Tumgik
#so my mom was probably like 'ah finally shes growing into a real woman :) and leaving all that behind 😌' and then 2020 came and i
Could you pretend you love me? Pt 3
Soap x Fem reader (single mom)
Warning: grammatical and spelling errors. Long read because If I do another part I will forget about the ideas I have right now. Images not mine, credits of them to whoever they belong to.
Tension at home is hard to handle, you don't want to admit your feelings for Johnny, he puts his distance and it hurts, meanwhile, Emma needs help at school, Father and daughter's day is knocking on her door, she needs a hero.
Finally after months observing your neighbor, you found the proof and information you've been waiting for. Is this still only a mission or it turned into something else, something more real?
Tumblr media Tumblr media
It was midday when you received a call from Emma's school. She had a fight with a girl during breakfast.
You called Emma to her dormitory as soon as you ended the call with her teacher. You were upstairs, while Johnny was In the dining room, he was still distant, both of you barely leave the house these days. But you had Emma on speaker, so he could hear something of your conversation with her.
«i didn't mean to hurt her, but she was making fun of me and you told me to not let them bother me!»
- Yes, but I never said hurt her my dear...
«i barely touched her! Was just a punch in her eye! It's not even purple, I swear... Y/n, you have to believe me»
- okay, okay I believe you, but... Baby, please don't do that ever again, ok?
«Okay. Y/n?»
- Yes?
«Where's Johnny?»
You quickly turned off the speaker and took the phone.
- He's downstairs working, why?
«The girl was making fun of me because she says I don't have a father and that's why you came last year to the father and daughter's day»
- Okay... And???
«I was... Wondering if you could invite him... Or could you invite Ghost? He's massive, my classmates would stop to annoy me if my dad is there»
You felt your heart breaking, you tried to not make her feel the absence of her father but apparently at school things are different. You know you messed up with Soap, he would probably refuse, you didn't know what to do.
- Ah... Honey I don't think It's a good idea, you don't need to prove them anything, I can go again, I'll do it better this time, you will win 1st place... I...
«Y/n please, I won't ask you anything else for the rest of the year, but please, please. Anyone! Just for one day!»
The way she was begging you to help her was making you feel like the worst person in the world, you could hear she was starting to cry, you felt a hole growing in your chest.
- Emma, don't cry baby, please, don't cry, listen..., I'll ask if someone can help us, ok? I can't promise you nothing, but I will try to convince someone, yes? Emma?
«okay, thank you y/n... I have to go, I love you»
- Okay, have a good day, yes? I love you too.
The rest of the day you've been crying, you feel like you're failing your best friend, she certainly would know how to solve it, but you feel too dumb.
You were cleaning your nose when Soap opened the door of the room, you tried to hide your face but it was too late, he saw you.
- Are you ok?
- Yeah, I just had something in my eye. What's up?
- I... I found something, an email, he will receive a bunch of weapons and... Something else that he didn't specify, this week, and the strange thing is that it will arrive here, to the house.
- Why would he have that in his house?
- I don't know, but at the moment we have that, we'll tell Price, probably we would need him and the boys to help us if there's something more serious.
- Yes, I'll send him an email, thanks Johnny, is... Is That all?
- Yup, and You? Is there something wrong?
You were going to ask him, but you feel you can't ask him to help you if you haven't apologized for your little drama.
- No, all good.
He rolled his eyes, sighed and left you alone. You know it's always hard for you to say sorry, but he was right you were jealous, very jealous of that woman. So your second option was to talk with Ghost and convince him to help you, maybe he would do it, after all, he said Emma was a sunshine, that gave you a hope.
But why? It's easy to say sorry and accept that Soap was right and make peace, but you're mulish. You texted Gaz to ask if he and Ghost were in the base, he simply responded «mission». on the other hand, Price asked you to not leave the house and observe and listen to every little thing from the enemy.
A couples hours later, Gaz texted they were back on the base just in case you needed something, you were very nervous, you were making all this situation more difficult, you're stubborn and mulish, you called Ghost.
« Hi Lt., Listen I... I was wondering if you can help me with something, it is completely out of our work (...) Yeah?, I can't leave the house though, but can you come over when you have the opportunity? Thanks!»
You went downstairs, Soap was still working, eating baby carrots, pretending he wasn't observing you, but he was.
- Are you going to tell me why you were crying?
- Are you going to stop your silent treatment against me?
- That means you will not tell me... ok, I get it.
He stood up and put on his boots and a jacket. took his car keys and walked to the door.
- I'll go to the grocery store, you want something?
- I'm fine, thanks.
He closed the door while you muttered «i want my fake husband back...» you can admit it when you're alone, but never In front of him. You hate when he's right, you hate to accept it. You're debating with yourself when Ghost sends a text.
«on the way» you're praying for help, you hope he accepts because you refuse to say you messed up and apologize to Soap.
You're waiting for someone, no matter who, Soap or ghost, it doesn't matter, you're already bored, there's no movement or any interesting conversation in your neighbor's house. Nothing. Until the doorbell sounds.
Ghost is outside, wearing civil clothes and a black mask, you opened and offered him a drink. Both are in the kitchen talking about the mission, you mentioned your little discussion with Soap but not the entire version, you omitted some details.
- It'll be over soon (y/n)
- Yes, well... Now, I... I don't know how to ask you this so I'll simply say it, okay?
- Go on.
- Would you go with me to a parents day at Emma's school?
Ghost stayed quiet, shocked, he was waiting for you to say something else but you're mute now.
- Can't you go alone?
- I can, but... It's actually for Fathers and daughters, Last year I went and it was fine without any problem, but... Emma had a fight at school this morning, some girls were making fun of her because... You know, it's only me and her. There's no "Father"...
You laughed nervously, he's still thinking about what you said.
- You don't have to accept it though, I can ask Gaz or Price... Feel free to reject it but Emma literally cried and begged me to ask you...
Both stayed in silence, you're biting your nails waiting for an answer, any answer is better than his silence.
- Fine, when?
- Really?
- Yes...
You jumped to him and hugged him, you know he doesn't like the contact but you couldn't stop yourself, your face is hidden on the crook of his neck while you say over and over «Thank you, thank you Si!» he doesn't return the hug, instead he just gives you little pats on your back. A new person joins you.
- Ah... What's going on here?
Both jumped, Soap is in the doorframe with a paper bag, observing both of you.
In Soap's mind there's a lot of questions floating. (Why are you hugging Ghost like that? Do you have something with him that no one knew? Why am I feeling annoyed... Or... Am I jealous? Is this how you felt when you saw me talking with that girl? What are you doing to me y/n?)
- Nothing, I asked Ghost to come to talk about something and see if he could help me with it.
Soap is not ok with that answer, it looks like you hide something from him, also ghost is not helping he's just there in silence. After a moment where the three of you stayed in a very uncomfortable silence, Ghost stood up.
- Well, if that's all I think I have to go, send me details later Y/n.
- For sure, thank you Lt.
Soap's face is enough for you to notice he's more angry than before, he put the bag on the kitchen's table. Ghost passed by his side and Soap went behind him, both went out and you stayed there not sure of what to do.
Ghost rarely talks but this time he feels like there's something wrong between you and Soap.
- Johnny... Is everything ok between you and her?
Soap stopped and Ghost turned to look at him.
- Honestly, I don't know Lt. This mission... Looked simple, remember how I laughed and said it would be like those movies that mix romance and action? Well, It's more difficult than it seems.
- What you mean?
- it has been hard to... Remember we're just pretending, everything started to get more and more real. I think I...
He stopped himself, was he really accepting there are some feelings involved?.
- You what?
- I just... want this to end soon.
- it'll be over soon Johnny. Everything will go back to normal soon.
Simple but effective, those words brought some peace to Soap. He only nodded, they were saying goodbye when a Black trailer parked in front of the house, in that moment you also went out.
- Guys! I... Come here! Now!
Both ran to you, once you closed the door, you started to explain yourself.
- That trailer contains a Gas... Very toxic.
- What?
- Chemical weapons?
- Exactly, this guy is planning to use them to create chaos and move his weapons freely. Listen.
«Yeah, about the chemicals, I want it in a bomb. We'll drop it in the center of the city, it will be enough to distract everybody and send the rest of the weapons and missiles to Mexico without problem.»
- How are they planning to move all that? We have to put some trackers In the trailer, we will obtain the location of where it comes from or where it goes.
- Plane or boats, this location has a quick access to the airport and the dock and the port . Call Laswell and Price, tell them we have to move before this bloody bastard!
Ghost left after that, you and Soap stayed there, for a moment the work is helping to not think about the elephant in the room, both are too busy to pay attention to your hearts.
Soap went to put a track on the trailer while you were trying to obtain more information, you hide in the backyard of your neighbor, Jeff has been making calls all day, you're just waiting.
- Y/n... Tracker on the trailer, how's everything going over there?
- Nothing to report yet.
- Copy. Tell me if you need help.
- I'm fine Sergeant.
After a while you decided to go back to the house, there wasn't anything else. Soap wasn't there, or at least that's what you thought, you yelled his name but he didn't answer, instead you heard a noise in the bathroom, you took your gun and walked to the bathroom's door, you opened with a quick kick and Soap's voice and his naked body made you jump.
- What the hell is wrong with you?
- I thought you weren't here, you didn't answer! Jesus! Put a shirt on!
- I took a fucking shower!
You walked to the room and he was behind you, you heard him laughing.
- It's not fucking funny, I could hurt you!
- You wouldn't be so upset if I were Ghost...
He muttered, you turned back to look at him, what did he say? How does he dare to say that?.
- and you wouldn't be an idiot if I were that stupid girl you saw the other night! How can you believe I want to be with Ghost!?
- I saw you, the way you hugged him! You feel something for him, I'm so stupid for thinking you and I...
- No, you're so stupid to think I want him when I'm fuckin' crazy for you, idiot!
Both stayed in silence, you realized what you said and before you could say something else, Soap's lips Collided with yours, his body glued to yours, both fell on the bed.
A few hours later both were laying in bed, your head was resting in Johnny's chest while you were drawing invisible little circles on his body, while he was doing the same on your exposed back.
A pillowtalk about where this situation was going was enough to let all clear between both of you.
«I'm sure about what I want, and I want you, I want you Y/n, nobody else but you»
Both fell asleep, a terrible mistake.
- Soap... (You whispered)
- hmm...
- Soap, Wake up, slowly...
- What...?
He opened his eyes just to see you standing in front of the bed, a man has a gun on your head, while another is pointing to him.
- Stand up, slowly or I shoot at her.
You're not afraid, Soap looks at you and nods, you know he will try to unarmed the man at his side, you're ready to do the same as soon as he gives you any sign.
He gets up, with his hands up, in the blink of an eye, both unarmed the men, a shot echoed. You thought you were hurt but it wasn't you, a bullet hit Soap's arm, it's nothing serious, but he was hurt, you quickly made a bandage, Soap called Price to let him know what happened and warn him they were moving, the trailer was at the port with the missiles and tanks of gas. Another team was assigned to search and disassemble the bomb in the center of the city, while All of you were on the way to stop the ship.
It was easier than expected, all the men in the ship were new in this, some of them surrendered while some others tried to fight you, Jeff was captured by Soap, he found him in a restaurant close to the port, he was receiving the first part of the payment for his services, he confessed he would receive the other half after the weapons arrived to Mexico.
The night passed quickly, Soap was attended, he would be fine but he would have a new scar on his bicep.
Everybody was in the meeting room, Ghost was talking with Johnny about something, while you, Gaz and the captain were talking about what you found in the ship and the people who decided to cooperate and give their testimonials.
It was early in the morning, you were in your office, writing your report and doing paperwork when Soap's voice made you jump from your seat.
- Ghost told me about that Parent's day at Emma's school.
- Jesus! Fuck, you have to stop scaring me like that!
- Sorry, why didn't you tell me?
- We weren't in a good moment Johnny. Also, Emma wanted Ghost because she thinks he's more handsome than you and has a little crush on him too.
You made a mischievous smile, you were trying to pissed him, he made that fake and silly offended look and rolled his eyes while he was walking to your desk, once he was close to you he kissed your lips and muttered.
- Ew!! I don't want to know about my daughter's Crushes! And Ghost told me I can go instead of him just if you and Emma are ok with that.
You smiled at him, did he really call Emma 'His Daughter'? You returned the kiss and nodded in silence.
- I think she would love to see both of you, we'll say Ghost is her uncle.
- That sounds perfect, my sweet wife.
- Easy Mactavish, I don't have a ring yet.
- I'll get one as soon as possible, before you can reconsider and reject me.
Both laughed, how did you end like this? Falling for him and him falling for you, months ago it was only you and Emma, then all that show with a fake family that became real, you still think you're dreaming, certainly, love arrives and grows up in the weirdest and most unexpected ways.
Emma was the happiest girl at that Parent's school event, her 'daddy' and 'Uncle' surprised her, the competition was successful, Emma obtained the first place, all her classmates were talking about how lucky she was to have a family that supports her, Soap sent you a million photos of them, even Ghost looked happy to be there. Eventually for Emma's birthday, Price and Gaz joined her new family, everything resulted well after all.
For once, in months, you felt like you were doing it great not only with Emma but in your life, you felt like finally you were making your best friend proud of you, her daughter was happy, safe and healthy, with a new family, you with a great boyfriend who actually is a good father, and always reminds you how wrong you were about him.
- Okay, okay, you win, you're a good father and boyfriend material.
- Boyfriend? Y/n, I'm more than your boyfriend, I'm your future husband, and this time will be forever, and 100% real.
31 notes · View notes
haemosexuality · 3 years
Text
every year i add something to the list of appearance and or life decisions that will make my mom so dissapointed when im an adult
#ah to be a gnc lesbian and know you are not and will never be the child your mom dreamed you would be#and she will probably live and die quietly sad and dissapointed#and that you will forever carry the guilt#sorry mom but im not having a husband or kids or shaving. im sorry ur not gonna get to see me in a wedding dress and im sorry ur not gonna#grow old with grandkids#and i know that you probably thing this is a rebellious teenager phase and im gonna grow out of it when im an adult#but im probably not gonna do that and idk how to let you know that. idk how to make you destroy this idea of the life you#wanted for me and you. and i feel rlly guilty and sorry about that especially considering i have never really been a great daughter#mentall illness and all#and youre not award of the year mom either but i still wanted to be good for you but idk how to do that rn#and in the future i would have to choose between being myself and happy or being who you want me to be and unhappy#anyways. i rlly want to shave my head but i dont have the machine thingie and also she laughed and said no#when did this become a whole ass thing i was supposed to be taking a shower#actually edit i have more to say. i feel kinda bad but also its so funny how like#from the end of 2018-idk the middle to end of 2019 my self esteem was like rlly rlly low so i was regularly shaving my legs#and i let my hair get rlly long that year#and was wearing more girly/idk pretty clothes#so my mom was probably like 'ah finally shes growing into a real woman :) and leaving all that behind 😌' and then 2020 came and i#1-gained self esteem and am fine with my body and done w shaving mt legs fr forever#2-Realized I Might Be More Gnc Than Originally Planned (tho i dont have clothes for it bc of quarantine 😤)#3-gained the need of having 8372937 piercings and 8372937293 tattoos#4-cut mt hair rlly short#like Bro You Thought
2 notes · View notes
yesimwriting · 3 years
Note
hiii, this might seem weird but do u have any head cannons for when the reader is pregnant and how the Darkling would react?
a/n love this concept,, it's not weird at all!! i feel like there's so much here!! also i leave for college this month and im lowkey starting to freak out so ive been watching star wars movies for comfort 😭and now i have half a mind to write for them, especially the prequels (cough, cough,, anakin) 😭 😭 that should tell you where i am mentally
anyways lets get into the headcanons:))
--
- okay so like most of my headcanons, this is probably going to be all over the place bc i feel like so many different things could change how he would react. Like if the darkling x reader have been trying to get pregnant, or an unplanned pregnancy with someone he really likes, i also think whether or not the reader is a grisha affects his reaction too
- in general though, i think he'd lowkey have a breeding kink he'd def find something about the thought of you having his child really attractive bc for one thing, he wouldn't have to worry about being left alone and now he has an excuse to be a real 'protector'.
- also if youve read my other headcanons i am 100000% convinced that he has this thing where if he really likes someone he needs them to need him (let's all remember the whole 'i will strip you of everything you know and love speech until I'm your only shelter' speech he gave to Alina)
- also i kinda want to write a fic or blurb series or something that's just the darkling being super toxic in super thoughtful ways LMAO if that makes sense, like he's being super sweet but it's to make sure the reader is dependent on him
- and he def wants to be the protector to give himself some sense of assurance bc he's so desperate to not be alone anymore and bc the reader is the only person he has/loves, he wants to feel in control and like he's the less attached one
- okay,, let's get back to the pregnancy thing, anyways, your pregnancy is most definitely activating all of those senses and this was meant to be a sub plot but it kind of became it's own thing lol
- so lets get to the actual pregnancy reaction
if you two have been trying to get pregnant:
- when you tell him, he kind of like, pauses bc it's not every day that he gets surprised so it takes him a moment to register that he's experiencing shock lol, so he tenses and goes islent
- and then after he realizes that he's surprised and that it's bc of a good thing, he manages to relax
- meanwhile you're kind of freaking out bc he got so quiet?? you start to wonder if he's regretting ever wanting a child with you? and you're like two seconds away from a downspiral and then he...
- he touches your cheek and looks at you in a way you've never seen him look at anyone,, not even you
- the look is so warm and strong and full of fierce admiration that you feel foolish for ever thinking he didn't want this. And then he says something about how you're carrying his child and how he didn't realize he could adore you more and then he kisses you and it's all :)) warm:)
- he doesn't want anyone to know that he's expecting a child as long as possible bc of how many enemies he has and how he has to worry about you enough when people just know that you're his 'lover' (a title you never really liked, but one he tells you is necessary to make sure no one realizes the extent of his attachment)
- if you really want to tell your mother or someone of that relation, he won't be mad about it, but he just needs to know
- Genya is the only exception bc the darkling basically instructs her to look out for you,, but when you tell her she's like oh?? you guys just found out?
- miss girl most definitely noticed like a day and a half ago after you cried bc she couldn't find you ice cream the other night 😭and she just assumed you knew but weren't ready to tell anyone
- okay so this what i think is his most problematic expecting father trait would be. So i just ranted about how important secrecy would be to him but he's also the most overprotective person in the entire world,, like he was bad before but once he knows your with child?? yeah, if a man asks you about the weather, he's done for
- he's next to you in a second, ordering either you or the man to do some asinine task
- if you get mad about this (rightfully so) or even just point out how nothing is wrong and you having a casual conversation with a man who isn't even looking at you sexually won't hurt you or the baby, he'll lose rationality
- it depends on how much you push, but it'd be super easy to make him super possessive bc like i said, being bonded by a child has made him so much more intense (and he was pretty intense before)
- and if you push too much he'll lowkey forget about how cautious he's trying to be with you and pin you against the nearest wall and say something along the lines of 'are you already forgetting you're mine? that i own you, body and soul--is my child growing in you not enough of a reminder? because i'll give you another one if you need it.' (AH--i want to write a whole fic based on this line)
- also if the reader is grisha, especially if she's a sun summoner/special grisha like him, he def talks about the power that they've created and how proud he already is and how he can't wait to train together and be the most powerful family in the world
- not everything is perfectly happy though, bc now he feels more pressure to complete his plan and establish the world he wants his child to be born into
- so sometimes when he's working extra hard or is extra aggressive for no reason, you have to work at calming him down and reminding him that the best thing he can do for his child is be there for them (and the child's mother,, lol)
- sometimes he'll respond by actually listening to you and trying to make up for his absence or his aggression by being extra soft until you finally forgive him
- you never last that long, it's hard to be mad at him when he's coddling you and whispering such sweet things about he's so happy to have you and your future child
- overall, his first reaction is to swell with emotion, which he isn't used to, and so he becomes super protective but also extra lovey and you know that his overreactions are just him trying to show that he cares about you and your future child more than anything
If the pregnancy was unplanned:
- the initial reaction is pretty similar, only his state of shock lasts longer
- like i said at the beginning, he's not used to being surprised and an accidental pregnancy is so much more surprising than a planned pregnancy
- this really sucks for you bc he's not exactly known for his patience so you just kinda sit there and genuinely wonder if you're going to be a single mom or if you're going to want to deletus the fetus or something
- but then he takes a step towards you and you see how he's looking at you and you just know that that fierceness has to mean something good
- and at this point you're scared and nervous and feel so alone so tears are pricking at your eyes,, so he wipes his thumb across your cheek to wipe away tears you won't let spill
- he then whispers something really sweet about how you two are now together forever, as you should be
- it's really relieving bc you felt so alone and uncertain and he's such a smooth speaker that by the end of the night, you feel like this is a good thing
- if youre still hesitant/weighing your options, he's not above trying to (gently) manipulate you into thinking that what he wants may be the only way
- by that,, i don't mean outright tricking you bc he means everything he says, but he def is pushing the keeping the baby agenda,, especially if you're a grisha,, and even more so if you're a grisha with similar power levels to him
- he won't get angry at first bc he's not so out of touch that he's unaware of how shocking a pregnancy is to a woman who wasn't planning one,, but his patience is limited and if you fight it too much he will get mad and yell
- but unless you really don't want to have a child, it won't get to that bc he makes the idea of having a baby with him sound so perfect?? like you genuinely don't understand how he did that
- he chases away all of your worries and assures you that youre not alone and that even though it isn't planned he wouldn't rather anyone else carry his child
- the initial conversation would probably end in you two sleeping together again bc he finds the fact that you're carrying his child so attractive and bc being aware of the pregnancy makes him more possessive
- it's also a good way to fight any of your doubts
- speaking of being possessive though,, i feel like he could be a little more possessive/protective of a reader who didn't plan on getting pregnant bc your relationship has been less established
- no one sees you as anything to him and he doesn't want to start rumors now bc it's important to him that his enemies don't find out about you or his future child so he doesn't want that to change
- but he almost forgets about all of those reasons each time he sees a man get a little too close,, especially if that guy is flirty
- it takes all of his will power to not just go 'she's mine and if i wasn't worried about the stress that witnessing something violent would cause our unborn child, you'd be dead already, but if you're not gone by the time i turn around, i'll forget about caution'
- lots of close calls ngl!! at one point youre like 'if it bothers you so much, maybe you should tell someone??' and he's like 'no,, maybe,, shut up' and then you raise one eyebrow and he just closes his mouth and is like 'i mean,, i'll kiss you to shut you up, haha--dont be mad'
- youre the one that's pregnant but sometimes you think he might be the one experiencing the mood swings i swear 😭
- so your little theory gets tested,, he's not the type to gossip with his besties and be like 'guess who's officially my girlfriend, i knocked her up but it's not like it sounds--'
- so he's like ig you can tell genya
- once again genya is like ?? yall thought you were keeping that secret? couldn't be me
- but having it a little out in the open helps ease him just enough that youre actually capable of consoling him when he becomes jealous
- still though,, he's quick to go into possessive/pregnancy kink sex
- youre most def not mad about it,, unless pregnancy has you particularly sore
- he's normally pretty understanding about that and def doesn't mind pulling his weight in the bedroom when he needs
- honestly he'd be really good at being a source of calmness at the beginning, but as time goes on he becomes more and more worried about finishing his plans bc he didn't expect to have a child right now
- so he'd be more adamant about working/becoming more tense and would be more difficult to console if it was an accidental pregnancy
- when you call him out on it--or on anything while your pregnant--it's frustrating for you both bc the number one thing everyone knows is stress is bad for baby, so he's trying to keep you calm without backing down
- these argument always end with one of you clinging to the other,, and then the more angrier of the two just like shuts up, rolls their eyes, and lets go of the argument...at least for now
- the main difference between an accidental and intentional pregnancy would probably be how you perceive him,, bc an intentional pregnancy means youve talked about things but since you havent talked about anything your shocked about how soft he becomes ??
339 notes · View notes
alliedbiscuit · 3 years
Text
msr fic / s7 post-closure but pre-all things / wc: 3398
Scully takes Maggie out for a birthday dinner, and you'll never guess who they run into.
************
“So, how are feeling about dessert?” the waiter asks hopefully.
Maggie Scully scoffs. “Oh, no. I couldn’t eat another bite. Maybe just a cup of coffee? Decaf, please.”
“Mom, are you sure? You should get dessert,” Dana Scully prods, stopping herself short before she could let it slip, “It’s your birthday!” The last gift her mother would appreciate is a gaggle of underpaid waiters singing some public-domain-compliant version of a birthday song while the whole restaurant turns its attention toward her. Like mother, like daughter.
Well, the daughter made an exception and found that kind of thing charming exactly once. But at least she got a nice keychain out of it. All her mother would get was humiliation and a chocolate lava cake.
As soon as the waiter leaves to fetch their after dinner coffees, Maggie reveals her true intentions.
“I was thinking we could go to that ice cream parlor down the street. If I’m going to indulge, I think I want a hot fudge sundae. Or maybe we could split a banana split?”
“Or you could get a hot fudge sundae and I could get a banana split, and we could split both,” Scully suggests.
“See, that’s why you work for the FBI.”
“Dessert Conflict Resolution was part of my training at Quantico.”
Both Scullys giggle.
“Does Fox have the same specialty? Or is that what you bring to the team?”
“Mulder’s dessert strategy is just to eat everything and then swim a mile and run five the next day. No, he’s a Takeout Menu Marksman, though. He knows where to order from and what to order so it travels the best and doesn’t get cold and congealed by the time it arrives. Might sound like a trivial skill, but it’s a lifesaver on movie night.”
Maggie continues smiling but cocks her head slightly. Dana realizes why almost instantly.
“You have movie night?”
“It’s not a set thing or anything. We just…if we’re not busy with a case.”
“You just watch movies? As coworkers?”
“As friends.”
“Just friends?”
Dana lets out a long sigh as she stares her mother down. Her mother, maintaining that gentle yet challenging grin. Dana considers her response carefully. She could offer a simple yes because that is the fact of the matter. They are just friends. She could criticize the wording choice. “Just” friends? Why does it have to be “just” friends? As if friendship isn’t somehow enough or isn’t valuable?
She could realize it’s her mother’s birthday and she’s the only other Scully woman left to confide in about matters of the heart, and although she doesn’t want to bring up the New Year’s kiss because she still doesn’t really know what it meant, maybe they both need this little gift of honesty, filled with tempered excitement and promise.
“For now,” Dana Scully finally admits.
Maggie’s grin grows as Scully just shakes her head and manages to keep her slight eye roll from reaching embarrassed teenager level. The waiter does bail her out a bit by choosing that moment to deliver their coffees.
“How is Fox doing? After his mother…” Maggie trails off, but her daughter knows not to expect any more specifics.
“Better? I mean, as well as can be expected. The thing is, right after that, he found out some more about his sister. About what happened to her. It was just so much all at once. I was really worried…”
Maggie reaches across the table to lay a hand on hers.
“But, it was almost like he was ready for it. He finally had some answers. Like it brought him some peace.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Yeah. He needed that.”
“We all do.”
*************
Maggie is the one to spot him first as they’re heading for the door.
“Is that- is that Fox?” she asks her daughter.
“What? No, he wouldn't…” Dana trails off as she looks straight ahead to where her mother was indicating and confirms that it is indeed Fox Mulder, standing with his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained to the floor as he appears to be waiting near the vestibule for the restrooms.
“Mulder?” Scully questions as she approaches, her voice giving away her confusion and growing concern.
His head darts up in surprise, but a beaming smile of recognition quickly overtakes his face.
“Hey, Scully! Mrs. Scully, it’s so nice to see you!”
“You too, Fox,” Maggie kindly replies, although a quick glance to her daughter confirms her suspicion that Dana is still very confused by his presence.
