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#todays clip left me in weird mood
hanna-water · 2 years
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so.......is this what Aicha meant with “beeing a white mans coon” in her IG post? That Avas role in this season only seems to be to tell Mailin how great she is and to encourage her? While Ava is an extremly strong and inspiring women herself and has a much more interesting story to tell actually? 😕  I feel like the Ava from s5 and s6 would have told Mailin to get her shit together and stop pitying herself. 
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tooearlyforthis · 10 months
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Bound in Pain | Steve Harrington
Pairing: Steve Harrington x soulmate!Reader
Word Count: 8.6k
Synopsis: In a world where you can feel your soulmate's pain, y/n gives up hope. That was until Vecna attacked Hawkins.
Warnings: during season 4, fluff, soulmate AU!
I love soulmate au's but they are so rare. Petition for more of these to be written please!
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Y/n didn’t like the soulmate attachment. It seemed weird to her that everyone in the world had someone perfect for them, so perfect, that they could feel each other's pain. A tether that connected souls, meant to help find each other in the sea of other people.
She remembered when she found out. Waking up with bruises covering her, like an artist painting a canvas. A sharp pain pulsated through her arms, as her parents explained why it was happening to her. Why she was feeling pain without cause. 
At first she dismissed the constant pain as reckless behavior. But then the small bruises turned into black eyes, scrapes turned into gashes, and she couldn’t wait for the day she could ask her soulmate why. 
Most people found their other half around the time they turned 16. No one knew why but it always ended up that way. Why did bond forced people together at such a young age? To prevent them from deviating? To start the rest of their lives? 
Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. Y/n woke up on the morning of that birthday with a twinkle in her eyes, a sudden hope that maybe today was the day she would find them. She kept her eyes peeled, watching the movements of everyone around her. But days passed, even months and still there was no sign of her soulmate anywhere. 
A majority of the kids in her grade had already found their match and her blood boiled every time she would pass them in the halls. So cute, so perfect together. It was just a reminder that she was still alone. Where could her soulmate be? Was she unlucky? Did they live an unfathomable distance away from her?
After graduating high school, with still no hint as to who her partner could be, Y/n gave up hope. Maybe she was meant to be single forever. Maybe this other person, who was so careless and rash, was meant to stay anonymous. 
It wasn’t until the summer of ’85 that she knew she would definitively be alone. During the cold night of Fourth of July, she was waiting in a churro line at the Hawkin’s Fair, accompanied by a friend she knew back in high school. One minute she was moving forward, watching as someone left with their food and the next…it was like a punch in the gut. 
Falling over, she slammed into the ground, the coarse dirt digging into her sides. But the pain didn’t stop. Punch after punch, slap after slap, Y/n cried out in pain. It was so intense, unlike anything she had ever felt before. 
Her friend had managed to get her home in time for a pulsating sting to go through her neck, knocking her out for the rest of the night. She didn’t hear about the mall until the next day. It was a logical conclusion to say her soulmate died in that fire. After years and years of bruises and punches it all just stopped. No more stubbed toes or bruises on her legs; it was all gone.
For months after, she would stare at the newspaper clipping with the pictures of everyone who died. Somewhere amongst all the fallen faces was her soulmate. Part of her was sad she didn’t get to meet them. That everyone around her got their fairytale ending while she was destined to be alone. 
She had already made her peace with never finding them but now it felt permanent. It wasn’t some lie she was telling herself because of the long delay - it was the truth.
On one particular day in March, Y/n got off from work hoping for a pick me up. One of her coworkers who was still in high school had found her soulmate during their shift and she couldn’t stand to be around them.
She walked into her local video store and began perusing the aisles. Maybe something with action? A Mystery? She wasn’t in the mood for anything in particular. Just something to keep her distracted for a few hours ‘till nightfall. 
One of the staff rounded the corner, speaking before he could even spot who it was. “Hey, welcome to Family Video what can I-” He smiled when he saw her. “Oh, hey, Y/n.”
She smiled back, “Hey, Steve.”
Steve Harrington, former ruler of Hawkins High, slumped against a shelf and crossed his arms. His “customer helping” voice faded as he eased back into his own personality. Y/n didn’t know Steve well in school, despite being in the same grade. She did, however, become somewhat friends with him over the summer. 
Before the mall fire, she had a cushy job as the receptionist at a nail salon right across from the ice scream shop he worked in. Oftentimes, her co-workers would send her over to Scoops Ahoy to get ice cream for everyone, especially when the humid summer air came into effect. 
What started as friendly hellos and waves with Steve and Robin soon turned into conversations and hangouts during lunch breaks. They would often sneak her scoop of rocky road when their manager wasn’t there to help her get through the day. In return, she would offer a free nail appointment. It wasn’t much but Robin did take her up on the offer once. 
She would like to say they were friends by that point, though they haven’t really talked since the summer. When you spend every day so close to people, it's easy to bond. But when you take that away, it can test the strength of the relationships you’ve built. 
“Looking for anything in particular?” Steve asked, slumping further into the shelf. She shook her head, looking back at all the tapes. “How about romance? We just got in Lady Jane.”
“No,” she responded quickly. “No, romance.”
Nodding, he stood up straight, adjusting his green vest. “Okay, no romance, got it. Well…” he trailed off, rounding a corner.
He didn’t even check if she was following. She was; walking closely behind him as he searched for another film. Finally, he eyes fell on one, picking it up and pressing it against his chest. Both his hands encapsulated the case, laying flatly on the top and bottom. 
“What about Clue? It’s a murder mystery; based off the game.” The words curled up at the end, almost like an invitation to keep pushing.
Y/n scrunched her face, her mouth closing to a thin line. “Getting closer.”
A smile crept on his face. “Okay then, I think I know just the-”
Before he could finish, Robin yelled from across the store, “Hey Dingus! Check this out.”
Sighing, he put down the tape, leaning out of the shelves to see what she needed. “Robs, I’m with a customer,” he told her.
Finally, she turned to look at them, pulling her eyes away from the tv that hung near the reception desk in the middle of the room. “Oh shit sorry- oh it’s just Y/n. Both of you come on!”
“Sorry about this-” Steve told her, walking out of the row of tapes.
Y/n waved a hand to stop him. “It’s okay, I’m not in dire need of a movie right now.”
Chuckling, he looked down at his feet as they approached his co-worker. The static sound of the TV grew as they focused on the reporter's words. 
“This just in, a local Hawkins student found murdered at Forest Hills Trailer Park. The police have yet to reveal the identity of the student…”
“Oh shit,” Y/n mumbled to herself. Steve gave a hum of acknowledgment, tilting his head toward her. “That’s where Eddie lives.”
His head whipped over to look at her. “You know Munson?” he asked.
“Yeah, he used to sell me weed in high school. We’d smoke under the bleachers sometimes.” Taking a minute longer to stare at the new broadcast, she finally looked over at a very surprised Steve Harrington. His eyebrows were raised, eyes wide and not closing. “What? Surprised I know him?”
“I mean yeah but…didn’t take you for a smoker.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like you didn’t smoke too. I saw those cigarettes you used to hide on your breaks.”
“Yeah but I didn’t buy them from Eddie Munson.”
“Does that really matter?”
He opened his mouth to respond but the bell of the store dinged loudly, followed by the voice of a young teen. “Hey Steve!”
Y/n watched as he closed his eyes, the muscles of his face contorting into a grimace. Turning, he shouted “What?”
Two young teens came running in, out of breath from whatever journey it took to get there. The one that yelled was a boy with curly hair muffled by a snapback hat. He had on some weird shirt with a devil covered by a patterned button down left open. The other was a girl. A redhead that was dressed relatively normal compared to her friend. 
“How many phones do you have?” the boy asked, leaning over the front desk. 
“Dustin, can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” 
Ignoring the response, he repeated his question. “I don’t care about your flirting, I asked how many phones you have!”
Walking up behind Y/n and Steve, Robin joined the conversation. “Three if you count the phone in the back,” she said.
The two freshmen looked at each other, some sort of silent conversation going on. “That could work,” the girl finally said. 
Before anyone could protest, Dustin threw his bag over the counter, jumping over to follow it. There were immediate protests from Steve as the young kid took helm of the computer, the redhead running around the side to join him. 
“Woah woah woah!” Steve shouted.
“No time for dilly dallying, we have a man to track down!” 
As the boys got into a somewhat heated argument, Y/n figured she wouldn’t be getting a movie any time soon. Leaning over to Robin, she whispered, “I’ll just come back later.”
The girl flashed her sympathetic look. “Are you sure? I could help you out-”
“-It’s all good, you’ve got your hands full.”
“Max, just explain to them what’s going on I’ve got this!” Dustin called out. 
“Okay, Jesus, I was getting to that!” the girl responded. 
Y/n turned, making her way out from behind the counter and toward the front door empty handed. She tried not to eavesdrop but it was hard with only them in the store.
“We need to find Eddie Munson,” Max began.
She could hear Steve groan. “Everybody with this Eddie Munson shit!”
“You’re just mad about me having an older male friend,” Dustin chimed in.
“No, I don’t, but I do have a problem with you bringing it up every five seconds.”
“I do not bring him up-”
“-Oh you so do.”
“Guys stop!” Max screamed at them. “They think Eddie killed Chrissy.”
“Chrissy Cunningham? The cheerleader? She’s the one they found dead?!” Robin added.
Y/n felt her breath hitch as she grabbed the handle on the front door. She wanted to walk out, to ignore the sad news which seemed to be a constant now in their town. But something urged her to keep listening.
“Yeah,” Max continued. “But he didn’t do it. He ran from his house last night and we just need to find where he is.”
Eddie was in trouble? Why was he with Chrissy Cunningham? Thoughts raced through Y/n’s mind at a rapid pace, but not one of them was to push the door and leave. Something in her felt like she needed to help. She could have a lead, she be useful to them.
Not deliberating any further, she turned around. “I might know where he is,” she announced. 
The four teens fell silent, turning to look at her. “You do?” Max asked. 
Dustin, swiveling in his chair and asked, “I’m sorry, who are you?”
Y/n opened her mouth to respond but found she didn’t know what to say. Who was she to them? Was she a friend? They’ve barely spoken in months. They weren’t co-workers, never working in the same place before if you don’t count the mall as a whole. 
Thankfully, Steve answered for her. “She’s a friend. Dustin, Max, this is Y/n.”
Max gave a small wave which she returned, however, Dustin got right to the point. “You know where Eddie is?”
She nodded. “Maybe. I know where he hangs out. If this is serious he probably went to Rick’s place.”
“Rick?”
“Reefer Rick? It’s where Eddie gets his supply from,” she clarified. 
“Do you know where this Reefer Rick lives?” Robin asked.
Y/n nodded. “Okay then!” Dustin announced, getting up from his stool. “Let’s go.”
“What now?” Steve protested. “This is our busiest day, we can't just leave!”
“Steve!” Max shouted at him. “This could be a code red.”
Y/n frowned at the girl's words. Code red? What was a code red? It was clear Steve understood. His demeanor changed, shoulders slumping back as his gaze softened. Looking over at Robin first she only gave a nod. Finally, he looked at Y/n. “Are you okay to show us where he lives?”
“Y-yeah. I’m off for the rest of the day so…”
“Perfect!” Dustin shouted. “Then let’s get going!”
🎬🎬🎬
By the time they were approaching Reefer Rick’s house it was already dark out. The sun had set a while ago, almost blinding her in the back seat of Steve’s car. He had apologized for the seating arrangement when they got in. She was sandwiched between the two freshmen in the back who wouldn’t stop asking her questions on how she was involved.
As she told Steve to turn left down Rick’s street, Dustin asked another question. “Are you Eddie’s soulmate?”
“What? No!” She responded immediately. “We’re just friends and barely at that. He was my dealer.”
“How do you know you aren’t soulmates?” Max asked.
Y/n paused for a moment before responding simply with, “Cause I just know.”
Every time she told people her soulmate died, they would give her sympathetic apologies. It made her sick to her stomach. She was already trying to grapple with the idea of being alone without ever meeting them. She didn’t need the weight of other people’s condolences on her shoulders. Luckily, they turned into the driveway before anyone could ask further questions. 
Everyone piled out of the car and Y/n finally felt like she could breathe. She stepped into the crips night air, breathing in like she had gone a week without oxygen. It was so refreshing, a new wave of energy washing over her. 
“I don’t see anyone inside,” Robin said, peering into the dark window near the front door. 
“What about there?” Steve asked, pointing over to the boat house. “You think it’s open?”
Max shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”
Y/n silently followed the four teens who clearly had more experience with this code red business than her. She wondered what it could be. Up until her junior year of high school, nothing strange had ever occurred in Hawkins. It was just a small, boring town that people were barely aware of. But now… she didn’t know what it was now. 
The boat house was unlocked, much to everyone’s surprise, and they all slowly stepped inside. The only light came from the lamp outside which was now seeping through the cracks of the open door.
Quickly, Dustin dug through his bag pulling out multiple flashlights and handing them out. Everyone took one without question, beginning to search around the small room. He held one out for Y/n.
Hesitantly, she took it. “Do you always carry around this many flashlights?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he responded, like it was a normal day for him, walking away he began his search too. 
“Sorry about him,” Steve said, coming up behind her. “Sometimes he doesn’t remember that not everyone has done the things that we’ve done.”
Her head tilted at his words. “And what exactly have you done?” 
Chuckling, he responded, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He picked up an oar, prodding at the tarp covering the boat.
Stepping closer to him, she responded, “Try me.” 
His breath hitched as his eyes flickered down to the small space in between them. She looked down too, noticing how close she had stepped to him. Heat rose to her cheeks as she peered back up at him, his chocolate brown eyes staring back. 
Y/n liked to think they had a moment, one where she forgot her soulmate was dead. One where there was still the thrilling possibility he might be her match. 
But before she could remind herself of the truth, she was slammed onto the floor, a figure rising from underneath the tarp. There were shouts and screams as something thudded against the wall. Still trying to find her bearings, she felt a hand wrap around her arm.
 “Are you okay?” Robin asked, pulling her to her feet. 
“Yeah,” she said, letting out of breath. Her throat tingled with a sensation she couldn’t quite palace, a hand coming up to graze her neck. “I-I think so.”
“Eddie, he's not a bad guy!” Dustin yelled. 
Y/n and Robin’s attention was brought back to the situation currently at hand. It was Eddie who emerged from the boat, holding a switchblade to Steve’s throat in shock. Steve scurried from underneath the weapon, trying to breath out a response. 
“We’re here to help!” Dustin continued, “This is Max, my friend who never wants to play DND.” Max gave a small wave. “And you know Robin, from band right? She plays the trumpet.”
Robin brought up her hands, mimicking a trumpet motion before regretting her decision and shaking her wrists. 
“A-and Y/n!” he said, motioning to her in the very back. “You know Y/n right?”
Eddie’s eyes scanned over to her, a sense of recognition in his features. “D-Y/n?” he said in a low grumble.
“Eddie, remember me? We used to smoke under the-”
“I-I remember,” he interrupted, his voice softer than before. Slowly, out of instinct or not, the knife began to lower, a click sounding as it flipped back closed. 
Y/n couldn’t stop herself from rushing forward, engulfing him in a hug. His hands tightened around her waist, squeezing her harder than probably intended. ���Are you okay? We saw the news.”
She helped him sit back down on an overturned bucket, looking over at her shoulder to make sure Steve was okay. He was, his breaths becoming more regular and Robin soothed his back. 
“I didn’t know where else to go…” Eddie told her, trailing off as he instinctively played with the rings on his fingers.
“Well you’re okay now, got it?” He gave a small nod. “Just tell us what happened.”
“Y-you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
The words echoed through her head, the same words Steve had told her just moments before. What had she gotten herself into?
“Try us,” Max spoke out. 
He glanced at her for a moment, then around the room and everyone's eyes were suddenly on him. 
“Chrissy came to me after school yesterday, wanting to try some of my supply. Then, she tripped over a log and scraped her knee….she…. She was my soulmate.” 
He stopped for a moment, gaging the small reactions throughout the room. “Trust me, I couldn’t believe it either. We talked a little, she wanted to try some stronger stuff so I took her back to my place after the game. 
I was searching in my room for it but when I came out she was…it was like she wasn’t there? Her eyes were blank and she wasn’t responding to anything I was saying. The lights began to flicker all around us and she….she started to float. Shit, like right out of a horror movie ya know? And then… a-and then…fuck.” 
He began to stutter, whatever happened next clearly frightening him more than what he had already told them. Y/n leaned forward, rubbing a hand on top of his. 
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “What happened next?”
Looking up at her, he found the strength to continue. “H-her back slammed into the roof and her limbs…her limbs starting to break in ways that shouldn’t be possible. Then her jaw, and then her eyes…I ran out of there after she fell to the ground.”
The room was silent, nothing but the small waves echoing throughout the room. Y/n was trying to process what he was saying. Trying to find a logical explanation for what Eddie had saw.
“You all think I’m crazy,” he said, curling back. 
“No, we don’t,” Y/n said first. “But there has to be a reasonable explanation for all of this. I mean, maybe she was-”
“-there is,” Dustin interrupted her. She turned back to look at him. “W-what I’m about to tell you guys, might be… a little difficult to take.”
“Okay,” Y/n said, her attention fully on him. 
“You know how people say that Hawkins is cursed? Well, they’re not that far off…There’s another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins.”
“B-beneath Haw- What are you talking about?” Y/n asked, confused.
“This world is like ours, but darker, and sometimes it bleeds into ours.”
“What like ghosts and shit?” Eddie asked. 
Max let out a heavy sigh, “There are somethings worse than ghosts…”
🎬🎬🎬
The last day and a half had been utter chaos. Two more people were dead and it’s all thanks to this Vecna creature - Y/n still didn’t fully understand it. 
They teamed up with even more people on their trek to Lover’s Lake and had another awkward conversation as to why Y/n was there. She even got to properly meet Steve’s ex girlfriend which was…interesting to say the least.
As she made her way through the woods, she felt someone walk up next to her. It was Max, poor Max who had been playing Kate Bush in her headphones ever since they went to the cemetery.
Y/n gave her a smile. “How are you holding up?” she asked. 
The young girl shrugged. “As good as I can be I guess…”
“That’s good…” 
They fell into a silent walk, Dustin leading the group ahead with some of the older teens lagging behind. “Can I ask you something?” Max said suddenly.
“Yeah sure, what’s up?”
“How do you know Steve? He said you’re friends but I thought we were his only friends.”
“Oh…well, we went to high school together,” Y/n began but changed her mind. “But we didn’t really know each other. I worked across from him and Robin in the mall. Kind of became work buddies.”
Max nodded along. “Is he your soulmate?”
She whipped her head toward her. “What’s with you guys and my soulmate?”
“Just curious,” she mumbled, stepping over a log. 
“No, he’s not my soulmate…” 
“Did you ask him?” Y/n shook her head. “Then how do you know it’s not him? Cause like statistically you should’ve found them by now. I mean, I have- had Lucas…I’m not sure he believes in all this soulmate stuff anymore.”
She looked up in the distance where her ex boyfriend was walking with Dustin. Their eyes were glued to the compass in Dustin’s hand. 
Y/n followed her gaze to the boys, mumbling, “I’m not sure I do either.” 
Max furrowed her brows looking back at her. She debated leaving it at that. So many people had asked about her soulmate and every time she refused to discuss the subject further. But this felt different, being with these people, she felt like she could trust them. 
 “My soulmates’ dead,” she blurted out.
It took a moment for Max to think of a response. “Oh…how do you know?”
“The night of the mall fire…I felt this intense pain, worse than I’ve ever felt before and then…” she shrugged. “Nothing. All those years of bruises and cuts gone in an instant…I haven’t felt anything since that night so, I figured they died in the fire.”
She looked next to her, watching as Max interpreted the information. She couldn’t remember the last person  she told about her soulmate. So many sorries and my condolences…Max was staying quiet, it was unlike any reaction she had seen. Something deeper was going on.
“You okay over there?” she asked.
“It…it wasn’t a mall fire…” Max said in almost a whisper.
Y/n felt her heart drop. “What?”
“It wasn’t a fire…it was the-” Max stopped herself, trying to rephrase. “Last year, one of the monsters came out of the Upside Down. It absorbed a bunch of people to get bigger and headed to the mall. We all fought it there.”
“So the pain I was feeling-”
“Was probably them being absorbed into the Mind Flayer… I’m sorry Y/n. If we stopped it the first time-”
“Hey don’t do that,” she interrupted, placing a hand on the girl's arm. They both stopped, facing each other. “It’s not your fault. It’s not any of your faults. I’ll find someone someday. It might not be my soulmate but I’ll still be happy....”
Max stared at her, not fully convinced. “I’ll be fine, trust me.” Ahead of them, the younger friends started giggling. “Go with your friends and listen to Kate Bush.”
She gave her a smile, urging the redhead to not worry about it anymore. The girl did so, walking off to join the conversation. It wasn’t long before another person took her place next to Y/n.
“Girl problems?” Steve asked, falling into the rhythm of her walking.
She rolled her eyes, “Oh yeah we were talking about our periods.” His eyes widened, trying not to comment on the topic. “Oh my god I was joking.”
“Oh,” he said, letting out a long breath. “Okay good I didn’t know what to say.”
Y/n chuckled at his awkwardness. When did he become like this? The Steve she saw in school was a smooth talker. A person who knew how to make everyone fall in love with him. But now, as they were searching for a multi-dimensional gate surrounded by freshmen…it gave him some humility.
“She was asking me about my soulmate again,” Y/n informed him.
Nodding, he asked, “So, about your soulmate…have you found them yet?”
“No, uh…Max was telling me about the Mind Flayer last year? Pretty sure they died during all of that.”
“Oh…” Steve fell silent, not knowing how to react. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, not your fault. I’ve made my peace with it.”
She looked over to him, trying to reassure him that the party’s antics weren’t the cause of her soulmate’s demise. But as she did so, she missed a root sticking out of the ground. Wobbling forward, she felt as Steve reached out, wrapping his arms around her torso. He pulled her up against him, trying quickly to help her regain her balance.
Breathlessly, she looked back up at him and said, “Thanks.”
“No problem,” he responded, backing up slightly as he became aware of how close they had gotten. His hands lingered on her back, not too eager to let go. Slowly, she began to step away, pulling both of them back to reality. 
“So…do you have a soulmate? - I mean have you found them?” She fell back into a slow walking pace, Steve still staying close.
“No, not yet. My soulmate doesn’t really feel a lot of pain so it’s been hard to pinpoint who it is. The occasional paper cut doesn’t really help ya know?” Y/n nodded in agreement. “I thought it was Nancy at first… but then she and Jonathan cut their hands to fight the Demogorgon and found each other so, clearly I was wrong.”
“Oh…well that’s-”
“-yeah…so, still looking,” he said, trying to put optimism in his tone. It was clear he didn’t believe it.
As they approached the edge of the lake, Nancy and Robin working to grab a boat, she turned to him.
“I hope you find your soulmate Steve,” she said sincerely. “You deserve someone.”
A small smile formed on his lips and he couldn’t stop himself from looking down to shake it away. “T-thanks.”
“Alright dingus, come on!” Shouted Robin. 
The two of them looked over to see Nancy and Eddie already on the boat, Robin holding out her hand for the two teens. 
Putting an arm out, Steve said, “Lady’s first.”
Smiling, Y/n grabbed Robin’s arm, tumbling into the boat where Eddie helped her down. She watched as Steve climbed on, yelling at Dustin for them to stay on shore before they began to float out onto the water.  
Nancy was quick to take control of the oars, though no matter how much stability to applied, the boat still rocked. Y/n could feel her brain begin to get fuzzy, the constant movement making her slightly sick. 
“You okay?” Eddie asked, placing a hand on her arm. 
Nodding, she tried to steady herself. “Yeah…a little too late to ask that question.”
“Oh my god what are you doing?” Robin asked, pulling the two of them out of their conversation.
Confused, Y/n looked up to see Steve tossing off his yellow sweater. Someone shined a flashlight up at him and she could clearly see the mess of curls across his chest. He was fit, but not in an overly ripped kind of way. More like someone who was born with a fast metabolism and it took a lot of effort for her not to stare. 
“What are you doing?” Nancy asked.
Steve ran a hand through his hair, leaning over the side of the boat. “Well someone has to check to see if that thing is down there.”
“Just-” Eddie began, reaching down to put a flashlight in a plastic bag, handing it to him. “Here.”
He thanked him quickly, ready to dive into the water when Y/n had the sudden urge to reach out to him. “Wait,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. He turned back, catching her eyes. “Be careful, okay? If you don’t see anything, come right back up.”
“Don’t worry I will,” he reassured her before turning and diving under.
The boat shook as he left and Robin hurled herself toward Nancy in an effort to not get wet. Slowly, as it began to settle, they waited. There was a tightness in her chest, a tension that wouldn’t go away until she knew Steve was okay.
Almost a minute and a had passed and she was growing more anxious. 
“Where is he?” she asked no one in particular. 
“He should have come up by now,” Nancy said, checking her watch.
