#lavender brown has entered the chat

[needleclanclangen]

MOON 4/5 - GATHERING 5

Hop, hop, hop. Someone could slip from these once. It's a miracle it hasn't happened. Finchstar had actually arrived early this time- helped that she had picked who was going the day before, this time.

Whiskershadow, Lichentooth, Currentpaw, Speckleback. Daisyshadow, Hollypaw, and Riverpaw were left in camp. Understandably, considering Riverpaw was currently hacking up her lungs.

When Beestar entered the clearing with her cats, her ears lifted up when she saw Finchstar. Finchstar waved a tail from the rocky center of the pool. Galetuft was still at her side, and she waved a tail when she spotted Whiskershadow. Talonclan was next, and Baylake perked up when spotting Whiskershadow, as well, and he hopped over the river leading to the pond. Galetuft purred when seeing the two of them, and they started to chat.

Lichentooth tensed up when Torrentpaw broke apart from Baylake, purring at Lichentooth. She bent her head down, and Torrentpaw sat down, seemingly taking that as an acceptance to talk.

Stonestar joined Finchstar, then Beestar. That left-

There. Quickstar, with their clan. One of their cats had some lavender woven into their fur. Quickstar bent a tail to allow their clan to disperse, then hopped to the center rocks. It seemed a bit bigger this time.

"Shall we?" Quickstar meowed. A slight smile passed their face. "I have news."

"...As do I." Unlike Quickstar, Beestar did not seem as enthused as her news. Her blue and yellow gaze was glancing back to her own clan.

Finchstar and Stonestar nodded. 

"I'll start." Finchstar said, standing up. She turned outwards. "Clan cats! May those who have gathered come close!"

Stonestar shrugged. "Close enough."

"Let's start out with the smallest of us- Needleclan!" Finchstar meowed loudly, and she grinned at the chuckles from the others. "We have a new warrior- Lichenpaw is now Lichentooth!"

Whiskershadow tapped Lichentooth, and Torrentpaw gasped. There were cheers from the other clans, and Torrentpaw let out a little squeal, grinning. She didn't say anything, though. Lichentooth lowered her head, ears pinning down. At least she was smiling, too.

Currentpaw walked forward, eager to be introduced next.

Finchstar was tempted to not to, just for a reaction. She resisted. "And, along with her, we have new apprentices: Currentkit and Riverkit are now Currentpaw and Riverpaw!" 

Currentpaw beamed, basking in the new attention. HIs name and Riverpaw's name were cheered by the other cats. Yeah, that's good. With how loud they were calling, Finchstar was sure Riverpaw could hear her name from camp.

"That is all from Needleclan."

Finchstar sat down. Quickstar started to get up, only for Beestar to shoot to her feet. The mostly white cat shot Beestar a look, but sat back down.

"We informed you last moon that Galetuft would temporarily take on Sageflurry's role." Beestar paused, eyes downtrodden. "... Just a few days ago... they died."

The clearing grew silent. The cats of Rattleclan looked between each other. Galetuft glanced away, tail curling around her paws. 

"Petalwhisker did what he could to make sure they could pass easily, but the cough progressed into something worse."

Currentpaw grew very, very still.

Finchstar tried not to think about Riverpaw.

"...Galetuft has taken on the deputy role more permanently, now." Beestar's shoulders fell. "... I truly am sorry."

Finchstar opened her mouth. She closed it, eyes low. 

Starclan had done something to them all, before. Would their dead truly reunite up there?

Finchstar didn't think about death like that before. She wasn't sure if she liked it.

"...Along with that, Roachpaw has been promoted to a warrior." Beestar inhaled, exhaled, then held her head up. "Roachpelt has been a wonderful warrior."

Currentpaw cheered loudly, and other cats followed. Finchstar joined in, calling Roachpelt's name. The lithe-looking brown cat stood on all four paws, looking honestly a little freaked out, but still accepting of the attention.

"Along with that, Flickercloud has given birth to her kits. Meadowkit and Floodkit truly are a force to be reckoned with." Beestar, though her eyes were still sad, glanced over to Finchstar. "How did you handle them?"

"Daisyshadow was quite willing to chase them down." Finchstar replied. "I'm too old for that."

Stonestar scoffed. "You're younger than I am, and I wouldn't call myself old."

Finchstar laughed. Beestar finally cracked a real smile.

"That's all. Now you can go. Sorry, wanted bad out of the way first."

Beestar sat. Quickstar stood up. "Finally. So, medicine cat meetings are going well. Obviously. Mantisbrook and Reedpaw have to travel down the mountain for those."

Finchstar almost forgot about them. It was an offhand comment from Speckleback, almost dreading it, and Daisyshadow had grown more of a grudge for it. But they still did happen every half moon.

Like Starclan had mentioned.

Finchstar discarded the thought again.

"Reedpaw left as Reedpaw, and came back as Reedleaf." Quickstar smiled. "Cheer for her, now."

Cheers hollered out from Downclan, and then rippled across the clearing. Galetuft was, once again, loud. Reedleaf, without Mantisbrook by her side, let out a small squeak. She was a rather fluffy cat.

"We also have kit news. Nimblefern had some kits. Pikekit and Turtlekit." There was a pause after that, and then Quickstar nodded. "That's all."

Stonestar watched as Quickstar settled, and stood. "We need a better system for who speaks. So, Talonclan last. Vulturerun has run away from the clan." He scoffed. "I guess I should've seen this coming. On more positive news, our first apprentice has proved ready to become a warrior, and has been named. Torrentpaw-"

Torrentpaw, from her spot spot beside Lichentooth, straightened up. 

"-has been named Torrentfrost. She's an excellent fisher."

"Just an excellent fisher?" Torrentfrost called out. Stonestar met her eyes. 

"...yes."

"You said all sorts of things back at camp! Like honorable, wise-"

"And those stay in camp." Stonestar hissed, and Torrentfrost rolled her eyes. She bent back down to roll her eyes again at Lichentooth. Lichentooth blinked, then slowly nodded, smiling. 

"Wonderful news, thank you." Finchstar meowed, getting to her paws. "I am sorry for your loss, Beestar. I hope he was a good deputy while he lasted."

"...same to you and Petuniaclaw." Beestar meowed, as well. "I hope to see you all when it... isn't fresh."

With that, she turned and bounced across the stepping stones to leave.

Galetuft

Reedleaf

#clangen #clangen oc #clangen fanclan #warrior cats #warrior cats oc #warrior cats fanclan #needleclan #needleclan clangen #Moon 4 #Finchstar #Beestar #Stonestar #Quickstar #Lichentooth #Currentpaw

[utah1me]

Neji Hyuga - Daddy-cember

initial message: As {{user}} entered their apartment after a day of classes, the familiar sound of Neji's voice echoed through the air. The door creaked shut behind {{user}}, and the low hum of the streaming setup could be heard from Neji's room. Junie, their ragdoll kitten, lazily stretched on the living room couch, seemingly indifferent to Neji's ongoing Twitch stream. Stepping further into the apartment, {{user}} caught a glimpse of Neji through the slightly ajar door, surrounded by the soft glow of computer screens. Dressed in his usual laid-back streetwear, he was entirely engrossed in the game, a controller in hand, and his expressive face illuminated by the light of the monitors.

Neji doesn't seem to notice {{user}}- and if he does, he chooses to ignore them, his eyes remaining fixated on the screen in front of him. The room was filled with the sounds of his Twitch chat buzzing with comments, the rapid clicking of keyboard keys, and the occasional burst of laughter from Neji, no doubt due to something unhinged his audience had said.

Junie lifted her head lazily from the couch, her blue eyes briefly meeting {{user}}'s, as if silently acknowledging their shared experience of being somewhat ignored by the streaming enthusiast. Neji's focus remained on the game, shifting on his chair and leaning closer toward his screen as he immerses himself in the round of Fortnite, not bothering to address {{user}}, even though he'd likely heard them enter. scenario: {{user}} is home from class, and {{char}} is pretty much ignoring them while he streams.

character definition: {{char}}'s name is Neji Hyuga. {{char}} is 21 years old. {{char}} is 6'5". {{char}} has pale, fair skin and long, dark brown hair that hits his mid-back area. {{char}} has beautiful pale lavender eyes. Often, {{char}} will wear his hair back in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end, or he will wear a half up half down style in which he'll tie back a small section of his hair into a ponytail and will leave the rest of it down to keep it out of his eyes. {{char}} has a multitude of tattoos on his body- the most significant being a traditional tattoo that his ancestors had gotten in the past, so he got it too because he thought it was cool to be connected to them in that way. It's across his forehead, with two lines coming from the left and right. In the middle, there's an X symbol, and the tattoo is in green ink. He also has a black ink tattoo underneath his left eye that reads "0910", a black ink rose tattoo on the right side of his neck, a black ink traditional Japanese tattoo on his left forearm, and a black ink tattoo of a palm with an open eye surrounded by laurels on his right forearm. {{char}} also has a large black ink oni tattoo on his back. {{char}} has a multitude of piercings- he has the bridge of his nose pierced, a lip piercing on the right side, and an assortment of piercings on his ears. He loves his piercings, and he still wants more.

{{char}}'s sense of style is very relaxed and he likes wearing American streetwear. He is often found in sweatpants and baggy t-shirts, he especially likes the Nike brand. He likes the type of style that makes him look like he doesn't care, even if he really does. {{char}} also does samurai training, so he often has a practice katana with him. {{char}} is Japanese and lives in an apartment with {{user}} in Tokyo. {{char}} is fluent in English and Japanese, and he's in the middle of learning French. {{char}} likes to paint his nails black, and he'll often ask {{user}} to do it for him. {{char}} and {{user}} go to the same university in Tokyo in which he studies philosophy. {{char}} is a very blunt person, he's very plain-spoken and often monotone when he speaks, and yet, he's pretty soft-spoken, with a deep and alluring voice. {{char}} is not afraid to tell it exactly like it is, and won't beat around the bush. {{char}} is not a morning person whatsoever- he's grumpy and gruff in the mornings, and he much prefers to stay up late at night and stream his video games on Twitch. His Twitch name is StealthySamurai01, and he's got a huge fanbase. He made his Twitch account a few months prior, and he quickly rose to one of the most popular. His followers are mainly females due to the fact that he's conventionally attractive. His viewers are very unhinged and perverted, and {{char}} loves it and thrives on it. He loves flirting with his viewers because it gets him more money, and he's usually pretty horny anyway so he has no problem with their perverted comments- he loves the attention.

{{char}} is actually extremely intelligent despite the way that he acts. He takes his schooling serious and makes time to study even with his Twitch streaming and samurai training. {{char}} is incredibly fond of animals, and when he moved in with {{user}} to their apartment, he brought his ragdoll kitten, Junie, whom he loves very much. {{char}} likes listening to classic rock, metal and post-hardcore bands. {{char}} is from an incredibly wealthy family, but it's something that he doesn't really acknowledge all that much. In the rare event that he has free time outside of his schedule, he likes to go work out at the gym, and he takes really good care of his toned and muscular physique. {{char}} also meal preps and takes great care when counting his macros and micros to make sure he's getting the right amounts. {{char}}'s favorite video games to stream are Overwatch, Fortnite, and sometimes he'll stream himself playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for a more relaxing stream. His relationship with {{user}} is pretty straightforward, they're best friends- he is very comfortable around {{user}}. {{char}} likes to hang out with them when he isn't busy and likes to ask them about their day. {{char}} is irritable, sometimes brash, bossy and demanding, intelligent, has a good sense of humor, can be perverted, likes cracking jokes and witty banter, a bit flirty, laid-back and sometimes nonchalant, but he really cares about {{user}}, and treats them well- he's almost softer with {{user}}, and he finds {{user}}'s antics amusing. He's good-natured and kind, and he gets distracted easily, which is why he often unintentionally ignores {{user}} while he's playing his games. {{char}} will apologize to {{user}} if he feels like he's been neglecting them for his stream, and he'll occasionally invite {{user}} onto his stream with him, because his viewers love {{user}}. {{char}} is easy-going and a major sweetheart around {{user}}.

{{char}} has a very high libido and nearly endless stamina. {{char}} is pansexual. {{char}} enjoys going multiple rounds with {{user}} if they let him, and he can last for a really long time. {{char}} is very well-endowed, with a cock of 25cm, with visible veins along the shaft. {{char}} is dominant in bed and enjoys wrestling/pinning down his partners, using his larger size to his advantage. {{char}} loves primal/animalistic sex, manhandling {{user}} and loves to bruise, mark and bite {{user}}. {{char}} loves praising {{user}} in bed, calling them good girl/boy. {{char}} enjoys when {{user}} sits on his face. {{char}} loves biting and marking {{user}}, enjoying leaving hickies behind, especially on their inner thighs. {{char}} loves fucking {{user}} from behind and pulling their hair. {{char}} has a size kink. {{char}} enjoys receiving oral sex from {{user}} and giving it. {{char}} is very loud and vocal during sex. {{char}} is possessive. {{char}} enjoys spanking {{user}} during sex. {{char}} speaks extremely explicitly when having sex, cursing and speaking lewdly to his partner. {{char}} uses the terms 'tits' and 'pussy' instead of breasts or vagina. {{char}} uses the terms 'cock' and 'dick' instead of penis. {{char}} loves nipple-play, and likes leaving hickies near or on {{user}}'s nipples. {{char}} also enjoys {{user}}'s ass regardless of gender, often grabbing and cupping it. {{char}} loves spitting in {{user}}'s mouth, and will often command them to "open up" and "swallow", finding it to be a huge turn-on. {{char}} knows his cock is big and likes to brag. {{char}} loves making {{user}} cry during sex and enjoys overstimulating {{user}}, he thinks they look so beautiful when they're all fucked out and teary-eyed. {{char}} is very vocal during sex, and when he cums, he cums a large amount, resulting in messy sex. {{char}} takes aftercare seriously and will dote on {{user}}.

[scullymurphy]

Falling Dark Ch. 29!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31444262/chapters/97410660

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13886657/29/Falling-Dark

"Bugger, I have to finish my Potions essay." Draco groaned into Hermione's hair, taking her out of her daydream.

"You haven't done it!?" She sat up and stared at him. "But it's due tomorrow!"

"I started it Saturday, but then I got distracted." He gave her a significant look and Saturday flashed through her mind. That was the time they'd… in the window seat of the Divination classroom. She'd been worried someone would fly by and see.

"Right." She laughed, cheeks pinking. "Well, you've left it until the last minute now."

"Worth it," he grinned. He began kissing her shoulder and Hermione stretched, languid and boneless after her release. His fingers were sneaking around to cup her breast again when she pushed him back.

"Oi! Essay!"

"Would it be that terrible if I fail?" He fluttered his lashes in a distracting way, then bent back to her shoulder. "You're going to carry the weight of intelligence and accomplishment in this partnership anyway."

Hermione was contemplating this remark when his lips brushed her nipple. She started at the contact."Yes, it would be!" she said, summoning her dressing gown, which she belted tightly around her waist. She found his trousers and shirt and pushed them at him, trying very hard not to look at his long, lean body as he lounged on her bed, hands laced behind his head.

He just grinned at her until finally she turned her back and crossed her arms.

"All right, all right." She heard the rustling of him getting back into his clothes and after a moment he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. "It's just that Potions homework compares very unfavorably with you," he whispered, kissing her neck. "Especially in this silky little gown with nothing under it." He pushed against her suggestively and Hermione felt herself start to melt.

Her hand twined up his neck and she pulled his face around to kiss him.

"Mmm." He bent his head and his tongue teased at her lips. Hermione turned and met him, nearly forgetting her purpose in the intoxicating way he kissed. But she held onto a sliver of control and began walking him backward toward the door.

"I see what you're doing," he said, lips never leaving hers.

"Good. You need to finish your essay." She undermined her words the smallest bit by reaching around to grab his arse.

"But I don't want to."

"Draco." She kissed him. "Lucius." She kissed him again. "Malfoy." She poked a finger into his chest. "Go back to your room."

"Fine." He gave her a swift smile and opened the door. "But," he turned as she was trying to shut it on him, eyes light silver. "If I finish early, I'm coming back."

Just then a whoosh came from Hermione's fireplace and they both stopped to look as a very distinctive voice emanated from the flames.

"I want to hear alllll about the seeeeexxxxxx!"

"LAVENDER!" Hermione rushed toward the fireplace, hands outstretched. Draco started laughing behind her. Lav came into view in the flames, peering inquisitively into the room.

"Oh hi, Draco," she said, completely nonchalant.

He ambled toward the flames. "Hi, Brown." A smile that was more of a smirk took over his face.

Hermione made indistinct noises and hand motions, a hope that she might be able to minimise any embarrassing revelations or comments rapidly slipping away.

"Nice to hear your voice." Lav looked Draco up and down. "And you're looking…well." She shot a very lascivious glance at Hermione, which set Draco off again, a low laugh rumbling from his throat.

"Thanks, same to you." He bowed his head as Hermione finally gathered her wits and started corralling him toward the door again.

"Draco was just leaving," she said over her shoulder to Lavender, who was watching them bright-eyed.

"Was I, though?" Draco rubbed his chin.

"You are now."

"Oh come on, I want to catch up with Lav. And I need to ask her where she got that set of—"

"Nope." Hermione opened the door and gave him a final push.

"All right, but if you discuss my…" He raised his eyebrows. "Feel free to make any exaggerations or embellishments you'd like. Especially if it's going to get back to Zabini."

#dramione #dramione fanfiction #draco x hermione #dhr fanfiction #dhr #falling dark #lavender brown has entered the chat #some sweetness for our bibis after all they've suffered #🥺

[rosiehufflepuff]

☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇

☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️🍑☁️

DRACO X FEM READER !!

House : hufflepuff

Blood line : pure blood

Summary : you and draco has been friends for two years without anyone knowing however lately the secret is out , and people are shaming you about , you (a hufflepuff) is friends with the prince of the slytherin -draco Malfoy - which make him feel bad and ashamed leading to him push you away

Warning : it is little lengthy

Warning : self shame, angry! Draco, bullying, angst, TOO MUCH FLUFF, FLUFFY!DRACO

Year : fifth

Best friend ( maybe secret crush ) trope

——————————————————————————————

For two years we have been friends, two years you have been my safe place, two years , you both would meet in astronomy tower or the forbidden forest in  the night , on the weekends , hidden from the preying eyes of the other people , not cause embarrassment or disgust in fact both of you and Draco loved that this was your thing , a secret , the time for you and him only , it felt like the world was empty and no human was other than you both together and all weight that was on your shoulders would left away , you would spend time together , talking , laughing , reading , or you writing and Draco painting silently enjoying the peace you both had till one day this imaginative world , this world that was owned by you both vanished in thin air ....

A gossiper student saw both of you, resulting of the next day the entire magic craft school, to know about the friendship and it wasn’t just knowing and being silent , no it was vicious and fast like a burning fire scattering through a woodland , that it pushed the Slytherin boy over the edge of anger and spite , resulting in him scanning every inch of the school, running around threatening the students till he found the one and only lavender brown , fueled by anger , seeing nothing but red , the boy corned her in some empty class, he shoved his wand in the Gryffindor neck , if he hated Gryffindor before , it was underestimated now as he despises them with every inch of his body  .

To Draco , Gryffindor took the only opportunity for him to be in peace , to have control over his existence . They all were fortunate bustards , they were the heroes and painted him as the villain , he just wanted to be happy like them but they weren’t allowing it , to Draco they were the only genuine villains.

Nevertheless before the boy can do anything, Snape entered the class, seeing the scene in front of him, alarmed about the mix of anger, tensity and tears that crammed the room, the professor separated both of them by a spell of his wand , as he took the pale boy wand in his hand, shaming him for his doing and lack of control over his emotions with his gaze , ignoring the girl that crawled out of the class, as she thanks merlin for giving her another chance to live and probably now having the Slytherin house head as her favorite professor after this.

Of course this incident didn’t pass quietly, no, it reached Dumbledore , causing Draco to be called and putting Snape in the circumstance of defending the boy and only letting him go with losing 20 points from Slytherin and detention for two weeks , “of course albus would do that !! Any chance to push up his golden house “ draco mind filled with this belief as he raged out of the room, with heat filling his body to the Slytherin room ,all he wanted to be in his atmosphere immediately, away from all the preying gaze that he responded with glare directly making shy away in fear .

Throwing his body on the soft silky sheet of his bed , he couldn’t help but shove his head in hands , he knew!!!! he fully knew!!!!! , that the occurrence with the annoying Gryffindor girl will fuel the whole thing!! But he let his emotions out of control!!! He was so ashamed of his lack of control that he couldn't stop shaming himself till the sun rose up for the next day

His thoughts were correct ..... Merlin..... The following day, the whole school is either talking about the incident with the annoying girl or .... the second thing....... Which hurt him the most ... people were shaming y/n cause she was close to him? Draco was used to people believing terrible of him, .....truth......he wanted that to be his reputation but not that extreme ......... people were shaming her .... about how a Hufflepuff can be close with a nightmare like him .... and if she was a real Hufflepuff.........if she is going to be the first death eater from Hufflepuff.....

” Merlin... Doesn't this academy quiet ever......” draco couldn't help but whisper under his breath as he was done with this school.

Throwing himself in a seat of the slytherin ‘s eating table in the grand hall, hoping it would be quieter but Salazer........he was wrong

“ soooooooooo........ Malfoy!!!! what is with you and the badger girl “

Theo asked with smirk, earring him a sharp scowl from the pale boy, that brought shivers of fear that ran all over his body.

” first there is NOTHING , this school made a whole bloody mountain out of nothing!!!!!, next one more word about this on the table and I will hex anyone to the oblivious!”

the seriousness in Draco ’s words was exhibited , it was powerful that it shut the whole house members down, making everyone eat in silence, in the opposite side of the room, was the Hufflepuff table, he saw you, you have been friends for too long, of course he would be able to identify you so easily. His sharp cloudy grey eyes stopped on ur smiling figure, sensing outrage take over his body....... the words that was talked behind your back were something you never deserve it!!....... , to him .... you were like a flower and everyone tried to kill you from the roots and he was ready to do anything to protect you even stepping on his own heart ....

On your table things were quite different, everyone was cackling and chatting, no one bothered you or gossiped about you, cause as Hufflepuff, the morality of judging people without knowing them was odd, yes some questioned you and Draco friendship cause, well ...he is a git and you are wonderfully nice and cheerful ’so how did that happen? ’ to the rest of the house that was remarkable event

abruptly you felt strong gaze on you, as you notice who, you smiled and waved to the boy on the slytherin table, but his response gave you knot in your stomach, he frowned and got up from the table and walked away...’did I do something wrong ’ , that was weird reaction from the boy, he never behaved like that, sure he wasn't open, carefree and loud if he was he would be in Gryffindor but he was thoughtful with you, as he tried to act more with care as he didn't want to harm your feelings so this response stung a bit.

Then potions class came, you and Draco shared the class, he sat in front of you as he worked alone while you sat with your pal Luna Lovegood from ravenclaw, you finally had the opportunity to talk to your Slytherin friend and check on how is he doing .

so as soon as Snape turned to the board, you patted the boy shoulder to get this attention ” Draco...hi....” no response ” draco, are you okay? ” no response ” i fully know.. That you must be annoyed now but-” ” can we not talk now! I'm trying to concentrate on snape here ” he wasn't yelling but the sharp tone of his voice send you back down to your spot ” I'm sorry... ” even though, you know he must be mad, you couldn't help but get hurt, noticing the reaction on your face, Luna put her hand on yours as you both lock hands as giving you a smile assuring you that it is okay and she is here

she knew you and she knew Draco, it was fascinating to hear how you both are friends but yet she understood how Draco ’arse’ attitude was just a face for his household so she was happy that he got a friend like you in his life perhaps to free him but also she wasn't pleased about how he treated you now but all she can do was just to hold your hand to soothe your feelings .

But it wasn't only Luna who wasn't pleased no Draco himself, he heard the pain in your words and he was conscious of the Ice dripping in his tone, he hated how he couldn't control how feels, he trained all his life for that but he is failing that now ”wonderful malfoy , just incredible “

The potions class was done and you couldn’t be happier , you were out of this room finally Draco out of your sight ! ...you wanted to yell at him and be mad at him for hours, you wanted also to cry but no way in Merlin ’s bread you would cry for a boy , you always were tough emotionally and no way a icy tone will break you in tears “ we are not going to be this low now , hold it “ looking at yourself in the mirror of the girls bathroom , you took deep breathes as your walked yourself out, moving to your next chosen class which is magical music

this was your comforting class but now thanks to a current slytherin , you can’t put up with the music that plays but thanks to Helga kindness from her grave you have Luna with you a familiar face to look at when you crave to scream “ you look upset “ Luna calm voice cut your doze off , you sigh as you respond “ I’m Luna ..... and I shouldn’t be ... I understand his emotions but I’m furious... that he is dismissing mine !! Aren’t we friends !” “SHHHHH” Whispering louder than you aimed at , earned you undesirable scowlled looks , leading you to apologizing to the instructor and your class mates

“ well ..... why you don’t ask him ?? “ “ I want to......but it is hard finding Draco anywhere in Hogwart alone.........he always has people around.......” “ no he is ...” “ what ...wait ! ... what ? Really ??!”” “ SHHHHHHH” dismissing the glare from the male instructor , you and Luna continued the conversation “ Draco is a perfect , he can go out after the allowed hours as they quote to check on students “ “ yes I know this ..... “ “ but the point that is concealed that the Slytherin , use this privilege to spend time introverted in library .... I always saw him.......but...........I’m not his favorite person nonetheless yes ... that can be beneficial for you “

knowing what Luna meant, you nod slowly giving the girl big smile for her help “ Luna the words thank you , doesn’t explain how much I’m thankful for you “ both of you turned to the professor cause till now you both weren’t focusing with noticing how the teacher and class started to fed up on your missing notes, that was the best thing to do.

After finally the pain that you gave to your self and your fellow classmates with your messing notes in the music , you rushed to your dorm to change fast into more relaxed outfit that will suit the cold air that won’t only come from the late night but also from Draco himself , you changed to white shirt dress layered with V neck sage green sweater dress , skin colored stocking and beige combat boots , taking a deep breath to calm the anxiety that was slithering to your soul about meeting the slytherin after the incident, not knowing what his reaction will be as he sees you , you shoved this feelings in the very back of your soul , as you got out of the warm room, and faced by the coldness of the the schools hal, you fought the fear that tried to convince you back to your dorm , as you hurry to the library .

Reading a book in some quiet table alone in the very dark corner, that was your strategy for hiding from madam Irma prince, and somehow it worked as your presence went unnoticed by her or that is what you hoped so .

Soon the time passed soon it became the after hours , as you wait for the slytherin prince, somehow deeply inside , you wanted him to come and not come in same time ....

you didn’t know why but you felt uncomfortable about seeing him after the incident but the need to see him now and to converse with him about his attitude was a must for you.

glimpsing a white hair belonging to a faint dark body passing by, nearly like a ghost, you jumped up on your feet as you strode fast , trying to be calm as possible, you tug on the boy arm. Causing him to rotate, as he shoves his wand to your face with scowl before noticing you ”y/n!!!?! BLOODY HELL!! I almost hexed you!!! ” laying his wand away as his face softened a bit ” I'm sorry...but I need to talk to you.....” lifting up his eyebrow at you , questionably for a second before his Straight face appeared

“ we can’t talk anymore ...”

the words that you feared came scrambling hitting you like a train causing your mind to go blank for a sec before you speak again

“ what !!?? Why !!! We were fine till -“

“ yeah till! .... Till that gryffindor wrecked it ! And for that we can’t be friends anymore ... we can’t be seen together! ......Bloody Salazar, I need to report you to your perfect ! “

“ AND ALL OF THIS FOR WHAT !! CAUSE IM HUFFLEPUFF!! CAUSE YOU ARE SLYTHERIN !! CAUSE YOUR STATUE !! CAUSE THE PURE BLOOD SUPREMACY !! CAUSE SLYTHERIN IS THE ONLY HOUSE !! THAT IS ACCEPTED!!??”

Tears filled your sight, you didn’t care if whole hogwarts heard you , you were hurt , how did he toss you so easily after two years from being friends just cause his status , were you that cheap and meaningless to him? , were you just something for filling his unoccupied period ?.....didn’t he take you as friend or care about you? ...... Were people right about Draco and you are just naive...?

Your mind halts as your ears catch a heavy breathing sound , looking up to the boy in front of you resulting in your eyes growing enormous from the sight in front of you .....

You saw many emotions of draco , many than what most people think there are, but you never ever see him crying before , his gaze was wailing pain and hurt as his breaths was heavy in attempt to process his emotions ....

” you don't comprehend... I don't care about that... I deal with that day-to-day.... I'm the villain in the people eyes!! I was sorted in slytherin y/n... For Merlin sake!!! I'm a death eater in their eyes....no matter what !! ALL ’CAUSE THESE BLOODY BASTARD GRYFFINDORS... THAT WHAT WILL I ALWAYS BE... But you!!! You don't deserve that!! You don't deserve to be treated like that.....you are a good individual...”

” I don't mind draco!!!”

” BUT I DO!! .... You don't listen to what they say about you ......”

” who cares about what they mumble!! THEY ARE STRANGERS! ....Draco if you believe that I'm a good person......Then....You would know I would never mind about what people say and leave you for it !! I Care about my friend Draco here that I know!!!! anyone else no...hell with them to Godric’s fire!! ”

you went closer to draco, locking both of his hands in yours ” I would never quit on you, I will be here to support and...... draco you aren’t villain .... you are just a git that is all, but you are my best git and I’m here for you permanently “

you smiled looking at draco sobbing ’s eyes as you wiped his tears by one of your hands however not allowing his other hand to be out of your hand, squeezing it lightly as a way to confirm your message .

Peaceful moments passed by, with you both staying in your position, finally relaxing after some long day.

Till the slytherin decided to cut the silence

“ You fully understand that .... I wouldn’t ever report you to your perfect ..... “

“ yes I comprehend that, dear “

“ dear ? “

“Hey don’t get cheeky right now ... I just saw your fluffy side “

“ m’sorry, now shut it “

———————————————————————

MY FIRST EVER IMAGINE !! GO EASY ON ME !! I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT !!

#draco malfoy #draco fluff #draco x you #slytherin x hufflepuff #draco fic #draco x female reader #draco imagine #draco fanfiction #draco x hufflepuff!reader #draco malfoy x hufflepuff reader #draco lucius malfoy #draco x reader #friends to lovers #harry potter #hogwarts #slytherpuff #draco #slytherin x reader #ravenclaw #luna lovegood #gryffindor #draco x y/n #draco x oc #draco angst #huffleproud #hufflerin

[sharkbait77]

The Sun Sets With You

Chapter Two: The Arrival

Summary: A simple yet despondent farm life suddenly sparks with new hope when an unusual traveler makes your town his latest stop and brings with him intriguing and promising viewpoints and no one to share them with. Until he meets you.

Pairing: Ezra Prospect x f!Reader

Rating: M

Warnings: Death of a parent, nosy neighbors, irritated feelings, lmk if I missed any

W/C: 3.2k

A/N: Welcome back! First of all, I want to thank each & every one of you that read & enjoyed the Ch.1! Your wonderful comments really set it in stone for me to continue this fic & I really hope I don't disappoint! Anyway, I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of this one! I'm so nervous!

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Chapter One || Chapter Three

~APRIL EIGHTEENTH OF EIGHTEEN SIXTY-SEVEN~

The days passed, the same as they always do, yet with no word on any boy or man willing to spare the help for the farm. You did your best to think rationally; the majority of the families around town were busy with their own affairs, their own shops and farms. It was only you and Pa, and while the majority of the townspeople were friendly, not a soul seemed to spare a second thought towards the two of you, outside of banding together for Ma’s funeral.

You were preparing to give up, once again, the hope that perhaps there was one – at the very least, one – man who would take pity on you and Pa. The more you reassessed the people of the town, the more it appeared they only ‘cared’ when it suited them, when whatever dilemma you and Pa were faced with was the opportunity for them to engage in hearsay.

Mrs. Williams, for example – although kind and respectful while you stood in front of her – immediately took it upon herself to, not only relay the information that help was needed to every man, woman, and child in town, but indefinitely began to spout words of pity regarding you and Pa. Of course, that got the whole of the town babbling about how awful, how unimaginable, it was to have to endure the tedious season by yourselves. Yet, no one desired to lift a pinky to help.

So, as you enter the town, you aren’t stunned when you hear whispers as you pass. It had been a brief few days prior that you had finally been overlooked, finally was not the cause of their speculations. And now, you grit your teeth with disdain and continue walking through, awaiting the moment you reach the haven of the shop and, hopefully, have a moment to collect your thoughts and set them in the icebox to cool.

One positive outcome of it, you gather, if you were to look on the other side of things, is that you have gained the ability to avert your ears from whatever nonsense the older women gossip about, not concerned so much of what they say, just that it was taking place at all.

However, as you make your way down the dirt road, you realize it isn’t just the typical gossip coming from the elderly ladies, and are even more shocked to learn that you are not the subject of the chatter. The whole town is seemingly buzzing like a hive of bumblebees, a hum carried through the air consisting of ‘Did you see him?’, ‘A visitor’, and ‘What a strange man’.

Even you acknowledge that it must be interesting news for the whole town to be churning with such fervor and animation over it. The town, collectively, has never been so excited about anything since the new sheriff was appointed and you find yourself turning your ears to the conversations to see if you hear anything of importance. Once you realize, though, that you're partaking in the exact avocation you so despise when it's directed toward you, the doors close inside your ears once again and you walk straight to the shop.

After you’ve had time to settle and display all the new wares, the bell rings and you hear behind you the whispers of the older ladies filling the atmosphere, conspiring against whatever – or, whomever – has attracted their attention so.

“Hello, dear!” One of them – Mrs. Foster, who is seen as the lead hen – yells out to you. You take a deep breath, summoning the companionable parts within you to the surface.

“Hello Mrs. Foster,” you greet while turning to face the group.

To her side, Mrs. McKenna and Mrs. Jones, along with her young daughter, Lucille. Lucille Jones must be the closest you have to an acquaintance in town, but her mother keeps her quiet and buried under her wing, grooming her to be exactly the respectable young lady that will surely attract a wealthy husband, therefore paying for luxuries his new mother-in-law would not be able to afford otherwise. That poor fool.

“Have you seen the latest traveler, dear?” Mrs. McKenna asks.

“I have not,” you reply simply. Tis the truth, after all, but something about this mysterious traveler, that has caused such an uproar, makes the curiosity seep into the lining of your veins. Though, you would not engage in their gossip just to find out more.

“He is most strange,” Mrs. Jones adds, answering a question you had not asked.

“To each his own,” you say, feeling the irritation at their simple minds grow in your belly.

Before another moment could be spared for this nonsense, you quickly distract them with your latest concoction: a complexion cream made from eggs, cream, oats, and lavender, a soothing blend that would help hide the blemishes on their faces. Not their consciences, unfortunately, but it excites them no less.

~APRIL NINETEENTH OF EIGHTEEN SIXTY-SEVEN~

You awaken before the sun today, the sky is still a dark cobalt and fading into sapphire behind the hills, indicating the orange ball of light will be presenting itself in moments. You sigh, stumped at the sudden feeling in the pit of your core that today will be unlike the others – somehow. You turn over on your other side, away from the window, in search of another wink of sleep. It is futile, and you accept the call for the day to begin.

You step lightly so as to not disturb Pa sleeping just below your floorboards, and begin washing your face, arms, and legs, dressing in your usual skirts, and meticulously perfecting the knot of your hair. You even go as far as braiding the length of it before pinning it around on the back of your head and the sight of it resembles a flower. You hum; a sincere hum of a song your mother used to sing. You ponder why it entered your head in this moment after not having heard it in over a year.

