#or like talk a lot about jumping over train tracks

[nouearth]

hear me out.

dick grayson x male reader.

summary: dick pushes you to your limits in the gym, and your animosity towards him slowly transforms into unexpected admiration (and unlocks months of concealed pining).

wc: 7.2k. genre: smut. warnings: top!dick, dom!dick, bottom!reader, sub!reader, one sided rivalry (reader's end), enemies to lovers(?), brief fighting, reader and dick are working out, physical fighting (with boxing gloves), envious!reader, insecure!reader, hotheaded!reader, uncut!reader, public!sex, gym!sex, dirty talk, praising, guidance, handjob, fingering, kissing, spitting, lots of sweat, body worshipping, reader will be walking funny for the next week.

Your shoes squeaked after every thump from landing on your feet. One foot chased after the other in a pursuit, and your knees raised past your navel as the cable rope cut through the air with a turn before hitting the ground. You huffed after every snap of the rope, a burn scalding the muscles in your thighs and wrists with every rotation, tensing as if you’d been hit, as if your coarse throat would feel the remnants of the whip afterward. 

“Five…Four…Three…” 

Sweat dripped off your forehead, off the locks of your bouncing hair, in anticipation of a merited water break. The water bottle sat on the seated stationary bench, pooled by its own condensation. You could taste it with your eyes, a ravishing sight that pushed you harder. You sped up, raised your knees higher, and endured the pain for ten seconds more. Your gut was sucked in, engaging with your core, and your breathed out in methodical puffs, your chest rising along with it. Everything was burning, muscles tightening into flaming knots that would render you frail by tomorrow morning. If the floor was lava, your body was the volcano erupting it. 

Holy bells rang once you finally counted down to zero, and you immediately came to a halt, the weight of your gratification breaking your movement with an echoing thud as you instantly marched forward to quench your thirst. 

“Fuck.”

Your nostrils stung more than usual. Flared with every inhale as you were catching up to your breath, and more so when you cooled down with several sips of water. Breathing had never felt so good, an absolute fiend you turned out to be after every workout.

You’re getting weaker. Breathing harder. Quicker. You’re losing control on your breath. How are you going to keep up with the team? If you feel this fatigued after a warm up? You let them down last time. Got knocked out and Dick—

He was getting to your head. Again.

Dick. 

The name rolled off your tongue bitterly. A foul taste of metal and battery acid lingered in your parched mouth before it was drowned out by another gulp of water. Another. 

And another. 

And another, as the aforementioned man across from you halted his ropes, stopping in his tracks. 

He’d been doing this since you’d arrived. Mirroring you like a reflection, copying your every move as if you were an instructor. If you were doing strength training, he stopped his cardio to take the machine next to you. Pushed when you pushed, groaned—louder—when you did. 

Needed to stretch your hips? He made some lame excuse about how his legs were too tight, and felt the need to join you on the floor, stretching himself beyond the limits of what you could achieve. It colored you impressed, but you would never say that out loud. Though, you did silently admire the view of his ass, and that especially, would be kept a secret between you and the floor.

Now, it was with jump-roping. The two ropes swung from either corners of the gym like the gears working silently in your head. There was a need to compete with you for some reason.

A satisfied smirk rolled a drop of sweat off his face, and seized his naked torso with glitter as he took a step under a light that lit his body like a podium, or—and you hated to admit it—like one of the sculptures you remembered fawning over in Art History. From his broad build, you could tell that Dick was sturdy, toned, and undoubtedly beautiful. 

His fringe clung onto his forehead, but you could see the gratification he got from outlasting you, smiling while he squeezed a stream of water into his mouth. You noticed how much more capable he was with the calmness of his breath, and felt his adrenaline pumping through the room. In turn, it possessed you—his energy–maneuvering you to the center of the room where a foam mat was placed, and to which Dick expectedly trailed after you.

“Wanna have a go, partner?” Dick said while rolling his shoulders back before picking up a pair of boxing gloves, then another without your confirmation. 

“Seriously—“ He tossed the other pair towards you, an accurate shot that landed into your arms. “Are you going to be doing this all day? Copying me?” You silently thanked him because you began kneading one glove like a stress ball, the rubber foam absolutely gratifying with every scrunch of your hand, as well as consoling as it kept you sane for a little longer.

“I don’t see the problem—“ You began approaching him with the gloves fitted snug over your fists. “Well, actually. I do see the problem. You’re not training hard enough.” Marching with heavy stomps, your nose flaring with every breath that he casually spat out. 

“You give up as soon as you feel tired. I mean, no amount of water breaks are going to help you. You think we have the time to sip water when we’re rescuing a town? A city? The world?” 

His voice, soft and smooth yet it was grating to your ears. The constant talking. Rambling. It gave you a headache. It made you see red. Hearing him berate you. Mock you.

“You’re breathing too hard too, which is taking up all of your energy. And your emotions? You need to control them better. Not only does it affect your combat, but your relationship with your team. You shut yourself off when you don’t do well on a mission.” 

“What are you, my therapist now?”

“Listen, it does no one any good if you’re—“

And it stopped with a strong swing towards his left cheek. His head snapped to the side when the rubber foam smacked him like a whip. 

If red hadn’t blurred your vision, you would’ve noticed the tiniest smile he mustered up from the corner of his lips. A crooked, slanted one that was followed up with a chuckle.

“Not exactly fair play, but…” He raised a hand to rub at his cheek before adjusting the gloves onto his wrists, cracking his neck and stretching the muscles in his back with one more shoulder roll before positioning himself like you were: knees bent and fists raised with the gloves fencing off your face. 

“I’ll give it to you. You can throw a good punch. Beginner’s luck?”

The comment made you swing at his left, and he snapped his head to the right. You missed. There was a precision to his move, something that you lacked in as he snuck a punch to your right cheek. A grunt was stifled, and then let loose in a cough when you felt another beat to the left of your abdomen. Sputtering breath, when Dick scored another hit to your jaw. 

“Fuck—“ Your eyes locked on him while he held your gaze. Your perception seemingly widened, heightened as you’d noticed the smallest movements from Dick, twitching upon instinct as if he was about to strike, but there was nothing. Just the taunt of his arms, and Dick’s teasing smile to garnish, to taunt.

He was circling you. You were circling him. It was the same movement, following each other like two predators unwilling to share the last morsel of food. You felt as much as a leader as Dick was, but from the outsider’s perspective, it was telling who was following the other’s lead. 

Who was the experienced leader of the two sparring men.

Dick feigned a punch with a raise of his arm, and you immediately buckled, jerking back to nothing but a bluff of a hit. You were then greeted by an obnoxious chuckle before he landed a successful sneak to your head, a hit impactful enough to rattle your knees and knock a scoff out of you.

“Be observant. I punch better with my—”

Another swing to his left cheek. Successful, and harder this time, as it managed to stumble him from his stance. You could feel the impact of your fist on Dick, even if it was cushioned by foam. 

It was exhilarating.

“Fight better with your mouth closed too.” You spat, raising your arm to strike the same cheek again. Dick detected it before you could attack, and ducked lower to the right, where he met a sudden fist to his jaw, a calculative undercut that sent him falling onto his back.

“Shit—“

Something unleashed in you. The red in your vision had scorched, burned blue as it reached its highest temperature. You immediately seized the opportunity to straddle him, to face the source of your belittlement, to look at the leader that everyone on your team had silently wish you were, that everyone had admired, to somehow stare and pierce him long enough with your eyes that you were able to tear into his body and take his incredible abilities and mold them into your own, becoming that someone that you had undoubtedly admired as well. 

You threw another blow to his face, enough to knock a groan out of him. It was pleasing to your ears, the low trembles of his voice because of your touch, they twitched with gratitude. But you needed more, a beg from Dick, a plea for you to stop. You threw another punch, and then another as you became blinded by rage. It was out of your control, your arms had a mind of their own as they continued wailing on Dick, even if he had shielded himself with his arms for the last minute now.

You breathed hard, tossing your gloves off as you held him down for a stronger grip and prying his arms from his face. A need to touch him, to feel the impact that your gloves had been restraining you from. You pinned him by his bare and sweaty shoulders that made the grasp all the more slippery, but you nonetheless held him anywhere you could, by his biceps now, and stared into him. You peered into those brown eyes that mysteriously settled your fury until you’d succumb to the beautiful tranquility of his orbs, quietly pacific compared to his mouth.

Dick’s chest was rising. Up and down like your own, recovering from the pummeling you had given him. His eyes were widened as he watched you—studied you. No marks on his face, thankfully due to the cushions you were begging to be replaced with stone a tantrum prior. 

It was humiliating to prove him right, about your emotions, and you sat still, on his lap, breathing. Your fists had stripped you of the little energy you had left, and turned it into mush, but you found support in the warmth of Dick’s body, still breathing. Your grasp had loosened, but remained on his biceps. Warm skin, and ever slightly kneading because of your own envy of Dick’s strength.

You felt your eyes closed, shutting yourself off of the supply of Dick’s silent consolation as the adrenaline pumping through your veins had slowed. “I can never be you, can I?”

“Who says you have to?” Finally, Dick’s voice hadn’t grated your ears like it had in the past. It was gentle as ever, but this time, there was a warmth to it that you wished you could be bundled up in if it had a physical body. A spirit that could temper you with just its warmth, rather than the toxic heat that had just boiled your rage.

“Because—they’ve seen you, Grayson. They know how you operate with the Titans. I can see it, you know? The way they look at you, then the way they look at me. It’s just…”

“You know, my team looked at me like that when they saw how Bats ran the Justice League.” 

“With disgust? Contempt? Disdain? All of the above?”

“No,” He laughed, gathering himself half-way up with the support his elbows. “with... relief?”

“That’s… not helping?” You rolled your eyes, and then felt yourself flush upon coming to realization upon your current position on his lap when he sat halfway up. “Sorry—“ Without making eye contact, you brought yourself off Dick’s hips, but found yourself suddenly pulled back by the waist.

“No, no. What I meant was…” He cleared his throat, sitting up as he positioned you back on his lap again. His hands interlocked against the small of your back, a devise to keep you from abandoning him on the lone mat, but to also pull you closer, hip to hip. 

“Batman… is impressive. You’ve seen him, right? How he has this presence that automatically appoints him as leader. Commander, really. I don’t know anyone that can plan better than him, but that’s not to say that he doesn’t have his faults. He’s all business, little relations. So are the others. You’ve seen them too. Supes, the Lanterns. I respect it. They respect him because of that, and vice versa. But… that’s not how my team works. Not the Titans.”

“I see…” You shifted, nodding every now and then as you listened.

“It’s just… My members are more than co-workers, you know? This isn’t some nine-to-five job that you’ll probably quit after five years. It’s… our lives now. And with them, they’re with me every step of the way. So, they’re more than co-workers. You don’t protect co-workers. Not saying the Justice League don’t care about each other… But what you do protect are friends, families. Yeah, they’re my family, so I treat them as such. And maybe… that’s why they seemed relieved they were part of my team. And…”

“I just have to find what works with my team?”

“Yeah. I mean, you guys are just starting out. Everyone’s still adapting, still getting to know each other, still figuring out each other’s powers, right? Things are bound to be a little more destructive in terms of chemistry.”

“I don’t know… I just… I don’t know if I can lead them like you guys can. I’m not like you guys. In terms of skills, in terms of leadership, in terms of—“

“Then work on that with your team. That’s what a good leader does, they seek out help from their teammates and let them know that their opinions and help are valued.”

It sounded absolutely simple. Something that shouldn’t have taken you this long to figure out, but Dick was right. Rather than seeking for your team’s help, you thought you had to endure whatever situation had arisen on your own. It weighted heavily on your shoulders, until you couldn’t muster up the strength to push your own weight. And in turn, that affected your team. You needed them, just as much as they needed you. 

“And here you are…” Dick continued, suddenly bursting with a smile. “Instead of spending time with your team, you’re with me. I know I’m quite charming, but geez, (M/N), can a guy get some alone time?”

You scoffed and lightly punched at his chest. “Did we forget that you were the one joining me in the gym when you have your own in the tower? Copying my every move? What’s up with that?”

He shrugged, kneading nonchalantly at your sides. “Knew you’d be alone. Knew you were probably blaming yourself, moping around. Thought I would give you a little push.”

You shifted again, your hands keeping close to yourself as you couldn’t muster up the strength to complain about his wandering hands.

Or rather, find anything about his hands to complain about.

“Push as in to annoy me?”

“Well, I was supposed to be teaching you some things, but, uh… you were playing whack-a-mole with my head earlier.” 

“That’s because—“ You sighed, dropping your head low in embarrassment. “Sorry. I don’t know. Everything started happening so fast and—“

“No, it’s fine. It gives me the perfect opportunity to introduce you my first lesson of the week.” He was sincere, smiling up at you, almost as if he had mistaken your brief fit of rage as a game of tag.

“What’s that?” You asked, meeting his eyes once again.

He pondered for a moment,, pursing his lips as he was lost within his thoughts before speaking again. “How To Communicate To Your Team 101.”

“How is that even going to—“

You felt a sudden press to your lips. A softness that awakened your five senses by tenfold, and a desire that you had kept vaulted in the back of your mind; now beginning to unlock to its freedom the longer Dick had his lips on you. It wasn’t right. No, it wasn’t like it was morally wrong, it was just…

You hesitated, conjuring up all the reasons in your head on why kissing Dick wasn’t a good idea. But it was futile. Everything had been resolved within this moment; the way he let you use him like a punching bag, the way he didn’t spare a single second to share his empathy for your concerns, the way he tended to your wounds days prior despite your brazen disregard to his kindness. 

You were being selfish again, guarding yourself off with ice like you had done with the others. When in reality, you wanted him. 

No, you desperately needed him.

You felt him open up his mouth, assuming he was about to speak, but you seized his breath with a slot of your lips, and kissed him. One hand came up to rest on his cheek, to finally feel the slight scruffs you had delivered on his skin, and you caressed tenderly across textured skin, to the slow rhythm of your lips, whispering, “Sorry… again.”

“Don’t be. Without it, you wouldn’t have been on my lap. And… I wouldn’t be kissing you right now.” Dick muttered, a satisfaction to his voice like he had gotten his wish fulfilled. He ran a lone hand up your back, then back down your spine, bone tingling once he repeated again under your hoodie, and gazed across your bare skin.

“What are you doing to me…” It was a genuine question, something you wished could be answered because you didn’t know yourself. And yet, you were scared of the answer if Dick was to ever give you one. It’d been a while since you felt like this, with someone else.

For the past few months, you hated him. Couldn’t stand the sight of him. And now, you feel like you couldn’t tear yourself apart from him. From the softness of his lips and to the warmth of his body; the longer you endured him, the more you realized you had been captivated by Dick all along.

“I don’t know, but… I like figuring you out.” Dick’s speech was slurred from dragging his lips down to your jaw, nipping at your sweaty skin. “Like how you push me away, but you can’t help but tolerate me whenever I’m in the room.” He breathed you in, sucking at the corner of the sharp bone. You pressed your head into his neck, silently letting him take you. “How you’d sneak glances at me and roll your eyes, only to keep on staring… and staring… until you hadn’t realized that I was looking back at you. Because you were too busy looking at me.”

Nothing but the truth came out Dick’s mouth. Remarkably candid, because you thought you were more covert about your conflicting feelings for him. It brought a bloom of heat to your cheeks, and you hid your face inside his neck, groaning because Dick began licking at your neck, and because you felt stripped, absolutely vulnerable.

“Dick…” Something was rising in your shorts, tightened around the center. Warm and pulsing, even when Dick had unzipped your hoodie and thrown them to the side. A chill was felt across your bare back, most likely a draft from the vent, and Dick held you closer, sandwiching the heat, and suddenly your erection, between his body and yours.

“I knew you never hated me.” There was something about your chest that he loved. How smooth it felt. A few hairs had grown at the center, raised from the feelings Dick was supplying to your body. They tickled his cheek whenever he rubbed himself against it until they were then flattened with a long, fluttering lick as he maintained eye contact with you. “Always right.”

The taste of your sweat was salty yet delicate on his tongue.

“Hate is a strong word...” Your fingers threaded through Dick’s locks, scrunching them into your fist when he started toying one nipple at a time with his tongue. The wet muscle flicked deftly, then he suckled, and then tugged, like he had known your body, like he had explored your body before. It was strange, how he knew the right thing to say, and the right thing to do.

Maybe he was ‘always right.’

“Whatever it is, it’s not stopping you right now.” His hands dropped to the waistband of your shorts and he pulled away from your swollen nubs. It was unwilling. You could see it in his eyes, the thirst to ruin, and it compelled him to bring another suck to your nipples, a few seconds more that almost pulled a dangerous whimper out of you before he ultimately paused. “Nor is it stopping me.” 

With a gentle push on your chest, he leaned you back onto the mat while lifting your hips up, smoothly sliding your shorts off. They joined the pile containing your hoodie soon after, and then your briefs to top.

“R-right here? Aren’t there cameras or something…?” Your hands instinctively came down to cover yourself, cupping that embarrassing erection that Dick was thirsting for. The head of your cock peeked out from your clumsy gasp, and his hands instantly came up to pry your hands off.

Dick had that same look in his eyes when he was circling around you earlier. A rapacity blaring the pupil of his eyes. His piercing gaze alone kept your hands from coming up to cover yourself again. You knew you wouldn’t stand a chance against his strength.

“I doubt anyone is watching the gym… Private for a reason.” Your legs were then wrapped around his waist after pulling you by the ankles. His presence was commanding. You knew to keep your arms to your side, hands forbidden from obstructing the view of your hard, throbbing cock.

“No wonder you’re so stressed. Look how hard you are.” Dick muttered, seemingly speaking his inner thoughts because he was too distracted by the veins of your erection. Thick and pulsing as he wrapped a hand around you, and stroked, fascinated by the stretch of foreskin unfolding from the head of your cock when he pulled back, then rolling back up when he pulled forward. “This okay?”

“Fuck—Yeah… Feels good.” One arm was raised to wipe the cold sweat off your forehead,  but it then rested against your forehead, shielding yourself from Dick’s gaze as he slowly pumped you back into breaking another round of sweat.

“No,” He paused, suddenly squeezing your foreskin over the tip of your swollen glans. You whimpered. Not only did he squeeze you tight, stripping you of a friction that you desperately had been needing more of. But Dick was teasing, threatening with the dull movement of his thumb as he pressed and rubbed into the fold of skin, polishing the head of your cock  in a thick sheen of pre-cum as his grip would draw out a generous amount from beneath. “I want to see you properly. Look at me.”

You reluctantly met his demands, only after you felt the tip of his thumb prying into your slit. Was this supposed to be a punishment? Because you could’ve allowed it to go on for longer, knowing how much Dick marveled at how much pre-cum you were leaking out.

Your body felt hot, and your hands—they needed something to hold, something to grip. When Dick began resorting to quicker strokes to your cock, you were clawing at the mat at first, etching your presence with indentations of your nails as your warning came in vain. “I’m going to cum if you keep doing that, Dick—“ 

“Use your words I’m telling you.” He spat in his palm after a millisecond of a break before lubing your cock in his own spit and churning you into the tight, yet slippery friction of his fist. Dick’s gaze had been fixated on you, never once had it torn away to look at something else. Not even a peek at your cock deliciously fucking into his fist. Because in case you forgot, he liked figuring you out. “Gotta communicate with me.”

The stoicism you had worn with pride, only ever fragmenting from anger upon defeat; Dick had discovered another facet to its escalating submission, and it was delightful watching you unravel in real-time. The slick of his hands; one beating off your cock while the other massaging your balls; your expressions had given yourself away on how to break you down. Maybe it was because you had given up keeping up the facade. Or maybe it was because it was Dick, who has done more than enough to earn your trust, that you found yourself nearly crumbling.

He had studied you, his hands continuing to wander, explore every part of you while silently cataloging the right spots to make you crack. You were close, hanging off the edge with one hand, nails dulling over a cliff as you desperately prevented gravity from pulling you down under. When his hand had left your balls in favor of suddenly pushing a finger inside of your tight hole, Dick knew you had completely submitted.

Your body was writhing, hips desperately thrusting in the air despite Dick pinning them down to properly stretch your hole and fill you up with another finger, and another. Your expressions were ravishing, conflicted with pleasure and tension, and your mouth opened to politely tell Dick to stop, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to utter the demand. Instead, all that came out of your mouth was a whimper of his name, a stutter that rang delectably in Dick’s ears when he interrupted you with a deep push of his fingers, curling and then pumping in and out of you, and another whimper would secure the deft removal of the rest of his shorts and briefs. All because he couldn’t contain himself anymore. 

He had absolutely no right to teach you about control, for the reason that he was on the brink of losing it himself. You looked absolutely wrecked, all from the stubborn grip around your cock, the tight fit of his fingers, and Dick couldn’t imagine what you’d look like if he was in you, his thick cock fucking you, making love to you.

“Seriously, Dick—I’m about to—“

You couldn’t help it. Dick’s demand to control yourself was absolutely absurd with his reign on your body. The wet, sticky sound his spit made as Dick’s fist was being screwed by your pulsing cock drove you nuts. And then came the view of Dick’s thick cock, throbbing, pre-cum dripping heavily off of his swollen head as he watched you untouched, begging to be touched. You swore you almost surrendered had it not been for his wrist slowing down, a delicacy you begged prior, but now desperately wanted to vanish.

“God, you know I always loved it whenever you accidentally let a smile slip. But this? You’re so beautiful like this, (M/N).” He paused despite your silent pleas for him to otherwise. Though, all was forgiven when he leaned forward to kiss you on the lips. Sweet and bountiful like his words had made you feel, and you kissed him right back, an eagerness compared to his own movements, but then gratefully countered with an impatient swipe at your crack. His cock, plump and heavy, then wet and sticky as he smeared his pre-cum over your hole. Your legs remained wrapped around his hips, but Dick pushed his body weight forward until they folded with your knees touching your chest, his cock dangerously pressing at your entrance.