“That’s it I’m going after-”
Steve bursted out of the water before she could finish her sentence. Gasping for breath, he reached for the side of the boat. Feeling breathless as well Y/n reached forward, guiding him to a steady grip.
“It’s down there alright,” he said.
Eddie sighed in relief, “Okay then dude get back up here.”
“Okay,” he said as Y/n began to pull him up. 
Abruptly, she stopped. There was some feeling, something tugging at her and she could tell Steve felt so too. “What are you waiting for?” Robin exclaimed.
“I-I don’t know,” Y/n began. “Steve, we have to hurry.”
“Yeah, oka-”
Before their very eyes, Steve was pulled under water, his grasp quickly leaving hers. Everyone was calling out to him, but it all felt like a distant echo as Y/n dove in after him. It was so sudden she didn’t even remember making the decision as she swam down, trying to grab a hold of her friend.
The water was making her vision blurry but she could see the outline of him being pulled further and further toward a giant red hole at the bottom of the ocean. She kept pushing through the water with all her might as she saw him disappear through the gate. Determination kept her going, knowing that wherever Steve went, she’d be going after him.
She was almost there, the slimy vines just out of reach as a pain seared through her neck. She curled up, instinctively, feeling something strong closing her air pipe. Reaching her hands out, she tried to pull it away but there was nothing there. Nothing but skin touched her fingertips as she tried to relieve herself of the pain. 
Was her soulmate alive? Was this their doing?
Then, something sharp attacked her side. It felt like something was being ripped out of her, seeking teeth into both her sides. She cried out under the water, her supply of oxygen decreasing faster by the second. 
She tried to swim forward, to make it the extra inch to the gate but the pain made her writhe, floating aimlessly in the lake. Is this how she was going to die? At the hands of her soulmate under Lover’s Lake?
In her peripheral vision, she saw something pass her. Then, arms wrapped around her waist, stinging as they collided with the pain. They pulled her down, pushing her until she was taken in by the current of the gate. 
Y/n felt as she was flipped upside down, finding herself tumbling toward a hard surface. Air finally reentered her lungs, just enough through the choking feeling that still clawed at her throat. The pain in her sides hadn’t stopped either, forcing her to roll on her knees. 
Someone knelt next to her, a hand placed on her back. “Y/n, woah, are you okay? What’s happening?”
“Munson, we need help over here?” Nancy yelled.
“Give me a second we have another problem going on!”
Y/n stretched her neck as much as she could to see where Nancy was calling from. A few feet away, lying on the floor in pain was Steve Harrington. There was some bat-like creature chewing into his side as Robin tried to swat it away. Nancy was working on another one, its tail roped around Steve’s neck.
She could barely put two thoughts together as pain soared through her. But what she could see was that her friend was in pain, in the same spots her soulmate was injured in. Whatever strength she had left was depleted as she rolled onto her back.
“Y/n, honey, you gotta tell me what to do? What happened?” Eddie shouted at her.
Through her raggedy breaths she managed to say, “H-help them.”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Go!”
With one deep breath he stood up looking around him. Grabbing an oar, he ran towards his friend. “Wheeler! Try this!”
Tossing the wooden paddle, Nancy caught it with ease. She took it with both hands, snapping it over her knee as using the now shard wood to stab into the bat on Steve’s neck. It collapsed on impact, loosening its grip around his throat. 
As Steve gasped for air across the deserted lake, Y/n did too. Eddie was the only one who clocked the similarity, giving her a strange look as she sat up, letting all the air she could enter her lungs. 
Turning back to the group, he helped the girls grab the other two bats, pulling them out of Steve’s abdomen. Sudden energy surged through Y/n as the pains in her sides began to subside. She looked up to the group fighting off the remaining bats. She knew what all this meant. What it meant about her and him.
But for now, it could wait. She ran, helping take down the rest of the bats swarming around them. Nancy and Robin made quick work of one while Eddie and her grabbed the other. They ran in opposite directions, ripping it in half. As her piece of the creature fell to the floor, she looked back up, ready to help with the next one. But there was only one left and it didn’t look like Steve needed any help.
He slammed it into the ground over and over again, the guts of the creature spilling like candy out of a piñata. Using his teeth, he ripped off the head, letting its decapitated body fall to the ground. Nancy and Robin were quick to run to his sides, giving him support to lean on as he began to collapse.
Y/n tried to move toward him too, finding herself tripping over her own feet. She definitely hadn’t recovered from almost drowning, still feeling the tingle of water stuck in her esophagus. Eddie was quick to catch her. “Hey, I’m here, don’t worry,” he soothed.
“Guys,” Nancy called out. “We gotta move.” Pointing behind them, they watched as a giant swarm of bats was heading straight toward them.
Eddie leaned into Y/n’s side. “Can you walk?” She nodded. “Okay, let’s get going.”
Everyone was right when they said the Upside Down was an exact replica of Hawkins. You know, just a little dirtier and full of alien creatures.
They were able to find Skull Rock in a reasonable amount of time, using it as a stopping point to patch up everyone’s wounds. Though, most of the patching would go towards Steve who was still bleeding from his stomach. 
Nancy helped lean him against a rock, using part of her shirt to make a bandage since he dove in shirtless. Meanwhile Eddie helped her sit down on the one log they could find with no vines wrapping around it while Robin paced between all of them.
She lifted her shirt up carefully to find a very bruised stomach. Soulmate marks couldn’t cut as deep as the real one but they did always leave something behind. She glanced up at Steve, wounds matching the placement of her injuries. 
“You have to tell him,” Eddie said quietly.
Y/n pulled her shirt back down. “Not now.”
“We might all die here. I think now is as good as time as any.”
“I thought my soulmate was dead,” she mumbled, looking down at the ground still in shock. “And this whole time he’s been in the back of my algebra class. Working across from me at the mall…”
Eddie pulled her attention back to the present. “Listen, Chrissy died less than 24 hours after we found out. I didn’t get time, just make sure you do.”
She looked up to meet his gaze. It was softer than she was used to seeing him. He was always so stern, so broody. These doe eyes suited him. 
“I will,” she told him. “Let’s just get out of here first.”
🎬🎬🎬
Poor Robin. Poor, poor Robin. 
They had been walking through the army surplus store, gathering supplies to trek back to the upside down when they stumbled upon Vickie Sullivan. 
More specifically, Vickie Sullivan and her boyfriend. 
Robin had gone back to the trailer before Y/n could even protest, telling her it probably wasn’t her soulmate. Loads of people dated before finding their other half. But she wouldn’t listen. 
“She just needs some time,” Steve said, picking up another gallon of gasoline. 
“Yeah, I know…” she responded, pushing the cart. 
With Robin gone, this was the first time they had been alone since she walked into Family Video days before. It had only been a few days but so much had changed. 
Steve loaded another gallon into the cart, and Y/n absentmindedly pushed the it again, right into his side. He stumbled forward, using the cart to balance himself. 
“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. 
“No it’s alright. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Deep in thought?”
Steve crossed his hands, coming around to stand next to her. “Yeah, something like that… Hey, I just wanted to say thank you.”
She tilted her head. “Thank me? For what?”
“Robin told me you were the first one to dive into the lake when I went under. That was pretty heroic.”
“Oh it was nothing,” she said, leaning toward him slightly, their shoulders grazing. 
“No it wasn’t,” he insisted, turning to face her. As she looked up at him, Y/n became acutely aware of how close they were standing. “It was really brave.”
As the words left his mouth, Steve made no move to back up. She could feel his breath on her skin, see the stubble of his mustache. He looked so calm, so unlike how they had all been feeling the past few hours…If she’d let herself, she would get lost in his eyes. 
“I have to tell you something-” she began to say, before there was an interruption.
“We gotta move,” said a voice, moving closer to them. Y/n stepped away first, willing herself to look anywhere but him. Her eyes landed on Nancy. “Jason is here.”
That got them moving. Steve took the cart, taking it to the front to pay as she followed Nancy back to the trailer. Everybody else was already inside, clamoring back to the seats they had taken earlier. 
Only this time, Nancy moved to the back, motioning for her to take the driver’s side seat. She did so, confused, before Steve came running back to them and started the car without a second to waist.
Y/n gave one last look back at Nancy who flashed her a smile of recognition. Maybe she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she originally thought.
🎬🎬🎬
Being back in the Upside Down was the last place Y/n wanted to be. But if it meant stopping all of the disasters for good? She’d do anything. 
“If they get too close, go, okay? Don’t try to be the heroes,” Steve said, his attention directed at Eddie and Dustin who were staying back at the gate. 
“We will,” Dustin said, standing up straighter with pride.
Giving a nod, Steve turned back to her, Robin and Nancy, ready to begin their trek to the Creel House. They were about to leave when Eddie called out for her. She turned back, walking a foot or two to meet him halfway. 
“Tell him,” he whispered, which only made her roll her eyes. “This might be your last chance.”
“I will if we survive,” she rebutted. “Promise.”
Giving a curt nod, he backed up, letting her return to her group. “What was that about?” Robin asked.
“Nothing,” Y/n dismissed, and no one questioned her further. 
The walk to Upside Down Creel House was a lot easier when you were equipped with the right things. Thick combat boots were laced over her feet; dry clothes covering every inch of her body.  
As they approached the front door, the three girls let Steve enter first, paving a path through the vines that laced the floor. As he hoped over one, Y/n would follow, mimicking his movements. She held out a hand behind her, helping Robin and Nancy who were close to follow. The stairs proved to be more tricky then the rest, the living roots moving faster as they inched closer to Vecna. 
Steve was the first to make it up the first flight okay, helping pull Y/n, and arm wrapped around hers. Just as she was reaching for the last step, something erupted in the distance. They both paused and she could feel Nancy grab on to the bag she had thrown across her back. The sound began to soften, echoing away as a rumble took its place. Not before long the entire ground started to shake, loosening her grip.
In a series of quick thinking, Steve yanked on her arm, pulling her up the stairs to stand behind him as he reached for Nancy, then Robin. By the time shaking had subsided, all four of them were safe on the landing. Y/n took a deep breath, silently thanking that everyone was okay.
The celebration, however, was short lived. The vines reached for her ankle first, slithering up her leg until it wrapped around her waist. Another shot out of the wall, taking her wrist and pulling her flat against the surface. 
“Y/n!” Steve yelled. 
Nancy and Robin were quick to her side, already pulling at the vines as she cried out. Steve rose his axe, ready to strike down as another vine wrapped around her neck. As she gasped for air, her eyes bulging out, she saw Steve’s step falter. 
The axe dropped to the floor with a clang. Hands reached up to grab at his throat, wheezing at the sensation he was being choked. Slowly, he looked back up at Y/n, realization setting in. He fell to his knees gasping for a breath. 
“Steve?” Nancy said, looking down at him, then back up at Y/n. 
Robin looked down too, registering what was happening quicker. “Holy shit watch out!”
But she was too slow. They watched as a vine extended from the opposite wall, wrapping around him. Y/n was already in pain, already writhing from the tightness around herself. But feeling Steve’s pain on top of that…it was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
As Steve was pulled flush against the wall, his gaze never left hers. It was a silent cry for help, one look saying everything she needed to know. Did she know? How long? Get me out of these damn vines!
Nancy and Robin were soon pulled back as well, placed on either side of her. All she could do was hope her death would be swift.
She didn’t know how much time passed. It could have been minutes but with the lack of oxygen it felt like hours. Steve had closed his eyes after a period of time, the pain being too much to take. As she started to accept her fate, to fade into the darkness forever, the unthinkable happened. 
The vines let go.
She dropped to the floor, her knees scraping against the hard wood as Robin collided into her. They were all breathing heavily, trying to take in as much air as possible. After getting back to a reasonable breathing pattern, she looked up at Steve. He was staring right back, taking in deep gulps of air as they all slowly stood up. 
There was no mention of what happened. No acknowledgment that the pair of soulmates had finally found each other after so many years of waiting. Just a simple nod before continuing up the stairs. 
🎬🎬🎬
It wasn’t until much later, that they spoke again. After they killed Vecna, after the silent walk back to the gate. After Eddie and Dustin helped everyone climb back through. 
Y/n was about to walk into the trailer, following close behind with tired feet and too much dirt on her face when Steve grabbed her hand. 
She turned back to face him, already knowing what this was about.
“We can talk after we get through the gate okay?” she told him.
“No, I-I can’t wait, just…” He pulled her to the side, out of earshot from a certain young teen. “Did you know? Have you always known?”
“Not until you got attacked by those bats,” she replied softly. “I told you, I thought my soulmate died.”
“If this what you were trying to talk to me about in the army store?”
She nodded. “You have a lot of explaining to do. I’ve gotten punched a lot.”
He chuckled, head drooping down for a moment. “Well, we got all the time in the world now.”
“Are you mad?”
Picking his head back up, he scrunched his brows. “Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“That it’s me…listen, not all soulmates stay together. If you don’t like me like that then-” 
He brought his hands up swiftly, cupping her cheeks. They were warm under his callous touch, so soft and gentle but it still sucked all the breath from her.
He spoke slowly, finding the words as they tumbled out of his mouth. “I’ve…wanted to kiss you since the moment you walked into Scoops last summer….So no, I’m not mad that its you.”
Y/n’s breath hitched as he said those words, his eyes never leaving hers. She blushed under the touch of his thumb, slowly, caressing her cheek as he continued to hold her close. Bringing her arms, up, she let them rest on his extended arms. For a moment, everything else faded away and she could almost forget they were standing in an alternate dimension.
He moved closer to her, barely an inch separating their camouflage-covered bodies. “Is…is this okay?” he asked, his head drooping down slightly.
And for the first time in what felt like ever, Y/n let herself be happy. “Yes,” she responded. “It’s more than okay.”
A smile crept of his lips as he guided them down to meet hers. His lips were soft against hers, he sensation multiplied as she felt not only her senses, but his as well. She never thought she’d get to experience this side of her life. To have someone that in such a short time of knowing her, could pledge their loyalty as her partner in life.
His breath was heavy in her mouth as he let out a groan. He let his arms drift from her cheeks down her shoulders and wrap around her waist. Being held in his arms, the carefulness of his touch - it felt like heroin. 
Y/n reached up, letting her fingers get lost in his hair as he changed his angle, pressing them closer than she thought was possible. His grip tightened on her waist, pressing into a curve that made her giggle in delight.
He pulled back slightly, letting his eyes drift over her figure. She looked back at him, not hiding her smile as she relished in how flushed she had made him.
“What?” he asked, surprised by the sudden our burst of laughter.
“Nothing,” she replied, looking down for a moment to gain her composure. “Just a little ticklish.”
He rested he forehead against hers, mouth ghosting over hers at the temptation of kissing again. “I really like kissing you.”
Her smile returned. “I like kissing you two.”
Before either of them could lean back in for another kiss, Eddie’s voice rang out, echoing as the trailer door opened with flourish.
“How can you two spend another second in this shit hole-“ he paused when he saw them. 
Y/n jumped at the noise, placing a hand on Steve’s chest as he instinctively an arm around her. Realizing it was just Eddie, she let herself relax in his touch with a sigh.
“Oh…” Eddie began again, drawing a logical conclusion. “As happy as I am for you two lovebirds, those bats could comeback any minute.”
“Alright, Munson, we’re coming,” Steve said, annoyed at the interruption - even though he was right.
“Good, cause we don’t need any upside down babies anytime soon!” 
Eddie sprinted back inside, knowing if he stuck around longer, he would get both of their wraths. “Munson I swear to god!” Steve yelled leaving her embrace to run after him.
He swung the door wide open to reveal their friend already climbing up the rope. Eddie gave a salute as he let gravity do it’s work, pulling him through. Y/n couldn’t help but laugh at Steve’s sudden urge to protect her, though they both knew Eddie could do no real harm. 
“You ready?” Steve said, bringing her attention back to him. She lifted her head to see him extended his hand to her.
With a nod, she took it, ready to start the next chapter of her life.
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urarakasdiary · 1 year
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-SOULMATES (2)
Muzan Kibutsuji x reader
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Tengen knew he had fucked up
The wives looked at him weirdly. He whispered to them to go inside and leave them alone for a while. They nod and go inside leaving the two of them. "[name] I'm sorry"
She couldn't even look at him. she wanted to scream and cry and hit him, but she didn't. "ill promise to never do this again [name] please just forgive me" he said sitting next to her and rubbing her back.
she didn't forgive him but she told him a classic "yeah sure ok" Tengen thought it was enough and smiled at her. little did he know she was still very mad at him.
After 3 days of Tengen and his wives to staying home, they had to leave. the wives didn't say goodbye as usual. Uzui hugged you and tried to give you a kiss but you turned your head around and he had to kiss your cheek. he was in disarray by your action and he tried to console you but his crow didn't allow it. you scrubbed your cheek super hard after that.
"I'll come home early today ok?" he said hugging [name] again and successfully giving her a kiss on the lips.
It was the evening now, [name] got dressed up. she had decided to go to the festival alone. when she reached the festival she wanted to cry. there were so many couples deeply in love, happily eating and talking.
she wanted to cry. she knew Tengen would never give her that type of love ever again. Then she started herself as a woman altogether. she started crying just thinking about her marriage. [name] started making her way home, still crying. Of course, no one cared about her, they just gave her strange looks.
but there was someone. someone who cared for her in the crowd. Our demon king Muzan. [name] didn't even notice him. but he did. it was as if time slowed down for him when you walked past him. that sweet scent and melodious heartbeat. had his past lover really been reincarnated? When he was about to call for you his human daughter called out for him and he had to go. he would come for you tomorrow.
It was now the next day. Tengen and the three others would arrive home today. they would be tired so you wanted to make them a warm dinner. you made your way to the market for some last-minute shopping for dinner. then you saw more couples shopping together. you thought about your marriage. if you could see into the future you about never marry him.
[name] was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the vegetables dropping from her bag. Luckily Kibutsuji was there, "excuse me miss you dropped something" she turned around to meet the red-eyed man. "oh Im very sorry" she replied. oh, how happy Muzan was by hearing that sweet voice of yours again. he kneeled down picking up the tomatoes.
You continued to conversate with him, you have never felt happier. while talking to him, there was something familiar with him almost like you had seen him or talked to him before. but you couldn't pinpoint it.
time went quicker when you were with him. You two got along so well that he even won you a pretty little clip from the claw machines at the festival. he was so sweet! if only Uzui was like him.
as he placed the pin on your hair, you felt how unnaturally cold he was
"oh it looks like it's late I shall head home now" you spoke as you smiled.
"of course, we could meet another day. it's really late now its dangerous to go alone let me accompany you"
"you're too sweet! alright let's go"
it was weird that you were taking a stranger to your home. but does it really matter? it's not like he could get inside your home after all.
while walking to your home, Kibutsuji kept the mood up by making various conversations that kept you interested. "well this is my stop" you said. "ok. goodnight sleep well uhh.." Muzan spoke
"its [name] what about yours," you asked him "you can call me KIbutsuji" he smiled "oh ok, Kibutsuji I hope you have good sleep"
after he left you went inside and started cooking dinner. You were so much happier now. meanwhile, Uzui wanted to get home as soon as possible and grab his love, his wife his [name]. When the trio arrived they saw you, they saw how you were so much cheerier and even singing a song while cooking.
you were even wearing perfume, your hair was done, and your makeup looked lovely. and he saw the pin she was wearing. the pin Muzan won for her. Tengen immediately started assuming that his wife was cheating on him. he grew angry.
later on, Uzui once again left [name] out and went to the festival with the other three. they got into an argument about it and he brought up how she was cheating on him with another man.
"YOU'VE PROBABLY BEEN CHEATING ON ME THIS ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP [NAME]!!! YOU'RE A FUCKING WHORE. THAT HAIRPIN YOU'RE WEARING IT MUST HAVE BEEN WON BY A MAN FOR YOU!!"
"whore...?" [name] had tears in her eyes uzui immediately tried apologizing but she had enough of this. this was her time to fight back.
"AM I A FUCKING WHORE FOR WANTING TO LOOK PRETTY FOR ONCE? THIS PIN? YES, A MAN WON IT FOR ME. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY? I WAS FUCKING CRYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET TENGEN!!"
"BECAUSE OF YOU! I WAS CRYING BECAUSE OF OUR FAILED MARRIAGE. THIS MAKEUP? I WANTED TO LOOK PRETTY FOR YOU! SINCE YOU WON'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE ME!! AND THIS PERFUME, IS IT A CRIME THAT YOU WANT TO SMELL NICE?"
Tengen was in tears hearing those aggressive words leave your mouth. he did deserve it.
"I've had enough Tengen I think its time we part ours ways, you enjoy your life" said [name]
"no please [name] I promise I will trust you! please just don't leave me" Uzui got down on his knees begging for you to stay. "I'm sorry Uzui but its over"
she made her way to her room, leaving Uzui and the three wives crying. well not exactly the three wives, they didn't even know you properly it was Tengen himself crying his eyes off.
You had to sleep in Tengen's estate today. it was already midnight and there would be demons outside. Only if you knew that you shouldn't worry about that since your lover was their ruler.
that night you had the weirdest dreams ever. almost like a rewind of your past life, you saw the same man you called your friend killing so many people, and you learned his name Muzan Kibutsuji.
The next day, you waited till evening to move. the new 'friend' you met at the festival yesterday told you that he'll be at the festival when the sun sets and you wanted to go with him.
Tengen and the trio had another mission somewhere nearby yesterday and left after your argument so they would be back by this evening. as you were about to leave they arrived. he begged you not to leave but you refused, alas he had to set you free. it was his fault after all.
after meeting up with Kibutusuji you went to a bar to get some drinks. You told him everything that had unfolded in your home and he seemed to genuinely care. "you know Kibutsuji, I really like you" he seemed shocked. yes, you did drink but it was not enough to get you drunk. it must've been an honest thing.
he took you to a hotel, and it happened so fast. All the unreleased love just unraveled itself and for the first time ever you actually made love with someone.
in the middle of the session, you uttered his full name. He froze and started choking you! he asked you how you knew his name. Out of complete fear you told him about the dream you had about him and that you knew he was a demon but you couldn't stop loving him. he cried after those pretty little sentences. he has never felt so loved ever before.
It's now been 2 months since you and Muzan have been together. Now there's even a little half-demon half-human baby growing inside your tummy! you were so happy with him. who knew demons could love this well.
one day, when Muzan was gone with work or something you had gone to the market to buy some baby clothes for your little one. Unfortunately for you, there were demon slayers nearby. one of them being Tanjiro.
hellloo! thank you for reading part 2 of Soulmates. thank you for reading and please leave a like and a repost that would be very helpful!!👯‍♀️💖 special thank you to @z3r0art for this wonderful request and happy Halloween! 👻✨
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so. i have "the loneliest" by måneskin playing in loop and no cares for canon. the goddess of flowers had a brother, said brother was in a relationship with the scarlet king, who happens to be alhaitham, and now he's all up in his feelings about living with his past lover's reincarnation (who, of course, has no memories of him)
---
"Alhaitham! Stop ignoring me!"
He tries to not make his voice break. He does. "I am not in the mood, Cha- Kaveh."
"You did it again!" Kaveh crosses his arms. "You almost called me by another name!"
"You just remind me of someone I lost a long time ago, now leave me alone."
He walks to his own bedroom, and closes the door. As soon as he does, his legs give out and he presses a hand to his mouth.
"Ahmar!"
He turns, smiling. "Champak! I'm glad you're here. Come on, I have a surprise for you!"
The other's skin is soft under his calloused hands. "Come on, 'Mar... I wanna see!"
"Not yet, my love." He laughs.
"What-"
"It's a place for you. So that whenever you want to spend time with me, you don't have to suffer in the heat."
Champak kisses him, flowers blooming at their feet. "Thank you, my moon and stars."
"It's nothing to thank me for."
His sobs become harder to quiet. How he missed him...
"Ahmar!" Rukkhadevata runs up to him. "I came as soon as I heard. I think I know how to help."
"No, you'll-" He starts.
She shakes her head. "No, Ahmar. We are friends. Champak is like a brother, to me. He would never forgive me if something happened to you..."
If only she was still there... She'd know what to do. She wouldn't be as weak as he always ended up being.
"Ahmar!"
He turns just in time to see a Field Tiller's missiles hit Champak. "No!"
Sand gets suddenly kicked up, surrounding the two of them. "Champak, my love... Talk to me."
He finds himself praying, cursing that he wasn't more like Morax. "'Mar..." A voice cuts through his frantic thoughts.
"My love... I-"
The other shakes his head, his light green robes now shining red like his eyes. "I don't have much time left, you know that..."
"No, I can-"
"Promise me. You still have so much to see, to discover... Promise me you'll live for both of us, mh?"
"I- I can't go on like this..." He cries, half-delirious with pain. He throws the Dendro Vision he'd been given shortly before the Cataclysm across the room.
"Haitham?"
"Leave me-" He takes a deep breath. "Leave me alone, Kaveh."
"Listen, I-" A moment of silence. He knows all too well the other is biting his lip, a quirk he'd always claimed helped him focus. "I wanted to apologize. I won't pretend I understand what makes you feel this way, because really, you never talk to me, no, wait, this isn't how this should go. Well, either way... I made something I'm sure you'll like."