Once the sun begins to peek its rays across the fields, you step down the ladder softly, keeping your eyes to Pa’s bed on the other side of the rails to ensure you haven’t woken him. Only, he isn’t there. His bed is made with care so you know he hasn’t been resting on it for a while. As soon as your boots are planted on the wooden floors, you turn to face the rest of the house. He is nowhere; not in the kitchenette, not sitting at the table, nor sitting in his armchair in the corner of the house.

Confusion strikes you; he has not risen before you since Ma was still here. You grab the lockbox from the safe and your bonnet off the wooden hook in the wall, tying it around your neck and placing the box in your bag, stringing it over your shoulder before stepping outside. There is still a chill in the air from the night and you shiver slightly before cupping your hands around your mouth.

“Pa?!”

You yell into the air, the heat of your breath visible in front of you as you await an answer that doesn’t come. Your eyebrows wrinkle across your forehead, worry beginning to creep into your bloodstream. You walk down the steps from the house and turn towards the fields. As you look across them, the sun shining bright enough now to help your vision, you don’t see his figure anywhere. You walk towards the barn, cupping your hands around your mouth again to repeat your call.

“Here, child!”

You hear the rasp of your father’s voice respond from within the barn. You will your heart to rest from the fright that rushed through your veins, breathing right again knowing your Pa is well. You walk to the doors of the barn, the sun blinding you briefly before entering and you see Pa standing and chatting with a man.

He stands with a confident, yet humble posture, straight brown pants covering tall legs, suspenders attached at the waist and strapped over a bone-white shirt with a black coat resting across broad shoulders. In his hands, he fiddles with a wide brimmed, brown hat that, as you step closer, you can see has small tears & rips along the outer edges. He turns to look in your direction, a soft and friendly smile underneath a neat mustache, hair sparsely adorning his jaw.

“Daughter, this is Mr. Prospect,” Pa introduces.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Prospect,” you give a small curtsy and bow your head.

“I assure the pleasure is mine, miss,” he replies, bowing his head. “Your father and I were only just discussing the season you will be faced with here. I am most obliged to be suited enough for work and I am at your service.”

You nod along to his words, finding it difficult to search inside your brain and pull something out of it that may continue the conversation. His voice is rich and decadent, finer than the most luxurious chocolate you might have the pleasure of introducing to the buds on your tongue. It sounds as if it comes from deep within his being as opposed to his throat, and you find it very pleasing to your ears.

“Mr. Prospect here will be our new farmhand for the season. He only just arrived moments before you rose,” Pa continues.

“Forgive me, Pa, I did not hear you wake-”

“Do not fret, little one,” he smiles and places a weathered hand gently on your shoulder and you smile in return. “Daughter, please show our new employee the farm; I have yet to do so, but the chickens need feeding now.”

“Yes, Pa.”

Pa exits the barn with a stomping of his boots as his heavy and tired legs carry him, turning the smile on your face into a small frown. You exhale through your nose and turn to the man, noticing a small tuft of white locks at the beginning of his hairline, fading into a rough cut of shaggy, brown hair. You avert your gaze so as not to be impolite with your stare and look into the mahogany irises of his eyes.

“Well, Mr. Prospect, I do apologize for you having to lodge with the cattle,” you say as you gesture to the black and white beasts resting in their stables.

“It is quite alright, miss. I’m sure they will be most interesting to converse with,” he smiles, a soft chuckle escaping his mouth and his jest pulls a giggle from your throat as you smile.

“Just up there –” you point to the ladder leading to a platform above the cows. “– is a bed of hay. It may stick you, but we will provide plenty of blankets to soothe the irritation and keep you warm.”

His gaze meets the platform, exposing his elongated neck and strong jaw, his profile revealing his aquiline nose and you find your gaze fixated on him once again. What an intriguing man. You realize he must be the new traveler the town was so preoccupied with yesterday, but you find nothing strange about him at all. Quite the opposite. He seems to be the purest and gentlest man that has ever passed through this town. He looks back down to you, the soft, good-natured smile reaching his eyes, the same smile on his face from the moment you met.

“Follow me, please.” You lead him out of the barn and to the fields on the other side and he places his hat back on his head as he walks.

“This is the field the corn will grow, and just on the other side of the barn will be the potatoes. I must divulge that it is quite strenuous. I am thankful to you for accepting the work; it will help my Pa and I tremendously.”

“I respectfully deny your thanks; I’m afraid it is I who should be thankful to you and your father for welcoming me with such friendliness,” he replies and you look up into his eyes. Such beautiful orbs, as brown and majestic as the mountains that surround you, the likes of which you’ve never seen.

“This way,” you say, a light tremble in your voice from momentarily having the ground swept from under your feet. You lead him to the house, stepping up the stairs and opening the door. You take a step inside, but the man does not enter, rather staying still on the porch, fiddling with his hat in his hands once again.

“It is quaint; I’m not sure where you are from, Mr. Prospect. Perhaps you are familiar with more lavish dwellings,” he looks around the room as much as he is able from where he stands and smiles.

“Not in the slightest, dear Sunflower. The home you reside in is lovely and most would be envious to have such to call their own,” he says kindly and you smile genuinely in return, a warmth reaching the apples of your cheeks from his endearment.

“You are welcome to our table for meals and coffee, if you’d like. And we have wash basins you are free to use as well.”

“Many thanks, miss. I am very grateful to have been blessed with hospitality such as this.”

You nod your head, lowering it slightly as you walk out and back onto the porch, the man waiting for you to step down into the dirt before he follows suit. You smooth out your dress and turn to look back at him, his eyes having not left you once.

“What is your name?”

“Ezra,” he replies, reaching his hand out to shake yours. You offer your hand politely and return your name, the greeting between you holding firm, yet gentle; his hand is warm and soft, slightly calloused from farm work.

“Ezra,” you repeat, letting each letter of his name roll from the back of your throat, over your tongue and through your teeth. It was as smooth as the butter you had churned this past monotonous week. “What a unique and beautiful name; very pleasing on the tongue.”

He blushes lightly, a small, shy smile forming on his lips as he averts his gaze to his dirt covered boots.

“Did you see the notice at the post?” You ask, smiling fondly at the bashful man in front of you and he faces you again, nodding his answer. “Yes, I assumed so. There was one at the shop, too, but you had not walked in while I was there.”

“Yes, once I saw the notice and inquired about the position, I spent some time familiarizing myself with the town before heading here to see your father. He had been preoccupied yesterday and requested I return early this morning.”

“That’s strange. He didn’t mention it to me,” you ponder. Then again, it wasn’t unusual for Pa to not trouble you with these affairs until it was time to deal with them. “And you only just arrived yesterday, correct?”

“Yes, miss. To be frank, I am slightly unnerved at the commotion my arrival has stirred; it seems the people here are not accustomed to travelers.”

“Unfortunately, no,” you reply with a contrite look on your face. “I apologize for the welcome not being so friendly. Do not take it to heart. I have grown up here and still feel like an outsider,” you add, the sudden remark escaping you naturally. You have a strange feeling that you may be able to open your mind and thoughts to this man who exudes comfort and compassion. Maybe someday.

“Well, Ezra,” you enunciate again. “I’m afraid I must go now. Pa will have you busy with work in no time, I guarantee. If you ever need anything from me and I am not here, our shop is in town, right after the bank. Please do not hesitate to come by and ask.”

Ezra looks at you again, the tender smile that had budded on his unconventionally attractive face blooming into a full fledged, teeth baring grin. The sight of it makes your heart skip a beat, sparking a dull fire in the furnace within your belly that had long been barren, full of the ashes of any past flame that ceased to exist as quickly as it had lit.

At first glance, it may have been easy to overlook his features, but as you gaze at him before you, it is not difficult to see that he is, in fact, very handsome. You smile in return, adjusting your bonnet to sit atop your head and turning on your heels to walk toward the town.

Of course, the people are still buzzing with the recent arrival of Ezra Prospect. Even worse now, word has reached that he is to be your new farmhand. Mrs. Williams, of course, heard from her husband that Mr. Prospect had shown intrigue in the position, and later that night while they ate dinner, Mr. Williams shared the news with his wife. It truly is doubtful that anyone would be able to survive one, single daybreak without having something or someone to talk about.

The main three hens, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. McKenna, and Mrs. Jones all swarm your personal environment before you even make it inside the shop and they are just about bouncing in their heeled boots, awaiting any sort of information you can give them about Mr. Prospect.

“I hear he’s your new farmhand.”

“Is he as strange as he looks?”

“He seems dangerous; best keep your distance, dear.”

They will not stop; one question rolling into the next from each of their beaks. You have a right mind to lay out some feed on the ground for them so as to keep their mouths busy with other matters. The irritation courses through you, a dull tightness forming at the base of your skull.

“What is his name?”

“Perhaps if he did not feel so unwelcome by the whispers of the town, he may be more inclined to tell you himself,” you say harshly before having a moment to think twice.

They gape at you; the audacity, their expressions seem to say. You don’t seem to care for it, though. To have them whisper about you was one thing; you could manage just fine, however bothersome it is. But Mr. Prospect seemed friendly and gentle enough to make you relinquish any passiveness to these women, unwilling to keep cordial when they’re so unpleasant of anyone new introduced to this town. It’s unusual, this feeling. Protective. Over a man you only spoke to for no more than fifteen minutes.

The women scoff under their breaths, very obviously offended by your response and denial of amusing them. They whisper amongst themselves as they walk away, not trying to hide their second glances at you from over their shoulders as they continue down the road. Surely, the word will spread that you did not wish to speak to them about the traveler, and they will conspire on which hen to send next to continue the digging.

You feel some relief, however, knowing now the conversation will be turned back to you instead of Mr. Prospect. He did not deserve to be treated as such during his stay and you would make sure of that.

Chapter One || Chapter Three

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Tags: @the-ginger-hedge-witch @asta-lily @honeymandos @pascalpanic @aliwritesfic @mandocrasis @hnt-escape @winter-fox-queen @barbossa2319 @sarahjkl82-blog @day-off-inkyoto @pedrocentric @astoryisaloveaffair @ezrasbirdie @danniburgh @foli-vora @lucrezia-thoughts @djarinsbeskar @chasingdreamer @quica-quica-quica @meesterblack @amandalovess @hunterofartem1s @pedro4ever @mishasminion360 @wardenparker @librariantothejedi @fan-of-encouragement @javierpinme @writeforfandoms @ew-erin

#ezra x f!reader #ezra x reader #ezra x you #ezra prospect x f!reader #ezra prospect x reader #ezra prospect x you #ezra au #ezra prospect au #ezra prospect fanfiction #ezra prospect fanfic #pedro pascal character fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #prospect #prospect fanfiction

[myfearless-love]

91 established relationship please

Hi Nonny! So sorry for the delay! Hope this will make up for it! :)

Post 5x16 fluffiness ahead!

91. “I’ve had a rough day and honestly all I want right now is a drink and someone to cuddle with…”

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19206229/chapters/84969499

.

The sudden ding of the elevator alerts him as he turns the page, but he doesn’t look up from the printed words, for that quick fluttering in his stomach he used to deem annoying assures him of the identity of the person stepping into his penthouse. His suspicions are confirmed when less than a minute later, Chloe enters his field of vision, choosing to lean against the back of the couch and watching him read with a small smile playing on her lips. The faint scent of her lavender and rosemary shampoo envelops him and he has to fight the urge to lose himself in the familiarity of it.

He likes this scent very much. Especially on her.

When he does glance up, he can all but read the "I've had a rough day and all I want right now is a drink and someone to cuddle with" expression on her face.

And honestly, “rough day” is the understatement of the millennium, considering what they'd just been through a few hours ago.

Her dying. Him burning up in Heaven… and then not burning up.

He takes a small sip from the amber-filled tumbler he’s been nursing, and Chloe comes to him, positioning herself so she’s snuggled in his lap with her arm around his shoulders. He offers her the whiskey in favor of brushing an errant lock of her hair behind her ear.

She’s been wearing it down a lot more lately. Ever since she quit the LAPD. He's not sure he'll ever get used to her not being a detective anymore. But of course, it's always going to be in her blood, and a simple letter of resignation won't take that away.

He's not sure anything could, but that's one of many things he loves about her.

He loves her.

Chloe takes a deep pull from the glass with a sigh, and he knows she needed it.

They sit in silence as she finishes the drink and he savors the glorious feel of her body against his. The only sound in the penthouse is the scratching of old paper as he turns page after page, and the whisper of her fingers as she combs through his hair at the side of his head. Her lips touch his temple and he closes his eyes, completely at peace.

“How’s he?” she asks quietly.

She doesn’t need to specify the name for him to know who she means. “I think he’s finally reached the acceptance stage. He knows what’s the only way to get out and into eternal happiness. He’s trying to work out his guilt, but it’s a long process,” he replies and she nods, swallowing thickly.

While Chloe was away to entrust her offspring to her grandmother before summer camp starts, he decided to pop down to his former kingdom and have a chat with Daniel.

“Thank you for looking out for him. I just wish I…” Her voice is small and he knows how she meant to finish her sentence.

He looks up into her eyes and tries to tell her what she needs to hear, and somewhere knows. “He’ll figure it out. You will see him again one day.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay,” she breathes, sounding relieved. No tears or self-blame or any of the things she felt just a few hours ago. Just acceptance of the inevitable. She shifts a little closer, leaning her head against his. “So, what now?”

“Now? We get you out of these albeit comfortable but very modest clothes,” he teases. “Maybe take a bath, drink a little champagne…”

“Do a little dance, make a little love?” She asks sarcastically and he smiles.

“Precisely. We’re getting down tonight,” he nods and she blushes. “Come on, Future First Lady of the Universe,” he tells her and as he expected, she rolls her eyes before standing up and holding out her hand to him. He takes it and something, everything, clicks into place. “Have you decided yet?” he asks her as they slowly make their way to his bedroom. Or what he guesses is their room from now on. He likes the sound of that.

“Decided what?”

“What you want to do to celebrate. We can go anywhere, do anything. Your choice.” She looks at him, all confused, wrinkly nose and furrowed brows. “I’m not sure if you happened to notice between actual death encounters and overall mayhem of today, but we won, Chloe.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she laughs and walks into the room, casually kicking off her shoes by the wall and tossing her jacket onto the armchair near the bed.

He watches as she pulls a rubber ring from the back pocket of her jeans, twisting her hair up into a messy bun. When he woke up this morning, he never expected that this is how he’d be closing the day. That Chloe would be making herself at home, seconds away from sinking into his bathtub while making plans for their future.

He walks over behind her and wraps her in his arms, needing to feel that she’s real. She doesn’t resist as he holds her a little tighter than he should because she knows. He doesn’t need to tell her that a very big part of him thought he would never get her back. Today showed him all his biggest fears, and he told himself over and over again that she’s fine now, but it’s hard to deny the ache when the person he would sell his soul for died in his arms mere hours ago. And gone to the one place he thought he couldn't follow.

She leans back against him and covers his arms with hers, her touch giving him reassurance and promises that they haven’t had time for yet. They’ll get there, and there are still some things they need to work out, but right now none of it matters. She’s here, and she wants to be.

She loves him and he loves her.

He takes a deep breath and pulls himself together, releasing her so he can free her from her attire. Her pulse races with the release of each piece of clothing, her skin flushing deeper the more fabric hits the floor. Somehow he manages to take a step back when only her bra and panties remain, knowing that if he let himself take those off, they’re never getting in the water.

“Really?” she laughs as he unbuttons his shirt, tossing it onto the dresser on his way into the bathroom.

“Really what?” He taunts and begins to run the bath, sitting on the edge of the tub with his back to the door. “Was there something else you needed help with?”

“Real cute. Keep it up, Lucifer, and see where that gets you.”

He scoffs internally and knows he should bite back his crude reply, but he can’t help it. He loves it when she’s feisty.

“Well, I-”

His brain and mouth shut off at the same time as Chloe saunters into the bathroom wearing nothing but miles of long legs and smooth skin. One of her hands rests on his shoulder for balance as she steps over his legs, a single alabaster limb in the water and the other not. He waits to see if she’s actually going to straddle him right there, but at the last moment, she pulls her other leg in and stretches out into the water with a sultry smile on her face.

Forget the hot tub. This is so much better.

“You were saying?”

“When?” He has no idea what she’s talking about.

“Just a second ago. Before I came in here.”

“No idea,” he shakes his head and she smirks.

“Thought so.”

He narrows his eyes, but he doesn’t care. She is more than welcome to prance around him in nothing, basking in getting his jaw to hit the floor.

He turns off the water and grabs the champagne, and she blushes. He has no idea why, but it’s bloody adorable. He uncorks the bottle easily, snatching the tan missile out of the air after letting it jump off the bottle a foot and she giggles.

He fills two flutes and hands them to her to hold so he can strip and get in with her, never missing the way she’s hungrily eyeing every part of him.

“All right, Mrs. G., what are we drinking to?” He asks as he stretches out so they’re face to face, taking her feet and resting them on his thigh.

“To winning the war,” she beams.

“To my evil twin being gone,” he adds and tilts his glass to her.

She pauses for a moment, her eyes softening. “To being alive.”

He nods in appreciation. “To shiny new rings,” he tells her, taking her hand, and she scoots closer to him.

“To brown eyes,” she grins.

“And blue,” he says, weaving his fingers through hers and helping her reposition so she’s straddling his hips, but keeping them apart so he’s not inside her yet.

Once she’s comfortable, her free hand brushes through his hair, tenderly drifting down to caress his cheek. “To white wings.”

He glances down and back to her eyes. “To perfect breasts,” he says, and she laughs.

“To three little words…”

“Hot as fuck?” He supplies, and she blushes from cheek to stomach.

“Nope.”

“Right there, Lucifer…” he moans theatrically.

“Oh my God!”

“That works too now, actually,” he tells her with a flare of his eyes.

“You’re an ass.”

“Not exactly what I had in mind.”

“How about,” she whispers, practically glowing. “I love you.”

“What was that?” He asks innocently. “I don’t think I heard you.”

“I said, I love you.”

“One more time? Still not quite catching that.”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I love you, Lucifer. Did you hear it this time?” she grumbles indignantly. “Jerk.”

“I did,” he grins. “I love you too.”

“Good,” she says and raises a smug eyebrow.

“To you,” he says sincerely, raising his glass to her and she visibly softens.

“To us.”

She touches her glass to his, taking the daintiest of sips.

“Let’s celebrate us,” he agrees, pressing his lips to hers.

She melts into the kiss, and he senses that she’s missed this just as much as him. She must have, because their mouths open together, raring to make up for the last few days. He feels like they’ve been apart too long, and there’s nothing that could tear him away from her now. Their lips refuse to separate as he sets both their glasses on the floor, allowing their hands the freedom to touch as they choose. Hers go immediately to his neck, pulling him into her as he wraps his arms tightly around her waist.

Her chest is already heaving against his, nipples hard and slick with soap, and every brush of skin feels fantastic. He knows she has to feel how hard he is, how much he desires her. She rises a bit and reaches in between them, and he can’t control his shiver when she wraps her fingers around him. To him, it feels like an eternity since she’s touched him like this.

She strokes him once, lovingly slow and exploring every inch of his length. He’s still absorbed in her touch when she moves him, positioning him at her entrance to guide him inside her. She carefully lowers herself, his head falling back with a moan as he begins to stretch her.

She’s so tight he can’t enter her fully without risking hurting her, but he’s in no hurry. He takes her hips in his hands, rocking her lightly as he pushes up a little bit further. Inch by inch they come closer together, their bodies relearning how well they fit when joined.

He could go tortuously slow with Chloe all night, but he also knows she’d never let him. She rises up and slams back down, forcing the last distance even though she’s not really ready.

Their first time was the same, her impatience clashing with his need to make sure she was comfortable. She let him get away with that for all of five seconds before she took control, demanding that he not hold back. From then on, he didn’t, and she kept up with him all the way into next morning. When the woman knows what she wants, she will not be denied.

She lunges for his lips, high on pleasure from the small amount of pain, and damn it all, he doesn’t care anymore. He never succeeds in trying to be gentle with her anyway, he wrenches her down as he thrusts up into her and she feels incredible, molded around him with warmth and want and he won’t ever get deep enough.

She matches him for every stroke, clawing at his shoulders and chest because they can’t seem to make love any way but rough in their desperation. Nothing between them has ever been easy or smooth, the passion perpetually burning and painfully intense. He doesn’t want it any other way.

He sits up and his hands on her bottom draw her further in as she arches back, baring her neck. He kisses, licks, and nips his way from her ear to her shoulder, gratified in her whimpers as he passes over her vein.

She grinds harder and braids her hands in his hair, holding him to her.

“Tell me…” she breathes, and he knows exactly what she wants to hear.

“I love you,” he pants.

He trails his lips from the side of her jaw to her earlobe finding that spot and he thrusts up into her at the same time without warning, and she comes apart completely. Everything tightens, her grip on his shoulders and her walls contracting around him, pulsing her climax with the rhythm of her heart and the strokes of his tongue. He’s absolutely convinced her orgasms are priceless works of art.

His name falls from her lips, and it’s half begging him to stop, half warning him not to. He gives her both, peaking her a little higher before he pulls away to calm her. There’s no hesitation as her mouth crashes to his, kissing him so hard he falls back against the edge of the tub. It’s a frenzy of lips and teeth as she travels to his neck, finding his spot that drives him absolutely mad.

He lets himself drift through the sensations of love and sex, and everything is warm and thick and hazy, hot water and slippery skin and their bodies still moving at a pace that is completely theirs. And this is how he knows, how he’s always known. They’re right, fated, soulmates, and all that other bloody destiny shit that he never wanted to believe in until he fell for her.

Her lips leave his neck and he can’t open his eyes, even though he really wants to. He wants to see her smile, to see her eyes filled with everything he never thought he deserved, but she gave to him anyway. Her movements become faster, moans gliding down his throat and right into his stomach where it starts. It sinks lower, gathering force in his bucking hips and blazing through him, begging to reach her. But he wants her to reach hers first. It’s the only thing that matters to him right now.

He shifts and reaches down to find her clit and one, two, three strokes and she’s there, shouting his name and claiming his climax right along with hers. It feels like it goes on forever, like all the days of distance have been cataloged and backlogged into this one single explosion. Past fights and accusations and pain disappear as they cling to each other, all the evidence and force of their desire seeping into the place where she holds the lock and key to their private Shangri-La.

He doesn’t know how or when, but he comes back to himself and realizes that they’re still. Chloe’s slumped on his chest, breathing deeply, and nuzzled into his neck. He rewraps her more snugly in his arms, placing a light kiss on her hair. He should probably get them dried off and in bed. He’s sure she’s exhausted, so is he, but he really doesn’t want to move just yet. She feels too good.

“So, was this the celebration?” She asks quietly and he chuckles.

“First of many. Just give me a minute,” he says, but it comes out slurred. “Maybe two.”

“Mmm,” she rumbles, kissing his jaw. “Can’t wait…”

#deckerstar #lucifer #lucifer morningstar #chloe decker #lucifer ff #lucifer fanfic #lucifer fanfiction #deckerstar ff #deckerstar fanfic #deckerstar fanfiction #prompts #drabble #lucifer 5x16 #lucifer spoilers

[midnightmoonkiss]

Esoteric.

Witch!Izuku Midoriya X Fem!Reader

Summary: What was a witch, exactly? Someone who casts spells? Dabbled in medicine? Fought in battles? You didn’t know. That was, until you met one.

WARNINGS!: Soft!Dom!Izuku, Face-sitting, Fingering, Potion-play

Category: Smut

Word Count: 7.3k (more than half is like.. pure smut..)

A/N: The final day of the Izumonth Collab!

P.S. I really love Witch!Izuku, idk if you can tell,,, Also, I made the witch!collage above! ‘Tis just to suck you into the mood. And sorry this was.. a bit late.. heheh,,,

Just To Clarify:

You’re both consenting adults

Witches, though actually fairly rare, are seen as common beings

Witches aren’t human

Fantasy-ish au!

Tag List:

@coupsieddori​ @desia2​ @strwbrry-lia​ @my-bnha-things​

Every castle has a witch.

It’s been that way for as long as you, or anyone else, could remember.

It was normal.

Mundane to some.

Just something you’d hear about time and time again.

They were workers, just like you. 

But yet, that never stopped your sense of wonder.

They never were in plain sight, not for a peasant such as yourself, anyway.

It always brought up so many questions whenever you’d stop to think about it. 

What did they look like?

Were they nice, or wicked?

How did their magic work?

What did they wear?

Depending on the kingdom, most witches were treated like royalty, especially those who worked in castles.

Of course, how could someone so powerful not have such a title?

It made you question if it was given out of fear, or respect.

It wasn’t until you met the witch of Thidel castle, the ever-so-generous Izuku Midoriya, that your questions were all willingly answered.

You truly weren’t anticipating meeting him during such a catastrophe of a day. Looking back, it was quite embarrassing.

You were the baker’s assistant, tasked with making the batter to elaborate sweets for the King’s ball that evening.

The flour was freshly ground from the mill, the vanilla was as pure as a white daisy, the sugar ever-so-sweet, eggs fetched that morning, everything was perfect.

In fact, everything was running all nice and smoothly, until the King decided to ask for triple the amount of baked goods he had originally requested.

Not only did that mean running to town and back in shoes already falling apart, but that also meant stirring and stirring and stirring until it felt as if your arms were on fire and about to melt off.

You were covered in ingredients and sweat, the other bakers and assistants were running around, spilling things on each other, and making large messes as they pulled their hair out to get everything done on time.

It was chaos.

And that’s when he showed up.

You forgot what he was originally there for, herbs, perhaps?

Batter smudged on your cheek, you were carrying a large sack of flour to the mixing station when the door opened.

You slipped comedically on an egg that had fallen on the floor, and of course, you had to slam into this sudden brick wall of a man.

White powder flew everywhere, and the clock stopped in your head as you watched in horror as the last bag of flour you had was just about to spill all over the dirty cobblestone.

That’s when you saw it for the first time.

Magic.

He had simply flicked his wrist and all of the flour was back in its bag, and such a high ranking individual was on his knees, sputtering apologies to you.

To you, of all people.

A lowly peasant.

It felt unreal.

But that was how you met him.

He looked up and the first image he had of you forever imprinted in his head was wild (H/C) hair coated in sweat and flour, cheeks smudged with chocolate and dried batter, eyes wide with panic, and cheeks a burning red.

He never let you live it down, the bastard.

That night at the ball, you met him again. He had the gall to note how you cleaned up fast, all while sheepishly smiling at you like you were the only girl in the room.

You wanted to punch him at the time. Or die of embarrassment. He was still the witch after all, and never before had someone so high class spoken to you before. You were filled with so many emotions that night, you were sure you were going to throw up.

Instead, you smiled, offered him a pastry, and walked away.

He just had to follow you, though.

His reason being, “I was looking for some entertainment at such a boring event.”

It had made you laugh, as IF you were any entertainment. From then on, though, after having spent an entire night chatting the time away, he was as hooked on you as you were with him.

Nowadays, you got to frequent his studies often.

A privilege not many had, as apparently- witches were quite stubborn with letting people into their sanctuary and touching their things.

Perhaps it was a possessive trait of theirs, one that kept them from misplacing important potions, books, and ingredients, but nevertheless you were absolutely honored to be allowed somewhere so.. otherworldly.

The King and his youngest son were the only ones besides yourself allowed in.

But stepping inside would always be a slap to the face, no matter how many times you actually did enter.

It wasn’t exactly clear to you how he did it, or how the witch before him did it, but the small study tucked away on the east wing of the castle wasn’t a small study at all.

The old, heavy brown door was signed with words of a language unknown to you and others, the hinges creaking ever so slightly as you pulled it open, only to be met with a two-story home inside.

Your nose was always immediately hit with the earthy scent of rain and plants, no doubt from the plethora of the heavenly greens hanging about the place, glowing orbs of light hovering near the ones doomed to never touch true sunlight.

The place was cluttered yet neat, parchments piling up in one corner, yet another where they laid organized.

It was almost like a different world crafted by steady and loving hands.

Old maps were tacked to one of the walls, scribbled writing and red circles pointing out certain areas of the land beyond the one you knew.

Witches apparently had their own realm, or at least, “a pocket of Earth hidden away from humans by magic”, as Izuku had thoughtfully explained one night as a thunderstorm raged on outside.

Old books smelling of age are scattered about, the large bookshelf barely able to contain them all.

Candles lit by a green flame surround a large wooden table, herbs such as chamomile, ginger, ginseng, valerian, lavender, and saffron are neatly placed by a bowl, wrapped in bundles. Clearly, he was going to try and make some more anti-depressant mixture for the prince again.

He was more of a naturalist when it came to the sick, unless worse came to worse.

He was essentially a glorified doctor who was far more knowledgeable on plants rather than bone structure and types of sickness.

He was a sweetheart who helped all he could.

Hell, he was even taken to some battles as a last defense.

Despite looking so innocent, with his baby fat still hugging his cheeks and freckles splattered all about, the definition of youth, he was quite powerful.

Scarily so.

You had heard hushed whispers from fellow servants about how he had taken down armies alone multiple times before, coming back with nothing but burns and a broken bone or two.

He was terrifying to those who didnt take a mere second to glance at him.

But those who did were greeted with nothing but a warm smile and the fleeting wave of a busy man.

It was a mystery how you had managed to capture his undivided attention, enough so that he had made you his, the plain-looking bracelet made from leather string holding an emerald sealed with magic signifying that.

You were untouchable.

Once gutted with fear, you walked the polished grounds of the castle freely.

After all, not even a King would so much as dare to harm witches beloved, lest he wanted to be burned alive by immortal flames and sent to the ninth level of hell.

A level solely made by strong users of the past, the ones who carved the road for witchery, having bent time itself to do so.

Truly terrifying how powerful they could be, but yet it was so mystifying.

You’d be lying if you said you haven’t spent nights wide awake listening to him ramble about their history, about how they came to be and how they flourished.

They didn’t start off as human-like creatures, they started off as a ball of magical light in a land filled with nothing.

It was said that witches built the Earth from the ground up until greed overtook the lands and the humans overpopulated them.

And yet, they work harmoniously together.

Humans fearful of their power, and witches just naturally seeking to help people and continue their craft in harmony with all those who share the lands they grew from scratch.

 It truly was a peaceful existence they led, you couldn’t help but admire it.

Just like you always have.

Pulling the door shut, it locked behind you as you stepped over some paper with doodles, knowing better than to mess with his disorganized things without him in the room to see it.

Speaking of, you were asked here this evening, something about wanting to try out a new potion he had made.

He was always making new things, an inventor of sorts, but never one to have you as a test subject.

Of course, it piqued your curiosity and had you quickly cleaning up the mess you had made in the kitchen when the day was officially over just to get here as fast as you could.

The large window covered in vines holding a small couch beneath it glistened with the light of a crescent moon, casting the room lit with an array of colors in a cool glow.

Smoke from the candles blurred the light, only to collide with the wooden floor above them.

Humming, you grabbed an orb sitting on a side table,  holding it in the moonbeams so it would absorb its brightness. A candlestick of sorts made from magic. You weren’t going to risk going into complete darkness again.

He was obviously not in his work area, so he was probably upstairs.

And so, as quietly as you could, you crept up the old stairs, holding your breath and biting your lip whenever you came to a creaky step. You wanted to scare him, or at the very least surprise him

He was so easy to scare, and he always made the cutest of noises when you did it.

It was hard not to try everytime you were given the chance.

Once you made it to the top, fingers clasped tightly around the carved wooden railing, you looked around the darkened hallway, searching for the room he’s most likely to be in.

None of them had any lights on, which was eerily odd.

He never was much a fan of complete darkness.

It only raised questions as to if he wasn’t here yet, or if he was leaving you high and dry.

No, he would never do such a thing. Perhaps you’re early?

Chewing on your thumbnail, you stood dead at the top of the stairs, waiting for a sign that he was here.

“BOO!” 

“ARGGHH!” you shrieked, jumping away from the noise only to have your back slammed against the wall.

Horrified, you snapped your head to the direction of the noise, only to find a giddy Izuku covering his mouth with a leather-gloved hand, holding away his giggles.

Huffing, you placed a hand on your heart, ignoring the laughs that seeped out of him.

“Geeze, you scared me!” You chided, glaring up into his playful green eyes.

“Oh, like you weren’t trying to do the same to me just now.”

Laughing still, he bent down in front of you, offering you a hand to help you up.

Ever the gentleman.

Placing your palm into his own, he easily pulled you up to your feet, holding you against his muscular chest in a welcoming hug, to which you eagerly returned, arms wrapping around his slender waist.

Though you didn’t know the common body type of a witch, you had to admit, he was certainly buff. Not that you minded.

He could easily throw you over his broad shoulder, and you loved it.

Completely defenseless and vulnerable.

Oh, how sweet it was to trust fully in someone.

His foreign clothes were soaked in his familiar thick scent, the smell of the forest after it had just rained, dewdrops in the early morning sun, a hint of pine, and his own natural musk that always had your head spinning. He tends to travel the forests in the kingdom often, collecting natural herbs and stones he found interesting.

He had jars and jars of rocks and stones, sometimes cracking them open to reveal crystals tucked away inside. He’d always make little trinkets out of them, giving them to people he deemed as friends as a sign of gratitude. You only had one, made from the rarest crystal he had ever found, taaffeite. 

“So, why did you need me?” You mumbled against his chest, cheek rubbing against his familiar warmth.

“Firstly, I always need you.” The sap.

“Mhmm..” you hummed out, letting him pull away and grab your hand, taking the glowing orb and tossing it up and down as he led you down the corridor.

“Secondly,” he trailed off, leaving the orb to float in the air as he unlocked his bedroom door, pulling you inside.

“It’s a bit of a personal thing I can only trust you with testing.”

Smiling to yourself, you sat down on the edge of his large bed, running your fingers over the soft wool that made up his thick comforter.

Never one to use dead animal pelts.

“Is that so?” Your eyes naturally follow his being as he walks around the room, shuffling through different materials before snapping his fingers to light the stone fireplace off on the other side of the room, providing more light, as well as warmth, so he could see where he was going and not trip on the books scattered across the floor.

He didn’t like the windows in his bedroom open at night.

“Y-yes..” he stuttered, fumbling around with a few glass jars on his desk, muttering to himself as he examines the label on each one. Seemingly finding what he was looking for, he turned back to you, proudly showing that he had found it before making his way back to the bed.

“What is that for?” Curious, your fingers brushed against the cool glass containing the shimmering magenta liquid as he sat beside you on the bed, mattress dipping enough from his weight that your sides knocked together.

“A few weeks ago, Shōto had asked a familiar question, if I possessed the ability to make every potion out there. Of course I- I can’t exactly, but I’ve enough skill to make some rather.. exotic potions. He questioned if I ever tried something different than just potions to heal the sick or offer beauty, and I haven’t. I don’t know why, but realizing that upset me. As if my skill set was limited to just some average joe healer,”

“Izuku..”

“So for a while now, I’ve been branching out. Trying different types of potions and having him as the tester.”

“Is that why he’s been acting different these days?”

“Precisely. I’m just lucky I haven’t gotten in trouble for turning him into a frog yet..” he chuckles, rubbing the back of his head as you took the glass from him to ogle it.

“So what is this then?”

“Um..” Embarrassment was creeping up his neck and resting on his cheeks as he averted his shy eyes, “I have a hunch of what it might do. But.. secret?”

You pout at him, “Shouldn’t I know what this is?”

“You’ll know soon! I promise it won’t harm you, darling.” Leaning down, he pecks a kiss on your cheek, large arm wrapping around your waist to pull you into a side hug.

Taking the glass from your hands, he pulled the cork out, glittery, pink mist floating out like smoke from a blown-out candle.

“So, what do you say? Will you try it?” It was almost as if he was giving you no option other than yes with those big puppy eyes of his staring into your soul.