Dick spat in his palm again, reaching down to coat himself in the sticky layer of spit, and you felt him press. Your arms were wrapped around his neck, anticipating with an accelerating drum of your heart as he teased, slicking your pucker with the gentle, smooth circling of his tip.

“Please… I need it.” You had a gentle grasp around his nape, pulling him down until his forehead rested against yours. You’ve never seen him like this, so up-close and intimate. A mole, a freckle on his face that you’d never noticed, and you instantly yearned for what could’ve been all this time, had it not been for your stubbornness.

“What do you need? You need me inside of you?” Dick clarified against your lips, a whisper into your mouth as you parted them open to welcome his tongue. Hot and heavy, you let your tongue wrap around his for a tingling moment before pulling away, a string of spit webbing a path between your lips and his. “Use your words.”

“Need your cock, need you… Need everything. As long as it’s you.” You marveled at Dick, drunk off of the mutual endearment you have for each other. He regarded you with a warm smile, followed by a dazzling glint within his gaze, then relayed the turn of his mouth to yours with another kiss, a gentle warning, before Dick pushed his hips forward and slipped his cock inside of you.

“Good boy.”

“O-oh, fuck.” 

Your body tensed as soon as you took the first inhale of breath since he’d breached you, sharp and abrupt, just like the pain that had jolted the muscles in your body to squeeze around him. You were playing defense, impeding the foreign introduction inside of your body with a clamp, yet Dick resisted. Rather, he thrived on your strain, adoring the suctioning feeling of his cock as if you were conflicted about inviting him in or pushing him out. It didn’t take much to figure out that it was the former. During the meantime you were adjusting to his cock, Dick was thrusting the few inches that had slid inside of you. Small and short movements to aid in your stretch, and then eventual pleasure as he gradually pushed himself deeper until you’d blossom completely open for him, like a bud in the Spring.

“Fuck, you’re so tight… So good, your ass is so good.” He was satisfied with half of his cock inside of you, rocking into you slowly until you felt comfortable enough to have him harder, faster. Till then, it was perfect like this. Breathing in your whimpers, holding your face like it was the last vestige of your sanity, before kissing you again, sweet on the mouth, tender with your tongue, to hold a fragment of your sanity within him and sealing it where no one could ever take it from him.

“T-too big, Dick—Fuck…” You whimpered again, closing your eyes from the uncomfortable detection of already feeling completely full, yet you and Dick both knew it wasn’t a complaint. Rather, it was a simple observation that had rendered you speechless, an inkling you’d disappoint Dick for not being able to take him properly, to not let him in like you had done for all these months.

“You’re doing great, baby. Doing so good… You can take it, I know you can.” His words were so warm, so kind, so gentle in your ear, low and sinking in your neck as he marked you as his with constant licks and kisses, and immediately, he dialed up your confidence by tenfold. You felt yourself relaxing, the tension in your body melting the longer he rocked half of his cock into you.

Just breathe. Breathe. You found it helpful following Dick’s breathing pattern, exhaling when he pulled out, inhaling when he pushed in, and gradually, you felt yourself opening up for him, taking him in longer strides, with little breaks, faster, harder, until you felt thoroughly plugged when he pushed once more to cork his cock inside of you, balls-deep.

“S-shit, Dick—Fuck—So good—“

Dick trembled with a moan sinking into the underside of your jaw. His cock had never felt so wanted, so warm in another’s body. You took him in without a single complaint, and it was a spectacle, an absolute wonder when Dick leaned back to watch himself completely unsheathe out of you like a dagger out of its scabbard. 

“Look at that… Fucking beautiful.” Your hole was gaped open with the diameter matching the girth of Dick’s cock. Blinking, puckering desperately as it painfully endured the loss of heat, the loss of his desire. You’d never felt so exposed, completely powerless as Dick had you bending your legs further back with one hand, and the other spreading your cheeks apart to further see how much more you could stretch. 

The color of your flesh was enthralling, and if the marks on your neck had not been telling that you were Dick’s; he pressed a kiss to your pucker, gentle nibbling and licking at the puffy rim before abruptly spitting inside of you, and another for good measure, the glorious designation would remind you now.

“Dick—No more, I need you, please—“ You reached down to spread your pucker with the spit dribbling out of you using two fingers, then pulled back to taste him, sucking on them before your craving for Dick would return with a vengeance, body-writhing and mind-numbingly so.

“Tell me. What do you need, hm?” Dick tapped his cock against your hole. The plump head slid smooth over the spit-covered flesh, mixing with his pre-cum, while he watched you with a grin, each swipe of his cock taunting to pull completely away unless you spoke.

“Need you. Inside of me. Fucking me. Holding me. Kissing me. Touching. I don’t know—Please, please. Just need you.” Your wishes were long-winded, but sincere. The gaze you had given him, an imploring look that Dick would take a moment to hold for a little longer despite your begging.  Cherishing it, not knowing if this would be a fluke you’d later regret down the line, but in the end, all that mattered was that  you let your guards down at the mercy of Dick’s guidance. Then utterly defenseless, when he gave into your wishes, a chaste kiss to your lips while doing so, and pushed himself deep inside of you with one smooth thrust.

You stiffened in Dick’s arms when they slipped around you, digging your nails into his skin. Squeezing his waist with your legs, you held onto him when he pushed the rest of his body weight over you, bending you further while keeping his lips connected to yours. He was stabilized on the tip of his toes, thrusting into, past, and against your inner muscles all at once. You clenched around his cockhead, the pleasure unbearable to resist as each dip of his hip successfully knocked a gasp from your mouth. 

“So good, so tight like this…” Dick’s cock was in heaven, burying you deep until his heavy balls pressed flushed to your taint. He would stay motionless whenever he did; to catch up on his breath, to draw out his nearing high for a little longer, and to feel you, luxuriate in the warmth of your walls squeezing him tight, pulsing with dilemma, and ultimately refusing to let go. “Think I can come just like this, you squeezing my cock…”

He looked down at your face, a brief check-up. Your lips moved as if you were about to say something, but no sound came out. Only a stutter of a gasp, little sounds that Dick found incredibly magnetic, to which he found increasingly difficult to keep his lips off of you. He failed with little effort on his end, in hopes to steal those tiny sounds and keep it for himself. 

Your pupils were blown when they weren’t rolling back from the smallest movement of Dick’s hips. In addition, with your lips swollen and lids heavy, you gazed up at Dick like he had saved your life, as if he had guided you towards a better place. Your life seemingly were in his hands as he held your cheeks and kissed you once more. Sweet again, rocking into you steadily, sweat sticking his skin to yours. 

And maybe he did.

“Say something. I want to hear you.” A merciful demand upon your lips. You were trembling, barely swallowing down moans while Dick continuously impaled you with his cock—up into you now, when Dick leaned back until he was sitting up, and brought you back onto his lap like before, pushing your hips towards the rate of his thrusts.

Mesmerized by Dick, your mouth parted open and your throat immediately began emptying itself of all the harbored moans and groans that you had been holding hostage. “F-fuck me, keep fucking me. L-like that. No—Harder, harder—“ They rattled in volume, bouncing in sync with the way your ass had been doing against Dick’s cock, and then louder, because your marvelous sounds emerged an addiction out of Dick.

Sweet Jesus. He couldn’t stop. Watching the desire in your beautiful features, hearing your pleas reflect your want, stroking your cock awaiting for its release, marking every flesh of your skin his mouth had come in contact with. At the level of intimacy; from the pull of Dick’s hair, the sloppy, open-mouthed kisses you two shared, and the mutual passion you had for each other; you no longer felt like his disciple, but rather, an equal to Dick’s being—a derivative blessing, that would course correct each other’s life.

Your hands could barely hold onto his shoulders, but you worked with your strength, the slip of his skin, and locked your hands around his nape. Forehead to forehead, you and Dick breathed moans into each other, heavy and thick with yearning as you two pressed close, stuck to each other like glue. He cataloged the tiniest details on how your face contorted with pleasure; the scrunch of your nose, the roll of your eyes, the part of your lips. Your fist tightened around your cock, pumping it rapidly to the pace of Dick’s thrusts, churning it until your biceps had distractingly flared with veins. 

You did the same. You watched Dick’s mouth agape with rapture. The scrunch of his brows when he fucked into you faster and to the root. The clench of his jaw when you squeezed tight around him, suctioning his cock until he sounded delirious with pleasure. It was beautiful. He was beautiful, and you knew he found you beautiful as well, the beautiful loss of reality from the mutual pleasure, and that was all it took to make you spill your load without a single warning. 

You smashed a guttural groan to his lips and unraveled your fingers, leaning your body back to let your cock release where it pleased to afterward. “Oh, fuck—“ 

“Holy shit.”

Thick shots rained on Dick’s sweaty body. Three spurts to the center of his chiseled chest, and then another four splashing high in the air when Dick powered up on the sight of your cum alone, and drilled you harder, your cock dribbling in cum as he did so. His nails dug into your ass cheeks, spreading them apart, then cushioning them back around his cock to somehow press your walls against every vein pulsing through the thick of his erection.

Dick fucked you like you’d begged him to. Long, strong thrusts, to the brim on each stroke, undoubtedly hitting your prostate at every turn from the way you would jolt forward with widened, rattling, yet blissful eyes. A sight Dick would have forever ingrained into his memory, because you were officially, utterly, and completely wrecked.

It was heaven. The crown of Dick’s cock sliding over the spot, the depth of his cock rendering you immobile and dazed. Again, he’d repeat. A new addiction, surging powerfully through his veins. You let out a sob. 

Again. You squeezed your eyes shut. 

Again. You dug your nails into his shoulders. 

And again. Dick smacked your ass at the delirious state he was in. He had completely breached inside of you, explored every inch of your hole with the circle of his hips. A thrust. A slam. A rut. He had traversed through every option to dismantle you, and like clockwork, your snug hole all but sucked on his cock, begging for him to come inside.

He couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Baby, baby…” Dick’s large hand smothered his warmth around your throat. You could feel the callous in his palm, a gentle abrasion to your smooth skin, and he rubbed your seed all over your body, then his. He fucked harder to the sight of the sticky sheen layering your body. The smell of musk. The stick to his hands. Filthy. Your body and his were filthy together. Filthier, when pleasure burst from the base of his shaft, and in turn, flooded your insides with a large load. He moaned, and you arched into him, into the stick of his body, anticipating for the rupture of your doing. 

Your cock throbbed once, straining forward with its swollen head aiming towards the ceiling, and you spat thick shots of white seed into the air, eventually course-correcting to land on your body and Dick’s.

It was wonderful. You could feel Dick’s cock pulse as his seed rushed up the shaft and buried you deep into your guts with thick and heavy shots. Upon impulse, you squeezed as well, clamping around the peak of DIck’s orgasm until it must have crested with the stillness of his breath. “Don’t pull out.”

“Wasn’t planning on it…”

If he hadn’t thought it enough, you were beautiful, he was keen on calling it a mantra because it meant that he was still here, on this very earth, breathing and witnessing your very existence. Your body was weakened, barely mustering the strength to hold your chest up without the aid of Dick’s arms around you. Limp, after your second orgasm. All of you, you were so beautiful. From your rim hugging the base of your cock, your softening cock dripping, your swollen nipples, the smooth planes of your cum-stained chest, and parted lips. You were a banquet to Dick’s eyes, a feast that could muster up another around to have at you, to have you completely devoured if he had really wanted to.

But no, this was perfect. Watching you in silence, surveying up at you while you peered down at him, panting, breathing slow, in a case of wonder of how one could have such an effect on him without a morsel of effort. 

“So… lessons? You always do this to new recruits?”

“Only if they absolutely suck at their role.” An exhaustion in his smile, you wanted to capture it in between your lips, and replenish him with gratitude.

“Hey— Asshole…” You muttered, a gentle knock to his chest, to which he laughed off, and then held on, to pull you in for a blissful kiss.

With the way you fit into his arms as if you’d always been meant to be there, warm where he was cold, and cold where you were warm, he knew he didn’t need his question answered.

“Kidding. Let’s just say… it was curated for a special someone. And hopefully, they liked it as much as I liked teaching it.”

“I have a good feeling that they did.” 

nouearth. please do not repost, plagiarize, or translate my works. andif you like this story, please reblog and leave a like!

#✰ : nou.fics #dick grayson x male reader #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x you #dick grayson fic #dick grayson imagine #x male reader #dc x male reader #male reader #m!reader #dick grayson x m!reader #x you #x reader #nightwing x male reader #nightwing x reader #nightwing fic #nightwing x m!reader #dc x reader #dc comics fanfiction #dc fanfic #✰ : nou.dickgrayson #✰ : nou.dc

[sammygender]

i literally don’t understand what it’s like to be boring. like sorry i guess i’m just built different. imagine possessing the ability to say no. imagine not being incredibly, deeply, maladpatively impulsive. i always attract people who i love but are just like sorta loser adjacent as in they never are up to do Crazy Random Shit (and all of them CLAIM it’s because someone needs to be ‘responsible’ out of us but like i am an older brother and very intelligent i’m just impulsive while i’m smart💔) and always whine at ME for doing things that AREN’T EVEN THAT CRAZY! like sorryyy that my life is interesting and i can’t Not Do Things. sorry that i am not someone who worries in a way that stops him from doing anything. maybe i just befriend too many people with anxiety disorders but that’s not even it cause you can have an anxiety disorder and still Not Be Boring. like being boring is a state of mind. just stop it. sometimes it’s easier to say yes so like why are you even saying no

#‘i can’t be bothered’ BE BOTHERED. #and then when they act like IM somehow worse for it like no??? sorry that ur boring and wouldn’t do anything if it wasn’t for me?? #i’ll like do ONE tiny slightly unhinged thing like. idk! smoke a random cigarette from an ash tray #or like talk a lot about jumping over train tracks #or attempt to climb over a barbed wire fence into one of those electrical thingys because there’s a whole pretty grassy area #or like eat muffins off the ground cause i wanted to see what they were like #or miss my stop 3 times in a row and completely change the plan of where i was going to #and suddenly it’s all like. ohhhh you’re so irresponsible i need to keep an eye on you #like. girl. you realise i do this shit alone too and i am always completely fine #newsflash but i know how to use bus systems i know how to get home from places i wouldn’t actually kill myself on train tracks or barbed #wire and ingesting some weird toxin is not going to immediately kill me #i didn’t even ask u to do it with me i just saw a fun opportunity and toon it. DONT #be a spoilsport. don’t judge💔 #like u think this is me crazy? #ohhh u haven’t even seen me crazy. trust i can be a LOT more crazy #oliver talks #need more friends who match my energy fr

[hoe4sports]

“Three is perfect, but four is too many”

Jenni Hermoso x Caroline Graham Hansen x child reader

A/N: Pretend that Jenni never left Barça <3 I’m also very nervous because I usually don’t write this kind of imagines.

Summary: You are a child, and your tummy mommy comes to find you after abandoning you and Mami for years

Jenni had always been so attentive to you. She was always making sure that you were comfortable. That you felt loved. That you knew how she proud she was of you, her little girl. Things hadn’t always been like this. When you were first born, Jenni wasn’t your only mama. You had another mama, but she had left you and Jenni in the middle of the night claiming that having a baby wasn’t for her as her career was on a rise. Jenni promised herself to never let disappoint you like that. She had brought you with her everywhere. To training, to camp, to press conferences. It wasn’t really a problem as someone was always injured, and you were so loved by the team. The same team that had seen red when Jenni brought you in strapped into your car seat and told them what had happened. How could their friend, their teammate leave her child and her fiance? But to Jenni, that didn’t matter. She had promised herself that she was gonna love you enough for two parents. She had made arrangements within the Barcelona team and was allowed to bring you as often as she’d like. You were her pride and joy, and if the team didn’t let her bring you? Then she would find a team that would. No medals could ever compare to the joy you gave her.

“Mami!” You giggled as you bounced up and down in her big bed. Jumping as high as your little 3 year old legs would let you while the bright morning sun shines through the curtains. “Ah, mi princesa! Come here and give mami a hug” she said as she reached out and caught you mid air while hugging your tightly. You loved mami hugs. They were big, strong and safe. Her arms holding around your tiny frame allowing you to feel little. “Si, mami! te amo mucho!” You giggled as she placed kisses all over your face. You loved mami so much. She was the best mami, always letting you sit on her lap, always allowing you to be carried, always stopping if you needed her and always protecting you from bad guys. “I love you most, my favourite girl” she said as she blew raspberries on my cheek causing me to giggle again. You liked how mami always had time for you, always saying how you were the most important girl in the whole work. Even more important than football, and mami loved football a lot.

“pequeña, how about some breakfast no?» mami said as she looked down onto you while stroking your already ridiculously long hair. You had long blonde hair, much like your tummy mommy when she was your age. “Si, si, si!” You said as you jumped out of mami’s embrace and ran towards the door as fast as your tiny feet let you. You were fast for your age, the teams physicians and physios were amazed by your balance. Mami always made sure to practice with you, always doing everything right. She would make little tracks for you to climb, jump and crawl through in a hidden attempt to help your balance. She made sure to talk to you early, allowing you to be able to express yourself from a young age. Mami jumped out of bed and chased after you. “Mami is gonna get you, pequeña princesa!”. You started laughing hysterically as your little feet rhythmically tapped on the wooden floors in the hallway. Mami quickly caught up and scooped you up while throwing you up in the air. “más mami, más!” You squeal as your innocent laughter rang throughout the house. Mami shook her head as she held you close and kissed your cheek. “Breakfast now mi sol, then we go to the arena and see aunties” Jenni said as she carried you while walking down towards the kitchen. Mami placed you on the counter to let you help with making pancakes. You loved when Mami let you help in the kitchen. Her warm embrace making you feel safe as eggs, milk and flour became pancakes.

“Alright princesa, we are here” Mami said as she pulled up in the big parking lot in your black suv Lexus. You squealed as you held on to your favourite toy. A snow angel named lina because it was given to you by your tia Caroline. She wasn’t your real tia, but you didn’t care. She was still tia. Caroline had been the most scared when you started joining the team as she was generally scared of children. You on the other hand, had always smiled as her even as a new born placed in your stroller or car seat next to the pitch. Caroline couldn’t help but love you. You really had grown into her. Mami hopped out of the car and got you out as she held you close while walking to the busy parking lot. People was always greeting Mami, but you didn’t understand why. You settled with the thought of that it was because she was the best Mami ever.

“Hola tia! Look, look! I bringed Lina” you said as you waved towards the Norwegian. “Hola lillevenn, hola Lina! I have something for you” she said as she smiled. You loved Caroline’s smile. It was crooked and funny, but you loved her regardless. «Wow, look Princesa, tia is spoiling you!” Jenni said as she sat you down and squatted next to you and Caroline. “You know how tia had to go to Norway? Back home to play football?” She said as you nodded attentively. “With tia Ingrid?” You said as you tried your best to remember. “Si, you are so cleaver lillevenn!” Caroline confirmed as she kept going. “And you remember how you had those really big feelings when I left? And I promised I would bring you something back?” Your eyes widened. Caroline had grown to be mami’s best friend, nobody would’ve ever guess that combo. You loved Caroline, and she loved you (and Mami) like her own. “Yes, I remember tia! I do, i do remember” you squealed as you jumped up and down with excitement. Your little blinker sneakers blinking rhythmically. “I got you this” she said a she pulled out a wrapped gift from behind her back. It had princesses on the wrapping, and it was pink. You two favourite things! “Wow! It’s prettiest tia! I hang up in my room!” You said as you bounced up and down with the gift not realising that the wrapper wasn’t the gift. “Mi Sol, you need to look inside the gift” Jenni said as she laughed and shared a look with Caroline. Your eyes widened, “there’s more?” You said as you carefully unwrapped the gift trying your best not to break the paper. As you opened up the paper, you saw it infront of you. A big polar bear and three reindeers. You had seen nothing like it and your tiny jaw dropped in shock. The bear was soft and cuddly, you immediately gave it a big hug as you kissed it nose. You picked up the reindeer set with two big reindeer and one tiny baby reindeer. You studied it closely from the packing. “You have horses in Noway?” You said as you had the box close to your eyes. Caroline giggled “no, no, lillevenn. It’s reindeers! It’s not horses. You can only find them far north.” She said as you nodded. You were like a sponge always sucking up any knowledge that people would present to you. “Reindeers? WOA-Like in ELSA AND ANNA??” You said as you looked over at Caroline and threw yourself at her. “Thank you mamma, you are the bestest! Almost as bestest as mami! I love reindeer and polar bear!” You said as you didn’t realise what you had said. Caroline looked at Jenni, and Jenni looked at Caroline both blushing. “Alright, let’s go to the warderobe, si?” Mami said as she stood up. You grabbed mami’s hand and Caroline’s hand as you walked in together.

“Look! Look! Ingri! I have white bear and reindeer!” You said as you rushed over to greet her at her cubby. She put you on her lap and nodded. “Wow, aren’t you a lucky girl solstråle!» She said as her eyes looked attentively at the polar bear and reindeers you had showed in her face. “Alright, princesa, do you wanna wear your sneakers or your cleats today?” Mami said as she held your bright tiny pink cleats up. You loved wearing cleats. You felt like Mami. “Cleats! Cleats!” You squealed as you rushed over with your new toys and your tiny pink backpack with pencils, a book to draw in, a book and your plastic animals. Mami always made sure to make you feel comfortable. She had given you a lot of jerseys. Probably more than 6. You couldn’t count so you weren’t sure, but you had a lot. Today you were wearing your pink jersey with your white shorts. The name Hermoso on the back. Jenni had changed your name as soon as she was allowed to, not wanting your tummy mom to have anything to do with you. Mami helped you put your cleats on as she held out your tiny team Norway Nike jacket that Caroline had gifted you when she went to play Finland. She had your blonde hair up in a bun and you smelled like sunscreen. You ran out on the pitch finding the spot where you would always be when the practice was taking place. It was a big blanket set up by the team’s assistant with water, apples and crackers so that you wouldn’t get cold or dirty. You sat down with a pop and took out your new reindeers from their packaging. “This is mami” you mumbled as you took the reindeer out of the packaging. “This is me” you repeated as you pulled the little reindeer out. You grabbed the last reindeer and looked at it for a while. Who was the last reindeer? Tia? Or Abuela? “This is tia” you said as you looked at Caroline and smiled. Caroline waved at you making you giggle. You sat there and played with the reindeers making them walk all over the blanket while you were talking to yourself. You loved when mami had practice.

