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discoscoob · 25 days

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⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ONE FOR THE MONEY

˙ ✩°˖💸 ⋆｡˚ Kevin Lomax x Reader

Synopsis: while on a work trip in Los Angeles where he is going to attend numerous social events, Kevin hires you to be his date for his entire stay. 3.7k words.

CW: hella toxic relationship, hooker!reader, bratty!reader, Kevin is an asshole, you’re also an asshole (you say something uncalled for,) and you slap him (he deserves it,) angst? degrading language, oral (m!receiving), face fucking.

˙ ✩°˖💸 ⋆｡˚

The gala is like nothing you’ve seen before. A lavish affair filled with thousands of upper-class and celebrity guests, wearing the latest fashion of the season, with faces full of expensive cosmetic enhancements.

You feel a sudden tinge of imposter syndrome building inside your chest as you walk through the lobby alongside Kevin, his arm firmly clasping your waist as he navigates the crowd of guests.

It’s a far cry from the dingy clubs you’re used to hanging around in, the people here look like something straight out of a magazine.

“Am I allowed to drink the champagne?” you whisper in Kevin’s ear as your eyes catch sight of waiters wandering through the crowd, carrying gold trays filled with champagne flutes.

Kevin gives you a stern look, running a finger under your chin as he turns your face to his.

“Of course, darlin’.” he assures you, his voice low and comforting. “Just remember, I don’t want you drunk and ruining this evening. Keep it to two glasses.”

“What do you think I’ll do? Get up on one of the tables and start doing a strip tease?” you quip sarcastically at his strict rules as you grab one of the champagne flutes as the waiter passes by.

“Not funny, sweetheart. You really need to watch your mouth.” Kevin warns you, but there’s a faint hint of amusement in his voice. “You’re representing me tonight and I won’t have my reputation ruined by some loose tongue.”

“C’mon… you can’t deny it’d make the event more exciting.” you lean into Kevin’s side seductively, as a mischievous smile spreads on your lips while you run your manicured fingers over the silk lapels of his tuxedo jacket. You know already that you will be bored out your brains by the end of the evening.

Kevin scoffs, placing a restraining hand on your shoulder, gently pressing you away from him.

"This isn't a joke, Y/N. I've paid you good money to keep your mouth shut and act appropriately. If you can't handle it, then perhaps I should find myself another date."

"Don't push your luck. I wouldn't hesitate to replace you.” Kevin warns you under his breath, lightly gripping your waist as he walks you towards the group of people he wishes to introduce you to. “Just do as I say and keep your mouth shut unless spoken to.”

As you walk with Kevin, you can't help but feel a slight sting at his words. You swallow hard, taking small sips of your champagne to calm your nerves. Your gaze flickers to the other women in attendance, all dressed to the nines, laughing and smiling effortlessly.

When Kevin introduces you to the first person, a stern-faced man with slicked-back hair, your heart races and you struggle to string together a coherent sentence. You take solace in the fact that despite your awkwardness, you're still attracting stares from those around you.

Throughout the event, you exchange pleasantries and make small talk, eventually finding yourself listening to stories about corporate deals and movie investments, trying to appear engaged.

By the time the gala draws close to midnight, your stifling yawns and rubbing the back of your neck, trying to massage away the ache caused by the heavy necklace that Kevin had loaned from a jewellers, you didn’t even want to know how much it was worth, but you’re certain it was more than the collective wealth of all your ancestors.

The night had been a long and exhausting one, with endless conversations of people whose lives revolved around luxury and privilege becoming tiresome very quickly.

Kevin is in the middle of a discussion with an associate that you had long since tuned out of as you let out a tired yawn you could no longer hold in. The two men stop their conversation and both glance in your direction. Kevin shoots you a glare, while the other man gives you an appraising stare that makes you slightly uncomfortable.

“Are you bored?” Kevin says, his tone of voice more sharp than usual, clearly having noticed your lack of interest in the conversation.

“Bored? No, not at all.” you speak with forced enthusiasm. “I’m having the time of my life.”

Kevin’s expression becomes irritated as he hears the sarcasm in your voice, his eyes briefly locking with his associates before he continues with the conversation, choosing to ignore your comment.

“As I was saying, we’re looking to expand outside of New York City and take on some international clients. We want to create a global profile for this firm so that…”

Kevin’s words carry on but it’s all just white noise to you now, as you struggle to stay awake.

As the conversation continues, your eyes wander curiously over the room, only a handful of guests remain, all of them huddled in small groups sharing superficial conversations. Your eyes catch sight of a pair of glass doors, leading out onto a balcony. While Kevin is distracted by his conversation, you manage to slip away unnoticed, making your way to the balcony.

Once outside, you take in a deep breath of fresh air into your lungs, relieved to be away from the suffocating environment of the gala.

Your eyes flutter shut as you enjoy the cool breeze, letting it blow the exhaustion away until you feel more alert. That’s when a presence behind you makes you jolt a little, immediately feeling defensive.

Before you can turn around to see who joined you on the balcony, you feel two hands lightly wrap around your waist as you hear Kevin’s familiar voice whisper your name in your ear, his tone sounding a lot more light and playful now.

“You couldn’t even be well-behaved enough to stay in the room where I could see you? I knew I couldn’t trust you to stay put for five minutes while I have a conversation.” Kevin wraps both of his arms around you from behind, pulling you against his warm body as he leans his head on top of yours.

“Have you come to tell me that it’s time to leave?” you ask him with a hint of hope in your tone as you lean into his broad chest and rest your tired head against his shoulder while he remains stood sturdily behind you, accepting your weight with ease.

“Of course not,” Kevin murmurs, his voice filled with flirtation as he notices your tired expression resting against his chest.

He can feel the warmth of your breath upon his skin and a slight tingle of excitement runs through his body as you rest yourself upon him.

“I just came to check up on you,” Kevin says, his voice softer now as he gently runs his hands along the sides of your back. “You look a little tired. Are you okay?”

“Not really. I think I’m about to die of boredom.” you take your weight off of Kevin’s chest and turn around in his arms to face him. “The parties I’m used to are so much more fun than this and I don’t have to wear jewellery that damn near breaks my neck.”

“Oh, I see… you miss the days of the dingy little local clubs you used to go to, huh?” Kevin teases lightheartedly, his lips turning up into a playful grin as he notices the distain in your voice.

He wraps his arms around your waist again as he leans into you, his breath slightly tickling your neck as he speaks.

“Well, the parties you used to go to were probably all about hooking up with strangers and getting trashed.”

“As opposed to listening to you discuss legal jargon with your boring associates for hours on end?” you playfully roll your eyes as you lean back against the rail of the balcony.

“As opposed to being a whore that gets trashed every night dancing half-naked in some dingy club for a bunch of sleazy scumbags?” Kevin says, his tone becomes less teasing and more frustrated as he’s met with your flippant replies.

The smile falls from your face as you push yourself off of the rail into a defensive stance, crossing your arms over your chest.

“You’re such a fucking dickhead.” you shake your head, your tone becoming flat as you try to remove the emotion from it, not wanting to show him how much his words penetrate your self-esteem.

Kevin’s expression darkens as your smile falls from your face, the playful energy that was radiating in the air before vanishes like dust in the wind.

“What? Did I hit a chord?” Kevin asks, his arms dropping to his sides as he takes a step forward standing right in front of you.

“That’s what your best at, isn’t it? Spreading your legs and showing off your body.”

You feel your blood simmering to a boil inside your chest as a raging fire begins to burn inside your soul and before you know it your hand is colliding with Kevin’s cheek. The sound of the slap echos in your ears as you freeze, feeling the heat on your palm as you look at him with wide eyes, realising too late what you just did.

Kevin's jaw clenches as the hot sensation of your hand smacking across his face takes him by surprise. His hand flies to his cheek, as he stares at you in shock, before the rage and anger begin to bubble in his chest.

In the blink of an eye, he shoves you hard into the balcony railing, pushing you backwards until your back slams up against it. Kevin quickly places him hands on your shoulders as he leans in close, his facial expression now one of anger and rage rather than his former playful flirting.

You quiver as you grip the edge of the rail tightly with both my hands, rationality told you he wouldn't push you over the edge yet your heart was pounding fiercely in your chest as the fear rose inside you, leaving you trembling.

Your dilated pupils were transfixed on Kevin's that glared at you with a glimmer of evil from under his dark brows that left you questioning what he was actually capable of.

"You hit me," Kevin says, his voice sounding dangerously calm and eerily restrained.

"You just hit me, you stupid little whore." His hands tighten around your shoulders, squeezing hard enough to cause pain as he lets his rage take over, the playful flirting of moments ago gone. Now, all you see is just a cold, raging set of eyes glaring down at you as he keeps you pinned against the railing.

"I- I'm..." you pant heavily, feeling a cold sweat began to gather on your brow from the unbridled fear coursing through your veins, pumped by your ferocious heartbeat that feels as though it's lodged in your throat while you white knuckle the railing.

Before you can manage to utter an apology in an attempt to appease Kevin, a couple step out onto the balcony, snapping Kevin out of his rage filled trance as he steps back, releasing his bruising grip on you.

You immediately feel the tension leave your body, but you keep your grip fast on the rail, feeling as though your legs are about to give way from beneath you.

Kevin’s eye flicker towards the couple that just stepped out onto the balcony. There's a brief moment of relief, then he quickly composes himself, hiding his fury behind a polite smile.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson! How lovely to see you," Kevin greets the couple, his voice smooth and polished.

"Let's get back inside, Y/N," he says, his voice still pleasant and controlled, even as his gaze never leaves the newly arrived couple.

Taking your hand, he leads you back into the party, maintaining his composed demeanour as he says his goodbyes and excuses you both from the gala.

His grip on your hand remains firm as he leads you out of the venue and towards the limousine waiting outside to take you both back to his hotel.

Ever since the incident on the balcony, your heartbeat has not slowed down and you feel as though it’s about it’s about to jump out your throat at any moment as you sit silently beside Kevin in the back of the car.

Kevin’s eyes watch every single movement you make, as he waits patiently for you to speak first - which he knows you won’t.

“Why did you hit me?”

“Why do you think?” you snap back at him with a heated glare, astonished that he even needs to ask. “You were being disrespectful and degrading towards me.”

“So you hit me?” Kevin says bluntly, his voice now laced with something between anger, annoyance, and slight amusement.

“You felt belittled, is that it? Is that what triggered your childish impulse to physically strike me? You’re a grown woman, yet you behave like a toddler who hasn’t learnt how to control her emotions yet.”

“You can talk! You were practically about to throw me over the edge of the balcony. I don’t even want to imagine what might’ve happened had that couple not stepped out right at that moment.” you call out his own lack of control.

“Don’t be so dramatic. I wasn’t going to throw you over the edge.” he replies, his tone cold and blunt.

“All I was going to do was teach you a lesson. Remind you that there are consequences for your childish actions when you hit someone. A lesson your mother clearly forgot to teach you.” Kevin replies, his words clearly designed to provoke you.

“Too bad my mother wasn’t around to teach me that one.” you sigh bitterly with a huff through your nose while your eyes glaze with tears that you refuse to let fall.

“Ahh, so now it all makes sense.” Kevin says mockingly, before he rolls his eyes. “That would explain the trashy, cheap attitude. The lack of manners. The inability to act your age and the desire to sleep with anything with a pulse.”

“If you think I’m such trash why’d you take me to that gala tonight? Why are you paying me to pretend to be your girlfriend? You can’t get a woman to stick around for free?” you fix him with a challenging glare.

Kevin's jaw clenches in the presence of your challenging stare. He's used to intimidating people, and he's not used to being stared down so boldly.

However, he remains composed and calm, even though tension is clearly running beneath the surface.

"I thought I'd give you a chance. I thought there was a chance that I could fix you. I could turn someone as cheap, trashy, and low class as you into a respectable woman. Someone who could hold my arm proudly and be worthy of attending such events with me."

"Well if this is what your life is like I couldn’t think of anything more hellish. It's no wonder your wife killed herself!” you vomit the words out before you can control them and as soon as they leave you tongue your hand slams over your own mouth, wishing you could reel them back in.

A flash of raw, unfiltered rage flares in Kevin's eyes, his hands clenching into fists as he processes what you've just said.

There's a tense moment of silence as his thoughts run rampant, fighting for grip on his emotions. His face is contorted with anger as his jaw clenched tightly, his teeth grinding together angrily.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that," he says lowly, taking a deep breath as he tries to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry." you immediately apologise, your eyes filling with regret and sincerity as your anger dissipates while looking at him. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Damn right you shouldn't have." Kevin's tone remains harsh, and it's clear that the words still sting, despite trying his best to maintain his composed front.

"You're damned lucky I'm restraining myself right now and just reminding you that you've crossed a line. Now, be quiet so I can think about how I'm going to punish you."

You fall silent for the rest of the drive back to the hotel, keeping your eyes focused on the world outside as you drive by. It's not long until the limousine pulls up in front of the hotel lobby and the silence between the pair of you remains like a suffocating blanket as you ride the elevator together.

The tension is palpable as you arrive at the penthouse suite. With the door slamming shut behind you, Kevin turns to face you, his expression still full of simmering anger.

"Strip," he commands, pointing at you with a sharp jerk of his chin.

His eyes are like ice, and there's no mistaking the seriousness of his command. This punishment is just getting started, and it seems like you're only just beginning to understand the extent of his wrath.

Silently, you unzip the dress, letting gravity do the rest as it slips easily from your body to the plush carpet where you step out of it, leaving you wearing only your high heels, black lace lingerie and the dazzling necklace that still sits heavily against your collarbones.

Kevin's eyes narrow as he looks you over, taking in your figure in the black lingerie and the expensive necklace. His lips twist into a smirk, and he takes a step closer to you. His fingers reach out to gently trace the strap of your lacy bra before he tugs on it until it snaps back against your shoulder, making you jolt slightly.

“This too…” he only chuckles darkly at your flinch as he begins to circle around you as your trembling fingers fumble with the clasp of your bra.

“And these…” he adds with a harsh slap to your ass right over the fabric of your panties.

By the time he circles back around to your front, you’ve managed to discard your lingerie and his eyes are slowly trailing the length of your exposed body with a hum of approval.

“This…” Kevin tugs on the heavy necklace with a single finger, adding extra strain to your already aching neck. “…stays on.”

You part your lips, a protest on the tip of your tongue but before you can utter a single word, Kevin silences you with a single glare.

“You’ve ran your mouth enough for one night.” he speaks sharply with a commanding tone, leaving no doubt about who is in charge. “I pay you to do two things with it and neither of them involve talking. I don’t want to hear another word from you for the rest of the night unless it’s ‘yes, sir.’ Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” you answer without hesitation.

“On your knees.” Kevin orders as he takes a step back and watches you sink to your knees on the plush carpet.

“I’m sure you don’t need instructions for the rest. You’re a professional, right?” he taunts you with a shit eating grin and you react to it with a glare as you look up at him but you stifle your quips, biting your tongue as your fingers work to undo his belt.

The buckle rattles as you unbutton his trousers and Kevin’s large hands find purchase in your hair. You’re met with the sight of his straight and rigid erection as it springs free from his boxers and stands to attention.

With your tongue, you kitten lick the salty pre-come dripping from his reddened tip before you wrap your eager lips around it. Kevin’s hands instantly tighten their grip against your scalp, keeping you held in place as he begins to set the place with his own thrusts into your warm mouth.

As you look up at him through your eyelashes, he gives a rough thrust of his hips until the blunt tip of his cock hits the back of your throat, making your eyes water as you instinctively try to pull your head back but his grip in your hair remains fast.

Kevin growls, feeling the constriction of your throat fluttering around his tip as he continues to push your limits with his forceful and steady pace with his eyes trained on the tears that drip from the corners of your watery eyes as you choke and fight the urge to gag.

“C’mon, baby. I thought you’d be used to choking on cocks by now.” Kevin’s voice strains with each thrust, the sound of pleasure influencing his breathy tone. “Is this one just too big for you, huh?”

He continues to thrust hard and fast, his grip on your hair unrelenting, as he watches you struggle with his size. The noise of your gagging and whimpering only fuels his desire, making him harder with each passing second.

“Maybe next time, you’ll remember to keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself.” Kevin punctuates each word with a forceful thrust, speaking through clenched teeth as he nears his climax.

Kevin's thrusts become more frantic, his breaths growing ragged as he nears his climax. The tears streaming down your face only serve to heighten his arousal, the sight of your pain and humiliation driving him closer to the edge.

"Swallow every drop, you ungrateful slut," he growls, his thrusts become more frantic and his breath grows ragged as his release creeps up on him.

With one final, powerful surge, burying himself deep in the back of your throat, he comes. His release fills your mouth and spills from the corners of your lips.

You cough and splutter as he finally slips out of your mouth with a trail of spit and come connecting from your lips to the tip of his softening cock before it drips down your chin and neck.

You’re panting heavily from your swollen lips, with a flushed face that’s covered with a mixture of sweat, tears, spit and come and your styled hair is ruined from Kevin’s forceful grip on it.

"Goddamn, you're a mess. Clean yourself up." he mutters as his gaze trails over your disheveled appearance with a look of disregard for your state as he walks past you, adjusting himself in his trousers while making his way to the mini bar to pour himself a drink.

"And next time, you’ll think twice before my wife’s name leaves your dirty mouth again.” you hear him shout over your shoulder.

⋆｡°✩ note: this is the first time I have written anything quite like this so I was kinda nervous. I hope it was enjoyable to read. Every reblog and comment is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading!

#keanu reeves #keanu reeves x reader #kevin lomax #kevin lomax x reader #my fics

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heytherelysia · 1 year

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dazai w/ a quiet + stern reader

hi so i have no idea what's up in the recent s4 bsd and im so eepy to start watching it but i love goosamu w all my heart. tried to not make this as self-insert-y as much as possible. format is very messy as it shifts to bulleted to non-bulleted.

gn reader, established relationship, semi-proofread and kinda horrible grammar, pretty tame mention of double suicide, very cheesy fluff, potentially ooc dazai.

he is the definition of what a menace is.

several papers that are scattered on the table, in need of your review and signature. in the midst of inking the papers, a finger twirls the side of your hair, and so you realize that the papers are not the only thing that acquires your attention.

you glance at the man next to you, a singular hand cups his face, twirling your hair as he kicks his feet, mimicking a lovesick schoolgirl. although, he isn't bothering you as much as he usually does. you return to your duties and he hums a song, possibly another improvised double suicide song.

osamu makes up the absence of speech you speak, he is the first to ask you how your day was when you come home. despite that you do not speak until necessary, it does not bother him. he loves hearing your voice, even if it's coming from your usual one-to-two word sentences.

your eyes and mind are occupied to the laptop before you, checking for requests that are in need of the detective's attention, but it appears that none of them are worth the agency's help, so you snap to the pile of papers next to the device.

you were accustomed to the sight of stacked papers as you rarely attend missions in the agency unless the situation is dire, that was the nature of your job as a detective. nevertheless, the agency is home to you, even with the rapscallions that also reside in the agency. one of them was near and dear to your heart.

the front door of the office was kicked by a loud 'bang!', so you hold your thought and looked up from that papers.

"good morning belladonaaaa ♡" you look at him with your eyes half closed as he approached your seat.

"...you're late, were you floating by the river again?"

"oh come on! don't be like that!" as if he was a child, he pouts and look to the side. now that he's much closer to you, your eyes instinctively snap to his other hand that's hidden on his back.

you give him a look of curiosity, "what's that behind you?" osamu snaps back to reality, he looks at you and the hidden item gripped in his hands, then he giggles. "...we're not exactly alike but... i'm thankful that we clicked and let alone that you wanted to be with me. i hope you would at least accept this as my immense thanks for you."

despite the fact that you have been dating the man for a long time now, dazai is an enigma to you. even when he has opened up to you regarding his past and suicidal nature, you feel as if you don't know everything about him, but it was never to the point that you think he is dangerous.

the subtle smile that appears on his face as he slowly gives you a bouquet of flowers made you think so.

you are only now able to notice that flowers aren't the only thing containing the bouquet now that you're actually holding it. "my favorite foods? ...you remember?"

"of course" he chuckles, "the way to their heart is through their stomach, don't you agree?"

...

the two of you found the agency members peeking through the door, literally stacked upon each other. they ran off when the both of you acknowledged their presence.

as his superior and partner, you constantly have to tame him even if it means he'll sit still for just a minute.

you suffer the same fate as kunikida and chuuya in having to deal with him, you can't tell if his continuous chatter makes your ears ring or if it's music to your ears.

literally the "talks a lot x listens" dynamic. he babbles all the words and you politely listen. dazai needs a listener anyways.

he invites you to go with him in his adventure to find the best way to go to the next life during your breaks. in some cases that you agree, you're just by the side reading a book, like a parent who is helping their child on the swing.

...

writing this made me realize that i'm horrible at writing dialogues and way better in writing descriptions.

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mochikage · 2 years

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fuckboy!kakashi x reader This was a request from my old blog. I’m not giving it a title because I am lazy xo. (side note: i do not see kakashi as as fuckboy unless very specific circumstances in his anbu years occur)

unedited + 12.5k words ....oops. THERE IS SMUT IN THIS, MDNI

“Why don’t you take off the mask? I want to see how good I’m making you feel.” The woman, whose name he had already forgotten, bit her lip as she looked down at Kakashi. She was currently straddling his hips and her fingers were dancing around his neck, too close to the edges of his mask for him to be comfortable. He sits up, bringing his face closer to the woman above him.

He’s never thought the mask to be a problem. Some girls even found it hot that they couldn’t really see him, couldn’t really kiss him. They’ll moan against the mask and whine about wanting him to take it off, but he never does. It’s not like it’ll take away from their pleasure because he always did leave them satisfied. It obviously wasn’t as big of a deal if women were still lining up for a chance to get in bed with him.

“It stays on.” He simply replies to her before moving his hands down in between her legs. She moans when he moves her panties aside and starts to play with her. Apparently, she didn’t get the hint. Her hands got as far as hooking under his mask before they were yanked away by the man under her.

“What did I just say?” Kakashi stares at the woman above him and begins to rethink his actions. He wanted to fuck, but was the lay really worth it if she was going to be irritating? He ponders if he should go through the trouble of tying her up, but truth be told, he wasn’t really having it that day. It’s not the first time that someone has asked him to remove the mask before they fuck, but usually, they got the hint after he rejects their request.

He moves the woman off of his lap and she begins to apologize, realizing how she was coming off.

“Don’t worry about it.” He mumbles to her as he gets up to put on his shirt and vest. He has his headband on and over his eye and before the woman knows it, he’s gone. He left her in her bed, cursing herself for ruining the one chance she had to sleep with the infamous Kakashi Hatake.

He had gathered quite a reputation, both in the shinobi world and in the civilian world. Of course, they were two stark different reputations, but a reputation, nonetheless. As Kakashi walks down the quiet streets of Konoha, he finds that his mind is anything but. He thinks about how he even got himself in that situation and finds himself regretting it when he remembers.

Earlier in the day, Kakashi had gone to the academy to pick up some papers. It was there that he saw Y/N. He remembers the way his heartfelt when she gave him a sweet greeting, sporting a beautiful smile. She even brought him a copy of her favourite book. He gave her a smile of his own.

“Oh, Y/N thank you, but you didn’t have to do this.” He takes the gift out of her hands and looks at the cover. He remembers her bringing the book up, but truth be told he doesn’t remember a single thing that she said about it. He was too focused on the way her lips were moving when she talked. He was too entranced with the way her eyes shined in the sun. He was too distracted by her smile to even think about what she was saying.

“Don’t mention it.” She politely waves him off, “I hope you do end up liking it.” They had talked for a little bit, and something about the way she talked about her students made his stomach somersault.

He always feels lovesick after talking to her. He knows that it’s a simple fix, but he didn’t have the courage to ask her out. He didn’t know if he ever will and that’s something he’s trying to come to terms with. The moment with Y/N was short-lived. She was called away by Iruka to help out with something, but she didn’t leave without giving him one last near heart-attack.

Instead of waving goodbye to him she reached out and squeezed his arm, giving him an apologetic smile.

“I’ll see you later?” She asks him, and he simply nodded, too flustered from the proximity of the two.

That’s when whats-her-face ran into him as he left. Now that Kakashi thinks about it, that woman was waiting for him outside of the Academy. She had caught him at the perfect time. He was mostly in a good mood after talking to Y/N, but something was missing. He needed more of her touch. Fortunately for him, he knows where he can find the attention that he’s craving, but he only wishes he can get it from her.

Unfortunately, enough though when he really thinks about it, he hasn’t fully slept with anyone since Y/N kissed his cheek while he walked a drunk her and drunk Iruka home over a month ago. He’s gotten as far as letting them strip his vest but then something in him makes him stop everything. In this case, it had been the woman annoying him, but he can’t deny that in many other cases it had been because he’s opened his eyes kissing them and realized that it wasn’t his girl.

As Kakashi turns another corner, he lets out another frustrated sigh. He was frustrated both sexually and just with himself. If he could just gather the courage to say something to her then maybe he can finally be happy. He’s spent far too long pitying himself and he’s gotten to the point where he’s willing to give love a chance. It’s caught him by surprise the first time he realizes it, when Y/N first smiled at him. It was something about her that drew him in every time he saw her.

And once again, he finds himself thinking about the one girl he really cared for. There have been countless times he’s asked himself how she managed to get past his walls without him noticing. He once even thought that she had cast some kind of jutsu on him, but that idea was scratched quickly when he realized just how dumb it sounded.

Kakashi stops in his tracks when he hears his name called. He turns around curiously, wondering who in the right mind was up at this hour. When he recognizes the familiar figure approaching him, he immediately straightens his posture.

“Y/N?” Her name comes out more like a question and he can’t help the little flip his stomach does when he sees her in regular clothing. Her hair is down, and he wishes upon the twinkling stars of the night sky that he will be blessed with this sight again.

There was something about her running towards him in the soft moonlight that made him second guess if he was dreaming or not. She had a basket in one arm and her jounin jacket in the other.

“What are you doing up this late?” She steals the question right from his lips. He sees her eyes glance down to his dishevelled clothes before seeing her smile falter slightly. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why he looked like this late at night. He opens his mouth, wanting to give her some sort of explanation but he can’t find the words. What would he even say?

“Actually, I’m glad I ran into you. I have something for you.” She opens her basket. Where did she have to go that was so important that it had to be at this time? And did she have to be alone? His mouth twitches into a frown under his mask, and he grows mildly irritated by her seemingly carefree attitude. He debates if he should tell her that she shouldn’t be out this late, at least not alone. Before he could come to a decision, she pulls out a file. He’s even more baffled now but he takes the scroll from her.

“It’s from the Hokage. It’s the official invitation to the graduation ceremony.” She explains to him. She doesn’t give him much time to respond before she moves around him to keep walking. Kakashi wants to stop her, but he doesn’t know what he can say to her that will get her to stop. So, with his head now hung even lower than before, he makes his way home.

The following two weeks were bleak for Kakashi. There was no mission for him, all of his students were enjoying their time off, and he hasn’t seen Y/N in far too long for him to be comfortable with it. Usually, he might go and see what woman can hold his attention long enough for him to go home with them, but he couldn’t get the image of Y/N’s face out of his mind. He shouldn’t care about what she thinks, and yet he’s so disappointed in himself after that interaction.

Kakashi is even more disappointed with each night that passes where he doesn’t run into Y/N. He would be lying if he said he didn’t stay out longer in hopes of seeing her again. He has changed his usual route to increase his chances. Hell, he even sent a clone once to help him look. Each night he had failed to find her, and it’s not until he’s called into the Hokage’s office that he sees her again.

Kakashi knocks on the door to the office and patiently waits to be invited in. He’s surprised when the door opens, and Y/N is standing there. She gives him a signature sweet smile before moving to the side to let him in.

“Okay, now that everyone is here, we can get started.”

The meeting with the Hokage was the for the most part, uneventful. He was assigned on a mission with Y/N, and to say he’s not excited would be a flat out lie. Y/N walks out with him, and for the first time in a while, he hears her calming voice.

“What time do you think we should leave tomorrow?”

He’s mildly disappointed that she kept the conversation professional, but then again, they did just leave the office.

“Well, it takes about 27 hours to get to that village. It’ll probably take two days to get there, so the earlier we leave, the better.” They both stop outside of the building. He takes in her appearance. Her hair was held back by her forehead protector, and her usual shinobi attire was scuffed up. He noticed the distressed attire, and he can’t remember if it looked like this the last time he saw her or not.

