the whole day petting her head. Vitus came by at one point, the others had to talk to him. She couldn’t get over how loud he was with each word. He was trying too, but it was too much. Her mind kept thinking of a hand grabbing her, putting her somewhere she can’t escape. Of a single move that would end the lives of everyone around her. His steps as he left made her shake.

“Mira… this time it’s worse than normal isn’t it?” Ian asked. She nodded. Ian was supposed to go to a store with Mikhail today, but she panicked when she saw Ian walk towards his feet. She was going to ruin their relationships like this. Delphia had been on the phone with Ash a lot too, she was making them put things off.

“You guys should go, I’ll be fine,” she said. She was still shaking, this was the first time she’d been held since then. Then she spoke to him and he empathized, it left her mind a mess. She felt a squeeze on her hand and followed the arm up to Rhys’s eyes.

“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “It’s just like when we were younger, extended sleep over. Maybe we can convince Dabria to get us a giant candy again. That time Vitus was so mad, but he never did anything. He said we looked too happy for him to really be angry at us.”

The others laughed, but Mira just smiled. She remembered that day differently. The giant candy and eating bits of it they handed to her. The others passed out from sugar crashes while she stayed up nervous and anxious. Vitus coming to check on them, shaking in fear when she saw the anger on his face. He hadn’t seen her awake, his hand coming in towards them. She could barely breathe as he took the candy from them. She heard him murmur then walk away, a tense moment that ended with her crying herself to sleep in fear he’d come back.

Part 2 | Part 3

#OC:Mira #OC:Corus #OC:Ian #OC:Mikhail/Mik #OC:Mik/Mikhail #OC:Rhys #OC:Seer/Delphia #OC:Ash #OC:Alessia #OC:Vitus #OC:Dabria #SortOfStreamerAU #gt #g/t #gianttiny #giant/tiny #gt writing #g/t writing

[chiliiscereal]

Here’s your GIF for the writing challenge!

Prompt: “It’s not safe to be out here by yourself.”

Good luck and thanks for participating!💛

Thanks for letting me do this challenge again @crossbowking !

Pairing: father figure Daryl x reader AGAIN cause I’m a sucker for that lol

Setting: season 2

Type: fluff and angst I guess?

Summary: when looking for Sophia, Daryl finds reader holed up in a cabin. Reader doesn’t speak, doesn’t listen, and doesn’t trust them at all. No one can figure out why but reader sticks with them anyway. One day, Daryl follows reader when they sneak out of camp, hoping to find out what could possibly have happened to make them like that

——————-

Silent world

Sophia’s tracks had begun to fade like the afternoon sunlight. They had gotten faint but Daryl didn’t want to tell Carol the truth. Eventually they disappeared and he was only left with a direction.

He found a set of footsteps the size of Sophia’s about thirty minutes later. It had to be her. Judging by how they weren’t set in one specific direction, whoever it was must be lost.

He followed the footsteps to an old cabin. She had to be in there.

You, however, hadn’t realized you were followed until the door was opened. You felt the thumping of cautious footsteps on the floorboards and immediately jumped into action. You pulled yourself from the floor quickly and hid yourself beneath the dusty bed in the corner, dragging the blankets down to obscure you from their vision. If there was one thing you’d learned in this new world it was that you couldn’t trust people. Strangers, family, doesn’t matter.

“Sophia?” Daryl called out as he peered around the corner cautiously. He glanced about the room, taking in the living conditions.

Old food wrappers...

Empty water bottles...

A few blood stains...

An old backpack that CLEARLY wasn’t Sophia’s...

Whoever had been there it wasn’t Sophia. They’d been there longer than the girl had been lost.

He tightened his grip on his crossbow. “Whoever’s in here better come out now.” He ordered.

The only response was a slight shuffling noise from under the bed. If it had been Shane or Rick they wouldn’t have heard it. But Daryl had been hunting out in the woods since he was a child, trained in hearing the sounds of hiding creatures.

Whoever they were they were alive.

“Gonna hide forever?” He growled, raising the crossbow so it pointing at the bed.

Nothing.

He was absolutely tired of this person acting like their cover hadn’t been blown.

“Get out before I drag ya out myself.” He ordered, stepping closer.

Still nothing.

Finally, he had enough of it. He reached over and pulled the blanket away from the floor. He waited... thinking they’d come out.

No movement at all.

He grabbed the bed by its headboard and shoved it away from the wall, causing a small gasp to come from underneath it.

You were no longer in darkness.

You opened your wide eyes and backed up against the wall, chest heaving with panic.

This man looked dangerous to say the least.

Mean expression.

Weapon out and pointed at her face.

Knife hanging at his belt.

Suspicious blood stains on his shirt.

“You gotta be shittin’ me.” He groaned. “I go out lookin’ fer one kid and then I find a different one?”

You didn’t respond. You just watched him with wide eyes.

“Ya seen another girl ‘round here, kid?” He asked, trying to calm down.

Still nothing. You just pulled your legs closer and tried to press closer into the wall.

“Got a family?” He interrogated with a firmer tone. “A group? Parents? Hell, even a weapon?”

You watched him carefully. Almost too carefully in Daryl’s opinion. Once he’d finished you shook your head, eyes drifting back to the crossbow in his hand.

He hadn’t even realized it was still pointing at her. He lowered it but still kept the weapon in his grip. “The hell am I ‘sposed to do now?” He asked himself out loud. “Don’t need another mouth to feed.”

You didn’t offer any suggestions. All you did was stare.

After a moment he groaned, his morals speaking louder than the selfishness of a survivor. “Damn it. C’mon. Get up.” He waved you to follow after him.

You shook your head, backing away. You didn’t know this man! He could hurt you! Do bad things! No way in hell would you willingly go with him.

He frowned. “Can’t ya talk?”

Nothing.

Just wide eyes.

“Listen, I’m ‘bout to leave yer ass alone in the woods if ya don’t give me a good enough reason why ya can’t.” His temper began to flare. “Got a group, got food, got water, an’ other kids. Seems like a pretty good deal ta me.”

You seemed to react to the word ‘kids’. You sat up a bit and seemed to watch him with interest.

“Yeah. We got another kid at our camp.” He nodded. “It’s safe.” He swore he was about to leave right then when you said nothing.

You looked down at the floor, thinking. Was this a good idea? He could easily be lying. Very easily. He seemed to know exactly what to say. That was dangerous. Very dangerous.

But other kids... safety... and water... that was something you hadn’t seen in a good long while. Might as well give it a try, right? You could always run if things went south. You were good at that.

Needless to say, Daryl was surprised when you pulled yourself off the ground and picked up your bag. You gave him a wary look but followed him anyway.

“So, ya ever talk?” He asked as the two of you walked through the woods.

You didn’t answer. You just surveyed the woods carefully. He could have men out there waiting to jump you and do bad things. Or there could be walkers. You didn’t know.

Your racing thoughts were interrupted by a tap on your shoulder, flinching you out of your state of mind.

“Gonna answer me or what?” Daryl asked, getting more and more frustrated.

You just frowned at him, unsure of what he was saying. He was talking too fast for you to follow along with it.

“I asked if ya ever talk.” He shouldered his crossbow, no hope whatsoever in you answering.

All he got in return was a shrug.

“I’ll take that as a no.” He sighed. Whatever. At least he’d be able to walk to the farm in silence.

—————-

When they arrived everyone was confused on who you were or where you came from.

The people living in the farm house asked you many questions and you could only catch a few words here and there.

Where

Who

Name

Girl

Sophia

Seen

Group

Woods

You just stared at the floor, unsure of how to respond.

“Is there something wrong with her?” Maggie asked quietly. “She’s not answering anything.”

“Been like that since I found ‘er.” Daryl shrugged. “Ain’t sure ���a her name, family, or if she even got anybody.”

“Where’d you find her?” Lori frowned. “Surely she has parents somewhere out there.”

Daryl wanted nothing more to leave and return to his tent. But he answered anyway. “Was in a cabin. By the looks ‘a it it’s just her.”

“Sweetie, can you tell us your name?” Lori bent down so she could see your face. “Or where your parents are?”

Your eyes didn’t leave the floor.

Lori sighed. “It’s almost as if she can’t hear me.”

“Or don’t want to.” Shane snorted, leaning against the wall. “Kid doesn’t seem too happy to be here. Probably just thinks ignorin’ us is gonna make us mad or some shit.”

“Damn right it’s makin’ me mad.” The hunter watched the kid in front of him. “Can’t tell if it’s on purpose.”

“I’ve heard ‘bout kids shutting down an’ not speak in’ when they’ve been through somethin’ traumatic.” Hershel informed the group. “It could be like what happened to Beth earlier, an’ it’ll just take some time for her to come around.”

That was the answer everyone seemed to settle on.

They gave you time as well as plenty of opportunities to talk to them. They tried asking questions or telling you things but you didn’t respond no matter how hard anyone tried.

Daryl began to suspect what the real case could be when you didn’t even respond when Shane yelled at you.

He’d been trying to hurry up the process by forcing you to talk. When he got no response he finally snapped.

You’d been reading a book Maggie let you borrow, unaware that anyone had been talking. But you caught on quickly when the book had been slapped from your hands.

You gasped and stumbled away, face to face with an angry Shane.

You weren’t close to anyone in the group so you ran to the person who had brought you there, hiding behind Daryl.

Daryl had been surprised. He didn’t think you liked anybody there at all. After all, you never talked to anybody. Never answered any questions. Being there for five days hadn’t changed anything.

“The hell’s yer problem man.” Daryl growled. “Ya always go ‘round tryin’ to scare kids or what?”

“It’s not my damn fault she won’t talk.” Shane yelled. “She’s gonna learn some respect if she wants to stay here.”

“Yellin’ at her won’t get ya any damn respect.” Daryl bit back. “Hershel said it’d take time, didn’t he?” He glanced down at you as you hid your face from the fight.

“It’s takin’ too much in my opinion.” Shane rolled his eyes and turned to walk away.

From that day on you steered clear of Shane and stayed by Daryl’s side. He wasn’t too sure why you’d chosen him out of everyone else and neither were you. But it seemed to be the right choice. The man never forced you to talk. He never yelled at you when you didn’t react.

It seemed like he simply enjoyed peace and quiet.

You helped around the farm house by washing dishes and feeding chickens. You helped Maggie and Lori make dinner and always helped them clean up after.

You picked flowers for Lori.

You showed Carl how to climb a tree.

You played cards with Glenn.

If Daryl didn’t know better he’d say that you were enjoying your stay at the farm.

But you still weren’t talking.

You interacted with everyone, yeah, but you still never spoke.

Not even when the farm fell.

—————

You and everyone had spent almost a month out in the woods once the farm was gone. You bounced from house to house and never stayed in one spot longer than needed.

One house you stayed at, you found a pair of small batteries. Even wire and tweezers. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give you hope.

So that night you snuck out to the back yard once you were sure everyone was asleep.

But everyone wasn’t.

Daryl wasn’t.

He’d noticed the moment you disappeared.

He’d gotten up and walked outside, crossbow in hand. Maybe you’d ran away. Or got taken. Maybe you went outside and gotten lost.

But he found you leaning against a tree instead.

“It’s not safe to be out here by yourself.” Daryl stated, even though he knew you wouldn’t respond.

You did however react to feeling his footsteps vibrating the ground. Quickly, you stuffed whatever had been in your hands into your pockets and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Damn, kid, I ain’t gonna bite.” He held up his hands in surrender. “The hell ya doin out here?”

As always, you didn’t say anything. You looked back at the forest floor almost guiltily.

“Somethin’ wrong?” He frowned.

You knew you should tell him. He’d proven himself trustworthy after all. You just... you were scared you were wrong. That he’d be just like every other adult I. Your life.

“What’d ya have in yer hand before?” He tried, gesturing to whatever you’d stuffed in your pocket.

You tore your gaze away from him and reached down to pull out an object wrapped in cloth.

Daryl sat down beside you. “Can I see it?”

You held it a bit closer, brain still thinking in circles.

“I ain’t gonna break it or nothin’ if that’s what yer worried about.” He rolled his eyes.

Finally your mind was made. You set it down in his hands and waiting for his reaction.

Carefully, aware that you were watching his every movement, he unwrapped whatever it was.

He didn’t know what it was at first. It was almost as long as his smallest finger and was colored silver and tan. He realized what it was when he finally turned it over.

“Hearin’ aids?” He asked, turning to you.

You took a deep breath and nodded. “D-deaf.” You spoke, nerves at how he’d react making you stutter.

He jerked back a bit in surprise. “Ya been deaf this entire time?”

Another nervous nod.

“Damn, that’s impressive.” He gave you a sort of half grin. “How’d no one catch on? An’ why didn’t ya tell nobody?”

You reached into your pocket and pulled out a notebook, scribbling on a couple sentences. You showed him once you were done.

‘Lip reading. And I didn’t trust you.’

“But why didn’t ya talk like ya did now?” He frowned. “I wouldn’t ‘a known the difference.”

You wrote down more, hesitantly.

‘I’ve been told I sound stupid when I talk. So I don’t.’

You fiddled with your shoelace as he read.

“Who the hell told ya that?” He practically growled. “And why don’t ya know any ‘a that sign language?”

You took the notebook back and wrote down a few more sentences.

“And why don’t ya use the hearin’ aids?” He added.

You turned the book back to face him, only one word written.

‘Dad’

You felt ashamed to be admitting this. This wasn’t anything he needed to know. He would probably react the same way your dad reacted when he was given the opportunity.

“Hell no yer gonna explain more than that.” Daryl pushed the book back into your arms. “Can’t just half ass an answer.”

You sighed and began again.

‘He thought being deaf was a weakness. No sign language, no hearing aids, and no talking the moment my mom turned. He broke them when I broke the rules.’

You swallowed the emotions rising back up in the back of your throat.

He was a horrible man.

It was sickening, but you were almost glad that he was gone.

Daryl’s expression darkened when he read those words. “Sounds like an ass to me.” He handed the notebook back to you again. “So you tryin’ ya fix ‘em?”

You nodded and pulled out the batteries and wire, shrugging.

Daryl sighed. “Sorry, but that won’t be enough to fix these.” He examined the hearing aids once more. The wires were pulled apart and some of the plastic had snapped.

“... I know.” You managed to speak again, summoning your bravery. “Just wanted to try.”

Daryl’s expression didn’t change when you spoke. Maybe your dad was wrong. Maybe you didn’t sound as stupid as he told you you did.

Daryl handed the hearing aids back to you gently. “M’sorry kid.”

You shrugged again, placing them back in your pocket carefully.

Suddenly, Daryl had an idea. I’d require a run for sure but it’d be worth it. For now, he’d keep quiet about it. He didn’t even know if it’d work. But he might as well try.

——-

For the next few weeks on the road Daryl was on every run. You were curious about why but you dismissed it as him trying to make sure everyone would survive the coming winter.

By now, everyone knew you were deaf. They all reacted as Daryl had and treated you the same as they always did.

It was relieving to be honest. And a bit of a surprise. But the bigger surprise came later when Daryl told you he wanted to show everyone something in the woods.

You’d followed along, assuming he’d found more supplies.

Instead of revealing more supplies, he knelt down so he was at your level.

“I know it’s been hard without yer hearin’...” he started, reaching into his back pocket, “an’ I hope ya don’t mind I did this without askin’...” he pulled out an object wrapped in a familiar cloth.

You realized what was happening the moment you saw it.

“I gave it my best shot.” He pulled away the fabric and revealed the newly repaired hearing aids. “Found a book an’ some supplies on the last run.”

You hadn’t even realized tears were running down your face until they dropped onto your shirt.

Daryl reaches over and placed the hearing aids in your hands. “Give ‘em a try?”

You glanced at the faces of your new group. They must have known. Not a single one of them looked surprised. Just expectant and...happy. Happy for you.

Slowly, you tucked your hair out of your way. You set the small machine in place. You placed your hand over the on button tentatively.

The Hunter you’d grown attached to gave you a nod.

Finally, you pressed the button.

You waited and held your breath.

It was as if everything came crashing in at once.

The wind that rushed through the trees was giving out hollow rattling noises.

The birds above were chirping shrilly, each whistle harmoniously fitting together like a puzzle.

And you... you could hear yourself gasping in surprise as you spun in circles. You could hear the leaves crunching beneath your feet. Did that always happen?

“I’ll take it that it works?” Your thought were interrupted by a raspy southern accent.

You spun around, facing Daryl once more.

He stood back up, tip of his mouth tipped up in a half smile.

You couldn’t speak.

You couldn’t even thank him with your words.

So you thanked him the only way you knew how: with actions.

You wasted no time in running in his direction, more tearing spilling down your face as you wrapped your arms around the surprised man.

He returned the gesture after a moment of hesitation. “Wasn’t no problem.”

You buried you face in his shoulder, overcome with emotion. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you!”

He rubbed your back comfortingly. “Was nothin’.”

You shook you head and hugged him harder. “No, it was everything.”

#crossbowkingwritingchallenge #for you #bookish #wattpad #fanfic #twd daryl #twd fanfiction #twd incorrect quotes #the walking dead #daryl dixion imagine #daryl dixon x reader

[writing-in-april]

Postmarked In The Past

Spencer Reid x Female Single Mom Reader

Summary: After sixteen years of no contact Reader reconnects with Spencer because she has to reveal the secret she’s been keeping since she stopped sending letters to him.

A/N: Hey heyyy! This is my sixteenth fic (it’s actually was totally unintentional to choose the 16th for this fic even though the daughter is 16 in this fic lol 😂) for my 30 fics in 30 days for April!! This one is based off of this request and is part of my unlinked Spencer Reid & Letters series! Thanks for all the love and support lately- I was going to put out my plan for my 1500 follower celebration yesterday or today but if you saw my post I’ve been struggling so it’ll probably come on the 19th or the 20th. Submit an ask here- I love hearing from everyone 🥰Thanks for reading and hope y’all enjoy 🥰

Warnings: Reader keeps a huge secret she definitely shouldn’t have, Reader is a single mother-the daughter doesn’t have a specified name but she is specified to be 16, Reader is very defensive when her daughter finds the letters, mentions of a one night stand

Main Masterlist Word Count: 2.5k

Spencer had been a bright spot in my life, one that had been snuffed out all because of me. When I had found myself pregnant with his child, after I had visited him once, I bolted. For a long time I justified my actions, saying to myself that it was better that Spencer was unburdened while his career was just starting out. But, deep down I knew how wonderful Spencer would have been as a father, how he would have moved heaven and earth to make everything work. And, that guilt haunted me.

The memories I had of him were so far in between, every moment with him had been so fleeting at the end. I struggled to sometimes even remember how he looked as it had been sixteen years since I last laid eyes on him.

I had to strain my memory to remember the way his gelled hair curled around his ears and how sometimes I saw him let the curls free only around me. His eyes had been brown, I could remember that. But, pinpointing what shade they were when they glinted in the light or were drenched in the shadows was lost to me. I knew he had been tall and lanky, his hands reflecting that with how spindly they were. To remember how those fingers had felt on my skin, or how his lips had marked me, or how he would gently stroke my hair was too difficult. Whether it was because I couldn’t remember or that I didn’t want to, it was just too hard for me to want to try to strain my memory anymore.

The labor had been the most difficult thing I had gone through, no one had been there to hold my hand. And, I didn’t really want anybody else except Spencer holding it. I had gritted my teeth and accepted it, pushing through the physical and emotional pain, especially since the pain of losing Spencer had been entirely because of me. I had been given a beautiful baby daughter that day and it was then that I started to force myself to forget Spencer, she looked too much like him to be able to bear.

The only things that remained in my life that involved him were the letters I sent to him in the last year of our relationship while we were long distance and my daughter. The letters were able to be shoved in a box at the bottom of a closet, but my daughter confronted me with my actions everyday by existing. I loved my daughter very much, I just tried to avoid the topic of her father by concocting a lie and making myself forget all of Spencer’s features so I wouldn’t see them as much in her. My nightmare would be the two things converging to confront me with my guilt, I don’t think I could handle that.

—-

At the kitchen table I saw my daughter, holding a letter. Her holding a letter wasn’t at its core a bad thing of course, but I could tell by the slight yellowing of the paper that it was getting old. Immediately panic spread through me; there were no other old letters she’d be looking at besides mine, the ones I sent to Spencer.

“Those are private.” I snapped defensively, definitely too hostile to be reasonable. It was obvious by my tone of voice that I was hiding something.