“Did you…did you need something?” She suddenly feels silly for presuming that he must have come there with urgent news or a case or something, but why else would Fox Mulder be at Petrino’s on a Saturday night? Did his informants trade in clandestine meetings in parking garages for family-style Italian?
“Hmm?” Mulder asks.
“You didn’t come here to find me? I told you I was bringing my mom here for her birthday, didn’t I?” He didn’t look like he had rushed to the restaurant from the office or his apartment as she had originally assumed. He had clearly shaved and combed his hair nicely. He wore an olive green sweater with dark blue jeans and a black wool pea coat rather than his leather jacket. He had definitely made an effort.
“You did, but I thought you were going out tomorrow night on her actual birthday. Happy birthday, by the way, Mrs. Scully.”
“Thank you, Fox. I’m going to have lunch with some ladies from church after mass tomorrow, so I asked Dana if we could do Saturday night instead.”
“Ah. What a weird coincidence then. I can’t believe we didn’t see you at all during dinner.”
We.
Oh God.
Mulder was on a date.
Mulder was on a date in this restaurant on the night he thought Scully wasn’t going to be there. Mulder was on a date right after Scully had confessed to her mother (and herself) that their “just friends” status was in the process of changing. Mulder was on a date right after he’d been through so much pain but seemed to come out lighter and more open and he wanted to share it with someone…who wasn’t Dana Scully.
“So, you’ve already eaten then?” Maggie asks since her daughter appears unable to form a coherent statement at the moment.
“Yeah, we just finished. I’m just waiting for her…” he seems to trail off just to motion towards the restroom rather than say anything indelicate, but then he notices Maggie’s poorly masked look of concern toward Dana, and then he notices Dana’s completely unmasked look of shock.
And then he gets it.
“Oh, no! It’s not…I want you to meet her,” Mulder insists as he grabs a hold of both of Scully’s elbows and then glances anxiously toward the restroom door.
Dana Scully looks like she might be ill.
Thankfully Mulder only stammers a moment longer until the restroom door opens and he finds reprieve when a tall, thin woman appearing to be in her mid-60s walks through the door.
“Aunt Helen,” Mulder calls.
Somehow Scully’s eyes manage to get even wider as some of the color returns to her face.
“Aunt Helen, there are a few people I’d really like you to meet. This is my partner, Dana Scully, and this is her mother, Margaret Scully.”
Aunt Helen smiles widely in recognition, first shaking Maggie’s hand and then Dana’s. “It is such a pleasure to meet you both. I’ve heard such wonderful things.”
She lingers with her hand holding Dana’s while she says this, and the younger Scully is left blushing. She hazards a look at Mulder, but he doesn’t look embarrassed by this revelation. He holds her gaze with nothing but pride.
“This is my aunt, Helen Briggs. She’s my mom’s sister. She’s visiting for the weekend from Charlotte.”
They all kind of marvel over the fact that they were in the same restaurant and what a coincidence and oh, we were seated near the back bar, that must be why we didn’t see you and Scully is just starting to feel her pulse return to normal as Aunt Helen laments not having a chance to talk with the Scullys.
“Well, Dana and I skipped dessert so we could go to The Big Dipper for some ice cream. Would you two like to join us?”
“Oh, that would be lovely. As long as we’re not intruding,” says Aunt Helen.
“Not at all,” Scully assures her. “There is one catch, though.”
“It’s not real ice cream. It’s that Tofutti nonsense, isn’t it?” Mulder groans.
“It better not be,” Maggie insists. “I don’t know how she eats that stuff.”
Scully ignores her mother and her partner’s bad mouthing of her frozen treats as she returns her attention to Aunt Helen.
“I’m afraid if you want to come along, you will have to reveal a few good Young Mulder stories. And by ‘a few,’ I mean as many as you’ve got. And by ‘good,’ I mean the more embarrassing the better.”
“I’ll start thinking now,” Aunt Helen laughs.
“I knew I should’ve picked a different restaurant,” Mulder says regretfully.
***********
They’ve just sat down to a small, round table for four with their ice cream when Mulder stands up to get them all more napkins, and Aunt Helen retrieves a small, rectangular piece of paper from her purse that she then deftly slides to Dana.
“Oh my god!” Scully exclaims with joy.
Staring back at her from the paper is a very young Fox Mulder. She guesses he must be around 8 or 9 in the school photo. His long, sandy brown hair falls just above his eyebrows. He doesn’t have his distinctive nose yet, but his bottom lip is already a little pouty. The real give away is the eyes. He’s grinning for the camera, but his eyes still have that soulfulness, that slight sadness.
She’s surprised. She knows she shouldn’t be. His eyes didn’t suddenly change when Samantha was taken. His eyes were probably always like that.
But she had always assumed that the great tragedy had flipped a switch for Young Fox Mulder. That before that single event, he had certainly been a perfectly happy child. Funny and athletic, popular for sure. But the humor developed as a defense mechanism later in life. And the sports were a great physical release as well as an excuse to be out of the house as much as possible. She didn’t actually know what he was like before, but now that she thought about it, home life was probably never all that great if it eventually led to a father sacrificing one child and leaving the other to always live with the guilt and loss.
It was very possible that Fox Mulder had always been a little boy with a lot on his mind.
In contrast, present day, adult Fox Mulder looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world as he returns with extra napkins, ready to tuck into his chocolate peanut butter ice cream in a waffle cone – that is until he realizes what his friend and partner Dana Scully is looking at.
“Oh come on. I was gone for thirty seconds, and you have the visual aids out.”
Scully continues to beam as Maggie finally gets a glimpse of the photo in her hand.
“Oh, Fox!”
“Okay,” Mulder said exasperatedly. “Does this meet your embarrassment quota?” he asks, looking pointedly at Scully.
“Not even close! This isn’t embarrassing. It’s adorable!”
Mulder rolls his eyes but can’t hide his bashful grin at her comment.
“It’s only fair, Fox. I know you’ve seen family photos of Dana at my house,” Mrs. Scully says, sounding like a mother well practiced in settling disputes between children.
“Just a couple. I do like that high school graduation picture, though. I still don’t know how you kept your cap on with all that hair.”
“That was the style back then. Everybody teased their hair and used a ton of hairspray.”
“I thought it might be a religious thing at Catholic school. The higher the hair, the closer to God,” Mulder teases.
Maggie and Aunt Helen chuckle, though the latter gives him a good-natured swat on the arm in admonishment.
“See, this is what I need, though. I need something from the teen years. That’s peak embarrassment fodder,” Scully says.
“If you ask our colleagues, I think my peak embarrassment fodder would come from about 1991 to present,” Mulder points out.
Aunt Helen just looks slightly regretful. “I’m afraid I don’t have many stories from those years, Dana.”
Mulder makes eye contact with Aunt Helen. “You didn’t miss much,” he insists. She looks like she wants to debate him, but he just places a hand on hers reassuringly, and they seem to make a silent agreement to not argue the point any further.
Mulder had never really mentioned any other family before. She knew his grandparents had all passed before she met him, but she had assumed, just like with everything else, that any other extended family connections had disappeared along with Samantha. That no one would know how to comfort and console The Mulders in a situation like that, with no explanation.
His aunts and uncles must have had questions, probably even had their own theories. Did his mother’s side suspect his father’s involvement, or did his father’s side blame his mother somehow? Did any of them blame…no, she couldn’t go down that route. Besides, did anyone ever suspect horrific things like that before the days of cable news and supermarket tabloids?
The point is, it was a tense situation, so Scully assumed they had all done what wealthy white people in places like Martha’s Vineyard and Boston and Raleigh did with any uncomfortable subject – they avoided it completely.
And that meant avoiding the little boy with a lot on his mind as he became a teenager with even more on his mind.
Scully had accompanied Mulder to a small burial service for his mother in Raleigh a few months ago. It was just the service. No gathering or dinner after, or at least not one that Mulder told her about. The attendees at the service were all pretty spread out, not much mingling. Again, it was another sudden loss shrouded in mystery. They all avoided particulars as much as they could.
Scully didn’t remember seeing Aunt Helen that day, but maybe she was there and just couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Maybe she wasn’t there because she couldn’t bring herself to go and then regretted it. Dana Scully didn’t know, and it didn’t actually matter. The point is that she’s here now. And that’s exactly what Mulder’s look of reassurance and acceptance seems to say.
It seems to help her perk up because she offers playfully, “Oh, what about that summer on Quonochontaug? I think you were 9 or so, and you were collecting leaves for one of your Indian Guide badges.”
“Oh god!”
“I’m hooked already. Not to jump ahead, but please tell me there’s poison ivy involved,” Scully says gleefully.
Aunt Helen’s bark of laughter and Mulder’s exaggerated eye roll are all the confirmation she needs.
“It was heavily involved! But that’s not the worst part. While he was working on his Leaf Collecting badge, he also earned credit towards his Wildlife badge when he came across a skunk in the woods.”
“No!” Scully shouts.
“Ivyed and skunked at the same time,” Mulder admits.
“Oh you poor thing,” Maggie adds sympathetically, but with barely contained laughter.
“He had to jump right from a tomato juice bath for the skunk smell…”
“Which didn’t work!”
“…into an oatmeal bath for the itching.”
“Which worked better, but I still smelled like a Grateful Dead concert.”
Both Scullys are full on giggling at this point.
“Do you remember what Grandpa Ralph said when he walked in and saw you and mom dunking me in a tub of oatmeal?” Mulder asks.
Aunt Helen pitches her voice deeper and amps up her Southern twang, “Why don’t cha dip him in some egg and flour next? We toss him in the frying pan, we got supper! We’re havin’ Fried Fox tonight!”
Now they’re all in hysterics. Even the man who usually hates his given name can’t help but laugh along, especially when it makes his lovely company so happy.
*****************
Scully enters the basement office Monday morning to find Mulder already there, flipping through an open drawer in the filing cabinet.
“Good morning,” she says cheerfully.
He looks up and smiles. “Good morning. Long time no see.”
“How was the rest of your weekend? Did you guys do any sightseeing or anything?”
“No, we just had a late breakfast yesterday before I took her to the airport, but it was good to catch up some more. She told me to thank you again for letting us tag along for ice cream. It was really nice.”
“It was,” Scully agrees.
Mulder appears to be considering something for a moment before he crosses over to the desk and picks up a small envelope.
“She also told me to give this to you,” he says almost bashfully, extending the envelope in Scully’s direction. “She told me I couldn’t look inside, and I didn’t. But I think I know what’s in there, and if I’m right, you don’t have to keep it. You can just leave it here on the desk.”
Well, now she’s intrigued. Scully opens the envelope to find a small handwritten note at the top.
“I thought you might like these. I have plenty more too, if you’d ever like to see them or want any more stories. Please don’t be a stranger.”
Scully lifts up the note to see the remaining contents inside and finds a small stack of photographs, a mixture of more school photos along with a few wallet-sized family portraits and a couple candids taken on the beaches of the Vineyard or Rhode Island, she can’t tell. But she sees the same set of eyes in all of them.
She looks back to read the rest of the note.
“I’m so glad I got to meet you, Dana. Take care!”
Below Aunt Helen’s elegant signature, she has also written her home address and phone number. Scully will have to call and thank her.
“She tried to give some to me,” Mulder explains, “but I didn’t really want…and like I said, you don’t have to…”
“No, I’d like to keep them,” Dana insists.
Mulder lets her statement hang in the air for a moment, but he can’t help but diffuse it.
“You just want more blackmail material.”
“Something like that,” Scully says teasingly, but there’s no bite behind it.
“I knew I should’ve picked a different restaurant.”
She chuckles lightly as she shuffles the photos into a neat stack to place back in the envelope, thinking that this is the point where they get back to work. Mulder stays standing in front of her and appears to be considering something again. Does he have another envelope that he’s afraid to give her?
“You know it was pure luck that we ended up at Petrino’s the same night as you. I actually gave Aunt Helen a few options and let her choose. I was pushing more for that Thai place in Arlington, just off Old Dominion. The one that’s been there forever,” Mulder explains.
“Oh, the one with the secret menu? I’ve still never been there. Can’t say I’m surprised that Aunt Helen wasn’t up for Thai food, though.”
“Yeah. Fair point,” Mulder nods for a moment too long before continuing. “Would you like to go there sometime? Like this Saturday? With me?”
Scully slowly looks up from the envelope to see Mulder’s face because in all matters, other than the divine, Dana Scully needs to see to believe. And the slightly nervous yet gentle grin that she finds allows her to believe it to be true – Fox Mulder has just asked her out on a real date.
“I would like that,” Scully says gently.
“Good. You wanna say 7:30? Or we can always figure out time later,” Mulder states, aiming for practicality to keep him from grinning like a complete idiot. He ends up grinning like a moderate idiot, but he’s okay with that.
“Sounds good.”
Yep, Scully will definitely have to call Aunt Helen and thank her.
177 notes · View notes
moldisgoodforyou · 3 years
Text
christmas with the camerons
Tumblr media
gif from @toesure​ (doesn’t really fit but baby blue suit rafe has my heart)
wordcount: 1.9k
_
Two nights before Christmas, the Cameron family held their infamous holiday party. It was extravagant and well-known throughout the Outer Banks, and Sophie’s mom was practically giddy with excitement when she found out Sophie was going. When she came down the stairs, all dressed up and filled with nervous energy, her mom scanned her over. 
“That looks good. Just make sure you’re careful when you lean over so it’s not slutty.” She tugged at the strap of Sophie’s dress, pulling her up straight. 
“Don’t be ridiculous, Alice, she looks great.” Her dad chimed in, giving Sophie a reassuring smile. 
Her mom just nodded, reaching out to fix a stray strand of Sophie’s hair and frowning when Sophie flinched away. “Be sure and behave, Sophie, you could make a lasting impression there. Surely you remember your etiquette classes you took at the academy?” 
“I remember, Mom.” She twisted her bracelets, glancing at the time on her phone. 
“Please don’t bring up the environment, at least, no one likes a woman that has far too much to say. And stand up straight.” 
“Jesus, Mom, she’ll be fine. I’m the one that never paid attention in etiquette anyways.” Her brother Carter strolled down the stairs, swinging his keys around his finger. “Ready to go, Soph?” 
Sophie nodded quickly and headed out the door with Carter, who was dropping her off. The car ride was fairly quiet, Sophie too anxious to keep up with small talk. She felt extra subconscious coming out of the old, slightly used car while the other cars parked along the drive were Audis and BMWs. 
“Hey.” Carter caught her attention just before she shut the door. She paused and turned back. “Oh, sorry, thanks for the ride.” 
“It’s nothing. Hey, you look good. Don’t think about what Mom said.” He held out his hand, handing her a mini shooter bottle of tequila. She laughed. “Carter, I cannot go into this drunk -” 
“It’s one shot, Soph, if you’re drunk after this we have a bigger problem.” He grinned and pressed it into her hand. “Throw it into your purse for later. You’ll kill it.” 
She grinned back, finally feeling a little at ease. “You promise you’ll pick me up if I need it?” 
“At your beck and call, one night only.” He promised. “Go.” 
She gave him another smile before tucking the shooter into her purse and walking in, head held high and forcing herself to look as confident as possible. (She had used the same technique before, Halloween night when she finally told Rafe how she felt about him, but she felt miles out of her league this time.) 
Rafe had been waiting upstairs in his room, pacing back and forth until he got the text that she’d arrived. He came downstairs with the biggest grin once he saw her. “Soph, hey!” She grinned back, growing at ease. “Hey you. You look incredible.” 
He greeted her with a kiss and ran his hands down her sides. “You look gorgeous. Seriously.” She blushed, trying to hold back her smile. “Quit.” 
“Never. I’m gonna tell you that all night.” He wrapped her in a hug, frowning a little when she didn’t relax into his arms. “You feel alright? Excited?” 
“Ah...just a little nervous.” She admitted. 
“Just, uh...think of it as a frat party.” 
“Rafe.” 
He laughed. “Okay, okay, think of it as formal. You survived that just fine. I thought you liked parties though?”  
She lowered her voice, eyes flitting around at the expensive-looking couples walking by. “Yeah, parties with beer pong and people downing White Claws, not parties with, like, waltzes and Veuve Clicquot champagne.” 
“Ah. Dom Perignon, actually.” He corrected, and she let out a small groan and dropped her head to his chest. “Please say you’re kidding.” 
“Only the best for the Cameron Christmas party.” He squeezed her hip gently and tilted her head up. “Seriously though, it’s nothing to stress about. Just dinner, drinks, some dancing and then we can ditch and go get wasted at Topper’s.”  
“Easy for you to say, you’ve done this your whole life.”  
“Yeah, so I’m the perfect person to be with tonight.” He kissed her again. “Let’s  go find our spot at the table, I have to introduce you to my dad.” 
She froze. “I have to meet your dad?” 
He put both hands on her shoulders, shaking her a little to get her to relax. “You thought you were coming to a party hosted by my dad and wouldn’t meet him?” 
“I...no? Figured he’d be busy?” 
“Well yeah, but later. C’mon, we should get this over with.” Rafe took Sophie’s hand and tugged her toward the head table, where a seat was reserved for her. She leaned back on her heels, stopping him. “Do we really have to? Can’t I sit with Kelce and Topper or something at their table?” He shook his head. “No, you’re my guest. I just need to introduce you real quick, we’ll do the whole thing and then we can get out of here. Deal?” 
Sophie adjusted her dress and stood up straight, unsure. “Do I look fine?” 
“You look perfect. Promise.” He reassured her with a quick kiss to her forehead, then led her over to his dad, seated and waiting. Ward rose when he saw them, offering a polite smile and extending his hand. “Is this your guest tonight, Rafe?” 
“Yeah, Dad, this is my girlfriend Sophie.” 
“Oh, the girl from your marketing class? Rhodes, right?” 
Sophie paused mid-shaking Ward’s hand, her already-forced smile faltering. “No, sir, it’s Flint. Sophie Flint.” 
“Of course!” Ward recovered quickly, but Sophie didn’t miss the glance he shot to Rafe. “Nice to meet you, Sophie. You met Rafe at school?” 
“In high school, Dad, she grew up here. Went to Greenville with Sarah.” He paused, growing a little tense. “I’m pretty sure I told you that. Remember, her dad was my golf instructor at the course growing up? Jeff Flint?” 
“Right, right.” Ward nodded. Rafe squeezed Sophie’s hand a little too tight, knowing damn well his dad had only dropped him off at five lessons total growing up and just bothered to pay the check instead. 
“Thank you again for the invite, Mr. Cameron. This party is really nice.” Sophie tried ending the conversation, gesturing at the opulent atmosphere. 
“I’m glad you could come. Make sure Rafe here doesn’t ruin it,” Ward joked, and Rafe was practically breaking her hand at that point from squeezing so tight. She just gave him a tight smile and pulled Rafe away, not speaking until they were hidden away on the wrap-around porch. 
“Shit, Rafe.” She cursed, tugging her hand out of his grip. He frowned and instantly took it back, a lot gentler, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles before rubbing his thumb over her hand. “Sorry, just - fuck, he pisses me off -” 
“I know, I know. It’s okay.” Sophie paused, lowering her voice a little. “Who’s the girl from your marketing class?” 
“Oh, her.” Rafe rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Lexie Rhodes, we were in some group project together for the semester and I guess my dad does business with her family or whatever. He tried to set us up.” 
“Wait. Rhodes, like, Rhodes Tower in Columbus? The really tall one?” 
“Yeah, exactly.” He nodded. 
She hummed in recognition, trying her best not to grow nervous again at another reminder of how out of place she was. “Alright.” 
“Hey, wait, I didn’t consider it or anything. Nothing happened.”  
“No, no, I didn’t think that. S’okay.” 
“Okay.” He nodded, wearing a small frown, and Sophie smoothed the pad of her thumb over the corner of his lips. “That wasn’t terrible, was it?” 
“No, he’s just rude and can’t remember our entire conversation from last night at dinner. I told him everything about you.” He huffed and she raised her eyebrows. “Everything?” 
“Yeah, where we met, our group project, how you hated me for years -” 
“Rafe, I didn’t hate you -” She only cut herself off when she noticed his smirk. “Quit, I can’t handle that tonight!” 
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” He nudged her shoulder. “We have to go back, my dad’s gonna kill me if we’re not seated for the start of dinner.” 
She nodded and followed along, shooting him a grateful smile when he pulled out the chair for her and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. They made it through dinner without incident, both Sarah and Wheezie keeping her nerves down with jokes about the rest of the guests and stories of past Christmas parties. She eased up a little after a few glasses of champagne, the bubbles going straight to her head. Rafe didn’t bother to cut her off when he caught her stumbling a little in a twirl, just laughing and holding her close instead. 
After being out for longer than planned on the dancing floor, Rafe brought Sophie back inside to his room. She wore his suit jacket over her dress, the sleeves going a good six inches past her fingertips. “You look adorable.” He grinned, letting her take a seat on the bed while he rolled up his shirt sleeves. She pouted, a little tipsy. “Thought you said I was gorgeous.” 
“Gorgeous, and adorable, and beautiful, and fucking stunning.” He told her, smirking when she turned red. “Let me use the bathroom then we can head to Topp’s, alright?” 
“Alright.” She nodded. After a second, curiosity got the best of her and she googled the brand of Rafe’s suit jacket she wore and winced at the pricetag, quickly exiting the tab and closing her phone. He came back out a few moments later, hair a little unkempt just how she liked it. “Ready, baby?” 
“It’s okay that I’m here, right?” 
He raised his eyebrows, confused. “In my room? Yeah, why?” 
“No, at the party. I mean.” She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. “I was out of place all night.” 
Rafe frowned and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “I’m not sure what you  mean.” 
Normally she’d keep this in, but loose lips got the best of her. “Your dad is trying to set you up with probably one of the richest girls at Ohio State and you’re just dating your golf instructor’s daughter. The only reason I ever saw you at the country club growing up was because my dad had a free membership from teaching.” 
“Sophie...” He slid his hand to her thigh, squeezing her knee. 
“Sorry, just, um. Is that what you want? I don���t want to hold you back.” 
“What?! No, no, Soph, no.” Rafe tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear to get her to make eye contact. “Where is this coming from?” 
She shrugged, growing a little embarrassed. “I just thought about it. Look, it doesn’t matter, we can just go to Topper’s party.” 
“That’s not what I want, Sophie, I want you.” He frowned, unsure of how to convince her further. “That stuff doesn’t matter to me, not at all. Promise.” 
The half-hearted reassurance didn’t do much to help her, but Sophie nodded and forced a smile, giving him a quick kiss before standing. “Alright. Just needed to hear that, I guess. I’m ready to go.” 
He paused before standing too. “You’re sure? I like you, Sophie. You’re my girl.” 
She pushed any uneasy thoughts to the back of her mind and smiled genuinely at his last sentiment. “Come on, handsome. Party awaits.” 
He gave her a longer-than-normal hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead before escorting her back downstairs, mind racing with uncertainty. 
123 notes · View notes
limitlessgojo · 3 years
Text
Blood Bound: Red Strings of Fate (Ch 9)
Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Descriptions of Blood
Previous Chapter: Red Strings of Fate
Next Chapter: Invisible Ties
Tags: Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader
Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife
Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, please mention it in the comments below ty <3
Chapter 9: Wait for Me
After the mission, you got back to the Kyoto High School campus. Both of you were still a little awkward, not knowing exactly how to proceed with your relationship. Are you dating now? Not necessarily.
Noritoshi reached out to you from behind, but thought better and retracted his hand. You seemed to have zoned out for the rest of the mission, so he thought it would be better to give you a bit of space.
You both were outside your dorm room after having submitted the report about how the mission went.
You turned back to face Noritoshi, “Thank you so much for accompanying me on my first ever mission senpai. It was definitely a different experience from just sparring with other jujutsu sorcerers. I’ll do my best to improve.”
You lowered your head, but he bent his knees so he could face you, “You definitely have talent and raw power. Please be more logical in your tactical and in-fight responses next time. Thank you for protecting me.” He spoke quietly so as to not disturb the other students who are already in bed.
You smiled tightly, “Just… doing my job.”
You looked up to face him. There was something cloudy and stormy in his expression that you couldn’t quite read.
He was such a hard man to read, Kamo Noritoshi. Now that you think about it, you really don’t know much about the man who is your soulmate.
Noritoshi pulled back with his usual solemn expression. “You should go on ahead and get some rest. Good night.”
“Good night Noritoshi senpai.” You weakly called out, before going back into your room. Your heart had never pounded this hard and fast before, you were sure. You had trouble going to sleep that night, remembering the second vision you both shared.
On the other hand Noritoshi’s head was spinning by the time he got back into his room. He could still feel the ghost of the kiss from the vision and wondered how it would feel to hold you close to him like that.
◇◇◇
During the weekend, Noritoshi went back to the Kamo Clan estate and told his father of everything that had occurred between the two of you. As soon as he finished his father softly slammed down a fist on his desk out of excitement.
“It’s been how many years since the last known living pair of soulmates existed? They were so highly regarded that most pairs chose to live in complete isolation out of fear of being targeted. We need to be careful, but this is truly a blessing from the heavens.” His father smiled.
Noritoshi’s dad pushed a book towards him. “We were able to find a very old record of soulmates from our clan’s history. Kamo no Hotaru. A man who lived quietly, after eloping with his soulmate away from the Kamo clan. His partner was said to be a woman from the Abe clan. They supposedly died in battle, according to records. This happened during the rise of curses right before the Heian era.” His father spoke solemnly.
Noritoshi felt chills run up his spine upon hearing his words. “The woman’s name is unknown. But her parents were known to have not approved of her involvement with Hotaru kun. This was as written in the diary entries of Hotaru. Curses and curse users alike were drawn towards their synergy and tried to break them apart or at least kill one of them.”
“They might have survived had they stayed with their families, but they chose love above all. Back then it was not yet widely known about how soulmates’ offsprings could have a power far greater than their parents’, but now we do. But even apart from that, a soulmate bond is said to make both halves grow stronger. So make sure that you don’t let go of her. Charm her and make sure she stays with you. A stronger bond will give you strength as a Jujutsu sorcerer.” His father orders him.
The words were swimming in Noritoshi’s head. But… “If it’s simply falling for her and making her fall for me, it should come naturally with time father. To be frank, I’ve been attracted to her since our first meeting. I will do my best.” Noritoshi said firmly.
◇◇◇
Days after your first mission, Noritoshi’s words from your first mission together still bothered you. It was so dumb on your part. “You don’t know me.” Those words just kept repeating in your mind. It wasn’t wrong.
Make no mistake, Noritoshi didn't mean to offend you at all. From his point of view, he only wanted you to tell him the real reason as to why you saved him without thinking of your actions. He didn't mean to hurt you with his words.
You tried to let it go, knowing that he was just extra worried at that time. But to be honest, it was something that still hung over you. You wished to know him better, not only as a soulmate, but also as a friend.
Everytime Noritoshi came around you and greeted you hello, your heart would tighten just a bit. He could start to feel the weighted heaviness on your soul that he didn't realize was yours via the bond.
He simply thought that he was also feeling down for no reason. It was a long way, distinguishing whose emotions were whose, as the bond is still so fresh between the two of you.
And so he gave his mother a call and scheduled a meetup with her.
“Hello? Mother. Yes, I am well. How are you? …. That’s good to hear. Are you free this weekend? …. Nothing really, I just wanted to see you. …. Yes, me too. …. All is going well here at school, you don’t have to worry I promise. … Yes father is okay. …. Thank you, I’ll see you this Saturday then. Goodbye.” Beep.
◇◇◇
In the following weeks, Noritoshi had been incredibly busy to say the least. He was finally getting promoted to a semi grade 1 as long as he does well in his next mission.