“Did you just get back from a mission?” He can’t stop himself from asking. He feels his cheeks flush when she makes eye contact with him, her eyes glistening happily.

“I did. The Sand Village needed help retrieving stolen documents from the Hidden Sound.” He mirrors her smile, not that she could see it anyways.

“How was it?” He continues the conversation, hoping that she would stay and talk to him for a little longer. They begin to walk together as he listens intently to how her mission went. He admired her for loving her work and admires her even more with the way she talks about her comrades. She always spoke so highly of them, and she never had a bad word to say about anyone.

They reach her house quicker than Kakashi would like, and she fully turns to the man in front of her.

“Soooo do you want to meet tomorrow at 6?”

Kakashi’s brain short circuits for a second, thinking that she was asking him out on a date. He watches her eyebrows pinch together in thought.

“Is that too early for you? I’ve heard Naruto complain about you being late.” She giggles quietly to herself, and Kakashi hopes to hear it again. He realizes what she meant and shakes his head, as if to clear the thoughts of how a date with her would go. He plays it off as if he was replying to her question.

“No, no. That should be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiles and waits for her to go safely inside before leaving to go to his own home, his mind swimming with thoughts of her smile and laugh.

The next morning, Kakashi gets up earlier than usual. He wants to blame it on the birds chirping outside, but the nerves tingling in his stomach say otherwise. He grabs his packed bags and sets out the main village gates. He sees another figure there, resting along the wall. The closer he gets, the clearer the figure.

“Y/N?” He calls out, recognizing her smaller frame when he gets closer. She turns around and looks over, smiling politely at him.

“What are you doing here early?”

“Couldn’t really sleep.” She shrugs, “I guess I was nervous for this mission because I couldn’t stop waking up. Figured I get here early.” She lies, knowing full well that she was excited for this one-on-one mission with the man she’s had her eye on for a while. Of course, she would never let him know that, knowing about his reputation. It’s a recipe for a bad heartbreak, and it’s something that she would avoid at all costs. The only response Kakashi gives her is a nod, choosing not to voice his disapproval of her not getting a good night’s rest.

They both climb up the nearest trees right outside the gates and set out to the inn they’re supposed to stay at. They’re both flying through the trees, both of them keeping up with each other easily. Neither of them would say it, but they’re both enjoying the company significantly, even if no words have been exchanged in between them. At one point, Kakashi even begins to push off the same trees as Y/N, and she looks over at him briefly. He gives her a close eyed smile, one so soft that Y/N almost trips on her own two feet.

“Do you want to race?” She calls over to him, noticing him land at the same place and at the same time as her. He looks over at her, and something about her aura briefly reminded him of his dear friend, Gai. Maybe it was how she was always positive. He’s never really seen her in a bad mood. Maybe it was because anytime he had seen her spar, he would notice how good her taijutsu was (not that her ninjutsu or genjutsu wasn’t any good, but he hasn’t seen those as much as her hand-to-hand combat). Maybe it was because she was challenging him to a race right now, and he was not one to back down from a challenge, not anymore.

“What’s the finish line?”

“There’s a river a couple miles up ahead. We should be getting there by midday; it might be good to stop for some water and food.” Kakashi agrees to the plan and waits for her to say that the race has started.

“Go!” She exclaims excitedly, moving past Kakashi, who was baffled that he had no warning before she started the race. He chuckles quietly to himself, her good mood rubbing off on him easily. He chases after her, noticing that she really did move quickly. They were both necks in neck, racing towards the river up ahead.

A few hours pass and the two of them finally reach the river, both of them panting from the run. They both stop in front of the water, look at each other, and laugh between themselves.

“I thought you said it was only a few miles away,” Kakashi comments with a smile under his mask as he dips his hands in the river to wash his face.

“Is it a good time to say that I’m not the best at guessing distances?” Y/N says shyly, taking a few swigs of her water. She notices Kakashi turning towards his bags, back to her. She watches his arm muscles move underneath the long-sleeved blue shirt. She shifts in her seated position when he tilts his head back to drink some water. What she would give to see his face.

Y/N was already attracted to him, well, she frequently asks herself who isn’t? But there was something about seeing a more playful side of him with her today that made her feel that much more for the jounin in front of her. He’s always had a place in her heart, for she felt for his pain when he lost his father and best friends. Like Gai, she had tried her best to lift his spirits when they were younger. Gai was more relentless than her, and she had a fear of annoying the laid-back shinobi. She wishes she never gave into the crush on him. He shifts again in his sitting position, and it looks like he’s pulling his mask back up. He turns back to Y/N, who is now blushing madly for being caught staring at him.

“So…who won?” Y/N asks, leaning back on her hands.

“I’m pretty sure it was me.”

“Hm..” Y/N hums, squinting her eyes at him, “I don’t think so. Pretty sure I got here before you, so I think you owe me dinner.” She teases.

“I don’t think we ever agreed to loser buying the winner dinner.”

She grabs a portion of food out of her pack, as does Kakashi.

“No? Well, I don’t think I agreed to you winning that race. In fact, I’m sure you were behind me when we landed.” Y/N smiles as she picks up her chopsticks.

“If you wanted me to buy you dinner, you just had to ask. No need to lie about winning the race.” He teases her, and the kunoichi shakes her head, enjoying this side of him. Before she could say anything, he speaks up, voice laced with concern.

“You’re bleeding.” Kakashi sets his food down and immediately turns to retrieve a little medical kit from his bag. Y/N looks down at her thigh and gasps.

“Shoot, I must have popped a stitch.” She stands immediately, moving away from the worried shinobi next to her.

“What are you doing?” He asks, watching her wobble behind a tree.

“I’m changing the bandages,” Y/N calls out. She makes sure she’s out of his view before she pulls her pants down.

“Shit.” She mutters quietly, seeing the fresh wound open again. Y/N sighs, grabbing a bandage from her bag, deciding that she would have to deal with it later. She wraps it up quickly, and rounds the tree, running straight into Kakashi.

“Are you alright? Did you open the stitches?” He asks, looking at your now stained pants. Y/N waves him off, telling him a reassuring don’t worry but he doesn’t believe her. He decides not to push her, instead going back to their food. She’s mildly disappointed to see that his food is all gone. Maybe the next time they eat, she’ll get to see his face.

“I’m carrying this from now on. You shouldn’t put any extra weight on that leg.” Kakashi’s usually cool, relaxed voice is back, a change that she notices from his previously lighter tone. It disappoints her, but she brushes it off. She opens her mouth to argue, but he’s already jumped up to the trees. She follows him, hot on his trail.

“You know, you don’t have to carry my bag,” Y/N calls out, hoping that she’s not sounding ungrateful. Kakashi doesn’t reply to her. She frowns, wondering if she had done something wrong.

The rest of the day was silent between the two, nothing like the first half. Y/N had spent it worrying if she had said something to him, and he spends it wondering why the Hokage would send her on a mission if she was still injured. He wasn’t in a good mood, now worried that Y/N was in jeopardy from her injury. They stop a couple of hours later, Kakashi sensing Y/N slowing down.

“We can camp here for the night,” Kakashi announces, releasing a protective jutsu around them. He notes how deep into the forest in the Land of Fire. Pretty soon, they would be in foreign territory. Kakashi notes that he would have to travel close to his comrade tomorrow in any case they get into danger.

Y/N began unpacking her bag, pulling out her sleeping bag and a basket. Kakashi unpacks the book she gave him. He sets up his sleeping bag next to a tree and leans against the trunk for some light reading. He can’t help but let his eyes slip past the book in his hands and to kunoichi in front of him. Kakashi grows more irritated with the situation at hand. The last thing she needs to do is stand.

“Where are you going?” He can’t help but ask.

“To go gather some medicinal flowers.”

“Is that where you go in the middle of the night?” He asks, not realizing how creepy that could have sounded if she didn’t run into him the other night.

“Yes.”

“What do the flowers look like?”

“White, with black specks on them.”

Kakashi picks up the basket next to the girl.

“Don’t worry about it. Now get some rest, Y/N. Tomorrow we’ll walk. If we follow the river downstream, we should get there by sundown.” He doesn’t spare her a glance.

“Sundown? But-“

“We’re walking. No fast travelling, no trees, no races.” Kakashi’s cold gaze snaps over to Y/N. She’s already re-opened her wound and he will not risk making it worse by playing childish games with her. He mentally scolds himself for getting carried away with her. The girls' shoulders visibly slouched, confused as to why she was picking up disappointing tones from him. Maybe he was coming off harsh towards her, but he doesn’t want to argue with her about walking tomorrow so he was hoping to come off as if there was no other option. with his stubbornness, there really wasn’t.

Y/N doesn’t say anything to him. Instead, she decides to call it a night. She would wake herself up in a few hours to let him rest as well. Kakashi leaves the girl to collect the flowers. It doesn’t take him long. The area they were around was covered with the speckled flowers. He begins to pick the flowers one by one, wondering what this would have been like with Y/N by his side. He wonders how many nights she’s out in the forest picking the flowers for the medical staff. His stomach churns at the thought of something happening to her at that time of night. He physically shakes his head, wanting to get rid of the thoughts that were crossing his mind.

He begins to think of something more positive. He finds himself thinking that he was grateful that he gets to go on a mission with her. He gets to have a full understanding of what her feelings towards him were. She’s always been so kind to him, but he could never understand why. He’s happy that Gai isn’t there with them, only because he’s the only one in the village that knows how he feels about the kunoichi. And once again, his thoughts are back to her.

With a heavy sigh, he goes back to their minicamp and plops himself down against the tree to read. Kakashi spends his time switching his attention from the sleeping kunoichi in front of him and his book. He notices how her lips pout in her sleep, and he can’t explain it but he has the urge to kiss the plump lip. He doesn’t know for how long he’s under her enchantment, but he does know that he saw the lip tremble. He closes the book and gets up quietly. He grabs his own blanket from his sleeping bag and drapes it over her body. He doesn’t think that he’ll need it for the rest of the night because truth be told, he had no intention of waking her up for her watch. His clone comes back a few hours later, a basket full of the flowers she had requested.

Y/N wakes up the next morning to smell of eggs and the sound of fire crackling. She lets out a yawn and sits up, so at peace with herself that she momentarily forgot where she was at the moment.

“Kakashi!” She exclaims out, noticing the bright sun that shined above the two of them. He has one hand moving the food around a makeshift pan and the eggs on it while the other is holding the book you gave him earlier. He only hums in response, turning the page to his book.

“Why didn’t you wake me up? Did you get any rest?” She sits up, not missing the extra blanket on top of her body.

“Plenty. All I did was sit around.”

“That’s not resting.” She says, irritated with the man in front of her. A wave of guilt washed over her. How could she sleep so soundly when he clearly needed it more? Kakashi doesn’t reply to her and instead hands her a plate of food.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” She asks, grabbing the plate.

“I already ate earlier.” Kakashi begins to clean everything up, letting the sleepy kunoichi enjoy her breakfast. He packs almost everything, leaving the sleeping bag she was sitting on to be packed last. Keeping his promise from the day before, he carries most of the bags, ignoring the comment she made saying that she could carry it.

The rest of the trip and the mission itself was uneventful for the most part. Both of their abilities complement each other, something Kakashi is waiting for the Hokage to recognize so they can be paired more often. He’s hoping at least. The mission itself only lasted a few hours. They were able to extract the information they needed quickly and undetected. Kakashi would have been lying if he said that he wasn’t concerned about her leg. However, considering that she hadn’t complained about it nor had there been any signs of the wound reopening he forced the worry to the back of his mind.

The travel back to the village was just as uneventful as the mission itself. He had given in to her constant begging and let her carry her own stuff, but he made sure to keep an eye on her pace and her leg to make sure she wasn’t putting a “tough” face on. They stopped around the same area they had on the way there, but this time Y/N made sure that she would take the first watch, and even gave Kakashi a taste of his own medicine and didn’t wake him up for his turn.

By the time they arrived back to the village, it was late at night. The gates of Konoha came into view, and the two of them dropped down from the trees and walked in. Kakashi couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he would no longer have an excuse to spend time with her.

“Do you think Lady Hokage is still in her office?” Y/N breaks the comfortable silence between the two.

“I don’t know, she might already be at the bar.” Kakashi jokes, although there was a possibility that there was truth to his words. He smiles under his mask when Y/N lets out a hearty laugh, agreeing with the man next to her.

“Maybe. Should we report to her tomorrow then?” She stops walking as soon as they enter the village and turns to Kakashi.

“That’ll probably be best. Besides, it buys us time to have the mission report ready.”

“Buys you time to have the mission report ready.” Y/N comments, taking a drink from her water bottle.

“When did you have the time to write yours?”

“When you were sleeping.”

“Oh, you mean when you didn’t wake me up for my watch?”

“Watch it, Hatake. You did it to me first.” Y/N smiles, seeing the crinkles forming on the sides of his eyes, indicating that he enjoys their banter as much as she did.

“Anyways..” She trails off and looks in the direction of her home. She didn’t want this mission to end. If she was being completely honest, she almost wished that the mission didn’t go so smoothly just so she could spend another day with the man next to her. She didn’t expect to enjoy this mission so much, especially since data-retrieval one’s weren’t her favorite but the company she had made it worth it.

“Can I walk you home?” Kakashi asks, catching her off guard. She nods, happy that he seems to enjoy her company as much as she enjoyed his. Although the walk between the two was silent, the thoughts in their own minds was anything but. Kakashi spent the walk debating what they would talk about. He didn’t want to bring up any work stuff, nor anything to do with the mission before. He glances over to Y/N, who in her own mind is having debates on whether or not she should be the one to break the silence or not.

“I’m enjoying the book you lent me, thank you again,” he starts, hoping that he could get her to do most of the talking in order to learn more about her. Y/N smiles over at the man, nearly taking his breath away. He takes note of just how much he loves receiving her beaming smiles, not that it was news to him.

“Of course. You’re always reading Icha Icha, not that there’s anything wrong with them, but I thought you might like a different story.”

“It was very thoughtful of you.” Kakashi compliments. It was well known that Y/N was a sweetheart, and the fact that she was still single really baffles Kakashi. He had hope that maybe one day he would grow a pair and ask her out, but he always blames it on not having the right time to say—or do—anything. He doesn’t miss the blush that brushes her cheeks, and he has half a heart to pull down his mask and lean in down to kiss them. He wonders if it would make her blush more, or if she would even give her a kiss of her own. He shakes his head, realizing she had said something to him.

“What was that?” He asks, turning his attention forward. It would be better for him not to be distracted by her.

“I was asking what you liked about it.”

“Oh…well I like that Mikasa (iykyk) is bold. She doesn’t let any fear slow her down or stop her from getting what she wants.” He replies. It’s ironic, how much he admires the main character of the story and how she can do anything she sets her mind to and yet here he is, a well-known shinobi who can’t even muster the courage to ask out a comrade.

“Yeah..I really wish I had her bravery. Definitely would be in a different place right now if I did.” Y/N chuckles.

“How do you mean?” Kakashi can’t help but ask. He couldn’t agree more with her comment, although he doubts that she’s thinking the same thing he is. If he had the same courage, the kunoichi next to him would be more than a comrade to him, and he wouldn’t have the reputation that he had with the civilians of the village. The girl next to him blushes even more, but with the ideal world Kakashi is building in his mind, he misses it.

“Well, I just mean that maybe I still wouldn’t be single…” Y/N trails off, “o-or maybe I would have even gotten the right order if I said something to that fisherman back in the village.”

She worries for a second that she got too personal with Kakashi. They both now stood at her doorstep, watching each other in silence. She doesn’t know what to do, and Kakashi is lost in his own mind wondering if these were the signs, he’s been looking for all this time. All this talk about bravery, getting what one wants, her being single, were they hints?

Kakashi takes a step closer to her, causing her to crane her neck to keep the eye contact they’ve been holding for who knows how long. Tentatively, he reaches a hand to cup her cheek, relishing in the soft skin against his hand. He only wishes he took off his fingerless gloves to fully caress her cheek, but he ditches any thoughts he had as he musters up the courage to lean in. He’s carefully watching her actions and took the fact that she didn’t flinch or move away from him as a good sign. She seems like she’s leaning in too, and Kakashi’s heart feels like it’s going to jump out of his chest from sheer excitement. He only stops leaning in when she speaks up, her words confusing him.

“I don’t trust myself.”

“What do you mean?” He’s still close to her, hand still on her cheek.

“I don’t want to hook up with you and then regret it later.”

“Why would you regret it?” He frowns at her words, dropping his hand from her face.

“I’m scared I’m going to catch feelings and then I’ll have to see you with other women. I’d rather save myself the hurt.” Y/N spoke so quietly that if the village hadn’t been completely silent, he wouldn’t have heard her. His mind was racing at the moment. He watches her in silence as she fishes around her bag to find the key to her place.

“Y-you’re the only one that I want.” He stammers, trying to find the right words to say.

“How many times have you used that one?” She asks in disbelief. She didn’t say it in a malicious way, nor did she seem upset judging by the way she smiled. Maybe she meant it in a joking way, but Kakashi was in no mood for jokes with what was at stake.

He had finally had the courage to nearly kiss the girl he actually liked, and he had no idea how he was going to convince her that she really was the one he had been wanting all along. How was he going to explain to her that everyone else he slept with was purely for need and because he couldn’t really have her? That sounded so cliché it made him cringe internally. He’s left standing alone on her porch before he can get a simple ‘wait’ out.

The next morning, he meets her at the Hokage’s office, neither of them making eye contact when they greet each other. Kakashi steals a glance at her, and from the looks of it, she must have stayed up all night as well. He frowns to himself, wondering if he should speak up and apologize for his behaviour the night before. Deciding that it was better to mention it at another time, he turns his attention to the Hokage.

Both of them turn in their mission reports and wait to be dismissed. Lady Tsunade had a few questions here and there, but for the most part, everything seemed fine. Kakashi wanted nothing more than to be dismissed so he could talk to his comrade, but she seemed to have other plans. As soon as Tsunade dismissed them, she had asked if she could stay and talk to her for a moment.

As Kakashi leaves the office, he wonders what Y/N might have to tell her. It really could have been anything, but he lets his mind drift off to the worst possible scenario just because he loves to torture himself. Could she be requesting that they never get paired again? Would she be complaining about the mission? Negative thoughts flooded his mind as he walked down the stairs. Would things be different between them now? Before he could continue spiralling down the negative void, Maito Gai hooks his arm around his neck, catching him by surprise for the first time.

“Ah! My eternal rival has come back! Are you ready to put our skills to the test once again?” The jounin practically yells in his ear.

“What will it be this time?” His enthusiasm continued as he jumped in front of Kakashi, effectively stopping him in his tracks. His hands were out as if he was prepared to fight him. “Rock paper scissors? Another sushi-eating contest?” He asks, smile faltering when Kakashi sticks his hands in his pocket and makes his way around Gai.

“Not now, Gai.” And with that, he leaves back to his house.

A couple of days go by, and he’s convinced that Y/N is avoiding him. He had run into her at the market, and she kept the conversation sweet, but short. The other day he had spotted her at the bookstore, but before he could go up to say something to her, one of the women he’s previously slept with had ruined the moment for him. As soon as the woman spoke his name, he watched Y/N tense and walk in the other direction. The next time he sees her, they’re all out celebrating Genma’s birthday, and if her body language was anything to go by, she wasn’t the only one that was forced to be there.

Currently, they were about three or four rounds in, and everyone was beginning to let loose. Well, everyone aside from Y/N and Kakashi. He wants to go talk to her more than anything, but it’s like every time he sees her, she’s talking to someone new. He gets up to get a round of drinks for everyone, hoping that it would give him an excuse to interject the conversation she was having with Gai. Yamato joins Kakashi at the bar.

“So Y/N, you haven’t said a single word about your last mission.” Gai notes, filling his glass with more beer, “usually you have plenty to say about how things went, let alone how great your comrades were. What’s different this time? Is it because you admire Kakashi in a different way?” He raises her eyebrows suggestively, making the girl flustered.

“No!” She’s quick to deny, hoping that she doesn’t seem suspicious, “nothing really happened on it. It went really smoothly.”

“Come on, you’re telling me that you had a three-day mission, and nothing happened?”

“Nothing aside from kicking ass.”

“Wow...And here I thought that he would finally make a move on you.” Gai hiccups, pouring himself another beer. His words catch Y/N off guard, and she goes against her better judgement and asks the nearly wasted ninja in front her for clarification. She knows that he probably shouldn’t be saying anything, but the opportunity to get anything out of Kakashi’s closest comrade was too rare for her to pass up.

“Well, it’s no secret he has a thing for you. Has for a while…”

“He sleeps around with women in Konoha. In what language does that mean that he likes me?”

“Used to.” Gai corrects, waving his beer around, nearly spilling it on the table, “one of my dear friends used to be a frequent flyer with him but apparently, he stopped after Iruka’s birthday about two months ago.” He lets out another hiccup before downing the rest of his beer. Y/N is lost in her thoughts, wondering if any of his drunken words held truth to them. What had happened two months ago that made him suddenly stop? Her eyes trail to the man in question, watching Yamato torture the man.

“Come on, Kakashi! What has gotten into you?” Yamato slaps the man’s back. It was harder than he had intended to but with the few rounds of beer he had in him, he found it difficult to control his strength. “I thought that you enjoyed her company.”

“Enjoying the sex we have is not the same as enjoying her company.” Kakashi comments, wondering when this dreadful conversation will end.

“Why are you such in a rush to get back to Gai? Do you think he’s telling her about your latest conquests? Although you did say you haven’t been…hey where are you-“ Before Yamato could finish his sentence, Kakashi is making his way to stop Gai from ruining any chance he has with Y/N, but is stopped on the way by the birthday man himself.

“Kakashi! My maaan!” Genma, clearly wasted and enjoying his birthday hugs both Yamato and Kakashi, uncharacteristically gushing to the men how much he appreciates them coming. Kakashi’s heart sinks when he sees Y/N standing up.

“I should get going,” Y/N says, wondering why she was torturing herself asking Gai these questions. He was clearly drunk, and there really was no way to tell if his words were true or not. She makes her way out, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. Even if she had, there’s no telling who would remember it or not. She finally makes it out of the bar, taking a deep breath in the fresh air. She begins to walk home, Gai’s words floating around her head.

“Y/N!” She hears her name being called and turns around. Upon seeing who had called her name, she wishes silently that she hadn’t turned around. Kakashi runs up to her, and if she hadn’t known any better, she wouldn’t have noticed how nervous he looked. She was taken aback by his appearance. The one eye she could see had the brow pulled down in a worrisome manner, his eyes wide as he searched her face for any sign of her being upset.

“I’m so sorry…” He begins, causing her to grow even more confused. “I don’t know how much Gai has told you or really what exactly he has told you but it’s not true.” He hurries out, worried that all the efforts he had put in to show her that he’s so much more than the reputation he carries were thrown out the window by mere words of his drunk friend.

Y/N tries her best not to look disappointed. Her stomach and shoulders drop at the news. Surely, she must have known that Gai had been lying. How could Kakashi like her? She was an average shinobi, and average looking girl, and not to mention probably not the most interesting person in the world. Had she voiced her thoughts out loud, the frustrated man in front of her would have corrected her on all those things. He thought the world of her. If only either of them could speak their mind with the other.

“Oh.” It was the only thing she could say. She looks down at her feet, feeling her eyes begin to sting. “Right, well. If that’s all you had to say...” She trails off, blinking away any signs of tears and throws on a smile before she looks back up to Kakashi. His expression has changed to one of confusion. He could tell that her smile was fake, even if it would have been believable to anyone else.

“Have I said something to upset you?” Kakashi asks, and Y/N wants to scoff at his concern.

“No. Goodnight.” She says curtly. She wanted nothing more than to go home and cry into her pillow from how horrible this night was. She was forced to come out to celebrate a comrade’s birthday, only for her to gain some stupid hope that she could be with Kakashi only for it to be crushed moments later. She doesn’t know if she’s upset with herself for believing Gai’s words or with Kakashi for being so charming, although the latter wouldn’t completely be his fault.

She turns on her heels and walks even faster away from Kakashi, leaving him confused and standing outside the bar alone. He has to stop himself from going after her, knowing just how annoying it can be to want to be alone and for people to annoy you. He retraces his steps, wondering where he could have gone wrong.

Y/N locks herself in her room that night, letting the tears fall freely now. She plops herself down on her bed and stares at the blurry ceiling. How could she have been so stupid to think that he might have liked her? She scolds herself for believing Gai’s drunken words so easily. She knew deep down that it was something she’s longed to hear from her comrade. Maybe she believed him so easily because they almost kissed the night they arrived in the village. She shakes her head, telling herself that they were both tired from the mission and looking for some company. If she had a stronger heart then she would have indulged herself that night. Y/N turns over in her bed and looks out her window and tells herself that she’ll get over him. Her mind loves torturing her, so of course, she dreams of what could have happened that night if they kissed that night.

The next day, Kakashi goes to the Hokage’s office.

“You asked for me Lady Hokage?”

“Yes. Could you help set up for the graduation ceremony? We’re a little short on helping hands. I have a couple of people signed up already but Iruka says he needs more.”

“What time?”

“There are several slots still open.” She motions for him to come closer to his desk as she pulls out a list. He looks over the names, spotting Y/N’s signed up for the earlier time slot.

“Is this what Y/N wanted to talk about the other day?” He wonders. Tsunade’s smile grew, and from the twitch in the corner of her lips, he could tell that she expected him to ask.

“No. It was nothing serious. She only asked to be off a couple of missions so she could fully recover.” She shrugged. The man quietly sighs to himself in relief. He picks up a pen, tempted to write his name below Y/N’s. He bites his lip under his mask, wondering if he should be so obvious to fill out the empty slot right under her name when there were so many other time slots to choose from. He writes his name down in the time slot after, telling himself that he could catch her on the way out. Before he could leave, Tsunade calls out to him.

“Oh, one more thing. Y/N left her forehead protector here, by the way. Would you mind getting that back to her?” Tsunade smirks, clearly suspicious of his feelings towards the kunoichi. Of course, she could just ask Y/N to come by and retrieve it, but she wanted to gauge Kakashi’s reaction. He simply nods, not giving her as much information from the gesture as she would have liked. At least now he had a valid reason to go see her.

Kakashi finds taking the scenic route. He doesn’t know if he’s buying himself time to think over what he was going to say to her or if he was simply avoiding any confrontation with her. He remembers her getting upset with him last night, but regardless of how many times he racks his brain, he can’t come up with a reason. Maybe she was still upset that he tried to kiss her. He finds himself walking to the pharmacy. He needed to pick up a refill of his prescription anyways. It’s there that he runs into Gai, who was looking through the aspirin bottles. It was one of the few times that the taijutsu specialist ever looked so….calm. Undoubtedly it must be consequences from the previous night. Usually, Kakashi would just let Gai approach him, ready for whatever nonsense he would be spewing, but he needed a couple of answers before he would go to see Y/N.

“No training today?” Kakashi asks, apparently too loudly for the man as he winced at his words and groaned.

“No. I’ll be in bed serving my time for my bad choices yesterday.” It was strange to hear his voice with little to no enthusiasm in it. Alcohol was really the only thing that could quiet down Maito Gai.

“Do you remember any of it?” He asks, looking through the rows of pill bottles to make sure he didn’t need anything else. Gai visibly tensed, and Kakashi prepared himself for what was to come.

“Yes..” he sports a frown and drops his head down guiltily “and I’m sorry I have failed you as a friend.”

“How do you mean?” Kakashi hopes that he doesn’t come off as desperate for answers as he is with how quickly he asked the follow-up question.

“I told Y/N that you like her. I’m sorry, I know you entrusted me with that information and I—”

“Wait, what?” Kakashi’s taken back by his words, his stomach churning in response. He quickly returns to his usual cool composure, deciding that he would freak out on the inside.

“I’m. sorry for betraying you.” He looks over at Gai, who was nearly in tears. Kakashi rolls his eyes at his overdramatic comrade. Maybe he should have been mad at him for telling Y/N something like that. It’s not like he ever outwardly told him that he liked her, but Gai knew him so well that for him it was something as clear as day. Maybe he should have been mad but given the other things he could have told her, what he thought he told her at least, this probably really was the best case scenario.