“Private?!” She yelled, giving away that she had already read at least a few of them. I clenched my eyes shut to prepare for her question, “Are these from my father?! Who you said was a one night stand?!” I vividly remember explaining the lie I had concocted for her, her being confused why I would only be with her father once. It was a hard subject to dance around, a difficult lie for me and her to swallow. But, the alternative was too painful for me to be honest with her, or honest with Spencer. And, I knew it made me selfish, at the time it had been so Spencer wouldn’t stop his blossoming career. With time I realized that I really had done it because I had been scared. The guilt had started to sting worse when I realized that.

I had been caught, there was no weaseling out of this. I hanged my head in defeat, finally admitting to the large lie I had even roped the rest of my family in, “Yes.”

If she had been a dragon she’d be breathing fire on me while she spoke, “And why would you keep this from me! Did he do something bad or something?! Is that why you didn’t tell me?!”

“No-I-“ I stammered a few times until I found the words, “I- I did it because I didn’t want to hold him back… We were so young, and I knew he’d quit his new job across the country to come back to me.” Keeping the details still vague was my only armor right now. I kept to myself how those letters were the way we communicated for months when he started in the academy. We were only able to meet up once a month, and one month I unexpectedly fell pregnant. I never sent another letter or came to visit him again once I found out.

She clenched her jaw at me, looking back down at the scores of letters that we had written, and I had hidden. Her next question now made me clench my jaw, “C-can I see him? Or call him? Or send him a letter?” If you don’t know how to contact him anymore I’m sure we can-“

I was nervous as to where this was going. There was no way I could contact Spencer again after all these years, the guilt already ate at me everyday. Seeing and remembering his face would only make it worse. Fear was fueling me and I cut her off because of it, “No- I- I don’t think it’s a good idea...I just need more time- until I’m ready.” I started to shrink away from her, my authority slipping through my fingers as I became more and more vulnerable.

“You’ve waited sixteen years, you’ll never be ready.” The spite in her voice was stinging, she wasn’t completely wrong in her statement.. And when I didn’t answer she then stormed away, slamming the door to her room.

——

Our relationship in the few weeks following was strained at best, estranged at worse. She barely spoke to me since then, the biggest conversation we had was about what was for dinner- and that had been about two sentences long.

I was slowly coming around to the idea of perhaps finding a way for her and Spencer to reconnect. The guilt that I had been so afraid of becoming worse if I confronted it head on, only grew worse by avoiding it. I was actually going to talk to her after I got home from work, until I realized what she did.

She left her own letter on the table titled Dear Mom, detailing where she was going without giving any specifics. There was one part that gave her reasoning for writing her plan down, she didn’t want me to have a heart attack even if she was mad at me. Plus there were a few sentences about how she had used her own money that she had been saving up, which was supposed to be for college only serving to make you even more frustrated. At the bottom she wrote- I’m going to find my Dad, please don’t follow me or call the police.

I scoffed to myself, wondering if she expected her warning to not to follow her to be followed. Of course I was going to follow her, there was no way I was going to just let her go off on her own like that.

It wouldn’t be too hard to find her. Spencer may have changed apartments since then, but one quick google search of news articles he was mentioned in showed me that he still worked at the BAU in Quantico. It was probably a safe bet that my daughter did the same thing and was planning on visiting him at his office.

The plane ride there had been tumultuous, not in the sense that there was any chaotic occurrence or severe turbulence on the plan, more like in my mind. My hands shook, my foot tapped, and my mind raced while I took the long flight from Las Vegas all the way to Quantico. My mind went round in circles whether or not I viewed Spencer meeting my daughter- our daughter as a good thing. It was difficult to accept that even though they’d both most likely be mad at me, they deserved to meet. Especially since I knew how good of a father Spencer could potentially be. Once I had landed I didn’t stop, getting a cab straight from the airport to where the BAU offices were located.

The building looked daunting in front of me. It wasn’t a skyscraper by any means, but the task that I was here to do was so big it felt like one as I stared at it while trying to work up the courage to go in. The guilt however, was too hard to ignore.

My mind was on autopilot as I told the secretary at one of the front desks. It was too stressful to focus on worrying, so exhausted from the emotional roller coaster I was riding. An agent had assured me that she was safe which made some of the stress melt from my shoulders luckily.

“Here she is.” The agent gestured to the office, empty of any other person except my daughter. I felt even more relieved now that I saw her with my own eyes.

When I entered she waited a second before speaking timidly with disappointment, “He’s not here, he's on a case.” Her demeanor had deflated almost immediately as she saw me escorted up.

“Who told you that?” My arms crossed around my chest, nervous and furious all at once. I didn’t need to tell my daughter how in trouble she was, by the pout on her face she knew she’d be getting grounded for a long time even if I did let her talk to him.

“This nice lady named Garcia, she works with him. But, she did tell me I had to wait for you until she called him” For the first time since I had read her letter to me I cracked a smile. When we had still been communicating, Spencer often wrote and spoke about his teammates. Besides a fleeting photo of the team shown to me by him while I had been over here visiting, all my perceptions of the team and how they might look were all based on my imagination.

Despite that, when a vibrantly dressed woman clicked her heels into the room, I knew it was her. Spencer had perfectly described her, shining bright compared to the dull colors of the bureau’s office.

“So your Spencer’s baby mama.” Yep, she was definitely as blunt and beautiful as Spencer had described. I blanched at her comment, though I didn’t deny it, which was all she needed to know to confirm.

“Can you give me his number?” I skittered past the question, not wanting to confirm it out loud.

She beamed brightly at me, already starting to punch in the numbers with the phone on the desk in front of me. “You can call him now if you want on this phone, they just stopped working for the day.”

When she handed me the phone, it had already started ringing. I couldn’t help but panic, almost refusing the phone until my daughter nudged me forward to grab it. My finger trembled severely as I wrapped my hands around the phone, but I still managed to hold on to bring it up to my ear just as someone picked up the phone.

“Hello?” It was him, he sounded so similar to the boy you knew, that boy was a man now. He sounded more haggard compared to sixteen years ago; I wondered what all had happened since then.

“Hey- Spencer it’s me.” By the hitch in his voice that came through the speaker, he knew who it was.

At first I heard nothing from him, only some rustled feedback in the speaker. My shoulders were practically at my ears now afraid he might hang up. He did eventually stumble out a greeting, “H-hi? Why are you calling me after all these years- aaand on a phone at my work?”

“I’ve got to be honest with you,” I cryptically answered with an evident shake in my voice. I was biting my nails now, not caring if I chipped the polish on them. My daughter grabbed my hand to comfort me even though she was probably still furious at me which helped coax out my next statement, “cause I haven’t told you why I stopped talking to you…” I breathed in deeply once before I finally admitted the secret I had held for so many years, “Spencer, you have a daughter, she just turned sixteen.”

Dead silence was all I got, that was until I heard a choked out sob from him, “Why?”

He didn’t need to elaborate any further, it was quite clear what he was asking. Again another meek shaky reply came from me, “There were a lot of reasons- the main one was I didn’t want to hold you back.”

My daughter was now crying as was I, I hadn’t given her my reasoning until now. Maybe one day I’d give Spencer all the reasons why I had hidden it from him for so many years even though it was painful. I had held a lot of guilt about not ever contacting him again or even sending another letter. Spencer deserved to know everything, especially about his daughter who was the spitting image of him in almost every way.

“Can I talk to her?” I agreed, which seemed to surprise my daughter. I think she thought I’d be furious enough with her to not let her speak to him. She would still be getting many privileges taken away from her, just not this one as it was my fault she never knew her father in the first place. My fingers shook even more as I moved to click the speaker button so he could hear her speak.

“Hi- dad.” They spoke for a while, while I took the back seat, barely interjecting. They both deserved every ounce of father and daughter time that I had deprived them from throughout the years. My chest did feel lighter now that I had told him, now that my daughter was getting the chance to know him. Hearing them laugh and giggle with each other almost immediately only cemented how much she was her father’s daughter.

When the phone was handed back to me, after seemingly hours of talking (Garcia had even popped in a few times to get me more coffee) Spencer asked,“Can you stay in Quantico till I get back?”

I smiled, happy that I’d finally be able to see and remember his face again after all this time, “We’ll be here waiting, it’s time you meet your daughter in person.”

Ask Me Anything

—

Tag lists (fill out this form to join): If your url has a strike through it means tumblr won’t let me tag you- check in your settings if you allow yourself to be searchable

All works: @shotarosleftpinky @oreogutz @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @s1utformgg @boxofsparklingmuses @multixfandomwriter @takeyourleap-of-faith

All MGG characters: @muffin-cup @willowrose99 @princesssmooshie @peterpanouat @anaagraceeberr @ashcakes1918 @reid-me-a-story @cosmic-psychickitty

Spencer Reid/CM: @calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes @onlyhereforthefanfics @jareauswifey @princesssmooshie @peterpanouat

Letters Series: (Group of Unlinked fluff fics about Spencer and letters): @whoreforthebau @sierraraeck @90spumkin

#spencer reid #spencer reid angst #spencer reid x reader #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler #matthew gray gubler fluff #mgg #mgg x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #30 fics in 30 days

[dreamkidddream]

Requests are open again hihi as a member of Kunikida and Oda deserve all the love club, I MUST request the scenario 6 with Kunikida, LIKE, LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING HE WOULD DO and never admit it

Thanks for this club haha, love your works and I am so happy we can ask for it again 🥺

The “Kunikida and Oda deserve all the love and affection because they do” club is steady growing and we love to see it 😌🙏🏾 and YES Kunikida will 100% do this no hesitation even if he’s complaining the whole time lol and thanks for reading my works and for all the love 🥺💚💙 reader is gender neutral!

TW: mentions of undressing (Okay it’s not spicy/suggestive, he’s just being a good boyfriend so that you can get in the shower 🥺 no body parts/nothing graphic is mentioned but I still wanted to put a TW!)

Prompt Scenario: “Person A having a broken leg and Person B has to carry them up and down the stairs to their bedroom every night/morning.” with Kunikida!

This sucks.

You didn’t think that your injury would be this bad, but here you are. One that left you completely immobile.

Okay you’re exaggerating, but you could only do so much being stuck in this bed!

The white cast surrounding your broken leg (although filled with doodles by Naomi, Dazai, Ranpo, and the others), baring as a constant reminder of your mistake. It just took one misstep and a nasty fall down the stairs that left your leg bending in an angle that it definitely wasn’t suppose to be. While Yosano happily offered her services to heal, you weren’t necessarily ready to go through with that process yet. Besides, now you can somewhat laze around and not get shot at for once!

That was your first thought initially.

You got bored and lonely fast.

With Kunikida having to go to work, and you still being monitored in the hospital, you could only do so much for your entertainment. The food wasn’t the greatest, you flipped through all the channels at least three times in the last hour, and you missed sharing the bed with your lover.

You really miss him, and you’re starting to take up Yosano’s offer...

But, you couldn’t contain your fidgeting in the bed today after hearing the good news.

You’re finally getting released from this prison today! You can finally get to breathe in some fresh air, and not the stale one that’s been circling in your room for past couple of days. With the addition of seeing your boyfriend, who you know for a fact misses you just as much as you do, (and maybe even more).

—-

So coming home came with some setbacks.

Mainly the stairs that started all of this mess to begin with.

Kunikida was already cooking dinner, which you offered to help, but he just demanded asked that you sit down and let your leg rest. In your absence, he’s written down almost all of the medical advice on broken legs known to man and is determined to be the best caretaker for you. You couldn’t just sit around forever, and you’re ready to be in your pajamas, to get underneath your own covers, and to cuddle with your partner whose warmth you have been missing for the past couple of days.

You got crutches to use, and you’re 100% sure that you can hobble your way up the stairs and make it to the bedroom in one piece this time. You just have to have patience and take your time, just take one step at a time, and you should be okay! If you could just control your shaking grip on your crutches, and get your good leg to become steady enough to stand on the first step, then you can-

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Your foot barely hovered over the step before you felt his presence behind you. You could practically feel the anger radiating off of him, no doubt the look on his face being a mix of anger and disappointment.

When you turned around, you were proven correct. Kunikida’s brows were furrowing deeper and deeper the longer you stayed in this compromising position, and you would have laughed seeing him wearing your shared apron if you didn’t see his hold on the spatula tightening each second. “Um, well, I was going to-”

“Go up the very stairs that left you like this, unsupervised.”

Surprisingly, he’s still intimidating, even in the “This cook accepts cleaned plates AND kisses as payment” apron.

“Well, I’m-I’m being extra careful! I can’t not go into our bedroom. I sleep there too you know.” You laughed, but the situation became even more awkward when he wasn’t laughing with you.

“You just got back home and already about to put yourself in harm’s way again, and we haven’t even ate yet!”

You started to panic more when he untied the apron and took off his glasses.

You just accepted your fate whenever he approached you again, slowly easing yourself down and preparing yourself to be chewed out and in for a lengthy lecture that’ll probably leave you falling asleep on the steps soon enough-

Until he kneeled down in front of you, back turned.

Okay you’re confused.

You’re just staring at his back, wondering what exactly he’s doing. Is this suppose to be symbolic message or something? Is this his way of saying that he’s giving you the silent treatment-

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“The schedule is already off, and since you’re just so ready to jump ahead, we might as well get it over with. If it’ll make you listen and not be so irrational, then fine.”

It still isn’t clicking for you-

“Hurry up and get on already! We don’t have all night!”

Ohhhh, he wants you to get on...his back? However, judging by the red spreading to the tips of his ears, that’s what he wants. You would tease him, but your heart is too busy melting at the fact that he would do this for you. “Doppo, you don’t have to do this-”

“I do. If you think that you’re going near any of these steps without me, then you’re sorely mistaken. Not to mention how hard it will be for you to maneuver around, so I do need to do this. So, go ahead, before we get more behind schedule.”

You’re still on the brink of refusing him, but he does have a point; it’s going to be a little difficult trying to move around with this. You also recognized that this is one of his ways of showing that he cares, and wants to help you through this. Kunikida has always been someone that will truly help when you need it, even if you don’t ask for it. He may complain about it being “extra work”, but you know that he doesn’t mean it, and will do it again in a heartbeat if needed be.

It’s just one of the many reasons why you love him so much.

Plus, this is probably one of the only times you’ll be able to get a piggyback ride without begging, so why not?

It wasn’t difficult to get on his back, especially since he’s handling you like you’re so fragile (which you guess you are right now). It was funny, you both know what you’re capable of but yet he’s always so gentle with you, but it’s never to the point that he’s degrading or belittling.

“(Y/N)?”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember what I told you when we first started dating?”

“Of course, I can never forget it!”

“The day that I confessed to you, I told you that I will always take care of you. That I would do my best to keep you safe, to protect you, and I already failed you.” His tone became somber. You couldn’t imagine what was going through his head the nights you were gone.

Going through his daily routine and sleeping in an empty bed without you filled him with guilt, especially knowing that this happened over something that could have been easily prevented. He blamed himself every day, it didn’t matter that you weren’t gone for long. It was still his fault.

“Doppo, don’t blame yourself-”

“I do. I was already careless enough to let you get hurt, and I can’t let that happen again, I won’t.” You would be more concerned, but his tone shifted. It was no longer full of pity for himself, full of guilt. Instead, it was full of unwavering determination, that this scenario can’t- will never happen again.

You could tell that he was making a promise, to both you and himself. And he is a man of his word, after all.

You already made it to your shared bedroom, Kunikida carrying you to the restroom and sitting you on the edge of the bed. He already began to grab your PJs from the dresser, and made his way back to you. “Is it okay if- if I-”

“Yes, Doppo, I don’t mind you helping me undress.” You laughed. You two live together and he’s seen you hundreds of times, yet he still asks every time if he could come in if you’re changing. Just another reason why you fell for him.

Once you were done, he carried you again to the bathroom, the water already running and him checking to make sure it’s right for you. He already rolled his sleeves up and kneeled down in front of you, and you could hear him mumbling to himself about the different methods he can use to keep your cast dry as he lifted it.

You swear he’s too sweet for his own good, no matter how many times he tries to deny it.

—-

Even after your cast was off and your leg was good as new, Kunikida still caught himself trying to carrying you up the stairs every morning and night. He felt embarrassed every time you laughed and reminded him that he didn’t have to do it anymore. He still stood close by though, with the excuse that you’re still clumsy enough that it’s bound to happen again (which you just rolled your eyes and kissed his cheek). He did get the chance to carry you however whenever you were too tired or fell asleep downstairs, no exceptions.

(You may or may not have fake sleep sometimes so that he can carry you.)

Yes, he may reprimand and complain about how irresponsible and reckless you can be, he may act like the chaos you create throws off his dear schedule so much, and he wonders how you managed to make him fall in love with you so deeply when you don’t even qualify for all of his ideals, but he doesn’t care believe it or not. He wouldn’t give you up for the world.

Besides, anything to have you in his arms is worth the headache.

#bsd #bsd x reader #bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs reader insert #bsd kunikida x reader #bsd kunikida #doppo kunikida x reader #kunikida x reader #dream’s 100 + 200 followers prompt special 💙

[wholesomemendes]

Top of the List

Summary: You’re a junior in college who spends almost all of your time stuck in either your dorm room or the library until you’re forced to go to a frat party where you meet Shawn, who immediately changes your whole college experience. 

Author’s Note: I’m backkkkkk. I am so so excited about this one. This was based off a request I got in like May or something like that basically so insanely long ago and I never got to it because I knew it was going to be long. I kinda went off track with the request too a little bit, but I hope you love it as much as I do. It’s my baby so please be kind (also it’s my birthday so please don’t hurt my feelings too much lol). As always, I love hearing any type of feedback and I love you all x

Word Count: 12.2k

The door of your dorm room slammed open as your roommate rushed inside, frantically throwing her bag onto her bed and rummaging through her closet. You peered over the top of your laptop where you were busy editing an essay you had just finished for a class, watching her distressed state with curious eyes. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” Natalie asked almost breathlessly, settling on a silk, light pink top with a plunging v-neck and a short black skirt.

“Why are you rushing so much? Where are you going?”

You would’ve thought you had grown three heads by the way she looked at you and the way she rolled her eyes when she noticed you were being dead serious made you slightly cave in on yourself in disappointment. “How do you not know what’s going on tonight? Sigma Alpha Epsilon is throwing another one of their huge parties, it’s all everyone has been talking about for the past two weeks.”

“I don’t know, must’ve just gone over my head,” you mumbled, feeling a little self-conscious about your lack of knowledge on what was going on in the social life of your campus. Ninety-nine percent of the time your head was stuck in a book or hunched over your laptop doing homework in the library so it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that this party was nowhere on your radar.

“Well now you know, so you’re going with me. Chop chop you’ve got to get dressed.”

“HA, you think I’m going to a party?”

She raised an eyebrow at you, silently challenging you to disagree with her, “Um, yes you are. Connor invited me which means I’m inviting you because he invites like 20 girls and I don’t want to be stuck alone all night.”

“You’re not going to be alone all night,” you sighed, closing your laptop before swinging your legs off the side of the bed, “You’re popular enough on campus that you’ll be able to find someone to hang out there with if I’m not there.”

“I know, but it’d be more fun if you were there with me. Pleaseeeeeee.” Natalie pulled out her best puppy dog eyes on you, her bottom lip jutting out to make her face look more innocent, “I’ll even do your makeup and hair for you….and you can borrow some of my clothes!”

“What, are my clothes not good enough or something?”

“They are! They’re just a little too, what’s the word I’m looking for, conservative for a party. You need something a little bit scandalous, you know? Gotta give the boys a little something something.” She wiggled her eyebrows at you before letting out a huff of annoyance and getting up to grab your hand to pull you off of the bed, “Come on, no excuses. Let’s get you ready for tonight.”

__________________________

This wasn’t your scene. Natalie had left you to go play beer pong about thirty minutes after you stepped foot into the loud, alcohol-stenched frat house, but you soon lost sight of her when Connor whisked her away after their team won against two other frat boys to what you could only assume would be his bedroom. You didn’t mind that she left you, you’d rather have one of you enjoying yourself then have her be miserable trying to entertain you. The tight shirt and skirt Natalie forced you into didn’t seem like such a bad idea when you were staring at yourself in the mirror of your dorm (to be honest the way she did your hair and makeup gave you a newfound confidence you hadn’t had in years), but now as you stood in the corner of the kitchen quietly nursing your drink while your eyes scanned the crowd of sweaty college students, you couldn’t feel more insecure and self-conscious. Your arms wrapped around your center, desperately trying to cover up what little skin was to be seen and you wished that Natalie would come down those stairs any second to go back to your dorm with you. You were so lost in your thoughts you hardly noticed the stench of beer get stronger around you or the heat of another body on your shoulder until the unknown person was up against you. “Hey,” the boy who you recognized from one of your writing classes and were pretty sure was a part of another fraternity on campus slurred, “You wanna come dance with me, sexy?”