Something slides under his closed door. A flower Champak had shown him not too long before his death. Only one existed, and it rested in a locked drawer in Alhaitham's desk. This one is exquisitely made, the metal filigree holding the petals together twisting and winding over and around the glass like real veins would on a leaf. A small clip rested against its backside. Everything about it is so thin that it could break if he looked at it a second too long. Of course his love would be the only one able to achieve something like this.
"What is- what is this?" He manages to force out, pushing the memories of that last night together to the back of his mind.
"It's..." A sigh. "Call it as stupid as you want, but it came to me in a dream. It- It was kind of weird, if I have to be honest. But to cut it short, since you always complain I take too long to tell stories, I saw someone who looked a lot like me give it to someone who looked a lot like you. Then, that guy disappeared, and the one that looked like me said something along the lines of reconstructing the flower he was gonna show me and that I knew who to give it to and told me to do it today specifically. It felt too real not to listen to what he said, so I did. Hope you don't destroy it."
He dries a few stray tears. Leave it to his love to always be there for him, even after forgetting himself. He cradles the delicate flower in his hand. And a decision is made. "Kaveh. You mentioned me never talking to you, so... Would you like me to?"
Hours pass, the door still locked between them.
"Well... I'm not gonna lie, that's a lot. Also, I guess it sucks that your boyfriend died in your arms. And... Now that I know, will you give me a tour of the stuff you helped design? Can I take inspiration from it? And can you oversee my projects and check if I'm doing it justice?"
He sighs, but it's fond. "I'll see. For now..."
He opens the door, presenting the preserved flower to Kaveh. "It's only time this goes back to its rightful owner."
"Huh? What does it-" Kaveh's eyes widen. "It was me?"
Alhaitham closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, ready for the rejection about to follow his nod.
Except, it never comes. A hand grabs his, and soft lips kiss his knuckles. "Then, it seems I'll love you in every samsara, huh?"
"What?"
The lips now press on his. The skin under his hands is still as soft as he remembers.
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spinebr3akr · 2 years
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The Beginning of the Rest of Your Life- 1
A/N- Wow what the fuck. I’m posting this. I really hope somebody reads this and likes it. I have so many plans for my Tumblr and this is just the beginning. Additional comments at the end.
Warnings- 18+ Y/N IS 18 YEARS OLD!!! No underage stuff because that’s so fucking weird and I don’t think Eddie would be okay with that, Fluff I guess, Smut (Eventually. Additional warnings will be included in chapters.) Angst?, Cursing, She/Her pronouns
Summary- Eddie noticed you first, but you never wanted to look away when you saw him. You missed your friends from the last two years, but maybe change was what you needed and Eddie was offering you what you wanted.
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Eddie glanced across the cafeteria as you walked to the table you sat at every day. He noticed the little details today. He couldn't help but notice the way your black slip dress hugged your curved hips or how the lacy hem rode up your thighs when you took another step.
   Your feet carried you to the farthest table from the exits, head bobbing to the music blasting through your headphones as you stared down at the cold food on your tray. You sat down at the half-full table when your knees knocked into an empty chair. You were about to lower your head to rest on the table, you became fully aware of all of the eyes that were on you now. Your head shot up and you looked around at all of the boys. They were all wearing the same shirts with big bold letters that read, "Hellfire Club." You looked at Mike and Dustin, their eyes just as wide as your own. 
   You scowled at Mike, your mood immediately souring when you remembered all of the adventures the old friend group went on. And you still remember when Will and El moved to Lenora, Mike left you on the first day of high school to suffer alone. Now halfway through the school year, you kept to yourself and occasionally spoke to Dustin in the halls of Hawkins High.
   You heard a cough from the end of the cafeteria table, your head immediately turning at the sound. You first saw sparkling brown eyes, defined facial features, and plush pink lips. Your eyes then darted to the mop of dark brown, wavy curls. Your brain immediately formed images of your fingers gripping the loose strands but you shook your head. He was familiar and you remembered the times he would shout at the top of his lungs or walk across the tables, confronting the assholes of the school or shouting at and chasing teachers out of the cafeteria. You even remembered the moments when he would stick his tongue out at Jason, making the jock sit down in embarrassment. You even remembered laughing at his antics, a rare oddity from you after Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max ditched you.
   "I am so sorry. I'll leave now," you shouted, rambling. You paused the cassette that was clipped onto your waistband. You scrambled to grab your backpack, but you were stopped by a gentle voice.
   "It's ok. You can stay," Eddie rushed out. He wanted you to stay because he had been waiting to talk to you for half of the school year. "What's your name?"
   Although hesitant, you whispered your name for only the table to hear. You wanted to talk to Eddie, but now that the moment arrived, you couldn't form the words you wanted to. Your hands were shaking and your heart was beating faster than you were used to.
   "Nice to meet you," Eddie replied instantly, "Tell me. What's playing on that fresh cassette of yours."
   "I'm listening to Ozzy right now, but I created my own mix a while ago," you replied, more confident this time. Eddie immediately perked up, eyes widening slightly at the name of the artist. Eddie's positive attitude made you comfortable enough to finally speak.
   "Amazing music taste. Just Ozzy? Or do you have some other bands that I might know?" Eddie pressed further. Your heart was still beating fast, but Eddie's eagerness to talk to you excited you for the first time in months.
   "Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Metallica, some others," you felt like you were returning to your natural confident self, shoulders straightening out and head perking up.
   "Perfect. Just amazing," Eddie praised, "I have a proposition for you."
   "A proposition? What, you gonna ask me to join your D&D club?" You were shocked at the amount of sass you just gave Eddie, but you were also hoping that was his offer.
   "Yeah, actually. I was. You a witch reading my mind?" Eddie joked and you couldn't help but scoff sarcastically. 
   "Stop it, Eddie!" Mike dramatically cut in. You gasped at his sudden outburst, confused as to why your ex-best friend suddenly ignored your existence. "She can't play the game. Besides, adding her to the party now wouldn't make sense. We're too far in the game."
   "Actually," Dustin cut in, "we can add her because we have room for one more member."
   Your tense shoulders were relaxed as you turned from Dustin, your savior from ultimate embarrassment, to Mike, who was sulking in his chair, to Eddie who leaned on his forearm.
   "So," Eddie decided, "it's final. You join the party as long as you provide bangin' music for the campaigns." Your eyes lit up, your heart soaring through the sky as you stared at Eddie's lips while he spoke. You reached your hand out to connect it with Eddie's waiting palm. When your palms and fingers made contact, you swore you could feel a surge of electricity shoot through your skin from the cold metal of his rings and the soft skin of his hand. "Welcome to Hellfire Club." 
   Your lips spread into a wide grin as all of the members, except for Mike, clapped you gently on your shoulder. The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. You jumped up and walked next to Eddie, listening to his gentle voice drone on and on about the rules and schedule of the club. You felt ecstatic that finally spoke to the 20-year-old graduate. When you made it to your math door, you stopped. Eddie looked down at you and when you gestured to the wooden door, he let out a long, dramatic sigh. 
   "I guess you'll just have to listen to me talk about D&D later," Eddie said, a short, beautiful, and symphonic laugh punctuating his sentence.
   "I'm looking forward to it Eddie," you whispered, hand extending again for another shake. You watched as Eddie sauntered off, white reeboks squeaking slightly against the shiny, polished floors. "Wow," you whispered, "I fucking did that."
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A/N- Wow wow wow I hope people who read this enjoy it. I would love to continue this and write even more. Also please let me know if I can change anything. Thanks so much for all of the support. Much love, Spinebr3aker.
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siremasterlawrence · 2 years
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A Pig By Any Other Name
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Part 1 - 3
Officer Thomkins has been a busy asswipe always on the hunt for a dominant partner.
All over the new app Spiral meeting one or more doms over a period of weeks on end.
He never has time for one person then he took today off to speak and see what comes.
Of course I am not really in the mood today when he messages me in typical stupidity.
Cracking a joke he says “hey pumpkin” I roll my eyes pretending to crack a glass on his head.
We agree for him to arrive at my place with all assigned items including a needle behind me.
He knocks on the door with very little insight except pitch black darkness and enters.
His ass closes the door so I grab his neck and inject the serum in to his system.
I kick the gurney towards him as his body
hit in time, I use all my strength to drag him fully on to it.
One last piece to my puzzle reaching for the bed straps and I tie him down.
Shove him on to the elevator, press few of the buttons and we descend in to oddly place room.
Yes it is like the whole Willy Wonka elevator shit one weird journey to my lab when the doors open.
I push him in to the middle of the room flick on a switch as the room swirls on around us.
The lights blow up in yellow glow as he woke up to see me, he struggles a bit trying to place it together.
“Medical fetish? Oh God! Yyyeeesss” he howls loudly.
Part 4 - 6
“Welcome to my Hospital” I state raising my arms to length and spinning showing off.
“Fucking pig” I state in a low audible sound the proceed to him.
“What’s next?“ he asks eagerly with a smile.
“So much, you have to wait and see.” I say in a sly effort injecting him again.
“Can you check to see if the lights are to bright? Just look up.” I point upward as the lights shift in multicolors.
“Everything is….is…..is” he attempts to say in vein.
“Everything is fine.” I finish for him cupping his chin and mouthing it out for him.
“Don’t bother your mind is now nothing more then malleable clay.” I state.
I kiss him on the cheek then slap him hard as to say this is mine.
I turn my back to him opening a draw and to grab a pair of scissors, I clip them in the air and then get to work.
Taking his shirt in my hand I begin to cut up diagonally ripping his shirt to shreds.
His police officer uniform comes undone at my feet till it lays torn on my floor.
All that’s lefts is man so use to being in any shape and form of power.
All that that is left is him naked on the table in all his splendor.
I lick my lips watching his body as I spray tan his body, clicking a button above a sonic ray is on him.
Part 7 - 9
“Fuck you! You piece of shit.” I whisper.
“Who is the main man here?” I continue
“Who is the Master?” I push him.
“I am your lord and Master”
“Speak pig!” I laugh in between my words.
“OINK!” He squeals loudly.
“Louder pig.” I yell.
“Ooooooiiiiiiiinnnnnnlkkkkkkkkk” he screams
“Mwahahahahaha” the laughter reverberate in to my walls.
“Good boi.” I make one last compliment.
“Sir Yes Sir”
“You can stand up now.”
“Kneel at my feet”
“Mwahahahahaha”
“This is only the beginning.”
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The end
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kim-ruzek · 2 years
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I've tried to keep my mouth shut and show empathy were I can in this CP fandom, especially since I have been an avid watcher since season 1 but I can't hold it in any longer. I will miss Jesse a whole bunch and this is a very sticky situation. But reading tweets from people telling Burzek stans to let fans grieve a character that is leaving, to stop being judgemental and to not trash what someone else loves.
But excuse me, this goes both ways. The amount of nasty tweets from Upstead stans is unbelievable! Just some of the things I've read about Burzek from Upstead stans - "rinse and repeat ship", "Burzek winning by default", "sloppy second ship" and "Upstead is the superior ship".
The advice also applies to them, you can be angry all you want but don't trash or demean what others in CP fandom love.
Asking Burzek stans to show empathy and grace while we are given none in return is what makes this fandom not a nice place to be a part of. I support Jesse and I wish him the absolute best but this experience has left me mentally drained and exhausted trying to stay positive about the characters, ship and show that I love. I can't imagine the words that are going to be said as the season progresses.
Ugh I mean a huge amount of upstead stans are just (yknow probably won't put words to this, that's for my dms only ascghjkgh gotta have plausible deniability after all lol) but twitter + upstead stans... they're the ones that brings out the petty in me (if you know you know).
I think it's just so ridiculous that it's hard to grasp what other fans not of upstead are frustrated by. Like I give them a lot more benefit of the doubt than I would ordinarily because like grief makes your emotions weird but also I don't have much good faith left in me because of their frustrating attitude for the last year and a half (when I joined the fandom fyi not saying they've only been like that since then). Like if they're attitude was different earlier on I'd have a lot more good faith but eh.
It is utterly ridiculous as well because by far and large they are what makes this fandom not nice (although there are so Wild burzek stans out there, on twitter) and like just I know that if it was marina or paddy leaving they wouldn't even give an ounce of empathy or grace that has been shown to them. And everyone's given them a LOT of empathy... We just want also to be able to be excited about this show still.
The nasty tweets are really so Out There, especially all the ones you quoted, like what gets me is the innate competition built into them. Like the concept of a ship winning isn't actually meant to be an actual competition, and when it is it's only when there's a common character in common (but even then I'm like don't make it one), and calling one ship superior (in this context) is just,,, that's not what fandom is about. Everyone has their merits and demerits of ships and it's just not able to be compared in that way. Like I personally don't see the point of upstead (I do technically but imo a lot of it has been tell not shown) but that doesn't make it inferior, especially because I know how much it means to others.
Also I just find the whole attitude towards burzek fans insane and ridiculous and I'd say I'm shocked that it hasn't changed during this whole news thing but I'd be lying. And Im not looking forward to what is going to be said during the season, and it's going to make me petty, I know it is, and I hate that bc I love Jesse and I don't want to be counting the time down to when he'll leave (although the attitude probably won't stop after that).
Thank you for this ask!! 💖 Sorry for the rant a little, I cut myself off before I went too in depth, but I guess I'm feeling a little grumpy today (I was going to answer with more decorum especially as I've been interacting with some lovely folks of late but I'm a bit of a grump-- despite, lol, me watching taskmaster clips to get myself in a better mood before answering ascghjkgh)
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anitabyars · 2 years
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The Close-Up, an all-new moving second-chance novella set in the Hollywood Renaissance/HOOPS world from New York Times bestselling author Kennedy Ryan and 1,001 Dark Nights is available now!
I met Nazareth Armstrong when I was eighteen years old. From the beginning, my brother warned me to stay away from him. Told Naz to stay away from me.
Our hearts didn’t listen.
I shared one magical night under the stars with my brother's rival, thinking it was the start of a once-in-a-lifetime something.
But one awful moment ended it all.
Years later when we meet again, we’ve both pursued our dreams, lived a little, found success…but never found love. What began as a tiny flame when we were young now threatens to consume us. I’m more drawn to Naz than ever, but his complicated history with my brother makes whatever this could be…nearly impossible.
But Naz accepts impossible as a dare.
Through his clever maneuvering and dogged determination, I find myself on a yacht with him and his friends cruising through the Mediterranean. It’s a whirlwind set ablaze. Away from reality, surrendering to the tender heat of his touch, I forget that everything could burn.
*This is the love story of Takira, who first appears in Reel, book 1 of the Hollywood Renaissance series. Characters from the HOOPS series also make appearances, but you do not have to read any of those books to enjoy this one.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
Grab your copy today, exclusively on Amazon!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3a9gD87
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/theCloseUp
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3nRG2Jl
Audible: https://adbl.co/3AE4iWV
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Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3nkcnq8
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Keep reading for a look inside The Close-Up!
Naz has abandoned his cabin completely and has spent every night over the last week with me. Why front? He brought me here, and we can’t get enough of each other. I’m glad we’re on this yacht with a bunch of couples who also can’t get enough of each other because we’d be pretty obnoxious otherwise.
He’s rich as hell and could shower me with material things. And he does. At every port, I find some keepsake from the local shops he’s left for me in the room—an ankle bracelet, clips for my hair, diamond earrings. There has been no shortage of gifts, but the real gift has been his attention. The way he cares. The man bathes me. He wraps my hair up at night. He washes my face. I don’t know what this is, but I feel spoiled. Doted on. Adored. At first I was like…is this cringe? Is it weird? But then I recalled all those times when I didn’t feel valued in a relationship. All those times a guy disrespected me by looking at other women all night. All those times I didn’t feel this almost embarrassing amount of single-minded focus from a man who’s determined I’ll know how much he enjoys me. How much he likes me. Cherishes me, even. He’s constantly pulling me onto his lap. We sneak away from the group anytime the mood strikes us. Last night at dinner, he fed me from his plate.
From his plate.
Who am I right now?
I’m that girl, living out a fantasy on a half-a-billion dollar yacht floating on dreams along the coast of Italy. Forget Black girl magic. This is pure sorcery, and if it’s a spell, we’re both under it.
About Kennedy Ryan
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USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Kennedy Ryan and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Cosmo, TIME, O Mag and many others. A RITA® and Audie® Award winner, Kennedy writes empowered women from all walks of life and centers those who have found themselves perennially on the margins of traditional storytelling.
Her Hoops Series (Long Shot, Block Shot and Hook Shot) and All the King's Men Series (The Kingmaker, The Rebel King and Queen Move) have been optioned for television.
An autism mom, Kennedy co-founded LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable initiative, and has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for autism families. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.
Connect with Kennedy
Text KennedyRyan to 797979 for release alerts!
Subscribe to Mailing List: subscribepage.com/kennedyryan
Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2GY6eyb
TikTok: @kennedyryanauthor
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2TaYiAi
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2GUq0uF
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2Fvhqiz
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan
Website: http://kennedyryanwrites.com
For More information about 1,001 Dark Nights, visit
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3ONzTtZ
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rTZdo3
Website: https://bit.ly/2AIIr3A
Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights releases, join their mailing list today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu
My Review
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Close-Up (Hollywood Renaissance #1.5) by Kennedy Ryan.
Let me tell you… Could. Not. Put. It. Down!!! Her writing is sublime, and I could see it all like a movie as I read this story. LOVED. IT!!! Such an intoxicating journey of a connection that is incredibly sexual and intimate. Full of desire, joy, heat, romance and passion. Descriptives that are tantalizing. Captivating. Intoxicating. You know when you can’t put a book down but you have to, then you don’t want to pick it back up again because you don’t want it to end. That! I hope you all love The Close-Up as much as I did.
The chemistry between Naz and Takira Is profound, a soulmate deep connection. If you read Reel, then you will remember Takira was Navaeh’s best friend and a makeup artist. Takira and Naz met twelve years ago in high school. But although they had a immediate soulmate deep connection, something happens that ruins their seemingly future together. Until fate steps in and causes Takira to literally fall into Naz’s arms once again But will they be willing to put everything on the line for love?
“The attraction simmering between us… that is worth exploring. This isn’t about then. It’s about now. Preparation meeting opportunity.”
Total escapism! The kisses, the sizzling encounters between these two left me hugely anticipating their encounters together. Their combustible connection had me holding my breath, and my heart pounding through my chest. Every romance reader needs this in their lives!
Received an early copy and this is my honest review.
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iwadori · 3 years
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Haikyu boys when they make you insecure PT 1 (Kenma,Kuroo)
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Part 1 Part 2  Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6.
Word Count:3k 
genre: angst, fluff
masterlist
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Kenma:
You and Kenma have been in a long distance relationship for a while.
Both of you stream, Kenma doing it seriously for his job and you just playing it for fun,
Sometimes you stream together of course but because of your difference in audiences and games you don’t do it all the time
“Bye guys! Hope you enjoyed todays stream” You wave off to the camera and shut off your PC taking a few sips of water.
Kenma: Hey.. nice stream today Y/N are you going to watch mine?
Y/N: Of course I will 
Kenma: Ok talk to you later
Y/N: okayy <3
Kenma is what inspired you to stream, he also taught you all the ins and outs of streaming making sure you were set and ready. Your gaming style was very relaxed and friendly as you obviously weren’t streaming as a career just for fun and to make friends with your online viewers. The games you played were usually: minecraft, COD, Sims 4, Roblox, Animal crossing and *Insert your favourite game here* the way I literally named all the games I play 
You wait for Kenmas stream to start, kind of excited as you’ve always loved seeing your boyfriend in his ‘element’ when it comes to playing to games. As your boyfriends stream starts you see he’s already chosen what game he is playing today which is to your surprise Call of duty, since that was the game you were playing earlier.
As he gets into the stream you are entertained, as always since Kenma was being his usual self laughing at his own deadpan jokes and interacting with his viewers. He is currently waiting for his capture the flag game to start so as he waits he decides to read some comments in the chat.
You’re used to the usual ‘Kenma where is Y/N I miss your usual streams together’ or ‘kenma please RAIL me’ which always makes you laugh. You were also used to the common hate comments Kenma and You both got on your streams but you were definitely not ready for this..
@ Ihatewomanandiamadick : Hey Kenma did you see your girls stream today she is so dog shit at COD lmaoooo jhdfkjdrhdrr
“Well hello ihatewomenandiamadick” started Kenma “but yes I did see Y/N stream and obviously she is not the best at games and I would definitely NOT ask her to team with me for any serious gaming competitions ... but she’s fun to watch I guess” as he finished speaking about you his game loaded up so he focused his attention on that the words he just spoke going to the back of his mind as they end up at the forefront of yours.
You obviously knew you were no match for Kenma’s gaming expertise but you didn’t expect him to publicly agree with a hate comment let alone add more of his imput on you. Did he really think that about you? ‘She’s fun to watch I guess’ did he not even enjoy your streams that much?
You wanted to distract yourself, and you definitely couldn’t do that watching him so you close off of his stream and get in your bed deciding to watch your favourite show. 
Waking up at 6pm after your sad nap, you see that Kenma has left some messages to you,
Kenma: hey did you watch my stream?
Kenma: do you want to facetime later and play some minecraft..?
Kenma: y/n r u ok??
Y/N: oh hey cnt play minecraft w you rn not really in the mood..
Kenma: oh ok..
Time passed since then a month to be exact and you basically dropped off of the face of the earth, you weren’t in the mood to do anything let alone game and stream, which was a constant reminder of your boyfriend (something you didn’t want at the time.) 
You felt embarrassed over all the things he said about you and all the things you now think he thinks about you and the way you play. Maybe he thinks even worse things about you, beyond just how you game? What if he doesn’t even genuinely like you...or he has someone else...it does make sense, you do both live miles and miles away from eachother AND he’s a big streamer you see the amount of girls in his comments.
You shake your head to erase your protruding thoughts coming in your mind, but it doesn’t really help. You and Kenma haven’t spoken much over this month he tried to constantly reach out to you at first but you assume he got bored over your constant, repetitive dry texts. So you were almost content with you and Kenma not even being in a relationship anymore.
However on Kenma’s side, he was beyond worried about you. Since you haven’t been streaming or barely responded to his texts he thought something happened to you, but he didn’t want to be seen as ‘overstepping boundaries’ if there was nothing wrong at all with you and you simply were just ‘not in the mood.’ 
So here he is, in Kuroo’s apartment trying to get him to help him out on finding out what is wrong with you.
“So kenma can you remember what happened the day when Y/N went ‘ghost’“ asked Kuroo in a mock detective voice
“Y/N didn’t go ‘ghost’ Kuro, and take this seriously” said Kenma “I’m worried bout her”
“Okay fine, but for real what’s the last thing you remember before she started acting all weird.” 
“Umm I think it was around a month ago I did my saturday stream and I think she was on it but she didn’t leave her usual nice comments throughout”
“Ohh that was the stream when you sai-” Kuroo said before pausing his words as the memory of what Kenma said about you on his stream came in his mind, as even Kuroo thought it was a tad bit harsh for Kenma to say all those things “I think I know why Y/N has been so distant kiddo”
“What why?” Asked Kenma
Kuroo pulls out his phone and brings up the clip off what Kenma said and Kenma’s face cringes ‘did he really say all those things about you’ he thinks. 
“Shit.. I didn’t know I said all of that” he said quietly “how do I make it up to her?”
“There’s only one thing you can really do Kenma” said kuroo
You are woken up out of your sleep by a knock on the door. Getting out your bed like a zombie, you trudge to your front door only surprised by what you see. There in his 5′6 glory stood your ‘boyfriend’ Kenma with a controller and a kitten teddy in his hand. You were very tempted to shut the door in his face and get back to your dreamless sleep but you waited on him to speak.
“Hi Y/N” he said quietly “wanna play some minecraft...?”
“Why so you can ridicule me on how shit I am?” You ask bitterly ready to shut the door on him
“No! No not all” he said stopping you from shutting the door entering your place “Y/N i’m really sorry on what I said, I wasn’t thinking AT ALL... I love watching your streams and I think you’re great at playing games...I was just being a dick,”
You take a deep breath before tears pool in your eyes “what you said really hurt me kenma..” you say “ I know people say shitty things on the internet all the time... it’s the internet. But I wasn’t expecting you to agree with the hater and say even more shitty things on top of that.. I don’t think I want to even stream anymore”
Upon hearing that, Kenma’s mouth parts open with shock ‘you dont want to stream anymore’ were his comments that bad? Now he feel even worse as he should and is now more determined to make things right. 
He impulsively drags your arm into your game room, catching your surprise ‘what is he up too?’ you think. He stops for a second seeing your usual pristine gaming set up, collected up with dust. 
“What are you do-” you start 
“Just wait!” He says, as he rushes away turning on all your stuff and logging onto his twitch account as he sees the views go up he starts to speak
 “Hi guys, its me kodzuken and today I’m here on stream with my beautiful girlfriend and today I want to say..” he turns to you “Y/N im so sorry for the horrible things I said to you that day... I was just being a dick and I’m sorry I really am.”