“Pull yourself together, Gai. We’re in public.” Kakashi scolds his sobbing friend, feeling mild secondhand embarrassment from the openly emotional man next to him. “I’m not mad. If anything, maybe I should be grateful, you did me a favour.” He almost regrets saying those words, seeing Gai look over at him with wide, watery eyes. He knew a hug was coming, but he moved quicker than the hungover jounin.

“I have to get going. I have to be somewhere.” It’s only half a lie. He’s planning on going to Y/N’s, but he remembers their last conversation and stops at the entrance of the pharmacy.

I don’t know how much Gai has told you or really what exactly he has told you but it’s not true.

Shit.

The jounin mentally slaps himself, wondering why the hell he didn’t go to Gai first to ask what was said or even ask her what she was told before blabbering out lies to her. Would that have been the last straw? Could he have been the one to ruin any chance with her? Endless questions plagued Kakashi’s mind as he thought of his next move. He looks across the street to see the Yamanaka Flower Shop and decides that it couldn’t hurt to bring her flowers.

Y/N woke up that morning in a bad mood. Her coffee machine wasn’t working, her milk spilt everywhere, and she broke one of her favourite mugs. By lunchtime, she was still grumpy about the whole ordeal in the morning, and the thoughts of yesterday’s events weren’t helping her mood. More than anything she was hurting, both from her leg and her heart. She curses herself for even going to Genma’s birthday in the first place. Why did she have to go? Why did she have to sit with Gai? Why did she have to ask questions to indulge her own fantasy? Y/N groans at the events of the day and rubs her temples in hopes of getting rid of her stress-induced headache.

She spent most of the day doing housework in an attempt to get her mind off the night before. It doesn’t do her any good with her leg hurting but she pushes past the pain, telling herself that it’s helping with the distraction. Not only that, but she can’t find her forehead protector anywhere. It’s nearly sundown by the time she finishes the last room in her apartment. She wipes her hands on her pants and decides that she should go flower picking now. If she goes any later, she might run into Kakashi either coming back or going to one of his women’s houses and she didn’t want to be reminded of it. She grabs her basket and opens the door, taking a step back in shock when she finds the devil himself standing there.

“Kakashi!” She exclaims, half in fear, half in surprise. He’s holding a small bouquet of roses in one hand and a forehead protector in the other hand. So that’s where it went. The man in front of her closes his eye, presumably smiling under his mask. His hand holding her forehead protector goes to scratch the back of his head as he speaks.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to startle you.” He feels guilty for scaring her. Truth be told he had been standing outside her door for a while, building up the courage to knock on her door. He had gone over dozens of times what he would tell her but never came up with the perfect words.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was hoping I could talk to you.”

Y/N looks over the man in front of her, wondering if the conversation ahead of her would help her current mental state or not. Going against her better judgement, she moved to the side, allowing him inside.

“I like your place.” He comments, looking around. “Oh, also I brought you these.” He turns his attention to the curious kunoichi and presents her the bouquet. Y/N looks at the flowers and gives him a small smile, something that he took as a good sign.

“What’s the occasion?” She asks, admiring the flowers.

“I want to clear up what happened last night.”

Y/N’s gaze snaps from the flowers to Kakashi. She holds his eye contact, wondering what he could possibly have to say. He begins to shift his weight from one foot to the other, and she takes a moment to appreciate that for once, the usual laid back calm shinobi is nervously shifting in his place. He avoids her eyes and looks at the ground.

“I really don’t know how to go about this other than to tell it to you straight. What Gai told you yesterday was the truth.” He starts, looking up from the ground to study Y/N’s reaction.

Y/N thinks to pinch herself. Surely this was all a dream? A sick fantasy that her brain has created in order to cope with the pain of yesterday. Kakashi continues, wanting to clear the air as soon as possible.

“I do like you. A lot, actually. And I know I have this stupid reputation of sleeping around but I don’t want you to think that I see you like those other women.” Kakashi feels as if he’s about to throw up. He’s not used to putting his heart out on the line like this but it was now or never. “You’re so much more to me than that and I wish I had the courage to say something to you sooner instead of seeking out fake comfort from the others. I swear to you when I was going to kiss you the other night I had no intention of leaving you after.” He stops when Y/N steps closer to him.

“Gai said something yesterday that you haven’t slept with anyone in a while. What changed?” The question had been eating at Y/N for the longest time. No matter how much cleaning she did, the question still lingered in the back of her mind.

“You kissed me.” His response clearly needed clarification from the shocked look Y/N gave him, “well, my cheek.”

“When?”

“When I took you and Iruka home.”

“Why?”

“I thought that it meant I might have a chance with you. But the next day you didn’t seem to remember anything, and I was a fool for thinking that you might’ve liked me back.” Now he’s convinced he’s going to throw up from how nervous he was feeling. He hated how his stomach churned, and he hated that he didn’t know how to prepare for the rejection he was about to get. Y/N just stood there, like a doe in headlights. He opened his mouth to apologize for showing up unannounced and bombarding her with this information, but her actions catch him off guard.

It happened quickly, too fast for his liking. She had planted a brief over-the-mask kiss on his lips. The action proved to be louder than any words she could have said. She was blushing, and he loved how adorable she looked when she was all shy like that.

“I like you too.” She beamed at him. For a moment the two got lost in each other, but when she started feeling shy again, she cleared her throat.

“If I remember correctly, you do owe me dinner.” She playfully teases, calling back to the race that he won lost during their mission. She couldn’t see it, but he was smiling widely under his mask. He was happy that they were back to this playful banter.

“I suppose I do, don’t I? Would you like to come over for dinner?” He asks, setting down the forehead protector on a nearby table.

“I would love to.” She smiles, even more, when Kakashi offers her his arm and she happily loops her own around it. The two of them head out and make their way to his place. Kakashi doesn’t care for the looks that are being thrown at the two. The same probably couldn’t be said for Y/N, for some of the women glared at her in jealousy. He could sense some of her discomfort when she moved a little closer to him, a glaring woman passing by too close to her for her liking. Kakashi moves his arm around her, wanting her to feel as protected as possible.

“How was your day?” He asks, hoping to distract her from whatever negative thoughts she might’ve been thinking. The walk to his place was peaceful from there on out. He listened to everything she was saying and even told her about what had happened in the past few days. They got to talking about the book again, and it reminded Kakashi that he had to give it back since he had finished it.

Y/N entered his place and immediately noticed how clean it was. He leads her to the kitchen, another area of his home that is extremely clean. He looks through his fridge, determining the options that he could give her.

“What’s on the menu, Chef Hatake?” She asks him from the counter. He smiles at her teasing and pours both of them some sake.

“We can have some miso-soup with eggplant, an eggplant pasta, vegetable soup, or my personal specialty.”

“I think your specialty sounds too good to pass up.” She nods, watching him prepare everything.

The conversation between the two was effortless. They got to know each other more and more with each question the other asked. At some point, she even got up from the counter to watch him clean the fish, wondering how he did it. How the events led from him telling her how to take the bones out to them kissing (with his mask still on) in front of the running sink was a mystery in itself. Y/N let out little moans of approval when he pulled her closer to him, and she felt herself get excited when he began to push her back towards his bedroom. She falls back when the edge of his bed met the back of her knees but she wasted no time in pulling Kakashi down with her.

As the kiss got more and more heated, Kakashi felt the need to pull away momentarily.

“We don’t have to do this.” He whispers to her.

“You don’t want to?”

“No!” He clears his throat, “no, I just don’t want you to regret anything.”

“Am I just going to be a one night stand?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She smiles at his response and he pushes her gently back on the bed. She reaches her hands up towards the edges of his mask. For some reason, he can’t bring himself to stop her hands. It’s not like he doesn’t have time to stop her either. She’s moving her hand so slowly to his face that it has his body frozen on top of hers. Is his heart beating this quickly because of how her legs were wrapped around him?

No, it wasn’t. It was going this hard because this had been the first time someone had seen his face in a setting this intimate. It was beating this hard because he was finally bearing his full face, heart, and soul to someone. It was beating this hard because he had his love under him, looking at his face with such care in her eyes.

Her fingers gently skimmed over the scar on his left eye, and he thinks she was going to ask about it with the way the corners of her mouth pulled down, but he was grateful when her index finger moved down along his jaw. Her hand cups his chin and pulls him down for a proper kiss, at least he thought that was what was going to happen. He closes his eyes slowly as her face came closer to his and braces himself for the first real kiss that he would have. A slight pressure on his left eye makes him move away in surprise. Y/N’s eyes widen when she saw his reaction and quickly began to apologize.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to—” but her apologies were sealed away when his lips press against hers. His hand moved from the bed to hold her face as gently as she once held his. He kisses her slowly, taking his sweet time. He didn’t know how to communicate his feelings well with words, but damn did he know how to communicate with those lips. He tilts her head back so it’s resting against the pillow again and continues to kiss her in a way that’s ruining her panties.

Y/N spreads her legs further on the bed, allowing Kakashi to completely settle in between them. As soon as his bulge pressed against her core, she lets out a pleased sigh, one that’s swallowed by Kakashi’s mouth. She can feel him smile against her lips, and she smiles too.

Kakashi’s whole body feels like it’s floating. The way her hands move around his body is sending shivers in every direction and he wishes that her hands will always be touching him in some way. There’s comfort in the way her arms move around his neck and pull him even closer. There’s more comfort when she tugs on his hair gently. Kakashi surprises himself when he lets out a moan when she pairs a tug of his hair with a roll of her hips.

His heart is jumping with joy with every kiss she gives him. Her lips begin to trail away from his lips and move to his cheeks, nose, eyes, scar, forehead, anywhere they can reach. He can’t help the smile that overtakes his features, feeling so grateful for the love he was getting. He’s never given it a second thought when other people kiss him, but to be honest other people’s kisses weren’t making him feel so giddy inside. He can’t help but roll his hips into her core when her mouth meets his sweet spot, and he lets out a deep groan that has Y/N clenching down on nothing. His hands move down her body, and he lets his fingertips dance along the hem of her shirt. Her lips pull away from his neck as she nods at him, throwing her hands up in order to make it easier for him to pull her shirt over her head.

Kakashi groans at the sight beneath him. Y/N pulls him down to meet her lips again, getting shy from the way he was looking at her. Her hands move down his back to tug his shirt, and he seems to get the hint when he pulls away briefly to take off his shirt. Y/N doesn’t get time to admire his body. His lips are on hers in a heated kiss and they both begin to unbutton the other’s pants.

“Wait,” Y/N whispers in between kisses, gently pushing his hands away from the waistband of her pants.

“Your wound,” Kakashi comments as he moves back on the bed. He helps her take her pants off slowly, and his eyes immediately inspect the bandages on her leg. A small frown is placed on his lips, “do you think we should wait?” He worries, but her hands pulling down his pants make them all concerns go away.

“No.” She simply replies, undressing the man in front of her. With each passing minute, their kiss gets more and more heated, and they’re in less and less clothes. Kakashi takes brief moments to admire the girl beneath him. He could tell she was shy, and he couldn’t begin to fathom why. His mouth moves from hers and begins to kiss down her neck, searching for the spot that drew the sweetest moans from her. Y/N tugs on his hair so gently that it was endearing. Her legs tighten around his now bare waist to grind her core against his hard cock. She’s making him lose his self-composure, but he wasn’t one to complain.

He continues to kiss down her neck and down the valley of her breasts before moving to wrap his mouth around her taut nipple. The action makes her arch her back in his favour, and he glances up to watch her flushed reactions. He switches to the other nipple, making sure they were both getting the attention that they deserve. He can’t help himself but let his teeth sink in gently around the supple skin, and from the gasp that she emits, she seems to like it. Before he lets himself get carried away, he continues to slowly kiss down her stomach, his cock twitching in his underwear in anticipation. By the time the laced edges of her panties reach his mouth, he bites down again. He pulls her underwear down with his teeth, and Y/N, if possible, grows wetter from the sight.

“Tsk, stop hiding from me,” Kakashi frowns when she closes her legs shyly, “you’re too gorgeous for that.” He shakes his head, giving a little smirk when she blushes more from his compliment. If she gets any cuter, he will explode. Gently prying her legs open, Kakashi welcomes the sight before him. Her pussy was glistening, and it made his mouth water. Suddenly, he was the thirstiest man in the world.

Wasting no time, he dives right in. There was nothing endearing with the way that she was pulling on his hair now. He loved the mild pain he was feeling when she pulled on the soft tufts of grey hair. He loves how her legs are wrapping around his neck the way her arms once were. He loves how close she actually wants him.

He continues to move his tongue along her folds, happily collecting all of her juices. She tasted sweet, sweeter than he had imagined the only sweet thing Kakashi likes is y/n’s pussy. Y/N’s mouth is hanging open, letting out the softest sighs and gasps that has Kakashi’s tongue happily lapping more and more of her juices to hear the noises.

“Kashi..” Y/N moans out the nickname in a daze, too lost in her own pleasure to notice how it affected the man in between her legs. His tongue circles around her entrance, and Y/N whines from the teasing gesture. She gasps when he sucks on her clit suddenly, a warm wave of pleasure coursing through her body from the action.

She feels his tongue push into her entrance and she mewls in response. The wet muscle darts in and out of her soaking core, and she’s forced to close her eyes as her toes curl from the pleasure. She tries not to dig in her heels into his back, but his tongue is making her body react, not her brain. She feels a warm hand move to her hips, feeling it push them down against the bed. Y/N opens her eyes, not even realizing that she was rocking her hips against his mouth. She wishes she had kept them closed, maybe she would have lasted longer that way. As soon as she looks down she loses it.

Kakashi had one hand holding her hips down while the other was jerking himself off. She had made eye contact with him, and the pure lust in his eyes was enough on its own to have her cumming on his tongue. The pleasure rolled through her body in waves, and for a second she felt like she was floating off the bed. The knot that had formed in her stomach had released, and she threw her head back to catch her breath. Y/N can’t remember the last time she had felt that good, and at the moment she understood why he was so popular with the ladies. He cleans her up with his tongue, making her legs twitch when he gives her clit a gentle kiss. Unbeknownst to her, that was the sweetest treatment it would get that night because his calloused fingers would be a lot rougher on it than his slick tongue. Y/N sits up and eagerly pulls him into a kiss, figuring that the action would be better than words of praise. She kisses his neck and chest while her hands fully tug off his underwear. Before Y/N could suck him dry, he stops her.

“Wait wait, I want to make you feel good.”

“I want to make you feel good too..”

“Tomorrows another day,” Kakashi says. He realizes what he says, and he hopes that it didn’t come off as if he was expecting her to do anything for him. “W-wait I-I didn’t mean to assume-“

Before he could voice his concerns, Y/N cuts him off with a kiss.

“Tomorrow’s another day.” She smiles at him, making all of his worries go away. He mirrors her smile, feeling the warmth creep up his chest and over his cheeks. He kisses her sweetly and lays her back, once again settling in between her legs. He continues to kiss her, taking his sweet time to work her up again. It didn’t take long, considering how much she wanted him inside her. Y/N, feeling more confident now than before reaches in-between their bodies as they kiss and wraps her delicate fingers around his cock. Kakashi groans against her lips, and her body shivers at the sound. She moves so the tip of his dick pushes against her folds, and they both moan against each-others mouths, lost in the brief moment. He lines himself up with her entrance and pulls away from her.

“Are you sure?” He asks once again, wanting to give her the opportunity to voice her any worries she might have before doing this. She simply nods and pulls his hips against hers, feeling him sink into her inch by inch. She drops her head back in the pillows and bites her lip from the pleasurable pressure.

“O-Oh…you’re big Kakashi..” She sighs out when he bottoms out, “don’t move yet.” She whispers before connecting her lips with his. He listens to her, of course, and kisses her sweetly, enjoying the moment. She felt good, too good to be true and for a moment Kakashi thinks that he’s dreaming. He doesn’t think he’s that big, bigger than average at most, but he’s convinced that she’s just tight. He takes note of how good she feels wrapped around him, her walls fitting snugly around his cock. It was like a warm sleeve made just for him, that’s how perfect it fit. He feels her hands move to his waist to push his hips back gently, and he takes the hint. He slowly begins to move in and out of her, dropping his head in the crook of her neck to let out an audible groan.

He’s caught himself by surprise. He’s never this vocal during sex but then again he doesn’t think he’s ever had it be this good. She feels amazing, and with each thrust, he can feel her get wetter and wetter. As he picks up the pace, more and more of both of their moans can be heard.

“F-faster…please.” She breathes out, digging her nails into his back. He bites into her neck and rocks into her faster, her moans and pleading in his ear allowing himself to lose himself in his own pleasure. He reaches in between their bodies and rubs her clit in small circles. His hips stutter when she clenches down around him.

“Fuck Y/N…” he pants into her ear, “I don’t know how much longer I can last.” He should be embarrassed really from how out of breath he sounded but the pleasure was too strong for him to give it a second thought. As long as he got her cum before him, then he would be happy. He rubs her clit faster, pushing into her deeper and deeper. The bed rocks harder, and he hopes that the loud thumps heard against the wall isn’t as loud as it sounded.

“I’m gonna..mmph…I-I’m gonna cum..” She pants out into his ear, and he can feel her pulsing around his cock. He moves his head to kiss her lips, encouraging her to let go. She reaches her high, and a string of moans and parts of his name stream out of her parted lips as he continued to rock into her, letting her ride out her high.

Kakashi throws his head back, letting out a few curse words from how tight she was. His hips stammer and he pulls out, cumming in thick, long ropes on her thighs. His whole body is shaking, and he can’t help but lean back into her. Both of their bodies are pressed together. He was supporting most of his weight on his forearms. Both of them were lost in their own bliss. Kakashi recovers fully before Y/N does, and he uses the little energy he has left to get a warm towel for her. He wipes the cum off her leg and makes sure she’s clean before tossing it to the side. He would worry about it later.

Y/N slowly opens her eyes, finding Kakashi staring at her. He has a hazy, yet goofy smile on his face and it warms her inside to see him happy. He holds out a folded t-shirt for her, hoping that she was planning on staying the night.

“Thank you.” She feels drained, in a good way, as she pulls the shirt over her head.

“Would you like some water?” He offers her a water bottle but she shakes her head, eyes droopy from how tired she was. She gets under the covers and cuddles up to his side.

“You still owe me dinner.” She mumbles sleepily. Kakashi chuckles, holding the woman closer to his warm body.

“I’ll buy you breakfast tomorrow.” He whispers, unsure if her closed eyes indicated that she was relaxing or sleeping. Either way, he smiles to himself, happy that for once everything worked in his favour.

#i have no idea what this says anymore #from my archived blog #i just felt like i needed to post some writing on here and this was the laziest way to do it :P #kakashi x reader #kakashi hatake x reader #naruto #strawberry mochi #it would still be nice if you could possibly #maybe let me know some kind of feedback so i know what works with my writing and what doesn't #thank you for your time #kakashi hatake smut #naruto x reader #kakashi x reader smut #kakashi smut #naruto smut

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finchxs-revenge · 6 months

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I've been having some Oh No Will Izzy Actually Die thoughts that I'd like to stab on the right side so let's get into it.

I don't think Izzy will actually die. He might seem to be dead for a minute for some other plot point to work, or do the whole die then come back to life thing, ala indestructible little fucker. (Though, considering both of these have already been done in the plot, I find it unlikely, unless it comes about as a meaningful parallel, but I won't speculate much on that.) However, permanent, canon character death doesn't seem plausible from the vibe I get off the writing so far in S2 (For context, this post is being made before episodes 6 & 7 have aired). Hopefully not being tainted by the fact Izzy is my favorite character, here is my reasoning.

Of course the writers want us to feel something, so stakes are going to be high and the waves are going to be big. But the writing so far has delivered the emotional impact by catching the audience after the big waves. Stuff this season just lands, and it is sooo good. It wouldn't make any sense to swell up Izzy's plot line/character in so many different ways only to dash him against the rocks at the end. To have him die, even in a way that is symbolically important or for a reason that lines up with his character motivations would just be garish compared to how every single other conflict or plot point has been handled this season.

Yes, some stories do just use the emotional impact of destruction instead of a proper landing. The writer can't or won't do the heavy lifting of actually showing a character work through their shit, opting instead to kill the character with some symbolically emotional fireworks thrown in. It leaves the audience with this ache like, oh, ahh, they were so close to being able to fix their problem or get out of the situation, but at least we get some action and another character will stare whimsically into the flames so their death wasn't in vain.

Yeah, that's not this show.

If Izzy were still yelling at his reflection about "Who are you even" we would at least have a set up for the answer being, "No one" and the only way for him to get out of that situation is to die. It's been done in other stories and it's honestly boring and not what OFMD is even about.

OFMD is about change and being brave enough to confront our own broken and scary parts, and to carve out safe space ships regardless of what society expects of us or even what we expect of ourselves. It's about showing that this work is worth it and life is better on the other side of it.

I don't think this show would have a character begin to find who he is, become a part of the ship (literally), and start mending relationships with all the characters only to choose the destructive-symbolic-fireworks-death ending for that character.

Regardless of Jenkins comments about how the opening scene will be "satisfying" after we have seen the finale, the fact that everything about that scene is the opposite of what actually happens is, I think, a gesture the writers have put in so we might trust them when the wave gets big. We're going to get in over our heads, crew, but at least we know, even subconsciously, that Stede doesn't have a beard and Izzy doesn't die.

Now, regarding the comment Jenkins made about Ed, Izzy, and Stede's fates being intertwined, I think it would be completely unsatisfying, as well as just bad writing, to throw all three of them up in the air only to catch two. Honestly, we've already gotten some solid emotional landings from Izzy's plot (when he shoots the torch out of Ed's hand and when he reads the unicorn note the second time at the front of the ship to name only two), so I feel inclined to believe the emotional landing around whatever happens to Izzy will indeed fall on Ed or Stede. But I have enough faith in the writers and the story that it will not entail dealing with Izzy's death. That he doesn't have to die in order to contribute to their growth and understanding of themselves and the relationships they are in, with each other and with the crew. It's going to be something big, but not death.

I have absolutely no fucking idea what that something big might be, but honestly that just makes me trust the show and writers even more.

At least. That's what I'm telling myself to survive these next two weeks 🦄🦄🦄

#ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 #ofmd #izzy hands #ofmd speculation #our flag means death

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annabannnananana · 8 days

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jinx headcanons i rlly wanna post 💣💫🔫☁️💀⚡️⚔️

• jinx actually likes chuck/theriam but no one can tell if she actually does or if she’s just being malicious lmao

•has bpd, adhd, c-ptsd, and sleep paralysis (poor girl)

•11-12 in the first act and like 18-19 in act 2 and 3

• has tried dating but it’s never worked and stopped trying once she turned like 16 or 17

• i think she’s scared of getting intimate with people she could hurt

• bi because i Said So

• she can't go to sleep unless there's music playing

• ‘get jinxed’ is a song in the arcane universe, and took inspiration from jinx herself, after being nearly killed trying to destroy a shimmer shipment

• doesn’t like alcohol (but silco wouldn’t let her drink anyway)

• jinx chooses not to make friends in fear of killing them, notice how spends so much time by herself

• jinx wanted ekko to survive the explosion- she could have easily pinned the bomb on him

• jinx knew who the firelight leader was but she never told silco- whether she wanted to let ekko live, or she wanted to be able to kill him herself, no one knows (personally i think the latter- notice how angry she looks at him in ep4!)

• also she used to have a crush on ekko

• had he survived, she and mylo would have bonded over feeling overlooked by vander

• jinx tries to climb as high as she possibly can and just. sits there doing whatever and hanging out sometimes. just to prove she can do it now

• jinx also leaves vi a present for every holiday. nobody knows how she’s getting the addresses but she does send her a genuine gift every time, and there’s very rarely a catch or twist to

• hanging out in benzo's shop with ekko, is where she learned to differentiate between what's valuable and what is not and that's why vi trusted her with that

• she only ever wanted to be useful to the people she loves- act 1: “i can help them/i only wanted to help!” as jinx: doesn’t care abt the shimmer business, but she’s do anything to be helpful to silco

• powder was already suffering from mental illness and inferiority complex (the latter mostly because of mylo) before everything that happened. you can see it in the way she bases her self-worth on how useful she is to the group, and also her breakdown when vi told her to stay back. the explosion is what ultimately caused her downward spiral, but she showed symptoms of mental illness prior to it

• powder was already a cruel and deranged girl, shown by her infatuation with weaponry and building weapons to kill- like her nail bombs

• speaking of, her infatuation with explosives began as an interest in gunsmithing (mostly out of a misguided belief that a gun could have saved her parents) that never amounted to anything but a mess of split barrels and burnt hand carved grips before vi convinced her to try skipping the middle step and make straight up explosives. after those didn't work either is when mylo started to call her a jinx

• she likes explosions because the ringing in her ears drowns out the voices in her head

•her blue smoke tattoos are a cry for help to vi- she never set off the flare so her other way of setting it off was to get the tattoos •silco braids jinx's hair whenever it grows too long. it's like meditation for him and allows him to reassess the world about him as he washes, combs and weaves her ever lengthening hair and admire the perfection that is his loving, growing daughter •this is the only time jinx allows her guard down around others. it's the only time that she can close her eyes and yet not hear the voices of her demons without loud music or explosions to drown them out

• jinx/powder are not anyone different. jinx is what powder would become anyway + mental issues due to her past. she would always be the cruel, chaotic, bomb mechanic girl. of course she would be better mentally if she didnt have her traumas and had a healthy enviroment but she is who she is.

• so powder is not gone, she just grew up. "jinx" is just her way to deal with her traumas, which clearly is not working well. this dealing method was told her by silco who believes he was reborn or something, leaving his weak past behind. "jinx" is an attempt of doing that but it doesnt work because their traumas are not the same as silco thinks so.

anyways that’s all for now I’ll prob add more later but I need a nap so bye y’all cya <3

#jinx arcane #jinx #arcane netflix #arcane league of legends #arcane #arcane headcanon #jinx headcanon #banana talks #banana writes

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strawwritesfic · 14 days

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Kelvin!Spock x Female!Human!Reader: Mr. Right

Summary: When one door closes, another opens—perhaps the door you were meant to enter all along.

Warnings/Tags: Starship Enterprise; post-Star Trek Beyond; friends to lovers; breakup; almost kiss; counselor!reader; Star Trek: The Original Series references; Star Trek: The Next Generation references

Relationships: Spock/Reader; Spock & Nyota Uhura; past!Spock/Nyota Uhura; past!Kevin Riley/Reader

Challenge: “160 Collective Drabbles” challenge by BobaPop on Lunaescence Archives.

Requester: @lovemesomeescapism

Tag List: @imaginesfire

Notes: For once, this is not a repost for this challenge…technically. I did write a response to the prompt "Mr. Right" ages ago, but when I was reposting, I decided that the Now You See Me one shot I wrote really wasn't worth keeping. Someone on Tumblr asked me for a Spock one shot, so I slipped him in as a replacement.

It's been a really long time since I finished something new. I realize that I am rusty. This is actually several drafts into attempts to write this one shot. For the first time ever, I actually cannibalized previous drafts while trying to get the meandering dialogue and point back on track. It still doesn't feel quite "right" to me, but it's probably going to take some time before I get back in the swing of things, and I'm ready to let this one go.

Mr. Right

Throughout Terra's history, human beings had sought the comfort of white noise. Quiet droning sounds proved beneficial for many aspects of mental health in the species. As a counselor on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, you'd recommended listening to white noise to dozens of fellow crewmates and patients alike. The best way to do this in the deep space you'd all been exploring for nearly five years was to turn everything in one's quarters down until the low hum of the ship's warp drive became audible. Many of those crewmates and patients reported back to you with decreased stress levels, improved mood, and a distinct uptick in ability to concentrate. Almost all of them said they got better sleep.

Now you learned that every single one of them had lied to you.

You'd spent the better part of the evening-adjacent hours lying face-down on your sofa, trying and failing to take a nap. The scratchy, standard-issue pillow beneath your face was soaked with tears. Your chest ached. Worst of all, any attempt on your part to get your mind off what upset you just ended with you crying harder. All the while, that awful rumble went on and on and on and on relentlessly, allowing you no respite long enough to drift off and forget your current predicament.

A chime cut through your misery. You paused without so much as lifting your head. As of three hours prior, you were officially off duty for the day. Nothing required you to answer the door unless an order came down from a superior officer, and they would call first. Probably it was only Uhura coming by to check on you. Having been through her own breakup during this voyage, surely she would understand when you didn't let her inside.