His father was constantly reminding him to make sure he makes you fall in love with him as his soulmate, and hurry it up so that the rest of the clan can meet you already. And he just really wanted to see his mother.
One afternoon you tried to cheer him up after noticing his bad moods. You made senpai some coffee and brought him pastries in your free time.
You sent him a text saying you had something for him. He replied that you could stay for a bit in his room.
“Pardon my intrusion!” You called out as you went in. The door was left unlocked for you. “Come in.” Noritoshi looked up tiredly. His eyes had heavy bags and he looked so exhausted.
“I’m sorry to be bothering you. I just brought some coffee and pastries here so that you can regain a bit of energy senpai.” you whispered, not wanting to be too loud for him.
“It’s not a bother. I’ve just been swamped with so much work as of the late.”
"Senpai, have you… considered getting a bit of rest first? The TOEIC is still a long way to go." You stared at the papers that read "TOEIC 990" stacked on top of his desk.
"I have other matters I’m attending to. Family business and other missions." He grunted while continuing to write down on his paper. He was definitely stressed and overworked.
Maybe he needed someone, like a family member. You tried to empathize with him, "I see. Have you heard from your mom and dad lately? I also understand if you're feeling homesick, I feel the same…" You trailed off upon seeing his face tighten at the mention of his mother.
Your heart dropped.
"That's none of your business." He whispered coldly without thinking.
Fuck y/n. You stepped on a landmine.
You inhaled sharply, backing away. “Ah, I’m so sorry to be intruding. I stepped out of bounds. Please get as much rest as you need.”
You quickly excused yourself from his room feeling so confused from his sudden cold demeanour.
Noritoshi reached out to you, “Wait! I didn’t-” but you already closed his door and stumbled out of his room faster than he could react.
He gave a deep sigh, not meaning to offend you or anything. He just wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone else, and that included you at the moment.
He was just feeling stressed, because he had to cancel his meetup with his mother since his father demanded to talk with him about other clan matters.
He groaned out in frustration. “I’ll have to talk and apologize to her later.” He noticed a heavy and sharp tugging at his heart. He dropped his pen in surprise and stared at his chest in confusion.
"This… these aren't my emotions…" it dawned on him finally. Finally, you both are starting to share very strong bursts of emotion.
Pain and sorrow. Your emotions washed over him like a tidal wave, so sudden that he didn't realize tears were running down one side of his left eye.
He felt guilt and regret like never before.
◇◇◇
A strong wave of regret and guilt stabbed through you. You were pretty sure that these were Noritoshi's emotions.
You finally started feeling something from his end, but you just felt heavy. Was it supposed to be tiring to be a fated pair? Or was it just the bond that was messing up both of your emotions?
You couldn’t even ask anyone else for help, because currently there are no known living soulmates. Besides you and Noritoshi that is.
◇◇◇
The next time you met each other, it was a bit awkward. You tried to give him space during the past few days, understanding that it must be what he needed.
After all, he didn't seem too keen on the way you tried to connect with him last time. You probably overstepped your boundaries. It's true, even though you're soulmates, you're still just friends at this stage.
But Noritoshi found himself looking for you. Trying to catch you in his free time, he finally found you in the weaponry, training with your twin blades.
He stared at your figure. You looked like you were dancing rather than fighting. Smaller daggers controlled by your cursed energy flew around you, covering for any blind spots.
They came to a halt as you set them down and deactivated your technique.
"May I help you Noritoshi senpai?" You asked without turning to look at him. He felt his throat tighten up.
"I came to apologise." Your fingers twitched as though itching to throw your dagger at him. But of course you would never.
"Ahhh, it's okay, Noritoshi senpai. I'm sorry for rudely not minding my own business. Even though we might be soulmates, you're not my boyfriend. We are just good friends aren't we?" You said as you finally turned to face him.
‘Set the boundaries and define the relationship’, you thought to yourself.
Every word you said felt like you were pushing the needle deeper in your heart. It hurt, and you both knew it.
He stepped towards you, standing inches away and shaking his head. "I took out my anger and stress on you, and that was wrong of me. I'm sorry. I do care about you deeply, and you're much more than a friend. You are a very special person to me.``
"Don't say words you don't mean Noritoshi senpai. Please." Your heart was slowly crumbling. He looked pained. "I am not lying. Please believe me.”
But you shook your head and stood your ground. You could feel a fraction of his emotions at this stage of the bond. And you knew in your heart that he was just as confused as you are, trying to feel his way into this relationship.
Noritoshi’s father’s words echoed in his head, ‘Don’t let her go.’
"Don't be unfair to me y/n. If I need time I need it. And I will surely fall for you. If you need time, I’ll also give it to you." He whispered out urgently. "We have a lifetime together."
How did he always sound so sure of himself? Of the future for both of you? You looked back up at him with teary eyes. It sounded so wrong, like he was forcing himself to love you just for the sake of the bond. Does that even count...
"To be honest with you, I don't know what to feel right now senpai." Your voice cracked. His heart broke upon seeing you like this. But nothing can be done.
Does the knowledge of a soulbond always bring a pair together or does it doom two people who are not yet ready to love?
"Wait for me." He promised as he took your hands in his and looked you in the eyes. Your marks felt warm.
You finally felt yourself calm down. And it was so frustrating that you're becoming so dependent on him, turning to him for physical affection. He was the cause of your sorrows and joys altogether.
Blood Bound: Table of Contents
50 notes · View notes
shortyisweird9 · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media
'Lonely ghost serie'
Building bridges- part IV
Tw⚠️: swearing
Corpse was panicking, his heart beating in his chest as his legs moved him one part of his secret room to the other.
The reason for his panick? You.
He wanted to speak with you more, he enjoyed the slightly pessimistic but still loveable personality you have, the voice changer being something he was curious about.
Why did you wear it? Do you really hate your voice? Or did something happened and now you are ashamed of it or were you more concerned about keeping the anonymity of your presence? The possibilities were endless and so the kind of message he wants to send you.
Should he say just hi? Should he introduce himself in a longer paragraph? Should he just...send you a meme? His mind inclined towards that more: I mean if she doesn't like memes, she isn't the one.
————————————————————
You woke up with a startle when your phone decided to go off. You swore beneath your breath, your joints popping as you reach for your phone placed on the desk in front of you. Didi wasn't with you and right now you were too tired to care for it.
You moved your hair out of your face hissing when part of it tugged on your piercings. Your eyes leaking from the pain.
-Pentru numele Lui Dumnezeu.("For the love of God.")
You puffed your cheeks and closed your eyes when your head made the unfortunate contact with your bed frame, it seemed today was not your day.
You were send this:
Tumblr media
"What the fuck?"
You giggled as you tried to come up with a response on your own.
You hoped this was the real Corpse not some fan account who tried to masquerade as him, last thing you need was some stranger to invade your private accounts.
You didn't made an account just for ghost since you didn't want to start a channel anyway. You have a lot on your plate between organising the festival and your numerous assignments, you didn't have the mental capacity and energy to entertain a mass of people even thought the idea interested you.
But leaving Corpse unanswered was a crime so you started to dig up through memes that will be matching his response.
Corpse in the meantime was freaking out, cursing at himself for thinking you wanted to chat with him. You already were a reserved person how dare he disturb your peace, how dare he comes in your DMs to only message you a lame ass-
Oh, you send him something back.
Tumblr media
'You liked avocados, right? :))'
His heart melted for a bit but wait...he never said anything about avocados in that stream, he barely talked actually preferring to hear you tease and blame others. Does that...DOES THAT MEAN YOU WATCH HIS VIDEOS?
His hands shook in excitement, the smile in his face growing that means you probably liked him enough to continue to chat with him and he couldn't be more eager to.
'Yeah. I like pineapples too.'
'Pineapples? Even on pizza?'
'Especially on pizza!'
":)))). Okay, pineapple boy. I mean I don't personally like pineapples, I think I might be allergic to them actually but still...my mom likes pineapple on pizza tho."
'Sorry to hear that ,what fruits do you like ?'
Really, ' what fruits do you like'? Oh my fucking God , I swear to-
He facepalmed himself before paying attention to your conversation once again.
'Well,um I like peaches,bananas and mango and green grapes. Man, now I crave a bowl of peaches.'
'Mother I crave PeAcHeS.'
'Lol, yeah. Violence too.'
'Oh?'
'My neighbours been having a fucking sex orgy from how loud they were. Motherfuckers planning a milk farm.'
'Oh my god-ahahaha'
You sighed as you imagine him laughing, your knees melting everytime you heard him chuckle incoherently when he fails to swipe the card. Someone so precious,damn you need to be illegal.
'Up to play today?' He asked you.
You bit your thumb's nail,did you? I mean sure but your nerves were already extended to the max. Yesterday you went through an anxiety attack, but...
"Fuck it."
'Sure, I will love to.'
':) I'll send you the invitation soon.'
You sighed loudly as you held the phone as if it was the anchor that kept you from floating away. Smiling like an idiot.
Definitely, no one is allowed to make me feel this way.
————————————————————
You remained silent as you held in the pain from hitting your right knee on the chair's holders.
"Hello! Ghost?"
It was Corpse and he sounded excited,was it because of you? Nah, he is just in a better mood.
You couldn't except the idea of someone loving you truthfully as more than a friend, you couldn't let yourself believe you are worthy of such love ,not from an angel like him.
"Y-Yeah, hold on. Auch, fir-ai tu de scaun!" You cursed forgetting that your mic was on and that Corpse couldn't understand you.
"Ah, what?"
Aw,shit. Here we go again...
"H-Hi ah I mean ,hello. Yeah, hello...Corpse."
"Hello to you too goofball. What was that you said?"
"Umm..."
----------------------------------------------
"So you were basically cursing out a chair?"
"He hit me first."
"Honey, baby, a chair cannot hit you. It's just an object, a piece of furniture. "
"Easy for you to say, your chair didn't send you flying on numerous times."
You both laughed at the stupidity of the situation, you certainly didn't think that Corpse will be the one who will finally notice your ongoing drama with the chair.
"I am just saying , if I am found murdered, you know who to blame."
He rolled his eyes at you. Such a drama queen.
"Why did I thought you were American tho? Rae never mention anything about this and you even have an accent. "
"Is it Russian?"
"No, but it's there."
"Some people thought I have a lisp. I mean they are not wrong ,I have a gap in my teeth but still..."
"Probably, anyway ready to hang out with the rest?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Hey,hey. Calm down, I am nervous just like you."
"Even when you know them?"
You hated how vulnerable you sounded but he loved it every second because it meant you trust him to show your nervousness with him. To show a version some bitches may find pathetic, but not him. Never him.
"Well, it's not exactly easy to play when a beautiful woman is by your side."
Ah! You sneaky little-
"Well, that goes both ways you know? Now lead the way, gorgeous. I want to see just how flustered I can make you."
The Adam's apple in his neck trembled as he swallowed his shock, the voice changer did nothing to hide the flirtation and mischief in your tone. It only accentuated them.
"Y-Yes ,ma'am. "
——————————————————
"BOOYAH! That's how you do it! Man ,Corpse I wish I could high five you."
You jumped back into your chair, basking in his sounds of happiness and the sounds of disappointment of the others.
"Oh,man!"
"Sucks to suck, Sykkuno."
Another wave of 'huh' send you laughing head back.
"Aw,man. Not you too, Corpse."
"YOU CORRUPTED HIM!" Pooki accused you.
"No comment. Anyway ,guys, I seriously need to sleep tomorrow I have a huge lesson to attend to."
"That's sucks."
"Tell me about it." You giggled, your hands clasped into each other." Goodnight, guys."
"But it's--"
Oops , sorry Grease.
You stretched, your legs and lower back hurting from sitting in the same crossed position for 2 and a half hours.
A bing brought you from the realm of thoughts. It was from Corpse.
'I hope you had fun playing with us. :)'
'I did! Thanks for inviting me.'
'Of course! Hey, umm... can I ask you something?'
You titled your head, what could he want at 3 in the morning?
'Can we talk more tomorrow?'
Oh.
'Of course. Got me worried there for a second, I thought I did something wrong. '
'What no! You are fine.'
'Okay :)). Night.💗'
He sent you a voice message.
"Good night, baby."
————————————————————
Hey guys!💖
Hope you liked the fourth part of the serie. If you have any questions, ask away. Memes are obviously not mine, I don't have the talent.
Btw. What's your zodiac sign? Answer if you'll like.
Stay safe!💗
Tagged 💖: @moolujk @magenta-skyline @yoyoanaria @cherry-piee @simonsbluee @gaysludge @yikesyikesyikes95
142 notes · View notes
pearl-blue-musings · 3 years
Text
Perchance to Meet pt. 4
Hi again! 
Back at it again with anotha one. I didn’t put it on the other ones, my bad, but it is a fem reader. I apologize if that makes anyone uncomfortable!
Warnings: language, suggestive language, angst, you’ll probably hate me at the end but oh well 
  Part 5 
Masterlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After that night, Aizawa tried his best to do what was best for him and his girlfriend. Regardless of what that enailed, he would do it. By no means did that mean he worked any less, he did what any over zealous workaholic does.
He began to stretch himself too thin.
On top of his teaching, patrolling, and keeping (Y/n) safe, the pro-hero barely had time for himself. He felt it was worth it, so long as work and personal life never interfered with each other or her work life for that matter, things were fine.
He did his best to believe his own façade until an early on staff meeting. He sent his love a quick text letting her know that he’d be late to her store because of a staff meeting. That’s alright, she responded, I’ve had some extra stuff come up at the shop with the café portion. Be safe baby uwu
Aizawa rolled his eyes, if you ever say that again I’m not picking up sweets on the way home.
Uwu uwu??
You’re lucky I love you
Uwu! 
The man chuckled and put his phone down, preparing himself for the meeting. So far the school year had gone pretty smoothly regardless of his attempts to expel students from the first week. The meeting at hand was just a normal staff meeting, going over the upcoming calendar for the whole school and going into smaller details like who would be at the USJ in the upcoming two weeks. He doesn’t show it, but he’s very excited for his kids to begin training at the USJ and with All Might and Thirteen there they are sure going to learn and grow in the right way.
After the meeting ended, everyone was rounding up their belongings and having idle chit chat. Aizawa is so close to tasting the sweet relief of the end of the day when he’s stopped by a couple teachers.
He’s met with whimsical sapphire eyes that match a grin on the ravenette’s face. “So, when am I going to meet the mystery woman that’s clearly stolen your heart.”
“Nemuri,” Aizawa sighs, “it’s not appropriate to talk about personal relationships during school hours.”
Ruby lips frown and pout, “Aw come on Aizawa! You’ve been together for almost a year now! Why haven’t you brought her to any of the staff outings?”
“Maybe because she’s busy too? I don’t wanna get into it.”
“It’s true!” The loud voice interrupting can only belong to one obnoxious blond. “She runs her own bookstore and bartends to make money for said bookstore! She’s a workaholic just like him. A match made in heaven!”
Upon his arrival, Present Mic had wrapped his arm around his friends shoulders to bring the three of them closer as they walk out of the room. As much as he wants to shove the arm off of his body he doesn’t feel the need to.
“Oh,” Midnight surmises, “so that’s why I haven’t met her! Stop hiding her from us Eraser we want to meet her.”
“You will, eventually.”
Nemuri scoffs, “Eventually?! You’ve been saying that for months.”
“Ah but what if he’s keeping her a secret on purpose?”
A new voice shocks the trio as they turn around to see Principal Nezu walking with a frailer looking All Might. All Might shakes his head and points to Nezu. “I mean, Eraserhead is a very busy man who puts his life on the line for his students and community. Who’s to say he’s not doing it for her safety?”
That makes the three teachers stop and think, but Aizawa’s train of thought isn’t exactly the same as his peers. The principal has a point. Up to this point, he hadn’t been able to bring her because of their crazy schedule and diligence to their respective jobs; granted they always made time for each other. But what if that’s a big part of it? Now that the number one hero is at the school he teaches, having a close connection to his class he might add, doesn’t that put a bigger target on his back for villains?
He’s tried not to think too much about the increase in villain activity since All Might’s presence, however it is now unavoidable. There’s always the possibility of an attack, the press made that pretty obvious, but Aizawa wouldn’t put it past any villain to do their research. Has he been safe enough when he’s been out with (Y/n)? Were they being tailed or followed by anyone on their many dates? Shit, has she gotten any new customers that might be a problem?
How could he have been so stupid and blind to not see the potential danger she’s in just by being with him? He had never felt like this before; never been so pulled into one person. He had avoided dating for this reason but how could she make him forget all of those reasons?
“It’s clear to me you love her and that you have a lot to think about Aizawa,” Nezu finishes, “but you always know what to do! I may not know her but I wish the two of you happiness!”
*****************************
(Y/n) tried her best to hold back her anger and frustration, but it was inevitable. Even with the addition of the café and a couple extra workers, she still needed to pull hours at the club. The struggle was indeed real. She desperately wants to slam her head on her desk but she knows that it’ll only upset Aizawa to see her physically hurt. So she keeps her head up with her arm and continues to look through the books for the last month.
No one had been stealing, everyone was working hard, hell even Kona had taken extra hours to help ease her stress over keeping the business running. But it wasn’t enough. No matter what she did, it wasn’t enough to keep working like this. Her tired eyes bore into the calendar knowing she can’t take much time off soon regardless of how much she wants to. Her time off will come in the form of a conference she’s been invited to attend and hold a small lecture. It’ll talk about how running a business you love while using your quirk for good is still considered heroic in its own right. I mean, she and all her friends knew that but there are still so many people in this society who feel less than because their quirks aren’t heroic…
Her mind begins to wander to her friends, Aizawa, one of her older favorite customers…
Ah yes, she hadn’t seen them in the last couple of years. She couldn’t remember the moms name, but her child always came in with another daycare every now and then, Eri. She had the prettiest white hair and red eyes, and the cutest little horn that was on her head. (Y/n) really missed her, but she assumed because of something with her quirk she stopped showing up, or maybe they moved; they would always come around the same time as if on some schedule.
A deep exhale escapes her mouth as she attempts to focus on the task at hand. She was finally making some headway in organizing the schedule and financial books when she hears an abrupt knock on the window. In a daze, (Y/n) leaves her office to walk toward the front, staring at the turned off ‘Open’ sign in frustration. But who is she to deny someone who might need help?
“Sir,” she yawns, “I’m sorry but we’re closed right now.”
The man in front of her has a menacing look that sends a chill down her spine. The mask covering his face makes it hard to distinguish his figures, and she notices the gloves over his hands. “Are you not (Y/f/n)?”
“Uh, yes? And may I ask who wants to know?”
The man chuckles, “I have a request from someone you may know.” He hands her a piece of paper and she hesitantly takes it. All that is on it are a few words that she is able to identify as a particular book in a children’s fantasy, her quirk coming to her aide. “I have the money already if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
Unsteadiness rises in the young woman. She searches his eyes for any kind of familiarity but fails to find any. “Ah, well sir I have the right book in mind. Could you wait right here?”
The man waits for her as he watches her go inside the store. So this is the place that good for nothing woman would go to? Hmm, it has appeal and he can see why his subject enjoyed it. Anything to put his plan into motion and keep it within his reach.
“Here you are, and may I get your name?”
Upon receiving the book, he exchanges the money and politely bows. “Chisaki Kai.
“And Eri says hello.”
********************************
The drive to the airport was filled with content silence, as (Y/n) leans her head onto Aizawa’s in the car they shared. It was early in the morning so the pro-hero was already adjusted to being up at this hour, however his girlfriend wasn’t. He had debated about escorting her to the airport, Nezu’s words still in his head two weeks later, but figured she’d be happier and more at ease having him see her off. It’s not everyday someone he knows and loves gets invited to talk about something they’re very passionate about.
He’s overly ecstatic about it and is upset he can’t be there for her. But he knows that he’ll do his best to stream her talk when it’s available.
This is what he loves, this equal give and take they have for their relationship. He’s met some of her friends and family, albeit on a tight schedule, and vice versa; minus the pro-heroes. They both have a strong respect for what they do and when they do it. Even though this will be the most time they’ll have together, he’s glad he can see her sleep so peacefully on his shoulder. A content grin adorns his face as he does another thing out of character and snaps a picture of her.
Damn, he really is in love with her. Once he sees the airport in sight, he softly nudges her, “Hey, princess. We’re almost there.”
“Unngg, no…”
Aizawa chuckles at her whining and lightly kisses her forehead. “I wanted a couple extra minutes of you awake before you get out and-“
“Sh, sh,” she interrupts. “You act like I don’t get it,” her words are slurred from being too tired. “You do a lot for me, love. We gotta be safe I understand; gossip is so bad.”
He loves how extra snuggly she is when she’s too tired to function. “You know I’d walk you to the gate if I could,” his voice rumbles huskily that ends up making her mewl.
“I hate when you talk like that.”
“Oh don’t worry, I’ll be sure to call you tonight and talk just like this.”
“Oh sure! Just forget that I’m in the car! Now hurry up your students have a big day coming up!”
The couple giggles at Hizashi’s words, despite their truth. His friend rolls his eyes as he sees where they parked. It’s a bit of a walk to the airport but this gives them privacy from any prying eyes, especially of the villain nature. The two of them step out of the car and gather her overnight luggage from the trunk.
“I’ll only be gone for the night, I’ll be back tomorrow evening.” She leans up to kiss him.
“I know,” he kisses her back, “I just wanted you to finally meet my students and see them in action.”
Her eyes widen at his words, and so did some golden ones at that. “You..? What?”
“Heh, I figured it was way past time I let you into more of my world. I know I’m not the most open person, but I want to keep you safe and where else to do that than at U.A. with other heroes? They’re going to be working on rescues, and since you’ve shared so much of yourself with me, well it’s about time.”
Tears threatened to spill in his girlfriend’s eyes at his words. “Are you sure? I understand we kept our relationship a secret for our safety but, are you sure? I’m content knowing only your family and Yamada and- mmph!”
He silences her with a kiss and chuckles into it. “It’s dangerous yes, but you’re worth it.”
*******************************
The flight back wasn’t as enjoyable as the tired woman had predicted. Since her presentation went well, she was on a high until midway through her flight. Poor (Y/n) got stuck in the middle seat surrounded by the most unbearable people on the planet. She couldn’t wait to get back to Aizawa and just let him ravish her.
Once she had collected her luggage and turned on her phone, she tried to find the raven haired man and his loud blond friend. But after ten minutes of waiting and searching she came up empty handed. “What the hell,” she muttered to herself. She had no missed calls or texts from Shouta so what was up? He promised he’d pick her up but she’s been in the airport for almost an hour now and no such luck.
Getting frustrated she ended up hailing a random taxi and input her address. No matter, he could have had something come up at school which is entirely possible. She wasn’t going to let that get in her way of returning to the man she’s absolutely head over heels for. It might have been just one night away, but it felt like an eternity. Despite all her work, all his work, the world pretty much telling them no they found a way. Sure they had their fair sure of arguments but what couple didn’t? At the end of the day, they loved each other and that’s what was important.
She suddenly began to feel her phone buzz and pouts at the caller I.D. “Yamada, I have half a mind to come to your place and demand you drive me around for the hell of it! I thought you were supposed to pick me up!”
“(Y/n).”
The laugh that was in her throat retreated when she noticed his serious tone. This wasn’t like him. Damn, what happened?
“Hizashi, you’re scaring me,” her voice trembles, “where’s Shouta?”
She can hear him take a deep breath and his voice is not as boisterous as it typically is. “Answer me!” She’s clutching her phone as tears threaten to fall, “where is he?!”
“(Y/n), dear, I’m so sorry. There was an attack yesterday during the training, and he’s injured. Really badly.”
He’s met with silence on the other end and slowly continues. “He’s at the hospital. I’ll send you the address.”
With that he hung up. (Y/n) felt her jaw go slack. Her heart begins to pound faster than before as her breathing increases. The urge to vomit overwhelms her senses as the feeling in her stomach is one she’s never felt. Nothing makes sense. Why? Why didn’t he tell you immediately? Or why didn’t Present Mic tell you earlier? It’s almost 5 pm school ended hours ago, this makes no sense he would’ve told her, he would have he would have-
Her phone lights up with a text from the blond man Here’s the address. I did this for him. Please go to him.
The rest of the ride is a blur after she tells the driver to switch addresses. Her conference didn’t matter, her shitty flight didn’t matter, her new found knowledge didn’t matter… Shouta needed her and fuck why can’t this person drive faster!
She barely recollects paying her driver as she pulls up to the hospital. She runs in with her bags up to the front desk and politely yet frantically asks for her boyfriend. The nurse up front is apprehensive but relaxes upon seeing her stressed out face and Hizashi coming up to vouch for her. He glances into her eyes and gives her a hug in solidarity and apology. The pair of them pass by rooms, quickly going to the elevator to find Aizawa’a room. Along the way, she assumes she passes some of his students as the blond man pushes them out of the way.
Hizashi holds her luggage as she makes her way inside. In the room, she finally sees him and falls to her knees. Her presence is finally announced as an older nurse and a frail looking man turn to her. His face is completely covered in bandages and his arm is clearly broken. It takes everything in her to not wail at the sight.
“Who is it?”
The voice is soft and muffled but she’s able to make out who said it. The elderly looking nurse comes to his side and removes some of the bandages on his face in order for his eyes to be revealed.
It had been a few hours since he had been able to see, but what he was greeted with confirmed his newfound resolve. The sight of his girlfriend’s face covered in tears for him was almost too much.
“Sh-Shouta, why? What happened?”
“Why are you here?”
That sentence alone stunned everyone in the room, including Hizashi who had just walked in.
“What are you talking about? You got attacked! Why else would I be here?”
“You shouldn’t be here,” he coughs out. “This isn’t a place for you.”
Confusion crosses her features at his words. “I don’t? I don’t understand, I thought you wanted me to be part of your life.”
“Present Mic told you I was here didn’t he? I told him not to.” He sighs and tries to lay back down. “Recovery Girl, could you cover me back up?”
“Whoa, whoa wait! I come back from a conference and I find out that you are severely injured and you don’t want me here?! What the hell happened to everything we spoke about literally yesterday? Why didn’t you tell me, or at least have him tell me you were okay or something!
“You’ve been like this for a whole fucking day and if I’m correct, you weren’t planning on telling me?”
He lowers his voice from the yelling and mutters loud enough for her to hear, “this is why pro-heroes don’t date.”
Gasps were heard around the room and Present Mic is most surprised, “Eraserhead come on,” he breathes. “Don’t do this, man. And you need to take a break! You can’t just go back to work like everything is fine!”
“He’s what!?”
Aizawa puts up his in broken hand to silence them, “no she needs to hear this.” He points to the now confused and angry woman in front of him. “You don’t understand that this is my life and I will get hurt.”
(Y/n) shakes her head, “I know that! But you need to rest, I’ve missed you and I’m sure your students would understand. You saved them!”
He interrupts, “I can’t stop being a hero and a teacher because of some injuries. My kids need me.”
“I need you too.”
“But you’re not putting your life on the line every day are you? You just sell books and make drinks, how is that helping people?”
Her heart sank at those words. How could he say something like that? She can slowly but surely feel her heart be torn and repaired by thorny weeds holding it together. She can’t even look at him, knowing that he was aiming to hurt her intentionally with those words. Those words were why she does what she does and he just mocked her. After all this time, it seems his true colors were finally showing. This is why he never let her in, because he’s a coward. A coward too afraid to let anyone come close. It’s a miracle to her now that he has friends.
The silence is deafening after his last questions as all eyes on are on her. (Y/n) straightens her posture and begins to head out of the room. She stops briefly to whip out her keychain. She removes the key to his apartment, struggling to get it off and finally throws it on the ground, the clanking of the metal against the tiles louder than anyone thought. And through her gritted teeth she spat,
“Fuck you Aizawa.”