The coach’s whistle was loud and you held your hands infront of your ears while it rang marking the end of the workout session. You quickly put your reindeers in your backpack at the speed of lighting according to you. You hopped up and grabbed the cuddly polar bear. “Mami!” You said as you got up and your feet started running. Your backpack in your hand and your jacket with Graham written on your back bouncing with you. «Mi sol, Lets get lunch!” Jenni said as she picked you up. Mami was all sticky and smelly, but you didn’t care. You just loved Mami.

As you sat on a chair next to Mami, you looked around you. Mami was talking to Caroline, Ingrid, Mapi and Lucy. You thought Mapi was a little bit scary, but she would let you color on her tattoos so you decided to keep it to yourself. You slurped up spaghetti and the red sauce. It was your favourite and the abuelas at the canteen would always make you an extra special lunch while the adults had salads and fish. As you were trying to slurp up a spaghetti, it slipped and fell onto your face. “Oh lillevenn” Caroline said as you looked at her in shock. She quickly grabbed her napkin and carefully wiped it off your face. “Gracias tia» you said as you decided you were finished eating. «I go play?» you asked as you looked hopefully at mami. She nodded and pushed your chair out so you could climb down. You grabbed your reindeers and sat down in the corner that the abuelas in the canteen had made for you with pillows and blankets. The pillows were soft and you suddenly felt tired, it was normal as it was your expected naptime. Your laid down and closed your eyes as you jawned, blinking slower and slower until you fell asleep. Drifting away into dreams about polarbears, reindeers, mami, tia, snow and this weird place called Noway.

“Ai no, go away! You don’t get to see her!” Your dreams were interrupted by the sound of your mami’s voice ringing through the hallways. You thought you were dreaming because Mami never yelled. She never raised her voice. “Jenni, pot favor, you can’t decided that! I’m also her moth-“ an unfamiliar voice pleaded back. “You don’t get to call yourself that, not after leaving us for three years. Get the fuck out of my sight before I kill you!” You sat yourself up and rubbed your eyes trying to feel more awake as you yawned. “Hola lillevenn, Come here! Let’s go on an adventure!” Some familiar said from behind you. You turned your head and as soon as you saw the person, she picked up up with one hand while grabbing your backpack and reindeers with her other. It was Caroline. You trusted Caroline. She was kind, pretty and funny. She also made mami smile and laugh, so that meant that she was a good person. She held you close, your face meeting her chest as she jogged with you in the opposite direction of mami. It had you confused, but you didn’t think much of it. Caroline had a hand underneath your butt and one hand on your back leaning you towards her. It was funny, Caroline’s jogging made you bounce making your laugh. After some running, you slipped into an unfamiliar room with a bench and the room smelled minty. Caroline shut the door and locked it while she moved towards the bench. “How about we read a book jenta mi?» she mumbled as she rumbled through your pink backpack. The book she pulled out was about two mom families. You loved it, you had gotten it from Ingrid and Mapi after you had asked if they were gonna get married. “Si, si, please! Read book Caro” you said as you popped yourself down on Caroline’s lap. She started reading while stroking your hair attentively. “There once was a girl named Clara, who loved a girl named Mia very much..”

Just when your book was finished, Mami came into the room. “Gracias, Caroline. So much. We are gonna head home now peanut” she said as she looked serious. You pouted because you wanted to be with Caroline. “Mami, i wanna be with Caroline? Can she come home?” You asked up and stomped one of your little feet. “Princesa, she has to go back to training” Mami said as she attempted to pick you up but you slipped out of her reach and hid behind Caroline’s legs. The tall brunette putting a hand on your head and picking you up. “It’s fine Jen, I’ll come with you. They’ll understand” she says as she kisses the top of your head. You all walk towards the exit, but not your usual exit. This exit is weird, and narrow. It’s not bright and full of players on the walls. It’s grey and the door has a green beam. Your thoughts cannot seem to understand why you have to leave through this exit. This exit dosent have the nice canteen abuelas waving at you. You don’t get to say goodbye to Ingrid. Walking out of this door is different. This different isn’t a good different. And you don’t understand why it has to be different.

#woso imagine #caroline graham hansen #jenni hermoso #caroline graham hansen imagine #jenni hermoso imagine #woso x reader

[pandorasprongs]

JAMIE TARTT | i'd be better armed if you agreed to take it.

PAIRING: jamie tartt x fem!reader

WORD COUNT: 5.0k

SUMMARY: higgins' new assistant happens to be an old friend of the reader's, and their reunion hits jamie with major feelings of jealousy. when the team thinks that the pair of them are going on a date soon, jamie decides enough is enough.

WARNINGS: language

A/N: i actually like this story a lot better especially the dialogue! + jealous!jamie was really fun to write HAHAHA i hope that all of you enjoy this and title is from the song '(you) on my arm' by leith ross :) also i apologize in advance i'm not the best at writing kissing scenes

You loved your job, truly. This was the first time you've had a decent, no, fucking amazing boss that didn't make you want to pull your hair out every time they called you into the office. 

But being Rebecca's assistant also meant that you sometimes had to help Higgins out with... well, whatever the Director of Football Operations does. It was fine in the beginning, just scheduling appointments and keeping track of ticket sales, but once Richmond got promoted, it felt like your work doubled.

It only took two weeks before you begged Rebecca to get Higgins an assistant of his own. Luckily, she obliged and asked Higgins to start interviewing possible candidates for the job. 

You hoped that whatever extra load you got due to Higgins occupying himself with selecting an assistant would be worth it from how much would be lifted off you when he did. So when you got the message from Rebecca to help delegate your duties to the new assistant, you practically ran to the clubhouse that morning.

You were too excited messaging your boss that you'd be there soon that you ended up bumping into someone near the entrance.

"Shit!" You exclaim as you almost lose your balance, but are steadied by the other person who turned out to be Jamie.

"Ay, watch where you're going, yeah?" Jamie warned casually, as he let go of your arms once you recovered.

"Sorry, Jamie." You straighten up and walk in with him. "I'm just really excited. Higgins finally picked an assistant and they're here today."

"Oh yeah, you were fucking drowning in work a few weeks ago." And by drowning, he meant it literally. The football player recalled seeing you walking past the locker room carrying a stack of papers taller than you were. You refused any help from the team, partly because they had to get to training and mainly because you didn't want them to see how the tear stains on some of the pages.

"Yeah," you chuckle at the memory. "But, after a few days of helping the new kid out, I'll finally be free." You stretch your arms up in the air and cheer. You were too busy celebrating to notice how soft Jamie's expression had become. 

He loved seeing you act yourself around him, a big jump from when you used to glare at him around the office. He had denied it for a while, but Jamie started to like you around the time he'd gotten back from Man City. 

You knew him before then, when he was a massive prick who stepped over — even literally at times, — his teammates. But after he returned, you felt bad for the guy for how the rest of the team was treating him, no matter if he deserved it. Ted had told you about what they talked about when Jamie approached him about joining the team again, and a part of you felt like he needed at least some kind of welcoming presence in the building. 

You started greeting him more often when you ran into each other in the halls and sometimes offered him the candies you keep in your desk drawer whenever he passed your desk, just small things. Jamie would usually just end up hanging out with you during his breaks because he didn’t have anyone else to spend it with. The first few times, he would just sit there in silence while you worked, but one “How’s your day going?” from you, and he was more than willing to chat.

Then, of course, he gradually regained the team’s trust and started hanging out with them, but even then, your little interactions with him didn't stop. He'd invite you whenever the team had a get-together and would sometimes drop bags of candies at your desk to "re-stock" your drawer. You just thought it was his way of returning your kindness. But what you didn't realize was that the star football player was starting to fall for you. 

Jamie tried to ignore it, saying to himself that he just felt indebted to you, but then it started to manifest in different ways. How he would try and come up with reasons to approach you the next day, how he'd get distracted whenever you had to visit the pitch during practice, and how your awkward habits became something he looked forward to. It's been a while since he felt like this about anyone and was more anxious about rejection than he's felt about any of his games, so he didn't make any obvious pass at you.

So now, as you asked the receptionist where the Director of Football Operations was, Jamie decided to wait for you to spend as much time with you as possible. 

You notice Jamie staying back and relayed the information to him. "Higgins is introducing them to the team, so I guess I'll be going with you to the locker room." You nudge him with your shoulder as you continue to walk through the building. You've always tried your best to ask casual with Jamie, possibly in an effort to make yourself feel normal around him and not constantly blushing every time he looked at you.

As you approach the room, you hear Higgins explaining what the new assistant would be doing for the players. "So if ever you need help with anything I've listed, you can go to Anthony Perez here, instead."

Anthony Perez. No fucking way. You and Jamie enter the locker room and are instantly greeted by the sight of an old friend.

"Anthony, you fucking bastard!" You scream enthusiastically, causing everyone in the room to turn to you, including Anthony. It takes him a second before registering who you were. The moment he does, he raises his arms and you practically leap into him for a hug.

"Oh my god!" Anthony exclaims, as he lets go of you and puts you down.

"I didn't know you were the new assistant!" You lightly smack his arm.

"I didn't know you even worked here!" He defends himself as the two of you turn to find the entire team's eyes on you, including Jamie's.

"Shit, sorry," You laugh as you make some distance between you and Anthony. "Didn't mean to make our reunion so dramatic."

"I assume you two know each other?" Higgins asks and you both nod.

"Anthony and I went to school together," You quickly explain. "From sixth form to uni. Of course, I haven't heard from him in two years." You jokingly glare, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Sorry, I got busy, okay?" He whispers an apology before you both chuckle again.

"Well, I hope your friendship will make it easier to help him get accustomed to the job." You smile at Higgins before the three of you excuse yourself to let the players get ready for training. 

You're so engrossed in catching up with Anthony that you didn't even notice the look Jamie was giving him. 

"They seem close!" Dani innocently says as he puts his shoes on.

"You don't think something is going on with them, do you?" Colin chimes in.

"Well, she's never even mentioned him before, so I doubt it," Sam argues, but Isaac shakes his head. "Nah bruv, that hug was way too intimate for just friends."

"I've seen her hug Keeley and Rebecca like that, too. That might just be how she greets her friends." Jan offers and the team continues to debate it, but at that point, Jamie has had enough. It was already shit having to watch that interaction, but having your teammates talk about it as you pretend not to care? It could not get any worse.

Jamie pulls out a can of body spray from his locker and slams it closed, before turning to everyone. "Can everyone just stop talking about it and get ready?" 

The room goes quiet, as the football player turns around and starts getting changed. The rest of the team exchange looks, before getting ready themselves. Most of them had a hunch that something was going on between the two of you but didn't have any proof, until now. They just hoped they were wrong about you and Anthony, in an attempt to stop Mt. Jamie from erupting.

——

For most players, if something happened right before training that put them in a sour mood, it would mess up their performance on the pitch. Of course, Jamie wasn't like most players. He might be playing even better during that training period. The coaches didn't even have to give him the signal; he was already in 'prick' mode. 

Maybe it was the appearance of Anthony or the fact that you had never been that excited to see him even though he thought you guys were becoming close, but he was playing aggressively and was much more focused than he needed to be for a practice game. The coaches started to take notice after he viciously tackled one of the second teams. 

"Whistle!" Roy shouts, pausing their game. Ted takes a step forward and shouts, "Hey Jamie! Love the passion, but those are still your teammates. Ya'll have a game next week, so better save that attitude for the real one."

"Okay, coach!" Jamie replies through gritted teeth. He takes a deep breath as they continue to play, trying to calm himself down. Ted was right; there was no point in taking out his anger here. Not when the source of said anger was just inside the building.

Once the morning session was over and they were off for lunch, Jamie headed over to Rebecca's office, expecting to see you waiting at the desk outside like you usually were, but instead, he almost runs into the owner of the football club.

"Jamie!" Rebecca exclaims, backing away from the football player to avoid a collision. "What brings you here?" He only needed to glance at the empty table for her to know what was going on. "Oh, well, if you're looking for her, better head to Mr. Higgins' office. She's helping his new assistant get used to the system." 

This causes the player's jaw to clench. Jamie mutters a quick thanks before heading to the Director of Football Operations' office, where he found you hunched over a chair and directing something on the laptop to Anthony.

You had spent the first hour of the day basically catching up with Anthony about what you've been doing the past few years. Once you ran out of stories though, you were forced to actually start teaching him what to do.

You started with the simple things like how to organize the emails, fixing the schedule, and what information to take note of, so you could ask your bosses' about it. Anthony's a quick learner, so you guys were making good progress. Once he practically mastered the routine, the two of you went to the clubhouse cafe to get some early lunch. Most of the food there was pre-packed and they’d usually just microwave it, but over the years, you've developed a fondness for them. You bring back the food to Higgins' office and continue to work on it till you hear someone clearing their throat.

You perk up when you realize who it came from. "Jamie! Hi, what're you doing here?"

Jamie's eyes bounce between the two of you, before settling on your own. "Well, I checked your desk but you weren't there, and Rebecca said you'd probably be here, so I went over here. And now I'm wondering if you wanted to get lunch?"

You move to say yes, but quickly back out when you remember the wrappers on the desk. "Oh, sorry Jamie, Anthony and I just ate something from the cafe cause we wanted to spend the lunchtime working on some emails. Maybe another time?" You try and hide the disappointment in your voice by giving Jamie a small smile.

Jamie's expression falters, but he quickly bounces back. "Sure, no problem. Bye," The football player waves at you — and just you, — before heading back downstairs. He shouldn't be acting like this. Feeling this dejected someone saying she can't have lunch with him?

You weren't fairing that well, either. Your shoulders slump once he disappears from view, then you turn back to Anthony who seems to be holding back a laugh. "What's with you?"

"Nothing, just amused at how even two years later, you still don't know how to talk to the guys you like."

You scoff at his response and hit his shoulder. "What do you mean? I do not like Jamie." You protest, which only causes Anthony to roll his eyes.

"Oh please, it's like you transformed back to a seventeen-year-old the way you got excited when he asked you to get lunch with him." You shake your head, but he continues. "It's clear as day that you have a crush on him."

“That word makes us sound like we're seventeen again," You retort, before redirecting the topic back to the task at hand.

But you knew he was right. Even back in the early days of working here, you couldn't deny that you found Jamie attractive. Anyone with eyes could see it, but he was dating Keeley and was a massive prick, so nothing ever came about from it.

Then, he started spending more time with you, checking up on you and stopping you in the halls just to chat. You realized that he was actually pretty sweet when he was off the pitch and you started to realize that you wanted to spend time with him, not just out of pity like before. Plus, you don't think he's seen anyone in a while, so there really was no reason for you to deny your feelings any longer.

Except, of course, the fear of getting rejected by him and ruining the steady and comfortable relationship you currently have. Which is a good reason, you think. You shake your head and try and continue your work in peace.

After spending your lunch writing up reports, it only took another hour to finish up both your and Anthony's duties, so the two of you update Higgins on your progress and ask if you could observe practice for a bit. He scans through your work, before happily letting the two of you go. The moment you get to the pitch, your eyes instantly look for Jamie who is doing pretty well, to no one's surprise. You join the coaches where they’re standing.

Anthony was already a big football fan, so he was able to recognize almost all of the players on the pitch. In fact, he was even saying things that you weren't aware of, despite your three years of working for the owner of a football club. He bends down to whisper a joke in your ear, but the amusement never hits because soon after, you hear O'Brien groaning in pain. You both look up to see Jamie already helping the goalkeeper up after kicking the ball right into his stomach. 

"Whistle! Tartt, stop fucking injuring your teammates!" Roy shouts, to which Jamie quickly apologizes. The practice game continues, but not without you leaning to ask Beard something.

"Coach, is Jamie okay? He seemed fine when I was with him earlier," You turn your head, as Beard continues to watch the practice.

"He's been playing like that all day. Something must've pissed him off." You open your mouth to say something, but Beard reads your mind. "No, we did not give him the signal." You nod before turning back to the game.

You meet Jamie's eyes as he runs across the pitch, and you take the opportunity to give him a smile and a thumbs up, hoping it encourages him somehow. He only nods his head in acknowledgment before continuing, but you can tell in the next few plays that he seems to be calming down. After a while, you and Anthony decide to head back to the office after Rebecca asks you to send some emails on her behalf.

Jamie watched the two of you head back to the building and tried to ignore that growing feeling when Anthony leaned down and rested his arm on your shoulders. He tries and shakes himself right before continuing the game, ignoring all the possibilities of why he’d do that.

The real reason was that Anthony had decided to tease you, whispering close, "Somebody likes you," in a sing-songy voice. "And his name is Jamie Tartt doo-doo-do-doo—"

That exact remark makes you jab his side. "Shut the fuck up, Anthony. He does not." Anthony lets it go as the two of you reach your desk and he leaves you to do your work, though you can't help but feel warm inside at the thought of it being true.

—

Once he gets changed after training, Jamie practically ran upstairs to find you. Usually, he'd offer to drive you home and before Anthony, you'd be too tired to be polite and say no. He stopped himself from sending a message to you once he realized that you had already left. Maybe she's with Anthony, but Jamie shakes his head because fuck that. Jamie Tartt does not get hung over a girl. At least, the old him didn't.

New Jamie had been starting to hope that you stayed in the office longer just so he could see you again, even if you would be busy doing work. He sighs as he decides to leave the building when someone jumps in front to scare him. "Boo!"

"Jesus fucking Christ," he exclaims and steps back before seeing you losing your mind over his reaction. "What'd you do that for?"

"I'm sorry," You apologize in between your laughing fits. "I didn't realize how easily startled you were." After a few more seconds, you finally straighten up and lift two plastic bags.

Jamie gives you a confused look, before you explain, "When we went to watch training, Coach Beard said you've been playing like that the whole day which can only mean one thing; you're in a shit mood. And you don't have to tell me why, but,"

You hand him one of the bags and one whiff tells Jamie it's from that Indian restaurant he loves. "I thought some dinner would cheer you up," Jamie gives you a genuine smile, one you got used to seeing but always love when it shows up. “Because there’s nothing rich people love more than free food.” You add, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Plus, I wanted to make up for not having lunch with you, and celebrate the fact that I now actually have the time to do this again." You continue as the two of you walk over to Jamie's car.

You get in the passenger seat as Jamie turns the car on. The two of you have shared dinner there multiple times before, so you practically had a system for it, and Jamie always "pays you back" by giving you a ride home. You open all the dishes and Jamie quickly starts to devour it.

The two of you enjoy the dinner in silence, — except for the occasional "Pass the pita," or something of the sort — till Jamie decides to ask the burning question that’s been on his mind. "So, how did you and Anthony get so close?" It was an innocent question, but one whose answer could either ease Jamie's thoughts or amplify them ten-fold.

You look up at him, mid-bite, and quickly swallow the food, before replying, "Well, you already know we went to school together, but we were actually seated next to each other for a whole semester, so naturally we became close since we saw each other every day."

Jamie starts to clean up the empty containers but signals you to continue. "To be honest, I kinda liked him back then." Oblivious to how tense Jamie just got, you laugh. "But the crush didn't last long honestly, cause I realized that he wasn't really my type." 

Jamie takes the opportunity. "What is your type, then?"

"Oh, hot footballers, naturally." You decide to give a somewhat honest answer, but cloak it in a layer of sarcasm to hopefully throw Jamie off. "Like Richard," You try and convince Jamie with your tone, but you can barely hold in your laughter afterward.

"Oh fuck off," Jamie rolls his eyes, causing you to laugh even harder. "I'm telling him that tomorrow."

"Jamie Tartt, you fucking wouldn't!" You spend the rest of the ride to your flat trying to get him to promise to say nothing, which ends with a pinky promise to secrecy.

—

The next few days are a mix of hanging out with Anthony, eating meals with Jamie, and finishing up work so you can spend the rest of the day chilling at your desk. You almost forgot what it felt like to have free time and actually relax during work breaks.

You arrive at the clubhouse and immediately head to the Coach's office as per Rebecca's instructions to deliver some documents for the season. There, you meet up with Anthony who also had to bring something to Ted.

When you realize the coach hasn't arrived yet, you decide to wait outside the locker room. Anthony turns to you. "Hey, I forgot to tell you yesterday, but Mina's visiting!" Mina was Anthony's girlfriend and also your former classmate, who once again, you haven't seen in two years. You perk up and ask when you’d get the chance to see her.

Anthony pulls out his phone before responding, "I can make a reservation for us somewhere at, 7 pm?" You quickly scan your mental to-do list and once you realize your schedule is free, you nod.

"Yeah, that works! We'll both be done with work, anyway." 

The two of you are busy planning out your meeting with Mina that you don't notice Isaac and Colin eavesdropping as they make their way to the locker room. From the snippet that they heard, it sounded like the two of you were planning a night out, confirming their suspicions that there was something going on between the two of you.

They share this with Sam, who tries to reason with them. "Friends can go out to dinner without it meaning anything!"

But as they continue discussing it, the more it becomes harder to deny. I mean, the two of you were always together and not to mention, your shared history. They try and hide this from Jamie, — partly to save themselves from the football player's wrath during training, — but once the morning session was over, they crowd him and quickly explain the situation.