The chime sounded again, and with it came a surge of possibilities flooding your mind. What if your visitor was dealing with a crisis? Cases of PTSD had been on the rise since the events on Altamid. You could hardly ignore that in favor of your own small, personal crisis. Off duty or not, your role as a ship's counselor would not allow you to wallow in self-pity when someone might need your help.

As your boots hit the floor, you pressed one sleeve of your rumpled blue uniform to the corner of each eye. The gesture wouldn't do much to disguise what you'd been doing over the course of your time off, but you felt a little steadier afterward. Breathing deeply in and out helped too—until you hiccuped. But you could prepare yourself no more. Squaring your shoulders, you stood, walked over to the door leading to the corridor, and opened it.

Just outside stood the familiar, lanky figure of the ship's science officer. The second you spotted him, you wiped your sleeve across your face with greater urgency.

"You're not one of my patients," you said, "or Uhura."

"A very astute observation, Lieutenant [L Name]," Spock replied.

A long moment elapsed during which the two of you stared at one another. Several fellow crewmates in various uniform colors threw curious looks at his back as they passed by on their ways to wherever they were headed. Your friend, meanwhile, allowed a single dark eyebrow to drift toward his hairline. He clearly had no intention of moving on.

"What are you doing here?" you sighed at last.

The wayward eyebrow rejoined its brother. "Lieutenant Commander Uhura informed me that you left your office this afternoon in distress. I note that her assessment was an accurate one. If anything, you appear to be in more distress now than she described to me then."

You couldn't lie to Spock, not when you looked the way you looked after a crying jag like the one you'd just had. So you didn't bother to try. "Fine. I'm in distress. But really, Spock, it's not the kind of distress you can help with. I'm sure Captain Kirk will need you on a landing party any minute now, so if you'll excuse me—"

"Lieutenant Commander Uhura also informed me of the cause of your distress."

"Of course she did." Sometimes you wished your two friends were a little lighter on the "amicable" part of "amicable exes." "Let me guess: You came by to tell me that you told me so."

"As a Vulcan, I have no reason to rub my correct prediction in your face, if you will forgive the Terra colloquial."

You let out a wet laugh despite yourself. "You're pardoned."

"What I have done is stopped by the mess hall. If I am not much mistaken, ice cream is a traditional consolation food in these types of situations."

He produced from behind his back a number of different colored tapes. So startled were you that you found yourself unable to say anything. Never in a million years would you have imagined Spock of all people standing in front of you and offering you junk food of all things. Your silence went on for so long that he had to prompt you to speak:

"Was I incorrect in my understanding of how to handle Terran breakups?"

"No," you said, then, "I just didn't want you to find out about the breakup until I could pull myself together."

"I surmised as much, given that Lieutenant Commander Uhura found out about your circumstances before I did, although you and I are closer friends. It would have been more logical for you to contact me for assistance than her."

Vulcans as a whole were difficult to read. Even factoring in your education and training, as well as your friendship with Spock that had gone on for several years now, you could only guess his feelings the majority of the time. Not so then. Something about his tone made him sound hurt. Maybe you could chalk that up to projecting your own feelings onto him, but you couldn't risk that assumption.

"It's just that you warned me against dating Kevin," you explained. "As ship's counselor, I should have seen the end coming a kiloparsec away."

"Perhaps. But one might also say that your extensive proximity to the crew's emotions might cause some loss in objectivity on your part."

"So you're not here to make me feel worse?"

"I came for consolation purposes. That is all."

"Well, all right, then."

You stepped away from the doorway. Spock followed you in. He paused only long enough to press the button to close the door before he came to join you in your sitting room. A crate sat on the floor along his path, and he looked at you questioningly as he walked by it.

"Those are Kevin's things," you said.

"Expedient," he observed.

Normally, you might have tried to go for a little more decorum around him, but that day you didn't have the energy to do more than flop back onto your couch. At least you were upright. Spock, on the other hand, claimed a dignified perch at the end of your chair. The two of you certainly made an odd pair.

"He had so many hair products!" you burst out when the awkward silence turned unbearable. "I should have known we wouldn't work out. Who brings that much hair spray into deep space?"

"Humanity can hardly be expected to iron out all its flaws when you all cling so hard to your baser emotions."

"Do you mean Kevin's desire to look nice, or my need to be in a relationship?"

Spock blinked, then smoothly said, "In this case, I refer to your former beau's preoccupation with personal grooming."

"Right. Either way, I'm about ready to get rid of all my own baser emotions. Not feeling them would be a blessing." You got back to your feet and thrust one hand in Spock's direction. "Ice cream tape, please."

He offered one to you.

"Spock," you said warningly.

"I do not believe that heartbreak is an excuse to overeat. I only brought so many because I was unsure which flavor you would select."

The glare you leveled at him seemed to make him think better of lecturing you on the dangers of gluttony—as well it should have. This was the same glare that you gave Dr. McCoy when you were tired of listening to him. Unlike with Dr. McCoy, you smiled once Spock dropped the rest of the tapes into your outstretched hand.

"Thank you." You headed for your in-quarters food producer, then turned your head to ask over your shoulder, "What flavor do you want?"

"I do not require ice cream."

"Come on, Spock. If you're going to spend the evening commiserating with me, you have to have some ice cream, too. That's a critical part of the Terran breakup process."

One corner of his mouth twitched. "I'll have pistachio, then."

You fed the yellow-green tape into the slot. A quiet beeping noise covered the hum of the warp drive as the computer worked. While you waited, you flipped through the remainder of the flavors until you found the one you wanted.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to give up emotions," Spock said.

"Huh?" Frowning at him, you replaced his tape with yours. "Aren't you the guy that's been talking about doing the Kolinahr when we get back to Earth?"

"That's different. I am a Vulcan."

"Half Vulcan."

"Vulcan enough."

A shriller beep put an end to this potentially sticky subject. The ice creams were ready. You dumped the rest of the tapes in a basket next to the food producer, picked up the bowls, and brought them back to the living room. Spock took his with a grateful nod, though he waited until you sat down again before taking a bite.

"Maybe I'd be a better counselor if I didn't have emotions," you mused. "If I wasn't blinded by my own feelings, I could help the crew more with theirs. I shouldn't have the same problems as they do after all the studying I've done."

"While that may indeed make sense, it is hardly realistic. Besides, if you did not have your human emotions, you would no longer be the [Name] that I know, and I believe that I would miss her."

You couldn't help but smile around the spoon in your mouth. Popping that out, you said, "I bet you say that to all the Terrans you like."

"Hardly. In fact, that captain may benefit from an hour or two without his usual emotions."

"I appreciate you saying that, Spock."

"I am only speaking the truth. I have no intention of bolstering your ego artificially, even if doing so is a part of the Terran breakup process."

"I know." You slowly lowered your spoon back to the bowl, staring off into space. Something was dawning on you—something that might have dawned on you sooner had you not been so enthralled with your own feelings. "You know what else I appreciate? You coming here to help me today. Not every first officer would go out of their way for a ship's counselor like that."

Spock fixed you with an unblinking gaze as he said, "You mean a great deal more to me than most ship's counselors mean to their first officers."

"I don't care what Captain Kirk says. You sure know how to make a woman blush."

"I have had some practice with the activity."

"Remind me to thank Uhura later."

"Thank her for what?" Spock asked.

Maybe you were reading the signs wrong. Maybe you were just desperate. If he had to ask, you had to be wrong. But you took a deep breath anyway, and said, "Helping me realize that maybe the guy I've been looking for this whole time has been my best friend all along."

How could it have taken you this long to work it out? No one else spent as much time with you as Spock did, not outside of your office hours. It didn't matter if you were in the mess hall asking for a round of Fizzbin after dinner or you wanted a quiet night in your quarters. He always seemed to be there. You felt comfortable around him. Maybe you didn't always understand Spock; maybe Spock didn't always understand. But you didn't enjoy anyone's company the way you did his. And you had to wonder when your eyes met just then if he felt the same way, and if this coming-to-see-you-with-ice-cream thing was his way of showing you that.

"Well," he moistened his lips before going on, "I certainly feel that our relationship is founded more steadily upon mutual interests and desires than it is upon a passion for hair products."

You leaned forward. "You know, that sort of relationship sounds really appealing right about now."

"It does?" Spock shifted closer to you.

"I think it's about time that I dated someone whose first thought in the morning isn't beating me to the sonic shower, don't you?"

By that time, you both had come so close that it wouldn't have taken much more movement on either of your parts to touch lips. Your heart gave a painful leap inside your chest. Was this too much too fast? Even if you had just realized you'd had a thing for Spock for a while now, you had only just broken up with your last boyfriend that morning. Treating Spock as a rebound was the last thing you wanted to do. He didn't seem to mind, though. His mouth drew closer and closer to yours until you could feel his breath on your face.

The communicator in your room chirped. You jumped. Spock paused before sitting back up in his chair. Then you rose wordlessly, stepped over to the panel, cleared your throat, and pushed the button.

"[L Name]," you said.

"[Name]?" Uhura did not remark on how breathless you sounded, thankfully. "I need to talk to Spock."

"It's for you," you said unnecessarily. Spock had already reset his face into its typical blank mask and made his way to the communicator himself.

"Spock here. What is it, Lieutenant Commander?"

"Captain Kirk needs you on the bridge. We have a situation up here."

"What kind of a situation?"

"There's a former United States President floating outside the ship. He says he needs our help."

"I will be there right away."

A second chirp signaled that communications between your room and the bridge had ceased. Spock turned back to you.

"My presence is needed on the bridge," he said.

"So I heard."

"I apologize. I believe we were in the middle of something."

"It's all right."

He didn't move.

"Spock, go. Don't you want to know why a deceased historical figure has asked for the Enterprise's help?"

"I'd prefer to stay here," Spock said. "But you are correct. I must leave. Will you still be here later tonight?"

"Yeah." You surprised yourself with the eagerness of your answer. "Yeah, I will. I promise I won't run off with any other lieutenants while you're away. I'll save the rest of the ice cream. We can share it when you get back."

There it was: The slight curl to Spock's mouth that told you that you weren't making up the mutual attraction between you both after all. "To use another Terran phrase, it's a date."

He hesitated another moment longer before he quickly exited your quarter. You grinned as the door slid shut behind him and the white noise returned full force. As you sunk into your couch and pillow this time, you found you didn't mind the hum as much. In fact, the sound did exactly what it was supposed to do: Relax you. Kevin and his excuses from that morning felt farther away than your own home planet. Maybe you owed him a thank you, too, because if you were still with him, you wouldn't have slept as well as you did that night knowing that Spock would be back soon.

#fan fic #straw writes #reader insert #second person pov #star trek #star trek beyond #challenge response #request #spock #spock x reader #spock x you #spock x y/n #star trek x reader #star trek x y/n #star trek you #kelvin universe

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miizzllaneous7 · 2 years

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You know I’m convinced after 20 years the Gothams elite, and high society around the world that interacts with Bruce Wayne whether through his company or personally has to be at least suspicious or absolutely certain Bruce is playing everyone. And Bruce knows they know. Or is at least suspicious they know, and he operates on that line of thought.

The public doesn’t know though. It’s a very tight knit unspoken fact amongst those who know, and they don’t actively talk about it. At least, they don’t talk about it explicitly unless behind closed doors. I mean, Bruce never really completely dropped the act before, he’s always committed to the role and if he does drop it he does it all at once. But the important part is that the ‘act’ is still too different from Batman for anyone to think he’s actually Batman. The closest high society has ever gotten to it, is probably Bruce’s all too precise or lethal verbal jabs, that are always subtle enough they’re usually brushed to aside by the public because HIMBO. But the rich? They’re smart enough to catch on to his hidden meanings, or if they’re lucky they can catch the gleam behind his eyes as he decides to. They have their theories, and know to look for it. It’s one of those things that just click when you put the pieces together. Yet, their conclusion is never that he’s Batman.

No one tries to expose him, it’s not worth it and no one would believe them. It’s the epitome of “Do you know why I told you?—Because no one would ever believe you.” It would always backfire if they try anything, because at this point Bruce has to have the entire public wrapped around his finger and they don’t even know it.

The biggest catch of them all: no one’s sure what he’s doing. Is he a secret mob boss? Is he a guy with genuine intentions? An ally or enemy? I think the most interesting part is the psychology of it all, depending on where you are in that spectrum and what they want to see from him. No matter what happens, it’s a gamble, no one’s exactly sure. If it comes out he funds the Justice League those who think he’s a vile person would just interpret it as “He has the Justice League in his pocket” Which is probably hella intimidating and only cements his power over these people. But even then, no one’s entirely sure what his intentions are and where his loyalties lie.

This earns his spots in a bunch of things, like secret auctions or private poker rooms where all the sketchy/normal rich people stuff happens where you kind of just gossip or chill with probably one of the if not the most dangerous people in the world. Or make business deals and stuff. The farther you branch out from Gotham, the less information and intimate meetings you get via Galas and parties with the man, so there’s more and more misinformation or assumptions with less and less information to go off of. If he goes to perhaps, Europe, and meets some wealthy shady people, they may by off chance assume he’s similar to them because of rumours. I’m doubtful they’d done a lot of research or remember him explicitly since he’s outside of their blast zones. Unless of course, they see him as a potential competitor, so someone’s gotta be an expert on everything legal or public they can find. Which would show for some interesting interactions I assume. It’s like a game of chess but Bruce is bluffing his way through, yet has the bite to backup the bark. He’s got a ton of cards but no one knows what they are, and it can be both his advantage and his undoing. A constant walk on eggshells he’s dancing through gracefully, because he can’t afford not to.

He can probably attend all of these functions easily. Whenever he feels like it, coming and going. It’s like Matches Malone but higher up in the scale instead of with the goons, he’s getting in with the top dogs. Its in a much bigger grey zone, more deadly I’d say since he has to tread lightly. If he makes a wrong move everyone will realize he’s not an ally and turn on him, taking away his best source of intel gathering. As for the functions he can get into itself? Think of how organized crime bosses use saunas for meeting places and illegal activities between those who rank high since actual meetings can be easier to get a drop on.

Once again! No one questions whether or not he’s Batman, why would they? He never quite completely breaks character, so no one’s completely sure what his real personality is, or if this is just it. He’s still very Brucie, but in a suave and slick way in the right company, layering on the Himbo when in more public areas. This way he caters to both sides of the theories people have. It still feels impossible to connect the Batman and Bruce Wayne together as one person, so they don’t even consider that as an option.

Plus the people he knew before becoming Batman must have remembered him before. He only started the persona after. But again, that doesn’t necessarily connect him to Batman. To some, people can chalk it up to “People change.” to others, it could be a calculated measure to keep an eye on. Then there’s the people who didn’t know him before, completely fooled, but even at least some of them have to start to catch on sooner or later. Bruce Wayne’s in the spotlight, always has been always will be. People vie for his attention, he has eyes on him everywhere. People are gonna notice things! Now what they draw away from those things as a conclusion? That’s the interesting part, it’s subjective based on who you’re asking I can imagine.

I can see the Batkids sometimes drawing parallels of Bruce for fun, just teasing but it also makes sense. Bruce acting like he’s a crime lords or something from an outside point of view. Like seriously, think about how easy it is to come across as a Crime Boss when he’s just doing his own thing. The random phone calls he picks up, the several phones he probably has on his person, the fact he’s freaking jacked, always dressed to the nines or intimidatingly/businessy not a hair out of place. Even when he’s ‘drunk’ or intensely stressed and disheveled for whatever reason, it looks intentional even if it isn’t. Similar to how people intentionally go for the bed hair look. He’s probably looks sketchy as hell over time if you’re not in the know about the Batman thing.

Going back to the catch, what is Bruce Wayne doing? Where does his loyalties lie? What does he do? It adds to the confusion. There’s always that one question every socialite—particularly those in private groups that speculate about Bruce based on their own experiences or observations—asks.

What is Bruce Wayne?

#bruce wayne headcanon #brucie wayne #Bruce Wayne is Bruce Wayne #headcanons #headcanon #bruce wayne headcanons #Brucie Wayne

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pantpisser9000 · 5 months

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Combined together, Chapter 3: Scientist & Medic

Shellington’s finals were next week. So, obviously, he was studying. A lot. Downing another coffee, black, (despite the fact that he actually enjoyed having an overabundance of cream and milk in it) because he needed to stay awake for this. He reviewed his notes again, skimming them over, then jotting down the answer to that next question. His handwriting was messy, and barely legible. At least he could read it. He was lucky that his mother had taught him and Pearl how to read and write so young, he knew a lot of sea creatures didn’t do that.

He had lived in that kelp forest for a while. It’d been a hot minute since he’d been, though, since he was staying at his college dorm. It was honestly unfortunate Pearl couldn’t go to college, unless she wanted those stupid urchins to take over. Shellington sighed–he really wished he could help, given the allergy though? He simply couldn’t.

Pearl was really his saving grace. She had practically acted as a mother since their real one died, and hell was she suited for it. She had always been overboundingly supportive and had encouraged Shellington to go for his dreams in marine biology in the first place! And he obviously could not let her down, so, here he was. Downing coffee after coffee, staying up to ungodly times, and scraping by to get good grades. Closing the book, he was finished, and he hoped all the effort he’d been putting in this past week would be worth it.

Actually worth it. He wanted to make discoveries, get out into the world! Sure, he was lucky one of his professors was really quite wonderful–the guy took them out to the ocean to ‘get a real feel for it’ a few times, but he still wanted to really get out there. Come across a new creature! Re-discover one they had previously thought was extinct! Something besides wandering around (and tripping) tide pools, examining things that while interesting, were nothing new.

Of course, all sea-creatures fascinated Shellington–while he wasn’t really one for the whole ‘hybrid-research’, as he was more concerned with the actual creatures that were hybridized with humans, all of it was utterly interesting. But, he knew he couldn’t really do that unless he did well in school. So far, most of his grades had been As or Bs, which satisfied him. Occasionally, he wondered if he was good enough. Then he thought of what Pearl would say to that, and he let it go.

Didn’t mean he didn’t have a panic attack or two, of course. Usually one per month or two. It had been getting slightly worse and a tad more frequent given how he wasn’t around Pearl nearly as much, as she had helped with said attacks whenever they rarely appeared. He was just hoping, once he got an actual job, (that wasn’t just an internship or out-of-class experiment or experience) that he’d be all fine and dandy. Or at the very least he’d be able to deal with his panic attacks by himself.

He hopped into bed, making sure his phone was set to alarm him 4 times–usually the first two didn’t work, and he just fell back asleep after slapping it off, and the extra one was a precaution at best. He put on his nightcap, closed his eyes, and fell asleep quickly. He was just glad he actually made it to his bed this time. He had a bad habit of falling asleep at his desk, after all.

The next morning, he awoke to the blaring of his alarm, and he shut it off, falling back asleep, turning over. “5 more minutes, mom…” he mumbled, and another alarm went off a minute or two later. He shut that one off too, groaning. Finally, at the third alarm, he got out of bed, canceling the fourth one before it went off, too. He slipped on his backpack, quickly surveyed to make sure he had everything, and walked out of his tiny dorm.

He went to class, and surprisingly, there was someone there who he didn’t recognize. He surveyed it was a clearly older man, given the wrinkles and the lack of hair ontop of his head. He reminded Shellington of the monopoly man–with the mustache and monocle. He sat down, placing his bag down. Once class started–the man began speaking.

“Hello, my name is Professor Inkling.” he stated, gesturing to himself. “I have come to this college because, well, I am starting a sort of… not company, but expedition. It’s a long-term job, though. And I need a marine biologist.” he said, and Shellington blinked, this was a little surprising. Another student raised her hand–Shellington couldn’t really recall her name, something like Rhubarb or Regina, though. Started with R, at least. “What kinda expedition is it? Set in one place or moving around?” she asked, and Inkling smiled.

“I’m glad you asked….” he motioned for her to give her name, but she didn’t. At least until she realized people were looking at her. “Oh, uh, Ruby.” she replied hastily, and the Professor continued, “I’m glad you asked, Ruby. You see, if you want to join this, it’s a project that focuses on.. Well, the slogan Captain Barnacles came up with was ‘Explore, Rescue, Protect’. It’s about those three things, all while living underwater in a submarine. As a marine biologist, you’ll be able to experiment and study quite a lot, as well as providing information about the creatures the people down there are hybridized with.”

Shellington was in awe–this idea sounded wonderful! And exactly what he had wanted. Being able to have access to equipment and tell everyone about creatures was exactly what he wanted to do–and he was helping the ocean! It was perfect for him. He’d feel bad about leaving Pearl, but he technically already had, for college. Plus, he was certain he’d be able to visit, given how she lived in the kelp forest, and he could say he was studying it.

He was excited. “If you’re interested, please approach me after class. I’ll be helping out as an assistant until your graduation, to get to know you all, after graduation I’ll start some interviews.” he said, and Shellington knew exactly this was what he wanted to do–he needed to prepare! But, not right now, as the usual professor had come back into the room and had begun speaking already. He began to jot down note after note, even though his thoughts were mainly consumed by what Inkling had said.

After class, he immediately approached Inkling. He was a little surprised only one other person did as well, someone who he wasn’t even sure what the first letter of their name was. But then he thought about it–people probably didn’t want to leave their families, their lives to live in a random old professor’s submarine, even if it presented wonderful research opportunities. Shellington was somewhat happy that he wouldn’t have too much competition, though. Hopefully he could impress the Professor enough to let him on the ship.

The other person in front of him left after a quick chat, so now it was the part-sea-otter’s turn. “Hello,” the Professor greeted, and Shellington, sweaty palms pressed together, greeted him back. “Hello, Professor- my name’s Shellington.” he said, and Inkling held out a hand. “Wonderful to meet you, Shellington.” Shellington smiled, before realizing the professor was expecting him to shake his hand, and he shook it quickly. The Professor seemed a little amused, but didn’t say anything about it. “I- I know you’re not doing interviews yet, but I just wanna say I really want to join your expedition!” he enthusiastically clamored. “I’m certainly glad you’re so excited”, the Professor said, and Shellington wasn’t really completely sure if he meant it sarcastically or not, he took it as a compliment, though. He smiled, nodded, and walked out of the room, and he just hoped he didn’t screw that up. He didn’t think he did–he was showing he was passionate, right? On the other hand, (or paw) Inkling could consider that a bad thing or even just Shellington trying to suck up to him, which was not his intent.

He decided to not think of it any longer, instead prompting to go to a little cafe nearby–he figured he could hopefully get some work done there. Sitting down, he pulled his computer out of his backpack, turned it on, grabbed his notes, and got to work. He ordered a coffee–complete with all of the whipped cream and sprinkles he could muster, and to the point where it probably couldn’t even be considered coffee–, and jot down some notes. The cafe was practically full, there weren't really any one-person seats left. It made sense, it was popular for students given the obnoxiously cheap prices and its close proximity to the college.

Shellington didn’t notice the girl who was confusedly wandering around, clearly unaware what a hotspot this place was. He did notice when she approached. “Hey, so sorry, but.. Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked, and Shellington blinked–he was surprised she approached him of all people. “N-No, not at all.” he flushed at the stutter. He wasn’t one to do that most of the time, so it caught him a little off guard too. Probably since she was pretty sudden, at least to Shellington himself. He looked a little closer at the girl–braids looped, almost resembling ears, a pink and yellow clip on her curtain-bang esc hair, (but cornrows) tan-to-dark skin–he didn’t even remotely recognize her. “I’ve never seen you on campus before,” he said, and she laughed a little.

“Oh, probably because I don’t go here. I’m actually a flight attendant–at least for the next two weeks–and I’m just staying here until tomorrow.” Shellington had a feeling there was a tad more explanation, but he didn’t press. “Wait, next two weeks?” he questioned. “Yup. It’s my two weeks notice, as I got a better job. They’ve been having me on flights at least once per day-yesterday I had two.” she laughed a little, though Shellington didn’t really get the joke.

“Ohh, I see.” he simply said, nodding. “I’m just studying marine biology at the campus here–it’s really quite fascinating, I always had an interest in it.” he told her, and she blinked. “Marine Biology? Oh, that’s why.. Okay, that makes sense. Well, I wish you luck with all of that.” Shellington smiled. “I’m graduating super soon, as well. I’m just hoping to land this one job, there aren’t many other candidates, at least to my knowledge, so I think I have a good chance.” he said, and then asked the girl something again. “Well, I have two questions to you; one, what’s your name?” he asked, and she responded, “Dashi. Yours?”

“Shellington.”

“That’s a nice name. What’s your second question?”

Wow, straight to the point. Shellington thought.

“What’s your new job, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m not supposed to talk too much about it, but my role is IT work, and photography.”

“Woah, you take pictures? If you don’t mind, can I see?” he asked.

“Sure!”

Dashi pulled some things out of her little backpack, spreading them out in front of Shellington. “Jumping jellyfish! You’re so talented!” he exclaimed, and Dashi looked at him a little strangely. “Jumping… Jellyfish?” she asked, and Shellington elaborated quickly. “Ah, it’s a- what’s it called, exclamation? Something my sister came up with a while ago. We both say it.” he explained, and Dashi nodded. “Is she a marine biologist, too?” she inquired, and Shellington shook his head.

“No, no. Not specifically–she just kinda considers herself a ‘scientist’ in general. But, uh, we’re both part sea otter. Lived in, slash near, a kelp forest for a while. So, we saw jellyfish, and eventually… she came up with that, I caught on, and the rest is history.” he finished, and Dashi nodded. “I’m assuming she’s an older sister? I have a younger one.”

Shellington nodded. “Yup. Not by much, though. Certainly not my twin, though, even if we get mistaken for such a lot.” “Oh, that never happens with me and Koshi–she’s quite a bit younger than me, and we don’t look too alike.” she said. Shellington took a sip out of his drink, “What’d you get?” Dashi asked, and Shellington looked up from his work. This conversation is still going? Oops. “It’s.. pretty much just a milkshake with coffee. I wanted something sweeter because I don’t need to drown myself in black coffee out of drowsiness at the moment.” he explained, and Dashi nodded.

“I just got hot cocoa. Never really been one for coffee, I suppose.” she said, shrugging.. “Very unrelated,” Shellington started, “and this is incredibly sudden and I expect if you don’t have the time, but.. Would… well, I have a project, and I need pictures. I’m going to the kelp forest, adn while I was planning on getting older pictures, it’d be nice to get newer ones as well. Compare and contrast, I suppose. And, again, I don’t expect you to bu-”

Dashi interrupted him. “I’ll do it. When are you going over?” she asked, and Shellington blinked. He honestly wasn’t really expecting her to accept, though it was certainly very very welcome. “Well, the plan was around seven, but I could go an hour or two if that works better for you.” he said, and Dashi nodded. “I can make seven work.” she said, nodding to herself. “I’ve got some stuff to do before then, though, gotta go soon to work on some training stuff. So, where should we meet?” she asked, and Shellington thought to himself. “The library on campus. I can’t exactly expect you to know where the kelp forest is, after all.” Dashi nodded. “Sounds good. See you then!” she said, standing up and waving goodbye to him. Shellington was just happy he’d be able to improve the quality of his project–it’d really be wonderful. Deciding that he was going to work on his project a little more before his next class. He just felt like working on it in the cafe, for now, as he didn’t want to move all his stuff when he was already sketching.

He wanted to get this assignment done, after all. He wanted to draw–he’d always enjoyed sketching (full) sea creatures, even if he couldn’t draw much else. Even if most sea creatures stayed in primarily human/almost mermaid ish forms. Never could draw people, or mechanics all too well. He could make a drawing look like most land animals, it always looked a little off though. Especially since at this moment, practically all land animals were almost entirely human, most of the time, so it was hard to get references. Nevertheless, he finished within an hour or two, and pulled out his little notepad/sketchbook.

Sketching practically any animal he could think of for another 15 or 40 minutes, (he couldn’t keep track of time all that well, and when he checked it, it had actually been 37 minutes. Huh.) he eventually decided to pack up and leave. He’d been there a while, and his next class was starting in about a hour Until then, he decided that going to the library to pass the time–he’d set a timer on his phone, so that way he wouldn’t be late. Hopefully.

Shuffling his backpack on his shoulders, tossing the remains of his drink in the trash, and walking to the library, he situated himself with a nonfiction book about the migration patterns of orcas. It was an older book, given how it was full orcas instead of hybridized ones, but that was part of the appeal. It was interesting to see the difference before and after the hybridization. Most orcas nowadays were again, akin to mermaids. Orca tail, more humanoid torso and head, though some opted for having fins for arms and all of them still had sharp, sharp teeth. Could still easily rip and tear, and obviously, that wasn’t really their fault. Circle of life and all that.