“Um, no I’m ok, thanks though.” You tried to turn and walk away from him, but were stopped abruptly by his hand gripping your wrist and pulling you closer to him again.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he breathed into your ear, hot breath fanning across your face in the process making you cringe inward on yourself, “I’d love to feel that ass of yours up against me.”

“I said no, I don’t want to dance with you.” You could feel the panic rising in your throat, causing your words to come out broken and weak, and you desperately wished someone would see the fear in your eyes and come help you. His grip on you tightened the more you resisted and in that moment you wished you had never been stupid enough to listen to Natale about how fun this party was going to be.

“And I said you should come dance with me. So why don’t you-” HIs hand was pried off your wrist in seconds and you rubbed the spot where it had left, holding it close to your chest in fear.

“I think she already said no, buddy.” Your savior came in the form of a curly, brown haired boy that stood at least a couple inches over your unwanted dance partner. A scowl was evident on his face, his brown eyes hard and dark, “Now you should probably get out before I ban you from ever stepping foot in this place again.”  The other boy left, but not before rudely shoulder checking the person you believed was your hero, which only earned him a scoff in return. “God, can’t stand people like that. They have no common decency for anyone.” He made eye contact with you for the first time that night and your heart skipped a beat, your body feeling somewhat small compared to his tall height. He saw the fearful look in your eyes and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder before looking you up and down for any signs of damage from the previous encounter, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I am now that you saved me,” you mumbled slightly, lowering your gaze to your cup in order to avoid his worried look, “Thank you, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Well I’m glad I could help. I’m Shawn, by the way, I don’t think we’ve ever met.” Sticking his hand out for you to shake, he gave you a dazzling smile and you immediately recognized him as the president of the fraternity, the one your roommate was constantly talking about trying to get into his pants. Seeing him up close for the first time, you couldn’t help but understand why all the girls wanted to get with him and why a lot of those girls did get with him. There was a blue bandana wrapped around his head pushing back the beautiful curls that adorned his head and his chiseled jaw and bright eyes entranced you, making it hard to look away. His black t-shirt was frayed at the top near the buttons, allowing his few chest hairs to peak out, and his muscles practically bulged out of the short sleeves. You noticed a few tattoos along his arms, one being the one all of the hockey players got after they won their championship, as you shook his hand, but his strong grip broke you out of your thoughts and forced you to look at him again.

“I’m Y/n.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Do you need another drink? I know where all of the good alcohol is if you want it,” he winked at you, a smug smirk on his lips as he held his hand up to his face as if he was telling you something top secret.

You looked at the almost empty beer in your hand sadly, but the thought of getting another drink absolutely disgusted you at the moment, “No thank you. I think I’m going to head out actually, I’m a little shaken up to be honest.”

“Don’t go because of that!” Shawn’s voice sounded rushed as if he desperately wanted you to stay, though you pushed the thought aside, knowing that he couldn’t care less about what you did. “If you want you can stay by me for the rest of the night or if you came with someone you can always use my name, I’ve learned it can get you a long way sometimes.”

Your eyes met his once again and you tried to push the butterflies that you were feeling down your throat. “I’m just here with my roommate, but I think she went up with one of your friends,” you admitted bashfully, rubbing your hand up and down your arm nervously, “I haven’t seen her in awhile. Parties aren’t exactly my thing, I’m only here because she forced me to come, so I think I’m just going to text her and then head out.”

“You’re going to walk home alone? Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t have any better ones right now.”

“Easy. I’ll walk you home.” He leaned against one of the walls comfortably as he spoke, a large smile on his face the entire time. There wasn’t a look of regret on his face, but you still questioned his motives. Why would he want to go out of his way to make sure you got home safe? Was he just trying to get you in bed with him? But if he was then why was he so adamant about getting that guy off of you?

“Don’t worry about it Shawn, really, I’ll be ok.”

“It’s either that or you’re staying in my room tonight so you don’t have to walk home alone.” There was a confident look in his eyes and he knew he had you beat, causing you to roll your eyes before walking past him towards the door.

His eyes followed you curiously as you walked away, watching as you turned around and beckoned him forward, “Come on then, I want to be asleep before 4,” leaving him to trail behind you like a puppy at your feet. __________________________

The two of you walked to your dorms in a mix of comfortable silence and easy conversation that sparked in the 10 minutes it took to get you home. It was surprising how little awkward tension there was for two people on completely different sides of the spectrum who had never met before today, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world. You learned he was majoring in music, something that his parents weren’t one hundred percent confident with, though they still supported him nonetheless he assured you, and that he had been playing hockey since he was 6. The moment you got to the door of your building you stopped, ready to thank him for walking with you and move on with the rest of your night, preferably reading your essay one more time before heading to bed, but Shawn had other plans. “Why’d you stop? Did you forget your key or something?”

“No,” you looked at him with furrowed brows, “I think I can walk up to my dorm myself.”

He crossed his arms defensively with a stern look on his face, “Oh I get it, you don’t want me to know which room you’re in. I saved you from some creep and you still think I’m just like him don’t you."

“It’s not that, I just don’t feel comfortable bringing you up to my dorm after we just met.”

“Which is a big deal because…”

“Isn’t me saying that it makes me uncomfortable enough of a reason?” you asked him, mimicking his position as a tiny bit of anger grew inside of you.

Shawn scoffed, rolling his eyes at your words, “Honey, if I wanted to get you in my bed, you’d already be in there by now. There’s no reason to worry about me doing anything to you if you let me walk you up there.”

“Excuse me? Just because you’ve gotten with the entire cheerleading team…”

“Not true...”

“And at least half of the sorority girls…”

“Half is pushing it a little bit…”

“Doesn’t mean that you’d be able to get with me. I don’t have time for a relationship right now and I don’t do random hookups, thank you very much. So thank you for saving me at the party and thank you for walking me home, but that will be all. Good night, Shawn.” With that you turned on your heels, using your key card before slamming the door in his face and heading up the stairs to your dorm. You couldn’t believe it. Right when you thought you were forming a type of friendship or a least mutual respect for someone that wasn’t your roommate it all fell apart like it always did. What were you thinking when Shawn Mendes was the definition of a frat boy? Why would he want to be friends with someone like you? You couldn’t even lie and say that it didn’t hurt a little when he said he would’ve already tried to get you in bed if he wanted to. Were you really that ugly that the boy who practically got with any female that wanted to didn’t want to get with you? Not that you would sleep with him if he had asked you, you did have an unspoken rule with yourself that you didn’t want to do hookups in college, but at least knowing that he found you attractive would have given you a slight confidence boost. You already hated how you had never been asked out by the boys in college, even though you weren’t exactly looking for a guy or putting yourself out there to be asked on a date, and how every girl seemed to sneer at you when you walked past. So that night you cuddled yourself under the covers, vowing to never step foot in another frat house again no matter how much Natalie begged. __________________________

“What are you doing tonight?” Natalie launched herself onto your bed, causing you to let out a groan when she landed on you.

You pushed her off of you while she laughed, making you roll your eyes, “Probably just binge watching some Netflix honestly. Why?”

“Really? That wasn’t what I thought you’d say at all.”

“What’d you think I was going to say?” you laughed as she sat up and leaned against your wall.

“Oh, something along the lines of ‘I have to study for a test that I’ve already taken and rewrite my essay for the thirtieth time’”, she said in a high pitched voice you soon realized was her impression of you.

“Hey, I do not sound like that! And besides, laugh all you want about it, but I’m at the top of the class so I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, I’m just surprised you’re giving yourself a break.”

“I am,” you told her with a smile, “I have no homework to finish tonight or tests coming up or essays that need to be turned in, so I’m finally letting myself have a night off.”

“Or…”

You raised an eyebrow at her, “Or what.”

“Or you could come to the hockey game tonight with me so I’m not alone.”

“Oh hell no, Nat, I’m not doing this again.” You grabbed your laptop off of your side table, already ready to pop open your tv series for the night.

“What do you mean you’re not doing this again? It’ll be fun!”

“Last time you convinced me to go somewhere I almost got harassed by a drunk frat boy and then I got into an argument with another frat boy while you were busy hooking up with a different one.”

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” she scoffed, climbing off the bed, “Besides, you’ve never been to a hockey game before and you’re a junior. No offense, but do you know how pathetic that sounds. Our school is literally known for hockey! Just once and then I’ll never ask you to go again.” You gave her a stern look, one that threatened her to ask again, but when she flashed her eyes at you, you immediately gave in, rolling your eyes at yourself and already hating yourself for agreeing.

“Fine, but you can’t leave my side the entire night.”

“I promise I won’t! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She brought you into a bone crushing hug before releasing you in favor of searching through her closet for something for the both of you to wear. __________________________

You couldn’t lie and say you weren’t enjoying yourself a little bit. Opposed to last time Natalie was still sitting by your side and you had managed to convince her to let you wear one of your school hoodies and a pair of leggings to keep warm instead of the (as she phrased it) ‘hot ass’ outfit she had picked out for you. It was the final 10 minutes of the game and your team was ahead by four points, something everyone had been assured was an easy win from the start. Still, you could tell why everyone liked going to the games, it was energetic and loud and everything you thought a college game would be, but not as overwhelming. Even though Natalie had decided to sit next to Connor and they were relentlessly flirting and managing to have physical contact with one another the entire time, you were so focused on the game that it wasn’t bothering you as much as you imagined it would when you first sat down. You were entranced by the way the players skated across the ice, your eyes immediately drawing to one player in particular that seemed so comfortable on the ice. The moment you saw the back of his jersey though, MENDES written in bright white lettering, your heart dropped a little bit, not wanting to watch him as much as you were. Though it was hard not to when there was a clear reason he was made captain, so you were left to shamelessly follow his fast, steady movements across the ice.

The game soon ended with a win as expected and you were forced to follow Natalie and Connor deeper into the crowd of students to congratulate the team after they came out of their locker room. The crowd was cheering, adrenaline pumping through the air as you walked down the halls until you reached a large open space. Not long after all of the boys were making their way out, Shawn leading the pack like a true captain. A large portion of the girls (mostly puck bunnies or sorority girls or even some that just wanted some attention from the star himself) immediately crowded along Shawn and you could tell by the look on his face that he was enjoying every last second of it. His eyes scanned the crowd for a brief moment before landing on yours and you swore you could see his smile falter until it became even brighter than before. He excused himself from the hoard of girls as he headed your way, making your heart stop. Was he really coming to see you? What were you going to say? “Good job”? No, you don’t want to congratulate him, he was rude to you the other night. Don’t let him know how you couldn’t stop watching him the entire game, he doesn’t need another boost to his already huge ego. Is he gonna say something first? What if he…

“Hey man, how’d it look from the crowd?” Shawn asked as he bro-hugged Connor. Your heart dropped. Of course he was coming over here to talk to one of his best friends, why would you think he was coming for you? But you could’ve sworn the two of you had made eye contact. Were you really that stupid?

“Great as always, they were easy today anyways.”

“Yeah we went a little easy on them. Last time we absolutely creamed them and then I got threats from their team about how ‘we were gonna pay for embarrassing them like that,’” Shawn scoffed, “Like we were the ones who embarrassed them.” He turned his head, sending a bright smile your way before finally acknowledging you for the first time tonight, “I’ve never seen you at a game before, do you always leave right after it ends?”

You cleared your throat awkwardly, wondering if you should just lie or admit how antisocial you truly were, “No, um this is actually my first hockey game.” Ok, admitting how antisocial you are it is.

“Your first hockey game? What year are you?”

“I’m a junior…”

“You’re a junior and this is your first hockey game?”

“Oh calm down, it’s not that big of a deal,” Natalie chimed in, sensing your discomfort at the situation at hand.

“Wait, don’t tell me.” Shawn rubbed his forehead as if he was thinking before snapping his fingers in Natalie’s direction, “You must be Natalie, right? Y/n was telling me all about you the other night.”

“The other night?”

“Yeah, I walked her home after the party last week. She didn’t tell you?”

Her eyes went wide, looking in your direction with her mouth hanging open while you caved in on yourself, “No, she failed to mention that you were the one to walk her home.”

“Damn, you were that ashamed of me, eh?” Shawn let out a light chuckle before slinging an arm around you to pull you closer to him.

“Wasn’t exactly my proudest moment,” you mumbled, trying your hardest not to lean into his body that seemed so tempting. You didn’t know what body wash he used in his shower, the shower was evident by the slightly wet hair on his head that made him look absolutely breathtaking, but it was extremely inviting and you wanted nothing more than to snuggle your head into his chest and breathe it through your senses.

“Anyways, are you two coming to the party tonight?”

“I mean…” Natalie started, but you cut her off immediately.

“No, we’re heading back after this,” you gave a pointed look in her direction, “Right, Nat?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Oh come on, don’t be such a party pooper Y/n,” Shawn whined, ruffling your hair and laughing as you swatted his arm away.

“I’m not a party pooper, I’m just,” you stuttered for a second trying to find a decent excuse, “Just not quite dressed appropriately for a party, don’t you think?”

“Nonsense, I think you look great. But if it’s that big of a deal you can borrow my practice jersey and you’ll be all set.” Before you could protest Shawn was already reaching down into his duffle bag and producing a bright blue jersey with his name on the back. It was clear that this wasn’t just some jersey you’d buy in the school spirit shop, it looked as professional as it could, except the different design and tattered edges showed that it was made for practice.

“I’m not putting that on.”

“Why not? I promise it doesn’t smell and besides, don’t you want to let Nat have some fun?” He waved the jersey in front of you with a teasing smile on your face, causing you to roll your eyes before you snatched it out of his grip and pulled it over your sweatshirt. “That’s what I thought,” Shawn smirked as he put his arm back around your shoulders, “Now come on, I’ll drive, Y/n can be shot gun.” __________________________

No more than ten minutes later you were parked back at the same frat house you had been at the week prior and the mere thought of it made you sick. However, you didn’t know how much longer you could stay in Shawn’s jeep where he was stealing glances at you every five seconds and trying to annoy you in every way possible. He’d find every way possible to try and touch you in some way, whether it was a poke in the face or moving a strand of hair behind your ear, and constantly make comments that you wanted to laugh at, but wouldn’t be caught dead showing him that. So the second he parked you were already out of the car, breathing in a deep breath of clean air to make sure the scent of Shawn that was so heavy in his jeep would leave your senses. “Wow, was the drive that bad that you’re so eager to leave?”

You were praying with every ounce of your body that Shawn couldn’t see the blush on your face when he made eye contact on with you that teasing smile on his face, but the way Natalie snickered as she got out of the back of the jeep told you that she definitely knew. “No, I just get claustrophobic easily, that’s all.”

“Mhm.” Shawn looked at you, obviously not believing your excuse, but still motioning you towards the front door nonetheless. There was already a fair amount of people inside, at least enough to make you cringe at the thought of being there. Shawn had a light hold on your arm before leaning into your ear to make sure that you heard him, “I’m going to go get us some drinks. What do you want?”

“I don’t care, you can pick. Just please no shots of anything.”

“Ok, I’ll be back.”

Natalie and Connor were already god knows where, so you were left standing in the main foyer of the frat house, holding your arms around yourself while you looked around awkwardly, waiting for Shawn to return. You felt the familiar feeling of nervousness creeping up your throat and you forced yourself to focus on the smell of Shawn’s jersey and how warm it felt around you as a way to calm your rapid beating heart. He had only been gone a few minutes before someone else was approaching you, making your heart drop when you remembered what went down the last time you were here. “Hey, you wanna come dance with me?”

Hearing those words made you want to throw up, but you tried to keep your head up and your gaze unbothered while you prayed for Shawn to come back. “No thank you.”

“Well, can I go get you a drink then?”

“No, someone’s already…”

The feeling of an arm wrapping around you caused you to freeze until your nose caught onto the scent you had been unintentionally enjoying all night and you allowed yourself to relax into him. “I already got it for her. I think she’s all set, buddy.” The other guy got the hint quickly and backed away into the crowd until he was no more than a mere drop in a pool of people. “Damn, can’t even leave you alone for two seconds before you got some guy hitting on you,” Shawn laughed, but quickly stopped once he noticed the terrified look on your face. “Hey,” he placed a hand on your face to bring your eyes to his, “Did he touch you? Or hurt you?”

“No, no he didn’t, I’m still just a little shaken up from last time I guess,” you mumbled, bringing your gaze down to where your hands were engulfed in the fabric of your sweatshirt, “I’m sorry you have to keep saving me.”

“That’s understandable, it’s never a pleasant experience. And you never need to thank me, it’s just common decency.” You refused to meet his eyes again, but you heard his sigh before he gently grabbed your hand in his and handed you your drink. Your heart fluttered when he took your other hand in his grasp, the feeling of his rough calluses overwhelming your senses. “What do you say we go dance? Get your mind off of things for a little bit, let loose.”

“I don’t know Shawn, I’m not the greatest dancer…”

“You don’t have to be. I promise it will be fun.”

You knew there was a ninety-nine percent chance that you were going to embarrass yourself completely in front of him, but the way he was staring at you like it would break his heart if you said no made up your mind for you in a second. “Ok, let’s go.”

A wide smile broke out on Shawn’s face before he dragged you into the crowd, finding a spot he deemed fit for the two of you to dance in. It started out with just a simple step touch as you started to feel the rhythm of the music and allow yourself to relax as much as possible while sipping on the drink he got you. He tried to make small talk with you even over the loud music, resulting in him having to brush his lips against your ear as he spoke to you. Your heart fluttered with each movement and the alcohol you were consuming wasn’t making it any easier when he’d laugh at something you said, his bright brown eyes crinkling from his cheeks. As the night got longer and your cup became emptier, the distance between the two of you became smaller and smaller until your chest was pressed right against his. His free hand came up to naturally grasp your waist, but not in a way that made you uncomfortable. On the contrary, it made your stomach do flips that you couldn’t control even if you wanted to. His face was getting close, too close for your muddled brain to do anything rational about it. You didn’t know exactly what was put in the drink (it was delicious though and you knew he would tell you if you asked), but as a light weight you were definitely feeling the effects of it, so just as his nose touched the tip of yours you pulled away, muttering in his ear about how you had to use the bathroom before running off away from the crowd.

After winding through the halls of the house and passing multiple people making out against the walls, you finally reached the bathroom where you shut the door in a hurry, allowing yourself to take a deep breath as you leaned against the counter. Your eyes lifted up to stare at your reflection in the mirror, your brain struggling to process what had just happened. Was he going to kiss you? Was this his plan all along, to get you comfortable enough around him to have you wrapped around his finger? No, that couldn’t have been it. He was so easy to talk to and seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say and what you were doing. He wouldn’t do that just to get with you, would he? Your thoughts are interrupted by a series of knocks on the door, followed by a worried voice, “Y/n? Are you ok in there?”

“Yeah! I’ll, um, I’ll be right out!” You splashed some water onto your face in an effort to calm yourself down to a degree before opening the door to be met with Shawn’s concerned face.

“I’m sorry if I rushed you. You just ran out of there so quick I was worried something happened.”

Your heart swelled at how much he seemed to care about you and you willed the heat to leave your face, “No, I’m ok. I did feel a little crowded in there, but I’m ok now, thanks.”

“Yeah, of course. What do you say we go to the kitchen for a little bit to talk in there? It usually isn’t too crowded this far into the party.” You allowed him to take your hand and lead you into the kitchen where, like he said, was completely empty besides a few people every now and then that would come to refill their glass. Most of the alcohol had been moved into various places of the house so there was no fear of a bunch of hammered students coming in and ruining the place. There was a comforting silence between the two of you for a moment, the only sound being the music that could be heard from the main room as you both leaned against the counter next to one another. “I’m glad you came to the game tonight,” Shawn broke the silence, looking at you with a sincere look in his eye, “And thanks for letting me drag you to this party.”

“I don’t think I could’ve said no to the party, you’re pretty convincing,” you admitted, downing the last sip of your drink, “You were really good tonight, too. I never told you earlier, but I couldn’t stop watching you as you played. It’s obvious why you were chosen as captain.”