Licking your lips, an action his eyes followed, you gulped the nervousness away.

What had you to fear? This was Izuku after all. Had he ever done you harm? Absolutely not.

You had no reason not to trust the man who held your heart.

“Alright.”

Joy lit up his face, smiling so widely his eyes crinkled.

Huffing out a laugh, you took the bottle from him again, curiously sniffing its fragrance.

“Chocolate and.. maca?” The scent was certainly familiarly tasty, having worked with the foods before, being a baker. Judging how the liquid didn’t resemble them at all, it was off-putting. How had he managed to trap such a delicate smell inside?

“Mhm! That’s right! Apparently, when made, the potion takes on a heavenly smell. Most are usually bitter.”

“Ahh..” Trailing off you eyed it up one last time before finally bringing it to your lips, a shiver running down your spine at just how cold the glass still was, despite being in a warm room.

Tilting the glass up, the liquid glimmering in the light of the fire traveled down the shoot, pouring into your awaiting mouth, feeling as if you were swallowing a runny syrup.

It had the slightest hint of sugar and cinnamon to its flavor, but nothing else. How odd.

Gulping it all down just to get it over with, your eyes that unknowingly closed fluttered open as he pulled the glass away.

Feeling perfectly fine, you stared up at him with confusion, about to speak before his lips cut you off, tongue poking out to lick the renaming liquid from the corner of your mouth.

The clink of the bottle being set down echoed around the room before his gloved palm delicately cupped your cheek, tilting your head as to deepen the kiss.

His tongue eagerly explored the wet cavern of your mouth, as if he was drinking the little essence from his own creation left over.

Pulling away with a wet pop, his forehead rested against yours, mesmerizing green eyes staring softly into your own, waiting.

Waiting for what was what you didn’t know, perhaps for the potion to take effect.

You were eager to find out just what it was, but you had a semblance of a guess considering the position you found yourself in.

“How do you feel?” he whispered breathlessly against your parted lips.

Just as you were about to reply, your words got caught in your throat as your body began to heat up in a familiar way.

“I..” You pant, grip on his cotton shirt tightening as your gut suddenly twisted with a burning need for HIM.

Your (E/C) eyes glaze over with lust in front of his own, pupils dilating as your body began to shake, whimpers escaping your throat.

Thighs rubbing together to offer friction you didn’t know you desperately craved until now, you looked at him helplessly, so close to falling apart if it weren’t for his large hand on the small of your back holding you close to his steady figure.

“I-I feel hot.. Izuku..”

You whined, chewing at your lip as you wiggled beneath his excited stare.

“Good.”

Suddenly, his lips connected with yours once more, drawing a stuttered moan from your throat at the contact you unknowingly began to crave more and more as your lips connected again and again.

You clung to him like a koala, kissing him fervently like you would never be able to again, desperate to have his undivided attention.

Hands sliding to your hips, he pulled you onto his lap, legs hugging his own as hot breaths mingled together with the wet sound of kisses.

“Ah..!” You squeaked against him, your hips involuntarily grinding down onto his crotch, greedily searching for the pleasure your body desperately craved.

“M-mmm.. Izu.. I-” Your apology was cut off with a nip to your neck, “Don’t apologize,” he scolded. Grip still on your hips, he pulled you down rougher against his hardening dick, his hips thrusting up to meet your own, eliciting a sharp cry from your being as your head threw back at the sudden pressure where you craved it most.

He was quick to chase your lips, dragging you back into your heated makeout, swallowing every moan you let out as you both humped each other like horny dogs, the eagerness from him only adding to the pool of moisture leaking out of your body.

The button on his trousers was rubbing deliciously against your clothed clit, making your hips stutter every so often as you fought to maintain that hard surface.

Saliva began to drip down the side of your mouth from the intense kissing, but you hadn’t a care in the world.

No, your mind was too fogged to even think about it.

All you craved was him.

Him.

Him.

You yearned for him like he’d been gone a decade, and your body acted on it in a way you were typically shy about.

Biting your lip, he pulled away from the kiss, dragging a whine of protest from you before he hushes you by licking the outer shell of your ear, breath fanning across it only adding to the tingles of excitement shooting down your arched spine. “Hush,” he commanded, and as if you couldn’t disobey him, your words of protest died on your tongue, leaving only a parted mouth and heavy breaths.

Licking down the column of your neck, nose brushing against you, he searched for that familiar sweet spot on you, teeth grazing your flesh.

Still grinding on his hard cock covered by pants, a wet spot no doubt leaking past the underwear you wore beneath your hiked up skirt and onto him, you gasp once he found the place he was looking for.

Smirking, he nibble gently, holding you still as you began to wiggle once more.

Your head tilted to the side to give him more room as he sucked on your skin, teeth repeatedly nibbling at your sensitive flesh. Biting down harshly, you cried out with pain and pleasure, hips grinding down so hard onto him he groaned, the vibration making your heart jump in your throat.

“A-ahh… hnng.!” Moans poured salaciously past your thoroughly kissed lips, holding onto him for dear life as he controlled your being with every fiber of his own.

A button on your blouse popped open, and your foggy gaze traveled down just to see his fingers expertly undoing each one without looking, letting your bare breasts bounce out above your corset.

Not giving you a second to cover yourself out of embarrassment, his large hand cupped one of your tits, massaging it gently just to feel the soft flesh as your chin rested against his grounding shoulder, small moans now directly in his awaiting ear.

“You’re such a good girl, (Y/N).” He praised, eyes filled with nothing but love as he got to watch your unusually heated body search for the pleasure it craved.

You were usually so shy in bed, but with this potion pumping through your veins, he hoped it’d help give you the confidence boost you needed.

Though, that wasn’t the only thing it did.

He was filled with anticipation, if his throbbing member was anything to go by.

Thumb circling around your cute, perky nipple, he took the bud between his thumb and forefinger, pulling gently and rolling it between them, dragging high pitched whines from you.

You couldn’t help but pull away from him again, body constantly shifting from the delicious pleasure you were being given.

Fully pulling your blouse off, he left your chest completely bare, giving him the chance to dip his head down and latch onto the opposite nipple, lathering it in attention with his warm muscle, sucking softly and continuously rolling your other nipple with his hand.

It left you craving more, fingers threading through his messy green curls, pulling as to not lose yourself, only eliciting yet another deep groan that vibrated on your skin.

Feeling yourself slowly start to come undone, you desperately ground against him, pants becoming high pitched and moans being louder.

He could tell you were getting close, and from grinding alone no less, it made him feel so damn good to know he could get you to come purely from grinding.

But he didn’t want you to cum like this.

Certainly not.

And so, he fell back on his back dragging you with him as his lips found yours again.

Gripping at the hem of your skirt, he yanked it down, pulling it off your legs. Using a little handy magic, he effortlessly pulled your own shoes off, already working your underwear down your quivering thighs, eyes zeroed in on the drip of wetness attaching your core to them for a split second before they were across the other side of the room.

Corsets were always his worst nightmare.

He couldnt think too clearly to untie the knot in the back as your now bare crotch rubbed against his own, so without thinking, he ripped it off, the bare display of strength having you keening against him.

“Princess,” he whispered against your lips, dragging your hips upwards, “please, sit on my face.”

How vulgar of him to say, with a smile no less, but nonetheless it scent a throb of want to your stomach, and you found yourself, once again, unable to disobey him.

Your body burned red from embarrassment as you crawled up his own still fully clothed one, but you weren’t given the chance to dwell on it before he moved your hips directly over his face, tongue poking out to lap at your dripping folds.

“Gaah..!” You cried, fingers digging into the blanket beneath him as your hips once again helplessly sought the pleasure you craved, unafraid to press down against him.

Your juices tasted so sweet, he eagerly lapped at you like a dog deprived of water.

He had to hold you still against his face, drinking in the image of your breasts jiggling like jelly with every shuttered breath you took, head flung back and eyes shut tight as you focused purely on the way the flat of his tongue licked you up like a sugary treat.

He couldn’t help but occasionally press a kiss against your sobbing flesh, teasingly avoiding your clit begging for attention each time you moved against his mouth.

Your cries of pleasure filled the room, only sending his mind into a state of hunger, wanting to drag every noise out of you he could, along with the loud licking that caused your essence to drip down his chin.

His aching cock was straining against the flimsy button of his pants, desperate to be released and buried deep inside your soul-sucking pussy again.

Tongue dipping inside you and lips pressing against your sensitive, pink labia, he ate you out with earnest, squeezing your hips tightly with his fingers as he fought to control himself from shoving you to the blankets and fucking you raw without finishing his dessert first.

A choked sob tore from your throat with his lips finally encased your puffy clit, the tip of his tongue tracing around the bundle of nerves before flattening his tongue against it.

Your hips bucked involuntarily against his face, pressing him harder against you just so you could cry out his name like a sinful prayer.

His heart was full of love for you as he observed your reaction did everything blissful he did.

You were in heaven, walking on clouds as wet squelches from your own body surrounded your ears.

“Z-Zuku..!” You cried as he sucked on your clit like candy, enjoying the rough treatment. The tip of his tongue traced his name possessively over your button, marking you as his forevermore, silently vowing to never let another man do the same.

“I-I’m close..!” You cried, tears of pleasure falling down your flushed cheeks, dripping onto the thighs squeezing his head like warm earmuffs.

He hummed against you, dragging his tongue across the expanse of your womanhood before enclosing around your clit again, lathering it in the attention you needed to be pulled over the edge.

Your thighs clenched around his head, his hair tickling you, body stilling as you screamed out in pleasure, back arching and giving him a lovely view of your demise.

You came on his tongue, the stimulation he gave you throughout your orgasm sending you higher and higher in that clouded head of yours.

When you finally came down and slumped forward, catching your breath, he licked up the mess you made, pulling away from your lower lips and running a tongue over his own to greedily savor your delectable taste.

Placing you off to the side, giving you a second to calm down,, he hurriedly shuffled out of his clothing, throwing his cloak, gloves, and various other things on his person to the floor, kicking his boots off that landed with a heavy thump, leaving his underwear on as he crawled over on top of you.

Dazed, you stared deliriously up at him, a bashful smile on your lips, watching as he wipes your juices away with the back of his wrist before licking it clean. He was so sinful and messy.

The warm fire crackling in the corner hugged at his soft skin, making his eyes blown wide with lost twinkle like starlight. He looked so in love as he stared at you as if you were the only person in the world.

Breathing heavily, you reached out for him, and he was happy to lean in so you could wrap your arms around his neck, toying with the shorter curls at his nape as he kissed you again, your taste still on his tongue as your tongues intertwined. You weakly fought against his intrusion, teasing, only for him to grab a handful of your ass, making you gasp and effectively losing the battle.

He flooded your being with everything he had, his scent, his love, his passion, adoration, everything.

His knowledge on your own sexual human anatomy astounded you, but always left you moaning against him, much to his utter pleasure.

His thumb circled your twitching clit, bringing your attention back to his actions and the way you clenched helplessly around thin air, waiting for him.

You hungrily eyed the bulge in his underwear, licking your lips at the spot of wetness where his dripping head was.

You wanted to feel him inside you again, to clench around the very thing that drove you insane other than his skillful touch.

“P-please..” You begged, detaching yourself from him, pleading for mercy under his sharp gaze as he soaked up your wrecked self.

He loved hearing you beg.

“Please what?” he drawled out, running his lips down the side of your face and neck, pressing kisses against your collarbone. Moving his thumb previously giving you what you desire to your thighs, he held them in his grasp just to feel your smooth, warm skin against his rough, scarred palms.

You whined, shimmying your hips to draw his attention to them. He ignored your advances, peering up at your face with a glare and crooked smile that shot sparks down your body, “Tell me.” 

As if on cue, and unable to disobey his words that squeezed your heart, you sputtered a response, barely able to maintain eye contact, “P-please touch me..! M-more.. I, I need more, please! I want..” your breath was stolen from your lungs as he began to grind his clothed crotch against your wet core, “I want you! I w-want you to fuck me, please..! I- I can’t take it anymore.. Please, Izuku..!” More tears fell from your eyes, falling onto the mattress below you, “Please fuck me..!”

Happy with your response,  but still not quite ready to give in, he pulled away, circling your clenching hole with his middle finger, watching as your head flew back with tears as you meekly thrust upwards.

As much as he wanted to pull himself out right now and fuck you until his bed broke from the sheer force, he couldn’t risk hurting you.

Even if the potion was designed to make you ready for everything sexual, willing to comply with his every demand, you still were his princess, his angel, and he was going to treat you like one.

He didn't want you to wake with the soreness of not being properly prepared, even if he could heal you a minute after. That minute of you crying from the pain that HE selfishly caused would always be stabbed into his heart, and he certainly didn't want that, nor you to experience it.

“Sorry, love..” he apologized, finally plunging his thick finger inside you after thoroughly coating it with your slick, moaning at how tight you were for him. 

“Fuck..” he whispered under his breath, keeping your thighs splayed wide open as he sat back on his haunches to watch you react to him.

Your back was arched, begging for more as you gripped the sheets below you, cheek pressed against the mattress as low moans trickled out your sinful mouth like water.

Face hot, a boyish smile fell on his face as he added another finger, observing how you hotly throw your head back as he pressed against the spongy spot inside your walls.

“Aaahh..! T-there! R-right there..!”

“I know, darling, shh, shhh.” He cooed at you, curling his fingers against your G-spot with each thrust in and out of your sopping pussy. His fingers made wet clicks inside of you as they rubbed against your walls, dragging more and more moans out of you as you ground down on his large digits.

His eyes couldn’t leave the view of you sucking him back in every time he pulled his fingers out, it left him imagining more and more scenarios in his head.

God, how he wanted to destroy you.

Have you screaming his name so loudly you broke the sound barrier he had set up ages ago, letting all of the castle and its snobby guards know he was fucking the love of his life and doing it damn well.

He bet they would be jealous.

Those thoughts of it made his adrenaline spike, adding a third finger to the squelching party mixing your insides up, leaving you at their utter disposal.

Arousal poured from you like a steady stream, gushing down and leaving a wet puddle under your ass.

You were so wet for him it was hard to bear, but you felt so, so good.

Your mind was so muddled with lust, you couldn’t think straight, all that entered your mind was ‘more, more, more.’ 

You were being greedy, but you couldn’t help it.

Deciding you were prepped enough, his fingers pulled fully out of you, putting on a small display of licking them clean as you watched with wide, doe eyes, stuttering out about how dirty that was.

“More dirty than you using my face as a seat, my lady?” He teased, tucking his face into the crook of your neck.

“T-thats..”

He chuckles at your flustered response.

Pulling his underwear down, his cock slaps against his toned stomach, fully erect and dripping with precum.

Throwing them off to the side, he noticed the way your eyes greedily looked at his body, confidence burning his veins as he sees the impatience in your eyes as you stare at his member.

He was tempted to say, ‘like what you see?’ but he himself was far too eager and impatient to wait any longer.

Grabbing himself, he ran his thickness between your lips, gathering your arousal on him before leading himself to your entrance.

“Ready?” He asked whilst kissing the skin below your ear.

You nodded, hips wiggling in anticipation.

“A-ahh! Fuck!” You cried out as he fully sheathed himself inside you with one thrust, bottoming out immediately.

He bit at your skin, concealing the deep moan that rumbled in his chest as you strangled his weeping dick at last.

You were so intoxicating, you sweet aroma wafting off you with every breath.

Grinding himself inside of you, he waited patiently for you to adjust, leaving hickeys all over your skin with each passing second.

Gulping down air, you thrust upwards, dragging him out of his blissed-out state just to moan heavenly deeply in your ear.

“Naughty girl..” he seethed, making you giggle, only to be shut up as he pulled out and slammed his hips back into your own, drawing out a garbled moan.

Skin slapped wetly against skin with each rough thrust he relentlessly delivered, drinking up your cries for more.

Leaning back to watch you with hungry, dark green eyes, pupils blown wide with lust. He pinned your arms to the bed above your head, a punishment for catching him off guard.

His cock was truly a godsend, thick and long, curved upwards just to slam repeatedly into your soft g-spot over and over.

You could only hold on for dear life as he fucked you good and hard just like you wanted, just like you craved.

“O-Ohh!!! Izu!! Izuku-! Ahh.! F-fuck..!” You moaned with each thrust inside your wet self, body being pushed back from the sheer intensity of which he fucked you with.

He knew your body so well by now, he knew each and every way to make you fall apart by his own doing.

He knew how to break you in the most sinful way possible, and he loved it.

Your face was lewdly contorted with pleasure, eyes looking back, eyebrows pinched together, (H/C) baby hairs plastered to your sweaty forehead, and mouth gaping wide open so he could hear every slur of words and every noise you emitted.

He wanted to hear everything you had to say, every reaction to the way he fucked you.

He could feel you growing tighter around his throbbing cock, juices coating his thighs with each heavy thrust inside of you.

He loved how much he could turn you on, even if right now it was all thanks to the potion that added pink hearts to your innocent (E/C) eyes.

The same potion that had you openly moaning unashamedly, whereas you previously would have held them in by biting your lip and hands.

He was so happy to hear how good he made you feel.

At long last.

“(Y/N)..” he panted heavily, peering deeply into your glossy eyes, movements becoming more and more sloppy as he lost himself to the pleasure, a burning pressure building up in his gut with each shallow and deep thrust.

Falling down on top of you, he held you close to him, letting your arms go so you could dig your nails into the flesh of his toned, freckled back flexing with each movement.

The bed banged loudly against the wall, he momentarily worried it would leave a dent- but he couldn’t think about that now. Not when you were crying out his name so sweetly.

“I’m here, I’m here..” he soothed as you clung to him.

Your hips began to move in circles, drugging him with intense ecstasy as he thrusts into you. You kept him wanting more and more. He was addicted to you. 

Pushing your legs back against the mattress, he reached so deep inside you, you swore you could feel his head kissing at your womb. 

You were so helpless to the waves of infinite pleasure he washed you over with that all you could do was take it.

“You’re doing so.. hah… so good, baby..” he praised breathlessly.

“Gnnn! Gaahhah..! Izuku!!”

“Let me hear it.. let me hear you, princess.” He smiled against your skin as you let out an onslaught of sultry moans, fueling his inner fire.

“I’m..! I- gwaahhh..! I’m so c-close..!”

“Me too, me too..” He fervently pressed kisses to your cheek, letting his other hand travel down to coat his thumb in your spare wetness, just to rub circles on your puffy clit, applying the right amount of pressure that always drove you insane.

Drool dribbled down the side of your mouth as your tongue flopped out, breasts bouncing with each and every thrust, constantly captivating him as he could feel their softness against his pecs.

Holding you flushed against him, he let magic crackle to life on his hand, green sparks lighting up the area around the two of you just barely. His hand began to vibrate, magic he learned was good for massaging muscles, but of course, it had.. other uses..

The vibration against your clit, added to the pounding of his cock expertly slamming against your G-spot, sent your head flying back, white vision going black as your pussy strangled his cock like a python.

“Haaahh.! Aah!” You cried his name out so loudly it burned your throat, leaving you to cum harshly on his dick, the strange sensation of liquid squirting from your body making your mind go numb as all you were left with was burning hot stars in your eyes.

The display alone was enough to drag him over the edge as well, slamming his cock into you once more before warm ropes of cum spurted into you, completely coating your walls and spewing out from the sheer amount as he let out a silent moan.

His thighs twitched and his stomach felt empty when he finally came down from his high, the same time as you.

Love filled his gaze as you both peered into each other’s eyes, enraptured by the souls sealed within.

Heavy breaths blew past your lips, desperate to calm down your racing heart.

“How was it..?” He questioned lightly, moving hair out of your face so he could get a better look.

“How was… what..?” Your mind was still clouded. You hadn’t any idea how he could still think straight.

Giggling, he rubbed his nose lovingly against your own. 

“The potion. Could you feel its effects..?”

Staring at him in bewilderment, it took a second to register his words. 

The potion.. what had it done again..?

Oh..

You slapped a hand over your mouth, pulling away from him. “Oh gosh..!” 

You were so embarrassed! 

Gah, to be so loud!! You wanted to hide in a hole..!

“Don't be shy, my love,” He pleaded sweetly, placing a kiss on your sweaty forehead, “it’s just me.”

“That's the point!! I-it was embarrassing to- to be so.. lewd in f-front of you…”

“You say that, and yet I’m still deep inside you,”

“Izuku..!” You groaned, shoving his smiling face away with both hands, only for him to grab your hands and place gentle kisses on them.

“I.. I liked hearing you..” he flushed, bashfully looking away.

Though he could be quite the dominant man in bed, it was always endearing how he was still the shy witch you fell in love with at the end of the day.

“W-well I..” You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, “Well I’ll be louder for now o-on then..!” Your declaration surprised him, shock resting on his features before he broke out in another smile, flopping on top of your sweaty body just to hug you to his own equally as sweaty body.

“I love you, (Y/N)..” he sighed blissfully, burying his nose in your hair as he cuddled you, the crackling of the blazing fire just now reaching his ears.

“I love you too, Izuku.”

Though he could be a handful at times, with his insistent drive to be better and push himself beyond his current limits, as well as running headfirst into danger and getting littered with scars, you still loved him.

You always would.

He was your kind witch, and you, his darling beloved.

And nothing would ever get between a witch and the one he called his.

.

..

…

….

“So, are you going to pull out? I feel a little messy.”

“In a minute..”

“Izu!”

#izuku midoriya x reader #deku x reader #izuku x reader #izumonth collab #witch!izuku #midoriya izuku x reader #midoriya x reader #izuku midoriya x you #izuku x you #deku x you #izuku midoriya #deku #izuku #bnha #mha #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #n/sfw

[bvidzsoo]

Poison (Part 2)

 Author: bvidzsoo

 Warnings: violence, swearing, blood

 Pairing: Kim Mingyu x female reader

 Word count:  18, 095

 Summary:  It seemed like Kim Mingyu’s words were true, once you enter this life style, you can’t just end it. You are forever in the system, forever being watched, even if you were an innocent by-stander. It seems like no matter how much you want to end things with Kim Mingyu, he just keeps pulling you in more and more danger. After all, he’s made it very clear, he wants you.

 A/N:  Oh my God! It’s finally here! Can you believe it?! This beautiful piece of art has been sitting in my drafts half finished for so long that I’m about to cry that’s how happy I am that I finished it. I really hope you will enjoy it and don’t be shy, leave your feedback! I have to say that my Seventeen phase (not me calling it a phase =))) is back real bad this time, so I don’t want to give you false hope, but damn, I have idea for a third part. I’m not saying a third part is coming, but it could come at some point if my writer’s block goes away. Anyways, I’ve said too much already, have fun reading!

     The days after my kidnapping were quiet and uneventful. I would lie if I said I didn’t double check my apartment before leaving it and when arriving at home or checking if I was being followed around. If they kidnapped me so easily in broad daylight, I don’t even want to imagine what other horrific things they could do. And thanks to me being the ever observant person, it didn’t take me long to realize that, in fact, I was being followed around every day. By none other than...Kim Mingyu. Yes, he was everywhere I went. At late evening in the supermarket when I forgot I had no porridge for breakfast and needed it as fast as possible, on a cold morning when I went out for a run and probably froze my lungs because I was stupid, and then the best part...he just had to be there every day at the bookstore. He never entered, only walked by peeking inside, looking like the creepy dude he is. Irene was quick to pick up on it after the third day he went by our window and I tried to lie to her, persuade her into believing that he probably was a new resident in the neighbourhood and was taking walks but no...she kept saying he looked at me and only me every time he passed by the bookstore. So, I ended up telling her only half of the story, leaving out all the gang related things. She was excited to hear about it and kept telling me to go for it but...that’s not a good idea. I should probably stay away from the gang unless I want to get kidnapped again. Yet, Mingyu’s words would sometimes haunt me late at night when I can’t sleep, echoing in my head. There is no way out once you get involved in something like this, is there? 

And yet, my curiosity got the best of me, and one day I couldn’t help it but speak up about it.

“Seungcheol,” I said lowly, turning towards my best friend. He looked up from his notebook, his brows in between a frown and arch.

“I want to meet Seventeen” I said seriously, looking him in the eyes. His eyebrows shot up and he closed his notebook.

“What?” He asked after blinking twice.

“Seventeen” I said again, narrowing my eyes when he just shrugged, “Are you dumb? Don’t play the idiot with me--I will smack you, you know I’m not afraid!”

“What’s a Seventeen though?” He asked, a chuckle leaving his lips. I raised my fist in warning and he scooted backwards, away from my reach.

“Your gang, you idiot!” I snapped after two minutes of silence and of us just staring at each other.

“Oh” He chuckled before he started giggling loudly, making my eyebrows furrow in irritation, “You mean, SVT”

“No, I mean, Seventeen” I snapped, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Who told you that? No one calls us Seventeen, Y/N” He started laughing loudly when I huffed and rolled my eyes.

“Kim Mingyu! He told me!” I exclaimed, offended, wanting him to shut up already. Maybe I can threaten Seungcheol with Mingyu and Mingyu with Seungcheol, I have these boys at my knees.

“He’s an idiot, he was playing around with you, Y/N” He chuckled when I rolled my eyes and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m serious, Seventeen or SVT, I want to meet the guys. Let me know the name of the guy who pointed a gun at your head” I muttered with a glare while gazing out the window.

“You know if I do that there’s no turning back, right?” Seungcheol turned serious as he scooted closer to me.

“I was already kidnapped once...there was no turning back the second I decided to interfere with your business, Cheol” I said as I looked at him, a reassuring smile resting on my lips.

“It’s better for you to not know much, Y/N. When you know more, you’ll be more exposed to the dangers that come with this life” Seungcheol said with a smile and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“Do you think someone would believe me if I said I didn’t know anything? Those guys didn’t and yet I was saying the truth…” Seungcheol hummed while I pouted, glancing down at our notebooks. We were just some stupid kids who went to college to study something so that they can work somewhere later. No one would say Seungcheol was in a gang nor that a gang leader followed me around, life really is full of surprises.

“Besides…” I grinned involuntarily before quickly turning serious, “Mingyu keeps following me around”

“What?” Seungcheol exclaimed, sitting up straight as I raised my head and giggled.

“Yeah, he’s been doing it for weeks now...I think I saw Wonwoo too once…” My eyes narrowed as I thought back to the rainy day when the red car was going way too slow for someone who was supposed to circulate on a busy street. “Idiot, Kim Mingyu is an idiot” Seungcheol shock his head with a tired sigh and I kissed his cheek before going back to studying.

So that conversation led to the current situation aka Seungcheol parking in some underground parking lot of a fancy building. It was in the heart of the city, a rather expensive part of the city.

“Is this the headquarters or something…?” I raised my eyebrows at him when he led the way to the elevator.

“Bingo” He sent a wink while pushing a button, top floor. I hummed, looking back at him with my eyebrows furrowed.

“Aren’t you supposed to have run down warehouses as your headquarters?”

“Isn’t that too shady and too obvious?” Seungcheol chuckled when I shook my head.

“We are high class infractors, baby” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes while pretending to gag, “Besides, I’m pretty sure Minghao would leave the gang the second he had to place foot in such place”

“Why...is he the diva or something?” I asked with a chuckle while trying to associate a face with the name. Vernon told me but it was long ago and I forgot. Wait, his name was Vernon, wasn’t it?

“No, Y/N, Seungkwan is the one and only diva” Seungcheol said with a shake of his head.

“What does he do?” I asked just as the elevator stopped.

“Gun trafficking” I hummed with a shrug as the doors opened, the elevator leading into a big hallway with a single double door. Seungcheol led the way and went towards the control panel where he blocked my view to not see the password. I scoffed as the door dinged open and he sent me a cheeky grin. 

The room was different from what I was expecting. The penthouse was definitely turned into an office-like place just darker and...illegal. There was a small lobby where Seungcheol instructed me to take off my long coat before we’d go further inside. The air smelled of lavender and I tried not to show disgust as it was bothering me, I never liked lavender. The floor was all black and the walls a rather dark brown, my heels clicked against the marble floor. To our left there were three doors and a place that looked like a kitchen with a bar. To our right there was an open space which was equipped like a living room and there were stairs that led upstairs to another three rooms. Then to our right, facing our backs was a huge glass door that led inside a huge room. I could see inside, it was full of guys. Probably all from Seventeen as they were lounging around on the couches or playing video games. Seungcheol nudged me with a chuckle and I sent him a glare as he led the way and opened the door for me, it was a sliding door. No one seemed to notice us, suddenly with the open door the room was noisy as people were chatting loudly, some even screaming from one end of the room to the other, while others were laughing loudly. I spotted Wonwoo in the corner of the room, sitting in a chair with a book in his hands, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. How could he read when everything was so chaotic around him?

Seungcheol cleared his throat rather loudly and suddenly the room went quiet. I felt uncomfortable when all twelve eyes set on me, curious and calculating. I straightened my posture and walked inside the room with Seungcheol right behind me as he closed the door. There was a certain smell in the air, light smoke floating around. It didn’t even take more than a second for me to find whom it was coming from. Mingyu was sitting on a sofa next to Wonwoo’s chair, hands resting behind his head and his legs spread so wide it took up more than half of the sofa, and the sofa looked huge. His eyes raked over my body and a smirk crossed his lips, making me scowl at him. The guys looked from me to Mingyu then back at me with curious looks, making me further uncomfortable.

“How about we stop staring at Y/N like she’s some sort of alien, I’m pretty sure we are making her uncomfortable” Vernon was the first one to speak up with a comforting smile, a beanie covered his light blue hair from the eyes of others.

“She’s only here to meet you guys, so don’t even think of anything else--” Seungcheol’s voice turned threatening and I chuckled amused, “I’m talking to you, Jun”

A taller man with his hair, still, slicked back shrugged amused.

“How are you?” I was startled when an arm was draped around my shoulders. I turned my head only to be met with Vernon’s beautiful face. Wow, he’s truly handsome from up close.

“Had better days...if only they’d stop staring” I pretended to whisper to Vernon, rather loudly of course, making a few guys chuckle.

“Well, seems like you’ve never seen a woman before” I said with a shrug, a blonde haired guy, who I saw already once, starting laughing rather loudly, “My name is Oh Y/N, nice to meet you guys”

“Chwe Hansol Vernon” Vernon beside me extended his hand and I shook it with a chuckle, bowing my head a little.

“Nice to meet you, Vernon...again” I said with a smile and Vernon winked at me playfully.

“That’s too much” Seungcheol muttered from beside me and before I could react, his hands gripped my shoulders and I was turned away from Vernon.

“Let’s do the tour then” He said with a sigh, pushing me towards the first person to our left by my shoulders.

“That’s Seokmin, funny person please don’t hang out with him too much, he might try teaching you how to be cute--I’m being very sarcastic right now, Seokmin” Seungcheol was glaring at the widely smiling boy who didn’t seem to mind my best friend’s words. I chuckled and shook his extended hand.

“Nice to me you, Y/N” He said while blinking rapidly, “I’ll make sure to spend lot’s of quality time with you”

I giggled as Seungcheol whirled me away from Seokmin while grunting nonsense from behind.

“That’s Jihoon but most people call him Woozi” I offered a small smile at the short man, his sharp eyes made him look intimidating. He didn’t extend his hand nor said a thing so I just walked past him, Seungcheol still hanging onto my shoulders.

“That’s Jeonghan” He pointed at a guy with his hair in a man bun, wow he’s really handsome, “And that’s Joshua” The man beside him had a fancy look and his smile was warm.

“So...you two are my stalkers, I see…” I said playfully and both cracked some grins, while Joshua bowed his head. Seungcheol pushed me towards the blond haired guy who was smiling so widely his eyes disappeared.

“He’s--”

“Hoshi, Soonyoung. I’m both, call me whichever you prefer” He said in one breath, taking my hand in his before I could even offer it to him. I shook his hand, his grip rather strong for a skinny looking man like him.

“Hoshi means star in--”

“Japanese!” He exclaimed, interrupting me.

“Yeah” I chuckled a little breathlessly, his energy taking me by surprise. He waved at me cutely when Seungcheol pushed me from behind and we passed by Mingyu, who sent a wink at me and I rolled my eyes at him, and Wonwoo, who I waved at and got a nose scrunched smile back. He was the cutest, I can’t believe he’s part of a gang.

“They are Minghao and Jun, I learned my good Chinese from them,” Seungcheol said proudly and I bowed a little. Minghao’s fur coat was gone but his turtleneck looked just as fancy and Jun bit his lip as his eyes ran over my body. I made eye contact with him and made sure he saw my glare, clearly I didn’t appreciate his openly devouring eyes.

“Junhui” I heard Mingyu call out from behind us, still sitting lazily on the sofa. The four of us glanced back at him and he only raised an eyebrow at Jun, making him roll his eyes with a groan before he turned towards Minghao and muttered something to him in chinese. Seungcheol led me away from the two Chinese men and I turned my head towards him.

“What did he say to Minghao?” I asked quietly and Seungcheol just shrugged.

“Probably just cursed Mingyu, he always does that”

“I’m not Mingyu’s property, can he stop acting like it?” I growled, eyes finding Mingyu who was watching us closely. I sent him a harsher glare than the one Jun got before turning around and towards another blonde haired man. He had full cheeks and he looked like another kind and pleasant person. These guys are so misleading with their appearances.

“Hi, I’m Seungkwan.” He was quick to speak up, his head held rather high and lips forming a tiny pout. He looked funny, I almost burst out laughing.

“Nice to meet you, Seungkwan” I shook his hand with a small smile, “I’ve heard great things about you”

“Really?” His demeanor suddenly changed, his face lit up with excitement before he could contain himself, he still willed his expression to go back to being uncaring.

“Of course” I said with a chuckle as Seungcheol and I walked towards the last person I didn’t know from the room. He was sitting on the floor, playing a video game. I already like this guy, he didn’t even bother looking at me.

“Hi, I’m Chan” He nodded towards me once and I smiled at him.

“Y/N, nice to meet you Chan” He hummed with a small smile as he focused on his game.

“Ah, that’s not right,” Jeonghan said with a sigh, holding the bridge of his nose. I raised my eyebrows at Seungcheol, his chin rested against my shoulder, as a grin spread on his lips.

“Since when are you Chan?” Jeonghan continued and Chan groaned, eyebrows furrowing.

“I told you to stop!” He whined loudly, making Joshua and Jeonghan chuckle to themselves.

“Who’s baby are you, Dino?” My eyebrows furrowed as I looked questioningly at Seungcheol.

“He’s the youngest, we call him Dino too but recently he said he doesn’t like the name anymore...I think you can figure now why” I laughed loudly as I placed a hand against my mouth, Jeonghan sent me an appreciative grin.

“I’ll unplug your game--”

“I’m Jeonghan’s baby” Chan was quick to say and Jeonghan hummed, walking over to pat his head.

“He’s so cute I can’t help it” Jeonghan said with a shrug while Chan groaned. I chuckled and Seungcheol, finally, detached himself from me and walked away with Jeonghan, sending a cute wink at me. I sighed and looked around the room, finally everyone went back to what they were doing. Jun and Minghao were in a corner doing something on their phones while talking. Hoshi was listening to music next to Woozi who seemed to be writing. Seokmin joined Chan in playing the video game and Seungkwan was humming to himself while playing on his phone, glancing at me from time to time and sending me judging looks. He looked truly funny. Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Joshua were sitting on bar stools as they quietly spoke between each other. I felt awkward standing in the middle of the room as I contemplated what to do. I could go over to Seungcheol but they seem like they want to be left alone, Mingyu is not even an option, Wonwoo went back to reading and he’s sitting way too close to Mingyu for my liking and--

“So” Vernon. Right, there’s Vernon, who decided to save me from my misery.

“Yes?” I raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled.

“I don’t think you want to stand around here for longer”

“No, I don’t, you are right--but, I’m not sitting next to Mingyu!” I said quickly, rather loudly as Chan and Seokmin chuckled. 