You look at the chat and you see some confusion and some people recalling his words from last month. “It’s fine Kenma, I forgive you” you say giving him a hug”
“Okay Y/N, so what do you say... wanna beat my ass at bed wars?” He says with a smirk 
“When have I ever loss?” you return his smirk
Of course you did beat his ass as bed wars for rounds on rounds never losing proving yourself to actually be a good gamer girl. You enjoyed your time with Kenma, forgetting what he said before about you and moving on. 
Eventually, you guys moved in together and streamed together all the time and yes you still do play for fun but you’ve gotten way better at COD (some may say better then Kenma) but who is better didn’t matter to any of you, as long as you got to play together that’s all you both cared about.
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Kuroo:
Kuroo and you have been together since you were in your first year of high school 
You met as friends first when you got him to tutor you in chemistry ( a subject you still aren’t that good at.)
Now you have your upcoming entrance exams for university in a month so your school has you doing mock exams in preparation for them.
20%
You look down at your chemistry paper that your teacher just handed you. 20%. You’re surprised, very surprised since out of all your subjects (that you go 90+% on) you studied on the chemistry test the hardest ensuring Testurou, that you didn’t need his help at all. But I guess it turns out, you did.
This failing mock grade put a blunder on your day, you didn’t interact with anyone and didn’t want to see your boyfriend so you skipped your usual routine of meeting him on the rooftop and went to the library instead ‘might aswell start early on your studying’ you thought.
As you were going over your chemistry topics, you hear an ‘ahem’ next to you and you turn your head only to find your boyfriend and his friends next to you. Kuroo with his usual goofy smile on his face. 
“Hey kitten where were you at lunch?” he asked 
“Needed to go to the library, Chemistry is kicking my ass” you mumbled 
“Oya” he said as he noticed your chemistry test laying under your textbook “20%, well damn Y/N I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t know you were that stupid” he laughed doing his stupid usual hyena-like laugh.
Ouch well that hurt. You slightly flinched at his words, “Really your name, you didn’t know the molecular formula for ethanol, that’s first year work” he said continuing to laugh “I’m pretty sure that’s one of the first things I tutored you on when we first met” 
His overbearing laughter was not good for you, you were already having a bad day and yes you do know your not that good at chemistry but you didn’t need your chemistry-enthusiast boyfriend to make fun of you for failing. Kenma and Yaku stood there awkwardly obviously aware of how bad Kuroo is making you feel but they didn’t really know how to stop his friend in the moment.Whilst he’s still dying of laughter you decide to pack up your stuff and leave the library.
You managed to get your Chemistry tutor to let you retake your mock paper in a week so that means, extra hard studying with no distractions you definitely can’t fail again. Since studying on your own was definitely not a good option, and you couldn’t go to Kuroo (especially after he ridiculed you) you decided to ask the second smartest person you know to tutor you.
Y/N: Hey Yaku! Can I ask you a favour?
Yaku: Hi Y/N what do you need??
Y/N: I have my chemistry retake next week, and as you know from your loud-loud friend I failed my recent test so can you tutor me?? 
Y/N: Pleaseeee
Yaku: Ok Y/N why can’t you ask Kuroo you know that he’d be more than happy to help
Y/N: Yakuu pleasee just help me out 
So there you was, nearly a week done with your study sessions with Yaku and you’re feeling way more confident than before. 
“Y/N what is the functional group of a Carboxylic Acid” Yaku asked
“umm... COO?” 
“Great! that’s correct Y/N” he praises i dont actually know if it’s correct or not
You then hear a knock at Yaku’s front door and hear his mum let the person in, Kuroo then enters Yaku’s bedroom with shock plastered on his face surprised to see you here.
“Y/N...hey?” he says confused “what are you doing here?”
“Oh Mori-chan is just helping me with chemistry for my retake tommorow” you say nochalantly internally smiling at the twinge in Kuroo’s face at the purposeful use of Yaku’s first name.
“So why didn’t you ask me to help you know I’m a chemistry whiz” he asks
“Maybe I’m too stupid to be taught under your tutelage” you mumble “since I seem to forget whatever you teach me, even when it’s 3 years ago... but ok”
“Y/N I-” he starts 
“Oh save it Kuroo, I have studying to do” you say cutting him off
“But I-” he tries
“So Mori-chan COOH is the function group of ethyl ethonate right?” you ask ignoring your boyfriend who is now at a lost for words
“ummm yeah it is” says yaku who is clearly feeling heavily awkward at the tension in his bedroom.
Kuroo leaves and you and yaku finish off the studying for the night, you did feel a little bad for being a bit mean to Kuroo but it’s karma for him being a dick to you. 
You wake up the next day ready for your exam which was first thing in the morning, before you hand in your phone you see a message from Kuroo,
Kuroo: I know you’re still mad at me, but I think you’re going to do so well on this test. You’re not stupid at all, you’re really smart and I love you < 3 
Kuroo: Good luck Y/N
You don’t respond to the message but smile at the sincerity of it and thankful for the boost of confidence it gave you before you start your exam.
Finishing the exam with a smile, you were confident you did well as everything you and Yaku went over was on the paper and you’re almost certain you atleast got more than 75%. You have to wait an hour before your teacher can give you your results, so in the meantime you might aswell reconcile with Kuroo.
When you exit the classroom, standing there was Kuroo who seemed to have been waiting for you for the whole duration of the exam.
“So how was it?” Kuroo asked, apprenhensive as he assumed you would just ignore him like you did at Yaku’s house.
“It was fine, I think it went alright..” you say
“Kuroo”
“Y/N”
You say simultaneously, he pauses for a second to let you speak “I’m sorry I was being so stand offish when we were at Yaku’s I just wanted you to see I could do it on my own, and when you called me stupid I really took that to heart since you and I both know that Chemistry wasn’t ever my best subject” 
“I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, and since it was only a practice test I didn’t think you’d take it to heart but I am sorry I know you aren’t stupid.”
Before you got to say anything else, your Chemistry teacher exited the room with your chemistry paper in hand. Kuroo grabbed your hand anticipating your nerves and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Miss L/N” said your teacher “Well done on your chemistry test” he turned your test around to sure a perfect 100%. Both you and Kuroo gasped, you were elated to say the least you wanted to jump up and down in excitement but a PERFECT 100%.
“I’d also like to add that you have now got the top chemistry score in the school beating the previous title holder Kuroo Testurou” said your teacher, this made Kuroo open his mouth even wider in surprise nearly making you giggle at his response. 
Your teacher took his leave, leaving you and Kuroo in the hallway “ I guess i’m the chemistry whizz now “ you say wiggling your eyebrows just as Kuroo did to you before at Yaku’s this made him chuckle as he came to put his arm around you.
“Y/N don’t get ahead of yourself now, you may have won this battle but I will win the war” he said smiling
In the final exam, you continue your winning streak also getting a near 100% and still beating Kuroo which didn’t matter to either of you, now you’re just like him cracking chemistry puns and jokes all the time which none of your friends appreciated but atleast Kuroo found them SODIUM funny.
AN: Please kill me for the last line of Kuroos, I didn’t really like Kuroo’s since it was a bit self indulgent with my hate for chemistry but what do you guys think?
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Smitten - Tom Hiddleston x Curvy Reader
Filming sex scenes wasn’t the easiest task. There are weird nude undergarments or socks or tape or sometimes just a nude co-star…With Tom, though? There were nerves and feelings and a deep down hope that he couldn’t tell that you were incredibly turned on as he mimed fucking you twelve ways to Sunday.
“Cut! That’s a wrap on today. Great work guys!” the director called.
Tom collapsed onto your chest, laughing as the tension left his body. “These never get easier.”
“I don’t know” you teased, playing with his hair as everyone left the set so you two could leave the bed with some of your dignity. “It’s a lot easier with you.”
Tom held himself up on his elbows. “Don’t tell me your past romantic co-stars have been less than gentlemanly.”
“Not all of them.” You shrugged. Being a ‘larger than the Hollywood standard’ actress had put you in some…not very flattering roles in the start of your career. Sure, now you were the romantic lead with a conventionally attractive male actor, but lets just say you’ve dealt with a lot to get here.
“Well, I hope you know you deserved better.” Tom kissed the back of one of your hands, rolling off of you.
“Coming from you, I may actually believe it.” You laughed, gathering the sheet around you as you left the bed, grabbed your robe, and started walking towards your trailer.
The two of you filmed the movie…Where you’d usually fall asleep in one of your two trailers watching other movies…
The two of you attended interviews…Where Tom would almost always defer to you and even stuck up for you when a few interviewers were borderline sexist or would comment on your appearance…
The two of you even walked a few red carpets together…Tom’s hand always placed at your middle or  on your hip or in one of your hands...
He invited you out to eat with him before or after any shindig the two of you went to…
He’d walk you to your hotel rooms with kisses left on your cheeks…
He’d even tried to convince you to spend the week before the premiere in London with him…
In your mind, Tom was just too nice. He was nice to everybody. It all seemed very friendly…Until…
You hadn’t been watching the interviews as they’d been posted. Some interviews you did together with Tom and others you’d been split up and put with other actors from the movie.
Your phone pinged…
*best friend* - HAVE YOU SEEN TOM ON FALLON?!?
Before you could reply, your phone started blowing up.
You scrolled through the texts until you saw Tom’s
Tom – Darling, I hope you know how much you mean to me. Regardless of what your answer is, I’d never want to lose your friendship. It’s not every day you get to work with one so incredibly kind and thoughtful and talented and beautiful and…every moment I’ve spent with you has been a privilege. Please put me out of my misery and let me know you’ll at least let me see you again.
“What the fuck?” you asked yourself, opening your laptop and googling “Tom Hiddleston and Jimmy Fallon”
You saw that the Fallon YouTube channel had just posted Tom’s segment of tonight’s episode…
“How are you doing, buddy?” Fallon asked, pulling Tom into a tight hug.
“I’m doing incredibly well at the moment, actually.” Tom answered, sharing that the movie you two had filmed together had done extremely well on its opening weekend just a few days earlier.
“I know! It was amazing. I’ve seen it twice!” Fallon replied, always enthusiastic.
“I’m so glad you liked it. Y/n is incredible, right?” Tom turned to the audience, loving that they cheered when he brought you up.
“Oh my god, you two are so good together. I kind of thought maybe you two were…you know…” Fallon waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Tom threw his head back laughing, fidgeting with his tie and avoiding looking into the audience.
“Come on, you can’t tell me you two don’t have SOME sort of real chemistry. I saw the movie.” Fallon gave Tom a look like *Don’t lie*
“Well, perhaps we’re just incredible actors and you’re simply complimenting our craft.” Tom shrugged, trying to look anywhere but at Jimmy.
“Well, yes. The acting in the movie is amazing, but I don’t think that accounts for this.” Jimmy turned and pointed to the screen. It was a series of clips pulled from Tom’s interviews where all he did was gush about you.
“I missed being home, but it’s hard for anyone to stay upset when they’re around Y/n. She just lifts the mood in any room she’s in. You could say she makes anywhere feel a bit like home.” Tom had answered when a woman asked him if it was hard being on site away from home for 5 months.
When another interviewer asked Tom what his favorite line in the movie was, he answered, quoting one of your lines. “When she delivered it for the first time, it kind of took my breath away. I felt very unprofessional. I had to apologize and ask to start over. I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to say next. She tends to have that effect on me.” Tom laughed, a slight blush on his cheeks.
The final clip was one of an interviewer simply asking Tom how his day had gone. “I feel all out of sorts, if I’m being honest. Y/n isn’t here today because she woke up not feeling the best and with Covid still being an issue, she didn’t want to risk getting anyone else sick.” Tom answered with a sad smile on his face. When the interviewer shared that they hoped you would be okay and feel better soon, Tom answered with “I’ll make sure to pass on your sentiments when I bring her food later on.”
“COME ON!” Fallon laughed, throwing his arms up.
“I know, I know. I’m not very good at hiding how I feel, I guess.” Tom admitted, leaning back against the couch and laying his arm across the top. The crowd went wild.
“So, you admit it! Are you two together?!” Fallon asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.
“Unfortunately, not.” Tom answered, ducking his head as his cheeks flushed.
“Why?!” Jimmy asked. “You’re clearly smitten!”
“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Tom rebutted, looking to the audience for support. “I’ve tried!”
“Aww, now I feel bad for bringing it up.” Fallon chuckled and looked at the audience as they collectively ‘aww’ed. “How could anyone turn down this?!” He gestured towards Tom as the audience cheered.
“Well, if I’m to be completely honest I guess I haven’t actually TOLD her how I feel.” Tom confessed.
“Wait, what do you mean?” Jimmy paused.
“Well, I thought she’d catch on. I assume she has.” Tom laughed, fidgeting in his seat. “I’m pretty sure everyone else that knows the two of us can tell I’ve fallen completely head over heels for her.”
“Tom, Tom, Tom.” Jimmy shook his head.
“What?” Tom asked, nervous about what the answer would be.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but I think you may just be horrible at flirting.” Fallon said with a straight face, the audience busting up laughing after.
“Do you think?” Tom replied, eyes gone wide in exaggerated surprise.
“I mean, I think you’re just so nice.” Jimmy laughed, trying to stay serious…“that everyone thinks you’re flirting with them…Which means, when you’re trying to flirt it just blends in.”  
“Well, how would you suggest I stand out then?” Tom asked, putting his elbow on his knee and leaning his chin on his fist like he was really paying attention.
“I mean…” Fallon slowly pointed towards the camera. “You gotta shoot your shot, right?”
The audience went wild at the suggestion. “Oh, dear.”
“I can scrap this and we can just talk about the movie.” Jimmy offered, making sure Tom knew that none of this had to go on the air.
“I mean, if it’s truly that obvious to everyone what have I got to lose, right?” Tom answered.
“That’s what we like to hear!” Jimmy cheered with the audience.
“Well…Y/n.” Tom paused, a soft smile on his face. “I don’t quite know where to start. I feel as though I may have been remiss by not just telling you how I feel. The consequence of such is that now I’m doing it in front of all of these people *gestures to the audience*…and I’m sure you’re laughing at how red I’ve gone and how flustered I am so I’m going to get to the point. Darling, you’re an incredible woman. I could list a million reasons why, but hopefully later you’ll give me the time to tell you them in person. What I really want to tell you now is that you make me happy. You inspire me. You make me want to be the best version of myself and you even make me believe I can achieve it. I’d be honored if you’d give me a chance.”
Fallon had tears in his eyes and most of the audience did, as well. “I…That was so beautiful. I think we need to go to a commercial break.” He was all choked up and stood to give Tom a hug.
You pulled up Tom’s text, your fingers hovering over the keyboard. “Are you still in New York?” you text him. The two of you were there for interviews. You were even staying in the same hotel.
“I am.” He text back, but the ‘typing’ bubble stayed. “Did you watch it?”
“I did.” You answered. “Come over?”
You saw the ‘typing’ bubble pop up and then disappear a few times. Instead of a text, you heard a knock at your hotel door.
“So?” Tom asked when you opened the door. He looked nervous, a look you didn’t often see from him. He had his glasses on and his hair was an adorable mess. He was even already dressed in his night clothes.
You didn’t answer. Instead, you stepped forward and placed your hands on each side of his face, pulling his lips gently to yours. He quickly reciprocated, his hands finding your hips as he walked you backwards into your hotel room.
“And to think, I could have been doing that for a whole year already.” You teased him, connecting your lips again.
“Don’t worry, my sweet.” Tom answered, pressing kisses across your cheek and down your neck. His lips paused at the shell of your ear and his voice dropped. “It just means we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
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letarasstuff · 3 years
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One kind of intern
(A/N): This was requested by @greenslifestuff :) It took me a week or two because I had to interact with my friends in order to get the inspiration I needed 😅 Summary: The team gets to work with a gen z teenager. Let’s see how that goes.
Warnings: Swearing and gen z humour
Wordcount: 2k
✨Masterlist✨
___________________________________
“Team, this is (Y/N) (L/N). She will be interning for the upcoming three months alongside this team. (Y/N), these are Agents Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, David Rossi, Derek Morgan and Doctor Spencer Reid and our Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia”, Hotch introduces a teenage girl to his team like this happens every day.
“Wait Hotch, we don’t get interns. What is she going to do, no offense, but getting us coffee or what?” Morgan eyes her suspiciously. She looks like any teenager grabbed from the street. A band t-shirt, a torn pair of jeans and a cup from starbucks in her hands. Nothing you would expect to even enter a federal building.
“No offence taken, Agent Morgan. I know having an ugly pickly bitch working with professionals seems weird. It’s just I have summer break and I thought it would be a good thing on my resumé if I already interned in the FBI, because I just graduated and I wanted to go to the academy this fall. But if you wanna do a vibe check with me first, that’s fine by me. Whatever floats your boat.”
The room falls silent. Then out of all sudden everyone turns to Garcia, who puts her arms up in defense. “I don’t even know half the things she said, ask her yourself.”
That’s how the BAU gets their first contact with Gen Z culture and let me tell you it is a wild ride, so buckle up your seats, drink your tea up because we aren’t going to make any stops.
“(Y/N), I need you to come with me. We are going to the M.E. getting the latest reports from our last case”, Morgan tells her while passing her desk. In the blink of an eye the teenager is ready, putting her denim jacket with various pins and bits of patches on.
“Derek, can we get starbucks on the way back? The pumpkin spiced latte is back on their menu and I am on withdrawal. Pleaaaaaasseeee”, she looks at him with a pouty face. Morgan smiles. “Ok, under one condition: We both get one, take awesome pictures and send them to the group chat and then we act like we didn’t get them anything, but we actually buy them their usual.” He got the hang of it pretty fast. “Deal, Sis.”
While they are in the car on their way to the M.E. the agent groans. “Ugh, road work ahead.” “Uh yeah, I sure hope it does!” Morgan eyes her from the side. His whole demeanor says ‘old and confused’.
“What was that, kid?” But (Y/N) begins to laugh. “Don’t you know vines? Short dumb and funny clips people made?” It’s safe to say that this afternoon he learns to speak in vines, getting on Rossi’s nerves because nothing makes sense anymore.
“Ok, I heard you wanted to become a profiler. So I thought I would show you some old cases and then you try to figure out the profile. I’ll present them to you like I do to the team, alright?” JJ and (Y/N) sit in her office, safe from curious eyes. “As right as the law, Ma’am.” 
“Good, this is a case from several years ago. It happened here in D.C. Three men were murdered execution style in the middle of the night in an alleyway. They were all from different backgrounds. The only connection between them was that they were evicted for some form of sexual harassment or assault. The UnSub also had a signature: A shot into their groin while the men were alive.”
Unfaced by the presented facts (Y/N) pops a piece of gum into her mouth. “It do be like that.”
“What?” “I mean, it’s obviously a woman. She experienced any harassment or assault herself. She also has excess to the files, I assume she works as a paralegal, since most of them are women. Female serial killers are extremely rare, but they are better organized. The only thing left to say is good for her getting revenge.” The blonde looks at the teenager with wide eyes.
“I-I guess but you know you can’t say anything like that to Hotch, do you?” She asks concerned. “JJ, I’m dead inside, not dumb. I know this.” But the agent shrugs. “Good. Though I really want to see his face.” “Mood.”
Penelope Garcia is the closest one to relate to Gen Z culture, since a great part of her time is spent on the internet. She happily learns about all the phrases and their meanings as well as the newest trends and hypes.
“Purp is sus, I tell you”, is heard from the lair into the hallway. Spencer and Derek look at each other with concern on their faces. “Do you think they are alright or do we have to-” “IT’S A SELF REPORT I SWEAR PENNY! YOU WORK WITH PROFILERS IN GANDALF’S NAME!” Spencer’s question is answered by that.
“Baby girl, crazy girl, are you doing good? Do you need help or something?” The older one asks warily. But it’s drowned in another screaming match. “I TOLD YOU PURP WAS THE IMPOSTER BUT YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM I VENTED WHEN I DIDN’T! I WANT ALL TIKTOKS I SENT YOU BACK!” “YOU DON’T DARE TO REVOKE MY TIKTOK PRIVILEGES!” “WATCH ME GARCIA!”
“Whoa girls, what about taking a break?” Morgan tries to diffuse the situation. “Yes, I think JJ got new pictures of Henry and Emily brought cookies this morning”, Spencer adds.
The girls, who mere seconds ago were ready to jump each other's throats, look at the other one. “You get the cookies and I go to JJ, deal?” (Y/N) asks. “Deal!” Without sparing the boys another glance they run out of the lair. Their devices are still lit up. A red figure shines into their faces. ‘AMONG US’ is written underneath it. “I think we get too old for this stuff, don’t we Reid?”
Spencer always thought he was young. Of course, his mind is older, but physically he is not that old. But the intern proves him wrong. And boy is he wrong.
“Spencer, is there anything interesting to know today?” (Y/N) takes a seat on his desk, distracting the genius from his paperwork. It is a common occurrence for her to go to him to ask for a fun fact.
“Do you wanna learn something about sloths?” His knowledge (or the writer’s) on this subject is astonishingly big.
“Spill the tea, sis.” “Did you kn- What? But I don’t have tea to spill. And I don’t wanna spill anything, I-” Reid rambles in confusion.
“It’s just a saying, Spencer. There is no deeper meaning to it then ‘Tell me everything about it’. You know, it’s mostly used for gossiping, but I don’t really like to gossip. That’s why I use it in a different context. You got it?” (Y/N) explains it to him in a soft manner, knowing her generation can be complex.
“Yeah, I think I do. Thank you for telling me. I really like the phrase. It has a nice ring. What about you spill the tea about all the phrases you know and I tell you some things from my knowledge?” “I think you got yourself a teacher, genius. But now tell me about the sloths, I love them.”
A few days later Rossi catches her doing some weird moves. “Are you having a seizure or what is your problem, youngster?” Even though he tries not to show it, David took a great liking to (Y/N), thinking of her like a granddaughter. Still, most of her actions confuse the hell out of him.
“I’m practising a dance for tiktok. My friends and I worked on a choreo we wanted to film later. Come here, I can show you.” And that’s what she does in the conference room. The teenager walks him through every move of the choreo, explaining the meaning to it and how it correlates with the song.
“And then you move your arm like that. Exactly like that! You did a great job, David! Are you sure you don’t want to come with me later? We can make you your own account and name it ‘Grandpa-on-tiktok’. You can promote your books over there and it’s a way to float with the trend!”
Seeing her this excited Rossi can’t do anything but agree to the idea. Also, he secretly liked doing the dance thing. It made him feel young again.
“(Y/N), you said you graduated this summer. But your file said you are 16?” Emily asks her one boring day filled with paperwork and countless cups of coffee. “It is what it is”, she mindlessly answers, too focused on filling out the work in front of her.
“I mean yes but how?”
“Emily, smart people exist. I know, coming from me hits different, but here we are.” Finally (Y/N) puts her pen away looking at the raven haired woman.
“What are you talking about? I can’t really follow you.” The more the intern says the more confused gets Emily.
She sighs. “I don’t want to leave you on read here. I kind of am smart somehow. Apparently I was smart enough to skip a grade or two. But it’s no biggie. Many peeps do this, so I don’t sweat it.”
“Even though I feel like you are selling yourself short here, I know you are an incredibly intelligent person. Someday you will be an awesome profiler and any team will be lucky to have you. I really hope we will be the lucky team. But I’m still not sure if this is what I should say in this context.”
“Emily, you are goals. This fam is squad goals. I really hope to be a part of this someday”, (Y/N) admits. “I’m sure Hotch will do his best to get you on the team, you became a great part of it. I can’t imagine a future without you.”
Sadly Prentiss has to get used to a time without the team’s beloved intern. On her last day (Y/N) knocks at Hotch’s door.
“Hey, I wanted to say thank you. The time with you and all the others was amazing and I learned so many useful things for not only the academy but also for my daily life. I really had a glow-up here”, she says after coming in.
Hotch motions towards the chairs in front of his desk. “Take a seat, (Y/N). I got something for you. See it as a compensation for not getting paid for your internship. You really did great work and a better job than some agents, who are doing theirs for many years already but don’t know half the stuff you do. You are a valuable member to the team.”
“Wait, you speak in presence tense. I leave you all this afternoon, you know that, do you?” But the Unit Chief only gestures to a white envelope on his desk. Quickly the teenager takes it and reads it.
“Are you serious Hotchner? Because I will cry you a river if you joke”, she threatens him.
“I’m dead serious, (Y/N). Even though half of your talks are difficult to understand, the other half is twice as useful and important. Additionally to that, you are like a fresh breath of air that the team needed. That’s why a place here will be available for you as soon as you graduate from the academy. I trust you that you will pass with flying colors, I had to promise that to Strauss.”
“Of course, Hotch. I swear on my Animal Crossing Island that I will do my best and more. Thank you so much”, she leaps into his arms.
The others watch the interaction from the bullpen, pretending to not get teary eyed. Their favorite Gen Z Kid will come back to them after all.
Taglist:
Spencer Reid
@calm-and-doctor
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Dennis
Notes: No one asked for this. was inspired this thread. LOL. Also Chris Evans Debuts Trailer for New Movie DENNIS
Summary: A broken pathetic shell of a man with nothing to live for.