Shawn let out a nervous chuckle, his own cheeks showing a hint of pink to them, “Thanks, it means a lot. Do you want another drink?”

“No, I’m ok. I get drunk easily so I think I should stop before it gets worse.” You easily learned that you were an extremely honest drunk and if the words you were saying to Shawn were any indicator, you definitely shouldn’t drink anything more.

“That’s a shame, I have a feeling that you’re fun when you’re absolutely plastered.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, you’re already fun as it is, but it takes a while for you to open up. I think I’d get to see you at your fullest, you know what I mean? But that’s just off of my first couple impressions of you, so what do I know.” He finished off his statement by grabbing a beer from the fridge, returning to a spot much closer to you, so close that your shoulders were right up against one another. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“No, I’m very comfortable around you,” you whispered, eyes falling down to his smooth, red lips.

He caught the motion of your eyes and let his do the same, his face coming just that extra inch closer to yours, “Do you think it would be ok if…”

“Y/n! We’re going home!” Natalie came barging into the kitchen, grabbing your arm and dragging you to the door.

“What? What’s going on?” you asked her, trying to tug your arm away, but her grip was strong and she was dead set on ordering an uber to get out of here as soon as possible.

“I’ll tell you when we get back.”

Your heart dropped as you looked at Shawn who looked just as confused and saddened as you. “Bye Shawn, thanks for bringing us.”

“Wait,” he muttered to himself, running towards the door before Natalie could get you out of it, “Give me your phone really quick.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me.” You unlocked your phone for him and watched as he added his number into your messages, even including a silly picture of him as his contact photo that you knew you’d be laughing at later. “Text me when you’re back at your dorm, eh? Wanna make sure you get home safe.”

Looking into his eyes you saw a completely different man than the one you had yelled at on the first night you met. This one seemed vulnerable as he stared at you, as though he was putting himself bare in front of you and showing you the real him. You nodded your head, taking your phone from his hand before Natalie was pulling you towards the uber. “I promise I’ll text you.”

“Bye Y/n.” __________________________

“What was that for?!” you demanded, staring down your roommate as she fell onto her bed.

“Connor and I got into a fight.”

“I didn’t know the two of you were dating.”

“That’s the thing...we’re not.” She sighed, propping herself up against the wall, “See the thing is...we’re talking I guess, but it’s not exclusive. It’s more like a ‘talking’ so we can hook up if we want to sort of thing.”

“So what does that have to do with you dragging me out of the party.”

“Well I was making out with Tim…”

“Why were you making out with Tim?”

“Because he’s hot and I’m drunk so it was a great idea. That was until Connor saw and got all pissed because apparently I’m not allowed to do that, but he’s all over girls all the time still so I don’t see the big deal! And because I’m so drunk I was over fighting with him for the night and I’m mad so therefore we had to leave.”

“Great,” you muttered, “I was finally having a good time at a party and then you and your hook up had to mess it up.”

“Y/n, I’m sorry. I truly am. If there was a way to make it up to you I’d do it. But preferably when I’m sober.”

“It’s fine, it’s not that big of a deal anyways,” you mumbled before you began to change into some more comfortable clothes for the night. You noticed you were still wearing Shawn’s jersey that you would ultimately have to give him back for the game, but you couldn’t help but think that you could worry about getting it to him tomorrow and maybe that would be your chance to make up for the time you lost tonight. __________________________

The light streamed in through the window of your dorm and you groaned, pushing yourself out of bed to turn off your alarm. You sighed to yourself as you got yourself up and moving for the day, even going as far as making sure that Natalie was still alive and breathing after she came home late last night from a bar before grabbing your bag to head to class. You hated your 8am class, but it was the only slot available that worked with your schedule so you simply had to man up and accept your fate. You were about halfway to your class when you heard a distant voice call out to you and you whipped your head around to meet a smiling curly haired boy running your way. “Y/n, hey,” Shawn smiled at you after finally catching up to you, “Long time no see.”

“Hey, Shawn, how have you been?” You hadn’t seen him since you had dropped his practice jersey off at the doorstep of the frat a few weeks back, but you couldn’t lie and say a part of you was hoping that you’d run into him again.

“Good, miss seeing you at the hockey games though.”

His comment made you blush and you brought your gaze to the floor so he couldn’t see your heated cheeks. “I never really went before so I wasn’t exactly planning on going anytime soon again.”

“You didn’t have a good time?” he asked with a feigned offense, big puppy dog eyes on display as he walked next to you.

“I promise I did, I just prefer to stay in my dorm and study if we’re being honest.”

“I understand,” he nodded thoughtfully, “So where are you headed?”

“English Literature, how about you?”

“Calculus, which if we’re being honest here is not my strong suit. If I don’t get at least a B on this next test they could pull me from the game. I swear I’m not dumb, I just don’t get it I guess.”

“Well, I don’t know if it means anything to you, but I had an A in that class last semester. I could help you out if you want.”

“You’d do that for me?” he asked with wide eyes, bringing you both to a halt in front of your lecture hall. “Of course I would, when’s your test?”

“Next Tuesday, could we meet on Thursday after practice?”

“Sounds perfect. Just text me the time and place.”

“I owe you a bunch.” Shawn leaned in to press a kiss to the top of your temple that left your heart fluttering before making his way over to his own class. __________________________

Thursday felt like it would never come, but there you were sitting alone inside the library at eight thirty at night, waiting for Shawn to arrive from his practice. A million thoughts were swirling through your head the longer you waited and you desperately wished he would show up to give you a distraction from your mind. You were constantly worried that he wouldn’t show up, had planned on ditching you from the start as some kind of sick joke, but that fear was diminished when he stumbled through the doors. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he breathed out, “Practice went later than expected.” A series of students shushed him for being too loud, causing a sheepish expression to grace his face, “Sorry.”

He sat his bag down next to you, sliding in close enough that you would be able to see what the other was doing while still maintaining a safe distance. “Sooo,” you broke the silence as he got his books out, “What do you want to start with?”

The rest of the time was spent discussing Shawn’s upcoming test and explaining what each concept was to the best of your ability. You could tell that he was smart, he just needed a little bit of help, so he was very easy to work with. Besides how hard it was for you to concentrate around him that was. Whenever he leaned in to peer over your work a little more, your heart beat increased rapidly and you held your breath until he moved away again. You couldn’t tell if he was aware of your behaviors, but he seemed extremely unfazed, always dazzling you a bright smile after something made sense to him. It was adorable to you when his eyes would furrow a little bit while he was working and the proud glow on his face when he got a problem right.

Time seemed to go by quick with all the little jokes he was making and soon enough it was eleven at night and the library was beginning to close down. “Guess we should be heading out then,” Shawn laughed, “Unless you plan on sleeping in here tonight.”

“No, not exactly. Was kind of looking forward to my bed if I’m being honest.” A chuckle of your own escaped your lips as you packed up your bag alongside him.

“Did you drive here?”

“No, my car isn’t on campus. I just walked.”

“Well I hope you weren’t planning on walking back too.”

“What other choice do I have?”

Shawn raised an eyebrow at you, “Seriously? You’re going to ask that when I’m literally right here.”

“I’m not going to ask you to drive me home, Shawn.”

“Good thing you’re not asking me, I’m telling you. Now come on, my jeep is right out here.” You didn’t protest this time, knowing he wouldn’t back down from his offer, and instead followed him out to that black jeep you vividly remember from your last trip in it.

The ride back to your dorm was significantly quieter than what your previous encounters with Shawn had been besides the quiet music playing in the background. By the time he had pulled in front of your building, there were hardly any cars to be seen around and all of the students were already inside. Shawn turned his body to face you, “Thanks for the help tonight, I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure. Good luck on your test next week, I know you’ll do great, but you can still text me if you want to meet up again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He gave you a kind smile when you thanked him for the ride before you opened the door to the brisk night air. “Y/n wait…”

“What?”

“I know you’re not really into parties but…,” his words trailed off as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “There’s this movie night thing at the frat Saturday night and all of the guys are expected to bring a date. Do you maybe wanna come with me?”

You looked at him with wide eyes, “You want me to be your date?”

“Yeah, if you want to be.” Even in the darkness you could see the way his cheeks reddened and he failed to look you in the eye.

“I’d love to go,” you told him truthfully and you couldn’t help but smile with him when his face lit up at your words.

“Really?! That’s, that’s great! You’re supposed to wear your pajamas by the way so I hope that’s ok with you.”

“Perfectly fine with me. Just text me the time later.”

“I will. Bye, Y/n.”

“Bye, Shawn.” He watched you walk into your building with a giddy smile on his face before he drove back to his frat for a sleep that he hoped included dreams of you. __________________________

“What are you getting all dolled up for?”

You look over from where you’re doing your hair to see Natalie laying on her bed staring at you with curious eyes. “I’m going to movie night with Shawn.”

“You’re going to movie night with Shawn?!” Natalie exclaimed, her eyes practically bursting out of her head.

“Yeah, he asked me to go with him as his date.” You tried to keep your calm in front of her and not show how excited you truly were, but your smile was fighting to break free on your face.

“Is he picking you up?”

“No, I’m probably just going to walk or maybe get an uber.”

“Walk? Honey, no. Connor is picking me up, I’ll just text him and ask if he can drive you, too.”

“You don’t need to do that…”

“Nonsense, there’s no reason for you to walk when I’m literally driving to the same place.” Natalie quickly grabbed her phone to text something to Connor before getting up out of bed to walk over and fluff your finally curled hair.

“What’s going on with you and Connor anyways?”

“Oh, we’re just friends with benefits for now,” Natalie said dreamly, her hands separating your curls to make them more natural as she spoke, “But we decided that we’re going to be exclusive. No more arguments about that I guess.” You nodded your head thoughtfully, carefully examining your appearance in the mirror. “Why are you getting ready so early? We don’t have to leave for another two hours.”

“I know, but I thought you’d have to use the curler and mirror, too, so I figured I’d get done early so you could have enough room to do everything.”

“You’re the sweetest ever,” she told you, kissing the top of your head making you scrunch your nose. “Do you want me to do your makeup for you?”

“I’m not sure, I just want to do something natural.” You examined your face with much criticism, trying to decide what you wanted to do to hopefully make you look more appealing to Shawn. You didn’t just think that did you? You’re not really trying to impress Shawn tonight, right? The butterflies in your stomach told you otherwise and you cursed yourself for the thoughts that were taking over your head.

“I can do that,” Nat responded quickly, “Easy. Now what I’m concerned about is what you’re wearing tonight.”

“I was planning on wearing some sweatpants and a tank top or maybe one of my patching pajama tops and bottoms. I wasn’t sure yet.”

“See this is where we’re going to have an issue. Don’t you want to wear something a bit more revealing? Want to impress Shawn a little bit? I have a slip you can borrow if you want or…”

“No, I’m all set, I just want to be comfortable. I appreciate the concern, but you know it’s not me to wear something like that out in public. It makes me uneasy.”

“I know, I know. Let’s just focus on getting your makeup looking absolutely perfect just like you.” __________________________

Connor pulled up to the frat house before unlocking the car door for you and slinging an arm around Natalie’s seat to look back at you, “Why don’t you go in and meet up with Shawn, we’ll be in in one second.” You gave him a forced smile and a small thank you as Natalie giggled and you rolled your eyes the second you got out, happy to finally be away from their never ending teasing of one another. You made your way up to the door of the frat and knocked loud enough to be heard, transferring your weight back and forth out of nervousness. The door opened not long after revealing your date for the night looking as cozy as ever in a pair of grey sweatpants and a cotton white t-shirt. His eyes subtly looked you up and down with a smile on his face. “Hi.”

“Hi,” you breathed out, letting yourself admire him the way he was you.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, you look extremely comfy and nice as well.”

“Why thank you, I like the plaid.” You looked down at your plaid sleep pants and tighter fitted grey long sleeve you had on top, your cheeks blushing red at his comment.

“I know I probably am not dressed up like a lot of the other girls, but I just wanted to be comfortable…”

“Stop it, I think you look amazing. Now come inside, I already have a spot for us.” You followed him through the frat house until you came into the kitchen that looked a little different now that it wasn’t filled to the brim with alcohol. “Do you want any hot chocolate? Or tea?”

“I’ll have hot chocolate please.”

“Good choice, good choice,” he chuckled, pouring some of the boiling water into two mugs. “You know, I’m kinda surprised Natalie didn’t force you to wear some form of lingerie like a lot of the girls are.”

“She tried to convince me to, but I didn’t want to. I’m just as surprised as you are though that she let me get away with this.”

“Well, I think it’s better that you came here comfortable rather than wearing any of that.” He handed you your cup, warning you of how hot it was. “Speaking of Natalie, where are her and Connor?”

“Still in the car, they kicked me out right when we got here.”

“Typical,” Shawn snorted before making his way into the living room with you trailing behind him. The room was already about half the way full with couples, if you could even call them that, and the room had a much cozier vibe than what you had previously seen it as. There were blankets everywhere and snacks piled up onto all of the tables. There were a few guys and girls that were obviously not too interested in their date and were mingling with other people instead and some that were extremely interested in their date to the point where it was almost obnoxious. “I got us the seat in the corner by the table. You can put your mug there if you want and those blankets that are there are ours, too. I’m just going to run to the bathroom quickly so you can wait there until I come back or you can go somewhere else.” He kissed your cheek lightly, leaving you with a heated face before he left you alone in the room. You swore you could feel the hard stares of the breathtaking girls around you and you sank yourself down into the couch, desperately wishing Shawn hadn’t left you here by yourself.

You sat there for almost ten minutes before you had decided that you were finished being the target for the judgemental looks and whispers from those around you, peeling yourself out of your spot before heading towards what you were praying was the bathrooms in hopes of running into Shawn on the way. Just as you rounded the corner you could faintly make out a female voice and you snuck your head around only to be met with a sight that made your heart drop. There she was, the drop dead gorgeous head cheerleader you knew had been in Shawn’s sheets multiple times before, with her hand on your date’s chest, that mischievous glint in her eyes that was laced with lust. Shawn’s hands were wrapped around her wrists and although you couldn’t hear their words, you couldn’t help but feel betrayed at the whole situation. Here you are, being made a fool of in front of all of these people who have always seemed to despise you from the start. You finally started letting your guard down for Shawn and what do you get in return? A stabbing pain in your heart. Tears began prickling in your eyes before you turned straight on your heels to head out of the frat without a second thought in your mind.

Just as you were about to reach the door, it opened for you, Natalie and Connor entering with giddy smiles on their faces. But at the sight of you, Natalie’s smile dropped, “Hun, what happened?”

“Nothing, I think I might head out.”

“What?” She made a signal to Connor so that he’d leave the two of you alone and he agreed, whispering something in her ear before moving past you. “Ok, now tell me what happened. You were so happy about coming tonight!” With tears threatening to fall down your face, you told her exactly what you saw from the moment you stepped into the house and before you knew it, you were encased in her arms, her hands rubbing comforting circles on your back. “I’m so sorry, baby. He doesn’t deserve you if he’s going to let her get away with that.”

“Am I stupid to be so affected by this?”

“No, that was a dick move on his part and you are allowed to feel upset about it. What we’re not going to do though is leave, you hear me? Two can play at this game.”

“What do you mean?”

“I meannn, let’s give him a taste of his own medicine. Come on, follow me.” She wiped underneath your eyes before leading you back into the living room towards the couch on the opposite side. Two guys you recognized from the frat were sitting there alone and when you noticed Natalie walking over to them confidently, your heart stopped.

“Nat, what are we doing?”

“Just trust me on this...Hey guys!” The two guys looked up at the sound of her voice, a heavy smirk on both of their lips. “You got any extra room for a little bit?”

“Be my guest,” the blonde one responded and Natalie wasted no time in pushing you to sit next to them.

You stumbled slightly onto the couch, but recovered quickly, sending a light wave to the guys, “Hi.”

They both greeted you back with a smile, leaving Natalie to be quite satisfied as she whispered in your ear, “Be back soon,” and then she was gone.

You weren’t close enough to the guys that it would be considered dangerous to you, but you were definitely closer than you would usually be with some strangers that you had literally just met. The conversation flowed easily between the three of you, not as easily as it did between you and Shawn though, and you found yourself constantly glancing towards the entryway in case he decided to make an appearance. Just as one of the frat members announced that the movie was starting in five minutes Shawn made his way into the living room, his eyes spotting you immediately. You could see his jaw clench from the corner of your eye and the way his eyes hardened was not easy to miss. This only made you up the antics a little more, with a hand moving to the shoulder of the guy closest to you before the sound of your name being called from across the room caught your attention, as well as everyone else’s in the room. You looked over to see Shawn staring at you coldly, his head nodding at the seat he had for you as a signal for you to come back. “Thanks for the seat boys, but I better be heading back,” you told them with a cheeky smile that they returned to you before heading over towards Shawn. You could feel the strong gaze of the other couples and you desperately wished that you could curl in on yourself and disappear. Once you were close enough to him he pulled you down harshly into his lap, wrapping his arms around you and whispering in your ear, “What the hell were you doing over there?”

You wriggled out of his arms, but still laid next to him, allowing him to bring the blanket up and over you with his arm around you. “I was making some new friends to keep me company since you were so busy with Vanessa when you were supposed to be just using the bathroom.”

“Fuck,” he said under his breath, “Listen, I don’t know what you saw, but…”

“I don’t want to hear it Shawn, I just want to watch the movie and leave.”

“No, I want you to listen to me because I can see how you might have taken this the wrong way.”

“Was there a right way to take it?” you whispered back angrily, feeling his arm tighten around you so that he could bring his mouth closer to your ear.

“Not from your point of view, but I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I haven’t been answering her texts for the last two months and threatened to block her last week and she was all butthurt about it, saying that she wanted things to go back to when she could call me for a booty call whenever she felt like it. And I don’t want that anymore. I’ve got my eye on someone right now and I wouldn’t mess up my chance with her like that.”

“If you have your eye on someone then why didn’t you bring her tonight?”

“I did.” You looked up at him as the lights were turned off and you caught a glimpse of his eyes before he was facing the screen and pulling you closer to his chest. You snuggled into him and wrapped your arm around his body too, leaving the both of you with graceful smiles on your faces. __________________________

Of course the guys had picked a scary movie for the night, causing you to squeeze Shawn a little tighter at every jump scare. He didn’t mind though, it only gave him an excuse to pull you closer to him and press light, comforting kisses into your hair. Somewhere between the halfway point of the movie when you tucked your head into Shawn’s chest at a particularly frightening scene and the end of the movie, you found yourself dozing off, eventually falling into a light slumber cuddled up against him. The even beating of his heart lulled you to sleep until you felt him shaking you softly, whispering your name into your ear. “Hey, the movie’s over.”

“Oh,” you sat up and tried to comb back your slightly messed up hair, seeing the other couples retreat to their respective rooms, “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“Don’t be, you look cute when you’re comfy.” His words caused your cheeks to heat up and you situated yourself to try and hide your face from him. “Are you ready to go back to sleep?”

“Yeah, I should probably head out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m ready to fall back asleep...which means that I need to go home so I can go to sleep in my bed.” You looked back at him with furrowed brows that matched his.

“Y/n, it’s two in the morning, why don’t you just stay here. No one else is leaving.”

“You don’t have a spare room though…”

“You can sleep in my room, I’ll sleep on the floor if you feel too uncomfortable.”

“No Shawn, I’m not kicking you out of your own bed. If you’re so adamant about me staying then we might as well share it.”

“Are you sure you’re ok with that?”

“I’m a big girl, Shawn, I think I can handle sleeping in a bed with you for one night.”

Shawn let out a laugh that was music to your ears before extending a hand to you that you gladly accepted. His hand engulfed yours perfectly and you stumbled as he pulled you up off the couch because you were too busy trying to memorize the feeling of his hand in yours. “Careful there, honey,” his sweet voice drawed out, “You’re even more tired than I thought. Can hardly stand on two feet.” He escorted you hand in hand to his bedroom, which was much cleaner than you would have imagined. There were a couple guitars on stands, a piano in the corner, some hockey gear half stuffed into a bag on the floor, all things that perfectly described Shawn to you. He slid into his bed, adjusting himself under the covers before looking at you with a boyish grin and beckoning you towards him. You sat down next to him, playing with your hands awkwardly. “You ok?” You nodded your head. “I can put up a pillow barrier if you want, I have to admit I tend to be a cuddler.”

You giggled, imagining you waking up to find him snuggled up against a pillow between the two of you. “It’s ok, I don’t think we need a pillow barrier.”