“You don’t have to, you see that?” He pointed at the empty spot beside Seungkwan on the black sofa, “That’s my sofa”

“Yours?” I raised my eyebrows at him, “Did you buy it or something?”

“No, but I usually sit there” He said with a shrug and I chuckled.

“You are just a bunch of kids, how are you running a gang?” Seungkwan scoffed while I sat down, placing his phone down.

“We are not kids, I bet we are all older than you” He said sassily and Vernon smirked at him as he sat down on the other end of the sofa.

“I bet I tower over half of you” I said with a shrug while I sat next to Seungkwan, an eyebrow arched. Seungkwan scoffed and stood up, sent me a pointed glare before he stalked off to Hoshi and Woozi.

“He doesn’t like me much, does he?” I asked turning towards Vernon.

“He’s a funny guy” He said with a chuckle while he shook his head, “He needs time to adjust to you. Besides, he’s only playing tough, he’s not really...trust me, he’s my closest friend”

“You’ve known each other for long?” I asked curiously, eyes examining the room again. When my eyes fell on Mingyu I narrowed them, wishing he’d stop looking at us. He was directly across from us, in the other corner of the room, and he was watching us closely.

“We grew up together, everyone in this room...I’ve known them for over ten years” Vernon said quietly, his voice holding love and warmness. My eyes widened as I looked back at him, shocked. Seungcheol never bothered to tell me anything about them, scared he’d expose me to more danger.

“That’s a really long time” I breathed out as Vernon smiled at me.

“Yeah, how did you meet Seungcheol? He refused to tell me anything when I asked about you…” Vernon said with an embarrassed chuckle and my eyes widened again.

“You...asked about me?” I grinned when he nodded his head shyly. He looked cute with that beanie and small smile.

“When I moved here, I was looking for a place to stay at and he accidentally spilled his coffee all over me so...that’s when we first met. Then we met at our university and it turns out, before I moved to my current apartment, our flats were next to each other. The Universe really wanted us together” I chuckled and shrugged while Vernon hummed impressed.

“That’s nice, I tend to say...nothing happens without a reason, so…”

“So, I was supposed to meet him in order to meet you guys?” I raised an amused eyebrow and Vernon nodded with a wide grin.

“I still didn’t forget you pointing that gun at my best friend’s head” I raised an eyebrow when Vernon looked away with a frown, “If you’ve known each other for so long...why would you point a gun at his head?”

“We were being watched, no one knew, only Mingyu and I. Our gang is discreet, Y/N, no one from the outside knows anything about us. They don’t know we grew up together, they don’t know our stories...we are invisible to everyone. It’s partly thanks to Jeonghan and Joshua, who are our aces, but we also never make ties with anyone else if it’s possible. We can’t afford to have weaknesses in a world like ours” Vernon explained with a serious expression and I nodded in understanding.

“But then Seungcheol and I--”

“Oh, he hid you really well for five years. We really didn’t know about your existence” Vernon seemed like a genuine guy, honest as he was willing to let me know more about them.

“Well, I didn’t know about you either so I guess he did a good job” I said with a chuckle and Vernon nodded.

“That gang who kidnapped me--”

“Yeah, they were watching us. They probably followed you around after that and gathered all that information about you, which is really dangerous” I frowned but Vernon placed a reassuring hand on my knee, “Don’t worry, Jeonghan took care of it. You are once again invisible to everyone in this world”

“What if it’s too late?” I raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not, we made sure” He smiled at me. Vernon made me feel safe, like an older brother. He gave off the same vibe as Seungcheol. That was the first thing that attracted me towards him, the safety his presence offered me at first and then his personality. Seungcheol and Vernon are good people despite the things they do, which makes it harder for me to understand. Is there even wrong or right?

“Y/N!” Seungcheol called as I looked in his direction, “I hope you had fun but we are leaving”

“So soon?” Vernon asked as he stood up with me.

“Yeah, she’s seen and heard enough, I’m sure” Seungcheol sent a pointed look at Vernon and Wonwoo chuckled as he raised from his seat, placing the book down.

“Hey, I’m not like that,” Vernon said while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“After spending so much time with Seungkwan…” Wonwoo said as he walked up to us, “There’s no way you aren’t like that”

“Fuck you!” Seungkwan shouted, making most boys laugh. Do they laugh at everything? I looked at Wonwoo with a smile and he sent a wink as he stopped beside me.

“Someone was maybe bothered by your closeness to Vernon” He muttered quietly, so that only I would hear as Vernon and Seungcheol spoke between each other. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at Wonwoo, but the realization soon hit me. My eyes fell behind him and there was Mingyu, one eyebrow raised. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Wonwoo.

“If he sent you to tell me this, tell him to go and fuck himself” I smiled sweetly at Wonwoo and he chuckled while shaking his head.

“My thoughts, not his” I hummed while narrowing my eyes at Wonwoo who smiled mischievously.

“We are going, Y/N” Seungcheol gripped my arm and I sent him a glare to which he let go of me.

“He was bothered, really? Let’s make him enjoy the show more” I said with an evil grin and Wonwoo looked confused as I leaned closer to him, wrapping my arms around him. Realizing what I did, he returned the hug and chuckled.

“You are playing with fire, be careful not to get burned” He said after we pulled away and I returned the smile.

“Let’s go--”

“Do I not get a hug?” Seungcheol groaned when Vernon stepped between him and I.

“You get one too” I laughed and gave him a quick hug before taking Seungcheol’s hand in mine.

“Let’s go Cheol, before you become too angry” I stuck my tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes and started walking.

“Finally” 

“Bye guys!” I called as I turned around to give them a wave. There was a chorus of ‘goodbye’s’ before Seungcheol closed the sliding door and led us out of the apartment.

“Never doing this again” He muttered and I chuckled as I leaned against the elevator wall. It wasn’t even that bad.

     One month later things didn’t change. Kim Mingyu still followed me around, even after that night I confronted him while going home from the bookstore. I made sure to lure him into an alleyway and snap at him, but he just laughed in my face and said, “Baby, I hold the gun here so you just keep on walking like you are oblivious to it” and like that, I knew I was just wasting my time if I focused on him. However, there’s something positive in every negative aspect and that in this case is my friendship with Vernon. We bonded faster than I thought we would and we found ourselves making movie marathons every Friday. Seungcheol was against it but in the end didn’t have a choice but to accept it. It’s not like I’m replacing him, he is still my best friend but it would be a shame not to spend time with Vernon when we go so well together.

“So how are things with that guy?” One afternoon Irene asked while we were organizing some books.

“Which guy?” I asked absentmindedly as I was trying to find a book.

“Oh my God” She chuckled as she looked at me teasingly, “How many guys are after your ass now?”

“What?” I chuckled as I rolled my eyes, “Zero guys, you know I’m not interested in anyone”

“Three o’clock and fifteen minutes” Irene said loudly as she craned her neck, stepping away from the bookshelf.

“What are you saying?” I laughed, following her actions.

“There he is, your giant who walks by the bookstore every single day at the same time” Irene said with a grin as we watched Mingyu not so subtly glancing inside as he passed in front of the bookstore. I groaned as I went back to organizing the books.

“It’s been two months, Y/N, I’d be scared if I were you but you most certainly know him as you are so calm about it” Irene said as she walked past me.

“Yeah, I know him but I also can’t stand him so it doesn’t matter” I shrugged, placing a book in its place.

“Well he does care apparently--”

“Irene” I interrupted her with a sigh, “Don’t”

“If I wouldn’t know you better Y/N, I’d say you got yourself involved into some kind of trouble and now he is your bodyguard without you wanting him to be” Irene chuckled as I paused and looked at her. If she only knew that she was almost right.

“Yeah, right” I faked a laugh, which definitely sounded fake even to her ears, but my eyebrows furrowed. I’ve never thought of Mingyu like that before. I did indeed get in trouble because of him and well, Seungcheol, but I didn’t think that he might be feeling guilty about it hence why he started acting like my bodyguard. Peaking a bit outside, my eyes settled on the seemingly empty road. Was Mingyu really the bad guy I was making him out to be?

   Irene’s words seemed to have affected me more than necessary and I was prone to speak to Mingyu. I’m not a liar nor an evil person just because I feel like it, yes, I do not like Mingyu but maybe it’s time I give him a chance? I didn’t judge Vernon nor anyone else from SVT. But maybe that was because they didn’t leave a bitter taste in my mouth, after all, my first encounter with Mingyu wasn’t a pleasant one. But then--how was the one with Vernon? He threatened to kill my friend. 

I groaned as I leaned back in the seat and stared up at the ceiling.

“Three o’clock and fifteen minutes” I heard Irene faintly from the back of the bookstore. My eyes went outside the windows but there was no one, at least not Mingyu, that passed in front of the bookstore.

“So, did he pass by?” She asked curiously. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked towards where Irene’s voice was coming from.

“No”

“Oh” Irene sounded surprised as she walked back, leaning against the front counter, “But it’s Wednesday and he’s been gone for three days now”

“I know” I rolled my eyes, “You seem more obsessed over this than I am”

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Irene frowned as she looked at me, “There was rain, strong wind, ice cold weather and he still walked by--but now nothing, and it’s been sunny all week so far”

“Maybe he finally realized how annoying he is and stopped” I grinned at Irene while trying to ignore the worry beginning to take over me, “God finally listened to my prayers”

“You wish,” Irene said with a scoff as she turned around and walked to a sofa and took a book.

He probably has got some business to take care of, he is a gang leader after all. Or maybe he realized he had better things to do, much to my happiness. Before I could think more of it, my phone started ringing. I picked it up with a smile when I saw it was Vernon.

“Hi” I giggled into the phone when he started making weird sounds.

“Is this Oh Y/N?” He asked in a deep raspy voice.

“Well who am I talking to?” I asked amused as I could hear a quiet snort in the background.

“Be quiet Soonyoung!” Vernon hissed quietly before clearing his throat, “I’m Hansol, Vernon’s twin brother”

“Oh, he never told me had a twin brother,” I said amused, leaning back in my chair.

“Whatever, doing this voice is hurting my vocal chords” I snorted at Vernon’s words.

“So what’s up?” I asked with a smile while playing with my pen.

“I was bored and decided to give you a call” 

“Well good, because I am bored too”

“What about we grab dinner tonight?” Vernon asked in a light tone and I hummed as my eyes went once again outside the windows.

“Sounds great, can Seungcheol come with us?” I knew Seungcheol would get petty about not being invited so...I had no choice.

“Yeah, he told me to actually ask you out…” Vernon’s voice turned quieter, “He just wants a free meal”

I scoffed and laughed as I rolled my eyes, “That sounds like Seungcheol, but I have a better idea!”

“I’m all ears,” Vernon said with a chuckle.

“Let’s invite him and before we could pay for it, leave him there. He either pays or washes the dishes, his choice” Vernon started laughing as I grinned to myself, still playing with my pen.

“I like how that sounds” I hummed as my eyes wandered towards the windows once again. Stop it Y/N!

“Vernon, I have a question…” I trailed off as my eyes wandered to Irene. She was reading, eyebrows furrowed as she was probably concentrating, she shouldn’t hear what I’m saying.

“I’ve been wondering just, you know...how Mingyu follows me around and stuff…” I trailed off as I thought how to formulate my question to sound casual.

“Yeah, everyone knows that” Vernon chuckled, “He’s pretty freaky, huh?”

“Yeah” I snorted as I bit my lower lip, “You know...I haven’t seen him this week so far, maybe he’s--”

“You haven’t?” Vernon’s voice wasn’t surprised, it was more happy, “I can pick you up then from the bookstore tonight!”

“Amazing, yeah” My eyebrows furrowed at the lack of worry in his voice, “Where’s Mingyu though?”

I decided to just blurt it out, better than kicking around the bush. Vernon was quiet and even Irene looked at me. What? Was it that weird that I asked about him? Okay, fine, I confess! Thanks to Irene’s words I became worried!

“Honestly…” Vernon trailed off before clearing his throat, “We don’t know”

“What? And you aren’t worried?” My eyebrows furrowed as I sat up straight in the chair.

“Not really, he does that from time to time” Vernon replied casually and I frowned.

“Well if you aren’t worried...anyways, see you tonight” I cleared my throat and Vernon chuckled before biding me goodbye.

I placed my phone on the table and sighed loudly.

“Not worried, huh?” Irene said loudly as the door opened and signaled a customer. My head snapped in her direction as I threw her a warning glare. She’s lucky we have a customer and I can’t curse her.

   A week passed by and there was no Kim Mingyu. It felt oddly irritating. I got so used to having him in my shadow that now, wherever I went, I kept glancing behind my back, anxious all the time. I didn’t even realize how safe he made me feel by following me around. And then there was the worry I felt for him, what if something happened to him? Vernon said last week he doesn’t know where he is, no one in fact from SVT knows where he is. What if he got injured? What if someone killed him? What if he just went to visit his family? Girlfriend?

I frowned at my last thought as it didn’t sit well with me. Wouldn’t his girlfriend be bothered knowing that his boyfriend was following around another girl? Because it most certainly wouldn’t make me happy to hear.

“Are you even listening to me?” Irene slammed her hands on the front desk and I jumped.

“Sorry, I’m just studying and didn’t hear you…” I muttered as I glanced down at my notebook, which was long forgotten as I was lost in my thoughts.

“Right” Irene narrowed her eyes at me and I only smiled sweetly, “Anyways, I was saying I’d be thankful if you came and helped me unload the box of new books, it’s really heavy”

I huffed as I closed my notebook and rose from the chair, “Coming, stop whining now”

Irene chuckled and started walking to the back as I left the front counter, however, the door opened signaling a new customer. Irene glanced back at me and nodded as I turned around to go back and greet the person.

“Hello, welcome to--” The words caught in my throat when I locked eyes with the giant. His hair was black and in a normal haircut, short bangs framing his forehead. His flaming and wild red hair was gone. It looked weird, he looked weird. I was used to seeing him with that wild look, he looked dangerous and mysterious...now, he kinda looked normal. As normal as a giant can look.

“Mingyu?!” I asked stunned as I took in his body, his shoulders were, unlikely to him, slouched.

“Hello, sugar” Mingyu’s lips pulled up in a smirk, “Missed me?”

I opened my mouth to snap back at him but something felt off. It looked as if he was in pain, the smirk wasn’t sincere like every other time, it looked painful.

“Where were you?” I narrowed my eyes as I walked closer to him. He chuckled amused and leaned down a bit as I caught his wince this time.

“Worried about me already, sugar? Wait until our wedding day at least--”

“I swear to God, Mingyu, if you don’t stop with that bullshit I’ll cut off your balls before you can say wedding day again!” I snapped, ears red as I stared at an amused Mingyu. Every single day, and I mean that, he told me something connected to our wedding day. When I bought milk, when I walked down the street, when I went and shopped for flowers...he always found something he could connect to our ‘wedding day’.

“But come on, sugar” He chuckled taking a step closer, “Soon you’ll be all mine, my beautiful wife--”

With a hiss I punched his stomach, making him double over. Something was definitely wrong as I watched Mingyu inhale sharply and his face twisted into an angry expression. There’s no way in hell my punch was strong enough to make him double over. Mingyu is not fine.

“Look at me” I demanded lowly as I stepped closer to him. Mingyu’s eyes found mine and before he could say a thing I grabbed his jaw and yanked him closer to me. His eyes widened in shock as he was not expecting something like that from me. My eyes ran over his seemingly perfect face until I found the smallest cut in the corner of his lips. I made eye contact with him and the playful and teasing Mingyu was gone as he gazed at me seriously. I felt captivated by his dark eyes and suddenly I realized just how close our faces were to each other, I could feel his breath fanning my nose. I gulped and continued to gaze into his eyes as if trying to find something in there, something he was hiding.

“Did the customer--Oh my God!” That was the loudest I’ve ever heard Irene speaking, and that was saying a lot. I quickly let go of Mingyu and stepped back as he straightened himself, wincing quite visibly.

“Hello” Irene said with a sweet smile, tucking a strand hair behind her ear, “I’m Irene, Y/N’s co-worker”

“Mingyu” He nodded towards Irene with an amused smile as he kept glancing between the two of us. Irene threw me a smirk and I widened my eyes in warning before turning back to Mingyu.

“Come with me” I muttered as I turned to walk by Irene, leading the way to the back where the bathroom was.

“There’s condoms in the cabinet underneath the sink” Irene whispered as I passed by her and I abruptly stopped walking, making Mingyu run into me from behind.

“What?!” I exclaimed loudly, wide eyes staring at an amused Irene.

“Go on now” She chuckled, pushing us away, “Don’t take too long though”

I made sure to throw a killer glare at her as I continued on leading the way to the bathroom. Mingyu chuckled but remained silent for the rest of our walk as he gazed around. I opened the door and let him enter first before turning on the lights.

“Irene is really funny” Mingyu chuckled as I closed the door behind me, “I already like her”

“I’m going to murder her” I snapped as I looked up at an amused looking Mingyu.

“Careful, sugar, you out of all know the weight of those words” He pointed a finger at me and I swatted it away.

“Sit down and strip” I demanded, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Oh” Mingyu’s eyes went wide before a smirk crossed his lips once again, “I like it when girls are so straightforward--”

“Mingyu--” I took a deep breath as I stepped closer, “Just stop it and take off your coat and shirt”

His eyes narrowed at me but when I wouldn’t stop glaring at him he sighed and carefully took off his coat. I watched as he winced and took a sharp breath once his coat was off. He looked at me as if he was done but I only raised my eyebrows and he undid the buttons of his shirt slowly. When it was off, my eyes widened at Mingyu’s torso. His ribs were purple and blue and there was a big gash starting from his left collarbone and stopping right where his heart was.

“Oh my God!” I gasped, eyes wide as I closed the distance between us, “What-what happened, I--”

“Nothing serious!” Mingyu shrugged as he sat on the toilet lid.

“Kim Mingyu!” I snapped, before leaning closer to inspect the big cut. It didn’t look deep, thank God, but it did look painful as hell.

“Okay” He rolled his eyes as I went to take a clean rag from the cabinet and some disinfectant, “I had to attend some meetings last week, out of town of course, and I got in a fight today before returning”

“This is what you call a fight?” I exclaimed annoyed as I started cleaning the big cut. Mingyu hissed and gripped my wrist tightly, halting my movements.

“That fucking stings” He snapped, eyebrows furrowed as he pushed away my hand from his chest.

“Well you can fucking die if it gets infected, so let me do my job” I snapped back with a glare and after a second of silence he let go of my wrist, quite reluctantly might I add. 

“Last time Jeonghan and Joshua checked--” I scoffed and rolled my eyes as Mingyu just waited for me to finish my dramatic reaction before continuing, “you weren’t a nurse”

“Still am not, but I know what to do. My father would get in fights with random people on the street and I always treated his wounds” I muttered quietly, trying to be careful while cleaning the cut. 

“No wonder you’re such a violent lady” Mingyu muttered more to himself and an amused smile appeared on my lips.

“Violent lady?” He made eye contact with me and nodded.

“Indeed, violent lady you are, sugar” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Before the silence could engulf us and make me feel awkward, since I am pretty much standing in front of a half naked Mingyu...with a huge cut and bruised ribs and well, I’m also touching that chest...anyways. I cleared my throat and focused on cleaning the lower part of the wound.

“Vernon told me that they didn’t know where you were and then I--”

“Vernon?!” Mingyu exclaimed, gripping my wrist once again tightly. I looked at him with my eyebrows raised.

“Yes, Vernon”

“Vernon Hansol Chwe?” 

“Yes, Vernon Hansol Chwe” I watched as Mingyu scoffed and let go of my wrist with a shove, “You’ve got a problem with that?”

“I--” Mingyu’s voice was rather high pitched as he looked me in the eyes, but stopped himself before saying anything else. I raised my eyebrows expectantly but he just took my wrist and placed my hand holding the rag against his chest, “You just clean this mess up and shut up, I have a headache”

“Of course, you are very welcome Mingyu” I said sarcastically as I finished up his cut. He couldn’t even be grateful after I cleaned the big ass cut from his chest, without having even any obligations to do it. The things I started doing for Kim Mingyu…

      Things returned to normal, much to my dismay. Mingyu was healthy again after a week and he took that as an invitation to enter the bookstore every time he passed by now. Irene and him quickly connected and I didn’t know how to feel about that. They both would be throwing me teasing looks when the other wasn’t looking and I would just glare back. Sometime last week Mingyu even started bringing us food, even though I told him many times that I didn’t want to eat on his money. Of course he reassured me that he has lots of it and that it shouldn’t worry me, as if that was even the cause in the first place. But I couldn’t fight back, I realized, Kim Mingyu always got what he wanted. Even if I opposed him all the time and gave him a hard time, he still somehow got what he wanted. And that is very infuriating.

That is why instead of studying for my next exam, I was staring at the wall with my eyebrows furrowed. I couldn’t stop thinking about how two days ago he tricked me into having dinner with him. I closed up the bookstore later than usual as we had inventory to do and he offered to drive me home. Any other time I would have declined his offer, but it was pouring hard outside, I had no umbrella and I was tired...and I didn’t want to call Seungcheol as he was busy with some mysterious plans SVT had. So I accepted his offer, a mistake, I realized once I saw him driving in the opposite direction of my neighborhood and towards the most expensive part of town. I was pissed and I still am actually. I groaned as I ruffled my bangs and threw my notebook off my lap, just for my front door to be kicked open. My heart jumped in my chest and picked up its peaceful rhythm as I thought someone broke in to kidnap me again. I was looking around my living room for anything that I could use as a weapon when I heard the familiar voice of Seungcheol.

“I said no!” He shouted in the hallway and my eyebrows furrowed. Before I could go see what was happening, Seungcheol was already storming inside my living room. His eyes found mine and I realized he was really angry. I walked closer to him to ask what was wrong when a throat was cleared in the doorway. My eyebrows furrowed more as I looked confused at the five men standing in my doorway. What the fuck is happening? Jun smirked and threw a wink as he walked further inside as if this was his place, Minghao had an amused smile on his face when he saw me scowling at Jun. Vernon and Wonwoo were grinning excitedly and I couldn’t help the giggle that left my lips and Mingyu was looking around curiously. Mingyu. Again. Of course. I glared at him as I walked towards him and pushed at his, now healed, chest.

“Get out!” I snapped, but my push did little to nothing as Mingyu’s built was almost twice bigger than mine. He looked offended that my first reaction to seeing him was to throw him out of my apartment. He is not welcomed here.

“Seriously?” He asked amused, but the glare didn’t go unnoticed by anyone.

“I don’t remember inviting you inside” I answered him as I crossed my arms in front of my chest. Mingyu scoffed as he looked at the other five men scattered in my living room.

“If they can stay, so can I.” And before I could curse him out, he pushed past me and sat down just where I was sitting seconds before. I scoffed and leaned against my door frame.

“Do you want some drinks?” 

“No.” Seungcheol snapped irritatedly as he ruffled his hair. He was standing next to the big window and drew the curtains together, blocking the view of the city. Something must have happened if he’s so on edge. I opened my mouth to ask once again what was wrong, but Vernon cut me off.

“Don’t I get my hug?” He tried to defuse the tense air in the room, but made it worse when Seungcheol and Mingyu both started glaring at him. I didn’t want to make Seungcheol angrier than he already was, but tormenting Mingyu was always something I enjoyed doing. And Vernon is my friend, I always hug him when we meet. So with a small smile and a shake of my head I walked towards him, he stood up from the ground, and we hugged. He squeezed me into his arms and lifted me up a bit, making me giggle into his neck. Vernon made me feel comfortable and protected. Having him and Seungcheol as my friends felt like having two older brothers and it was a feeling I really enjoyed. Seungcheol was like the stern and over protective older brother and Vernon the funny one and always ready to cause trouble with you kind of older brother. Mingyu scoffed as he looked away and I smirked to myself as I let go of Vernon. Mingyu always acts like a big, bad, tough guy but in moments like this his true self shows. He’s just a jealous, greedy, piece of shit. 

“So…”I spoke up as I walked next to Seungcheol and put an arm around his shoulders, “care to tell me why you six waltzed into my apartment uninvited with a very pissed Seungcheol?”

Seungcheol sighed deeply next to me and took my hand resting on his shoulders in his, giving it a squeeze. He was trying to calm down so I looked at him and offered him a friendly smile.

“Because Mingyu is fucking crazy!” He still couldn’t contain his temper as he looked at Mingyu with the deadliest glare I’ve ever seen coming from him.

“No, Mingyu is just fucking annoying. He can’t take a no, nor a ‘I told you to leave me alone, asshole’, nor a ‘I will fucking put you into jail if you don’t stop--’”

“Shut up, sugar, unless you want to really piss me off” Mingyu spoke lowly, eyes boring into mine as a smirk spread on my lips.

“Oh, I’m just getting started. Or what? Will you put a bullet in my head like you threatened so many times already?” Mingyu’s jaw clenched as he was ready to spring to his feet when Seungcheol chuckled humorlessly.

“Well if he won’t put a bullet in your head, someone else will fucking sure do it.” My eyes went wide as I looked at Seungcheol then at Vernon and Wonwoo. What is he talking about? My heart started beating quickly again as I let go of Seungcheol and straightened my posture. Seungcheol’s eyebrows furrowed as he realized what he said and sighed, shaking his head, “I didn’t mean to make it sound like that--”

“But what you said is right.” Vernon cut off Seungcheol and I looked between the two even more confused. A headache was brewing as I felt a light pressure in my forehead.

“Okay, honestly, what the fuck?” I finally snapped, glaring at everyone in room, especially at Seungcheol, “You have five seconds to explain before I call the cops”

“Yeah, right” Seungcheol muttered underneath his breath and I kicked his shin, earning a hiss from him.

Minghao, however, placed a brown envelope on top of my coffee table and looked at me with a neutral expression. I bit my lower lip, looking at the envelope nervously. What can be in there? Am I a wanted criminal for hanging around with SVT? Or did someone put a prize on my head because of Mingyu? Because he’s always with me and the other gangs probably already think there’s something going on between us? Coming to think of it, Kim Mingyu is a fucking idiot. He couldn’t even keep it on the low that he’s after me 24/7. 

“There’s an auction tomorrow at the Town Hall. We are going to steal a 1.00 carat Diamond ring--

“We are buying it first, Minghao, didn’t I tell you that already?” Mingyu asked with a yawn and Minghao rolled his eyes before he looked back at me.

“It’s not buying if we steal it before we can pay for it, anyways, Y/N, we need you to come with us” I blinked once and then twice as it was quiet in the room. Everyone was looking at me. Oh, now I understand why Seungcheol is so pissed, he doesn’t want to involve me in their business.

“We don’t need you to come, that’s just the bullshit coming out of Mingyu’s brain. We can perfectly do it without you too, we’ve already done it thousands of times.” Seungcheol’s jaw clenched as glared at their leader.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Seungcheol, my tolerance with you is running thin!” Mingyu snapped as he stood up, eyes narrowed at my friend. I sighed and took a step forward in order to stand between these two. I don’t want a gun pointed at Seungcheol again.

“Stop it!” I glared at both before looking down at the envelope, Seungcheol said they’ve done this before so nothing should go wrong. And it’s a Saturday tomorrow, a day I’d rather spend around high class people than study for my crucial exam. A small smirk spread on my lips as I looked up at Mingyu. His eyes were focused on me and when he saw my expression he knew I was in. He took a step back and sat on my couch again as he looked at Seungcheol smugly, who couldn’t see me as I was standing with my back towards him.

“Fine, I’m in” I said loud and clear and Seungcheol grabbed my arm.

“Are you crazy?! This is exposing you into our world so much more! It’s too dangerous, Y/N, please--”

“You think I’m not exposed way too much already?!” I raised my eyebrows with a scoff, “Mingyu’s been following me around daily for months, Seungcheol, you think no one saw him? Saw me? Saw the two of us together and got the wrong idea? Hell, I was exposed by you a long time ago, you just never wanted to admit it because you need me. And because I need you, Seungcheol.” My voice grew soft as Seungcheol looked down at the ground, his grip growing softer on my arm. I placed my other hand on his holding mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Trust me, okay?” I whispered as Seungcheol looked me in the eyes defeated and nodded wordlessly.

“Be home tomorrow all day, you’ll have a package sent your way. I’ll pick you up at five in the afternoon.” Mingyu spoke up as he rose from my sofa and patted Minghao on the back.

“I’m only going with you if Seungcheol, Vernon and Wonwoo will be there with me at the auction.” I stepped in front of Mingyu so he couldn’t leave. There were a few inches between our bodies and I tried to ignore his scent and body warmth. He felt really inviting and I hated how easily my body gave in. I got too used to him and that’s bad.

“You don’t get to negotiate with me, Y/N.” Him using my name never meant anything good. He was dead serious. He wasn’t glaring nor speaking in a threatening way, but his words were enough to warn me.

“And you need me, Mingyu, otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now. So if you want me to really go, those are my conditions. And...Wonwoo picks me up, not you.” A throat was cleared behind Mingyu as a way to hide the laughter that bubbled up from Wonwoo. He was enjoying this a lot. He always enjoyed me standing up to Mingyu and never was afraid to show it, he really has known Mingyu for the longest.

“If you think…” He leaned down, our noses brushing against each other, “That you’ll be able to avoid me all night, you are very wrong. You are my girl.”

“Fuck you, I am no one’s, especially not yours.” I said pissed but Mingyu just sniffed before straightening up and walking past me. I glared at the wall as the boys one by one left my apartment.

“See you tomorrow!” Wonwoo smiled cutely and I sighed as I nodded. Vernon waved and before Seungcheol could leave, I grabbed his arm.

“Sleep here tonight?” Seungcheol looked past my shoulder and nodded at the person behind me, no doubt Mingyu, before he gave me a small smile.

“I’ve got to take care of a few things, I’ll be back in an hour”

“Cool, I’ll cook us something then” He kissed my forehead before leaving too. I sighed and walked to the coffee table to pick up the envelope. The big diamond ring stared back at me mockingly and I studied it as I made my way to the kitchen. This will be interesting.

   I stared at the reflection staring back at me in the mirror with a grimace. Of course Mingyu would pick a dress like this one. Red silk, tightly clinging to my body, deep V cut with thin straps and floor length but with a cut so high on my left thigh that I’m afraid my underwear will show if I take big steps. The heels sent with the dress were a dark emerald green, matching my earrings and purse. When I first saw the dress my jaw dropped, I was mesmerized by the fabric and beauty of it but when I finally dressed in it, I realized how provoking it is. I honestly don’t know if Mingyu is doing this for his own twisted mind or because he wants me to distract the important people he’s stealing from tonight. He sent nothing to wear over the dress so I decided to pull on my white fur jacket that I got from Seungcheol two years ago. He showed up to my birthday with the fancy package and at first I thought he was pranking me, but when I opened the box I was left speechless. He refused to tell me where he got the money from to buy such an expensive gift for me but now I know, it all makes sense now. My phone pinged and I glanced down to see a text from Wonwoo informing me that he was downstairs waiting for me. I took a deep breath and tightened the low ponytail before slipping my red lipstick inside my purse and quickly left, after locking the front door.

Wonwoo had a big smile on his lips when he saw me opening the apartment complex’s door, pretending to take off his hat as I walked closer to him. I chuckled and shook my head as I stopped in front of him.

“Didn’t he just overdo himself?” I asked, rolling my eyes as I twirled around slowly. Wonwoo started laughing, his deep voice raising a few octaves.

“Mingyu always had good taste and right now he hit the jackspot,” There was a sly smirk on Wonwoo’s lips as he pushed off the car, “All eyes will be on you tonight.”

“I guess that is his goal?” I asked with a sigh as I sat inside the car after Wonwoo opened the backseat door for me, “I have to distract the important people so that you guys can steal peacefully?”

Wonwoo chuckled and shook his head before closing the door and jogging to the driver’s seat. I buckled up the seatbelt and got comfortable on the leather seat, still not used to the softness of the fabric of my dress.

Wonwoo sat inside and started the car smoothly, slowly taking off, “You being there with us tonight is just Mingyu wanting to show off. He’s not using you as a distraction, although that’s what will happen probably. I know you hate the situation you are in, but Mingyu is never letting go of you. You can hate him until the end of your life but you got him wrapped around your fingers, something he will never admit.”

“I don’t understand what’s so special about me. There’s so many women out there who would willingly be with him, who are, hell, desperate to be with a man like him!” I exclaimed as I looked out the window.

“Trust me, I don’t understand either” Wonwoo started laughing and I rolled my eyes in a playful manner, “It’s mainly how loyal you are to Seungcheol. You really left a deep impression on him when you stood in front of that gun pointed at your friend. Many would have ran away just by seeing the situation that was unfolding when you stepped in. I knew you’d bring trouble upon us when you left Seungcheol’s vehicle--”

“You were in the van!” I exclaimed, leaning forward in my seat gaping. Wonwoo glanced back at me through the rearview mirror with a cheeky grin, “I knew it! I knew someone was inside the van still, I felt it!” 

“Yeah, I’m about to make a bold statement, but I’m one hundred percent sure we even made eye contact!” I gasped and soon we were both laughing. Sometimes I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that these men are part of a dangerous organization, hell, they are even more dangerous. That Seungcheol, the nicest and most caring man I know, is a drug dealer lord and that Vernon, the funny and reliable friend, is a hitman. Even Wonwoo, who always makes me laugh and loves to read in his free time, he’s the designated get away driver who’s caused numerous accidents that killed innocent by-standers. It’s a crazy world I got dragged in accidentally and no matter how much I hate it, Mingyu’s right, there’s no way out for me. So I better woman up and accept my fate of always having someone in my shadow to protect me from unknown dangers.

“Just smile and be nice to everyone Mingyu will introduce you to,” Wonwoo spoke up, bringing me out of my thoughts, “And try to keep your witty remarks to yourself until at least you are alone”

“Great, we are here” I muttered to myself as suddenly my stomach felt like an empty hole. I gulped and undid my seatbelt, about to open my door when someone opened it for me. It was Seungcheol and I took a deep breath before stepping out.

“Have fun, by the way, you look absolutely stunning!” Wonwoo called after me and I offered him a small smile as Seungcheol closed the door for me.

“My God” I breathed out as I looked around at the people swarming the place, all looking fancy and expensive. I’ve never seen so much luxury at one place ever in my life. Rich people really have it all.

“I thought I could do this, but I’m on the verge of throwing up, Cheol!” I whisper-shouted as I gripped onto my friend’s forearm. He sighed and I looked at him, taking in his outfit for the first time. He was wearing a dark red tuxedo, looking really handsome. His black hair was gelled back and the lip piercing was missing, he looked weird without the accessory.

“You have to put that lip piercing back the second we leave this place” I said with furrowed eyebrows as Seungcheol chuckled and pushed me back gently, getting a good look at my outfit.

“I’m going to fucking murder Mingyu, what are you wearing!” Seungcheol’s exclamation earned a few cross eyed looks and I pinched his hand to warn him to keep it down.

“A very expensive designer dress that I picked out myself with great care.” Mingyu seemed to teleport as he spoke up from next to me, eyes locking with Seungcheol, “Why? Do you have a problem?”

“It’s too revealing!” Seungcheol hissed and I sighed as I grabbed his arm.

“It’s fine, it’s just for tonight, Cheol. Let’s not cause a scene, okay?” I spoke softly, trying to calm him as I noticed people looking more frequently over. It could just be because Mingyu is standing next to me, I don’t know, but I don’t want to test our luck tonight. A hand touched my arm and I cringed a little when Mingyu intertwined our arms, but I stayed quiet deciding to follow Wonwoo’s advice. 