She grabs her luggage from an unusually quiet Hizashi and storms out, tears cascading down her face.
Once she was out of earshot, Mic turns to his friend and takes a deep breath. “What the hell was that!? That wasn’t what we practiced!”
He’s greeted by silence from his injured and heartbroken friend. Aizawa knew what he was supposed to say, but the attack on his students left him feeling some kind of way. Even though the villains were after All Might, they attacked his students and he couldn’t have that. He told no one of that trip and feared that someone may have overheard him talking to her at the airport. He knew these villains were ruthless and as he said, he would do anything to protect her at all costs.
Aizawa sighs, the weight of his words and actions falling onto him. “It was the right thing. These villains are crazy, attacking students and teachers in broad daylight. Who knows what else they know about us? I can’t get her involved in that.”
The blond shakes his head in disappointment. “No you don’t get it. (Y/n) loves you and would do anything for you. I understand you want to keep her safe but breaking her heart like that…”
Aizawa knows this too well as he speaks to his friend again. “It’s better if she’s not in my life. I don’t want her connected to this and you know she’d throw herself into this to support and be there for me. I can’t have my students and my girlfriend with targets on their backs.
“What kind of hero would I be if I can’t save the ones I care for?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
taglist!: @kiribaku-queen @cupcake-rogue @shinsouskitten @prk-pyo @therealwalmartjesus 
91 notes · View notes
im-a-simp1 · 3 years
Text
Star Wars Companion: Part 3
Pairing: Y/n x Peter Parker
Word Count: 2.3k
Warnings: Cussing, angst, fluff, mention of death
Summary: Y/n goes to Peter’s place after the attempted robbery which leaves him wondering why she didn’t just go home but later finds out why.
Masterlist
Tumblr media
Y/n POV
Police had done their rounds of asking people in the store what had happened. I was one of the first few that got questioned. I was still shaken up about what just happened. Not only did I just almost die but also the fact that Spiderman knew my name. How did he know my name? As the police were finishing up their questions they asked if there was someone they could call to pick me up and I told them there is no need I am fine walking. I just didn’t want to worry my mom when there is nothing to worry about. Especially now that I am alive and well. After they said we could leave I had gotten the snacks I had purchased and headed to Peter’s place. I knew if I went home that I would be alone and right now I don’t want to be alone because I know the moment I am alone I am going to breakdown. So I continued to head to Peter’s apartment knowing he was going to be waiting for me. I looked at my phone and it was 8:10. Shoot I’m like 20 min out from his apartment. I started to fast walk down the street. As I fast walked down the street I couldn't stop thinking about Spiderman. Was he someone I know that’s been right under my nose with me not realizing it?
Peter POV
“Shit” he mumbled as he was sitting on top of a building.
“I can’t believe I said her name out loud” he got up and paced about the situation at hand. Talking out loud has always helped calm down and figure out solutions.
“I don’t think she realizes it’s me, I mean I don’t know if she recognized my voice? She was freaking out so her mind was probably not focused on my voice And it’s not like I said my name out loud. Oh okay I pretty sure my cover isn’t blown so I think I’m good” he started to take deep breaths. He was calm now and now he could concentrate. He looks down at the city and sees a woman walking faster then normal which he thought it was normal for New York City, people were always in a hurry. But then recognized the Y/h/l Y/h/c and the outfit that he just saw not too long ago.
“Is she heading to my apartment?” He says recognizing the route that he usually takes when he goes home. Once she takes a left he knew that she was heading to his place.
“What is she doing? She was just being held hostage and she is still coming over? She needs to get rest”. He came up with a quick idea that he thought at top of his head to text her that he wasn’t feeling well and that he can’t do it tonight. But then he realized that one, it would seem fishy that he was sending this message when they were supposed to meet 20 minutes ago and two, if she was really wanting to be alone right now she would have just gone home and texted him that she couldn’t make it.
“Well, I got to get there sooner than later” as he started to swing from building to building getting to his apartment as fast as he could.
Y/n POV
Once I finally found the right apartment (after knocking on some wrong doors because I have always been horrible at directions). I knock on the door and I hear a lady who seems to be in her late 20s to early 30s shout at the door.
“Did you forget you key again Peter?” Wait Peter isn’t here?
“Um sorry I’m not Peter…” I semi-shouted to make sure she heard me. I hear a silent “shit” as the woman makes her way to the door and opens it. I should be on the price is right because I was right about her age. She was this beautiful long hair brunette with great complexion and a smile that totally reminded me of Peter.
“Hi, I’m so sorry about that I thought you were my nephew”
“It’s okay, I’m Y/n I’m actually Peter’s friend. Does he lose his key all the time?” I say as I start to chuckle
“Nice to meet you Y/n I’m Peter’s Aunt May but you can just call me May and yes he does, all the time”
“Sounds like Peter” we both laughed.
“But um, is Peter not here? We were going to watch Star Wars and I’m actually late so I thought he would be here”
“Actually he is not-“
“I’M HERE!!” Peter comes out heavily panting. Why was he panting so hard?
“When did you get home? I didn’t see you come in” May had asked him.
“What do you mean I have been here since school got out”
“Was I sleeping or something because I don’t remember you coming in”
“Yeah um I pretty sure you were Aunt May”
“Oh well then sorry I missed you coming in, if I had known I would have made you dinner”
“It’s alright, I haven’t been too hungry. But anyway but is it okay if Y/n and I are going to watch Star Wars in my room?”
“Yeah just keep the door up!”
“Sweet thanks Aunt May” he says as he grabs my hand to lead me to what I assume is his room. I tried to hide my red face after entering his room.
“Are you okay? Your face is a little red” he asked as he was grabbing the snacks from my hand to set them down. “Oh Watermelon Sour Patch my favorite.” Spiderman made the right call on the snack.
“Oh yeah I’m good thanks for asking though” I said after a moment of realizing I haven’t answered him.
“Really are you sure? I mean you look a little shaken up is everything okay?” As he puts in the Phantom Menace. Even though it’s not my favorite one we got to start somewhere. It was weird though that Peter was pressing on if I was okay. Did he know something happened? Or can he just read me like a book?
“Well I uh mean I’m fine now but there was attempted robbery at the convenience store I was at.” trying to say it nonchalantly but there was a little bit of shakiness to my voice that sounded like it was quivering.
“Oh my god? Are you okay? Did you get injured? What happened?” He asked, I could hear the worriedness come out of his voice. He was on the edge of freaking out.
“Peter it’s okay” as I set my hands on top of his hands so that he could calm down. I had explained to him about how the robber had held me hostage and I thought I was going to die but Spiderman showed up and how he saved my life.
“Oh wow, I’m just Spiderman was there to save you”
“Yeah me too”
“But Y/n please don’t take any offense to this but, after all you have gone through, why are you here? Like I would have totally understood if you wanted to go home after that”.
I looked down real fast wondering if I should tell him why.
“Because I wanted to watch Star Wars! Now come on, let’s watch the movie”. I said changing the subject.
“Yeah, sounds great” he said with a little disappointment in his voice. I know he was upset that I didn’t say but I appreciate him not pressing it. I pulled out my Star Wars blanket out of my bag and had shared it with Peter.
“Woah, didn’t realize you like Star Wars this much” as he pointed out Chewy, Han, and the Millennial Falcon.
“Yep! I always have this blanket with me when I watch the Star Wars movies, my father gave it to me when I was about 10 years old”
“Well I think I have to have one now” as he yanks the blanket to have all by himself.
“Ya now wait a minute, that’s mine get your own” as I about tackle him. We wrestle for the blanket for a little bit till I gave up. I didn’t realize how strong he was.
“I’m waving my white flag, I surrender” I say as I lay on the ground breathing heavily.
“Ah I win! But since I like you I will share the blanket” I froze, realizing what he just said. I sit up to look at him in the eyes.
“You like me?”
“Uh well um I- I ah” he says as he is flustered. He coughs and takes a deep breath and looks at me in the eyes “Y-yes I do-o” he says as he is not sure what I am going to say.
“Well that’s good cause I like you too” I reassured him. He turned a worried look to a smile real fast.
“Well that great to hear as well” he states “Shall we continue the movie”
“We shall” I replied as we turned to the tv, leaning on the side of his bed as he wraps his arm around me.I leaned my head in his shoulders. In this moment, everything was almost right where we needed to be. Almost.
Peter POV
As we were watching the movie I couldn’t focus on the movie because I was so happy and anxious. I just admitted to liking her and she admitted to liking me to. I couldn’t stop thinking about where this could go. She has always been unpredictable in a fun way and I can’t wait to see what’s in store. I was also still wondering why she didn’t just go home but it seemed like there was more to the story then she let on so I just left it where it was. If she was ready she would tell me. Even though My Spidey senses could tell me her heart was pacing very fast.
Y/n POV
As much as I was trying to focus on the movie and focus on Peter, my mind kept going back to the convenience store, when the robber was holding the gun to my head. It just made me relive what I’m sure what my dad went through and all of my emotions towards that point in my life and what had happened today were starting to come back. My heart was racing and I just needed to talk about it. Even though before I said I wasn’t ready to tell Peter, I realized that Peter is someone who would just comfort me with what I��m going through.
“Do you know why I love Star Wars so much?” I asked him.
“Why?”
“It was one of my favorite things I did with my dad growing up. We would sit down and watched the movies together. He worked a lot but whenever we got to hangout boy would it be fun. Most of the time we would get in trouble with my mom because we would be close to breaking something or we did break something. But when we watched Star Wars together, it was the happiest moments that I had with my dad.”
“Had?”
“My dad died 4 years ago”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did he die?”
“He died as a victim of a robbery, he was held hostage till the robber decided to put a bullet in his head”
“Oh y/n, oh my gosh. I can’t imagine what you are going through right now. Being in the same position as him”
“I thought I was going to die today. I thought I was going to die the same way that my father did. I wasn’t ready to die Peter, and I didn’t thank goodness for Spiderman but I was just thinking of all of the things I wanted to do and at the same time the memories of my father dying was too much for me to handle. You see, that is why I came over. I didn’t want to be alone because I knew if I was alone then I would break down and I wasn’t ready to break down yet, I wanted to be in your company to make sure someone was with me when I did. And I chose to be with you Peter because I knew if I do you would be able to comfort me.” As my final word came out I balled my eyes out. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I cried into his shoulder. I tried to be quiet so May couldn’t hear me but it wasn’t much use. I couldn’t stop crying, my emotions have finally taken over. As I’m in my breakdown, Peter holds me into his chest as he says comforting things in my head like “it’s okay let it out, no need to keep it in”, “you are amazing and strong” and “I got you”. Eventually I stopped crying and look up at him with my red puffy eyes.
“You know, if I wasn’t a mess right now and I didn’t just cry out my eyes, I would totally kiss you right now” as I chuckle at my words. He laughs too.
“It’s okay. How about this, we will put a rain check on that kiss?”
“Sounds like a plan” as I chuckled some more.
“Hey” Peter puts his finger under my chin making me look at him, “if you ever see those robbers ever again, let me know because I will kick their ass”
All of a sudden it dawned on me.
“Um Peter, I only mentioned one robber…”
-
-
-
I just want to say again thank you all for reading my series. I didn’t expect the amount of people that read, liked, and reblogged my story so I just want to say thank you. Idk if I will post a part 4 we will see. I have an idea but idk. Alright bye thanks again! 😙✌️
30 notes · View notes
myidlehand · 4 years
Text
Immortal Jaskier Headcanon
(in this Jaskier has a good family because that’s my headcanon and while it’s Netflixverse Geralt is not an ass about their friendship. they haven't been travelling together for long)
Jaskier is completely oblivious to the fact he's half-god and immortal.
Until one spring night, Jaskier wakes up screaming, blood on his face and mouth, tongue burning. He freaks out so bad Geralt has to physically restrain him to calm him and see what's going on. After much negotiations and smoothing words, Geralt manages to calm him down enough for him to take a little water and rinse his mouth. It's too dark to see what's going on exactly so Geralt makes him lie down again before he passes out from breathing too fast and holds him close until morning. Neither of them sleeps again and he can feel Jaskier shake all night against him, in pain and scared because he's unable to speak anything at all other than small broken whimpers. Geralt tries to smooth him as best he can, running his hand up and down Jaskier's back. For the first time since they started to travel together a few months ago, and now that Geralt was finally accepted the bard wasn’t going anywhere and maybe Geralt didn’t want him to, Jaskier smells of pain and anxiety and he hates it.
At dawn, when there's enough light coming through the trees Geralt discovers that runes appeared on Jaskier's tongue overnight. And Geralt's medallion vibrates very slightly if Jaskier is very close to him. Each rune is raw and bloody and swollen and Jaskier has a hard time speaking and eating for a few days and he is completely miserable until the carvings heal.
They go to four different sorceresses but none of them can find any curse on Jaskier at all. One of them tells them that a sorceress in Skellige could know more since runes are common among their Gods. Jaskier freaks out again, sure he's been cursed by a Skelligen god last winter when he went up north in the islands to sing before joining Geralt in spring. Maybe he slept with someone who was favoured by a God but neither of them knows enough about Skellige's traditions and religions to know how real their Gods are. It makes no sense to Geralt, since Jaskier has left Skellige for months but there’s no calming Jaskier, who absolutely needs to go back and find that girl or guy he slept with and find out if they did this to him.
So in the middle of spring they start a trek in the opposite direction back to the north. It's slow going, Geralt still has to take contracts and Jaskier, feeling better by now, needs to stop often in cities for a few days to earn them coins too. Ironically, with his tongue all scared, Jaskier thinks it’s the best season he's ever had, people more generous than they ever have been both with their coins and their propositions to him. Jaskier is also writing better music and poetry than he ever has before and except for Geralt who still can't appreciate his clever rhythm, it's enough for Jaskier to say one poem to get the undivided attention of the entire room for hours.
Right before they get to the coast to cross for Skellige, Jaskier requests they make a little detour to Lettenhove to see his family. Jaskier gets more and more nervous the closer they get to home and Geralt is not too happy about it because he thinks Jaskier's family will hate him, for being a Witcher and for taking Jaskier on the Path with him and that's why Jaskier is nervous. But he can't help but feel a little warm in his chest when he sees Jaskier falling in his mother's arm and hug her tightly. Turns out Jaskier was nervous because he didn't know how to tell Geralt he was a Viscount. Geralt doesn't give a fuck since Jaskier was already a spoiled brat before he knew he was a noble. That doesn't change much about their arrangement. But when Jaskier's old housekeeper calls him Master Julian, a name that absolutely nobody else calls him ever, he sees the glee in Geralt's eyes and knows he's gonna get teased endlessly from now on. Geralt refers to him only as Master Julian for three whole days. Jaskier's family immediately loves him and even gives him the full guest treatment.
After the third night, Jaskier finally breaks down and tells his parents late at night why they were up north in the first place. He didn't mean to worry them but they knew something was wrong when he's been avoiding speaking directly in their direction, keeping his head low so they couldn’t see his tongue and never agreeing to sing for them when he knows it would delight them to hear him. "I'm too tired" can only work so many times after all.
After a big freak out from both Jaskier and his parents they finally admit Jaskier isn't their son but they secretly adopted him. He was brought to them by a mysterious man one late night who begged them to take him in or his wife would kill the baby. He wouldn't say who the mother was but he revealed himself as Bragi, God of Poetry and Music. He brought his baby to Lettenhove because Jaskier’s family on his mother’s side had been one of the oldest in Skellige before she moved to the mainland to marry the Viscount. Bragi knew her family was one of the most loyal to the old Gods, particularly to him so he kept an eye on her after she’d left and he knew his son would be safe and cared for with them and they would love him as their own. They’ve been struggling to have their own baby and as a gift, Bragi gave them the ability to do so. Both as a thank you and because he wanted his son to grow up with many siblings.
He was heartbroken when he had to finally say goodbye for good, he wanted to keep his son with him so badly. But his wife Iðunn was extremely mad at him for having a child with a mortal woman and was absolutely refusing for him to raise the babe himself after the mother had passed in childbirth. He named the baby Jaskier and handed him over after a final kiss on the head and a whispered “be good my son, I love you”. But Bragi told them he would give Jaskier gifts as a way to claim him as his own, that he would receive only after finding his Destiny.
At this point there's an awkward silence only broken by a little hum from Geralt when Jaskier’s eyes fall on him. Geralt very much doesn't want to curse in front of Jaskier's parents, Vesemir did beat some manners into him after all. But he might be freaking out a little bit on the inside. What is he supposed to do with a half-god bard who probably will get into even more trouble now that he has "gifts" from his father. And why is Jaskier’s destiny to travel with Geralt? Geralt doesn’t want to be responsible for that! He hates Destiny so fucking much right now.
While Geralt is quietly having an existential crisis on his side of the table, Jaskier's mom reaches from her son's hand on the table and asks if he's okay because Jaskier has been suspiciously quiet so far. Jaskier nod, delighted by the news and says
"Ah, let Valdo Marx try to claim he's the best bard in the continent now! I dare him!"
And then promptly declare Geralt and he need to leave in the morning if they want to make it on time for the bardic competition he's sure to win now.
Mother and son leave the diner table to make grand plans about the competition so Jaskier can impress his second dad and find out more about his newfound gifts. Jaskier’s father gets up with a little smile on his face, relieved Jaskier is talking the news so well but not that surprised, his son has always been an oddball, like his mother. He sympathetically  pats Geralt on the shoulder, and just tells him "Good thing you're a Witcher, there's no stopping him now. I love my son but he was a handful before he knew he was half a god! Good luck with that one..." and leave Geralt alone at the table, still freaking out.
When they do leave the next morning, Jaskier's mum hugs them both tightly, to Geralt's surprise and whispers to him "please keep him safe, he's going to be with you for a very long time and I don't want him to get in too much trouble." Geralt doesn't answer with words but she only needs to find his eyes to know he'll do everything in his power to protect her godling.
112 notes · View notes
letbenfuck2021 · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
be the thing that buries me (ao3)
For the last four years, Vanya finds herself both prison and prisoner. She doesn’t have super powers. She isn’t physically strong or a tactical genius. But ordinary and helpless as she is, Vanya is determined to find a way to save her brother. She doesn’t want her body to be a cage anymore.
sequel to “inside your head the sound of glass”
rating. explicit. warnings/tags. pseudo/sibling-incest, dub-con, dead dove: do not eat, obsessive behavior, possessive behavior, dark fic.
chapter 1:
It’s cold in the city. Winter came early this year, a brutal cold snap billowing in about a week or so after the Academy turned eighteen and it showed no signs of letting up. And it is this frigid autumn that finds Vanya nearly freezing at the kitchen table, attempting to cut carrots into somewhat bite-sized pieces. She is, so far, mostly failing.
“Vanya darling,” Grace calls from across the room where she is preparing cornish hens for roasting. “Why don’t you head to the drawing room? It’s much warmer up there.”
This was the third time Grace had made this exact suggestion in the past hour. Vanya’s clacking teeth and the precarious way her hands shake as she presses the blade of her knife down is agitating Grace’s programming. Each heavy thunk against the cutting board causes Grace to twitch, an electrical impulse in her software reacting to the quickly climbing probability of injury occurring.  
“I’m okay, mom,” Vanya replies under her breath before lifting the butt of the knife once more and wrestling the carrot into place under the blade.  
It’s a little past four in the afternoon and already dark, a cold blue light washes the room and leeches all the warmth from the air. A few moments, Grace will reach for the light switch on the far wall and plunge them into the dingy orange light of the fluorescents overhead. But for now, Vanya sits at the kitchen table, shivering under a large sweater, a hoodie and two thermals and narrowly fails to slice open her own hand as she cuts away another jagged, ugly piece of carrot.
“What the fuck? Watch what you’re doing, Al! You almost took my fucking head off!”
“Don’t be a bitch, Diego.”
The echo of Allison and Diego’s bickering wafts in through the open window above the kitchen sink from outside in the courtyard. They’re running drills practically in the dark and it is only growing darker, but her siblings still have another thirty minutes to go before they can venture indoors. When their father took Ben, Luther, and Five on mission three week ago, Reginald had given strict instructions for all of those left behind. Her own orders had been sparse but from what she could tell, her siblings’ regimen was rigorous and immensely detailed. When they aren’t training, they are out patrolling and running other smaller missions.  in the last ten days much to her dismay. Vanya sees her siblings more in the paper than in person, but she’s been waiting, planning for her moment and now, it’s almost here. So, despite the cold, despite the blade that veers too close for comfort to her left hand and the damn carrot that rolls once again beneath her knife, Vanya is determined to wait.
“Yeah! Duuun’t be a beeotch, Deeeeee-yego!” Klaus calls from somewhere else in the courtyard before bursting into a shriek of laughter.
Even his laugh sounds slurred. His voice is quite a bit more muffled than either Allison or Diego’s, as though he’d tucked himself into the far corner of the yard and it was really a miracle that he was awake at all. The night before, Klaus had slipped out sometime around midnight and hadn’t returned until that afternoon. No one said a thing when he’d stumbled into the dining room in the middle of lunch and draped himself casually across his seat across from Diego. These days, no one saw virtue in commenting on Klaus’ perpetual lack of sobriety. In the same way that no one said anything about what was going on between her and Five or the horizontal scars littering Ben’s forearms. They’ve all quietly decided that it’s easier to turn a blind eye to all these things. They’ve all agreed that Klaus’ slurred speech sounds better than his screams in the middle of the night.
“Let’s go again, Diego,” Allison called out. “Start from the top.”
If Diego had any reservations about running through another set in the dark freezing cold, he made no audible dispute. Instead, the courtyard went silent again except for the occasional grunt or shout from either of her siblings. Though it didn’t always seem like it, Diego and Allison were a pretty dynamic duo in hand to hand, at least that’s what she’d heard from Five. When he ran missions, Five would often pair them together despite Allison’s protests. Keeping Allison and Luther apart was perhaps a petty move on Five’s part but it was also a strategic one. Five often talked about their siblings to Vanya, his dissatisfaction with them, his begrudging affection all tied up in his keen observation. It’s a little like listening to a story, a novel on audiobook about people in a far away land. After what happened to Five, the line in the sand that was between Vanya and her siblings was now drawn in concrete. Reginald had always done his best to keep her separated from the others. She wasn’t a complete fool. Having her hold blank clipboards, blow whistles, and stand beside him during training were all his not-so-subtle ways of indicating to them all that Vanya was not like them. And if that message wasn’t clear enough then the slow building resentment towards her would surely do the job. Though her mundanity had damned her, it had saved her as well from the brutal, violent reality that her siblings inhabited. They all begrudged her, her normal and therefore privileged existence. What happened to Five was just the final nail in the coffin. Not even Ben would acknowledge her these days.
“Ah!”
The knife slips in her grasp too far for her to recover in time before the blade cuts a line across her thumb, from the edge of her nail to the first knuckle. The wound looks, at first, completely innocuous. Bright red across her pale, clammy skin but thin and strangely static as though someone had drawn on her in red ink. Then, the wound unfolds. Her skin unfurling like a curtain as the blood begins to pour and the sting turns into intense pain.
“Oh dear,” Grace suddenly at Vanya’s side.
Before she bleeds all over the table, Grace reaches out and grips Vanya’s thumb with a kitchen towel. Her mother squeezes tightly, the pressure stopping the sharp pain but it’s replaced with a throbbing ache that is just as intense and leaves Vanya breathless.
“Sorry, mom,” Vanya murmurs, finding the words difficult to form.
Grace crouches down, her other hand deftly fishing a small tin box from the pocket of her apron. She releases Vanya’s wounded thumb for a second to open the little box. The aching pressure on her thumb releases for just a second before a sharp burning pain floods her senses. The world seems to shrink to her bleeding digit and Vanya blanches when she sees something white peeking out of the mess of blood and tissue. As soon as the box is opened and placed on the table, Grace’s hand moves to cover her thumb again, her steady fingers putting an uncomfortable amount of pressure over the wound.
"Is it bad?”
“It’s alright, sweetheart,“ she says though Grace has yet to actually inspect the injury.  
They wait like that for a few moments. The pain in her hand is making Vanya’s head spin while Grace begins to hum. Vanya looks up from her finger and finds her mother’s face turned towards the open window over the sink.
"Your brothers and sister should be coming in soon. They’ve been playing all day. I hope they won’t be too tired for dinner.”
She still spoke about them all as though they were children. Breakfasts were still happy faces made of fried eggs and bacon, pancakes with shapes made of chocolate chips. What she must think of them all, her children. Though she made no comment on it, Grace left Vanya’s clean and folded clothes in Five’s room now and left her daily meds there as well. After another moment of looking out into the dark, Grace turns her attention back to Vanya’s thumb and uncovers it. Her face is a portrait of bland concern.
“Hm, we may need stitches,” she says, pinching at the wound and pushing the disparate edges together and letting them fall apart again. “Why don’t we just patch it up for now and we’ll see from there?”
Grace smiles and it’s beautiful. Of course it is, she’d been made to be that way. Vanya often wondered if her mother had once been a real woman, someone with real feelings, with thoughts and desires that existed beyond whatever Reginald had coded into her. Grace stands from her crouched position, easily keeping her balance despite her tasteful, four-inch pumps. She instructs Vanya to replace the towel and put pressure on the wound while she goes to wash her hands at the sink.
“Your brothers and sister should be coming in soon,” she says with her back turned to Vanya. “They’ve been playing all day. I hope they won’t be too tired for dinner.”
The old pipes groan as the faucet sputters, at first there’s barely a trickle but Grace’s hands are poised and moving as though through a steady stream.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, mom.”
This earns Vanya another wide, blank-eyed smile when Grace turns around wiping her hands on her apron. It takes a few minutes for Grace to clean and bandage Vanya’s thumb. The sharpness of the initial pain has faded and is replaced by deeper ache that makes her head spin and stomach turn ever so slightly. Grace admires her handy work then lets out a small gasp as though she’s just realized something.
“Vanya darling,” she says standing to her full height. “Why don’t you head to the drawing room? It’s much warmer up there.”
Vanya shakes her head, eyes still glued to her injured thumb trying but failing to will the pain away.
“It’s okay,” Vanya implores.
Grace tilts her head to the side, the large curls in her blonde hair shift like water sloshing. She looks troubled, her programming stumped. The girl is clearly half-freezing and now injured as well. She should be someplace warmer, perhaps even in bed. Vanya is fragile, ordinary, and largely incapable of contributing to the household. This all information that has been coded into Grace as truths. Vanya should be out of the way as much as possible but heavily supervised. Quickly, her mechanics run through the options and settle on this.
A wide smile and “maybe some hot chocolate instead. Warm you up a little.”
Before Vanya can decline, Grace sets to work. First she covers the Cornish hens in foil, they’ll need to sit for another half an hour before they’ll be ready for roasting and the stove will need at least half that time to finish rising to temperature. The air in the kitchen is cold enough that she doesn’t need to put birds back in the refrigerator. Instead, she leaves them sitting on the counter when she goes to fetch milk and a saucepan.
“Why don’t you sit closer to the stove, dear? It’s much warmer there.”
Vanya glances out at the window over the sink. She thinks she can just make out the sounds of labored breathing but all she can see is darkness. They’ll be finished soon and she doesn’t want to miss her chance but Vanya is also freezing and the painful throbbing in her thumb is making her dizzy so she relents and slinks across the room to the stove. She bypasses the chair at the end of the table and opts instead to squat down beside the old rusting appliance. Grace had been right; it’s infinitely warmer in her new location, though Vanya already knew it would be. This isn’t the first winter evening that she’s spent crouched at Grace’s feet beside the stove waiting just to catch a glimpse of her siblings.
“Did you remember to take your vitamins today?” Grace says from above her.