“Suit yourself.” He turned off the light, getting even more comfortable in his bed and turning towards the wall. “Goodnight, Y/n.”

“Goodnight, Shawn.” __________________________

The deep scent of oak and cinnamon should have woken you up. The heavy weight slung across your stomach should have woken you up. The unusual heat that was spreading across your back should have woken you up. But instead, they all just kept you in a peaceful slumber as the morning light streamed in through the window.

Shawn was the first to awake. Breathing in your comforting scent, he squeezed you a little tighter, not quite realizing what he was doing. The moment you pushed back into him in an effort to get impossibly closer to him his senses became wide awake, suddenly making him on high alert to how close you were to him. He couldn’t imagine how you’d feel if you woke up to find the two of you like this, but when he tried to untangle himself from you and you subconsciously gripped his arm tighter, pulling him back to you, he gave up the fight and let himself get lost in the moment. Against his better judgment he placed his lips to your hair, leaving feathery kisses in their wake. Your body began to move slowly as you came to a consciousness, but Shawn continued to kiss down your neck until he finished with a soft one on your shoulder. “Good morning,” he rasped, looking at you through his lashes.

“Good morning.” The second you came to a full realization of what was happening your body froze, not quite able to process the exact situation. The immense heat that was radiating off of him was too soothing for you to resist though and soon your body fell slack against his just as it was while you were asleep.

“How’d you sleep?” Shawn asked, tracing his finger across your cheek bone.

“Like a baby.”

“Good to hear.” His stomach rumbled, making a laugh escape out of him, “And that is good to hear too, I guess. You want to go get some breakfast.”

Deep inside you wanted to say no and selfishly keep him close to you all morning long, “That sounds perfect.”

Your body became cold the second he left your side and you shivered slightly from the temperature change. “You ok?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” you lied, grabbing his hand to help you out of bed. He pulled your body close to his, looking at you deeply with those gorgeous brown eyes of his.

“Were you uncomfortable this morning?”

“No,” you stuttered, feeling small as he towered over you even if you didn’t find him intimidating, if anything the words coming out of his mouth were more intimidating than him.

“Why not?”

His body came closer to you with each word until you were backed up against the wall, his chest pressing against yours. “What?”

“I asked you why you weren’t uncomfortable.” His face was so close to you that you could see every last detail of his skin, including a scar on his cheek that you didn’t happen to notice before, but made him look all the more endearing to you.

“Because I trust you.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

You could tell by the way that his eyebrow quirked up that he didn’t believe your wavering voice, “Are you telling me the truth? Because I want to know if you feel the same way about me that I do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought I made it quite obvious,” he chuckled, “I really, really like you, Y/n. I was hoping maybe this morning was a sign that you felt the same way…”

“It was,” you breathed out quickly, not wanting this moment to fade away. “I like you too, Shawn.”

His lips fanned over yours and your breath hitched in your throat, desperately waiting for him to move the final inch. “I’m not going to kiss you,” he told you, watching the light in your eyes dim and cast down to the ground, “Hey, look at me.” Shawn grabbed your chin gently, pulling your eyes back up to his, “It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because it feels wrong to do it without going on a date first. You understand?” You nodded your head sadly, making him let out a quiet laugh, “But I would like to take you out on a date if you’d let me.”

“I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Perfect,” he leaned in to kiss the tip of your nose, “Now let’s go down and eat breakfast. I’m absolutely starving.” __________________________

Are you free Tuesday night? Sorry, I just couldn’t wait to ask you

The message came through the second you stepped through the door to your dorm room. Natalie and Connor had woken up later than you and Shawn, so Shawn had offered to drive you home instead. You looked out your small window that happened to be facing the street and were met with his jeep still parked next to the curb. His eyes met yours causing the two of you to smile and you could practically hear his laugh from three floors up.

I’m free all night

Perfect, see you then I’ll pick you up x

Can’t wait x __________________________

The rest of the weekend seemed to drag on until your classes came again on Monday to distract your mind from the next day. It didn’t help that you and Shawn were texting almost every second of the day since you two had parted, only adding to your anticipation.

After seeming as though it would never arrive, Tuesday night came upon you, bringing you back to the same chair this all started with. Natalie was over the moon when you told her about your date, immediately wanting to know everything about it and what outfit you were planning on wearing. She had you propped up in what she called her “makeup chair” making sure your makeup and hair were the best they had ever looked. You had chosen a simple sweater and leggings, hoping that you looked nice enough while still managing to stay warm and comfortable. Shawn hadn’t told you where you were going yet, stating that it had to be kept a surprise, so you worked with what you had in order to have an appropriate outfit.

At six o’clock sharp Shawn was waiting outside, leaning against his jeep on his phone was a bouquet of flowers in one hand. His eyes flickered to the door anytime he heard a noise, but at the sight of you he stood up straight, hands pocketing his phone before he was headed straight towards you. “Hey, you look beautiful.”

“And you look as handsome as always.”

A blush formed on his cheeks at your words and he handed you the flowers bashfully, ducking his head down to avoid your gaze. “These are for you.”

“They’re gorgeous, thank you.” He sent you a bright smile as he took your hand to lead you around the car, opening the door for you to slide inside.

“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” you asked as soon as he slid into the driver's seat.

“Not yet, gotta keep the suspense up,” he teased, his hand coming up to lace his fingers with yours on the center console. “I hope you’re hungry though.”

“If we’re being honest I’m always hungry.”

“Then this is going to work out great.” The ride was short and before you knew it you were turning into a parking lot of a small old-fashioned diner a few minutes off of campus. Shawn parked the car, running around the jeep quickly to open the door for you. You smiled at his kind gesture and took his outstretched hand for you to walk inside together.

The two of you were sat inside of a booth across from each other as you scanned the menus. Shawn hardly looked at his before he was nodding his head and leaning back in his seat to look at you, “Got any idea of what you’re getting?”

“Um, not really. Have you been here before?”

“More times than I can remember. I usually go here after practice late at night because it’s open until like three in the morning.”

“Any suggestions?”

“Well I always get the cheeseburger with no tomato, a chocolate milkshake, and extra fries…”

“Extra fries? You eat that many fries?”

Shawn laughed, a wide smile forming on his face, “Most of the time yes, but if I don’t I just bring them back to the frat house. They’re always gone a couple seconds after I set them down.”

“Hmm, I can't decide if I want a chocolate shake like you or an oreo one. What do you think?”

“I think you should get an oreo one and then we can share them both.” You looked over your menu at him with a small smile, watching his eyes light up as he returned your expression.

“Then that’s what I’ll do.” The waitress came over and you ordered the same thing as Shawn, except with tomatoes, different shake, and of course, no extra fries. Once your milkshakes came out, he requested two extra straws, winking at you as he slid them in.

“So,” he began, sipping on his chocolate milkshake, “Do you think you’re going to come to more hockey games this season?”

“I’m not sure, I guess I’d need a good reason to go,” you smirked at him, taking a sip of yours as well.

“I’m pretty sure I could give you a good reason.” He looked around to make sure no one was looking, but fortunately you two were the only ones in there besides another couple on the other side. Shawn grabbed your hand and leaned forward, his nose brushing against yours. Your heart started beating faster until his lips were right against yours, but you faltered when he froze. The look in his eyes was pleading with you to let him continue so you took control instead, closing the small gap between the two of you. His free hand cradled your cheek as his lips moved with yours, keeping you close to him. It was short and innocent, but it was enough to leave your head spinning and heart pounding. Your lips chased his once he moved back, desperately wanting to feel the softness of them on yours once again, causing him to laugh with a smile before giving you a peck to satisfy you. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“I doubt it was that long,” you mumbled, eyes focusing on where his thumb was rubbing the top of your hand.

“What makes you say that?”

“No guy has ever really been into me before.”

“I think that’s a lie. Besides, I’ve wanted that since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.” He brought your hand to his lips to leave a lingering kiss on it, “You would’ve noticed if your head wasn’t stuck in a book.”

“Didn’t know it was bad to try to be at the top of my class.”

“It isn’t. I think it’s great that you’re at the top of the class list. Now you’re on the top of two lists.”

“Two lists?” you asked, watching as he smiled and leaned forward to try to steal another kiss.

“Yeah, the school’s and mine.”

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[dreaming-about-fanfictions]

Choose Me Instead II Draco Malfoy x Reader II Chapter 12 of 27: Healing

Summary: Pretending to be in a relationship with Draco Malfoy to get back at your ex might have not been the smartest idea you ever had. Especially during your last year of Hogwarts where you should be focusing on exams and your future plans. However, you were just pretending. There was no way in hell you could actually catch feelings for someone like Malfoy. … Right?

CHAPTER 11 “CHOOSE ME INSTEAD” MASTERLIST

A/N: I’m sorry! I meant to post this yesterday!! But then I fell asleep early on the couch lol. So here it is! The chapter is a little slower buuuuut there will be more action in the next two chapters and Draco needs a break from what happened. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!! <3

Words: 3.4k Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Reader, post war Warnings: some anxiety and mentions of suicide (but nothing too heavy, I promise! <3)

He’s just feeling a little down.

That’s what Blaise or Theo said when someone asked about Draco. When they wanted to know why he hadn’t left their room for three days now and when they wondered why he skipped meals again.

You know how it is.

Five words followed by a sigh and everyone understood. They all knew how it was. Most of them had probably gone through a similar episode at least once. When the Slytherins heard that sentence, they mostly nodded with a sympathetic look on their face and backed off. It effectively stopped them from asking any more questions. Well, most of them. Pansy and the Greengrass sisters were more than just worried about their friend and kept pressing on about what happened. However, to their frustration, Theo and Blaise didn’t budge.

After being discharged from the hospital, Draco went to his room. He changed into a pair of pajamas, laid down – and that was it. He slept a lot during the three days but didn’t seem to find any rest. He was being followed by wild dreams which caused him to wake up multiple times, sweaty and with a beating heart that almost jumped out of his chest. Theo got his sleeping medicine after the first day and it helped a little – at least during the night.

During the day, the nightmares came alive in a much more horrid way. He could barely recall the events in the bathroom, it was all a blur. Yet, he remembered the way he felt. Fear and pain and shame, all mixed together. You were there, holding him, turning pale at the sight of his mark and looking at it with disgust. There were tears rolling down your cheeks and he was left wondering if he had lost you.

You, the only good thing in his life at this moment.

Draco didn’t look at his wound once during the three days. He wore a bandage. It itched occasionally, reminding him of what he had tried to do. It didn’t work. Nothing would ever work. The mark would stay there until the day he died and probably even in his afterlife. It would be a constant reminder of his failure. Hate filled him when he thought of it.

“You have a visitor,” Theo said on the first night.

Draco sat up, thinking for some stupid reason that it was you. His heart started beating faster and he looked at Theo with panic in his eyes. “I can’t see her like this.”

Theo frowned and needed a second to understand. “Oh no,” he shook his head and smiled sadly. “It’s Astoria. She brought you dinner.”

Disappointment caused Draco to look down, his cheeks burning red. Of course. There was no reason you would want to see him. Not after you realized how weak he truly was.

Astoria walked inside, a bright smile on her face. She cheerfully started chattering and it irritated Draco. Later, Theo admitted to him that he instructed Astoria to not ask him anything about what happened. She tried to spark a conservation but Draco stayed quiet, his eyes fixated on the ceiling, only nodding occasionally. He didn’t listen to her and truly, he didn’t care what she had to say. She wasn’t the one he wanted to see.

The next day, Astoria talked a little less, sensing that Draco wouldn’t reply. She was right. By lunch on the second day, she simply put the plate on his nightstand and left the room again. Draco thanked Merlin for it.

“You have to get out of bed, man,” Blaise announced on the morning of the third day, just before he left for class.

“I’m not feeling great,” Draco answered and yawned.

“I know, Dray,” his friend sighed. “But this isn’t a solution. Have you changed your clothes once in the past days?”

“Or showered?”, Theo added as he came out of the bathroom.

He could answer both questions with a definite ‘no’. Draco crinkled his nose when he realized this. Even during the war, when he was at his lowest, he was always groomed and well-dressed. It’s important, his mother used to say. It keeps you from losing touch with the world around you.

“Go take a shower and then go to Madame Pomfrey to let her check out your wound,” Blaise decided when he didn’t get an answer from Draco. “And talk to Y/N.”

“No.”

“Yes, Draco. You have to talk to her.”

“You don’t understand.”

Blaise groaned. “I don’t understand a lot of things, apparently.”

“True,” Draco mumbled, not caring if his friend had heard him.

“Right,” Blaise scoffed. “Talk to her. The longer you wait, the harder it’ll be.”

Then the door fell shut and Draco was alone again.

 ***

After much tossing and turning, followed by a lot of cursing – Draco admitted that Blaise was right. Sulking in bed and hiding from his problems wasn’t a permanent solution and this wasn’t the way a Malfoy should behave. He could only imagine what his mother would say to if she saw him like that.

His mother … she had written to him two times in the past days. The school had notified her, telling her about the incident. He hadn’t read the letters yet. They remained unopened on the small table and just looking at them filled him with guilt and sorrow. She worried about him, he was sure of that. She had always worried about him and it had only gotten worse in the last three years. There was nothing more important in Narzissas life than Dracos well-being. He knew that and it made him feel even more remorseful. Nonetheless, he decided that writing to her would be the first step to get out there.

After a long shower, a shave and a change of clothes, Draco hated Blaise a little less for getting him out of bed. He sat down on the table and started writing. It was a long letter, detailing not what he did to himself but rather how his friends and classmates took care of him. How attentive the teachers and Madame Pomfrey were – and that he would be fine. Eventually.

 ***

“It looks very good,” Madame Pomfrey stated after she had examined the almost completely healed up wound. Draco flinched every time she touched the mark, keeping his eyes locked on the black fabric of his pants.

“Rub this on your skin twice a day,” she continued and handed him a jar filled with a red ointment before she turned around to throw away the used bandage. Draco took it and stuffed it in his bag. When he was about to roll down his sleeve, he suddenly hesitated. He bit his lip, unsure whether to ask the healer the burning question on his mind.

“Madame Pomfrey?”

“Yes, dear,” she sat down behind her table.

Draco stared at the mark on his arm before raising his head to meet her gaze. Who else could he ask, after all? “Is there anything … anything I can do about this?”

Madame Pomfrey looked at the tattoo for a moment. Draco resisted the urge to cover it up. “You are not the first one to ask,” she finally said in a soft undertone. “All over the country, healers are being contacted with the same issue,” she sighed and folded her hands. “I’m afraid, however, there’s nothing we can do.”

Draco had expected that answer. He looked down to the ground, pressing his lips together tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Madame Pomfrey sympathized. “It’s black magic, so deep and evil … finding an antidote is almost impossible.”

He knew that as well. He even knew it back when they burned the mark onto his skin. “Right,” Draco cleared his throat and began to roll down his sleeve. “Well, then …”

“But,” the healer interrupted him. “We won’t stop trying. And I promise you, if I ever hear of something I’ll let you know.”

Draco nodded sadly. “Thank you, Madame Pomfrey.”

She leaned back against the chair, a serious expression on her face. “How are you then?”

Draco shrugged. She knew how he was. She saw his arm, didn’t she?

Another sigh from her side. Draco wondered if she was as uncomfortable as he was. “Mr. Malfoy”, she suddenly continued with a firm voice that made him look her in the eyes. “We have come to realize that a lot of students were left with deep wounds after the war.”

He snorted. “Well, that took you a while.”

Madame Pomfrey shot him a sharp look but continued calmly: “Wounds that cannot be treated with traditional medicine because they are not … physical.”

She paused briefly, giving him time to understand. Oh. “You mean we’re going crazy?”, he blurted out.

“No”, she shook her head. “You’re not going crazy. I do, however, believe that you are in need of psychological help.”

Draco scoffed.

“Do you disagree?”

Did he? He wasn’t certain. Psychological help – he wasn’t even sure what that truly meant. He only ever heard about it when his family made fun about muggles, laughing at their weakness. “You sound like one of those muggle healers.”

Madame Pomfrey seemed to have expected that answer. “It’s not a common practice in our world”, she agreed. “But I feel it would be worth a try for you to meet with a professional to … talk.”

Draco thought for a bit. “I can talk to you”, he finally said.

A smile played around the corners of her mouth. “I had to admit to myself that this is not my area of expertise,” she replied. “However, we have found someone already and can arrange a session for tomorrow.”

Draco blinked. That was fast.

“Mr. Malfoy, I believe it would help you get better and prevent … prevent such incidents or worse.”

“Or worse?”, Draco frowned, not understanding what she meant. What happened had been a desperate attempt but he didn’t intentionally try to harm himself. He simply wanted to get rid of the tattoo. Was it dumb? Yes. Did he try to … Draco swallowed. “Do you think I tried to kill myself?”

“No, but …”

“I don’t want to die,” he said loudly but with a steady voice. It was the truth and Draco needed her to understand.

She did. “I’m glad to hear that,” Madame Pomfrey finally said.

“Good,” he nodded and let out a deep breath.

“What do you want then?”

The question took him by surprise. It was a good one. He didn’t have an answer to it yet. All he wanted was the confusion to be gone and the pain to stop. At least a little.

Madame Pomfrey saw his inner conflict by the way his eyes darted across the room. She smiled at him. “I think she can help you figure it out.”

 ***

The next big task on his agenda for today was finding you. It was something that turned out to be much harder than he expected. You weren’t in the Great Hall or the library or the Quidditch field. There weren’t many options left and he treaded the idea of going up to your common room and wait for someone to ask there.

Instead, Draco wandered to the Black Lake, hoping to see you among the students who were involved in snowball fights or walked along the waterside. No luck. Draco groaned. So common room it was, after all. Just when he turned around to go back up to the castle, he spotted someone else though. A head of brown locks and a laugh that belonged to no one else but Granger. Next to her, the boyfriend of the year – Weasel.

Draco hesitated. Should he …? No. No, he shouldn’t. But then again, asking your friends was the easiest way to find out where you were. So he tried to overcome his pride and before he could think of someone else, he shouted: “Granger!”

Grangers head snapped in his direction, eyes widening when she realized who called her.

“Wait a second,” he shouted and jogged the short distance between them to catch up.

“Look who got raised from the dead,” the weasel mocked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What the fuck do you want, Malfoy?!”

Draco didn’t even look at him. Weasley wasn’t worth it. Not today. “Have you seen Y/N?”, he directed his question at Granger.

“She’s probably hiding from you,” the red-haired Gryffindor snickered. “I know, I would.”

“Ronald, please,” Granger shot him a warning glance. Then she looked back at Draco. “No, I haven’t. She just said she wanted to be alone for a bit.”

Alone for a bit. Draco knew right away where you were.

 ***

Coming back to his dorm in the evening, Draco felt a lot better compared to this morning. He was relieved that talking to you went the way it did. He hadn’t lost you and that was all that counted for him in this moment.

Draco had stayed with you for a few more hours. You didn’t talk much and got back to reading your book. He had leaned against the couch with his eyes closed, listening to the cackling of fire and the turning of pages. After a while, you stretched out your legs, putting them on his lap. Draco had smiled. Nothing much had changed. You were there. He’d be okay.

When he got undressed and looked at his mark, he could still feel the way you had traced your fingers over his skin. A shiver ran down his spine. You had been so gentle and unafraid. How could you be like that?

For the first time since the Dark Lord burned the mark onto his skin, Draco raised his hand and … touched it. His heart rate was speeding up at the simple gesture that used to be so dangerous. Carefully, he let his fingers rest on the black color and then began to do the same thing you did; he traced over the outlines of it with his thumb. Draco was surprised by how it felt like … nothing. Like skin. It was just color underneath his skin, he realized. It might have been put there with dark magic but in the end it was nothing more than black color. His breath trembled when he breathed out.

He would be okay. Someday, maybe not today, but someday – he would be okay. It was a promise Draco made to himself.

 ***

The days before Christmas were spent with therapy sessions and classes. Draco wasn’t sure what to think of the therapist. Sure, she was nice and asked him a lot of questions but he still felt awkward. Growing up, talking about feelings was something that was frowned upon by his father. Even though his mother tried to encourage Draco at times to talk to her more, he kept the things that bothered him to himself. It was easier this way. So sitting in front of a stranger, telling her his deepest darkest fears was something he had yet to get used to.

Draco wasn’t the only one who talked to her. In a matter of days, she was fully booked and sat together with students from early in the morning to late in the evening. Even though the profession was met with suspicion, people still wanted to try it out. Draco wondered how long she would stay in the school.