At this moment, Jamie didn't even protest their assumption of his feelings — he had accepted that he wasn’t the best at hiding it from them, — and simply stayed silent, which was incredibly worrying. They decide to leave him be and walk back to their lockers, trying to figure out a game plan. They thought you and Jamie would be great together and a guy from your past was not going to stand in the way of their teammate finding someone, not if they have anything to do with it.

Soon after, Anthony enters the locker room and calls out to Sam. The pair walk away to talk and Anthony starts, "Do you happen to have an open table at Ola's tonight? I'm planning to take someone special there and I know how great the food is."

"Well," Sam considers saying that they're fully booked — which big chance, they are, — and there's nothing he could do, but his guilt at even the thought of lying takes over. "Sure, don't worry." Anthony smiles and thanked the player before heading out, but not before promising that he'd send him the proper details later.

Sam heads back to his two teammates and explains what happened, to which Isaac suggests booking the whole restaurant for the team, crashing their date, and making sure they have no alone time together. Colin adds that they can possibly put something in Anthony's food to force him to go home earlier, which Sam quickly shuts down. They turn to Jamie to get his input, only to find an empty bench instead.

Said teammate was already making his way to your desk to talk. Maybe it was the adrenaline from practice or the fact that he drank three cups of coffee this morning after Roy's training session, but he wasn't going to let you go on that date without saying something.

Jamie makes it up the stairs and finds you typing away at your computer. You meet his eyes for a second, before warning, "Hold on, I'm just finishing this email."

The football player decidedly ignores that statement and exclaims, "Don't go on that date." That gets you to save the email as a draft and look up from your screen. Jamie walks closer to you and you stand up, and steer him to a remote corner. If this was what you thought it was, you’d rather not have the entire office witness it go down.

"I'm sorry, what?" You try and clarify.

"Look, some of the boys told me that you and Anthony are going out tonight and I," Jamie takes a breath, "I couldn't let you go through with it. At least, without admitting that I like you. I have liked you for a while now. I didn’t realize that someone could be so sweet and funny and attractive. It’s fucking insane actually, which is why if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been trying to spend as much time with you as I can. And I know it’s stupid of me to not have admitted it till it’s too late, but if by chance you feel the same, then please do not go on that date and instead, maybe go on one with me?”

You take a step back. The guy who you've secretly been pining over for how many months at this point is now trying to stop you from going on a "date,” and so the only thing you can do is stare at him. You stay like that for a second before regaining your senses and taking his hand into yours and giving him a small smile. "Jamie…"

If there was any right time to admit your feelings, this would be it. You open your mouth to continue, but hear Anthony call out to you. You peek over the corner and when Anthony spots you, he quickly shouts, "Look who stopped by!" and moves to reveal Mina.

"Oh my god, you're here!" You exclaim, but turn back to Jamie who has stopped in his tracks and is still holding your hand. You quickly excuse yourself, "It's so nice to see you, but could you actually give me a minute?"

The couple gives you a curious look before Jamie peeks his head over the corner and Anthony immediately understands. The two of them go back downstairs, and you assume Anthony uses the time to explain to Mina what’s going on.

You turn back to Jamie, hoping that the moment isn't ruined, and find the football player still looking at you intently. You decide to get on with it. "Jamie, I don't know why the team thought we were going on a date, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The girl you just saw is Anthony's girlfriend, Mina, who we also went to school with." Jamie makes an 'o' with his mouth in realization and you lightly chuckle at his expression.

"She's visiting him for the weekend and we're planning to go out to dinner, the three of us, to catch up. I'm basically going to be a third-wheel all night." At this point, Jamie's expression is a cross of embarrassment and anger, likely directed at his gossiping teammates.

Your mind replays Jamie’s confession earlier. "Jamie, did you mean what you said?" Your voice is practically a whisper, but you just have to be sure. "Like right before we got interrupted?"

Instead of giving you a solid answer, Jamie lets go of your hand and cups your face before connecting your lips. It was a soft and gentle kiss as if the football player was still hesitant, but once you reciprocated it, Jamie's confidence came right back. Fuck, and he had every right to be as cocky as he was. He was an amazing kisser.

You're pressed up against the wall, almost getting lost in it, but you break apart to stop it from escalating further when you feel Jamie's hand travel to your thigh.

"Is that enough of an answer for you?" He asks, resting his forehead against yours as you take hold of his forearms. You simply roll your eyes at how easily Jamie returns to his usual self.

You peak down the corridor and thank the universe that no one passed by during this. The two of you separate and decide to head back downstairs — with Jamie never letting go of your hand, — so you could properly greet Mina.

As you walked, you decide to jokingly question, "Were you really that worried about me going on a date that you had to go all rom-com and tell me not to go?" 

Jamie protests, "Well, it's more of the boys' fault, isn't it? They're the ones who got in my head." He pauses for a second. "And don't act like you never wanted something like that to happen to you."

You jab his side and Jamie pretends to be in pain, before laughing it off and slinging his arm on your shoulders. You wrap your arm around his torso. "Only if it's 'one in a million' Jamie Tartt doing it."

You finally find Anthony and Mina in the locker room, with the former introducing her to the players there as his girlfriend. Jamie enters to find the three culprits, looking guiltily at the couple. Minutes after Jamie left, Sam had gotten a text from Anthony saying that their reservation was for three and explained that you were coming along for a reunion dinner with his girlfriend.

The moment they see the two of you enter the room though, Colin, Isaac, and Sam can't help but share a satisfied look, only to be ruined by the glare Jamie sends their way. You laugh at the exchange and only remove yourself from Jamie to greet Mina. You give her a tight hug, confirming Jan's observation that you did greet most of your friends like that.

You pull Jamie towards you and introduce him to Mina, who shares the same teasing look as Anthony. The couple waves at the team to leave and get lunch together. They invite you to join them which you accept, but not before grabbing and squeezing Jamie's hand as a goodbye. The three of you walk away, discussing nearby cafes and restaurants. You hear some cheering from the locker room and you can't help but laugh at how easily the boys reconcile.

Once there's enough distance between yourself and the room, Anthony leans down. "Guess you finally figured out how to talk to boys."

"Who knew it would be Jamie fucking Tartt that managed to get you out of your shell?" Mina adds and you roll your eyes at the pair. They really were made for each other.

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #ted lasso #jamie tartt fanficition #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tart fic #jamie tartt fluff #ted lasso fanfic #jamie tartt fanfic

[angelltheninth]

I'm not sure if you did this before but can I ask for practice kisses with Genshin men and what kind of excuses they would use?

I haven't done this before actually and I haven't seen many of these outside of canon x canon so I will channel my knowledge of those.

Pairing: Kaeya, Diluc, Itto, Thoma, Childe, Tighnari, Cyno, Baizhu, Zhongli x Fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, developing relationship, crush, lots of kissing, grinding, slightly suggestive, mention of boners, friends to lovers

A/N: I'm curious, is this something people actually do? Cause for me this would be super awkward.

Kaeya loves to talk big game and get super flirty with you, all cocky when he jokingly asks you if you want to kiss but once you say yes some of his confidence dwindles. He doesn't need practice obviously! You do, he's doing this for you benefit, so pucker up and be happy that you have someone as skilled as him to help you out with this, otherwise you'd be hopeless.

Diluc a nervous mess when he asks you to practice kissing with him. Good thing he's got gloves on so you can't tell how sweaty his hands are. Really hesitant at first because he's one, your friend, and two, your boss. Very slow to ease into it and pluck up the courage to deepen the kiss but once he does he's not letting you go any time soon.

Itto doesn't just ask, he kind of barks it out really loudly at you and later on has to be tracked down by you due to running off. He cannot believe he just yelled that. You probably don't wanna kiss him now, he was so uncool. You stop his bad train of thoughts before he can get any worse, and in your mind, he doesn't need to practice a lot, just watch out for his fangs a little more.

Thoma sits next to you, hands in his lap and glancing at you then back into the tea cup. You don't have to do this with him if you don't wanna, he just thought that it would be nice to do with someone he trusts so much. That way when he gets a crush, which is totally not you, he won't look like a fool. And again you don't- oh. Your lips are very soft on his, softer then he expected.

Childe can barely hold back his excitement when you say yes to his request. He's all smug as he pushes you against the nearby wall and slots between your legs but the moment your lips touch he goes soft and gentle, cupping your cheek and turning his head, a little sloppy but still gradually deepening the kiss and please don't mind what's happening between his legs right now.

Tighnari tries to stop his ears from signaling her nervousness but they keep flicking back and forth as you scoot up to him. Both of you are nervous, trying to figure out the best position for your hands and your lips. He can almost feel his heart jumping out of his chest. It gets even worse when he feels your nice, soft lips against his own. As the kiss goes on he bites at your lip, making you yelp. How cute.

Cyno cracks many jokes when he asks you, trying to play of the whole thing as just good fun, for the both of you obviously. Kisses you with a big grin on his face, a very quick kiss at first, then you dive in for another, and another, and another until he gets a little flustered about suggesting it. He doesn't want you to see him like this so he starts kissing you again, trying to make you focused on the kissing.

Baizhu is really embaressed about asking for this. He's really sloppy and inexperienced and hesitant at first. When you push him down and get on top of him his whole body gets warm, there's pressure between his legs that he wants to release but even kissing gets him this flustered it will be a while until he can take the next step. Once he gets the courage... you're not getting out of bed without hickies.

Zhongli doesn't need to practice kissing, he's very experienced with it but you on the other hand... Judging from how you reacted last time you could use a little practice. He can take it slow at first, until you get comfortable with his lips against yours, his body against yours, his hands running over your body and pulling you close to him. With his help you'll be a kissing expert in no time.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #kaeya x reader #diluc x reader #itto x reader #thoma x reader #childe x reader #tighnari x reader #cyno x reader #baizhu x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact fluff #genshin imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin impact x female reader #genshin impact x you #genshin x female reader #genshin x you #x female reader

[watchmegetobsessed]

PUPPY LOVE

A/N: this fic practically wrote itself, it's all fluff and sweetness, perfect for sunday evening!

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

SUMMARY: Harry has been on his well deserved break, but has run out of activities faster than he expected. Killing time he's been going to the same café and park for a walk pretty often, but it might have something to do with the pretty woman with the cute dog he's been seeing on these walks.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

For the past couple of months Harry has been nonstop thinking about what he will do once tour is over and he’ll have free time finally, when he won’t have to be anywhere, no meetings, no work, just him and his freedom.

Of course, he knew he would visit his family. Though he saw his mum and sister when he was performing at Wembley, he wanted to spend some more quality time with them for sure.

He’s been collecting book titles in his phone’s notes for a long time and he planned to devour all of them, enjoying the warm late summer weather.

Meeting friends.

Buying new art for his home.

Cooking.

Doing lots of pilates.

Dinner parties.

Pool days.

He thought of these all while being on the road.

Now he is 7 weeks into his break and he has done all of these. He envisioned it would take a lot longer to cross everything off his imaginary list, but he’s been using his time so efficiently that something he never thought would be possible happened.

He got bored.

It’s another day of his break when he has absolutely no plans. It starts off as usual, very early in the morning. He goes for a run, he picks up breakfast on his way back home, he showers, he eats his breakfast, he busies himself with whatever he came up with randomly, but he runs out of activities before the afternoon starts, so he opts for the only thing he’s been religiously doing.

Going for a walk to get coffee.

With a baseball cap covering his curls and shades hiding his sparkling green eyes he heads out to the same café he has visited a million times since he has moved into his current home. He loves it because it’s secluded, the people that go there always mind their own business and even if he gets recognized, the encounters have been quite respectful and quiet, no one has posted the location so fans are yet to figure out he’s been a regular around here.

He orders his usual and the barista hands the paper cup over to him with a bright smile before he walks out and heads to the small park nearby. The familiarity of this route brings him an odd sense of peace. He feels a bit old when he thinks about how obsessively he sticks to this same track every time he goes for a walk, but it’s not bothering him enough to switch it up yet.

And maybe, just maybe, he is justifying his repetitive itinerary because this is what has made him cross paths with her.

The woman with the Hungarian vizsla puppy.

He would be lying if he said he hasn’t been counting the times he saw her. The first time was way back when he was still touring, but returned home for just a handful of days. She was wandering through the greenery of the park that’s squeezed between the lines of townhouses, the puppy jumping and trotting wildly everywhere, clearly too young to be tamed just yet, but absolutely adorable. Harry fought the urge to run over and ask if he could pet the dog, but changed his mind upon seeing her.

It’s like he developed a high school crush in an instant, he could feel his heart pitter-patter in his chest even just at the thought of talking to her. Usually he didn’t struggle with a bit of flirt, chatting up someone he just met, but for some reason, this felt different.

Now that he’s been back home, as obsessive as it sounds, he has mapped out the times when it’s most likely he’d run into her and he’s been planning his days accordingly.

These past few weeks it seems like the woman has trained the puppy and it’s been getting more and more obedient lately, she’s been letting it roam around freely for some time whenever they are out.

That’s how Harry had the chance to make friends with the dog whose name is Rubik, according to the nametag dangling from around his neck. The woman was on the phone the first time Rubik ran up to him and so he didn’t have the chance to start up a conversation. Instead, made sure to make a good first impression on her four legged friend.

Rubik hasn’t failed to greet Harry every time he sees him since then, but somehow Harry hasn’t had the chance to talk to his owner just yet, but they acknowledge each other in a friendly, but distant way whenever the dog runs up to Harry for his usual scratches.

They smile at each other and she calls out to Rubik who whines, but obeys and returns to her side, sniffling through the grass as if he was searching for treasures.

Today, as Harry walks down the graveled path of the park he spots the duo pretty fast. She is perched up on a bench with a book while Rubik is running around from one tree to the other, rolling around in the grass, having a blast. He spots Harry soon and jolts over to him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he pants from all the running.

“Hey buddy,” Harry greets him as he leans down and pats him on the head. The dog barks at him as an answer and Harry can’t help but laugh.

Glancing up Harry looks at the woman, but she’s too engaged in the book she’s reading to notice him. He’s been wondering if she has recognized him, or she thinks of him as just a friendly stranger from the park.

Rubik seems to be extremely high on energy today, he jumps around Harry, nudging his feet as if he was trying to get him to go somewhere.

“Woah, okay, alright. Did you miss me?” Harry chuckles, walking further along the path as the dog bounces at his feet. Rubik barks and that’s what gets his owner’s attention.

“Rubik! Stop!”

Harry sees her stand from the bench, looking worried that her dog might be causing trouble, but Harry waves at her with a smile.

“It’s fine! He��s just playing!”

She stands there for a moment, watching her dog go crazy around Harry, but when he jumps up at him, almost whipping his coffee out of his hand she decides to put an end to it. And as she is approaching with fast steps, Harry wonders if today will be the day he finally gets to meet her and go beyond than just a friendly nod.

“Rubik, behave! You know not everyone likes it when you jump on them!” she scolds the dog and grabbing his collar she gently tugs him away. The dog seems ashamed just for a split second, then he sees a butterfly and runs after it, forgetting about Harry and his owner.

“I’m sorry, he is still learning what personal boundaries are,” she apologizes profoundly.

“It’s okay, I’m taking it as a sign that he likes me,” Harry chuckles.

“Oh, he surely does,” she agrees with a laugh. “It’s not showing now, but he can be very skeptical about new people, he has this look where he tilts his head to the side and it’s like as if he was arching an eyebrow, I swear!”

“Must be very intimidating,” Harry smiles.

There’s a pause where she is looking at her dog while Harry is looking at her. It’s the first time he is seeing her up this close and she looks even more beautiful. He knows this is his chance. He needs to introduce himself and strike up a conversation so next time they would meet as acquaintances rather than strangers. He is already opening his mouth, the words “I’m Harry, by the way,” are about to roll off his tongue when her phone goes off in her pocket.

“Oh shit, I didn’t realize it was this late,” she hisses as she checks the screen. “Rubik! Come on!”

Harry watches as the dog runs back to her and she puts his leash back on before heading the way Harry came from. A few steps into their way she turns back around for one last time.

“Sorry again! Have a nice day!” She waves in a hurry and they disappear out of Harry’s sight before he could get a word out.

Three days after their almost introduction, a mean storm hits the city. It rains cats and dogs for hours, drenching the streets after the heat they’ve been enduring the past weeks. It’s like a reset Mother Nature sent, washing away the heat of summer even if it’s just for a day. By late afternoon it finally stops, but everything is wet and cold, so people stay sheltered for the rest of the day.

Well, not Harry though.

He couldn’t put some errands off, so once the rain has quieted down a bit he left the house in a hurry before the threatening looking dark clouds could open up again and drench him. Once he got everything done he decided to grab some pastries from the café, so he made one last stop before heading home, hoping he could snatch up some croissants before the place closed.

Just as he is walking over to the entrance from his car he spots a familiar figure running towards him. Rubik barks happily upon seeing Harry and as he gets closer he realizes that the poor dog is soaking wet.

“Hey buddy, did you go swimming?” he chuckles, still scratching his favorite spot. Harry looks up, expecting to see her somewhere close, but he is surprised to see an empty street. “Where did you leave her?” he asks the dog, but he just replies with another bark. Then slowly, he realizes that he is not wet because he went swimming, but because he’s been probably out in the rain, which means he’s been on the streets for hours.

Without her.

“Did you run off?” Harry squats down, one hand scratching behind Rubik’s ear, the other one looking for the tag on his collar to check if there’s any information about his owner. Luckily, as he turns the tag he is met with an address and a phone number. Harry is already reaching for his phone when he decides against calling, he forgets about his plans to get croissants and returns to his car with Rubik by his side. He opens the passenger side for the dog and he climbs in as if he has done it a million times before.

“Well, buddy, she won’t be happy you ran off, but at least I’ll get to talk to her. So I guess thanks for being naughty,” he chuckles, glancing over at the dog as he starts the car. Rubik just barks and Harry translates it as you’re welcome.

He is not surprised to find the address near the park. The white townhouse is about a two minutes ride from the café, so at worst it’s a ten minute walk. Harry parks down in front of the stairs leading up to the front door and lets Rubik out before the two of them climb the stairs. He rings the bell and Rubik barks at the sound, his tail happily waggling as he is excitedly waits for his owner to answer the door.

The lock rattles and a moment later the door flies open, revealing the woman, but her features are soaked with stress at first sight. Her eyes land on Harry first, then the dog next to him and her features soften from relief.

“Oh my God, Rubik! You had me worried to death!” She kneels down and lets the dog jump at her, lick her face and neck as she rubs his sides. “Where did you find him?” she asks, looking up at Harry who feels lucky to be witnessing their reunion.

“Ran into him at the café by the park.”

“Of course that’s where you end up! You little rascal! Now go inside and don’t you dare scare me like this again!” She stands up and pushes the dog inside, Rubik trots down the hallway as if he just got home from his usual walk, disappearing down the corner. “Thank you so much for bringing him back!” The woman holds the door open and gestures for Harry to go inside. He hesitates for a moment, but his feet move before his mind could decide against it. “He was going crazy because of the storm and my brother was over here, he was leaving when it was still like a tropical thunderstorm outside and when he opened the door to run to his car, Rubik just bolted right past him and out into the storm,” she explains, walking down the hallway and Harry follows her, ending up in her kitchen. Rubik is there, nose deep in his bowl full of food, probably hungry after his little solo adventure.

“We ran after him of course, but this dog could probably outrun an Olympic runner, so we lost track of him. I’ve been calling shelters these past hours and I was just about to go out to search for him, but thank God you found him!”

“Well, actually he found me, I guess I was just at the right time and place,” Harry chuckles, watching her start the kettle, already grabbing two cups. “Um, I’m Harry, by the way. The other day I couldn’t introduce myself.”

He holds out a hand and she takes it with a shy smile.

“I know that. I recognized you a while ago, just didn’t think you wanted to be bothered,” she admits. “I’m Y/N.”

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while.”

“Oh!” Her eyebrows arch at his confession and suddenly, the butterflies in Harry’s stomach are going crazy.

“Uh, I-I just think your dog is cute, that’s why and I’ve been seeing you at the park all the time… I mean… yeah.”

Good job, Styles. You fucking creep.

She looks startled by his answer and Harry wishes he thought through his words before talking, because it looks like he is blowing his chances at her pretty fast.

The kettle’s whistling breaks the awkward silence and he quickly turns around, pouring the water into the cups, letting the teabags soak in them.

“So, how can I thank you for returning Rubik to me?” she asks, clearing her throat.

“No need to thank me,” he shrugs.

“But I think I really should. You spared me quite some time, returning him before I hit the streets, screaming his name,” she chuckles, handing one of the cups over to Harry.

“It was pure luck that we ran into each other and I would have never left him wandering off alone.”

Come on, Harry. This is your chance. She might think that you’re a creep, but if you don’t ask her out now, you probably won’t have another chance.

“Still, if there was anything I could do…” she pushes one more time.

“Well, there’s one thing, if you really insist.” He sees her eyes light up.

“Yes! Whatever it is, the answer is yes.”

“I haven’t even said what it is,” he chuckles.

“Doesn’t matter,” she shrugs with a smile. “I owe you, big time.”

“Alright. But I’ll need you to confirm the answer even after hearing the request.”

“Okay,” she nods. Harry swallows, takes a deep breath and then just blurts it out before he could change his mind.

“Will you go on a date with me?”

He feels like he is fourteen again, asking a girl out to the school dance. He probably sounded like that too, but there’s nothing he can do about it, the words are out there. Holding his breath, he waits for her answer, that doesn’t come straight away, which sets some panic in his guts at first.

She puts her cup down and Harry finally catches a smile tugging on her lips.

“You didn’t have to rescue my dog and be the hero of the day to ask me out.”

Harry fears she could hear his heart pounding in his chest as her words sink in.

“Is that a yes?” he asks, just to make sure, but he can’t hold back his growing smirk.