Vanya nods, doing her best to balance on her heels and stay clear of the heated metal beside her. How could she ever forget? Her “vitamins” are actually a cocktail of different medications that she takes on a daily basis. Recently, she’d noticed the arrival of a new pill, round, pale and though she’d been given no explanation for its sudden appearance the timing of its addition suggests that it was some kind of contraceptive. It had been Five who offered that particular hypothesis about the new pill’s purpose. And despite being somewhat relieved that she had one less thing to worry about, Vanya had been downright scandalized and denied even the possibility. Instead she had insisted that there must have been a new development in her condition.
The smell of milk heating wafts through the air, cutting through the cold and making Vanya’s stomach churn. Her thumb still hurts, the pain seems to be growing as more time passes but she tries not to think about it. Instead, she focuses on Grace humming a song that sounds simultaneously familiar and alien as the warm smell of milk and chocolate hangs in the air.
Vanya considers asking Grace now about the new pill. It isn’t uncommon for pills to appear and disappear according to what her condition required. When she was four, Vanya had contracted a highly contagious illness and had to be quarantined away from the rest of her siblings for months. She’d undergone multiple treatments and a couple surgeries, and even now she required vigilance and a strict adherence to a daily chemical regimen prescribed by her father.
Vanya could remember practically nothing of her illness and the resulting treatments. Most of early childhood is a vague smudge for Vanya and what she knows of her condition is a patchwork of bits and pieces she’s overheard or been told. Nothing from that time of her life feels real, except for Five of course. He’s the only thing that she can remember with any sort of clarity from her childhood. There is of course the rejection, the loneliness, the utter desolation of being an ordinary child in a clutch of extraordinary ones, but those things are more like a murky lake of misery. Five stands out like a raging flame. She remembers him dogging her relentlessly, always seeking her company, rooting out her little hiding spots in the house. At first, it had been painfully awkward to be under the weight of his attention but it wasn’t long before painful awkwardness became desperate craving. Now, Vanya can’t imagine who she could possibly be without Five.
The stove steadily grows hotter and Grace’s humming begins to skew atonal. Five and the others are scheduled to return that night though. Reginald had called earlier in the day but, according to Pogo, he didn’t give a specific time. The thought of Five’s impending return sets Vanya’s teeth on edge, with both eagerness and apprehension. Pogo had been tight lipped about the progress of their mission and so she had no ability to tell what mood her brother would be in when he returned. Every mission took a toll on him, truthfully on all her siblings and Vanya worries what state Five will return to her in but she wants Five home, whatever state he’s in.
“Oh my dears! You’re practically popsicles!”
Grace’s exclamation jostles Vanya awake. At some point, she’d managed to drift off with her back pressed against the wall and balanced on her heels. She’s sweating beneath her layers, the stove’s oven is nearly to temperature.
“We’re fine, mom,“ Diego replies, his voice is labored and when Vanya peeks up over the table, she notices that he has Klaus on his back.  
“Why don’t you all have a seat, you’re just in time for hot chocolate!”
There’s a shuffle of feet and the sound of a chair legs screeching across the floor. Vanya rises to her feet just in time to watch Diego dump Klaus unceremoniously into an empty chair.
 ”Ow, Didi,“ Klaus whines. "Try a little tenderness wouldya? I’m precious cargo.”
His speech is still slurred but there’s a clarity to his words that wasn’t quite there earlier when Vanya had overheard him in the courtyard. Besides his griping, the room falls silent as soon as Diego and Allison spot Vanya. They both tense up as though they’ve seen a wild animal.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Diego snarls.
His animosity is nothing new but Vanya winces regardless and tries to focus her attention on her sister.
“She lives here, genius,” Allison retorts glibly but the tension doesn’t leave her body.
Grace, seemingly unaware of the uncomfortable strain between her children, moves throughout the kitchen gathering mugs and setting them out on the table.With a mechanical poise, she divides up the hot chocolate into four perfectly even portions. Klaus doesn’t seem to notice what’s happening either. He’s opted to bury his face into his crossed arms resting on the table in front of him and doze off.
“I need to talk to you,” Vanya says, trying her best not to look at her brother.
“Like hell you do,“ Diego barks.
Vanya almost loses her nerve. Of all her siblings, Diego despises her the most or it may just be that he has the hardest time hiding it.
“Relax, Two. Drink your cocoa.”
Despite being Number Three, Allison is the unquestionable superior. Diego could never quite convince himself that he was or could ever be better than his sister. Allison easily outdid all her brothers in almost all things and where she was found lacking, she found ways to make up the difference. Diego      respected     Allison and so he usually deferred to her and this time is no different. He doesn’t stop glaring at Vanya but he takes a seat beside Klaus.
“Let’s talk upstairs, Vanya,” Allison says evenly. “It’ll be warmer up there.”
Vanya nods in reply and follows her sister out of the kitchen. Diego watches her leave with a hostile glare and kicks Klaus’ chair so hard that it jostles him awake. Behind her, Vanya hears them bicker.
"Get up asshole and drink your cocoa.”
“It’s hot chocolate.”
“Same thing.”
“What? No it’s not!”
Their voices grow vague as Vanya and Allison ascend. Vanya’s heart is fluttering in her chest and her stomach, which has been in knots all day, only gets worse. Vanya is afraid of Allison. Not in the way she fears Luther. She still has nightmares of the sound of her own fingers snapping, joints popping out of place and searing pain of skin ripping. She isn’t scared of Allison like she’s scared of Diego who took every opportunity to verbally berate her. Vanya has no memory of Allison ever being especially cruel to her or physically harming her but she knows what Allison can do and that’s more than enough reason to fear her.
“H-how was training?” Vanya asks hesitantly.
As much as she fears her sister, Vanya admires her more. Allison was everything that Vanya wishes she could be. Beautiful, strong, confident and most importantly, Allison is special. She’s extraordinary. And even if she’s scared of her, Vanya wants so badly for Allison to like her.
“It was like negative twenty out there,” Allison replies without turning around. “It sucked.”
Vanya nods even though Allison can’t see her. She doesn’t know how to reply to that. It had been years since she’s been allowed to participate, even in a spectator position, in training.
Allison leads her to the main parlor where a fire’s been lit. It’s exponentially warmer here and Vanya finally feels as though she can think straight. She watches as Allison makes a beeline for one of the ornate couches and lays herself out with a huff. Vanya opts to stand off to the side, nearer to the fireplace.
“Um..thanks fo-
“Just tell me what you want.”
Vanya’s throat suddenly feels dry. She can’t see Allison’s face from where she’s standing but she can hear the cold annoyance in her voice. It makes her feel small but she shoves the feeling down.
“I…I want you to undo the rumor you used on Five.”
Allison sighs heavily from her lounging position.
“Vanya. Really? This shit again?”
“Please, Allison. If you could just try, I know yo-“”
“I’ve already told you. I’m not doing that,“ she says sitting up. "Why don’t you just accept that he’s obsessed with you and take the win?”
“It’s not a win!” Vanya shouts, her voice cracks.
Allison looks genuinely startled by the outburst and it emboldens Vanya. She takes a step closer and continues.
“It hurts him. He’s not even himself anymore and he’s trapped here because of it. Because of      me    .”
What Vanya isn’t saying is, because of you. Allison hears it anyway.
“You can do it,” Vanya implores. “If you would just try.”
“I can’t,“ Allison says, punctuating her assertion by standing.
Allison is fairly tall for a girl her age and she certainly dwarfs Vanya’s miniscule five feet. She’s an intimidating figure but Vanya won’t back down.
"Yes you can. You’re the only one who can help us.”
“This is getting old. And a little pathetic. Enough already.”
With that, Allison turns and makes for the door but Vanya rushes forward. Before she can stop herself, Vanya reaches out and grabs Allison by the wrist.
“I’m just trying to help our brother! Why won’t you help me?”
As soon as Vanya touches her skin, Allison recoils pulling her wrist from her sister’s grasp. The force causes Vanya to stumble and Allison feels sorry for it. In all honesty, she has nothing personal against her sister. She doesn’t particularly like Vanya but she doesn’t hate her the way Diego does and she isn’t scared of her like Klaus and Ben seem to be. Truthfully, Allison doesn’t      know    Vanya. They’d lived practically their entire lives under the same roof, grew up together, shared meals, slept in rooms barely twenty feet apart but Allison had never felt any closer to Vanya than she felt to any given stranger off the street.
“Stop, Vanya. Just stop. You’re not helping, you’re just trying to make me feel guilty.”
“I’m no-”
“Yes. You are. And you know what? I am guilty. I made the rumor. I agreed to say it. I’m guilty. But that hasn’t changed anything for the last four years. It isn’t gonna change anything now. If you really wanna help Five, maybe you should stop blaming everyone else and figure out how to do it on your own.“
"Well you let Dad treat Luther like a tool all he wants,” Vanya says and she knows she should stop but the bitter words spilling out of her like vomit. “I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that you won’t help us.”
Vanya knows she made a mistake. Allison watches as her sister’s expression changes from resentful anger to utter fear and she wants to laugh. Allison had always pitied Vanya for her weakness and they both knew it. But for the first time, Allison is beginning to realize that she doesn’t just pity Vanya, she resents her. She had never once in her life been allowed to even seem weak but her sister wallowed in her frailty, relied on it even. Some dark, nasty part of Allison wonders if that’s why Five was attracted to Vanya so much in the first place. Five like little else more than feeling superior.
“I-I’m sorry,” Vanya stuttered, her eyes wide with fear. “I didn’t mean…”
Her trembling lip, Vanya’s little body shrinking away with anticipation. Terror slinks off of her like a rotten stench. Allison takes it all in and she feels terribly powerful. This isn’t a new experience for her. Allison had often stood above opponents, criminals, vandals, sometimes even her own brothers, and she loved being above them. She liked to savor the intoxicating feeling of being the winner, the victor because that was the Hargreeves way. Do whatever it takes to get on top and stay there. Even if you have to cheat and Allison had no qualms about playing dirty and yet, for some reason, the sight of her sister, trembling before doesn’t make her feel triumphant, it makes her feel sick.
“I’m sorry, Allison. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Vanya barely manages to choke the words out, her teeth are nearly chattering with how sacred she is. Looking at her makes Allison feel sick. Her shoulders suddenly feel too heavy, they slump as she sighs. She’s so tired that it nearly brings her to tears. But she doesn’t cry. Allison doesn’t get to cry, no matter how much she wants to.
"You’re right. You shouldn’t say that. Even if I wanted to, I don’t know if I could undo the rumor. They just have to run their course.”
\\\\
She wakes into the dark with a crick in her neck. She’d fallen asleep with her head at the foot of Five’s bed again, staring out at the snow falling against the darkness. It’s a bad habit but she’d always liked Five’s windows. Vanya isn’t sure when she’d fallen asleep but after her encounter with Allison, she’d dragged herself up to Five’s room, buried herself under his comforter and tried to find some solace in the snowfall outside his window. She must have succeeded because when she wakes, it’s nearly midnight and there’s someone with her in the dark.
“When did you get back?” she murmurs apologetically.
It’s become an unspoken ritual that Vanya waits up for Five when he comes back from a longer mission. It wasn’t always possible, but Vanya tried her best to be there for him whenever he got back. She attempts to turn her head to see his face but the muscles in her neck spasm. She can hear the sound of her own groan entering into the cold silence, jostling the air and she thinks she also hears a laugh. Just a small huff of air really, beside her ear all warm and soft in a way that makes the hair on the back of her neck stand.
His thumb finds the tight muscle in her neck, massaging circles into her flesh. It hurts at first, the sudden pressure makes her gasp and the flush of blood back into the area makes her a little dizzy. He curls his fingers under her neck, arching it upward so that he can suck hickeys into the skin he’d just massaged. She’ll be peppered with purple marks, too high above her collar and plentiful to cover but even so, she cranes her neck and lifts her chin exposing more skin for him to mark. Ever since the Paris job, they had settled into a kind of uneasy armistice. There had been no explicit discussion, no bargaining or clear transaction but something of a conclusion had been reached.
"Fi-ah!”
His teeth find the sensitive spot where her neck curves into her shoulder. Five bites down, hard enough to make her jump but not enough to break the skin. It’s both agonizing and thrilling the way it hurts.
“I missed you,” he mumbles, it’s the first words he’s spoken to her in almost three weeks.
He, Ben, and Luther had been running some kind of reconnaissance mission where secrecy was of the utmost importance and there had been no chance for the odd phone call home. His mouth is hot and wet over her skin as he trails languid kisses along her collar bone then back up to where he’s no doubt left teeth marks in her skin. His breath is warm, ghosting over the sensitive skin.
“Did you miss me?” Five murmurs, hovering over her aching skin.
At first, Vanya can only manage a sigh. He feels good, there’s no denying it. As much effort she puts into keeping the lines drawn between what is real and what is the rumor, Vanya can’t lie about how he makes her feel.  Five would have been a talented lover under any circumstance. Vanya is certain of that though she tries not to think of it much. Even if she believes that had he been given the vast wealth of opportunity that freedom would have afforded him, Five would never have chosen her, it still stings to think of him with others.
Before she manages to answer him in any sort of comprehensible way, Five laves his tongue, wide and flat, over his bite mark. Vanya lets loose a sound that is half whimper and half moan but entirely mortifying. But Five seems to appreciate it, an appreciative hum rumbles across her skin as she tries to catch her breath. It could feel humiliating sometimes, the level of intimacy he demands from her. Five is always struggling closer, ripping through the carefully constructed barriers she’s set between them for their own protection. He wants everything from her, every sound, every reaction and sensation. And had she been more of a fool, Vanya would give it to him freely but she knows that had it not been for the rumor, he would have never wanted it any of this. He may want every single bit of her now, but Vanya knows that when the rumor wears off, he’ll resent for every little inch she gives.
“Five, maybe we shouldn’t-” she begins to say, her nerves outweighing her desires.
But before she can finish her phrase, he bites down again. This time is harder than before, not enough to break the skin but enough to make Vanya yelps. Desperate to find anything to hang on to, she reaches for him, her fingers desperately scrambling across his face, over the shell of his ear, before settling and tangling into his hair. Though her nails are short and dull, there is no doubt that in her frenzy she left behind some damage but Five doesn’t seem to notice or care.
The pain only lasts a moment before he drags his tongue over the new bite dissolving the tension and rendering her a shivering mess. She lets out a low, guttural moan as he continues to mouth at her neck, sucking hickeys into her skin. Something stirs in her belly, a searing, aching need unfurls as his kisses shift downward. The comforter slides off of her body as he draws the middle line of her body. The frigid air is an assault on her body but it only makes her lean into him. Her shoulders rise from the mattress and the hand that had been at her neck trails down between her shoulder blades, propping her up.
She wants to put her arms around him, feel him closer. As terrified as Vanya is of the day when this all comes crashing down, it doesn’t change that she wants Five. Ever since they were kids, Vanya has ached and longed for him, even when he was right beside her. Wanting Five, wanting to be with him, wanting to love him in every way that has, does and will exist is not a new desire for Vanya. Sometimes, she thinks she was born that way. But despite all this, she hesitates as Vanya always does. So cautious, so careful, Vanya loves like a kicked dog. She flinches back before a fist is ever even raised, before he can even think of rejecting her, Vanya has already bowed out in repose.
Vanya is lost to herself, the torrent of desire and fear inside her when she feels the sudden shifting of weight as Five leans back. His hands are gone, the cold crowds in and she loses him in the dark. Turning on to her side, the weight of her raised torso resting on one elbow, Vanya squints into the darkness before her and finds her brother all cast in shadow. He’s not that far from her, his face still level with her own. There’s just enough distance, a few feet maybe, that the darkness leaves his face almost completely obscured. She can make out the curve of his ears, the corners of his jaw but his eyes are lost. He is just a shape, the suggestion of a man but not one entirely. He is some spectre made of stuff darker than the pitch darkness around them. For a second, she’s afraid. She doesn’t recognize him, even when she sits up on her knees, leans in closer. She can’t see him. Her blood pounds in her ears as the fear twists into something else, something more.
“Five?”
“I always forget,” he mumbles but she cannot see his mouth moving. “When I’m away, I always forget. Just how good this feels.”
His voice shakes as he says this, like he’s scared too. Five and Vanya had always shared so much, sweets, sweaters, kisses, why not share their fear as well? Vanya is aware of the phenomenon he’s referring to. It was Diego who had been so kind as to inform her that when Five is far enough away from her, the effects of the rumor lessen and what’s left in its place is a dull ache. A week, maybe a little more and Five starts to act like his old self again.
Hey, Seven. What do you think would happen if you just fucked off for good?   
Though it hurt when Diego spit that particular possibility at her, she had to admit, it’s a fair question. Five always espoused how much he missed her while he was away, how desperately he craved her the whole time but she wonders how much of that was actually true. What if he’d been happy while he was away? What if he’d been free? Or at least close enough.
“Did you miss me, Vanya?” he asks once again, this time he sounds unsteady, unsure.
It breaks her heart to hear her brother so degraded, but she can’t answer him. The words just won’t come as she stares back at him across the darkness, his features bleeding into view as her eyes adjust. He looks young. In the dark, he looks like her brother. The brother that had held her fevered hand when they were all ten and a bout of the flu had ripped through the entire academy but had settled on Vanya for nearly a month. This was her brother, who had kissed her on the mouth with sugar glazed lips and fed her so many doughnuts that she thought she would puke.
This is her brother. And she can’t even bring herself to tell him that she misses him. So Vanya takes off her shirt instead. Five waits in the darkness, watching her strip down to her bra. Vanya can feel his eyes on her as she slides her sweater and shirt off together. Her skin is a shock of goosebumps as her hands, already shaking with the cold, reach back to undo the hooks.
“Let me,” she hears him murmur.
He shuffles forward, even on his knees, he’s still level with her eye line. His long arms reach up and close the distance between them as finds the center of the band. It will only take him a few seconds to undo the hooks. Embarrassingly, Five is better at undressing her than she is but for these scant seconds, Vanya allows herself to rest her cheek upon his chest. It’s a small sin, to give herself this bit of comfort but she still feels the weight of it when Five’s hands slowly trail down her arms, taking the straps of her bra with them. She hears Five take a breath, holds it for a few seconds as he drinks in her body.
“You have no idea, Vanya,” he murmurs. “You can’t even imagine what it’s like for me to miss you.”
It’s true and the guilt she feels because of that makes her want to disappear. He skates his hands up her sides, sighing with relief at just being able to touch her skin. He puts his face into the crook of her neck to breathe in deeply.
“You smell like home,” he says into her skin. “You’re everything to me, Vanya. You know that don’t you? I need you with me.”
She nods slowly. It’s true. It’s all true but none of it’s real. His hands drop down to the waistband of her jeans, undoing the button as he places kisses along her shoulder, then her clavicle. The click of her zipper coming undone is loud in the silent, dark room. Five pushes them over her hips and down to her knees. Vanya sinks down, laying herself out on her back so that he can free her from her pants completely. He moves quickly from there. His fingers are already curling at the elastic band of her underwear when she stops him.
“Wait,” Vanya says, her hands falling over his own to stop their movement.
Five flinches as though she’s burned him. Under her breath, she murmurs an apology. It’s easy to forget just how brittle the rumor has made him. Her brother has always been such a large, looming figure in her mind, confident, strong, intelligent. Even after four years, Vanya forgets just how easily he breaks. With one hand, she laces her fingers through his own, an act meant to reassure him though he doesn’t seem moved. His eyes are hard as he watches her rise from his bed.
“What are y-” he begins to ask when she detangles her hand from his.
But he falls silent as soon as she turns her back to him, falling to her elbows and knees on his mattress. Behind her, Five takes in a sharp breath.
Then she hears, “fuck.”
Her heart is a sharp staccato in her ears as she feels him lay his hands over her hips, slowly, with near reverence. His hands are cold on her skin, colder even than the air around them. And not for the first time, Vanya wonders where he’s been. Part of her wants to ask him, wants to ask him what he’s done and what he’s given up to be here with her again. He pulls her back, pressing his hips into her ass. Through the fabric of their clothes, she can feel the hardness of his cock and it sends a shiver down her spine. He moans as he rocks his hips and Vanya gasps as he squeezes her buttocks. He leans back just far enough to slide his thumb down and press up against her pussy, feeling her through the fabric. Embarrassingly she can feel the cool dampness that’s spread into the fabric.
“You’re so wet, sis. You must have missed me.”
He nudges into her further, the fabric feels almost coarse on the sensitive flesh but Vanya leans back. There’s no point in playing coy now. Five hums appreciatively, massaging slow circles into her through the fabric in a way that makes her head spin. She’s panting like a dog in heat by the time she feels him push her damp panties aside.
He pushes into her without preamble. It’s rough and Vanya lets out a low sob as the pleasure of him filling her flushes up her spine like a fever. He loops an arm under her belly to hold her in place as he shifts his hips back and thrusts into her again. Five grunts, the heat of his breath fans out across her frigid skin making her shiver. A few more slow, languid strokes before he begins to pick up his pace. Tears bud at the corners of her eyes. Her elbows slide out from under her. The sheets come up to meet her face but his arm is still around her waist, keeping her ass up as he pounds into her so hard that her knees nearly give out.
It’s too much. It’s always too much. She’s all but lost in a haze of pleasure, trying to meet each of his thrusts. It feels good just to be with him, to have him in her and yet, she can’t let go. In the back of her head, she can’t forget that this isn’t real. And the guilt roils in her gut. She suddenly feels sick, her throat tightening until she chokes.
"Fi-Five-ah!” she gasps out.
Her face is pressed into the mattress, fingers grasping at the cotton sheets. The wet slap of flesh against flesh becomes erratic and behind she hears Five groan. His fingers at her waist dig into her flesh. He’s close. Vanya knows it, with each swing of his hips, he grinds into her harder, deeper. Then with a guttural moan, he thrusts one last time and spills into her.
“Sorry,” he gasps. “Shit, I’m sorry.”
His hips are still pressed up against her ass, rocking slowly into her as he rides out his orgasm. It takes a few moments before his breathing evens out, his cock softening within her. He slides out of her gingerly, careful to keep his arm around her waist. Vanya can feel the warm dribble of his cum sliding down her thigh as he gently lowers her to the bed. Sluggishly, she turns over onto her back.
“Lemme finish you,” he mumbles, dropping to his knees and spreading her thighs.
“It’s okay, Five,” she says dazedly. “You’re tired.”
He laughs a little into her skin as he plants kisses up the length of her inner thigh. Five sometimes jokes that she’s a little too polite, especially considering the things they’d done together. It’s cute though, he’d usually say with that too-wide grin of his and she’d blush and try to remember how to breathe. But tonight Five seems unwilling to indulge her impulsive niceties.
It’s still a little uncomfortable for Vanya to let Five eat her out. It’s embarrassing, of course but it’s all a little embarrassing. Sex is a mortifying, uncomfortable ordeal but what isn’t for Vanya? She’s lived her life feeling like an exposed nerve, both acutely vivid and devastatingly deadening. Mostly, it’s the intensity that scares her when he climbs between her thighs with greedy mouth and fingers and extracts from her a feeling that goes beyond pleasure or pain. She can feel it building now as he slides two fingers into her cunt.
He lifts one of her thighs and rests it on his shoulder, the other he pushes back, opening her wider for him. His free arm wraps up under her thigh, looping around and across her hip bone. Sufficiently locking her in place, Five puts his mouth to the top of her pussy. His tongue finds the sensitive spot to the right of her clit, pressing into it, hesitant at first, and when she begins to squirm, he goes harder. He knows her too well, knows that he needs to build up to her clit. The little engorged nub is far too sensitive, so he works around it.
He’s set a languid pace inside her, straying so very close to that erogenous spot. When gets close, brushing just shy of her g spot, it sends a jolt through her and Vanya yelps. She’s so dazed, her body is so warm, unbearably warm but also freezing. The room seems to have gotten colder and it makes every sensation that much sharper. Her nipples are so tight now that it’s almost painful. Five suddenly wraps his lips around her clit and sucks, not hard but it earns him a grunt. Her pleasure crests so suddenly that it leaves her literally breathless. For a second, everything stops, she loses track of herself as she hangs in the balance.
Then, she comes crashing down. Distantly, she feels him inside her, his mouth still on her clit. It takes her a few moments to hear her own squealing, feel her own body scrambling against Five’s grip on her hips. There’s a wet pop and suddenly there’s Five, grinning up at her from between her own thighs. She realizes she’s still breathing as he draws a line of wet, sloppy kisses up her body, to place a sweet peck on the corner of her mouth.
“Sorry,” he says again, then stands.
Vanya dizzily notes that he is still mostly dressed while she lies a complete mess and naked as the day she was born. It somehow always comes to that and Vanya cannot quite make any heads or tails of it. She feels both wound up and completely undone as she watches him undress and toss his clothes on the floor.
“We can go again in a bit,” he maneuvers her body easily, ushering her further on to the bed.
There’s a kind of wired energy to his words but even through hooded, heavy eyes, Vanya can see the sluggishness in him. He climbs in besides her, pulling his comforter over them in one fluid motion. Under the covers, he entangles their bodies, nudging her knees apart and hooking his leg through. He wraps her up in a tight embrace, he’s so much larger than her and she feels completely enveloped, the cold melting away with the heat of his body. Vanya is still too dazed to try to put up any kind of fight. She lets the pleasure of his kisses, peppered erratically over her face, wash over her. His hands wander and grope at her body as he pulls her even closer. Five has a habit of becoming hyper just before he crashes, one last burst of energy before the sudden stop like he’s on a sugar rush.
“I just…I need so-ome shut eye…” he trails off.
His hands still, his mouth is at her hairline, murmuring what sounds like nonsense. As he’s pulled under by exhaustion, Vanya feels herself returning to the surface. She feels both comfortable and uneasy in his arms. Nothing ever feels as good as being with Five but nothing hurts as much either. She’s caught between memorizing this exact moment, locking it away in the deepest, most secret part of her mind and guarding herself against it. It isn’t real. No matter how good it feels, no matter how much she wants it, it isn’t real. She chants this in her head even as she presses her nose into his chest and breathes in deeply. The salt and musky of his damp skin mingles with the brand of mild soap they use at the Academy. She doesn’t know how long she lingers awake, listening to the twin sounds of his heart beating and his slow, even breathing.
None of it can ever be real, she reminds herself. It isn’t her, it isn’t love. It’s the rumor and she can’t ever let herself want more than that.  And yet. She feels the words well up inside her, a truth too big to hide in her throat.
"I missed you,” she whispers hoarsely. “I miss you so much it’s killing me.”
62 notes · View notes
Text
MoonMoon: Tadpole
Gang Tae releases a soft grunt as he stretches his arms, reaching over the other side of the bed. When he feels it empty, he opens his eyes. Brows furrowing as he scans the room. He slides his legs off the bed, standing up as a yawn escapes his mouth. Scratching the back of his nape, he opens the curtains, the morning sunlight seeping through the massive floor to ceiling windows of their room in their luxurious Seoul penthouse.
Moon Young had insisted on moving to the city when he started attending university. It took him a while to finally convince her to get comfortable with the idea of him going back to school. Of course, she was totally against it, reminding him about the ants that would so desperately follow him around. But after days of lengthy conversations and pleading, he had finally managed to get her to agree. She was slowly learning to understand other people's emotions, and if there's one person out there whose emotions she greatly understood, it was Gang Tae's.
She knew no matter how much she protested, he was still going to do it. She was aware it was a dream he so wanted to achieve, and fully knowing how many dreams he had given up upon during the entirety of his life, it was the least she could do for him. So after a few days of sulking and trying to convince him otherwise, she finally says yes.
But Moon Young being Moon Young, if her boyfriend was going to go back to school, he had to go to the best university, because that's what he deserved. Moving back to Seoul was a huge decision, but they both knew it benefited everyone. He was going to a great university there, she had started to write more books ever since Finding the Real Face became a huge hit, and they were closer to Sang Tae who was working under Mr. Lee's company.