Of course, that was a lot less normalized above the surface, as artificial meat was pretty popular. It wasn’t seen as bad below–well, besides for the predators next meal–as that was how it was. If a sea creature wasn’t content staying in the ocean, they could train themselves to become more human and go on land, instead. People, well more so companies, liked the cheap labor they provided, as well as help with all of the pools and other water-related components. Most sea creatures, after a long while of being used to being practically fully human, were able to handle fresh water for short periods of time.

Shellington finished the book quickly. It was fascinating, of course, but it was basically a review. He knew all of this. In fact, he probably knew everything from the marine biology section–he’d been practically obsessed with marine biology for a long time. He looked at the alarm–two minutes left. He decided to just close it and walk over earlier, until he realized he had not eaten Breakfast nor lunch. Walking into a fast food place, he ordered some hash browns, sprinted out, hashbrown in his mouth (you know those scenes where it's like an anime girl with toast in her mouth? Imagine that with Shellington and hash browns.) as he silently ate them outside the door to the class, tossed the container in the trash can, and walked into the room. He wasn’t late, at least.

Taking a seat, he got ready to ‘learn’ more information he already knew.

—

After class, he was able to talk a little to Inkling, which made him happy. “My project’s on kelp, urchins, and since I'm part sea otter, us.” he told Inkling, showing Inkling the slides he had prepared. “Do you think I should change anything? I think it’s good, but I'm not quite sure. Of course, it’s not done, though.” he asked, and Inkling looked impressed. “It’s utterly brilliant–you’re very talented, Shellington. You clearly know what you’re talking about, as well. I’m very excited to see this project finished, when you present it.” he told Shellington, and he felt his cheeks get a little pink. He wasn’t used to being complemented by anyone, except Pearl and when she was around, his mother.

“Ah, thank you, Professor. I’m excited, too.” he said, playing with his hands. Habit, of sorts. “Of course, Shellington. I am being honest, you know.” and after that, the Professor rolled away, and Shellington smiled, getting back to work. He was going to go to the kelp forest later that day, ask Pearl for some pictures or for the file or something, and let Dashi take some new ones.

Walking to the library, arriving at 6:58. Dashi arrived at the dot at 7:00pm exactly. “Hey, Shellington. I’m ready–I have my wetsuit on under this, and I brought my camera. It’s waterproof, don’t worry.” Shellington nodded, adjusting his leather satchel. It was falling apart, a little, but he didn’t want to bring his backpack for school. This was.. A little more.. Not expendable, it was special to him, (and he actually preferred it over said backpack, it just couldn’t hold all of his school supplies, especially not his computer.) just if it took a dip in the water or just a little scratched up, it’d be okay.

Eventually they arrived, sand sinking a little under his and Dashi’s feet.

Shellington did wish the satchel was waterproof, though. He decided to just put it under a rock, for safekeeping. He dipped his feet in the water, slowly wading in, until the water was up to his waist. He looked at his hands, now his fingers connected by webbing, and he had no reason to not assume his feet were the same. Feeling the swishing water around him, he felt the fur sprout out of his legs, and a tail swishing around behind him. “Dashi, do you mind staying up here for now?” he asked, and Dashi shook her head. “I wanted to take some pictures of the beach itself, anyways.” Shellington nodded. Diving down, looking for Pearl, his eyes adjusted quickly to the salty water, and he knew his ears were now more on the sides of his head rather than where they usually would be. He sniffed the water, before circling back upwards and popping out on the surface of the water, his head above.

Looking out over the vast sea of kelp, he didn’t see her. He knew he’d have to search for a while, given how easy it was to hide in the forest. But he also could just wait and see until he saw her head poke out from under the water. It did feel nice to be back in the water, though, so he also wanted to just search around underwater. Waiting for a moment, he dove back in, weaving his way through the kelp, until he saw a brown tail and followed it up, and soon, he was face-to-face with his favorite person.

His sister. “Pearl!” he exclaimed, and she, back, “Shellington?” she said, confusion enthralling her. “Yes, sudden visit, I know.” he explained, and Pearl motioned over to a rock. “Let’s sit.” she suggested, and Shellington nodded as they swam over.

Pearl didn’t look too different. She still had the yellow headband–it was her favorite color, after all–-and her hair was still a short bob, and her sea otter ears, tail, and her webbed hands were prominent. It made sense, she was in the forest a lot of the time. Besides, when she went to the surface to study briefly–she did it often, but she never left the forest unattended for too long. Didn’t want to let those pesky urchins take over, after all.

Shellington felt a wave of guilt wash over him–she was the only one taking care of the forest, and he couldn’t. Pearl seemed to tell, though, and when they clamored onto the rock, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Hey. I know what you’re thinking–don’t.” she demanded, and Shellington blinked in surprise, but he supposed his sister did know him well, and he knew her very well. It shouldn’t be a surprise that she’d be able to tell when guilt came over him, especially since it had happened a lot in their youth.

He wished he could have kids, but he couldn’t risk spreading that annoying allergy to them. At the same time, he wasn’t sure if he was exactly fit for being a father, plus, he didn’t have a partner. Nor boyfriend or girlfriend, just nothing. He hoped Pearl found someone, she didn’t mind being alone.. She deserved someone, if she wanted someone. Shellington knew not everyone was interested in romance or.. More. He knew he was, he’d seen a cute boy or girl a few times.

“So, why’d you come?” Pearl asked, and Shellington snapped out of his barrage of thoughts. It was a bad habit, going on tangents inside his mind and forgetting anyone else was there. “Oh! Well, I’m working on a big, final project for college, and we’re… well, it’s supposed to be about something we’ve learned and to show some personal experiences if possible, and I figured.. Food chain stuff, you know? But, uh, I was wondering if you had any pictures of us when we were younger? Oh, and, uh, do you mind my friend that I met just earlier taking some of us? She’s on the beach right now.” Well, at least he had gotten the real question out at the end.

Pearl nodded. “Follow me, Shell. I’ll show you where the older ones are.” she said, tilting her head to motion to the water, and Shellington nodded. She dove in, and Shellington followed suit soon after. They weaved through the murky kelp, until they arrived at the beach, the pristine sand practically glistening. Shellington knew exactly where they were going– the cave.

Sea otters weren’t really particularly known to hide stuff away, (that was more of a small, land-tree mammal thing, squirrels did it a lot) Pearl and Shellington did, though. Well, it was more safe-keeping, because even though when they were younger they just stayed in or at least near the kelp forest, they needed somewhere.. Drier to keep their stuff. Like clothes, and in this case, photos. Technically, they had a waterproof camera and photos, but it wasn’t good. Most photos came out grainy and bad–so, they tried to take advantage of a regular camera, with non-water proof photos as much as they could.

Plus, they needed somewhere to just keep things. Couldn’t exactly keep everything on their person, after all. It’d be quite annoying if they did. They sauntered over to the small cave, and soon they were consumed by dimness. The light was still visible from outside, and Pearl pushed away a rock in front of one of the ‘drawers’, and pulled out some of the pictures. “I think I have some on my phone, too. I’ll send those to you.” she said, and Shellington smiled. “Wonderful!” he exclaimed, and Pearl smiled softly too.

“And, I also came here because, you know, I wanted to sleep how we used to again. Because, um, while I’m not even a candidate, there’s.. This job.” Pearl’s ears perked up. “A job..? Elaborate, Shell” she requested, and he nodded. “Yes, I will, but for the other thing?”

Pearl grinned. “Of course ! I wouldn’t say no to my baby brother on an offer like that.” she said, ruffling his hair. Shellington flushed a little. “The job, though?” she asked again, and Shellington nodded. “Oh right yes that.. Basically, a guy, his name is Professor Inkling, came over to my college, because he’s looking for a marine biologist for his expedition! It’s really quite wonderful. We’d be able to travel all across the 5 oceans! And, only me and one other person wanted to do it, so I think.. I might get in. Hopefully.” “So, you’d be leaving Scotland?” she asked, and Shellington blinked. “Oh, um, yes. Is that alright?” he asked, and Pearl laughed. “You’re a grown man. Of course it’s alright, even if I’ll miss you.” she said, and Shellington quickly clarified, “Since you’re in the kelp forest, most of the time, though, and that’s obviously in the ocean, I’m certain I could visit more than an average crew member, on the excuse of.. Checking up on the kelp, I suppose?” he said, and Pearl nodded. “Already thinking ahead.” she commented, and Shellington chuckled.

“It’ll be getting dark soon. Wanna go take those pictures and then out into the forest, once more?” she requested, and Shellington giddily nodded. “Yes, that’s wonderful. Especially since.. If I do get accepted, which I hope I do… I might not be able to for a long time.” he said.

They walked over to Dashi, who waved. “Hello Shellington… and Shellington’s sister.” she said, unsure of Pearl’s name. “Pearl.” she responded to Dashi’s indirect question, and Dashi smiled. “That’s a pretty name. Now, what were you thinking about for the pictures, Shellington?” she asked, and Shellington thought for a moment. “Well, once of me and Pearl standing in front of the forest, probably…and, um, one of the kelp forest underwater, and maybe one of those two combined? And, if you can, one of us in the sleeping position.” Dashi nodded.

“Sounds good. The non-water one will be easiest to do first, so can you guys stand next to each other…” she pointed to an area near the water, but not in it. Shellington and Pearl nodded, walking over. Shellington didn’t really know what to do with his hands, so he just clasped them together, placing them in front of his hip area. Pearl had one hand on one hip,and was posing a lot better than Shellington himself. Dashi snapped a picture or two, before giving them a thumbs up. “These are great!” she praised. She took off her sweater and skirt, showing the wetsuit underneath. Pearl had looked a tad scared when she had done it without warning, but was obviously relieved when the wetsuit was shown. “Wait, Dashi. Before we get in the water, lemme give you my email so you can send me the pictures.”

“Oh, yes, good idea.” Dashi agreed, and she wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper that had been in her skirt. “Now, let’s get in.” she said, and both Shellington and Pearl nodded. Dashi carefully waded into the water, till she was up to her shoulders. “Pose as quick as you can, I can’t hold my breath as long as you guys.” she said, and the siblings gave her thumbs up, before diving down.

Dashi dipped under the surface, taking a picture of the kelp by itself and then motioning for Shellington and Pearl to come over, which they did, and Dashi was thankful. She wasn’t a sea creature like them, after all. “Looks good, you two!

It was about 15 minutes later when the sun began to set, and Shellington grasped onto a piece of kelp, and onto his sister’s hand, and they floated on their backs together, water beneath them, and it was really nice, wasn’t it? He heard the camera shutter of Dashi taking a picture, (and her swimming away) as Shellington drifted off.

He woke up to Pearl shaking him. “Hey, Shellington,” she whispered, and Shellington groaned, “Five more minutes..” he grumbled, still firmly attached to the kelp and his sister’s hand. “C’mon. I don’t know when your school starts. You probably have to go soon.” she said, and Shellington responded with a groan. Pearl wrestled the kelp out of his grip, and dunked him in water. He still, somehow, didn’t wake up. (At least not properly. Sleepy guy.)

Shellington was a heavy sleeper, after all. She dragged him behind her through the water plants, weaving through carefully. Didn’t want him (or herself) to be caught in it, after all. Eventually, she dragged him onto the shore, where he curled up. “Augh..” he groaned, blinking sleepily. “What.. time is it?” he asked, with a yawn following soon after. “Sunrise. Now, get up, sleepyhead,” she said, and he finally propped himself up. “I’ll go get the stuff you need, and you wake up.” she stated. It wasn’t phrased like a question, at least.

He watched as his sister walked off to the cave, and he stood up, grumbling, and walked over to the rock, retrieving his leather satchel. Pearl came back with the pictures in her hand, and she chuckled. “Someone woke up properly.” Shellington yawned. “Well, maybe not.”

Handing the photos to Shellington, they said their goodbyes and Shellington was off, putting the photos in his bag. Pearl had said she’d send some pictures to him over text, too, (and Dashi sending the more recent ones over email) so that was nice. He hoped, (and was fairly certain) that it’d be enough for his project, and to impress the Professor.

He worked tirelessly on the project for the rest of the week, Inkling, supervising him briefly, complimenting him on his work. If Shellington thought more highly of himself, he would’ve thought that he was the Professor’s favorite. And soon, it was time to present–the other projects had passion driven in them, this wasn’t really a class you took if you didn’t have a knack or passion for marine biology, so it made sense. They were all pretty wonderful–there was actually a hermit-crab student, who was really passionate and told everyone about their large family, which was sweet.

That one Ruby girl spoke about sharks in full, and described symbiotic relationships between sharks and remoras in detail. Another student talked extensively about orcas and dolphins, but clearly had vast knowledge in many other areas of marine biology. And finally, it was Shellington’s turn.

He went up to the front of the class, clearing his throat. “Hello. My name is Shellington, and my project is about.. A lot of things” he clicked to the next slide. “So here you can see me and my sister, Pearl.” he continued on with his presentation smoothly–he was happy nothing went wrong. Maybe it was his passion behind the topic or the fact that the rest of the students were respectful, or maybe the wanting to impress the Professor, he wasn’t sure. All he knew is that it went seamlessly.

A few presentations later, (all of them were wonderful, even if a few clearly had more time behind them then others) and the day was over. And tomorrow was finals. He knew he had a lot of preparation, and as he was heading out of the room, Inkling stopped him. “Shellington that was absolutely brilliant!” he then leaned in closer, whispering, “and don’t tell the others, but I think yours was best by far.” he praised, and Shellington smiled. “T-thank you Professor..” he didn’t usually stutter.

Inkling waved him goodbye then, and Shellington decided to go back to that cafe. He knew he wouldn’t see Dashi again, but it was a good study spot! Sitting down after ordering his regular milkshake-esc order, he pulled out his computer. It was time to goddamn study.

—

Finals had been stressful, obviously, though Shellington had gotten through them, and finally, it was his graduation. His only family, being Pearl, was in the audience. He wished his mother had been able to see it. Her son graduated from college, to help out the kelp forest she’d raised them both in until she had..disappeared. Somewhere deep in his heart, Shellington may have been secretly wishing that she’d somehow come, despite the odds.

Though he knew he’d never see her again, so he had shoved that back deep down for him to hopefully never deal with again. His mom was gone, and he knew the fact well. Pearl had congratulated him and brought him a handmade gift out of kelp–a little charm of sorts. He may’ve almost teared up a little at the gift. Inkling congratulated him, and handed him a nicely sealed envelope which he instructed to, “Look at later”, which Shellington had nodded to.

And that era of his life was over, now. He thought he’d feel different, but he really didn’t. He was still Shellington, after all. Well, now Dr.Shellington. Doctor Shellington Sea-otter. It was a bit of a mouthful, he’d definitely just tell people to call him “just Shellington”, even if his name plainly was still a little much by itself.

When he got to his dorm, (as he had obeyed what the Professor had told him) he opened up the envelope. Inside was a letter. His handwriting is wonderful.. Shellington thought silently, and he began to read it.

Dear Shellington,

Please meet me at the Campus Library at 3pm Tomorrow (Saturday). I have many things I would like to discuss with you, concerning the job.

Professor Inkling

It was shorter than Shellington was expecting–he was unsure why Inkling wouldn’t just tell him this, but he didn’t think about it much. He was wiped out from the day though, opting to sleep for as long as he could muster, turning off his alarms. He put one for 2:30 pm, just in case but he doubted he’d need it.

Flopping onto his bed, tucking his head into his nightcap and curling up underneath the covers, he fell asleep swiftly. That next day, he woke up at noon. He was sure there would be a curfew or something on the submarine, if he got accepted, so he decided to cherish his sleeping-in time for as long as he possibly could. Rolling over in his bed, he decided he needed to look… presentable. Taking off his nightcap, he looked in the mirror–his brown, almost shoulder-length hair.

It was messy as hell. He grabbed his dollar-store plastic comb, that while he barely used, would come in handy now. Running it through his hair–and oh, a knot. He untangled it, combed through, and oh no, a knot. Repeat.

Thirty or so minutes later.. His hair was nicer. He pulled on a dark green checkered sweater vest–it was his favorite color, after all. He had those pirate-esc white sleeves underneath, and sweatpants. He thought he looked nice enough, and he then just sat down, pulled out his computer, deciding on reading some good old fashioned studies on various topics.

And another 2 hours later, he realized it was 2:30–thirty minutes before he was supposed to meet up with Inkling! Walking out, phone in pocket and deciding to stop for some milkshake-ified-coffee, he arrived only a minute late! He saw Inkling rolled up next to a table, and he walked over, pulling up a chair. “Hello, Professor! So sorry if I’m late.” he felt it was necessary to apologize, even if he was only one minute late.

“No need to apologize, Shellington. Now, it’s time for the interview.” he said, and Shellington nodded. He had to do good. This was his make-or-break moment, he needed to do well. “So, Shellington, I always like to get to know a little about the people I might hire. So, family, friends, anything you’re welcome to talk about.”

Shellington thought for a moment. “Well, I.. you probably saw this in the presentation, but I have an older sister named Pearl, and we lived in the kelp forest with her for a while. I left to go to college, but I visit Pearl sometimes. I um.. Don’t really know anyone besides Pearl.” Inkling nodded. “I see. Experience?” he asked.

“Well, college and all of that, and I’ve done an internship or two, went on some very small explorations and I’ve spent some time around tide pools. Oh, and I lived in the ocean for the first 16 or so years of my life, so, there’s that.”

Inkling put the sheet that he had all of his questions on down. “Shellington–I’m supposed to go through all of this, but I really think.. You’re accepted.” he said, and Shellington lit up. “Really? Jumping Jellyfish, this is absolutely wonderful, oh-” he rambled silently to himself, and Inkling chuckled. “The flight’s next week. I’d hope you can sort everything outs during that time.” he said, and Shellington nodded. “Yes, I’m sure– I can do that, yes.” he said, giving him a thumbs up.

Shellington was just excited to finally get to do exactly what he wanted to, to the t.

Peso finished bandaging another creature’s arm, wrapping it quickly. He was often assigned to just wrap bandages, given how he was by far the speediest at it, and therefore he was basically put in an assembly line of sorts but with bandaging. Well, when the hospital was busy, that was. Which, while it wouldn’t be considered busy for a bigger hospital, it was a tad small. And that was usually fine, especially since there weren’t many jobs in the arctic besides just ‘hunting and gathering’, ‘trader’, and ‘medic’, so they had a decent amount of employees, sometimes it got too overcrowded. And very overwhelming. Peso would be lying if he said he didn’t have a panic attack or two or three or four or maybe just around 67 times because of the overcrowding. ( it was a lot now that Peso was thinking about it.)

But he loved helping people, and he thought he was decent enough at it. He was trained professionally, and while he went through more minimal med school then what would usually be required, he was certainly qualified for most anything. Sure, he would certainly at least need help during a surgery, that wasn’t his expertise though. He could. He likely wouldn’t though.

The staff had taken notice of these things. Peso hoped it wouldn’t jeopardize his job–he really didn’t know what to do if he got fired. It was very very stressful, yes, though it was his only source of income. Yes, life in the arctic was different then most of the rest of the mainland, with it being less ‘advanced’ or ‘capitalist’ as some would say. Most people had family homes or built their own, (there was the space, after all.) and while they got charged minimal taxes, any traders certainly wanted money for their goods.

Until, eventually, it was the end of his shift and he had finished bandaging up the last patient. He started gathering his things to head home, before he heard a (albeit grainy-sounding) announcement over the old speakers. “ PESO TO THE FRONT DESK! ” it boomed, and Peso jumped. They didn’t use the speakers often, on account of them being low quality, often much too loud, and more hard to understand than over a walkie-talkie.

He skittered over to the front desk, gulping. “Y-yes?” he asked, and the Penguin at the front desk smiled. Probably because it was his sister, Pinata. “Peso, hi. I think the big boss wants to talk to you, for some reason.” Peso nodded shakily. Please don’t be an announcement of me getting fired he anxiously prayed, walking to the office. The ‘big boss’, (whose real name was Dr… uh, something. Peso couldn’t remember, they usually just called him ‘boss.’) had his own smaller office. He was a doctor, of course, and his great grandmother or something like that had started the place.

The creaky door slowly opened, and Peso saw the older penguin-hybrid. Black hair (like most penguins) with a few streaks, tannish skin, (again, like most) and was adorning a suit. Peso felt under-professional with his scrubs, despite them being profesional doctor wear. “Peso.” “B-boss.”

“I think you’d be the best choice.” his boss said, and confusion washed over Peso’s face. “For.. what..?” he questioned. His boss typed something on his computer, before looking back up at Peso. “I think it’d be better if..” please don’t say you’re letting me go.. “You had a different work environment.” HE’S FIRING ME?? Peso panicked internally, but having a breakdown right now wouldn’t help his case. “No, I’m not.. Firing you. Not really, at least. Sit, please.” he requested, and Peso nodded shakily. He hoped it wasn’t too obvious how nervous he was, and he sat down. “You see, we have been sent an email. Pretty much, there’s this expedition a man named Professor Inkling is starting. I’m not completely sure of all the details, but I believe you’d be traveling around the world in a submarine, helping creatures underwater.”

Peso blinked. “.. I see. Why.. me?” he asked. His boss slacked back in his chair. “Well.. one, like I mentioned, it’d be a better work environment. Sure, you’d be the only actual medic, yes, but it would not be nearly as overcrowded as it is here. You’re also the fastest bandager I know, which only helps since you’re wonderful in many other medical practices. It’d be a bit high pressure, though. And you.. You wouldn’t be living in the arctic, instead on the submarine. And if you don’t end up being chosen, you will have a spot here, no matter what.”

Peso shrunk into himself. “It really does sound like a g-good cause,” and there his stutter was, “but.. I don’t think I’m the right fit. Wouldn’t someone else here be better?” he inquired, and his boss shook his head. “No, I’ve narrowed it down. Everyone else here is.. They’re not perfect for this. Plus, most of them can handle the intense workflow here without…” he trailed off, and Peso looked away, ashamed. He really wished that wasn’t such a huge problem. “And, I was told that they needed someone who is quick. You’re the fastest we’ve got.”

That was true. As much as Peso hated bragging, he was, factually, the fastest at bandaging specifically and in a lot of other fields. He couldn’t really deny that. “...I see. I’ll… can I get back to you later?” he asked, and his boss nodded. “You have a week to decide.” he told him, and Peso gave him a shaky “alright” before waving and leaving. Pinata was still there, it wasn’t quite the end of her shift yet.

“How’d it go?” she asked, and Peso pursed his lips. “..g-good.” he said. Pinata looked at him, slightly confused and also worried. “Hm. Okay..” she clearly didn’t believe him, though she couldn’t enquire more as Peso left the building, back into the snowscape.

Trudging home, he walked into his house (more like an igloo almost but whatever), where his mom greeted him. “Peso!” she greeted, waving. Peso waved back, his hand still shaking. “How was work, honey?” she asked, turning her attention back to the stove, where she was frying some non-meat fish. Fake fish, practically. They could be eaten raw, yes, but that wasn’t preferred by most people, and certainly not Peso and his large family.

Their house was conjoined by another one that held the rest of their family. In Peso’s, it was him, his younger brother Pinto, his older brother Pogo, his sister Pinata, and his mother. In the other, was his Grandma Perdita, Uncle Pepe, Aunt Papita, and Cousin Petina. While the houses were technically connected, they weren’t really treated as the same house. Almost like sharing an apartment, just the people in the apartments were all family.

Peso answered his mother’s question, then. “.. good, mama. It uh… I’ll talk about it at dinner.” he figured it’d be better to tell everyone all at once. Peso’s mom was a tad confused, and it showed on her face, though she didn’t question it. “Sounds good!” she said, flipping the ‘fish’ over.

Going to his room, he pulled out his xylophone–it was his only hobby, honestly. Besides bandage-wrapping, though that was less of a hobby and more so just a skill. He practiced until Pinto burst into their shared room. I wonder if I joined I’d get my own room. Peso wondered silently, as Pinto sprinted over to him. Feathers were where ears would be, and feathers were covering his arms and legs. Peso was just surprised he didn’t have a beak or full flippers. “Hi Peso! School was kinda boring, but me and my friends got to slide down the super super big hill!” he exclaimed. Peso blinked.

“.... the one mom told you not to go on?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Pinto was a tad too young for that. Pinto looked away. “....maybe. Don’t tell mama, please ?” he begged, and Peso sighed. “Okayy, alright.” he begrudgingly agreed, and Pinto pumped his fist in the air, more feathers spurting out, and his hands now flippers and his feet webbed. The webbing and flippers went away when his excitement died down, though. “Mama said dinner’ll be ready soon,” Pinto said, flopping onto his cushy bed.

“That’s good,” Peso said absentmindedly, now focusing on his playing again. Pinto groaned. “Pesoooooo–play something with me” he begged, and Peso sighed a little. “Didn’t you just say dinner will be ready soon? Read one of your comic books or something, yeah?” he offered, and Pinto rolled his eyes, nevertheless he pulled out one and grouchily read it on the bed.

Around fifteen minutes later, they were called in. Pinto was the first there, and so his mom awarded him with setting the table, (which he groaned at in response) and then Pogo, then Peso, and finally Pinata. Peso thought maybe something other than this one brand of fake-fish would be good. His mother was a wonderful cook, and she didn’t always cook this, but they ate it a lot. If I went on that expedition then maybe i’d eat something else. He thought briefly, though he scolded himself mentally for the comment.

He shouldn’t be rude about his mother’s food, after all. “Peso, you said that you wanted to talk how work was with everyone?” his mother questioned, and Peso remembered that he’d said that. Pinata piped in, “Ooh, yes, you were called in by the big boss after all! What happened?” she asked, before popping a piece of fake fish in her mouth. Worry overtook his mother’s face. “ Big boss? Is that just something you call him or..?” Peso nodded, “Yeah, basically.” he told her. “What happened, though?” she asked, and everyone was looking at Peso. He gulped. “Well, um.. He thinks.. I’m the best candidate for this.. Expedition that’s being started by this Professor guy.”

Pinto lit up. “Expedition? Like an adventure?” he asked, leaning in, and Peso smiled nervously. “..maybe kinda? I’m not quite sure. A-all I know is that I’ll be traveling around the w-world in a submarine, helping creatures who are hurt or sick. That’s all.” he said. Pinata then asked the most logical question, being, “So you’ll be away from home for a while?” she asked, and Peso nodded. “I-I think so. I’m sure I’d be able to visit, of course, but I wouldn’t be home a lot of the time, I think.” he really wasn’t sure about any of this, so part of this was just him speaking from nothing, though it was what he assumed from the nature of the job.

“You gotta do it Peso! A adventure is soo cool!” Pinto chimed in, before his mother said, “If you really want to, hon. I’d.. we’d all miss you, but if it’s what you want to do..” she said, trailing off, and Peso hated seeing her so sad. “I-I’m not quite sure, yet. I want to know more details first.” he said. Pogo finally said, “Of course. That’s logical, like how you always are!” Peso knew he didn’t mean it in a bad way, more so in a good way actually, though even then it still felt like a stab in the chest. His mother and Pinata agreed, while Pinto still clearly wanted Peso to go on it. (He probably wasn’t thinking about how he wouldn’t see Peso in a while if that happened–that info seemed to have went in one ear and out the other.)

Eventually, the conversation shifted to something else, and then they finished their food and conversation, and then they were off to bed. “Peso,” Pinto mumbled while he brushed his teeth, “You gobba tabe thaf job!” he exclaimed, his words mangled by the toothbrush clogging his mouth. Peso took his out and cleaned it before he responded. “I-I might.” Peso said, and Pinto seemed vaguely satisfied.

That night, in bed, Pinto surprisingly fell fast asleep. Peso, though, did not. The offer was swarming him, like a bunch of bees that all had conflicting opinions.

Remember all your damn panic attacks? You slow them down at the hospital, this job will be better!You’ll miss your family.

You’re growing tired of this place.

You’ll be underwater. What if the submarine’s glass cracks and you drown?

New opportunities.

New people. New friends, maybe.

You know no one there.

You’ll be helping hundreds, if not thousands, of people

You’ll be alone.You might make an impact.

You might not.

Imagine all the people who need help. You could help them

You can never save everyone

You’ll miss your friends here.

What friends?

Do you want to leave your family? Imagine Pinto.

Pinto has friends, he’ll be fine.

What if something happens to him or the rest of your family when you’re not there?