Warning: 18+ only please, forced fingering, non con, rape, Dark themes
Dark Dennis Baker x Reader
💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
6:00 A.M.
Dennis hated waking up. Though he was married whenever he arose and reached over to his wife's side of the bed it was always cold. It didn't used to be this way. Not too long ago he would wake to find her snuggling into him, but now it was as if he was a single man all over again.
Scrubbing his hands over his face as he sat on the edge of the bed he wondered where his wife was this time. At some point after he was laid off she started changing. Working out more, staying out more, sleeping over at her sisters for reasons she never made clear to him.
Walking over to the closet Dennis retrieved his uniform, laying it on top of the bed, neatly. The gawd awful pink retail shirt, unflattering khaki pants, with the leather belt and penny loafers made him internally groan at the sight each morning.
As the steam dissipated from the shower Dennis mindlessly stared at his own reflection. Dread poured over him the closer it got time for him to leave for work. This job was a far cry from his former one as Head of IT. A major data breach ruined his career in the tech field. Despite his best efforts to prevent the cyber attack his warnings went unheeded, sighting unnecessary cost for the infrastructure. And when the inevitable happened his neck was brought to the chopping block.
With that blemish on his record it was hard to get another job of similar note with this infraction hanging over his head. Now reduced to technical expert at Betsy's Computer store. A glorified titled for a retail worker that pushed more PS5's than actual technical support.
With the drop in title so did the salary. The mortgage, car note and other bills began piling up on top of each other. Credit cards were starting to hit their own limit, all contributing to his physical and mental decline.
💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
7:00 A.M.
As he began dressing he heard a faint sound coming from down stairs. Tucking in his shirt as he left the bedroom he heard the rare sound of his wife, Sarah. She was talking cheerfully to someone he hoped would be her sister. When he entered the archway his heart sank as she quieted herself, her mood fully changed before slipping her cell into her pocket.
Quickly she picked up a dish that contained scraps of some healthy meal that she only made for herself. Rinsing it off at the sink as Dennis approached her from behind.
Leaning over Dennis tried to kiss her cheek, but swiftly Sarah pulled away. “Ugh!”
"What's wrong?" He knew, but he had to hear it.
"You have a bad penis?" she answered before leaving him alone in the kitchen as he bottled up the hurt as he always did. Tucking away the insult and then burying it deep.
Dennis's erectile dysfunction was just the cherry on his shit cake. He had seen several doctors. All prescribed this or that, but nothing worked. The lack of intimacy helped to further wreck havoc on his marriage.
💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
8:00 A.M.
The entrance to the gaudy pink building dinged as the automatic doors opened.
"Morning Dennis" you smiled as he walked through the opened doors. He scrunched his face as if he didn't recognize you. You had only run into him once or twice since you started last week, so you weren't surprised he didn't remember.
"How did you..?" He looked a mix of tired and confused as he stood between the doorway.
Your head tilted and gave him a look, before tapping the name plate on your chest. Dennis followed your finger, your badge sat perched on your left breast. You shifted on your feet as his eyes lingered on your nameplate longer than you would've liked.
"Hadn't had your coffee yet I see" you joked. Quickly Dennis shifted his eyes away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah" Dennis chuckled dryly.
"Well, there is a fresh pot in the back last time I checked and  a few donuts. I think Richard brought some in. If you hurry you might be able to snatch one up." You brushed off his awkwardness.
Maybe he isn't a morning person.
You could see Dennis on the verge of reply, but your attention diverted to the customer walking to your open lane. "How was your shopping today? Do you have a Betsy card?" You read off your script as they laid their items down. In the corner of your eye you watched him linger a bit, before continuing on toward the back to clock in.
💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
3:00 P.M.
Dennis grumbled with hands on hips as he looked at the disarray of the printer cartage wall. He had organized and reorganized the entire aisle at least five times today. He had only been gone five minutes only to return to chaos.
Quickly taking inventory with his clipboard he made notes of what he needed before storming off to the storage room. Through his irritation he found it hard to stay mad as thoughts of you clouded his head while he walked.
The tiny interaction from earlier in the day had haunted him. Trying in vein Dennis tried his hardest to focus on anything else, but the more he fought it the more you seemed to just pop up. He found his eyes locking with yours in-between various interactions with customers as you cut through his section to get to the break room. Each time you fluttered your fingers and smiled at him, leaving him flustered, returning the smile more stiff and awkward than the time before.
Opening the door to the storage room Dennis's heart skipped a beat when he found you bent over examining a shelf. You hadn't noticed him yet, too focused on the numbers on the paper you held in search of an item.
Swallowing thickly Dennis gingerly closed the door quietly in an effort not to spook you. His cock twitched slightly the longer he stood against the door. When you moaned in frustration after you placed an item back on the shelf a heat rippled through his face forcing him to bite back a groan of his own.
Staying quiet, he released the knob and started to move closer to you. Each step Dennis felt his heart beat through his ears as your hips swayed before him.  
The narrow aisle forced Dennis to squeeze past you to reach his desired destination. Sucking in his bottom lip hungrily he pushed his hips forward as he slid behind, the slight graze made you jump up and yelp in surprise.
"Oh gosh Dennis you scared me!" You giggled slightly embarrassed. You placed a hand over your chest and the other on his shoulder.
"Sorry" looking sincerely at you as he held his hands up innocently. "Just trying to reach the ink." Hoping to take the focus away from his bottom half. The light graze was enough to awaken that piece of him that he had long sense gave up on.
"It's OK. It's super tight back here. Kind of hard not to knock into someone." You brushed of your shock and turn back to your task. With your back to him again adjusted himself awkwardly.
"Hey, wait!" Your call froze him in his tracks.
Dennis's back tensed and a panic shot through his core as he heard your steps approach. His work pants had become uncomfortably tighter all thanks to you.
Slyly he pressed his clip board over his buckle when you rounded his side. Internally Dennis prayed that you wouldn't notice the throbbing erection below his belt.
"Can you help me I can’t find this." You were still focused on the paper you held, pushing it in his line of sight as you waited for him to respond. You were so close that your perfume tickled his nose and he wondered if you tasted just as sweet as you smelled.
Dennis's lips deepened into a frown when Richard, the floor manager, called your name from the now open storage door.  
"We need you back on registers. Let me handle that for now." Richard demanded.  
"Oh OK" turning away from him you handed the papers to Richard as he approached. "Thanks anyway Dennis" you patted Dennis's back before walking off. The sudden lack of touch sent an ache to his heart as he watched you disappear through the door.
💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
5:30 P.M.
The rain came down hard. You hadn't check the weather, when you left your apartment earlier in the day the sky was clear. Without an umbrella you made a mad dash to your car on the far end of the lot. Panting wildly, by the time your reached the car you were soaked through and through.
Slipping in you shrieked when the white flash crashed too close to your car. Fumbling with your keys before sticking them in the ignition you quickly found disappointment. The engine wouldn't turn over. It took several clicks of the turning key, before you stared baffled at the wheel. You had never had issues with your car before, so you were at a loss as to what could be the cause.
A bashing came loud on your side that caused you to scream in fright. Your heart beat rapidly, but when you looked over you found Dennis standing outside your door holding his umbrella.
"You OK?" He queried as you manually rolled your window down.
"It won't start. I think its the battery?" You weren't sure, but it sounded plausible.
"I would give you a jump, but it's a little dangerous. I can give you a ride though." He shouted over the heavy rain.
"Oh gosh, are you sure?"
"Yeah, come on."
Unbuckling your seat Dennis held the door open for you as you got out. You stuck close to his side, huddling under his umbrella as he led you to his car.
Opening the passenger door you thanked Dennis then slipped inside. He closed the door than jogged over to the driver's side, you giggled at his awkward stride and wondered if there was any part of him that wasn't weird. 
💻🌧🍔 💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
Through his peripheral Dennis watched you. Your perfume seemed to waft through his tiny Toyota and he hoped that it would sink into the upholstery.
"It's over there, just turn right on the corner" you directed him. He nodded at your direction. Suddenly sad that the ride was coming to an end sooner than he would've liked.
"You can slow down here. Mine is the one in the middle."
Dennis slowed to park as you gathered your things and readied to disembark. "Um uh I know this is weird, but do you think I can.. use your restroom?" It came out bumbled and he internally kicked himself for that.
"Oh gosh yes of course." You touched his arm as you spoke, the patch of skin sending jolts all throughout.
Dennis exited the car first as you waited patiently for him to shelter you from the rain.
You thank him again as you both jogged to your front door. With your keys at the ready you unlocked the door and allowed him in after you. "First door on your right" you point down the hall as you slipped out of your work shoes.
💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
8:00 P.M.
Dennis didn't move.
"So how is married life?" You nervously inquired, noticing the gold band on his finger.
He didn't answer and the look on his face started to fill you with concern.
He is just an awkward guy. Don't over think it.
"Um would you like something to drink" you made a move to walk toward the kitchen, but Dennis blocked your advance. Stepping a foot back you started to panic. "So h-how do you like working at.."
Before you could finish Dennis sandwiched you between the door.  Fruitlessly you tried to wiggle free as his hands began to roam your sides. Pushing at his chest he stood unmoved by your efforts as he leaned in close to your cheek, peppering you with kisses along your neck.
"Please Dennis.." You trembled out. Dennis wedged between your legs, the feel of his hard cock had you hiccuping as you pleaded with him to stop.
The muscles in your arm burned as you push, your hands flailing and slipping off his wet clothes. He inhaled you, humming with delight as his stubble burned against your neck.
Tears coated your eyes as he began feverishly unbuckling your belt. Your nails clawed into his flesh to no effect, tossing your hands away effortlessly as he continued to maneuver your pants down past your hips.
It was if the mild mannered retail clerk had become a completely different person and you couldn't understand why.
"I see the way you look at me" he growled into your ear. 
"I was just being nice. Please Dennis!"
"So nice for me baby" he kissed your cheek as you turned your face away from him. Through the kerfuffle you hadn't realized you both had moved away from the door. Your side hit the arm of the living room's couch and you found yourself tumbling over with Dennis landing on top of you.
Dennis snatched one of your wrist when you tried to slap him. Threading his fingers with yours like a lover, slowly moving it above your head. Your other hand tried to force him to fall over to the floor, but he refused to budge.
His other arm disappeared between your bodies, the further it sunk down your stomach tensed. You were useless against his determination. There was no out from under him.
Dennis swallowed your sobs, when his hand came dangerously close to your clit. Hot beads of tears streamed your face when  he grazed your mound. The tickle of his finger tips meticulously played with your folds, in an attempt to move away his fingers parted your lips. Sucking and kissing on your neck, you felt a fire begin to pool at his hand.
"You don't want to do this please" you sniffed, but he was too far gone. A long moan fell from your lips when his fingers finally plunged into you.
Dennis's digits curled and pumped, the friction feeding an unwanted need in your core. When you tried to protest again he devoured your mouth greedily.
"I'm gonna fill you up...Have you stuffed full of my cum." Dennis moaned over your mouth.
Your toes started to curl as your heat grew. You wanted him to stop, but a need weakened your resolve.
"That's it baby, I feel you want me too." 
"Fuck" you panted out as you struggled to fight against him and yourself. Your juices coated him thoroughly, you bit back shame as he praised you for it. Mindlessly you gripped his shoulder  as your mounded tightened around him. Panting wildly you came on his fingers.
"That's it baby." He praised, slipping his fingers free which caused you to whimper shamefully. Your legs felt like jelly as you laid on the couch. Dennis hadn't moved, only lifting his hips to  unfastened his belt.
"No! No no please" you whined, pushing backwards on the couch cushion. Dennis snaked an arm behind your back, locking you in place as you pulled at his work shirt to get him off you.
The head of his cock swirled around your juices, pressing hard against your folds to blindly find your opening. "So wet just for me baby."
No matter which way your hips move the determined man found your slick folds. Wedged between your legs Dennis shuttered with delight as he pressed into you. His slow pressure stretched you as you continued to sob.
"So tight for me" he hummed. You hissed the deeper he sunk into you. Breathing heavily through the tightness while his hips rolled into you. The cheap couch groaned at the increase of activity. Dennis palmed your ass, gripping too tight as he fucked you into the couch.
His desperate kisses all over you felt like trails of fire. Your legs began to wrap and tighten around him as he thrusted relentlessly. 
"Dennis.." You panted out as your need took over.
"Do you want to come for me?" he sounded as needy as you did.
"I haven't come in so long... Do you think you can handle it baby?" He taunted.
"Please" you say weakly.
"That's it I knew you needed me"
"Please Dennis." You begged as you dissolved into pleasure.
You were his new life he was sure of it. His cure and he was never letting you go.
💻🌧🍔 💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️💻🌧🍔💍🚘☔️
495 notes · View notes
neesieiumz · 3 years
Note
Hi there, I noticed your requests are open! May I please request some smut for laxus with a fem reader, headcanons or scenario I don't mind (I hope this isn't too vague and I hope you do smut, if not some fluff would be nice) thanks!
Surprise {Laxus Dreyar x F!Reader}
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Summary: You had news, important news to tell Laxus. You wanted to make it special, so while preparing the surprise, something happens. Will you be able to tell Laxus the news?
A/N: I AM SO SORRY!!! I was working on this ever since you made the request and I had that long bout of writers block and hated touching my WIPs! But now I can finally do this request! I wrote like six prompts for this request and this was the one that I could flesh out the most. I know you asked for smut, so I may do a part two of this, have it take place after the one year time skip. I just wanted have something for you, instead of leaving this in the drafts. 
Word count: 5k
---
You’ve been in the guild since you were young, and have stayed with them through thick and thin. You found solace in the Thunder Legion and in the arms of the Master’s grandson Laxus. The two of you clicked in ways you’ve never expected. You started as going close friends and went through it all together. From the Battle Royale, which did drift you to his sudden appearance at Tenrou Island. It was the two of you, along with the Thunder Legion, against the world. Ever since Tenrou Island, the two of you have been dating, and it was the best decision of your life. 
Now it was after the Grand Magic Games and for a while, things were peaceful in Magnolia. There were a lot of jobs being taken, wizards of Fairy Tail were thriving. It was all good.
You were out shopping, a soft smile on your face as you picked up things for the dinner tonight. You were planning a dinner with your boyfriend and his friends tonight. A special one you told them. You were wearing a black, spaghetti strap, corset top, with ripped, black jeans and a pair of strappy boot heels. You were in one of the best moods of your life, so excited for tonight. 
You picked up some dry pasta and placed it alongside your other items in your basket. You went over the list of everything you needed before heading to an empty checkout line. Once you began to place the different food you bought in the lane, your mind drifted back to before you arrived here. When you had to tell them why you couldn’t come with them for their restaurant job at 8-Island. 
“A special dinner? For what?” Bickslow questioned, crossing his arms. 
You just smiled smugly, placing your finger on top of your plump, glossy lips, “that, my dear friend, is for me to know and for you guys to find out! Now I don’t want to keep old man Yajima waiting! Go!” You shoved the long-tongued man, along with the rest of them, towards the large guild door. 
Laxus, being Laxus of course, barely budged from your efforts to push them out, instead choosing to turn around and grab you by the wrists. You tried to squirm out his hold but he held your wrists tighter and pulled you even closer, looking into your eyes. You squirmed at his intense stare, trying to look away from his blue-gray eyes. 
“You sure it’s nothing bad?” He questioned softly, one of his hands moving from your wrist to your waist. 
You relaxed a bit before smiling, exhaling through your nose. You raised an arm to caress his cheek softly, running your thumb over his lips. 
“I promise it’s a good thing.” Still holding his cheek, you leaned up and gave him a peck on his cheek, leaving a glossy print. 
He muttered “angrily” at your actions but his cheeks gave him away as they turned red which made him glance everywhere but at you. You smiled at his actions and gave them one final push out of the guild so they can make it on time for their restaurant job at 8-Island. 
“See you guys tonight! And don’t eat too much there, I’m making a big dinner!” You waved them off. 
The Thunder Legion turned around and waved at you back, Evergreen yelled at you to make your famous butter rolls. You smiled at her and yelled back that you already planned to make them. She smiled at you and turned back around and caught up with the rest of them. 
Laxus glanced back at you and winked at you, making you roll your eyes and smile at him and waved your fingers at him before entering the guild to talk to Mira about her recipe books. 
You smiled before hearing the cashier calling out to you. Your cheeks immediately burned in embarrassment, before pulling out your wallet to pay for your things. She handed you your receipt, which you thanked her for before summoning a cloud to help you carry all of your things home. It was already getting close to the time they were supposed to be returning from 8-Island anyways. You wanted to get dinner started for them so they wouldn’t be waiting long. 
You walked towards your home, clouds carrying your bags and your hands on your abdomen. 
Not realizing the horror that was happening to your loved ones right now. 
----
Meanwhile, at the Fairy Tail guild hall…
“How are we supposed to tell her?”
The entire guild was in the infirmary, moments after Freed carried all his team and Yajima back to the guild. They were currently unconscious, their bodies writhing in pain from the Bane particles in their system.  Porlyusica was still trying to ease their pain.
“Huh? Tell who?!” Natsu asked, looking around the guild. 
“You idiot!” Lucy yelled, hitting him in the back of the head before pointing all around the guild. 
“Who else?!? Y/n Of course! She’s not here! She doesn’t know what happened to them!”
Natsu looked at Lucy incredulously before looking around before realizing she was right, you weren’t here. No one has seen you since Laxus and the Thunder Legion left for their job. Mira, however, looked away and down as she started to recall the conversation you had with her. It was right before you left the guild, heading towards the stores in town today. 
“She went out in the town today,” Mira started, tears filling her waterline, “she said she had a surprise for Laxus and the Thunder Legion and wanted to make a special dinner for the four of them,” Mira told the whole guild, looking down at her hands, tears filling her eyes. 
“I have to make an amazing dinner for them tonight, cause of the news I have to tell them!” You were so excited, taking the book in Mira’s hands and putting it in your bag. 
Mira giggled and clasped her hands together in joy, “may I ask what this special surprise is supposed to be?”
You looked at Mira, eyeing her carefully. After Ever, you did think of Mira as your best friend. The two of you hit it off when you joined the guild with Evergreen. Plus she knew how to keep a secret. When she wanted to anyways. You took a deep breath and smiled before placing your hands on your abdomen. 
She looked down at your hands before looking back at you. You tapped your finger pads gently against your abdomen, making her look back down. She was still confused for a moment before her eyes widened in shock and she gasped loudly. 
“You- You’re preg-”
Frantically, you quickly reached up to her face and covered her mouth with your hands. You looked around to make sure that no one heard her. Luckily no one is paying attention to you guys. All you did was nod your head at what she was asking you before slowly removing your hand from your mouth. 
“I’m so happy for you!” Her eyes filled with tears as she carefully wrapped her arms around you. 
You smiled at her happiness and wrapped your arms around her, relishing in her warm hug. You both stayed like that for a moment before letting go. You told her that you hadn’t told Laxus or the Thunder Legion yet and that you wanted to make a special dinner for the five of you. To do that, you have to head out to the store to get the things you needed for dinner tonight. 
Mira smiled in happiness for you as she waved you off, seeing you walk out the guild doors, with a skip in your walk. 
“See you later Mira!”
Mira began to sob in her hands, taking a seat beside Laxus’ bed. Lisanna immediately began to comfort her, wrapping her arms around her older sister’s trembling shoulders. The entire guild could only look in sadness as the white-haired S-Class wizard cried for her friends. 
“T-this is going to kill her,” Mira sobbed, taking the tissue Juvia offered her. 
Gray opened his mouth, was about to say something when loud creaking, which usually came from the guild front doors, started filling the quiet air. They could hear footsteps slowly entering before hearing, 
“Hello!!? Where are you guys? Where is everyone?” 
It was you. It was way past the time that Laxus said he and the others would be home. After waiting for over an hour, you decided to come to the guild. You had planned to go to the 8-Island restaurant but city officials had closed off the area due to a gas leak. At least, that’s what they were telling people who asked. They would have told you something different, however, your guild Mark was on your shoulder blade, and you were wearing a jacket.
Mira began to cry harder, her body shaking. 
“I-I can’t-,” she choked, coughing into her hands. 
Master Makarov sighed, stroking his beard, his eyes closed. He stood there for a moment before turning around and headed towards the infirmary door. 
“Don’t worry child, I’ll tell her.”
——
You were getting worried. First Laxus and the Thunder Legion don’t show up and now the guildhall is empty. You changed out of your outfit, wearing a long-sleeved, black, ruched dress with ruffles all over the dress. Your coils, usually in a wash-and-go style, are now slicked up into an afro puff and decorated with a butterfly clip that Laxus had gotten you one time. You looked around at the empty guildhall, wondering where everyone was. 
“Guys, this is getting really weird… where are you?!” You called out one more time. 
You then heard movements behind you, making you quickly turn around and get in a battle stance. Only to find Master Makarov coming down the stairs. You let out a breath of relief before walking up to him. 
“I’m so glad to see you,” you smiled at your future grandfather-in-law, “where’s the rest of the guild? Have they all taken jobs again? And do you know where Laxus is? It’s getting late.”
Gramps sighed before taking your hand and leading you to the closest table to the stairs. He made you sit down as he looked down in anguish. 
“Gramps… is there something wrong?” You asked him tentatively, leaning over to try and look him in the face. 
You could see tears in his waterline which made you even worried. What could have happened for him to feel like crying?
“My dear Y/n… something has happened…”
——
The doors of the infirmary slammed open, causing everyone to gasp and turn around as they saw you running inside like a madwoman. You pushed them all away from you, basically having no regard for any of them. You soon reached the closest bed. 
Which just so happens to be Laxus’ bed. 
Your body began to shake as your eyes glanced over on his sickly body. He was pale, oh so very pale, you could almost see the poison moving through his veins. His eyes were closed but you could hear him grunt from the pain of the and writhe in pain. There was sweat glistening on his body. The tears were already falling from your eyes. 
“N-no, not L-Laxus,” you stuttered, slowly falling to your knees.
You couldn't breathe. You could see dark spots started to cloud your vision, you could feel your eyes beginning to flutter open and closed. You took a couple of steps back before you lost your footing, stumbling on yourself. 
“Y-Y/n?” You heard someone question but you couldn’t place who it was as your vision blackened, falling to the ground unconscious. 
“Y/N!”
Gray, being the closest male to you, immediately picked you up and placed you on the next empty bed, the one beside Freed’s. Porlyusica immediately came over to check on you, placing a stethoscope on your body and placing it at different vital areas. She removed the tool and placed her hands on your abdomen, her hands giving off a blue glow. A few seconds after her hands immediately turned pink. 
She slowly nodded her head, before removing her hands, the pink glow slowly fading away. The entire guild watched as Porlyusica slowly rose from her kneeling position before turning to face the rest of the guild, looking on at their collapsed guildmate with immense worry. 
“Well?!” Natsu questioned, “what’s wrong with her?”
Porlyusica just sighed and smiled sadly, shaking her head. 
“She’s pregnant.”
The entire guild gasped loudly at the news and the reveal only seemed to make Mira cry even harder. Some looked over at you, seeing your tears drying on your face as you rest. Some looked onto Master, waiting for his reaction. Others looked onto Porlyusica as she explained the reason for your fainting. 
“She just needs to rest, I guess she stressed herself out a little too much today and this just topped everything,” Porlyusica said, reaching over to pull up the blanket to right under your chin.
Porlyusica made sure that you were as comfortable as possible, before turning to the rest of the Fairy Tail Guild, “This is a crucial time for her, she needs to be resting… which means you all need to find the person who did this Laxus and the rest of the Thunder Legion and find them quickly!”
The guild’s all-around sullen faces became hardened with resolve, with these new developments, a new enemy was upon them. Master Makarov already started to make plans to find the other council members and protect them while making plans to find Tartarus. The entire guild soon cleared out of the infirmary, on Prolyusica’s orders, of course, saying that the large group was making her and her patients stuffy. After everyone left, Erza already yelled at them to start the search for the former council members. However, Mira and Lisanna stayed, looking on to your resting body before turning their eyes towards the Thunder Legion and Old Man Yajima. 
“Don’t worry Mira,” Lisanna said, giving her sister a reassuring one-sided hug, “Laxus and the others are gonna make it out of this alive and he and Y/n are gonna have their baby.”
Mira took a deep breath, wiping her tears away with a clean tissue. She looked down at her hands before forming a small smile on her face.
“Yeah, you’re right Lisanna.”
——
You were awake.
It had been two days since you found out about Laxus and the Thunder Legion’s demise. You were now awake and you barely spoke to anyone, using mostly nods and head shakes to communicate to people. Mira was the only one who would hear you speak real words. But the most she would get to hear you say is “no’s” and “yes”. The only time people would hear you speak full words and sentences is when you would talk to Laxus. He obviously couldn’t respond but you couldn’t help it. You knew he was mostly listening. At least you hoped. 
You refused to leave Laxus’s side, Mira had to bring you clothes from your home and you ate and slept in the guild. In the empty infirmary beds. No matter what, you refused to leave his side, no matter what people tried to tell you. A plus to this was that Porlyusica could do checkups on you. She made sure that the baby was growing and nothing was hindering their development. However she, and the other have been trying to convince you to take a break from the guild. Although you couldn’t go out and help people with the search, they wanted you to at least take a walk outside of the guild. 