They had wanted to live with him in their penthouse, but he enjoyed so much of his independence that he no longer wanted to share a room with his little brother and have bicker-filled conversations with his younger sister over breakfast. He now lives in a posh hotel room, just around the corner from Mr. Lee's company.
On weekends, they would take long drives back to Songjin City, sometimes with Sang Tae if he wasn't too busy, to visit the family they left behind. Sundeuk, now their official fake real mom, would whip up heaps of food for her fake real children. She loved how much her house filled with warmth and happiness whenever everyone was visiting. Especially when Sang Tae tagged along with Sang In because it always made Ju Ri happy.
"Ko Moon Young?" He calls out. Oddly so, she was no longer in bed. It slightly bothered him because she never wakes up before him. She enjoyed her sleep, cherished it to core. He was lucky all his classes in the past four years weren't scheduled too early to have him leaving before she woke up. It would have been disastrous of epic proportions.
"Moon Young-ah?" He was about to go out when he hears shuffling in the bathroom followed by a bountiful wave of cursing.
Cautiously opening the bathroom door, he basically dashes to her side when he sees her sprawled on the bathroom floor, wretching over the toilet bowl. Her black nightgown was scattered around her, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Ko Moon Young! Kinchana?" He stands behind her, gathering her hair in his hand as he rubbed circles around her back.
"Aish. I told you those dumplings we had last night seemed a little weird." She crouches over and empties her already empty stomach again. When she finishes, she slams her hand on the floor, another wave of cursing escaping her mouth si early in the morning.
"Go away. I don't want you to see my vomit. Nobody looks pretty after wretching for an hour." She tries to push him away but he doesn't move an inch. He only chuckles, reaching over the sink to drench a small towel with some water.
"Ani. You're always beautiful." He smiles, wiping the side of her lips. She tries to glare at him, but she couldn't hide the coy smile that slowly surfaced on her lips. She lets out a small breath, leaning back against his chest, making fall back to sit on the floor with her.
He lets out a small smile, encasing her with his arms. He marvels at her small face as she closes her eyes, her skin smooth and bouncy. Tilting his head, he smiles wider at the sight of the elegance if her beauty, enticing, so caotivating. For someone who just wretched for an hour, she really did look beautiful still. He often thought to himself how he managed to resist her charms for so long when now he could barely stop himself from looking at her.
"You're staring at me like a love stuck fool again." She opens her eyes and smiles at him. He chuckles, bringing his hand over to caress her head. Living with her in this penthouse for the last four years really paved the way for the both of them to truly get to know each other. It was safe to say they were masters of each other now.
There was barely much to know more about Moon Young since she was basically a very open book. Mostly, Gang Tae just learned new ways to sate her, calm her down on occasional days she feels like setting the world on fire. Despite her wondrous character development, she was still Moon Young, and that comes along with all the temper and impulsivity and all the jealousy that comes with him having female classmates.
His personal favorite was to wrap his arms around her from behind. Initially she'd try to pry her way out, but immediately calms down once he presses a kiss on her neck. It works like magic. Not only does it calm her down in a second, it also puts both of them in a very good mood.
Moon Young on the other hand learned quite a handful with Gang Tae living under the same roof with her, especially since sleeping in the same room together. All those years of repressing himself, he was finally showing his true colors. She especially loved it when he got a little clingy on some days, demanding for some attention whenever she got too focused in writing her book. She loved clingy Gang Tae as much as she loved the sly fox version of him.
"Aish. My damn head freaking hurts." She grumbles as Gang Tae slowly helps her up. He only sighs, a small smile at the amount of cursing she was able to fit in one sentence this early in the morning.
"Maybe we should just stay home today, huh? Hyung can go with Mr. Lee. You look a little pale, I'm sure they would understand if we can't go today." He suggests, placing a hand on the small of her back as they walk out of the bathroom.
"Ani. We're going to invite them to your graduation, of course we have to go there. You're acting like you don't know who I am, indigestion and a small headache is not going to stop me. Plus, I want to eat real fake omma's food. I'm sick of your under seasoned side dishes."
He laughs, nodding his head. He caresses the top of her head again.
"Kure. Go have a warm shower then. It'll help with your headache." He opens the bathroom door again, ushering her inside. Backing away, she grabs hold of his shirt, stopping him.
"You're not joining me?" She gives him an all too innocent look, tugging in his shirt. He gives her a serious look, taking hold of her hand as he leans in to press a kiss on her forehead. She takes her hand off of him.
"I'm going to make breakfast." He whispers, gently pushing her in, closing the door with a ridiculous coy smile. He shakes his head, he almost wanted to consider.
They picked up Sang Tae with Mr. Lee and Seungjae following right behind them. It had been the usual setup every weekend drive back home. Sang Tae was routinely excited with the long drive, he always is. He looked forward to playing with his bestie, both of them giving Gang Tae a mild headache at some point in the trip. But this time, Sang Tae was a tad bit disappointed, bored even, because his bestie was mostly asleep the entire trip. Gang Tae had instructed him not to wake her up since she wasn't feeling well. He deliberately wanted to bond, but being a big brother meant to let his sick sister rest.
"How was the trip?" Sundeuk welcomes her favorite guests, wrapping Sang Tae in a warm hug while Mr. Lee directly glides towards Ju Ri. Jae Su immediately inches closer to Seungjae, sharing knowing glances with their budding romance.
The house was immediately filled with warm laughter and excited greetings. It felt like it brightened up in just a matter of seconds.
"It-it, it was was good. B-but, boring. It was boring. It was boring because my bestie was asleep the entire trip. Sh-she never falls asleep, she always plays with me. But this time she was sleeping. Gang Tae said she was a little sick, so I let her sleep." Their fake real mom nods her head, proud at Sang Tae's newfound considerations. She nods her head, smiling at she patted his shoulders.
"That's right. Good job." She muses.
"Yes, yes. I did a good job. She woke up in the middle of the trip because she had to vomit, so we had to stop at the side of the road. It would have smelled bad if she vomited in the car. It would have also cost money, because her car, her car is expensive. It's expensive." Sang Tae continues to ramble, making Moon Young roll her eyes. Why on earth is he telling everyone of her demise, she thought.
"Oh? Let me see her." She cranes her neck, eyes growing wide at the sight Ko Moon Young's pale, yet still beautiful face. "Aigoo! You look pale, Moon Young-ah." She holds her arms, squeezing them comfortably. "Kinchana?"
She nods her head, smiling warmly at the closest thing she now has for a mother. Her heart flutters when the fairly old woman's hand reaches for her face.
"You're probably hungry. Come on, come on, let's eat. Hurry everyone." She links her arm around Moon Young's, leading her to the table where all the food was served.
"Wait! Before anything else, "She turns back around, eyeing Gang Tae who was following close. "I believe congratulations are in order! Congratulations on the graduation, Gang Tae-ah!"
Gang Tae gets enveloped by a number of warm arms, hugging and squeezing him. Accolades filled the room, making him smile. He thanks each one of them, a huge smile on his face. His eyes curve into thin lines as he catches Moon Young standing by the corner, watching him with a huge smile on her face. She was proud of him, proud beyond measure.
"Now let's eat!" The homeowner says, dragging everyone towards the table. Gang Tae moves over to Moon Young, wrapping his arm around her waist. He sits her down on her usual spot in the table, taking the seat beside her. Automatically, he gets her a bowl of overflowing rice and a bountiful amount of side dishes.
"Here you go." He doesn't wait for her to curse at the fact she still can't use the chopsticks with eggs and gets a few for her, placing them on her bowl.
Scooping a spoonful, she stops midway when she takes a whiff of the smell. For some reason, it didn't smell the same way. It smelled horrible, making her insides feel stuffy.
"Aish. Why the hell do these smell weird?" She complains, eyeing them in a disgusted way. Gang Tae turns to her, sniffing the dish.
"Ani. They smell the same as usual, Moon Young. Just go ahead and eat them." He rubs her shoulder.
She shrugs, face still distorted. She reluctantly takes the spoon back and eats. As soon as flavor spread all over her mouth, her stomach starts churning. The disgusting smell only amplified, and she felt like she was getting a taste of it. Just like this morning, she legitimately felt the same way her stomach started to push its contents upward.
Slamming the cutlery on the table, she makes everyone stop, turning their heads toward her. She tries to stabilize her breathing, trying to calm her stomach, but the contents of her stomach, of what's left of it, started to rise until she could basically taste it on her throat.
She abruptly pushes back her chair, standing up and running to the sink nearby. As soon as she crouched down, she starts to hurl.
It took everyone a second, before they all stood up, running towards her. Sundeuk and Gang Tae were quick to her side, both rubbing her back as Gang Tae once again gathers her hair in his hnads.
"Kinchana?" Gang Tae asks her as she calms down, taking a table napkin from Mr. Lee who was quick to stay by them. He wipes her lips, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it.
She nods, but it doesn't take long before she feels her world spin. She stumbles on her feet, her knees trembling. Luckily, Gang Tae and Mr. Lee was quick to grab her, maintaining her balance. They quickly bring her to the living room, sitting her down on the couch.
"Omo, Moon Young-ah. What is happening to you? Omo, you can't be sick. You have a book to finish." Mr. Lee worriedly rambles as he wipes her forehead. Gang Tae was sitting beside her, massaging her arms while Ju Ri was quick to bring over a glass of water.
"Aish. I'm fine. It's probably just a flu, I've had it for more than a week." She waves her hand, annoyed at the fussy attention they hand on her. Like the stubborn that she is, she tries to stand up, but Gang Tae only pushes her back down, giving her a look. She lets out a breath, leaning back.
"She’s sick. Is she sick? If you're sick you need to rest. Rest. But she's been resting too much. Should, should we bring her to a hospital?" Sang Tae rambles, panic starting to dawn over him at sight of his sister looking frail. Jae Su was quick to calm him down, telling him she was going to be okay.
"I wonder what's wrong." Sundeuk tries to think, worrying over her state. He crosses her arms over her chest, thinking of any possibilities. When a thought crosses her mind, her eyes grow wide. She didn't want to acknowledge it, but she needed to get it out of her chest.
"Aigoo!" She clasps her hands. "Could you be pregnant?" Everyone in the room stills. They stare at her incredulously, mouths agape.
"Frequent vomiting." Jae Su says.
"Dizziness." Seungjae responds.
"Altered senses." Ju Ri concludes.
All the heads in the room slowly turns towards Gang Tae who had a stunned expression on his face. His heart started beat faster, sweat beading over his neck and his ears starting to blush red.
"M-Moon Young-ah, could you be pregnant?" Mr. Lee asks her, suddenly sounding like an overprotective father. He eyes her and Gang Tae back and forth.
"Of course its possible. With the rate he's penetrating me, I'm not going to be surprised." Gang Tae's eyes grow wide.
"Uhm, M-Moon Y--" He doesn't get to finish because she stands up rashly, walking towards the door. He attempts to follow her, but she puts up a hand which he earlier learned meant she needed time with herself. He sighs, sitting back down.
When she was out of the door, everyone returns their shocked gazes to him. He was in mild shock, heart hammering, thoughts going on a frenzy.
He flinches when Sundeuk suddenly hits him with her hands.
"You knocked her up before marrying her?! Gang Tae, I cannot believe you." When she finally calms down, she takes in a breath, hands on hips. He looks at her with nothing but guilty and worried eyes.
"You might be having a baby. Oh, it's going to be a good looking baby!" She pulls him in for a warm comforting hug, rubbing his back. She knew he felt nervous, but she could see the hidden happiness in his eyes despite the worry and guilt. She knew in her heart, if someone was ready to become a father, it was him.
Everyone else in the room, after finally getting to wrap their head around the idea, slowly turned their stunned looks into smiles. It was unexpected, but it was good news altogether.
"Well, that's one more thing we need to celebrate." Mr. Lee says, sending everyone in soft cheers. It was good news, but though unspoken, they all slightly worried about Moon Young and how she would react. Especially Gang Tae.
He gave her a few hours on her own. Sundeuk offered them to stay the night at the rooftop room, Jae Su and Mr. Lee offering to take Sang Tae in their room like old times. He sat on the stairs as he allowed her her space, thinking, and trying get himself accustomed to the fact that he might be a father soon. He was nervous, it made his heart thud, but he was also happy. The thought of having a child with the woman he loves made him excited.
This was one of the dreams he had developed as he started his new life with her. He wanted to build a family, a family with her. And now, they were a step closer. There was only one step left to do.
He takes the red velvet box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal the bright diamond ring. He'd been keeping it for quite a while now, trying to wait for the perfect moment. He was going to ask her tomorrow, when they were back at the cursed castle. He was going to invite her to the balcony where the moon would shine over them and the fireflies would float around them like magical glitter. When the moment was near perfect, and he poured his heart and soul to her, he would go down on one knee and ask her. And then he could only hope she says yes.
He found her sitting at the edge of the rooftop day bed. The sky was bright despite the dark night, the stars were shining and the moon was huge. He stopped for a second, admiring how ethereal she looked under the glowing celestial beauty.
There was no way he wanted to spend the rest of his life with someone else. If he was going to spend forever with someone, it was going to be with her. Yes, she might be an irrational brat sometimes, but she was his irrational brat. He'd gladly put up with all the complaining and temper if it meant he gets to have her.
He doesn't say a word as he sits beside her, leaving no space between them. He knew she needed some space to wrap her head around what could be happening. But this time, she didn't have to face anything alone, because he'll always be by her side. Sometimes far away, but always near.
"I just hurled what's left of my guts out. I think the pipes might just get busted for real this time." She says, looking straight ahead. He turns to look at her, a small smile in his face. He knew, she was going to be okay. Wrapping an arm over her shoulders, he pulls her close.
"What if it hates me? What if it fears me as I did with my mom?" She turns to her, the fear in her eyes making his heart ache. He doesn't blame her for thinking that. Her childhood was wasn’t exactly the best, and though she was healing, he knows a small part of it still continues to haunt her.
"It won't. Because you're not like your mom. And you know that. You're warm. And you know what it feels to be loved. Most of all, because you know how to love genuinely and wholeheartedly. You know why I know?" She shakes her head, her stare boring into his eyes.
"Because I can feel how much you love me. I can see how much you love Hyung. You don't say it much, but I can see how much you love everyone else in that room today. And I'm sure, you'll love our baby as much. And it's going to love you because it's going to feel how much his mom loves him."
He takes her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb. He smiles at her, assuring her that nothing else but love and happiness is coming their way. When she smiles at him with genuine happiness, he leans in to press a kiss on her lips.
"Saranghae, Moon Young-ah." He says, pulling her closer, squeezing her arm.
"Saranghae, Gang Tae-ah." She wraps an arm over his torso. He smiles, pressing his cheek on the top of her head.
"Now I might have something growing inside of me like a tadpole. Feeding off my body." She mutters, making him laugh. He only pulls her in closer, a ridiculous smile on his face.
"We'll get you checked tomorrow, to be sure. But don't call the baby a tadpole." He chuckles.
"If we really are having a baby, I hope it's a boy that looks like you." He only nods, she always said that. He didn't argue, but a part of him wished they'd have a girl that would like like her. A daughter he'd be able to treat like a princess.
"You're going to have to answer Sang Tae. He's going to be asking about the whys and the hows. I'm pretty sure you done want me to answer." Yet again, he chuckles.
"Don't say a word to him, Moon Young-ah." He says in between his chuckles. He lets out a breath and smiles, looking up at the sky. His dreams were slowly starting to become a reality. He knew in his heart, and with the way the stars glowed, his mom was happy for him.
He couldn't ask for more. He was graduating next week with a job waiting for him at Mr. Lee's company. He is going to marry the love of his life, and possibly a baby on the way. There was no more repressing, no more hiding his feelings. He was happy, and he couldn't hide it.
97 notes · View notes
fbfh · 4 years
Text
hey, sailor - leo x daughter of poseidon
genre: a little bit of angst, a little bit of fluff, a lot of mermaids lol
word count: 2.4k
au: none really, you have mermaid powers as a daughter of poseidon if that counts lmao
pairing: Leo x Daughter of Poseidon
requested: yeeyee !! hope u enjoy xoxo
warnings: uh brief mention of your step dad leaving when you were younger, an interaction with your best friend doesn’t go as planned, percy’s grappling with rlly complicated feelings towards his dad and new sister 
summary: Percy, Annabeth, and Leo all get a little more than they bargained for when they bring Percy’s half sister back to camp Halfblood, and Leo remembers why he had such a huge crush on Ariel growing up. 
reccomended songs: hurricane drunk - florence + the machine, sinkin’ in - cody simpson, deep sea ambiance
a/n: as soon as i got this request my dormant mermaid phase woke up from a sound sleep 
requests r open uwu
Tumblr media
"...And you know what he said to me? He says, 'kid, I think it's time you met your sister'. I have a freaking sister, and that two timing piece harpy sh-"
"Okay, Percy, why don't you cool off a little before we leave. Come on, we'll grab a drink or something while Leo finishes getting ready." 
Annabeth takes her boyfriend's hand, and leads him to the nearest drink cooler. Leo turns back to the car they're going to take, and continues loading in the rest of the supplies. He, for one, is excited to meet Percy’s sister. His first thought was ‘hope she’s hot’, which he blurted out before he could stop himself, and was met with a killer glare from both of them. He’s not trying to be insensitive, finding out you have siblings you didn’t know about is kind of traumatic. I mean, hey, Leo’s family went from zero to sixty in one day - literally. Okay, not quite sixty, but only child to one of eight is still a pretty big jump. 
A little while later, they’re ready to go. Leo offers to drive, so Percy and Annabeth can sit in back and try to sort out Percy’s feelings. After a couple hours of driving and emotional conversations, most of which Leo just listened to - Annabeth seemed to have a good hold on this, and Leo didn’t want to overstep his bounds again - they arrived in Cape Cod. At this point, the gist seems to be that Percy knows if he should be mad at anyone, it’s his dad. They park in the driveway of the address Chiron gave them. They get out of the car, and look up at the house. It’s gray with white trimming, two or three stories, with a balcony porch on the upper floor - a normal, small town New England house, as far as they could tell. They seemed to take a collective breath, and approached the door. 
You’re breathing fast, trying to hold back the floodgates of emotion, when your bare feet hit the sand. You drop your bag, taking in the familiar, secluded stretch of the Cape. A big wall of jagged rocks to your left separates this part of the beach from the others. The old wooden stairs and their faded white paint that connected the low cliff to the sand below are hidden by plant life, so most people don’t even know this area existes. You’ve been coming here regularly since you were nine or ten. So many important parts of your life happened on these shores. You could just tell your mom ‘I’m going to my beach’, and she’d know right where you are. You finish pulling off your shorts and rush towards the water in your swimsuit. You’re met with immediate relief as soon as the water touches your skin. If it was possible to have an emotional support location, you did. 
You feel it happen as soon as you’re waist deep. Bubbles and sea foam collect around you from the hips down and your legs get tingly and numb. A moment later, it dissipates, leaving behind a life sized mermaid tail. It changes slightly with most transformations, usually based on your mood and desired appearance, and you’ve noticed over the years you can change how it looks more easily. You don’t care today, you just need to be in the water. This time it’s a big tropical fish tail, its purple, blue, and shimmery gray tones reflecting both your mood and the impending storm clouds rolling in. You dip below the surface, and let the tide carry you a little ways. You don’t worry about getting lost, you somehow always know where you are at sea. You don’t have gills that you can find, but you can definitely breathe underwater. 
You finally sink to the bottom, and stare up at the surface of the water. The patterns of light remind you of the night light you had as a child. 
Your mom had ensured you were comfortable with water and ocean life for as long as you could remember. She must know other people like you, because sometimes she would have long phone conversations with someone called the Director. You were pretty sure he had a weird name that started with a K or C, but you could never remember. He’s apparently sending someone to bring you to a ‘safe place’ today. It sounds like bullshit to you, but you trust your mom, and your mom trusts the Director. Since you might not be back for a while, she said you could finally tell your best friend Wes the truth. 
‘Oh god,’ you think, wishing the salt water would erase your memories of what happened today, but you can’t stop the onslaught of memories. Wes has been your best friend for years. You helped him when he realized he’s bi, he helped you when your step dad left, you could trust him with anything. Or so you thought. ‘It’s not his fault,’ you remind yourself, trying futilely to stop reliving what happened hours earlier. 
You brought him to your part of the beach to go swimming so you could show him. You can still hear his voice, asking if you’re sure you want to go in the ocean, you’ve always been afraid of water. Once you’d worked up the nerves to get in the water and transform, you showed him your tail. Your heart broke again every time you remembered what he had said. 
“That is... incredible,” your heart had soared, there was hope, “I can’t believe you got one of those silicone swimming tails just to prank me!” Ah, there it was. The other shoe. You tried to tell him it was real, but he said he could see the mold lines, and there the scales don’t quite line up, and there’s the edge of the zipper. You wanted to cry. 
“I’m not gonna lie, you almost had me for a second. I can’t believe you learned to swim just to prank me, but whatever works, dude,” he laughed like you were having a good time together. It was too much.
You let out a huge underwater scream, and thunder rumbles in the distance. You sink further down, wishing once again that the salt and algae would erode your memories from today. 
Annabeth knocks on the door for the third time. Thankfully, it opens to a middle aged woman in a shirt that said Brooklyn Nine Nine.
“Hello, what can I help you with?” she asks. She has a strong presence, and none of them want to be on her bad side. Percy is still too nervous, and Leo seems to be analyzing wires poking out of the doorbell, so Annabeth introduces themselves, and asks where you are. 
“Who wants to know?” she asks. 
“We’re her internet friends, we’re surprising her by visiting a day early.” Annabeth replies. The woman doesn’t seem convinced. She smiles, seeming to see right through them. 
“Are you from camp?” The shock on their faces gives her all the answer she needs. She smiles, and continues, “She’s down at the Cape, the quiet part past the rocks.” They thank her, but before they can leave she says, “Hey.” She looks at each of them intensely. 
“Make sure she gets there safely. Take care of her.” They agree solemnly, and head down the sidewalk. 
“And tell Chiron I say hi.” she says with a smile. They smile back, agreeing again. 
They get to the Cape, and it’s full of people. 
“Shouldn’t be any harder than a Where’s Waldo,” Leo says. Percy’s head snaps to the right, and thunder rumbles. 
“Did you hear that?” he asks. 
“The thunder? Yeah,” Annabeth says.
“No, no.. someone screaming.” 
“I don’t-” 
“This way,” he takes off towards a pile of jagged rocks. They manage to get over with only a few scrapes and Percy surveys the empty beach. 
“She’s here… She’s here somewhere,” he mutters to himself. The dark clouds part for a moment, and Annabeth points out to the water. Someone was there, pretty far out to sea. She could just make out their shoulders and head above the water. 
“Gods, Percy, can you get her to shore?” 
“Ah ah ah, uncle Leo’s got this one,” Leo pulls something out of his backpack. It’s bronze, and the size and shape of a deflated soccer ball. He throws it into the water. It starts to sink, then expands into a small bronze and wood speed boat. Percy and Annabeth’s jaws drop. He hops in, revving the engine to life.  They sail out over the water, Percy directing them around currents and waves. They can see the figure clearly now, and they’re sure it’s you. You’re looking away from them, out towards the darkening sky. The boat starts to slow down, and makes a whining noise. Their eyes dart to Leo.
“It’s probably just a sticky piston,” white smoke leaks from the engine, “... and I should check the coolant, too.” He opens up a panel, and starts to tweak a couple things. He sits on the edge of the boat to get a better angle, and reaches into his tool belt. He pulls out a wrench, and almost in slow motion, feels it slip between his finger tips, and into the water with a light plip.
“Shit!” He covers his mouth, worried he scared you off. Three heads turn to where you were a moment ago. Gone. He feels that familiar shameful heat creep into his stomach and cheeks. 
“Sorry guys, I-” 
“You dropped this,” He looks into the water, and you’re right next to the boat, handing him the wrench. 
“...Thanks,” he says, his heart speeding up. Your hair is wet and beads of water glisten on your skin. Your red bikini top sure isn’t doing anything to slow his racing pulse, either. Your hands brush as he takes the tool from you. You smile, and the clouds part - literally. A beam of golden sun shines behind you, making you glow. His heart is in his throat, and he knows he’s probably grinning and blushing like an idiot. 
Percy stares at your head, poking up over the side of the boat. Your hair is dyed shades of blue and teal and seafoam that blend right in with the water, but your roots are dark. He takes in your freckles, your tan lines, and your eyes… they look like part of the sea - shells, or waves, or something. He watches as Leo takes the tool, and a smile appears at the side of your mouth - the same smile he’s seen in the mirror, the same smile he’s seen on his dad. He sees all these familiar traits and knows it’s true, you’re his sister. The realization hits him like a truck, and he’s suddenly choked up. Annabeth sees this, and places a hand on his shoulder. She looks between Percy and an infatuated Leo, and takes the reins for the whole ‘the gods are real’ speech. 
“Hi,” she says, giving Percy’s hand a squeeze, “I’m Annabeth, this is Percy, and Leo. We were sent here to take you to a safe place for kids like us-”
“Ohmygod, finally,” the tension leaves your shoulders and you sigh in relief, “you have no idea how hard it’s been keeping all of this a secret, trying to be normal…” You push yourself up the side of the boat Ariel style, and pull yourself in, the edge of your tail draped slightly off the boat as you continue, “I seriously thought I was losing it for a while…” you trail off, watching them stare at your tail. 
“You’re not… you’re not merfolk, are you?” The confusion on their faces says it all. Panic rises in your chest as you start to dive off the boat. Before you can, Leo grabs your hand.
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. We all have weird powers, it’s part of being a demigod.” He shows you his free hand, and flames suddenly dance across his palm. Part of your fear is replaced with confusion. 
“A what?” you ask. 
“A demigod.” you look over at Percy, who’s speaking since the first time since you’ve met him, “Our dad is Poseidon, god of the sea.” You scrunch your eyebrows, processing what he said. Annabeth smiles at the gesture, having seen her boyfriend do it a thousand times. 
“Wait… our?” He takes in a breath.
“I’m Percy, your brother.” 
The ride back to shore is a little awkward, to say the least. They had finished explaining about camp and the gods and monsters a few minutes ago, and it’s been pretty much silent since. Annabeth sits next to you, and hands you a water bottle. 
“He just needs some time,” she tells you quietly, “Poseidon’s not really supposed to have children, and Percy got a hard time for it when he was younger. He also… he thought his dad was really in love with his mom, so finding out he has a sister so close in age…” You nod in understanding. She pats you on the shoulder, and sits next to Percy at the back of the boat. You scooch up a little closer to Leo as gracefully as you can, which isn’t much, considering you have to drag along an almost 60 pound fish tail. Leo looks over at you from the controls. 
“Weird day, huh?” he asks. 
“Yeah…” 
“So how long does it take to, uh,” he nods down and you flick your tail, “de-fishify?”
You laugh. 
“Once I’m dry,” you look up at the summer sun reemerging, a little surprised that it hadn’t stormed. Then again, if children of Poseidon really could make sea storms, it made sense that it had died down now that you and Percy were feeling better. 
“which shouldn’t take long.” you finish. You look over at Percy, who’s having a quiet intense conversation with Annabeth. 
“He knows I didn’t ask for this, right?” Leo looks back at them.
“He does,” he replies. 
“It’s so surreal finding out I have a sibling I knew nothing about,” you mutter, mostly to yourself.
“Try finding out you have seven,” he laughs, shaking his head at the memory.
“Seven?!” your head snaps up to him. 
“Oh yeah,” he tells you the story of when he first came to camp, and you feel so much better already. Leo has such a comforting presence, the pain from all your problems softens a little just hearing him talk. You have a feeling you’re going to get a lot closer.