“Of course.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles fluff #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles blurb

[fiendishfables]

hello!! i saw ur blog and i was super excited to see another aroaceee is it alright if you do platonic adam x reader headcanons? he can be reader's friend, sibling, or preferably reader's father figure as long as its platonic, anything u'd like is fine! sorry if my request is kinda weird lol, i just haven't seen a lot of platonic hazbin hotel stuff (especially stuff with adam in it)

a/n: Always good to meet other aroace individuals, indeed. I personally love Adam, he is absolutely my favorite character. I’ve been dying to write for him more and thinking of him as a dad is just my favorite scenario-

warnings: cursing, Adam being Adam, brief mentions of sex, subtle hints at Lute x Adam (if you squint)

words: 944

additional notes: this was one of my first asks I ever got; I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. Enjoy~!

Adam as a Father Figure

Headcanons

First of all, he never expected to actually have a kid of his own, but now here he was

By the time you turned 6, you knew about every single curse word in existence, along with a (disturbingly) decent amount of female anatomy

Lute gets promoted to babysitter

When Adam is off performing with his band or needed in the council/other Heavenly resides, Lute is responsible for keeping track of his child

Even if she lost you (which she has, multiple times) he won't be that worried

You were a kid and as far as Adam knew, kids needed food

Hence how he knew you would find your way back to him eventually

Okay scratch that, maybe he does get a little worried...a lot

Starts to doubt his ability as a parent

Once he even got Sera to send out a search party for you because you had been gone longer than usual

It worried him sick whenever you went exploring, but he was almost a bit prideful that his offspring had managed to inherit his sneaking around capabilities already at such a young age

Lute has had to console her boss many times in response to your random disappearances under her watchfulness

He has legit been facedown on the couch with his head in her lap whilst he bawls his eyes out, blabbering to her about his worries pertaining to you, and then somehow that stems to his hopes and dreams in life (he doesn't wanna talk about it)

Only for you to walk in with food from some random location about 10 minutes later

You'd be on the floor as soon as you enter the domicile because Adam would have jumped on you and then proceeded to hug the very life out of you (all while stealing your bag of food in the process and running off with it)

Calls you a bitch, dumbass, and 'a little shit' for worrying him

Though he would never openly admit he had been worried

He doesn't care if you have a social life, he wants you home safe before 9pm, sharp

── ･ ｡☆*☽*☆ﾟ.──

Teaches you how to play guitar

He claims its because he wants to pass on one of his awesome talents to his only child, but he also really wants you to join him and his band on stage one day or another

You are in the starter stages of learning and are able to accurately get chords down and learn to read sheet music

A tear just may have come to his eye

The first song you two ever perform together is "Hell is Forever"

He did see someone try to give you a rose after your performance and nearly knocked them out

Trust him, he's a sex and relationship positive guy (for the most part) but he also can't help but feel like he wants to protect you at all costs

If you dare to call him over-protective, he will very gladly give you the silent treatment for a good 5 minutes

After that time mark, he will be groveling at your feet and whining about how sorry he is (rare that he actually says 'sorry')

His biggest fear is his own child having it out for him and not wanting anything to do with him

A clingy parent, no doubt

Wants to train you in the ways of becoming an Exorcist Angel

Poor guy is a bit insecure about everything and needs extra reassurance, though he would never ever outwardly ask for it

That's a sign of weakness in his eyes

Not for his child though

You come to him with even the smallest hint of watery eyes and he is already going full dad-mode

Determined to find the fucker who made you upset

Promises to give em' a good ol' kick in the balls (or vag)

Adam won't discriminate, he's just there to beat the ass of whoever hurt his precious baby

He will get in a fist fight with Sera in order to make you happy

Just expect to be the one he then blames when he gets demoted

── ･ ｡☆*☽*☆ﾟ.──

Adam totally took lots of naps before he had a child, so this just makes for the two of you ending up crashing on the couch together and creating a melodic tune out of your in-sync snoring patterns

Anything the two of you can do together without constantly arguing is a miracle, so this is to be cherished

He has definitely given you some very creative nicknames (as he calls himself 'Dickmaster')

Lute has taken many pictures

She wants to make a photo album and give it to Adam one day just to piss him off

But as she knows how much he really cares for you, she does not want to risk him growing apart from you due to something stupid she did for a few momentary laughs

Let's you two have your moments without interrupting

The two of you always fight over food and who gets to pick where you go for the evening, if going anywhere at all

Lute claims that you are making Adam all the more emotional, but no one seems to be complaining

Especially not the High Council

Its nice to have him shut his mouth for once and remotely think about his actions and who they could potentially effect

Adam has something to lose now, and everyone in both Heaven and Hell alike knew it

No demon spawn would ever get to set even a foot near you

You were the first life he felt truly responsible for

He refuses to fuck it up and lose someone else he cares about

He would protect you until the ends of time, whether you liked it or not

#adam #hazbin hotel #hazbin adam #adam x reader #hazbin hotel x you #xreader #adam x you #hazbin hotel adam x reader #hazbin adam x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #lute x reader #hazbin hotel adam #adam hazbin #adam hazbin hotel #adam x lute #lute #platonic #single dad tings #lute is totally an amazing mom #babysitter #y/n is so devious ooga #hell is forever #angels #Heaven #Hell #parental guidance #I love Adam with all my being piss off #headcanon #headcanons #x reader

[mouschiwrites]

FNAF Security Breach - Catching Their Eye (Glamrock Bonnie & Daycare Attendant)

Bonnie

He’s not particularly close to any humans

Of course, he’s always polite and jovial with employees, but he doesn’t really cultivate relationships with them

He basically treats them the same as guests

But one day, he finds himself noticing you

It’s your personality that makes you stand out

Specifically, your sense of humor

The little jokes and quips you crack while interacting with guests brings a smile to his face

He actually ends up borrowing some of your material

From then on he keeps an eye (and an ear) on you

At first he’s just looking for a laugh himself, and maybe some inspiration for jokes

He trains himself to catch your voice over the noise of other guests

He learns to love the sound

After a while he decides to approach you

He tells himself it’s to ask official permission to use your material, but secretly he also wants to meet a fellow silly

“You come here often?”

“Kinda. I mean, I live in the walls, so…”

He lights up, absolutely delighted to engage in some comedic banter

He loses track of time talking to you

He even forgets his surroundings, completely oblivious to the children muttering excitedly as they “casually” walk past him several times

Eventually you have to separate though; you’re both still technically on the clock

It’s you that has to break your little bubble; he’s way too enraptured to do it himself

You walk away, hurrying off to your next task

He’s frozen in time while he watches you go

He’s sad to end the interaction, but at the same time he’s buzzing with joy that it even happened in the first place

Daycare Attendant (Sun)

He tries to remember every face he meets

Unfortunately he meets a lot of faces, and he often gets them mixed up

At first, you’re no exception

He calls you by at least three different names before getting it right

But the way you smile when he finally learns your name…

It sticks with him

Your name doesn’t though; he immediately forgets it again

So he gives you a ((very creative)) name in his head: “smiley”

He doesn’t actually call you that though

He just watches from afar, going “there’s smiley!!” in his head whenever he sees you

He does tend to stare, just because he wants to see if he can catch that smile again

One day you catch him, and you smile and wave

He just about short circuits right there

He leaps into the air, bounding around energetically and laughing victoriously

“Smiley smiled at me!!”

He doesn’t really look where he’s going, and eventually he comes to a stop right in front of you

You can’t hold back your laughter at his over the top reaction

From that moment on he dedicates himself to making you smile more often

Daycare Attendant (Moon)

He’s very good at remembering people; his mind is like an iron cage

But he doesn’t interact with people too often

He usually just waits to overhear someone’s name, or for them to tell it to him

It’s a rare occurrence for him to actually ask for someone’s name

So it’s a bit of an occasion when he approaches you to ask for your name

He was enchanted by your appearance, having caught sight of you from afar

He waited patiently for you to come to him; close enough that he could speak to you

Then he introduces himself, apologizing when you jump

“I didn’t mean to startle you. What’s your name?”

“That’s alright. I’m Y/n.”

He nods slowly

He decides that your name is just as beautiful as your appearance

He’ll continue to watch you, mostly from afar, but sometimes he’ll venture closer

You won’t see him in the darkness, but you might hear him whispering your name

It’s a little habit he’s developed; he’ll whisper your name just to hear the sound of it

It reminds him of you and your beauty

Needless to say, very infatuated with you

You’re like a fine jewel to him, something to be admired, something special in a sea of plain faces and names

Thank you so much for reading!! And thank you to the lovely person who suggested this ;D take care <33

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf sb #fnaf security breach #security breach #fnaf x reader #fnaf sb x reader #sb x reader #glamrock bonnie #glamrock bonnie x reader #daycare attendant #fnaf daycare attendant #daycare attendant x reader

[faeflowerz]

The First Years Crushing on their Upperclassman (PT 1)

I think it'd be cute. Besides, the first years are absolutely adorable and I would die for them. I would. They're honestly my favorite group bc of how well they play off of each other.

Warnings: Characters thirsting for people older than them, Me thirsting for anime boys in general

Characters: Deuce, Ace, Jack

Deuce having a crush on his upperclassmen would be pretty adorable. He's already fidgety around girls so when he's got a crush on someone, it will show. He remembers how it happened. Deuce was running late for homeroom and crashed into you, sending all your stuff scattering to the floor. He's apologizing over and over again as he helped you pick everything up. Then, he bowed and you giggled. Deuce is so serious sometimes and you find it cute. You patted his head, letting your hand linger just a bit as you considered how soft his silky hair is. "It's fine, sweetie."

From there, he's a mess any time he interacts with you. Sweaty, blushy, tongue tied, the works. You'd think it was a romance anime with the way he's acting.

"U-uh, senpai, I w-wanted to ask if...you could tutor me sometime? I mean...well..."

"Senpai! I g-got this from the Mystery Shop! You don't have to accept it if...huh? You will?"

"If...you're not busy...I have a track meet after school...if you'd like to come..."

Yes, our usually bold n brash recovering delinquent is really into you. And you stand there smiling and waiting patiently for him to make it through his sentences. You've started to crush on him too, actually. He's always so passionate and earnest and admittedly, you had been checking him out long before you officially met. It's Deuce that confesses first, but he blurts it out as if he'd explode if he didn't.

Ace is shameless with his crush on Senpai. We expect nothing less from him. His boyish charm is insanely attractive and it carries him for the most part. Light brushes of your arm, winking at you and some other stuff I'm sure he asked his brother for advice on. He's had a gf before so this should be easy, right? Right?

HAH! His senpai is going to make him work for it. You volley back a lot of his flirting, and when you're unexpectedly playing the same game, he's speechless. Your touches linger, you get into his personal space, you talk to him like he's a clumsily little boy. It's all maddening and exciting to him.

"Ace, you know better than to talk to me like that. Did you talk to your lil girlfriend that way too?" You purr softly as you tug lightly on his tie. Now, he's blushing so hard that his heart tattoo nearly matches the rest of his face. Personally, I hc that ADeuce are into older people/attractive to older people respectively. Like I said, their boyish personalities are just too fuckin cute.

Ah, anyways, Ace is speechless and it's you who finally confesses. He's your new pet and training him is the best part of your relationship.

Jack crushes on his upperclassmen and it's literally puppy love. He thinks the way you carry yourself is inspirational. You breeze through the school with your head held high and secretly, Jack thinks youre cooler than Leona. When you brush past him once, he's particularly interested in the way you smell. I think he's into scents. He's gotta be. Anyway, if it's shampoo, cologne or just your natural body, Jack is really really into it. So much so that he knows where you are pretty often. Sometimes he follows you or his tail wags when he's doing something else. Like, literally you turn the corner before he comes into the hallway and his ears are alert and he's sniffing the air. Very low key about it though.

So the period goes fine until you're listening to instructions. Jack's by your side and Vargas is going on and on. You're bored to tears until you feel something twhap twhap twhapping on your butt. You nearly jump out of your skin until you realize that nobody's behind you. Is it a ghost? They like to bother people during gym the most.

He must get closer to you. The scant scent trails aren't enough. When you officially meet, its through a crossover class for PE. You're not abysmal, but having a good buddy for the period would be essential. Before you can assess who you want, Jack is awkwardly standing next to you. "Do you...need a partner?" And when you say yes, you see his eyes light up. Was he...surprised that you agreed?

Until you subtly glance behind you. Jack's tail is hitting you! Its so fucking cute that you stifle a laugh. He heard you and it clicks that he was thumping your ass. Once Vargas shuts up, Jack is trying to find a way to apologize to you but you stopped him. "It's alright, I'm not upset. Besides, it makes me happy to see you excited. You like being around me, don't you?"

"...Yeah...I kind of do..." when you reach out to pat his head, he's surprised and extremely flustered. "H-huh?!"

"You're such a good boy, Jack. I like being around you too." From there, you seal the deal even though he sort of confesses first.

#twisted wonderland #twst #faes drabbles #ace trappola #jack howl #deuce spade #twst x reader #reader insert #ace trappola x reader #jack howl x reader #deuce spade x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #yumejoshi #yumedanshi #writing

[mxtantrights]

Bounded by blood and shadow (24)

azriel x magic!fem!reader

Cassian watches as the young children of the village run around Azriel. It makes him happy to see his brother so celebrated. He knows that all he’s gone through weighs on him heavily every day. Being here, being with you, helps relieve that pressure. All the anger and guilt that comes from his childhood before he came under the care of Rhys’ mother.

“It’s…nice. To see him like this.” Nesta says to him.

Cassian gives her a smile.

They both watch Azriel pick up one of the children and throw him over his shoulder. The shorter ones jumping up trying to reach, the ones on the taller side full on stretching their arms to get the little boy. Azriel laughs at the efforts.

“He deserves it.” Cassian adds.

“He always has.” Morrigan chimes in.

She tracks how the kids are rough housing him, but are being careful about his wings. They must know a lot about him, she thinks. They know about his wings. And they aren’t scared. They see his shadows and they aren’t scared either. One of the little girls is being chased around by a few of them. Morrigan’s face is laden with a smile.

“I was wondering where the three of you went.” 

They all turn around. There’s Amren. She’s standing there in a deep red cloth outfit. It’s hot in Sangri now. It never really reaches cold, even if they are basically an island. Cassian had complained about his leathers making him sweat buckets and ditched them about five minutes into the visit. He was supposed to look formal but he wasn’t about to sweat all over the place.

“We had to see it for ourselves.” Nesta answers.

Amren nods, “Well, we’re about to begin. So if you wouldn’t mind telling the shadow singer to wrap it up.” Cassian catches something in Amren’s tone. A thing he’s never heard from her before. Nerves. She’s nervous to talk to Azriel? That is not a sentence Cassian ever thought he would think. He would never say it out loud either. 

And with that Amren is walking away. Back to the palace. Morrigan and Nesta both cut and run, leaving Cassian to tell his brother. He scoffs at their childishness but he bucks up always. He walks slowly, and tries to come off as non-threatening as he can to the children. Azriel sees him coming and puts the little boy down on his feet.

“It’s good to see you brother.” Azriel says.

Then Azriel brings him into a hug. Cassian has almost always been the one to initiate hugs between them. It’s not like Azriel has never done it, it’s just a rare occurrence that usually only happens when one of them almost dies. Cassian smiles and squeezes his brother tighter. With a few claps on the back the two pull away from each other.

“We’re being requested to come inside.” Cassian says.

Azriel sighs, then he looks at the children, “I have to leave now.” There is a loud chorus of boos and awes from them. They all swarm Azriel to give him a hug. Cassian watches in amazement, it’s a sight he truly can’t believe. And then all the children disperse amongst themselves, some back to their houses and others down the road towards the common areas. 

“This suits you brother.” Cassian confesses. Azriel smiles at that.

-

You dismiss the palace assistants from the office. Really you hired them because it was too much work for yourself, but you also really needed more people with you inside the palace to get rid of the bad memories. When it was you just you, Amren, Azriel and the cooks it was still a bit to quiet for your liking. That’s why you went out of your way to look for any village people who needed a job.

But tonight didn’t really need to go off without a hitch. It was more so an informal homecoming.

The blood benders who left for the night court are back home for a couple of days. To visit family, to take a break from training, and to do whatever they please. And Rhys wanted to visit with the inner circle for diplomatic reasons, so he said. You think he has something else up his sleeve but you don’t want to push it. To show his face to your people and show support. 

You weren’t too fond of having Elaine here, but you’d have to put up with it. At least for a few hours. Then she could go on her way and you yours. 

A knock on the door tells you all you need to know. You told Amren to gather them and send them your way. 

“Come in.” You speak.

The door opens and they come waltzing in. Rhysand and Feyre arm in arm, Then Morrigan, Nesta and Cassian, then Elaine. Last to walk through the door is Azriel. You don’t miss the smile he sends your way as he does. And you can’t help the smile you send him back. He shuts the door and walks over to your side.

It’s in this moment you realize that they don’t know you’re married. Azriel hasn’t told them. And It’s pretty much known in the village so it’s not like it would suddenly be a topic of conversation. You highly doubt if they knew they wouldn’t come barging into this room and asking you about it. Here they are, sweet smiles and waiting for you to talk.

“I’m glad all of you made it here. I hope you’ll enjoy your visit.” You greet them.

“I already am. That ale is really good.” Morrigan answers you.

You smile, “It’s becoming great for out economy. We export to Summer and Day now.” 

“Well, I’ll be having some later.” Cassian adds.

“Seeing as this is a homecoming for the blood benders I sent three trunks of our favorite wines.” Rhysand says.

“That’s thoughtful of you.” You thank him for the gift.

“I hope you didn’t touch any of my wine, boy.” Amren speaks up.

“Don’t worry, we haven’t touched your things since you left.” Feyre answers her.

Amren makes a face at that, but nods nonetheless. 

“And I’m here to propose a new idea to you, empress.” Rhysand speaks again.

“Go on,” you say.

“Since you are graciously lending us your blood benders for the war, I was wondering if you would like some fae.” 

It throws you off. It knocks you off balance completely. You lean back on the desk and cross your arms over your chest. You can tell your eyebrows are furrowing, meeting tightly in the middle, based on the tension there. Fae in sangri? Huh. It’s not like the blood benders were sharpening pitchforks and lighting fires because of Azriel and Amren. But more of them?  Why? “Is there any particular reason why I would want fae?” You ask him.

Rhysand clears his throat and loses the smirk on his mouth. This isn’t going to be good. Whatever the hell is about tumble out of his mouth is going to be the opposite of good, you assume. Feyre’s hand brushes up and down his upper arm. She’s comforting him. What is he about to say?

“Well it would seem that, uh, after relocating to the night court that one of your blood benders has coupled up with a fae.” Rhysand answers.

“So you want to send fae here to encourage interspecies relationships? I never thought you were the type.” You tease.

Rhysand lets out a forceful laugh, “Well I am sorry about that. But I mean, it goes to show that you and Azriel would be welcome to the night court should he ever want to return.” 

The room goes silent. Amren lets out a loud sigh. You look over at Azriel. So that’s what this was really about. You liked having the blood benders return home. You also liked that your diplomatic relationship with Rhysand was becoming more positive. But this right here lets you know that he’s not just thinking of one thing all the time. The fae is used to tactical and political approaches. He wants Azriel back home. What foes it he nigh court without its spy master?

“I’m staying here indefinitely.”  Azriel puts quickly.

“And how are you supposed to work? I’ve given you months but we have to figure this out.” Rhysand replies. 

“I have figured it out. Effective immediately I am no longer the spy master of the night court.” Azriel answers. Your eyes widen and you turn to him. He looks at you, as serious as he gets, and doesn’t break eye contact. He did tell you that he would have to formally make this decision. But you didn’t think it would be today, you didn’t think it would be right now. You thought he might go home, visit with his family, maybe talk out some sort of deal. You were okay with whatever he wanted, it’s just that this seems to sudden. 

“Brother, we can talk about this.” Rhysand says.

You turn back. So does Azriel. You have half a mind to think Elaine would speak up and say that you were taking him away from his family. You look at her. She’s not even looking at you, or anyone really. She’s playing with a bracelet on her arm, gold and with red and orange charms on it. You look back to Rhysand.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I have given every inch of myself in your service, and I don’t need a thank you or a reward for it. But I do not wish to spend my whole life doing that.” Azriel states calmly. Cassian steps forward after that.

“Wait, so are you saying that you’re never coming home?” He asks.

Azriel steps forward to meet his brother face to face. He places his hands on his shoulders. 

“I will still visit the night court. I will still hang out with all of you. But, my place is here.” Azriel says.

“It’s what he wants.” 

At the sound of her voice, everyone including you turns to Elaine. You are surprised to say the least. She looks up from her bracelet at the group. You watch as she carefully looks all of them over, her eyes seemingly teary. You wonder why.

“I thought you of all people would say the opposite.” Amren says.

“Amren.” Morrigan chides.

“She’s right. I was against the two of them for so long,” Elain says and then she looks at you, “I really apologize for that. And for what I said to you that day. I see it now. I understand what it’s like to be called to someone that isn’t part of your world.” 

You nod your head, “Thank you for the apology.” 

Azriel places himself back at your side, a bit closer than last time you notice. 

“We respect your decision, Az.” Feyre says.

No doubt having to speak for all of them because Cassian and Rhysand don’t necessarily agree with it, but will say that they do for the sake of their friendship with Azriel. You slide just the slightest bit closer to Azriel, your arms brushing together. He leans in closer to you too. 

“If you send fae here, you’d have to come and visit them every once in a while.” You say.

“If I send fae here, you would have no use for them.” Rhysand responds.

“I guess that’s why being empress is useful. I could come up with a reason and everyone would go along with it.” You reply.

Rhysand looks at you then, shock on his face for the smallest of moments. You can tell. It disappears as quickly as it came but you saw it. He smiles at you and then bows his head. 