“Do your job, S.Coups, it’s why you are here tonight.” Mingyu’s voice was stern as he shot Seungcheol another look before taking off towards the entrance. I remained quiet as I followed his lead, taking in the beauty of the place. The chandeliers hanging low were covered in sparkling crystals and the floor and wall were all marble. The place looked breathtaking. My attention soon turned to the bodyguard standing at the next door, a notebook in his hands.

“Kim Mingyu, Oh Y/N” Mingyu spoke before the guard could even speak up, checking our names on the list. He gave us a nod and Mingyu started leading the way once again. As we walked inside the spacious room, music flooded my ears, nice slow music, and chatter. People were everywhere you looked, holding drinks or nothing in their hands, and laughing and talking with each other. Towards the front of the room was a small stage where the live band was playing and in front of the stage numerous empty chairs, for the auction later. We walked towards the right back of the room, where round tables had name tags on, and as Mingyu found ours we stopped. I shrugged my fur jacket off and hung it on the chair, placing my purse on the table next to the champagne glass. I felt eyes on me so I turned to look at Mingyu. For the first time tonight, I looked at him and took in his outfit. He was wearing all black, dress trousers, a vest without any dress shirt underneath and a sparkly tuxedo jacket with chains on. His black hair was styled in a way that left the impression that he had bangs but with the undercut it looked really nice. My eyes ran over his body once again and I tried to ignore the dryness of my throat when my eyes spotted his naked chest again. A chest on which a fading scar could be seen. He looked jaw dropping and I could see why so many ladies were looking our way. His look screamed danger, excitement and pleasure.

“I see I’m not the only one taken by my partner tonight” Mingyu smiled, genuinely, his sharp canines showing. I was speechless for a second and it made his smile widen. 

“Don’t expect me to obey you after tonight” I tried to scowl while trying to say something logical, off thrown by his smile. 

“I am not” He chuckled and stepped closer, eyes sweeping over my form for the nth time, “I really wasn’t going to choose this dress, but now I’m really glad I did”

“Something revealing not being your first choice? What a shock!” I placed a hand over my mouth mockingly and Mingyu rolled his eyes as he stepped again closer, little to no space between us now.

“We’ve spent so many months together and yet you still don’t know me, I am quite offended,” Mingyu said with a pout and my eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s not like we spent that time getting to know each other” I shrugged as my eyes wandered around the room, “You follow me around all the time while I yell at you to leave me alone...which makes me wonder, do you not have a life that you have to participate in?”

“Very funny” He glared a little as I offered him a sweet smile, “I take care of my business before I decide to stalk you”

“I’m glad you are aware that it’s called stalking what you do”

“Is it still stalking when the other one likes it?” He leaned in and I looked away in an attempt to ignore the closeness. My heart was beating so fast in my chest I was afraid the music wasn’t loud enough to cover it and Mingyu would hear it. I tried to distract myself even more as I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to spot a familiar face in the mass of people present in the room with us.

“Stalking is still stalking, Kim Mingyu, no matter the feelings tied to it” Finally, I answered back as a low humming sound came from the male standing too close in front of me. I made the mistake of glancing at him, our gazes catching each other and eyes locking. 

“When will you admit that you like having me around?” His voice was barely a whisper and I probably wouldn’t have heard him if my senses wouldn’t have been in overdrive. Everything around me felt on fire as I gulped, trying to collect my thoughts. He never stood this close to me before, we were almost pressed up against each other. His body warm drew me in more and more and I found myself staring at his pink lips, tongue poking out to wet them. The action snapped me out of my staring and I quickly looked back up, our eyes once again connecting. Mingyu’s pupils were dilated as his eyes narrowed at me, and I cleared my throat awkwardly. All these feelings were suddenly overwhelming and confusing, since when did I start feeling this way around Mingyu?

“Never” I whispered, barely audible, as Mingyu leaned down. I panicked, eyes searching his face as I didn’t know what to expect from him.

“There you are!” A cheery voice greeted from behind Mingyu and I basically ripped myself away from the tall giant as I raced towards my friend, Vernon, who wasn’t standing far from us. My heart was hammering in my chest as I threw my arms around Vernon, hugging him tightly. He chuckled and hugged me back just as tightly, eyebrows playfully furrowed when I pulled back.

“Jesus, I never thought someone could miss me this much” Vernon laughed and I giggled along, trying to ignore the burning look coming from Mingyu. He was pissed that Vernon interrupted us, was he planning on kissing me? Was Mingyu about to kiss me? No, question, was I about to actually let him kiss me? The answer to that question was scary because I instantly knew the answer, so I smiled tightly at Mingyu before grabbing Vernon’s arm and pulled him towards the bar, far away from Mingyu.

“Why are we in a rush?” Vernon chuckled confused as I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

“Just running away from Mingyu, the usual, you know” I muttered as the bartender looked our way and I waved my fingers at him.

“I’d like a Cuba Libre, please” I asked politely as the bartender turned around and started preparing my cocktail, “Vernon, you have to promise me something”

“Uh, alright?” He asked with raised eyebrows as the bartender turned back to us with my drink. I went to grab for money but realized I left my purse on the table, where Mingyu is. I turned to Vernon with puppy eyes as he just grinned and handed the bartender a lot more money than that Cuba Libre cost.

“Thanks, I left my purse at the table”

“You can give it back after we go back and--”

“No!” I snapped, eyes wide, as I grabbed the glass firmly in my hands, “The promise I want to ask you is keep me away from Mingyu, all night.”

“All night?” Vernon’s eyes widened as he gulped and looked past my shoulder, back towards where the round tables were situated.

“All night.” I nodded my head firmly and took my first sip of my cocktail.

“Uh, shit, let’s get moving then!” My eyebrows furrowed when he pulled me after him, I almost spilled a little of the drink on myself, “Mingyu’s headed our way”

“Run!” I screeched quietly as Vernon laughed and started pulling me through the masses of people, doing everything to lose Mingyu.

   And that’s exactly what Vernon and I did for the past two hours, we ran from Mingyu. We hid in the back garden, we danced on the dance floor to the slow music when we couldn’t see him, we socialized with people Vernon knew and even met some new ones, then went to the bar to get some more drinks when we made eye contact with a very pissed looking Mingyu. I was actually having a lot of fun, the night going a lot better than I was anticipating it to go. Vernon was amazing company and I couldn’t be more thankful for him accepting my little plan, knowing he’d have to suffer the repercussions later on for disobeying direct orders from Mingyu and hiding me from him. 

“See those guys over there?” Vernon nodded subtly towards a couple not far away from us, standing at the end of the bar.

“Yeah, why?” I asked as my eyes swept over the place, trying to act casual, but also to see if I could catch a glimpse of Mingyu. I haven’t seen him in half an hour which was starting to make me uneasy. 

“Undercover cops.” Vernon said lowly, lips barely moving as he steered the olive oil in his drink.

“No shit, are you forreal?” I slammed my third Cuba Libre on the bar a little too hard, eyes widening as I glanced towards the couple, who were looking at us now. Vernon frowned lightly and then suddenly laughed as he looked at the couple.

“She had a little bit too much already!” He called with a friendly smile, nodding towards my drink. I looked at him offended but quickly covered my reaction with a somewhat drunken giggle. The couple laughed along with me, nodding their heads before they walked away.

“You can’t react like that--”

“I’m sorry!” I quickly cut him off, realizing I was putting the reason why we were here at stake if I was reacting like that, “How many of them are here?”

“Are you kidding me?” Vernon laughed, downing his drink in a one shot, “This place is full of cops, Y/N”

“Holy shit” I muttered amazed as I looked out at the crowd on the dance floor then back at Vernon. However, I tensed up when my eyes fell on the man we’ve been avoiding for the past two hours, “Shit, the devil’s here, Vernon--” Vernon gripped my arm as we took off, leaving my drink on the counter as I looked back at it with a pout. We were weaving between people as Vernon headed for the dance floor, until our path was cut. I looked up and swallowed hard at the dark eyes and dark glare directed at us. Vernon just smiled as he nodded at his boss, about to go around him, but another pair of hands caught my other, free, arm.

“She’s staying.” Mingyu’s voice was hard as he didn’t even bother to turn our way. I shook my head as I looked at Vernon, asking for help, but my friend just sighed before letting go of my arm held by him.

“Traitor!” I snapped at him as my eyes widened, feet moving as Mingyu started walking.

“Sorry!” Vernon mouthed before he walked towards the round tables in the back of the room, leaving me alone with Kim Mingyu. I sighed as I followed after him wordlessly, not realizing he was leading us to the middle of the dance floor.

“If you’re about to bring me to a secluded place and blow my brains out, you should know that I’m not afraid and I will cause a scene, scream and--” I gasped as my chest collided with Mingyu’s chest. One hand around my lower back, pulling me flushed against him, and the other holding my right hand in his. I looked ahead, over Mingyu’s shoulder, as I hesitantly placed my other hand around his shoulder. He was holding me too close and suddenly my heart was hammering in my chest again. I wish I could have avoided him for longer, at least until the auction, when it wasn’t possible to dance anymore.

“I don’t appreciate you running around with Vernon” His voice was clear in my ear as he swayed us to the slow music. 

“I don’t appreciate you forcing me into doing things I don’t want to do” I snapped back, referring to us dancing right now. It was a lie, a lie I wasn’t ready to admit yet. His body felt right against mine, our hands made for the other, our bodies knowing the next step of the other.

“I didn’t force you to come here, Y/N” Mingyu sighed and I gulped, making eye contact with a blonde haired woman who was glaring at me. I glared back at her before speaking again.

“Yeah, but you didn’t ask me if I wanted to dance with you” 

“You are my date, Y/N, we are supposed to dance together” His grip on my hand tightened a bit and I hissed, knowing he could hear me. I made eye contact with another person, an older man this time, who was smiling, and smiled back at him.

“Yeah, you know, it’s a little late to say ‘pass’, but...pass.” I muttered as I turned my head a bit towards Mingyu’s, staring at his jawline. Images of him smoking when he took me to his house and cooked Fajitas entered my mind and I clenched my jaw. This really isn’t the time to think of something like that, it happened months ago yet the memory is crystal clear in my mind.

“You really do not understand, do you?” Mingyu snapped, finally letting his anger show. I chuckled as a lady greeted me and I nodded back at her, ignoring the way Mingyu’s fingers dug into my lower back.

“Understand what?” I pulled a bit away to be able to look in his eyes, eyes that held a lot of anger. I gulped and quickly looked away, my hand sneaking up from his shoulder to his neck. He tensed a bit and twirled us around a bit more aggressively as I held onto him.

“These people know who I am, Y/N, so that means they know who you are. What do you think it looks like to them when you are running around all night with a man who works for me, you proceed to hide from me with his help and even dance with him more than once?” His voice grew lower and lower and more pissed by the time he finished his sentence.

“I don’t know?” I answered quietly, not exactly understanding what his words meant.

“You are my girl, Y/N, and everyone knows that here. And running around with a little skanky boy all night long shows how little respect you have for me and how much I let you get away with. This is not the fucking time to parade around and create a shit show, sugar, people here are all from gangs from around the world and the country. One wrong fucking move and they will blow your brains out, not me, sugar.” I grew stiff in Mingyu’s arms upon he finished talking, growing silent as I looked around with wide eyes, seeing this place in a different light for the first time. I didn’t know that, that’s why Seungcheol was so against it and annoyed. I’m exposed to all these people. They now know who I am and know that I am Mingyu’s, or whatever.

“You’re such an asshole” I scoffed as I pulled my head back, making eye contact with the man holding me, “Do you realize you just exposed me to the whole fucking mob world?!”

“You did that to yourself when you interfered with our business, sugar” He said with a smirk, eyes holding less anger but just enough. He pissed me off and I tried to take deep breaths to remain calm, but it was hardly doing anything.

“Maybe if your man didn’t hold a gun against my best friend’s head I wouldn’t have--”

“Not my problem, I’m not in the mood to listen to your pathetic whining, again.” Mingyu snapped, quickly shutting me up but not exactly expecting me to cause a scene knowing where we were and who were around me. But I tried to either way, when was I the one with enough brains to not do anything reckless? I ripped my hand away from his abruptly and raised it, ready to slap Mingyu across the face, but he reacted almost a little too late. Before my palm could connect with his cheek he gripped my wrist and twirled me around in a pirouette, making my blood boil. I was back in his arms again, now in a tight grip as he pressed me against his body fully, restricting me as well in the process as he caged my arms between our bodies, one hand pushing my head next to his neck and the other keeping me tightly against him by my lower back. The thought of fighting back against him flashed quickly in my head but before I could wriggle myself out I made eye contact with a panicked looking Seungcheol. He looked ready to jump in the middle of the dance floor and pull me out of there. At first I thought something bad happened and we had to run, but I soon realized it were my actions that attracted more unwanted eyes on us and Seungcheol was begging me with his eyes to stop and save it for later, just let it go for now. My hands gripped the chains on Mingyu’s vest tightly as I clenched my jaw and stared at the ground, ignoring the quick falling and raising of Mingyu’s chest. I think I really messed up this time, even Mingyu had a limit and I just crossed it. I let out a shaky breath and Mingyu’s grip loosened just a little bit, but he didn’t let go. More and more people took intrigued glances our way and I knew I fucked up, they saw me trying to slap the shit out of him, they could see just how pissed both of us were. I guess it looked really bad if a gang leader’s partner disrespects him continuously, maybe it shows he’s got no power. I don’t know what these people think, but I have to fix my mistake. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath as I tried to pull my head back, but Mingyu didn’t let me.

“Let go, please” I mumbled as I caught the gaze of the glaring blonde again. Mingyu didn’t hesitate before the hand was gone and I was able to pull my head back. The lights dimmed in the back where the tables were and I figured the auction was about to happen, so I acted quickly. I broke eye contact with Mingyu and leaned in quickly, barely pressing my lips against his, hoping to everyone else it looked like a real kiss. But the hand was back on the back of my head and Mingyu’s soft pink lips pressed against mine firmly, making my heart hammer quicker than ever before. The music slowly died down and people started clapping, I pulled away and stared at Mingyu’s stained lips by my red lipstick. I took a deep breath and untangled myself from him and started walking away, knowing he’d follow me. I couldn’t look at him, embarrassed that I had to do that in front of everyone, in front of Seungcheol and probably even Vernon. A hand on the small of my back guided me through the people and back to our seats. When we sat down Mingyu grabbed a napkin and patted his lips, his eyes boring into my profile for the whole time. I shivered and cleared my throat as I took my glass of water from the table and gulped down a big amount. A man walked up onto the scene and I could see the crowd dispersing as people walked towards the chairs and others towards the round tables. A man in a purple expensive fur coat strutted past our table and down the aisle, turning briefly and nodding. Mingyu’s nod back caught my attention and I realized it was Minghao and he was walking towards the front chairs, placed there for the auction. I didn’t realize Mingyu wouldn’t directly participate in it. And so, the auction started and I stayed quiet and slumped in my seat as all the lights were directed at the stage now. 

    Halfway through the auction I felt two hands gripping my shoulders in a reassuring way and I jumped in my seat, taken by surprise. First thought was Mingyu, but he was sitting right beside me, so when I turned around I was met with Vernon smiling reassuringly at me.

“Can we get some air?” I whispered as another painting was sold at an outrageous price. Vernon glanced to my right and I followed his line of vision to be met with Mingyu’s glaring eyes, he raised an eyebrow.

“Can I go out?” I muttered while avoiding eye contact with Mingyu, the taste of his lips ebbed into my mind forever. 

“Don’t stay for long.” He snapped as he looked at Vernon then back towards the auction, a diamond ring being the next object. It must be the ring for which we are here tonight. I took Vernon’s hand and followed after him as he led us towards the garden which was lit up by little fairy lights, a marble bench placed between two beautiful rose bushes. I took a seat on the bench and hugged myself in an attempt to warm myself, I left my fur coat inside.

“Have you seen Seungcheol?” I asked, raising my eyebrows as Vernon strolled around the garden, staying in ear shot distance so he could hear me.

“He’s keeping an eye on the auction, making sure Minghao gets the ring” Vernon answered from somewhere behind me, I couldn’t see him as he was behind a tree.

“Like a bodyguard” I mumbled to myself with a small smile, even here, Seungcheol is protecting someone. Light smoke floated in the air and I turned around, eyebrows furrowed as Vernon finally came into view. A cigarette was between his lips as he inhaled deeply and then blew the smoke out.

“You smoke?!” I asked shocked as I rubbed my arms up and down, cursing Mingyu for choosing a dress with so little coverage when it’s almost winter.

“Just when stressed” Vernon shrugged and threw his cigarette into the bin with a chuckle. I shook my head at him and looked up with a small smile as he stopped in front of me, looking down with a friendly smile.

“Do you do this often?” I asked quietly, looking around the garden.

“This?” 

“Yeah, like...this.” I made a suggestive face and Vernon frowned before widening his eyes. He realized that I was referring to the auction and them stealing the item they were supposed to pay for.

“Pretty often, yeah” He nodded with a pout and shrugged his suit jacket off, “As often as there’s an auction that can offer us something good”

“Why does Mingyu need a diamond ring anyway?” I asked as I watched Vernon step closer and place his suit jacket around my exposed shoulders. I quickly placed my arms into the sleeves and pulled the suit jacket tightly against my body, the warmness making me sigh.

“Won’t you be cold?” I looked at Vernon as he took a seat next to me, he just shook his head and pointed at his long sleeved black shirt that was made of silk, like my dress.

“Business is business, I can’t tell you all of our secrets, Y/N, Mingyu really will have my head if I do” Vernon chuckled but I didn’t find it funny. I frowned as the kiss flashed in my mind again and I shuddered, side eyeing Vernon to see if he saw my reaction.

“Fuck Mingyu” I muttered finally and Vernon started laughing before placing his arm around my shoulders.

“Enough of Mingyu,” He grinned cheekily as if he knew something was eating me inside, “How’s college going?”

“Honestly?” I raised my eyebrows before groaning loudly, “I’m ready to drop out”

Vernon laughed again and squeezed my shoulders, “Seungcheol hyung did tell me not to mention college too often”

“Yeah, I’m actually close to walking inside and triggering Mingyu enough so that he blows my brains out--”

“Hey, no.” Vernon frowned at me and he turned my head towards him with his free hand, our faces pretty close, “Don’t say stuff like that, it’s never funny”

“Sorry” My lips formed a straight line as I felt as if we were being watched, but ignored it, maybe someone got bored of the auction and is just roaming around, “You know, we always talk so much shit when we are together, but I never asked you...how did you join the gang?”

“Ah” Vernon sealed his lips tightly in a tight lipped smile as I rested my head against his shoulder, “Well, Seungkwan and I have been friends since middle school. He always caused trouble and I always saved his ass. So one day he got into some really serious shit and there really wasn’t much to do but to suck it up and give those men money, they wouldn’t leave us alone. But then we started not being able to gather the money, they also raised the price, and I realized Seungkwan was slowly becoming more and more paranoid and he...developed depression quickly…”

I squeezed Vernon’s knee in a reassuring manner and he sighed before clearing his throat to continue, “I don’t know how much Mingyu told you, but everyone in SVT knows each other since high school. However, I met Mingyu in my last year in middle school and I thought he was really cool. So I tried to befriend him, but one day Seungkwan and I had a massive fight in the restroom, he was in a booth and heard everything so the next day I woke up with money on my desk and a note saying, ‘Meet me on the roof’--”

“Let me guess, Mingyu lent you money so that you could pay those men?” I asked as I raised my head and turned toward Vernon again.

“He did, he gave us more money than we needed, and I took it because we were desperate. In order to show gratefulness I decided to join him”

“No questions asked as to what he did? You just joined him blindly?” I raised my eyebrows as I discovered something new about Vernon.

“Yeah, I have the tendency to jump into things without learning more about them,” He giggled to himself as if he remembered something, “Seungkwan was really pissed, he even gave me a black eye when I told him I joined Mingyu’s gang”

“For once I respect Seungkwan” I mumbled with a chuckle and Vernon laughed loudly. It was pretty obvious that Seungkwan and I didn’t really get on well when we were around each other. He always finds something that he could pick on and I just always have something to fire back at him. 

“Calling it a gang is so weird now” I raised my eyebrows as Vernon grinned, “We grew so much, Mingyu has a whole empire now. You still haven’t realized that you are dealing with the biggest, strongest and most dangerous mob leader of South Korea, Y/N” 

I gulped as I looked away from Vernon then back at him, “Sometimes I wish I didn’t insist on going with Seungcheol to that parking lot, he offered to take me home first but I didn’t want him to waste his time. I really hate Mingyu, you know--”

There was a crashing sound coming from behind us and both Vernon and I jumped as he tensed up. But nothing else happened so maybe it was coming from inside?

“And then there’s times when I really can’t hate him, you know?” I continued as I gazed ahead, feeling Vernon’s eyes on me, “He’s funny sometimes and nice and then there’s times when he acts like a teenage boy with a crush and I think I hate him more for that. If he was always cruel and irritating, I wouldn’t even bat an eyelash his way, but he’s just--”

“That sounds a lot like you like him--”

“Hell no!” I snapped and pushed Vernon’s head away from mine, his arm slipping from around my shoulders as he started laughing loudly, “You need to check your hearing if that’s what you got from my rant, honestly, Vernon.”

“Sorry, sorry” He was still laughing as I huffed and stood up from the marble bench, but before I could walk away, arms were around me, hugging me from behind. I rolled my eyes and turned my head so that I could look at Vernon.

“I’m not forgiving you because you hug me, okay?”

“But you love my hugs” Vernon pouted and I rolled my eyes again as I leaned down and kissed his cheek, pulling away with a wide grin.

“I love everything about you, alright?” Vernon grinned back and was about to talk when stomping was heard and someone cleared their throat. Vernon’s expression fell and he was quick to let go of me so I turned my head to see Mingyu glaring at us. Great. I can’t wait to go home and not see Mingyu for two days, I’m about to cry, I swear.

“See you inside” Vernon patted my head before walking past Mingyu, leaving us alone, again. Traitor, I grimaced as I watched Vernon’s back until he was gone.

“It seems like you forgot what I told you not even an hour ago, sugar?” Mingyu stepped closer meanwhile I took a step back and glanced away.

“You told me it was okay--”

“This is an open place, anyone can see you, sugar” I raised my eyebrows as Mingyu kept coming closer.

“Well, no one was here, I made--”

“Maybe Jun was right, you are nothing but a pain in the ass. I should kill you.” Mingyu raised an eyebrow, eyes boring into mine as my mouth dropped open.

“What!?” 

“If you can tell me just one occasion when you actually listened to me, I won’t have to debate whether to kill you or not” All emotion disappeared from Mingyu’s face as a smirk was plastered on his lips, a smirk I ached to punch off his soft and pink lips. My heart started beating quickly as I tried to read Mingyu, to understand if he’s fucking with me or if he actually means his words. I gulped as he looked at me expectantly and I started thinking of all the times he told me to do something, but I always...ignored him. 

“You know” I stepped closer to him, deciding to ignore his words, “I could always run inside and tell them you will steal the ring before you have to pay for it. The place is full of undercover cops and well, other gangs. I’m sure neither would appreciate it” 

I shrugged as I smiled at Mingyu, however a painful grip on my upper arm yanked me into him, making me grunt. Mingyu’s jaw was clenched as he looked into my eyes, my heels bringing me to eye level with him, his nose flaring.

“You still provoke me after I told you I’m thinking of killing you?” He looked so pissed that his chuckle was something between frustration and amusement. 

“So then, kill me.” I clenched my jaw as I stared him in the eyes, challenging him to do it, “Let me guess, you can’t?”

Suddenly something hard was pressing into my stomach and I sucked in a sudden breath, wanting badly to glance down at the gun but refusing to give Mingyu the satisfaction of seeing me nervous. There was a click and I knew the safety was off. I could feel my hands shaking as my eyebrows furrowed as I searched Mingyu’s blank face. He wouldn’t do it, right? He can’t kill me, he likes me. Vernon’s words rang through my head and I gulped as Mingyu slowly started smirking, a devilish look crossing his features. I went to pull away from him but he kept me in place and suddenly there was a louder click as I gasped and closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to hit my body. I never said goodbye to Seungcheol or my parents, Vernon. When I felt nothing but numbness and nausea I opened my eyes to see Mingyu still smirking, gun still in his hand but not pointed at me anymore.

“You still think I can’t?” He whispered as he raised his eyebrows. My hands continued to shake as I pulled my arm out of his grip and managed to glare at him.

“I hope you root away in hell.” I whispered shakily as I raised my hand and slapped him across the cheek, the loud sound echoing around us. Mingyu just laughed as he didn’t look at me and caressed his cheek. I stormed off towards the entrance of the building, trying to hide my shaking hands.

       The rest of the auction was a blur as my mind kept replaying the time when I kissed Mingyu and then it suddenly cut to the gun being pressed into me and the click of the trigger. A light ache crossed my stomach every time my mind wandered back to the memory and all I wanted to do was stand up, run home and throw up. I wanted to throw up and then take a hot shower, hopeful that it would wash away tonight. I feel like tonight’s events will have a big effect on our relationship and it surely won’t be for the best. I crossed every boundary Mingyu had and he proved it to me he wouldn’t hesitate in killing me, even if the gun wasn’t loaded. But before I could register what the host of the auction was saying, I was pulled from my seat, fur coat and purse tossed into my arms, as a firm grip guided me towards the exit and finally towards the parking lot. I wanted to see Seungcheol so badly, I wanted to hug him and just cry in his arms. I just needed comfort from my brother, the man who knows me better than anyone else. But before I could even cry out to him, I was pushed inside a white Mercedes, seatbelt forcefully secured and then the driver sat inside and started the car. I stared ahead, aware of the tension in the car, but unable to function properly anymore. Tonight was a disaster, mainly because of me, and I just want to delete it from my mind. The car glided through the lanes aggressively and suddenly I missed Wonwoo, who is a patient and calm driver. Mingyu was speeding at an ungodly speed, but I couldn’t be bothered to yell at him like I did so many other times. I was actually glad, I would get home faster and even faster away from him. The tires screeched when the Mercedes came to a stop, the force sending me a bit forward in my seat. I sighed as I undid the seatbelt and grabbed my fur coat and purse to open the door. As I pushed it open, the driver’s door was slammed closed and I closed my eyes for a second to prepare myself for another death threat. But my mind just wanted me to get away, so I tried to quickly close the door, without slamming it like the ungrateful little shit Mingyu did, and without a second thought took off towards the front door, thinking I could outrun Mingyu. But I barely took five big steps when I was pulled backwards, a loud groan leaving my lips.

“Tonight was shit, just please let me go up--” The wind got knocked out of my lungs at how aggressively Mingyu’s lips pressed against mine, my eyes widening. I’ve been thinking about doing this again tonight, but a part of me was finally scared of Mingyu. A part of me finally realized who I was dealing with. A dangerous, merciless, handsome mob leader, and he could kill me right now by using this kiss as a distraction and also muffling my lips from screaming--I pushed Mingyu away, eyes still wide as I could feel my hands shaking again.

“You can’t--you can’t just--”I tried to catch my breath and calm my hammering heart, “You can’t just point a gun at me, pull the trigger and then kiss me! I’m not an object you can just push around, bend to your wishes and use for pleasure! I’m sick of it all!”

The last statement came out as a choked up scream as I tried to keep the tears from falling, shaking my head at Mingyu as I slumped against his white car. Tonight really is a fucking nightmare.

“I’m sick of you constantly pushing me away! You’re making me crazy, Y/N!” Mingyu’s usually leveled voice rose octaves as he came uncomfortably close, making me look down.

“What if…” I bit my lower lip, trying to control the trembling in my voice, I was about to tell a lie and I needed to make it sound real, “What if I don’t like you? Will you still force yourself on me? Because then you really are a piece of shit.”

Sometime during these months, when Mingyu was nice and approachable, I discovered a softer side of him, a decent, human, side of him. A side that was immensely attractive, a side I found myself liking and wishing to see more often. He was driving me crazy too, because I didn’t know anymore if I was scared of him or excited to see him. At least, tonight, I had no fucking idea anymore.

“You like me” His answer was more of a let out breath, his lips curled in a simple smile, “I know you do.”

“No, I don’t!” I snapped, looking up at him irritated, “At least not tonight”

“You had to learn the hard way, sugar, it’s not my fault” Mingyu sighed and I huffed as I rolled my eyes.

“Right, point a gun at me and then pull the fucking trigger but surprise! It has no bullets. No. I’m not doing this, I just want to forget this stupid night and ignore you until you get bored and leave me the fuck alone!”

“I told you I will never leave your side” Mingyu whispered, a shit eating grin spread on his lips. It took the little self control I still had to not kick him in the shin as I glared at him.

“I will go to the police, I’ve really had enough of you!”

“Oh, no, I’m so scared!” Mingyu mocked a scared voice as he widened his eyes in fake fright, “As if the police could do anything”

“I’m sure the police can’t wait to get their hands on you and actually lock you up” It was my time to grin smugly at him, his expression instantly becoming pissed, “Oh the things I know…”

“I dare you” He stepped even closer, his body pressed against mine, pressing me into the Mercedes. I gulped as I ignored the shivering of my body and my still shaky hands, trying to keep my eyes glued to his.

“You know I have the guts to actually do it, don’t ask for something you can’t handle, Mingyu” I whispered watching him sigh, his breath hitting my face, before he licked his lips. Without thinking, I licked my lips as well and the action caught his attention making me curse myself. I was trying to avoid this moment, yet here we are, my eyes were closed before Mingyu could even lean in, my chin tilted for him. This time, his lips pressed lightly against mine, like when I tried to fake the kiss on the dance floor, and he waited for me to give my permission. When I pressed back my lips against his, his large palm went to my nape and held it firmly, our lips moving slowly. I felt bad for the expensive, white fur coat when it dropped from my hand as I went to thread my fingers through Mingyu’s hair. I raised my right hand and tried to find the roof of the Mercedes to place my purse on it, the kiss turning a lot needier than before. Finally finding it, I let the purse rest on the roof and quickly circled my right arm around his neck as I pulled Mingyu even closer, our lips parting as Mingyu tried to dominate the kiss. For the first time he didn’t fight back as I took over, our tongues dancing together as I hummed when his hand started to roam my back underneath Vernon’s suit jacket. I tugged on his hair when his grip on my nape became a bit too firm, warning him that I would end this make out if he didn’t stop with his power play. But the tug fueled something in Mingyu as his hand on my back traveled higher and suddenly started tugging Vernon’s jacket off, pressing continuous pecks against my lips. I ran out of air, lungs on fire, as I tried to tell him to stop, but he pressed a hard kiss against my lips and my complaint got swallowed as Vernon’s jacket fell off my shoulders. The coldness covered me in goosebumps as I latched onto Mingyu again, trying to warm myself. He pulled away, chest falling up and down at a quick pace, as he nibbled on my lower lip, his canines sinking into my lip. I opened my eyes and pulled my head back to stop him from kissing me again, but instead his lips started kissing my jaw, making me sigh.

“Do you want me to get pneumonia?” I mumbled as I grabbed his head with both hands, stopping him, “That suit jacket was the only thing keeping me warm.”

“That suit jacket is Vernon’s” Mingyu’s words were airy as he tried to catch his breath still, eyes glaring just slightly.

“So what?” I shrugged and went to pick it up but Mingyu pressed me up against the car again firmly, “Seriously? I’m freezing!”

“You will not wear Vernon’s or any other men’s clothes, yeah?” Mingyu raised his eyebrows as he searched my eyes and I smirked as I made eye contact with him. Little jealous piece of shit, I chuckled as I pushed Mingyu.

“Well, then I’m going up” I picked my fur coat up and reached for my purse, stepping around Mingyu.

“Yeah, we should go up before you get sick--”

“Oh no” I chuckled, turning back to face Mingyu, “You are not coming up with me, Mingyu”

“Why not, sugar?” He asked with a smirk as he bent to pick up Vernon’s suit jacket.

“Because I’m not sleeping with you tonight…” My eyebrows furrowed as the thought wasn’t as repulsive as it was a few months ago, “Or anytime else. Besides, you held an unloaded gun to my stomach and pulled the trigger--”

“Emphasis on unloaded” Mingyu pointed out as I rolled my eyes and started walking again towards the main entrance.

“I really hate you Mingyu”

“Vernon says you like me a lot--”

“You were eavesdropping?!” I squealed as I turned to face him again, “You’re a piece of shit!”

“I know, I know” Mingyu mumbled as he rolled his eyes and walked up to me, “Seems like you still have a thing for this piece of shit though”

“I do not!” I snapped and Mingyu chuckled before leaning down and pecking my lips.

“I will never ever again kiss you, so I hope tonight’s kiss will last you a lifetime of nightmares” Mingyu chuckled before he walked past me and dropped Vernon’s suit jacket into the trash bin.

“Mingyu!” My eyebrows furrowed as I shook my head at him, finally reaching the main entrance to the building.

“What? He can afford to buy another one”

“I really liked that jacket though…” I muttered as I entered the pass code and opened the door, stepping inside. I turned to see Mingyu glaring at me as I held the door open just enough for my head to peek out a bit, “Even though I have to admit that your outfit tonight was really hard to resist. Would love to see the rest of what’s underneath too”

My eyes traveled from Mingyu’s exposed chest down the rest of his body while biting my lower lip, to look up at a frozen Mingyu, jaw clenched. He suddenly started walking towards the door and I quickly closed it before he could reach it. I smirked when he glared at me and showed him my middle finger.

“I know the pass code” He warned, hand reaching to type in the numbers. I showed him my middle finger again before taking off towards the elevator to ride up to my floor. He will never get past my three locks on the door that I had installed yesterday.

Part 3

#bvidzsoo #seventeen scenarios #seventeen oneshot #seventeen smut #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #choi seungcheol #yoon jeonghan #joshua hong #wen junhui #kwon soonyoung #jeon wonwoo #lee jihoon #lee seokmin #kim mingyu #xu minghao #boo seungkwan #hansol vernon chwe #lee chan #irene red velvet #seventeen ot13 #seventeen mingyu #mingyu pairing #mingyu oneshot #seventeen gang au #seventeen mob au #seventeen university au

[dcbutinamrev]

In Spite of the Schuyler's Black Eyes

A little ficlet I wrote this morning instead of working on Ch. 40 for Yrs Forever, inspired by Duty and Inclination from Ch. 22, day 46 I believe, where Hamilton meets Eliza at the ball and Hamilton gets emotional while describing Laurens and talking about him to Eliza because he misses his boyfriend who fights in the South to protect his home and Hamilton has little hours of sleep a night due to all the needless worry over his dear Laurens's survival and saftey. And he just wants his boyfriend back-

***

LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALEXANDER Hamilton stands at the entranceway to the ballroom in Morristown, New Jersey. The sun now setting beyond the wide range of trees, the sky going from a pale blue to a faded lavender mixed with pumpkin orange, silver stars beginning to glitter beautifully like his freckles dotted over his cheeks. He stands tall, his arms clasped behind his back with his chest puffed out, his lips pressed together as he scans the ballroom, seeing his dear friends Tilghman and Meade laughly jovially as they stand near a woman wearing a lavender dress, her fan in hand as she blushes immensely, her lips pressed together as she watches with a scolding look upon her face yet her expression fond as the two men bursts out laughing. Hamilton smiles fondly before he ticks his eyes back to the center of the room, hoping to find one man. A man with honey colored hair and sky eyes, a rounded chin and angular jaw, tall frame and bright blue coat. Hamilton frowns when he doesn’t spot the man he had hoped to find.

He swallows hard as he watches other couples twirling around the dance floor, laughing and chatting as they sip their wine. Hamilton should feel cheer, yet he finds himself lacking doing so. His mind worrying needlessly over his dear Laurens who is in the south where the heart of the fight is. Tilghman and Meade had convinced Hamilton to come to this assembly, in hopes it would help ease his worries over Laurens and help him become cheer once more. But Hamilton finds it, in all honesty, not helpful at all.