“You can’t keep staying here Y/n, it’s not good for the baby,” Mira tried to convince you to take a walk but you wouldn’t budge. 
You were sitting by Laxus’ side, as you’ve always been, holding his hand and just looking at him. You were wearing a pair of comfy sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. Your hair was dry and crunchy to the touch. You had not moisturized it for days, still pulled up in the same puff you had a couple of days ago. 
“How about you take a small walk, I can convince Levy to take over for me and I walk with you?”
Nothing. Not a word from you. You were still silent, sitting by Laxus’ side and holding his hand, slowly stroking it. Your eyes were lifeless, eyes heavy with bags. 
“Y/n, I know you're worried, but please think about what Laxus would want. He would want you to take care of yourself, take care of your baby. And staying like this isn’t good, you need a breath of fresh air. Please if not for me, for the baby then?”
You took a deep breath and leaned back, still holding his hand. 
“Mira is right, your baby comes before you now. Take some time outside, before you come back to this dreary place,” Porlyusica then said, looking at some herbs and oils in glass beakers. 
Mira came up and grabbed you by the shoulders, “please just for five minutes, and then you can come back inside, okay?”
You sighed, glanced at her before looking at your lover, who was currently fighting for his life right now. You looked at him with longing, to see him wake up, to see his reaction when he learns of your state. You caressed his face, thumbing over his cheek before slowly sliding your hand off of his face. You looked back at Mira and nodded your head, sliding your chair back. You got up and followed Mira outside, ignoring the members who were running around, currently on the mission to find the former council members, hopeful to find the ones connected to FACE. 
Mira kept you updated about the guild at times.
The two of you stepped outside and took in the cool air slightly blowing in your faces. You took a deep breath as you began to rock back and forth. You crossed your arms together and rubbed them up your biceps to gain some warmth in your palms. 
“See, don’t you at least feel a bit better, more air in your lungs at least?”
You said nothing, just continued to look out into the Magnolia distance. Squinting your eyes, you could see the old Island-8 restaurant, and the construction workers beginning the new building. You felt a lump in your throat as you looked on, before taking a deep breath and rolling your shoulders back, feeling the joints in your backbones crack. 
“Y/n?”
You felt a force slightly push you at your shoulders, pulling you out of your headspace. You jumped a little before turning around looking at your friend, who looked at you with even more worry. You gave her a small smile as she grabbed your shoulder, joining you in looking at your home city. 
“You know he’s gonna pull through, so please don’t stress yourself out,” Mira said, laying her head on top of your shoulder. 
You let out a small breath throughout your nose before reaching out to place one hand on her head and the other one in your slightly protruding abdomen. The two of you just stood there for a while, taking in all the fresh air you could before someone called out to the both of you. 
The two of you glanced at each other before looking at Warren, who was sweating and panting like a dog in need of water. 
“Mira! We need you!”
Mira let go of you but looked back at you, eyes swimming with unspoken unconcern. You smiled and gestured for her to go. 
“Go,” you whispered, nodding your head towards Warren, “go find the council members.”
She smiled before following Warren into the guildhall. Yous sighed before turning back, staring at the horizon once more. The cool breeze  You smiled to yourself, the first real smile you’ve felt in days. 
“Laxus would love how this day looks…”
----
You were disoriented, the confusion caused your stomach to start to flip on itself. The baby definitely didn’t like the ride, no matter how smooth Carla tried to make it. You groaned as you tried to push yourself up from… the rock? You glanced around, only to find yourself in an unfamiliar place. You looked down to find yourself, surrounded by the Thunder Legion and Old Man Yajima, who was also laying on the ground, still unconscious. You gasped and stood up as quick as you could without upsetting your stomach and your baby anymore. The wind around you was blowing all around you, as in the distance, you could see a large building in the distance. You took a couple of small steps, squinting your eyes as you got a better look at the emblem sitting front and center of the castle. 
Tartarus. 
You gasped as you looked around to find your guildmates appearing all around you, coming from Cana’s cards. That’s when the final moments came back to you, you were sitting inside Laxus, holding his hand as Porlyusica administered something to help ease his pain. That’s when the door slammed open and you turned to find Cana running inside. Before she could explain herself, she had already placed all of you in the cards. She then handed them to the three exceeds, putting herself in a card as well, right before the whole guild hall blew up. Cana saved the entire guild’s lives just in time. 
“CHAAAAARGE!!!”
You quickly looked up, seeing an army of Tartarus soldiers, headed straight for you and your entire guild
“Y/n!” 
You turned around to see Cana looking back at you, holding her cards as she began to fight off the soldiers.
“You and the wounded get a safer place, you can’t fight in your condition!” She said, glancing down at your slightly protruding abdomen. 
You looked down at yourself before looking back at Cana, who was waiting for you to move. You just shook your head at her concern before cracking your neck. As you did that, the clouds above began to move as your eyes began to glow white. Your fingers twitched with bright, blue-white lightning, the most powerful type that you can control. The guild and even the soldiers glanced up at the changes in the weather, The wind began to blow all around, centering around you. You raised your hands high as thunder sounded off in the sky. 
“Thunder Clap!” You yelled, bringing your hands together in front of you in a swift motion. 
The loud clap echoed into a large soundwave which knocked down all the incoming soldiers that were closing in.  You turned your head and smirked at Cana, who just smirked back at you. You could feel Prolysica’s disappointment glaring right at your back but you couldn't sit back. Not when your entire guild was giving everything to save the kingdom and magic in this world.
“I think we’ll be just fine Cana, worry about getting into their guildhall!” You yelled, before summoning a bout of lightning from the skies to take on some more soldiers. 
She nodded at you before charging ahead, taking down more soldiers as she went. You took a deep breath before looking at the oncoming soldiers. Your eyes went white once more before as you took a crouching stance, lighting appearing at your fingers. 
“Let’s do this,” you whispered to yourself. 
You knew you couldn’t go all out, so you needed to take out as many as you can and save enough energy in case you needed to move the Thunder Legion and Old Man Yajima. 
---
You collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. You could hear Porlyusica exclaim, running over to you. Your magic power was greatly reduced since you have another lifeform feeding off of you. So you couldn't hold your own in a battle as long as you could anymore. After Tartarus activated Alegria, and someone somehow found a way to let you guys go. You immediately found yourselves surrounded by soldiers, and you were the only functioning wizard for miles, everyone getting separated in the rubble. So you had to fight them off, and you were already tired from the previous fight.
“You pushed yourself too hard! Now, look at you!” She turned you to your back, using her stethoscope and using her hand to feel around your abdomen. 
You could the ground rumble under you, the tiny stones jumping up and down. You turn your head to find even more soldiers headed your way. You tried to push Prolyuisca away from you, you had to keep fighting. But as soon as you did that, you could feel something cramp up painfully in your lower abdomen. The grip there, caused you to gasp painfully and lay back down, curling yourself into a fetal position. You pushed your coils out of your face as you glanced at the incoming soldiers, they were getting closer and closer. 
You took another deep breath and tried to sit up but this time, Porlyusica pushed you back down. 
“Lay back down! You pushed yourself too hard and now you baby could be in danger!”
“They’re coming, and we don’t have an offensive wizard anywhere around us! I have to fight through it!”
The pain only intensified every time you tried to move, your efforts going for naught. You could feel tears fall down your eyes, God was this it? You had no idea where your guild was, the entire Tartaros castle laid to rubble, and you couldn't get up anymore without endangering you and your unborn baby. 
That’s when you heard it. 
Lightning. 
The both of you glanced up, to where the soldiers were coming to only find them all taken down in one fell swoop, struck by yellow lighting. Once the smoke cleared, only one man was standing. 
Your man. 
 You gasped, feeling tears of happiness come to your waterline. He was shirtless, and you could see his body sweating even more than usual. He then turned his body halfway, looking down at you and Porlyusica. He just gave you his signature smirk before facing forward once more. 
“Take care of her. She stressed her and the little one too much.”
And with that, and a stroke of lightning from the sky, Laxus was gone. 
“LAXUS!!”
And that was the last thing you said before fainting from all the fighting and stress. 
---
You took a deep breath, smelling antiseptic and disinfectant. A hospital? Being your first thoughts, shifting about slightly. You could feel a thin blanket on top of you as you slowly opened your eyes, before squinting due to the bright lights above you. 
Yep, definitely a hospital. You thought. 
You took another deep breath before pushing yourself up, still feeling some soreness from the battle. Once you were setting up, you tensed up slightly as you heard a noise right beside you. A snore. You glanced to your left, before melting at the sight before you. 
Laxus was sitting right beside you, looking so much healthier than the last time you saw him. The color in his skin was back., which means that while you were asleep, Porlyusica must have gotten the blood to make the antidote. Currently, he was sitting in a hospital chair, which was tiny by the way so his very large body was stuck cramped in it. The sight was almost comical to you but the thought and gesture caused you to smile sweetly. You reached over to him, before taking his hand, stroking over his knuckles with your thumb. As you did that, you could hear him jump in his sleep, his snores going a higher octave for a moment before his own eyes began to open slowly. 
You smiled at him, “Morning sleepyhead,” you teased. 
His eyes widened. Your voice pulled him out of his sleepiness as he realized you were awake. He jumped out of his seat and wrapped his large arms around you, placing his head in your neck. You giggled at his actions before hugging him back, laying your head on his shoulder, taking a long whiff of his cologne. The two of you stayed like that for a long time, just staying there hugging each other. You could feel tears falling from your eyes, starting to make a damp spot on his shirt. You sniffled a couple of times, you had him back. You had your Laxus back and he was okay. 
“God I was so worried about you,” you choked on the lump in your throat, tightening the grip around his neck. 
You could hear him chuckle, “funny, I was gonna say the same thing about you, well the both of you.”
You could feel his arms slide down your back before going around your waist, his hand landing on your abdomen. You smiled at his actions, before moving your hand on top of his. With his other hand, he scooped you under your legs. He picked youtube and placed you on top of his lap, still holding you close to his body. You then leaned against his chest, feeling his heartbeat out of his chest. Both of your hands are still on top of your abdomen. 
“I’m pregnant.”
“I know. I heard everything you said.”
You smiled sadly, “I had a better way to tell you.”
You played around with the buttons on his shirt absentmindedly, more focused on the way he took a deep breath once you said that. 
“Is that so? Tell me about it.”
“Well, first I was gonna cook this big ass dinner…”
And the two of you stayed like that, relishing in each other’s touch until the Thunder Legion came to visit you. From there, the five of you made plans for your next move. Where to go, what you would do next.
-
[Taglist]
@perzawa
813 notes · View notes
warmau · 3 years
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☆ [nostalgic] summer romance!au renjun happy super super super late birthday renjun! find others here: johnny | haechan | taeil | taeyong | mark | jaemin | yangyang | yuta | sicheng | chenle | kun | yukhei | doyoung | jaehyun | jungwoo | ten | jisung
"i don't even like bugs."
jaemin shrugs as he shows his intern pass to the security of the front gates of the botanical garden
he mentions that you're accompanying him today as a visitor and you smile at the guard who pays you two half a gaze
"well i mean - they're butterflies not like cockroaches or anything so have some optimism?"
you don't argue, among your group of friends jaemin is kind of the symbol of optimism. sometimes it's misguided - like now - but you don't want to put a damper on his mood
after all, he's actually here to do a job
you are here on a summer assignment you have to complete for a photography elective you added to your uni program for the next semester
"nature photography" was the highlight of the project, everyone had been emailed a subject to take pictures of while off from school
you had expected maybe the beach, or flowers, or even tourists walking around in floppy hats
when you'd opened the professor's email and saw "butterflies" you had not been thrilled
but you were lucky enough to know that jaemin had scored his current internship at the botanical gardens, and while he was working with his weirdly favorite thing in the world - fungi
he could also get you access to the butterfly garden, a large indoor space for the various breeds of butterflies from around the world, before it officially opened to the public
"the pavilion is over there, i think renjun will be able to let you in."
jaemin says, pointing down a hill lined by pretty bushes that leads to a glass structure at the bottom
you turn to ask if he wants to meet for lunch, but he's already jogging in the opposite direction
you sigh, fishing your camera out of your bag - which is something you've borrowed from your parents because 'iphone photos are not allowed'
they're just butterflies like jaemin said, they're like...cute bugs.
you tell yourself as you get closer, turning the camera on and then coming to a pause in front of the glass doors that have a clear padlock on them
you loop around and try to find 'renjun' - but no one is in sight
secretly a little relieved that you don't have to go inside right away, you try to find a part of the glass structure where you can possibly get a nice shot of some of the butterflies from outside
a lot of the vines and flowers get in the way, so you struggle until finally, you find a spot that's open and peers right into the middle of the enclosed garden
you can see the butterflies, little splashes of colors that fly past you - magnificent oranges, reds, and blues
you admit they're pretty
but they're even prettier because they're not near you
and then something - no someone - comes into your frame
his narrow shoulders are engulfed by an oversized plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up by the elbows.
over the shirt is a gardening apron and on his hands are a pair of worn-out gloves
his profile is hidden by the dark hair that falls in a curtain and ends in a tickle at his jawline.
one, bright streak of bleach blonde runs through the black.
he reaches out to touch a half-bloomed flower and you watch as the butterflies float on by him
you nearly drop the camera when he turns and locks his gaze with your own
is that renjun? if so im going to kill jaemin! he didn't tell me he was so infuriatingly pretty!
without knowing how to talk to him through the glass, and because the words disintegrate in your mouth, you point to the camera
"jaemin's friend?"
oh, you can hear through the glass
"ye-yeah!"
"one second."
the sound of a click and some scuttling turns your attention toward where the door to the garden opens for a swift second, just enough for renjun to step through, before it closes again
probably to make sure none of the butterflies get out
you grip your camera and when renjun doesn't move, you make the small trip over to him
"jaemin said you're here for a project."
renjun speaks and his voice is softer when it isn't muffled through glass
"for my photography class in the fall, my subject is butterflies."
"what kind?"
your eyes get a little wider with confusion
"what kind?" you parrot
renjun's neutral expression doesn't change
"what kind of butterflies? there are over seventeen thousand species of butterflies - we might not have the species you are looking for."
"i-" you stammer, wondering for a split second if renjun is joking around, "there isn't a specific species it's just....all of them?"
renjun tilts his head as if that notion doesn't really make sense to him, but shrugs and turns toward the door again
"im going to open it quickly so just follow me."
you make a sound of agreement, but when renjun pulls the handle and steps inside.....and you can't move.
the door closes behind him with a sound that makes you jump and renjun turns to stare at you through the glass with a furrowed brow
"what are you doing?"
he doesn't bother opening the door again and you shake your head as a shiver runs through your shoulders
"a-actually is it ok if i stay out here?"
"i thought you needed to take photos?"
"i can take them from here - this lens is r-really good."
renjun doesn't seem to be buying your excuse, but he checks his watch and nods, before disappearing back into the middle of the indoor garden
you take a second to try and figure out what happened - am i scared of going inside? is it the butterflies or is it renjun?
you decide it's the butterflies.
renjun's just a boy - you aren't scared of that, but the thought of being somewhere covered with bugs
pretty bugs or not
is kind of ..... scary.
you pick your camera back up and circle back to your original spot
although renjun is nowhere in the focus, you are delighted to see some butterflies have come to nestle among the plants in view
you bring up the camera and take some shots
one butterfly is sitting directly on the leaves - big grayish, blue wings spread open and engulfed in the sunlight that shines through the glass
you zoom in on it, capturing the full expanse of the wings that stand out on the green
you get so invested you hardly notice the door open up again and then a voice speaks from behind your shoulder
"it's a pseudozizeeria maha."
you don't turn around and just stare at the butterfly still
"a wha- what?"
"a pale grass blue. they're native to south asia but are really common here too. they were first discovered by vincenz kollar, an austrian entomologist."
the sentence nearly makes you dizzy, but you thank renjun for the information
not seeing the small shy smile that casts over his lips when you do
you want to turn and show him the shot you took, but he's already stepping past you to the other side of the pavilion
the time sort of slips away from you before you can check it again and you only leave when jaemin comes jogging down from the greenery to whisk you off for lunch
"should we invite ren-"
you start, but jaemin is already twinkling eyes and nonstop talking about all the fun fungi he's spent his day with.
when you're back home you start to look through the photos you took
most of them aren't super great and the shine of the sun reflects on the glass
you know the only way you're going to get a perfect shot (or at least an acceptable one for this dumb summer project) is if you go inside the actual butterfly garden
sighing, you click to the last shot and are surprised to see that in the far left corner you see renjun's hand - gloved and in the palm of it is a small butterfly that has landed just in time for your shutter to go off
the rest of renjun is out of focus so you can't even see his, very pretty, face
isn't it weird, that he can be around them so easily and im so scared?
you zoom in a bit and wonder how nice it would have been to get a clear photo of the moment. that would be something you could definitely submit to your professor.
before any more thoughts of renjun can float through your mind, your phone pings and you look to see jaemin's contact name
did you get your shot? you can come with me on my next shift if you want to take more photos
you type back a reply before you can even think of it in your head
really? then I'll tag along :) want to take some more photos
jaemin confirms and then sends another paragraph talking about mushrooms and leaves and plants
and you giggle because he's funny and passionate, and also
guess i might see renjun again?
it's hotter than you can put into words the next time you show up at the butterfly garden
you're standing outside in the absolute sweltering heat and maybe the thought of possible colder temperatures inside the pavilion are tempting
plus - renjun is in there - he had waved at you when he saw you standing outside again
this time his apron thrown over a short sleeve shirt and some long jeans
he had motioned toward the door but you had just played off that you were ok outside. burning alive or whatever.
you found the same spot as before, wiping the sweat from your forehead before lifting the camera up in hopes of catching a good picture
but all you see through the lens was renjun, who'd taken the time to roll up the sleeves of his shirt and had seemingly abandoned the heavy apron somewhere inside
his longer hair had been clipped back and he was reaching down to heave a bag of soil up and over his shoulder
oh my god. oh my god. oh my god.
you are caught between taking a photo and just aiming your lens somewhere else out of embarrassment
either way, renjun doesn't seem to notice and continues working, saving you from the horror that would be seeing him turn and stare back at you
but this somehow goes on for the entire time you're there
you go to snap a photo, but renjun is somewhere in the frame
it must just be bad luck and timing
but by the time you're sitting at the garden's cafe with jaemin after his shift and you're going through your photos
all of them have renjun in them somehow
"woah i thought your project was butterflies not huang renjun's?"
jaemin jokes, sipping his iced coffee with an overly excited wiggle of his eyebrows
"shuttup - i just....it's because i am taking them from the outside, i need to figure out a way to get inside and just take the photo and be done with it!"
jaemin outstretches his hand
"gimmie your camera, ill go take one"
you snatch the camera off the table and vehemently shake your head
"no. the last time i trusted you with something expensive, you broke it in the first five minutes."
"hey! i thought ipads were waterproof nowadays like technology really hasn't come that far?"
you roll your eyes in response, to which jaemin sticks out his tongue and then claps his hands together in revelation
"why not ask renjun to take the photo?"
"because i don't know him that we-"
with a dismissive wave of his hand jaemin cuts you off
"he's not a stranger - i know him! if i know him, you know him. plus renjun is super careful and responsible - he's my age and ive already heard some of the directors talking about how they'd hire him as more than an intern if he wasn't still in university!"
wow, i mean i always got the impression he was mature, but...
"c'mon, i bet he'll say yes too! he's really nice!"
finally agreeing and promising jaemin you'll ask renjun when you come back to the garden again
you pretend the nervous feeling in your stomach is just because you don't know renjun that well
not because you also happen to think he's breathtaking to look at - and that it's going to be hell trying to explain to someone who knows so much about insects that you're too scared to go inside and take a measly little photo of them
you find yourself at home, with your laptop open, googling species of butterflies because you think you should at least pick one and ask renjun if he can possibly take a photo of that one
maybe your effort will make the conversation easier
maybe he'll like that i know the latin name for a - what was it? gonepteryx cleopatra?
of course, the next time jaemin brings you along - and abandons you with a thumbs up for his mushrooms and fungi - you are frozen still at the entrance of the butterfly garden
like a broken machine - you just re-read the sign over and over again - announcing that the garden will be finally open to the public in a week
and you nearly short circuit when someone clears their throat behind you
turning around, it's of course renjun, and he's giving you a weird look that is already making this whole situation bad
"h-hey renjun-"
"do you want to go inside with me today?"
you swallow and think you should really just suck it up and go inside. the butterflies aren't going to sting, bite, or eat you - but
"a-actually i wanted to ask you does the garden have any.....any um....gonep- um whats the word gonepetry? gonepetri? um-"
without a beat renjun finishes the sentence for you
"gonepteryx cleopatra's? no, those butterflies favor the mediterranean so getting them here is hard."
"right...well actually i was wondering"
renjun blinks
"oh and you can call them cleopatra's if you want. but unfortunately no, i don't have any in the garden."
god ok, how do i pivot this conversation...
"oh that's cute, um actually i also have a question-"
he waits expectingly and for some odd reason as the second's tick by he gets cuter and you get quieter and it is just a huge mess
and you think you should just book it and let renjun think you're a weirdo
when you finally lift up your camera and take a breath
"do you think you could take the photo of a butterfly for me?"
his brown eyes widen
"oh - like the photo for your project?"
"y-yeah. it's just......im really scared to go in there...bugs are not my thing. i know it's pathetic and they're just butterflies but-"
you look down and the sun and renjun's gaze are getting too heavy to handle
"but i just don't know if i can even focus when there are so many flying around....does that make sense?"
the beat of silence that follows is almost miserable but renjun just points behind him and says
"follow me."
the next thing you know you are trying to keep up with him as he walks past the butterfly garden and down a path hugged by greenery
it's way past where you've ever been and you ask renjun where he's going
only for him to insist you hurry up a little bit
before you know it you are both standing in front of a large, open iron gate, and behind it are rows and rows and rows of rose bushes
they range in color and size and the smell that permeates the air is so lovely you suddenly feel like you're in a fairytale
renjun leans closely to inspect a couple and then stops in front of a bush adorned in the brightest pink roses you must have ever seen in your life
"butterflies are attracted to roses, the colors are vibrant and they pollinate them."
"b-butterflies pollinate? like bees?"
renjun laughs, the sound adds to the almost dreamy vibe - with the way it sounds like the lightest piano keys
"yes and look - i can understand that you'd be scared of being inside a place full of butterflies, but here in the rose garden there are only a couple here and there."
he squats down and cups the petals of a flower with such a gentleness
you follow and are surprised to see a butterfly, with bright blue wings, nestled in the center of the rose
renjun flicks his eyes to your camera bag and you immediately understand why he's brought you here
without making too much noise you get your camera out and steady the lens - just one butterfly does not intimidate you like being in a glass, enclosed pavillion full of hundreds
so you can take the photo easily - though just as you click the shutter makes a noise and the butterfly takes off
you pout and look up to see if renjun is startled by the sudden escape of the focus of your photograph
when you gasp and see that another butterfly, this one a bright orange has settled on the tip of renjun's nose
without missing the moment - you raise the camera
and snap another photo, not taking the time to adjust the zoom or anything
just wanting to capture the little miracle
the butterfly seems to recognize renjun's pretty face is not a flower, not that you fault the butterfly for thinking that it was
as it flaps its wings and goes in search of another rose
you brighten up when you look at the preview on your camera
no blur or sun glare! it's a perfect shot!
and you lean close to renjun to show him and he leans in too
and the centimeter distance only dawns on the two of you when you look up and renjun has already turned his attention on you two
a heat spreads up your face, as it does renjun's and you both pull back from the scalding feeling
"i-"
"sorry-"
shooting back up to your feet you kind of wobble in this moment of awkwardness and then renjun asks
"will you use that photo for your project?"
"oh - if you don't want me to i won't, i think i can use the other-"
"you can use it."
he rubs his arm and then locks his gaze back on you
"but does this mean you won't come back to the gardens anymore?"
i guess since my project is done, he's right. i don't have any excuse to come and bother him by loitering around anymore.
you pull your bottom lip between your teeth and give a little shrug
"probably, jaemin's internship ends soon too so-"
"then would you be ok with seeing me- well-"
renjun flusters
which is somehow a shocking different from his usual blank expression of utter handsomeness. the stark difference is loveable and you almost have to stop yourself from falling over.
"well what i mean is would you want to maybe see me - outside of the garden.....like not here but somewhere else?"
"to hangout?"
you grip your camera and renjun half nods, but then you can see he's trying to think of the right word
"yes to hangout and like....but different, like a different kind of hangout."
confusion settles on your face and you are about to ask what he means exactly when someone burst between you two
"there you two are! sorry, was i interrupting renjun asking you on a date?"
jaemin's voice manages to echo even though you're all outside
and you push him playfully as renjun rids himself of jaemin's body weight and huffs
"aren't you supposed to be looking at toadstools are something jaemin?"