Morrigan claps her hands together, “Well I declare this meeting over, seeing as I have more ale to drink and a very short amount of time.” 

Amren opens the doors and leads the way out of the office. Feyre, Nesta and Morrigan leave first. Elaine right after them with a small look over her shoulder at you. Which leaves you, Azriel, Rhysand and Cassian in the office. 

“I can give you three a moment.” You say, trying to excuse yourself from the two males.

Azriel reaches for your hand with his. He stops you. You turn to face him fully. He looks like he wants to say something but he can’t quite get the words out You knew he wasn’t one to openly talk about his feelings so easily. You don’t want him to regret not telling his brothers how he feels. 

Cassian playfully scoffs, “Can’t keep your hands off of her, can you?”

“My wife—“ Azriel starts.

“Your what?!” Cassian’s booming voice sounds.

“I knew it.” Rhysand smirks.

“You didn’t know shit.” Azriel scolds teasingly.

“Oh, but I did. The blood benders that came to the night court spoke about it on the first night.” Rhysand answers.

You wince, completely forgetting that they could say something. It’s not like you swore them to secrecy.

“So why weren’t we invited to the ceremony? I mean, kind of mean if you ask me. I could have been best man or whatever the humans call it.” Cassian jokes.

You look at Azriel, “Maybe we should just tell them.” “No, no. I like the confusion.” He answers you.

“What’s she talking about?” Rhysand asks.

You nudge Azriel with your elbow, and he groans. You turn to the two other males in the room. 

“When he drank my blood, in front of all of you. That was it. That’s when, technically, we got married.” You answer.

Cassian and Rhysand stand there in shock, confusion and a secret third thing you can’t put your finger on. You watch as they look between you and Azriel, their eyes darting back and forth. The room is silent for a few moments. 

“As soon as we tell Mor, she’ll want to plan a whole wedding for you.” Rhysand states.

“And Feyre would no doubt love to host. Any picks for best man?”

Azriel laughs, “You two are incorrigible.”

Then the two of them look at you. 

Rhysand extends his hand out to you, “Welcome to the family.”

You take his hand and shake it, “Thank you.” When the two of you let go, Cassian cuts in between you and engulfs you in a hug. It catches you by surprise but you return the gesture. He lifts you a bit off the ground which makes you laugh. “Finally, someone else in the family who can kick his ass.” Cassian says.

“Untrue.” Azriel.

#acotar x reader #acotar imagine #acotar fic #azriel imagine #Azriel x reader #azriel fic #blood and shadow

[oleander-nin]

Horrortober Day 4- Savior(Yandere 2012 Leo x Reader)

A/N, not important: This took me a lot longer than it should've. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

-Ollie

CW: wrist breaking/dislocation, chased, kidnapping, slight blood mention

Words: 1973

Summary: Leo was your knight in shining armor. Now he wants to keep you safe forever.

Running. I need to go faster, farther. I can still hear the footsteps behind me, feet stomping and crashing against the concrete as I run. My breaths were short, the air escaping my lungs faster than it was coming in. I could feel my body giving out the farther I pushed, my legs cramping with each step. How far had they chased me now? A mile? Three? I shake my head, not wanting to dwell on it any longer. The boys would be here soon, I already sent out a distress signal.

At least, I hoped they would be here soon.

One of the ninjas jumps at my side, their hand fluttering against my hoodie and trying to grasp it just a second too late. I almost sob in relief when I’m able to pull back and avoid them, my heart pounding in my chest and making my vision swim. I couldn’t keep going for long. I feel like cursing Leo’s name, regretting letting him talk me out of training with April. The moment I get back, I’m going to march up to Splinter myself and demand he teach me ninjitsu.

A throwing star zips by my face and causes my ears to buzz, the sharp metal digging into my cheek as it flies past. I gulp as I try not to think about how I might not be able to make it back at all.

I swerve into the open mouth of an alley, skidding to a stop when I see it’s a dead end. I try to back track, but the Foot quickly surrounds me, their weapons pointed in my direction. Panic builds as I put up my arms in a poor attempt at self defense. I may not know what I was doing, but hell would freeze over before I’m going down without a fight.

I tense as I hear a thud behind me, a robotic glitch echoing through the air. The other soldiers look at eachother, their stances loosening as the AI tries to run a new command. The loud clang of metal crashing against metal sounds and my poor fighting form drops as I turn to face the fight behind me.

I watch in awe as Leo quickly makes a mess of the droids, their electronic guts strewn across the alley. My panic quickly fades, my heart beating rapidly for a different reason as I watch Leo. His movements were precise as he makes quick work of the bots, his eyes a pure white while he fights. The way he moved was mesmerizing, a fluid dance between him and his enemies.

A clothed metal hand wraps firmly over my mouth, the other snaking around my waist. The jolt back from the robot pulling my flush to its chest shocks my system, a muffled scream pulled from my lips. Leo’s head whips toward us, his face slacking in surprise before being pulled taut in anger once more. He shoves his katana through the last bot and throws a knife towards the one holding me, the quiet shing making my skin break out in goosebumps. I let out a shaky breath as the robot dropped to the ground, the knife having passed clear through its head.

“Leo…” I shakily breathe out, dropping to my knees as my adrenaline crashes. His nearly silent footsteps approach me, his katanas sheathed but his eyes are still the unnerving white. He drops in front of me, one knee on the ground while the other is bent.

His hands cup my face and I melt against him, my eyes tearing up slightly. His eyes finally flicker back to the soft blue I know, his face melting down from anger to worry. His thumb wipes the edge of my cut on my cheek, blood smearing across my face. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

I shake my head, still breathing heavily. My lungs were having a hard time catching up. “No, I’m just a bit shaken up is all.”

Leo nods, scooping me into his arms with ease. I struggle slightly, having not expected the sudden movement from the turtle, but quickly settle down. Leo usually lets me ride piggyback on his shell, so I didn’t doubt he could carry me.

“Where’s everyone else?” I question, feeling a bit miffed only Leo showed up to help. I appreciated he did, but knowing it was only him still stung. What if Leo couldn’t have handled it? It’s not like I would’ve been able to help him.

Leo glances down at me, shifting me in his arms as he starts to climb up onto the roof. “I noticed first and left. Didn’t have time to grab the others.”

My eyes narrow at him, my stomach rolling in unease. That didn’t make sense. Leo never left without his team, especially when someone hit the panic button on the shell-phones. I scan his face, looking for one of his tells. Surely he was bluffing, but why? Leo notices my staring, but doesn’t comment, his grip on me growing slightly tighter. I sigh, deciding it wasn’t worth questioning.

“So, I’m definitely getting training now, huh.” I grumble, as if I was upset at the notion. I rub my eyes with the heels of my palms, trying to imagine what it would be like to join in the training. April was doing well, and the boys were obviously masters of the art. Would I ever be able to catch up?

“No.”

I falter for a second, confusion washing over me. “What?”

Leo looks down at me for a moment, my stomach dropping as he jumps from roof to roof. “You don’t need it.”

I huff, not sure whether to be flattered or insulted. “I just got chased by the foot for at least ten minutes and I almost got caught. I’d say that counts for needing it.”

“You have me.” He says simply, not expanding on the notion. I stare at him blankly, completely unimpressed with his words.

“Yeah, of course, because you can totally drop everything to come to my aid.” My tone is dripping with sarcasm, disappointment coursing through my body. Even Splinter wanted to train me at first, until Leo pushed me out to have a talk with his sensei. Splinter got mad at me if I ever mentioned it after that.

“I won’t have to, you won't be attacked again.” Leo says, complete confidence in his tone. He jumps into an alley, the drop making me cling to him for support. As much as I trusted him to hang on, I didn’t want to risk being knocked out of his arms.

“And how exactly will you make sure of that?” I ask, waiting for Leo to put me down so I could make the walk back home. Instead, Leo turns to the sewer cover, shifting me so he could lift up the plate while still hanging on to me. I look down, uncertainty rumbling through my person. I needed to get home.

“Simple,” Leo states calmly, ignoring my struggling as he drops into the sewer and slides down the ladder just enough for us to be covered. The familiar stench burns my nostrils, my eyes watering as I wait for the initial shock to pass. “You’ll be staying with us. If you think about it, it really is the best option for you. Plus, you’ll get to spend more time with me.”

I sputter for a second, a nervous laugh leaving me at his optimistic version of it. I push on his plastron, trying to slip out of his arms while he shuts the cover and jumps the rest of the way down.

“Leo, you’re insane. What about school? My family?” Leo’s eyes flicker with some dark emotion I’ve never seen in him before, my chest tightening as I shrink back. I swallow thickly, uncertain what to do. He still hasn’t let go. 

Leo rolls his neck, his lips pulling into a small frown. I feel his plastron expand as he breathes deeply, his eyes closing for a small second while he continues walking me towards the lair. I look at the entrance, my eyes narrowing. This isn't happening. Obviously, I was either dreaming or this was some big joke. The leader in blue must’ve been roped into this by Mikey. I glance at his face and find his lips still pulled taunt. He wasn’t answering me, clearly upset by my last statement.

I let out a small exhale, my body tensing. I wasn’t even sure it would work, but Leo was still relaxed, his grip strong but loose. If I acted quickly, I could probably get out of his hold, and then I could reach the ladder. Leo and I would laugh because I caught his joke, and then I would go on my merry way back home. Simple. Easy. Possible. Right…?

I lean my head on his shoulder, shifting my hips so I could actually plant my feet on his leg and push off. Leo looks down at me, his eyes softer now and head bowed. He squeezes my arm affectionately, seemingly trying to comfort me. I wait for him to pick his head back up before trying to escape him, not wanting to hurt him in the process. This may be a weird prank, but I still cared for my friend.

He looks back up and I shove hard against his side with my feet, Leo losing his balance for a moment as I tumble out of his arms. I quickly right myself and sprint for the ladder, a small feeling of pride in my chest from successfully knocking him over.

My joy quickly dies when I feel a sudden weight hit my back, us both falling forward. I hit the ground, my arm falling underneath my torso and the wrist folding under. I feel a pop and I scream, the pain radiating through my body and overriding my senses. Leo rolls off of me, worry and anger mixing together in the pools of blue that once made me feel safe. I curl in on myself, holding my wrist close to my chest. Every beat of my heart made it throb, my tears echoing through the tunnels. Leo stands above me, towering over my trembling body. His worry had been overtaken by the anger, a scowl set in his features while he looks down at me.

“You broke my wrist!” I sob out, still leaning over the throbbing limb. I couldn’t move it, my fingers stuck in a limp fist. Leo stays quiet, his hands hovering over me but not touching me.

“You tried to leave.” He argues, not sounding remorseful in the slightest. I continue to wail, dripping tears down my cheeks. His hand presses against my back and I flinch forward as if he burned me, not wanting to let him near me.

“You weren’t letting me go!”

He frowns, wrapping his arms around my waist despite my flailing. I scream as my arm shifts, the wrist bending once more. Leo softly shushes me, situating me back in his arms. He starts to carry me to the lair once more, his grip tighter and pace quicker. It was clear he wasn’t taking any chances with me this time.

“I’ll fix your wrist at the lair. It seems you dislocated it. Donnie should have some painkillers, and Splinter can help pop it back into place.” Leo says softly, his face still pulled into a frown. I don’t respond, my eyes still red with tears as he refuses to let me go. “You’ll be okay. I’m going to keep you safe. That was a mistake, and your own fault. You’re going to be happy here, I promise.”

I let out a wet laugh, a sob quickly following it. I never did take Leo for a liar.

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #leonardo #2012 tmnt #tmnt 2012 #teenage mutant ninja turtles 2012 #2012 leo #2012 tmnt leonardo #yandere tmnt #yandere x you #tmnt reader insert #tmnt 2012 leonardo #2012 leonardo #yandere 2012 tmnt #yandere tmnt 2012 #yandere leo #yandere leonardo #yandere tmnt leo #yandere leo tmnt #yandere x reader #teenage mutant ninja turtles x reader #yandere teenage mutant ninja turtles

[avesque]

THE GREAT WAR I: bruised like violets — tsu’tey

— when accompanying dr. augustine, norm spellman, and jake sully to explore the pandoran forest, you and sully become separated from the group. you barely survive the night before a na’vi woman rescues you.

INCLUDES fem!reader, dreamwalker!reader. mentions of tom’s (jake’s twin) medical history and death + his (purely platonic! brotherly!) relationship with reader, near death experiences. 3.7k words.

NOTE my knuckles were WHAT? 🎤 for the sake of this fic and my sanity, let us pretend time dilation is not a thing because that complicates all sense of logic in this fic’s timeline.

SERIES MASTERLIST | part ii

The familiar darkness of the link unit’s space shrouds you as you open your eyes, mind still reeling despite your countless ventures in your Avatar. Pushing the link’s cover open, you slowly sit up, wiping the sweat lining your forehead.

Dr. Max Patel greets you with a clipboard in hand.

“Grace is waiting for you.”

Your eyebrows jump. “Did she see me and Txur’ii shoot Sari seeds at the other kids again?”

Dr. Patel steps back, gasping, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “You said you’d stop doing that!”

“They started picking on him again!”

Txuri’ii is the Na’vi kid you almost plowed into the first time you tested your Avatar. He’s smaller compared to other Na’vi boys his age; a little thinner than usual too. It’s the reason you didn’t immediately see him that first time. He’s grown to be the source of entertainment for the other Na’vi kids, picking on him and bullying him.

When you learned of this, you dragged the kid and gathered all uncollected Sari seeds you could find. Borrowing two straws from the lab, you then hid behind the bushes as you preyed on Txur’ii’s tormentors.

You showed him as you stuffed the Sari seeds in your mouth and brought the straw to your lips. As the tallest of the bullies turns his back in your direction, you blow a seed through the straw, hitting the kid on his nape.

Txur’ii’s delighted squeak almost gave away your hiding spot.

One time, Dr. Augustine caught you and Txur’ii, and she berated you like a little kid when you got back in the lab.

You jump down the link unit, fixing your rumpled up shirt. You bid Dr. Patel goodbye, squashing down your smile with a finger to your lips and an obnoxious “shh.”

There’s a familiar face in Dr. Augustine’s vicinity. You stop short in your tracks, squinting your eyes as if that will help you understand the situation better.

You glide your palms over the edges of tables as you wade closer to where he’s talking with Dr. Augustine and Spellman in a wheelchair.

Last you heard, he’d been caught in a mugging incident. No one wanted to talk to you about it and the rumors you’ve heard said he was in a coma.

You suppose those were that — rumors, since he’s here, in the flesh, right in front of you. But what the hell happened?

“Tommy?”

You seem to have interrupted Dr. Augustine’s litany. All three of them turn their heads toward you and you get a perfect view of his face. He looks so different; definitely a lot more mature with the scruff. With your eyes trained on Tommy, you don’t see Spellman’s forlorn gaze as the realization dawns upon him.

“It’s — Jake, actually,” Tommy says. He offers a hand to you. “Jake Sully.”

Jake Sully.

Your eyes flit back to the head scientist, noting the way her eyes are quite softer than usual. Her cigarette hangs forgotten between her fingers.

“Another Sully?” you murmur. You recall Tommy mentioning a twin brother back when you were still on Earth but never meeting him in person.

He has exactly the same features as him but he doesn’t have Tommy’s calm and friendly aura. You don’t know if that’s the reason he kind of irks you suddenly or it’s something else.

You prop your hands to your waist, looking around. “Where’s Tommy? Has he recovered?” He hasn’t returned your video calls. Just last week, you tried contacting him again, hoping he’s woken up. All you received was an automated response, which made sense if he was traveling halfway through the solar system in cryo, though you would have preferred if he sent you a little heads up.

Jake Sully’s eyebrows reconnect, quizzically looking at the two scientists before saying, “Tommy’s dead.”

A sigh is caught in your throat. You want to ask him to repeat that but if you once again hear what you thought you just heard, you don’t know how you’ll be able to take it.

“Right.” You clear your throat, swallowing the lump that’s making your eyes burn. “Yeah, of course, I knew that.”

The sarcasm makes the dents in his forehead deeper, tilting his head to the side as he watches you.

“How do you—?”

“I gotta get back,” you suddenly announce, already walking away. You don’t bother sparing them another glance as you walk out of the laboratory, a lone tear trailing down your cheek. You’re quick to put your exopack on, a humorless chuckle escaping your lips at the betrayal choking you the way not even the Pandoran air could.

You’re evasive of the other scientists for the past week. Even in your Avatar form, you avoid any interaction with Dr. Augustine and other Avatar drivers.

Their silence about Tommy’s death makes something ugly curl in your stomach. You haven’t seen him since you were 14. Your stubborn mind refuses to accept what Jake Sully said about Tommy because that is just impossible. If anyone deserves to live the longest life they could on this godforsaken moon, or even back there on Earth, it would have been Tommy.

Tommy, who you basically grew up with. Despite being under the Colonel’s wing, there still wasn’t much to life. It was only then that Tommy started hanging out with you did you come out of your shell.

“Y/N!”

Dr. Patel’s familiar voice cuts through your peace. He jogs over to you, worn clipboard in hand. You don’t think he has ever put that thing down. It looks three seconds away from disintegrating.

“Grace is looking for you.”

You say nothing but follow the scientist back to the lab. Inside, you see Jake Sully, Dr. Augustine, and Spellman huddled together.

Dr. Augustine greets you before gesturing towards Sully. “Marine’s coming with us.”

You raise your eyebrows, making an effort to not look at any of them.

“For the research,” she adds. “Norm’s coming too.”

You say nothing as you move and get ready, settling in your own unit. You see Spellman give Dr. Augustine a withering look and you roll your eyes.

To your left is the other Sully’s link unit. You watch as he methodically hauls himself up the machine, lifting his upper body first before hooking his arms under his knees to position his legs.

As you settle and close your eyes, you wonder how he ended up like that.

Spellman’s excited chatter grates at your ears. Tommy used to be like that. It was what you bonded over in the first place. And usually, you’d be more than happy to be out here with Dr. Augustine but you’ve been off-kilter ever since Jake Sully ceremoniously dropped the news.

The forest of Pandora is still a wonder to you despite residing here for the past six years. Though Dr. Augustine had been here much longer than you have, her stacks of files are endless about the Pandoran flora and fauna. It seems like the moon spits out new species every single day.

You huff as the two scientists crouch over a braid of roots, injecting a needle to see the synapses transmit on the small screen Spellman holds. You turn around and realize Sully is nowhere to be found.

Your company is too preoccupied with their discovery so you leave them be, following the ruffles of footsteps against fallen leaves. Pulling back a giant leaf, it reveals Jake Sully tapping away on a bunch of Helicoradian plants.

You don’t make yourself known, watching from the sidelines as a smile spreads across the man’s face. Sully is more… tolerable, you’d say, in his Avatar form. Though the aura you cannot place is still emanating off him, he also has that air of innocence.

You startle as the walls of Helicoradian vanish from his ministrations and instead reveal a crash of Hammerhead Titanotheres, one of which notices your acquaintance and releases a loud cry. They’re like giant rhinoceros, a spattering of blue and purple with thick armor.

You curse under your breath, stepping forward to get closer to him but still hidden from the animal.

“Don’t shoot!” you bark when you notice him grip his gun, finger on the trigger. “Don’t you dare shoot, Sully! That’s got armor thicker than your skull.”

The Titanotheres rakes its foot on the forest floor before charging, letting out another cry, leaving a flurry of dust in its wake. You’re helpless and frozen on your spot as Jake Sully stands his ground, leveling the giant’s cry with a shout of his own.

This seems to deter the animal, skidding to a stop. You think it whimpers. Sully is as surprised as you.

“You son of a bitch!” he spits. He huffs out a laugh and you grimace at the air of arrogance surrounding him. He spews out some more nonsense as the Titanotheres cowers and scurries away… until you hear something worse than a Titanotheres.

Behind Jake Sully stands a Thanator. Its cry pierces the air, sending shivers down your spine.

“Okay, now, what do I do?” The marine asks, gauging the animal. “What do I do?”

Oh, you’d beg Eywa to bring that Titanotheres back.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” you grit out. “Run!”

Jake Sully runs, abandoning all sense of dignity as he sprints — toward you. The Thanator charges and chases Sully and you have no choice but to run too, unless you want to be a predator’s lunch. You hear a distant, “what the hell is going on?” from Dr. Augustine as you run past her and a wide-eyed Spellman.

In your head, you’re cursing Sully in the darkest pits of hell. You are not fit for running. Your lungs strain as you fight to breathe, legs already aching and you pray to all the gods you know that your ankles will not give out on you this time.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Sully chants. The Thanator growls and you think you can feel it breathing just behind your neck.

“There!” Sully points to an uprooted tree. You don’t question his decision, partly because you don’t have a choice. The two of you burrow under the thick roots, dirt on your hands and knees as you try to crawl further down the shallow hole.

The animal roars, sending a giant claw in your direction. You try not to scream as the roots practically disintegrate on its assault, a shower of wood falling over your heads. Jake Sully tugs on your hand, moving out of your hiding spot and taking off again.

“This is your fault,” you wheeze out, greens and blues flying by your peripheral. “Stupid shit.”

He doesn’t hear you or maybe chooses to ignore you. You don’t care. If you weren’t on the brink of death, you’d kill Jake Sully with your bare hands.

“We gotta jump!” He shouts over his shoulder.

Though there is a giant deadly animal chasing your asses, you skid to a stop, making the marine stumble.

“No.”

He ignores you again, pulling on your wrist hard enough to pop it. The Thanator unleashes another cry, sounding closer than ever.

“We jump on three!”

It’s then you hear the wild splashes of water. You’re running head on on the edge of a cliff. You’re going to die and Jake Sully is the last person you’ll see. It’s enough to make you want to cry.

“One!”

“No!” You try to pull your wrist free from his hold but his grip only tightens.