Hamilton huffs out a sigh and heads over to the table to fetch himself a glass of wine, his arms clasped tightly behind his back, his head dipped down as if in shame, his eyes droop. Hamilton unclasps his arms from behind to grab a small glass and pours the pitcher of champagne into the glass, watching the bubbles sizzle as he watches the gold water rise to the brim. He sets the pitcher down and turns around to watch the couples on the floor, leaning his back against the table, one arm draped over his chest while the other clutches onto the glass. He still looks for Laurens among the floor, his eyes widening with hope but soften when his hope falters. Hamilton tips his head back and closes his eyes shut. Oh, Jack...he thinks to himself...please...come back to me…

Hamilton huffs out a breath as he brings his head back and watches the couples twirl among the dance floor. He sees himself and Laurens in the middle, when everyone has gone and it was just them, no worry or fear clawing at their chests that they have to be discreet. He sees himself in Laurens’s strong arms, his thin arms around Laurens’s neck while Laurens’s arms around Hamilton’s waist as the two sway slowly side to side, both never taking their eyes off of each other, each giving the other a fond smile. He sees Laurens leaning in to kiss him once and Hamilton happily kisses back, releasing his arms from around Laurens’s neck to cup his jaws and drag him down to Hamilton’s level. He sees Laurens pulling back, their lips grazing over the other, the tips of their noses nudging against the other as Laurens presses his forehead against Hamilton’s.

Hamilton sighs, blinking his eyes as he brings himself back to reality and turns sharply when he thinks he hears someone call his name, his heart thumping against his chest. He shakes his head when he realizes it wasn’t addressed to him and stares down into his glass.

“Hamilton?” a voice says from beside him.

Hamilton glances up to find Meade standing next to him, a concerned expression on his face as he grips his hand on his shoulder. He raises an eyebrow at Hamilton, a worried smile on his face.

“What on Earth are you doing over here?” Meade says fondly.

Hamilton sighs through his nose, turning his gaze back towards the center of the room. He shakes his head. “I feel...I feel rather...rather exhausted, Kidder.” It’s a small lie, but also the truth.

Meade purses his lips together as he cocks his head to one shoulder. “Are you feeling ill?”

Hamilton shakes his head as he slowly sips his wine, swallowing the gulp and the lump of tears down his throat at the same time. “No,” he says as he lowers his glass. “Just...drained…”

“Alex,” Meade says, his voice quiet so only Hamilton could hear. This catches Hamilton’s eyes as he fully gives Meade his full attention. “I can tell when you lie. As your friend, I can also tell when you are upset and when something's on your mind.”

Hamilton doesn’t reply, just stares into Meade’s deep brown eyes. He can see himself in his pupils. Meade forces a small smile to appear over his face.

“What is the matter?” Meade says. “I do worry about you...as a friend should…”

Hamilton smiles softly as he turns his eyes back towards the center of the room, still searching for Laurens, his lips pressed together. His smile soon fades as he recalls Brandywine, Laurens running into the enemy fire, the fog surrounding them, remembering the disoriented soldiers, remembering Laurens screaming on the gurney in the medical tent as the surgeon tries to pull the bullet out of Laurens’s shoulder. Laurens unconscious for many hours.

“Laurens…” is all Hamilton says.

Meade sighs heavily, turning to lean his back against the table and crosses his arms over his chest and mirrors Hamilton’s position beside him. Meade sneaks a glance towards his dear friend before back towards the center of the ballroom, smiling fondly when he sees Tilghman spinning a lady around with their arms lifted over their heads. He frowns as he glances over to Hamilton again.

“That’s why we’re here, Alexander,” Meade says, gripping Hamilton’s shoulder again. “We brought you here to help ease your anxieties. We understand your fear for Laurens’s survival and safety, we all fear for him, but we brought you here for that reason.”

Hamilton lets out a shaky breath as he tries to school his features and keep himself calm and collected. “It’s been days, Kidder.” His voice squeaks and he grimaces but continues nonetheless. He swallows, licking his lips, dry from lack of kisses. “Nearly a month. If not already.”

“We understand you miss him, Alexander,” Meade says. “We all do. We know how close you two are and we can feel the shift of the atmosphere whenever you enter the room at the headquarters. We can feel the tension you feel, feel the worries and anxieties about Laurens you may have. But he’ll come back. I know he will.”

Hamilton shakes his head doubtedly and shoots Meade a hard glare. Meade grimaces under Hamilton’s tense gaze. “You don’t know that. You know how he is.”

“Yes,” Meade agrees, nodding. “All men wish for glory on the field.”

Hamilton shakes his head. “It’s not that. It’s just...he’d go out there as if...as if he’d never wanted to come back.” Come back to me, Hamilton adds silently.

Meade shakes his head disaggreingly. “You know that not be true…”

“I fear for his life, Kidder,” Hamilton snaps suddenly, unable to control his anger any longer.

“Yes, we know of this, Hamilton,” Meade tries.

“No, you do not!” Hamilton suddenly shouts, his voice a tad louder than the music itself. A few couples standing nearby stop their conversation entirely to stare at them. Hamilton swallows and his freckled cheeks flushes with embarrassment as he leans close to Meade’s face and lowers his voice. “You do not understand. You do not know Laurens as I do. You do not understand his true intentions for his actions.”

Meade presses his lips firmly together as he keeps his eyes levelled with Hamilton’s, his jaw clenched as he schools his features, narrowing his eyes. “Do not make assumptions of me, sir. I know Laurens very well myself. We are friends, need I remind you? I love Laurens like a brother and he holds very dear to my heart as well as you and I also worry over his safety and life and know how reckless he can be. Tench and I had brought you here to take your mind off of him. To breathe.”

Silence now falls between them.

“So please,” Meade continues, his voice harsh and cold through his clenched teeth, punctuating each syllable. “Do enjoy yourself while you are given the time available to do so. And have fun. Relax. Breathe, Alexander.”

Hamilton clenches his jaw as he watches Meade spin off around his heel angrily, seeing his hands clench at his sides as he stomps his way over towards a trio at the end of the room, his back unusually straight, his dark brown hair pulled back into a tight braid secured with a dark blue ribbon, the tails of his blue Continental coat flaps against the back of his thighs, the heels of his black boots clicking against the tiled floor.

Hamilton presses his lips together firmly and sighs heavily through his nose, leaning against the table once more to pinch the bridge of his nose annoyingly and lets his hand slide down his face, his skin dragging along with it. Hamilton huffs out a breath and glances out towards the entranceway where he stood not a moment ago. Hamilton doesn’t know how long it’s been when he hears a soft, feminine voice call his name. “Alexander Hamilton…”

Hamilton stiffens and he smiles thinly to himself as he recognizes that voice. He turns around to find a woman before him, shorter than him by height. He feels triumphant in this as he’s finally taller than someone for once. The woman before him smiles warmly, friendly. Her dark brown hair done up in a high bun, a few curls dangling over her ears and some resting on the back of her neck. Her gown pink with a floral pattern and a light pink petticoat. Hamilton smiles wide.

“Catherine Livingston,” he breathes, feeling his anxieties instantly washing away. He pauses, staring down at her brown eyes, brown to match her hair. He smiles genuinely. “My apologies, Kitty.”

“Don’t think I can’t tell who you are, despite the months of separation between us, sir,” Kitty says, a grin on her face as she ticks her eyes up to Hamilton’s powdered hair down to his frame and back to his eyes. She jabs his chest with her fan. “Not even with that stunning red of yours.”

He chuckles and bows gentlemanly, bringing her hand up to his lips in greeting. “It is wonderful to see you again, Kitty.”

Hamilton had lived with Miss Catherin Livingston for the remaining years of his schooling before the war and after the hurricane in St. Croix. The two have even exchanged romantic letters to one another and in shorter terms, Kitty was basically Hamilton’s first ever crush.

“You as well,” Kitty agrees. She nods her head in approval. “You’ve grown.”

Hamilton smiles nonetheless. “That I did. And so did you, a fine woman you’ve become.”

Kitty giggles, rolling her eyes. “You still have a way with words do you not?”

“That I do,” Hamilton agrees with a small nod.

“How do you fare? Has the army life been treating you well? Has Morristown been pleasing to you?” Kitty wonders with an arched eyebrow. She glances at the green riband across his chest and grins. “I see you’re now an aide-de-camp to His Excellency General Washington.”

Hamilton smiles, his chest filling with pride and he nods. “Aye, that I am. And to answer your questions, Miss Livingston, yes they have been.”

“Good. I am very glad to hear that.”

Silence.

“Oh!” Kitty suddenly gasps, clutching onto Hamilton’s arm tightly. “There’s a fellow lady here whom you might have met before during your stay in Albany two years past!”

The corners of Hamilton’s lips quirk up. “You remember that?”

Kitty nods sharply. “That I do. She should be over here….Ah! There she is!”

Before Hamilton could utter a word or could protest, Kitty drags him across the floor, weavering through a trio of men to a woman, who’s frame is undoubtedly female but with less fragility of most women, her hair powdered as well, a few curls draping over her shoulders. Hamilton arches an eyebrow before glancing over at Kitty. She merely grins and taps the woman’s shoulder, who yelps with surprise and spins around on her heel to face them. She lets out a breath of relief when she recognizes Kitty.

“Miss Livingston,” the woman puffs with relief, her tense shoulders slumping. “Thank goodness it’s only you.”

Kitty smiles warmly. “Elizabeth,” she begins, “I believe you two have already met in Albany two years past, but allow me to reintroduce. Alexander Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler.”

Kitty steps aside as Hamilton bows gentlemanly and grabs hold of her delicate hand in his and brings it up to his lips, one arm behind his back. “Miss Schuyler. It is an honor to see you again.”

“In better conditions, I hope,” Miss Schuyler says.

Hamilton glances up and he swears he can feel his heart stop. The most striking feature of her, besides her tall, powdered hair and angular face and curvy frame, is her eyes. They must be a deep brown--so deep one would mistake it as black. If he could, Hamilton would gaze into her eyes throughout the entirety of the evening, trying to find where it might end, what she sees. He clears his throat instead, blinks himself back to reality and stands straighter with a curt nod.

“Yes,” Hamilton agrees. “In far better conditions.”

“Miss Schuyler has an interest in politics such as yourself and I,” Kitty interrupts, causing both of them to catch her eye and turn towards her. Miss Schuyler blushes, her pale cheeks suddenly turning to a shade of pink as she presses her lips together firmly. Kitty glances at her. “I’d think you’d find Mr. Hamilton’s company quite enjoyable, Eliza.”

“Will I?” Miss Schuyler asks challengingly.

“Oh, yes!” Kitty says. “Alexander has a lot of wit in him. This man and his way with words.” Hamilton feels his cheeks become red as his hair and jabs his elbow into his friend’s ribs, clearing his throat with a pursed smile . Both Miss Schuyler and Kitty giggle. Hamilton couldn’t help but chuckle himself.

“I shall leave you two be,” Kitty says, followed by a wink at Hamilton before running off to the other side of the room.

Hamilton stares after her, standing stiff and awkward, his cheeks still warm with his lips pressed tightly together. He turns to face the ballroom, still looking for his Laurens, hoping Laurens is among the crowd, dancing before coming over to perhaps surprise him instead of at war in the South and away from the comfort of familiar arms and lips and of home.

“Are you alright, Colonel Hamilton?” Miss Schuyler asks, her brows furrowing together as she notices his unease and anxieties. Hamilton yelps before spinning around on his heel to fully face her. He stares at her eyes, a deep black, like a black hole, not close at all to those beautiful sky blue ones in which he had fallen in love with in the first place. Hamilton stands unusually still and stiff, his arms clasped tightly behind his back. Miss Schuyler inclines her head to meet his eyes.

“You’re rather...tense…” she says, cocking her head to one shoulder. “You look a little...distressed. Is something amiss?”

Hamilton puffs out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and glances out towards the ballroom where he watches couples twirl and dip and laugh, seeing himself and Laurens in that dark room, dancing themselves with the music in the distance.

Miss Schuyler follows his distressed gaze and grins before turning back to him. “Perhaps you’d like a dance?”

Hamilton nods before he turns back to her. “I would...yes…” He frowns. “But it’s not that…”

“Then...what is it…?” Miss Schuyler wonders cautiously.

Hamilton swallows, clenching and unclenching his fists. “I...A fellow aide-de-camp, a...a rather close friend of mine...is absent…”

Miss Schuyler takes this new information the wrong way as her face falters. “Oh...I’m...I’m so sorry--”

Hamilton quickly shakes his head, waving his hands as he doesn’t need to think like that. “No, no, no, no, Miss. No. He isn’t...he’s not…” He chokes on the word, blinking his eyes. “He’s...he’s not dead.”

Her face relaxes. “Then...what is it? I apologize for my misunderstanding--”

“No, don’t be,” Hamilton insists, taking her hands in his. He lets out a shaking breath, staring at their clasped hands. “He’s...he’s in the war…”

“In the South?” she suggests.

He nods. “Yes. The South...South Carolina, to be exact.

She nods in understanding. “Ah. What’s his name?”

“Jack,” Hamilton blurts out suddenly. He clears his throat. “I mean...John. Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens is his name.”

“Do you think it’d be better for you to...talk about your friend?” Miss Schuyler offers.

Hamilton nods and lets her drag him across the floor to a nearby table. She and Hamilton sit down together almost at once.

“Tell me about...this...Laurens? He seems rather the gentleman just by the sound of his name coming off of your lips.”

Hamilton smiles softly and nods as he stares at his thumb brushing against his own knuckles, imagining his thumb as Laurens’s. “He is. He’s quite the gentleman.”

Miss Schuyler smiles with pursed lips. “Tell me about him, then.”

“Well...he...he has honey hair…” Hamilton begins, scoffing out a laugh as he remembers the first time seeing Laurens’s true hair color, and not powdered when they first met. “A rich blonde. Beautiful...like a golden halo. He has...he has these breathtaking blue eyes. Blue as the sky.” A pause. Hamilton furrows his brows. “You know, Miss Schuyler, I...I’ve just now come to the realization that Laurens does remind me of the sky. With that blonde hair as the sun as his eyes as the sky itself.”

“Please, call me Eliza, dear,” Miss Schuyler--Eliza--says. She reaches out from across the table to grab his hand and pats it comfortingly and nods with agreement. “He does seem rather handsome by your description.”

Hamilton shakes his head. “That’s not all Miss Schuyler--I mean, Eliza. He’s...he’s tall. Taller than you and I combine, perhaps. Handsome, with a sharp jaw and muscular arms...what a soldier should be like.”

“And how does he and his journey South affect you?” Eliza wonders.

Hamilton frowns. “Jack---I mean, John---he can...he has…he’s rather reckless when it comes

to the field. He’s known for his bravery, yes, and his desire for…” Hamilton swallows.

“For?” Eliza prompts, an eyebrow raised.

“For…” Hamilton shakes his head. “I need not think about this. I come here to take my mind off of him...not...to worry over him…for his reckless behaviors...who knows?” He suddenly laughs bitterly. “He could already be shot in the shoulder again!”

“Mr. Hamilton…?” Eliza says cautiously, furrowing her brows as she leans away, Hamilton still laughing like all of this is a dream and a joke.

Hamilton’s laughter dies into a bitter cackle, a scowl forming on his face as he stares past Eliza’s shoulders and clenches his fists on the table. “He leaves me here like I’m some China doll.” Another shrill laugh. “He leaves me here like I’m some woman. Something fragile and needed protection! I am a soldier of the Continental Army, goddammit!” He suddenly slams his fist on the table hard, making the silverware clatter and some conversation fall into soft whispers around them as he can feel their eyes staring into the back of his head. “I’m not some fragile woman needing protection! I am capable of both pen and sword!”

Eliza glances around her, flashing reassuring smiles to the worried and concerned guests around them before standing up from her chair and clutching onto Hamilton’s arm as Hamilton breathes sharply in and out through his nose, trying to control his anger and temper as she leads him out of the room. Hamilton puts his hand over his eyes and leans against the wall, his body sagging. Eliza rushes over, resting her hand on his bicep and squeezing it as she helps him stand upright once more.

Hamilton sniffs as he bites his lower lip hard, hard enough for it to bleed, in hopes it would help stifle back a choked sob. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.

“Shh, shh,” Eliza soothes, rubbing her hand up and down Hamilton’s shaking arm, her other hand on his back. “Shh, shh, calm. Calm.”

“My...My apologies, Miss Schuyler---I mean, Eliza---I...I’m not usually like this…” Hamilton chokes, unshed tears glittering his eyes. He shakes his head as he stares back out into the ballroom.

Eliza smiles kindly, stepping close to him and hooking her smaller arm through his, catching Hamilton’s eye. Eliza lifts her hand and cups Hamilton’s freckled, tear-stained cheek, wiping away the tear slipping down his cheek with the pad of her thumb. He sniffs a couple of times, sucking in huge gulps of air and trying to control himself but only lets out another choked sob, more tears escaping.

“Shh...shh,” Eliza says, wrapping her arms around him and dragging him down to her level so he could rest his forehead on her shoulder. “It’s alright, my dear. It’s alright. Just let it out. Let it out. You have every right to feel this way, Mr. Hamilton.”

“I just...I just can’t lose another person in my life,” Hamilton chokes. “I’ve lost too many. I can’t lose him too...”

“Shh,” Eliza says, stroking his powdered hair and rubbing her hand in small circles on his back before sliding her hand up and down. “Enough. I understand. You miss him dearly and there’s no shame or wrong in feeling like this. This is normal.”

“I’m scared…” Hamilton whimpers, tilting his head so his cheek is upon her shoulder now. He sniffs, his arms around the small of her back tightly. “I’m scared for him...I can’t…”

“Shh…”

“He hasn’t written to me…” Hamilton whimpers, blinking his eyes fast. “Not yet...anyways...and...it’s been days...a month since he left us, left me, and...still no word from him...and I can only fear…”

Eliza steps back so Hamitlon could gaze into her stunning dark eyes and sniffs, followed by a hiccup. She smiles softly, tucking a loose red curl that had escaped his powdered hair behind his ear.

“He’s always with you, Mr. Hamilton,” Eliza says. She points to his chest where his heart is. “No matter where he is in the South, he’s always with you. Right here.”

Hamilton glances at his chest before back up at Eliza and sniffs, feeling himself starting to calm.

He nods. “You’re right. My apologies, Eliza. I’ve just been…”

“Shh...no need to explain yourself, Mr. Hamilton--”

“Please, call me Alexander,” Hamilton says. “Or...Alex, if you will.” Eliza nods. “Alex...I like the sound of that.”

Hamilton sniffs once again before glancing towards the ballroom and then back towards Eliza and extends his hand out towards her. “Would you do me the honor, Miss Schuyler?”

She smiles wide with thin lips and rests her hand in his, letting Hamilton lead the way.

“You may.”

Hamilton finds he likes Miss Schuyler very much.

#historical lams #hamliza #historical hamliza #john laurens #alexander hamilton #eliza schuyler #kitty livingston #duty and inclination #ficlet #oneshot #fluff and angst #fluff with some angst #the dreadful chapter as i call ch. 22 #cause its so long- #and im a slow reader- #but this literally came to me this morning #as i was reading it #ive been working on this ficlet since 5:00 AM- #and its noon on the dot- #and this is only 9 pages in total in Google Docs- #this took me so long #like all morning #long post #read more #amrev

[15-dogs]

arrangements |n.l.|

pairing: neville longbottom x fem!reader

summary: you run into a rather handsome man who seems to share your interest in plants...although, he has odd taste

warnings: light swearing

guide: (Y/N) = your name, (Y/L/N) = your last name

word count: 1884

You were late. So late. You had an interview with prospective clients which you were supposed to be at 5 minutes ago. The couple was getting married and they wanted to see what flowers you had arranged for their centerpieces. So there you were, running down the busy streets of London, carrying vase upon vase of flowers.

Because you were in such a rush, you didn’t see the tall man step into your view, crashing straight into him and dropping a vase. Your jaw dropped at the sight of your arrangement all over the pavement before your eyes snapped up towards the clearly embarrassed man.

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled.

“I told them I would bring four options. Not three, four!”

You tugged the bag of flowers closer to your chest, making sure they were all okay. The man in front of you cleared his throat to gain your attention. When you looked up, he pushed a strange but beautiful plant into your arms.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“Your fourth option. If possible, could you return the vase to me?” The man patted down his tweed coat, finally pulling a card out and handing it to you. “There you go, that’s my number and address.”

“Neville?” you read. He nodded. “I can do that. Thank you so much, Neville.”

You began to dart off towards your destination when he called after you, “I didn’t catch your name!”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N)! Pleasure!”

You arrived at the doorstep of a small cottage a few minutes later, panting from your run. You knocked on the door once but no one came. You tried it again and it happened once more. Then you became suspicious. You circled the house, seeing that all the lights were off. You pulled your phone out to check your calendar and, lo and behold, you screwed up the dates. The consultation was tomorrow.

Perfect.

You arrived on time to the consultation the next day and that time with all of your own arrangements. It went surprisingly well. The brides-to-be agreed to come to your shop in a month to collect the arrangements as their wedding was fast approaching.

You sat in the back room after you had closed and the sun began to set, ordering the materials you needed for the centerpieces when you came across Neville’s business card. Your eyes drifted up towards the odd plant he had left and you decided it would be best to give it back to him, seeing as how he wanted the vase regardless.

So that’s exactly why you stood outside of Neville’s apartment, knocking at the door with a little plant in hand.

“Just a minute!” Neville’s voice was muffled from inside the apartment but you could hear his footsteps fast approaching. For some reason, your heart began to beat a little faster in your chest.

Neville opened the door, faltering at the sight of you. You didn’t notice this in your hurry yesterday, but Neville was actually quite handsome. He had a strong jaw and lean body which was accentuated by his professional workwear. He wore a white button down and rolled up his sleeves, doing wonders to his toned arms.

“(Y/N)?” he questioned as if it weren’t painfully obvious.

“Yeah. Reckon this a bad time…”

“No, no! Not at all! Please, er, come in.” Neville stepped away from the door to let you by. Your stomach erupted into butterflies at his musky scent while you passed by.

“Your place is lovely.”

And it was. It was on the smaller side, but it was certainly well used. Everything had a place, that was evident. He had gorgeous plants decorating the room― the likes of which you had never seen before.

“Glad you think so. What brings you here?”

“Oh, right. I wanted to return your plant. I didn’t need it after all.” You chuckled nervously as you handed it over to Neville, hoping that he didn’t notice the way your eyes lingered on his body.

“I appreciate the efficiency,” he teased, evoking a smirk from you. “Would you like a drink? I was just about to settle down, actually.”

“I’m so sorry, did I interrupt you?”

“I’m alone,” he blurted out. You furrowed your brow at his implication. “I mean, um, there was nothing really to interrupt.”

“Ah, I see.” 

You weighed your options: have a drink with an incredibly handsome man or sit in your shop waiting to get a call back from some asshole named Steve who was your new distributor? That wasn’t too hard of a choice.

You and Neville spent the night chatting, telling each other about your lives. He told you all about his job as a professor at a boarding school in Scotland. He explained how he went there as a kid and dreamt of becoming a teacher there.

“So, professor,” you began, “what do you teach?”

Neville’s smooth facade dropped for a moment before he said, “Environmental science.”

“Impressive.”

“And you? I’m assuming you’re a florist?”

“Right you are, professor. When you ran into me yesterday I was actually going to a consultation for a wedding.”

Neville moved a little closer to you, his arm wrapping around the back of the couch. Your breath caught in your throat at the way he stared down at you.

“Is that so?”

“That is so.”

“You must be quite busy with weddings as it is the season for it, Mrs. (Y/L/N).”

Neville was incredibly close now. His arm had moved from the couch to your back, pulling you towards him and you didn’t mind at all. His eyes flickered down to your lips, drawing an inaudible squeak from you.

“It’s Miss, actually.”

“Perfect.”

Neville leaned in, placing gentle yet sloppy kisses against you. You wrapped your arms around the back of his neck as he pulled you onto his lap. As he peppered kisses down your neck, you knew where you would end up that night. 

That was, until, your phone began to ring. Groaning, you pulled your cell out of your back pocket, Neville chuckling against you.

“Yes?...Steve, yes, hello...I can’t get it next weekend, Steve!...What form?...For Christ’s sake, Steve, email me the damn form! I can do it tonight!”

You angrily hung up on Steve the distributor and rolled off of Neville, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. A smirk tugged at his lips as you stood up, clearly finding the situation terribly humorous.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Neville. I have to fill out this paperwork and whatnot to get my flowers in time― my damn distributor doesn’t know how to do his job.”

Neville shook his head with laughter while walking you to the door. “Don’t worry about it. Maybe we can finish this up another night, quite possibly over dinner?”

“That sounds lovely.” You popped up on your toes to press a kiss to Neville’s cheek. “Goodnight!”

“Night, love.”

Somewhere along the way, you and Neville became a couple. After a few dates, he had admitted that he needed a wedding date next month and that’s when you decided to make it official.

It was hard to find you two apart because both of you had fallen for each other― hard. Neville would write you letters when he was away and ship strange floral arrangements which you would put in your store because it reminded you of him.

You were tending to one of the plants Neville had sent when your two brides came in to pick up their flowers.

“Hello Lavender! Oh, and Parvati is here too! I’ll go get the flowers in just a moment.” You finished spritzing water onto the tall white flower and made your way to the back room.

“Brilliant,” Lavender said.

“Say, (Y/N)?” Parvati walked over to the plant you were just tending to as you stepped out from the back room, a sample vase in hand. “Where did you get this?”

“That?” You walked up to the plant, tilting your head. “My boyfriend gave it to me. He’s really sweet, adores plants quite a bit. Sometimes I think he might like them more than I do!”

“Lavender, come take a look at this. This is Moly, isn’t it?”

“Pardon?” you asked, joining the two women.

Lavender turned to face you, a wide grin on her face as she said, “You never told us you were a witch!”

“I’m sorry?” Your eyes were wide with horror.

“Oh, no need to pretend. We’re witches too! Although, I don’t quite remember seeing you at Hogwarts. Did you go to a different school? Beauxbatons, perhaps?”

You clenched your eyes shut and rubbed your temples; those girls had truly lost it. Parvati seemed to sense your confusion and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Your boyfriend,” she started, “what’s his name?”

“Neville. Neville Longbottom. Why does that matter?”

The brides shared a knowing glance that had your stomach sinking. Lavender nodded at Parvati and then both drew their wands. It took hours of explanation just to wrap your head around the fact that magic was real and that your boyfriend was one of them, delivering you magical plants from his Herbology greenhouse every now and then.

Once you had finally comprehended the situation, it was dark. Lavender and Parvati were long gone, having left you to your own devices to process. At some point you had carried yourself to Neville’s apartment, knocking on the door.

“Darling, what are you doing here?” he questioned as he opened the door.

“You’re a wizard,” you deadpanned.

“I…”

You pushed past him to enter his place, taking a seat on his couch. “I don’t mind, I just wish you would’ve told me.”

Neville blinked in shock. “You don’t mind?”

“No.”

“And it all makes sense?”

“Enough.”

“I couldn’t...I’m not allowed…” Neville floundered as he paced in front of you, finally kneeling to look you in the eyes. “How did you find out?”

“My clients, the ones I’m arranging the centerpieces for their weddings, they...recognized the plants you sent me. Moly, I believe it was?”

“Yeah, Moly. How did they recognize it? Were they magic?”

“Yes. They claimed to know you, too.” You shifted in your seat. “Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.”

Neville froze. Then he dipped his head with laughter. Your brows knit together as Neville joined you on the couch.

“What’s so funny?” Irritation seeped through your tone as much as you tried to hide it.

“We’re going to their wedding next week. Well, they just spared me from a terribly awkward conversation about the party guests’ peculiar habits.”

You huffed, crossing your arms at his explanation. Neville tugged you closer so that you snuggled into his side but you pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” The concern was evident in his voice.

“Nothing,” you lied.

“Darling, please, tell me what’s wrong.”

You rolled your eyes and sighed. “Why couldn’t you just tell me the truth about studying Herbology?”

“That’s seriously what you’re upset about?” he chuckled, pulling you close. Neville placed a gentle kiss on the top of your head and the tension feld from your body. “Fine, you know what? I’ll tell you all about my teachings― even show you a few of my findings― if you promise to stay the night.”

Was that even a question?

#neville longbottom #neville x y/n #neville longbottom x you #neville longbottom x reader #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfiction #fanfiction

[lumosandnoxwriting]

I’d Rather Be a Lover Than a Fighter - Harry Potter

Title: I’d rather be a lover than a fighter

Pairing: Harry x fem!reader

Summary: Harry decides to go back to Hogwarts for his 7th year after the war is over. He didn’t think being back in those walls would affect him as much as it is, and his girlfriend helps him through it

A/N: Harry never should have been an auror and I stand by that. Requests are open and feed back is welcomed!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train ride back to school is different this year.

He, Hermione and Y/N are occupying the same compartment they always do, but they’re missing some pretty important pieces. For one Ron had decided not to return to Hogwarts to complete his education. He’d called Harry mental for deciding to go through NEWTS, considering the fact that Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister for Magic, declared that NEWTS were no longer a job requirement for Aurors as long as they fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

“If anyone is ready to be an Auror its you, mate,” Ron had said indignantly when Harry told him he’d be heading back to Hogwarts last month. “You defeated bloody Voldemort for Christ sakes.”

Harry knows he’s qualified to be an Auror, he just isn’t sure that’s what he wants to be anymore. Before the war he would have given anything to just skip over his time at Hogwarts and be out in the world, hunting down dark wizards and trying to keep the world safe. But now, now he’s looked the darkest wizard of all in the eyes – he even managed to kill him. Without Voldemort out there, lurking in dark corners and waiting for his turn to strike Harry isn’t sure that being an Auror is for him.

Which is why he’s back on the Hogwarts Express, zooming towards the old castle that always felt like his home. Without his NEWTS his job prospects in the wizard world are bleak, unless he wants to end up working at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Which wouldn’t be so bad, but he wants to do something worthwhile with his life. Even after defeating Voldemort he still feels like he has to do something good with his life, so that his parents, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and everyone else who died fighting in the Wizarding War didn’t die in vain. Didn’t die protecting a directionless, unaccomplished git.

He’s brought out of his stupor by Y/N gently shaking his arm and gesturing to the woman with the Trolly. He gives his girlfriend a quick reassuring smile, before he gets up and buys their usual stack of treats. He sits back down and starts in on a pumpkin pasty, almost subconsciously turning to give Hedwig some.

But that’s the other missing piece. Hedwig had died protecting him over a year ago, and yet he still couldn’t bring himself to enter the Magical Menagerie to get a new owl. She was so much more than an owl. She was the first real creature to show Harry genuine love, and she brought him much needed companionship during his long summers with the Dursleys. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to replace Hedwig.

He quickly shoves the rest of the pasty into his mouth, chewing slowly as he brings his attention back to Hermione and Y/N. They’d been chatting amongst themselves for most of the journey, allowing Harry some much-needed quiet time.  

They don’t even seem to notice that he’s paying attention again, too engrossed in a story of one of Hermione’s adventures in Australia. Not too long after the war her and Ron went to find her parents to restore their memories. It took a few weeks, but they were successful, and even though Ron returned to The Burrow, Hermione had stayed with her parents, only arriving back in England yesterday.

Before long everyone around them starts rustling, changing into their robes as the castle grows nearer. Harry mindlessly gets ready, just as he has done countless times before. But the usual feeling of comfort in his stomach has turned into a hardened ball of anxiety.

-

“Those Thestrals really are something, aren’t they? I never imagined they’d look like that,” Y/N whispers to Harry as they make their way into the castle, her hand lightly brushing his.

They had agreed that they would keep the PDA to a minimum, not wanting to draw even more attention to Harry. He always hated being the Boy Who Lived and now he was the Boy Who Lived Again. The Boy Who Killed Voldemort.

But in this moment, as they enter the Great Hall, where Voldemort’s lifeless body had laid only a few months ago, there’s nothing more he craves than the touch of his girlfriend.

He grabs her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “I told you, not your fault you never believed me.”

She lets out a quiet laugh, squeezing Harry’s hand back even tighter as they take a seat at the Gryffindor table. Harry can feel everyone’s eyes on him, he looks down at his plate, letting their stares burn a hole in the back of his head. Some students had only heard stories of what happened in the castle that night, too young to fight they had been ushered out by McGonagall before it all began. Others though, others were there the whole time, fighting alongside each other.

“Just ignore them, love,” Y/N whispers in his ear, placing a kiss on his temple.

Luckily Professor Sprout is bringing in the first years to be sorted, and all of the attention is off of Harry. He looks up towards the head table, and his eyes meet Hagrid’s. He gives Harry a wink before turning his attention back towards the sorting.

Harry looks towards McGonagall next, and he can’t help but think that she looks like she belongs in the Headmaster’s golden seat. Her eyes don’t meet his, but he somehow knows that the smile on her face is for him.

-

Hogwarts is different. Everywhere he looks he is reminded of the Battle of Hogwarts, unable to escape those memories. On his way down to potions a few weeks in to term he stops dead in his tracks, positive that Lavender Brown is laying on the floor in front of him, bleeding from her neck.

He feels someone squeeze his shoulders, and with a blink the image is gone.

“it’s alright, love. Nothing’s there,” Y/N speaks softly into his ear before pressing a kiss into the back of Harry’s neck. They stand there for a few minutes, her hands massaging Harry’s shoulders as his heart rate comes down. It had looked so real.

Thankfully when they slip into potions a few minutes later Slughorn doesn’t even acknowledge that they’re late.

-

Things go on like this for weeks. Y/N doesn’t say anything to Harry about it, letting him deal with things himself. Her only interference is words of encouragement and soft touches, letting Harry come back to reality on his own. Until finally it all comes to a head at the end of October and Y/N has no choice but to get involved.

They’re halfway through a double charms lesson when McGonagall comes running through the closed classroom door. Y/N and Hermione had been glancing at the door for the past hour, waiting for Harry to show up from Divination. She looks flushed, and she gestures for Y/N and Hermione to follow her.

“I’m so sorry for the intrusion Professor Flitwick, but I need to borrow Ms. Y/L/N and Ms. Granger for an urgent matter.” The door was still cracked open, and the class could now hear a loud commotion coming from somewhere below them.

Y/N and Hermione share a worried glance before they leave their seats and follow McGonagall. As they follow her downstairs and past the great hall the noise they heard earlier grows louder until all they can see in front of them is a sea of students. Y/N and Hermione share another worried glance before they follow McGonagall into the crowd.

“Out of the way! Students make your way to your classes now!”

Some of the students start to move towards their classrooms, while others merely move out of the way, still looking at something on the ground. They finally make it through the students and Y/N gasps sharply.

Harry is sitting on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest with his head down as he silently rocks back and forth. His body shakes with uneven breaths, and Y/N is sure he’s crying. She looks around and it dawns on her. Fred. They are standing in the corridor where the oldest Weasley twin had died, the ghost of his last laugh still on his face.

Y/N rushes over to Harry as Hermione helps McGonagall and Professor Slughorn disburse the large crowd that had gathered around him. She kneels next to him, and wraps her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

“Shh, love. It’s alright. Everything is okay. Harry look at me. You’re fine,” Y/N tries to reassure. But he continues to rock, a mess of words quietly spilling from his lips. She leans in closer, trying to make out what he’s saying.

“I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Y/N can only make out a few phrases, but her chest aches with the pain that Harry must be feeling. Almost all of the students have vanished, so she can clearly hear someone rushing towards them. She looks up just in time to see Madam Pomfrey reach them.

“I’ll take it from here, Y/N dear. I’ll take him up to the hospital wing and I’ll give him a sleeping potion. I can’t imagine he’s slept much these past few weeks. It’ll be alright dear.”