"first of all, toadstools are unscientific and not the correct term for a class of mushrooms. so mind your manners, and second - why would i want to miss the exciting moment where you too finally agree to go out!"
you catch renjun's gaze and it's as big and as wide as yours
"w-was that what you were asking, if i would go on a date with you?"
the words shock you ask they spill from your mouth
renjun nods, slowly, and then casts a look at jaemin
"yes. before this one interrupted."
jaemin looks between you two as if he is guilty of nothing
for a second you forget about him and then nod back
"y-yes id love to!"
renjun's face softens and he's about to ask for your number when jaemin claps his hands and the sound probably rattles the earth underneath you three
"amazing! this is truly a moment to remember!"
you and renjun both lurch at him and he laughs as you two tell him to go back to his mushrooms
and yet somehow, you three are all smiles when the day comes to an end because you and renjun have set up a date and jaemin is taking most of the credit for it
that summer, after you send the photo of the butterfly nestled perfectly on the tip of renjun's nose to your professor, is one that stays with you forever
you spend most of it with renjun, whenever he isn't busy with his butterflies, learning more and more about him
the little things like he doesn't like cilantro, he frequently doodles and draws in his free time, and he breaks everything he does down into a meticulous step by step process
you watch in fascination as he organizes his side dishes by the order he eats them, tabs the important dates in his planner, and pins your candid photos in a perfectly straight line above his desk
you know some of his friends call him a stickler, but it's really just another thing you grow to like about him
after all - your birthday gets a special, green tab in his planner. green means extra, extra, extra important
as for the butterfly garden .... you try a couple of times to go in. each time, renjun lists off a million reasons why butterflies are great and docile and not dangerous or scary
but every time you kind of apologize and say you can't do it - which renjun doesn't hark on you for
he just takes your hand and kisses the back of it, asks if you want to go visit jaemin or see the roses again
and as much as you love your friend, there's been too many instances of renjun leaning in to tuck your hair from your face and kiss you, all while jaemin pops up between you two like he's at the movies
and you two have to turn around and shoo him off as he insists he just wants to bear witness to the romance of the century
you and renjun sprawl across his bed, looking up at the ceiling as he finds comfort in counting the stripes on your shirt in silence and you mumble about how the summer is almost over and you won't be able to just be lazy like this with him anymore
the days of doing absolutely nothing
renjun props himself on his elbow and looks at you seriously
"spending time with someone you love isn't doing nothing. it's the act of growing closer."
you almost blurt out that that's the most romantic thing you've ever heard and you are going to cry
but instead, circle your hands around his neck and flip him over to be under you
poor renjun tells his directors he got bit by a species from the culicidae family (mosquito) to try and hide the blotch on his collarbone
and while the directors are impressed with renjun's knowledge of insects, jaemin just gives him the good old finger guns of 'yeah. sure'.
your photograph gets great marks from your professor, who replies to the image with praise about the lightening and angle
and the way you managed to capture both your boyfriend and the butterfly
you read the email to renjun over the phone and can almost hear the blush on him when you say boyfriend
you wonder if the future is going to be as sweet as this summer, can someone like you who is so terrified of the creatures renjun has structured his whole life around, really be the right choice for him
and when you ask renjun this, on the day before your classes officially start in the fall
he says that you don't have to be just like him for him to love you
it's the fact that you're so very you that he feels stronger about this relationship than he has about any other
and who cares that you don't like bugs. it just means that if you live together in the future he can be the one to get the spider under the cup and let it free while you lock yourself in the bathroom out of fear
you giggle at this, your heart beating against your ribs at the thought of a future so domestic with the boy smiling down at you
and the best thing is that future comes to fruition
when a decade later you're waiting for renjun outside of the botanical garden, where he strolls out with his co-worker jaemin whose holding a funny looking pot of yellow-topped mushrooms
"date night for the newlyweds?"
he wiggles his eyebrows the same way he did when you two were in college
you shoo him off with the hand that has your wedding ring on it and you tuck your hand through renjun's
"date night for you and some fungi, jaemin?"
he makes a face at your comment and bounds off in the direction of his car
you look up at renjun who chuckles to himself and pecks your lips in a greeting
"how are the butterflies this year?"
you ask as you two turn to walk down the street
"beautiful - do you think this might be the year you finally visit the garden?"
you scrunch up your nose and mumble that maybe, you'll have to see if after ten years your fear really hasn't gotten any better
he smiles and says you can take your time - ten, twenty, thirty
he'll be by your side when you decide it is time
you stop to look at him - seeing for a moment the flash of the boy with the butterfly on his nose - and smile
"and ill be by your side for anything and everyhing too."
he picks your hand up with his own - your matching rings gleam in the setting sun
"i know, that's why i married you."
391 notes · View notes
agustdakasuga · 3 years
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Between The Bloodshed | Chapter 2
Genre: Mafia!AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff
Pairing: OT7 x Reader
Characters: Doctor!Reader, Gangster!Namjoon, Gangster!Seokjin, Gangster!Yoongi, Gangster!Hoseok, Gangster!Jimin, Gangster!Taehyung, Gangster!Jungkook
Summary: Being a freelance doctor, this was just supposed to be any other job, helping a private client and taking care of him through his recovery. But you were not expecting to get caught in something so much darker that would change your life entirely.
Already from day 1, this house seems to be more bustling than you expected. As you interact with each family member, you notice their different personalities and characters. 
Warning: This story is fictional and has nothing to do with real life events or the actual members of BTS. It may contain depictions of violence, blood shed/ gore and mentions of abuse. Please read at your own discretion.
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When you woke up the next morning, you took 5 minutes to stare at the ceiling. Despite being a person with your job, you still weren’t a morning person. You pulled yourself out of bed, opening the curtains and heading into your bathroom. You changed into a button up shirt and a skirt. 
“Good morning, doctor. I’m here to take you down for breakfast.” A butler bowed as you opened the door.
“Morning. Thank you.” You forced a smile. You followed him downstairs, walking in the same dining room as the night before. Mentally, you groaned at the thought of the awkward meal. 
“I think I’ll skip going to the dining room. Do you have a coffee machine around here?” You asked him. The butler seemed flustered by your words. 
“But the masters request that you sit with them.” He said. 
“I will... I just need my coffee first.” You rubbed the back of your neck. You really didn’t want to go in but at the same time, you weren’t going to make this man’s life difficult. The butler bowed, gesturing in another direction and you followed him. You saw the coffee machine and let out a sigh of relief. Walking over, you began to make coffee. 
“Can I have a big glass? Filled with ice, please.” You requested. He nodded, scurrying away quickly to get you what you need. Anything to get you into that dining room as soon as possible. 
“This is a nice machine.” You noted, pouring the espresso shots over the ice and filling the rest of it with water. You stuck your metal straw into it. 
“I’ll go to the dining room. Thank you.” You told the butler, walking to the dining room yourself. 
“Good morning, doc.” Jin waved as you entered. 
“Morning.” You waved lazily, taking the same seat that you took last night. A breakfast tray was placed in front of you. There was some rice porridge and side dishes. 
“How was your sleep?” Namjoon asked. 
“It was okay.” You said with a small shrug, putting a small piece of kimchi into your mouth. You were never really a breakfast person because eating in the morning made your stomach feel weird. All you really needed was tons coffee to get you going. 
“Good morning, (y/n).” Jimin came in with a yawn, his hair all messy up and clothes all wrinkled. 
“Morning, Jimin.” You replied nonchalantly. The other boys looked at each other as you and Jimin called each other by first name. Jimin just sat down beside you, picking his chopsticks up. 
“Uh, doc?” Jungkook’s head poked into the dining room. Stopping your chewing, you turned to see him. 
“Have you started work?” He asked. 
“Good morning to you too, Jungkook sshi. And yes, hold on a sec.” You wiped your mouth, grabbing your coffee and walked over to him. Once away from the others, Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous smile. You raised an eyebrow and that was when your eyes trailed down to the end of his long sleeved shirt. 
“Show me.” You said. Jungkook pulled his sleeves up, showing his bruised and bloodied knuckles. 
“Can you patch them up?” You nodded over to your office and he followed behind you. As you pushed open the door, you turned the lights on and placed your coffee mug on the table. Jungkook stood there, blinking. 
“Umm...” 
“Sit there.” You told him as you went to wash your hands by the sink. Jungkook sat down on the chair and you grabbed your first aid kit. 
“Hold still.” You told him as you placed the antiseptic on a cotton wool, dabbing it on the scabs. Jungkook winced in pain, letting out a few curses as you continued to clean the wounds. 
“Can you be a little gentler?” He hissed. 
“I’m sure you weren’t gentle when you got these either. If you can get this hurt, this pain should be nothing.” You replied, not looking up at him. Placing the bloodied cotton onto a tray, you threw it away and washed your hands again. Sitting back down, you took the bandages out. 
“You’re done.” You fastened the gauze with metal clips. 
“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?” Jungkook asked as you retreated to keep the first aid kit. 
“Do you want me to ask?” You asked back. Jungkook pursed his lips, scrunching his nose. You chuckled at his expression, he reminded you a child.
“Then let’s just say you have a bad temper, hmm?” You teased as you sat down at your desk. Jungkook scoffed at your words but stood up. he saluted at you before he left the office. 
“I’m here.” The door slammed open. You looked up from your computer. 
“Good morning, Yoongi sshi. You seem to be in a good mood.” You said as you got up from your seat. Yoongi stood by the doorway, rolling his eyes. 
“I already told Namjoon I don’t need a babysitter.” Yoongi scowled. 
“It’s not a babysitter, Yoongi sshi. I’m just helping you with your physiotherapy. The sooner you get that shoulder moving again, the sooner we can get this bulky cast off and you’ll be as good as new. Wouldn’t you like to wear normal shirts and pants again?” You sighed as you slowly helped him to unfasten his cast but he glared at you. 
“Don’t speak like you know.” 
“I’m simply hinting that this flannel and track pants combination doesn’t really work but hey, if you think it works, then you do you.” You shrugged. Yoongi growled in annoyance, obviously not liking your job.
“Okay, okay, calm down. Geez, tough crowd.” You shook your head. Yoongi rolled his eyes.
“You’ll need to remove your shirt so I can check your wound. If the stitches have not closed, we can’t start therapy or your wounds might reopen.” You told him. 
“Fine.” You let him unbutton his shirt and lower it to see the incision. You hummed in approval at the condition of his post surgery shoulder. 
“Alright. You’re good to start.” You said and he buttoned up his shirt again. You moved to stand in front of him and as you gently held his wrist, you could feel him stiffen. Obviously, you weren’t going to call him out on his nervousness. Patients were always guarded around injuries. 
“Slowly. Relax.” You said softly and began to help him. 
“Does this hurt?” You asked. He shook his head and you continued to slowly move him through his exercises. Slowly, Yoongi began to lose the sour look on his face and just did what you told him to do. 
“That hurt!” Yoongi barked.
“Sorry, I guess that is your maximum movement for now. Hold on.” Taking a pen, you scribbled this down on your notepad. 
“Good to continue?” You asked him. He looked away but nodded his head. You continued to do some small exercises with him. You smiled mentally as you felt him start to relax. 
KNOCK KNOCK
“Who is it?” You called out. 
“Jin!” 
“I’m kind of busy at the moment. Is it important?” You said, still focused on Yoongi. Yoongi was quite surprised that you were able to focus on him even with Jin talking to you through the door but of course, he didn’t show it. You had a small frown on your face and you were biting your lower lip, showing how focused you were. 
“I noticed you didn’t really touch your breakfast so I brought you a snack.” Jin continued.
“I’m good. Not a breakfast person. Thanks though.” You replied. After that, you heard Jin’s retreating footsteps. Your eyes moved to the clock and you saw how much time has passed. 
“That’s all for today.” You gave a small smile and pulled away. Grabbing his sling, you began strapping him back. 
“You may feel a little sore but it’s normal after your first session. If it’s unbearable, I’ll give you a light painkiller.” You told him. Yoongi just stared at you. 
“Depending on how you feel after this session, we might have our next one in 5 days. If you’re too sore from today, we’ll just wait a week.” You told him as you walked him to the door. Yoongi nodded but didn’t spare you another glance before walking out. 
“You’re welcome, I guess.” You mumbled before closing the door and sitting back down. 
“(y/n)!” The door opened and Jimin came bounding in with Hoseok behind him. Hoseok placed down a tray of snacks with some drinks. 
“Busy morning?” Hoseok asked. 
“Nope.” You shook your head as you continued typing your notes for Yoongi’s physiotherapy session. Also, you had to plan the exercises for his next session with you. 
“Still, you gotta eat. So we brought snacks. We can have you fainting on us, we don’t have another doctor on standby.” Hoseok said.
“Very funny.” You said sarcastically. There were some boiled eggs, fruit and kimbap pieces on the tray. You picked up a boiled egg, taking a bite as you continued reading your screen. Then you realised that Hoseok and Jimin were still there, taking the opportunity to explore your office. Hoseok laid down on the patient bed while Jimin sat on your stool. 
“Don’t you guys have work to do?” You asked. 
“Not us. We don’t actually work as much as you think we do.” Jimin said, spinning around on your stool. 
“What about you?” Hoseok propped his head up, resting it on his palm. 
“Do my own work. Unless someone needs my help.” You replied. Namjoon’s contract with you was simple, help the boys out when they needed it. Other than that, you were free to do whatever you wanted.
“I’m bored, let’s do something!” Jimin jumped up. 
“Alright, have fun.” You replied, still looking at the screen and typing. The boys looked at each other before looking back at you. 
“You’re coming with us.” Hoseok declared. 
“No thanks.” You waved them off. They were going to protest when there was a knock on the door. Taehyung stood there, a slight frown on his face. You finally looked away from your screen and up at him. Taehyung cleared his throat, waving his phone around. 
“Namjoon hyung has been trying to contact you guys! Don’t you know how to answer your phones?” He glared. 
“What’s up, Tae?” Jimin asked. 
“Issues.” Taehyung looked at you and you rolled your eyes. This was your office anyway, not like you were eavesdropping or anything. Taehyung grabbed Hoseok and Jimin, pulling them out of the room. 
“Finally, some peace and quiet.” You sighed, standing up. You stretched your back and arms. Grabbing the stool that Jimin was previously sitting on, you sat in front of your medicine cabinet and began to check the drugs, as well as noting down what was missing from the list that you had given Namjoon. At the same time, you refilled the first aid kit. 
“Back so soon?” You spoke as you heard the door open but didn’t turn around. There being no reply, you turned to see Namjoon there. 
“Namjoon sshi? What can I help you with?” You stood up. 
“There has been an emergency at one of our work places. Do you think you could... come with us?” He asked. You blinked at him for a second before nodding your head. 
“You’re the boss.” You grabbed the first aid boxes. Slipping your white coat on, you followed him out and into the foyer. 
“She’s going?” Yoongi asked, lounging on the couch. 
“Yes.” Namjoon said, grabbed his car keys. Before you could follow, someone grabbed your wrist to stop you. You turned around to see Jin grabbing you. Namjoon stopped as well, turning to look at the oldest. 
“No. Namjoon, not on her first day. Doc, go back to your office.” Jin said sternly. This was too much drama for day 1. You didn’t know who you should listen to. Suddenly, someone poked the space between your shoulder blades behind you to get you to start walking. 
“Go.” Jungkook nodded to the hallway. You turned back to give him slight look for doing that but didn’t protest, walking back to your office. 
-
You stayed in your office the entire day. The boys all left and Yoongi had returned to his room so you decided to do some reading alone. The door opened and someone came in, making you look up. 
“Dinner?” Hoseok asked, a butler behind him with a tray. 
“Sure.” You closed the book you were reading and went to wash your hands. Hoseok sat down as the butler placed the tray down. 
“Leave us.” Hoseok waved him off. The butler bowed and left the office. You sat down and picked up your rice bowl in one hand with your chopsticks in another. Hoseok did the same. 
“Coming in.” Taehyung burst open, trudging in with heavy footsteps. He sat down on the patient bed with his own bowl in his hand. You watched him and finally noticed something. You stood up and headed over to him, placing your hand over his. Taehyung stopped chewing, eyes casting up to stare at your through his fringe. 
“What?” 
“Your hand.” You spoke softly. Taehyung put his bowl down, resting his chopsticks over as he let you grab his hand. You turned it over, showing the blisters on the palm. 
“Let me treat this?” You asked. Taehyung nodded and you grabbed your first aid kit. Squeezing some cream onto a q-tip, you dabbed it on his scabs.
“Oww...” He cringed. 
“Sorry.” You placed small band aids over the more open wounds, letting the others heal on their own with the air. 
“Keep your hands clean and you can remove the band aids tomorrow. Here, apply this too.” You handed him the tube of antiseptic cream. Taehyung held the small tube in his hands before slipping it into his pocket. He picked up his bowl to continue eating as you washed your hands. 
“You are definitely an observant one, doc.” Hoseok grinned as you sat back down to finish your dinner. 
“My job is to care for your health and wellbeing, I kinda have to be observant. If patients were always truthful with what was bothering them, a lot of people would be jobless now.” You laughed. 
“Right. Also, call me Hoseok. Just like you do with Jimin.” Hoseok said and you nodded. 
“Likewise.” You smiled. Taehyung didn’t say anything, jumping off the bed and heading out the door with his empty bowl in his hand. 
“Ignore him. We’ve all had a long day. Hence the informal dinner.” Hoseok explained. You nodded your head. You weren’t really bothered by Taehyung’s attitude. Like you’ve mentioned when you came, you’re here as an employee to the family. What their mannerisms were or how they felt about you didn’t really affect you, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work. 
“What are you reading now?” Hoseok changed the subject. 
“It’s reading to study, actually. I’m hoping to learn new physiotherapy techniques or osteopathy.” You explained. 
“Wow, I’ll leave you to that then. Goodnight, (y/n).” Hoseok stood up, carrying the tray of empty dishes. 
“Goodnight, Hoseok.” You smiled. He smiled at you and left the room. You stretched your arms up, turning off your computer and packed up your things. The door opened and Yoongi stood there. 
“I need medicine.” He mumbled. 
“Hmm, I’m guess that you have finished the medication the doctor gave you after the surgery?” You asked as you went to your medicine cabinet. Yoongi let out a grunt in reply as you looked through and found a mildly sedating painkiller for him to take. 
“Here. It’s not as strong as the one the doctor gave but it’ll still make you a little sleepy.” You handed him the little dish with the pill and went to pour him a glass of water from the jug you had. 
“Anything else?” You asked him. Yoongi shook his head and stood up, leaving the office.
“Goodnight, Yoongi sshi!” You called out with him with a smile on your face. Gathering the rest of the things, you turned off the lights and headed out. 
“Hey, doc.” As soon as you walked out, you saw Namjoon standing there, a bottle of beer in his hand. He looked tired but forced a smile. You bowed your head slightly and gave a small wave.
“I should apologise for earlier. I’m not usually that... reckless.” He rubbed the back of his neck. 
“No worries, Namjoon sshi.” You shrugged. 
“I hope I didn’t scare you.” 
“It’s going to take quite a bit to scare me, unfortunately. So I wouldn’t sweat it.” You chuckled. Namjoon finally gave a genuine smile, laughing along with you as he nodded. You saluted to him and headed back to the direction of your room. You took a nice shower and called your mother to speak to her for a while, as well as seek some advice over some health concepts with her. 
“Are you sure you’re safe?” 
“Don’t worry, omma. I’m fine.” You sighed as you sat on your bed. 
“Alright, you’re old enough to make your own decisions. Goodnight, dear. I’ll speak to you soon.” 
“Likewise.” You replied and hung up. Standing up, you went to the window to draw the curtains before you went to bed. You saw Jungkook pacing around the gazebo, talking to Jimin who seemed disinterested as he laid on the bench like the night before. 
You hadn’t realised that they saw you staring as both stopped, meeting eyes with you. Jungkook just blinked while Jimin smirked, waving at you. 
“Goodnight.” You scoffed, even though you knew they couldn’t hear you, and closed the curtains. 
“It’s only day 1.” You massaged your temples, falling back down onto the bed. These boys were definitely going to be different from all the other families that you have worked with before. 
~~
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love-and-monsters · 3 years
Text
Fake Dating pt. 2
M Faerie X F human reader, 6,405 words
This is a part two to this story. Elwain and his human are safely in the human world, dealing with things far more mundane than an assassination attempt. Both of them are adjusting to the new life and to each other. Very fluffy, with some caretaking. I was in a very romantic mood while writing this and I think you can tell.
Content notes: mentions of parents trying to kill their child, descriptions of minor illness.
“This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Why do humans like this?”
You repressed a snicker. “You’re watching it.”
Elwain didn’t even look away from the screen to reply. “You put it on.”
“I just turned on the TV. You’re the one who started watching.” Elwain made a noncommittal noise. You pressed your lips together, trying not to smile. “I can change the channel, if you want. There’s a documentary on that I wanted to-”
“No, this is fine,” Elwain said. He hopped onto the couch next to you and curled up. “Ugh. These people know that expensive doesn’t mean good, right?”
You covered your mouth with a hand. Elwain actually, legitimately enjoying trashy reality shows was by far the best thing you’d learned about his personality since you’d started living together. The worst thing was probably that he’d grown up with servants and had no comprehension of household chores. It had taken a few weeks to get him to put his food back in the refrigerator when he was done with it, and you weren’t sure he was ever going to get the hang of doing dishes. Still. He was getting better.
“You’re still going to need to vacuum later tonight,” you reminded him. Elwain groaned.
“I spent all day at work!” he said. “I should get a day off.”
“You only had a five hour shift today. I worked seven. Plus, I have school. You don’t get breaks on household chores. Doesn’t matter how much you worked, they still have to be done.” Elwain looked away sulkily. That was an expression you were getting uncomfortably familiar with. “And you’re not allowed to do magic for it, either.”
“What? Just because you can’t use magic, there is no reason for me to be forbidden!” Elwain said.
“Yeah, sure. You remember what happened last time you used magic to clean the apartment?” Bright pink spots appeared on Elwain’s cheeks. He glared down at the couch, expression screwed up in irritation.
“I fixed that.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure. You fixed the apartment. What you’re never going to fix is my trauma from walking into my apartment and finding everything covered in spiders!”
“I apologized!”
“Look, the next time you decide to enchant a bunch of bugs into doing household chores, just. Don’t.”
Elwain huffed. “They weren’t even venomous to humans! All of you are so easily frightened. They weren’t going to hurt you.”
“I think the heart attack I had upon entering my own apartment could be considered as hurting me,” you muttered. Elwain looked sour, but didn’t respond, apparently returning to his TV show. Elwain’s adjustment to the human world had been… difficult. He had no real understanding of conventional social norms and obviously still expected everyone to treat him like a noble, despite working a minimum wage job at a fast-food restaurant. Not to mention that he seemed to have very loose morals when it came to enchanting mortals. As far as you were aware, he’d never done it to you, but he didn’t seem to have any sort of restraint when it came to anyone else. Before he’d gotten his job in customer service, he’d made all of his money by charming random people off the street into handing over their wallets.
Admittedly, his skills had come in handy. You didn’t feel particularly good about it, but he had charmed the landlord into giving you the apartment for significantly less than the going rate. In your defense, there hadn’t been many options. You couldn’t stay in your parent’s house with a Fae hanging around, and even with both of you working, there was no way to afford an apartment otherwise.
It did not help that Elwain apparently found your moral crisis very funny.
“You all live by such dumb rules all the time. If you really wanted, I could probably charm someone into giving us their house, or just letting us stay there.”
“That feels morally dubious,” you said.
“Ugh. You won’t let me steal anything, you won’t let me charm people into letting us use their things without stealing them, you won’t even let me charm people into handing some things over!” Elwain flopped across the couch. “So now we’re living in a garbage apartment and I have to work at a greasy food place where customers yell all the time and-”
“It’s a nice apartment, especially considering what we’re paying for it,” you interrupted. “And if you use magic too often, people might start figuring out that something weird is going on.”
“I doubt it. Mortals are stupid.” But Elwain didn’t protest, and went to his job as usual, and didn’t steal, which was more respect for your rules than you were worried he’d show. And, really, you were glad you’d instated the ‘no magic’ rule at large, given how unpredictable the results could be.
Elwain sprawled across the couch. He had a tendency to take up ridiculous amounts of space, pushing you to the edges of the couch to avoid contact. Eventually, you got up.
“Where are you going?” Elwain asked as you walked out of the room.
“I’m going to study for a bit before bed,” you called back. “Enjoy your show.”
He stared after you until your door clicked shut. Weird. He’d seemed almost annoyed about you leaving, even though it meant he could watch his shows for longer and you would stop bugging him about vacuuming. Whatever. He’d been acting weird recently, though. Maybe you should talk to him about it. He’d seemed fine for the first month or so after leaving his home and his parents trying to kill him, but maybe he was having some sort of delayed reaction.
You buried yourself in your textbooks for the next few hours, trying to get a solid start on one of your papers. The back of your mind seemed to be focused on the little noises in the apartment, though. Every sound of footsteps or things being moved pulled your attention back to the rest of the house. Eventually, you heard the sound of the vacuum running for a while before Elwain headed into his room.