“Two!”

“I said no!”

“Three!”

“I can’t swim!”

You don’t jump.

Jake Sully does.

But he hasn’t let go of you. His momentum drags you along and you’re free falling to your death first and sinking beneath the waters next. During your fall, Sully’s hold on you disappeared. Your chest tightens in more ways than one.

The panic creeps in and your lungs constrict as you take a deep breath, choking on water and going blind in hysteria. You thrash, mind reeling and trying to open your eyes but between the choking and the drowning and the dying, you can’t find it in you to think.

Something wraps beneath your arms and pulls. You break out of the surface, sputtering and blinking away the water, to find Jake Sully in front of you.

“Hey, hey,” he shakes your arms. Stray strands from his braids are clinging to his face. “Are you okay?”

You hear a faint cry from above, the Thanator peering down at you.

“Can we—?” you cough, eyes stinging and nose burning. “Can we get out of the water first?”

Sully hauls you off the river and into land. You fall to your knees and heave, getting water out of your system. Your clothes are drenched and you assume he lost his gun along the way. There might be no Thanators here but the forest still isn’t safe.

You shudder, running a palm over your face to get rid of the rivulets. It’s no use since your palms are wet.

“This is your fault,” you say again, glaring at the man shaking his arms as if it will dry his clothes faster. Whatever vulnerability you showed when he pulled you out was already gone. “If your stupid little ass didn’t wander off, we won’t be here right now.”

“Hey,” he protests, walking over to where you are, boots leaving behind a damp trail. “I just saved your ass back there.”

“Okay, and?”

Sully blows out a breath. You can see the frustration seeping through his façade.

“Get up, we need to find our way back.”

You roll your eyes but don’t protest, knowing he’s right. He doesn’t bother to help you up as he walks away and you don’t bother calling his name as you stagger behind, sniffling and coughing still.

Trekking the forest is much harder with your clothes sticking to you uncomfortably. You’ve never explored this part so it was much harder to navigate, though Jake Sully doesn’t seem as worried as you are. Your legs are tired and your nose still has not recovered from the water you inhaled. You’d love nothing more than to be back in your human form and actually breathe.

It’s nearing eclipse and the two of you are still deep in the forest. Your clothes have not fully dried but not as damp as before but as night creeps closer, the temperature slowly drops and you shiver every now and then.

“We won’t make it back to camp in time,” you say, pushing back leaves in your way. Sully, ever the gentleman, doesn’t so much as help you jump over rocks, letting you clamber your way up like a soaked baby koala.

“No shit.”

“You are so fucking annoying.”

Sully huffs, turning around to look at you. “So are you.”

You jab a finger in his direction, growing more aggravated each passing second. “Shut the fuck up. If it wasn’t for your sorry, stupid as fuck fucking ass, we won’t be here, okay? We could be back in the lab right now — I could be back in the lab right now and resting on that very stupid and inconvenient bunk but no! I am stuck here with you of all people!”

“Hey—”

“I could have died and it would have been your fault.”

Jake Sully stops and you try to swallow the emotions, try to stop the burning sensation behind your eyelids. You are far more collected than that, far more articulate and definitely far more level-headed if it were a better day but you nearly died. Every breath still hurts your lungs and your body aches in places you never thought it could hurt.

He holds up a hand between you, as if conjuring up some healthy boundaries. You think he looks a little conflicted and it’s a fresh look on him.

“Listen kid.” Oh, you hate that condescending tone. “You and I, we need to work together, alright? If you wanna survive, you follow what I say. You don’t want to? Okay—” he makes a grand gesture of spreading his arm, as if giving you liberty, “—I’ll leave you out here to really die. Your choice.”

You scowl at him, fighting the urge to just reach up and grab at his face and squeeze so hard his eyeballs would pop out. But between the two of you, it’s the marine who knows more about survival skills than you ever could so you comply, grumbling after him in the darkness.

“This better not include more cliff jumping,” you remark, kicking pebbles along the way.

“We need to make a fire,” he announces. You stare at his back, wondering if he hit his head when you jumped off.

“How the fuck are we going to do that?”

“Do you have matches?”

You mutter some more nasty comments as you tap on your clothes, checking the pockets. You find a box of it on a pouch on your chest, pulling it out to find it dripping.

“Well,” you hold it between your fingers, watching as water drips, drips, drips on the dirt, “isn’t that lovely.”

Jake Sully curses, searching his pockets. He stills when a growl comes from behind the bushes, and the sound glues you to your spot. You unconsciously take a step toward him, listening intently as he mutters a silent victory, fishing out a lighter.

“Quick, rip a seam off your shirt.” He’s already plucking dry branches off a plant to his left.

“What?”

“We need to make a fire.”

You tug uselessly on the flap of your shirt. “How is this going to help?”

Sully stares at you with wide eyes, his jaw clenched. “Fucking Christ,” he shoves a branch on your hands and grips your clothes. You gasp as he rips a good portion of your polo, leaving you in tattered cargo and an undershirt. “You won’t survive a day out here.”

You push the stupid branch back on his palms. “I wasn’t made to survive here, I’m a scientist. If I asked you what a Loreyu is, you wouldn’t know a single shit about it too.”

He ignores you. You watch as he ties the fabric on the end of the stick, dipping it on a curved leaf that has collected sap. He hands it to you before doing the same thing to his own piece of clothing and stick.

He flicks the lighter on and brings it to the saturated fabric. It catches fire immediately and you see a lot better now.

Another growl resonates, closer this time. Sully says nothing else as he grabs your wrist, torches in hand, and runs.

It seems all you’re meant to do this day is run and to be frank, you don’t think you have it in you to do so. Your legs give out as you reach a clearing, a pond shimmering in the night. It is a pain to admit but you’re thankful for Sully’s grip on you or else you would have dug your face on the forest floor.

“Shit, kid—”

“I’m alright,” you heave, dragging your feet so you’re kneeling. “I’m alright.”

Your reprieve is short-lived when something pounces behind you. You choke back a scream, ignoring the twitching pain on your ankle and scrambling to stand up. There’s a blur of black dancing in your peripheral and soon, there’s a whole pack of them surrounding you.

Jake Sully snarls, swishing his torch in a wide arc. You do the same, your back glued to his, your heart beating an erratic rhythm in your chest.

“Viperwolves,” you say.

“How do we kill it?”

“I don’t know!” You thrust your weapon forward as another one of them attempts to jump on you. “With a gun?”

“We don’t have a gun,” he grunts.

“As if I don—”

You scream as a Viperwolf pounces on you, sending you skittering away from your partner. Your torch is nowhere in sight and you’re far too panicked to think straight. Its large mouth is right at your face, sharp teeth inches away from your face.

This is it. Six years on this moon and you meet your fate like this. What a gruesome, sad ending. You don’t bother fighting, closing your eyes and flinching as it lets out a snarl before attacking you.

The pain never came.

You think you hear something, hear it whimper and the others scuttle off, but Jake Sully is already dragging you away.

There’s a ringing in your ears and his voice sounds so far away but your eyes are clear. You see him so vividly. Tommy.

“Hey, hey.” He makes a show of snapping his fingers to your left, to your right. “Talk to me, come on.”

It was the same thing he said when you almost drowned in a pool back on Earth. You were eight and stupid, taking a dip unsupervised, feeling like such an adult as you tried to imitate the others who were learning to swim as a part of their Avatar Training Program.

Tommy had found you nearly unconscious, calling and shouting for anyone as he rubbed and slapped at your back, throwing up water.

“Hey,” he had said, wiping away water on your face, “talk to me, come on.”

You had burst into tears right then, clinging to him and never letting go until you fell asleep. For a long time, he had been the only safe place you ever knew and seeing him in Jake Sully in the same situation makes your throat close up.

“M’fine,” you warble. You don’t see the woman who saved you speaking softly as she holds a palm to the Viperwolf that nearly bit your head off.

When you hear faint footsteps retreating, you think Jake Sully has left you out here, but he’s crouched over your form, looking over his shoulder.

He pushes you up despite your protests, shy of dragging you on the dirt by your arms. He’s got a hold on your wrist again, dragging you through the forest again. It is disorienting, all of it. From being chased by a Thanator, jumping off a cliff and nearly drowning, to being attacked by a Viperwolf — paired with your fatigued body, your knees rattle as you blindly follow Sully.

You hear him talking, a string of slurred words. The forest is melting, a spiral of blues and greens, until your vision vignettes and there’s nothing at all.

MORE NOTES when i said this was a slow burn, i wasn’t planning on this slow. but! our boy tsu’tey will finally show up in the next chapter. i’m just happy how we’ve slowly opened reader’s relationships with other characters, and here’s to unraveling them while building up new ones!

TAGLIST @cullenswife @hannibalelijah @neytemsgf @syviiss @katsukiswrld @lovekeeho

#tsu'tey #tsu'tey te rongloa ateyitan #tsu'tey fluff #tsu'tey angst #tsu'tey x reader #avatar #avatar 2009 #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #the way of water #avatar imagines #avatar fanfic #avatar fluff #avatar angst #avatar smut #avatar x reader #jake sully #neytiri #neteyam #lo'ak #ave.scrawls #ave.tsu'tey

[eris-snow]

8. 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭

Tags:bakugou x fem!reader, juxtaposition, detective bakugou, hacker bakugou, fluff in the midst of angst

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. One must grasp it before the tunnel caves in.

January 6 20XX

You have to give Katsuki credit, because the dude was dedicated. Not only that, but he could do things that you found difficult with ease. Such as, well, talking to someone.

"Aizawa-sensei says that the foolscap was outdated from 10 years ago. Apparently, it was the same ones he used when he was in U.A. It spanned a good ten years, so at the very least, they haven't walked off the fuckin' earth and died yet." The ash blond announces, flopping on the ground next to you. It was the first day officially back from winter break, but Katsuki was as unfazed as ever.

Back when people were still being potty-trained, Katsuki was practising hours a day on the piano in between kindergarten and card trading with the guys. That's what made him the best, and half of you was glad to see that part of him was still the same.

Focus, you tell yourself. Now isn't the time to get distracted!

"They could be anywhere in the country. With my luck, anywhere in the world." You counter. "Or maybe the one with my condition has poofed out of existence—"

"Stop it with that," Katsuki knocks his knuckles against your forehead, making you reel back at the contact. "People stop writing for all sorts of reasons. They could have cracked the code, or had a fallout, who knows? Shut up and be optimistic. I can't afford you spiralling."

You make a face at him. "You've changed."

"I'd be an asshole if I didn't." He replies, not missing a beat.

You're still an asshole, you want to point out, but you hold your tongue. He's trying to help you, after all.

"Any idea of what course they were in?" You ask instead. "It'd be easier if it was a hero, high profile is good."

"There's a phone number on the paper—"

"That has been changed and is unavailable." You finish. "It's a dead end."

Katsuki huffs, folding his arms. "It's a lead."

You snort loudly, holding back your laughter. "You've changed a lot—"

"And you're an idiot." He refutes. "You can track a phone even after its number is changed. I can get a hold of the IMEI number—"

"What are the chances of someone keeping a phone for over a decade?" You scoff.

"What other chances do we have of finding these pieces of shit?" Katsuki counters.

Biting the inside of your cheek harshly, you sigh. He has a point.

—

February 20XX

The plan, unfortunately, did not work. Either someone had used the phone beyond repair, or it had already been destroyed.

Brilliant.

Katsuki lets out a growl of frustration. It took him a month to find out how to track this guy. A month. And yet you were no closer to finding these grown-ass men.

It was around that time that you started to bring newspapers of that time to the hall, scourging for any clues relating to that incident.

"If only we just knew what course this guy was in..." You mutter, consuming yourself with the papers.

Katsuki stands by the curtains with an unamused expression, hands full of yearbooks as he watches your eyes scan the papers with an immense amount of focus. He's come to know you for months at this point, and has started taking note of little things about you because the more he looks at you, the more he finds.

Like how you bite your lip whenever you're nervous, bite the inside of your cheek when you're irritated and tuck your hair behind your shoulder when you lie.

Like how terrible your piano playing is but you still continue, like how even though what you've been through is more mentally taxing than anything on the battlefield, you still—

It takes Katsuki a second that he's been staring at you for way longer than normal before he unceremoniously drops all the yearbooks on the ground with a loud thud.

You jump like a startled cat, glaring daggers at him as you scramble to get your newspapers away from him. "What the fuck, Bakugou."

His mouth coils into a pleased smirk. "Jokes on you, I'm going deaf. What was that?"

You groan, and it makes Katsuki's confidence ignite. There we go. This version of you, he can handle.

"What's the yearbooks for?" You ask instead, nearing the dusty stacks of bounded paper before flipping through them.

"I managed to round up the yearbooks from the people who still used this piece of foolscap when they were in school." Bakugou plops down on the ground with you. "It's just ten years. If we can go through every class and see if anyone has photo fucked with—"

"Photo fuck?"

"Has the same photo issues as you."

You raise an eyebrow. "Not one of your best works, Nickname Wonder."

"Whatever. Find someone with consistent photo issues throughout their time in U.A and we might be able to narrow it down."

"..."

"..."

"Seriously, photo fuck—"

"Shut it."

—

"Hey man, where are you going?" Eijiro bounds up to him like he'd shitted rainbows, and as much as he appreciates the ball of sunshine cramped into every cell in his friend, he did not want to deal with him now.

Still, he replied. "Training."

"Sick! I was just thinking of—"

"Not today." Katsuki picks up his duffle, checking the clock. "Meeting the nerd at Ground Beta. All Might wants to try something. Gotta run—"

"You've been real busy lately." Eijiro cuts off, blocking his path. "Look, me and the squad don't want to push, but...don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Katsuki almost snorts. Yeah right. Overworking himself was Izuku's job, not his. A tight schedule didn't mean a messy schedule. He'd planned enough time for sleep, eating, internship, training and hunting down people who may or may not exist.

He was being productive, not stressed.

" 'm not overworking myself," Katsuki mutters, sidestepping his red-haired friend as he walks out of the common rooms.

"Well, I'm here if you wanna talk things out!" Eijiro calls.

Katsuki gives a grunt as a response as he pushes the door open.

It's not like Eijiro would remember anyway.

—

The list of possible victims is done by the end of the week, and Katsuki takes the liberty to go for a slow walk around the school to hunt down his teachers and interrogate them. He'd like to say that he's made a good amount of progress, but Katsuki doesn't lie.

The entire procedure is pretty much a coin flip. He can confidently eliminate one or two, but can't ever be sure for the remaining. Were they just forgotten with time? Did they drop out? What if they went undercover?

A handful were even in the General Course, and getting in touch with those alumni was even more difficult.

"Look," Aizawa stares at him tiredly. He looks like he's on his 5th cup of coffee and that his eyebags can carry weights of lead. "I see you from Monday to Friday non-stop. I wish to be alone on a Saturday morning so I can mark your papers and get them back to you on Monday next week. So for God's sake, get out of my face."

"I'm trying to save someone." Katsuki prevents the door from closing with his foot, staring up at his teacher with raised eyebrows. "And from what I heard, heroes don't get breaks. Let me in, Sensei."

Aizawa squints at Katsuki. He may have lost his leg, and pretty much his quirk, but Katsuki's still sure that Aizawa kicks ass. All Aizawa had to do was say the word, and he'd get booted out.

Wouldn't be the first time.

Even so, his teacher lets him into his lair of unwashed coffee cups and Post-it notes wonderland. Katsuki doesn't bat an eye.

"Doesn't ring a bell." Aizawa shrugs, crossing names off.

"Nothing? Cause this guy was in your class." Katsuki yanks out a yearbook and slams it on the table, flipping to the bookmarked page.

On it, is a class photo of 17-year-old Aizawa surrounded by his classmates all those years ago.

"It's been a decade and a war," His teacher snaps. "Give me a break."

As his teacher's eyes survey the picture of his youth, Aizawa's finger hovers over one person's face.

"Oh, I remember him."

Katsuki's breath catches.

Aizawa-sensei trails his finger down to the names, circling the name of the face he'd pointed out that was streaked with blotchy ink.

Imasu Saito.

"He was one of the top students in our year, until his third year. Kept disappearing after class and even ditched. Dropped out right before graduation."

A thin thread circles the name, bright red just like his eyes.

This isn't just a throw-away line.

This was a lead.

"Tell me about him."

Surprised by the sudden interest, Aizawa continues. "I don't know. Last I checked, he was still living with his parents. Could be anywhere by now."

Heat burned in his throat. This could mean something. "Kenji Tanaka," Katsuki urges, iterating the name carefully "Did Saito...know Tanaka?"

Aizawa gives him an unamused expression. "Flattered to think you expect me to remember my classmates' names. And to answer your question, I wasn't even aware that there was a Kenji in my class. Now looking back, I doubt I ever interacted with him at all."

Katsuki groans, slamming his head on the table and sending paper scattering everywhere.

"Fuck humanity. This is what I get when I try to be a little fuckin' nice."

Well, a lead's a lead. Best to take advantage of it, no matter how small.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow, slides a hand to the mini-fridge and cracks a can of Red Bull.

He offers it to the blond wordlessly.

Katsuki swipes it from Aizawa's hand.

Best fuckin' teacher ever.

—

Katsuki shares his findings with you when he plops down in the hall later that evening, and you take turns to share yours.

"There's this guy that made headlines for one news issue." You show him the newspaper, and on it, he reads it out loud.

"20-Year-Old Claims The Existence Of The Non-Existent: The Hottest Flat Earther Theory."

Katsuki almost crumples the sandy paper in his hands. His mouth feels just as dry.

"Bullseye."

"Despite the catchy opening, it didn't do well. The news didn't stick, and there are no follow-ups in the issues before or after it." You push the paper down, causing Katsuki to look into your eyes. "This guy was—"

"Imasu Saito." Katsuki finishes, watching you nod in agreement. "A name. We have a name."

Katsuki looks at the decomposing tabloid, seeing gold. "Alright, spit it out. How did you even manage to find this? There were so many companies and articles—this isn't even from a big-name company. This could have taken years to uncover."

You wriggle your fingers together, shrugging. "Let's just say being invisible has its perks. And the internet. No one bats an eye towards me when I went through their archive."

"Their?"

"It's a long story."

Shrugging it off, Katsuki refocuses on their task. They have bigger fish to fry.

"We need an address." You tell him. "Do you have an address?"

Snorting, Katsuki gives you his most 'are you crazy' look. "Who do you think I am? God?"

"No, you're Katsuki Bakugou," Your eyes sear with confidence. Katsuki's felt that look somewhere. The pure, raw, doubtless look of trust behind those eyes.

He's definitely seen it somewhere before.

"You've risen from death and beat someone twice as powerful as you. You've bounced back from setback after setback. You're the winner of the Sports Festival and the top in Battle Simulation, and you've hacked into systems with firewalls so strong people on the other side of the screen think you have a Tech Quirk. You can find one measly address."

Well, when you put it like that, what is Katsuki supposed to say? Deny?

Puffing up his chest, he levels your gaze.

He can do this.

He can do this, and he will.

—

A week to the end of February, there's a text from Bakugou captioned "Look, at what I've got, you little shit."

On it, is an address of a residential apartment.

—

25 February 20XX

Katsuki could only get a permit to leave school on Friday, so it's the tail end of February when you leave school. It was only at this moment, did you allow excitement to swell in your chest. You're making progress. Much more progress than you had in years.

It was enough for you to start believing that there was hope for you after all.

And Katsuki was helping you.

Plugging the address in the GPS leads you both to your destination 30 minutes of U.A., and as you stand in front of a door with a fist raised, you glance at Katsuki.

He gives you a subtle nod.

Closing your eyes, you knock.

Please let him be home, please let him be home, please—

The door creaks open, and the door chain clinks as a lean man with lengthy limps peeks out. His eyes are cobalt blue, and when he looks at Katsuki, he squints.

"What do you want, kid?"

Wordlessly, Katsuki points to you, as if it explained everything.

All the trouble it took to find this stupid goon's house, led to one too-tall man that looked like he had survived a trainwreck.

Sunken eyes hollow, eyebags prominent, and body far too thin.

The man's orbs widen as he blinks rapidly, only just noticing your presence, even though you're standing right in front of him.

"Are you Isamu Saito?" Your voice is small, as if any louder would cause the floor to fall out from beneath you. "If so, I'd like to talk to you about this."

Rifling through your bag, you pull out the decade-year-old foolscap encapsulated in a file.

He just stands there, blinking, unflinching, mouth falling agape.

The door slams in your face.

At first you think that he wasn't who you'd assumed he was and that you had somehow gotten the wrong house.

But before the panic can sink in completely, you hear the door chain jingle as the door opens wide. The man's gaze of you is pitying, and he speaks directly to you for the first time.

"I'm Isamu Saito. Please, come inside."

.

.

.

8 Months, 2 Weeks, And 2 Days Until Time Of Death.

#juxtaposition (Bakugou) #mha #mha fanfiction #my hero academia #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugō #bakugo x you #bakugou x y/n #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou x reader #fluff #bakugou fluff

[tangledinink]

do you have any headcanons abt your swanatello au (or any others for that matter!) that you've been dying someone to ask about but haven't had the excuse to tell us yet? :3c

Oh what a wonderful ask~

For SWANATELLO

-A few of you noticed in this comic that Leo has flashcards! He (and the rest of his family) use these, as well as notes and visuals on Swannie's research board, to help him remember things. Part of the hope is that by going over memories and details repeatedly, Swannie will have an easier time remembering them and holding onto information even when they're not there. It is helping! A little, anyway.

-Swanatello dances often, even though there's no music... (Well, no music that anyone else can hear, anyway...)

-Swanatello tends to be a bit more outwardly emotional/needy than Donatello, which is partly just because he is so often confused or stressed, and therefore is more prone to seek comfort from his family when he's able to recognize them.