Whenever he had a little free time, he met up with you, going on long walks in the snow or studying together in the library. The tension between the two of you had resolved a little and you were able to talk to him like before. He understood that he had put you in an overwhelming situation and the feelings of shame still hadn’t left yet, but you were there. You wanted to be around him. He couldn’t put in words how happy it made him.

The two of you walked through the streets of Hogsmeade today, looking at the Christmas decorations in the windows after stopping in the Three Broomsticks for a mug of butterbeer. It was the week before Christmas Eve. Draco had agreed to celebrate the holidays with your family. You would introduce him as your boyfriend and even though he knew, that you weren’t actually a couple – they didn’t. They assumed they’d meet their little daughter’s boyfriend for the first time and they damn well knew about his past. For good reason, Draco was nervous.

“We aren’t celebrating Christmas at home this year,” you said in this moment.

Draco frowned. “Why?”

“My mother decided it’d be a good idea to renovate the house in December”, you replied as if that explained everything.

“And?”, Draco asked.

You looked at him quickly. “She’s not done yet.”

“Why not? That’s a doable task when you use magic.”

“Ha,” you snorted and shook your head. “You don’t know my mother. She’s a perfectionist.”

Fantastic, Draco thought. A perfectionist would probably to be the first one to approve of their daughter dating someone like him. “So where are we celebrating then?”

“In a hotel in London, I think”, you gave a half shrug. When you saw Draco’s expression change, you quickly added: “You’re invited, so no need to ask for the costs.”

Draco didn’t look at you. He kept his gaze on the street in front of him, wishing that you didn’t notice the flush creeping across his cheeks. He swallowed and then cleared his throat. “I can’t accept that. It’s too much.”

“Don’t worry,” you said softly. “Please, Draco. They invited you. It’s fine.”

Draco would rather spend the holidays with his grandparents than accepting alms from your family. Before he could decline though, you continued: “Just buy them a bottle of wine and they’ll be happy.”

He gritted his teeth. His ego screamed at him to back away but then again – it was just as impolite to bail one weekend before. His mother would scold him until New Year’s Eve. “Alright,” he finally said. “You have to tell me what wine they drink so I can buy the right one.”

You glanced at Draco from the side, smirking. “Are you nervous?”

He frowned. “What, why?”

“You want to make a good impression, don’t you?” The smirk changed into a grin.

“Obviously,” he scoffed. “I don’t want to spend three days with people who hate me. I get enough of that at school.”

You chuckled. “Right.”

He couldn’t do anything against the small smile that appeared on his face. He looked at you and enjoyed feeling completely and utterly content for a few moments. You were beautiful the way you smiled, wrapped into your Gryffindor scarf and with sparkling eyes and lips that trembled from the cold wind. For a second, he wondered how stunning you’d look in green.  

“Do you ever think about the kiss?”

The words tumbled over his tongue before he could think about them. He scolded himself and bit on his cheek. Why would you? It’s not like … it’s not like it meant anything. It happened when he wasn’t himself and the things he said … Well, Draco would be lying if he claimed to not think about his words every night. They had been true – all of them. However, he was relieved you never mentioned them again. And the kiss? Yes, he thought about it too. Wondering if it had happened under different circumstances, how you would have reacted. Would you have pushed him away as well? Or would it have been like at the beginning of this school year when you met in the storage room? Not that it would matter. Draco didn’t (want to) understand why he even kept imagining it.

“No.”

The answer hit him as if he had sprinted against a brick well. He let out a long breath he didn’t know he was holding in. Oh. Obviously.

“It happened in a moment of … you weren’t thinking clearly.” You looked at him; a hint of uncertainty in your eyes. “Do you?”

“No.” He shook his head slowly. What did he expect? And why did it hurt him?

You cleared your throat, burying your hands deeper in the pockets of your coat. “Okay. Great.”

“Great.”

There was an awkward pause between the two of you as you walked down the streets. The air around you had changed abruptly and it was irritating. You kept looking at Draco, chewing in your lip.

 “Let’s go to Honeydukes,” you finally broke the silence. “I promised my father to bring him his favorite candy.”

***

A/N: I hope you liked it! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! <3

CHAPTER 13 Choose Me Instead Masterlist HP Masterlist

Tag List:  @writerdee1701, @youareinllve, @sjmahoney, @detroitobsessed, @takura-rin, @jadam268, @wynterwind, @mina672, @renaissance-confiance, @harpoon999, @doitforthevine67, @rinasrights, @flowerpowerpixie, @gold-flowing, @starkssnarks, @bookcornerkins, @harpersmariano, @markedsweetly, @iraniq, @pointlesscoconut, @hvrcruxes, @pillowjj, @idkatee, @jungjxxhyun,   @magicwithaknife, @graystherapy, @sophia-gwendolyn, @nxstalgicnxbxdy, @sunsetsofanemoia, @s4dthrills, @tommy-holland, @lordfxxker, @streetfighterrichie, @awaken-the-sirens, @destiels-assbutt13, @pockitparks, @just-addicted-to-bangtan, @cuddlykoala101, @zpandaqueen, @marvelpeters, @natsiboo, @jjjmaybank, @justmesadgirl, @books-and-tings, @slytherinprincedracom, @katiaw2, @saintkore, @nctnight, @lifestragedy, @obxmxybxnk, @spideydobik , @ladylizzieofdarbyshire, @aspiring-ginger, @dracomalfoyswifey, @jpow345, @realistic-breadstick, @h-annahayy, @abbs-is-tired, @alwaysbeanunknownfan, @niallsarmveinstho, @is-this-a-febreze-commercial, @acciowilltolive, @spideysmcu, @sexytholland, @faangirl101, @donttellany1iusetumbler, @mendesmuffinsss, @lilxnvm, @kill-the-teen-memories, @darkusangelus, @p0gue420, @itsbebeyyy, @hesaidimcrazy, @jenniweaslee, @hpxpjo, @brisbubble, @xomaymay, @shitnstuffillregret, @serialkillme, @angel-tears15, @panicattheeverywherekid, @obsssedwithjustaboutanything, @africana-k , @disgraceisonfire, @nobleking, @tashii-blr, @ddaeing, @randogirlo-fando-main, @sadgirlnumber92899, @captivateing, @bitchyegirl, @smiithys, @ninipoo1, @intheawks, @cherrylita, @nothanksnyla, @calpal-4ever, @dracosathenaeum, @belsandthings, @lifeasdreamgirl, @kiwi-sloan, @xdmx, @lexi-ravenclawdracomalfoy, @kvyenxay, @live-awkward, @babebenhardy, @bitchysweets-blog, @cravingmusic, @frau-moon, @ohissandhalasta, @noravirginia1994, @broken-but-beautiful-cassie, @lil-black-heart, @obsssedwithjustaboutanything, @vminenthusiastt, @dracos-slut, @ohbabycal, @saucysuazo, @fuzzzwald, @matsuno-nadeshiko, @amber-arsenault , @virtuallawyergardenbailiff, @loveableasshole, @thehippyprepster, @spideycures​, @echpr, @shiningstar-byulxx, @profoundmoneyprofessoralmond, @twinklebug2282, @bloodiedroses, @klthmef, @ostorianx​

If you want to be added to my tag list, let me know! <3

#draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy imagines #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco #draco malfoy #malfoy #draco x reader #draco x you #slytherin #slytherin imagines #gryffindor #gryffindor imagines #slytherin x gryffindor #draco malfoy x gryffindor #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter imagines #hogwarts #hogwarts imagines #astrids fics

[cheeriecherry]

can i pls rq hcs of bakugou with a s/o with tics? they come with my adhd and i have either happy tics which happen when im excited or i enjoy something, or negative tics when im overstimulated/overwhelmed by something. this morning at 3 am i had a really bad attack because my body was shaking but i couldnt move to release tension. my most common negative tic is where i hit/ punch myself and i alwaus end up hurting after an attack. i need comfort smh :')

Oh god I relate to this, I didn’t know it was an adhd thing too though! When I’m excited, my fingers are always wiggling, but if im like, really uncomfortable or theres Too Much of something I end up pinching my arms and thighs TvT

Trying to sleep is like, the worst though right? Just laying there is Boring and it feels like my insides are crawling with TV static.

Anyways enough of my rambling, back to the show! I’m gonna use some of my tic habits in this too so just be warned lol

-So I’m expanding a little on my old post about bnha x adhd!reader

-So Baku already knows you have ADHD, and he’s somewhat accustomed to it. There’s a lot to it that he hasn’t seen yet, or that you don’t show him because you’re shy (or haven’t gotten around to).

-He notices the little things about you once you start dating, the fine details of your adhd. You’ve always had them, but as his SO he’s paying more attention to you and your habits.

-He still doesn’t get why you have tics sometimes, but that’s just because he doesn’t have adhd. The leg bobbing and pen clicking can get on his nerves sometimes, but he’s learned to keep an eye on you to watch out for when you’re getting restless.

-Usually if he sees you’re starting to get wound up, he’ll order a break from whatever you guys are doing to go for a short walk, either outside or around the dorms. Just something to get you moving, and to give you a small change in scenery. Different sets of stimuli, y’know?

-He’s done a little bit of research on what adhd is, but most of what he’s learned has come from you, so his knowledge is really catered to your specific needs.

-Lowkey thinks some of your excited tics are cute. The way your fingers wiggle when something has caught your attention, or the way you squirm in your seat when you’re excited for something. Even they way you write things in the air when you’re trying to keep track of your thoughts.

-They’re things that are very you, and he thinks all of you is cute. But he’d never say that out loud....or at least not in public. If you’re alone and he’s prompted, he’ll mumble out a quiet compliment and then turn pink in the cheeks. Try not to tease him too much, even if it’s easy. Give him a hug or something instead and thank him, or give him a quiet moment of affection. It’ll help him open up and get a bit more comfortable with relationship stuff.

-The first time he sees one of your negative tics, he doesn’t actually see it happen.

-What I mean is, he sees a bruise on your cheek, and being the concerned boyfriend he is, he wonders (abrasively) where you got it. It looks pretty fresh, but he doesn’t remember you getting hit in the face during training.

-If you’re like me, then you’ll probably try to play it off as an accident. Like ‘oh I slipped in the shower’ or ‘I got stuck and accidentally smacked myself’. He’ll give you the benefit of the doubt the first time, maybe even the second time, but he’s definitely clued in to how his simple question flustered you.

-By the third time he finds bruises on you, he’s actually starting to get worried. A little piece of him wonders if someone’s treating you badly, another student if you’re in the dorms. That’s when he’d pull you aside and ask you about it seriously. If it’s something you’re keen on hiding, he at least has the tact not to blurt it out in front of everyone.

-It’s kind of stressful telling him about your tics, like ‘you know how sometimes when I’m happy that my fingers do the Thing?’ and he’s like ‘yeah’ and you’re like ‘well it goes both ways. When something’s too much or I’m overwhelmed, the tics still happen.’

-He’s like ???? so you’ll have to explain further, how if you’re overstimulated, it can be physically painful and can send you into a panic attack. Like plugging fifty cords into one socket, something’s gonna break, the power’s gonna shut off, or a fire’s gonna start.

-It clicks for him that the bruises on your body are from your own hands. He definitely wants to scold you, or ask why, but he sees how you’re starting to close off a little and get overwhelmed now, so instead he pulls you into a hug.

-He’ll want to try and figure out something else to get the energy out of you, something less harmful. Even if it’s potentially embarrassing for either of you, it’s better than hurting yourself.

-It doesn’t really work like that Baku, but he’s trying. 

-He assures you that there’s no shame in something you have no control over, and also that he’s not ashamed of you. He’s always gonna stick up for you and fight off assholes who talk shit.

-But he does his best convince you to tell him when you’re feeling overwhelmed, so he can be there for you however you need him. Whether it’s getting you out of a place with too much stimuli, or squishing you real tight to calm your nervous system down. He’ll even offer you his arm to pluck at, instead of using your own skin.

-Which, again, isn’t really how it works, but it’s the thought that counts. (Explain to him that the plucking and punching isn’t just for the release of energy, but also to change the sensations your body is experiencing).

-He starts carrying a couple of fidget toys in his pockets for you, in case you forget yours, as well as a little teeny tub of clay for you to squish and shove your fingers into when you start getting the urge to claw and scratch.

-If sound is a big issue for you (it is for me oof) then he’s gonna invest in a really nice pair of noise cancelling headphones for you. As a boyfriend gift, from him to you. It’s probably stupid expensive, but it’s his way of saying ‘I want you to be okay and be able to cope’.

-All in all, he tries his best to notice when you’re starting to get riled up, and he’ll try to get you out of the situation or help you cope. But if you’re already in a bad way, then he’s not going to judge you for it, and he’ll help you treat any bruises or scratches you’ve obtained. And if you want to talk about it, he’s good to listen, but if you don’t, then he’s good to cuddle on your bed and let you play with his hair.

-TL;DR he tries his best and loves you a lot.

#bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha headcanons #mha headcanons #reader has adhd! #like me! #Anonymous

[whatifxwereyou]

The Oncoming Storm Part 29: Into the Empty Storm

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

You have more questions than answers and are starting to think that maybe there aren't any answers. When you wake up, Chen provides you with some but maybe they aren't what you wanted to hear. You have a crisis of faith- but pick yourself back up. Change is coming.

A/N: Change IS coming, on like... Saturday. That's when the choice is! I'm letting you know now that the choice is a weird mundane choice that will change the story! Also, it's almost my birthday, and all I want is more free time to write y/n and these boys LOL. Hope you are all well. Smooches. (title is from a song called believe in nothing, i steal many titles from song lyrics)

Part 28 Part 30 Chapter Index

Your eyes fluttered open.

Your head was splitting but the stone ceiling was at least familiar.

What happened?

Everything was fuzzy. You tried sit up, but your body was too heavy and your arms too weak. Your fingers were tingling and numb, your muscles sore as if they had gone unused for weeks.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Chen’s voice came from your right, but this was not the infirmary. Your stomach was in knots and your shoulder was stiff. You sat up to greet your friend anyway, but your body objected with pain. “Whoa, whoa, hey slow down!” Chen carefully helped you lay back and then propped your head up a bit higher when you tried to sit up again. You were in your room. You hadn’t recognized it immediately.

You were confused.

“Why?” You choked out and then cleared your throat. Your mouth tasted like you hadn’t talked in just as long as your body hadn’t been used. Chen looked nervous and weary, like she hadn’t slept in just as long. “Why do I feel like this?”

“What exactly do you remember?” Chen hesitated. You closed your eyes and tried to remember how you’d gotten there.

That was right. It had been chaos.

“Everything went to hell when I touched the artifacts and…” You knitted your brow and tried to remember. “Oh, god, then Raiden tried to read me and that’s… that’s all I remember.” Your shoulder ached at the memory. There had been nothing else after that. Only pain.

“That was… Y/N, that was three days ago.” Chen braced herself for your panicked response. You stayed silent. Three days? How was that possible? It had felt like both a blink and an eternity of pain and darkness.

“What?” Your stomach dropped and it occurred to you now that there was an IV in your arm. Chen had likely been there the whole time keeping an eye on your vitals and making notes. There was a bedroll on the ground nearby as if to validate your thoughts. Why there? Why weren’t you in the infirmary? You already knew the answer.

You were too dangerous.

Three days was too long to be unconscious.

Your hands were still tingling. That was right. Raiden had shocked you because you had nearly killed Liu Kang and Kung Lao.

“Is Liu okay? Kung Lao?” Whatever had happened to you was less important.

“One thing at a time, Y/N.” Chen tried to urge you to lay back as you tried to sit up, but you shoved her hand away. “Please lay down. You need to take it easy, okay? You had… a little just… don’t panic when I say it, okay?”

“Tell me and then I’ll decide if it warrants panic or not.”

“I don’t want to make you any worse.”

“You not telling me is making it worse.”

“Just try to remember that it’s more complicated than what I’m about to say.”

“Would you just say it already?”

“You had a heart thing.”

You froze. Your ears were suddenly ringing. A heart thing? What kind of heart thing? What did that mean? You let Chen help you lay back down so you could focus on taking calm and deep breaths. Chen was checking your pulse on your wrist and watching you with concerned dark eyes.

A heart thing.

You were young! Healthy! Or at least you had been before those assholes had broken into your dojo and turned your life upside down. This wasn’t fair.

You hadn’t realized you had been holding your breath until Chen was shaking your arm to remind you to breathe. You exhaled and your lungs ached in response. They’d been deprived of too much oxygen too many times now. You finally turned back to Chen whose brow was set in a permanent line of concern.

“Are you okay?”

“You said it was more complicated. How?”

“It wasn’t a heart attack. It was a cardiac incident. You don’t… there are no blockages or anything causing it, but…”

“Isn’t it still the same thing? Heart fails?” You didn’t know much about medicine but you’d seen enough bad Korean dramas to know that the two things were similar.

“It’s different, okay? Your heart is strong, Y/N. You’ll recover. It’s just going to take a bit.”

“I am so fucking tired of my fucking body just… fucking betraying me. Fuck. Just… fuck.” You wanted to rub your hand over your face but you felt so weak that you could have screamed in frustration if you had the energy. Instead, you continued to swear beneath your breath. Chen covered her mouth and laughed, her cheeks pink. Really? That made her blush? She could make dick jokes all day long but swear words made her blush? “I can’t seem to catch a fucking break.”

“It’ll be okay, Y/N. I promise.” Chen had a rare moment of seriousness and offered your hand a comforting squeeze.

“I know.” You heaved a sigh and closed your eyes, taking a few deep cleansing breaths. “I know.” You finally calmed and were able to lift your hand enough to rub over the gauze on your shoulder. It was aching. “I just had to get it out of my system.”

“I get it.” Chen pulled your hand away from the gauze. “Careful with that, please. I’m still trying to get that thing under control and understand what it is.”

“It’s the crack from that godforsaken bell Kung Lao and I found in Japan.” You said in a mocking tone that made Chen laugh again. You should have left the damn things where they were. Things had only escalated far beyond your control since you’d gotten back. You’d felt like you’d made progress before then. “Can you help me sit up?”

“I heard that part of the story. We’re trying to figure out what kind of a connection could cause that. Raiden’s still going with curse. Going with god-curse now actually.”

“Oh. Great.” You let Chen help you sit up and then scooted back against the pillows that Chen adjusted for you. You leaned your head back against the cold stone of the wall behind the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken tremendous effort to sit upright but you felt better now that you had. If you hadn’t used your body in three days, it would take some getting used to your muscles being used again. Thankfully, it hadn’t been any longer.

“Yeah, I imagine that can’t mean anything good. He didn’t tell me much more, just that it was important to tend to it and report any changes. I don’t think I was supposed to hear everything that I did.” Chen tended to the mess of medical supplies that she had set on the floor by your desk.

“You’re good at that.”

“Sometimes being a gossip comes in handy, Y/N.”

“You didn’t answer me before. Are Liu and Lao alright?”

“Lao’s fine. Not even a scrape. He’s proud of that.” Chen smiled sympathetically. “Liu needed a few stitches but he’ll heal up in no time. He’s resilient. Doesn’t ever complain. It’s sweet how worried you are for them.” You weren’t sure that you would ever forget the way that his blood had felt splattering on your skin. You’d been the one to hurt him. He’d been trying to save you from yourself and it had backfired. He’d tell you not to feel guilty but you felt guilty, dammit. There was no way around it. They had been so angry with Raiden for pushing you but you had volunteered to do what you did. It was important even if it had been the wrong choice. You hoped they weren’t losing their minds over you being out for so long. If you had been waiting on one of them to wake up then you would have been going completely crazy.

You wanted them to be okay.

“Thank you.” You were grateful that Chen was there to reassure you and take care of your health. You guessed that Chen had probably volunteered since you were considered dangerous.

“Happy to help, Y/N.” Chen smiled sympathetically. “I’m so relieved to see you awake, I can’t begin to tell you how much. And not just because Kung Lao has been here about a hundred times. He keeps asking to come in. How you’re doing. If he could take over for me for a while. I told him that I’d let him know when you were awake and he doesn’t listen.” Chen clicked her tongue in amusement. You rolled your eyes so hard that Chen snorted. Sweet but typical of him. “Liu came by exactly once and I told him the same thing. He took my word for it. So, par for the course with those two.”

“Sounds about right.” You leaned your head back against the wall again and closed your eyes. God, this was a mess. A cardiac thing? God-curse? There was a mark on your body that mimicked the crack in a cursed object. You’d been nearly choked to death by some gross pale demon-man and you’d maimed Liu Kang. Again.