The rest of the hospital is talented, and you’ll likely be able to get there fast.

What if the submarine’s slow and you aren’t there in your mother’s last moments? Your brothers? Your sister’s?

The submarine will be high-tech.

You don’t know that.

You’ll ask.

What if you die and your mother isn’t there in your last moments?That’s less important.You’ll be alone.

You’ll be stopping hundreds of people from receiving that fate.

What if you die on the first day?

That won’t happen, surely?

Peso tried to stop himself there, but he couldn’t. Surely this submarine was extremely safe. Right? The boss did say that they’d accept him back in an instant, this wasn’t him being fired..

What if that’s a lie because he knows you’ll die instantly?

Peso gulped. That.. wasn’t something he could dispute. He knew what he had to do–he couldn’t do this. They’d find someone else who’d–wait, does that mean someone else would be doomed? That’d be a death on his hands, wouldn’t it? Though he doesn’t know if that will happen. It probably wouldn’t, right? Why would the boss want to kill him?

If he wanted to get rid of him, he could just fire him, but there was always the possibility, right? Why would he want to kill Peso? Again, he could just fire him… Peso would ask him. Not why he wanted to kill him, obviously–the boss would be utterly confused, instead just details about this expedition. Figure out if it’s safe enough, decide everything he could.

He finally let himself fall asleep, then.

The next morning, he awoke to Pinto jumping on him, and he yelled, “PINTO-”, who was satisfied that he’d successfully awoken his brother. “You- you could’ve just.. Shook me, or something..�� Peso muttered, and Pinto put his hands on his hips triumphantly, “That’s way less fun” he simply said, sliding off of Peso’s bed. It’d be nice to not wake up to your stomach gaining a dent every day. He thought, though he also loved Pinto.. Maybe it’d be nice to not have him around all the time.

He shook his head–that was terrible, wasn’t it? Though, he’d still see Pinto, and obviously still love him, so… he grit his teeth. Nope, later. Pinto was already out the door into the Kitchen when Peso got up, trudging into the kitchen. He just hoped it wasn’t obvious he hadn’t gotten much sleep.

His mother didn’t seem to notice him at all with the commotion–Pinto talking rapidly to her, prancing around her practically, (she only really responded with “mhm” and “wow” when appropriate, which Peso did admit he found a little funny) Pogo had already left, and Pinata was looking at her phone, seemingly texting or something. Suddenly, a thought washed over him, They don’t need me here. Wouldn’t it be better if I got out of their hair? He wondered silently, sitting down at the table.

“Hey Peso.” Pinata said absentmindedly, not bothering to look up. “Hola Pinata.” he responded. They were both silent besides the tapping noises coming from Pinata's phone, and soon food was dished out to them. Pinto was still rambling on about something random, his mother instructing him to, “Not talk while you chew” a few times softly, (which usually worked for a few seconds or a minute until he had to be reminded again) and Peso and Pinata ate silently for the most part. “May I be excused?” Peso requested, and his mother looked up from doting on Pinto, saying, “Go ahead. You.. you don’t have to ask.” she said, which Pinto huffed at, annoyed that Peso didn’t have to ask but he did. Peso got up, heading into the bathroom. Pinto probably wouldn’t be done eating for another few minutes, so he could get ready in peace. He brushed his teeth, put on his scrubs and his overlaying jacket.

Pinto burst in, still annoyed, and began (angrily) brushing his teeth. At least he was being silent, and Peso felt terrible for thinking that. “Bye Pinto, see you later!” Peso said, and Pinto waved weakly, opting to not look at Peso. Was he really that mad? Peso wondered, and his mother handed him lunch as he walked out. Pinata’s shift was later than his, so she wasn’t going to go over quite yet.

After trudging through the snow and ice, he got to the hospital, walking in. Immediately, the person at the front desk, (she covered the night/early morning, while Pinata covered the rest of the day) asked him something. “Doctor Peso Guin, right?” she asked, and Peso blinked, nodding. “Y-yes.” he wasn’t expecting them to be, well, expecting him. She pointed over to the boss’s door. “Boss wants to see you.” she said, and Peso shakily nodded, walking over and twisting the knob.

The boss perked up at seeing him. “Peso, wonderful. Now, I’m sure you have many questions, so I managed to get on a video call with the Professor.” he said, and Peso blinked. The OWNER? Immediately panic ran through his head. “W-wonderful.” he stuttered, sitting down. He turned the computer to Peso, and Peso was a little surprised. For some reason, he didn’t expect the founder to resemble the monopoly man. “Hello, Dr Guin, right?” he asked, and Peso nodded. “Just Dr. Peso is fine.” he said, and the Professor nodded. “Sounds good, Dr. Peso. Now, I’m sure you have many questions so.. Fire away!” he said, and Peso cleared his throat. “Right, yes. Um, how is the living situation? I know we’ll be living on the submarine, but what’s that like?” the Professor put a hand to his chin. “Well, the submarine isn’t exactly a..” he put his hands in air quotes, “‘Usual’ submarine. It’s modeled to look like an octopus, just with four arms that have rooms attached. One arm has the activities room attached, another the garden pod, –all of our food will be grown by us–and the other two are separated into two rooms. They’re somewhat large, much more than just a bunk if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Oh, Peso had been expecting a terrible little bunk bed in all honesty. So hearing he would be getting a full room to himself was promising. “Wow.. that’s–that’s wonderful.” Peso heard himself saying, though he was partially just on ‘autopilot’ as he liked to call it. Sure, he was watching and he was saying things, but it was automatic, almost. “I.. another question I have, is, where will I work?”

Inkling adjusted his monocle, before saying, “Well, you’ll have an entire medbay. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures, but it’s fairly large. Lots of room. Of course, you’ll go out in the GUPS to do checkups, but–” Peso found himself interrupting. “So sorry, but.. Gups?” he asked. “Oh, apologies. Small submarines, practically.” Peso nodded. “Will I um.. Have to drive?” he asked, and Inkling thought.

“Well, eventually, likely yes, though not at the beginning. The Captain will be doing most of the steering until you’re properly trained.” Even if the idea of Peso steering made him almost feel a little queasy, the fact he would have training made him feel better, though. He’d.. avoid doing so as long as he could. “I see. Um, not to doubt you or anything but..” he gulped. “How strong is the glass on the submarine?” he questioned, and the Professor thought for a moment before answering.

“I’m not quite sure exactly the amount of pressure or anything like that, but Tweak–our head engineer–said it could handle being at the bottom of the mariana trench, and then some. As well as it being practically indestructible–it’d be incredulously difficult to even crack.” he said, and that made Peso feel a lot better. He was worried the glass would be like a household’s window–strong enough to keep the cold air out, but could be shattered with a baseball easily. Peso asked one more question, then, “Will I be able to visit my family?” he asked, and Inkling nodded. “Of course! And, the internet is quite good, according to Tweak. She wanted to improve it after our IT worker said they should. So, you can contact them virtually anytime you aren’t busy.”

That basically sealed the deal for Peso. He could contact them anytime he wanted, besides when he was working? That was wonderful news. “T-that’s wonderful! I’d um.. I do really think I’d like to try for the position.” he said, and Inkling nodded. “Exquisite. Now, we have been sent a lot of clips of you–you’re clearly qualified. If you’d like.. We could likely pick you up once the ship launches in a week or two.” he said, and Peso nodded. “I’d- I’d love that. Yes.”

He was so excited–he was hired! And, most of his worries were drowned away by the Professor’s reassurance. “It’s settled then. See you, then, Dr.Peso.” the Professor said, cutting off the call. Peso looked back at his –now former– boss. “Congratulations, Doctor.” he simply said, closing the laptop. Peso nodded. “You may go to work now.” Peso nodded. He couldn’t exactly abandon his duties because he’d been hired. He’d pack once he got home.

—

After work, Peso trudged back through the snowy terrain, and walked inside his house. He’d be enjoying all of this before he left. “Ma, I have a huge announcement for dinner.” Peso said, and she looked happy, though was that a hint of sadness in her eyes? Peso didn’t quite know. Physcology wasn’t his field of expertise. Pinto pestered him about it, and Peso just kept on telling him to “wait until dinner” which didn’t stop his insistence.

Once they had sat down for dinner, they were all expecting Peso. “So, um.. I- you know that job, last night I mentioned?” he asked, and they all nodded. “I’m.. well, I- okay, I accepted it. I’m guaranteed to work there, now.” he said, and Pinto cheered. “Now you’re an adventurer! You better take me on your awesome adventure someday!” his mother looked at Pinto, “Maybe when you’re a little older, sweetie.” she softly said, which Pinto promptly ignored.

“W-well I’m.. I’m still a medic. Just on a submarine.” Pinto didn’t care, his brother was on a submarine! His tail was wagging like a dog, (Peso honestly didn’t know Penguins did that, but the more you know, right?) and feathers were where ears would usually be.

“Good job,” Pogo commented, clapping a little. Pinata looked impressed too. “I think you’ve outdone yourself, Peso.” she said, agreeing with her twin. His mother looked to be tearing up a little. “I’m.. I’m so happy for you, Peso. Will you be able to call?” she asked, and Peso nodded. “There’s internet on the submarine” he said, which made Pinata’s attention perk up again. “..do you know if they have any open positions?” she asked. Peso guessed by how they were launching soon, they didn’t. “I don’t think so,” he said, laughing a little.

She sulked a tad at that, and the table burst out in laughter, (she joined in, too) and Peso pushed the thought that said, You’ll miss them so much, is this really the best decision?

But Peso knew it was, they’d all be fine without him. And he was ecstatic to be helping many many creatures. That night, he went to his room and packed. Pinto helped him, saying that he should bring over one of his comics so he “wouldn’t forget him”, and Peso laughed as he put it in his suitcase, saying, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget you.”

Though, there was one nagging thought he was trying to get rid of.

What if the crew hates me?

If they did, he’d return. Though, then everyone would be disappointed, right? He’d just.. Not be a yes-man, he had a little more dignity than that, but just.. Stay out of any trouble. There were bound to be fights, of course, though Peso wanted no part in any of them. He wasn’t one to yell, and certainly not anyone to hurt anyone. He didn’t think he could even throw a punch without crying.

#octonauts #fanfic #octonauts peso #octonauts shellington #glad i was able to reupload today!#currently in Not My Homestate for a not-so-fun reason #so it's been a little weird!

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yuko-kakubami · 2 years

Note

hey this is a bit of a triggering topic but can you make some hcs for the Nordic gods’s reaction to the reader dying in one of the thirteen rounds? If you can’t it’s okay

Warning:: Mention of death

Reader Pronouns:: they/them

Chars. Involved:: Odin, Loki, Heimdall, Thor, Forseti [Record of Ragnarok]

A/N:: this has not been proofread but it took me a few hours to make, hope you like

Odin

Overall Odin really only cares about power, and how well his sons make him look

If Odin cares about you, then you must have done something great, like really great!

Maybe you are married to one of his sons or maybe even married to him but whatever it is if you get him to care, it is a big deal

If you’re a human

Your death won’t have so big of an effect on him, unless you win his trust, if you didn’t win his trust he would smirk and feel relief

If you won his trust and he cares, his mourning for your death will be in silence

He will shut everyone out and snap at people who try to comfort him

He will also hide away from everyone

Odin would then keep you in his memories and admire how admirable you were compared to most humans

He won’t cry but you will always be in the back of his mind and he will think about you

He would wonder why he acted so awful to you

If you’re a god

You best believe he would be pissed, even if he hated you, he’d be pissed, he wants humanity gone and if he was going to root for his enemy then he would, if it got the humans gone, he would cheer you on in silence

If he cared about you, similar to his reaction as a human death, he would shut himself out

There are five stages of grief, his longest stage is denial, he will never turn to acceptance

He will make it a goal to get revenge and kill the one who killed you, even if it was against the rules

If anyone brings up your name after you die, good or bad talk, he will yell at them and demand them to stop

Loki

In all fairness Loki may seem like he doesn’t care about death…. And well he doesn’t, unless he trusts you

Ironically, gaining his trust isn’t hard so it’s slightly easy to be one that he cares about, just be kind, and be a god, if you aren’t a god have high talent that only a god would possess

He likes to pick on people that he trusts, and family so while it may seem like a trickster thing, it is, but it’s also a sign of affection so we know he isn’t completely heartless and he DOES care

If you’re a human

Wow, you died?!

He totally didn’t see that coming (not being sarcastic either, he actually didn’t see that coming)

You were so powerful… why… why now? Of course it was a work in his favor with the fights but…. Was it really worth it if he lost someone like you

His “boredom” of watching the fight would be gone, as hard as it would be to admit it, he would be hurt

Not crying, but hurt

“B-but wait that wasn’t supposed to happen! Y/n can’t actually be dead!”

“Since when was y/n a loser?! That’s not fair”

His memory of you would be something he would hold close but try to act tough about

If you’re a god

“Y/n lost to a human? How pitiful!”

He would be a mix of disappointed and angry

He would rage, and break a few things, probably ending up in a fight with a random person

Not a fight for the thirteen rounds but just a fight with someone random

He’s mad at you for dying but hurt that you left, he wouldn’t be sure if he should be more mad or sad

You best believe that his family will have to deal with his anger issues

He doesn’t forgive you for dying, nor does he forgive the one who killed you

Either way, your death takes a toll on him

Heimdall

Heimdall is another one that seems like death doesn’t phase him, well I got news, it DOES phase him! As an announcer/ commentator/ news reporter, your emotions are SUPPOSED to be held back! I can promise you that certain deaths will internally destroy him (and in my opinion it seemed like he felt bad when Adam and Lu Bu’s army died)

Firstly, it is easy to gain his trust, he trusts nearly everyone, no he trusts everyone

If he doesn’t trust you than you must have really done something messed up to him, like REALLY messed up

Secondly, he cares dearly about both humanity and the gods, he doesn’t see you as less than if you’re a human

If you’re a human

If he doesn’t care for you, he will still feel bad and keep it hidden, only because he’s announcing

If he does care about you, you best believe he’s going to let out a tear but try to show no pain, again because he’s announcing

“And the winner for this round is-” would be whenever you would hear a voice shake, as if he held back tears but let no feeing out

His mourning would take place after the tournament, where he’d cry in his room

He’d be in agony knowing that after your death in Valhalla there’s nothing left and you’re gone forever

He wishes he could have said goodbye or even saved you from your fate

He would have multiple breakdowns in private, knowing you died in pain and wishing he could have helped you

If you’re a god

He would be in the same amount of pain if you were a god

He wouldn’t wish death on the human who killed you but he would wish he could have taken your place instead

He would blame himself for your death

He would also have dreams of you coming back and saying everything is fine, even hugging him or kissing him on the cheek or forehead in his dream

Then would wake up and realize that you were never coming back

His biggest regret would be that he didn’t take your spot in the arena since you both are gods

His cheerfulness and happiness would die with you

Thor

Thor gets attached to people easily, especially if they’re his competition and they hold as much power as him, if not more (we saw how hurt he was about killing Lu Bu)

He is shy and introverted, his sadness will show but he doesn’t like to talk to people so chances are, nobody would hear about him grieving over you

Once he gets attached to you he isn’t affectionate or comforting, he admires from a distance or by fighting with you

Either way, he’s impressed by you and you mean a lot to him

If you’re a human

He would stay quiet about it, it would be clear that he is in pain but nobody would hear from him

If he didn’t like you, he would still show no emotion, but he would remember you

If he cared about you, he’d feel bad of course but he would also celebrate your life and bravery

He may have a few drinks to himself, all in which would be in memory of you

“This one goes to you, y/n” he’d say before taking a shot of vodka or tequila

“You may have lost but you did good… you did good”

If you’re a god

He wouldn’t let your memory go in vein, similar to if you were a human, he would celebrate your life

If others ask him about you, he’d say you fought till the very end and that you were a warrior

Thor would still be in pain about your death, hearing your name would get him feeling sad but there would be a huge amount of pride that would come with the sadness

You may have lost but he will always see you as a winner, in his eyes you were the victor

He would talk to you as if you were still alive with him

“Nice day today isn’t it, y/n?”

Or “I wish you were here to see this”

He is never ashamed of you and is proud to say that he was a part of your existence

Forseti

We all know Forseti is bias but I also think he had a somewhat soft spot for Chen Gong so he may have a care for humans

Gaining his trust is easy if you’re a god, if he cares about you as a human, great, gaining his trust wasn’t too hard either but it definitely wasn’t easy either

I also want to point out that Forseti is VERY clingy and emotional, also prone to having breakdowns or panic attacks (from what we saw in the flashback scene with Thor) so if he gets attached to you, you are glued to him

If you’re a human

If you were close to Forseti, he would have a breakdown, he’d crumble emotionally

You were one of the only humans who actually stood out to him, you were one of the only, if not the only human to care about him, chances are he loved you, even if it wasn’t romantically it sure was platonically

“Of all humans why y/n?” He’d ask himself

Unlike the others, he wouldn’t be afraid to break down in tears, scream, sob, lose control in public, he will make his pain heard to everyone

Not for sympathy but because he is actually that hurt, he can’t live without you

He doesn’t want you gone, he NEEDS you by his side

You would be on his mind for the rest of his time

If you’re a god

What?! You lost?!

He saw you die before his own eyes! You were supposed to live! You were a god! You needed to win!

He felt as if he saw his own life before him escape, like Thor, he probably idolized you, and now he saw one of his idols die

It would take him about five to ten seconds to process that you were dead, after those seconds, he would wail and sob like a child

You were incredible! You were everything! You meant so much to him!

“Y/n did nothing wrong! Y/n was perfect and you killed them!” He would shout as the surviving contestant stepped out of the arena

Your death would forever haunt him, and he would hold a grudge against humanity

Similar to Heimdall, he would have dreams about you coming back and would often show you physical affection in his dreams

#record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie #snv forseti #snv heimdall #snv loki #snv thor #snv odin #headcanon #snv x reader #Forseti is emotional asf #yuko writes

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 1 year

Text

A/N: I wrote this because there are some people who can't accept the fact that Eddie is bisexual or can't seem to accept the fact that Eddie has had a past relationships with a woman and that invalidates bisexuals. I think if Steve were to discover that he was bisexual it would be nice to know there is someone else out there like him, his own age, and Eddie would feel the same. Robin knows what it's like to be queer but she doesn't understand what it's like to like both genders and to be judged harshly by her own community. I hate the fact that people can't possibly accept the possibility of Eddie being bisexual, of him being with a woman. Just because you don't like it or can't understand it doesn't mean it can't happen. After this, I'm back to taking a break. This is for all the bisexuals out there.

Here's a hand to hold. . .

Warning: Mentions of Eddie Munson having had a past relationship with a woman.

Eddie Munson whistled a jaunty tune as he strolled into Steve Harrington's house, unlocking it with the key Steve had given him. Yeah, Steve Harrington's house. It's been a year, and he still couldn't believe how close they were. They were best friends, and while Eddie wanted more, having Steve in his life in any way was more than enough for him. Seeing him almost every day and seeing him smile because of something Eddie said or did made Eddie's cynical heart all gooey inside like melted chocolate. He still remembered the smile on his face when he gave Eddie his house key.

"These are for people who are important to me," Steve said. "Especially those who are welcome here any time."

Eddie had to ruin the moment by squeezing Steve’s face cheeks together, giving him duck lips. Steve had just laughed, though. Currently, Eddie was calling for Steve’s name but was receiving no response. He frowned. Steve’s car was in the driveway, so he had to be home. Eddie started climbing up the stairs when he heard it. Someone was crying. He followed the sound and found Steve. He was sitting on the floor of his bathroom, weeping. The sight nearly tore his heart in two when Steve looked up at him, and his eyes were full of tears. He knelt his knees immediately, clutching Steve’s knees.

"Steve, what's wrong? Did someone do this to you? Was it your parents? Okay, that's it. I'm murdering them. I don't fucking care if I go to jail. You're worth it," Eddie rambled on.

What he said seemed to make Steve cry harder, and then Eddie began sprouting out apologies for that.

"Is it really okay, Eddie?" Steve asked.

"Is what okay?" Eddie asked.

"To like both?" Steve asked softly.

"Why would ask th - oh, okay, um, yeah. Of course, it is," Eddie said. "Who told you that it wasn't? I'll -,"

"Kill them?" Steve snorted. "Not unless you want to kill me. It's just me, you know. . ."

"Being your own worst enemy?" Eddie asked.

"I was going to say stupid, but yeah, that works too," he replied, sniffling.

"Steven Ronnie Harrington," Eddie began.

"It's Ronald," he said.

"Steven RONNIE Harrington," Eddie continued. "You are not stupid, and I will keep telling you that every single day until you believe me."

"Did you deal with these thoughts when you realized that you're -" Steve paused.

Eddie sighed and collapsed behind him, wrapping an arm around him.

"Come on, Stevie, say it with me. It's okay," Eddie said.

"Bisexual," Steve said softly.

"There it is," Eddie grinned. "And yeah, I dealt with these thoughts. I freaked out when I started realizing it. It was 'I like girls' but no, 'I like boys.' It went back and forth. 'I like girls.' 'I like boys.' 'I like girls.' It was like the worst game of ping pong ever. I kept thinking I was the worst sort of freak. Then I realized: 'wait, why the fuck can't I like both?' I finally let it start to sink over me that I did, in fact, like both. It wasn't until I heard about David Bowie and I knew the word for it. Bisexual. I, Edward Metallica Munson, am bisexual," Eddie said.

"Okay, your middle name is Lawrence," Steve said.

"It's so boring, though, Stevie! Let me have this! It sounds so much cooler!" Eddie whined. "Anyway, what was I saying?"

"You were saying that you're bisexual," he said.

"After that, I kind of had to figure out dating. My first girlfriend. . .man, I loved her, and I thought for sure I could trust her. When I told her, she had this look on her face. . .well, her words said differently. She wasn't quite so okay with it, despite what she said. She found it hard to kiss me and man. Did that hurt? I ended it. I went to this club I was told about in Indie where I met a man a couple years older than me. I was legal by then, don't worry. He was in college. I fell head over heels. He hid it well, how uncomfortable he was with my sexuality. He couldn't understand how I also liked women. He thought I was just confused. He started telling me about how he tried to like girls at first, too. We started arguing about it eventually until I was crying all the time and felt awful about myself. I loved him so much that I started to think that maybe he was right, but then I shook my head. I knew what I liked, I knew who I was. I knew he was too and told him that it was okay. It was okay to like both or to like one gender. What was not okay was to tell someone what you think they are when they aren't," Eddie said. "It's okay to like both, Stevie. It's more than okay. Don't let anyone tell you that it's not. Whether you're straight, gay, or bisexual. . .it's all okay. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't something because they don't fucking know. Only you do."

"Uh, Eddie, you're squeezing my arm rather tightly there," Steve said.

"Oops, sorry, it gets me angry sometimes, especially when thinking about Lucas, you know. I inadvertently did the same thing. He just wanted to know that it was okay to be a nerd and a jock. I couldn't fucking tell him that. I couldn't put off D&D for one night to let him know that his game was just as important as ours? Plus, the fact that it might have been what gave the jocks the idea that we don't necessarily have to be enemies, you know. I was an asshole," Eddie rambled on.

"Well, you apologized, and Lucas forgave you. As a former asshole, I forgive you too," Steve said, and Eddid laughed.

"So, what made you realize that you're bisexual?" Eddie asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"You."

"Huh?"

"My feelings for you is what made me realize that I was bisexual because I realized I had feelings like these for boys in the past. I was like, 'Holy shit, I liked those guys.'," Steve said.

"Wait, what?!" Eddie exclaimed.

"I like you, Eddie," Steve said.

"Say that again," Eddie said, getting on his knees.

"Am I speaking another language?" Steve said, getting on his knees and cupping his face, squeezing his cheeks. "Edward Lawrence -"

"Metallica," Eddie corrected.

"Edward LAWRENCE Munson, I fucking like you," Steve said.

Eddie surged forward and kissed him, gripping his waist. Steve sighed happily against his lips and pulled Eddie closer. He pushed Eddie forward until he had his back pressed against the cold tile of the bathroom and straddled his waist as he deepened the kiss. Eddie slipped his tongue in Steve's mouth and moaned as he moved his hand down to cup Steve’s ass.

"Just as fantastic as I thought it would be," Eddie said.

"Well, it's yours now, so you can touch it as much as you want to," Steve giggled.

"You have no idea how hard I am going to hold you to that," he told him. "We should probably cool it because otherwise I'm going to end up fucking you on this bathroom floor and baby, you deserved to be wooed first."

"You're so good to me," he grinned and climbed off of him, collapsing next to him.

"Ugh, I'm still feeling a little hot," he said.

"Take your shirt off," Steve replied. "The cool tile feels good against your skin."

"You just want to see my tits. You should know, though, that I only have one nipple now," Eddie told him.

"And I bet it's a damn fine nipple. Eddie, If I swear not to try and get to second base with you, will you please take your shirt off?" Steve asked.

"Only if you do," Eddie said, and Steve affectionately rolled his eyes before pulling off his shirt, causing Eddie to whistle.

Steve threw his shirt at him and laughed when Eddie did the same. Eventually, they were just throwing their shirts back and forth while they laughed. Steve grabbed them both and threw them in the corner. Eddie sighed as his back made contact with the floor. It did feel good. He felt Steve slip his hand into his, entertwining their fingers, and Eddie gazed at Steve fondly. Sometimes, it's nice to know that there was someone there to understand what you went through, to have shared life experiences with someone who means so much to you. It's also nice to know that no matter what you are in life, there is someone there in your life to tell you it's okay. . .unless you're like a murderer or something or you want to split open a town and bring hell to Earth. That is NOT okay. Eddie's just glad he has a hand to hold.

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savage-rhi · 6 months

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Mending Shadows // Chapter 22

Summary:

Y/N was a simple Scavenger of Lucis, until meeting a deadly blow at the hands of an infected creature. At the crossroads of death, they are found by Niflheim’s cryptic Chancellor with his own agenda. Now bonded to Ardyn Izunia, and tossed into the world of Niflheim, Y/N struggles to cope with their new life as an Imperial Icon all the while battling their feelings toward their fate and that of Ardyn’s.

Click here to read on AO3

There was not a single word or sentence that could describe the full magnificence of Altissa, but if Y/N had to assign it something, it would be “heaven on Eos.” Surrounded by waterfalls, canals, and vast architecture that could make the most stoic of men stop in awe, the capitol of Accordo demonstrated a mighty grace that matched the sea god who allegedly slumbered nearby. Y/N recalled a time where friends mentioned traveling here, and how if they had the gil to return, they would’ve settled in Altissa. The thought nearly brought a tear to Y/N’s eye as they grinned in admiration.

Y/N was so enraptured by the scenery, they nearly missed Ardyn beckoning them to stay close at his side after docking. Upon standing at his right, Y/N couldn’t help but notice his entire demeanor changed in an instant. The mask he was wearing this time around, was one of arrogance; but with the softened blow of a smile that demonstrated fealty. Dare say even his scourge felt off as Y/N captured a brief photograph of Ardyn’s feelings through their bond.

Taking their eyes off of Ardyn, Y/N stared past the Imperial officials who went ahead of Ardyn, and met the fierce gaze of Accordo’s state leader: Madam Secretary Camelia Claustra. Her smile was both intimidating and full of warmth, contrasting with her experienced features. Her clothes, dull greys and blues further amplified her older grace. Y/N could tell she had been through much, but her poise and confidence hid whatever woes she had swimming under the surface.

Ardyn had a talked a great deal about Camelia. It was one thing to hear about her no-nonsense energy, but another to be meeting it head on. Y/N felt it best not to say hello, and merely observe unless directed otherwise. This wasn’t a woman who liked to play games, nor did Y/N get the impression she could be won over with small talk. This had Y/N wonder what sort of trifling antics Ardyn was going to pull off, and they couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Y/N was no fool. Despite Ardyn holding a reserved warmth for them, they knew he didn’t show compassion to most. It was one of the few misgivings they harbored toward him.

“Chancellor Izunia, warmest of welcomes.” Camelia stated with pride, giving a bow with her head to which Ardyn returned in favor with a formal bend and a tip of his hat.

“The honor is mine, dear Madam Secretary.” Ardyn smirked as he returned to form. He held out his arms for emphasis. “Might I compliment your radiance? It’s unfortunately not something my eyes are used to back home among the council of men with one foot in the grave!”

“Spare me the pleasantry, Chancellor. There is much preparation to be had for the betrothal ceremony, and your fleet arrived two days late.”