-Swanatello is currently capable of recognizing (to varying degrees) all three of his brothers, April, and Splinter. But he has yet to ever allow Baron Draxum access to his lake (much to everyone's frustration, as Barry would, in theory, be able to do a lot more research and make more progress if he could inspect the actual lake, and Donnie.)

-None of them will admit it, but all his brothers are a teeny bit salty that he can kick their asses so easily now.

-Fun Fact. This story takes place post-movie.

for GEMINI

-Swanatello isn't the only one who does ballet! The Twins have been studying ballet since they were quite small, though it's fallen a bit to the wayside since they began their Battle Nexus careers, as their focus shifted to combat training and PR activities. Likewise, they both grew up taking voice lessons and are wonderful singers, and play multiple instruments (Leo plays the piano and guitar, and Donnie plays the violin, harp, and flute.)

-Both of them view themselves as the others' protector.

-Whenever they're out and about in public, Donnie always walks on Leo's right side, in case his bad knee or hip becomes painful. This way, Leo can subtly lean on Donnie if need be.

-Whenever they're doing interviews or on talk shows, they're always sent with instructions or some kind of script from Mama. Donnie has a photographic memory, whereas Leo struggles, and likewise, Leo finds improvising to come naturally whereas Donnie is more likely to freeze up or flounder. As a result, Donnie will always give Leo subtle hints, keywords, or cues during interviews to keep him on track, and Leo does most of the talking. If Leo is having a hard time, Donnie will jump in and nudge him in the right direction. Likewise, is Donnie is freezing up, Leo will always jump in and take over.

#asks #swanatello #gemini au #anon

[crazyunsexycool]

Unbreakable

Chapter 6

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 3.4K

Warnings: talks about sexual assault/rape, domestic violence, gunshot wound, blood, fluff, lil bit of angst,

A/N: I love these two so much. I'm going to start doing some time jumps on this series soon so be ready for that.

Series Masterlist

“Today isn’t a good day for me. It would have been my fifth year anniversary with my ex if he hadn’t disappeared during the blip.” You share in the group. “If he hadn’t disappeared, who knows what would have happened to me. He was literally about to kill me when he turned to dust. I’m not sure why I feel so sad about it. I don’t think sad is the right word, I don’t miss him at all. My life is better now. ” 

Mervin sits up and rests his head on your lap. His big eyes tracking your movements.

“I guess I’m just overwhelmed because I know what he would have done today. He would’ve beat me until I could barely move, then dragged me to bed and forced me to have sex and when he was satisfied he’d make me get up and make him something to eat. If I cried or tried to fight him, he’d just say how ungrateful I was for not appreciating that he was spending time with me. So now that he’s not here I know I don’t have to worry about it but I feel like I have to look over my shoulder today to make sure he doesn’t show up out of nowhere. I know it doesn’t make sense but I can’t shake the feeling.” 

The other people in the group nod in understanding. This was the first time you’d shared in the group but the date was one of the worst you had to live through. You needed to talk about it and hoped that with time it would get easier. Lisa sat next to you and she extended a hand for you to take which you did. Giving her a grateful smile as she squeezed your hand in order to give her some comfort. 

“These last few months have been interesting to say the least. I am learning self defense and it’s helped a lot. A good friend of mine recommended it.” You look at Lisa. “I've made new friends because of it too. I hadn’t had a friend in so long so it’s nice to have someone to share life’s ups and downs with. But I’m having more good days than bad days and I take that as a win.”

Your mind went straight to Steve. Although the last few weeks have felt like a little more than just a friendship blossoming between the two of you. It was all still new and you weren’t sure if you were ready for a real relationship yet but it was nice to have a deeper connection with someone. 

“I guess that’s everything for me, for now at least.” 

Someone else started talking but your mind was elsewhere by then. Steve had been on a mission along with Nat and Rhodey so you hadn’t heard from him in a few days. That added to your stress. Fortunately Lisa was with you so you weren’t completely alone. 

Once the meeting is done you and Lisa walk out arm in arm and head toward a nearby cafe. Your phone vibrates and you grab it to check your messages. 

“Oh no.” You mutter as you type.

“What’s wrong?” 

“I have to go Lisa, I’m so sorry to cut this short.” You respond as you begin to walk back out of the cafe. “I’ll make it up to you I promise.” 

You rushed through the double doors and into the waiting room. Nat and Rhodey, who you met during one of your training sessions, were sitting side by side. 

“What happened?” You asked once you got closer. “Are you guys ok?” 

“We’re fine.” 

“You don’t look fine Nat. Has anyone checked either of you for injuries?” 

“They will in a minute. Come sit.” She pats the empty chair next to her. 

While you sit beside her Marvin rests his head on her lap. His big eyes look up at her with concern until Nat starts to pet him. 

“He’ll be fine.” She says after a moment. “He heals quickly, there were just a few injuries they had to patch up to help the process along.” 

“Of course. What about you, Rhodey?” 

“Suit took most of the damage. These are just some scratches.” 

“Ok good.” You smile at him. 

For the next few hours the three of you wait. You talk to a nurse to get Nat some help and walk Marvin. Then when you’re seated again you can’t help but fidget and fuss over Nat and Rhodey. Your leg bounces and you play with Marvin’s leash or pet his head. During that time Nat tells you that she was up against a few guys at the same time. Steve jumped in to help and one of them had a machine gun. Steve’s solution was to use his body as a shield and protect Nat.

“Rogers?” A surgeon calls out from a set of doors on the opposite side of the room. 

You, Nat and Rhodey immediately stand up and head toward him. 

“He’s out of surgery, everything is looking good. He’s heavily sedated but someone should be out to escort you up to his room. Only one person at a time for now.” 

You all thank him and then you turn to the two people next to you. 

“Why don’t you guys go home? You need the rest and I can stay here. I’ll text you once he’s awake and keep you updated.” You suggest.

Rhodey and Nat look at each other and silently agree. 

“Ok but at the first sign of any kind of trouble you call Rhodey first. He can get here faster.” Nat says. “Also there’ll be a cop at his door, it’s just a precaution so that people don’t try and take pictures or do something while Steve is asleep.” 

“Ok.” You nod. “Go get some rest, you deserve it.” 

Nat gives you a quick hug and then Rhodey helps her out. She’s definitely in more pain than she lets on. A nurse walks out and calls for you to follow her up to the room Steve has been moved to. 

****

You aren’t sure what time it is or how long you’ve been asleep. All you know is that something is moving against your hand. Then you remember where you are and you bolt up straight. Your glasses are crooked since you didn’t take them off before you fell asleep. In a quick motion you fix them and look at Steve to find him awake. He’s giving you a lopsided and hazy smile. 

“Hey,” you say as you move to sit at the edge of the bed. One hand takes the one that was holding yours and the other moves to push the hair that fell onto his forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel s’good.” 

You giggle at his slurred speech. 

“You’re really hopped up on meds.” 

“S’kay. It’s like before.” Steve says as he blinks slowly at you.

“Like before? You mean before the serum?” 

“Mmhmm. Used to be sick all the time.” 

“Well that explains so much. But you won’t be like this for long.” 

“Ok.” 

You take a moment to call the nurse and a few minutes later someone comes in to check up on Steve. Seeing that he’s awake they stop the meds so that his body can flush them out. It doesn’t take long, about fifteen minutes in Steve is more lucid.

“Where’s Nat?” He asks as he looks around the room. 

He sees Marvin itching to get up on the bed and he pats the bed. Marvin happily jumps up and makes himself comfortable, relishing in the attention he’s getting from Steve. The two have bonded over the last few weeks, especially on the long runs they take. 

“I told her to go rest. But she knows you’re ok.” You wave your phone to let him know you’re texting her. “I made sure she got checked out by someone before she left though.” 

“Ok, good.”

With a sigh Steve lays his head back and closes his eyes. Although the medication is mostly out of his system he’s still feeling some of the effects. You watch him and then sit back down beside the bed, taking his hand in the process. 

“Thank you for being here.” He says and you look up to find him looking at you again. 

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do, you don’t have to spend your time with me, yet here you are.” He smiles at you.

“I want to spend my time with you. Besides I was worried sick when Nat messaged me. I know you did it to protect her but never ever do that again.” You try to sound stern but the worry comes through. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to stay safe on these missions.”

You both sit in silence for a while. Steve’s thumb moves back and forth over your hand. Overall it’s comforting to be there with him after having missed him for the last few days. Slowly you start nodding off, it had been a very emotionally draining day for you after all. 

“Why don’t you go home? You shouldn’t be here so uncomfortable because of me.” 

“It’s so late.” You mumble. “I’d rather stay here, it’s safer.” 

“Then get up here. I’m not having you sleep on a chair.” 

Steve moves to give you some space but you end up draped over most of him. He doesn’t mind one bit and honestly neither do you. This isn’t the first time it happened, both of you sharing a bed. Hopefully it won’t be the last either. Slowly the two of you drift off to sleep. There’s no place safer than in each other’s arms. 

“Sit.” You gently push Steve toward his bed at the compound. 

“I’m not Marvin. You can’t just give me commands.” He chuckles as he moves towards his bed.

“You were shot multiple times, you need rest. And you’re right you’re not Marvin. He listens the first time I tell him to do something.” 

 “There, happy?”  Steve says as he sits on the edge of the bed.

“Yes, maybe you deserve a treat.” 

Steve throws his head back and laughs. “Do I get to choose?” 

“I’ll think about it. Now go get comfortable.”

“You’re so bossy.” 

You shrug a shoulder as you move around Steve’s room. His uniform was in your hand and you could see the bullet holes and blood. You must have been staring down at it for longer than you realized because Steve is standing in front of you and pulling the uniform out of your hands. 

“Hey,” Steve sets the uniform aside and cups your face so that you’d look at him. He was surprised to see tears in your eyes. “I’m fine. I’m right here with you.” 

You try to blink back the tears as you grip the front of his hoodie. It’s been a few short weeks but having Steve in your life made it better. He was a strong yet gentle presence in your life. He’d provided comfort when he didn’t have too. So to lose him would be devastating.

“When I got that message, I was so scared.” You say in a whisper, the lump in your throat making it difficult to talk. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again.” 

Steve kisses the top of your head as you wrap your arms around his midsection. You cry against Steve’s chest while he reassures you that he’s not going anywhere. 

“Now you really deserve a treat for dealing with my tears.” You joke as you pull away. 

“I’d deal with your tears whenever you’d need me to. No treat needed.” 

You smile. “Go lay down. I’m gonna check up on Nat and Rhodey.”

**** 

Rhodey was fine, like he said his suit took most of the damage. Nat is who you were worried about. You had a tray with some food and tea you’d seen her make before. With a soft knock you walk into the office she’d been using. 

“How are you feeling today?” You ask as you set the tray down. 

“Good.” 

“Please don’t lie to me. The doctor said you had some cracked ribs and I know they’re painful.” 

Nat looks up at you, sorrow darkens her green eyes for just a moment. 

“You’re right. Everything hurts but I can’t stop working.” 

You just nod in understanding. 

“Well I won’t take up any of your time, unless you want to talk. Just wanted to bring you something and some pain meds.” 

Nat smiles as she looks over what you’ve brought, all of her favorites. 

“Thanks. How’s Rogers doing?” 

“He’s fine. I’m making him rest.” 

“And he’s following orders?” Nat raises an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, I think if I cry he’d do what I ask.” You chuckle.

“He’d do what you ask no matter what.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Y/N, have you really not noticed his feelings for you?” 

You took the empty seat across from Nat and just stared at her.

“I’ll preface this by saying Steve would absolutely never do anything you don’t want. He’s never going to push you or make you uncomfortable and he’d only be your friend if you decide you don’t ever want a relationship. But it’s safe to say he cares about you deeply. I know you’ve only known each other a few weeks but trust me when I say he’s smitten.” Nat gives you a soft smile. “I think it’s safe to say you feel the same way.” 

You aren’t sure what to say. Sure there were some feelings or something there. But to have someone else point it out was eye opening. Were the two of you that oblivious? 

“I d-don’t-” 

“Just think about it but I think it’s a conversation you should have sooner rather than later. If you know you don’t want a relationship with him don’t string him along. Steve’s been through a lot and I don’t think he could take another heartbreak.” 

“I would never do that.” You shake your head. 

“I know. I also want you to know that I’d like to see you happy too. Steve’s a good man and you’re good for each other. Just think about it before you make a decision.” 

You nod and get up. “I’m gonna go check up on him.” 

“Ok. And thanks for this.” 

“Yeah, of course.” 

When you get back to Steve’s room you notice he’s asleep. Marvin lays at his side but wags his tail lazily when he sees you. 

“Wanna go for a walk Marv?” You whisper.

Marvin’s head shoots up at the mention of a walk and he happily gets off Steve’s bed. With leash in hand you set to take a walk out and around the compound. You took the opportunity to call Lisa who had messaged you a few times to see if you were ok. 

The phone rings a few times before she picks up.

“Hey Y/N, are you ok? You left me a bit worried yesterday.” She says.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that my friend Steve was hurt while on the job and was taken to the hospital.”

“Hhmm, and you rushed out to see him.” You can hear the teasing in her voice. “He seems pretty special if he has you running around like that.” 

You fluster even though you can’t see her. But you can just see her face and the mischievous glint in her eyes. 

“I imagine that you’re still in the hospital. Need me to get you anything?” 

“No it’s ok, he was released this morning. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” 

“Is everything ok? Are you safe?” 

“Yes,” you smile at her genuine concern. It was nice to have friends that cared about your well-being. “I just need some advice.”

“Oh, ok. Well I’m all ears.” 

“So for the last few weeks I’ve been thinking that there has been something happening between me and Steve.” 

“Like romantic feelings are blossoming?” 

“Yes and today a mutual friend told me how much he cares about me but that he would never pressure me into a relationship or anything.”

“And the question is?” Lisa asks as you continue to ramble.

“How did you know that you were ready to be in a relationship?” 

“Well that’s different for everyone. For me I just knew that I felt safe with my partner. I mean I also had those butterflies whenever I saw her. I missed her when she wasn’t around and I couldn’t wait to see her again.” 

“Yeah, sounds about right. I'm just not sure. What if he doesn’t like me when he sees how messed up I truly am.”

“If you’re not ready then, you’re not ready. If he really wants to be with you he’ll wait. And when you’re ready you should tell him about what happened, only if you’re ready.”

“You’re right. If he brings it up I’ll just tell him. Everything.” 

“Do what’s best for you. When you’re ready for a relationship you’ll know.” 

“Thanks Lisa. I’m so glad you’re in my life.” 

“Right back at you, hun. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will. Bye.” 

****

You get back to Steve's room just as he opens his door. He gives you a sleepy smile.

“I was wondering where my nap buddy went.” 

“Just took him for a walk.” You look down at Marvin with a smile. “Were you heading out?” 

“No. I was just going to get my mission report to work on it and stay in bed.”

“Oh ok. I’ll let you get to it, I should probably go home anyways.” 

“Wait, don't go. We can still spend some time together. Only if you want of course.” He gives you a hopeful smile. 

“Yeah, I’d like to stay.”

“Good.” Steve moves aside to let you into his room. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” 

Once Steve leaves you walk back to the room you’ve been given at the compound to change into something more comfortable and get your book. You head back to Steve’s room and sit with your back to the headboard.

While waiting for Steve to get back you get lost in the book you’re reading so you don’t notice Steve standing in the doorway. He smiles and watches you for just a moment. You’re comfortable in his space and he never realized how much that meant to him until now. Even if he didn’t mean to, Steve can’t help but fall for you. If you asked him for the world he’d give it to you. Really he’d do anything to see the smile you give him when you look up from your book. 

“Everything ok?” 

“Yeah.” Steve moves to his side of the bed. “Everything’s ok. What are you reading?” 

You flip the book so that Steve could see the cover of your favorite book. One you reread multiple times.

“It’s my favorite.”

“I can see that it’s loved.” He says referring to how worn the spine is and the little notes on the margin. 

“It is.” 

You smile up at Steve before turning back to the book. Steve gets his file and starts writing out what you assume is his report. He’d put on some soft music, specifically something from the 30’s he’d recommend before. 

You rest your head against Steve’s shoulder. “I really like you Steve.” Your voice was low but you knew he heard you and you couldn’t help but look up at him. 

He simply turned his head and smiled down at you and placed a kiss on your forehead. Steve closed his file folder and set it on his nightstand.

“Done already?” 

“No but the report can wait another day.” 

“Why?” 

Steve smiles again before he replies. “Because I really like you too and I’d much rather spend my time with you. I had to learn the hard way to prioritize who and what’s important to me before it’s too late. I don’t plan to make that same mistake again.”

The butterflies are there. How could they not be when Steve looks at you as if you’re hung the moon and the stars, which you’d do if he asked you too. He snakes his arm around your waist and you feel safe in his arms. 

“Should we watch something off our list?” He asks as he grabs the tv remote. 

“That sounds good.” You say as you place the bookmark back in its place and set the book on the nightstand.

Marvin gets up on the bed and turns in circles until he finds the perfect spot. This was a slice of heaven for you. The safe haven you’d been looking for when you’d thought hope was lost. Now your feelings for each other are out in the open. Surprisingly it puts you at ease to know your feelings were reciprocated. Whatever happens next you knew it would be a step in the right direction.

Ch. 7

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[thestrangestthing89]

Catching up on some of the behind the scenes stuff. My take on what we have seen so far...

Mike having a similar look to season 1 is so good for him. I think it shows he is more comfortable with himself. He's going back to his roots when he was the character everyone loved. So I think we will get a more authentic Mike and Paladin Mike back right off the bat.

I like the blue polo with the yellow collar. And it looks like his jacket is a little green in the video with him and El (like a sage green/greyish green color). It reminds me a bit of the color block polo he was wearing in S3 which makes me wonder if Will is going to have a matching one this season too.

I say this as someone who realized byler was happening in S4 and started shipping it because it was the logical conclusion to draw. I tend to interpret things in a logical way. Byler wasn't something I wanted to happen and forced onto the narrative. I saw it happening and realized it was a good story and there was evidence backing it up. So when I say that Mike and El broke up in S4 it's not because I want it to be true (I honestly do not give a fuck about their relationship and gave it very little thought prior to coming on here). It's because it's the most logical thing to happen based on the story that we saw.

That being said, Mike and El's relationship closely resembles Nancy and Steve's. El broke up with him with the From El letter and he knows this. I've written about this a lot so I'm not going to get into it here, but the fact that at the end of S4 shows a 2 day time jump and after this point Mike and El aren't even talking and they are rolling their eyes at each other is meant to indicate that something happened with them during that time jump that wasn't good.

The fact that S5 seems to pick up a couple years later (judging by El's hair) I think is further proof that they already filmed part of S5 back when they were doing S4. The part that picks up right where S4 ended I think was already done. So I think this is where we will get to see a clarification of what exactly happened during that 2 day jump and get confirmation that Mike and El broke up already.

Their relationship was defined as being immature and made both of them feel badly about themselves. They were already at a point where they wanted it over so there is no reason narratively why that needs to drag out over 2 years when neither of them is happy.

Especially considering Mike's new look where he is dressing more like himself. They have established for 2 seasons that Mike isn't himself when he is with El. So him acting more comfortable and looking more like himself all points to him and El having broken up a while ago. He had time to figure out what was authentic for him already over a time jump.

I think Mike and El's conversation has more to do with reestablishing a friendship. They didn't communicate well when they were in a relationship and El dismissed Mike's feelings a lot (the conversation about bullying being one of those times), so I think it's possible they drifted apart during the couple year jump because I think it's hard for Mike to trust her. I saw people comparing it to the train track conversation back in S1 and I think that's accurate. That conversation was meant to indicate the first time Mike started seeing her as a friend (even though they really didn't reach an understanding here the way he thought). But I think this time it actually will establish a real friendship in a way that was different than before.

I do think think it's likely Mike and Will are together at this point in the beginning of S5. But either way I think a lot of this conversation with El has to do with Mike telling her how he feels about Will and them being honest with each other for the first time.

Mike and El have very few one on one scenes together. I think I can count on one hand the amount of conversations they have had where it was just the two of them and a group wasn't around them. To me, this indicates that this conversation is actually important. Unlike a lot of their other conversations where they weren't communicating well or they weren't acting like themselves. But I think in keeping with the pattern the show has always had, this is likely the last one on one scene with them until the end of the season. They tend to not interact much in the middle of every season so I would be surprised if there was much more content with just the two of them.

This scene is very platonic just based on their body language. They aren't close or acting in any romantic way. And again, the fact that they seem comfortable indicates that they have had time to reflect on their relationship and heal from it. Mike is never comfortable around El in S3 or S4. He is never comfortable with her touching him or being close with her. So the fact that he is here, is further proof to me that it's already over. He isn't pretending anymore (I think he was done with this by the end of S4).

Another thing that makes me think they haven't spent much time together over a jump of a few years is Mike directly telling Will in S4 that he wished he spent less time with El and more with him. He already made the mistake of not spending time with Will and regretted it. He isn't going to do that again. So I think it's possible that he has been spending more time with Will to make up for it and ended up pulling away from El. And this conversation in S5 is meant to be an acknowledgement of that and the fact that he can have a romantic relationship with Will and a platonic one with El at the same time. Two people he has been struggling to have a relationship at the same time with since pretty much the beginning of the series.

Very curious to see what Will's look is because I don't think it's a bowl cut. I always thought that hairstyle was meant to indicate him holding on to his childhood and all of his trauma. If he has a new look I think it's a good hint that not only is he more comfortable with himself but that him and Mike are already together at the beginning of S5. The show has already established that the two of them are only comfortable with themselves when they are together. Mike being true to himself is a good thing. It shows he learned and grew from his immature behavior in the past few seasons. I would be surprised if Will's look doesn't indicate the same based on where his character arc left off at the end of S4.

#anti mileven #byler #mike wheeler #will byers