Little did you know, the feeling was mutual - and correct.
374 notes · View notes
aerisahale · 3 years
Text
Catharsis
Pairing: Clarke Griffin x Lexa kom Trikru Fandom: The 100 Length: 4,311 Summary:  Raven invites Clarke to stay at her house over Christmas break after the university forces all the students out of on-campus housing. Clarke doesn't expect to see her angry ex-boyfriend or the incredibly gorgeous friend of Anya's. Read it on AO3, if you prefer!
--
The chair to Clarke Griffin’s desk in her dorm room is the best seating in the small space and Raven Reyes is quick to throw herself down into it, bag hitting the ground with a thud. The bright lettering stands out against the mild background. Raven’s eyes are drawn to the flyer immediately. “Getting kicked out?”
“Just for the holidays. I have that extra semester to make up before it’s a full eviction,” Clarke says as she flops down onto her bed, her equally heavy bag hitting the floor hard.
“You going home?”
“Probably. Mom’s in Pakistan working at a Doctor’s Without Borders clinic that helps women and other refugees in the area, so I’ll have the house to myself.”
Squinting at her friend, Raven cocks her head. “Christmas alone?”
“It’s fine. I can catch up on The Mandalorian.”
“What did you do last year?”
Clarke sits up, eyes on the floor. “Bellamy and I went to his parent’s house.”
The remorse is easy to see on Raven’s face. “Sorry, Clarke. I know it’s still a sore subject.”
“It isn’t,” Clarke says quickly.
Too quickly. Raven raises a brow.
“It shouldn’t be,” she amends. “I ghosted him. Not the other way around.”
“You did the best thing for yourself. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to hurt.” Raven reaches out and places a comforting hand on her friend’s knee.
“It’s been almost a year. I really am mostly over it. This is just the first Christmas in years without him.”
“You’ve been through a lot together. Despite how it ended, you cared for each other for a long time and that means something. It will always mean something.” Raven smiles her warmest smile and squeezes the knee she’s resting her hand on before pulling it away to snap her fingers. “Listen. Come to my place. You can stay in the spare room. We’re even throwing a Christmas Party.”
Clarke looks hesitant so Raven throws in a drawn out please with her best pout until her friend gives in. “But nothing crazy.”
“Just a few friends, no worries.”
--
“Thanks again for having me over,” Clarke says as she takes sets out the trays of food Anya handed her. Lining them up neatly on the countertop of the kitchen pass-through window, Clarke takes an extra moment to observe them in the whole of the setting.
An enormous tree sparkles in multiple colors in the corner of the living room, near their fireplace. Garlands, lights, and holiday-themed décor are arranged perfectly throughout the public spaces, down to the Christmas linens and hand soap in the bathrooms. All the invited guests have a stocking hanging over the fireplace as a party favor and three gifts currently sat wrapped beneath the tree for the white-elephant gift exchange planned for later in the evening.
Clarke knows all the names but one. The first hanging from the mantle is Octavia’s. Octavia, Raven and Clarke had all gone to school together and Clarke used to date her brother. She and Octavia played soccer together for awhile until the latter had transferred schools mid-year in their sophomore year. They were fairly close until that happened.
The next is John Murphy’s. There were so many John’s in high school that everyone started calling him Murphy and it stuck. Murphy wasn’t always her favorite person, as her moral compass did not quite point in the same direction as his, but she did not foresee them having any issues. She had a particularly fond memory of a time where they both got called to the principal’s office—both for very different concerns—and they had shared a pair of headphones while waiting.
After his was Emori Emmerson’s. She only knew of her. They did not frequent any of the same social groups growing up, but she had fallen in with Raven and Murphy, the latter of which she was dating. As far as Raven told it, she was fun to be around and had the same sense of humor as Raven.
Nathan Miller and Eric Jackson followed Emori’s and Clarke hoped they were still together. They started dating in their junior year of high school and seemed like a picture-perfect couple. She still saw the occasional Facebook post of stunning settings such as where they held hands against the backdrop of a vivid sunset. If anyone was going to make it through as high-school sweethearts, it was them.
Remember when they said that about you and Bellamy? Her traitorous brain completes the thought before she can stop it and it makes her angry. She argues back, Remember all the times he blamed me for things that were out of my control? Like the time you refused sex because you were on your period?
Satisfaction makes her smile when nothing else decides to bubble to the surface. Focusing her attention on the final stocking, the name she doesn’t know intriguing the curious, non-traitorous part of her mind. Lexa. She finds herself whispering it under her breath, enjoying the feel of it rolling over her tongue.
A knock on the door pulls her attention and Raven claps her hands as she sets the napkins in her hand next to the plates that were beside Anya’s appetizers that Clarke had laid out. The front door opens to reveal Miller and Jackson first, gifts tucked under their arms as they each pull Raven into a hug with their free arms. Those three converse for a minute before Raven takes their jackets and hangs them in the breezeway closet while Jackson puts their gifts under the tree next to the other three.
Miller sees Clarke first and waves to her, Jackson’s attention going that way moments after. She moves to hug them both, greeting them. “How have you guys been? I’m so glad to see you!” Privately, she adds, Together.
The exchange pleasantries as Raven starts pressing buttons on their stereo system until Christmas pop spills out of the speakers distributed well throughout the house. Clarke can hear it coming from the kitchen even. The lights on the Christmas tree dance to the beat and Clarke knows Raven enjoyed setting that up.
Another knock finds John and Emori on the other side of the door and the couple enters. The conversations of seven people fill the house with chatter and laughter, swirling with the Christmas music and the emerging, mouthwatering scent of warm sugar wafting out of the kitchen. The dancing lights distract Clarke from the next guest that enters, letting the cheerful music sit in her soul like a hearth fire, warmth filling her bones. It’s not with regret that her eyes find the next guest, she just wishes she had been paying attention because the woman she finds steals her breath.
She only sucks in another when the stranger is coming towards her, guided towards the food by Raven. Clarke panics. She ducks into the kitchen and finds herself staring into the fridge for absolutely nothing. The amount of cheese sticks Raven has stuffed into the crisper drawer is concerning, however. At least its twin is actually packed with vegetables.
“Oh, Clarke!” she hears Raven say and she takes a moment to pre-compose her reply to the inevitable introduction. Armed with her most charming smile, she turns away from the cheese overload, closing the door behind her. “This is Lexa! She’s a friend of Anya’s.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Clarke!” She holds out her hand and tries not to wince at how overly-perky she sounds. Raven gives her a weird look and she knows she’s doing too much. She tries to dial it down by three notches as she asks, “How do you know Anya?”
There is an awkward moment where Lexa just stares at Clarke and she begins to wonder if she forgot to ask the question out loud until Raven says, “They grew up together, a lot like we did.”
The doorbell rings and Raven excuses herself, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone in the kitchen, alone in the uncomfortable silence as Clarke mulls over the fact that the other woman has yet to say anything to her. She wonders if the silence was better when the woman trips over her speedy question, “You’re the pre-med student that Raven goes to school with?”
“Ah, yeah, yes. I graduate in April. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage?”
“Sorry,” color warms her pale cheeks as Lexa clears her throat and says in a much more paced tone, “Anya mentioned you might be here. What is your major?”
“Double-majoring, actually. I have one more semester to get my Bio and Chem degrees. Then off to med school.”
“You’ve already taken the MCATs?” the woman asks and Clarke is caught off guard.
“Yeah! Took them in my junior year to save time. I start at Harvard Med right after graduation.”
Surprise widens the woman’s green eyes and Clarke’s heart races. “I will be attending Harvard in January.”
“Small world,” Clarke jokes in an attempt to soothe her nerves. “What are you studying?”
Lexa smiles and the house around Clarke is spinning giddy circles to match the butterflies in her chest. “I also took the LSAT in my junior year. I just finished a double in Poli-Sci and History.”
“A lawyer!”
“Indeed. The real goal is to get into Congress, down the road. I hope for more, but that is my realistic goal.”
“That’s amazing! I have this feeling that you would be impressive at it.” Lexa smiles wide. “Thank you, Clarke.”
The way Lexa’s voice pops on the K of her name has Clarke wondering what she would sounds like if Clarke had her quivering under her mouth and the way Lexa is looking right through her, as if she can read her thoughts, has heat creeping up her neck and across her face. To distract herself, she turns towards the living room, surveying through the pass-through window.
Her eyes lock with familiar ones, the last ones she ever wanted to see again. His eyes were already on her and she feels trapped all over again. She spins around and suddenly finds herself breathing heavily. Lexa lays a hand on her back, rubbing a soothing circle as Clarke continues to chase her breath.
She turns back towards the party to see Raven looking at her with concern, mouthing, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know’ and Bellamy just behind her, eyes locked on the spot on her arm that Lexa’s hand gently remains. Only when Lexa’s arm drops back to her side does Bellamy say coldly, at odds with the words themselves, “Nice to see you again, Clarke.”
“Wish I could say the same!” Clarke blurts before pushing past him and beating a hasty retreat to the far corner of the living room.
Octavia finds her shortly and fills her in on what she has been doing, over the years. She keeps glancing at the kitchen door but she doesn’t think Bellamy has left there yet. Chuckling weakly at a joke that Octavia made, she jumps when Bellamy is suddenly at Octavia’s elbow, eyebrows drawn in anger. He speaks quietly enough that Octavia and Clarke are the only ones to hear him. “Why are you joking around with her?”
“We were friends before I switched schools, Bells.”
His voice rises slightly louder, people close to them glancing towards the group. “Friends? You don’t even know what you’re saying, Octavia.”
“Bellamy.” Clarke says his name in warning at the same time as Octavia tells him to stop making a scene.
“No, I think it’s time you—it’s time everyone knew the real Clarke Griffin,” Bellamy raises his voice, the conversation in the house falling silent as everyone focused in on them in the corner. The cheerful Christmas music and rhythmically twinkling lights at odds with the suddenly tense air. “You changed schools because of Clarke.”
“What?” Octavia asks. “What are you talking about? What is he talking about, Clarke?”
Shame fills every inch of Clarke as she stares at the ground, all eyes on her. Torn between running and praying a miraculous sinkhole swallowed her and only her, Clarke stays rooted to the spot. She tries to look at Octavia but can’t meet her confused gaze.
“Clarke planted the drugs in your locker that got you expelled from Arkadia High.”
The chill in Octavia’s voice actually makes Clarke shiver and she finally gathers the courage to meet her former friend’s furious eyes, “Explain, Clarke.”
“You…You all know how…competitive and ambitious I was in high school. I…put the drugs in your backpack the day before and then told the school officer about them. I thought it would just get you kicked off the team! We were both up for Captain and—at the time I thought it was what I had to do to win. I was young and dumb. I swear I had no idea you would be expelled. Please, Octavia, I’m so sorry.”
Octavia doesn’t say another word, storming out of the front door. Clarke is quick to follow, just behind her as the dark-haired woman keeps her steady march towards, well, Clarke isn’t really sure. Suddenly, she stops and whips around, finger pointed right at Clarke, jamming it into her collar bone to enunciate her words.
“You never told me? You never owned up to it? Even after you saw the consequences of those actions?”
“Octavia, I’m so sorry. Nothing I can say can ever make up for that.”
“I had to go to court!” Stab. “I had to go to therapy!” Stab. “No one believed they weren’t mine.” Stab. “Except Bellamy, and I guess I know why now.”
“No, no!” Clarke is quick to say, pleading with her eyes. “Octavia he always believed you. I only told him later when I was beyond drunk and feeling extremely guilty. I swear, he was always on your side.”
“And the worst fucking part, Clarke? Is that you lied! For all these years.”
“Please, Octavia. I know I can never make it up to you now, but you have to know, if I could go back and do it over, I would never have done it. I hated the person I was and I’ve learned from those choices. I choose every day to be a better person. I’m becoming a doctor to save lives, not ruin them. Maybe that’s why, if I’m being honest.”
The anger drains out of Octavia and Clarke holds her breath. “I was angry for a long time. I never knew how they got there. I did a lot of unsafe, unhealthy things that I regret while coping with that anger.”
“I’m so sorry,” Clarke breathes out.
“Look, I’m trying to say: I get it. We all have done things we’re ashamed of. All we can do is move forward and be a better person than we were yesterday. I definitely can’t forgive you yet, but let’s take it a day at a time and not let this ruin Christmas any more than it has.”
Clarke admires the woman Octavia has become, wonders what she went through to become this level-headed woman before her. In high school, Octavia would hold the longest grudges. Quick to anger and quick to give it a home adjacent to her heart where she would house it forever. It is part of the reason Clarke could never come clean about what happened.
Octavia heads back in, but Clarke stays in the cold a moment longer, taking a few deep breaths to calm her emotions before following back into the warmth. The Christmas music filled the quiet house, as everyone murmured quietly to one another. Bellamy stood in the back and it looked like he was quietly arguing with Octavia.
It took the party a while to lose the tense atmosphere, but it eventually did. Clarke kept near Raven, worried what the others must think of her, learning one of her deepest regrets. Not too long after the conversation picked back up, Raven pulled out a game of Pictionary and divided the group into teams. One team had Raven, Anya, Clarke, Bellamy, and Lexa and the other had Octavia, Miller, Jackson, Murphy, and Emori.
Clarke is chosen to draw first, and after Emori earned her team 4 spaces on the board, the turn passed to her. The first things she had to draw was stained glass. A church window came to mind and she quickly sketched Saint Mary as the centerpiece to a Curved window with lines to represent the where the glass was different colored. She thought this was going to be hard for any of them to guess but Lexa guessed correctly at the same time as Bellamy shouted, “Mary, the mother of Jesus!”
“Yes, but not exactly correct. Lexa got it, though. Roll for us?” Clarke tried to say it as gently as possible.
It turned into a competition between the two, or at least, as far as Bellamy was concerned. Every time it was Clarke’s turn to draw he would try to shout over Lexa, usually incorrectly. He would glare every time Lexa was right and he was wrong. Eventually, the game ended and Clarke’s team won, but barely. Despite the problematic moments, Clarke really relished how well Lexa got her.
She offers to help clean up as Lexa starts doing it. They gathered up the pieces and fit it all neatly back into the box. Clarke smiles at her. “Let me show you where it goes.”
Clarke leads her down the hallway to a closet and opens the door for her. She reaches in and turns the light on towards the side and Lexa slides past her to add the box to the stack of board games already in there. As Lexa turns to leave, she caught Clarke looking up and swallowing. She follows her gaze. Mistletoe.
Clarke glances back down in time to watch Lexa’s eyes dart up and she suddenly realizes how close the two are. She chuckles and attempts a joke, “Who puts mistletoe over a closet door? I feel like this is some sort of ‘coming out of the closet’ joke.”
“We don’t have to—” Lexa starts.
“But it is tradition—” Clarke stumbles.
“It is—" Lexa gets out before she’s crashing her lips into Clarke’s, missing by slightly too much before she pulls back and finds her center, placing a proper kiss on the shorter woman. Clarke moans into it, surprising herself, as she parts her lips for Lexa’s tongue that wastes no time in seeking askance.
It’s over as soon as it starts, as the sound of a toilet flushing just further down the hall has them pulling apart. Bellamy emerges and there’s no making excuses for what they’d just been doing. Anger further clouds Bellamy’s face as he says, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
He storms past them and down the hall, turning back to shout. “Good riddance, you fucking slut.”
Octavia’s reply in the second sudden silence of the party at Bellamy’s hands issues down the hall, “You did not just slut-shame someone.”
“Yeah, I fucking did. Clarke is down her making out with Lexa after she fucking ghosted me.”
Clarke and Lexa head back out to the scene being made about them in the living room. All eyes are once again on Clarke as she confronts her ex-boyfriend. “You act like this, Bellamy! You act like this and worse, all the time. This is why I left you!”
“We spent years together and now you’re fucking some random chick!”
“First of all, it’s been almost a year since we broke up. Second of all, we were not fucking, clearly.”
“Third, she can do whatever she wants!” Octavia intercedes. “We don’t slut-shame in this house.”
“Once again, O, you have no idea what you’re talking about. The things Clarke and I have been through together mean something.”
“Look-“ Clarke starts to say, but Bellamy is hearing none of it, already set on his path.
“She was a secret fucking teen mom and now she’s hooking up with a stranger in her friend’s fucking closet. This is ridiculous. I’m glad I broke up with her. I clearly don’t know her at all.”
“What the fuck, Bellamy,” Clarke growls. “It took two to be that fucking teen mom!”
“Teen mom, for a minute, anyway. I’m fucking out. Fuck this shit.” He slams the door behind him and Clarke sways. Lexa is at her elbow and quickly has an arm around her waist.
“Let’s go sit down, okay?”
She lets the other woman guide her to the couch, taking a seat beside her. The soothing hand from earlier is back, rubbing circles into her back, and this time, Clarke leans into it. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, building a dam around the tsunami of emotions coursing through her, knowing her friends want an explanation.
Lexa is a silent but reassuring presence at her side. Raven looks heartbroken. Octavia is furious. The others wear looks of mild concern to curiosity. Raven is the first to break the silence, “You don’t have to talk about it.”
“I—I want to. It’s time. It’s been years. I got pregnant in senior year. Bellamy’s, of course. It’s why I worked so hard to graduate early and why I took classes online for the first three semesters. I gave birth to a beautiful, amazing, healthy baby girl, but I wasn’t ready to be a mom. So, she was adopted by this lovely couple with enough money and time to give her an amazing life that I wasn’t sure I could guarantee her.”
She takes a few deep breaths, bolstered by the hand on her back, by the awe on her friend’s faces, by the love. “I was really depressed for months afterwards. Bellamy always supported my choice, he just didn’t get it, you know? I joined a Post-Partum Depression support group and ended up becoming friends with this other woman who also gave up her child and was experiencing a lot of the same feelings I was. Eventually, I worked through it.”
“I was different afterwards, and so was Bellamy. He was irritable, blamed me for a lot of things that weren’t my fault. I think deep down, even beyond admitting it to himself, that he blamed me for us not having our child with us. I think he felt pressured to support whatever decision I made and never voiced any of his feelings on it and it led to the rift that formed between us, until, one day, I just left.”
All of the shame and guilt that Clarke has carried with her for years felt lighter. Something else had changed tonight, and Bellamy was still an asshole, but it was all cathartic in some way. She smiles over at Lexa. “Nothing like meeting a cute girl and finding out all her deepest, darkest secrets, am I right?”
Lexa laughs and everyone else joins in. The atmosphere lightens and people begin a few side conversations. Raven throws herself into Clarke’s lap and pulls her into a tight embrace. “I love you, Clarke. I’m so sorry that this all happened tonight, but I hope it turns into something that helps you heal. I’m always here for you.”
“I love you, too, Raven. We should probably talk more about it, but later.”
“Oh, and, by the way, there might be some mistletoe hiding up there above the couch!” Raven points as she darts off Clarke’s lap, leaving her next to just Lexa, who she pulls into another kiss, drawing hollers from the crowd. “You owe me ten bucks,” she hears from John Murphy and she breaks the kiss in laughter.
“I know it’s been a pretty intense night, but I really am pretty attracted to you and I heard I might be living in the same city as you in a few months.”
“I feel the same way, Clarke. Following the tradition of candor this evening, Anya hoped we might hit it off tonight. She told me all about you and I was so stunned by how beautiful you are, I forgot how to talk when she introduced me.”
“Let’s exchange numbers for now and we can see how things play out once I move out there?”
Lexa smiles and kisses Clarke again. “I’ll miss these lips, but that sounds good.”
-- One Year Later --
“We’re going to Raven and Anya’s for Christmas, right?” Clarke asks.
“That’s the plan. Is Bellamy going to be there?”
“He is,” Clarke begins, stopping Lexa’s protests with, “but he’s bringing his girlfriend, and he seems to really be working on himself. However, in honor of last year, I proposed a new game to Raven. Confessions: The Game of Secrets and Lies. With a few custom added cards to carry on the tradition of last year, but it’s his turn.”
“Clarke.” Lexa frowns.
“All in good nature! I promise. Not like he was. Besides, it was pretty smooth sailing for us after all that!”
“Just because it worked out for us, that doesn’t make it a good model to cementing the foundation of a new relationship.”
“Okay, but it made mine and Octavia’s relationship even stronger!” Clarke adds with a sweet smile at her girlfriend. “Fine! Without the custom cards. Maybe. I reserve the right to be petty.”
“I am really glad I met you that night.”
“Maybe there will be more mistletoe!”
“Any excuse to kiss me?”
“As if I need an excuse! No, this party I’m going for scandalous!” Clarke directs a devilish smirk towards Lexa. “Gotta keep ‘em guessing.”
Lexa laughs. “Alright, scandalous, it is. Let’s practice right now.”
Clarke groans as Lexa bites right into the spot she knows drives her crazy. Their clothes hit the floor as they make their way towards their bedroom, thoughts of Christmas parties long gone.
32 notes · View notes
lofitowns · 4 years
Note
I would like to request an one-shot where Female Reader is Nagisa’s mother and also a former assassin. As Nagisa’s mother, she’s sweet, she’s beautiful, she’s doting towards Nagisa her son but during a parent/teacher day, she will reveal her past as an assassin to Korosensei but she’s glad to hear that her son is also one of the best students of the school.
mother’s intuition
❝ THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS YOU DON’T TELL ME. BUT, THAT’S OKAY. ❞
pairing: nagisa shiota x mother! reader
word count: 1655
summary: in which you have a parent-teacher conference with your son’s e-class teacher and reveal your past (fem! reader)
warnings: mention of death
a/n: i’m so sorry for how long this took me to get out. i started school and i’ve been drowning in work and have had no motivation to do anything. thank you for your patience. i haven’t watched assassination classroom in a while, but i did my best!
also i try to stay away from specifying gender, but since they asked for a mother, i ended up using feminine pronouns.
Tumblr media
     You had never told your son about your previous occupation. Being an assassin never really came up in normal conversation. 
     That was something you kept in your past. It seemed like a lifetime ago, you had changed a lot since then.
     For one, you gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Nagisa Shiota. 
     You had been twenty-eight at the time and you were in love. He seemed to be the man of your dreams. He understood you, for he was from the same profession. You assumed you’d be together forever. 
     But forever doesn’t always last. 
     After he was killed, you refused to continue your work as an assassin. It just wasn’t for you anymore, you even took your fallen lover’s name, Shiota, to distance yourself from it. You were skilled, one of the best, and they were sad to see you go.
     Some days you missed it. You’d be sitting in your office chair, a stark contrast to how free you used to be, and think back. How the cool metal of a gun felt in your hands, how your fingers locked around the trigger. 
     Ever since being moved down to Class E, Nagisa had been busier than before. He was probably just studying more, you assumed, and maybe he had even made some friends! At least, that’s what you hoped. You had no real idea of what was happening in the classroom on the hill.
     When Nagisa told you they were holding parent-teacher meetings, you were excited! While he didn’t go into detail, he would tell you over dinner how much he liked his teachers. How they were supporting him and making his confidence grow. As his mother, you couldn’t think of anything better. 
     As the night grew nearer, Nagisa seemed to become more... Hesitant about you going. You could tell he was hiding something, a quirk you developed after your many years in the field. Now that you thought about it, it seemed like he had been hiding something for a while. You just never thought anything of it because you trusted him to talk to you.
     You could tell something was off as soon as his school building came into view. Your shoulders were stiff and your brow furrowed.
     “You coming, mom?” Your blue-haired boy questioned, a few feet in front of you. You hadn’t realized your feet had stopped moving. 
     A gentle smile pulled at your lips in reassurance, “Of course, sweetheart.”
     The building was longer than it was tall and looked to be made of flimsy wood. It didn’t look as put together as the main school building did. Of course, you were a bit disappointed that your son had been pushed down, but you would always support him. It also didn’t seem fair to you that the lowest students were moved to a different building.
     Disregarding that fact, you walked through the open double doors. Your eyes scanned around the walls, your ears tuning themselves into the hushed voices. Another trick you picked up on the job.
     There was a small laugh and then a door creaked open, a tall, dark-haired teenager and an older woman walking out. 
     “Nagisa!” The boy’s voice boomed in the quiet hallway. 
     The corner of your son’s lip quirked up as he gave him a small wave, “Hey, Okajima.”
     The boy’s attention was dragged to you. You could practically see his eyes bulging out of their sockets and his tongue roll out of his mouth. You pretended not to notice, bowing your head in greeting.
     “You must be Nagisa’s classmate. I’m his mother,” You greeted, sending who you assumed to be his mother a smile. 
     “Good evening. Yes, I’m Okajima’s mother. It’s very nice to meet you.”
     After exchanging pleasantries, you took a few more steps towards the office door.
     “That’s your mom? Whoa.” You heard a voice behind you say. His mom whispered scolding words before dragging him out the door.
     You shook your head, laughing under your breath. “Come on, your teacher’s waiting for us, right?”
     A flustered Nagisa nodded quickly, walking in front of you to open the door. When he did, that sense of uneasy from earlier returned. 
     Your eyes narrowed as you stared down at his apparent teacher. His head was far too circular and he didn’t seem to have very many human features. The teacher, turning his head to you, flashed you a grin. What exactly was going on at this school?
     “Ah, you must be Nagisa’s mother! What a pleasure to meet you!”
     Choosing your words with caution, you turned to your son. “You can wait outside if you want.”
     You didn’t fail to notice the way Nagisa’s eyes flickered from you to his teacher or the slight nod his teacher gave him.
     Settling yourself in the wooden chair, you turned your attention back to the teacher in front of you. 
     “It’s a long trek up the mountain,” he started, arms waving around like noodles, “Would you like a drink?”
     Without wasting any time, you began questioning him. 
     “What are you?”
     His posture stiffened and his eyes darted around the room. He cleared his throat, acting like nothing happened, “I’m not sure what you mean, ma’am. I’m your son’s teacher, Mr. Karasuma.”
     You were about to retort when the door slammed open. There stood a beautiful blonde woman, hands settling on her hips. 
     “I just saw Nagisa walkout. Is his mom not coming?” She had failed to notice your presence. 
     The thing, you knew he couldn’t be a teacher, in front of you cleared his throat once more, nodding in your direction. Her blue eyes snapped to you, widening a bit. Her face contorted in confusion before turning to recognition.
     “Are you...?” Her voice almost seemed hesitant as she stepped farther in the room to take in your face.
     “Are you (y/n) (l/n)?” 
     Now that was a name you hadn’t heard in a while. Your mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to figure out the best way to answer. Alarm bells were ringing in your head. How did this stranger know your given name?
     “No! This is Nagisa’s mother. (y/n) Shiota!” 
     “I’ve seen your picture before. You knew Lovro.” She seemed to disregard his comment.
     That was another name you hadn’t heard in a while. You pursed your lips, a battle going on in your mind about what to say next.
     “And you are?” You questioned, eyebrow raising in suspicion.
     “Irina Jelavić. He trained me.”
     Your mouth all but fell open. The figure behind the desk started flailing his arms around, whisper yelling at the woman. He questioned why she had even mentioned that and that she would blow their cover.
     Your eyes turned back to the “teacher” in front of you. You knew something was going on up here. “Who are you and why are you teaching my son? Why are there assassins in the same building the children are learning?”
     A strained laugh fell from his lips, glancing between you and Irina. “Well... You see...” 
     The blonde stepped forward, setting her hands on the desk and leaning towards him, “She used to be an assassin. I looked up to her for years. If Nagisa is her son, she’d be happy to know of his progress.”
     The alarm bells in your head were louder now to the point you could barely hear. Question after question kept popping into your mind. 
     After a few more attempts at coaxing, the figure behind the desk finally shoots up. A few papers flew off the desk before he was standing in front of you in a completely different form. 
     They explained it to you, not in as much detail as you would have liked, but you understood the gist. This creature had blown up the moon and now they were training a group of kids to kill him. To top that off, if they didn't, he would destroy the Earth.  