He never went back into the main area of your apartment and, buried in work, you were soon thoroughly distracted. Gradually, as you worked, your mind grew less and less focused until you were face down in your books, dead asleep.
“Wake up!”
You bolted upright. There was a piece of paper sticking to your cheek from a stream of drool. You hurriedly pulled it off. “What? What’s going on?” You blinked, focusing on Elwain’s fine face in front of you. “What are you doing in my room?”
“Your alarm was going off. I can’t believe you didn’t hear it. It woke me up.” Sure enough, your phone, which was still sitting across the room from you, on its charger, was ringing furiously. You weren’t surprised that you hadn’t noticed it, though. Your head felt like someone had stuffed it with cotton.
“Oh. Sorry.” You rose a little unsteadily and turned the alarm off. “Thanks for waking me. Probably would have slept right through it if you hadn’t.”
“Uh huh,” Elwain said. “Did someone curse you?”
You blinked at him. He seemed dead serious. “Uh, no. I doubt it. Unless you know something I don’t.”
“If you’re asking about my parents, I would assume they are no longer concerned about me,” Elwain said. His voice was clipped, like it always was when he talked about his parents. “I don’t think they would bother to curse a mortal. If they had the means to lay a curse on someone, it would be far easier and more effective to just curse me.” He paused. “I was only asking because you look terrible.”
“Thanks,” you mumbled.
“You do. Why didn’t you sleep in your actual bed last night?” he asked.
“Because I fell asleep at my desk by accident. Are you going to stand here and just insult me or-” You broke off into a round of thick, hacking coughs. Elwain took a step back, alarm crossing his face.
“What is happening to you?” He lifted his arms in front of him, like he was trying to ward off some kind of evil spirit.
“It’s a cough,” you said. “Have you never seen a cough before?”
Elwain lowered his arms, still looking at me like he thought you would start convulsing at any moment. “Fae don’t do that.”
“They don’t cough?” You rubbed at your chest. A significant amount of phlegm had settled there. God, your body really had to pick the worst time to get sick.
“Not like that,” he said. “What’s the matter with you?”
“I’m sick,” you told him.
He nodded slowly. “I’ve heard of that. A mortal thing. Your forms are weak, so you occasionally fall ill. It is a sign of your small, failing lifespans.”
You considered correcting him, but decided that you had better ways to spend your morning than trying to explain germ theory to a Faerie. “Yeah. Sure. Well. I’m sick. So that’s why I’m coughing. It’s just a cold. I’ll be fine.”
Elwain narrowed his eyes. “Hmph. Well. I have work. Don’t die while I’m out.”
“I’m not in any danger of dying,” you told him. “Go head to work. Have fun.”
“That’s unlikely,” he muttered, but he left your room without protest. You closed your door after him and set about getting ready for your day.
The cold had settled into your head and chest and you could tell it was going to be bad already, even before it had come on fully. God. You could not afford to get sick.
Elwain was eating breakfast when you shuffled into the kitchen. You’d needed to absolutely cake your face in makeup to look presentable, and you saw his brows rise as he looked at you. Fortunately, the Fae at least knew how to keep their mouths shut. He just looked back at the frozen waffles he was toasting.
You snagged a granola bar and headed for the door. “Have a good day at work!” you called over your shoulder. Elwain grunted in response. The door swung shut behind you.
Work was exhausting, as per usual. It was better than Elwain’s job by a long shot, since you were working in a local candy store run by a sweet older couple, but between keeping an eye on any batches of candy being produced, sorting out customers, and having to deal with the requisite child-throwing-a-fit-for-not-getting-sweets, it was tiring. Trying to look bright and perky while being weighted down with a cold was awful.
As soon as work was off, you had class. Dragging yourself through it was a slow, painful slog. By the end, your head was fuzzy and you felt dead on your feet. Slowly, you hauled yourself on the bus and fell asleep.
Naturally, you missed your stop.
About an hour after you were supposed to be home, you dragged yourself in through the door. Elwain practically slammed into you. His hands clapped on either side of his face and he peered intently at you. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you! I thought you were dead!”
You pushed him off you and bent to one side to cough heavily until you were nearly sagging to the floor. Elwain stared at you. “Sorry,” you rasped when you’d stopped. “I fell asleep. And then my phone was on low battery and I wanted to make sure I had enough battery to use my GPS to get home.”
“You couldn’t have texted me?” Elwain drew himself up, hands on his hips. The entire situation reminded you, ridiculously, of your mom when you came home after a night out. “I was worried! I didn’t know where you were, and mortals are so ridiculously fragile-”
“Aw, you’d have been fine,” you said. “If anything, you’d be able to do more without my stupid mortal morals.”
Elwain’s expression went strange for a moment. “Are you feeling well? You seem… off.”
“I’m not feeling well. I’d like to lie down, actually.” You coughed again. “That okay with you?” Elwain was still frowning, but he stepped aside, allowing you down the hall and into your room.
You went down into your bed face-first. Almost as soon as you hit the pillows, your mind faded into sleep. Sleep came to you in fitful waves. You kept waking, coughing, rolling over and falling asleep again. When your alarm pulled you back to full consciousness, you felt thoroughly awful. The cold had settled firmly into your chest and head, gumming everything up. Your chest rasped every time you breathed in, prompting heavy coughing fits, you shivered even when you were wrapped in blankets, and your head felt full, achy, and cloudy.
The cold had apparently decided to upgrade to a full-blown illness. Slowly, you shoved yourself upright. It was hard to breathe through your nose and your mouth. Your throat stung with every inhale. Every cell of your body just wanted to pop some of the cold medicine that made you sleep and hopefully you’d wake up when it was all over.
Just as you were standing up, someone knocked on your door.
Well, you knew who. There was only one person who it could be. Grimacing, you walked over to the door and pulled it open. “Elwain. What?”
He stared at you. “I was- are you okay?”
“I’m sick. You remember the discussion was had yesterday?” you said. “Anyway. You needed something?”
Elwain looked you over. You hadn’t looking into a mirror, but given his expression, you probably looked terrible. He seemed to think you were five seconds from crumbling into a pile of ash, like a vampire exposed to sunlight. “Do I need to call 911?” he asked.
“Uh, no. It’s a cold. I don’t need an ambulance. I need to sleep for a while. Why are you knocking on my door?” you asked. Elwain’s mouth moved wordlessly. Whatever he had wanted to talk to you about, it seemed to have been completely derailed.
“I… er.” Elwain’s gaze flicked over you again. “Well. I wanted to see how you were doing. You went to bed right after you got home last night and I never saw you again. And you seem to be doing… poorly.”
“Yeah. I’m not doing great. I really just want to go back to bed.” You rubbed your hand over your head. “I feel like shit.”
Elwain hesitated. “Do you need me to do something?”
“Just go about your day. I’ll try to keep my gross self out of your way.” You slouched across your room to your bed. “If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to try to get a little more sleep.”
Elwain lingered in the doorway for a few moments longer. Finally, he turned and headed into the kitchen. The door remained open behind him, and you couldn’t be bothered to get up and close it again. Instead, you buried your head in your pillow. Sleep claimed you again within moments.
Less than an hour later, your alarm went off again. You slapped at it balefully until it shut off. Somehow, it felt like you gotten negative sleep, like sleeping had made you even more tired. Slowly, painfully, you pushed yourself upright. Shivers wracked your frame. How had sleep made everything worse?
You threw on the first clothes that you could get your hands on and shuffled into the kitchen. Elwain looked up from his breakfast. His mouth opened slightly. “Good lord. Maybe you have been cursed.”
“Thanks,” you mumbled. “I don’t look that bad.” You did, but you’d slathered enough makeup on your face to cover most of it. Then again, maybe that wasn’t enough to hide from Fae eyes.
“You look like a walking corpse,” Elwain said. You collapsed in the seat next to him and coughed into your fist. The force of the motion made your head throb. Elwain curled his lips back from his teeth in a grimace. “Are you certain you don’t need me to call 911?”
“No. It’s a cold. I’m-” You dissolved into a fit of coughing so severe it was difficult to catch your breath. Elwain stared at you, eyes wide. “I’m fine,” you croaked.
Elwain narrowed his eyes, but returned to his phone. You didn’t know where he’d gotten it from, because he certainly hadn’t purchased it, but you’d decided you weren’t going to ask. You ate slowly, mostly because your stomach felt tender, and you couldn’t finish even half of your normal portion. After a while of picking at your food, you dumped your dishes in the sink and started gathering your items to head out.
“Where are you going?” You startled. Elwain had appeared at your shoulder, completely silent. You might have chalked up not noticing him to your cold-dulled senses, but he could sneak up on you no matter how well you were feeling.
“Work,” you said.
Elwain looked back down at his phone. “You are not supposed to leave the house if you’re sick.”
“It’s a cold. I’ll be fine,” you said.
Elwain kept looking at his phone. “If you are sick, you are supposed to stay home, both so you can avoid infecting others and so you can recover.”
“Are you reading that off a website? Where are you reading that from?” You tried to grab his phone, but he gracefully slipped out of your reach.
“I searched about human illnesses on the internet,” he said. “Your symptoms are consistent with the common cold, but they are also consistent with pneumonia. It says you should sleep and drink water until you are recovered.”
“Look,” you said. “I’m fine. It’s a cold. I’ve had them before. I will have them after this one. I know how to handle them. I’ll pop some cold medicine and I’ll be fine.” Elwain stared at you. His expression was hard to read. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll live.” You sniffed and blotted at your face with a tissue. “I’m going to leave now. I’ll see you later.”
You swept out the door, giving Elwain a wave. He stared after you, not moving until you slammed the door shut.
It was a long, slow, awful day. You could barely keep your head together. By the time you got home, your limbs were heavy with exhaustion and your mind was swimming.
You dragged yourself through the door. Your body felt like you were wrapped in a massive, thick blanket. Everything was warm and it was hard to move, like everything was stiff.
Elwain stared at you as you pulled yourself into the kitchen. “You look like death warmed over.”
“Fine,” you mumbled. “’m fine.” You slouched over the counter and leaned against it. Elwain stood, stepping closer to you. “I’m good. I… I’m good. Just… Tired. Tired. Need to nap.”
“Perhaps you should nap in your room,” Elwain said. “Not on the counter.”
“I’m fine here.” Your words were getting mushy. Why weren’t your lips moving correctly? “I’m good. I just, um. Need. Something…”
“It’s okay. You’re okay. Here, hold onto me. I’ll-” Elwian’s hands were on your waist, on your back. You felt boneless, mushy. Your limbs weren’t moving the way you wanted them to. The only thing you could feel were Elwain’s hands supporting you. Was he carrying you? Maybe. You felt like you were floating. Your head was disconnected from your body, floating. Someone was speaking to you from far away, a soothing voice. It was so soothing. Maybe you could just sleep for a bit. Just sleep. It would be nice to just sleep.
Dimly, you came back to yourself. You blinked your eyes open. The ceiling was unfamiliar, at least as ceilings went. Not that you were familiar with many ceilings, really. Looking down at yourself revealed why the ceiling was so unfamiliar. The bed was covered in heavy, dark blue sheets. Elwain’s sheets. You were in his bed.
Slowly, you pushed yourself upright. You still felt bad, but less bad than you had been feeling. A raking cough escaped your chest, thick with phlegm.
“You’re up!” Elwain appeared in the doorway. He looked… frazzled? You weren’t sure the Fae could look as frazzled and unkempt as a human could, but he didn’t look as ethereally beautiful as he usually did. He looked sort of ruffled. “I was considering dragging you to the hospital, but the internet said that maybe ginger tea would actually be better, so I got you some of that.” He indicated the cup in his hands.
“You have got to stop getting all your information from the internet. Or at least I need to give you a media literacy course on identifying good sources,” you croaked. Your voice sounded bad, but it no longer hurt to speak. It just felt uncomfortable.
Elwain gave you a bewildered look and held the cup out toward you. “Drink it.” You took it obligingly and took a sip. Elwain must have dumped half a bottle of honey in it, because it was so sweet you almost couldn’t taste the ginger. You swallowed it carefully.
“Thank you,” you said when you’d finished the cup. “What, uh. What exactly happened to me?”
Elwain sat on the end of your bed. He was wearing his old cloak, the one he’d taken with him when he’d fled from Faerie. He tucked it tighter around him, fingers fidgeting at the hem. “I was hoping you could inform me of that, actually. I was quite frightened when you collapsed like that.”
“Oh, yeah,” you said. Vaguely, you remembered passing out. “How long was I out?”
Elwain glanced at the clock. “Mn. Less than an hour? You were in and out for the first ten minutes, mumbling a lot.” You had vague memories of Elwain leaning over you, expression panicked. Must have been from then. “Once I got you into bed, you fell asleep. I wasn’t sure if I should wake you or not.”
“It is,” you said. “Probably a good idea to let me sleep. Though if I ever do collapse again, please call 911.” You considered. “Well, I guess don’t call 911 unless I’m actually dying. I can’t afford the ambulance.”
Elwain nodded, even though he looked politely confused. “Is your illness getting worse?”
“Maybe,” you said. “It’s hard to tell. I think I have a fever now, so that sucks.”
With absolutely no warning, Elwain leaned forward. His face was abruptly so close to yours, close enough to feel his cool breath tickling your skin. The hairs on the back of your neck lifted. Suddenly the only thoughts in your head had to do with his lips pressing to yours, his cool mouth meandering along your skin-
His forehead touched yours. His eyes closed, a little furrow appearing in his brow. “You’re warm,” he said. “Very warm.” He sat back.
You blinked. “Uh. You can do that with your hand, you know.”
“Oh? I saw the forehead one on the internet,” Elwain said, but he reached up and cradled your face in his hands. With a soft, delicate touch, the back of his hand brushed against your forehead and down your cheek. The touch made something in your chest tighten and your breath catch. “You still feel warm.”
You moved your mouth, trying to get your brain back in gear. “Uh, yeah. Fever! That’s, uh. Bad. I need, um. You remember that pill bottle in the bathroom I showed you? The one with the little red pills?” Elwain nodded. “Get those and a glass of water. They’ll bring the fever down.”
Elwain vanished for a moment and returned with a tall glass water and the bottle of pills. He watched as you downed them and sank back into bed. His sheets were softer than yours, his bed even more luxuriously plush. You weren’t sure where he’d gotten the sheets from, or if maybe they were the sheets you’d bought him, just augmented with magic. “Why did you put me in your bed, anyway?” you asked. “My bed’s not that much further away.”
“I wanted to keep an eye on you,” Elwain said. “And you do not like me coming in your room.”
“I don’t like you just walking into my room whenever you feel like it, but you can come into my room,” you said. But you were pretty glad he’d put you in his bed. Everything in his room smelled faintly floral and herbal, a smell that relaxed you. Everything was cozy.
“I am not familiar with how to deal with sick mortals,” Elwain said. “Do you need anything else?”
“No. I just need to rest.” You paused, looking toward the window. “I should probably head back to my own room, actually. You’ll probably want to sleep here tonight, right?”
Elwain shook his head. “Stay. You need to rest. I will sleep elsewhere.” He swept out of the room, cloak fluttering behind him. You stared after him for a moment before sinking back into bed. Despite just waking up, your head was already muddy again. Maybe Elwain had gotten you the pills with the sleeping medicine in them. Your eyes closed. Within moments, you were drifting away, fast asleep.
You dreamed of strange things, of hands on your face, cupping your cheek, of soft lips pressed to your neck, of kind eyes and strong arms carrying you around. When you opened your eyes to see the same kind eyes staring down at you, you were half-convinced you were still dreaming.
“Hello,” Elwain said. “You have been asleep for a while.”
You blinked. Your body did have that foggy heaviness that came when you’d been sleeping deeply. Even your discomfort from the illness seemed far away and dim. “Elwain.”
“Yes. I’m right here.” He said it more gently than a simple statement of fact, almost like a reassurance.
“How long was I out?” There was bright sunlight streaming in through the window and across the bed. You lifted a hand to clumsily shield your eyes.
“Over twelve hours. I thought you should probably sleep. That’s what the internet said.”
“Oh, man, we are going to need to get you some better resources than just ‘the internet,’” you said. “But you were right. Thanks for letting me sleep.” Slowly, you shoved yourself up into a sitting position. “What’s that?”
Elwain held a bowl out to you. “I was told that soup was good for mortal illnesses.”
You took the bowl of vegetable broth. Elwain’s cooking was usually pretty hit or miss- he could follow recipes just fine, but he also had a habit of deciding that he had a better idea than the recipe and going completely off the rails. The soup just seemed to be broth, though. You took a cautious sip. It was watery, but tolerable.
“Are you feeling better?” Elwain asked. You nodded, glancing over at the clock.
“It’s past nine,” you noticed. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“I called in sick. I wanted to stay home to make sure you were all right.” Elwain looked completely serious.
“It’s just a cold. I’m fine.”
Elwain’s eyes narrowed. “You collapsed.”
“Well, yeah, but…” You trailed off. There wasn’t much you could say in response to that. “Fine. But if you get fired for this, I’m going to be pissed.”
“I will not be fired. My boss loves me.” Elwain gave a superior little sniff, nose stuck up in the air. You laughed into your bowl of broth.
When you were finished, Elwain took your bowl back into the kitchen, returning only a few moments later. “Do you need anything else?”
“I think I’m okay,” you said. “You really didn’t have to stay home to take care of me. There’s not going to be a lot to do. I think I’m mostly going to sleep.”
“Regardless. I think it is better to be safe.” Elwain looked at you from the doorway for a moment longer. “I need you.”
He left the doorway. You could hear his footsteps retreating into your apartment, perfectly steady, like what he said hadn’t made your chest tighten intensely. You sank back into his bed. His scent wreathed around you, gentle and reassuring. Oh, god. Warm feelings were fluttering up in your stomach, swelling through chest and trembling in your lungs. Worse than that, they felt familiar. How long had these feelings been lingering in the background of your mind? And now they had surfaced and you didn’t know what to do with them. Naturally, you would have some kind of emotional crisis when you were sick.
You faded in and out of dreams where Elwain’s scent wreathed around you and his gentle hands stroked your forehead and cheeks. You woke up feeling oddly melancholy.
The sounds of the TV drifted through the open door. Shaking some feeling back into your heavy limbs, you hauled a blanket over your shoulders and headed into the living room.
Elwain was draped over the couch, staring at the TV. There was some soap opera on with a woman and a man hysterically throwing themselves at each other. Elwain looked up as you padded into the room. “Is it okay for you to be out of bed?” he asked.
“Yeah. I feel better, actually.” The sleep had helped quite a bit. You still felt foggy, but the pain in your head and chest had faded. Elwain sat up, drawing his limbs in closer to himself so you could sit next to him.
“You look less… corpse-like,” he said. Before you realized what he was doing, he took hold of your face in both hands and pulled you closer to him. “You are still warm.”
“Uh, yeah. I’m getting better.” You reached up and carefully pried his fingers off your face. You were overly aware of how your fingers lingered together. “How’s your day off going?”
“Human TV is still strange,” Elwain said, turning back toward the screen. “I can’t imagine any humans really behave like this. I have never seen it.”
“No, it’s a soap opera. It’s supposed to be deliberately over-the-top and crazy. That’s why they’re fun to watch.” Elwain rolled his eyes, but there was amusement in his expression.
“Is there anything you want to watch?” he asked.
“No, this is fine.” You settled into the soft cushions, staring at the TV. As much as you were looking in the direction of the TV, most of your attention was focused on Elwain. His gaze kept flicking toward you, as if he was unable to focus on the show either. After a moment, he reached out toward you.
One of his hands settled on your head, the other on your shoulder. Before you realized what had happened, he pushed you so your head was resting in his lap. You stared up at him as he, apparently unconcerned, started weaving his fingers through your hair.
“What are you doing?” you asked.
“You did this for me when I first came here,” Elwain said. “It was soothing. I thought you might like it as well.” He paused. “Was I incorrect?”
You considered for a moment. His fingers were still carding through your hair, twining strands around his fingers. “No. I don’t mind.”
Elwain continued to stroke your hair. His nails scratched lightly at your scalp. The feeling of being touched made something tremulous swell in your chest. It was a pleasant feeling, but one so sharp and overwhelming that it almost made you cry.
You lay with Elwain for a while, his hands absently playing with your hair and trailing along your head and neck. He seemed to be paying far more attention to you than to the TV. “You should take better care of yourself,” he said, stroking your bangs back from your forehead. “If you were to die, I would be alone in the mortal world.”
“You’d manage,” you said.
“Perhaps.” Elwain removed his hands from your hair and hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be struggling to speak. Then he sighed. “But I would prefer it if you were with me.”
You looked up at him. He was staring deliberately to one side. There was a faint pinkish color to his cheeks and his eyes were narrowed. “You could have left, once our deal was up. I only asked you to stay with me for the night. And yet, you helped me. There was no reason to. I no longer have my connections or any particular Faerie skills. Even the few powers that remain with me, you don’t like me using. You have gained nothing from this deal and you help me regardless.”
“Of course, I did.” Thinking about that night only brought one image to your mind. Elwain, who had nearly been killed by his own parents, looking lost and confused and abandoned. He had been cocky before, but in that moment, he had just looked forlorn and upset. He had just looked scared. “I wasn’t going to just leave you on your own.”
“You could have,” Elwain pressed on. “Easily, you could have. You could have justified it, even by mortal morals. There’s not a lot here that could kill me. As you have pointed out, I would be fairly fine on my own. But you stayed with me regardless, for no other reason than just helping me.”
“You’d just almost been assassinated. I couldn’t leave you,” you said.
“You could have. But you didn’t. And, at least so far, you have asked for nothing from me in return. To be quite honest, you’ve been almost annoying with how little you allow me to do.”
“I try,” you said. Elwain snorted. It was an inelegant noise, but somehow also incredibly attractive. “Where are you going with this?”
“I’m trying to explain to you that I care about you. I want you to be well and safe and healthy because you saved me and you didn’t have to and I appreciate it.” Elwain’s cheeks flamed red. “That’s what I’m trying to say.”
You reached up slowly and let your hand cradle the side of his face. He leaned into your touch, eyes closing. “It’s strange. I’m not used to this,” he said. “My parents loved me as far as they could use me. It’s how Faeries are. But you have used me for nothing, gained precious little advantage from having a Faerie living with you. And I wasn’t used to it. I still think I’m not used to it. But I am so… so… happy. For this. For you.” He blinked his eyes open. They were hazy with emotion. “Thank you.”
It was an impulse maybe you could have resisted if you were feeling better, but you were overwhelmed with feeling and not in the mood to fight with yourself. The hand on his cheek shifted position toward the back of his neck and pulled him down on top of you. His mouth pressed into yours, tense and unyielding, then softening as he realized what was happening.
There was a moment of fumbling, while Elwain registered that you were kissing. You broke away from his mouth, but he was pressing into you again, pulling you close to him and meeting your lips over and over with his own. His tongue brushed your lower lip and his moan sounded against your mouth.
You weren’t aware of how it happened, but suddenly you were lying back on the couch with Elwain on top of you. He was kissing you furiously, his hips flush to yours. Your fingers tangled in his hair, pushing him as close to you as you could get.
One of your gasping breaths caught in your chest, triggering a coughing fit. You rolled over, trying not to cough right into Elwain’s face. He sat back. His lips were already slightly kiss-swollen and he looked a bit rumpled. “Right,” he said, trying to finger-comb his hair back into a presentable state. “You’re still not feeling well.”
“Hold on. Give me a minute, we can keep going,” you said between coughs. Elwain pressed his lips together, but they were twitching toward a smile.
“You are admirably determined, but I think it would be better for you to rest,” he said. There was a pause. Elwain tugged on a few of the longer strands of his hair. “I take that to mean you feel the same way?”
“That I like you? Yeah.” You pulled him down so he was laying across your chest. He looked at you, eyes surprisingly wide and innocent. “When I first met you, I thought you were kind of an asshole. And you are kind of an asshole. But you’re also charming and endearing and you try to follow my rules even when you totally don’t have to. And you’re willing to take care of me when I’m sick.”
“You took care of me when I had lost everything,” Elwain said. “I only wished to return the favor.” His fingers wandered over your stomach, tracing absent patterns on your shirt. You could feel his warmth against your skin. “Usually, that’s how it works, with Faeries. Favors are given because giving means you can get something in return, and you’re always trying to leverage the deal to get more than what you’re giving.” He closed his eyes for a moment, brows furrowing. “But when I saw you were sick, I wasn’t thinking that I needed to pay you back. I was only thinking that I wanted to help you.”
You stroked your fingers through his hair. “That’s what love is.”
“Mortal love,” he sighed. “I always thought it was flimsy and weak and short-lived.” His eyes opened again and he nestled into you. “It’s much stronger than I thought. So much more than I believed. It almost hurts, but it’s a good hurt.”
You started coughing again. Elwain swung himself up and gathered you into his arms. “I’ll take you back to bed,” he said. “You need to get better. I want to continue this.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. You rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes. His heartbeat thudded against you, slow and steady. The feeling of him holding you swelled and ached inside you, a pleasant ache. You clung to him as he eased you into bed and settled in next to you. Your illness was all but forgotten. Everything was soft and pleasant under a heady wave of love.
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