Where was the line?

Would there ever be an end to this?

Guilt.

You were so tired of guilt.

And pain.

You would gladly take the pain for the rest of your life if it meant keeping the people that you cared about safe from whatever this was. You held your head in your hands and massaged your temples.

“Don’t get in a funk about this, Y/N. You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“Yeah.” You didn’t argue with Chen, but you wondered if this ended in your inevitable death. It didn’t feel like things were getting better. They had escalated violently in the last few days. No matter what control you’d had over your arcana, when you lost control? You lost it to a point where it was dangerous to be around you. Was it fair for you to still be there?

You were putting them all in danger.

Was it fair to consider Liu Kang or Kung Lao’s advances when you were such a danger to them? When it suddenly felt unlikely that you would survive this?

It felt particularly cruel to connect with Kung Lao again after years of having thought he was dead. To have him back only for things to wind up like this. And for Liu Kang, a man you had an insane draw to, unlike any you had ever felt. You’d hurt him now so many times. You knew he was strong but how long until you accidentally hurt him beyond repair? Chen took some vials of blood and you felt almost instantly nauseated at the sight of it. You fanned your face and were grateful to find that your body was adjusting to being used again. Chen helped you stretch and stand and get used to your body again before helping you back down and removing the IV.

“Do you know what will make you feel better?”

“Sleep?”

“I mean, yes, but also… getting you crazy drunk and then having one of those boys come over here to take care of you.” Chen made air quotes and you whined in response. You’d almost forgotten that Chen’s brain lived only in the gutter. “You just have to pick your poison. Kung Lao or Liu Kang.”

“I know that you’re joking but I still feel compelled to tell you that’s a bad idea right now.” If you drank right now, then you would wind up a sobbing disaster of a human being wallowing in self-pity. You didn’t need that right now and neither did either of them.

No matter how you tried to push it away, you couldn’t get it out of your head that this was how you died.

It felt very unfair.

“I need to see you smile, Y/N.” Chen’s voice was dripping with concern. She clasped her hand over yours. “Please?”

“I can’t pretend to do that right now, Chen. I’m still processing that three days have gone by. I’m still processing what happened in there and what any of it could mean. This was supposed to give me answers and all I have are more questions and every fuck up is more violent than the last.”

“We’ll get your answers, Y/N. It’ll be okay. Raiden is going to find a way.”

“Yeah.” You didn’t necessarily agree. Raiden was a God. You were sure that if he knew your existence was putting them all in danger then he would do what was necessary to stop that from happening. Not that you thought that he wanted that for you. He would try to help but there was only so much anyone could do. You assumed he saw a picture bigger than just your life.

“Y/N…” Chen looked to you seriously. “I don’t like this.”

“Wow, really? Because I am having a great time.”

“What an unhealthy coping mechanism.”

“Don’t judge me. It’s working.”

“Is it though?” Chen smiled sadly. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I need to get out of bed and get used to my body again.”

“You should rest a bit longer.”

“I’ve been doing nothing but resting for three days, Chen.” You wanted to do something, anything to feel in control of your body. Chen studied you nervously but then offered you a nod. Together you worked your body just enough to help you get used to being awake and moving around. There was so little that you could control that it felt good to have something small. Chen was willing to help you even if she had tried to get you to slow down. You refused and pushed through it. You knew your limits.

You wanted to feel like yourself and break the fog hanging over you.

After some time, Chen forced you to stop and you rested your hand over your sore shoulder. You could feel your heart beating beneath it. Everything hurt but it only made you want to fight harder to get past whatever this was. You wouldn’t let it win. You wouldn’t let that thing win. It had frightened you for a few minutes and, truthfully, it still scared the hell out of you, but the fear no longer crippled you. You were determined to beat it.

You were not going to die because of this.

“What’s this?” Chen pointed to the wilting flower on the desk next to your journal. You thought that you were much like that flower now. An unfortunate parallel, you thought. Chen was cleaning up some of her medical things and putting them into a small bag after rolling up her bed.

“Just a sweet trinket.” You smiled fondly at the flower. It was pretty, even wilting.

“Liu Kang? Seems like something he would do. Finding beauty in things that are even temporary or some nonsense.”

“It does sound like him but it was actually Kung Lao.”

“Is that so?” Chen pulled out the desk chair and sat. “Can’t say that I can picture him giving anyone a flower. And no offense, but I don’t picture you as much of a flower getting kind of girl, either.”

“And exactly what kind of girl do you think I am, then?” You laughed in surprise. Chen perked up when she heard you laugh.

“You seem more like a grand-gesture kind of girl. Not really a material things girl.”

“Nice save, Chen.”

“We’re off topic. The flower. Focus, Y/N.”

“Oh, right.” You picked up the flower, twisting the stem carefully between your thumb and forefinger. It was still hanging on. There was some life left in it. Not much though. “It’s just something from when we were kids. It was the last time I’d seen him. He gave it to me before we said goodbye and then… he died. Well, at least I thought he had died. Still wrapping my brain around that one.” You set the delicate thing on the desk again.

“Yeah, that’s a big thing.”

“Off topic again though. When he returned from his errand for Raiden, he had found me another. I need to press it between the pages of the journal or something.”

“…you are talking about Kung Lao, right?” Chen seemed skeptical.

“Yes.”

“That’s ridiculously sweet. I’m having a hard time associating it with him.” Chen looked to the flower suspiciously as if she thought you were making up stories to tease her.

“Well, presumably the original flower was burned up in the fire so… it was nice of him to get me another. Not that he would have known I kept it. I guess it had been as important to him as it was to me.”

“You still had the original one?”

“Yeah. I had pressed it between the pages of my favorite book and got special paper to protect it. I hadn’t opened it in years but I assume it’s been burned to a crisp.” You felt the weight of your truth settling on your shoulders. Your life was gone. This wasn’t some crazy vivid dream that you’d eventually recover from. That life was over. There were moments where you missed the monotony but you were also grateful that it had happened to you and not to someone else. You had never fit in back home. Everyone else had belonged there. This was a better place for you.

“And you’re sure that this was Kung Lao, right?”

“I’m positive.” You laughed. Kung Lao definitely didn’t come off as sweet to most people, you realized. It was kind of adorable that it was just for you.

“You were really hung up on him, huh?”

“That’s a different life now, Chen. I thought he was dead. I cherished the little time we had.” Your ran your fingers through your messy hair. It was getting too long.

“Have you thought about going back? To see what happened?”

“I have,” you answered honestly. “But it’s a bad idea, I think. I killed people that night, Chen. And then there was the fire. They probably think that I’m dead. It’s not wrong to assume that either. Part of me died that day. I’m different. I can’t go back to being that woman and I can’t risk being seen.” You had put distance between the woman you had been and the woman you had become. You’d had to. It had been the only way to cope. “I’ve been nervous to talk about it. I can’t explain why.”

“You should probably ask Kung Lao to explain what happened.”

“Yeah, he just loves having a serious conversation. But you’re right. I’m ready to find out, I think.” Of all the crazy things that had happened in your life that one didn’t seem so crazy anymore. After what had happened in Raiden’s chamber, after maiming Liu, after having a heart thing, you could handle what had happened in your hometown.

“I didn’t quite understand the hang up that you had with Kung Lao. He’s such a… difficult man to get along with when you do what I do. But I suppose that I can see it now, knowing a bit more about the history between you two.” Chen admired the flower. “That’s a deep connection. He’s sweet to you… which I find difficult to believe so you must be special to him. Where with Liu…”

“Chen…” You turned your gaze. “Can we not talk about this right now? I know that you’re trying to make me laugh but I’m… I’m scared and my brain is having a hard time with all of this. Tomorrow, I promise, that all bets are off. You can tease me as much as you want but for right now, I need a break.”

“I get it.” Chen smiled and then got up, sat next to you on the bed, and wrapped her arms around you in a comforting hug. “I really do, Y/N.” She held you for a moment before you finally returned the hug. It felt strange to be hugged but nice. No romantic conflict involved. No stress about what it might mean. Just a hug. Comfort. You sniffled, not realizing that your eyes were misty with tears until then.

After Chen pulled back, you wiped your eyes and cleared your throat.

“This is only because you’re in such a state, Y/N. Trust me. Tomorrow? I’m back to pestering you.” Chen scolded and you smiled. “Besides, I wanted to bring up something more serious before I left anyway.”

“Oh, good. Serious with you never ends well for me.”

“It’s not anything medical. I gave you all the news there was to give for that. But with… everything that’s happened? People are starting to talk about it. I mean, they already were to an extent but more about how… scary it is.” Chen avoided your eyes and you felt a familiar and unpleasant frustration in the pit of your stomach. Gossip. “I just wanted to brace you for it. You might get some looks while you’re out and about. Raiden wouldn’t let me keep you in the infirmary just in case something happened. I’ve never seen him so worried, Y/N. It scared us a little.”

You figured Raiden was worried that you’d hurt someone and there was the confirmation. You had hurt someone. You’d hurt Liu. Three times now. You nodded in understanding. People usually feared what they didn’t understand. You were afraid of it too but you couldn’t exactly hide from what was happening. “I can’t blame him for being concerned. I hurt Liu.”

“Oh, no, Y/N.” Chen seemed surprised by your assumption. “He was worried for you, Y/N. I’m sure that our safety was part of his concern but he thought that a familiar and comforting space might help you. I think he’s worried that the heart thing was his fault.” Chen wiggled her fingers and made a sound to imitate the crack of lightning. You hadn’t considered that. You also hadn’t taken Raiden for the sentimental type. He’d come across as a fatherly man, you supposed, but your father hadn’t been sentimental so your idea of that was skewed. “I just wanted to warn you about the gossip and reassure you that it comes from a place of concern. We really like you, Y/N. You make time for us when many wouldn’t. They’re scared for you but also for themselves.”

“I get that.” You weren’t sure what to say about it. This was all too familiar. You felt so guilty that you weren’t sure how you were going to overcome it. The gossip wouldn’t help, you were sure. Your shoulder ached at the memory. It wasn’t as bad as it had been initially. Chen had briefly showed it to you while changing your bandages. It was literally a crack. “Thanks for the heads up, Chen. You’re always looking out for me.”

“I’m happy to.” Chen sounded nervous and you felt the woman’s gaze flitter from you to the door. “I’m afraid to leave you alone like this. I don’t… I feel like you’re not okay, Y/N.”

“I’m okay, Chen. I promise.” You reassured her. You knew you sounded morose. “I know I don’t sound it, but I’m okay. I’m so grateful that you were here when I woke up. You’re wonderful, even if I give you a hard time about teasing me.”

Chen smiled and offered you another quick hug. “It’s going to be okay, Y/N. You’re going to be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

“We will. I’m going to be fine.” You did your best to sound sincere. You knew that you tended to come off as sarcastic and while you weren’t feeling your best right now, you had to believe that you would be okay. Belief was an incredibly powerful thing, more so than you had ever realized before coming to Raiden’s Temple. “You can go. I promise that I’m okay.”

“I’m trusting you, Y/N. Try and take it slow today. I’ll be in and out to check in on you. I expect you to rest for a few days before going back to the crazy nonsense you’ve been up to.”

“I’ll do my best but I’m not good at sitting and doing nothing. I’m probably going to stretch a bit more before I rest for the night. Maybe take a walk. I promise that I won’t overdo it.” You bowed your head in respectful gratitude. Chen gave you one more hug before leaving you alone. After she left, you meditated and exercised. You needed to be okay.

You would keep fighting until you had nothing left.

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 2021 #kung lao #liu kang #liu kang x reader #kung lao x reader #fanfic #drabble #fluff #mk movie #arcana #female reader #reader insert #liu kang x you #kung lao x you #drama #romance #fanfiction #ludi lin #max huang #liu kang/you #kung lao/you #the oncoming storm #angst

[adorehs]

wipeout

Hi the beginning of this story was stuck in my brain for a while… so here it is lol. Got lazy at the end and this really isn’t all that good to begin with.

Summary: Surfer!Harry meets Lifeguard!Y/N after a tragic fall. (6.4k words)

Warnings: unprotected smut, kinda cringey as fuck at the end

Harry was trying to decide how harsh the waves would be by looking at the sky. It was a difficult task but proved to be more accurate then looking at the ocean, so he opted to stare at the sky like a lunatic for a few minutes before each surf.

“What's the consensus?” Louis asks, slapping two hands on Harry’s shoulders.

Harry shot his coach, Louis, a pointed glare, “Probably a bit heavier than usual but it’ll be doable.”

Louis, only a two years senior of twenty four year old Harry, had a spine fracture, resulting in the stiffness of his lower back. It wasn’t an uncommon injury, but it was a bad one. He found himself unable to surf for almost a year so he began coaching other athletes in the meantime. Meeting Harry at twenty two was one of the best things he could’ve done for himself.

Harry was a natural athlete, meaning he learned quickly and took direction well. He was self taught and was unable to do more than a few basic skills when Louis met him. Originally, Louis wanted nothing to do with Harry but he heard some scouts were onto him so he introduced himself and taught the twenty year old how to do a floater- riding the breaking lip of a wave.

He was impressed with the speed Harry picked up the skill so he returned the following day and taught him another skill and cleaned up some of his older ones. They both returned again and again for weeks until one day Louis asked him if he was looking for a sponsor. Harry agreed, and not only did Louis' life turn around as a coach but his companies profits broke records in the industry.

And Harry’s life changed for the better too. His body changed rapidly as he learned more and he was soon able to do almost all skills thrown in a pro competition, though some were sloppy. Louis began enrolling him in surf competitions so he could get some experience and visuals of the skillset of other surfers. In a matter of a year, Harry was surfing in the men’s qualifier for the championship tour to come the following year. At twenty four Harry’s name was racing to the top of the men’s surfing leader board.

Harry stood next to the bed of Louis’ truck, deciding which board he would ride with for the first round. There were three that laid flat, bound together with a cord taught against the rails. Louis always told Harry to pick the one he practices with, but Harry theorizes that each board puts him in a different mood and helps with different aspects of surfing. He would have to do a test run before he decides.

He unwound the cord and pulled out his practice board, making Louis smile in victory. “Don’t get too excited,” Harry mumbles, “Gonna decide later.”

Louis nodded in response and rounded the car to get Harry’s all black wetsuit for the competition. “Bathrooms round the corner,” he pointed at a large tent, “I’ll sign ya in and get your board.”

//

Harry took approximately five minutes in the ocean before paddling back and telling Louis which board he wanted to use (to which Louis rolled his eyes before getting him the white board with black accents). The wind was becoming increasingly heavy and the lifeguards called out everyone who was not in the competition from the area.

Harry squinted as he watched the sun reappear from a sliver between a few clouds, before lining up behind the surfers who stood before him in the queue. There were four competitors before his turn and he was watching as other athletes shook their knees in an effort to stay steady on their board.

“Remember, keep your body forward and don’t take off your leg rope,” Louis scolded him from his right.

Harry had a habit of removing his leg rope before getting up on the board- he says he can’t get a steady stance and he feels restricted. Louis, on the other hand, always butts heads with Harry on that point, claiming taking it off can get him disqualified in some competitions so keeping it on always will help him adapt. Harry never listened until he had to.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t serious, but rather too carefree. He wasn’t one to watch for form and technique unless he had to. He enjoyed the addictive serotonin he seemed to gain from surfing more than anything else.

The queue moved steadily forward and Harry found himself gripping onto his board and digging his toes into the sand as he felt the cool air nip at his exposed feet, “Double pump around, stay tight,” he mumbles his maneuvers to himself. It was only a matter of minutes before it would be his turn to find a wave. The forty-eight seconds allotted to each surfer seemed so short until they were in the ocean.

Harry gets waved in by a judge and he nods kindly before jogging towards the ocean. His hair was beginning to whip around his neck so once he got a bit further in, he sat on his board and tied it up into a bun before continuing forward in search of a wave.

//

You watched as Harry Styles was announced from your spot on the jet ski you were stationed at. You were listening to the live radio broadcast of his turn from your post, the jet ski shaking smoothly and jumping over small waves as the surfers got weaker and weaker from the unpredictable weather.

“Styles starts the final pulling into the pin nice and easy… a clean entrance,” you listen as the wave covers Harry’s body entirely before he reappears on the other side, falling onto the backside of the wave in celebration. You hum in acceptance of the man as he climbs back onto his board, fiddling with his foot rope.

He pauses as he sees another wave approaching and he paddles to the top so he can drop in. “Setting it up clean from the back, Styles is going in with a calm top turn wrap,” you watch as Harry gracefully maneuvers his body along the back of the wave, turning up the back and onto the side, hardly backtracking towards the rush of water.

“Right there! A lay back dagger under the lip. Very smooth, nice and high up on the wave… look at that wave crash too! Good momentum,” the announcer rambles about Harry’s next turn. You cheer silently at his success as his head bops out from under the wave.

“Deep off the bottom, crushing the finish! Another big hack he lets go of!” You watch Harry’s body twist, slightly uncomfortable, through the harsh wave. The water higher than you’ve seen it before, nearly covering your view from the lighthouse on the other side of the beach.

Harry groans at the sight of another good wave- hardly having recovered from the last. His knees were weak and his back was growing stiff at the unearthly winds that whipped harsh water onto his wetsuit like a slap on the back.

He drops in, “Big whip on the oncoming section, holds the rail into a huge top turn wrap and he’s pulling back into the pin,” and Harry’s hand comes in contact with the water once again, making him pull his hand back harshly.

He panics at the feeling and shakes his hand vigorously, slowing down the direction of his surfing. He steps backwards slightly, shaking wildly at the wind hitting his unstable board. Within moments, the board flies out from beneath his feet and hits him square on the head.

Harry’s body falls flat onto the water as his leg lets off the loosened rope and his board comes up without him.

“Styles seems to have taken a trip under for a moment,” the announcer continues, “He has one wave left until competitor Horan makes start.”

Your eyes watch with shock as you wait for Harry to rise from the water- to see his mop of hair or the electric blue of his wet suit. Thirty, thirty one, thirty two, you counted in a rhythm. At forty, you were required to begin your ride towards the athlete.

“Y/N,” you hear on the radio channel, “Head out!”

That was all the invitation you needed as you stood up slightly, grasping onto a ring buoy with an extended cord and tying it to the base of your jet ski. You remained standing as you raced towards the waves, the wind almost knocking you over multiple times as you looked through the water for any indication of Harry.

Your heart drops as you hear the radio go silent with a short static ring and the ocean water grows darker as the sun falls behind a group of clouds. A clap of thunder startles you as you see other lifeguards arriving to take the other surfers back to shore.

You swam in large circles around the area for what felt like a few minutes, but in reality only lasted another thirty seconds.

Out of the blue, you see a small wave crash over Harry’s board and his head makes a light appearance.

Fighting to get his side as quickly as possible, you drag him up onto the buoy you held and tied it to the back of your jet ski. He lays flat on the floating donut, face up, as you wave your arms wildly to indicate you need help.

//

Harry was lying limp against your back as you rode back steadily, the weight of his buff body heavy on yours as you tried to keep the two of you steady without dropping him or falling over.

Coming to an abrupt stop, three men race towards you, “Jesus Harry,” you hear one curse. You look up and make eye contact with the man who is staring at the boy on your back, “Told you keep you fuckin’ leg rope on,” he continues. You conclude the man must be Harry’s coach.

The two other men help him off of you and you curse as you temporarily beach your jet ski. The men had grabbed Harry by the arms and were dragging him onto the ground to see if he needed CPR. “He has a pulse,” one mentions, “But he doesn’t seem to be breathing properly.”

You curse under your breath, “Move,” you mutter, leaning above Harry. Your hands meet his chest as you do a routine of thirty chest compressions and two rescue breaths, “Call first aid,” you scold.

Your mouth meets Harry’s for a second time and you feel his lips twitch under yours. You gasp and sit up, beginning chest compressions again so you don't get water in your own mouth when he starts breathing again.

Sure enough, Harry lets out a dramatic gasp and begins coughing up a bit of water. You lean back before he can project any of the salty water onto your body and continue doing chest compressions until you can feel him breathing normally again.

“You good?” You ask as his coach brings him a towel, “Fall seemed pretty harsh but your run was good.”

“Thanks,” he glanced at you dismissively. “Lou, do you know if I can get my time back?”

“Probably not,” ‘Lou’ replies, “They already started with Horan so I doubt they’d put you back in for just one run.”