“I assure you, the extra precaution on our end was worth the wait. The empire cannot afford to doddle when it comes to security. You know that better than most with the recent assassination attempt on your head! I do hope your psyche has been seen to after such a horrid experience!” Ardyn oozed with false affection. The glint in his eyes further lit up when he saw Camelia’s throat tense as she held back what was no doubt an onslaught of profanities that wanted to creep past her lips.

“I may not have fought on the field, Chancellor, but I’ve had my share of battles that come with the task of keeping the people of Accordo safe. I appreciate the concern nevertheless.”

“But of course!” Ardyn nodded, his cadence lathered with impish elegance. “I do hope my concerns didn’t drudge up ill feelings?”

“None at all.”

Y/N had a feeling if Camelia didn’t have an audience, she would’ve ripped Ardyn a new one for the not so subtle jab. Nevertheless, they were surprised at how she had no fear calling Ardyn out on his bluff right out the gate. He didn’t seem bothered by it, and in fact chuckled amusingly.

“Your ambition is inspiring to us all in the realm of politics,” Ardyn complimented. He let out a sigh, and gestured for some of the Imperial soldiers near to begin gathering belongings off the airship. Once settled, he followed Camelia’s lead and began to walk at her side then subtly gestured to Y/N to stand behind him out of protocol.

It was once the group were off the docks and walking on land, did Camelia speak up.

“I do hope the accommodations my men are providing will suffice, Chancellor.”

“I don’t see why not,” Ardyn smiled. “Each time myself or a member of council have visited your land, we’ve been greeted with nothing but the best!”

“Speaking of visiting,” Camelia began. “How is your Emperor fairing these days? It’s been almost five years now since he’s witnessed Altissa’s splendor.”

“Ah,” Ardyn furrowed his brows, feigning a frown. “The poor man could use such a tranquil place to rest. The war has been unforgiving as you can imagine, yet we prevail! Speaking of, we have much to discuss about Lucis and future plans that Accordo should be in alignment with. I trust you have carved out time for conversation?”

“Of course,” Camelia stated. “Keeping our alliance stable is our highest priority. This wedding I hope will quell tension among my citizens who have been critical of our partnership.”

Although she had much conviction in her voice, there was a sadness to Camelia’s features as she finished her sentence that Y/N honed in on. It seemed she was crushed at the fact rebellion wouldn’t bear fruit. Not when Niflheim was keen on keeping people compliant with their goals. Y/N had mixed feelings. Though they were acting as a poster child for the empire, they didn’t like how shackled they made folks like Madam Secretary feel.

Y/N realized they must’ve been staring for too long, for Camelia and the rest of the entourage stopped. They swallowed as Camelia eyed them with scrutiny, and gestured after giving a slight huff.

“A pardon Chancellor, but who is this young thing following your side like a hound to a trail?” The jest had the group of Imperial officials and Accordo envoy’s chuckle.

“Oh dear, I’ve forgotten my manners!” Ardyn exclaimed. He shot a quick glare at Camelia, noticing how she savored the look of surprise he held seconds ago. He cleared his throat, and ever the cordial gentleman, gestured to Y/N with high regard.

“Madam Secretary, may I have the privilege to introduce Y/N Y/L/N, a new Imperial Icon of Niflheim. They are my guest of honor, and have kindly volunteered to aid me with matters involving the betrothal ceremony.”

Y/N wasn’t sure how to address one such as Camelia formally. This was something that Ardyn neglected to go over with them. Feeling the scourge rise in their chest, Y/N went with their first instinct without thinking, and Ardyn held in his breath.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Y/N said with a smile, presenting their hand out to Camelia. The older woman seemed taken aback at first, but even with the gasps coming from the Imperials and Envoys, she reached out for Y/N’s palm and took it into her own, giving a strong shake.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever had an Imperial greet me in this fashion.” Camelia smirked with amusement. Her eyes lit up in a manner that hadn’t been seen in a while. “You don’t strike me as a typical sort.”

“Forgive me,” Y/N laughed nervously, all the while trying their hardest to avoid Ardyn’s gaze. “I’m still getting my bearings.”

“Y/N is a former Lucian,” Ardyn cleared his throat, redirecting the conversation so as to not have Y/N potentially drag themself into a pit. “They had suffered much under their own country, and Niflheim has taken them in with open arms.”

“Oh yes,” Camelia said. Her demeanor seemed to shift as she let go of Y/N’s hand and regarded Y/N in a manner that suggested she felt pity for them if anything. “I’ve heard a great deal about you through word of mouth, the Lucian who abandoned everything.”

“It was not an easy situation,” Y/N stated, trying to ground themself. “Niflheim, and Chancellor Izunia have been generous to me. I owe Chancellor Izunia a great deal, and I look forward to helping him ensure this wedding goes through without a hitch.”

“How noble of you.” Camelia murmured.

For Y/N, it was hard to tell if Camelia felt disdain toward them or further pity. Probably a mix of both. Y/N imagined Camelia probably thought they were out of their mind for throwing allegiance to the empire, based on what Ardyn told them in the past about her history with Niflheim.

“Chancellor,” Camelia spoke up.

“Madam Secretary?”

“I’ve enjoyed meeting your companion, alas we have matters of privacy to discuss in the House of the Courts. If there is anything you’d like to disclose to your ally before we proceed, I’d suggest doing so now.”

“Pardon me for a second!” Ardyn grinned. He motioned for Y/N to follow as he led them both away from the main group. He waited until the eyes and ears of the gang were off himself and Y/N before whispering.

“You alright?”

“Mostly,” Y/N murmured, wincing at themself. “I can’t believe I screwed up formality. A handshake? What the hell was I thinking?”

“On the contrary, I think you made a good first impression.” Ardyn mused. He gestured with his chin over to Camelia, motioning for Y/N to briefly look upon her. “Trust my word, Madam Secretary isn’t one to return a favor in kind if she doesn’t care for the company.”

“Can I count on your personal experience to vouch for that?” Y/N snorted, seeing the raised brow Ardyn gave before further explaining. “You both seem to have it out for each other.”

Ardyn snickered. “Hate and admiration go hand in hand in politics. We both enjoy reminding the other of that. Regardless, your little stumble didn’t damage either of our respective reputations. I wouldn’t fret.”

Y/N sighed in relief, turning their attention back to Ardyn in full. “So what happens now?”

“Well,” Ardyn paused as he looked around, then settled his eyes on Loqui and Tuti from afar. He watched them assist with unpacking belongings from the airship, and gestured toward them. “Lieutenant Tummelt and Tuti will escort you to our lodging. From there, you’ll meet up with Ms. D’Bhara and her fellow socialites for an afternoon tour of the capitol. They’re expecting you for a luncheon after you become acquainted with your place of stay.”

“And here I thought I was going to have to jump through hoops in order to meet her.” Y/N said in surprise.

“I may have pulled some strings to get the ball rolling. Alas, I’m counting on you to find out what you can about the tomb.”

“What if she doesn’t tell me anything?” Y/N furrowed their brows worriedly.

“Even if the pair of you don’t become bosom companions, I’m sure she’ll let something slip.” Ardyn shrugged. “You’ll come to find that the rich and powerful, regardless of alleigence to country, love nothing more than to yak. Take it from someone who plays the game himself.”

Y/N did a poor job suppressing a giggle at Ardyn’s last remark. They both smiled at each other fondly, only to be interrupted by a small and plump man who approached and cleared his throat rather loud.

“Yes?” Ardyn irritably sighed.

“A pardon sir,” The man chirped. “The group is wondering if you’re close to wrapping things up?”

“One moment,” Ardyn held up a finger for emphasis before he gestured at the man to give Y/N and he some space. Once that was sorted, did he give his attention to Y/N. “I more than likely won’t see you until tomorrow. In the meantime, stay near Tuti and Lieutenant Tummelt, and don’t go outside of the capitol unless instructed otherwise.”

“At the rate you’re going with precaution, you’d give a mother goose a run for its gil.”

As much as Ardyn enjoyed the quip, and the soft giggle Y/N made, he remained firm.

“I’m being serious. I want you to stay safe. Although Accordo is an ally of ours, we need to be careful.”

“The same thing applies to yourself. I know you seem to enjoy rattling Camelia’s cage, but don’t bite off more than you can chew.” Y/N urged.

“You’re afraid on my behalf? How quaint.”

“I’m being courteous!”

“Y/N, promise me…”

“Alright,” Y/N murmured, sensing he was in no mood for further jest. “I promise I won’t do anything stupid.”

Despite the reassurance, the look of disbelief Ardyn gave them had Y/N roll their eyes.

“I won’t do anything stupid within reason.”

“That’s the spirit.” Ardyn grinned. He took Y/N’s right hand into his own, and bowed his forehead to their knuckles out of respect. “I’ll call on you later.”

He let go and offered one final glance of acknowledgement before the mask went back on. The dare say compassionate Ardyn was replaced by the mischievous Chancellor once again. Y/N watched as this character came out in full swing while Ardyn graced his presence to the group, and then they were off.

Y/N didn’t take their eyes off of Ardyn, not until he and the rest of the officials became specks in the distance. They swallowed, and felt a pain of sadness grow in their chest. It bloomed like a syelleblossom losing it’s petals before it’s prime.

Gods be damned… Y/N shook their head. The scourge fed the sentiment further. Y/N decided to redirect their emotions by forcing their feet to move them toward Loqui and Tuti’s location.

An hour later, and Y/N found themself in the lodging Ardyn and they would be staying at. For what was supposed to be a hotel room, it was quite vast and built like a small one story house with two bedrooms, a half kitchen, and a full bathroom. Like the rest of Altissia that Y/N had come to see, it had some beautiful architecture and felt more like a vacation dwelling than a temporary rest point for visiting foreigners.

“Like what you see?” Loqui quipped, laughing when he saw Y/N snap out of their thoughts and shot him a brief glare.

“I’m trying to keep in mind not to break anything. It all screams don’t touch me, I’m expensive.” Y/N laughed.

“I wouldn’t worry!” Tuti chirped as she hurriedly and with excitement began to rummage through her suitcase and put away things.

Loqui crossed his arms, moving out of Tuti’s way as he watched on with amusement. He couldn’t believe someone of such a smaller stature could zip through so many places at once.

“It’s all covered by Madam Secretary. But should the Chancellor tick her off, it’s not like he can’t afford this himself.”

“How much does it even cost to stay in a place like this?” Y/N asked while they found themself admiring some various plants that were strategically placed near the walls, complimenting the Mediterranean color palette.

“Easily 15,000 gil a night.” Loqui scoffed.

“15,000?!” Y/N exclaimed.

“You heard right!” Loqui laughed. He let out a grunt when Tuti collided into his chest. After a series of apologies, not giving the man the chance to counter her, did she make her announcement.

“I’m going to tidy up the bedrooms and then Y/N, we should get ready to meet the men and women of The Serpent Society!”

Loqui frowned when Tuti once more zipped away before smiling at Y/N. “If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to take advantage of being your assigned guard and treat myself to samplings in the kitchen!”

“Pfft, like that’s all I’m good for…” Y/N jokingly muttered. They ignored Loqui’s faint quip from the distance, and felt drawn to sliding doors that led to the deck.

When Y/N stepped out, they could feel the warmth of the sun crackle their skin. The pain was brief, and subsided the further they ventured out. Having Ardyn’s immunity to the rays of the star was a blessing that Y/N realized they had taken for granted. Regular daemons would either burn to a crisp, or suffer burns the likes of which would only add to their horrific appearance.

Y/N recalled watching that happen weeks ago when a barrage of Flexitusks were reported along the outskirts of Gralea. Ardyn had decided to capture some of the creatures for Verstael’s research, and Y/N accompanied him. The entities were formidable as they were savage, even catching Ardyn off guard at times, but he came out unscathed. The experience was both eye opening, and one Y/N didn’t want to repeat.

Ardyn had taught Y/N about daemons and their weaknesses that early dawn, and how such weaknesses either applied or didn’t to the likes of them. Y/N had learned from Ardyn, that though the sun couldn’t penetrate their skin to where they’d die; if a concentrated light source or magic based weapon were to be used against them, it would be a death sentence. Not for he, not for Adagium, however.

Y/N swallowed when they recalled Ardyn sharing with them that Accordo had such a weapon on hand for daemons before they departed for Altissa. They made a fist, suddenly glimpsing the image of the three people they had slain long ago; imagining the light that left their eyes merging into a singular source. Swooping from the heavens to consume Y/N and the darkness that writhed under their flesh.

While the trauma of that ill fated night remained with them day by day, Y/N did what they could to keep it under lock and key. Ever since Ardyn and they shared a bleedthrough, and he had bore a taste of their suffering, Y/N didn’t want him to experience the night they had become a daemon. Not after what they had seen through his eyes when he lost Aera.

It dawned on Y/N how much they missed him already.

“You alive in there?”

Y/N fell out of their thoughts as Loqui walked over to their side. He smiled and handed a piece of an orange to Y/N. They popped it into their mouth and chewed.

“I’m just thinking.”

“About all the duties you have in Altissa?” Loqui inquired.

“More or less,” Y/N shrugged and smiled after swallowing the fruit. “I haven’t seen much of you these past two weeks.”

“Been busy chasing away Lucian spies from the coast with Commodore Aranea. It’s been quite riveting,” Loqui said sarcastically, and then smirked at Y/N. “Did you miss me that much?”

Y/N snorted. “Only your wits.”

“Owch!”

“You asked!”

“Point taken!” Loqui chuckled as did Y/N.

Loqui’s gaze of admiration made the tempo of Y/N’s pulse stutter. While it was endearing and Y/N had valued the friendship that had grown between themself and he, there was something about the way he stared that had Y/N nervous. Nervous enough to change the subject.

“What’s the status on your dad? I haven’t heard anything about him for a while.”

Loqui let out a content sigh, enjoying the cool breeze that picked up while he and Y/N admired the tropical scenery before them.

“Dad’s stationed in Galahd currently. That side of Lucis is in another stalemate battle wise, so while there’s no bloodshed, everyone’s on edge. Y’know, I’m surprised but grateful Chancellor Izunia approached me to be your guard on this trip. It’s gonna be nice having a distraction, not worrying about dad or whatever is going on over there. Although, I’d be lying if I didn’t feel left out. I feel like I should be fighting alongside him, but…I’m stuck at homebase.”

Y/N furrowed their brows, recalling previous conversations they had with Loqui about his military pursuits. Some men were born to be farmers and politicians. From birth, they felt a calling. It was no different than Loqui’s passion for battle; he was meant for it. Nevertheless, Y/N worried about him. It seemed as of late all he fixated on was either following his fathers footsteps, or being left behind in his shadow.

While Y/N hadn’t been brought up in that manner, they could relate to Loqui’s need of wanting to prove himself. Y/N reached a hand out to Loqui’s shoulder, and gave a small squeeze. They giggled as did he when their nails scratched at the shoulder padding of his uniform.

“Your dad is strong. I believe he’ll be alright, but I can understand why you’re scared. For what it’s worth, I think he’d be proud of the things you’ve been accomplishing for Niflheim.”

Loqui smiled sincerely once Y/N let him go. “You really think so?”

“Yeah! If I didn’t have faith in that, I wouldn’t have asked the Chancellor for you to be my guard in the first place.”

Loqui made a face, crossing his arms as he averted his eyes. He chuckled afterward.

“What?” Y/N asked flabbergasted, worried they might’ve hurt him in some way.

“I had an inkling Chancellor Izunia’s request wasn’t out of the good graces of his heart. I should’ve known better.” Loqui responded with bitter amusement. He made it clear however he held no ill will toward Y/N as he grinned. “How in the six did you convince him to hire me?”

“He knows pissing me off won’t get him anywhere, for starters.” Y/N snorted. “Also you and your dad are the only two I feel remotely comfortable around for a job like this. I’ve been an imperial citizen for a while, but I’m wary. I know there’s still a great number of people that don’t care for me. I told the Chancellor I didn’t want to put myself in a risky situation with people I’m not familiar with.”

Y/N couldn’t help but notice both the disdain and intrigue that Loqui wore on his face. It reminded Y/N of a child being told of something interesting, but it came with resentment.

“At this rate, you almost sound like a married couple!” Loqui scoffed in jest.

Y/N gasped, slugging his shoulder they had gently squeezed moments ago. “Bite your tongue!”

Loqui laughed hard, ignoring the pain. “No, but seriously, how have things been living with the guy?”

“What kind of a question is that?” Y/N balked.

“Why can’t you just answer it?” Loqui teased. He giggled at the roll of Y/N’s eyes.

“He’s better than roommates I’ve had in the past, I’ll give him that.” Y/N shrugged. “He’s been kind to me. Er, as kind as someone like him can be to another person I should say.”

“He hasn’t made you…uncomfortable, right?”

“Come again?”

“Forgive me for being forward. Has he physically imposed himself upon you in any fashion?”

Y/N’s brows furrowed at the emphasis of Loqui’s tone. It took them but a moment to realize what he was driving at. A part of Y/N felt honored that Loqui was checking to be sure the Chancellor wasn’t being predatory toward them, and yet Y/N also felt tempted to slap him across the face for insinuating something that despising about Ardyn.

Y/N’s memories traveled back to the Vixen, and the day Ardyn fed upon them. While he lost himself in the thrill of consumption and brought them to the edge of death, Y/N never felt he would take advantage of their vulnerability. While Ardyn had been creepy in the past, and at present too flirtatious for his own good, Y/N couldn’t see him going to the extent Loqui implicated.

“He’s never hurt me like that,” Y/N murmured firmly in Ardyn’s defense. “Where is this coming from?”

Loqui bit the inside of his cheek. “I’ve upset you, and I apologize. It’s just---”

“Just what?”

Loqui sighed. “The last several times you and I have had audience together, I’ve noticed him having no care toward your boundaries. That, and he leans a lot into you.”

“Leans?”

“Leans.”

Y/N raised their brows, making a face before they snorted. This was getting more baffling by the second. “Okay, time out, what do you mean by leans?”

“He was, well…leaning toward you!”

Y/N shook their head. “I’m not following, Loqui. Is this because I gave him a brief side hug after the imperial banquet?”

“No, no, you’re misinterpreting me. A side hug is way different than this...” His voice trailed off as he approached Y/N calmly, getting into their personal space. He consistently watched to be sure he wasn’t being aggressive while giving his demonstration. He offered a playful smile, all the while capturing Y/N’s eyes with his own.

Y/N swallowed as they felt their back press to one of the beams on the deck that was holding up another above them. They could feel Loqui's breath fan over their skin as he spoke.

“This is what the Chancellor was doing, leaning in to admire you. Does this answer your inquiry?”

The intimacy was thick, as was the deep blush that crept against Y/N’s cheeks. They nodded in reply, for no words could move past their lips.

“Ahem,” Tuti cleared her throat from the distance. She glanced between Loqui and Y/N, watching the former back off suddenly before making her pleasantries. “Y/N we should be getting ready. It’s important for you to be punctual while in Altissa.”

“I couldn’t agree more!” Y/N responded. They turned their attention to Loqui, giving a small bow with their head. “I’ll speak with you later?”

“Of course.” Loqui murmured, furrowing his brows as he returned the bow. He watched Y/N quickly retreat back into the residence. Not long after, he sighed and decided to leave the lodging so he could scout the area. The defeat in his eyes lingered as he watched Tuti and Y/N venture down the hall. Loqui contemplated what his next moves should be. The warnings from his father echoed through his mind as he left after shutting the door behind him.

As Tuti led Y/N to their bedroom, they let out a sigh of relief as did she.

“You okay?” Y/N asked.

“I should be asking you that.” Tuti smirked, although her eyes held concern. “I didn’t want to overstep, yet I couldn’t help but notice you looked uncomfortable. Did I ruin the moment?”

They shook their head in response to her question. Y/N had an epiphany as Tuti dragged them further into the dwelling to change.

Y/N liked Loqui, and even admired him a great deal. He had been nothing but chivalrous and like Tuti, a confidant that they felt safe navigating Niflheim with. By all accounts, it was a miracle to be in the good graces of someone with the prestige he had. However, Y/N was uncertain they could return what Loqui sought of them. Not when Ardyn’s smile once again invaded their thoughts, and their body shuddered.

“No, you didn’t.” Y/N murmured.

#mending shadows #ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #ffxv ardyn #ardyn x reader #canon x reader #ffxv fanfic #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #fanfic writing #fanfiction #fanfics #gender neutral reader

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wistfulcynic · 2 years

Text

an alternative reading of the dock scene and its aftermath...

thinking about the question “why did Ed not hear the gunshot when he was on the dock/getting the dinghy” or, alternatively, what if he did??

when we consider what we are actually shown about what Ed knows or thinks or thinks he knows about why Stede never showed, it’s not actually very much. We see him arrive on the dock, look around for Stede. We see him waiting. We see him rowing away and returning to the Revenge, we see him in the blanket fort eating marmalade from the jar and talking about curling into a ball to die. Because this is all very cleverly framed as typical breakup behaviour and based on what we know about Ed’s general sense of self-worth, we viewers all very naturally assumed he was sad because Stede abandoned him.

but why would Ed assume that? This is the question that keeps tripping me up. Why would Ed’s mind, his very sharp, clever, analytical mind, immediately jump to abandonment before all other conclusions? Yes, there is the factor of his low self-worth, but Ed has no real solid reason to believe that Stede’s non-appearance was down to deliberate choice. There are a whole ton of explanations for why he might not show, and i struggle to believe that Ed wouldn’t at least have entertained a few of them.

wasn’t he curious? Wasn’t he worried? He knows Stede’s propensity for getting himself in trouble, stabbed up, etc. Wouldn’t he at least have wanted to find out for sure before going full sadboi-breakup-robe?

unless... he has a really good reason for believing Stede is never coming back.

hearing the gunshot + Stede not showing + the violent life Ed has led, in which death is both common and commonplace, all of this i could easily see leading to him drawing the conclusion that Stede is dead. And then not analysing that conclusion too closely because in at least a corner of Ed’s mind he must be thinking of course Stede is dead. Of course he, Ed, would have his chance at happiness snatched from his grasp just at the moment he thinks he might actually get to keep it. It must feel like karma to him. He’s not a good person, after all. He’s the kraken.

plus of course Ed has been emotionally and psychologically expecting to lose Stede to death one way or the other pretty much from the very beginning when he was half-dead from a stab wound, all the way through Ed’s own attempted murder to Stede nearly dying by firing squad the day before. In a way it must feel like Stede’s death is inevitable, and that Ed’s only been postponing it by rescuing him/not murdering him/the Act of Grace. But now the time’s run out. He always knew it would.

which would mean that Ed’s spiral into blanket forts and marmalade isn’t breakup sadness it’s mourning. It’s him faced with the irretrievable loss of everything good in his life. No wonder he wants to curl into a ball and die. No wonder he’s grasping at anything he can get to mitigate the wreck of his dreams, from dressing gowns to sparkly nails to talent shows. Yes, of course that could be read equally logically as just him dealing with a breakup but it does seem like a Lot, especially if it’s based on the simple, unconfirmed conjecture that Stede didn’t show because he changed his mind.

If Ed is in mourning, then he’s not just sleeping in his ex’s old t-shirt, he’s desperately trying to pick up any pieces that he can of what he’s lost--Stede’s clothes, Stede’s blankets, Stede’s marmalade, Stede’s crew. Stede’s people-positive management style. It’s only when Izzy threatens him and he realises that he can't have even those small pieces that he throws Stede's things away to show Izzy (and everyone) that he’s not pining. He’s not vulnerable. He’s heartless. He’s the kraken.

then he sobs alone in his bed because he’s not actually heartless at all and the love of his life is lost forever.

so yeah. It’s not a flawless theory. But chew on it with me if you would, please, fandom, and you’re welcome for the tears.

#ofmd meta #our flag means death meta #our flag means death #blackbonnet meta #blackbonnet #episode 9 #meta here to stab you up then steal your wallet #enjoy

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icyowl · 2 years

Text

Quiet Eyes

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x reader (single bed trope)

Request: none

Synopsis: Gojo saves your life, there’s only one bed, the sexual tension is real

A/N: Hi! Things get kinda spicy in this, nothing too graphic, some nibbling, suggestive positions. Let me know what you think!

------------

Gojo’s voice was strong in both mirth and sarcasm when he opened the door numbered 413. “Oh, there’s only one bed, whatever will we do?”

Because of course there was. As if the colossal mishap just hours earlier wasn’t enough to sour your mood, now you had to deal with Gojo’s personality in a space that frankly wasn’t big enough for half of his ego. Under normal circumstances, the idea of sharing a bed with Gojo would have had you reacting in a more substantial manner, but you’d hardly had the strength to make it to the room, let alone enough to waste it worrying over the sleeping arrangements. The room could have been rotten, the bed infested, and you’d still take it with gratitude.

It wasn’t, however. Gojo must have paid handsomely for accommodations as nice as this on such short notice. The room was petite but outfitted with a couch at the foot of the bed and even a small fireplace.

“You can sleep on the bed, Gojo. I’ll take the couch.” You said. The couch didn’t even look that bad anyway, but certainly too small for the likes of him. It was only right he got the bed with a stature like his.

“Need I remind you of the hole in your chest?”

“No, no need. I can feel it plenty well.” You replied too casually. The truth was, every minor twist or bend made the burning ache flare to a raging pain. Had the opioids and blood loss not taken away most of your strength, you were confident the woozy and unsteady feelings would only be worse. After everything Gojo had already done for you? You weren’t about to tell him any of it.

“My reputation as a Gojo would be tarnished if I let a lady have anything but the bed.” He argued while helping himself to the snack tray on the end table near the couch. Considering how quickly he left you stranded at the softly closing door behind you, you thought you did a decent job at hiding the fact your knees almost buckled under the weight of your swiftly sagging near-carcass.

“It’s really not that big of a deal, Gojo, the couch is plenty nice. You’re just too tall for it.” Bed, couch, floor, ceiling, for Christ’s sake it didn’t matter. All you wanted to do was get off your weak feet and finally get some rest. Sleep would be far better than dealing with the pain of both your various wounds and demonizing thoughts; after what you’d done (maybe, rather, what you failed to do) you wanted to kiss consciousness goodbye before the mental enemies took hold.

“You’re absolutely right. That’s why we’ll both be using the bed.”

Now that pushed back the rising exhaustion. “What? No.”

“What, afraid you won’t be able to control yourself?” He smiled around a bite of chocolate. “How scandalous.”

“No!”

“So you’re afraid I won’t be able to keep my composure?”

“Also no–”

“Then what’s the problem? We’re both grown adults, we can share a bed without acting like a couple of teenagers… that is, unless you want to.”

Of course, he had to play this like a game of flirt; of course, he had to give you that mischievous smile; and of course, he had to be so infuriating with that blasé attitude. You’d almost died just a couple of hours ago and here he was, so completely relaxed that not even sharing a bed with someone was worth a second thought. You huffed at his antics and promptly doubled over the pain it caused. “Stop saying things like that!” You gritted out. After the day you had, Gojo’s Gojoness was not helping your condition. In fact, it was maybe Gojo’s fault that your stress and annoyance had spiked enough to pull the last reserves of strength from your disheveled body. In its absence, nausea and weakness had the opportunity to gain a foothold in you. Perhaps it was because he had such a handle on cursed energy and could assess your condition in real-time, or perhaps it was to be expected after so much time spent around one another. Regardless, it surprised you just how quickly he knew to close the gap and steady you before you hit the ground.

You did what you could to mitigate the dizziness. It helped to feel the hard floor beneath your shoes and the steady touch of his hand on your back while he offered the other for you to take hold of.

“You need rest,” Gojo spoke softly. He had no right to sound so sincere.

“Yeah, and I promise you sleep will be just as good on the couch as it’ll be on the bed. If you help me over there like a reputable Gojo would, then I swear I’ll promptly go to sleep without being any more of a burden. Sound good?”

The longer the silence bore on, the more you realized your poor choice of words. It sounded so depressing and now Gojo had plenty of ammo to scrutinize you even more than before. He wasn’t an idiot; you could blame it on the awesome medication the medics gave you earlier, but he knew better… a lot better.

“You think you’re a burden?”

“Jesus – Gojo, can I just go to sleep?”

As carefully as he could Gojo lifted your hunching shoulders until you would look at him directly. Really it was impressive how emotive he was despite the blindfold. You could tell how genuine he was when he spoke. “I need to be close to you in case the wound opens up. I’m not like Ieri, I can’t heal anyone besides myself.”