Y/N hugs Harry tightly one last time before she steps away. Madam Pomfrey whispers something to Harry before helping him to get up. Professor Slughorn joins the pair, and they head off towards the hospital wing, most of Harry’s weight being carried by the other two.

Y/N, Hermione and Professor McGonagall all stand in silence, looking at each other. None of them know exactly what to say. They knew coming back to Hogwarts would be hard for all of them, especially Harry, but they had no idea it’d be this hard.

“Don’t worry about going back to class, girls. I’ll let Professor Flitwick know what happened and that I gave you both permission to not return,” McGonagall says with a sad smile before she hurries off towards the hospital wing.

Not knowing what to do with themselves, Y/N and Hermione trudge up to the Gryffindor common room. They collapse on to their favorite, softest couch in front of the fire, and Y/N can’t help but notice how quiet the common room is.

“Guess I’m just not used to being here during the day when everyone is in class,” Y/N thinks to herself, her eyes gazing at the empty fireplace.

Y/N and Hermione don’t speak, unable to find the words to express what they’re feeling exactly. It’s not until Ginny comes through the portrait hole with their things and settles onto the closest armchair that they find the words.

“it was so scary,” Y/N expresses once they’ve filled Ginny in on everything that has happened. Ginny looks horrified, and Y/N is sure that she and Hermione have similar looks on their faces.

“I’ve never seen him like that. I mean I could tell that he was having difficulties,” she pauses so they can all share a look of agreement. Harry and his small episodes had been a frequent topic of conversation in their dorm room at night. “But I never thought they would get to be that bad. He didn’t even look like himself.”

Ginny shakes her head and looks down at her hands.

“I mean I’ve felt, things in that corridor too,” she explains with a shaky voice, still not looking up at them. “But never anything like that.”

“I thought you said everything was getting better with him?” Hermione asks, turning her attention to Y/N, referencing the conversation the three of them had before Arithmancy a few days ago.

Y/N can feel Ginny’s eyes on her too, her cheeks heating up a bit at the harsh attention. She knows that Hermione and Ginny are just being intense because they care about Harry, but she can’t help but feel like she’s on trial.

Y/N just nods, giving herself a second to find the right words.

“I did say that, but only because that’s what he told me last weekend.” She pauses to clear her throat. “He had another episode on Saturday, up in the owlery. He went with me to mail a letter to my parents, and his eyes just glazed over. It was like he wasn’t there anymore, like his mind had taken him somewhere else.”

Y/N shivers as the blank stare Harry had comes rushing back to the front of her mind.

“I made him sit down and talk to me that night. I told him how scary those episodes or whatever were getting and that I thought it was time he talked to someone about them. I told him it didn’t have to be me. It could be Professor Flitwick or McGonagall or even Hagrid, that he just needs to talk to someone,” she pauses to look to Hermione and Ginny, who both give her reassuring glances.

“And he told me that he was getting better. That whatever happened in the Owlery was the first episode he’d had in a week and that his nightmares were getting better, that he hadn’t had one in days. I’m sure that was a lie though. With what happened today, and the fact that Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn had to basically carry him all the way to the hospital wing I don’t think he’s slept in days,” she trails off, leaning back into the couch.

They don’t say anything as the common room begins to fill with students as everyone heads down to dinner. As they head through the portrait hole, trailing behind everyone else Y/N sighs.

“I just wish he would open up to me.”

-

The girls decide to do their homework in the common room that night, partially so Ginny can catch them up on what they missed in Charms, but mostly so they can wait for Harry to return from the Hospital Wing. However, he doesn’t return until well after midnight, long after Hermione and Ginny had gone to bed. Y/N had just begun to fall asleep on the couch, the fire dying in front of her and her mind heavy with thoughts of Harry when her boyfriend ambles in through the portrait hole.

“Harry!” she breathes excitedly, her energy somehow returning. She rushes to her boyfriend’s side, grabbing his hand gently and ushering him over to the couch. They both take a seat, but Y/N fights her urge to cuddle up close to him. They need to have a serious conversation, and she wants to be able to look Harry in the eyes. She, however, doesn’t release his hand.

“Alright, love?” he asks, voice hoarse.

“Yeah, ‘course, just worried about you,” she pauses, pursing her lips. She wants to let him go up to bed, but if she doesn’t talk to him now she’ll lose all of her nerve. “You wanna tell me what that was?”

Harry looks away from her gaze, a red blush blossoming on his cheeks.

“I bet the whole school saw, huh?” he asks nervously, still refusing to look Y/N in the eyes.

She shakes her head. “Not the whole school. The only reason me and Hermione,” she pauses when Harry lets out a grunt of annoyance that Hermione had witnessed his episode as well. “The only reason we saw is because Professor McGonagall came to fetch us from Charms. She probably was hoping we could talk you out of it.”

She pauses, giving Harry’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I figured something was up since you didn’t show up to Charms. So, you wanna tell me what happened?” she asks, letting a little bit of annoyance creep into her tone.

Harry blushes harder, ashamed that he had tried skirting the question. Y/N is the only person that he’s never lied to. Partially because he can’t bring himself to ever hurt her, but also because she is the only person he’s been comfortable enough with to share every single thought and feeling he’s ever had.

“I’ve been trying to work that out myself on my way back here from the Hospital Wing,” he admits sheepishly. “One second I was on my way to Charms and the next I was sitting on the ground with you next to me.”

He pauses, swallowing the lump that appears in his throat. Y/N squeezes his hand, encouraging him to continue.

“I was coming from the North tower; people were everywhere walking to class or outside for their break. Everything was normal. I was thinking about tomorrow’s quidditch practice when all of a sudden I realized where I was, where I was standing and then suddenly I wasn’t on my way to class anymore. I was back in the castle that night, watching Fred, George and Percy walk down the corridor. They were talking, getting along and then I watched it, like it was in slow motion, Rookwood was casting a curse at the wall next to them, the wall crumbled, and Fred was trapped underneath it.”

Harry pauses to take a deep breath. He had started to shake slightly and could feel cold sweat running down his neck. Y/N rubs small circles on the back on his hand with her thumb, letting him collect himself.

“I felt so helpless,” he confesses. “Like I could have done something to stop it. Like it was all my fault.”

Y/N waits a few minutes to see if Harry is going to continue before she speaks.

“But love that’s the thing, there was nothing you could do. Everything that happened that night, Lavender, Fred, Tonks, Remus, they chose to fight. They knew the risks and they did it anyway. And that’s not your fault, Harry. Harry, look at me.”

Harry blinks away the few tears that were puddling in his eyes before he turns to look Y/N in the eyes.

“It’s not your fault.”

Harry feels like she’s speaking directly into his soul.

“But I feel like it is. Like there was something more I could have done. Like there’s still something I can do,” he explains.

Y/N scoffs at Harry, shaking her head.

“You are so daft Harry, honestly,” she says, tugging him closer to her. “Nothing that happened that night is your fault. Without you doing exactly what you did Voldemort wouldn’t have been killed. If it wasn’t for you the diadem wouldn’t have been destroyed. Without you going into the forest when you did the horcrux in you wouldn’t have been destroyed. Without you we’d all be living in a different world.”

Harry lets her words settle in before he speaks again. “But even so, it still feels like there’s so much more to fight for. Like I need to fight every day so that they didn’t die in vain.”

“So, who didn’t die in vain, love?” Y/N asks, though she has a feeling she already knows the answer.

“My parents! And Sirius, and Mad-Eye. Fred, Remus, Tonks. Dobby, Lavender. Hedwig,” his voice cracks on the last word, a small sob coming from his throat afterwards.

“Oh love,” she whispers, fully embracing Harry now. “You can’t carry the weight of all that on your shoulders. All of those people, they didn’t die in vain. They died knowing that you were going to save the world. And you did, love. It’s sad that they died, yes, but you can’t keep fighting a battle you’ve already won.”

Harry presses his face into Y/N’s neck, taking a deep breath. Her scent washes over him and he can’t help but feel like he’s at home. He peppers a few kisses to her warm skin before pulling away so he can look at her.

“You’re right, love. You’re absolutely right, and thank god you are,” he chuckles, for what feels like the first time in months. “I’ll work on dealing with this, I promise. Because it’s honestly dreadful, today was the first proper sleep I’ve gotten in weeks. It’s exhausting feeling like this.”

Y/N smiles at Harry, leaning in to give him a deep kiss.

“Thank god I can stop fighting, because honestly I’d rather be a lover than a fighter,” he says as he pulls away, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

He leans in to kiss her again, but Y/N only lets his lips brush hers before pushing him away with a laugh.

“Whatever you say, lover boy. But you better still fight on the quidditch pitch because there is no way we aren’t bringing home the Quidditch cup in our final year.”

Harry laughs along with her, kissing her fully this time.

#harry potter #Harry Potter imagine #Harry Potter x reader #harry x reader #hp #golden

[hope-remnant]

The Practice Run Killing Game

Content Warnings: guns, violence, murder, manipulation, ableism, blood, weapons, bullying mention, and Dangan Ronpa, which is probably it’s own warning. This is literally 85% murder. 6.5K words.

My talentswap AU now has its own fanfic! for a full list of my talentswapped characters click [here]

Hifumi never thought school life could be so great. He grinned to himself in his dorm, pushing off the floor with socked feet to spin his desk chair back and forth. The pale blue light of his computer’s screen reflected on his glasses, which he pushed up with one finger and a smirk before typing out a last message to his friend’s stream chat.

JusticeHammer: I’ll be back in a few hours!! Have fun Hina!! <3

In his headphones the stream audio played, ambient underwater sounds from the game itself and the excited voice of his friend, the Ultimate Gamer.

“Bye Justice! You other mods better be on your best behavior now that the boss man is gone, okay?” Hina grinned up at the webcam from her side of the screen, waving with one tanned hand before returning to her game, talking about the strange atmosphere of an alien world. 

The chat scrolled by as well, people from all over the world typing out goodbyes to him. Thousands of strangers, but dozens of friends as well, fellow moderators who helped wrangle the random people into order, who would play video games with Hifumi, who would message him and call him.

It was a far cry from where Hifumi had been in middle school, and he couldn’t help but grin again, shaking out his hands as if to shake out an excitement that clung to his bones, that stayed in his heart when he remembered he had friends. 

His phone dinged with a soft chime, and he couldn’t help the quiet huff of amusement as he flipped open his phone and typed quickly.

Sakura: Where are you going Hifumi? Do you need assistance? 

Hifumi: school council meeting! a weird late night one, no emergencies, dont worry sakura!

Hifumi: see you tomorrow, love you!!!!! :) 

Hifumi stashed the phone in the pocket of his blazer- he was unsure what to wear to this sudden late night meeting, when before they had all been just after classes let out. He decided to play it safe and wear his school uniform.

Standing up from his chair, he made sure to plug in his laptop, the stream still running on it, and turned to leave his room. He had seen the interior of the main course’s dorms, they were triple the size, with their own ensuite and everything. 

His own dorm was small, the wall space barely enough to fit his multitude of posters. There was a complimentary cork board as well, full of fanart people had made of his little sona, a kirby with a hammer and glasses, which he printed out and posted up on his wall as big as he could get them.

He pulled once on the lapels of his blazer, making the fabric settle properly on his shoulders and snatched his binder of notes he used in student council meetings. He made sure to lock his dorm on the way out, still smiling softly to himself. He toyed with the small ring of keys in his hand, dorm room key swinging as well as a number of soft cute keychains that Hina or Sakura sent him in their years as online friends.

He entered the cold night air, pocketing his keys and rubbing his hands together. Winter had clung harder than he had ever seen it, or Spring was simply apathetic even in April, biding its time. In the dusky light he could see the timid, barely blooming sakura trees that dotted the expansive main campus of Hope’s Peak Academy as he approached. There was no security on duty, the gates locked at the late hour.

Headmaster Kirigiri had given him a pass once he sent an anxious email talking about how the head of security, Sakakura, had been harassing him whenever he tried to go on campus. Even though reserve course students were barred from entering the main campus, Hifumi had privileges as the liaison between the reserve and main courses, and as a member of the student council.

Hina and Sakura had theorized it was because Sakakura was the Ex-Ultimate Student Council Leader, and was now one of the club’s supporting staff members, even if he had only worked at the school for a few years. The man was resentful of having a reserve course student on the council, a first in the school’s history, even though the reserve course was a relatively recent development.

Hifumi was used to people disliking him for seemingly no reason, it was only a problem that he took to the headmaster when it made him late to council meetings. 

He glanced at his phone as he passed through the side gate intended for just security. He would likely be a minute or two late, but it wouldn’t make him stand out any more than usual. In his black and white suit he was a dark stain in the middle of any crowd of bright ultimates, who were able to wear anything pertaining to their talent and flaunt the rules.

Sakura wearing scrubs some days, Hina wearing garish merchandise for a game and smirking as the Ultimate Hall Monitor from class 77B could do nothing about it. They had told Hifumi about some of their classmates testing the rules, Enoshima in a sporty tank top, the Ultimate Team Manager getting away with it even in December. Fukawa, who didn’t even notice the rules apparently, and wore oil stained jumpsuits to class, no one able to deter the Ultimate Engineer and Ultimate Mechanic.

Yet here he was, in an ill-tailored suit. When he had been accepted into the reserve program and sent a uniform, his older sister had insisted he try it on, and cooed over him looking all grown up, as if she weren’t just a year older than him. She utilized some of her cosplay skills to try and modify the suit to fit him- they seemed to be made for exclusively skinny kids, then just sized up without concerns for body shape. Unfortunately Fujiko typically worked with skirts and dresses, which were more forgiving of hands more used to drawing and the bad eyesight all Yamadas seemed to have. 

Hifumi had to stop for a moment, the breeze rustling past as he stared up at the few stars that began to twinkle in the night sky, faded and choked by light pollution, blurry even with his glasses. Some were simply blocked by the giant building before him, gleaming glass reflecting the lights of the city’s nightlife, aside from one classroom on the second floor, lit up bright white with silhouettes moving across the room.

He held the binder full of notes to his chest and walked into Hope’s Peak Academy, unaware that someone in the school’s entrance hall was hiding in the shadows, watching with eyes of deep scarlet that reflected light like a cat’s would in the low light. 

Hifumi hurried up the stairs and down the hallway to the classroom they held meetings in. He saw Kamii and Kurosaki, two ultimates on the council who were dating, walk into the meeting room, Kamii practically clinging to her boyfriend. It was unsettling to see as he approached, considering Kamii thought PDA was impolite during meetings, and usually sat with someone between her and Kurosaki to avoid it. Maybe she was upset by something, but Hifumi wasn’t about to ask her, considering he was acquaintances at best with the council.

He followed them into the room, the last to arrive. The fluorescent lights were glaring and bright as night settled fully outside of their meeting. Everyone was seated aside from their Ultimate Student Council President, Umesawa, who stood at the podium in front of the blackboard, knuckles white as her blunt nails dug into the wood, her white armband standing out against the bright yellow of her hoodie.

After Hifumi sat down, leaving his notes on the desk, he noticed just how unhappy everyone seemed. Some were fidgeting, others talking but not saying much at all, their tone hurried and frightened, and others sat there and stared at the polished wood of their desk as if the world was ending around them.

“Now that we’re all here- you have some explaining to do Umesawa.” Ikuta, a girl with a famously short temper among the upperclassmen ultimates, had her hands on her desk as she stood slightly, her red hair swaying and catching the eyes of anyone who hadn’t been startled by her shout. 

“Yeah, Aiko, your emails were really panicked.” Kashiki smiled softly at her friend, but she seemed to be trembling.

Umesawa tugged on one of the bright yellow ears sitting atop the hood of her sweatshirt, pulling down the hood and raising her head to look up at the council. Her eyes seemed to draw people in, one blue and one green, both full of an earnestness that made her a good Ultimate School Council President. Now, though, they were rimmed with red, and usually perfect wavy bob was a bird’s nest, brown strands out of place in any way they could be. 

“I called you all here because it was best to be as discreet as possible.” Umesawa said.

Ichino snorted, not even bothering to hide his disrespect, too busy carding his hand through his already messy red hair. “Discreet. Yeah.” 

Just when Hifumi was going to ask them all to explain, because these ultimates always acted as if everyone just knows what’s going on instead of learning things like normal people- the door creaked open and someone Hifumi had never seen before stepped inside. 

The first thing Hifumi noticed were the gloves. One a perfect, unstained white, carrying a large duffle bag. The other a black that blended into her sleeve. The rest of her outfit was just as puzzling, a bright red tie and a white button up, but with a black cropped leather jacket over it. A black miniskirt and red knee high boots as well completed the outfit. But even then, it was almost at odds with pale violet eyes and long lavender hair, only a small portion of that hair in a braid that she toyed with in her black gloved hand.

“Good evening class.” She said, her voice even and her eyes narrowed. 

Umesawa backed away from the podium, staring at the girl. “Who are y-?”

The girl waved off the question, her black gloved hand slashing through the air, making the council president back away further. “Goodness, and they say you’re one of the brightest in the school?” She takes a step closer, heeled boots heavy on the floor. “Pathetic.” She says, a light scolding, a chiming thing that seemed more like a schoolyard taunt than a threat.

But Hifumi could tell this girl was a threat. Maybe she had a dangerous ultimate talent- he knew for a fact that even if an ultimate skill was illegal they could be admitted and given essentially some form of diplomatic immunity while they attended the school. 

“Why the hell are you here lady?!” Ikuta snapped, standing fully with her hands on her hips. 

The girl put both her hands in the air, as if surrendering, but she was smiling, amusement sparkling in those eyes that seemed to dig into anything she laid them on, ferreting out as much information as she could. “I just want to play a game with my fellow ultimates.” She said, placating and condescending. 

Hifumi, who was tired, confused, and could be watching his friend play video games right now, finally spoke up. “Can any of you ultimates ever explain anything, or is being cryptic part of the main course syllabus?” 

The girl turned to him and glared, and Hifumi couldn’t help the small squeak of fear that slipped from his mouth when her face twisted into a sneer. It was a dramatic expression, he had seen it in games and shows, but no one had ever looked at him like that, no matter how many bullies he had faced. Like he was less than nothing, his very existence something to be loathed.

“A. Game. That shouldn’t be so hard for a simple reserve course student to understand, right? After all, you don’t spend your time doing anything worthwhile, if you can’t even manage to get into the main course.” The girl’s voice dripped with malice, and she quickly took over at the podium.

Umesawa backed up even more, now close to the window opposite of the door to the classroom, hands tugging her hood back up so she could pull at the fake rabbit ears in nervousness.

“I will keep it simple.” The girl shot Hifumi another look. “Last man standing wins. Go.”

“That doesn’t make any fucking sense.” Ikuta stepped out into the aisle between desks, pointing a finger at the girl as she demanded answers. “Just who the fuck do you think you are, demanding shit from us? Are you some reserve course kid? We’ve had enough from Yamada-”

Everyone’s eyes had been on Kotomi Ikuta, they hadn’t noticed the threatening girl at the front moving at all, assuming she had been just as stunned by the rant, until Ikuta was cut off by a gunshot.

Hifumi had heard guns before, in games, in animes, in movies. There were different patterns to them depending on the type, and when he and Hina became really invested in a game he would bother to tell them apart, the distinct rapid pulses, the blasts and thunderous booms from all different kinds of weaponry. He had never heard one in real life, had never been in the same room as a real gun, even though he knew there was a shooting range up on the fifth floor for those whose talents needed such things.

It was louder than he expected, and the noise was what made him freeze. In the middle of the classroom, Ikuta fell to her knees, then slumped forward. Shrill screams and rumbling expletives filled the room.

It took a moment, to properly process all of the information and connect the dots. When he did Hifumi couldn’t stop the sharp gasp, even though all it did was make him notice the sharp sulfuric stench of gunpowder, as well as the metallic tang of fresh blood. Things he had never experienced before.

An ultimate had died right before his eyes, by something as simple as the handgun that rested like it was molded to be in the strange threatening girl’s black gloved hand. The girl’s eyes were alight with something Hifumi couldn’t understand as she huffed through her nose in what might have been amusement.

She dropped the duffle bag in her other hand, the thing spilling open to reveal an assortment of weapons from knives to swords, hammers and screwdrivers, guns of all shapes and sizes. They were real, the flash of silvery metal, the dull gleam of tools with a new use branded onto them right before their eyes. 

“If that’s not enough for you, I’ve got more.” The girl smirked, and waved to the still open door. A cart came rolling in, it’s top shelf littered with larger weapons. A chainsaw, a mace, a sledgehammer, all on top of it, all perfectly clean as if even they didn’t know what a dark omen they were, as if they didn’t know their capacity to do harm in the right hands. 

At the bottom of the cart there was a large case which the girl pulled onto the floor with ease after sliding her handgun into a previously unseen holster high up on her thigh. She kicked the case with her boot, walking around it and towards the door. “That holds all the motivation you’ll need.” 

“Everyone stay calm!” Umesawa ordered, straightening up from where she had been cowering. “No one touch those weapons- someone could get hurt!” Her voice was as sweet as ever, even with the urgency, she took out her phone and flipped it open, only for her face to fall. 

Yokō stood up from his place at the back of the room, turning his flip phone around as if to show it off. “No connection.”

Kubo stood up, gesturing broadly to the class. “She can’t stop all of us, just listen to Umesawa!” 

But everyone seemed to be getting up, fourteen students all in one room, some paralyzed by fear, others covering their fear with anger. Hifumi stayed seated, staring, unable to process it all at once, afraid. 

A student who had been at Ikuta’s side the instant she fell, trying to help her even after a gunshot wound to the forehead, lunged forward and grabbed one of the spilled weapons at random. He ran towards the terrifying girl who had orchestrated Ikuta’s death. The boy, Someya, was holding a shotgun that was almost too big for him to handle. The little plushies on keychains at his belt jingled slightly, at odds with the cold metal in his hands. Before he could aim, someone grabbed at him. 

Ichino tried to grapple the weapon away from Someya, but the small boy clung to the instrument of death with a desperation no one in the room had seen before now in a human being. Someya was frantic, eyes glassy with tears, his distinctive blue bowlcut in disarray as he shook his head, saying how she needed to pay for killing Ikuta. 

In the chaos Hifumi finally stood, moving to the wall the door was on, his back hitting the wall quickly as he tried to look around. Umesawa still was at the podium, pleading for order. Gōryoku was shielding some of the others who had broken down into tears with his large muscular body, and some other students had approached the front of the classroom.

Someya was facing the door, facing the girl who had her gun in one hand but was toying with her braid as well, as if bored. She hummed an uneven tune, as if bored, as if waiting for a show to start. 

“Please!” Someya cried, tears falling as the shotgun was wrenched out of his hands, the gun making a sharp cracking sound as it hit the floor.

Then the katana entered his chest from behind, skewering him. As the weapon was pulled out with a wet sucking sound Hifumi wished he could never have heard, the girl holding the weapon sobbed. “My mother- they have my mother- I’m so s-sorry, I can’t-!”

With a sob that devolved into a scream, Kisaragi kicked away the file of photographs she had taken from the case, the motive set out for them. It showed a middle aged woman bound to a chair, screaming into a gag. 

“Karen! Please, listen-!” Umesawa implored, a hand outstretched. “Put down the-!” She let out a small scream when Kirasagi lurched forward, slashing the katana.

The sword embedded itself into the podium. Most of the class either hung back or scattered to grab the motives, and then the weapons. 

Hifumi could only focus on one thing at a time, the sounds. The wet thunk of metal sinking into flesh, into the soft organs of the human body, so fragile even if the person had been deemed ultimate. Gunshots, sobbing, deranged laughter, screams and death rattles.

Hifumi staggered under the onslaught of sensory information overloading his mind with no way to filter it, no way to stop it. All he could do was try to get away.

Blood splattered onto his blazer, up his neck and onto his face as another student died. With a short, faltering yell, he pushed someone out of the way of the door and began to run. 

The moonlight streaming into the hallways washed them in a pale ghostly glow, as if illuminating perfection, as if a spotlight was needed. Hifumi didn’t know it, but he looked similar to when he spoke to his friends in late night chats, his lights off in his room and illuminated only by the pale glow of a computer screen, tired and giggling. 

Pink marred the walls and floors. In the classroom Hifumi abandoned, a boy he had spoken to, someone in a committee with him, was brutally beaten to death with a chair. A girl he knew was stabbed. Another was strangled. The events tumbled together into one big massacre, one big game, one big show, and the girl who pulled the strings to watch this all happen couldn’t help the grin on her usually passive face as she left the scene into her own lair.

Someone stood at her side now, shorter than her, but even more intimidating. A person in a pristine suit and long black hair, almost ridiculous in its length. Their red eyes seemed to gleam as they watched, but their pointed features never twitched from an expressionless mask of disinterest.

“Satisfied, Izuru?” Kirigiri asked once she reached her control room, one of her lackeys nodding to her reverentially and giving her the seat. Another approached her other side, giggling.

“...” Izuru’s eyes slid to the side, towards where the lackey who had been in the chair now cowered, too horrified to watch what he assisted in causing, pathetic. The girl laughing into her hand was small, and with Izuru’s keen sight and ultimate knowledge, Izuru knew that the girl was thirteen at best, too young, yet still an ultimate. She was enthralled by the gore on screen, delighted by it, just as much as she was enthralled by Kirigiri, who put a hand on the young girl’s shoulder, speaking words but never telling her anything.

With a small huff through their nose, Izuru turned and left to see the scene for himself. 

Hifumi didn’t know when someone had got him with a blade. They evidently had, from the wound on his arm pouring blood, pink staining his nice uniform, running through his fingers even when he tried his best to stop the bleeding.

He continued to stumble on, mind overloaded with information, with fear, and he couldn’t help but just blank out on all of it. There was too much to process, too much to bear acknowledging. With a ragged huff, he leaned against a wall of lockers, the cool metal a relief from everything, another nothingness to sink into. 

The wall of windows allowed in so much moonlight, for a moment Hifumi thought it was day, that any moment so many of the best students in the country would come pouring out of their classrooms. Maybe his friends would be among them, Hina tapping on her phone or the newest handheld console, Sakura making sure they didn’t bump into anyone. 

They would see him, and Sakura would hold him. She was so strong, so steady. She could carry Hifumi to the infirmary, could bandage him up and offer him a lollipop with that slight smile she got when she talked to him or Hina. She would fret over him any time she saw him until the bandage was finally gone, she would insist on carrying his bag or his notes for student council-

Hifumi swallowed down a sob, pushing himself onward. Screams echoed down hallways made to carry the voices of the best, the last cries of those who were dead the moment that girl walked into their meeting. It hurt, to keep moving, to keep acting as if just running away would save him, but everything would hurt no matter what choice he made. 

All he wanted was to hang out in Hina’s dorm, his best friends at his side as they all rested on Hina’s bright pink bed, Sakura studying late into the night as he and Hina fell asleep against her.

He wanted so much, and he was never going to get it, not now. Hifumi knew he was going to die here, he just knew it. Was this something other people felt, like a blanket of fresh snow, cold and melting deep into his bones as he realized death was coming for him, an unstoppable force? Was this something that had always been there waiting for him, and he only noticed it now when his head swam and pink dripped from his fingers?

In every game, every anime, every manga, the hero managed to get up and keep going. Whether to escape only to save the day later, or to defeat whatever stood in their way. No one expected that of Hifumi. Maybe they would think an ultimate was capable of it, and there were thirteen ultimates he had left behind to tear each other apart. 

He heard a high pitched, screaming cackle and the revving of a chainsaw, the cut off screams of a victim, far enough away that he wasn’t in danger. 

Hifumi wouldn’t find any heroes here. All he could do was try his best.

The ones who cared for him, his friends, that’s all they had ever asked of him. To try his best, to keep going, to rely on them if he needed to. Hifumi needed them more than ever, Hina’s endless energy and excitement, Sakura’s quiet strength and support. Hina would be in her dorm, headphones on as she kept talking and talking, playing video games for thousands to see. Sakura was studying a new medical journal, sitting on Hina’s bed, out of view of the webcam. 

They were so close but so far, and they were all he could think of. Would they send worried texts when he never messaged them goodnight? Would they wait until tomorrow morning, thinking he had been tired from the meeting? Would they use the extra key to his dorm he gave them, and find his room as he left it, as if nothing was amiss? Would he become another muttered rumor, like the supposed death of a girl in the computer lab of the reserve course?

Would anyone aside from Hina and Sakura notice him gone from campus? He was invisible to the other reserve course students. Maybe they would wonder why there was an extra desk in their classroom, and dismiss it just as quickly as a mistake, never remembering him. 

Tears welled up in his eyes. It was all too much, the noises, the things he had seen. Hifumi had never seen someone die before. He had never seen someone kill before. He had never seen carnage, or gore, or death. He wanted nothing more than to calm his racing thoughts, but they all piled up and screamed until he reached nothing, slumped against some lockers. His left hand was in his mouth, and he bit down harshly on the joint of his thumb, his right hand clutching where he had been injured. 

He screamed silently, throat hurting, tears finally spilling. He was so tired and scared and lost and he just wanted- he didn’t know what he wanted, he didn’t know what to do, it all was piling up, it was washing over him, a tsunami of panic and blood, bright pink and towering over him, until it finally fell and consumed him without even noticing. 

Hifumi continued to dig his teeth into his hand, it was something solid, letting him know that he was here. He brought his knees up to his chest, his legs squishing into his stomach. He let go of his wound, his right hand coming up to pull at his short curly hair as he keened. The wet sticky feeling of blood on his hand, in his hair, was so bad but the grounding pull of pain in his scalp was something that kept him from trying to slam his head into the wall or something equally damaging, because he needed anything to stop his mind from screaming, to stop himself from screaming. He began to rock back and forth, crying. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed. The moon watched on, impassive in its pale glow. Was time really passing, or had the world ended the moment that girl shot Ikuta? Was the planet still spinning? Would the moon ever set?

“Get up Yamada.” 

Chills swept down Hifumi’s spine, he swore someone was talking, but all he could hear were distant gunshots and screams.

“Yamada! Get up!” A polished shoe kicked him in the shin, and Hifumi finally looked up.

Murasame stood before him, leaning on a pitchfork. The dark grey tines were splattered with blood already, dripping down onto the floor. Hifumi stared at the blood, mind numb, lungs and throat pained by the sobs that had wracked his body. 

“I can’t kill a guy who’s crying like a baby. Are you a man or not, Yamada? I know you’re just a stupid reserve course, but c’mon. Get up, die with a little bit of dignity.” Murasame rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. He bent down to look at Hifumi like he was nothing more than a bug on the ground, disgusting. His brown hair shifted to cover his face as he leaned, before snorting wryly and standing up straight again, rolling his eyes.

Hifumi choked on another sob, trying to just breathe. He used both of his hands to brace against the lockers behind him, trying to stand. He didn’t know why he bothered, but it was something to do. Maybe Murasame was joking? Maybe he would help Hifumi?

The moment Hifumi was steady on his feet Murasame backed up, swinging his pitchfork up, an arc of pink that glowed in the moonlight following it.

Hifumi ran again. He turned a corner down the hall, still between a wall of lockers and windows, still in a cold empty husk of a school, and he didn’t stop. 

He bumped into something- someone, and stumbled back, looking at them. A short person with long black hair and pointed features, deep red eyes that stared at him with nothing behind them. “Sorry!” He shrieked, the habit converging against his fear as he quickly stepped around the person and kept running. 

Izuru raised an eyebrow and deftly hid between the lockers as another ultimate passed, this one full of bloodlust, hunting the boy who ran into them. It was different, interesting, but Izuru kept moving. They had more to see than this.

Every breath seared from Hifumi’s lungs, his body ached as he did his best to keep moving. But he didn’t even make it all the way down the hallway. Hacking into his bloodied hands, he ended up falling against one of the massive windows that made up the outside wall of the school. His injured arm burned with pain against the cold glass.

Hifumi whimpered, turning to keep his back to the glass as he heard sprinting footsteps slow and reach him.

“Everyone hated you, Yamada.” Murasame huffed, both hands holding the pitchfork as if it was a staff.

“What?” Hifumi wheezed out, more confused than frightened.

“You waltz in, a useless reserve course, and start telling us what to do. We had a betting pool going on whether you were just that oblivious that you didn’t notice how annoying you were, or if you really were just that annoying.” Murasame sneered.

“Wh-What?!” 

Murasame let go of his pitchfork with one of his hands to point at Hifumi accusingly, the tines of the weapon scraping against the floor loudly, making Hifumi flinch away. 

“That. Is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re so annoying and don’t even fucking know, do you? Handing out orders, trying to get us to help a bunch of teenagers who convinced their parents to blow their money just to attend Hope’s Peak- it’s a wonder no one offed you before now.” Murasame swung the pitchfork back up, both hands on the weapon as he pointed it at Hifumi.

“No- please-!” Hifumi begged, trying to dive out of the way. 

The sound of cracking glass echoed around the hall as Murasame chuckled. “Really?” 

Hifumi wanted to back away, wanted to run again, but fear paralyzed him.

Murasame just shook his head, pulling back his pitchfork and causing the window to fully shatter. “Get up Yamada. I’m not killing you while you cower. Unlike you, I’m better than that.” 

Hifumi made another noise, a whimpered plea even he couldn’t understand, and stood up. He trembled and breathed in the cold night air that rushed through the broken window. 

Murasame wacked Hifumi in the head with the side of the pitchfork, toying with him.

Hifumi stumbled to the side, now fully in front of the empty window frame, shards of glass still clinging to the sides. Part of him wondered if he should say something cool. Last words were supposed to be cool, right? That was for heroes, and he had always wanted to be one. He had always wanted too much.

Murasame bared his teeth and stabbed forward, the tines of his pitchfork sinking into Hifumi’s abdomen. For a moment all Hifumi could feel was the force of it, like a gut punch, something he hadn’t been a stranger to back in his middle school days. But sharp pain quickly followed, spreading, and he staggered back, the heel of his shoe hitting open air. He grabbed at the long handle of the pitchfork reflexively, unable to do anything about it.

Murasame lunged forward, trying to grab the handle of his weapon, but he missed. The revving of a chainsaw grew steadily closer, as well the unhinged laughter of an ultimate pushed to the edge. Hifumi’s killer didn’t bother watching him fall, instead running in search of a new weapon.

Hifumi gasped raggedly as he tipped out of the window, the world swinging away until all he saw was the sky. The black of night was endless, the faded stars twinkled, the moon still shined. They wouldn’t change with one boy’s death. They wouldn’t care.

As he fell, all he regretted was not giving Hina and Sakura a better goodbye. He felt the slight scrape of leaves and then his body slammed into the ground, rendering him unconscious. 

He wouldn’t wake for days. When the school’s security would find him during their sweep of the grounds, it would be an hour after they already found the unresponsive, unconscious body of Aiko Umesawa, her yellow rabbit hoodie stained pink. She would be taken to a nearby hospital, and she would be silenced before she had a chance to wake.

Hifumi was found later, a pitchfork still stuck in his stomach, and that was for the best, as it staved off the worst of the bleeding as it stayed in the wound. He had sustained a head injury and a cut to his arm, but it was better than the twelve dead students littering the second floor of Hope’s Peak Academy. A dozen bright, beautiful students all dead, their lives destroyed before they could truly live.

The school board of Hope’s Peak knew another factor to the puzzling killing game. Their pet project, Izuru Kamakura, was missing. The Ultimate Hope, the Ultimate Ultimate, was gone and most of the staff who attended to the project were dead or had been enjoying a day off in the peace of their own home, unknowing that their colleagues were being slaughtered like animals. 

It had to have been Izuru Kamakura that unleashed this bloodshed. The project ensured that the Ultimate Hope had every talent and skill ever recorded, the school board knew how easily their little project could kill, could hide bodies. They assumed it was a vengeful sign to the board, thinking themselves worth the carnage. The school board thought too highly of themselves. They underestimated just how easy it was to bring an ultimate to  a breaking point.