Harry nods sadly at his coach and looks back at you, “Do you know where I can get some warmth?” he asks.

Your mouth opens then closes a bit, “Uh- not exactly?”

“It’s a yes or no question,” he counters.

“Yes,” you pause, “But I don’t know if I can take you there.”

He glares at you, “Well can you find out,” his teeth are chattering from the cold air and strong winds blowing his hair entirely to one side.

“Uh.. yeah,” you reply, “I’ll be back.” You walk out of earshot from Harry and his coach and find your dad, the head of the competition.

“Hey- uh Dad?” you ask, tapping on his shoulder. He is speaking to a group of coordinators for the event, moving his hands animatedly.

He turned with a large smile, “Hey honey,” he eyes your wet body, “Everyone good?”

You nod, “Yeah I- uh,” you hesitate, “I wanted to know if I could bring Harry to the lighthouse?”

“Harry Styles?” he asks with a grin, “He’s a great kid, how’s he doin’?”

“He’s alright now, he wanted to get some warmth. I just pulled him from the water.”

Your dad’s eyes widen, “Yeah.. take the bike and be safe.”

You nod a quick thanks before throwing an “I love you,” over your shoulder and finding your duffel bag with the keys and a spare change of clothes.

You present yourself in front of Harry once again, holding onto your duffel and spinning your motorbike keys around your finger, “Come on, gotta get there quick, hm?”

He looks at his coach and nods back at you, “Okay, let’s go.” He stands up and follows you as you lead the way to your motorbike.

“Sorry, I don’t exactly have a warm car,” you say, straddling the bike and kicking the stand up, steadying it with your legs. “Hop on, though, we’ll be there in a few minutes,” you tap the seat behind you, turning forward and holding your helmet back so Harry could use it.

“You should use it,” he comments, pushing your hand slightly back towards your body.

“I know how to be safe, you use it,” you counter, handing the helmet back. He takes a long look at your unwavering stare and sighs as he pushes the helmet onto the mop of curls that are slowly drying off the top of his head.

Once you are sure he is secure, you check around your shoulder before speeding out of the parking lot.

It was mildly uncomfortable- Harry in a skin tight wetsuit and you in an awkwardly fitting one piece. You were both extremely cold and Harry found himself wrapping his arms around you as best as he could to preserve any bit of warmth from both of your bodies as he could.

You sighed in content as you see the lighthouse approaching ahead of you. You slow the motorbike down and park it right before the miniature entrance to the large building, kicking the stand down and locking the bike.

“There are lots of stairs but the place is pretty modern,” you shrug. Between each loop of the spiral staircase there was a different room- a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, a study, and an observatory.

“You can stay down here, I have to turn the heater up,” you begin walking up the stairs before turning to look at him, who’s looking around the kitchen with wide eyes, “Do you want any clothes?”

“Umm,” Harry looks down at his current outfit, “Yes please.”

You nod, going up to the bedroom which was the next floor up. The thermostat dial makes a clicking noise as you increase the temperature in the building, the vents exhausting as air begins flowing. You then changed out of your wet bathing suit into a large sweater and some shorts before finding some of your dad’s clothes of a similar nature before going back down and handing them to Harry.

“They should fit, you can go up and change. I’ll make some food,” you point upstairs without looking at Harry, making your way up to make do with what was remaining in the lighthouse food storage.

You look through what your dad called the freezer- in reality, you thought it was more of a poor excuse of a fridge- and find the stash of frozen meals your family tends to keep there in case of emergencies. “Chicken parm,” you mumble aloud, turning the box over in your hands multiple times in an effort to find and read the expiration date. “Next week… guess I have no choice.”

You turn on the toaster oven that was hidden inside a cabinet and wait for it to heat up. You hear Harry’s heavy footing coming down the wooden paneling of the stairs and you glance at him as he walks over and opens a cupboard.

“Thanks for the clothes,” he mentions, hardly sparing you a glance. “Is there anything edible we can have with that?”

You shrug, “Feel free to look. I have a feeling everything else is just as bad as this.”

He nods, rummaging through the cardboard boxes and plastic containers that were half full from your quick meals. “Ah-ha!” he manages out- head buried deep into the cupboard. “Cocoa powder,” he grins childishly.

You let out a soft chuckle under your breath, “Be my guest,” you gesture towards the stove tops with a set of pants sitting on top of them.

He happily makes his way over, cracking open the box in the process. “Need to boil some water,” he mentions, looking at you.

You find a bottle on the table that hadn’t been opened and hand it to him. He pours the water into the pan and allows it to sit and boil as he watches you carefully reach your hand into the oven and check if the chicken parmesan was at the right temperature.

“Can you even tell like that?” he asks, back leaning against a counter and arms crossed over his chest, making him look even more buff.

“Kind of,” you shrug, glancing over your shoulder, “I bet it’ll need another minute in there before the inside actually warms up,” you conclude, pulling your hand from the oven and closing the door to it.

The water begins to boil in the pan and Harry brings the heat down to a simmer, adding the cocoa, sugar, and a pinch of salt that he found in the same cupboard. He hums in approval as he pours the hot chocolate into two mugs, adding the milk he heated up in another pan into each and mixing them until he is satisfied with the new consistency of the drink.

“Perfect for a rainy day!” he smacks his lips obnoxiously after taking a sip.

“This is definitely the weirdest food combo I’ve ever had,” you pull the chicken parmesan out of the oven.

Harry chuckles, using two forks to move the bulk of chicken onto a plate impatiently. “I’ve had worse. Eaten bugs and s’mores.”

“See, but at least that makes sense. I can guess you’ve had that when camping… this just seems odd.”

He shrugs, “I guess,” he takes a bite out of the chicken. “Why is this really good?” his eyes widened.

You let out a hearty laugh, “Because I cooked it fully and made sure it wasn’t expired?” you explain in a ‘duh’ tone.

Harry rolls his eyes, “Where’d all this sass come from? You were so shy twenty minutes ago.”

“You were a lot meaner twenty minutes ago,” you counter. Your eyes dart towards your phone when you hear it begin to vibrate abruptly.

“Hey dad,” you pick up.

“Hey hon, you guys being safe? Don’t think the storm’s gonna let up anytime soon, so if Harry’s gotta be somewhere he’s gotta go now,” your father's voice comes blaring through the speaker of your phone.

You feel blood rushing to your cheeks at the comment, you wanted to seem independent, “Yeah, we’re safe. I’ll ask him. You good? Need any help down there? I beached my ski by the way, not sure if you saw…” you rambled.

“No, just stay there hon. We got your ski docked and we’ll take care of everything. Check with Harry and don’t go out unless you absolutely need to!”

You hum a response of understanding and bid farewell before hanging up. “Do you need to go somewhere? Or are you staying here?”

“Am I allowed to stay?” he counters.

“If you don’t need to leave tonight then sure. There’s room,” you shrug, picking up your now completed dish and placing it in the sink to wash later.

“I’ll stay,” he confirms, getting up and placing his dish in the sink too before soaking them with water to get the grease off easier.

You nod and look out the small window in front of the sink. The wind was making boats rock and you could see a tree branch fly in front of the window, likely meaning the storm was going to turn into a full fledged hurricane.

You hear the water running smoothly as Harry scrubs each dish and sets them out to dry on the counter, “So what happened?” you ask.

“Huh?”

“Like, when you were surfing. How’d ya fall? You don’t seem like the type,” you shrug, turning to face him.

He glances at you before sitting back down at the dining table, “Lots a things… took off my leg rope, fucked up my footing, hit my head with my board… the list goes on.”

You squint at the man before nodding in disbelief, “Okay. What got you into surfing?”

“Thought it looked cool and I had moved to Malibu. Just rented a board and learned how to stand in a few days. Figured someone could show me the basics and then I met my coach Louis and he signed me,” Harry explains dismissively, “Why’re you a lifeguard? And how’d you get in here?”

“My dad owns this building and he’s the coordinator of the surfing events. Says he knows you but I don’t believe him-” you were cut off.

“No way! Your dad is Mr. Y/L/N? He’s so cool,” Harry gushes. “Paid for my first board and got me a waiver for my first competition out here.”

You let out a laugh, “Yeah, I told him to do that.”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his eyes pleaded to know why you would ask for such a thing for an inexperienced surfer. “I was following Louis before his injury and I knew he wouldn’t put on a bad athlete. Started following you once you got signed,” you continued.

“Did you think I was good?” He asks after absorbing what you had said. You noticed he’s not particularly keen on talking about himself.

“At first I thought you sucked,” you chuckled, sitting down with him at the table, “But the more I watched of you the more drastically you improved. By 2018 I think I was sold completely on you as an athlete. Listened to most of your runs by radio.”

“Only took you two years?” Harry asked, surprised, “Most people are hardly starting with me. Just got my first offer to switch sponsors last week.”

“Always rooting for the underdog a bit, I guess,” you giggle. Though you’ve been sitting with Harry for quite some time now, you are just now realizing the gravity of the situation- you are sitting with an athlete you had admired for years. “I always knew you had potential, though. Went from mediocre to average in just a few months. Impressive,” you smile at him.

“Ah so you were a fan from the start,” Harry teases, “Attracted to my ambition and drive, I bet,” he continued on.

“Don’t let me inflate your head too much, but yes,” you laugh, “You could call me a fan.”

“Now are you a fan of me or a fan of my talent?” he asks.

“Hmmm...” you hum teasingly, “Both?”

“I’m a fan of you too,” Harry smiles. You thought he had some narcissistic qualities to him but he earned them from being so talented.

You step closer to him with a childish grin of your own, “Just me? Or do you like that I saved you?”

His eyes darken to a deeper sea green color at the thought of you, “I like you. And your actions,” he pauses in what seems to be appreciation, “And how fucking sick it is that you drive a motorcycle,” he adds thoughtfully.

You let out a laugh and a quick thanks, smiling at him widely. You didn’t realize you were staring until you heard him clear a hack from his throat, “So what now?”

“Umm,” you hesitate before carefully choosing your words, “You can kiss me?” you ask.

Harry pauses, eyes wide. You knew you made a mistake with that and you quickly tried to retract your previous question, “I- uh- sorry,” you apologize bashfully, “I definitely read the room wrong. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfort-”

You were cut off by Harry taking an impulsive step forward, his left hand finding your waist and his right meeting your jaw. His lips met yours with such great force, you didn’t think moving your mouth against his would end well with all the pressure his mouth forced upon yours.

He pulls away from you slowly, letting the feeling of his lips linger on yours, “Read the room perfectly fine, love,” he comments before reattaching your lips.

This time, the kiss was filled with lust and executed more passion than the previous. You smile and let out a breathy gasp when Harry's fingers squeeze your waist where you find yourself very ticklish. He smiles back against your mouth and slides his hand under your sweatshirt, working it up towards your breast.

“Fuck,” you moan into his mouth as he begins to knead your breast with precise movements. His hand covered the majority of your breast, his palm directly on your hard nipple. He grunts as your hand lowers on his body, cupping his cock through the shorts you gave him.

“God, baby,” he moans as you start palming him through his shorts. Your treatment excites him and he starts rolling your hardened nipples between his index finger and thumb, switching breasts every few minutes so keep the pleasure ongoing.

You let out a whine as he pulls back, “Bedroom,” he pants.

You nod hastily, his hand meeting your lower back as he helps you walk the swirling steps that cover the perimeter of the room. You throw your body onto the bed that is laid in the middle of the room, shoving your shorts and panties off and flinging them to the foot of the bed. You do the same with your sweatshirt and Harry follows in suit, falling on top of you when he’s done.

Once again, his mouth finds yours, this time his hands making their way down to your dripping cunt. You let out an exaggerated, “Fuck,” when his cold finger makes contact with your swollen clit.

His legs are straddling your body, hand rubbing quick circles on your clit, and yours finds its way to his hardened cock.

It sat stiff against his stomach, begging to be teased so you obliged. You reach down and take his cock into your hand, squeezing it softly eliciting a loud moan from Harry’s pink lips. He moves his lips down to your neck, burying his head into the crook before sucking harshly, sure to leave you purple.

Your head rolls back and to the side giving him more access to your neck and you quicken your hand movements on his cock, sliding your hand up and down quickly, your thumb swiping on his opening and using precum as a lubricant.

You let out a wrangled moan as his fingers trail down to your hot cunt, sliding in fully, his finger gaining warmth quickly from your core, “Feels so good,” you let out.

He hums into your neck, sitting up and kissing you full on the lips. He lays down and finds himself leaving wet, hot kisses across your skin from your ankle up to your inner thigh. His teeth find a home on the soft flesh of your inner thigh and leave a dark mark on your skin, making you moan at the sight.

As his lips travel towards your clit, you find yourself unable to breathe, constantly gasping for air. Your heart is beating out of your chest as he lays his tongue flat on your core, licking you from the bottom to the top repeatedly.

Your hands find their way into his hair as you tug him closer to your body. He lets out a soft giggle at the motion and kisses your clit in appreciation. He begins his assault on your clit, nibbling it softly and moving it around his tongue as your gasp for air beneath him.

You begin tugging on his hair, begging for more. You needed to feel him fully. He understands your inverbal signal, standing up properly from his place, a bit of cum glistening on his chin. As if he senses your eyes on his chin, he uses his thumb to swipe the cum off, sucking his thumb clean.

You groan at the sight of him teasing you, using your hands to pull him on top of you again, “Please,” you beg.

He smirks at your desperation and lets out a simple, one word question, “Condom?”

You shake your head vigorously. No time for that, you thought. “Wanna feel you,” you tell him, “Is that okay?”

He lets out a laugh, “Yes, what kind of question is that?”

His cock finds its way into your hand again, you lining it up with your slick entrance. Slowly, you push your bodies together, letting them mold together perfectly. You gasp immediately at the feeling of him inside you. You understood his size, but when he was on top of you, you found he was much larger than you first anticipated.

You push him away once he gets halfway through, “Hold on,” you grunt, adjusting your position on your bed. He hums in acceptance, catching his breath as well.

He sighs in relief as you grant him permission to push further, both of you moaning in unison. Him at the tightness and you at the stretch. You both found immediate pleasure within each other without much else needed.

“Fuck,” you groan into his ear as he starts quickening his pace. His both moved in quick, deep strokes as your lips met over and over, making the room sound exclusively of your skin touching and breathy moans.

He slows down a bit, his strokes becoming a bit more sloppy, as he feels you begin to twitch beneath him. “Harry,” you plead.

He smiles, still working you up slowly, “Yes?”

“Fuck me please,” you beg, you head jerking back as he quickens his pace once more.

He increases speed and you shift your body to the side a bit to feel him deeper than before. You were nearing your orgasm and Harry could feel it too. That’s why he’s fucking with you, you tell yourself.

“I’m about to come,” he warns, pulling out of you completely. You whine at the loss, your hand reaching towards his again. “No,” he whispers, his hand swatting your hand away and meeting your clit once more. His fingers work fast, teasing you with soft touches, and soon enough you have come all over his fingers.

“Fuck,” you comment one last time.

//

You and Harry sat on the bed, him holding you close to him from behind, as you watched a film. As engrossed as you were with The Princess Bride, Harry could not relate. He had seen the film multiple times before- a result of growing up with an older sister- and could practically quote it with his eyes closed.

Harry was bored, to say the least.

At first, he tried to make you pay attention to him, but it didn’t work. This was one of your all time favorite movies, after all.

He tried to squeeze you closer to him, play with your hair, even tickle you. Nothing was working. You were zoned into the film, watching as Westley chants ‘As you wish!” as he tumbles from the hilltops, Buttercup quickly realizing her mistake and tumbling down after him.

Harry sighed in frustration. He was needy and horny. He wanted your attention.

His hand trailed down from where it sat on your waist to your legs, spreading them apart as he pleased. You hardly gave the action a second though, spreading your legs at his will and leaning further into his back.

Harry smirked, his hand rubbing up and down your bare thigh, making you shiver at his touch. He understood the effect he had on girls but you weren’t just a girl- you were a woman. A beautiful, sexy, kind woman.

He teased you for a bit, still attempting to get your attention. His goal was an utter failure, though. All he got was a few laughs caused by the film and some slight squirming- not what he expected.

You gasped loudly as Harry’s hand moved its way down towards your core for a second time that night, moving your panties to the side as his index finger met your clit.

He began slowly, rubbing soft, slow circles, “Keep watching,” he’d remind you.

You would let a weak nod through your poker face, trying to diverge your thoughts to the couple portrayed on the screen in front of you, but it was impossible. Harry was all consuming.

The soft and slow circles abruptly became quick, and the one finger became three. His hand laid flat against you, occasionally slipping down into your dripping cunt. You gasped every few moments at a new sensation you felt along your body, whether that be his lips on your ear or his other hand on your breast.

Your leg moves farther from your center, finding a new home propped up on Harry’s bent knee. He pushed your leg up when he brought his knee closer to his chest and rubbed you from what seemed to be the best angle yet, beckoning a, “Right there, fuck,” from your swollen lips.

“Feels good, hm?” Harry asks, his lips right on your ear. You feel your face begin to heat up as pleasure seems to overwhelm your body from the past days events.

“So good, don’t stop,” you edge on.

Harry obediently continues his assault on your clit- fingers moving quickly as your back arches against him in a continuous rhythm, your head thrashing back and forth in harmony, and it was safe to assume that the movie is long forgotten now.

You let out a loud moan, your body beginning to shake with pleasure, as Harry’s other hand found its way to your dripping core. He continued rubbing whilst also penetrating you slowly and teasingly with his fingers.

Within the next minute you came, the room filled with your screams and breathy moans and Harry’s smug laugh. You decided he enjoyed watching you struggle under his hands.

//

It was a longstanding tradition of yours to have tea at the observatory the night after a big storm. You felt it was nice to assess the damage from the one place it could look beautiful.

You woke up to the sound of seagulls pecking at a lighthouse window as they usually the night after a storm. It was theorized that they were on the hunt for food. You turned to look towards Harry, hoping they wouldn’t wake him up. He laid next to you, arm sprawled out and over your shoulder and you were forced to chuckle at the sight because you hadn't seen someone look so good while asleep in a while.

You carefully untangled yourself from his hold and walked downstairs to the kitchen in hopes of making some tea.

You went through the grueling ten minute process of boiling a pot of water on a gas stove before transferring the water into a mug and adding a green tea bag into it, making sure to add a note stating you would be on the top floor just in case Harry woke up before you were back.

The stairs took far too long then necessary to climb but they were long and drawn out, hardly stairs at the point. You reached the top deck with a significantly cooler mug but you didn’t mind. Part of the tradition.

You looked out over the beach- trash littered over the bleachers they didn’t have time to put away, tree branches all over the ground, the sand looking darker than usual- likely drenched from the previous night's rain.

It was an odd sensation- to see birds flying in circles looking for the food and their old homes.

“Well fuck,” you mutter, taking in what you would be cleaning up for the next few days with your dad.

“Woah it looks rough out here,” you hear Harry’s deep and groggy morning voice. You turned to look at him, his eyes hardly open as he stretched his arms out behind him, his torso out on display.

“Yeah, gotta clean it up soon,” you speak softly. Even through the darkest storms, the water stays relatively calm. The waves crashed just as intensely as before, claiming the sand as their own as you watched from a birds eye view.

“Need any help?” he offers.

You smile and shake your head before turning back towards the ocean, “No, that’s fine. You should probably train some more anyway.”

“It’s nice to take a break sometimes too,” he tells you, stepping forward so he is standing directly to your right.

“I guess,” you shrug, “Wasn’t last night a good enough break?”

“Definitely not,” Harry shakes his head.

You shoot him a glare, about to give him a piece of your mind before he continues, “Nowhere near long enough.”

“Well, how long would you like this break to be?” you ask him, turning so your chest is practically touching his.

“Like,” he pauses teasingly, “Like a long time,” he decides.

“Is this your corrupt way of asking me out?” you ask with a smile spread across your lips. Harry nods in response, making you squeal with happiness.

Your arms find their way around his broad shoulders as he hugs you, lifting you up and off the ground slightly.

“So that means you’ll help me clean right?” you ask Harry, making him groan. “I’m just kidding, you can stay here in this lighthouse with me,” you seal your promise with a deep kiss on his lips.

“Hmm, sit in this lighthouse with you all night, surf all day. Sounds like a dream,” Harry comments, his arms finding their way around your body, holding you close to him. Your chests heaved in unison as you found your heartbeat rising.

“You’re a dream.”

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