     You scoffed a few times, thinking to yourself that this couldn’t be real. This was all a big joke. Your son couldn’t be training to be an assassin under your very nose. But you took a look at the creature in front of you and decided to believe them. What did they have to gain from lying?
     “How... How is he doing?” You asked, settling back into the stiff chair you had been sitting in since your arrival. 
     “He’s one of the best in the class. It seems, from what Mrs. Jelavić says, that he takes after his mother.” The creature answered. A small smile tugged at your lips as you listened to him, Korosensei, speak.
     “He even came to me the other day, thinking maybe he should be an assassin after he finishes school. He’s very smart, very resourceful.” He continued to explain.
     Even though you had left it in the past, hearing all the things he said about your son made your heart swell. You could tell just from how he spoke how much Korosensei cared for your son.
     “Should I tell him? About what I used to be.” You finally questioned, furrowing your eyebrows in thought. The large creature across from you chuckled and reached out to place a tentacle on your shoulder.
     “Do what you think is right.”
     You gazed at him before standing up, bowing your head at the two in farewell. 
     “Thank you, both of you, for telling me. Nagisa has been a lot happier since he came here. He thinks very highly of all his teachers. He’s becoming more confident every day.”
     The cool night air greeted you after you walked through the main doors. Nagisa was leaning against the exterior, watching the tops of the trees sway in the wind. The moment your foot stepped on the grass, his eyes averted themselves to look at you.
     You sent him a warm smile, “Come on, let’s go home. I think there’s a lot we need to talk about.”
thank you for reading :) have a good day!
73 notes · View notes
lucysuniverse · 3 years
Text
Critical Beauty
Am I the only one who thinks Jo Jinho is perfect just the way he is? Probably not. :D
To be honest I incredibly miss this man so I just wanted to feel him a bit closer while I am writing this story and he is serving in the military.
Happy Birthday Jinho! We love you all. 
Tumblr media
Pairing: Jinho x OC/reader
Genre: comfort, romance, angst
Word count: 6081
______________________________
I messed up. Like totally. My dad and those idiot colleagues of mine totally washed my brain. But after all I was the one ruining our relationship completely. And I could not blame him for having the will to break up with me because If I was in his shoes I would have done the same.
-|-
I knew it wasn’t right this way. We lived together for almost a year by now, and I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him that I was lying to him continuously in order to protect him from pain and save his self-esteem. Or at least this was my intention through-out the years.
We lived in a small flat. This is what we could afford. I just graduated from high-school and he was going to auditions. One after another. He was determined, and he was good. Insanely good. I couldn’t understand what is missing. What do you need more to become a singer? Didn’t he have outstanding vocals? He did. Didn’t he have a bit shy but loveable personality? He did. Didn’t he have sense of humor? HE DID. And on top of that he was handsome. WHAT WAS MISSING THEN???
As his girlfriend my heart was aching to watch all his efforts go to waste after so many years passed. We had a relatively big age gap between us. Well as long as you’re a teenager or young adult even two and a half years difference seem a lot. But later on, it doesn’t really matter. Especially not when you like someone. Because you like them for the person they are.
I loved him so incredibly. Because he was great. He was caring and cute but sometimes surprisingly masculine and very hot. I couldn’t wish for a better man. There was only one thing missing. Actually, not was but were. 5 more inches.
Because although we were quite far from each other in terms of age, we were all the more so close in terms of height. To be honest I guess I might have been smaller than him, but it never felt like that. And every time I thought about this I felt ashamed. Because that was the only thing which gave me hard times. I wouldn’t say I didn’t like his height. I liked everything about him. But sometimes I just wished he was a tiny bit taller, or I was even smaller (if that was possible).
Sometimes I found myself wondering about this: this couldn’t be the reason of him failing all those auditions, right? They can’t be so mean right? If you’ve ever heard a good singer than you would know that Jo Jinho was one of them.
This is why I always told my father to wait just a little. He was really opposing our relationship. I would have understood his concerns if he had real reasons, since I was his only daughter. But what he always said was ridiculous, narrow-minded and I just resent him for that.
“When will he finally stop this stupid joke of becoming a singer. Didn’t he have enough throughout these years?”
“I am fine dad. How about you?” I said as a reply. I was so fed up listening to his bullshit all the time. He heard Jinho singing. And even though he would have never admitted, he knew Jinho was born to be a singer. Anybody could tell. But sadly, in his eyes only those are real men who are lawyers or doctors. When they divorced with mom, he even found me a real man… My dad thought I should go on a blind date with the trainee of his divorce lawyer. He even complimented his ears! Like what the heck! My always logical and strict dad tells me to date the trainee of his divorce lawyer because he has nice ears.
Don’t get me wrong I’ve never thought about leaving Jinho, but my dad nagged me all the time so I checked the guy’s social media pages. Funfact: he was born on the freaking same day in April as Jinho. Am I freaking joke?
“Little woman… I am your dad no need to act like this. But think about your future kids. Will they be also minions?”
“Bye dad it was good to talk to you.” And I hung up. I didn’t want to ignore him. After all he was my dad. But we never had a good relationship. Well a relationship at all. But the irritating thing was that even if I tried to ignore all these comments he made me angry. I couldn’t stop myself. I should not marry Jinho but we are already expecting kids?! And minions? And these are my dad���s words when he himself isn’t a giant either. ARRGGGGHHH!
“Hi babe! Is everything okay?” Jinho asked. And as always, I put on a nice smile and said “yeah, all good.” And I hated myself for that.
-|-
“What is that?” He asked curiously. I didn’t know he was still at home. I wanted to put the box back under the bed as soon as possible but it was too late he saw it.
“Oh this? It is just something stupid. It is not important. Did you leave something here?”
“Yeah, I left my phone on the charger. But don’t change the topic. It must be something important if you were staring at it so dearly.”
“Oh no. You misunderstood.”
“Okay, enough of this. What’s that? Do you have something to hide from me?” And even though he didn’t say this in an offended way there was edge in his voice.
“It’s your birthday gift.”
“My birthday gift?”
“Yeah.” I knew this couldn’t work. But I couldn’t come up with a real acceptable reason.
“It was last month. And procrastination is your middle name so it can’t be for my next one, I am not buying this. So, what is that?”
“I will bring this back okay? I don’t know why I bought this. I must have lost my mind. I just …”
“Oh show me finally.” And before I could give him the box he took it out of my hands.
“You must be kidding me, right?” He asked after 3 minutes of torturing silence.
“Look I am sorry. I know we should be saving money and …. but I can ask for refund and also…”
“You created such a big scene just because of this?” And he was laughing. He was LAUGHING!
“What? Aren’t you mad?”
“Why would I be? Should I?”
“Oh… yeah. I mean no. No. I just thought… I just…”
“You thought I would be upset to found out that my girlfriend is secretly buying a pair of high-heels for herself to feel pretty? I am getting more upset now that I know you felt like you should hide this. Also, why did you think I didn’t want to see your pretty legs in this? I thought you knew me better. If that’s all I am off for work. Bye babe see you in the afternoon.” And he gave me a light kiss on my forehead. And I felt on my skin he was smiling. “And I hope next time I see you, you’ll be wearing these.” And he casually left the room.
I made a fool out of myself. I really thought he would be offended by this. I mean it wasn’t a big deal to give up on high-heels. They weren’t very comfortable anyway and we really had to save money. But I was young and for the first time in my life I felt getting more feminine. Maybe I was already but this time I started to realize.
I thought it was selfish of me having these secret desires to put on a bit tighter clothes and wore high-heels especially when he is not really taller than me, but after having this conversation I was even more encouraged. I knew he didn’t have problems with it and that was all that mattered. I was happily tiptoeing to the office. My colleagues even complimented me.
The girls were jealous for having those nice shaped legs, and the boys… let’s not talk about them. If you think they will become serious once they grow up… Well friend you are totally mistaken. Boys will be boys. But they didn’t cross the line, in their own way they complimented me as well. And I felt confident and happy. All thanks to my sweet boyfriend whom I could always rely on.
I was in a really good mood until the point I let some idiots ruin my day. I couldn’t say they ruined it. I was the one let them do it. I just wish I never overheard their conversation.
“I was wondering why she is never coming to the year-end parties but now I see. The company is not yet prepared for those legs.”
“That was a good one bro. But they say she is just staying home all the time with that hopeless guy. I feel sorry for her to have such a boyfriend.”
“What really? Why aren’t they coming together?”
“Another rumor says it the guy is a dwarf. So, she is rather staying home with him.”
“Wow. How do you know so many things?”
“Resources…”
“Which girl then?”
“The blondie in the red jeans.”
“Mmmmmh.”
“Stop it she is mine.”
“Until when?”
“Tonight. Then you can have her.”
“You are disgusting man. Well done.” And they laughed.
“Ah but that sweetie. I really feel sorry for her. Having that boyfriend can be very burdensome.”
“Oh yeah. If I was her boyfriend, I would make sure she feels good in every situation.”
“You mean every position.”
“Exactly.” And they laughed again. “You know me so well.”
I felt dirty. It’s not like they did anything specific to me. They were just fantasizing. But I felt fucking dirty in that moment. I wanted to erase this conversation from my head but instead I heard their words repeatedly in my head.
I heard my shoes making that irritating sound on the street while I was going home. With every step I felt smaller and smaller. I regretted wearing that stupid high-heel… So as soon as I arrived home I put them back in their box cleaned, ready to bring them back to the shop. I would want to throw them away instantly but then suddenly I thought about Jinho.
We need to spare money. He needs to buy some nice clothes for the next audition. And also, we barely manage to pay the bills since I just started studying in the med school and next to collage it is quite hard to work. Sometimes I thought maybe I should just quit dreaming about becoming a doctor but there was a senior doc, my supervisor who inspired me a lot. Last month he helped that well-known celebrity couple. He said the lady had some complications while she was giving birth to their little girl but the doctor helped them and finally the little Daisy was born healthy. Some of my fellow classmates said he even resembles Jinho…. I don’t know why.
Talking about Jinho, he was quite clueless when he found me eating the third bowl of ice cream and watching Lovely Complex.
“You are still watching this?”
“Anime is not only for kids. And well I’ve just become an adult anyway, meaning I am still a kid. Let me be. Oh and if you go to the kitchen can you bring me the last Ben & Jerry’s? I know I shouldn’t be buying these but I just felt like having a pajama party on my own. Thanks babe. ”
“Look.” And he sat down next to me and slowly took away the Ben and Jerry’s from my hands to put it on the table. “Can we talk about today morning?”
“Sure. But what is there to talk about?”
“I hate it when you act like this. And the funny thing is that you know I do.” He smiled bitterly. I was aware of it. None of us were stupid. Well… we both were very clever to be honest. When I acted silly it was either out of fun or I was trying to hide something. Just like now.
“Okay. Sorry.”
“I feel like you are kind of disappointed in me. And I just wanted to let you know and thank you for enduring all these days and months together with me. I know that even if you don’t tell me that it is hard to tell your parents that I still didn’t make it.”
“Jinho it’s not your fault.”
“That is showbiz, I know. The only thing that hurts me is that when I started this utterly long and unpredictable journey, it was me and only me. But since then we found each other, and me failing all the time is not only an individual concern. We are a team. And I am not a good team mate. You just graduated and want to become a doctor. And I should support you.”
“Jinho you’ve already done so much for me, you can’t even imagine. And you do every single day. Even today. So, don’t just please don’t say you don’t support me, when you support me the most.”
“But then what’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“Even after so many years I’ve never met your colleagues and I hardly ever meet your dad. I know you are working part-time and you are tired from doing college and your job at the same time but these parties could help you relieve stress a bit.”
“I don’t want you to meet those idiots.” And well, this was true. Not only because they would make a joke out of us, but after today I was kind of ashamed of working with those bastards.
“But I guess not all of them- oh what’s this? I am sorry babe but I need to pick this up, we will catch up on this okay?”
A producer called him. Or should I say the producer? The one who just became a dad. The one whose wife gave birth to the little Daisy in our hospital with the help of my professor. That producer. I was insanely happy. Finally, good news. I couldn’t bear anything bad any longer. But the worst was yet to come.
-|-
We were walking hand in hand on the streets. Finally, a promising audition. It was on Saturday so I could go with him to the company and show some support as I should. Once the audition was over Jinho shook hands with the producer. I could imagine them working together. I even found cute how they were both quite small.
Jinho said they would contact him later, but he had a good feeling about finally making it. I was so happy. I’ve never saw him so hopeful after an audition. When we were leaving the company there were six model like people nearing us. I was sure they just walked out of Vogue. The two most likely European girls alongside the four men suited each other very well. But not all the boys were Korean. One boy’s appearance shouted “Shanghai Prince” the other’s “Nagano Prince” but don’t ask me why. I just had this feeling.
I don’t know how Jinho felt but I was in awe. They looked stunning. Flawlessly chitchatting about a Flower Shop in the nearby. I always thought models have other topics to talk about. Well the owner of that shop must have done something very well then to become a hot topic.
“They were cool right?” He asked suddenly.
“Yeah.”
“Just wait a little longer. I will become one of them anytime soon.”
“I know.”
And I really knew that he would succeed. He was supposed to be a singer. I even imagined myself becoming his manager. I loved helping people. And I was determined about med school, but for him I could have given up on it. I knew with his music he may be curing more people in his life than me as a doctor. So after all our goal was the same.
              As we were nearing home familiar faces were getting closer. The two guys that bullied me in high school. They always had something against me. If I had red nails I was a slut if I wore a turtleneck they called me a nun. They ate my lunch, stole my notebooks etc. Same old thing. Bullies are so uncreative.  
              “Oh hi dear. Long time no see.”
              “Hi guys.” And I started to panic but wanted to grab Jinho’s hand and leave as soon as possible.
              “Hey its Saturday, why such a hurry? Knowing you, you don’t have any plans or invitations, do you?”
              “I am sorry boys, but we will be leaving.” Jinho said firmly.
              “Oh, did you see someone? I heard a voice but I don’t know where it comes from.” One of them said.
              “I don’t know man. Maybe our favorite girl can tell us.” And now they were both looking at me challengingly.
              “You guys are still not tired of the same old shit, are you?” I asked with a bored face but deep inside I was startled. I hated seeing them again, I hated the fact that even after graduation they can do this to me and Jinho as well.
              “Same old shit? Look at you. Are you talking about yourself?”
              “It was enough. Get lost.” Jinho said again.
              “It is strange I keep on hearing things but I don’t see anyone.” One said.
              “Poor girl. You should have higher expectations. Are should I say taller?” The other added. And they laughed. I was about to cry. Why is this happening to us, when finally, things seemed to become better.
              “Is he the best you could end up with? Oh god your still so low-class as you used to be… or is he not your boyfriend? Correct me if I misunderstood.”
              And that was when I fucked up. I didn’t say anything. I hesitated. There were no good answers. I knew them so well, no matter what I was about to say, they would turn it against me. But even that should have been better than this.
              “I am sorry guys, but if that’s the problem, I can tell you we are not together. Look at her. Is she someone to mess around someone like me? Definitely no. She is better than that. She has a taller, funnier and richer guy next to her. He has just entered that building at the end of the corner. I guess you both know which building I am referring to.”
              “Is that true?” They asked at the same time.
              It was our only chance to finally escape from this nightmare situation. They could stop us if they wanted any time. We were both too small to resist if they were up to something.
              “Yeah, that’s right. He works there.”
              And as if the curse was broken, they nodded with respect and were no longer blocking our way.
              “If that’s the case, we are sorry about what we said. We knew you are going to make it. And who is that lucky guy? Yanan? Shinwon? Yuto? No waaaay. Oh my god are you dating Jung Wooseok?”
              I had no clue what they were talking about, but I had this gut feeling that my dear ex-classmates became fanboys throughout the years. FANBOYS! It was ridiculous. I couldn’t help but smile out of embarrassment.
              “I am sorry, but you also know that we should respect the artist’s privacy. I cannot say more.”
              “Okay, so its Wooseok. Oh my god. He is a legend. Could you please get his autograph?”
              “I am sorry but we should get going. Jinho has- wait… Jinho?”
              “Oh the small guy? He left couple of minutes ago when it turned out you are dating Wooseok. Is he jealous by the way? He might have some feelings for you. But don’t mind him girl. You are dating the great Jung Wooseok. What else can a person ask for?”
              For a forgiving boyfriend I guess. I left these two idiots there and I started to run after Jinho as fast as I could. Did he say he is leaving I just didn’t notice? Was he upset? Did he leave something at the audition? I called him several times but I couldn’t reach him. After going back to the company and checking the possible places where we were that day I decided to finally go home. I just hoped he would be there.
-|-
              He was at home. And he didn’t seem upset. He told me to take a shower after this tiring day. It was his tiring day though. If only I had the audition today.
              We spent the afternoon calmly he was practicing and I watched a movie. The male protagonist kinda resembled the divorce lawyer’s trainee. Yang Hongseok. And wait a second, he is at the same agency where Jinho had the audition. Nice. I was so happy and excited I really hoped they will call him back with good news.
              Jinho was practicing for hours. He only did this when he was determined and wanted to prove himself before an upcoming audition or when he was hurt. I started to have a bad feeling. There isn’t any upcoming audition. Shit.
              I prepared some nice food and I cautiously knocked on his door to tell him we can have dinner. He didn’t seem angry or anything he just casually nodded and we started to eat.
              “About today… thank you for saving me. These two were always bullying me and if you weren’t next to me today I might have ended up crying and hurt again.”
              “At least YOU are not hurt.” And the way he said ‘you’ was different.
              After minutes of awkward silence he thanked for the food and was on his way to go back practicing.
              “Wait Jinho.”
              “Yeah?” He asked indifferently.
              And I couldn’t ask what I wanted.
              “There is dessert for you in the fridge.”
              “For me? Aww. That’s nice. I thought it is for someone else. Maybe for Jung Wooseok.”
              Bingo. I knew something was fishy…
“I don’t even know who that guy is. And you are well aware of this. Look, I know those two are disgusting and resentful but it was you who stopped them. It was thanks to your made up story that they finally stopped.”
“Oh right. You are so right. What if we just pretend not dating anymore? Maybe it will solve other worries too?!”
“What? Do you want to break up?”
And I saw that he kinda froze at this question. He didn’t mean it.  But if he was mentioning break up he must have been hurt for real.
“No. Of course not. This is why I was kind of avoiding you. I wanted to talk about this when I have calmed down. But fine since it’s out it can’t be helped.”
I was getting nervous. The thought of losing him was more than painful. I didn’t want to live without him. I couldn’t live without him.
“I always thought we are a great team. Even if there are things we should work on we were always open about concerns and we solved the problems together. But I am worried this situation right now is not something we can change even if we work together.”
“We can solve everything together, okay? I want to solve it. Jinho please. I understand and realize that I must have hurt you with my words. And I am so sorry about that. I never wanted to hurt you. I should have told them the truth.”
“Do you know how much happier you looked when I said you are dating this illusionary taller, funnier and richer guy? Do you realize how relieved you were when they showed you respect for dating an idol? Do you get it finally? I love you so incredibly. But this is me. Only this much. I cannot give you more. I am working hard to get there. I might be there someday. But it won’t change facts. I am Jo Jinho, I am 5.6. I don't look like a model. I don’t have money. But I love you. That’s all I can give. But I am not sure it is enough. I am no longer sure I can give you the things you need. I am not sure what I can give you is the same as you want me to give you.”
“What?”
Is this really how I behaved? Is this really how I made him feel?
“I am not saying we should break up, but I am asking you to reconsider what you want from me and from this relationship. I want you to be honest. I promise you even if you say ‘I am sorry but I only date guys above 5.8’ it will hurt and I will be broken, but I will accept it. As long as I know you made the right choice in order to be with someone who can make you happy, I will accept your decision.”
“No Jinho. You totally misunderstood. I don’t want to date anybody else. Who cares about those stupid inches?”
“You. It was only you. Always. Did you ever hear me complaining about it? This might sound cruel but I learned to accept myself and love myself in this way. And it was a hard and long journey. I won’t pretend it is only about you. I don’t want to lose this confidence. I don’t want to become that insecure man I was before. But you make me feel like someone who needs to be protected, someone who should be hidden. I don’t want to feel like this.”
“I never wanted to hurt you.” I said while my tears were falling.
“I know you never did. It was unintentional. But you’ve hurt me. I just want you to realize a lot of things can be improved and changed, but my height is not something I can modify. Please just think about it. If you still want me this way, just let me know. I would be happy to stay together.”
And he left me there. I would want to hug somebody, and I needed his presence but, I was kind of glad he didn’t see my ugly crying face.
He was so damn right. And I could totally understand the way he felt. If you love someone you shouldn’t make them feel like trash. And it was always and only me who had those concerns. The rumors spread by the colleagues and my dad’s stupid words. I am not sure how I really felt. Maybe I was just influenced by them but I was worried I might have cared too much about his height.
Everything was up to me now. He was waiting for my answer. Even after I hurt him so bad, he didn’t want to break up. It was up to me to choose an average life with a divorce lawyer’s trainee type of guy, or choose a different type of life with him. A life with Jo Jinho.
-|-
We’ve slept separately. It was better this way. I was suffering alone but it just made me realize how much I needed his presence, how much I wanted to see his face when I woke up and how badly I wanted to feel his arms wrapped around me.
I prepared a nice breakfast. I wanted to clear things as soon as possible, but food is important too. Kids, don’t forget to eat breakfast!
“Hi! Good morning!”
“Good morning! Wow. So many nice dishes. Is this a compensation?”
“It’s an ‘I am sorry for being a bad girlfriend’.”
“Oh thank god it’s not an ‘I am sorry for breaking up with you’.” He said with a smile. But I couldn’t laugh at it. I know he was hurt. And him trying to make a joke out of it meant that he was hurt more than he showed.
“I am not gonna leave you Jinho.”
“I am sorry I didn’t mean it.”
“Look. I… I… messed up okay? I understand that even if I had good intentions I’ve hurt your feelings. But I think we can solve this too. I wanted to say thank you for finally saying what I should have heard. The thing is that you were right. I was the one obsessed with your height. And the saddest is that not specifically because of you. I thought if I am almost as tall as you I can not be a fragile, small woman. I wanted to be smaller, I wanted to be the one who needs to be protected. And I couldn’t accept myself in this way. I didn’t see me the way I wanted.”
“I wish you would see yourself with my eyes just to understand how beautiful you are.”
“I am sorry to make you feel bad when I was the one who couldn’t love myself. If you could help me to accept myself as you did back then, I think we would be able to stay together. And if you still love me I wouldn’t want anything more than this. I want nothing less and nothing more than you, Jo Jinho.”
-|-
Magic Bra. I was raising my eyebrows. Did she really make a successful business with such a company name? But when I checked on the internet the reviews were praising her insanely.
Lucy_1127 wrote: I was invisible before. But when my longtime best friend saw me in this red bra, he finally realized we were supposed to be together. I love this bra. It is indeed magical. My only regret is that it is more times on the floor than on me. (Moderators please don’t erase my comment *begs*)
Hoetaekie828 wrote: when the owner told me that this lingerie has magical power I was sceptic. I am 27 you know. I don’t believe in fairytales anymore. But when I saw her (my back then best friend now girlfriend)... Wow! She was indeed a beautiful princess from a fairytale. Since than I couldn’t thank the owner lady enough. We are regulars at the shop. I totally recommend it for couples, and for those friends who are shy to admit the truth.
              Jinho didn’t tell me why I got this. He just told me this is a gift from him to me and also a part of our therapy. We didn’t apply for real therapy. But we agreed to rebuild our trust and change things. As a first step he told me to wear these. I was kind of surprised. Jinho wasn’t really a shy type but we were both so stressed recently, having a time dedicated to ourselves was so rare like a leap year.
              When I put on the ‘magic bra’ I checked myself in the mirror. I wasn’t totally satisfied but I looked so different in these. I finally saw someone who is brave and confident. For the first time I thought if I work a bit harder, not only on my body and carrier but on my behavior and inner values, I might become someone who is worth of Jinho’s love. I really hoped so.
              “Okay, so where is my lovely and concerned girlfriend who cannot see herself as a fragile, feminine woman? Because I only see a stunning, confident lady here. I am sorry miss, but even if it is so hard to send you off I will have to ask you to leave because I already have someone closed in my heart.” He said when he suddenly appeared behind my back. Our eyes met in the mirror.
              “Oh is that so? That’s a shame then. Are you sure she wouldn’t allow this one? As long as you are happy I think she wouldn’t mind it.”
              “Do you think so? Am I that kind of lucky guy? Well… let me see.” And he is seductive gaze was wandering all over my body. “No. I cannot do that to her I am sorry.”
              “Why not? Is she so nice?”
              “Yeah. She is a precious someone to me. And I promised something to myself. I wanted to show her how beautiful she is. I need to keep that promise. So even if your affair offer is very tempting I have to say no.”
              “What a pity. I think she doesn’t even know how lucky she is… Is she more beautiful than me? That can’t be true. Mister you must be lying.”
              “No, I am not. I love her and she is beautiful. What if I prove you?”
              “Fine. If you prove me than I’ll be leaving and won’t seduce you. If you don’t prove me you’ll have to have an affair with me.”
              “Okay.”
              “So, how will you prove me?”
              “Just look at yourself in the mirror.”
And even if I was confident pretending to be another lady for fun looking at myself in the mirror while he was watching me from behind was kind of embarrassing.
              “You know my girlfriend is a bit insecure and even if I tell her she won’t trust me when I say she is beautiful. You have some similarities. You both are stubborn and don’t trust my words… bad girls…”
              And I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. He was cute. I was grateful. And I loved him incredibly.
              “So, for example if I would say I love how she puts her hair behind her ears she would be like: but it is nothing special.”
              And as he said it he put my hair behind my ears and put a soft kiss on my neck. And then looked back at me in the mirror. And I started to get the taste of this whole thing. He was so freaking hot. He decided to show me how he loved each and every part of my body. He put soft kisses on my shoulders and wrapped his arms around my waist without taking his eyes off of me. And this excited me. For the first time I realized it was really not about being small or tall, fragile or not. He loved me and I loved him back. And we were perfect for each other just the way we were.
-|-
              “Sorry but could you please go to the hall? Someone passed out. Oh god these fans these days…”
              “Sure, I’ll be there in a sec.”
              It wasn’t the first time in this week. Fans were crazy about him. And it was good to see that he finally received this much of love after working hard for his dream for the past years.
“I am here. How can I help? Where is the patient?”
“He is here.”
“You two?” I asked a bit shocked.
“Oh! Our favorite girl. Please save him!” Member 1 of the bully duo said. I am sorry but after what they’ve done to me throughout these years I don’t bother calling them on their names…
I just gave him first aid and after he woke up I made sure he is fine.
“You’ll be fine now.”
“Oh my goodness. Thank you. You saved him.”
“You saved me. Thank you. I have never thought one day you’ll be saving my life.”
“Trust me, this is not something I’ve expected either. But what are you two doing here?”
“We are fans!”
“I am sorry to let you down but Wooseok is not present today. This is Jinho’s solo concert…” I said a bit offended.
“Silly. We knooow. We came to support him.” They said.
“Oh, if that’s the case… I am glad. I think he would be happy to see your faces. But promise me you won’t faint in front of him okay?”
“Yes doctor!”
“Good.”
“Also… we are sorry… for everything.”
And I just nodded. I was happy that they apologized even if it happened after so many years later. But in a way I was happy that we met them on that day. I guess I needed to meet them to realize being critical about beauty is just so unnecessary. Beauty is so subjective, and is not only about visuals and heights. And when I looked back on Jinho talking happily with his fans signing the albums, I knew that in my eyes he was the most beautiful person, and nothing else mattered.
8 notes · View notes