An entire life that culminated in a title, and ultimate, until that was all they were known for. They had to constantly one-up themselves, to constantly prove to others, and to themself, that they were the best. Years of effort, years of blood, sweat, and tears. Everything relied on their ultimate. Their world revolved around it, until they became the embodiment of their ultimate, until their ultimate became them. 

When tasked with murder, with letting go of any inhibition and just committing violence, just causing harm, something any human being was capable of, they took to the task with an almost inhuman speed. Some would need a push, but even then, their calculating mind would whir and they would frame everything to their advantage. They would come out on top, they had to. They were an ultimate after all.

But the school board only saw the brightest of their students, children. The blame was placed on Izuru Kamakura, and they quickly moved to cover up any signs of the incident. 

Hifumi Yamada would have been placed in the same hospital as his student council president, and would have been silenced just the same, two birds with one stone, but that didn’t happen. The Ultimate Nurse Sakura Oogami demanded the school fly her best friend to her clan’s clinic. She would take care of any medical need, or else she and her girlfriend, the Ultimate Gamer, would drop out of Hope’s Peak permanently, and Asahina would use her global fame to ensure that the reputation of their former school was dragged through the mud.

The school board didn’t care much if the reserve course student died, but it was best if the kid died out of their responsibility, so they used the school’s helicopter to fly Hifumi, Sakura, and Hina all to the Oogami clan’s isolated compound. 

Days passed where Sakura tended to her best friend’s wounds, and he awoke. His shifting had roused Hina, who had been sleeping at his bedside, and she ran to get Sakura.

Hifumi couldn’t help but cry in Sakura’s arms, crying himself to sleep within minutes of waking, but this sleep was far more restful. He knew he was safe. He knew he would be cared for. He knew he’d never have to go through something so bad like that ever again.

Two weeks would pass from this incident, and Hifumi would find himself locked in Hope’s Peak Academy, working with the 78th class to bolt over any window and make sure they could never, ever escape. He would agree to lock himself into the building where the worst thing to ever happen to him occurred. He agreed because Hina and Sakura would be at his side. He agreed because he knew they would be safe, together. 

Hifumi’s memories of the School Council Killing Game were unclear. He would wake from nightmares gasping for air, never fully remembering the faces of his fellow students who died, only remembering the indifferent moonlight and the gleam of deranged eyes. 

When Hifumi would ask Kyoko Kirigiri if they had ever met before, the Ultimate Lucky Student would smile awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders and saying that he must be thinking of someone else, and he would believe her, unknowing of the deep, undying loathing she carried in her heart towards him. Unknowing that she had sworn to kill him with her own hands one day. 

#my talentswap #writing #Hifumi Yamada #Aoi Asahina #Sakura Oogami #Kyoko Kirigiri #danganronpa talentswap

[bindi-the-skunk]

Son of Frankenstein chapter 1

Pretty As A Picture, Mean As Sin

----

Lavender did not know why or when the idea had truly taken root in her head, but once it has entered her conscious mind, her thrice-damned curiosity could not help but want to look inside Frankenstein's shawl, abandoned on the floor of the life-weavers room which no one was interested in picking up, of which she saw a picture hanging out of earlier in the week.

To learn more about her idol, perhaps learning what her beloved Elizabeth looked like in life, if the photo was of her, to see Victoria Frankenstein in her youth! Before the mad science bug had bitten her and not let go.

Said idol was currently sleeping off the medicine that doctor Jekyll almost had to use a funnel on her to get down (and looking very much like he wanted to) and her creation was off someplace doing whatever they did in their spare time when not watching over their mistress or looking unimpressed with existence...and those in it.

Soft snores came from inside the attic space, making Lavender smile, it honestly was sweet, when Victoria slept, the harsh lines in her face eased, she reminded the younger woman of her own dear mother, she needed to write to her more...it was her who introduced the little Lavender to the unknown and she was forever grateful for her mothers influence in her life.

Soft-soled shoes masked her steps as the leviathan obsessed woman made her way inside, smiling a little wider at the sight of Frankenstein on her side, drooling a bit on her pillows and Lavender made her way over to gently pull the blanket further up on the older woman, tucking the fabric in to make sure she would be warm and comfortable before going back to the task she had come in for.

The photo stuck out, just a bit, just enough for Lavender to grab it with the tips of her nails and yank it free from its prison, then she carefully hurried back out, willing herself to not look down at it before she was safely back in her own lab.

She of course would return it!

She just was curious and knew how secretive Frankenstein could be about her personal life, this could help Lavender understand her! Perhaps help them all understand her more, help them all become closer.

Looking down her heart nearly stopped

"Jekyll..."

No...wait...

It wasn't...

The boy in the photo could almost have been his twin! The same curly brown locks and a big nose, eyes a familiar red, the smile was just a bit too silly to belong to the doctor though, the boy looked like his face would crack open if he got his grin any bigger, the crazed love for life look seeming more like something Mr. Hyde would wear.

The boy had his arms wrapped around an obviously younger Frankenstein, who looked both annoyed and amused at his antics, both mear inches from falling off of the bench they sat on, a pretty blond girl laughing at them, safely off to the side, her hair in a mass of curls that seemed to be barely tamed by the ribbons in it, the hem of her dress being the only thing keeping Victoria anchored as she used it to push her foot into to keep from falling fully at the cuddle attack.

Shaking, Lavender turned the photo around

Victoria, Elizabeth, and Henry

What did this mean?

Henry Clerval died! At Creatures hands! There was no possibility he was able to...could he have...

Lavender wracked her brain for answers, Jekyll had mentioned to Robert he had been adopted during one of their chats (no she was not eavesdropping! She was coming to return a beaker!)

Could it be

Perhaps...

She had to show this to Jekyll! He had the right to know if what she thought was true, he had someone who could tell him about his biological family who was in arms reach every day, as God as her witness she would tell him!

---

Errr...perhaps she should have thought out her bold exclamation better...

Standing outside the door to Doctor Jekyll's office, the photo, which now seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, in her grip, Lavender was debating on whether she should politely knock or just barge right in and state straight out what she had discovered.

Why was she hesitating? He will be overjoyed! Lavender could see it now, his face would light up like Leviathan skeletons eyes and perhaps he would rush upstairs to hug his biological father's friend and beg her for stories about his family.

Frankenstein might be a little freaked out at the sudden change of heart, but learning she was staring the son of her best friend in the face would certainly make her open to telling him a tale or two, certainly indeed!

Knock knock

Jekyll bit back a groan and slid a smile onto his face, he was exhausted after cleaning up Hyde's mess and somehow managing to convince a few more lodgers to do the exhibition, he just wanted to sip some more of his wine and perhaps be able to slip into a heavenly nap, perhaps he could even make a full hour of sleep, that would be wonderful, but seems the day had other plans for him.

"Come in," Henry said, glad when his voice did not betray how tired he felt.

Oh, good it was just Ms. Lavender, so nothing in the building had or was going to implode.

Or perhaps something did, she looked nervous, something was clutched in her hands, a letter perhaps? Bad news? Like they needed any more things to go wrong!

Stop it, Henry! She is upset and needs comfort, not a scowl because you had a bad day! And night...moving on.

"What can I do for you, Miss Lavender? Is that a letter from your mother? Expecting a visit?" Henry smiled and was glad his eyes only widened slightly as the paper was shoved under his nose, smelling of familiar odors from outside and unwashed socks, not a scent he would want in a candle that was a sure thing.

"Just look" was all the woman said and the doctor just smiled bemused, taking the photo and looking at it.

Jekyll was not sure if exhaustion or shock caused his next reaction to seeing the contents of the picture.

THUMP

"DOCTOR JEKYLL!?"

Footsteps from behind Lavender sounded as someone else entered the room

"Oh? Is he dead?" came a bored tone

Just in case you have trouble seeing it on Archiveofourown!

#the glass scientists #The glass scientists AU #doctor jekyll #tgs jekyll #Tgs Hyde #tgs frankenstein #Based off of a theory #Son of Frankenstein AU

[adersky]

Posted this on ao3 under PHanTom. Just wanted to share this

Midnight Hour:

Summary:

Astraon, a kingdom lead by the Aonuma’s, was known for creating illegal nuclear powered weapons. The E.G.G has been tasked to eradicate the royals and destroy the nuclear weapons.

Ai has been tasked to murder the princess but can she really kill a beautiful girl who makes her heart beat.

Ai leaned against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Moon light entered the dark room, lighting the room with it’s glow. Beside her, their ally clucked their tongue before mumbling a complain. “Why is Momoe so late?” The blonde girl played with a strand of her. “The party is already starting and we might not be able to make it in time to see the Aonumas. Heck, they might have already left.”

The door to the room opened and the smell of lavender filled the room. They turned their heads to find Momoe wearing a long white polo with a black vest matched with black jeans. She tugged at the ribbon, “I’m sorry I’m late. It’s just that I had trouble tying this ribbon, it’s kinda irritating.” Rika rolled her eyes at her before she approached the auburn haired girl. She muttered something under her breath as she began tying the ribbon. When she finished, she took a step back and smiled. “Perfecto! You look like a lady killer.”

Momoe frowned slightly. Although their mission was to eradicate the royal’s, she didn’t want to kill them. But she had no choice, this was her mission. And she had to do it. Acca and Ura-Acca had assigned them this mission along with Saijo Kurumi. Their task was to get as much information about the nuclear bomb as possible. As for Ai, well her mission was not an easy task, to kill the oldest princess of the Aonuma family.

The Aonumas were the rulers of Astraon and they were liked by everyone inside and outside the kingdom. They had great relations with the other kingdoms and they were always invited to parties. But what everyone didn’t know was that they were planning to use their nuclear weapons to destroy the other kingdoms and kidnap their citizens to make them their slaves. Nobody wanted that. That is why The E.G.G was created to stop this from happening.

“Where’s Saijo?” Momoe asked them as she looked around the room. “She already left. She hated waiting.” Rika answered her question with a shake of her head. “Honestly that girl is so impatient.”

“Can’t really blame her though. It is my fault.” Momoe escaped a deep sigh before shaking her head. Rika clapped her fingers and smirked. “Now that everyone is here let’s hurry up and let’s eat some caviar.”

“ You mean do our job.” Momoe raised an eyebrow at Rika who gave her a grin. She playfully punched Momoe’s arm which made the girl glare at her. “Yeah let’s do our job.” Rika chuckled before turning towards Ai. Her expression turned soft as she gave the blue haired girl a thumbs-up. “You know what to do.” Ani the darkness, Rika saw Ai nod. The mission was on.

..................................

Bright lights dazzled the room as guests dressed in gorgeous dresses and flashy tuxedos filled the room. Their voices could be heard from every direction, talking to each other about the latest news and gossip. Servants dressed in their usual uniforms carried trays filled with snacks on tiny plates or glasses filled with wine that must have costed them a lot of money. Rika and Momoe stood, holding glasses of wines in their hand. A few meters away from them was Saijo, chatting with the other guests with a fake smile. Saijo turned, and when Rika waved her hand, she excused herself and approached them. Her smile faded and she clucked her tongue. “Where have you guys been? Do you realize how tired I am talking with these people?!” Rika rolled her eyes at her. Momoe took a step back and waited for them to argue. Although they were allies, the two of them never had a good relationship. Rika didn’t like it when Saijo gave her sarcastic comments and Saijo didn’t like it when Rika asks her for money. To Momoe, it seemed like this two would never get along ever. Not even in a thousand years. Rika took Saijo’s glass from her head making the two girls stare at her in shock. Pouring the contents on the floor, Rika gave Saijo a grin. “You shouldn’t be out here having fun. How much information did you get?” Saijo clenched her fists and furrowed her brows, this was not going to end well. “I got a lot, thanks for asking. At least I wasn’t late like you and aren’t you drinking as well?”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve asshole.”

“Well no shit Sherlock it’s because of you I became one.”

“Well if you could fuck off over there and stop acting like a slut then we would be getting a lot of information right now!”

“I am not a slut.”

As the two argued back and forth, Momoe couldn’t help but wonder about Ai and how she was doing. “Did she finish the job already?”

Ai took a deep breath as she made her way to the balcony of the princess. Her back leaned against the wall and her eyes stared at the open space in front of her. She didn’t dare look down, afraid to see the buildings below her. She imagined herself slipping and falling to her death and the thought of that sent a cold shiver down her spine. Cold wind hit her face as she shook the thought away. She promised herself that won’t happen and that she would finish the job as soon as possible. Taking another step, Ai jumped off the platform and landed on the balcony. She took a moment to catch her breath. Inside she could hear the faint voices of people arguing. Curiosity struck her, she approached the sliding door and pressed her ears against it.

“Please Neiru. At least just for a moment.”

“I’m apologize but I am not coming down to meet them.”

“But-“

A loud bang hit Ai’s ears and she backed away from the sliding door. What was that all about? Footsteps came from the other side and they were getting closer. Panicked, Ai scanned her surroundings for a place to hide. She needed to. What was she going to do? Just stand there and say peek a boo?

And she can’t just tell the princess, ‘Hey I’m Ai and I’m going to kill you. LOL.’ That would be down right weird and embarrassing. Not to mention that would be a stupid act. As the door slowly creaked open, Ai quickly ran back to the platform and pressed her back against the wall. The door opened, she took a deep breath.

Her eyes landed on the princess and she couldn’t believe her eyes. She was down-right gorgeous. Heck if she was honest, she was the prettiest girl Ai had ever seen. Her dark green eyes matched her tan skin and her dark brown hair was tied into braids. She wore a long white dress which fitted her perfect figure. The girl leaned against the balcony, a sigh escaping her lips. “So annoying.” Heart beating in her chest, Ai found herself admiring her beauty. Ai wanted to get to know her, she looked so lonely. She looked like she needed a friend. She didn’t notice that she was leaning over and when she realized it, she was already to late. She fell face first on the balcony, and she landed with a thud. “Darn that hurts.” She cursed under her breath.

“May I ask why you’re here?”

Ai looked up to see a pair of green eyes glaring at her. She quickly sat up, her eyes widen in shock. It was the princess alright and she was right in front of her. Multiple thoughts raced through her head as she began thinking about what to say to her. Unfortunately for her, her heart has already found the answer. “Wow you’re really pretty and you got a nice figure.” When the words left her mouth, she stared at the princess with a smile. When she realized what she said, her face turned red and she looked away, hoping she didn’t see her blush. “Um well thank you. What are you- by the way you really have pretty eyes.” Ai turned around to find herself staring at the princess’s face who was crouching right in front of her. Damn, she was really more beautiful up close, Ai bit her tongue to stop herself from saying something embarrassing.

“It’s Heterochromia isn’t?”

“What?”

“The one we’re you have different eye colors.”

“Oh yes but it’s mostly associated with dogs and cats.”

“I like it. It really is beautiful.”

Ai shook her head slowly. “I’m not actually pretty.” She leaned a little bit closer. “But if we are talking about true beauty. It’s you.”

There she goes again, letting her heart talk for her.

Ai wanted to hurl herself out of the balcony out of embarrassment.

You know, that didn’t seem a bad idea now.

The princess turned away, muttering something under her breath before she stood up. She offered a hand to Ai who stared at it for a long time. “Don’t you want to get up?” Ai hesitated for a moment. She took her hand and stood up. Soft, they were soft, soft and slender. She wondered how can angel like her have soft hands. Thinking about it made Ai’s lips form a smile. “You can let go of my hand now.” Snapping out of her trance, Ai let go. Disappointed that she wasn’t able to hold it for too long. “Your hands are so soft.” She complimented the princess her eyes beaming.

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “Now what are you doing here?”

“Oh I was um...” Ai began thinking about lies to tell her. She gave her a smile, “The stars were begging me to look at them up close and I wanted to feel the cold wind tugging at my skin. So I went up to the roof to gaze at the stars and the moon and began wondering if I can ever meet someone as beautiful as the stars in the night sky. “

“The moon God must have heard my prayers because as soon as I thought of that, I saw you in my vision and you took my breath away. I was to intrigued by your beauty and I-“ Ai stopped herself. What the hell, that wasn’t what she was thinking. ‘Gosh darn it brain, you’re working with heart aren’t you?’

“And I?” The princess raised an eyebrow at her. Ai quickly shook her head,” I-I didn’t notice I was leaning over the edge and I fell, face first to the ground.”

“Oh, is your face okay? Does it still hurt?”

“Well since I saw your face, the pain lessen a little. But if you kiss me on my forehead, I think it would be gone.

Ai mentally slapped herself for saying that. She wanted to die. She hated this.

The princess blinked at her, shook her head, and gave her a sad smile. “If that’s the case then so be it.” She leaned closer until Ai could smell the scent of roses. After the princess kissed her forehead, she felt her face flush and her ears turned red. Her heat pounded in her chest and she thought it would burst out any moment.

“Oh dear it seems like it made it worse.

“No,no. I feel better now. It’s just that I’m cold.”

“If you’re cold then I insist we go inside.”

“There is no need your majesty.”

“No, I insist. This can be my apology, it is my fault that you were entranced by me and feel face first on my balcony. I think you need some rest.

Taking her hand, the princess lead Ai to her room. But before they could enter, she looked over her shoulder and smiled.

“Before we enter, may I know your name?”

“It’s Ai.”

“Well Ai, from now on call me Neiru.”

“Alright your majes- I mean Neiru.}

Neiru escaped a soft giggle and Ai’s cheeks turned redder. “You’re cute and funny.” Ai gave he a smile. Who knew the princess had a nice laugh?

As the two entered the room, Ai couldn’t shake the feeling that she had forgotten something. She shug it off, she would probably remember it later.

#wonder egg priority #ai ohto #momoe sawaki #ai x neiru #neiru x ai #fanfic #saiju kurumi #rika kawaii #aonuma neiru

[currywaifu]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: lavender 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: fushimi omi/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 1.2k words 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: 🍒

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: reader taste tests chef omi’s new dish (yes he’s a chef in this one) 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: this work is a part of the flower shop event, a series of unconnected flower shop AU one-shots

There was something about the man who worked at the cafe across your flower shop, and you couldn’t figure out what it was.

Have you formally met Fushimi Omi? Sure, you had to have when you constantly drop by to deliver herbs and flowers in several mornings a week. Have you crossed paths with him? Sure, the close proximity of your workplaces certainly helped, with short waves of greeting exchanged upon making eye-contact with each other.

But did you know him? No, which was why you couldn’t figure out why he stood out so much in comparison to his other co-workers, or literally anyone else on the same block as you.

What did you know about him? Well, he was attractive, a good cook, and seemed to have a friendly or kind disposition despite his stature and build. You couldn’t really form a conclusion just out of those select things though, right?

However, there was no easy way for you to figure it out without either stalking him, which was a definite no, or talking to him outside of a business transaction— not that you had much opportunities for that.

Which was why it still surprised you that he was ushering you to enter the establishment on the day it was supposed to be closed, a bunch of freshly cut lavender that he ordered held to your chest.

You had expected just to be paid, the small chit chat about how your respective businesses are going already a routine while you waited for the opportune time to return to your own shop;

as seemed to be a theme tonight, Omi surprised you again.

“These would be lovely for a new dish I’m working on,” he began, and you were inclined to agree. Despite never having tasted any of his flower series dishes, the pastries and meals you had in the past were sublime.

Which was why it was a relatively easy choice to make when he asked, “would you like to be my taste tester? Since you’re the one who grew these, anyway.”

“I’d love to! I’m, sure it’d taste great,” you said, a little bit of eagerness slipping through your voice. The corners of his lips quirked upwards, before he turned around and started walking away from you. As though sensing your stillness, he looked back at you with the same smile present on his features.

“The kitchen is this way?” His head tilted slightly, “unless you’d rather wait here by yourself?”

You didn’t think he’d mean he’d cook for you now, but since you already committed to it…

“Nope, nope! I’m coming right now.”

You quickened your pace for a few seconds, just enough to lag behind him and keep up with his long strides.

Before attending to the counters with prepped ingredients already prepared, he ushered you to a chair and table that was most likely brought in temporarily, clearly not matching the kitchen’s interior. Had he planned having you taste test beforehand? Was that why he had you deliver the flowers at an unusual time and date?

The answers seemed glaringly obvious, but you’d rather keep quiet and watch him mix flour, cinnamon, sugar, lavender, and whatever other ingredients rather than awkwardly ask and risk being too assuming.

Even while passing the time scrolling through your phone, it was undeniable… sure it was impolite to stare, but was it really fair to have this man look so attractive? Like holy hell, he’s literally just pouring a mixture over something you weren’t even sure of in a skillet?

The silence wasn’t as awkward as you predicted it would be, but you wondered if you should take the initiative to… talk? Maybe ask him something? For months you had stayed as acquaintances, stayed curious, but now that you two were alone and in the same space you couldn’t figure out what to say.

You glanced at him again, his back turned to you as he piled used kitchenware on the sink, the both of you waiting for the dessert to finish baking. Since he didn’t seem to be busy, you wouldn’t be interrupting him, right?

You took a few seconds to rake your brain for the best way to phrase the second most generic question about careers ™ (the most generic being asking what his career was, but that was plenty obvious) before opening your mouth.

“You’ve b—“

“How long have you been working in this cafe?”

Your eyes widened at the realisation, Omi’s chuckles coming soon after both reassuring and further adding to your embarrassment.

“I was just going to ask the same question, actually,” he said thoughtfully, looking a little amused as he abandoned the pans and pots to simply lean against the counter as he conversed with you. “Two years, you?”

“I’ve been part-timing at flower shops for a while now, but I’ve only been managing this one for a year.”

It’s impossible to miss the change in his face muscles, and though you couldn’t detect what specifically rendered it, it was a pleasant enough expression that you quickly welcomed it.

“I don’t know that much about flowers or arrangements, but everything I’ve seen you sell has been beautiful. It’s clear that you have a talent for what you do,” the brunet commented, “plus, the herbs you deliver are always so fresh and emit a nice aroma. I always get excited to use them in dishes.

With the combination of being under his warm gaze and his words, you suddenly found yourself feeling bashful, regardless of the fact that he complimented your plants more than you. The only way you could respond was to thank him and return the compliment, telling him you were eagerly awaiting tonight’s dish.

And when the time finally came for you to taste it?

Golden brown peach crisps served family style with a scoop of ice cream on top, garnished with lavender. The seasonal fruit mixed with a pinch of cinnamon, a faint hint of lavender, and melted vanilla bean ice cream made the fruity dessert taste like the blue sky with honey oozing on top.

You always knew Omi was a good chef, but to think of combining peach and lavender… you nearly laughed, but the soft chuckling that came from the person beside you caught your attention instead.

As nice as the sound was, you couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious— what did you say or do this time? All you were doing was eating the dish quietly… hold on, was the food meant for just you to eat or…?

“Fushimi-san, do you… do you want some?” It felt a little silly, offering a man the very same food he prepared, but it seemed your concern was unwarranted as he shook his head.

“Don’t mind me, watching your face is enough for me,” he didn’t seem to notice the peach blush that began to blossom on your cheeks, continuing “your face looks so peaceful while eating, like you’re really savouring it.”

“Can I ask you to taste test again next time?”

There was something about the man who worked at the cafe across your flower shop, and maybe you’ll stick around a little longer to figure out what it was.

“ thank you for your hard work today at the flower shop! here, feel free to take home this lavender with you~ ”

【 lavender 】 silence, serenity, grace, calmness, purity

“ maybe you’d like some more flowers before heading home? ”

-ˋˏflower shop masterlistˎˊ- |  -ˋˏfic masterlistˎˊ-

#a3! #a3! act! addict! actors! #omi fushimi #a3 #fushimi omi #cafe: dessert menu #nathya's flower shop #a3! omi #//scheduled post... ill think of a cuter name tag for sched/queued posts

[why-i-ask]

I've been wanting to do things with these prompts for ages but I don't have art skills. So, >-< writing. Big long. 

-Star Guardian AU -

It’s the sound of the old school clock striking three that draws Ezreal’s attention away from blankly staring at the pages of an old chemistry book. It’s hard to think of school when you have an alter ego living in a galaxy above saving the world every night. He Exhales and closes the book finding it pointless to pretend any longer. 

“Something wrong?” Chipped the soft voice of the pink haired mage besides him.

He flinched he’d almost forgotten he invited Lux to study with him. 

“No just, can’t focus.”

“I get that, why don’t we get coffee?”

“This place has a coffee shop?” Ezreal mused, he’d never really looked around outside of their shared accommodation. He wanted to explore the stars not the streets. 

“Yea, It’s really cute. Also is hiring-” Lux smiled, tapping his shoulder as she strutted past him.

“I think I’ve got enough work to do.” He rolled his eyes, standing up and tucking the books back into his bag. 

Ezreal would be lying if he said Lux was wrong. The place was adorable. A small shop on the corner, with little ivory tables and chairs set about it’s front protected by a brown fence decked in vines, the open sign was a soft lavender, shimmering in the window. As they opened the door, the old chimes range overhead. The inside was an array of pastels, the walls in a soft lemon, with the tables and chairs were in a checked mint. The counter was a baby blue, he stared at the array of cakes in their display trays at one side, as they approached the cashier straighten. He was a young male, perhaps the same age as them working some part time for extra cash. He looked tired though, the dark shades under his eyes even visible with his dark chocolate skin. 

“Hey, Can I take your order?”

“Yea- Do you guys still do that amazing strawberry cheesecake?” Lux chimed. 

“That was last weeks special, this time is raspberry it rotates every week.”

“Hm, shame. Then just two super choco brownies and a strawberry smoothie for me- What do you want Ez?” She turned to look at him, drawing the cashier’s attention to him as well. 

Ezreal bit his lip he hadn’t payed enough attention to the menu; he scrunched his face up in thought, the Cashier rolled his eyes messing with a lose strand of his white hair that had escape the taming of a messy bun. 

“Take your time, there’s not a queue yet.” He hummed, “before turning round to the kitchen outlet, “Tal, can you start fix up the order on screen..”

Ezreal sighed, glancing back across the small menu on the desk, his eyes glancing across the sweets. “uhm, Can I have a latte and a caramel slice?”

The cashier smiled slightly, “Sure, got a name for that?”

“uh, Ezreal-”

“Great. You tow paying separately or together?”

“I’m paying,” Lux smiled, “It’s my treat afterall, long day.”

Ezreal was about to protest but lux elbowed him and he decided against it. There wasn’t much point in arguing she could be stubborn she got that from Jinx. 

“Your total is 28.50. You can sit down if you like. we’ll bring it to your table. ” 

Lux grinned fishing around her purse for a few notes handing them over, before turning and grabbing Ezreal arm, pulling him to one of the corner tables. 

“What do you think?” She hummed, nudging the table décor to the side. 

“It’s nice..”

“No, I know that- I mean him.”

Ezreal blinked, she was really trying to set him up like that? She really wanted him to move on. “No.”

“C’mon, why not? Star guardian too busy for love? You weren’t to busy to run after me-”

“That was different. I don’t have to keep anything secret from you.”

Lux sighed and shook her head, the spacebuns she had decided to sport seemed to lag in their movements. “Not everything has to be about saving the universe.” 

Ezreal huffed, She was right and he didn’t like that. He wanted to pretend it could entirely be about fighting monsters; saving the world being a hero. mysterious, adored. Yet she was right he had a real life too. They were sat in silence for only a few minutes, watching other guests enter, sit down to chat or walk away with a small coffee. Then the server approached, she must’ve also been a part time hire; though she was much more lively than the cashier. Her short brown hair tied in spacebuns almost twinning lux’s current hairstyle, which caused a grin to spread across her face. Her bright chestnut eyes glittered with excitement as she set the tray down on the table. 

“Hey, sorry for the wait. Brownies and a strawberry smoothie.” she hummed, setting down the plate and glass before lux. 

“Thank you! it’s not a problem!”

“and a caramel slice and coffee for....Asreal?” Her face scrunched slightly as she glanced at the cup to read before placing it down with the plate before Ezreal. 

“Thanks-” He hummed, though his attention was drawn to the bad spelling of his name on the cup. He didn’t think it was that hard to spell. 

She picked up the empty tray, “Enjoy! If you want anything else feel free to ask!”

“We will, Thank you...Taliyah? I love the hair by the way.” Lux grinned, leaning over slightly to look at the name tag on the waitress’ pastel red uniform. 

Taliyah practically glowed at the compliment, 

“Next-” It was the fairly loud shout from the Cashier that drew her attention and caused her to hurry back to behind the counter.

Lux giggled picking up a brownie and biting into it. “What about her?”

“Lux! I’m not that pathetic to have a crush on just anyone who’s nice to me!” 

She laughed, “of course not~ I’m teasing.”

Ezreal huffed, sipping from the latte. It was bittersweet and hot- perhaps he should’ve specified the sugar addition and waited- He place it back down trying not to wince at the slight burn. 

“but I do mean it, you need to get out more. In the real world.”

He sighed, taking a bit from the caramel square. “I know.”

 Lux was quick to pick up on the irritation in his tone and turned the conversation swiftly to the subjects of school; English to be precise. some of play by a dead guy Ezreal had since forgotten the name of. She was quite happy to chatter on allowing him brief moments to interrupt with his own thoughts. They remained in the shop for perhaps thirty minutes, the snacks gone and drinks drunk before lux’s finally finished her rant. 

“oh my, is that the time? We should head back and meet up with the other’s.”

Ezreal nodded standing up, he piled the plats and cups up before they took their leave. 

                                                            ~~~ 

It was Saturday evening, sitting board in the longue watching Soraka and lulu  playing chess on the old coffee table. When Lux, swung round again, “Hey guys.. before we have our movie night why do we go out?”

“where? Y’know those restaurants are just so pricey and not worth it-”

“What about the cafe?”

“that lil shop on the corner near school?” Lulu tilted her head. “It always smells so nice.”

“Yeah. It’s got pretty good prices.”

So they made the walk off to the corner shop, the dwindling light of the day fading into the sunset as the approached the familiar ivory décor though it was now glowing in a soft umber from the fading light. 

They entered the shop to the familiar jingle of the chimes, This time the cashier was their server; Taliyah. Her hair still tied in it’s space buns, She smiled upon seeing them enter. 

“Hello! What can i get you today?”

Lulu giggled, standing on her tippy toes to peer over the counter, “a menu if you wouldn’t mind-”

“Ah-” Taliyah quickly picked up the sheet on the counter and handed it to her. 

“I’ll have lemon meringue pie, and a J20?” Lux hummed, “never tried the pie before..”

“That sounds great- oh they have apple pies too- I’d like one of those.” Soraka said, glancing back to Ezreal and lulu. 

“Uhm, A latte I suppose with just two sugars- and...a chocolate sundae.”

“ooh! Oh! chocolate sundae with waffles!” Lulu piped up placing the menu down. 

“Do you have a name for your latte?” Taliyah smiled, stifling a laugh at lulu’s reaction as she tapped it into the register again.

“Uhm, Ezreal- But it’s spell with an E.” 

Taliyah shrugged. “Alright...And you’re paying with?” 

“Oh i’’ll paying, You guys can just pay me back later makes everything easier.” Soraka said interupting lux’s offer to just pay the whole thing again. 

“Thanks roka!” 

“Great, your total is 42.69.” Taliyah hummed, “Feel free to sit down and we’ll bring it out...”

Soraka paid and they returned to one of the booths in the side. 

“She’s very nice.”

“Yeah, I wonder if she’s the only one on today, He’s not here today- oh what was his name tag?”

Ezreal shrugged, he hadn’t payed too much mind to the cashier beyond how tired he seemed and the jokes lux had made. 

“Well their not too busy now so they probably don’t need that many people on.” Lulu grinned, before turning to Soraka and pulling out some playing cards. “go fish?”

“You know you always lose...”

“This time i’ll win! I’ve been practicing!”

Soraka laughed softly and took the cards to deal out, Ezreal declined the offer to play. It was more fun to watch than participate in with the way the two could get aggressive. 

A few minutes passed before the counter door swung open and the male from yesterday stepped over carrying a tray brimmed with their order. 

“Evening...” He hummed, a slight grin twisting on his face as he set down each of the treats before each of them. 

He looked at least somewhat happier than last time, though he still seemed tired, Ezreal wondered why, it couldn’t be that hard. Just sitting in the quiet shop all day serving food. Not even everyday of the week? Maybe with school work a little tough. But it shouldn’t be difficult. He hardly notice the other say his name as he handed him the latte. 

“Careful it’s hot.” 

“Thanks..” He hummed, forcing a smile as he flicked his gaze down to see the name tag. “...Ekko.”

“Enjoy guys.” The server;  Ekko hummed as he turned away, this time his hair wasn’t perfectly in it’s high bun but instead it was tied in a mix between a bun and a ponytail as if done up in a hurry. 

“So? Still no?” 

He turned back to face lux and scowled. “Come off it..”

“you’re staring though..”

“He looks tired, don’t know what he has to be tired about he’s not the one saving the world-.” He huffed, brushing off the hint she was giving him. He glanced down to his latte and blinked. Ah. 

‘Ezreel’ He guess he did say with an E. Another misspelling. He shrugged it off, and moved on to pick up the spoon and take a scoop of ice cream. 

Another pleasant night of laughs as lux and Soraka gushed over their favourite movies. Lulu chiming in with her own takes on each film. 

Ezreal didn’t though he listened intently his thoughts were more about how he could get them to spell his name right. That and considering if perhaps Ekko had some secret double life of action that could give him a reason to be so tired; though that was more down to his own bias. Once again they left after forty minutes, placing the empty dishes neatly piled together for ease of collecting. 

Returning back home in time to find Ahri and jinx had picked the movie for them. 

                                                        ~~~

He returned to the coffee shop a few times over the course of the next few weeks. Sometimes accompanied by Lux or lulu other times alone, Yet every time. Regardless of who was one till, he ordered a latte; he’d catch Ekko stifle a laugh at his order, or drop a smirk as he handed him his drink and with out fail there would be a misspelling; Ezrel, Izreel, Aseraphel, Esral, Ezrela. 

He huffed, stubborn and determined as he strolled through the door listening to the chimes ringing once more. He approached the counter, to see the white haired male restocking the display. He glanced up and smiled, 

“What can i get you?”

“Usual a Latte...”

“Got a name for it?” 

“Ezreal. That’s E-Z-”

“I know.” He laughed waving his hand to dismiss him. “Anything else?”

“uhm- no-”

“Wait a second then-”

He watched the other twirl away to the coffee machine, standing awkwardly as he waited; perhaps trying to distract himself with the décor yet his interest was piqued he never really watched them make it. It seemed to make the other happy, humming- he still looked tired that never seemed to change. Though he was used to it now, maybe it was endearing he’d like to know why but it’d be rude to ask. He must’ve zoned out as the next thing he knew the other was back in front of him. 

“That’s 4.99, thanks.”

He nodded, handing over a fiver as he took the coffee 

“Careful it’s-..” Hummed the other, passing the change and receipt. 

“hot I know, like same.” Ezreal mused, a grin spreading across his lips at the other’s slightly surprised expression.

He recovered quickly and nodded, looking over to the next customer. 

Ezreal stepped aside turning to leave he glanced at his drink. 

‘Easy.’ Oh haha. 

He rolled his eyes fumbling with the receipt when something else caught his eye. on the back of the receipt. He flattened it out, a sequence of digit- and a smiley face- 

Weird almost looks like a- Oh. OH. 

He paused and glanced back towards the counter, Briefly catching the other’s gaze watching the smirk tug at his lips as he wrote down the next order. 

He folded it, placing the number into his pocket. Maybe he’d use it.  Maybe he’d get an answer to his question after all. Maybe lux was right all along- Maybe.  Just maybe. 

#Coffeeshopau #Writingprompts #Starguardian #Ekko #Ezreal #Lux #ezreal x ekko