Your resolve swayed. “You can’t just check on me a couple times throughout the night?”

“Well, one, if the wound or a broken rib causes bleeding in your lungs, then in a matter of minutes I’d be too late. Two, you underestimate how hard I can sleep.”

You glared right into that stupid eye cover. “Fine, fine! I’m so tired I couldn’t care less how I sleep.”

“Alright! I hope you don’t mind – I tend to starfish.”

You regretted this already. Thankfully though, Gojo was slow and steady as he carefully led you to the bed. Sitting proved to be a challenge with the skin getting pulled in new and uncomfortable directions and the large height discrepancy between the two of you proved awkward at best. A few winces and hisses later and you were soundly deposited on the bed while Gojo made for the bathroom. The man was kind enough to offer to get you a toothbrush, toothpaste, whatever you needed to feel at least a modicum of comfort. It was arguably even nice… that is until his hands began pulling the hem of his shirt up and the beginnings of his torso were on display.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“It’s warm. I don’t intend to sweat through the sheets tonight.”

You tried to make your next word at least try to sound normal. “Oh.”

“Besides, this shirt’s covered in a fair amount of your blood.” He said far too frankly before looking over to find you fidgeting, restless, eyes carefully looking at the sheets, the floor, your bandaged hand, anywhere but at him. Gojo smirked and stopped his undressing with the shirt still caught up in his arms. It was practiced, casual, a devil’s sort of grin. “Does this make you uncomfortable?”

“No!” You snapped all too quickly. “You can sleep with however many clothes you want.”

Step step step step step. Gojo stopped right in front of you and still, you refused to look at him. Pride? Perhaps. Nerves? Absolutely. Maybe he’d show you mercy if he saw how unamused you were with him. Your hopes fell away when warm, soft fingers neatly found their way under your chin and pulled your eyes up until you had no choice but to look past his exposed upper body and into his covered eyes. It felt like the blindfold wasn’t even there. When Gojo spoke it was sweet… sickly sweet.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me without a shirt on.”

You all but yanked your face from his soft hold. “That was an accident!”

“You looked at me for a lot longer then, too.”

“I thought you were gone!”

“Then what were you doing in my room?”

“Principle Yaga needed a report you forgot to drop off, that wasn’t my fault.”

Gojo scrutinized you–at least, that’s what it felt like. You wouldn’t look at his face long enough to find out. After a long second or two, he seemed satisfied with whatever it was he saw and left for the bathroom. Now that the human-sized headache had gone and given you some peace and privacy, you had plenty of time to feel every ache and twinge and cut and bruise making itself at home in your skin. People always said the soreness would get worse before it got better and you dreaded what it would feel like in the coming days. Then you had to remember: your condition would have been worse – much worse – had Gojo not made it in time. True to form, he really did come from nowhere, but at that point in the battle you were too incapacitated to feel either gratitude or shame.

You vaguely heard the shower turn on in the bathroom.

Fantastic. Knowing him, he’d come out naked with a simple ‘ready for bed?’ or something just as stupid. Godforsaken megalomaniac. Who even ends up that way?

Who even cared. Nothing would change him and you weren’t going to use what minimal energy you had left to worry about it. You weren’t going to dissect the thoughts of your own inadequacy, you weren’t going to worry about being a burden to anyone, especially Gojo, and you most certainly weren’t going to think about how concerned Gojo looked when he found you, how relieved you felt to see him, how quickly he rushed to you, how he used his own jacket to try and stem the blood flowing so easily from the wound in your chest. How he said your name and how he lifted your hair from your face to see you better and how he told you everything was going to be alright and that he’d take care of it from here.

No, no more thinking. You were going to sleep.

That is if your body could find a way to loosen. The shaking hadn’t stopped since your rescue several hours earlier, and after being used constantly for so long, the muscle aches had made their way into your bones until it felt like your body forgot how to relax. There was no way you were still worried for your life — Gojo was literally on the other side of the wall. You were alive, and fine, and safe. Certainly this hotel room was far less dangerous than the battlefield you were pulled from. So why couldn’t you keep from glancing at the darkest parts of the room, scanning again and again and again for the foe you knew wasn’t there? Why couldn’t you find it in yourself to relax even as you carefully forced yourself to lay flat and ready for sleep? How could you be so tired and groggy yet so far away from any real feeling of being on the precipice of unconsciousness? Why did this night have to continue not going the way you wished it had?

The shock of light from the bathroom lasted only a moment before Gojo flipped the switch and joined you in the dim room. Again you wouldn’t look at him. Honestly, you were afraid he really would be naked. Though, with a body like that, you’d strut around in the nude too.

“Man, America did something right when it came to beds – so squishy!”

You were all but catapulted off the bed when Gojo crash-landed on the mattress in a mess of chaotic energy and enormous limbs. Such vigorous jostling sent terrible pain lighting up your system and it was all you could do to keep the shout behind your tense jaw.

“Sorry,” Gojo said as he leaned into your line of sight. “You okay?”

Now you had little choice but to look at him in his entirety. He made it impossible not to with his apparent lack of personal space. Several things became very apparent in the short moment it took you to register the state of the man on top of you.

Shirt: off.

Sweatpants: on.

Blindfold: off.

There was very little of your vision that wasn’t occupied by his overwhelming eyes or obvious muscles. You wanted to turn over but then your palms and fingers would no doubt touch his bare skin – his physique – and so you held them in each other against your tight chest and all but turned your head to the side to look at the sheets.

“Oh my, you’ve suddenly gone flush. Are you coming down with a fever?”

You tore yourself away from him, tired of his antics. It was a bad move. Spears of pain dug deeply into your chest and were powerful enough to render breathing all but impossible. A sucking sort of wheeze was all you could produce while you sat up to try and make it easier but getting air was a futile endeavor. You tried again yet still the spasms in your chest rendered the effort mute. Just as panic began to rise, you coughed in an attempt to kickstart some kind of breathing and it seemed to do the trick. The discomfort moved from terrible to excruciating and you could only groan and fist the sheets as some kind of outlet.

Gojo appeared at your shoulder and gently supported you while you tried to calm your erratic heartbeat. If only you had the strength to push his infuriating face clear off the bed and onto the floor.

“Please,” you managed through a sad wheeze, all remaining fight and spunk gone. What Gojo heard was the small sound of someone too tired and weak to put any bite to her words. Someone who’d given up entirely. “Can you just leave me alone?”

You sat in surprise when he actually got up from the bed and went back to the bathroom. Had he actually listened to you? Given his propensity for trickery, it didn’t seem possible. In his absence came a cool breeze that sent your chilled body ever closer to a constant and pronounced shiver. The sink in the bathroom turned on while you took the time to try and relax the tense soreness in your chest and wounds. Jesus fuck it hurt now that the adrenaline had vanished. Damn it, you couldn’t even go to bed properly without Gojo’s insufferable teasing! The water in your eyes had just begun to burn hot when a glass of water was thrust in your line of sight. Your hand shook terribly and you feared you’d drop it until Gojo helped bring it to your lips. He didn’t seem satisfied when you thought you were done; you went to pull away only for his other hand to weave into the hair at the back of your head and tip the glass until you had to swallow the rest lest you spill it down your shirt. After you finished it he went back to fill it up again and place it on the bedside table.

“Now riddle me this: why are you so embarrassed about what happened tonight?”

“What, you want me to talk about being a burden, or how I was supposed to show you and everyone that I could take care of high-level curses on my own? Or the general stress that comes from – I don’t know – almost dying? How you had to stop whatever disaster you were preventing to help someone who was supposed to do this for a living? How about the ridicule and backlash I’ll face when I get back to the school, from both the principal and the elders? Go ahead and take your pick, Gojo.”

“Firstly,” he said, squatting low to force your downturned eyes to look at him, “if fighting curses were easy, everyone would do it. But they don’t. You did what you could in the time you had with the available tools. Those curses were no cakewalk – at least, for anyone besides me–”

Your eyes couldn’t roll any farther.

“But,” he continued, “you kept them away from people. Those kids and their families get to live long, peaceful lives because of you.”

“Gojo,” you started.

“Secondly, after tonight, I think it's time to drop the formalities.”

The blood loss was making you stupid. “Huh?”

“I saved your life, I carried you out of there and got you the help you needed. I dropped Infinity and got your blood all over me so I could hold you and don’t think I forgot how you clung to me.”

“I was barely conscious, how could I have clung to you?”

“All of that to say you can drop the walls and treat me like a friend. I’m at least that, aren’t I?”

You didn’t reply. Frankly, you may have zoned out halfway through the sentence. He picked up on the hazy look and stood. “The medics cleaned you up and helped you change into fresh clothes; do you want to keep that on or change?” He sang the next part. “I could help.”

“‘M good.”

The bed creaked behind you under his weight. You thought he’d finally gone to bed only for his arms to slip under your own and make themselves comfortable against your stomach so he could pull you back to the bed covers. The pain roared under the neat bandages but Gojo (Satoru) was steady and careful in supporting your weight until you could relax against the mattress.

“Lift your hips.” He said.

“Why?”

“You’re on top of the covers.”

“Seriously?”

You looked over your shoulder at him to find a pout staring back at you. “Let me tuck you in.”

“Gojo–”

“Satoru–”

“I don’t care–”

“You’ve been shaking since you regained consciousness, and don’t think I missed how cold your skin is. You need to stay warm tonight after what happened.”

You groaned and cursed and griped but nonetheless eventually gathered the strength to push your hips off the bed. The pain made you dizzy and you could only hold the position for a moment but thankfully it was enough for him to get the covers from under you and lift them up to your chin. Almost as soon as they settled over you the chill began to lessen and for a change you thanked Gojo’s incessant prodding. Your eyes closed without any conscious command. Yes, the day had been pretty terrible, yes, you were still scared, but now you could take comfort in the fact that you were finally warm and safe. The strongest was literally right next to you. Sure, you could worry about sharing a bed with someone as overwhelming and attractive as him, with his ice-colored eyes and bare upper body, but for a change you thanked the exhaustion because it pushed away all the typical things you’d worry over. Inhale. Exhale. Decompress. Disassociate. Drift far away.

Satoru’s weight closed in on your side and an arm and a leg made themselves at home across your body. The fact he was above the covers and you below didn’t make the situation any better. His warm, minty exhale invaded your space and your eyes opened against their wishes. “What are you doing?”

“Going to bed.”

��“Gojo–”

“Satoru–”

“You don’t need to hold me, I’m fine–”

“You're shaking.”

“It’s cold.”

“It’s blazing.”

“It’s literally snowing.” You weren’t lying: fat flakes poured onto the ground outside and allowed a faint gray light into the room despite it being the middle of the night.

“Not under the covers. Look, after what happened, there’s a chance you could go into shock – the blood loss and damage is one thing, but a near-death experience, especially someone’s first, is not exactly a walk in the park. Your cursed energy has been wavering for hours and you nearly collapsed not twenty minutes ago.”

You moved to sit up. “Look, I’m not–”

Damn you and your mortal body. A wave of nausea nearly sent you teetering off the bed onto the floor and the sudden shifts brought the pain of your various injuries to the surface. One of your hands shot up to hold your head on your shoulders while the other gripped onto the bandages of your torso like your organs might spill out. Your eyes opened to try and get your bearings through the spinning only for you to be greeted with black shapes drifting around your eyes. You’d have fallen unceremoniously off the side of the bed had his hands not guided you back into the pillows.

“I have to look you over.” He said gently, quietly. Frankly, you were too out of it to register or care that the covers were being pushed down to your legs, nor that he was moving to support himself over top of you. But now that the blood was steadily moving back to your head, you were beginning to feel much more alert. Certainly conscious enough to understand what he was doing. His fingers winding through your own and pressing your intertwined hands into the bedsheets next to your head was what put your pulse into overdrive.

“Look me over? I’ll be okay, you don’t have to–”

One of his legs settled between your own. “I won’t undress you if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I–well you–can’t–”

“I don’t need to–”

“What?!” You said an octave higher than you wanted. Your free hand went up to try and push him off you.

“Just hold still, you’re pulling your stitches.”

“I got patched up; they said I was fine!”

“Was being the keyword. Plus, do you really trust those goons? The dizzy spells could mean they missed a punctured organ. Listen, it won’t even hurt, it’ll just take a second–”

“Please!”

The struggling came to a rapid halt when Gojo felt your whole body tighten and you wrenched your hand from his grip so strongly that he knew it must have hurt. He observed the cursed energy rippling off you and wavering in the air in time with the quivering thuds of your heart. It wasn’t from the wounds or the pain, either. This was an emotional kind of turmoil.

“You’re really nervous about this, aren’t you?”

“Well I–you…” the honesty crept in on you like a whisper. You didn’t have to speak the truth, yet you did anyway. It was an automatic kind of choice and whether Gojo was an influencing factor or not wasn’t something you wanted to think about. “I’m not nervous, it’s just… vulnerable.” Shame and a good deal of self-pity made you try to become even smaller under your large friend’s lumbering body. “I know. Get it over with; go ahead and laugh.”

The silence that took over the room was telling. You couldn’t, wouldn’t look at those electric eyes of his. So taught and bound up was your body that when he dropped his forehead against your own, your flesh was too tight to tense any further. All you could do was try and process the intimate contact over the incoherent screams in your head and the rapid squeezing of your heart. He didn't move from the embrace even while he spoke. “I need to make sure you’re okay. I’m just gonna look for internal bleeding, nothing else.”

Jesus Christ, he was close. Satoru Gojo was all your senses could take in right now. His smell, his touch, the white of his eyelashes. There wasn’t a single cell of yours that wasn’t focused on him. It was enviable, how formidable his very presence was. The touch of his bangs to your eyelashes must have been a hidden and previously undisclosed superpower because as long as they were there, tickling your eyes in the slightest way, you couldn’t solidify a single thought. You didn’t know you nuzzled up into his forehead, but he knew. He felt it in the way your energy wound around him like ropes around a captive.

“Okay.” You managed. He was looking at you, you could feel it without even knowing it, but you refused to do the same. As if you needed to feel any more exposed. Gojo’s eyes finally moved on from yours and down to the steadily healing stab wound in your ribcage just under your breast. Your skin gave a small jolt when his hand moved to press on the skin there like it helped him get a better idea of your condition where it was obstructed by the numerous wraps. His eyes focused intently right on the spot where the worst wound was. When he found you, it had been covered by your clothing. There was no way for him to know where to look at the bandages covering the entirety of your torso unless he really could see through it all.

The blues of his eyes swirled as he got to work. Past the clothing, flesh, and sinew. Past all barriers and deep into the tissue there. He observed everything down to the way your cells tried diligently to put you back together. Frankly, he was thankful for the little workers. Very thankful. When he found you, your cursed energy was weak enough to literally be taken away with the breeze; it was so weak he had a hard time finding you. You were as cold as the frost settling on your body, your lips a sickening blue-gray, and there was more color in the reddening snow than there was in your skin. Maybe that was true – maybe you had given more blood to the ground than you kept for yourself.

Broken. Bloody. Unresponsive. You were limp enough when he pulled you from the white powder to consider you dead, but the faint undulations of your heartbeat could be picked up in your cursed energy and you possessed the miraculous strength to cling to his jacket -- he could still feel the exact spot on his stomach where your fingers feebly grabbed -- and you held on even when he placed you on the gurney.

It was cruel how easily your blood seeped into his clothes. Now that he could do nothing but watch the healers try to bring you back, an omnipotent fury poured into his skin. BOOM! Crash! A fully grown oak tree got blasted in half when his cursed energy needed a rapid outlet for the rising anger. He couldn't help it. . . and he loathed himself for it.

“What, you got x-ray vision?” Your minor bickering brought him back to you. He knew after today he’d never take your quips for granted. He almost never got them back.

“Mmm, something like that.”

A pause ensued before you found more small talk. Anything was better than the silence. “What can you see, exactly?”

“I read cursed energy – physical and psychological well-being, internal processes happening in the body, stuff like that. By reading the subtle changes I can piece together a picture of how your body is feeling and operating. Pulse, blood pressure, the healing of injuries, airflow, tension in the muscles, equilibrium, things like that. Think of it kind of like… aura reading, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“And it's on all the time?”

“24/7, 365.”

“That must wear you out.”

“Why do you think I wear the glasses and the blindfold? It’s not perfect, but every little bit helps. Truthfully I can’t even remember the days when I was ‘normal’. This is all I've known.”

Gojo picked up on your frown, but he didn’t want you to be sad. He’d had enough of your misfortune for one night. What he said next was coming from a spot in his chest that hurt. “I’m sorry I was late. There was a meeting–of course–and it was only there that I found out what they’d sent you to do, and where they shipped you off to. It took a few jumps–and a bit of searching even after I arrived. Once I found all the cursed energy, I knew I was in the right place.”

“You came all the way from Tokyo?”

“I knew they had you in over your head as soon as they told me about the mission. I think they gave me the run-around on purpose!” Gojo added humorously. Neither of you wanted to face the alternative… that it might have been intentional. It wasn’t hard to understand that Gojo had some enemies in high places, people who might go to incredible lengths to gain leverage on him. You had little to offer all things considered and your absence wouldn’t do much to affect the bigger picture. So, if it was intentional, then why? Why send you on what may have been a suicide mission?

You paused again, thinking hard about what to say to him. What could you say that properly conveyed everything you wanted to? He didn’t have to work so hard to find you. Sure, he certainly wasn’t evil enough to leave you to die, he wasn’t that cruel, but you saw him not only when he got to you, but even now – pale skin, more so than usual, and a little darkness around the eyes on an otherwise pristine landscape. How much energy did it take to teleport across the world? How long did he search the area? It wasn’t like the people back home gave him much to work with. They may have narrowed it down to an entire state at best. Then he had to battle the curses. Sure it was probably a cakewalk for him, but he had to keep you alive until he got you to some medics. Even after you were safe, he stayed. He could have been in his own bed back at the school right now, but he had stayed because you were too weak for him to safely teleport back home. How easily he could have let the medics do their thing and take care of you from there. He didn’t, though. He bickered with the healers when they jostled you too much, he stood patiently aside until you were done, in the dark and cold, and organized this room for both of you. The only thing you could think to say seemed so minimal and trite. “Thank you. For trying so hard to find me.”

Gojo (Satoru) rolled a bit of your hair in and amongst his slender fingers. His grin was small but very much genuine. “The blood loss is making you sappier than usual, I think it's time you get some sleep.”

“Finally.”

You didn’t dare move when he splayed over top of you to reach for the clock on the nightstand and turn the face around so no one could see it. You were left with nothing but the weight of Satoru’s body and the gentle huff of his breath into the air between you. To your surprise there was no quip or joke; he wordlessly moved to his side of the bed and moved the covers back over both of you to settle down for the night. You didn’t see how he decided to sleep facing you nor how his hand came to rest just skimming your arm. Both of you finally felt the last reserves of stress disappear.

A dull, hollow, repetitive thud, thud, thud, thud came down from the floor above you. You’d have thought something was wrong with the building itself had some very pitching moans not followed soon after.

You nearly blanched.

Gojo chimed in far too casually. “Someone had a less eventful day than us. Reverse cowgirl, if I had to guess.”

“Gojo!”

“Satoru.”

You barked a moan of frustration. So fierce was the spike of anger that you nearly slammed your hands over your eyes. If you could push hard enough on your skull then maybe it would collapse and finally grant you some reprieve.

“What?” Satoru said, somehow not at all irritated. “It’s just sex. We won’t catch anything from here.”

“That’s not what I care about! They’re in a hotel and making enough noise to wake up the people down the street. Who’s like that?”

“Why are you so flustered?”

“I’m not!”

“You forget I can see your heartbeat. Very flustered.”

“Why do you care so much?” You replied.

“Is it because I’m here?” Gojo — Satoru — continued.

A tiny stumble made its way into your dry throat. “No. Why would you think that?”

Instantly, like water, he was on you, over you, invading your head and body and everything else you tried to barricade. His desire was aggressive, he caged you in and without care lowered himself until your bodies were barely separate entities anymore and his nose touched the side of yours. “I see everything,” Satoru said with a sinister air. “I’ve been nice, I’ve given you time to admit the truth yourself but you still deny it even after today.”

Closer. Somehow he got even closer.

“I’ve not once mentioned the way your body temperature rises when I get close enough.”

His leg slipped so easily between your own.

“Or how your vocal cords shake ever so slightly when I make you upset.”

His voice moved until it was hot in your ear.

“Not even when you flinch as if I’ve burned you when we touch.”

A warm hand pitched the back of your neck, keeping you from turning away.

“You can lie to me all you want… but your body betrays you.”

Crystalline eyes rose to pin down your gaze. He thumbed your bottom lip. Caught up in the currents of emotions ricocheting between and through the both of you, you did nothing but balk and flounder like a schoolgirl. He was your only anchor, the one way you could stay afloat, the one thing you trusted when everything else felt so uncontrollable.

You hardly heard your own voice. “I don’t know what to do.”

His eyes flicked down to your mouth before he wrangled them back up.

“Do you want me to stop?”

You should stop – you needed to.

You shook your head. No.

Satoru’s lips descended strongly. Hungry, needy, searching, yet controlled. His lithe body hunkered down closer to cover yours, his back hunching to compensate for the height difference. So as not to overwhelm you, Satoru was already lifting his lips, but not before gently tugging on one of yours. Such a move made you wriggle; something, anything to release the feeling quickly cresting within you. One of your hands rose into the minute space between your bodies to somehow stem the intensity mounting under both parties’ muscles. The hand Satoru had behind your head moved to hold him up while the other snatched up the one of yours that dared to put space between your bodies. He brought it tenderly to his face. You could do nothing but watch the fascinating creature close his eyes to savor the smell of your skin and the touch of it on his nose before his lips kissed the pulse on the inside. Just hours before, he almost lost the pulse pushing so gently back against his mouth. When his eyes opened again they were very different from seconds ago. The brightness turned darker and his pupils had grown substantially.

“Your body. It’s scared, scared of what to do or what will happen.” Satoru easily discerned from the brisk tempo of the blood in your wrist. It assaulted his senses. He needed to get you to relax – it was keying him up and a tiny bit of him was getting nervous at what you were doing to him. Mostly, though, he was simply addicted to your presence and your closeness. The more you pushed back the desire bleeding from you, the more he wanted to assure you it was okay. “Haven’t I proved after today that I won’t hurt you? That I want you?”

The tiny sound you let escape made his other hand fist the sheets. The one holding your wrist released its grip only to move up and invade the space between your fingers, weaving deftly, carefully, to push it back into the sheets next to your head. He did the same thing just minutes before, but this time the atmosphere had changed entirely. Without your pesky hands to keep him from you, now he could zero in on the soft eyes looking back at him, and on the sweet spot at your throat. Such a space was too much to pass up and he nestled his head into the side of your neck. He couldn’t help his wet tongue leaving the hot confines of his mouth and laving at the vein. Satoru was pleased when your body shivered strongly under his expert touch.

“I almost lost it when they told me where they sent you to – you have no idea how quickly I left.” His voice was intense in your ear. “Not because I needed to find you but because if I didn’t leave I would have hurt someone. Your cursed energy was so weak tonight, you lost so much blood. I’ve lost others but why is it that when it comes to you, it means so much more – god, you smell good,” he broke off, distracted, “and why do I want to help you train so I don’t have to worry so much about you? Why would I pick on how the nurses treated you tonight, even when they were helping you? And why did I never want to leave you alone with those damn elders?”

The hand that he wasn’t pinning to the bed lifted to the warm skin of his abdominals. They flexed involuntarily at your touch. This time, you didn’t do it to create distance. This time, you did it to meet his passion with some of your own. His next words were gruff, rushed: “That’s it, feel me, don’t be shy.” Then his mouth latched onto your throat. Some kind of whimper made its way out of your mouth and the sound sent Satoru into overdrive. First one, then the other, he raised your arms until they rested on his shoulders; immediately they found their way up his neck and into the fine hair at the back.

Now that Satoru was satisfied with the fingers gripping at his hairline, he could start to get to work. Slowly, softly, carefully so as not to startle you, his hand made its way under your shirt. God was your skin warm to the touch.

“Satoru.” You breathed out desperately. The effect of your voice speaking his name had him nipping at a tender spot just under your jaw. Higher, higher, his hand slid over your waist, taking its sweet time to acclimate to the feel of your flesh. Just as he grazed the fresh bandages enclosing your ribcage you jolted away from his touch and did your best to subdue a quiet yelp of discomfort.

The trance you had him under faded somewhat. His lips lifted from your jawline, his hand retreated from under your shirt, and when you met his eyes, the familiar brightness had returned.

“I’m sorry.” You spoke, trying to catch your breath.

“Don’t be sorry.” Satoru quietly replied. It wasn’t fair how composed he looked while you laid there, frazzled and a bit disheveled. “You okay?” He asked on the back of a brisk exhale.

“Mhmm, just sore.”

Satoru took the time to check in on your physical state. Dilated pupils, elevated heart rate, increased endorphin levels, all the usual signs of romantic attraction and the intensity from before. Beyond the adrenaline, however, your energy was nearly nonexistent. Your body did what it could to use its last reserves of energy to keep up with his ministrations. It wasn’t fair to you. You needed rest and here he was stringing you out on dopamine and serotonin. He’d hurt you just now too.

The kiss on your forehead was surprising, given the intensity just moments before. “You need to sleep.”

“Are you saying that to me or you?” You said cheekily. It made him smile to see you in good spirits.

“Don’t toy with me. I can lay down right here and crush you.”

More reluctantly than he’d like, he separated from you and resumed the previous position of laying at your side. The mark he’d managed to inflict on your neck had begun to darken and he almost told you but decided to keep it to himself. He saw your heart rate steadily normalize and the occasional fidget ebbed to stillness. Your eyes remained looking at the ceiling, but he didn’t mind. The silence was calm, peaceful, and minutes passed, thankfully without any more noise from the neighbors upstairs. Satoru’s eyes could still be seen in your periphery so you knew he hadn’t gone to sleep yet. He seemed perfectly content to brush his fingers along the curve of your shoulder, but you were ready to combust. His glowing gaze taking you in made it impossible to sleep.

Finally, you relented. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“Yes, it is natural.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

You didn’t stop to think about what he might have been referring to. “Do your eyes ever bother you?”

“How do you mean?” Satoru replied, propping his head up in his palm.

“Do they get tired or overwhelmed? Do you hate them sometimes? What they can do?” You could only imagine what it must be like to confine your vision behind glasses or cloth because the sheer influx of information would be impossible to manage otherwise. If you had to guess, what he told you earlier was only a shadow of the full extent of his powers. You’d heard from numerous people just what that gaze was capable of, what it had done both to enemies but also to their wielder.

“I found you with them, didn’t I?” He replied after a short pause.

Imagine sensing more than you could ever hope to process. The feedback he’s had to acclimate to every second of every day is not something you or I should ever wish to discover. That was what Nanami had once said to you.

You floundered around for the right words. “I’ve heard that… sometimes they can kind of…”

“Make me insane?”

Then there was that. The paradigm shift he experienced any time he got serious. You’d seen some of it in action over the years: a blatant disregard for self-preservation, flashes of psychosis, the sheer lack of emotion normally present in him. It conflicted severely with the carefree jokester laying next to you right now. He spoke so calmly, even though his words made you worry. “Is that why you’re nervous?” Satoru said with a voice that was far too normal. Like he’d been told as such before.

You couldn’t let him believe it, not for a second, not when he’d done so much to find and save you. The way his touch had never once been rough even when his anger made him nearly feral. It was your turn to face him and pin him down with your eyes. The move was unexpected and Satoru couldn’t stop the slight surprise on his face. His heart did something funny, too.

“I’m not scared of you.” You said confidently. Satoru couldn’t pick up one ounce of hesitation in your entire body. “You saved me.”

You paused, then, “I’m glad we had to share a bed.”

Satoru didn’t move an inch even when you curled into his chest and came to rest your heavy head right under his chin. For all his eyes could do, they hadn’t predicted this. If they had then maybe he wouldn’t be sitting there like a robot while you finally closed your eyes and got the rest he so desperately wanted you to have. Like so many other nights, he probably wouldn’t get as lucky to catch up on his sleep. As his hand lifted to caress the back of your head and his lips nestled into your hairline for a comforting kiss, he thought maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. Not as long as you were with him under the same set of sheets when the sun came up.

#satoru gojo x reader #shy reader #kinda spicy #io has ideas

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